Travel Tips

I've been on the road now for 3 1/2 which puts me about halfway through my adventures in Klezmer.  For those travellers among you who may do a similar trip which involves a fair amount of backpacking, I have some tips below.

#1: Take care of your feet.  Napoleon said that an army marches on its stomach.  Napoleon was douche bag.  Any backpacker knows that time spent walking is not only time spent moving from point A to point B, but it is one of the best ways to see the sights.  If you can't walk, options get smaller and smaller.  Now for a little bit of promotion. 

On my European trip last summer, I took a pair of Sketchers that felt more comfortable than any of the hiking shoes I tried on.  In Amsterdam, a combination of a bad blister and banging the bottom of my foot on a step at the hostel I was at made things pretty difficult and painful for a few days. 

This time, I wasn't making the same mistake.  I bought a pair of Salomon light hiking shoes and I couldn't be happier.  I have not had 1 blister, or any kind of foot or leg pain.  I have even been running distances of  5+ km  4-5 times a week in these shoes without any pain beyond the usual aches.  TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET!

#2: NEVER miss an opportunity to use a clean, quiet bathroom.  Museums and galleries are particularly good for this.

#3: NEVER miss an opportunity to charge electronic appliances.

#4: NEVER miss an opportunity to get WIFI.

#5: I'm too old to stay in 10-bed hostel rooms anymore.  That's not a tip.  Just a realization I've come to.  After almost no sleep in Krakow the last night (with a few real good snorers), I don't think I can take it anymore.  I need a solid 6-7 hours of sleep a night, and have no patience for that kind of nonsense anymore.

#6: PACK LIGHTLY!

Those are my tips for now.  If I have more, I'll add them in a separate post.

For more on my Munich experience (including a Yiddish music concert), and a different kind of hostel hell, check back soon.  I'll probably post it from Innsbruck if I find a decent internet connection there.