[TIPS] Reality vs Expectation when Travelling

So you are very excited about planning your travel?

At certain point I believe that people put so much expectations on their trip, that they cannot deal with the reality of some small inconveniences. For example, think about travelling to a hotspot location. A place where everyone wants to go. Let’s think of going to Paris, Louvre Museum, in the middle of the summer, to see Leonardo DaVinci’s Monalisa. It’s definitely a great place to go for vacations!  The problem is that the travel agencies want you to believe that you will have the experience all for yourself. While in fact, in the middle of the summer, every tourist wants to take a picture of this smile:

It doesn’t happen only in Paris, but every touristy destination in the world. The key for enjoying your trip without frustrations is being realistic for not falling for those travel agency propaganda. You can google for the best times for visiting for example, waking up early, and avoiding the big crowds. For example, I enjoyed visiting the Charles Bridge in Prague during the night. The bridge was empty and the darkness matches perfectly with the gothic/medieval architecture of the bridge.

Another example is travelling with a boring, stubborn person. Remember this before inviting that friend. Travelling with someone else is about spending a lot of time together. So make sure that you two can get along nicely, and you both want the same thing. If you are looking for comfort and luxury and the other person is on a budget, you will probably have to negotiate it. Always remember that you are on vacations, and there is no point freaking out over some divergences.

It’s not only for big crowds, or your travelmate, but on every place there might be some unforeseen, or some shocking cultural difference. Just read about the place you are travelling, and look for some tips. Also, have a plan B. Maybe you didn’t know that the museums were closed on mondays, but you still can enjoy a nice day in the park.

Exploring Berlin

It took place on May 30th.

After going through the last night of delays and frights, I've decided to sleep for just five hours. After all, sleeping during the vacations was a waste of time. As soon as I woke up, I had a shower and went down the stairs for the hostel's breakfast. I was almost late for it, but the staff of the Baxpax Downtown Hostel was very nice and allowed me to have one last round off the buffet. It costs six euros, which I believe is a fair price, considering it is "all you can eat", and you have the comfort of eating without leaving the hostel.

While I was eating I have schedule online my visit to the Reichtag Building, the German Parliament which has a glass dome with a panoramic view of the city. After I have finished eating I was ready to start my adventure, right? Well, not so fast. The problem is that with last night's experience of getting lost, I was afraid of not getting along without internet (the curse of the century). With the hostel's WiFi I have text some friends through whatsapp with more experience on travelling, and ask them if would they recommended me a sim card, or something like that. But then I talked to the hostel's staff and they told me I could have a free map in the reception. Walking with a paper map feel like so Indiana Jones to me, but that's what I needed to do to the Berlin Wall Memorial.

In the streets of Berlin everything looks vintage and beautiful. I took pictures from the architecture of the common buildings to the sports cars. With a map in a hand, and a camera on the other, it was looking like the stereotype of tourist. But I wasn't worried about it, because I was proud of being walking on my own and getting to the Memorial.

The Memorial is made of an outdoor exhibition among the ruin of the original wall, and a indoor gallery with videos and testimonials from civilians. As soon as I get there, a summer rain starts to fall, quick but intense. I even had a small umbrella, but it was weak and it will not hold on in the wind for too long. So I ran para to entrance of the gallery, where there was other people hiding as well. It is funny how somethings always happen for a reason in our life... My misfortune was that some of the museums, including this one, are closed on Mondays. On the other hand, luckily I get to know Anders and Kaelan, from London, with whom I have continued my adventure in Berlin.

When the rain called a truce we where able the see the rest of the outdoor exhibition. There are histories of how people tried to get to the other side of the wall. Some of them made it by running through underground tunnels, sometimes simply jumping, or using a stair. But many other are killed in this process. Also there was the ruins of the Reconciliation Church, which was divided by the wall, and became a symbol of the division of the city. After the fall of the wall, the church was also demolished duo to the image associated to it.

Since the museum was closed, we have learnt some stories that happened there, and decided to return on the next day to see the indoor gallery. Among our conversations they taught me how to use the Google Maps offline for my location. For my surprise the GPS of the cellphone works independently of the internet and it's possible to download the map by simply zooming it in the desired location. With that I was also able to use Trip Advisor offline to find restaurants.

And talking about restaurants at this time I was already starting to feel hungry. Anders and Kaelan took me to try a giant kebab close to the Hackerscher Markt for only 4 euros. I had already "programmed" my brain to eat all kinds of food in this trip, without being picky. Then I simply asked to make me one with everything. The result was so tasty that even after returning from the trip I have decided to reproduce the kebab in a Brazilian version.

It is important to emphasize that eating with 4 euros is very cheap in Germany. What you should not do it converting the exchange rate all the time. The economy in Europe in based in euro, and not your local currency. As they say in Brazil: "One who converts don't have fun".

Next we went to a grocery store to buy beers, and I had another cultural shock... I already knew that in Europe there are many good beers with low prices, but seeing a Erdinger that I'm used to pay R$30 at Brazil, for sale at 1 euro left me speechless, and charmed by the life in Berlin. Without thinking twice we always bought 2 bottles: one for drinking and another spare for later.

We were walking now towards the Reichtag Building, where coincidentally our visits schedules were the same. In our way we have some time for sitting and relaxing in the Museum Island, a square with five huge museums e a beautiful cathedral. There was live music in the place and people are relaxing in the grass, working out, among other things. A very pleasant place. The culture all over Europe is treated with prestige, and all the museums looks like real palaces.

We also have been through other amazing places like the Humboldt University, and it's monument to the books burned during Nazi regime. The French and Germany chapels almost identical, e other beautiful sigh seeing until finally getting to the Parliament. Curiously all the parliaments I've visited had a Greek architecture as a reference to the origins of the democracy in the old Greece. In case you schedule your visit in the same day as I did, just make sure to have the confirmation of your reservations saved in your phone, because possibly your name will not be in the list.

The glass dome is spectacular. Taking a look on it from the outside is a sideshow. But inside it there is the story of Berlin with historical pictures of the main events that already happened in the parliament, with explanatory texts. Also there is a free audio guide for climbing the spiral ramp inside the dome. While having a 360º vision of the passionate Berlin, we learn about all the obstacles that the city has been through, and how it raises itself again to perseverance for over dark periods of history.

Our journey through the city's history continue at the Checkpoint Charlie, an old crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. At the time it was heavily guarded with one tank in each side targeting one another. Today it became a touristic attraction where you can have your passport stamped like back in the day. It the streets around it there was also different pictures and galleries with historical pictures as well. Then we crossed to the East Berlin towards the Kreuzberg neighborhood and it famous nightlife. During this crossing I have made a important discovery to all backpackers: the big fast food chains (like McDonald's, Burger King, Star Bucks and etc.) have free WiFi, free toilet, and sockets to charge your phone. It is pretty common in Europe a elder person being responsible for the maintenance of the toilet, and charging you for it. But when you are having a new beer each corner, enjoying free toilets is a salvation. 

Getting to the other side of the city was pretty noticeable how it really looks like a completely different place. From the architecture of the buildings, parks and streets, everything seems to have it own personality. Kreuzberg is one of the busy areas of the city, but unfortunately on a Monday even the recommended clubs were empty. So we keep with our sacred "beer walk", knowing different bars and hot points of the city. At the end I tasted the traditional Currywurst from Berlin. The sandwich (if we can call it that way) is tasty and cheap, costing averagely two euros, but is not a unforgettable gastronomic experience, just a small bread with a big pork sausage and mustard.

And then I was already a little higher by walking through the beer heaven. We took a train back to the our hostels neighborhood and I said goodbye to my friends. My hostel was very busy at that time of the night in the bar, and the games room. Then I stopped for a while to talk to some people, and among they I met a German guy from Hamburg. He was just passing through Berlin for a couple of days, and gave me lots of tips of what to do in Berlin, as well as he's hometown. The most recommended place, however, was not in Berlin at all, but in Potsdam, a small city around Berlin, connected to it by the S-bahn train system. I like to see how some of things simply are too much coincidence. Then smiling, I replied to this German guy: "I've going there tomorrow morning with some friends"!

If you enjoy it, like it, share, comment, and explore the world as well.

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Boarding

It took place on March 28th and 29th.

Today is the day. “Courage and determination, my friend” said my Jiminy Cricket. It was a quiet morning: wake up early, have breakfast, take a shower… so far a day like any other. Originally, I thought about going by car to the airport with a friend. But I ended up deciding to take a bus to Campinas to avoid more anxiety, and also an urban bus to the bus station because it is more flexible and I don’t rely on car ride.

It was hard to say goodbye to my cats Mocha and Moti, because they are like sons. I know that they’ll be in good hands with my neighbors who are lovely people, but the tightness in the chest was to be expected. 

One curious thing on this day was the Google Now app: it uses cookies to bring the user useful information, like weather and news. On this day it simply warned me early in the morning about the flight, and that I should not be late. Not to mention that it was able to inform me about the flight delay in real time (yes, 3 hours delay!)

My arrival at Campinas was normal. I took a bus to the airport even knowing about the delay, because deep down I was still hoping that everything could be on time. And also there was not much to do in the bus station anyway. The Viracopos airport was empty, and the only queue was to my flight. I had already done my check-in at the electronic terminal to assure my seat at the window. A typical thing for a first-timer: I wanted to see everything. Still, the number of people waiting in the queue for a traditional check-in is impressive. I also didn’t know too much at the time, but the electronic terminal was noticable. And later, I even learnt that it is possible to do the check-in through the smartphone, without the need for paper. 

The 3 hour delay was a good trade, because I got a R$45 voucher to eat, and I was starving. The airport food is as expensive as they said, but with the voucher I took the chance of spending with a little more in a petit gateu. By the way it was delicious.

Now that I was satisfied, I was prepared to run through the gates of the land without laws… the magic world of capitalism: the Duty Free. It is inevitable to stop and take a good look at the cheap whiskeys and wines. Well, not so cheap with the US dollar exchange rate at 3.5 Brazilian reais, but some things make up for the supermarket price.

At the boarding gate I had some hours to relax, while using the internet and reading an e-book. Never take physical books on a trip because they are too heavy. Unless you can’t adapt to e-books. In this case, pick up small books, and leave The Song of Ice and Fire at home.

And at 8:50pm the adventure really got started in an Airbus A330. My seat was not reclining, and the flight commissioner offered me to change my place. But I took a good look at my beautiful windows and decided to stay right there. And it was a very pleasant flight. I slept a little and also watched the movie Deadpool (super funny). To my surprise we had 2 very tasty meals: one dinner, and one breakfast. People complain so much about airplane food that I underrated it.

Lisbon

The initial schedule of the trip was to make a connection in Lisbon, staying in the Lusitanian capital for no more than two hours. But with the flight delayed I was already waiting for the worse: I would have to get the next flight available to Hamburg. As soon as I got to the airport a Tap’s employee was already with my new ticket on her hands, and for the sadness of the backpacker I would have to wait more for seven or eight hours there. And for sure, again I got free lunch. But I’ve decided not to bother with that. After all, this was my vacation, and some unforeseen issues might happen to anyone. I end up eating a cheesebacon with French fries, and cheesecake at Clockworks, because the place had a beautiful atmosphere and a nice slogan: “Good food, positive vibes”.

The Lisbon airport is huge, but not so amazing since it’s very similar to a shopping mall at Sao Paulo. The stores are the same ones we already know, and everyone speaks Portuguese with a weird accent. What makes Portuguese from Portugal so different from Brazilian is not so much the accent’s fault, but they are used to talk really fast. Luckily the majority of them spoke English with me.

I’d thought it would be a good idea to get to know the city in my free time, and even made some research at TripAdvisor, but since I hadn’t made plans to stay there, I was a little afraid to go out and get delayed for my flight. A few days later I would remember this moment… With all the experience I’ve got, I’ve realized that if I ever happen to be in a situation like this again, I will definitely walk around for a while.

But actually I just walk around the airport, enjoying my blues collection in the Ipod, reading a book, and talking to some friends in Brazil. I’d even downloaded the Skype app to talk to my family during the trip, but I end up using it only in this day at the airport.

When I did pass through the boarding area there was a food court, and o luminous sign shine to my eyes with big letters: CERVEJA (beer, in Portuguese). I couldn’t avoid the curiosity of having a traditional Portuguese beer. Not that it was something impossible to find in Brazil, but every team plays better in their hometown, as they say. So I’ve tasted a lager Super Bock. A full-bodied and tasty beer, but nothing compared with what was yet to come.

In the late afternoon I was really tired and sleepy. But I tried to remain alert, because I was afraid to lose the flight. So I got to the boarding gate and finally allowed myself to take a quick nap. I had my first impression of being going to Germany when I saw all the people around me with blond hair and red skin. Yes, finally, I was on my way to Hamburg.

My trip to Hamburg went with an A-319, and also had boarding services and an average meal. But I was so tired that I simple fell asleep for the whole four hours.

Hamburg

Arriving at Hamburg makes me feel excited. It doesn’t matter if was 10:30pm already, I knew that from this point my adventure has really started. But at the same time I was in a hurry. It was late night already and I still had to get to Berlin! I would just enjoy Hamburg in the last days, as the final city…

  

I was happy to see my backpack in the baggage carousel with the other ones (the system works after all!). With the WiFi from the airport I was able to check the bus schedule and also Blablacar (and ride sharing app). The best option was the bus, but I was in the airport and need to get to the ZOB (bus station in German). I quickly asked for information to an airport’s employee, and he was very helpful teaching me how to buy a ticket and where should I go. I was so desperate that I couldn’t memorize everything, and had to ask a couple for help. They don’t speak English, but we could understand each other with “Bus station”, “ticket” and so on.

At this point I had my first cultural shock: the public transportation doesn’t operate with ratchet. People simply buy the ticket for honesty. They know their part with the society. The system works! Later I was to know que periodically there is a supervisor checking the tickets, which I saw only once in my days in Germany. I was just wondered with people’s ethics. It was inevitable to compare how that would never work in Brazil.

In the subway I ask another girl for help, and she explain me with details how I would need to run. I will go until Hauptbahnhof Station (Central Station in German) and would have to walk until ZOB (Bus Station). By the time the metro normally takes to get to there I was already prepared to run as hell to get the last bus to Berlin… and that’s what I did! 

Luckily (which I prefer to say “planning”), I’ve already seen the ZOB picture in the internet, and I recognized the beautiful half-moon roof from a block distance. So I ran even faster than before, and I was able to get a bus almost leaving the station. I was possible to buy the ticket directly from the driver, which was 3 euros more expensive than the regular one (but I was not complaining). The bus was a Flixbus going from Hamburg to Prague, passing through Berlin.

It was a very comfortable bus, but I did not make a lot of friends there. At my left side there was a Vietnamese boy who did not speak English at all. I even ask him how he gets along travelling by himself. The Wi-Fi network of the bus was not connecting, so I wasn’t able to plan my arrival at Berlin. But I was able to write down the hostel’s address in a piece of paper, and check that it was close to Alexanderplatz.

Since the bus was heading to Prague, I wasn’t able to relax completely, because I was afraid of losing my stop. It had been almost four hours of trip thinking: “when I get to the Alexanderplatz, how will I get to the hostel?” And that was the great challenge of don’t having internet connection. 

Berlin

When I arrived Alexanderplatz, in Berlin, I knew that I was less than 2 km distance from my hostel, but in fact I didn’t know how to get there. When I get out of the bus, I got immediately scared with the fact that I was alone at 4am with no idea of where to go. After asking for help with some people, I found a guy who showed me in his Google Maps which Tram I should take, where the station was, how to buy a ticket, and everything I need to know. I remember asking this guy:  “Is it safe to walk around by myself at this time?”. He smiled at my naivety, and answered: “Sure, why not?”. This was another cultural shock for me, because even in my hometown I don’t feel so safe walking the streets at dawn. But here it was. I thanked the guy, and I took a blurry photo of the tower Alexanderplatz with my cellphone. But the sightseeing was very similar to this picture I’ve found in the internet.

Arriving at the hostel, I did the check-in with a feeling of victory – I was finally there! It was already 5am when I climbed up the stairs and got ready to bed. A roommate was snoring frenetically at the moment. But with the fatigue of the long trip, that noise was not important, and was temporary. I did not take me long to sleep peacefully, with the sensation that tomorrow will be the beginning of the exploring.

The Eve of the Trip

If you got here but don’t know me, you deserve at least an introduction. My name is Thiago and I’ve always wanted to know the world. Like the majority of people I’ve thought that travelling was expensive, and that I will need to become reach to do it. But in fact with a little determination and planning it is possible to do anything!

I started writing this travel journal to remind myself of my adventures, and to be able to share the stories with the friends that are far away. I hope that it also can help and inspire people to travel =)

The Eve of the Trip

It took place on May 27th,

My vacations started on May 26th, which was a holiday. In my last day at work I was feeling normal, just commenting with some suppliers that I will be travelling, but I haven't realized that I'll be REALLY doing it. It just came to my mind in the eve of the trip, where I've realized that what I have been planning for almost a year will come to be true. And maybe you are asking yourself: "why departing only on 28th when he already got two days off?" The answer, however, is very simple: trickets' price. 

But let's go to the day after... There is no doubt that the trip will be relaxing, but if I could describe the eve in a few words I would say: stress and anxiety!

I’d bought an inflatable neck pillow because it’s very practical and comfortable.  However, it just arrived in the last day! Actually, the product had been already delivered at the store but it had not been processed in the system. So I’ve put on my "buyer's hat" and called every company involved in the process until I could find the package. Also, in this day I’ve got some accessories that are missing such as sleeping mask and money belt (very important to keep the money and passport safe). I’ve spend the day thinking with the feeling that I’m carrying not enough money, but since I’m also have credit card than I believe I’m fine.

The night was also busy. Sometimes it is hard to make decisions related to travelling when you don’t have experience regarding airport rules. I could carry all in the same hand luggage, but the issue with liquids are so uncertain: 100ml? 200ml? The dilemma here is my shampoo, which has exactly 200ml. And also, there is the matter of weight. With the limit of 8kg for hand luggage, and without a scale to check the luggage at home, I’ve decided to take no risk of being charged for excess luggage. So I’ve separated all my belongings in two backpacks, a small daybag, and another bigger one to dispatch (fear!). By doing so I was able to carry more items that are not in my plans from the beginning like a blanket (not every hostel offers one) and an umbrella (a small and compact one, because there was rain forecast). Only after, I found out that my daybag has 3kg and the backpack 8kg, which makes me very proud and travelling light!

But in the end everything works so well. I did my last supper, tasting a Brazilian IPA beer to relax, while watching some videos and tips about what to pack in a backpacking.

I slept little on propose to be a heavy sleeper in the aircraft. This is a nice tip to those who want to get already adapted to the new time zone. Sleep? Well, at least I have tried... anxieeeety!