We had a fun few days starting our journey north from Albuquerque up through Colorado and into South Dakota. We added Bethany’s dad, Lewis, to our company and I got a chance to see Simon Schwartz, which was a tremendous joy as he and I haven’t see each other since I was last in Denver - New Year’s 2004-2005 - and were very due to catch up and hang out. This is also where I really learned the Zwicks’ love of hot springs. Friday, June 13th: Up and ready to go this morning, Bethany and I said out goodbyes to Josh and Berkeley, unfortunately Joanna had already had to leave for work, and drove off to the airport to pick up Lewis. While we were waiting, Bethany got a call from her friend Jessikah. Jessikah and ... read more

New Haven was again really just a stop over with a chance to get the local food and see my family, and, hopefully, catch up with some friends. It was also a nice little opportunity to relax and reset myself for the upcoming 7-week road trip with Bethany around America. Tuesday, June 3rd: I guess I was still on European time, because despite the little sleep I got, I was up early and talked to mom before she was off to the office. Just caught up about life and everything, nothing special. I spent most of today down in front of the computer, updating the blog and checking emails and working of bank stuff. I also tried to get a hold of a few friends, but no one was available tonight, so it will have to ... read more

These last two days were complete randomness all around. It was Vienna, which I had been to before, and Ljubljana, which I thought could be a cool place to go and really only had to go to because the flight back to London was from there. We were going straight and at a heck of a pace, but as it was the end of the trip, neither Aaron nor I were worried about getting too tired. Friday, May 30th: Up this morning at the hostel to check out, bumped into Paul again and said goodbye, and down we went to the dock for the 75min hydrofoil to Vienna. Not the cheapest way to travel, my cheap, backpacker traveling kind of went out the window when Aaron got over, but definitely fun. Oddly enough, the dock we ... read more

I nearly went with a comedic title here, like "How Many Aarons Does it Take to Screw in a Lightbulb?" (we are in Poland) or with something more directly regarding the camp at Auschwitz that was the real reason for our visit here, but didn't think either was approporate for this particular entry. We did have a wonderful time in Krakow, a city know for being lively and fun and active, although we never really did got out and party. It is also a town where this history is evident and all around, as it was not destroyed during WWII, unlike much of the rest of the country. While Auschwitz was our main reason (and likely the prime cause of many others), the city is worth a visit on its own. Monday, May 26th: Well the ... read more

Ok, I honestly think I have heard more German in Budapest than Hungarian. The Germans, or at least German speakers, are everywhere. To be honest, that does make me quite a bit more comfortable with the city, as they generally don’t love English speakers because the Brits tend to come in and use the whole of Eastern Europe (particularly Hungary) as a playground for stag and hen parties and generally make a nuisance of themselves without respecting the locals all that much. I did find most to be friendly, though, and had a great time in the city. It is very much the heart of the country, too, as it holds over 25% of the population and is very active and vibrant in its own right. Wednesday, May 21st: Easy train ride into Budapest last night ... read more