I have recently noticed that I have been traveling around the world for over two years now, in the name of martial arts. In these two years, I have mostly reported on a wide variety of martial arts, and have written a lot of articles on unknown aspects of martial arts and combat sports.

Here and there I have also given a few insights into my thoughts and what I worry about. At the beginning I also published some articles about traveling but I stopped that very quickly.

A Warrior’s Journey was never a personal travel blog, where I wanted to tell people what I was experiencing. Rather, I wanted, or would like to introduce my readers to unknown martial arts, or aspects which are unknown to them.

But after about two years, it is time to summarize a bit. In the next few weeks, I would like to let you participate in my trip and bring the highlights of the last two years, that have been in secret until now.

If you want to know how the idea of A Warrior’s Journey got started, you’ll find it here …

Let’s start from scratch …

It is Spring 2015, I was working as a project engineer in the aerospace industry, I was finishing my Master’s degree and I trained K1 Kickboxing and Muay Thai at Nubia Sports to take part in competitions. But that was not enough, I set up my blog project “A Warrior’s Journey” with my homeboy Holzbain.

In summer 2015, everything was planned to start the journey. Masters done, left my company without any troubles, in the gym I said goodbye to everyone and the blog was on the air. Of course, I have just fallen in love again, but the thing was clear. On July 18, 2015 I celebrated my farewell and 28th birthday.

A week later, I drowned all worries and doubts at the annual village cup and on 27th of July 2015 everything started. The exploration of the world and their martial arts.

Today I would like to show you what I have experienced and seen at the beginning of my trip. The first part deals with Western Europe.

Germany & Austria

On the roof of Germany • Finger Wrestling• Farewell• Couchsurfing with nudists • Historical European Martial Arts

On 27th July of 2015 I started my journey. With my father and my brother we went early in the morning heading south, to the first station Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Full of sadness, I left my home, instead of great anticipation, the sadness was stronger and I was in a bad mood. The weather reflected these emotions, it was raining. I saw that my mother had the same feelings, no one knew when we would meet again.

The first week we spent in Garmisch-Partenkirchen hiking and mountaineering. In nature my mood became better again. On the recommendation of our landlord, we made the mortal march from Garmisch to the Zugspitze in just one day. 12 hours non stop up against the wall and I was quite suprised that my dad could keep up so good. At the top I felt invincible, the first goal of the trip was achieved.

Close to Garmisch-Partenkirchen I went to my first martial arts competition of the trip. I met the German and alpine master in finger wrestling, Josef Utzschneider, in his training center. This turned out to be a simple carpentry in family business.

Josef trains with his father, his brother and a couple of friends how to get rid of their middle finger in the best and fastest way. We trained and wrestled a bit and then we went relatively quick to the beer part and we all together had a nice evening with Bavarian and Westerwälder (that’s the area in Germany where I am from) specialties.

At the weekend, my buddy came to the celebrate with us in costume and tradition at the summer festival in Garmisch, before we went to the next station … the Area47 in Austria.

The Area47 in Austria is a huge outdoor amusement park in the Alps. Rafting, canyoning, climbing, mountain biking, etc. all together in one place, in one package. I definitely recommend.

We have been there for about a week, my closest friends and I. Every day having fun, swim, have a good meal and, of course, drink beer. There were no major injuries and everyone got along well. That’s why I was sad again, at the end of the week, when I had to say goodbye finally to my friends and I did not know ,when to see them again. But it went on to Linz.

Some of my friends were took me to Linz, as they continued to Graz. I wanted to make only a stopover in Linz before going to nearby Großraming, to train a week in the mountains in Historical European Martial Arts, but more on that later.

I took the opportunity in Linz to try out couchsurfing for the first time. Arrived in Linz, at the house of the host, I finally said goodbye to my last friends, which was already unpleasant. When I entered the property, another unpleasant surprise came upon me, a naked, slimy mid-forty guy … the typical stereotype of an Austrian: D

I did not show that I was really disgusted and moved to the room, thanks to God it was a private. I spent the next few days focusing on my work and avoiding contact with the host as much as I could. Nevertheless, he has found the time to throw two seedy statements to my head.

There’s something very sad in your eyes!
Host: “This is so unfair”! I: “What is unfair?” Host: “Your Beauty”!

What a greasy guy. You might think that the from there on the couchsurfing ruined for me, but no, there are still better stories in the later articles.

Untouched and still grateful, I left Linz to live and train with the ladies and gentlemen of INDES for a week at a self-catering hut in the mountains. INDES deals with Historical European Martial Arts. On the whole, one can say, sword-fighting, wrestling, dagger, archery, etc. All what was used in Europe a few centuries ago to fight battles or defend lives.

With eight persons and heavily armed, we moved to the hut in Upper Austria for a week. No electricity, no mobile phone, no internet, running water only from an ice cold mountain spring. The first two days were somewhat unusual, as you always ask yourself what time it is.

But from the third day on, my body had found its own rhythm and it felt damn good to escape the pressure of the modern world. My goal now is to spend a week each year without mobile phone, Internet and time, away from civilization, just to come back to earth.

The colleagues at the hut all fit into the category L.A.R.B. and heavy metal nerds, but all very nice, open-minded people. Every morning we were moving together after getting up, before the breakfast was prepared. During the day everyone could do what he wanted. I have tried to learn as much as possible. Techniques with the sword, in wrestling or even archery.

Besides that, running a bit, workout and of course cook together, eat and tell stories. In the evening, guitar music was played by the campfire and we watched the shooting stars. This week “back to nature” has been incredibly good for me and brought me back again to the realisation that it does not take much to be happy in life. Everything is there already

After seven days we went back to civilization. I still had a short stop in Graz, to visit an old friend who moved there for university. The city in Styria was the last stop for me in Western Europe. From there I went to Croatia via Slovenia. More about this next week in the second part, which will deal with South-East Europe.

I went through Croatia, Montenegro and from Albania to Greece, from where I finally left Europe.

The beauty of the Adriatic coast, meeting with a martial arts legend, a national football game in Albania, Greek antique martial arts and much more, I have experienced on my journey through South-East Europe. I keep you posted in the next article!