Before departing to the E.U.

Before the homeless rise from their slumber and the sun rises from its horizon the birds are chirping greeting the new day. I like to think they are just trying to wake up all the homeless people sleeping on the Jefferson Square park benches so they can be inspired by the sun and all the people doing what I think is thai-chi. Nothing like a big bowl of irony to start your day.

The dome of San Francisco's city hall is slowly turning from a silhouette against a deep blue sky to it's regular charcoal top showing off it's gold trim... BLING BLING! When I moved to San Francisco in the year 2000 the dome was epic and the 5th largest dome in the whole wide world. Now it is just the 6th or 7th and I look eye level at it every morning still impressed but uninspired by the decadence any more.

This morning is like any other morning really. I look out my window and absorb birds and trees, irony and gold. The difference is me. I feel different. I am excited. I feel fear, and joy and butterflies. I wrote a poem on my chalk board.

Today I leave for Europe for the first time. Most of my friends did this journey backpacking around the EU 10 years ago and I have heard the stories and seen the pictures. I waited patiently for my turn and here I go on this work/play voyage. One month photographing and living new things. I have a wedding on the Isle of Man and a couple hip hop guys on tour in Germany to document.

I am so stoked to venture out into the world at 27 years young. This is all temporary and I am ENJOYING THE JOURNEY!!!

Berlin Wall's East Gallery

Pretty impressive eventhough it is all current art and graffiti and just a wall. I was a told a cool story from a West-Berliner about sneaking peeks all the time over the wall and being mystified as a child about the world beyond the wall.

Berlin: gututraff, gritt and good times.

38 something strasse. It is like every abondoned building I have ever explored in SF except with people living inside this dvil's den and there is a rec room of sorts and live music. Only in the E.U. and only in Berlin. These are just a couple snaps from the hip hop style evening there.

I haven't left Berlin yet but I cannot wait to come back. This place is bike and art frienldy to say the least and insanely visullay tantilizing. Add that to the history and the parks and drinking brew whilst you stroll through it all and it will be hard to beat. I am affradi to return to SF and feel jaded. Did I mention rent is relatively cheap (700 Euro/mo for a really nice 2 bed flat)... for now. This place is going to get pricey and there is a ton of changes being made although as the BURGERMEISTER (or Mayor) said "Berlin is sexy but poor"... but not for long I think.

At a crossroads to stay here or continue with the hop hop crew... Barcelona is calling my name and I will see her on the 21st. Enjoying the journey!

ISLE OF MAN: Legs, Camera, Action!

You know when a place is that good when in a full week there you have no time or desire to write or upload photos even when you are addicted to sharing your journey with others. 

The Isle of Man was great but it was the people that mad it so. The TT race course, the Peel Castle and the St. James church were cool as well. But it was Chris Caldwell driving that TT course at 100mph that made it epic. It was being able to see the Peel Castle from the window of the third floor room that I was staying in of Laura Caldwell's place. It was the wedding at that church and the tears of joy that were shed by just about everyone for Justin and Jenna. It was the jam sessions with Ciaran. It was making art with Sam and Jocelyn and it coming out like magic! The awe inspiring observation of the brothers Ben and Dan drunken improvisational beauty. "I am Ben... I am 68% percent drunk... ACTIVATE!" 

It was everyone there. It was of life. It was epic!

Now I am in Berlin. Got lost. Met a local that showed me how I wrote down Kiki's number wrong (who I am staying with here) and lead me to her work. Time to explore some more!

London Life: We are Looters and we are Luton!

My week in London was great. Great weather, great conversations and great new experiences and truths. From rabbit stew at Borough Market and little girls leaping in Green Park to the Championship football match and a chat with a an 80 year old woman born and raised in London in St. James Park.

The parks and the markets are amazing here. But my dream of watching a football match in England was the highlight. I was riding the Tube Underground and saw a bunch of people wearing orange Luton Town jerseys. I had no idea who the team was or what was going on but asked around and it turned out it was a championship match! So i went back to the spot I am staying with my buddy James and regrouped and heading to Wembley Stadium. The place was enormous and the home team side was sold out!!! I was so bummed because it is really illegal to scalp tickets here and even though I did not know of either team I was feeling the orange. Then after pacing back and forth I met 65 year old Martin Douglas who happened to have a spare! The ticket was just about as high as you could go in the stands but right on the midfield and with a rowdy group of Luton fans that kept singing the whole game. My favorite chat was "WE ARE LOOTERS AND WE ARE LUTON!!" The home town Luton beat Scunthorpe United 3-2 in overtime. It wasn't the English Premier League but it was 50,000 loving the game and celebrating life.

London @ Night

London at night is pretty tasty and I will be back for seconds. The atmosphere, the sights, the hustle, and the magic. Walking around at night is just a joy. Or riding the bus and taking pictures of Big Ben drive by style. From London Bridge and Waterloo to Camden and Piccadilly Circus, London has more to offer than a California kid could comprehend.

London during the day...

Walking around London the thing I noticed most except for the fact that everybody reads free tabloids on the Tube Underground instead of interact with each other is the fences. Everything has a fence around it. Spikes and teeth and barbwire. They even have a huge fence that is more of a statue that is aobut 20 feet high but you can walk 20 yards and be aroundit and into Green Park. It was sunny and people were being of life. But that is not the London people think of and want to see and want to know. So here is Green Park near Buckingham Palace cold and leafless.

Day #1: Dancing and Confused

Heathrow Airport London, England. "How long will you be in London? What is the nature of your visit? Do you have your itinerary? Did you purchase any tickets to other countries you will be going to? How much money do you have with you? DO you have a credit card or debit card? How much money is in your checking? Where are you staying? What soccer match were you going to see? What is your profession? Who employs you at home? What kind of work do you have to go back to? ETC ETC ETC...

For 30 minutes I was questioned at the boarder in the Heathrow Airport as to the nature of my visit trying to deduce whether or not I was going to just stay in England or return home. After the agent not knowing who the Fulham Football Club was and being extremely wary of my absolute lack of planning he eventually let me in because I showed him sufficient funds in my bank account and returned back to the British Airways gate to have them print out a copy of my return ticket home. The entire time I was being questioned I really wanted to say, " Listen, I surf. I am from California. There is no way in hell I would stay here for more than a week to visit friends, see a few sights and watch a soccer match." But I didn't and he took a full page report on me before letting me in with some temporary visa that has stipulations because he wasn't happy with my travel plans. Not sure that Dale the border guy was really ever happy though.

After I got settled in at my buddy James' place we went on a 30 minute stroll to Camden. The English compare it to our Haight/Ashbury seeing as bands like Blur came from there and they have similar stores and punk rock transient youth wondering around I suppose.

In Camden I saw my first European couple in love. You know the ones I am talking about. They were the ones thrusting their tongues down each others throats above the quaint canal. You know the canal I am talking about. The one next to the Starbuck's that is next to the KFC that all the punk rock kids hang out behind. Yea that one. We then proceed to connect with one of James' buddies Richard Applewrith. The three of us fell into a long conversation until dark about politics, poverty and passions. Good stuff for sure.

That night in Camden James and I went to this sweet art gallery/club called Proud. The place is in horse stables. There are two big rooms with dance floors and bars and then in each horse stall there was something different. A bar, a Foosball table or a stripper poll... fun for the whole family. It was pretty loud in there and I had my first SUPER TOURIST moment when a Norweigen was trying to tell me that she was staying in Brussels and I replied "Cool, where is your friend Russel?"

The night @ Proud ended with me dancing and confused when the DJ in this Camden horse stable started playing a set of West Coast Hip Hop and then some rad Scottish dude named Joe compared the west coast of Scottland to California. 14hours after landing I was listening Snoop and Dre, getting asked for my facebook contact, and laughing with the rad Scottish dude name Joe as he yelled, "FREEEEDOOOM!!!"