The end/beginning

As it stands right now, my journey is at something of a crossroads, well I say a Crossroads, more of a T-Junction, with Car-parks either side, as I cannot just carry on as my funding is all but gone, so as you may know I am currently in the middle of a Job hunt.. In Rome!! But failing that, I'll be home by the weekend...ish.

I've been to see some parts of this city, yesterday myself and mike, he being a new zealand-er from the place where I'm staying, went to visit the vatican city and the cistine chapel, just because we were told it was impressive, maybe we would have been more impressed if either of us were religious, which it turned out, we weren't, so you can imagine how stupid we sounded walking into most rooms on the vatican museum tour saying "is this one the cistine chapel?", turns out this one one the left is the cistine chapel, its a bit blurry but don't complain, there were guys walking round saying "no photo, no photo" our personal theory is that they don't want people who haven't been to see how unimpressive it actually is so they can still sell tickets... bastards!

Then today I took a trip down to the Colosseum to watch a fight to the bloody death... turned out I was a little late and they outlawed that kind of thing a good few hundred years back, but I was able to wander round and see where this kind of activity used to take place.. or at least whats left of it.

Since my Journey has now all but ended, having been to 8 different countries, stayed in 6 different hotels, 6 different hostels and a campsite, been in 6 different airports and having spent around a day and a half on various trains across the continent, I want to take a moment to discuss... hotdogs, yep hotdogs, now back in the UK you have found yourself a quality vendor if you get a real sausage in your elongated bun and personally I find myself lucky if I can stop them in time before they desecrate my beautiful lump of pig fat and gristle with a mountain of fried onions, but across the continent I have found, many different ideas of what a hotdog is, so I felt like running through them for my own personal amusement really, and I'm going to rate them out of 5, wait no 6, since thats the average length in inches for one of these badboys.
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The Prague Dog

What is it?
Something of a baguette with a hole with a sausage dropped inside, with whatever sauces you want filling the space
Where you get it?
From a shed in the middle of any good pavement
What you think?
Good. very edible and because of currency conversion rates and whatnot it will only set you back 40 kurons (a little under a quid:)



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The Krakow Dog

What is it?
An oversized bun, with a tiny sausage and a mountain of lettuce and other assorted entire packets of vegetation they like to throw on top
Where you get it?
From a dirty window covered in signs with a fat lady sat behind it
What you think?
Awful, absolutely awful, when I order a hotdog I want something that fills me with cholesterol and will help me towards an early heart attack, it almost seems like a wasted when half of what she gave you is on the floor and your left with a dry lump of bread with sausage.

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The Wieliczka Dog

What is it?
Krakow being a tiny town just 10km SW of Krakow, but its sausage based food earns a mention all of its own, take the Baguette with a hole idea, but absolutely stuff it with pieces of sausage meat occasionally stopping to add sauces
Where you get it?
From a window like in Krakow, but bigger just to near a park thingy
What you think?
Fantastic, better than anything ever, worth returning to Poland for on its own, I want to give it more than 6 pints, but that would mean changing the image, which takes effort. Only 4zl50 aswell!! (less than a pound)



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The Dortmund Dog

What is it?
I didn't but any hotdogs in Dortmund, come to think of it I don't recall seeing anywhere selling hotdogs at all
Where you get it?
You don't, for the sake of argument they don't sell hotdogs in germany, which I find kind of Ironic to say the least
What you think?
It gets no points. don't buy food in Germany!





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The Dam Dog

What is it?
I also didn't buy any hotdogs in Amsterdam, but now I think is a good time to mention the kemer chicken kebab, anyone who has ever had one will know they are worth continually eating until you get ill, I never have but a trip that way is not complete unless you eat one
Where you get it?
Kemer kebab shop about 5/20 minute walk from the flying pig depending on your state of mind
What you think?
Amazing, it gets as many points as it likes, The kind of food that if I found out one day was made from rats in the cellar, I wouldn't care as long as they kept killing the rats in the cellar!


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The Brussels Dog

What is it?
I was handed my sausage in a burger bun, its not even as though he didn't have the right buns there, but I got a burger bun
Where you get it?
From a man with a grill under a canopy in a row of canopied stalls, the rest sold clothes, maybe he should do the same
What you think?
Not impressed, my dog didn't fit my bun





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The Paris Dog

What is it?
Its a nice big baguette, with a nice big sausage, covered in a layer of melted cheese. mmm
Where you get it?
From a food shop by a road I walked down while slightly lost. I'll take you someday!
What you think?
Excellent! the best thing about France! nay the only good thing about france, knock down the eiffel tower and replace it with a huge cheesy hotdog stand says I!



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The Madrid Dog

What is it?
I also did not eat a dog in this country, though I think they get a point for giving me food with my drinks
Where you get it?
Tapas bars!!
What you think?
I like the little bread and the chorizo. nice touch





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The Rome Dog

What is it?
Something of an oddity, seems to be more of a sausage sandwich in kebab bread. good though:)
Where you get it?
From a hotdog man bear the colloseum
What you think?
Was nice, he put a single leaf of lettuce on it, so it was edible unlike the krakow attempt!

Changes

I realised something about myself today, Something Profound and Interesting. Something I did not consider possible until today. Something that both shocked and appalled me.....

I have a chin.


I feel Cold and naked now, me and my beard(s) did everything together.

Alas. Me and me chin are going on a job hunt.

If you want to really amuse yourself, save both of these pictures to your computer, then open them with whichever picture viewing program you use and flick between them, its like the hair magically disappears... and the door moves.

Livin it up like!

I´m still in Madrid right now, I´ve come to really like this place, Probably because I´ve been out with Si and a load of Si´s Spanish friends on a few evenings around the city.



I met up with Simon on my second day in Madrid, for anyone who doesn´t know my brother he is the one that isn´t me in this here photograph, which I have no idea why we both look like we are shitting in.


I quite like the night life around these parts aswell, although I´m not a drinker myself, I can still enjoy the tapas bars, which will give you a little saucer of food to go with your drinks, I need never buy food again as long as I get tiny pieces of hard bread with Chorizo:)


I also like the way the people will just buy alcohol and sit down in the square or on the street and drink, with the sweet sweet smell of hashish filling the sky. You know in the kind of way that you get moved on/arrested for back home.

But alas I leave tomorrow for pastures afresh. Or Italy to you or I.

Oh and also, just for the benefit of Carl. I feel I should let you know, I saw Family Guy in Spanish on the TV the other day, It is nowhere near as funny when you don´t know what is being said!!!

In Conclusion, France Sucks as a country, and yes I am perfectly aware there were no preceding sentences from which to draw a conclusion, but this is my blog so I decide which rules of the english language are relevant.

Its just an all round dull place, I didn´t feel like it had any real character, its kinda funny how they try and teach us the languages in high school for the countries, so after a night in Paris, one asleep on the night train and 2 nights in Bordeaux, I decided i was time to leave. So I did. I´m now in Spain, where it is really hot by the way, and I´m planning to meet up with my Bro in that bar where he works later on today.

Don´t know what becomes of my travels as yet I may return home briefly soon. perhaps

Paris and the Eiffel Tower

I discovered upon my trip to Paris that visiting the eiffel tower is not just a simple tourist attraction, it is a long gruelling test of will and stamina, honestly! If you don't beleive me check my

Step by step guide to visiting Paris and the eiffel tower, the idiots way
Which isn't spelt wrong

Step 1:Arrive in Paris, check into a hostel and acquire a map of the area.
Step 2:Decide to check out the eiffel tower
Step 3:Leave the Hostel and wander aimlessly down several streets, you should find yourself now in 'the ghetto'
Step 5:Find a net cafe and decide its a good idea to check your e-mails
Step 6:Leave ghetto and head back to where you started
Step 7:Consult map to confirm that the eiffel tower is in fact in the opposite direction
Step 8:Wander in said opposite direction
Step 9:Wander some more
Step 10:Find yourself right back where you started, for some inexplicable reason.
Step 11:Purchase a Hotdog
Step 12:Wander back in the general direction of the eiffel tower, this time with your map at the ready to ensure you look just like a tourist.
Step 13:Find the eiffel tower

Step 14:Queue

Step 15:Queue some more

Step 16:Continue queueing

Step 17:Go up to the second floor

Step 18:Take photographs of paris

Step 19:Queue again

Step 20:Go to the top!

Step 21:Take more touristy photos, much like the ones already printed by the windows

Step 22:Leave

Step 23:Get lost again on your way back.

Step 24:Purchase a further Hotdog

By now you should have killed in excess of 8 hours time and discovered that [a: You don't particularly fell a fear of heights while effectively caged in with no chance of accidentally falling and [b: Paris hotdogs are fit!!

Yer maybe I should start taking the underground

An English Man, A Japanese Man and A Korean Man walk into a bar...

No Joke I went out for the night with a Japanese guy and a Korean Guy in Brussels last night, it was entertaining, though I can't provide a Photograph, partly because I didn't take one, Shin did, but he has assured me he will send me a copy.

But still, watch my video of a bearded guy singing jonny be good

I have today moved to Paris, where I shall stay... perhaps until tomorrow. who knows

Sprouts

I quickly came to the conclusion I wasnt a big fan of dortmund, being mostly full of shops it felt like being in a foreign Mancester, since then I travelled to Amsterdamn for a brief stay and am now in Brussels, Belgium, on my way to France.

Most of these journeys I could have done for free as I didnt have my ticket checked once, I think I was in 1st class yesterday aswell, just because of the comfy seats, the guys in suits on Laptops and by the ridiculously Spoilt rich Private school English kids laughing at their ridiculously unfunny horoscopes in the paper.

Anyway must dash, Ill keep yous updated on anything Interesting I do out here in the world:)

Winged Rhinoceroses

There are absolutely pigging loads of these things around here!!! all different colours and patterns dotted about the place, I thought about jumping on one and acting like a fool for a moment, but then considered they could have some important meaning to the local's and it maz offend someone, no-one wants that in a strange place like this.

I landed in Dortmund yesterday and after some confused wanderings and a few underground rides, I ended up staying in an overpriced hotel through the inability to find anywhere else to sleep without befriending the neighbourhead friendly hobos, think I'm gonna leave here today find a more budget traveller friendly city, but not till this afternoon, I have my stuff in one of those luggage lockers so I can still search the place.

Ok what the #### is it with swapping the 'Z' and the 'Y' on the keyboards? what the hell is a 'QWERTZ' keyboard?

There's Salt in Poland

Yep there's Salt here, loads of it to be precise, and this far away from any Sea aswell, I visited a Salt mine in a tiny town called Wieliczka (its real look it up!!) and the rather fetching man in the picture was carved from Salt, unpurified salt so its all dirty and the like but I am assured it is salt.

It wasn't that great really, probably a waste of money, but it did help to kill a few hours..

And then I saw it...

Oh yea but I must show you this, I was queueing in the local ABC supermarket, looking at the Chocolate rack that is compulsorary by any supermarket checkout, thinking about how everything used to be bigger, back when wagon wheels looked lke Pizza's and King Size actually meant you had a decent sized eating challenge ahead of you, I thought wouldn't it be great if one confectionary company saw fit to introduce something big, somehing hard to even eat in one go, then as if by magic I found 'Mr Big' sat on the top shelf. I assure you I don't have small hands... Just wonder how big they used to be...

You know I am finding surprisingly little to do in the evenings here in Krakow (hence my abundance of internet hours!), during the day there's loads, but in the evenings most places close barr the drinkeries, which I am assured by the various guides there are more alcohol places per square metre than anywhere else in europe or the world, which is all gravy.. except I don't drink, this isn't normally a problem for me, I tend to go to various watering holes to socialise and for the atmosphere, except I am here on my own and no bugger speaks English!!

Oh well I'm only here because its cheap while I wait for Jonj, I've booked a flight to Dortmund in Germany for monday to take a bit of the sting out of the monstrous Journey accross Europe where I beleive I will meet him in France next week.

Prague!!

howdy! I felt like creating some sort of blog to keep people back home up to date on my (plus jonjo when he manages to join me in the near future) adventures outside of the country i grew up in.

as you probably all know i came to prague yesterday, and my hostel is still booked until tomorrow so i've managed to have a walk around, I got a bit lost earlier and kept walking round in circles right near where i am now, but after a few aimless tram journeys and a purchase of a map i found my bearings again, which led me to spend a good number of hours walking towards what looked like a small eiffel tower i had seen on the map and felt i wanted to investigate, rosledna i think its called, and the pic that i hope this thingy put on the top of my blog is taken from halfway up it.

Not much more to say, I will try and get more posts and pictures on the internet soon though.

catch y'all later