Today is the first day of my Great Bitcoin Road Trip. I've got a van, my girl friends agreed to sleep in it and we're on our way across europe for the next five weeks. Starting in Oxford ive got a few things planned, but alot more not. Maybe we'll end up in Nepal? Who knows what might happen, but I'm looking forward to spending some bits and spreading the word! This graphed up van makes it feel edgy. I'll be posting updates here.
...The van feels pretty out of place in old values Oxford. Unfortunately Wicked campers wouldnt accept bitcoin when i asked, somethjng that I think could be fixed with a little pear pressure. We did get takeaways and deliveries from almost every shop on Cowley Rd though using takeways.com, Milikas is especially good. We discovered the meaning of "spotting" in the uk and now we are off the the continent in search of warmer weather with our tails between our legs. SeeWeeYesYa next stop Fontainebleau forest.
...It turns out its pretty hard writing when you're on a bitcoin budget and living out of a van with only one power supply and no wifi. I'm resorting to pen and paper from now on. Note to others make sure you have multiple charge points, ideally one of those solar chargers and a wifi dongle with a big charge block would be a bonus. Also moble internet contracts don't work in Germany, but you can get a new sim there for 10 euros. Fontainebleau was great, I love the square chestnut trees. I collected a box of chestnuts and the camp ground we stayed at, hardly had to move out of my tripod seat there were so many. Apparently the Brits eat them. You never know when you might go hungry in this situation.
...In Bordeaux, there are not many shops accepting bitcoin to be found though there is a funny internet cafe selling food. I find it's hard to communicate with someone about bitcoin when you can barely grasp a fraction of their language. Lots of cool graph and history. If the people can drop their home currencies and adopt the euro in such a short space of time then surely crypto-currency doesn't need to be to large of a step. It does seem like France could be a key area in adoption of crypto-currency. A a cultural hub and center of protest the public can really grasp complex social issues and it shows in their history. They really love to protest too. On the way through Paris (the best city in the world) the motor way was blocked by a motor cycle and scooter protest. Could this happen with bitcoin? Fashionable guys stand on the medians and smoke cigarettes as scooters pull wheelies.
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| Actual van in Barcelona |
...We freedom camped at the beach on the French west coast last night. Now on to San Sebastian in "Espania". There is a really cool, but run down, theme park at the top of the hill here overlooking the bay and the city. Imagine the possibilities of a group funded Bitcoin theme park there, it might be a bargain.
Zaragoza, Barcelona, Nice, Monaco, Lake Garda to Verona we swam in the waters and guzzled the wine. We stayed in Lido in "Venicia" which I think is a good choice. Our friend hooked us up with some secure parking. He also provides a bed and breakfast service in genuine Italian style. I think bitcoin could be a very safe way for punters to accept digital payment on there boats. Then Austria to Lindau to "Koln" in "Deutchland" the leaves started falling off the trees. using our Airbitz wallets to locate vendors nearby. Saw some great churches and castles. What about bitcoin donations in Cathedrals? Comes in handy when patrons run out of change. I was totally impressed by my girlfriend who had no trouble sleeping in the van after it had been slept in for too many days in a row and finding innovative ways to make due without an ensuite.
Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities. I love the "let it be" attitude. We had a great night out on the town and stumbled upon there halloween parade, which unknowing of the date was especially freaky. i was to shy to ask the window girls if they would accept bitcoin. The next day we moved on to Brussels with its guided cafe square, and misty Luxemburge with its ancient viaduct. We finished our trip in beautiful Milly and Barbizon in the French countryside where a little hotel room at the quaint Budget Inn was thoroughly appreciated and the service was decidedly unbudget in Uk terms, you could say "bushay". The food at La Boheme didn't fail to impress as did the laughing and good times with my pigeon French.
It's such a great cultural experience of exploring the which us pioneers once lived. We used our euro denominated ANX card at the petrol stations and digital self service terminals in McDonalds when we just can't face our "sivous plays" and "danke shurns". Many transactions were done in plain old euros and we did drop a few old fashion coins into the toll road funnel. But who's a purest anyway. Watch out for the Apple GPS though as it is particularly keen on tolls and those roads do tend to be less of an adventure. Digital currency operation for gates and tole roads would be great. Big ticket items like accommodation and return airfares to New Zealand which we could purchase online using sites like cheapair.com.
By the end of the four weeks I'm all out of my budgeted bitcoins and the price is on the rise again. Go figure! Though I probably haven't preached bitcoin and crypto-currency as much as I originally intended I have seen so many new opportunities along the way. Europe is just so beautiful, how many newbies you recruit, I think is beside the point. It's been the best trip ever. I'm so stoked I got to represent the good life in an crazy van with a "B" on the bumper, leaving a trail of QR codes in our wake.
