Tag: travel

My German Adventure

Let me start off by saying this will be a long post. I am writing about my 10-day trip to Germany from September 20 – September 30, 2023. And for the sake of simplicity, I’ll be using the 24-hour clock when talking about times.

First off, I don’t think I want to admit it, but I will. I feel like I was under prepared for the trip. Excited? Yes. But definitely not prepared. What do I mean by that? Well, more jet lag than anything. Until now, I’ve never left the United States. My longest trip distance wise was to Hawaii about 20 years ago. My first international trip was to a place that’s a 9 hour plane ride away. Do I regret it? Not for a second, but it did take some getting used to.

I went with a friend of mine. We left at 22:30 on the 20th and arrived in Frankfurt at 14:20 on the 21st. I also worked 10:00 – 18:00 on the 20th before we left. Once we arrived in Frankfurt, we took 3 hour train ride on the ICE to Munich. Between the 20th and 21st, I got little to no sleep, and I’m certain I was up for basically 24 hours straight, if not more.

The 21st was a rough day. Lack of sleep, jet lag, being in a new place, it all added to building anxiety. We wandered the streets of Munich that night and found some stores and places to eat. There were a lot of people walking around as well. Some sober, some drunk.

After walking around for a bit, we went to the bar at the hostel we were staying at. We had a drink and then we went to Subway. That’s correct, I traveled 4500 miles to go to a Subway. I’m not proud of it, but it was open and it was familiar. After we ate, I went to sleep and I slept very well that night.

The 22nd we walked around Munich in the rain. We were planning on going to Oktoberfest, but we weren’t in the mood for it in the rain. We did get to see St. Paul’s Church and more of Munich, which was pretty cool.

On the 23rd, I woke up and was not feeling well at all. I took some ibuprofen, hoping it would help, and it eventually did. We headed over to Oktoberfest, and I can’t even begin to describe it. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Sure, I’ve been to Oktoberfest back home, but American Oktoberfest is nothing compared to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. There was beer and food everywhere. There were carnival games and rides everywhere. The tents were packed and loud. Everyone needs to go to Oktoberfest in Munich at least once in their life. It’ll be the best party you ever attend.

Our time in Munich came to an end on the 24th. We left Munich to go to Leipzig. We got to Leipzig and walked around for a bit. We didn’t really do anything until the 25th. The 25th is when we went out and really explored. We went to the Stasi Museum and St. Thomas Church, where Johann Sebastian Bach is buried. Both were really awesome to see. The Stasi Museum is a small but fascinating museum, and the church is magnificent.

The 26th, we made our way to Berlin. We stayed outside the city center and it was nice. I managed to find a small Irish pub down the street called Molly Malone’s. We had an awesome time there. We found out the one bartender was from South Carolina, and the other lived in Chicago for a bit. We also got to witness a group of school kids sing karaoke. That was quite entertaining to see.

We spent most of the 27th in Berlin. We walked all over the place. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, and we went to Checkpoint Charlie. While at Checkpoint Charlie, we went to the little museum that was next to it. We also touched part of the Berlin Wall. I always get excited when I can see and touch a part of history. It comes with being a major history geek.

The following day, we left Berlin and headed for our last stop: Frankfurt. Upon arriving in Frankfurt, I wasn’t impressed. It didn’t look that great. I was proven wrong shortly after. The 29th we really explored Frankfurt. We started walking and we stumbled upon the Old Town. That little area alone made the trip to Frankfurt worth it. Just past the Old Town, we went to St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral. We walked inside and I was in awe. The Cathedral is beautiful and definitely worth checking out.

Inside the Cathedral, they had a little board with some history of the area. It explained how the Old Town and part of the Cathedral we destroyed during World War II. Looking at it now, you’d never be able to tell. After visiting the Cathedral, we walked across a bridge going over the Main River and we walked down the river for a bit. While on the bridge, I saw the wind blow someone’s hat off their head and into the river. They tried to get it before it went into the river, but they were too late.

After our short time in Frankfurt, it was the night of the 29th, and it was time to get ready to go home. We had one last drink at the hotel bar and went to bed so we could catch our flight at 08:30 on the 30th.

In the short time we were there, we walked and saw a lot. Germany has an interesting history, and one many people are aware of. But during my time there, I never once felt out of place. I never once felt like anyone was mean or rude to me. Germany is a beautiful place to visit. While I only saw a fraction of what Germany has to offer, I would go back in a heartbeat.

Advice From a Guy That’s 30

Originally, I wanted this to be an actual blog post, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to make it into a sort of list. Do I know everything? No. Do I know a lot? Sort of. This is just a collection of things I’ve learned over the last 30 years. They aren’t in any order either.

  • We tend to care too much. We should care about the important things, but things out of our control, we should let go. It took me a long time to learn this one in particular. Once I stopped caring about the small stuff, things were better for me overall.
  • Don’t worry about what others think of you. It’s impossible to make everyone like you. The most important thing is to just be yourself. If people don’t like you, that’s their problem, not yours.
  • Do the things that make you happy. Don’t let others stop you from enjoying your life. I read comics and play video games. People look at me weird when I tell them. Guess what? I like playing games, and comic books are amazing between the artwork and the stories. If they don’t like it, it’s their problem, not mine.
  • Travel when you can. The world is so big, and there’s so much to see. Go out and see it when you can.
  • No life will ever be perfect. The idea is to make the best of what you have. Sure, you’ll have good and bad days, but the bad days will pass. The good days should be enjoyed.
  • Learn your worth. It took me a long time to learn mine and when people weren’t treating me right, I walked away. Even in past jobs. Were they happy? No, but they had every chance to make it right and they didn’t. I have no regrets.
  • Live without regret. I know it’s easier said than done, but take a chance. Get out of your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised how things can turn out. I can happily say that there isn’t a single thing I regret. Just don’t do anything illegal.
  • Don’t wish to grow up too fast. Enjoy your younger years. One day you’ll blink your eyes and you’ll be all grown up. People want to skip to the end, but half the fun is the journey you go on to get there.

I’m sure there’s more but I just can’t think of them at this moment. If I do, I’ll update this list.

Being 30 isn’t all that bad. I work with teenagers sometimes and they like to call me old. They make jokes about how I had pet dinosaurs and that sort of thing. Sure it’s funny, but realistically, I’m not that old. And most days, I don’t even feel like I’m 30. I feel younger.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve witnessed a lot. I remember September 11th (I was in 4th grade at the time). I saw the creation of smartphones, something I never thought I’d have. Now, everyone has one. I saw the Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time in over 100 years. I watched the Chicago Blackhawks win not just 1, but 3 Stanley Cups. I lived during a global pandemic that’s lasted way too long. I’m also older than Google. What did I learn from it all? The world is far from perfect. Everyone has their own story to tell. A reason for who they are. But that’s also why I am the way I am.

There’s so many negative things that happen in a given day. So many things that make people feel horrible. I like being the person to make people laugh. I like making a positive impact even for just a moment. I like telling stupid dad jokes. I like being goofy. It’s what I do. We’re all going to grow old one day, but who says that we have to grow up?

People take life too serious; they take themselves too serious. People need to enjoy themselves more. There’s no need to be stressed over things that literally won’t matter in a few years years. Enjoy your life in the moment, because once this moment is gone, it’ll never come back.

Snapping Back to Reality

At the beginning of January, I went to Colorado for a week with two of my friends and one of my brothers. It was an amazing week. I’ve gone there every year for the past five years except 2021 because of Covid. I didn’t know what Colorado looked like at the time, and I didn’t want to risk getting sick. To make up for it, we went to Wisconsin instead.

The trip to Colorado was broken up into two parts. The first half of the week we spend on the mountain at Winter Park. While I can’t compare it to other ski resorts in Colorado because I haven’t been to any, I can say that I really do enjoy going there. It’s not super crowded and we’ve been there enough to know our way around pretty well. It feels familiar.

We skied for 3 days, which is the usual, and then we headed down to Colorado Springs, a place none of us have been to before. While it wasn’t all that exciting, we did go to the Garden of the Gods. It is beautiful there. What made it better was the fact that it was sunny out as well. Colorado truly holds some of the most amazing views in all of the United States.

I can go into more detail on the trip, but that would take way too long to do. Instead, watch this video if you’re interested: Colorado 2022. I basically made a whole video about the trip including some footage from on the mountain while skiing. There’s a part in it where I fall into a big pile of snow. It’s great!

What I really want to say is that Colorado this year was different. It was harder to come home. Covid had us locked up for so long, we forgot what it was like to be free; to do what we want. We went to Colorado and started 2022 off the best way possible.

I’ve been home over a month and I keep thinking about that trip. The fun we had. Living life without worry. Waking up knowing the next day would be filled with fun and excitement. Now, every day is the same. I wake up, do some stuff, go to work, then go to sleep, and do it again the next day. On my days off, I’ll play some video games or do some other random tasks. But I’m not truly free. I’m free to do what I want in a very confined space.

It’s not that I don’t like playing games or my job. I love the life I have, but to be able to just travel, see new places, do fun things all day every day, it’s not a luxury I have. Humans weren’t put on this planet to work all the time. We aren’t here to be miserable. We should be allowed to go out and have fun too. We should be able to enjoy the things this planet has to offer before it’s too late.

In September I’m supposed to go to Germany for a week. That trip will be absolutely amazing, but I already know it’ll be so hard to come home. I’ve never left the United States. The farthest I ever traveled was to Hawaii almost 20 years ago.

Germany will be a completely different experience that I can’t wait for. The things I experience there will most likely change how I view things. And while I’m excited to go, I’m afraid it’ll change my mentally. Not necessarily for the worst, but change it in a way that’ll make me want more. I’ll want to see more. I’ll want to travel more. I won’t be happy just sitting at home and and going to work.

In the meantime, I can only remember the fun times and enjoy the present. We all need a break from reality every once in awhile. My next break won’t be until April at the earliest, maybe July. It seems far away, but it really isn’t. Life is meant to be enjoyed for the short amount of time we’re here. We should all take advantage of that when we get the chance to.

Time Travel

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of time travel. Going forward in time. Going backward in time. Meeting our heroes. Visiting with loved ones we miss. But the question arises. Even if we could, should we? Should we put ourselves into a situation where we could vastly alter our past or even our future?

While it isn’t certain whether or not we can travel through time, we have several reasons not to. We have countless movies that show us what could go wrong. Back to the Future shows us what could go wrong if those from the future return to visit themselves in the past. Timeless is a good example of how changing the past can affect the future. It still stands as one of my favorite TV shows, but when you mess with time, time messes back.

The music video for “Another World” by Gojira gives us a chilling look into what the future could hold. This is, of course, assuming we don’t change our current ways. And while we may not be thinking hundreds of years ahead, we need to. Because without today, tomorrow doesn’t exist.

However, there is a very basic way we can travel through time. It comes in the form of music. There are songs that takes us back to a certain time and place when we hear them. They remind us of people, places, events, vacations, the list goes on. And while we can’t exactly travel back to that time, for a few minutes, we do return to that time and we get a chance to relive it. Maybe even a little different than before.

My brain has a tendency to wander. I’m constantly thinking about new projects without finishing old ones. I have so many stories I want to write. So many comics I need to finish. Short films to write and film. The list goes on and on. But one of the things I haven’t gotten to yet is a story about time travel. I’ve always wanted to do one and I plan on doing it one day.

I did try writing a story in which the main character was following the clues left behind from Bonnie and Clyde in order to find a treasure. I never finished the story. And the middle got stale and boring. I’m not even sure I still have it. But in the original idea, the main character was going to travel back in time. When I couldn’t figure out how to make that happen, I scrapped the time travel aspect. But that’s a story for another post.

While time travel would be cool, I think it’s wise to not travel through time. Even if we could, I’d never go to the future. To see how things turn out would destroy our idea of the present. But to go back in time, that’s something I’ve often thought about. Seeing historical figures of the past. Hanging out with all these famous people before they were famous. As a history geek that idea excites me. As a rational human, I’d be concerned about getting stuck in the past. And while we can’t exactly travel through time yet, the idea excites me and scares me at the same time.