Europe? Completed it, mate

An Inbetweeners-inspired blog post title + World-class Photoshop skills = This absolute masterpiece.

It’s no secret that my biggest travel goal is to visit each and everyone one of 196 nations on the planet (well, at least that’s how many I count), and over the last five years I’ve visited a fair chunk. I’ve still got a long way to go, but my last ‘new’ country was special for a couple of reasons.

Seoul, South Korea to Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

Welcome to Astan-, sorry, Nur-Sultan capital of Kazakhstan – a country famous for its oil, cosmodrome, its championship boxers and, erm, Borat? In fact virtually everyone I mentioned that I was visiting the country to made the Borat connection and, to be fair, it’s probably the strongest cultural connection that the majority of British people will know.

When I booked my flight ticket to this destination, it was called Astana – a city that only became the capital 22 years ago when it was little more than a barren patch of land adjacent to the Ishim River. The capital moved from Almaty in the south to its more central location, and underwent another change in March when it changed its name from Astana to Nur-Sultan to honour former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, who served as Kazakh President for almost 30 years.

Here we go…

Outside Hazrat Sultan Mosque in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. It was hot, but you have to cover your legs when entering a mosque.

I arrived at the international airport, also named after Nazarbyev, following my flight from Seoul in the early hours. It was getting on for midday, so I got exchanged some money to get enough Kazakh Tenge to keep me going  and was harassed into getting a taxi. I just wanted to get to my hotel, and this guy wouldn’t leave me alone.

In no mood to argue, I got in the taxi and set off for the ibis hotel – always a solid choice. Nothing flashy, but always reliable.

As we drove to the hotel I caught a glimpse of Nur-Sultan’s whacky skyline – constructed by oil money, yet thought up by a lunatic, apparently. Towering monoliths of all shapes and sizes rose up out the middle of what otherwise, essentially, was a desert plain.

These big, gold cylinders, affectionately known as the Beer Cans, frame Ak Orda Presidential Palace in Nur-Sultan.

What also became apparent during the taxi ride from airport to hotel was the sheer scale of the place. Not only is Nur-Sultan full of big buildings, it’s also full of big boulevards, and everything is so spread out. My hotel was technically in the centre, yet was a 45-minute walk from Baiterek Tower, the famous monument that sits right in the heart of the city.

I arrived at the hotel, dumped my bags, had a quick nap and then headed out to explore.

The next day I did my ritual of getting a photo with the national flag of every tenth country I visit. For me, Kazakhstan was country number 70, and I was following on with the tradition from Malaysia, my 60th country, and Montenegro, which brought me to 50.

Getting my shot with the Kazakhstan flag to mark entry into my seventieth country. Behind me is the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, although you would be forgiven for thinking I was at Giza.

But I also had another milestone to celebrate, as entering Kazakhstan also saw me enter my 51st, and final, European country.

“Kazakhstan?!” You may exclaim. Isn’t it in Central Asia, rather than Europe? Well, as the ninth-largest country on the planet by area, it actually is a transcontinental nation with approximately 10% of it lying on the European side of the border.

It’s in a similar situation to the likes of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan – all of which are included on Countries-ofthe-World’s list of European nations, which is what I have based my own definitions on. I’ve included Kosovo, Vatican City, Monaco and Cyprus and some – such as Turkey and the aforementioned Caucasus states – also feature.

From the United Kingdom, where I was born, to Kazakhstan, the journey to visit each and every country in Europe has been, excuse the reference, VERY NICE!

And that doesn’t mean I’ll stop exploring Europe – there are plenty of places left to see and many I want to return to. What it does, however, is that visiting new countries will start taking more time and costing more money.

Enjoy some shots of my travels through Europe below!

One of the best travel photos I’ve ever taken. Me any my girlfriend look out from a swing set across the amazing scenery on Videy Island in Iceland.

Outside Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco on a blazing day in July 2016.

The River Rhine provides the backdrop to this photo in Basel, Switzerland.

Me and my girlfriend exploring on a sunny day in Gdansk.

Taking a selfie with The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Checking out the Old Town of Tbilisi, Georgia.

Enjoying the snow at the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo, Norway.

An amazing photo opportunity in front of Saint Basil’s Cathedral on a cool December night in Moscow, Russia.

Enjoying the views from the glass dome atop the German Parliament building in Berlin, Germany.

With my mates atop the UFO Bridge in Bratislava, Slovakia. You can see Bratislava Castle over my right shoulder.