Travel Notes 9/21/03-9/22/03
I am sorry if these first notes are a mess, but it is travel and all.
- The summer ended and I slipped out of town.
- I am 0 for 1 trying to find an open wi-fi, but 1 for 1 for finding power to hook my iBook up to. I got my iPod all the way up again. This is a good thing.
- Part of this trip is looking at if I want to spend the rest of my life alone. I think about this because I see people traveling with a partner. I can see how having that partner can make thing easier. I can also see how it can make things less free.
- I lost my Mogu pillow right after my first flight.
- I am excited about having pulled this off so far. I have not spoke any language but English. I have not had any problems either. I am not afraid to walk up to people and talk to them in my language. Most people have been very helpful. I know that I have only been in the airport or around the train station. It still has been pretty easy so far.
- The coke tastes funny, like how discount colas taste back home.
- Deep Purple - Bananas was the #1 album at the Frankfurt airport CD store.
- I left my apartment at 1 PM for a 4:45 flight. I did not have a moment to spare at the airport.
- According to Eric, the only three essential things I need to travel are my passport, my plane ticket, any my passport. Everything else can be worked out. I am not sure I agree with him.
- I think I forgot the remote for my camera. I tried to take some night pictures tonight, but only a few turned out. One guy covered his face as I was taking street pictures. I was nice and did not take his picture. He was in a picture I took a few seconds before that. I might just have to publish that photo
- my bag weighed 26.7 kg at the airport.
- I have seen more English measurement then I would have expected.
- Today was windy and warm in Frankfurt
- I had strudel at a cafe for dinner. It was really good.
- I had drinks at an Irish Pub. All the German places looked shady or that they did not want tourists.
- I have seen a lot of Renaults. What does it mean to drive a Renault in Germany?
- There are lots of scooters and bicycles on the streets of Frankfurt.
- There are lots of foreign restaurants around the Frankfurt train station.
- I am surprised there is a Euro Penny. Yes it is a two cent coin, but the Australian went all the way up to the nickel.
Air Travel
I Tired to sleep on the flight from San Francisco to London, but I did not do a good job at it. It is just too hard to try to sleep on an aircraft. I just cannot do anything good with my body. I guess it has to do with my size. I know that the woman next to me was not happy with my size
The iPod battery did not last all the way across the Atlantic. I had to go with my backup device. That is why I have more then one device that plays MP3s. I think that should be one of the thresholds that Apple works towards, but I now they will not. They will make the unit smaller again before they extend the battery life.
When I got off the airplane, we had to exit from the front exit. That made us go past the first and business class sections. They have these seats where you can lay all the way down.
Ten hours is a long time to spend in an airplane. I am sure that it was not good for me. I was stiff and slightly punchy. Heathro is also a screwy airport. I walked over a mile and took two buses there. I was airsick on the second flight, London to Franfurt, while both landing and taking off. I think it is because my body had it. It wanted nothing else to do with flying.
Kickin' Frankfurt Style
From here Frankfurt looks like what I would expect.
I am spending the last two hours before my train gets here at the train Lounge. I have spent the rest of the time going around the couple of blocks around the Frankfurt main train station. There are a lot of sex shops right near the station. They are a little creepy, but kind of funny at the same time. The part of town is both interesting and shady at the same time. I was paranoid that I was going to get picked pocketed. I think I made a guy who was trying to case me.
There are a lot of Internet Cafes around the train station. They have little booths you can sit in and use a computer. None of them looked worth my while. I would have not been able to hook up my computer. Most of them look pretty shady. I am chalking them up to how close they are to the train station. I think there is Internet access in the First Class lounge, but I have a coach ticket. I am not sure this is enough reason to get a first class ticket.
I have not seen anyone in the train lounge be asked for their ticket. My guess is that they will let you be as long as you do not look like a homeless guy or you do not cause trouble. The train aspect is the perfect way to do that.
Panhandled
I was panhandled buy a guy who showed me his tracks. I know that money is going to heroin. He told me outside the train station is also a track station. While we were talking someone offered me cocaine. It is odd to be panhandled by someone how speaks just a little of your language. It was like he did not know how to ask for the money.
The guy reminded me of Steve my old college roommate. I am not sure if the guy was my age, but I can remember being his age. I know I could do nothing to get him cleaned up. I felt sorry for him and there was some part of me I could see in him. I know why I am not in his situation, but I still feel lucky sometime. All I could offer him was a 2 Euro coin.
- The summer ended and I slipped out of town.
- I am 0 for 1 trying to find an open wi-fi, but 1 for 1 for finding power to hook my iBook up to. I got my iPod all the way up again. This is a good thing.
- Part of this trip is looking at if I want to spend the rest of my life alone. I think about this because I see people traveling with a partner. I can see how having that partner can make thing easier. I can also see how it can make things less free.
- I lost my Mogu pillow right after my first flight.
- I am excited about having pulled this off so far. I have not spoke any language but English. I have not had any problems either. I am not afraid to walk up to people and talk to them in my language. Most people have been very helpful. I know that I have only been in the airport or around the train station. It still has been pretty easy so far.
- The coke tastes funny, like how discount colas taste back home.
- Deep Purple - Bananas was the #1 album at the Frankfurt airport CD store.
- I left my apartment at 1 PM for a 4:45 flight. I did not have a moment to spare at the airport.
- According to Eric, the only three essential things I need to travel are my passport, my plane ticket, any my passport. Everything else can be worked out. I am not sure I agree with him.
- I think I forgot the remote for my camera. I tried to take some night pictures tonight, but only a few turned out. One guy covered his face as I was taking street pictures. I was nice and did not take his picture. He was in a picture I took a few seconds before that. I might just have to publish that photo
- my bag weighed 26.7 kg at the airport.
- I have seen more English measurement then I would have expected.
- Today was windy and warm in Frankfurt
- I had strudel at a cafe for dinner. It was really good.
- I had drinks at an Irish Pub. All the German places looked shady or that they did not want tourists.
- I have seen a lot of Renaults. What does it mean to drive a Renault in Germany?
- There are lots of scooters and bicycles on the streets of Frankfurt.
- There are lots of foreign restaurants around the Frankfurt train station.
- I am surprised there is a Euro Penny. Yes it is a two cent coin, but the Australian went all the way up to the nickel.
Air Travel
I Tired to sleep on the flight from San Francisco to London, but I did not do a good job at it. It is just too hard to try to sleep on an aircraft. I just cannot do anything good with my body. I guess it has to do with my size. I know that the woman next to me was not happy with my size
The iPod battery did not last all the way across the Atlantic. I had to go with my backup device. That is why I have more then one device that plays MP3s. I think that should be one of the thresholds that Apple works towards, but I now they will not. They will make the unit smaller again before they extend the battery life.
When I got off the airplane, we had to exit from the front exit. That made us go past the first and business class sections. They have these seats where you can lay all the way down.
Ten hours is a long time to spend in an airplane. I am sure that it was not good for me. I was stiff and slightly punchy. Heathro is also a screwy airport. I walked over a mile and took two buses there. I was airsick on the second flight, London to Franfurt, while both landing and taking off. I think it is because my body had it. It wanted nothing else to do with flying.
Kickin' Frankfurt Style
From here Frankfurt looks like what I would expect.
I am spending the last two hours before my train gets here at the train Lounge. I have spent the rest of the time going around the couple of blocks around the Frankfurt main train station. There are a lot of sex shops right near the station. They are a little creepy, but kind of funny at the same time. The part of town is both interesting and shady at the same time. I was paranoid that I was going to get picked pocketed. I think I made a guy who was trying to case me.
There are a lot of Internet Cafes around the train station. They have little booths you can sit in and use a computer. None of them looked worth my while. I would have not been able to hook up my computer. Most of them look pretty shady. I am chalking them up to how close they are to the train station. I think there is Internet access in the First Class lounge, but I have a coach ticket. I am not sure this is enough reason to get a first class ticket.
I have not seen anyone in the train lounge be asked for their ticket. My guess is that they will let you be as long as you do not look like a homeless guy or you do not cause trouble. The train aspect is the perfect way to do that.
Panhandled
I was panhandled buy a guy who showed me his tracks. I know that money is going to heroin. He told me outside the train station is also a track station. While we were talking someone offered me cocaine. It is odd to be panhandled by someone how speaks just a little of your language. It was like he did not know how to ask for the money.
The guy reminded me of Steve my old college roommate. I am not sure if the guy was my age, but I can remember being his age. I know I could do nothing to get him cleaned up. I felt sorry for him and there was some part of me I could see in him. I know why I am not in his situation, but I still feel lucky sometime. All I could offer him was a 2 Euro coin.
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