The Details Make the Trip

The European Trip Report

Do you see how dehydrated I am! These fuckers only drink sparkling!

I’m opinionated. Today I told my mom that her chocolate chip cookies weren’t her best. Normally I love her cookies, but that batch was a bit off, and I wish I didn’t say a word. But I did. And I do. Most people hate you for it, but it’s the special few that appreciate it because it’s what I think.

Amsterdam & The Craftsmen

This hotel in Amsterdam was unique. It was in an awesome location and offered 14 rooms. The one I stayed in was called the Bookbinder. It was tiny. A bed, a desk, and a bathroom. Each morning they served breakfast with a hardboiled egg, fruit, cold cuts & delicious bread, coffee, and yogurt (which I think is disgusting but I ate anyway). The shower was awesome and the room was cozy. Who cares if you stub your toe on the elevated bump up to the bathroom every time? The one night I was out late after drinking at the BeerTemple and found myself at the bar in the picture. There was a Columbian belly dancer literally dancing on that tiny bar and I thought she was going to become the bent neck lady. She was super hot though and I’m sure I tipped an amount that was disproportionate to what she deserved. Back to the hotel, it was only 10 minutes from the train station and 10 minutes from the Red Light District. I felt like I was able to move in and out of the city to a hotel which was roughly $250 a night. Well worth it. Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities to visit.

German Efficiency

To get from Amsterdam to the Wuppertal area (Herdecke specifically), I took a train. I had a reserved seat and rode peacefully to Duisberg before I rode an Intercity train to Hagen. From Hagen I got a taxi to my hotel and went for a run along the River Ruhr to take that cool picture near the bridge. My hotel was around $120 Euro a night and produced that picture of the meal. They also had breakfast that started at 6am which I enjoyed. The room paid strong attention to details like the sink that would shut itself off, the shower doors which opened both ways, and the lights would automatically turn on.

However, I’m not a huge fan of Germany and it has nothing to do with the history. The people lack warmth. This doesn’t mean that they are not nice, they only want efficiency and that doesn’t come with a hug. At this point I’ve been to Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Wuppertal, and Cologne, so I’ve seen most of their major cities. I’ll comment that their rail system is god awful. In order to get to Munich, my traveling compatriot and I jumped on 4 different trains for what was supposed to be a direct. The Deutsche Bahn is quite disastrous. I was only in Munich for a night, but there was a cable call that ran directly outside my hotel room which sucked, and I saw a running club that must have had 100 people in it. Wild times.

The Beauty of Innsbruck

I traveled in a Lamborghini Uris to get from Munich to Innsbruck. I kid you not. The guy driving got us up to about 250km (150mph). Innsbruck is on the smaller side and a truly beautiful city tucked away in the mountains. The pictures don’t do it justice. I was there for a roofing show and I have a business partner who I’ve known for over a decade who shows me a fun time. There were also a few Americans in town so I wasn’t short of friends. I posted a picture of a suit jacket because I didn’t want to travel with one so I borrowed it. No problem except I was attending a black tie event and I didn’t have pants or shoes. I ended up spending $500 to match the jacket with trousers and shoes. So be it. If you see the picture with the people on stage, this was traditional entertainment which I can only describe as you have to see it to believe it.

Innsbruck is one city where I didn’t feel like a stranger and find the people to be welcoming and friendly.

Venice – The City of Canals

To get from Innsbruck to Venice, my friend drive me to Verona. I saw Juliet’s balcony and a crowded town with a mini Coliseum. I had a hotel room for 3 nights in Venice so I couldn’t stay long. In Venice, I checked into my 4 star hotel and walked around a bit to get my bearings. It was a confusing city to say the least. A city grid? Forget it. You travel around wandering into dead ends and incorrect paths where Google Maps has you heading to a Gondola that doesn’t exist. It was frustrating until you start knowing to look for the big bridges.

My hotel was first class to the point that it was weird. I took a nap at 3 pm and when I returned at 8pm my bed was made…again. It was like they were watching. It could have been because I tipped them 5 euro and Italians don’t tip, and oddly enough they stole my coins from the desk that I wasn’t planning on tipping. Aside from the high end hospitality, the food was tasty, and there was plenty to see for 2 days. One odd occurrence was when I went to Murano, the glass blowing capital of the world, I entered a cemetery and it was deathly quiet. Earlier, I had given a .50 euro tithing I gave to a church to see if any karma would happen. This was a legitimate creepy feeling standing there with all those dead bodies next to me in silence. It wasn’t a religious awakening, but being completely alone in there in silence was a new experience.

I had another odd story when I was trying to get to the Venice airport by water taxi and it didn’t show up at 4:30am. I was trying not to panic, but I was in full panic mode because I had been traveling for 12 days and I was ready to get the fuck out of there. The hotel finally got the service to show up at 4:50, and I was told they accept credit cards, and they didn’t. I ended up paying in American dollars, but goes to show you why you carry cash.