The train to Bilbao should have taken less than an hour. But passing green little valleys scarred by the proliferation of high rise blocks and desolate industrial projects, it ended up being closer to four.I arrived hot, sweating and without the slightest idea of where I was staying Construction projects were everywhere. I had set of along the riverbank in the hope of finding a tourist office, but so much of the pavement was dug up that I kept having to switch river banks. Bilbao is situated on a flood plain in the centre of a river valley so, unusually for [View Full Entry]

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Patrick Ross was the most interesting of my various, all to brief aquaintences. A burnt-out violin prodigy , with an oversized goatee. He teaches music in Vermont, and is, from my observations a borderline alcoholic. He disapeared sometime on a friday night, after babbling drunkenly in french canadian (which he speaks fluently) for an hour. As expected, I didn´t see him again. There is a strange complicity that often develops among longer term travellers, an unconscious understanding that goes beyond the norms of conventional social conduct. Often a complete stranger will become your most l [View Full Entry]

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A coach load of field tripping Exeter Geography students wasn't really what I was expecting on my first night at the youth hostel in Bordeaux. Standing in the lobby, I saw a familiar looking badge on a jumper. It took me a few minutes to recognise what it was, and I had to ask to be certain; But, sure enough, the hostel was crawling with Exeter University first years. I made very little contact with them. I hate to generalise,but I often find your average Geography student to be a little unispired. I would go as far to say that these [View Full Entry]

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Alone and unwell,stuck in an expensive foreign hotel room. I can't say I was really 'living the boho dream' during my three nights in Blois. I didn't fancy the 5 mile trek to the out-of-town youth hostel, and more importantly I needed to sleep. Such a goal was never going to be acomplished by being turfed out into the streets from 10 to 6, as is often the policy at Hosteling international. So I checked into a cheap hotel. A little place that was recommended in my guidebook, right across from the station. Only it didn't turn out to be the [View Full Entry]

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One of the major policy flaws with my first hostel in Paris was that alcohol was prohibited from being brought in from the outside. It could of course be purchased in hostel at an overinflated price (2 euros for a tiny bottle of bavaria. Last time I checked Bavaria was a part of Germany not Holland, but the label begged to differ) but poor backpackers like myself can't afford that kind of thing every day. My new hostel, situated right at the foot of Montmarte had no such authoritarian beverage related regulations. This new found freedom must have gone to my [View Full Entry]

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It's difficult not to feel self-conscious in Paris. The city's reputation as the pinnacle of high fashion is well known: but it's more than just clothes, it's the whole attitude. A flick of the wrist to stub out a cigarette, the casual, almost lazy swagger, a nonchalant tilt of the head to express distate. This is kind of stupid, but a few days ago, while sitting in a laundrette, waiting for my washing; I couldn't help feeling that, the cluster of students hanging around, just knew something was up. I was an outsider. They obviously sat around waiting for their laundry [View Full Entry]

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It's fair to say I wasn't in the best of spirits when I arrived at my hostel. I't was raining a lot, getting dark and it was rush hour. I had also managed to cut my finger open somewhere on the metro, so I was bleeding everywhere. The nervous energy I'd bult up over the last few weeks, along with grave warnings about pickpockets on every corner from my 'rough guide' had made me slightly paranoid about descending into the depths of the Metro, particuarly while attached to une sac the size of a tank. Fortunately the journey to my hostel [View Full Entry]

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It’s a funny old place, Amsterdam. While this may not be the most profound sociological statement with which to open this entry, it is rather apt. The Dutch attitude to pursuits which other nations might regard as extracurricular is well known. Whether or not one chooses to engage in such activities, this tolerance and bloody minded commitment to liberalism (even under pressure from the European Union) is certainly commendable. It’s not until you find yourself walking through the red light district on a Monday morning, side by side with young families and questionable French teenag [View Full Entry]

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The first thing I noticed about Leeds was the size of the buildings. Actually that’s the second thing I noticed. The first was that it was really fucking cold, and as usual, dressed in a thin suit jacket, I was woefully unprepared for these types of temperatures. (Oh the sacrifices we must make for fashion.) It was clear I was now in a big city. (I was surprised to find out later that Leeds has the second largest Metropolitan area in the country, making it the second largest city in the U.K, there’s one for the fact fans). Even so, even [View Full Entry]

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So, as it turns out, I am an imbecile of the highest order. I will hear no complaints, this is an indisputable fact. While my trip is not exactly in danger, there are certainly some complications. Handling finances abroad can be a tricky procedure, particularly so if something gets stolen. The idea then, is to spread the risk. To have several backup options if something goes wrong. My cunning plan was to have three accounts (with nationwide who offer no commission on overseas withdrawals) that were connected online, in the case of theft I could just cancel the appropriate card and [View Full Entry]

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