Hamburg, Copenhagen, and my room!

accommodations

Here are pictures of the fairmont (hamburg, bottom), then the worst "hotel" on earth in Copenhagen(second from bottom), and my new sweet suite in Oslo(all other pics).  I am just about to experience my first night in my new home and I am tired from the ling journey.  My next post will be about the end of backpacking adventure, but right now I am going to get some well needed (and deserved) rest. 

Toothpaste

     Hamburg is undoubtedly my favorite city in Germany. Clean, organized, efficient, beautiful, friendly, and autumn-ish are the words that I would use to describe this charming town. They have a legendary street called Reeperbahn, which is next to St. Pauli (like the beer) that similar to the red light district in Amsterdam. Still sick and tired, I decided to utilize my supreme Internet connection and the facilities at the Fairmont instead of experience the nightlife (which I am starting to regret).
    I am known for doing moronic things from time to time. Last night I did the most stupid thing since I shot my finger with a pellet gun back in December. Let me explain… I had run out of toothpaste so I went to the pharmacy last night to pick some up. German is unlike any language I know (so it all looks like gibberish to me) but I figured all toothpaste is the same so I got the one that was placed next to the mouthwash.. logical right?... wrong!.. I opened the bottle and observed that the opening was very pointy and much smaller than we at home are used to. Wow this makes for a much more precise spread I thought. Having missed the last 2 brushing sessions I pored gobs of the paste onto my deformed brush. I quickly realized that this was very different from any other toothpaste I had tasted before. Was it pure baking soda? No… Minty in the slightest? No… the consistency? Rubbery and thick…. So thick in fact that I was having difficulty moving my brush around… When I realized that the mystery paste was not even water soluble, I came to the conclusion that this was even toothpaste… I fumbled for the box and looked at the picture to learn that the paste was denture-bonding cream. For those of you that don’t know, denture bonding cream (especially the extra strength ones) viciously stick to your mouth and does not respond to water. My toothbrush was stuck solid, and my mouth looked like when you pull apart grilled cheese sandwich. As I type this entry on a train to Copenhagen I occasionally come across a chunk of the bonding cream, that is still peeling off of my teeth and gums.

Lake Como and more Italy.....And a list about how I live

HOW I LIVE

H

·      II go from sleeping in a hostel, to a bush, to a Fairmont…….and over again

I sleep about 4 hours a night

I will spend 60 euro on 4 plates of pasta for dinner but refuse to buy a pair of shoes because I want to save money (my feet kill me)

I speak Italian in Germany and French in Italy, and English in France more because I have no idea where I am rather than to piss people off (although I enjoy that too)

I eat at least 1 pistacio/hazelnut gelato every day. (carapio is pinenut and it is fantastic too)

I have done my laundry 3 times since I have been here…. I brought 5 pairs of underware

I am left with 2 functional shirts,  a stained hoodie, 3 pairs of underwear, a beat up bathing suit, a long sleve, 1 disgusting pair of shorts, some thrashed sandals and worn-down belt.

Clothes casualties consist of 2 hats, 2 pairs of jeans, all of my socks, a pair of shorts, 5 of my 7 tees,  a dress shirt, a pair of vans (RIP), and soon my sandals, bathing suit, and other pair of shorts.

I don’t book or plan in advance anymore.. all spur of the moment

Thoughts from a bush

So last night I slept behind a bush in Zurich.  True story.  My train got in at 11:00pm and the next one to Hamburg did not leave until 6:00am the next morning.  I did not want to pay for a hotel room and the train staion closes from 1-4am so I improvised.  I put on my lone sweatshirt, took out the silk bed liner that I have, and went on a quest to find a safe bush.  I think it was at a university that overlooked the city where I called it quits last night, but I can’t be certain.  I set my iphone alarm for 4:30am and let my mind wonder. 

Among many thoughts, I had one in particular that I wanted to share on the blog.  It occurred to me that as we speak, in this very moment, I am “living the life”.  I am currently experiencing a part of my life in which I will remember forever.  I am living nomadically, with a backpack, a day pack, and open-eyes.  Alone, I travel far and wide, and somewhere along the lines have gotten accustomed to this lifestyle.  It felt so normal that I reminded myself I needed to take a step back from the situation and re-appreciate the opportunity that I have right now.  I live with no future, no past, just always now.   I think it is important that we all step back from time to time to appreciate what we have because it can leave before you know it.  

I had to post some pics

the high resolution copies of these are on the book.. Facebook that is.