Departure

“Not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves” - Henry David Thoreau

My story begins with the first words in this passage. Surely, a man of 25 years has plenty to tell about previous experiences; previous travels, previous acquaintances and the like, but it's all in the past, and there it will remain. So, I reiterate, my story begins here, with my desire to see Western Europe. Why Western Europe? Primarily because I have never been there before, but also because of it's diverse culture and grand scenery. I hope to witness things so confusing, so foreign, I'll feel like I'm in a movie. I want to be clueless and bewildered; surprised by something around every cobbled corner. I suppose I have a sick desire to spend a shit-load of money as well.

I will be traveling for 2 months through 10 different countries, mostly by train, but occasionally by other means. My brother Jeff will be with me for the first few weeks and then I go it alone. Along the way I hope to meet a variety of different people, see a variety of wonderful sights and experience not a second of boredom. That I hope to “live life” is a bit cliché (what the hell else are you suppose to do with it?) but it's the best way to sum up my objective. Collectively, hotels, hostels and campgrounds will act as home away from home, where I add up the days expenses in Euro's, convert it to US dollars, and calmly say to myself, “Fuck”. Yes, I am not exactly looking forward to Europe's high prices (if you couldn't tell by now) but it's the nature of the beast, and it is a beast.

Mark Twain wrote while traveling in Europe; “there was everything to choose from, yet no choice” - I understand exactly how he felt. There are so many places to see, it's almost overwhelming. My plan is liquid, free to flow where it may, but as a rough outline I intend to visit: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Barcelona, Sevilla, Tangier, Provence, Berlin, and anywhere else that I find attractive. I intend to hike in: The Jungfrau Region, The Pyrenees Mountains, Southern France, The Black Forest and once again, anywhere I find attractive. Now, if I'm able to do all this I will be very surprised because plans change and things happen, but that's the plan anyway, for what it's worth.

Along the way, I will be blogging and posting pictures as frequent as time allows. So, I invite all to hop on the train with me through Western Europe.