Welcome to my travelogue!

Welcome, kind reader, to my public travel journal!  Turning 40 isn't really that bad, but it's an excuse to do something I've wanted to do for years -- travel in Europe.


Picture the classic European backpacking trip envisioned by graduating high school seniors and add 22 years.  I won't have a backpack and I won't be staying in youth hostels, either.  Instead, I have a carry-on roller bag and I'll be staying in German-branded hotels of no less than 2 stars, and no more than 3 stars.  Only one of my hotels has a western name -- Best Western -- but it was cheap and well situated in Heidelberg.  I picked all of my hotels for location, and I don't particularly care about the amenities except that I want a clean room.  No, Mom, I didn't choose any flea-bag hotels, but I'm not staying at the Ritz, either.


I will begin my trip in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and will conclude my travels in Munich, for Octoberfest.  In between I will visit Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt-am-Main and Heidelberg.  It's a 10-night, 11-day jaunt that I'll undertake with a Eurail Select Pass which allows me unlimited travel on 6 travel days. I'll spend two nights in Amsterdam, two nights in Berlin, and two nights in Munich -- one night in each of the other cities previously mentioned.


I am looking forward to riding the rails in Europe.  I have reservations on two high-speed trains to whisk me from city-to-city, and I plan on just hopping on a train when it suits me for the rest of my itinerary -- the number of trains from any given point at any given time to any conceivable destination is amazing.  Don't worry, Mom, I've roughed-out the trains I intend on catching for the un-reserved legs of my journey.


I have slowly gathered my essential travel supplies -- luggage, plug adapters to charge my camera, iPad and iPhone (they are all compatible with Europe's 240 volt system, I checked), toiletries that fit in a quart-sized Zip-Lock bag, and passport.  I'm waiting to assemble my wardrobe until closer to my departure date, to best suit my continuing weight-loss.  I'm slightly worried about my passport, as the photo depicts a me of 90 pounds ago -- but I'm too cheap to get another when there is still 8 years left on this one.  And yes, Mom, I've notified my credit/debit card companies that I'll be traveling abroad.  And yes, I have a hidden money belt -- we'll see if I actually use it.


I found a very helpful website while planning my journey -- www.enjoy-europe.com -- it has very practical traveler information rather than the usual what-to-see and what-to-do of more traditional travel sites.  I recommend it for anyone planning a trip to Europe, in terms of how to pack, what to bring and what to wear.  I'll let you know once my journey has begun whether the site is really as good as it appears right now to be.


I intend to update this blog as I travel by train (many of the trains have Wi-Fi access.)  I hope to add photos and amusing (at least to me) anecdotes about the sights I see and the encounters I experience.  I also want to share practical information about the differences and similarities I perceive in German culture and day-to-day life.