Last night I was reading a friends travelogue and after 60+ days of traveling he was starting to crash. Hitting that point where you don't know if you could stay awake much longer, or travel much longer. I must admit, I find it amazing that he lasted 60+ days, even if he did have a little bit of a break after about 40 days. Travel can give you the energy of a new light bulb even when you're tired, but then you can burn out just as fast when you're in an amazing place.
In 2005 I did my second Contiki Tour (first in europe), it was an amazing experience. I had been to Amsterdam; Munich, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Florence, Lucerne and Paris. So where did sleep deprivation hit? The Vatican Museum. I was on a tour with the most painful ear piece that was ever created in my ear. I sat down for a little lecture about the art early in the tour and it took all of my willf power to stay awake. I could understand, it was an intense tour of europe, we were up early in the morning. I was able to perk up enough to enjoy the vast majority of the museum after the lecture and did enjoy the Museum. Then a few days later I went to see Moulin Rouge, the one in Paris that they made a movie about. I had spent my day running around Paris seeing as much as possible - Notre Dame, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Musse Rodin. Despite some time to relax before the show I could NOT keep my eyes open during parts of the show. My memory of it is a blur of jugglers and half naked women in nifty costumes. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, I did fall asleep in the first row of Cats a couple years before that. But Moulin Rouge was much better then Cats.
But it was in the Hermitage where I pulled off my best falling asleep act. I was soooo excited to see the Hermitage, I heard it was either the biggest or the second biggest museum in the world (depends who you ask,) a true palace. It was the Tzarist rendition of French oppulance. I couldn't stay awake, I was actually falling asleep as I was walking. I didn't even know that was possible. I kept walking into people and having to appologize to them (thankfully most were from my tour). It was bizzar, I still don't understand how I was that tired I had been sleeping decently for most of the tour. And I felt so bad about it. I remember most of the place, sorda. I think we saw some Picasso's?? But I do remember the red room and the gold room, but we went in a bunch of others too. I bought a book, and that helps jog my memory, but I do still feel like I missed something that day. Of course shortly after the tour was over I woke up. Maybe I should take all of this as a hint - that museums just aren't my style?
