I woke up this morning and realized that I should share the music I’d been listening to during my weekend adventures. I’m sorry I didn’t make any special event mix for or during the trips. However, I listened to one album far more than the rest, and for good reason. When it came time to taxi to the runway or just after climbing out of any airport (typically JFK at the beginning of my trips) I’d play Coldplay’s most recent album “Mylo Xyloto” that came out in October. As everyone knows, the group is pretty damn awesome and they keep evolving over the years. Their sound is great for putting you in a relaxing and ambitious mood for taking on the world. Another sign of why I needed to listen to the album constantly when flying was because Delta had it listed onboard in the music section as a new release. Yes I had it on my phone to listen to, but it was always there for me when I took a seat. When I think about it, the music helped ground me as I was continually on the move around the world.

This is a post that has been delayed due to the fact that I had been going nonstop for the entire month of February. Obviously because of that fact I had a few things slightly pile up. That’s why some of these final posts have been coming out slowly. Anyway…

Making it to Geneva and getting that final stamp was awesome, but my longest Whirlwind Weekend was still far from over. My trip home was a little bit of a tricky one due to flights, prices, and timing. So I was looking at three flights ahead of me before I made it back to NYC. Oh yah, and it wouldn’t be till the following day. Upon walking back to the Geneva train station I hoped on the free train to the airport (great!) and checked in with a nice Swiss girl. Leg number one of the even was to Brussels where my connection was okay. The funny part is that I used Expedia for the first time in probably 6 years to book this connecting flight and it showed. I clearly just looked for the best price and timing. Apparently my connection from Brussels on to London was in business class, that’s a win considering they served me a meal with beer during a practically 45 minute flight. I had no complaints; I just got dinner with my plane ticket. We’ll get to that later.

We got to Brussels fine and a little early, but I almost got stuck there. It’s always the little quiet guy in class that has to be a stickler about a subject no one cares about. I had to pass through immigration before continuing on to Heathrow. Well, the Belgian guy in the both had concerns about my passport.

Belgian – “I see you been traveling a lot in the past month.”
-> Me – “Yah, I’ve been working on a project that demanded a good amount of travel.”
Belgian – “When did you arrive?”
-> Me – (This is where I at first had trouble since it’s hard to keep track of days and dates at this point) “I came into Athens this Friday and went up though Italy and Geneva.”
Belgian – “I can’t see when you entered. I see you were in London…”
-> Me – “Yes, this time last week.”

Long story short, I had to explain myself and help him find some of the stamps. He ended up blaming me for passport controls in other countries not doing their jobs well. How the fuck am I supposed to have any say in that? I’m more intimidated by those dudes than any other police officer in existence! I’m not going to tell them how to do their jobs. He explained some rules and let me through and I was able to take a deep breath.

Now back to me arriving at London’s Heathrow. We touched down at some point in the late evening and it was the quietest I’d ever seen one of the busiest airports in the world. My final flight home was at a little past 9am, so I said screwed it and for the first time I stayed over night in the airport. I ran the numbers and it made no sense to leave the airport. Now, if you ever have to stay in an airport over night then I do suggest Heathrow’s Terminal 1. At a little before midnight they come to gather everyone up and take you to a quiet room where you can rest, while someone watches over the misplaced travelers. I was took a nap for a few hours and when they said the terminal was back open for passengers I headed to the restroom to freshen up. After a fresh change of closes and my toiletry bag I was ready to go. I found the bus to terminal 4 (as you can see in the photos I was VIP).

I eventually boarded a couple hours later to a meal and the wonderful flatbeds in business class as I made my way back to JFK. Then BOOM, touchdown, off the plane and through customs in literally 5 minutes. Now, one last thing – I had to get to the office. Yup, I made it in after 2pm and put in at least four hours.

In 24hrs I had stepped foot in 4 countries, on 3 flights, 2 trains and still made it into the office. Now time for a full day. Let’s see how long the energy lasts.

There will be a final update to this project once the Geneva gallery closes on the 17th of March. Sometime shortly after that I will know what my prize (signed print) will be. The world will discover just what craziness Damien Hirst has in mind.

The train pulled into Geneva station and as I stepped out onto the street I almost couldn’t believe it. After all of those hours and the distance traveled on land in the last 24 hours, I’d made it to Lake Geneva. I was now in Switzerland!

I figured out which way I was pointing and headed towards downtown. Geneva is quite pretty and very clean. This wasn’t surprising that a Swiss city lived up to being extremely organized and well kept. I had also never seen so many financial institutions so close together in my life. That little series of sightings helped the Swiss live up to another stereotype as well. Nothing was hard to find around town, which meant arriving at the gallery was easy.

I found the door and made my way upstairs to the final Gagosian of my trip. I was greeted with a warm welcome. Upon seeing my pack and hearing that I was a little tired they asked if I was doing the Spot Challenge. Of course I was and handed him my card. “Oh you’re finishing” he said. He then mentioned that I could place my bag in the office and he’d begin taking care of the final stamp. Another man named Greg handled the stamp, papers, etc and then I was offered a glass of Champagne. Now this officially meant that I was done. How crazy it was. I talked to them about my journeys around the world and the method to my madness. Greg said I was the first person he’d met doing it my way. He also told me that I was probably the seventh person to finish the challenge in Geneva, which I though was pretty cool.

Everything (that they new so far) was explained to me and I thanked them greatly. After that I headed out to explore Geneva for the afternoon. I covered a good amount of ground and did my best not to freeze in the icy winds from the lake. I called my friend Michael back home to tell him where I was and that I’d finished the Spot Challenge in almost exactly a month! He went back to sleep and me the airport after a little more roaming of the lake. All I could do was reflect on what I had accomplished… and then the somewhat long trek home.

My last night in Rome was spent at the main train station. Well, for at least a couple hours I read and people watched. I had booked an overnight train to Geneva via Milan the second I stepped foot in Rome on Friday night. The Whirlwind Weekend has not just been extremely daunting on my body, but at times it’s been tough on the bank account as well. Due to this I figured a non-sleeper compartment would be find for the 7 hours to Milan! Next time I’m going to spring for the bed. Six people sitting sort of straight up in their seats for that long rolling cold night isn’t the most comfortable event. I felt like I’d stumbled into some movie, possibly a Wes Anderson piece. The train pulled into Rome already packed with a number of passengers. I found my compartment already loaded with a dude asleep at the door, two African men and a small woman from somewhere in Eastern Europe. Now, add in another Italian and myself – oh what a party.

My eyes creeped open once and awhile throughout the ride. I had a brief moment of happiness when the train made a short stop and upon opening my eyes I saw the station sign, Bologna. I was over half way there! The little old woman was the funniest because she spoke some english and sort of made a silent pact with me during the ride. She eventually asked me where I was from. The best part was her statement/question, “why are you here?” Yes, a random young American traveling in 2nd class non-sleeper departing Rome at almost midnight on a Sunday. I understood why this seemed odd to her. She accepted the situation and then asked if I could help her. In the back of my mind I was a little scared. This woman has the potential to ask me literally anything! She pulled out a cell phone and showed me the small screen. “Is it good?” she asked. The screen said “I will take you.” Great, now a shitload of questions went racing through my head. I told her that it was good and politely asked how it related. “Ummm, it is, doctor” she said. I stopped her there and said okay. I don’t think I needed to know anymore and I could tell it was certainly something personal.

A little before 7am we pulled into Milano Centrale, my favorite train station on the planet. I had about an hour or so to hang, try to freshen up a little and grab a coffee before my next train to Geneva. Thankfully the next train was a sexy newer high speed Swiss beauty. Also, out of the four seats facing each other, it was just me and another guy. We got a little caught up somewhere in the Alps, so a short delay was added to the trip. But, at the end of it I made it to the final country on my journey.

I landed in Rome Friday night and even touched down early. By the time I had gotten to the bus and eventually made it into town I wasn’t sure if any time was actually gained. Either way finding the apartment I was staying at was only a little tricky once I was on the block. My host sort of forgot to describe it to me. Regardless, she was extremely welcoming and then she headed out with her daughter (who I kind of wanted to get to know!). Anyway, I got situated in the very nice and spacious modern apartment in Italy’s capital. I love coming across new juxtaposed with the old. This high roof apartment had white walls, modern finishings and was on the top floor with great light; it was simple passing out here.

I started my Friday morning casually with a breakfast in the apartment to myself and then headed out into the vast city. I’d booked two nights in Rome because the cost of everything was cheaper than my next destination, Switzerland. I also didn’t need to be in Geneva until Monday. Basically once I finished at the Gagosian in town I had two full days to do whatever. The gallery was a pretty awesome one. It was housed it some old bank or embassy or something. The front door was flanked by massive columns and the main showing space was an oval. I realize they could’ve added the curving interior walls, but that fact that they had the space to do so was what impressed me. I viewed the work and had a nice talk with the ladies at the front desk. One even had glasses from the same designer as me and then she mentioned that she’d lived in Philly for a couple years. Stuff like that is so random. One more stamp was added to my collection and all that remained was one.

I walked out happy and ready to go! Shit, I still had two days in Rome. Honestly it’s not one of my favorite cities, especially not in Italy. Time to play my wondering self. I walked about town towards the Vatican and somehow ended up going around it in some crazy way. I enjoyed it because I saw the city from the large hill that the Holy City sits upon. I also found myself in some random park at a certain point as well. After the heavens parted and I eventually made it back towards the city center I walked my ass home. It was time to rest from the epic day. That night I found a small spot and treated myself to a good traditional meat dish and wine. Rest was next!

My Sunday was walking up to the Vatican as the Pope (I think) was finishing his prayer. I looped back around midday because I had decided to do something tourist related. I’d been to Rome more than once before, but never inside the Vatican. I waited in the off and on rainy line before making my way into the cathedral. It was extremely impressive and I really wanted to hear a choir in there, but that didn’t happen by the time I’d seen all the little details.

The remainder of my day was just more roaming around and trying to see what the locals do. One reason I’m not a huge fan of Rome is all the tourism. The city is spread out, there is history at every turn and the downside to that is if you want to get off the beaten path it’s very tricky. Good thing I found myself some coffee to start. Now time to venture to the apartment in some random series of turns!

I started Thursday off by getting into the office two hours earlier than usual in order to handle a number of things before I bailed to the airport. Luckily I was able to get out of there right on time and get a nice seat to Athens that afternoon. I ended up having one of the best seat buddies probably ever. Kelly is a young flight attendant who is pretty awesome. It turns out that she probably had a crazier schedule than me to start the weekend off; coming into Atlanta from South America (she was working the flight), connecting to New York, jumping on the flight to Athens and then she had a final leg to Bulargia I believe. As for myself, once I touched down I sleepily made my way to Athens’ city center via the metro.

I came out of the subway right at 11am and was just a few blocks from the gallery. They are located right off the main square that has a big road and huge government building or palace. At Gagosian I saw the pieces in the nice little space and then started my walk about the city. I don’t know Greek and I’d never been to Greece, so one of my favorite things to do is get a little lost. I ended up seeing all kinds of people, ruins and great views from different locations. There was also evidence of the riots that took place just a few days earlier.

Eventually I circled back towards the main square because the woman at the gallery suggested a local spot for me to try some good non-tourist Greek dishes. However, as I got closer to the center I noticed traffic, then the road blocked and eventually a number of dudes in armor. Ahhhh, yes this riot wasn’t here earlier. A crowd of young Athenians had gathered to shout at the police and government. Myself and a number of others watched while also documenting the scene. As I finally decided to make my way around the protest somehow I heard a shout and the police rushed the crowd. People scattered, I jumped back and tried to put distance between me and the guilty party. I just wanted to make it to lunch and out of Athens alive. After a little tear gas in the eye and asking some official looking military dude how to get around the event, he pointed and said “go that way, and be careful.”

A little bit of history had been experienced, I made it to a great meal and then the airport. My conclusions are that Aegean Airways has some awesome service (they provide a meal for a two hours flight!) and the Greeks may be having a little financial trouble due to how many shoes they purchase. Seriously, I have never seen so many different shops and vendors selling one type of product in a city!

After a very enjoyable ride through France and the Chunnel, Rob and I reached London. We had exchanged stories and learned a number of things about one another. One of the main topics that constantly came up between us was the prize. What would Damien Hirst give everyone who finished the challenge? How big would it be? This has become a funny joke with Rob and I at this point.

The first stop in London was the Gagosian located on Britannia St., which thankfully was only blocks from the central train station. Upon walking in we both received the warmest welcome to date. The Director was at the desk with his check-in girls and they all asked where we’d come from. Then they wondered if Rob and I were traveling together, which we explained as sort of… we ran into eachother! We browsed the gallery and the Director met us in the room with the “Controlled Substances” series and their corresponding pieces. It was actually a historic event, since basically none of these paintings that were designed to live together (the puzzle and its key) have been shown side-by-side in decades. Rob and I took our photos, got our stamps, met some other Spot Challengers (who won’t be able to finish) and then made our way to some coffee and wifi.

After a break from traveling to check emails, maps, etc. we headed for the Tube. I know London is an expensive city and it doesn’t completely throw me off since I live in NYC, but some of the prices I came across were crazy. The first example was the train fare, £4.30 (basically $8.00+) for zone 1 and we were going three stops! We made it to Davies St. and found it to be the most interesting show so far. It was basically a small glass storefront that had pieces placed at eye level and no larger than a medium pizza. Some of the smallest ones were 0.5″-1″ and the spots ran off the sides. Davies Street had another great director and she was pretty damn funny. A young RISD grad and originally from Korea, she’d broken down so many aspects of the show and even different Gagosians around the world. We left with one more stamp and London finished. Rob and I headed straight to the pub for a celebratory pint. After a drink and some talks we decided to part ways to get some rest; we weren’t sure if we’d meet up again and left it open from there.

I finally got to the flat I was staying at and rested for only a little while before heading back out on the town to meet my friend Celine. She used to work with me in Manhattan and had moved to London about a year ago. Now I was in town at the perfect time because she was having a going away celebration. Celine is now bound for San Francisco, so that ment we had to party it up. Long story short, I eventually made my way home pretty early in the morning and cold from the elements. After some sleep I dragged my ass out of bed, took a shower, changed and thanked my hosts. My morning took me on a great walk over Tower Bridge and through London to a pub that provided me with a meal of amazingness. Yes, amazingness is exactly what I was looking for and now with that beautiful Irish Breakfast I’d found. The cook even said it was the best thing on the menu as I left.

To the airport I went. Thank you Heathrow Express for your extremely easy system. I had a little fun in duty free – I didn’t get that KAWS/Henny you see. I got something better. Made my way to my flight to plop into business class and rest the whole way home. Only three more Gagosians to go.

I spent Thursday night doing a little prep for my trip. This weekend I packed very light, I almost feel as though I took less than when I went home to LA! Either way I was ready to go when I went to the office Friday morning. This trip I felt a little different about how I wanted to travel. I really enjoy traveling for the most part and decided that I’d celebrate the old times of when people dressed for the occasion. A button-up, good dark jeans and some nice Y-3s were perfect for my weekend in Paris and London. Leaving the office early I arrived at JFK with the perfect amount of time to relax and think about the whirlwind ahead of me, and what they might hopefully be serving for dinner in Business Class.

The flight was good, got some rest and then off into Paris I went. Nothing is open at 9am on a Saturday morning in the city of love. Luckily I remembered a Starbucks near the city center from years back and knew it’d be open, along with having wifi. I walked from the North Station down towards the river. Grabbing a shot of expresso and some internet I warmed up (18 degrees roughly) before taking a trek around the city. Gagosian Paris doesn’t open until 11am, so keep that in mind whenever you’re visiting for any reason. I had a pretty amazing morning around town, making it to the gallery just after it opened. As I walked in I was kindly greeted and took to viewing the small collection. I heard anther visitor enter two minutes later. Turning around I saw someone I knew, “Rob?”

“Hey, perfect! I’m so happy to see you” he said. I met Rob last week in LA and we had a nice talk about our trips to date. He mentioned that he’d be in Europe the following week. We swapped info, but never set anything official up. I assumed I find him in London. It was great seeing another familiar face doing this crazy trip, especially in a similar way to myself. “Are you taking the train to London?” – I asked. He thought “Yah, the 1…” I butted in with “the 1:30?” And boom, we were both headed to London together.

Don’t worry. I never actually blasted the Jay-Z and Kanye song around Paris.

I think I have everything ready to go for the first leg of Europe, which begins tomorrow night. For now I need to sleep after packing and prepping for the office in the morning. I’m excited because it looks to be a pretty quick, but very fun trip. If you notice the pain reliever in the photo, that would be to help the ankle injury I got last night (wonderful timing). I was bouldering at my gym in the cave, flew of the ceiling and landed wrong on the incorrectly placed pads. I was scared, although fine the rest of the night. To help prevent any injuries I put ice on it before going to bed; around 4am I woke of in crazy pain and instantly worried about the Whirlwind Weekend ahead of me. Long story short, I got a brace on my way into the office this morning and did my best to stay off of it for the time being. Now to rest before starting another day of work ending with travel.

We finished breakfast and walked over to the gallery to add another spot to my card and finish North America. I was impressed by the massive spot painting displayed in the show, and I guess it only makes sense that LA would have what appears to be the largest piece in the series. I ran into some other individuals taking on the challenge and even a nice guy named Rob. He was even doing it in a similar way to me. We exchanged info and said where we were planning on being next. Hopefully, “we’ll grab a beer in London” he said, and I agreed. Well, after that Euno and I got in the car and made our way to the airport for my 1:30pm flight back to NYC. I got there on time, cruised through security (it was Saturday) and made my way back to the East.

Thanks to my family and friends who have been cheering me on along the way. On to Europe!