A quick recap of the past month (plus a little more): Celebrating Karolina and Rick’s wedding (plus two day recovery) and promptly packing up and leaving 12 years of San Francisco behind. Driving around the wild geothermic Icelandic countryside while listening to Sigur Ros. Octoberfest with my good friend James. The pleasure of witnessing Flo and Verena’s wedding and seeing some old friends. Living the quiet life on the Rhein farmstead for a few days. A personal architectural tour around Prague with Marek. An unexpected long night wandering around Prague in the cold and rain and sleeping on a moldy mattress at the bottom of a dark stairwell. Seeing dear friend’s Sylwia, Michau and Hania in Gdansk. Celebrating another Giants world series, this time by myself. Experiencing warmth and generosity in Berlin with Sophie, Peteor and Jenny. And finally tracking my family and friends on the East Coast as Hurricane Sandy swept through.

Traveling in the European Union is not like it was traveling in Europe in 1995. While it’s a lot more convenient, there is something that makes you feel like you are really traveling through history, through substance, when you are forced to show your passport at every border to mean looking fells toting machine guns... I’ve only had to show my passport once thus far, at the airport in Iceland when I landed 33 days ago.

Thus far I’ve visited one new country: Iceland, and revisited five: Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland. I’ve added a lot of new cities and places to the list though: In Austria: Salzburg, Hallstatt, Wine Country along the Danube (Krems, Durnstein, Weissenkurchin), Linz. Czech Republic: Cesky Krumlov. Germany: Weiherhofen (the small village where the Rhein’s live), Berlin. Poland: Gdansk and Poznen.

When I began the trip I weighed almost 180 lb’s and had assumed a Homer Simpsonesque physique around the greater belly area. Mostly due to my inactivity associated with a knee problem I’ve been dealing with for the past year or so, combined with sitting on my ass all day in front of a computer. Getting out and walking all day, in addition to an occasional run here and there has helped to reel things in. When I checked in from Gdansk I weighed in at 77.8 kg, or 171.5 lbs. (I weighed myself this morning after a run and a dump, and tipped the electronic scale at 73kg, or 160 lb’s, but I don’t think that is quite accurate).

I haven’t watched any TV, which was a bit of an achilles heel of mine back in the States, and I actually haven’t listened to too much music, but I figured I would share a few of the tracks I’ve been enjoying, and find myself humming as I wander around. Some old and some new, all quality:

Towns Van Zandt, Poncho and Lefty (thanks dad, circa 1978):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SjwO17gsqU


Daughter, Youth (thanks KEXP):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQFaYXKhbco

First Aid Kit, EmmyLou (thanks Terry):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC57z-oDPLs

Shovels and Rope, Birmingham (thanks KEXP and Monika):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqFAt3FUn0k

I set out on this trip trying to keep my spending to roughly $50/day. I am still hoping to meet that goal, but being 38 and developing a taste for some of the finer things (like not sleeping in a dorm with 11 other people) may challenge that goal. I also expected the first month to be high, traveling through some of the more expensive countries like Iceland and Germany (getting a $250 speeding ticket in Iceland didn’t help either). I imagine that number will continue to come down the further south I travel, and the more efficiently I learn how to travel. Through October 6th I was spending $221.07/ day, through October 20th I had brought the average down to $106.44/ day, and finally through October 31st (Boo!), I was down to $97.57/ day.

I’ve lost one pen. Two of my three pairs of pants have tiny holes in the right pocket (which is how I cam to lose one of my pens). I am close to being through my first little notebook, and halfway through my sketchbook. One of my pairs of hiking socks has a huge hole in the right heel. I’ve also observed that Eastern Europeans (or Central Europeans as they like to be called) really really like 1980’s power ballads. This surprised me until I started to think a little harder about. A lot of these folks were exposed to western music (I am assuming they did not have access to it while under communist rule, but I don’t know for sure), beginning in 1989, so there is probably a strong place in their hearts for those songs, which I have seen people absolutely rocking out to... old, young, and everywhere in between, everywhere I visit. I will do a better job of documenting these songs, and perhaps putting a juicy playlist together.

Finally, enjoy my Instagram updates from the past month.