A sign on a the window front of a cafe in Paris, France.
The Paris Sneer is it there. Oh it is.
Sean likes to take photos, particularly of signs and images that remind him of his own name.
So, while we were strolling down a French street, ambling towards the Eiffel Tower, Sean wanted to grab the above photo: a Paris cafe promoting its English. That’s where the trouble began.
Sean sleeping in London, England.
Ask anyone with whom I’ve traveled or anyone with whom I’ve lived… or anyone who will listen.
I am crafting the ability to control when I wake up. If you’re planning on backpacking, you better, too.
Enjoying a meal in Budapest, Hungary on Oct. 21, 2008.
Sometimes, when you use Couchsurfing, you really connect with your host. In time, conversation and interests. Such is how things went for me and my host Bálint in Budapest, Hungary.
I stayed with him two nights. From our first conversation - over a garlic and eggplant dip of his mother’s creation and some Hungarian beers of my purchase - I knew he was a good, fun guy, interested in the world and excited to try out his English - the jokes came faster the better we got to know each other.
So, I was excited to hear his offer to cook a traditional Hungarian stew if we bought the ingredients.
This might be late-coming, but I got an e-mail from a friend asking what documentation does one need to travel Europe.
Sounds like a post.
Americans don’t need a visa to travel through the 22-member nations of the European Union for three months or less. It helps to have a flight home, though - not having one got us in trouble.
Fortunately, we were meeting Sean’s brothers, who had extended visas here.
For more details, see below some official information from the EU on foreign travel.
Yep, we're all that and a bag of chips.
As mentioned before, I love me some Coca-Cola.
Despite trying to avoid consuming the same food and drink products I would in America, sometimes it is unavoidable (i.e. I cave in to the craving for Doritos). However, while many American food products have made the jump across the pond that doesn’t mean you will be getting the same Uncle Sam taste.
Doritos, Coca-Cola, Hamburgers, French Fries, and Pizza are all classic “American” items that taste just different enough to notice. As we experienced in Brussels (PUT IN VIDEO), sometimes all you want is a little taste of home only to be disappointed.
The pain of figuring out the budget
Today, Chris and I bit the bullet, dumped out the receipts and figured out who owes who what. After all, it is a cold Monday night. Up until now, we had alternated who took cash out of ATMs and tried to split big purchases such as hostels or train tickets.
Bad idea.
Sean overlooking the city of Prague, Czech Republic on stairs leading to the city castle on Oct. 25, 2008. To the rest of the world, Prague is Praha, one of many cities with varied names according to language.
I may have brought us somewhere very differently, and we might not have ever taken that train.
Sean and I wanted to go north into the nordic, so I was in charge of reserving us seats on a morning train from Berln, Germany to Copenhagen, Denmark.
I was frustrated to find there wasn’t a single train going from the German capital to its northern peer. Until I remembered a lesson.
Native European languages have very different takes on their geographical distinctions than we have in English.
There is no place called Copenhagen. The capital of Denmark is, of course, København - and trains run there quite regularly, thank you very much.
Sean and I dropped in on the famed Nystekt Stromming truck in the Stadsmusset neighborhood of Stockholm. It was our chance at (relatively) cheap traditional Swedish foods: fish, potatoes, and cabbage.
Seany found himself the fish and cabbage on a hamburger bun. I got a plate full of the goodness: a pile of mashed potatoes, topped with grilled fish (which I do not know), pickled cucumbers, cabbage, onions and what looked like cole slaw.
Delicious, my friends. Check video of the fun below.
The ISIC card (that’s International Student Identity Card) can be your gateway to a hefty student discount on flights, trains, and other travel necessities. The commonly used STA travel agency requires the ISIC card for all of its student rates and getting a card is easier than you think. In fact, it’s so easy that you really don’t have to even be in college.
Read more…
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