Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is an interesting place...Before I moved to London in the fall of 2008 I made a list of the top 5 places I wanted to visit while I was Europe-bound. Prague was right up there. I got my first taste of Eastern Europe when I visited Poland in the summer of 2009 and loved every beer-soaked minute of it. Later that year, Alison and I went on a family trip to Budapest and were impressed by the beauty and scale of Hungary's capital. Needless to say, by the time we made it to Prague in February 2010 (and perhaps against my better judgment), I had my preconceptions.

I'd always heard good things about the city - I mean, the Czech's drink more beer per capita than anywhere else in the world, so what's not to like? And it's not that I didn't like it, I guess it's just not what I expected. What's important to remember for any Prague-bound traveler is that you're not going to discover some up-to-recently isolated Eastern-bloc city, where tourists are few and far between. This city has been discovered, with increasing fervor over the last decade or so, by North American gap year students and British stag-and-doe partiers hopping over on cheap inter-Euro flights for a weekend of debauchery.

That being said, the city does have a lot to offer, and is perhaps the ideal Eastern European city to visit for those looking to get a taste of what lies beyond the Deutschland. The beautiful old town's cobbled streets beg to be explored, as do the city's churches and bridges. The food (though Eastern European through and through) was some of the best of it's kind that I'd had. And of course the beer - unpasteurized Budvar...need I say more! (It just occurred to me that I've now turned to the topic of beer twice in three posts and I'm marginally worried this could be a recurring theme). This photo of frost-bitten old town rooftops was taken from the main square's Týn Church (which also holds the 'famous' Astronomical Clock - voted most disappointing tourist attraction in Europe!) Looking back at it now I'm wondering why we chose to go to a snow-drenched country in the dead of winter...but I'm also reminded of the great things we got so see - Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the beer-halls of Novy Mesto...In retrospect it would seem I was a little harsh on Prague and, in fact, the city does have some real-gems, as long as you avoid the tourist path (ie, five-story mega-club Karlovy Lazne). One piece of advice to prospective Prague-bound travelers: don't go in winter!

Merzouga, Morocco

When I think back to my trip to Morocco, I'm confronted with a series of juxtaposing images and emotions. The country was nothing like I'd expected. I'd traveled to the Near East before, as well as to a few developing countries in Asia, and I suspected Morocco would be a mix of the two, with a little African flavour thrown in. And although in retrospect it seems I might have been on to something, the reality was in many ways different. The country holds some absolute gems - like the mountain-set, blue tinted Chefchaouen - but unfortunately (and I believe some of my fellow travelers would agree) it is important to seek out a Morocco that suits your traveling needs and wants.

Marrakesh itself is a chaotic jumble of cars, trucks, buses and donkey-pulled carts all making their way through the ever-confusing non-linear streets. People are everywhere, transporting goods, selling things you don't need and generally (at least it seemed that way) providing misdirection and misinformation. We visited in late August 2010, during Ramadan and (what turned out to be) the greatest heat any of us had ever known. One day after lunch we saw the mercury hit 53° C. No joke. The heat, combined with the reality that it was difficult to find food during daylight hours and the fact that a group of us had been traveling together for five weeks, make for interesting memories of Morocco.

So why did I post this photo? Was it to bring back all the mixed memories of a truly unforgettable country? I'm not sure really. This photo comes from a camel-ridding trek that took us into the Sahara and towards the Algerian border. To get here we left Marrakesh early on a Monday morning and drove for two days stopping at various little towns and 'attractions' along the way. Just outside the town of Merzouga we boarded camels and rode into the dessert for two hours, stopping just before sundown to stay over night with a Berber tribe.

I suppose I like this photo because it reminds me of all the natural beauty Morocco has to offer. I look at this photo and I don't remember that I was recovering from food poisoning at the time; or that the night before Alison and I found a scorpion in our hotel bedroom. I look at it and remember riding into the dessert on a camel, smile firmly planted on my face with Ben's child-like cries of adventure ringing in my ears. I suppose that it is a testament to the power of nostalgia. Nonetheless, I always remember what I tell people who ask me how Morocco was: it's the country I'm most happy I'd been to, but also the one that I'm in least rush to get back.

Again, any questions on Morocco related tourism, just let me know...

Brussels, Belgium

This photo comes from a July 2010 trip to the Belgian capital. Often over-shadowed by its larger (and occasionally disgruntled) neighbours, Belgium is an utterly beautiful, fascinating and underrated country to visit. The people are friendly, the landscape (though quite flat) is picturesque and the food is great! And the beer...how could I forget the beer! Of course, the country is also known for its chocolate production, but for me this visit was all about liquid gold. The Belgian's are renowned for brewing thousands of different kinds of delicious hoppy goodness - not bad for a country with a population of 10 million people and the size of Ontario's Golden Horseshoe.

Brussels itself is a great place to explore for a long weekend. The beautiful medieval Grand Place is the heart of the old town, and is likely what visitors think of when picturing the capital, but there is so much more. The face of modern Belgium, Brussels is as diverse as the legislative bodies that fuels the city. Home to the EU Parliament and NATO HQ, Brussels has a transient, multi-cultural population that allows the modern to co-exist with the medieval.

This photo shows the skyline of the Grand Place and Old Town at sundown. In late-July 2010 we started out on a five-week Euro-trip that turned into a two and a half month adventure. As Brussels was the first stop along the way I thought it was only appropriate for it to be the first photo on this blog.

Of course, anyone interested in travel-related, practical information on Brussels please let me know - I'll be happy to provide any info I still remember on sight-seeing, accommodation, eating and, of course, drinking!

The First Post

Hello out there to all my non-existent readers,

I suppose I'm writing this because hopefully one day I will have people actually reading my blog and looking at my photos and wondering how (and why) it all started. So what is the purpose of this blog? It's quite simple really: this blog came about for reasons of excess free-time, self-deprecation, narcissism and the desire to stay 'fresh', in terms of writing. As I am now toying with the idea of getting into a potential career that will likely involve writing, I thought I should get all the practice I can. Also, since I'm also looking for a place to show off my photos, I thought this blog might also fulfill that function.

Ok, so I suppose that that covers the reasons (for better or worse) that I'm devoting my not-at-all valuable time to writing the blog, but what is the purpose - or more baldly, what can you (the potential, but so far non-existent reader) expect from my blog. My goal is to post one photo a week and write about it. It's quite simple really. For the most part the photos will come from my traveling adventures, because the one thing I have done in the past 3 years is a hell of a lot of traveling.

I suppose that's it for me. I'd really love any and all comments (good or bad) in order to improve what I'm putting up.

Enjoy,


JR

PS: I almost forgot! If you like my blog (or if you don't like it), make sure to check out this great blog for new and exciting things to do, and random, useless op-ed pieces:

http://boredomnomore-dom.blogspot.com/