Eurotrip 2007 is officially on. I purchased some tickets so now its happening! I’ll be flying into Paris on May 7th and flying back to the US from Munich on the 21st. In the meantime, I hope to pass through Italy and Switzerland. I would very much like to meet up with anyone who will be anywhere close. Here is my plan so far:
… as you can see, its not too detailed. I’ll be getting some details done in the coming weeks… I’m pretty excited about this trip. Any suggestions, invitations, ideas, warnings are welcome. See y’all in the EU.
This weekend, my buddies Ryan, Ian, and I went for a bonanza hiking/camping trip on the Georgia/Tennessee Border. Over the course of 24 hours we:
- Hiked 20+ miles
- Crossed a river about 22 times
- Jumped off of a 25 foot rock overhang into a waterfall
- Climbed a mountain
- Camped out
- Got wet and rained on
- Saw about 10 people total
- Finally made it back
It was a great trip. As an exercise in ‘minimalist camping’ we took only 1 tarp and a blanket to sleep on. While it made the packs lighter for the hike, it certainly made it a wet night when it started raining and blowing fierce wind at the top of the ridge where we were camping!
Check out some of the pictures:
The tree of us on a rock.
Me in front of Jack’s River Falls.
Yikes! 25 Foot jump!
Mmmmm. Hot soup after a long day.
Today I am in San Diego at “SPIE Medical Imaging.” This is my first time in California in a long time and San Diego is an awesome city. Seeing the big buildings right on the water is beautiful… The weather is amazing. When can I move here?
Last night I took the trolley downtown to check out the biggest Mardis Gras party west of the Mississippi. It was a good time, I even caught some beads! I wish I had some more time to explore this city with some good friends. Looks like there’s lots of fun stuff to do here. Alas, my days are spent learning about engineering… Just as fun, but less sunny. Back in Atlanta tomorrow.
Merry Christmas! Today I spent Christmas with my Dad, still in Phoenix. I captured some of the Christmas magic in these pictures… They remind me a bit of 70’s style holiday commercials.
Weather here in the desert was less than festive during the day. Seventy degrees with hot sun and beautiful blue skies seemed a bit tropical. However, as the sun set things cooled down to a frosty Arizona forty. For some PM entertainment, we went to a party hosted by one of my Dad’s oldest friends.
Much to my surprise and delight this was a Brazilian party (The wife of the host is Brazilian, and so a lot of the guests were). Now for those of you who don’t know… Brazilian parties are always full of fun, friendliness, music, and good times. We heard some amazing guitar playing and made some great friends. I love Christmas.
This weekend I made a trip to Boston to visit my friend Jacques. The last time I made this trip I drove and spent a ton of money on gas and tolls. This time I decided to take the Chinatown Bus (The Fung Wah Bus to be specific). This was great, and a great deal. Instead of keeping my eyes on the road I was free to sleep and talk to my friend Naomi who I was traveling with… and the cost only $30 round trip (about the same as 1 tank of gas)… Super.
Once in Boston, we spent some time walking around the Downtown Crossing/Boston Common area. Boston, is such a nice city. Its got excitement and charm like a big city, but its so clean and comforting. The red bricks everywhere make it seem very friendly. We took a “tour” of the Harpoon Brewery, and then went to the North End for a very authentic Italian dinner.
That evening it was on to Cambridge where Jacques and I met a bunch of people and hung out in a middle-eastern style lounge called, “The Enormous Room.” Finally we watched some bad dancing by the locals at a bar that played all 80’s music. The last big event was the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Sunday morning.
Oh man… I like Dinosaurs. I might turn into a little kid again. Did you know the ancient “Giant Ground Sloth” from South America was as big as an elephant and has a skeleton that looks totally kick-ass? I really want to go to the New York Natural History Museum now.
Right now I’m in Paris… that’s right. In… Paris. This city is beautiful. It has the hustle and bustle of New York (sometimes) with the beauty of old Europe. Everything looks picturesque, so its hard to turn off the camera! Right now, I’m in a small internet cafe and its 23h34 Paris time. (That’s 11:30 pm folks) I’ll have to post something huge when I get back, but right now, I’ll give the abstract.
Alicia and I arrived, saw a museum and a garden, and then met up wiht some (Parisian) friends to see the Latin Quarter’s bar scene. The next day we went to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, and to a beautiful church called Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart). Today we saw Notre Dame and the Louvre, and tomorrow we’ll go see Versailles. Yikes! Its been a crepe eating, picture taking, french speaking whirlwind adventure so far, and I hope to have some even funnier/more exciting stories before its all done.
Au revoir!
Today I went to Brazil. Well, not really. I went to New York where 46th Street (Little Brazil) and a good chunk of 6th Ave. were closed down in celebration of Brazil’s national day. I went with some fellow Brazil-o-philes and met some Brazilian friends from work. Together, we ate some feijoada (fay-ZHWAH-dah), danced some samba, and had a fun little (actually huge) party in the streets of Manhattan. Along the way, I made some tentative plans to visit Brazil… man I hope I can follow through.
What a fantastic time. Dancing for independence, dancing for fun, dancing with friends, dancing with strangers. Dancing “for no good reason.” But wait, dancing is its own good reason! I find the emphasis placed on celebration, revelry, and careless abandon refreshing in this world where people are so seldom shocked to be unhappy. Maybe we should all take a lesson from Brazil and dance just to dance… and encourage strangers to do so as well.
This weekend I traveled to Stonington, CT to visit my uncle. He is the motivation behind my healthy diet choices. In fact he is working on a new website highlighting some of his research and experiences: harmonyearth.net. He is a great guy, and an excellent sailor… In fact, we spent the weekend on the water in his 14′ boat. 
Something about sailboats is romantic and poetic. Powerful and ancient. Harnessing nature to cut through the water as our ancestors have done for millennia. Slicing the air and sea faster than men can run. No motor, no complex cacophony of combustion. Just the wind, the sea, and a little bit of magic.
… as you can see, its not too detailed. I’ll be getting some details done in the coming weeks… I’m pretty excited about this trip. Any suggestions, invitations, ideas, warnings are welcome. See y’all in the EU.
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