my last day in Sweden, i took the train an hour north to "the Oxford of Sweden," Uppsala (so says my Rough Guide, anyway). so glad i did. easily one of the highlights of the trip. the comparison to Oxford is a bit of a stretch, but it is very compact, and life does center around Uppsala University. inside the Carolina Rediviva, which is the university library, is a not-to-be-missed exhibition of priceless manuscripts. these include a 6th-century copy of the Bible (named the Silver Bible), an original copy of Mozart's Magic Flute score, and Newton's Principae Mathematica. and admission to this collection, easily the best of all the collections i've visited in all of Scandinavia...20 kr. settled in for another hot latte (which means it's served once again in a glass mug that is absolutely ... read more

i should start by saying that Iceland airport's security may not be up to standard. to illustrate, i was allowed to board a plane that wasn't mine, sat down, and pretty much would have rode the thing all the way to its destination had it not been for someone else who had the same seat showing up a couple minutes before takeoff. now, mind you, the plane was going to the exact same place, only leaving about 10 minutes before my *real* flight, so i might not ever even have known. still. ever had to get off an airplane that you just got on? awkward. so yesterday i pulled into Copenhagen and eventually got to the hostel. for those uninitiated, there are independent hostels and there are HI (official) hostels. while i cannot stake any claim ... read more

when i was 20, i took my first overseas trip ever. to Vietnam. trial by fire. i had just finished a hellish semester with 4 brutal finals, working at the university loading dock, and was now in the market for a backpack and traveling clothes. i gave myself all of a night to pack. as in, an overnight, when i should have been sleeping. perhaps you can relate to this, fellow travelers and students of life. i'm making a very conscious decision here not to tell you what i packed on that maiden voyage. it's embarrassing, and involved lots of cotton and pretty much every bad packing decision ever made. 4 weeks later, my pack was emptied and searched at LAX, my scruffy smelly bewildered self standing by helplessly as new immigrants, hippie couples with newly ... read more

And now we find ourselves reflecting on Paris. I was able to make the EasyJet from Glasgow to Luton easily, then a coach straight to Oxford where I met up with Lara and Jacob. Oxford, again - easily one of my favourite places, though this visit was to be quite short. I snuck in maybe an hour of sleep before we took off for a (very) early-morning delirium filled bus trip to London then the taxi to St Pancras for the EuroStar to Paris Gare de Nord. We basically decided, with 2 days in this incredible destination, to forego that biological necessity "sleep" and to hit the town hard. 1st visit was the tourist-stocked Notre Dame, which nevertheless did not fail to impress. The climb up to the tower tops had our calves screaming by the ... read more

Back in the States! Yesterday started in a Paris hotel room, then a train, London's Underground, a flight to Iceland then NYC, then a subway ride, then a 2-mile hike through the grid that is midtown Manhattan. I was a little tired after that. Anyways, I have *so* many pictures to share! The crack in the laptop screen is symbolic of my regret over not being able to share them with you for another couple days... But my promise is, they'll be here! And they'll be worth it. For now, off to see sunset @ Central Park. -steve g ... read more