adventures Keyword
Seattle
People look at me strange sometimes when I say I love the states, but damn it: it’s true. I have had nothing but good experiences here. The people are lovely, and everyone that I have met from the states, save a few obnoxious hangover exacerbating types, have been great, honest, confident and friendly. So it was nice to step off the boat from Victoria to be greeted by Seattle on a warm October afternoon.
Seattle, home of Grunge music, dot com darlings Amazon, Boeing and other cool businesses, is a beautiful city. Teeming with life and coffee shops the city stretches out from the west coast, up and over it’s many hills. I am staying in Capital Hill, a pretty cool district with some interesting characters and great nightlife.
I haven’t done all that much exploring as yet, haven’t even checked out the Space Needle, but I plan to remedy this after Penny Arcade Expo is all done. I did get a moment to wander around downtown though, where I met some locals in a bar who graciously offered to take me bar hopping around the town. As it was midday this was great as I got to see and take note of some cool bars to check out later. I also had a bit of a gander at the famous Pike Place Markets, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with crowds so I just stuck my head in for a bit of a sticky beak.
I got to go to “The Central” on my impromptu little tour. This bar is pretty famous for having rock 365 nights of the year and has played host to some of the greatest bands ever when they were just starting out. They also have some pretty awesome graffiti in the toilets. “The New Orleans” on the other hand had the creepiest graffiti in theirs, with thousands of little faces staring you down while trying to do a slash. Damn weird.
I am liking Seattle. I can’t wait to see more of the town.
Paris
My final stop in my European Adventure was Paris, but to get there was always going to be a mission.
After travelling through the very cool Liechtenstein, up in Germany to stay a night a Munich I jumped my final ever Busabout Bus. I was fairly lucky because, while it is a long bus, requiring a driver change I managed to get both Zoltan and Owen for my drivers: two of my favourites of the service. The drive from Munich to Paris took us from 8 am through till 9pm, nearly 12 hours of constant bus, punctuated by short rest stops with nothing really look at apart from boring flat french farmland.
It wasn’t until I got my gear into my hostel, had a rest and ventured out the next day that I really started enjoying Paris. While the disgusting smell of urine punctuates every corner of the city, the beauty of the place over powers it. The architecture, the city planning and the history combine to make for a wonderful city.
One of my favourite moments in Paris came in my second night and involved catching up with Sophia, Ben and little Max at a tapas restaurant in the heart of Paris. It was a great evening and Max has grown up heaps. Last time I saw him he was still pretty much just a poop machine!
During most of my time in Paris I wandered the city by day, did a walking tour with New Paris, made new friends and then more friends. We adventured to the Eiffel Tower at night, drank wine and enjoyed the lightshow. The next day I went wandering with some people from my room, checked out the Notre Dame and caught more of the city.
My final night in Paris I took part in a Fat Tire Night Bike, by far the highlight of my time in the city. Guided by the very cool, very chilled and very Californian Billy we wove through the streets of Paris in the gathering dusk. We saw the sun set through the pyramid at the Louvre, caught a boat cruise and drank wine as the Eiffel Tower lit up and still made it home before 12. Billy even taught me the ways of the Segway, something he said to keep on the down low.
The next day I caught the Eurostar First Class across the channel, waving a fond goodbye to Europe and the adventures I had there. I hope the US is just as exciting.
I was unfortunately feeling poorly for most of my time in Paris, so I didn’t get to do everything that I wanted to do, but I’ll be back again some day for sure. For those wanting to experience what was going through my head the whole time I walked Paris, just hit play on the video clip after the jump. I dare you to try and get that tune out of your head without a spoon!
Grape Grazing
For a poor backpacker 50 euro seems a stretch. It can cover 25 cheap beers or five cooked dinners or even three nights at a dodgy hostel. So when busabout suggested the Vienna Grape Grazing tour at the princely sum of 50 euro it is no surprise that people were slow to pull out their moth eaten wallets.
How misplaced our apprehensions were. So far misplaced that they may as well have been left in the Czech Republic. From the moment the 25 or so backpackers stepped onto the train that beautiful morning all doubts of our decision were cast joyously to the wind.
The first leg took us to Melk, about an hour by Austria’s beautiful trains from Vienna where we walked through the town to meet our first activity a ferry ride down the Danube. The group enjoyed a couple of wine tastings down sitting by the stack of the boat while we watched the scenery glide by. Our first winery was practically at the jetty we pulled up to, where a little old lady served us generous glasses of four wines. With smiles and a glow in our cheeks we picked up bikes and made for our next stop. We rode through the winding streets along the Danube, through orchards and vineyards, the sun on our backs lifting our spirits.
Stopping for lunch we stepped onto a little terrace and sitting down under olive trees we all looked out over the small towns that spread before us. It is hard to describe just how wonderful a sight it was. After a massive lunch and more than a few more wines we jumped onto our bikes and headed for the Danube for a swim. The icy glacial waters proved a little too adventurous for some, myself included. I wasn’t willing to risk the chaffing.
Continuing down the river we reached the location of King Richard the Lion Hearts imprisonment for 10months by the Austrians. Perched at the top of the hill the ruins of the small fort he called home look out over the vistas that stretch seemingly endlessly in every direction. It was hard to imagine it being much of a horrible time for old Richard.
A short ride later, tired and happy we stepped onto our train home where we finished off a few more bottles for good measure then adjourned to the travel shack to share our experiences with the load of busabouters that just arrived. All in all it was one of the best days of my adventure so far, and by far worthy of my hard earned cash.
Video Blog #3
Here it is folks, the next installment in the series of video blogs for this site. It’s a bit of a hodge-podge. Just a series of videos from the past few weeks. Just hit the link below and enjoy!
In the Drink
Ok, I know I said I was going to try and limit my “I’ve been out drinking” posts, but this particular night calls for a special mention.
On Friday I caught up with my old mates John and Brett, starting the night with a fantastic dumpling dinner in what has to be the smallest and dingiest restaurant in China Town (you want the truth? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!”). Following that we had a couple of quiet drinks at a pub in Darlinghurst. John jumped on his train, and at about this point the night got off the hook.
We attempted to get into Sidebar, so I could show Brett the hottest bar chick in the world, but he was refused entry because he had no ID, so we resorted to the last resort: Scubar. We sat in the corner, drank too much Jager then met up with some of the crew from my Hostel. Sick of Scubar we formulated a new plan.
Jumping in a taxi we headed out to a club on Darling Harbor. Dancing ensued, as well as much drinking and debauchery and things got hazy. They only really get clear again when Brett and I stripped off and jumped in the harbor out the front of the club. We were quickly moved along, then got grabbed by Rangers who attempted to a) tell us we couldn’t swim in the harbor (which I called shenanigans on because there was no signs saying we couldn’t) and b) tried to bust us for indecent exposure as we were walking around in our undies. We had to get dressed while still soaked. Smelling like wet dogs we wandered the streets causing a ruckus and tooling about in general.
I got home at about 4am, smelling of harbor water and booze. It was a great night and, seeing as I’m still around to write this: proof that swimming in the Harbor isn’t as dangerous as it may seem.
Salsa Steve
One of the best and most interesting characters I’ve met so far in my travels is Salsa Steve. Harking from New Zealand, inventor of 6 hour mozzarella and accomplished musician Steve travels the world in search of the worlds best Salsa dancers and competition nights.
I had the pleasure of attending one of the organised Salsa nights that Steve had been chasing around the world and had a great night. The mood of the room was infectious, and had even the audience of spectators shaking their hips. I am glad I made the effort to see Salsa Steve in his element. It is something that will stay with me long after this trip is over.
Keep dancing Steve, may your adventures on this Earth always be filled with sexy Salsa ladies!
Australia Day Shenanigans
It started with goon at 10am, and ended with sliding through Sydney soaking wet when the skies opened up and nature dealt a dud hand.
I’ve never been so sopping wet in my life, and yet enjoyed every minute. The day saw me drinking in Hyde Park, our group receiving the title “The Goon Boys” from the cops then walking to Cockle Bay for another free concert in the rain. The whole while I had the Hottest 100 in my ear, which made me a lot of new friends and had me dancing in the streets; which didn’t go down so well with the cops, even though they were closed. I guess the man doesn’t like those who dance to the beat of their own drum…
Video and Photos after the break.
Yesterday
Waking from a nightmare. Sleeping in till 11am. Moving from the top bunk to the bottom. Watching people in the foyer: Gelfling, Broken arm man, Mouse, Strap-em-down woman, The Swedes, The over exuberant group. Making a new friend. Doing my washing and sweating in the laundry. Enjoying the static cling of the clothes from the dryer. Shaving off my beard and regretting it instantly. Sweating more while adventuring along George Street. Crossing the streets against the lights to get out of the sun. Having lunch at Cheers. Trying to make eyes at the blondes in the corner. Marveling at $6.20 pints of Bulmers. Learning that Japanese don’t use normal dates for the year. Shopping in Coles buying stuff I wasn’t hungry for yet. Watching heat ripples over the road. Finishing reading “The Beach”. Donating it to the Give-n-Take, getting a little thrill seeing it gone within 15 minutes. Dominating the in house cook, his schnitzel no match for my Prawn & Chilli linguine. Finding I had been gipped on my oil. Being too full to move, save to get up for a beer. Opening “The Road” by Jack Kerouac. Contemplating the meaning of the song “Someone great” by LCD Soundsystem. Discussing travel, women and music with a Frenchman, some English and a Japanese who I missed saying goodbye to this morning. Walking to Hyde Park in the cooling night air. Stopping at the Side Bar to have one. Having four and dancing to the worst DJ ever. Finding my hat is useful for striking up conversations with girls from Cincinnati. Attempting to get into a free gig in the park by planning a heist. Giving up. Watching the fountain and drinking goon. Getting down to my undies and chasing a dog around the water feature. Playing goon toss in the fountain in front of a cheering crowd. Doing laps of the gardens to get dry. Chatting with my new friends. Winding up the local drunk. Pissing next to some sad discarded Thomas the Tank Engine underpants by a tree, wondering who’s they might have been and why they were there, then choosing not to think about it any more. Playing the bass kick part in a makeshift drum and bass ensemble and rocking it’s socks off. Fretting that the Frenchman had lost his wallet, then being relieved when he found it. Eating Hungry Jacks at 4am and discussing the “Burger King/Hungry Jacks” conundrum. Creeping into my room and breathing out one long breath before finding sleep.
These are all things I did yesterday.