Prologue
13 Temmuz 2022, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Like many other people my age, I grew up fearing nuclear annihilation, communism, and a host of other perceived existential threats. Of the many theatres in which the Cold War played out, no otherOkumaya devam et
Honolulu to Los Angeles
13 Temmuz 2022, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
American Airlines AA1480 | HNL/LAX
First Class
N400NA | Airbus A321NEO
ATD/0721 | ATA/1553
Lounge: Sakura Lounge
We stopped by the Sakura lounge for a quick breakfast before heading to the gate.
Los Angeles To London Heathrow
13 Temmuz 2022, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
American Airlines AA134 | LAX/LHR
Business Class
N723AN | Boeing 777-300ER
ATD/2110 | ATA/1513+1
Lounge: Admirals Club Flagship Lounge
This flight was delayed and so we misconnected to Berlin. AA wasOkumaya devam et
Involuntary Layover at Heathrow
14 Temmuz 2022, İngiltere ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
When we arrived at Heathrow, we went to the American Airlines service counter. The agent there checked us in for the next day’s flight and told us that the Ibis Hotel at Bath Rd was “expecting”Okumaya devam et
Harlington
14 Temmuz 2022, İngiltere ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Our involuntary layover was at the Ibis Hotel near Harlington Village immediately north of Heathrow. From the hotel, we walked up the High Street, ate dinner at a pub called The White Hart, and thenOkumaya devam et
London Heathrow to Berlin
15 Temmuz 2022, İngiltere ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
British Airways BA990 | LHR/BER
Economy Class
G-EUPO | Airbus A319-100
ATD/0742 | ATA/1039
Lounge: Galleries Lounge North
We took the first Hotel Hoppa shuttle to T5, and ate a quick breakfast at theOkumaya devam et
Arrival in Berlin
15 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Our arrival at Berlin was inauspicious. The machine dispensing train tickets wouldn’t accept credit cards and would only accept €5 and €10 bills. Jeff had to get change. We then went to theOkumaya devam et
Checkpoint Charlie
15 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
After a quick freshening up, we made our way on foot to nearly Simon James Park, crossed over the Spree River, walked past the museums and Humboldt University, and then over to Checkpoint Charlie. OurOkumaya devam et
Kreuzberger Himmel
15 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Our next stop was lunch. I wanted to patronize one of the restaurants operated by refugees, and I had previously researched Kreuzberger Himmel, a restaurant serving Syrian food that was associatedOkumaya devam et
Brandenburg Gate & Jewish Memorial
15 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
After lunch, we returned to the subway and headed to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This is a large square with over 2,000 grey concrete blocks of varying sizes and heights. The groundOkumaya devam et
Tiergarten & Victory Column
15 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Looking west from the Brandenburg Gate, we spotted the Victory Column, and we decided to walk through the Tiergarten towards it. Our main connection to the Victory Column is Wim Wenders' Wings ofOkumaya devam et
Hackescher Markt
15 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Our late afternoon and evening explorations brought us first to Simon James Park: There were lots of people sat out in the park facing the River Spree. At first, we thought there may be an outdoorOkumaya devam et
Haus Schwarzenberg & Monster Kabinett
15 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
After a quick stop at our hotel to freshen up, we headed out again to the nearby Haus Schwarzenber Street Art Alley which is a narrow alley filled with murals. Our main goal, however, was to see if weOkumaya devam et
David Hasselhoff Museum
15 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
As we had about 90 minutes before Monster Kabinett, we headed to the Circus Hostel, which houses the quirky David Hasselhoff Museum in its basement. David Hasselhoff is hugely popular in Germany, andOkumaya devam et
Thai Park
16 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
We woke up pretty late on Saturday, just in time to make our way to Thai Park via subway for an early lunch. When researching things to do in Berlin, I googled to find out if there is a Chinatown inOkumaya devam et
Kant Kino
16 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
My next sightseeing objective was near Thai Park. Simple Minds' Empires and Dance album is my all time favorite album, and I associate this album with the beginning of my wanderlust during a schoolOkumaya devam et
East Side Gallery
16 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
In 1989, while serving in the military, I watched in disbelief as the Berlin Wall came down, and the world order as we knew it changed forever. The East Side Gallery houses remnants of the BerlinOkumaya devam et
Alexanderplatz
16 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
After East Side Gallery, we made our way back to the area around our hotel and we walked along the River Spree and enjoyed people watching. We attempted to visit the DDR Museum but the ticket sellerOkumaya devam et
Berlin to Rijeka
17 Temmuz 2022, Almanya ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
After a leisurely breakfast at a Vietnamese-run eatery in Alexanderplatz, we made our way by train to BER.
At the security checkpoint, the airport broadcasts entertaining videos telling passengersOkumaya devam et
Arrival in Rijeka
17 Temmuz 2022, Hırvatistan ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Rijeka is about 18km west of the airport, and our accommodation (and the pool) was another 6km west from the city center. We were planning on taking the local bus, but we lucked out as Rokas hadOkumaya devam et
Kantrida
17 Temmuz 2022, Hırvatistan ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Our apartment was a short walk from the pool.
I came to Croatia expecting to encounter language barriers everywhere, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of people we encounteredOkumaya devam et
Rijeka
18 Temmuz 2022, Hırvatistan ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Our apartment was about 6km from Rijeka itself. We each bought a one week bus pass for HRK 96, which was a good deal since we would only need to take four round trips to break even.
We took severalOkumaya devam et
Park Angiolina, Opatija
19 Temmuz 2022, Hırvatistan ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
About 9km west of our accommodation is the town of Opatija. In contrast to working class and somewhat gritty Rijeka, Opatija is pretty, curated, and glitzy. Most holidaymakers stay there because itOkumaya devam et
Salvador Dali Exhibit
19 Temmuz 2022, Hırvatistan ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
While walking around Park Angiolina, we encountered a gem - an exhibit on Salvador Dali focusing on some of his literary- and science-related work, such as drawings based on Dante's Divine Comedy, andOkumaya devam et
Opatija
19 Temmuz 2022, Hırvatistan ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
The rest of our day trip was spent wandering around Opatija. We encountered a sign that said "American Garden" (per Google Translate) and we followed the signs up a hill. We found the small garden; itOkumaya devam et
























































































































































































































