Amsterdam in 3h, when...

...you are traveling with three guys.
What do you do in Amsterdam, when waiting for a train for 3h?
Well, first you go to the baggage storage area and lock your bag in. And your cellphone along with it. Or at least this is what I did, which made me have to go along with the guys for lack of communication device and watch.
And what do 23+ guys look for in a historical town? The red light district, of course.
For lack of preparation, I have no clue about anything Amsterdam-wise, but straight off the bat I can tell you this: You should have no problem finding a place to stay. The streets are lined with hotels (the non-expensive looking kind) on each side. And in between you will find souvenir shops. Now, mind you, these are not your standard souvenir shops, as the picture shows. So if you live on a higher moral ground than the rest of us, I suggest saving yourself a heart attack and just steer clear. This is not to say thatyou can't find cute little clogs and windmill replicas. They're up front and will cost you about 2 euros per clog (which might not seem like much, but the same clog key-chains can be bought in Delft for 1.5 or even 1 euro). T-shirts go at about 15 euros near the train station, to about 10 euros as you walk further away.
Now what I find most fun about the Red Light District is that it's set around a church. So much for sacred ground, huh? I hope to one day return and look at it in all it's glory. At 11AM there's really not much to look at. The morning shift of working girls looks haggard. This is not my opinion. I've asked the guys traveling with me and they said they wouldn't go into any of the little rooms even if the girls paid them. Oh and as for the paying, the going rate for sex in the whole of Europe seems to be 50 euros. But that's just your standard missionary. Anything else you want to get into, you'll have to pay extra. How much, I don't know. Seems to depend on the quality of the establishment. But anything apart from your basic leg spreading will lighten your wallet by 30 to 100 euros.
There are souvenir shops here, too. The main difference is that the t-shirts are cheaper and there's more special food. You have your hash brownies and other kinds of space cake, in a box for 7.9euros. And this is the cheapest food you will find. There's also hash lollies, CannaMint tea, Cannabis chocolate and Cannabis beer. Along with these, you can find informative pamphlets named "Being stoned in Amsterdam" or something along that sense.
One time I might return to Amsterdam, to see what the all the hoopla is all about, but for now, I don't see it. It must surely take more than 3h in good AllStars to see the magic. And more than looking at tired working girls (and grandmas, in some cases). So until then, this is all the blog entry Amsterdam gets :)

Piran In One Hour

So, what to do at the Slovenian coast for 1h, if you just happen to be in Piran?

It's a usual start-of-spring day. The weather can't seem to make its mind up if it will be cold or warm, so it chooses windy as the best option. Actually, the wind is so strong, you might want some sort of protective gear on your head. You park your car at the furthest end of the planet and walk your way back to the city center. Couples in windbreakers, with huge furry dogs walk past, trying to keep their dogs from playing with every single thing passing them by, your shoes included. There's sea on your left. It's a dark blue and you can't smell it yet, but if you come back in a month or so and the wind is gone, you'll get that good ol' salty smell that all those men wrote all those books about.
After about a 5 minute stroll, you walk into the marina, connected to the road, no actual pedestrian traffic planned in this part. No worries, though. No car will run you over and if you slip and fall, the water's not that deep in marinas anyway. So be brave and venture onwards to the main city square.
Welcome to the Tartini Square. Get out your little guide book and pick through the pages. It will tell you that Tartini was a violinist, lived somewhere around the 17th century, composed, eloped with a girl whom his father did not approve of (so Tartini, being a good son, waited for dear ol' dad to drop dead before getting married) and was the first known owner of a Stradivari violin. He also did some musical research, which will mean nothing if you don't have some musical knowledge. His most famous work is The Devil's Trill, which you may know if you've seen Decendants Of Darkness. It's rather difficult to perform and my humble oppinion is that it sounds lovely just the way it is. But here's Vanessa Mae's rendition, just for fun.

Now look left. You'll see a small red Gothic building. This is the Venetian(f.). She is the oldest girl of the bunch on the Tartini Square, alive since the 15th century. You know how every small town has an innate thirst for gossip? Piran's no different. Back in the day, there was supposed to have been a noblewoman, who fell in love with a merchant salesman. The locals, having nothing better to do, gossiped day an night about the poor girl. So the merchant salesman had the house he built his mistress inscribed with the words "Lasa Pur Dir" at the top. "Let them talk". Now whether this is true or not, it still makes for a nifty little story. You might have to strain your eyes a bit to see the inscription at the top, between the two windows, but it's there, above the ever present Venetian lion.
Wherever Venice was, so was the lion. And the lion is always holding a book. If the book is open, the place was built in a time of peace. If the lion's book is closed, war was going on. Mind you, I haven't seen a single closed book yet.
It's time for some walking.
Piran is rather small and if you don't rush, you should have it covered in about 1h. If you don't go into every side street, that is. But there in lies the fun.

I would, however, suggest remembering where you went. A lot of streets are dead ends and it may get a bit confusing at times. You can't get lost, trust me. But keep track, just in case.

On approach to Piran, you may have seen a big tower above the town. This is the church of St. Jurij (or George), patron saint of Piran, protector of soldiers. Built from somewhere in the 12th century and updated until about the 19th, it should be worth the visit.
There are two ways of getting up to the church.
#1: You follow an obscure little sign at the 1st May Square, pointing down a street. You get lost a couple of times. Finally you find some steps and climb up them until you think your lungs will come out your ears and you're there.
#2: You turn right behind the Venetian and follow the signs up a slight, easily managable hill and you're there in half the time.
Over the walls, around the church there's a view of the sea to both sides, one towards Italy and the other toward Croatia. On one side, Piran's little orange roofs spread out to the marina, to the other - nothing but rocks and sea. Sit back. Relax. Take a minute to enjoy the view of your choosing. The wind's good up there, so if you have a kite, nobody will mind if you go a bit Merry Poppins and fly it.

Unfortunately the church is closed for visitors and you need special permission to enter. Sucks, I know... The door is open, but about 1m in there are steel bars. You can look, but you cannot come in. But even then, the view from the top of the hill is enough to make the climb worth while. Plus, there are seats around the church wall, so you can sit down and rest.
So this about covers it for the 1h spent in Piran. Your lungs are filled with sea air. Your hair is having an 80s moment, due to wind conditions. You strolled down streets where you can touch both buildings if you stretch your arms out. Smile! You've just had your first visit of the Slovenian coast.

Btw, mind the cats. They're everywhere!

Total budget:
diesel money (20 euros)
glass of juice (2 euros)

Useful links:
WikiTravel Piran
Slovenia Info Piran
Istrianet on Tartini (has an annoying midi file that you can't switch off)

Pictures by WornAllStars
Video by somebody, no copyright infringement intended

Walk The Line (part 4)

So lets talk bags.
Although suitcases look nice and organized, they tend to weigh a lot and no amount of light packing will get you out of that.
A sports bag you can get anywhere. They come cheap, courtesy of sweatshops in Unspecifiedville, they smell a bit funny and the straps will A-L-W-A-Y-S break. No matter how much you pay for one of these bags, the zipper will fly off, just as you’ve closed the bag. While you’re carrying it, an ominous ripping noise will be heard across the train station. You’ve guessed it: It’s your bag. Ripping. Ah, gravity, thou art a cruel mistress indeed. So take my advice. Skip the bag too.
Wait for a sale. Everybody has them. Then storm the store with Viking-like viciousness and head for the camping section. Therein lies the promise land. The land of the coveted BACKPACK. Backpacks are just awesome. If you don’t care much about your clothes getting wrinkly, that is. If you take a backpack that has some 60l (that’s about 16 gallons), you’re all set. Make sure your backpack is waterproof, has good padding around the shoulder straps and back, adjustable clip straps around the waist and most importantly check that all the zippers work and that the fabric isn’t ripped anywhere. If you’ve taken the advice in part 3, you should have more than enough space to pack your stuff and perhaps even souvenirs on your way back.
Depending on how long your trip will take, you might want to get an impermeable cover for your backpack, so it doesn’t get wet. Running into a nearby coffee shop or train station does just as well in protecting both you and your backpack from getting soaked, though.
Another thing you might want to have along is a sleeping bag. Why is this useful? You never know what a hostel’s policy on linen washing is. And you don’t really want to know all the things that happened on that mattress you’re sleeping on. If both of these seem like things you’d think of, you need your sleeping bag, because you know where it’s been, who’s been in it and what they were doing at the time.
Sleeping bags come in all shapes and sizes, materials, colors. If you’re not doing serious camping (tent, bears, bugs, the works), I suggest just grabbing the cheapest one you can find. Make sure you’re not allergic to anything in it, though. The nice thing about sleeping bags is that they’re very light and can usually be strapped to the bottom side of your backpack, so you need not worry about carrying them.
And last but not least: Shoes! Nobody really cares that you have super duper, brand spankin’ new shoes with real leather, reinforced steel rims, an alarm system and a Swedish lingerie model attached. If your shoes are new, don’t travel in them. Walking all day in museums and parks, partying all night and dragging your drunk behind back to the hostel is no time to break in new shoes. Take your trusty old shoes. Even they might turn against you and cause swelling and blistering. Get some Moleskin (not the notebooks) or something. Do NOT pop or cut your blisters off or the blister fairy will come and smack you over the head with a very large brick! Where were we? Oh yes, shoes. So bring old comfy shoes. Preferably waterproof ones. But if you, as I, are an avid fan of Converse, be prepared to be soaked.
You may think only little old ladies use shoe pads, but trust me: shoe pads are your friend. At the end of the day, you will thank the heavens for having them. Any kind will do, as long as they’re soft. Don’t take the fuzzy ones. Spongy materials work best. You don't need them so much for correct support. You need them to cushion the blow of all-day walks. Your feet will love you forever if you do this.

Recap:
1)Backpack
2)Sleeping bag
3)Old shoes + Moleskin + Spongy Shoe Pads

And with this the ‘Walk The Line’ section is done. Other advice will be dispensed along the way.

In the spirit in which this section was written, I leave you with Baz Luhrman and The Sunscreen Song.

Walk The Line (part 3)

Which brings me to the subject of bags and packing. To quote Tim Gunn: "I am a strong believer in..." packing light. If you're going to a remote place or somewhere near by, you really don't need to lug a lot of... well, luggage.
What are your 10 essential items?
1)Toothbrush - takes up next to no space
2)Medication - if you, like I, get hay fever or have a more serious condition that requires medication, this is an item you must not leave out. You know those little instruction manuals, that come with the medication. Keep those and take them with you. Pack them in the bag with your meds. Paranoid bag-checking personnel might want some proof that you're not smuggling anything.
3)Underwear
4)Towel - As Douglas Adams put it: Always know where your towel is. A towel is an immensely useful thing, from wiping yourself off, to putting it on dirty hostel linen as germ protection. You might think you don't need it and that they are provided wherever it is you're going, but trust me, nothing beats your own towel.
5)Two pairs of jeans - One you have one, one you wear when the first pair is in the wash... or has been set on fire by pirates.
4)One nice looking (t-)shirt - If you're going out. And everything looks good with jeans.
5)Several (t-)shirts - not more than 4, though.
6)Socks - at least half the number of days you're staying anywhere.
7)Hat - you need some sort of head covering device. If it's cold, it's a nice beanie that your significant other embroidered by hand. If it's warm, it's one of those safari hats, that will keep your brain from frying.
8)Papers - and by papers I mean: passport, ID card, proof of ticket purchase or the ticket itself, hostel reservations, visa papers (if you need them), any prescriptions you might need during your trip, money, credit cards, a note from your mum, photos of the people you're traveling with and your insurance card.
9)A set of warm clothes - If you're going somewhere cold, this set may be extended to a couple of sets. If you're going somewhere warm, by Murphy's law, you will get at least one very rainy and insanely cold day. So pack a sweater and a cheap plastic rain coat and don't let global warming stand in your way!
10)Stuff - In the wide category of 'stuff' you can put: sunscreen, shampoo (although you might as well buy a bottle when you get to wherever you're going), nail clippers, duct tape, Swiss army knife, water bottle, mp3 player, camera, flip-flops, liquid washing soap for your clothes, plastic bags, hair dryer and a spare backpack.
This is your list. Learn it, live it, love it. Just kidding. These are the essentials you need to pack. If something is as essential to you as my teddy bear is to me, pack that as well. But don't overdo it. There's no point in taking stuff you won't wear/use.
One more thing to keep in mind when packing: Do not take anything breakable. If you have to take your priceless china collection with you, make sure you wrap every individual piece into some of your clothes so it doesn't make any clinking noises. This will prevent it from chipping. Of course, if you stomp on your bag, the fragile things inside will break.
And no cheating in the 'stuff' section!

Walk The Line (part 2)

When last we left you, we were at the feet-bag-part.
Tasha, you silly goose! - you'll say, - why should I keep my feet on my bag?
It's rather simple. People don't care that you're a student and have no money. Your stuff's probably worth something if sold off bit by bit. So people might be tempted to empty the contents of your bag. Without your permission. That is to say: You might get robbed! The easiest way I've found is to put your legs through the straps of your bag and lay your ankles on the part with the zipper. Now, if you have one of these puppies, you might wanna place your legs along the zipper line. The idea behind this is that if your bag is moved, your legs will drop, waking you up. if your legs are held up while the bag is moved, the straps are around your legs so it's more difficult to remove the bag without disrupting the owner's sleep. Mind you, there's no sure fire way to prevent being robbed. Even if you're fully awake, with a pit bull guarding your bag, you still might have your stuff disappear on you. If somebody really really wants to take it, there is no definite way of stopping them. But if you make it too much of a hassle, the potential pickpocket/bag-remover might give up and move on to easier targets such as little old ladies and babies with candy. This is why I don't like trains. People get on and off trains. At least in a plane, if somebody takes your stuff, you have a limited amount of options when chasing down potential suspects. Not that I'm saying you should do that.
And while on the subject of bag safety: Get a little bag or something. Keep it around your neck. Stuff it down the front of your shirt. Nobody will grope and grab under your clothes. In this little bag keep the essentials: Your passport, your credit cards, your ID cards, your ticket and your money. Anything else you lose can be replaced. These can too, but it will take time and you will lose out on your vacation time. The little bag is your best friend, bosom buddy and close companion. It will keep your credentials and currency safe and in turn, you will keep it safe and warm under your shirt. You can get commercial versions, with a million pockets and zippers, with straps that go around your shoulder and waist. If you ask me: complete waste of money. By all means, if you're rolling in dough, go out and get one. I hear they're quite nifty. But for the poor student traveler, a little sack with a zipper and some string can suffice.

So, to recap:
1)Feet on big bag.
2)Shirt over little bag.

Walk The Line (part 1)

Student travel is always a fun thing, regardless of whether you're doing it alone, in pairs or in big, drunken groups. Which ever your preferred company, one thing is always the same: You have next to no money. You had to work for three months just to scrape enough together for a train ticket. You've sat through countless Christmases and birthdays with annoying relatives, just so Grandma and Grandpa would give you a nickle or two. You can't really remember what a good cup of coffee tastes like, because you've been drinking vending machine coffee for so long. But in the end it was worth it. You have your... 200-300 euros... And you're ready to go.
Where to, guv?
Pick a place, any place. The world's your oyster, or in this case, your map. Considering the modest budget, you might want to keep it within the continent, for now. I know India is great, but it's very far away.
So take a map. You know maps - you needed them for school. Take an Atlas, wipe the dust off the covers (do not blow on them, or you might choke) and open it to the pages where your continent is. Nice and big, with little dots for towns. Now close your eyes, spin in a circle and when your done, put your finger down somewhere on the map. Who's the lucky winner? A-ha! We have a town. A city. A place. Or if you're really unlucky, you've pointed into the middle of an ocean. If this happens, repeat the procedure until you hit land.
We know where we're going. How are we getting there? Here, try Momondo. It's pretty straightforward and gives the best search results out of all the low cost search engines I've used. Plus it's simple to use.
If flying is not your thing, I don't know what to tell you. I haven't come across a train/bus search engine I could use. Here's something from the Deutsche Bahn, but just for Europe. There's something very beautiful about trains. They are comfortable, spaceous, and you meet new people there. But, as the thing to keep in mind on trains and everywhere else is to keep your documents near you and keep your feet on your bag.

Put On Your Writing Shoes

Here am I and my pair of worn, gray AllStars. We have been through a lot. We've seen things... Things you wouldn't believe! And now it's time for yet another adventure. In a couple of months, we set off to Prague, the Golden City of Europe. And from this point on, we write about it.