Life, Thoughts, Travels

I thought I was going to Germany, primary to see historical sites.  The Berlin Wall, the Holocaust museum, Checkpoint Charlie, etc.  WOW, Berlin, showed me so much more. I was very afraid to travel here since I don't speak any German and though people have told me everyone speaks English, I knew pretty instantly in the airport (I flew from Amsterdam) that this would still be difficult. I caught a cab, which meant, I had to actually show the guy a picture and address of my hotel from my phone because apparently, I didn't say it correctly. But he was super nice and tried to point out neighborhoods and things along the way.  He even told me I chose a good location and the train was right next door. I checked in where everyone spoke English and wanted to see the sites.  So I had to figure out the subway/trains.  Thank you google maps, another accomplishment that I don't have to conquer much in the US.  I bought a 48 hour pass and went to the Berlin Wal...

Wow. Last year I remember making a post about how great my birthday was and I vowed to make it better every single year.  I certainly accomplished that. After what seemed like a super short 7 hour train ride we (Dave and Laurie traveled with me to Amsterdam) found ourselves with no available hotel rooms.  Which was just fine for me after a change of clothes but Dave and Laurie missed the naps they wanted to take. We took a walk to a cafe on one of the many squares here, enjoyed some breakfast and had a few draft Amstels.  From there we toured the city stopping in one of the oldest bars in the city, learning that every bar has a cat and drinking local and very good Belgian beers. After our rooms were ready, we showered, stopped by the hotel bar (are you sensing a trend?) and then went to wait on the edge of the canal for Dave's cousin to pick up up in his boat.  How amazing, a local tour guide - equipped with snacks, wine and the most beautiful views of Amsterd...

People often ask me before a trip, weeks before, if I am excited.  I rarely get excited before a trip as I am usually overthinking everything: last minute errands, final wrap up of work, any anxiety about where I am traveling and so on.   For this trip, I am nervous about not speaking the language, taking public transportation, traveling to 7 countries over 16 days.  Believe it or not, this will be the first time that I know very little of the language - will I be able to read menus, order food, take taxis?  I also have rarely ever taken public transportation in my life and now will be taking trains and buses for the majority of the trip.  But I have to constantly encourage myself that it will be fine. People often ask me why I travel alone, well, I can either sit around and wait for people to travel with or just go...so I am going!!  Buckle up, the next trip should be exciting and I now have a tablet to carry with to make communicating much eas...

Starting to write again! At many points in my life, I have relied on writing as a way of stress relief and discovering my feelings or working through complicated situations.  I often even blogged while traveling to tell of my tales.  I lost that art over the last few years and I want it back. I want to share my thoughts, my solo travels and my contemplation on life.  So Cheers to my writing again!  Hope you enjoy!