Up and Away.

I think the first time I ever heard of Cape Cod was when I watched Legally Blonde and wondered what she meant when she requested “mixers, formals, clam bakes, trips to the Cape!” From that moment on, Cape Cod became a permanent fixture on my bucket list.

Finally one day, I got the opportunity I was waiting for: a good friend of mine was getting married in July just south of Boston. I knew I…

A marathon trip to Tallinn

The bus ride to Tallinn this morning was short and blissfully uneventful. For the second time, I got really lucky and had the row to myself, which basically always ends up meaning my electronics get their own seat. One must take advantage of luxuries like free charging on a bus, and with a converter that has 4 plugs (5 if you have an iPhone, which I do not), I can charge me some electronics. Once…

Hollywood & honey beer

Well, I definitely can’t say that I’m not living the full experience of my Eurotrip (side bar: “Eurotrip” is such a common expression here and refers to those who backpack through Europe for a couple weeks or a couple months. It’s so much more efficient than saying “trip to Europe”).

Honestly, I’m completely surprised by this trip. Last time, I only really met people two of the nights, Salzburg…

American fried chicken—Latvian style

So I haven’t died from food poisoning yet.

I didn’t even get an upset stomach, although I did sleep soundly for almost 4 hr thanks to all the wine I drank. Where we left off, I had missed my train to the Hill of Crosses, and was going to decide whether to backtrack today, or go to the castles. Well, I slept during the entire bus ride, so that decision will have to wait until later.

My first…

I definitely [maybe] might die from salmonella poisoning

Well, it finally happened. After all these days of staying up late and barely making my morning connections, the sleep deprivation caught up to me and I missed my train to Šiauliai.

The original plan for today was to take the train from Vilnius to Šiauliai, which is home to Lithuania’s most famous landmark: the Hill of Crosses. From Šiauliai I was supposed to catch a bus to Riga, Latvia.

When I…

Fried bread cures most emotional turmoil

I’m not gonna lie, today is a hard day for me. I got some news from my home world that put me into a funk all day, and the weather reflected that by dumping rain, wind, and cold on Vilnius. I allowed myself to mope for the better part of the morning, and then I eventually ventured out around 12 pm.

My first priority was food, but after walking into town a ways I couldn’t find anything that…

I can’t believe what we’re herring!

There are some cities I remember so distinctly from my first trip to Europe, and some that are hazy at best. There are a few stunning views that stand out, or interesting experiences (i.e. a salt mine tour) but for the most part the difference lies in interactions with people. In those cities where I had a unique interaction with locals, I always remember the city, and Lithuania has turned out,…

Here is a summary of my current status: sitting on the floor of the Copenhagen airport in sweaty clothes with wet hair and no makeup on, waiting for a flight to Lithuania that is already an hour late. I got 2.5 hr sleep last night, and almost slept through my flight today (which explains the wet hair, sweaty clothes, and no makeup). I finally got a chance to eat, so that was a highlight. I am a…

Ålesund: the surprise highlight of Norway

Let me tell you, the sound of an alarm clock ringing at the early hour of 4 is not a pleasant way to wake up. Especially if you then immediately panic trying to turn it off so the other 10 people in the room don’t murder you. And then accidentally fall asleep again.

This is the part where I hand out some travel advice: if given the option to arrive sooner or later at the airport, choose sooner…

On the way, I finally solved a challenge I’ve…

The train to the fjords is a Scream: a day filled with waterfalls, fine art, and a forest siren.

When I bolted awake this morning, I was certain it was 10 am or so. The bolting was because I wanted to see the Munch museum before catching my train at noon, and it opens at 10. Plus I still had other things to do like pack and pick up food to for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.

Suffering from major anxiety, I peeked at my phone…

6:30.

Whew! Plenty of time! As a bonus for waking up so early I…

Quick hop across the pond

Public poll: what is the most polite way to stop someone from talking so that you can go to sleep?

I have not yet found an answer to this question, and I’ll come back to why I ask it in a minute.

So today is the first day of my Scandinavian adventure, and it’s also (hopefully) the longest. I left DC at 2pm, then flew to Reykjavik, then caught a flight to Stockholm, then on to Oslo. The first leg…