Embrace the unknown...

Since people are asking: Yes, the bombings in Brussels happened. Yes, it is sad that the world has come to this. Yes, several of my friends have friends that they haven't heard from yet, and I am praying so hard that everyone is safe. Yes, I leave for Italy on Thursday. Of course I'm a little bit nervous, but I am not scared.

I will never be scared because that's exactly what these cowards want to happen. They want the world to become scared of each other so they can divide and conquer us individually. through our paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstanding of each other. 
 

Over the next two weeks I will be seeing friends of mine from three different continents. Yes, you read that right: 3 DIFFERENT CONTINENTS: Africa, Europe and North America. Nothing, not even ISIS, could keep me away from seeing these amazing people that I have the privilege to call friends.

You can pray for a safe journey, you can send me good vibes for traveling, and those would be appreciated. But what I'd really like you to do this weekend for me is get out of your comfort zone and attend a cultural event somewhere. Go to a temple, go to a play, a concert, a foreign film, go to a different part of town that you normally wouldn't go to. Talk to someone that you wouldn't look at twice on the street.

Just experience other people's culture and have conversations with people that you normally wouldn't speak with. Pull yourself away from the screen on your cell phone and actually view the world.

The lack of understanding and disconnectedness that exists within our communities is half of the reason why the world is the way it is today. We're scared of getting out of our comfort zones and interacting with people we normally wouldn't. We don't like the unknown and that is BS. The world is an amazing place, full of amazing adventures and wonderful opportunities to create connections.\

It's time to create some more of my own, and I encourage you to do the same.

Last stop, Sweden

I just spent the most wonderful week with my friend Viktoria in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Last stop on this crazy adventure: Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Gothenburg, is the second largest city in Sweden and it's a gorgeous, peaceful port city. I've spent a lot of time during my trip in large cities that feel as though they're small towns and Gothenburg was no exception. I had such a wonderful time. It's been so great to be able to see all my friends over the past trip. I miss them all already.

I spent the days sightseeing while she was at work and I had the same question asked of me many times by local people. What sort of sightseeing can you do here? Well, there's quite a bit.

There's just enough to keep you busy during the day but not too much that you run yourself ragged trying to get to everything, like in Paris or London for example. It was the perfect fit for me during my last full week of my trip of a lifetime because I was able to relax, recharge, and enjoy my time there without feeling overwhelmed.

So what can I recommend?

Day Trip

A home in the Swedish countryside, Viktoria told me the red house with the white trim is very typical Swedish (Photo by Avery Cropp).

I spent a day with my friend's family in her hometown of Trollhattan, about a 40-minute train ride outside of Gothenburg, though if you're able to chat with a good friend on the way it feels like it's much less.  The city, despite being known currently as "The Detroit of Sweden" due to the recession, is pretty nice.  If you don't have a personal tour guide like I did you could probably spend an hour there, but you'd need to ask a local where the pretty parts of the city are.
Trollhattan is named after a rock formation in the river. When water rushes over the stones it apparently looks as though trolls are hiding under the water and all you can see are their hats.
One of the highlights of the day, besides playing several rounds of bocce ball with her grandpa, brother and dad, on the coast was a trip to the locks. They are the oldest locks in Europe, according to her dad and the area around them is lovely as you can see in the photo below.

Part of the river in Trollhattan (Photo by Avery Cropp)

The locks of Trollhattan (Photo by Avery Cropp)

View from above (Photo by Avery Cropp).

Tour

The Paddan Boat tour is a great way to see Gothenburg
 (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Now, Gothenburg, being a port city, is surrounded by moats. There's a really nice tour that you can take with a company called Paddan Tours. They take you through the city, under bridges, and into the harbor. It's a really fun tour especially when you have to get down on the floor of the boat because you're going under one of the lowest bridges in the city which they call the "Cheese Slicer". My guides were quite good and I had a nice and relaxing time. It also allowed me to get a feel of the city and see places that I wanted to stop by and explore in more detail.




Parks
There are tons of parks in Gothenburg. They are great for walks, and have plenty of people watching opportunities. I highly recommend the Gothenburg Botanical Gardens, Slottskogen (Castle Forest), and Kungsparken (Kings park).

The Gothenburg Botanical Gardens have won several awards and feature several different areas dedicated to places from all over the world. It's a beautiful walk and the scent of some of the plants is intoxicating, and it's free.

Gothenburg Botanical Garden (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Gothenburg Botanical Garden (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Gothenburg Botanical Garden (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Slottskogen (Castle Forest) used to be owned by royalty before it was released to the public. It's a huge park that is so great to walk in. The paths are well-marked, and it features some zoo-like displays with seals, penguins, birds, moose, goats, cows and tons of other animals. There's also a beautiful Café near the lake that should be a must do.

A lovely day in Slottskogen (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Seals swim in their aquarium at Slottskogen park (photo by Avery Cropp)

Belle Parc Café (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Kings Park supposedly has one of every single species of plant from Sweden in it. It's a nice place to have lunch and people-watch.

Museums and other attractions


The ruins of a Viking ship at Gothenburg Stadsmuseum
(photo by Avery Cropp)

I highly recommend that you make a visit to the Stadsmuseum or City Museum. There's a wonderful display about Vikings here that features real-life ruins of a Viking ship in an exhibit. I learned a lot about the Viking culture and it was a very informative exhibit. There's also tons of displays to check out and learn the history of the city and check out some great artifacts from all over the world. Once a main port of the East India Trading company, Gothenburg has done a lot of business throughout it's existence. I learned some things that my friend didn't know even.

Other attractions: Universeum which has many animals indoors, Liseberg which is an amusement park, and Brunnsparken which is a huge shopping area.

Other than that it's a great city to walk around and discover things on your own too.





Well, it's been quite a ride folks, but it's time to go on a hiatus now that I'm back state-side. The next time I have an adventure I'll certainly write something more here, but for now, until next time, I'm signing off. Thanks for hopping in my suitcase with me, it's been a pleasure to share this awesome experience with you along the way.

Sincerely,

 

Avery Cropp

I left my heart in Ireland

Dublin, Ireland on the River Liffey (Photo by Avery Cropp)

On my last night in Dublin, Ireland I wrote the following excerpt in my personal travel journal:

"Well, it's my last night in Ireland and I think I may be leaving my heart here when I go. I love Ireland, I could wax poetic about how wonderful it is but that could go on and on for a very long time. So to sum it up full disclosure, I came to Ireland expecting to do one thing and one thing only: Go to Irish Pubs, listen to Irish music, and try and figure out what my next chapter will be after this trip. What I found was Ireland offers so much more."

I did go to the pubs. I listened to Irish music, I bought some too.  I'm still working on what my next chapter will be when I return to the states, but I know that I will find what's meant to happen next in time.

There's a great saying I came across on a postcard while I was searching for my answers, it made me laugh and put some things in perspective.

IRISH PHILOSOPHY

 

"There are only two things to worry about, either you are well or ill

If you are well, there is nothing to worry about.

If you are sick, there are two things to worry about

either you will get better or you will die.

If you get well, there is nothing to worry about.

If you die there are two things to worry about

either you will go to heaven or hell.

If you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about

But if you go to hell

You'll be so damn busy shaking hands with all of your friends you won't have time to worry

So why worry?"



One thing I love about the Irish is their sense of humor. The other thing I love is the fact that it's a place that feels like a work in progress, and you can tell that people want to continue to make it stronger. Everyone is so nice and friendly and I know that I'll go back to visit again in the future, it's a very special place. What Ireland was for me was a series of epic moments in the course of a very short time, and as one gentleman I talked to on the street said, I've only seen about one-twentieth of the country: Dublin and the surrounding areas.

So, enough of the personal insights, if your eyes haven't glazed over yet, we'll move on to the things you touristy types all care about: things to do, places to go and adventures to have...here we go!
Traditional, chill, evening

The Celt (Photo by Avery Cropp)

The first night I was in Ireland I wanted to fulfill the Irish music in an Irish pub experience I'd been longing for, so I asked reception at my Hostel, Isaac's Hostel for a recommendation of  a chill place to relax, have a Guinness (it's not my favorite, but I tried it) and listen to some music. Kevin, who turned in to my unofficial recommendation person for the week told me to check out this pub called The Celt. If you want an authentic Irish experience this is the place to go. I knew it was going to be a good week when my favorite Irish song, Galway Girl, was played by the band right before I decided to leave the pub and head back. I spent my last night here too I loved it so much.


Guinness Storehouse

Guinness Academy teaches visitors how to pour the perfect pint
(Photo by Avery Cropp)

A must-do for any visitor. It's a great little tour that will walk you through the process of making Ireland's favorite drink, shares a little bit about how "The Black Stuff" came to be and what it's done in the community of Dublin in particular. If you've been to the Coca-Cola factory in Atlanta it's similar to this with lots of artifacts, displays, and hands-on events for visitors created to make an atmosphere of participation. Take a good look at the Atrium when you get there, let me know what the inside of the place looks like as you go through the exhibits. There's also a really nice bar on the top of the exhibits that gives you a 360-degree view of Dublin.


Day trips

I took a couple of day trips during my time here, one to a fishing village 20 minutes outside of town called Howth, and a bus tour with a company called Wild Rover tours to Kilkenny and the Irish countryside that was absolutely gorgeous.

Howth is a very pretty little fishing village. It's a place to go hiking, enjoy nature and come back with some great photographs, as you can see below.

Wild Rover tours made up for my bad experience with bus tours in London. The guide was great and we had a really fun time. The first stop was at Kilkenny, Ireland's medieval city which is a nice  town an hour's ride out of Dublin. It's very colorful, a center for crafts, and there's lots of little places to shop, eat and enjoy the Irish culture. The big attraction here is the Norman castle which is really beautiful. I wasn't able to go into it because I opted to soak up the city instead of the tourist attraction. There was a nice walk up to the big cathedral in town and there's another little cathedral, St. Mary's I believe, that doesn't cost anything to go in to.  Also nearby is Dunmore Cave that was the scene of a major Viking battle several centuries ago.

Shops and cafes line the streets of Kilkenny (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Inside St. Mary's Cathedral (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Kilkenny, Ireland (Photo by Avery Cropp)



Kilkenny Castle (Photo by Avery Cropp)

 

After Kilkenny we went into the Wicklow mountains and soaked up the Irish countryside.

We made another stop at an ancient church site called Glendalough, and the area is so beautiful that you didn't want to leave.

Other recommendations

Find a walking tour. Dublin is a relatively small city that you are able to walk from end-to-end in about an hour. Public transportation isn't something that you really need to be concerned about because it's more fun to walk around and get lost in this city than riding a bus through it from point A to Point B. If you ever do get inexplicably lost find your way back to the river and you'll be right in the center of the city and can orient yourself from there.

Check out The Gravedigger Ghost tour for a night of folklore. The evening takes place on a renovated bus where you hear all kinds of ghost stories. Tons of surprises are in store for you if you join this tour. The company is great and the actors involved in the experience are wonderful. Well worth it.

Until Next Time,

Avery Cropp

London calling...

London calling (photo by Mieke Berg)

Hello all!
Sorry for the absence recently, wi-fi has been overloaded at my hostels, and every time I started an entry here I was usually bumped off. So, as I enter the last couple days of my trip which is basically me sitting in a hotel and relaxing after a long journey, I'm going to take some time and give you a quick rundown of what I've been up to since mid-may. First entry: London, Bath and Stonehenge.

London calling and you can bet that I got the full experience, with rain almost every day, but it was still great. It's hard to be disappointed when you're in London, there's so much to see and do that it almost makes your head spin. You have to just pick the highlights that you want to hit and go from there.

London makes it easy. You can pick which areas to explore based on neighborhoods. They're pretty nicely organized so you have tons of theaters in one place, museums in another and tourist attractions in central locations.  Overall though, I think I covered some significant ground, despite being KO'd by a sick day.

Time to play tourist



Westminster Abbey (Photo by Avery Cropp)

My first full sightseeing day started in the Westminster Area which includes all the touristy things: Westminster Abbey, The London Eye, Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament. Buckingham Palace is just a short walk away from here as well.

Westminster Abbey is gorgeous! Of course, because it is so gorgeous, you're not allowed to take photos inside. They get you on the back end with amazing postcards and prints in the gift shop, which are pretty affordable. But I know I'd rather be able to share them with my readers here of course, and maybe put some on my wall. Take my word for it though, if you go, it's well worth the cost. They provide you with a great audio guide that walks you through the whole abbey.

You can spend at least three hours there just exploring and listening to the guide. Queen Elizabeth I is buried there, along with her sister Mary along with several other names you've heard throughout history books in school. The architecture is amazing and it opened in 1090 so it's seen centuries and centuries of history during it's time.  Poets corner is nice, featuring memorials to Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Shakespeare, and there are some lovely cloisters that you can walk through which pay homage to soldiers lost in battle. It was fitting considering I was there on Memorial Day. I highly recommend it.
After this I took a walk along the Thames and played photographer for some time. A couple of my favorite pictures are below, then I headed to Buckingham Palace.







Now, the Queen was in while I was there so I didn't get to tour the palace itself but seeing it from the outside was pretty cool.


Buckingham Palace (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Day trip to Bath and Stonehenge

I also took a day tour to Stonehenge and Bath. To get there I used a group called Anderson Tours, but I don't know if I would recommend them, The driver and the tour guide that were leading us seemed as though they wanted to be anywhere but there and were even late past the times we were told to meet them back at the bus, so they didn't seem to have much respect for our time. Other reviews I've seen have been positive, but just beware.

Other than that, Bath and Stonehenge were pretty cool.

Stonehenge (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Fun facts about Stonehenge that I learned with my audio tour:
-It's now believed to be a burial ground for important chieftains or individuals. Other burial mounds surround it as well.
-Another henge has been found up the river from Stonehenge and it's believed that there was a large society that lived there at one point, archaeologists are continuing to study the area
-The Druids are supposedly not connected to the area



Roman Baths (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Bath is quite a beautiful city. I would've liked to spend more time there than my tour allowed, but I did see the Roman Baths. The Baths have been excavated and are the most well-preserved roman ruins in all of England. They've been on this site since 500 BC. Yes, I totally had a history geek-out moment and the audio guide was great. After spending most of my time at the Baths (which were included in the price of the tour) I looked at Bath Abbey, walked along some nice cobblestone streets and had an ice cream in a little café before hopping back on the bus back to London.


 








Other Recommendations

The best word in the English language when travelling: Free. All museums in London are Free, which is great when you have so many rainy days. So get up, get out, and go and learn something.

Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum, they have collections that range from ancient roman antiquities to a history of Fashion and I easily spent three hours here looking at things. The collections are beautiful and so well-preserved that it's mind-blowing. An example: renaissance era textiles that look as though someone created them yesterday.

Take a trip to the British Museum, a museum of art and artifacts. It has the most extensive collection of Egyptian artifacts that I've ever seen, including the Rosetta stone. If I was Egypt I'd want my stuff back, but it's so cool to see all of these things up close and in person for Free. There's so many other things to see too, beautifully preserved art, Arabic art, and artifacts from all over the world including the Mayan culture.

Kensington and Hyde Park are great for walking around but I'd save the money and skip the tour of Kensington Palace, even if it is where Will and Kate live.

The Tower of London can easily be turned into a day long trip, especially if you have kids or those young at heart that want to explore all the towers. The line for the Crown Jewels gets pretty long pretty quickly so I'd hit that first, though the wait is well worth it. Go on a Voyeur tour which leaves every hour from the entrance to get some historical background and spend the rest of the time looking into the displays that they have in all the towers about the stories involved in them.

Until Next Time,

Avery Cropp

Paris, in Pictures

Sunset in Paris (Photo by Avery Cropp)

So, I've been trying to figure out how to write this entry for the past couple of days. But I've done so much here that I don't think I could write something that's not a book. You see, Paris is a place that is hard to put down in words. It's so beautiful that everything falls short of explanation. That's the problem with language sometimes, it's limiting, and this is coming from a long-time writer. So, since a picture is supposedly worth 1,000 words, I've picked the 17 best photos that I think can walk you through my trip here, scroll on down to see this city through my camera lens.

The Metro 

Travel around Paris is done by metro, and it's a pretty easy system to figure out.
I'd recommend buying a week-long pass for 30 Euro if you're there for that long.
 If not, buy another type of pass from the info desk or make sure you have a card that has a
chip and pin combination or else getting tickets to get on the metro can be a pain.
 (Photo by Avery Cropp)

The Eiffel Tower

Now, you know you're in Paris when you take far too many photos of the Eiffel Tower
and don't know what you're going to do with them all. These are three of my favorites.
I did go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, simply because it was on my bucket list for Paris,
but I don't know if I'd spend the 15 Euros again.
You spent more time waiting in lines than actually getting a good look out of the top of the tower.
Though the view is incredible.  (Photos by Avery Cropp)

Notre Dame

 

 

Notre Dame is the most beautiful cathedral I have ever been to.
The view from the Love Lock Bridge (top)
 the statues on the front of the cathedral, St. Dennis in particular,
 the rose windows and the gorgeous interior make you just stop and stare.
 It's also very beautiful at night as the last picture shows. (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Versailles

If you want to see the very definition of royal opulence go to Versailles. The home to famous royals such as Marie Antoinette and King Louis XIV will have your jaw dropping to the floor when you walk in. The gardens are great for a walk and the inside gives you a look at what life was like for royalty pre-revolution here in France. (Photos by Avery Cropp)

Museums

 

 

 

The Louvre is a must-do when you go to Paris, it's beautiful and the collections are extensive.
The best thing to do is pick three exhibits that you really want to see and go see them,
otherwise history nerds, like me, could spend an entire day wandering around and seeing their collection.
A walking tour guide of mine said that you could spend 7 days  straight looking at all the collections
 if you gave each piece a minute of your time. 
I'd also recommend the Musee d'Orsay,
there's no photography allowed there though so I don't have pictures from there.
(Photos by Avery Cropp)


 

Well, that's all for now I think.

Until next time,

Avery Cropp