Wandering around Prenzlauerberg

A return to Berlin!
It's a big city and I have the fortune of being hosted in the Prenzlauerberg neighborhood for my first month back. I decided to walk around a "3-block radius" of my current home in Berlin to see what gems of the neighborhood I could find.

Good food, good games, good times with Nicole

Nicole has been a friend of mine going on 6 years now, meeting through our love of games at Gamma Ray Games. She's such a fan of the hobby, she started a website with her boyfriend called Across the Board Games, which reviews the plethora of new games coming onto the market every day.
She took me on a perfect afternoon/evening tour of Capitol Hill, a tourists dream itinerary of food, museums, and relaxation.

Couchsurfing Pubcrawl in San Francisco

Every year I make a pilgrimage to San Jose for the fabulous Pantheacon Convention and I usually try to take a day before or after to wander around San Francisco. Just a 1.5 hour flight from Seattle, it's a nice place to take a weekend vacation.

This year I decided to join a pub crawl organized by a few hostels near Chinatown, including the Green Tortoise, who's representative made sure we moved along at a steady clip and was a delight to talk to.
Going on 4 years now, the rock-paper-scissors themed event makes it easy to get to know people. This was honestly the most fun bar crawl I'd ever been on. If you find yourself in San Francisco on a Wednesday evening, stop by The Northstar on Green and Powell by 9pm to join in the fun. You'll be happy you did.

Brunch and a Walk

Kicking off the New Year with an American tradition of weekend brunch and a lazy walk. The weather cooperated beautifully this year, not a cloud in the sky, giving the air an intense, brisk quality. All the better to enjoy the spectacular views of the mountain ranges on the other side of Puget Sound.

Panteón de Mezquitán

Putting 2015 to rest with the Cemetery of Mezquitán.
It's been an adventurous year for me, starting in Berlin with a visit to a friend, which gave me the drive to quit my job in the tech world and dedicate myself full time to traveling and teaching English.
I've visited Pittsburgh for my brother's wedding; spent more time in Berlin with quick side trips to Leipzig, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam; gained a new appreciation for walking around Los Angeles; spent over a month in Guadalajara getting my TEFL certificate; met wonderful Couchsurfers, fellow life travelers, and reconnected with old friends.

There will be one more post from me before the year is out, but for today, enjoy a look at the Panteón de Mezquitán.

Parques Agua Azul y Mirador Independencia

Having been cooped up in classes for most of the month, it was only in my last week that I had time to wander and appreciate the parks Guadalajara has to offer. The city is dotted with green spaces, large and small. On this Wednesday, I visited two- one in the south of the city and another on its northern edge. All thanks to a great BRT line.

Murals of Mexico

While I'm working on editing some videos, thought I'd share the murals I came across in Guadalajara, Tequila, and Leon. Some of these have been featured in other posts, but I wanted to collect them all in one place so you can appreciate the variety of styles and locations of the public murals. Murals are an important part of Mexican life. The government commissions many pieces to tell the history of the land for population who aren't as literate in Spanish. The following pieces were all found on the street, maybe commissioned for the business it resides on or just a way for a neighborhood artist to show their stuff.

Tequila

A day spent in the town that has given joy and sorrow to millions across the world, Tequila, Mexico.
Just a short hour drive west of Guadalajara, I would recommend a tour for those interested in visiting the area. Our hostel signed us up with "Guatequi Tur", full of interesting facts if you can understand Spanish or if you have a good translator with you.

Welcome to the tour

Our tour guide, Sr. Armando Ramírez León treated us well and can be contacted at asesorarmando@hotmail.com. Highly recommended!

Día de Halloween

The party started at dusk and continued for many until late into the next day. Mexicans seem to personify the saying, 'Work to live, don't live to work.'
The holidays of Halloween and Día de los Muertos are starting to blend in the larger cities of Mexico. Some traditionalists are not happy with this, as Halloween is seen as an infection on the true spirit of Day of the Dead, which is supposed to be a time to reflect on and celebrate the life of those departed, not an excuse to dress up and party at a bar.

My Daily Walk

For the past three weeks I have had the same routine Monday through Friday, leaving my hostel around 8:30am and getting to school around 8:45. One more week to go until I am a certified teacher and can spend some time exploring greater Guadalajara.

Sunday Wanderings with Tour Guide Karla

Karla contacted me through Couchsurfing, having posted a notice to all those in Guadalajara interested in showing me their favorite parts of the city. We met at Parque Revolucion near my hostel because she said she spends almost every Sunday there. I knew that Juarez had been shut down to car traffic for the day, but I didn't expect to see so many activities as I rounded the corner.

Griffiths Observatory in Los Angeles

The City of Angels.
It's a place I've visited a few times in the past due to growing up for a time in Central California, but in all those visits, walking was not an activity I really engaged in. Friends and family with cars always shuttled me around when coming to visit. For good reason, as Los Angeles might be the most car-centric city in the world. Cars are the dominant force on the road, and everyone knows this, so you really must be aware at all times of traffic signals and the potential for cars to make a right turn into your walking path.
It's a bit unnerving.
All that being said, West Hollywood is actually a nice place to walk around. My friend happens to have an apartment near a lot of neat tourist destinations, all of which I shunned in favor of hiking up to the Griffith Observatory about an hour and a half away from her.