Evenings/Nights Well Spent...

I've already drafted a number of blurbs on my travels, just trying to organize my photos so that I can also provide some visual aids with them.  In the meantime I've been messaged with some inquiries -- Yay questions!  I don’t reiterate this often enough but if you ever have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I don’t consider myself a pro in any way, but I’m plenty opinionated so will likely have some kind of a reply for you. 

 

Today’s inquiry comes from Chris Beer, who just returned from a week’s getaway in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Pretty nice there this time of year if I remember correctly.  He asks:

“What do you do with your evenings, when you're travelling? The time between dinner and bedtime, when most of the stores are closed and it's too dark to go sight seeing?”

Check out a noodle bar that turns into a club at night?

Nightlife greatly varies from country to country, some spots are no-brainers – ie. Las Vegas, while others really leave you scratching your head (I imagine Victoria would be one of them!)  Also options vary depending on the type of trip you’re taking and who you’re travelling with.

When I’m in bustling cities like Montreal/New York/London (England) with friends the nights are always packed, meals are often eaten a little late, and there’s always a trendy new bar to check out.  I don’t believe in travelling in packs night and day when I’m vacationing with friends, I firmly believe in doing different things in smaller groups, with your partner only, or even by yourself; but come nighttime that is when you gather to catch up on each other’s day, compare stories and purchases, and have a bit of food and drink together.

On trips where I am alone or travelling with folks who may not be up for a lot of nighttime activity, that’s a slightly different ballgame.  While I do adapt to the different cultures, if left to my own devices while on the road, I prefer to dine around 7 or 8, get back to the hotel between 9-11, and go to bed around 1am.  I’m also happy to check out late night activities, just not every night.  Some countries you’ll find the gaps are easy to fill…

The Spanish eat dinner around 10pm, so many stores will be open pretty late.  Even if you go broke at the El Corte Ingles (like I usually do) by 8pm, there’s time to wander back to the hotel to drop off your bags before making your way back out to dinner at 9:30.  In the major cities of Asia, stores open until 10 or 11pm so you can always do your shopping after you eat.  Most North American malls are open until at least dinner time, so shop until 7 or 8 then go eat, then check out what the nightlife has to offer.

Ok, so maybe you loathe shopping and want me to stop forcing you to go into malls… with a little planning ahead on your sight-seeing destinations it’s not hard to fill up a day.  Make a list of places you’d like to visit, map them out if you’re inclined.  Do a little research to see which ones close the latest and order your destinations to maximize your hours.  Again, this is prob easier to do in some cities than others, but since Chris just came back from Vancouver let’s use that as an example...  (Sorry if my suggestions are a little generic, it's been 9 years since I've been there) It’s your vacation so no need to rise that early, let’s say you’re ready to go out at about 10am, the Granville Island market will be open so head over there to look around and get some brunch.  In the afternoon you could stroll along Robson/Granville, or transit to Burnaby to check out some galleries, or go spend the afternoon in Stanley Park including the Vancouver Aquarium (or a combo of those if you’re efficient with your time), as the sun begins to set and the tourist spots close, head down to the waterfront to check out the view then over to Gastown to see the clock that everyone seems to make a fuss about (ok, I guess it is kinda cool).  By now most stores are closing but Chinatown is still open, stroll over there to check out the scene, the ugly historic bell, and maybe even have yourself some dinner.  After some food, if you’re not staying very far away, stop in at the hotel to drop off any purchases you’ve made during the day, your camera if it’s a large one, and freshen up.  Nightlife starts up pretty early in Vancouver, so come 9pm there will be a number of bars and lounges to check out.  Alternatively you can go take another peak at the view of the water at night, or go to a movie, or even to a Canucks game if they're playing and your wallet can handle the ticket prices.  One of my favourite bookstores Granville Books is sadly no longer there, but a quick search on the web indicates my other fav Golden Age Collectibles (which is the equivalent of Toronto’s Silver Snail) is still there and open until 9pm almost every night.

I think the common things to do in the evenings while on vacation usually include:  going to shows, concerts, bars, clubs, or the movies.  Some cities may have night walking tours, ie ghost tours or mystery tours.  Sometimes attractions will even have special night time events – ie. Alcatraz Prison has a night tour and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum has evenings events every Friday night.

This is a brief breakdown of what I did every night after the sun set while I was on vacation:

Night 1 – jet lag, went back to the hotel after dinner

Night 2 - full dinner starting 7:30/8pm then walked home slowly losing my way once (haha)

Night 3 – train departing at 9:30pm so I was at the station after dinner

Night 4 – Been up since 4am, I was barely awake to eat dinner much less go out after

Night 5 – Cirque du Soleil show

Night 6 – stayed in for the evening

Night 7 – early dinner then a Vienna opera performance

Night 8 – 7pm dinner at Ra’mien Bar, walked around the Ring to check out the marathon & party at Hofburg Palace, hour long stroll home after

Night 9 - full dinner around 8pm then leisurely walk back to the hotel

Night 10 – organ concert at 7pm, dinner after, then an overnight bus

Night 11 – 7-ish dinner in Old Town Square then the Torture Museum

Night 12 – early dinner in Lesser Prague, long walk to Old Town Square for souvenir shopping, then black light theatre show.

Night 13 – shopping until 8pm, bought supermarket food and cooked a really late dinner at the flat

Night 14 – shopping until almost 8pm then had a combo of store bought and self-prepared food for dinner

Night 15 – on a plane home :(

So you can see there was a good mix of things to do, no late night shopping and sadly the Budapest Castle Labyrinth is currently closed (that was one of the creepy night time things I had planned).  There were no djs or bands performing that I had to go see, and I opted to sample local wines in the comfort of my own hotel/flat instead of going out to the bars.  Nothing that kept me out extremely late (it wasn't that kind of trip), which gave me a chance to start my days earlier instead.  For the nights I got in early, I would spend my time doing one of a few things:

-planning my itinerary for the next day

-packing things up as I was often travelling the next morning

-catching up on social networking and news from home for the destinations where I had access to wifi

-watching The Big Bang Theory (I put 3 seasons onto my tablet, had I any movies I would’ve watched those too)

-reading A Game of Thrones (I have the entire series on ebook loaded to my tablet & iphone)

If anyone has any suggestions for Chris about what to do at night when traveling you are most welcome to post in the comments, I will ensure he receives your input.

Euroventures 2011 - Milan

Now here is an example of a greater part of a day lost to travel.  The Czech Republic doesn't appear to offer any efficient train routes to Italy, and one of the cheapest flights I found leaving Prague flew into Milan's Malpensa Airport.  I decided this was a good idea because Milan was the only major destination left in Italy (after booking my initial flight into Venice) that I have not visited, plus, hello...fashion capital! (Also the only one of the big four I've never visited).  So I booked the mid-day flight on Easyjet.  This was my first time flying Easyjet, and I have to say it was a lot more humane that Ryan Air!  There was still no assigned seating but that's not a big deal, and this time I didn't fear for my life during the landing.  I'd been doing well physically through the trip, but for some reason felt a bit groggy during the flight, so after we arrived I was moving a little slower.  I get the feeling we arrived a little late, I was moving underwater-like as I hauled my ass onto the inter-terminal bus at Malpensa (that was the longest ride from one terminal to another I've ever taken by the way, I had to check a few times to make sure I hadn't mistakenly left the airport!) to go catch the train into Milan, a train that came every 30 mins I should add and I just missed one when I got there... all in all it took us until past 4pm to get to Ivy's flat.  Poor woman waited hours for us and her calls to my iphone weren't coming through.  She remained the greatest of hosts though, helping me haul my lead weight of a bag up to her 3rd floor flat (that's the equiv of the 4th floor in North America) and showing us around the flat.  She has a truly wonderful place, it's cozy but not cramped and had everything I could ask for in a vacation flat.  She's even got a good selection of teas and coffees in the cupboard and a washing machine in there!  It's right by the train station so it does require a short metro ride to the centre of the city, but since we were arriving and leaving Milan from said train station and we were only there for 2 nights it made sense to stay by the station.  If you're ever in the same boat, I would strongly encourage you to book a stay at Ivy's flat, if I ever wind up in Milan again I'm definitely staying there.

It was close to 6pm by the time I set foot in the square to marvel the gothic architectural wonder that is the Duomo di Milano, the 3rd/4th largest church in the world.  Much as I love the Baroque interiors I saw in Vienna and other religious adornments in other cities, I have to say nothing excites the church-architecture geek in me more than a gothic church.  Call it a weakness for flying buttresses haha. I can prob tell directions better from looking at an old church than by the sun/moon.

As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't do all my research on Milan.  Even with the guidebook that was sitting on Ivy's dining table, I didn't read as carefully as I could have.  The Duomo, Castello Sforzesco, The Last Supper (where tickets were sold out for the day that I was able to go) and shopping streets aside, I wasn't armed with any info on Milan.  Luckily my shopping ventures took me past the Colonne di San Lorenzo, which I recognized from skimming Ivy's guidebook to be Ancient Roman remains (they're 16 Corinthian columns dating from the 5th century when Milan was the capital of the Roman Empire, the columns were constructed from parts dating back to the 2nd & 3rd centuries...AMAZING how long they've survived and the fact that you can just go up and sit on em). What I missed out on was the San Lorenzo Maggiore, the church right next to the columns that also dates back to the 4th century (despite having been repaired and parts rebuilt) with a rich history of its own.


All was not lost though, I made up for all cultural shortcomings with additional shopping destinations!  Milan isn't called a fashion capital for nothing, after Singapore and Manhattan, I think Milan has the highest concentration of fashion retailers out of all the cities I've visited.  My only criticism would be for the disappointing selection and general store decor at Custo (another Barcelona label whose clothing I admire, and can sometimes even afford).  The Custo store in Soho, Manhattan is far superior.  I did buy myself the intended souvenir...a pair of leather boots specifically marked "Made in Italy", they are the new love of my life.

It's hard to say if I'll ever be back in Milan, I certainly have no objections to this bustling city and loved Ivy's flat, but unless travel between two other destinations takes me through here, I likely wouldn't go out of my way to re-visit.  I think that if I'd done my homework and managed to get tickets to see The Last Supper, two full days would've been adequate to take in all the highlights of Milan.


The final day of my trip was spent making my way back to Venice to catch my flight home.  Having ridden on Trenitalia trains before I was pretty confident I'd get to where I was going -- that almost wasn't the case though when I stepped off the train at Venice Mestre for a few seconds before I realized we were still one stop away from the stop I wanted - Venice Santa Lucia! Haha.  It's just a short boat ride, but still, that would have made a difference in time & money.


At Santa Lucia we got stuck behind a tour group stopping in for the day at the Left Luggage queue, but Venice is small so there was still time to wander back to the Rialto Market to blow the last of my euros on Venetian masks and gelato.  Walked through San Marco square one last time (and crossed the Academia and Rialto Bridges twice each... I tell ya Venice gets smaller and smaller the more familiar you get with it!) before making our way to the airport and home to Toronto.

Euroventures 2011 - Venice

In just over a week I've covered Venice, Salzburg, Vienna, and Budapest.  I'm now in Prague facing some lodging challenges, but the bulk of this blog was drafted on my last night in Vienna:

I'm on a train to Budapest in the morning (now that I've figured out which U-Bahn stop the station's actually at) where I've booked myself into an Ibis hotel for a night of basic but standardized comfort that is supposed to include wifi so I will hopefully be able to upload this then. [This did not happen due to wonky wifi at the Ibis City Budapest]

To sum up Venice in one entry wouldn't do it justice, so these are only highlights.  I'm also shying away from details about the sights as I feel descriptions without the accompanying photos is somehow incomplete.
Venice is charming but strictly for sight-seeing (and maybe engagement photos haha -- for those who know me, you might recall that I would like to have wedding photos taken at Versailles palace in Paris.) Don't show up with heavy luggage and expect the average street to be half the width of your driveway.  Once you drop off your bags at your hotel and get used to what qualifies as a street though it's an immensely fun place to get lost in, and not the least bit scary to be wandering pitch black alleys between old buildings (as the saying goes "don't try this at home kids").  By my third day I had sought out the narrowest alley in Venice - measuring 2 feet wide and leading straight into the water.  I also checked out a restaurant - Pasqualino's - that my friend Nelson (who was just in Venice one week before me) recommended, as well as another seafood restaurant for some smoked swordfish carppacio and probably the best salmon spaghetti I've ever had (if you follow the signs from San Marco to Rialto or vice versa, you will wind up passing through a small square that are all seafood restaurants).

GPS is both a life-saver and a huge frustration while in Venice.  While jet-lagged and disoriented, it helped me get 95% of the way to my hotel (which google maps said was a 12 min walk!  Yeah, if you live in Venice, maybe...) however because the steeets were so closely spaced and GPS can only detemine your location up to x meters, I was walking back and forth one street away from my hotel while google insisted that Ihad arrived at my destination.

Weather in Venice was lovely, high 20s (celcius) with all the water making it feel just slightly cooler.  The city featured more tourists than locals and Italian was not at all the common tongue to be heard while walking down the streets, however visitors and locals alike were very polite and full of smiles.  My hotel, Ca Centropietre, was situated on a pretty quiet street not far from the Academia Gallery and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (the latter of which I preferred better).  My washroom featured a fold-down bidet, which I regretfully forgot to take a picture of.  It was all that was available when I was booking accomodations, it was fine but I feel like I could have done better for that price.  It is worth noting that they did provide a complimentary continental breakfast.

Venice is worth seeing for yourself, I would recommend it for adults of all ages.  It's strictly about the sight-seeing, but you won't be disappointed.  There are folks who would be happy to stay much longer but I think 3 days was exactly the amount of time I needed to see everything that I wanted to see.

Lost in Venezia

2 days on the road and I've already broken a couple travel rules and likely run up a mad data roaming bill!
I was 2 blocks away from my apartment and already realized I'd probably packed too much. Just becuase your bag isn't stuffed to the brim doesn't mean you should start putting extras in, aside from the sundress for Venice of course, that has served me well strolling the sunny canals. My over-packing was confirmed once reaching Venice itself, I always say there's a reason you backpack through Europe and that goes doubly so for Venice. The sheer number of steps you have to go up and down to navigate the bridges will drive you insane if you're dragging even a wheeled sports duffel like mine.

It took me a day to get used to the difference in street widths, here if you stand in a street, stretch your arms out to either side and your fingers don't the buildings...you're on a major street! Today I sought out the narrowest alley in Venice, which is part of Calle Varisco and it is two feet wide! If you're a bit bigger than me you might have to turn sideways to get down the street. I'm also amused that one wrong turn leads you to water, no gates, poles, or any other object or markings, you just land right in the canal. Or that a seeming normal-sized bridge will lead solely to someone's front door.

My other no-no is buying difficult to transport souvenirs, arguably I break this rule pretty often since I like to collect shot glasses in my travels... I only wish I'd stopped there with the Murano glass (don't worry, it's just a delicate-shaped figurine, I haven't bought a vase or anything)

As for the roaming bill, well when you're sleep-deprived, jet-lagged, and have to make 24 turns during a 12 min walk to your hotel while navigating bridges with your heavy bag... you turn on your GPS and google maps pretty damned fast! Get lost a couple more times while gerting acquainted with the city and suddenly that's a lot of data you've just used :(

Those are just the stumbles though, I'll cover the highlights after I visit the Doge's Palace and St Mark's tomorrow. In the meantime go find yourself some ameretto gelato! Trust ;)

You know it's the beginning of low season when...

As I scramble to get ready for my trip and to tie up loose ends at the office, I know that there are a few other people around me who are doing the same.  For those without children or jobs/education tied to the traditional school year, October is a great time to travel.  Prices begin to drop in a number of destinations but it's not yet unbearably cold for sightseeing in North America and Europe.

In the span of 4 days, 4 of us are leaving on respective trips.  Right now this bitch (also known in polite circles as Melissa) is flying to Hong Kong 1st class on Cathay Pacific!  In case you're wondering folks, that is the best possible way to fly to Hong Kong from Canada. Melissa is taking a trip across multiple continents over the next year and you can follow her adventures on her blog.

Tomorrow, my elusive friend Trevor will be off to the UK for a couple of weeks.  He's a frequenter of England and does what he can to help the cider business there maintain a steady revenue.

Friday, I'll be squished into my economy seat popping Advil Night Time, reaffirming my belief in self-medication.

On Saturday the adventurous David will jet off to Africa to explore and climb, I wish him and his camera's batteries much endurance.

I don't even have time to single out those who've already left on their exotic journey or those who are going away soon, but you know who you are.

Travel safe everyone and come back with lots of stories!

T-minus 3 days!

The weeks of anticipation have melted into mere days!  The last month has flew by thanks to one of my other great loves - The Toronto International Film Festival (a trip around world in movies if you will...)  After I recovered from that I've basically had a week and a half to get set to go.  Unfortunately one of the side effects of seeing 28 movies in 11 days was a weakened immune system and now I find myself battling a cold, not exactly the desired state of health right before leaving on a trip.

Bit of laundry, some device chargers, some of that new Advil Nightime, and zero comprehension of Hungarian or Czech aside, I'm pretty much ready to go.  As usual my bag's a little heavier than I'd like, but the mid-month drop in temps (coinciding with my heading slowly north as the trip goes along) is going to warrant a warmer jacket.  At the same time, I'm willing to make a number of compromises while traveling, but foregoing the opportunity to wear open-toed shoes is not one of them.  As a result I'm a little embarrassed to admit there is a thin wool coat and a pair of Birkenstocks in my bag for my days in Venice :P

I've only recently begun researching aircraft seating options, another advantage to traveling in the internet age.  A number of flight confirmations now include the type of aircraft you'll be flying on (if not, it's still possible to search, airlines usually deploy the same types of planes on a given flight destination), from there a quick hop over to sites like Seat Guru and you can easily see a seating plan for your flight.  Many discount flights will charge extra to reserve a seat in advance, but even if you don't reserve, at least you have an idea of what to try for when you get to the airport.  Note: emergency row seats nowadays are usually all taken, so have your 2nd and 3rd choices ready.  Seating plan aside, there is also info on seat width, pitch, and whether there are power outlets available.  So I know to expect 19" wide seats and no power source for the 8 hours of my flight...grrrrreeeaaat.... *rolls eyes*

Watch for my tweets and blogs from overseas!  Ciao!

The Wanderlust is strong in this one

It's a rainy day in Toronto, still 7.5 weeks until I leave for vacation, and I'm 2 travel tickets away from completing all my major transportation bookings through Central Europe.

To distract myself from the 52 day countdown, I've been following my friend Sylvia's roadtrip adventures through the U.S. She's already seen more of the states than I ever have and at some point I hope to a less charted vacation like hers too. Having only 2 weeks and a mountain of recos and dream destinations, I made the decision early to pre-book my transportation and accommodations to keep my time and wallet better budgeted. I think it started when I decided to get a ticket to see Cirque du Soleil's Allegria (the most recommended Cirque show from almost every avid fan I know), which meant I would have to be in Salzberg somehow on Oct 5. With my flight going to Venice, the map and route plotting began...

I've also come into possession of a LG Optimus Pad aka one of the many new tablets hitting the market in recent months. I'm very excited about this since its lightweight dimensions and capabilities are ideal for travel. My HP Mini netbook has served me well the last couple of years and but onwards and upwards in the parade of technological advances! Between the tablet and my iphone, I should be able to post many an update and rack up a phenomenal amount of data charges! Just kidding, I plan to keep the tablet as wifi only while overseas (though if you catch me at TIFF I will likely be carrying it around with a SIM card in use)and am still researching the best travel pack to add onto my iphone.

There's certainly no shortage on my list of things to do in each city, but I always welcome more suggestions. Please let me know if you have further must-do's in Venice, Milan, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. I've decided to skip Bratislava and Liechtenstein this trip, but next time I'm back in that direction I will be sure to stop in.

Spare Change for the Opera?

One of the jewels of Vienna I'm told is the Wiener Staatsoper (trying to resist the urge to make a hot dog joke...) aka the Vienna Opera House, one of the most important opera houses in the world.

Access into the opera house itself is restricted to guided tours and performances, the former not very appealing as I'm allergic to tour guides. Performances, while enjoyable to me, can get pretty pricey. Shows at the Wiener Staatsoper are actually quite reasonable with tickets as cheap as 11€-30€, the views will be obstructed but at least you're in the building with a seat for the show. To save further, if you're willing to give up your seat (literally), there are 600 standing spots per show with tickets as cheap as 3€ each!

This blurb from Trip Advisor outlines where to line up for super cheap same day standing room tickets, the options for where you can stand, tips on proper etiquette and how to politely secure your spot. I think it's worthwhile to give this a go, and I will report back later in the fall on how I do. I figure the plan of attack is to pack my binoculars (I'm not cultured enough to own opera glasses nor do I know the functional differences between the two) and sit during intermissions to rest up. For 3€ I also wouldn't feel too badly if I got tired/bored and decided to leave during one of the breaks.

If you follow this link, it will bring you to a large image of the inside of the opera house. It's a little blurry but if you scroll you'll notice on the main level and on the top level at the very back there are some folks standing at the very back behind some railings. Personally I can live with that, especially knowing that I've just saved myself up to 150€.

To Pack or Not To Pack...That Is the Traveller's Question

August is here, and half the summer has gone by... perhaps you've already taken a trip this summer, or maybe it's fast approaching... I prefer to travel during low season, which is usually in the fall, so my own vacation is still 8.5 weeks off (*sigh*)

No matter what kind of a vacation you decide to take, where ever you decide to go, and however long you're away, one of the universal challenges of a traveler is how to pack efficiently. There is no correct answer to this, everyone has their own preference and items of necessity/comfort. I think the most important thing is to organize and analyze.

There are different ways to approach this, but in all instances, it's still better to pack a few days to a week in advance to avoid forgetting things. If you have an upcoming trip, why not take a look at this site for some packing tips to start? The Independent Traveler site gives you the rundown with packing tips, most common problems, and an interactive customizable packing list.

There's a few personal practices I adhere to when it comes to packing (and avoiding extra baggage fees)...

1. Dress in layers
Check your destination weather as much as you like, there will always be a margin of error for what the actual temps will when you get there. Not to mention if you're traveling to a destination that has a different climate than your own, you still need to arrive to the airport and get home later in the proper attire. To avoid having to pack for 2 different climates, try to layer. This will also theoretically give you more wardrobe combination while on the road. Also, extra hoodies can be rolled up and double for pillows.

2. Wear your heaviest clothing items onto the plane
Heaviest can be in reference to weight or warmth. These will usually be the parkas/ski jackets/pea coats... they either weigh a lot, take up a lot of room in your suitcase, or both. Packed in a bag or suitcase their dimensions/weight will work against you, maybe even resulting in extra baggage fees. But airlines cannot penalize you for your body mass, whether you weight 90 Ibs or 250 Ibs, the price for you to get on the plane remains the same. Stuff a reusable shopping bag in your carry-on, once you're onboard, fold the jacket up, put it in the bag, and sling it into the overhead compartment. Sure you might look like a moron boarding a flight to Hawaii in a wool coat, but it's worth it knowing you've just legally and cost-effectively increased your carry-on allowance. (Note: wearing an unusually large coat is a visual cue for spotting terrorists, so don't do this unless you're originating or destination city is actually cold enough to require such a jacket)

3. Pack a PJ t-shirt that you wouldn't be embarrassed to wear to the mall
Sometimes even with the best planning and prep, things go wrong. You might be short a change of clothes or have an exploding liquid mishap that ruins some of your shirts. Most travel destinations will have somewhere you can go to pick up a new shirt, but for whatever reason you might not want to (ie. you're low on funds) This is why when selecting pj's for travel my rule of thumb is to opt for slightly loose-fitting t-shirts that I would be willing to wear out if need be, so that in a pinch I can wear them for a day of sight-seeing without feeling awkward.

4. Pack a change of underwear and a thin clean t-shirt in your carry-on
Also a good idea in case of unexpected mishaps, or lost luggage. The change of undies and shirt will give you an extra day while you wait for your luggage to arrive and/or to go out and buy some new clothes.

In all my meticulous preparations and list-making, I can sometimes err in the other direction and wind up packing too much. I'm well-prepared, but then I usually wind up having to visit a massage therapist for my back the day after I return. In anticipation of my fall trip, I'm going to try the following to reduce the weight of my luggage, hopefully this will give my back a break (or allow me buy more souvenirs...either way...)

-cut down on the number of books I bring by using my ebook reader on my iphone and just bring a couple of magazines for take-off and landing that I can then trade with my mom or discard.

-take advantage of my longer stopovers to do a bit of laundry. A little bit of hand-washing clothes in the bathroom sink never killed anyone, takes a little longer to dry so I'll just have to remember to get those socks washed the first day I arrive in the city, but this way I won't have to pack 14 of everything. I've rented private flats in a couple of my destinations so my clothes can be hung up undisturbed by housekeeping.

-use phone camera instead of bringing another point and shoot. I have a Canon SX30IS for scenic photography, in addition I usually bring a pocket camera to take around when I'm not expecting spectacular scenery or "just in case". With the advanced technology of phone cameras these days I'm just going to rely on my iphone for these instances, so that will be one less device to worry about.

-try to do without my hair straightener. Don't underestimate vanity...but I also shouldn't underestimate my ability to deal with my hair either. I didn't own a straightener for most of my life and still got my hair to behave when I needed it to, it's not a trip that requires me to dress up a lot, so if all else fails I can resort to a ponytail.

Breakfast at Tiffanys, Coffee at Cafe Sperl

Another opportunity for cross-blog posting!

Something I like to do when visiting other cities is check out locations where famous films were shot. Some cities are obviously easier than others, ie. I think almost every inch of New York City has been in a movie at some point of another :P

For me Vienna is the home of many a famous classical musician, filled with baroque buildings and other old world gems, but it is also where one of my favourite directors Richard Linklater shot his beloved film: Before Sunrise. Ethan Hawke and July Delphy play Jesse and Celine, two young people who meet by chance on a train and decide to spend a day together wandering through Vienna.

So naturally I'm interested to know where they strolled, which cafe they stopped in, which park they slept in, etc. A quick google search brought me to this page, a concise list of which scenes were shot where, and all linked to google maps!

The main site is called Filmaps at http://www.filmaps.com/ It allows you to search by city or by movie. Just a little added dimension to your travels.

I'm sure no one will be surprised to learn I'm gonna be all over the Sound of Music locations in Salzburg!