....mostly through space, not really through time....

You see before you the words typed by an addict. If there is an adventure crying to be lived, i will certainly hunt it down with bow and arrow and make it my very own.
i must say that as of now, my greatest adventure was lived for two months on the streets of Europe. BOB (Beatrice Organa Byron) and i took the liberties of traipsing through: Ireland, England, Wales, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Slovenia, Switerland, and... well, i think that is all. We simply ran out of time.

If you are interested, i would love to share with you some tips that i can provide from me own meager experience:
-hitchhiking does not work particularly well in Ireland. Most people simply drive past you and laugh. The people are friendly on a one-to-one basis, although one does get the feel that they laugh at you, not with you. They have a fantastic sense of humour, although a bit painful to the pride at times.

-it is not that difficult to earn money in Europe; people tend to be very sympathetic to the street musician. All we used was a guitar, harmonica, and voice. Supplied with a few songs that were fairly well practiced out and soon we had a hat full of silver. It does not get much simpler than that. Several cities do not mind your playing... they have designated areas set up for any traveling musician to perform in. However, some cities have laws about acquiring licenses and the like. Police love to enforce this. We did our bit mostly in Munich (Muenchen), and although we were required by ordinances and regulations to have a license, the police tossed a few coins into our pot and moved on. It probably helped being female, however.

-hostels are not cheap. We found some of our best accomodations costing absolutely nothing. It is nice to be creative... examples of good resting places are:
*that nice little bench in a quiet park in Rome
*the bus station in Athens, Greece
*the fountain in the middle of the city in Patras, Greece
*the train station in San Sebastian, Spain
*ferries (just have to time your traveling just right. Trains are nice, too)
*and of course, other people's houses, if it can be arranged. It is wonderful how many people are willing to put up complete strangers. If you need any referrals, just ask. Many of our new 'friends' would love to put up others.

-make sure you have a stock of toilet paper and bottled water at all times.

-avoid medical facilities completely if at all possible. Not only are the medical procedures frightening, they are also extremely costly.

-beware of ticks. Many, especially in Austria, carry Meningitus.

AFRICA

This five month span of my life began with a delayed stopover in Malaysia, where a visit to the Batu caves opened my heart and my eyes to more mysticality than i have ever before experienced.

The graphics on this page belong to Elizabeth Mitchell, copyright April 1999, and were created especially for The Keep of The Dreaming. Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate: In other words, do not borrow (re: STEAL) without permission. That's what we call illegal, boys and girls.