Russell left home on the 7th of May 2007 to backpack around the UK, Europe, Canada and USA. At the moment, he is due back early April 2008.

This page is not intended to be a diary as such. More an indication of where he has been and where he intends to go next, though that is a huge variable.

He started in London and has worked his way through Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, York and Newcastle to Edinburgh. From there he has moved to the Island of Skye, via Aberdeen and Inverness. From Skye, he bused to Glasgow then a ferry to Belfast. Stayed in Belfast for a while because it was the cheapest place in UK and he needed a break from the moving around. Next ports of call are Derry, Galway, Killarney, Cork and Dublin with the intention of then grabbing a cheap flight to Spain to start the European leg. All this is subject to change on a daily basis.

From Belfast, Russell has moved on to Derry, Galway and Killarney. Next ports were Cashel, near Tipperary, Kilkenny and Dublin. On the 2nd July, he flew Ryanair to Madrid. Intention now is to head to Pamplona for the running of the bulls, then to San Sebastian and following the coast around to Portugal.

That didn't quite happen, instead heading for Valencia, then north towards France. Travelled with a French girl to Carcasonne, then to Toulouse and Bieritz on the Atlantic coast. On to Normandy to see all the D Day memorabilia then to Mont St Michel and St Malo. From there to Paris for a week, staying with people he met in Skye.

On to Luxemburg and Brussells, Gent, Brugge, Antwerp, Utrecht then Amsterdam. From Amsterdam through to Berlin.

OK, been a while since an update. Here are a few more cities Russell has visited.

Hamburg, Frankfurt, Nurnburg, Berching and Munich. Arrived in time to get totally plastered at the Oktoberfest. From there, off to Prague, Krakow and Wroclaw. Back to Munich to actually see some sights, then to Oyonnax in France to catch up with somepeople he met earlier on the trip. Quick tours of Zurich, Berne and Geneva, including a visit to Kembs Barrage, a series of sluice gates where his grandfather won a Distinguished Flying Cross for a daylight raid during World War 2.

From Oyonnax, to Geneva to catch a flight to Rome. Next Venice, the ultimate tourist trap in Europe (Russell was unimpressed) then to Ljubljana in Slovenia. Russell loved the locals there. They looked after him well, showed him the underground entertainment sites and got him drunk. What more could he want. Reluctantly left Ljubljana for Croatia, but his liver demanded a rest.

Visited Split, Sarajevo and Belgrade before moving on to Budapest where he was to meet up with Annaliese from home. While at the hostel in Budapest, some low life took advantage of his trip to the shower to steal his passport, camera (with photos from Italy to Hungary), mobile phone, M-robe, savings bank card, diary and sundry other things. Managed to get a replacement passport in no time at all which was great. The main loss really is the photos and the diary. Fortunately, Annaliese arrived a couple of days later and they met without a problem, even though Russell was without his mobile. This took his mind off the events of the previous few days.

I will try to keep it updated as news comes through.

In the meantime, a few of photos from the trip.

More photos can be found here on Photobucket. If you have dialup internet, it's probably not worth your while!

	With Peter and Margaret in Epping. Russell stayed with them when he first arrived in London. Got him off to a great start.
	As Russell said, chicks like guys with big artilliary.
	Looks like a Roman Collonade of sorts, apparently a modern project gone wrong near Edinburgh
	Eileen Donan Castle
	Russell !
	Russell with Sam who he met in Bali
	Overlooking Edinburgh
	Taking on the elements, near Montrose
	Sitting on some ruins in York
	Russell and Jen in Belfast
	Belfast Castle. Russell loves his castles!
	More Belfast Castle
	Russell and a Goth drinking buddy
	Overlooking Belfast
	At Derry
	Galway. The white dots are swans
	Mountain biking up a waterfall in Killarney
	Same place
	With his Yank riding mate
	Gap of Dunloe, Killarney. A fast ride down on the bike
	At the bottom of the gap
	Ring of Kerry tour, Killarney
	Russell with 2 American guys and a Canadian girl
	Cathedral in Cork
	Blarney Castle
	Blarney Castle again
	Kissing the Blarney Stone with his Australia Flag boxer shorts!!
	Russell and American at Blarney Castle
	Wishing Steps, Cork
	Rules? What rules?
	Rock of Cashel
	Bad influence on two innocent girls
	Russell with his mate Jesus in Kilkenny
	Top of a tower in Kilkenny
	Kilkenny castle
	With a group in Madrid
	More of the same crowd
	Madrid Palace. Finally getting to wear shorts!