I was fortunate enough to be able to find a Couchsurf in a pretty cool part of town with another good host! Though, he was too busy with work at the theater as a director, he was very hospitable as he gave me suggestions and we had very nice evening chats over dinner.

During the day, I spent most of my time exploring on foot or by the underground subway system. All very easily maneuverable. I found Berlin very tourist friendly. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a “free” tour group lead by students who study in Berlin and have a wealth of historical knowledge and passion for the city. Of course, these guys work off donations and is worth dropping cash to.

Dramatic History

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Berlin Wall

The locals know their place in Munich. The city center of Bavarian culture. The rest of the country may see them as less cultured than their Northern brother Berlin. But Munich is full of culture and natural beauty. Like many historic city centers, the classic architecture is embedded with modern restaurants, boutiques, and shops. Ruined? It’s hard to say when you walk out of a fine opera house into a beautifully clean square and have several night options to make the night seem endless.

Wetsuits and Surfboards

A brilliant idea is to bike your way through Munich. I was just lucky enough to have a wonderful guide! Munich is bike friendly and green. When I mean green, I mean the enviro and city planning incorporates the nature. Rivers running through the city are networks that brings about much activities and enjoyment to those that live there. Walking with friends, reading a book in the park, bike riding, jogging, and surfing. Yes! Surfing! How can I explain that there is a river that runs wild through a bridge in such a way that there is enough white water for surfers to practice their skills in the middle of Munich? And after all this outdoor activity, take a respite at a beer garden where you can have some traditional Bavarian wheat beer (Weissbier) or a mixed with lemonade. If you have the munchies and forgot to pack a lunch… are food vendors too!

Beer Garden

Besides roaming around like a tourist, I had the honor to be a guest to a local. My favorite part of traveling is to experience how locals live. And I had the pleasure to enjoy typical breakfasts and dinners with Martin. I even was convinced to accompany him to one of his friend’s birthday party! A casual house party that is not unlike ones at home which made it easy to enjoy after my reservations about “crashing” the party as a newcomer.

To the Hills

Finally, my weekend ended with a favorite past-time of Germans… hiking! Very familiar to preparing for a day hike, Martin and I set out early with our packs and hiking shoes! The mountains are beautiful with loads of people of all ages coming from all directions to enjoy nature outside the city. I even witnessed men hauling heavy packs to the edge of the peak of the mountain overlooking the city to para-glide back home!

A stellar weekend! An awesome host! THANKS MARTIN!

Finally… Munich! Not because of Oktoberfest but to reunite with Martin, who David and I met in a remote area in China over 6 months ago. He hosts me in his apartment and became a wonderful guide and host while in Munich. Dressed in his laderhosen, he and his friend show me around the grounds of Oktoberfest. They taught me how to hold a liter of beer properly as we enjoyed a good song atop tables and benches! However, the reality of us finding a place to enjoy the true heart of Oktoberfest within the beer tents is not as simple as it once was.

Inside a beer tent

An estimate of over 6 million liters of beer is dispensed over the 16 days in Munich. Traditionally consumed in liter mugs, served to you by extremely strong female waitresses. These little ladies can hold up to 8 heavy glass mugs filled to the brim!

All in all… a good start to my time in Munich with my buddy Martin!

Days Spent in the Country: 7

Number of cities visited: 4

Salzburg

English spoken: Yes. I had no issues in all these touristed spots.

Most common phrase heard: Danka (Thank you)The German language is strong here. Though I have to say that I didn’t speak to many people to get a good gauge of what common lingo was spoken.

Food: Weiner Schnitzel.

Wiener Schnitzel... a breaded pork meal served with beer!

Drink: Beer is not bad as I am sure that the closer I get to Oktoberfest it gets better and better. Schnapps is the liquor of choice.

Shopping: In the fancy cities there are fancy brand name shops that people all over the world are familiar with. But remember, as they are part of the European Union, it comes with EU prices…

Funniest thing: Everyone on “The Original Sound of Music” bus singing to token songs throughout various parts of the trip. Ok… so I sang a few times too…

I will never forget the peacefulness Austria allowed me to find as the hills were therapeutic for me. And how could it not be? Though I found it to be of effort to enjoy as trail maps in the Tryol region were not the greatest and all in German. Pictures make it very easy to follow but just that you don’t know how long it would take to once you commit to taking a route. But I managed to explore and get home before the sun ever went down (In more ways than one…).

After clearing my head with the fresh air… I was ready to move on and continue my journey with a more positive mind. Now to enjoy a few days in Innsbruck and Salzburg!

Innsbruck

To get a good idea of some classic Austrian architecture and design of a quaint town of the past… come to Innsbruck and meander the alleys like a true tourist!… So it has all a tourist would want… Shops full of “local” gifts, loads of restaurants and cafes, and shopping boutiques. Oh, and there are some sites that are local like the Golden Roof built in the 15th century.

The Golden Roof

The Hills Are Alive…

Yes, Salzburg is my last stop in Austria. And what better way to spend a tourist dollar than to take “The Original Sound of Music Tour.”

Yes... I was on this bus...

The cool thing is that after the tour, I took on some touring around the city on my own. Had some Wiener Schnitzel with a nice cold beer. I even climbed to some nice high views of this fortress enclosed city to enjoy the sun-setting as I would later be able to enjoy the festivities of the annual Salzburg festival. A sorta small version of Oktoberfest but in Austria. Lots of people in Bavarian dress just enjoying the festivities including music, food, and culture. And what an appropriate place to enjoy music in no other than Mozart’s birthplace.

No, this is not my usual style to travel. But nothing is wrong with doing the tourist thing. The best thing is the transition out of this tourist thing… and on to another as I will be on my way to Zurich to meet up with my German friend that David and I met in China several months ago! Nothing like a local to help you enjoy Oktoberfest without the worries of an overpriced overnight stay!

Perfect timing to experience the Alps and natural beauty landlocked Austria has to offer! With no large bodies of water around its borders, it does not lack any beauty! Yet, as it would have been nice to share this scenery with someone, I really didn’t want to meet anyone. I have to say it is rare for me to want to be away from people totally and to be in the state that I was in. I needed time to think so I found a place away from major cities and planned to hike the mountains on my own! Another new experience I thought I would never try. Hiking without the company of another human being… In a country and trail I have never been to…. How would that go over?

I found myself in this large “guest house” in a small town called Steinach a. Brenner. I found it to have very few tourist and quite isolated. After settling and surveying the area. I found mountain biking in addition to hiking was possible in the near-by mountain trails. Unfortunately, the rental shop was closed on weekends. So I was left just to hike. Information was scarce on weekends for an English speaker. So I had to make due with the map provided for me in German at the guesthouse. It seemed to serve me just find as I found myself in deep woods and in open fields full of mountain berries! Passing mountain huts and local people picking berries, I found people to be cordial but left me alone as if they knew… I spent 8 hours a day for those few days on my own, packing my lunch before I set out while picking and eating wild berries along the way. When I finally felt I had enough time meditating…

Nature, Me, and My Camera

Number of cities visited: 4

English spoken: Yes. Hardly did I encounter anyone not familiar with the English language… however, I did spend time in pretty touristy spots.

Most common phrase heard: Gracias. But sounding more like Grathias

Food: Tapas of course but trust me that is not all that is well worth your time sitting out in good company.

Drink: More and more is Spain getting more notoriety for their wines. Temperillo and the Rioja region are more commonly known words when I think of Spanish wine. Most wines are reasonably priced as

Funniest/Strangest thing: Exploring the town of L’Estartit, I was walking the main road looking for a travel agent to help me plan my way out of here. I had a strange feeling that I was being followed by a car. After walking 2 blocks, I was approached by a Caucasian guy who looked “Hippie-ish”. He asked if I spoke French. I said a could a bit. So he then explained in French that he was from Belgium and was traveling to experience the World and was looking for a partner to share it with him. He said he was traveling to Southern Spain and then asked where I was going. I politely told him I was going North and was not interested in traveling with him. He thanked me for my time and drove off in his peace-wagon. Funny thing is that he seemed very genuine and well spoken for. Not enough for me to be silly and follow this guy!

In one small portion of Spain, I found so much culture out of my cloud of vague “Spanish” stereotypes. Spain is full of art, intelligence, style, and natural beauty! By this time, I was looking to clear my mind a think more freely. And Spain became my 1st stepping stone to reflecting on my time traveling and how to prepare myself to re-acclimate to home after all the eye-opening experiences I had lived through thus far. How can this all end? Will I just return to my old Type-A American personality or will I be able to incorporate these new lessons of calmness and appreciation for the more simple things in life? And so Spain left me no concrete answers as I move on to Austria.

Days of rain from Girona kept this gloom around me and followed me to a few frustrating events. After being indecisive about whether to stay or go in Girona, I finally decide to leave and make my usual planning for accommodations at my next destination. So, when does being a frugal backpacker goes wrong? When you make a choice on a place based on decent(“average”) reviews and an inexpensive price. Using Booking.com, I found a place away from the city and tourist areas. As it turns out, it was a poor choice for a backpacker as it was a 20Euro ride(from the only taxi in town) to the establishment from “town”. Way too pricey! This is after wandering the entire town(where you could stand on one end of town and see the other end in the distance). After checking in and relaxing in my room while a storm pours outside, I immediately changed plans and decided to try my luck into the tourist town of L’Estartit the next day… plus, I heard that it had good SCUBA diving!

Cloud Still Hangs Over Me

This time I decided I would find a place to stay by popping my head(and backpack) into establishments and checking out if it would suit me. I had a rough idea from a bit of research I had done about where to stay but didn’t want to commit until I was happy. Santa Anna is what I settled on after finding my SCUBA shop. I drop off my things in my room and run to my 1st dive time. La-Sierna Dive Shop looked promising on its website… but looks can be deceiving. As I have only about 8 dives under my belt, I was hoping for more guidance. No preliminary debriefing. No one told me what to do with my equipment(load it on the truck?), who to follow, what to expect, or even a hello. So I asked a couple from Australia for some prompting, who as it turned out, knew no more than I!

I finally meet my email contact who tells me who I am paired with. And then the worse is yet to come! The weather was bad and water was rough. I get in the water and am immediately thrown around like broken buoy in a storm. I felt out of control and scared! My dive master told me to put my regulator on the surface and promised me that it would not be as bad underwater. But it was too late! I had already lost focus and panicky. The visibility was horrible. The 1st 5 meters were rough and we had to go down using the rope of the anchor. When we got close to the bottom, I managed to forget almost everything! Sank to the sea floor and killing whatever my fins could touch! Some how during this mad destruction of sanity… I loose my weights on my belt. This all lead to my dive master to have to hold my hand(literally) through the rest of the dive. It seemed to comfort me and allow me to get comfortable again while trying to enjoy what I was seeing. He was quiet nice to me as we returned to solid ground. Said he would not see me for my 2nd dive. Another dive? F*&#@ No! Instead of spending more money on another miserable experience… I decided to have a nice bath and relax in my private room!

Berlin in L’Estartit

Thankfully, I had a private room with good internet access, a nice TV, clean bathroom, and small balcony I would enjoy my simple meals. The manager/owner was so kind and seemed to be able to exude some kindness and read my need for hospitality. After a nice talk with her, she introduced me to her son who was interested in traveling the way I did. It was great to be in a place where I have a local companion. He and his golden retriever, Berlin, toured me around the quiet spots of L’Estartit. Hiking to a beautiful outlook onto L’Estartit, swimming with Berlin, and having nice conversation over nice meals. So nice, I was convinced to stay 2 days longer!

As little time I have left in my RTW trip and the huge expense of Europe, I find my time at each destination to be shorter and hence leaving me less time to get to know the region and meet people. As I come to terms with my impending return home, I can’t help but be burdened with the prospects of not having this freedom and worldly education. I slowly come to this strange depression that builds up as I go North. So I find myself trying to find an answer and meditate seeking natural environments. But on the way I stop in Girona by train.

Small Town Girona

At the tip of Catalonia, the small town of Girona offers a diverse history of Roman and Jewish inhabitants that is now home to students and passer-by tourists. As I get off the train that night, I am confronted again by a repeating theme of starting out in a new place in the dark. Brave or stupid, I decide to try to find my own way to my hostel. As I gather information at the station and get my bearings I am confronted by a man from Barcelona asking me about knowing of any accommodations. Talk to him? I trust it… Soon I have a companion to walk in the dark streets of an unfamiliar town to my hostel in the city center. We are welcomed by a festival in the city center that I am too tired to really discover. I check-in and make friends with the English-Immigrant-Conspiracy-Theorist. The great thing is that he provided me with a room for 6 with no roommates my entire stay. This gave me the privacy I wanted in my current state.

In my days in Girona I walk the streets exploring the gothic facades of churches and quaint shops. I discover this deadly chocolate “drink” as thick as pudding! Good but very rich! I finally meet this nice Canadian kid that accompanies me to visit the Salvador Dali Museum with an afternoon of tapas in an outdoor cafe. Something I would not have done on my own! Finally… tapas! I feel fulfilled and after several days of indecisiveness, I decide continue my move North to the beach town of L’Estartit.