July - August of 2006, I experienced my first true backpacking on a budget journey. I still had backup from home, but I took a much greater seat in setting up my transportation and time abroad. After working the previous 2 months as a line cook at a local bar, I took the money I had saved and (through the benefits I gain from my mother, who is now a flight attendant) bought a round trip ticket to Heathrow Airport in London (cost: $150, great benefits, no?). With the funds my parents loaned/gave to me, my total spending came to approximately $2000 over a period of two and a half weeks. Not too bad for my second time backpacking solo.

The first hardship I went through here came before I was through customs. Apparently, to enter any country, one needs to have some type of plan and place to stay set up. Even if you don't, tell the customs agent that you do - it will make the experience much less painful. Because I could not produce a place I would be staying, the interview took half an hour before they would stamp my passport and let me through.

My initial experience in England was not a pleasant one, either. The hostel I had to stay at cost twenty British pounds; equivalent to fifty U.S. To put this in perspective, most hostels cost approx. fifteen to twenty U.S. The hostel itself was four to a room, three flights up, and in a hard to find backstreet off of Piccadilly Circus. Not a bad hostel, just expensive.

Perhaps my choice of initial destinations was a bit unplanned, because it became quickly apparent that everything in London cost twice as much as most places in the U.S., much like New York. I will never fly into London again unless I have accommodations set up beforehand (in fact, I would suggest never going anywhere without accommodations set up beforehand). Aside from prices and the inability to find an Internet cafe, London was a decent city. Old and new clashed at various points, and the many old structures and fortifications gave it an old world feel at times. I spent two days here, enough time to get my feet on the ground, before jumping on a train and heading to Amsterdam; I had to get away from the high prices.

One day later, after a peaceful crossing of the British Channel, found me in Amsterdam. The Netherlands themselves are a boggy place, but this city has to be one of the most lively and (seemingly) lawless I've yet to visit. Mind you, it's not lawless, but the laws are much more lenient than in the U.S. The smell of burning cannabis wafted out of a plethora of coffee shops, various squares promoted a lively night-life, and the red light district spoke to a multitude of fetishes. The Banana Bar (in the red light district) was one of the more famous places, and I doubt I need explain what went on there. Weed was cheap, shrooms were legal, and I spent a good four days enjoying myself. The hostel cost the usual twenty U.S., and was near enough to the bars and coffee shops that the price was well worth it.

Amsterdam is where I had my first experience with shrooms. Not a bad experience, not particularly good while alone, so long as one is in a good states of mind, everything tends to go smoothly. Aside from this, I can't help but feel that the government regulation of these aspects is a brilliant idea. Everything is relatively safe, and one need not fear bad or laced drugs. The women of the red light district get tested every week for STDs and health risks.

Oddly enough, though the dutch culture of the Netherlands remains in souvenir shops, Amsterdam is more a melting pot than anything traditional. Most restaurants promoted other cultures, such as the (delicious and cheap) "Wok and Walks" scattered around the city. The Netherlands culture is that of a free society where expression and ideas are encouraged, while maintaining a laid back feel. Ghel, as they say (my spelling could be off).

(Rome, Sardinia and Zurich) To be continued...