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Paris is Always a Good Idea

May 31, 2017May 31, 2017Posted in travelTagged France, Paris, travel4 Comments

3 days in Paris not enough for me. When planning this trip, my husband questioned if we really needed to go to Paris again. But I convinced my husband (who loves taking a different street or eating at a different cafe each day) that even though we had been to Paris before, we had to go back. This time we stayed in another great neighborhood, the Butte aux Cailles. It’s full of cafes and street art and locals. We saw a lot English speaking tourists around town, but not on the streets near our Airbnb.
But the two best things about stoping in Paris was splurging for the dinner cruise on the Seine for my birthday. I compared Viator, which always appears on search engines, and the actual companies, and I can’t see any reason to go with Viator. We booked a dinner at 2115, so we were cruising at sunset. We didn’t book a window seat but we ended up by the window anyways. It was a perfect way to celebrate over three courses, with the sunset, and with the beataux (boat) in from of the Eiffel Tower the light show began. The staff were super friendly and fun and played music and danced with guests.

The other thing I was so glad to do was to see our exchange student from, wow, five years ago. Thomas is 21 now and we got to spend a good chunk of time walking through the Jardin des plantes and hanging at a bar near the Seine. The bar , L’Avant Comptoir, was one recommended to my husband by a coworker and it was fun. You order small French plates on menu tags hanging from the ceiling and friendly service.

We really enjoyed Paris, including picnicking on the bank of the Seine. We also saw somethings we hadn’t seen last time, like the Panthéon and the Petit Palais (free!). The Panthéon was church at first, but religious portions were removed and it was dedicated to celebrate the French nation and her heroes. I don’t know if it’s the ridiculousness of politics in our country or listening to Hamilton a million times, but I was feeling a bit romantic about our partners in revolution and liked seeing the art in those places that reflected ideas of liberté, egalité, and fraternité. Thomas and I had a conversation about people in cities living with diversity versus people in rural areas fearing it. In no way am I romanticizing revolution or wishing for one, but I was nostalgic for an idea of freedom that we grew up with. A complicated nostalgia that may be just rosy glasses.

I tried to find Lafayette’s tomb in Paris, which I read is visited by the DAR and has an American flag over it. But the construction around it confused me, and later I read there is a specific door with a doorbell you have to ring to find it.

Beautiful Prague

May 20, 2017May 21, 2017Posted in travelTagged czech republic, prague, travel1 Comment

I met up with my husband in Prague. I was so excited to see him because I missed him after two weeks. But two weeks in Munich on my own reminded me that I am pretty independent and capable. I spent the two weeks alternating between Can you believe I am doing this?! to What hell am I doing? Like swinging from having a fun adventure to what am I doing with my life.? But I had a few conclusions about some things that had been nagging me. I was able to resolve some inner conflicts I had. And I improved my German skills.

(This image is the line that separates western countries from other countries. It was at a gallery with the theme Universal Hospitality)

Once we got together in Prague, the pace I had every day rapidly changed. My husband on vacation is all go go go. He doesn’t want to mis anything. So we went.

We walked like 9.7 miles a day seeing castles, churches, historical sites from communism, art, and ate a lot. Prague wore me out from traipsing around on its cobblestone sidewalks and up & down its hills.

(the river views were amazing)

By time we got to the end of our time in Prague, I was ready to slow down. Especially after spending two weeks on my own, moving at my own pace without meeting anyone’s needs but my own. I got used to getting up at 5 or 6 and doing some German homework, making breakfast and coffee. Then I would get dressed and go to class, and after that I would do whatever random thing I thought of or heard about.

But when you’re with someone who showed up with an itinerary, your lazy days are over. It was fun though. We saw a lot of things. I really enjoyed the art we saw at the Meet factory far from the center of town. I especially like the little French wine bar we found near our Airbandb, Na Brehu Rhony.

The one downside to Prague is the lack of friendly customer service. We did our best to learn a few Czech things, but it did not make us endearing to waiters or waitresses (except at the French place, the owner was soooo nice).

(The dancing house)

Bye Bye Munich

May 12, 2017May 17, 2017Posted in travel2 Comments

Last night was my last night in Munich. I celebrated that by sneaking out of the 7th floor window onto the roof of the guest house and watched a lightning storm. One of the students here, from Zimbabwe, sat with me and we discussed literature, what makes a genius, marriage, death, and a million other things. He is studying philosophy and writing a dissertation here in Germany. He wears a beaded string bracelet that is wrapped 5 times around his wrist. We compared cultural differences between the US and Zimbabwe.

In my last class yesterday, my classmate from Japan gave me a bracelet she had made as a parting gift. We posed for photos and I thought, I have only been here 2 weeks! It’s strange how two weeks in a foreign country, despite not sharing a common language or culture, we make an impact on each other.

A few people at the school have asked me if I liked Munich. I found it an easy place to navigate, a place with an interesting history, and a place with good diversity. There are 3 Persian restaurants I could walk to from the guest house. Also, there is a bakery on every corner it seems. The night I stayed out for Die Lange Nacht der Musik, Germans were packed into a tiny restaurant excited for jazz. The public transportation is easy to use. The English Garden is bigger than Central Park and there are plenty of green spaces. Plenty of people speak English, I even found an English used bookstore. Munich is really livable.

I can’t say I love this city yet though. It’s strange jumble of old churches and modern buildings and remanants of Nazi architecture make a weird amalgam of something that isn’t quite aesthetically pleasing. There is a missing vibrancy on the streets. Germans in Munich seem purposeful and are getting it done, with the it being the business of Its a strange place where they do their duty of accepting refugees, but as one Syrian student said, in some towns the refugees are not free to come and go as they please. They can’t go out. And in Munich, I saw 2 different Pediga (Patriots against the islamitization of the west) events, where they set up signs with their 10 thieseses against refugees and speak on a loud speaker. Of course who am I to criticize when my own country is also divided.

They do NOT cross in the crosswalk on red and they stick to the rules. They walk faster than anyone I know and I, despite my long legs or 5 miles of walking a day, could not keep up with any German on the street. They ride bikes super fast, ringing their bells, deftly weaving around people, who clearly don’t understand they are walking in the bike lane of the side walk (must be foreigners like me). People say Grüß Got here as a greeting and have excellent manners. But they just don’t feel warm and inviting. It’s hard to imagine what romance is like in this city.

I know someone else can read these opinions and say I got it all wrong. The internet is full of that these days. And after all it’s only been 2 weeks. I did meet friendly people. I had a great time. I ate a lot of bread.

Now onto Prague.

I Quit My Job and Ran Away

May 10, 2017May 10, 2017Posted in travelTagged Europe, germany, musings, travel2 Comments

Isn’t that what every blog is telling you to do right now? It sounds fun right? Take off, leave responsibility behind. Live in Rome and be a digital nomad!

So I did. Sort of.

I quit my job people. I was kind of planning this career change. It’s not actually a romantic fairytale. It’s a difficult decision mulled over 20 million times with lost sleep and just over 2 months of money saved up. Plus I am a nurse (jobs can be found).

And I am in Europe. Alone for 2 weeks. I’m pretty sure this time last year I said to myself 1 week is about how long I want to be away from my husband. It’s been 10 days. I definitely miss him. We’ll meet up here in a few days.

In the Guest House

I’m staying in a guest house apartment. The building has 7 floors of rooms. Well, the seventh floor has just one apartment and a door to the roof. I am in that apartment. It’s nothing fancy, unless of course you compare it to the other rooms. The other floors share kitchens and bathrooms.

I’ve been friendly with the other people here. They are all international students from Japan, Korea, Ghana, Iran, and more. We are all taking German classes. Some people are taking German and studying at a university. I met a few people who are getting their PhD. They need the German to teach.

Today I went with three girls from Japan to eat Indian food and buy stamps. I don’t know Japanese and they don’t know English, so we talked in our ein bisshion German. We ordered all of our food in German. And I even asked for it to be scharf (spicy). The girls showed me where the Euro store was (like the dollar store). I bought a souvenir mug for my kid for €1 and razors, because I forgot to bring those.

During our break from class, there is a guy who pulls up in a car and sells sandwiches to the students for €1,50 and up. It is pretty cheap. In the morning, I have coffee and a small breakfast and do my hausaufgabe (homework).

It’s not quite like vacation. I have class until 1. I have to make food, do laundry, and buy groceries. But it’s an adventure because I can’t read all of the words. I don’t know the difference between rahmjogurt and fruchquark at the store, so I buy one of each and try it. I find new streets to walk down. New places to visit.

I really like meeting new people. And I like practicing my German. Yesterday the German ticket sales person thought I was Italian. So I guess I don’t have an American accent. But I am really starting to miss my husband. I don’t think I could stay away from him longer than 2 weeks.

Tchuss!

Eurorail pass or not

April 2, 2017April 2, 2017Posted in travelTagged Europe, eurorail, train travel, travelLeave a comment

This May, I am taking a long, European adventure. And it includes quite a few train rides. I looked up train travel using one of my favorite websites, RometoRio, and added up the costs of all the train rides. Yikes. Like 500 Euros for me and my husband. Then I thought, maybe that’s why people get the Eurorail pass!

In Europe, we are going to 4 countries over a two week period. We are visiting 6 different places. The Eurorail pass is purchased by number of countries you will visit and and number of days of train travel. Also, the countries have to share borders. You can’t do some train travel, fly to another country and then get on a train, or you will be charged a fee.

For example, you can buy a three country pass, choosing Germany, France, and Italy. After that, you have to choose how many days of travel you will have on your trip. You can choose 5 days or 6 days, meaning more than one stop in a country. But when I looked at the Eurorail pass, it was above 800 euros. So it was still cheaper to buy each ticket individually.

This is second time I considered a Eurorail pass. But each time it costs more than buying individually. So when would you use a Eurorail pass? When you want the price to be set without being tied to a particular time. I bought my individual tickets at set times and paid attention to higher costs at certain times of the day. But if you don’t want to be tied to a time of day and travel outside of a set schedule, a Eurorail pass would be better. Additionally, the pass can be used on some ferries and some public transportation in addition to trains. In Italy the pass includes 4 ferry lines.

Eurorail passes are only for non Europeans and are purchased ahead of your trip. Sometimes you can get discounts from travel professionals.

But for me, I’m still too thrifty. I am buying all of my train tickets on my own and saving €300 for food.

http://www.eurail.com/

Cheap Travel Meets Vienna

March 2, 2017March 2, 2017Posted in travelTagged austria, Europe, travel, vienna2 Comments

Our next stop was Vienna, another city along the Danube. Basically our trip was organized around capitals along the river and connected by train travel. Because we had such cheap flights, used airbandb stays and used points, our travel expenses stayed pretty low up to this point.

But Vienna is a little more expensive. We did stay in a hotel, the Hilton, using points to cover most of the costs. Airbandb stays were too expensive in Vienna. It worked out best because by then, we were ready for comforts found in hotel rooms. Like lounging in the whirlpool. We used uber to get around the city, along with the U, Vienna’s metro. We did a sparkling wine tour with tasting that was in line with our budget, €9 a person. But most things cost us more on this leg.

We splurged for a very touristy concert at the Schönnbrun palace, a palace where 6 year old Mozart once performed. And we are some more.

One thing we noticed in Vienna was how much it appeared that everyone was in a hurry. There seemed to be an expectation everywhere we went to know what we want immediately. Waiters would hurry over and ask, “Yes?” Even in rooms half empty, they seemed to be in a hurry. In the hotel bar, the waitress apologized for not helping us right away, and we had just gotten there.

I like how in Europe, no one brings your check until you ask for it. But feeling rushed to order did end with some disappointing choices. I had to consciously focus on not feeling rushed so I could order what I wanted. I often think I am more like Germans and that timeliness is important to me, but on this trip I realized the Austrians have me beat!

I honestly feel like I didn’t get to see enough of Vienna. My favorite moments included lounging at the hotel spa, ordering würst from a stand using my German, and talking to an Uber driver who moved to Vienna from Romania. Which is exactly like me, I like meeting people and I like quiet time.

Eating all the bread

February 22, 2017March 2, 2017Posted in travelTagged budapest, Europe, food, travel1 Comment

Our trip to Europe landed us in Belgrade, which caused most people to ask, why would you go to Belgrade? Our answer was $149 round trip tickets to Europe. But since Belgrade wasn’t our dream destination, we made plans to take the train to Budapest and Vienna. For the last two days, we’ve been in Budapest. And we have eaten so much. But we have also walked 5-7 miles a day, so I am pretty sure it evens out.

And Budapest? We love it. The place we are staying is in the Buda side of the Danube, right off the famous Andrassy street. It wasn’t too hard to walk to the Schezeny baths and St Stephen’s Basilica, or most big tourist sites. We stayed at an Air BnB on the first floor (American 3rd floor, because the the second floor is the 0.5 floor). The elevator only fit two people and our suitcases, but most of the time we took the stairs. All of the buildings in the inner city look like Parisian style buildings built in the 18th century. Food was cheaper in Budapest than LA, but not as cheap as Belgrade. In Belgrade, We only spent $40 each the 48 hours we were there. That includes our taxi rides from the airport and to the train station and all of our food.

We ate all the pastries in Budapest. Croissants with schokolade and pastries with blueberry. I even bought a donut. But they were different from what we expected. The donut, was not a cake donut and was not fried. It looked like a donut but was less sweet and more bready. Croissants were made with pastry dough, so they were flakier.

Next stop Vienna.

No Sleep…Since Brooklyn

February 18, 2017February 18, 2017Posted in travelTagged Europe, jet lag, serbia, travel1 Comment

Jet lag is hitting me hard onthis trip. I am siting in the bathroom right now at four am, so I don’t wake up my friend with the light from my screen. I’ve been awake since midnight. Since we have arrived in Europe, I have basically slept 4 hours at a time at the most. In the last 60 hours I have had 14 hours of broken sleep. Three hours when we arrived, 4 more that night, 3 the next day…you get it. It’s rough. I am worried it’s going to get me sick.

Other than the sleep, we’ve been exploring the Serbian (former Yugoslavia) capital city of Belgrade. Our neighborhood is very communist block in style, in zone 3. But we did venture out to see the more Bohemian and hipster part in zone 1. One surprise we have found is that more people speak English than we had thought. When we researched our trip, a lot people said English wasn’t spoken by many people. But so far, it hasn’t been a huge problem.

The Longest 3 Weeks

February 12, 2017February 17, 2017Posted in travelLeave a comment

I need a vacation.

Didn’t that just seem like the longest 3 weeks of any presidency?

So my best friend and I are headed to Europe. So far, our 8 day adventure is costing us less than $700 each. The ways we saved money on our trip include and error fare from NYC to Europe for $149, points for cheap or no cost hotels, and Airbnb stays.

We have a night in NYC before heading of to a part of Europe I have never been. When looking up travel guides that include Serbia, there seems to be some debate whether it should be called Eastern Europe or Central Europe. Lonely planet says its eastern.

We are going to experience a few different things on our adventures.

Plane and train travel
3 different currencies
Traveling to a place where less English is spoken
Food, food, food
Thermal baths
Cold, February temperatures

See you when I get back! Until then, enjoy the view from my parking spot!

Reinvention

January 25, 2017January 25, 2017Posted in travel1 Comment

When your kids become adults, do you change?

This new year has definitely been a redefining process for me and my identity. It’s not that my kids got older and I changed completely. Our lives are multifaceted and dynamic, so the changes were there happening slowly. But this was definitely a milestone that causes a person to reflect and reevaluate. I spent a lot of time this last year wondering what I was going to be doing and who I am. And that reflection, combined with a change in life circumstances as well as a change in world circumstances has catapulted me into a new place.

Case in point:

Lisa the activist went to DC.

The issues I care about have become increasingly more important and my desire to act has also grown. I have also found myself respectful to others and their beliefs, but less afraid to speak about mine. I am who I am. My faith, my experiences, and my education have brought me to this. So what am I rambling about? I finally feel my constant reflection and wondering what’s next is actually morphing into something.