The Break: Day 1

Sorry I haven't posted anything since I got back to Wien, it was a busy week of first classes. I like all of my professors and I think my classes will really engage me and help me grow intellectually, so I'm excited for that. (less excited for 100 pages of reading a week for my Mahler class, but hopefully it won't be quite that much on average. When reading includes philosophy there's only so much you can read at one sitting before you have to take a break.)

I traveled for 10 days, and wrote a good deal in my journal (it is a moleskine and the cover broke away from the spine after like 2 days) each day so I figure a post for each day is easy and adequate.

I took +1400 pictures so I will be able to illustrate my stories fully, which was my goal. I would have run out of room on my camera if I hadn't brought a 2nd SD card. I didn't bring my computer so I couldn't upload them and then make more room on my camera.

I didn't book my flights early enough so it took me a long time to find flights for prices I could suffer through. I decided that A) It's worth paying to fly to be able to spend more time seeing the cities I wanted to rather than sitting on trains for hours a day and B) Since I wanted to see the Austrian Alps and Salzburg I should just fly from Berlin to Salzburg and then I wouldn't have to take an unnecessary long train ride across Austria from Wien.

I didn't book my hostels until a few days before I left, and only a place in Berlin and Salzburg. More planning would have made my life a little easier and less stressed, but I'm proud of myself for being able just figure things out as I went along. I took my Fodor's guides for Germany and Austria, 4 outfits including some dress clothes for the Berlin Phil. concert, a towel, umbrella, iPod, chargers and adapters, my Microtrack, my two cameras and miscellaneous items. I was hoping to carry it on the plane but it was too heavy 11 kg = 24.25 lbs. approx. I don't think they charged extra to check it though, luckily.

My flight for Berlin left at 9 so I said bye to Oliver and left around 6. I was worried because I couldn't figure out how to print my boarding pass online (or at the kiosk at the airport, since I don't remember receiving a check in number) so I waited in line with my passport. There weren't any problems and I grabbed a chicken sandwich before my flight left. I like flying within Europe because security checks, at least in Wien, were at each gate before boarding, and you didn't have to take off your shoes so it went a lot faster. I got in to Berlin around 10:30 and after some trouble bought a bus ticket and found the right bus to the Hauptbahnhof.

I was flustered and wasn't sure what to look for so I got off a few stops early. Looking at the bus stop map I considered walking the rest of the way but getting lost in Berlin at night with my 24 lbs. bag didn't appeal to me, so I waited for the next bus. After the bus stop, which luckily was the Hauptbahnhof and not some random stop I'd have to search for, I had no idea where my hotel was. I was a little stressed but I had a number to call if I couldn't find it, so I didn't worry a lot.

Arriving at the Hauptbahnhof, which is humongous, I wandered through the building. By luck I came across a pamphlet for my hotel. This didn't end up being a huge deal because although it reminded me what street I was looking for, I went out the other side of the Hauptbahnhof and my hotel was practically next door, so I would have found it.





A sight for sore eyes.

I checked in and after about 5 minutes I figured out that you have to put your key card in a little slot on the wall in order to turn on the lights. I unpacked a little, wrote in my journal, and crashed.