hallo from, wien (vienna), austria! hello reader and welcome to country #2 of my 2015 summer euro tour! after an 8 hour train ride from zurich, i stepped onto the platform in a brand new station with fresh feet, ready to tackle another european teasure…
on the danube river, running through the heart of wien photo: jeanny prüger
as i start my first full day in a new city, my mission is usually pretty simple: take my camera, find the architecture, and go… but the 3 days i spent in wien didn’t fit that typical adventuring format… to me, i can at times, operate my life quite independently of others; isolation and crippling shyness define my personality well. but not in vienna…architecture and the patient hunt for aesthetically sound photographs gave way to drinks, food, laughter and dancing!
my host jeanny and i at empress sisi’s castle schönbrunn palace (photo: inga mau)
a dear friend from vienna, jeanny, was my incredible host in the heart of the city. i gave a small tour of los angeles to her and a few other au pairs working in berkeley, california over a year ago…and now, the time had come for me to see her city! also an avid photographer, jeanny has given me a rare gift during my visit here…photos of myself! photos of me drinking, eating, laughing, dancing, and all in all just having a damn good time in vienna :)
so, foregoing the usual cityscapes and history that can dominate these pages, lets indulge in something a little lighter this time!
enjoy!
ok, so just a little bit of architecture above, but even that was blocked by fun and entertainment (see the giant movie screen blocking the structure on the bottom?!)
jeanny took us on a walking tour of the city center after finishing work. we stopped by the parlament building (spelled correctly), city hall and the gardens of city hall. we also made our way to hofburg castle, a tourist staple, and a super relaxing river beach bar along the historic danube river!
food isn’t usually a top priority for me while traveling. but jeanny insisted on a hearty austrian made breakfast each morning
breakfast #1 (not pictured, eaten too fast) european style pancakes (crepes) with honey, raspberry, blueberry, yogurt, and nutella. breakfast #2, pictured top left: austriankaiserschmarren, similar to american french toast, but the dough is made from scratch, hmmmmmm! i also hunted down some peanut butter, which is not a common european food piece and snacked on it as the american delicacy that it is…pinky’s up!!
additionally, pictured above (bottom right) is the single most disgusting dish austrians equate to a meal…some type of diced ham, hardened in fat with an egg topping…(name: i didn’t want to know)
we also treated ourselves to austrian beer made by a local brewery, ottakringer, just steps from jeanny’s flat. and a tasty traditional austrian sandwhich:leberkäse semmel (thickly cut ham between a sliced roll)
jeanny jordan!
how austrians take out the trash!
another former au pair in berkeley, inga, from germany was visiting jeanny as well. it’s such an incredible feeling to see friends i’ve met in the u.s. and explore another city with them on the other side of the world :)
prater amusement park!
a night spent roaming around vienna’s prater amusement park:http://www.prater.at
another end of the day spent on the danube river, before heading out for a night on the town! have you ever danced so hard, and for so long, that you can wring out your shirt on the train ride home? (top right!)
my 3 days in vienna were documented so well in the smiles and laughs above. thank you for these memories jeanny (and inga!), it will be impossible to forget how much fun and adventure can be squeezed into 72 hours :)
despite the vienna city capers, the step count and mile totals continue to rise:
totals: 14 days 9 cities 2 countries 257,000 steps 136 miles
my next adventure, country #3, will be in prague, czech republic. i’m anxious to discover the rich history of this uber central european city, and to once again, dive into the beautiful architecture of the past!
bonjour, hallo & ciao from the motherland! welcome reader to the first stop of my 2015 summer euro tour. it's with a great smile that i sit to document my many adventures in switzerland.
focmaps.com
10 days, 8 cities, 167,000 steps rounding out at 100 miles on foot :)
to say that i explored the lands of my great great grandparents doesn't do my feet (nor my pf flyers) justice. every step was a reminder of the many years i spent longing for the day i'd actually be here. although i often found myself taking much needed mid-day snoozes, i promise you, i took full advantage of each and every hour i had.
because of our flight path over the artic, i didn't experience darkness for well over 30 hours
the adventure began in earnest with the 20 hour flight to my first city, geneva. we flew over greenland and the artic ocean with stunning views of blinding white glaciers.
a friend i hosted in los angeles last year, anouk, was my incredible host during the time i had in the french speaking west end of switzerland. as i made my way through swiss customs, it was so nice to see a familiar face smiling back at me on the other side of the world!
my wonderful swiss host in geneva, anouk! thank you to the entire keller family for your kindness and hospitality :)
during the 5 days i had under the care of the keller family, i was absolutley humbled with generosity and comfort. with anouk on summer holidays, she was kind enough to guide me around the various cities i had on my list.
Geneva
a day spent in geneva, biking around the city and swimming in it's beautiful lake. there's a unique collide between two rivers in the center collage above; one comes from the lake (blue) the other from the mountains (brown). we also made a stop at the U.N. Europe HQ! (top left)
Lausanne
an afternoon spent in lausanne is an afternoon spent on the stairmaster...the city is built on hills, big, exhausting, endlessly beautiful hills! lausanne is across from geneva on lac leman (lake geneva) and another friend i hosted in los angeles calls it her home. katy met up with me and anouk during her lunch break and we sat in the park, catching up on life :) we were also surpised by an impromptu street performance from a band outside lausanne's large cathedral!
La Chaux De Fonds (home village)
my 3rd day in switzerland was ambitous. 3 cities and 5 trains later, i will have seen my home village, la chaux de fonds (above) along with the swiss capital (bern) and ending the day with a stay in the swiss alps (anzere). we spent 3 hours on a walking tour through la chaux de fonds which included a stop at the international watch museum. it's not just my roots that draw me to swiss time pieces, it's the craftsmanship and precision that intrigue me...it was an incredible feeling and privilage to walk the streets in the village of my great great grandparents :)
Bern (swiss captial)
a pleasantly rainy day in the swiss captial! we stumbled upon the U.S. Embassy and i also fell in love with a beautiful wenger watch...it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase a swiss watch in none other than the swiss capital, but to have an instant connection with the piece as well (think harry potter and his wand!) was beyond meaningful.
Anzere (swiss alps!)
unfortunatley, most all of my time in switzerland was accompanied by clouds and rain. although it didn't stop me from enjoying my experience, it did prove for some sub-par images :/ but none tops the rainiest, cloudiest, foggiest conditions like my time in the swiss alps! just outside of sion, a mountain community (anzere) was where i spent 2 nights and a full day covered in the densest mist i've ever seen. we hiked 12 miles rountrip to a beautiful lake that we knew we weren't actually going to be able to see...but the hike (and the 50 ft. radius we could see from any given angle) was still a blast!
Zurich
my experience in zurich would not have been nearly as memorable without the amazing host i now consider a good friend.
my zurich host, beat, gave me a guided tour of zurich each night after finishing work. we walked by his favorite places in his beloved city, where tourists rarely venture. he lent me his bike for a strenuous uphill trek to a panoramic view of zurich and it's lake from atop uetilberg. but depsite the shocking views of the city and the surrounding swiss alps, my favorite part of zurich was being treated to the finest local meal of zurich geschnetzeltes (small pieces of veal cooked in a creamy mushroom and white wine sauce). thank you for your unrelenting hospitality and kindness beat! people like you make the world a much better place :)
Einsiedeln
einsiedeln was a suggestion from my host, beat. i mentioned that i wanted a small village atmostphere and his recommendation was spot on! i took beat's bike and cycled around a large lake, discovered an enormous monestary, summer ski jumping, and two cows i'd now call my friends :)
Luzern
luzern was another suprise visit on my list, and another succesful suggestion from beat. it was the 8th and final city to round off my tour of switzerland.
i've now seen more of my home country switzerland than i have of my actual 'home' state of california. and to be honest, i'm totally happy with that! it's an experience i dreamt of as a child, and the time i've spent here has surpassed any expectations i could have possibly had growing up.
it's a land that invests heavily in it's people, providing countless public spaces that you would actually want to use. in zurich, they have these amazing swimming areas embedded right in the river. docks line the edges with bars and restaurants, and jumping off the bridges is absolutley acceptable :)
it's difficult to imagine the distances i've walked and the many different cities i've managed to see. i even skipped venice, italy, scratched it right off the list, because i wanted, no... i needed more time in this country. although it's undoubtably the most expensive country i've toured so far (about $20 USD for a plate of delicious chow mein...no, not joking) it's people and culture have also been the kindest and most accepting of others.
up next is vienna (wien) and the country of austria! i'm looking forward to a new adventure and hopefully some improved weather!
to my hosts, anouk, the keller family and beat; you must know how incredibly special you've made my time in switzerland. for the memories i'll never forget, and the friends i'll always have, thank you!
231...this is roughly the number of days worked since mid-september of 2014. it's now august, 2015 and 4 days separate me from a much anticipated second tour of europe!
august 10 - sept. 7 europe, summer 2015
the alluring history & rich culture of these countries themselves is enough to seduce anyone into a second go around. but the potentially surprising detail that brought me back is...curiosity.
source: swisswatchwire.com
as a child my mother used to mention every so often that her side of the family is swiss. i knew from a young age that with my darker complexion, a trip pursuing long lost family might end in some awkwardness, but nonetheless, i always took great pride in my half-swiss roots. to me, the swiss have always meant unparalleled craftsmanship and resolute neutrality. two things i would be more than happy to have etched into my tombstone (joking, joking...please cremate me!).
i don't have a grand plan to quest after my relatives in the mother country, but i am adamantly curious about the land & culture of switzerland. and so, it's switzerland where i begin...
i fear this may be your last big adventure old friend...
with my trusty backpack and sidekick adventure bag, i'm packing up a weeks supply of clothes to last for 30 days. this bag has seen me through moments of paralyzing adrenaline and days of pure elation. i've had her for 6 solid years, and i couldn't have asked for a better companion. you're the reason i never have to check a bag, you fit my back like a glove, and you even double as a pillow when i'm desperate...but sadly, with holes in your meshes, and all but busted zipper cords, this may be our last great tour together dear backpack. lets make it count!
while switzerland is the main attraction, i'm not taking a 19 hour flight with a 5 hour layover in moscow for a one stop tour...
- venice, italy
- vienna, austria
- berlin/hamburg, germany (and)
- stockholm, sweden
these cities tentatively round off the remaining weeks. and with a eurail pass, my typically well-planned itinerary is not set in it's tracks. i bought the rail pass for $800, and it allows for 10 full-day train rides, i.e. anywhere i can go (even switching multiple trains) within a 24 hour period counts as 1 day of riding! 28 european countries participate in the eurail pass, and with various packages for purchase, you're bound to find something in your budget. my only stipulation is that i must use my 10 trips within 2 months...psshhh, done!
representing home with the red, white & blue :)
as my closet continues to swell with adventure ridden pf flyers, yet another pair joins the collection as this summer's designated euro-tour kicks. a new pair is vital to my ambitions of exploring 5 brand new cities on foot. lets see how they hold up to the many miles we have in store together...
my brand new 24-70 f2.8 lense joins me this summer
to slay down europe's architecture once more!
and what would a euro tour be to a photographer without a camera! sweeping architecture and breathtaking landscapes top my desires, but who knows whats to come...
i invite you to join me on my adventures as i document the beautiful aspects of human civilization and culture in central europe. with well planned free time (and some luck), i'll be posting my happenings in each destination along the way. check-in mid-august for my first stop, switzerland!
to my friends, family and dear sasha for your love and support during this last season of work...
thank you!
i'm inexplicably blessed to once again passionately explore the world around me...
it's august, and another summer tour has come to fulfill the annual needs of my mind & body. welcome reader to my nicaraguan adventure of 2014!
every piece of this trip was defined by the unknown, beginning with the plane tickets...noting some of the words from my last post in greece, i did have big intentions to make my way towards central america this summer. however, my plan was costa rica...so how did i end up one country north?
i used the small coastal town of san juan del sur as base,
but also spent a night on the island of ometepe in the middle
of lake nicaragua surrounded by two active volcanoes...
while trying to find adventures and accommodation in costa rica, i found the basics to be a bit more expensive than i had anticipated. in california, and as an american in general, most conversation about travel in central america is usually about costa rica, so i found it kinda easy to forget there were other places to see (huge mistake). in defense of my ignorance, the united states does have travel advisories in 3 out of 6 central american countries; guatemala, el salvador and honduras...
pasture at the base of volcán concepción on isle ometepe
a friend made a subtle suggestion of nicaragua, and it's as if the map i had been staring at for days suddenly doubled in size. as if my mind realized the possibilities of discovering paradise in a place i knew very little about...
magnific rock, just south of popoyo, nicaragua
over the last ten years, i've made weak, albeit consistent attempts to become fluent in spanish. a trip to nicaragua was an exciting test of the fragmented lessons i've managed to piece together. though i live in california with plenty of opportunities to practice, i've always had a fear of trying to speak spanish to native speakers...well the time had come to throw fear aside and embrace the little that i do know for a full-immersion nica experience.
language was a big part of my decision to explore nicaragua, but i was in search of other indulgences as well. friendship, adventure, solitude and beautiful landscapes...all of which i found each and every day of my nica tour:
to new friends now near and dear to my heart: alan, milton, emelie, sandrine,
isabelle, josh, ambur, ashley, brookly and the many more,
thank you for making my nica experience that much more enjoyable :)
traveling on your own, you're quick to recognize the opportunity to make good friends. organic companionship is undoubtedly one of the most vital conditions required for me to enjoy any experience. it serves to make those experiences profoundly more impactful and meaningful...
i spent part of my day on the volcanic island ometepe hiking through
the thickest, densest jungle lands i've ever seen...it got hotter
& hotter as i made my way up the side of the volcano concepción
i fell in-love with a white dirt bike, and i wasn't it's only admirer. as i rode past the smallest of villages, locals young and old would smile and wave at me, but many of their eyes were fixed on the bike. thanks to my moto blanco, i saw parts of this world that few people have been...
with a motor bike, i explored the isle ometepe, a dense volcanic jungle
washing machines in nicaragua are a luxury and i'm pretty particular about my clothes, so i had the pleasure of handwashing my own stuff!
each and every one of the eleven days i had in nica was exciting, new and unplanned. i spent days surfing, and i spent days exploring back country trails without a map. i spent afternoons sprawled out on a massive hammock, exhausted from a late night out with new friends...
magnific rock. popoyo can be seen towards the upper right
i spent hours on a couch watching soccer from all over the world in spanish. i smoked an entire pack of cigarettes (why?), i watched intense, ground shaking thunderstorms pass by overhead in minutes, followed by luscious sunshine...
i made lifelong friends and i danced on top of benches and tables over the course of three seperate pub crawls. i was pushed into a pool by a stranger at a pool party, got out, yelled at this stranger for being an ass, then gave him a hug 30 seconds later...
i sat in silence pondering questions of the future. at 27, i still wonder on a regular basis, what life has in store. nicaragua is a fascinating country, with much of the population living in the 3rd world, and many dependent on the limited resources of the socialist government. as i grow older, i think more and more about what i can do to help those less fortunate than me...i witnessed some of the most intense poverty i've ever seen, and i was humbled with how the people made use of their limited resources. the thought of what they are capable of with the right tools is so inspiring, i can't help but imagine the potential for success.
an extremely wealthy chinese entrepreneur has plans to begin building a canal cutting through the heart of nicaragua in an effort to compete with the panama canal operated by the united states. the project is creating alot of tension within nica between people for and against the canals construction. i see the pros and cons of the grand canal, as it's called locally. it offers a clear economic boost in terms of local jobs, but it also creates significant environmental hazards, including tampering with the countries largest fresh water supply in lake nicaragua, and also the potential disturbance of active volcanoes...
it's the type of story i can see myself being apart of...how, i don't know. what i do know is that my adventure in nicaragua gave me more than i could have possibly expected. as i progress in my exploration of civilization and culture around the world, i am continuously reminded of the beauty and wonder of the universe...
