txubergeek

Sant' Agnello, Italy Sunday, October 11, 2009 What a change it is to be out on the road with no major scheduled events for the next few weeks. It's quite a change from the farm lifestyle, where I had a farm engagement setup a week or more in advance and basically had some idea of where I was going. Now, though, I usually figure out what I want to do after I wake up in the morning. With 13 nights booked into a hostel in Sant' Agnello, I've pretty much run the course on what there is to do here in the town and in Sorrento during the day. I've window shopped, taken a few day trips, read a book, talked to some local craftsmen (woodworking is quite big here) and even just wandered the roads ... read more

Prague, Czech Republic Monday, September 21, 2009 Oh, Golden City, how you can enchant a simple country boy from North Carolina. I speak, of course, of Prague, the former capitol of Bohemia and current capitol of the Czech Republic. As part of this rest break, I decided to break out of my comfort zone (countries where I can at least halfway read the signs and know enough language to muddle about) to venture into some new territory. Since the 1990s, Prague has been a big hit on the backpacker circuit both because of the mystery of it being a former Soviet satellite state as well as the relatively low cost of visiting the city. So out of the Euro Zone I headed on Thursday for a 4 night stay in the Golden City. First of all, ... read more

Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of working on farms is the meeting of various and sundry characters along the way that you wouldn't have otherwise met. Traveling in cities can be nice, but when you stay in a hostel then more than likely you'll be meeting fellow travelers. Most of the folks I've met in hostels have been British, Canadian or Australian. If, on the other hand, you get the chance to live amongst people in a smaller town or village, you can get to know them a little better and really learn more about the country you're staying in than just taking pictures of the main attractions. In this vein, we've had a few adventures in the past couple of days. On Friday (September 4th), we had just finished sterilizing the 54 liters ... read more

Loyal readers, I must confess something: I hate my birthday. Never have liked celebrating it, could really do without any of the hullaballoo that usually surrounds it and honestly would prefer to have money spent on my presents spent on people who need it more than I do. I know that sounds a bit self-righteous, but honestly I could do without the birthday. So this year, one of my nefarious goals was to be absent for the time surrounding the birthday. I couldn't be much more absent than here in Grossenhain, Germany. As you might have guessed (given the backdating of this entry), I am incommunicado for the next two and a half weeks. I am enjoying a stay with Axel and Angelika, a very nice couple who are hosting two HelpX'ers right now. Ben arrived ... read more

Lesson Learned: Don't drop a railroad tie on my foot if I have footage of you dancing like an idiot... read more

Hofgut Bubenrod Near Koenigsberg, Germany Wednesday, August 19 2009 OK, so I know the last entry was somewhat half-assed. I've been trying to make up for it the past few days, but just haven't had either the opportunity or the words until now. My apologies, loyal readers, I will make this one a bit better. And I'll even throw in some bonus pictures from the party. What a party it was... Well, life here on the horse farm is quite stable nowadays (rim shot). Perhaps I didn't mention it, but Bubenrod gets most of it's revenue from either renting out land to neighboring farms or from raising horses. Unfortunately, in the switchover from sheep to horses, they have had to replace a lot of the fencing around here. Sheep fencing is no good for horses, as ... read more