European Tour 2015
Travel Blog:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
England:
Greetings friends.
After three weeks in the land of mushy peas, warm beer and a recently elected Labour Party
Trotskyite i feel a travel blog is about due. In two days i hit the great red light district
gateway of Western Europe (Amsterdam) and begin my trip East in search of all things not
Australian.
Back on my home turf after a 24 year absence life has been an emotional whirlpool. Tracing
my childhood footsteps, connecting with old friends and relatives and rediscovering much
that i have sought and missed about my birth place.
My first mission was to hang with mum, who can no longer come out to Oz, as she has done
machine like every two or three years for the last 40 years or so. ( 24 trips). The pain of
knowing that we will 'probably' not see each other again has been immense and i find myself
still reeling in moments of near panic.
We said our goodbyes two days ago and i have been in tears since. Her last words to me
where ' dry your eyes son, who knows what the future holds, god willing'. She is still as sharp
as a tack but age is kicking in. It's something i knew was going to happen on this trip but that
knowledge never made the moment any easier.
I hired a pushbike and spent two days retracing my childhood steps. The back lanes, the
rivers, trees, fishing spots, schools, and people who made my early years memorable ones. I
knocked at my house which i was born in and the guy thought i was casing the joint for a
possible robbery... i called in to all my old friends houses and talked to whoever opened the
front door, i called unannounced on my auntie Millie and uncle Eric who are 99 and 97 years
old respectively and they knew who i was as soon as they opened the door, and i paid tribute
to an old school buddy who died of alcohol poisoning in much the same way his dad had died
years before.
I have had a list of both old and new friends who now live in the UK, and i have as of
yesterday just crossed them all of the list. It has been fantastic trekking through the not so
glam suburbs of London, joining in on an unexpected peace rally against the bombing of
Syria right in the middle of London, cruising the wonderful back lanes of Brighton and taking
in every glorious moment on the London underground tube system which still to this day fills
me with wonder and excitement.
Things I love about England:
*mum
* fish and chips
*house ales
*pubs the size of a rabbit hutch ( all dog friendly )
*public transport
*old eccentrics
*London back streets
*football everywhere / papers. TV, forums, pub talk, radio, OMG absolute bliss.
*music scene
*the fact that an old Marxist is now kicking shit at the Tories
*Wi-Fi on all coach trips
*full on multi culturalism
*greasy Joes breakfasts
*walkers cheese and onion crisps
*hour and half from Berlin
Things that are shit about England:
*Australian dollar exchange rate ( 39 quid for a 100 Aus dollars..crap )
*weather
*fosters lager
*royal parasites
*packaged foods
*squirrel shit !
*the England football team
*did i mention the weather?
On my Air Malaysian flight here there was an element of apprehension regarding recent
plane disappearances and it was good to air some humour when i suggested to the air hostess
that my missing meal was probably still on the other plane, but remained confident that
sooner or later it would wash up somewhere and i could reclaim it'.... I'm not totally sure how
it went down in translation as she passed my thoughts on to her colleague but i did get a smile
from them both and a free set of headphones which i didn't need but accepted anyway 
I had a 5am stopover in Kuala Lumpur and the only place open was Starbucks.. I had never
been in one before so i bit the bullet ordered a coffee and it arrived in a pint sized cup which
was both cold and flavourless. Upon complaining with what little nrg i had i got a second
coffee which was black and the size of a golf ball. I thought best at this stage to book into a
small room for the 6 hour transit wait.. which had live sport, instant coffee bags and a pillow.
Life was grand.
My brother met me at Heathrow and for some bizarre reason i didn't expect him to come on
the fkn bus. So dragging my worn out arse half way round the world we had to do another
two hour slog on London buses to get to High Wycombe, where mum had a nice pot of
stewed tea on the go. The luxury of homecoming comforts!!!!
After three weeks here I have seen and done all i wanted. Catching up with old school mates
from the seventies (Bunner and Soggy luv yr guts ), old Sydney and Melbourne punx from
the eighties, early Goa connections and party krew from the nineties along with more recent
friends who are also currently travelling the same route.... It's been brilliant.
With all this behind me though, and my nostalgia gene' thoroughly worn out, it is time to hit
Europe and spread my wings. I have plans but they are loose. I'm on a one way ticket until
the money runs out. I will start in Amsterdam, (just for a look...hahaha).. travel through
Berlin / Prague / Budapest and move on through the gears hopefully on route to Turkey.
Anything though, could go tits up at any minute and i am at the mercy of life itself. I will
endeavour to stay in touch and upload some photos along the journey...however, i have no
desire to spend daylight hours on FB and remain upbeat in regards to all that lies ahead.
So until next time....stay kool
Peace and out.
Amsterdam / Berlin
Greetings earthlings .
My recent meanderings have taken me away from the grim and grimy gangsters of London's
east end and into the heart of Amsterdam's red light district and Berlins uber kool eastern
suburbs namely friedrichshain / kreuzberg.
Things however did not go exactly to plan as I was leaving the old Roman fortress of
Colchester..on the morning I was leaving on my journey to Harwich to catch the 8 hour ferry
across to the hook of Holland I decided to relive part of my childhood and go conkering..for
those of u not fortunate enough to have grown up busting conkers and each other's knuckles
simultaneously then briefly, a conker is the nut from a horse chestnut tree and conkers'
involves putting a string through the middle of the conker and trying to smash the other one
that your mate is holding!!!! If u win then the glory is all yours for a brief but most rewarding
moment..the best conkers can often go 10 or 12 games undefeated and if this is the case u
have an elevener or a twelver which in some cases has been known to get certain school
mates of mine their first tit up or French kiss with a girl...such was the prestige of being a
conker champ..sadly as the rewards were so great conkers baked in vinegar, thinly coated
with superglue or in one instance a concrete shaped conker finely painted as a conker were all
methods used by cheats to win....however I have digressed.
As I was shaking some conkers of the local tree a full bloodied prickly shelled conker came
down landing smack in my face and splitting the bridge of my nose!!!!!! So in other words I
felt like and looked like a complete twat as I moved across the north ocean into the
Netherlands.
I guess once u seen a windmill a canal and a clog all that's left in Amsterdam is the red light
district. The part of town where beer pizza slices and shop window prostitutes make for a
brilliant weekend away from the 'nagging wife and the drudgery of gluing soles on shoes in a
northern English town' ( as accounted for first hand by a geezer I met in a pub).....whatever
your opinion of girls in shop windows and lingerie luring absolutely spannered neanderthals
into their lairs for a cold calculated 20 minute beer and pizza fuck for 50 Euros, there are
hordes who think it's a great idea and an OK thing to get off on.
The spectacle is globally unique but not without its social issues. Criminal gangs especially
Amsterdam's chapter of the hells angels are linked to many of the girls and the premises
giving the more conservative elements of Amsterdam's governing bodies enough reasons to
call for tighter measures and even a total ban.. Me thinks however this particular part of
Amsterdam's night life will continue well into the future.
Deciding I needed something green to eat I headed east to Berlin. If there is a more uber kool
culturally rewarding headfuk of a place than the old east Berlin anywhere on this planet then I
would eat my fkn hat...I have completely fallen for this place big time and highly suggest all
of you to make a visit here whilst it remains raw sexy ethical modern historical liberal and
soooo much fun....What a tragic dump of a place Australian is in comparison in regards to its
politically progressive thinking..this country at present is showing and doing so many
positive things and leading the world in renewable nrg sources and football at the same
time!!!!!! Fkn hell that's kool hahahaha .....Berlin just oozes class and healthy alternative
outlooks on life.....beers on any street corner, vegan vege cross cultural food choices coming
out of yr arse...graffiti is everywhere and accepted as part of the city landscape....add the
fascinating east/west divide up until the early 90s , the cold war world war 3 threats and the
whole communist / capitalist landscapes along either side of the Berlin wall and u have a city
that is unlike any other.
After spending time here I could easily just stay and be like a pig in shit..the best nightclub in
the world is Berghain as voted for by just about anybody worth listening to and OMG it is fkn
brilliant.. If u can get in due to it being the most full on door policy in the world (I got in and
danced my arse off til my bones ached),.....then it simply blows your mind....fuk the super
clubs...and skrillex and David Guetta and what sterile and corporate dance music has
become....this place takes no hostages...banging techno in a dirty concrete bunker that opens
from Fri till Monday lunchtime nonstop and is packed to the sweaty rafters every minute of
that time....as queer as fuk raw dirty and uncompromising this is as underground and
politically inspiring as a successful club could surely get....they recently turned Britney spears
away at the door and refused a government grant to promote the club as a tourist
destination...brilliant.
Here is a good read about the club:
http://www.rollingstone.com/…/berghain-the-secretive-sex-fu…
Try to imagine that early to mid nineties Newtown Redfern vibe add some über Kool a
million push bikes, 12 lane width streets flanked by gigantic communist concrete towers and
times that by a thousand and Berlin is that with added history and steeped in resistance
symbology.
I will upload some excellent photos from Amsterdam and Berlin and hopefully u can get a
sense of the shit I'm jibbering on about.. Tomorrow I head to Prague in Czechoslovakia and I
presume things will start to get a bit pricklier with the refugee/immigrant scenarios unfolding
across the border regions..I intended to do Hungary and Croatia as well but I might rethink
once I get closer....I shall see what unfolds as I go....stay tuned....
Tonight I will drink beer and eat fish laksa whilst making the most of this wonderful
city..until we meet again.. auf wiedersehen
Peace and out...
Prague 2015 blog ::
In many ways it was a relief to leave the images of sex politics dancing and subculture
behind. It seems like I have left my comfort zone behind somewhat and as a traveller
exploring different cultures that's a good thing. Suddenly the language the money the food
and the police seem somewhat strange and need a level head. So it was with some relief at the
hostel I ended up at is more like being in Byron bay. Shoes off at the door, pictures of
Buddha and some important Czech dude in the upstairs bog and a dormitory with 1 Russian 1
American and me all getting along at a canter. The hostel is called the wandering praha in
Namesti Miru and my god it is surrounded by huge Gothic and medieval buildings which
tower over the skyline and the hostel itself. Incredible to arrive and look up at such beauty.
Today I did the alternative Prague tour which seemed to go the same places as the 3000 other
tours, but with more beer stops, and we did get to see a few bunkers... What an incredibly
beautiful city this is. I'm sure there is not a more architecturally photogenic city anywhere in
the world. Incredibly authentic from not being levelled during either war.. At night time
every major building throughout the city gets fully lit up and it is an incredible sight to see..
Maybe even loved too much..thus the whole inner city feels simply like a tourist trap.The
castle is magnificent and towers over the city looking down across its region. The St.
Nicholas church which stands out across from the castle sums up this city's history nicely.
Built as a Gothic church in the 13th century ...redesigned as a baroque / catholic church in the
17th century it is famous as the place Mozart sat and tweeked his organ whilst residing here
in 1787 ( I kid u not)..
Czechoslovakia has had a bumpy past with fascists and communists alike all trying to raise
their own flags here, and it was during the late eighties early nineties during their own velvet
revolution which overthrew the old communist guard leading into the separation of the Czech
republic and Slovakia in 93 that things have really settled down and 25 years on the streets
are alive with creativity and art.....
Tonight I will hit the Meet Club for some euro pop synth bands and tomorrow I attend an
underground tekno/bass Dj night with UK German and local DJ's....
The Cross club cultural centre is truly the hub of alternative city Prague. Incredible industrial
installations with multiple venues cafes bars accommodating all types of freaks whether it be
euro Dj's or live bands... After five days here I am ready to flit across the Hungarian border
into Budapest..the land of goulash and half of my boys ancestral roots.... Stay tuned. Peace
and out.. ✌
P.s .. I found the Czech. Food really fucking hard work...
Budapest! 2015 Tour.
After my initial cop hassles on the train coming into Hungary the rest of my stay has been a
ripper.. What a kool place Budapest is. Apart from being as cheap as Asia to eat and drink the
city is incredibly beautiful. Unlike Prague , Hungary lost heaps of its architectural history
during both wars...meaning that there is a healthy mix of old and new.. The city is full of
vibrancy and night life. The woman are gorgeous and elegant and the men are witty multi
lingual and very kool. U can see and feel the historical struggles at every corner but as in
most of Europe once the evening kicks in there is a beer or palinka ( which is the local head
fuk 80% spirit) and a bar on every corner which means it is incredibly easy to unwind.. There
are also heaps of kebab shops and Thai massage parlours....
The semi illegal bars/ruins are the places to hang at night. They are huge semi derelict multi
floor venues done up in an industrial manner which feels more like an old squatted
warehouse, but with more style.. For a while it is easy to think that life is awesome, but for
the locals it's not so... A shit government, crap basic wage and from what I picked up a lot of
discontent from the older generations means that there is a little resentment towards the
wealthy tourist boom whilst of course enjoying the financial input that tourism brings.
I went to a fantastic punk gig the other night in the middle of town..local bands spit crystal
and wolf played with a Swedish band who sounded like crusty favourites Rudimentary Peni
.... It was great to have a few beers and a pogo .. Which I'm realising is doing it for me on my
travels far more than clubbing..
http://ruinpubs.com/index.php?id=blog&cikk=13
Yesterday i had a moment. I get them very occasionally in life. Whilst travelling they tend to
be when I am amongst non English speaking people in places with little air. For someone that
spends most of their life verging on OCD/bi polar/tauretts spectrum, these moments are part
of life, but yesterday raised the bar.
I went to the oldest Turkish bath in Budapest. It was heaven. Three hours of natural hot
spring baths made me feel wonderful, but half way through a strange thing happened.. Picture
this:::
I moved into this ancient spa area with two classic middle aged wealthy Hungarian men
sitting on one side in their belly spreading budgie smugglers and I sat under the powerful
water spout so it could massage my back. As I moved my lower back into the pressure
something deep within exploded. I had a massive endorphin rush which completely went to
my head and made it impossible to move without either fainting or falling flat on my face..it
was such a big rush..something similar to those first few pills back in the early 90's. So
thinking quickly I decided to embrace the moment and in a fit of cosmic enlightenment I put
my hands into meditation pose and began to om. I say om very loosely...to the two old men
opposite it probably sounded more like a cross between a really bad snore and a really good
fart!!!.. As my head cleared I prepared to open my eyes to the local security guard but
amazingly I was on my own..the guys had obviously done a runner whilst I was in mid
wig..and I had e space to myself which was such a relief.... It definitely was something
intense..once again though it ended up OK and I lived to tell the tale...
http://visitbudapest.travel/…/budap…/csaszar-baths-veli-bej/
The right wing Hungarian civic union otherwise known as Fidesz' has a huge majority over
all current left or centrist opposition and it can clearly be felt throughout the capital. From the
way it treats the immigration issues to the vibe on the street from the cops u can tell they are a
bunch of mean fkrs. Funny how Nations that cop the shit over time so often turn that way too.
Israel and Hungry immediately come to mind.
I loved Budapest and would easily spend a month there on another trip enjoying the street life
the prices and the gorgeous Danube river which cuts right through the city. I felt travel weary
this week for the first time after six weeks of solo travel...so i made a decision to cut Serbia
and Croatia out of my itinerary and head straight to Thessaloniki in Greece. I felt
immediately relieved after this move and look forward to hitting the Nation of my first
girlfriend and half of Melbourne....talk soon..
Peace and out!
Greece / Turkey 2015 tour:
Thessaloniki:/ Istanbul
After making a decision to bypass Croatia and head straight across to Greece due partly to
travel fatigue I finally felt that my trip was on the way home. Always intending in the back of
my mind to fly home from Turkey or maybe even slightly further east I felt relieved when I
arrived in Greece's second largest city Thessaloniki.
I wanted to give Athens a wide berth .. not sure why, but after landing in this ancient
Macedonian city discovered in 315bc I felt I had made the right choice. The hostel took me
ages to find but when there the person behind the bar was a full hipster guy from Adelaide
..funny as. Something about the Greeks was immediately comfortable..maybe having known
so many from Australia over the years and being around them helped..
My first thoughts and senses of Greece was how harsh and dirty this city seemed. U could
sense the tough politics and division everywhere u walked and everyone u talked to. This is a
Nation under siege and there was no hiding from that fact. Thessaloniki has a fascinating
Roman / Byzantine / Jewish / Ottoman tit for tat historical timeline since its origins and e city
reflects all those periods along with museums ruins and a respectful recognition of all aspects
of its own history.
The old Ottoman town which sits high up in the north of the city and survived the great fire
of 1917 which destroyed two thirds of the city sticks out like a classic south American favela.
It is crass and dirty, riddled with feral cats and cheap kebab shops. It is also incredibly
exciting and alive as Greece battles its own demons. Down the hill where the new city port
area attracts trade and tourism there is less excitement but still plenty of fun to be had.
Like Berlin, radical politics is everywhere. The anarchist movement in Greece is a hugely
populist alternative to mainstream government and have a healthy input into what goes on in
and around this nations debate. With the economic meltdown and the Syrian immigration
issue in mid swing politics is up for grabs in this country and it is an exciting time for left and
right wing fringe groups alike.
I found a fantastic punk pub which is open every night till 3 or 4 am and only plays punk and
ska music..I was in heaven. They even had a punk karaoke night which was on two days after
I left... Dems da breaks!!! Once again I was amazed how easy it was to open a bar/cafe and
run your own little slice of community without discrimination or regulation overkill.. It really
makes Australia look immature and backward socially...
I did get an odd moment here. Some time ago I invested in some bitcoins, predominantly so I
can buy stuff online anonymously and without trace….and as a digital currency it's value
fluctuates according in part to international financial trends…..so when the Greek economy
collapsed big time in recent months more people bought into bitcoins and the value of my
initial investment went up!!! I'm sure u can imagine my investment was only small and so my
profits where too...however it was an odd feeling knowing that I was in the country amidst its
troubled times whilst making a small financial gain out of the situation.
The food is excellent after Budapest and Prague. Lots of things l love eating. Public transport
is cheap and most people speak excellent English which is great for linguistically challenged
arseholes such as myself..... I even ate the traditional fast food 3$ dollar staple ' gyros' more
than once....stuffed with chips salad various sauces and kebab style pork or chicken it is truly
horrendous but incredibly tasty at the same time hahahaha...
The best times were chasing down the museums and the ruins which are literally all over the
city. Everywhere u turn there is a Roman or an Ottoman story and relic holding over 2000
years of intrigue. The Euro / Asian crossroad which the northern part of Greece and my next
stop Istanbul share is one of the most fascinating and embracing stories in world history. The
silk road along with access to the black sea and new trading routes throughout history have
meant continual battle lines being drawn along the Greek/Turkish borders. As I head to
Istanbul I feel an excitement that I have not felt since I first went to India.. Stay tuned for
more Ottoman adventures!!! Peace and out. X
Istanbul: ************
After an 8 hour coach trip along the northern tip of the Agean ocean we drove into Turkeys
North Western front and into the sprawling ancient metropolis of old Constantinople. Istanbul
is a city in Turkey that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. It is like no
other place on earth. Incredibly moving and alive with historical battles and influence.
The city is mega. Istanbul's strategic location has attracted many a marauding army over the
centuries. The Greeks, Persians, Romans and Venetians took turns ruling before the
Ottomans stormed into town and decided to stay – physical reminders of their various tenures
are found littered across the city. And the fact that the city straddles two continents wasn't its
only drawcard. This was the final stage on the legendary Silk Routes that linked Asia and
Europe and many of the merchants who came here liked it so much that they, too, decided to
stay. In so doing, they endowed the city with a cultural diversity that it retains to this day. (
Lonely Planet).
You can spend your time in any one part of this sprawling region and have a fantastic time.
Alcohol is drank very rarely even though it is readily available. The national drink 'rakı is a
grape spirit infused with aniseed....Tea is the drink of choice. All day and all night traders sit
out the front of their stalls sipping on black tea. The food is mind blowing. Still lots of crap
fast food kebab styles but you don't have to look far to find magical flavours and spices
which this city has by the bucket loads.
I stayed in a hotel room, and upon opening my bedroom window was shocked to see I was
only 70 metres away from the huge and historical Blue Mosque.. and there it was.. staring at
me as though it had been awaiting my arrival...hahaha.
The five prayers a day ripped through my ears as the cities mosques competed for listeners..it
was like some hip hop esque..mosque battle of the sound systems.
http://www.bluemosque.co/
I took a boat trip up through the Bosphorus Strait which allows you an almost intimidating
panoramic view of all the history this city can unravel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosphorus
I spent a few day unravelling the Ottoman empire and fell in love with the immense array of
stories to be told. It really seems that every person in this city is a trader. Market stalls and
retail outlets seem to never close and u do wonder how any of them make money to survive. I
let salesman fill my head with carpets, spices, lamps, sweets, fake adidas and nike shoes,
along with every football club shirt imaginable but bought very little. The Ottoman inspired
mid 15th Century 'Grand Bazaar' has nearly 5000 outlets and makes it the largest and oldest
undercover market in the world.... u can get lost in here and have to ask for help to get out.
http://www.grandbazaaristanbul.org/The_Grand_Bazaar.html
I travelled on trams across the old and newer parts of the city to get a better view of life
among the 17 million residents.. and I walked into locals bars and food halls to taste their
wares. I even encountered a cultural cringe factor wherever I went..every time I told a local I
was from Australia they replied with.. Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!!!.
The place was intoxicating and I figured this was as good a place as any to end my
adventures. I found a cheap ticket home and decided there and then to end my travels.
It has been a wonderful 7.5 weeks on the road.. travelling London Amsterdam Berlin Prague
Budapest Thessaloniki and Istanbul... seven weeks seven countries and seven thousand
dollars spent..
I only encountered aggressive behaviour once in all this time, I only saw the real sun once
and only had it really rain once..most of the trip was overcast and dull but neither too hot nor
too cold.
My favourite contemporary place on this planet right now is Berlin, my most awesome
experience like no other was Istanbul, whilst my most memorable time was with my mother
and retracing my childhood roots. I got tired of travelling alone after about five weeks and
got a little bored taking photos of old buildings and demolished walls from one previous
empire or another.
I did miss out on a couple of things and places I wanted to go..but none the less squeezed
heaps into the times I had in each place, and I must say Europe really did impress with its
attitudes, pricing and communication levels. It was an absolute blast.
Things I loved most about this trip::
* the care and maintenance of all British river systems
* the beauty of Prague city
* the generosity patience and friendliness of all those I came across ( even though I could
only speak one language)
* the fascination of Amsterdam's red light districts
* the switched on urban sprawl of Berlin and the way Germany is taking a leading global role
on many of today's important issues
* free WiFi everywhere I went
* the beers and food
*the stunning Hungarian women
* the present day political and socio economic realities facing Greece and other European
nations as they strive to find humane solutions to the largest people crisis facing this part of
the world since world war 2.
*local punk gigs and Berghain night club
* public transport
* Istanbul / Turkey showing how cross pollinated considered multi cultural cities really can
work whilst maintaining both their historical relevance and proving itself a successful secular
moderate nation surrounded by crack pots.
Things I liked least about this trip::
*the continued obsession with smoking everywhere and by just about everyone!
*the rise of right wing xenophobic politics across Europe in response to the current
immigration/refugee/alienation/scenarios.
*saying goodbye to my mother
*Hungarian train officials and Turkish border guards
*allowing people who snore into hostel dormitories!!! they should be isolated and shamed.
Peace and out
Kol