travel round the world

So. Interrail is out. I watched Hostel. But thats not the reason, I won’t be going to my planned conferences in Portugal and France. I will be an hour away at the exact time presenting at a conference in Plymouth.

It’s either that or giving a departmental seminar and going through a viva again. I still havn’t recovered from last years’.

I’m hoping for a weekend in Paris at best mid-summer.

I’m going travelling in Europe this summer – second week of June to be exact. I don’t particularly have much money, or afford to take 2 weeks off my research – but i need to do this NOW! Well, in June.

Anyway, i have a conference in Portugal, for which i have volunteered to be a student collaborator. Which means i’ll be allocated a stream closest to my research and ‘ill be responsible for equipment etc etc, in return i get to attend gratis. That way, my dept. only pays for flight and board. Not that i have much money left from my yearly allowance.

After the conference in the Algarve, i plan to buy the Eurail pass, for 2 weeks going around west Europe. First stop is Spain, i plan to go to Granada and Madrid. Then France – Provence and Paris, Then Benelux: Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxemberg which happen to be counted as one country on the Eurail pass, yayy! Last stop will be Amsterdam and i’ll catch a ferry from there to Dover, and get a train back to Exeter. No itinerary, ie. how many days to spend where etc. I’m just taking two weeks off (incl. 3 days for the conf. – so 11 days in all) and just hop on and off trains, meeting new people (and freaks) and enjoying myself the way i know how.

I’ve already checked prices, budgeted, taken tip from friends, reading through cheap student guides and tips – and i think i can do it all on a budget of ~ £500 – with hostels and dingy B&B’s. Phew – now i can’t wait for June. It is small, and short, and cheap – but parts of the dream are finally coming to fruition. I can’t really think of anything more that i can ask for.

and i’m lovin’ it. i arrived this morning and i think i’ve already pretty much seen all that there is to be seen in the historic center. beautiful is an understatement. i’ll have the pictures posted on slide.com at some point when i get back. though i don’t have a travel adapter and my camera batteries are fast running out.

i have booked a ‘Prague by boat’ tour with the conference organizers on Tuesday and i just can’t wait. i’ve only been here about 12 hours and already what an experience. now so tired i can hardly type now, so it’s goodnight. gotta go read a bit before my conference starts at the crack of dawn tomorrow.

it occured to me a few days ago that if i was to travel to 4 different countries a year, it’d still take me 48 years to go round the 192(3) countries in the world. and thats just for the politically correct soverign states! territories like northern ireland, puerto rico, palestine, taiwan, kashmir etc are not even in the equation. and i’m more interested in visiting them!

considering ineither have the money (no where close!!!) and time guarantee (who says i’m alive tomorrow) it’s pretty darn depressing.

Japan

- attend an elite sumo wrestling tournament
- go to a geisha palour and have them serve me tea
- wake up early and go to tokyo’s fish market (supposedly the largest in the world)
- re-learn origami
- experience haiku at its best

i have always been fascinated my the japanese culture.

i also so want to visit all cliched (mostly movie) places like Rio de Janeiro, Montmartre, Avignon, Havana, Casablanca etc.

i’m leaving for prague next week for a conference. i just can’t WAIT!

but it’s still travel. i’m going to prague next month for a conference and i just can’t wait.

a friend just told me a fun trip she had coming over from dublin – took a ferry to wales and caught a train from there. i wish i could do something like that. will look it up.

where next? who knows?

one place at a time. budge by budget, bit by bit. i love the idea of travelling and learning so much stuff, but no opportunity, no money, no time.
using my research to get started. i’ve about seen all of england – i’ll do europe and then take on the world. who knows? thinking of working for a year each in a chinese and an indian university when i graduate.
about the only dream i have. so i gotta make it happen.