Spartacus, Other-halves, Lego and Insanity: Why I Write

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Albert Einstein

My keyboard is cold and the words aren't flowing like they used to. The web page in front of me is a familiar one - homely even - but everything else seems so unfamiliar. It was the Twenty sixth day of August Two thousand and Fourteen (I apologise to those who understand why I've written like that) when I last mustered the motivation, and indeed the confidence, to write a blog post. Now I'm back, I guess the biggest question is this: why? Let me try and answer that question.

Too much has happened over the last five or so months to consign to a single act of blogging, although not enough to claim there's a book to be written. I've therefore decided that instead of clearing my throat with a splurt of dull dear diary drivel, that I'll hit you with the important stuff and try and answer the question set. Exam mode at the ready.

Forward Thinking, But Not Too Far

Looking into the future can be a whole lot of fun. We are inherently tuned to make plans; to always want for something more. This serves as the topic for my upcoming posts, starting with today’s.

My interest for this topic of discussion stems from a number of different sources. Firstly, I’m sitting in the gap between undergraduate life and my first year of professional training. In transitional periods such as this it is difficult not to be in a forward-looking state of mind. The subject of today’s post – an experience I had a couple of months ago – provided another spark of interest in thinking about this type of thing. I also met someone recently who has taken ownership of their life like few others I’ve met before. Listening to this person’s story over the last couple of months has led me to consider my own.

'Scintillating and Inspirational' - My New Found Love for Biffy Clyro

Biff-ocrisy, n.

Purposely not listening to Biffy Clyro for years because of one album, even after writing a blog post which preached trying new things.

“That Martin is a Biff-ocrit.”

I feel like I’ve missed out. For years I’ve shunned one of Scotland’s biggest bands because I didn’t like one of their albums. However, little did I know that while I was being fickle and not listening to Biffy Clyro they were out making some of my favourite music.

Europe 2014: Croatia

More than a month after I touched down on home soil I'm finally getting around to writing the last post about my trip. A number of things have seen me put off writing over the last few weeks but I guess it's time for me to tie up this series of reflective posts - some might say it's taken me too long! 

So to Croatia and our final stop on a splendid month of travel. After the beauty of Slovenia, this country to the south had a lot to live up to, not to mention the fact that I wasn't ready to wind down on the new experiences despite home being but a few days away.

Europe 2014: Slovenia

Slovenia is wonderful. I could just leave this post at that and fill in the space with a few photos but I guess I should prove my point. I'll see how I feel in a few paragraphs.

Reaching stop six on my trip I thought I would be suffering from having already seen some awe inspiring sites - maybe Slovenia wouldn't impress? I was so very wrong. With the help of a hire car and some expert driving from one of my mates, I got to see some of the most breathtaking things in Europe.

Europe 2014: Vienna, Austria

After the whistle-stop tour of Bratislava, we made the short train journey to one of my favourite cities in Europe: Vienna. I could write a book on my love for this vast marvel of a place, but for just now I think I'll keep it short and sweet for you.

Vienna has a grip on me. This was my third visit to the city in as many years and each time it seems to charm me that little bit more. The city was as pristine as ever and its buildings, most of which I've seen before, did not fail in taking my breath away again.

Europe 2014: Bratislava, Slovakia

It seemed fitting to leave Warsaw in the dead of night. I had become so attached to the city that my only way out was to slink away on the night train to Bratislava - another morning and I might never have left.

This was my second experience of a sleeper train and although it's something to be able to say I've done I think I'll draw the line at two. Not only did I get very little sleep, I was awoken at 5am by a gruff Polish man telling us that our stop was in half an hour and, in no uncertain terms, to get up. I've never been so asleep yet so awake in the same moment.

Like zombies with suitcases, we dragged ourselves to our hotel which thankfully had a 24-hour reception. However, although we were able to unburden ourselves of our lives on wheels, our check-in time was about eight hours into the already warming Slovakian day. We set out into the city in search of coffee and/or breakfast and I'm not quite sure what happened next.

Europe 2014: Warsaw, Poland

With two cities under our belts, we took a short flight from Riga to Warsaw in Poland. Having never been to Poland before I was uncertain about what to expect from the country and its capital. Would it be like Latvia or Estonia, or would it be more Westernised? My question was soon answered, along with the discovery of what is now one of my favourite cities.

Europe 2014: Riga, Latvia

Having left a little part of myself in Tallinn, we made the five hour bus journey (complete with a slight hangover) to Riga in Latvia. The bus trip, although punctuated by a few post-drinking moments of unease, was brilliant, with the perfectly straight roads cutting a seemingly endless highway across the Baltic States. And so with tired legs and a tired mind, I rolled off the coach and set foot in Latvia for the first time.

Europe 2014: Tallinn, Estonia

"I want to see the world. I want sunshine and skyscrapers; languages I don't understand; music I've never hear before."

That is a quote from one of my favourite films in recent years - namely, Sunshine on Leith. When I first watched the film I scoffed at how cliché that line was but I've thought about it a bit and found that the truth is that is accurately describes how I feel about traveling. The fact that it is said with a beautiful Scottish accent sends familiar tingles down my spine - a familiarity which makes me long for the unfamiliar. It is with this mindset that I set out on my most recent trip to Europe. 

My next seven posts are going to be about each city that I visit, providing small snapshots into an experience that I'm never going to forget. The first stop was Tallinn a little under two weeks ago and it went a little like this...