Talking About Real, Literally

Travelers by definition don’t stay in the same place for too long and the longer they do, the more of a local they become. It’s possible to travel slowly to capture the feel of a given place, but in essence you have to stop traveling to achieve that state.

Most people who travel to a place stay for a short period of time and attempt to unravel a culture in a few days or weeks, searching for an absolute truth about a city and its inhabitants. It’s as if the well off places are dreams and everything else is reality when in fact it’s all real.

Spectrum

To understand a people culturally you have to look at the spectrum of classes and lifestyles, not just a single one. Places and people that are poor (in terms of material wealth) aren’t any closer to an absolute truth than anyone else.

In many ways, culture is independent of wealth and income – poor and rich people adapt to an environment within a shared cultural context. You may see how hard the life of a porter is but the life of an accountant in that same city is just as authentic as anyone else’s.

The Human Condition

I’m living in the medina, or old city, of Marrakesh at the moment and everyone is telling me how much of the ‘real life’ I’m seeing although I’m not convinced. As a place, group of people, or individual improves their living conditions, they do so within the framework of their culture.

• It’s all real – as the economic condition of Morocco or Thailand improves, it does so with an Arabic or Thai touch to it. When and if these (and other) places Westernize, they will in their own way partially because they view the West differently. The West isn’t incorporating those places, those places are incorporating the West in a very unique way.

The reality travelers are searching for consists of the human element. We want to know what makes us, Homo sapiens, at the core, human. We’re all human and real whether we’re rich or poor, which is something you can only see when you witness and live within both.

[photos by: Paul Alsop, PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE]

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This is a guest post from Vera Marie, a free lance writer who blogs about books, movies and travel at A Traveler’s Library.

I was hooked on the Minoan culture, when I first saw their art. These beautiful creations had been conceived by an artist who lived 2000 years ago. As it turned out, that first Minoan painting I saw was painted in 1905, a recreation of the Minoan (1900-1500 B.C.E.) wall murals at Knossos.

My husband and I had put Knossos, near Heraklion, at the top of our must-do list for our visit to Crete. We had already gazed at the high walls and the Lion’s gate of the later-period Mycenaean palace attributed to Agamemnon in the northern Peloponnesus. Now we were following the Myceaneans’ path south to Crete for our own more peaceful raid.

The Aegean Sea laps the northern shore of Crete and the warm Libyan Sea caresses the south shore, making Crete the dividing line between Europe and Africa. Warm, sandy beaches lapped by turquoise waters, include the only palm-shaded beach of Europe. The appeal of lolling in the sun competes with the lure of trails wander over mountains and deep gorges. Or you can do as we did, and chase the Minoans all over the island.

Ghosts Of Knossos

We started with Knossos, a glorious site partially (and questionably) reconstructed by Arthur Evans, the man who unearthed the ruins from pieces that local farmers found to be a bit of a nuisance. From the many guides hanging out by the gate, we hired a young woman who explained Arthur Evans as well as what is known of Knossos.

Legends told of the land where the people worshipped the Minotaur—half bull, half human– and from this legend and stories of King Minos, Evans derived the name Minoan for the civilization. According to the myth, every year Minoans came to Athens (then a poor city state) and carried off a flock of young men and women to be sacrificed to the Bull-god. The young men performed in the bull-jumping—a ballet of beast and man illustrated on the Minoans’ art.

Because the Minoan palaces lack the tall walls that surround Mycenaean ruins, and their art subjects tend to fishing boats, fashionable young men and women, dolphins and flowers, Evans concluded that they were an idyllic and peaceful society.  You can see rooms full of this art at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.

Today’s reconstructed and brightly colored walls of the Knossos palace irritate purists, but I found it helpful to see this partially restored site before exploring the un-restored sites.  Gradually, as I meandered across Crete, picking my way over stony paths, I began to recognize the pattern—the grand entry, the storerooms for wine and grain, the places of worship and tiring rooms for the priests.

Minoan Palaces

In the mountains above Knossos, we followed a sign that said “Minoan palace.” The country lane led through a vineyard and ended just in front of a collection of rocks in the pattern of an ancient house. The Cretan farmer’s house, built of the same rock, sat a stone’s throw away.

We went on to stop at Minoan ghost palaces scattered across Crete. From every major or minor palace, glorious views greeted us—panoramas from the edge of a mountain or ocean views.

The Minoan outpost called Akrotiri on nearby Santorini stands as it was on the day a volcanic eruption buried it. (A roof over the excavation collapsed several years ago, and reopening has been delayed several times. You probably will not be able to enter it in 2010.) Strangely, unlike Pompeii, no bodies were found. The people must have escaped by boat before the final eruption.

The Mystery Of The Minoans

Although archaeologists discovered several samples of writing in two different scripts, one has only an inventory list and the other has never been fully deciphered. Although the bull figure dominates art, no concrete evidence of bull pens or the legendary bull jumping arenas were found. The lack of walls seems to indicate a peaceful kingdom, but some believe they practiced human sacrifice. Although it was long believed that the eruption of Santorini’s volcano spelled doom for the Minoans, new evidence disproves that theory. Akrotiri’s discovery led to theories that the Minoan settlement on Santorini was the true Atlantis—an intriguing set of speculations.

If you love a good mystery, take a trip to Crete and go in search of the Minoans.

See more information on the Minoans as part of this site about Ancient Greece. Don’t miss the site’s great maps of the topography of Crete, modern cities, and ancient Minoan as well as Greco-Roman settlements.

Thank you very much Vera for the guest post. You can read more of Vera’s writing at A Traveler’s Library, a blog about books, movies, and travel.

[photos by: agelakis, CanadaGood, GothPhil]

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Nomadic Matt, the author of the very successful travel blog with the same name, has written his third eBook titled Nomadic Matt’s Secrets To Successful World Travel. The book is an overview of round the world travel and aims to help once you’ve made the decision to take an extended trip. Matt sent me the eBook a few days before its release for a review.

Matt Kepnes (aka. Nomadic Matt) certainly has the resume and experience to write an eBook about extended world travel since he’s been on the road for nearly 4 years. The eBook takes on a broad topic boldly and tackles what for most people is a huge undertaking. That’s where the book falters a bit; it is comprehensive about the topic but not excessively detailed on a specific point about traveling the world. Where the book does shine though is making sure you’ve got all of your bases covered before you embark on an around the world trip – and Matt does point out a number of things most new travelers tend to neglect.

What’s Inside?

Nomadic Matt’s Secrets To Successful World Travel covers budgets for the major global regions and advice on routes, where to go, and planning an itinerary. One of the best parts about the eBook is the section on banking where Matt covers a good number of ways to avoid fees and make the most out of your spending before, during, and after your trip. It’s in this section where I felt more detail would be useful to help travelers get the most out of their typically limited budgets for around the world travel.

The eBook also has some good information on maintaining your life back home while you’re away on an extended trip. Using a few free and low cost methods you can stay on top of your life in creative ways so it’s not like you’re ever too far away from ‘reality’. Many people who are planning round the world (RTW) trips end up obtaining this information as they plan but it’s well organized as a rough blueprint in Matt’s eBook.

Cost and Other Thoughts

Nomadic Matt’s Secrets To Successful World Travel would probably be better if split into several more detailed separate guides but has a lot of information for people who’ve decided to take an RTW but aren’t quite sure where to start. Nomadic Matt’s Secrets To Successful World Travel is 140 pages and available for download for $20.

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• Those of you reading through RSS or my daily email will need to click through to the site to vote.

You can take a look at the entire bracket so far below (or see the larger version).

The winner will be determined on Friday, April 2nd 2010. Missed this contest? I run a number of large and small contests throughout the year. Take a look at some previous competitions and prizes and find out about my next contest first by signing up to my bi-monthly newsletter.

[photo by: Kyle Slattery (top picture)]

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Some Ground Rules

For starters, the German autobahn has speed limits. Sections of the road have speed limits based on their proximity to exits and towns – when you get further away from these areas the speed limit restrictions are lifted. The sign that indicates this is gray, with 5 diagonal lines you can see in the picture right, and lets you know you can go as fast as traffic (or your car) allows.

• That means you can really go as fast as you want and better be careful to get out of the way if someone wants to pass. On the German autobahn passing on the right is forbidden and people take these rules seriously. Cars from behind don’t slow down as the approach someone ahead if that person can move to the right. In many cases, if you don’t move over to the left you’re libel to get into a car accident.
• Stopping is also not allowed on the autobahn and you should use your emergency blinkers to let others know traffic ahead is slowing down.

Despite the fact that there are no speed limits in sections of the autobahn, most people don’t drive as fast as they can. Most cars manufactured in Europe have smaller engines than you’ll find in the US, the official recommended autobahn speed is 130 kph (~80mph) and driving close to top speed burns fuel very quickly in a place where a liter is around $2.

Who’s Can Drive On The Autobahn Legally?

European Union citizens, and American citizens from [36 of the 50] states can drive with their license from home in Germany for up to one year. Technically you’re supposed to have a translation of the license with you but for basic traffic violations most police won’t scrutinize a license too thoroughly.

Go With The Flow

In many parts of the US, if you use your high beams to flash someone ahead of you they might simply slow down just to be a pain. On the German autobahn, this is a perfectly acceptable way to let someone going slower in front of you know you’re coming up and to get over. Cars don’t stick around in the left lane if there are others driving faster, like I mentioned above, it’s a good way to cause a major accident.

• That also means if someone flashes you, don’t take it personally, just move over and let the faster car go.

You should also use your signal blinkers whenever you change lanes, especially in speed limit free zones.

Scanned and Straight

Sections of the autobahn without speed restrictions are generally very straight with few slight curves and bends. To maintain their resilience, the roads are scanned up and down using a series of devices that look for any breaks, cracks, and debris in the roadway. Crews also drive up and down the road continuously and quickly close down lanes to remove any hazards.

• The Germans also don’t simply patch up cracks and potholes; they just replace the entire section of roadway when needed.

Don’t fear laying on the gas, the road won’t suddenly shift left or right and changes in the speed limit will indicate places where it’s safer to drive slower.

Give It A Shot

The German autobahn was created in the early 1910s and greatly expanded during the 30s to give unimpeded, fast access between different parts of the country.

• Between some cities it can actually be cheaper (and often easier) to rent a car and pay for a tank of gas rather than take the train.
• There are no tolls along the autobahn for cars.

It’s fun to legally go 240 kph (~150 mph) particularly if you’ve got the need, the need for speed. Motorcycle enthusiasts can also rent a bike, enjoy some of the smooth open roads, and take that one motorcycle road trip. If you do decide to take a car or bike out for a spin on the autobahn, aim to go on a Sunday, that’s when most trucks are restricted from using the autobahn, leaving more of the pavement for your enjoyment.

[photos by: Jingles The Pirate, Kiluka, mwboeckmann]

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What Is Christiania?

Christiania is a neighborhood within Copenhagen that is on the site of an old military base that was taken over by squatters in 1971. The residents then declared it a self-governing entity which has since existed in a tense relationship with the Danish government. Technically, Christiania is regarded more of as a commune that is under a set of special limited laws. Many visitors assume Christiania is a society that was founded by hippies, although its more complicated than that. It’s ideals are a culmination of leftist and anarchist principles (but that’s something of an oversimplification).

Some Ground Rules

When you first enter Christiania, you’ll notice colorful graffiti everywhere; painting the image of love, openness, and harmony. It’s important to note that taking pictures is forbidden in parts of Christiania but out here near the children’s park it’s OK (just ask people before you take pictures of them). There are a few other simple ground rules that are at the heart of Christiania:

• No guns.
• No violence.
• No stealing.
• No hard drugs.

There is also the informal rule of no running throughout Christiania – the act is associated with drugs raids which have become more frequent in Christiania during the past few years. Otherwise, you’re free to walk around the entrance area, around the homes, and enter some of the buildings. There is a museum here, although when I tried to visit, it was closed with only the lingering smell of marijuana in the hallway.

Beyond The No-Photo Zone

There is a stark contrast between the lighthearted design of the entrance and the dark colors beyond the no-photo (or pusher) zone. You’ll see signs everywhere warning you not to take pictures as drugs are being sold and smoked freely, although it is illegal in Denmark. This part of Christiania looks a bit more rundown and you’ll most certainly be greeted by suspicious eyes everywhere, the drug raids have taught the residents to be weary of new faces.

In contrast to the people huddled around fires burning in barrels, there are the occasional modern cafes like Cafe Nemoland next to lively bars. The normalcy in a place that doesn’t look or feel quite normal is fascinating to experience and witness, particularly as Danes from the outside walk to work or back home through the drug dealers in the neighborhood.

A World Of Contrasts and Clash

When talking to the residents of Christiania who’ve lived in the neighborhood for more than 15 years, you get a sense that some of the original ideals are being lost with a new generation more interested in drugs than community. Much of the dealing has been taken over by organized crime and subsequently the Danish government has taken notice. Drug raids are common and many government officials of late have based part of their campaigns on promises of ending Christiania’s loosely defined status.

Some of the old ideas and practices still keep the spirit alive; all decisions within the community must be decided by unanimous vote and all living spaces cost an equal amount regardless of size, but it’s hard to tell how long any of it will last. Provided you follow the rules and keep your camera away you can experience Christiania safely and decide for yourself.

[photos note: The top picture is of the entrance of Christiania, other others I took from around Copenhagen. I didn't take and decided not to post any other pictures of Christiania which you can easily find online.]

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• Danishes In Denmark

Perpetual travelers, Lauren and Mike, who left their cubicles to travel the world are gearing up for their next adventure and looking for your help. They are participating in the Mongol Rally, a race from the UK to Mongolia to raise money for the country which was recently hit by a severe freeze. I spoke with Mike and Lauren (who chronicle their travels on their blog Abandon The Cube) about the Mercy Mongolia charity, the race, and how you can help out.

Why are you racing by car from London to (Ulaanbaatar), Mongolia?

We’re raising to raise money for charity, but also because its an amazing adventure on an uncommon route through countries we’ve been eager to visit and to help people we’ve come to love.

When is the race and approximately how long will it take you?

The rally launched July 24th, 2010 from London and will take between 4-6 weeks.

What is your planned route?

We’ll head from the UK, through France, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

Is there any time to stop and visit any places along the way?

While we’re interested in getting to Mongolia and helping charity, we’re also all about the journey and we’ll be stopping along the way quite a bit. A massive detour to Romania to see Transylvania, for example.

How are you preparing for the race – any special training (i.e. learning about cars, first aid, etc.?)

We’re very busy trying to find sponsors to help fund this adventure and raise money for the charity, but in addition we’re stocking up on survival gear and (although its a bit pathetic training) we’re watching Bear Grylls on Man vs. Wild non-stop to learn emergency survival ideas. Learning about cars is a must, once we pick a vehicle we’ll spend time reading and trying to get hands-on experience with the make and model of car. And all free time is spent on the remaining two training bits – learning Russian and practicing my ukulele. (Interestingly, a team last year was denied entrance into a country and played their guitar for them and they were let in.) I’m hoping music really will heal all wounds and help us have a great trip, make friends and meet people, and ease through borders in style. This may be wishful or dreamy thinking, but its part of why this rally will be so much fun.

What is Mercy Mongolia?

Mercy Corps is a non-profit charitable organization that helps folks around the globe in high-risk areas for natural disasters and poverty. The Mongolia branch helps herders stay independent and helps them find markets, helps with early education in rural areas, and other programs that directly benefit Mongolians. Impressively, 90% of all donations to this charity go directly to help those in need with the remaining 10% for organizing, fund-raising, etc.

How can people reading help support you?

We’re trying to raise money for this noble charity, and folks can donate online directly on our website to Mercy Mongolia. The widget [right under this interview] links directly to a secure site so donating is safe and easy, and if people really want to help, they can also post the widget on their webpages, blogs, or send it to their friends.

We’re also looking for corporate sponsorship for our team to help fund our adventure from London to Mongolia by car. Donations to our team can also be made online via Paypal, 100% of that money goes to helping the team pay for transportation, visas, and registration fees; and our team is offering benefits to sponsors that are outlined in our website.

You can help Mercy Mongolia by making a contribution using the widget below or visit the Abandon The Cube donations page. Good luck in the rally Lauren and Mike!

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• Those of you reading through RSS or my daily email will need to click through to the site to vote.

You can take a look at the entire bracket so far below (or see the larger version).

The winner will be determined on Friday, April 2nd 2010. Missed this contest? I run a number of large and small contests throughout the year. Take a look at some previous competitions and prizes and find out about my next contest first by signing up to my bi-monthly newsletter.

[photo by: Eva The Weaver (top picture)]

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For personal updates, highlights from recent posts, and stories and pictures that don't always make it to my blog check out my bimonthly newsletter.

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-John Lennon

The Reeperbahn in Hamburg, Germany is the bustling nightlife center of the city, home to one of Europe’s largest red light districts, and also where the Beatles began to make their mark on music during the early 1960s. The Beatles primarily played in 4 clubs at the Reeperbahn and you can retrace their footsteps at each one while capturing a feel for the “sinful mile”.

Indra Musikclub

It’s where the Beatles first played in Hamburg and by visiting you’ll get an idea of their humble beginnings. You’re better off showing up before 6pm or so, after which you’ll have to pay a cover to watch one of the bands that are booked for the evening. (The Beatles had to play hard, fast, and entertain the crowd anyway they could here which was difficult at times; fights breaking out during shows was common.) The drinks are cheap in the cramped and loud Indra Musikclub which is a great place to catch a show because even if you’re at the very back of the place, you’re not too far away from the stage (or bar).

Kaiserkeller

This is large concert hall that’s hard to miss on the corner of 36 Große Freiheit; it alternates during the day between club, bar, and concert hall for rock, dance, salsa, and Kelly Clarkson. The interior of the Kaiserkeller is larger than the Indra, but still gives an intimate feel when there’s live music. The Beatles didn’t play very long here (only a few months during 1960) and it’s not a place you’ll hang out long unless you’re watching a concert.

The Star Club

Unfortunately there is nothing of the Star Club left but the plague below. It’s hidden on a side street off 39 Große Freiheit near a Thai dance club and strip bar standing on a wall by itself. The Beatles played at the Star Club for 7 weeks at the end of 1962 and it’s the only one of these Hamburg clubs where Ringo Starr played with the band (having replaced Pete Best). The original building burned down in 1987 but the plaque commemorates other later famous musicians who played there like Little Richard, Ray Charles, Cream, Jerry Lee Louis, and Black Sabbath to name a few.

Below is a live recording of the Beatles with some footage from the Star Club in 1962.

Lots Of New Beatles, Not As Much Old

Beatles fans will appreciate stopping by each of the bars that are still standing, if not only for a few moments to see the atmosphere of the clubs that strongly influenced the band. Some of the other clubs the Beatles played at like The Top Ten (136 Reeperbahn) are also not in existence anymore and there are still many more across the rest of Hamburg. Parts of the Reeperbahn have tried to make more of the Beatles than is actually there – a Beatlemania Museum for example, as well as Beatles hot dog stands and resturants. These places are “Beatles” only by name and you won’t see much outside of the museum on the Reeperbahn.

The real spectacle is the Reeperbahn itself, notorious for it’s wild nightlife, sex shops, and rowdy bars that imprinted themselves on the Fab Four long after they left Hamburg.

[photos by: vgm8383 (Indra Musikclub)]

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True to their name, there are danishes (and Danes) all over Denmark and the capital Copenhagen. There are plenty of bakeries around, in addition to the lunch restaurants that only serve food until about 3pm, then close for the day. I took this picture as I made my way to Christiania, which I’ll be writing more about next week. While some of the locals warned me the area around the autonomous neighborhood wasn’t safe, things seemed perfectly normal inside this bakery just a few blocks away.

To get an idea, you can look through some of my other pictures from Copenhagen.

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