Want to watch part 1 of my trip to Europe podcast from last week? Here.
Want to read about my trip to Europe last week? I suppose it would help if I told you how I met my travel partner Amy. I was hanging out at Nocturne nightclub in Philadelphia on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 standing by the downstairs bar. I noticed a girl waiting for the bartender to acknowledge her
when some older photographer dude got her attention and made a pitch about doing a photo shoot. She was polite, listened attentively, and finally
took his card. He walked away. I mentioned something about pushy photographers and we struck up a brief conversion. I learned she was there with her boyfriend TJ and a couple other friends. Like me, they seemed to be dressed as if we were all living in THE MATRIX. Nice! We talked off and on
that night as I was hugging onto the bar and talking to some other dude whom my ex-girlfriend Rebecca had befriended only weeks before. It was odd that I
was finally figuring out who the regulars were and meeting them. What took me so long? Was it the Leave Me Alone mentality that’s often seen
in Philadelphia? Maybe.
A few weeks later at the same club, I was watching the midnight mosh when someone tugged on my pants sleeve (I was standing on a box and was several feet up). It was Amy and she was back for more good times at Nocturne. I think we exchanged website names (she’s known as BioMechanic on Live
Journal) and of course yours truly is on MarkShields.com. That was the last time I saw her. We eventually ended up on each other’s MySpace and
would drop friendly hellos through the years. I moved out to Minneapolis and I figured that was that.
On Wednesday, January 24, 2007, I was eating lunch at my desk when I had the following instant messaging conversation:
(11:50:17 AM) Amy: hey there
(11:50:39 AM) Mark: hey what up
(11:50:54 AM) Amy: i’m in austria
(11:50:56 AM) Amy: kinda bored
(11:50:57 AM) Amy: you?
(11:51:05 AM) Mark: no way, I saw some euro photos and was wondering about that
(11:51:07 AM) Mark: Minneapolis
(11:51:08 AM) Mark: I’m cold
(11:51:13 AM) Mark: Really cold!
(11:51:16 AM) Amy: im cold too!
(11:51:19 AM) Mark: I’m colder!
(11:51:22 AM) Mark: I win at being cold!
(11:51:23 AM) Amy: yeah im studying abroad in vienna
(11:51:25 AM) Amy: lol
(11:51:27 AM) Mark: Oh that’s sweet.
(11:51:43 AM) Amy: i visited this summer, thats what those euro photos were
(11:51:45 AM) Mark: Friends making vienna sausage jokes yet?
(11:51:55 AM) Amy: i just came back here on the 9th
(11:52:13 AM) Amy: well i dont really have friends here yet 😛
(11:52:33 AM) Mark: I would hope there’s a nice goth / alternative clubby place
(11:53:00 AM) Amy: well theres a goth night this weekend i want to check out
(11:53:04 AM) Mark: 😀
(11:53:06 AM) Amy: i might do that alone if no one wants to go with me
(11:53:10 AM) Mark: dang I’d go
(11:53:37 AM) Amy: you should come 😛
(11:54:13 AM) Mark: Oh I will.
(11:54:25 AM) Mark: I don’t ever pass up the chance for free board in a foreign country.
(11:54:26 AM) Amy: lol
(11:54:38 AM) Amy: well ive got 5 roommates
(11:54:48 AM) Amy: and we cant have people stay over really
(11:54:51 AM) Mark: This girl I know in Prague was in a similar situation.
(11:55:13 AM) Amy: but theres a really great hostel i stayed at that is cheap and clean
(11:55:28 AM) Mark: I hosteled before… and then they made that movie
(11:55:32 AM) Amy: lol
(11:55:44 AM) Amy: its cheap if you want to room with a bunch of people
(11:55:52 AM) Mark: one time some dude was sleeping under the bunk I was in and trying to take the sheets off the bed
(11:55:54 AM) Amy: but i felt like getting a private double room
(11:56:03 AM) Amy: so i paid a bit more
(11:56:06 AM) Mark: nice
(11:56:06 AM) Amy: LOL weird
(11:56:15 AM) Mark: yeah hosteling is sometimes a bit freaky
(11:56:21 AM) Mark: plus being in a room where there are snorers
(11:56:22 AM) Mark: good times
(11:56:48 AM) Amy: now im in my school housing [apartment] so i have no privacy
(12:01:06 PM) Amy: austrians are funny, they hold their fork in the left hand
(12:01:14 PM) Amy: hah
(12:01:24 PM) Mark: Now that is strange.
(12:01:35 PM) Amy: well, i hold my fork in my left hand…but i’m left handed
(12:01:45 PM) Mark: You fit right in.
(12:01:54 PM) Amy: except my german is s**tty
(12:02:11 PM) Mark: so what are you studying again?
(12:02:19 PM) Amy: right now only german
(12:02:30 PM) Amy: but when classes start ill be taking psychology classes
(12:02:44 PM) Amy: my major is criminal justice….which really isnt study abroad related
(12:02:55 PM) Mark: Oh cool. The birthplace of Psychology is Vienna it seems.
(12:02:57 PM) Amy: but my minor is psychology, so i can kinda stretch it a little
(12:03:02 PM) Amy: tis true
(12:03:32 PM) Mark: Very exciting adventure though.
(12:03:43 PM) Mark: Video blogs, please.
(12:03:46 PM) Mark: 😀
(12:04:51 PM) Amy: i didnt bring a camera :/
(12:04:58 PM) Amy: i have an N75
(12:05:09 PM) Amy: and i didnt want to lug around a big film SLR
(12:05:09 PM) Mark: film!
(12:05:31 PM) Amy: and i dont have a digicam
(12:05:34 PM) Mark: dang
(12:05:38 PM) Mark: you’re in the dark ages
(12:05:42 PM) Mark: let’s go
(12:06:22 PM) Amy: lol ok ;p
(12:07:33 PM) Mark: well I don’t know if you know me well enough as a friend to just have me stop in for a couple of days, but that would be nice to hang out with you for a weekend and I’d bring my camera and video blog the adventure
(12:07:49 PM) Amy: that’d be sweet
(12:07:58 PM) Amy: where are you anyway?
(12:08:11 PM) Mark: Right now Mineapolis Minnesota working for The Big Insurance Company
(12:08:14 PM) Mark: the same one from philly
(12:08:21 PM) Mark: but this is where the corporate office is
(12:08:40 PM) Amy: i see 😛
(12:08:59 PM) Amy: well im going to have a few breaks
(12:09:12 PM) Amy: next break is feb 4-11th
(12:09:21 PM) Amy: but i also have spring break in march
(12:09:36 PM) Amy: and at the end of the semester ill be here for a lil while
(12:09:59 PM) Mark: the first one may be possible;
(12:10:21 PM) Amy: that’d be pretty cool
(12:10:36 PM) Amy: i’d recommend you stay at wombat’s…its cheap and cool
(12:10:37 PM) Mark: we could search for cool places
(12:10:51 PM) Amy: well bratislava is ight over the river
(12:11:01 PM) Amy: munich is a 6 hour drive
(12:11:04 PM) Amy: munich is cool
(12:11:07 PM) Mark: I saw the movie!
(12:11:14 PM) Amy: all the kids are going to berlin that week
(12:11:17 PM) Amy: so thats an option
(12:11:27 PM) Mark: never got to visit berlin
(12:11:42 PM) Mark: well I’m up for anything if you don’t mind me tagging along
(12:11:46 PM) Mark: I’m easy going
(12:11:51 PM) Amy: well you could come to vienna and we could go to munich then berlin
(12:13:27 PM) Mark: I’m holed up here in this frozen land in the meantime.
(12:13:58 PM) Amy: its like 20F here
(12:14:01 PM) Amy: lil bit chilly
(12:14:05 PM) Mark: that’s a heat wave
(12:14:07 PM) Amy: but it was 50F when i got here
(12:14:12 PM) Amy: which was awesome
(12:14:12 PM) Mark: it was in the 0s here for a bit recently
(12:14:16 PM) Amy: ewwwwwwwwwww
(12:15:12 PM) Mark: heh
(12:15:13 PM) Mark: I know
(12:16:32 PM) Mark: well in case you’d like to review my friend credentials… https://markshields.com/ anytime… I’ll give you a free pass to borrow the DeLorean next time I have it in Philly
(12:16:50 PM) Amy: lol cool 🙂
(12:17:02 PM) Mark: prague is so close
(12:17:10 PM) Amy: yes 🙂
(12:17:12 PM) Mark: I have that other friend there.. she’s really cool
(12:17:16 PM) Mark: and has a place to crash maybe
(12:17:23 PM) Amy: or if you dont mind driving in europe, we could just get a car
(12:17:26 PM) Amy: cool
(12:17:33 PM) Mark: that would be fascinating… never done that before
(12:17:41 PM) Amy: hehe
(12:17:43 PM) Amy: it would
(12:17:47 PM) Amy: im just throwing around ideas
(12:18:03 PM) Amy: my friend dan probably wouldnt mind tagging along and pitching in with the car rental fees
(12:18:11 PM) Mark: bring it on, dan
(12:18:19 PM) Amy: so 3 people, one car and whereever want to go
(12:18:33 PM) Amy: i’m down.
(12:18:37 PM) Mark: me too
(12:18:48 PM) Amy: probably cheaper than paying 150 per person for a train
(12:19:03 PM) Mark: so you plot out some days and I’ll go looking to get my body on a plane during that time
(12:19:16 PM) Mark: and I’ll check wtih Katherine for some Prague time
(12:19:47 PM) Mark: she’s on my MySpace top friends list
(12:20:22 PM) Amy: cool 🙂
(12:20:30 PM) Amy: i’ll ask dan whats up and see if hes down
(12:20:45 PM) Amy: i can probably get back to ya on it tomorrow
(12:20:52 PM) Mark: sure thing
(12:20:55 PM) Mark: I’m always on this thing
(12:21:00 PM) Amy: i know hes not going to berlin with the rest of the class because he has music lessons
(12:21:02 PM) Amy: me too
(12:21:04 PM) Mark: send an email if not
(12:21:11 PM) Amy: 10-4
(12:21:35 PM) Mark: right on
(12:21:36 PM) Amy: i’d probably plan for 2 days in vienna at the start so you can rest the first day
(12:21:51 PM) Mark: if rest = imbibe then yeah I’m there
(12:22:02 PM) Mark: or some variation thereof
(12:22:13 PM) Amy: then depart on the 3rd day to go to munich…stay there 2 days, then prague 2 days, then berlin and back i guess?
(12:22:13 PM) Mark: perhaps a visit to Dr. Freud’s grave
(12:22:22 PM) Mark: that sounds about right
(12:22:37 PM) Amy: probably stay somewhere else on the way back
(12:22:45 PM) Amy: hehe impromptu euroroadtrip
(12:23:07 PM) Mark: always the best ones
(12:23:53 PM) Amy: kinda cool 🙂
(12:25:14 PM) Mark: okay I’ll report back to you… I’m guessing I should try to fit my arrival and departure into that feb 4-11 timeframe… if I arrive in the main vienna airport will that suffice for finding the wombat’s?
(12:26:09 PM) Amy: well acutally 2nd to 12th is probably ok
(12:27:44 PM) Mark: nice okay got that
(12:28:09 PM) Amy: feb 3 to 11th is my break
(12:28:32 PM) Amy: but the 2nd is a friday
(12:28:38 PM) Amy: and the 12th is a monday
(12:28:58 PM) Amy: so if you came on the 2nd, it’d be fine because you’d be resting anyway
(12:29:03 PM) Mark: got it
(12:29:08 PM) Amy: yep yep
(12:29:28 PM) Mark: yay eurotrip
(12:29:32 PM) Mark: I’ll need to review that film
(12:29:37 PM) Amy: lolol
(12:29:40 PM) Amy: wombats is nice
(12:29:56 PM) Mark: I think Luke Skywalker used to shoot wombats
(12:32:47 PM) Mark: alrighty then
(12:33:03 PM) Mark: so I’ll be browsing travelocity for a bit
(12:33:19 PM) Mark: in between classes now?
(12:34:48 PM) Amy: nah its 730
(12:34:53 PM) Amy: my classes are done at noon
(12:35:08 PM) Amy: im actually gonna go to a cafe with daniel for a lil i think
(12:35:09 PM) Mark: oh yeah 7 hours
(12:35:37 PM) Mark: well let me know how that goes; I think it would be fun either way
(12:35:43 PM) Amy: me too 🙂
(12:35:49 PM) Amy: ill email ya tomorrow about it probably
(12:36:42 PM) Mark: right on, okay more later then
(12:36:50 PM) Amy: cool 🙂
(12:36:59 PM) Amy: kinda random but cool 😛
(12:37:36 PM) Mark: true true
(12:37:39 PM) Amy: lol
(12:39:06 PM) Amy: k well im gonna get outta here 😛
(12:39:09 PM) Amy: catch ya later 😛
(12:39:16 PM) Mark: late!
I had about 10 minutes left for lunch and in that time I managed to snag a couple of flights that would get me to Vienna. Delta flight 6975 departing Minneapolis departing at 12:56 PM on 2/2/2007 arriving in New York / Kennedy JFK at 4:36 PM was my first leg. Then Austrian Airlines flight 88 (miles per hour!) departing at 6:05 PM on 2/2/2007 and arriving in Vienna, Austria at 8:50 AM the next morning would finish the job off. The tickets arrived days later via FedEx and the kickass condo office people were there to sign for them. Did I mention I love my condo? I have a spare bedroom so if you have the means to visit then please do. Well, defer your trip until it’s spring — unless you want to walk on frozen lakes and watch the mist from your breath freeze in mid-air.
It was a week later and I was on my flight from Minneapolis to JFK. Summary: Zzzzz. Northwest Airlines manages those flights and you get peanuts and a soft drink. That’s the highlight. I bought the book ”Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama and got about 40 pages into it. It’s like a stump speech only in book form. I like the guy, although I suspect that I need to give Hillary’s stump book equal time. Where is Ross Perot when you need him? Okay, okay, don’t answer that.
Upon landing in New York, I was directed to a different terminal by people with thick Jersey accents. I miss the characters of the East coast. I found the Austrian airlines booth and checked into my flight. I was skeptical that they would magically transfer my suitcase given there was only 45 minutes before the flight was to depart. Still, I had my bag with toiletries and camera hardware, so worse case I would have to make it through one day wearing my gym clothes and carrying a bright red bag.
Once in my plane and seated comfortably, I discovered that there were two cameras mounted outside the plane that you could monitor at any time. This was helpful while waiting on the airport tarmac at JFK for the rain to subside. One camera hung below the plane and the other was mounted at the pilot’s perspective. I was sitting next to some noisy 18 year olds who’d previously been laughing obnoxiously until they noticed the cool thing I’d found on the monitor. Now that I think about it, I was sitting in the middle row of three seats. I was on the end and this girl was at the other end leaving an empty seat between us. I got the impression that the girl count on these kids’ trip was low and there was a small parade of dudes that wanted to give this girl the time of day. I always noticed that they would eyeball the empty seat between us and then look at me thinking how unfortunate I was there. Bwahaha. Wussies.
Thus ends Act 1. In writing today’s blog, I’m reminded of the film UNBREAKABLE in that it’s all introductory and not much story. Acts 2 and 3 will follow suit shortly. Keep your pants on. Click here to watch the first half of the Random Euro Trip podcast in the meantime.
