Europe Archives

White Hippies and Cultural Appropriation

I sit in a rustic wooden house adorned with ornaments from South Asia in the middle of the wilderness in Bulgaria. It is a chilly night but inside, the atmosphere is warm. I sit in a circle with 12 new Bulgarian friends. Everyone has brought a vegan dish to this Friday night gathering. There is…

ByNirvana BhandaryMay 12, 2022

France Story

An Accidental Nudist

Here I am, lying on a stony beach, near the border of Spain and France, my white ass-cheeks being kissed by the golden, mid-summer sun. How did I get here? I’d been walking for hours along the crystal coast of Cadaques, hopping from perfect beach to perfect beach. My body was encased in salty…

ByScarlett KennedyOctober 14, 2019

Current Affairs Feature Story

Greece: A Reluctant Journal of a Forgotten Humanitarian Emergency

“They are here because you were there. There is an umbilical connection.” – Stuart Hall, Black Chronicles. The following is a reluctant journal of my time volunteering on the Search and Rescue boat ‘Mo Chara’ for Refugee Rescue off the shores of Greece. I originally wrote this so that I would not have to speak…

ByOliver O NeillMarch 22, 2019

Story

My Time Backpacking Around the Iberian Peninsula as a Bollywood Star

Opening scene: Australia A beautiful young woman sits at her office cubicle longingly staring at a photo of the La Sagrada Familia on her computer screen. In another window, she opens her online bank account. “We’re a hundred dollars closer to freedom,” she whispers to herself. She turns her attention to the framed photo of…

ByNirvana BhandaryFebruary 26, 2019

Features

The Astray Guide to Wild Camping in Europe

I’m camping in Europe at the moment. Pitching my tent at rest stops, in the mountains and inconspicuously behind bushes on private land. I’m camping because there are some day hikes I can’t bear to leave after only a few hours. I want to wake up in the fog and sleep amongst all the creatures…

ByRuby ClaireOctober 9, 2018

Yarns

Drunk on Homesickness

Seven months into a student exchange in Europe, and I’d only seen two Australians. One was guy who had little interest in reminiscing about our favourite meat pie flavours. “Mine’s bacon and cheese!” I offered. He said he didn’t care. The other was a girl whom, upon hearing her Sydney accent, I became so overwhelmed…

ByAlana BerghoferSeptember 17, 2018

Yarns

Why ‘Blue Shirt’ is a Dickhead and I’m Better at Pub Crawls Than You

“Duuuude, the craziest thing happened the other day,” Blue Shirt said in his typically slow and monotoned voice, before proceeding to tell the most un-crazy story in human history. It was day two, and Blue Shirt had already made himself out to be a huge tool. Throughout Europe, I’ve found hostels will often give a…

ByThomas MckelveyApril 19, 2018