GALWAY, THE CLIFFS OF MOHER, AND THE ROCK OF CASHEL- The next day I took off for Galway, a charming little town on the middle of the west coast of Ireland. I tried to find a place to wathc some Rydre Cup action but was relegated to just grabbing a bite to eat and making my way to the Cliffs of Moher, which were probably the coolest thing that I saw while in Ireland. They are a set of towering sea cliffs which drop off straight down to the ocean at their outermost edge.

I spent the night in Killarney before heading off to the Rock of Cashel. It is an old ruin of a castle and cathedral that sits high upon a hill overlooking a valley. It is also rumored to be where St. Patrick explained the Trinity using an Irish clover. After the Rock I had to return my car to Dublin and then take a bus to Belfast in order to catch my flight to Scotland the next day.

NORTHWEST IRELAND & BUNDORAN- We got up early and I gave him a ride to the docks for his ferry to Scotland. I went back to the hostel and met a nice Scottish-Canadian man named John who needed a ride to Donegal, since that is where I was heading I obliged and we agreed to split the cost to get there. There were some amazing coastal views all the way there which ended in the Slieve League cliffs, the highest sea cliffs in all of Europe. They were cool and even though the clouds were covering half of them you could still feel the sheer monstrosity that they held. After dropping John off at Donegal I reached Bonduran.

Bundoran is right on the coast, so as soon as I got up I raced down to the local surf shop and rented a board and wetsuit. I charged the waves, catching a few and realizing how out of shape I was, for it has been quite a while since I last paddled out. I hung out in town all day before taking in a pint with some nice fellows from Brighton that I met at the hostel.

DUBLIN, BELFAST & THE GIANTS CAUSEWAY- I arrived on a flight from Dublin, and made my way to a wonderful tour of the Guiness Brewery where I enjoyed a complimentary pint while I took in views of the city from the 7th story sky bar. I walked around town a little bit to get the feel for the city, but I am tired of cities, and ready to see some lovely Irish countryside.


The next day I rented a car and headed north for the Giants Causeway. It is a one on a kind set of rock formations that are made up of thousands of prism shaped basalt columns surrounded by majestic cliffs. Then I headed down to Belfast where I met up with Matt again. We shared stories of our past travels and then hit the hay.

OKTOBERFEST- I figured if I was anywhere in Europe near September 16, I had to try and make it to Oktoberfest. It was a crazy festival. It was contained in a giant fairgrounds area with everything an amusement park/ fair would have, including rollercoaster rides and all kinds of foods. The difference here was about the beer. There where probably anywhere from 10-20 beer tents on the premises as well. Only these tents were as big as a high school gymnasium, and they were overflowing with not only Germans in Leiderhosen but people from all over. I walked into a few of the tents but was unableto find a seat. I finally found one on a table just outside the tent and had a merry old time with the new friends I met. I ended up hanging out with them the rest of the night and we even all went to dinner. It was a great time and I am glad I stayed around for it.

The next day i took a train to Frankfurt and after that I am flying to Ireland!

SALZBURG- Coming to Salzburg I really didn't know what I wanted to see. I ended up cruising around the old town area and ran into some city founder's celebration parade. I also tried to see a few of the places made popular by the Sound of Music. When I got back to the hostel that night, they were just starting the Sound of Music, so I stayed and watched. It was cool to see some of the places I had just been at in the movie. Salzburg is a beautiful city, and I'm glad I went there.

THE VIENNA OPERA HOUSE- On my way back from Krakow I stopped in Vienna for the night because I wanted to see an opera. The Opera House was gorgeous, but the opera itself wasn't that great. Beautiful music and singing, just a bad story. It was still a great experience.

KRAKOW- I wasn't sure what to expect when heading to Krakow. I ended up meeting some really cool travelers there, and hanging out with them, playing basketball, making dinner. It was a really fun and friendly environment at my hostel. Krakow is also really cheap, so I was able to do more things. The city itself is cool how it is set up. I has on of the biggest squares in all of Europe. The castle is pretty cool there too. The first morning I went to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the biggest Nazi death camp, where 1.5 million people were killed. It was unreal to actually be on those grounds, and a chilling experience I will never forget. I also went to Schindler's factory. I really liked Krakow and wished I could have stayed even longer than 3 nights.

VENICE- The guys that I traveled with earlier decided that they didn´t want to go to Venice because they weren´t traveling with their girlfriend. Although it would have been optimal to be with your lady Venice, I still did not want to miss out one of the most unique cities in the world. It was truly remarkable to walk down the tiny streets and over the many canals. I had to take a waterbus every time I went to the hostel! St. Mark´s square is also a beautiful place. The next time I come, I´ll make sure to bring my wife, but for now, it was a worthwhile trip and I am sad to be having my last bit of Italian food and Gelato.

LEICHTENSTEIN- The fourth smallest country in the world, I decided to visit Leichtenstein because I had some time to kill before my night train to Venice and no good reason not to go. I went to the country´s capitol, Vaduz. They have a castle where the King lives and beautiful mountains surrounding the whole country. I just walked around the town for a little while and then headed back towards Zurich. Now I can say I´ve been to Liechtenstein!

THE MATTERHORN- I figured if I had time, there was no way that I could go to Switzerland and not see the Matterhorn. Once you see it, you are drawn to it and can't help stare at it from wherever you are. Part of my fascination probably comes from growing up and seeing it when I went to Disneyland, or any time I drove north on the 5 Freeway. Zermatt is the little town underneath it that I stayed in. The second day I was there I did a beautiful hike up near the base of it, and had amazing views of not only the Matterhorn, but also the little town of Zermatt as well as the surrounding mountains, most of which had snow on them. I had a some good pizza the second night where I had a nice chat with the South African expats who owned it. Switerland is so amazing, and I am sad that I have to leave.

GIMMELWALD- Switzerland is amazing. Earlier, when we were in Interlaken, it was overcast and rainy nearly the whole time, so we missed some of the beauty and the grandeur of the Alps. So I decided I would go back, hopefully with some good weather. Dan Combs, who went to Europe 2 summers ago, told me when I was in Switzerland I had to go to a little town on the edge of a mountain called Gimmelwald, and so I did. Thanks Dan. The town is about 2000 or so meters high, and you have to take a gondola to get their. It's really tiny and it gives you a front row seat of some of the most amazing snow covered mountains you've ever seen. The hostel there is extremely fun as well. The second day I was their I went on a hike to a few gorgeous waterfalls, and got up real close to some glaciers as well. The picture above is taken from just next to the hostel and it pretty much just speaks for itself.

THE BODENSEE- Lake Konstanz is a beautiful lake that is situated at where Switzerland, Austria, and Germany collide. Stephanie Philp lives and works at a torchbearers Bible School called Bodenseehof that is located on the German shore of The Bodensee (What Germans call Lake Konstanz). I stayed at the Bible school with her and it was an awesome time to relax and not have to do much sightseeing for a bit. I turned 24 while i was there which was exciting but kind of strange to have your birthday in a different country. It is also strange to be in my mid 20s. Thanks to all of you who wished me a happy birthday through email or blog comments or whatever. On the third day there I went and saw the Neuschwanstein Castle, which is the one that Walt Disney modeled the Disneyland castle after. It was reall cool but it took too long to get there and back. I was bummed cause I didn't get to watch the SC football game but excited when I heard that they won. Next I am going back to Switzerland for a few days.