Aaaah ze Germans

Aah ze Germans

After a grueling 6 hour train ride into Berlin from Amsterdam, and 3 separate train crossings, we made it to Berlin Hbf (Hauptbahnhof), and needless to say we were pretty tired from the incessant train swopping and the need to listen very carefully to what the instructor was saying. During our train-ride we changed seats no less than 5 times, primarily because we had absolutely no understanding of how the train network in Germany works, as well as our seats being taken up by some stubborn Germans. After marveling at the country-side for 6 hours, the scenery becomes very drab and monotonous. We could see we were approaching Berlin because high rise buildings were becoming frequent, and people inside the train were stirring in order to jockey for a better position when required to exit the train. In case you have never done the train or ferry system in Europe, it is pure insanity. People push and pull in order to get on whatever vehicle there is, and there is no age limit for this sort of behavior as I learnt the hard way in Italy after nearly being thrown off the boarding plank by an 80 year old granny carrying a dog.

After quite a busy time in Amsterdam, we unanimously voted in favor of having a chilled time in Berlin and a relatively chilled time in Munich. We arrived at the Hbf and quickly took to searching for a taxi in order to get to our hotel. Our hotel was a few kms from the station and this allowed for us to drive straight through what would seem to be the center of Berlin, although the taxi driver claimed there was no such centre rather hubs of activity, I personally think he got a shipment of the green stuff from Amsterdam prior to us hopping into the taxi.

We drove straight through Berlins main attractions and one that sticks out is the Tiergarten in central Berlin. It is very similar to Hyde Park or Central Park, huge open spaces filled with trees and people taking their dogs for a walk. Another thing I loved about Berlin was that it felt safe, like we could be in any area at anytime of the day or night and we would emerge unscathed.

We arrived at our hotel, Precise Casa Berlin, and I cannot imagine it being in a better location. We were a 50m walk from the main road in Berlin, and in main road I mean the best road for shopping for Alice and eating for me. The road was called Schluterstrasse, and I highly recommend you visit this neighborhood of Berlin should you find yourself in the city. After the 6 hour train ride, we were both pretty tired and hungry so first port of call was getting some food into the Belly, and we found a local cafe just 200m down the road, I asked for the specialty and was served one of the best pastas of my life, it was a fettucine pasta with porcini mushrooms, onion and fillet steak strips. I am still trying to find a restaurant that rivals this dish, so far I am unsuccessful. Whilst in Berlin we visited this huge shopping centre called KaDeWe which is like a Harrods, minus the pretentiousness. KaDeWe was about a 2km walk from our hotel, and along the way there were all kinds of shops, so the 2km walk took about 2 hours. We eventually got there, and had a pretty substantial look around. The main attraction of the place was the foodhall so it was pretty hard peeling myself away from this area.

Seeming we were in Germany, and Alice’s ancestry, we made our way to the holocaust memorials, and what seemed at first to be just hundreds of cement blocks, became meaningful after reading a synopsis of what the memorial represents. The memorial is also just 100m from the Brandenburg gate which is an arc de triomphe type building, which also follows along an incredible avenue to the Berlin Victory Statue.

After the Brandenburg gate, we took a stroll through the tiergarten, where Alice went in search of dogs that would resemble her fluffy companions back at home. She really misses her dogs and cat, Jessie, Cassie and Louis, so she seizes an opportunity she is given. People in Europe are really protective over their animals so over the travels it has resulted in some proud owners acknowledging their pets as well as some protective owners thinking Alice is some sort of animal thief.

My most memorable part of Berlin would be the Bier-bike, which is an 8-man mobile bar, it requires 8 people plus a barman, and whilst you sit at the bar and sip on your beer, you peddle, and the barman steers you around Berlin in this piece of engineering genius. I first heard of it from Rob Draper and Grace Hampshire, and would not relent until I witnessed this marvel for myself.

 If you find yourself in Berlin with some mates, be sure to visit www.bierbike.de, and you will go on a drinking tour like no other.

After saying goodbye to Berlin, I reflected on how beautiful the city was, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It has something for everyone, and I will definitely be returning to the city.

We boarded a plane from Berlin to Munich and after a quick hope to Munich, we arrived in a city famed for the Oktoberfest, and you can feel the spirit as well as drinking culture once you arrive.

We stayed at a Hotel, Kings First Class, and it was perfect for our short stay in the city, if anything it was maybe a little far from the central attractions of Munich.

Whilst in Munich we made our way to the Marienplatz which is a huge square with an unbelievable cathedral, and is always home to good restaurants albeit pretty expensive, as well as toursist, lots and lots of tourists. You can always pick up the Americans in a crowd because 9/10 they are the ones making the most noise. After some sight seeing on day 1, we headed off to a local beer garden where I enjoyed my first Munich beer garden, and I quietly took in the occasion as well as the road we have been on in getting here.

First mini-beer garden.

On Day 2 we did some more sightseeing, and Alice even suggested we take a Munich City sightseeing bus, and although there were hundreds of the busses on the streets we couldnt find a bus stop for them. Alas, we made our way to a little market where Alices love for fruit clouded her judgement, and after gathering a punnet of what must have been 200-300 grams of cherries, she approached the counter where she was charged 20 euros for some red balls of fruit. To her astonishment she found herself paying the full price, and when questioned why she said “I felt too bad, and I couldnt say I didnt want them anymore... I got embarrassed”. I think her father needs to give her some tips in the art of bargaining.

After the fruit market, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up for a restaurant that I was referred to by a friend Henning Rehder, a Munich local. The restaurant was called Las Olas, and is a tapas restaurant with a difference. The entire experience is orchestrated by iPad, your order everything from the ipad, and if you cant decide on a wine from the ipad, you take a walk over to the immense wine bar, which is at your disposal. You swipe your key card at the wine of your choice and it shoots out a sample of the wine. If you like the wine, you request a full glass. This restaurant, to me, is headed in the right direction. The waiters were there solely for the purpose of delivering your meal and providing a human presence. The food at this restaurant was unbelievable, I order 5 dished and each one was unbelievable, not to mention the high caliber of wine that was tried.

Ally on the iPad, ordering away at my dismay.

My lasagna.

The iPad/ menu at Las Olas.

This was also a perfect restaurant for Alice, because the iPad provided entertainment as well as a synopsis of each meal, as well as a picture of the meal you can expect. It was a culinary master-stroke by the owners, and I suggest this restaurant to anyone who visits Munich. My lasagna was one of the better ones I have experienced, ever!

Along our journey, we realised that we needed to culture ourselves and once again get perspective on how fortunate we are to be experiencing the world, and at this stage Munich. That being said, we headed to Dachau, which was one of the main concentration camps during World War 2, and the impact that the holocaust had on those affected by it.

We caught the train to Dachau, which is actually a little town about 20 mins out from Munich, and when we arrived the full impact hit us. The town is full of WW2 memorials and memorabilia, and on the bus we could sense we were approaching the grounds of something very ominous. Upon arrival you are greeted by a flurry of tourists, and after wading through the masses we arrived at the info counter where we purchased listening aides that were there in order to guide us through the property.


The Jewish memorial. No disrespect, but I personally felt that they deserved something more substantial. Perhaps there is a meaning I am missing, but considering the history of these camps I thought that the camp would have something more meaningful.



These rectangular objects represent the 10X100m boarding establishments within the camp.

What a haunted ground, it was barren and desolate as it was hot. It makes you realize the harsh circumstances that these humans were put through. We went through the museum and I could see Alice slowly slinking into a darker place. The concentration camp was especially hard for her because she has family as well as knows people who were at this camp or camps very similar to this. We walked the barren pathways in search of shade from the relentless sun, and it make you realize that in mind of everything, we are experiencing a tiny, minuscule fraction of what they experienced and we couldnt even cope.

We went through the sleeping/boarding establishments and the bunks that housed dozens of jewish people were still erect, and served as a stalk reminder of the hardships that they endured even when sleeping. We visited the jewish and christian memorials, and it was harrowing to realize that the jewish memorial was the smallest of the lot. Onwards we pressed into the hardest location of the camp, the first gas chamber as well as the crematorium. This was Alice’s hardest location and one that haunted us even after we had left.

We both felt the need to give the camp a once over, and then leave this place. Not out of lack of respect, but because we were both so emotionally disturbed that we could absorb no more.

Once we got back to Munich, we tried to lift our spirits by visiting the Hofbrauhaus, as I knew this would be the only location that would lift my spirits. It certainly did, I had one or two streins of their finest ale, and after fitting in a meal at a local restaurant, we pressed back to the hotel for an early departure to Italy.



Hofbrauhaus




Looking back on our time in Germany, it was an incredible place. Steeped in history, both good and bad, and we are the better for it. If we had a choice, we wouldve pressed on to Hamburg, but Italy awaits, and so does the experience.

Shmoke and a Pancake

 Firstly, apologies for not being on time with these blog posts, we are traveling and as such there is very limited internet connectivity as well as limited chill time, which is what traveling is about I suppose. Its funny how you appreciate the little things so much more when they are not readily there, internet, fresh washing and clothes, and mainly FOOD are things that are now greatly appreciated. Since we last spoke we have scoured the streets of Amsterdam and its Red Light District where we picked up an unlikely tourist, trained it to Berlin albeit nearly missed all the connecting trains, perused  through Munich and pushed and shoved our way through into Southern Italy where we are currently.


Amsterdam...

We arrived on 14th July and after smoking our first joint of weed we blacked out until we left on the 18th. The End.

Just Kidding. Contrary to popular belief, no weed or hallucinogenic was inhaled, swallowed or administered.

Amsterdam was the jolt we needed for us to realize that we were now, officially, on our own and on our way into a world that we had seen from behind very rose-tinted glasses. Europe is an interesting place, firstly the arrival gates are shared with the departure gates, so there is just a flurry of people coming and going. We were collecting our baggage when I recognized a familiar face, one I last saw in the nightlife of Cape Town. I identify Anthony Jacobs, a friend from Cape Town who I studied with at UCT, and shortly after saying hello he introduces myself and Alice to an Aussie guy Stephen Dash, who coincidentally is from Sydney and knows my cousins. This world is too small, we came traveling so we wouldn’t know anyone, but nevertheless the company was welcome. After exchanging details after a very interesting train ride to the central station, we head off in our separate directions with the intentions of meeting up once more.

We arrive at our Hotel, drop our bags, unpack, and all of a sudden we remember that we are starving, what we failed to remember is that this is Europe and it is frighteningly expensive, especially to a South African. We made our way to Rembrandt Square which was a short walk from our hotel, and were fortunate to experience a full blown Saturday experience in Amsterdam, with all the bars full, and I mean all the bars (weed included). The Ireland X-Factor winner was playing in the square, and he was accompanied by a fat welsh-man in red spandex who ,I can only assume, was on his bachelors party otherwise there is no excuse in the world good enough to make up for the way he was behaving.

So after some laughs and a horrific first bill of 30 euros for two bowls of soup and a Heineken, we slink back to our hotel all of a sudden very aware and somewhat afraid of how expensive this traveling experience could be. Sunday morning we wake up to a beautiful European summers day, oh wait, thats what it was supposed to be, instead we were greeted by rain and a very gloomy looking forecast. We decide it would be best to visit the local flower market (can’t believe I am publicly stating I went to a flower market).



The rain continued and the necessity to get some hydro-phobic attire was increasing by the second, I opted for a hand yellow rain coat that I still have with us, and Alice unfortunately opted for what seemed to be a black umbrella. Only after making the purchase and getting onto the streets did she realize she had made the incredible purchase of a unique to Amsterdam Umbrella.




After a long day of trying to get our bearings around Amsterdam, some car and bicycle dodging, we retired to a local Italian restaurant where I had one of the best lasagne’s (outside of home), I have ever had as well as some freshly brewed Heineken Draught, and Alice asked for a large Coke so she also got a draught sized Coca-Cola.




Day 3 in Amsterdam, and we figured we needed to find out the inner details of this city, so we called up none other than our friend from the airport, Mr Anthony Jacobs. He assured us that he had already been to the Red Light District a few times and by now he knew his way around... not sure if thats a good or bad thing?
We met up at Rembrandt Square and slowly made our way to the Red Light District, and along the way we found a store that provoked Alice into her first purchase of the trip, as well as encouraged Ant to take some ‘free’ samples of the sweets. The shop was aptly named Party Pills and Alice did not want to leave.



After roaming the Red Light District and seeing some very unsavory characters both in-front of and behind the glass doors, we once again said our farewells with the intentions of meeting up again tomorrow to have one final look around the district. Day 4 and we figured we needed some culture in our lives as all we had been doing was shopping on Alice’s behalf and drinking on mine. We decided on a tour around the historic canals of Amsterdam, and considering the boats were protected from the rain we figured this our best and most likely means of seeing the complete city, not to mention the fact that the Heineken Factory was right next to the departure terminal of the canal boat.



The canal tour was very interesting and along the way we found a building that had become home to 4000 bicycles that are now ownerless. Fortunately for us the day started off slowly and the canal tour was leisurely, because that night we met up with Anthony, Stephen and Janneke, a friend of Stephens. After a very substantial amount of drinking, and some chinese food, we ended up at a local pub in Amsterdam where we settled down and made the best of fresh Heineken.



So on the 17th July, our Amsterdam trip was coming to an end, on the day before leaving we woke up with a slightly alcohol related hangover, but we were determined to soak up the city one last time. We figured another unique way to accomplish this would be to see the city firmly planted on the seat of a bicycle. Please bear in mind that I am not a renowned cyclist and Alice at times is a little clumsy, so I had my reservations. The main reason behind cycling through the city was to end up at Anne Frank’s House, and this was about a 10km round trip. The first km was basically us trying to find our balance and shaking off the effects of the alcohol from the night before. Oddly enough this was my favourite part of Amsterdam, cruising around the streets with very little knowledge of where we were actually going. We finally made it to Anne Frank’s House and we were greeted my a line of about 500m, so we took some pictures, sneaked a peak inside, remounted our bikes and headed back to the hotel and shopping district to get a few bites to eat before the mammoth 6 hour train ride to Berlin the following morning. I also managed to sneak a lasagna in from the Italian Restaurant I mentioned earlier.

18th July, we awoke to another gloomy day, and quickly showered and got ready for our long train ride. I made my way downstairs to check-out while Alice shop off to a local supermarket to get some goods for the train ride. You would think that after spending 4 nights in Amsterdam we wouldve picked up on the language, yet what I failed to realize was that because we booked on a German website, all the information was in dutch. This resulted in us being stuck on the platform at 10:55 waiting for our train that was supposed to arrive at 10:50 for departure at 10:58. Alice mentioned something and then all of a sudden, all the world felt like it was crashing down. We were on the wrong platform. The adrenalin started to kick in, and we flew down the first flight of stairs, ran under at least 4 different platforms before arriving on platform 8 where our train was readying for departure. One problem. Alice was still lugging our luggage up the stairs, and the train was closing its doors. The conductors whistle blew and after frantically trying to gather his attention I made one last attempt to get Alice and i on the train. I jumped down the stairs, wrestled the bag from Ally, threw it up the stairs and into the train, shortly followed by an our of breath Alice. We had made our first train by the skin of our teeth. This exact sequence nearly unfolded again at our first train swap, and after pushing some scandinavians through the doors of a train I think they didnt want, we were on our way once again.

Onwards to Berlin. I will try post the next post fairly soon as I am getting behind track on these things.

Our trip so far, first up: Turkey where we relaxed on a boat, visited Istanbul and learned that packing your lifes possessions up into a small bag that weighs 20kgs isnt an easy feat. Brad and Alice Go Walkabout: Going Cold Turkey

Brad and Alice Go Walkabout: Going Cold Turkey: Every beginning needs to be a good one, or atleast that is my theme for the next 5 months, and if it isnt, I will try my utmost to view it a...

Going Cold Turkey

Every beginning needs to be a good one, or atleast that is my theme for the next 5 months, and if it isnt, I will try my utmost to view it as a positive. Most of my journeys in the past year and a half have been ones that started at a frenetic pace, starting my professional career threw me into the deep end, required me to step up to that level I never thought I had. Personally, the beginning of my parents divorce was hard to accept, but life grants you reprieves where you realize that the worst thing that could happen isnt, after all, that bad. That little tumor lodged in my head is still there, but as I have told you before, it is the reason for all of this. I wouldnt be sitting on this plane back to London had it no been for it. So I have heeded the advice of those far more knowledgable than I am, and my girlfriend and I are off to see the world and hopefully along the course of it all, learn life’s master-stroke.

So Turkey, I have done it before and I love the country, the food, everything about it was good. But now, after everything, it was so much better. I left for Turkey on the 1st of July, and met up with my girlfriend and her family in Istanbul where we caught a connecting flight to Dalaman. We were joined by family of my girlfriends, and I couldnt have asked for a better company to enjoy Turkey. I always write these blogs with a theme in mind, because I have come to accept that there is always a lesson to be learned and I will try to explain mine over the course of this blog.

From Dalaman we were greeted by scorching heat, in the 35+ range, and as all of you know that meant some serious “schwetzing” (sweating according to a certain someone). We caught a 1 hour shuttle to Marmaris where the heat only escalated and the requirement to jump into the Aegean Sea was at an all-time high. We were greeted by the Baron 2, perhaps the most incredible boat I am ever likely to experience, and the week on that boat was something I will never forget. Our route was from Marmaris to Bodrum, and we would slowly cruise the coast-line in search of serenity, and some beautiful scenery. That is something that Turkey does not lack, incredible, breath-taking scenery. It is the scenery that makes you realize that the earth has been around for far longer than we can comprehend and that if we try our hardest, we can make a meaningful impact somewhere along the line. Our boat had all the amenities anyone could ask for, 5 dedicated crew, a chef, a jacuzzi, 6 bedrooms. But the best thing of all was the peace it offered. It allows you time to reflect, I didnt use my cellphone for a week, and I find real solitude in that. The bays we pulled into offered the most pristine water imaginable, with views of either sheer mountain ranges or forest area. Look for the pics to follow.

I have always been a water person, my choice would be water above land, I find tremendous joy in being able to coast through the water, infringed by no more than physical barriers. Water provides you the closest possible environment to space, you can perform any possible maneuver in water, and thats what makes these boat holidays my kind of choice holidays. You wake up in the mornings and in a muffled heap, make your way to the breakfast table where you find a spread better than at most hotels. You try to refrain from the incredible food, but after a while the temptation overcomes you. After a few cups of coffee and some reflection on the few beers and laughter enjoyed the night before, we all enjoy a quick swim before we move to our next bay. It is a very easy life to fall in love with. I have gone on a gulet three times, once with my family, once with friends, and now with my girlfriend and her family. It is a holiday I would recommend to anyone.

Slowly during the week on the boat did the gravity of my current situation hit me, I will be traveling the world with my best friend and girlfriend for the next 6 months. We will be seeing some of the most beautiful places in the world, enjoying some incredible sights, and hopefully laughing our entire way through it. It isnt an easy feat packing up all your worldly possessions into a bag that can weigh no more than 20kgs, and Alice had a real tough time coming to grips with that, which is why I am sure to be offloaded some of her stuff along the way, some of which has already happened. On the boat we laughed, and enjoyed the incredible weather, and it provided us ample time to get into the right mind frame and focus. Before I went to America I went into a steely focus, one where I knew exactly what needed to be done, and coming back home in a way other than next to the people I love was not an option, and traveling the world requires a different focus. While it isnt so live or die, you have to remember to keep your mind open and store each and every incredible sight you see. I keep reminding myself that I am being afforded this incredible opportunity, and that it was one that 7 months ago didnt exist. Of-course we will miss our families, but thankfully due to technology we are able to see them via skype, and let them know we are well, as well as let them reassure us that all is well back home. Alice is constantly reminding me to relax as I keep worrying about our room keys and whether we locked everything up, and she manages to calm me down, which is ironic because it is normally me calming her down.

After the boat we had a short flight from Bodrum to Istanbul. In Istanbul we stayed in a beautiful hotel call Ciragan Kempinski Palace, right on the Bosphoros River. It is a grandiose  hotel that catered to all our wants and needs. After the week on the boat we were all craving some land based activity, and om the first night we made our way from the Hotel to a nearby market where the girls quickly slunk out of sight and into the market-place. The boys anticipated this move and therefore headed to a nearby bar where we enjoyed some of the local beer.

Next morning we assembled in the foyer, and after a very welcome nights sleep we were all ready for some sightseeing and more shopping. We visited the Topkapi Harem Palace, and Nicky and Em decided on going to the Grand Bazaar. As a few of us had done this before we excused ourselves from the activity and opted rather to go back to the hotel for a swim and some lunch. We met up again in the foyer at 7:30pm, and headed to a nearby restaurant called Ulus 29. It was some of the finest food I have ever tasted, and unfortunately there is no way of allowing any of the people reading this blog to taste or smell the food, but if you are ever given the opportunity, BOOK IT!!! I will post pics.

Our last day in Istanbul, and we all knew it was going to be an emotional day, for reasons other than the obvious. We headed off to Taksim square fairly early, in order to see some of the sights as well as finish the shopping early before we headed back to London that evening. After trudging along the streets around the square we slowly made our way back down towards the taxi rank. This downhill trek proved too much for one person in the team. Nicky Schneiderman took quite a heavy fall after her shoes failed to get any traction going down the cobbled streets, this happened only minutes after she voiced her concern that she felt like she was going to fall. We quickly shot off back to the hotel, which upon our arrival was transformed into a hospital, where the bell-boys became like paramedics and escorted her off to the resident doctor. After a consultation, some ice and some extensive wrapping she hobbled out of the room. She tore the ligaments in her foot and is now moon-walking around back home in a moon-boot. I hope you get better soon.

So, the moment we all dreaded had arrived. Our goodbyes had arrived and Alice and Em had to conjure up the strength to say goodbye to their whole family. It isnt easy seeing a family divide in order to go their respective ways, but it reminds me of what a tight-knit family they are. So our adventures in Turkey came to an end. We boarded our flight back to London with no problems, and after a quick 3 hour flight we landed back in London where we rested for 4 days in preparation for........ Amsterdam!!!




I named this blog going Cold Turkey because firstly it is about our trip to Turkey, but secondly, because it is the beginning of us giving up the lives we lived before traveling. We both have to give up so many creature comforts, and while we will and already have experienced withdrawals from some of these things, I think it is the ideal way to get perspective on life and allows me to truly see what I need. We have to take the bare minimum with us, and that forces you to cut the clutter, and then as opposed to gaining material possessions, we are gathering and forming memories and experiences far more valuable than any object. I was told by someone close to me that despite all the materialistic world possessions he has, he would give all of those up if he was afforded my opportunity. That struck a chord because this is a man who has everything, yet he is willing to give all of that up and trade it with a man who has just over-come brain cancer. Makes you realize that you have to run headlong into a challenge because you never know what waits on the other side, and this cloud truly did have a silver-lining.

Holding up my end of the bargain

So I write to you again, from somewhere other than South Africa. I am in London, and contrary to what you are thinking, No, I am not here for a check-up or any medical related appointment. I am here to see a man about upholding a deal that was put into place many months ago when life was a little harder, and the light surrounding life could have been easily snubbed out.

For those of you new to my "situation", my name is Bradley Woodhouse, I am a 24 year old male from Durban, South Africa, I have an incredible family and girlfriend, and recently beat Brain Cancer. I have spent the better half of a year fighting cancer, which with all considered is a very short amount of time. My case is a little different to cut and dry, live or die cancer. Mine is something I will be living with for the next few years, the incredible doctors I have been lucky enough to work with were unable to extract the remaining third of the tumor for fear of damaging what needed not be damaged. We made a collective decision to go into a form of active monitoring. So we are now in this phase of monitoring the cancer that resides within my skull.

It is a tough realization, and no one wishes nor benefits from cancer. The only foreseeable advantage that I can identify, as I try to do in life, is to recognize that it is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. It opened my eyes in so many different ways, it made me recognize the frailty of life, and that it is something that truly needs to be lived. I nearly had all of it taken away, and only when you are on the brink of losing all, or have lost everything do you realize how incredible life, and the opportunities afforded in it, are.

After my third and final brain surgery, after they had cut a 15cm incision down the back right hand side of my head, and I had endured an 8 hour surgery, and woken up to alarm bells, a swollen tongue and my parents pleading that I squeeze their hands in hope that I was not paralyzed, I was moved into ICU. This was an ICU different to any other, and the care I experienced there is the most professional care I will ever witness. With that being said, the best nurses in the world could not have prevented the episode I experienced whilst in ICU. I awoke to see nurses, plural, running towards me. I was aware from the prvious operation that each patient is afforded 1 nurse, so for me to see 3 nurses tending to me for some unknown reason was new to me. I couldnt speak, all I could feel was the sound of my heart in my ears, and an overwhelming feeling of dread. I know this may sound silly, but at the time I thought I was dying, because the nurses were on such a high alert. They had to call my parents back to the hospital in an attempt to calm me down. The reason I needed to calm down was because my heartbeat and pulse was off the charts and we all know where that can lead if it is a prolonged episode.

It was then that I made a deal with my father that when all of this is over, the tide had passed and we had ridden out the storm, that I would abscond, I would see the world and all the places I very nearly didnt. It has been a deal I have held on to since the second it was struck. Very few people are given the opportunity to see the world. I knew that I had to take that deal, hold onto it, and realize that it isnt just a trip, I know that the next few months will shape me, yet again, into a better person.

This blog will be a means of communicating with people who would like to know where we are (my girlfriend and I), what we are up to and just to show people that when all the chips are down, and you are looking down a very long and dark barrel, you can set your mind up in a way that you will find the positives amongst a million negatives and some way it will beat all of them!