Houston Aeropuerto

Houston Airport Lounge
Originally uploaded by WilliamInOmaha

A night of no sleep and a 4am arrival didn't seem to have the reward expected when our Omaha flight to Houston arrived 47 minutes late. This was just late enough to ensure missing our connection to Panama City, Panama and putting our 2 follow-up flights to Bogota and later Cartagena at risk. But what is airport travel trouble without an occasional blessing in disguise?

It seems Santa Claus (or in this neck of the woods, the baby Jesus) may have been looking out for us. Lingering about the terminal in a painstakingly long line, our fate seemed sealed. First, no more Panama. Second, we may not make it to Bogota in time to catch our coastal city flight. Yet Natasha, seemingly the only employee here that no habla espanol (I'm looking for every opportunity I can to get my language work-out), knew exactly what our hearts desired with a little Navidad treat to top things off.

Copa has now instead moved us to a non-stop flight to Bogota, first class I must add, to arrive this evening. We may get that much needed sleep after all. Further, what's a first class international ticket without the perks to come with it? I say only the passes up the opportunity for an afternoon in the Continental Presidents Lounge, or at least I started this fine Christmas Eve.

So our next stop is our final destination, and is where our next update is to come from. As for missing Panama, not all is lost with our return Copa Airlines flight still bringing us right back through. I'll end with my opening trademark travel photos and a Merry Christmas to all!

Colombia... No puedo esperar!

Less than weeks now until my trip to Colombia and Panama. Wondering how my Spanish will hold up. Any recommendations from anyone before I go?

On another note, I've got a few more cities uploaded to Flickr, a YouTube video and fresh new blog design. Adiós por ahora!

Winter Update

Hello everyone, its been a while since my last post! Let's start with a quick update on where I've been since I last posted. I had another runaway weekend to Chicago, with my first chance to meet Dominique's family. We had a great time over Labor Day with all the corresponding celebrations along Navy Pier and Lake Michigan. To commemorate the occasion, I thought I'd put together a compilation of all my Chicago trips in a Flickr Photoset. I'm not done, but it's a great start.

Later in September I headed off to Little Rock, AR with family for the celebration of my Brother's Wedding. It was my first time there, and we even had a chance to catch a Dave Matthews Band concert. Of note there: William Clinton's Presidential Museum, and an unexpected pleasant surprise with their street car system downtown. Their community seems to have a lot in common with Omaha, setting aside the usual North-South differences...

Finally, the big one! In just a few short weeks, Dominique and I are off to South America! Our destinations: Panama and Colombia. The main cities on the itinerary are Panama City, Bogotá and Cartagena. Here's to a Feliz Navidad and Próspero Año Nuevo in Colombia! Watch for my updates to come throughout our travel on this trip.

Post Europe

So I've been back home for a few weeks now. I had the best of intentions to write about the trip sooner, but something seemed to be holding me back. I think it was my desire to reflect significantly before closing the chapter.

As I write this tonight however, for some reason I don't feel ready still. Was it because I wanted to stay longer? It all happened so fast, and it was the most unique and challenging travel I've had to date. I didn't want to leave while finding myself anticipating being home at the same time. Is this conflict normal?

I suppose my stressful experiences influenced things a bit, but it was so much more. I'm so curious about the alternative lives of our European counterparts. I learned so much on this trip; I feel now more than ever a sense of what is important to me about my life. Yet I find myself filled with more questions than ever.

Of course, an international travel journey from an Americano seems complete only after mentioning how much I value my freedoms. Simply put, I love the United States of America. How much of this is my home-team bias and reality seams impossible to determine, but I don't mind my mental status quo. But what about what's missing from America today? Plenty.

The power corporations yield in America has been around so long, some of their marketing so entrenched in our day-to-day lives we don't seem to notice it's going on any longer. But I'm tired of it, and living in Europe for my small amount of time made that crystal clear. For the first two weeks home, I felt a sense of frustration I couldn't toss away; I simply concluded it was as any other might be, a result of too much travel, work and classwork too close together. Instead, could it have really been the unfortunate realization of a less than full-satisfaction of my lifestyle here?

Each time I've left the "Estados Unidos de America", I've noticed a few things that have stuck out in my mind each time. From Mexico to Quebec (not Canada-all, dare I say not British Canada), France to Spain, Italy and beyond, they are more in touch with nature then us. Everyone. I'm aware of how silly that statement is, it's too vague and general, a big fat cliche. It's true however, and there is no better way to describe it. From the daily runs to the fresh bakery and dairy to the fresh fruit and vegetable markets. Or the people that choose to eat in the park on a Tuesday, and then decide to invite the entire family. Or the group of friends that never misses a sunset in the hills. Since I began my travels to each of the mainland 48 states 5 years ago, I've yet to see anything close that compares in a U.S. city.

So, among other things, this begs the following questions: Is our development prohibiting us from experiencing these simple joys? Are we abandoning such fundamental things of life in our effort for further efficiency and modernization? I can't help but wonder if this is an extension of the "McDonaldization" that has occurred and has standardized what should not be. Maybe more importantly, is it now even possible to reverse any of it?

Maybe my answers are to be found in my future travels, I'll certainly be looking. In the meantime, I have plenty to reflect on already. Thanks for reading everyone, I may just keep using this blog for future travel logs. Stay tuned if you're interested.

Spain...and other travel incidents

Oh my what a week. Since I last posted, our next leg of the journey was from Rome, Italy to Barcelona, Spain via Vueling Airlines on Monday night. All went well and the flight was quite comfortable in its MTV-European new-age sort of design. That was until we got to Rome, where we waited in anticipation for my bag. Joe's arrived but mine did not. I was not worried at this point, things like this happen. We simply went to the baggage counter, but this is when the nightmare I was to experience was to become clearer.

They apparently never left the mess that is the Roman Airport. Nonetheless, I was assured I would receive it the next morning. It comes and goes, so I call (which is apparently quite difficult here in it's self, all customer service here is 900# style) and am told "no problem, this afternoon now". Well, this goes on over and over for two days with me occasionally checking in. Then I'm finally told it is simply no where to be found.

We didn't quite realize what we were up against until this point. We were preparing to leave, and my entire capacity to travel throughout Europe was in the bag with my EuroRail Pass. So, after some moaning and groaning and a few not-so-customer service interactions, I come to terms with needing an immediate plan B. After all, this foolish airline was not about to end our European trip.

So we decide to head to the airport. I talk with several airline representatives that couldn't care less, and we then simply begin moving on with our travels. But one final thought, while I am here I should file my (likely useless) "claim". I wrap around the airport, and about a half hour later I'm in the special luggage area. I ask to begin the claim, and the employee (expectantly) begins telling me why he can't help me. I begin to leave, all hope long lost, and I get a "but hold on, I think the bag is here" seemingly in English, Catalan and Spanish all-in-one (I became quite used to it). It comes out ten minutes later. I was so astonished, my thoughts took a bit to rebuild things in my mind. I used the long walk back to meet up with Joe to reflect.

After all that we simply move on. I didn't really intend to write so much of the baggage trouble, but it became quite influential on our travels so it felt relevant (certainly soothing to write it out). Despite all that, we didn't allow it to ruin our time in Europe's most beautiful city of Barcelona.

For those that don't already know, Barcelona is actually in a unique, politically autonomous region of Spain called Catalonia. It is a large tourist city on the east coast, but so much more. They speak many, many languages there but most speak Catalan primarily (it sounds like a French-Spanish hybrid, at times even Italian). Our hostel overlooked the Mediterranean the second night, and was in the Gothic Quarter the night before. Due to baggage trouble, the last night we were homeless Euro-backpackers. From Pablo Picasso's museum, to the work of Spanish Architect Antoni Gaudi, there was so much to see. The city is majestically clean, and for its size has an amazing mass transit system (like Madrid). I can't wait to return. To me, Barcelona feels like the Vancouver (British Columbia) of Europe.

One more thing- I suppose I should add my experience on one subway trip. Stressed about the luggage already and on our way to the airport, I likely had reduced my situational awareness, allowing for the almost perfect getaway for a would-be crook. Standing there, abnormally crowded on the train (almost artificially, which may have triggered my suspicion further) I felt something was wrong. I started checking all my pockets, and got to the one with my wallet- it was gone. I knew it happened on that train, but by whom? Once I observed its absence, my eyes almost announced to the people on the train what had just occurred. I told Joe, and knew I had little time to act. How do I respond? I can't ask the thief who took my wallet. I noticed a look on a nearby woman's face that seemed to tell me already, but I asked if she saw "that". After a nod yes, she pointed to who she thought did it. At this point, I am face-to-face with this man, who didn't speak English, and I demand he empty his pockets and bag. Nothing. The train is about to empty, so I have little time. A young guy, on his way out, looks at me and says "I think it was him" and points. I start the same process with him, until I see in beneath his feet. Exhilarated and scared, I now have my wallet back.

As stressful as these events were, they do not feel at all indicative of Barcelona or Spain. In fact, I couldn't have felt safer in Barcelona. It is a one of a kind city that I wish for all to see and admire, and plan to return. As I sit writing from our Madrid hostel, my only regret of Barcelona was not having a charger for my iPhone those days to take all the pictures I wished. Next time :)
We started touring Madrid earlier today, and it definitely has the bigger city feel to Barcelona but nice nonetheless. It was about 100 degrees today, so we made sure to cool off over some fine Spanish cerveza.

I went ahead and uploaded and updated the pictures I have. You can click on the Europe 2009 link to the right to view the entire photo album. Hasta luego!

Rome and the Mediterranean

The last two days in Italy have been nothing short of amazing. The influence of thousands of years of society is clear and present all over.

In Rome, it feels like there are two seperate dimensions simultaneously. That of construction sometimes older than Christ, and then that of our modern era. Their coexistence does not seem to come without tension, but the Roman people seem to always place one priority first: preserve their ancient architecture. What appears to come from this is something uniquely European- a new building may complete with ruins sitting in its lobby. Such respect for their ancestors and their history is enviable.

Today was a calm to Rome's tourist storm. We took the train to the west coast and have spent the day where I am writing from now.




The Mediterranean coast is absolutely gorgeous. It's sedative nature was just the medicine we needed from the havoc. This is by no means is to suggest Italians are modest in their demeanor (far from it, in fact), but instead their words unknown to me on a crowded beach seem to blend with the sound of the waves hitting the sand.

The only thing keeping me from dreading our departure in a few short hours is my even grander expectations of Spain.

Ciao!














-- Post From My iPhone

Italy

Wi-Fi has been randomly available so far, but getting online has been mostly limited by our frequent movement. So far we were able to tour Zurich a bit and then we headed off for Milan. The scenary through the Alps to Milan was beautiful, when I was able to stay awake!

Much of our travel has been restricted, or at least guided by the availability of trains to each city. So after standing in lines stretching outside the doors at the train station in Milan, we decided to head to Rome for our next stop. I'm happy to say we found the wonderful Hostel Alessandro to collapse in.

We're headed to tour Rome now. Starting with the Colosseo and then on to the Palatino and the Vatican City. Rome is amazing already, busy in it's own unique way and with a comfortable warmth of its August sun.

Started exploring travel to Barcelona on Spain's coast for our next leg. Ferry, Plane or Train we don't really know, it seems all our credit cards have been flagged high risk at the moment so we'll have to wait and see :)

Until next time!
















-- Post From My iPhone