sleep – paralyzedbynotcaring

Helpful Items, Part II

The advice “travel light” is not without merit, but I do recommend considering packing the following items for any extended trip. I was either glad I brought this stuff or had to buy it on the fly.

Hand Fan

Yes, it rained A LOT during my trip, but there was enough sun and heat to make a spur-of-the-moment purchase of a street vendor hand fan a life-changing event. Even if it’s not that warm outside, walking for miles and hauling your pack around is sweaty work. And buses? Sweaty. Very, very sweaty. A/C is not so much of a thing in Europe as it is here, so you have to make your own wind, just like Tyra Banks intended.

Pocket Mirror

Another golden impulse buy—the pocket mirror saved me from countless embarrassments. Blotting my sweaty face with paper napkins almost always shredded the napkin and left huge pieces of lint fluttering on my face. And with the wind and rain, everyone needs to know what the hell is going on with their hair before they step into a nice restaurant. Also, you can signal people with sunlight if you get bored.

Scarf

You may have noticed I am not especially fashion minded. Probably this is due to the fact that fashionable clothing is not made in my a) size or b) budget, so I have given up and wear basically the same thing every day. Yes, I brought six identical black tank tops to Europe. Not having to worry about putting together an outfit only gave me more time to explore and eat new foods. I brought a scarf, but it wasn’t an infinity scarf and kept falling off. I gave up on it and bought an infinity scarf from a street vendor at the gay pride event in Hamburg. Dad loved shopping there so it was extra special. My advice, bring one or two infinity scarves to change up your wardrobe. They won’t fall off and you’ll look at least slightly different in your pictures. Plus, they are light and easy to pack.

Umbrella
Invest in one that won’t turn inside out and backwards. I never found one.

Dry Shampoo
*Cue the Hallelujah music* Dry Shampoo! If you haven’t already joined the dry shampoo revolution, you have a wonderful surprise in store. You do not have to be a slave to long showers and the hairdryer anymore. I use this brand, which I recommend if you can stomach the price. This brand is less expensive and nearly as effective, though dry shampoo in general can smell and feel gnarly. Try a few out before you decide what works for you. If the first three or four do not work—DO NOT GIVE UP. There are loads of options, and the time and energy saved by using dry shampoo cannot be overstated. Still not convinced? Observe the picture above. That’s 4th or possibly 5th day hair. This is my life now. I can’t imagine getting up an hour earlier every day to wash, condition, gel, mousse, protect, dry, then curl my hair. Forget it.

Eye shade
I am a napper, so using an eye shade is nothing new to me. I used an eye shade on the plane and a few trains, but it mostly came in handy in my actual Airbnbs as I was trying to sleep at night—it stayed lighter A LOT later in northern Europe and it screwed up my sleeping schedule (go to sleep early and sleep in as late as possible). This particular shade has convex areas for your eyelashes so you don’t wake up with bedhead on your face.

Pocket Kleenex
This one is probably pretty obvious, but I went through a lot more Kleenex than I thought I would. Pack triple what you think you need. I ended up using this not only for sneezes, but for napkins, blotting paper, and toilet paper.

Handkerchief
I had my dad bring me an actual handkerchief because I was going through so much Kleenex just blotting my face. A handkerchief is greener, classier, and won’t leave lint all over your lip hairs.

Benedryl
So they don’t have the same drugs in Europe. For over the counter stuff, bring what you like to use, but also bring Benedryl. You never know what exciting new pollen you’ll be allergic to, and Benedryl can double as a sleep aid.

Books
I brought The Stand and Daisy Miller and Other Stories knowing I’d trash them or leave them behind as I finished them. The Stand was very satisfying to finish because it cleared up so much room in my bag. Bring a few paperbacks you know will be entertaining but not lifelong companions. I bought a few books while on the road, too, trying to keep this same philosophy.

Things I Thought I’d Use But Didn’t

Compass
I brought a small compass, but I used the compass app on my phone almost exclusively. I forgot I even had a real compass.

Reusable Water Bottle
I was gung-ho to go green and use this collapsible water bottle, but ultimately it just made more sense to reuse regular water bottles, and then recycle them when they became unwieldy.

Bungee
Several travel blogs suggested this adjustable cord to help you hang your laundry, but I never needed it. The Airbnbs always had a rack or a lot of closet space where I could hang things to dry.

Earplugs
I am an earplugs advocate, and even though there were some loud nights, I didn’t like using the ear plugs when I was travelling—I wanted to be alerted to the noises around me. The exception was when Dad and I shared a hotel room. He snores. A lot.

Inflatable Travel Neck Pillow
I love the idea of this pillow and used it on my redeye from SFO to Madrid, but I never really fell asleep. The pillow shifts ever so slightly as you finally relax your neck on to it, even when the pillow is secured in front. It’s just not that comfortable. I do like that I could deflate it to take up less space in my bag, though, and for that reason alone it is superior to other U-shaped travel pillows.

Take what you will from this. Remember, whatever you packed is what’s going with you.

Travel Apps, Part I

Traveling without reliable internet access made for quite an adventure—if you can afford keeping your phone plan with data as you travel, do it. I wish I would have just spent the money and then had access to all my pins and bookmarks and ideas as I was on the go. That being said, even without the internet, certain phone apps were extremely helpful and I recommend you download all of them before you travel.

Google maps

With Google maps, you can download the map of a city while you have wifi and then access that map any time. You probably already have this app downloaded, so this one is sort of a no brainer. I used Google maps in every city with very little, if any, difficulty. Sometimes the app could even track my location on the map WITHOUT WIFI. This was of course mind blowing for me and so convenient I almost felt comfortable. Almost.

Compass
There is an app called “Compass” and it is just that—a digital arrow pointing north. I used this all the time to orient myself before I set off. I very much want to know in what direction my accommodations are in relation to a large landmark if possible, and this free app never failed, with or without wifi.

Yelp
Again, you probably already use Yelp on your phone. Now, without wifi Yelp can be pretty useless, but if you have time before you are out and about, you can plan your snack stops based on the map function on Yelp’s bookmarks page. Bookmark the places you want to visit—Yelp has basically everything—and then view your bookmarks in map form rather than list form. Note the addresses and you can plug them in to Google maps while you’re out for specific directions. Bam, done. The only city that did not have Yelp was Riga, Latvia, but that’s okay because there was

TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is like Yelp’s older brother who’s been working on his PhD for over a decade and knows a metric ton of stuff if you just know what to ask. TripAdvisor was a great complement to Yelp and many times had more specific reviews, particularly for hotels. You can filter the reviews by key word (mine were always “wifi,” “noise,” “safe,” and “clean,” if you don’t know how I roll already) and also read the responses from the hotel staff. TripAdvisor has great lists of things to do in each city. After the first page or two of obvious choices—Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre—you get a lot of info on the different types of tours available. This was useful to me when I was trying to figure out how to get to Stonehenge from London. Had I not used TripAdvisor, I probably would have just taken a bus from the tourist office and saw only the henge. As it turns out, I found a tour that included Avebury, which was just as special as Stonehenge and sort of on the way. TripAdvisor requires wifi though, so do your searching at night when you’re in your

Airbnb
The Airbnb website and app can be convoluted, so spend some time learning the filters and pages before you’re on the road. The app helped with communicating with my hosts, though a lack of wifi can interfere with that. Overall, using the app was far easier than the website for quick emails to my hosts—and I found myself doing that at least once per stop. Note: with only one exception, my Airbnb accommodations had MUCH BETTER wifi then hotels. The trade off is you can leave the hotel room a total disaster, but you better clean up and wipe down everything before you leave an Airbnb.

Overdrive, Audible, Kindle
Overdrive is a audiobook app (like Audible) that connects to your existing library card (unlike Audible). Once you download Overdrive and sign in with your library card information, you can access the library’s catalogue of audiobooks (and ebooks, if you are an alien and can read whole novels on a screen) for free. Both Overdrive and Audible require wifi to search and download new material, but once you download a book, you don’t have to have wifi to listen to it. Audible is a monthly subscription service for audiobooks—for a fee you can download one book per month. If you want more, you can buy individual books in addition to your monthly allotment. I cancelled Audible for the duration of my travels, so I didn’t pay the monthly fee but could still access the books I had already paid for. I had several to choose from, and, with Overdrive, was able to listen to many books as I rode the rails or waited for buses. I listened to music as well, but the majority of the time I listened to audiobooks. I have the Kindle app and occasionally read through the chapter of Rick Steve’s Europe Through the Back Door relevant to my next destination, but I don’t like reading ebooks and could do this in short doses only. Also, Rick Steves is annoying.

Pinterest
If you already like Pinterest, you are going to love it when you travel. I made Wanderlust board and throw all sorts of ideas on it before I left. Pinterest is great for finding travel bloggers who have very specific suggestions (“9 Free Things to Do in Dublin!”), including where to get gooey chocolate cookies in Amsterdam (Van Staple Koekmakerij, if you’re interested). Using Pinterest in conjunction with Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google maps helped me figure out my day plan based on what food I want to eat—err and the famous places I might want to take pictures of. The bloggers of the internet can be hard to filter, but Pinterest helps. If you don’t already love Pinterest, it can be a hard app to learn on the go if it’s not your jam. Stick with Yelp and TripAdvisor.

Facebook Messenger
fullsizerender Keeping in contact with people is dicey on the road. Most of my contacts have Facebook and by extension Facebook Messenger, so this was a natural choice. With the exception of Lil Bro, who is too low key for Facebook and preferred to use Viber, I checked in with everyone using FB messenger. It’s easy and probably most people you’re going to send 3AM humble brags to already have it.

That’s it for apps that help you find things to do and then tell people about them. Next time I’ll list some logistically important apps I wish I would have known about sooner!

The British Library, the V&A Museum, and a Goodbye

Yesterday I visited the British Library, which houses not only stories and stories of books, but also an exhibition of rare prints. Some of my favorites were sketchings by Da Vinci, first editions of Shakespeare’s epic poems, another copy of that darned Magna Carta, and really old maps, one of which I recognized as being of Amsterdam before I saw the label (first intellectual benefit of this trip confirmed!). There were plenty of other books as well–religious texts, scientific notebooks, musical notations, you name it. One thing about London that I really like is that exhibits like this are free to the public (donation box by the door).

This sculpture of William Shakespeare greets you upon entering the library. This pose is so contrived–I wonder if he didn’t flop down on his belly, quill all agog, and make furious notes on the floor by the fire.

One rarity I was able to take a picture of was outside the main exhibition room. this is a really old book in an oyster shell.

That’s a binding you don’t see every day.

In the center of the library this column of books spans the height of the building.

I’m not sure how these books are accessed unless it’s automated. Surrounding this center piece you can find individual work stations. The actual reading rooms are in wings on each corner of the library, but you need a reading pass to get in to those rooms. I didn’t investigate getting a reading pass because I didn’t want to talk to anyone and I was afraid there would be a test. Anyway, the library was certainly an interesting place to visit regardless.

There was a PUNK exhibit outside the main exhibit hall dedicated to mostly Sex Pistols paraphernalia. The explanatory sign sports some of my favorite graffiti to date.

Someone was a Slits fan (The Slits were an all-girl punk band, contemporaries of the Sex Pistols).

Today was my last full day in London/England/Europe.

I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of my goodbye London tour. This museum has a little of everything and an especially good sculpture collection.

This guy seemed to be having a great time.

I found St. George, hard at work against the dragon as per usually.

And this sparkling example of mythological insanity.

If you’re like me, you blocked the story of how Apollo SKINNED Marsyas alive as a punishment for losing a musical contest.

Here is a portrait of Henry VIII, who couldn’t/wouldn’t keep a wife.

I need some strong weaponry to protect me from such a ladies man.

Don’t worry, the V&A has you covered.

I also found an alcove of old books that did NOT have a “no photos” sign–amazing.

I even found a weirdo Jesus.

In case you weren’t sure what was going down, that skull and crossbones should clear it up.

After the museum, I got off the metro at the London Bridge station and walked along the Thames. Today was a beautiful, sunny, warm day.

London has seemed the most like home with KB and all the mostly English speak. I feel strange leaving. Tomorrow by this time I will be on American soil once again. No more squinting at foreign coins, no more Googling tipping customs or bus ticket kiosk locations. No more jamming as much culture into my day as possible before curling up on a new bed and waiting to see if sleep will come. No more DEMON.

“Back to reality” people have said, but dealing with navigating new cities, new countries, new challenges has been more real than any normal day in Belmont. I don’t know how this will change my reality, if at all. I will have to wait and see.

Tomorrow I fly to North Carolina.

I am reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but this is not as easy as it looks, so I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t distract me

That’s right Princess Bride fans, though I suffered a night of nearly no sleep, today I visited the Cliffs of Moher, aka Cliffs of Insanity. And they were indeed insane, though a nearby cow could not be bothered.

Moooove along the path for this crazy view.

Look out across the ocean while you’re at it. If you travel out to sea, the next stop is Boston.

Before this sight greeted me, though, I had quite a bus ride from Dublin.

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It was already scheduled to be a 3.5 hour drive (one way), made longer by the dogged efforts of a young man to secure a promise of drinks from me (doomed to fail). Made longer still by the fact that the bus left four of the passengers at the midway pit stop (Barack Obama Plaza of all places) and the guide didn’t realize it until 40 minutes later. We had to double back. This extra time was used by my seat mate to innumerate his qualities and re-articulate his case, press against me, and deliver the “I can tell you have a beautiful heart” line that must be on page one of the International Book of What to Say to American Women When the Situation Goes a Bit South brochure for all the times I’ve heard it on this trip. He watched me start to eat a sandwich and it was uncomfortable even for the tomato. I had to stash the food away and starve. He said he could read my palm and I had to lie and say that stuff isn’t real because I knew if he took my hand I would have to stab myself in the nostrils. He said he had no money but money isn’t everything. I am not sure how he intended on buying drinks but did not point out this logistical flaw because clearly he couldn’t understand simple no thankses, no matter how many times or how many differing inflections they were delivered. If they hadn’t already been dubbed the Cliffs of Insanity, they would have been after that bus to crazy town.

No means no, people.

There is a tower overlooking one of the cliff edges. I didn’t go in but a lot of kids were running around like it was a big deal. I did consider hiding in there but didn’t want to be trapped yet again by this force-dater.

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Another tourist and I got to talking and she said that about eight people per year slip over the edge because they took a misstep while posing for a selfie.

This picture could have been a KILLER. Crazy town danger zone, today was. My determined seat mate continued his monologue on the return ride until I put in ear buds, pulled up my hood, and crossed my arms over my chest. He promptly fell asleep with his arms and legs all akimbo in my space. Convenient. Let’s just say my disembarkation from this bus was swift and spirited.

Tomorrow: hiding from the world.

Walking around looking around: Dubin

Last night the parties and pubs were lively until late, but in the morning, Dublin was blissfully quiet and I had a long rest in. When I was up and about, I discovered that pushing the shower knob to the “off” position did not render the expected result. I had to call the front desk for assistance. Everything after that was pretty smooth sailing.

I walked to the tourism office, which has a statue of Molly Malone outside.

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I remember singing an Irish ballad about Patrick O’Leary and Molly Malone, but I don’t know if it’s related to this stacked and stunning statue. At the tourism office I purchased a ticket for a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher (tomorrow–tune in then for the excruciating details). After that I was at liberty and walked around Trinity College. Here is Burke standing guard at the gate.

He can probably kill us with his brain.

The campus is beautiful as expected, with perfect green grass and grey stone work. Inside a courtyard is this stunner. No particular reason that I could see. Just because, you know, Europe.

The main draw for me was the section of the college’s library that houses the Book of Kells, which is a somewhat ancient Christian text (9th century). Of course no photos were allowed, but picture a beautifully illustrated Latin calligraphy of the New Testament. The book was oversized, with wide margins and relatively large type. I don’t know any Latin (my school cancelled the Latin classes the year before I enrolled; such is my luck), so I could get only an aesthetic sense of it, and that was enough.

Also in the library is the long room, which is a two-story masterpiece of accumulated literature.

Each alcove had its own bust and staircase, one of which was spiral.

I mean really now Ireland is just showing off.

Let’s look at some of the heads.

Shakespeare, of course.

Bill and Ted’s main man, So-crates.

And Cicero, who, if my memory serves, got so mad that Cleopatra didn’t follow through on a promised book loan that he slandered her for years until he died.

This man was serious about books.

The St. Patrick’s Cathedral, like many places of interest in Dublin, was close at hand.

It’s even more impressive on the inside, with the expected stained glass, but also many memorials, such as this one from the Great War.

There is also a bust of Jonathan Swift, of Gulliver’s Travels and “A Modest Proposal” fame. Swift was active in this church and gave many sermons. The bust was donated by a Mr. Faulkner (relation to William unknown).

I sort of imagined him as a long, lanky man with eyes a bit too large and fingers a bit too long, but maybe that’s Ichabod Crane I’m thinking of.

Just down the road is Christchurch Cathedral, which was closed for the day but had its courtyard open.

The view from the other side reveals some food stands.

Honestly I think they have the right idea. I’d be at church more if there were crepes.

On the other side of the cathedral is a beautiful memorial for those who died in the Armenian genocide.

Around the corner I found my demon.

He even LOOKS like he’s singing the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.”

Time for some shepherd’s pie, my friends. It is definitely time for shepherd’s pie.

I did see one more relic from the past–

That’s right, Tower Records, in the flesh. If Dublin wasn’t so torn up with preparation for the light rail, I would have crossed the street to peek inside this blast from the past. But as it is I’m not quite up to crossing against lights and jumping fences. Tower and I are two records spinning in different directions.

This evening’s entertainment included the stage play Once, based on the 2007 Oscar winning movie. If you haven’t seen the movie, consider watching it or just giving up on cinema all together.

Before the play and during intermission, the stage turned into a bar and audience members went on up to cure what ails them. They had no vodka (an upsetting trend in Dublin), but don’t worry. I made it work.

According to the sign, this is the only stage bar in Dublin.

The show itself worked really well on stage. It moved a little faster than the movie, but the songs were just as powerful and the main characters just as compelling.

Tomorrow I am taking a bus to the cliffs.

I am reading The Night Manager by le Carré and Winter by Marissa Meyer.

It is a truth universally acknowledged

that any blog post in possession of amateur photography must be in want of a patron.

Viv and I drove from London to Chawton to visit the house where Jane Austen spent the last years of her (too short) life. The brick house has been converted into a museum. From the road, it looks like this.

The rooms are compartmentalized (I guess the open floor plan wasn’t yet a trend), but the house is somewhat spacious.

Here is the plaque on the front of the house.

There was at least one other male visitor here, so Viv wasn’t completely surrounded by gushing females.

Much of the interior was in the “re-imagined” realm. Most of Jane’s possessions didn’t make it very far, which makes sense because she was never rich. In fact, according to her will, she had just over 800 pounds to her name when she died, all from book sales. She left most of it to her sister, Cassandra.

So in the spirit or re-imagination, here is the room where Jane and her mother, sister, and sister-in-law took their meals.

See that TINY desk in the upper right corner? THAT my friend is where Jane shook her money maker (pen)!

How in Darcy’s name did she manage with such a small space?! That table wouldn’t hold my drink order! The sign indicated that this was her actual desk. My excuses for not writing are now totally invalid. Can you imagine the piles of papers, the discarded drafts, the ink and pen wiper, all on this table? Let alone some tea. Incredible.

Upstairs is the bedroom Jane shared with Cassandra. How two people slept in a bed this size is yet another pre-Victorian mystery.

Here is a view from her bedroom window.

Many items that may have belonged to the Austen family were displayed, but evidence that they were directly related to Jane was scant. Two of her brothers were Navy men, so there were many paintings of ships and other naval things.

One of the few things that was for sure Jane’s is this shawl, which Jane made herself.

Because our girl had TALENT coming out of her fingers for sure. In the background there is a part of a quilt that Jane, Cassandra, and their mom worked on.

Outside the garden was stylized not as it would have been in Jane’s time (it would have been more functional with vegetables and herbs and such) but in sort of a meandering English garden on the borders, grass in the main space.

Here is the view of the house from the back garden.

Overall it was fun to consider the perspective from Jane’s bedroom, see her work space, and think about her daily life. The museum itself doesn’t have a standard or metric ton of things of Jane’s, but ultimately it didn’t matter. The day was beautiful and the pub across the way was open. Good day all around.

Today I traveled from Heathrow to Ireland and have just checked into my hotel. The taxi driver gave me a map he had stolen from the tour bus company and told me not to bother finding a tour bus (!!) because all the places worth going (he circled them in black pen) are easily walkable from my hotel. I didn’t argue and in fact appreciated his petty theft, but I was looking forward to sitting on a bus and looking passively at things. Now it seems like my conscience will require a more active touring plan. I have several things (some taxi-recommendations, some Pinterest lists) I want to do and see, but, nap first.

Riga to Copenhagen

There and back again. We left our hotel in Riga at 8am before dad had finished his first of his usual 4 coffees, so we were both a wreck. We stood in the Every Airline Except Baltic Airline check in line, only to be told this is the Oh And Except Finn Airline Line as well. So we stood in the Finn Airline Line. Then we were told we got bumped from the Finn Air flight and will take Air Baltic. So we stood in the Air Baltic line. By this time I needed to go stand in the WC line as well. After that we stood in the security line. As we neared the front of the security line, dad realized he still had Lil Bro’s loan pocket knife on him, so we had to go stand in the Air Baltic check in line again and check dad’s carry on. We almost drowned in the sweat pouring off dad as he realized he had a knife in his pocket, but we somehow survived to stand in the security line again and were still in time to go stand in the booze line where we felt right at home.

Back in Copenhagen we hopped on the now familiar train to the central station and took a taxi to our hotel. I took a nap and dad had a sandwich by the canal. For dinner we had 5 types of herring and other less interesting things.

Dad’s favorite was the maroon and my favorite was the purple.

We ate along the Nyhavn Canal under heat lamps and jackets. Another beautiful summer day.

Nyhavn is still adorable. Observe.

I found watermelon ice cream on the walk home, so that happened.

We can see the groovy spiral acid flashback church from a distance near our hotel.

Tomorrow is Dad’s last full day abroad so we are going to fulfill his lifelong dream of going to HAMLET’S CASTLE!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You me and the KGB

I didn’t sleep well last night and had to drag myself to the KGB corner house with dad. We walked by way of Alberta Street, famous for building after building in the art nuevo style.

The buildings were ornately designed, some with statues as columns, some with sphinx gargoyles.

Once we got to the KGB house, a free exhibition, the pictures, documents, and informational texts didn’t do much to invigorate me. Latvia was occupied by the soviets, then the nazis, then the soviets again, and if I understood the postings correctly, the nazi occupation was a relief from the soviets.

Let that sink in.

Bars on the windows, uneven footing, narrow doorways, a small courtyard, and a turret for the execution room. No thank you.

I’d never considered WWII from a Baltic perspective before. I am not sure I could have handled it anyway back when I was first learning about all this violence for the first time.

Out and around the corner is St. Gertrude’s, and we stepped in to for some sanity.

St. Gertrude is the patron saint of travellers.

The skies promised rain, but we were able to take some pictures.

Dad has the double glasses look down.

We also stopped by a fancy bakery, meaning I went to a fancy bakery and dad waited outside.

Dad doesn’t do foo-foo, which is too bad because I had an excellent apricot cheesecake something or other.

We walked down to old town for the last time and did a farewell tour of our restaurants and shops and parks. It started sprinkling on our walk back to the hotel, and by they time we tucked ourselves in for a nap, it was raining. It is still raining now, a beautiful Baltic summer night.

Total miles walked: 4.87.

Tomorrow we fly back to Copenhagen. Dad flies home from there on Saturday. I will go see KB in London.

Another day another country

Yesterday we travelled from Hamburg to Riga, Latvia, by plane (I was able to talk Dad down from he We Have To Take a Ferry insanity), but our flight wasn’t until after 7pm (19:00) so we had time in Hamburg to continue to enjoy the LGBTQ Pride street fair, which included hamburgers and a lot of really upbeat music. Every other street vendor was selling cocktails before noon. I had to pry dad away from this scene so we could see a few more sights, including city hall. I particularly liked city hall because there were plenty of benches.

We then walked down to the warehouse district, which is is prettier than it sounds.

The warehouses are made of brick and are separated by canals, as you can see.

It was an excellent day (barely a threat of rain), so walking so far from our hotel wasn’t as much of a gamble as usual.

We walked down to the Maritime Museum, where the largest collection of model boats is housed. Yes, one is made completely of legos. Also included are many beautiful paintings of nautical scenes. They basically look either like this

or like something seriously nasty is about to happen (not pictured). I particularly enjoyed the harpoons and knots.

Doesn’t the knot on the lower left look like a sea scorpion?

We also paid our respects to Leif, who sort of discovered America.

Not to be outdone, Columbus motions to the sun to settle down.

We took the train from our hotel to the main train station (our hotel was just outside the train station and it was very easy), but from the main train station the right train to the airport was a little confusing. The platform said airport, the train display said airport, but some displays said “first three cars.” Well, we weren’t sure if it was the first three cars from the engine or the first three cars from the platform and you better bet we guessed wrong. After several stops, the train paused for an unusually long time at the stop just before the airport. Another passenger, probably noticing our luggage and English, asked if we were going to the airport because if so the first three cars just left us. We jumped off the train to watch the first three cars scuttle off as though they’d just pulled the funniest prank on Earth. I should have known and I guess this makes Dad and me even for our trip through rural Sweden.

We got on the first car of the next train.

The main train station was much, much more bustling than the airport, which seems so strange to me. At any rate we checked our bags and had plenty of time before we boarded the bus to board the tiny plane to Riga. Many of the other passengers were men my age with long hair and rock band tee shirts. We guessed they were coming from a show (they were all pretty drained). Customs through Riga was a breeze as it was just walking by a lady leaning against a desk that had a “Customs” sign. Our taxi driver to the hotel was at least 7 feet tall. Dad fell asleep immediately.

Total miles walked: 6.7

Today was our first day in Riga, which is a small, flat (read: walkable) city. We found a post office and a bus tour without having to ask anyone, much to our mutual relief.

Here we are on the bus before I Hulk Broke the headphones.

We got off at the canal stop and then got on a boat with a five-year-old girl named Megan who objected to her life vest by protesting that she promised she wouldn’t get in the water anyway because she didn’t want to get her hair wet. The boat took us through the canal and into Daugava River. From here is a great view of their wedge-shaped library.

Here we are on the boat.

On a side note dad only looks happy when he doesn’t know I’m taking a picture. As in above, when I ask first, he gives this are-you-serious face. Candids from now on when possible.

After the canal tour we walked around old town and came across a few sights I’d read about on the fountain of information that is Pinterest.

We looked inside the Riga Cathedral.

Much stained glass and ornate molding, of course.

While I was taking photos like this one, Dad was busy documenting the retrofitting on the load-bearing columns.

We were also able to pretty easily find the Freedom Monument.

Latvia became a free country in 1991.

This small memorial is from the Baltic Way, when people from Estonia through Latvia to Lithuania joined hands for freedom in 1989.

We also came across this statue of a donkey, pig, cat, and rooster. It is supposed to be good luck if you can touch all four. The statue is tall though and I could reach only the donkey and pig. Half luck for me, half something else I guess.

I also serendipitously spotted the house of the black cat, which I think is just like every other house except that way back when the owner was trying to join the city’s guild, he was denied, so he put a black cat sculpture on top of his house and faced the cat’s rear end at the guild’s office. The guild relented, the home owner was admitted, and the cat’s ass now faces a different way.

As far as lore goes, this story seems watered down. I bet there is a REAL version out there somewhere.

Anyway, I remembered from the tour bus narration something about the house of the three brothers, so I was trying to guide us by it as we made our way back to the hotel. The streets here are anything but a symmetrical grid, so it is easy to trapezoid yourself out of orientation. Dad and I walked up a block, around it, looked at the map, but neither of us could see anything noteworthy or any signage. We didn’t notice the gaggle of tourists across the street aiming their cameras at us. We didn’t notice when a tour tram came up, stopped, unload a bunch of people who also took our picture, load up again, and then trammed off. We held the map upside down. We looked up and down the street. We tried to remember what the house of the three brothers even was and why it was mentioned on the tour. I noticed finally that a) the people across the street weren’t moving b) they seemed pissed at us, and I put together that we were right at the house of the three brothers. I took a picture of what everyone else seemed to be photographing:

As far as houses in Riga go, this one seemed pretty plain, but who am I to judge? I think things built before 1950 are old.

Now that I’m back at the hotel I did a quick search and realized that my map and/or memory was a poor translation. It isn’t house of the three brothers, but rather the Three Brothers, three consecutive houses that are the oldest in Riga and represent the three major architectural themes. So as it happens i took a picture of the One Brother. And the homeliest one at that.

Finally we had dinner at B-Bar, a place we chose because of its Black Balsam drinks. Black Balsam is a Latvian liquor made from, among many other things, wormwood. So either it was all a bit of hype and we made it back to the hotel ok OR this is the most G-rated trip ever and I am face down in a beautiful cobblestone ally waiting to be awakened by the street cleaner.

Hamburg

First I have to say that we have taken some pretty epic naps in Hamburg. Today we went to the top of St. Michael’s cathedral, the first of such things that I’ve encountered that had an elevator. Needless to say, I took the lift. Dad opted for the stairs, which probably lead to today’s siesta.

Here is the church.

Here is Michael taking out the trash.

Here I am at the top looking fresh after the elevator ride. Dad didn’t want to get that close to the edge.

Here’s the other view from the top, including the Elbe.

We’ve sampled some excellent local cuisine. Here is a pork knuckle.

We’ve taken in the sights. Here is Dad taking a picture of the post office.

We got on the tour bus, though the commentary was in excitable German.

The warehouse district was huge and brick and beautiful.

We also did a canal tour where we learned it is illegal to insult the swans.

Why would you want to?

The view from the boat was beautiful.

Hamburg is a lot bigger than I anticipated. I was picturing kind of a Bruges-like city, but Hamburg is huge and mostly modern. It has more bridges than Amsterdam, London, and Venice combined. There’s that old Venice envy again.

The rain has for the most part threatened but turned out to be sound and fury signifying nothing. I am glad I picked up that jacket in Copenhagen though. It’s windy here. Especially at the top of towers.

Don’t think I’ve escaped the Demon. Look at this.

Always stay vigilant, sir.

Tomorrow evening we fly to Riga, Latvia.

I am reading Good Behavior by Molly Keane and Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff. Dad is reading Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose.

Category: sleep