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Last week, I moved from �����ԹϺ��� HQ to Newcastle, England. (Yes, like the beer.) So it's official: I've jumped the pond.����As a born and raised American,��England and the greater continent of Europe have always held a certain mystery for me—those tiny urban shoes, that second revival of mullets. But there’s also plenty I’ve longed to know better, like the big mountain skiing in Italy, the cycling in Scotland.

The good news is that for the next year I’ll be your �����ԹϺ���r in Europe, here to investigate everything sports and adventure. And while I’ll be primarily based on the windy coast of England, I plan on lugging my battered suitcase around the rest the continent also to report back to you on all the best of cycling, running and trekking.

About me: I’m a fairly active bird. I believe in adventure; in traveling far and often—and in seeking out those perfect patches of wilderness miles from any tour bus or cruise ship. Though I’m a far cry from Chrissie Wellington or Lance Armstrong, I am a dedicated marathoner, hiker, and ace budget adventurer.����And now that I’m centrally located, with dirt cheap trains, planes and and ferries to the likes of Scotland, Italy and Norway, this Yank can barely wait to jump in and get started.

My mission? To bring to you the latest and greatest in gear for savvy travelers; to relay tips for navigating the continent affordably; and most importantly, to seek out a different Europe than the heavily packaged one inside those hundred dollar Venetian gondola rides and woeful little Eiffel Tower tchotchkes— places where the heart of the Old Country still beats, as it did for Fawcett, for Shackleton, for Saint-Exupéry; where the tourists are few and the land is wild and old, ��just waiting to be climbed, biked and explored.

Just one question left. What are we waiting for?

��–Shauna Sweeney