June 9 to October 18

October 18
This is Europe. It’s a miserable connection from Bangkok to Athens. It’s a breeze through Eastern Europe with mom. It’s two weeks in Greece with the family where it seems I never left or even got out of junior high.

My summer in Europe is a flight to Stockholm for the best weather Sweden has seen in years. It’s a giant basement hostel with 40 beds, three Dutch girls, a Canadian and an Aussie. It’s a drive down to Copenhagen with the Dutch girls.

In Copenhagen its stolen money and a Danish girl with an apartment with a double bed. There’s beer in Belgium and a 73-year old backpacker whose trip puts mine to shame.

Then there’s a home in Rotterdam with the Dutch girls and a New York reunion in London. There’s vibrant green and chocolatey Guinness in Ireland. For about three hours there’s a French girl too.

Then the French girl is in France, but first there are Swedes and Brits falling in love with Paris. The time with the French girl may last a weekend or a year, its impossible to say.

This is Europe and there is Spain. Spain almost feels like Australia and I think as long as I travel there will never be a better compliment.

Oktoberfest sneaks up like the last chapter of a good book. You don’t want Europe to end but since you can’t make it last longer you can only enjoy what you have left.

Italy means rain. It also means good food, cheap wine, famous art and beautiful sights. In Rome, Akshay and the rain leave. Canadian Kate comes and we eat mozzarella.

Europe is nights sitting on the pier with beers from 7-11 because the cafes by the water charge $8. Europe is playing basketball on the court in the gym connected to the hostel. Its all the things you imagine it to be but somehow it all feels different than you thought. Europe is driving through the south of France and riding trains through the north of Spain.

This is Europe so it always ends up on a train. It’s accelerating out of Roma Central as the sun sits on the rooftops and a Canadian gets teary and I go to Brazil.