We left Chicago almost exactly 6 months ago today! It also happens to be the birthday of my favorite travel companion and  So in commeration of those two things, I thought people might be curious--How is it spending 24-7 with one person for 6 MONTHS STRAIGHT? By and large we have done pretty well. I am lucky to have the best travel partner.  At the risk of mushiness, the following list of why Jed makes a fantastic travel partner is also instructive on what it takes to survive so much time with one other person.

1. He is almost never cranky or irritable and is very tolerant when I am. (Which can be often and is subject to temperature comfort, hunger/hanger level, hours of sleep, length of time wearing full, backpack, et al.)

2. He does a bulk of the pre-planning and he enjoys it!  Plugging in countless possible flight scenarios to Kayak.com or combing through hundreds of AirBnBs for the best deal makes me irritable (see #1). This man loves a spreadsheet and for this I am very appreciative. 

3. He is always down for a nap/pastry/coffee break. Yeah, we do a lot of those. 

4. He is very good at diffusing arguments. Inevitably, we argue. However, without the ability to compromise and/or make me laugh at the right time, I might still be annoyed about something from two months ago.

5. In a crisis, he is calm and decisive.  I learned this the hard way after fainting and ending up in a Polish hospital last week. That is a separate blog post, but lets just say I'm glad he was there. (Special thanks to Jamie and Dan for the assist). 

6. He is always game for new experiences. Whether its hitchhiking in Africa, trying a horse burger in Slovenia, or hot air ballooning in Cappadoccia despite a fear of heights, he is willing to challenge himself for the sake of a new experience.  Not only do I appreciate this but it inspires me and I hope to always emulate it. 

Happy Birthday! Here's to the 2nd half of the trip!

It's a weird start to your stay when your check-in is delayed a few hours because a Polish television crew wants to film your room. Such is life at Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin, one of the strangest hotels in the world.

Propeller Island is the brain child of Lars Storschen, a weird German modern artist. Each room is unique, ranging from slightly odd to completely wacky. When you book your room, you can choose which of the 30 rooms you would like to stay in, depending on your tolerance for the bizarre. Each room is also equipped with its own soundtrack that plays over speakers.

We opted for the “Space-Cube” room, were the main feature is a bright, lit-up divider between the bed that glows and can be raised or lowered with a crank. There is also a metallic propeller above the bed, blue glass windows in the bathroom and a light-up chair. It is a bit hard to describe, but you can see the room in the pictures below.

We had the chance to sneak peeks at some of the other rooms as well. One is the “upside down” room, where all the furniture is on the ceiling and the floor is completely empty. The real furniture that you would actually use is hidden in compartments under the floor.  Another room features hundreds of mirrors displayed in different angles around the room. One of the rooms has a bed suspended in the air by giant logs. 

Some of the rooms really push the boundaries of one's comfort zone:such as one with beds in two suspended lion cages, the one that has a 1-way mirror to the room next door that you can choose to let your neighbor peer into your room and the one where you sleep in coffins! But don't get too excited, there is a big sign next tot he coffin that says “no sex in the coffins!”

Despite an overall eerie feeling, we enjoyed our one night in the weird (but not too weird) room that gave us an experience a bit different then a typical AirBnB. Somehow a hotel like this in Berlin, with it's distinctive culture, seems to fit just right.  If you want to see the rest of the rooms, you can find pictures and descriptions of all of them on their website: http://www.propeller-island.de/rooms_neu/room_detail/11/index.php And if you are interested in going, hurry up as they are only open for 1 more year!

1. The Pergamon museum: 

If you are into archaeology or antiquities (I am), then this museum is a gold mine. Even if you are not, I would venture it's hard not to be into antiquities when in this museum containing some of the biggest archaeological finds ever transported and reconstructed within a museum. The Ishtar Gates and processional way from 6th century BC Babylon are breathtaking with its sheer size and beautiful blue and yellow tiles. From ancient Greece, the Pergamon Altar from 160 BC is rebuilt to show its elaborate reliefs and mosaics. We were fortunate enough to get into this museum a few weeks before it closes for 5 years(!) for renovations.  One thing that makes Berlin's museums so fantastic is that all the major ones include an audio guide with the ticket price. Helpful since my German is limited to "Guten morgen!" and "Danke!"

2. The Prenzlauer Berg flea market: 

One of the reasons we chose to stay in a non-tourist neighborhood was its proximity to the biggest/best flea market in the city held every Sunday.
Do you need antique furniture, cheap sunglasses, or a mini-mixer to deejay from your i-phone? You can get it here. Or maybe like us you just want some good people watching, window shopping and a paleta (popsicle). Done. 

There was so much we wanted to do and didn't get to hampered by limited time and a doozy of a cold.  Hopefully when we return we'll be able to get to the famous Deustches History Museum and a Berlin club or two (as long as we're not too old).

We were looking forward to exploring some caves for a change of scenery,but  we were unaware of just how spectacular they would be.  There are two sections you can explore, one of which requires you to go on a guided tour.  We weren't sure why this was required, but once we got inside we understood.  The caves were dark, wet and absolutely massive.  Although there is a fence, if there were hordes of people wandering aimless around, you could easily see a disaster waiting to happen.  

This is one of those sites that is hard to describe with words, and even pictures can't come close to doing it justice, but we were in awe of these enormous underground caverns.  In sections, it is as big as 400 feet wide and 500 feet tall!  At one point, you have to cross a tiny metal bridge that is suspended hundreds of feet in the air.  Not good for my fear of heights. Although I like to use our own pics, unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures inside the main cave (which didn't stop one Italian tourist who was yelled at 3 times and was chewed out in front of the whole group). Thus, here are some photos of the main cave stolen from other people on the internet who either got permission or snuck in a few shots (click to enlarge): 

Our last stop in Slovenia was Lake Bled.  Unfortunately, it was either rainy or overcast during our couple of days there.  We still got in a nice hike, up a pretty torrential path full of steep, muddy hills and broken trees.   Despite very dirty clothes and realistic fear of tree limbs landing on our heads, the view at the top was definitely worth it.  

While most people do Plitvice in a day, we added a second day to amble along the wooden walkways that crisscross the lakes and climb on top of the waterfalls. I think we covered every inch of hiking trail in the park. And it was well worth it. The hoards of (often rude, inconsiderate) tourists obsessed with getting pictures were frustrating, especially since it's nearly impossible to take a bad picture at this place. There is no swimming permitted, but we were able to rent a row boat to get a perspective from the middle of one of the larger lakes. Unfortunately, I'm not coordinated enough to row a boat so Jed graciously did most of the work.  



Click on any of the pictures below to bring up a larger gallery you can click through: