The Lake of Tobias

The summer before my college graduation, I went to Lake Tobias. Prior to taking the hour drive from my house to see this place, I heard very good things about the open-air museums and the abilities to pet the local animals. I didn't actually know it would be as insane as it was. I knew that I was in for a day full of petting animals and seeing wild things that normally don't grow anywhere close to the United States, but I didn't know exactly what it would entail.

The Story begins with the late JR Tobias. He originally wanted to go to college to study agriculture in animals, but instead became an officer in the Marines. He always disturbed Safari cruises when he could, and told many that only Wildlife Park was just a wild dream he had for after retirement. After owning several small successful businesses throughout his adult life while raising his seven children, that dream became reality. He was sent on a business trip out of the country, and returns home with some endangered animals that he had rescued from harsh living conditions in captivity or in their home environment. After approving all of them with the USDA, they were all permitted to stay in the states, and Tobias opened his State Park in 1965.

That he passed in 1996, his wife still makes her rounds every morning and evening, and even in her advanced age, continues to take care of the property and her late husband's stead. She became very good at managing the books, managing the animals, so you can go out new opportunities for Partnerships, and ultimately did a whole lot of outrage that would make her husband shed a tear. Concurrently, the interactiveness at this zoo and the friendliness of the staff and the animals are what made me determines to go.

Upon arrival, we first noticed how the prices were much cheaper than any National Zoo we'd ever been to. On top of this, there was a safari tour that we could go on for $5, which way of course had to do. As soon as we parked our car, we were getting into a Range Rover and heading out to talk to some animals. Because of a lot of us having food on us, almost all of the wildlife came up to us and said hello, and I almost got a couple of selfies with some of the animals. They always ended up looking away at the last minute though. On the list were oxen, bison, Impalas, deer, Orynxes, and a whole lot of other interesting mammals from all around the world. He also had emus and cassowaries.

In the main part of the exhibition, there was a petting zoo, where we could go and pet lots of cute furry creatures. I interacted with a llama, and alpaca, a sheep, a goat or two, and a camel. After this, we moved on to the other parts of the exhibit where I got to interact and play with a snake, a baby crocodile, and a baby porcupine.

There's a lot to see and do it this little zoo, and unlike a lot of commercialized zoos nowadays, the animals here are deeply respected and treasured by the staff their work with them. The animals were genuinely happy here. For about 20 bucks, you get a small bite to eat, Safari tour, and admission to the zoo for the day. You also get access to all of the free events and discussions that they have during the day. There really is no better deal for a beautiful peaceful day on the placid Lake Tobias.

Why I Get Up Every Morning

Why I get up every morning

For any of you that have come to know me through personal experiences or my writing, you will understand my multiple pathways of intelligence. I I'm good at psychology, and psychologists have studied positivity extensively. Individuals who identify a list of 10 reasons why they get up every morning, and go so far as to write it down next to their alarm clock, are more likely to live a happier and healthier life, as well as improve their life span expectancy.

This one is incredibly important for me to remember, as mental illness runs in my family, and I unfortunately am no exception. This tends to shorten one's life span, and so, you start to really focus on the quality of the years in your life rather than the number of years. and so, here is my list of 10 reasons why I get up in the morning, whether it will keep me alive longer or not.

1) A strong cup of coffee.

There are so many different ways to enjoy caffeine nowadays, and my obsession with a good bean started during my freshman year of college. I had an 8 a.m. chemistry lab it lasted 2 hours, twice a week, and this is when I decided that if I couldn't beat it, I would need to try it with caffeine. After all, I am no stark example of a morning dwelling individual. I tried quitting unsuccessfully two or three times since then. I now officially have no intentions on stopping the caffeine intake, whether it is via Keurig or via Small Town Coffee Shop.

2) The urge to explore.

Being a full-time student and employee doesn't leave much time or room for travel, but whenever I get even a small bit of chance to do so, I like to go see and do things. I like to experience things that not everybody has the Gusto to go and experience. This desire to do generally-speaking odd stuff has lead me to riding camels in the Sahara, walking on ice outside a cruise ship in the North Pole, herding sheep in Northern Sweden, Hiking in Finland, drinking with locals in Denmark, getting almost manslaughtered by fireworks in Iceland, getting lost in Belgium, and getting rained on in Portugal (just to name a few random excursions).

3) The search for purpose and meaning.

In my unique faith, Unitarian Universalism, we are always searching for the truth purpose and meaning behind everything. No day is unexceptional in this regard, as I am always trying to look deeply into things around me. As one psychoanalyst had said, "we see the same sites every single day, but we don't often stop to actually see exactly what they are and why they are". I have to learn this, and so I have started making more and more active attempts to understand my internal and external world. 

4) Music.

Before I was a healthcare professional, before I was a writer and author, and before I was a traveler and a hiker, I was a musician. If it weren't for music, I wouldn't be here today, quite literally. I had rough teenage years, and the sweet sounds of rock and roll literally are what got me through it. The prospect of making more music with my band or solo project is one thing that always gets me going in the morning.

5) A sense of adventure.

This is much, much easier today when I'm out on a hike or a trip, but even so, it can still sometimes be difficult to get uncovered and get dressed and ready for the day. My spark of invention and constant pursuit of adventure really drive me to get out of bed and see what the world has to offer me each and every day.

6) The pursuit of happiness and knowledge.

Interestingly and ironically enough, learning new things makes me happy. And being happy makes me want to learn new things. It may seem like a vicious cycle, but if both are kept in check, and I always have a project to learn from grow from, I am pretty well kept.

7) People.

Interesting enough, I am more introverted than not, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy socializing. In fact, I rather love and enjoy meeting new people, learning new things about my fellow humans, and seeing my friends. I actually get kind of bummed out when this doesn't happen.

8) Food.

I love a good plate of food. Food really keeps me going, in more ways than one, and thanks to the magic that is breakfast, I have a literal reason to get up every morning. you'll find some recipes coming from me here and there, so stay tuned.

9) Newton's first law.

His first law states that an object in motion must remain in motion, while an object at rest must stay at rest. I like to constantly stay in motion, experiencing and witnessing and doing different things. Thanks for this, I am able to get out of bed every morning and see what stone has been left unturned and what is left to conquer.

10) Fresh air.

It may seem silly, but I really like waking up and getting some fresh air outside. There's something about the ambient atmosphere of nature it fills me with such vigor and intention. Plus, a little bit of vitamin C never hurt anybody.

The list could go on and on, but for now, the basic 10 reasons will do. No matter how metaphorical or butter or the reasons maybe, everybody has a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Mental health really is no joking matter, and as such, I'll be publishing some selected works of mine throughout the next few years, and one such title has been published here.

There is always light present for everyone; they just need help finding it sometimes. What are your 10 reasons?

Urban Exploration

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went up to Centralia for a little bit of urban exploration. It was very cathartic to see the inside of gutted-out buildings and realizing that somebody once lived there. However, I knew that this would not be the end of my journeys exploring gutted-out buildings. I eventually met somebody while working at a grocery store who was very interested in urban exploring and doing things in "The Great Outdoors" as well, and before I knew it, we became friends.

For the sake of the story, we will call him Chris. I was talking to a gentleman about my travels, mentioning Centralia, and then Chris was behind him and overheard this part of the conversation. So, we exchanged contact information after he showed me some pictures that he took of abandoned buildings. Two weekends later, we were out exploring these abandoned buildings. We stopped by an old Penn Mar waste building, only to find that the inside was inaccessible. We also visited the old Sawmill on Kings Mill Road and the York County Prison, but both were sealed up tight.

However, when we got to Manna Pro, and old Grain and Feed Factory in the heart of York City, we discovered that there was a door that could be cracked in two. We gave it a good Spartan Kick and climbed inside to explore. Chris had been here a few times before to take photos with up and coming models who wanted a first unique shoot. So, already being familiar with the layout of the building, he took me on a little tour.

There is something quite intriguing about exploring the inside of an abandoned building. It is a weird and eerie feeling to know that you are the only human beings to view the inside of the building in a very long time, especially since the triple reinforced (but open) door was discovered by us. Of course, it's also meant that the building was starting to deteriorate, as nobody had set foot inside the building since 2002. The air was very musky, but through the low light of our flashlights, it was incredible to see the grain hoppers that still had grain in them, the catwalk between the buildings, the vandalized office spaces, and the remains of offices. There were also at least $4,000 worth of industrial grade batteries inside the building that still worked, which surprisingly enough, we're left untouched.

The only scary part of the experience was fallingthrough a floorboard. I was able to catch myself before falling down to the floor below and breaking my legs at least, but it was still a heart-stopping experience. This won't stop me for going and exploring more buildings though. Exploring this old grain factory was only the beginning.

Mount Davis and Sideling Hill

When I decided I was going to start hiking state highpoints, it made sense for my home state to be the first one to be hiked. And so, that's exactly what my hiking partner Travis and I did. From my house, the trail was about a 3-hour drive oh way, towards Pittsburgh. Since it's it's along the Maryland and Pennsylvania line, we crossed into Maryland a couple of times. from my house the trail was about a3 hour drive away towards Pittsburgh since its it's a long the Maryland didn't Pennsylvania line be crossed into Maryland a couple of times.

On the way there, we discovered sideling Hill that just like cross the border in Maryland. This hill got its unique features because civil engineers back in the 18th century thought it would be a good idea to try and blast drill a hole through a large mountain. This didn't work, and instead, resulted in a bifurcated Mountain with a path going through it. So naturally, we stopped to use the bathroom and admire the sights.

A few views of the hillside.

The highest point in PA itself is 3212 ft tall, in the surrounding area in the mountain itself or settled by coal miners. Back in the 1700s, there wasn't much to go off of, but they did name it after an individual who did a lot for the natural ecosystem. By this point in time, we have learned to gauge the difficulty of a trail ahead of us the fitness level of people that were coming back from the trailhead. In this case, there were surprisingly a large amounts of overweight individuals. Then, we saw that the trailer was one that you could drive right up to and get out and walk up a staircase to get a better view. So that's exactly what we did. After snapping a few pictures from the ground and the different Museum items that were left on the Rocks there, we went to the top of the tower to take some photos.

I forgot to take a picture of the view. It was boring, anyhow.

With this being my first high point, I can admit in retrospect that it actually wasn't all that enticing with the views. It was mostly just trees followed by more trees. However, I did feel a sense of omnipotence, realizing how small I was staring out amongst the trees. To think that all their lives are especially important to themselves just as my own is, but I am one me, and there were thousands of trees in this Forest. Most of them as well we're taller than me, and many being so tall that I had to bend my neck upwards.

And just like that, I climbed my first state high point. It's nothing I really ever saw myself doing, until one of my friends gave me the motivational soapbox and encouraged me to go and see the world. So now, I finally had another very good reason to keep going, too. Needless to say, I doubt that I will ever get to all 50 of them, especially considering how difficult Denali of a hike is. However, this doesn't mean that I won't try. If you have the urge or desire to, please join me in your high-pointing adventure and let me know how it turns out for you.

Choosing the Right Hike For You

Everybody goes hiking for different reasons. Some people go for the views they receive at the end of the hike, some guys for the exercise; others go because it gets them out and about. Some people just go because they want a family activity and they have identified that they enjoy nature. The reasons vary from person to person, but there are a few things to bear in mind when selecting a destination.

Defining a hike.

Not only is it a figure of speech (i.e. wow, that’s a hike!) to infer something that is quite some distance away, but it also has its own Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionary definition. Different people view it in different ways, but it is generally referred to as being a large span of distance that is walk with intention. To many people, it is also used as a figure speech to mean anything that is outside the normal drivable distance. Defining what a true hike means to you as important because you will be able to go from there I decided where you want to go exactly. To quote Merriam Webster, a hike is “to rise up; especially to work upward”. As per Oxford, it is ”a long walk or walking tour”. So now, it’s time to dig into the nitty gritty details of choosing the right style of hike for you.

1) Who is coming with me?

When you establish this, hopefully it is easy to see what you are going to do from there. For instance, you probably wouldn't take your small child or infant hiking for 5 mi uphill. And personally, you and your stern hiking buddy going on a very easy trail would be too boring. As such, you must assess the skill levels and hiking competency of everybody in your hiking group, and it comes down to a few factors; previous hiking experience, level of physical fitness, their willingness to explore, how old they are, and any other underlying health complications.

Normally these things all flow in equilibrium, being with somebody who is older is usually more experienced with hiking and occasionally more physically fit. However, this might not always be the case. Good examples are Jordan Romero, who summited Kilimanjaro at age nine and Everest at age thirteen, or perhaps a couch potato who is willing to explore but not much else (and usually via the discovery channel). That being said, you can start to look at the next item of mention.

2) How much of a challenge do you want to be in for?

This kind of ties in with the other part of this post talking about the Yosemite grading system, but it deserves a mention as well. Are you in your group of people looking for a stroll in the park? Or are you looking to have a challenging hike ahead of you? This factor plays a lot into your physical fitness level, so choose wisely. What might be good for one person may not be for the next person, so it is important to know you and your groupmate’s limitations before you try anything too crazy.

3) How far are you willing to travel?

Unfortunately, a lot of hikes I attempt are dictated strictly on how far away they are. Or, inversely, they're dictated by how long the trail is. If there since we're not an issue, I would be all over the United States hiking right now. Sadly, that is not the case though. Another part of hiking is deciding how far you want to travel to reach the trail, and how far the purported destination is from the trailhead on the trail. Some things you need to plan out an entire day for, others can be done in a quiet afternoon. Either way around, make sure to make your decision responsibly and considering your energy levels. And whatever you do, make sure to bring trail mix and some sort of snack and beverage.

4) Trail Rating.

Next, you must bear in mind the rating of the trail itself. Just as I mentioned earlier, The Yosemite Decimal System was incepted for this reason. It breaks down hiking into 5 sections, as follows:

Class 1: Easy hiking with minimal elevation gain and few obstacles

Class 2: More difficult hiking, some of which may be off-trail, and may require putting your hands down for balance at times.

Class 3: Rock scrambling and/or un-roped climbing.

Class 4: Climbing with a rope and lateral ascension at parts.

Class 5: Technical climbing, mountaineering, ice picking, etc.

So not only do you have it broken down by difficulty and duration necessary for the height, but this YDS breaks it down further into things that you will encounter along the trail. Different difficulties work for different people, but I take it most people reading my blog will stay with a 3 or below, like myself. Class 5 would be something like climbing K2 with ice picks and crampons. Class 4 would be something on par with the Seven Summits and needing to climb them with poles and ropes. And then, if kind of goes downhill from there. Hah! No pun intended. Pick your hike based on the rating you think you can tolerate the best.

5) Do you like your lungs?

If the answer is yes, then stick to altitudes that are lower in hiking, particularly below 8000 feet. If the answer is no, and you feel as though you can handle altitude sickness well, then choose a hike that is above 8000. However, be aware of elevation related sicknesses and physical conditions that can occur in your body. Lake elevation related hypoxia, air bubbles potentially forming above 15000 ft, and so on. You don't need to let it scare you away from a really good hike, but it is something you definitely should be aware of.

6) What scenery are you after?

The last notion that is worth mentioning is that of scenery. There are a lot of great hikes with good scenery, although a lot of them are short. And then inversely, there are a lot of really hard ones. You need to identify what balance is right and make your judgment as such. It would also be a good idea to look at reviews and pictures from other hikers online, as it will give you a better indicator as to what the heck would be like. My blog is one of many places and what you can do just that.

I hope this post provided some insight to how you plan on choosing your next hike. Now get out there, go hiking, and enjoy yourself. You have nothing to lose and everything (and a lot of altitude) to gain!

Check out my Apparel Store at https://teespring.com/big-world-small-feet for apparel!

Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

I am writing this post to compliment my posts about Europe and all of the non-English-speaking places I have been to. In almost every country in the world in which English is not the first language or official language, kids are required to learn the language as soon as they enter grade school. At this stage of childhood development, the brain isn't completely done neural pruning yet, so that developed neurons and axons that dictate language comprehension abilities get an extra dosage of things to contemplate and comprehend. Although it is harder to learn another language as an adult, it is not impossible. Here are a few reasons why everybody should attempts to learn a foreign language.

1) There are so many languages out there.

According to one ethnographic study, there are well over 6800 languages that are still used in the world today as of 2018. 6% of these languages account for 94% of the world's population, which means they are around 400 languages that are used to communicate with other human beings around the world. English, as it stands, is only one of those languages. There are so many languages out there to be explored, and all of them and their own respect just as easy and hard as English.

2) It increases cultural awareness.

The best way to become aware of other people in this world is to experience what they experience through their own eyes. When you realize how difficult it can be to communicate with Outsiders from an Insider's perspective, you will become much more aware of the problems they face.

3) It increases hirability.

There are literally hundreds of jobs out there nowadays that are looking for somebody who speaks at least two languages. If you are one of those people, you just made yourself much more marketable in every single job market. Just think, if you speak Spanish, and your client speaks Spanish, you save the middleman of having to hire a translator.

4) It is intellectually engaging.

When you're speaking a language that you didn't grow up with, you usually need to put some sort of thought into your choice of words, your grammar, compensating for that which you do not know, and of course, understanding the point of view of whomever you were communicating with. Being bilingual increases your gray matter in your brain, too. It came in handy for me when I was in Italy, which you can read about here.

5) Being multilingual is impressive to everyone.

I would argue that currently in America, since we are not made to learn a second language as part of our education, that at least three-quarters of a population are monolingual. When I tell people that I've been speaking Spanish since I was 14, that I've attempted to learn Arabic, and that I've caught myself bits and pieces of Icelandic, German, in Japanese, their jaws usually hit the floor. I don't claim to be good at any of these languages, but it is still an incredible feat that most people would never care to accomplish. In countries like India, Indonesia, and Switzerland, though, having fluency in multiple languages is an expectation. It activates a part of the brain that most people don't otherwise get.

6) Businesses usually start up because of foreign trade.

There are hundreds of small startups every single day, and a lot of them in the twenty-first century are based around some sort of foreign culture or for in trading. You could be part of that start up from the ground up if you spoke that particular language.

7) It breaks down barriers.

There's this dilemma in society called the language barrier. However, if you know even a few words of another language, you can help her move that barrier. You grow closer to people's hearts by trying to relate to them on this basic human level.

8) The friends you'll meet and the networking you'll create.

Whether it is a club in high school, an interest group in college, or something in your professional life, you will always meet people who share the same language interests as you. You'll meet them everywhere and anywhere.

9) Everything you learn about a culture and its nuances.

Although I described this briefly earlier, it deserves further explanation. There are so many things that make up a culture that are derivative of language. And of course, vice-versa also applies. As you are learning a foreign language, you will learn about the people, how they dress, how they act, their sense of humor, their social lives, their food, the where they live, their religion, their music, and so many other unique aspects of their lives. You just gained an Insider's perspective to a whole new group of people to become friends with.

10) You'll feel at home anywhere.

If you've already learned one foreign language, then picking up on bits and pieces of another will become a no-brainer exercise. And should you just so happen to land where are you study the language, you'll be even better off yet. It will surprise you when you're language comprehension abilities will come in handy, especially when traveling somewhere in which your first language is not theirs.

On a personal addendum, being forced by my mother to learn Spanish in high school was one of the best decisions of my entire life. When I worked as a cashier at Giant, I had so many incredible conversations with people simply because their first language was Spanish and not English. I've even had it occur where individuals only speak maybe four words of English,

 and I need to rely on someone else for translation or from my own acquired word Bank. When I took Arabic, I never thought that I would be able to go to a mosque and hold a conversation with the Imam and the adherence. When I started learning Icelandic, I never thought I'd be told by several Icelanders that I have perfect pronunciation and should consider visiting again. The doors that foreign language has open for me have been incredible, and really, I still am surprised that when my language abilities come in handy. I will be going back to Europe, but this time, with better German and Spanish skills yet. And if any of you reading my blog ever go abroad, it will serve you the same gratitude and fortune.

On the Turning Away

Before too long, my 11 day stint in Europe had come to an end. Many great friends were made, many great memories were recorded, plenty of culture was experienced, incredible food was consumed, and many of wonderful day hikes where had. The title of this post is inspired by British rock group Pink Floyd, with some of their song lyrics being a direct inspiration for all of my experiences in Europe. I listened to a lot of Pink Floyd and classic rock when I was in Europe (and my MP3 player actually had some German and Italian music on it as well). But to quote Pink Floyd's album “A Momentary Lapse of Reason”:

Just a world that we all must share

It's not enough just to stand and stare

Is it only a dream that there will be

No more turning away...

These lyrics speak to me louder than words, no Pink Floyd pun intended. They speak to me because I was a naive teenager living in a self-centered and Americanized world, being blind and ignorant to the rest of the world except from stories that I had heard and come to believe as fact. I now realize that the world was beautiful, not of this world worth seeing, one that we must share, and one that I want to see as much of it as possible. It was this trip to Europe that really piqued my interest as an individual with a severe case of Wanderlust. It was this single trip that influenced every single part of my life to change for the better. Is the reason why as a human being and a public speaker, I want to make people aware that there should be no turning away from the right side of love to share this beautiful world with one another.

And so, I hopped on my plane, delayed by half hour because baggage claim wasn't process right for our carry-on instruments, and after one anxiety trip of thinking I would be stuck in France forever, we board the plane home. Because of all of the clothing I had thrown out on the trip and left behind in Europe, even with souvenirs and dog, the suitcase was a good 15 kg lighter. And so, after flying into the night and coming back to a sign shining sun, it was good to be home. All 70 of us on the trip saw things that our parents had only ever dreamed of seeing. Only 13% of Americans end up using their passport, and we were in that percentile.

After surviving the trip up from Washington DC, and taking my first coach bus bathroom break, we were back in York. Our trip was over, but the memories of Europe lingered on. I couldn't look at sandwiches the same, or orange juice, or driving. Getting back to a 12-hour clock and using miles instead of kilometers was also incredibly hard. In spite of all this, I just knew one thing as I drove home... I would be back in Europe as soon as I possibly could.

A Day of our Own

The very last day that we were in Europe, we got an entire day to ourselves to relax and bumble around in France. By this point in time, we were quite familiarized with the subway system, the overall layout of Paris, and in general, how to stay alive in Europe. One thing that had me irritated, though, is the reason why we had that free day. Initially, we are supposed to be going to London via a high-speed train, but because it was like 200 extra dollars per day or something, they cut it from the tour. I thought of it this way; if we were already paying five and a half grand to go on this trip… would an extra 200 really hurt that much? So regardless, instead of taking a high-speed train to London, we spent the day walking the streets of Paris enjoying ourselves. 

To start off the day, we got breakfast at the continental breakfast at our hotel. This was our last day in Europe, and throughout the entire tour we have been told to discard old clothes that we didn't intend to take home so that we can make room for souvenirs and to overall lighten up the suitcase. So, every piece of clothing we didn't feel like taking home, my roommate and I threw into the shelving units. We also left behind some extra snacks and beverages we were enjoying on the 6 hour bus ride from Germany.

After running those light errands, we made a plan to go see as much as we could. It was my roommate Nick, and three other kids that came from my high school, that ended up being my travel group for the day. There were a total of 7 of us that came from West York, but this group of four of us was really tight. We were going to rent some bikes and bike around Paris, but as mentioned in an earlier post, France didn't seem to like MasterCard from America. Defeated, we resorted to the Metro System, where you can get a ticket from one side of the town to the other for usually right around two Euros. We had grown quite fond of it, as we had been using the Metro System the entire time in Paris, as we only had our bus driver for a week before he had to return home to the Czech Republic.

A view from the bridge.

We first decided to check out some of the Art District buildings. We saw a little bit of them but didn't actually get a chance to go into any of them. One of them was having a huge Flea Market at the time, and there were plenty of things to see inside the building. We easily walked 5 miles that day, popping from one side of town to the other, taking as many pictures as possible.

And then, I was inspired. My roommate and I started whistling and singing in acapella version of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day”. I was inspired, because I was still single, still not talking to any girls, and wandering lost in the streets of Europe trying to find myself. And while singing that song, we definitely did find ourselves. We had some deep conversations about girls that we liked, issues we were facing coming ahead, and many other things. What a cathartic way to spend your time wandering the streets of Europe. Needless to say, the girl that my roommate liked back then, he's now been dating for over 5 years.

Much as we did in Italy and Switzerland before us, we went to restaurant in night that had live entertainment from the vocals in the style of their traditional folk music. Just when I thought accordions and Italian lyrics were cute, and I thought that the Swiss Alp horns were incredible, then we got to hear a French couple sing and play accordion. It was very schmaltzy and beautiful. After wandering through nearly every part of Paris and getting close up pictures of the Arc de Triumph and Eiffel Tower, we called it a day.

A perfect ending to a perfect day: a pontoon ride.

Although I really wish to have gone to London for a day, it was still quite incredible to be able to experience everything that I did in the past 10 days of my life. And, to be continued…

The City of Blinding Lights

The City of Blinding Lights

After spending quite some time enjoying all of Europe, we were going back to where we once landed to experience their culture, France. Upon arrival, we were greeted by super strong smelling toilets, not so smiling locals, and a lot of wind turbines. Although I didn't drink coffee at this point of time, and nor will I ever smoke cigarettes, those two Aromas strongly filled the air mostly everywhere in the city limits.

The Art District.

One thing that was fairly interesting to watch year was the traffic. If it were a complete stop in public, and you were riding on a moped, you go directly between the two rows of cars and not care. It was incredible. Also there driving was a lot better than it was in the south. And then the Germans I met drove with such surgical precision that it could be painful sometimes.

In France, they have a system called the rent a bike. People will rent a bike out to take it somewhere, usually work, and then they will lock it up at another Kiosk for somebody else to rent out. The entire time we were in France, my buddy and roommate Nick had a credit card that didn't want to work on him. The same followed suit for me as well. Both of us tried our MasterCards, to no avail. And so, one of the locals had to come to help us out at this kiosk. Nothing eventful really happened other than us both embarrassing ourselves and continuing onwards on foot.

Rent a Bike. Or a horse?

The most noticeable difference about Paris from the rest of the places we had been in Europe, is that smokers were literally everywhere. There was a definite layer of smog covering most of the city, and much more traffic than everywhere else we had been as well. To be honest, Paris wasn't quite what it was cracked up to be. Then again, I was never one for cute little fantasies anyhow. There were also several couples seriously making out with each other on benches, people shouting across the street to one another, and people cutting in and out of lines. But the most notable difference of all was their McDonalds. We witnessed two different things inside of that McDonald's, unisex bathroom and Portion Control. The same cost for a massive burger from McDonald's in the states about a quarter of the result, if less fries and burger than usual. In reference to the bathrooms, there were two doors for men and women's restrooms, and they both went to the same room with urinals and stalls. This freaked out some of the girls that were trying to use the bathroom, as there were guys standing and taking a leak. Of course, they promised that they weren't trying to catch a peek or anything.

Cheese!

We went to the Art District then saw some beautiful scenery, we went into the roof and saw the Mona Lisa and other eclectic artwork, we took a tour around the base of the Eiffel Tower, and we were introduced to the Metro System so that we knew how to get around in Europe. We went on a boat tour and saw the Lock Bridge, which up until the recent lock for moving act had literally thousands of locks on it. And most importantly, we gave our fourth and final performance in Luxembourg Gardens. This is where we played our bucket drumming piece once, broke our buckets, and then were asked for an encore from the audience, and needed to play with our broken sticks and buckets. Needless to say, France proved to be very interesting.

Diving Into the Black Forest

For the next stop in our travels, we would be going to the black forest of Germany (Kirchzarten), a beautiful area that reminds me much of Pennsylvania, and lies just a couple miles from Freiburg. We ran to a couple of locals in our first gas station stop that only spoke German, and at this point in time, I only knew how to say thank you and excuse me and that was about it. But, the scenery reminded me much of my home in Pennsylvania, as did the weather, and the roads. What was markedly different however, were the people of Germany.

Most Germans come off as very serious to Americans; however, they also have a bland sense of humor that is only described as adorable. On the inside, there are some of the easiest people to get along with that I've ever met. And, they are also pretty good judge of character. How I knew for sure, was the fact that a guy at a hot dog stand looked at me and said that I look like the kind of guy who likes caramelized onions on my bratwurst. How could he be more correct?

For the next hotel we stayed at, half of the tour group stayed and Lionheart hotel, and the other half, my half, stayed at a nunnery on top of a mountain with a beautiful view of some small quaint town in the meadows below. The first night we were there, my friend decided to screw with the cows, almost getting gored in the process. Not to mention the giant cow bells around their necks, this cows meant business. In the convent itself though, quiet hours where generally 9 p.m. until 7 a.m., with noble silence to be observed all weekend long. Many good games of Frisbee were played here, and I hiking just outside the convent was incredible as well.

It was a two hour drive to get to our location from the center of Switzerland, but every moment of the drive was just as incredible as the last. But at this point of the trip, we have learned to develop bladders of steel so that we could tolerate long hours of road-tripping without bathroom breaks. After all, our Czech bus driver was always on a mission, and his mission was us.

And so, we on packed our bags and got ready for the days ahead, in which we would be covering a lot of ground. Stay tuned for more!

Into The Alps

After spending three days in the stifling hot Italy, we ventured on wards into the Alps. Specifically, we landed in Lucerne, Switzerland. This landlocked country actually lies outside of the European Union, their currency being Swiss Francs. They have four official languages, and most locals speak at least three or four languages. These languages are Italian, French, German, and Romansh. English is thrown in the mix there somewhere, and the Locale are always very fortunate to be able to practice their foreign language skills. If there's any one place I want to go back to and dedicate more time to in the future, it is definitely Switzerland.

A view from the bus of Lucerne.

Unabashed and unaware, I was told to put on Long clothing before getting on the bus for Switzerland. I was uncertain as to why they told me this, as it was about 38 degrees Celsius when we got on the bus and Italy. It made sense to me exactly why once we stepped off the bus in Lucerne outside the Swiss Alps, and the temperature was about 2 degrees Celsius. I really wish I had brought gloves at this part of the trip. It was intensely cold. No doubt it was worth it, but surprisingly cold. Granted, where you at were also at a rest stop at the bottom of the Swiss Alps, where temperature is always markedly different from the rest of the country.

As we took the trolley to the top of Mount Pilatus, the tallest alp, I noticed some pain in my left side. I knew that my appendix was not over there, but it was still very worrying. Needless to say, one of our band moms (who was acting as the nurse for the trip) packed some ibuprofen, and she hooked me up. Some fresh Mountain Air from the Alps, some good hiking and cold weather, and a half hour wait, and the pain subsided and I was good to go.

The Mountain we would summit.

To this day, Mount Pilatus has to be my favorite location I've ever taken a Facebook profile picture at, which I have shown here, and it also has to be part of my favorite country I've ever visited. Although we only spent a day and a half in Lucerne, it was probably my favorite part of the visit. The people we met at the tourist stop alone were so friendly and hospitable that it really made up for the stoic attitudes of Italy. I went to the gift shop on top of the mountain after exploring the caves nearby, deciding to buy a Swatch while in Switzerland. All of them were at least $100, except for one that was about 20 and replicable at Walmart for probably $5. I talked to the lady, who did not know the word for credit card, and she called it plastic money. We both started laughing because we knew this was the incorrect term, but it still worked. She was talking to me about where I was from, why I've come to Italy and Switzerland, and what I thought of her country so far. I returned the favor to her, and she was just so happy to see an American take the time out of their day to chat with her.

My most favorite profile picture of all time: On top of Pilatus.

We visited the historical bridge in the center of Lucerne next, the one that burned down in the 60s and was rebuilt. The memorial plaques told stories worth a thousand words, although the descriptions were in every language except for English. At this point in time, my language skills were developed just enough that I could figure out most of what they were telling me in German, just for context clues. I would utilize this skill for the rest of my life. It also helped when communicating with locals who didn't speak much English, as I clearly didn't speak much of their languages either.

After touring the quaint town of Lucerne, some of the historical sites including their big Fountain and their Jelly Bean roof houses, we went to a fondue restaurant. Just like the locals by the church who operated small farming stalls, or the people we passed on the street getting on to the completely renewable-energy-based Electric tramline, the people in the restaurant who served us we're beautiful human beings inside and out. They really wanted us to feel at home and comfortable, and went out of their way to do so. One lady on the street waved me over to her stand to talk, browse her wares, and gave me free samples without thinking twice.

Nowhere in America can I find attitudes even vaguely similar to the ones of Switzerland. They are truly unique kind of people. After we sat down for dinner, we were entertained by singing Viking ladies, a quartet playing songs on alphorns, and a yodeling and chugging contest, of which I was invited along to. They asked for anybody who knew how to sing in the crowd, and the people at my table heard me murmur that I could sing and raise my hand for me. So naturally, as with the four other Americans there, I was taught how to yodel from a proper Swiss alp yodeler. Directly after simultaneously yodeling well and embarrassing myself, came the chugging contest. They gave us beer, which would be legal at the age of 16, but because it was a school affiliated trip, I had to take the non-alcoholic version of lemonade. There was one guy there that once prompted to start chugging, crushed his entire flagon in maybe two seconds. It was quite an impressive feat. Defeated, I returned to my seat with my lemonade.

Our entertainment for the night!

After a good night's rest and more sightseeing in Lucerne, we packed our bags and headed for the black forest of Germany. Switzerland is a country that I will not soon forget, and one that I long to visit again. Unfortunately, if you like me are considering expatriation, it is extremely hard to get permission to work and live in Switzerland if you are not from the surrounding six countries. You're also required to learn one of the official languages and make an attempt at learning the others. So although moving there might not be in my foreseeable future, I will be visiting sometime soon. With temperatures similar to home, but twice as many rolling mountainsides covered in fog and mist, it really is a landlocked Paradise.

Northern Italy and the Pope

Although Rome was very fascinating, there was still much more to see in Italy. The next part of my Europe trip landed us in the Vatican City, going through their security check process, avoiding the panhandlers and Gypsies, and seeing everything that this beautiful country has to offer. Because of its importance in the world, it is actually considered its own little country, which I find adorable. We didn't have enough time to visit the Sistine Chapel and see the wonderful works of Michelangelo, but we did get to go in and see the ornate Chapel at the Vatican, to see the coffin that contains one of the oldest Pope's, and admire the church organ. The pope himself was not there at the time, unfortunately, but it was still pretty cool to see how security works in a foreign country regarding the most important Catholic location in the world.

After this, we were in Florence, scouting out the house of Michelangelo and finding the house of Leonardo DaVinci. We saw the big chapels, interacted with locals, tried speaking Italian (but got answered by in English), and enjoyed our mandatory serving of gelato. As folklore has it, you are only happy and Italy if you have at least three servings of gelato every day. There were little pop-up kiosks and stands everywhere selling the finest traditional Italian recipes of gelato. In Florence, there were so many different kinds of people, and it was quite a marvel to say the least.

In the mid-afternoon, after some sightseeing, we had some free time to wander around. I saw the old lucky bull in the Town Plaza that my uncle took a picture next to 30 years prior when he was studying nephrology in Italy. I saw Trevi Fountain. And, I saw people who I thought were an unlikely fit. Namely, I met a man speaking perfect Italian, who invited me to sit and talk for a while, and then telling me that he originated from Hartford Connecticut. His business partner, who also helps run the little jewelry stand they owned, was from Salem, Massachusetts. He moved to Italy right after college. Quite inspiring.

After this day, we traveled to Baveno, a district of Italy in the north, near Genova. Much to my surprise, there is a huge population of Spanish people here. And one point in time, I actually acted as a translator for the group, being one of maybe three people that spoke Spanish in my tour group. A lady didn't speak any English and was asking us when are concert started, and I was able to help her out. Exuberant, she kissed me on the cheek gave me a hug and promised to be back later. The rest of the kids looked at me with mouths agape, impressed at my prowess with foreign language.

The climate in Baveno was mild compared to Florence and Rome, but still rather hot. Influences from other part of Europe were starting to become noticeable and prominent, something I didn’t realize until I was in other places later. The people were also nicer to tourists there, as I met some resistance from the locals in the south. Since Baveno is an area that isn't often heavily populated by tourists, almost everyone was happy to see us. This was also the location of our second performance.

In this part of our journey, it became apparent that music really is the universal language. There were many people in the crowd that only spoke Italian or Spanish, but everybody had the same amount of enjoyment out of our “John Philip Sousa March”, or “Air for Band”, or “West Side Story” compilation, and our percussion solo that featured buckets. Specifically, gardening buckets. It was also two shows in and we already had people breaking their first buckets. They just don't make them the same as they do in America. More to come on that later.

If there's any part of Italy I would encourage people to visit, the culture and history of Northern Italy is so profound and rich. If I ever went back to Italy, I would be visiting there. However, I would still be encouraging anyone who goes not to drive, as Italians tend to just put their car wherever they feel like it on the road and try not to hit things occasionally. Regardless of this, Italy is very quaint and cute, and worth a visit for anyone.

Buongiorno, Italia!

When I was a Junior in high school, I was invited to go on a trip to Europe with youth music abroad. At this point in time, I was balancing trying to figure out College, lots of extracurricular activities, honors choir, finishing my Eagle Scout project, finishing my graduation project, and just right out not having money, so I wasn't sure how I was going to accomplish this feat. We were able to get discounted price due to our financial situation, from the original price of five and a half thousand dollars, but it still seemed like so much.

Somehow in some way, however, my angel on Earth and shining star, my mother, pulled together the funds, and in the third week of June, 2012, I was on my way to the international airport in DC with a full suitcase of toss away clothes and a carry-on full of odds and ends, and shortly after the packing process, I was sprinting to our plane, a Boeing 747. Here, I would sit for the next 8 hours watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and some movie with Jim Carrey in it. Before long, we landed in Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.

My first glimpse of European airplane food

Now, at this point in the journey, remember that I am with a night owl and a shut-in, with no real language experience other than 4 years of Spanish. But before I knew it, I was in France, at 6:40 in the morning, waiting for an air taxi to take us to the beautiful city of Rome. I knew about five words of Italian, did not have proper Italian attire at all, and was notably culture shocked as soon as I touched down in Rome.

This was my first time being in a foreign country, and how interesting it was. To see the speed limit signs in kilometers, the traffic lights on the side of the road instead of above the road, seeing every sign in Italian instead of English, seeing the lackluster driving skills of the Italian populist, and of course, seeing the locals dressed up in long dark clothing even though it was 40 degrees celsius outside. I can deal with the 24 hour clock format, but I definitely came across as American when I stepped out of the bus in shorts and immediately proceeded to buy a 2 liter bottle of water.

As jetlagged as we were, we were instructed to stay awake or else we would feel worse the next day. No napping allowed. We went to a private beach and swam in the Mediterranean Sea, where I spoke Spanish and broken Italian to some locals. I got my first Italian lesson from a store owner, who was very happy to see a tourist attempting to speak the local language. We enjoyed the waters and the hot Sands for several hours, before stopping in Rome to see the Colosseum and a few huge churches. This would be the first of many crazy and notable experiences on this day.

Hanging out with the locals! (Once upon a time, I had a goatee.)

At night, the hotel hosts put on a huge buffet for us, happy to see so many people occupying their space. They gave us discounts on everything, served us some of the best buffet food I've ever had, came by the tables and talked to all of us, and made our first night one to remember. Dinner was also later, as the culture in Italy is to have dinner later at night. We had dinner around 2100, and then played a few simple games as a tour group together before departing to our rooms and getting the best night's sleep most of us have ever seen.

Sunshine Land

The first time I went to Florida was lackluster. It was also the first time I was ever on a plane by myself and in the airport 11, at the age of 14. Let me break that down for you real quick.

It was the summer of going into high school, and also the summer of my first heartbreak. As I was recovering from that, I was to go down to Florida and spend some time with my rambunctious going into high school, and also the summer of my first heartbreak. As I was recovering from that, I was to go down to Florida and spend some time with my rambunctious 6 year old cousin. When we got down there and got situated at the hotel, we went to visit my aunt who lives 10 minutes outside of Universal Studios. I loved spending time with her, but still, being away from my parents and being with a crazy unkempt six-year-old really harsh my mellow. I had serious separation anxiety and “Mommy boy” syndrome up until I was about 15. So two days in, after sweating to death at SeaWorld, I decided it was time to go home and be with my parents and my computer in my artificially chilled air. Although this trip was unsuccessful, I knew the next time I went my mother would be coming along. And that's exactly what happened.

About half a year after my father passed, my mom used the little savings we had to take her and my aunt and myself down to Orlando to stay with my aunt for a week and a half. My mom wanted to sit back and relax and hang out with the family, and considering as to how I have five or six cousins that still live in Orlando, that's exactly what we did. However, for my Wanderlust-ed aunt and myself, this wasn't enough for us. She and I found ourselves running around to wherever was physically and financially possible. Our expeditions let us all over Florida, including a trip to Key West and to Universal Studios, where I ended up putting the park on lockdown. I have to explain that one and further detail.

When we got to Universal Studios, we immediately headed for the new Harry Potter World. My mother held onto my cell phone as I rode their dueling dragons’ roller coaster, as I did not want it to fall out of my pocket on the ride. She sat on a bench and waited for me, but when I got off of the roller coaster, the crowds were so thick that I couldn't see her anywhere. I wandered around trying to find her, before eventually talking to one of the security staff who were conveniently dressed as Hogwarts prefects. I told one of them that I had misplaced my mother, and since I was 16, they immediately panicked and put the park on lockdown until they had a security came with his phone that can call out of state. I made a phone call to my mom, and we were reunited in overtime, but not before creating a big scene. I knew that if all else failed, I would go out to my aunt in the parking lot, and if I couldn't find her, I would walk home, as it wasn't that far. So after our reunion, we walked around the park, saw some things, drank some butter beer, and called it a day.

Somewhere in Boca Raton...

My cousin John took me to a concert at Hard Rock Live later that week at Universal Studios, and we saw Hellyeah. It ended up being my first really heavy concert, and even though the tickets were purchased on the way home, it only cost like 20 bucks per person. It was a dirt cheap way to have fun. We also went out to eat with family and had a small party to celebrate our coming to Florida. At the end of the trip, we went to Key West for the first time.

Halfway between here and Key West, we met up with a friend I had met online who had lived in Boca Raton. She was three years older than me, and we connected online via a Pink Floyd music video’s comment section on YouTube. This was back when YouTube users could still direct message one another, and as it turns out, it would lead to a lifelong friendship. Though my mother was leery of having me meet someone who very well could have been a catfish, I put her on speaker to prove that she was real, and then, we met up for two hours at a local mall. There is hope for online dating and friendships after all!

Key West at Sunset.

The first time I went to Key West, I sat in the back of a car for 8 hours playing Pokémon and waiting to arrive. We drove straight down from Orlando, stopping at a hotel in Miami at night to recharge our batteries after a long day. I got to see the sunset disappear into Mallory Square, visit Duval Street, see Ernest Hemingway's house and resting place, enjoy key lime pie in the Florida Keys, eat some of the local food, go snorkeling and meet a cute local girl, and take a picture next to the southernmost point in the United States. All in all, it was a very successful trip to one of the most expensive areas in the United States. Even if I don’t bode well with warm weather, I’ll be back one day for a hike or two.