packing is something i am just fascinated with. i've searched high and low for tips on this matter. spencer and i have downsized our packs to carry on size. this will, hopefully, lower our risk of injury when we're running to catch a train and ensure my insulin is safe and close by in case of an emergency or chocolate craving.
as a child, i would hide my half eaten happy meal under my bed. i have always loved anything related to keeping all my trinkets and treasures in one place. spencer's theory is packing should only take 23 minutes. my theory? i've already started a list for italy! one lesson i learned from our last trip is pack light! they've said it for years. i didn't believe 'em. i will be taking a third of what i pack for our last trip (9 days) for our upcoming adventure (15 days). here are a few things i learned last time:
Flight: $1000 (Estimation)
Osprey Talon 44 Pack: $160 *
Nikon D40 SLR Camera: $400 *
Rick Steves' Travel Books: $40 * (Thanks to Chris & Kristen for our Italy book!)
ROMA Pass: 23 euros
Cinque Terre Hiking Pass: 4 euros/day
We're hoping to each get by on $100 a day.
*These items have been purchased
THIS POST WILL BE A WORK IN PROGRESS!
Price per unit: € 23.00.
The Cards that offers you Transport and 2 Museums free of charge
as well as Reductions for all other museums and major events.
It’s amazing how a bit of spraying and colour can change a once non-descript wall into a local landmark: the Lennon Wall in Prague has been scribbled on since the singer’s death in December 1980 and has, over the years, turned into a landmarks of its own.
It began as a memorial for the musical legend following his assassination. Lennon fans sprayed on portraits, messages and Beatles lyrics on the wall, in his memory. But the wall grew to be more than just a memorial; it was soon incorporated in the political struggle against the communist regime. Czech youth used the wall as a medium to vent against the establishment, scribbled in messages of peace and calls for greater freedoms. The wall now served as a medium of strong social and political commentary.
There have been many attempts at whitewashing the wall by local authorities. Time and again, the graffiti has sprung up with days of the cleaning. And while the initial portrait of Lennon is covered by layers and layers of graffiti, the giant peace sign and Beatles lyrics are still visible despite the fluffy ‘I was here’s’ painted on the wall today.
The Lennon Wall stands on Mala Strana, close to the Charles Bridge. Once a symbol of rebellion, it has ingrained itself in the cultural and social fabric of the city.
If you’re visiting Rome you might like to follow in the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck and re-enact the scene in the film Roman Holiday. If you walk between the Circus Maximus and the Island in the Tiber you’ll find the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin where you can put your hand over the Bocca della Verità or Mouth of Truth which hangs in the portico of the Church.
The carving is thought to be part of an ancient Roman fountain or perhaps a drain-cover. If a jealous lover wanted to test their partner’s fidelity, they would put their hand in the mouth of the stone river god – it was thought that a liar would have his hand bitten off but the faithful lover would go untouched.
Ponte Milvio is one the most ancient bridges of Rome. It was built on a point where the ancient roads Via Cassia and Via Flaminia joined to allow to cross the river Tiber.
The bridge is famous for 3 reasons: the first is that every Sunday in the area under the bridge and along the Tiber there’s a big market of antique stuff; the second is that, on the tower of the bridge there’s a door which you can use to go upstairs and visit the inside exposition, which changes very often and is not advertised anywhere.
The third and most known reason of the importance of Ponte Milvio is that’s the place of roman lovers! After the roman author Federico Moccia wrote his book “Tre metri sopra il cielo” in 1992 and published only in 2004, where the protagonists promise themselves eternal love locking a padlock on the central lamp of the bridge and throwing the key in the Tiber.
Many young Romans and people from other parts of Italy have come here to lock their padlocks to the central lamp of the bridge and to promise eternal love.
This loving ritual was so successful that in 2007 the lamp broke in the middle and fell down for the excessive weight of the padlocks!!! Nowadays the broken lamp was replaced with new lamp and now is forbidden to lock padlocks to the lamp, but just in front of it there is a long chain where you can lock your padlock and promise eternal love to your sweetheart….
*I snagged this from spottedbylocals.com
All you need is a wifi hotspot to make Skype-to-Skype calls free from your iPhone. The rates for calls to mobiles and landlines (both national and international) are affordable. You can also keep track of who’s online to send and receive instant messages.
Skype offers both pay as you go credit plans or a subscription that offers unlimited calls to landlines and cell phones (in some countries).
Price: FREE
This app, created by OPIS (Oil Price Information Service), gives you a head start on the hunt for the best gas prices. Cheap gas uses the iPhone 3G’s GPS feature to find the ten gas stations in your area with the cheapest prices.
For the more discerning gas customer, Cheap Gas offers an advanced search function to specify zip code and type of fuel (unleaded, premium unleaded, or diesel).
Price: FREE
This language app by SoSauce is a little different from the rest. Rather than asking where the bathroom is, the Saucy Phrasebook contains such useful phrases as “I drank too much and I’m going to puke” and “Help! I just got swindled!”
Each phrase is recorded in Mandarin, French, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian by native speakers.
Price: FREE
This app tops our list as far as price goes, but if you’re a frequent flyer, reviewers claim Flight Track Pro is well worth the price of a pizza. When you book your flight, simply forward your confirmation email to plans@tripit.com, and your itinerary will appear automatically on your iPhone.
Flight Track Pro keeps you up to date on your flight status, airport delays and closures, gate numbers, and the weather forecast for your final destination.
Price: $9.99
For $1.29 in postage costs, you can send an actual personalized postcard via the U.S. Postal Service. Simply select a picture from your iPhone, add a message, and send to any address in your phone book. The postcard will arrive within 24 hours.
These postcards make for a great, affordable souvenir without taking up luggage space.
Price: FREE (plus cost of postage)
For those that need wi-fi served along with their latte, the Find Internet Cafe app…well, does this really require an explanation? The app automatically detects your location and offers a list of closest internet cafes, complete with an interactive map, driving directions, the phone number for the business, and the cafe’s website. The bookmark feature allows you to save your favorites.
Of course, you have to be in a wi-fi zone for the app to work. And for now, Find Internet Cafe only offers suggestions inside the U.S.
Price: $0.99
Never forget where you parked again! iCarPark allows you to save your parking spot on a map. It then provides walking directions back no matter where you are.
Extra features allows you to keep track of meter times, remember parking garage levels, and keep track of up to five parked vehicles.
iCarPark also gives the option of using a satellite hybrid map for even better navigation!
Price: $0.99
The beauty of this app is in its name. Sure, there are a few apps that will help you locate the nearest restroom. But if you’ve traveled through certain countries, you know that a Western toilet is still only really common in the West.
Using the iPhone’s GPS features, this app will tell you which of the almost 60,000 restroom locations registered with SitOrSquat is closest to you, and whether or not you need to warm up your leg muscles before entering. SitOrSquat also provides information on changing tables, handicapped facilities, and a little bit of humorous bathroom reading.
Everyone is encouraged to enter any new public restrooms they stumble across to the system; it’s all about helping each other out.
Price: FREE
It’s pretty easy to see why Stanza is one of the most popular eBook readers out there. With a built-in catalog of over 100,000 books and the ability to personalize fonts, colors, and page setup, Stanza already has more than a million customers.
If you already have a few eBooks or documents, you can transfer them over to your iPhone with Stanza by using the free desktop app for Mac & PC.
Price: FREE
If you aren’t app-happy and want get as many features as possible from just one travel app, AroundMe is the way to go. This app uses the iPhone’s GPS feature to locate anything and everything you need, including banks, bars, gas stations, hospitals, hotels, theaters, restaurants, markets, and more.
You can see your destination’s location on a map, view the most direct route, and save it in your contact list. AroundMe also has a Nearby listing that uses Wikipedia to find what else is close to your location.
Price: FREE
REUTERSPasta feasts and papal patronages not withstanding, no ritual is more authentically Roman than visiting a bar for Italy’s best-loved flavor burst—a quick shot of espresso. Tourists lollygag at outdoor cafes with prime piazza views, but the real Roman coffee experience is a walk-through event in less obvious locales. Follow the lead of locals and stand at the bar (thus avoiding the service charge), order an espresso and down it in a sip or two before getting back to whatever the day’s business may be (and repeat the ritual as often as necessary throughout the day).
World Hum Tip: Curb your cappuccino cravings to before 10 a.m. Ordering the frothy drink any time later is sacrilege for Italians, who consider cappuccino solely a breakfast beverage.
Kaffeehauskultur in Vienna dates to the 17th century, when Turks seized the city. Today, enjoying kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cake) in Vienna’s grand 19th-century cafes is a rite of passage for visitors and a ritual for locals, who usually do so with the company of a newspaper or friends. Just don’t order a mere “coffee.” Viennese coffee offerings are vast and include the Brauner (black coffee lightened to brown by adding milk), Einspanner (double espresso with whipped cream), Kaisermelange (large mocha sans milk, stirred instead with an egg yolk, honey and cognac or brandy), Melange (large cup of coffee with hot milk foam, similar to a cappuccino) and many more.
World Hum Tip: World Hum contributor Pam Mandel, who lived in Austria, says china espresso cups make a fitting souvenir for coffee fanatics. Shops along the Kaertnerstrasse, Vienna’s most elegant shopping boulevard, sell fancy chinaware. To piece together a more eclectic collection, she recommends hitting the Naschmarkt, Vienna’s legendary produce and flea market.
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* i am including this last bit just to brag that seattle made the list!
With its oft-gray and drizzling ceiling beckoning residents indoors for shelter, Seattle is America’s undisputed birthplace of coffee culture. The city is synonymous with Starbucks, which was founded here in 1971 across from Pike Place Market. And the original location draws caffeine-jazzed pilgrims from faraway lands. But residents will tell you Seattle’s true coffee culture lies in the spirit of local roasters such as Espresso Vivace and Zoka, and in independent coffee houses in neighborhoods like Fremont and Ballard. In Seattle, the coffee options are endless, but single-estate coffees (with the beans purchased from individual farms) have become the buzzword for a populace that’s very picky when it comes to procuring the black gold.
World Hum Tip: Visit Lighthouse Coffee Roasters in Fremont for lattes that are the closest thing this coffee-addicted writer has seen to a flat white this side of the Pacific—the baristas even swirl a little flower into the drink’s silky crema. Perch on the narrow benches lining the front of the corner shop and read a newspaper or book and you’ll blend in perfectly with the Fremont locals.
VIENNA
First you have to get a Citybike tourist card for €2 a day. Request one from your hotel or one of two "issuing offices" (Royal Tours, Herrengasse 1—3, or Pedal Power, Ausstellungsstrasse 3) . Once you have a card, you can pick up a bike from any of about 50 stations around the city, which are usually located near subway stations. The steps to picking up and returing a bike from an individual station are nearly identical to those in Paris and Lyon. (There's one small difference: Instead of waving your card in front of the terminal's screen, you have to swipe it through a slot.)
The first hour is free, the second is €2, the third costs €3; you'll be charged €4 for the fourth hour and for every hour thereafter. You can only rent out one bike per card, and the rental is limited to 120 hours after which it will be considered lost. If you lose the card, you'll be charged €10. For more information, check out citybikewien.at.
