27 Days Meandering Through Europe: Day 2

June 27, 2014 - Cologne, Germany

I woke up a bit late, roughly around 8 AM... I suppose it's early for some people.  Being in the military, it's been a lot easier to control sleep.  I've learned how to sleep virtually anywhere by now I think.  I didn't get down to the hostel's cafeteria until roughly 8:45 before they closed for the morning.  I read earlier about the breakfast's at the hostels and it was ringing true that the breakfasts, while free, were very sparse.  There were cold meat slices, various breads with jelly, butter and Nutella, basic cereals with tea, water and juice to drink.  I was coming with low expectations due to previous experiences in hostels back in the United States, and knowing that eating would mainly come through lunch and dinner for the next month.

Ground Covered in Day 2

After filling up on food, my mind was dreadfully on how and where to get my rail pass at Cologne-Bonn Airport.  The weather was mostly cloudy and threatened to rain at anytime it seemed.  Daytime Cologne was much more active than when I arrived late last night.  The nearby train station across the avenue was abuzz with people flowing in and out of the facility.  Parking was sparse when I arrived, so I parked the BMW across the busy avenue near the Hyatt Regency Hotel on a side street.

Church - Mainz, Germany

When I rented the car, I was suppose to rent it back in Mainz, but I was a couple hours north of where that city was.  I didn't know of any Europcar rental place in Cologne, but I wanted to drive the car for as long as I could.  But, first order of business, the rest of the trip hinged on obtaining this silly piece of paper that is in the form of a rail pass.  I pushed that key into the ignition of the BMW and turned onto the streets of Cologne towards the airport.

Some 30 minutes later, I was pulling into a parking lot outside the controlled access cargo warehouses in the middle of Cologne-Bonn Airport.  I was kind of lost on where to exactly go to get the package since I didn't see the FedEx building in the initial scouting.  I saw the cargo terminal where the planes drop off packages, but there was a strong gut feeling that it wasn't there.  I believe I wasted an hour or two of time to figuring out the FedEx building by walking around.

Foundation Sculpture - Mainz, Germany

This loss of direction lead me to the passenger terminal building to resolve this issue.  I chatted around to get some directions to the Germans Customs officials in the passenger terminal.  I found them eventually, but it lead to spotting the FedEx building smack in the middle of the airport runways after the Customs officials pointed it out to me.  This revelation discouraged me since it was in a controlled area... "How am I suppose to get inside there?  I am not a freight employee!  I'm not even German! I'm going to be a silly American trying to demand access for a package in that building!"  These negative thoughts raced through my mind, but I had to suck it up.  This is going be part of my story of seeing Europe, rail pass or not.  I had everything to lose, but everything gain if I just tried.

Entering the freight entry registration office, I walked over to get a number and nervously sat down in the closed lobby.  I saw through the glass double doors the Germans who stood on the other side to determine my fate in a few minutes. As my number was called, I strolled into the office, plopped my ass into the seat and submitted my application to the elderly German with my US Passport.  Obviously baffled, I began to explain my story of tracking my rail pass package to this FedEx facility and requested to talk to a FedEx representative on site.  He made a few phone calls to FedEx on site and eventually a FedEx employee, also an middle-aged German came to the office.  Once again, I explained my situation that I was Worrstadt earlier and they stated it was at this airport and FedEx Customer Service didn't know exactly where my package was, even though the online tracking was last this very airport.

Roger Ledbetter - 'FedEx Employee'

 'She had the audacity to ask why I was here, seriously, word for word, "Why are you here? This is a hub, not a pickup location.  Didn't you talk with Customer Service?"  At this point, repeating my story over and over was a broken record that I snapped in my head, but retained outward composure.  I didn't belong here, I didn't want to be here.  The customer resolution system was broken, resulting in drastic measures as getting onto a FedEx hub facility.'

They processed me an entry badge, becoming a temporary FedEx employee for a day! I followed the FedEx employee to his truck.  We didn't speak too much on the way to the facility, his English wasn't good and I didn't know a lick of German to have a half decent conversation.  It was a modestly tall building and entering the lobby, we both walked over to the receptionist who I repeated my story again to her.  I knew I didn't belong here, and was shortly whisked to a nearby office that must handled coordination of shipments.  I was quizzed once again, this time by a deep-voiced, young-looking German lady with tattoos.  She had the audacity to ask why I was here, seriously, word for word, "Why are you here? This is a hub, not a pickup location.  Didn't you talk with Customer Service?"  At this point, repeating my story over and over was a broken record that I snapped in my head, but retained outward composure.  I didn't belong here, I didn't want to be here.  The customer resolution system was broken, resulting in drastic measures as getting onto a FedEx hub facility."Ma'am, I don't want to be here anymore than you seeing me here in the first place.  If the system work as intended, I wouldn't be in front of you.  I did call FedEx Customer Service, they said it was held at Worrstadt and they didn't know why the package is being held up.  I went to Worrstadt, they said it was here.  I know it's here, I just need an explanation why the package hasn't been released. I just want my rail pass so I can enjoy the rest of my trip, visiting you wasn't part of the plan."

House with Roman Wall - Zulpich, Germany

Initially, the FedEx lady didn't know why German Customs held up the package, but I revealed my military identity because I know I revealed it earlier to the Eurail people and FedEx Customer Service.  It took about an hour to figure out that the reason for the hold up that German Customs was treating the package as a military item, which it was totally not.  I was standing for the most part of that, but fatigue and hunger kicked in as the hours passed by.  I drank water from the nearby water dispenser to stay hydrated.  It roughly took another hour to clear up the confusion about the package so FedEx could take control of it.  Hope sprang up as she came back with papers to sign over the package to me.  Weeks of planning were paying off indirectly, but I vowed never again to relive this particular situation.  Escorted back to the lobby, the envelope went through the security scanner before I could finally get it within my hot hands.  I profusely thanked everyone there that assisted as I was leaving, escorted back to the van, and whisked back outside of the gate.

Carnival - Zulpich, Germany

I said my farewells to my German escort and walked back to the BMW.  I opened the car door and plopped inside and opened the envelope again.  There it was, my elusive Eurail pass... the keystone of this entire journey through Central Europe... my pass to further adventure on an already adventurous trip.  I was thinking, "Shit, it's finally on.  I accomplished the impossible... and I am so hungry."  In celebration, I just drove over the parking at the passenger terminal and celebrated with Burger King.  The whole ordeal took up the entire morning and early afternoon, I didn't leave FedEx until around 1:30 PM.  I needed to eat to continue on the day before I could drive the Autobahn one last time.

With the burden of obtaining the rail pass out of the way, it was time to relax and start seeing Europe.  I targeted the town of Zulpich, Germany, a small town built around and on a old Roman Fort just southwest of Cologne.  I was also testing my high speed land record on this stretch of Autobahn 1 around Zulpich.  I briefly stopped outside of the oldest part of town, signified by the ring of a wall surrounding this part of town.  It was quite exciting to see such fortifications outside of Turkey for the first time.  They had a garden walk around most of the parameter of the wall with sculptures and a small carnival park.  An interesting takeaway was this house that incorporated the wall as part of its structure.  I wished I hadn't had so much time wasted at the airport to explore more, but the afternoon was well underway and Mainz was calling after a couple hours lingering in Zulpich.

Historic Gate - Zulpich, Germany

I wove my way back onto Autobahn 1 and it was before turning south on Autobahn 61 that I attempted my speed record with the BMW.  By this time, I was comfortable driving consistently over 100-115 mph in the left lane.  The highway stretched out before me, invitingly to test out the speed of this car finally.  I gauged up to 125 mph as my low-end speed before gunning higher towards 150 mph.  It should be noted that things catch up quickly at such speeds and cars/trucks pop into the left lane without too much warning that are barely over 80 mph.  I wanted to be comfortably dangerous, always keeping enough room in front of me to adjust speed back down if necessary.  The electronic speedometer gauged me around 145 mph as my highest speed with the BMW.

'The Rhine carves its way and you can see picturesque towns hug the shores of the river. As hills rapidly rise up from the riverbanks, you'll see strings of castles perched on the top of the hills overlooking the river, with dominating their position over the Rhine.  This stretches onward for miles, I don't think I've seen so many castles just by driving.'

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test later as rain plagued most of the journey on Autobahn 61 back to Mainz.  I still mostly felt in control of the car while visibility was drastically cut with how torrential the rain was on my way towards Koblenz.  When I arrived back in Cologne later this evening, I noticed while driving on the Autobahn, I passed the famous Nürburgring race circuit exit.  I didn't realize that the race circuit was in this region of Germany and cursed to myself for missing out on this racetrack.  Oh well, next time.

Picturesque Towns and Castles - Rhine River Valley

I turned off Autobahn 61 onto Autobahn 48 and Highway 9 towards the center of Koblenz.  The city reminded me a lot of Portland, but with a more Germanic and historic flare.  I didn't stop here, but I could already tell I was missing out on stopping here as I crawled in bumper-to-bumper traffic to the south end of the city.  Fighting the traffic rewarded me with a beautiful drive down the Rhine River Valley.  Driving Highway 9 as it hugs the Rhine River is one of the most spectacular regions of the world, in my humble opinion.

The Rhine carves its way and you can see picturesque towns hug the shores of the river. As hills rapidly rise up from the riverbanks, you'll see strings of castles perched on the top of the hills overlooking the river, with dominating their position over the Rhine.  This stretches onward for miles, I don't think I've seen so many castles just by driving.  While driving on by, I could see barges cruise slowly up and down the river and trains speed on by on either side of the river.  I was planning to drive the length of this magnificent valley, but time was sadly against me.  I did drive up to Boppard following an breathtaking bend in the Rhine River, my adventure beginning to take shape in this far away valley in Western Germany.  I broke away from the river and drove up the valley towards the Autobahn once again to rush back to Mainz by early evening.

Castle in the Middle of the Rhine - Rhine River Valley

It was roughly 6 PM when I arrived back in Mainz to end my time with the BMW.  If I had a bucket list, I just completed a couple on that list with this BMW.  One of the Eurocar representatives that happened to be getting off work was happy enough to let me hitch a ride to the train station since the weather happened to be torrential rain from the heavens that evening.  The region was experiencing several systems of thunderstorms as they rolled eastward as the tablet relayed this information to me earlier in the day.

Greetings from the Beautiful Rhine River Valley!

At the station, I returned to Starbucks to get the latest information on weather and some initial plans on Berlin before the train arrived to take me back to Cologne.  I waited patiently as a Intercity Express train bound to Dortmund via Cologne arrived at Mainz Station.  Boarding the train, it was somewhat crowded as I took a seat across the table from a middle-aged German in working clothes.  He definitely knew I wasn't a German, but we said nothing.  This my first test with the rail pass and the train was well on its way down the Rhine Valley towards Koblenz as the conductor reviewed my ticket pass and stamped off the first travel day.  What I missed of the Rhine River Valley by not driving the entire length was made up by the train zipping north up the valley.  As I said before, this valley is so amazing.  It's totally worth a visit, because if you miss visiting here, your Germany trip is woefully missing out on something wonderful.

Typical InterCity Express (ICE) train - Mainz, Germany

Unfortunately, once the train arrived at Koblenz, the conductor made an announcement that made most of the passengers groan, there might be a delay at Bonn.  I could decipher Bonn, but the statement was in German; however, the groaning is the universal cue of something is awry.  How long the delay... it was anyone's guess, but the money was the heavy thunderstorms affecting the electric systems of the trains.   We left about 15 minutes late out of Koblenz, continuing on out of the Rhine valley.  

The train has been delayed numerous times since leaving Koblenz.  We're behind an hour now, so much for the timeliness of Deutsche Bahn...  Weather and another train were blocking the final stretch to Cologne.  The Germans sitting around me joked around about their "perfect" train system.  The older gentleman sitting across from me this entire time spoke in English, thicken heavily with German, to me laughing, "Welcome to Deutsche Bahn!" The sun has finally set and it's raining heavier than ever now as this train is just arriving in Cologne after a delay of a couple hours.

Boppard, Germany

Luckily, the hostel was just across the street from the train station.  I got re-situated and pulled out the camera for some night photography of Cologne Cathedral.  I took a local S-bahn to the main train station on the other side of the river.  I scouted the train station for a bit for tomorrow and then got distracted by the large crowd assembled by the information center.  I don't think I've ever seen such an angry crowd of Germans at a train station ever.  My train delay must have not been the only train delayed because of terrible weather, seems a lot of people were stuck there for the night it seems.

'The Germans sitting around me joked around about their "perfect" train system.  The older gentleman sitting across from me this entire time spoke in English, thicken heavily with German, to me laughing, "Welcome to Deutsche Bahn!"'

Cologne Cathedral 

Anyhow, the rain subsided so I could take some shots of the Cologne Cathedral at night, it's a spectacular site at night.  It's impressive they could build such a building before complex machinery was available.  I saw earlier some of the pictures of Cologne at the end of World War II, everything around this building looked flattened by Allied bombing.  I toured around the area and there is quite the night scene not too far from the train station.  I wasn't in a drinking mode, but I was hungry.  At this late hour, the only thing open to cure the hangovers of Germans were a few Turkish cuisine places selling kebaps and pizza.  Upon further inspection, the Turkish immigrants tweaked their menu to suit their homeland tastes, which confused me at first after being so familiar with Turkish food in Turkey for so long.  However, the stomach doesn't care and just wanted a nice kebap, and so in this small restaurant I observed a late summer night in Germany with drunk people start filing out of the pubs as they were about to close.  

Cologne Cathedal and Locking Bridge

After satisfying my hunger, I decided to call it a night, walking over the Rhine on the Locking Bridge.  It is actually a train bridge, but with a sidewalk on either end.  There is a fence blocking access to the tracks, but there are thousands of padlocks on this bridge, to signify the relationship of lovers locked together.  It was an interesting site as I crossed to the other side back to the hostel.  Tired, I plopped into bed and dreaming of what would happen next. 

Locked for Life - Cologne, Germany

27 Days Meandering through Central Europe: Day 1

June 26, 2014: Cologne, Germany - Jungendherberge Köln-Deutz

I've driven to Cologne, Germany in a rented BMW 3 wagon and my impressions of driving on the Autobahn just feels so nature.  No wonder they've called it the 'Ultimate Driving Machine". I finally started off this dream trip and I'm just awestruck that I'm really in Central Europe... in Germany. After getting delayed in Turkey for departure, I finally left Incirlik AB for Japan.  The plane stopped briefly in Italy at Aviano, and my first impressions of mainland Europe and the Italian Alps made me super excited to be undertaking this trip that I've dreamed and planned for months.

Town of Ramstein, Germany

I arrived at Ramstein Air Base around Noon on the 26th of June and was taken aback by seeing a large base again with actual services. My last contact with anything Turkey was by seeing a couple co-workers heading back to the United States on leave.  I waved "Hello" as I walked up to Passport Control.  The German officer looked at my passport for a minute and I was cleared to start my journey.  Some people asked what I was doing, and I simply told them I was touring Europe.  They grinned and wished me luck.

Walking outside on this partly sunny day, I gazed at the massive hotel on base.  Then I walked up to the BX, and I had to admit that Ramstein's BX complex is massive and had lunch there before leaving for Ramstein village to the west to catch a train for Wörrstadt, a village 23 kilometers southwest of Mainz.  Going to Wörrstadt wasn't in the original plan, but my Eurail train pass was held up at that FedEx local processing facility after the Ramstein hotel I planned to hold the rail pass at did not want to hold it.  It was quite frustrating since the rail pass people stopped changing the receiving address on the pass, forcing me to have it held by FedEx in Germany.  Before I left Incirlik AB, I ordered the rail pass to be held at a FedEx facility in Germany so I could pick it up. 

The Ride - BMW 3 series M-Wagon

Right before the trip started, I was strongly considering heading south to Switzerland first than circle east to the rest of the cities I was determined to visit.  But I was checking weather around the Matterhorn in the days before leaving Turkey and had to have a backup plan to switch directions of travel of my circular route. It wasn't until during lunch hour in Ramstein Air Base that I was fully committed to head to Cologne, Germany, then eastward to Berlin.  I was gambling that the weather would improve a month later for seeing Switzerland when it was sunny.

I proceeded out of the west gate of Ramstein and walked to nearby Ramstein village to catch a train to Landstuhl and onwards to Wörrstadt.  Unfortunately, my walk to the train station missed the train to Wörrstadt by 5 minutes.  Here I was standing at my first train station in central Europe, chilling in the middle of Ramstein village not knowing what to do next.  I needed WiFi to figure out my next steps on my tablet and quickly ruled out getting a train to pick up the train pass.  I found this quaint cafe to figure out my situation just west of the train station and drank carbonated water. I needed to rent a car I figured, I could take the finanical cost since it was budgeted for such an emergency.  There was a car rental place in Ramstein, but it was already closed for the day, but found one in Landstuhl.  I decided get on the local train to Landstuhl.  The first thing I noticed on the train was that a lot of the passengers on the train had the Germany football attire on.  It was the full height of the World Cup season, and I was in the middle of it all. I grinned inside because I knew I was traveling Europe at a good time.

Driving on the Autobahn

Landstuhl is a small town southwest of Ramstein along a major transportation corridor between France and Western Germany. ICE high-speed trains traveling between Paris and Frankfort, along with a major Autobahn route crossing the length of Germany passed through the town.  It was here that I would debark from the station and walk to the nearest car rental place that I located earlier. One couldn't really tell there was a Europcar rental place here, and for 100 Euros and 15 mins of paperwork, I was behind the wheels of the only car on the lot, which was a BMW M3 touring wagon. I even walked passed it on the way to the office too, thinking, "Ah, nice car... too bad I'll have a piece of crap." It was a pity it was an automatic, but this car was full of fancy gadgets that I really didn't have time to mess around with it.  That German had to know what I was going to do with that car, and that was to drive as fast I comfortably could.  If I could get away with speeding in a country without getting a ticket, it would be in Germany on the Autobahn.

Public World Cup Viewing - Mainz, Germany

Driving the Autobahn in a non-urban area gives way to an experience I've never felt before, and coupled with this ultimate German driving machine, it made driving an art.  I rolled across Western Germany through beautiful rolling hills with the nicest car I've ever driven on the best roads I've had a chance to drive on.  Traffic bottled up at various construction zones, but the pavement everywhere was so smooth.  Like in Turkey, the Autobahn was built for enjoying speed.  Every curve wanted me to enjoy speed, feel like racing... For all the initial headaches the beginning of the trip had, I forgot about it all as I pushed this glorious BMW for all the time I had.  As much I love my Subaru Twin Turbo B4 straight from the land of Japan, age and poor maintenance shown on the car compared to this newer BMW.  I cannot say enough about my driving encounter with this BMW.  I know they are a pain to maintain, but at least I knew I wasn't maintaining this car.
  

Windmills - Worrstadt, Germany

My drive to Wörrstadt gave me my first impressions of Germany and how true that their push for renewable energy prevails in the country.  Sleek looking wind turbines dotted the landscape everywhere between Ramstein and Cologne.  Rows of solar panels edged up to the Autobahn, I've seen anywhere where renewable energy was so prevalent. 

By mid-afternoon, I finally arrived at Wörrstadt to pick up the Eurail train pass.  I had a little difficulty navigating to find the FedEx facility, but it was well hidden in an industrial park surrounded by a rolling farmland dotted with windmills. I parked the car and walked in the office with beaming optimism that my journey across Central Europe was truly about to start.  A nice, young German lady working the distribution facility in Wörrstadt was gracious enough to check into my package inquiry; only to politely destroy my optimism, stating it was actually at Cologne/Bonn Airport.  She didn't state why it was held up there, but she offered to inquiry about it.  I politely declined and said I would go to Cologne to pick it up myself. She was quite skeptical of my ability to pick it up there, and I left the office with that thought embedded in my mind as I got in the BMW.

Cathedral - Mainz, Germany

Stepping back into the car, I mused on the next hurdle facing me to get this trip off the ground.  I talked to myself about not getting the rail pass early enough to get to Turkey, but if that happened, I wouldn't be driving this sweet car.  I was embracing the spontaneous circumstances, deciding on-the-fly.  I knew what I wanted to see, how it would happen would be as the day comes.  I drove back onto the Autobahn towards Mainz, knowing I had to go to Cologne.  Embracing this mindset of flexibility was the fact before I left Ramstein, I didn't set up any lodging reservations anywhere until I had a firm grasp of the rail pass.  I thought that if I got the pass in Landstuhl, I would stick around in Mainz, but if not, I would go to Cologne... and in the end, I had to be in Cologne.  

Arriving in Mainz, Germany tested my urban driving skills in a foreign country as I had only a rough idea of how to reach the center of town.  I only knew that running into the Rhine River was enough for me to take a break and enjoy a bit of a day busted by bad news.  I eventually ran into the Rhine and took the BMW into a parking garage near the Rhine as an easy landmark to get back to the car later for the next drive to Cologne.

With my worries about the rail pass in the front of my mind, I was puzzled by the nearly deserted look of Downtown Mainz, until I spotted the Germans with German flags and football apparel throwing my back that it was World Cup season.  This wasn't any other day in World Cup, but it was an important match up between Germany versus USA.  I followed them until I ran into a public viewing area showing the game live on a big projection screen in an area that was usually a park.  There were so many Germans here, and other foreign travelers with their respectful flags... Brazil, USA, Spain.  It was no wonder the city was deserted, it was World Cup season and an important match was going on.  Everyone was gathering wherever large screen TVs were present.

Christuskirche - Mainz, Germany

I walked on through the city, spotting more restaurants, with patrons and non-patrons staring intensely at large TV screens. Game on, beer in hand.  I took photographs with the mind to sit down and eat, watch the game, but I was in scenery overload.  I meandered around Mainz Cathedral, eerily quiet from a typical summer day, a nearby restaurant, masses of Germans watching the TV screens as Germany was soundly beating the US late in the match.  Hunger overtook me and I searched for food, leading me to a supermarket.  Instead of a meal, it was more of a glorified snack.  There would be time for a meal later I thought.

Gradually retracing my steps back towards the train station, I needed WiFi to make accommodation in Cologne on incredibly short notice, I chose a hostel across the river from the main train station in Cologne.  Suprisingly, plenty of Germans were going about their business as the game was going on, but it was early in the progression of the World Cup 2014.  I strolled in Starbucks and made my reservation while listening to the Germany vs USA game as it ended.  A lot more people were moving about the city as the game concluded, the streets filled with a healthy amount of car honks filled the air in celebration of Germany's victory.

It was about 5 PM as I got back on the road again towards Cologne.  I drove on Autobahn 61 on the east side of the Rhine River Valley edge towards Bonn.  The plane ride and being awake for awhile finally took it's toll on me shortly after leaving Mainz.  Somewhere south, outside of Koblenz, I pulled into a rest stop and took about a 90 minute nap in the BMW.  I actually felt quite comfortable in the leather seats. I awoke as dusk approched and launched the BMW into action once more to close the gap to Cologne.

As I drove northward, convoys of trucks hauling wind turbine blades and tower pieces traveled south towards Frankfurt.  The distinct array of amber lights clipped passed me as I raced in the opposite direction.  I was still amazed by Germany's determination towards green energy that I only read in the news.  Around 10 PM, I was diverted to Autobahn 565 straight into Bonn as construction shutdown the highway.  The darkness made navigation only by signs, making things a bit more difficult than usual.  Eventually, I crossed the Rhine and back south onto Autobahn 59.  Fortunately, the construction detour made my arrival to the hostel very convenient. The handy GPS on the BMW guided me onto Autobahn 565 to drop me right in the Deutz neighborhood of Cologne, just on the east banks of the Rhine.  

I had a rough idea of the specific location of the hostel and frustratingly drove in circles for about 20 minutes, it was very reminiscent of the driving confusion I had during the Black Sea trip looking for the hotel in Amasya. I was forced to park and scout by walking around which was taking way too long.  I eventually found the hostel with a handful of minutes until midnight. Exhausted, I checked in to the hostel.  This particular hostel is part of a large national network under the domain of Hosteling International or HI.  They had everything ready as soon as I arrived, although quite late.  I took the elevator up and walked into the room.  I tried the stealth approach to the roommates sleeping as I unpacked for the night... my first night in Europe reaching its conclusion. 

                                     

27 Days Meandering Through Europe: Prologue

It's been nearly six months since traveling through central Europe, you've heard how much I loved traveling the continent solo.  I about to publish a day-to-day account of my travel through a continent that I dreamed of traveling since I could draw maps. The planning for Europe began the day I learned about getting assignment to Turkey, back in August 2012.  It was so rough, I wanted to see it all... all the cities, tourist sites, places no one goes to, etc.  There is a good reason there are many travel books on Europe, there is too much to see in one trip.  By the time June 2014 rolled around, I settled with four countries over a months time after reading so much of Europe.

How did I sacrifice all of Europe for four countries in planning that took over a year?

Simply it came down to time management, travel logistical planning, budget, and USAF travel paperwork. I am not going to lie, planning this trip was very difficult and the route changed a lot until three months until departure.  Big trips require a lot pre-planning to forestall difficulties, but as you also heard was that there was plenty of troubles on the trip as well, but that is part of the beauty and curse of these travels.

During most of my time in Turkey, the main travel plan was to be mostly restricted to overland travel from Istanbul to Ramstein. I was planning to bridge the continent overland and cover a lot of ground, I had three major routes across Europe and all were scrapped in the Spring 2014.  There were three things that I ran into that factored into reducing to the present Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland route.

As for USAF paperwork, I can say this.  Submit early and do not submit your entire travel route, or it will count against you in their cost estimate.  This alone made me abandon the overland route that I mostly fleshed out during my tour in Turkey.  The focus shifted to favorable entry and exit ports of entry for traveling Europe which formulated the circular route I took in central Europe.

1) Understanding Travel Time Management
Through months of research online, the recurring theme of travelers was managing their grandiose trips across Europe.  They felt rushed jumping from one big city to another.  On the trip, my conversations with fellow travelers at hostels reinforced this sediment.  Yes, the major cities of Europe are worthy of visiting, but there is a lot of charm in the small towns of Europe.  It reveals a more authentic European experience from the regular tourist traps of the biggest cities.

If you understand that travel/moving day isn't a sightseeing day, you suddenly realize that you have less days for seeing than for traveling.  It's in one's favor to make shorter travel hops to maximize since travel days are taxing with packing, finding the next train, gaining orientation in the new city, finding the hostel, eating, etc.  Travel days is pretty much lost time to seeing the glory of Europe.  Don't kid yourself that one can defy this, it really does happen.

I came away with a deeper appreciation with my longer stays in the different cities of Europe.  Parting advice, you need a minimum of three days to enjoy a city in Europe, four to five days for large cities like Berlin or Prague.  This is outside of travel days getting in and out, so in reality that's dedicating a minimum of five days to one city in all.  You'll have to visualize on a calendar or you won't see it.

2) Logistical Planning
Figuring out getting from A to B is paramount after solidifying where you roughly want to go.  Since rail is the primary mode of transport of European travel, you have to figure out the most effective budget for transportation.  You could pay out of pocket or pay for a Eurail rail pass.  There are a lot of online resources detailing this and the cost analysis between the two.  There are two definitive websites that I consider fundamental to making a smoother travel process: www.seat61.com and www.rome2rio.com

Seat61 is simply the encyclopedia of train travel on all the habitable continents on Earth.  Managed by a British man who has worked with British Rail and the Ministry of Transport over the decades, this site is the most recommended site for beginning your plans of travel around Europe.  The site has an article on the benefits and pitfalls of the rail pass, as you will see that the rail pass value has decreased in certain countries in Europe.

Rome2Rio is another site to plan out specific times and flesh out a transportation cost for the travel budget.  I don't know how the world would live without this site since it crunches out route data and cost estimates from the maze of websites dedicated to specific nations all on one site. It will show you where the information was obtained from.  This site is useful in determining whether or not a rail pass is worth the cost.

In my planning, and as you will eventually deduct is that the rail pass is most effective in central Europe.  The United Kingdom isn't part of the Eurail program, the Eurostar train between France and England is reservation only, the high-speed trains in France, Spain and Italy require reservations and have limited seats for rail pass holders. I wanted to make my transportation logistics very simple and stick to the rail pass benefits, something of which the four countries chosen did well in not adding in hidden costs, except the train to the Matterhorn.

I will note that if you have a rail pass, you can get onto the train, but for the busiest routes that a reservation maybe required or extremely helpful since they do get crowded and full.


3) Budget
For the traveler with no equipment, there is about a rough $1000 to spend on getting travel equipment and the rail pass for doing something I did.  Mainland Western Europe is expensive and you will spend $100 USD to enjoy it at least.  Eastern Europe can be enjoyed from about $50, but a comfortable daily budget is $70.  My time in Switzerland was the most expensive and I was easily burning through $100 per day, probably closer to $125 to decently enjoy the country.  I would consider Britain would cost close to Switzerland. Before the trip, I roughly estimated that I would average a $100 day budget with an extra $400 emergency.  I can tell you that my daily budget estimate was very close to what someone would probably spend unless they like to pinch pennies... maybe at the expense of the enjoying Europe.


You'll read my day-to-day personal experience of central Europe during the height of the World Cup coming soon.  I had to be flexible, become acqainted with beer in all the different cities I visited.  I was never alone, you'll encounter fellow travelers from all walks of life doing the same thing you will be doing... getting in their quintessential European experience.  At every hostel you'll visit, you'll mingle with travelers, hear of personal triumphs and experiences, gain advice.

At the end of the day, when you're ready to see Europe.  No research in the world is going to prepare you for an experience of a lifetime.  Enjoy it, if something doesn't go your way, it's an opportunity!  There is too much to see in Europe in one trip, be glad what you about to see, and you'll hunger to see more another time, God willing.

I'm Halfway Across the World Update

Oh hi Mediterranean Sea!

Hello all my stateside friends that I rarely talk to now (Call me on Skype... maybe???)  So, obviously, a lot of things you've heard and seen on the television or radio, etc about Turkey in over the summer, well, things are simmering down now.  So it's slowly relaxing back down from all the crazy events next door in Syria; however, when that has been happening, I've still been able to enjoy Turkey when I can.

So how am I doing you are all wondering, one word: FANTASTIC!  Everything is going well over here for me.  I enjoy the quirks of Turkey and its culture, my only regret is not knowing enough of its language.

Everything that I learned over the years at some point in my short Air Force career has been put to the test.  Each stage of my past has in some way prepared me for the moment to charge head-on into the scene of any issue without much reservation.  I know I felt lost after leaving camp back in 2009 and here in Incirlik AB, I've rediscovered the passionate fire that drove me back during the summer of 2008; however, I admit that passion is much stronger than I remembered it.  My sense of humor is cranked up to 110% over here and I'm barely without a smile at any given time.  At times, I did wish you guys were here, but at least you are all here in spirit. 

I've began to discover what I am truly capable of, and using my honing my strengths to the best of my knowledge.  I haven't quite found the mentor that can continue to advise me over here, but I believe I have some solid prospects that I've seen recently.  All in all, my personal advancement and volunteering are on a solid foundation not seen in a few years.



So, how is Turkey?  It's definitely a place that your perspective will decide what you make of it.  Obvious things are a pain in the ass here (like my current car registration that has taken about three months so far)... but the people are friendly.

I've yet to visit Istanbul or Izmir; however, those trips are being planned for the near future as part of seeing Turkey.  With the purchase of the Subaru Legacy now, I can be more able to drive to places that were not quite possible before without a logistical headache (although I cannot stress enough this registration process is a pain in the ass). 

CASTLE! YAY!

Also, if you have seen my recent work on the new squadron T-shirt, it's the best return to art  since the camp map.  I know I haven't been dabbling in art as much I use to since camp, but I've wished for the opportunity to bring back a sleeping talent.

I have to admit that I haven't rested on my laurels too much since getting here and been on "go-go" mode for quite sometime.  I have realized that I have neared burnout recently, but I cannot let up for another few weeks until I put away the last set of the CDCs.


I've been here nearly 7 months and in some ways I miss the states, and in other ways I do not miss the USA.  I do miss you all and do think of everyone often, I may never say it or directly here it from me, but you are all in my thoughts and prayers.  I do love to see how all your lives are progressing from whenever I've met you and/or talked to you.

Best Regards,

Quest

Adventures in Turkey: Driving

Durrrrrrrrrr... herp

I know the world is looking at Turkey over the past weekend for the anti-government riots that engulfed Istanbul and those riots spread to every major city and resort town across Turkey.  However, the internal political problems will not be in this blog post, but of another experience I will explain on driving in Turkey.

As it is known, Turkey is quite different from the United States, and driving is another area of difference that one will experience if they wish to drive in Turkey or ride on Turkish roadways as a casual observer.  If I could describe Turkish driving habits in the fewest words possible, it would be 'Aggressive'.  While it cannot be denied that their driving style is aggressive, it is not 'entirely' reckless.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I decided to rent a manual sedan for the weekend.  It was cheap for $100 for everything for the Fiat Linea I drove to Mersin, a city of 913,958.  Since getting to Turkey, I have yet to gaze upon the Mediterranean Sea, so I took the chance to see the fabled sea I've read in the Bible and history books.

I can't say much about the performance of the Fiat Linea, since it was quite underpowered for my tastes.  Before I drove off base, I took the time the day before to drive around on base to get my manual gearbox skills back up to par against the impatient nature of Turkish drivers.  I have to admit the Fiat's gearbox is more touchy than the manuals I've dealt with in the States. 

Fiat Linea, typical compact sedan

Now, driving to Mersin consisted of a healthy mixture of urban and freeway driving, since the city was roughly an hour's drive from the base.  The local roads are drivable, but far from the best condition.  Lane markings are barely visible on most Turkish roadways, so be prepared for some on-the-fly guesswork.

 The first and foremost unspoken rule of Turkish driving in my opinion is the ability to think quickly of the unfolding situation in front of your car.  Do not care about what is happening on the sides or behind you.  If you need to look behind or the side, the Turks will let you know.  You should do the same.  It is slightly unsettling to think that you have to trust other people's decision-making around you to your overall safety when it doesn't even seem close like they are caring, but there is a hidden logic with Turkish drivers.

Secondly, consider speeding as a logical option instead of braking, especially on the freeway.  The worst thing you can do is brake on the Turkish Autobahn, exception to this rule is at police checkpoints.  Also, keep right except to pass is true here, left lane cruise controlling drivers will be tailgated to no end, high beams flashed at, and honked at in an angry tone until you are out of the far left lane.

Third, anticipate traffic signal timing.  Before turning green, Turkish signals flash yellow to signal the manual drivers to get the hell out of neutral gear and prepare to go.  Unfortunately, the signals are not on the far side of the intersection and one usually surpasses the signal and a driver behind you usually honks to tell you to get moving.  The signal will flash green before turning red, and some have timers to show how long it will be red for.  It's like drag racing a bit...

Forth, know when to act aggressive and when to be cautious, there is no middle ground.  This takes practice and active observation, but understanding this goes a long ways in becoming a good driver here.  Use of the horn is necessary to get people's attention, especially when the first rule of Turkish driving is so focused on what is happening in front of them.  I lost count of the amount of times various drivers drifted out of their lanes on accident, although a quick, loud honk brought them back into reality.

Lastly, Turkish driving a binds by the spirit of the law; however, use common sense to bend the rules.  I wouldn't suggest that you make the precedent, but seeing what other Turkish drivers do is prudent wisdom, sometimes; however, the law of common sense still applies.

I drove on the far left lane for the most part to Mersin, averaging 130-140 kph minimum (80 to 90 mph) against speedy and more powerful BMWs, VWs, and other newer cars that had better specs than the Linea.  Those cars were going an extra 20 mph easily on parts of the highway between Adana and Mersin.  The Turkish Autobahn is definitely a geared to a driver's racing mindset; however, be mindful of the police checkpoints.  The curves were nice and long, meandering through the landscape with nice, long straightaways in other parts.  I had a blast nearly redlining the Linea at around 110 mph a nice downhill stretch.

The autobahn has two class of vehicles driving it, 1) newer vehicles that can easily exceed the speed limit and do so without regret and 2) Older cars and trucks that only wished they go beyond the 120 kph limit on it.  The standard autobahn is a divided six-lane limited access highway, wise for the number of slower vehicles that do travel it.

Mersin, Turkey - It's a nice place, though not a resort town.

Now, the amount of people living in the Mersin-Tarsus-Adana area is roughly about 3 million people.  I didn't have time to visit Tarsus, an obvious name for the birthplace of the Apostle Paul, but that will be for a different time.

I got slightly lost driving in Mersin in my quest to find the waterfront.  I eventually got there and the main downtown district in which the above shows the Ataturk park with the amusement park across from the downtown section of Mersin.  The city is mainly an industrial town due to the large seaport nearby handling the most volume of Turkey's seagoing freight.  It has nice beaches, to the west of the city, but the city waterfront is quite developed with a seawall, parks, and other entertainment activities besides swimming.  I didn't even get honked at when I figured I was 'lost' and kept right on driving around like a pro, even when I got stuck behind a stalled out Chevy Avalanche, forcing a lane change into a fluid moving lane next to the stalled car. 

I saw the Mediterranean Sea and it's blueness, and I got quite blissful and closed my eyes to the sound of the waves.  Sure, it was not the Pacific Ocean, but it was close enough and it wasn't rainy, needing a heavy jacket to enjoy the fine grains of sand moving around my feet by the flow of crashing waves...  I strolled through the downtown to take in some local food cuisine and came out enjoying my incognito affair of not being attached with a party of Americans.

In conclusion, I enjoyed my time to Mersin, and driving was quite the experience and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Turkish drivers drive like wannabe race car drivers, but I'll go toe-to-toe with them anytime.  Also, there is no middle ground in driving in Turkey.

Random Reason to Love Turkey: Hair Services

I was going to write about my first couple weeks here, but as I've settled in what is the beautiful country of Turkey, I have to rave about Turkish services in part is what could be a multi-part series as I experience the country from this little bubble that is Incirlik Air Base.  From the good to the horrible, I'll come about to write about it.

The focal point of this post is on getting a haircut off base that isn't done by the base barber.  But what the area outside of the Main Gate, called the "Alley" by everyone.  It's a bunch of Turkish shops and eateries that cater to the base population and usually one of the first places to visit on one's first couple week in country.

The Alley (Not my photo; none uploaded yet, sorry)

       There are clubs, barber shops, restaurants, massage parlor, carpet stores, coin shops, jewelry shops, places to get custom made suits and dresses, and even custom made furniture.  Everybody is friendly and saying they were somewhere from the States calling you "My brother" while actively showing you merchandise.  While I just wanted to get a haircut from a particular place, it took me about 20 minutes to get there.  Simply put, disarmed with an offer of apple tea while listening on an offer on three custom made suits.

Anyways more on that later; however, on to a  haircut.

So I'm use to the typical low fade military haircut that base barbers are alright at for about $10... but the off-base barbers take it to a whole new level for roughly the same price.  I doubt I'll find the same value for the service ever, but I had to take a jab for the same service in the US, it would be about $30.

You're thinking, "Why are you raving about haircuts, Roger?"  They simply just don't do a haircut.  It started with the typical start of getting a low fade for my hair, it was done pretty well by an older gentlemen.  Then I got my ear hairs burned off with I though looked like an incense stick, followed by a hair wash by one of the girl workers there.  Midway through the haircut, I was offered chai tea, which I accepted.

I was like, "Damn, this is probably going to cost me... and it's so nice."  What followed was beyond expectations, seriously, if there is one thing I seemingly missed out in life so far, is a Turkish haircut/head service.

I was directed to a nearby chair afterwards where the girl spread aloe over my forehead and neck, and I soon felt like, "Well, this is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fantastic! *melt*"  She followed to massage the shoulders as the aloe spread out and then across the upper back.  Any tension I did have in that region was totally eliminated, I was awestruck and definitely feeling spoiled.

She finished with putting hair gel in on my head and it turned into a head massage, I obviously will rave about Turkish haircuts forevermore.  She finished up massaging and went back to finishing my chai tea, fantastic.

The cost: $10 USD.  I was largely taken aback.  As the change for the $20 I gave came back, I insisted on a $5 tip, eventually accepted.

So, that's getting a haircut in Turkey, I'll definitely will enjoy it while it lasts.

So more later about the time getting here, other Turkish hospitality customs noted, why tea is a huge deal, and Turkish driving (have to video tape that...).

Heads Up on Site and Travel

The time of training is almost over here for me and a nice group of Cyber Transport students to put on their job badges here Monday.  Afterwards, we'll be all going all our own separate ways to help support the communications field of the Air Force, which is it's own unique opportunity.  I'm fairly excited with getting out of here as most of us are restless to be part of the operational part of the Air Force apart from the training environment.

As I've said since August, when I learned about my future assignments, I'll be traveling the world to which I'll be exposed to a whole host of cultures and opinions.  This site is going to be a living diary of my six year adventure across the this great world.  Most of the time, it will be video clips of myself to update you on life overseas along with pictures of the beauty of Turkey, Europe, and Asia. 

I know the other blog site has been long dormant since joining and I don't know if I'll have enough time to dedicate more research on the happenings of the world, but that's okay.  Everything has a strange way of working itself out.

I'll be home very soon and I'll be excited to see personal friends and family for a bit during the next month before departing overseas.  My phone service with Verizon will end later next month while you can find me on Skype once I'm over there.  I'll write back to anyone who writes to me, it might take a bit during the first month of settling in. I'll be more than willing to provide that information to friends.

Stay tuned!