I've been vagabonding through Europe, Ya'll.  What a fun trip!  It all started out as a trip to just Monte Carlo for the EPT Championship, but it got extended, obv.

Poker wise the trip was pretty uneventful.  It seems like I don't play my best against the Europeans, or just in Europe, so far.  Still haven't cashed in that fucking continent.  Maybe my style clashes a specific way with a lot of foreign players all at one table and I probably need to slow down a bit.  Im probably used to a different type of play to mold my game around.

A measly 18 hours of flights and I was there... I was in Cannes in September and Monte Carlo is similar but I think a bit prettier.  Also, the people are even more stuck up!  Why does everyone hate Americans... so many ppl were rude to us, even lying at times to us!  I think it was Cantu's bad vibes... haha.

Monte Carlo was mainly about busting tournaments, doing a bunch of drinking in the downtime.  Our crew formed from the getgo for the extent of the Europe trip:  Me Jenn Cantu and Allie Prescott.  Each of us played our own role in the group and it was honestly just one of the funniest fucking trips ever.  Inside jokes galore.  After the first couple nights, Monte Carlo was still amazing but the appeal started to wear off... the room service was great though.

One morning I had the most ridiculous breakfast, ate about 12 different things and drank espresso then tried to play a tournament after.  My brain hurt so bad it was way worse than being hungover.  I promptly busted.  

My mom had told me about a nearby little village area in the mountains called EZE.  Our group made the day trip there and got hammered off mojitos etc... we stopped in at supposedly one of the best restaurants in the world, "The Golden Goat", and were promptly turned down for full service but were able to have drinks and snacks over an amazing balcony view.  I drunkenly bought souvenirs and we headed back to the Monte Carlo casino completely wasted.

We hit up any local bar or casino club we could find, running into some familiar faces, but mainly staying as our group.  The 4 or 5 days went quick, and my flight was already booked to head home.

Brandon and Allie were going to road trip to Venice for WPT Venice, and at the last minute I realized I was crazy to not extend my trip.  It was done.  Somehow along the first few days we connected with the Binger Brothers and Liv Boeree, and the rest of the trip they would be honorary members of the group. Poker Radio

They told us about a beautiful city by the ocean called cinque terre, and our foursome decided to go along with them and stay the night there.  

First, we had to rent a car.  One of the most frustrating experiences ever!  Monte Carlo is so winding and impossible.. we find the Rental Car place in the morning at 11, Europcar.  the lady at the desk seems to be pretty helpful and they say they will deliver our car to our hotel in an hour.  An hour later, we get a different car, and we dont have built in navigation as the woman claimed!  We have a seperate device, that isnt even working!  We are so lost, the roads are so winding that even my iphone navigation cannot save us.  WE all drive 3 hours through the tiny 2 square mile radius of the town just looking for the rental car place again!  Augh!

Finally, we find it.  She doesnt help us too much except tell us that the navigation works eventually once u leave the general area, and she points us towards Italy where we will start heading towards the Italian town Cinque Terre.  Finally we were on our way.  Drinking has not stopped, we chug anything we can on the road, Me Brandon and Allie prop betting on literally everything for the last 5 days.  We had started with the number game.. Jenn picks a number we go around guessing it she says higher or lower and whoever guesses it first loses the bet... whether it be to pay for the alcohol, cab, put a credit card down, etc etc!

The first time we did the bet, Jenn thought of a number from 1 to a hundred, Allie guessed first, and got it!  26!  Pay lol!  After the number game the first couple days we realized a way better gambling game:  Lodden Thinks.  The object is for once person to be "Lodden"  {Johnny Lodden} and he or she must think what the answer is to a specfic question.  EXample, how many people live in Monte Carlo?  If Brandon was Lodden, he would lock in his answer to what he thought it was.  Then me and Allie would start guessing what we believed Brandon THOUGHT the answer is, not what we actually think it is.  We keep saying higher numbers until someone calls and thinks that the other guesser  has gone over.  If he's over, the challenger wins, if he's still under, then that person wins.  Simple right?

Non stop gambling and ridiculousness.

Cinque Terre was a beautiful area with 4 small villages about a mile from eachother along the ocean in a mountain like area.  We got a hotel, and went out with the binger crew for an amazing seafood dinner later.  In the morning, those fucking Bingers told us about a hike they were going to do, just from our town to the next town, and so on.  We could take a train back after the first stop.  Fine.

Well in the morning we started the hike, the Bingers going 45 mph through the terrain and our foursome left in the dust.  With no water!  Binger Brothers had it all.  Those bastards.  We sweated it out and trekked skinny cliffside walkways until we made it to the next town.  Bingers.

That night we would head to Milan to kick it there, I was the only one who had been.  Our road trip consisted of more ridiculous gambling, and slowly we shifted to funny talks about random things, such as, "who do u hate most in online poker?" etc...  Just some classic material, why don't we have a reality show?  

Also, we made sure to buy cheesy eighties and nineties hit cd's with glorious songs to sing along with.  It seemed like Cher was a favorite... mostly among the driver and passenger side, {brandon and allie}

Milan was pretty fun but kind of dead.  We rolled in and immediately knew where our hotel would be because across the street we saw a strip club.  It turned out to be pretty nice joint... too expenseive.  I just sat there.  

3 hours of sleep later, like most of the nights, and we were off for the final pull to Venice.  But not before stopping in the nearby town of Cantu.  That's right, Cantu, Italy.  We could not pass up this opportunity.  We trekked over there with Bingers in tow and made it to what seemed like a pretty run down, unremarkable town.  Cantu almost got into an accident... then we saw it... a Mcdonalds sign!  5km!  WE followed these things until there it was, a huge pyramided building that had a giant CANTU lettering on the side and McDonalds reading along the other side.. it was also the town center.  What an amazing sight.  American food finally after 7 days.

More road tripping, although we had lost a fallen soldier, Allie, to the Binger car temporarily.  We got kind of lost going to venice a la our terrible navigation, but it worked out, as we had some intellectual discussions from everything from relationships to foreign food.  We made it finally and water taxied into Venice.  One of the most beautiful sights possible is boating into the grand canal of venice at night... realy amazing!  Our hotel was nice, the next few days were pretty laid back and a bit touristy.. eventually we learned many of the streets and how to get to the casino and back.

In the tournament I laid down KK on a T73 flop against a complete beginner, a french girl.  It really seemed unlikely she had anything but a set, and it was for all my chips.  She limp called pre and then confidently and instantly shipped all in when i bet the flop.  It had to be a set.  I tanked for 5 minutes and folded, sigh... She showed QQ!  That disheartened me for the tournament.  Especially when they show the hand on their big screens around the tournament floor.  What a nice casino though!  Like a museum.

I'm rambling.  Europe brings people together.. good or bad.  Was a great trip, i wouldn't take anything back.  

In L.a now.  Lakers tonight I'm going to staples to watch them win.  Tomorrow, Calgary.  I gotta enjoy the moment