(that’s what she said)
I was going to do a post on traveling–and even though Diana beat me to it, I refuse to be suppressed by The Man. If I just rolled over and posted about something else, what kind of role model would I be to the millions of little kids who hear me tell them to triumph in the face of adversity? Not a good one. So, here is my post on traveling.
I guess I never realized how bad we have it in the U.S., at least when it comes to traveling. Sure there is a great variety of geological terrain in the States and there are dozens of interesting cities, but when it comes down to it, they really aren’t so different. New York, Boston, Chicago and D.C. all have unique features that make them special, but they all have the same “taste,” for lack of a better word. Los Angeles and San Fransico are unique, but they’re so far away they might as well be in a different country.
Europeans, on the other hand, are lucky. Any weekend they choose, they can close their eyes, pick a spot on the map and pay about 40 Euro round trip to experience a completely different culture just two hours or so away. RyanAir, the super-discount airline conveniently based in Dublin, has .01 flights to places like Amsterdam and London if you book about a month in advance. With fees, the whole airfare can come to 10 Euro.
Spring break in America means Florida, Cancun, or the Carribean. Florida, lets face it, is pretty unremarkable (except for Disney World, of couse), Cancun becomes an uncivilized free-for-all, and although I love the Carribean, there is nothing to do except lay on the beach.
This spring break, I am going to Paris and Berlin, coming back for St. Patrick’s day in Dublin, then heading back out for a combined week in Budapest and somewhere else. And that’s the best part: the “somewhere else” could St. Petersburg or it could be somewhere in the Mediterranean. The airfare and lodging (half hostels/half cheap hotels) will likely add up to just over 1000 Euro. For a two week vacation in Europe. Needless to say I’m excited.