I arrived to Nashville International Airport at around 4 p.m. on Friday May 6th. The line for security was incredibly long… The longest I have ever seen it. It stretched past the ticketing counter. I am not sure if it was poor planning on the TSA office or just a huge surge in people hitting the security checkpoint at exactly the same time. It took me a good hour to get through security and I possibly could have missed my flight to Chicago had my flight not been delayed. I made it to the counter at around 5:05 p.m. I asked the American Airlines rep if the flight was still delayed and she said yes. The new boarding time was 6:16 p.m. I decided to get a quick bite to eat and a very expensive bite to eat as a matter of fact at the Quiznos near by. It cost me $12 for a regular sub and drink.
I boarded my flight to Chicago and had to leave my bags on the Concourse because the plane was too small to carry bags in the passenger baggage compartments. I requested and got a window seat whenever I booked the flight. This let me take some great photos of the Chicago skyline as we were landing.
I had to switch terminals to the international terminal whenever I landed in Chicago and had to go through the exact same security procedure that I had gone through in Nashville. This is terribly inefficient and they should make some way where passengers do not have to go through security twice. I finally got through security and made it just in time as they were boarding the flight to Helsinki. I sat beside a friendly Finnish businessman. He had just got back from a business trip that took him to various places including Alabama. I kind of felt sorry for him if Alabama was his only exposure to the American South. But he seemed to enjoy showing me pictures of some older Alabama houses. He switched seats to a row in front of me which left me with four seats all to myself. I took great advantage of this and it allowed me to lay horizontal during the flight. I had come prepared with a blow-up travel pillow and eye mask. I think I was able to get a few hours of sleep on the flight which is a first in my years of traveling.
I watched Deadpool which is one of the few movies available on the flight. Deadpool is one of those movies that I would probably regret buying or even watching on basic cable but in a bind on a long flight I figure things could be overlooked which would allow me to watch a somewhat uneasy movie like Deadpool.
We landed a few minutes early and they Helsinki. Finland’s customs clearance was very easy as it is with all European Union members. A very short line to the customs agent, then the Customs agent asking why you visiting Europe and how long you were going to be there. I made it to my departure gate for Vilnius in no time but it was not open yet. So I hung out in another gate and communicated with friends via the free Wi-Fi network at Helsinki Airport.
Finally it was time to open the gate to board the flight to Vilnius. The actual Airline name was Nordic Regional Airlines or Norra ( with rolled Spanish r’s). The regional Airlines partnered with Japan Airlines, British Airways, finnair comma and a few other airlines which my memory escapes.
The usual weird European fashions were present on the plane ride over. There was one 40 year old guy with a “Haters Gonna Hate” shirt and a couple of younger guys wearing jean shorts (jorts).
They served drinks on board which allowed me to try something I had never tried before. They had blueberry juice. It looks like grape juice or cranberry juice. I couldn’t tell that much difference from it but it was always good to have something tangy rather than just plain water.
We landed at Vilnius International Airport promptly at 6 p.m. I looked around for rental car companies. But only one that was Ollex was staffed. I inquired about driving a car from Vilnius to Riga and not having a one-way fee of $120 tacked onto it. The lady at the counter said that she did not have any Riga destined cars and other rental companies would not waive the one-way fee no matter if they had a car that needed to be returned to Riga in Vilnius.
I then set off to buy a bus pass. I asked the gentleman at the tourist information desk who said that I would have to buy a bus pass at the in-house convenience store, which I proceeded to do.
I then went over to the tourist information desk to inquire how to get to the hill of crosses via bus and train. The gentleman at the tourist information desk was able to give me a bus and train schedule to make it to the town near the hill of crosses which I plan on using rather than renting a car to drive there on my way to Riga.
After a little difficulty I was able to connect to the airport’s Wi-Fi so that I could catch the appropriate bus to go to my hotel. Since I had bought the 3-day bus pass I had been told to hold the bus pass against the reader on the bus itself. It was a good thing I did activate it because on my stop there were bus company Representatives checking people’s bus passes to make sure that they had paid their fare. I walked about one kilometer to my hotel a long jagged sidewalks the wheel of my rolling suitcase got damaged and now only half the wheel is available. I checked into the hotel without any problem came into my room and took a shower before going out and getting a pizza. I had found a very highly recommended pizza place near my hotel. I ordered the barbecue pit said but forgot to tell them to hold the onions which I had to pick out somewhat like an autopsy while I was eating the pizza. The pizza restaurant made their own lemonade which had somewhat of a tart taste to it but I enjoy drinking it and wished I had ordered a pitcher of lemonade rather than just a glass. I had seen other couples at the table surrounding me with pitchers of lemonade.
Since the sun sets so late here near the northern regions of Europe I was able to explore the area until about 9:30 when it started getting dark. I got some great pictures of a church and of some hot air balloons.

Tomorrow I plan on going to the island Castle and KGB Museum.  I hope I can get some sleep as my jet lag always seems to hinder me my first few days in Europe.

Why travel alone?  I get asked that question alot.  Traveling alone has many positive points, primarily for an introvert.

Ever since I took the bold move to take that job exchange to live in Nuremberg for 2.5 months in the summer of 2010, I have caught that travel bug everyone talks about.  Even further in on the 2nd weekend I was living in Nuremberg I found myself traveling alone to Munich armed with only a Rick Steves book as a guide.  I found myself slightly nervous throughout the day and I’m not even sure when / how I got myself back to the train station.

In the weeks and months that followed I found myself traveling to various cities surrounding Nuremberg and beyond.  Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bamberg, Wurtzberg, Rome….and a week in London.  I learned to navigate, to take public transport on my own to get to various tourist attractions and hotels.  Since then I have traveled alone twice.  I had a business trip to Lisbon which really reignited my love for travel.  Last year I vacationed in beautiful Budapest.

Traveling alone helps me experience the world without necessarily fulfilling anyone else’s requirements for food, sights, or lodging.  I can retreat into my own little world.  I can spend more time at a tourist attraction I really like while skipping the ones I could care less about.  Sometimes I do long for companionship or someone to share my unique experiences.  Fight Club calls them “Single Serving Friends,” i.e. those people you sit next to on an airplane…or those fellow tourists you ask to take your picture with your camera.  It could be those Americans you run across in obscure places. These very brief encounters provide minimal companionship throughout the trip.  I never get tired of my single serving friends, and if I do, they’re easy to get away from.

Next month I’ve got a trip planned to probably the most unique destination I’ve been to yet.  The trip is ambitious, but not impossible.  Of course I’ll be stressed, but hopefully I can calm down enough to experience life.

There’s a saying in Germany – “If you visit Poland, take 2 cars as one will be stolen.”  This kept me away while I lived in Germany for a summer.  Still I would absolutely love to visit Poland and experience its rich heritage, and World War II history.

There are basically two entry points into Poland:  Warsaw and Krakow.  Warsaw, it’s capital is centrally located and has a nice old city.

Krakow, the real draw for tourists, is considered Poland’s cultural center. Unlike Warsaw most of the town remained intact  Unfortunately Krakow’s airport is known for its foggy days, delaying or cancelling flights.  This worries me, and I’d like to work in a visit to both cities. Therefore I’m looking into flying into Warsaw and immediately taking a train to Warsaw.  The fast trains require seat reservations and cost about $25 one way, a real bargain considering it only takes 2 hours to get there.

What to do?  How about visiting a good old fashioned “Milk Bar.”  These bars are a holdover from the Communist era when the government would subsidize the foods in these basic cafeterias.  They serve not only milk, but mostly traditional Polish food.   Since I’m a picky eater, I’m not getting my hopes up, but I think it would be a great cultural experience.

After a sobering visit to Dachau in 2010, I’d need to visit Auschwitz, the largest World War II era concentration camp.  When I visited Dachau I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I saw the ovens where they burned the bodies.  I’m sure a visit to Auschwitz would bring about similar feelings.

When I travel I’m more into photographing market squares and Gothic cathedrals.  I’d imagine both Warsaw and Krakow have plenty of picturesque scenes. I’d probably skip the museums and *gasp* eat at McDonald’s and other western style restaurants.  It’s my trip, so it’s my choice.

I’ve been on a personal planning session for an ultimate trip to Romania.  I’ve spoken to no one, done research exclusively on the web, and have come to a greater understanding of how I should handle a future trip to Romania.  The date is not set, but it is definitely on my short list.

Why Romania?  It isn’t one of the top places the average American wants to go, and maybe that’s why I’d like to go there.  The American dollar goes a long way where the average Romanian makes $14K a year.

Romania is probably about as big, if not a little bigger than the states of Kentucky and Tennessee put together ( see map above).  I can’t imagine seeing everything in a week.  It might take a week and a half or two trips to see everything.

My entry point would be Bucharest, the sprawling capital.  But before I would go anywhere in Bucharest, I’d probably want to fly domestically within Romania since I’d already be at the airport upon arrival.

My choice for domestic flight would be the northeastern town of Suceava.  The airport there has only a few domestic services, but I see there is a car rental there, which helps me in seeing the main attractions in the area – the Painted Monasteries.

What’s the big deal about these monasteries?  They have been nominated as UNESCO  World Heritage sites.  They are located in picturesque tranquil villages which makes it great for photography.

These Monasteries are off the beaten track and for many, there isn’t an easy way to get there, without joining a tour. There are two exceptions to this rule – the Humor Monastery – which you can catch a bus from the Best Western in Gura Humorului – and the Voronet Monastery which is an hour and a half walk from Gura Humorului.

The rest of the monasteries I’d see via car.  That would mean doing something I’ve never done before, that is…drive in Europe.  I realize people do it all the time, but I am still somewhat apprehensive about it.  I’ve seen those dash cam videos of Russian car crashes.  I’ve also seen the usual horse and wagon sharing the road with automobiles in rural Romania courtesy of Google Street view.  I’d just have to take it nice and slow through curvy mountain roads.

The western most monastery, the Moldovita Monastery, is 3 hours away from the other set of attractions in the area, the Wooden Churches of Maramures in northeastern Romania. While not as exciting as the Painted Monasteries, I feel that since I’m in the area with a car, I should at least try to see some of these churches. And most of all I’d like to see the Merry Cemetery (also in the area).

After seeing these churches I’d head to Cluj-Napoca where I would turn in my rental car and use trains and buses to make it to other larger cites.  I’d estimate this would take me between 2 and 3 days to cover all of this. I’d try to see the sites in Cluj-Napoca including Saint Michael’s Church.

From Cluj-Napoca, I’d catch a 3 hour train to Sibiu, well preserved medieval city.  Also I’d try to see Sighisoara, a walled old town, before eventually getting to Brasov to visit Bran Castle.  Then on to Bucharest for a couple of days of sightseeing before flying back.

It would be daunting and would likely take an extended stay so as not to feel rushed….or broken up in two trips.