The weather when I went on my adventures in the fall was cold but the off season made it great as I got to see more places with less crowds. One great aspect was the fact a few times at the hostels, I would get a bed in a 8-10 bed dorm or 4 bed room and be the only person for that night(Berlin, Salzburg, Florence, Munich to name a few I was by myself).
I did find tiring is the constant having to worry about your belongings and valuables. My valuables were my passport, ATM and credit cards, journals (reservations, travel tips, travel schedule, travel plans and people's contacts) and of course my money. Sometimes the places I crashed at did not have a locker so you had to make do without one. I had heard some horror stories of people getting robbed etc. I just think it is common sense and do not look like a walking target. Suffice to say I ended up being fine and with no problems. I did encounter people who got their stuff stolen. On my first overnight train ride (out of two) en route from Berlin to Warsaw, I met two women from Belarus. They had just traveled to Rome and had a blast. Their trip had a big hiccup, both their passports were stolen. When we entered the border from Germany and Poland, they encountered much troubles. The makeshift passport from their embassy when they were in Italy tended to be a bit problematic.
***TIP--I tend to be a planner. I always make a photo copy of the first page of my passport. I keep two copies with me, one with a trusted friend/family member along with my itinerary as well. I also brought along and gave a copy of all the US embassies in all 9 of the countries I was visiting---website, address and phone number just in case. The US Passport is similar to gold. Everyplace I went, I had no problems when crossing borders and I did not get any hassles after showing it.
Environments for each hostel varied as well. I tended to start out my search looking for various recommendations from other backpackers when I was traveling and on line. Definitely some where better than others in terms of location (ease to get to the train station or bus stations) as you are lugging a ton of stuff and you want to drop it down ASAP! My poor shoulders and back got a beating during this trip. I learned to appreciate the lower bunk (I dislike climbing to the top bunk). It pays to get in early (so I can put in this request). Water pressure for showers is important as I found it to be troublesome to shower and wash your hair having to constantly push a button (every ten seconds with suds in your eyes). Or having a good breakfast (rules say you cannot brown bag the food) I tended to so I could save on having to buy lunch (especially while out and about where food tended to cost alot at various museums). Atmosphere is another component I found important. Mamas Hostel (Krakow, Poland) was my fave. The only downside was the water pressure (yes the place you have to press the button constantly) that aside, it had the most convivial and best atmosphere. There were many stairs to get to the hostel, but they provided lockers and information about touring around the area. One thing, free internet was a plus! I tended to write back to family and friends (sometimes I did not write to them as internet was EXPENSIVE!). I made a few new friends. In fact one of them, Lihan visited me over New Years. We went to Auschwitz together (I did not want to venture there by myself) and had a great big Polish feast as well (tons of sausage, pork, crackling, beer, vodka and perogies.
All the constant walking, I did really wear down my hiking boots and sneakers. It was good that I got to alternate between the two as I was walking a few miles everyday (blazing a path through every place I visited amongst the various attractions and numerous museums). The worst part was not all the stairs, but when I fell down en route to the train station at 4:30am to catch the train then shuttle to the Bonn Airport. I was lucky I did not twist my ankle. (PHEW!) Thank goodness for the many cafes I saw so I could rest after a full day of walking around.
Planning my travel "attack" of a city/town was interesting before every place. I would be on the trains and read all three sources of travel guides (each provided varying information). I would write down the highlights, then visit the information desk at each destination (a must with free maps/attractions information etc), and what I wanted to do based on the schedule of times places were open. The most difficult place to plan to visit was Florence (Firenze). Alot of the famous sites were closed and open certain hours and days. I spent three days of active visiting the popular sites (I avoided paying the reservation fees to the Ufizzi and Academy (Michelangelo's David) due to it being low season and a minor wait in line. Palazzo Pitti was a gem and I managed to bump into my head resident at Smith (Head resident is similar to dorm advisor) my first year there. Behind the gardens, I did see the beautiful, rustic rolling hills of Tuscany (Tuscano).
Once I had my plan of attack, I broke it down by accessibility to transportation/walking and geography within the city. I found it to be very helpful for me. I got to maximize my time visiting each place and checking out MUST TRY foods/drinks as well. From the to die for Sacher Torte and Apple Strudel with warm vanilla sauce in Salzburg to stuffed cabbage and goulash in Budapest it was a fun dining experience. One experience, I will never forget was standing on my legs for over two and half hours to hear the Vienna Boys Choir to sing Sunday mass under standing room only (meaning free and no reservations). We got to the place to wait 8am, doors opened in the church 9am, started mass at 9:30 and ended at 10:30am but for all your troubles, you do not see the Vienna Boys Choir (the sing in a balcony overlooking the church way above the audience). Their voices did sound angelic and we did get to glimpse some of the choir as they ran to get to the church (while we waited to line up for the standing room only spots).
Going to performing arts, I managed to snag an inexpensive last minute ticket to Romeo and Juliette Ballet in the Opera House in Budapest for 800 forint (roughly $4USD!). The next day I took a tour of the place and it cost me 2300 forint (almost trip the cost $12USD!). It was beautifully done. People dressed up and the balcony seat was nice but a bit cramped with wood chairs. The performance lasted three hours but there was an intermission for every 1 hour of performing time. I did catch some performances in Prague (but they were costlier in comparison). I went to a nice Jazz performance of Irving Berlin's classic tunes to a Don Giovanni marionette performance--both were different but fun!
One thing I overcame traveling alone, it was not that bad. I was fearful of it. But it allowed me much time for introspection. I was more open to meeting people and chatting with others. I had many a great conversation with my train companions as a result. I met a dancer who was en route from Brescia to Milan to a student who was going from Salzburg to Munich for her internship. One interesting person I met was an older lady (en route from Vienna to Budapest). She did not speak any English and she was from Yugoslavian going to Greece but spoke German. I dug out my phrase book and said, "How are you? What is your name" . All the other phrases in the book were not conducive for conversation. Then we proceeded to have an animated conversation using hand gestures and I tried using simple English and pointing to things. One thing I read, one travel book advised bringing some personal photos and post cards of your hometown. So I whipped out this mini photo album. All of a sudden, she looked very a happy. She then proceeded to show me her family photos of her son and grand children. I make collages, I was tearing up papers and brochures and she offered her scissors to make the process easier for me.
Communicating with others is usually not difficult for me, but I was nervous when planning this trip. I do not speak any Czech, German, Polish, Italian (other than "grazie and prego"), Hungarian! But after realizing --talk slow, know a few simple phrases in the native language (I found I got alot of smiles when I did that), and keep your words simple . Also if the word you use is not understand, use an even simpler one! For example, as Americans we say vacation, but when I used that term, I got blank looks. I then used the the term "holiday" and everyone understood me.
Talk about using the language skills that you know, I had an interesting exchange with a fellow from Korea when I was staying in Cesky Krumlov. A jewel of a small town good for only an afternoon/1 day trip (hopefully it is a nice day). His English was not very good his Japanese was excellent (he had lived there for a few years). So we had a conversation of Japanese and English. I took Japanese in college but I did not have his fluency. I could say some simplistic Japanese but reverted back to English. I mentioned, I wished my Japanese was as good as his. He wished his English was as good as mine. *sigh The usual the grass is greener on the other side syndrome. But I must admit English is more usual when traveling all over. The likelihood of others understanding is higher. My friend from Chile said the same thing, knowing English is more helpful. She was surprised I could speak a smattering of Spanish. My Mandarin improved in Prague by chatting with Grace who was there traveling alone around the city. I guess as they say, practice does make perfect (or at least better!).
I found one of the many best experiences I had was talking to the locals and if you are lucky to have friends to travel with or visit it is the best. Many strangers made my visit so wonderful to their country! I found the Poles to be very warm and inviting! My host Marton ---who rents out rooms in Budapest is nestled in a very good location in city for night life and eating! The Greindl family were wonderful to me making me enjoy and love Bavaria (I happened to be in Straubing and Regensburg)! Melanie and Eddie made York very wonderful and I want to visit again! Or Claire taking me around Surbiton and meeting her son Ben--he was a charmer! Or the hospitality of Susanne and Gion driving into Zurich and we had a lovely lunch at a restaurant on a hill overlooking the city and lake. The food and company were superb! My old roomie Guy and his wife Karen were great hosts when I visited them in Northern Italy. We went wine tasting, took an afternoon into Venice, I had some locally hunted meat, great gelato and cheese and toured around the local towns. It was lovely.Guy told me he learned to appreciate wines more after living almost two years in Italy. In addition, the harder the cheese the better it tastes. I must admit I do agree!
Jennifer from California was a great "Sound of Music" tour buddy when I was in Salzburg. We hit it off we decided to venture around Salzburg together and had a lovely dinner at a very "hard to find " place that has been around since Charlemagne's time!!!!! I also met someone from Chile and we had a blast the day we spent together from the Vienna Boy Choir, Sperl Cafe, Hofsburg Palace, Sissi's Museum, Belvedere Museum (Gustave Klimt prints were here--now these prints are going back to the original owners descendant in California after a court ruling in January 2006), Museum of all the royal furniture topped with an outing (one hour by tram outside the city) to the winery restaurants. Nadia was a great pal and we bonded in Berlin during our walking tour. We hung out for two days and then one day while in London to (the end of my trip and hers as well). Lihan and I met at Mamas Hostel . We had a nice conversation and kept in touch since meeting.
Having an open mind and a good attitude helps when traveling because if I was traveling with a friend, I would not have met as many people as I did. It is easy to be with our friend/travel buddy and close yourself off. Plus I had to be more open and forthcoming sometimes to talk to others.
Six weeks is a long time to be away from home, I would crave hearing English. I saw four films while I was away. I caught "Pride and Prejudice" in Vienna by chance (and skipped dinner to watch it). In Florence, I stumbled upon seeing "Elizabethtown" where we had a 15 minute intermission during the film that surprised me! London was the most expensive, but my friend Nadia flirted with the cashier and I got the student price instead of adult price (8 quid over 13 quid or $16USD to $24USD) to see "The Libertine" with Johnny Depp (I believe it is still not out yet here). Last but not least, "The Chronicles of Narnia" in Glasgow on a rainy night. I rarely see that many movies in the theater back at home.
Taking care of oneself and health was priority for me, whenever I went to the supermarkets to get my lunch and dinners---I would get yogurt, some cheese, fruit, meat, whole grain bread, tons of water and sometimes a treat of cake, chips and chocolate or beer even. (My eyes bulged when I calculated the local beer came to 30 cents US in Prague--cheaper than the water!!!!) I must say the Eastern European diet is not to my liking if I had to eat it every day. It is heavy in meats and potatoes (both I love) but I was missing the Asian dishes with tons of vegetables, seafood and tofu but I had to survive without them. But the highlight for me was getting a Thai massage in Prague. One thing I learned, I tried to figure a budget and go to the ATM once at every city. The massage place only took cash, I had two days left in Prague and all the cash I had was for an hour massage. I decide to do a half hour. Gosh it was the BEST half hour well spent. My shoulders were not in pain for the next four cities!!! I even recommended my travel buddy in Vienna to go there. She later wrote back thanks for recommending the Thai massage place in Prague!!!!
Til next time.....
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