Cambridge, England

I'm in Cambridge visiting some old friends.

Fun Fact about my trip:  I haven't been rained on even once.  Crazy huh?

Another Fun Fact:  A couple days ago I visited Dolly, the first cloned animal ever.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Hey my wonderful family and friends.

Sorry that it has taken me so long to post, but I've just been so busy, running around the city.
Edinburgh is by far my favorite city thus far. I love it. Anyway, I'm alive. I hope Springfield has
been okay without me. I'm going to London tomorrow, and then on to Cambridge.

I'm just going to have to tell you all my stories in person.

Brandon

Galway, Ireland

Hey everyone.  I'm in Galway.  It's pretty amazing here.  Today I'm traveling by bus to Cork.  I'm going to stay there for two days and then head back to Dublin to sleep in the airport and catch a plane to Edinburgh.  

I really love Ireland.  It's such a nice break from the ultra busy metro areas I've been in the past couple weeks.

The international oyster eating competition (or something like that) is going on in Galway right now.  From what I hear, it's pretty famous.... but maybe that's just among Galwayians.  

That's all the news for now.

Love,

Brandon

Dublin, Ireland

I'm in Dublin, staying in a fantastic hostel.  Today I am going to take a tour of the Guinness factory.  So, I'm pretty excited about that.

This past week has been pretty wonderful... I was in Rome and Cinque Terre.  

The photo here is a photo-stitched panoramic of a small town in Cinque Terre.

This was probably the most beautiful place I've ever been.... it's definitely in the top 5.

I hiked about 9km from Riggiomore to Montorosso.  Halfway through the trek, I hiked down

to the beach to swim and climb and jump off cliffs with some people I met.  It was quite fun.

More photos are on my flickr account.  www.flickr.com/photos/thebrandongoodwin

Anyhow, I'm off to Galway on Thursday and then Edinburgh on Sunday... then Cambridge on the next Wednesday.  I really tried to not plan my trip too far in advance, but I've learned that it's much cheaper and easier if you plan ahead.... and book ahead.... who would have thought?

Love

Brandon

Cinque Terre

Hey everyone. Im alive and well in Cinque Terre. Thats all I really have time to tell you.
Love

Brandon

More Pictures!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebrandongoodwin

Rome, Italy

Note:  Since uploading pictures to this blog is such a pain, from now on I will be uploading them to my newly created flickr account.

So to access sweet pictures from my travels please go to 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebrandongoodwin

As of now I have uploaded any pictures I have of graffiti in different parts of Europe.

So here's the truth about Barcelona...  everything of value was stolen out of my bag while I was walking down a very busy street in the center of town.  My passport, credit cards, money and rail pass were all taken.  It was sort of a crap situation but with the help of Tony, (the bald guy)

I was back on my feet in no time.  It's really a pretty amazing story.  I would love to tell you in person some time.  All that to say, I'm glad to be in Rome.

The last photo is a shot from the balcony of my hostel in Madrid.  It was quite beautiful.  I was in an extremely busy part of town, but I found my way to this fantastic park.  In the middle of the park was a small lake that you could take boats out on.  I would have to say that this park was the best thing I found in Madrid.  

So what was the worst thing I found in Madrid?  For me it was most certainly the bull fight I decided to go to.  I get it, there is culture and courage that surrounds this sport, but the bull fighting stadium I went (the main one in Madrid) to was packed with tourists.  I guess I didn't realize they killed the bull.  I thought they just made it run through the cape and what-not.  Nope, I was mistaken, it was a bloody mess.  I didn't much care for it.  I was pretty disappointed.  I even grew out a mustache to wear to the bullfight (as shown in photo).  All that mustache for nothing... 

However, I did catch a rather unusual moment on tape, so I guess it was worth my 10 Euros.  

You can see it at:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsTHXk_AOcl   

So after Madrid, I caught an overnight train to Barcelona.  I was really liking it until some wanker stole all my stuff.  Below is a picture of the streets of Barcelona.  Above that is a photo of some friends I made the night of my pick-pocketing incident.

Anyhow, I'm in Rome now and all that is behind me.  I am staying in the best hostel I've ever seen in my life.  It's dirt cheap, has free internet and breakfast, and it's right on the Mediterranean.  I might end up staying here for a few extra days.  Who knows? 

I have met so many wonderful people and this trip has given me so much perspective and inspiration.  The more I think about it, the more thankful I am for this opportunity.  I'm trying to decide whether I want to go to Dublin or Istanbul next.... or maybe Amsterdam or Munich... I don't know.  Feel free to chime in and leave me your suggestions.

Love,

Brandon  

Barcelona

Hey Everyone. I dont have much time to write today, but all is well.

Love,
Brandon

Madrid, Spain

Hello again dedicated followers of my journey across Europe.  I am in Madrid.

This is maybe the coolest city I've been to so far.  I didn't think that I would be

that crazy about Spain, but Madrid is so much cleaner than Paris.  I'm staying in

an expensive hostel and I'm going to a real life bull fight tomorrow.  I'm not sure

if I'm going to like it or be horrified by it... I guess we'll see.  I'll post some more pictures

when I get a chance.  

Much Love.

Brandon

Photos from Paris

The first few photos are self explanatory.  Mona Lisa... Venis de Milo... we're at the Louvre.  It's like the bass pro of Springfield, except it's almost 500 years old.  Then some English and Scottish guys taught me how how to play rugby and we tossed the ball around.  It was brilliant.  Tonight I am going to a world cup rugby match... that too will be brilliant.

I love you all.

 

Photos

Here are several random photos.  Enjoy.

Every train stop in europe

Had some dinner at zemzem in Lillie Flanders, France

Train station at Lillie Flandres

One of those things on the ferry from Dover, England to Calais, France

Paris, France

Hey everyone.  I'm safe and sound in Paris, France.  I'm about to go to the Louvre and then to Notre Dame.  It should be a good day.  You're looking at a photo of downtown Lillie Flanders, France.  We stopped here for about an hour before heading to Paris.

Detroit to Dover

Friends and family, My flight from Detroit to London went well, and somehow I've found my way into Dover, England.  I have stumbled across an internet cafe after aimlessly wondering it's aged, cobble-stoned streets.  It is quite beautiful.  There is a large castle up on the hillside that I think I'm going to try to walk to.  (Dover Castle)

I can't write much, as I'm paying for internet by the half hour.  You're looking at a picture of the English coastline at Dover for the ferry that took me to Calais, France.  Up on the hill, on the left side, you can kind of see Dover castle on top of the glorious white cliffs.

Liberty, MO USA

If you're reading this, I suppose you know I'm off to Europe.  I've decided to create a blog to keep you up to date about my travels over the next month.  I look forward to filling this web space with hilarious photos and exaggerated stories.

This time tomorrow, I will be flying over the Atlantic ocean.

Here's a picture Morgan took of me while I was creating my blogging account.