A major life change for me.  Had to get a "real" job which means my overseas travel will most likely discontinue for awhile as the job is in one location only.  All the more reason for readers to share their hints.  Of course, if I win a lottery (not likely) I will be globe hopping until I get the wanderlust out of my system (that won't happen either).  So no, I have not forgotten this blog.  The goal of the blog is to provide travel hints to and from readers.  Although I most likely won't be an overseas traveler, I can still travel locally.  Expect more on that aspect later!

Vayama.com

Reader Joani has recommended a travel website.  She does a bit of traveling so I am very happy to pass along her recommendation, especially on my birthday!


Vayama.com is a great travel search engine for flights around the world. You can also look up the airlines that service the country you're visiting and visit their individual sites.

Still Waiting

Still awaiting inputs.  Lessons learned:  summer is not the time to depend on guest posts. Thought I was going to do some work related travel but that fell through.  Hopefully some input soon.  Thanks for checking.

Just a quick note to all that I haven't given up on this blog.  I simply have not been traveling and my friends have yet to send in inputs (but their insights will be well worth it). 

Hospital Stay - Not Your Standard Vacation Travel

For those who have been wondering why I haven't been posting: two main reasons.  First, I had surgery for cancer (got it all!) and have been recovering.  Secondly, I have not had much in the way of  inspiration for articles to write.  Some friends have promised guest articles but I have yet to receive them (sometimes life gets in the way). I have been depending on those articles and comments in the comments section to help in getting information out and generating ideas for articles.  I did get some off-line feedback from a friend to focus a bit more on the positives of travel vice the frugal aspect so I will try to work that in.  There's so much gee whiz, neato stuff about travel that can be focused upon.

 I'm limited to carrying no more than 4 kg (ten pounds) for the next month so I won't be using my pack for any pack vacations.  Our last kid in the house just graduated high school and my wife and I will celebrate 37 years of marriage this week so I plan to "go someplace" in celebration.  It will most likely be regional travel but I hope to generate an article about that.  I did a quick check of a state park a couple hours away and the frugal versus the medically responsible has already given me much to wrestle with.  I have accumulated great camping gear and could outfit a nice stand-alone off-grid site for weeks at a time.  The gear has some weight to it and I am limited to ten pounds lifting.  A tent camp site there costs $26/night.  A lodge room there with all the amenities costs $100/night.  I should add that my wife thinks we're too old to tent camp anymore.  I believe you can guess how this is going to end.  To make it worse, if I was camping on my own, I'd stealth hammock camp for free.  One thing this experience with cancer has taught me is to take time for vacation with family and friends.  I have been self-employed the past seventeen years and worked as an investigator for more than a quarter century.  Those work conditions can suck up all your time and at the end of the day, upon reflecting upon my life, I have concluded work accomplishments should not outweigh life accomplishments which include recreation.

 I do have a few observations from my time staying in the hospital.  Yes, it is a stretch to say my hospital stay is travel related but I did travel from my home state to another for the surgery.  We had reserved a room on the hospital campus for my wife to stay (me too when not in the hospital) and got the optional "room with kitchenette" thinking my wife would be able to cook her own ethnic food while there.  My thinking was "home food" would reduce her stress by having something familiar and cooked just the way she likes it.  We packed some food in addition to a Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless Lunch Jar for her to take to the waiting area for lunch during my surgery.  The Mr. Bento is a well designed thermal lunch kit with sections for soup, rice, veggies, and dessert or other meal items.  She said it worked well for the circumstances we had envisioned for its use.  But, let's go back a little bit before the Mr. Bento mention.  When we got to the guesthouse (hotel) room, we quickly discovered there was a stove, microwave, and refrigerator, but no pots or pans and no dishes.  Fortunately, I prefer to use our own cooking and eating utensils and had packed a nice Embark mess kit I use for solar cooking and my Fozzils dinnerware.  So, lesson learned, bring your own or at least ask the reservations clerk about cooking equipment if you reserve a room with kitchenette for any travel.

Mr. Bento Stainless Lunch Jar

 

I brought my "second string" sleep mask and earplugs with me in case I got a roommate at the hospital.  My reasoning for not taking the best I had was that I was not truly in control of what was to occcur during my stay and I did not want to lose them.  The rooms at the hospital are configured for two patients per room.  I was fortunate the first night that I did not have a roommate.  I was in pain and the annoyance of a roommate would have made my night just that much more miserable.  I was assigned a roommate the second day and I quickly learned I would pay for my strategy of using standard earplugs instead of the better ones I recommended earlier in this blog.  My roommate had the ability to talk loudly on the phone one minute, and immediately fall asleep when not talking.  His particularly loud gurgling snoring while asleep could cut right through the earplugs I brought.  Fortunately for me, I was discharged late that evening.  

 

So I brought minimal travel gear with me but what I did take, other than the earplugs, served us well.  Travel gear, in my opinion, should have use for other than just vacations.  That's it for now.  Hope to have some articles in the near future. Make some comments.  Send me some guest articles.  Participate please.  OK?

Will be out of pocket for the next week or so due to surgery.  One of my friends has committed to writing a guest article or two, just not in the next week or so.  Wish me luck!

Please check in periodically.  Things  going on in my life that must be attended to.  If I get any guest articles in, I'll post them.  And I'm pondering  what my next article(s) will be. 

Even more of my favorite travel gear

Some of my favorite travel gear (in no particular order). 

Fozzils:  Foldable plate, cup, and bowl origami-style.  Weighs around four ounces and folds flat.  You can use the plate as a cutting board when unfolded.  My wife thinks I’m silly to have this but it has utility if you decide to buy some things at the grocery while traveling and want to prepare it on something other than a paper towel .  It will definitely be a conversation starter.   

Sheet soap:  Dry sheets of soap.  Container with fifty sheets weighs under four ounces.  I use a few sheets for laundering clothes in the sink at travel lodging at the end of the day.  Hint:  remove the dry sheets to be used before your fingers get damp.    I’ve used ‘em for bigger loads in a washing machine as well.  Just put ‘em in on top of the clothes before water is added to the machine.

Scottevest:  My day bag alternative.  First time buyers get a discount.  This is an expensive clothing item but well worth it in utility and quality.  Mine has 22 pockets including hidden pockets.  Put items you would typically pack in a day bag or second carry-on bag and your pockets at the airport and just send your vest through the X-ray.   Some museums and other venues in Europe (most likely elsewhere nowadays because of bombers) won’t allow you to carry a day bag into the area and you have to place it in a locker before entry.  No problem with this vest.  Just put your stuff in it instead—it even has room for a bottle of water or your favorite beverage.  The one I have is black and I believe that could be a bit uncomfortable in warm/hot weather.  Just so happens I have a travel vest with far fewer pockets I purchased a couple years ago in Germany that is sand colored so it reflects heat away from me much better than a black vest would.  But I have been spoiled by the number of pockets in the Scottevest.  I also had a sand colored mesh fishing vest I purchased in Korea decades ago.  I turned the mesh vest inside out and my wife sewed it into the German vest as a liner.  Now I have double the pockets but not as many as the Scottevest.  The utility of a travel vest is well worth getting one.  Zipped up, this vest is a pickpocket's nightmare or serious challenge.

Recon Wrap:  A Recon Wrap is a tube of special wicking material that can be easily folded to make a multitude of head coverings like a beanie, helmet liner, etc.  It only weighs one ounce  and comes in black, olive drab, and beige.  I have two—a black one and the olive drab.  I really like it and have given them as gifts.  

Security Flashlight:  This Streamlight flashlight only weighs three ounces with two AA Engergizer lithium batteries installed.  It has three settings:  intense bright (and it’s really, really bright), strobe, and regular.   I carry this flashlight as a nonlethal weapon.  The strobe disorients during a confrontation and the flashlight can be used as a kubotan if your adversary gets more aggressive.  It’s just the right size to carry in pocket or hand and serves all the duties of any standard flashlight as well. 

I'm still waiting on my guest article inputs and am quite busy earning a living this week so until I can provide something of more substance, here's Some more of my favorite travel gear.

Some of my favorite travel gear (in no particular order). 

Kiva Packable Tote:  One of the things I found out in Germany is that some stores don’t offer free plastic bags to put your purchases in or if they do, the bags can’t handle too much weight.  So I got a Kiva packable tote.  It weighs just four ounces, holds  about fifteen liters, is fairly rugged and waterproof,  and fits in your pocket. I got the plain 'ol black one--I was around during the hippie days but I never got into flowers as a design of choice.    It actually serves a good purpose when traveling and you find it necessary to make a purchase at the grocery shop.  Gearhead stuff……I suppose so, but it still has my recommendation.

Cocoon Pillow:  Nice inflatable pillow weighing four ounces and is a little smaller than a softball when compressed and placed in its bag.  So it takes up very little space.  Opens up to a nice sized pillow good for travel or camping.  Each side of the pillow has a different material:  one fleece-like, one nylon-like.  Very comfortable. This pillow is part of my travel sleeping kits.


SteriPen:  A great water treatment option when traveling in countries or areas with questionable water quality.  I have a chronic medical condition so I must be careful to get safe drinking water.  This does the trick and the weight of the pen with batteries is only seven and a half ounces (pen and case).  There are lots of youtube videos on use.  One downside is that it makes the water safe to drink. It doesn’t change the taste of the water so if your water tastes icky before making it safe, it will taste icky after you make it safe.  I use a two step method by making the water safe with the SteriPen and then filtering the safe water through a bottle with an integrated carbon filter.  Best of both worlds that way.

This past Sunday was the one-month anniversary of the start of this blog.  I'm working diligently to write something useful daily but I hope some articles in the making by friends can be posted soon.  Looking at my blog stats, I am a bit discouraged by the relatively small readership.  Surprisingly, forty to forty-five percent of my readership appears to be from Russia and the Ukraine.  Большое спасибо.  I have some readers in Germany, some in Great Britain, my niece in Korea, and hits from Venezuela and France.  The rest are from here in the United States.  I sincerely thank my readers for coming to the blog and ask that you share with your contacts if you think the blog has some value.  Writing a blog is not as easy as some would have you think but I'm still motivated to get information out and hope that readers will send information in so we can all learn from one another.  Tomorrow, more gearhead stuff unless I get a guest article in to provide a different perspective.  Thanks for reading!

Some of my favorite travel gear

Some of my favorite travel gear (in no particular order) for fellow gearhead readers.  I’ll add to the list from time to time.  I had photos added from the vendors' websites but there were of really crappy quality so I've deleted them.  You can see a photo of the item at the link for the item.  I make it a point to write about gear that I have personally used.

Vapur Element Anti-bottle:  I carry a one liter Vapur Element Anti-bottle on my travels.  There are a number of reasons I like this one compared to other cheaper bottles.  The foremost reason for carrying a foldable bottle is pack space.  It weighs about one and a half ounces folded so a regular plastic water bottle weighs less but takes up much more room in the pack when not needed.  The Element takes up little space in the folded configuration until you fill it with your favorite beverage (water for me).  I like the shape of it compared to other one liter bottles out there.  I bought a foldable one liter bottle at Walmart yesterday for my daughter’s upcoming mission trip in Nepal.  Got it home and filled it—the shape is relatively short and fat which will make it difficult to slip into and retrieve from an outside mesh pocket on a backpack.  The Element’s shape is backpack friendly and it is made here in the USA.  I like to “buy American” when I can.  The mouth on the Walmart bottle is rather narrow in comparison to that of the Element which is big enough you can put ice cubes in it if you hadn’t thought to put it in the freezer a few hours before your departure.  I’m looking for an old shopping bag with a reflective lining we have somewhere here in the house that we bought at an Army commissary a few years back.  The zipper on it is shot but I can repurpose a portion of that bag to make an Element cover to keep cold things cold longer.  An added bennie is the Element is BPA free.  And, it's relatively unusual so it may spark a conversation...ya never know.....

Eagle Creek Packable Day Bag:  Although my travel bag goal is one bag as in the fifty liter backpack I use, I do carry an additional day bag in the pack for use once I get to my lodging.  Why carry a twenty-five pound pack around with me all day?  The day pack is for schlepping around the city during the day/evening so I can carry the ten essentials (see my :what if?" series earlier this month).  The Eagle Creek Packable Day Bag fits the purpose very well and works out to about eleven and a half liters of space.  It appears to be quite durable despite the fact it weighs only six ounces and takes up very little space in your main pack when folded down into its own built-in pocket.  Now that I have my Scottevest, the day pack may see less use as it has been my experience in Germany that one surrenders a backpack for storage until the end of the tour in museums and castles/palaces.  Security concerns.  Although, it seems women need not surrender their purses.  Backpacks seem to be the scary item.  I can fit most of the stuff that I would carry in my day bag (including water) into my travel vest so there will be no pack to surrender.  A travel vest can be uncomfortable during hot weather though, so the day bag still has utility.

 

Eagle Creek Packable Duffel:  Although my travel bag goal is one bag and I carry a packable day bag for day trips, there is the remote possibility that I will throw caution to the winds and make some purchases that simply will not fit into my travel pack.  On the off-chance that will happen or that I will need an additional bag for some reason, I carry an Eagle Creek Packable Duffel as well.  It weighs in at eight ounces and gives me an additional fifty liters of storage if I need it.  If I don’t need it, very little space in the pack is taken as it also folds down into its own built-in pocket.  I can put this, the day bag, and my Kiva tote (to be reviewed soon) in my vest or pockets in case I need to make purchases while touring but I don't purchase much other than food for the next day or so.


Foldable Hiking Staff:  Hammacher Schlemer sells a great Packable Walking Stick that weighs around twelve ounces.  Collapsed down, it measures about ten inches long and about two inches wide.  Opened up, it measures about fifty inches in length.  Very ergonomic and useful in my opinion.  The top knob has a compass imbedded in it but the knob can be taken off so you can mount a camera on it converting the staff to a monopod.  There are measuring marks on the body of the staff so you can figure out the depth or height of things you encounter on your travels.  I became a fan of hiking staffs after reading books by Colin Fletcher.  They serve lots of functions:  balance, defense, re-enforcing a cadence when walking distances, and the fun of watching folks' faces when you fold it up or let it unfold in front of you by holding it at arms length and letting gravity and physics do the opening and segment placement for you.  It's also helpful assistance when you get to be my age and you've finally reached your destination after hours of sitting.  


Thermarest pad:  I am a fan of Thermarest pads, particularly the Neo-air Trekker, which takes little space and weighs considerably less in comparison to other Thermarest pads.  There is usually no need to pack one for international travel unless you have a military connection and are traveling Space A or anticipate weather-related airport delays/long layovers.  But it’s also useful for regional/local travel and you need a comfortable mattress to sleep or rest on when a bed’s not available.  My wife complains it sometimes has a “crinkly” sound but she doesn’t complain about the comfort.  The sound, when it occurs, does not bother me at all and I’m a light sleeper.  The only complaint I have about the mattress is that is does not have much in the way of insulation value during cold weather.  That can be fixed by putting it on top of the reflective side of an emergency mylar blanket so your body heat is reflected back up to you via the mattress in between.  Oh, and it has a nice feel to it, not like the standard plastic vinyl air mattress.   Age related arthritis causing back pain is mitigated a lot with this mattress.  I bought a Trekker large torso pad on sale which is great but I wish I had purchased the full-length Trekker instead.

Back safe and sound.  Will try to develop some posts for next week this weekend.  Waiting for guest articles. 

Sorry, no post today due to travel.  Will hopefully have something for ya'll Monday.

I saw Bigfoot in Trier!

Roman Ruins, Trier, Germany

Trier

 

Don't know what happened.  This was supposed to be posted on Thursday.  Mea culpa.

I stayed in Trier in early October 2012.  I had been there twenty years ago but only for a couple days.  I didn’t stray much from the walkplatz near the Porta Nigra back then.  Turns out I missed a lot.  The Porta Nigra is a big ol’ Roman gate of stone put together with no mortar or things we use today to keep it together.  I suspect that if I was an engineer I would be even more impressed.  It’s very popular with tourists and you get a nice view from the top level.  I didn’t have any hotel reservations when I arrived and looked at a traveler brochure at the train station.  I decided on Hotel Kessler given price and that it was in the walk zone.  I had difficulty finding this hotel but it was worth the effort. It is a budget hotel near to just about all the tourist sites. Good prices for the budget-minded. The free breakfast had variety and the coffee was good. The free wifi doesn't reach all the rooms all the time but you can go to the lobby or breakfast area to get online. The customer service was great--Philipp is probably the best hotel clerk/concierge in Trier. For those coming in from the main train station and wish to do the thirty minute walk, just go to the Porta Nigra (a main attraction) and follow the signs for the Karl Marx house. Hotel Kessler is just a few doors from the Karl Marx house.  For those budget-minded folks who want to buy some groceries for lunches, etc., there is a small neighborhood food store at the end of the block.

That evening, I walked to the main tourist area about fifteen minutes away and got a donar-kebab meal in the square across from the Ratskeller Café.  Trier has changed a lot since I was last there.  It’s more touristy and there is more graffiti although the graffiti doesn’t seem to be gang inspired.  There was a Turkish kabob place directly across from the train station a couple decades ago that I bought donar kabobs at—they tasted fantastic.  I recall the owner and I got along well and he brought his wife in to belly dance for customers.  I initially went over to the door of the restaurant right after I got off the train but the place looked too modern i.e. just like all the other kabob places I’d seen in Germany so I didn’t go in.  I should go there next time though—perhaps I was too judgmental or simply too tired after my train trip. 

Went to the Roman amphitheater complete with underground work area under the open area where the contests, etc. occurred the following day and paid three Euros to get in and take a look around.  A bit cool and breezy that day so I had to constantly put on and take off my rain jacket due to the weather around me.  Clothing actually does work as a microclimate in terms of physical comfort—a reminder to pack purposefully.  There is a Roman thermal bath being excavated within five minutes walk of the hotel.  It’s enclosed in a building and you can see the work going on from the outside or pay to go in. 

Near the walkplatz are two great churches (St. Peters Cathedral and Church of our Lady) which are a photographer’s delight.  Very popular.  There is a beggar that has a spot near the door—I bet he gets a decent income.  Twenty years ago, my wife and I went into the church and it just so happened that a choir was practicing in there.  The acoustics there are fantastic and consequently the musical performance (although just practice) was inspiring.  Nearby is a basilica (Konstantin Basilika) with garden and more Roman ruins such as the Kaiserthermen that can be toured providing you pay the entrance fee.  I saw a lot just from the outside and didn’t feel it necessary to go in.  Some folks like to mentally put themselves into the place and earlier time so I think it would be worth the entrance fee to go into these Roman ruins to experience them more than merely “been there, saw that” –just another reason I prefer to walk at my own time and volition instead of seeing stuff as part of a group tour.

Also not far from the hotel is the Moselle River where you can watch all kinds of watercraft travel there.  Some barges are actually the home of the operator and have all the amenities.  I saw one with a kid’s playground on it.  There is a great bicycle/walking path paralleling the river.  The piers part of one of the bridges there were actually built by the Romans and is used as a fundamental part of the bridge to this day.  There are buildings such as two old harbor cranes along the path that were used for trade in yesteryear.

I do plan to go back to Trier with my wife and friends sometime in the future.   Sure wish I was independently wealthy so I could go whenever I feel like it.

Hotel Kessler

Roman ampitheater

Inside church, no way to get it all in one photo--it's huge!

Is this some kind of modern art or something with immediate utility?

 

 

Balloon Mattress

 

Take a look at the website at this link: http://balloonbed.com/.  It’s a super-ultralight mattress made of balloons used to make/twist animal balloons.  I didn't believe it at first but it actually has potential as an emergency mattress especially at an airport.  Obviously a distinct niche market that does't sell to customers here in the US but does sell them in Europe.  I looked at their video of blowing up the balloon--they're doing it wrong (need to leave about one to two inches uninflated) and I can do that by mouth thereby saving a few ounces--there's a trick to inflating them (I'm a magician).  So I tried the concept.  It works!  After viewing the website, I couldn't stand it so I bought a pack of what appears to be 260E balloons (they did not carry the better 260Q's) at Kmart just a ten minute walk up the hill.  The ones I already had were over ten years old and popped as I blew them up so if you do this, try to keep newer ones in the kit.  Did not make the sleeve thingee but did tape eight balloons together with painter's tape for the first test.  I'm happy to  report it works for back sleepers and side sleepers.  I had my skeptical daughter lie down on it and she was surprised at the comfort.  Length was about 36 inches and width was about 17 so the sleeves housing would add some width.  You have about two inches depth.  I would go with ten balloons for decent width.  So this mattress would be a torso focused mattress and the entire shebang would weigh perhaps six ounces and fit in your pocket.   If you buy a pack of the 260Qs advertised on Amazon for around $10 per pack of 100, it works out to a $1.00 mattress per night after you make the sleeving thingee.  Putting things in perspective for its ability to hold up to weight, I weigh about 180 and am 67 inches tall.  Along that line, one 260E or 260Q balloon at the foot of a trashbag bivvy and one or two at the head just might work to give some circulation to avoid condensation. So I also tried out using a balloon as an arch for the trash can bivvy and it does work as well.  Didn't put one at the feet end but I'm sure it would work if you used painter's tape to affix it to the bag to ensure it wouldn't move.  Got the link from reading a book on ultralight backpacking.  Yesterday I put ten balloons in a disposable garment bag because it's so light.  Just put them in there--no channels and nothing to hold them together other than the enclosure of the bag.  That's the pic above.  Works great. 

My wife says she won't provide sewing support for such a project--I have too many air mattresses already.  OK, minor setback.  Will just get a yard or so of thin light material, place the first balloon on the far left, roll the material over that, place a second balloon beside the first (wrapped) balloon, roll the wrapped first balloon over the second balloon which is then wrapped, place third balloon beside wrapped first and second wrapped balloons, roll, etc. until sufficient balloons are in place.  Uses much more material which increases weight but also increases comfort and protection of the balloons.  Doesn't need sewing.  Material can be used for alternate purposes until needed for the mattress.  Not light, but flannel would be comfy--perhaps an old flannel robe?  Could use fabric glue to make the sleeves but the best situation would be to get the item from the manufacturer.  I love to support small businesses but they don't sell to the US.    Adapt.  Overcome.  Think out of the box.

Here's a link to an in-depth genuine review of the balloon bed.  Neat stuff.       http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/balloonbed_review.html

 

Ready and waiting to get back to travel

 



Hallstatt Square, Austria

Hellbrunn Palace, Austria

Trip Report – Salzburg area of Austria

Waiting on guest articles to get here.  In the meantime, my version of “what I did on my summer vacation.”  Hope you enjoy it.

I interrupted my solo travel in Germany to join an on-line contact for a two day trip to the Salzburg, Austria, area during the early part of October 2012. She had rented a car for the trip from Munich and had reserved a nice room at a Best Western hotel near the Salzburg train station. I found out too late about her lodging and had to reserve a room nearer the old town portion of Salzburg (no rooms available at the Best Western).  I was greatly impressed by the hospitality and help of the staff where she stayed. We arrived near noon, she checked in, and then we traveled to the nearby Hellbrunn Castle where the tour guide delighted in demonstrating the water system there that squirts water on unsuspecting guests throughout the tour. The gazebo used in the film Sound of Music is also there.

Following that, we traveled to Gollinger Falls which is a treat for any photographer and a workout for those young of heart but not of leg. We returned to her hotel just before dusk and I caught the S-bahn into Salzburg where I eventually found my hotel, the Meiningerhof, located in a shopping center.   Saw lots of younger folks most likely doing Europe after college--seems to be that word is out that the hotel is a good place to stay. Really nice room and good customer service. The only problem I had was finding it as I caught the S-bahn train number S-3 from the main train station to the nearest stop (Gnigl). I found the address which was a somewhat large shopping center. I didn't know the hotel is part of that building and I went into the wrong door. A helpful shop clerk told me the correct route to the correct door.  Interestingly, while checking in, I saw a group of about five young guys I saw earlier at the main station checking in there as well.  They were easy to spot—they all wore dark clothing and one of them was wearing a neon green tutu.  Must have lost a bet or is pledging a fraternity was my guess.  One of them tried chatting up the attractive clerk despite her obviously wearing an engagement ring to no avail.  My assessment of the hotel which has hostel lodging as well is that it is very clean and efficient. The hotel is located about 20 minutes by foot to the old town.  The following day, we left early to go to the Dachstein Ice Cave and the Five Fingers viewing platform on the Salzkammergut mountain. The drive there was like you see in the high performance automobile commercials here in the States with lots of curves, hills, and dips, along with fantastic scenery. The trip up the mountain via gondolas (yep, two stages so two gondolas) was picturesque and nerve-wracking for those with a deep respect for or downright fear of heights. The ice cave tour was very interesting and the guide spoke English and German so we got a great geological education and opportunity to take lots of photos. Some ice there is over 700 years old. We had an option to see an additional cave but we decided to forego it in order to go to the Five Fingers viewing stand.   It is built in such a manner that it projects over a cliff and there is a Plexiglas floor so you can see what is below.  Not for those who have a fear of heights but a great way to safely overcome said fear if one does it anyhow.

Following an invigorating and physically exhaustive time on the mountain, we traveled to picturesque Hallstatt to enjoy the centuries old town until almost dusk. Tired, enthusiastic, but out of time, we traveled back to Salzburg. We had a look at old town Salzburg the following drizzly morning but had to leave for Germany in the afternoon in order to meet travel schedules. Will return when I have more time.  Great trip!

Five Fingers viewing platform, Dachstein

Inside church in Salzburg

Gazebo from Sound of Music

Gastehaus Maria in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Dining room at Gastehaus Maria

 

Bed and Breakfast Recommendation – Gastehaus Maria in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Consolidated and added to from my TripAdvisor and Independenttraveler .com write-ups

Just one word:  Excellent.  Excellent customer service, excellent breakfast with lots of variety and great coffee, nice location (near a nice walking trail to the Plateauweg that leads to the Alm Hutte Restaurant), less than thirty minutes walk to/from the train station.  I’ve been to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GAP) in 2010 and 2011 and stayed at the US military recreation center called Edelweiss Lodge and Resort there.   In 2012, I wanted to stay on the German economy and see what the hubbub about bed & breakfasts is all about. I stayed for about a week at Gastehaus Maria located on Zoeppritzstrasse in the Garmisch portion of GAP.  I was pleasantly surprised at the excellent accommodation (I got a single room), the abundant breakfast (included in the lodging fee), and great customer service provided by Manuela Thier and her husband.  Mrs. Their has training and experience as a cook so you know the food is tasty.  They spoke enough English to answer my questions and make recommendations that made my visit memorable. Manuela gave me a visitor pass for free bus transportation and discounts at local venues.   While there, I met mostly English speaking guests in the dining room although I dutifully greeted each new guest in German until I found out they were fellow Americans.  Only one was a military member.  She was assigned in Italy but previously attended a course at the Marshall Center near Edelweiss Lodge.  She was so impressed with GAP, and with Gastehaus Maria in particular, she made it a point to bring her visiting parents on vacation from the US and her husband there for a mini-vacation.  A sight I want to show my friends, if we can find a way to get back to GAP, is what I call the “critter-drive” which occurs near the end of the lane.  Depending on season, a herd of sheep or cattle are driven from a house nearby to pasture up the mountain in the morning and return near dusk.  The critters are housed in a portion of a building one side of which is for critters and the other side is a nice clean home.  I could never get my timing right to take photos though.  One thing I appreciate about the owners and staff there is that they help if you ask.  Otherwise they leave you to your to your own pursuits.

The gastehaus is less than five minutes from a path leading up the mountain to the Kramerplateauweg where the land levels out a bit. A little picturesque church sits by the path there and provides a nice subject for photography with GAP in the background. If you take the left pathway from the church, you’ll eventually end up near the Alm Hutte Restaurant where they serve just about the best Windbeutels (plate-sized fancy cream puffs) in Bavaria. Or, you can walk from the gastehaus for about a half hour to Riesersee, a nice little lake with a large restaurant near a hotel on one end and a path leading to a former Olympic bobsledding run (and museum).

Speaking of restaurants, I recommend the La Mamma Italian Restaurant on Zugspitzstrasse less than five minutes walk from the gastehaus. Order a Helles beer and the Pizza Regina for a tasty and filling meal. If you prefer a Bavarian meal, walk into the old town area (less than fifteen minutes walk) to zum Wildschutz Restaurant on Bankgasse for authentic cuisine and the best Apfelstruedel in Germany. A word of caution, the restaurant is so popular, they don’t need to accept credit cards so they don’t—cash only there but well worth it. On the way to zum Wildschutz, you‘ll see Bistro-Mukkefuck Cafe, a place you absolutely must go to just because of the name (be sure to take a photo—no one will believe you). The food is good and I believe it to be a hangout for ex-pats as all I heard in the dining room was British and American English.

There is a tandem paragliding hut near the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort—costs about $120 altogether. A bit nerve-wracking but something one should do at least once in a lifetime. Most of my time in GAP was spent walking and enjoying the area—didn’t cost me a dime. I did pay to go to one place, though, which I want to alert potential travelers to in order to make the experience better than I had. Partnach Gorge is on all the travel brochures. It’s an awesome and naturally wild place. There is a constant flow of folks traveling through it when it is open (can be closed due to conditions). My advice is to wear shoes that won’t slip on wet surfaces, a hat with one of those clip-on LED flashlights, and a rain jacket. Don’t take a backpack—there’s not much room on the path if you decide to turn. Visitors to the gorge should know ahead of time that the path is narrow and wet with sheer drops far into the raging waters below. A two strand metal fence separates the visitor and the drop-off. There are sections of the trail going through cave-like structures for some twenty yards or so without any lighting whatsoever. Folks keep moving and water drips on your head. Complicating it all is the fact that traffic is two-way. The sight and sound of the raging water can be unnerving.

Lots in GAP to see and do. I recommend walking (it’s free!) in order to soak up the ambiance and work up an appetite for some great food.  And Gastehaus Maria is the place to stay.

 

Bistro-Mukkefuck Cafe

Yours Truly enjoying a great breakfast and coffee.

Taking a break for the weekend.  Reader Kurt had a good suggestion:  "Post your favorite ramble or adventure."  You can post here in comments or I will feature it as a guest post.  It's difficult to learn various things if only one person does the talking, eh?

Couch Surfing Kit Bagged and Ready to Go

 

 Couch-surfing Comfort Sleep Kit

 

Yes, I’m a bit of a gearhead and not ashamed to admit I like my comfort as I age.  If you read my post about lodging on April 1st, 2013, you read about alternative lodging like Couch Surfing and Global Freeloading.  I put together (and have used) a sleeping kit rivaling my bed at home (possibly even more comfortable).  It’s quite expensive (buy like I do when the item turns up on sale if you can) but, believe me, boy is it comfortable!  The whole kit would equal the cost of about three nights in a three-star German hotel.  My philosophy about crashing at someone’s home is that I should be grateful I have a roof to sleep under and a bathroom.  Consequently, I want to impose on  my host as little as possible so I bring my own bedroom with me.  I have used this when visiting relatives but it has more promise than just using it on overnight or weekend visits here in the USA.  The entire kit weighs only 12.6 pounds (or less, depending what items you put in it), has a bed with mattress, chair, pillow, bedside table, light blanket or down comforter depending on temperature, and a bag to put it all in.  I could add a silk sleeping bag liner if I wanted.  I can only rationalize taking this kit with me overseas if I planned on a month-long trip and almost every place I stay is free lodging because my goal is one carry-on bag.  This kit would have to be checked baggage most likely.  Yes, it should meet carry-on requirements if you’re allowed to bring two carry-on sized bags aboard but I would be ready to check it if necessary.  You would also have to carry two bags with you when traveling by train or whatever.  I toyed with the idea of adding some Fozzil dishes and a cook pot weighing about half a pound but the way I see it, you’re spending nothing on lodging so you can afford to take your host out for a meal or two and you can buy your meals or some sandwiches to gnaw on otherwise.  For my budget, I went high on the hog on this one.  Start out with the bag.  It’s an Eagle Creek packable duffel which weighs only eight ounces.  Inside it is the bed, a Thermarest Luxurylite Mesh Cot at 3 pounds and 12 ounces, 26 inches wide, and 72 inches long (get the 26 inches wide—the extra cost is worth it).  I feel compelled to say a few words about this cot.  It is mesh so it is cool in the summer.  It'll hold about 325 pounds.  I weigh about 180 and it doesn't bottom out.  I can sleep on my side and never touch the ground.  If you knew me, you would say "wow!" when I admit that it's almost as comfortable as sleeping in my hammock.  The pillow is a Cocoon ultralight air core pillow which weighs about four ounces.  The mattress pad is a Thermarest  Basecamp sleeping pad  measuring 20 inches wide by 72 inches long, is two inches thick, and weighs in at two pounds and nine ounces.  For car camping, we use a Thermarest Trail Pro which is 25 inches across and 72 inches long (2 inches thick).  It's just too big for the Eagle Creek bag so it doesn't get to go overseas even though it fits the cot perfectly.  Also in the kit is a Thermarest Trekker Chair into which the pad fits to make a really comfortable chair.   The chair, sans pad, weighs in at about three quarters of a pound.   Besides a silk sleeping bag liner (silk is the way to go on a liner and I highly recommend this company),  I have the option of a super warm down Thermarest Ventra Down Comforter (made by Thermarest so it fits) weighing in at 2.5 pounds or a Coolmax travel blanket weighing in at about ten ounces.  My bedside backpacking table (which can also be used for one or two person picnics) is a GSI Outdoors MicroTable weighing in at one and a half pounds.  Photos below.  The doggie is Sassy the Wander Dog who is too old for travel now but is an expert on comfort.  It was a job getting her off the down comforter so I could take the pic.

Left to right:  Ventra Down Comforter folded in half length-wise, Luxurylite Mesh Cot, and Micro-table.  Resting on the cot are a Cocoon air-core pillow, a Thermarest Basecamp inflatable pad, a Cocoon Coolmax blanket folded in half length-wise and a bit under to make it fit enough for the photo.  The Trekker Chair is on the blanket.

 

View of the Trekker chair behind the micro-table beside the cot with the Cocoon pillow and Ventra comforter on it.  The Coolmax blanket is in its bag sitting on the table.  Sassy is unhappy she had to move off the comfortable sleeping area.

Almost as comfortable as this.

 

Space A Travel Comfort Sleep Kit

Yes, I’m a bit of a gearhead and not ashamed to admit I like my comfort as I age.  For those who don’t know about military Space A travel, I have a post on that very subject dated April 9, 2013.  Sometimes, you will be able to hop an aircraft with sufficient room to spread out a bit or even sleep on the floor which is kinda nice on a long overseas flight.  This kit is designed with that in mind.  Although my Space A travel sleep comfort kit was put together primarily for Space A travel, it could just as easily work for commercial travel where you think a long delay could occur.  Like, oh, the possibility of a blizzard or some other weather related delay could cause you to have to stay at an airport overnight or longer.  Or, it could be used for an overnight visit at a friend’s house or stay at the bedside of a relative at a hospital if rules allow.  The entire kit (in dry bag) weighs 3.6 pounds and fits nicely on the top of my travel backpack.  Dimensions of the dry bag I’m using purchased at the camping section in Walmart measures 14 inches in length and 7 inches in diameter when packed.  So what’s in there?  The biggest comfort item is a Thermarest Trekker Large Torso inflatable pad (comes in its own bag, measures 25 by 45 inches inflated and weighs about a pound).  It’s kinda spendy but I waited a bit and managed to buy it (like most gear I get) on sale.  In hind sight, I should have spent the extra $20 and got the full length large one.  This one is fine for torso coverage and does really well keeping me from the floor but my legs extend a bit beyond the end of the pad and I just prefer to get the full-out comfort the full size would provide.  Other contents include a silk sleeping bag liner (silk is the way to go on a liner), a Byer Traveller Hammock at around ten ounces with substituted bright orange cordage for low light conditions in case I'm allowed to hang instead (hospital is not going to let you hang, of course), a Cocoon ultralight air core pillow (also spendy but packs small and weighs about 4 ounces).   Also in the bag are foam earplugs that came with the sleep mask below but I will replace with the better Alpine Sleepsoft earplugs I have when traveling.  The neat travel case they're in will have to go--I'll put them in a tiny ziploc type baggie instead for space and weight savings.  I also have a Dream Essentials Sweet Dreams Contoured Sleep Mask.  It looks pretty weird but is very comfortable.   I also carry two large black plastic trash bags which can be used as an emergency bivvy (see April 12, 2013 post).  However, I modified one of them by cutting a very small slit in one of the bottom corners and taping a three inch length of 5/8 inch clear plastic tubing to it.  This serves as a homemade version of an Instaflator which I purchased (and recommend).  Here’s their site   http://themillair.com/  which includes a video demonstration of the commercially made one.  I use this instead of blowing up the air mattress by mouth—a lot easier, no moisture in the pad from breath, and I like pack contents to be dual use if possible.  By the way, I made a much smaller version from a bread bag and the 5/8 inch clear tubing to inflate the Cocoon pillow.  More gearhead stuff tomorrow unless an expected guest article comes in.  Too bad I don’t get paid to promote these products, eh?

Contents of green dry bag (left top to right bottom):  microfleece blanket, Thermarest Trekker inflatable pad, silk sleeping bag liner, Cocoon pillow, trash bag, trash bag, sleep mask kit.

Left to right:  silk sleeping bag liner, hammock, microfleece blanket.  Trash bags, sleep mask kit, and dry bag are on the blanket.  Blanket is on the Thermarest pad and the Cocoon pillow is also on the pad.

Mark and I went to East Fairmont High School together way back in the early 70’s.  We reconnected when I returned to my beloved West Virginia.  He and his wife live in Kanawha County, WV, and do their fair share of local/regional travel in addition to trips “way south of here.”  They have stayed at bed and breakfasts in addition to park lodges.  I thought it would be interesting to ask them both the same question to see what their responses would be plus I figure we might just get double information on some questions.  Mark is in his late 50’s and Kelly is a relative young’un (hasn’t hit the magic ”five oh” yet).  A couple questions were asked that pertained only to one or the other of them.  Please welcome our guests Mark and Kelly and let’s pick their brains!

Mark and Kelly:
Thanks for this interview. You have regional travel experience here in Wild, Wonderful WV and other nearby states.  You also have insights as regular customers of bed & breakfasts that will be very helpful to travelers here at the Wanderlust blog. I get a two-fer with this interview as I get both male and female perspectives. Whoever can best answer the question, just jump in there and answer or both of ya’ll answer (remember, I’m looking for male and female insights). 

Q: How many years have you been traveling?
Kelly:  5 years
Mark:  I have been traveling for fun for many years.  I would guess 10 years or better.

Q: What motivates you to travel?
Kelly: Love seeing new places
Mark:  It’s in my blood, to see what’s around the next curve in the road or to see something that I have read about. I like history and the countryside so I am always open to anything that involves travel.

Q: Where have you traveled?
Kelly: Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. Martin, St. Kitts, Barbados, St. Lucia, Cayman Islands, Washington DC, Cumberland MD, Hocking Hills Ohio, Lewisburg, Florida ,Oklahoma, Stonewall Jackson Resort, Twin Falls Resort
Mark:  In WV, I have gone to almost all of its state parks and national forests. I really like Twin Falls because it’s close to Charleston, about 1 and 1/2 hours. Nice rooms in the lodge and indoor and spa; the food is very good and inexpensive. Stonewall resort is also a favorite and is located close to Weston. It’s modern, clean indoor pool and full spa. Also a lot to do in this area if you like fishing, hunting, golf and wine-tasting.  Also we like Hocking Hills, Ohio....renting romantic cabins with hot tubs. In Cumberland, MD , we like the bed and breakfasts in the historical section, very interesting history pertaining to West Virginia and the Morgan/George Washington families .

Q: How long is the typical travel period?
Kelly: Usually a week
Mark:  These trips are usually 3 or 4 day weekend excursions for us. Kelly and I always try to combine fun and romance ; as we have very few weekends together.

Q: Where would you travel to again and why?
Kelly:  Love Hawaii--love the flowers and the weather and such a pretty place.
Mark:  We definitely like The Hocking Hills, they are a true getaway; Very romantic and away from the rat race of the city. If you want to shop for antiques and Amish things, that's the place to be. We always get a cabin with hot tub and a fire pit.

Q: Any honorable mentions on great places to go?
Kelly:  Twin Falls resort is a great little weekend getaway
Mark:  We have found some good travel/ get-a-ways, in the Lewisburg, WV, area . The very historical Gen. Lewis Inn is a good place to stay and the small town is full of antique shops. In the area is the Greenbrier Resort and many caves/historical places to visit. The Greenbrier River is beautiful in the spring thru fall. In August, the State Fair is there and the Greenbrier Golf Classic happens in July?  The bed and breakfast we stayed in at Cumberland was Bruce House Inn. It was very nice but a little pricey; good location in the Historic Section of the city. Very beautiful, very secure no worries about your stuff being stolen and very friendly staff.  The breakfast was great. Another good place we stayed at was The Cheat River Inn--The place to be if you like Trout Fishing, Hiking, and being outdoors. Most B&B allow for easy comings and goings once you have checked in and are experts about the attractions in the area. They also know the best restaurants, and the easiest way to get to your points of interest, use them.

Q: Where would you take your best friend?
Kelly:  Well if I could afford it, to Hawaii
Mark:  I would go to the Caribbean.   Really like Jamaica and want to see more. Also, you must be CAREFUL, it can be dangerous and 2 guys are safer than 1 guy and a gal. The country is very beautiful and would like to go back into the mountains.

Q: Where would you never to travel to again and why?
Kelly:  Probably Cayman Islands--not a lot to do
Mark:  Key West....way overrated. Not much to see and it’s full of Drugs.

Q: Do you travel with others?
Kelly: Just my husband
Mark:  It’s more fun for me to travel with others; but too many people can create problems. I keep to myself and wife when traveling long distances or long times; but the right people and you can have the best time of your life.

Q: What about security?
Kelly:  Try to keep up to date watching news
Mark:  I just use common sense.  If I would not do it here, I sure am not going to do it over there. If there are political problems in the area, think twice.  Protect your cash, use a money belt. Call your credit card company to let them know you are traveling out of your area.

Q: What do you pack for a typical trip?
Kelly: Just clothes and necessities and always a camera

Q: Any tips for newbies?
Kelly:  Do a lot of research where you are going
Mark:  Keep a contact at home who knows your agenda and can communicate with you/watch your home. Again call credit card companies. TAKE SOME GUIDED TOURS.

Q: Mark, I understand you do a lot of travel photography—care to share about it?
Mark:  KNOW YOUR CAMERA!!!!   And don't be afraid to take a lot of shots. Practice on scenery with a big lens and indoors with low light/flash.

Q: Kelly, any special travel related hobbies?
Kelly: I do a lot of collecting souvenirs--always collect a Christmas ornament always to remind me of where we have been.

Q: What is your best travel story ever?
Mark:  Worst travel story... We rode the train from Anchorage, AK, to Denali National Park. We were in Holland-America rail car, and had a very good view of the countryside for 5 to 6 hours. Also below us was the dining area and it must have been defective because we listened to BOWLING BALLS bashing against the wall the entire trip!!!! The next time on the train the car was taken out of service and replaced by a car from the Princes line.

Q: Would you be willing to answer more questions in the future?
Kelly: Yes I would be willing to answer more questions
Mark:  Sure, would be glad to help.

Q: Is there anything I didn't ask you feel I should've asked?
Kelly:  No, I think you covered it all
Mark:  Maybe tips on copies of passport and someone at home with them/ birth certificate. WV has the best affordable lodges in the Nation and most are under used. Great Value.

Bernard Solar Panel Cooker

Part 4 of 4 

 Bernard Solar Panel Cooker  - A neat little device for solar cooking can be made from trash or made up for longer use with plastic mirrors, a couple sticks (pencils), a black pot, some small flat rocks or sticks, and an oven bag.   A pic of one I made for backpacking use is above.  I just put a beverage can there as an example--use a darkened pot or can.  At the bottom of this article is what it looks like packed up and there is another pic of it folded out without pot.  The pot should be flat black.  A sooty pot or beverage can will fit the bill.  Even a can with a dark sock on it would work—just not as well.  Flat dark color is what you want.  Shiny dark will reflect some light away and you want the pot to absorb as much heat as possible so it can transfer heat to whatever it is you’re cooking.  You need to put the pot into an oven bag and blow some air into the bag before sealing.  Place the bag and pot on some kind of trivet.  A couple rocks or small sticks will do—you just need to keep the pot off the bottom mirror.  The reason for the bag is to act as an insulator and to keep breezes from cooling the pot.  An oven bag is ideal but you could use whatever clear bag you can find—the thicker the better.  Theoretically this cooker will get things hot but you can’t bake a cake in one.  I have, however, baked a biscuit (I believe Brits call them “scones”) in mine on a really hot sunny day.  I know what you’re thinking:  “how often can you scrounge nice shiny plastic mirrors from the trash?”  Well, not nice shiny plastic mirrors but a reasonable substitute is only as far as the nearest trash container or two.  First, look at the dimensions at the link for the Bernard Solar Panel Cooker for an idea of the size of the items you need.  Then, scrounge some cardboard and a few potato chip bags with the shiny mylar interiors.  Open up the bags.  Now you have your mirrors.  Cut the cardboard into the appropriate size and attach the mylar shiny side out onto the cardboard by cutting some slits in the mylar and putting the tips of the cardboard through them.  Place the cooker in a manner that the three mirrors at the top of the “T” shaped cooker (“T” shape when it’s flat and not upright) face the sun and adjust the end piece (bottom of the “T”) to get as much light reflected on the pot as possible.  Use sticks to keep the mirrors in place.  Readjust periodically to keep the most sunlight on the cooker.  You can use this to heat up any food you find or purchase.  Or you can use it to heat up water in which you’re dissolving, say, a chocolate bar for poor man’s hot chocolate.  Keep in mind that a solar cooker uses sunlight as the fuel so you can (and I have) cooked using solar on very cold, but bright, sunlit days.  If you can find a windshield sun screen made of Reflectix, you can make a solar funnel cooker.  You don’t really need to do the glue thing, just suspend or place your pot at the bottom of the cooker with the plastic bag (oven bag is best but remember you’re scrounging from the trash).  One advantage of solar cooking is that you will not cause yourself undue trouble by starting a fire in the city—authorities discourage that sort of thing.  Try solar cooking out.  It’d be a great school project for your kid or for the kid you happen to be but won’t admit it.  Keep it in mind for emergency use.

Food – Hopefully soup kitchens will be set up if there is a city-wide emergency.  If not, try houses of worship first.  Then try to make a bargain with a restaurant owner to do menial labor for a meal or two.  I am a Type II diabetic so I keep emergency food around all the time—pocket or pack.  One emergency item that won’t melt is the Datrex Emergency Food Bar.  Typically you have to buy a pack with at least eighteen bars in it.  Each bar is individually wrapped and is about two hundred calories.  They keep well (don’t melt) so I carry some in my vest/pack.  I’m also fond of Clif and other protein bars which don’t take up much room.  Most folks can go a few weeks without food but we diabetics must have something each day.  If you can’t get a restaurant manager to hire you, try begging for a piece of bread or something.  You can also do like a hobo during the Depression and knock on doors offering to do yard work for a meal.  Try to look your best so the first impression is probably that you're trustworthy.  If that doesn’t work, try dumpster diving.  There is a community of dumpster divers in Berlin, for example, who keep connected via social media with updates on locations of food just thrown out that they go out and retrieve.  They don’t buy any food at all out of principle.  Yes, it would work but be cautious on that because there may be a reason something was discarded.  Check the food carefully or cook it more in your solar panel cooker.

Miscellaneous Thoughts on Emergency Urban Survival - You’re going to have lots of hours to while away the time so you will have time to do these things.  I wrote this series on emergency urban survival not to scare folks but to plant in their minds something to fall back upon should an emergency arise during travel.  If there is an emergency, you don’t have to despair, lie around, and cry “woe is me.”   Get busy and improve your situation.  Keep in mind, it’s only temporary and things will get better.  Now, back to regular posts.

 

My backpack solar panel cooker. Water bottle is just for size comparison.

My backpack solar panel cooker without the pot or oven bag.