Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.
Miriam Beard
Next week is going to be a big time for me, but a sore time for A Dribble of Ink. I’ll be flying away from my lovely country of Canada and making again for the wild shores of Europe.
This’ll mark the second time that my girlfriend and I have up and left everything behind, teeming into the wild yonder together in search of adventure. Hardships are sure to come at us from all sides, but through our strength we’ll persevere!
Heh, alright, I’ll stop talking like a cliché-ridden adventure fantasy novel.
In all seriousness, I’ll be leaving for Amsterdam in a few days and you’ll probably see a few changes around A Dribble of Ink while I’m abroad. First of all, like Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, I’ll probably keep a bit of a travelogue while I’m overseas, so all of you (who’re interested in my narcissistic travels) can follow along.
Everywhere I go I find a poet has been there before me.
Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939)
I won’t entirely be giving up the literature angle of A Dribble of Ink, however. I’ve got a great plethora of novels that I’m going to be lugging around with me:
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- Singularity Sky by Charles Stross
- The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers
- Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman
- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
- The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney (again!)
- Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
Not a bad list, eh?
Though I doubt I’ll have the time to sit down and write proper reviews (something I will no doubt do later in the future), my plan is to write little mini-reviews on the novel – an on the go review of what I’ve read, as I’m reading it!. This’ll (I hope) be a fun way to follow along as I read the novels and give you guys something to peruse while I’m gone!
He who would travel happily must travel light.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 – 1944)
In another effort to keep the content flowing, I thought I’d offer up the opportunity for people to drop by as a “Guest Blogger.†Whether you’re a blogger, in the industry, or just someone who likes to read books and blogs, drop me a line if you’ve got something interesting to say and we’ll see what we can work out.
I’ve got a few reviews lined up, which I’ll hopefully be able to have mostly written before I leave, so you should see at least a couple of full reviews to go alongside the mini-reviews. I guess what I’m trying to say is that even though I’ll be on the road – travelling around in the same clothes for weeks at a time, scraping the bottom of the bucket looking for another swig of beer – I’ll still be trying my best to bring good content to A Dribble of Ink.
A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.
George Moore
We”l be travelling through Central/Easter Europe for about two months, all told, and then landing on the Emerald Isle, Ireland, for several months after that. Once in Ireland, I expect that A Dribble of Ink will return to normal. We’ll be visiting the following countries:
- The Netherlands
- Slovakia
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Ukraine
- Romania
- Hungary
- Croatia
- Austria
- Italy
We’re looking to see a lot of the part of Europe we missed the last time we were over there. It’ll certainly be a hell of an experience, to say the least!
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager/weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follw it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
J.R.R. Tolkien
That sounds like fun! I hope you have a great time!
Don’t forget to visit Slovenia! Slovenia is right by Austria, Italy, Croatia, and Hungary. I worked there a few years ago and had a great time.
Aidan,
Very nice itineraire you have there :) Where in Romania do you plan to travel, maybe we will have the chance to meet ;)
Have fun! I’ve been to most of the countries you’ll be visiting, so all I can say is make the most of your experience! Too bad you guys are going in the fall, but at least that means a lot less tourists!
Have a blast!
Aidan,
have a great time and enjoy your trip. I live in Germany and to be honest I’ve never been to most of these countries.
Have a great trip & a safe journey. Don’t worry about Canada; we’ll keep on with our dogsleds and maple syrup in your absence ;)
I am very jealous, Aidan! You have no idea. Can’t you lug me around with you in a suitcase or something?
At any rate, don’t leave us behind here! And make sure you write some in your book every so often!