The Evolution of Schtuff

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Jacqueline Justine

I traveled internationally for 4 months wearing a 45 liter pack on my back and a smaller backpack in the front through 15 countries. I had to be prepared for all climates – the nauseating heat of summer in Australia, the bitter cold of dead winter in Poland and Germany and the downpours of spring in Italy. I sent my ex-boyfriend back from Italy with a few extra items in his luggage and shipped a small package from Madrid a month before returning. I had posted a list of what I carried when I departed in January so I figured it was only appropriate to show what I returned with. Items in red were lost, broken or sent back to the states. Items in green were purchased along the way.

in 45 liter pack:
-1 pair of stylish boots – these got tossed in late April into a trash can in Leiden, Holland after quite literally being worn until disintegration
-1 pair of sneakers
-1 pair of black sandals purchased in a size too small (apparently they don’t have big footed women in Western Europe) in Lisbon to wear to the Moulin Rouge
-1 pair of black flip flops – these were tossed in the beginning of my trip in Australia to save space knowing I was headed into the winter months of Germany and Poland
-2 dresses (1 casual & 1 fancy) – I ended up with a different formal dress purchased in Lisbon for the Moulin Rouge after sending my ‘fancy’ dress back with Jon
-1 thin, stylish hoodie
-1 nice, outerwear jacket – this jacket ended up not being warm enough nor as waterproof as I thought and was replaced with a purple Northface in Rome
-1 cute cardigan sweater
-1 fashion scarf
-1 pair of jeans – these jeans grew too big and were sent back with Jon – I bought a new pair of denim and a grey pair of pants in Florence – a pair bought in Berlin was shipped back from Madrid
-1 pair of jeggings – sent back with Jon
-1 pair of shorts – sent back with Jon
-1 pair of capri pants – shipped back from Madrid
-1 pair of pajama pants purchased in Berlin
-1 Paddington Bear pajama set purchased in London
-1 fancy tank top – ruined during a laundry incident in Prague
-2 tanks tops / under shirts – shipped back from Madrid – replaced with 2 tank top bras from Lisbon
-1 long sleeve shirt – ruined in Prague – new one purchased in Lisbon
-2 blouses
-3 cotton blouses – 2 shirts ruined in Prague – replaced in Lisbon
-2 cotton t-shirts – 1 shirt ruined in Prague
-1 workout tank top
-1 sports bra
-1 tan bra
-1 bathing suit
-1 camping towel – sent back with Jon
-21 pairs of underwear – ended with 16 pairs of underwear
-14 pairs of socks
-1 reusable shopping bag for dirty laundry
-1 toiletry bag containing: deodorant, a razor with extra blades, shampoo, facewash, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, QTips, tampons, nail file, prescribed anti-anxiety medication, comb, extra hair elastics, a headband, bobby pins, makeup and some jewelry
-1 blue hat haggled for in Rome – sent back with Jon
-2 pairs of earrings purchased in Seville
-1 bracelet gifted by a co-worker in Paris
-1 ring purchased in Florence
-1 trinket bracelet gifted to me in Galway
-1 new claddaugh ring purchased in Cork at Blarney Castle

in backpack:
-purse (containing ID, passport, hand sanitizer, sunglasses + wallet) – purse was destroyed – new one purchased in Seville – new sunglasses were also purchase in Florence and then again in London to replace lost pairs + 1 leather sunglass case purchased in Florence
-computer + charger for work
-iPad for work-phone + charger
-mobile phone charger purchased in Australia
-wall outlet adapter
-headphones
-sweet leather fanny pack – sent back with Jon
-leather journal – shipped back from Madrid
-hello / goodbye book for memories + notes from people I meet along my journey
-blank watercolor postcard – shipped back from Madrid
-watercolor travel kit – shipped back from Madrid
-1 reusable plastic water bottle – broke in Germany
-travel pillow purchased during layover in London on the way to Australia
-2 books from Amsterdam, 1 was purchased and 1 was gifted
-1 beautiful hand crocheted ping gifted to me in Germany – lost in Prague
– 1 book gifted to me in Poland – sent back with Jon
-1 book gifted to me in Augsburg – re-gifted to a friend in Frankfurt
-1 small Astronomical table clock gifted to me in Prague – sent back with Jon
-artwork purchased on the streets of Prague and Venice – sent back with Jon
-stainless steel Italian espresso maker purchased in Venice – sent back with Jon
-personalized wax seal kit with gold wax given to me in Venice – sent back with Jon
-small trinkets and presents purchased through traveling (some stayed with me) – most sent back with Jon or shipped from Madrid
-4 chocolate bars purchased in Belgium
-37 pins purchased from each city visited in Australia and Europe
-1 of each coin in the 7 currencies I paid with
-1 CD purchased from a band playing in a park in Barcelona
-1 spoon – stolen in Germany – used to take selfies throughout Europe

Before

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After

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To the friends I met along the way

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Jacqueline Justine

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”

-Tim Cahill

Through 15 different countries in 4 months of traveling, I met some truly incredibly people. Some I knew from home, some through friends of friends but most I was just lucky enough to cross paths with. People keep asking what my favorite country was… but really each place was special more so because of the people I met than by anything I toured, ate or experienced.

I cannot express enough the immense gratitude I feel for not just knowing all of you, but for the kindness and time you shared with me.

I have left pieces of my heart all over the world.

Berlin, it’s been real.

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Jacqueline Justine

Berlin is the first time I’ve been truly ‘alone’ on this trip (alone in the sense of not staying with friends in the places I’ve visited). I had my first couch surfing experience with a couple named Jan and Melli. I was a bit nervous at first – we grow up in such a culture of fear in the States but the more I travel, the more I am trusting my instincts and the good in other people. I don’t feel alone at all, but rather a part of something bigger than myself.

5 Days in Berlin:
-Being given ‘house shoes’ by Jan, this seems to be a very common thing in Germany
-Babies, left in carriages outside while the parents run in to grab a pastry or complete an errand… while this is normal here, I joked that there was an American on the lose with a ticking biological clock!
–My first night in Berlin: Jan and Melli made a pasta dinner, after which we sipped on scotch and discussed both German and American politics
–Highlights from the New Europe walking tour with a Brit named Rob McCracken: Brandenburg Gate, the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his baby from the 3rd floor window, the Reichstag government building, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, standing 4 meters above the führerbunker where Hitler and his mistress swallowed cyanide capsules, the former headquarters of the Nazi air force (one of the only buildings remaining from this era to survive the WWII bombings), the Communist propaganda mural still up from post WWII, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the French Cathedral built in 1705 and the German Cathedral built directly across from the French Cathedral in 1708 but 1 meter taller
-Seeing a bar that’s been open for 33 years straight (literally every minute of every day)
–Highlights from the 666 Anti-Pub Crawl: Yesterday bar (a super tacky retro bar right up my ally), Absinthe bar (my first ’real’ absinthe shots), Dr. Pong (where I ended up in an around the world table tennis tournament), a dance club (with music dating to the early Now CDs) – I met some fun pre-med students studying in Copenhagen and got to use my Portuguese with some Brazilians. I didn’t get home until 6:30am and needless to say, I did not make it to my 8am tour of the Reichstag the following morning.
–Highlights from Alternative Berlin’s Culture walking tour: Riding and walking for 5 hours through the neighborhoods of Prenzlauerberg, Mitte, Friedrichshain & Kreuzberg – learning of the rich, diverse and ever changing art and music culture in Berlin throughout these major historical moments.
–Strolling Alexanderplatz: stopping in at TKMaxx (ahem.. TJMaxx) to buy a warmer under layer and gloves because I did not anticipate how bitter the cold would be
–Touring of Reichstag dome (luckily being able to reschedule!): a free tour with beautiful views of Berlin
–Strolling the East Side Gallery of the Berlin wall with a coffee in hand: I spotted a Cancer Carl tag, a street artist from Oakland, CA
-Taking a bike ride with Jan to the market to grab groceries for breakfast on my last day, seeing an outdoor petting zoo on the way back in Mauer Park
-Sitting around with Jan and Melli on my last morning with full bellies and sharing stories
-Walking through a memorial to the victims that tried to cross the Berlin Wall with Jan & Melli, talking about the impact of events and war for our families and friends in the history of both Germany and America (then getting hailed on during the walk home)

Language Highlights:
-Tschüss! (pronounced like “OMG choos”)

Food Highlights:
-Currywurst
-Pizza pretzels
-Doner Kebab

Documentaries I need to check out:
-Rabbit a la Berlin
-Swing Kids
-Berlin Kids

AIRPORTS: 12
FLIGHTS: 14
TRAINS: 1
BUSES: 1
STATES: 7
COUNTRIES: 3
CONTINENTS: 3
DAYS TRAVELING: 88
CURRENCIES: 3

(side note: if you ever travel to Berlin – make sure to ‘validate’ your ticket in separate machine, I had a close call because I didn’t realize purchasing a ticket wasn’t the same as having a valid ticket! The train and bus system is generally very easy to get around on but I recommend getting a valid pass for the amount of time you’ll be traveling, it’s just easier!)

More meat. More beer. Frankfurt. Germany.

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Jacqueline Justine

It was a brief but beautiful three days in Frankfurt, Germany. A childhood friend now lives there with her husband and I couldn’t come all this way without seeing her!

It’s been twelve years since I last saw Chelsea but it was like no time had passed. We crammed in some sight seeing amongst the catching up. I ate the best food and drank the best cocktails I’ve had on this trip this far.

I can’t help but feel so grateful for the strong, amazing women in my life. And for the friends who orbit around, sometimes gravitating closer and others far out on the rings but always a part of my universe. I am surrounded by incredible, inspiring and bold people.

Highlights from Frankfurt:
-Hours of girl talk on the couch
-The best meal I’ve had: chillischnitzel
-Walking around Frankfurt
-Boat tour of the Mein river and buildings in Frankfurt
-The loves of 90’s music everywhere, I felt right at home
-The most delicious, creative and entertaining cocktails I’ve ever had: it is seriously worth going to Frankfurt just to drink at the Bristol Bar

Language highlights:
-willage (Germans have a hard time with those v’s)
-wodka

Food highlights:
-Chillischnitzel
-Honey waffles with raspberry sauce
-Braised brisket with canoodle (sp?) & red sauerkraut
-Cheesy pretzels
-Whiskey sour with peanut butter, yogurt & topped with apple juice whipped cream
-Burnt scotch with honey & mint: Sebastian went back and forth pouring between beakers with the liquor on fire… I named it the ‘Stop. Drop. And roll.‘

AIRPORTS: 12
FLIGHTS: 14
TRAINS: 1
STATES: 7
COUNTRIES: 3
CONTINENTS: 3
DAYS TRAVELING: 84
CURRENCIES: 3

Meat. Beer. Augsburg. Germany

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Jacqueline Justine

My first stop in Europe was a good one. I arrived in Munich on February 17th – the man who picked me up and hosted me was one that I barely knew but I had a feeling and trusted would become a great friend. I met Michael in San Francisco. He and his friend were on a two week tour in the United States, they met a friend of mine from Rhode Island who had moved to Miami. Kyle calls me and asked, ‘Hey, I met these two German guys and they are headed to San Francisco next week. Will you show them around?’ – ‘Errr…. sure,’ was my answer. I gave them a jam packed driving tour of the sights in the city and took them for the best burrito in town washed down by a horchata then to my favorite bar where I ordered them the SF special (Whiskey & Ginger) and taught them to play shuffle board. Michael and I kept in touch through Facebook and when I reached out to him to take him up on the offer to visit Germany, he didn’t hesitate to say yes.

He made me feel right at home, offering up his room and making sure I was always comfortable, well fed and happy. This was especially helpful as the realization (ahem, fear and panic) set in that I had arrived in a foreign speaking country with no plans of what was next. I had the room and support to breathe and remind myself that this was exactly why I had come – to challenge myself and my boundaries. I had the time and the comfort to do some planning on the next parts of my trip. I was able to be a part of Michael’s community, meeting wonderful and kind people. I’m not sure whether it is cultural or specific to Michael’s friends and family, but the level of consideration, thoughtfulness and hospitality was like none I’ve experienced. The goodbye part of traveling never gets easier!

Highlights from Augsburg:
–Schloss Neuschwanstein: the grandiose castle of King Ludwig II and the ice hike on the way down then walking on ice!
-Michael’s movie premiere: though I didn’t understand a word, it was well produced and very cool to see a friend in his element like that… the passion and the hard work that got him there
-Dancing to the Spice Girls while drinking tequila flavored beer in a German club
-Board game night (I NEED to buy ‘Jungle Speed’) with Michael and his friends (including delicious lasagna made by Manuel with oil, cheese and butter – you know, all the things that make American food tasty)
-A beautiful, thoughtful present from Maga and Manuel: pictures from our trip to Neuschwanstein on a USB with a funny quote from that day and a gorgeous handmade, crocheted flower that Maga made
-A walking tour of Augsburg in the crisp air while drinking tasty coffee with Michael: St. Ulrich’s (a church built in mid-evil times), Perlachturm (which you can climb to a great viewing point by apparently not in February), the Fuggerei (the world’s oldest functioning housing development) and Weberhaus (interestingly painted building from the 1300’s)… Also a hilarious moment when a little boy ran into Michael, begrudgingly said ‘chooly gong’ and gave the funniest facial expression as he was toted away by his mom
-Michael’s mom stopping by the day before I left to bring me a guidebook (in English) for my next destination, Frankfurt
-Attempting (horribly) to speak German, my tongue was apparently on strike

Food highlights:
-Beer mixed with sprite
-Delicious fried cream cheese balls
-Metzgerwirtschnitzel with mit kartoffelsalat
-Beer, so much good beer
-Meat. Lots of pork. Lots of Bavarian cold cuts.
-Preztels, yum
-Pizza topped with salami and a forest of parsley

Language highlights:
-The translation of ‘horse shit’ from German to English is literally ‘horse apples’. The translation of potatoes is literally ‘ground apples’. Basically anything round is called an apple.
–Griass di or servus: hello
–Bitte: please / you’re welcome
–Danke: thank you
–Basst scho: it’s okay
–Guten appetit: to be said before eating
–Prost: cheers!
–Chooly gong: excuse me / sorry

AIRPORTS: 12
FLIGHTS: 14
STATES: 7
COUNTRIES: 3
CONTINENTS: 3
DAYS TRAVELING: 82
CURRENCIES: 3

Sometimes, you just have to say “fuck it”

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Jacqueline Justine

When you’ve dreamt of something for as long as you can remember and you’re teetering on the edge of big life decisions… sometimes the best solution is to slug back a few glasses of wine and say “fuck it”. That’s what I did last Tuesday evening when I charged airplane tickets to my credit card for 2 months of visiting family and friends along the east coast, 3 weeks in Australia and 3 months in Europe!

As said best in Billy Joel’s ‘Vienna’ (a longtime inspiration of mine) – “You can get what you want, or you can just get old.” I’ve learned that time is the most precious resource I have – both abundant and limited in the same regard – I’m thrilled to be taking full advantage of mine. And while it’s one of the crazier moves I’ve ever made, it feels right like the right time to take the right risk.

And hey – some of the best decisions I’ve made have been while intoxicated, so let’s hope this one follows suits (I mean, that one way ticket to San Francisco turned out to be the greatest choice ever, right??). Drunken courage surely takes action for the sober heart!

I’ll spend the next two months packing up a storage unit (sadly giving up a great apartment), figuring out what to do with my car and sorting out the hundreds of little details to leave my life in San Francisco not knowing where I’ll be when I return in June. I’m lucky and grateful to have a remote job so I will be able to continue working during this time and will also be tapping into my abundant bank of vacation hours (cheers to being a workaholic and having that shit saved up).

I’m also beyond grateful that I will be spending long overdue time with family and friends all over the world and very excited for the new connections I will make! I’m already overwhelmed with the love, support and offers that have come in within a week of making this decision – I’ll keep everyone posted throughout this process and of course when the traveling starts. Cheers to adventure and bold decisions!

Flight itinerary:

12/7 San Francisco –> Maryland to visit Kaley and my nieces
12/14 Maryland –> Florida to visit my grandparents and Ashley for Christmas
12/28 Florida –> Detroit to get a New Years kiss from Jon
1/4 Detroit –> Connecticut to visit friend and family for 3 weeks (hoping to make it up to Rhode Island to visit Josh’s restaurant in Newport and reunite with friends in Providence after 4 years of being gone)
1/27 Connecticut –> Australia for 3 weeks of adventure with Nicola!
2/16 Australia –> Germany to begin 3 months of European travels!
5/9 London –> Connecticut for a few weeks before returning to California

	Allen Young on On The Road Again
	Kaley on On The Road Again
	Laura on On The Road Again
	marjoriewiener on On The Road Again
	Galway and the Cliff… on One Night in Warsaw

Dreaming my reality, creating my destiny

Tag Archives: germany

The Evolution of Schtuff

To the friends I met along the way

Berlin, it’s been real.

More meat. More beer. Frankfurt. Germany.

Meat. Beer. Augsburg. Germany

Sometimes, you just have to say “fuck it”

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