Thoughts from Backpacking: Prague, Czech Republic

This post is all about the amazing time I had in Prague back in May and June 2016

Oh Prague, how I loved thee so much more than Rome! Prague fit me very well. I loved my time spent there and I would go back in a heartbeat!

Out of all the places I went to in Europe during this trip Prague is the one place that I didn't actually know too much about and the one with the language I wasn't even going to try to attempt, but I wasn't worried. My heritage is Czechoslovakian (although when they split my family was on the Slovakian side by only a few miles) so I felt comfortable there and at least there I looked like all the locals. I found that out when tourists kept asking me for directions which helped no one at all because it was always when I was a bit lost too!

Charles Bridge from the Bank

My time in Prague was relaxed. I did not want to repeat of my time in Rome, where I seemed to be constantly walking but miserable. I chose to go to Prague because of Laini Taylor's book Daughter of Smoke and Bone which is set there. Taylor's words made Prague seem magical and it turned out to be true. It is a unique place that is hard to describe, but she managed it far better than I could ever hope to here.

Most of my time in Prague was spent wandering around with no real place in mind or sitting somewhere filled with history, people watching and just soaking up the atmosphere. I loved Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square the most. 

Charles Bridge is a large part of Taylor's novel and I spent hours there. It is more than just a bridge, it is a gathering place for the Artistic of Prague. The people on the Bridge were selling everything from CDs of their music to paintings, and weird musical instruments to handmade jewelery. I walked up and down two or three times. I stopped at every booth, at every peddler, at everything. I wanted to just remember what it felt like to be on that bridge. The coolest part of the Charles Bridge isn't actually all those people though. It isn't like any bridge I have ever seen. It is foot traffic only and to get onto it you pass under this magnificent arch. And the bridge is lined on its balustrade with 30 statues of Saints and other Christian Religious Figures. They loom over the crowd and despite having all those people there the Charles Bridge always feels a little creepy. At one point I looked down at one of the river banks and saw a group of people painting en plein aire the bridge so I made my way down there, too. I sat near them on the bank and sketched for a while. It is my favorite place in Prague.

The other place I spent a lot of time at was in Old Town Square where the Astronomical Clock is. The clock was pretty cool, but the square itself was better. I sat there for hours. When I was there there was some kind of music festival going on and people had flocked to it. There were children, tourists, the homeless, peddlers, dogs, couples, some odd individuals, a couple of teens giving out free hugs, and people like me taking everyone else in. In this square I started a photo project of taking candid shots of people enjoying themselves. I cherish those photos because they aren't of anything really touristy. They just feel like the Prague as I knew it.

Me with my finished Marionette!

The biggest, coolest, most amazing, and strange thing I did in Prague was making my own marionette at a Truhlář Marionety workshop! While researching in one of my travel books I saw this shop mentioned and I made it my mission to do it. Marionettes are a huge part of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and I wanted nothing more than to make a puppet of one of the characters while in Prague. Zdenka and Pavel helped me achieve just that. They welcomed me graciously into their studio and helped me make Zuzana, a character in the book who makes a giant marionette that is controlled when she pretends to be the puppet herself. The whole experience from painting her face, to choosing her clothes, and actually putting her together was one that will forever be one of the best things I have ever done. I actually told the Author when I met her what I had done and gave her the photo and she hopes to one day do the same!

On my last day in Prague I trekked to see the Petrin Tower, which is loosely based on the Eiffel Tower and has one of the best views of the city. Originally I was going to try to see the castle as well but after walking up hill for an hour and still not finding it I realized I didn't want to go IN the castle I just wanted to see it, which I could from the tower. It is in a park and the whole walk was beautiful. On my quest to find Petrin, I started another photo project. Prague has some seriously unique door knobs. I actually got yelled at by the US Embassy for taking a photo but when I showed the angry woman the photo of their door knob she was too confused to make me delete it and I scurried away!

I also went to see the National Marionette Theatre's production of Don Giovanni! I was stunned. It was in Italian so I didn't understand what they were saying but I followed to plot. However, the plot didn't even matter! The mastery of the crew had over the puppets was incredible! Never have I seen such skill! I spent the whole time watching the hands above do the work. The mannerism and body language of the puppets were surreal!

The view of the Castle through some haze from Petrin Tower

I loved Prague and I completely plan of going back one day. It fit my speed more than Rome did. It just had a different feeling to it. Probably because while it is a tourist destination it is not THE tourist destination. There still aren't too many people who go there and I think that made all the difference. I wish I had spent even more time there though. It was a lovely place and I still have so much more to see!

~Laura!

Thoughts From Backpacking: Vatican City

This is the account of my day in the Vatican City in May 2016!

Are you saying you wouldn't have been curious as
to what he was looking at?

The very first thing I did when I got off the metro to the Vatican was to follow the crowd in the hopes that they lead me to the Vatican Museum. They did, of course, but before I got there I made a spontaneous pit stop. I was walking down a street I saw a statue of a Knight that was holding flyers, one of the flyers said Harry Potter. I stopped dead, scaring the people behind me, and didn't even think about it. I just went through the doors and down a passage that led me to a statue of a wizard announcing the Storia e Magia. Honesty, it is probably dangerous how I will just follow things randomly if they relate to Harry Potter. The store was great and dark and magical. It was expensive though because of how almost everything was from the Noble Collection! There was so much cool things, including HP and LOTR and fairies and journals! It was amazing! I want to go back one day!

I left before I could spend my entire budget and followed the crowd. At one point I did ask for directions and was informed that the line into the Museum was just stupidly long. Oh gosh it was at this point as I was walking that I was corralled by SEVERAL pushy Italian men trying to get me to go with them to “Skip the Line.” But then I found an actual shop that sold passes to skip the line and I googled up and down and realized it was in fact legit so I payed the 17 Euro, I skipped the line and it was so worth it.

My long lasting general impression of the Musei Vaticani is that it was a never ending rush of humanity following signs that promised that the Chappella Sistina was that way, but seemingly never actually getting to the promised Chapel. I was there for weeks following the people and the signs. I traveled an entire country trying to find that Chapel and while it was incredibly worth it, it was also slightly ridiculous to be lied to by signs for that long and still follow them.

Laocoön and His Sons!

The musei itself was huge and imposing, filled with so many people that you went with the crowd or you got trampled. But I managed to break away several times and found treasures when I did like a Van Gogh in a little chamber no one else was in and a room of animal statues and a mosaic floor! It was here that I found out that a lot of sarcophagus look like ancient tubs (for instance Priscus's was totally a tub, you can't tell me other wise)! Oh and somehow in my research I forgot that one of my favorite sculptures was in these museums, Laocoön and His Sons which was a delight to see in person! But mostly the Museums had a lot of statues and a lot of stunning ceiling paintings and after a while they all blend into one giant thing that makes my head spin.

The Sistine was, of course, stunning but a little disorienting as you have to crane your neck to look at Michelangelo’s ceiling, which looked a little 3D and that freaked me out because HOW!? From there I once again became just a small part of a sea of humanity following signs that said “Uscita” trying to for the love of goodness get the heck outta there.

I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to Rome and back to my hostel but I couldn't very well leave the Vatican City without seeing St. Peter's Basilica! So I made my way over to the famous Church! Originally, my plan was to go to a Papal Audience that morning but I had trouble with faxing the invite request so that didn't end up happening. The Square was still set up from the Audience that morning but luckily the line into the Basilica was short as it was later in the day.

You thought I was joking about those skulls didn't you?

My first impression when I walked into St. Peter's Basilica was entirely inappropriate. Yes, upon walking into one of the most holiest place in the Christian World, I said aloud, “HOLY HELL!” Because I clearly have no class when startled. Luckily the Nuns behind me were very kind, and after laughing at me one whispered, “I thought the same thing the first time I walked in!” I quickly ran away to a basin of Holy Water and vaguely crossed myself because it seemed like the least I could do to make up for my mouth. I am completely uncomfortable in any type of Church and this was no exception. Mostly I was just confused and alarmed. Alarmed that there were actual dead Popes in caskets, confused by the strange lighting, alarmed at the random, graphic skulls and ugly baby angels, and once again confused by the sheer amount of different styles in Architecture. Seeing the Basilica was a bit of a roller coaster and there was so much to see that in my tired, near delirious from hunger state that it is mostly just a blur.

Overall, it is possible to do the entire country of the Vatican in one day, but I don't recommend it because it makes you weird by the end of the day. The Vatican Museums were extraordinary though! And the Basilica is everything I thought it was going to be and maybe even a bit more. I ended my day by hanging out it the Square, on the phone with my dad, watching little kids chase gulls that were almost as big as they were. It was there that I realized while I was very far from home some things, like kids chasing birds were universal.

~Laura!

Thoughts From Backpacking: Rome, Italy

This is an account of the first leg of my huge backpacking trip!

I chose to start my backpacking trip to Europe in Rome for a lot of reasons but honestly the biggest reason is because I wanted to avoid going to Italy in June. Thus I spent 5 days there at the end of May and let me tell you it was still too freakin hot.

I only had 34 days in Europe so why did I spend 5 of them in Italy? In the words of Hillary Duff, “Why Not?” I felt like Rome was one of those quintessential places that one has to see when in Europe and I knew I would regret it if I didn't add it to my list.

My first day in Italy I actually left and went to the Vatican City, but that is a story for another post. As for my first day in Rome I did a lot of touristy things and tried not to melt in the never ceasing sun. Okay so I knew the line at the Colosseum and Palatine Hill were going to be stupidly long because I researched it. That research told me to go to the Forum first and buy tickets there, saved at least an hour of standing in line doing it that way.

A view of the Forum from above!

 I went to the Forum because of the Temple of the Vestal Virgins which plays a big part in my favorite book 13 Little Blue Envelopes. First thing you need to know is that all ruins look basically the same which is why I wandered endlessly back and forth for HOURS looking for something that I actually passed 8 times. I want to write a post about how I did as much as I could of Ginny's journey in 13 Little Blue Envelopes so instead of writing about the Virgins I'll tell you about what else I did at the Forum and on the Hill. Since I had spent hours looking at the ruins I figured I would rest and spend some time just soaking in my surroundings. I sat under an olive tree (I knew it was an olive tree only because some guide kept yelling about them) and watched the people around me. I also started to collect plants and tape them into my journal, like a poppy and a daisy.

I had to do it, I couldn't resist!

After getting completely lost trying to leave the ruins I was ready to call it a day and go back to my hostel because I do not to well in the sun and by that point I had had more sun than I had my entire life, but I couldn't because I hadn't been to the Colosseum. I couldn’t go to ROME and not see the COLOSSEUM. I took it extremely slowly and gained bits and pieces of its history by eavesdropping on several different tours. My dad loves the Colosseum so I made sure I got a ton of photos from the inside for him. You aren't allowed to go down to the floor but you can see it which is cool.

My second day in Rome was spent walking the city with Stefano from New Rome Free Tour and a nice group of people. The tour was wonderful, especially Stefano who was a great guide! His two stand out features were being incredibly knowledgeable and was a fan of SHADE! The tour started at the Spanish Steps (which were under construction at the time), went to some churches, to the Pantheon, and ended at the Trevi Fountain (which had a million people there). He took us on a winding path down a lot of tiny alleys and I loved that because it felt authentic. Stefano was great and took that theme of authenticity to heart and taught his tour how to be a proper Roman by showing us how to use one of the many fountains around the city. IT IS A SECRET THOUGH. I promised I wouldn't tell, but let me tell you that I was spoiled with those fountains. They are revolutionary and every city in the world needs to follow suit.

I really liked Trevi Fountain, but jeez the crowds!

Day three found me dying with a cold but with a MISSION to do some shopping! I had a few things that I wanted to get from each city: postcards, coins, Harry Potter books, smashed pennies, and patches! Success for all of them! I enjoyed having no real goal other than seeing what there was to see and of course that brought me into some odd situations. Like sketchy grocery shop owners and scammers trying to put bracelets on me and giving me random elephants. I will never understand street scammers. I loved the bracelet though it had a sea turtle and the elephant would have looked great on my shelf, but I know their game. They aren't being nice, they want your money and I did not have any to spare!

Picture it: Rome, my last day there, me in some random park CRYING because I was so lost. I just wanted to go to the art gallery but instead I got lost in a sea of trees. I am so bad at navigating parks. I was so tired and so hot that I gave up on Rome. I went back to my hostel, grabbed my pack, and headed to the main train station to rest for a while before my train to Vienna where I would catch another train to Prague!

My general memories of Rome are warm, both because I was always sweating and because of the colors of everything. Rome wasn't one of my favorite cities but I would go back again, but in the winter. I never want to feel the boiling hot sun of Rome again. I still want to see the Capitoline Museum, the Capuchin Bone Crypt, the Appian Way, the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Cimitero Acattolico! 

(I know, there should be a lot more to this account right? Like the food I ate, where I stayed, the amazing people I met, and how I got around! No worries those are all going to be rounded together in blog posts of their own!!)

~Laura!

On Hostels

Recently I was asked about hostels and I thought it would be a good blog topic!

The first time I stayed in a hostel was in Rome during my backpacking trip in 2016. I stayed in hostels the entire time I was in Europe because I was on a budget. Hostels are the only reason I could afford going abroad for 6 weeks.

Hostels are fabulous for solo travellers because they are cheap, you meet a lot of likeminded people, and they are a great resource for things to do while you are wherever you are! But how are you supposed to choose which one? I have become a pro at hostels.

The first thing I look for is which is the cheapest hostel in the area I would like to stay in. Now, the price depends on which kind of dorm you want to stay in. I do not mind mixed dorms because they are usually cheaper, but if the female only dorm isn't too much more I choose that (mostly because I have found that guys snore way louder than girls). Size of the dorm is also a factor on the price. The largest dorm I have stayed in was a mixed 36 bed dorm in Prague (the Czech Inn. Ha, get it?) and the smallest is usually 4 beds. I've stayed in a few of those and they are pretty nice. But that 36 bed wasn't awful! It was a huge room, but had wall dividers and had 4 to 6 beds in each so it seemed smaller. (An unimportant, but amusing side note on the Czech Inn: the guy that checked me in looked like a young Orlando Bloom so it has that going for it too). I also always try to find the right hostel in a centrally located area. It doesn't always work out though so I try to make sure I can access public transport easily as well.

While in Europe the second big thing I looked for was 24 hour reception, security, and luggage storage as my arrival and departure times were so wonky. I needed to be able to check in late and needed to leave my pack some place safe on my last day in whatever city before I left. (Oh be sure to bring a lock! Try to make it TSA approved so you can also use it on your luggage! I used it a lot on lockers. I also brought a bike chain cause I'm nuts. When my pack didn't fit I would lock it to my bed. Honestly, though no one wants your dirty underwear. Just don't keep important crap in there and you'll probably be fine!)

The third thing that I had no idea to look for when I first booked all those hostels for Europe, 8 in all, was a booklight under the listed facilities. I noticed that every hostel that had a booklight usually had plugs for each bed. Plugs are so important. But remember to look under the facilities listed for things you may prioritize, too, like towels or breakfast. I also email the hostel beforehand to ask them if they assign specific beds. I do this because I am horrible with top bunks because hostels always have bunk beds, it's like a rule and if they do I ask for a bottom one. I've never been denied if they are assignable. Sometimes they are first come first serve and then I just have to pray.

Finding hostels in major European cities is easy! Finding them here in the USA has been a little tricky. They just aren't as big here. I've stayed in only 2 here so far, one in Boston and one in NYC. Finding the NYC one particularly difficult because a lot of them do not allow New York State residents which is obnoxious. Before booking a hostel you should always look to see if they have restrictions such as residency or age. I don't know what I'm gonna do when I'm older and travel. Cry probably.

Oh and always read the reviews! They are always helpful. Although take some of them with a grain of salt as people complain about the silliest and most minor things. Sometimes a hostel can look fantastic and then you read the reviews and you run away. A lot of the time with those complaints listed the hostel will reply with an apology. I think that sometimes cancels out most of the bad review because obviously if they are really paying attention to their reviews logic says they probably would have tried to help if the complaint was lodged in person instead of in a passive aggressive review weeks later.  (Oh by the way, I always use hostelworld.com. I'm not like a paid sooner or anything I just like their site).

Told you my Scottish Hostel felt like
a castle! This is a mural painted in a
staircase! 

Only once have I felt unsafe in a hostel (here's looking at you Birmingham Central Backpackers and your creepy live in people), but on the whole they are pretty great! (No, I have not seen the movie Hostel. I am not going to either. Don't worry my brother gave me all the ridiculous gritty details). My favorite hostel was Castle Rock in Edinburgh, Scotland! It was literally next to the castle and it had a castle vibe inside and was beautiful and they did your laundry and sold amazing backpacking tours (hey shoutout to Macbackpackers whoo) and so much more. I want to stay there every time I go to Edinburgh. I would be one of those live in people, but not creepily so. I just really loved that hostel. I'm almost home sick for that hostel and Edinburgh and Scotland.

Anyway, my love of the Scots aside, what I'm getting at here is that hostels are the best. Hostels don't have to be scary. They are amazing and they make cheap travel so much easier and better!

~Laura!

Thoughts from Places: Guillermo del Toro's At Home with Monsters Exhibit

The outside of the Gallery advertises the exhibit!

My Trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto!

In honor of Guillermo del Toro winning Best Director at this year's Academy Awards I decided it was an appropriate time to post about the amazing exhibit of his that I saw in Toronto last October.

I did a quick over night trip up there shortly after my trip to NYC for the Turtles All The Way Down Tour (by shortly after I mean two days later. When I travel I tend to do it all at once). Toronto is only a couple hours away so despite being in a foreign country technically it is the closest BIG city to me so I go there often. I went to see a concert, and the next morning I made it my MISSION to go to the Art Gallery of Ontario to see their exhibit, Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters!

Basically, del Toro has a house that he calls the Bleak House that is filled with his collection, including everything from his props, props from his favorite movies, comics, and books. The exhibit is all things he lent from his house and was set up in its image. It was extraordinary! It was the coolest thing I have ever seen in a gallery.

The Pale Man

To get up to the exhibit they had the stairs looked like bookcases. Right away I was excited. When I went in the exhibit, there was a video of del Toro explaining what his Bleak House was and why he had to have another house for his collection (his wife doesn't want it in her house haha). Turning a corner the first thing I saw was a life size statue of the Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth! What a terrifying thing to see first. I knew I would love the rest of the exhibit.

It took me a couple hours or so to walk through because there was so many rooms with so much interesting, strange, one of a kind items. The vast majority of it, to my excitement, was concept art and other treasures from del Toro's movies. Lots of life size statues of his unique creations were around every corner ready to scare the bajeezus out of me. Del Toro, of course, has many amazing and terrifying movies most of which had something on display. The Shape of Water, the movie that just won the Oscar for del Toro wasn't yet out so there wasn't any of that, of course. Another unique feature was the interactive displays that featured copies of del Toro's sketch books and journals! This was a fascinating look into the mind of such a brilliant storyteller.

The Crimson Peak section of the Exhibit was my favorite!!

My favorite movie of del Toro's is Crimson Peak which is the biggest reason I went. It is half set in Victorian Era Buffalo and is a twist on the classic Victorian trope, starring four of my favorite actors: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, and Jim Beaver!! I adore every single thing about it and now that I'm thinking about it I should probably write a review for it! The exhibit had some of the props and costumes from the movie and it was fascinating to see them up close. I loved seeing the tea set and Enola's key! Oh and the dresses!! They had two of Lucille's magnificent gowns as well as my favorite of the exhibit's Edith's dressing gown that even had all the stains on the bottom!!!!!! (Sorry for the exclamation overload, I'm still excited months later!)

The bust of Dickens that del Toro wrote on!

Other than things from his own movies, del Toro has a lot of other amazing things in his collection. He had original art from several Disney movies, Victorian mourning objects, Victorian portraits that would change as you looked at them from normal to creepy, a Shrine to Charles Dickens including a bust that del Toro wrote on the back of, crystal balls, vintage vampire hunting kits were among some of my favorite things! Del Toro also loves Frankenstein. He has a HUGE head of Frankenstein's Monster that greets visitors to his Bleak House when it is back at home. For the exhibit it was at the entrance to the room that held del Toro's Frankenstein collection, which included life size statues and wallpaper made of the many covers of the famous book. There was a room devoted to del Toro's comic book collection with copies on a big table that visitors were invited to sit down and read.

Besides all of that amazing stuff my favorite non-Crimson Peak parts of the exhibit was the atmosphere created by being around so many odd things in one place and the fact that there was a woman playing the scores of del Toro's films in one of the rooms that echoed eerily throughout the entire exhibit. All except one in one room: the rain room, which is exactly what it sounds like. Guillermo del Toro set up a room in his Bleak House that has the sounds of a thunderstorm raging outside that he works in! I decided right there and then that before I die I need to have a room like that because I too work best when I'm listening to rain. He even has it so that when you look out the “windows” you can see the rain lashing at the panes! In this exhibit there was a caged in bookcase lined with old books and a life size wax figure of Edgar Allan Poe (something else that I never knew I kinda wanted).

Poe in the Rain Room!

I loved my time at Guillermo del Toro's Bleak House. I was in awe for almost the entire time as well as properly creeped out. I haven't seen The Shape of Water yet but I can't wait to. I am so excited and happy for him on his Oscar win as I believe he is one of the most creative and interesting people alive. I am so glad I got to see that small glimpse into how he spends his time, as it was a truly unique experience to have someone donate most of their property to a gallery while they are still living! Thank you, sir, for allowing it to be on display for your fans to see, and congratulations on you well deserved Oscar!!

~Laura!

On the Top 10 Places I Want to Go Next!

Top 10 Places I Want to Go Next!*

1) New England, USA

As one of the oldest parts of my country it has so much of our history that I really want to see!

2) Florida, USA

Home of Hogwarts and so many Wildlife Reserves that I could spend my life there and never see it all!

3) New Zealand

Real life Middle Earth. Need I say more?

4) Costa Rica

Wildlife galore!!! And Ziplines!!

5) Scotland

Aka my favorite place on Earth. I've been to the Highlands and Edinburgh but I desperately need to see more of it.

6) Iceland

Seeing the Aurora Borealis is at the very top of my bucket list. Where better to see it?

7) Pennsylvania, USA

The state closest to me AND YET I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN THROUGH!! PA has tons of cool stuff and I haven't seen any of it!!

8) Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Do I really have to explain why? I want to SCUBA there as long as it doesn't hurt it anymore than we already have. 

9) Peru

There's so much to see here, but mostly I want to go for the llamas. I'm not even joking.

10) South Africa

I really want to see the wildlife here. I would love to work or volunteer at a rehabilitation center!

~Laura!

*(in no particular order, actually just my top 10 as they are all pretty equal in my wanderlust.)

Thoughts From Places: The Women March in Seneca Falls!

My Trip to Seneca Falls and the Finger Lakes

A week ago I went to Seneca Falls for the Women March! Seneca Falls is the birthplace of Women's Rights! In 1848, Seneca Falls held the First Women's Rights Convention! The Convention is famous for being the place the Declaration of Sentiments was presented by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. 170 years later 15,000 people marched for equality for all! While there were many solidarity marches throughout the world, including one in my hometown I thought that going to where it all started was extremely appropriate!

The March started at 10:30 am, but we got there a couple hours early to eat breakfast and get a good spot for the Rally. Seneca Falls is a small place and it's main street has a lot of cute shops. We had breakfast at a place called Wildflowers, which toted on its front windows that it was "Women owned and operated!" The line was out the door and everyone in it was a woman there to support the march!

The Rally was held in the Women'sRights National Historical Park, despite the Park's Center being closed due to the Government shut down. Habitat for Humanity donated generators so that the Rally would go on as originally they were going to get the electricity for the microphones and speakers. That kind of set the tone for the day. Not the shut down but the kindness of others.

All of the speakers at the Rally were phenomenal! There were professors and politicians and even the Bear Clan Mother. My favorites were Arlette Miller Smith and Lt. Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul. Miller Smith kicked off the Rally with a poem adaptation of "A Gathering of Women." She is a dynamic performer who captured her audience in the best possible way. She was such a powerful speaker. I taped her poem and I've watched it multiple times this week. It gives me strength (wanna watch it? Here's the link!). Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul was equally powerful when she talked about how New York is always ahead of its time. We were first to legalize gay marriage, first to give free college tuition for the middle class, first to legalize abortion, and first to hold a Women's Rights Convention, of course, which led us to be the first State East of the Mississippi River to grant full women's sufferage! Basically, not only to women rock so does New York!

My friends Mary, Anja, and I were near the front of the Rally and as such we were towards the back of the March. This was fine by me because on the way out of the park I got to see the front of the March and it put the entire thing in perspective. That and the fact that by the time we got to the end of the route most people had left. The March itself was a lot of fun. Hearing hundreds of people chant the same thing with all their hearts, seeing all of the amazing protest signs, and feeling all the love and support and hope in the air made me feel so much better.

After the March ran its route, those who could convened at the Communtiy Center to hear more amazing speakers talk about great topics such as disability, reproductive, LGBTQIA, and immigrant rights, pay equity, ending systemic Racisim and sexism, environmental justice, eradicating violence and sexual harrasment against women, and passage of the proposed ERA! That's what I loved about this March. It wasn't just women's issues but a lot of the issues facing Americans right now.

The Women March in Seneca Falls was a fantastic, uplifting experience that I'm so glad I got to go to. I believe the 15,000 of us that were there were a little bit a part of History. We took over Seneca Falls for a day to gain equality for all. I'm so thankful to the organizers, Seneca Falls and its citizens for welcoming us, and its police force for keeping us safe.

When in Rome, or in Seneca Falls we couldn't leave without seeing what there was to see. So we made our way down Fall St to the National Women's Hall of Fame! Our original plans saw us going to the National Park Center, but since it was closed due to the shut down it gave us an excuse to see the Hall (and a reason to go back, I always try to see the bright side)!

The Hall of Fame, which had free admission on the day of the March but is usually $4, was only a couple of rooms but it packed a powerful punch! So many plaques telling the amazing stories of so many inspiring women. Honestly, after the early morning start and the exhausting March it was a little hard to concentrate on those plaques. I'm sure that on another trip I would have been able to read more of them, but as it is I didn't read too many that I didnt know.

We went on, up then down Fall St, going into many of the shops, most of which had women working in them, including a small boutique, a shop called Women Made, and the visitor center! I picked up post cards and souvenir pennies, my staples in travel. Our last stop was to the Statue called "When [Susan B.] Anthony Met [Elizabeth Cady] Stanton" which depicts as you can probably tell the meeting of two great suffragettes being introduced to one another by Amelia Bloomer on May 12th, 1851! Seeing the most famous names in the Suffragist Movement was the perfect way to end our time in that birthplace of Women's Rights.

Seneca Falls is in the Finger Lakes district of New York State. This marks my first trip out that way. The Anthony-Stanton-Bloomer statue looks out over Van Cleef Lake and we also got to see northern bit of Seneca Lake when we went to Geneva for dinner! We got there at the perfect time and were able to catch the sunset! It was absolutely gorgeous!

If you ever get the chance, you won't regret going to the Finger Lakes and while you're there you should make a point of visiting Seneca Falls, even if there isn't a March going on!

~Laura!

Thoughts From Places: Turtles All the Way Down Tour

My Trip to New York City's Nerdfighteria

In October I went to New York City for a couple days to go to the Turtles All the Way Down tour with Hank and John Green. I left on a Monday night at about 10:30pm (by Megabus which was late. It's always late because it comes from Toronto and it always gets stuck at the border.) I got into the city at about 8:30am or so and started the long walk to my Hostel from 27^th to 88^th. I could have taken the subway but I love walking the city as I never know what I'll find. I did take a break in Times Square to people watch and around 62^nd where I went to Lincoln Plaza Cinema to see Loving Vincent that movie that is completely painted in the style of Van Gogh! That wasn't a spur of the moment thing though. I have been following it's progress since they announced the movie years ago. Originally it wasn't coming to Buffalo and I thought I'd never see it but it just so happens that it was still playing in New York so I couldn't not go see it! I love seeing movies by myself. The first time I did was last year when I went to see Alice Through the Looking Glass while backpacking.

I love NYC!

I went by myself, but I met a bunch of nerdfighter friends, old and new, for a gathering before the show. I belong to the New York Nerdfighter group on Facebook. I joined it years ago when I went to the NYC stop of the Tour Because Awesome! In line for the concert I met some awesome people! Some of whom I met up with at NerdCon and again here! It was like a mini reunion! Seamus set up a pre-show gathering that I went to, but was late for! By the time I got there they had already written a bunch of nerdfighter notes and were just about to put them in John's (and Maureen Johnson's) books! One of the coolest parts of this was that Lori Earl, Esther Earl's mom was there. I had forgotten my TSWGO bracelet and she noticed and gave me one!! Lori is the mom of Nerdfighteria and is the loveliest person.

A bunch of us got food and then went to Bryant Park for a couple hours to kill time before making our way over to the Town Hall. We all sat in a circle and just talked about all sorts of nerdy things. There was about 20 or so of us. What was great though was that halfway through this other group of people came behind us and just started juggling? It must have been an agreed upon spot to practice or something, but either way it was really cool. One of our group actually abandoned us and they taught him how to juggle. I love how spontaneous NYC is. The venue was only a couple blocks away and I met up with Marie (who had my ticket, she bought us front row because she is amazing!) out front near the tour bus! We actually got to meet Rosianna Halse Rojas before we went in!

John and Hank Green!

The show itself was great. It was like watching a Vlogbrothers video live. John came out first and read a selection from Turtles. And then Dr. Lawrence Turtleman came out and gave a powerpoint presentation on Monotypic Taxa as windows into Modern Phylogeny (aka Hank in a turtle costume wearing a suit jacket). They took questions from the audience in the form of a mock Dear Hank and John episode, wherein they both forgot the format of the podcast. Hank brought out his guitar and sang a few songs. John did a tribute to Amy Krouse Rosenthal in the form of “We are here because we are here because we are here” to the tune of Auld Lang Syne that we all sang together which was sad and moving. Hank came back out and they both sang the Anglerfish song (which by the way is my favorite Hank song), All Star (because of course) and the first verse and chorus of Sweet Caroline BUT we couldn’t sing the BAH BAH BAH or the SO GOOD. It was so hard. John was so excited by the silence in the part that he literally jumped up and down around the stage. It was like his entire life was completed. As an encore they came out and sang the Mountain Goats.

As if just seeing John and Hank the night before wasn't enough, I was also invited to be in the audience for John's segment on Good Morning America the next morning. My friend Seamus was contacted by the producer to have him and 20 or so “mega Nerdfighters” come and welcome John. Seamus invited me and Marie along with a bunch of others! I had to get up at 5am, I fought with the 86^th street station turnstyle, but I did get to the studio. We waited in the VIP line and got our IDs checked (to make sure we were on the list, how cool?!), and got bracelets to wear. Once in we were led to the studio. We could see Times Square out the window. Basically, taping GMA was incredibly boring and kind of annoying. Commercials are forever long. There is this guy there who is supposedly a comedian that is in charge of keeping the audience under control or whatever. He “taught” us how to clap and how to smile and made fun of us. He was actually horrible. One of the serious segments was about that horrible Weinstein or whatever his name is and the comedian fellow literally said, “and remember big smiles.” We all looked at him like he was nuts and he said, “you know appropriate smiles though.” I was so mad that this man was telling me to smile during a segment about sexual assault that I told him to eff off.

The GMA Green Room!

He must hear that a lot though or I didn't say it loud enough because he still chose me to be one of the ten that went backstage to the green room to film a commercial spot with John. That was fun. I can officially say that I met him. I was the closest to where he was sitting (about 5 feet away from him) wearing my Pizza John shirt and he said “Thanks for wearing my torso on your face. Wait, no. You know what I mean!” and he looked around and saw all of us wearing DFTBA merch and was excited that we were all real nerdfighters. He asked me if I liked the book and I responded that since I got it last night from the event that I hadn't started yet. He was excited that all of us were at the show and asked if we liked the “Sweet Caroline” bit because he wasn't quite sure. I especially assured him that it was fantastic and that I loved how excited he got over silence and that it was surprisingly satisfying.

When the 10 of us who were picked came back to the main stage the cast of Goodbye, Christopher Robin was there! Domhall Gleeson, Bill Weasley himself, was there along with Margot Robbie, Kelly MacDonald, and Will Tiltson. The show gave everyone in the audience a ticket to Goodbye Christopher Robin's Director's screening of his film that night. Originally, I was going to try to see Aladdin on Broadway (well actually I tried to win the Hamilton lottery and of course did not get it), but I had already wanted to see the movie so I couldn't pass up a free ticket.

After the taping of GMA, some of us went to a diner on 9^th Ave for breakfast. It was so nice to spend time with other nerdfighters. From there a few of us went to Central Park with the intention of reading some of Turtles, but it was such a nice day so we sat at the top of this GIANT rock in near the children's playground. We sat there for what seemed like several hours but was only a few. Because we had all gotten up so freakin' early time seemed to be moving way too slow because of those extra hours. Eventually, we went to a Starbucks and actually read for a few hours before we made our way to Paris Theatre to use our free tickets. Goodbye, Christopher Robin is an amazing movie and I highly recommend it! What was cool was that the Director was there and introduced the movie! It was an incredible experience, the whole 2 days in New York was just bananas.

I'm so thankful for John and Hank for creating such an awesome and welcoming community. Even though I'm not from NYC the nerdfighters there are so kind and invite me to events even though I can't always attend. 

Best Wishes and DFTBA,

~Laura!

Book Hunting Adventures: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

The story of how I found two editions of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll in his hometown, Oxford!

While in England for the first time in the fall of 2015 with my mom, we split up for a day. She stayed in London and I went off to Oxford, home of Lewis Carroll. 150 years earlier Carroll's Alice in Wonderland was published and while I hadn't gone to Oxford with the intent of purchasing not one but two more copies of the novel that is what happened. After seeing where the real Alice and the Mathematician who wrote for her and her sisters lived at Christ Church College, I went to Alice's Shop. It is not only a shop that sells only Alice merchandise, but is in fact the shop that Alice Liddell herself would buy candy in. It is also the model for John Tenniel's drawing of the “Old Sheep Shop” in Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. 

Alice's Shop and St. Philip's Book Shop next door.

He drew it as if it was in a mirror so it was all backwards. Being there felt like being in a strange world where I was in the looking glass myself, but one where Alice was still a book. Every where I looked in the small shop I saw Tenniel's art, everything you can think of was there including a small, blue paperback copy of Alice that was the 150^th Anniversary edition. It was only £5 and it was light so I didn't think twice before buying it with some other souvenirs.

The story of buying Alice in Oxford should have ended there, if I had not followed a sign that said “books” down an arch covered alley and up a flight of small stairs next door to Alice's Shop. Honestly, that's how most of my adventures happen, accidentally following signs. St. Philip's Books was a lovely crowded shop. I noticed that English independent shops are different than ours here. It is hard for me to explain, but the workers seem to be in a constant state of cataloging the shop's collections at small tables overflowing with books. The atmosphere was studious and calm. Upon walking in the one of the first books I saw was a yellow cloth edition of Alice and Through the Looking Glass that had an illustration I did not recognize.

 From the 1930's, it was illustrated by J. Morton Sale. A slightly rare edition that they were only asking £10 for it, so what could I do but buy it? It still intrigues me to this day because of the illustrations because Alice appears more like a scantily clad teen than a seven year old! While paying for Alice I noticed a glass fronted cabinet that contained first edition Inkling books, including many of Tolkien's. The woman who was helping me saw my gaze and said “You're free to look through them, but I'm going to be honest you probably can not afford them. We've priced them properly and thus ridiculously high.” I was sorely tempted, but did not take up her offer. I had plans to see if I could find cheaper Tolkien works at another shop I had on my list!

Until next time,

keep hunting those books,

~Laura!

Book Hunting Adventure: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling

The story of how I found my first edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling at Henry Pordes on Charing Cross Road, London!

After successfully finding the third, fifth, and seventh books under Waterloo Bridge (read that adventure here) I only needed a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to complete my UK Childrens' Edition set. I was determined to find it later that day when we went to Charing Cross Road, even if I had to go into every single book shop, which is exactly what I did. I went into each shop and looked around. If their children's book section was not easily found I'd ask if they had copies of Harry Potter.

A quick photo of me on Cecil Ct!

Most didn't have any and those that did, none of them were HBP. In the third or fourth shop, Henry Pordes, I found a copy fairly quickly at the bottom of a pile. It was a nice shop with multiple rooms and high shelves. However, this shop wanted £20 for the first edition. Normally, I would fork that out no problem, but since I had just hours before bought two first editions and one early edition all for only £5 more I was leery to spend so much. I figured I would check out other shops and if I couldn't find a cheaper one I'd come back. I tried several more after that. I found one in a set of firsts that the owner wanted a few thousand quid for the set which obviously wasn't for me.

The last shop I went to was Marchpane, a shop devoted to children's books, down Cecil Ct. I was excited because I saw a copy in the window. I walked in and was immediately alarmed by the union jack covered Dalek that stood near the door. It set the tone of the room better than anything else could. It consisted of one tiny room packed with books. There was a man behind a desk that was on a risen platform. He was grunting at a couple who were asking the prices of some Alice in Wonderland books that lined his platform thing. He seemed so annoyed with them when he said they ranged from £5 to several thousand that I didn't ask any questions at first. I noticed their Harry Potter books were on the left wall behind a cart of other books. I became a contortionist to carefully extract them from their shelves to look at them. I was alarmed at the prices I saw on those covers. Several hundred pounds and they weren't even firsts!

The Dalek

By this time the couple had left and I asked Mr. Grumpypuss about the book in the window. He said he would gladly sell it to me for £800. My jaw hit the floor. I said back, “Wow, ok. I hope you sell it to some inexperience collector some day!” I planned to leave immediately, but plucked up the courage to ask to take a picture of the Dalek (who knew when I would see another terrifying alien again?).

Needless to say, once I left I told my mom to hang about in Cecil Ct. for a bit because I was going to run back to Henry Pordes and buy that extremely reasonable £20 copy of Half-Blood Prince and thus completed my UK Childrens Collection.

~Laura!

Book Hunting Adventure: Harry Potter PoA, OotP, & DH

The story of how I found my UK Children's Editions of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix, and Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling at Southbank Book Market in London!  

 On my first trip to London in 2015 I was determined to finish my collection of UK Children Editions of Harry Potter. Ideally, I wanted to find cheap editions. It didn't matter if they were first editions as long I had them. I knew that the best place to look in multiple places would be Charing Cross Road, but I wanted to try something more unique first. I'm not even sure where I first heard of the used book sale that takes place under the Waterloo Bridge, but once it was in my head I knew that it was exactly the right place to start. I had visions of stumbling across copies of Harry Potter there and would do anything to go.

I was sitting on one of those nice benches when I took this of
the market under the bridge.

Anything is practically what I gave. My mom and I got hopelessly, frustratingly lost. London (well, in my opinion England in general) is horrible with street signs. We were lost for about an hour and were miles away from our target when we finally realized what had gone wrong. I was cranky and I'm pretty sure my mom wanted to throw me in the Thames more than once. I wasn't sure that getting to this book flea market type thing was even worth it but when we finally got there I knew it was. It was such a nice, peaceful place. Right on Southbank, it is a nice place to buy books and then sit there on a bench reading them. If I lived near there I'd have no pay check because I would be there every day reading and people watching.

While searching the tables I found Prisoner of Azkaban, Order of the Phoenix, and Deathly Hallows (the later 2 were first editions)! The market was set up weird. At least weird to me, maybe because I'm not British, I'm not sure. At the first table I found one of them, snatched it up, and moved on to the next table to search. I noticed, however, that this sketchy old man kept looking at me. I was a bit freaked out, but then realized that it was because he thought I was stealing. Each table or so, though very close together, belonged to separate people. Here in the States at least, vendors have clear separations, there it wasn't nearly as clear. I did figure it out and paid the man. I paid closer attention after that and no more sketchy people bore holes into me with their gazes. All in all I bought 2 first editions and 1 early edition for a grand total of £25! It was definitely one of the most unlikely setting for such a find, but my book hunting paid off! 

~Laura!

On Bravery and Backpacking

Hello there, fellow Bookworms!

In the months leading up to my backpacking trip the number one thing that people want to talk to me about is a variation on,

"Aren't you afraid of going by yourself?" and "Wow, you're so brave to be going by yourself." 

I'm never really quite sure how to respond to this. I don't feel braver than anyone else. The truth is I'm going solo because I couldn't talk anyone else into going with me, not because I am exceptionally brave. 

I don't remember when I decided that I was going to backpack through Europe. It was a combination of reading 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson and Rory and Lorelai planning their own on Gilmore Girls. I think I've had the idea vaguely in my head since maybe 2007 or 2008 but it wasn't until about 2010 or so that I decided that it was gonna happen. Originally, I wanted to go with my best friend, but when it become increasingly clear the closer I got to my college graduation that there would be no way she would be able to go. So for about 4 years I was going backpacking with her, but if I'm being honest when I envisioned going she was never actually there with me in my mind's eye. I was always by myself, doing what I wanted when I wanted without anyone to run the ideas past. Just me.

However, going by myself wasn't actually an option according to my parents. So I scrambled and tried to see if anyone else wanted to go. Plenty of people thought it was cool and said they'd like to but couldn't afford it or couldn't get time off. I was starting to give up hope. And then, while literally standing in line with my cap and gown on, ready to walk into the gym to receive my diploma (holder), a friend said she'd do it. She'd make it work. Suddenly the trip was back on!

The friend who offered to help me achieve my dream was more of an acquaintance than actually friend at that point though so in the coming months as we planned we learned about each other (and did become fast friends!), but as much as we liked each other it was glaringly apparent that we have VERY DIFFERENT IDEAS about travel. The 3 month spontaneous backpacking, staying in hostels, eating rough in Europe trip became a month in the UK with a home base, restaurants, and wifi. It was neither of our faults but I came to realize that, besides the fact that she truly couldn't afford it my dream, there was no way either of us would enjoy the trip. It wasn't fair for her to spend money on a trip that was just for me. And so it got cancelled. 

I was devastated. I felt like I couldn't start my life until I went on this trip (I still feel like this, honestly). That's when my mom offered to do a week in London, the place on the top of my list, if I could help pay for it. I LEAPED onto it, thinking that if that's as close as I could get I would take it.

However, as great as I knew going to London with my mom would be it just wasn't enough. It was not backpacking through Europe. But I knew that if I went alone without my parents' blessing, everything would be miserable. Then personal catastrophe struck and I spiraled into a deep dark depression that I saw no way out of. My saint of a mother recognized this and said that I should go solo if I really wanted to. She would be worried, of course, but she knew I could handle going alone. Now if only everyone else in my life was like her....

Other than comments about how "brave" I am the questions I am most often asked are a variation of the following:

"Aren't you afraid something will happen? Aren't you afraid you'll get mugged or oh, God, raped by a stranger?! You are a young woman alone and vulnerable in a foreign country! It is foolish of you to be so naive about your safety. The world is dangerous place for single woman!"

Honest to God, next time someone comes at me with this crap I may punch them in face. It is infuriating. Society dictates that women need a man around to be safe and to that I say f*** you. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I am intelligent enough to avoid dangerous situations. The world is only as dangerous as you make it.
If a woman doesn't do something because "society" tells her not to that, to me, is even worse than society saying it in the first place! Nothing is going to change the perceptive about solo female travel unless more people like me stand up and call out their shenanigans. If you think the world is dangerous then don't go, don't broaden your horizons, don't live, stay home but stop bothering those of us who could not care less about what "society" says is proper. Screw you, Society, I've got a life to live. 

"Aren't you afraid something will happen? Aren't you afraid ISIS will plan another attack and you'll be blown up?"

If I don't go, they win. If I don't go, I will spend the rest of my life wondering "what if." I could be hit by a bus tomorrow, but that's not gonna stop me from going outside. You think I'm being caviler about my safety? Never forget that this rant is coming from someone who sees the dangers in everything, big or small, including using our gas stove because it could potentially, maybe, but probably not explode! Internally, I am Aunt Josephine from A Series of Unfortunate Events, I see danger in everything. I see worst case scenarios and make contingency plans in my head about everything from making soup to, yes, what would happen in case a bomb or active shooter.  But unlike Aunt Jo I refuse to let that stop me. I don't let in run my life. Terrorism has a 100% failure rate. Every city terrorized comes out stronger. Don't let the terrorists win. Travel, go see that not everything is horrible. 

My mom, who was the number one opponent of going solo has become my number one supporter. She will fight you if you say I shouldn't go alone. Why shouldn't I go alone? I am a level headed, intelligent, independent young woman with a dream and a determination to make that dream become a reality! You know what? Maybe I am braver than I give myself credit for. And you should be too. Don't let anyone tell you you CAN'T because if you listen to them you definitely WON'T.

I leave on my month and a half long solo backpacking trip in under 2 weeks and I am not afraid. 

~Laura!