Last night I arrived back in Boston around 8PM to find a crowd of people waiting for me. Included in the crowd were a few cameras and reporters with a number of questions for me. I never thought I would the guy they were waiting for.
Today I start work at The Tea Room, I'll be sure to let you all know how that goes. Here's a clip from Fox25 News.
eBay Kid
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
My English Family
I arrived in Oxford hoping for the best. I had met a girl a month and a half earlier in Vietnam, and moments before my last post, I sent her an email telling her that I would be at the bus station in 4 hours. When I got off the bus, nobody was there. I had no money on me, so I waited there for close to twenty minutes, contemplating whether I ought to ask to use someone's cell phone to call my friend, who's number I had written in bright red marker on the inside cover of my waterproof travel journal. Just then I looked up and saw her walking toward me, and it was as if a weight the size of my backpack had been lifted off of my shoulders.
We hugged, and shook our heads in amazement; a drunken idea had manifested, and 45 days later here I was in Oxford. We walked into a local pub and had half-a-pint that was quite nice, and has a pear aftertaste. I told her of everything that had happened since Vietnam, and we caught up for nearly an hour when she rang her mom. She told her I would be staying the night and to "Throw another Jacket in the Oven" which is just English slang for a baked potato.
We left the pub and headed to her house located in the village of Bleubury. Naturally I walked to the right side of the car to get in, when she asked me it I had planned on driving...that's right, it's all backwards here. The drive took us twice as long because many of the roads had been flooded from the rivers that had overflown their banks. We walked inside, and I was more than excited to meet my first English "mum." She was quite friendly as she fixed us each plate of jackets and beans, and she, like every English person I've mentioned it to, could not believe why anyone would sell themselves on eBay.
After dinner Kirsty told me I should look up the train schedule so I could get to Leicester (pronounced Lester)in the morning, I guess I'll just be staying one night then. I figured it all out, and did some online banking which reminded me of the times I'd be losing in Monopoly and couldn't wait to land in jail so I didn't have to keep landing on hotels.
I was long overdue for a shower, so I cleaned up and went to sleep in her 12 year old sister's room who happened to be at a sleepover for the night. I couldn't fall asleep because I kept wondering whether or not my cousin would receive the email I'd just sent him, telling him that I would be arriving in just about 12 hours. I laid there for an hour or so watching the minutes tick by on one of those clocks that shines the time up onto the ceiling in big red numbers before I finally fell asleep.
In what felt like 15 minutes I was woken up by Kirsty telling me we had to leave in 15 minutes so she could drop me off at the Ditcok train station before work. I fell back asleep and woke up 13 minutes later, threw some clothes on stuffed my bag and ran out the door. We said our goodbyes, made promises to visit soon, and she was off. I bought my ticket to Oxford, and my credit card worked; I could breathe again. The trains were stopped because of the flood so we had to take a bus which also was delayed and took an hour and a half. I made it to Oxford and went to buy my ticket to Leicester. I told the lady behind the counter that if my credit card worked it would be a miracle...it was a miracle. This meant that the money transfer Tyler made had worked, I was rich again!
I went next door, ordered a sandwich, croissant, and a cup of tea and handed them my card. "We don't take cards, there's a cash-point next door." No worries, be right back.
Insufficient Funds
Insufficient Funds
Insufficient Funds
"I'm sorry, but I cannot pay for this food" and I walked out of the cafe quite embarrassed.
I had stashed a granola bar in my jacket a week ago, and snacked on that while I waited for my bus. The bus ride was painless, and we were in Leicester in just over 3 hours. Ok, time to find my cousin (whom I haven't seen in 7 years, and god forbid he send his wife to get me as I've never met her) I look all over the train station...nothing.
I have exactly enough money for a phone call, which is 40 pence...it rings, then I get a voicemail, now I have nothing. I dig through my backpack and find 8 euro in coins, I can't believe I hadn't spent those, but they may save my ass because the 45 minute bus ride to the village of Broughton Astley costs 2.10 Pounds.
I walk around in the rain to 4 different banks trying to change money;
"Only if you bank with us sir" do I look like I bank with first bank of Scotland?
"Sorry, we only change bills" some of these coins are 2Euro coins, what's that about?
"This isn't a bank at all, this is a bookie joint (to myself)"
I'm told there is a travel agency in The Shires, I think they're talking about Lord of the Rings...rather, it's a shopping mall. I find the travel agency, and walk out of there with 4.20 pounds. That's 2 bus tickets!!!
Back to the bus station, hop on the number 13...I'm going to make it after all. I hand the bus driver a post-it with an address on it and ask him to tell me when to get off. 20 minutes later I'm standing on the corner of Broughton Street next to Ye Olde Bull Pub. I like the idea of that, at least I could wash dishes for food(beer)if need be. I walk down Broughton Street looking for Astley House, heaven forbid they use street numbers. 10 houses down the lane I read "Astley House" on one of the brick walls. Maybe this is it? Then I see a Dodge truck...this has to be it, only an American would have a Dodge in England.
I knock at the door, no answer...I peer in the window and see baby toys! I MADE IT, it's just nobody was home. I pull out an old train ticket from my bag and a red pen,
"MIKE, I'm at the pub down the street." -Josh
I walk in the pub, "What ya got in that rucksack, you're whole life?" some tough lookin' guy says to me. "Pretty much" I respond, "Any of you know the guitar teacher down the road?"
Nobody knows the guitar teacher down the road. I ask them if I can "Hang Out" for a bit, see if my cousin turns up. The bartender and a regular named George split the cost of a pint for me, and invite me to sit down and tell them why the hell I'm in Broughton Astley.
I tell them about my trip, but realize these guys only want to hear the parts of my story that I'll never tell my kids...so I entertained them for a while and looked out the window at a gentleman approaching, I turned to the bartender, "I think that's my cousin walking in..."
-Josh
We hugged, and shook our heads in amazement; a drunken idea had manifested, and 45 days later here I was in Oxford. We walked into a local pub and had half-a-pint that was quite nice, and has a pear aftertaste. I told her of everything that had happened since Vietnam, and we caught up for nearly an hour when she rang her mom. She told her I would be staying the night and to "Throw another Jacket in the Oven" which is just English slang for a baked potato.
We left the pub and headed to her house located in the village of Bleubury. Naturally I walked to the right side of the car to get in, when she asked me it I had planned on driving...that's right, it's all backwards here. The drive took us twice as long because many of the roads had been flooded from the rivers that had overflown their banks. We walked inside, and I was more than excited to meet my first English "mum." She was quite friendly as she fixed us each plate of jackets and beans, and she, like every English person I've mentioned it to, could not believe why anyone would sell themselves on eBay.
After dinner Kirsty told me I should look up the train schedule so I could get to Leicester (pronounced Lester)in the morning, I guess I'll just be staying one night then. I figured it all out, and did some online banking which reminded me of the times I'd be losing in Monopoly and couldn't wait to land in jail so I didn't have to keep landing on hotels.
I was long overdue for a shower, so I cleaned up and went to sleep in her 12 year old sister's room who happened to be at a sleepover for the night. I couldn't fall asleep because I kept wondering whether or not my cousin would receive the email I'd just sent him, telling him that I would be arriving in just about 12 hours. I laid there for an hour or so watching the minutes tick by on one of those clocks that shines the time up onto the ceiling in big red numbers before I finally fell asleep.
In what felt like 15 minutes I was woken up by Kirsty telling me we had to leave in 15 minutes so she could drop me off at the Ditcok train station before work. I fell back asleep and woke up 13 minutes later, threw some clothes on stuffed my bag and ran out the door. We said our goodbyes, made promises to visit soon, and she was off. I bought my ticket to Oxford, and my credit card worked; I could breathe again. The trains were stopped because of the flood so we had to take a bus which also was delayed and took an hour and a half. I made it to Oxford and went to buy my ticket to Leicester. I told the lady behind the counter that if my credit card worked it would be a miracle...it was a miracle. This meant that the money transfer Tyler made had worked, I was rich again!
I went next door, ordered a sandwich, croissant, and a cup of tea and handed them my card. "We don't take cards, there's a cash-point next door." No worries, be right back.
Insufficient Funds
Insufficient Funds
Insufficient Funds
"I'm sorry, but I cannot pay for this food" and I walked out of the cafe quite embarrassed.
I had stashed a granola bar in my jacket a week ago, and snacked on that while I waited for my bus. The bus ride was painless, and we were in Leicester in just over 3 hours. Ok, time to find my cousin (whom I haven't seen in 7 years, and god forbid he send his wife to get me as I've never met her) I look all over the train station...nothing.
I have exactly enough money for a phone call, which is 40 pence...it rings, then I get a voicemail, now I have nothing. I dig through my backpack and find 8 euro in coins, I can't believe I hadn't spent those, but they may save my ass because the 45 minute bus ride to the village of Broughton Astley costs 2.10 Pounds.
I walk around in the rain to 4 different banks trying to change money;
"Only if you bank with us sir" do I look like I bank with first bank of Scotland?
"Sorry, we only change bills" some of these coins are 2Euro coins, what's that about?
"This isn't a bank at all, this is a bookie joint (to myself)"
I'm told there is a travel agency in The Shires, I think they're talking about Lord of the Rings...rather, it's a shopping mall. I find the travel agency, and walk out of there with 4.20 pounds. That's 2 bus tickets!!!
Back to the bus station, hop on the number 13...I'm going to make it after all. I hand the bus driver a post-it with an address on it and ask him to tell me when to get off. 20 minutes later I'm standing on the corner of Broughton Street next to Ye Olde Bull Pub. I like the idea of that, at least I could wash dishes for food(beer)if need be. I walk down Broughton Street looking for Astley House, heaven forbid they use street numbers. 10 houses down the lane I read "Astley House" on one of the brick walls. Maybe this is it? Then I see a Dodge truck...this has to be it, only an American would have a Dodge in England.
I knock at the door, no answer...I peer in the window and see baby toys! I MADE IT, it's just nobody was home. I pull out an old train ticket from my bag and a red pen,
"MIKE, I'm at the pub down the street." -Josh
I walk in the pub, "What ya got in that rucksack, you're whole life?" some tough lookin' guy says to me. "Pretty much" I respond, "Any of you know the guitar teacher down the road?"
Nobody knows the guitar teacher down the road. I ask them if I can "Hang Out" for a bit, see if my cousin turns up. The bartender and a regular named George split the cost of a pint for me, and invite me to sit down and tell them why the hell I'm in Broughton Astley.
I tell them about my trip, but realize these guys only want to hear the parts of my story that I'll never tell my kids...so I entertained them for a while and looked out the window at a gentleman approaching, I turned to the bartender, "I think that's my cousin walking in..."
-Josh
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
London Calling
So my trusty travel partner left me stranded with his cousin's fiance in an apartment in The Netherlands. I spent the day there playing with the cat, and attempted to do some laundry, where I managed to flood the laundry room, and cause a leak through the floor into the shoe store below the apartment. I swear, you leave me alone for just one minute...
Anyway the next morning i woke up (after missing my alarm) and ran to the train station headed to Amsterdam. I got to my gate and met two girls from Long Island headed to London themselves. One of them had been studying Eastern medicine in India for 2 months which I happen to be an expert on, and the other is a social worker...also a hobby of mine.
We chatted for a while, then were seperated during the flight, and reunited at the baggage carouselle. They were headed somewhere on the tube, and I was headed anywhere, so I joined them. We ended up in downtown London, hunting for the CBRE building where a man she had met a year earlier worked at. They had met once, kept in touch online, and now my backpack was being stored on the 5th floor in the fire closet. That was fantastic because while Smith did take some of my stuff with him when he left, my backpack still weighs 40 pounds.
We headed out to explore, me and the two 25 year olds, and a couple of pounds in my pocket. The exchange rate in England is 2-1 however everything has the same price number value so you're basically paying twice as much. Scoop od ice cream, £5=$10. There will be no ice cream for me.
We went out to a dinner I couldn't afford, where our new friend invited the 3 of us to stay the night...even after I told him that I had met the girls eight hours earlier. That was also fantastic because it looked like I was going to be sharing a tent with the protesters across from Wesminster Abbey with the "Free Palestine" signs everywhere.
We cruised around all day, I had a few conversations with an ATM machine, I would say "Please give me money..." and it kept responding "Insufficient Funds!"
Headed to Oxford to stay with a girl i met in Vietnam...out of internet time, I'm alive, stay well.
- Josh
Anyway the next morning i woke up (after missing my alarm) and ran to the train station headed to Amsterdam. I got to my gate and met two girls from Long Island headed to London themselves. One of them had been studying Eastern medicine in India for 2 months which I happen to be an expert on, and the other is a social worker...also a hobby of mine.
We chatted for a while, then were seperated during the flight, and reunited at the baggage carouselle. They were headed somewhere on the tube, and I was headed anywhere, so I joined them. We ended up in downtown London, hunting for the CBRE building where a man she had met a year earlier worked at. They had met once, kept in touch online, and now my backpack was being stored on the 5th floor in the fire closet. That was fantastic because while Smith did take some of my stuff with him when he left, my backpack still weighs 40 pounds.
We headed out to explore, me and the two 25 year olds, and a couple of pounds in my pocket. The exchange rate in England is 2-1 however everything has the same price number value so you're basically paying twice as much. Scoop od ice cream, £5=$10. There will be no ice cream for me.
We went out to a dinner I couldn't afford, where our new friend invited the 3 of us to stay the night...even after I told him that I had met the girls eight hours earlier. That was also fantastic because it looked like I was going to be sharing a tent with the protesters across from Wesminster Abbey with the "Free Palestine" signs everywhere.
We cruised around all day, I had a few conversations with an ATM machine, I would say "Please give me money..." and it kept responding "Insufficient Funds!"
Headed to Oxford to stay with a girl i met in Vietnam...out of internet time, I'm alive, stay well.
- Josh
Sunday, July 22, 2007
I must have blacked out......In a heartbeat
Tomorrow I head back to the home land.. I guess most people would say this is the end of the line for this traveller.
I however would say this is just the beginning of a new chapter.
I have seen 4 continents, 15 countries, 10 planes, 2 sweet rental modes of transportation, tons of buses, trains and cabs, 300 beers, and millions of aussie backpackers, in just 2 months.
Punk rockers and sushi in Japan, my first overnight train and seeing josh cry (the 1st time) in thailand
Rice planters, rice wine and NVA soldiers in vietnam, Atms with american dollars and temples the size of Rhode Island in Cambodia
The Atlantic Ocean and the best orange juice in the whole world in Morocco, an awesome drunk guy in a bar named Deter and the Autobahn in Germany.
A Polish waitress named Milena (who Josh Vows to marry) and 20 zlotz that i hope i get to spend on my next trip to Poland,
Goulash and Amazing beer in the Cezch Rep., a trip through Slovakia
for a good sit with some wine in Austria
A full family of friends and a jacket from a factory that I worked in from Italy,
Space cakes and flowers in the Netherlands and a night in a train station in Belguim.
Today was the last day of my journey, I leave josh to fend for himself, although I am sure he will do just fine i have eaten every meal, slept in the same room and gone on an adventure of a life time each and everyday with him for 2 months.
Its been two months and it seems like its been two weeks.
I checked the news everyonce in a while, only when i remembered.
I forgot what its like to check for your cellphone when you wake up in the morning or get home from a long night of drinking.
I have learned to take my money out of a pouch that i keep in my pants instead of out a wallet.
I use ciao for hello and goodbye, i some times catch myself saying things like "good on ya" or "spot on".
I dont ever check the weather b/c i only have one pair of long pants and a light weight zip-up so i am pretty much prepared for nothing.
I have learned a new definition of clean and dirty, which i am pretty ok with.
I eat when food is available and sleep when ever i get the chance.
I wrote and called my mom when i got the chance. More than i thought i would have been able too.
I tried to send post cards in all the countries i went too but got too lazy after vietnam.
I would have liked to have packed less so I could bring back more.
I wouldnt have fallen alseep in the sun with out sunscreen in vietnam, but would have more in the alps.
I think i would have tried Dog if i had the chance and still eaten the cockroach in a bar in Cambodia.
I have a new appreciation of the convenince that we are accustomed to in the states, stores being open on sundays, always having hot water and electricity, a somewhat decent level of taxation and representation, decent prices on petrol even though we think its outrageous (come here and then complain about what we have at home).
I have a new understanding of money and work.
I am selling my first friend on Ebay and eating my last dinner in Europe.
I wakeboarded in the Netherlands and raced dune buggies in Italy.
I woke up some times and forgot what country we were in, but never had a bad night of sleep.
I met friends from all over the world and can't wait for them to come visit.
I missed my Computer dearly, but only because I am sick of the songs on my iPod.
I have learned, seen, tried and experienced so much that I figured out I have so much more to Learn, see, try and experience.
I am sad to leave and happy to come home.
If you asked "if you had the chance.....and couldn't change a thing....if you had the chance to do it all over again?"
.....In a Heart Beat........
I however would say this is just the beginning of a new chapter.
I have seen 4 continents, 15 countries, 10 planes, 2 sweet rental modes of transportation, tons of buses, trains and cabs, 300 beers, and millions of aussie backpackers, in just 2 months.
Punk rockers and sushi in Japan, my first overnight train and seeing josh cry (the 1st time) in thailand
Rice planters, rice wine and NVA soldiers in vietnam, Atms with american dollars and temples the size of Rhode Island in Cambodia
The Atlantic Ocean and the best orange juice in the whole world in Morocco, an awesome drunk guy in a bar named Deter and the Autobahn in Germany.
A Polish waitress named Milena (who Josh Vows to marry) and 20 zlotz that i hope i get to spend on my next trip to Poland,
Goulash and Amazing beer in the Cezch Rep., a trip through Slovakia
for a good sit with some wine in Austria
A full family of friends and a jacket from a factory that I worked in from Italy,
Space cakes and flowers in the Netherlands and a night in a train station in Belguim.
Today was the last day of my journey, I leave josh to fend for himself, although I am sure he will do just fine i have eaten every meal, slept in the same room and gone on an adventure of a life time each and everyday with him for 2 months.
Its been two months and it seems like its been two weeks.
I checked the news everyonce in a while, only when i remembered.
I forgot what its like to check for your cellphone when you wake up in the morning or get home from a long night of drinking.
I have learned to take my money out of a pouch that i keep in my pants instead of out a wallet.
I use ciao for hello and goodbye, i some times catch myself saying things like "good on ya" or "spot on".
I dont ever check the weather b/c i only have one pair of long pants and a light weight zip-up so i am pretty much prepared for nothing.
I have learned a new definition of clean and dirty, which i am pretty ok with.
I eat when food is available and sleep when ever i get the chance.
I wrote and called my mom when i got the chance. More than i thought i would have been able too.
I tried to send post cards in all the countries i went too but got too lazy after vietnam.
I would have liked to have packed less so I could bring back more.
I wouldnt have fallen alseep in the sun with out sunscreen in vietnam, but would have more in the alps.
I think i would have tried Dog if i had the chance and still eaten the cockroach in a bar in Cambodia.
I have a new appreciation of the convenince that we are accustomed to in the states, stores being open on sundays, always having hot water and electricity, a somewhat decent level of taxation and representation, decent prices on petrol even though we think its outrageous (come here and then complain about what we have at home).
I have a new understanding of money and work.
I am selling my first friend on Ebay and eating my last dinner in Europe.
I wakeboarded in the Netherlands and raced dune buggies in Italy.
I woke up some times and forgot what country we were in, but never had a bad night of sleep.
I met friends from all over the world and can't wait for them to come visit.
I missed my Computer dearly, but only because I am sick of the songs on my iPod.
I have learned, seen, tried and experienced so much that I figured out I have so much more to Learn, see, try and experience.
I am sad to leave and happy to come home.
If you asked "if you had the chance.....and couldn't change a thing....if you had the chance to do it all over again?"
.....In a Heart Beat........
Friday, July 20, 2007
Josh on eBay
I'm for sale
http://cgi.ebay.com/HELP-IM-STUCK-IN-EUROPE_W0QQitemZ250145393034QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1468QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/HELP-IM-STUCK-IN-EUROPE_W0QQitemZ250145393034QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1468QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Your Money Is No Good Here!
That is without a doubt the best thing two kids traveling around the world on a dwindling budget could ever hear. And it was repeated time after time for an entire week while our favorite Italian family adopted us, and showed us the highlights of northern Italy... here are a few of them:
3 gorgeous daughters aged 16, 22, and 24.
Italian graduation party where we all ended up in a swimming pool, and all of the graduates had their GPA written in black sharpee on their faces.
I learned to drive a stick shift on a tractor at 3 am after some heavy drinking.
We jumped off a 30 foot bridge into a river that saw some of the bloodiest battles of the second world war.
Ate more than we could eat in two lifetimes.
Worked in the Parajumper factory. Earned 2 jackets.
Went dune-buggying through the italian alps at about 50 mph.
Drank cases of the best wine on the planet.
Ate on top of a hill that reminded us of some of the shacks in Vietnam.
Drove Massimo's Mercedes 100 KM to rescue his Harley davidson that had been left on the side of the road the night before.
From there we hopped on a train to Rome (a train where I left my videocamera) and met up with Cami, who was my 8 month crush at St. John's and has since started playing for the other team (lesbian) and now sharing a bed is harmless. Still find myself waking up naked, with clothes strwn about the apartment that we ended up in. Cami's friend has a grandpa who has a vacation apartment that looks onto the Vatican which Smith and I have had the run of for 4 days. I don't know why people trust us so much...we almost burned the place down the first night when we were taking "flaming shots" of 190 proof alcohol which I bought on accident. Luckily only my hand caught on fire that night.
We are headed to Brussels tonight then onto Amsterdamn wher we will settle up on some bets that we've made throughout the trip...Smith's ahead by a significant margine but I'm not throwing in the towel yet. Smith will then head home because he had enough money to buy a ticket. I on the other hand am left with a few options.
Idea one which will be implemented shortly is to sell myself and 1 week of work/manual labor to the highest bidder within the continental United States on EBAY in exchange for a plane ticket.
Idea two is to travel as a courrier for British Airways whom I have already contacted, however most trips require a return flight.
Idea three is to have some sort of "Bring Back Josh" party in various locations throughout the world.
Idea four would be to hop on a boat headed anywhere and arrive somewhere at sometime.
None of these ideas will be of any importance until after I spend some time in the UK where I will stay with some family, and hopefully get the chance to buy a girl whom I met in Vietnam a drink and appologize for something that happened 9 countries ago.
We'll keep you updated on all of the preceeding, as well as the sleeping arrangements inside a Belgian airport.
Ciao,
Josh
3 gorgeous daughters aged 16, 22, and 24.
Italian graduation party where we all ended up in a swimming pool, and all of the graduates had their GPA written in black sharpee on their faces.
I learned to drive a stick shift on a tractor at 3 am after some heavy drinking.
We jumped off a 30 foot bridge into a river that saw some of the bloodiest battles of the second world war.
Ate more than we could eat in two lifetimes.
Worked in the Parajumper factory. Earned 2 jackets.
Went dune-buggying through the italian alps at about 50 mph.
Drank cases of the best wine on the planet.
Ate on top of a hill that reminded us of some of the shacks in Vietnam.
Drove Massimo's Mercedes 100 KM to rescue his Harley davidson that had been left on the side of the road the night before.
From there we hopped on a train to Rome (a train where I left my videocamera) and met up with Cami, who was my 8 month crush at St. John's and has since started playing for the other team (lesbian) and now sharing a bed is harmless. Still find myself waking up naked, with clothes strwn about the apartment that we ended up in. Cami's friend has a grandpa who has a vacation apartment that looks onto the Vatican which Smith and I have had the run of for 4 days. I don't know why people trust us so much...we almost burned the place down the first night when we were taking "flaming shots" of 190 proof alcohol which I bought on accident. Luckily only my hand caught on fire that night.
We are headed to Brussels tonight then onto Amsterdamn wher we will settle up on some bets that we've made throughout the trip...Smith's ahead by a significant margine but I'm not throwing in the towel yet. Smith will then head home because he had enough money to buy a ticket. I on the other hand am left with a few options.
Idea one which will be implemented shortly is to sell myself and 1 week of work/manual labor to the highest bidder within the continental United States on EBAY in exchange for a plane ticket.
Idea two is to travel as a courrier for British Airways whom I have already contacted, however most trips require a return flight.
Idea three is to have some sort of "Bring Back Josh" party in various locations throughout the world.
Idea four would be to hop on a boat headed anywhere and arrive somewhere at sometime.
None of these ideas will be of any importance until after I spend some time in the UK where I will stay with some family, and hopefully get the chance to buy a girl whom I met in Vietnam a drink and appologize for something that happened 9 countries ago.
We'll keep you updated on all of the preceeding, as well as the sleeping arrangements inside a Belgian airport.
Ciao,
Josh
Friday, July 13, 2007
Made in Italy
After a wild Birthday in Prague, and dancing all till 6 AM in a five story club next to the St. Charles bridge we met up with our old friend Brett and his trusty Ford Focus which would hopefully take us to Austria. We decided that driving straight through lacked the excitement that we were used to, and we chose to stop for lunch in Slovakia's capital city of Bratislava, a town famous for beautiful women and apple strudel...unfortunately we couldn't find any strudel.
We continued onward toward Austria, arriving in Vienna a short while later. We got completely lost trying to find our hostel, and when we finally arrived, they told us there was a two night minimum stay...this didn't jive with our plans, as we had to meet Massimo in Italy the following day. I found a computer in the corner with a train schedule, and asked Smith how he felt about leaving in 3 hours.
We decided it was our best option, and that Austria would have to wait for the opportunity to fully experience Josh and Smith. "Brett! Take us to the Sudbanhof!!!" (south train station) I purchased our tickets with a credit card that's balance is about to reach the stratosphere, and we waited for our train.
In the station, we bought a stick of Vienna's finest Sausage, and a liter of wine, and proceeded to entertain ourselves with the "International Caps Championship." If you don't know what that is, ask any college student, or Tyler. Smith won as usual, but I put up a helluva fight. We boarded our trian with a Hungarian family, had a lesson in Hungarian and passed out in a way that a contortionist would have been impressed by.
We woke up at 3am after the air conditioning was turned off and hopped off at Venice's Maestro train station where we would wait for Massimo to arrive around 8am. Little did we know this train station was not like the indoor station in Vienna, but very much outdoors. We dawned our best transient apparel and slept on a bench in-between tracks 2 and 3.
Sunrise came quickly, and we began our futile attempts to contact Massimo. Sure wish my cell phone wasn't in a ditch on the side of the road in Cambodia... Luckily, Massimo arrived at 8:15AM and drove us to his house in the Italain alps, a town called Seguizino.
More later, our new girlfriends are taking us out for happy hour. Things are going quite swimmingly.
- Josh
We continued onward toward Austria, arriving in Vienna a short while later. We got completely lost trying to find our hostel, and when we finally arrived, they told us there was a two night minimum stay...this didn't jive with our plans, as we had to meet Massimo in Italy the following day. I found a computer in the corner with a train schedule, and asked Smith how he felt about leaving in 3 hours.
We decided it was our best option, and that Austria would have to wait for the opportunity to fully experience Josh and Smith. "Brett! Take us to the Sudbanhof!!!" (south train station) I purchased our tickets with a credit card that's balance is about to reach the stratosphere, and we waited for our train.
In the station, we bought a stick of Vienna's finest Sausage, and a liter of wine, and proceeded to entertain ourselves with the "International Caps Championship." If you don't know what that is, ask any college student, or Tyler. Smith won as usual, but I put up a helluva fight. We boarded our trian with a Hungarian family, had a lesson in Hungarian and passed out in a way that a contortionist would have been impressed by.
We woke up at 3am after the air conditioning was turned off and hopped off at Venice's Maestro train station where we would wait for Massimo to arrive around 8am. Little did we know this train station was not like the indoor station in Vienna, but very much outdoors. We dawned our best transient apparel and slept on a bench in-between tracks 2 and 3.
Sunrise came quickly, and we began our futile attempts to contact Massimo. Sure wish my cell phone wasn't in a ditch on the side of the road in Cambodia... Luckily, Massimo arrived at 8:15AM and drove us to his house in the Italain alps, a town called Seguizino.
More later, our new girlfriends are taking us out for happy hour. Things are going quite swimmingly.
- Josh
Friday, July 6, 2007
Detour, wait did we miss a sign?
So Berlin is famous for its night life.
With little or no reservation we jump on the pub crawl the hostel was offering.
free beer
bar one drinks 3 euro and a free shot
jager in an alleyway
bar two: gross beer 1.50 euro plus a conversation with an Australian army soldier on vacation around Europe offering us a FREE ride to Prague...priceless......
10 am on the side of the road Brett(the Australian) shows up....phew i am relieved...i was pumped to get on the road again...
We throw Jerry Seinfeld in the Cd player and recap the prior evening. 1.5 hours later we hit the border crossing. Josh promptly asks that they stamp our passports and with in minutes we are off....thank god the Czech are so nice....but they seem to be laughing....no matter we are off...
about 5 minutes later i ask josh, just to confirm i hear right that the exchange rate was indeed 20 Czech to one us dollar, he confirms my inquiry. ok.....hmm something is off but i don't worry i guess gas just must be 30 cents to the liter here....and wait don't those signs look strange?
no matter we are guys and guys know where they are at all times...i mean as an organization we are the most successful at acquiring women so why wouldn't we also be amazing at getting from point a to point b
ok....we haven't seen a sign for praha for nearly and hour....
with a quick look to brett and josh......lets whip out the map.....OH Sh*t were in Poland!!!
ok no matter carry on......the signs were all there..our passports said PL not CZ the guards were laughing at us...the exchange was different we were int he middle of no where and we had convinced ourselves that we were fine...thanks Seinfeld....
lunch in the most beautiful part of Poland and 200km later we hit the Czech border...4 stamps in one day three countries and 600 km....we are on an adventure and there is no telling where we will be next.....
P.S. Prague is the most amazing city we have seen yet......
With little or no reservation we jump on the pub crawl the hostel was offering.
free beer
bar one drinks 3 euro and a free shot
jager in an alleyway
bar two: gross beer 1.50 euro plus a conversation with an Australian army soldier on vacation around Europe offering us a FREE ride to Prague...priceless......
10 am on the side of the road Brett(the Australian) shows up....phew i am relieved...i was pumped to get on the road again...
We throw Jerry Seinfeld in the Cd player and recap the prior evening. 1.5 hours later we hit the border crossing. Josh promptly asks that they stamp our passports and with in minutes we are off....thank god the Czech are so nice....but they seem to be laughing....no matter we are off...
about 5 minutes later i ask josh, just to confirm i hear right that the exchange rate was indeed 20 Czech to one us dollar, he confirms my inquiry. ok.....hmm something is off but i don't worry i guess gas just must be 30 cents to the liter here....and wait don't those signs look strange?
no matter we are guys and guys know where they are at all times...i mean as an organization we are the most successful at acquiring women so why wouldn't we also be amazing at getting from point a to point b
ok....we haven't seen a sign for praha for nearly and hour....
with a quick look to brett and josh......lets whip out the map.....OH Sh*t were in Poland!!!
ok no matter carry on......the signs were all there..our passports said PL not CZ the guards were laughing at us...the exchange was different we were int he middle of no where and we had convinced ourselves that we were fine...thanks Seinfeld....
lunch in the most beautiful part of Poland and 200km later we hit the Czech border...4 stamps in one day three countries and 600 km....we are on an adventure and there is no telling where we will be next.....
P.S. Prague is the most amazing city we have seen yet......
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Deutschland we are here
As the pilot begins his decent into Frankfurt Germany we have a sinking feeling in our stomachs, were landing in Frankfurt Han, not Frankfurt the largest airport in Germany. How could we have made that mistake? No matter we are on an adventure. lets rewind a 15 hours.
Miserable in Morocco was where we left last time. after returning to our hotel with purchased tickets fresh in our mind we were able to read up on our new destination. The first line of the book reads "Only budget airlines like Ryanair would say that Frankfurt has two airports, Han 70 km north of the city" anyway.....
were elated none the less to be leaving Morocco and to be honest the rest of the day was amazing. Coffee and ice cream, some sun and reading. we had the most pleasent afternoon, and the cheapest since we left. as the sun set the crowds returned and we had a delightfult dinner, followed by a glass of orange juice (thez dont sell beer or liqour anywhere in morocco) and a cab ride to the airport. after setting up shop for the night josh pulled out his hammock and i made a nice little bed with our bags we slept quite well.
8am: grab our flight, meet some german girls who we thought we could get some insider info about germany and potentially a ride to berlin, that plan crashed and burned.
2pm: the first foot steps on german soil were...really really cold...we were not aware its cold here. Shorts and flip flops did not work, but after a quick outfit change we were ready to go, bus to frankfurt, the real one and a fast walk around to find a place to sleep we were set.
8pm: bring on the Americans, So for more than a month now we have been travelling. 5 countries and 15,000 miles and countless nights and days on the road. Total American count < 5. Europe is filled with americans, and it was a bit of a shock, josh believes that that the only drawback to Germany is all the americans, I reminded him we ARE also americans. with that behind us we plan to go to berlin.
100 Euro !!!, and thats for the train. new plan. we meet a guy from virginia and use our international drivers lisence and grab a rental car and head for the Autobaun, which as it turns out is the entire highway system not just one road, and its true there are no speed limits. Cruising speed is about 180 km(115mph). our little Skoda wagon was not what you would call a speed demon but we hit a top speed of 220km (137mph), but were being passed by the far superior bavarian engineered BMW's and Mercedes. 600km later Berlin!!!!
Berlin is amazing. We drove past the wall and through the city. We have arrived to Berlin on the 4th of july, Nick(virginia boy) and josh had been celebrating the whole way with the apfelwein and beer we picked up on the way.
Now as i said before we have been on the road for quite some time and been living by the seat of our pants no plans just going with the flow. S.E. that works apparenty Germany isnt really down with that. 10 hostels later and 5 Euro in internet later we were still homeless. Turns out the entire world was planning on coming to Berlin to sleep.
11pm Josh uses some sweet talking to get the desk manager of a little hotel to "accidentally" give us the wrong key to a large room instead of the tiny single we paid for.
Beat from the long drive i crahed, Josh hit the town, met another lady boy, some nice German's and a few not so nice, but in the spirit of the trip its all a good story in the morning. We traded in the car for a new set of hogs, this time the human powered model with a coushined seat and a bell instead of a horn. We cruised the citytook some pictures, had a nap, i went for a run in the rain and 2 cups of coffee.
Germany
Miserable in Morocco was where we left last time. after returning to our hotel with purchased tickets fresh in our mind we were able to read up on our new destination. The first line of the book reads "Only budget airlines like Ryanair would say that Frankfurt has two airports, Han 70 km north of the city" anyway.....
were elated none the less to be leaving Morocco and to be honest the rest of the day was amazing. Coffee and ice cream, some sun and reading. we had the most pleasent afternoon, and the cheapest since we left. as the sun set the crowds returned and we had a delightfult dinner, followed by a glass of orange juice (thez dont sell beer or liqour anywhere in morocco) and a cab ride to the airport. after setting up shop for the night josh pulled out his hammock and i made a nice little bed with our bags we slept quite well.
8am: grab our flight, meet some german girls who we thought we could get some insider info about germany and potentially a ride to berlin, that plan crashed and burned.
2pm: the first foot steps on german soil were...really really cold...we were not aware its cold here. Shorts and flip flops did not work, but after a quick outfit change we were ready to go, bus to frankfurt, the real one and a fast walk around to find a place to sleep we were set.
8pm: bring on the Americans, So for more than a month now we have been travelling. 5 countries and 15,000 miles and countless nights and days on the road. Total American count < 5. Europe is filled with americans, and it was a bit of a shock, josh believes that that the only drawback to Germany is all the americans, I reminded him we ARE also americans. with that behind us we plan to go to berlin.
100 Euro !!!, and thats for the train. new plan. we meet a guy from virginia and use our international drivers lisence and grab a rental car and head for the Autobaun, which as it turns out is the entire highway system not just one road, and its true there are no speed limits. Cruising speed is about 180 km(115mph). our little Skoda wagon was not what you would call a speed demon but we hit a top speed of 220km (137mph), but were being passed by the far superior bavarian engineered BMW's and Mercedes. 600km later Berlin!!!!
Berlin is amazing. We drove past the wall and through the city. We have arrived to Berlin on the 4th of july, Nick(virginia boy) and josh had been celebrating the whole way with the apfelwein and beer we picked up on the way.
Now as i said before we have been on the road for quite some time and been living by the seat of our pants no plans just going with the flow. S.E. that works apparenty Germany isnt really down with that. 10 hostels later and 5 Euro in internet later we were still homeless. Turns out the entire world was planning on coming to Berlin to sleep.
11pm Josh uses some sweet talking to get the desk manager of a little hotel to "accidentally" give us the wrong key to a large room instead of the tiny single we paid for.
Beat from the long drive i crahed, Josh hit the town, met another lady boy, some nice German's and a few not so nice, but in the spirit of the trip its all a good story in the morning. We traded in the car for a new set of hogs, this time the human powered model with a coushined seat and a bell instead of a horn. We cruised the citytook some pictures, had a nap, i went for a run in the rain and 2 cups of coffee.
Germany
Monday, July 2, 2007
We're going to Germany?
It's been quite some time since we've put up a new blog, so I appologiwe, but it's for good reason. The motorcycle ride caused me to lose all dexterity in my left hand...I couldn't even hold chopsticks (not good in asia) or type. I'm almost all better, but the Moroccans seem to use an "AZERTY" keyboard, rather than the US "QWERTY" style we use at home; this makes typing nearly impossible but I've figured out a way around that.
Anyway, we're sitting in a cyber-cafe in Marrakech right now, killing time befor we head to the airport (where we will be sleeping tonight) for our 8AM flight to Frankfurt, Germany. We're not sure how we ended up with tickets to Germany, but they were the cheapest, and Morocco is not what we thought it would be so we're getting the hell out ASAP. Smith and I's backsides are both a little sore from the way we've been screwed since we first got here.
Everyone has their hand out, and will lie and cheat you for every cent they can get out of you. A woman chased me through the Medina (main square) yesterday offering to put a Scorpion henna tattoo on my cheek, when I refused she squirted it on my hand and left a nice mark on it because I couldnt find a paper towel to get it off right away.
It's definitely a spectacle, the snake charmers are there each night, monkeys, drug addicts, dancers, spin doctors... 5 times a day there is indistinguishable screaming coming from the minarettes which provides intertainment for smith and I as we immitate a professional boxing announcer. "In the red burka, weighing in at 145lbs, the Moroccan Maniac..."
Whatever, we've had enough of the spectacle, so we're heading to Eastern Europe where we'll stretch every euro to make this ride last as long as we can. I've sat on Skype for the last 3 hours calling every resource I've got whose willing to help out two crazy Americans, although we've been "Canadian" twice to save us the story about how they love Americans and we're all best friends.
Stay Strong,
- Josh
Anyway, we're sitting in a cyber-cafe in Marrakech right now, killing time befor we head to the airport (where we will be sleeping tonight) for our 8AM flight to Frankfurt, Germany. We're not sure how we ended up with tickets to Germany, but they were the cheapest, and Morocco is not what we thought it would be so we're getting the hell out ASAP. Smith and I's backsides are both a little sore from the way we've been screwed since we first got here.
Everyone has their hand out, and will lie and cheat you for every cent they can get out of you. A woman chased me through the Medina (main square) yesterday offering to put a Scorpion henna tattoo on my cheek, when I refused she squirted it on my hand and left a nice mark on it because I couldnt find a paper towel to get it off right away.
It's definitely a spectacle, the snake charmers are there each night, monkeys, drug addicts, dancers, spin doctors... 5 times a day there is indistinguishable screaming coming from the minarettes which provides intertainment for smith and I as we immitate a professional boxing announcer. "In the red burka, weighing in at 145lbs, the Moroccan Maniac..."
Whatever, we've had enough of the spectacle, so we're heading to Eastern Europe where we'll stretch every euro to make this ride last as long as we can. I've sat on Skype for the last 3 hours calling every resource I've got whose willing to help out two crazy Americans, although we've been "Canadian" twice to save us the story about how they love Americans and we're all best friends.
Stay Strong,
- Josh
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