I’m alive

I don’t have time to write because this has been an amazing start to my life journey.  London is absolutely beautiful, and the weather has been merciful.  I have seen some gloomy skies with some moist humidity, but there were some clear sky days that have been exceptional for my camera obsessions.  It’s been 4 days and I’ve already taken 1300 photos.  I wish I could put them on facebook faster, but the wifi connections are not exactly ideal.

I’ll write a real entry shortly.  I just wanted my parents to know that I’m alive (I’ve called them and wrote separate emails like a good boy, but I feel like they are the ones checking my blog page every 2 seconds to see the latest update on my adventure).  

St. Christopher’s Inn is a hostel connected to a bar, which I think is the best business decision in the world.  I’m meeting loads of new people and asking millions of questions about local customs.  Not surprised, I mainly spoke with other tourists visiting London.   Details will follow shortly.

~See Lemons Enjoy London

What’s the worst that could happen?

 

 

Essence of Airline

Random Observation/Comment #146: Pessimistic people have a somewhat contagious personality.  Their over-planning and obsessive carefulness makes me worry a little more than usual (which is pretty impressive).  Voicing your opinion is very much appreciated, but it’s not as fun when I hypothetically could be the protagonist in your scary movie plots.  Please spare me the descriptive forms of torture.  Yes, it’s very creative thinking about SAW ideas – thank you for the nightmares.

 

The normal “Hostel”-type horror simulation has passed through my mind a few times, but I’ve deemed this situation as something much less probable.  Some psychotic sociopath capturing me to harvest my organs for money has not reached the list of my worries because I have no way of preventing these unfortunate mishaps.  I’ll just keep my imagination contained and in a PG-13 level.

What is much more probable is the loss of luggage or a pick-pocket-situation.  If I lost my laptop, my trip would be beyond ruined.  I don’t know how the trip could even possibly recover.  Unfortunately, most of my worries involve losing things.  The most important, of course, being my passport.  If I were stranded in Europe without a passport, what would I, or could I, do?  I think I’m just going to assume that this is not a viable option.  I have kept copies of my important stuff in separate places and money spread out in 8 different places (just in case). 

The only thing I can do is speak humbly and act anything-but-American.  Once I start sentences like “In America, we …” I will be ostracized.  I shouldn’t be that guy that makes conversations based on terrible stereotypes.  For example, if someone mentions New Zealand, never mention Lord of the Rings or cliff diving.  There needs to be something about each country that goes one level deeper than the main attractions passed around everyday conversation or found on the first page of guide books.  I will, hopefully, be able to learn these details and share them .

As an interesting side note, my uncle has been backpacking before and he mentioned a different way of traveling. He would allot a certain amount of money for each country and just leave after that envelope of money was depleted.  This would assure that he didn’t splurge too much and just maintained that junky lifestyle.  He kept his hygiene as a priority, but wore some of the junky-est clothes.  I’m considering adopting such a travel lifestyle.  I’m sorry, G-Star .

~See Lemons Optimistic

I’m Leaving on an Airplane

 

 

Good-bye, New York. Hello, London.

Random Observation/Comment #145: I remember this feeling very clearly.  I could sense its presence with a growing shadow, but I dare not sneak a glimpse.  As the days counted down, it followed me closer and breathed down my neck.  The whispers warned me of uncomfortable situations, yet reassured me with joy.  It wasn’t until the gentle touch, did I absorb the waves of premonitions.  It was a few days before I was leaving to Japan, and the Reality of the entire trip simply tapped me on my shoulder.  I felt like a scientist and a puppy embarking on an adventure to the Unknown.  I smiled out of reflex, but I really wanted to cower.  There is so much to look forward to, yet so much that can happen while I’m away.  My whole world, as I know it, will be different when I come back… Hopefully, everything changes for the better.  Hopefully, some things, like the bond between my friends and family, will never change.

 

There are many things that I will miss when I’m away.  Some of them are obvious, but it’s the odd subtle ones that will be clouding my mind as I try to fall asleep in a different time zone.  It won’t be the jetlag that keeps me up. 

I will miss…

• … my parents – I love you.  Thank you.
• … my friends – Be good. Wordlife.
• … the city – that skyline will be tattooed in my heart forever
• … my mom’s cooking – nothing will match a soup made with love
• … using chopsticks – I’ve actually packed a pair, just in case.  They’ll think I’m so Chinese when I eat sausage with chopsticks
• … my nice clothes – time to look like a bum, but I’ll come back to them later
• … my bed – I’m hugging my blanket as I type this
• … Cooper – I didn’t always like the amount of work they assigned, but it was quite cozy. Cooper also had a ping pong table
• … ping pong – I will find a way to play ping pong in Europe, but I will miss my paddle.  I am not nerdy enough to bring my ping pong paddle to Europe.  Although…
• … skittles – I love skittles…
• … Orbit gum – I guess I will have to settle
• … video games – no more hardcore PC FPSs for a long time…
• … driving – I really want to drive on the Autobahn
• … texting on the phone – I think removing myself from a cell phone will cause me some inconvenience, but improve my social life greatly
• … taking pictures of everything I eat – definitely still doing that, but it will be with a real camera
• … Starbuck’s tea in the morning – mmm…
• …my collection of bottle caps – hopefully it will grow when I return
• … free lunches and dinners with James – I think I owe you a tattoo
• … inside jokes and ridiculous phrases – I don’t know where we come up with these things.  “Chop her legs off.”  “What day is Friday the 13^th on?”  “She’s a white girl with –nique in her name?”  “A sparkle is a unit of time.”
• … meeting new people in a drunken stupor – wait, I’ll probably still do that one

I will miss Home.  Even though I’ll be living somewhere else for 6 months, this will always be my home.

It’s like a new era.  See all of you in September.

~See Lemons Leaving on an Airplane

Munich – From Drinking to Drunk

Best of Munich from Frommers

Random Observation/Comment #144: Oktoberfest is such a wonderful holiday.  I’m glad the Germans don’t hide the fact that it’s devoted to alcohol.  There’s no shyt about family time and gifts, or some religious story (or at least I don’t think so) – it’s just an entire month of celebration.  I think every European country should choose a month of pure drinking, so Europe can be a continuously drunk mess – not that it isn’t already.

General Research:

• Currency: EUR = approx 1.29 USD (2/8/2009)
• Transportation
  • Tram
  • S-Bahn
  • U-Bahn
  • 10 EUR Gesamtnetz whole-network day pass since the four-zone journey from airport is 9.20 EUR – probably can use Eurail pass for this
• Main Attractions
  • Museums, Galleries, Memorials
    • Deutsches Museum – Haidhausen – hands-on science-y stuff
    • Pinakothek de Moderne – paintings and modern art
    • Statue of Bavaria – Theresienhöhe 16 (U4 or U5 toTheresienwiese), +49-89-290671
    • National Bavarian Museum
    • Lenbach House – expressionist art gallery
    • BMW Museum – Must see
    • Haus der Kunst – national socialist architecture
  • Parks
    • Englischer Garten – in Schwabing (funny name) – beer garden with naked chicks
    • Riemer Park – for summer  -  U2 to Messestadt West
    • Hirschgarten – Neuhausen – drinking among deer
    • Tierpark Hellabrunn (Munich Zoo) in Thalkirchen
  • Palaces and Castles
    • Schloss Nymphenburg – in Neuhausen & Nymphenburg
    • Residenz – in city center
    • Schloss Schleißheim – S1-Bahn to Oberschleibheim
• Shopping Areas
  • Maximillianstrasse
  • Hohenschwangau
  • Marienplatz
  • Viktualienmarkt
• Must Eats
  • Weibwurst – breakfast sausage
  • Schweinsbraten – roast pork
  • Schweinshaxe – roast pig knuckle
  • Leberkässemmeln – cheap sausage-y food
• Budget living
  • Wombat’s Hostel – Senefelderstraße 1, Munich, 80336
• US Embassy
  • Munich (NIV Issuing Post) U.S. Consulate General Koeniginstrasse 5 80539 Muenchen Munich, Federal Republic of Germany
  • Telephone: (89) 23011
  • Mailing Address: Unit 24718, APO AE 09108
• Emergency numbers
  • 112 – medical aid and fire department
  • 110 – police department
  • U.S. Dept. of State Travel Advisory (tel. 202/647-5225, manned 24 hr.)
  • U.S. Passport Agency (tel. 202/647-0518)
  • U.S. Centers for Disease Control International Traveler’s Hot Line (tel. 404/332-4559)
• Tourist information center
  • Franz-Josef-Strauss airport in the central area (tel. 089/97-50-00)
  • Munich Tourist Office, Fremdenverkehrsamt, at the Hauptbahnhof, Bahnhofplatz 2 (tel. 089/2-33-03-00; www.muenchen-tourist.de)

Optimized Days:

• Day 1
  • U-Bahn to Marienplatz
  • Marienplatz in old town
    • Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall)
  • Peterskirche
    • Church
    • south of the Neues Rathaus
  • Viktualienmarkt
    • At rear of church
    • Open-air market
    • cut north from the market, heading along Dienerstrasse until you come to Residenzstrasse. Cut east along
  • Maximilianstrasse
    • “fifth ave of Munich”
  • Alte Pinakothek
    • Great museum really takes 4 hours – art gallery
    • Rembrandt, Rubens, and Raphael
  • Lunch
  • Deutsches Museum
    • Island in the Isar River
    • Masterpieces in Science and Technology
  •  Englischer Garten
    • Nudity!
    • Beer gardens
  • Hofbräuhaus am Platzl – night life
• Day 2
  • U-Bahn Rotkreuzplatz
  • Schloss Nymphenburg
  • Lunch
  • U-Bahn to Lethel
  • Bayerisches Nationalmuseum
    • Museum for Bavarian culture
  • U-Bahn to Odeonsplatz
  • Pinakothek der Moderne
    •  Staatsgalerie Moderner Kunst (Gallery of Modern Art)
  • Nightlife: Kulturzentrum Gasteig
    • theaters
• Day 3 – south to Bavaria for castles
  • Morning
    • Neuschwanstein
  • Afternoon
    • Hohenschwangau
• Day 4
  • Biking tour – [http://www.mikesbiketours.com/]
• Day 5
  • National Theatre-Opera House
  • the Residence Museum
  • Frauenkirche
  • BWM Museum

Resources:

• Frommers
• Wikitravel
• Yahoo!Travel

~See Lemons go to Munich

Last Minute Checklist

 

 

Hello, Kitty

Random Observation/Comment #143: Weeks before I depart for these extended excursions, I have these restless dreams about forgetting random things that I’ve most certainly remembered packing.  It’s not like I dream about forgetting essential things (e.g., my passport or wallet) – no, those seem to be safe.  The dreams are always focused on rather insignificant items that could be purchased while I’m there goverseas.  I wake up in a nervous wreck because I forget a pair of nail clippers and I’m left me with long nails that really annoy me when I type on my laptop.  Another terrifying one is when all the socks I brought are in a state of perpetual wetness.  I try to dry them, but they’re always wet and I just lock myself in the room because I refuse to wear wet socks.  I think these nightmares are worse than the ones about serial killers, but maybe I’m just weird.

 

It’s hard for me to admit it, but there are more scary things than wet socks.  Besides the chance of your host harvesting your organs and stealing your money, there’s also the chance of just getting lost somewhere.  To minimize this chance, I’ve used Google Maps to print all of the maps of all of the locations I’ll be going in my first trip.  I covered the public transportation maps and used Street View to look for major landmarks near the entrances.  The search only takes a few seconds to pull up, and the image will definitely help increase expectations.

Anyway, that’s taken care of and I think I’ll be fine in terms of traveling, but I want to dedicate this entry to the essential miscellaneous activities that must be completed before leaving.  Firstly, there are items that I couldn’t keep packed for the two months my suitcase has been prepared.  This would include my toothbrush, shaver, and cologne.  Be sure to bring an umbrella and extra shoes that you may need for hiking or clubbing.

In terms of money, it’s important to have the correct currency in your country.  In my case, I will need British pounds, Euros, and Swiss francs.  Luckily, the rate has been very low (around 1.28 dollars to Euros instead of the December rate of 1.45). 

Keep numbers of the US Embassy in each of the major cities you will be visiting. I have personally entered these into my iPhone, which I will keep internationally activated.  I don’t intend to use my phone on a regular basis, but I will activate it internationally for emergency calls.  Below are some details about using the iPhone internationally:

• General overseas activation: www.Att.com/wirelessinternational

•  
  • International traveling – (activate phone in country to receive calls and make calls to US) – AT&T World Traveler package
    • $6 per month to activate
    • For Germany specifically: $0.99 per minute (doesn’t matter US to Germany or within Germany)
    • For France: $0.99 per minute
    • Denmark: $0.99 per minute
    • Hong Kong: $1.99 per minute
    • Japan: $1.69 per minute
    • Netherlands: $0.99 per minute
    • UK: $0.99 per minute
    • China: $1.99 per minute
    • Direct number of international department: 1.877.707.9208 – use this to activate the service
    • Email: lrcc_priorityresolute@att.com
  • International calling (activate US phone to call to international place) – AT&T World Connect – DO NOT NEED
    • $4 per month
• Data plan: - DO NOT NEED
  • 20MB – $25 per month, overage rate is $0.005 per KB
• Text messages – $0.50 per message sending out, $0.20 receiving
• General travel tips: www.Att.com/wirelesstraveltips
  • Turn off data fetch and data roaming
  • Don’t use internet!!!
  • International roaming charges
  • Reset usage tracker to see how much data you’ve used

For credit and debit cards, you should call the company and tell them your travel itinerary so your card is not deactivated when you use it overseas.  Usually there will be 3% foreign transaction fees for card usage on top of the exchange rate, so I would suggest bringing cash and exchanging it there at a bank or post office.  International toll free numbers are available for additional questions while you’re overseas.

This particular blog entry was much more technical, but the mood should lighten during my travels.  I’m excited, but also quite sad.  I will miss all of my friends and especially my parents.  They’ve been very supportive and I cannot begin to believe how much they love me to let me go.  I will return in one piece with a new perspective of the world.  Thank you.

~See Lemons Triple Check