Munchen, Deutschland: Oktoberfest 2006

On the night of September 17th, my train from Paris pulled in to central Munich. I was weary, broke and almost ready to scream from all the traveling of the previous month. But, this was Oktoberfest 2006; the world's biggest party - Mardi Gras, New Year's in Times Square and Carnivale all rolled into one. I checked into the Wombat hostel and headed straight for where it rains beer. The actual stories are not for public comsumption but lets just say it involved getting assaulted by a very burly german waitress and waking up with an aussie flag faux-tatooed to my neck. The picture above was taken early in the night at the rowdiest (and full of tourists) tent of them all - Ze Hofbräu Haus. 

Two years and counting...

I just realized it's been 2 full years since I've been blogging here. I'm not a grad student anymore, not nearly as under-paid as I was before but I'm still a nomad. The spirit of this picture-blog lives on even though the name might not!
With that said, I plan to be more regular with my postings. I've got tons of pictures to add which I will in the coming weeks. This one was taken in Santa Monica beach in Los Angeles, CA last december. I spent 8 spectacular days in LA and Malibu with my family. I've got to say - any place where you can spend New Year's day at the beach is a place worth living in. 

Roma, Italia: Fontana di Trevi

The Trevi Fountain in Rome just kind of jumps out at you from one of the tiny streets there. One minute, you think you're lost and then you turn a corner and bam! there it is in all its glory. One of Rome's biggest tourist attractions was actually added as an afterthought behind a rich nobleman's mansion, back in the day. Its rather simple setting is what makes the fountain all the more outstanding. I did the whole coin-toss-over-the-shoulder thing. If it worked, I should be returning to Rome very soon. Definitely up for that!!

London, England: Piccadilly Circus

A couple take a picture before the enormous palette of neon that is Piccadilly Circus in London. I had built it up so much in my mind, but when I got there I found that it was not much more than a glorified traffic circle - London's Times Square in a sense. It still made for great people watching though, while I waited for my crew to meet me there to go out for drinks one friday night in September. 

Paris, France: Le Musée du Louvre

Awestruck tourists take pictures of the magnificent 'Venus de Milo' statue at the Louvre Museum in Paris. This is probably the second most popular exhibit at the Museum after the one and only Mona Lisa. Photography of the Mona Lisa is prohibited to prevent damage to the painting as well as to discourage unauthorised reproductions of the Da Vinci's masterpiece. 

Vancouver, Canada

I'm in Vancouver right now, the first international stop of my transatlantic journey. Everybody who's ever been here seems to love the place and with good reason. It's just mind-blowing! For one thing, everyone on the street look like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. And I don't think anyone ever works here because all the stores and stuff are packed even at 3 on a monday afternoon. wtf? This city is also home to some of the choicest Punjabi kudis this side of the world. Take it from me - this is easily one of North America's finest cities.

Ze Adventure Begins..

holy canoli, I'm going to Europe. For a month. That's right. On August 23rd, my Air Transat flight from Vancouver, Canada will touch down on to Amsterdam Schipol Airport and that's when the adventure will truly begin. I've booked a hostel in A'dam for the first few days there. It's called the 'Bulldog' and it's got a 'coffeeshop' attached to it. Hmmm. Something tells me they sell more than your usual Starbucks fare but I'll just have to find out for myself.

Today, I leave Chicago for Dallas and Atlanta to see my folks. I will be there for another three weeks before I head back to Seattle and pack up for what I like to call... 'Una Estivo negli Europa'

Ladies and gentlemen: It's been a long absence but I'm back in town, yo!