This would be done on this account, sadly Träwelling, the train/tram/bus trip recording client I use ( #traewelling@traewelling ) doesn’t yet support anything but Mastodon to auto-post to. Once #MastodonDE is done and ready, my trips will be Auto-posted on my main account there (or I’ll make a separate train account, not sure yet).
2023.06.29 Update
I’ve decided to put travels that happened mostly within an city with city transportation (bus, metro, tram, etc.) as part of the same trip into one post! If such a thing is documented, then my description of what happened on that trip will occur in that post, not the post about the way back as was the case previously.
One day after getting back from Brussels me and my friends decided to go camping in Bonn, Germany’s former capital city. One my friends, Floyd, who initially only agreed on going camping, lives there, so that’s why we decided on it.
As I was so busy the past couple of days with the campaign in Brussels, I didn’t find the time to search for a good camping spot, even though that was my task. Floyd pressured me to do it the previous days, but I just couldn’t find the time, so I did it on my way to Bonn.
My mother, who just walked home with me for about an hour, in which I explained to her EVERYTHING we’ve done in Brussels, the day prior, was very surprised to see me leave so soon. My communication about these plans was and is very bad - I’ve started noting everything down in the family calendar these days so that they know when I’m where.
She wasn’t shocked or anything, just probably expected me to stay home some time first.
Regardless, on my way to Bonn I searched for many camping spots and this list is what I came up with:
I’ve also made this Reddit post frantically asking people to help, because for some time I just couldn’t find any camping spots!
So, after a while I found this spot in Asbach, a city “nearby” to Bonn, which seemed very nice. Their website had no functional page except for the price list, but well, the prices were good:
2€/Person/Night
7€/Tent/Night
Though, this didn’t end up being true, it was more like:
2€/Person/Night
2€/Car/Night (website didn’t state this)
50c/KWh (we just agreed on 2€/night for power)
10€/Tent/Night (we had a big tent)
This wasn’t all too bad though, and I’ll explain why in a second…
First off all, when I called these people on the train they had to endure the extremely loud sounds and semi-regular call interruptions, second off all: they were willing to keep someone on the campsite until 23:00 (11 PM), so one hour after their regular closing time, to help us get a camping spot in the first place.
As you can see from my travel log, I only arrived around 22:00 (10 PM), our friend Nick (same Nick working on #MastodonDE btw), however, took a bit longer, Floyd still needed to pack his things, etc. etc. so we didn’t leave he spot we met at and headed towards the campsite in Asbach before 22:30. Without their generous help, we wouldn’t have camped that night!
So, we arrived at the campite in Asbach, are shown our place to put up our tent, told “we can figure the money stuff out later” (actually giving these people money was hard because they’d always want to do it later haha) and then began around 23:15 with setting everything up.
About half an hour later Floyd realized he packed only half of the tent, so him and Nick went back to his house to get the rest. This took until 1:30 or 2:00 AM the next day.
When the monstrosity of a tent, which could house 5 people and had multiple rooms, was put up and done at around 4 AM, we didn’t hesitate to get our stuff inside, roll out the sleeping bags, and try to fall asleep with the world already waking up again. We heard birds chirping, saw the sun rise and let this wild day finally come to and end.
I will post more specifics about what we’ve done in the post about my travels within Bonn. For this thread, I’ve decided to only mark travels from city to city (as part of some different event) as a new post, and then just combine travels from one trip / within one city into one post!
Familiar to just about every Black American, the phrase "traveling while Black," encapsulates the experiences & challenges encountered by Black people during their travels, particularly in predominantly white or racially hostile environments. It sheds light on the racial profiling, discrimination, and systemic biases that generations of Black folks have faced on their journeys across the American landscape.
The roots of “traveling while black” trace back to the implementation of segregation laws aka “Jim Crow laws.” These laws enforced racial separation in public spaces like transportation. Black Americans were subjected to separate & inferior accommodations, faced mistreatment in trains, buses, & waiting areas. The segregated facilities were poorly maintained & lacked basic amenities, highlighting institutionalized racism embedded in travel.
Black travelers faced numerous challenges during this era. They encountered frequent harassment and violence from white supremacists and vigilante groups, making their journeys fraught with danger. Lynchings and other acts of racial violence were prevalent, creating an atmosphere of fear.
Black folks endured racial profiling, arbitrary stops, searches, & interrogations by law enforcement solely based on their race. The aim was to subjugate and control. Stopping in an unfamiliar place carried the constant risk of danger: humiliation, threats, or more severe consequences. To navigate this hostile landscape and find safe and welcoming establishments, travelers relied on a network of shared advice, often told through word of mouth.
Black passengers leaving the South were forced to endure segregated train cars, typically the oldest and most dangerous in the event of a crash. These Jim Crow cars also served as shared spaces for White passengers to smoke and for law enforcement to transport prisoners, often housing luggage from other cars.
Some Black Americans turned to automobile travel as a means to escape the deplorable conditions of segregated train cars labeled "colored-only." Yet, they soon discovered that the geography of Jim Crow extended far beyond their expectations. Motels and rest stops denied them places to sleep, and filling stations that sold them gas prohibited them from using "whites only" bathrooms.
In 1936, a Harlem resident and postal worker named Victor Hugo Green started collecting information that would help Black motorists navigate the challenges of segregation. This guide, known as the Negro Motorist Green Book, became an essential resource for Black travelers in the 1950s and early 1960s. It provided a list of places such as hotels, restaurants, & service stations that treated Black travelers safely and fairly.
Published from 1936 to 1966, the Green Book listed various accommodations and services available to African Americans throughout the country. The Guide used input from postal contacts, traveling salespeople, and business owners. The Standard Oil Company partnered with Green to distribute the book at their Esso gas stations.
The United States of America has never been a land of unrestricted travel and freedom for all. The experiences of Black folks navigating the American landscape are deeply shaped by their race, even today. While significant progress has been made, the struggles persist.
Victor Hugo Green passed away in 1960, but his legacy has experienced a resurgence of interest, particularly due to the 2018 Oscar winning film "Green Book.”
@Deglassco I found an 1892 "Souvenir history & guide of the Pacific coast", published by Watkins & Griffin, archived by the Library of Congress, on archiveorg. It's an African-American guidebook of California. I transcribed it, here:
For #TravelThursday here's some lovely late Art Nouveau architecture in Helsinki, Finland. This is the stunningly beautiful Helsinki Central Station and it was opened in 1919. It carries a lot of influence from German expressionism in its design. The sculptures are called the #Lyhdynkantajat (or Lantern Bearers).
“The arch from ‘Once Upon A Time In The West’ in Texas Hollywood”
This is the arch under which “Franck” (Henri Fonda) hangs “Harmonica” (Charles Bronson) 's brother in the great Sergio Leone movie “Once Upon A Time In The West”.
Khonsu's name means "traveller". He's the 4 aspects of the moon: he travels (as the moon does), he finds the path, he hugs (a metaphor for #healing) & he protects those who travel at #night.
In the 1st kingdom, he was a bringer of illness, but by the 3rd, he'd changed.
I flew #Flair Air last night for the 1st time. Flight left a bit late but made up time so we arrived early. Baggage was out on carousel when I disembarked. Very speedy.
Front end issues:
Very long line just to get tag & check bag
No check-in machines nor self baggage drop
Gate was unknown at check in, was directed to correct terminal but no gate assigned <1 hour before departure
No pouch on seat back
No plugs at seats