Siwa, Egypt

Siwa sits on the edge of the Great Sand Sea which is part of the Sahara desert. It’s an amazing place. It was settled over 12000 years ago. A 3 million year old footprint was discovered in 2007 at Siwa Oasis. Alexander the Great thought Siwa important enough that he came here during his conquest of Persia. The oracle of Amun here is said to have confirmed Alexander the Great as both a divine personage and the legitimate Pharaoh of Egypt. All this for a tiny place that is in the middle of nowhere.

Siwa sits next to the Great Sand Sea, which is a part of the Sahara desert. I took a Jeep trip through it which was pretty amazing.

From Siwa, Egypt

From Siwa, Egypt

I planned on staying longer in Egypt, but the war in Gaza broke out and family started freaking out about my safety. It was probably unnecessary, but I caught an early flight to Israel.

Cairo, Egypt

So I’m definitely not in Europe anymore. From the second I leave the airport I feel that I’m in the Middle East. Negotiating for a cab is a long process, and finally I’m off. It turns out the cab driver has no idea how to get where I’m going and yells to other cab drivers at high speeds for directions. People say that New York city cab drivers are crazy. They’re amateurs. My cab driver honks at the car in front of him for stopping at a red light.

In Cairo I stay at my American friend Brett’s apartment. Only Brett isn’t there so I have his room to myself.

The next day I’m off to see the famous Giza pyramids. I take a local bus to safe some money on a cab. On the bus I ask the driver where I should get off for the pyramids. People overhear and start asking where I’m from. When I tell them I’m from the United States, they go out of their way to tell me how welcome I am. One man even gets off with me, takes me arm in arm, and puts me on the correct connecting bus. It is the warmest welcome I have received yet.

My plan is to avoid getting a tour at the pyramids, but one of the guides offers to give me a quick “free” tour. I like him so much I end up hanging out with him all day. After the pyramids he gets some beers for me and hashish for himself and we go to a desert bar overlooking the pyramids.

From Cairo, Egypt

From Cairo, Egypt

From Cairo, Egypt

The Egyptian Museum is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately you can’t take pictures. The coolest part of the museum is the mummy room. On display are two dozen real mummies. They are thousands of years old but you can see hair and facial features of dead Pharaohs. Creepy. One is even buried with her mummified pet monkey.

While in Cairo, I go to a CouchSurfing meeting. I come out as being Israeli and everyone is really cool about it. I meet a really cool Egyptian girl and we end up hanging a few times during my stay. We have really interesting conversations about life in Egypt. She wears a headscarf because she wants to, but it prevents her from getting into bar or ordering hookah in some bars. She also had interesting stories about her past relationships with men, and how her Western ideas about life conflicted with Egyptian boyfriends’ expectations. Overall a really cool girl!

My next stop is Siwa – an oasis 10 hours west of Cairo close to the Libyan border!

Random adventures in Backpacking

My train from Serbia arrives in Budapest at 5am. It's freezing cold and I had not booked a hostel. Luckily I have the keycode to a hostel where I had stayed in October. I let myself in, planning on finding an empty bed and collapsing. Unfortunately all the beds are filled with bodies. I have no choice and go to sleep on the couch. I am briefly woken up later by two guys stumbling home at 7am.

I wake up a few hours later and see a guy who works in the hostel sitting next to me on the couch. He says he recognizes me from a few months earlier and that he will try to find me a bed for tonight. I go back to sleep.

It turns out that the hostel is full so after a night of karaoke I again sleep on the couch. In the morning the hostel accepts whatever leftover Hungarian Forunts I have in my wallet as payment and I am on my way.

Having a "bed" at a hostel is an unnecessary luxury.

From Budapest, Hungary

Kosovo

Disclaimer: This post is long, but you were looking for a way to procrastinate anyway.

Nerd Alert: There's a bunch of controversial history in the beginning of this post. To quote Dane Cook: I did my best.

Kosovo declared independence in February 2008, making it the newest country in the world. Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo's independence, still considering it part of Serbia. The United Nations (UN) has not recognized Kosovo, because of Russia's veto power in the UN Security Counsel. There is no question that Kosovo is de facto independent of Serbia, though heavily reliant on international organizations.

From Kosovo

It is no exaggeration that Kosovo is the most pro-American country in Europe. The main street in Prishtina is Bill Clinton Boulevard, decorated with a huge poster of a grinning Bubba in front of an America flag. A larger than life statue of Bill Clinton is in the works. It's a little surreal and a strong contrast to my pre-Obama experience in Eastern Europe. Keep reading to discover the reason for this brown-nosing...

From Kosovo

Kosovo, a region in what used to be southern Serbia, is more than 90% Albanian. Serbs used to live here in the middle ages until the "Battle of Kosovo" in 1389 when Turkish forces defeated the Serbs and kicked them out. Albanians then moved into the area. The Albanians' predecessors - the Illyrians - predated the Serbs in the region. Fast forward to 1913 when the Serbs regained Kosovo from the Turks. The Serbs consider Kosovo to be "Old Serbia" where a number of important medieval Serbian Orthodox Churches are. Serbia brought in settlers to live in Kosovo and regain their lost land. What you have here is the common Balkan phenomenon that every country wants its borders to be what they were at the peak of its medieval kingdom.

Albanians suffered under Serb rule, resulting in constant protests. In 1999, under Slobodan Milosevic (eventually a convicted UN War Criminal), Serbia began an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Albanians in Kosovo. NATO, led by Bill Clinton, began a bombing campaign which eventually forced Serbia to leave Kosovo. According to my CouchSurfing host, if not for NATO intervention, the Kosovo Albanians would all be either dead or refugees.

However it is important to keep in mind that the conflict in Kosovo is strictly a national one. Though Albanians are largely Muslims and Serbs are largely Orthodox Christian, religion plays almost no role in the conflict. Kosovo's Muslims are very secular - you hardly ever see women covering up, and apparently in the summer most of the girls walk around half naked. I came across this interesting article which discusses this issue.

End of Nerd Alert

Prishtina, the capital, is filled with an alphabet soup of international organizations: NATO's KFOR, EULEX, UN's MIK, OSCE. Throughout my stay in Kosovo, I saw Irish, Italian, Germany, Turkish, and Swiss solders. In fact, this is Germany's first major military deployment on foreign soil since World War II. In Priznen, I saw Germans soldiers guard the burned out remains of a Serb church. Surreal.

Interruption: I am writing this on the bus, and the most RIDICULOUS Albanian rap video just came on the TV. The dude is wearing a Yankees doo rag and driving a Beamer convertible. He's trying to be hard core, but his B-rate ho doesn't seem to be all that into the video and is just standing there awkwardly. American Gangsta Rap really doesn't translate well into other cultures. Anyway, I was saying...

In Prishtina I am hosted by an Albanian high school student and his family. He turns out to be the first McCain supporter I meet on the trip, and is able to lay down a McCain / Pailin talking point to everything I say. My pro-Obama argument is a little rusty since I have gotten so little resistance in Europe. I am pretty impressed. His house is really nice and his mom spoils me with food. When the electricity goes out or the water stops, I'm told "that's Kosovo." But really it's no big deal.

My host's family was kicked out of their house by Serbian forces in 1999. The fled to the border with Macedonia, but weren't allowed in. Finally they snuck into Albania. In a sense they were lucky that they all survived.

I decide to take a day trip to Priznen, a city a few hours away from Prishtina. While Prishtina is more of just a big city, Priznen has a charming old town. I decide to climb up to the ruins of an ancient castle overlooking the city. On the way I pass by the charred remains of Serb houses and churches protected by German NATO KFOR troops. In 2004, Serbs allegedly caused two Albanian children to drown, which ignited an Albanian mob that burned down hundreds of Serb houses and killed 19 Serbs. KFOR really screwed up by allowing this to happen - Serbs in Kosovo essentially live in ghettos protected by KFOR forces.

When I get to the castle, I ask some high school kids to take my picture with Priznen in the background. We start talking and end up hanging out for the rest of the day. Even though they are just 15 or 16, they are already medical school students. Their school uniforms are white doctor's coats. My guess is that this is to inspire confidence in kids who are in a difficult situation. They take me out for coffee, and then show me around their school. After being introduced to their English teacher and principal, they invite me to sit in on their anatomy class. Everyone in class keeps telling me how much they love their anatomy professor. The classroom has brand new desks, which apparently the professor bought with his own money. You can tell the professor has the respect of the students, who constantly interact with him in a very relaxed atmosphere. The students tell me that the professor was imprisoned by Serbian police for joining student demonstrations in 1981. He was offerred the post of Minister of Science but declined so he could teach in the school. It was exciting to sit in on a class with the future doctors of Kosovo.

From Kosovo

I also talk with the students about how they were affected by the Kosovo War. At least two of them lost their fathers during the war. The idea of reconciliation with the Serbs is a non-starter.

Albanians express their identity via the Albanian flag. That is, the flag of the neighboring country of Albania. The minority Serbs in Kosovo fly the flag of the country of Serbia. The 10 month old Kosovo flag means little for the Kosovo Albanians and is not recognized by Kosovo Serbs, who still consider Kosovo to be part of Serbia.

Contrast this situation with the one in Bosnia, where Bosnians for centuries have had a Bosnian identity independent of ethnicity. In Kosovo, neither Kosovo Albanians nor Kosovo Serbs have such a concept. It now has to be created from scratch in the midst of ethnic tensions. I don't envy the leaders responsible for creating a coherent country in such a situation. International forces will have to provide security indefinitely. I don't see either side trusting the other.

Brazil!!

I just booked my flight from Tel-Aviv, Israel to Sao Paulo, Brazil on February 5th. I also just sent out my first CouchSurfing request for Carnival in Rio.

You could say that I'm excited.

Lisbon, Portugal

I am in Lisbon for "Lisbon Invites You" - a CouchSurfing meeting. There are people from all over the world, and I got to meet a bunch of really cool travelers. I met a French guy who said that considering that Obama will be America's president, and that Sarkozy is France's president, he for the first time wishes he were American. I met a cool American girl who buys a small flag in every countries she visits and patches it onto her bag. It was really cool to see all the flags together - especially Israel next to Egypt and Jordan. I also met a Dutch guy who got a $3500 USD rebate from his government, so he decided to travel. He made it last 2.5 years by traveling in cheap places such as Africa and the Middle East.

From Lisbon, Portugal

Being in Portugal, I met a lot of Brazilians and people who are planning to travel to Brazil (Brazil is a former Portuguese colony). I decided that I'm going to spend a few months in Brazil and travel from there. I should make it for Carnival in February. Should be insane :)

Next Stop: Middle East

I just bought my flight to Cairo, Egypt for December 16th. I'll be staying with my friend who has a place in Cairo and we will travel around. Afterwards I'll head to Israel.

I will be traveling with my American passport which says that I was born in Israel. I'm expecting the rubber glove treatment at the airport :(

Sofia, Bulgaria

I get off the freezing train from Belgrade, into the freezing Sofia train station. I really want to get out of here and to my CouchSurfer host's place. I need to call him, so I go a newspaper booth at the train station to buy a Bulgarian SIM card for my phone. When I ask if a card is available, the woman nods. Great, I found a SIM card on the first try! Oops. Turns out that in Bulgaria, a nod means no, and a horizontal head shake means yes. It's REALLY hard to get used to. Especially since when Buglarians speak to you in English, they use Western Yes/No head shakes, but when they're in Bulgarian mode they switch it up. Anyway, I eventually find a card and head to my host's place.

My host is a Bulgarian ethnic Turk. He grew up in Bulgaria, but in the 1990's the Bulgarian Communist government started to make life very difficult for ethnic Turks. According to Robert Kaplan's Balkan Ghosts, "every 'Mehmet' was made to become a 'Mikhail' and so on". My host's family moved to Istanbul to avoid persecution. In the 1990's Kaplan interviewed a Bulgarian official who explained that "when Bayezit [a Turkish Sultan] rode in here in the fourteenth century ... thousands of Bulgarians were forced to change their names. Where was your Western press then?" Here, it seems impossible to separate history from the present.

Eventually I went to downtown Sofia to check out the Alexander Nevski Church, named after a Russian warrior to honor the Russian liberators of Bulgaria. We saw a brief service. When the priest spoke, his voice eerily and powerfully echoed throughout the church. I felt a certain mysticism that I hadn't felt in any other church. Bulgaria is the origin of the Cyrillic alphabet, which was created by Cyrillus and Methodus - two priests that came from the Byzantine Empire to convert the slavs. The Cyrillic alphabet is most associated with Russian, but it came from here.

From Sofia, Bulgaria

From Sofia, Bulgaria

As I have gotten in the habit of doing, I posted my Bulgarian phone number on the Sofia CouchSurfing group inviting people to meet up for drinks. Eventually I was hanging out with a huge mix of locals and travelers at a really cool underground bar where you have to ring the bell to get in and wait for someone to let you in.

Next I'm going to Lisbon for a CouchSurfing meeting called Lisbon Invites You to meet up with my Portuguese friend that I met in Slovenia.

Tobacco Smuggling on the Night Train from Belgrade to Sofia

After Belgrade, Serbia my next stop is Sofia, Bulgaria. I arrive at the train station 15 minutes before the night train to Sofia is due to leave. I buy a sleeper ticket and hop on the train. I attempt to enter the sleeper car, but a train employee communicates to me in sign language that I need to pay an extra 6 euros for the sleeper car. Note that I'm taking the train from Serbia to Bulgaria, neither of which use Euros. I only have a 50 euro note, and he signals he can't make change. Super. Since the train is about to leave, I don't have time to get the necessary 6 euros, so I decide to just take a normal seat. Luckily the train is almost empty and I find a 6 seat cabin to myself, which allows me to lie down and sleep.

As soon as I sit down, a man bursts into my cabin. He's visibly agitated. He explains that he's from Slovenia, and on the way to visit his father, but he needs to borrow 12 euros for some surprise fare. I believe him, but I'm not about to part with my 50 euro note which at this point is the last of my hard currency. I give him a few euros worth of Serbian dinars and wish him luck - I never see him again. Something tells me it was the real deal, and I feel guilty I couldn't do more. Especially because Slovenians are so awesome.

The cabin is really dirty, but is actually way better than the sleeper car, which looked a lot like a jail cell. It's dark at this point, and I'm a little shaken from my experience with the man from before. I look out of my cabin into the hallway, and see a creepy old lady staring into my cabin. After a while she leaves, only to return and stare again. CREEPY. It's 10pm so I decide to sleep, but there is no heating on the train, and it's FREEZING. I open my bag, and put on all the warm clothes I have, including two sweatshirts, three pairs of socks, and gloves. I text my CouchSurfing host in Bulgaria that I'll be seeing him soon and pass out.

I sleep for a few hours, and am woken up by a couple who sits in my cabin. When the Serbian police come to check our passports, the man notices my American passport and laughs "Americanski!" He and the police share a good laugh as I look on confused. As the police leave, the man hands the policeman a pack of cigarettes, which the policeman pockets.

I go back to sleep. Next thing I know, the man starts to pull the metal trash receptacle out of the wall of the cabin. This metal box is just under the window and about a foot from my sleeping face. Once he succeeds in removing it, he proceeds to stuff the empty space between the walls with cartons of cigarettes. At this point I decide it would be best to leave. Getting accused of smuggling cigarettes would be a bummer. I slowly pack up my sleeping bag and start to head out of the cabin. I send a friendly "ciao" to my cabin-mates and they return a flat "ciao" my way. I sneak into the next cabin. About 20 minutes later, customs comes by and asks if I have anything to declare. Pretty sure I know what the answer was to that question in the next cabin.

From Sofia, Bulgaria

By the time I get to Sofia, I feel like I'm about to lose a toe or two from frostbite. It takes a hot shower at my host's place to thoroughly dethaw.

Serbia - Politics in the Air

My first day in Belgrade, I head out to hit the usual tourist spots. On the way I run into a small protest. Intrigued, I approach to see what's going on. A Serbian journalist explains to me that it's a protest against NATO regarding Kosovo. The purpose is to petition the Serbian government to investigate missing Serbs in Kosovo as a result of the Kosovo War. People are holding anti-NATO and anti-EU signs. During the 1999 Kosovo War, US planes bombed military targets in Belgrade - massive destroyed buildings are still visible. When asked where I am from, I answer "Israel". This is the first time on my trip I don't answer "America" when asked that question. I had considered answering "Canada" (as some Americans in Europe apparently do regularly) but homie ain't goin out like that. (The rest of the time in Serbia I answered "American" and never received a negative response.)

From Belgrade, Serbia

The protest itself was very small in number, and the organizer repeatedly attempted to convince people from the street to join. Most of the people involved were old, holding up what looked like pictures of their missing adult children. The organizer was speaking into a megaphone, and at one point had to pause as his hand shook and he seemed to be on the verge of tears. An elderly woman walked over to him and told him to take a break.

Regardless of the politics, I could only feel sorry for these people. It was obvious they didn't have much support. And they all had lost loved ones.

Later on I saw a huge banner hung in the main square that said "Stop NATO facism" in Serbian. There were three people standing there, while people who passed by barely seemed to notice.

From Belgrade, Serbia

Speaking with Serbians about Kosovo, I've gotten different reactions. One girl said she couldn't care less about Kosovo - most Serbians have never been there, and Serbs now make up a tiny minority of the Kosovo population. Another girl told me a story of her friend that went to a Serbian wedding in Kosovo, only to get shot at. At one point I (stupidly) told a Serbian girl that I was excited to visit Kosovo because it's a "new country". Visibly agitated, she responded "not really."

While in Serbia, I took a night to visit Novi Sad - a student town north of Belgrade. The town is beautiful, and I partied with a crazy local CouchSurfer DJ / Producer until 3am. He missed his bus home so I snuck him into my hostel. I introduced him to American peanut butter (I always have some on me), and he crashed in my room. In the morning he snuck out before the hostel lady arrived. I'll consider it my first CouchSurfing "hosting" experience :)

Back in Belgrade, I went to an awesome house party at a CouchSurfer's house. I held my own in Foosball, and played a mean "My Name is Jonas" on Guitar Hero. Then I headed out to explore the legendary Belgrade nightlife.

In Serbia, I met up with two Aussie girls that I had met in Sarajevo. I ended up hanging out with one of them all week, including the trip to Novi Sad. I'm headed towards Sofia, and she's going to Budapest, so we're splitting off, but I'll really miss her :(

From Belgrade, Serbia

Bosnia

Nerd Alert: I'm gonna have to unload a bunch of history on you. This is all my understanding of it and I'll probably screw it up one way or another. But here goes:

The countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Kosovo all used to belong to Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia means "Southern Slavs", and most of the languages in this area are similar enough such that anyone in Yugoslavia can communicate with anyone else. During the Cold War, Yugoslavia was ruled by Tito who famously broke with Stalin and helped found the Third World movement. The First World was the US aligned world. The Second World included the USSR-led world. The Third World was any country that refused to align with either. With the end of the Cold War, the term "Third World" has taken on more of an economic meaning than a political one.

Tito - half Slovenian, half Croatian - was able to suppress nationalist feelings amongst his countrymen. After his death, nationalist politicians started using ethnic divisions to their advantage, and soon the country fell apart. Slovenia got independence first in 1991 with a war that lasted 10 days. Croatia had a pretty bloody independence war starting in 1991. Bosnia - a mix of Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats, and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) - spiraled into war in 1992. Mix a multicultural and diverse country with nationalist / fascist politics and you're gonna have a problem.

The War in Bosnia ended just over ten years ago, but you can still see the scars of the war throughout Bosnia. I started off in Mostar, Bosnia, which is now home to mostly Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks. During the war, the two peoples united to fight off the Serb army, but then turned on each other. The city is now divided into a Bosniak portion and a Bosnian Croat portion. Between the two sections is a long boulevard on which almost all the buildings are either destroyed or are riddled with bullet holes. The Bosniak side of town is the "old town" which has been restored with foreign funds. It has a beautiful Oriental feel where shops sell hookahs and backgammon sets. The Croat side often looks as though the war ended a few months ago.

From Mostar, Bosnia

My next stop was Sarajevo - the capital of Bosnia. Sarajevo is known for being the "European Jerusalem". Within a few blocks you can find a Christian Orthodox church, a Catholic Cathedral, an Islamic Mosque, and a Jewish Synagogue. Keep in mind that though these people are all considered "ethnically" different, they all look the same, speak essentially the same language, and can't really tell each other apart.

During the Bosnian War, the Serb army held a siege on Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995. They deliberately shelled civilians waiting in line for water, and had snipers in the hills take shots at civilians on a daily basis. These war crimes eventually led to a NATO-led bombing campaign on Serb forces and the Dayton Peace Accords.

In Sarajevo I met a bunch of journalists from Serbia and Bosnia who were in town for a conference. They were really nice and let me tag along with their group. We had a bit of a cultural exchange. I helped teach them my version of Kings- an international drinking game - and they showed me around. They were a diverse group representing every cultural group in Bosnia, but they all got along. There were a few mixed couples in the group, who were happy to report that their parents were OK with it. While there was no tension, it was impossible to escape history. When we walked down the boulevard in Mostar that separated the Bosniak and Croat sides of town, one of them mentioned that the Bosniak side had the bullet holes while the Croat side had the bullets. On the way back from our day trip to Mostar, we stopped off at restaurant that had full sheep rotating on a spit outside. We all had the "special" which was - surprise surprise - lamb. I noted that this would not be a very good place for vegetarians. One of the journalists noted it's also not a very good place for sheep.

From Sarajevo, Bosnia

My next stop is Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. I've been hearing rave reviews that seem to put Belgrade at Prague / Budapest level. We shall see...

Dubrovnik, Croatia

The bus ride from Split to Dubrovnik provided some spectacular views - mountains on the east and sea on the west. But I was unprepared for Dubrovnik's beauty. Dubrovnik used to be it's own city-state, which was able to fend off nearby powerful Venice. It took a huge beating by the Yugoslav army during the Bosnian War but it has largely been rebuilt. It's hard to describe Dubrovnik, so I'll just show you a picture:

From Dubrovnik, Croatia

In Dubrovnik I CouchSurfed with a German traveler named Stefan who lives in his truck. The story of this truck is pretty amazing. He bought it for 500 Euros and pimped it hardcore. He put in insulation, wood paneling, lighting, a fold out bed, a couch (my bed), an oven, stove top, fridge, a wood-burning stove for heating, cabinets, a shower, a toilet, and a solar panel for electricity. Basically he built a motor home from scratch. He doesn't bother with expensive trailer parks, so all the electricity he has is from solar power, and all the water is carried in a (grueling for me) 20 minute uphill climb from the city center.

From Dubrovnik, Croatia

He works a little here and there when he has to. His main expenses appear to be gas for his truck, some food from the grocery store for himself and his dog Flitch, and beer. His plan is to drive to India over the next few years. He moves slowly because gas is expensive. He doesn't plan to ever stop traveling.

From Dubrovnik, Croatia

Surfing with Stefan was an eye opening experience. Growing up in the suburbs in America, it's drilled into you that you go to University, get a good job, and pretty much work forever. If you work hard, you're rewarded with a few weeks a year (if you're lucky) of "vacation" where you get to do what you want to do. Stefan lives an inverse life where he "vacations" for the entire year and works a few weeks to sustain himself. His lifestyle proves that you don't really need money to live. OK, before my parents start to panic, I'm not suggesting that I'm going to follow in Stefan's footsteps. Nor am I convinced that living out of a truck and traveling for all eternity is necessarily a path to utopia. But it makes you realize that the "normal" approach to life is really just one choice of many.

On a completely different subject, I've been wearing an Obama pin ever since it was kindly donated to me by Beth's roommate. I've been getting shout outs from random people ever since - always positive. I'm hoping it will neutralize some of the "I hate America / I hate Bush" comments that I've gotten pretty tired of. I've been reading that Obama is going to use executive orders to immediately undo some of the absurd Bush policies like forbidding California to impose fuel efficiency standards. Pretty exciting :) I feel like after eight years in the dark, America is finally back on track.

Split, Croatia - a modern town in an ancient palace

I took the ferry from Ancona, Italy to Split. The best time to visit the coast of Croatia is during the summer when it's a beach paradise. However I couldn't resist visiting Split - a 1700 year old city originally built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

Diocletian grew up poor and worked his up through the military to become Emperor. When he decided to retire, he moved to Split and built himself a huge palace. Eventually the Roman Empire fell, and Slavs from the east moved into the ruins of the palace. The cool thing about the Diocletian Palace is that rather than being a "museum" like most ruins in Rome, it's a living, breathing place. People still live and work in structures built over the centuries. You can even buy an apartment in the palace if you've got a spare million euros lying around.

From Split, Croatia

I met up with a cool dude from Split through CouchSurfing who showed me around Split with a friend of his. He even gave me some really good Croatian chocolate as a welcome gift. As a parting gift he gave me a bag of local lavender to put in my backpack - hopefully he wasn't hinting at anything :) He offered to host me in Split next summer for some island hopping. I will definitely be back...

Bologna, Italy - Protests and Elections

How you know you're in Italy...

I'm on the train going to Bologna. We're stopped 5 minutes outside Bologna for about 20 minutes and people are getting impatient. A woman starts talking to me randomly in Italian, probably complaining about the train. Soon she spots a train employee and starts to complain. Hands are flying everywhere. Voices are raised in beautiful Italian melody. So glad to be here :)

I'm in Bologna to unwind and hang out with Beth. Meeting new people has been fun for the past few months - but it's good to hang out with a real friend. Beth is doing a Masters at Johns Hopkins in Bologna. People at the program are really cool and really welcoming.

Traveling has left me a little starved for nerdness and I end up going to American Foreign Policy with Beth. The topic is US Policy in Europe post-WWII, focusing on Eastern Europe. The topic could not be more relevant to the traveling I've been doing. A little too excited for my own good I take notes and even attempt to ask a question at the end of class. It's pretty fun pretending to be a Masters student.

The next day I wake up to loud yelling outside Beth's apartment. It turns out there are Italy-wide protests against a law passed the day before cutting the education budget and generally screwing students. I decide to join the fun. The protests wind throughout all of Bologna, ending on the main streets. Cars are all frozen in the streets as protesters weave in between them. Most of the motorists honk with approval. Hopefully the protests sent a loud message to the Italian government.

From Bologna, Italy

From Bologna, Italy

Finally, came the big day - Tuesday November 4th. Could I have any better luck than to be at American school during elections? I had already voted absentee (thanks Mom!) and am ready to watch the action. We gather at the school's auditorium at midnight (6 PM Eastern time) to watch the results come in. There is a huge screen set up to watch NBC. At 5AM sharp, the screen reads "Barack Obama elected 44th President of the United States". The room goes crazy with everyone hugging, laughing, and crying. We fill up on champagne as we wait for Obama's victory speech. There are few dry eyes in the house, including mine. Traveling for the past few months, I've often gotten the "I hate America - I hate George Bush". Hopefully that will all change :)

From Bologna, Italy

Ljubljana, Slovenia

When I showed up in Ljubljana, I really didn't know what to expect. I had met some Slovenians in Prague who told me I have to check out Ljubljana. After hanging out for a few hours in Ljubljana, I meet my CouchSurfing host at a bus stop by her apartment. She turns out to be a CouchSurfing machine - throughout the rest of the week at least 7 people end up staying at her apartment. My night or two in Ljubljana turned into a week :)

Slovenians are really cool people. According to a tour guide that I eavesdropped on, Slovenians are hard-working like Germans, but like to live life like Italians. As part of Yugoslavia, Slovenia was the economic workhorse that subsidized some of the poorer parts of the country. But Slovenians also love to party. There isn't a single night in the week that there isn't something going on in Ljubljana. The coolest part in town is Metelkova - a self-declared 'Autonomous Culture Zone' with illegal bars and clubs. It consists of a bunch of run down buildings taken over by artists. So cool.

From Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana itself is a beautiful city. The city center is more Italian than anything I've seen in Eastern Europe. Of course don't dare to suggest that Slovenia is "Eastern Europe". Slovenians will tell you straight up that it's "Central Europe". And after visiting, I have to agree.

From Ljubljana, Slovenia

One night in Ljubljana I'm doing laundry at a hostel across town (the only place to do laundry) and I bump into a Portuguese guy I had met on the train. While the washing machine ran, I hang out in his room. I start talking to one of his Brazilian roommates at the hostel and it happens to be a CouchSurfer that was supposed to stay at my hosts place. We start talking and it turns out he rented a car and was planning on driving all around Slovenia the next day. I decided to join him.

The next day my Brazilian friend picks me up with his rental car and we head off to Predjama Castle - a castle from the 13th century built inside a mountain - pretty crazy. Then we headed off to Škocjan Caves which have the largest underground caverns in Europe. You feel like you're at the center of the earth. Then we headed to the coast from some seafood in Pilan. Basically we saw most of Slovenia in one day - it's a small country :)

From Ljubljana, Slovenia

I also met a real cool Portuguese dude who is hosting a dozen people at his place for a CouchSurfing conference in Lisbon at the end of November. I REALLY wanna go. Hope it works out.

Next up - Chilling with my good friend Beth at her place in Bologna, Italy.

Zagreb, Croatia

I'm super excited to be in the Balkans, and Zagreb is a very appropriate entry point. While traveling I read Balkan Ghosts by Robert D Kaplan and I'm excited to see his book come to life. Croatia is a new country, which used to be part of Yugoslavia.

Upon checking into my hostel, I meet a Croatian girl who was given a Serbian name, after a famous handball player. At the time of her birth, Tito's iron first suppressed nationalist feelings and ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia were eased. Now this girl was having problems living with a Serbian name in a Croatia. Her brother, also given a Serbian name, changed his name to be more Croatian sounding as a teenager.

A very controversial figure in Croatia is Aloysius Stepinac. He was a Catholic Cardinal during WWII who was accused of supporting Croatia's fascist party. Many Serbs were ethnically cleansed by the fascist regime in Croatia during WWII and Serbs see Stepinac as a war criminal. Stepinac is a very complicated figure, and considering that in WWII the two powers in Croatia were fascism and communism, he was between a rock and a hard place. But it was pretty shocking to see Stepinac's image all over Zagreb's main Cathedral. The place is practically a shrine to the guy. To a Serb, the Cathedral looks as through it's a shrine to a War Criminal.

From Zagreb, Croatia

Croatians I talked to admit Stepinac has a controversial past. But usually they still say that he's a good guy that saved a lot of people. And they tell you to disregard the biased negative things you hear about him. Obviously I'm not a Balkan scholar, so I can't tell you what the truth is. But the whole thing is pretty interesting.

At the same time, Zagreb is an intellectual city. There are tons of museums, and cafes are always packed. Most people couldn't care less about politics, and dream about going to the beach on the coast. They tell you that Zagreb is a mixed city with Croats and Serbs living in harmony, with the far right nationalist parties getting negligible votes. They'd rather talk about McCain / Obama than about Croats / Serbs.

On Friday night, I decided to check out some local Jewish services. The services were short and sweet, followed by an awesome dinner. Next thing you know we're drinking beers at the synagogue. We go out for a night on the town and hear a Jewish Klezmer band. Pretty cool :)

From Zagreb, Croatia

Through CouchSurfing, I met some really cool girls in Zagreb who showed me around. One of them is studying to be an expert on the Miramba, and she gave us an impromptu performance. Then she taught a bunch of us how to play. It was pretty awesome.

From Zagreb, Croatia

Tomorrow I'm heading off to Slovenia. But I'm really going to miss Zagreb. I've had an awesome time here :)

Pecs, Hungary

On the way to the train station in Budapest, I get a text message that I've got a place to CouchSurf in Pecs. Sweet.

I show up at the apartment, and it turns out my hosts are four pretty Hungarian University students. Two of the girls work for Red Bull, so we all load up on some. After some Hungarian Witch's Blood we head out for a night on the town. We go out to a club and get in basically for free since the girls know the bouncer. There is an awesome live Hungarian rock show followed by dance music all night.

From Pecs, Hungary

The next day I'm sad to leave and we say goodbye. I walk around Pecs and see the sights. There is a mosque in the center of town that was built by the Turks on the site of a church they destroyed during occupation. When the Turks were kicked out, the Hungarians turned it back into a church. But it's really cool to see Muslim and Christian imagery in one structure. It's called the Mosque Church.

From Pecs, Hungary

I also check out the synagogue. It is closed for Sukkot but I somehow find an unlocked side entrance, and am able to find their Sukah. Pretty cool.

From Pecs, Hungary

I move on to my next CouchSurfer, who greets me with a hot Hungarian stew. After some Hungarian wine we hop on some bikes and head off to the bars. Drinking and biking is probably a bad idea, but it's pretty fun :) I meet an American couple who are going to head back to their hostel at 3AM to watch the Obama / McCain debates. I'm tempted, but in the end it doesn't happen. Too bad, I heard it was interesting. I'll hang out in Pecs for another night and then I'm onto Zagreb, Croatia.

Budapest, Hungary

I start off in Budapest with a free walking tour. I figure its a good way to get to know the city. And since the guide is Hungarian, it's a good way to get a Hungarian perspective on the city. We get a quick history lesson:

Hungary used to be a huge kingdom that included Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, and parts of Romania. However they allied themselves with the axis powers in WWI and had 72% of their land "stolen". Hungarians are pretty pissed about this loss and I even saw a "Greater Hungary" map at a Hungarian's home. When WWII came around, Hitler promised the Hungarians they'd get their land back, but "unfortunately" Hungary lost the war. It is a little difficult to sympathize with my tour guide, considering that if Hungary had won the war I probably wouldn't be alive. My tour guide is also no fan of "Russians" though the Soviets did mess up Hungary pretty bad. In the "House of Terror" museum, they prominently display a quote by Stalin that reads "I don't care what happens to the Hungarians".

On Friday night, I decide I'll check out a local synagogue. I do some research and find one that sounds cool. I call ahead of time but the lady on the phone speaks neither English nor Hebrew, so I decide I'll just crash the service. When I get there, a guard tells me that they'd had some security issues so I can't go in. I talk to him in Hebrew and that still isn't enough. Finally he agrees that if I bring my Israeli passport he'll let me in. I go back to my hostel, get my passport, and make the end of the service. The service is in Hebrew, but I can't find where we are in the prayer book. The prayer books have Hebrew on the right side and Hungarian on the left side. I ask a neighbor for help and find it funny when he points to where we are on the Hungarian side. Thanks buddy!

I'm in Budapest over Yom Kippur, the most important Jewish Holiday. It's the holiday of Atonement, and after Oktoberfest I have plenty of material. I had met a cool German-Jewish dude at a CouchSurfing meeting, and was CouchSurfing with an Israeli guy, so I decide get to drag them both to service. We get some free food out of it, and then head to the biggest synagogue in Europe for Yom Kippur services. Overall a pretty cool experience.

From Budapest, Hungary

From Budapest, Hungary

A few days later, I go to my first European football game. It is a world cup qualifying match between Hungary and Albania. Unfortunately, we sit in the posh $12 seats instead of the $5 working class seats. Those guys are INSANE. They chant loudly the whole game waving flags, and have to be dispersed by riot police at the end of the game. Hia! Hia! Hia! Hungaaaaaaaria!

From Budapest, Hungary

Later I go caving underneath Budapest. You expect a nice walk through some caves but it ends up being some hardcore crawling on your knees ninja action. (Apologies in advance for the cameltoe shot)

From Budapest, Hungary

The highlight of Budapest is definitely the thermal baths. The Turkish Ottoman Empire occupied Hungary for 150 years which was mostly a bummer. But when the Hungarians finally kicked them out, they kept the Turkish baths. Imagine the largest complex of hot baths, saunas, and steam rooms you have ever seen. And it's co-ed which doesn't hurt. For $15 a day, you can't go wrong. Chess with old Hungarian men in speedos is included.

From Budapest, Hungary

From Budapest, Hungary

Checkmate old man!

Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

Oktoberfest is the largest festival in the world. It starts in September and finishes up in October. Six million attend every year and consume 7 million Liters of beer. I wasn't planning on visiting Germany on this trip. But what the hell.

My first problem is that hostels are booked out half a year in advance, so unless you want to pay 100 Euros a night (about 5x what I'm willing to pay) you need to find an alternative. Considering my awesome CouchSurfing experience in Pilsen, I decided to give it a go in Munich. As you can imagine, most hosts had already committed, but after 20 emails I find a German girl who was willing to host me. Sweet.

I take the train from Prague to Munich, which is completely reserved. I am worried I won't get on but after a mad scramble I make my way onto the train. There are no seats, so I sit down on the ground for the next few hours. I actually figure out a great way to lean back on my backpack to create a pseudo-seat. And I meet a bunch of cool people on the train.

From Oktoberfest

I arrive in Munich around 8. I figure out the UBahn (subway) and head to the burbs towards my host's house. Half of the train is dressed up in Lederhosen and Dirndl - traditional Bavarian dress. These aren't cheap Halloween costumes. We're talkin pimped out outfits. I start a conversation with some guys in Lederhosen and soon we arrive at the Theresienwiese stop - Oktoberfest. The entire UBahn unloads and the guys beckon me to join. I am tempted but I'mk carrying my big backpack and my host is waiting for me. Oktoberfest will have to wait.

From Oktoberfest

I find my host's house at LaimerPlatz. She's hosting two other cool American dudes. We head out to get dinner and drinks. The bar we end up at is packed with Bavarians in folk dress. At one point the bartender pours a flammable liquid the length of the bar and lights it on fire. The Fire Marshall would probably not approve, but it was freakin AWESOME.

From Oktoberfest

The next morning I wake early to head over to Oktoberfest. I was warned that the beer tents fill up early. I got so excited on my way to Oktoberfest that I got lost in the burbs of Munich without a map. Luckily I saw four girls dressed up in Dirndls - you know where they're going - and they offered to show me the way. One of them lives in Munich and the others are visiting from Northern Germany.

By the time we get to the Oktoberfest grounds, it's 10 AM which is very late so I'm a little concerned. Most of the beer tents were full and closed. Luckily one of the girls new a bartender at the Löwenbräu tent and we quickly get in through the back.

In each beer tent there is only one type of beer, served only in 1 Liter Steins. The waitresses carry up to 10 at a time. And it's a mad house. The German girls bring me to their table and introduce me to their friends. They teach me the drinking songs, order me some beers, tell me to order the Weißwurst, and generally take me under their wing. I'm having a pretty authentic Oktoberfest experience. I have my first Liter beer at 10:30 AM. When the band starts, I look at my watch and notice its 10:59:59. Germans efficiency. By 11:30 AM everyone is standing on their seats dancing and prosting (cheers-ing).

From Oktoberfest

My Germans friends leave at around 4 PM but I'm not ready to go just yet. I run around the tent meeting new people, sharing stories, and dancing on tables until the tent gets shut down around 10 PM. At that point I leave the tent and try to figure out how I'm going to get home. My CourchSurfing host is out of town at this point, but she was nice enough to leave me her key. I somehow find the UBahn, and am able to get to the right stop. As I turn the key in her front door, I wonder how I was able to make my way to the house. I'm asleep within minutes.

From Oktoberfest

The next day I pack up and leave my hosts' house. I have nowhere to stay so my plan is to drop my bag off at the left luggage at the train station and check out Munich. Unfortunately when I get there, all the lockers are full. It seems that every time someone empties a locker, someone else who just showed up gets it. I'm walking around the left luggage area for half an hour with no luck. I have a chat about my poor luck with one such girl. Eventually I get a locker, put my backpack in the locker, and head to tourist information.

When I get to tourist information, I see the girl from left luggage and let her know I found a luggage. She's with a friend and they invite me to join them. I tell them I have nowhere to stay. They tell me not to worry - they know a good place to sleep in the train station. Problem Solved.

We head straight over to Oktoberfest and don't leave until we get kicked out at 10 PM. Eventually we end up at the train station. We curl up in our sleeping bags on the floor and go to sleep. Three hours later, we are rudely awakened by police. Time to move on. We decide the best place to sleep is the UBahn. We hop in and sleep until we hit the end of the line, where we are awakened by someone banging on the window. We hop out and get back on in the other direction. Repeat.

We spend another day at Oktoberfest. I arrange to stay with a CouchSurfer who came to the beer tent to look for me, but my phone died before I could find him. One more night in the train station.

From Oktoberfest

I decide that I've had enough Oktoberfest and book a train to Vienna. First thing I do when I get to Vienna is wash the Oktoberfest off of me and do laundry. Time to relax.

At my hostel in Prague, I watched Pulp Fiction in the hostel lounge. Near the end, Samuel Jackson's character tells John Travolta's character that he's tired of a life of crime. When asked what he's gonna do, he replies that he's going to "wander the earth". Travolta's character retorts, "So you want to be a bum?" How appropriate :)

Pilsen, Czech Repubic - my first Couch Surfing experience

So I decided to take my first stab at CouchSurfing. Basically people offer up their couches to random travelers for free. It's a cool way to stay for free and meet local people. I decided to surf in Pilsen, Czech Republic, home of Pilsner Urquell beer, and the term "Pilsner".

From Pilsen, Czech Republic

I got into town, spent a few hours walking around, and then met up with my CouchSurfing host. He's a Pilsen local and a student studying business economics in the local university. We took the tram to his parents house in the suburbs. It was REALLY nice and overlooked the town. I met his family and there were all really cool.

We went out in Pilsen and discussed some Czech history. The next day we checked out the synagogue in town (3rd largest in the world) and checked out the Pilsner Urquell factory. I confessed I preferred the Czech beer Budweiser Budvar to Pilsner Urquell but he didn't take it personally.

It was a cool first surfing experience. The first of many for sure...

Prague, Czech Republic

I LOVE Prague. Not sure why. I just do. Something magical about it. Kind of have a crush on the city. When I finally found the town square I was grinning from ear to ear. Some of it was nostalgia from my misadventures in 2003.

Prague feels different. It has all the beauty and charm of Eastern Europe without the communism hangover. Communism here has a retro / kitsch feel. In the previous cities it was mostly haunting / depressing. Not that Czechs haven't suffered under communism. Kundera's The Joke is a devastating critique of Czech communism.

From Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is VERY touristy. Starbucks has a line out the door. For the fist time I hear English everywhere (mostly of the Aussie variety). But I forgive you Prague. I love you anyway. Marry me.

Yesterday I visited Pilsen (home of Pilsner Urquell) via CouchSurfing and I'll write about it when I get a chance. Was pretty cool.

But tomorrow I'm taking the train to Munich and crashing with a CouchSurfer to experience Oktoberfest. Should. Be. Insane.

Hostel from Hell

My bus arrives in Prague at 10:30 PM - two hours late. After stepping over urinating homeless people for 30 minutes, I decide to cheat and take a cab to the hostel. The meter is running WAY too fast, but there's really nothing I can do.

At the hostel, I'm told that they gave away my bed in the five person room. But that's no problem, I can sleep for free in the 32 bed room. In fact, I will have the room to myself because tomorrow they're doing "routine" extermination. Oh really? Actually I had read in online reviews that everyone had complained that the big room had bedbug issues. I tell him that I refuse to sleep with bedbugs, and he offers me to sleep on a couch at the bar. Um, sorry still not acceptable. He then offers a free cab to another hostel. I agree to this, but immediately go online to find my own hostel, because I don't trust this guy AT all. He comes back and says he booked me a room at another hostel, but the price he quoted was MUCH higher than what was offered online. I tell him that I refuse to pay that much and I continue to use the hostel computer to search for another hostel. This guy is trying to screw me in every orifice.

After five minutes, he returns, says he "moved" someone out of a five person room (probably offered the sucker a free bedbug bed) and said I could stay for free in a 5 person room. I accept.

The room is gross, and the bed squeaks as I climb in, waking everyone up. At around 3am, while everyone is sleeping, a drunk guy walks in and flops down in a bed. He gets mad when I refuse to make small talk with him.

In the morning I wake up, eat my free breakfast, and get the hell out of there.

Poznan, Poland

I'm here in Poznan for Rus' wedding. It's a cool town that I probably would not have thought to visit if not for the wedding. The wedding was in a really cool church built in the mid 17th century. Pictures to come. The reception followed at a restaurant in the main town square.

From Rus' wedding in Poznan, Poland

Upon finding my seat I noticed that along with the normal glasses and utensils, there was a shot glass. Next thing you know waiters bring a vodka bottle for every five people. We toast, drink, eat, repeat. Keep in mind its 4 PM. When the dancing started a good 90% of the guests were on the dance floor. Pretty awesome.

From Rus' wedding in Poznan, Poland

The party wound down at 2 or so and we headed to Buddha Bar nearby. Things are fuzzy at this point but I didn't get home till 6. I can confirm - Polish weddings rock!

Next stop is Prague. I'm staying at the Clown and Bard - a famous Prague party hostel. They have a room that sleeps 32 people. Reviews said don't stay in that room if you want to sleep before 6 am. One review said it was awesome except for the blood sucking bed bugs. Sorry to wus out on you guys, but I booked a 5 person room. Lame, I know.

PS. On the bus to Prague, Break Point came on which got me really psyched. Too bad it was dubbed in Polish - argh!