Seattle adventures

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Hi everyone! I have arrived safely in Seattle, it is now 4th of July and since I am taking a slow and relaxing day today, I finally have time to write a bit about what I have been doing the last couple of days, i.e. my Seattle adventures.

Way to Seattle

I started my journey on Thursday after an incredibly busy week at the Munich Filmfest where I have been watching films back to back. My flight was pretty much uneventful. The safety measures in airports are understandably long and extensive. I had a bit of a scare in Munich when the very grumpy KLM lady at check-in asked for my printed ESTA slip and I had actually forgotten to print that. It took me a good 30 minutes to find proof that I had it and she was not helpful at all. I found out later that you are not required to print anything since ESTA is linked to your passport, so I don’t know why she decided to be such a bully. Everything else went fine, I didn’t miss my flight which I was scared of most.

During landing in Seattle we had to wait for clearance, so the plane circled the mountains and since it was a very clear day, I was able to take a few nice shots out of one window.

I’m really bad at geography so I have no idea what I took a picture of. But it was great seeing so much from above. From the airport it is pretty easy to get to downtown Seattle or Belltown where I am staying. 35 minutes on a train and a 10 minutes walk later I reached the City Hostel where I had reserved a bed in a female-only 4 bed en suite dorm. The hostel is conveniently located, very clean with very nice and helpful staff. They are very strict about who they let into the hostel and there are some rules which I appreciate because I feel much safer knowing that not everyone can walk in and that for example smoking inside is forbidden.

Since smoking pot is legal in Washington state, that is a big issue here. Seattle has a big homeless population (although I am told it is even worse where I am going) and many of them smoke pot and/or suffer from mental illness. It took me a while to get used to the fact that many places and people smell like pot and to ignore those who wander the streets shaking and talking to themselves. It puts the whole legalize cannabis issue in Germany into perspective.

Arrival in Seattle

On my first day in Seattle, I couldn’t do much. After I had checked in, I met my two roommates at that time with whom I had dinner that night. After that I passed out pretty early. I have been battling jet lag ever since. It’s a 9 hour time difference to Munich which is 3 hours more than Ohio/East Coast where I have been before. Thus I planned to have a relaxing first full day (and ended up doing most of the sights). And by relaxing I mean going to a museum, in that case the Seattle Art Museum.

Seattle Art Museum

The Seattle Art Museum is pretty nice, they have a nice collection and I spent almost 3 hours wandering around, reading books and taking pictures:

 

They had that nice exhibition of Graphic Masters with Dürer and Goya. I especially liked that they actually told you to take pictures and post about the exhibition. It is really straight forward because often you are technically allowed to take photos but you can’t be sure.

Space Needle + EMP

After a short visit to the hostel, I went to visit the Space Needle although I decided not to go up. A fellow traveller told me that it was cheaper to go up another tower in Seattle with a better view.

Right next to the Space Needle there is a museum for pop culture called EMP (Experience Music Project). Everyone at the hostel had been talking about that so I decided to go in as well. It is a lot of fun, you learn a lot about music (grunge, Jimi Hendrix etc.) and they had a nice horror film exhibition. Everything is very interactive which always takes me some time to get used to. As I went on a Friday of a long weekend it was unfortunately very busy with many families. I also enjoyed the Seattle Seahawks exhibition there (currently I am wearing my new Seahawks shirt).

Capitol Hill

On Saturday I met up with a Robin who I had gotten in contact with through that a nice group on Facebook called HPL (Her Packing List). She had offered to show me around Capitol Hill, her favorite neighborhood, and I had gladly accepted her offer. It is always much more fun to be shown around by a local! Capitol Hill is/ used to be the gay neighborhood but people there struggle a lot from gentrification (reminded me a lot of Munich). Fancy apartment buildings are being built and the rents go up, so that all freelancers and creative people hardly can afford to live there anymore. Still, the vibe there is unique and different to Belltown or downtown. I was listening so intensely that I hardly took any pictures, but sometimes it is more important to stop seeing things through the lens of a camera.

Above you also see the Starbucks Roastery which is located there. It’s very touristy and crowded but I went back on Sunday and had a scone there. They sell amazing (and expensive) pastry and I enjoyed people watching there so much. In the morning I had been to Pike Place Market for the first time where it had also rained for the first time. Very uncomfortable and crowded so I was glad to move on really quick.

Frye Art Museum

I also visited the Frye Art Museum on 1st Hill which was quite a bus ride away (you gladly take buses in Seattle if something is located in a neighborhood with “Hill” in its name). The Frye Art Museum certainly is a nice place if all rooms are open. Unfortunately, I chose a time when they were assembling the new Hammershoi exhibition so almost everything was closed except for one room where they restaged the hanging of the original salon with works of the Munich Secession and the Munich Künstlergenossenschaft.

I took a very long nap that afternoon and only walked for an hour that evening. Roughly I had been walking between 10 and 15km everyday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I am a bit exhausted right now so I will probably spend today just relaxing and watching Netflix. They’ll have a barbecue later here at the hostel which I want to attend.

Tomorrow I’ll probably take a ferry to Bainbridge Island just for the sake of the ferry ride (I love boats!!) and for seeing something different. I’ll keep you posted!

Cheers,

E.

PS: Totally hooked on Netflix shows: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Baby Daddy and Gilmore Girls are my favorite currently.

My US West Coast Packing List

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As most of you know, I will be going to Seattle, Portland and San Francisco in a few days. I’ll be staying in these three cities for a total of 19 days. These days will be almost equally divided between these three cities where I will be living in hostels. This will actually be my first try to not pack as much as usual. I tend to overpack. First of all, I always worry too much, so I try to be prepared for all occasions. And then, I never want to do laundry, so I try to bring enough clothes. So, this time, different approach: I have read so much about different ways to travel only with carry-on and I wanted to give it a try this time. This is my US West Coast Packing List:

This time I divided my bags and I made a table to sort which bag is going to hold what:

I’ll be travelling with my Kalahari camera bag, my Herschel Backpack and a smaller Carry-On suitcase which has four wheels and has been proven to be very convenient for travelling.

Camera bag

My camera bag will fit into my backpack and is, of course, holding:

I added a plastic bag, in case it might rain. My camera bag will be my daybag as well, even though it doesn’t look that nice, it can hold all the things that I need when I’m adventuring.

Backpack

My backpack will include:

  • my camera bag
  • my Apple iPad mini + Logitech case
  • all chargers and cables
  • my two Lonely Planets for Seattle and San Francisco (I just can’t leave them)
  • small notebook and pen
  • small plastic bag with medication and liquids that I want to bring on the plane with me
  • my scarf (against the cold, or to use as a blanket or pillow on the plane)
  • phone, money, tickets, passport etc.
  • small bag with an inflatable pillow, Ohropax
  • my collection of sunglasses
Carry on suitcase

I decided a few days ago to check my small suitcase simply because I am too lazy to carry it with me during the layovers that I have. I purchased Eagle Creek Pack-It cubes though to hold most of my things. I’ll be bringing:

  • shoes: Minnetonkas, Birkenstock-like sandals, flip flops for the shower
  • travel towels
  • travel-size hair dryer (it was shortly on my list to be left at home, but I get a cold very easily when I don’t dry my hair)
  • two pair of pants (1 jeans, 1 slacks)
  • dress + leggings
  • underwear+socks for a week
  • my umbrella
  • Bikini
  • seven tops
  • three cardigans or pullover
  • toiletries

Am I missing something? As always, I keep checking my list over and over again, fearing that I might forget something very important!

My must-pack items

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It’s exactly 8 days until I am leaving for this year’s adventure. Since I won’t rent a car this year, but will be travelling by train mostly, I tried to plan ahead and think about what I really and absolutely need to take with me and what will be unnecessary baggage. Still, I noticed that there are a few things that I depend heavily on, especially while being abroad:

Sunscreen and skin care in general

Since I can remember, my skin has been high-maintenance. I get breakouts from almost everything such as food, dust, sun or stress. Since travelling combines many of these factors, I am careful to pack all of my skin care things. This time I will bring my favorite cleanser from Sebamed in a travel size and probably stock up on the things I used while I lived in Ohio which was mostly from Neutrogena or AcneFree. Both work fine for me.

As I have very fair skin, I usually end up with a sunburn within the first two days even if it is cloudy. Last time I went whale-watching and even though I used sunscreen, I ended up with a nasty burn and blister on my nose. It took me a week to get rid of it otherwise I would have ended up looking like Rudolph on my friend’s wedding pictures. This trip I thus come prepared: First of all Neutrogena Clear Face Sunblock Lotion with 30 SPF which I like a lot because I don’t feel like I bathed in oil after applying it to my face. The second sunscreen that I am bringing is a foundation with 30 SPF from Shiseido. It is one of the few foundations that don’t cause breakouts with me and that I can use everyday.

My Iphone and other technical stuff

I know I am a typical smartphone addict. My iPhone holds all of my everyday information that I need, all of my contacts, my calendar, my music. I have tried travelling without my phone, without service or without data, simply relying on free WiFi in restaurants or cafés. It doesn’t work for me so far. I hate having to stop somewhere to connect my phone to Wifi in order to look up some places or to google the way. I love using Twitter and/or Instagram when I’m travelling and posting pictures right away. Call me spoilt, but my Vodafone service works all over the EU which is why I decided to go with an American SIM card this time. I’ll probably be able to tell you more after the trip when I can say for certain that it worked. As of now: I ordered a SIM from SIMbee online for 30 USD. I will have unlimited texting and calls within the US, plus 300 MB of data (after that it will become slower), plus a certain amount of free calls worldwide.

Ohropax

Usually, I’d say that I’m a heavy sleeper. I never wake up to any noise outside because I have got used to it, I guess. When I travel, however, I feel like I sleep more lightly which means that in hostel dorms I constantly wake up due to noises. Two years ago, in Boston, I got really mad at the A/C in my dorm room that couldn’t be turned down and kept making so much noise right above my head. The staff at the hostel was very sorry and they provided me with a dozen free pairs of ear plugs. I have to admit that it takes some time to get used to them, but since then I don’t travel without Ohropax anymore.

A scarf

Be it summer or winter, I always bring a XXL scarf which I can use as a scarf, a blanket or a pillow. Air conditioning can be cold even during summer and when you have to spend some time freezing, a scarf can safe you from getting sick. Been there in Thailand where I caught a bad cold from air conditioning on a bus (didn’t have any blankets) and had to stay in bed for three days missing out on a good time on Koh Samui.

Comfortable shoes

Shoes are always a big question mark on my packing list. They take up so much space and still I can never decide on which and how many to bring. They are often the reason that I overpack. I guess gone are the days where I only brought my trusted Converse and a pair of Havaianas to walk around. Lately I had issues with my knees and I know for certain that I will need comfortable shoes on my trip if I don’t want to take an ibuprofen every night. So far (list is not finalized yet) I decided on my Bata shoes which feel like Birkenstocks but don’t make my feet look that big, a pair of sneakers with insoles and my Minnetonkas. I’ll also bring old flip flops for showering in the hostels, just to be safe. Since I like to go shopping anyways, I’ll have a reason to go if it turns out that I really need more shoes (I always do) or that one of the pairs I brought isn’t comfy enough. I was thinking about buying these sandals from Crocs which is something I thought I’d never say about anything from Crocs.

What are your must-pack items? Is there anything that you can’t live without while being abroad? I’m curious!

Things to do in Bardolino

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You might have noticed that I couldn’t keep up with my travel diary. Writing was just way more work than I could or wanted to do after 11 PM. Also, it seems that I am still on a war path with the WordPress App and its functionalities. So instead of several posts it has to be one with a more general guide on things to do in Bardolino. This was my first holiday after a year of working and writing that I spent without books or any plan, so I had a wonderful time relaxing and exploring the town.

First of all, Bardolino is probably the busiest town at Lago di Garda, especially during Bavarian holidays or during one of the two wine festivals in May and October. But if you catch a less busy time and once in a while step off the tourist streets, you will see great places! Here come my favorite things to do:

1. Take a walk along the lake shore, watch the ducks and be active.

All the pathways have been worked on in the last few years, so you can walk along the shore between most towns undisturbed except for some people on bikes.

2. If you don’t like walking, you can also decide on taking a boat.

It’s fairly cheap and compared to the bus actually on time. Another option would be getting a taxi, but traffic gets quite busy during the day and you’ll be stuck most certainly. The boat ride is a lot of fun, you’ll get a good overview of the lake and catch some fresh air as well!

3. Explore other towns!

I especially like to go to Lazise or Garda (which has the best bakery ever!!), but next time I will make sure to go there on a day when there is no market. The crowd was crazy and made it almost impossible to find a café to enjoy some cappuccino.

4. Choose a bar or café close to the lake!

Put your legs up, order some vino and simply enjoy! If you are into people watching like me, that’s the best way to do it. I loved watching the boats on the lake, the people playing with dogs in the water or simply families strolling by.

5. Leave the crowded streets and take a different way back to the hotel.

If you keep your eyes open, you’ll see so many things: Beautiful houses and gardens, flowers, street art or even funny coincidences such as the walking frame next to the Harley Davidson sign.

6. Go to church.

Or rather go into churches. I’m very often bored when I have to walk into every church in a town or city, but Bardolino is home of my favorite church. It is called San Severo and I am in love with the Romanesque frescoes. Some time ago, I had to do a presentation on Romanesque frescoes and one of the examples that I could choose from was San Severo in Bardolino (what a coincidence!).

7. Follow the locals.

As creepy as this may sound, I found the nicest park to hang out!

8. Go to the markets.

If you can, choose smaller ones that mainly sell food. The bigger ones mostly sell clothes and shoes, but the food markets are great and have so many things that you won’t find at home like those sweets and little cakes!

9. If you happen to be there when there is a wine fest/ tasting, try to enjoy it.

There will be a lot of people and later a lot of drunk people, but on the upside, the town will be decorated beautifully. For the Palio di Chiaretto the chosen color was obviously pink. You could take a picture on Juliet’s Balcony and go from booth to booth tasting samples of the new Chiaretto from app. 20 different wineries.

10. Most importantly: Enjoy yourself, put on sunscreen and soak up the sun.

You’re on a holiday, so eat, drink and savor every moment of it!

I hope you’ll all have the chance to go to Bardolino (or any town at Lago di Garda) any time soon, it’s a great place.

I’m already busy planning my next trip to Seattle, Portland and San Francisco and I’m so excited. The To-Do-List writing has begun!

Tell me: What’s on your packing list? What shouldn’t I forget in any case?

Talk to you soon,

Eva

Lago di Garda Day 2: Boats, shopping and gelato

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Hi everyone, buonasera di Bardolino! As promised yesterday, a short description of where I am. Sorry for all the typos and weird mistakes, I’m still working on the whole blogging-while-travelling-without-my-laptop etc. The WordPress App is quite cool, but some things just won’t work for me.

Currently I am travelling with my mom on our annual trip to Italy. We are staying in Bardolino which is located on the eastern coast of Lago di Garda in the part of Veneto. I have been coming to Bardolino for many years now, many of the best holidays have been spent here, first with my parents, later with friends and now again with my mom.

Our hotel is called Taormina, it is a two star rated hotel and I can only recommend it so far. The rooms are small, but clean, and have all amenities that are necessary. The best thing is that the hotel is located very close to the town center and also very close to the lake and everything else.

Today we took a boat to Lazise which is 15 minutes away (by boat) to visit the weekly market, look around and see the older part of the town. Lazise is as beautiful as Bardolino, but I didn’t like the crowds and I wasn’t able to take as many pictures as I wanted due to me being part of a moving crowd. It’s ridiculous, everything at the market can be bought in stores as well and still people go crazy. It’s not even a bargain, things are often cheaper in smaller stores!

So we only looked around for a little while and then escaped into a café for coffee and some people-watching. Seems like Bavaria (and Munich maybe) might be deserted with many Bavarians here. So much fun watching people! We later took the boat back again, instead of walking 45 minutes in the sun. Call me lazy, but I was so glad that I could sit down for a few minutes!

The rest of the day was spent with napping, a picnic at the lake and more shopping. It’s easy to spend time shopping in Bardolino, I guess. Many shops have similar things and you shouldn’t be to conscious about fair products as many things are most likely made in China. However, if you are on a budget, looking for a bargain and some cute summer clothing, it is the place to go. Tomorrow I’ll try to find some shoes! I love shoes!

I ended the day with my first gelato this year (as in bought and eaten outside) and it was delicious. Papaya and chocolate are a perfect mixture and can only be beaten by Mango and dark chocolate. I even decided against a glass of wine (so this is sober-me writing here) in order to be able to eat all of it. Absolutely will do that again tomorrow!
I’ll head to bed now, it truly is a holiday with lots of food and catching up on sleep.

Talk to you all later,

Eva

Travel Diary: Lago di Garda Day 1

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Hey folks,

finally some travelling done on my part which means more posts coming up for this blog. Today’s post is going to be short, after all we only arrived this afternoon so I only took some pictures. Frankly, after two glasses of wine and a sprizz I also have a little buzz going on. So, more on where I am staying tomorrow.

Enjoy my first pictures of beautiful Bardolino in Italy!

That’s the hotel we are staying at. Conveniently located, close to the lake and so far the staff has been nice as well. I stayed here a couple of years ago already, so it wasn’t a big surprise.

 

A billboard with death notices which are posted throughout the town. It feels more personal somehow because it implies that people still know each other.

 

Three views of the lake. I love water and I especially love how it sparkles in the sun. Probably the only thing that I like that sparkles.

 

There was a group of baby ducks. So cute, so fuzzy. So many pictures were taken. I spare you the details and only post one.

 

Sooo many boats. And a reminder that last year my mom and I decided to get a boat license which we, surprise – surprise, haven’t managed to do yet. Maybe next year we will be able to rent a boat. Let’s keep that on the bucket list!

 

Very random shot of my water-glass.


It’s the shadow of the bird. Very funny, the little sparrows are extremely well fed and like to steal bread. It’s so much fun to watch them as they hop between the tables. They also come pretty close, so you really have to be careful or you’ll end up with a bird on your head.

More on the background of my trip will come up tomorrow! Plus pictures of Lazise and other shenanigans!

Sleep tight and dream of distant places,

Eva

Englischer Garten: Let’s take a walk

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Next stop: Walking, people watching and catching some sun in the Englischer Garten!

Since it was unusually warm and sunny for April, we decided to take a walk through Munich and to the Englischer Garten. I absolutely had to show my friend, who lived in Florida at that time, that there even are surfer in Munich. They are located next to the Haus der Kunst and the American Embassy in Munich, right at the entrance to the Englischer Garten…

I always have to spend at least 15 minutes watching, it looks like so much fun, yet I’d be too scared to try! As you can see in the pictures, it was still early in the year with not too many people there (in summer, it gets crowded), but we still sat down on a bench to soak up the sun and watch the people with their dogs walk by.

It is always worth to walk up to the Monopteros which was built in 1832 on a small hill. Very often you’ll find people playing music there. Again, you’ll have a nice view over the Englischer Garten!

I hope you’ll be able to visit these places some time!

Until then, keep traveling!

Munich’s Best Observation Deck

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Hello dear fellow travel aficionados!

As mentioned in my little recap for 2015, I had my friends visit me in Munich in April. You all might have already experienced the same thing: We travel to see different cities, but when it comes to the one we live in, we just don’t do the usual sights. I mostly tell myself: “Oh, those crowds, I’ll do some other time!” So with my friends here for a few days, I had to quit the excuses and dig into my knowledge of great places in Munich. And Munich certainly has a lot to offer. One of my favorite places to get an overview of the city is the clock tower of St. Peter…

The Catholic church with its tower, called “Alter Peter” in Munich, is the oldest church in Munich. It is located very close to Marienplatz, Viktualienmarkt and all the other well-liked places in the city. The tower has a height of 91 meters and thus offers a great view all over Munich (you can go up to 56 meters).

We were quite lucky to choose such a clear and sunny day in April and the sky certainly was showing off with all those little white sheepy clouds. Check out some of my pictures below!
As for more details: You’ll have to pay a small fee to go up (as far as I remember 2 Euros) but it’s worth it and it is supposedly open year-round. The steps are quite steep, all 306 of them. Make sure to look out for people coming down, too.

We actually spent almost 45 minutes up there, taking pictures and walking around on the observation deck. It’s a convenient place to point out sights if you don’t want to take a longer tour. Also, it is right next to the Rathaus and the city center so you won’t have to walk far for the best view in Munich. Afterwards make sure to get some delicious food at Viktualienmarkt!

Until then,

Eva

2015 Recap

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Oh time flies when you are having fun!

It is February 2016 now and I just noticed how lazy I have been. I apologize, dear followers, and I promise to try my best to do better.

So let’s see: What did I do in 2015 – travel-wise?

In March I spent a few days in Mannheim, Germany at a conference. I wouldn’t much call it traveling or a holiday, as I spent most of my time in the university there, still, I liked what I saw and I am planning to go back and explore more. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken due to my lack of nerves concerning presentations.

In April I was happy to welcome two of my best friends in Munich. A. came all the way from Florida to visit me and was later joined from H. who came from Berlin at that time. Though it was just for a week, we had lots of fun and did a lot of sights in Munich, Salzburg and Füssen. My first visit to Neuschwanstein! I definitely should devote a post to that!

In June I spent a few days with my mom at the beautiful Lago di Garda in Italy. It’s one of my favorite places. We have been going to the same towns since I can think, so it feels a lot like coming back to many nice memories, always looking for changes. Places change so much over the years! It was incredibly hot outside, but more on that another time!

In September I was accepted to spent a week in Kleve, near Düsseldorf, Germany at a Summer School on Digital Storytelling. There are still so many impressions on my mind that I have no idea how to put that into words. The week was filled with good memories, but also a lot of work.

In hindsight, my year didn’t look that boring, but still it felt extremely empty with no trip longer than a week. I missed my being-abroad-on-my-own a lot and I’m looking forward to this year and hopefully more time spent away from Munich.

Until then, take care!

Cheers,

Eva

Taking a train ride

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Even though it was the smallest part of my travels, I decided to devote a post to the train ride from New York City to Boston.
During my time in Ohio in 2009 I was never able to travel anywhere by train, mainly because the railroad seems to be a dying way of transportation. I also had heard a lot of unpleasant stories on American trains which I hardly could believe having been a victim of the DB (Deutsche Bahn) far too often.

So I decided to take the train from New York City to Boston because I didn’t want to rent a car in Manhattan that would be parked in Boston for days because I was going to stay there. Amtrak was really cheap considering the distance and the fact that I was not able to use a discount. I booked the ticket online and printed it. When the day came, I was really nervous and went to the train station way too early. Of course the train was late, too (no explanation why) but that felt a bit like home. I was able to wait inside. What’s confusing is, that when the train arrives, you have to storm to an exit where your ticket is barely glanced at and then you can go down stairs and enter the train. That one wasn’t full, so I was easily able to find a seat and enjoy the view. All the waiting and the stress of boarding in the end was absolutely worth it, as the way from New York City and Boston leads along the coast. As the weather was nice and sunny, I was able to enjoy the view and catch up on some reading. There is free internet on the train, they even tell you when to get off!

The quality of my photos is really bad this time, but when you travel, you sometimes travel fast 🙂

While I was looking out the window and saw the small villages and larger cities fly by, I knew for certain that I had to go back and spend more time at the beach. I feel like I’m a sea person, whenever I am near the sea, I feel free!