"Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End"

Well, you avid readers (BTW, statistics show that most of you have stopped reading anyway, but I understand that the trip was far more exciting for us than it was for you), this is the last post you will have to suffer through from the excellent adventures of Brandon and Josh. As Josh put it, "It is no longer The Adventures of Josh and Brandon, but The Adventures of Josh. The Adventures of Brandon." He is off to Florida in a few weeks for grad school, and I am off to NYC in either a few weeks or a few months (I'll figure it out soon enough). It will be weird to have your best friend living 20 hours away; especially since everyone who knows one of us knows the other. But I think some time off will be...interesting.

Some things I learned from the trip:

Your body can only take so much coffee and alcohol before it starts protesting.

Grocery shopping is far cheaper than eating out.

Learn about the political temperature of the country before visiting to avoid walking straight into a 300 person protest.

If you need to get something done then just do it. Hop on the train without a reservation if you have to.

Don't sweat the small stuff (and most of it is small).

Meat from lamb's head is foul. Especially the tongue...and the hairy parts.

Try to meet a leprechaun if you are ever in Ireland.

Never be afraid to talk to people.

If you are a beer person, then always try new beer (I tried 93 new beers on the trip!) unless you are in Scotland, then just drink scotch.

Have fun, do the touristy stuff, but then do what you want.

Always take the free walking tour.

Always wake up for the free breakfast.

Spend all of your change before leaving the country.

It's never too early to drink (only on vacation though....and holidays, weekends, and if you are a student)

Lemonade and apple juice tastes like shit abroad.

Network.

Keep in touch.

Don't be afraid to spend money on something you would regret not doing later. Even if you don't have the money. You will always make it back in the long run.

There are probably 10,000 more things I could ramble on about, but I'll stop there.

I may continue blogging (I'll change the name though) but I'll let you all know if I do.

Thank you for reading. It was a blast.

Josh and I were discussing a road trip of the States in a few years. We realized that we haven't even been to half of the states! We would probably invite more people though. Let us know if you are interested.

Anyway, thank you for following the blog.

Now off to the real adventure. The one that is us pursuing our big goals.

To Josh, it has certainly been a pleasure.

Love,

Brandon

We'll dance and sing and fight until the early morning light, then we'll throw up, pass out, wake up, and then go drinking once again!

For the first time on our trip, Josh and I did our own thing today. I took a full day tour up to Giant's Causeway and the Rope Bridge. These were hands down the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I took plenty of pictures, but it won't help. It was so refreshing to finally see the Causeway (I have been itching to go there since 7th grade!) and to see some of the most beautiful country side/sea side views in the world. I had fresh mackeral in a town that was about half a street long. By "fresh" I mean it was caught this morning. I can't go into much detail about this journey, only that I can now officially say that I successfully completed one of my life goals. I think I can come home now. But not before the weekend in Dublin! Live music, fun people, great beer. It really is like the song: There is music and laughter and stories to tell...
See you on Sunday!
-Brandon

Ireland

In Dublin. Its pretty great. Home in 2 days. See you then.

Brandon and Josh

"The man who invented buying water is a very dangerous man"

before I get to Cork, I will immediately begin by saying that you should all be jealous that you have never been to the Cliffs of Moher. They were one of the most stunning things I have ever seen in my life.

anyway

CORK- by josh (and Brandon)

Background story-We sent a request to a man named James and accidentily called him Stephen, he still accepted and wrote about how stephen lives on his shoulder.. obviously he sounded awesome.

So, we arrive in Cork and have no idea how to get to his place and the phone lines aren't working. We finally find the street he lives on and walk down it (obviously). After several minutes of frustrated journeying we are approached by an irishman. "Where ye lad's looking fer?" ...
"um we're trying to find -"
"Why dont you rub my head?"

Brandon rubs (hesitantly)

"right then, thats a wee bit of luck fer ye.. right this way lads" ...... as he leads us away from his house. By this point we know that its James, although he hasn't introduced himself.

I mention Stephen and we immediately turn around with his remarks being " oh.. you just said something there"

"so"-

" NO QUESTIONS" as he kicks a brick wall......... we're not sure whats going on (and slightly terrified)

We go up to his appartment (which is number "0" because the "1" was taken off of the "10") and he talks to us for a while in a language that is only somewhat remniscent of english because his accent is so thick...

" You two seem like smart lads, eat and drink all you want, I'm going for a bit of work."

"When do you get off work?"

"What?" LONG PAUSE "I haven't worked in years."

"When will you be back?"

"You won't be seeing me again," he says.

He leaves.......


Now brandon and I are pretty confused now and now, now, we aren't quite sure what sort of cows there are in the Burren. It's Freesian cows lads. (In case you didnt understand this last sentence (because why would you?), it is in reference to our cliffs of moher tour guide, who loved to use the word "now")

........... OBVIOUSLY Brandon and I are in disagreement as to how to tell a proper story, you bitch. I think it's more fun to keep the readers guessing rather than to pamper them and not leave them to think about what yer saying lad. ( )

Anyway, we arent quite sure if we can trust this guy (If I were travelling alone I would've been long gone), if this appartment is even his (no photos, except for holographic images of wolves and snowmen), or how to lock the door. You see, we werent sure if he was high out of his mind (or just....something else...Josh is pretty convinced he is a Leprechaun). So we find some keys, drink a beer, eat a few cold meat pies and leave, after an hour of deliberating and nearly shitting our pants.

As we are walking down the street, who do we see walking down the street but James.

Theres more banter.... and then

Brandon- how long have you lived in Cork?

James-Define lived

Brandon-.......... have you been here since you were Born?

James- I'm alive every moment I'm not asleep.

Josh- Aren't you alive when you're asleep?

James-Good (he does some crazy hand gesture that we become very familiar with over the next 24 hours)

Josh-.. Ok well how long has your physical body existed?

James points at a patch of leaves that fell from a tree and rest gently on the sidewalk " Well thats my placenta there." He grabs a flower, " I should pay tribute" He places the flowers in his placenta... "But those leaves weren't there 20 minutes ago so what does that tell you?"

So at this point, we've figured out that he's trying to open our eyes to things that are relatively obvious (while at the same time calming us down in a way...making us realize that is just how he rolls). Saying things like, "What are cars but empty shells?" or " Why are we going this way? its cuz there are arrows on the road."(I HATE that you just wrote "cuz"...It's "cause"....a shortened version of "because") --- yeah well at least i don't condescend my readers by assuming they aren't smart enough to think :) .. Love you--- (I don't assume anything. I like to take my readers on a journey, depicting the events that took place as I viewed them. Talking about cows and referencing things that you never even blogged about and then filling your post with copious amounts of dumness only takes the reader out of the moment and breaks up the flow of the story. "love you") --- Dumbness has a "b" in it. (ass)

we're getting sick of eachother.....(5 days left...thank god) 5 days of hell.

We are crossing a bridge, and he starts talking about Water, and the flow. "Do yous lads believe in the flow?

Josh- I believe the flow is created as the symptom of a mind that is completely involved in the task at hand.

James- Hey lads, I'm going to go get something to eat.

Brandon-Yeah, and later we'll buy you a beer-

James-Don't buy anything. The man who invented buying water is a very dangerous man!


This morning as I went to the bathroom, he sprints out of his room half naked and says, LADS watch this. He then flushes the toilet before I use the bathroom and says. "I just thought you should see that."

(The first question he actually answered was when Josh asked what time it was. Then he made us a brilliant breakfast, which we ate on the roof, followed by tea and coffee and a long walk all over the city.)

He ate a few leaves today, took off his shirt because it was raining, and talks about logic alot.

Theres a lot more to this story but I dont feel like writing it and it would be way more fun to watch us retell the story than to read about it. so.. If I ever see you again, ask me and I'll tell you.


Essentially, James is a really great guy.. you all should be jealous that you haven't met him. (He's quite hospitable and full of questions and curiousity), and he's quite an adventure, but theres no better way to live life (...Yeah, its all about the flow, lads).

-Josh (and Brandon)

Its been a while

I apologize for our lack of posting over the last week or so. We have had to pay for internet which means no time for blogging. So what have we been up to? Quickly (I am not editing this, so bear with me): Well, London was great! We saw an awesome terrifying show with top notch acting called The Woman In Black, along with a ballet/opera at the royal opera house called the Cocteau Voices (yes, you theatre historians, as in Jean Cocteau) with music by Scott Walker. It was phenominal. The second act was a one woman opera on a phone....it was the worst thing I have ever seen. People were leaving! We did all the touristy things and then met a man at a bar on a business trip who ended up buying our drinks while encouraging me to cheat on my girlfriend (not with him) because she was far away and I am young, claiming also that he was single while on business (ignorant of his wife and kids back home). Well...Thanks for the drinks, JP Morgan.
Edinburgh was phenominal. We stayed with Cameron, the Scot we met back in Bulgaria! It was just what I expected from Scotland (and really refreshing to see Cameron again, and meet his family!). People playing music around a table in bars, ghost tours (we took one), castles, water, scotch, cloudy skies. Even when the sun is set there, it never gets completely dark in the summer. Alternatively, in the winter, it barely gets light during the day! The Clan Duncan is from Scotland. I fit right in with everyone and their red beards! On our first night there we watched the sunrise from the top of a wall of a crumpled castle, while sharing a bottle of wine. It was perfect.
We then hopped over to glasgow, which was pretty much like every other city.
We are now in IRELAND! THE PLACE I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO!!! We are in Galway until tomorrow and then Cork, and then Dublin, and then home on the 10th.
We took a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher today. It was just about the most beautiful piece of nature I have ever seen. I had to stop taking pictures because I have never felt more strongly that a picture just doesnt do it justice. Hopefully, I will blog again before the trip is over. Maybe I will actually post photos too, since I havent done that since before Amsterdam! Anyway, I could talk all day about our adventures, but instead I will go have more!

Cheers!
Brandon

Boom-sh-boom! Czech It Out!

Ok,
So Prague is incredible. I can't begin to explain everything that we have seen and done, but here is a bullet list:

-Saw so many events/exhibitions/performances associated with the Prague Quadrennial (the main reason for coming to Prague..it is a HUGE theatre festival that happens once every four years). We saw Peter Handke's, Offending the Audience and a show called Me Here, You There which was a kind of accordian dialogue/duet/lighting experience.
-Met up with a friend from high school who now goes to CMU.
-Took an awesome walking tour of the city.
-Went on a pub crawl.
-Attended a screening of an experiment (part of the Quadrennial) where 12 people stayed in the basement of a building where they used to print the Communist newspaper. Then we met the participants IN the building, saw where they slept, and got to chat with them a bit.

We also did much more (such as dressing up as a cheerleader and a slutty Mrs. Clause (photos to come) as part of the PQ...), but time is short as it is our last night in the city and I am paying for internet right now.

We are off to London tomorrow. Our trip is nearing its last leg. It is kind of sad, but also exciting. In a weird way it is the same excitement that I had before coming to Europe. It is interesting though. I guess it is because once I get back there will still be adventures to have, but adventures that more immediately contribute to what I want to do (Where am I moving to in NYC? Who am I living with? When am I moving? Where will I work?....you know the drill...."the times, they are a' changing," and that is really exciting.)

-Brandon

Hamsterdamned

In Hamsterdam we saw the Hamster-combs which differ from the cat-acombs because they are made from hamsterbones and not cat bones. We also went to the heineken factory and the beer there tastes better than heineken in the states because the water comes from the Hamstel river so it's ham flavored. The museum of the one-eared Vincent was exciting although it was overcast so we didn't get to see any starry nights. We biked through the countryside to the north of Hamsterdam, ( gerbilmill) There were some crafty windmills in Gerbilmill, as well as beautiful cows and windy flats. Our butts got sweaty from the seats of our bikes so we dropped trau in the middle of a field.

There was a live Jazz club with a CRAZY old man. At first this man seemed like the 90 year old version of Brandon and I. Dancing like a lunatic and making strange faces, then it became apparent that this man was being effected by some sort of hard drug. He danced with Brandon, pointed at peoples boobs and spat in someones beer. Nevermind that when he pointed at there boobs he also made a face as if he'd been mortally and morally offended and let out a huge scoff.

Brandon always wanted to walk, I always wanted to sit and look at the map- Amsterdam is a world of puzzles. WE got called "pussies"by a prostitute, which I thought was hilarious... Oh, come on boys don't be so shy ( as we walked by)..." sorry,"I said in a manner suggesting disinterest. "Come on pussies ( Wink)" ..... at that moment she won my heart!! I said HOW Much Delila! and she said 50 Euro" My little heart fluttered and I gave birth to a beautiful butterfly, then she turned into an ogre and I fell into the Dam...... Hamster bones surrounded me . WHAT!!! The HAMSTERCOMBS ARE IN THE DAM!!! I then flew to the nearest grocery store to get some garlic so I could fend of the zombie Hamsters.

To make a long story short, the Battle could have ended the world had I not been so tactful as to wear a disco shirt.



Where did my camera go?


Goodbye 600 photos.


I didn't really like Amsterdam that much, It was dreary and the air had an aroma of apathy that I found disconcerting.


Josh

Amsterdam

So a lot of people (mainly my parents) are asking for a new post. Well Amsterdam.....happened. The Van Gogh Museum was great, as was the Heineken Experience (btw, Heineken tastes WAY better here). We rented bikes and saw windmills in the country side, and stood on one of the many bridges and watched the full moon light up the canals (two things that the presence of women would have made a bit more romantic). We also went to a jazz club and ended every night with a walk through the Red Light District (it is actually really sad). Other than that, if you want stories, you will have to ask me in person, but those were the highlights (pun intended).

We are in Nijmegen now (another city in Holland) and we go to Prague for the Prague Quadrenial in a few days. If you don't know, the Quadrenial is a HUGE theatre festival that happens once every four years, bringing in thousands of people from all over the world. Needless to say, we are excited!

Love,
Brandon

Pissing boys (and girls!), Waffles, Beer, and Mussles

Brussels, Belgium.

They speak French and Dutch and German. The city is awesome. It is totally and uniquely its own thing. Supposedly Brussels is the capital of Europe...? We saw the Mannequin Pis (the little boy peeing) and he is literally the size of a baby. Then we went down a side street and found the little girl peeing (she is squatting, yes). Godiva is from Belgium and it is completely different than what we get in the states (different formula), and take my word, It is INCREDIBLE. I have had the best chocolate I have ever had in my life. Every block has at least three chocolate stores, and they are all amazing. These stores are just like jewelry shops; special lights to make the chocolate look good, intricate displays, workers dressed nicely, quiet environment... It really is a craft that people pride themselves on...and I love it.

Also incredible, are the waffles. Belgian waffles, also on every corner, are the most gooey, warm, thick, tasty waffles I have ever had. You can get a wide range of toppings, but you don't need any besides the powdered sugar, because the batter is more like balls of dough, and then they top it off with a caramel glaze!!

The beer gets another two thumbs up. This is beer heaven. I can't praise it enough. We have become temporary regulars at a bar called Delirium, which has over 2000 beers to choose from (a handful of which are Trappists beers (brewed by monks))! Delirium consists of about four rooms and four other bars (a vodka bar, a rum bar, a tequila bar, and an absinthe bar).

We went to a musical instruments museum today! They provide you with headphones and as you walk through the four levels of global instruments ranging from ancient to modern, you get to hear a recording of a song featuring the instrument as you walk up to each.

Tonight we are going to a bar called Madame Mustache, supposedly frequented by "freaks." it is apparently awesome, and there seems to be awesome live music.

Amsterdam on Sunday. More to come then!

-Brandon

Freedom, Beauty, Truth, and Love!

Imagine looking out the window of your sixth story hostel window and in the distance, situated perfectly between buildings is the Eiffel Tower. Then imagine walking the 3 miles to the Eiffel Tower, decide to take the stairs up, and look out over the city. Later, you see the Moulin Rouge (just the outside....a show is FAR too expensive), conveniently located down the street from your hostel, and make your way to the Lapin Agile, also right down the street. The lightning starts and the thunder is rolling. You don't know exactly where you are going as drops begin falling, and you know you have about three minutes before it starts pouring. You make it over a hill and finally see your destination. As you run down the hill, the door opens and a man takes your money, pulls back a red curtain and whisks you into an intimate room, occupied by about 40 other people, all watching a woman singing traditional French music while accompanying herself on the accordian. You hear the drops pounding on the ceiling. As the night progesses, free drinks are brought to you, and the cabaret acts change about every twenty minutes. Later you realize that you are indeed the only two english speaking people in the whole place. You laugh, you cry, you realize that this is perhaps the most fun you have had all trip. This is real, raw, rare. A true Parisian experience. And that was just our first day.

Today we went to the Catacombs. Miles of floor to ceiling human bones far underground. Incredible. I also had my first taste of Absinthe. Brussels tomorrow.
PS, We also ate a lambs head.
-Brandon

Last day in Germany!

Ok,
So we stayed with Rachel Gill and her family on post in Heidelberg. Her family is AWESOME! (as well as herself) We were immediately treated like family, her mom found all of this stuff for us to do, we were treated like kings, didn't have to air-dry getting out of the shower, have done laundry twice (wow!), made some new friends, were carted around whenever we wanted, were left chocolates next to our beds, and ate, drank, and were very very merry.
I cannot thank Rachel and her family enough.
E Coli is a MAJOR problem here (in Germany) right now. 17 people have died and over 1,000 have been hospitalized. I think we are alright though.
Heidelberg is a lovely little town with pretty much one strip of shops and restaurants. We took a day trip to Trier yesterday, which was really cool because it is the oldest town in Germany.
Last night we had a beer with the highest alcohol content in all of Germany. It was wretched. I am glad I can say that I drank it, and even more glad to say that I never will again.
Tomorrow it is off to Paris. Absinthe, The Lapin Agile, Eiffel Tower Wedding Party (everyone should read that play), The Moulin Rouge, and plenty of other shenanigans to get into.
Love,
Brandon

Since Rome

Well friends,

I last left you after I went to the Colosseum, much has happened since. I'll give you the highlights

Florence-

We were in Florence at the same time as the TV show known as " the Jersey Shore." We actually didn't end up seeing them, but EVERYONE ELSE that we were with did. The beginning of that night we were with some FSU students who ended up seeing them later. ( But we left to find our hostel roomates before then) and then When we went to go find the FSU'ers again, our hostel roommates saw Jersey shore. So oops. But yeah.... The best part of that night was me falling over. After 2 bottles of wine, I thought it would be a great idea to run quickly through small holes. ( Brandon and another FSU'er were walking close together, so I attempted to jump through them) As I passed them, with infinite glory and a large smile I tripped over my foot. I fell. My hand and left knee hit first. To my suprise, the co-eficcient of friction on the pavement in Florence is rather low, so I slid. First onto my side and then onto my rump. I was so shocked by this that I actually did a full sit up while sliding. The total linear distance I traveled was about 15 feet. I came out with 5 bruises and 3 scabs... and a hole in my pants. Oops, but it was hilarious.

So that story was rather uneventful.

Next- Brandon and I go fossil hunting, we found ancient clams!!!!

Next- I learn about myself. I learn that adrenaline can keep me awake for SO long. I was asleep for 12 of the last 48 hours. I saw Manon, at the Staatsoper Wien ( Vienna Operahouse) for 4 Euro=6dollars. and an Incredible Ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins with music by Philip Glass and Chopin.

I had quite a bit of fun observing how women perceive my dancing at dance clubs. Brandon was in sick so I did my best impression of crazy legs in his memory. There were several cute girls who would look over, giggle (their German giggles) and then catch themselves giggling at something SO repulsive as a socially outcast dancer, and then scoff and look away. Of course I would find them once again shortly after. This was an interesting phenomena that occurred throughout the night.

ugh. This post is surprisingly uninteresting. I'll try again later. there are many more stories that are just escaping me now. However. I promise that they will be great.

Next up.

Josh poops his pants walking home at 6 in the morning..... about that.

Almost,

Josh

Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin

So we havent written in a while. Salzburg was incredible! Picturesque. We stayed with an awesome family right outside of the city who made us all of our meals (breakfast, complete with homemade jam on the upstairs patio, looking out over the mountains, lunch in the garden, dinner by the grill), took us fossil hunting (where we actually found fossils!) and hiking up a mountain, lent us bikes to get around the city, and were always smiling and hospitable. We saw a marionette version of the Barber of Seville, which was stunning, and went to a few beer gardens. Austria is simply gorgeous. The landscape is just too perfect.
Ok, so we arrived in Vienna a few days ago. I started feeling an itch in my throat the last day in Salzburg, but claimed it was just the pollen from being in the wilderness so much. I wasnt about to give in to illness that easily, so I ignored the warning signs--the getting tired early in the evening, the nose starting to run...
We got to Vienna and met out host, Petra, and her flatmates, all of whom are pretty awesome people. My nose is starting to run more and more, and its pouring outside. We walked around a bit after the rain stopped and were shown about the town which is basically a lovechild between Brooklyn, Georgetown, and Boston just with more history. We went to the catacombs (creepy, but cool) and then Petra took us to this really great place that played older swing/jazz/fun music. Crazy legs made an appearance. All the while I am realizing that illness is going to hit hard, not to mention it is raining again for our walk home. So I live it up now and have a good time. The next morning, I was dead. My nose was a fountain, I was weak, and I had not (and still havent) seen a single tissue box the entire time I have been in Europe. But I still wouldnt let that deter my enjoyment (even though it really did....I just wasnt about to stay in bed all day). We went out on the town, me feeling like absolute shit. By the evening my nose is rubbed raw, I had been using toilet all day and by now looked like Rudolph. I went to the Apotheke, where I bought a few tiny packages of tissues (no boxes) to last me through the Opera we are about to see.
We ended up getting standing room tickets for Manon, a French opera, which was playing at the Opera house. Now, in case you didnt know, Vienna is the home of opera, the premier place to see it, and tickets were a mere 4 euro. So 3 hours later, I was very impressed, but felt like death. I went back to the flat while Josh went out with Petra and her friends to this concert that sounded AMAZING and I am horribly jealous that I had to miss it, however, I knew it was time to take care of myself and get better faster, rather than rallying and prolong it all. Josh got in at 9am.
Today I felt WAY better, except I could only taste about half the time due to my sinuses hating me. We saw a sign for a Beerfest and obviously had to go. I dont care how sick I am, I was not about to miss out on a beerfest in Vienna where there was live traditional Austrian music and 200 varieties of beer! I only had two beers before taking my current state of health into consideration. We then got standing room tickets again for another show at the opera house. This time a ballet. Not just any ballet, the music was by Phillip Glass and Chopin, choreography by Jerome Robbins!! IT WAS AMAZING!!! I have never seen anything like it before. It was just so creative and beautiful and funny and engaging. SO GOOD! So now I am back at the flat, feeling loads better, Josh is finally asleep (after having only slept for an hour and a half last night) hoping that tomorrow will bring even more good health. Goodnight to all, and thanks for reading!!
Oh, the title of this post has to do with our facial hair. I dont think we ever said on the blog, but we decided to go the entire trip without shaving or trimming our facial hair. It is getting kinda long now though.....
-Brandon

Salzburg part 1

So, I haven´t posted in a while, and even this will be brief, but I wanted to tell you all that we found fossils of Ancient Mussels with our host family. Tonight we are seeing The Barber of Ceville, fullz staged with Marrionettes and live orchestra and singing! And that you should be jealous.

Josh

SALZBURG!!

After a full day of travelling we finally met up with our host family. They are awesome! we had dinner on the upstairs porch and played music, and enjoyed the view of the epic mountains. They are really great people and i am so pumped to get to know them better over the next 3 days. for now it is time to sleep! Oh, also, i don´t think i talked much about florence, but it was also incredible. Jersey Shore was there. Josh and i couldnt find them, but other people from our hostel partied with them. We just wanted to be on tv. Goodnight!!

I LOVE ITALY!!!!!!!!!!

Sparknotes of today: The Uffizi Museum where I hung out with Rembrandt and all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (except for Donatello). Then the Duomo. Then a nap. Then an awesome dinner where I ate the BEST pesto of my life. i have never been a huge fan of pesto, but this was incredible. Tomorrow we are going to see the statue David and the Picasso/Dali exhibit. photos from bulgaria and greece are on facebook. miss you all. but love it here.

Ciao!!!
Brandon

Cruising That Amusing Ponte Vecchio

We are in Florence (Firenze) and it is wonderful. I think I am going to move to Italy once i am done with NYC (if that ever happens). Basically this place is great, I think I like Rome a bit better though. Anyway, I just wanted to check in and say hi. photos are currently being uploaded to Facebook, so keep an eye out. I will put captions on them later though. I bought a leather jacket!!!!
-Brandon

Be Italian!!!

Ok, so it is safe to say that this is my first drunk post. It is 3:22am here and we just got back from a night of novelty drinking. Mind you, we did drink before we went out. We (We: Josh, two canadians at our hostel, and I) were recommended this place that is a bookshop in the front of the store and then you walk through and there is a bar. This bar serves shots of stuff in shot glasses made of chocolate. on top of the alcohol they put whipped cream. On tope of that they sprinkle either chocolate, coconut, or cinnamon flakes. then you put the entire thing in your mouth bottom first and bite down. wonderful!!!
After that we went to a place wher eyou can get a giant cylindrical tube full of up to 4.5L of beer. there is a spout where you can refill your own glass. So cool!!!
Oh, earlier today we visited the Vatican. It was absolutely incredible. St. Peters Basilica is simply amazing and the Sistine Chapel made me realize that there was good reason for the invention of the phrase "breath-taking." I would tell you more, but i am trying to sleep. so good night.
-Brandon

What he said.
-Josh

my first 10 days

So, It has come to my attention that people want events rather than thoughts. I'll recount the first week for you all and the last few days.

Day one- I sit next to HAM and GAL on the plane ride over, they are a married couple but they refuse to sit by eachother because they both hate the middle seat. I am sitting in between them. Gal tells me my parents must have done a great job raising me because I'm polite etc. I think that my mom would be proud to hear that.
Our first Host Stephanie completely flakes on us and we have to scramble to find a hostel, which ended up being the best hostel EVER. As we get off the plane the lady at the counter where we went for our taxi ticket tells us that "this place is not safe for us".... We shit ourselves. If there is anything more intimidating than arriving in a country that stills looks very much like communism it's witnessing two taxi drivers arguing over which driver should take us in a harsh slavic language. There was yelling, maybe these people just express themselves differently. We were both pretty scared, but Sofia was incredible. We made a bunch of friends and bought 3 10 oz steaks for the equivalent of 4 dollars.

Thessaloniki. We arrive in Thessaloniki at about 4 pm. Us and our 3 friends find a cabby and he says 15 Euro... We say no thanks because its only a mile or so away and we know how to get there basicalyl.We both love walking to explore new places anyway.... as we get to the first intersection we hear the not so familiar sound of chanting. Thessalo-niki! Thessalo-niki! A group of 300 give or take is Marching down the street perpendicular to us. Some are wearing Gas masks.. they seem upset... "What is going on" we think? We didn't have too much time to think though, before we know it this group of people has turned right and is now walking towards us.... Two americans on a suddenly empty street being followed by a slowly moving protest..... It's safe to say that neither of us have ever felt that way before. We promptly make back to the bus station and hop in a cab... a Different cabby who gives us a much better price of 9 Euro- DoubleLesson learned, sometimes it's better to take a cab even if the cab driver is trying to rip you off. AND. Sometimes it isn't because we did save money.

One thing about Greece and Bulgaria is the large number of friendly stray dogs and terrifying stray cats. The Dogs just chill and people pet them, they are never violent. The Cat's glare with the stare of medusa.

Brandon and I go to the Theatre and the Women at the Box office is HOT! and when she finds out that we both want to see a play in greek she gets really ...excited.... Well she was happy. Anyway, we come back the next day and buy tickets. She is still there and is flirting with me. cool. Then we see the show. and I ask her if she wants to hang out. "It's Saturday, I have arrangements." She says this with a smile that suggests she's happy I asked and that I am stupid for not realizing she would have a social life. I tell her it's my last day. She gets noticeably sad. She writes her phone number and email address on a piece of paper and whispers ," Call me later" in her cute Greek accent.

I called.

Athens Was our first Couchsurfing Experience. I give it an A plus

Now we are in Rome. An Irish man told a group of 20 college aged girls that they HAD to hear me sing... So I sang to them on the Roman forum ( across the stree from the Colloseum) I promptly realized I was dehydrated. I wish they had practice rooms in hostels.

Last night we walked to the trevy fountain. 40 minutes... ate the best gelato ever... literally-- ever. Also yesterday I had an incredible pie.

Now it is today. And somehow our booking got messed up at this hostel and we only have it reserved for 1 person tonight... They agreed to let brandon and I use the same single bed..... Should be a fun night ;)

-Josh

When in Rome

Lessons learned today-
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Nero Married 5 times, three were women.
Irish accents are easier to understand than Scottish Accents.
Generosity is plentiful.
I miss practicing and music.
Sometimes I do things for attention.
Sometimes I am loud.
Creme filled pie with raspberries and powdered sugar is the most delicious man made food.
Pizza is Roma is eatin with a Forka


-Josh

And the beauty is....

Rome is awesome. The architecture, the people, the street musicians (unlike in Greece, they dont just play Besame Mucho), the food! Went to see the Colliseum today which was incredible and with our ticket we got a tour of this other historical place right next door (sorry I dont remember the name....it's super famous though). Anyway, between the two tours, this Irish couple started talking to us. They were on vacation (have kids, married for 23 years, etc) and just started chatting. Partway through the tour the husband gave me his contact info and told us to contact him when we were in Ireland (totally out of the blue and super nice). Then, after the tour they took us out for drinks and pizza! We sat outside with the Colliseum in the background, the sounds of accordian music from the street performer, and two wonderful pizzas and people. It is simply amazing that people that are so kind and so honest still exist in the world. It was just perfect. I will definitely be calling them in Ireland. After all, I promised them a dinner at their favorite restaraunt.
-Brandon

From Greece

Today, The Akropolis. Tomorrow, The Vatican and the Colleseum. Either all monuments will blend together to become a sort of memory slushy in which no parts can be remembered and all meaning is lost. Or each flavor stands alone. Or perhaps, these are not mutually exclusive. Is a person made of thoughts or actions? That was the question I asked myself today. I decided that they cannot operate independently. I think that searching for meaning is a lost cause. Meaning must be created, not searched for. The creation of meaning, is the creation of life. Life, like art is created. Perhaps that is why I flock towards the arts.

The Akropolis was Breath taking. I don't really know what to say. This trip is proving to me that the world is full of wonderful people.

In short. I am having fun.

-Josh

Last Day in Greece

One week in on our journey through Europe and going strong! I am way more comfortable with being a stranger in a new place. We went to the Acropolis today (and sang Go the Distance from Hercules). It is stunning. I'll upload photos but there is no way that it will do it justice. The mammoth size of the Parthenon and the other buildings as you reach the top of the mountain and overlook the entirety of the city. Crazy. I little weird that they are doing restorations on it though. can't they just leave it?? Oh, also we sat in the Theatre of Dionysus. No big deal... Anyway, Greece has been incredible. Our host is great too. She has been taking us all around and showing us a good time.
I'll start elaborating more in theses posts. perhaps. It is just a bit of a time waster making you all jealous when we could be out doing more things to make you all the more jealous. :-)
Anyway, we have a flight to Rome tomorrow morning, and then we are going to Florence a few days after that. I'm excited to see what Italy has in store for us.
When in Rome!
-Brandon

In Greece

So we are at an internet cafe in Thessaloniki right now, so i only have 15 minutes to write. We will update you on the actual exciting stuff later (protests and the sktchy part of the city we are styaing in along with the hilarity that is our bathroom). For now, ju8st know that we are safe and the city is amazing! plenty of bars with young people (the girls are gorgeous (sorry, Carly)), and the Mediterranean is great. Tomorrow we are off to Athens! more to come! and sorry for all the typos. no time to correct it.
-Brandon

Gyro= amazing

- Josh

Last Day In Bulgaria

So last night we met up with Josh's former co-worker's best friend, who took us (Josh, Esteban the Mexican, Peter the Kiwi, Cameron the Scot, and I) to a bar that only played Bulgarian Heavy Metal music. We were the only ones there. Then we left around 2am to find the British girls from our Hostel. We then met some local a kids (about our age) who took us to a bar and then to a park to drink. Needless to say, we got home around 5am.
This morning we got up and went to the open air market (Lady Market) where Cameron, Josh and I decided that we would cook at the hostel tonight. For 12lv (about $8) we got a giant pack of chili powder, a crap ton of mushrooms, 10 onions, tomato sauce, a loaf of bread and three steaks that the man chopped right off the bone with an axe! SO MUCH FOOD FOR SO LITTLE MONEY!!
So tomorrow we are bussing to Thessaloniki (spelling?) in Greece, where we have a hostel for two nights before we go to Athens where we have a person to stay with.
Also, many thanks to the dialect coach from Arcadia. The brittish girls said that I had a great accent!
Also, at the market there was a Bulgarian remix version of Hernando's Hideaway.....
See you in Greece!
-Brandon

another good night

it's 5 am... we've now been awake for over 55 of the last 72 hours. I'm not tired at all

Local people are friendly and awesome.


Josh

Day 2

Incredible! After waking up still drunk, Josh and I went on a free 3 hour walking tour of the city. SO MUCH HISTORY! It took us down to the ancient and medeival level of the city. I got a lot of great pics (to come later). I am much more at ease now. We have been walking around with an American girl and a scottish guy. Just got back from a tea house where you had to take your shoes off and sit on the floor. We may go see a show tonight (just to see theatre in another language) One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is at the National Theatre tonight and tickets are buy two for one for 20lv (about $15). Also, the drivers here are the nicest drivers ever. They see you waiting to cross over a busy street and just stop.
Anyway, this city is gorgous. One more day here and then off to Greece (maybe Croatia next).
More tonight possibly!
-Brandon

DAY 1

So, After sitting on a plane next to a couple named Ham and Gal, and having our host go MIA and decide not to either pick us up at the airport or exchange ANY contact information. Today has been incredible!

Brandon and I, were daunted from the begining, and I think I got rid of that feeling slightly sooner than him, but he can possibly disagree with that statement later in this post. WE walked around town, At Lamb meet, Tripe soup and Milk salad. Purchased a 2 Liter bottle of beer for 2 leva.... which is like a buck fifty... And to be quite honest I have consumed most of that already playing a game of Grand Poulet ( Big/ Gigantic Chicken) with some English, aussies and French people. So far... This trip has completely blown my mind in its ability to NOT go according to plan. Yet. It is still awesome. I am so confident that This trip will be awesome. I'm hoping to spend approx 30 USD per day.... Today I spent 35... but I also paid for brandons beer and our cab ride... So I think its doable!! Although.. bulgaria is cheap... Anyway I'm rambling now... I love you all... We are safe, Please believe in us.


---- Josh


(sorry if i repeat anything. I am not reading Josh's post before I write this)
Ok,
Not going to lie. This was a terrifying start to our journey. In Bulgaria, not many people speak English in Bulgaria (only the younger people), and it is a city with an identity crisis. One street is run down and sketchy while the next is like the NYC Financial District. Really interesting though. I had meat from a lamb's head for dinner. Now we are playing drinking games at the hostel with a Franchman, 4 Brits and an Aussie. a 2 liter bottle of beer is about $1.50 and is sold for less than a small can of Coke. We are about to go out on the town with Josh's friend's best friend.
Way more details to come. I've been keeping a journal with way more, but there is no time for that now.
We will keep you updated!!
Love,
Brandon

Yesterday and Tomorrow

Brandon here,

Welcome to the blog of mine and Josh's shenanigans in Europe! Yesterday we graduated from college (that's us below, pants-less under our robes), and tomorrow we are on a plane. First stop: Sofia, Bulgaria.

We are traveling all over Europe with just the packs on our backs until the beginning of August (or until we run out of money).

We will try to keep this blog as up to date as possible, but we are not bringing computers, so internet cafes will be our friends.

This blog will (hopefully) be the best place to read about where we are, how we are surviving, where we are going next, view photos, and hear absurd stories of our travels.

Sometimes I will write, sometime Josh will, sometimes it'll be the both of us. It may be just a sentence, or a poem, or a photo, or one of our long narratives...basically just be prepared for anything!

If you have any suggestions of where to go please tell us! If you know anyone in any country in Europe who would be willing to house us, please let us know! If you will be in Europe this summer and want to meet up, let us know! If you need us to pick you up something special (within reason!!) let us know!

Wish us luck!

Love,

Brandon (and Josh...although he isn't with me right now.)