July 2011
5 posts
USA vs. Europe, round 1
So after four months, I’m finally back home.
From what I understood, some people have problems adjusting to life back home or end up complaining too much about how different things are here and how things should be done like they are in Europe. Thankfully, I’m not one of those people. I’m happy to be back in the USA after two months away doing things like wandering, jumping off...
Prague - the great winding-down
I’ve been on this trip for almost two months now. I feel like I’ve gotten used to the trains, the lack of water fountains, and the lack of free ketchup. I can deal with my limited knowledge of French and German pretty well. But this weekend, I went somewhere that added a new twist to my trip: a country that spoke a language I didn’t know at all.
During the Cold War, the Czech Republic was the...
Hurricane Festival - wet and wild
It was on a whim, really. Kaiser Chiefs? Foo Fighters? The Sounds? Arcade Fire? Sure! Three days out in Middle of Nowhere (a.k.a. Scheeßel), Germany with eight of my friends at the Hurricane Festival? Okay!
…what’s that? We needed a tent? And sleeping bags? And toiletries? Flashlights? And this checklist says to bring a stove? Uh-oh.
I had already bought my tickets, but I don’t think anyone...
Berlin - where the wild things are
We just got into Muenster after leaving Dijon, France for good, and the first thing I noticed was that there were bicyclists EVERYWHERE. Looking out of the bus, I was pretty sure that at least 80% of the people on the sidewalks were biking instead of walking. It was weird to see. I moved into my new dorm (which, by the way, includes its own bathroom and kitchen!), and I had time to rest before I...
Interlaken - extreme to the extreme
I got off the bus at Interlaken and immediately took in the sights…or whatever wasn’t being covered by the clouds. I was staying at Balmer’s, a well-known hostel to backpackers around the world. It looked like a nice place to stay compared to the other hostels, which weren’t really located as centrally as Balmer’s was. I was placed in a room apart from everyone else in my group, which I was...
June 2011
3 posts
Monaco & Nice - a nice place to live.
After a long first week of classes (it felt longer due to the lack of internet in the dorms – what am I supposed to do at night?), it was finally time for our first weekend trip – the French Riviera. Specifically, Nice. It’s a great beach city and within close proximity to two other well-known places: Monaco (the home of the Monte-Carlo, rich people, and the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, and...
Getting started in Dijon, France.
Dijon is the capital of Burgundy, a state/province/region in France. Guess what Burgundy is famous for. If you guessed burgundy, you’re right. Now guess what Dijon is famous for. Mustard. Good job! So there’s a lot of both here, right? Well, kinda. The French love their wines in general, burgundy included. But I don’t see too much of a prevalence of mustard here aside from the cafeteria serving...
We're not living in America.
Where to start?
I guess I should start with the just-about-sleepless red eye flight from DC to London. After getting three or four hours sleep in the two days leading up to the flight, I was hoping to combat jet lag by sleeping on the plane right when we took off. No dice. You know why? On-demand TV screens built into every seat. With more than 30 movies, 20 TV shows, and lots of music...