At least I have Pringles.

     I'd gone through this trip relatively hiccup free. I'd gotten colds, but that was as bad as it got.

 

     I'd spent the night previously at this restaurant at 10 Corso Como in Milan. It was pretty good, and as usual throughout my whole stay in Italy after a meal was wine drunk. I'd built up a good tolerance and wasn't sloppy, but after a day of travel with little food since morning was buzzing pretty hard. Near the end of my meal a couple sat down at the table next to mine. I paid the check and left. I didn't even get coffee, because I was just exhausted beyond belief. The apartment where I was staying was thankfully right across the street.

     So off I went, barely took my clothes off, before I passed out. I woke up the next day hangoverless and ready to head to The Duomo. Showered and was getting my usual stuff, camera, wallet, passport. Uh oh...where's my wallet? I lifted up the blanket on the bed. Not there. I looked under the bed, I went to the bathroom. Not there. I dumped all the contents out of my backpack and felt through all the pockets. Not there. The apt was really not that big and minimalist in furnishing. Maybe 300 sq ft if that. It was a studio/efficiency. At this point, I started to panic and thought about what I did the night before. I left the restaurant and strolled outside and walked to my apartment. No one got close enough to me to take anything and wouldn't have had a chance to. 

 

     It was 10am and the restaurant hadn't opened yet. There was a security person there that said they wouldn't open until 1130am, but I should probably wait until 12. That left a full 2 hours to expect the worse. The apartment, unfortunately did not have wifi, so I had to grab my Kindle and phone, and go outside. I looked up my accounts online to see if there was any activity. None on the credit cards, and my bank's site was down for maintenance. Nonetheless I was still freaking out. My phone was dying and the only internet available was blessedly free internet that I guess is provided by the Milan city government. Spotty though. Kindle browsing is shit. It is a horrible HORRIBLE feeling when all your money (yes I know I probably should've kept some cash separate in my room) is just gone. I had no money to use at an internet cafe, no money to take a cab to the airport if I needed to leave..nothing. I thought of calling Mr. Brknsuitcase  to wire me some money, but how would I get to Western Union to get it? I didn't have cab fare, not to mention it would've been useless anyway as it was Sunday....when everything (important anyway) is closed. 

     Then I thought. Travel insurance! Surely they wouldn't be able to replace any money that I had that day. They would have to wire the money and again, how would I get it? The embassy would probably bail me out, but it was closed as well. All these thoughts ran through my head and all solutions were just impossible, outside of begging people for money on the street...in Milan on a street where dresses cost 600.00 USD and up. It was dire. At best, I would miss my flight out of Italy if Mr. Brknsuitcase could wire the money in the morning. At worst I'd be stuck in Italy for however many days until travel insurance or wire transfer came in. I went back into the apartment and tried to think of my way out of the situation, coming up against a brick wall each time. And I don't know, once I realized the situation was completely out of my control, I calmed down. It would eventually work out, I told myself, even if I have to suffer for a while. I had a can of Pringles left from my train trip and ate one chip considering that this would be what I'd have to live on for the next few days. 

So dramatic. :D

Anyway, the two hours pass and I walk over to the restaurant. The waiter recognized me and smiled. At that moment I knew I was saved! He said, 'Ahh you left your wallet here.' and I gave him the biggest hug I've ever given anyone! He laughed and a woman came out and said that she actually found it on my table and ziploc'd and stapled it so no one would tamper with it. All my money and cards were there. I thanked them profusely and offered her money as a reward, but she wouldn't take it. I was so hopped up on adrenaline, my hands were shaking. They offered a coffee and I settled down. I left a big tip.

     So let this serve as a cautionary tale. I knew these, but obviously didn't follow it.

1. Keep an emergency stash of money, a credit card, and maybe a can of Pringles in your room.

2. Check yo'self when you leave any establishment.

The end.

Brknsuitcase thinks about travel - Italy Pt 2

Arrival in Venice S. Lucia:
I gotta get a boat..how do I get a boat?

San Marco Piazza 

What boat do I want?
Oh I have directions..ok. Boat 5.1..where is boat 5.1?
Well dummy it would probably help if you walk down the steps to the dock. Be brave.
Ok well here's the ticket place.
How do you say 'I need..'
I know!
Ho bisogno di biglietto per 5.1. Say it and see if she laughs at you.
She understands!! I am so awesome!
I have no idea what she just said. I suck.
Which one is 5.1? Here it is!
It's going to rain. Please don't rain while I'm on the boat.
It's so cold!
The boat is here..I guess I should call my B&B to tell them I'm on the boat.
How do you say boat in Italian?
Pronto? What is Pronto?
Ciao Lorenzo? Sono brknsuitcase. Ho prenotato..oh you speak English!
Must remember to say 'Pronto' when calling someone from here on out.
This boat is full. I gotta stand, great. I gotta get my surfboard skills up.
This lady is volunteering herself as my stabilization..we're both going down.
Oh people are getting off! I'm getting that seat up front!
I can't believe I'm actually here. I am in Venice, looking at Venice!
Please don't rain.
It's so cold! Maybe it was a mistake sitting out here.
Here's my stop.
Where's my B&B guy. Well there's this guy next to me and everyone is off the boat.
I'm gonna call him to make sure it's him.
It is!

Making our way to the B&B:
He seems nice.
Is he giving me directions? Cuz it feels like a maze right now.
He just recommended this restaurant. Make mental note.
Ahh we're here!
All these keys look alike. Maybe I won't leave the room.
Well this is cozy. Bigger than I expected.
Throw your bags down and get out right now.
Oh wait. We have to have the talk.
A map and how to get places. We look close to everything.
Now go eat!

First time out and about:
Now which key again?
This little street is so cool. Which direction do I want to go.
Oh no! RAIN! Why didn't I bring an umbrella?!
Where is that restaurant? WHERE IS IT?!
Fuck it. I'll just go in this one.
I know I look like a wet rat. I'm hungry, please feed me.
I am a character from a Dickens novel.
Aaaah. Breadsticks and water.
Ohh caprese salad! I am totally basic bitching right now,
And spicy sauce on pasta. Make mental note to be more adventurous with the menu in the future.
Am I supposed to get a second plate? I think I'm supposed to get a second plate.
Screw it, I'm getting steak. Yes I am American.
Red wine..give it to me!
Oh no..Americans with southern accents. So loud! So irritating.
Stop it, you sound like this everyday in normal life! Don't be that self-hating tourist.
SHUT UP!
I have been on a plane, train, and a boat for most of the day and am drenched from rain. I have a right to be grumpy dammit.
Caprese..so hungry.
Is this pasta raw? Al dente? Meh, it's passable.
Steak..yummy!
I can't believe I'm getting buzzed from one glass of wine.
No, no coffee. Check please before I pass out at the table.
Umm..shit..where is my B&B?
Oh god I forgot to bring the map!
What is the number..46?
Ok this place looks familiar.
This isn't it.
I'm going to be a Dickens character for real!
Is there a cockney Italian accent?
All these alleys look alike!
The door..I think this is it!
Directly across from the restaurant where I just ate. Nice. Idiot.
Which key? Let's try all of them.
Success!
ZZZZ...

     To sum up the rest of the trip, I must say I loved Italy. It was quite possibly the loneliest, romantic, and beautiful trips I've ever taken. I had moments in Italy that were pure brilliance, so much so I want to return soonish. As it was mid October the weather was warm for the first week and a half and then changed in one night to cold for the rest of the trip.
My packing list was as follows:
1 Sweater
2 long sleeve shirts
2 short sleeve tshirts
1 tank top
1 pair of jeans
1 pair of khakis
1 pair of leggings
1 skirt
4 pair of underwear
1 pair of boots
2 scarves
1 Packable rain jacket
1 tote courtesy of Urban Outfitters, very thin material and took no space nor significant weight.
1 Purse - small to med. ziptop with a small outside pocket that also zipped. It takes a real tug to open so I would know when I was being pickpocketed. Thick leather straps with no clasps..so uncuttable without a LOT of effort and no surprise unclasping from the bag itself.

My backpack, purse, and camera(put in backpack).

My plane outfit was a scarf, blue jeans, sweater with tank underneath, underwear (some people go commando), and boots. My purse contained my Kindle, smartphone, earphones, passport, wallet, and 2 pens.

Electronics:
I had to sacrifice my laptop after much anxiety about weight. I flew Emirates and they only allowed 15lbs for carryon. I was reconfiguring my backpack (REI Vagabond 40L) right up until the time I had to leave so I could fit it in, but as I was working with the bare minimum I thought I could handle clothing wise, 3lbs of laptop put me right at 15lbs. Not to mention, the pack felt heavy when putting it on.
So I figured I would just take my Kindle Fire, which was a godsend and a pain in the ass as I will explain later.
Kindle - Hours of entertainment while waiting on trains, being on trains and nights when you can't sleep, but when you really need to get on the web for an emergency, such as when I needed to after I lost my wallet, it really was not the best. Also some plugins didn't work and the screen was too small for some webpages. I have an old Kindle Fire so maybe this is fixed in the newer gens.
Smartphone
Nikon Coolpix L830 and camera bag- I used this camera maybe 20% of the time I was there and mostly used my smartphone just because it was handy to just whip out and click. This camera did take nice photos, crisper than my smartphone, but that could be due to my shit photography skills. Usually when I went out I would take the camera just in case and the camera bag. The camera bag would serve as a purse also sometimes especially for long walk days.

Toiletries:
As I stated before, the weather turned on a dime when I was there. I got sick twice. Once in Venice, probably due to getting rained on and once in Matera. A thin sweater, rain jacket, and scarf were no match for the cold wind that slapped my face once I got to Matera.
Makeup - two lipsticks, lipliner, foundation.
Shampoo - Here is where I made a little fuck up. I packed packed two shampoos accidentally. One liquid and one solid. For whatever reason, I thought the solid was a conditioner. So imagine my surprise when after I washed with the shampoo, my 'conditioner' started to lather up. This is jacked up because my hair mats/tangles when shampooed and straightens out/detangles when it's conditioned. I almost cried, but to make do with this horrible situation, I poured a good bit of the olive oil in my hair and it came out fine! YAY!
Olive oil/jasmine mix - Ashiness (and bad hair day) prevention. TSA compliant.
Face moisturizer - small jar
Beano - I thought I would get flight gas, but that didn't happen at all this trip. Probably because I didn't eat at all before leaving.
Allergy medicine - Saved my life when incessant sneezing and stuffy nose kept me from sleeping.
Nasal spray- Nuclear nostril clearer
Anti -diarrheal - Hey you never know. Wound up not needing, thank god.
Razor - because hair

     When I got to JFK via Delta to make my connection to Emirates which would take me to Milan, I went to the desk agent, who, when I showed him all I was taking, replied incredulously, 'That's it?! You pack light!'. That dude made my day! I wanted to make an Academy Award like speech, thanking REI and the countless Youtube videos I watched in preparation for this moment. I just said 'Thanks.'..like a dork. I was very proud of myself though. I was fretting about my purse, because Emirates states if you're flying economy, you're only allowed one carryon. Considering that my backpack would count as my one carryon, I wasn't entirely sure if they would let me on with my purse. It wasn't a thing at all and my backpack was a stealthy 12lbs. However when I got on the plane, I found that my backpack jutted out just a little bit when I put it in lengthwise (vertical) in the overhead. Like a murderer quickly covering up the scene of a crime I smushed it down as best I could to make it fit and it was fine.

Up, up, and away!

   
     Man, Emirates. I know all flights are not like this, but my particular flight over (AND coming back) was full except for my row. You know that feeling you get when it's close to time to take off and you get your hopes up that you'll have the row to yourself, only to be dashed when some jackass shows up late and harshes your scene. I had my hopes up and then hope turned into elation! A 3 seat row! ALL MINE! I looked around at everyone, in my disbelief as if to say, 'Can you believe this shit?! Can you?!'. Maybe the gate agent was a gate angel! It happened on the way back home too! Anyway, Emirates is the best. A huge selection of movies and you can get on the internet for free (even though I didn't know that going over). I hadn't eaten anything before I got on the plane at 930pm so the airplane food, could've been dead rat and it would've been delicious. It wasn't dead rat however and it was pretty tasty..I think it was chicken..always chicken.

     I landed in Milan and the rest as they say is history. I loved walking and getting lost in Venice and how it would turn into a ghost town after 4 or 5pm. I loved crossing the Tiber from Trastevere everyday in order to see the sights in central Rome. I loved the weight of history everywhere you went in Rome. I loved taking the trains and seeing the beautiful emerald countryside with villas dotting the piedmont and hills. I loved the stony monotone , beautiful day and night skies of Matera and how no one really spoke English. It's when I really felt I was in Italy. I loved Spello and the peaceful small town village feel inside the roman gates and an impossibly romantic walks through olive groves and alleys.

    I even loved Milan, for jolting me back to reality, modernity,style, and my new coat! I loved/hated that lunch and dinner would take 3 hours each and how I would wind up stuffed and drunk after both. I love that there's siesta hours incorporated into everyone's workday. I loved when I would have to leave for the next town afraid and excited about what laid ahead. I loved traveling by train and getting to finish novels I half read during the year. I loved all the apts and B&Bs where I hung my hat at the end of the day and made me feel like a local if only for a few days to a week at a time. I loved all of it! Ok, I didn't looove taking the metro in Milan. When (not if) I go back, I am definitely going to hit more of the southern end and maybe tackle Sicily as well. Until then, arrivederci!

Brknsuitcase thinks about travel - Italy Pt. 1

Matera, Italy

I am back from the travel wars! I've been thinking about my trip all week, trying to put it in some kind of perspective to tell the story of how it went. I just can't. Currently sleepless, so I will give my non sequitur travel thoughts that ran through my head while on the road. If you don't like profanity, stop reading. I have a mouth like a sailor. For review, I went to the cities of Venice, Rome, Matera, Spello, and Milan in that order.

Leaving home to JFK:
That's Dee Snider from Twisted Sister!
Should I splurge on a day pass to the Delta Lounge?
There are a lot of people here. Zero chance of getting an empty row. Bummer.
There are a lot of people with carry-ons. A LOT. Please sweet Jesus don't make me check my backpack.
I paid 10 bucks extra for Priority Boarding. I bet all these people in front of me right now are cheating bastards.
You mean I'm not on the exit row?
Oh look, someone already in my row. Great.
And look, my overhead bin is filled already. I'm never falling for that Priority Boarding bullshit again.
I WILL YOU TO FIT!
Yeah baby!
Don't talk to me.
Why aren't you talking to me?!
Out comes the laptop, fine, be that way then. I got a Kindle full of erudite books.This is not Diner Dash at all.
No it's not ebola, it's a plain 'ol vanilla sneeze.
Does anyone else feel like they're in kindergarten when they hand out drinks?
This flight attendant is so nice. If anyone fucks with you I will fight them to the death!
Zzzzz....
Damn, are we landing already? -- Wiping off sleep slobber.
Don't look at me. I'm hideous.

JFK:
Umm where the hell do I go now?!
Do we get free tablets? Why are there tablets all over the place?!
Umm where do I go now?!
Shit, I shoulda read the stupid airline mag with the terminal map.
Ok it'd be nice to have a sign telling you where to go for your particular airline.
Thanks dude.
It's so cold!
Why yes, Mr. Gate agent, I do pack light.
Impress airline employee with packing skills. Achievement Unlocked!
ZOMG, what the actual fuck JFK?! Did I sign up for some kind of 10k walk?!
I'm going to Italy,I'm going to Italy.
Oh shit, I'm going to Italy by myself. Wtf  was I thinkin' when I bought this ticket?
Omg..I actually understand what these Italian people are talking about! The tutoring worked!
I feel like a spy. I wonder if true bi-linguals feel this way all the time.
I forgot to eat before I left. People are starting to look delicious.
Another solo black woman! I'm giving you a mental fistbump right now.
I wonder if she's Italian.
Dammit I'm hungry. I will NOT go to the newsstand for Pringles.
I can't believe I'm saving myself for airplane food.
Welp this is it!

On the plane to Italy:
I WILL YOU TO FIT!
Ohh yeah!
I don't have seatmates yet.
Hmm 10 minutes to go. If someone gets on this plane late and ruins my row hogging plans I will be beyond furious.
OMG, OMG! They're closing the doors! Ladies and gentlemen, suck it! All this real estate is mine!"
First class at economy prices!
FEED ME NOW!
Ha HA asshole, I am impervious to your ill-timed recline!
FOOD!!!
Do not get booze. You know how you get.
Is there such a thing as too many entertainment choices? I think not.
Zzzz...
You know, maybe I'll go to Australia next year. These flights are too short.
Emirates, I think I love you.

Milan Malpensa Airport:
We don't get/need any kind of customs entry card? Interesting.
One more stamp to add to my collection. Yay!
Oh God! I can't remember how to Italian!
Think, think..calm down.
Vorrei un biglietto di seconda classe per Venezia. Per favore.
Holy shit, where'd that come from?!
Assimil DID work!
Ok yeah..I meant Milano Centrale. Oops.
I know I probably need to validate this..but where?
Oh right here.

Train to Milan Central train station
Do NOT go the fuck to sleep!

At Milano Centrale:
I feel like a farm girl landing in a big city.
Biglietteria, I assume means ticket counter.
This is chaos. Where does the line end? Do I have to take a number? I am going to be here all night!
Hmm.. where are these people going? I'm following them, they look like they know what they're doing.
This poor lady.
I can use the fast ticket machines? Why are all these people in line?
Please be in English.
Yes!
I see you eyeing me. What kind of crap are you going to pull
No I don't need help. No grazie. No grazie. NO GRAZIE.
Honestly, who falls for this?
Woot! Buying a train ticket. Achievement Unlocked!
There's TIM..Hmm guess no time like the present to buy a sim card.
I don't know the Italian words for pre-paid nor sim card. I'll just show him my phone and hope he gets it.
He speaks english. Nice.
Buying an Italian sim. Achievement Unlocked!
Now to find my train.
I gotta pee first.
A Euro?! Thank god I got change from the ticket machine.
It's so clean in here! This is a train station right?
Binario.Whomp there it is!
Of course my car is at the end. Run Lola Run!

On the train:
Power plugs! I can charge my phone.
Did I buy the right adapter?
Three prong! We have a match!
This is great! We're all tourists in this together.
Here we are. I'm scared.
Google how to call someone within Italy.

Exiting Venice S. Lucia train station:
Wow! Will you look at that!

If the shoe fits!

Shoes! They are my downfall when it comes to packing and in life. I would say shoes are the only stereotypical girly girl thing about me. And I'm not into stilettos or heels. My shit is boots! Ankle, midcalf, and whole calf, I love them all. Ok..not a fan of thigh high boots. All I see is Julia Roberts hooking in Pretty Woman when I see them. I don't even think I'm associating thigh highs with hooking. I think I'm associating it with Julia Roberts' horrendous hooking outfit! Anway, I digress.

     

     This will be my first European trip in a very long while. Since cabs are more expensive than in say, Bangkok, I will probably walk around more than usual. I realized I don't have any shoes that are comfortable enough where I could walk in them all day. Actually I do, sandals and throwaway flip flops, but nothing for urban walking. There's no way I'm walking around in a pair of Chacos or Keens in Rome.The weather I think will still be a bit warm, but I wear boots pretty much year round anyway. So I went on the hunt! Initially I was just looking for comfortable shoes and not necessarily boots. When googling 'comfortable walking shoes', I was not happy with what I saw. I want to be comfortable and NOT look like I belong in a nursing home. And I guess ballet flats are the best you could hope for. It's funny that I look at these sites and a description might be, 'it's the cutest ballet flat'. No, it looks like every other ballet fucking flat on the planet. It's the most vanilla of shoes. I love my mary jane flats, but it feels like I've given up on life everytime I wear them. If you're going to notice anything about me, notice my footwear!

     After many hours of looking for something kind of cute, but bold in a regular shoe and not getting it, I started looking at boots. Now, initially I wasn't really looking at boots. I am a huge fan of Frye boots. I love them to death, but they are heavy as hell and they aren't easy to get into/out of quickly when you're trying to strip down for your romantic moment at airport security. As I'm only carrying a 40L backpack this year, 8lbs of boot really would be a huge burden. After much searching I think I found the two boots I was looking for. One pair from Lucky Brand called the Dallis Bootie and another from Born called Alamid. I tried both on at the store and I couldn't decide so I bought both of them! In comparison, I would say the Lucky Boot is more comfortable. I don't know what the hell they put in the soles, but it feels like the soles of your feet are well cushioned.  Anyway, great boot, easy to get on/off and light. As for the Alamid, it wasn't as comfortable as the Dallis, but I do think it looks great. I mean they are comfortable, they're Born for chrissake, just not Dallis Bootie foot-massage-comfortable. As you can see both look very similar with the buckles. I'm digging that look now. Very biker gang type of style. I would like to take both pair with me to Italy, but I gotta choose one and I think it's gonna be Dallis.

     Speaking of shoes, I recently saw this and at first glance I was disgusted. Then I realized something. That's me! No not me literally. I take my shoes off baring my feet on planes all the time. I didn't even realize it was wrong. Now, mind you, I've never propped my feet in someone's face or on their seat where I'm invading their personal space. However I will be the first one taking my shoes off when the 'we're not gonna crash take your seat belt off' bell goes off. I do keep them under the seat in front or maybe my own seat. Sorry, I can't stand wearing socks! It just makes me feel so constricted. So much so that I start to feel a little nauseated. I wonder if that's an actual sickness and not just my personal hangup. I love being barefoot. If I didn't have to wear shoes at all, I wouldn't...well except for public/airplane restrooms cuz gross. There's a reason why 'No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service' signs exist. So now that I know this is a no-no, will I continue to take off my shoes? Yeah, probably. I am courteous to my fellow passengers in all other respects so I feel they can give me a pass on this one.

     I packed my backpack for the first time today and I'm still weighing in at about 15lbs. :( Part of me really just wants to just throw some toiletries in a handbag and go to the airport with the clothes on my back.  You laugh, but it's been done! The good news is that the bag is not full, there's about 30 percent of free space. The thing that's causing the weight is my laptop. I'm a little conflicted about leaving it behind. It has been my lifeline when sitting in airports and wasting time in B&Bs/hotels, but 3lbs really does make a difference!

     So I'm outta here in about 3 weeks and I dunno. I'm having weird feels like I do. It's sort of a 'oh god, the time is near it's almost here.' , followed by 'oh god, i'm getting closer to it's almost over!'. I'm already looking ahead to next year. Currently I'm looking at Lencois Maranhenses in Brazil, Iceland, Guadeloupe, or Fiji. I'm in the mood for weird landscapes..ok Fiji not so strange but  pretty far flung.
We'll cross that bridge later. For now I will be dreaming of  La Dolce Vita and some fine Italian leather boots!

I'm in the mood!

Friends of mine have recently tripped out to Europe and it's been kind of nice to hear about their adventure. It didn't start off great as their luggage was lost by the airline and remained lost for the first couple of days **insert finger waggy carry-on only lecture here**. Miraculously the airline found it right before they were to head out to another country. Aside from that, to hear of their walks in Paris and drinking in Spain had me walking in their shoes vicariously. I wanted to keep the feeling of inspiration going so I bought 3 travel books to keep me in the mood so to speak. One of which I'm reading right now called The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost and it's hilarious! A quick synopsis is this guy in his 20s has no idea what to do with his life other than he doesn't want to work a 9 to 5. He sets off with his girlfriend who's gotten some NGO type job on an island in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific. He's a complete fish out of water and the culture shock is immense which I think anyone who has traveled internationally can understand on some level. Anyway I highly recommend it. The other two that I haven't gotten to yet are Vroom with a View by Peter Moore and A Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by the late David Foster Wallace. I also want to include a book that I have read in the past about the glory and travails of women travelling called Sand in My Bra and Other Misadventures which is a compilation of funny stories/essays from women on the road.

     I am a month away from this trip and have bought at least three of my train tickets in advance, most of them longish 3 to 4 hour journeys. I have not booked the regional trains because it appears that they will not allow the ticketless option. I'll just have to get those the day of departure. It was really easy booking through the Trenitalia website and I was really surprised and delighted that they had Economy fares which made my train budget less expensive than I had projected! Win! For the most part I will be travelling in second class on the fast FrecciaRossa, Bianca, Argento trains with some Regional trains thrown in. I considered first class, but after researching, I found that there wasn't a big difference between the two to really justify the cost.
   
     Well, I take that back. I will be taking one first class train from Spello via Florence to Milan just because I don't like the look of the rules for Standard service. Maybe I am interpreting it wrong, but it looks like they won't guarantee the seat if it's sold out. It will be the most expensive ticket clocking in at 122 USD. I haven't bought it yet, because there's a regional train connection (so no ticketless or maybe it's too early). Since it will be late October, I'll have time to buy it in advance. First class has less seats in the cars, therefore a bit more room, and I think they have a little snack they dole out. Second class seems a little more fun and less..I dunno..stuffy? It seems a lot of business people and Americans (no offense, we, generally speaking, just love our personal space) take 1st class. I'm kind of excited about taking the trains! I think it will be much better than flying, just because there's actual scenery, aside from clouds, that I can see. It may be ugly factory cities or beautiful countryside, but it will be something other than half a wing, some clouds, and maybe a mountain. The longest ride I'll be taking will be from Matera to Spello clocking in at nearly 9 hours which means I will have to wake up at a god-awful hour of 5:30am to make the train at 7am. Matera to Bari (Regional train 2 hours), Bari to Ancona ( Frecciabianca nearly 4 hours), Ancona to Foligno (Regional 2 hours) and finally Foligno to Spello (? 4 minutes).  No vacation would be complete without torturing myself. Whee!

                             

 I can't decide what I should do once I am in Rome. There's so much! There are the big sites that I think I will just take the hop on/hop off tourist bus or walk like The Colosseum, The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, etc. I want to see the Crypt of the Capuchin Monks and I really want to see the Vatican, but the crowds..ugh. There is a VIP tour on Viator where it's a small group and you get to go to the secret Vatican rooms I'm very tempted to just suck it up and do it as it is the one place that I think would be a huge disservice if I missed it. I'm not even religious, but the art people, the ART!  There are cheaper skip the line tours, but from everything I've read you'll be fighting for elbow room. To see it unfettered without hundreds of other people jostling for space sounds lovely. Should I splurge? All the reviews for it point to 'Yes!'. Funny enough, I haven't given a second thought to the other big city I'm visiting: Venice. I think Venice isn't a place to 'do', it is a place to 'be', much like the small towns I'm visiting. They have major sites there, but if I miss them it won't be such a big deal as just simply being in Venice and seeing it with my own eyeballs is enough.

     So, everything is coming together. I have one hotel left to book in New York for my long layover before heading home, but I think I'm just going to crash out at an airport hotel. I would like to stay in the city, but holy hell is it expensive..well the hotels and locations I'd like to stay are. Plus the getting to and fro Manhattan will not come cheaply. I've never flown into or out of JFK before so I don't really know what the options are. I just remember when I lived in Queens I made the colossal mistake of going seeing a friend off at the airport. We took a taxi there, but I was so poor, I decided to take the bus back and got horribly lost in Brooklyn. The bus driver just dropped me at some random neighborhood saying it was the end of the line. The only thing I knew about Brooklyn back then was Bensonhurst and the Yusef Hawkins killing. Let's just say I walked briskly. I have no idea how I was able to make it back to Queens.

     I got my backpack! I still haven't packed it out yet to see how it feels, but it looks nice.

     On the left is my year old Kelty Redwing 50 and on the right is my brand new REI Vagabond Tour 40L. As you can see it's much more streamlined and a bit smaller. There are two pockets on the sides, and a top pocket. I kept reading that there was no laptop pocket, but there is a pocket inside the bag where you can put a laptop. Since it's front loading it will make it difficult to whip it out when going through security, but on this trip I won't be catching a lot of planes in-country so the annoyance factor I think will be minimal. There is a back panel to hide the backpack straps, and a pocket on the bottom of the bag to hide the panel away. It is a bit awkward to get it in and make the velcro line up to close it. Those are my only complaints thus far. We'll see what happens when I put stuff in it.

     The language learning is chugging along. It's so strange. I will read a newspaper and think, 'Oh no  I don't know any of these words!', but when I have normal conversations then I do sort of ok. I halt and stammer still, but I feel myself getting a bit better day by day. I have to remember my short term goal is simply to make myself understood for my immediate wants and needs and not a UN interpreter. I'll worry about fluency for my next trip. ;)
   

Flashy Packer

 What kind of traveller are you? I guess I would call myself a flashpacker. It's really funny because I think I've progressed backwards when it comes to how I've traveled. When I was younger and poorer, I stayed in REALLY nice hotels. I find my standards of what's nice now runs the gamut. I think it's less conventionally nice now. For instance, I went to London and stayed in very cool hotel. They had a tiny tv on the bathtub rim so you could watch tv while bathing and also floor/towel warmers and a lovely view of the city. Compare that to a place I stayed alone on an island in Colombia where electricity ran off a car battery, the shower was barely big enough for me, and there were no fans, forget about a/c (again..car battery) in oppressive heat.. all for a beautiful hut-like house over the water. I loved staying in both places equally.

     First off, when choosing my destination every place has a cost pro and con in this regard. Let's just say I will never make it to Switzerland. Last year I went to Thailand, Cambodia, and longish layovers in Tokyo, Japan. The flight to Thailand was expensive, but the stay was cheap: lodging, food, and transport. Well, I'm excluding Japan. Still obviously bitter about the 100 USD cab ride I had to take from Haneda. This year it's Italy and the flight was a good deal, but I am looking at paying significantly more for lodging, food (.50 beer..Cambodia..sigh), and transport.
   
     I am by no means rich, but I am also not making 10 bucks an hour any longer either. I have a 20 year old Volvo with one headlight that is on the verge of falling apart any second now. I am solidly middle class, but my car is one step up from the projects. I don't want a car payment and higher car insurance, because I think this would undercut my ability to save as much as I do. It's my one sacrifice. And mind you, I just go somewhere once a year for a month, I can't imagine what long-termers do. On one of my travels, I met a woman from Switzerland who was taking 6 months off after getting laid off from her job. By the way, how do Europeans do this?!! She wasn't the first one I met who said they did this. Anyway, she said she has a small apartment (check!) and rode a bike..like bicycle bike..to work (nope can't hang). When I was poorer, I just used to live off of ramen noodles and peanut-butter jelly sandwiches until I couldn't stand it anymore and would switch to spaghetti and sauce for a bit of luxury. Nowadays I can eat normally and still catch a flight. This might change when I return. I see car payments in my future very soon.

     In other news, my trip is coming up in a month and I am both excited and a little scared. No matter how many times I've gone off somewhere alone I still get a little voice in my head saying, 'What the fuck are you doing?!'.  Will I be able to communicate with people? Will it be hard to get around? How the hell am I going to get from Matera to Spello? It doesn't help that I haven't planned for nor researched how I'm going to get into the city once I land. I'm landing in Milan's airport, but leaving straight away to go to Venice. I guess researching this is the next order of business. Also I would like to go on some tours in Rome and The Vatican, but can't decide which ones I'd like to do. Just the sheer amount of things to see and do in Rome is overwhelming.

     On the backpack front, I didn't get my backpack last weekend, but I have decided on which one I want. The Rei Vagabond Tour 40L. I looked at the Osprey Farpoint and I just didn't like the shape of it. Judging by the pics on the rei.com website, the Vagabond just looks cleaner and more streamlined to me, plus I think it has zippers you can lock, which would be a nice bit of extra security for when you leave your bag in the room. Anyway, the Vagabond will be here next week! I actually went to the brick and mortar Rei after I saw  on rei.com that the bag would be available at the store. I looked around and saw the Ospreys and a few Rei hiking packs, but not the one I wanted. I asked one of the sales guys if they had any in stock. He checked their computer or something and told me they had one in stock. He looked everywhere and so did I, but couldn't find it. I was so disappointed. I was almost like a crack addict giving serious eyeball to the customer service people thinking they probably had one behind the counter. Then I thought well I'll just order it online.
I woke up the next day and for whatever reason it showed it was out of stock! Then I refreshed and it was in my cart and ready to checkout. Yay! For those few moments when I thought I would never get the bag, I looked at a few websites to see what were some other good 40L packs aside from the Osprey. Carryology and Snarky Nomad are two sites that were a bit helpful in looking for an alternative. I must say, if the Tortuga was in stock right now I'd be on it! Maybe next year. ;)
   
      I must say, it might be very hard for me to get down to 40L or less. I went to Nashville (lovely city btw!) last week for work related training with my Kelty Redwing 50 and it was packed to the gills! If this was a trial run, I failed miserably! And on top of that carried my laptop bag. In my laptop bag were the usb charger for my cell phone, power for laptop, notepads, point and shoot camera, and headphones. It was nuts and I recognized I was going off the goddamn rails as I was packing, but couldn't stop myself. Let this list teach a lesson that you shouldn't procrastinate and pack under pressure. Sanity will leave you.

What I packed in the Kelty:
6 tshirts
2 camis
3 pairs of jeans
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of flat shoes
1 pair of ankle boots
1 full sized towel
1 big ziploc freezer bag full of toiletries (shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, deoderant, etc)
1 laptop
1 curling iron

1. I never wore the shorts.
2. I obviously should have left the towel at home. The Sheraton ain't exactly a fleabag hotel.
3.  Perhaps I could've planned better and gone to the mall the day before to get the Shampoo and Conditioner Lush Bars instead of taking full size bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
4. The boots were the heaviest of all, but man, they are so cool I couldn't leave them.

     The bad thing about Nashville was (aside from the packing fiasco) is that I was so busy with training I didn't get a chance to study Italian at all. No tutoring or conversations, no Pimsleur, nothing. As such, when I got back home and had my tutoring session, it was like I had amnesia! I forgot half of everything I knew. I listened to Pimsleur from when I last stopped and most of it sounded like gibberish to me. The more I spoke to people, it started coming back, but it was lot of...'Um...what does that mean again?'. I'm still not back where I was and I'm a little distraught about it. It's not like I was/am super fluent, but I was getting to the point where I could catch someone's meaning the first time they said it and didn't have to ask them to repeat it slowly. It is very true that you have to stay on top of language learning daily, even if it's just 15 mins. or even I think 2 or 3 times a week at the very least.

     That's all for this week. Will post pics of my glorious Vagabond pack next week!







   

 

Piccolo. No,piu piccolo.

Stupid web advertising. You got me.
There I was, minding my own beeswax perusing the interwebs, when lo and behold I came across an advert for a Macy's luggage sale. I tried for about 2 seconds to summon the willpower. I told myself, "No don't..". Click! I swear once I looked I could feel my synapses poppin'. The Kraken had been released. Macy's of course didn't have what I wanted. I didn't want a rolling suitcase. No I didn't want a suitcase at all. You intrepid hostel dwelling, vagabonding, and flashpacking hobos know what I want.  I WANT A NEW BACKPACK!

     How can this be? I just got a new one last year! And another new one the year before that! I am Brknsuitcase and as my info implies I am always on the hunt for the one piece of luggage that will make my life super easy when I'm travelling. I do love my Kelty Redwing 50 that I got last year, but it was precisely that bag that has me wanting a new one. I had a whiff of the good life doing carry-on only. Bangkok to Siem Reap flight was the exception  (plane was smallish) and even then they let me put it in the empty seat next to me. I loved that I was able to throw it in the overhead bin for most of the plane rides I took last year. I loved not having scary thoughts of wearing the same underwear for a week or two because of lost luggage.  I loved that I didn't have to find and then wait for the baggage carousel. I loved the pockets of the Redwing which allowed me to tuck and store things quickly and easily with all the outside pockets. The only thing I didn't like about it were the straps dangling and flapping everywhere. Oh, and with carry-on only comes great responsibility and shoulder aching from carrying 15lbs on your back all the damn time.

     I, quite frankly, thought I did splendidly last year with weight, but I was comparing it to the year before that where I thought I was the shit for getting myself down to 25lbs. Which I compared with the year before that when I wheeled around a whopping 40 pounds in a huge suitcase. I was thinking maybe I could get myself down to 10lbs this year, but I think it's a pipe dream. This is Italy, not exactly a steamy tropical climate. And I will never again go a week wearing the same smelly shirt because it was the only one I packed and couldn't get to a laundry. This time, I would like to be fresh and have fashion choices. I want to layer like a boss! I also think the airlines changed their carry-on baggage requirements again so the 50L won't work anymore and I do NOT want to go back to checking in. Nevah! So I'm looking at you 40L. Can I go this low? Do I dare to dream?

     I've looked at Amazon, Rei.com, Sierra Trading Company, and theclymb. So far the Osprey Farpoint 40 and the Rei Vagabond 40 packs look the best. Everything else looks out of my price range. I'm planning on hitting REI and my local owned gear shop next week to try on some stuff to see how it fits. Of course I will let you know how it went! Don't fret!

     In other news, I am still learning Italian. I kind of gave up on Assimil. I didn't feel like anything was sinking in. So I started doing Duolingo which helped me understand how to put a sentence together. I'm also paying a tutor on italki and having conversations with people on my days off and doing Pimsleur sometimes 2 or 3 lessons a day. I'm going h.a.m. until packing day. I still speak like a drunk toddler, but now I think if I landed today in Italy I could order a drink and tell someone where I want to go and what I want to do. Per esempio, "Vorrei comprare un backpack!".

   

Meh

  Have you ever been kinda 'meh' over a travel destination? I am super excited about going to Italy, but I am not really looking forward to a couple of the cities where I'm stopping, namely Rome and Venice. It's not like I could get away with NOT going to either one. It is an absolute necessity from a first timer to Italy point of view. Not going to either or neither would probably be considered sacrilege. Everyone I've heard from regarding these two cities have told me that it's really overrun with tourists (like me, the IRONY), it's full of long lines for major sites, and pickpockets. Their stories are filling me with a sort of dread. I am the kind of tourist that likes the off-the-beaten-path cities/towns. This is very hard to find in Italy, especially without a car, but I think I've settled into a nice compromise of two biggies and two very small towns (more on that later).

Then again, I think I shouldn't be dumb and let others dictate my feelings on a place when I haven't seen it for myself yet. After all, I was told I'd probably get kidnapped when I went to Brazil and the same for Colombia. I was also told I would experience some pretty bad racism in Japan...and nothing could've been further from the truth. In fact I had the best travel experiences of my life in these places. I don't think anything bad will happen in Rome or Venice, but I'm a little leery of the general atmosphere. I don't think anyone wants to be thought of as a walking dollar/euro sign, but this is the general impression I'm getting from folks who've been there. To sort of offset the feeling of being a fanny-pack wearing camera toting ohh ahh tourist, I've booked an apartment in Rome and am staying a bit back from the hordes in St. Marks square in Venice. I'm hoping this will give me a better feel of the cities.

On the flip side there are two cities that I'm completely excited about experiencing. One of which is Matera. I'm going to stay in one of the cave hotels. It looks like it's going to be an utter bitch to get there and to make matters worse, the order of cities on my itinerary is completely jacked. I must've been high! So I'm going to hope that there's a plane out of Bari, the closest town to Matera with an airport, to get me back north. Another town where I'm stopping is Spello, somewhere in Umbria. Someone suggested I go to Spoleto, but I wanted to go somewhere smaller and maybe a little more peaceful.

Oh yeah, I've scaled back my original itinerary quite a bit to 5 cities. Venice, Rome, Matera, Spello, Milan. I don't want to constantly worry about how I'm going to get myself to the train station every 2 days. It's a vacation, I want it to feel like one. I also stopped practicing Italian, but am restarting today. It just got overwhelming in my mind and it still is. I still don't understand what I'm saying or why, but I'm just going to trust the process and hope for the best. Like Rome and Venice. :D

Learning Italian. #$%^%& !

     Uh oh. This doesn't bode well. I already feel defeated. I just got the Assimil Italian last Tuesday and was super excited. I've done lessons 1 and 2 and feel like a lost babe in the woods. I think my first mistake was not starting off with Pimsleur. One thing that Pimsleur is very good at is getting you comfortable with speaking the language bit by bit. You can also pick up some small grammatical points such as feminine and masculine words. It is very good with providing you knowledge on how the target language works. Pimsleur is the foreplay, Assimil is the sex. I obviously have skipped the foreplay and jumped right into the sex.

     Suffice to say, I am uncomfortable. I thought, well, I have knowledge of quite a few romance languages so Italian should be a breeze, I don't need Pimsleur. Right now I'm doing all the steps and shadowing with Assimil, but I feel I'm just memorizing the pages and can't really grasp why I'm saying what I'm saying if that makes any sense. I don't have the vocabulary nor grammatical groundwork to understand it. It also doesn't help that words generally roll right into one another so you can't really nail individual words down. It's like you almost have to learn entire sentences sometimes. Most romance languages are like this in some cases, in Italian it's relentless.  On a happier note I love how sing-songy the language is. After mastering lesson 1, I felt exuberant just speaking it. It's that kind of language. No wonder Italians are known for being passionate. Their language reflects it!

     Also this version of Assimil with the mp3 (ed. 1991) looks very different than the Assimil French with Ease. It is denser and there's no funny little dialogues..at least not yet. The lessons right off the bat feel a bit longer than the ones in the French book and also unlike the French book, it's taking me 2 or 3 days for each lesson. For French with Ease I was sailing along with maybe an hour or so for mastering each lesson until I hit the wall with Lesson 9 or 10 and had to slow my roll considerably. I am considering stopping here in Assimil and start up Pimsleur and work with it for a little bit before jumping to lesson 3. It's just as well since I'm still stumbling my way through lesson 2 in Assimil.

     While I'm on this subject, I feel the need as a beginner to review the programs I've used.

Assimil - I love these books! Even with all my bitching here, I am able to recall entire sentences not only from Italian, but from French also which I abandoned about a week ago. If you employ shadowing in your lessons, this will also help your pronunciation immensely. I think once you have a foundation down with your target language, then start work on Assimil. Since I had zero knowledge about Italian I'm (obviously) finding it more difficult to get up to speed just using Assimil.  It was fine for French as I had a bit of familiarity with it before starting. So if you're starting a language from scratch, I recommended getting a bit of familiarity with some basic vocab and grammar rules first.

Pimsleur- Great for getting your feet wet and also to use in conjunction with Assimil. Alone won't get you fluent nor will it help you a whole lot while out in the world of your target language unless the person you encounter in your target language also follows the Pimsleur script. However, it will help you tremendously with recall and speaking under pressure. I wish I had it the first time I tried learning French and then went to Paris. Maybe my mind wouldn't have gone completely blank when I tried speaking to someone for the first time. No transcripts though, so I hope you have keen hearing.

Rosetta Stone - I actually still have an online subscription for this for French, but I've also tried Japanese and Spanish (software versions). It's good for drilling vocabulary words, but that's pretty much all I've gotten from it.

Living Language - Tried this for Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. When I finish Assimil, this is what I will turn to next.. This is where you learn grammar rules and why you say the things you say. Also very nice vocabulary lists in these books as well. For Japanese, I highly suggest you get something geared toward reading/writing and speaking. Between Rosetta Stone and LL, I would say I used LL the most, I was completely illiterate, but it wasn't my goal to read/write in the language. If it was both of these would be useless.

Semantica -  I used this the second time I went to Brazil. It's a really cool educational video series with an actual storyline. I am going to use it again to relearn what I've lost.

Memrise and Duolingo - Addictive and fun. Something to do while you're in a waiting room or on your lunch break.

     As far as my travel itinerary goes, it's still a work in progress. It turns out Lecce might be a bit difficult without a car as you have to take buses from the city to get to the nice beaches. And I keep hearing the buses aren't so reliable to and fro especially nearing the off season. So now since hitting a beach might be off limits, I am thinking of going to this town called Matera. It looks positively beautiful and the chance to stay in a cave hotel is almost irresistible. Or maybe I will just go to Amalfi and hang out there for week. We shall see.

Okay, I've vented and whined...now back to the books!

Vive la Fran..*cough*.. Viva l'Italia!

Hey y'all! I'm going to France Italy! This shit happens everytime I have my mind on a set destination. Some other destination comes waving its pretty cheap fare in my face and I have to take advantage. Suddenly the place I'd been enamored with for months is thrown out the window and I fall in love with the new place instantly. This one was a difficult decision and it still stings a little. I've spent months attempting to learn French for this trip I've been longing to take for a very long time..that has once again been thrown by the wayside and now I gotta start from ZERO and learn some Italian. Unless I can totally get by saying 'pizza' all day, it's going to be a necessity.
   
     I also knew next to nothing about Italy in the travel sense either, but you can bet your ass I boned up really quickly after I bought the ticket. I now have somewhat of an itinerary already, dumb as it is. I actually have two possible itineraries: one for just Italy and one for Italy/France just in case. I must say at the moment I'm completely leaning towards just giving up the France ghost and just go for Italy. It just seems more exhausting to cross borders even though it really isn't. I would have to catch the same amount of trains I think for each itinerary, but for France I would probably also have to rent a car. It's almost the same cost for hotels with the only Italy itinerary being 100 USD more expensive. And boy is it expensive! I've been tooling around to places where the US dollar is king for a long time and now I'm faced with the euro making the dollar a pauper. I'm flying into/out of Milan and I swear I can't find a decent hotel under 250 US. I tried the two hostels that looked decent and of course neither has availability for when I want to stay. So as soon as I land, I'm getting the fuck outta there and hightailing it to Rome.

     I also promised myself that I would really take it easy on being a kamikaze traveler like I did last trip. Last year was fantastic/epic, but I swear running to airports every few days was wearing. It started to feel like Bangkok airport was my home after a while. It's a huge dilemma. In my heart I would like to maybe go to one or two places and just chill out, but in my head I think I'm never coming back here and I need to see as much as possible. The head is winning and my itinerary suggests that. So here we go again, except this time with train stations.

     Another thing I've been struggling with is where to go in Italy. You always want to hit spots that are 'must see' in a country, but for this trip I've put together a list of 'Why is this not on the list?' spots. For instance, for the Italy only trip I've left off Florence and Venice. Why? This is probably sacrilege for any first timer going to Italy. I've wanted to go to Venice forever, but as I read more about it (tourist overrun, super expensive hotels, crap food, and virtually nothing to do after 6pm), it's way less appealing. Florence, I've read, is also crowded with tourists. Also it's appealing to actually hear Italian while you're in Italy and not some Joe from Idaho ordering spaghetti. I love my people, but if I wanted to vacation in America I would. I want to actually miss hearing my own language and fight my way through theirs. Italy is a huge tourist destination and there's virtually nowhere I could go that hasn't been done before by billions of others before me.  Rome isn't a little out of the way spot, but I feel like I've achieved a bit of a happy medium of 'Yeah I've seen that city in movies!' and 'Umm..where?'.

As of now, here's what my work in progress Italy only and Italy/France itineraries look like.

Italy
Day 1- Fly into Milan, train straight to Rome
Day 1 - 4 Rome
Day 4 - 6 Naples
Day 6 - 8 Salerno
Day 8 - 12 Lecce
Day 12 - 13 (?? train to Ferrara via Bologna)
Day 13 - 15 Ferrara
Day 15 - 20 Lake Como or Garda
Day 20 - 23 Milan (fly home)

Italy/France (It's pretty friggin' bonkers I admit)
Day 1 - Fly into Milan, gtfo to Rome.
Day 1- 4 Rome
Day 4 - 6 Genoa (yes I know I'm backtracking)
Day 6 - 10 Eze/Nice
Day 10 - 15 Arles
Day 15 - 20 Marseille
Day 20 - 23 Milan (fly home)

So there you have it for now. It'll probably be changed a billion times before I leave, I'm fickle that way.






                

Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?

     Do they have serial killers in France? I was thinking yesterday about the crazy chances I take with myself when I'm in a foreign country, that I would never in a zillion years do here in the United States. Of course, I have all the modern conveniences of home so there's really no need for me to put any huge amount of trust in complete strangers. However, when I'm alone in a foreign country where I don't know anyone, I have to do this from time to time. I wind up doing something stupid inevitably which puts myself in a bit of jeopardy. Case in point, a few years ago when I was in Brazil leaving the Cristo Rendentor monument, I sniffed my nose at all the cab drivers below at the exorbitant price they were charging to take me back to my B&B. I have no idea what I was thinking, just that maybe I would catch one down the mountain. I completely forgot that it was a very long way down, but by that time I had walked so far that turning back seemed almost as foolish. The road down was pretty abandoned with plenty of woods around and taxis racing around the mountain with passengers that had good common sense.

     Each step, I started thinking of all the horrible things that could happen. Someone could've swiped me right there and no one would've been the wiser. I started singing the happiest song I could think of to take my mind off the absolute fear I was experiencing, "I'm a little teapot short and stout, here is my handle here is my spout.'. All of a sudden a car came racing around the curve and came to a complete stop a few feet ahead. I froze and the car backed up to me. I thought, 'Oh shit this is it! This is the part of the trip where I get murdered.', and spent a couple of seconds mentally telling my family I loved them. A woman was in the car, she rolled down the passenger side window and in portuguese asked if I needed a ride. This my friends, is why it is SUPER helpful, to know a bit of the language of a country you're going to. Now, just because she was a woman doesn't mean she didn't or couldn't have serial killer potential. I was faced with a choice. Get a ride from this grim reaper in a white volkswagen or wait for my possible murder by continuing to walk down the mountain. Existential dread all the way. I found I would much rather die after being in a comfortable vehicle, rather than sweaty with aching muscles thrown in the woods.

   I don't know why I ever doubted Brazilians, they really are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. She drove me down the hill after admonishing that I was crazy and shouldn't do things like that ever. I wholeheartedly agreed, but then did another crazy thing the very next day of jumping in a car while buzzy (slightly drunk) and tired, mind you, with another complete stranger and it was a male this time. That situation wasn't even as dire as the Cristo situation, I just didn't feel like walking up the steep hill to my B&B. Don't judge! Ok, judge a little bit. Since then there've been quite a few moments of  'This is probably a really bad idea, but..'. I've come to the conclusion that I will always have dumb moments like this wherever I go. Thankfully nothing horrible has happened yet and I'm grateful and quite lucky. All the guidebooks really stress to not do things such as this. I say you can't really plan for everything and sometimes you have to take chances and go with your gut. I do it every time I buy a plane ticket for one.

     So now I'm really thinking about my trip to France. I really want to run all over the countryside and plan on getting a car, but the thought of just hitching rides from train stations did cross my mind for a second. I did not know that there are a couple of sites that are dedicated to this mode of travel (see Digihitch and hitchhikers.org to name a couple).  I don't know how to drive manual and it seems automatics are much more expensive. Also I can't parallel park to save my life,  which judging by the pictures of some of these French towns looks like it's going to be a necessity. I am just dreading having to drive in a foreign country by myself...DREADING. I hate getting on the freeway or going somewhere unknown here at home as well. It just seems like such a romantic way of travelling, but then of course the cons are huge. What if no one picks you up and what if you get picked up by a psycho? I'm still planning on getting a car, but I am just curious about how this works.

       Another thing I've been thinking about is where I should go and the trip tempo. There are so many beautiful villages in France and I want to stay in all of them! However, being constantly on the go during my last trip was hella tiring. I had fun, but I'm not sure I want to go through packing up my suitcase every 1 to 3 days again and hanging out in airports when I could've been in the world. On the one hand I think it would be different as I would be in a car as opposed to sitting in airports..there's scenery and best of all I could stop and break whenever I want. On the other hand I really feel the need to soak a town in. Maybe I could base myself somewhere in Dordogne or Alps-de-Haute Provence and venture out to its towns and villages. Or just find a town I like and hunker down for 3 weeks. I'm kind of liking the idea of hunkering down which I haven't done on a trip in a long time. At least that way, I can't get into too much trouble unless you can actually die from too much stinky cheese, bread, and wine. And if I can, the grim reaper's scythe might come in handy for buttering my bread.