The Trip of a Lifetime - My Son's Big Adventure

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  • mom45

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    It all started with "Mom, I am quitting my job and plan to go to Europe and backpack for a year."

    Having artistic types in the family can be hazardous to mom's nerves. That is about all I can say for that. However, now that I have adjusted to the plan and was assured this is a well-planned journey that had been researched for some time and would be paid for with his own money, I am envious of the things my son is seeing and experiencing.

    On August 15th, I drove my 24-year-old son to a bus that would take him to O'Hare Airport to catch a flight to Iceland. Yes...Iceland...where he then met three others who are on similar (but not as long) adventures. These others were all met on the Internet and they had not met in person prior to arriving in Iceland. Who knew you could meet good people on the Internet that were not scammers or ax murderers? After spending ten days seeing the beautiful sights there, he boarded his next plane and left his new friends behind to continue on their own adventures. After a brief stopover in Oslo, Norway, he continued on to Berlin.

    I am including links to his Facebook page that was created to share his journey (and to allow mom to keep track of his status), his instagram and flicker pages and his web site that all include some of his artwork and some of the photos he has taken of the things he is seeing.

    This link will show the maps of where he plans to visit if his funds hold out long enough to do so. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B00LYj7GjlJ8WW00YVdYTXBaMkk

    https://www.facebook.com/sketchytravels/?fref=ts

    https://www.instagram.com/anthonybrooks_art/

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/142594009@N04/albums/72157671472375870/with/28639356364/

    The Anthony Brooks

    I will post some of my favorite pictures in the thread as well. Most of the artwork he does while traveling will be sketches since he was limited to 22 pounds of his belongings (he is hiking so carry on only for a year long trip) so paints and other supplies were left behind. He has his pens, pencils, some watercolors and digital media to work with. He plans to use many of the photos taken to produce paintings after he returns. So far, he has been approached by one man who observed him sketching with regard to illustrating a book this man is writing so who knows where this trip could take him.

    This photo (taken in Iceland) is my son...spreading his wings, literally. :)

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    This is a site where they camped one night while traveling in Iceland.

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    Another of my favorite pictures from there.


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    One of his sketches...

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    and a photo of the same cathedral.

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    I will post more as time allows and try to update frequently. If you are on Facebook, please feel free to like his page and follow along there and share with your friends. Please pray for his safety as well. :):
     

    mom45

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    Most (if not all) of the photos on the flicker account are taken with a 360 camera so you can click on the photo and move your mouse around to move the photo and see what he sees from where he is standing.
     

    indiucky

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    Mom45,

    Tell him to watch out for fairies and to not move stones around...They take that stuff seriously and if he runs into Bjork, tell her I said her music was terrible no matter how cool the alt rock crowd try to make it seem...She sounds like a baby seal being castrated....:)

    I am just kidding about Bjork...But not the fairies...They take that stuff seriously..I mean like stopping roads from being built seriously....

    Love the pics...Keep posting and see if you can get him to draw a fairy stone...They are everywhere there and are hauntingly beautiful...I love that boys art....

    [video=youtube;efdPHHlLTgI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efdPHHlLTgI[/video]

    Elf-Cave-Iceland.jpg




    220px-Fairy_ring_on_Iceland.jpg


    [FONT=&amp]Why So Many Icelanders Still Believe in Invisible Elves

    [FONT=&amp]How the country’s history and geography created the perfect setting for magical creatures, whose perceived existence sparks environmental protests to this day.[/FONT]

    [/FONT]


    lead_large.jpg
     

    RustyHornet

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    Sounds like fun! Best wishes for his safe travels. I hope he can make it the whole year, I'll be following along. I admire those that can do this sort of thing.
     

    chocktaw2

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    I believe in fairies as well. mom45, your son is living a dream most people won't. Good job on the raising!
     

    mom45

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    He has already left Iceland, Indiucky, but I will ask if he learned anything about the fairy stones while there.

    Thanks guys. I'm not sure I would have ever been brave enough to do this sort of thing.
     

    Kutnupe14

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    If he ends up in Berlin, Germany... send me a PM, I'll hook him up with my brother. He can have a meal at his restaurant, gratis.
     

    mom45

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    If he ends up in Berlin, Germany... send me a PM, I'll hook him up with my brother. He can have a meal at his restaurant, gratis.


    He left Berlin this morning. I'll probably find out tomorrow where he is now. They are 7 hours ahead so I mostly chat with him when I first get up in the morning.

    Thank you for the offer though! He has a few connections over there thru friends and has plans to meet some relatives, but most of his time will be spent on his own. So far, he has found the food and rooms to be quite inexpensive.
     

    Kutnupe14

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    He left Berlin this morning. I'll probably find out tomorrow where he is now. They are 7 hours ahead so I mostly chat with him when I first get up in the morning.

    Thank you for the offer though! He has a few connections over there thru friends and has plans to meet some relatives, but most of his time will be spent on his own. So far, he has found the food and rooms to be quite inexpensive.

    Well dagnabit! He missed a free meal, at a pretty pricey place (I would go there, if it wasn't that I eat for free). Food is very inexpensive, if you buy form local markets, or street vendors. If he heads to Eastern Europe, even the nice sit down places will be Amazingly cheap. I, and my significant other, had a 4 course meal, 2 bottles of wine, w/string quartet playing in Budapest, for about $80. I was like "I'm moving to Hungary!!!"
     

    mom45

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    Well dagnabit! He missed a free meal, at a pretty pricey place (I would go there, if it wasn't that I eat for free). Food is very inexpensive, if you buy form local markets, or street vendors. If he heads to Eastern Europe, even the nice sit down places will be Amazingly cheap. I, and my significant other, had a 4 course meal, 2 bottles of wine, w/string quartet playing in Budapest, for about $80. I was like "I'm moving to Hungary!!!"

    He told me before he left how cheap the food and rooms are if you avoid the tourist areas. He wants to see the old architecture and see how the people really live...not the tourist areas. I do believe that Hungary is on the list. He is hoping to do some genealogy searching in Croatia since my grandparents were the first to come here from both sides of my dad's family and we can't get past them and their parents on the Ancestry sites that we have used so far.
     

    1911ly

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    What a trip of a life time! I have been enjoying the stuff he has been posting. I will pray for a save journey.
     

    TB1999

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    I had a high school friend who went to andrews to study architecture. His school offered a 30 day art and architecture tour of Europe that I was able to tag along on.

    I don't think it provided me any professional benefit but it did give me many experiences I'll never forget..including the time a guy in Paris thought I was a male prostitute. Still, I'm glad my parents allowed me to go.
     

    spencer rifle

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    Sounds liker our oldest. It all started with his junior year at University of Kent, Canterbury as part of an IU program. After that he never looked back. His goal was 26 countries before he was 26, and he made it with some to spare. Currently in Hong Kong for a while after a month in Bavaria. He's WOOFed and couch surfed all around Europe, Central America, and southeast Asia. Now his sister is headed back to Beijing after some similar adventures. We pray for them often. Those two traveling together is a hoot - she does the languages, he does the travel, and they sing together at coffeehouses.
     

    mom45

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    Sounds liker our oldest. It all started with his junior year at University of Kent, Canterbury as part of an IU program. After that he never looked back. His goal was 26 countries before he was 26, and he made it with some to spare. Currently in Hong Kong for a while after a month in Bavaria. He's WOOFed and couch surfed all around Europe, Central America, and southeast Asia. Now his sister is headed back to Beijing after some similar adventures. We pray for them often. Those two traveling together is a hoot - she does the languages, he does the travel, and they sing together at coffeehouses.


    I have learned more about WOOFing and couch surfing, hostels, AirBNB's and so much more than I ever imagined. Until a few months ago, I had no idea any of these things even existed.
     

    Bfish

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    I'm subbed in... I got to live in Europe as a student not a traveler so I am always fond of seeing this kind of thing!
     

    mom45

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    Today's blog entry - Day in Munster, Germany: Münster - Day 2 (PIZZA!) ? The Anthony Brooks


    Here is a photo of the subject matter of yesterday's sketch I shared. I love seeing how close his sketches are to the photos he takes of the same subject.

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    What blog would be complete without food pictures. He said this was probably the best pizza he has ever had. He is certainly enjoying the breads available in the bakeries there. I guess he grew up appreciating the homemade breads I make so it is only natural he would want to sample what is available there.

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    And a sketch for today...The following is the comment he shared when he shared the photo with me.

    "When you find an old photo on the ground and try drawing it... First attempt on left lol. She has a goonies face.The final wasn't a whole lot better but I only have my small sketchbook on me and drawing a face smaller than a thumbnail isn't exactly a walk in the park. (Thumbnail for reference)"

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