Category: Contients

Hello dear readers,

I have been in Munich for a few days now and am enjoying myself. There is something about Munich that is very regal and refreshing and altogether welcoming to me. It is not like Italy, or Spain, or Ireland, or any other country where I have been. I like how neat and tidy Germany is. I enjoy being in a city where the standard of living is high and yet the people will leave you completely alone to do your own thing. I also enjoy that it has everything I could want in a city: international airport and bus/train lines, luxury stores and a world class ballet theatre, high fashion shops, cobble-stone streets, and beautiful architecture and lots of history. It is a fairy-tale city and truly in Munich, dreams come true.

I don’t really enjoy list posts, so I won’t write it out in numbers. But I do count my blessings. I can say this much.
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In Munich, I have really learned the importance of caring for one’s appearance. It makes a difference how people look at you because it is how you look at yourself.

Love can blossom wherever there is spring.

If you give something, never expect a single thing in return. That is true love.

Do not be afraid of having fun and being childlike. Not throwing tantrums or something like that. But childlike. Innocent and kind and imaginative, the way we all are as children before the hurt comes. It doesn’t have to split our souls when we become adults when we heal from traumatic experiences. Everyone has their own private pain, no matter how great or small. What is important is that it informs us, but doesn’t deform us.

The best thing in the world is having someone on your side who you can trust.

It is not about the money, but about the intention behind it.

Live with the purpose of having all your dreams fulfilled. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. The universe will fulfil all our requests.

There is nothing better than being kind.

Be the person you say you are.

Now, time for the photos. As always, all opinions are my own.

Hello!

Okay, so first I shall admit, this wasn’t part of my plan. At least, not on paper. On paper, I was supposed to go from Stockholm, Sweden directly to Warsaw, Poland, and continue on to Budapest after a day or two.

But even when I was planning my 10-country-Europe-hop, I knew I would come back to Munich after Stockholm to see my best friend Raphael.

And, as circumstance happened, the events turned out just so that could happen.

Call it coincidence, call it feelings, call it intuition, call it rebelling against your limits of control, call it whatever you want: I just had a bad feeling about going to Warsaw. Not that I have anything against Warsaw. It’s just one of those things you should listen to in your gut, when you have a voice telling you in your mind ‘do this. Your soul will be happy later.’

Dear readers of this blog, I had chosen earlier not to go to Munich because Warsaw was the cheaper option. However, I can say that this ‘mistake’ was probably one of the best ones in my life. I got to see my best friend at exactly the right time, at exactly the right hour. Listen to your heart when it tells you to do something, because that is your soul telling you it is exactly the choice you need to make to be truly, utterly happy!

So, here’s what happened that led to this mishap:

I stayed in Acco Hostel, in Stockholm.

I do not recommend this hostel. The reason is because while the photos on the website look amazing, with lots of white light and wide-angle camera shots, it is in reality quite small, crowded, cramped, and most importantly to me, it was not so clean.

Cleanliness in a hostel is really important to me. I don’t like taking showers in places that are dirty, for example, or going into a toilet/Water Closet/bathroom that is not spick-and-span. Who does?

Especially if you are paying for somewhere to rest your tired body and find some refreshing sleep and peace of mind. It’s hard to love anything that makes you go ‘ew.’ Cleanliness is extremely important. And unfortunately, I was disappointed by Acco Hostel. It cost $26 for one night in a 6-bed all-girl dorm, and while the people there were absolutely friendly and polite, and I was able to rest for a while in a warm, clean room without bad smells in a cozy bed, it was the lack of staff who was cleaning the place that made me feel unsettled.

I was told once when I was in Venice that there is a hostel on the island that has 150 beds when there is a permit of only 45 or so. That places a huge strain on the bathrooms, because the bathrooms only have one toilet and one shower for all those people. Imagine 150 people using only 6 bathrooms every day and night! It’s incredible.

I sometimes wonder if hostels elsewhere do the same thing as the one in Venice: take advantage of their permits. I can understand cutting costs and hiring less staff. But quality of service suffers, and that, dear readers, means loss of reputation and future guests! And no business wants that if it wants to survive!

So, as it turned out, I had a 2 hour journey ahead of me to get back to Skavsta airport, about 56 miles outside of Stockholm. Relying on the train and bus, I managed to get there right in time to still have a chance at catching my plane to Warsaw.

But it was not to be. As soon as I got to the security checkpoint, I was denied access because the ‘gate was closed’ even though they were clearly doing a ‘final call’ right in front of me at the gate. So, not really worried, I went back to the service counter and after some deliberation, bought a relatively cheap ($70ish) flight to Venice Treviso, from where I would catch a Flixbus back to Munich.

All in all, the deviation from my carefully planned trip cost about $200, for the flight, the Flixbus ($50 for an 11 hour ride through the beautiful Swiss alps), the bus shuttle from the airport ($12), food at the airport ($6) and a night in a hostel ($26) and another Flixbus to get to Budapest from Munich to resume my travel plans ($40).

But, what is $200 in the face of love?

There are times when you must make those decisions that your heart tells you to make. There are the decisions that are important, like ‘get a job’ and ‘pay your bills’ and so on. But then there are also the choices, such as ‘seeing this person is important to me at this time.’

Sometimes, you simply have to deviate from the ‘plan.’ Having once been a solider following strict orders, I have since become someone who is slowly learning how to balance the tightrope of following what I have to do, and what I want to do.

I told myself when planning for this trip that I would never deviate my course again for anyone, like I have done in trips past. A few more days in one place. A week in another. A few months in another. Staying for years for friends.

Yes, there is a time and a place to follow the plan that you make. But I have to say, sometimes, when your heart tells you it is right to deviate, you should pay the money and deviate. The reason why? Because for me, what matters most in the end is not how well I followed orders, but how well I can live with my soul. And that, my dear readers, is a life-long journey of self-discovery.

And, you know what? I am so glad I took the bus back to Munich. The 8 hours that we spent winding along on the road through the Italian mountains into the Swiss alps into the beautiful flowering plains of southern Germany is one of the most precious and beautiful experiences of my life. And leading up to seeing my best friend one more time, it is a combination I would never regret. For moments like that, it is truly priceless.

Just don’t look at the credit card bill immediately afterwards :-)! (But pay it on time).

Now, time for the photos. The pictures of the alps are not so good because I took them on my cell phone, but you can see why it was truly a magical experience.

I was glad I was able to spend a couple days refreshing my soul in Munich. Sometimes, after all the stress and worry that comes with the joy and happiness of travelling, we all need somewhere that we can call home. A home away from home. If you can find one of those, then travelling all over the world will never be so hard, because after all that time spent out in the distant lands soaking up the ideas and culture of change and curiosity, there will always be a road back home.

Hello dear readers,

I am thoroughly enjoying being in Stockholm, Sweden. If you are looking for a place to visit that has high class living standards for everyone, beautiful architecture, well dressed people, arts and culture, and a very ‘Harry Potter feel,’ then Stockholm is just the ticket.

I honestly cannot recommend anything in Stockholm that isn’t absolutely wonderful. It is simply a world city where anywhere you go will be nice. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around on the promenade in the island, where the Old Town section is, going in and out of the shops and looking at the different things in the windows. There is even a pub called The Hairy Pig Pub. For me, that is simply delightful!

Stockholm is like one giant IKEA store. There is in fact the first original IKEA store nearby where I am staying (I am staying in a great house in Huddinge, which is a small town right next to Stockholm). There are gardens in Stockholm to walk around and explore the natural beauty, like Djurgarden, for example, mixed into the city.

Stockholm is a delightful mix of old and new in a very seamless fashion. Everything is a bit expensive in Stockholm, but that means the standard of living is very high for everyone, also. The commuter trains are clean and comfortable, and the buses run on time.

If you fly into one of the airports surrounding Stockholm, you have to pay about $17-20 for a bus to take you into Stockholm. From there, you can take any commuter train or bus, you just have to buy a ticket. A single journey ticket costs about $4.

I am staying in a great Airbnb in Huddinge, which is 5 stops by train away from Stockholm. The roommates are great, they play games, watch movies together, go on excursions to the forests and lakes, and basically welcome you like a good friend. Here is the link: Room in Huddinge with awesome roommates

So far, it seems to be a very ideal society.

Now for the photos. As always, all opinions are my own.

Hello!

After Athens, Greece, what could be better than going back to the country right next to Romania, Bulgaria? It’s not a real question. It’s a rhetorical question, and I asked it because I was just in Athens, where Socratic methods of thought were born. The point is, I didn’t expect to like Sofia at all, from anything I have read or heard (which is not much). However, I was totally surprised.

Sofia is an excellent city! I love nature, as you all know, and Sofia’s huge green parks with blooming tulips and trees, real old trees, made me feel very much at home after the concrete jungle that was poor Athens, Greece.

Now, it might occur to you if you follow me, that I have a very simplistic mind. The fact is, when I am travelling, I do have a very simplistic mind. Food, nature, art, music, shelter, warmth — I am thoroughly reminded how life is not so easy out in the wild where I would be helplessly lost if I tried to survive away from civilisation.

The thing is, young kids these days (in general, and I have been told never to generalise) are kind of mad at the ‘state of things.’ Lots of economic hardship around the world, lack of internet privacy, feeling disillusioned, hopeless, etc. about global climate change and overpopulation and pollution — you know, the big picture. It all sounds pretty depressing and let’s face it, watching the destruction of our home is never easy. I mean, hey everyone, where are we going to find another habitable planet anywhere near our galaxy?

Okay, I strayed away from Sofia. The point is, Sofia was once under communist rule, but it is not any longer, and while I don’t know the state of its economy or government rule, it is a very nice place to be, from my vantage point. The streets are wide, there are buses, street trams, the metro, public parks to play in, and promenades to walk and shop.

Despite the fact that citizens of Bulgaria find it really hard (or impossible) to get a visa to the United States, their way of life doesn’t seem so bad at all, unlike Romania, its neighbouring country. Of course, good and bad quality of life is entirely based on our own point of view, but from my line of sight, these people are doing just fine. At least, on the surface. What do I know? I am just an observer from a different place.

I walked from Vasil Levski Stadium to Sofia University, up around the magnificent old monuments and buildings, stopped in the National Museum of Art, which had a kind of black and white screen printing exhibition which none of the people there understood but thought it was ‘interesting,’ and down to the old Roman city remains of Serdika, by the mosque, and then through the shopping street Vitosha to the Bulgaria Square, which has a lot of fountains leading down from what I think was the National Palace of Culture (according to my paper map).

Food: the pastries are excellent. As for anything else, I cannot say. I know I am the bastion of healthy living in all other areas, but when it comes to travelling, these cheap pasties and croissant shops that line the streets always capture my money. We don’t have them in the United States. They are an excellent (carbohydrate only) food!

Getting around: You can use the Metro, which is very cheap, about 1.40 Lva per single ride, or you can take the bus or street tram. I had a lot of time, and I like to walk, so I walked. I like to see the sights that way.

Also, did I mention there is a giant mountain right beside the city? Beautiful.

Time for the photos. As always, all opinions are my own!
NOTE: Until I can get back to Munich HQ, my photos are not yet operational. These are not my own, but they show you what Sofia looks like.

Hello!

I am currently in Bucharest, Romania, which if any of you have read or seen Dracula, is the spooky nation (well, more of the region of Transylvania) that inspired the story of that infamous, lifeless immortal.

Honestly, I don’t like Bucharest, but I have the feeling that were I to stay longer in this spooky city, I would fall madly in love. It is just so delightfully creepy! However, it is hard to adjust to, that is, it’s a really hard switch to make from the beautiful sun-and-sand locations I have spent nearly the last two weeks of my European country hop about. There are policemen dotting every few hundred meters and sirens of police cars going off about every hour or so. For some reason, there is a dark cloud over Bucharest that I highly suspect has a lot to do with the poverty of the country and the history of its transition from empire to communist country. Coming from the United States, it is a little hard for me to realize that I am in Romania, which is in eastern Europe and in a completely different historical story than the western world.

Living in the free world — I’ve gotten a lot of criticism from Russians, Ukrainians, Serbians, and anyone else who envies my visa. They say I come from a land of complete freedom and opportunity and I am not even aware of what I was born into. They say this because for them, visas are expensive and difficult to obtain, and America is still seen to be the country of opportunity.

While I do understand the resentment, it really has hurt my feelings over the last few years to hear this kind of commenting. I don’t tell them that it is bad in the United States, too, that lots of people in their twenties have massive student loans and high interest rates for college education, who can’t find jobs appropriate for their learning or for their desired career, and who live on pay check to pay check. It is not like Americans don’t have fear of poverty — it just looks less noticeable because we don’t really see it from the outside. But many Americans are cutting back on food and health care to have more money to spend elsewhere, and food insecurity is a problem that affects a high percentage of the population (meaning wondering where the next meal will come from).

I have not been alone in experiencing poverty, in fact, I have lived since turning 18 on a very modest income and lifestyle. It’s not because I don’t want to work, because I worked part-time all throughout college. It’s because afterwards, when I wanted to join the workforce, I was up against hundreds or thousands of applicants who had very similar credentials for the jobs I was applying for, jobs that suited my career field and degrees, and I was getting rejected everywhere.

Also, to be completely forthcoming, I did not want to join the corporate workforce and sit behind a desk like the rest of my Management and Finance majors went on to do in Big Four companies and well known firms. I wanted to be self-employed, make my own decisions, build my own lifestyle, have freedom to work when and where I wanted, and be happy doing what I loved.

That means you’re ‘freelancing’ or ‘working online’ and that really doesn’t make much money in the first few years (or at least, not for me, and I was working multiple part-time jobs most of the time). So basically, I was living just like they were, despite being in the land of the free and the land of the opportunists, and I was experiencing just like they were the hunger and the struggle and the often depressing facts that the ‘Great Recession’ had lent to my whole generation: that even though we had tried so, so hard to get ahead, things had become worse and worse each year, with opportunities shrinking and salaries dropping and hours increasing.

While this was all too much to say to these critical foreigners, I did take in their points of view and try to see it from their side. It really must be hard growing up in a country where there is no opportunity whatsoever to rise, no matter how hard you try. This is what Bucharest seems like to me. The once beautiful old city was largely demolished and turned into communist-style block buildings in 1965-89 under Nicolae Ceausescu’s leadership.

Bucharest may be in a critical place for standards of quality of life, but I can tell just in this short time of being here, that it was once a vibrant cultural centre in between the two World Wars and this undercurrent remains through all its instability and changes. I walked through the Old Town, stopped in one of the churches there and admired the frescoes on the ceilings, saw the Cismigiu Garden’s spring beauty, walked around and around seeing the remains of the old town’s architecture, the old palace that is now the National Museum of Art, the National Bank of Romania, and so on.

Prices are very low for the USD and Euro in Romania (about 4 to 5 to 1 Lei), and I was surprised how cheap I could buy things like food. I didn’t feel like changing my few Euros to Lei, so I stuck to using my credit card in markets and bought the pasties I have been seeing in shop windows everywhere. They taste amazing, and once again I am very thankful I can tolerate gluten! I really don’t drink alcohol, but it seems that lots of places exist for nice meaty dinners combined with wine or beer. I am not really a meat eater, though, so the pasties were enough for me.

By far my favourite cultural sight in Bucharest was the Cismigiu Gardens, which I was told are the oldest gardens in Bucharest. They were blooming with tulips and had leafy boulevards leading around a lake with a fountain in the middle, with lots of other blooms and lots of chirping birds. I thought this was a very necessary respite from the unhappy hustle and bustle of Bucharest. I say unhappy because it seems like the numerous amount of policemen are around to prevent any protests from springing up. When I was walking around Cismigiu Gardens, I saw and heard protesters crowded on one side of the street across from me. It simply feels like organised crime has gained a serious foothold in Bucharest due to changing governmental policies and a lack of public affairs attention to lifestyle standards.

Still, don’t be put off, I would recommend Bucharest to anyone who wants to come here. I went out again at night and was rewarded with a completely changed face of the city: there were strings of lights hanging over the main streets in a very festive way, and nearby the University, which is near to my Airbnb, an amazing funky jazz band was playing in a small tent near the Cismigiu gardens and street sellers. I caught most of their one hour performance and it was thrilling to hear. Despite the occasional rain and the cold (I am finally able to wear the winter jacket Raphael made me bring along), I managed to find a sight that was inspiring and original at last.

It really made coming to Bucharest worth it!

Now for the photos. As always, all opinions are my own.