A tale of middle-aged hedonism

(AKA breaking the code with counterprogramming)

Munich outdoor beer gardens

I’ve just returned to California from a 2-month trip to Europe.  My route was Iceland->Belgium->Czech Republic->Poland->Ireland->Germany->Austria.  Although that seems like the path of a convict trying to escape Interpol, in my case, it was just the route of an American who was not very good at reading maps.

Ryan, who I first met carpooling to 6^th grade in Hawaii, crafted an amazing trip for us through Munich and northern Austria.  His plan was ‘counterprogramming’ - which in this case meant, let’s go to ski resorts in the summer when all the Europeans vacation on the coast.  His plan worked flawlessly, we stayed in 4 and 5 star hotels in the Alps at 50-75% below peak rates and the dollar was 40% stronger than normal.

By way of contrast, the first trip I took with Ryan was to American Samoa to represent Hawaii in an all-Polynesian tennis tournament.  In between matches we slept on a pig farm.  The second trip I took with him was in Central America. I had less than a $20/day budget for 3 months of travel.  This time around, we traveled in style … being middle-aged has some advantages after all J

Strolling around the Austrian Alps

We started in Munich and spent most of our time in The English Park.  The park was amazing, it had a river running through it and all the locals were having beer rewarded swimming races, dancing around in the water in swimsuits, and believe it or not, surfing on waves in the river rapids.  At the center of the park was the main Hofbräu (beer garden) that had a Bavarian oompah band playing on the second floor of a 6 story Chinese pagoda.  The pagoda was surrounded by around 1000 park tables were everyone socialized – the Bavarians are particularly friendly, and each time Ryan and I sat somewhere new, we ended up getting to know the entire table and sat with them for hours.  They only seemed to serve beer by the liter, so limiting yourself to 2 beers was not a real act of temperance.

Cycling along the Danube

Fearing for our livers and our lives, we left Munich and headed south to a town named Kitzbühel to start hiking the Austrian Alps.  We originally intended to hike something called the Eagle Walk (http://www.tyrol.com/eagle-walk) and camp along the way, but this plan quickly changed into “let’s stay at boutique hotels and go swimming after day hikes in a semi-private Olympic sized rooftop pool.”  

The Austrian hotels were to die for, they were charming beyond measure, swarmed with attentive dirndl-clad beauties, had wonderful views of the Alps, and were staffed with amazing chefs.  I’m an atheist; however, having tasted Austrian truffled poached eggs, I’m now open to the idea of a supreme being.

Rooftop pools with amazing views

In Kitzbühel, we climbed up the mountains that are usually downhill ski runs and enjoyed a snack at a chalet at the various mountain peaks.  Some of the runs were too steep to go straight up, so we took a gondola to bypass the hardest stretches.  There was a clay-court tennis tournament in town, so we were able to see some great professional tennis matches from fantastic seats.  Lastly, there was an annual festival in old-town where everyone dressed in lederhosen and sang to traditional music all night long … these are my kind of people!

Kitzbühel hotel balcony view

I wanted to cycle in wine country, so we took a two day trip to an area called Melk that was on a beautiful stretch of the Danube river.  We rented power assist e-bikes and did a 45 mile roundtrip trek through wineries and ancient towns that were serviced by a dedicated bike path (no cars) that ran along the river.  This area is cycling heaven.  I plan one day to ship my bike over and ride from Germany’s Black Forest, through Vienna, to Budapest, all along the Danube.  Let me know if you want to join!

No other guests used the pools, it was like a private mansion

As of a few days ago, I’m back in sunny California and reunited with my amazing terrier.  It was a great trip, but it is nice to be back home and catch up with old friends.  Speaking of which, text me and lets catch up, first round is on me!

J Tony

Box seats at an ATP event

View of my outdoor pool from my indoor pool

Irish Come-Hither

Beautiful Prague

15 minutes after arriving to Dublin, a random girl gave me a kiss and asked me to take her home. I heard the Irish were friendly, but evidently the extent to which was vastly understated! More on this tale to follow ...

My path in Europe has been, Iceland -> Belgium -> Czech Republic -> Poland -> Ireland -> Germany -> Austria (upcoming)

I've just landed in Munich, and it is my first time to Germany. Ryan joins me tomorrow and we are going to zoom down the autobahn to Austria for a week of hiking the Austrian Alps. Given our history, this will degrade into lounging next to nice views, but we hope to get some miles in before the torpor takes complete hold :)

After Iceland (previous post), I went to Belgium and was able to see Jill (a New Zealand camping friend). Jill only had a few minutes to visit because she was in between dates on a reality Belgium dating show. She had just finished date 2 of 4, and we met for drinks and she told tales of the filming earlier that day. Jill could have been making it all up to avoid traveling with me, but if so, hats off to her creativity :)

In Belgium, I went to Antwerp, Ghent, and Brugge. Most people know of Brugge's charm, which is justified, but I like Ghent a bit more since it was not an exclusively tourist town, and, for better or worse, you could go dancing until the break of dawn there.

Hiking Ireland's Cliffs of Moher

In Brugge I met two rugby players from the New Zealand Navy and we had some pints together. Thankfully, I'm old enough not to try and keep up with guys that fly at their altitude, and I went to sleep when they charged out into the darkness for a 'night-cap'. The next time I saw them they looked like road-kill. Both of them had no memories of the evening after our departure. One woke up in the bushes near our hotel at 10am and told me when he made it inside that "I'm pretty sure I was stabbed last night, I think I need to go to the hospital." The other kiwi helped clean up his wounds and they both survived ... good times :)

Prague's Beer Museum

Next, I flew to Prague. The hotel I had a reservation at was a dud, they had no reception to let me in, and after sitting on the curb for a few hours I checked into nearby hostel (hoping not to sleep in the bushes like a kiwi :) I met some wonderful young peeps at the hostel and it was fun reminiscing what it was like to travel at their age and to get the perspective of the next generation.

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. I walked around it for days soaking in its countless charms. Consider putting it at the top of your next city to visit. As an added bonus, they invented the modern beer in Pilsn (where we get the term pilsner), and every place serves amazingly crisp and delicious beers on tap. Furthermore, you are encouraged to take a roadie with you at all times, so you don't have to face the horror of being beer-less on your commute. In addition, the Czechs are serious dog lovers. As I enjoyed a beer in the subway, I loved that every third person had a dog with them (dogs travel toll free on the transit system). This is what I consider a highly civilized culture!

Krakow Engagement Party

Next I took a train and bus to Krakow, Poland. The AC did not work on the train, in the middle of a heatwave noless, and I damn near melted on the trip. Krakow is the former capital of Poland, and strolling around the medieval fort felt like you were a player in a real life mario brothers game set in an ancient castle. From Krakow, I visited Auschwitz (which I discussed in a previous post).

I had planned on going to Hungary next, but it was difficult/expensive to plan the trip punching over the Slovakian mountains, so I jumped on a $50 flight to Ireland I saw as a last second Ryanair special.

Clifden Countryside B&B

Part of the reason the flight from Poland to Dublin was soooo cheap is that it landed at 12:30am. After dropping my bag at my hotel, I walked over around 10 people passed out in the streets to a pub on the adjacent corner. The first pub I first tried to go in was called Whelans which was featured in a movie called P.S. I Love You (that I have never seen). It was packed full of very young partiers, so I opted for the sleepy-old-man-pub next door.

And here is where the story rejoins with the first paragraph of this post ... Seconds after walking into my first irish pub, a tiny woman in her early 30s was jumping up and down trying to get someones attention. I figured it could not have been me, but as she continued waving and staggering forward, evidently i found i was her intended target after all. She said to me "are you American?", i said "yes". She told me i had to walk back with her, meet her friends, and settle a beer bet. After meeting the friendly lot, the girl told her friend, that i was an american, because "only an idiot would wear shorts and camping boots out at night." It was at this time that i realized that i did not "freshen up" after my red eye, and i looked very out of place. The girl then sat on my lap, gave me a kiss, and asked me to take her home. Seconds later she nearly passed out mid sentence and her friend helped her to her apartment. 15 minutes into the country and the Irish were now my favorite people, they can't pronounce an "h" if their lives depended on it, but they can make a stranger feel at home like no other people can :)

Killarney B&B Breakfast

In ireland i visited dublin, galway, clifden, doolin, moher, and killarney. The weather was rotten, but spirits were high. I did some walking, running, and cycling. My favorite outdoor activity was hiking the cliffs of moher during gale force winds (fun fact, this was the same weather that closed down the british open on the next island over). At one point my glasses were blown off my face and shot up 30 feet in the air, i dropped to all fours to try an avoid joining my 5 dollar glasses to their icy doom - however, luck was on my side and a guy grabbed my glasses some 50 feet down the path as they teetered over the lofty ledge .... it was a festivus miracle!

Some towns in Ireland are quaint beyond reason. For instance, in the town of Clifden, when I went to rent a bike, I was told that I had to return after 3, because the cycle store owner was also the town undertaker, and he would not be back until the funeral was done. I have never heard that at an REI before :)

I want to thank you all for the warm wishes I received on my birthday. I was on a pub crawl in dublin then, wishing you could all be there in person, but happy that you joined me in spirit.

Looking forward to seeing you soon, Tony

PS, all details in this post are 100% true, even though the Irish repeatedly told me "to never let the truth get in the way of a good story" :)

Auschwitz, 2015

This post is about my recent visit to the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp. Reader discretion is advised.

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I'm writing from Krakow, Poland. I went here to see the historic former capital and to pay my respects at Auschwitz (which is around 45 miles from Krakow).

Auschwitz is a place that we all know of through movies, but seeing it in person was still shocking. The concentration camp was preserved essentially unchanged since it became a museum in 1947 - two years after the Red Army recaptured Poland from Nazi Germany. Some buildings that were formerly used for administration are now filled with photos, artifacts, and displays. The other buildings, and the endless electrical fences that surround each building, were left in their original condition.

I had no idea how large the facility was. The grounds are approximately 15 square miles and imprisoned more than 100,000 slave laborers at any given time. In total, approximately 1.5 million people were slaughtered at this facility alone.

You can only enter the concentration camp facilities as part of a guided tour. The tour begins in a room that is filled from floor to ceiling with footwear, primarily children's shoes, that were pulled from people who were murdered at the facility. You could not hear a single person, other than the guide, speak at the camp. Most people stared blankly or cried from this moment forward.

Walking through the gas chambers and adjacent crematoriums, that were run non-stop throughout the genocide, was heartbreaking. Subsequent aspects of the tour were no easier to manage.

It is estimated that the holocaust resulted in the extermination of over 11 million people, and the death of 2 of every 3 European Jews, within a 5 year period. Further estimates suggest that over 100,000 to 500,000 were direct participants in the planning and execution of the Holocaust.

Neither the tour guides nor the plaques editorialized or contextualized. Special efforts were taken to only refer to the perpetrators as Nazis and not by country of origin. You were led around the facility and told what happened as cold, but extremely unpleasant, facts.

North American atrocities, such as the near-eradication of native peoples and slavery, were before the advent of cameras, but actions in Auschwitz are captured by photo and film. Note that much of the film you have seen shot indoors at newly liberated concentration camps was staged several months later by former prisoners. It turns out that initial camera crews did not have the ability to film indoors because there was not enough light. Actual human conditions at the time of liberation were (unbelievably) far worse.

The only picture I'm posting from this trip is a plaque near the gas chambers pleading humanity for vigilance to avoid repeating the horrors that occurred here.

I have no profound distillation of the experience to share. Walking through such a place just left me dumbstruck and crushed.

I can not comprehend how the region and peoples moved forward after this gruesome chapter of humanity. However, at the conclusion of this trip, while wandering the ghetto near Schindler's Krakow factory, I happened across a tiny alley where a scene from the movie that bears his name was filmed. Instead of a child running for her life at the hands of a Nazi youth she knew from school, I saw a young couple deeply in love and posing for wedding photos. People around the couple were cheering, families were laughing, and a place of former horror was once again a neighborhood full of potential and love.

Iceland Summer Solstice 2015

Iceland, a fascinating country where even the sheep and horses are hot blondes!

Living in a postcard

I arrived in Reykjavik at 4am disoriented but excited to see Kristin and her friend Aldis welcome me at the terminal.  We walked outside and i immediately scrambled to find my jacket to survive the bitterly cold gale force winds that nearly knocked me over.  Evidently "come visit it is warm outside" means something very different to an Icelander and a Californian!

Arctic fishing village

An everpresent rainbow dances in this 200 foot waterfall

As we approached the summer solstice, Iceland's perch in the arctic circle ensures that there is permanent sunlight, or at the least a bright surreal twilight, at all times.  As such, i did not see darkness for over 10 days.  It is kind of hard to figure out if you are jet-lagged when it is always light out and you routinely go clubbing from 12am to 5am.

Roaring mossy cave

Kristin and i went on a surfing trip to freeze to death while trying to catch waves in the bitter cold.  Unfortunately (thankfully!) the waves were too small, so the closest we came to watersports was pretending to surf waves on the beach wearing parkas.  We were able to see some of the most beautiful waterfalls on the planet along they way.  They averaged 200 foot (60m) drops and you could walk behind one and be soaked in the mist and hear the roar of the water from a mossy cave.  That evening, I saw the sun set at 12:10am, then rise only 10 minutes later from the safety of a bubbling hottub ... tres magnifique!

Dreams of surfing

Next up, Kristin and went to the Secret Solstice music festival that featured The Wailers (of Bob Marley), and a variety of Icelandic dance and hip-hop music.  I tent camped outside the event and was present for 72 hours of concert and tailgating.

I then went on a solo trip to the west fjords which turned out to be one of the most amazing road trips I've been on.  Blue skies, snow capped fjords and dirt roads that clung to harrowing cliffsides while Teddy Pendergrass or the Foo Fighters blasted from the car stereo is a memory i will not soon forget.

Simulated surfing

I'm now completing a 5 day trip to Belgium and i leave for Prague early tomorrow.  Are you nearby?  If so, IM me and we can meetup.

-Travlin T

PS a heartfelt thanks to Kristin, her mom, Uncle Joe, sisters, and her adorable grandparents for welcoming me into their homes and stuffing me full of delicious food ;)

Careful ...wearing my glasses makes you a bad-ass

Secret Solstice concert crew

Thank god for GPS

Everywhere you look .... amazing blondes on the side of the road!

Fjord lighthouse

Kristin and her wonderful grandparents

Daze of Future Preterit

A surfing Tony is a happy Tony

I have just completed week four of my trip to Central America to improve my Spanish, surfing, and videography ‘skills’.  I was originally planning on going to Argentina or Chile, but The Google told me the best language/surfing school was The School of The World in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica … who am I to argue with a search-engine?

Arial view of Jaco

The town I’m in is called Jaco (population of 10,000) and it is the nearest beach to the Capital city of San Jose.  The town is described as ‘too big’ by some locals, and ‘tiny’ by tourists arriving from a distant megalopolis.  The school I am staying at is a charming oasis designed by an artist and his wife.  The ‘campus’ includes a community kitchen, language classes that are really mini dojos, a yoga studio, a common tv area to review surf instruction while sitting in the postage stamp sized pool, and private and shared rooms.  The theme of the architecture and decoration is Japanese while utilizing the lush green tropical surroundings.  About 70% of the 15-20 students are solo female travelers strutting around in bikinis at all times, as such, most male travelers tend to extend their stay :)

Riding the line to the right

At the school, Monday through Fridays are ‘work days’ and on the weekend you get to relax without an itinerary.  The classes schedule is made fresh each week depending on the preferences of the students and the tides (we always surf at high tide).  A typical schedule for me would be daybreak surfing (6-8am), Spanish class (9-11am), lunch, Spanish lab (1-2pm), GoPro class (3-5pm), nap, dinner and drinks with friends and an early bedtime.  It is very relaxed and low stress (since this is a vacation for most of the students), but it is a very busy schedule and the time absolutely flies by.

My Spanish instructor Laura playing guitar

My Spanish has definitely changed since I have been here … I’m not sure I would use the word ‘improve’ just yet.  Prior to this trip, I could only speak in the present tense (since I could not figure out how to conjugate verbs in the past or the future).  My Spanish was either suggestive of a rich inner life and the perspective of the Buddah, or caveman, depending on your perspective.  I now sorta know how to speak in the past, but largely confuse it with the present, so it mostly comes out as an incomprehensible jumble.  Oh well, me talk pretty someday.

Afternoon nap in my room

Surfing has been additive, wonderful, and humbling.  I have such grand plans of improving my technique each time I paddle out, but when the wave comes, I sorta loose my mind, forget to breathe, and repeat the same mistakes each time anew.  My instructors wince while saying ‘good job’ and I promise to myself to do it right next time … but my body knows this is just pillow-talk, and I’m not fooling anyone.  But as I sit on my board in the twilight with new-found friends, my technique sins are absolved in the grandeur of the setting sun.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

-Traveling T

SOTW - Street view

Lodging @ the SOTW

An Unexpected Journey

Stand-up paddle-boarder enjoy's the Big Sur sunset   

Randa's dismay that she has to take
her cocktail to-go on NYE

I received a Facebook message from Randa on Dec 27 instructing me I should crash in her guest room and spend New Year’s Eve with her friends in San Diego.  To put things in context on how long it had been since we last seen each other, I met Randa in my very first college class at the University of Texas, Austin and had not seen her since our graduation day party we threw together (which places our last meeting sometime in the Carter Administration) :).

3 rounds in 3 days with my dad

I convinced my dad to join in me San Diego so we could go golfing together after my visit with Randa.  Asking my dad if he wants to go golfing in Southern California is kind of like asking my terrier if she would like to go for a run in the park.  One anticipates a positive response.  Thankfully, he said yes and we booked a hotel and tee times together.

Randa lives in Del Mar which is around 20 miles north of San Diego.  If you exclude diversity from your decision criteria, Del Mar is about as close to the perfect as a beach town/heaven that you can hope for.  Each night we painted the town with her friends, walked off the sins of the evening on a beach the next day, and repeated our errors later that eve.  Randa evidently made a pact with the devil and looks the same as she did on graduation day; we were close friends all over again, and, if you exclude our intermittent geriatric back spasms, it was just like old times.

View from a mansion in the Santa Barbara Hills

Brett and Tony's pub-crawl

My dad and I had a wonderful trip, we stayed at the SD Hilton Bayfront and golfed Coronado and walked around the Gasslamp district for 3 days.  We made ample use of mulligans and the hotel hottub.  After 3 rounds we were tied (just like every other father/son golf trip).  One of these days I’m going to review the scorecards, but in the meantime, I love how he fudges the numbers to give me a fighting chance.

I was supposed to stay with Matt Mcfalls for a few days after my dad left, but unfortunately Matt was under the weather.  I was on a roll of sorts on reunions, so I decided to Facebook Brett, who was on my high school tennis team freshman/sophomore year – I have not seen or talked to him since.  He lives in LA and was very surprised to hear from me, but opened up his guest room nonetheless.  He and I pub-crawled and rode bikes around Santa Monica/Venice beach for a few days.  Going to a bar with Brett is sorta like becoming an invisible man, but it was fun imagining that the woman throwing themselves at him were aiming at me and just sorta missed :) 

Coronado sunset

I drove my way up the coast back to Sacramento after LA.  I had a fantastic visit with the Clan Herner in Santa Barabara, and an unexpectedly wonderful time in the little town of Cambria, CA just south of Big Sur. 

I’ve included a few pictures, but most are of Southern California Sunset’s … which are magical delights.

-Tony (The Domestic Man of Mystery)

Cambria sunset from my motel deck