Carlsbad Art and Culture

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When you travel, do you vacation or do you adventure? Do you sip fruity drinks while perfecting your poolside etiquette or do you chat with locals in parks and plazas? Fellow crawlers and good friends Candice and Andy have set out on an incredible adventure. How will they adjust to foreign cultures? Fallow their wanderings through Europe and watch their transformation into world travelers.

How long have you two lived in Carlsbad?
Andrew has lived in Carlsbad off and on since 1971. Candice has lived in Carlsbad on and off for 10 years.

What inspired you to go on a backpacking trip through Europe?
Andy: …the adventure of it all.
Candice: I was born in Sicily. I have always wanted to go back and see where I was born.

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How long will you be in Europe and what is your path?
We will be leaving Oct. 1 and returning Dec. 10. The trip will be ten weeks long. We are flying into Paris, staying there for a week and then flying to Greece. After that we have to make our way back to Paris by Dec. 10th. We don’t know for certain what direction we will go once we’ve gone through Italy.

What country do you most look forward to?
Andrew can’t wait to get to Amsterdam and smoke himself senseless. I am most looking forward to Greece and Sicily. I think this area will be incredibly beautiful and probably a nice change from Paris.

How do you plan on traveling between countries?
Planes, trains, bikes, ferries, thumbs, feet.

Where will you be sleeping?
Gutters, sidewalks, park benches, just kidding. Mainly hostels and on trains traveling between destinations.

Describe the methods you used to research for this trip?
We did most everything on line. Hostelworld. com is great. So is ricksteves. com for all kinds of information and tips on cheap travel, as well as great advice from Bryan and Briana.

If an option, could you see yourselves staying longer in Europe?
We are both hoping to find a place that we would like to stay and live in for awhile. It would have to top Carlsbad so it is going to be tough. I just graduated from College and I really don’t know what I want to do now that i am finished. This trip is giving me time to figure what direction I want to go in.

Do you plan on keeping everyone updated on your trip?
Yes, we are using the email kinggeorgetravels@yahoo.com we hope to send out weekly messages. Myspace is great too.

Ten weeks is a long time to be away from home, what did you have to give up in order to pull this off?
We have been pretty thrifty since Christmas. But it wasn’t hard knowing what the prize was at the end. We both had to give up our jobs but it was worth it.

What will you miss most about Carlsbad when away?
Andrew: I will miss the bottle shop the most.
Candice: I am really going to miss living right on the beach and only being a short walk from everything that I need. I really love Carsbad and the people that i have met here. This is home.

Describe your excitement…Has the fact that you will be wandering without responsibilities and schedules for 10 weeks sunk in yet?
I have been waking up every morning saying “only this many days left” since 68 days. Along with random bursts of uncontrollable energy that results in a lot of jumping, arm waving, and ” I can’t believe it’s”. I can’t stop smiling too. Andrew has been napping a lot so it is hard to tell, he says he will get excited on Monday.

Check back often for updates on Andy and Candice’s crawl abroad!