Ben Murrell

It’s 4:00am. I’m not tired. It would seem that I don’t sleep on the weekends. So I’m going to post links to all of my publicly visible Facebook albums from my trip to Europe last summer. I never put the pictures in the posts on this site, and I never actually went through all of the pictures with anyone… but the Facebook albums have a running commentary through them that explains what’s going on and who I’m with – so enjoy!

• Friends from around the world
• Italia
• France
• Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague
• Vienna & Munich
• España
• Dublin

I just spent the last few hours typing up entries – I made it through June 10th, or day 21 of my adventure. I started adding pictures to the first few posts, but it’s pretty time consuming so I’m going to wait until I have the whole journal transcribed, then go back and add pictures. Just a heads up – if you read everything now, you’ll miss the pictures! Don’t worry though, it’s a good journal, and you won’t mind looking through it again

If you don’t want to wait on me to go through the pictures and add them to the journal (where they’re in context and make sense / have stories behind them…) you can head over to my picture site and see them all! My pictures are located at http://pictures.benmurrell.com – check it out! Quick warning though: I took a lot of the same pictures, especially in dark places. This is because I didn’t figure out the high-ISO setting until about half way through the trip, so I was struggling with holding the camera really still during long exposure times. I’d just keep taking them until I was happy with the picture… which is why you’ll see several of the same basic picture in a row. Also, it took me a while to perfect taking pictures of myself Enjoy!

I started transcribing my travel journal yesterday – for the most part it’s 1:1 with grammatical/spelling issues taken care of. When I come across confusing stuff, I elaborate or expand a bit without making any comment about it. Things in [[]] are my comments looking back, and a few times I’ve written out some reflections at the end of a post. I’m through 11 days so far, and I have 28 left to transcribe – I’ll probably finish up by the end of the week.

The transcriptions are backdated in the blog – I’ve set the publish date for each post as the actual date I wrote the journal entry. This just means that you’re not going to see the transcriptions showing up at the top of the blog – they’re more towards the bottom. For a quick listing of all of the entries, you can view the EuroTrip 2009 Journal category.

Well, I’m in Dublin now – I just landed today at 3:45 and got to the hostel around 7.

Interesting facts about the flight from Barcelona to Dublin: in Reus (where my flight left from) my visa section got looked at for the first time ever. They kept asking a lot of questions about why I had no entry stamp so I told them where I came from and when I came to Europe and stuff like that. It didn’t make sense to them that Italy wouldn’t stamp me upon arrival. They finally let me through and I got my first stamp in my passport. Then when I got to Dublin, I was asked the first time “what is the purpose of your visit?” I told them I was flying back to the US on Sunday, so they gave me a 24 hour visa. Woo, another stamp! Also, I almost missed the flight, which would have been an expensive mistake. The train didn’t leave as regularly for the airport as I thought and I didn’t check the time table beforehand. The flight left at 2:05. I got to Reus at 1:30. Got a taxi to the airport, which got me there at about 1:45. Checked my bag literally a minute before it shut down, and lined up for RyanAir’s visa check stand which took forever because of the people in front of me. No line at security – I made it to the gate at 2:00 and got on the plane at about 2:08. Phew. But I made it!

Anyways, I had an amazing time in Barcelona – it may end up being my favorite city of the trip. I met back up with Andres and Chris who I met in Berlin, I had great roommates, and I met a lot of really cool people every day. The only downsides were the constant stream of drug dealers and velocitutes in the streets at night… And the guys on the beach saying “fanta agua cola cerveza beer”, “coco coco coco”, “massahee, massahee”, and my personal favorite, “dadu dadu dadu dadu dadu dadu dadu” (this one remains a mystery to me). The velocitutes are the super aggressive prostitutes of Barcelona. Mostly they’re out to pick pockets – they grab everyone that walks by and are super annoying. Same with the dealers – they’re also out to steal your stuff and are quite agressive about it. In one night I had my butt grabbed/slapped by a velocitute and had two dealers double team me with a high five let’s dance move by one while the other wrapped his leg around mine. I made it home with all of my stuff thankfully… Unfortunately on my first night one of the guys on the beach with us during the Dia de San Juan festival had his pants stolen, and my Argentinian roommate had his wallet stolen (which he promptly recovered by breaking the guy’s nose – lost the cash in it but it still had the cards and stuff).

I’m sad to go home tomorrow – I’m looking forward to it, but I’m having the best time of my life here, and there is still (after 39 days) so much to see and do, so many people to meet, so many things to try… This just means I’m going to have to step it up back at home

I leave at 9:20 Dublin time and get to NY (JFK) at 11:55. I have 4 hours there, then I leave for KC and will land at 6:30. My job starts at 8am on Monday. Yay?

I got up at 11, checked my email, got out my copy of Crime and Punishment, and went to the roof of the hostel to read and try to get some sun before hitting the beaches of Barcelona. I read till 12:30 and thought I hadn’t really gotten any sun. I walked back inside, Facebooked, then walked to the Plaza Nueva and got a Tortilla Patata (Spanish omelet sandwich), then walked to the Corte Ingles [[big department store, like a mall all in one store]]. I found some swimming trunks and sunscreen… and didn’t buy either – they were way too expensive! I did buy some gum though. I went back to the hostel, changed & showered, then walked to the train station (I got Schwarma on the way). I decided I’d like to leave tonight and take the night train that arrives in Barcelona at 9:00am instead of the day train that arrives at 5:00pm… I got a night train reservation, walked back to the hostel, played ping pong with Collin (who I met in Seville), then said bye to Oliver. I made the final decision to leave (the reservation was only 5 euros, so I was still up in the air about leaving). I took a 1 hour Spanish course, then shared my 1.5L of sangria with David, Tatiana, and Collin before I left (David and Tatiana I met during the Spanish course). I left the hostel at 9:20 (I lost my 18 euros for the night – I had paid the day before), got to the train station, got on the train with some Irish girls from the hostel, then realized I had reserved a seat and not a bed. (When I ordered the ticket, I did it all in Spanish – the guy had a really strong accent, and I thought I had gotten a bed but I guess not. With 10 minutes left, I asked “Puedo cambiar a una cama?” and switched to a bed for 25 euros more). I’m on the night train right now and I’m looking forward to Barcelona and the Dia del San Juan festival tomorrow night

On the train, I met Felipe from Brazil on the train – we were sharing a room. He didn’t speak English, so we spoke exclusively in Spanish for about an hour – He’s from Brasilia (the Capitol of Brazil) but is living in Spain. He said I know a lot of Spanish compared to most people from the US that he has met. He also cracked some McDonald’s and Coca-Cola jokes on Americans, but I thought it was funny! We talked about a lot of random stuff – where we’re from, what he’s doing in Spain, about America and how people seem less friendly/personable there, and about Brazil, about Rio de Janeiro and its crime. This really brought the Spanish back – I had been using it a bit in Seville and Granada, but this really gave me an opportunity to practice, and it was good!

I got up at 10:30am, ate, and went on a walking tour of the Albaycin. I got done at 1:00, then walked to La Alhambra for my 2:00 entry time. I got my ticket at 1:30, then waited a bit and had ice cream, then went to get an audio guide. I got behind two girls who kept asking questions – I thought I was going to miss my entry time… But, like most people I’ve gotten annoyed with for stupid reasons on this trip, they became friends: While I walked to the entrance of the palace, I was lost and I could tell they were too. I said hi and asked if they knew where to go (no) and so we made a group and I led the way. They were Aisha and Lindsey from the San Francisco area – they were studying Spanish in Seville. When I told them my name, they groaned – something about ex boyfriends named Ben… haha. Anyways. We did the whole Alhambra together and then went and got some tinto de verano (like sangria) and tapas at a bar. They had to catch a bus back to Seville and wanted me to come back with them (aww, but I had Barcelona to get to!) I saw them off at the bus stop, got Shawarma and ate it at my hostel. I finally reunited with Oliver. I showered, then met new people in my room. Oliver, Urs (Switzerland, physicist), Ilya, Margaux, and I went for tapas and hooka (shisha). After tapas, we ended up in a cool Moroccan/Turkish hook place with fountains and couches and had green apple hookah and tea. We got home around 2:00am.

Funny story – the night before, I was a bit congested and slept on my back which apparently made me snore. When I woke up in the morning, I remembered a small girl pushing me and telling me that I was snoring – oops! It was so distant that it seemed like a dream… I asked Ilya about it later and it was her! So I woke up to a small Swedish girl beating me with her sheets from across the aisle (we were both on top bunks). She cracked me up when she retold the story – “I looked for anything I could throw at you, but I couldn’t find anything, so I rolled up my sheet and hit you with it. After one time, you stopped for a second. Then I hit you again, harder. I was so tired, I’m so sorry for being a bitch! Then I hit you again and you woke up” this is the part I remember… she said “Sleeping on your back is not allowed! You are snoring! You need to roll over!” So I did – hearing her describe it was hilarious though, how I was “so obedient” – ha! I had her teach me a bit of Swedish for that one, so I can now say hi and bye in the language that I still can’t identify!

[[Commentary]] Granada is one of the few cities in Spain that still does free tapas. As you order drinks, they progressively bring you better and better food. And it’s good – not like chips and salsa… like real food.

I haven’t posted for 10 days because I haven’t been in a hostel with free computers since Prague. I installed the WordPress app for my iPod and it lets me post without long loading times, and it has a horizontal keyboard so I can type a bit quicker. I’m writing this from Granada, España. It’s really hot here!

The last post I wrote, I wrote from Prague. That was 10 days ago. I will briefly describe what I’ve done and where I’ve been since then (yay iPod keyboard).

My path was: Prague, Vienna, Munich, Seville, and Granada. In Prague it rained basially the whole time I was there. I went out on a pub crawl and met a local who gave me a tour the next day (thanks Zuzana!). That night I went out with the same guys from the night before. The next day I left for Vienna by bus. I got there around 5 or so, and met My roommates then I met some more people in the bar at the hostel. We ended up going to a club called Chelsea which was really cool and packed. Ended up meeting a local who gave me a tour after we left at 6 (thanks Julia!). I slept till 3 then got up and went out to get some schnitzel. When I got back I ran into my roommate Simon and we decided to go see an opera. It ended up being a ballet, Anna Karenina. It was good, but I had never read the book so it was hard to follow.

After Vienna, I caught a train to München (Munich). On my first day I walked out to the Oktoberfest fairgrounds and saw the giant Bavaria statue. I walked home then it rained. I met some people from Florida, then some people from KU that I had run into in Florence. Went to the hofbrauhaus with them, then came home. The next day, I went to Dachau, then ran into some guys I met in Prague. Hung out with them and some aussie girls, then went to the hofbrauhaus with them and a guy from Munich.

On my last day in Munich, I went on a bike tour of Munich. It stopped off in the englisch gardens at the Chinese pagoda… Good times. Afterwards, I did laundry and ran into some guys I met In Berlin. We did the hofbrauhaus (again) then went to the kultfabrik club area which ended up being pretty lame. Got back at 4ish and slept till 7. Got up early cause I had a flight to Seville at 1145. Got to Seville around 5 and checked out the giralda tower. Went to a tapas bar and then a flamenco show, and then to some bars with a guy from Uruguay and 2 guys from France who were cruising in their yacht around Europe. The next day in Seville I went to all of the sights.

After Seville, I went to Granada. And this 10 day post just went to 8 or 9 because I’m tired of typing on here! More to come later!

I woke up at 9:30am (10 hours of sleep!) and had free hostel breakfast. I checked Facebook/email, then went to the train station and got my reservation to Granada. The train left at 11:50am and arrives at 2:50pm. I met a girl from Charlotte, NC on the train – she gave me tips for Granada and Barcelona. She had an Andalucia book she let me borrow for the ride. She will teach English and was here to study last year.

[[break]]

I arrived, checked in, and showered. I came out of the shower with pants on and met Dana (from Dubai) and Kendall. They were going out to a club that night and invited me along. I went downstairs, got a kebab, and met Ilya (Eeevra, from Sweden) and Margaux (from Paris). They were friends that met in London. I chatted with them while I ate, then went back to my room. I met Oliver (from Munich) – he was going to come with us also. I went down, had dinner, sangria, and sangria (somewhere in the middle, I met people from Edinburgh who confirmed that my name is indeed Scottish) with Oliver, Dana, and Kendall. I tried to get a group to go get tapas and then the club – I ended up forming a big group but it had “pink shirt Brian” (annoying guy from New York who was trying way too hard to act alpha) in it and the girls didn’t want to be around him. We split off into a smaller group (Me, Oliver, Dana, Kendall, and Natalie (from NY)). We went to a bar and got free shots but no tapas. The power kept going out there, but it was still pretty cool. Afterwards, we went to a club about 2 blocks from our hostel called Granada  10 (it used to be a movie theater) at about 2:00am. No one was there. We stayed anyways, and around 4:00am it was finally getting good. Danced with the girls, got really tired around 5:30am and walked home – while I was there I talked with Oliver a lot about Spain and Munich.

[[The next day, Oliver said that people were still lined up to come into the club when he left at 6:30am - and that the sun was up by then too. Jeez people!]]

I got up at 10:30am, took a dip in the rooftop pool, then went to the Torre del Oro. After that, I walked to the Jardines de Maria Luisa. Hung out there for a while, then went to the Plaza de España. It’s where the Naboo scenes were filmed for Star Wars. I ran into my roommates and David from my hostel. I joined them and went into the Gardens to find the Plaza de las Americas. We found a fountain (it was 40C out!) and got in for a while (I had on jeans and I had to roll my jeans up, but I had to get in because it was so hot!). After the fountain, we went to the Plaza de las Americas. We walked towards home, found a seafood festival, had chips and beer, then Dave and I climbed the Giralda tower. We came back to the hostel, then went to the grocery store and got bananas, apples, tweezers, and deodorant. We went back to the hostel, then went back to get beer. After we got back to the hostel, I got in the pool for a few hours, then showered and had the hostel’s dinner (paella). At 11 I decided to book Granada instead of Madrid, then to take a 20 minute nap and go out. I woke up at 1:00am. Doh. Brushed, changed, and went to bed.

I got up at 7:00am for my flight to Sevilla. The flight was at 11:45am or so, I left the hostel by 8:45 (1 hour train ride to the airport). I checked in (confusing airport) and got to the terminal / gate fine. On the ride I got OJ and a sandwich but had very little leg room and no window. I got to Palma de Mallorca for my connection, got off of the plane on stairs and rode a shuttle to get to the next plane. I got a front window window seat with tons of leg room and slept for about an hour. I got to Sevilla and caught a bus to the train station. On the way, I saw tons of Kansas City stuff! (Bars, streets, etc). I walked out to my hostel, then walked to the Giralda tower, the fountain, and some gardens with a Christopher Columbus monument in them.

I came home, met my dormmates, and then went on a tapas tour. I got mini-eggs (Quail) and ham and peppers and sangria. I met Hanna and Annie from New York while having tapas, then went to a Flamenco bar with the group. I had more sangria and watched some Flamenco dancers. Afterwards, I talked to Hannah, Annie, and some Aussies. Even later, I went outside and talked to Katherine from Vancouver who will be in Kabul in Barcelona when I am. In the same group, I met Thihaud and Matthew (from France) who own a yacht and were cruising along the coasts of France, Spain, and then into the Mediterranean down to Morocco. I also met Andres from Uruguay. We all went out to some bars afterward but it was mostly young (15ish)  Spanish kids. We got a cab back, and I went and booked Kabul in Barcelona when I got back (There is a festival in Barcelona on the day I’m arriving, so I wanted to be sure to have a place to stay). I eventually got to sleep around 4:00am.