More of What I Learned in Europe

The hills in Scotland really are covered in Heather

Make sure you don’t leave your iPod on by accident, the train rides are long

When they say long flights make your feet swell, they mean it!

Take advantage of laundry facilities whenever you get the chance

It is probably suspicious to go around at one in the morning and knock on the door of every bed and breakfast in Stratford-upon-Avon … do not be without a reservation

First class does not always mean deluxe accommodations … es preferente?!?

Overnight trains to Berlin are basically awesome

Do not be alarmed to hear a compartment companion singing John Denver

Dirty Dancing was in theaters when the Berlin Wall came down … oh wait, I already knew that!

Schlotzky’s Deli is a holy place … it has a fountain pop machine with refills!

That dude on the billboard for the American Sector in Berlin is just an actor

Take advantage of everything that comes free with your Eurail pass, like boat rides on Lake Zurich

There is no sight quite like the Alps … or the Scottish Highlands

It actually isn’t annoying to be woken from your nap by the bagpipes playing at the castle right out your window, it is, however, annoying to not be able to resume your nap as a nun talks to you for hours

Afternoon naps really can turn into all-night slumbers

Europe is all about the student discount

No foto!

Do NOT go near the poser gladiators outside the Colosseum unless you wish to be groped, kissed, and basically robbed

Rugby = man mess

Men may mistake you for being from Britain if you are caught watching a Rugby match

Make sure that if your hostel room locks from the outside, that you have a key to get out

Find people with luggage to get you a free ride up the ginormous hill to your hostel

Don’t take the short-cut, take the way you know won’t get you lost

Who cares if Pirates of the Caribbean is in Italian? Hello, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom

It is quite hilarious hearing Chow Yun Fat saying ‘Prego’

Despite not knowing a smidgeon of Italian, it is easy to understand when they shout ‘fire!’ and ‘marry me’

Stranded in Stratford

This was a short excerpt of my trip that I wrote and submitted to STA Travel, where it won a spot in the newsletter and got me a travel voucher ;-)

After an incredible month of backpacking Europe, my best friend Alex and I left London to visit Shakespeare’s home, Stratford-upon-Avon, after making a pit-stop in Oxford, as we had forgotten the day before to stop in at the Eagle and Child bar that Tolkien, Lewis, and other Inklings frequented.

We had big plans – we were going to see the second-to-last showing of King Lear starring Ian McKellen, a hero of ours, at the Royal Shakespeare Company. On the way, I called to see if there were tickets available. As the lady told me they were sold out, the sinking feeling of disappointment spread. (I was told later that they were sold out in October… this was July.) However, she then told me about the ‘queue,’ where people who couldn’t make the showing could give their tickets back to the theater to sell. Excitedly, I asked her when we should get in the queue … she said ‘now.’ We were still at least two hours away…

Through some miracle, we got tickets. Not just any tickets, front row. In the small Shakespearean theater, when you sat in the front row, you couldn’t cross your legs because your knees touched the stage. When the actors were on stage, we could have touched them as they walked by. It was amazing being in the presence of such gifted, famous actors … plus, we saw Ian McKellen naked. I will never look at Gandalf the same way.

One thing we forgot to do … check the train timetable. The last train left three hours ago. Stranded. In Stratford-upon-Avon, tiny town full of bed-and-breakfasts all reserved months in advance… places that don’t open their doors at midnight. After wandering for hours, we enlisted the help of a night porter. He called the Holiday Inn, who claimed they were sold out due to a conference. But we thought, hey, it’s a Holiday Inn, they have a lobby with some couches we could crash on – as it was actually a really cold night and we weren’t prepared to park-bench it. In the end, the concierge, ready to kick us out upon seeing us settling in on the couches, told us he had a room available. Grateful not to sleep in the cold, we checked in … to a 200 pound a night room… We look back on this experience with laughter and the phrase ‘Of course.’

Germany

What you've always wanted to know about Germany ... or what I'm able to tell you about Germany that you may not know:

Germany produces more than 5,000 varieties of beer.

After Irish, Germans are the second biggest consumers of beer in the world. The average beer consumption of the country is 119 liters per person per year.

In World War II, the German submarine U-120 was sunk by a malfunctioning toilet.

Football is the most popular sport in Germany and ‘The German Football Association’ is the largest association of its kind in the world.

Adolf Hitler was one of the people that was responsible in the creation of the Volkswagen Beetle.

Germany is one of the few countries of the world where Holocaust Denial has been declared as a crime.

The name Vaseline is a combination of the German word for water, wasser, and the Greek word for olive oil, elaion.

World's most colorful caves (as per Guinness Book of Records), Fairy Grottoes, are in Germany.

Germany was the first European country to establish a system for health insurance for its workers in 1888.

The Federal states that comprise Germany are: Baden-Wuerttemberg (capital: Stuttgart), Bavaria (capital: Munich), Berlin (3.45), Brandenburg (capital: Potsdam), Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse (capital: Wiesbaden), Lower Saxony (capital: Hanover), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (capital:Schwerin), North Rhine-Westphalia (capital: Duesseldorf), Rhineland-Palatinate (capital: Mainz),Saarland (capital: Saarbruecken), Saxony (capital: Dresden), Saxony-Anhalt (capital: Magdeburg), Schleswig-Holstein (capital: Kiel), Thuringia (capital: Erfurt).

The first Oktoberfest actually began as a wedding celebration for Crown Prince Luitpold I and Princess Theressa of Bavaria on October 17, 1810. A large meadow in Munich was taken over as the royal reception site and featured a horse race, music, dancing, singing -- and lots and lots of beer drinking. (That's my birthday!!)



http://www.alltrivia.net/facts/germany.htm
http://german.about.com/library/bltrivia_index.htm
http://www.chiff.com/beer/oktoberfest.htm
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-germany-1207.html
http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/02/

The Coolest Job

So
I've probably got the coolest job I could imagine of in teaching ... granted, it is only a month long, but it still rocks.
Okay, I am an on-set teacher/tutor for this 11-year-old boy and at times 6-year-old girl in the movie Miss January with Kim Cattrall and Brian Dennehy (am I going to actually SEE them?!?!?! AMAZING).
I also look out for his general welfare. Make sure he doesn't get filmed for more than 5 hours, doesn't work more than 9 hours btw the hours of 6 am (yuckkk) and 10:30 pm, gets half hour breaks every 5 hours... I can totally do this. Gotta make sure the producer doesn't put him in any dangerous shots, ya know, cars on fire and the like. PS speaking of producers, the line producer, psh, I am totally lucky, is awesome so far. I wish I could think of a better word for awesome, but my vocab isn't up to par right now. He was so nice when I met with him, and we were joking around. It was easy and fun, so as of right now, I really don't have any job stress. Well, except that I will have to find another one in a month.
By the way, I don't know if you caught this, but I get to be on the set. For the film. Behind the scenes... of a MOVIE. A REAL movie, how COOL is that!? And catered lunch, so cool.
Sigh, this is a job I actually cannot wait to start. How amazing would it be if it led to something? I would move to California in a heartbeat if I had a job doing this! I know, Christina, keep dreaming right?
Well, whoever dreamt I would get to do this?

What I Learned in Europe: Take Four

and they just keep comin'

• Watch out for the kids … they will either slap your ass or steal your poster
• Don’t steal anything from Alex, she will chase you down
• There is no travel companion quite like Vincent
• It is just as badass, possibly more so, to go to a Rolling Stones concert in Paris
• Put your hands up for Detroit!
• Mimes have lives too, once their make-up is off, they smoke
• Don’t be shocked to see a man painted in gold at a telephone booth
• It’s easier to buy a Real Madrid or Marseilles soccer jersey if you know who the players on the back are
• Never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep
• Even if they say no, the Holiday Inn probably has a room
• If you’re going to stay in a small town for a play, make sure that you are on that last train back to London
• When you actually have met people who live close to where you are stranded, of course they will be off traveling somewhere, thus unable to rescue you
• Guys, like the Brazilian, do unexpected things at bars
• It is usually not a good sign when you walk into a bar and there is blood all over the floor
• Italians, particularly in Rome, really do just park anywhere
• Fortunately, the traffic lights also turn yellow before they turn green, rev your engine
• The Audubon really isn’t as spectacular as you may think, there are actually speed limits in places
• You don’t know how solemn a concentration camp really is until you are there
• Eiffel Tower. At night. Sparkling. Incredible.
• If you get to see George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon, make sure you have sufficient battery to take decent pictures!
• When in doubt on how to find a ritzy event, follow those in tuxes and fancy dresses
• 
• Irony is abundant, such as the Byron store being right next to the Shelley Keats Museum
• Showing up for your flight twelve hours late is never good, and also a tad expensive (again, referencing the Gatwick Airport delay)
  
• Buckle up for your taxi ride … and make sure you have gone to the bathroom
• Road rage is fiery in Europe … you will probably witness a car chase
• The ‘f’ word is just as widely used
• Those travel guides aren’t kidding when they say London is expensive
• There is no place like Heaven … and gay bars have just as many straight people
• The cars are weird-looking
• In Britain, make sure you look LEFT … or is it right? … anyhow, the other way, before crossing the road
• Famous play sold out since October? No matter! Wait in the queue, you might get lucky, and you might get the best seats in the house
• Make sure all parts of your body are covered in sunscreen in the Mediterranean sun
• The hills in Scotland really are covered in Heather
• Make sure you don’t leave your iPod on by accident, the train rides are long
• Be sure to just go to the classy nude beaches, beware of the creeps in Barcelona
• If a handicapped man selling seedy drawings comes up to you in Montpellier, hide your ice cream
• Beware of Dangerous Seagulls!
• Edmund Dantes never really set foot in the Chateau D’If, but it is still cool to take pictures and pose in ‘his’ prison cell

mind the gap

MIND THE GAP!!!

(one of my souvies, and a picture I couldn't resist)

What I Learned in Europe: Take Three

Man, I am all about getting all these cranked out today! I can't really decide if I should save some for another day or what ... but let me paint you a picture of what is still left on the learned list. Three posts so far: one page of my list. Out of 6. So rather than having two thousand posts, I am going to start putting more in there. Or leaving out stupid things.

Also, I can't decide how I should write in my blog ... I mean are people who are looking at my resume going to look this up and read and see me writing stupid and damn? I mean it's not terrible language, but isn't it still unprofessional? On the other side, this isn't a professional work-related blog, this is me uncensored ... okay, well a little censored. Enough blabbering, you might actually want to read more about Europe.

• Europe: the place to meet traveling Australians
• Don’t associate people with their names, use their country or clothing (D&G) (I still refer to D&G man, the Brazilian, the Australian, the Swede...etc etc)
• It probably isn’t the best idea to run into 4°C Loch Ness, particularly on an 11°C day; however, the air really is much warmer once out of the water (yes, I did run in in my underwear, and despite the freezing cold, it's one of the best memories)
• 
• Timing is everything (Cannes, Monaco)
• American music is not just played in the US … need I say Umbrella? Old school Britney, Christina, Nelly, House of Pain?
• Songs are also over-played in Europe … Gasolina anyone?
• 3 euro for a liter of Heineken … it doesn’t get much better than that
• Flip Cup is much funner when played with 20+ people from a slew of different countries
• Don’t assume that non-English speaking people know zero English, I mean, D&G man knew how to say ‘will you sleep with me’. Plus, facial expressions and body language totally say it all - I definitely knew he was pissed at the 'haha no'
• If you stay out and party all night, you will get sick
• Respect the power of Febreze … and do not travel with it
• Harrod’s really is a rip off
• There is no other experience like seeing Sir Ian McKellen naked, or stalking Hot Man (sigh, Hot Man)
• Sometimes the subway in Rome closes early for no apparent reason … thus
• Make sure you are always wearing comfortable walking shoes
• You will hear unidentifiable odd noises, like CatChild
• Just when you think a French TV movie is cracked out, it gets even weirder
• You will probably not spot Nessie
• Mud is slippery … duh
• Don’t go half-ass when eating at a Tapas Bar, go all out and try it all
• It’s a Tapas Bar, not a topless bar
• Don’t forget to look cool when your Dad takes a picture
• The best way to inquire about where something is made is to begin in a childish British accent saying ‘Mummy, is this where they make the ___’
• Always say ‘typical Swiss town’ with the Swiss German accent, just like Werner

My Food Findings in Europe

These are things on my list that are related to food, figured why not put them on their own post, I mean food is definitely worthy enough for its own post.

• Nothing like a good ole’ Coca Cola
• Diet Coke? What’s that – it’s Coke Lite
• There are probably about two stores in Europe that have Pepsi
• Don’t go half-ass when eating at a Tapas Bar, go all out and try it all
• Supermarkets … glorified name for a shack with some fruit and old sandwiches
• They really are fond of triangle sandwiches in England (Pret a Manger!)
• Mayonnaise comes in tubes like paint
• They don’t kid around with pretzels in Germany … OR beer
• It is not cheesy at all to have wine, cheese, and a baguette in a Parisian Park for a picnic lunch
• Those Scots are hardcore about their Scotch Whiskey
• It is an empowering experience to buy fruit at a gigantic market speaking entirely Spanish
• White sausage isn’t half bad, in fact, despite its gross appearance, it is delectable
• If the biergarten gives you veal instead of pork, you get free dessert
• Tiramisu is just as good in Italy, obviously
• It’s okay to eat at an Italian restaurant in Spain
• You need not hunt for Starbucks or McDonald’s, they will just pop up
• What is the McOriental?
• Don’t expect ice or cold drinks
• Eating sandwiches and Italian food for weeks on end really makes you tire of them
• Make sure you know what frizzante means if you do not want bubbles in your water – no gas!
• Airline food isn’t half bad
• Paella is a Mediterranean dish … so … expect it all, even tentacles and eyeballs
• Don’t assume the bread basket is free! They charge PER roll you eat
  
• Schlotzky’s Deli is a holy place … it has a fountain pop machine with refills!
• A Starbucks drink in London is the same price! …. In pounds…
• Nero’s in Florence has the best chocolate gelato in the world, hands down
• They serve spaghetti with scrambled eggs and bacon in it in Italy … and pizza with an egg over-easy in the middle
• Why visit Europe and eat European food? Try West African at Mama Africa’s in Marseilles … who knows what she has served, but it is gooood… Despite the in-tact fish
• Kieferwasser … not the mushroom juice and date juice drink you would expect
• Milk the free coffee and tea for all it’s worth!
• Cinnabons and beer is not a bad meal before a flight
• Hard Rock Cafes are fantastic places to eat and have some American food
• Never be without a bottle opener
• Drinking beer in a four hour line is perfectly acceptable way to pass the time ... hell, drinking beer anywhere is fine!
  
• German breakfasts are amazing and filling
• To leave a tip or not to leave a tip? I still don’t know …

What I Learned in Europe: Take Two

• No reservations about posing with the most random objects… or as random objects - RANDOM is FUN
  
• After a whole day amidst ancient ruins, you really see them for what they are: old rocks
• British men like to propose (yes, this happened to me several times on the street)
• Navigation skills and speed are required for all aspects of transportation ... no, the trains and buses do not wait for you
• Never stay in the outskirts of a city, no matter how cheap the hostel ... or “country club”
• Graffitied trains really are quite ghetto
• It is not a good idea to climb giant hills of steps with backpacks in the blistering sun
• Frenchmen can really be friendly, teaching you how to tell apart real vs counterfeit euros (even though the hotel wasn't five star, the older man at the desk was super nice and almost protective - however, I do have to add that the younger guy there was smokin')
• You will get lost in Venice, it is inevitable (even if you are a direction master like me)
  
• You really have no idea how many bridges and canals there are in Venice until you see it
• The pigeons will attack
• Don’t be stupid and wear flip flops on the wet, smooth, slippery-as-hell stone… you will fall
• Beware of wet subway steps … and of the men who will still try to sell you an umbrella even after you fall in front of them – no shame
• The Red Light District really is red
• It is impolite to take pictures while in the Red Light District
• Make sure you read your tube map carefully, otherwise you could end up missing your show at the Globe Theater … twice

The 24 Hour Clock Nightmare

Life is full of surprises and mishaps ... hopefully, they are not all as expensive as 100 pound new plane tickets!!

This is an email that I sent from Gatwick Airport:

So I have been stuck at the London Gatwick airport for the past 14 hours - only 4 more hours to go! lol ugh. damn 24 hour clock - our flight was supposed to leave at 7:45 in the morning ... not at night!! aaagh - haha and we witnessed a hit and run right next to us and i have grrreeat pictures of the road rage and swearing and chasing that followed right behind us. oh it was great, and the cab driver was like 'fun to watch isn't it'... weird man ... anyways, we have been here about 14 hours ... only 4 more to go. but on the up side, i have a new appreciation for starbucks. you know how they always have big comfy chairs, well their cushy green ones saved our lives even though they closed at nine - we were lucky that the chairs are outside in this big lounge area. so we pulled them together to make a fort and make our beds - the pictures are quite enjoyable as we have a centerpiece with an empty water bottle with a burger king balloon sticking out of it. later that night we drank wine out of burger king cups - classy, right? and then even better ... we had a scavenger hunt in the airport! (in teams of two, lol.) except that a few of our clues got swept up by the cleaning man! anyways i gotta run, but i will talk to ya'll later!!


It was written extremely late/early so please excuse the haphazard manner in which I wrote it. Sorry if it doesn't make much sense. But yes, this was not a good start to our trip! Again, though, life is an adventure, and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything! Not even the extra night we were supposed to have in Madrid! (Plus, we sat next to our Spanish Fabio on the plane ride there.)

What I Learned in Europe: Take One

• Do not count on your flight leaving on time… be prepared for at least a 5 hour delay
• Never take Starbucks for granted
• Italy is too good for Starbucks
• You may think you know some Spanish, but you really don’t
• German really isn’t a romantic language
• Attitude varies, some people laugh (or scowl) in your face while you’re looking at your phrasebook, others ask you outright in English if you need help
• Oxygen really does decrease when you go up an Alp, believe it or not
• It is warm when you go up an Alp on a sunny day, even though they are snow-covered mountains
• Swiss chocolate … really is amazing

Speaking of chocolate ... it is the end of August - normally it gets pretty damned hot, but right now, there is a pretty cool breeze blowing in my window. Thus, time for hot chocolate. Wonder if I have any Swiss Miss (no, I did not find any of that in Europe)

Lifelong Learning

Becoming a teacher, you realize that you must be a lifelong learner to provide your students with the best education possible - I firmly believe that, but I think that no matter what profession you are in, you will always be a lifelong learner - I mean, we learn new things everyday. No ifs ands buts, you just are a lifelong learner, period. End of discussion.
Alex and I, upon completion of high school, made a hilarious list of the things we learned in high school. I decided to create one of those for Europe as well ... now, it ended up being 6 pages long in Word, so I am going to have to tell you these things in installments...

Just to warn you, don't expect super insightful and meaningful thoughts. I didn't intend to be a Dostoevsky, Kerouac, or Wordsworth. Some of these things you actually should know if you go backpacking, other things, well, are just a laugh. So I hope you do one of two things: learn something useful, or enjoy yourself.

The Europe List

Adventure. That is what this trip was all about - having the time of a life. Before I get onto more detailed posts, I will just provide ya with the basic list of cities that we visited (we being me, my best friend from high school Alex, and her two roommates Sara and Kristen.)

London is where we began and ended our journey. From London:
Madrid
Barcelona
Marseilles
Nice
Cannes
Monaco
short stopover in Genoa then onto
Rome
Florence
Venice
Milan
Munich
Salzburg day trip
Berlin
Amsterdam
stopover in Brussels station
Paris
back to London, then Alex and I went on to visit Scotland: Edinburgh and then a tour up to Inverness and back

When Life Gets Away With Ya

Well, life definitely has run away with me ... I guess I should get used to the busy lifestyle and not make excuses for not writing in my blog... lame, I know.
Let's try a quick update since I last wrote - however, I have no idea when I last wrote and don't quite feel like looking it up. We will test my memory.
So I completed my Internship at WWA and it was amazing - I still miss my kids!
Graduated from Western, woo!
Backpacked through Europe for 40 days and 40 nights (no really, not figuratively or symbolically using the number 40.) That basically changed my life and don't worry, there will be tons of posts about that.
Got screwed on getting my certification in time to apply for jobs, so substitute in Warren Con for a year - two long term jobs at Grissom Middle School - 7th and 8th grade science ... funny thing is, I never wanted to teach in middle school, but I absolutely LOVED IT!!! And I definitely miss SOME of those kids a lot. Go figure...
Just finished working at a summer camp to make kids more empowered, got totally lazy on applying for jobs and screwed myself over ... go Christina. The hard part is, I want a job yet don't want a job, I want to move yet don't want to move ... oh my life!
Well, that's the udpation. So we will start from here without excuses about why I haven't blogged in forever.