European Medley

In Venice i had to provide the ticket office with a timetable, apparently selling tickets and knowing what time train they're for is too much to handle.

In Auschwitz people were posing for photos. I think they may have missed the point...

Due to a government law, Italian internet cafes have to take a photocopy of your passport being giving internet access!

Ran into some Aussies in Venice that i'd met a month or so earlier in Edinburgh on a pub crawl! Didn't realise the first time we walked past eachother as i was distracted by Bo's t-shirt: 'To err is human, to arr is pirate'

Absinthne, agua and lime makes an awesome cocktail.

'One more for the road' is a dangerous saying when forever on the road!

Falafel.

Lots of people have just they're elbow tattooed. Others have all their arm except their elbow tattooed. Do they even out?

I spend far too much money when i go in a bookshop.

Going from Stockholm to Prague we had to change trains in Berlin. We should have had half an hour to make it to the next platform. Neither the lady in our cabin nor the conductor bothered to wake us up. I woke up with 8 minutes til the next train left. As we ran on, the doors closed about half a second behind us!

Lifts can be good places to pass a couple of hours at a train station when it's cold outside.

Hostels

I have now stayed in a stupid amount of hostels. Here's some of the best:

Bauhaus, Bruges
It's in Bruges (it's in Belgium), which automatically makes it awesome. The staff are all cool, and can be found in the bar when not working. The bar is great. A big clock that goes backwards, huge masses of melted candles, a good selection of beer, happy hour 1euro beer, and easy to meet fellow travellers. Once the bar closes move across the street to The Crash, which stays open for as long as you can drink, probably longer.

Af Chapman, Stockholm
It's in Stockholm. It's a boat. 'nuff said.

Goat Hostel, Budapest
Crazy (in the best way) staff. Projector for films. Free popcorn. Laid back. 24hour shop opposite. A few metres from the Danube.

ROOM Hostel, Rotterdam
Every room has a different theme. Most comfortable cushions in the world. Good bar with cheap jugs of beer. Near the water.

Hostel Celica, Ljubljana
Former military prison. Nice rooms. Meditation room. Bar with a different event every night. Live music.

Peanut Butter

Seems not to exist in most countries. Houmous is also hard to find.

+/-

+ Falafel burgers with chili sauce. Divine, best burger i've ever eaten.

- Take a number. What's wrong with the old fashioned queue in a line? With take a number you never know how long you'll have to wait as people take one, see it's far away and leave. So when your number is 30 away, there could be anywhere between 1 and 30 people before you.

+ White chocolate Lion bars. All chocolate bars should be these.

- Green man lights should mean it's safe to cross the road. Not that traffic could still appear any second.

+ Student discount. If you have a student card, whether you're still a student or not, ask for discount. Most places don't check it's valid. Some don't even ask to see the card so try even if you don't have one.

- Scaffolding/road works. Around every monument/statue/interesting building there seems to be some kind of building works spoiling it. Just give it a rest and be content with the world we have for a minute.

Journey to the Cabin

First i skate around the edge of vast lakes, full to the brim of bone chilling water. Then i must dance across the undulating landscape, never sure if my foot will find snow, ice or water. A small jump over marshland finds a makeshift bridge of wooden slats, ready to crumble without warning. Next is the ice walk. I hope for a snow flurry to provide a little grip. Clinging to whatever my flailing arms can reach, I slip and slide along the clear ice, cracks forming with every step. I make a desperate lunge for the safety of my porch, as the ice i tread on breaks away into the depths, and hold fast. With a deep exhale i dive into the warmth of what I must call home for the night.

Rant medley

1. Tourist information offices are must useful when; a) located near the main transport hub
b) open after the main bus of the day gets to town

2. While keeping roads free of snow when it falls for a large chunk of the year is impressive, how about doing the same for pavements? A choice between walking on ice and getting run over is not a good one.

3. Tourism may increase if attractions are open for more than 4 or 5 hours a day. Oh, and please stop closing everything on Monday.

4. Town planning. Planning implies some kind of forethought and logic. This seems to be missing. While we're on the subject, street signs are very useful, just give it a try.

5. It's useful when maps given to tourists actually cover a big enough area of the town to include everything that is advertised.

6. Trams. I hate trams. There does not need to be yet another obstacle to crossing the road. Also, if you stop accepting cash payment, take the on board ticket machines out of service and don't provide anywhere to buy tickets at the stops, i'm gonna ride for free.

The Crash

Once the sun has faded, a previously dark, anonymous building lights up. Ceiling bright with the glare of crushed beer cans. Beer mats inscribed with drunken ramblings and wisdom are jammed between cans, failed attempts and those deemed unworthy litter the floor. The music is loud. It is hard. It is rock. It is roll. More bodies than seem possible fill the small, alcohol infused floor. Beers in hand, chatting, laughing, shouting, screaming, singing. Living. The party will go on until the sun rises and slowly the room empties as bodies stagger and sway their way to work. It's over. At least until the sun goes down again. The punks, the rockers, the goths. The misfits, the loners, the down and out. This is their place, their sanctuary, their home. This is The Crash.