http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Chods/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Chods en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:02:26 +0000 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:02:26 +0000 Copenhagen Copenhagen became the next leg of the journey based on a hunch that it would be enjoyable and it truly was. I've never been to Scandinavia but I've always heard good things a great friend of mine had studied in Copenhagen for a few months and enjoyed it so much that he's planning to move back to ascertain a 2 year Graduate Degree. Another small motivation to visit the area was a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Copenhagen/blog-426626.html We crammed 6 people and like 12 bags into a Eurostyle minivan an Opel Zafira and starting driving south from Dublin. My dad Howie had to quickly learn how to drive on the left side of the road and in a stick shift car no easy task. I may have pooped myself a few times along the way because a lot of the country roads were tiny.Along the road south we stopped in Kilkenny great name to expl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Cork/Cork/blog-421851.html Dia DiutMy vacation this year began in Dublin where I was met by a pretty cool city with loads of bars lots of beer decent food and mediocre weather.I met my family at the cozy hotel and went straight out for the city tour. We saw the Spire a crazy 120m high needle the beautiful bridges over the River Liffey and checked out Temple Bar area which is the shitty touristy Irishpub area of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Dublin/Dublin/blog-421839.html Last chance for a true travelblog as I'm returning to the States soon. So it seems like an entry highlighting my 2 months in Switzerland is in order.It has been amazing to spend time in a quiet cozy tightknit mountain village. It's a place a little separated from the rest of the world where your main focus is about what is right in front of you the people the nature and you. No politics http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/South-West/Leysin/blog-310637.html Above the clouds away from the core of the Earth sits the peak of Mont Blanc. Tallest mountain peak in all of Europe it sits at 3842 meters above the numberless height of the sea.The entire Leysin American School staff was treated to a day in Chamonix France super famous ski resort and the mountains above it. It was mind boggling to go up there with the new staff I'd just met and sit above http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Rh-ne-Alpes/Mont-Blanc/blog-293460.html A hike from Leysin to Les Fers. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/South-West/Leysin/blog-292145.html Basel Switzerland... A day and a half later after 20 hours of car bus plane train and tram I landed in Switzerland awaiting fun football matches cobblestone city centres and foreign languages.My dear friend Dafnah was kind enough to put me up for the week in her apartment in Basel. There I slept cooked kicked back after long days and lowkeyed it and listened to chill music with her http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Basel/blog-291347.html Washington DCAmerican capital chocolate city marshmallow center insensitive governance brick Embassy central the grid too many suits metro sweatin' humidity Natties Redskins DC.DC. DC.. DC... DC ......Dark City. Dense Center.. Drug Culture. Driving Circles.. Detailed Corruption. Doles Clintons.. Drunk Collegiates. Doctored Constitution.. Dick Cheney..........New York CityBig Apple http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/District-of-Columbia/Washington/blog-75839.html What is travelling and what is notJust because I don't pack my clothes into a bag and find a new bed each night does that mean that I am not a travellerI choose to oppose that framework and to say that even the static person can still be the traveller there still are thousands of personally untouched terrain to tread. There still are thousands of unshook hands to shake in this town.OK mayb http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Joshua-Tree-National-Park/blog-50615.html They say that one drop is a contaminant.Just one drop sets the stage.It serves as the facade for the whole and doesn't relents.It can't be undone. So be it. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/blog-43496.html Back to School Back to School.To Prove to Daddy that I'm not a fool.I've got my lunch my shoes tied tight.I hope I don't get in a fightOh Back to School Back to School Back to School.....School fun work school fun basketball music beer Statisticcal Analysis Hyperbolic Planes Girls Football fear of graduation openmindedness in a oft closedminded world school fun nargila fun http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Davis/blog-37740.html The cold freeze of Switzerland required drastic measures. Either it was to turn into a freakin snowman or jump onto a plane to Spain. So be it I got onto my EasyJet plane and rode south. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Barcelona. Say it with me aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.Warmer weather Christmas lights everywhere and the hustle and bustle of a Mediterranean country I've been missing. Not to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/blog-32208.html Ah free booze.For some an unexpected sign that heaven can exist on Earth. For others a surefire ticket to hell.Today everything bad in the world was forgotten in favor of allyoucandrink beer.In breaking newsRheinfelden Switzerland The Feldschlsschen Brewery in Rheinfelden was shut down due to a lack of beer. The Rachelson Family took the allyoucandrink tasting session a little too http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Basel/blog-31040.html So that's where I get the chill fromIt's cold as a penguin's ass here in Switzerland but I don't mind it. Basel seems to deal with their coldness as if they've seen it before. The decide to have 8 km footraces at night at near 0 degree C weather or so my parents tell me. They set up their roasted chestnut stands during the day and even though my nose is normally numb I still seem to be a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/North-West/Basel/blog-29684.html Hey all.I'm in Tel Aviv actually Yavne 20 minutes from the aforementioned spottie with good friends.I don't have time for a full blog but this picture is too good to pass up showing.Enjoy http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-28587.html Does the above thing exist It seems to in the Old City of Jerusalem. Yup I'm back in Israel and back in Jerusalem. I decided to ditch my Israeli friends and take a day to myself in the old city where the Jewish Muslim Christian and Armenian quarters all meet. I've seen orthodox Jews wandering the streets with their 8 children or more I've seen IsraeliArab's Muslims selling their raw http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Jerusalem-District/Jerusalem/blog-28032.html A beautiful horizon of dark turquoise water relaxes and tempts you to sit to hear it longer to listen to its moaning soft upanddown of the miniature breaking waves. Just within reach. Almost a complimentary sound the arabic princess gracing the speakers above brings up images of her smooth and curving facial features kind of like the arabic alphabet. She sings her song of anguish and lon http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/South-District/Eilat/blog-27544.html Turn off your mind relax and float down streamIt is not dying it is not dyingLay down al thoughts surrender to the voidIt is shining it is shining.Yet you may see the meaning of withinIt is being it is beingLove is all and love is everyoneIt is knowing it is knowingAnd ignorance and hate mourn the deadIt is believing it is believingBut listen to the colour of your dreamsIt is not leaving http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Lower-Egypt/Cairo/blog-26819.html Ah Africa technically. I've made it to Egypt after the most rediculous bus ride of my life. I left Jerusalem at 830 in the morning for Egypt by way of EilatTaba border through Sinai past the Suez Canal to Cairo wow.I got on the bus with room for 20 but only 4 people were aboard myself and three Muslims that were speaking only Arabic not even Hebrew. SHIT So I sulked to the back of th http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Lower-Egypt/Cairo/blog-26148.html Sun is shining weather is sweet here in Jerusalem. Thanks Bob Nesta MarleyThe homeland of Israel is now my home and will be for a while. I flew in last week and arrived at 430 in the morning in a completely dark new country. What to do I slept in the airport for over an hour. I kept waking up thinking that Israeli soldiers with guns would slightly or not so slightly poke me with the ti http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Jerusalem-District/Jerusalem/blog-25087.html