I made it safely to Verona after a longer than expected drive, and I've settled in at the über-hip Byblos Art Hotel. Pictures and updates to follow in due time.

For a short moment, with pretty woman playing on radio nostalgie, I was able to see the peak of Mont Blanc through a break in the clouds. Spectacular as it was, I am now stuck outside the mont blanc tunnel due to some accident inside. It has been over an hour already, but I think we may be allowed in the tunnel soon.

100 mph through Europe

Some plans with a friend fell through, so I found myself trying to decide what to do with my weekend. Having recently discovered that my friend Grega had moved from Ljubljana to Geneva, I figured, "I have a brand new Mercedes C class that is dying to hit the highways, why not go to Switzerland?"

Overnight, I had ditched my plans for Croatia and took off to Geneva with the hopes of heading down to Provence for a bit as well. I loaded my stuff in the car and took off. I waved Trieste, said hi to Venice, sped through Milan, admired the Val d'aosta, tunneled through Mont Blanc (which cost 33EUR by the way!), passed quickly through France before finally getting a bit lost in Geneva. Watching Europe pass by at high speed is a thrilling experience. At several points along the way, I was close to just pulling onto the shoulder of the highway to take pictures, but I decided this was a bad idea for a number of reasons. The open fields with random patches of trees, the hills and valleys, quaint villages with stone churches and the occasional castle, rushing rivers, snow capped alps in the background; I couldn't help but enjoy myself. Besides, I was driving through Italy, which has great sandwiches at their gas stations - nothing beats stopping at an Autogrill for a snack.

I managed to leave Ljubljana without thinking to print directions, so I tested my European geography skills by navigating my way to Geneva with no map, no directions and no GPS. I made one wrong highway choice and headed down the road to Genova from Vercelli, but as soon as I noticed the alps in my rear view mirror, I figured I was probably going the wrong direction. The mistake cost me about an hour thanks to highway construction and a decidedly sparce offering of exits. About 30km outside of Geneva, I called Grega to get an address, thinking I could manage to find his place with the help of my iPhone. For future reference, written instructions and a second-rate GPS tracker are of little help when you're driving solo in a new city. I finally just paused at a stop light to take a look at the map, and then found my way to Grega's.

Almost immediately, we took off to meet some of Grega's colleagues for dinner. Working with the UN and other NGOs in Geneva, Grega has met some interesting people. I've always been fascinated with the world of international diplomacy, so it's fun meeting people from so many different countries working in the field. After dinner, we met some more friends for drinks, and it ended up being quite a long night. Two bars and one club later, the two of us walked a young Mexican woman back to her apartment and then got home just as the sun was rising.

After a few hours of sleep, we enjoyed a nice day wandering around the lake, walking through the old town, and hanging out with more friends. Now, I'm relaxing in the apartment, listening to the dogs bark down the street. Unfortunately, my new favorite hotel in France, La Bastide de Moustiers, is fully booked the next couple days, so my plans for Provence have evolved into a couple days in Verona before heading back to Ljubljana.

In the Shadows of an Empire

Felix and I woke up relatively early this morning, but we didn't rush out to an active day. We stayed in the apartment for quite a while eating breakfast, listening to music, and just generally goofing off. When we finally did leave the apartment, it was a beautiful day out in Vienna. We decided to enjoy the weather as much as possible, so we took a nice walk around the Hofburg palace and ended up having lunch at the Palmenhaus restaurant in the Burggarten.

We started with a salad of fresh greens topped with a sizeable slab of goat cheese all drizzled with some Styrian pumpkin seed oil and balsamic. Felix had an Indian influenced chicken burger with coriander, fresh fruits and chili sauce. I had risotto with King prawns and sun dried tomatoes. The meal was concluded with a Mango lassi ice cream sundae. A few scoops of yogurt ice cream, mango puree, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It was a fantastically fresh and light dessert that went perfectly with the sunny weather.

After lunch, we walked around the gardens and found a nice spot to lay down for a bit. History was all around as I looked up from the grassy gardens of the former seat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We were protected from the heat of the springtime sun by the shadow cast by the Hofburg. The golden double eagle of the Hapsburgs glowing in the daylight, I couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like to call such a magnificent palace home. If only the aging trees in the garden could tell us the stories they have seen; the whispers of military leaders, the gossip shared by the women of the court, the games played by blue-blooded children.

More rest, some reading and some computing made up the rest of the day. I accompanied Felix on his way to work the nightshift at a local hotel late this evening. Wandered around town a bit, and grabbed a Dürüm kebab on Kärtnerstrasse. In front of the State Opera House, they were showing the ongoing show from inside on a large screen. I enjoyed my kebab while listening to the arias, and then grabbed an ice cream on the way home. Vienna is such a great city, and I miss living here sometimes. The culture and history that oozes out of every corner of this place is remarkable. I have another day to enjoy here, and then it's on to the next destination.

The Coming Apocolypse

The sun was beating down on the Mozart city. Tourists wandered past Carpe Diem snapping photos of the antique-style iron signs hanging from the building facades along the Getreidegasse. Three of us sat on the terrace enjoying some bite-size snacks for lunch, but time was nearing for us to pay our bill and head to the train station to meet Angie upon the arrival of her train from Munich. Those of us that survived any sizeable sojourn at the American School knew the type of chaos our students were capable of causing, but none of us were prepared for the apocalyptical signs that would accompany our gathering.

At the very moment that we were preparing to leave our seats, the exact number of former AISers and SIPsters necessary to knock the planetary alignments off whack had arrived in the city. The sky went black and the rain began to beat down on the passers-by. With a crack, rumble and flash the wind whipped through the awnings and rain was falling sideways into the restaurant. Golf ball sized hail began to pour from the heavens - it was if the city was being stoned in pre-emptive action against our transgressions.

Eventually, the weather improved slightly, and we made the run back to our apartment. Wet but full of anticipation, we awaited our scheduled gathering at Murphy’s Law - the first large meeting of our former students in almost 10 years. Spending the evening at the Irish Pub, hugs, kisses, smiles, laughter and stories of days-gone-by were in abundance… as were the drinks. We all enjoyed ourselves over a few beverages - some may have indulged in a few too many, but it was a great night.

Earlier in the day, some of us had stopped by the school to trigger some more memories and say hi to old friends and teachers. Much had changed at the school, and yet everything was the same. New paint, new faces, but everything was still eerily familiar. We spent some time catching up with our old history teacher, Mr. Agardy, who seemed happy to catch up on all of our personal stories since we left the big yellow building, and applauded us on our ambition and successes. Over an hour was spent in the Dean of Students’ office chatting away like it was 1999. We also stopped by the main office and said hello to Frau Gundringer, the one that keeps the school running as smoothly as possible. The headmaster was in his office right next to us when we stepped in. His door was wide open, but he never bothered to come out to greet us - didn’t even give us a hello from his desk. Part of me always felt like I was more mature than he was back in high school, but I can say with relative certainty now that he is about as childish as a school administrator could be. Such a lack of simple courtesies is appalling for someone in a leadership position. Once upon a time, he was one of my favorite teachers, and I still think he belongs in a classroom instead of an office. When I left the school back in 2000, he and I were not on great terms, but I never stopped being cordial, and I would expect the same from him. Besides, his problems with me should not affect the way he greets my friends.

No disappointments or difficult memories can overcome the fact that my decision to leave home and move to Austria at the age of 14 was the single most important decision of my life. The lessons I learned, the experiences I had, the people I met and the friendships I found will last a lifetime. It wasn’t all a fairytale, but sometimes it feels like it when I’m surrounded by the amazing people with whom I shared that period of my life. Last night, we enjoyed dinner together, followed by a few drinks at one of the old bars along the river. From 1993 to 2002, former students of all ages gathered to remember the good times and laugh at the bad. Age and circumstance have changed us all, but we can never forget the school that brought us all together.

What's Not to Love?

The last two days, I have been serving as a guide here in Salzburg for two great clients. I really am one of those lucky few that has a job they truly enjoy. Sure, travel planning and touring have their trying times, and, yes, I have had some difficult times with clients. Overall, however, my job is fantastic. I get to travel to great places, become friends with my clients, show them some of the things I love in life, and most of it happens with at least some great food & drink. These couple days have been no exception. As is often the case, I actually find myself wishing I had more time to show my customers around the so many other places that I like so much.

Yesterday, we strolled through Salzburg, visiting some of the major sites and enjoying local specialties along the way. The city glowing with energy under a beautiful sunny sky, we set out this morning to visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress and Schloss Hellbrunn with its "water games." Great times with great people. My one disappointment for the day was that my old high school ice cream haunt had been completely renovated, and even that was not a total disappointment. Cafe Rialto is now quite the happening little place with a very trendy interior, and they still have the best ice cream in town. I'll miss our old corner table, though, and the tacky colors on the walls. Such is life - change happens.

Another highlight of the day was hanging out at the Augustinerbrau beer garden with my old friend, Sophia. Sharing stories, catching up, speculating with great anticipation about the events of our upcoming high school reunion; it was a typical afternoon chat between friends, but the atmosphere just felt right. The giant tree covered terrace was a perfect place to waste away an afternoon. Things are just beginning to get interesting... I can feel it.

Oh, and by the way, beef tartare and mashed potatoes in a cone...YUM! Who knew? The asparagus creme brulee was good too. Tomorrow, I'm going after some banana-chocolate-chili sorbet and rhubarb sherbet.

Servus aus Salzburg

I am back in my old high school town of Salzburg, and I'm having a great time with some customers. We wandered around a bit in town, had some lunch (big YAY for asparagus season), and stopped for coffee and dessert at the Hotel Sacher. Tonight, we're going to a concert at the Mozarteum, and tomorrow is still up in the air a bit. It's my first time staying at the Goldener Hirsch Hotel in Salzburg (thanks, Daniel), so I thought I'd share some pictures of the room.
A nice bottle of Austrian red wine as a welcome gift.

Am I a dork for loving the door?
The obligatory bathroom shot.

My welcome gift from the Hotel Koenigshof - You can keep your real bugs, Andrew Zimmern, I'll take the chocolate ones.
A fresh springtime dessert from Cafe Rischart - Erbeer-rhabarber datschi (Strawberry Rhubarb....uuhhhhh...datschi). Really much more appetizing than it looks.
Busking Munich style - yes, that is a grand piano being played on the street.

Airline Passenger Etiquette

Riding as a passenger on an airplane may seem like a fairly straight-forward activity, but after sitting next to my seat buddy for 8 hours, I've come to the conclusion that there is a very important code of behavior for plane travel.

1.) When people have their headphones on and are watching a movie, they probably don't want to talk to you.

2.) Chewing gum on an airplane is no different than chewing gum in any other public place. People CAN hear you when you chew with your mouth open. "Smack, smack, squish, smack, pop." The only oral noises I want to hear from you are words, but only when you are not violating rule number 1.

3.) If the airline meal has given you a particularly heavy case of gas, excuse yourself and make use of the lavatories. Yes, I CAN hear that as well, and we won't even talk about the smells.

4.) It is a simple courtesy to close your window shade when the sun is shining on someone's video screen.

5.) It is better to gently wake someone and excuse yourself to sneak past their seat than to awake them by straddling their lap and passing gas.

There are more rules that we may add to the list as the trip continues, but these are the ones that applied to last night's flight. I'd also like to mention that Lufthansa should really invest in some quality noise-canceling headphones for their business class seats if they are going to make it virtually impossible to use your own headphones with the inflight entertainment system. That would have made the smacking and farting slightly more tolerable.

Airline meal: Mixed greens with hearts of palm and potato salad, Spinach stuffed gnocchi with roasted cremini mushrooms and vegetable cream sauce, Manchego and roquefort cheese with raisins and dates, tres leches cake with fresh berries, topped off with a nice glass of port.

Somali Driver's Ed

I haven't even left Charlotte yet, but things are already off to quite a start. I finished packing around 2PM, and my cab came to pick me up at 3PM. The driver seemed innocent enough when we set off, but it turns out he may have been a little too innocent.

The ride to the airport took twice as long as it should have, and I was having considerable difficulty determining which route he was trying to take to get there. He passed my usual route down West Blvd and headed down Tryon instead. I thought he was going to take I-277 to Wilkinson Blvd, but he passed that as well. Turned out he just wanted to drive around uptown looking for a sign for the airport - I opted to give him directions instead. Even with my directions, however, the language barrier cost us a few extra miles due to missed turns. While I was trying to direct him, he opted to make a few phone calls instead, chatting away in Somali. I figured the language was either Amharic or Somali, so I took a guess based on facial features and asked if he was from Somalia. He became very excited and started to share his life story.

Amidst the explanations of how he left Somalia because of all the unrest, moved to Saudi Arabia for 5 months, spent 3 months trying to get into a university in Italy and then finally fulfilled his dream of moving to America, he also added that he has only been driving for 2 months. "You've only been a taxi driver for 2 months?" I asked.

"No, got my driver's license 2 months ago, been driving taxi for one week. Soon I will learn my way to the airport with help from people like you."

We were pulling onto the entrance road to the airport as he was wrapping up that last sentence. That's when he tried to merge directly into an oncoming red toyota. There was some swerving, honking and a quiet "sorry," but we survived without impact.

The airport was packed, and traffic was at a stand-still, but I opted to get out and walk to the Lufthansa counter rather than sit in the taxi any longer and risk death so early in my trip. Once inside, the staff at Lufthansa took care of me as usual, and I made it through security quickly, despite the long line. I'll be boarding my flight to Munich in the next 20 minutes, and I'm looking forward to a long pleasant flight and a day of relaxation in Munich before things really get started.

Entering the Blogosphere

In less than a week, I will be on my way around the world again. The trip will take me almost three months, and I will be visiting at least 17 countries along the way. I'm sure I'll have the usual stories and adventures to share along the way, but it's just too difficult to keep up with everyone's email addresses anymore, and someone always gets inadvertently left out. For this reason, and this reason alone, I have finally thrown in the towel and started a blog.

I am not a blogger by choice, rather convenience. This whole concept, while sometimes interesting and fun to follow, is just a little too trendy for me. I've always felt my time would be better spent writing a book and selling it than spewing stories into the bottomless pit of cyberspace. That said, I tend to like my friends and family, and for some reason they like to keep track of me when I'm wandering around the planet. Posting on this thing will be much more efficient than sending out emails.

Don't expect me to post something everyday - I don't even know if I'll have easy access to the internet in many locations. I'll post when I feel like it and I can, so deal with it. I'll do my best to make sure I share when something particularly entertaining happens.

So, why exactly am I spending my summer traveling, when I really shouldn't be spending the money? School - that's why. On August 12th, I will be starting law school, a three year commitment that will severely limit my travel opportunities. For the last four years, I have been running my own business organizing tours in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. It's been fun, it's been a learning experience, and it's been a great excuse to travel on a regular basis to far off places. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not done with the travel business. It's just on hiatus while I pursue other ambitions. Being in school full-time precludes me from hopping on the Lufthansa flight to Munich whenever a good fare pops up, so I'm going to do my best to get as much traveling out of my system this summer as possible. Envy may make some dislike me for the journey I'm about to have, but alas... I don't care. Traveling keeps me sane (as sane as I get), and I'm thrilled to be visiting new places, meeting new people, trying new things, and over the next few months, I'll try to share some of those experiences and what they really mean for me.