Days 2 and 3: Stairmaster 5,000 and Disappointment

It's been a couple days since I posted, but I wanted to give an update. As I type this out, I'm currently on the Eurostar train from London to Paris. We've been in a tunnel for quite some time, which tells me we're likely underneath the channel. Anyway, what are my major thoughts on the last several days?

Day 1: I've become one of them. They suspect nothing

So I knew London, and most European towns in general have a lot of old stuff. Big Ben, Buckingham, Westminster Abbey they're all very very old. One thing I didn't realize is just how green London is. It's astonishing the number of green spaces, and in some cases the sheer size of it all. It's crazy to think that the city has been able to maintain that level of common areas and green space.The U.S., and specifically the PA/NJ/NYC area are very different. They decided a long time ago to just pour concrete over everything. It's a fantastic contrast between styles.

These are the green areas around the Old Royal Naval College and Chapel (www.ornc.org)

We also did some touring and walking. Here's some views on the inside

Here's the gate entrance and a view of the Queen's House, which rests between the college and Greenwich park.

Here's a view of the royal observatory in Greenwich Park. It has a spectacular view of London... absolutely breathtaking. The park itself reminded me a lot of Fairmount Park in various ways. It was a brilliantly serene place. In some sections you couldn't even tell that you were in the city with how low the city's ambient noise was.

More from Greenwich park!

My friend Mickey said the squirrels of the American kind shown here have made the native red ones basically an extreme rarity.

As a side note:

Today's meal for lunch was large, and included a large plate of Fish and Chips, and I had several beers of excellent quality at the Pub. We went to http://www.cuttysarkse10.co.uk/ "Cutty Sark", an excellent pub across the street. The fish and chips were excellent, but even better was the beer. I had Young's Special and Meantime Yakima Red to drink. The red was an IPA, but not nearly as overpoweringly hoppy as you would find an IPA in the U.S. The Young's special was a session ale full of malts. They were both excellent, and I would say a great start to my foray into tasting drinks of foreign countries.

I am the tetris king

So I finished packing this morning, and here's a quick post on the final stuff that I'll be taking with me.

A whole new me

So, this particular post isn't about my trip. This is about something far more important than vacations. This is about health. No, there's nothing wrong with me, no need to worry. Many of my friends already know this, but since July 15th I've been on what has amounted to the most important, most challenging and most rewarding journey of my life: becoming the best, healthiest person I can be.

Let me back up a bit, though. On July 15th, 2013, I, a 6'5" (196 cm), individual weighed in at an astonishing 340 lbs (154 kg). Since that date I have lost more than 105 lbs (47.5 kg). And the reason I'm writing this is of course to brag... oh, and to let you know that you can do it too!

Opportunity meets preparation

So one thing I've found myself doing more than anything else in regards to this excursion is preparing. I have no idea why, really. It's not really necessary, but I do enjoy it. I find myself utilizing my free time nowadays fine tuning the details that I have set or potentially planned. Some of my friends say I'm nuts for going as detailed as I've gone, but I see it as something to help me keep organized, and to give me a guide on what I want to do.

This is really the first time I'm going on a vacation alone that is this extensive, so I'd rather be over-prepared than under. But enough about my thoughts on it, what exactly have I done? If you want to skip straight to the specifics, just jump to the end, but here's the long-winded version: Well, for starters, you should take a look at the google calendar I put together of my itinerary. It goes into fairly ridiculous detail, meaning that I took into account walking time between sites, when the latest train I can take leaves and arrives, and other things.

The Itinerary

10 cities in 21 days.

That's the plan. I haven't even purchased the train tickets or made sleeping reservations yet, but I outlined a rough schedule for my trip to Europe. London, Paris and Reims, Gimelwald/Mürren (Switzerland), Rome, Munich, Prague, and Frankfurt/Darmstadt. (I added a map of the itinerary to the bottom of the page.) It will be a daunting task, but I think to maximize efficiency with travel, I will go for as many overnight trains as I can, or book them as early or as late as I can. This will maximize the amount of time I spend in each location while also minimizing time spent in either a hostel or a train.

In a way I'm looking forward to this trip more than anything else I've ever done. This will be the first major vacation I've ever planned. It will also be the first time I've ever ventured to Europe. Not only that, but a good portion of this trip will be made alone. We'll see what the hostels and sites have to offer as far as people to meet!