Nice (part one)

Hey Everybody,

After a 12 hour train ride from Barcelona, I arrived in Nice.

Today, I went to the beach with a group of kids from all over the world.

Though this is exciting... this post is mostly about general things I have noticed about Europe throughout my trip.

So far, I have met people from:

In no order whatsoever

USA

• Virginia
• Texas
• NJ
• NY
• California
• Pennsylvania
• Oregon
• Vermont
  
• Louisiana

Australia:

• Melbourne
• Perth
• Brisbane
• Sydney

Malaysia
Britain
Ireland
Turkey
Italy
New Zealand
Finland
Denmark
South Korea
Hong Kong (China)
Canada
Belgium
France
Columbia
Greece


Everyone who I have met at the hostel has been between the ages of 20 and 30... The majority have been in their early or mid 20s. Most are either taking a year off from school, or had just graduated from University. Very few actually have jobs, and those that do are only taking off a couple of weeks.

The majority of people I have met are from Canada and Australia... Go Figure

There seems to be a general attitude of helping others. What I mean by this is that someone will say... "Hey Zac, have you been to ..." everyone is glad to share information about the best places to go in each city. This could be anything from tourist attractions to bars to clubs.

Throughout my trip I have never felt unsafe while at a hostel. Though security is somewhat lax, the majority of people have so little that no one wants to take anything from anyone.

I have been offered drugs only once while travelling, but it was not directed at me, more at a group of people who I was with.

One of the best things is finding out where people are going. For example, while eating breakfast in Strousberg, I met some guys from Denmark and ended up taking 3 or 4 hours of trains with them.

If you ever go to Europe, bring US dollar bills. In my wallet I had a few before I left, and I have been able to trade with people for their currency. I now have South Korean money, Swiss francs, Euros, Denmark Crowns and Swedish francs.

People come from all different backgrounds. Some are doctors, business people, activists, charity workers just to name a few.

Every hostel I have been to offers a free breakfast. This saves money and is great.

Some charge for towels and sheets, others dont. Some have laundry, some dont.

I also found out that if you are an Australian or Canadian citizen, you technically are under Her Majesty, so its very easy to get a work visa. I have also found out that its nearly impossible to get one if you are an American citizen because of how hard it is to get an American work visa.

I found out that I know alot more spanish then I thought, and can follow most conversations. Also, due to my complexion people think I am everything from South American to Italian. This has led to many languages being spoken to me.

I am in my 6th city, and will be hitting at least 7 more.

I hope all is well, and its as hot in Europe as it is in the states.

Good luck to all, especially those who are looking for work!

Zac