TravelBio

After Austria and Slovakia we made our way to Munich, where my sister lives and where we had rented an Airbnb. My other sister, Christine, flew with her husband to Munich to meet us the day we arrived. We spent over a week at the Airbnb--a house in the northern suburbs--before flying back to the US. It was great to have Christmas together again and enjoy my time off from school in another country. While in Munich we explored the city, had a relaxing Christmas dinner, and spend Christmas Even at the parents of my sister's boyfriend. One of my sisters is already married, and the other had a meet and greet among parents; at least they are settling down! Aside from family functions, we also took day trips to Regensburg and Nurnberg. Again, I'll keep the details short but include photos. The 1972 Olympic Stadium Pictures from BMW World: Tailgating, the Rolls Royce way Look our for this model in 2019 Meeting the parents; like many Germans, they had a tra...

Last winter break, my first as a student again, I spent Christmas back in Columbus with the family. This year, the family packed its bags for Germany. The plan was for all of us to spend Christmas in Munich, where one of my sisters lives. Before then, I went with my parents to Vienna. I'd visited Austria, but not Vienna, so was excited to see another European capital. My San Diego self certainly wasn't acclimated to the weather, but despite the cold I had a great time. We spent four nights at an Airbnb in Vienna, and also made day trips to Bratislava, Slovakia, and Salzburg. Pictures from Vienna: From our day trip to Bratislava: And from our trip to Salzburg:

It wasn't long before Andrew left that I was forced to get down to business planning out...well, planning out my life.  As in, when would I leave Japan (and to where), would I be visiting my family in Ohio this summer, what would my next job be, and, more pressing, where would I sleep in Tokyo? Thursday, the day after Andrew left, I spent the night at Japanese guys apartment, which I had arranged via Airbnb.  This time, in the spirit of saving a bit of money, I wasn't looking for a private place.  I slept on a futon in Jun's living room, which worked out fine.  The only problem was he left early in the morning and didn't leave a key for me.  That meant I had to be out of the apartment by 7:30, and couldn't get back in until he got home in the afternoon.  Jun was extremely nice, and that night we went out for sushi and yakitori in his neighborhood (near Ikebukuro in northwest Tokyo). Ikebukuro, close to Jun's apartment; yet another busy area of Tokyo!...

My southeast Asian trip took a pause for two weeks at the beginning of May.  My dad, aunt, and uncle had planned a trip to Germany to visit my sisters, both of whom are studying abroad there (one in Bonn and one in Wurzburg).  A return flight from Bangkok to Germany was out of my price range so I hadn't anticipated joining them.  As it turned out my dad really wanted me to join - enough to pay for the plane ticket! Needless to say I took him up on the offer.  On the 2nd of May I flew from Bangkok to Dusseldorf via Moscow on Aeroflot.  I've heard bad things about Aeroflot - probably dating back to old Soviet times - but my experience was fine.  The airport in Moscow was nice too, although I managed to buy 22 Euro wallets for my sisters (not realizing how expensive they were - why would they price goods in Euros, not Russian currency?  The price was in Euros on the tag and Rubles on the receipt!). I spent the first night with my sister in Bonn, ...