Astounding Austria

September 2, 2016Leave a comment

I’m in love with traveling, so much so that I’ve failed to post lately! Austria required my full attention. It’s alpine landscapes and vast cities sucked me in. I was fortunate to experience lots of variety in the cities I traveled to in Austria. Since I’m so behind where I currently am in my trip I’m starting with a single post of all the towns I visited in Austria: Vienna, Grunau, Salzburg and Innsbruck.

VIENNA:
There is lots about my experience in Vienna that wasn’t ideal. I was coming down with the cold that had been circulating through the crowded buses and busy hostels. On my third night in Vienna I awoke to the girl sleeping in the bed under me shrieking about being attacked by bed bugs in the night. She even had the evidence squished on her bed (YUCK!). I was motivated to quickly find alternative accommodation and Airbnb came to my rescue providing a clean private room just a short walk away. This little splurge for my last two nights in Vienna was definitely the nicest place I’ve stayed while traveling solo and had a washing machine which I eagerly took advantage of. With access to unlimited tea and a kitchen I also tried to remedy my oncoming cold with a few home cooked meals. Doing something as routine as cooking a meal felt nice.

There are so many wonderful sights in Vienna- Belveder Palace, Schloss Schonbrunn, St. Stephan’s Cathedral. The food was excellent I couldn’t get enough goulash, tidbits from Nashmarket or the original Vienesse torte.

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Though the city was beautiful, one of my favorite days was the day I joined a biking-wine tour of the surrounding countryside of Wachau Valley. It started out a gray day and dumped buckets on us as we prepped for our ride by covering ourselves in gray plastic ponchos. Already delayed over an hour, we were delayed yet again when half our tour group road off in the wrong direction. The apologetic guide left me and four others with a bottle of peach schnapps as he darted out into the rain after the rouge tourists. Half a bottle later we were all feeling warmer and in much better spirits when the guide returned. Apparently the group that had gotten separated were less then confident on a bicycle and would be taking a taxi to meet us at the first winery. The 5 of us remaining plus the 2 guides sped off in the rain. Having surrendered to the fact we were going to get wet, splashing through puddles in the crisp air ended up being a lot of fun! Arriving at the first winery I was surprised to find, unlike Napa, each “taste” was roughly half a glass of wine. The group that had taxied to the winery didn’t seem to be big wine fans either and decided to meet us back at the train station later that evening- why they signed up for this tour in the first place I’ll never know. But this left the same amount of wine for half the people so nobody was complaining. At one winery we climbed over 100 stairs on a nearly vertical hill to reach a private patio overlooking the river. The sun began to break through the clouds and we sat with full glasses looking down into the valley, inviting passing villagers to join us for a glass- and server all of them actually did. The owner brought out an additionally bottle of homemade apricot schnapps- a specialty of the region. The air was fresh and damp, mist hung over the mountain tops, the valley surrounding us was so green. We took a barge across the river, the sun was truly shining now. The bike ride back was nothing but smooth winding roads. We stop to pick apples and pears from and orchard. The guides, apparently sticking to no strict timeline, let the tour slip into the evening. By the end we were dry and full and happy, in a perfect state to doze on the train ride back to Vienna.

GRÜNAU:
This was the mountain escape I had been craving. After exploring a variety of concrete jungles I was ready to soak in some nature. I lucked out with four perfect days of sunshine.

Day 1: Hike to a waterfall, only about a 3 hour round trip with 7 other BusAbouters. Minimal bush-wacking required (through spidery bushes ah!) but totally worth it when we reached the waterfall. Standing under the mouth of the waterfall and being soaked by the glacial water was FREEZING but so refreshing after the hike. This hike also made me really thankful for my Tevas purchase, perfect for climbing through water and rocks without hurting my feet and I didn’t need to worry about them not drying out afterwards.

Our terrific host Gerhard- Owner of the Treehouse!

Day 2: A 42 kilometer bike ride to a glacial mountain lake with 4 friends from the hostel. I was completely exhausted by the time we arrived and already dreading the hilly ride back but after a meal (aka soup and orange juice- still feeling under the weather) and a jump in the lake I was ready to take on the ride home. It seemed to go a lot faster, as it usually does when you know where you’re going, and the mountain scenery was to die for.

Day 3: I literally slept all day, waking up only for meals. This is what my body truly needed and with the sound of the river outside my balcony door I was very content. The small, family-run hostel I was staying at felt more like a home then a hostel. The owner Gerhard prepared home cooked lunches and dinners everyday for all of the guests at the Treehouse. If you ever come through Granau I would highly recommend this accommodation. This day of rest did the trick and by the next morning I was feeling ready to take on the world.

Day 4: Three hostel-mates and I decided to embark on an all-day hike to the top of Mount Kasberg. It ended up taking us about 6.5 hrs, covering 11.5 miles round trip, with a 1200 meter vertical elevation gain to the summit. We were rewarded with a waterfall along the way and the most stunning of views from the top. We even made it home in time for dinner- there’s nothing like a hot meal waiting for you as motivation to hustle!

SALZBURG:
Famous for its salt mines, the Salzburg Festival, being the setting for the award winning film “The Sound of Music” and being the home of Mozart, Salzburg was an excellent stop. This was an incredibly scenic town, placed in a valley with Fortress Hohensalzburg looming over the town from one side and a bright yellow monastery across the way on a slightly lower hill. My favorite thing I did was explore the catacombs located in St. Peter’s cemetery. Though this may sound creepy, it was so interesting to see how the catacombs were built into the cliff face, and the small windows, placed in the mountain face, provided ideal views over the old town. The rest of my time in Salzburg consisted of lots of rain, so I did what any great tourist would do and joined a Sound of Music tour- not only because it was the cheapest one offered, but because the killer sound track I knew they were bound to play. There is nothing like belting “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…” out at the top of your lungs with a bunch of other insane tourists to make you feel better on a gray day. But in all seriousness this tour was a great way to see several of Salzburg’s surrounding lakes and some other more distant scenic locations where the movie was filmed, including Schloss Hellbrunn. In the evening I sat in the town square with a warm coffee watching a screening of an opera with many others too cheap to buy a ticket to the Salzburg Festival’s current evening offerings. I think it is lovely the city still works to engage the rest of the community in this art and culture by providing free alternatives. With a break in the rain it was nice to be out under the stars in the fresh night air.

INNSBRUCK:
(Note: I visited Innsbruck after Munich so this is not the correct order of my trip- I’m just covering Austria here) My first impression of Innsbruck wasn’t great, there was lots of construction and the city looked extremely industrial from where I was dropped off. After making it to my hostel though I was much closer to the old town and was beginning to see the cities charm. This clean, well located hostel wasn’t busy and I even enjoyed the 4-bed door to myself for one night, which was a nice change. I did a lap around the old town, spotting Innsbruck’s famous Golden Roof, then visited the Swarovski Kristallwelten during my first afternoon. This crystal world was filled with different contemporary art installations all using Swarovski crystals- I most enjoyed the ones with strong commentary on consumer culture, excess and materialism (though it seems to have the exact opposite mission as Swarovski’s business goals). The outside was just as beautiful as the exhibits inside the crystal world and my friends and I sat in the sun watching the crystal clouds installation glitter with the alps standing tall in the background. The next day I paid a quick visit to Innsbruck’s Alpine Zoo- the highest altitude zoo in the world. All the animals seemed to be out and running around and I especially enjoyed the friendly bobcat who walk right up to say hello to me. Next I was excited to do a little hiking from the top of the surrounding alps that dominated the landscape. I took the Nordkettenbahnen cable car up to the top of the mountain. Hiking along these alpine trails was one of the most breathtaking moments I’ve had on this trip. The town of Innsbruck looked so small below me. Sheep skillfully traversed the hills around me, their neck bells ringing like chimes as they walked. Once I got away from the main path to the closest summit, the solitude was amazing. Standing on this impressive mountain I felt like I was on top of the world. Thousands of miles from home, finding my way, soaking in the moment, one breath of fresh air at a time.

Photos: Chillin in Cesky Krumlov

August 12, 2016Leave a comment

I think this small town in the Czech Republic may have just topped Bruges as my favorite small town I’ve visited so far. The adorable winding cobbled streets, the wedding cake like castle tower, the rambling river, the daily crafts market, not to mention having half the amount of tourists as Bruges and significantly cheaper prices. I only spent two full days in this charming town but it would have been an excellent place to stop and rest for longer. The hostel, as advertised, was more like a house then a hostel- they even insisted guests remove their shoes at the front door. Krumlov House made me feel right at home and gave me lots of interesting suggestions for how to spend my short time in Cesky Krumlov. My favorite suggestion was the relaxing four hour rafting trip where a few friends and I floated down the Vltava River on a sunny afternoon. Here are a few pictures from the weekend to get a taste of my visit. Please excuse my obsession with the castle tower, it was just so pretty!

Picturesque Prague

August 11, 2016Leave a comment

After the comfort and convenience of staying with family in the last two cities Prague took some warming up to. A new city, new language and new currency seemed like a lot of change. My hostel was a bit out of the way, requiring a tram ride to get to city center. The dingy part of town my accommodation was in and the beds stacked three high in my 12 bed dorm made me feel even less at home.

After getting settled (in a middle bunk, whew!) I met up with 3 other people from BusAbout- Amanda, Andy and Kate. We explored from Wenceslas Square down to the Astronomical Clock at old city center. From there we wandered to the river towards Charles Bridge walking through the silhouettes of buildings towards the most gorgeous sunset. After soaking in the last rays of sunshine we went on a hunt for dinner and some of the renound Czech beer. We were not disappointed- finding a place with taps built into the center of the table. It was nice to make some new friends in this city. Prague was growing on me.

The next morning I was determined to walk to Prague Castle through the vast Letenské park lands and castle gardens. I loved wandering through the shady greenery, getting amazing views of the city every few minutes. The park was much steeper then I expected, making what looked like a short distance on the map feel much longer. But remembering that I had nothing pressing to do and no where to be I took a breath and did my best to enjoy the journey. I wandered, sitting on benches looking out over the city speckled with red and blue copper roof tops. Reaching the castle on the hill was always my goal, I could tell I was getting close when I entered the gardens by the Summer Royal Palace. I walked through the gardens with a wonderful view of St. Vitus’ Cathedral right across the way. I entered the main castle walls through the Powder Bridge, which was wonderful luck because there was absolutely no line. Only when exiting through the main castle gates did I realize how fortunate I had been. I bought a ticket, feeling sneaky for continuing to take advantage of my student discount, which gave me access to 6 of the main castle attractions. The only one I found exceptionally notable was St. Vitus’ Cathedral. It was even more immaculate on the inside as on the outside. Its stained glass was made of the most beautifully saturated colors from across the spectrum. I’ve seen a lot of churches and cathedrals in these past weeks, but these windows were by far my favorite. I later discovered my favorite window was designed by one of my favorite artist Alphonse Mucha, who had spent much of his time in Prague. Glad to see my artistic taste has some consistency!

It started pouring and when all the exhibits closed around 5:00 I decided to head back to the hostel. Expecting a quite night of writing I went down to find a seat in the hostel’s cozy bar and was immediately waved over by another group of travelers. All 7 of them were also traveling solo and we swapped stories about our different travel experiences and the benefits and drawbacks of being on our own. One thing I love about staying at hostels is how friendly and welcoming everyone generally is. It’s easy to find other people to explore the city with or to give you tips for your upcoming destinations. I ended the evening with plans to meet another woman, Laura, the following morning for a free walking tour of the old town.

At the walking tour the next morning I was glad to have a buddy, the town was already extremely crowded and loosing our group in the crowd was a frequent occurrence. We luckily had an exceptionally hilarious, engaging tour guide- providing a good incentive for not wandering off. We covered a lot of ground seeing the astronomical clock, the Jewish quarter, Charles Bridge, one of Motzart’s many concert halls, Charles University and much more. After the tour I felt the need to be on my own and said goodbye to Laura and another hostel mate who had joined us. I Crossed Charles Bridge fully which was quite the battle, noting not to do that again for the rest of my visit. It felt like a battle of dodging selfie sticks and meandering tourists. I could hardly see the life sized statues that famously lined the sides of the bridge. I made my way back up to the castle intending to finish the last two exhibits my pass from the previous day still allowed me entry to. But the line at the main entrance was massive, and with no easy way to access the side entrance, I opted to head straight to the monestary and Petrín tower on the hill. This was an excellent choice, it was far less crowded and gave me the best view of the city I had experienced so far (which is really saying something considering the hills at the park). It was nice to be up above the trees looking down at the castle and the beautifully designed city below.

That evening I decided it was time to try one of the European pub crawls everyone was so fond of. I met with my friend Amanda and two of her friends, and we were greeted by two more familiar faces from BusAbout when we arrived. The first hour included unlimited beer, wine and absinth shots. First off, absinth is gross- it tasted like mouth wash and will never again touch my lips! Then the growing group proceeded to 4 more bars/clubs with a free shot at the door of each one. In good company we danced and drank the night way ending at a club 5 stories high with a different theme of music on each floor- my personal favorite, the “Oldies” floor, throwing it way back!

The next afternoon I made it out of bed to meet Amanda for our 1pm Kutna Hora tour, just to find out the tour company had over booked and couldn’t take us along. Settling to go the following day, we decided to instead head to dancing house. This architectural masterpiece literally looked as if it was moving, swaying with the wind along the river. It was the perfect sunny day and the area surrounding dancing house was full of nothing but cute, cheap restaurants and parks and it was so empty compared to the crowded streets of old town. I said goodbye to Amanda and crossed the bridge on my way to Lenon Wall. It was a beautiful day to be strolling along the river. Lenon Wall, located near the castle side of Charles Bridge, was crowded but worth the walk. I had a good time looking at all the positive messages written on the brightly colored wall influencing people to “keep your head up” and “build bridges not walls.”

I strolled back towards the adorable dancing house area, my mind set on exploring a nearby monestary. Stopped for an ice cream from Angelato, hands down the best one I’ve had in Europe so far (Italy here I come). Crossing back over a different bridge I noticed music and detoured down the stairs on the side of the bridge to a little island in the middle of the river. There was a band warming up, possibly for a performance later that evening. People were in paddle boats on the river, others sat on the shore watching the water, reading, tanning, listening to the music, feeding ducks, walking their dogs. Such a relaxed and peaceful environment out of the crowds and rush of city center. After sitting on the grass for some time I continued to the monastery, which turned out to be nothing extraordinary from the outside, but was completely deserted providing me with an exceptional view from the huge front balcony. I stood there in the evening sun enjoying the solitude.

Friday rolled around quicker then expected, I couldn’t believe my time in this beautiful city was already coming to a close. In an attempt to squish everything in I headed to the Mucha Museum before the day trip to Kutna Hora. I’ve always admired this Art Neauvou artist’s dreamy, romantic work, especially his use of line and color. The women, flowers and ornate framing which dominate his subject matter are all so beautiful and intricately crafted. This is also where I discovered my favorite stained glass window at the Vitas’ Cathedral (and my favorite of all the many stained glass windows I’ve seen on this trip) was designed by Alphonse Mucha.

I’m glad I enjoyed the art exhibit because honestly the tour to Kutna Hora was a bit of a let down. It was pouring out, as I made my way to meet the Kutna Hora tour group, making me even more annoyed that if everything had gone as planned and I would have been on the tour yesterday in perfect sunshine. Our tour guide had a thick accent and curtly directed us to the bus. I was excited to see it would be an intimate group of 3 others, Amanda and myself. My excitement fell when our guide spent the remainder of the drive talking in a quiet monotone voice, ignoring questions from the other members of the group, and unsuccessfully attempting a bit of humor which I interpreted as rather sexist. Our driver also clearly though he was meant for NASCAR and spent the drive zooming into oncoming traffic trying to pass cars, then veering back into the correct lane at the last moment. The cathedral, while not entirely constructed of bones as I imagined, was still chillingly immaculate. Thousands and thousands of human bones, turned into artwork brought life to the tiny cathedral. Apparently, believing the land this cathedral was built on was sacred, people flocked from all around to be burried on this cite. The land was so full of bodies there was no room for more, so in an attempt to make more space the bones were removed from old graves and made into decorations for the inside of the church, creating room for new bodies to be buried in the surrounding graveyard. Strange logic, but I guess it worked out. We arrived back in Prague in one piece, our angry driver having several near misses causing him to throw his hands up at many terrified pedestrians. In retrospect I’m glad I had the perfect day of sunshine to explore a new area of Prague instead of wasting the great weather on this less then fabulous tour. Maybe everything does happen for a reason.

Given how much I had grown to love Prague I was very excited to see more of the Czech Republic. Next stop Cesky Krumlov!

Photos: Darling Dresden

August 5, 20161 Comment

Dresden was a wonderful contrast to Berlin. The old town was all bundled together in one compact section, it was much smaller and felt like a mix between a university town and the suburbs. I experienced more kindness from family members who I was only meeting for the first time. I stayed with my grandmother’s cousin’s niece Martina and her husband Gert who opened their doors and arms to me, treating me as a daughter during my stay. I could not be more thankful for their generosity and hospitality. I had a truly wonderful time. We spent many evenings sitting on their back porch, overlooking their flourishing garden, sipping rosé, while they patiently answered all of my many questions about Germany. In pictures, here’s a bit of my time in scenic Dresden.

Day 1: Fabulous authentic German lunch and tour of the old town

Day 2: Tour of the Historic Green Vault and walk along the shore at sunset during the Kaiser Mania concert to observe crazy Roland Kaiser fans. On our way home we saw hundreds of rollerbladers; apparently Dresden shuts roads every Friday during summer for this large group to safely skate the city.

Day 3: Sachsische Schweiz National Park, biergarten (beer garden) lunch, Japanisches Palais (Japanese Palace), and in the evening met Gert and Martina’s son Jurge

Day 4: Tour of Semper Opera House, Zwinger exhibits- Old Masters Picture Gallery, Porcelain Collection, and Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon, tour of places my parents visited when they were young, met Gert and Martina’s son Frank, coffee with Gert and Martina’s daughter Enis and a snitzel dinner (YUM!)

I sincerely hope to come back to Dresden one day!

At Home in Berlin

August 2, 20161 Comment

When I reached Berlin I breathed a sigh of relief, I’d be in the same city, staying with family, for a whole week. No moving around, no racing to catch a bus, no transferring accommodations, no locking my belongings in a locker, no shower shoes. I’d be staying with my grandmother’s half-brother’s granddaughter, Eileen. Her smiling face was there to greet me upon arrival even though my bus ran an hour late.

Eileen is the definition of a #gogettergal! She traveled to the US when she was only 18, living long-term with a family in California as an au pair, and perfecting her English (honestly she could fool you into thinking it was her first language). Now fluent in not two, but three languages, she’s taking on a rigorous course of study with a dual degree program in Berlin. As business students, we had lots in common and even found ourselves swaping resume tips over dinner one evening (not sure whether that makes me want to laugh or cry).

Eileen welcomed me into her home having only met me once before. She visited my family in San Diego over four years ago on the same day as my senior prom. Being the self-absorbed high schooler I surely was, she came along with me to get my nails done and to pre-prom photos at the Four Seasons with a hundred of my closest friends and their shutter happy parents. It’s a maricle she ever agreed to letting me stay with her during this trip.

On top of picking me up and insisting on helping me carry my stuffed backpack, she had a complete packet printed out for me of all the top sights I should see in Berlin, as well as a metro card covering all the transportation I’d need during my visit. Back at her adorable flat she made me dinner and we talked late into the night. I was in heaven.

The next morning I woke up feeling so relaxed. After sleeping in, I found a smoothie and coffee waiting for me in the kitchen (Eileen!). I lounged around the house, wrote, planned my day, tried to clear a little space on my phone for more photos.

I finally got my butt into gear to venture into the city before meeting Eileen to go “babysit.” I say that in quotes because her mother, who I had never met, messaged me the night before letting me in on the secret that what Eileen thought would be a night of watching children was actually a surprise party. I felt so honored to be included in this surprise. That evening Eileen was thoroughly shocked by her friends and family and I felt really cool for having been let in on the secret. We spent the night dining and drinking cocktails under the stars with her girlfriends. Everyone made such an effort to include me even though we had never met before and I didn’t speak German. Luckily I’ve found major topics at girl’s nights to be fairly universal.

The rest of my week was scattered with gatherings of Eileen’s family and friends. Casual get togethers in charming backyard settings. Seeing the trendy apartments of these urban families was exciting. I loved how even for apartment buildings there were ample grass areas- shared backyards and nearby garden spaces everywhere. Interacting with children who don’t speak the same language as me was funny, but between my funny faces and their expressive body language we communicated just fine. One evening we had dinner overlooking a lake at sunset with Eileen’s wonderful parents. Later in the week I met my great half-uncle, Jurgen. My parents have always spoken so highly of their stays with him; meeting him in person put life to all the stories they had told me. His home was full of momentos from his travels, including a series of portraits of people he had seen along his way. These times getting to know my family were definitely the highlights of my trip to Berlin.

I did see some of the more traditional tourist sights as well. You can’t walk anywhere in Berlin without seeing the constant reminders of the country’s history. Brandenburg Gate, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Tiergarten, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Topography of Terror, Checkpoint Charlie, Potsdamer Platz, Mauerpark, the Berlin Wall. I experienced an aerial view of the entire city when Elieen surprised me with a ride in the Die Welt (The World) balloon. This attached balloon hovered over city center giving me the perfect overview of Berlin.

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Inspired by the many WWII monuments I decided to join a tour to the nearby Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. This was the most powerful thing I’ve experienced on this trip. To walk on the ground where these horrors took place, to see the living conditions and hear of the medical experimentation performed on prisoners. And to think the war ended in 1945, only a mere 71 years ago. It blows my mind to think what recent history this is. Germany is doing an excellent job of making sure this history is not forgotten, that people are educated in what took place and that history will not repeat itself. Spreading this knowledge is the best way to encourage tolerance and spread peace for the future.

Visiting Potsdam was a much more uplifting experience. I enjoyed seeing the elegance and grandeur of Sanssouci, Schloss Cecilienhof (where the Potsdam Conference took place), the expansive gardens and charming town. We even had the luck of witnessing a Diner en Blanc gathering where the Potsdam community all dressed in white and brought out tables and picnic dinners to dine together in the street.

I also loved the Sunday market in Mauerpark. It made me wish I had a big empty suitcase to fill with all the treasures I wanted to buy! Vintage breadbox- yes, clearly a necessity! A group gathered for karaoke, a live band backing the brave singer. I strolled along one of the longest remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall watching the artists at work. Children swung on swings that had been placed near the length of the wall. People of all ages sat in the sun, casually relaxing next to this wall that had once been a symbol of fear and separation.

Amsterdam

July 27, 20161 Comment

Amsterdam is a mad house. I nearly got killed by three bikes and a tram before I even reached my hostel. The smell of marijuana drifted from the park adjacent my hostel’s entrance. I needed to be buzzed in through two doors before I even reached the reception desk. Up in the 6-bed, all female dorm room I found my bedding shrink wrapped in a plastic package. Welcome home Kendal!

After making my bed and locking up all my belongings I forced myself outside pushing aside my first impressions of Amsterdam. After all this was the city so many of my friends raved about, praised for being one of the most tolerant places in the world, with innovative solutions to some of the world’s most controversial social issues.

Later that evening I met with a group of people from BusAbout, the company I’ve been using for transportation. Our crew member from the day’s trip had offered to give an evening tour through of the Red Light District which gained a lot of interest from passengers. The night was full of energy, you could feel the city rev up as the sun went down. We grabbed a quick bite at a noodle joint near Dam Square then off to see the famed Red Light District.

The streets felt dirty and grimy, perpetuated by the mounds of trash floating in the canal next to us. By 9:00pm men of all ages already stood along the sidewalks. Red curtains, elluminated by red lights hung in the windows. It was still early enough only a handful of women stood behind the glass doors of these little rooms. Some standing, vigorously working to attract business, others leaning back in their chairs, seemingly disinterested, on their phones. The streets had nicknames like “skinny lane” (which was actually physically very narrow) where the high-end, thin prostitues were rumored to be. Walking the same streets much later that same night women were illuminated in every window. I felt very conflicted, these women were being seen as objects, and sex as a good to be bought and sold. Their looks their currency in this upsidedown industry. Seeing these women as humans, as daughters, as mothers I felt sad. I hope they are here by choice and not for lack of options. I highly doubt that is true in all cases, but I’m glad that as a legalized industry in Amsterdam the city mandates better conditions for sex workers and enforces safety measures that benefit these women no matter why they are there.

My new found friends from the evening tour and I bar hop the rest of the night away. A friendly and insistent, but harmless, pair of men in town on business buy us drinks one after the next using their company credit cards. The older of the two men starts the conversation talking about his daughter (who is the same age as us) and ends the night pernouncing one of us will be his next wife. Very, very strange- and on that note it was time to leave.

Next thing I know my 7:30AM alarm is going off. One of the drawbacks of getting a last minute online ticket to the Van Gough Museum is you’re stuck with the worst times. I make it to the museum by opening time and am thankful to be able to skip line that is already stretching around the building.

I spend about an hour in the exhibit before my exhaustion overcomes me and I know it’s time for coffee. After staring out the window and getting a much needed injection of caffeine I’m ready to fully enjoy the art. I spend hours looking at every piece and reading the captions about the artists life and the other artists who inspired Van Gough’s work. They even had a special exhibit on him slipping into insanity and cutting off his ear. To clarify it was the whole ear, leaving only a small portion of the lobe behind (Yikes!).

Earger to get out into the fresh air around 2:00pm I exited the museum and wandered Museum Square. Taking in all the excitement around the “I Amsterdam” sign. I walked to a local market, marked on the map my hostel gave me. Being outside walking the market strip, the sun on my face, looking at the goods for sale, I’m happy.

The following day I rented a bike. Given the great experience I had in Belgium I was excited to be on a bike again. I was nervous about riding the busy city streets so I ride Vondelpark for awhile before deciding to follow Amstel River out of town towards a hopefully less crowded countryside.

I ride along the river run until the adorable crooked houses with their roof-top hooks are far behind me. I see house boats of all types, people swimming in the river, people floating on inner tubes, vast parks. The whole way the bike path is flawlessly kept providing a nice smooth ride. The landscape becomes more rural as I approach a thatched windmill.

I stop at a sign reading “Rembrandt Hoeve” that is decorated with a pair of clogs. Feeling brave I decide to go check it out in hopes the building is the clog and cheese factory my BusAbout guide had mentioned would be part of a countryside bike tour he was advertising. Looking for the entrance I walk behind the house. There is a barn lined with cows, including two new calves. After petting the cows and taking way too many pictures, I walk through the back door of this mystery barn. I enter a tiny room and a tour group of 30+ Indian tourist turn to face me. I feel embarrassed but am welcomed into the tour and am lovingly referred to as “the American” for the rest of my visit. The crazy farmer leading the tour is the owner of the family run farm and exuberantly shows us how a wooden clogs are made and explains the cheese pressing process as he hands out samples. I can’t even explain how much energy this man has, providing a very entertaining tour. At one point he even borrowed/took my phone and began taking selfies left and right! It was quite the experience and I can say I’m very glad I made the stop.

After riding back into the city I met with my BusAbout friends for dinner. Their trip was coming to a close and they were headed back to Austrailia and the realities of school and work. Back to stability, to not living out of a backpack, to not sharing hostel rooms. I wouldn’t have traded them places but those comforts sounded really nice!

My last stop in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank house. It left me in a very reflective state about the horrible things humans have done, and continue to do, to one another. Being in the space where the Frank family hid for so long helped me imagine their fear and frustration. A quote from Anne in 1943, “I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that I’m free.” I left feeling more grateful than ever for my freedom. I left with a vow to no longer take this freedom for granted.

On my own: Bruges, Belgium

July 22, 20162 Comments

Bruges, Belgium is the first city I’ve traveled to entirely on my own during this trip. My mom and I had a hurried goodbye in the Paris metro station at around 7:00am on Saturday morning and just like that I was completely alone. Part of me wanted to go skipping down the hallway overjoyed with my complete and total freedom! The other part of me wanted to stand there petrified with no more mom to turn to.

I successfully made my metro transfers and even met two backpacker on their way to catch the same bus as me. The bus ride was comfortable and many friendly hellos were exchanged between passengers. There was room for me to have a row to myself, which I was slightly disappointed about since I was looking forward to meeting people. Our trip from Paris to Bruges took about 5 hours with one stop for a bathroom break at an all-in-one supermarket/cafe/drugstore/pharmacy/gas station. I wandered around browsing some magazines in French and taking advantage of the generous 10 minute allotment of free wifi. Back on the bus I dozed and awoke as the bus pulled over along a canal to let us off.

The tiny town of Bruges was still bigger than I had imagined but it carried all the medieval charm I had read about. The tiered rooves, windmills, the big trees and little walkways along the canal, cobbled streets, grand churches with towers overlooking the city. I couldn’t wait to get out and explore.

Found my bus!

First glimpses of Bruges

It was too early to check into my hostel bed so I rented a locker and joined a free walking tour of the town the hostel was offering. The main thing I remember about the 1:30pm tour was how hot and crowded it was the entire time. I felt as if I was witnessing each of the 5 million tourists that visit this tiny town annually, here all in one afternoon. There wasn’t space to breathe. We bumped into each other, doing our best to avoid bikes, vespas, and the many horse carriages. Every once in awhile a car would even shove its way through the narrow, crowded, windy streets and everyone would suck in their stomachs and press up against the nearest wall.

The second most memorable part of the tour was seeing some of Bruges’ many swans and learning how they got there. Apparently the town keeps them as a symbolic punishment they received for killing a man with the surname Longneck. The king insisted the people of Bruges maintain swans in the town as a reminder of what they had done to his friend. He also made the people of Bruges destroy their town wall leaving them completely vulnerable and moved all trade to the neighboring town of Antwerp ruining Bruges economically- but the swans part is much more facinating.

Swan in the canal

Swans everywhere

Literally everywhere

Where’d they go?!

After standing in the heat for 2 hours and getting a good overview of the town I decided to check into my room and get out of the midday heat. The room was everything I expected, a bunch of tiny bunk beds with little curtains. Unfortunately I was on the rickety top bunk, surely waking my bunkmate up every time I had to climb down to retrieve something I had forgotten. During my entire stay everyone in the room was quiet and respectful, the beds were clean and comfortable, and the dorm showers were, well, not completely disgusting. Only one incident occurred where a girl in my 16 bunk dorm room had caught a guy from a few beds away using her bath towel- very awkward, but glad he didn’t grab my towel!

My top bunk.

After a nap I decided to wander the city some more and seek out the best spots to visit tomorrow. After 6:00pm the town was much quieter and much less crowded, the air was cooler, and the colors of the evening sun on the buildings was fantastic. The houses’ reflections on the canal were disrupted with every passing swan. Happy people were dining outside at every restaurant. It was so peaceful to wander the almost empty streets. I stopped in Market square to listen to a violinist and sketch the clock tower. I had no where to be and nothing to do. It was a wonderful feeling.

The next morning I locked up my things, filled up on the free hostel breakfast and set off with high hopes for fitting many things in in my one full day in Bruges. First to the Church of Our Lady to see Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child. By 9:30am the streets were already filling up. Learning that the church didn’t open until 1:00pm on Sundays I browsed the entrances to a few other museums in town, but feeling I had enough of that in Paris, I opted to go find the chocolate factory and museum. Though the museum was unimpressive, the chocolate demo and samples were fantastic. Smooth and rich- better then anything I’ve tried back home. These chocolate makers were quite talented, each flick of their wrist making the chocolate into identical mini masterpieces.

I went back outside to fight the crowds for a glimpse of Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child. In the cool, quiet of the church I could have sat for hours looking at her gentle marble face, but the constant flow of shuffling tour groups through the church was disruptive. Time to get out of town.

I unsuccessfully haggled with the man at the bike rental shop, but the ride was worth every penny. I followed a canal out of town towards the neighboring village Damme. The air in my face, a scenic route, and a smooth bike trail shaded by trees was the perfect combination. Since my words won’t be able to properly do this ride justice here is a slide show of my ride and some of the many animals and houses I saw along the way.

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After returning the bike and enjoying a nice dinner, I left the restaurant to find a huge group of people gathered in a central square used as a fish market during the day. Music was playing, wine was flowing, and everyone in the center of the square was dancing the tango. They moved so fluidly, smiling and laughing, switching dance partners occasionally. Men dancing with women, women dancing with women, men dancing with men. The gathering had a very “come as you are” feel. Some people were dressed very casually, others in dress shoes and flowing skirts. I loved seeing this community come together over a shared interest in dance. I sat and watched them for over half an hour, enjoying the environment. I felt very much included and welcomed even as an outsider knowing little to nothing about the tango. Perching on a low cement barrier surrounding the dance floor I sat, very content, not worried about accommodating anyone, or what anyone else thought of me sitting alone.

Paris Reflections

July 18, 20161 Comment

This has been a crazy week. My time in Paris held so many emotions. I felt excited about being in a new place and having a whole new city to explore. I felt calm as I embraced the relaxed pace of Paris, wandering along the winding river and strolling the walkable gardens. I felt amazement at the vast museums and over-the-top architecture. I felt nervous every time I tried to order food or ask for directions. I felt terrified hearing of the tragedy that occurred in Nice on Bastille Day. I felt sad that my travels with my mom were coming to a close.

After the familiarity and comfort of London, everything in Paris was new. After figuring out the metro system to get to our Airbnb and climbing the four extremely long and windy flights of stairs to our studio apartment I felt like we had just conquered the world. That evening we summoned the energy (and gathered the courage) to venture out to find dinner and a canal tour. We were successful on both accounts, though we did opt for dinner in a venue where pointing to food items was acceptable. The next couple days were a marathon of sight seeing:

The courtyard of the apartment we stayed in

Selfie on the canal tour

First glimpse of the Eiffel Tower

Day 1: Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower

Mona & me! Just imagine me being jabbed with 5 selfie sticks while taking this

Arc de Triomphe

Eiffel Tower

About to go up the Eiffel Tower

Inside the Louvre

Day 2: Notre Dame, Musée d’Orsay, Jardin Des Tuileries

Notre Dame

Sunset in the garden before fireworks

Inside Notre Dame

Day 3: Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, Pantheon, Jardin Du Luxembourg

Montmartre

Pantheon

Gardens at sunset, my favorite

Paris was a truly magical place to visit, everything was so grand yet so intimate. Each curved street held hidden treasures- galleries, chocolate shops, a courtyard garden, a famous falafel joint (the que was literally around the corner)! I could feel the romance in the warm summer air as I watched couples strolling hand-in-hand through the park and dancing to salsa music along the river. A drunk little Italian man stopped us in the streets and sang his praise for Americans insisting on taking a picture with us before planting a big kiss on my mother’s cheek. And if not welcomed warmly, we were at least treated with patience and kindness by ever waiter/waitress we interacted with as we bumbled through our orders.

As wonderful as my visit was it will always be tainted with the horrible event of Bastille Day 2016. 84 people dead, many others wounded just miles from me in Nice. It left me feeling upset with humanity, deeply sad for the victims and their friends and families, and more confused then ever. What do terrorists think they are changing by murdering innocent people? How has our world been transformed into a place where celebrations like this are seen as an opportunity for violence rather then sacred days of remeberance? It is wrong to need to worry that there is a target on your country every time a community comes together.

We can all do our part by spreading tolerance and love. A large part of why I want to travel is to better understand others by seeing how they live. I know during this trip I’m mostly covering Western Europe, which is only the tip of the iceberg of difference from the US, but the more we know the more open minded we can become. By working to understand one another better we take a small step towards peace.

Packing Light: My own personal hell

June 19, 20162 Comments

The most common piece of advice I received during the lead up to this trip was to PACK LIGHT! I can see how important this is because it will severely impact my flexibility during this trip- not being burdened down by a heavy pack or multiple bags will give me more freedom, especially on days when I don’t have a hostel locker or somewhere safe to store my belongings.

I had always intended to backpack, but after looking at the 36 liter pack I had planned to use back at my home in San Diego I was afraid that wasn’t going to cut it. After consulting the Internet it looked like for about 3 months a women of my size would be much more comfortable with a 40-45 liter pack. Borrowing a friends 40 liter pack and bringing an additional smaller day pack (my handy NorthFace that had done me so well for my 4 years at Berkeley) I had just enough room for my things plus room for souvenirs (#touristlife).

Below is a summary of what I’m bringing. Remember I’m new to this so it is in no way “correct,” but I’ll add additional notes about what I use/don’t use after my trip along with my packing regrets and victories. Wish me luck!

What I packed for a 3 month trip to Europe during summer.

Clothes

3 Pants/capris (2 workout, 1 pair of jeans)
2 Shorts
2 Short sleeve T-shirts
4 Tank top shirts
2 Blouses
2 Sun dresses
1 Long sleeve shirt
2 Jackets (1 rain shell, 1 fleece)
8 Socks (6 day wear, 2 heavyweight hiking)
8 Underwear
1 Bikini
4 Shoes (dress sandal, hiking sandal, shower shoes & running shoe- not pictured)
1 Scarf

Toiletries

toothbrush
tooth paste
dental floss
face wash
makeup
makeup remover
lotion
shampoo
conditioner
soap
tampons
hairbrush
quick dry towel
wash cloth
extra bags for laundry
vitamins, allergy medicine, etc.

Electronics/ Other

iPad w/ keyboard
iPhone
Canon Ti Rebel
ALL DEVICE CHARGERS!
Plug adapter
headphones
Travel books/maps
sketchbook
journal
pens

Am I forgetting anything? Have any packing tips? Leave a comment below!

Where in the world should I go?

June 18, 2016Leave a comment

With finals and graduation quickly approaching I sat down to plan my post-grad travel plans. Like most college students, the art of procrastination has not been lost on me. How come it is always finals week when I feel the most inspired to do everything but study? The week leading up to finals is always when I decide is the best time to work on long term projects like beginning a blog- practical stuff, all in no way relevant to my studies.

At this point I knew I would be traveling for most of my journey alone and was slightly concerned about safety and my lack of linguistic abilities when it came foreign languages. Though Duolingo is helping I still have a long way to go until I’m conversing with any locals on this trip. Though my friends and my bank account had been leaning towards South East Asia, my heart and my comfort zone said Western Europe was enough of a stretch. Baby steps.

So many amazing destinations!!! (Photo courtesy of http://www.freelargeimages.com)

Once I had settled on a region- where to begin? What direction to head? South to North? West to East? I was overwhelmed by all of the options. I had complete freedom but it was petrifying me.

Developing an itinerary was an extremely difficult task (I know, I know, first world problems right?). At first 3 months sounded like forever and I assumed I’d easily be able to cover most of Western Europe- WRONG! Should I dive deep into one area or over a larger area more quickly? I debated doing a home stay program for a month in Italy, possibly working on an organic farm or helping a family improve their English. But I wasn’t sure if I was willing to constrain myself to working 5 days a week even if it would pay for my accommodations.

I received the news my mom would be joining for the first segment of this adventure and that gave me some direction. She was extremely interested in Ireland and the U.K., having a love for the culture and never having traveled there herself. She took on the lion’s share of planning the first few weeks- planning out her ideal trip. Our first stops were set- 10 days Southern Ireland, 10 days Wales and England, 4 days Paris, France. I had the ticket to Dublin, Ireland for June 20th in my hand (well on my computer)- progress had been made!

Next for planning the solo portion of this trip. I knew I wanted to meet my relatives in Germany and was highly interested in Italy given my Italian heritage, but I was still confused about how to approach deciding what path to take and linking together different means of transportation. I began researching train and bus passes after a family member recommended the Eurail Global Pass. It looked like a great option with access to 28 countries but was rather expensive and still didn’t provide the structure I was looking for. As I began reading other travel blogs to see how people in similar situations approached their search I discovered BusAbout. Their one-way, hop-on, hop-off trips through Europe provided what looked like the perfect balance of structure and flexibility. The “Go Roman” pass started in Paris (conveniently the same city my mom would be leaving from) and hit cities that excited me encompassing much of what I hoped to see in Europe, including the towns of my German relatives. Another benefit was that the bus pick-up and drop-off points were all at major hostels located near city centers, places I would most likely be spending many nights. That combined with an excellent discount and I was sold!

The Go Roman bus route I’ll be taking- helping me take a huge leap in planning this trip.

For more details on where I will be when, please visit my itinerary page. Recommendations for must see attractions/hidden gems along my route, please leave a comment below!