SPAIN | Thursday, 11 Sep 2014 | Views [3342] | Comments [1]
Everything was blurry. I couldn’t tell if this was from the gargantuan amount of alcohol I had consumed the night before or if I still had tomato paste in my eyes. The La Tomatina after party had been a huge success. At least that’s what ... Read more >
Tags: barcelona, europe
SPAIN | Thursday, 4 Sep 2014 | Views [1861]
The crowd was getting restless. 20’000 people began surging back and forth, struggling to give themselves space to breathe in the record breaking heat wave that had struck Buñol. Unable to move freely, the atmosphere grew more intense as ... Read more >
Tags: europe, festival, la tomatina, spain
SPAIN | Wednesday, 27 Aug 2014 | Views [2163] | Comments [1]
I sense envy. Everywhere. Everyone. I cut through the thick atmosphere of jealousy in an immense burst of speed. Mortal minions are forced to leap from my path as I forge my own frantic course through the streets of Madrid. I pull up alongside an expensive ... Read more >
Tags: madrid, segway, spain
SPAIN | Wednesday, 27 Aug 2014 | Views [1691] | Comments [1]
Two hours after arriving in Madrid I had asked for directions to the bus station and metro, found my hostel, checked in, and had a conversation with two of the staff members there. I had found out where the best places to eat were and been given a list ... Read more >
Tags: europe, languages, madrid, spain
PORTUGAL | Monday, 25 Aug 2014 | Views [1747]
“I know Honey, let’s get married in a 600 year old UNESCO World Heritage Site! That will impress all your friends!”
Ok, maybe that’s not how the conversation would have gone, but that is definitely what had eventually happened.... Read more >
Tags: europe, lisbon, portugal
PORTUGAL | Sunday, 24 Aug 2014 | Views [1764] | Comments [3]
The drive from Vancouver had taken over a year. The distance on the most direct route is 7248 kilometres, but that trip saw me drive more than 20’000 kilometres. Canada is a vast country and trying to reach North America’s eastern most ... Read more >
Tags: cabo da roca, europe, lisbon, portugal
PORTUGAL | Saturday, 23 Aug 2014 | Views [2039] | Comments [1]
“Marijuana? Hashish?”
First impressions mean a lot, and this was mine when I arrived in Lisbon, Portugal. I had barely stepped outside the doors of the Metro station when a man in his 50’s with a thick moustache and protruding beer ... Read more >
Tags: europe, lisbon, portugal
BELGIUM | Friday, 22 Aug 2014 | Views [1568]
The 834 year old living quarters inside the Gravensteen Castle now houses one of the rarest displays of original torture weapons from the Middle Ages in all of Belgium. Finger crushers, spiked neck collars, a table used for water boarding and heavy leg ... Read more >
Tags: belgium, castle, europe, ghent
BELGIUM | Thursday, 21 Aug 2014 | Views [1970] | Comments [1]
The sign on the 2 metre tall construction fence was in French. I couldn’t read what it said, but I assumed it was something along the lines of, “Keep out, or angry Belgians will lynch you.” I decided to claim ignorance, looked around ... Read more >
Tags: belgium, brussels, europe
BELGIUM | Wednesday, 20 Aug 2014 | Views [1365]
My first ever train ride in Europe confirmed the pre-conceived ideas I had developed of what train travel here would be like. It was… pleasant .
I was a little sad to be leaving the tragically hip city of Berlin so soon. I had grown a deep ... Read more >
Tags: belgium, europe, germany, train
GERMANY | Tuesday, 19 Aug 2014 | Views [4773] | Comments [1]
Man, I wish I was at that press conference! The one on November 9th, 1989 when Günter Schabowski, the unofficial spokesman for the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), announced to a room full of gathered journalists that travel restrictions ... Read more >
Tags: berlin, berlin wall, germany, history
GERMANY | Sunday, 17 Aug 2014 | Views [1852] | Comments [1]
How do you peel the back the layers of an ever-changing relic of history? It is impossible to know the stories behind each living mural plastered across the Berlin Wall. I fear I will fail to listen to the messages portrayed by many of the anonymous ... Read more >
Tags: berlin, berlin wall, graffiti, street art
GERMANY | Saturday, 16 Aug 2014 | Views [2024] | Comments [1]
I find it hard to form a connection with a city that doesn’t promote street art. I cannot feel comfortable walking the streets of a place that doesn’t allow its people to have a creative outlet. Some may find graffiti dirty and an indication ... Read more >
Tags: berlin
GERMANY | Friday, 15 Aug 2014 | Views [1741] | Comments [1]
“So, this is what Europe looks like.”
When I boarded the bus from the airport to downtown Berlin I studied the world outside of the window through jet lagged eyes. Everything is so clean . Where are the street dogs? Everyone appears ... Read more >
Tags: berlin
IRAN | Wednesday, 13 Aug 2014 | Views [1753]
It is too dark outside to see the landscape 38’000 feet below me. The miniature screen on the back of the seat in front of me shows that we are now flying somewhere over Iran or Turkmenistan. Despite the blackness my mind keeps conjuring images ... Read more >
CAMBODIA | Tuesday, 12 Aug 2014 | Views [1231]
My final sunset in Cambodia, the night before my flight to Germany
I am looking at all my worldly possessions strung out across my room in a guesthouse in Kampot, Cambodia. A 50 litre backpack, a smaller 20 litre pack, some clothes, my ... Read more >
GERMANY | Tuesday, 12 Aug 2014 | Photo Gallery
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CANADA | Wednesday, 7 May 2014 | Views [8256] | Comments [6] | Scholarship Entry
“Don’t worry about the rust. It adds character.” An obvious sales pitch. But he needn’t of bothered. I was already sold. Upon casting my eyes on the ’86 Chevy Van, my future was forged. I would purchase this dilapidated vehicle and drive it for as long ... Read more >
Tags: 2014 Travel Writing Scholarship - Euro Roadtrip
