Viewing entries tagged
germany

Wanderings In Berlin

Wanderings In Berlin

I can’t seem to get enough of Germany. There is just something about this great country that I find fascinating. It might be that everything here is so much cheaper than the rest of Europe, that transportation is wonderfully efficient, that a beer cost as much as a bottle of soda, that the food is spectacular, or that the people here are so welcoming, but damn if I'm not in love with this country. From Ireland, I booked a cheap flight to Oslo for €20, but once I realized how absurdly expensive Norway is, I was not keen on spending the next month of my life hemorrhaging money in Scandinavia. I debated returning to Germany, until a friend of mine from the US, Jon, told me he had one week off between jobs and wanted to visit Berlin. I was all too happy to skip my flight to Oslo and book a new flight to Germany at the last minute.

My First Hitchhiking Experience

My First Hitchhiking Experience

I honestly don’t know where to begin with this story. Over the last five days, I traveled with a friend, Artyom, from Utrecht, Netherlands to Copenhagen, Denmark and Hamburg, Germany without paying a dime for transportation. This leg of my trip completely transformed my perspective on a means of travel I believed was reserved for homeless, hippies, and convicts: hitchhiking. To top it all off, the entire trip was completely spur of the moment; if it weren't for my detour to Cologne, I might never have met up with Artyom, but looking back is an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world.

The Local Life in Cologne

The Local Life in Cologne

Since I began this blog I feel like I’m constantly berating myself for posting these entries months behind schedule, but there is a silver lining to it all - it gives me the chance to relive stories that already feel like they occurred ages ago. Cologne for me is particularly special because, looking back, it marks the beginning of when I finally deviated from my original "plan" I outlined back in the US. I knew it would happen eventually, and actually looked forward to it, I just didn't know when it would happen. The only reason why I even ventured out to Cologne in the first place was to meet up with a friend, Stephan, who I met on the very first day of my travels back in Faro, Portugal. I never considered Cologne as a city I'd visit on this trip, but in my experience the best way to travel is with a local; it doesn't even matter what city it is, whenever opportunity presents itself, I always take it.

Beers and Brats in Bavaria

Beers and Brats in Bavaria

Since I started my trip back in June, I've noticed the most outgoing and friendly people all seem to be Germans. The typical stereotype played up in most television shows and movies is that Germans are always hardworking, punctual, and utterly lacking in personality due to their cold hard adherence to facts and schedules. While I'm sure there are many Germans who fit this mold, in my experience such lunacy could not be further from the truth. From day one in Faro (and later Lisbon and Valencia) the friendliest people I meet all seem the German. I've greatly looked forward to finally visiting Germany especially since I missed out on visiting the country (along with Switzerland) while on exchange in Milan back in college.

Layover in Porto

Layover in Porto

If you can believe it, my original plan was to skip Porto entirely and head straight for Santiago de Compostela. Since I spent my allotted two weeks in Portugal, I felt I needed to leave the country if was to remain “on schedule.” Many of you may find it perplexing that I keep a schedule considering I have an entire year to travel, but thanks to the Schengen Agreement, I’m limited to only three months in Europe. However, after hearing such great things about Porto, I figured the hell with my plans!