The "Working Holiday"

The "working holiday" is something that only Europeans, Australians, and New Zealanders seem to do. I haven't met any Americans or Asians doing this. It's an oxymoron to Americans. If you are working, you are not on vacation and if you are on vacation, you are not working. "Working Holiday" exists here because travel is very much part of what all young people in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand do. It's part of the culture there.

They travel for a year, sometimes more. Most of them either just finished high school or university. Very few of them have enough money to travel for a year or even a few months. Therefore, they came up with this idea of work-to-travel. The governments of these countries support this by granting "working holiday visas" to people under 30 to spend up to a year in their country where they are allowed to work and make money, so they can travel. I met a few people here, where they spend multiple years on a "working holiday", spending a year working and traveling in a country, then getting another working holiday visa in a different country and working there.

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne is actually a great city! I say that after being here 4 nights. Melbourne is a huge city with many different districts. Each district has a distinct atmosphere to it. Melbourne reminds me of Berlin in the that there are a lot of street sculptures. Check my photos in either my Facebook or Flickr. They make interesting photo ops. Look for them.

In the city center, you have buildings with old Victorian architecture. Chinatown is here as well with a lot of Asian eateries. Federation Square is here and it is "Melbourne's meeting place". You can get tourist information here and it is located right on the Yara River. Swanson Street is most likely the first street you will encounter as you start exploring Melbourne.

Directly south of the city center is the Royal Botanic Gardens. It is a huge park, with lots of green space and interesting monuments to see and take photos of. It runs right along St. Kilda Road. I spent 2 nights in a God awful hostel in the South Yara area about a 25 minute walk from the city center. There seems to be a lot of hostels around this area and the one I stayed at was awful. It was old, dirty, and smelled. I felt so dirty afterwards, I had to check into a 4 star hotel to clean myself. I am staying at Urban Central now. This is a modern hostel and it is much better. It's cleaner, has air condition, an elevator, and is located closer to the city. They even have electrical outlets in the lockers so you can charge your laptop while it's in there. Nice! Finding electrical outlets for your phone and laptops is a problem at many hostels. There were a few issues with the elevator and the light bulb in the bathroom was out. They were nice enough to change me to another room. Overall, I don't think you can't expect much more for $40/night here.

The Queen Victoria Market located on the corner of Queen and Victoria Street is another site worth looking into. It is a flea market and the oldest market in Melbourne. There's fresh produce, meats, clothing, wigs, hand bags, and various merchandise at cheap prices.

St. Kilda is another area worth checking out. There area has lots of beaches and people hanging out. Also check out the nearby Acland Street with it's many cake and coffee shops. I had coffee and cake (which was way too sweet) with my friend Sunny and her family here. Luna Park is here, which is an amusement park and a place to take your kids if you need to keep them busy. There are boardwalks and plenty of bike and running paths for you to jog, skate, or ride along the St. Kilda harbor.

Docklands is a brand new district where much of it is still under construction. The area is modern with shopping, eating, office and residential. It is the live, work, play model of urban planning that is getting popular all over the world. Many new high rise buildings are being built here. It will be Melbourne's next high end water front district. Costco has also made it to Australia and there store is located here.

f8 and Be There...

In photography, there is a saying "f/8 and be there". It's a saying that almost every experienced photographer has heard. For those unfamiliar with photography, f/8 is usually the sharpest aperture of most lenses. The saying means most of the work of getting a great photo is simply being at the right place, at the right time. How good your camera or photographic skills are important, but none of it matters if you are not there.

This fact applies in all aspects of life, not just photography. I've been traveling a lot over the past 10 years, and especially internationally over the past 2 years. One thing I've realized is that much of our lives are determined for us for us just by the fact of where we live. The environment and location we live in affects how we think, live, the jobs we do, our perspectives on life, the opportunities we have, and the relationships we have.

Being able to travel and relocate to somewhere else in the world is one of the most liberating, enlightening, and empowering things you can do for yourself. This has been true since the beginning of time and why humans populate the entire world. Traveling through Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, Taiwan, and Mexico over the past few years, I could see how differently people lived just because of where they were. The way people respond to you and the opportunities you have are vastly different from country to country, place to place, even from within the United States. Traveling in Europe, I could see the large differences in the standard of living between people living in say, Switzerland and Scandinavia versus East and Southeastern Europe. The differences are much greater in the lower and middle classes than in the upper classes. Even in a poor country like Ukraine, it was more common to see nicer cars than you would find in Germany, even though that's where all these nice cars were made! The joke was that all of those people driving the nice cars in Eastern Europe, were Russian mafia.

It is quite unfortunate that the people that would benefit most by moving also tend to be the ones least able to. Hard work and talent are important, but the single most effective thing someone can do for themselves either economically or socially is to move to a place where conditions are more favorable for them. Traveling from rich countries to poor ones and back could not make this any more clear.

It's a simple idea, but not simple to do. Moving to a new place means first of all, being aware of where to go. That takes time to research, not to be ignorant, and realizing that sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side.

It means having the financial resources to relocate yourself and the skills and knowledge to support yourself when you get there. But I find that the most important thing one must have is courage and faith. Courage is the willingness to take and the ability to absorb risk intelligently. Faith is the belief in yourself. The majority of people don't have courage and faith to even move to a different state. There are a myriad of reasons and excuses. But look at the millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico, marching 3 days across the Arizona desert without enough food and water and willing to risk death just for the CHANCE of a better life. I certainly don't advocate risking life and limb to move, but use this to illustrate that where you are is quite possibility the single most important factor within your control as to the kind of life you will lead and the opportunities available to you.

Eating Out In America...

I have really come to appreciate the service at restaurants in America after spending so much time in Europe and Australia over the past two years. Even in the cheapest restaurants, we enjoy some of the best customer service at affordable prices compared to anywhere in the world. Eating out is such a pleasure here and those of you that give your waiters and waitresses small tips should be ashamed of yourselves. The service and food in America is far ahead of what it is in Europe or Australia. This is so common in America that it is easy to take this for granted until you go overseas. It is one of the things I really appreciate coming back home to. Here are some of the things you may never appreciate until you go overseas:

1. In America, you never leave hungry. For many people, you even have left overs for your next meal and they are happy to give you a doggy bag to take it home. Portion sizes are big enough for just about everyone and I eat more than most people. In Europe, I often leave still hungry and need to grab a kebab or a Big Mac at Micky D's because I wasn't fed enough at my main meal. This was especially true in Western Europe where serving sizes are small and prices are very high. It was better in Eastern Europe where serving sizes are larger and prices are lower.
2. Good food is always available around the clock. We have several restaurants here in Austin that are open 24/7 always serving their full menu from breakfast to dinner around the clock. Good luck trying to find anything but pizza, kebab, or Micky D's in Europe or Australia after 10pm or on Sunday.
3. Prices for eating out are very competitive for what you get. The only place that is cheaper are the former Communist countries and even they are not as cheap as you would think.
4. The wait staff here are trained to be friendly, take care of you, check in with you regularly, make sure you have everything you need, and make sure you are comfortable in every way. This is not true in many parts of the world. For example, I would say Italy has one of the worst service for eating out. You almost have to beg the wait staff to serve you and they act as if they are doing you a favor. The Turkish places are the only ones in Europe that come close to the level of service you find in America. I often frequented Turkish restaurants because they have good food, service, at affordable prices.
5. You get free refills on non alcoholic drinks and water here. This is not true in most places in Europe. You even have to pay for water in most places. I ate at Magnolia's tonight and not only did I get 3 or 4 cups of coffee for the price of 1 drink, my waiter even offered to give me another cup to take with me on my way out. Don't expect this in Europe. In America, we do little things to make sure you are comfortable and taken care of.
6. You get your food reasonable quickly here. If there is any delay in preparing your food, the wait staff will let you know and offer you alternatives. In Europe, you often wait much longer and then are left wondering if they forgot about your order because they don't check in with you.

None of these things are big deals, but it is the little things that add up and make a place feel like home. The service and hospitality in America is something I will definitely miss if I end up moving to another country.

Switzerland: The land of the rich?

Switzerland must be one of richest countries in Europe if not the world. Unlike Germany, France, America, and other first world nations, there doesn't seem to be any people that are destitute. Even Oslo, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world, had beggars in the streets. Zurich has been named the wealthiest city in Europe. It is not that Swiss live better than the average first world citizen, but they don't seem to have an underclass of citizens like in almost every other country. Even in poorest countries in Europe such as Romania or Ukraine, all the things that we have is also available there. But in these countries, you can see that there are many people living in poverty. Most of these people seem to be old women, children, or people with disabilities, drug, or alcohol problems.

Wandering around Zurich and a small town of Wil, 60 km east of Zurich, I did not see a single homeless person or someone begging. Even in the central train station, I did not see any beggars, homeless people, nor did anyone harass me for money. Everyone seemed like a normal person with all the basic necessities of life. The Swiss do complain that everything is expensive, but even in this economic crisis, unemployment is only around 4% (compared with 2% before crisis). The minimum salary seems to be around 3,500 Swiss Fracs per month for unskilled labor. That is not as much as it seems since everything seems to cost double what it does in Germany or the United States, but it does not seem hard to have a decent life on that salary either. A comparable job in America would pay less than $2,000 per month perhaps even less if you are one of the 20 million people in America illegally. I got a ride to Cologne from a German Polish living and working in Zurich. He said he was a custodian cleaning buildings. He said life was much better in Switzerland than in Germany. The pay was much higher and he did not have to work as hard.

Prices are very expensive in Switzerland. A kebab is 10 Swiss francs (US$9) compared with 2.50 Euro in Germany (US$3). A Big Mac meal at McDonalds is around 12 CHF (US$10). Eating out is VERY expensive. Expect to pay at least 25-30 CHF (US$22-26) or more for any sit down restaurant for an entree. But food in supermarkets does not seem to be more expensive than anywhere else. Still, there are ways to live relatively inexpensively and to save a large amount of money while working here. It seems a lot of Europeans, especially Germans do this since they do not have a language barrier.

The environment here is very clean. The air, the water, and the landscape are all very clean. Much of the tourism here seems to be centered around the nature, the Swiss Alps especially. Zurich is a very cosmopolitan city with a wide variety of people from around the world.

Romania: Bucharest and Braşov...

I flew into Bucharest from the Vienna airport after spending nearly a week in Bratislava, Slovakia while waiting for my ATM card to arrive. I caught a flight on Blue Air, the Romanian discount airline for €75. I caught a bus from Bratislava to the Vienna airport for €6 from Blaguss near the "New Bridge" or a.k.a. UFO Bridge.

Bucharest is one of those cities Eastern European cities that hasn't quite recovered from ravages of Communism, much like Warsaw, Poland, but even more so. There is tons of construction going on everywhere as the city and the country tries to recover from the influence of the Soviet Union. You will find old buildings in classical European style, next to Communist block buildings, next to a modern skyscraper. The old town is small, but under heavy renovation. There is a lively nightlife scene here with lots of bars, clubs, and restaurants open during the night. The city is a bit dirty, gritty, and there is quite a bit of poverty here. There are street children and old women begging for money and the hostel people warned us not to give money to them because we will be swarmed with them as word gets around. Also, there are lots of stray dogs running around. They don't seem dangerous, but we are told to stay away. There also seems to be pretty bad traffic jams during rush hour. We were also warned about the taxi drivers. I've heard so many bad things about taxi drivers, I now avoid them all the time unless I am with someone and/or a local arranges a ride for me. I did take a taxi from my hostel (arranged by the staff) to the train station and it was only 6 Lei (less than US$2).

Besides the old town, there is the Palace of Parliament that is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. I suppose it must be the largest building the general public can get into since the Pentagon isn't open to the public. Supposedly, this was suppose to be Ceauşescu personal residence. The building and the grounds are absolutely massive. It seems to entire Romanian government is located there including all 3 branches of government. It costs 25 Lei (US$8) to get in or free if you are a student.

After 2 nights in Bucharest, I felt I had enough of the city and decided to get on a 4 hour train ride to Braşov. Here is a beautiful city located in the southern mountains of Transylvania (yes, home of Dracula). It is much cleaner and more beautiful than Bucharest in my opinion. Of course it is not nearly as big, but the dramatic landscape, cleaner conditions makes up for it. It also seems to be more heavily visited by tourists than Bucharest. If you can only visit one city in Romania, I would come here over Bucharest. The region is the Carpathian mountains and it's very beautiful here. Make sure you take a tram or hike up the Tampa mountain as the view is spectacular! Personally, I took the tram as my feet already hurt from walking around for nearly 2 months of travel. This is the mountain with the Hollywood style sign on it.

The people here definitely have a different look to them than the other places in Europe. They have a darker complexion and a more Mediterranean look to them. You definitely won't find too many natural blonds like you would in Scandinavia. I'd say the prices are about average for eastern European standards. It's about the same as Warsaw, a bit more expensive than the Baltic states and Ukraine.

I will take a train or a bus back to Bucharest this Saturday to catch a flight on German Wings back to Berlin to meet up with a friend.

Lviv, Ukraine: The next hot European tourist destination?

Lviv is one of the most interesting places I have been to. It is located in western Ukraine, near Poland. It is spelled many different ways such as Lviv, L'viv, Lvov, Lwow, Львів, Lemberg, Leopoli, Leopolis. It is one of the most authentic and beautiful old towns in Europe that I have been to. Unlike most places in Europe, Lviv hasn't been overrun with tourists yet. Most of the tourists you see here are Russian. Also unlike many towns in Europe, the buildings and roads seem to be the original ones, not rebuilt like so many European cities that were destroyed during the wars.

Just getting here was an adventure. From Warsaw, I took a train to Krakow then Przemyśl. Then I took what must have been a 50 year old bus from Poland into Ukraine. The bus was old, dirty, and smelly. Try to sit near the front if you take the bus. The border crossing into Ukraine was over 2 hours. It is not really far from Przemyśl to Lviv, but the border crossing takes several hours. I did not get into Lviv until 4 am. From there, I had to take a taxi to my hostel. I was very fortunate to meet a young Ukrainian woman who spoke English and helped me negotiate a fare from a taxi driver at the train station. She was very uncomfortable in Przemyśl with the Polish men there and wanted someone to wait with at the bus station. I was very fortunate to run into her as she understood a little Polish. She was able to help me get a bus ticket and find out price to Lviv.

Next time, I will try flying to Kiev instead of crossing the border by bus or train. Crossing the border by train takes 3-4 hours because they need to change wheels because the train tracks in the former Soviet Union are different than the West. You will need to fill out a entry and departure form and get it validated by the border police. Do not lose this departure card! Police in military uniforms may ask you for this at any time, especially if you look like a foreigner like myself! Near the border, you may notice some shady people engaging in smuggling. Keep to yourself and stay alert.

I stayed at the Central Square Hostel. The hostel was located on the second floor. The staircase to the hostel was so old that it felt like it was going to collapse as soon as an overweight person is on it. It definitely wouldn't pass any modern building code! The hostel itself is very small with only 3 rooms. It was a nice, small, clean place to stay. Just remember to bring cash because they don't take cards.

Once you take the effort to get here, you will be rewarded with one of the most beautiful and original old towns in Europe with very cheap food, beer, cigarettes, and a lively nightlife. However, very few people speak English here. It is mostly Russian and Ukraine. Stop by the tourist information office if you need help. Information is often hard to get here and you may get conflicting information like I did. Most of the people working the ticket counters do not speak English and may be reluctant to help you. It took me quite a bit of effort to purchase a ticket to Slovakia as I got conflicting information on where to go to purchase train tickets. Buy an international ticket at the main train station at counter No. 2. Make sure you bring cash because they do not take credit cards.

You will notice that food, beer, and cigarettes are extremely cheap. Here is the place to eat out at expensive restaurants because it is often half the price of the equivalent restaurant in Europe or America. Lviv has a nice selection of places to eat from budget to high end restaurants. However, not all restarants have English menus (the upscale restaurants do) and I had a really hard time deciphering Cyrillic. Almost everything is written in Cyrillic here, so it is difficult to guess what the signs and menu's say. Beer is around US$1 for a half liter bottle. Cigarettes are also around US$1 if you smoke. I usually spent around 25-50 UAH for a meal. My hostel did have a kitchen, but eating out is so cheap that it almost isn't worth it.

It takes quite of bit of effort to travel here, but if you are adventurous and willing to put up with some challenges, it is well be worth it. It is definitely one of the more unique European experiences!

Travel Tip: Best Time To Take A Shower In A Hostel...

The best time to take a shower in a hostel is in the early afternoon. This is usually the least busy time, so you get more privacy to change and wash. You avoid the rush of people checking out to catch their morning travel plans and avoid the rush of people getting themselves ready to go out in the evening or going to sleep. The janitors are usually finish their cleaning for the day so the toilets and showers are in the cleanest condition of the day.

London - Origins of America?

It was a long trip from Austin. I had to transfer twice, once is Minneapolis and another in Amsterdam. I was fortunate that my flight was early enough to avoid the volcano eruption in Iceland. If I had taken a later flight, I would have been delayed in Amsterdam. My friend George was planning to come this weekend for a corporate meeting, but the whole trip was canceled and rescheduled to May.

The pin on my Xootr bent and now it can't be used. I'm going to take it to a bike shop and perhaps they can fix it.

London has a very different feel than the rest of continental Europe. There's not as much of the detailed architecture that is typical in Paris, Germany, or Venice. The buildings here have a very rectangular, somewhat like in America, but with an "empire" feel to them.

The city has a very metropolitan feel. There are people from all over the world here and surprisingly, you hear other languages being spoken as much as English. I spent my first day here riding the subway (Underground) to Westminster and walking along the Thames River. I went to see Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, the Parliament Building and other sights along the river.

After such a long day of traveling, I didn't have much energy or spirit to do much more. I took a nap, rested, and spent time looking at the various local restaurants that range from. The English breakfast is a favorite of mine. For less than US$7, you get a hearty serving of sausages, ham, hash browns, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and beans. It's enough to keep me going until well after lunch. You can also find Turkish food that is very good and reasonably priced.

I am here until Tuesday, then it is off to Latvia.

Leon's Guide To Backpacking In Europe...

For those of you thinking of backpacking through Europe, go ahead and do it! You will see things, meet people, and experience cultures that you will not find in America. It does not matter where you go. There is so much to see in Europe that it does not matter where you go. There are interesting places to go, history to learn, people to meet, and food in every direction. Just pick a place that interests you and is within your budget. Backpacking is incredibly popular in Europe with the under 30 crowd. Young people there do not just travel for 1 week like the typical American vacation. They travel for many weeks to months to several different countries and cities. It's not that these people have a lot of money either. Many were living on less than 30 Euros a day.

What To Bring

Backpacking is just that. Instead of luggage, you have a large camping style backpack to carry everything you need. Try to travel as light as possible. Only carry what you absolutely need and will use. The less weight you have to carry, the more you will enjoy your trip. My total weight was 45 lb., which is quite a bit heavier than what many backpackers travel with. The major items in terms of weight were my Xootr (10 lb.), laptop computer (10 lb.), and camera equipment (10 lb.). I only carried 15 lb. of personal items such as clothes, shoes, hygiene products, etc. When you have to carry everything you need, you learn how to get by with very little. Traveling in the warm months is much easier since you will need to pack and wear less clothes. Some items that you might find useful.

• Passport. You absolutely need to have a passport. You will need this at many border crossings as well as identification at hotels and hostels. Keep it safe and always have it on you. Don't lose it!! A US passport will allow you to go just about anywhere in Europe without a visa. Belarus and Russia are the exceptions.
• ATM Card. This is the cheapest way to get money. The best exchange rates are at the ATM machines. Use the machines rather than the currency exchange counters wherever possible. Try to use an account with a bank that refunds your ATM fees. I use United Heritage, which is a local credit union in Austin.
• A medium jacket. If you are visiting northern countries, it can still get cold enough for a jacket even in the summer. Being from Texas, I found myself needing a heavier jacket than what I brought with me when I was in Iceland in July.
• Laptop Computer. The Internet is an indispensable source when traveling. You can find out where the accommodations are, events that are going on, book travel reservations, etc. I carried a heavy Macbook. Next time, I may try to take something smaller and lighter, but I used my computer a lot, so perhaps the extra weight was worth it.
• Xootr. A kick scooter greatly expands the area you can explore compared to being on foot. Unlike bicycles, these are small enough to bring onto an airplane as carry on baggage. It's also small enough to carry into most places rather than having to lock it outside. I can cruise at 12-15 mph on smooth pavement. It's not that useful in cities with cobblestone roads (i.e. Prague), but in most cities, you can cover 3 to 4 times more area on a kick scooter compared with walking. This was my primary mode of transportation within a city. If you have decent fitness, you can easily cover 30 miles or more in a day. This makes it worth carrying the 10 lb. as I was able to see and do a lot more than I would have without it. It also saved my feet from painful blisters, which happens to me all the time while I travel because of walking so much.

There are 2 ways to do your trip. The first is to plan out where you want to go, where you are going to stay, and what you can do. The other is to just decide as you go. If you have limited amounts of time or  money, it is better to plan ahead so you don't run out of time or money. For my trip, I decided as I went depending on what I saw, who I met, how much it cost, and the local events that were going on.

Transportation

To find a good deal to get to Europe, I use Travelzoo.com. They publish various sales that the airlines have.

Once you are in Europe, the first thing you need to worry about is where you want to go and how you are going to get there. My main mode of transportation within Europe was by trains. I took the bus twice; once into Maribor, the other into Sarajevo. Airline flights can be just as cheap or cheaper than trains, but they usually require you to book in advance for these low rates. For traveling on short notice, trains are cheaper than flying and more comfortable than a bus. The trains in western Europe (i.e. France, Germany) are generally clean, comfortable, fast, and reliable. The trains in Eastern Europe are much more unpredictable. Take this into account when you need to change trains. You can buy train tickets either at the train station or online. The DB Bahn website is invaluable. I found myself visiting that website consistently for train schedules even outside of Germany. Depending on how and where you travel, it may or may not be worth to buy an EU Rail pass. I did buy one, but for where I traveled, it would have been cheaper to just buy the individual tickets.

My favorite trains were the German ICE trains. They are fast, clean, modern, and reliable. They reach speeds up to 300 km/hr which is the fastest I have ever traveled on the ground. The worst trains were in Poland. These communist era trains were dirty, smelly, unreliable. The international trains and trains between major cities were acceptable. But stay away from the regional trains in Poland if possible.

Mass transportation is much more developed in Europe than in the US. For the entire two months, I did not ever need to rent a car. Most cities have a well developed mass transportation system of buses, subways, or trolleys. But remember that most of these mass transit systems stop operating at midnight. You may need to take a taxi if you stay out late at night.

Accommodations

After you have decided where to go and how you will get there, the next step is to find a place to stay. My recommendation is that you book a place to stay BEFORE you arrive. Getting your bearings in a new city is already stressful enough. I find that it is a bit too stressful if I don't know where I am and I don't know where I need to be. Book at least one night at your new destination. This will give you time to orient yourself to the new city. This will also give you someone to call if you get lost and can't find anyone to help you with directions. Before you leave, find out where your train or bus will drop you in the city. Then find out how to get from the station to your accommodations. This is the most stressful part of the trip. Once I get to the place where I am going to spend the night, I am "safe". From then, I am free to plan the rest of my stay since I have a home base to operate out of.

Life revolves around hostels for backpackers. They are how backpackers can travel for months at a time in Europe. Hostels are dormitories where you share a room and bathroom with multiple people. Staying at a hotel every night would make trips far too expensive for most backpackers. I recommend staying in hostels for most of your nights and only staying in hotels when you need some privacy or just want to pamper yourself. It is a big part of the European travel experience.

Hostels are set up to allow you to meet fellow travelers unlike hotels which are designed for privacy. It allows you to chance to make friends with people from all over the world and perhaps even meet that special someone. ;) The hostel experience is something that you don't really find in America. My favorite website for booking hostels was Hostels.com. Their list of hostels is very comprehensive and I booked the vast majority of my stays there. Most of the hostels were reasonably clean and many included breakfast with their stays. It seems to be a very competitive business and the subpar ones aren't around very long or get poor reviews. Since you are sharing a room with strangers, most hostels provide lockers where you can secure your belongings. I've never had anything stolen while staying in a hostels, but do take common sense precautions.

What To Do

Once you know where you are going to spend the night, the fun begins! Talk to the staff about where to eat, what to do, where to go, etc. They will be more than happy to guide you and provide you with maps and literature. The people working in hostels and hotels know their city very well. This is far better than carrying around a thick guide book. Talk to your roommates about where they have been and what they plan on doing. All of the people staying at hostels are there as tourists. It's far more enjoyable to find out about the city by talking to the locals and other travelers than reading a guide book. In many cities there are "free" walking tours that start off in hostels. They are free in the sense that you are only expected to tip the tour guide what you feel he or she is worth. They are a great way to find out the best things to do and to meet new friends as well.

That is all there is to it. Transportation and accommodations are your main worries. Once those are out of the way, it's pretty easy no matter where you go.

Stay Safe

Europe is generally a safe place to travel. I'm sure that there are places you should not go to, but you seem to have to go out of your way to find them. I never felt unsafe in any of the 17 cities I visited. The main thing to watch for are pick picketers and money exchange scams. I have heard of stories of people being robbed in trains while they slept, but the only time I felt a bit uncomfortable was the trains in Poland while I was heading into Krakow. It seems safer to travel in Europe than it America. Nearly every American city have a bad neighborhood which the locals will tell you to avoid.

Most European cities don't seem to have this. It is safe enough that you will see young girls traveling alone by themselves. But as always, stay alert, be aware of your surroundings, and take common sense precautions.

Communications

A nice thing to have is an unlocked quad band GSM wireless phone. Prepaid SIM cards are widely available in every city. If you get lost or have an emergency, it is good to be able to call for help. In Vienna, I got terribly lost, and having a mobile phone to call the hostel I was staying at me saved me a lot of grief. Incoming calls are free. You only pay for outgoing calls.

McDonalds is a good place to get Internet access for free. Hostels may either charge you for Internet access or give you access for free.

Many people speak English in Europe and you will not have trouble communicating in any of the big cities. The further east you go the fewer people there are that speak English, but I was able to get around just fine. All of the staff in hotels and hostels, and most restaurants  and retail stores speak English. Just ask if they speak English and most of the time they will say "a little". :)

Cost

With the US Dollar so low against the Euro (Between $1.40 to $1.50 to €1), Europe is noticeably more expensive than the US for many things. Your main cost is accommodations, food, and transportation. Some common costs that I paid while I was there:

• Hostels: Between €15 to €30 per night.
• Restaurant Meals: €10-€20. Tipping is accepted but not mandatory. If you want to tip, 10% is usually fine. The wait staff get a salary unlike in America. 
• Turkish Kebab: €3.50-€4.0 
• McDonalds Big Mac: €3.50 - €5.0
• Rail Tickets: €30-€90.0
• Museum entrance ticket: €10
• Prepaid wireless SIM card: €10

Western Europe is much more expensive than eastern part. Paris was the most expensive city I was in. But Eastern Europe isn't dirt cheap as it once was. Prices have gone up considerably since the fall of communism.

That's all there is to it! Europe is definitely a different place than America, but it's not hard to do for anyone that is a little adventurous. :)

Kebabalicious: A Taste of Europe in Austin...

Trying out the local food was one of my favorite things to do while I was in Europe. I did spend a lot of time in McDonald's; in fact I ate more McDonald's Big Macs in Europe than I do at home. They are everywhere in the most convenient locations, cheap, fast, they have free Internet access, and often times they were the only places that were open.

But looking for and eating the local food was one of my favorite things to do when I wasn't stressed, rushed, or on the move. Two of my favorite foods were the Döner Kebab while I was in central Europe (mainly Germany) and Burek while I was traveling through the Balkans. These are perfect traveling food. They are cheap (around 3.60 Euro in Germany), widely available foods, high calorie foods that will keep you going for hours. The establishments that serve them usually stay open well after other restaurants close.

I have not be able to find Burek anywhere in Austin or in America for that matter. But there is only one place in Austin where you can get an authentic Turkish Döner Kebab. It originates in Turkey and is a flour wrapped in chicken or lamb, with vegetables, and a particular kind of sauce that gives it its unique flavor. It is similar to a Greek Gyro. What is unusual about it is that the meat is mounted on a heated rotating stand to keep it warm. It is shaved off in thin slices using an electric razor.

Kebabalicious replicates the flavor and style very closely to what I was eating in Germany. They are a small food stand located on 7th and Trinity in a parking lot. Unfortunately they only open from Wednesday thru Saturday late nights (after 9 pm or 10 pm)  and only if the weather is reasonably decent. I would suggest you get there well before 2 am as the lines get very long when the bars close. I highly recommend it as a great place to get a late night place to grab a bite to eat. It's too bad that they don't open longer hours and only serve the downtown bar scene.

European Vs. American Mentality As Seen In Architecture

One of my favorite things about traveling to different places is looking at the architecture. I love buildings. A large percentage of my pictures is of buildings in the various places I travel to. After roaming around Europe for two months, I can conclude that the architecture in Europe is very different than America. I think you can tell a lot about a society and their mentality by the type of buildings that they build.

Let's look at the Austin skyline for example:

Notice the number of large buildings we have. This picture is a little dated as there have been several new buildings that have been constructed since I took that photo. Here are the tallest buildings in Austin:

• The Austonian - 628 ft (208 m) 56 floors
• 360 Condo Tower - 563 ft (172 m) 44 floors
• Frost Bank Tower - 515 ft (157 m) 33 floors

You can see a list of the tallest buildings in Austin here. We have 7 buildings over 100 m and there are 6 more under construction at the moment. I rarely saw such tall buildings while traveling in Europe. Keep in mind that Austin is not even one of the largest cities in America. It's only the 15th biggest city with a population of 758 thousand people with a metro area of 1.6 million people. Take a look at all the major US cities and you'll see that all of them have impressive skylines.

Let's take a look at a typical European city that's comparable in size to Austin. One of my favorite mid size European city happens to be Dresden, Germany.

Unlike American cities, European cities don't look impressive at all from a distance. There are not a large number of tall, large buildings that dominate the skyline. Instead, European cities are much more artistic. Take a look at these buildings in Dresden:

Notice how artistic they are with the colors and sculptures. In general, European cities emphasize the city's art and culture. Even large, wealthy, European cities such as Munich or Paris are built in this manner. There are very few buildings that will grab your attention from a distance. European cities are meant to be enjoyed up close and in person. You can't appreciate buildings like this from 5 or 10 miles away.

Meanwhile, American cities build buildings to emphasis the city's economic strength, prosperity, and status. The Austonian represents this:

There is no economic reason to build buildings such as The Austonian in Austin. It is purely a status symbol for the residents of the building and the city. The whole mentality of Americans can be seen in the architecture of the buildings that we build. It's to show strength, prosperity, and wealth. It represents what is known around the world as The American Dream. Most Americans I know (myself included) have big dreams of wanting to become "the next big thing" in their field. You can see this mentality at work at the buildings we build in all of our cities. We have a very ambitious, competitive nature and mentality. Heck, I want to live in the Austonian. :)

Contrast this with Europe where the cities are built to emphasize their art, culture, and history. Europeans have a very different mentality than Americans. The mentality there emphasizes people's welfare, happiness, and quality of life vs. material wealth and economic status. Hence you see this in their politics as well. Most European countries have a more socialist policy, stronger labor laws, more welfare benefits, and much more vacation time. It's why you see Europeans traveling so much. They have enough vacation time to do it.

Which is the better model? I think both have their advantages and disadvantage. American mentality is definitely more individualistic, independent, and competitive, while Europeans seem to have a more social, cooperative mentality.

My European Adventure

I spent the past 2 months (actually 7 weeks) in Europe. It has been an quite an experience! I have always had a desire to explore the world around since I was a small child, but what inspired me to go on this trip was my trip to Australia last May. There were so many Europeans (especially Germans and British) traveling Australia for months at a time. I had never traveled for more than 3 weeks at a time, so I wanted to go on a multi month trip to see what it would be like. My original plan was to go around the world. I would fly to Europe, then end my European tour in Amsterdam, fly to Asia, and then go home from Asia. That turned out to be a little too ambitious as I am tired from living on the road and a bit home sick as well. Asia will have to be a separate trip.

My plan was to focus on north eastern Europe. I figure western Europe may be too similar to the United States and since I was traveling in the summer, I should do the northern countries while the weather was good there. I could goto southern countries (such as Italy) during the winter on a separate trip. It didn't quite work out that way as I missed the Scandinavian countries (save Iceland) and the Baltic's and ended going into the Balkans (long story), but it was still a great experience.

The first thing I noticed was how far American culture extends around the world. Even in far eastern Europe, you see American icons everywhere. McDonalds, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, KFC, are almost everywhere. These American brands seem even more popular in some European cities than in America. For example, McDonalds is much more popular in Paris than in the states. There were lines at the register at every one I went to. I went there quite often as 1) they are almost everywhere in the most convenient locations, 2) they tend to stay open for longer hours, and 3) there have free WiFi in most locations. In Venice it can costs €5 for an hour of Internet access.

Hollywood movies are everywhere and so is American pop music. They play much of the same top 20 songs in clubs as they do in the states. The influence of America is much more obvious than say, the Soviet Union in the former communist countries.

As I traveled, I started to realize just how American I am. For the most part, America is a very self segregated society. Perhaps there is still discrimination, but it has evolved to the point where it is not immediately obvious as say in the 1950's. People tend to cluster along the lines of race, ethnicity, or religion. They form ethnic or religious communities and we see ourselves as hyphenated Americans (i.e. Asian-American, African-American, Italian-American, Irish-American, etc). You see this in schools, communities, even bars and clubs. Our diversity is both our greatest strength and weakness. Within America, I would say people see me first and foremost as an Asian.

Here in Europe though, I felt that I was first an foremost an American, who happens to be Asian, which was a bit unusual (most thought I was either from China or Japan), but immediately obvious upon speaking to me. At our core, we are a nation built around an ideology and philosophy rather than a race, ethnicity, or religion. I found the easiest people for me to associate with were other Americans (of course), Canadians, Australians, New Zealand, and British. It was not just a common native language, but also mannerisms, attitudes, their view of the world, and social customs.

I found that Europeans in general are a bit more reserved than Americans. They are much less likely to approach and chat up a random stranger. At times, I felt that it would probably be more difficult for me to integrate into a mainstream European community than say Australia or Canada.

However, people from the Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia) were a lot different in temperament than the rest of Europe. It is very different there even for many Europeans. There they were extremely outgoing (the men were a bit crazy) and sometimes a bit aggressive. I was approached many times (since I am obviously not from there) on my trip to Belgrade by people asking me where I was from and what I was doing in this part of the world. But they are a fun people and they love to laugh and have a good time.

What Europeans Think Of Americans

As the result of George Bush, there has been a lot of anti American sentiment in Europe. I can say that George Bush is universally hated in Europe (and probably in America as well). However, Obama seems to be universally loved here. The sentiment seems to have improved with his election. Nevertheless, despite all the good America has done for Europe (defeating the Nazis and Communists), there seems to be great dissatisfaction with our foreign policy. People in Europe seem to have strong dislike of America being the "world police". The people in the Balkans seem to have the strongest opinions of American foreign policy as the Yugoslav wars are still fresh in many people minds. Just about everyone here seems to have a strong opinion about America and unfortunately it's mostly a negative one in the places I've traveled to. Regardless of one's opinion, it is undeniable that America has greatly influenced what has happened in Europe and the rest of the world.

Staying In Hostels

This was the first time I've traveled so extensively in hostels. For the most part, it was a great experience and totally different than staying in hotels and motels. I met so many new friends and interesting people staying in hostels. It was a big part of the experience. Unlike hotels, most of the hostels are set up so that you can meet people. Sleeping in the same room with strangers can take some getting use to, but for the most part, I didn't have too many problems. However, I did need to get a hotel room every few days because sometimes it's nice to have the privacy, security, and convenience of your own room.

I really want to come to Europe again. There is an enormous amount of history and culture here no matter which direction you go. It's a great learning experience to meet people, cultures, customs, and food from everywhere in the world. Just the new friends you will make traveling make it worthwhile. :)

Amsterdam: Drugs, Hookers, and Just About Everything Else

Amsterdam is a much different place than the rest of Europe. It must be one of the most liberal, tolerant cities in the entire world. Drugs, prostitution and just about anything you want to do (as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else) seems to be tolerated here. The city is a melting pot much like New York is. There are people from all over the world because the Dutch must be one of the most tolerant societies in the world.

I spent more time than I care to admit in the Red Light District. You can spend hours here just watching the prostitutes in the windows and the men interacting with them. I found it fascinating just to people watch because of the honesty and openness of it all. Many men would sit there and gawk at the women, but were too scared (myself included) to actually go and try out one of the girls. One British lad I walked around with was virtually foaming at the mouth and wanted to do one of the girls but was paralyzed with fear of actually going to one. You won't find this anywhere else in the world. It was a quite surreal experience...

Dresden, Germany...

This is one of my favorite cities in Europe. Dresden was completely destroyed during the war, so this is a new city. However, they rebuilt it in the old style, so it's a "new" old city. The city is beautiful, clean, and not as overrun with tourists like in Berlin, Munich, or Paris. The city is cleaner than Berlin and perhaps even Munich. It was certainly a relief after being in the Balkans and Budapest because everywhere I went, it was clean (bathrooms, buses, trams, etc).

I don't remember seeing any beggars here either. The public trams are clean, new, and always seem to run on schedule. Right when you walk into the central station it is new, clean, brightly lit. It looks almost clinical. I came into the city from Budapest, so immediately after stepping off the train, I knew I was back in the first world. I felt a sense of relief as being in the Balkans, I was always a little bit uneasy because I was never quite sure what to expect. Germany is a country where everything pretty much works predictably and there is a process and structure to everything. Compared that to many places in Eastern Europe where anything goes. It is the last first world country before going into the relatively undeveloped parts of eastern Europe.

Put Dresden on your list if you want to go somewhere in Germany that is nice and not where a typical tourist go. Most of the tourists there seem to be German tourists.

Vienna (Wein), Maribor, Ljubljana, Venice, Munich, Zagreb, Belgrade...

I haven't made a blog entry since Prague. I got a bit distracted by various things and people. I'll try to make a quick summary of each city since then:

Vienna - The city looks like Paris light. Lots of great museums like Berlin. Vienna and Berlin were two of my favorite cities so far.

Maribor - Sleepy little city in Slovenia. I stayed with a Slovenian family and they were super nice to me. Thanks Grega! Save up your money so you can come visit me in Austin!

Ljubljana - Another relatively calm European city. It's pretty clean and quaint. There's a castle on a hill top that is worth going to.

Venice - The world's only pedestrian city. It must also be the world's biggest tourist trap. It's very crowded, some places are derelict. The city is a maze and I spent much of my time getting lost in the various alley ways. The city is safe, but walking through a dark alley reminds me of bad movies.

Munich - Beer, beer, and more beer. People here drink massive amounts of beer. It's the richest city in Germany. Munich has always been a wealthy city. Bavaria has thought of becoming independent many times.

Zagreb - Only stayed here for 5 hours, so don't know much about it.

Belgrade - One of the most dirty, ugly, and smelly cities I have visited in Europe. But I like it! The food is rich and they serve large portions. Some of the women are stunningly beautiful. There's also great night life and parties going on every night. It's also one of the more affordable places in Europe.

Krakow, Poland to Prague, Czech Republic...

My trip from Berlin to Krakow, Poland was not so pleasant. Poland was a former communist state and therefore was a very poor country. The country has made tremendous progress in the past 20 years, but progress and development is concentrated in the major cities. The country side is still very poor and undeveloped. This includes the rail system, which I heard was one of the worst in Europe.

The Polish train leaving Berlin was actually not bad at all. It was reasonably clean as far as trains goes. The restaurant car serves decent Polish food and the first class seats I was in were clean and comfortable. I should have taken this train all the way to Warsaw because the next trains were not so pleasant. I had 2 transfers, and the first transfer was at Poznan to Wroclaw. This was an awful train! It was old, dirty, smelly, and filthy as can be. As soon as I stepped in, there was the stench of human sewage. I heard things were much worse under the communists, but this was pretty darn bad. The train was also late and I nearly missed my connection. Gosh, it would have really sucked to be stuck at those train stations!

From Wroclaw to Krakow was a little better, but still, not a comfortable ride. I heard the Polish train company saves all their good trains for the international routes and the major routes like from Warsaw to Krakow. I spoke with some travelers in Krakow that came in from Warsaw and they said the train was excellent and fast.

As soon as I stepped off the train I did not feel well. At first I thought it was just from not being able to sleep, but I got progressively more ill over the next day. I must of had food poisoning or perhaps I caught the flu. I was not able to do much for the next 3 days. I had diarrhea, fever, headaches, muscle cramps, and an upset stomach. I decided to stay in Krakow until I felt better.

I stayed on the Garden House Hostel right off the main square. This was a decent hostel and Krakow was a decent place to hang out until I felt better. It is a beautiful, clean city, not expensive (although Poland is not the bargain it was several years ago I heard), and with many excellent restaurants, cafes, and shops. It is a bit touristy with people coming in from all over the world.

The main attraction here is the Auschwitz concentration camps, but I decided not to do this. It was 40 km away from the city and there was a lot of walking. I had very low energy levels due to being ill the past 3 days and not being able to eat very much.

My next stop was in Prague, the Czech Republic. Many people think of this as Czech a Slovakia, but it is now 2 separate countries, Czech Republic and Slovakia. They split in 1992, I believe. Prague is a beautiful city. Check out my pictures. The cobble stone roads are really annoying, since my Xootr doesn't work on them. But one thing I noticed in Poland and in Czech Republic is that people here aren't always so friendly. I guess after being from the southern United States I've gotten use to how open and friendly people are in America (and in Australia for that matter). Often, when asking a stranger at a bus stop for directions, a good place to eat, or a good nightclub, people would often just ignore you as if you were not there. I'm sure the language barrier is one issue, but I don't think that's all it is. It's seems to be part of the culture from speaking to some of the Europeans I've met.

What is very popular in Prague are the hot dog stands. There are a variety of sausages all for under 60 crowns ( a little less than 18 crowns to 1 USD). If you come to Prague, do try out the hot dogs. They are much tastier than the hot dogs we get in the States, I think.

I'm in Vienna, Austria now and I like the city a bit more. It's sort of like Paris, but not as big, hectic, or touristy. They have excellent bicycle and walking paths which makes getting around the city quite a bit easier.

Berlin: Where Communism Meets Capitalism

Berlin has become a completely different city in the 20 years since the wall fell. Like in Paris, there is so much history here as the city has been repeatedly created and destroyed in various wars throughout history. More recently, this is the city where Communism was born and also where it died. When the wall fell, East and West Germany were reunited shortly thereafter and the USSR collapsed as well. The city has a very dark past, but most of it has been rebuilt. However, if you look carefully, you can still see the scars of World War 2 on the buildings in the form of bullet holes. The fighting here was fierce between the US, Soviets, and Nazis. In the recent past, you will find it use to be very dark, scary place. Hitler, the wall, oppression, and people living in fear and poverty. It's completely different today. Berlin is now a thriving capital city of Germany with shops, restaurants, tourists, and plenty of international businesses.

I stayed on a Baxpax hostel and hotel right in the heart of downtown Berlin. This is a decent hotel/hostel with a friendly and helpful English speaking staff. It's 15 Euros on the weeknights and 21 Euros on weekends for the 30 person sleeping dorms. If you are not use to it, it can be intimidating sleeping with so many people. Personally, I was worried there would be a loud snoring, but surprisingly, nobody snored! I also stayed in their hotel room at 60 Euros for the night. It was small (but much larger than the hotel I stayed in Paris), but clean, comfortable, and cozy. One thing this place doesn't have is air conditioning. But I guess the summers here don't get hot enough to require it. They have breakfast for 5.50 Euros and you can get sausage and eggs for 2 euros more.

Leaving the hostel every day is a "free" 3 hour guided walking tour of the city. The tour guide just asks you to tip him whatever you feel the tour is worth. It is an excellent tour put on by "New Berlin" and I highly recommend it. He hits all the major sites and tells captivating stories about the history behind each site. This tour is a great introduction to the city, but like Paris, you can start in the center and just go in any direction you please. There will be something interesting to see. There are plenty of statues, sculptures, museums, shops, and historical landmarks in any direction. Pick up one of the free maps and start exploring. I used my Xootr, but you can also walk or rent a bicycle for around 8 euros, or take one of the many guided tours for between 12 and 20 euros.

I like Berlin! Like Paris, it's a progressive, cosmopolitan city with people from all over the world. Maybe it's not quite as diverse as Paris or does it have quite as much history and culture, but it's much cleaner, newer, less crowded, less expensive, fewer beggars, and no homeless people living on the streets (at least I saw none). Berlin does have lots of graphhiti (why do people have the urge to spray paint walls?) and the tour guide said the city is famous for its graphiti.

One thing I noticed about Europe is so many people use bicycles, walking, and public transportation to get where they need to go. All kinds of people ride their bicycles to get to where they are going. I see old people, young people, men and women in business suits, kids, etc. using their bicycles to get where they want to go. It's much less so than in the US where most people are riding their bicycles for exercise. The streets are also far more bicycle friendly. There are extra wide sidewalks, bicycle lanes and traffic signals, and plenty of bike racks to lock your bike to when you get to your destination. This was true in Reykjavik, Paris, and now Berlin.

I will spend my weekend in Berlin and leave for Krakow, Poland on Monday, July 20th.

Paris, France: 3 days/2 nights...

Paris is a sprawling city with plenty of sights to see. The amount of history and culture here is pretty amazing. Everything is pretty expensive here, so I'm only going to spend 2 nights here to avoid spending a ridiculous amount of money. It's a city worth visiting, but I would not live here.

There is so much to see in Paris! You could spend weeks here if you have the budget. There's the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, the Arch, the massive Louvre Art Museum, countless churches, cathedrals, sculptures, statues, and other interesting landmarks and architecture. Just cruise around on a bicycle or scooter in any direction and you will find interesting things to see no matter which direction you go. Cycling or scootering is best way to explore the city. There are electric assisted bicycles for rent throughout the city. There are plenty of bike lanes and most are smooth, but many are cobble stones which makes it hard to for my Xootr's polyurethane wheels.

For urban environments like Paris, a kick scooter like my Xootr is far superior than a bicycle. It's just as fast in most urban situations (12-15 mph on flat terrain), easier to navigate thru thick crowds. It's lighter in weight, smaller in size, and more stable at slower speeds (<>

It's very easy to get lost, however. Paris is a city full of traffic circles. Every time you encounter one of these traffic circles, there are at least 5 different streets for you to choose from. Pick the wrong one and you are going to get lost very quickly. Fortunately, subway stations are almost everywhere and there's a map to help get you oriented. Subways are fast and efficient. They run until 1 am and there's always less than a 3 minute wait for the next train. However, the trains and stations are dirty, smelly and not pleasant to ride in. I'd rather ride the bus if I had more time to figure out the routes. But as a new visitor, I'd recommend the subways as they are the easiest way to get around the city without getting lost.

If you are spending a few days here, I suggest you get a metro pass. For about 15 Euros a day, you get unlimited rides on the subways and busses. The subways (metro as they call it) are easy to figure out. I used it to get from the airport to the hotel without too much difficulty. Taxis are also reasonable if you need to get around after the subways close at 1 am. Many people here don't speak English, but you will usually find someone that speaks English after asking 2 or 3 people. You will also encounter beggars and street venders harassing you to give them money or buy their wares. They can be very aggressive and may hound you until you give them something.

I am glad I stayed in the Boulogne district in the south west corner of the city. It's relatively quiet area of the city. Central Paris is packed with people with massive crowds on the streets, stores, and restaurants. Prices for food and hotels are also higher. The lines for everything can be long. I stayed at Hotel b at 70 Euros per night. I can recommend this hotel. It's a very small room with an even smaller elevator, but the room was clean and a nice breakfast is included in the price. The all you can eat breakfast includes ham, cheese, croissants, fresh breads, cereal, juice, apple sauce.

At 8 pm tonight, I will be taking an 11 hour overnight train to Berlin. I got a sleeper cabin, so it'll be interesting to see how sleeping on a train will be. It's gotta be better than on airplane!

Last Day In Iceland...

My flight out of Iceland is in less than 11 hours. It's been fun, but I think I am ready to go. Reykjavik is a very small city. In fact, the entire country (300K) has just half the number of people of Austin. However, the city has quite a diverse population given how small and geographically isolated it is. The vast majority of tourists are Europeans, but I also saw quite a few Americans, Asians, and Blacks as well.

• Food is very expensive here. A good meal is US$20-$35 per person. A bacon cheeseburger is around US$7 or US$8 at the current exchange rate. A footlong sub is $8 or $9. Even at the supermarket it is quite pricey. A dozen eggs is around $4 or $5. The most popular food here is the hotdog at 260 Krona. There is an endless line of people getting hot dogs all day long. If there is one reason I want to leave it's because I'm tired of eating hotdogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, or paying $35 for a decent meal. Given that food is so expensive here, you might be surprised to see that there are quite a number of obese people here. Despite what you hear from the media, obesity has very little to do with how much someone eats or how much exercise someone does. It's more to do with what they eat as a result of how much money they make. Fresh meats and vegetables are very expensive in Iceland. People eat pastas, potatoes, processed foods, sugars, and other insulin raising foods. Hence you see quite a number of fat people.
• I stayed 4 nights at the Domus Guesthouse Hostel. It cost 3,500 Krona per night (US $31) for a shared room. Its reasonably clean with good facilities, and a friendly staff. I recommend it if you are looking for a budget place to stay.
• The water here is very good. Iceland has virtually unlimited amounts of fresh water and geothermal energy. The only reason to buy bottled water is for the bottle. The water is very good straight out of the tap. All of the homes are heated with geothermal hot water. They drill for hot water pretty much the same way as drilling for oil. They use the hot water to generate electricity, heat homes, and create heated swimming pools like the Blue Lagoon.
• Despite gasoline costing US$5.60 per gallon, there are plenty of SUV, trucks, and 4x4's. Icelandic people love camping and off roading. The countryside is very beautiful and green. There are waterfalls, geysers, mountains, and glaciers that are just outside of Reykjavik. The terrain is very rugged. You will find sheep and horses in the country.
• The tour guide said Icelandic people are a mix of Norwegian and Irish decent. Most of the men came from Norway and the women from Ireland. People here don't seem to be as warm as in Texas or Australia. Perhaps its the culture or the language. Most of the native Icelandic women here are very pretty if they are not overweight from eating all the hot dogs, pastas, pizza, and fries.
• It never gets dark in July. It's basically daytime all day long. The sun never really goes below the horizon and it is very easy to lose track of time. The darkest it gets is around what would be our sunset, then it starts getting bright again. It's pretty strange experience and definitely not a place to be if you don't like long stretches of daylight or night. It doesn't get very hot in the summer. 50 or 60 F is the high for the day and 50-55 at night.
• For a bankrupt country, they seem to be very well off. There are no homeless people, no beggars, no food shortages, no riots, and crime is almost non existent. The tour guide said that they have 1 murder every other year. The country has never been at war and they don't even have a military. It's one of the most conflict free areas of the world. They just have drunk people breaking glass bottles and men urinating on the streets.

Next stop is Paris...