Day 6: April 17 - Kraków

The bus station in Kraków is brand new, and right behind the rail station. It shows all the departures on a big lighted board just like an airport. I was suprised at how many there were; they go to all parts of the country. Most regional destinations are best served by bus rather than rail.

The ride was through the outer city/suburbs, followed by some pretty countryside. Overall, the total time is just over an hour. The buses are run by PKS which is the national carrier. They are very comfortable, although roads are a little bit rough. The guidebooks seemed to indicate that their destination in Oświęcim (ohsh-VEENCH-im; the Polish name of the town after which the camp was named in German) would be kind of down the road, but it seems they go right into the parking area of the camp itself.
There is a building with historical information, pictures, and visitors services right at the entrance to the camp. I decided to watch the film, so bought a ticket. It was about a half hour away, so I walked outside just to see the camp.

Auschwitz seemed very pretty at first; it was very hard to get a feel for what went on at this camp because of its aesthetics combined with the weather today. As it wasn't originally built as a concentration camp, it makes a little more sense why it seemed this way.

The film was pretty gruesome as indicated; however it is imperative to see (footage is similar to other documentaries about the Holocaust) in order to gain perspective of the place.

The multiple barracks buildings have been made into several sets of displays, with each building dedicated to one aspect of the camp. One major set involves prisoner arrival, treatment, daily life, and so on. Another set of barracks is dedicated to various ethnic and other groups targeted by the Nazis. It was chilling to see the quarters of those prisoners who had 'special' privelege, by way of mistreating their fellow countrymen or others just like themselves.

It was very crowded at Aushwitz, but everyone was respectfu; Even those posing for pictures (kind of tasteless in my opinion) did not smile or goof around.

From my reading, the second Auschwitz camp, called Birkenau, told a more awful story. It is about two miles from Auschwitz I.

Most people arrive to Auschwitz by private transport, either charter/tour bus or even by taxi. Public transit is limited to the buses. Transport between the two camps is by an shuttle , running once in each direction per hour. It is also possible to walk, which I did.

The walk is well-marked, although without the signs you'd have no idea where you were headed. You walk up what appears to be a highway onramp, but the road is a normal two-lane road. I

Soon, Birkenau comes into view. Its scale, even from a distance, obviously far surpasses that of Auschwitz I. The railroad tracks lead to its entrance and into the camp; they are lined with cards left by families of victims. This was where mass exterminations took place; a 'doctor' would point hundreds or thousands of people a day into the gas chambers as they arrived, packed in boxcars.

There were barracks, or remains of barracks, stretching for what appeared to be hundreds of meters on one direction, and nearly half a mile in the other, from the 'front' to the 'back' of the camp. Most had fallen or were destroyed; all that was left were the two chimneys and the concrete duct running between them. Those that remained were open, and many contained bunks. It is hard to imagine that nearly a thousand people could be crammed into one of these buildings. In the picture, the bunk at right had three levels; each level held at least three people.

At the far end of the camp is a memorial with plaques -- in all different languages spoken by prisoners -- indicating the purpose of the camp and the memorial.

I walked the long, straight path (with railroad tracks down the center) back to the entrance of the camp, and caught the shuttle bus back to Auschwitz I, where the PKS bus was just getting ready to haed back to Kraków.

In town, I visited St. Mary's Cathedral on the square. It is Gothic and pretty, with its starry blue ceiling. There is an entrance for worshippers, and a constant stream of people come in and out. The other entrance is for tourists, and charges a small fee of about a dollar.

Then I went to lunch. By the hotel was a restaurant called Polskie Smacki. It was recommended by the hotel as well as Rick Steves as a good milk bar (bar mleczny). These were established as subsidized cafeterias by the Soviets, serving basic food for very cheap prices. The "milk" part seems to be derived from their serving dairy as a protein source.

There are many milk bars in the city and around Poland. I couldn't tell if it was an actual milk bar (it did not have "bar mleczny" in the window as the others I saw did), but the ordering process is the same. Also, they had an English menu on the reverse side of the Polish menu. The workers were also younger, and most younger Poles -- including these -- spoke some English, although I didn't really need it here.

The process is, you go up to the bar where there are some foods on display as well as the menu. It's a pretty limited menu, with a few meat cutlets, a few pierogis (or "Polish ravioli" as the English version said -- an appropriate description), some soups, and vegetables, including a 'salad bar' which was a mixture of various help-yourself vegetables.

After placing your order, you get soups immediately. For the rest, they give you a receipt and write a number on it. You sit down, and then an LED sign lights up and BEEP-BEEP-BEEP (i.e. very loudly) announces the dish that's ready. You walk up to the bar and just grab what looks like your food.

My first 'milk bar' experience was very good! The food is tasty, not gruel like I expected. Today I ordered a chicken cutlet and mashed potatoes. It was hot and fresh. I will definitely go back tomorrow and try some more.

As night fell, I wandered around the streets of the old town, soaking up the beautiful evening and visiting a few more churches around the main square. I also checked my e-mail and made some phone calls.

The first internet cafe I went to in Kraków had a first: an old lady working the desk. Or as Rick Steves would say, "a monolingual grouch". Most internet cafes hire young people, and they happen to speak English and are generally cheery. This one was kind of argumentative because I couldn't say much besides "Internet, please" in Polish. She blabbered something and finally indicated just to sit down anywhere.

The second cafe did have a younger staff, and VoIP phones. I got a card with about 20 or 25 minutes for $3.

Afterwards, I wached some performers on the square. I went back a couple times to a guy (Ronen, according to his CD) who played guitar and played English Pop Songs (REM, Oasis, the Beatles/John Lennon, Led Zeppelin.....).

The neatest part wasn't that I understood the song. It was that his audience, a growing number of people throughout the evening, were young locals. They all talked with Ronen in English, and sang along with him...messing up in all the same places that we do. I got to thinking: this generation is the first of many in Poland that probably has not known the type of suffering that had plagued the country for so many years, either by the Nazis or the Soviets, or any of the partitions and battles that have divided the country in centuries past. And here they are, living in a relative prosperity...as the world becomes smaller. The universal language of music bridged the gap between them and the performer...and the tourists who stood around to watch. So, I thought, what does this mean for the future? Will they be starting wars? Or will they take their lessons from the past and make Poland a peaceful model of democracy?

See a video of the music.

Every hour on the hour, the hejnał mariacki is played from the tower by St. Mary's (it technically is not part of St. Mary's, but was a municipal watchtower). The legend was that the bugler was playing this call during a Tatar invastion. Partway through, his throat was pierced by an invader's arrow, and of course the tune ended abruptly. Even today, the tune suddenly stops right in the middle. It is played once out of each side of the tower, so if you think you missed it, just wait because it may start again.

See a video of the hejnał mariacki; it is sideways because I held the camera wrong, but you can still hear the tune.

Tomorrow will be the historic Wawel castle, and Nowa Huta.

Day 5: April 16 - To Kraków

At first I had planned to take the sleeper train from Prague to Krakow. I did this from Barcelona to Granada and it worked out pretty well. There are a couple issues with this.

First, sleepers can be expensive. Typically, you rent a couchette which is just a bunk in a 4- or 6-bed compartment. That is very reasonable. On popular routes, they can sell out in advance, though. I found that out when the route in Spain sold out months ahead of time. The only sleeper left was an expensive private room. There is some economy in that you don't pay for a hotel that night, but it still doesn't make up for all the extra costs. It was still a good experience, but not a cheap one.

Second, to book far enough in advance, the only accessible option (at least to U.S. residents) is via RailEurope.com. As I wrote before, the markup is very high, especially on sleepers. Waiting until you get to your origin point is a little risky (the worst that can happen is you have to sleep in a seat) but you pay dearly to avoid that risk.

Third and least important, sleeper trains mean that you have to store your bag all day at the origin (because you check out of the hotel in the morning and typically leave late at night), and when you get to where you're going -- usually very early in the morning -- you have to store your bag again as the hotel won't be ready for you. Doing so in Europe is no problem, as all major train stations have easy-to-use lockers, but it's some extra cost and hassle.

So I looked into flights between Prague and Kraków. Direct flights were only available via Czech Air and were over $400. But LOT (the Polish national airline) offered a flight in Warsaw for about $100 including taxes. Considering that a day train, while cheaper, would have taken at leat eight or nine good daylight hours, I figured that this would be the best option.

I soon found out that the Prague-Warsaw leg would be on a turboprop plane, which I had never ridden. I was a little excited about that.

Prague's airport is neat as a pin, efficient, and friendly. One thing I like about most European airports is the check-in. Rather than have some counters idle while others are swarmed, their counters are run not by the airlines, but by the airport. When you arrive, you check your check the screens for your flight, which assigned x number of lines at the central check-in point based on the number of passengers. Just seems more efficient.

The plane was great...had 2x2 seating and was very roomy and comfortable. The flight to Warsaw served tiny little sandwiches, and the flight to Kraków served a "Prince Polo" candy bar. I wouldn't hesitate to fly LOT again (they also have very beautiful flight attendants).

Warsaw appeared to sprawl in all directions, and was very industrial and smoggy. It is a big up-and-coming city, though, and after all it's been through, I hope it enjoys its popularity.

Arrival in Kraków was uneventful. There is a train a few hundred meters from the airport that takes you into the city. Trains leave about every half hour. The platform would be hard to find if you didn't know where it is, but there is also a free shuttle bus that takes you there.

The train was brand new -- the service was opened in the last year -- but the tracks seemed to be old relics that hadn't been updated in half a century at least. The train clicked and clacked very slowly until they got about halfway to the city (and newer track), when it sped up again. They claim 14 minutes but plan on at least 20.

First impressions of Poland during this small trip are much different those of Austria or the Czech Republic. Primarily, the infrastructure seemed older and more worn out. Buildings had a bit more grime, Soviet influence was obvious by the use of concrete for things like telephone poles, and the feeling was a bit more industrial. Things just aren't "prettied up" as much. Of course Kraków has always been more of an intellectual and cultural center; these impressions would have likely been more prevalent in Warsaw and other industrial cities.

The train station was pretty nice; your departure from the station into the center takes you under a busy road where vendors sell their wares. A detour directly from the station leads you into Galleria Krakowska, a brand new enormous (and upscale) shopping mall that would easily fit anywhere in Europe or the U.S. But for now I went toward the center of town.

You emerge from the short tunnel in the Planty, which used to be the town wall and moat, since filled in and turned into a park roughly in a giant ring around the old town center, where many tourist sites are.

The hotel, the Globtroter Guesthouse, was just a few short blocks from the edge of town, and just two blocks from the main market square, Rynek Główny.

The hotel staff was very friendly, immediately offering good advice to the area's sites. I already had a good idea of exactly what I wanted to see, but they showed me a few museums and other nearby points of interest that I hadn't considered. They also made some restaurant recommendations that I wanted to try. Though I don't often get too deep in real local cuisine, I was definitely going to try a variety of Polish food.

The hotel was situated in an inner courtyard, which it shared with a bar/cafe.

There were a couple "big" things I wanted to do while here; that is, things that require a trip out of town. Although it was getting close to evening, I decided to try to make the trip to Wieliczka, a still-working salt mine that has been carved out over the years to include sculptures, rooms, and even a cathedral. Although wildly popular, guidebooks generally give it mixed reviews. I decided to not use up a good portion of a day visiting the mine if I could do it tonight; this would make the next two full days more relaxing.

Wieliczka is reached most easily (and cheaply) by minibus. Most Poles don't own cars; transportation is easily accessible, fast, cheap, and widespread. There are trains, buses, taxis.....and minibuses. These are essentially large vans that run fixed routes and run by different companies. Using the Rick Steves updated guidebook, I found the minibus headed to Wieliczka just across from the main post office on the edge of the Old Town. It was only a few złoty, maybe equal to a couple dollars. The ride took us onto a highway to the nearby town of Wieliczka -- important to remember, as it doesn't just run to the salt mine but various spots in town as well -- pay attention or ask the driver, "Soli?" which means "salt" -- they'll know what you mean.

The trip was a good 40 minutes or so. The roads are quite bumpy, but we made it in one piece. I found out that I just missed the last English tour by 10 minutes; I opted to go on the Polish tour, just so that the time wasn't wasted (I couldn't have imagined missing too much since everything would be made of salt).

Our guide led us down what must have been 100 flights of stairs and started the tour. He seemed to be very serious. Rick Steves said the tour lasted an hour and a half, after which time you could shop for souvenirs underground before taking an elevator back up.

Well, our guide droned on and on for two full hours. I knew it wasn't just the langauge; even the Poles sighed heavily when we walked into another room - thinking we were at the end - and the guide flipped on lights revealing yet another point of marginal interest to jabber about. Everyone flopped down on the available rails or benches at let him do his thing.

He frequently took his flashlight and held it against various things in the room (showing that it wasn't black but fairly translucent...) and said in turn, "Soli. ...Soli.....Soli". Ok, WE GET IT! Everything is made of salt!! Let's go!

We finally reached the end of the line. There is a big circular loop that you can take to go past a restaurant, a cafe, and a number of gift shops selling crap made out of salt. Most of the time, you can hop over the rope (skipping this big loop) and get right in line for the elevator...but he made everyone make this walk, even though we seemed to be the very last tour group, and certainly the only ones left in the caverns.

Then we stood in line for 10 minutes doing nothing, until he finally led us to the elevator, at which he jabbered a little more. There were several cars that held maybe six people each, which they loaded up in turn and then sent to the surface. Upon reaching the surface (and a free shot to the exit door), everyone in my elevator car cheered.

In short, the mine is neat, but I recommend only visiting if you're sure you'll have time to do everything else; there is a lot of history and great sites in the city. In the short time I've been here, I can already tell that the story of this city is not so much in specific points of interest like Wieliczka but in its history and the fabric of the city, pieced together and torn apart many times over its long history. Put the mine further down on your list and go only if you want to, and can spare the time. An express tour of some sort (45 minutes tops including the descent) would be a nice addition to the mine's options.

The minibus was waiting when I got back to the stop (with a few others from the tour), and we rode back to the city.

I walked around a bit more, marvelling at the huge market square. Rick Steves uses the phrase "gasp-worthy" in his books and travel shows to describe this square, and it really is. The buildings are quite old, but have newer facades. They aren't as fancy or beautiful as in other cities such as Prague. But the sheer size of the square, coupled with the buildings at three of its corners (St. Mary's Cathedral, Church of St. Adalbert, and the leftover town hall tower) make it such a striking space that it's easy to just wander around and around. Outdoor seating for restaurant and cafés ring the square, making it inviting and bringing large crowds to just soak in the atmosphere. It's big enough to support lots of musicians and other performers without invading each other's space.

I grabbed a doner kebab (the universal cheap, filling food in Europe) and then an ice cream, exploring some of the shops on the streets radating from the square. The town center is very manageable by foot; in fact, there is no transportation through the city other than by private car or taxi, and there aren't very many of either of those. Lots of Poles commute by foot through this section of the city, making it even more vibrant.

Tomorrow will start with a visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau.

Day 4: April 15 - Prague

The hotel where I stayed served breakfast in the room. When they asked yesterday, they said it could come as early as 7:00, and that's what I requested. I'm pretty sure they had it out there by around 6:00 or so. I picked up the tray; it weighed something like 20 pounds..

It was loaded with a giant carton of orange juice, one of milk, plus cold cuts, cheese, bread, rolls, butter, jam, granola, corn flakes, snack cakes, nutella, a giant jug of hot water for coffee/tee, and more. Not wanting to be wasteful (and knowing I'd need the calories), I ate as much as I could, which wasn't even half probably.

I walked around early and was surprised to find the town as empty as it was. It was very different from yesterday. As part of the walk, I wanted to find out where the minibus to the airport would be picking people up. The guidbooks mentioned a particular metro stop, but there were lots of places a minibus could show up. There was lots of construction nearby, so I couldn't really tell. I wandered around for maybe a half-hour too long before giving up. The option would either be to (a) ask the hotel or look up on the internet where the bus departs or (b) take a taxi tomorrow morning. Prague is notorious for rip-off cabs, but the hotel had a sign that said they could call one for a 600 crown (about $25) flat fee. I still don't like to pay that much for a cab, but would if needed.

I think the first time I ever hired a cab while traveling was in Sevilla last year; and then in Lisbon, the first to the train station and the second to the airport. Lisbon was a really good deal at only about 6 euro. It's all a trade-off.

I wanted to do the castle first today. Castles are always jammed no matter where you go; I am typically disappointed, at least relative to their popularity. Prague is no exception; its castle is the most-visited site. But it's a "must-see" so I headed toward the Charles Bridge to go over there, with a planned stop at St. Nicholas church on the way.

The town was very empty. This little pedestrian street is normally a choke point for hordes of people, but it's really cool to see all the architecture and charm without running into people.

The bridge is the same way. I have trouble reading the guidebook while walking, but I stopped a couple times on the bridge to read about the various statues. I remember these from watching Rick Steves and (Passport to Europe with) Samantha Brown on PBS and the Travel Channel, respectively.

St. Nicholas (the one on the way to the castle, not in the Old Town Square) opened about 10 minutes late. It was pretty cool. Before this trip I don't think I had every seen a baroque church but this is at least the second. This wasn't as bright and crazy as St. Peter's in Vienna but it was still pretty nuts.

Pretty soon it became crowded with tourists.

I went onwards toward the castle. In the back of my mind I knew that St. Vitus (the cathedral at the castle) would be closed for Mass but thought maybe I'd be able to at least see inside. Wrong. There were two guys at the door the whole time.

I bought the full ticket which lets you see six sights in addition to all the free sights in the castle. The first one was a basilica. It was an old medieval one, kind of plain but obviously lots of history in it.

The second was some art museum. I decided to run through just to get the ticket stamped. Well, first they made me check my backpack...I hate that! Not because it's a huge hassle, but because I know that I'll be back in 15 minutes to get my back and the coat check lady will think I'm an art idiot for going through so quickly. They'd be right.

So I checked the bag, and started through the museum. Rick Steves was right! There are matronly old ladies in Eastern European museums who absolutely insist that you follow the prescribed course through the entire museum! I started to head back to the coat check halfway through the first floor, but a lady stopped me and yammered (in Czech) and gesticulated that I need to go up a floor, around the course, and then up again, around the floor, and then back down.

I was the only one in the museum! But around every corner was an old lady that I probably shouldn't argue with. So I went allll the way around the entire thing, stopping not even once....and then retrieved my bag. There wasn't a soul in the museum.

The next area that my ticket provided passage to was the "golden lane" which is a strip of touristy souvenir shops.

Then there was a short little tower with a dungeon exhibit. The guy was waving anybody in and didn't care about the ticket, probably because the only way to access it was via this "golden lane". The dungeon things were kind of creepy. They all look so clumsy and awkward with their crude iron straps and so forth, but I guess they did the trick. How awful.

Then I went back out to the front gates. The Prague Castle Band was playing (Video). I recognized them from a Rick Steves show. It was funny because he talked about the band being a fixture in the castle and showed them playing a little bit. Then later, his tour guide took him to a restaurant where the same band was playing. At night, the guide too him to a bar to see...the same band! Rick was probably thinking, enough of these jerks already!

There was an open post office in the castle. By this time, I figured I may as well kill the 45 minutes or so before St. Vitus opened, by writing postcards. I got the stamps, then got some postcards, and started writing. Then the ceremonial guard passed to do the changing of the guard at the front gate. I followed them along with about 20,000 other people. But there was going to be a lot of pomp and circumstance and I didn't really care to watch....so I went back to writing postcards.

The bane of travellers, or at least to me, is the tour group. I know it may be nice to have someone do all the work, but there are so many of these clogging up narrow passages and gumming up ticket lines and lumbering giant buses through narrow streets that I figure...you know what...if you can't visit a place without a gaggle of other people, then maybe you should consider not going to begin with. Here is one with the ridiculous umbrella handle poking out above the crowd. It would be funny to start a tour company called "Umbrella Hook Tours".

But sticking with my theme to take a positive attitude during the whole trip, I smiled and took a picture.

St. Vitus finally opened to the thousand or so people waiting outside the gate. It was a Gothic place, neat but just barely worth the wait and crowd to get in.

The next stop was back in the Old Town. Each trip I try to get a "signature" picture, and from wandering around last night, I think I knew what it was going to be. There was a marionette-making shop that had a bunch of them hanging up. I knew it would make a good pic. But it was closed last night, so I went back to take the pics. I'm not sure which of the dozen or so I'll finally use and frame, but I think it turned out fairly well.

I also went to the aforementioned Museum of Communism. The self-guided tour (or guided, if you wish) walks through early communist thinkers, and segues to the Czech experience under Soviet rule. Signs are multi-lingual and very interesting. A number of artifacts and loads of photos, newspaper clippings, and other paraphernalia guide you through the decades as Czechs suffered a system that was chronically unable to deliver even the most basic goods and services to the average citizen, while employing secret police, propaganda, and brutal interrogation against dissent.

A 15-minute film (subtitled in English) showed news and amateur footage of the riots in Wenceslas Square leading up to the Velvet Revolution in 1989, when the Soviet regime peacefully surrendered control of Czechoslovakia. This area of history is particularly fascinating to me because it occurred well within my lifetime, although I don't remember very many details of what was going on at the time. People only a few years older than me heroically stood up to the brutality of the government and rallied with their countrymen in a show of incredible solidarity and shared suffering, finally leading to a free republic. It's hard to imagine so many people in our country coming together in the same wayfor any reason, in these times.

A quick look at the separation of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia (the "Velvet Divorce") rounded out the museum. I highly recommend this museum to give some perspective on the city and country.

Two final things on the agenda to round out the Prague experience. Three, really. The third and least important was to mail home some gifts as well as my Vienna guidebook that I didn't need anymore, and some extra papers and miscellany. I probably spent too long wandering around trying to find a box. Finally, I happened across a department store which had an office supply section with carboard tubes. I grabbed a bigger one. This solved the problem of how to seal it up (it had plastic caps), as well as how to label it (just write on it). I filled it up and wrote my address....then went to the main post office.

U.S.A., take note! European post offices are open very late -- at least the main ones are. And it is a Sunday! Can't beat that.

They're also a good local cultural experience, as civil servants typically speak no English and they're filled with locals. After trying the ticketing system (they usually call numbers), I grabbed the wrong type of ticket (for letters rather than parcels, whose ticket I couldn't decipher) and went to the window. I did my Dobry den and prosim and pointed to the U.S.A. and asked if I could send it from here. The lady blathered something to an associate behind her and shrugged and rang it up. It was a bit less than $10, worth it for the experience, and possibly seeing my items again someday.

Next I knew there was a concert on the St. Nicholas chuch on the old town square at 5:00. It was a good time, as most were either earlier or later, and I had plans for later. I bought the ticket ( $12 or $15 or so). It was a nice enough church, and the concert was the organist and two trumpets.

It was decent, though tourists got a bit antsy after the first half-hour (it was about an hour). Nobody knew where one piece ended and others began...as there were several movements and I think everyone lost count. So there was random applause at wrong times. Still, you could tell the musicians were really talented. The finale was pretty good as well.

I had a little more walking around to do. There was a festival or something going on the whole time, on the old town square. I listened to the band and ate some bratwurst or something. Then it was time for Black Light theater. This is a pretty popular thing in Prague. It's sort of like a Cirque du Soleil, but performed under black lights to give various illusions. The Image Theater was recommended in the Rick Steves book, and I knew right where it was. The lady at the ticket desk said it wasn't going to be crowded because it was Sunday, so I went in and took a seat.

The theater held maybe a couple hundred. The basic idea was that this turn-of-the-centry wacky inventor guy tries out some of his gadgets on the audience. Then he gets a "volunteer" (soon obvious that it's an actor as well) to try out this cabinet that's something of a time machine. It has a bunch of levers and cranks and a horn on top. Anyway, the cabinet transports the guy to this dream world (this is where the black lights come on), when all the acrobatics and illusions happen. Then he snaps out of it and comes back to the real world, in the cabinet.

The 'audience member' becomes obsessed with getting into this dream world that he keeps tricking his way back in....and toward the end of the show it's mostly black light stuff.

It was really cool. The trick was that there are people dressed in black and black curtains and such that are invisible under the black light...and they are causing things to float around, appear from nowhere, and move.

I was way in the back and I couldn't even tell. Supposedly you're not supposed to sit close because it will kind of give away the illusion. It was a really neat show, surpassing anythign I had expected---a must-see (and a good evening activity!). Plus, it's all in gestures so there's no language barrier.

Also, I found out that the airport minibus picks up near a hotel near the metro stop. I found the sign for it, so will try to make that tomorrow for the trip to Krakow.

Day 3: April 14 - To Prague

The train left at about 10am, and the trip to Prague was about 5 hours. It went by quickly. The Czech countryside is very pretty. Again based on my ignorance, I was expecting this previously-behind-the-Iron-Curtain country to be industrial and drab, but it was not so at all. The train ride was empty most of the way, adding some passengers as we got closer to the city.

I knew that Prague is popular with tourists. But when the train pulled into the station and I went to the subway station, it seemed like a very different world than I was expecting. Unlike Vienna, it was all locals, with services in the local language. This was the Holesovice station, a few stops further out than the "main" train station, which was part of the reason.

Here's a tip! Make sure to use the change window to change some leftover Euros (or USD, or Slovak crowns, or whatever) into Czech crowns. The subway system, at least at this station, requires coins to work. After visiting the ATM, I realized I had no coin money. I should have gone back to the money changing window, but instead decided to buy some water at the McDonald's right behind the station (OK, so it wasn't quite so foreign after all...). I don't think they were happy when I paid for a 20Kc bottle of water with a 2000Kc bill..but hey, that's all I had.

One thing I did notice is that all the Czechs are very good looking. They dress stylishly, which is normal, but are pretty/handsome to boot.

I found the hotel. It is by Wenceslas Square (a c ouple blocks away). The guidebook said it is in a "red light zone" which really isn't much of an issue as it just means a couple of seedy bars nearby. Otherwise the neighborhood is quite nice.

The water is terrible! Though suffering no ill effects that I know of, it's like drinking from a swimming pool.

I walked around a bit. My first experiences in Prague were so-so. It happens sometimes; things just don't fire on all cylinders until you get in the groove. I got lost a little, a couple things weren't open, and I wound up further away from the center than I wanted to be. The original plan was to go to the castle and get that "out of the way" as the guidebooks say it's way less crowded in the laste afternoon . But I wound up heading in the wrong direction (yes, you can lose a castle). It was kind of hot, and my feet hurt a bit. For some reason I occasionally get into this mode, and instead of doing the logical thing which is sit down, grab a drink, get my bearings, and decide what to do, I just walk faster...to nowhere.

After walking for a couple hours, I realized that I really hadn't seen anything yet and decided enough was enough. I got my bearings and found the nearby dancing building, shown here. It was a Frank Gehry-designed structure that depicts Fred and Ginger.

Finally! Something that's actually on the list of things to see!

I felt a bit better and decided to go to the Old Town Center as the castle was closing anyway.

The Old Square was packed with people. This was more like what I expected Prague to be...but even moreso. I underestimated its popularity. There is nothing un-discovered about this city. It is wall-to-wall people. Of course, I realized that this was primarily due to the astronomical clock getting ready to chime the hour.

I was surprised that the clock was so close to ground level. Thought it was way up there.

The idea is that "death" (a skeleton) rings the bell, then a bunch of apostles parade by the little open windows, then the bell rings, and that's it. And that's all it is. Yet massive crowds gather for this anticlimactic spectacle. So I did as well.

Prague is a great ice cream town!

I found the city very easy to navigate, once you're used to it. Getting from quarter to quarter (there are four general quarters in the old section of town) was easy. There are about four or five subway stops in this area, as well as trams, but I wound up not using the subway anymore today, as it is a very walkable place.

I also went to a vegetarian buffet restaurant that was listed in both the Rick Steves and Lonely Planet books (the latter had multiple pictures and entries for it). It was actually pretty good. Food was charged by weight, and it felt good to be eating vegetables after all the hot dogs and other sausagey creations from street vendors.

I started to get a feel for the history here as well. I plan to go to the "museum of communism" tomorrow -- above a McDonald's and next to a casino. It's hard to believe that very little of this city's current lively, fun atmosphere existed even 20 years ago, well within my lifetime.

The great thing about travel is that it's what you make of it. In the short span of a half-day, Prague went from a city that I was a little uncomfortable and ambivalent about, to one that I decided was going to be one of my favorites.

Day 2: April 13 -- Vienna

It seems like nobody wakes up early in Europe unless they have to. Even rush-hours seem later. I got up at around 7:30 and walked a few blocks up and down the street. Only a few people are out. As is generally the case, some of them usually include jackhammer operators working on the street.

Grocery stores are great places to get a feel for the local daily life and try to guess at what some foods are. I picked up a banana and a yogurt drink to get started.

I saw a church on near St. Stephen's was going to have a free organ concert later in the day, so made a mental note. The church was St. Peter's, which had a crazy baroque interior, the first I think I've ever seen.

I headed down to the Naschmarkt, an open-air market near the Sudbanhof train station. It too was just getting set up, but there were plenty of stands and cafes open. I used what was essentially my first German of the trip, or really ever, to get a pastry.

Thoughts on language: if the language is truly foreign to me, I usually find the following words and phrases get me just about anything I need, and therefore I try to memorize at least these with proper pronunciation:

• good day/hello (formal)
• please
• thank you
• yes
• no
  
• one/two
• and
• with
• how do you say....? (For example, if I see something I want in a pastry case, and not sure I can pronounce it, it's nice to let them know that I am attempting to pronounce something and not just blabbering. i.e. "Good morning..Please, one -- how do you say-- donut?". They usually either understand, or pronounce it correctly. If so I repeat again.) To me, this can help show a respect for their language while not pretending I'm fluent in it.
  
• sorry (e.g. if you bump into someone..common in transit or on the street).
• excuse me (to pass, usually)
• good bye
• water without gas (water is commonly sold either carbonated or not; if you order a water and they ask a question, it is likely "with or without gas")

I'm also not afraid to pepper sentences with English words if I don't know the local equivalent. It is likely that whomever you're speaking to knows far more English than I know the local language, even if they're not fluent.

Summing up, Europeans aren't amused by foreigners trying to speak their language, so whatever is needed to get the communication done quickly is how I do it; with so many countries in close proximity, it is common practice to point, use hand gestures (for example, with numbers), or write down numbers or symbols to get across a point. I rarely have to even do that.

The Naschmarkt was really neat, as are most open-air markets. That is one thing I like about Europe, that such a market is usually available every day of the week, and serves a huge variety of good-quality stuff, and is a great place to people watch.

At this point I decided that I may never make it to Slovakia in the near future, so now was the time to go, even for just a few hours. Knowing that trains to Bratislava left once an hour or so, I walked back to Sudbanhof to catch the next one. The ticket was 14 euro return, an open ticket for the day.

As luck would have it, the next train was about 50 minutes away, so I walked a bit around the station, got a banana at the grocery store (I'm a grazer), and waited.

The train was brand-spanking new, and hardly anyone rode it the entire way.

There wasn't a border check going to Slovakia. I'm not sure if that's the norm or if they're random or what. So no passport stamp to show I was there.

Crossing through the Austrian countryside, I made a video of some big wind turbines in action. (Note: this might actually be from the trip to Prague).

Here is a free trick that you can use on your next trip. When you get at your destination (and plan to return by train), take a picture of the departure schedule. Make sure at least the part you're interested in is clear. That way, you can just zoom in later and know when the next departure is, without having to write it down.

I was expecting Slovakia to be really dirty, dangerous, and run-down. The first impressions at the train station neither confirmed nor contradicted that notion. All in all, it was pretty typical, though a bit run-down. But it had an ATM, so I got a few Slovak crowns to spend in the city.

There was a tram but I didn't want to wait for it and then possibly get it wrong. According to the guidbooks, it was about a kilometer to the Old Town, so I walked. It might have been a little further, thinking back.

Bratislava surprised me, at least in comparison to descriptions I had read. Though a bit ragged, it was perfectly fine and pleasant to walk, even outside the Old Town.

The Old Town was pretty nice. Mostly pedestrian-only, it had a number of nice buildings, and cobblestone streets. It also had ice cream! Generally my rule is one ice cream per day max. Knowing I'd want one later that night in Vienna (night ice cream is the best), I modified the rule to be one ice cream per country per day. It was a bit small, but only 30 cents.

There were quite a few tourists and even tour groups wandering around. I liked the statues, especially the "peeper" looking out of the manhole.

Their cathedral had Mass going on. It was built right next to a highway...or vice-versa, thanks to the Soviets.

That particular highway had a weird spaceship-looking building hovering on top of the supports. I later learned this housed a restaurant. The Rick Steves book says that this structure, too, was a Soviet creation.

After a couple more small monuments and statues, I decided that this was enough to qualify as a visit, and headed back to the station in time for the train home.

I made it with a bit to spare for the organ concert. It was really a good concert: nice and loud.

I also went to the Hofburg Imperial Apartments and "Sissy" museum near the concert church. The apartments were the local home of the Hapsburg rulers when they weren't at Schönbrunn (which is the complex further out, similar to Versailles), and kind of an alternative if you don't have time to visit Schönbrunn, like me. Sissy was the wife of the emperor Franz Josef. She has become popular recently due to movies and general public interest and exaggeration about her life. It was a typical palace, full of gold and wood and paintings.

As night fell, I went back to Mariahiler street, where the hotel was, and wandered. This stretch is a popular shopping district...not upscale shopping necessarily but normal things like bookstores and shoes and clothing. I also checked e-mail and got the nightly ice cream cone. Tomorrow is the trip to Prague.

Eastern Europe 2007: April 11/12 -- Day 1 (travel to Vienna)

The flight schedule for today is STL->JFK->LHR->VIE. (I realize this isn't written real-time but I'm pretending it is for the sake of the blog...)

I dread air travel. Since 9/11 but really before that to some degree, it's become such a grinding hassle as to almost make it not worth it. Almost...because there's no other reasonable way to get overseas until teleportation becomes viable.

So the first ride is on the packed-full regional jet to JFK. Took off and landed on-time, surprisingly. Too bad I'm going to miss the NRA convention in StL. Lambert had signs welcoming the gunslingers to the city.

Lambert actually looked pretty good. There are a number of new stores, the flat panel LCDs made it look as though it's been updated in the last decade, and the bathrooms were....well, we have a way to go.

JFK is proabably the worst airport I've been to, save for maybe Oakland. It's sprawling, dirty, confusing, and despite my generally good impressions of New Yorkers, not filled with pleasant people.

I chose the route on purpose because of the transatlantic 777. The importance of the at-seat personal TV can not be overstated. In 10 years this will likely sound quaint, but for the time being, it's luxury. The flight was basically full, save for maybe a couple seats. But I did not win the empty seat lottery. I was in the aisle next to a business-type Englishman. I think we both watched "Major League" but then I fell asleep for a little while. It was just over six hours, which really isn't that long. It took off nearly 45 minutes late (we were 16th in line on the runway, among other small glitches), but we made up the time in the air...

At Heathrow, they warn you to not ask about your departure gate until one hour before the flight. Forty-five minutes prior, the screen still didn't show it, so I sheepishly asked. They were cheery about it, as Englishmen usually are.

Vienna had a nifty airport train to take you to the train station, where there was also a metro stop. Very convenient. First impressions indicated that Vienna was tidy, modern...and as usual, was quite easy for the monolingual English-speaker to navigate.

We are lucky to speak English. It's not that we're smart for doing so, as most of us had no choice in the matter. But English is the common language of Europe, and the world. When a German visits Paris, or a Spaniard goes to the Czech Republic, the very first words they may speak to a clerk or other person is, "Do you speak English?" Most signs in Vienna of the informational type were wirtten in both German and English, and occasionally other local languages.

The U-bahn or subway is very handy in Vienna. Although the city is great to walk, the U-bahn stops are so close together that it does make sense to save your feet whenever possible and hop on. Most trains arrived with frequencies of 3-5 minutes, astounding by most standards.

I got off at Zieglergasse station. The pension/hotel/guesthouse was called Pension Hargita, and was right at the exit. I noticed an ice cream shop about a block down, and was happy. That's one thing we need more of around here -- nothing beats the pleasure of strolling around with no care or responsibility, eating an ice cream cone. Turns out Vienna is a very good ice cream city!

The pension was as usual found upstairs, its entrance at the back of a dark, drab hallway. Because they are usually just a tenant in the building, it's no indication of the quality of the place.

The room was extremely clean and tidy. The TV carried CNN which is always a relaxing touch at the end of a long day. I went with the bathroom, although it appeared that there were only two rooms that shared the hall bath, a pretty good ratio. It would have saved money, but because this was a freebie (miles) flight, I splurged a bit.

After some general walking around, I went to St. Stephen's cathedral, and was lucky enough to get there right as an English tour started. The tour guide was very casual and led us around on a few interesting sights. I rarely go on formal tours, mainly because I'm too lazy to schedule around them, but it was interesting.

Then I took the Rick Steves tram tour around the city. One line does a circle around town, and it really did help to get my bearings on the city.

One of the questions I had was whether or not to visit Slovakia on this trip. Really, the only reason I was inclined to was to add another country to my list, and one that I wasn't likely to visit soon otherwise. Slovakia is half of the former Czechoslovakia (the other half being the Czech Republic). It is generally considered the poorer, less interesting, more run-down half -- though many find this to be a reason to go.

Anyway, its capital, Bratislava, is only about an hour away from Vienna by train. I originally was going to book it on the way to Prague, but felt the complication of getting the tickets and making a connecting train after sightseeing would be too much hassle. I tend to overthink things sometimes. Still not sure, I instead got my onward ticket to Prague for the day after tomorrow.

At the train station, the Prague ticket was about 40 Euro. Looking at RailEurope right now, it's $74 plus $18 handling fee. I won't book on RailEurope again, unless it's critical to get a sleeper or some other situation like that. Only one train I've ever been on was even remotely full, and that was in 2005 from the Netherlands to Luxembourg. Worst case, the first class car was pratically empty, and that still winds up way cheaper than RailEurope.

I'm always looking for something to do in the early evening besides the requisite walking around or drinking beer. The Haus der Musik fit the bill nicely. It was open until something like 10pm, which is rare as most museum-type places close at 5:00 or 6:00. It was great! At first I thought it would be mostly a "music museum" but was a very interactive place that explored sound as well as music. There were lots of video displays (all multiple languages). Toward the end of the exhibit there were rooms dedicated to each composer, with an audioguide that I didn't use very much. Finally, you could use an electronic baton to conduct the Vienna philharmonic...I didn't do so well as all the musicians started yelling at me. Anyway, the Haus der Musik is highly recommended.

After some more strolling, I decided it had been a long, long day, and went to bed after planning for tomorrow.

Photos

Not being a professional photographer, or even a very good one, I still like getting a few good pictures from each trip to frame and hang up in my house. I've gotten at least one from every major trip going back to 2000.

My first main camera was a Canon Elan II-e. I purchased it used in New York. It was (and is) a great film camera. Quick, loaded with features, comfortable, and with great optics, it captured many great moments.

That said, for traveling light, it is a bit bulky and heavy, and that's without taking any extra lenses.

Truth be told, I might still be traveling with it save for my 2003 trip to England and France. I took about 10 rolls of film. It turns out, they were all ruined on the very first day, before even taking off. The security agent in STL insisted the film be x-rayed, despite me having put all the film in a clear plastic bag and asking for a hand inspection.

I know it was this particular scan that caused it, because the very first roll was in the camera at the time, and the frame that was exposed at that moment (frame #2 or so) had the cameras guts clearly superimposed onto the film. By the time I got to the x-ray (in London at the Eurostar) the second roll was already in the camera.

I was able to somewhat salvage a few pictures using Photoshop, but the trip's photo memories are all essentially ruined.

With even more security in place, and at places like museums as well as airports, there is no way I'm risking film again.

Now I use my Canon S50. It's not top-of-the-line anymore, but it's all I will need for the foreseeable future. While not completely compact, it will fit in a pants or jacket pocket. It's very sturdy, being mostly metal, and is packed with all the features that I'm used to with the Canon.

There's no great thought behind my photos, but I generally follow the following guidelines:

• keep it on the slowest film speed possible, in this case ISO 50. The clarity is so much more pronounced that even at night, I will make every attempt to take pics at this speed before relenting to 200 or faster. This also means taking it off full-auto mode.
• use Av (aperture priority) and adjust for the scene at hand.
  
• use the timer and lay the camera down in darker places (like cathedrals) to allow the camera to soak up the light. If it is indeed laying down or otherwise stationary, I take advantage of the steadiness to shoot the scene with the aperture closed way down, in order to get the scene in full focus.
  
• besides general good technique, I've found that holding the camera flat against my front offers a degree of steadiness that I can't get by holding it using hands and arms alone, even if braced against a wall.
• use flash fill sparingly. The flash on this camera is too direct to be of much use. My flash is off by default.
  
• get the big compact flash cards to take video...but also shoot still shots of the same scene. The video is usually too small and grainy to make lasting memories of whatever was going on.

So most pictures I've included here are at ISO-50. I did not upload metadata when I loaded the photos into flickr, so unless something is really out of the ordinary, I used that setting and Av mode.

Guidebooks

As on trips past, I went with two series of guidebooks on this trip. This isn't a minor issue, as guidebooks are the single greatest weight in the backpack. But after going through each extensively prior to leaving, I wasn't quite comfortable taking just one for each destination.

The two series I use are:

Lonely Planet: This used to be my sole guidebook. Their format was aimed squarely at the budget traveler and had pretty comprehensive coverage of each destination (unless it was an enormous "Europe" guidebook which can't possibly be of much use).

Over the last five years or so, I feel that Lonely Planet no longer serves my needs. Primarily, the information is often way out-of-date. Even taking into consideration that they are updated maybe every other year, I can't fathom how prices are often near double what the guidebook says for such things as food, museums, and even lodging on occasion. Although I understand businesses come and go, the number of businesses in Lonely Planet which no longer exist is quite suspect.

The foreign phrase sections are a bit ridiculous. They include very odd situations such as asking where to get a tooth filled, but not everyday things such as numbers and polite phrases. Worst of all, there's no pronunciation guide -- not all pronunciation can be gleaned from the language intro.

I do think they provide decent maps, historical information, and (although less and less nowadays) transit options to each listing.

The three books I used on this trip were:

Vienna City Guide - not bad, but not particularly comprehensive either. It is the "new" LP format, which is aimed at a little bit more popular (non low-budget) traveler. Prices were outdated a bit.

Best of Prague - utterly worthless. The only thing good I can say about it was that it was small and so its uselessness didn't cost much weight. It is mostly a bunch of lists without much historical, geographic, or cultural context, and therefore not in the traditional LP format. I will also say that I used the fold-out maps on the front and back covers (including the subway system) extensively. If I had to do it again, I'd tear these off and ditch the rest of the book.

Poland - This was the best of the LP bunch. It was fairly comprehensive and seemed to follow the original LP format which I liked much better. Though some things were slightly outdated, it did a better job than I expected. Much of its historical information overlapped with my Rick Steves book (below) but its maps and additional listings made it useful to have. Venturing outside of Krakow and Warsaw would have made it a necessity as well.

Rick Steves

Using the "Best of Eastern Europe 2006" guide (2007 was published just before I left), I made this series my primary book through the trip.

These books are good for the lengths of trips I usually take; while not in-depth months-long travel, I do like to get to know and observe the local culture and experience things off the tourist circuit. For this type of travel, the Rick Steves books are perfect.

One thing I personally don't like about the RS books is the fairly high focus on art. Of course, this works for many people (and likely Rick) but for me personally, the art -- especially art museum walking tours and palaces-- are concentrated on a bit heavily. That said, they are aimed at the average traveler, just one who is more interested in examining art museums than I am. He rates sights as 1, 2, and 3 triangles (or 0 triangles, as a sort of 'honorable mention'). I take them with a grain of salt as I generally can't stand to visit more than one or two museums in a city, even though the book might give multiple museums three triangles.

His maps are of the "hand-drawn" variety and are very good at showing landmarks. I don't usually get lost going from major sight to major sight using Rick's maps. It especially shows things such as "the big purple house" which might be an obvious landmark but wouldn't make a typical map. But a real street map (of the type in Lonely Planet) might be useful in addition. Many time's I've been at an intersection without obvious landmarks and need the level of detail a real map provides to get me somewhere.

A compromise is the style: the books are a bit linear for each city. That is, if I find myself in a particular location within a city, it's not exactly easy to go to that location in the book and see a list of sights there. But the trade off is that you can follow his path without needless worry that you're going to miss something or get lost, because each step is described in detail. I wouldn't change this, but it is a trade-off.

The best part, and they are well aware of this, is that they are updated annually. I did find a number of errors this time but the website is fairly robust as a last minute guide to updates.

The pronunciation guides are a bit limited but they really do help. He includes numbers, all the niceties, and some basic other phrases. Let's face it, if I'm going to ask "Which platform does the train to [city] leave from?" in the local language, I better be prepared to understand the response, which is rare. So there aren't any relatively complex phrases in here. A few more would be nice, but I've gotten along quite well with what's in here.

The walking tours really are good and give a good orientation to the cities, as are the tram tours and historical footnotes. While any of his "back doors" are bound to be less so after he mentions them, he has good ideas on how to experience local culture that is not ready-made for tourists.

If I had to ditch guidebooks, I'd ditch the Prague, then Vienna, then Poland guidebooks from Lonely Planet, and get a few good fold-out maps in their place, and use them in conjunction with local information and the Rick Steves guidebook.

That said, I do like having a whole bookshelf of Lonely Planet Guides. They look nice all lined up.

Travel Essentials

Over the past few years, I've learned a lot about travel and how to experience more by traveling light, cheaply, and comfortably. There is still a lot to learn, but each successive trip is more comfortable and focuses more on getting to know the places and people, and less on the logistics and everyday concerns of a trip.

All of my international trips to this point have been to Europe, plus Mexico and some Caribbean islands which I don't count.

2003: London, Paris
2005: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
2006: Spain, Portugal
2007: Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland

As Europe is generally 'first-world', many of the travel concerns are the same as they would be when traveling stateside.

Here is what I've learned about various aspects of trip planning:

Packing: Luggage
Lighter is better. Everyone knows that, but it's taken me years to figure out what that actually means. When I first began traveling, I purchased a backpack, the Jansport Mozambique Tall. It's an internal frame pack. The frame helps transfer the weight of the pack to your waist via a hip belt.

It also has a detachable (via zipper) day pack for use once you get to your destination.

It is a good pack, and served me well for several years and many trips. I never traveled with it fully expanded, knowing that it had more room than I'd ever need. That said, it was still a bit big. Even fully cinched up, it had a tendency to spread out and make itself larger than it needed to be.

The other problem is that the frame itself kept the bag above airline regulations for carry-on, pictured here. Even if one were to squash and bungee it up in every dimension (something I've never done), the frame would take it several inches at least above the length limit. After Iberia Airlines lost the checked bag twice in 2006, I vowed to not let it happen again, if at all possible.

Before my most recent trip, I looked into getting something a bit smaller. After a number of test drives and lots of internet research, I went with the Rick Steves convertible carry-on.

There are several things I like about this pack:

• dimensions are well within airline carry-on limits
• it's basically rectangular. I found with other packs that lots of curves and tapers lead to either wasted space or space that gets too easy to fill with odds-and-ends that add weight
• CAN be expanded (as shown) if needed; normally it is much less deep
  
• can be worn like a backpack, or carried like a normal bag. The waist belt rides a little high and it is definitely not as comfortable in this mode as my Jansport, all other things being equal. But most other things aren't equal because this one forces me to carry less stuff, with less weight.

Things I wish would be different about this pack:

• an internal strap in the middle. In fact, my Jansport has the same problem: it has internal cinching straps at the top and bottom, but tightening them invariably allows the contents in the middle to bulge. Three straps evenly spaced from top to bottom would be ideal.
  

That said, I was very happy with this pack during the trip. I will make some modifications to the contents for the next one, but it will likely become my normal bag, as the airlines had no trouble letting me carry it on, while a number of passengers with larger packs had to gate-check.

Packing: What to Pack
For a week and a half in Europe, in April and expected mild weather, I packed the following, including what I wore to begin the trip:

• Clothes
• 2 pairs of long pants (khaki style, one dark)
• 1 long sleeve, button-down shirt.
• 3 short sleeve, polo-style shirts
• 2 t-shirts, cotton/spandex (very light), as undershirts
  
• 2 t-shirts, cotton/poly, as undershirts or sole shirt under a jacket
  
• polar fleece jacket
• 5 pairs underwear (poly/spandex, very light)
• 4 pairs socks (Thorlo, thick hiking socks, "Level 2" padding)
• 2 pairs athletic ankle socks
• 1 pair 'shower shoes', collapsible (double as 'sneakers' when not a lot of walking is required)
  
• belt
• baseball cap
• Books
• 1 Rick Steves Eastern Europe book
• 1 Lonely Planet Vienna
• 1 Lonely Planet "Best of Prague"
• 1 Lonely Planet Poland
• 1 Sudoku book (mini), for plane
• Toiletries (dry), in 1-quart plastic bag
  
• toothbrush
• mini medical kit, in small plastic container, with
• Sudafed (blister pack, cut into 2's, with extra backing cut off)
• Immodium (same)
• Antihistamine (same)
• Dramamine (mini 'sample' size from store)
• a few Q-tips
• a band-aid or two
  
• Adhesive tape
• small plastic pill container with enough multi-vitamins for trip, which I conveniently didn't take
• mini travel deodorant
• mini travel Advil
• 2 razors
• mini sample dental floss from dentist
• mini travel soap (cheap hotels sometimes don't give you soap)
• Toiletries (wet), in 1-quart bag. Anything that remotely reprsents a liquid or gel went in here, for TSA inspection at the airports
• mini toothpaste
• mini mouthwash
• mini shampoo
• mini hair spray
• mini hand sanitizer
• carmex tube
• neosporin tube
• my personal favorite: a mini spray bottle with Febreze. Freshens clothes up, takes out wrinkles. A lot of bang for the buck.
• Miscellanous, in 1-gallon bag
• plug adapter (no transformer)
• camera battery charger (built-in voltage converter)
• extra camera battery
  
• cell phone charger (probably unnecessary unless I do international roaming)
• cheap digital wristwatch with alarm (serves as alarm clock)
• extra pair of glasses, plus prescription sunglasses
• extra CF cards for camera
• Other
  
• TSA-approved combination lock, can also be used in hostels for minimally securing items
• a couple fabric softener sheets for the "old" clothes bag
• my daypack from the Jansport bag
• mini notebook
• pen
• copy of itinerary, passport, and extra ATM/debit card (this is in addition to my wallet which I carried)
  

For me, this is close to everything "necessary". I know you can travel with just the clothes on your back, but for the level of convenience, this was plenty.

When possible and necessary, I quickly washed clothes in the hotel sink, using shampoo. Nothing gets so dirty in the two weeks that a laundromat is required. It sounds barbaric, but it works just fine. The underwear and cotton-spandex shirts can all dry in less than a day. The socks, because they are so thick), take a bit longer. But again as awful as it sounds, throwing a damp pair on dries them out very quickly.

As I said, this was a pretty good balance. But if I wanted to go lighter, I'd remove these items:

• 1 short-sleeve shirt. I used all three, but could have gotten by with two easily. One could be washed if needed.
• at least 1 pair underwear. As I said, they dry quickly when washed.
• guidebook(s) (discussed later)
• 1 pair athletic socks
  
• Mouthwash
  
• cell phone charger

As it was, the daypack could fit inside the main pack while still keeping it within the carry-on limit. This was important if the airport security dictated only one carry-on per passenger. In the daypack, I put the guidebooks for the current country, the notebook and pen, the jacket if I wasn't wearing it, and the liquids.

Generally, unless I was walking a long distance, I wore the daypack on my back and carried the backpack by the handle. It was very comfortable.

The Journey Begins

This blog traces my travels starting in 2007. As I did not truly blog during my first trip, I will make multiple posts on the same day -- and each one will represent a day of the trip. For future trips, I hope to actively blog as it should be done!