A Chance to See Beyond Oneself

A Conclusion

The Story

I will keep the story details concise because I wish to save my words for concluding travel reflections.

From Switzerland I took a train to Innsbruck in Austria to visit my aunt and second cousin who I didn't get a chance to see the first time I was there. I visited a beautiful small village, Hallstatt, that was set on a lake surrounded by mountains. After some nice walks through the forest and around the little village I took a train the next day to Vienna to visit the girl I had spent time with there on my prior trip to Austria. We went to a small town an hour south of Vienna to watch a families kids while their parents were in the Netherlands. We then returned to Vienna where we spent a few days enjoying the city, reading in the parks, and cooking good food. I then went north to visit my friend Lukas in the south of Germany near Lindau and the Lake of Constance. We had traveled together in New Zealand, Australia, and Cambodia and would now continue some traveling together. After hanging out with him in his town for a few days we took a road trip to Prague with his girl friend, who lives north in Nurnberg, and with a friend of his and her Australian boy friend who just flew over for some traveling in Europe. Prague is a beautiful city, old buildings, a large castle overlooking the river that splits the city in half, good cheap beer and tasty food. My only regret was that we didn't have more time to visit other cities in the Czech Republic. Lukas girlfriend had to get back to work and the other couple had a plane flight to Amsterdam. On our way back, we stopped in Nurnberg for a few days for Lukas and I to see the sites and for him to enjoy some more time with his girl friend who he lives about 2 1/2 hours away from.

Lukas and I returned to his small village in Bavaria and were trying to decide our next step. After talking to his father who he works for, he was able to get some more time off work to travel. So now the question was where did we want to go? I had seen most of the best spots within driving distance and surprisingly we couldn't figure out where to go. We had contemplated: trying to get a cheap last minute plain ticket to an island in spain but it would be to expensive, driving to Croatia but it was too long of a drive, flying to Moscow but definitely too expensive, hitchhiking and seeing where we end up but we didn't have enough time to really get much out of it. And then the genius plan hit us - a road trip to Luxembourg (because no one really takes a road trip just to see Luxembourg, which really makes it so great!). Its a small country in between Germany and Belgium just about 1000 square miles with a population under a half million; they have three official languages: French, German, and Luxembourgish. We had a few extra days that we didn't know what to do with but we decided we would figure out our next step while on the road. The capital city is called Luxembourg and is very modern, filled with business men and women dressed in suits, lots of nice cars, clean streets, good public art sculptures - in short, the perfect little city.

After Luxembourg we decided to head north to his some of Lukas friends in the north of Holland. What I didn't realize was how far away it was and that the plans would pretty much involve drinking all night. It being my last few days in Europe, I was not very interested in just drinking away the last few days; I was far more interested in seeing all I could of Europe before not knowing when I would return again. So after a long conversation, my friend was very understanding and willing to turn back to go exploring other avenues. We decided to go back to Nurnburg again because there were still things I did not get to see there and it gave the three of us one last chance to hang out. It turned out to be a splendid experience.

After returning to the south of Germany where Lukas lived, I took my last train ride of this trip to Munich where I would be flying out of in a few days. I stayed with a girl I met in Australia and also get to spend some time with her friend who I also met in Australia. Two days of site seeing around the beautiful city: enjoyed lots of art, serene parks, and the last of European architecture.

On July 4th I returned to the homeland, USA. I fly to New York to spend several days with a friend from college and see the city that never sleeps. Everything about New York is enormous, it is filled with so much energy with all of the people bustling about. Beyond enjoying the sites, it was a weird experience to be back in the States (I will expound later). From New York I flew to Maui where I saw my family for the first time in 9 1/2 months and went to a friend's wedding who I have known since I was a wee little one. (Daniel Bedingfield, a famous UK signer/song writer was at the wedding). I am still in Maui and will be returning to life in California on July 12. Its nice to be able to spend a few days here relaxing before getting back to responsibility.

And thus the story is finished. Yet it lives on every day in my memories and the endless ways I have been changed forever.

The Reflection

Was it all a dream? I have only been back about a week and my travels seem so far away. It is an odd feeling to think back to Oct 2, 2006 when I flew to New Zealand; uncertain about what the future would I embarked on this journey alone to come away with so many new friends and so many life changing experiences. Talking to my friend Charlene in New York made me realize the ways I have changed. She was really the first person I spent time with who knew me well before this trip and was able to see the resulting changes in me. Talking so some friends that are here in Maui for my friends wedding, I am beginning to realize how it is hard to understand how impacting traveling alone can be. All of the habits one has formed while around friends, all of the formation one has built their identity around, everything one has felt certain about are all subject to change. The social codes of behavior that one is restricted to in order to maintain their formed relationships are all open to be modified. One is forced to spend time with people they often wouldn't choose to be around in their daily lives and it opens your eyes to the many perspectives people have and what experiences led them to there.

Coming back to America was a bit of a culture shock. First of all it was very weird to hear only American accents around me. Remember this was the first time I was predominantly around Americans for the past 9 1/2 months. Every time I asked someone on the street a question or inquired with a store owner in New York, I would speak slowly and clearly because of the habit I obtained of never expecting the person I interact with to speak English well, if not at all. It was odd to have the person respond completely understanding what I said and to speak in an accent I could easily understand. For several days anytime I talked to a stranger, there was aways a slight feeling of hesitation that would arise when I would initiate the conversation from being so used to being surrounded by foreigners. I realized what a luxury it was to be able to read all the items in a grocery store or on a restaurant menu. I could easily read road signs and public transportation signs. I could order free tap water in a restaurant! I had to tip again :-(. I compared everything I saw in America with Europe, Europe felt familiar, American felt distant. I remember when I first arrived in Europe, I compared everything with Asia. I was using dollars again and I could have such a clear sense of value now using the same currency which is in my bank account.

I will miss it though. The adventure of never knowing who you will meet and what will happen the next day. Habits erased and the unexpected embraced. There was something fun about being the foreigner while traveling. It made you stand out, it made you special, it made people automatically interested in you. For example when I was in Nurnburg Germany, I met a guy who wouldn't give me the time of day at first. But once he found out I was in California, he wanted to be my best friend. California was his dream and he wanted to know everything to California slang to what the beaches are like in the OC. Now I am just another American Joe...but I suppose thats reality...I think. As I was a little relieved to be finally coming back to a settled life on a plane flight back from Germany, I was reading a travel magazine and realized that I had been to many of the places they pictured or discussed. I suddenly got the travel bug again. I wanted to go on adventures in new places I had never been, to see the mysterious, to learn about new cultures, try new food, and talk to strangers who I would befriend and never see again.

Living out of a backpack for 9 1/2 months sleeping on peoples couches, staying in hostels and cheap hotels in 24 countries on several continents traveling west from New Zealand to the USA - over 40,000 kilometers: This has been my life. Everything will change now. I will start graduate school in san diego in the fall. I will be busy. I will plan things and create schedules. I will stay up late writing papers and experience work related stress. I will no longer be able to go where I please when I please. Responsibility. Regardless, though, of the differences my new life will have from traveling it will still be an adventure. It will always be an adventure. I want to choose to make it an adventure. I will see the world with new eyes and choose to not let habit or expectations control my dispositions. It is our choice. We can choose to be bored or ecstatic with life: we can spend our days sending text messages, checking our myspace pages, and watching reality tv shows. Or we can choose talking to a stranger, going places in our own city backyards we have never been before, looking around the corner that we have never seen, walking instead of driving, talking in person instead of on the phone, stopping to listen and look, doing something alone we would usually do with someone else, doing something with someone we would normally do alone, try new foods, go into a store we would never set foot in, do things for the sake of experiencing them, and constantly considering how we could see things differently. This is change. This is life. I saw a great tshirt someone was wearing while in Europe, it said: "The Only Saint is Change." A quote a professor of mine always has at the end of her emails from Proust goes: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes." Let us choose to accept our lives as a voyage and an adventure and be present to every experience that comes our way so we may see truth and better come to know ourselves and others.

Bless you
Thank you
I miss you
and I look forward to seeing you

Karl Smerecnik

THE END

Switzerland thus became the next destination for a chance to see beyond myself. I spent almost three weeks in this country of limited proportions but found each location I visited to contain its own special features which placed Switzerland among my top 3 favorite countries. The culturally and artistically inclined city of Basel was my first stop; my accommodation was a comfortable mattress in the loft of a swiss architect´s apartment (a recent member of coucsurfing.com). The small city has some great architectural features and is home to the two famous architects, Herzog and de Meuron (my couchsurfing host took some classes with them). I spent the day exploring the town, which was fairly quiet and empty as Sundays most shops and museums are closed, getting a feel for the city, crossing back and forth over the bridges spanning the Rhine, and eventually meeting up with my couchsurfing host in the evening. We had some great conversations about European politics, swiss culture, and traveling. Since it was raining out we decided to stay in and eat chocolate, drink tea, and have some guitar duet sessions which turned out to quite melodious and complimentary to the solitude of the falling rain. The next day I spent some more time visiting the picturesque corners and alley ways as well as some museums and art galleries before catching my the train to the largest city of Zurich.

A friend of a roommate in college named Jonas, who visited with us for about two weeks in Santa Barbara, lives in Zurich and was more than happy to host me for a few nights. We enjoyed each others company in Santa Barbara and looked forward to spending some time together again. His flatemate and the two fo us all got along so well. While they were in classes at the university I would stroll through the rain contemplating life and soaking up all of the feelings that arose while walking around this moderately sized modern yet antique-like city that was statistically found to provide the best quality of life anywhere in the world. When my hosts would return from class we would meet up for a beer and they would show me around some of their favorite parts of the city. At night we would relax in their apartment and Jonas and I would talk about art, intentionallity, film, and music - it was quite a pleasant stay. One of the days while they were in class I went to visit my aunt who lives about an hour south of Zurich. It was both a satisfactory and sobering experience because her husband was sick with cancer in the hospitable and I could tell it weighed heavily upon my aunt Maria. It is always a pleasure to meet new family members but I was also glad it was only for one day - after a while the stories of old and the pictures of friends and family can exhaust one´s interest - namely, my interest.

And so from Zurich I purchased a train ticket to Lucerne. Why Lucerne you might ask? Well I´ll tell you: I heard it had a nice lake and a big mountain, a combination that always awakens my senses and reminds me there is a reason for living. Upon arriving I stored my belongings in a train station locker, got the lowdown at the tourist information office, bought some cheap sandwiches for my hike, and hopped on the first ferry that would take me across the lake to Mt. Rigi. My ferry ticket also included a ticket on the train that went the steep mountain side to the peak of the hill. Since I loathe hiking to the same locations people can reach by car or train, I decided I would enjoy the peak by train and find a remote spot to venture by foot. The view was stunning from the top: large dark blue lake below, endless snow covered alps in the background, small mountain towns in the distance, a small isolated moutain in the near distance I would conquer - happiness was guaranteed. From the peak I set off towards the pasture land that would lead me up to a small snow covered mountain top that was free from the other tourists wayed down by cameras and nordic walking poles. I enjoyed my packed lunch on this pristine peak, with the warm sun on my back, and my feet cooling off on a grassy patch bare from snow. It was a great reminder of why I travel. It was this moment that I knew happiness in its purest form; the feeling of being alone in nature, the straining fatigue that the peak rewards, that blissful knowledge there has to be more than just physical matter, the taste of bread, meat, and lettuce, the chorus of the cow bells below, the fusion of the green hills topped by the frosting of white snow - it is a sweetness that can almost be tasted.

After getting down the mountain and heading to meet my couchsurfing hosts I suddenly realized, upon finding my hosts not at home, that I was day off. I had arranged to meet my couchsurfing hosts the day before and this day I had a hostel reservation in Interlaken that I had made several weeks earlier. Woops! After my profuse apologies to my hosts, via phone, I booked it to the train station to make sure I could make it to Interlaken before my hostel reception closed and they would charge me for a room regardless of me getting a bed. After several hours on the train and wandering through the city by the light of street lamps, I finally arrived at my hostel Interlaken dead tired and ready for bed. After trying the local brew and chatting with the bar tender and two of my roommates from Wisconsin, I was off to bed.

The next day, as planned, I met a good friend and future housemate, Cameron Sublett, and his girlfriend Jamie, who were also traveling in Switzerland. We spent the rainy day talking about our lives, recent experiences, some of the lack of comforts that come with the travelers lifestyle, and made some plans for the next few days. In the evening I met an Austrlian traveler who I hung out with whenever I wasnt with my friends from home. Come the morning we were off to go walking in a pristine valley visiting several waterfalls and enjoying the solitude only that fresh alpine mountain air can provide. The day was mellow but stunning, lots of walking, and lots of good chatting. The following day we took a train high up into the mountains to look upon one of my favorite views of this trip. Green hill sides with scattered swiss mountain houses topped by dominating rock cliffs on all sides and snow covered mountain in every vertical direction. Breathtaking. Its the sort of view the keeps a smile on your face and a sigh in your lungs. Superb. No more words necessary, it will only hinder the imagination that such a sight should instill in our hearts.

It was sad to leave Interlaken because I almost felt like a local by the end of my time there. We had our favorite cafe where they would recognize us, all the people at the bar of the hostel knew me because I had to keep changing rooms every night because they were so full, and we had a favorite kebab place we ate a few times. Alas. From Interlaken I was off to stay with a girl I met Australia in the lakeside town of Thun. She spend the day teaching in school while I procured one of the free bikes that many swiss cities will provide and rode all over the perfectly small and story-book appearing town and into the country side. It was a day when I heard the voice of truth speak to me of the adventures to come and they were thus revealed in a fashion that reminds one that the mind is not the only one worth listening to. I met my friend Julie and her boyfriend in the evening, we talked for a while, went to bed, and I slept in and met Julie again for lunch the next day before I was off to the capital city of Bern.

And my goodness this is turning into one damn long blog. I apologize for my verbose disposition at this moment. I shall limit my words for now on!

Bern. Just grand. Old town was beautiful in its own medieval villiage type of manner. Stayed with two fun couchsurfers guys. My highlight with them was a BBQ we had on a big hill that was over looking the city. We laughed a lot. We knew how to transition from serious conversation topics to laughing about ridiculous subjects, good times.

Lausanne. French part of Switzerland. (There are four parts of Switzerland, the German part in the north, the French part in the West, the Italian part in the South East, and the Romansh part in a few eastern parts). Makes for quite the diverse country, each part is very unique, and has its own culture. I met up with a couchsurfing girl who couldnt host me but offered to show me around a little while my host was at school - very friendly and interest. I really got along well with my couchsurfing host though. She was a phd student in robotics and we had some great conversations about ethics, biotechnology, cultural relativism, anthropology, and on and on. That evening we went out with her boyfriend, flat mate, and a few other guys to go see some bands that were playing at the university campus. It was a jolly good time. Slept in late the next day, I was given a friendly reminder why I dont like drinking a lot of white wine, enjoyed the sites of the town that overlooked lake Geneva, and then met up with my hosts and their friends for a traditional dinner of cheese fondue on my behalf (cheese fondue is reserved for the winter time but they consented for the sake of a foreigner such as myself).

Next stop, Zermatt, the town closest to the Matterhorn - practically right below it. Obviously lots of big mountains all around. I made my own trail up a quite steep mountain side and found joy overlooking the valley and town below. Sore legs and knees kept me from hiking again the next day so I was off to the Italian part of Switzerland - Locarno. Small town, quiet lake, a place for middle aged tourists, but pleasant enough to visit for a day. Next day on to Chur in the Romansh part of Switzerland. I didnt do too much site seeing here, mostly just hung out with my couch surfing hosts. The town wasnt anything too exciting and I was a little tired from being on the go so much. We went out for dinner at one of my hosts friends house and then for a few drinks after. Fun but nothing to toot the horn over.

Next day I was off to Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein is the sixth-smallest independent nation in the world, population of about almost 34,000 people. Its on the eastern border of switzerland next to Austria. Its small and full of money. It has more registered companies than citizens - there are great tax benefits, so consider starting your business there. Also, open a bank account there if you get a chance, its even better than switzerland because they dont withhold 34% of your interest like the swiss do. Its almost like a little utopia town. Clean streets, nice modern buildings, artistic modern sculptures about, some few small parks, a big castle where the Prince lives overlooking the town. Funny little place. The evening was enjoyable. There were four californians, including myself, and an austrlian girl; we all went out for some drinks and found we had a whole room to our selves in one bar so we could pretty much do and say as we pleased. The other kids wanted to make a real night out of it while I knew I needed to wake up early to go visit my aunt the next day in Innsbruck in Austria. So at about 2 am or so I wandered back through the rain to the hostel that was on the outskirts of town.

And that was that.

Thanks for reading. I have no more words. I am very hungry and wish to keep the acids from eating through the walls of my stomach. So enjoy the truths you find and dont hurt the environment or animals or other people.

Cheers!
Karl

The Story

After having my eurail pass stolen while I was on my way to Denmark, everything was changed. I planned to use that pass to travel all over scandanvia and then back down to central europe but alas, it would not be so. I was kicked off the train in a small town in the north of Germany near the larger city of Hamburg. I decided to make my way to Hamburg and check in to a hostel there to mentally sort things out. I was expecting to spend a little time site seeing and trying to make some sort of plan for the rest of my time in Europe. But as soon as I checked in I met an Australia girl who was on the last few days of her trip throughout Europe. She too was also a little low in morale, tired from her long trip, and ready to return to normal life in Australia - we agreed it was a mutual comfort to be with each other in our current dispositions. We spent two days going for walks throughout the city, taking long coffee breaks in cafes, eating lots of bratwurst and pasteries, and our highlight of going to see a show at the newly built planetarium (a little hard to follow at times as it was all in German). As I didnt know where I was going next, I decided to join her on her way to Lubeck where she would be flying out of the next day. It was a quaint little town with a few historical buildings; my highlight was hanging out with a california guy who was playing at an open mic in an Irish bar that I was able to accompany on percussion. I still had not had any time to myself to think my travel plans over but Bel, my Australia friend, helped convinced me I should just leave for Berlin the same time she leaves for her plane, which turned out to be a great idea!

My time in Berlin was fantastic. I felt so at home there, mostly from the experiences I had with people I knew there. I stayed with a couchsurfer I contacted at last minute who was so friendly, welcoming, and quite interesting - we could certainly relate on many topics. My first day there my couchsurfing host and I enjoyed a long afternoon picnic, some enjoyable dinner conversation with her boyfriend and housemate, a house party hosted by another couchsurfer who was a really fun guy, and then some late night life. The next day, after some morning valley ball with my couchsurfing host, I met up with a girl I had met in Australia and planned to see again in Berlin. We had a rather pleasant day walking all over Berlin and then relaxing during the evening in a hookah bar with a friend of hers. The next day I met up with another couchsurfer who offered to show me around with her guests and saw some different places in east Berlin and learned more about the history of the city. It was so fascinating to hear about the stereotypes of the east that the western Berliners held even years after the wall fell. Even today there is still much higher unemployment in the east than in the west; the problem is also only being exacerbated by the many students who leave east berlin and go to work in west berlin where there are better paying jobs leaving the infrastructure of the east still to be fully developed. While walking about the city, I would seemlessly pass from east to west never really knowing which side I was on. The primary signifier are the cross walk lights which display different walking icons in the eastern part and in the western part. I also had another friend who I had stayed with in Australia but was originally from berlin and she had just moved back to the city. We really felt a close bond between us while in Australia and were overjoyed to meet again and share the stories of our travels together. One of my highlights was a night a group of us all met to see a Lithuanian jazz band play in a very alternative bar/lounge. I could have stayed in Berlin for the rest of my trip and been completely content. I felt so close to all these new people I had met and had such a wonderful time with each person. Many of them were as sad as I was when I had decided to move on.

From Berlin I went to stay with a couchsurfer in Dresden. Upon arriving he was nice enough to feed me lunch and then show me around the city and country side on his motorcycle. I was surprised by how old the city still looked, knowing that most of it was all rebuilt after the war because America and England bombed it to the ground. It is so sad to see that it is so often covered up by the holocaust statistics. For those who are not familiar with the history of it, the number of deaths (uncertain because of the large number of refugees in the city) was estimated anywhere in the 30,000s to 100,000s - horrific. Besides learning about the morbid history of what happened in world war II, I had a great time. The first night we met up with some other couchsurfers and went out to a few clubs and bars. The next day I slept in pretty late, explored the city for a little while, and then found a great jazz/blues/funk band playing in a hip jazz club in the more alternative part of town. I met a piano player there who I started chatting with about music and then found that his uncle is in actor in LA - one of his more famous roles was as the German pilot that brought the guns to El Guapo in Three Amigos. (Oh the joys of the random people you meet traveling...I also met a girl who's great grandfather invented cellophane).

Something I must mention is that I found the German people to be incredibly hospitable and kind. They were so friendly and always willing to help me out whenever I had a question. For example one evening I was looking at a bus time table and an old couple came up and were asking in German if I needed any help. Some fun cultural differences is that everyone drinks beer on the streets. Beer and Germany go hand and hand. There are also some other funny different things like in the same vending machines you can buy candy and soda you can also buy condoms and cigarettes as well as beer (or at least nonalcoholic beer in the ones I have seen); I always enjoy those different sights. Another thing that I was impressed with was how many Germans speak English fairly well.

From Dresden I moved on to the small town of Offenburg right near the Black Forest in the south of Germany. Yet another wonderful experience with a local couchsurfer. Out first day we went for a bike ride and a picnic at the local lake that was certainly one of the most relaxing days I had in a long time. We walked around the town, went for some dinner, had a few drinks, and called it a night. The next day we went to Strasbourg which is right over the border into France. It was a lovely little town that fit many of the stereotypes of cute european towns. In the afternoon her mother picked us up and gave us a ride to her fathers house that was out in the countryside near Freiburg. Even though only her younger brother could speak a little english, I really enjoyed spending time with her family. Her dad and I got along quite well, regardless of the language barriers. After a night of bar hopping in Freiburg with my host and her friend, I was off the next day to the much anticipated land of Switzerland.

I feel that Germany is a country I gained the most authentic experience of in Europe due to spending so much time with locals. Even my transportation was often with locals as I used an online ride sharing service for most of my transportation throughout Germany. Many times the people giving me rides were surprised an American even knew about it. I met so many people I hope to stay in touch with, the friends I made while traveling in Germany cultivated such a meaningful experience. While in Berlin I finally arranged my plans for flying back to the states, as I didnt know when I would even be ending my trip. On July 4 (kind of ironic) I fly from Munich, Germany to New York to spend a few days with a friend who lives there. I will then fly to Maui to see a very good family friend getting married as well as meet my parents there for a few days. I then will fly back to California, spend some time getting my things together, and then take about two weeks to slowly make my way down to San Diego, seeing friends along the way, where I will be moving for graduate school. I am currently in Bern, Switzerland and am absolutely in love with everything about this country. I will try to update you soon on the swiss travel. I will spend about another week in switzerland, go back to Austria to see some extended family and some friends there, hopefully make it down to Slovenia, then up to the south of Germany where I will meet a friend to take a road trip to the Czech Republic and back before I fly out of Munich.

The Reflection

The people I spend time with mean more to me now than the sites of the cities. I love the environments I am immersed in but am progressively starting to miss the settled life. I miss being able to have order in my life and the capacity to do what I want when I want. While traveling, especially while staying at other peoples houses, I dont have the same freedoms I would have if in my own flat, to come and go as I please, to go to bed when I want or stay up as late as I want, etc etc. But this is an important opportunity for me to let go of my desires, to instead be present to the here and now, and live without focusing on the past or present. I recognize more and more how vital these experiences are for the growth of my character. One will not be transformed unless they place themselves in challenging environments. One must change their perspective to see each challenging moment as a way of dealing with their own inadequacies and as a means of self improvement to embody our potential as an enlightened being free from the restraints of desire and misconceptions of time. There are parts of this trip that have been a complete breeze and others that have really stretched me. I am so happy that I decided to take this journey alone because it has forced me to reconsider my perspectives and identity. I have learned so many things about the world on this journey but also realize, humbled by my many limitations, it is a mere glimpse so beyond my ability to truly comprehend its myteries.

Karl

PS - sorry if there are typos, I had to write fast and no time for proof reading.

The Story

Italy
From Austria I traveled to Venice, Italy; I must say it is just about the most picturesque city I have ever seen. Lots of art, lots of churches, lots of getting lost in the maze of alley walls and endless squares, lots of pictures, lots of American tourists (oh wait, I am one of those too...damn). Enough said. From Venice I ventured south to Siena in central Italy. The views of the Tuscan countryside inspire one to quite their 9-5 job, work at a vineyard, take life at a slower pace, sip wine throughout the day while walking through the green meadows, and spend the evening sitting under your porch staring at the stars. It is quite peaceful. Siena´s center is a mix of old, almost medieval-looking, tall buildings bordered by small countryside houses. When you walk through the city walls you feel transported a few hundred years to the past. One of my roommates in the hostel was this Romanian man (in his 60s) who also spoke Spanish, Italian, and a little German (no english). Since everyone else in the hostel was Italian, we both felt the odd man out and attempted to communicate with my limited knowledge of spanish and german. It was surprising how much time we spent actually learning things from each other (hand gestures always help). I must say though that I was both intrigued and a little afraid of this man I had met. I gathered that he had been in prison for a number of years, it was somehow related to people being shot, he had then lived in monasteries fall over europe, he was married, had kids, and was a truck driver now but also couldnt return to romania for some reason, and our conversation concluded by him calling his wife and telling her everything we had talked about. Even though some of the details were a little peculiar, he was so friendly and it made for such an interesting cross cultural experience.

From Siena I headed south to Rome. I stayed with a couchsurfer there and from the interaction with her house mates and her friends I feel I had a very authentic experience of Roman life. My host was great in showing me all around some of the tourist sites and then also to the more alternative neighborhoods. And the Vatican, oh the Vatican...I have nicknamed it the Roman Disneyland. You wait in large lines to get in to St. Peters Basilica and once inside it is full of tour groups and hoards of people constantly flashing their cameras. It is hard to appreciate the beauty of many of Michaelangelo's and the variety of other incredible artists art. Incredible but packed. It was a similar experience at the vatican museum, especially in the Sistine Chapel. But despire Rome being highly populated with tourists, it was still a wonderful place to visit. I wasn't too thrilled by the many ancient roman ruins because I was able to see so many while in Greece but the good ol colloseum was a worthy visit, despite its morbid history. Italy is great place for art and I do declare by the time I left Italy, I had a pretty heavy overdose; but it was absolutely worth it, very inspiring. But then again, as I have mentioned in other entries, it is hard to appreciate all of it at times.

From Rome back north to Florence. One highlight of my time in Florence was spending a few hours just laying on a grassy lawn in a hidden little garden enjoying the birds singing, the warmth of the sun of my back, and the variety of the color green displayed in all of nature's wonder. It reminded me of days back in Santa Barbara. It had been a while since I had just sat and done absolutely nothing and it was marvelous. My days were filled with art and old scenic buildings. The statue of david was quite impressive and it was even better that I was able to skip the hour wait to get in by sneaking in the exit. I visited Dante's house, saw a great exhibition on Cezanne, lots of works by Bottocelli, and as always some big old churches (but a note to the reader, even though Italy is the home of the catholics, the austrian churches were far more impressive than the italian). A really enjoyable evening followed the contacting of a couch surfer I had met in Melbourne, Austrilia who was now studying in Florence. Her two friends from Melbourne happened to be visiting as well, so the four of us went out for a grand evening of drinks and dancing and me getting locked out of my hostel - I ended up sleeping on some couch cushions we put on the floor at my friends house. The event reminded me again of how important human relationships can be. When traveling all alone, constantly meeting new people and then leaving just as you are getting to know them - familiarity with another person becomes a much desired experience. One more note about Florence, dont go there unless you really like Americans. They are everywhere. As beautiful as Florence can be, too many Americans in in a foreign country is problematic for me. Just about every other young there is spending a month or two studying art history there, its become quite cliche in my mind.

Oh yes, and I went to Genoa for half a day on my way to france. it was quaint.

France
The start of my experience in france was very rewarding. I was able to hang out and stay with two friends from Westmont who were living in Aix in the south of France. It was fun to take a break from site seeing and just hang out in a city. We did a variety of activities together, lots of cooking, drinking, meeting other students living in Aix, learning some french (for me at least), jumping in a rather large fountain in the city center that is strictly forbidden but another big group of people all jumped in right when we were thinking of doing it...so that was good fun. We went down to Marseille for a day trip to go swimming in the Mediterranean and see the city. One night we went to a free choral concert in an old church and highly enjoyed the conclusion of the night with Mozarts requiem, so beautiful. My last day we went for a hike near a large rock mountain outside of town that is featured in many of Cezannes paintings. After walking a while we went for a dip in a remarkable sky blue colored lake, it was refreshing to say the least.

And Aix gave way to Tours. It is a small town about an hour south of Paris in the Loire Valley that is known for its many chateauxs. The town was nice enough but my highlight was meeting a group of three english travelers at a bar one night. We were both at this amazing show of a music fusion of jazz, dixie, and a bit of gypsy flare. We ended up talking and the next day I drove with them to go see the town of Angers and several chateauxs. While cooking dinner with them in their sizable tent that night, we decided, due to our enjoyable experience together, that I would go to Paris for a few days and then meet them Nantes to spend some time camping and traveling with them.

This is where things get interesting

So the next day I took a train to paris. I was planning on staying with someone I met in Greece, but during the day of I couldnt reach him, so I stored my stuff in a locker in the train station and figured I would go see the city until he called me back. Paris is amazing, so many old scenic buildings, beautiful parks, and boulevards. The Louvre was incredible, overwhelming amount of art work, mona lisa and I spent some time together, so that was nice to catch up with her. Arc de Triumphe was impressive, large churches were nice, walking along the river Seine was pleasant, enjoyed the modern art museum, impressive parks, and then it hit me, right there underneath that eiffel tower of theirs (which is pretty ugly in my opinion) - I needed to go to Scandinavia. I had really wanted to go but I wasnt sure if I would have the proper amount of time. But I knew I had to do it, I felt the mysterious voice of direction inside of mine. I knew I wouldnt be able to meet up with my english friends but alas, it was fate. So spontaneity took control, what a fun adventure it would be...or at least I thought it would be.

I made my way to the train station, which also brings up the odd coincidence (obviously there is no such thing, so take my words as jest) that I decided to store my things in the same and only train station (different from the one I arrived in) that has outbound trains to Scandinavia. I had met a girl in Laos from Copenhagen that I knew I could stay and that would make a good starting point to see Sweden and Norway, so I reserved a bed about 40 minutes before the train left. All seemed like it was going perfectly. I started some great conversations with my two roommates in my cabin and then the third entered, also bringing an extra element to our journey, "what an enjoyable trip this is," I thought to myself. One of the guys in our cabin we found was Iraqi and he too was on his way to Scandinavian but for the purpose of seeking asylum in Sweeden. His family had all been killed, how I never really received an answer, but found that our new friend here had been through a lot trying to get out of the country. He traveled by land from Iraq to france, taking a dangerous cramped boat ride to Greece, getting arrested by police several times for not having proper documentation, he got a fake passport from the Ukraine that was also taken, he had people take advantage of him taking a lot of money from him without returning their promised assistance. One of the guys in our cabin was from Ghana and had friends he knew who were also illegal immigrants throughout europe and he began to tell us about all the different regulations of European countries and how some are very helpful with immigrants and others very harsh. It was sad to see the Iraqi guy constantly afraid that someone might be overhearing our conversation, every time the train stopped he asked us in his broken english if police were going to come aboard to check for passports. The past few nights he had slept in train stations because he had very little money left and was getting sick, so it was quite sad to see.

I by no means advocate illegal immigration but I could tell he was in need of some help. So we decided to join together to try to get to copenhagen and then from there it would be easy for him to get to sweeden to meet his friend there. We had a stop off in Hamburg in germany the next morning and I was suppose to immediately transfer to the next train but I thought I might have time to help him buy his ticket for the same train before it left. Unfortunately we missed it and spent some time talking and sitting waiting for our next train. The real problem we were worried about running into was that they would check for passports on the next train ride because Denmark is more strict about that then other EU countries. We got on to the train and after putting our stuff down my friend was worried he had the wrong ticket and so he went to ask the conductor outside. I could see the conductor wasnt understanding too well so I went out to help real fast before the train left. What I didnt realize though is that I left my 2 month eurail pass sitting on the seat in plain sight. After about 5 minutes or so of making sure my friend has the right ticket we got back on the train. I didnt even recognize my ticket was gone. When the conductor came by about an hour through the ride asking to see tickets, I then realized my rail pass was stolen. All I could think was, shit! That was my pass for traveling throughout europe, now it is gone and I still have a lot of time before I fly home. I thought there may have been some chance I had left it with the conductor we had talked to at the last station so I got off at the next stop (I had no choice actually since I had no ticket), wished my iraqi friend good luck on his risky trip to sweeden, took another train back to the Hamburg station, and found the conductor and finally came to the hard realization it was stolen and gone for good (no insurance policy available).

So what happened next? Tune in again sometime...

...ok so its nothing too exciting worth a cliff hanger like that, I stayed in Germany and thats where I am now. Bitter at the wasted money of my stolen rail pass but trying to accept that there is a reason for it and attempting to be positive about what will come my way.

The Reflection
As usual all of these stories take place within the context of taking lots of train rides, wandering through cities, attempting to adapt to foreign cultures and languages, eating different food, meeting random locals, experiencing different environments, figuring out city transportation systems, packing my backpack, unpacking my backpack, eating as much as possible from kebab stands before I return home and am without such splendorous tastes. I wander and wonder. Perhaps the tourist sites are really just the background for all of these day to day activities that are my realities of living as a traveler. A wondrous journey this is.

The Story

Hungary
Leaving my recent friends behind in Cluj, Romania, I embarked on my bus journey to the Romanian city of Budapest. Despite the annoying couple sitting next to me who couldn't keep their lips apart, the journey was smooth and painless. Upon arriving in my hostel in Budapest, a group of individuals, myself included, joined together to create an innovative and powerful site seeing collective. Similar to my last group of comrades in Cluj, we all got along great despite our age differences and national diversity. This group would be comprised of a Swedish couple in their 20s, a late 30s New Yorker who filmed fashion shows, a 40 something English bloke who was an outdoor adventure guide, and yours truly ( i.e. me). We all had an interesting conversation with the hostel manager about American government and corporate imperialism in the world as well as the many problems of the EU and eastern Europe - quite a stimulating conversation. Our group united the first night and enjoyed an evening of exploring the bar scene in the jewish quater and trying the locals brews. After some intense rounds at Foosball at one of the bars we visited, we decided it was time to hit the hay.

The next day I decided to go exploring by myself. The European architecture (for I have no other words to call it) was a joy to encounter; Budapest was probably the first major city I had been to on this trip that really stirred those feelings of fantasy we all have of European. One of my favorite sites of the day was St. Stephan's Basilica - the interior was massive, lined with gold on all curves and corners - it spoke beauty. Another important site was the largest Jewish synagogue in all of Europe. It was interesting to learn about Jewish sabbath customs as well as the history of how the Jews in Budapest were oppressed during WWII from the holocaust museum.

I spent a significant amount of time visiting the castle and museums on the prominent hill of the Buda side (the city is divided into two sides by the Danube: Buda and Pest). One quite humorous site was the underground labyrinths. At first one descends into the caves expecting to simply see some underground tunnels and historical monuments from when it was used during world war II. But after some time I came to realize they have transformed this historical location into an opportunity for dry humor - something I am always fond of. In the beginning of the tunnels they have some neolithic cave paintings with some cave man drums sounds in the background. First impressions: a little odd but maybe they are doing it for the kids. Then I come across some quite odd shaped statues and cave formations, placed as if they are supposed to be native to the ground. Later I pass by a fountain that is flowing with wine. The highlight though was their satire on western consumerism. They create fossil-like imprints throughout a series of tunnels that are difficult to decipher at first but one soon realizes are imprints of tennis shoes, laptops, cell phones, coca cola bottles, microwaves, and other house hold items. They create a whole story line of how these imprints were from a past civilization giving each item unique terminology that mocks modern consumerist tendencies. (This probably wasn't worth elaborating on but it really made my day). In the evening the crew went out to see a jazz/dixie band play at a bar called Fat Moes.

The next day I found that the English couple I traveled with in Romania came to stay at the same hostel I was at. What a joy it was to spend some time with them again. During the day the posse of travelers visited the old communist statue park, which was pretty run down by still gave us a good smile enjoying the cubist style of sculpting of those great heroes that ruined their countries infrastructure and economy. We hiked up another large hill near the city center and explored some streets before all going our own ways. That evening the english couple randomly met the two Canadian girls I had met several times before and we all went out for dinner and drinks together. The next day I took a day trip to Szentendre, just about an hour north of Budapest along the Danube river. I spent a considerable amount of time sitting and enjoying the nature of the outdoors surrounding the town as well as browsing several art galleries that the town is known for. It was a very relaxing day that was definitely needed.

Slovakia
The next day I took a train to Bratislava, Slovakia. I only spent one day seeing the sites of the city because I was running short on time for Europe. The city didn't really stand out compared to the many other sites I have seen. Some nice churches, beautiful buildings, large castle on a hill, slower pace of city life than other cities, and so on and so forth. It was a stopping point on my way to Austria. I wish to one day return to Slovakia to see the eastern portion of the country; the mountains are supposed to be spectacular.

Austria
From Bratislava to Vienna and oh what excitement. I am half austrian and from the beginning of this trip I have developed this internal gravitation towards anything Austrian. Upon arriving I was supposed to stay with a rather enlightened individual, Patryk, who I once met in Santa Barbara and became immediate friends with (his grandmother is the famous Austrian artist Valie Export). He ended up getting sick from some food he had eaten so I stayed with a couchsurfer I had previously contacted. Before meeting up with Lara, my couchsurfing host, I wandered around the city visiting many churches and beautiful parks. From the moment I arrived I fell in love with Vienna, I could certainly see myself moving there one day. The city has a very modern feel but the archictecture is absolutely stunning. Lara and I spent a lot of time visiting museums and city sites, enjoying cafes and traditional Austrian food. Every corner you turn there is another amazing building to see, after a while it just becomes normal to be surrounded by so much beauty. The names of the many churches and buildings start to lose value as there are so many and it is more the image, history, and feelings of the location that changes a person, not necessarily the name. While walking through the city one day I again unexpectedly met the two canandian girls who I have now seen in about 5 countries. We spent a little time seeing the sites together before they left to go back to Hungary. That evening Patryk joined Lara and I for dinner and we had some stimulating conversations about universal energy, alchemy, astrology, and art.

As Lara had some time off from school, we decided to travel together to Salzburg and Innsbruck. I suppose it was be deceptive to the reader to not clarify that the relationship between Lara and I soon developed into that of a more romantic nature. We had so many things in common and such similar personalities, it made for quite an enjoyable opportunity on both of our parts. I suppose I should also clarify, seeing that I have not mentioned before, that this was not the first experience on this trip where a relationship with a woman has developed into a more intimate manner. I am not very fond of expounding on such details as I see them as more of a private matter but since my whole experience of Austria is linked to my time spent with Lara, I see it as worthy to share with the few readers out there. After a few days together in Vienna, we took an afternoon train north east to the picturesque town of Salzburg.

The ride to Salzburg was comprised of fantastic views of many mountains covered with green grass and large pine trees often complimented with a rock peak sprinkled with snow. I was smiling the whole way. The old town was streaming with baroque architecture and historical buildings. The city is the home of Mozart and the setting for every one's favorite film: the sound of music. Everything about our time in Salzburg was perfect except for the fact our hostel was filled with a large french school group of loud highly energetic pain in the ass teenagers. After two days of seeing Austria's past in this historic town we took a train out to the countryside to visit with a couple that are good friends of my father. They own a restaurant looking over a peaceful valley filled with green pastures and touched with a variety of colorful flowers. Lara and I took a walk through through a forest and peaceful meddow before they treated us to a fantastic lunch of white asparagus soup, a well cooked steak for me, vegetable dumplings for Lara, a pancake crepe ice cream creation for dessert (don't know the name), and some good schnapps to top of it off. They were fairly busy with other customers so we didnt get too much time to talk but it was fun to hear about their lives and friendship with my parents.

From Salzburg we traveled onward to Innsbruck, a smaller city nestled at the base of several towering mountains. The city is famous for holding the winter olympics in the1960s and 70s. Again we were confronted by a city with so much history and the remaining architecture and historical monuments. The many bright colors of the Tyrolian art and architecture style gives the city goer a full spectrum of positive feelings. What can I say, I love Austria. Lara and I had to sadly seperate as I went on to Venice (where I am currently traveling) and she back to school in Vienna (but we may be meeting again in a month or two).

The Reflection

I feel the traveling starting to wear on me. The past 7 months have been amazing but I feel my curiosity starting to fade. With so much history constantly begging to be known and so many splendors of man-made creation and natural beauty to be explored, I feel I cannot hold it all in. I am sad to be losing the enthusiasm I had earlier in my trip but I think I am finding my limits. It was great to travel with Lara, as it completely changed the environment to have another person to share and reflect with. But alone, the environment sometimes loses value just because I have been overwhelmed with so many sights and sounds and people. I will most likely continue onward from Italy to France, Switzerland, and Germany and from Berlin fly to Iceland, New York and back to California in mid-July. I would not have expected to start losing interest at this time in my trip but it is a reality I am confronted with. At the same time I feel so incredibly humbled at this opportunity and so grateful for every moment I have on this trip. It is a unique fusion of feelings. But I shall do my best to find the muse who will speak words of inspiration that will lead me onwards to grow and be transformed by these many foreign environments. There is always hope. I will learn about myself through this process and will become a traveler anew.

With each step we are guided, all we must do is stop and listen in order to know.

Karl
Venice, Italy