So you're a Graduate Now
In and around Europe
Hey everybody,
I'm not sure if anybody will actually read this thing, but I thought that I'd give it a try in addition to e-mails. I can do very short e-mail messages to the masses, and then people who want to see pictures or read more about what's going on can check me out here.
The reason I'm not settling down and finding a job is that, really, I don't have to. I have no debt, no significant other, and no job. I'm done with college, and I have the chance to go to Europe, so I'm taking it. Also, I'm trying to finish learning Spanish, and could use international work experience. And somehow, conveniently, all of this is coming together into a 6 month adventure in Europe.
After a quick stop in Austria for 10 days to visit Michelle Gilluly, an old friend from back home, I'll be working in Northern Spain for 2 months. Plans after that are up in the air, but it looks like I'll be traveling, mainly in Eastern Europe if I can swing it. Then it's back to Spain to work at a business (still trying to nail that down) and finally, in December, back to the states to settle down. I'm already looking forward to that. I'll miss Seattle this summer, though not enough to make me want to trade. I need life to be a little crazy.
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler JustinElViajero
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1
Go Time
My flight is at 7 am, which means that I'll be leaving my house at 5 AM. I'm writing this one in advance because I know I won't have much time t... Continue reading » -
2
It's been 33 hours since I've been in bed, but the Bratwurst is delicious
Vienna is a gorgeous city with an amazing amount to see. They have a ton of musems, the architecture is gorgeous most of the time, and the co... Continue reading »
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3
When was the last time I slept?
At 8 am Thursday morning, after a travel time of about 18 hours, I pulled into Madrid. From there I had to meet my friend Joana (you're the b... Continue reading »
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4
Communisim at its Best
So On another really hot day Michelle and I tried to get tickets to go to Slovakia via jet boat, but they were sold out. This actually worked... Continue reading »
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5
Austrian home away from home
I'm in Graz right now, unlike all the rest of my journal entries that were playing catch up. Michelle's university has a big computer lab, an... Continue reading »
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6
Salsa Dancing, a Columbian named Carlitos, Modern Art, and a Couple Castles to boot
So I'm still in Graz, but this travel blog somehow doesn't let me do multiple entries for one city, so I decided to create a new one. A lot h... Continue reading »
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7
Madre Mia
So Spain hates Gmail, and the internet connection I´m using blocks it. Yeah, I have no idea why, but it´s making me angry. So instead o... Continue reading »
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8
Quickie!
Well, I know this is the second time that I´ve posted without pictures, but I promise they will be more soon. It´s now half way through the 3rd cam... Continue reading »
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9
And I Can Breathe Again
Hey Everybody. It's been a while, but it's good to be back. I know this is my 3rd post from the same place in Spain, but I've been here... Continue reading »
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10
From the Pueblo to the Ciudad Grande
So finally I made it out of Toral. I know you all were probably tired of hearing about me in a summer camp for the 50th consecutive day. ... Continue reading »
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11
Mussles, French Fries, Organic Lasagna, and Tall Ships
Hey Guys. Well I promised that I would get back to you about what happened after I finally left Spain. Here's the First part. Mic... Continue reading »
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12
Hey! That Coat Costs as Much as my College Education
Grand Paris! Wow, if there's a city that I could spend some more time in, it would be Paris. The city is enormous and has a magnificent... Continue reading »
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13
Pickled Herring: It's Not Just Your Grandparent's Fish...Or Maybe it is
What? Who goes to Denmark? To be honest, I'd never thought of going to Denmark before Michelle told me she was going to visit relatives... Continue reading »
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14
It was the Greatest Ship Ever...Till it Magnificently Sunk 300 Meters from the Dock on it´s Maiden Voyage
Stockholm. Wow. The Scandinavian countries really have something going for them--almost everyone speaks passably good English, the citi... Continue reading »
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15
Eastern Europe 101: Stay away from the Roads
Traveling in Eastern Europe is always fun in that "holy crap I´m gonna die" sort of way. I´m sure the further east you get the worse it is, b... Continue reading »
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16
The Longest Ride of My Life, Salt Mines, and Poor Planing
So I´ll start in Lithuania, where at 5:00 PM I got on a bus to go to Krakow. For those of you who (like me) aren´t exactly geography buffs, t... Continue reading »
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17
The One Place you Can´t Over Hype
Ah, Prague! Of course Stockholm and Copenhagen were beautiful, and Paris was magnificent, but there is nothing I´ve ever seen like Pragu... Continue reading »
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18
The Epic of the Pilzner Urquell
Ah, the Epic Journey to the Plizner Urquell, a tale shrouded in the depths and mysteries of time where what is fact an... Continue reading »
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19
Munich--Where Beer is Officially in the Same Category as Tea, Milk, or YooHoo
Back to Munich! The last time I was here I was on an official Biola trip for 2 days, and we couldn´t drink, even though we went to have dinne... Continue reading »
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20
You Want me to Jump Down What?
Wow. This was maybe the best accidental trip that I made in my life. I already had train tickets to Geneva, but when all the reviews sa... Continue reading »
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21
And Then There was Rest, and it Was Good.....Up to a Point
Home base, as much as there is one for me outside of the US. So you´re probably wondering 1) what is Alcala De Henares and 2) why is Justin t... Continue reading »
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22
Crazy Euro Disco....Christian Party?
I got to go to Salamanca to visit a friend I met at Toral named Guiomar (Guio for short). She´s a student in Salamanca at the University ther... Continue reading »
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23
The One Place You Can't Escape
The first stop on any decent tour of the British isles, London is the New York of Europe: it’s big, crowded, hideously expensive, and uber intern... Continue reading »
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24
Gorgeous!
Gorgeous really is the best word to describe Edinburgh. Combined with an amazingly fun hostel, Edinburgh is definately one of my favorite pla... Continue reading »
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25
My First Former War Zone, Halloween, and the Giant´s Causeway
So I got to Belfast late Saturday night with instructions of how to get to Pete´s house by either bus or taxi. At the center of town I asked... Continue reading »
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26
Welcome to Nowhere: Now Entering the Middle
If there was a place that I should have stayed longer, this is it. I went to this remote island off the coast of Scotland to meet some family... Continue reading »
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27
Portrait of the Justin as a Young Traveler
So I've decided from now on to keep things short--stick with the basics in the blog, and let the pictures do the talking. You should know, th... Continue reading »
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28
YWAM! And Other Random Things that Happen in the Middle of Nowhere
This is one of the more random stops on my trip, to be followed by an even less likely one. Why, you might ask, would Justin go to a no name... Continue reading »
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29
Welcome to the Crime Capital of the World. Try Not to Die.
So after an overnight plane ride from Madrid with a connection in Paris, I stumbled out of a very comfortable plane ride into Johannesburg Internat... Continue reading »
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30
Yah, Velcome to our Vunderpal Afrikan Home of zee Beer
A large part of any good story in Africa has to deal with how you got to wherever you're going. Travel here is not like travel anywhere else. It's... Continue reading »
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31
Wandering With the Wildlife
This is a game park that Matt and I wandered around in with Antonia, our German friend who we met the night before and wanted to get out and see so... Continue reading »
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32
It's a Good Thing That we Brought our Own Fun
Walvis bay looks like a nice neighborhood in Florida, or maybe the OC. It's on a quiet beach with thousands of Flamengos, and is full of gorg... Continue reading »
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33
The Extreme Sports Capital of Africa (and it looks like Leavenworth)
Swakopmund looks more German than most of Germany--at least that's what Antonia, our German friend, said. It's the vacation hot spot for Germ... Continue reading »
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34
Dream: Lived
My God, I am a lucky man. The Namibiban Dune Sea (accessed from Sossusvlei) is epic. It's hard work getting to the top of one of the du... Continue reading »
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35
Creepiest Camp Site. Ever.
So after Sossusvlei, we decided to go out to Hardap Dam, a private game reserve set on a Dam. Weirdest place ever. We were the ONLY people... Continue reading » -
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Full Circle
So we made it back to Windhoek finally after nearly dying (well, maybe) in the desert. It was good to get back there. These last few pictu... Continue reading » -
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The Real Africa
Matt's friends told us that we hadn't seen "real" Africa yet, because so far we'd only been in South Africa and Namibia, and those are 2 of the mos... Continue reading »
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38
The Bus Ride from Hell
So I include Harare for one reason: our bus abandoned us here. We were on a 32 hour bus ride that was supposed to be 24 hours long, and it was 1... Continue reading »
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