Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, it's got a lot to live up to! Beer, culture, cheap, and museums, architecture, and all that tourist stuff to boot.. maybe it's lost a bit of "funk" and gained a bit of fame, there are a lot of tourists here, and this is the rock bottom of their tourist season. I certainly won't be visiting in the high season! Still, it does have all that other stuff, and by the time I leave at least a week will have drifted by. i'm just not sure i've spoken to a Czech person since I entered [View Full Entry]

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After four chilly days in Zagreb it was time to uproot again and head slightly more north to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. if you ever meet a Slovenian person A) there's a good chance they'll be young and very cool, and B) it's almost certain they'll undersell their country. all too often fame and beauty go hand in hand with indifference or offhandedness. Slovenia is a country of just 2 million people that gets 600kg of misdirected mail a year (where's Slovenia or Slovakia.. who knows??). it seems they've traded a bit of fame for a lot of funk and [View Full Entry]

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Unfortunately, despite a lack of plans the girls did have a deadline, and no amount of distraction or stalling on my part could change the fact they had to be in cold, dark, expensive stockholm in two weeks time. we had to leave the warmpth and move north - first to Zagreb by way of an overnight bus. Zagreb is Croatia's capital and superficially uncannily similar to Chch. set on a broad plain and nestled against a long, low hill, the meandering river through the city and cathedral in the centre complete the picture. despite my dire warnings about the cold [View Full Entry]

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It's been a quick few weeks, after racing through Serbia and Montenegro (see previous "amended" blog) I caught up with Tans and Andy in Dubrovnik. they've been working in France for the last few months and, as it turns out, are currently on a whirlwind trip of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Quite a contrast to my "keep it slow and warm" philosophy. Luckily we were both flexible and had no big ideas.. i.e. no short-term plans or long-term cash :) This time of year on the Croatian coast is a real low point in their tourist season - the last campground [View Full Entry]

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Well after 12 hours in a place no-one could claim to understand it, or it's people. I accidentally spent this much time in Serbia, then deliberately 24h in Montenegro. What I do want to say is that the Slavik states, in particular Serbia, have always been in dispute. fighting has never been far from these people (WW1 started here). Throughout history these states have been amalgamated and broken apart, often with serbia in control. Today they are almost completely separated - Montenegro voted and gained independance in May this year, and the Serbs are currently having a referendum as to whe [View Full Entry]

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The last few days have been so charged with life it's been incredible. Our vague travelling three (Val, Kinsey, and I) easily turned into a four as we made plans at our turkish host's place. It seems Cem also had little better to do than hang out with Americans, and the lack of a Bulgarian visa and threat of a night in a cell was but a small obsticle. The four of us piled into the overnight train loaded with Turkish dinner, wine, and deserts. I don't know what it is, but there;s something inherently epic about taking a train from [View Full Entry]

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... But mind the step The bus was taking me from Elazig to Nevishir. Although this was 20km beyond Goreme - my destination for the next few days, by the sounds of things it was the only practical route. And anyway, the bus company had it all under control "No praahblem, no praahblem". Needless to say I was a little surprised, quickly confused, then really pissed off as we sailed past a sign saying Goreme 2km and pointing to a side road that the driver refused to stop at.. that's 20min walk - easy! It was dark, 9:30 at night, we [View Full Entry]

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I haven't really had any plans for the past week so I thought I might use my internet time to open up a discussion on the finer points in life. Fortunately this part of the world is, or has been, replete with three of the four points of discussion. The fourth, work, is unfortunately a little scarce all over Turkey. In short, if you want to avoid it, come here. I left you guys in Trabzon with a bus ticket to Dogubeyazit burning a hole in my pocket. This is the most easterly town in Turkey & just a stone's throw [View Full Entry]

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Enjoy yourself!! Sochi is the Lycra and silicone trim of the Russian machine. Unfortunately, Russians seem to have got a little err.. overly flamboyant and possibly a little rebellious at this stage of the creation.. rules are broken left right and centre as these wonderful finishing materials are paired with body hair, wrinkles, fat, and poorly disguised penises. Russians don't do the beach well! I've had a cold for the last few days and haven't really been in the mood for the beach, but let's just say - If i was, I'd find somewhere other than Sochi to go. Too many [View Full Entry]

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Ok, so here's one for all you mathematicians out there (Mum, you may not want to read this paragraph): Q: Kerry is in the biggest city of the biggest country in the world, he has been there for approximately 36 hours & in the last 6 hours has shared a dozen beers and two bottles of vodka with two very nice, yet crazy Russians. He does not know where he is, but to get there he took 1 underground train, 1 chairlift, 1 bus, and walked for approximately 2 hours. He did not backtrack. There are 9 interlinking subways in Moscow, [View Full Entry]

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