Thursday, May 26, 2011

How much can I fit in 20KG of luggage?

So, this year's adventure will be a month abroad. I will be spending half of my time in the cold of Iceland and the other half in the unrelenting heat of southern and central Europe. Packing has become quite the challenge especially considering my native Florida heat loving roots. I know how to deal with humid and oppressive heat, it's the cold that's killing my attempts at packing light!

So far, I've picked up very little new clothes and more new "things" from amazon.com. I pieced together a warm weather wardrobe, now I just have to get it all in my pack under 20kg.

So tell me fellow travelers: What is your one absolutely necessary pack item?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Delta Charlie, Y'all

I spent the last week in Washington, DC. I'm pretty sure I caught the corruption cooties just being there.

I've been meaning to get back there since I visited in fifth grade as a member of the safety patrols. It was totally worth the return.


Sausage Factory! Too bad it's made of reclaimed pig hooves.
I stayed in the Sheraton Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. The location couldn't have been more perfect. Staying outside the District was the absolute best choice. I was steps from the metro and a twenty minute ride from the Smithsonian stop.

I didn't test out the nightlife this time around, but I made the political science geek dance for glee. I got my nerd on at all of the monuments I could find and stopped by my congressman's office to grab a Gallery pass for the House of Representatives. I highly recommend getting both a House and Senate gallery pass. It's pretty amazing to see where all the sausage is made.

I checked out every single one of the Smithsonian museums and starred longingly at Dorthy's ruby red slippers at the American History Museum. A few other tourists I ran into told me it would take more days then I had to go through all of them. Definitely not the case. I made it through the Natural History Museum and the American History Museum in about eight hours. If you have young kids, though, I could easily see them spending a whole day just in the Natural History Museum.

Out of all of the traditional tourist places, though, I enjoyed the memorials the most. The somber nature of some them and the absolute size of others was breathtaking.

WWII Memorial, Washington, DC
All of the memorials around DC are breathtaking in size and meaning, but there is one that is ascetically superior. The Korean War memorial. For a "police action", and therefore not internationally defined as a proper war, the memorial is, I believe, the most artistically gifted memorial in all of Washington, DC.

Unlike the Vietnam Wall, or the WWII memorial, this monument is not all clean lines and names. Instead, the focal point of the memorial is the statues marching across the green-space. There are no names on the wall of the memorial, just images of those who served and lost their lives.

Very few people in this country appreciate the significance of Washington, DC. The city may be filled with lobbyists and politicians so skewed that they walk crooked, but the true beauty of The District is in the eternal and unmoving monuments to the sacrifices and triumphs of this country.

What is the most personally significant monument in your country?

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Change of plans. Don't worry, I won't end up in Thailand.

So the whole Haiti thing with All Hands is officially a no go. While I'm disappointed I can't regret the outcome. It was something that, while I truly desire to help, I was having second thoughts from the moment I sent off my application.

In consolation, I'm headed to Iceland (and other places in Europe)! I'm going over via Volunteers for Peace. So far, the plan is Iceland from the 12 June until 28 or 29 June. Then, provided I don't find someone to explore Iceland with, I'll head over the the mainland. I will officially be leaving via Berlin on 12 July.


I'm going to update my packing list as well as and some pictures when I finally get all of my newly ordered goodies from Amazon.com.