Last year I was in Munich for 10 days during Oktoberfest and absolutely loved it. I wanted to come back this year to experience more of Bavaria. When I was in Santiago I reserved an AirBnb across the street from the wiesn (the Oktoberfest fairgrounds) and rented it for 5 weeks. Bayern (what Germans call Bavaria) drives the auto industry which in a large part drives the German economy. BMW is based in Munich (I visited the BMW museum), Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt and Mercedes is based in Stuttgart (while technically not within Bavaria is directly adjacent to it). Hundreds of years ago Bavarians were considered sort of country-bumpkins and even thieving knaves within the Nibelungenlied. These days those – people from Munich have adopted the persona of being sort of rich and snobby. This is not *my* description of Munichers, but instead their own! This year, October 3rd was the German unification holiday – celebrating in 1989 the unification of West and East Germany; a time I was told, ‘East Germany became much richer and west Germany much poorer.’ This gives you some insight into the local perspectives within a country which is still quite internally diverse. And while personally I prefer Munich […]
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Oktoberfest has been a highlight of 2015 for me and a complete surprise. I had no expectations of loving it as much as I did. A Bavarian tradition for over 180 years (Bavaria is a region of southern Germany unique from other regions in culture, dialect and other ways) Oktoberfest is the epitome of a unique, cultural immersion that should be experienced by everyone. And in Munich everyone does! The young, elderly, single and married — foreigners too — flock here once a year for an international celebration that lasts 18 wonderful, glorious, happy and blissful days. You might recognize Oktoberfest as a drinking festival and it largely is. German breweries erect massive tents holding up to 10,000 people (16 of these tents cover the Wiesn, or “grounds”) and serve their ice-cold brews in 1-liter glass steins for 10 euros apiece. This is actually quite a deal considering if Oktoberfest took place in the United States… well it wouldn’t be nearly as fun. For instance Bavaria is known for it’s hospitality and kindness to travelers (not exactly the same as the rest of Germany) — the tents take great pride in hosting its visitors and the service is second to none. You […]
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Berlin never had a chance. Then again it didn’t exactly help its cause. I took a bus with four friends to Berlin from Munich where I had just experienced Oktoberfest opening weekend. The friends that I was with were excited for Berlin – unrivaled nightlife, romantic cultural history and significance, blending of Soviet influences and a culture distinctly different from Bavaria. A culture distinctly less appealing to me than Bavaria. Wifi was very hard to find – none available in the many coffee shops we visited, making actually getting work done problematic. A main reason for my visit to Berlin was the Pergamonmuseum, a museum showcasing the relics looted from the ancient site in Turkey I had visited the week before. Unfortunately I learned upon arrival that the exhibit within the museum showcasing the looted items is under reconstruction until 2019. As for that historical romanticism surrounding the concrete wall — doesn’t do it for me. Nor does the night-life or clubs that my peers are so excited about. Maybe it’s because I’m 35 and the idea of buying drinks until 6 am sounds silly or I just feel no connection to the euro-chic — Berlin culture isn’t my thing. So I […]
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I spend about half of September in Istanbul and the rest exploring remote regions of Turkey (with a couple excursions to Germany as well). I have never experienced a city like this before — 14 million people, terrible traffic, poor infrastructure and water that the locals refuse to drink. I had a blast. I came to admire and enjoy these charms as well as so many more – Turkish delights, nargile (aka “hookah” or shisha — smoked water vapor in a variety of fruit flavors), tea in place of alcohol in many social circumstances, the friendly, curious locals, the endless corners and neighborhoods to explore in this sprawling, cluttered, chaotic city. Istanbul is marketed to its tourists as a dichotomy of eastern and western influences – the only city spanning two continents, it is split by the Bosporus into a European side and an Asian side. I never made it to the Asian side — and I didn’t come close to seeing half of everything the European side has to offer — Istanbul is that large. But it doesn’t really seem large as much as busy. In most contexts your view beyond the neighborhood you are in is obstructed by buildings […]
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Cavtat, Croatia is 11 kilometers south east of Dubrovnik and an utter paradise. I start a typical weekday morning by riding my bike to the gym 5 minutes away, exercising, and then swimming laps in the Adriatic sea. The temperature of the water is 79 degrees — the salinity of the water makes staying afloat easy. There are no waves and the water is clear enough that I feel like I am flying while I have my goggles on. Swimming in such a vacant, accessible and wonderful place is immensely freeing — the shores are uncrowded or busy and you can plop into the ocean from anywhere around the city quite easily. This makes an impromptu swim on the way home from the office simple. After my morning swim I return home to shower and prepare for a day at the office – a nice 10 minute walk to the conference room in Hotel Croatia. I have been living off of grilled squid, fruit salad (fruit and vegetable vendors are 100 meters from my apartment) whatever I stir up in my tiny kitchenette. My friends organize potluck dinners regularly and finding others to share dinner with or help cook is always a breeze. This lifestyle […]
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I spent two nights in Belgrade, Serbia. A surprising city to me because I had little conceptualization of it to color my perception prior to arrival. Belgrade might surprise others as a city that is very European-feeling and yet with a very discriminate flavor of the Balkans which makes things much more appealing to me than compared to other more popular American destinations. When describing the “feel” of a culture I struggle — yet the Balkans give an impression distinctively varied from what I have experienced and that’s good. The people are not cold or indifferent (like many Europeans) and in fact it was easy to stroke up conversations and ask questions. Like Bucharest, my time here just scratched the surface — but enough to want to return.
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After hopping back to the states and taking care of business I needed to reconnoiter with Europe. I decided to take the scenic route to Croatia, where I’ll be spending the rest of August, stopping in a few places along the way. Bucharest, Romania was my first stop. I stayed at the Premier Hotel and Spa for two nights with the thought of trying to attack jet-lag with spa treatments and sleep. It mostly worked as I slept for at least eight hours each night. The deep tissue massage I had though… left some marks (see photo, below). I spent a night in the center of town at Hotel Cismigiu – a fabulous apartment replete with a living room, huge bathroom and even kitchenette and dining table for $100. On the first night I was here I attended a charity jazz concert surrounded by a dilapidated, national museum. Bucharest is a wonderful city to visit. It is very inexpensive (cap fares especially) and accessible to explore. The people are very friendly and courteous. For travelers Bucharest offers an interesting culture. It is the 6th largest city in the European Union. You’d never know though because it (surprisingly) isn’t all touristed-out. While here I’ve […]
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Slovenia was a respite after a three week, high-paced, Scandinavian vacation — things were much slower here in the capital city, Ljubljana. The population is not small at 277,000 but it feels small owing to the many bikes, little traffic and uncrowded arrangement of buildings, boulevards and people. I purchased a bike the day after my arrival for 60 euros — necessitated in order to travel to any of the three gyms I frequented in the mornings — 20 minute bike rides away. The slow-living in Slovenia turned out to be hyper-constructive for work and I found it easy to concentrate among so few distractions (other than the European heat wave and complete lack of air conditioning). I stayed in a dormitory housing high school students during the school year without access to refrigeration and a very meager kitchenette shared by about 50 people. It was all good though because I’m thoroughly adaptable to #nofridgelife — sardines, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, fruit, carrots and peanut butter — these foods are easy to store and for me to eat. I visited lake Bled, one of the most famous tourist destinations within Slovenia — a picturesque lake with a castle that afforded swimming and escape from the […]
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I arrived into Ljubljana, Slovenia late on the eve of my 35th birthday — a formative year in that I am allowed to run for president and my age is equidistant from twenty and fifty. The next day I purchased a used mountain bike for 60 Euros to serve as my transport for the next month. I also visited Crossfit Ljubljana and did heavy squats and deadlifts. That evening I was surprised by my friend Trevor who had arranged a river boat tour and karaoke night in celebration of my birthday. I was definitely surprised! My buddy Jeff had arranged for cigars and there was even a buffet. Great birthday.
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