Travel Diary

Lessons Learned

Travel lightly. I brought 8 DVDs and didn't even watch one. I bought several books and read maybe 10 pages total. The computer…hard to say. It did come in handy for making reservations, checking e-mail, and blogging. But the weight was darn annoying.

The rest time was also very important. Sometimes it's good just to spend two days in a city, if only to have that extra day to relax and rest and recharge the batteries—both literally and figuratively.

Train stations are cold. Jeans dry slowly. Travel lightly.

Even in the big cities: not everything is in English. Not everyone speaks English. This is not as problematic in the daytime, when information kiosks are open, but at night...well, good luck.

Eastern Europe is cheaper. People are friendli..e..well, darn it all. People were friendly everywhere I went. Remember, you have to talk to them first. Most people (like here) keep to themselves, though in smaller towns, even strangers tend to say "Good morning" when you pass them in the morning. That's nice.

Train wisdom

• 1^st class is a TOTAL waste. Sometimes, the quoted price was double…and for what? A little extra leg room on a mostly empty car?!? Skip it. Always skip it.

• Sleeper cars work great—though it helps to combine them with train station showers (which the larger ones feature for a great price). Despite that, it isn't quite as restful as stationary lodging.

• Power is sometimes provided, often on the night trains.

• Getting confused is mandatory. It is going to happen—a lot!

• Ask, ask, ask. Even I do that on occasion. The results are downright amazing.

• Never panic: you bought the rights to your destination (not applicable for airlines). Missing a train usually isn’t a problem. Most often, they will let you on the next train. Some shorter hops don’t even check tickets. Of course if you miss the last train for the night, then it’s more of a problem.

• Have faith. “Problems” usually work themselves out.

• Take chances. If it seems like the right train, it probably is. Usually, if the time and platform match up, I climb aboard. And I wasn’t wrong once.

• Ask about changes! In Prague, I bought tickets for the next day and regretted it once I left the station. I had elected to stay an extra day since the night trains were full. But I knew I wanted to leave town that night. I simply walked back in and asked about an earlier train instead. The lady changed my tickets and I was on a train that evening.

Summary

The trip was good. It's always rewarding getting out of the country. Someone asked how much I spent, but I don't think of it that way. It's not what I spent; it's what I gained that matters. Certainly, I could save money by never traveling to any other country, but what fun would that be?

Before leaving, another person said, “Must be nice.” Hmmm. Yes...it is nice, but it wasn’t as if someone dropped a bag of cash into my lap and said, “See Europe on me!” I appreciate my unmerited blessings, but I also saved the money for years. I don’t buy all the latest fashionable clothes or upgrade my car every two years. I was able to afford the trip because I saved up the money by sensible living first.

The real question still remains. Is it worth it during the winter? I have to admit that I saved a lot of money traveling in the off-season and the plane tickets were also unbelievably cheap. ($412 round trip from SFO to Munich!) But the photos?

Since I mainly went as a photographer, I have to evaluate it from that perspective. And honestly, it's just not a wise time of year to go (if you want great pictures). All I mainly saw were clouds of gray. I did get a few great shots here and there, but I felt like I missed so many due to the poor lighting. It's all stuff to keep in mind for the future. I suppose if one is going in order to visit museums, the opera, and the theater, then the weather isn't as important a factor, but I wanted great shots, and for those I'll have to go back in the late spring, summer or early fall.

For now…I wait. And enjoy the clear blue skies and the warmth of California.

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