Copenhagen
No Comments My European trip has pulled me across the Continent, at times going back through previously visited cities. Not the most efficient of travels, I know. But these trips were made in the spirit of freedom and whimsical pursuits. Copenhagen was one such tangent, reeling me in after the European CouchSurfing Collective. I shall spare the details of how I went from Bratislava to Copenhagen, just know that, in this last few weeks, I have arrived at my destinations in cold cold rain. Sounds awful, but I have found that rain has always added an extra dimension of character to my experiences, especially if I am touring around a new place. I set about the town in anticipation:
The rain lasted only my first day there, a temperate sun came out the rest of my stay… giving me a great view of some tourist sites, including the Little Mermaid statue whose story was made famous by Disney. I did the usual run of churches, castles, parks (and arboretums) and cafes. I just had a plain relaxing time. But I did go off script and avoid the Tivoli Gardens and city museums, which all were highly recommended by travel books… I think I have been a bit more concerned about my travel budget of late.
Side Note: my first host lived 15 minutes by metro from the central station, and I just love the commuter train’s couch-like seating. (Munich still holds the position of my top Metro system).
Here’s a snapshot of Christiania from atop a church tower, a tower whose climb takes the user on an outdoors spiralling staircase to the top! I had some issues with looking down and shaky feelings in my knees.
Christiania is a hippie neighbourhood in Copenhagen that is famous for its main drag, Pusher Street. Needless to say, it is a place where one can buy hash and weed, but hard drugs (like cocaine and heroine) are forbidden. The drug trade was once prominently visible like in Amsterdam, but has been put back into person-to-person hidden sales since 2004. Even more interesting to the story is that this neighbourhood is thriving on land still owned by the Danish defence ministry, yet the community is a self-governing body (semi-legal status, and fierce independent personality) that pays about one-million US dollars a year to the Copenhagen city government. It may sound like Christiania is on the outskirts of Copenhagen, but it really is smack dab near the center of town… you won’t see this in America.
My host suggested to have lunch in a popular Christianian Vegetarian restaurant. The food was ok, but way way over priced. I bet that this cafe generates enough revenue to pay for most of Christiania’s taxes, not the drug trade.
But the place isn’t one big hippie drag, hidden in the back are trees, small canals and oddly built (no building code) homes. It is quite a nice walk where one sees the occasional jogger and bicyclist. The irony here is that this free hippie commune turns out to be a great trendy place.
On my morning in town, I was on my way to an outdoor festival when O’s American Breakfast and Dinner was spotted. A super huge craving of hashbrowns, eggs, sausage, bacon and toast hit me (but I didn’t want pancakes). I leaped across the street to this hearty breakfast. This place offered me the good old comfort food I needed (after two months on the road); it even offered me a load of loud American ex-patriots. I felt like home, even if the food was just a bit off; I didn’t care, and I ate up.
I had fun learning to use a friend’s nice SLR digital camera while in Copenhagen:
Hitchhiking to Bratislava
7 Comments We tend to, as Americans, ignore the hitchhikers we come across on the highways; we actually notice them, but pretend not to and instead look straight ahead as if we were fascinated by our driving task. In reality, we assume that these people are bums, hippies, or too poor to travel the normal way; we think that these people are transients that are out to murder the passerby. No smiles, no nods, and no waves– we just drive on.
Every perception I had about hitchhiking changed after the European CSC– I thumbed my way from Vienna to Bratislava. To straighten out the timeline because my posts have been non-linear: I went from Venice to Munich to Eisenstadt (European CSC) to Vienna (E-CSC afterparties) to Bratislava.
The culture of hitchhiking is interesting, in which I got a great one day lesson from Jurgen and Martin. Because both were seasoned thumbers, I made the leap of faith to actually hitchhike and to trust that their skills would get us from Vienna to Bratislava. The distance isn’t that far, just 60km, and people can normally travel 600km in a day by hitchhiking.
We started the day by parting with our host (center) at Vienna’s Westbahnhof train station, where we actually hopped on the metro– not very hitchhiker like– to get to the Autobahn on-ramp.
It was at this on-ramp– a horrible location– where I spent some time getting the basics of hitchhiking. One would think that sticking ones thumb out is all that’s needed, but the seasoned hitchhiker knows about tricks that help increase chances for a pickup.
First thing, 99% of drivers will only stop if you happen to be going their way– I don’t want to know why the other 1% stop. Cardboard is lifeblood for the hitchhiker. It is the handy piece of material perfect for signs, so we prepared a sign for our destination. Jurgen also had another pre-made “10 km” sign (unpictured), which seemed to work like magic in getting a lift. This 10km sign got us every one of our lifts, and I also seemed to have been the one out there thumbing every time… Are us skinny Asian guys that non-threatening? I guess people just seem to be OK for taking you a short distance; but even so, one will find many willing truckers that go on long haul trips.
So with the sign made, I gave it a try. The next rule is to be cheerful and happy. Nobody will stop if you are sad or dejected looking (drivers will know it and you won’t get a bit of luck). So, I learned to get over my fear quickly to do what was needed: wave, smile, dance around. One must be committed to this because it can get frustrating fast when cars just zip on by. This is especially true when you don’t get any responses. I found it to be great when drivers would smile, nod, or wave back… it’s something that helps keep moral up.
We had absolutely no luck at this location, and location is really important. The things to look for are busy intersections (preferably on-ramps, police sometimes have issues when one is actually on the Autobahn), a place where cars can pull over, and good line of sight (for cars to see you well in advanced). On trick we pulled, at our second stop during the day, was to hit the crosswalk button to stop oncoming traffic for people to cross the street. 
One can find notes from previous hitchhikers with tips and thoughts about the location. One told us about a better location than the absolutely horrible on-ramp we were at. We also left our own as we left with a dejected feeling (we had already spent a good couple hours making our way from our host to this point), but made up for it with a tasty treat (incredibly cheap for what we got):
We hoofed a bit to our next stop, which was a little bit outside of town on a local road, and parked ourselves at an intersection in front of a cemetery. This was quite an odd feeling for us to see mourners as we tried to pick up a ride… And we got some wave hand signals that drivers would have stopped, but were doing the funeral thing. A few basics on hand signs:
- Driver points to passenger, then does the thumb sign: He’s got a hitchhiker, good karma dude!
- Driver indicates a number (Index for 1, Index-Middle for 2): Driver would have taken 1 or 2 instead of the number of hitchhikers. In our case, it was 3 people… In this situation, one needs to wave, gesture ones palm (faced down) up and down to indicate “slow down, we can compromise”.
- Driver points downward (with index finger) and optionally spins the finger around: He is staying in the general area, but would’ve picked you up.
- Middle finger: Much love, return with kisses and waves.
- Wave, or smile, or nod: Hi, we acknowledge you. A great feeling.
A good deal of time– much much too long, Jurgen said that I caught one of those days where hitchhikers throw away hours without a lift– had passed and I was getting a bit fearful that we wouldn’t make it to Bratislava that day. It took some mental readjustment to just find the inner calm and faith to believe that everything would work out fine. Luckily we got picked up by a trucker. He could only take us for a short distance, but I was ecstatic that I got my first thumb ride… the 10km sign did us some good after all. We all squeezed into a seat probably only meant for a single person. Jurgen was perched on some television between the driver and passenger seats, I took the passenger seat, and Martin was on the floor (with backpack covering his head, in case some police see). We went on for about 10km and got dropped off at a gas station.
The gas station is another place to hitchhike. One can be friendly and ask the motorist for a lift, but just don’t ask for a ride. Approach a motorist and ask for directions to where you are headed… then make small chitchat, and finally ask if they are going your way. This is definitely less threatening and may increase your chances for a “Yes” answer. But we didn’t have any luck at the gas station, instead we just took a timeout to have a quick lunch: made sandwiches and kept ourselves hydrated. Afterwards, we walked out of the gas station passed the roundabout towards our destination… and got a pickup almost immediately after we parked ourselves at the bus stop.
This driver definitely was an interesting character. He was Persian by decent, grew up in Austria, owned a rug import business and operated a computer repair shop, and zipped down the local roads in his early model Mercedes for a while… down the wrong side of traffic! Traffic was absolutely stopped going down our direction on the two lane road. Traffic was backed up for kilometers! And here this guy is passing all the other pissed off drivers and cutting back in as oncoming cars approached. After he dropped us off in town, we found that we jumped cars that passed us hours before… these motorists seemed surprised to see us waving to them again. Side note: it turns out that the famous Arsenal football teamwas in the small town doing a friendly practice match with a local football team– out in the middle of nowhere-ville, we found masses of tourists and locals.
Anyways, we walked a bit past all the traffic in the center of town to the road we wanted. We parked ourselves there for the next hour or so. The weather was baking hot, I was just glad to have found a shady place for us to sit. Finally, a couple stopped to pick us up and we threw our stuff in the trunk. Here’s the final tip: Leave the doors open while you get in and out of the car, this is so drivers won’t leave before all your stuff has been removed from the cab (or trunk) of the car and gives one a chance to lean back in to give a hearty thankful farewell to the driver. Jurgen says that he’s not worried about people stealing his stuff, just that drivers tend to blast off and have driven off with some small groceries before he’s gotten it all out.
So we drove on for a while with the couple, and on a whim the guy decided to drive us the rest of the way (about 30km) to Bratislava. The guy used to do a bit of hitchhiking himself and do us a great karmic favor, but we first double backed to pick up his car (instead of using the girl’s car); we found ourselves at the border not too long later:
Just past Bratislava’s border control and being just outside of town, we had to ask for directions to our host’s place, hike ourselves over the Danube river, and finally up a hill (somewhere in town) to a BBQ awaiting us. The Kiwi in the picture was another guest and the cook for the evening. Whew! We made it!
Over all, we spent eight hours to go 60 kilometers on a trip that would have cost five euro. I am still superbly delighted that I was able to do this trip; it gave me a perspective and experience that I set out on my travels to find and have.
Munich
2 Comments Munich… So much in so little time. After I left Venice, I arrived in Munich to my host’s place for a few days of Munich touring. And touring is what I got, here are some highlights of what I saw:
Marienplatz:
Those are preserved tombstones on the side of the church. As Munich grew, they just paved over the cemetary next to the church.
The famous Viktualienmarkt, which has a nice beer garten area:
Park your dog here!
The famous Hofbrauhaus, where a certain fascist made his first infamous speech:
And more (sorry, laziness):
After some time in the city I have discovered that Munich offers the best European Metro system I have seen, a great pedestrian feeling, old buildings (that aren’t really old), cheap rent, great food, lots of beer, awesome parks and interesting museums. This city is someplace where I could live normally, as a truely non-tourist self. Wow.
Oh, the nice nice Englischer Garten park where one can swim (or surf) in its streams:
Murano and Burano
No Comments While in Venice and during the night before I headed to Murano and Burano, I spent some time with my Venetian friends. During this night, they introduced me to a local alchoholic drink called Spritz. Don’t ask me what is in it because I can’t remember (weeks have passed, not that I actually drank alot). It is a very bitter tasting drink and I got the sweeter version. Bleah, not my cup of tea.
It has been a couple of weeks since I have been in Venice, it feels like much longer. I still can close my eyes and return to the calm sea breezed island of Burano tucked away from the masses of tourists found in Venice. I am not saying that Burano is devoid of such creatures, they just happen to be in fewer numbers… I spent an afternoon on this colorful– expensive– island of lace and pastel homes. The quiet back streets allow me to feel lost in the slower world of the fishing community that lives here. I could hear the occassional children playing off in the distance and the busy chatter coming out of nearby kitchens.
The commercial feeling of Murano island is in stark contrast to the quiet village island of Burano. Murano was where all the famous Venetian Glass Artisans moved to after forced move in 1291 because of fire fears. I took a trip out here to see these famous glass factories. I was fortunate to have a nice private tour of the glass factory given to me by a friend, whose family owns one. I was there in the middle of the workfloor avoiding the workers running around with molten glass. I got good upclose pictures and video of the Masters working their quick magic with the glass, and pictures of the apprentices running around. It was a load of fun, and seeing their final works in the shop was great. What more can I say? It was just mezmorizing to see the action up close without a gaggle of tourists blocking my view.
What has Ben been doing?
1 Comment Ben has been relatively quiet on BadPopcorn. So what have I been doing? Well, I have been writing news updates for the Eisenstadt CouchSurfing Collective… For those that have sent me emails, the following links (with LOTS of PICTURES) should shed some light on a week of travel:
My first day at the Collective.
Fry em up
1 Comment It has been a long week at the European CouchSurfing Collective for me. There is an intensity in the work, the people and the fun. I have met many great people, and have learned a great deal about CouchSurfing and the values surrounding it. This was all well and expected, but the unexpected lessons one is confronted with are generally the most interesting and fun.
There is always someone in the kitchen preparing snacks or food to share with others. This particular day Beverly had begun making North Carolinian Fried Chicken– Yum! I got in and learned how to make this incredibly tasty food.
Ingredients:
- Chicken. Cut pieces, not too big.
- Flour
- Pepper, spices
- Salt
- Vegetable Oil
Preparation:
- Place a lot of flour in a mixing bowl.
- Marinate the chicken by dusting the pieces with salt and pepper (spices) on both sides. A light coat will be good enough.
- Coat the chicken pieces with flour by mixing the chicken pieces around in the bowl of flour.
Cooking:
- Heat the vegetable oil to near boiling, but beware not to burn the oil. Vegetable oil is used because it is more difficult for the cook to burn the oil.
- Place the chicken pieces skin (the side with the most skin and meat) face down in the pan. One should see and hear an immediate sizzle of oil.
- Cover the pot, but have the lid tilted to allow some heat to escape (avoid burning the oil).
- Indications that one must flip the pieces: After a brown crust form around the edges of the exposed chicken; the meat pulls away from the bone.
- Flip the pieces.
- Indications that the chicken is ready: The two pronged fork slides easily in and out of the chicken.
- Pull out chicken and place on a paper towel covered place to help drain the oil.
Notes:
- The chicken only requires two flips, but one may do a third flip to make the skin extra crispy.
- Skin side is faced down first so the cook can control the crisp texture of the chicken skin.
- Red Blood will bubble up out top of the chicken before the first flip.
- The first batch is the best because the oil tends to burn after you start pulling out the chicken. The other batches will have a hint of darker and burnt grease.
- Hide away the first batch, cooks do it.
Venetian Beach Day
No Comments [I'm still at the European CouchSurfing Collective... and I'm trying to catch up on my travel stories. ]
The weather was baking hot the day after I walked around Venice… about as hot as the current California heat wave. So a few friends and I took the ferry to the Lido beach– a– area and spent the day swimming and tanning. One thing I found very interesting were the rows and rows of little storage huts that lined the back of the beach. People rent, or collectively rent because of $$$ costs, these huts out for the summer. Here, they store all their beach going equipment: umbrellas, heavy chairs, and swim gear. I found this odd at first, but I realized that it would be rather difficult to transport this stuff on ferries… Venice being a strictly pedestrian city.
So the day was just what I needed… Relaxation! I mean, really really chilling at the beach; and enjoying myself. This is quite a change for me because I hate going to California beaches, I am not a beach guy in general.
There isn’t much else to say because there’s only so much I did… swim and tan (nap). That is IT!
I wanted to show you photos, but the people I went to the beach with took pictures. I haven’t gotten the pictures yet. 
Lost is an Understatement in Venice
No Comments As I write this, I am currently at the European CouchSurfing Collective (a busy schedule has delayed this writeup).
I arrived, late at night, in Venice after an afternoon of train issues. My host, thankfully, found me easily at the San Lucia station. And because cars are not allowed in Venice (except for the northern most parking lot), we walked through the night’s vibrant and lively streets. It was just too bad that I opted to rest up that evening because I was exhausted…
The next morning, I went out for my standard day of exploration, which I found to be a very large undertaking. As I walked around, I found that the maze of streets and alleys turning me around for the entire day. Getting lost is nice, but the scale and magnitude of how lost one can become in Venice compares to nothing I’ve experienced. After one evening fireworks show, I spent two hours winding the night streets trying to get back home (maps and signs where unhelpful).
The upside of my, seemingly, endless wandering was that I found myself taking many more shapshots of the picturesque city– the streets were very inspiring in this respect. So here is just a barrage of pictures:
European CouchSurfing Collective
No Comments I arrived last night to Eisenstadt, Austria. There are close to twenty people here already, and I hope to see more arrive this morning.
The Collective will be kicking off for real today and I am excited about it. I don’t have any pictures just yet because I haven’t sorted things out with the computers here; it is on my list of priorities.
People are starting to get up for breakfast, and I am off!
See you all soon.
Slovenia
No Comments The following post will be generally short and curt, but do not make a mistake in thinking that I didn’t do much in Slovenia. In fact, I think I had a full and enjoyable time in the country. However, one may infer that I am currently short on time (busy busy).
I spent a good eight hours on the train from Budapest to Ljubljana, Slovenia, during which I started and finished “Eureka Street” by McLiam. It’s not much to note except that I really did enjoy this book. I got off the train to a night’s weather likened to having a damp warm cloth wrapped around one’s face. I waited under a McDonald’s sign for Jaka to pick me up– there seems to be a McDonald’s everywhere I go. I had nothing to eat on the train so we drove for an evening’s fast food dinner– Burek. It was a nice greasy baked flaky calzone-croissant like monster filled with cheese and ham. Yummy! This induced coma gave me some really needed rest.
The next morning, Tuesday, I continued a restful pace by waking up late, lounging, and writing emails. I only went into town for a bit, just the briefest of trips.
The real site-seeing started in the evening after Jaka got back from work. We took a nice drove out to the countryside, to a small lakeside resort town called Bled– it sported just a few tourists and its main attraction is its crystal clear lake.
After a quick walk around, we went over to visit Jaka’s home village. The drive nicely wound through the countryside impressed me with its well kept (modern) roads. One would have thought the highways were completed just yesterday. At the village, we had dinner at an outdoor pizzeria and relaxed. Stuffed, we headed back to Ljubljana. The scenic drive was just that, perfectly scenic. If any place matched the beauty of New Zealand’s countryside, it is Slovenia. The Slovenian reaction would be to say that New Zealand’s beauty would be the one matching Slovenia. If one travels to either place, one will be mightily impressed– outdoor activities (camping, hiking, canyoning, rafting, etc) and all.
Wednesday day– a walk around the town, up the castle. Let me say that the castle is way up on the top of a hill. The steep climb proved to be a very challenging obstacle– started at the farmers market (first picture). But I triumphantly made it to the top for a nice modern castle. Modern? Yes, the facades were getting renovated, the castle gate was made of modern steel, and the cafe & souvenir shop were housed in modernized rooms.
Evening came and my walk ended. A nice relaxing trip to the coffee shop with other Couch Surfers completed my evening. I absolutely love talking with others about most random topics– Slovenian universities and schools.
And this brings me to my final night in Slovenia. The event was a filling dinner– bursting stomachs all around– at a hilltop restaurant near Skofja Loka, about 22 kilometers north west of Ljubljana. The dinner was a plate full of meats and vegetables, although it is difficult to see where the vegetables are in the picture. The platter was for four, and we just stuffed ourselves. The house wine was full bodied, zet somehow simple (almost plain). It went down like water, and somehow ran like water. The after dinner liquor was, probably homemade, made out of blueberry– a very sweet taste. Cappuccino, mixed with lots of sugar, made for a good stomach settling digestive. We were finished; we were all satiated. A nice after dinner walk through 500 year old buildings in town and a visit to a 14th century castle got everyone feeling better… but the drive home put me to sleep.
I headed off to Venice the following day… and looking back… I hit a wall in travelling by the time I got to Slovenia. And even though I did quite a few things in that country, I came away very happy and rejuvenated. The place is magic.