Nils14 - Nils Nielsen

I started this Blog when I found out that I was going to train in Colorado Springs for the World University Games in Turkey. I thought it would be a nice way to keep in touch with everyone while I trained and traveled. Since then the travel doors swung wide open and this Blog has turned into a true travel journal. The ease of access to, basically, the world is something I am very lucky to have. With the doors to the world open and the travel bug biting me every chance it can I know there will be many more stories to tell and tons of pictures to share. Enjoy!

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Joined on: July 11th 2005
Last Login: November 22nd 2008

Blog Entries: 40
Photos: 261

TB Code: [blogger=4945]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Nils14, order by Date newest first.

By Nils14
November 11th 2008

Parade Day

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki

Best Seats in the House
Of course this was before we got the Frappas so we lost this spot.

One of the few days we had off in the past few weeks was due to a national holiday. The holiday consists of..... well I'm not 100% sure but it has to do with Greece's eventual defeat of Spain when the Spanish tried to invade and take over. The closest equivalent in an American holiday would probably be the Fourth of July. Rather than shoot off fire works and get drunk this Greek holiday is celebrated with a huge military parade. Just about everyone in the city, skips work(nothing new there), buys a flag and heads to the parade route early [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
October 16th 2008

Afternoon Frappa

Europe » Greece » Central Macedonia » Thessaloniki

The Frappa
Just the thing for a warm day and some good conversation.

So its been just about two weeks and things are finally starting to come together here in Greece. it was tough for the first week or so because i did not really have internet or a car or money for that matter but all that is now in the past and I have been exploring and trying to figure everything out here. Like so many other places the culture and daily life here is quite different than what im use to. My daily routine usually starts somewhere around 10 or 11AM for our first training session. After a quick shower most [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
May 12th 2008

I FIGURED IT OUT!!!!!!!

Middle East » Bahrain » Manama

Standard Plug
Seems normal enough.

So..... since i have been here i have not been publishing to many blogs. Despite the great responses i normally enjoy and repeated requests to write, WritE, WRITE!!!, i have not been able to sit down and type about my experience here. I could not figure out why this was such a problem until i had a conversation with my father. I realized, after our talk, that there are two things holding me back. First i realized that so many of my stories come from dialog. After i have told someone a story it is a million times easier to sit [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
May 10th 2008

Drama in the Semis

Middle East » Bahrain » Manama

Front Page
This is the picture that was on the front page. I showed the people at a coffee shop i frequent and they were more excited then i was. I also got a little bit better service too.

This one will be short and quick but i thought everyone should know whats going on. We played Friday night for a chance to go to the finals. Our opponent was the only team that we had not beaten and the guys had a bad history of falling apart against them. Diego and I had talked before the match and came to the conclusion that it was going to be up to us if we were to win. The first set went to us mainly because of Diego's play. The second set was a sea-saw battle and when the score hit [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
April 8th 2008

F1 and QueenB

Middle East » Bahrain » Manama

The Usual Suspects
Whenever I go out this is usually what it looks like

So i see its been 23 days since my last blog. I wish i could say that i've been out experiencing new things and thus to busy to write. Alas the opposite has been true. Since my last blog the days have been vanishing in mundane daily habits with only a few hiccups to break the monotony. This has not been completely unhelpful though as i have been able to focus on my rehab and physical shape. Sorry mom i still haven't gained any weight but my knee is doing well and the rest of my body feels as good as [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
March 13th 2008

Camping in the Desert

Middle East » Bahrain » Manama

On our Way
Driving to the campsite was quite a process but Diego and i passed the time by taking some very unsafe pictures.

First let me start with a quick note to everyone out there. Thank you all for your positive comments and notes on some of my stories. While i may not get the chance to reply to all of them I want you all to know what a joy it is when I log on and see that my blogs are well received. So thank you all and please keep the comments coming. Now without further ado. Many people have been asking me what the locals do here for fun. Up until a couple weeks ago the only response I could give [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
March 1st 2008

Another Life Changer

Middle East » Bahrain » Manama

Preview
Since i wasn't able to take any pictures at the massage place this is a preview of my next blog where there will be much more pictures like this.

When coming to Bahrain I thought that I was going to be exposed to mainly middle east and muslim culture. I was wong! There are many other cultures here in Bahrain and I had my first encounter with a traditional south Indian experience today. Just a word of warning: this story does contain nudity so please if there are children present they may need to leave the room. It all started when I told Diego that I felt like I needed a massage. With only a look I knew I had opened Pandora’s Box and he said he would take care [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
February 10th 2008

PG-13

Middle East » Bahrain » Manama

Busaiteen Cub
The front entrance to the club. They have a soccer team, a handball team, and of course a volleyball team.

I have been adjusting slowly and steadily for the past few weeks. After some disputes about my contract I am officially part of the Busiateen Volleyball Club. I received my first payment and a car a few days ago and have been enjoying both as much as i can. I have also been learning alot about the culture here and am realizing how different it really is from what im used to. There are little curve balls all around that keep me constantly on my toes and wondering whats next. The perfect example of this was just last week when I [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
January 25th 2008

Welcome to Bahrain!

Middle East » Bahrain » Manama

Bahrain Construction
This is pretty typical of how about every other block looks in my neighborhood.

Who ever said, "Nothing in life is certain" must have been a professional volleyball player. This perspective could not be more true for me. Since November I thought i was going to play in places like Greece or Poland, at one point I was considering a job in Iran, I was even hours away from getting on a plane to Italy and soon after had a chance to go to the Canary Islands. Of all these places and all the places in the world I never thought i would end up on a small island in the Persian Gulf. Truth be [View Full Entry]

By Nils14
June 18th 2006

My Little Pony

Central America Caribbean » Puerto Rico » San Juan

Mojo, Sparkles, and Jack
Not nearly as relaxed as i look in this picture!!

With little time to digest the full experience of the rainforest it was on to our next adventure. In my life I have very few memories of horses. I remember going with Mom to pick up Birka from riding lessons but at that time I was more interested in making the fences my playground. I also remember being extremely uncomfortable behind my father as the whole family went for a trail ride on the beach. I would love to tell the story of big sis Birka and Salty the horse but that is another story for another time. If you have [View Full Entry]

TravelBlog » Nils14

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Nils14 - Nils Nielsen

Blogs & Travel Journals

Parade Day

Afternoon Frappa

I FIGURED IT OUT!!!!!!!

Drama in the Semis

F1 and QueenB

Camping in the Desert

Another Life Changer

PG-13

Welcome to Bahrain!

My Little Pony