May 2007

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