Welcome! Thanks for stopping by, this is a journal of sorts, of my recent European adventures. It's just something I threw together in my free time for me and whomever else might be interested. It's not much, but it tells a nice little story... It all started back in the fall semester of 1996. I was enrolled at Southwest Texas State and I noticed something in the school paper- a summer study abroad program in Canterbury, England. I quickly signed up and before I knew it I was overseas! While I was there I had the time of my life. I met some of the most incredible people I have ever known while studying in Canterbury. It was right then and there that I vowed to return to Europe as soon as possible, only this time for a more lengthy and meaningful stay!! Upon returning to San Marcos, I couldn't help but feel that I was missing something. My mind was constantly filled with thoughts of the times I had while studying and backpacking throughout Europe. The group from Canterbury.
I really felt as though there was somewhere else I needed to be, so as the summer of 1998 rolled around, I decided to take the plunge. With my few remaining credit hours in the balance (screw you SWT), I sat down and planned my trip overseas. On June 11th I headed over to Europe with my buddy Lee J. Cobb. We arrived at London Heathrow via Calgary, a long flight on June the 12th and immediately hoped on a train to Brugge, Belgium via Oostende. Belgium On the way there, we passed through my old home of Canterbury and I peered out the window in search of the college where I had studied, and of course the infamous Canterbury Cathedral. The excitement was definitely building!! We made our way through a rough sea voyage from Dover to Oostende (where we were forced to spend the night) and then a nice, short train ride to Brugge the following morning. Brugge was a perfect starting point for our trip.
Lee and I with our packs- goodbye Amsterdam! We checked into the Bahaus Hostel and sat down for a drink at the bar in the lobby. The beer in Belgium is some of the best in the world and the other travelers were all so friendly! Biking in the rain with Pooch and Dooch!
While at the Bauhaus, we met Amy and Kelli (Pooch & Dooch) and decided to rent bikes and go for a little tour of Brugge. We had such a good time, even the torrential rains couldn't dampen our spirits!! that night we went to the Brugge Berti and sampled some of the 300 beers they had available. A nice end to a fabulous day.
From Brugge it was on to Amsterdam where we really enjoyed ourselves! Holland We stayed at a hostel called "The Globe" with Amy and Kelli and we all hung out together that weekend. Lee and I wandered about the Red Light District and breathed in the local culture. The four of us sat in Vondelpark before wandering aimlessly through the winding streets and over the tiny canals. The rain from Belgium had followed us to Holland, but it was now starting to fade away. Pooch & Dooch left for the States, and after a fond farewell, Lee and I enjoyed the rest of the day at the Heineken Brewery! (Best $1.00 I ever spent!!!) Then it was onto an overnight train to Prague, Czech Republic. Being as tight with our limited funds as we could be, Lee and I opted for the regular seats instead of the sleeper car- we neglected to take into account the length of the trip. During the 17 hour train ride we unsuccessfully tried to sleep sitting upright in a six person cabin car with seven people. Our recovery from Amsterdam was aided by how beautiful Prague was upon our arrival! Czech Republic

The beautiful city of Prague
Our hostel, Slavoj Wesico, was a working boathouse on the Charles River in Prague and it was run by two Czech ladies who graciously found us two beds, even though the place was completely full! These women could cook like no one I've ever met!! The egg-fried toast lured us in and the goulash kept us a few extra days!! They fed us well and we had such a great time in Prague, we stretched our 2 day stay into 5 days!!! Finally, we had to leave, so with the help of Rachel and Vicki (two English birds who were staying in our hostel) we decided to go to Hungary!! From Prague we made our way to Budapest with the two British girls we had met earlier. Hungary
Budapest was as gorgeous as all the other cities we had visited thus far. We didn't do much but relax, which was just fine with us! The Turkish bathouse was incredible. It was $4.00 for a bit of time in the natural thermal bath and a 15 minute massage too!! But, if nudity or being nude bothers you, this was not the place to be!!! I thought Lee was going to pass out when he walked in and saw a large Hungarian man giving me a massage minus my clothes! (when in Rome huh?) After our relaxing stay at "The BackPacker" we hopped on a train again. Time was cut a bit short because of our stay in Prague, so we bypassed Vienna to get to Munich, Germany instead. Budapest.
Germany We arrived in Munich and walked for 2 hours before finding a hostel. 4U Munchen was the name of the place we stayed. Once checked in, we threw our stuff on our bunks and headed to Dachau for the day. Dachau is a concentration camp just outside of Munich and it was something we had planned to do since our trip began. The place was really powerful and you couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the sadness. Once back in town, we needed a little pick-me-up, so off to the Hofbräuhaus!
Neuschwanstein Castle Lee and I hit the beer steins with a vengeance at the Hofbräuhaus and paid the price the next morning. Our scheduled trip to Mad King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle was ruined because we passed out and slept right through it! The immortal Hofbräuhaus!
Getting up that morning was tough, talk about a hangover! We just barely managed to stumble out of 4U Munchen by checkout time! We wandered Munich a bit, only to realize we should have done the "Mike's Bike Tour"! We saw everyone cruise by having the times of their lives. Oh well, next time right?! Later that day we hoped a train to Rome and tried to sleep off the damage we had done the night before. We were lucky enough to get our own sleeping car, so we were able to relax and stretch out. We made our way through Innsbrook and the Austrian Alps, and with a few naps and a few games of chess, we arrived in Rome, Italy!! Italy We spent the first 2 days doing tourist stuff, like Saint Peter's, the Vatican Museum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the incredible Roman Colloseum.
Lee & I at the Colloseum We did it all on the back of our newly rented Scooters!! (everybody has one!) We absolutely tore the city up!! It was a blast!! While we were there, we stayed in the Hostel Rita along with two Aussie girls and a guy from Baltimore. Rachel, Jenene, and Josh stayed in the same room as we did, but oddly enough we didn't see them until the morning of checkout. As it turned out, Josh was heading to Florence that day, as were Lee and I, so we planned to travel together. Josh tagged along while Rachel and Jenene tried to sort out visas for Spain and we met up later. We were to all meet in Florence the next day, if Jenene could get her visa. After a few bottles of Italian wine on the train, we arrived in Florence at about midnight.
At that time of night, there were no hostel beds available and we were stuck! Our new friend Josh phoned a friend of his and quickly left Lee and I to fend for ourselves. Nice guy. With no where to turn, we prepared to sleep on the grass in front of the train station. As we set up camp, we met these two Norweigen girls; Katrina and Pernela. They were in the same situation we were and asked if they could "camp out" with us there on the lawn. It wasn't until they pulled out the bottle of liquor and askedif we knew how to play "asshole" that we knew we had met good people!! The four of us sat around and drank Norweigen tequila, Italian wine and playing cards till almost 4 in the morning!
We had a blast (with the exception of my favorite Phish hat being stolen!) as we partyed the nightsaway at Italian dance clubs, and spent our days staring at Michelangelo's David. We squeezed as much fun as we could in the few days we had left. We had to head for Barcelona to meet up with our friend Billy from the US. The days in Florence flew by and we left having never met up with Rachel and Jenene, but we would see them again soon! Florence, Italy
La Sagrada Familia Getting from Florence to Milan was a breeze, but getting from Milan to Barcelona was an epic journey! It involved sneaking on a train, hiding in between the engine and the first class car, and finally paying off the ticket officer to avoid being kicked off at some middle-of-nowhere town in the south of France!!! Spain We arrived in Barcelona $70 lighter and very, VERY tired. Lee and I walked for an hour and a half trying to get to our rendezous point with Billy; the Hotel International on Las Ramblas. This street was the most beautiful street I had ever seen. Lee and I sat on the balcony of the Hotel playing chess and enjoying a cold beer when Billy yelled up from below. It was nice to see a familiar face after 4 weeks of travels and we really lived it up that night!
We partook in some Absinth at a local bar and from there we went down to the docks and partyed at this series of waterfront bars and dance clubs collectively known as "Maremagnum". There we met Susana and Mirea whom we spent the evening with dancing and drinking and having more fun than should be allowed. The days seemed to race by and before we knew it we were on a train to Pamplona for the Festival De San Fermin and El Encierro or what's better known as, the Running of the Bulls! While on the train to Pamplona, Lee saw some familiar faces on his way to the dining car. Our roommates from Rome, Rachel and Jenene, were sitting in the car in front of us!
They joined us in our car and we had a little wine and beer while trying to persuade them to come with us to Pamplona rather than to their original destination of San Sebastion. After finally convincing them, we hopped off the train and found accommodation with a gentleman named David who was waiting outside the station. We threw our packs in David's house, which consisted of fifteen matresses pushed together, and we were off to the party! It was the wildest time of my life and we partyed as much as we possibly could, from 8:00 in the evening till 8:00 in the morning we sang and danced and drank and had a no holds barred FIESTA! The three days there were topped off as Billy, Lee, and myself ran with the bulls! It was absolutely the most incredible, life-affirming thing anyone could ever hope to do! The fiesta begins in Pamplona!
Londontown France From there we settled in Biarritz for a bit of relaxation before I had to make my way through Paris to London to find work. I left behind my friends and kept my glorious memories of my wonderful trip through Europe. England London was a harsh reality, but once I settled in with a job, it began to grow on me. I got a job at The Texas Embassyin Trafalager Square! My newfound job allowed me to seek out new adventures and new destinations that I was unable to see the first time around. My new adventures to Venice, Barcelona again, Brussels, Amsterdam again, and New Year's in Maastricht! Europe truly suits me, now if I could only find a way to keep from getting deported???? If travelling Europe sounds like something you would enjoy doing, check out my Europe Page for tons of info on how to make it happen!
This page is just a small hobbie and as is such, it will no doubt be slow in the making. Please bear with me and i'll try to get this thing completed. Not that anyone will ever see this, or even care once they do, but I will try to finish it none the less. Eventually there will be more stories here of my recent travels through Europe, as well as more pictures of the good times I have had. I hope you've enjoyed your visit amidst the unfinished writing. If you did like what you saw here, please check back somtime to see the finished product!! Until then you can occupy yourselves with my other entertaining webpages!! Enjoy...