**Some character names have been changed in this story to protect their identity. In fact, some of their identities have been slightly changed as well to make it more interesting. But the rest is entirely true. Mostly. ** I was enjoying a pleasant breakfast in a youth hostel in Nice yesterday - the breakfast was fairly ordinary but the company was wonderful. I was with a gorgeous young Brazilian seamstress I'd met a few days earlier called Julieta, a jewel from South America. Breakfast was OK, but there was a small challenge between me and six Frenchmen to get the last [View Full Entry]

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'Cosmic Coincidence' is a phrase I never use lightly. In fact, I rarely use it, but how else can you explain the following... I was on a train heading from Cesky Krumlov to Salzburg, and I noticed my ticket said it was April 1st. This was the exact date that I flew into Africa for the first time, exactly one year ago, the beginning of this grand adventure. Hardly a cosmic coincidence you're probably thinking. Sure, but you haven't heard the best of it yet. While I was sitting there, thinking of all the things I've seen and done, the people [View Full Entry]

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"One more time, how do you say Pleased to meet you?" I asked Michał as we got off the plane and walked across the wet runway in Gdansk. I wanted to make a good first impression on his Mum. Plus, she didn't speak English anyway, so I figured I should make the effort. Michał gave me a disappointed look I was quite familiar with. I'd last seen it a few hours before when I told him I'd dropped my boarding pass on the way to the airport. 'Miło mi Panią poznać' he responded, wearily. You think that looks hard to pronounce?? [View Full Entry]

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So there I was at the post office, running a few errands for the hotel, when the man behind the counter got chatting to me. He was a jolly fellow, just trying to pass the time by shooting the breeze. He knew I was working at the hotel due to my heighth of fashion waistcoat and tie, and he started asking me about my job and whether I enjoyed it or not. When I told him I'd recently resigned and was leaving in a few days, he put down the air mail stamps and leaned over to properly talk to me. [View Full Entry]

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I didn't notice the ripples in the Loch until it was almost too late. She'd come for my white bread, I knew it. My Scottish loaf. The one I'd found perched on top of a shrubbery in the Scottish Highlands. This was all very mysterious. But then again, the entire history of the Loch Ness Monster is veiled in mystery. And it all began a long, long time ago. Here's how our bus driver told us the story: "On a cold winter morning in 565 AD, Saint Columba, a travelling Irishman, found himself on the banks of Loch Ness. He gazed [View Full Entry]

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If someone told you they were heading to Aquae Sulis for a dip, you'd no doubt think they were a fool. Or, if you were an educated traveller or a speaker of Latin, you'd probably know they were heading to Bath, and were just using it's old name. Still a fool I guess, but there you go: Bath was once called Aquae Sulis. (A bit early for fact of the day I suppose, but I have a lot to get through). Gary and I were heading to Bath for a day trip even though the signs were telling us to stay [View Full Entry]

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One of the things I loved the most about the English village of Frome was pronouncing it. Please, take the time to say it aloud: Frome, Frome. FRRRROME. What a warm and homely sound it has. I hope you actually did say it out loud, because I am about to tell you something that you won't believe. But first, some background information. I left London with four days off and told anyone who'd listen that I was heading to Frome (Frome, Frome..) where I was visiting Gary and his lovely family. If you're wondering where Frome is, it's down in that [View Full Entry]

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As it is Christmas Eve and I'm working the graveyard shift, and as I am terribly lonely and bored, and seeming they haven’t blocked this website at work (yet) - I figure it's the perfect opportunity to recount what has been the most epic year of my life. This is also a good chance to pay my respect to the people who have not only made it possible, but also made it unforgettable. And maybe take you on a trip with me down old memory lane. Also, seeming there are a lot of memories flying about as I put all this [View Full Entry]

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It's been a long time between entries, so I thought I would condense the past three months into one entry, about 26 short sections in length. Turns out there are 26 letters in the alphabet. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put those two together, so here you have the A to Z of my last three months. A is for Amsterdam. My self-confessed number one fan (Dulal) has commented, emailed me, and even called me (for the first time in 6 months) asking me for an entry on Amsterdam, but I'm afraid it's not going to happen. I have [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in England on a cold day in June with 20 pounds in my pocket and hardly any plans. After spending the first part of my stay in St Albans with the Maddicks (more on this later) I headed for the big city - London - to see what all the fuss was about. I checked into the cheapest hostel I could find, and although it looked decrepit and filthy I was happy to stay there after discovering that breakfasts were free. I dropped off my bag and took to the streets, looking for a job, an opening, or just [View Full Entry]

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