Europe

So I’m lounging on my couch after two late nights of partying in Medellin, waiting to be picked up by some new friends to spend the night at a finca …

My return to Europe 10 years after my first backpacking trip there was a blast. No Visas, no currency exchanges, no need to show evidence of onward travel. The hospitality …

I slept late again, and struck out on a mission for cash and Colombia guidebook (in English). I tried at least four local banks, all of which denied my request …

I arrived in Madrid after a tiring 8 hour bus ride. We stopped every 2 hours for toilets and food though. Snow covered the ground 2 hours outside Madrid. I …

    Thankfully not my Capital One credit card, which I had left in my money belt back at the hostel (locked in the top part of my backpack, which …

I’m on the bus to Madrid. 8 hours, a long haul. About last night… I got a bit of rest at the hostel and took the metro to the stadium, …

  I took the metro to La Sagrada Familia, the grandiose yet unfinished cathedral of architect Antoni Gaudi. Upon exiting the metro station, I turned around to catch my first …

  My train arrived in Barcelona at 11pm as scheduled. I took the metro a few stops, and walked five minutes to the nearby family run, year and a half …

  12:45 pm I’m on the 7.5 hours train to Barcelona via Narbonne in southeast France. The weather has turned, the sky now gray and cloudy. We all slept in …

  On this day, Magali working a long shift at the bakery, Sebastien took me around the Bay of Arcachon. Biganos, the town where Magali’s mom lived, was at the …

In the morning, we ate bread and chocolate pastries for breakfast, before heading off to St. Emilion, the ” wine city”? northeast of Bordeaux which Magali first told me about …

It felt good to be back in France, a little warmer, and ever so slightly less expensive than Switzerland. I picked up my bag and was happy to see Magali …

  Geneva, home to luxury watch companies, the Red Cross, and the headquarters of the United Nations in Europe. I chose the latter two for exploration my first afternoon. A …

To break up the train rides, I made a pitstop in Montreux, a town on Lake Geneva in the region dubbed the Swiss Riviera. Vineyards are tucked into the hillsides, …

I checked out of Balmer’s after two nights, resupplied myself with a new bag of assorted chocolate truffles, and checked my e-mail at a posh McDonald’s before going back to …

The train ride to Interlaken allowed me to see my first views of the Swiss countryside, and there was plenty of snow cover, but clouds and fog conspired to hide …

  I used my second full day in Bern to check out the Einstein Museum in the southern part of town. Along the way, I climbed up the cathedral spire …

Laura’s Dad stopped by her apartment as planned, and after talking for a bit, he offered to walk me to the Gare de Lyon where I would catch my high …

On the last day of 2008, I slept late before heading off for a quick visit to the Paris’ modern art museum, the Pompidou. In 1998, it had been closed …

  My first and second visits to Paris were during the summer of 1998.  I saw a lot back then, and was excited to revisit familiar places and new sights …