travel-writing

Rainy Shanghai from a Taxi

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:18:54 +0100

July 28, 2009

The streets of Shanghai are normally a sea of multi-colored umbrellas shielding their carriers from the summer sun. But on this day, while no less colorful, the umbrellas were protecting heads and shoulders from the pouring rain. Taken from a taxi on Huai Hai Road.

I Finally Learned How to Fly

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:14:26 +0100

...as comfortably as possible in coach.

After 15 long-haul flights in the last year alone, I finally cracked the code to flying in coach.

Don't fly US Airways.

Nah, that's not really the secret, although they do rank at the bottom in every category I can think of.

My secret formula is:

the world's most awesome sleep mask
noise-canceling headphones
melatonin
sudoku puzzles
a sense of adventure and a modicum of patience

My vote for world's best sleep mask goes to the Bucky 40 Blinks Sleep Mask. Its so-comfortable eye-pockets are domed so that you can open your eyes in total darkness.

Imagine you're on an overnight flight to Europe and you wake up because of a stiff neck, you open your eyes to switch position and suddenly you're awake, thanks to the blue-ish night lights in the cabin. It's almost impossible to fall back asleep. Not with this sleep mask! Now you can open your eyes naturally and fall right back to sleep. Not only that, it won't smudge make-up. How's that for starting the next morning off right! Too bad it doesn't make the seat pitch greater...

You can buy the Bucky 40 Blinks Sleep Mask ($12.95) at www.bucky.com or try the similar Lights Out Sleep Mask ($10.95) from www.magellans.com.

Noise-canceling headphones. I'd been thinking about trying some for years and finally decided to go for it after seeing the display in BestBuy. They had a limited selection of headphones to try in-store. A higher-end Sony model (they make many with "noise-reducing" qualities) and 2 Bose models. I was unimpressed with the Sony pair- half the price but I didn't think they worked even half as well.

At $299, the Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise-Canceling Headphones are a pricey addition to my travel bag, but the increase in my quality of life over their lifespan will be worth it. They come with a 30 day free trial and combined with the price increase if I changed my mind and decided to purchase them in Germany (for €348!!) convinced me to give them a go. I won't be returning them.

Melatonin is the hormone your body produces to make you tired and fall asleep. When traveling over time-zones it takes several days to adjust your circadian rhythm to that of the destination time-zone. You can speed up the process by tricking your body with a small dose of melatonin so that overnight flight feels more like a night and not an extended evening followed by a *very* long day.

I went to the Vitamin Shoppe to look at my options. After speaking with an associate I decided to try the smaller 1 mg tablets rather than the 3 mg timed-release ones, fearing the timed-release aspect might make me feel drowsy the next day. At $4.99 for 120 1 mg tablets, this is the most cost-effective trick I've found for improving the whole trip.

For me its sudoku and kakuro puzzles that channel my focus away from the negative aspects of flying (be they turbulence, crying babies or rude flight attendents).

And of course the best accessories a traveler can bring along are a sense of adventure and patience. This is particularly important for the 'getting-there' part of the trip. While it certainly doesn't feel as novel as it did years ago, I try to recreate the sense of adventure I had getting on an airplane as a child. I still touch the outside of every plane for good luck as I enter the cabin just as I did on my first flight with my parents.

With some simple tricks and a high-tech gadget or two it's possible to turn your flight into what might actually pass as a night's sleep. Even an overnight long-haul flight, with a seat assignment 3 rows from the lavatories in the rear of the aircraft and a malfunctioning intercom with a stuck call-button chiming every 2 minutes for the duration of the flight.

Just trust me on that.

Exceeding All Expectations

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:05:37 +0100

In the shower recently (my thinking spot) I started pondering the number of hotels I've stayed in lately. In the past three months I have spent at least one night in each of 13 different hotels. One in Italy, two in China, four in Switzerland and six in Germany. Of these 13 - ranging from bare-bones hostels to 4-star luxury hotels with white-gloved door service - one stands out as being just exactly perfect. Granted I wasn't expecting much before I checked in (when you aren't in charge of the reservation yourself, nor are you paying for it, I've found it best to leave room for being pleasantly surprised), but this hotel surpassed all my expectations about hotels in general. The winner?

The pentahotel in Kassel, Germany

The Pentahotels chain includes eight hotels in Germany (Berlin-Köpenick, Braunschweig, Chemnitz, Eisenach, Gera, Kassel, Leipzig, Rostock, Trier, and Wiesbaden). Their only worldwide locations to date are Shanghai and Reading, UK.

What made my (sadly only one) night in the pentahotel Kassel so perfect? To start, the check in was incredibly simple and takes place at the end of the bar. There is no stuffy lobby and check-in desk, just a large lounge that spreads into the bar and restaurant area. At check-in, we each recieved a voucher for a complimentary small beer or cocktail at the bar for anytime during my stay. Because we were in town to play a concert the voucher made the answer to the perennial question: "where should we go for post-concert drinks?" very simple.

Next we were told that breakfast in the morning was from 6:30 to 2pm (every Sunday and holiday!) and that there would be free late check-out (until 3pm instead of 12:00) because it was Sunday.

Already impressed we headed to our rooms, stepping out of the underwater-themed elevator we were greeted with this hallway:

I knew then that the rooms would be far from standard hotel rooms. I was right.

Each of our rooms (we each had our own) had two larger-than-single/twin beds and some of the most pillows and duvets ever. Each room also has a 32" flat screen tv and free pay TV channels. The first channel after the welcome screen is a crackling fireplace and mood-music. The hotel bills itself as a design hotel, and the room furnishings support that claim:

The lighting options in the room seemed virtually unlimited and next to the bed stood a *free* bottle of water for my stay. While not completely unheard of (I had gotten free water in a hotel in Berlin), it is still a nice surprise as the bottle in the room is usually €3-4.

comfortable beds!!

After depositing my bad and hanging up my coat on some happy orange hangers, I opened the door to the bathroom:

The marble tiled bathroom had a shower/bath with the largest rain shower head I've ever seen as well as the hand-held extension. The shower curtain was printed with the design from part of the bedroom wall and "have a beautiful day!" across the bottom. Most hotels provide shampoo and soap, but I was not expecting a travel case of toiletries in fun packaging. You can see it on the sink in the photo above. The items are from the UK company Anatomicals.

After the concert we enjoyed our drink (albeit small) cocktails in the lounge. The next morning unhindered by an early check-out we had brunch at 11 and stayed in the breakfast area until after 1 when we moved over to the lounge to continue watching tv and relaxing. At 3 we collected our things and checked out and returned to the lounge where we spent the rest of the afternoon until our train left from the Hauptbahnhof about a 3 minute walk from the front door of the hotel.

I had planned to spend the day after the concert exploring a new German city, but the hotel was so welcoming and relaxing that I spent the entire day there. I don't regret it.

after a great night's sleep

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Gelato- a concise guide to the best

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:16:49 +0100

Next topic: Gelaterias

This is probably dangerous to write about before lunch!

Cinque Terre- Gelateria Il Porticciolo, immediately next to the small sand beach in Vernazza, is a tiny gelateria where I highly recommend the pineapple flavor. Then by the time you hike further south through Corniglia to Manarola (my favorite of the five towns) you will want some more and I suggest stopping at the gelateria with the covered wood patio on your right as you start to head up the hill of the main street. Not touristy, cheaper than some you'll find and absolutely yummy.

Lucca- the oldest and most famous is Gelateria Veneto on Via Vittorio Veneto, as you're heading from Piazza Napoleone south toward the train station (it's on your right and the restaurant next to it is also great) Try the other fancy desserts in the glass case too. If you haven't had granita (the original Italian water ice) you'll need to try it at Il Pinguino on the north side of Piazza Napoleone- it has the best in town according to the locals. My personal recommendation for amazing gelato would have to be Gelateria La Tosca on Via San Paolino. It is owned by a very friendly British couple who gave up lives of insurance sales and law to move to the Italian countryside and learn how to make gelato from scratch. They make everything in-house, and some of their versions of the standard flavors (like the super dark chocolate) are the best I've had anywhere. They usually have 30 or more flavors to choose from. Also Gelateria Momo (Via Della Fratta- east of the Anfiteatro, on a quiet residential street) is fantastic. If you stop here, try the Panna Cotta (looks rather plain, but it's so delicious), Pinoli (Pine nut-it's amazing, who knew!) and their berry flavors if they have some. Also in that neighborhood is Pizzeria Mara Meo (Piazza di San Francesco) which is always packed with people enjoying some of the best pizza on earth (at good prices too- it's a local hangout).

In Rome, the gelato that stands out in my mind is at a little unnamed Bar Gelateria on the corner of Via Arezzo and Via Catanzaro in a residential area (that I happened to be in because our hostel was in the neighborhood). The chocolate flavor is what I remember, I probably paired it with either coconut, pear or both (both flavors go really well with the dark dark dark chocolate). Also, if you stand with your back to the Pantheon and look a little ahead and to the right, the gelateria at the corner- that one was good too. (using googlemaps, I find the name is Nice Ice)

home of some amazing chocolate gelato in Rome

When in Florence- be careful. Anywhere downtown the gelato will be expensive and they try to trick you by showing three or four sizes of cups- all the medium to extra large ones, so it doesn't look like you have smaller options. On my first trip to Italy, we fell for it and ended up paying €6 a piece for what appeared to be the smallest dish... until when leaving we saw the various smaller sizes behind the counter. Shady shady.

Gelato is always a good idea for breakfast

Naples- like I said, the city's not that great, so buy gelato everywhere :) It can only improve your experience.

Capri- I mentioned the €7.50 gelato that I split with my sister in the ritzy glitzy Piazza Umberto I in the town of Capri. Still, it was amazing and worth buying something in order to sit at the tables under the umbrellas and people watch. I wish I could have stayed on the island to witness the glitz at night. It's something of a mecca for people with money to burn.

Venice- I have sampled a lot of Venetian gelaterias and they tend to follow the common sense logic that, while all of great quality, the price goes up the closer you are to Piazza San Marco. I suggest trying any you find on the quiet side (east), near where I suggested you hop off the Vaporetto 1, and sit on a bench on the the tree-lined avenue, Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi (only one in Venice!). Enjoy it because even after just a few hours in the Venetian summer heat, you will miss the shade...
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My Bucket List

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:05:55 +0100

Since I referenced my list on the right, here it is.

A working list, in no particular order:

Go skydiving
Go paragliding
Learn how to paraglide alone
Learn how to drive a manual car
Try waterskiing
Learn how to SCUBA dive
Dive or snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef
Learn how to fly a small plane
Learn how to sail
Own a small sailboat
Learn how to salsa dance
Own a dog
Win an orchestra job
Start some kind of travel business
Own a house in Belize or Panama
Line my balcony with plants
Experience Oktoberfest in Munich
See Wagner’s Ring at Bayreuth
Attend Karneval in Köln
Attend Carnevale in Venice
Attend Carnival in Rio
Sell some photos
Write and publish a book
Design a website
Live in a house or apartment I designed myself
Crochet a sweater
Speak fluent German
Speak fluent French
Speak fluent Italian
Speak fluent Russian
Speak at least decent Czech and Spanish
Become a certified yoga instructor
Teach English as a foreign language
Backpack around Thailand
Visit Japan
Visit Brazil
Experience Buenos Aires
Ride the Orient Express
See the Grand Canyon
Explore the Scandinavian islands
Hike in Iceland in summer
Watch the sunrise at Machu Picchu
Visit Petra
See Moscow and St. Petersburg
Visit all 50 United States, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (currently I've been to 30 States)
Get married
See my 50th wedding anniversary
Raise happy and healthy children
Read the Bible cover-to-cover
Swim in the largest pool in the world (Chile- 20 acres)
Make a difference in someone’s life
Donate blood regularly
Surprise someone with breakfast in bed
Drive an Aston Martin once
Attend the Kentucky Derby and wear an awesome hat

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So you've never been to Italy

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:06:06 +0100

Prompted by a friend who asked me for some "suggestions" for an upcoming trip to Italy, I sat down to jot a few notes and this was the result.

Alright, you've never been to Italy, so, my highlights:

Cinque Terre- that's the 5 little fishing villages on the cliffs that I've hiked between 3 times now, gorgeous, a one-day trip (or it could be longer if you want to do some of the less popular, much longer hikes, but I don't know much about them yet)

Vernazza - the 2nd most northern of the 5 fishing towns

Tuscany- Florence is on most people's must-see list, but unless you are dead-set on seeing Michelangelo's David in the Galleria dell'Academia, or the famous paintings in the Uffizi (I still haven't been in there- the lines are usually 3 hours long to get in without a reservation and those are expensive), I'd say it can be skipped in favor of smaller Tuscan towns and villages. And of course if you're traveling by train, you'll probably pass through Florence and can schedule in a few hours to look around. The smaller towns, I'd recommend are Lucca (so picturesque, not so touristy, good options for biking around in the country, etc), Pisa- but just to see the tower, then skedaddle! and Sienna- I haven't made it there yet (had to cancel my plans last year because they added a rehearsal) it's in between Lucca and Florence in size but still retains smaller town character because of the competition between quarters and the annual Palio (super intense horse race around the main square -actually happens twice a year- in early July and once in September).

Lucca from the tree-topped Torre Guinigi

Venice- everybody's got to see it once. I don't know what the hostel options are on the islands themselves, you may have to stay on the mainland, but it's connected by bus, so not a problem. Also no idea about nightlife as I've only spent the night in the city with my mom and sister... but it's beautiful and the best sight-seeing trick is to buy a ticket (they usually don't check but it's good to have one to play dumb with later if necessary) and take the Number 1 Vaporetto (like a city bus, but it's a boat) from Piazzale Roma (where the buses drop you off from the mainland) all the way down the Grand Canal to the Giardini stop (very far from the tourist madness that you'll find in the middle of the city). Then spend the rest of the day wandering through all the twisting alleyways back toward Piazza San Marco and all the famous sights in the middle of the city. That way you get the awesome views from the water, and don't hop on and off the 'buses' all day, and the back streets and tiny bridges are what make Venice so special anyway. At the Giardini stop is the only real park on the islands, and every other year (odd numbered years) it is the site of the Venice Biennale, an international art exhibition in which tens of countries are represented, each in a separate building in different styles of architecture, on the off years however, the place has a very eery feel and you can wander around as you like for free.

As for the main sites, don't miss Piazza San Marco and the Rialto bridge. There is also a Guggenheim museum and some others that I would have been interested in visiting but my sister doesn't "do" museums. I suggest going inside the St. Mark's cathedral, even if all the Italian churches start to look alike after a while, if only because of the role that church played in the history of our instruments (Gabrieli wrote all his brass works for the services there) and it's free to get in, but to see certain parts you must pay. I'd skip everything but the option to the right as you go in- it leads up to the facade of the church which gives you a fantastic view of the Square and across the Grand Canal and a very up close and personal meeting with the 4 famous horses. Behind the facade is a small museum and that was a nice little bonus.

Venetian side street

Rome- You can't see Rome in a day, but if you are absolutely crazy, and have an Italian with you, you can see it in two :) Don't miss the Coloseum, and the Roman Forum ruins next to it. I didn't get the audio guide about the Forum, even though some friends had said it was the best decision they made in Rome, and later regretted it. Eat pizza and Spaghetti Arrabiata, and don't you dare sit down at a restaurant before 9pm. The Romans eat late- 9 is on the early side. Walk by the Spanish steps and the Trevi fountain, and check out some of the ritziest shops in the world along the Via Condotti (excellent people watching). Do not miss the Pantheon. Incredible. Go to the Vatican and into St. Peter's Basilica (Sunday afternoons are a good bet because it was absolutely packed in the morning and then clears out incredibly) but have enough time to explore the gardens and everything behind the basilica- I didn't have time :( After exploring the Vatican, try to find the restaurant Ristorante "La Vitoria" Pizzeria on Via della Fornaci off the south side of St Peter's Square- one of the best meals of my life. And I just found the name of the restaurant by finding it on googlemap's street view... since I remembered seeing the name on the awning! Isn't technology amazing????

Naples- skip it and stay a little further down the coast, or find a great deal on a hostel and stay there because then it's easily connected to Capri- most beautiful place on earth (outside of Gimmelwald, Switzerland) and Pompeii/Vesuvius. Barbara and I went to Pompeii and then got on a bus tour that took us to Vesuvius where we could walk around the crater at the top of the volcano- go all the way to the end (you can't make a full loop) and buy a glass of local wine :) The bus tour takes you back to Pompeii where you should definitely go around the ruins and this time get the audio guide- totally worth it. The ruins are absolutely huge -it's a complete city afterall- and the guide was incredibly interesting (don't miss the brothel with stone beds (and pillows) and paintings still visible suggesting interesting positions for the customers to try!)

Tasting local wine on Mt. Vesuvius

Capri- like I said before, one of THE most beautiful places in the world. Stunning natural beauty and cute architecture/gardens/etc. The best value I found on the island was right in the Marina where the ferry drops you off, are all sorts of options for tours of the island and boat rentals, there's a stand to the left as you are walking along the dock nearing the actual land, that has a 2 hour boat tour around the whole island. The boats took only 15 or so people so everyone has a great view and it's not crowded and the guide pointed out all the interesting things (come to think of it, I cannot remember if the tour was in English, I believe it was only in Italian, but bring a guidbook and look up the things as he points to them, or ask someone else). The tour was 14€ per person. (not bad for two hours considering a gelato in the main square in the town of Capri- Piazza Umberto I-also where the movie stars hang out- was 7.50€!). Near the end of the boat tour you are taken to the Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurr in the northwest of the island where, should you wish- and you will! - you can transfer to little row boats in groups of 2-4, where local Italians will row you through this tiny opening in the rocks into the grotto (you actually need to lie down in the rowboat to get into the cave)- it's incredible. It costs about 10€ extra, but it's worth it- the color of the water is absolutely stunning and the acoustics are impressive too.

Back in the Marina, take the funicular up to the town of Capri and walk all over, marveling at the prices of the restaurants- 120€ for a lobster dinner anyone? 40€ caprese appetizer? - and the fancy shops and the kind of people who can afford it... I wish I'd had more time to explore and someday I'll find a way to go back. I had heard that there were no hostels on the island, but I just checked hostels.com and it lists a few places, certainly cheaper than any that I ran across while walking around.

Capri - inside the Grotto Azzurro

As for the other places I've visited in between those above:

Viareggio/Darsena in Tuscany is nice if you want to spend the day at the beach (Darsena is the free part and you'd probably never find it without detailed instructions, so if you're interested, ask me) but if you head to Cinque Terre and/or Capri, it's not worth a whole day.

Bologna isn't bad, but it doesn't have the same amount of must-sees as the other major cities in my list, however it is somewhat of a food mecca. Just be sure not to get on the bus in the wrong direction... oops.

Montecatini in Tuscany has baths which I was excited to try, but when I tried to figure out how to visit them it seemed they catered more to the elderly and people searching for "cures," unlike the baths in Hungary and Germany, where perfectly healthy people go to stay that way and enjoy the water.

I haven't been south of Pompeii, but on my future visit list is the Amalfi coast (quite near to Pompeii, but on the other side of the peninsula) and Sicily. I also want to hit the islands of Elba, Corsica, and Sardinia. But they wouldn't really fit in a grand tour- because ferries take a long time.

So! There are my recommendations in a nutshell. I can suggest some hostels and cheaper hotels if you're interested, and give more tips on where to eat (where the best gelato is) and how to get around, but I'll save that for later. Enjoy!
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