Disclaimer

Before continuing further, it is appropriate to note that the purposes of this blog are to document the experience of traveling abroad from the perspective of yours truly, a competent, responsible 26-year old adult (at least in my opinion). With that said, you are reading this because I have invited you to catch a glimpse into all of the experiences that come along with a trip such as this, not just the simple, “I saw this monument today, it was cool,” type of writing. That has been written before and frankly, it isn’t interesting.

Any of you that have spent more than five minutes with me are aware that the majority of the time, there are no filters. From the occasional curse word to the open discussion of anything and everything, no topic is off limits. When tasked with writing a blog cataloguing the adventures of my travels, you should expect nothing different. From binge drinking in Ibiza to getting flashed at the bus stop by a creepy man in Rome, these are the kind of things that Rick Steves doesn’t tell you about in his Traveling 101 books. If you would like to learn about the history of the Roman Forum, you won’t find it here – there is Wikipedia for that.

My motives behind this trip are many, but it is first and foremost a trip for me, and has been and will be spent seeing and doing the things that acclimate to my interests and my overall enjoyment of everywhere I visit. It probably comes as no surprise that more than 85 percent of my trip is on a coast, island or beach. I’m also not one for long, in-depth tours, nor do I have the patience to stand in a two-hour line or the desire to spend an arm and a leg to catch a glimpse of a tiny painting, which I fear might actually mar my view of such a storied piece of work. I know that for many, seeing such things as the Mona Lisa (if it wasn’t already obvious that I was talking about that) are some of the highlights of their lives, and I respect that, but if I’m honest with myself and with you, I will admit that, that sort of thing isn’t what really moves me..

Being active, enjoying the food, comparing and contrasting the lifestyles and customs of here versus home, marveling at nature’s beauty and immersing myself in the intricate culture of each and every city are the things that I’m most interested in doing during my time out here. As such, I am more compelled toward hikes, biking, wine tours, performances, visits to famous parks, days of just sitting at a street side café people-watching and sipping a cappuccino, treks to the points in each city that offer the best aerial views and the list goes on. Yes, I will be doing museums and churches along the way, and there are several that I am truly excited about, but don’t expect any great exposes on the four hours I spent traversing the Louvre.

That being said, I feel compelled to assert that the first three posts are only the first three days of a forty day trip across Europe. These first three days also happened to be spent in two cities of Spain renown for their late-night forays and unbeatable nightlife. Eating late and staying up all night until the sun comes up is part of the nature and culture of these cities and inherently part of the way my time was spent at these destinations. Hang tight, there is plenty more to divulge beyond clubbing, I promise.


I am now on Day 11 of my trip, which has already taken me to Cordoniu winery and a Montserrat hike in the outskirts of Barcelona, a hike to the top of Castillo de Santa Barbara in Alicante, a bullfight and flamenco show in Madrid, the Colloseum and Pantheon in Rome and am now currently on a train to Sperlonga, a remote beach town on the coast of Italy.

Unfortunately, my writing has had a lag time because of a.) my propensity toward writing too much and b.) a shortage of time to take time out and put everything down. However, I plan to document all of the amazing people and places that this trip has afforded me thus far and beyond today… it will just be at a slower posting rate than I had originally hoped.

Thanks for all of the feedback and encouragement along the way. As you know, writing is one of my biggest passions and this is the first time I have ever really shared this part of myself in a public forum such as this. Hopefully it makes for an entertaining break from the monotony of daily routines back home. Stay tuned, Ciao for now!