Venice [Europe 2012: The forgotten blog posts]

All of those romantic things you’ve heard about Venice are probably true.

I took this. It's actually this beautiful. No filters, no photoshop (except the words).

1. Beautiful views across the water
2. It's more fun to get lost in small alleyways than it is to know where you are. The island's not big enough to be truly lost.
3. AMAZING food
4. Grandiose architecture
5. Small tables set up for dinner in Plaza San Marcos
6. Great sex (wait, you hadn't heard that?)

One thing is not-so-true:

The Gondolas aren't romantic because you have to pay 80 EURO. That was about $120 when we were in Europe last summer (2012). And I’m all for getting spoiled, but that was more than our room cost for the night, and the ride is only 40 minutes. The other option would be to split a ride with another couple: because nothing says romantic like being on the water with total strangers who are trying to ignore you from the other side of the boat.

I can be content with the water bus.

I'll come back for you when I'm rich, Gondolas!

Pisa [Europe 2012: The forgotten blog posts]

You know what feels more productive than working today? Updating my blog about our trip to Europe last summer. Because I never finished writing about some of the best parts! Plus now Pinterest lets you pin things toa map, which is super cool. So, thus I start the first installment of Europe 2012: The forgotten blog posts.

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How iconic is the leaning tower of Pisa, when you think about traveling the world? To me, it’s one of my first memories of thinking “I want to see that.” I was probably in middle school I guess? I remember being fascinated by the story that Galileo dropped cannon balls off the side of it to prove gravity worked evenly on everything. You mean to tell me that something Galileo stood on is still standing (though tilted) today??

[The train ride from Rome was fine, except that the train car we chose didn’t have a working bathroom and I forgot to “go before we left.” My mother’s words haunted me for the last thirty minutes as I did everything short of dancing around the car to not wet myself. That might have been the most uncomfortable half-hour of my life, despite the comfy chairs and beautiful Italian countryside rolling by. To make matters worse, you had to PAY FOR the bathrooms in the Pisa train station (not uncommon in Europe, mind you) and I didn’t have any change. When I finally did get some change, I wound up hurriedly dropping my dime into the turnstile for — and then walking into — the MEN’S BATHROOM. Luckily the two restrooms were connected by a custodian’s closet, which was miraculously open, and the poor custodian cleaning the bathrooms — who spoke little, if any, English — frantically waved me through. Talk about a comedy of errors.]

So. Pisa. Yes.

The bus to the tower is just a normal city bus, so we had to figure that out. The herd of dazed tourists wandering from the station helped. We rode this crazily-driven bus through the tiny city (luckily with EMPTY bladders), trying not to fall on each other, until finally the driver yelled a few Italian words and we all decided that this must be the stop, even though there was no tower and no signs suggesting a tower.

So we walked. And walked a little more. I feel like it was at least a mile. B can attest that I’m a terrible judge of distance, but I distinctly remember wondering if we would ever see this tower.

We did, of course, and it was SO. COOL. The tower’s white façade against that day’s clear, blue skies was breathtaking, and it looked just like the photos! It was like seeing a celebrity on the street. I’d seen this tower so often in photos it had become like a myth. Seeing it in person, examining the foundation, realizing that a 4-degree tilt really does matter when something is 180 feet tall… it was just awesome.

And then we took silly photos. :D

We're going places, baby!

One of the best things about traveling is the different forms of transportation. For example, I rode to this coffee shop on a motorbike taxi! Thailand has SO MANY quirky options. I'm always just tickled to take a tuk-tuk.

Let's see what we've got here:

1. Tuk-tuks! Tuk-tuks are practically the official vehicle of Thailand. (If you haven't seen one, it's basically a motorcycle that has been retrofitted to have a back seat. The driver is in the middle and a covered bench seat straddles the back wheel, and two wheels on either side were added so that it won't fall over, dumping it's cargo into the swarm of traffic in Bangkok.) It's open-air and loud, hence where (I'm assuming) it got its name. They're relatively agile in traffic, which means you can sometimes get places quicker. Not good for long-long distances, unless you've got time to kill. Good for stealing tipsy kisses as you tend to smush into any companion with you in the back. Or, at least, I did ;)

2. Open-backed trucks. This is the preferred method of travel in Chiang Mai. I've seen a few in Bangkok, but they seem to be half of the car fleet in CM. It's a truck with a covered (and occasionally tricked-out!) bed, with benches down the sides, over the wheel wells. Oh, and there isn't a tailgate, so hang on! Ten people can fit in one of these, and the driver can stop to pick up more people at anytime during the route. As with almost all transport in Thailand, negotiate your price before you get on/in. We rode a couple of these up to Wat Doi Suthep. Take one to the zoo, and then there's another line waiting to ferry people up the mountain to the temple. It's an established routine, and we haggled hard on the price but couldn't get them to budge - they got smart and printed signs with pricing for individuals, or if you can get a group of 10 they'll cut you a deal (you can band together with other temple-goers).

3. Moto-taxis. Literally a motorcycle taxi! Negotiate a price and hop on. I've seen girls sitting side-saddle if wearing a skirt, so don't let that stop you! Good for one person. Bad for more than one person. Very fun! (Just don't tell your mother that you don't get a helmet.) (Hi, mom!) (Calm down, it was only four blocks and we only drove on the wrong side of the road twice!) In Bangkok the drivers wear orange vests and hang out at popular street corners. Motorbikes are awesome in the cities because they don't wait I traffic at lights, they weave their way to the front of the line and then take off ten seconds before the light changes. Good if you're in a hurry!

4. Water buses. There are 15+ docks along the river through Bangkok that serve as stops for the public water bus system (I think this might also be called water taxi, but it's much more like a bus). It costs 15 baht, or about 50 cents to go as far as you want. These boats are loooong and hold a lot of people. There are seats and benches, but stand at the railing and you can get a poorman's tour of the sights. I rode this today from Khaosan Road (sp?) down to the main dock without issue, but had to switch to the south route to get to my final destination and that boat was no where to be seen for a good 20 minutes. (I wound up befriending a couple of Australians who were staying at the Chatrium Hotel - close enough to the stop I wanted - which runs a free water shuttle from the Central Pier to the hotel, and hitchhiked with them. So if you're in a pinch, I'd say go for it.)

5. River ferries. Operate in tandem but independently from the water buses. These boats just hop from one bank to the other, back and forth all day long. Sometimes they are at the same piers, but more often than not they're separate. To get to a pier, take the smallest possible alley that will get you from the street to the water. Bonus points if it's somewhere that looks like you shouldn't be there. 

6. Regular taxis. Negotiate your price first or insist they run the meter. Cab drivers seem to be really honest, compared to other places we've been. One company's cars are painted pink! 

7. The Skytrain. This has an official acronym but I don't know what it is or what it stands for (that's what Britton is for in my life.) It works like mass transit. You pay a rate based on your destination, and I never tried to get off at a different stop, so I can't vouch for sure that you'd be ok, but my thought would be that as long as you exit before your original plan you'd be fine (but maybe not after, as that would potentially cost more). This is also a good way to see the city without paying a fortune since it's above everything.

8. Subway. There is a subway. I didn't use it. Guess I didn't need it? 

9. There are regular buses, too, but I don't speak Thai. So I don't know the routes. I'm sorry. :( I'll try to learn Thai next time I come to Thailand. Anthropology-major fail. 

I don't have pics of all of those because we used Britton's phone for photos. So here's a too-dark photo of Bangkok's 2013 Car Free day logo!

Chiang Mai cooking class: OMG YUM

Before you ask: yes. I will gladly attempt to cook the following dishes again for you, and Britton will, too! (That's right - you read "Britton" and "cook" in the same sentence!)

A cooking class in Chiang Mai was highly recommended by several people before we left for Thailand, so I signed us up for an all-day class at Baan Thai Cookery School. 

This - so far - has been the highlight of our trip! Between the two of us we learned how to cook 10 dishes, and we got to keep a cookbook that explains the ingredients and has all the recipes, plus the recipes for several other dishes we didn't make. 

The school is a cute, open-air building tucked in a very backpacker-friendly part of Chiang Mai. Britton and I now affectionately refer to this area as Gringoland because it reminds us so much of Quito's Plaza Fosch (which is unofficially called Gringolandia).

The instructors were all about our age, and super nice. We sat on the floor at a table with seven classmates from around the world: Maryland, South Africa, Holland, Brazil, and Melbourne, Australia. Everyone was very friendly and eager to learn, like us!

First we walked a few blocks to a fruit/veggie market to learn about the ingredients. We got to smell and touch three different kinds of eggplant, none of which I've seen in the states; three kinds of basil, all of which I knew by different names; three kinds of ginger, only one of which I recognized; two floppy types of mushrooms; raw tumeric, which is supposed to be a natural relief from mosquito bites (must buy in bulk when I get home!); plus lemon grass, limes, and lots of little, spicy peppers. And mango! 

While at the market we got a smoothie, and boy do I feel American saying this next sentence, but: I was amazed at how much fruit went in to this smoothie. One-and-a-half bananas, half a papaya, and the juice of at least a dozen little oranges.  And then ice, and then blend. No yogurt, no protein powder, no nothin' except fruit and ice. So fresh! So yummy! So simple!

We made our way back to the school, ingredients in tow, and "suited up!" in aprons and handkerchiefs. 

First dish: Stir Fry

Ellen: Pad Thai!

Britton: Cashews with chicken

Second dish:

Ellen: (spicy!) papaya salad

Britton: (not spicy!) spring rolls

Third dish: Soups

E: Seafood in coconut milk

B: Chicken in coconut milk

Fourth dish: Curry!

E: Green curry

B: Panaeng curry

Fifth dish: dessert!

E: mango w/ sticky rice (aka, mango over rice cooked in ALL THE SUGAR)

B: deep-fried banana

So... Who's coming over for dinner and photos? :)

Elephants!

Ten things I learned about elephants while at Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

1) Trunks have up to 140,000 muscles in them, primarily used for insisting you give him that watermelon. 

2) An elephant that looks pregnant might just be fat. 

3) In unnatural situations (I.e, forced breeding), a female's hip can be broken during mating. 

4) Elephants have a more developed brain (frontal cortex?) that can experience emotions like humans or dolphins do. 

5) A four-year-old elephant whose mom just had a baby will act out, similar to a human four-year-old (I may know one that fits this description...) :)

6) In the wild, elephants travel in family herds. When several unrelated elephants are in the same place, they'll form their own family. Sounds like college!

7) Elephants loooove the water. But they don't actually need to be scrubbed for 20 minutes by tourists. 

8) When an elephant moves, you move. 

9) At 5 weeks old a baby elephant is strong enough (or big enough) to push a grown man around, and its mother is hungry and pushes the little bugger out of the way to eat. 

10) There are only 2,500-4,500 Asian elephants left in the wild. And many being mistreated. And many being saved. Be nice to elephants!

Thailand: the first 48

In one word: challenging. In two words: challenging & great.

Challenging because I do not speak one word of Thai. And granted, I knew this going in, and many people here know some English. But a few of the things we've needed to accomplish have been just slightly more difficult because we didn't know Thai, or the person we were talking to didn't know enough English. For example, ordering food has been a series of pointing and hoping and using Britton's phone, where he had the genius idea to find photos of common foods - egg, chicken, pork, etc. - so we could point to those in moments of confusion. 

Giving directions to our lodging is a feat. We have addresses written down (in English) but can't help with directions much since we don't know how to do anything but point and tap and say things in English. Luckily drivers have been very patient and/or knowledgeable about where they are going. While we were scanning for the hostel street, the tuk-tuk driver had the good mind to slow down AND drive on the left side of the road. Which is the correct side over here. But still was very strange at the time. :) 

The great parts, however, are really great. I arrived in Bangkok very late Saturday - around 11:30 - and the next morning we had to be back at the airport by 8am to get to Chiang Mai. Our host, Mac, is a US ex-pat, and has been wonderful, if a little on the chatty side. He gave us great concil on taking a taxi instead of trying to navigate the skytrain, and his wife (who I haven't met but have spoken to on the phone) arranged for one to meet us at the house at 7:30. 

Breakfast was procured from a small  stand in a busy alley around the corner from the 7-11 (which isn't difficult to do - 7-11s are everywhere!). The original woman we were going to buy from wasn't set up yet, so she motioned us over to her neighbor, who pointed at things and we pointed at things and then we got some food. Rice, fried chicken breast (the delicious kind, not the KFC kind), and a bag - yes, bag - of soup for 30baht, or about $1usd. We are LOVING the prices here!

We got to the airport just fine and on to our flight to Chiang Mai no issues. And as we disembarked from the airplane it hit me: the hot, humid mountain breeze. Which is when I realized I will be hot and humid and sweaty and sticky for the next eight days of my life. 

Such a great challenge. 

Chicken, rice, cucumber, cilantro, fish sauce(?) plus soup (not pictured) for $1.

What does it all meeeeeaaan??? (Sorry it's sideways - I'm typing on a phone!)

¡Madrid!

There are some gaps in the trip, I know! We are safely home in KC and I owe this blog about a week's worth of adventures. Here is a post I wrote about Madrid to tide you over!

- Ellen

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Madrid has been unexpectedly relaxing; it's nice to stay in one spot for more than two nights!

We've been able to get a pretty good idea of daily life. In Madrid - and most of Spain, from what I can gather - everything is moved back by about 3 hours: lunch isn't until at least 1:30 but usually 2 or 3pm, and dinner is at 8 ... or sometimes 9 or 10! (My mother would never survive.) People stay out later, too: midnight is about average for a weeknight, and 2 or 3 or 4am are often seen on the weekends.

We discovered the staying out late part early. The first night we were there we went out with our host - my friend Michael from college - to get tapas and meet some of his friends. Having not arrived until almost 8pm, we weren't leaving his apartment until 10ish. Stopping for tapas took us to 11:30 and then we met his friends at a neighborhood festival.

In Madrid, "neighborhood festival" translates to "big f---ing party in the middle of the street." Drinks are huge and relatively cheap, lots of dancing and loud music. So much life happening in one place! We also didn't get there until 12 or maybe later since we walked there. His friends were wonderful - a fun bunch that was seeing a couple of friends off on a trip to Russia of all places - but eventually Britton and I had to give in to our exhaustion... at 3am! The trek home took another hour involving a night bus and plenty of walking. I fell asleep without even changing into pjs.

We've walked a LOT while in Europe: between sights, within cities, to and from metro stations, to get food, with our backpacks, through airports and train stations. It's felt good to be so active but at the same time our feet are quickly losing their stamina. I am getting the most necessary pedicure of my life on Sunday when we're home again.

That idea of home is always an interesting one when traveling. I talked about this a bit with Rebecca in Budapest. She's often in flux between what would be a "permanent" address (her parents' house in the states), her "current" address (in Spain where she teaches during the school year, Sept. - May-ish), and her "temporary" address (in Hungary where she is teaching over this summer). And even for me while we've been in Spain whenever I say, "Let's head home for a bit" it is in reference to Michael's apartment. Home is where the heart is but also where your head can hit a soft pillow.

Anyway, back to that first night, we decided we had definitely earned a morning without an alarm - a rare treat during our trip!

"The Romans were everywhere!"

We let ourselves sleep in - til all of 10:00! Then it's up and at 'em. Our "B&B" provided cereal and instant coffee, which I have quite the affinity for after Ecuador. It was really nice to have a slow morning after some of the early and get-a-move-on mornings of the past few days.

We found lunch near the Vatican - pizza with fresh toppings and these little fried rice balls stuffed with fillings. I can't remember what they're called at the moment but they were gooood. This was one of the first meals that between the two of us we didn't finish.

Then we walked off to the Vatican! To say that it was impressive is just not a big enough statement. It's amazingly complex and beautiful. And it's huge. Every wall, piece of ceiling, altar, prayer is a work of art in itself. I wish I could have laid down on the floor looking up to be able to gaze at it all but there we're far too many people.

And there is a dress code (which we adhered to) that many people, mostly women in short skirts and skimpy tops, couldn't figure out. The Vatican is very strict about these rules - two guards stand at the steps in front of the entrance checking visitors - and they're also prepared with these paper hospital gown type things for people to wear around their shoulders or tie around their waist to cover their knees. Some people brought their own scarves and would wind up looking like they wore a long dress stamped with "ROMA ROMA ROMA" all over it. I on the other hand looked cute in a sun dress that has small shoulder frilly-ness. Inadvertent brilliance, as my dad would say!

Next to the colosseum! Which had nothing of the wait we'd be warned about and we got inside within around 30 minutes. We think it's mainly because it was the middle of the day, it was hot, and right now many Europeans are taking their own holiday. Works for us! We were prepared with lots of water and light clothing, and we stayed in the shade whenever possible.

The colosseum is also impressive but in a different way from the Vatican. The colosseum is, I believe, a testament to the Romans' incredible legacy of craftsmanship. Built well, built quickly, and built with functionality for its purpose. With all of our new-fangled technology, we still don't rival some of these structures.

And there are plenty of examples of this literally all over Rome. Ruins that are closed off, ruins that were reused, buildings that are still standing. Just as Britton realized, "Man, the Romans were EVERYWHERE!" (Yes, especially when in ROME.) ;D

And - because why stop at a full day when you can pack two days worth of things into one? - we went on a bike tour at 7:00 that night! This tour was "Unusual Rome" and complemented our time in Rome really, really well. We saw some unique sights - a panorama of Rome at sunset, the Vatican through a peephole, Hadron's (?) castle, the forum at night with pictures of how it was when it was built. Plus, we had a guide which meant our random questions were answered! I was wishing at some points during the day that we had taken guided tours, because you do get so much more info. Britton and I tend to speculate and wonder what was this for or why is it like that but can't get answers from walls or signs in Italian.

Woke up in Budapest, fell asleep in Rome

Travel day between Budapest and Rome was an early one, with the added stress of it being the first time traveling by plane after landing in London the first day.

Luckily there weren't any mishaps. I think we might have been one of the last ones to the gate though, and since it's open seating on Ryanair (budget European airline) I thought it'd be a much bigger issue than it was. We were still able to sit across the aisle from each other.

And then we were in ROME! Aaaah there were so many things to see and do, and unlike previous cities, we knew ahead of time what those things were!

Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon - see ALL the things!

We walked around for a bit - had OK pizza at what we thought was a place far enough away to not be a tourist trap. Wrong. :-/ But we made up for it with gelato!

Also - what is the deal with Europe - scratch that, the rest of the world - and carbonated water?! Uuuugh. Guess which one we bought by mistake. Blech. Good thing Rome is full of free fountains with drinkable water! So cool!

We joined a walking tour that left from the Spanish steps (which have a real name but I don't remember what it is... which is why they're known as the Spanish steps in the first place) and started off on our trek! I have to say, Rome left me amazed more times than any city yet. So much history and art, so many intricate buildings and thought-out systems. There is a church with the ceiling painted to look like it continues the wall, and like there is a dome where there is really just a flat canvas. One could sit in many of these buildings all day and always be awe-struck.

Our guide was great, too. An Italian with lots of knowledge about the history of Rome and of Italy, and answers to all of the questions asked.

And, most fun, while on the tour we met Raquel (from LA) and Ross and Colin (from Scotland)! They were a fun group and we wound up getting dinner together at a restaurant recommended by the guide. So. Delicious. Definitely made up for the ugh pizza earlier! The menu was so extensive, I just closed my eyes and pointed at a dish. And it was GREAT.

Setting records in Budapest

In Budapest we met up with one of my roommates from college, Rebecca. She's currently teaching English and Spanish in Hungary for the summer before returning to Spain to teach English in the fall. Tough life, eh? ;)

We got in after the seven-hour train ride from Munich. I don't want to sit on a trail for that long for a while. Austria was beautiful though, and I'm glad we got to see it instead of fly over it.

The trouble with getting in to a city on a Sunday at dusk is that it is generally deserted, nothing's open, and it tends to look creepier than it is. Sorry, Budapest, but you fall into that category.

On top of those factors, Budapest is also a gateway to eastern Europe which has a much different feel from western Europe. Many of these countries have been in serious trouble within the last two decades, and have been conquered or occupied for the majority of their histories. They've had bigger issues than making their city pretty for tourists.

The next morning the city looked much better. Rebecca met us at our hostel and we set out for the main square later than intended and needed to get a metro (subway/tram/bus) pass for the day. We went to the station and the line is of course 8-10 people deep. We are trying our luck with the timing. We get to the front, get a ticket, get down the escalators and the train is in the station! Run, run!

Becca and Britton make it on to a car and I'm bringing up the rear and realize the door behind them is closer, so I jump on, assuming the cars are all connected like on a train. Not so, and I can't get their attention. As the train pulls away, I see that Britton has gotten off the train and was left at the station!

Becca and I both poke our heads out at the next station to find each other and jump off hoping Britton got on the following train. Which he did! Hooray for establishing emergency plans ahead of time!

We somehow make it to the main square where our waking tour starts just as the guide is starting her history of Hungary spiel. And then we notice that it's hot! Definitely sticking to the shade as much as possible.

This tour covered the history of Hungary - of which there is a lot - and on the main touristy things: differences between Buda and Pest, the Chain bridge, parliament buildings, Margaret island, and others.

But throughout the tour, it just kept getting so hot! Turns out, as Becca informed us later, the temperature in Budapest that day set a record high for the city. The previous record was set in the 1930s. What a day to remember!

We got some dinner and sent Becca on her way "home" and then, we went and hung out on or hostel's couch. It was the first night when we just let ourselves be tired. Nothing was calling us back out to the streets of Budapest, nothing was on our agenda, and we had an early morning the next day. And I guess in the scheme of the 21 days we will have traveled, we can allow ourselves just one night in.

(photo of me in front of the Chain Bridge in Budapest)

New Europe Tours: Munich

In our search for things to discover in all of these new cities, we've come across some excellent tip-based tours (read: advertised as free but you're expected to tip the guide). Munich was our first experience with New Europe Tours - one "free" and one we paid for ahead of time.

Our first tour was the "free" tour which left from Marienplatz, one of the main squares in Munich (at 3pm - turns out when you drink with Germans the night before, you tend to sleep til 11 without realizing it!) which is famous for the glockenspiel, a large cuckoo clock of sorts. More about that later.

Our guide was fun; a young 20-something from Ireland who was losing his voice and explained at the beginning that "over 80% of the questions he asks can be answered with 'beer.'" This is our kind of guide!

The tour was also wonderful. We learned a lot of facts - some fun and some somber - about Munich and Germany. Most memorable were Dodgers Alley (a memorial to citizens who were sent to concentration camps because they purposefully avoided a Nazi memorial), a brief history of Oktoberfest and the kings leading up to its founding, and of course the glockenspiel.

Ah, yes, the glockenspiel. Not only is it fun to say, it's also boring to watch! For some reason, the touristy thing to do in Munich three times each day is to watch a not-so-intricate cuckoo clock chime horrifically out of tune from the bell tower of what looks like an old church but which was actually built in the 20th century.

It was more interesting to me that SO MANY PEOPLE packed the square! Find a YouTube video of this clock and you'll see why I'm so amazed - it's large figurines on a turntable twirling around! That's all! Though, some native Munich residents have added their own flair: at one point two jousters, er, joust, and Bavaria wins which sets off big whoops of victory from what looked like very drunk members of a bachelor party.

(By the way, if you think your bachelor/ette party was over-the-top or well organized, you are wrong. In Munich, the group of 10-20 buy matching t-shirts or matching outfits - one group of girls wore the traditional Bavarian beer maid dress - and have to interact with the crowd and embarrass the honoree. To say the groups stood out is an understatement. Oh, and they're also really drunk and causing a scene.)

Our second New Munich tour was the Beer Challenge. I'm not sure why it's a beer "challenge," other than at the beginning the guide mentioned there is a completely subjective drawing at the end to win a free tour from New Europe tours. It's a well-organized, guided pub crawl. Which is awesome!

We went to a beer garden, Hofbräuhaus, a bar across from Hofbräuhaus, and another bar. There might have been one more but that's not important.

The BEST part was it's a bilingual tour, and I wound up sitting next to a couple from Spain! After our guide gave the group a set of instructions on how to order beer within the group, they gave each other the 'I don't know what she said, do you know why she said?' look and I intervened. And then we were friends! I learned a lot about Spain - they're from Barcelona - and we had fun.

We hung out off-and-on with them as well as a couple from Brazil, a kid from Russia, and other random people from the world. The group was huge - probably 30-40 people being herded by two tour guides.

And - Bonus! - it ended three blocks from our hotel!

(photo is of musicians in the beer garden on the Beer Challenge)

Hardy and Anka at the Jodlerwirt

We realized Munich would be fun when we found the Jodlerwirt and met Hardy & Anka.

We had a big day of driving on the autobahn and through castle road (more on both of those in the previous post!) and were looking for some delicious, authentic German food.

What we found was not only authentic German food (thankfully still being served at 10pm) but authentic Germans, authentic German songs, a staff that spoke only German, a German accordion player, and lots brewed-in-house German beer.

This place was tiny, loud, and packed. We followed a waitress — definitely a Woman In Charge —through the crowd. I figured if she was pushing through, we had free reign to push, too, and we found ourselves looking at a table with another couple already there! They let us squeeze in and we ordered a couple of beers by pointing at their beers and smiling really big. (Lucky for us the Woman smiled back!)

We figured out how to order some food (chicken & beef? Or maybe pork? With mushrooms and delicious gravy, plus some pasta thing. Schnitzel? Again, pretty big language barrier at this point!) and took in our surroundings: loud, German pop music was playing while big groups of friends talked/yelled/laughed around their tables. Sometimes singing along, usually ending in a toast to whatever the song was about.

About the same time our food arrived, Hardy and Anka did, too, and slid into the table with the four of us — pretty much the only two seats left in the place. They spoke English! Yay!

They were an older couple — maybe in their late 60s? — but you could tell they refused to acknowledge that. We soon learned they live in Texas, and sometimes California, and sometimes Germany or Austria. And according to Hardy, Anka used to be a cop but according to Anka, she works at an antique store in Houston. And according to Anka, Hardy is a famous singer in Austria! Whatever it is they do, they were both delightfully drunk when we met them, an had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

When the accordion player started, Hardy would sing along and Anka would grab his and whosever hands she could (usually mine!) to sway left to right with the music. The guy from first couple at the table was, according to Anka, from Berlin, which "explained why he didn't know how to enjoy himself" when he chose to sit and enjoy the music and didn't also grab Britton's hand to sway like a drunkard through every song.

So, in between bites of food and acting like I knew what was going on by yelling syllables along with these German accordion tunes, and the swaying and the talking, we had a really good, how-did-we-get-here time, even though we couldn't speak, sing, or understand ANY of what was going on. (Turns out the Sinatra song, "bona sera, señorita, kiss me good night" is almost the same in German!)

They were thrilled that we knew how to play along ("most Americans are so stiff!") and that we just got married ("We just got married, too! In 1966!") and about their new grandbaby, which was either the second or third. The story was a little different each time.

As we walked back to the Best Western (ha! Travel across an ocean to stay at a Best Western!) we knew Munich was going to be a memorable leg of our journey.

Anka (L) and Hardy

PROST!

Getting lost in a Mercedes is way more fun

Everything you've heard about the autobahn is just about true.

Things I didn't realize:
1 - it's not just one stretch of road, it's Germany's entire highway network
2 - some parts do have limits
3 - some people still drive normal speeds; it's just a highway to them I guess?
4 - the highways aren't labeled as north/south or east/west. You have to know a city in the direction you're headed.

Things I'd heard that really are true:
1 - a large number of the cars are Audis, Mercedes, BMWs, and other built-for-speed cars.
2 - these cars drive FAST and you'd best not be in their way when the speed limits are lifted!
3 - driving fast is FUN.

We set out from Frankfurt in our rented Benz, and immediately found the highway we wanted to get us to "Castle Road" - a stretch of scenic byway that is dotted for miles with castles. It was even labeled, "Kassel" so I figured they must know a lot of tourists head out to find this road - how convenient!

As navigator, it was my job to get us headed in the right direction so that Britton could focus on driving since we didn't know what to expect. Let's jut say it's a really good thing we opted for the GPS unit.

Upon further inspection of the map, it turns our that there is a city in Germany named 'Kassel' and that it is in the opposite direction of the castle road. Oops! It also turns out there are fewer exits (Ausfahrts, lol) than on a highway in the States. And that when in Germany, the street signs tend to be in German, if they have any words at all! Go figure!

We got ourselves turned around without much further issue, and kept a close eye on the road signs until - yes! - we saw the sign that means all limits are lifted! Britton was cautious to check the road ahead for other cars, etc., and started to gradually increase our speed.

First to 90, which seemed to be a comfortable pace. You might hit that in the states, if you aren't paying attention. Then 100, a milestone of 3 digits! Giddy from the first burst, we settled down for a few minutes to keep our heads.

Next to 100 - much quicker this time. The Benz just wanted to go faster, faster! Then 110 - 120! We were passing most, but still a few others were passing us. Must mean it's ok to get a little faster!

Britton hit 130mph! It was exhilarating!

The funny thing was after driving that fast, how slow 80 or 90mph felt now. Driving to St. Louis will never be the same.

We kept up those quick speeds (not as fast as 130, but still around 90-100 on average, I'd say) and found our scenic highway, which alas, had a speed limit (about 55mph).

But the road delivered as promised! It seemed that there was a castle every 10-15 minutes! We wandered around a few, just the outsides, as our previous detours had chewed through some time.

We stopped for lunch in a small, picturesque town with a name I can't remember but had a lot of letters. Lunch was delicious. Kind of like a gyro wrapped in a large, thin pita bread that we watched the owner cook right in front of us. Best of all it cost only 4€ and fed both of us! Yummmm.

We eventually realized that if we wanted to get in to Munich to return the car at a decent time, we would need to get back on the autobahn and say good-bye to the castles. That meant it was my turn to drive.

Fun fact - 5pm in Germany is also rush hour. And just as many drivers pile onto the highways as in a major city at home. So for the first part of my stint on the autobahn, I was driving about 40mph in stop-and-go traffic with a manual transmission. Oh, joy.

It did clear up after some time, and I got to experience the thrill of driving as fast as I wanted. And as I said before - it was FUN.

And it meant we made it to Munich in time to return the car, find our hotel (best western - ha!) and find some food. That proved to be more fun than expected! Read "Hardy & Anka" for that story!

Turn off the Internet, turn off exploring?

The train rise from Köln (Cologne) to Frankfurt, Germany is so far much more interesting - visually - than other routes we've been on (and awake for) this trip. There are mountains, small towns, and a nice winding river that we've followed most of the way.

But, unlike Thalys, Bahn doesn't offer wifi. Which means I don't know what mountains, which towns, or what river I'm next to.

In a world where the information follows is around in our back pockets, what does that do to old-fashioned exploring?

What is new exploring?

Before leaving for my trip, my boss passed on some stories of when he lived in Budapest 20ish years ago. He had books, maps, train schedules and was gathering them all up at home when he realized, that isn't how traveling works anymore. Britton and I aren't carrying big, awkward maps or heavy guide books. It's all in our phones - even this blog post is being typed letter by letter with my two sturdy thumbs.

We're left to speculate uses for things instead of immediately asking Google, "what is that?" We have to memorize directions while we have a wifi signal because we can't refer to our little blue GPS dot when we don't have a working GPS phone.

Some of that has been fun - in Amsterdam there was no possible way for us to remember all of these new sounds so we made associations. 'Turn left on lederhosen, then right on Lichtenstein.'

But as a child of technology, I do tend to feel stunted when I don't have that connection to the info that the Internet provides. It's a conundrum: technology simultaneously moving us forward but holding us back. What's left to wonder, what's left to explore?

Yes, I'll try the European sampler platter, please.

We know our trip's itinerary it pretty ambitious, but that's what we want to do - see as much as we can and go hard while we're here.

When we arrive in Frankfurt, we will have reached our 5th country in 4 days. England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and now Germany. A night in each since Paris.

I've liked each city more than the one before it, which makes traveling really exciting! We're already riding the emotional high of this trip, and then we continue to be wowed by the culture and rhythm of the next new place.

What hit me in Amsterdam was how much time we DON'T have to discover a city when we're only there a few hours. We become limited to the touristy things instead of being able to explore on our own. Plus this morning we ran ourselves out of time and since we had to hold ourselves to the timetable of the train, we had to compromise our original (more fun!) plans.

But in a way this is good market research; a small almost hor d'ourve -sized sampling of some of those cities you hear are worth a visit but never get to since they are out of the way or not as popular. Not many people we know have made Brussels or Amsterdam a part of their European adventures, and frankly we like being the ones to stride away from the well-worn paths. Plus now we know what we're most drawn to; we definitely want to try to get to Amsterdam again some day but are content with our visits to Paris & Brussels.

I am looking forward to the next few destinations. The whirlwind schedule of the first few days turns into a breeze just right for sailing. Each place gets at least two nights from now on which means a full day or more of exploring.

Brussels, please; hold the sprouts.

The alternate title to this post is, "Things I Learned About Brussels that Might Not Be Entirely Accurate Because I Took the Tour One Day and Two Countries Ago"

1. It was carved out of two other countries (France and the Netherlands) so it also has two official languages (French and Flemish) and has a bit of an identity complex in its old architecture (Ornate or modern?) and a bit of a Napoleon complex when building new things (make it bigger!).

2. It is the Capitol of the European union. If you ever hear the news talking about "Brussels decided such-and-such" (not that you will in the states) it is talking about the governing entities for the entire EU.

3. Some of their stoplights are for bikes!

4. This is the home of the famous 'peeing boy' fountain. There is also a statue of a peeing dog.

5. Belgians are very proud of their very sour beer. Luckily they also make very delicious, not-sour beer.

6. They are also known for their fries. They taste like many other fries, but they have a lot more sauce options.

7. Something about Rin Tin Tin.

8. Belgians really do eat waffles!

9. 80 degrees (F) is sweltering in Belgium.

10. I never saw a brussel sprout expect as a part of a statue.

Paris - maybe it's me?

After getting successfully to Paris, We found our hostel tucked back in a corner of the city whose claim is selling 3-piece suits and fancy dresses from their store fronts. I think in the walk between the metro stop and the hostel we had to have passed 15 different shops all selling the same things.

We had a night bike tour scheduled for 7pm, so we needed to fill about 3ish hours. We chillaxed in the room for a little bit, enjoying the free wifi and planning where to eat and how to get to the bike tour meeting place - aka The Eiffel Tower!

The metro took us pretty close to the tower, so we found a place along the line to get some crêpes!

Can I just take a moment to RAVE about the amazing public transport in Europe? Because it. Is. So. Convenient! Even in countries where we can't read the signs we have yet to have an issue getting around. Plus it tends to be affordable.

Anyway, back to Paris, I have to say that 24 hours for me was plenty. I saw what was important - our bike tour took us by the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph (sp?), the lock bridges, and plenty of other landmarks that I'll remember when I look through the photos. True that we didn't go in to these places or spend as much time as we could. For me though, Paris was a 'alright, checked those boxes, off to the next fun place!'

We did eat some delicious crêpes. They were so full of deliciousness that I couldn't finish mine.

Paris did make me want to learn French. I listened to four-and-a-half podcast episodes in the weeks leading up in the trip, so I should've been an expert, right?? But oddly enough none of the vendors asked my name or how I was. Hmph.

Perhaps next time.

Curse you, Eurostar!

Ok, maybe I should wait for cursing until we're *off* the train, but the experience we just had was straight out of an action flick.

Saturday night, after a full day of family and packing we realized we hadn't finalized out plans for Paris (this entire trip is so last-minute that I'm surprised we remembered to pack underwear) so we reserved our hostel and got spots on a night bike tour, each with a down payment. Then skipped on over to the Eurostar website to buy tickets for the high-speed train between London and Paris and discovered they were FIVE HUNDRED dollars. Apparently Europeans plan ahead, and Eurostar tickets go on sale as far as 6 months in advance.

We looked into flying, which would've been cheaper but would've got us in too late for the bike tour. There were somewhat cheaper train tickets, but they also got in too late. Bus would've been hella cheap but take NINE hours, which is both uncomfortable and still gets us in too late for bikes. Eurostar it is then, we'll just chalk this up to having to have SOMETHING go wrong on this trip and knowing the extra time in Paris will totally be worth it.

Fast forward to today, we get in around 7, and after a nice breakfast at a tiny diner in London we wander over to Charing Cross Station and the surrounding area to buy Britton a Coke and then find our way to the train with about a 35-40 minute margin of error.

Those minutes saved this trip.

When we didn't immediately see a Eurostar ticket kiosk, we asked for directions from one of the perky Olympics volunteers. 'Oh, you want Eurostar? That's at King's Cross/St. Pancras. You'll take the underground to such-and-such a stop, make a transfer an then it's just a couple more stops.'

Say what.

This began the movie scene. We jaunt down the escalators to the (correct!) tube line, and the train is there within a minute. We ride, anxiously, to the transfer station and are moving at a brisk pace which almost immediately turns into a run which is another example of how this is a story of MINUTES - the connecting train is WAITING, doors open, at the station. We run on and the doors close.

We get to St. Pancras and of course can't find Eurostar without asking. When we finally do find a kiosk to print out our tickets, it is 11:14 - the train leaves in 14 minutes. I explain the situation to a woman who tells us to go directly to Window 3 where the next attendant assures us we'll be fine.

We fly through security and a couple from the States let us hop in front if them at immigration. The woman in the immigration booth was particularly chatty when she saw our US passports. (While I'm thinking, 'Oh, you haven't been to KC? Bummer! You know, I've never been to France and I HAVE A TRAIN TO CATCH, WOMAN!)

Then we run more, following arrows and checking departure boards. We board the train at 11:22am, SIX minutes before the train is scheduled to leave, and the train pulls away from the station at 11:28 on the nose. With us on it.

*high five!*

European Adventure - Prologue

This will probably be a quick note - more an acknowledgement of having time to myself for a moment than a blog post. Plus, I'm still at my office and I love using the LARGE screen instead of my laptop. Ah, the spoils of doing Good Work.

To say I am excited to finally get to Europe is an enormous understatement. I'm ecstatic, elated, jubilant! But it has all been overshadowed up until now by all of the other Big Life Events - whether they're in my life or another's.

My previous post outlines that pretty well. Since deciding a few weeks ago that we're going to Europe on Sunday, we have been flying through life at full speed - celebrating, traveling, packing moving, dancing, running, talking, planning. It's been tough, frankly, to sit back with the fiancee and remember that we are about to make this big, important leap together and isn't that wonderful! More on our minds is preparing and mapping and trying not to step on each other as we each learn how to live in a shared space again.

(B and I have known from the beginning we're a pretty classic "opposites attract" story. Introvert meets extrovert; left-brained tries to apply logic to right-brained conversations; impatient vs. calm and collected. Planning this trip has brought those to light even more - how we plan, how we want to travel, how we process information is all pretty conflicting.)

I'm grateful that we have a few days to chill out before everything picks up again so that we can really focus on our trip, and on us. (Friday is our Big Day and Saturday will be filled with family and packing, then Sunday morning we head out for NYC before boarding the plane to London!) Hopefully we can sit, discuss, nail down a final itinerary.

I am planning to blog as best I can while we're traveling. My guess is it'll be spotty at best - we have a pretty agressive country list to get through - but if you want to follow, this and Facebook will probably be the place to do it!

Here we go!