Author: Just Visiting

12 Lessons on How to Survive in the Wild

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date November 18, 2013
4,086 Comments on 12 Lessons on How to Survive in the Wild

Last weekend I went upstate to Saugerties, NY for a wilderness survival workshop with about 25 complete strangers. Sounds like a cold weekend of sleeping in piles of leaves, fighting off bears and wolves with flaming sticks, purifying my own urine until it’s safe to drink, and hunting down squirrels (or fellow survivalists) to tear apart their disease-ridden bodies in a bloodied frenzy, right? No, it wasn’t a Bear Grylls, “dump your ass in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than a knife and a compass” kind of thing. It was a “stay in a warm, cozy cabin with hot cooked meals and plenty of alcohol” kind of thing.

But I did still learn some valuable lessons, including how to track and kill rabbits, but let’s save that for a day when I’m not snacking on Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies while I write.

I give you 12 Lessons on How to Survive in the Wild in hopes that, if you’re anything like me, the number one thing you’ll learn is to surround yourself with a bunch of surviver-types any time you walk out your door.

Dinner being stretched to death. But more on that later.

1. Apparently I’m not as adventurous as I thought I was, since I’ve never looked at a table and thought “table bouldering.” The challenge is to start on top of the table, climb under it and back up the other side without touching the ground. Some went the width of the underside, while others attempted to do the whole length. Many tried, only a few succeeded. I watched.

2. If you didn’t succeed in climbing the rope in high school PE class, you probably won’t succeed in climbing a limbless tree. Unless you’ve got two guys to help push your ass up like I did. Plus most animals are better climbers than humans, so if a predator is chasing you like you’re a giant piece of steak, don’t climb a tree to escape it.

If you’re not running for your life, but instead just looking for some random “tree parachuting” fun, find a firm but bendy tree, wrap your thighs around that bitch, and pull yourself up inch by inch. Once the tree starts to bend towards the ground, let go of your feet and ride it down. Just don’t get one that’s too thick or you’ll end up 20 feet high with no bend in sight like Ed here, and you’ll have to slide down.

3. Hiking in complete darkness is not as difficult as you’d think once your eyes have a chance to adjust to the light. Although it’s not that easy either, since we couldn’t find our way back to the trail. It’s always better to build a shelter before dusk, stay put for the night, and set out again in the morning. (Or just turn your headlamps on and make your way back to the cabin like we did.)

4. Guns aren’t just good for hunting down your dinner. They’re even more fun to pass the time until someone finds you by shooting beer cans.

5. Any idiot can start a fire with a bunch of dry leaves, some sticks, and a book of matches. Even me. Keeping it going without getting bored or causing a forest fire is a different story. Smokey the Bear was right, “only you can prevent forest fires.” Sadly he does not come rushing in the second you do something stupid. So make sure you clear the ground of any possible tinder before building a fire, or you could end up causing an endless trail of flames when your shoddy teepee of sticks collapses.

6. Speaking of fire, it’s always a good idea to have a professional flame twirler (and a bottle of whiskey) on hand to keep warm. And for pure entertainment.

7. Most plants have medicinal properties. If I remember correctly, our instructor actually told us that all plants are medicinal, but I haven’t found any evidence online to support that. Either way, “most” still sounds like a gamble to me so unless it’s aloe or a dandelion, I don’t really know what to do with it. Side note (and I think I learned this back in like second grade) tobacco is highly medicinal, but sadly somewhere along the line us humans decided to use it for more harm than good. Bad humans, bad!

8. Apparently the only four types of plants you need to know when you’re lost in the wild are pine, oak, grass, and cattails. They’re all edible, versatile, and do lots of things that I can’t really remember. So if you’re curious, Google those four and you’ll see how to boil acorns for a hearty meal, cook cattails like corn on the cob, and even get a sort of “flour” from them. But I recommend when you’re out in the wild you wander your way to a Farmers Market and load up on some delicious treats like thick-cut bacon, homemade granola, pumpkin butter, and pumpkin cannolis. Just make sure you’ve got some cash because chances are they won’t take credit.

9. In extreme conditions where huddling with a group of strangers to battle hypothermia may be necessary, you can fit 14-16 grown adults in an 8-10 person hot tub if you really try.

10. You could build a simple “debris hut” with sticks and leaves just big enough to fit around your body to give you the warmth and shelter you need to make it through a cold night…

11. …but surviving in the wilderness is much easier when you retreat back to a cozy cabin with home-cooked meals every evening.

View from the cabin — Not a bad view either

12. I would still definitely die if I was lost in the wilderness for more than two days. But I can survive the hell out of a weekend in a cabin with running water, electricity, and a hot tub!

Tags cabin, How to Survive in the Wild, New York, Outdoors, Saugerties, Survival Skills, Wilderness, Wilderness Survival

New York Outdoor

27 PHOTOS OF FALL FOLIAGE IN CENTRAL PARK

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date November 3, 2013
5,377 Comments on 27 PHOTOS OF FALL FOLIAGE IN CENTRAL PARK

Earlier this week I was walking across East 72nd Street when I noticed yellow leaves on the ground—something that’s easy to miss considering how few trees there are and how quickly the doormen of the fancy Upper East Side apartments spray the sidewalk clean first thing every morning. Even though it was 65 degrees that day, it finally hit me that it was fall. It also hit me that I’ve been in New York for eight autumns and have yet to make it up to New England to see the leaves change color. Hell, I haven’t even made it to Central Park to see the leaves until it was too late and the trees were already bare. So I decided right then and there that this was the year, and this was the weekend. I only live six blocks from one of the most scenic areas in the park, so I was going to grab my camera and set out for an afternoon exploring my neighborhood park, rather than continue taking it for granted.

I entered at 72nd and Fifth Ave and walked across to the Mall, Bethesda Terrace, and then the lake to snap some pictures of the Bow Bridge before making my way to Strawberry Fields. It smelled like decaying leaves and wet grass which was like a breath of fresh air compared to the city streets. Thankfully it rained for about 10 minutes which sent a bunch of tourists scrambling for cover and out of my shots. I struggled not to take a photo with every step, but it was even more colorful than I imagined, and further proof that fall is the best season in New York.

Let’s face it, neither words nor pictures can do any justice for actually experiencing it yourself, but here are some of the better shots I took. Enjoy!

Down came the rain and washed the tourists out (or in?)

Tags 72nd Street, autumn, Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, Central Park, color, fall, Fifth Avenue, foliage, leaves, leaves changing, New York, New York City, NYC, photos, Strawberry Fields, Upper East Side

Europe Italy Tours Unesco World Heritage Sites

Pompeii in Pictures

I won’t give you a history lesson because I’m pretty sure everyone knows what happened to Pompeii in 79 AD. And if you don’t, well you can look at just about any other site and find out. More importantly, maybe you should dig yourself out from whatever rock or volcanic ash you’ve been living under (see what I did there?)

While in Italy I went on an 8-person day trip to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii through Viator. After leaving Rome, we drove for a few hours before the unmistakable silhouette of Mount Vesuvius began to peak above the horizon.

It was awesome. And it was kind of like love at first sight. I wanted to go straight there and climb to the top, then base jump right down into the crater. Fuck the Amalfi Coast. Who needs gorgeous cliffside scenery when you’ve got vengeful volcanoes of destruction to explore?

But Pompeii was the last stop on our trip so we kept driving (as a little piece of my heart broke), finally making our way to the cliff-hugging roads of the Amalfi Coast. The next few hours—spent exploring the painfully rocky Spiaggia Grande barefoot, doing shots of limoncello with two women who were probably as old as Italy itself, and coming back to the van late thanks to a poorly marked underground bathroom, causing me to lose my picture-taking window seat to a woman who couldn’t log off Facebook long enough to appreciate the view—is a totally different story in itself. But I was more than ready to leave the overcrowded coast behind and go wander around the ruins.

That winding cliffside road out of Amalfi was clearly built for tiny compact European cars. Hell, our eight-seater van was almost too big to comfortably zig and zag without riding the brakes, so I really don’t know what those truck drivers were thinking when they decided to take the coastal route with their eighteen wheelers. Every 50 feet or so we’d have to stop and wait for some unseen vehicle to make its way around the bend before proceeding. This was never a quick task, each stop took about 20 minutes while people put their cars in park and walked up to double check for oncoming traffic. This put us in Pompeii almost two hours later than expected.

When we finally got there our tour guide was kind of a huge jerk. Since we were late I understand he wanted us to see as much as possible still, but the constant rushing was really aggravating and left us with no time to explore or even take a decent photo. At first I was following his commands, running around snapping pictures ferociously and trying to absorb every bit of information he rattled off like an auctioneer. But then I just stopped listening and kept trying to take pictures.

The ruins were absolutely amazing, and so well preserved that it’s hard to believe they were constructed SO long ago, and were once covered in nine feet of volcanic ash.

Like seriously, how is it possible some of these pillars are still standing? Also, how much better would this shot have been if Vesuvius would’ve exploded with awesomely hot glowing lava right then and there?

Different areas seemed to have suffered varying degrees of damage, kind of like the path of a tornado. One of the most fascinating things I saw was inside some of the buildings like this bathhouse below. On the frescoes you can actually see the line of deterioration caused by the surge of volcanic ash that rushed in and destroyed all that it touched.

Another slightly unnerving sight that we’ve all seen in our middle school text books were the plaster casts of bodies in the position that they died in when the pyroclastic flow wiped out Pompeii. When archaeologists uncovered these empty cavities underneath the ash, they filled them with plaster before lifting them out, basically leaving an exact impression of that person at their moment of death. We only got to see two, but I’ve heard that some are so well preserved and detailed you can actually make out the wrinkles in their clothing and see the fur on a dog.

Every day the Romans would flood the streets to clean them, using stepping stones to create a crossway so they wouldn’t get their feet wet. Plus they were spaced perfectly for carriages to pass through. I don’t know why I found this so interesting, but I did. And I suddenly wished all streets in New York had these.

On the last stop of the tour our guide warned women and children who might be offended not to go in, so naturally I found myself paying attention to this jerkwad again. We were headed for the brothels. And how did we know that? Because of the stone penis on the ground pointing in the direction of their “red light district.”

There were a series of rooms (with the most uncomfortable looking beds) reserved strictly for adult fun. I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had been in these rooms when they died, and if so, where were their plaster casts?

There were paintings on the wall illustrating the different sex acts someone could walk in and order up. You know, kind of like a Baskin-Robbins. But with sex.

And here’s my pervy prostitute “come hither” look. I’m pretty sure I would’ve made a killing back in the day with my creeper glare.

SHOULD YOU VISIT POMPEII?

Yes! We only spent two hours at Pompeii, and while our tour was extremely rushed, it was a good way to see the highlights and learn a bit about the places we were looking at. I think a long tour with a very small group would be perfect. If I did it again I’d definitely spend at least an entire day wandering Pompeii on my own, picking up overheard information from all of the tour groups rushing around. Then I’d hike up to the top of Mount Vesuvius the next day.

I’ve heard that Italy is struggling to keep up with the preservation of the site, but I can only hope they find the funding to do so. Pompeii was a great experience and totally surreal, and I’d definitely visit again if I had the chance. I’d say it was actually my favorite part of Italy that I’ve visited. Plus admission is very reasonable (about 11 Euros, or $15 USD) and definitely worth every bit of it.

Tags Amalfi, Amalfi Coast, Italy, Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, Positano, Rome, ruins, Unesco World Heritage Site, Vesuvius

Adventure Europe Switzerland

VIDEO: PARAGLIDING OVER THE ALPS IN INTERLAKEN

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date October 10, 2013
4,051 Comments on VIDEO: PARAGLIDING OVER THE ALPS IN INTERLAKEN

Okay. I’m going to have one last “poor me moment” about that time I flew all the way to Zurich and took a train to Interlaken with the sole intention of skydiving over the Alps, but was unable to do so when Mother Nature decided I wasn’t worthy of such fun. There, done. Now I can tell you all about how I tried to make up for it by paragliding.

On my last afternoon there, I walked into Balmers and started whining to the chick at the front desk about how I needed some excitement because I certainly couldn’t afford to sit around and eat in Interlaken (seriously my last ditch effort to save money by eating at McDonald’s cost me about $34). Since it was already pushing noon, the only option I really had was paragliding. It sounded promising, so I jumped in a car with an older, silent man before being dumped off at the wide open landing field a few blocks away. I was a little confused, but I followed some random guy whose accent I could barely understand, and before long I was quickly rushed into an unmarked van along with a few other confused Swedish and Chinese tourists, lead by four jacked-up European men.

Our van zig-zagged up the mountain, the green grass disappearing and the snow and cloudy haze getting thicker. I changed out of my mesh running shoes and strapped on some heavy hiking boots that, based on the warm, sweaty insides, someone else had just taken off. They dumped us off to walk the rest of the way uphill which is where I realized how pathetic my body was. I desperately tried to hide my heavy breathing while trekking up the slippery incline in my oversized boots. All the while my tandem gliding partner was walking full speed like he was in the mall walking olympics and holding conversation without missing a beat, even with his gigantic loveseat-sized pack strapped to his back.

After we set up and laid out our canopies, we waited. And waited. There was a stick in the ground with a red and white ribbon blowing in the nearly nonexistent breeze. Apparently this was their way of determining which way the wind was blowing and how hard so that we didn’t float off the edge of the cliff and right into the side of another.

After I got bored of standing around playing guessing games as to when we’d finally make a run for it, my tandem gliding buddy hooked himself onto me and got all intense again.

“Now this is the important part. We have to go at exactly the right moment, or else it could be bad. So when I say run, you run, got it? And I don’t mean just a light jog or a brisk walk, you run faster than you’ve ever run in your entire life until we take off from the ground. K?”

I didn’t know if he completely missed seeing that I was only 5’2″ or what, but here I was with a grown ass man strapped to my back along with what felt like a small sofa attached to him, wearing clunky man boots that were about three sizes too big, and this guy wants me to run down a slippery, icy hill without falling on my face. Right.

We continued to wait. And wait. Then out of nowhere we heard “baaaaa!” Right in our running path a herd of sheep had broken through a hole in the fence and started making their way uphill curiously towards us. At first it was cute watching them dig in the snow to try and eat the grass below, but all of a sudden baby sheep were running all over the fucking place. The guides were nearly pissing themselves with laughter, saying this has never happened before as they started baaaing back at them. But that only attracted the sheep more and they continued to make their way up towards us. And they were hungry. Finally one of the guys had to unhook himself and run down to scare them off. But of course this was also the exact moment the wind changed directions and I was told to run, NOW.

I ran like Usain Bolt. Actually no, I pitter-pattered down the hill rather pathetically until a gust of wind grabbed ahold and threw me down in the snow. Just as quickly that same gust lifted us up slightly, dragging my legs long enough to scoop up two boots full of snow, then launched us off the cliff.

It wasn’t even a windy day but the guide kept saying that due to our “excellent running speed takeoff” (hell yeah, way to go little legs!) we were able to get more speed than most people. I got a well deserved pat on the back.

At first it was pretty cool when you suddenly realize that you’re floating and gliding through the air. But then it became oddly comfortable and a little…boring. The wind was chilly, drying out my lips and making my eyes water, and the view didn’t really change much during the whole 15 minute flight. Plus it was much more secure feeling than I thought it would be. I wanted to feel like I was falling or flying, something comparable to what I’d imagine skydiving would be like. But instead I felt safe, in a heavy box propelling through the sky almost with as much control as if there were an engine. And the whole dude on my back thing wasn’t a particularly liberating experience.

So while it was definitely awesome and I’d definitely do it again in a heartbeat, I had the same problem with paragliding as I do with most things I do. It left me wanting to go faster and higher, and I wanted to do it alone. I felt like a brat, but I asked my instructor guy to go a little crazy, so he started spiraling us closer to Earth towards the end.

Enough of my babbling, I’ll let this little video montage do the job. But beware, the last few seconds can be a bit dizzying!

(PS click through the link below the video to watch it in HD.)

Interlaken Paragliding by Just Visiting, Music: “Option” by Crosses.

Tags Adventure, adventure sport, Europe, Interlaken, paragliding, skydiving, Switzerland, video

New York

LOST IN NYC: WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU’VE MADE IT HERE

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date September 29, 2013
3,875 Comments on LOST IN NYC: WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU’VE MADE IT HERE

I have so many European tales, photos, and videos to share, yet I’ve been procrastinating. Big time. Mostly because of the bullshit “I’m too busy” excuse. When you’re slammed at work writing well over eight hours a day, the last thing you want to do when you get home is write some more. Also my lease was up September 1st so I had to deal with a bit of an unplanned move. If you’ve ever moved in NYC you know just how overwhelming, time consuming, and stressful that can be.

But it all worked out for the best and I’ve since moved from my three-roommate share to my very own studio apartment. Finally, my own place, a good job, a pretty active social life, and the ability to travel a decent amount. I’ve officially got everything I ever wanted since I set out to New York City seven years ago.

My New Apartment — My new teeny tiny studio apartment in New York City

Despite all of this, I’ve never felt more unfulfilled, and therefore uninspired to write. So I’m in the long and confusing process of trying to figure out what’s next.

A little backstory; I set my sights on New York when I was only 16. It took me five years of saving and busting my ass with work and school, and when I moved here I was hardly living the New York life I’d always dreamed of. I was struggling in every sense of the word, but I was making progress on my dreams and that was the best feeling in the world. Throughout several ups and downs, wins and losses, I continued to struggle. But I was always optimistic that some day it would all pay off.

Then in February 2011 I landed the job that I have now and everything started to get better. I was working at a great place with great people, doing work I’d always wanted to do, and I had the opportunity of working abroad from our London office on the horizon. In a sense, my professional life was flourishing—finally. And as a result, I was financially able to leave the crumbling relationship I’d been trapped in and move into a luxury building on Wall Street. Sure my friends made fun of me for living amongst “the suits,” but at the end of the day I was 26 and living in a fancy building on Wall Street. For a girl from Ohio, I was doing pretty damn good on paper.

Being able to say I lived on Wall Street was a great conversation piece as I traveled around the world. It made me feel like maybe I had finally made it, though I still cringed when I had to admit that I was 26 or 27 and had two roommates. Plus I didn’t like the prejudice associated with living on the same street as some of the most corrupt, money-hungry assholes in America. After all, I’m a t-shirt and jeans kinda gal.

Lower Manhattan Skyline — Lower Manhattan, my old neighborhood when I lived on Wall Street

So when I moved into my own place it was a very proud moment. A milestone some would say. This is all I’ve ever wanted in New York City, to be financially stable enough to sign my own lease—just me, no roommates, no guarantors or cosigners— and just have my own little slice of one of the greatest cities in the world.

And now here I sit in my studio knowing that “I’ve made it,” but feeling completely detached from everything here. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret any decision I’ve ever made and I’m very grateful and proud that I’ve come this far. But I keep wondering what’s next now that I’ve accomplished everything I’ve been working towards for the last 12 years. Clearly I’ve grown a lot over the past twelve years, and this older, supposedly wiser me doesn’t want the same things that a younger me of even just a few years ago wanted.

Especially since I’ve gotten back from London in May, I’ve found myself regularly questioning things like:

— Why am I still in New York? The whole “I live in New York” novelty has lost its appeal. I could care less about parties, celebrities, or fashion. I don’t have money to eat at any of the world-class restaurants or buy designer clothes, and I absolutely despise the 4AM nightlife and clubs. Not to mention I’ve been here for seven years and while I have made many acquaintances, I definitely don’t feel like I’ve acquired many lasting relationships.

— Is it New York that’s pissing me off, or is it my career choice? Sure there’s never a dull moment in advertising which certainly fits my easily-bored ADD-like personality, but is this really what I should be doing with my writing talents? Or should I be using my creativity to solve real problems and help people in need, or at the very least write about something a bit more meaningful?

— Why do I keep convincing myself that it’s okay to fork over this much money each month to rent a studio apartment, just because it’s in New York City? I could fly to the other side of the world once a month for the price I pay in rent here.

— Why do I own a couch? Okay this is a weird one because sure I need it to fill the space, but it’s just a random clunky thing that’s going to be a pain in the ass when it comes time to move again. I guess I don’t like the idea of owning anything other than a computer and a camera because then things feel more permanent, and well, I don’t want that.

— Am I going to be like this forever, constantly pushing myself to find “what’s next?” Or will I eventually grow out of this and find myself happy and content with what I’ve got? Because if not, I could see this shit being really exhausting.

While these questions keep racing through my mind, I can be grateful that the “I want to settle down and start a family” bug hasn’t hit me like it has most of my friends (and hopefully it never will). But in recent years I have started to notice the lack of meaningful relationships I have in my life. I know that’s partially my fault, but it also has to do with the fact that I feel like I’m not meeting very many people with similar upbringings, values, interests, or goals, so it’s hard to relate or get too close to anyone. I guess it’s a good thing because that makes it even easier to pack up and go, but I’m still convinced it’s a bad sign when you’ve lived in a place for seven years and still haven’t developed (m)any meaningful relationships.

The bottom line is that I’ve spent a lot of time and hard work to get to where I am and as a result I think I’m burnt out. It’s making me lazy and I’m losing some of my ambition. I wish that I could postpone my student loan payments, pay off my credit card debts, sell everything I own, and travel the globe for like a year. Maybe that would lead me to somewhere else with an actual purpose for being there. And if not I’d come back and settle down on the West Coast like I’ve always dreamed of doing “once I got older.” I know that if I did it’d be a huge risk, and while I definitely wouldn’t look back and regret my decision, would it ruin my credit, put me further in debt, and make me worse off upon my return to the US? Probably.

So here I am, lost in New York City. As far as I’m concerned I’ve made it here, so now I can make it anywhere, right? But where? And more importantly, why there? The world is mine to choose from, I guess it’s just a matter of finding a place that’ll give me what I want next. Now I’ve just got to figure that out.

Have you ever been in a situation like this? What did you do? I’ve always been the type to plan things out and work towards them, but now it just seems like a waste of time. I just want to go somewhere and deal with things as they happen. But I’ve signed this lease until September 2014, so I’ve got some time to figure it out.

Tags mid life crisis, New York, New York City, NYC, Travel

Asia

VIDEO: RAINY SEASON IN THAILAND

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date July 28, 2013
367 Comments on VIDEO: RAINY SEASON IN THAILAND

I finally pieced together some footage from my trip to Thailand last May. But the only thing this video reminded me of was how much I didn’t get on film—or in photos. And how badly I need to go back during peak season. I didn’t get any footage riding in the back of a tuk-tuk, watching the sunset over Bangkok from State Tower, playing with tigers, doing shots with bartenders, running around the beach with a French rugby player, riding up the Chao Phraya River at sunset, walking through ornate temples, or getting violently ill from curry. Nor did I get any footage of the homeless guy who persuaded me to buy rice whiskey at the carryout, the friendly cab driver who couldn’t understand why a young blonde like me was traveling alone, the kids who tried to sell me a bicycle, or the man who’d gone to medical school in New York before returning back to Phuket. But I’ll take this as a learning experience, both for filming and editing.

It’s by no means perfect, and the quality is kind of really shitty. But I just had to pull something together against this song—Sleepwalking Through the Mekong by Morgan Page—since it was basically the soundtrack to my entire trip. Enjoy!

Rainy Season in Thailand 2012 from Just Visiting on Vimeo.

Tags Andaman Sea, Asia, Bangkok, beach, elephants, monkeys, Phuket, Thailand, white water rafting

Europe Outdoor Switzerland

JUNGFRAUJOCH: TAKING THE LAZY TRAIN TO THE TOP OF EUROPE

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date July 22, 2013
4,049 Comments on JUNGFRAUJOCH: TAKING THE LAZY TRAIN TO THE TOP OF EUROPE

Skydiving has been at the top of my to-do list for the past few years. But in true chick form, I want my first time to be special. I don’t want to pop my free-fall cherry over some boring flatlands. I want to plunge towards the Earth over a landscape that even Bob Ross couldn’t paint. That way if my chute doesn’t open, at least I’ll die with an awesome view. So at the end of my London living experience I flew down to Switzerland with the sole intention of jumping out of an airplane and gracefully falling back to Earth over the Alps. Since April was technically spring I wasn’t too worried about the weather, but knowing how I somehow always end up visiting places during historically wet times, I gave myself three full days in Interlaken to ensure at least one of those days was nice enough to jump.

It never happened. In fact, the mountains never even came out from the damn clouds the entire time I was there. I was getting frustrated. After all the city hopping I’d been doing around Europe I needed some sort of a rush. About the only adrenaline pumping activity that wasn’t shut down was paragliding (post and video coming soon!) which was entertaining and gave me a great view, but it was nowhere near as exhilarating and piss-your-pants awesome as what I’d imagine skydiving would be. So on my last day there, fed up from the months of grey skies, I decided to head above the clouds to Jungfraujoch.

Also marketed to tourists like me as “The Top of Europe,” Jungfraujoch is a mountain pass between the Mönch and the Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps. The journey to the top takes about 2.5 hours via three trains. But like all other Swiss trains I encountered, they operate seamlessly. We set off into the green mountains, seeing waterfalls, rivers, and the most adorable little homes I’ve ever seen under grey skies.

Lauterbrunnen train station — Boarding the train at Lauterbrunnen

Heading up to Jungfraujoch — I could totally live here

The higher we got, the more snow started to fall and accumulate, and before long the ground was covered in about two feet of snow. But the train continued chugging uphill. At some points it was impossible to see out the window, and the final leg on the Jungfrau Railway was almost entirely enclosed in a tunnel. We made a five minute stop at a glass-enclosed lookout point, completely oblivious to what we were going to be able to see. I quickly ran off the train and looked out the window to see that we’d finally made it above the clouds, but not by much. There were snowy mountain peaks beginning to emerge, but still blending into the layer of clouds.

Barely above the clouds — The view from the first train stop on the Jungfrau Railway, barely breaking through the clouds

Jungfraujoch is 3,471 m (11,388ft) above sea level which is apparently just enough altitude change to fuck with me. Shortly after I stepped off the train I could tell it was more difficult than usual to breathe. I felt kind of winded, and since my chest was feeling heavy it was proving impossible to catch my breath. (I blame it on the fact that my doctor told me I had slight asthma when I was younger but I chose not to do anything about it.) But since it was hardly enough to be annoying I continued on, rushing through the inside tour so I could spend maximum time snapping pics before the last train down.

Jungfraujoch digital experience — Digital tour of Jungfraujoch

Inside tour at Jungfraujoch — Welcome to your brain on drugs

Wooden sculptures at the ice cave — This guy.

The walk took me past all sorts of history, paintings, and videos of the area, but probably the coolest part was the Ice Palace of sculptures and tunnels that look like they’d be a hell of a lot of fun with a bobsled.

Tunnel at the ice cave — Tunnel leading into the Ice Palace

Ice cave — The floor wasn’t as slick as it looked, even when you ran and slid across it. That or my shoes just had excellent traction.

Licking ice at Jungfraujoch — I like to lick things. And I was kind of tempted to see if my tongue would get stuck. It didn’t.

Bear Sculptures in the ice cave at Jungfraujoch — Too bad these guys were barred off, I would’ve licked them too.

Then finally I take an elevator up to the Sphinx Observatory, strapped my GoPro on my head and made my way outside to see the blue skies and snowy mountain peaks that made the journey totally worth it.

Jungfraujoch Top of Europe — High altitude selfie

Top of Jungfraujoch — The Swiss flag added a nice touch to the blue and white landscape

Jumping at Jungfraujoch — They looked like they were having fun…

Beautiful view of clouds forming over Mönch

I saw my first mini avalanche from the top of Jungfraujoch

Should you go?

Meh. It was definitely cool to see the kind of view that usually only hardcore climbers get to see. But then again you don’t get that same sense of accomplishment when you’re at the top because you just sat on your ass for two and a half hours to see it.

But you’ll see three awesome peaks of the Bernese Alps (Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau), as well as the Aletsch Glacier which is the largest glacier in the Alps. So that’s cool.

BUT IT IS NOT CHEAP. I didn’t have a Swiss Pass of any kind and I paid $214.35 for the RT train fare. Had I not budgeted $600 for my skydiving experience I would’ve never paid that. Either way, for that price I would’ve liked to have some more of an activity as opposed to sitting on a train for five hours total. You know, like base jumping back down to the ground below.

If you do decide to go, ask the staff at the train station to check their webcams beforehand to make sure the weather up there is okay. And maybe even look into a glacier hike if you’re interested—there seem to be some options if you plan ahead.

There’s a reason Interlaken is known for its extreme sports. And if the weather abides, then most certainly I think your time would be better spent experiencing those. But if you get stuck with shit weather like I did and have an extra couple of hundred dollars to spend, then sure, it’s worth the trek.

Oh, and by the way, the day I left Switzerland there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Go figure.

Tags Aletsch Glacier, Alps, avalanche, Bern, Bernese Alps, Eiger, Ice Palace, Interlaken, Jungfrau, Jungfraujoch, Mönch, mountains, snow, Swiss, Switzerland, train travel

Europe Living Abroad

FUTURE CINEMA PRESENTS: AN ACTION-PACKED MOVIE NIGHT

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date June 5, 2013
1,314 Comments on FUTURE CINEMA PRESENTS: AN ACTION-PACKED MOVIE NIGHT

London isn’t exactly the most adventurous place to visit or live. Sure you could always shit-talk some drunken die-hard Chelsea fans and try to dodge punches, or test your luck at jumping in the Thames to see what happens to your limbs. But what about when you want to do something without the fear of being severely disfigured?

How about a night at the movies? Sounds boring doesn’t it? And while we’re at it, why not a black and white film from 1942? Are you sleeping yet? Yeah, my thoughts exactly, BORING. That is, until I found out it was a Future Cinema production. If there’s any way to turn an ordinary movie experience into a fun, action-packed evening, Future Cinema is it.

Simply put, Future Cinema is live cinema. They don’t just play the film. They create a theatrical world around the film that fully immerses you into an environment that makes you feel like you’re in the movie. So we bought tickets and went to see Casablanca. Though I’d never seen the film beforehand, that didn’t ruin my experience (but I bet it would’ve been 10x cooler if I knew what was going on).

Our experience started before we even got to the venue, and I honestly felt like I left that place in the middle of World War II. Our confirmation emails gave us a passport along with a name, nationality, and directions on how to dress to get into the show.

Casablanca Paperwork — My passport, exit papers, Francs, and literature on France

I was Dana Yevseyeva from Slovenia. And my email told me to wear the sign of the snake, learn the Marseillaise song if I believe in a Free France, and bring jewels to barter with on the black market to secure an exit visa to America. I had no idea what to expect.

The Troxy was decked out as Rick’s Café Américain as we entered in through the Caroline Street entrance, a dark side street that was crowded with an audience dressed head-to-toe in 1940’s era clothing. The actors were spot on. About a block away we were accosted by what we believe were prostitutes. The policemen were so intimidating I’m actually not convinced that they weren’t actual policemen. While we were in line, these stone-faced guards picked men from the line to push against the wall, screaming “I said put your hands on the wall, what are you stupid?” When they grabbed our papers the interrogation and sweating began (I don’t do well during confrontation). We were scolded for mispronouncing our names, and teased because we didn’t look Slovenian. I felt like I was in an unwelcoming foreign country doing something illegal and I needed to hide my American-ness for fear of being exiled or murdered.

Policemen at Casablanca — The policemen were so intimidating that we were scared to take photos. This is what happened.

We walked inside and made our way through halls and stairways of potted plants before reaching the grand room that smelled of Moroccan food thanks to Moro. London-based French musician Benoit Viellefon and his Orchestra welcomed guest singers on stage while the dancers moved to the rhythm in their sequined bodysuits.

Inside the Troxy — Part of the stage setup

Rick's Cafe Americain — The lovely overpriced cocktail menu that I fell victim to

Inside London Troxy — Who needs cushiony, reclining theater seats?

As we made our way towards our seats it became difficult to figure out who was in character and who was another theater-goer looking to start up a conversation. I was taking notes on my cell phone when a woman came up to me in a frenzy, warning me that “the Nazis can intercept everything, so you should be very careful when using communication devices.” After she thoroughly confused me with her political French talk, an attractive French man came up and started flirting with me, which kind of sucked because only in a world of make believe did an attractive French man ever hit on me. It’s hard to respond when you know the person hitting on you is only doing so because it’s his job (is this how men feel at strip clubs? I’m gonna go with probably not). What’s even more weird is that he started acting like he knew my character, saying things like “are you good at gambling? You used to be,” before giving me 20 (fake) Francs to gamble with.

Hard to see, but Marcus coyly took this photo while I try to figure out if this chick is an actress or spectator.

Gambling with fake money — The roulette table in the back, where security only allowed certain people to play.

Ilsa Lund — The actress dressed as Ilsa from Casablanca, dining amongst the rest of us.

Me in a fez — One of the girls with us stole this fez from a security guard. And yes, I know I’m not very 1940’s-ish. Especially with my iPhone falling out of my belt.

In the couple of hours leading up to showtime we were seated about eight to a round table, enjoying our drinks while checking out all of the dapper men in suits, when all of a sudden a shout or loud noise would grab our attention and a short scene would unfold. One time it was even [SPOILER ALERT]… gunshots.

I wasn’t going to buy into the overpriced food, but those gunshots jumpstarted my appetite (okay maybe it was the two overpriced Moscow Mules), so I needed some food in me. This salad surprisingly did the trick thanks to that huge hunk of creamy brie and the warm flakey bread.

At this point in the evening, though I’d never seen the film I had a pretty good idea of what it was about. Then the smaller than expected screen (to be fair I think I was expecting IMAX) dropped down, the film began, and the experience did a total 180. The sound system was not that great so it was hard to hear the dialogue over the crunching popcorn and cocktails being shaken, (not stirred). People were now drunk and giggling and talking. Or maybe that was just the brown-bagging alcoholics I was sitting next to.

Overall, Future Cinema did an excellent job of making me feel like it was 1941. I walked out of that place still convinced there was a war going on. Plus I actually sat down to watch a film I probably wouldn’t normally watch, so I finally understood the 4,981 “Here’s looking at you, kid” and “of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine” references that have gone completely over my head for the past 27 years.

SHOULD YOU DO IT?

Yes, absolutely. It’s £25, or roughly $38, but if you’re looking for a different London experience Future Cinema is definitely it. Just plan on making an evening of it. Drinks and food cost extra so bring some money, and plan on staying after the film for some more dancing. Dress up, act the part, and transport yourself into the movie. The only regret I have is that I didn’t get more into character, but I didn’t exactly include 1940’s style clothing in my luggage when I packed.

Casablanca ended on March 23rd, but next up is Saturday Night Fever from June 15th – July 9th. If you want to bump up the excitement a little more, check out Secret Cinema. It’s basically the same thing except you don’t know what movie you’re going to. I didn’t get a chance to see it but I hear it’s incredible, just check out this awesome video for the Secret Cinema production of The Shawshank Redemption.

Tags Casablanca, London, Morocco, movie, theater

Europe Living Abroad Unesco World Heritage Sites

That Time I Was Mildly Underwhelmed by Stonehenge

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date May 27, 2013
4,215 Comments on That Time I Was Mildly Underwhelmed by Stonehenge

When my mom and aunt flew over to London we took a day trip out to Newbury to see where my aunt had lived when she met and married my uncle. Of course, once I looked at a map and realized that Newbury was only about a 45 minute drive from Stonehenge, I immediately volunteered my aunt as our personal chauffeur/tour guide.

We spent the morning touring the English countryside from the warmth of a car, and had the most incredibly delicious Sunday roast at The Star Inn.

There wasn’t much to see during the drive. The skies were grey and the windshield wipers moved across the glass the entire time. But there in the middle of the rolling fields of meandering sheep and more than 200 mysterious burial mounds, the stones arose from Salisbury Plain. They looked smaller than I’d expected, arranged in a circle that seemed tiny compared to the massive space of openness surrounding them. But the sheer fact that their construction began in 3100 BC, 300 years before the Egyptian pyramids were built was astounding.

Sheep — Stones on one side, sheep on the other

We parked the car and hesitantly made our way to pay £8 at the entrance. It was cold, windy, and we were going in at the same time as about 200 French students. Not exactly the best circumstances for a leisurely sightseeing stroll.

Since the actual stones were roped off in the 1970’s to prevent damage and erosion, tons of people (including myself) have complained about the inability to go into the circle of rocks and see it up close. If you just show up like we did, the closest you’re able to get is right at the entrance where you’re still at least 30 feet away, if not more. Then you can walk in a circle well beyond the ditch that surrounds it, while the exaggerated loop around the far side takes you even further from the stones. If you plan on taking pictures, you’d better pack a decent zoom lens.

Stonehenge — This shot gives you a pretty realistic idea of how far back the rope keeps you from the stones.

Between the frigid, nonstop wind and the fact that we were constantly moving so that we didn’t find ourselves hopelessly absorbed into the mass of students, it was nearly impossible to truly appreciate everything around us. Of course visiting Stonehenge left me bewildered with the usual questions like “how did they transport such large stones from as far as 240 miles away?” “How were they lifted upright using such primitive tools?” “Why was it built?” “If I jump over the rope and run towards the stones at full speed, how many good pictures can I realistically snap before security escorts me out?” “Can I lick the stones? Just one?”

But I also found myself curious about the restoration efforts, and how they’ve altered the way the giant stones were first discovered and originally intended. They’ve been lifted, straightened, and put into cement since then, which always leaves me curious on where they draw the line between preserving and reconstructing.

Just over a mile from the stones, English Heritage is working on building a £27 million centre that will not only teach visitors more about Stonehenge, but allow them to digitally go inside the site as well. They say it’s meant to “give people a sense of what it is like to stand in the middle of Stonehenge because most people just won’t be able to do that.” Seems weird to me. Travel all that way to Stonehenge just to explore it in a virtual reality type experience? I think you’re better off planning in advance to go into the circle.

SHOULD YOU VISIT?

Obviously if you’re a thrill-seeker Stonehenge isn’t the most enthralling experience unless you plan to jump on a random sheep and ride it through the stones like an obstacle course.

Sure it’s a bit underwhelming, but it’s still Stonehenge. And for that reason alone it’s worth it. I’d imagine with a little planning you could spend an awesome sunrise or sunset inside the stones and it’d be an unforgettable experience. Add a few pit stops along the way to check out some nearby towns or even Avebury and it’d really make for an awesome day. But if you can help it, don’t go during the “coldest winter in 50 years” like we did.

Mamabear and I bundled up at Stonehenge — Mamabear and I bundled up

Tags England, English Roast, Newbury, Stonehenge, Wiltshire

Europe Living Abroad

I’m Back From Europe: A Brief Recap

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date May 13, 2013
2,377 Comments on I’m Back From Europe: A Brief Recap

It’s been a week since I’ve landed back on US soil. And it’s taken me this long to sit down and start writing about it. Mostly because I don’t know where to start. It’s daunting to summarize what I saw, what I did, and what I’ve learned during those 97 days abroad. So let me begin by breaking it down by numbers (disclaimer: numbers are totally not my strong point).

97 days
14 airports
14,027 miles flown
42 hours on airplanes
26 hours on trains
10 trains
2 buses
1 ferry
2 Airbnb’s (3 if you count the one that I stayed at twice)
2 friend’s houses
8 hotels
8,500+ photos

Places visited:
Reykjavik, Iceland
London, England
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bristol, England
Dublin, Ireland
Dublin, Ireland again
Belfast, Ireland
Northern Ireland Coast (Carrick-a-Rede Bridge, Giant’s Causeway)
Newbury, England
Paris, France
Barcelona, Spain
Interlaken, Switzerland
Jungfrau, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
Venice, Italy
Rome, Italy
Pompeii, Italy
Amalfi Coast, Italy : Positano, Amalfi
Athens, Greece
Crete, Greece

And yet, here I sit in my New York apartment once again, feeling almost as though I never left. But I know I’ve come back wiser, re-energized, and obviously a wee bit older with a slightly more damaged liver and a new view on living abroad. And on the United States.

To sum it up, that was the quickest 97 days of my life. I didn’t sleep much but I saw more than I ever imagined I could pull off in three months while still working a full-time job and not going into debt. I saw natural phenomenons, snow-covered mountains, and ancient cities that are nearly twelve times older than the United States. I tasted some of the most amazing food I never knew existed, met some incredibly hospitable people while spending time with friends both old and new, and drank enough Guinness to safely assume my body could snap into relapse any day now. I walked across a rope bridge in gale force winds, showed my mom her first international experience, and participated in the chaos that is St Patrick’s Day in Dublin. Of the 14 total weekends I was gone, I spent just four in London and ten traveling around Europe. I quickly adapted to waking up at 3am nearly every Monday morning to catch a flight back to London and straight in to work a full shift. It was a whirlwind of three months, but the best experience of my life.

I’ve learned a lot on this trip. I’ve learned that exploring without a cell phone is not nearly as difficult as it sounds. Turning off the GPS and disconnecting from Twitter and Facebook let me get lost in the city and the moment and enjoy wherever I was with no interruptions.

I’ve also learned that Europe is ridiculously expensive and living there while still getting paid in US dollars is NOT recommended. I spent a shit ton of money, but every penny was absolutely worth it.

I’ve also rekindled my love for New York City, and I’ve got a newfound respect for the United States.

So stay tuned for tons of stories, tips, babblings, and pictures. But in the mean time, here are just a few highlights.