How I lost (almost) everything and still found something

Prague, Krakow, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn. I never dreamed of going to these places (a few months ago, I couldn't even point them out on a map), but there I was on a train to Copenhagen airport, ready to tackle the world! But something happened near the beginning of the trip that changed everything...

Accurate representation of my pre-trip attitude

My first stop was Prague, a place I visited (and fell in love with) a month ago. The city really is so beautiful that it has earned a special place in my heart. But cheesiness aside, this was also where I got pickpocketed and lost almost everything important. From the moment I noticed my backpack was open to the final phone call with my credit card company - those were some of the most stressful and terrifying hours of my life. I considered going home. Calling it quits. But the traveler inside of me was determined to press on and see what I came to see. I had to finish the trip on a seriously shoestring budget and no phone (aka no instagram. or wifi. or calling.), but this setback also forced me to adapt and make the most of my circumstances.

No smartphone? Every meal was savored, every sight appreciated, every conversation fully engaged. No credit card or cash? Made me thankful, from the bottom of my heart, for my travel friends and their generosity. It also forced me to spend carefully, on the things that really mattered. I learned to guard my camera with my life, to keep my passport in the safest place possible, and to communicate without technology. It really changed my perspective on life (and I'm not quoting some travel book, I promise!).

So now that you've gotten through ALL that text, here are some pretty pictures from my favorite spots! Though I think beautiful might be the more appropriate word.

Other than the pickpocketing incident, I did so much in Prague over those three days and loved every second of it! I saw the modern Czech Symphony Ballet, visited the Jewish Quarter and the gorgeous Spanish Synagogue, tasted monk-brewed beer at Strahov Monastery and peeked into their stunning library (how do you even study here??), climbed to the top of the Petrin Hill and Vysehrad (founding place of Prague) for different viewpoints of the city, and RAVED ALL NIGHT at the Transmission music festival!

 The English major inside of me is crying happy unicorn tears.

Credit: claudia_dias

credit: Andurinha

 Monk's beer - the best!

 Prague's own Eiffel

Transmission Festival was a big highlight, since it was the actual reason I came back to Prague. 11 crazy hours dancing to the best in trance music and amazing light shows - what more could I ask for? Markus Schulz absolutely slayed, and his two-hour set had me dancing the whole time, smiling from ear to ear.

So in the end, what exactly did I find in Prague (and the rest of my destinations)? I won't give some corny quote about finding myself,  but I can say that I discovered the goodness of people, the beauty of sights both man-made and natural, and the fact that you really can't put a price tag or quantify the experience of seeing the world.

Berliners & Wieners

What can I say? Two weeks later, Berlin's odd charm drew me back. I decided to return because I had a ticket to the "We Are One" music festival, but I also got a deep second look at the city's culture and history.

Mornings in Berlin strike a large contrast with those in Sweden. Whereas the sun comes blazing out at 4 am in Lund, the Berlin skies slowly transform into a light gray...and stay that way. If I could describe the city in one color, it would be gray. This is not as depressing as it sounds, since the city has risen from the ashes of war and transformed itself into a bustling modern city.

This trip started out in none other than the very heart of the city, Alexanderplatz, with Berlin bears and curbside currywurst. Currywurst was invented in Berlin supposedly, so they sell this stuff everywhere.

From there we wandered past the TV tower, into a beautiful cathedral, and then onwards to Museum Island. With little time to spare, we only stopped to snap a few photos before hurrying to the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg gate) for our "Third Reich" walking tour.

The tour turned out to be an intense 4 hours of walking and standing, but the amount of history and hidden gems we discovered made it well worth the time and money. Our guide led us through the three famous WWII/Holocaust memorials. Interestingly enough, these memorials were designed with a modern, abstract edge that allows the viewer to draw his/her own conclusions about the meaning.

Along the walk, we also stopped by the patch of grass covering what was once Hitler's bunker, the New Synagogue (which survived Kristallnacht but not later bombings), and the little "stumbling stones" (located throughout Berlin and parts of Europe) marking the homes of Holocaust victims prior to their deportation to concentration camps.

That night, our group split in half to experience Berlin's famous nightlife. The two guys went to try their luck at Berghain (the most famous club in Berlin) while me and another girl headed for the "666 Anti-Pubcrawl." Unfortunately, neither party got what they wanted, but the boys ended up having a great time at another big club while we were redirected to a really cool industrial-complex-turned-club-area called "RAW Tempel." These rundown buildings, covered in graffiti and street art, have been converted to individual clubs, bars, and artist workshops. We paid 7 euros (whaat) to go to the biggest club, Cassiopeia, for a night of mainstream (but fun) hip-hop/funk music.

Photo courtesy of berlin21.net

Our whole group knocked out until 1 pm the next day. A trip to the grocery store for some festival pregame material was also mandatory, and we walked out carrying a ridiculous load of cheap alcohol.

The "We Are One" festival was located in an awesome medieval citadel (Zitadelle Spandau). We saw Eric Prydz, Max Graham, and Paul Van Dyk tear up the stage, but the festival ended all too soon by 11 pm.

Not satisfied with just one half night of dancing, we immediately jumped on the subway, got a little bit lost, and ended up walking to the trendy district of Charlottenburg for some drinks. Sausalidos, a Mexican-themed bar, turned out to be one of the highlights of our nighttime adventures. The design was amazing, the music was on point (no dancefloor though...), and the half price JUMBO cocktails were bomb. Also, the other girl in our group turned 21 that night, so jumbo drinks were perfect for the occasion.

We also had a "free entrance" voucher from our hotel to club Q-Dorf, which turned out to be a cool club with an absolute s*** crowd. Not the business...

For our last day in Berlin, we headed for the oceanside area of Treptow. We wandered around aimlessly for a few hours, discovering some amazing street art and the freakin best 1.20 eur ice cream ever.

We happened upon our lunch place by accident, a riverside line of cafes and bars. It felt like we were on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland!

I asked the waiter for their best beer, and after a moment of thinking, he suggested, "Since you're a girl, I think you'll like this one a lot. All the girls I know drink this!" Well needless to say, I was a little offended but after some backpedaling and explanation, he convinced me to order a Kristall beer.

For the latter half of the day, we walked down the East Side Gallery on the Berlin Wall and visited the Topography of Terror museum (former SS headquarters). The exhibit was well-done, but we were all so exhausted that we could barely walk.

I was all too happy to board the S-Bahn back to our hotel for some Thai food and relaxing. At 11 pm, we were back on the Eurolines coach (business class what what) to Copenhagen, ready for some serious R&R. As exhausted as we were, I am so thankful that I had the chance to see Berlin again with a fresh pair of lenses. It really is a beautiful and incredible city that has quickly climbed near the top of my most-loved travel destinations.

Dancing from London to Ibiza

Wow...sorry I've been on hiatus for a while. I couldn't manage to access a computer and blogging photos and text from the phone is not the business.

Anyways, this post is skipping over my trip to London because so much happened that I'll have to go over it in detail in the next post!

I haven't slept much in the past four days due to some intense EDM-experiencing in the UK and the white island of Ibiza, Spain. First up was the two day madness of  the dance festival, Global Gathering UK! Global was nothing compared to EDC LV (well...nothing really can compare to that), but the talent was amazing and the people were still relatively nice!

Mostly everyone was from the UK, but I talked to some cool Scandinavians and even met a raver girl (KANDI YAY) who used to live in America. The shirtless drunk "bros" were a little much, but at least they were having fun and enjoying the music I guess.

My favorite set was probably either Alesso (I saw him on tour, but he went pretty all out at this festival too!), Madeon, or Krewella. People didn't dance that much at this festival (again the bros...) but I was jumping all over the place for my favorite DJs. ^__^

Ibiza was nothing short of absolute Spanish madness, since they're already known to party from sundown to sunrise. Clubbing went from 2 am to 7 am (no wonder siestas are like 4 hours in the afternoon). I went to Amnesia to see the AMAZING combined talents of Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten aka New World Punx as well as some crazy house with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike in the other room. Definitely loved this event. I also went to the world famous Pacha club to see 2manydjs, Claptone, and Kenny Dope (with guest Idris Elba???) but I didn't like the music as much. Pacha has so many rooms though so it was fun just exploring the massive club! I probably won't be back in Ibiza for a while, if at all, since I feel like the club fees didn't really justify the entire experience. I can see equally strong talent in LA for 1/3 the price and have just as much fun...

The island itself was beautiful and I really enjoyed exploring it's beaches and medieval old town (Dalt Vila). Everything is well-preserved and there's so much to see other than the nightlife!