WANDEROUS

The story of the salt man of the Gulf of Morbihan and his bird-spying area. Short story but don’t worry; next episode is a Big One.

Show Notes

• Here’s a TikTok video I shot of this fascinating place

• (If you subscribe to the accompanying photos, you’ll see this on Wednesday.)

• Follow my Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes & get member-only exclusive episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

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I almost get lost in an abbey on a tidal island in France.

Show Notes

• TikTok Video I shot as we were crossing the bridge onto the island of Mont-Saint Michel, one of the most unique UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’ve ever visited.

• Public service announcement: do not take rocks from the inside of the abbey! (There’s a curse.)

• Here’s a video of an example of the little hidden passageways I mention this episode

• And here’s a fun video of a special view from Mont-Saint-Michel

• We also had enough time to go to nearby Saint-Malo!

• There, we saw Grand Bé island, which has an old fort & grave of writer Chateaubriand. The public swimming pool I mention in this episode is between the island and the coast. (If you subscribe to the accompanying photos, you’ll see this on Wednesday.)

• Follow my Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes & get member-only exclusive episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

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I join the Evensong in Oxford and marvel at the bone-like structure of Christ Church. Then I go to France and confuse everyone by being lactose intolerant. At least Vitré was quite pretty.

Show Notes

• A brief recap of how I got to France after a month in England

• Here’s a video I shot of the hundreds of Ties in The Bear

• Follow my Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes & get member-only exclusive episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

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We wrap up my Scotland adventure with a magnificent hike up to Arthur’s Seat, a Witches’ Well, a castle, and delicious plant-based food. I even include a Vegan Mac & Cheese recipe.

Show Notes

• Important tips about Couchsurfing and door locks!

• A Video I shot from the view of Arthur’s Seat!

• Video of “St. Margaret’s Lock” lake (the part with the geese I mention)

• The lovely TIMELAPSE I shot at Edinburg’s Royal Mile

• The Witches’ Well that I mention in the episode (right before I found out the castle was closed) — pretty wild to think witches were burned here! But now it’s a planter? Weird.

• The Creepy Church I mention is the Highland Tolbooth Kirk. Here’s a video I shot of it.

• My video of Edinburg Castle

• Very silly short video I shot of “Dippy” the Dinosaur

• Follow my Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes & get member-only exclusive episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

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That time I hitchhiked from Inverness to Drumnadrochit. It’s a Scottish Highlands exploration!

Show notes

• My very silly video at Loch Ness about blowing Nessy up (also on TikTok)

• My book series Ten Thousand Hours in Paradise also shows how powerful hitchhiking can be.

• Also, I meant Plesiosaur. The monster could be similar to a plesiosaur, if it were real, which it isn’t.

• The guy who picked me up was scaling all of the Munro Mountains. These are the peaks I referred to in this episode. Can you believe there are 282?

• You can learn more about Nessieland on its website.

• Also, I encourage you to give yourself permission to do NOTHING sometimes. It’s important.

• Follow my Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes & get member-only exclusive episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

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Come for the topic. Stay for the personality, right?

Also, I totally step in it, talking about “Great Britain” to a Scottish person. There’s a lesson here. And I stumbled into a parade; not for the last time!

Show notes

• Glasgow Necropolis was my first stop, with over 3,000 monuments

• Took the Kelvin Hall building tour. Worth checking out.

• TIP TO SAVE: Megabus is a great option to get around the UK

• Follow my Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes & get member-only exclusive episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

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So I found the an inaccurate plaque in the British Museum. Still loved it. I also talk about historical things that I’m not qualified to talk about.

Also, was I just invited to a cuddle party?

Join me for an unusual exploration of the largest permanent museum collection in the world. 🗿💎🪭

Show notes:

• Golden Jubilee Bridges

• I was right! Here’s a page on the 2017-2021 Big Ben Restoration. Thankfully, they removed the gantry supporting the scaffolding in April, just 2 months before I arrived!

• The Cleopatra I mentioned is indeed from the Emperor Trajan days!

• Cool Exhibit: Mildenhall Great Dish

• Cool Exhibit: The Gayer-Anderson cat

• TIP TO SAVE on audio guides: Rick Steves Audio Europe on iOS & Android

• Kava info from the National Library of Medicine

• A warning about Parliament Square Garden: you may look like a little person

• TIP TO SAVE: Megabus is a great option to get around the UK

• TIP TO SAVE: visit Parliament Square Garden. Totally free and lovely in the summer.

• Follow my Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes & get member-only exclusive episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

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This is probably the episode where we peak and should just stop. It all started with a free walking tour and snowballed from there.

From the Bridge of Sighs to the Natural History museum (dinosaurs!), it could have been a perfect episode. But I end up finishing the ep with a story about ancient phalluses and the god Min, which I’d heard years before as a pet name, only to come across a statue of the god Min in Oxford. Is the Ashmolean Museum trying to be kinky? Can you catch the mallard in 2101? LISTEN AND FIND OUT.

Show notes:

• TIP TO SAVE: Probably the best way to get from London to Oxford→ Oxford Tube (also I misspoke, the train is often 4x as expensive, so this is a better option, unless you already have a car)

• My 1st, charming interview with Jamie Catto is here. (Originally recorded in 2019. Can you believe it was already on this Patreon?)

• My 2nd, and more wide-ranging, interview with Jamie Catto. (Originally from 2022. Listening back, I cannot believe that he was friends with Richard Rudd who channeled The Gene Keys! I keep hearing about that recently. Anyone else familiar with that?)

• Jamie Catto’s Ram Dass wonderful film (one of my absolute favorite documentaries of all time)→ Becoming Nobody

• The Bridge of Sighs

• TIP TO SAVE: Do a free tour. The free Oxford Tour I went on →

• An explanation of The Great Mallard Chase

• More about the quirky William Buckland “heart eating” incident

• TIP TO SAVE: How to visit Christ Church for free: Go at 6pm for evensong

• House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is a weird book and is somehow connected to the God Min in my mind

• TIP TO SAVE: When using Couchsurfing.com, message hosts in a nearby city if it’s a major metro area, which greatly improves your chances

• Follow this show on Spotify →

• Follow the Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes and get member-only exclusive (& spicy) episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

A little story about how the travel magic took ahold of me and divine timing gave us an opportunity to enjoy twilight at Stonehenge and THEN visit Avebury in time for a brilliant sunrise, the first light of Summer. 🤩

Show notes:

• Druid interview on ASCENDANT. Just go here and scroll down to “Live at Stonehenge” → https://myth.li/podcasts/

• Follow the Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes and get member-only exclusive (& spicy) episodes, like the upcoming one I tease in this episode: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

• Follow this show on Spotify →

Today I talk about visiting 2 of the most famous museums in London, both of which happen to be totally free to visit!

I was also struck by the amount of sidewalks and the long houseboats in the tributaries of River Thames.

But that first visit to the British Museum was cut short (for reasons I explain).

I would have to return.

Show notes:

• The Tube Map app I used while in London https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tube-map-london-underground/id320969612

• Follow the Patreon for free to submit questions for future episodes and get member-only exclusive (& spicy) episodes: https://patreon.com/hellocrusoe

• Follow this show on Spotify →