


Total Distance: 0 miles / 0 km Mouse: 0,0 US/European Sortie 2007 The route I took from Auckland to London over 4 1/2 months.

Kwak (France)

Paulaner Weissbier (Germany)

Velebitsko (Croatia)

Augustiner (Germany)

Bruges Zot (Belgium)

Croatian

Portuguese

Spanish

Belgium

French

The Rising Cock,

Cat's Hostel, Madrid, Spain

Villa St. Exupery, Nice, France

Kaixo Hospedaje, San Sebastian, Spain

Samay Hostel, Seville, Spain

Hostelling International Annecy, Annecy, France

HI Ostello du Gioventu, Genoa, Italy

Auberge Bagatelle, Avignon, France

Hostel New York, Barcelona,

B&B Rota, Venice, Italy

Sweden

Germany

Croatia

France

Spain

Berlin, Germany

Tallinn, Estonia

Prague, Czech Republic

Porto, Portugal

Pula, Croatia

London, England

Paris, France

Venice, Italy

Copenhagen, Denmark

Stockholm, Sweden

France

Estonia

Finland

Denmark

Sweden

Spaniards

Croatians

Germans

Swedes

French

Helsinki, Finland

Copenhagen, Denmark

Madrid, Spain

Lagos, Portugal

Barcelona, Spain

October 20th 2007, Paris, France

September 14th 2007, Hamburg, Germany

July 15th, 2007, Paris, France

August 8th 2007, San Sebastian, Spain

October 6th 2007, Prague, Czech Republic

Helsinki, Finland

Pula, Croatia

Hamburg, Germany

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Stockholm, Sweden

Zagreb, Croatia

Paris, France

Florence, Italy

Barcelona, Spain

Lisbon, Portugal

Germany

Copenhagen-to-Stockholm

Helsinki-to-Tampere

Toulouse-to-San Sebastian

Florence-to-Siena

Hard Rock Hotel

Hotel Kris Abadia

Townside Hostel




After travelling 35,066km, to 55 cities, across 17 countries, in 129 days - to say that this has been an incredible journey and an amazing experience would obviously be an understatement.Once I had arrived at my cousin's place in London NW6, I have to admit that relief was the overwhelming emotion, as perhaps rather unsurprisingly, I was all travelled out. In saying that though, with the English weather and winter upon us, I'm sure it won't be long before my feet get itchy again.Reflecting on the last 4 1/2 months, I feel that a review and a re-cap of the trip is appropriate, given that it was the best experience of my life. However, rather than merely bore everybody with yet more prose (and there has certainly been plenty of that) I thought that the best way to do this, would be to compile a few "Best Of" lists.So without any further ado, here is the best, the worst, the beautiful, the ugly and everything in between, of my four months in USA/Europe;The contrast of the relative wasteland outside the old town walls was the onlything that kept Tallinn from being in the top five of this list - the truly medieval old town is stunningly gorgeous.A mixture of new and old, Copenhagen was surprisingly beautiful. A modern, yet classic European city.A charming, cobblestoned medieval town, popular Brugge is just that.Not known as a popular tourist destination, I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived in the Alsatian capital. The clash of French and Germanic cultures gives Strasbourg a wonderfully unique character.With the Alps and Lake Annecy providing a stunning backdrop, the charming medieval town centre is just as picturesque.The old town confined within ancient walls oozes character and can definitely be described as "Venice without the canals". Along with it's brilliant location by the sea, Dubrovnik is quite rightly called "The Pearl of the Adriatic".Despite the incessant number of tourists, there really is no place in the world like Venice, with it's famous canals and stunning main square.From the lit-up Eiffel Tower, to the mazy streets of Montmartre, and from the Champs Elysee to a river cruise along the Seine, there is just nodenying that Paris truly is, "The City Of Love".Totally worth the five hour walk, the Cinque Terre combines quaint, authentic Italian villages with the stunning natural beauty of the Mediterranean coast.Completely living up to the hype, it is no wonder Prague has become one of the top travel destinations in the world. There is medieval beauty everywhere you turn. I took 176 photographs here - enough said.Set between two fantastic beaches, with a lively city centre, a vibrant nightlife, great Basque tapas and a character all of it's own, we had an awesome time here and it would've been perfect if it was just a little hotter.A melting pot of music, sports, theatre, cultures, food, and bright lights with landmarks galore - set in an art-deco paradise of high rises where everything is done at breakneck speed - New York City never stops and there's enough here to keep you occupied for weeks, if the pace doesn't burn you out first.For obvious reasons, there is much fun to be had in Amsterdam, and the red-light district, the canals, andthe smell of weed in the air makes Amsterdam a place like no other. There were few places that we went to where the energy in the streets was so infectious you could feel it drawing you in, tempting you. If you give in, Amsterdam can show you the time of your life ;-)Against the backdrop of it's tumultuous history, it is exactly that which makes Berlin such a fascinating place. Culturally rich, Berlin is like a butterfly emerging from the cocoon, and flying away on the winds of change. (Sorry for the corny metaphor but it's the best way I can describe it ;-)).Another vibrant melting pot, everything you could want in a holiday destination is here - awesome beaches, great weather, sumptuous food, fantastic nightlife, famous sights, rich culture, a super-talented football team and an unrivalled, infectious energy - you couldn't ask for anything more.(Ones tasted for the first time on this trip)- Tried in Strasbourg, Kwak is very tasty and the glass is held in a unique wooden handle.- Has a rich, full flavour and hadplenty of these at Oktoberfest.- Croatia's best beer is hard to find, but is definitely worth the search.- I can't usually drink beer by the litre, but had no problems with Oktoberfest's best beer.- You just can't beat the unique taste of a Belgian brew, and this was no exception.- with lots of olive oil involved, Croatian food is different, but very tasty.- I really miss piri-piri chicken and "pasteis de nata" - custard tarts.- the Basque tapas (pintxos) were especially delicious and you gotta love a paella.- mussels, fries with mayonnaise, chocolate, waffles and beer.- France was the most memorable place in terms of dining out and we sampled a large variety of food including "escargots" (snails), "tartiflette", "tarte flambee", "ile flottante", and of course, crepes. All of it was delicious. The home cooking I was treated to was also scrumptious, as were the baguettes I would pick up for breakfast from the local "boulangerie".Lagos, Portugal - Just had to include this one for the name. A house converted into a hostel with a resident "mama" to look after all the guests including a daily crepe breakfast, this small 50-60 bed hostel feels like your typical Dunedin student flat, except that it's in a warmer clime on the Portuguese Algarve. There's a party every night at the Cock, which means you can't sleep - so you might as well join in the fun.- A fairly big hostel, it's wonderful Moorish courtyard is the hostel's focal point and gives the hostel great character. Complete with an underground bar serving cheap beer, the 10-bed mixed dorms also makes it easy to make some new friends.- Voted one of Lonely Planet's Top 10 Hostels, it was easy to see why. A former monastery, this place had loads of character and the main dining/drinking/socialising area is in the old chapel! The 13-bed mixed dorms again made making friends easy, and you can't go wrong selling 1€ beers. Even had a couple of Kiwis working here!- Situated smack bangin the middle of the old town next to a supermarket and walking distance to the beach, you couldn't get a better location for this apartment-cum-hostel. The small common areas makes it so easy to meet your fellow travellers and it's often these smaller boutique hostels that are the best, as they feel like a home more than a hostel. Safes for your valuables as well as free use of the internet cafe around the corner made it just about the perfect hostel.- It was really close deciding which of the top two would be number one, but I have plumped for the Samay Hostel for it's brand new spotless facilities. Barely open two weeks when we arrived, everything was new and the rooftop patio was the perfect place to eat your own meals, drink your own booze and meet fellow travellers. Electronic safes and free internet also went down a treat. The glass-doored, marble-tiled foyer fooled me into thinking this was a hotel - and it might as well be, as it was certainly first-class.Other decent hostels worth mentioning are City Backpackers (the free pasta hostel in Stockholm) and Hostel Erottajanpuisto inHelsinki.- I generally hated the Hostelling International (HI) hostels, because in Europe, they all had lockouts during the day where you weren't allowed inside your room for up to six hours which was a pain in the arse, especially when you wanted to sleep in. In addition to that, the location of this hostel was so far out of the way, it would've been a nightmare had we not had a friend to drive us around.- Characterless jail-like dorms, with a lock-out, a meagre breakfast and located a winding 30-minute bus ride up a hill, it was easy not to like this place. Just as well it was only 13€ a night, had a great view and a friendly laundry service.- Situated right on the riverbank, it was a breeding ground for mosquitoes and with the lights situated directly above my bed, I would wake up with dead insects all over me. The river stunk too, and locals seemed to like blasting Akon throughout the night just outside.Spain - This place had the worst showers ever, one of those ones where you push a button to get two seconds of dribbling, often cold water - not what you need when you have a cold like I did at the time. Chronic shortages of toilet paper plus a tiny 4-bed room infested with bedbugs, the location just off La Rambla was perhaps the only thing good about this place.- a gutted-out foyer is never exactly welcoming, and things didn't improve much once you got upstairs. With a dirty, clogged bathtub with a soaking wet floor, an unfriendly, steely-eyed owner, and doors that didn't lock, for a change I was glad the checkout time was an early 9.30am.Exploring the labyrinthine Quinta da Regaleira - Sintra, Portugal.Swimming, sunbathing, drinking and generally relaxing with locals on the Adriatic coast - Primosten, Croatia Night cruise along the River Seine - Paris, France Walking the Cinque Terre - Cinque Terre, Italy.Eating ratatouille and sipping red wine while watching the Eiffel Tower fireworks display from a classic Parisian rooftop apartment on Bastille Day - Paris, France Another experience worth mentioningis when I watched Ocean's 13 in an ancient Roman coliseum in Pula, Croatia Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy - Venice's main square is spectacular, and home to the humongously impressive landmarks of the Basilica di San Marco, Palazzo Ducale and the Torre dell'Orologio. La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain - a magnificent structure that perhaps sums up Barcelona itself - grand, unconventional, intricate and expressive. Chateau de Versailles, Versailles, France - despite not having actually been inside, I will still say that the amazingly stunning palace and it's beautiful, vast gardens certainly achieves Louis XIV's objective of symbolising the power of his "absolute monarchy". Duomo, Florence, Italy - unbelievably big church. Grand Canyon, AZ, USA - the sheer scale of the canyon is astonishing, as you look down at valleys that are literallybelow you. Truly one of the wonders of the world.Other sights worth mentioning are the gargantuan cathedral towers of Strasbourg and Cologne , and theof the Leaning Tower Of Pisa - I was only in the country for 48 hours, but it's cleanliness, friendly people and general vibe really had an impact on me.- I had the pleasure of spending a month inGermany last year during the World Cup which may have impacted on my opinion of the country, but it is a truly fascinating place with fantastic people and a cool culture and is underrated as a place to visit in many ways. I always enjoy my time here, and of course things here are done so efficiently ;-)- wonderful weather is reason enough to go to Croatia, and it's fantastic coastlines of pristine water, the hospitable people and the laid-back general attitude here will ensure that your time in Croatia will always be relaxing. There are some awesome ancient ruins here as well.- we always seemed to be just passing through France en route to other destinations, but every time we did go through it, we thoroughly enjoyed it. The country has everything, from lively cities, dramatic coastlines and imposing mountains, to fantastic food, great sights and a surprisingly non-stereotypical, friendly culture. Beauty of course is everywhere, be it natural, architectural, the langauge or the people themselves.- whenever I reflect on my trip, I inevitably think back to my time in Spain, and why I ever decided to leave. I hadthe best times of the trip in Spain, and am willing to admit that the main reasons that Spain is my favourite country is because the weather is great and the people know how to party! There is an energy among the Spanish (except during siesta) that is always present and they definitely enjoy living life to the fullest and playing hard. The culture is fascinating, and through football and learning the language I perhaps appreciated the culture here more than in other countries. So I am constantly dreaming of returning to Spain - and hopefully that will be soon.- this was surprising given that it is a major European city.- not so surprising outside the old town walls.- avoid the tourist traps and you'll find it hard to get rid of your money.- brunch for 2€ and a restaurant dinner, drinks inclusive, for 7€, as well as a hotel room for 17€ a night.- I could've put down any place in Croatia (except perhaps Dubrovnik) but it was in Pula where Iwas able to feed myself a massive dinner including a drink and dessert, for 5€.- generally, the pound makes this one of the dearest places on Earth, but is not too bad once you know where to go.- not so easy to find cheap eats here...- to be expected in a place like this. A gondola ride will cost you 72€.- a glance at our hostel's price list told you everything you needed to know.- it's like the Scandinavian countries put a premium on their prices for the hotness of their women. I had never been so scared of spending money than I was here, where a rum and coke puts you back 9€.Don't lie and say that this isn't the list you wanted to see the most ;-)Scandinavia has the hottest girls in Europe by far, so this list effectively became a Scandinavian mini-league.- the best of the rest, but on average still unbelievably hot asI realised when waiting outside a Metro station in Paris. Ooh-la-la.- the standard of dress and their relative shyness were the only things that took away from their raw beauty.- these girls know what they want, and aren't afraid to go out and get it.- they all seem to come out at night here, as we found out while cleaning our drool off the floor once we got inside the club. They are oh so friendly too, which scored them extra points ;-)- no man will be let down when they go to Sweden, as everything you have seen and heard is true - gorgeous girls surround you all the time, and a walk down the main shopping street in Stockholm confirmed as much - apart from the misnomer that they are all in fact, blonde. Nice and friendly too ;-)Worth mentioning too is the fact that German girls are way underrated ;-)- Spaniards on the whole weren't as friendly as in other countries but we did meet some really cool Spanish people who we partied with.- although I knew the Croatians I was staying with, their generous hospitality was certainly not an exception.- we met a lot of Germans and they were all really cool, in total contrast to the German stereotype.- Sweden was the only place where the locals really went out of their way to help out and be friendly - and we were only there for 48 hours.- this may surprise many, but from kisses on the cheeks to "bon appetit", French culture is geared towards politeness, and in my opinion, it really rubs off on the people here. Copenhagen, Denmark - Drunkenly but successfully navigating our way to a club where we proceeded to talk to and dance with a club full of hot chicks doesn't sound like a bad way to spend a Saturday night, does it? Madrid, Spain - Got tanked with a whole lot of cool strangers in my dorm, sharing our stories before we all headed out to Madrid's famous superclub, Kapital, before returning at around 6am. My other two nights in Madrid are also worth a mention, drunkenly spent withtwo really cool (and not bad looking) American chicks ;-) Helsinki, Finland - Once again with a posse of travellers we had just met at the hostel, we all went out for what was supposed to be a "quiet" drink. Ended up at an RnB club full of hot Finnish girls, where we ahem...had a lot of fun. We finally returned at around 4am to the hostel, on a Tuesday morning no less. San Sebastian, Spain - The first random hostel group outing of the trip, we all got tanked on 99c, 1-litre sangria and wine before hitting San Sebastian's awesome nightlife. Met heaps of other random people and even the hostel owner was on the piss with us! Got back at 6.30am approximately two hours before we were due to catch our train. Lagos, Portugal - The Rising Cock crew went out every night here but the one in particular where we had Toronto Rob and Black T in our ranks and where I hooked up with a hot bartender on the actual bar counter itself, has to go down as the best night on the trip ;-)The Fray- "How To Save A Life"Sean Kingston - "Beautiful Girls"Mika - "It's So Easy"Kaiser Chiefs - "Ruby"Rihanna - "Umbrella" (ella, ella, eh, eh...)- there's not much to say about a swanky-looking, underground R&B club packed with 75%!h(MISSING)ot chicks, that is open on Monday night with 1€ beers.- like Redrum, but with two floors, hotter women in even larger quantities, and a unique playlist mainly consisting of electro, retro and motown.- the first superclub I had ever been to, it is still the biggest I have ever visited in my life. Seven floors with (or without) music to suit most people's tastes, including trance, retro and R&B, the entire place was immacculately decked out. Full marks for the rooftop lounge too.- nothing particularly spectacular about this made-for-tourists joint, just a crazy, raucous atmosphere second-to-none.- the best club I have ever been to. The place was hyped up a lot by several travellers that I had met, and it did not disappoint. Thishuge six-floor club has a grungy appeal and has different music on all the different floors. The highlight though has to be the main floor that features a well-known band every Friday and Saturday, followed up by all the indie/alternative mashups you can handle. So no prizes for guessing why this was my favourite club. But the best thing about Razzmatazz was the crowd - these people just refuse to stop partying, and they party hard too. It all makes for a fun and electric atmosphere, which is what clubbing should be all about.(not including those we met in their own country at the time, obviously)British (English, Scottish and Welsh)AmericansCanadiansGermansAustralians - f*cking everywhere.- Receiving a text from the buyer of our Rugby World Cup Final tickets saying that he had "missed his flight", leaving us with just 2 1/2 hours to get to the stadium and find new buyers for our tickets for much less money, before kick off.- Turningon my iPod on the train to Copenhagen to discover that I had completely wiped it in the process of uploading songs from it to our host Albina's laptop. Two weeks travelling without music was just about unbearable.- Realising that I was going to have to fork outfor a taxi which may or may not get me to Aeroport Beauvais on time to catch my Ryanair flight to Venice.- Discovering thatthe TravelBlog entries (and the effort and hours spent creating them) I had written up to that point had been accidentally erased due to an error on the TravelBlog server. It meant a whole day frantically hoping and trying to recover them all from the Google cache - luckily, I managed to restore them all.- Watching the All Blacks get booted out of the Rugby World Cup (again) by France, in a pub full of triumphant Frenchies celebrating wildly, and who just like us, could scarcely believe it. Gloating Englishmen who were present just after they had won through to the semi-finals themselves,didn't help either, and our fairytale ending of being at the Stade de France to see Richie McCaw finally hoisting aloft the World Cup at the end of our trip, was completely shattered.This is not another list of favourite cities, but rather a list of places that for varying reasons, I want to revisit.- Although we visited Helsinki twice during our European sojourn, both visits were rather fleeting affairs, as we spent less than 24 hours there each time. A vibrant city with a laid back vibe, we unfortunately missed out on the famed nightlife, as all the discotheques were closed on the night we wanted to go out. Although we did have one awesome night out there, I wouldn't mind returning to visit thethey have there - that would definitely be an interesting experience, and one I should try and experience before I get too old!.- My time here was also short, a mere 36 hours. This meant that I missed out on the supposed beautiful beaches and topless Swedish tourists on offer downon the Verudela Penninsula.- A cool city of culture including the suburb of St. Pauli, the home of German punk, once again I felt my visit here was too brief and would love to go back a hit a couple rock clubs. I also missed arguably Hamburg's most famous feature, the Speicherstadt.- This beautiful coastside city is definitely worth a revisit. I would love to head back and hit more of the many beaches there and experience the famed nightlife that starts at 3am!- From the short time I was here, I had already thought that Stockholm would be a great place to live one day. Full of friendly, beautiful people, in clean and charming surrounds, no wonder there is such a good vibe here. We never had a proper night out in Stockholm - something that must be addressed! If you thought that the hot chick ratio in the clubs in Copenhagen and Helsinki were high....(see Top 5 Countries With The Hottest Female Population).(according to official TravelBlog stats as they stand at the moment) "Lagered In Lagos" - inmy opinion this is one of my better-written and more entertaining blog entries about my crazy, fun and boozy weekend on the Portuguese Algarve. "Hvala Hrvatska (Part 2)" - no doubt this is due to all my Croatian friends, visiting the page to read what I had to say about their wonderful country! "Hvala Hrvatska (Part 1)" - the blog entry covering the first half of my time in Croatia. "Sex, Drugs & Alcohol" - in my opinion, my best and most entertaining blog entry. I guess it's true what they say - "a good scandal always sells". "My Exploits In Estonia" - by far the most read blog entry, which really surprised me. I received a comment on this blog from Martin, an Estonian who stumbled upon this blog entry, and in his comment, he complimented me on the story. No doubt he has got a few of his Estonian friends to read it as well! Combining this with the fact that Tallinn is such a fascinating place, this is the most popular entry of my blog.44 degrees,(July).3 degrees,(October).A scrumptious chicken number, inA lamb doner kebabinForget about Paris, the city we encountered with the most dogshit on the pavement wasWithout a doubt,. It's all very efficient. The French trains weren't half-bad either.and the Tuscan countryside ofin Las Vegas, Nevada, USA,in Valencia, Spain andin Bremen, Germany.So there you have it - the end of the blog. It will be an adventure I will never forget, full of memories I will cherish forever.Now it's back to real life (*shudder*) and I will hit the ground with a huge thud, as these four months have definitely been like a dream, up in the clouds.This is by no means the end of the blog however. So much effort and time has been put into it, that it would seem like a waste to just let it rot. Since I will be based in London, more travelling is definitely on the agenda once I've sorted myself out here (read: got some money). So whenever I make a trip, be it aweekender or another four month bender, you will hear about it - right here.For now though, I would like to thank everybody for their support, for looking at all the photos and of course, for reading the blog (which I trust you have all been doing, right?).It was certainly fun writing it, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. I said at the start that if I could inspire just one of you to go travelling, then my blog would be a success. Well, I know some of you have decided to give it a go and that some of you are in fact doing it right now - so well done and good on ya! If have inspired you in anyway, then I have perhaps achieved what I had set out to do with this blog - and that is a fantastic feeling.So until my next sojourn - all the best, and safe travels. :-)Derek