However  such a worthwhile traveler encouragement presents a bit of a dilemma for us though. How do we balance being travelers who see the world (and report back of what is out there on the blogs) and not burn ourselves to a crisp trying to do it all?

The Fear of Missing Something

Nice is a stopover for us. It is not a destination in itself. It certainly could be (it is a nice enough place from the little we have seen), but we are only here for two days. Not anywhere near long enough to “see” things in our way. And yet the urge to see stuff is so strong. How can we be in a place and not want to experience all it has to offer!?

It seems a sacrilege as a traveler to just pass through nearly ignoring a fascinating city. And yet that is nearly exactly what we need to be doing in Nice. To pack more “doing” and “going” into two days is just going to burn us out. We tried it yesterday after a nighttrain from Paris and it ended up badly.

This seems to come down to the fear of “missing something”. That we are so frightened to miss out on a sight. To hear the “so you were in X and didn’t see Y? Such a shame.” And yet, how terrible would this really be?

This is a long distance fun run, not a high stakes sprint to the finish.

Thinking Different, Acting Different

I have written about shifting my mindset from a vacation thought pattern to a more longer term traveler. I see this above question as a part of it. The way we want to travel is akin to a long distance runner not a sprint race. Not only is it not at all a race (competition) it is much more a long distance thing. To look ahead and realize that we need to conserve our strength to see the things we are actually excited about and be perfectly ok with letting other things pass us by (running metaphor too, score!).

This is not at all to say that the “sprint style” travel is bad or unworthy. It definitely can be. The sentiment from the first paragraph that you should take time to “really see” a place is totally worthwhile, especially in a beach town where the golden sand has such a draw. The fact that it IS a worthy sentiment is part of what makes it difficult to ignore. I agree with it, so I want to go “see things right” and yet I have to realize I have to do right by myself too.

How nice it would be if there was just a door to walk through to make changes.

Prioritize the Nothing

We are still noticing that we have planned this trip too tight and a bit too fast. Even a week in Brussels was not really enough time to see what we actually wanted to see and still get time to work as well as time together and pure downtime to let our heads recover from the rest. There is never enough time for everything, so there has to be priorities of course. The nothingness needs to be a big priority, I am learning. And yet because it is “nothing”, it is hard to grasp enough to prioritize. How can I sit and do Nothing when there is so much stuff to see? It feels wrong somehow.

We keep struggling with the urge to SEE and DO and EXPERIENCE, and in doing so pushing ourselves and letting the “nothingness” get de-prioritized by default. This is a shame and something we need to change. Yes, we still want to see things and we will, but we want to see what we are excited about not just what we “should” be seeing (Ali has a really good post on this concept here) in each place we happen to land. To let ourselves be different and see things at our own pace for our own reasons.

- – -

So for this day in Nice, I am happily “doing (almost) nothing”. This post is part of the “nothing” in the form of writing and non-travel-like downtime. And yet I still want to go up the Chateau hill in Nice to get some pictures, but in the good light late in the day after work has been done. I will resist the fear of “missing something” and realize that I don’t want to miss out on my projects that I am invested in either. This is a long distance fun run, not a high stakes sprint to the finish.

This rather aptly titled post that came across my stream has a similar idea (judge from the title whether it is safe for you to read): Do whatever you fucking want

Taking it slow versus Seeing things properly is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

At least in Freiburg, you get 4cubic meters of allowance a year and have to make an appointment. Then you put your junk out on the sidewalk on a specific day and they come take it away. Ok, what is so interesting about this then?

There is a secondary trash collection industry going on. We have been cleaning the apartment and basement trying to prepare it for our trip so had a bunch of stuff to get rid of. A few weeks before we left on our summer travels was our appointment and the next morning only a few bits of our Sperrmüll were still on the sidewalk to be collected by the official truck.

Schedule Your Trash Appropriately

In the same magazine that Ali talks about, which comes every year from the trash department, we get two little cards. These are the tickets to the Sperrmüll. You can also sign up online, which I do, but the cards are the same. The point is to give the trash people an idea of what you are getting rid of and they then give you an appointment. They definitely read what you write as I got some of my trash declined this time (I expect due to a bad translation on my part as they took everything).

Appointments are sent to you within 2 weeks and can be anywhere between 3 and 6 weeks out. Yet again, German planning strikes and affects the society. Efficiency comes in at a different point of this story, not here at the appointment level. If you have poorly planned, or are just particularly impatient, you can check a box for a “rush appointment”. These can be only 2-3 weeks out instead of longer, so still no next day service. You do pay for the privilege though. The normal appointments are free (up to 2 a year).

On the day of your appointment, long awaited, you pile your stuff on the sidewalk and they come to remove it.

One man’s Sperrmüll is another man’s treasure

We had a busy day and started piling up our stuff on the sidewalk in the evening. There were a few things from up in the apartment and the rest from down in the basement. We started in the apartment and took a load down including a small rickety shoe shelf. By the time we were down with the next load, this shelf was gone.

This is the “fun” part of Sperrmüll: the scavengers. We continued to pile our stuff on the sidewalk from the basement. Another small shelf with some cut off pieces. An old radio with broken speakers and a disused vacuum. Some carpet remnants, a mattress and some left over wood bits from a curtain system. The carpet bits were gone by the time we were done with the piling. The electronics and shelf were gone by the time we went to bed. The next morning there is only the mattress and the wood bits.

The pile had also been added to. We think someone dropped a microwave on our mattress and then it got taken away later.

It was a bit like waking up and peering out to see what Santa had taken away.

You have good Junk

Even on days that are not Sperrmüll collection, people leave little boxes of books or dishes out on the sidewalk with a sign saying “free to take” (Zum Verschenken). So there is some of this kind of thing going on anyway, but on Sperrmüll nights it is much increased. I can only imagine the scavenger groups know when and where the appointments are and do drivebys. Part of the reason the appointments can be so far out is that they get grouped into areas of town.

Some of our stuff was certainly serviceable given some work on it. The shelves just didn’t fit anymore and were cheap and unstable. The radio and DVD player and vacuum could probably be fixed too. The surprising bit to me is how efficient the collection is at this level. I remember the last time we were doing Sperrmüll how guys came by and asked me about things in my pile. A little like Go Fish for trash.

Maybe this is a sign that we bought too much. I once thought it would be nice to have a radio. I used to listen a lot in the US, but it isn’t as relaxing in German for me. I am actually happy someone else feels they can get something out of our trash. It at least won’t end up in the landfill today.

- – -

This is how it is in Freiburg. I imagine that each city has different rules for their trash as well, so check out your own local yearly magazine. (Thanks to Ali for the use of her picture. Really, how often do you take pictures of trash?)

A Story of Sperrmüll is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

There are a few sites to see, but the best aspect of the city is really just to be able to wander through the old town and university for a while and then sit with a beer and some friends.

Start the Day with Bread

Despite Germany being known as the land of sausage and beer, it is really the land of bread. Ask any German who has lived away from Germany for a number of years what they miss of their homeland and the likely answer is the bread. There are bakeries on every street in Freiburg. Start your day in one.

Point at something in the case that looks good and if you are so inclined a coffee as well. I like to sit on the benches in Rathaus plaza with my pastry and drink in the early morning.  Savor the flavors of bread and coffee, the REAL mainstays of the German diet.

Cathedral Square

The center of the old town is the Cathedral and its square. Head here in the morning on any day but Sunday and experience the bustling farmer’s market.

Much of the produce is local and shifts with the seasons. October sees New Wine and summer sees its progression of fresh fruits and veggies each in turn. Walking through the market gives an initial view at how close the city is to nature and its region with so much stuff coming from the locality.

Top Down – Climb the Tower

While in the square, tear yourself from the numerous goodies on offer and take a look at the gothic cathedral that centers the square.

The single tower can be climbed and I would totally recommend it if you are there on a nice day. The entrance to the tower is just to the right of the main entrance to the building on the outside. You pay halfway up. Do realize that you will be standing amongst bells at the top, so check your times before you climb. From the top, you get a grand view of the old town its two remaining city wall towers and the imposing bulk of Castle Hill.

But…

Once you come down, head to the north side of the Cathedral to admire the gargoyles. See if you can spot the one sicking his butt out.

Castle Hill

From the architectural heights of town, head up to the natural heights. Walk from the cathedral toward Schwabentor, one of the city’s remaining gates. Head up the stairs and over the road onto castle hill. This is a last gasp of the hills that form the Black Forest as it extends into town.

The first stop going up is the beer garden of Kastanien Garten, a great place for a pint and to get a view over Freiburg. You can also see up the Höllental (Hell Valley) on the opposite side of the hill from town.

Head up further to Canonenplatz for a wider view of the area. Even further up is a viewing tower that can be climbed to see everything at once. At each of these venues, just look at how much green space is a part of the city.

Castle hill extends into the forest and there are marked hiking trails at each of these levels. If you are so inclined, feel free to go hiking and explore the hills.

Oh and if there happens to be a festival in town, ignore the entire rest of this post and just go hang out there.

Bottoms Up

Head back down to Schwabentor and head back along the tram lines toward the center of town. At Augustinerplatz head left into the sloped bricked plaza. In the evenings and warm summer days, many people sit on the steps here with beers and enjoy being outside with friends.

Take notice the Bächle running along the side of the plaza. These are unique to Freiburg. People splash with bare feet in them in the summer and children play with little boats in them as well.

At the base of the square, turn left to get to Feierling. A house brewery with its own beer garden across the street. Come in the summer and sit under the trees and enjoy a few pints. Before you head into the biergarten, check out the Bach (stream) across the way and the stone crocodile in the middle.

On to People Watching

When you are ready for a change of scenery, head out of the biergarten to the right and continue along until you hit the tramlines again. This should put you just below Martinstor, the other remaining city gate.

Head through the gate and turn right into the university quarter. Find a table at an outside cafe and enjoy the people watching until your bed calls again.

Top down or Bottoms Up

So a perfect day involves really just doing what makes you happy in Freiburg. Whether it is exploring the heights of the Cathedral tower and Castle hill or the depths of a beer mug, Freiburg is a place to relax and enjoy.

There are a few museums and sights, but it isn’t a tourist town in that sense. Freiburg as a city is a base to explore the Black Forest as well as the home of a University and several other institutes of higher learning.

If you are burning for a few more sights, check out these.

• 48 North Latitude. The 48th parallel runs just north of the center. There is a row of bricks in the sidewalk to mark it.
• For quirkiness, seek out what I call the “Creepy monkey fountain” on the back side of the Sparkassebuilding.
• There is a city museum in the back corner of Cathedral Square about the history of town.

Check out these other posts on Freiburg for more info:

• Places to Eat in Freiburg
• My Favorite Places in Freiburg
• Things to See in Freiburg
• Daytrips in the Area
• Scenes from Freiburg

This post is part of the initiative “100 cities to home swap in before you die” from Knok.

A Perfect Day in Freiburg is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

Travel is an acquired skill and needs practice

I like this headline and I agree with it to an extent, though not fully. I remember when travel itself was exotic and that thrill of the new helped smooth any rough edges. Whee, I am doing something cool, so what if there is a crappy bed and no hot water. However I wonder if we have become just jaded enough for the simple fact of being somewhere else to not be enough to be exciting enough.

Travel does indeed require practice it seems. To remember the planning and preparation to get basics like train tickets and especially food while in a place where you don’t know the area or the language can be a trial. It can lead you to eat at an American Chain restaurant with English menus on the main square. Twice.

And doing too many days in a row in motion when we went out to Vianden Castle. This is not really the kind of travel we were looking for, but we apparently can’t jump right back into “our desired” travel so fast.

Are we indeed just “out of practice”?

Maybe Travel is more like a Drug

We certainly hear people talk about being addicted to travel and getting a high off of doing it. We even talk about “taking a trip.” On Travel you do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do. So maybe it is then more like a drug. If so, maybe we don’t need “practice” so much as just building up our tolerance.

I like beer. I do remember the first few times I drank though. It was exciting and one beer got me tipsy and still made me sick the next day. After a while, I learned how to slow down and enjoy the beer. It didn’t make me sick and I had enough tolerance so a single sip didn’t push me over the edge. Every so often though, I get times when I don’t drink again for a couple of months. When I have my first beer after that time, it feels like I need to relearn it all over again.

Travel is then one of those good drugs (like exercise or caffeine?), but it seems to have some of the same side effects. We have started our trip and are dealing with the aches and pains of movement again. Building up tolerance to things like beds and pillows we aren’t used to and unfamiliar food is uncomfortable. The weather has not really cooperated and our first stop was a bit disappointing. This has made the step back into travel more of a struggle than we expected.

I see it as a bad beer after eight months of nothing. It doesn’t taste so good and kind of gives you a headache even while you are sitting there with it. Even just 2 days in Amsterdam is looking up. Maybe we are learning how to handle our travel better?

Solution : Even Slower

The main point of this trip has been around slower travel. Not being so planned and driven to see sights every day and giving ourselves time to be in a place and explore it. That and still be able to write. (Juno has a good post recently about needing this downtime as a full-time nomad worker.)

We had originally planned to do more in Amsterdam. We went to Keukenhof Gardens yesterday and had thought to head out to markets and other little towns today. It was starting to feel like we were doing something every day and really pushing too hard. That we were still in vacation style speed, but setting up for a long distance run at that speed. It feels exhausting just looking into the future. So we decided to just spend our time enjoying the city before moving on. Today will see us likely in a cafe all day writing and talking instead of pushing to see something else around the bend or over the hill

- – -

We at least went into this trip knowing it could be difficult. When we sat down and talked about what we were experiencing, it seemed perfectly reasonable that we were still pushing too hard to be “traveling”. To do the vacation thing of see everything in a town, sucking it dry before moving on instead of just enjoy the change of scenery.

We still have 6 weeks of travel ahead of us and we really don’t want to burn out. Travel is still our passion and we are still trying to figure out the best way to enjoy it. We do know how we travel the happiest and have plenty of experience doing it well. Just sometimes we forget that experience and get swept up in the tourist hype, even though it feels hollow. Here is to remembering what we actually want out of the trip and life.

Struggling to Get Back Into Traveling is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

The trip is in two parts. The first part is in the BeNeLux countries and France. The month of June is the second part and will be entirely in Italy.

Luxembourg (2 nights)

The largest of the “smallest” countries we will see in the trip and our first stop. We want to check off the place for Ali and take a step into traveling again.The only sight planned will be a daytrip up to the castle of Vianden.

Amsterdam (5 nights)

I have not seen Amsterdam since 1995, so it will be interesting to walk around again and get some digital photos. Due to the long cold winter here, we will still have a really good chance to see tulips even being there in Mid-May. We have an apartment booked in a neat little neighborhood that I am looking forward to exploring. Ali wants to go to a few museums and I am looking forward to using that time to check out the zoo.

Rotterdam (6 nights)

The main reason we are even heading this direction on the trip is due to TBU Europe travel blogging conference in Rotterdam. Rotterdam is definitely not a town either of us had on our radar, but it should be interesting to explore. We have a few days of the blogging conference and a few days of an after trip also in Rotterdam, so we should get a really good view of the place.

We have been to the conferences before as well as the after trips. Last year was Portugal and the after trip was fun, but moved way too fast. I am happy to see that they are slowing down the trips staying in the same city for both nights. I am also interested to see Rotterdam as a large port city and how it feels. I have gotten into wanting to write fiction (fantasy genre) and the travel is very inspiring for it.

Brussels (7 nights)

We are heading back to Brussels. We enjoyed our quick few days last summer and want to take it slow this time. We have an apartment again and a wide open week with only a few things 0n the list to do. We need to find a way to stream the Eurovision 2013 as our apartment does not have a TV. We enjoyed it so much last year, so are looking forward to it again. A little indulgence as we go.

This will be a good quiet week after the chaos of the conference and I want to get into the routine of walking and writing, especially in the mornings. I hope that summer will have begun by then and it will be warm.

Nice & Monaco (2 nights)

This is the transition stop. The distance from Brussels to Italy is too far to comfortably do on a single train journey, so we are breaking it up in Nice. We have a night train for one night and 2 days to relax on the French riviera and make a daytrip to another of the “smallest” countries Monaco. We have both been, but we want to get some better photos. I have a few digital ones, but not good ones.

Rimini (2 nights)

Another long transport day sees us to the Adriatic beach town of Rimini and the start of the second part of the trip. The point of this stop is to check off the next “smallest” country on the list, San Marino. It is a short bus ride from Rimini.

Bologna (7 nights)

Ali and I will be guests of the Emilia-Romagna Tourism board at their Blogville project in Bologna. They house bloggers in an apartment there and help arrange what we are interested in. It is a great project to get exposure for a region from the blogger’s unique perspective and not be stuck on the tracks of a more traditional press trip. I am looking forward to this immensely.

I love Bologna and have been there several times. We would have gone there at least some amount of time even if we had not gotten spots in Blogville. We will explore some of the food and castles of the area and I am hoping to get contacts at the University to look into the study abroad there.

Naples (3 nights)

We have heard things both good and bad about Naples, but now we are headed there to check it out ourselves. We have a tour of Pompeii with Walks of Italy booked for one day. The other days will be for exploring the city and nearby Ischia. Of course, pizza is on the menu, but Naples has several(!) castles in the city as well.

Amalfi Coast (7 nights)

Again we have an apartment stay for a week. This is the relaxing part of the trip. Sea view from the balcony and tiny towns to explore. I want to do some hiking and we want to see Capri one day, but this is really going to be the relaxing week of writing for me I hope.

Rome (9 nights)

We switched trains in Rome on our way to the airport a few years ago. I have had a piece of pizza across the street from Termini station. This is the extent of my experience in Rome thus far. So now we have over a week to explore the eternal city. Again a few tours with Walks of Italy to dig in a bit deeper, including one about pizza making. There is plenty to see in Rome, so I don’t expect us to be bored.

Afterward

I will have a contract awaiting me when we head home in early July. Thus should be the cycle we want. Work some, travel some.

Trial Trip

This trip is a test in so many ways. A trial run of doing carry on only long term travel. We will need to find balances between alone time and together time, work/writing vs sightseeing and cooking in the apartments vs going out to eat. It is going to have its sets of challenges, but should be a wonderful experience. I am looking forward to seeing more stuff and stretching the travel muscles again. This has been a long cold winter and we could use some time out in the sun. Check out Ali’s post on the goals of our trip.

Of course I will be writing about all of these destinations. Most of the travel specific things will be on Ctrl-Alt-Travel in the detail oriented posts that I am trying to make that site known for. I have some German expat stuff written that will go up on Grounded Traveler as well as new posts about the life of a traveler, the more philosophic stuff. I also hope to work on my novel ideas, so there will be writing energy spent that you won’t see. Ali will also be chronicling our trip on Ali’s Adventures.

Beyond the blogs we also have a monthly newsletter for the project if you want to sign up for that.

Beyond Vacation Summer Itinerary is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

Full days of work including lunch and commuting time mean that relaxing, hobbies and Ali-Time need to all get squashed into the amount of free time remaining. Although I get more vacation time in Germany than I did in the US, vacations still end up feeling like a rush of freedom. Do what you can to cram enjoyment into a few weeks and store it up like a mouse to live off for the next months of working. I want to get Beyond Vacation. I am now working on shifting my mindset.

Free Time as the Opiate Against Work

I have noticed somewhat in the past years just how much money and energy I spent trying to deal with the stress of work. Alcohol definitely is part of it. Beyond this, I bought DVDs and video games as something to enjoy while I was home. Downtime is important, but it was not really productive downtime. It was time filled with stuff. Eating out was a lot more pleasant to think about rather than to come home and cook.

The thought “I have worked really hard and long all week” coupled with “I deserve this” or “I have earned this” comes up often. I ran across an article last week which talks about this as well. The author compares his spending habits between working and backpacking for 9 months with some interesting observations. Check out “Your Lifestyle has already been designed.”

I used to just accept these arguments and go for it. After all, I was earning money, why not enjoy it. Since last year when we concepted the Beyond Vacation idea, I have begun to question these thoughts. To work against them in small ways. To remind myself that the money I am earning at work is dedicated to travel. To something worthwhile that we can enjoy and remember rather than a meal that gets forgotten.

We still go out and still buy things occasionally, but it is tempered by the idea of travel.

Vacation as a Worker

Deep in the stretches of daily trips to the office, the routine seems to collapse into a cycle of working and recovering from working with a few periods of doing the things that life requires like laundry on the weekends..

My experience with vacation time is an extension of this in a way. For me, it is a week or so when you blow a lot of money on a trip knowing you have a limited time. The vacation and the joy of travel it offers gets planned and hyped in my mind. Every day at work where it feels like a slog, the image of the vacation is used to get through it. The last week before I leave it begins to take over and even itself makes the work difficult.

The reward for hard work and good work at the office is often more responsibilities and more work. We even talk about vacations as a time to “recharge the batteries”. This is still making work the center of things, with vacation another way of getting you to do even more work. Work then becomes “the price” of travel or a necessity to keep work flowing, not as a reward for doing well.

Inertia of Mindsets

It has only been a week or so. I still find myself with a bit of the worker mentality, but slowly getting out of it.

The first week I was still tired from working the week before and spending the weekend doing cleaning in preparation of our trip. With this tired, I just wanted to go out to eat. I wanted to spend money on rich foods and beer to relieve myself of work thoughts and try to make myself feel better. Don’t get me wrong, I love eating out. It is just that I notice that the reason I wanted to was not that I had a hankering for something specific, just that I wanted someone else to cook it for me.

Another week later and the longer term plans are prevailing over the short term exhaustion more. Thinking about money for travel instead of meals out, calories versus the extra walking needed. Although it still feels surreal to be leaving on the trip in a week, that trip is feeling more real.

Moving Beyond Vacation

I have lost some of the longterm thoughts in the job, reacting to e-mails and working weekly if not daily deadlines., so I want to nurture these longterm planning feelings that are coming back. I will still need to work when we get back in July and am working on lining up contracts already. At the core of Beyond Vacation is the urge to make travel a part of our lifestyle and not an escape from work. It might take me a few cycles of travel and work to get it cemented in my head, but I feel confident now that even after a week out of work that it will be worth it.

- – -

How long does it take you to relax from a week of work? My number is usually 4 days

Shifting Away From the Vacation Mindset is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

Waiting for all of the pieces of Beyond Vacation to fall into place (or be shoved into place with brute force) has been exhausting. I am burned out in the evenings more often than not (note less often blog postings as evidence) and just want to sit and watch something on the TV. Thankfully we have seen a few movies over the months that have inspired me to keep going and make changes. So here is my list of 5 movies to inspire you to get out of a crappy job and do something to make your dream into a reality.

Under A Tuscan Sun

(2003) IMDB Link

Diane Lane is a newly divorced writer sent to Tuscany on a vacation by her friends. She feels that she has nowhere to go home to and buys a run down villa in the small town of Cortona. The movie then follows her and the people around her as she renovates the house. There are several stories woven through her own. She grows and heals alongside the house as it slowly is fixed up. There is a great metaphor with a faucet that is pulled through the entire movie and I love it. As a hint though,  despite sharing the name with a book, the movie has no real relation story-wise to that book.

As I was planning my move to Germany 6 years ago, this was my go to movie when I was feeling overwhelmed or scared. It is such a wonderful look at how change comes when you are least expecting it. In a lot of ways, my own move to Germany has actually paralleled the movie. I came knowing no one, eventually bought a place to get fixed up and now am married. I still like to watch the movie and there are so many quotes about just getting out of your misery and get on living and making something wonderful from it.

“Mm, terrible idea… Don’t you just love those?”

Yes Man

(2008) IMDB Link

Stars Jim Carrey as a bored loan officer that is taken to a cult-like conference of Yes Men. He is used to saying no to everything and yet the conference and speaker convince him to start saying yes to things. Pretty much anything he is asked, he says yes to, with various results both good and bad.

I liked the idea of seeking experiences and not being closed off to things. There are so many opportunities that are frightening and strange, but wonderful. I am very guilty of avoiding such things just because they are unfamiliar, though travel helps this feeling in a lot of ways. I don’t have a choice to say no, for example to strange food if I want to eat. The sense of wonderment in travel and being outside of my normal situations helps me get over that urge to say no to things.

Stranger than Fiction

(2006) IMBD Link

This was in Ali’s piles that she brought over. I had never heard of it and had no interest in watching it for a long time. Then a few months ago we popped it in and I loved it.

Will Ferrell is Harold Crick, an IRS auditor who hears a voice of someone narrating his life. Not just that, it sounds as if the narration is leading toward his imminent demise. This kicks him into breaking his routines that had become the structure of his life and go off script to try to live a life.

So much of life seems to fall into routines. Work itself IS a routine. Every morning you go to work to do the job. Even if the job is different each day, there are routines to be followed. Sometimes the routine digs me so far into a rut that I cannot see over the edge of the rut into the wider world. I get scared of the things that I used to enjoy and then even the routine is no longer comforting, but confining. Almost as if the routines are dictating my life. I liked again the idea of trying things that are out of the routine.

Office Space

(1999) IMDB Link

A bit of a cult classic, but such a wonderful look at how the IT Corporate world works in the US (yes it is quite accurate in many ways). Ron Livingston plays a bored IT worker stuck in his cubicle life with 8 bosses and a bunch of colleagues that almost seem happy in their office confinement. Comedy Central used to play this movie on Sunday nights, I feel, just to tease those of us heading back to the office on Monday. Jennifer Aniston plays the love interest that he meets after a hypnotherapist trances him into not caring about his job.

Seriously, if you haven’t seen this yet and still work in an office, go get it. Tons of lines have made it into day to day language from this movie (Ever heard of a TPS Report?). One of the aims of Beyond Vacation is making sure that work does not overwhelm life. There is a lot here about having a job that makes you happy or at least seeking enough other things in your life so that the job does not overwhelm you.

“[W]e don’t have a lot of time on this earth! We weren’t meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.”

Eat Pray Love

(2010) IMDB Link

This hit the major boxoffices, so it is probably well known to most of you. Julie Roberts plays Liz Gilbert, the writer of the well known book of the same name. A failed marriage leads her to explore herself and attempt to find life again. The story progresses from Italy (for Eat) through India (for Pray) to Bali (for Love). Each place builds on itself to lead her through the journey.

I actually brought the book of this with me when I moved to Germany. I remember sitting in Uni Cafe in Freiburg reading it before I even started working. The movie is not the same as the book, nor would I expect it to be, though it does follow the same story. I like that the core of the story revolves around love. Caring for oneself as well as loving others.

Near the end, there a bit about the “quest” that I like. That if you set out to reach something and are able to accept that everything along the way is a step getting you toward what you seek then truth will lie at the end. (Heavily paraphrased by me from this.) Travel and life often seem to align like this. The motion that is physical in travel can mirror emotional motion as well. The places are very richly used as well. We sat the other day dreaming about the Italy part of our trip with just a few panoramic shots.

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Sometimes my mind gets clouded and the daily stresses choke out rational thought. I get into the rut of just trying to keep my head above water and forget the goal. In these times, I like to use movies to kick start the thoughts again. There are probably a dozen more in my stack that have inspired me over the past years to cut through the crap that I get buried in, but this is my list of ones that are relevant to me right now.

That is the other part of movies and books that I like. Nearly every time I watch them, different bits speak to me. As my own life and situation changes, I need different inspiration to keep moving. It is awesome how even the same movies can provide that in different ways.

What movies do you watch when you need some inspiration?

(Thanks to Ali for the last picture of the rice terraces in Bali.)

5 Movies to Get Your Motivation Going is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

This is city hall. Not where I had to go for my visas, but a much prettier building.

This is not as simple as it sounds. This is Germany, the land of beer and forms. Given some recent stories of friends having issues, I made sure I had done my research. Thing is, a lot of the info is in Amtlich-Deutsch, bureaucratic German. So even normal Germans might have problems understanding it. Add to that that laws change every so often, meaning old sites in the Internet with potentially wrong information. Then add several different types of visas to complicate the matter. So figuring out my exact situation was troublesome.

Oh and the office workers may or may not know much about these difference choices either.

The Choices – I think

Niederlassungserlaubnis (German Wikipedia Description) – This is what I always expected to get after 5 years. As near as I can read it allows full freedom to work in Germany, including as a Freelancer, which my previous visa disallowed.

Daueraufenthalt-EG (German Wiki Description) however seems to be my preference. It appears to give as many rights as the Niederlassungserlaubnis, but gives me a leg up on getting a similar permit (including work) for periods of time in other EU countries. So I could go be in Spain or Italy for a while and then come back. As in it appears to offer some form of the “freedom to work” that an EU passport has. That could be fun actually.

And if you think relying on Wikipedia links for such an important thing is dumb, here is the link to the German authority’s page about the Daueraufenhalt. And the actual German law. It is nice to see the German law all online, but it is really hard to read with exceptions and exceptions to the exceptions all pointed to back and forth in spaghetti fashion.

More complexities

Potentially an answer, but not THE answer.

Here is where it gets more complicated. There is an EU Blue card for highly qualified people. Note that highly qualified seems to just mean “earns a lot of money” as opposed to any actual qualifications. Although the limit is lower for IT people, as we are so much lovely fun.

The card though seems to let you fast-track into a Niederlassungserlaubnis as well as giving some form of rights in the rest of the EU after 3 years. Though, what I couldn’t figure out, is whether I could have gotten that somehow retroactively because of my 5 years here.

It looks like a neat program and has some benefits, but since I had been here so long it didn’t seem to be anything for me.

Five years of what now?

Oh and I asked last time I was in the office about the Visa Upgrade time limit. I hear it often as just 5 years until upgrade. It isn’t just 5 years living and working in Germany, but explicitly 60 months of paying into the retirement system. They are not shy about the purpose of the limit. You fund them before they let you stay.

The Result

In the end, I did finally get upgraded to a Daueraufenthalt EG. 6 months after our first appointment, we got them last week. Ali has the saga of the visas on her site and I will do another post soon about what I ended up actually needing to bring. In the end, my research was helpful but the system is pretty chaotic in places so don’t expect an easy journey.

I still have no clue how I would go about using it to get a permit in another EU country. Mostly because each country names them differently, so searching for it usually just shows sites in Austria. I am happy to have it though. It means I can move onto freelancing as a software developer in Germany which makes our Beyond Vacation dream work.

Check out more about our Beyond Vacation project and sign up for the newsletter.

Researching Longterm Settlement Visas in Germany is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

Schmarrn

Schmarrn is pretty much pronounced like it is schpelled. The word is related to the word for “smear”(makes me think of bagels) in German and also called Kaiserschmarrn. This, according to the wiki page, comes from a story of the Austrian Emperor (Kaiser). If you can read German, check out the German wiki page with a bit more info.

The first mention I can remember of it was a night at the Augustiner brewery in Munich a few years ago. It showed up on the dessert menu there and a friend ordered it. I don’t even remember much more than the name.

Then the thought faded until just this past 6 months. I got to try it for the first time last November as dessert up at a hotel in Titisee and again in January several times in the Austrian alps.

Schmarrn are essentially big thick pancake bits pan fried and sprinkled with sugar. Pancakes are one of my favorite foods, so when I saw the package at the store the other day, I wanted to try to make it.

What is Schmarrn?

The most common translation I have seen for it is “cut-up pancakes.” And while this is certainly true, it misses the point somehow. The dough is both thicker and denser than a normal American style pancake. It is however poured into a pan and cooked there before being cutup. The pieces are then cooked again in the pan with some butter golden brown on all sides.

The traditional recipe involves raisins in the dough and a plum compote as a side. It has a lot of eggs in it and is more filling than it looks.

Common toppings seems to be powdered sugar and vanilla sauce. The place in Austria had hazelnut Schmarrn too.

My attempt at making it

Like my attempt at pancakes from a bottle, I tried to make Schmarrn from a package. I am not much of a fancy cook. I can make dinner and have occasionally made cookies from scratch (with help), but if there is a package with a gorgeous picture on the front of what goodies it makes, the American in me wants to do it that way.

The Pouring

The powder from the envelope gets mixed with milk and an egg until smooth then poured all at once into a buttered pan. I liked that although it made two portions, I only had one go at the pan. Pancakes needed to be done in stages.

The bubbles

So here is where I started to go wrong. The package says middle heat, so I turned up the burned off of low. This may have been my mistake. The mixture looked pretty thick and I was worried about it cooking through. It made some sense with the higher heat.

As I started to notice the bubbles that are indications of pancake readiness that I was perfectly willing to attribute to Schmarrn-readiness, I read the next step. This step talked about two spatulas. Fine, we have plenty. Or not so fast, we own plenty. We did not have plenty clean. So I hurriedly scrubbed a spatula from last night as I began to smell the faint whiff of burning.

The flipping and the cutting

The next trick seems to be flipping the Schmarrn. Two spatulas is definitely a good idea. I got it flipped without dropping it on the ground, which was a feat. But the bottom had burned a bit, I discovered.

We still had to eat breakfast, so I continued. As I looked, I thought maybe it was just really dark brown, not burned. (I was wrong, it was burned, just not so deeply as I had feared.) Then I read the next step which involved cutting the Schmarrn into pieces. This I did with enthusiasm.

More butter

I added a little bit extra butter (all baking seems to hinge on adding enough butter) and flipped the bits about to get brown on the non-burned side. It was only after a few seconds that I realized that I probably should have let the new side cook a little bit before chopping my masterpiece to bits. Ah well..

I seem to be a better food photographer than a cook.

Result and Lessons

The result was actually fairly tasty despite the burnt. Some of the bigger pieces were still a bit mushy in the middle as well. And, as expected from a package mix, it didn’t end up as fluffy-dense as the stuff I had tried at restaurants. I will try it again. The Schmarrn will not beat me, though I have learned a few things.

• Lower heat and more patience.
• Allow the second side to cook a little bit before cutting.
• The pieces will get darker as they are “re-fried” in the last step, so the first two steps can be a bit lighter.

It is often served as a dessert “in the wild”, but we made it a breakfast with some maple syrup. It is actually better than the pancake in a bottle that we tried a while back. Ali doesn’t like raisins, so we picked the Quark flavor without the fruits.

“You did not just say that”

So I tweeted about being excited about my Schmarrn mixture and I got this in response.

@groundedtravelr you did NOT say schmarrn mixture? *sigh* – try this is.gd/tHcL5O

— Foodfreak (@ishtar_) April 6, 2013

So if you want to try to make your own Schmarrn, check out the link. Me? I am more than happy to let other people make it and will continue to try my package mixes at the moment.

When I read the recipe I realize perhaps why the package will never work out the same though. In the recipe version, the eggs are separated and the whites are whipped up before being added back into the mix. This would certainly give a more puffed up version, but sheesh I don’t have the energy at breakfast time for that.

Have you ever tried Schmarrn? Even ever heard of it?

The Schmarrn Incident is a feed post from Grounded Traveler

Based on an article on Married With Luggage, we named our dream. The name we picked was Beyond Vacation. However odd it seems, the article is right. Having a name really helps manage it. If nothing else, Ali and I have a term we can use to talk about the plan. We put together a dream board and started looking at it when we need inspiration.

Announcing Beyond Vacation 2013

When you work a full-time office job, even if you get 5+ weeks of time off like in Germany, you still need a vacation. You need to “vacate” and get out of the “normal” life for a while. But even with that kind of time, a vacation goes too quickly. You can’t adsorb the lifestyle and culture in a few weeks. Often if you try, you end up going too fast and trying to see too much and end up more tired than you started.

Beyond Vacation is our term for moving beyond that behavior and need. To be able to travel and explore without the desperate need to “vacate from normal life” the travel is a part of the “normal”. It is also a nod to the guys at No Vacation Required who have been inspirational and encouraging over the past year as well.

What this means?

As (perhaps very subtly) alluded to in a previous post, I resigned my full-time job in Freiburg. One of the pieces we were waiting for was a permanent visa in Germany for me. We got that recently and now I am allowed to contract, so that is what I will do. I am staying in my career as a web developer (something with computers as Ali likes to say) and will take on short to medium contracts in Germany. This will allow us the freedom to work a few months and then take a month or two off.

We will still be based in Freiburg and just range out from there on our other trips, coming home to work and relax into routine. We are not attempting to become eternal nomads. We live in a university town so finding someone that needs a place to live for a few months and rent our place will be easy enough.

Our away time will be several weeks to several months at a time in a place to soak up culture and really travel slowly.

Travel Principles

We sat down to write a set of guiding travel principles a while back and here they are. We have written a little about this, but there will be more coming. A lot of what is behind Beyond Vacation is about traveling based on our beliefs and not based on the limitations of a vacation.

• Travel slowly: No rushing around trying to see everything in 2 weeks. Relax into a culture and meet the locals.
• Balance: Between being home and being on the road, we have no interest in being eternal nomads. Between routine and change. Between work and non-work.
• Experience over stuff: Look at a life as a set of experiences and memories not a collection of stuff. While we like our  home, we would rather spend money seeing the world than filling a house.
• Minimize plane travel: I CAN fly now, but I still don’t like it. It is stressful for both of us. Trains, when appropriate, will be out method of travel.
• Work doesn’t hinder life: Work is what we do to bring value to the world and help others, but it shouldn’t be so consuming that life is passed by. I have felt trapped in jobs and I am sick of this. I like work and am not giving it up, just putting it in its place.

First round coming soon

Our first round of travel starts in May. We will be attending TBU in Rotterdam and exploring the Benelux in May. June is the month of Italy including a week at Blogville in Bologna. Late summer and fall will be back home for work and planning a winter in the warm (Germany can be cold and dark in the winter.). Much more detail on this coming up. Check out Ali’s perspective of the Beyond Vacation lifestyle as well.

Keeping in Touch

Our three blogs will continue as they have been. By all means Like the Facebook pages (Grounded Traveler, Ctrl-Alt-Travel and Ali’s Adventures) for regular updates and pretty pictures as we travel. We have also started a monthly newsletter to go along with Beyond Vacation. It is a joint effort of both Ali and I and will focus on the travel philosophy above and what we are learning from trying to move beyond vacations.

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We have been working on this plan since our time in Barcelona last summer when we spent 4 days without any burning need to be out sightseeing and could just sit and talk. We had ideas of what we wanted our lives to look like and started to take steps to bend them into that shape. This is the fruition of those efforts and it feels good to see the work come to life. Check out this page for the more permanent home of Beyond Vacation information.

Announcing Beyond Vacation 2013 is a feed post from Grounded Traveler