RETROSPECTIVE: Germany by Train - 2014 - PART ONE (Frankfurt, Cologne, Bonn, Duesseldorf, Essen, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin)

2019 Transcription with Additions from 2014 Travel Notebook

INTRODUCTION

I'm overdue on writing up my other big solo trip - my 2014 train trip around Germany. As it’s been nearly a decade, I will have some additional thoughts and editing, so it’s not going to be a direct transcript from the written book. This version also includes notes from July 2019, when I first typed it up. That being said, I’ll stay close, though my Germany trip starts with a reflection on Hawaii from two years prior.

6 Aug 14 FRANKFURT

Well, I’m in Germany. Currently I’m on a train to Cologne, but I’ve been “in country” since yesterday.

First note: I will never take an overnight flight again in my life. [2019 note: I have, though they continue to suck ass.] While the mechanicals were all fine, the people behind me wouldn't shut up for the whole flight. When I landed, it was ten in the morning here - about 4am at home - I was not able to get to sleep until 9pm here (some 36 hours awake). Oh, and my clothes were all sweaty. Ugh.

Frankfurt (part one) was very nice, despite being sleep deprived. Everyone speaks English, which is annoying on the one hand, but VERY helpful in my state last night. I mostly wandered around, drank coffee, and sat down whenever possible. I had a very German meal - pork, potatoes, &c. - and eventually connected with my hosts, Elanore & Edward [2019 note: who didn’t leave me a review :( ].

Elanore had many suggestions for the city and Germany in general. She also made me walk along the Main River at dusk, despite my protestations. It was worth it.

This morning I got going early - a bit too early. Everything was closed and I had to wander for a couple hours. Eventually I saw the old city hall, St. Bart’s (the Dom?), and St. Paul’s Church. The last building is more like Germany’s Independence Hall - it was the seat of government after the 1848 revolution. Though, of course, that revolution did not fare as well as the one in America. [2019 note: I have learned so much more since 2014 - check out Mike Duncan’s Revolutions Podcast if you get a chance.]

Now I’m almost in Cologne (Koeln) with one regret: I didn’t have any Apple Wine in Frankfurt. I suppose that can wait until the end of the month.

7 Aug 14 KOELN!

Well, I have lots of stories already, despite there being little to do here. After I got off the train, I took some pictures of the Dom, which is right next to the train station. I met my host, Gamze [2019 note: I wonder how she’s doing - she was cool.], and departed for Bonn. It’s a little tourist trap, but whatever.

I wandered around the streets of Bonn in search of the old federal capitol. I found Beethoven’s birthplace, but declined on the mandatory tour -  no photos allowed! Eventually I went to the tourist bureau and found out that the government district was about three miles south.

I paid for the UBahn and headed down, map-in-hand. Unfortunately, everything was under construction and all the streets had changed from the map I was given. No pictures, no fun, and no luck. I went back to Bonn, then to Koeln.

Today I woke up late, took a long shower, and went out to wander. I saw a couple touristy sights, but for the most part I just walked the city. At one point, with me looking very touristy, three girls came up to inquire whether or not I believed in God. I talked with them briefly, then they gave me a bottle of Coke and left. It was strange.

Inside the Dom is very pretty, as one might imagine. The Rhine is nice, but I think Frankfurt has the better riverfront. All in all a nice trip. [2019 note: I should do a river tour if ever I return.]

Tomorrow I depart for Duesseldorf. Depending on timing, I might take a boat tour.

11 Aug 14 HAMBURG

This weekend has been a blur. after I wrote on the 7th, I went out to explore Pilchenstrasse - a happenin’ street. While it was a bit hard to find a spot that fit my interests, I eventually came across a bar with live music and people sitting at the bar. After a bit more I struck up a conversation with a man originally from Iran who will soon take a trip to the US. He’s taking the typical tourist approach and trying to hit every major city. While that’s more do-able in Europe, he’ll be spending a lot of time on planes as his trip moves forward.

After Koeln, I went to a very disappointing Duesseldorf. Very car-focused, no tourist info, and I missed the tour boat. I wandered around for a bit, then took a side trip to Essen. That turned out great! It’s a fun little city and I wish I’d spend more time. I did, however, have lunch, meaning that I can say “Ich hat nicht in Essen mittagessen essen vergessen!” (I’ve butchered that - there is a way that makes sense). The only downside to Essen was that they put tomatoes in everything. Ugh.

I arrived in Hanover and was able to meet with my host, Ronny, with time to kill before we went to a board game night. Board game night was a lot of fun - we played “Russian Railroads” (or something like that). The next day we took a tour of the city, somewhat following the “red thread” - a line the city painted on the ground for tourists that goes by all the major sights. We had lunch at their version of Reading Terminal Market and eventually went home. After a couple more board games it was time for bed and the next travel leg.

A brief note on Ronny - unless you were asleep, the guy was standing too close and chattering nonstop. He’s basically the reason I don’t have an entry over the past four days. Not only did he talk too much, he was always RIGHT. This was sincerely annoying on all fronts. Still, I had a great time and would not have seen all that I saw (including a random trip up the Waterloo Victory Monument) without him. That all being said, I lied about when I needed to leave for Hamburg just to get away.

SIDE-NOTE - in a sincerely frustrating linguistic distinction, residents of Hannover & Hamburg both pronounce their cities' names with an ‘a’ like in ‘ham’ or ‘Sam’, contrary to everything I’ve learned. So, every time I mention the name of the city, someone corrects me.

Now I’m in Hamburg. I arrived, got lost for a bit, then met my host, Felix. Very dirty house, very little accommodation. Whatever. I then went, saw a little beach via a ferry ride and wandered around a street festival. What was super interesting was that the festival took place in the shadow of a huge air defense station.

Then it was on to Reeperbahn. Terrible idea, but hey, I’m here. I got drunk, visited five strip clubs, got solicited by prostitutes, and paid 25EUR for a Jamaican lady with huge fake tits to sit next to me and have her dinner. Surreal. I also got to fall asleep on the train, miss my stop, and almost have to walk all the way back. Thankfully a taxi happened to pass by. Today has been recovery, laundry, and Greek food.

I’m not sure what else I want to do in Hamburg proper. Wednesday I’m going to make a short visit to Bremen before heading to Berlin - finally getting to see Mike. I might take a ferry to a North Sea island tomorrow, but who knows? I need to have a hamburger before I leave, and I also need some fish soup - a Hamburg specialty.

BEER NOTE: Frankfurt: Römer Pils. Koeln: Dom, Afel, Gilden, Roemer. Essen: Stauder Pils. Hannover: Herrenhäuser, Gilde. Hamburg: lots of Astra, Flensburger, Holsten, Ducksten, Warsteiner, Becks (which is brewed in Bremen)

GENERAL THOUGHTS: So far, so good. I’m spending a lot of money, but that was expected. It seems like a lot of it goes to bathrooms and local transit though, which is annoying. Toilet paper is cut into rectangles, not squares, and is made of sturdier stuff. Paying for water means I’m constantly dehydrated and I’m getting drunk quicker. Portion sizes are crazy big when meat is concerned - there have been a couple meals I’ve given up on. My grasp of the language is not as good as it once was, though it’s getting better - if I know what is going to happen, I can get through a conversation, but the random street encounters are painful.

I think I’m losing weight, but that doesn’t seem right - especially with what I’m drinking and eating. Perhaps I’m just stretching my pants out? I don’t know.

I made a bad choice on shoes - I wish I had my pair from three years ago. I finally cut a blister on my toe open. Lesser of two evils, I suppose. Still though, I won’t be wearing those Rockports until I have to (Wednesday). I hope the toe heals by then.

On a (possible) final note, everyone seems okay with flies here. They are everywhere - especially in the unlined trash cans. They annoy me so much, but I seem like the only one who cares. Humbug.

14 Aug 14 BERLIN

I finally rolled into Berlin last night. I’m super excited to be here. It’s great to see Mike again as well. I have no plans, but we’re doing a walking tour in a couple days, followed by a tour of the Reichstag, which will correct an oversight from last time.

Hamburg went well. My hosts were frat boys who were dirty and ate my bread, but whatever. I spent all of Tuesday wandering around - first from the house to the lake, then around the lake and to a “hip” section of the city (Schanzenviertel, I think). The canal & lake were great - I wish I could / would have jumped in a sailboat and spent an hour on the water.

After the lake, I wandered around a botanical garden for a bit in between fits of rain. I tried to get in a tower, but no luck. I did some more wandering just north of the hip quarter (including a visit to a brewery and pub) before just wandering around the Hamburg equivalent of Northern Liberties / Fishtown. I stopped in a few bars and generally had a pleasant time before returning to the house.

On Wednesday, I became the only person to arrive at a McDonald’s too early. I was making a desperate attempt to eat a hamburger in Hamburg, but was foiled once again - this time by the breakfast menu. I did, eventually, make it back to complete my goal, but it was frustrating.

I took a quick day trip to Bremen, if only to say that I’ve been in all three city-states. It was very nice, very pretty. The Rathaus was impressive, but was not really open inside. I had a couple beers and some Labskaus (minced beef, onion, potato with egg, fish, pickle & beet on the side) at an independent brewery and wandered around a bit more.

Eventually, I stopped in the Uebersee-Museum. Very nifty spot, though more kid-oriented. I bought an English audio tour which was useless because all the placards were written for kids, so I understood them. It wasn’t anything amazing - mostly stuff I’d seen before - but the presentation of a few items was unique. In one section, there was a wall of photos that either showed the material (e.g. goal) or the name / use depending on your angle. In another section, there were multiple-choice quizzes that mechanically opened an infobox if you answered correctly. Very nifty.

My favorite part, and the part I had the hardest time understanding, was the history of Bremen. There was a lot going on and no translations. The visuals were cool though; a lot of the artifacts were fairly self-explanatory. On a side note, there are a lot of ships named “Bremen” and they all seem to fly the American flag.

After Bremen, I made a quick layover in Hamburg (for that elusive hamburger) then on to Berlin. There was a terribly annoying squeak on the train, so I hopped down a car to the cafe. This turned into a liter of beer. I love traveling by train.

So, yes, I’m in Berlin. Mike & I walked around a bit yesterday and I’m sure we’ll do some more today. I’m so glad to be here!

RETROSPECTIVE: Hawaii 2012

As part of my journal entry for my 2014 trip to Germany, I wrote about the January 2012 trip my family took to Hawaii. This is presented (mostly) as it appears in the book.

Photos can be found on Flickr.

2 Aug 2014 PHILADELPHIA

I flew out of Philadelphia and my parents and brother flew out of Pittsburgh. As it turned out, we had a shared layover in Phoenix before we were to depart for San Diego on separate planes. To make a mildly interesting story short, after some pleas that fell on deaf ears, my plane had mechanical trouble and I was moved to my parent’s plane anyway.

We arrived in San Diego, briefly caught up with one of my father’s friends over beer and fried fish, and spent the night. Next stop: Oahu!

All went well and we were greeted with leas at the airport. My timeline is a bit fuzzy, so I’ll just detail what we did on the island, even if it happened after visiting Kawaii or the Big Island.

We traipsed about the tourist city for a bit, visiting beaches, shops, and, in a brotherly bonding moment, an IHOP. At some point, we caught a bus and visited the Capitol Building (it’s in the shape of a volcano) and the other palaces. I believe we also had some Loco Moco at this point. We visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial and we were impressed.

At some point - and I’m fairly certain this happened after the excursions to the other islands - we took a road trip which circumnavigated Oahu, stopping at several beaches and tourist traps along the way. I can officially say I’ve swam in the Pacific and had “Hawaiian Shaved Ice” in Hawaii. We hung out with another of my father’s friends and his wife, and we went to Wal-Mart. I met eyes with a girl who was taking a piss in a parking lot 100 yards away from a bathroom and 250 yards away from the ocean. Oahu had a lot to offer.

In Kawaii, we roamed north to see the trails where Jurassic Park was filmed (and saw some whales while trekking them). We also roamed south to see some geologic formations. Kawaii, in one word, consisted of chickens. Holy shit, so many chickens. Also there were a lot of Hawaiian Independence Flags flying on this island.

On the Big Island, we did touristy things in the northern tourist city. We took a helicopter trip to view some lava flows and the like. We also took an amphibious boat tour to see the coast and some other lava flows. Sadly, we didn't see any whales, despite the attempt.

Finally, we made a couple trips up the volcanoes / mountains. In the first, we visited the Park Service stuff related to the volcano, which had, at that time, just opened a new caldera. Quite a unique experience staring over at an active volcano. The other trip was up to the Mauna Kea Observatory, or, at least, its tourist outpost.

In all, it was a great trip, despite the usual family tensions. While I doubt I’ll ever get back that way it has set the stage for a hopeful trip to Alaska. Someday!

[2023 update: it turns out I did go to Hawaii and Alaska]

Morocco - and home!

 MOROCCO

I arrived in Morocco within a day of March 1, 2020 (it’d be great if I looked at my actual arrival day). There were rumors of a pandemic spreading from Asia, though it was less of a concern for me than the possibility of bedbugs in my hostel(s).

CASABLANCA

Here’s looking at you, kid. I don’t have a whole lot to say about Casablanca, as I did my usual routine and explored. I didn’t get into Rick’s, as my backpack did not contain an acceptable set of clothing and I was unwilling to buy something better. I wandered, I mingled, I had a good time. My most vivid memory is of how good the public transit was in getting me to the spots I wanted to explore - and how good the food was when I wandered into a spot. I recall eating a large, shared meal with either couchsurfers or hostel-folk, though I didn’t make friends the same way I had over the rest of the adventure.

Speaking of friends, my visit to Casablanca was interrupted (in a good way) by friends visiting...

Tunisia

Right on time - not two years later...

TUNISIA

I showed up in Tunis, Tunisia on the 26th of December, 2019, unsure of what I’d find. I linked up with my couchsurfing host and over the next few days we wandered through the medina and beyond. This is the first country where I felt I was at a huge disadvantage as a monoglot - where most other places I’ve been have either adopted English as a second language (or at least have signage with Latin characters), the second language here is French (and there are no signs). Additionally, while the people were generally nice, there was an undercurrent of “I know better than you” - my first host actually insisted I put on a sweater before going outside in the moderately cool weather!

TUNIS

As usual, I have no idea what to write. The medina was impressive? There were lots of people, colorful shops, and good & bad smells? It was cool to go up to the rooftop cafes to drink coffee and smoke shisha (hookah). I'm not much of a shopper, so a lot of the appeal of any medina is lost on me. I did go to the library and write a poem though.

On medinas, generally, from an American perspective: have you ever been to the mall? Have you wished that all the clothes racks and jewelry displays and food courts kept their stuff within arms’ reach while you walked down labyrinthine hallways? Do you enjoy bumping into people and generally fighting to move forward, all while being slightly concerned about pickpockets and other characters? Then medinas are for you. Everywhere I went people were excited to show me the medina and I was like “oh, this is like a smelly, cramped flea market where, even if I wanted to buy something I wouldn’t, as I’ll have to carry whatever I buy in my backpack later.” In summary: not for me.

Really, honestly, the highlight of Tunis was the discovery of leblebi - a chickpea soup over shredded stale bread. I probably ate the stuff every three days. I will have to figure out how to make it at home.

The historical sites were cool - I spent a day and saw Sidi Bou Said with its blue & white buildings in the morning, then the ruins of Carthage in the afternoon. Knowing the history made the ruins interesting - on their own they were modest piles of rocks. The pictures I took reflect this.

After my first host, I spent a couple weeks at an AirBnB while I tried to coordinate with a workaway in the south. This was a fun time - the host and I got along really well and we explored cafes, bars, and restaurants around the city together.

Skipping ahead a bit, when I returned to Tunis in March I visited the Bardo Museum. I would highly recommend it - it's a museum of all the mosaics that have been found in the country (plus a few other things). I was really blown away. Before I returned to Tunis, however, I had to go to:

Update and Book List

Hello! I'm still alive, I'm in Philadelphia, and I'm generally doing well. I arrived home on March 21.

Maybe a bit hairy.

I need to write posts that cover the two months I spent in Tunisia, the few days I was in Barcelona, the week or two I was in Morocco, and the harrowing adventure that was the evacuation flight (I'm lying - the flight was fine). That said, I've always had a hard time sitting down and writing - having my housemates blasting the TV at all hours has not helped my concentration. And, I mean, it's not like I can go to a coffee shop and write :(

That said, I can read things and type them here. With no further ado, a list of books I read (* - started but didn't compete) over the past 20 months:

Egypt

I arrived in Egypt on December tenth in order to meet up with RC again (we had previously met up in Malaysia and Singapore). Unlike in earlier countries or with previous traveling companions, neither of us knew what we were doing or how to avoid the hoards of scammers we were assured were about to pounce on us upon our arrival. Given those factors (and some planning fatigue), we decided to hire a tour company. Unfortunately, we did not end up with the best coordinator.

Now that I’m typing this, I wonder if this marks the start of a run of general bad luck for me. Upon arrival, before I had a chance to decompress from flight, before I had even seen the room, I was told to pick what optional activities we wanted to do over the coming two weeks (and pay for them in cash on the spot). With a list of strange names and no information, I picked a few cheap options and went on my way. The coordinator was perplexed that we weren’t doing something every hour of every day - both RC and I like to relax and, say, swim in the hotel pool every once in a while. Crazy, right?

Lebanon: Left too soon

One of my big goals for this around-the-world trip was to get to Lebanon. As some of you may know, my father’s father’s side of the family is from Lebanon; I figured I could go and maybe see the village they left when they came to America. (Spoiler - I was unable to accomplish this on this visit.) Add in the background of a revolution in progress and the whole build-up was a lot to handle.

My German friend and I arrived on the evening of December fourth and made our way to our hostel in Beirut. Despite what it says online (perhaps due to the revolution) there was no visa-on-arrival fee. It was a soggy day, but everything pointed toward a positive time in the country.

Short Stint on Cyprus

There exists a direct flight from Amman to Beirut - the only issue is that it’s way more expensive than flying to Paphos, Cyprus, and staying a few days. And, hey, you get to see a bit of Cyprus!

The stay on the island was so short, I'm not sure I can string together more than a couple paragraphs. My German friend and I visited in the off-season, so a lot of things are closed or close early. Most of the people you see out and about are retired British people. Everyone speaks English.

The island is beautiful - and is worth exploring if you have a car. The public transit options are nearly non-extant, which really hampered seeing the interesting sights. That said, I did a lot of walking and saw some more ruins (Tomb of Kings, &c.) and did the best I could.

The best part of the island is it’s relaxed attitude, the worst part is the traffic. I suppose it could be compared to Hawaii - though it’s certainly less expensive. It would be good to come back with more money and access to a car, but, given my constraints, I’m glad to be moving on.

RETROSPECTIVE: Sugar Bowl 2007

As with most of the other retrospectives, I'm transcribing from an older notebook. In this case, this is a write up from January 2015 about an event that happened at the end of the 2006 football season. 2019 Simon, sitting in a hostel in Tbilisi, will comment on 2015 Simon using [brackets].

Malicious Compliance?

29 January 2015: The Sugar Bowl

[I'm skipping my written introduction about a Maynard Ferguson playlist inspiring me to write a story about trumpets. For those just joining, I played trumpet in the marching band at the University of Notre Dame (ND) and got to travel with the band to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The exact date was 3 January 2007, for the record, so the events below occur a few days on either side.]

I don't remember travel arrangements being anything out of the ordinary. I flew down from Pittsburgh, sitting next to a couple of younger [high school?] teachers with whom I played a game of FLUXX. After arrival, I connected with friends and, of course, MB (my college girlfriend). Everything is a bit shuffled around (it has, after all, been eight years [almost thirteen now]), so I'll break it up into main sections.

Baptism in the Jordan

Ariving in Amman was an interesting experience - the flight from Athens deposited me in the airport at 2am. I’d taken the overcautious route of booking a hostel with a 24 hour desk and an airport shuttle. I’m not sure such measures were necessary, but how is one supposed to know beforehand?

After annoying everyone in the hostel room by my arrival at 3am (not my fault - they’d used the bed I’d booked as storage, which meant they had to move all their stuff), I annoyed them again by leaving the room at 7:00 to go meet my friends at 7:30am. I would have much rather slept until noon, but I was under orders.