Backpacking Europe in may

[lankydoom]

Hello boardsters,

Long time lurker, post minimalist and friendly stranger blah blah.

So I wanted to throw something out there. Like you all I love Boards of Canada. I also love other music too which I am sure we all do.

I recently turned 30 and last year I decided to finally do something I have always wanted to do and the end result will be me backpacking over Europe in May.

I am quite excited and I am going solo. This is my first time traveling overseas as well which is quite rad.
it will be good to go get amongst somewhere different and add more amazing experiences to the pile of life experiences. I don't really plan on doing the big touristy thing. I just wanna cruise around and bring back with me many sounds and ideas for music so lots of photos and lots of random sound recording on my travels.

So I'm going to the Netherlands, Germany, Czech republic, Austria, France and back to the Netherlands again. I'm not doing contiki stuff im just as queens of the stone age would say 'going with the flow'. This is over a 4 week period from 30 April to 27 May.

I really want to go get amongst some music and hang out with some cool peeps. I figure that a random boc fan would be epic as I am really the only one I know down my way! I feel like the BOC advocate for Australia haha.

So if anyone is keen to hang out,talk music, go see some bands and just have a grand ol time I would be gladly stoked. Even better if you are a fellow musician and want to jam or make some sounds I would be even more gladly stoked!

Yeah pretty random, I unfortunately will be back home when the Dorset meeting is happening and I was not doing the uk this visit. I guess I figure that people in twoism land somewhere would be keen to go have a few beers, a few joints, a game of stick and a feed:)

So if you are keen let me know!

[Perch]

I'm in the US so this is not necessarily a reply to the question, but I wanted to ask, how did you go about preparing/planning for this? How much did you have to save and such?

[Mexicola]

Yeah pretty random, I unfortunately will be back home when the Dorset meeting is happening and I was not doing the uk this visit.

Oh mate, no way!! So near man!

[lankydoom]

I'm in the US so this is not necessarily a reply to the question, but I wanted to ask, how did you go about preparing/planning for this? How much did you have to save and such?

Really good question hey. Well I did alot of planning, but also not alot of planning. I guess it comes down to what you want from the experience.


Basically I decided what it was I wanted from this adventure. I want music, photography for music related artwork and to meet different people from different places. Europe for me was always a place I wanted to go especially music wise (in terms of my music tastes) and visually. There is the first half of prep and planning:)

I booked early for flights like 6 months out which was way cheaper. I opened a savings bank account and threw money into it whenever I could, threw a few years worth of tax returns in there (money back for paying taxes) and due to being made redundant I got a fair bit of coin back. I planned my route based on what my aforementioned goals were and left 1-2 days open for random times. I saved money based on what I felt a daily budget should be to have a good time and achieve what I want so that seems to be at 100-120 euro a day including a bed. I also get paid as it is annual leave from work so yeah I have about 4000-4500 euro to play with and that's wi flights done and inter country transport done. I am doing buses between places and hiring a car in Germany to drive to Kiel and see beehoover, one of my fave bands.

If you want to do the touristy thing I would double your money as I hear there are some epic tourist traps. I know il will see a few but if you follow the heavy tourism trail it will be more pricey. I heard a story once a guy paid 20 bucks for three slices of pizza. Fuck that. Unless it is pizza forged in pizza mountain in the beforetime I am good without it haha.

I read reviews for hostels on hostel websites and by word of mouth from friends and so forth.

And now I am looking for any people to have some good times with on my adventures. The rest I can answer when I get back as I will know more about costs then. But I have a few thousand euro, my imagination and an open mind. The best planning is that last sentence!

[lankydoom]

Yeah pretty random, I unfortunately will be back home when the Dorset meeting is happening and I was not doing the uk this visit.

Oh mate, no way!! So near man!

I know. The salt burns this wound muchly. I have some things here at home I need to do at that time, so I could not push it out longer to come to a beautiful place out in the country and chill:(

There will always be another time! I am confident one day il get to come be part of it.

Random question - I guess you like qotsa? The first album happens to be one of my all time favourites:)

[Wit]

Personally, I would love to hear a story or two here on twoism from your trip once you've returned home. Sounds like it will be an amazing journey!

I hope you will have a few terrific weeks here in Europe!

[fujee]

If you visit Berlin, I doubt you'll leave.. what a city.

[A_Northern_Soul]

Sounds like a fantastic plan. Haven't been to all of the countries you mentioned, but Paris and Prague are both amazing cities. One thing I've found in most mainland European cities is that it is possible to eat very well for not much £ at all if you look around.

[fujee]

One thing I've found in most mainland European cities is that it is possible to eat very well for not much £ at all if you look around.

Agreed, if there is one thing continental Europeans know how to do well, it's eating/dining.

[Mexicola]

Random question - I guess you like qotsa? The first album happens to be one of my all time favourites:)

Ping! Correct - albeit less so these days. Kind of tuned out when Nick Olivieri and Mark Lanegan left. After that, they just became another 'Desert Session' to these ears.

[lankydoom]

Less than 2 weeks and counting

Wit - This was my plan I am going to lay some of my tunes i am making over some footage and stock footage i plan to make on my journey - i think this place would be a great place to share it.


fujee - i am most super keen for Berlin. I feel quite gravitated towards it. And the fact I am hiring a vehicle and driving up north to kiel is mind blowing for me...

... I am for the first time in my life going to drive a Left Side Drive and listen to Left Side Drive at the same time All I need is a coke sign and to be in Canada. But close enough. Haha.


A_Northern_Soul - My excitement just grows more as i hear all these good things! The food thing will be interesting... I have had to do some slightly extensive planning actually into that being a vegetarian. I know europeans eat well, I drool at the thought of inhaling a plate of langoustine but alas felafel will suffice haha.

Any one know any good vegetarian joints around?

[lankydoom]

Random question - I guess you like qotsa? The first album happens to be one of my all time favourites:)

Ping! Correct - albeit less so these days. Kind of tuned out when Nick Olivieri and Mark Lanegan left. After that, they just became another 'Desert Session' to these ears.

Well then sir! this deserves a thread on it's own but hey. Nick and Mark were and are brilliant. i still love Queens regardless, Josh is like a guitar idol to me haha. I spent may years and hours working out albums on guitar by ear and being a regular john, the exit of Nick and Mark brought on just another evolution in the band, and i am certain in years to come it will be different again. I still wish Nick was in there though.

Yeah another desert sessions minus dean ween.

I actually once played in a Kyuss cover band. One of the best years of my life. Haha.

[A_Northern_Soul]

Oh, and everyone knows European beer is far superior to that from anywhere else.

Can anyone confirm if a pint in the Czech republic costs about 50p?

[fujee]

Oh, and everyone knows European beer is far superior to that from anywhere else.

Can anyone confirm if a pint in the Czech republic costs about 50p?

In my opinion you still cannot beat a good real ale/bitter from the UK, Europeans, especially Germans and Czechs have their own thing going on, which is great, but I have not had a pint abroad which has beaten a good pint from a British brewery.

Yeah it really is that cheap, me and my mates drank wheat beer and good lager all night in this Prague boozer and it cos around 7 quid each (we'd had A LOT to drink).

Have fun lankydoom, sounds like you're gonna have a blast.. nothing better than travelling. Make sure you visit Berghain in Berlin, its between Kreuzberg and Friedrichstraße - pretty much Techno holy land.

[A_Northern_Soul]

Real ale/ dark beers - UK does it best.

A cold, refreshing lager - Czech Rep. & Germany all the way.

Oh the times we had in Prague with high quality beer at 50p a pint and blazing middle-European sunshine.... :/

[lankydoom]

All this talk about beer is making me thirsty.

What good beers/boutique beers would you recommend? We get the typical ones down here but there is some beautifully crafted Australian beers in good surplus at the moment which has had me on that occasional path. I have been saving my palette for what Europe has to offer me in fine beverages.

I have heard the czech beers are amazing and very neatly priced too as everyone is saying. for me it works out at like 2 AUD for a beer. i like this muchly if i apply the 50p rule as an average:)

I hope to get my face melted off by great music. A pilgrimage to the holy land is very much in order:) I have one gig organised to go to and the rest will be a treasure hunt i figure. X marks the spot. So many x's!