Budapest Fridge Festival

Caution: This blog post will take you at least 3 hours to read. Kyle's Editor is out for the week.

My next destination after Prague was Budapest, Hungary! My friend David lives there and I was stoked to see him again (it’s been ~3-4 years since I last saw him last in CA with Kirsten Halden). I actually planned my trip around seeing him to some extent because he told me there was going to be a large festival in Budapest Nov. 10-13. It’s called the Budapest Fridge Festival, and is essentially a crazy outdoor festival with a giant ski jump competition (they build a huge ramp in the square) and partying all night. There’s live music and DJ's all night (til 4am), food and drinks everywhere, and even an ice rink. David was working at the festival (part of the time) and said I should definitely visit him while this event is going on.

My train to Budapest arrived late, so I unfortunately missed my connection in a town south of Prague, and ended having to stay in that random town for 2 hours which sucked. Everything was already closed down by 6pm (it was so weird). I made the most of it tho and checkout out a small castle and skyped with Jenny for a bit in a cafe, before eventually making my way back to Budapest. I forgot my eurail pass doesn’t work in Slovakia tho, and the train was definitely passing through Slovakia to get to Budapest, so I ended up having to pay an additional 20 euros to the stewardess/conductor which wasn't very cool either.

I planned on blogging a bunch during the long train ride, but was I wasn't feeling to well from the night before to think clearly and decided to take a nap and finish my book instead. I also met a really cool guy from UCLA who was sitting next to me and we talked for most of the train ride which was cool. He’s doing a different kind of Europe trip, hitting up all the eastern countries that no one really ever goes to like Romania, Ukraine, and Bulgaria. He definitely had some interesting stories to share about Eastern Europe.

Ukraine particularly sounded interesting. Apparently most families make their own vodka in their backyard, and everyone is VERY proud of their “Family Vodka.” Haha That’s so cool! The baths/hot springs there are supposed to be very cool there as well. ____ got a FULL body massage at one of them, and even suffered for a bit in the saunas which is apparently a different experience than what we Americans are used to. ____ also talked about how Ukraine somewhat of a 3^rd world country, where the locals rarely have access to a hot shower, internet, or an actual toilet. Kinda sad really, but ____ said they were some of the most fun people he’s met on his trip.

When I arrived in Budapest around 10:30pm, David and his girlfriend Rita were there waiting to pick me up. It was kinda funny when I first saw him, because neither of us immediately recognized the other person (it’s been a few years since we’ve seen each other, and to be fair, I look like a MAN now with my burly mustache. Haha) Either way, after some quick greetings and introductions we were on our way to his brother’s house to drop off my bag, take some shots, and then head out to the Fridge Festival.

We met up with some of David’s friends outside the entrance of the festival and hung out for a while in the freezing cold drinking even MORE vodka, trying to finish what we could before going in (you’re not allowed to bring food or drinks in). Since David was working at the festival, he managed to get me a pass for the whole festival for free which was pretty sweet. Thx dude.

Oh man, the next part of this story was really funny/nerve racking (and possibly too drawn out haha). We still had a bunch of vodka bottles with us, and I wasn’t really sure what we were going to do with it all, when all of a sudden I was given a bottle a told to stick it in my sock/under my pant leg, and that we were gonna go through security now. Oh man! I did my best to put it in my sock and conceal it, but my socks were just too loose at the top and the bottle was swaying every direction, about to fall out with each step I took.

If anyone would have looked at my feet, or even just observed the way I was walking for more than a split second, they would have easily noticed a giant object protruding from my ankle. Haha Well, I didn’t have much of a choice, and was gonna do my best to walk through security without it falling out and potentially ruining everyone’s chances of getting alcohol in. Oh, and I also put the bottle of chaser in my other sock, so now I was walking like Frankenstein, with my legs completely straight, and in slow motion.

Not only did I have to walk SUPER slow (snails pace really, it was embarrassing), but my ankles were now throbbing from the stupid glass bottles. I was sure there was no way security wouldn't suspect something about me, so I improvised and borrowed David’s girlfriend Rita, put my arm around her, and started to walk through security, slowly.

I was hoping the security checkpoint would be right next to the entrance and I would be home free soon, but NOOOOO, I had to walk through a maze of metal crowd barriers just to get to the “pat down” area! It took Rita and me so long to snake our way through that stupid thing. The pat down went ok as they just checked our upper body and waist, but there were seriously security guards every 30 feet, and I wasn’t home free yet.

I had to walk further to along the path to get to the festival, and then had to conquer 2 sets of stairs with security guards swarming the place. Haha I have no idea how the bottle didn’t fall out on those stairs (it would have been pretty funny tho), but it stayed where it needed to and soon we were in the middle of the festival with people all around, where we could sneakily retrieve our merchandise. I just realized that whole little story totally sounds like I was trying to smuggle 5 lbs of cocaine in . Haha

Anyway, after that whole ordeal (which only I was truly aware of at the time), we explored the festival for a bit, which was situated right next to Hero’s Square and some magnificent castle. It was so cold outside btw. I miss San Luis Obispo. Haha

I wasn’t really expecting such a huge event to be going on. And the ski ramp. THE SKI RAAAAAMP! This thing was so big. Check out the pics. The competition may have been done for the day when we arrived, but I could easily imagine skiers flying through the air pulling all sorts of tricks off this jump. After marveling at the jump for a while and getting a cup of gluwein (hot wine that is spiced and has juice added), we made our way inside the biggest festival tent where the main DJ’s were playing at the time.

BAM! I was immediately slapped in the face with amazement as I walked in the tent. Techno/house music was blasting in my ears, laser lights were drawing intense patterns of color in my eyes, and there was a giant mob of dancing people stretching endlessly to the stage. I had no idea this event was gonna be so big. Budpaest definitely knows whats up and how to get their party on. Our group of friends joined the party soon but not after finally mixing our vodka with the free Monster energy drinks that David hooked up for free.

I’m not really sure what we did the whole time we were there, but dancing, head bobbing, and “fly swatting” were at the heart of everything we did. Haha Taccini would have fit in perfectly. We were there for 2-3 hours before finally making our way back home to David’s place which was where I crashed for the night (even tho my bag was still at his brother’s). Oh, and a couple quick notes: The Doner Kebab I had near the main tent was amazing and was the second best one I’ve had on my trip (the pizza kebab in Berlin is still #1. Thanks Phillipe). And the music all night was horrible. It was seriously the same freaking beat all night. It sounded like the same song was on repeat , and probably was to be honest. And the beat wasn’t even good! Ugh. The next night was supposed to have way better music tho.

It’s his party and he’ll ____ if he wants to…

When I got back to Adam’s house at 8pm from my hiking trip in Bohemian Switzerland, I was immediately caught up in the madness of Adam’s Birthday. Technically his birthday wasn’t until the next day, but he had work the next day at night as a bartender so he decided to celebrate it the day before. I bought some groceries and a fifth of vodka at a store on the way home (the usual haha), and when I arrived back home, Adam and Sarah were actually about to head to the bar that moment and were writing me a note with directions of how to get to the bar. I convinced them to stay a bit longer and take a couple birthday shots of my vodka, and 3 shots later (for me at least), we were on our way to the first bar to meet some friends.

The bar we went to was ok, but none of us were REALLY sure why we went there first. haha Either way, after a round of beer, more shots of vodka, and some cigarettes, everyone was relaxed and chatting it up with the other people at the table. It was fun meeting some new people. One of the girls I met does Thai massage, and I even got a short demonstration. :) Oh man she was good. Just thinking about it makes me tingle. She had her hands and elbows pressing so hard in just the right places, it was painful yet glorious. Anyone who’s ever had a Thai massage can relate. I was even lucky enough to have my neck cracked by her. So good! Her boyfriend who was also there is definitely a lucky guy (or IS he….? Haha).

At some point in the night, I left to group to snag some food since I hadn’t eaten since noon (other than the 2 amazing apples I had with me that I ate on the trail). It took me a while to find a place that was open, but I eventually found a pizzeria and got a delicious calzone that I brought back with me to the bar. I’m not sure why I’m saying this in the blog, but for some reason I felt like golem or something the whole time I was eating it. Haha I had this huge pizza box on the table with the lid down covering my hands and the food, and I kept sneakily breaking apart pieces with my hand and eating it all messy like. Idk what I’m talking about. Haha

Shortly after I finished my pizza, I took a birthday shot with Adam, and not long after that, Adam was passed out with his forehead on the table and his hands in his lap. Haha Apparently he had taken some more birthday shots with other people at the table while I was getting food, and had another beer or two as well. He’s not exactly a biggest dude and probably shouldn’t have consumed that much alcohol. Either way, it was pretty funny to me and I quickly passed off my camera and started posing with the weary drunkard passed out on the table. Haha

Sarah was far more concerned than I was and was forcing Adam to drink water the rest of the night. I thought he was down for the count for sure and we would have to carry him home, but after receiving a call from 2 “cute” Asian guys Adam liked, he perked up immediately. Oh Adam… haha Oh! And I almost forgot the best/worst part of the night, which inspired the title of this blog. At some drunken point in the night for Adam, he started making out with various girls at the table. I’ll upload pics later and you’ll see what I mean about the” best/worst part” of the night then. Sorry Adam. Haha That was your decision, not mine.

The two Asian guys eventually made it to the bar and hung out for a while which was cool. One of them eventually left tho, and soon after, Adam and the other guy went back to the flat to “hang out.” Meanwhile, the rest of the group that wasn’t heading home (me, sarah, brooke, and maybe some other people) decided to go to a new bar. This new bar wasn’t any better, and Sarah and I were confused again of how we ended up at such a lousy bar. Haha It was complete with creepy dudes and slot machines. Oh well. We hung out there for a while, and Brooke continued to down mini bottles of wine. I swear she must have had at least 8 of these things, and kept drinking them after Sarah and I left around 3am. Haha Brooke was definitely a character to say the least, and I felt much safer to be back at home without her harassing me. Man, it’s hard to explain, but she was creeping me out. Haha

It was definitely a fun yet strange night in Prague. A new experience for me to say the least with some of the dirty/strange/uncomfortable conversations that were going on. Haha Man, I can’t quite say everything we talked about in this blog, but that’s probably a good thing. haha. That’s part of the fun tho and I wouldn’t have changed anything from the night. Except for maybe the bar locations. Haha Happy Birthday again Adam!

Bohemian Switzerland

After a fairly lazy day the day before, I felt the need to redeem my trip by making an excursion somewhere. After waking up early and browsing cool day trip possibilities, I finally settled on going hiking near the Czech/German border, where my train passed by from Berlin to Prague a few days earlier. It looked gorgeous from the train, and I made a note that day that I NEEDED to return someday. Quick note: I should really just use italics to emphasize words. Too much work tho.

The name of the park/area i went to is called the “Bohemian Switzerland,” and has areas of the park in both Germany and the Czech Republic. It’s famous for rock climbing (one of the best places to go in Europe apparently) and the great Pravice Gate, which is the largest sandstone arch in Europe. Getting there was kind of a chore, but I made it there around 1:30pm, which was kinda late which sucked because it gets dark so early nowadays.

Getting to the park required taking a train to a random Czech town called Decin, and from there taking a bus to Hrensko. It took me forever to find the tourist office in town in Decin (I was trying to look up bus schedules and to ask about touring the castle in town), but when I finally got there, it was closed. yay. While wondering through town tho, I stopped at a couple cool thrift stores (didn’t get anything this time), and stopped at a food market where I bought the 2 of best tasting apples I’ve had on my trip (and I’ve had a lot of them, in every country). I also got a great big bowl of Goulash from one of the food vendors. I’ve always thought that Goulash was Polish, but after visiting Budapest Hungary I quickly learned that it’s a Hungarian thing. It was so good. I need to try making it back in the states for sure.

I actually got incredibly lucky when I showed up at the bus stop. It turns out the bus I needed to take to this random town only runs 3 times a day, and the next bus was leaving in 5 minutes. Even if I had showed up 3 hours earlier or didn’t get lost looking for the dang tourist office, I would have still needed to wait until ~1:00pm to take a bus to this city. Man I lucked out. Regardless of luck, or destiny haha, I was on my way to go Bohemian Switzerland.

The town leading into Bohemian Switzerland (Hrensko) is super tiny and is nestled in a valley right next to the river, which is also nestled in a huge valley with large/unique mountains on each side. It would have been a really cute town if it wasn’t flooded with so many Vietnamese tourist stands everywhere that you can’t walk 10 feet without a new owner haggling you to buy a new hat, remote control car, or pair of shoes. (I’m actually just guessing that they’re Vietnamese, but Adam told me that Czech has the largest number of Vietnamese immigrants in Europe, and that they’re some of the hardest working people in Czech). Either way, since the trailhead was ~3 km from the river anyway, and I was tired of being haggled, I decided to just jog through the city, giving the owners no chance to stop me. Got em!

Unfortunately, due to a semi-late start to the day and a long train ride, I was already starting to lose daylight when I arrived at the trailhead. No problem tho, I was wearing my red pair of trail running shoes and decided to make up some more time by jogging on the trail whenever I could. The trail to the sandstone arch (my destination for the day) was beautiful. It was evident that fall was in full swing, with gorgeous yellow and red trees everywhere. The trail was also kinda hard to follow with so many leaves on the ground (I totally thought I was gonna eat it running down certain parts of the trail), but the trees/path was well marked which was nice.

There were 3 other groups of people I met along the trail, but everyone was already heading back when I was going up, leaving me alone out in the wilderness which was kind of a scary feeling. It’s a good thing there aren’t any cougars or bears in this area, or Europe really. Haha As it was, I had a very nice hike, exploring all sorts of little areas including a small waterfall and cave on the way up. The trail had rails going up along the ridges, so I could tell it was somewhat of a touristy trail. It wasn’t very hard, and actually, really wasn’t ALL THAT pretty compared to any hike I’ve done in the Northwest. There weren’t any jagged mountains nearby, there wasn’t a pristine lake at the top, and even the view from the top wasn’t anything worth seeing again.

The Sandstone Arch was fairly impressive tho. It’s 26 meters in length and 16 meters high, and comes out of nowhere from the side of the mountain. There was also a touristy hotel built into the mountain right next to the arch which I thought was a little unusual. I actually thought the hotel kind of ruined the atmosphere. Hotels just don’t belong in certain parts of nature. The weather wasn’t the greatest (hooray fog), but even if it was a nice day, I still don’t think I would have been THAT impressed by the arch. After going to Sedona in Arizona with Cory and Athena, it’s going to take a TON of HUGE arches to impress me. Sedona is amazing. I definitely need to go back again.

After taking a couple pictures near the top, I climbed up a steep ledge through some barbed wire to get to the very top for the “best” views, which had been closed off for the winter season. It was a much better view, but still not that great because it was foggy. On the way down, I had to jump off an 8 foot ledge because I didn’t trust myself climbing down the steep moist ledge through the barbed wire. That was probably the most fun part of the hike actually. Haha The next trip I do needs to incorporate more adrenaline activities like white water rafting, bungee jumping, snowboarding, or just anything fast. I made my way back down the trail in record time, and was soon on a bus back to Prague after having a beer in a café while waiting for the bus. I definitely need to start trail running when I get back to the states. It’s so much fun, and much more fun than running through neighborhoods/cities.

With my trip to Bohemian Switzerland behind me, I was now ready to party with Adam and his friends for his 22^nd Birthday party/gathering... Next blog please...

Cool Running and Vysehrad Castle

Planning what to do in each city can be a chore for me, and even with a guidebook of Prague, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do during my days in Prague. My 2 go-to websites for advice are usually wiki travel and tripadvisor.com, and through trip advisor I stumbled across something I’ve always wanted to do, and that my parents have talked about doing on multiple occasions: A bobsled run! Well, not exactly, there’s no ice or sled, but there IS a concrete track down a hill and you ride down on a small cart with wheels and a brake. Legit!

You can control how fast you go with the brake, and if you don’t brake at all, man, you better hold on, lean into the turn, and pray that you don’t crash. Haha I met a couple in Budapest that crashed on the bobsled run outside Budapest (apparently it’s the biggest one in Europe), and the girl had a pretty gnarly scar from it. The dude leaned the opposite way of the turn….

I’ve always wanted to do the one in Canada just north of my house in Spokane (Kimberley?), but apparently it’s closed down now because it’s a “safety hazard.” Man, Canada’s becoming too much like the U.S. these days where everything is a safety hazard and people will sue companies over the slightest scratch. If you crash your sled in Europe, it’s YOUR fault, like it’s supposed to be. Unless of course the brakes broke or something else like that.

Anyway, I took the metro out to this place in Prague, just outside the city, and made two epic runs down the course. I would have done more, but it was kinda pricey, and I was content after two. It definitely go my adrenaline pumping tho. Some of the turns were pretty intense and I felt like grabbing for the brake, but had to resist in order gain maximum speed which could be measured at the bottom of the track (it wasn’t working when I was there tho L ). I have to admit that for one of the turns, I had to brake beforehand. You come flying into it at max speed, and there is no way I would have survived without braking a little. Idk I kinda wanted to do a 3^rd run and test out not using the brakes on that turn just to see if I could pull it off. I definitely have a lot of respect for all the Olympic athletes who do that stuff. )

After bobsledding around for a while, which didn’t take long actually, I made my way to the other side of the city to check out Vysehrad Castle. It was pretty cool. It used to be a fortress/castle in Prague, and had an impressive wall all around it. It had a 360 view of the city depending on where you were at, and despite the fog, I could still see a fair amount. It didn’t take long to explore this sight either, but since I got a late start to the day (as usual), it was already getting late/dark by the time I was done walking around.

The rest of the night was fairly tame if I can recall. I made my way back to Adam’s, said hello, then walked to the nearest bar/café to chill on my computer and give Adam some space. Since I was staying at his place for 5 nights, and had spent a lot of mornings/nights hanging out in his kitchen/room, I felt it would be best to give him some space so he didn’t feel like I was intruding. Couchsurfing is definitely great, but as a guest, it’s always important to respect the host’s personal time.

I’m not really sure what we did the rest of the night, but we may have watched some American Dad, cooked a pasta with homemade sauce (something I am doing from now on bwt), gone out to a bar for a drink or two, I may have skyped with jenny, I may have planned the next day of my trip, killed some time on facebook/gmail, blogged (not likely haha) or I could have gone to bed early. Idk I’m trying to remember what I did over 10 days ago which is tough. Side note/ending note: The next time in Prague, I want to see a Black Light Theatre show. I’ve heard mixed things about it, but I think it would be cool.

Buddhist Temple and Thai Buffet

One of the more randomly awesome highlights of my trip was going to Buddhist Temple with Adam in Prague. I’ve always been interested in Buddhism, and Adam was kind enough to invite me to a “service”(I can’t remember what it’s actually called). Either way, Adam did his best to bring me up to speed on Buddhism on our walk to the service, but I still felt like I had no idea what to do once I got there, how it was going to work, or what to say (if anything) to the monk who was going to be there. Haha

I was definitely lost/confused when I walked in (for a variety of reasons), and was even more confused/perplexed when I saw the monk sitting legs crossed, in his orange “toga,” talking on his cell phone before the service started. Haha Not what I expected, but I guess even monks can have cell phones. Everyone was super nice to me when I walked in and greeted me with a smile (very few could speak English), but I could tell they were all wondering if I was Adam’s new boyfriend. Haha Adam is gay for those of you who missed the last post. After clearing a few things up tho, we were all on the same page and they were just looking at me as if I was the only tall, white, non-Buddhist in the room… Which I was. Haha Everyone other than the me, the Monk, and Adam were all short Taiwanese ladies.

The “service” itself was held in an apartment on the 3^rd floor in a random neighborhood on the edge of the city. They’re still working on raising enough funds to build/buy a new home for their service. For its purposes tho, and the number of people who attended on a Tuesday (I think that’s the right day), it works very well. The main room for the service was decked out with Buddhist statues of all shapes, colors and sizes, and had all sorts of things on the walls and ceremonial area that I had no idea what they were. It was all very nice tho, and I could definitely sense the serenity that could be achieved by sitting in this room.

As for the monk, he sat on a raised platform in the front/back of the room so everyone could see him easily, or for some other reason I don’t know. The rest of us sat legs crossed on the floor in front of him. A Quick Confession: I can’t sit legs crossed. My legs are too long and more importantly, I’m helllllllla inflexible. Haha Everyone was looking at me weird throughout my time there as I sat down with my legs sprawling every which direction so I could get comfortable. I’m gonna start doing more stretching/yoga when I get back to the states with Jenny.

The service itself was short and followed the ritual Adam briefly described to while walking there. I tried to follow along, but, as I’m not Buddhist and can’t speak Thai, it was pretty tough. Haha From my perspective, there were lots of “prayers” and “repeat after mes,” as well as lots of bowing down on your knees with your hands together, so your head almost touches the ground (sorry I’m doing a horrible job describing everything Adam). I’ve never seen anything like it, and was glad to be there to observe their ceremony and rituals. While confused pretty much the entire time, I was still able to enjoy the service as well as listen to/reflect on my thoughts which was nice and very much needed at the time.

After the short service, things proceeded with a food offering to the monk. There was also a food and water offering to the Buddha I believe. Apparently this is the only meal the monk eats all day, and has to take place before ~12:30pm I think. Everyone who attended (~8 Thai women & Adam and I) brought a homemade Thai/Asian dish. After the Monk gets his filling, everyone else eats the food together in a sort of potluck/Asian food buffet. Haha Oh man, it was great!!! I haven’t had Thai or Asian food at ALL on my trip, and boy do these women know how to cook!

I was definitely spoiled, but was eventually punished by the shear spiciness of some of the food. My mouth burned for 20 minutes after we left. Haha The meal itself was a ton of fun, and I had a great time just BEING THERE if that makes sense. My first (and hopefully not the last) experience at Buddhist Temple was a great one, and I’m excited to learn more about Buddhism when I get back home. I highly recommend going if you ever get the chance.

The Rest of My Day

• I pretty much just hung out in Adam’s apartment all day which was fine. Sometimes I need a day like that to recoup and just be lazy
• I Skyped with Jenny for ~2 hours in the morning, and sent her a loooooong message in the afternoon. I think we talked at night too. Haha Sometimes we go a couple days without skyping, other days we talk 2-3 times during the day. It all depends. Either way, I LOVE my girlfriend SO much! Long distance just sucks tho and requires a lot of effort. Especially in our situation, where I’m always on the move and never know what my schedule is like or when I can chat, the 9 hour time difference complicates everything, and Jenny has a crazy busy semester with a full load of classes and 2 jobs where she works 30+ hours a week. We’re making it happen tho, and as I’m writing this, there are only 3 weeks left til I get to see her. J
• Adam and I hit up another Thrift store after Buddhist Temple and I scored a sweet pair of brown pants that fit perfectly. I think I forgot to mention this in my last blog, but the day before, Adam and I hit up a different thrift store where I scored a super nice lightweight down jacket (navy blue) for ~7 euro, and badass pair of thick wool socks that I now use as slippers. haha
• At night Adam and I walked to a cool park/scenic view overlooking the city (would have been cool w/ less fog). We then hit up a unique bar nearby with great beer and cool “stuff” all over the ceiling and walls. I love how each bar in Prague usually supports just one local brewery and only has THEIR BEER on tap. You can get other beers in bottles too, but I think it’s cool that the bar you choose to hang out in is not only influenced by the atmosphere, but by the beer on tap. Haha Love it!

Travel Update

For those of you who have been following my blog, you’ve probably noticed I haven’t posted in a while. My bad. I’ve been fairly busy in my travels and didn’t feel like making blogging a priority. I’ve had a blast the last 10 days or so, so keep your eyes open for my next posts as they should be fairly fun to read. I’m currently on a night train from Vienna to Venice rocking out to Steely Dan, “Reelin In The Years.” Haha It’s 9:15pm at the moment, and my train is set to arrive in Venice, Italy at 8:40am on Tuesday November 22, 2011.

I’d rather be reading my book (Stephen King – The Waste Lands) or planning my trip in Venice right now, but I’ll get to those in a bit. I had hoped to find a couchsurfing host in Venice, but at the moment I’ve been stood up. People either haven’t replied back yet, or have said no for various reasons. Fear not, I have a backup plan and booked a hostel for the next 2 nights, but if someone responds on Tuesday I’ll likely stay with them instead. Hostel traveling is too expensive. 20 euro (~$25 USD) doesn’t seem bad, and really isn’t, but on a 3 month trip, it can add up. Either way, I’m super excited to go to Venice!

In a way, I’ve actually already been to Venice tho . Quick Thought: Isn’t it weird that the only word I ever shorten in my blog is “though?” The extra three letters really aren’t that hard to type. Anyway, haha, I’ve been to Vegas a few times and I’m pretty sure the actual Venice is gonna look the exact same. Ok, probably not. But everything is still gonna be hella expensive, dirty, and magnificent everywhere I go.

I’m looking forward to a lack of tourists that are going to be in Venice this time of the year. Although it’s going to be cold-ish (high of ~55F, low of 38F), the mobs of people (and hopefully pigeons) won’t be everywhere which will be nice. And apparently Venice smells bad in the summer when it’s hot, so that will be nice to avoid too. Tho I have to admit I wouldn’t mind lying out on the beach right now and enjoying some warmth, even if I had to put up with the smell. Northern Europe was getting too cold.

To get everyone caught up to where I am now, I was in Vienna the last 4 nights staying with my good friend Miriam, who I knew from Couchsurfing before. It was great to see her again and we got to see all sorts of things in the city. It was freezing cold outside most of the time, so honestly, I wasn’t as ambitious in seeing everything I wanted to see. Numb fingers, a bright red nose, and burning ears are a good deterrent to doing anything outside for too long. Haha You’ll hear more about Vienna in the upcoming blogs, but I think it might be my 2^nd favorite city so far on the trip (Ghent, Belgium still takes the cake). Oh, and before Vienna, I was actually in Budapest, Hungary for 6 nights with my friend David. I’ll get to Budapest soon as well.

Where I’ve Traveled Recently:

• Prague: 5 nights w/ Adam (found through couchsurfing)
• Budapest: 6 nights w/ David (foreign exchange student friend)
• Vienna: 4 nights w/ Miriam (couchsurfing friend from CA)

Upcoming Travel Plans

• Italy: Venice, Trieste, Verona, Sirmione/Lake Garda, Florence, Pisa/Ludda, Greve in Chianti (renting a scooter to explore wine country), Rome, Vatican City, Naples, The Almafi Coast
• Portugal: Porto, Lisbon, Lagos (I'm staying at a hostel called, wait for it!... "The Rising Cock" haha It's pretty famous I guess. Understandable.)
• Spain: Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona (Planning is still in the works)
• And Then… Geneva, Munich, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Spokane!

Prague Castle, the Eiffel Tower, and a Food Coma...

After skyping with my girlfriend in the morning and researching more cool things to do in Prague, I set out to explore more parts of the historic city, with the main goal for the day to see Prague Castle, which is the largest castle in the world. Getting around Prague is pretty easy with the metro system, but really, everything is pretty much walkable (by my standards at least. Haha I often jog through the city to save time/stay warm/not have to pay for metro/bus tickets).

The ginormous Prague Castle is situated on top of one of the many hills overlooking the city, and dominates the view wherever you are. Everything is very compact in Prague, with all the main sights located very close to the city center. Refusing to look at my map to get up to the castle, I ended up accidentally walking up the back entrance (the exit really) to the castle. Haha Once at the top I had some great views over the city, then began to walk around looking for the ticket area.

It’s hard to accurately describe the castle, but it didn’t really feel like a castle to me (compared to the ones I saw in Germany). It was more like a giant palace with many buildings around it, open squares, and a giant/beautiful church all in one area. I ended up seeing most of the castle grounds before finding the ticket area, and after debating paying the fee to do a tour of the castle, I decided against it to save time (it was pretty late in the day already), to save money, and honestly, from the looks of the postcards it didn’t seem all that glamorous on the inside (the palace of Versailles has ruined me haha Nothing compares to it)

My next destination was the Eiffel tower. “What?! The Eiffel Tower, in Prague???” Yup. Well, a smaller version of it at least. I’m not really sure why, but Prague decided to build its own, much smaller version of the Eiffel Tower on a hill, that you can still go up if you want for a small fee. I tried to take a shortcut to get there (without using a map of course), and ended up getting lost for 30 min., ending up at a university and the huge soccer arena. I finally made it to the tower, took a couple pictures (note: I left my camera cord in prague so I can’t upload any pics right now. Or take many more for that matter. lame.), and made my way down the hill. The tower was kinda cool, but not really. Just something for tourist junkies I think. The park it next to it was beautiful tho.

My final destination for my mini-day trip was the John Lenin Wall. It’s basically a graffiti wall where people would protest against all sorts of things (nothing to do with the beatles actually, but maybe they protested against lennon’s comment about the beatles being bigger than jesus tho), and I think it was mainly against communist/socialist rule. It was cool, I left my own mark on the wall with a sharpie pen, and made my way back home. Oh, and I tried to go in the US Embassy earlier in the day, but they wouldn’t let me because I didn’t have an emergency. Maybe next country…

When I got back to Adam’s flat (it’s so hard to remember what I did more than 3 days ago and blog about it btw. Haha Drinking almost every night probably doesn’t help the remembering process, but my memory is just bad in general. Just ask my girlfriend. Haha). We chilled for a bit then eventually walked to a bar to have a couple beers. Delicious beers. Each pub, on pretty much every street corner in Prague, usually supports one local brewery and only has their beer on tap. Kinda cool. Adam and I had a great chat and I got to know him much better that night.

One of the random funny moments of the night was when Adam asked me to go to the bar and buy him a cigarette, and I literally interpreted as, “buy me one cigarette from the bartender.” A strange concept to me, to just buy one, but this is Europe, so anything is possible. Well, the bartender brought me a pack of cigarettes, and I told him in very broken English “No, I just want ONE cigarette please.” He looked at me confused, talked to another bartender with a puzzled look on his face, then the other bartender just gave me one of his cigarettes to end the confusion. Haha Thanks! Adam thought this was pretty hilarious and ended up just buying a pack moments later himself. Haha My bad.

When we got home, we had a delicious meal (potato pancakes was this night actually, not the night before, I think), and after finishing our meal, I was left in a food coma like none other. I told Adam I was gonna take a quick nap (around 9:00pm) and asked him to wake me up in 20 min. Well, he woke me up, then I fell back to sleep immediately, and didn’t wake up until 2 in the morning. Haha Oops. Oh well, I probably needed the sleep anyway. Definitely set the record on my trip for most sleep in one night and earliest time to bed in Prague.

Pragueeeee

Time for a new country: The Czech Republic! Woot woot. After spending a solid week in Berlin it was finally time to move on in my travels. The train ride from Berlin to Prague was long (~6 hours I think), but was surprisingly enjoyable. The views were amazing as the train followed a river on the Czech/German border and I had a great chat with 3 random people in my train car for the 2^nd half of the trip. The German grandpa in our group was pointing out castles and sights along the way, the hippy rock climber girl discussed her passion for climbing mountains and skiing down untouched areas (she thinks ski resorts are lame), and the young German architect girl talked about the challenges of working as an architect in Berlin because there are so many architects there, and not enough jobs (she was on her way to Vienna for a job interview). Cool group of people.

When I arrived, my couchsurfing host Adam took me back to his place and quickly brought me up to speed about what Prague was all about. Beer, castles, and a style of architecture I already forgot. Haha Sorry Adam, architecture appreciation isn’t really my thing. Beer and castles were good enough for me tho. J The city has a pretty cool history and was untouched for the most part in WWII, so everything is super well preserved which gives the town its awesome medieval feel, which is why tourists flock to Prague I guess (It’s the 6^th most popular tourist destination In Europe btw. Paris and London are #1 and #2)

Adam was a great host, and definitely made me feel at home right away. Within minutes I he gave me a guidebook and map of Prague, spare keys to his apartment, and some freshly brewed tea. Haha We hung out for a bit at his place and I got to meet his closest friend Sarah (she grew up in New York actually), who quickly/accidentally informed me through a couple of drunken stories between them that Adam was gay (that’s the term Adam used to describe himself. I hope I’m not offending anyone by using that word). Adam was quite open about it, and I think it was a very good experience for me to stay with him for 5 days (I'm a little behind in my blog. I spent the last two night in Budapest, Hungary)

Adam luckily had some time that afternoon to hang out, so we ventured out to explore the city while there was still light (it’s getting dark so early now. Kinda sucks). Adam knew all sorts of stuff about Prague and was an excellent unofficial tour guide. Highlights from our excursion include:

• Hilly streets and big hills are everywhere! It was such a relief to see city with streets that weren't flat! It reminded me of Seattle in a way. Maybe I should just move to Seattle. I keep talking about how cool it is in this blog. Haha
• Bars were literally on every corner (Prague is the #1 country for beer consumption per person in the world. BAM! Germany and Ireland are #2 and #3, but I’m not sure in which order)
• The main square was nice and had a couple massive museums nearby and some statues (pretty typical for every major city I’ve been to)
• Fried cheese sandwiches??? (basically a patty of mozzarella sticks in a bun). So delicious.
• There were a couple medieval gates were just massive. So cool.
• Charles Bridge. This is one of the 2 main landmarks of the city (the castle is the other), and is essentially just a really, really old stone bridge that was the first of its kind and is still in very good condition. It’s only a walking bridge now, and was flooded with tourists every time I saw it. There are cool statues along the bridge, and huge medieval gates on each end which adds to its appeal.
• Old Town Square was nice and showcased some more medieval architecture in the impressive churches on each end of the square. There was a large market in the middle with all sorts of types of food, candies and tourist goodies. It goes on pretty much all day and night.
• The astronomical clock tower in Old Town Square was gorgeous, and attracts tourists to its base every hour, on the hour, as mechanical figurines begin to move about through two small windows inside the stone clock tower for about 30 seconds. It was built in the 16^th century (I think), and was the very first of its kind.
• Adam met up with a friend for a couple hours in the city, while I continued to walk around and explore. I eventually took the metro back to his house and met up with him there.

The rest of the night was fairly tame as I was exhausted from a late night in Berlin the day before. Adam fixed up a nice dinner (potato pancakes!), we had some more tea, talked about him being a Buddhist, and I skyped with Jenny before heading to bed. My first night in Prague was really cool, and I was excited to see more of it the next day.

Observations from KG

• I didn’t know what a UNESCO World Heritage Site was before coming to Europe…
• I’m eager to learn more about European/World history and culture (food, customs, greeting, dances, religions, technology, lifestyle, education, political structure, beer)
• Thrift stores are the way to go in Europe
• I’m kind of a lazy traveler. I usually don’t get my day started til at least 11am (I usually skype with Jenny in the mornings and plan out my day then get moving)
• I feel like I’m one of the few tourists without a freakin huge Nikon camera around their neck
• Every time Jenny calls me on my cell phone I’m either at a bar or walking to a bar. Haha
• I busted out some Xmas tunes on 11/8/11 (oh man, 11/11/11 is coming up! I need to do something cool at 11:11am and pm on that day. Oh, and all my wishes better come true)
• I’m still frustrated by the European time and date system (Ex. 17:30 on 9.11.11 SHOULD BE 5:30pm on 11/9/11)
• I’ve started to think about ending my retirement. I know, sad right??? But as much as I love traveling (and I do), I think I’m ready to go back to work. I’m excited about it actually. I like being challenged in an intellectually stimulating way and having more structure to my days
• Kazuntite seems to be a universal word
• Mercedes garbage trucks exist.
• France has the worst “attention” sound at the train stations. It drove me crazy. “Bah, Bah, Daaa, Dah”
• I didn’t see a mime in Paris! Wtf?!
• Ugg boots are popular in Europe too….. sad.
• Vespas were all over the place in France
• Kebab shops are everywhere. I’ve said this before. But it needs to be said again because I eat Doner Kebabs all the time. Mmmmmm…..
• I think I enjoy hosting couchsurfers more than couchsurfing at other people’s places (I’m a pretty involved host I think, it’s more comfortable/relaxed, and I enjoy being in control of the fun stuff we do)
• People from Great Britain sound hilarious (I can’t understand them half the time, old men from England sound like they’re in a James Bond movie, and the Irish accent is just awesome)
• I hate carrying my wallet in my front pocket, but I’m still paranoid (not really) that someone is going to jack it if it’s in my back pocket
• After hating on guys wearing scarves this entire trip, I finally gave in and wore a scarf for the first time in Prague (I haven’t bought one yet. Just borrowed one from a couchsurfer)
• I’m obsessed with Nutella! I can’t believe I’ve never bought it before.
• Interesting quote I read somewhere: What we think of ourselves and what we really are rarely have much in common
• McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, and KFC are the most popular American fast food companies in Europe (in that order)
• Europeans eat a lot of cheese (it’s made my stomach upset on multiple occasions)
• France had some great wine
• I’m gonna look into graduate school in Europe because it’s quite cheap compared to in America, and could lead to a potential job in Europe which would be cool
• Why are there Casino’s everywhere???
• Doing laundry while traveling sucks! Especially since most people line dry their clothes instead of using a dryer, so I have to do laundry 2 days in advance so my stuff isn’t wet.
• Things always look closer on google maps…
• I’d rather get lost for 20 min. walking around than ask someone for directions (I usually find something interesting this way. Plus, I hate approaching foreigners and speaking English. It just feels weird every time. Then again, boldness pays off… eh.
• I’ve lost so many plastic water bottles on this trip. I have no idea how they keep disappearing.
• I’ve taken so many pictures of people with their iPhone. Come on people! Get a real camera if you’re gonna be traveling around Europe. Jeez!
• In bike friendly cities and countries like Belgium/The Netherlands, it looks like the streets are littered with bikes because there are so many. It’s not very pretty in my eyes.
• I hate that it could take me ~20 minutes to find a place I can use the restroom without buying a meal. Seriously, this makes Europe automatically 10x less cool than America. Oh, and free water doesn’t exist in Europe yet either. Ugh.
• It took me a month into my trip to discover there are lockers at train stations I could use to put my pack in for the day while I walk around. A couple days my shoulders/neck hurt so bad from lugging around my heavy pack. Nice Kyle…
• McDonalds and Starbucks have free internet, which is something hard to come by in Europe I tell you.
• Oh man, people/tourists look so stupid when taking pictures. I swear, they’re taking pictures of every random thing they see, and they don’t seem to follow any sort of picture taking logic from what I can tell. And the way people pose half the time is just embarrassing.
• I hate big touristy cities…. hmmmm
• Prague is cool because it’s one of the few cities I’ve been to so far that isn’t flat. I hate the flatness.
• I haven’t lost anything yet which is pretty sweet (unless you count the plastic water bottles I keep losing)
• I blog/read/sleep/play angry birds on train rides
• I think I’d rather spend 3 months relaxing on a beach in Hawaii or in Thailand than travel around Europe walking around cities all the time. But, while I’m here, I’m gonna make the most of it.
• I heard from a German guy (not gonna say who…) that sometimes he pretends to be American to try to get with German girls. Hahahaha
• I’m spending more money than I had hoped despite not really doing all that much. I should be fine tho.
• Spending money in countries not on the Euro has been kind of fun, because I’m not “really” sure how much things really costs
• The leaves are almost gone on the trees. L I need to head south before it gets any colder/grey too.
• Beer Rankings: Belgium > Czech Republic > Germany > Everywhere else
• The food diversity I’ve had has been one of my favorite parts of the trip so far
• I really, Really, REALLY miss my girlfriend Jenny. I love her so much and being away from her for ~3 months is “The Worst.” Things are going great tho, and it won’t be long before I get to hold her again. J
• A fortune I got (from a fortune cookie): Seen with the eyes of love everything gets a new meaning
• I want to brew beer when I get back to the states (Uncle bob???)
• I want to incorporate more European/Worldwide traditions/customs into my daily life (food, music, education, lifestyle, clothing, beer, decorations, holidays)
• I occasionally think of new business ideas based on what I’ve observed on my travels. Random ideas of mine that probably exist already or just aren’t very good include: 1. iPhone travel app/company that uses GPS to guide people on city walking tours 2. Used bookstore inventory/online system 3. Travel postcard/poster website based on your travel experiences 4. European restaurant in America that specializes in making select ethnic dishes from various countries in Europe 5. Website for cool outdoors things to do in Europe 5. Cell phone company that ships international phones that can be used in Europe to Americans 6. Tourist information App (has the maps and information from all the official Information booths in each city) 7. A digital guidebook that doesn’t suck, and doesn’t focus primarily on museums and expensive hotels (maybe incorporate couchsurfers ideas somehow)

Berlin!

Berlin, much like Munich, is sadly only going to get a Sparknoted (highlights) version of what happened while I was there for a week. I had a blast the whole time, but because I was in one place for so long, with no train rides to write blogs, I didn’t have time or really want to spend time blogging. So while there is so much more to be said while I was in Berlin, only a little bit will be mentioned (sorry to Louisa, Nicolai, Anna, Rhianne, and other fellow Berliners who may be reading this wishing I included certain awesome details from my stay). As it is, here are some of the highlights:

Who I Stayed With

• Louisa and Phillip: 4 nights (I knew Louisa from Slo when I hosted her and her friend Gesa)
• Nicolai and Anna: 2 nights (I met them in Munich through Rhianne at the Oktoberfest)
• Rhianne: 2 nights (She dated my good friend Eric Frasch from Sigma Pi)

Highlights

• ~8 hour train ride from Copenhagen to Berlin (ugh, such a beautiful train ride tho)
• Drinking games with Louisa, Phillip, and their friends (the first night ended poorly for Kyle haha. Too much champagne, red wine, vodka, white wine, and more red wine)
• Explored Berlin with Louisa and Phillip (they’re an awesome couple btw. Love them). We saw the museum island, Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, had coffee in Kreutzburg, and ate a pizza doner kebab (mmm……)
• Spent a day at home doing nothing (well, I skyped with Jenny, watched some NFL highlights, did some email, uploaded pictures, and a few other things)
• Watched “Paranormal Activity” (a scary movie that haunted me the entire night. Seriously, not cool)
• Went on a free 4 hour walking tour of Berlin courtesy of a couchsurfer in Berlin who posted the tour in the “community” section of Berlin. ~20-25 people showed up which was cool. I learned a lot more about the history or Germany and Berlin, visited "Checkpoint Charlie," stood over Hitler’s bunker, and talked with some cool couchsurfers from all over the world.
• Visited the “East Side Gallery (the largest remaining part of the Berlin wall). Berlin has a very sad/depressing history, and I was very much aware of it while walking along the wall.
• Treptower park was awesome and had an impressive soviet memorial that was incredibly moving. A must see in Berlin in my opinion.
• Templehof park was interesting as it used to be the main Berlin airport (and was where all the food was dropped in when the soviets cut off their supply chain), and is now just a huge open park for the public
• Jewish Museum. I was incredibly saddened and moved by the history/persecution of the Jewish people. It's my favorite museum I’ve been to so far (tho I haven’t really been going to many museums on this trip. It’s not really my thing)
• ½ day trip to Potsdam (30 min outside Berlin). Such a beautiful city. It’s where all the German King’s Palaces and gardens are. I wish I had arrived earlier in the day. I saw so little of the town, but what I saw was jaw dropping)
• Hookah (or Shesha in other languages) Lounge with reunited Berliners! Smoked the apple flavored hookah (legal in America too mom…), played darts with Mark, and played some foosball. Oh yeah!
• Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Walking around the camp and reading all the information/stories literally brought tears to my eyes. I had such an empty/ghostly feeling walking around. Everyone should visit a concentration camp to get a better impression of the horror that took place during those years. I think it’s great that all Germans attend a field trip to a camp in school.
• Flea Market with Rhianne. Berlin is known for its flea markets, but sadly we didn’t find anything cool. We walked around the Tiergarten for a bit tho which was cool. Fall in Berlin is beautiful.
• Bar life in Berlin! Went out with Rhianne and some of her friends to a hookah (shesha) bar. There were SOOOOO many young people out on the streets! It was nuts! I’ve never seen anything like it. Floods of drunk/soon to be drunk 20 something year olds were everywhere. Oh, and me and the 4 egyptian guys we were with had a 2 hour conversation on Islam/religion. So cool.

Random

• I’m addicted to the Steven King book I’m reading (“The Drawing of the Three.” It’s part of a 7 book series called “The Dark Tower”)
• Public Transportation is still weird for me
• I got made fun of by the Berliners because I ate a couple rolls which apparently still needed to be baked for 10 minutes before eating. Ha, Ha. Laugh it up guys.
• Rhianne was kind enough to send a bag of souvenirs I’ve collected to Michelle Townshend in Munich (which is where I think I’ll be flying back home from)
• I almost went to a professional soccer match with Louisa and Phillip but had to cancel due to their schoolwork. L
• Berlin is a nice city, with a crazy nightlife, diverse people, affordable prices on food and housing, an eastern European feeling to some extent, cool parks, an extensive history, and friendly people.

What time do the bars close???

I got back to Laerke’s home around 11pm from Stockholm, and was stoked to see one of my other couchsurfing friends there who I also hosted in slo! Mariella had been busy the last couple days or so and couldn’t hang out, but tonight was Friday night! Woot Woot! We hung out for a while drinking some wine, listening to party music, and debating which party/bar to go to. Man, the girls were hilarious in their natural Danish habitat btw. Haha Dancing and singing non-stop! Oh, and Laerke made this delicious red drink that had gin and some berry like juice thing that I still have no clue what it is, but it was good. J Sometimes words just don’t translate and I have to go along with what people tell me. haha

I think we left around midnight and made our way to one of the bars on foot. We stopped at a mini mart and bought some beer for our journey. I got a Carlsberg beer, which is the most famous beer from Denmark and is exporrted worldwide (pretty good, but not as good as the Belgian beer I had or some of the German beers). I’m gonna be divested when I go back to the states and can no longer legally drink beer on the streets. L

We met an interesting English fellow outside the bar and ended up hanging out with him for a good chunk of the night along with some of Mariella’s “homies.” J We pretty much just sat at a table drinking beers and talking, and before I knew what had happened, it was 3am! Haha Crazy. There were still tons of people everywhere, which I guess is pretty common in Copenhagen. People usually don’t even go out to the bars til around midnight, and they stay out til 4am easily, with some bars staying open past dawn. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing, but all I know is that Mariella and Laerke had to be somewhere at 9am the next day, so we left “early” so they could get some sleep.

I think we made it back around 3:45am and fell asleep shortly after. Definitely a crazy and memorable night in Copenhagen. Mariella and Laerke were super fun to hang out with, and I wish I could have stayed another night, but it was time to head to Berlin for a Saturday night adventure with my friend Louisa.

Swindled in Sweden

Sparknotes:

• ~10.5 hours of train travel for the day (from Copenhagen to Stockholm and back)
• The scenery was incredible. Probably the most beautiful area I’ve visited.
• Stockholm was one of my favorite cities so far, despite not really doing anything cool/fun. It reminds me of a European version of Seattle, but with more lakes and water everywhere
• I searched at least 10 stores for “Swedish Fish,” a gummy candy that my brother Cory really likes, but was unable to freakin find it! Sorry Cory
• I got swindled/played so bad. A street guy was doing the game where you try to follow the ball and guess which box it’s under, and within seconds I was out 50 euro. Don’t ask.
• I met a cool guy from Canada on the train back, who was studying in Stockholm

Wake up! Its 6:15am Kyle! Time to take a train to Stockholm in an hour!

While this may not seem that early to many of you reading this, FOR ME, 6:15am was “The Worst.” I managed to make it to my train on time, but not after sprinting the last 15 minutes which was a good way to wake up I guess. The train ride was beautiful, and I really should have spent the whole time just looking out the window, but sleeping and blogging distracted me from seeing the countryside. 5 hours later, I arrived in a city I literally knew nothing about. I kinda forgot to research things to do in Stockholm, but the tourist information office was very helpful and I quickly gained some insight about what to see.

I made a stop at McDonald’s (my 2nd time on this trip...) to use the free internet, but I also gave in and got a McChicken. So disappointed in myself. Haha After doing some quick research on Stockholm using my computer, I took off to explore the city, but not before experiencing 2 possible earthquakes in the McDonalds. I need to look online to find out if it was actually an earthquake, but the entire building shook for about 5 seconds on 2 separate occasions. Kinda scary. Everyone was just looking around scared wondering if it was actually an earthquake. Luckily, if it was an earthquake, it wasn’t very strong and I quickly got out of there. I would have been so angry if I died in a McDonalds. I hate McDonalds (except for the breakfast menu of course haha). Dying there would have been “The Worst.”

Side note: “The Worst” is an inside joke within my family, started by my brother Kevin this summer, who said that “Every night is the worst,” referring to putting his 3 year old son Myles to bed every night (who keeps waking up after being put to bed, saying he has to go potty as an excuse to stay awake longer, but he doesn’t actually have to go).

Anyway, Stockholm was really cool and reminded me of a European version of Seattle. There was water/ocean everywhere, small cobblestone streets, prominent buildings and churches, and a lively atmosphere. I don’t know why I liked the town so much, but it seemed really cool, with lots to do. The city is also spread out over a bunch of islands, so I’m sure each area is unique and would be fun to explore.

I debating doing a City Sightseeing Tour (tourbus) in Stockholm considering I didn’t have much time (~4 hours), and I actually have a free ticket to use (from Eurail) that I can use in over 25 cities. Unfortunately, Stockholm was not one of those cities listed. L So, I just wandered about aimlessly trying to find cool things on the map. As I mentioned before, I’m getting tired of walking through cities, but I guess it’s something you just gotta do. Maybe the 2^nd half of this trip will include more hiking and outdoor activities. I could easily just google “hiking in Europe,” but for some reason that hasn’t happened quite yet. I would assume the train doesn’t exactly take you to any trailheads tho. Haha

My short afternoon in Stockholm was nice despite not actually doing or seeing anything that cool. I checked out the main shopping areas (I have no clue why), walked along the water, explored a huge park on an island for 10 minutes, and rushed back to the train station. I’d like to come back in the summer and explore the islands around the city via cruise ship or kayak. Now THAT would be fun.

The Not-So-Good in Stockholm:

• I searched for at least 20 minutes in a bunch of different stores looking for some authentic “Swedish Fish” gummies and got shot down everywhere. I think the candy brand needs to change their name. Its false advertising if they don’t even sell it in Sweden. Haha
• I spent 30 minutes searching for a pair of bad ass wool socks (like the pair Olav from Norway has) and also got shut down. They were all either ugly or incredibly expensive.
• I got swindled/played so bad. A street guy was doing the game where you try to follow the ball and guess which box it’s under, and within seconds I was out 50 euro. It was such a bizarre situation and happened so fast, I’m really not even sure what even happened. I watched a couple games, then got pressured into guessing/betting, and was out 50 euro seconds later. WHOA! How did that happen! I didn’t even want to play, let alone bet that much! I swear the lady behind me was taking the money out of my wallet and just giving it to the guy. I walked away stunned, a little depressed, and more than anything just disappointed in myself that I wasn’t strong enough to say NO. This definitely ruined my day, and as much as I tried to think positive and make the best of my afternoon, the memory kept creeping into my head making me feel bad. Ugh.

The train ride back was fairly boring until I switched trains halfway through my journey, and ended up meeting a really cool guy from Canada who is studying abroad in Stockholm. He was a fun guy to chat with, and before long we were both in Copenhagen. I’ve noticed on my trip that some people are just super easy to talk to and the conversation flows with ease, while other people you meet you feel like you have to force the conversation to keep things going. Reid was definitely the former type of person, and we had fun talking about traveling, raves, beer, and whatever else.

Just Cope-nhagen

Sparknotes:

• Hung out with the guy I met from Boston and toured the city together
• Walked through the Free City of Christiania (a residential development in Copenhagen that essentially governs itself, the people don’t really pay taxes, and people are semi-allowed to buy and smoke marijuana on the street)
• Walked through a bunch of cool parks/cemeteries, walked along the canals and lakes in the city, saw the Tivoli theme park, and walked through the ethnic district of town
• Delicious dinner with 4 of Laerke’s roommates
• Talked with my mom for at least 30 minutes while she was watching the grandkids for the day (super Grammy)

I met up with John (the guy I met from Boston who was also staying in Copenhagen) around 10am set off to make a tour of the city for the day. John is definitely an experienced and efficient traveler, and was super fun to hang out with for the day. It was definitely nice to have some company and saved me from having to do the awkward “pose and take a picture of yourself” photo.

Our first stop was a small residential development in town called Christiania. It’s pretty famous in Copenhagen and if you ever get a chance you should swing by before the government completely cracks down on the area. Apparently the area was somewhat of a social experiment back in the 70's after squatters started living in these old abandoned buildings/warehouses (similar to the theater play "Rent" I guess), and the government essentially let the people live there/not pay taxes/smoke and sell marijuana on the street. Things are a little different now as the government occasional conducts drug raids, and the "citizens" of Christiania have to pay 50 million dollars/year as a community in order to continue living in the multi-billion dollar valued real estate they're occupying.

The neighborhood is pretty run down, with graffiti everywhere and old warehouses, but this is also what gives Christiania its special appeal. John and I must have seen at least 5 different school tours through Christiania, explaining the history and current state of the area. I thought it was funny that they did this considering there were marijuana stands all up and down “pusher street.” Haha It’s a very different culture over here. After walking around a bit, we made our way into the well known café in Christiania to warm up a bit and have some tea. The place was surprisingly cool, had free internet, and is open 24/7 which is nice.

The rest of the day we just walked around the city checking out the sights. We saw some cool canals and colorful buildings, the small 5 lakes within the city, a cemetery park, a cool ethnic street with lots of people and small stores, the king’s garden (apparently Denmark was the 1^st monarchy to exist), and a few other things we happened to run into. John and I then parted ways and I headed back to Laeke’s house.

On the way back home, I ventured through a couple different parks that were HUGE. It was nice just walking around in no rush to be anywhere at any time. Plus, it was gorgeous outside with all the leaves changing colors. Living in California the last 5 years has made me forget what fall is supposed to look like. Haha Spokane really isn’t all the pretty in fall either (too many pine trees), so it was cool to see all the colors and different types of trees.

The rest of the night was nice, but nothing too exciting happened. I got to talk with my mom for a while when she was watching the grandkids, I had dinner with 4 of Laerke’s roommates (tho Laerke was still at a workshop), and I spent some time planning what to do the next day. Around midnight I got a crazy idea to take a train to Stockholm, Sweden the next day, so I hit the sack “early” because I had to wake up around 6am the next day. Ugh.