It suddenly strikes me that having both an asterisk with “star” after it means I my handle could be construed as “E star star L-A.” Redundant, really.
Anyway. That’s all irrelevant since I should perhaps be temporarily renamed as “E star London,” or “E star Sorrento,” or even “E star Munich” for the next couple weeks. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, though.
My brother pointed out to me once that “my generation” (which I consider to be X.5–halfway between X and Y) has a tendency to make acronyms of everything. He said it after I referenced Orange County as “The O.C.” and then had to clarify for him exactly which region I meant by it. First, I’d be quick to point out he’s not local so it’s not as if he would know. Also, that he’s not exactly a fan of cancelled, 3rd-rate TV programming about spoilt teenagers. But of course, it’s no coincidence that on teh internetz you see “FTW” (for the win), “A/S/L” (age/sex/location inquiries for cyber stalkers) and of course your basic “LOL” or “LMAO” acronyms (you really don’t know?). And we inevitably hold at arm’s length the “cutesy” things not even worth abbreviating–much less saying–that are common in generation Y.0+. What’s more, we Lolcat surfers even have adopted bad spelling … signing off with “Bai” or substituting “have” with “has.” (Case in point would be my usage of “teh internetz.”)
At the time, I protested to that acronym generalization made by my Generation Y bro. “We don’t abbreviate everything.” But now, I don’t know why. It’s completely true. And you know it all began with multi-worded cities: NYC. LA. You don’t see Chicago referred to as “C,” even though it’s the third largest city in the States. But as a snow sport enthusiast, I recognize SLC as Salt Lake City. For short.
I can see the conversation now:
“I can’t wait. I’m going to M for vacation.”
“What?”
“Milan, duh.”
So I won’t be e*starL or e*starR [Ravello], nor will I be e*starM [Munich] or even e*starAC [Amalfi Coast] the next two weeks. But the difference in content during that time will certainly be notable. So what I’m asking you to do is to check back, and check back often. Hopefully it’ll be worth it. 
The last-minute packing–unattainable Yankee goods to bring to my Yankee girlfriend in London, camera batteries, battery charger, A/C adapters, memory cards, travel-size conditioner, just enough Fresh skincare samples to cover 2 weeks–is putting my poor organizational skills on trial. But I’m determined! Laundry, dry-cleaning, eating the food in my fridge before it spoils … all part of the game. It’s so worth it and there’s nothing like lists and lists to help myself out–they also help out with the last-minute shopping. Still, I have yet to go to a travel store to get a shoulder-slung money wallet to be worn under the clothes (especially in Italy) to protect my passport and important papers. Trust me; I’m buying it for the fashion.
Most of the hotels I’ve booked will have internet–no coincidence, of course. Connectability to their WiFi as well as accessible bandwith, however, remains to be seen. But I’ll try to blog often and blog short. Stefan, my new Canon S5 IS, will always be at my side. And of course Mariah, my trusty black Macbook, will also be surfing the internet cafes in each destination city.
And then there’s the exchange rate, with the U.S. Dollar at its 15-year low. Ugh. And check it: According to a report today in Yahoo!, the average restaurant meal in London costs $79! Hopefully my budgeting has properly anticipated this. The truth of the matter is, I was determined to visit Europe in the near future and if it costs me a few hundred more dollars to do so now, then so be it. American travelers beware!
I leave Friday, so thereafter stay tuned for updates from London, Naples, Sorrento, Ravello, Positano, Amalfi, and of course Munich (all one-worded cities) during the first week of Oktoberfest. Any suggestions, requests or even travel tips are greatly appreciated. I’m all about whatever feedback you may have.
Stay tuned…stay safe…and I’ll see you on teh internetz.
Love,
*e
17 Comments
e stands for eurotrip! use the autobahn! keep in mind that the placement of the keys on the keyboard are a tad different in europe, depending on which country you’re at. not exactly asdfjkl; unless of course you use your macbook.
stock up on kinder.
@codemunky: Yes I’m bringing my Macbook. And what do you mean? Stock up on children?? I’m not taking back any children!!
Bring back a Eurofag. I hear they’re in season.
How does that whole American plugs don’t into European holes thing work?
I remember my first time going to Oktoberfest. It was actually pretty scary. There’s SO MANY people there that if you don’t actually have physical contact or pretty much hold hands with the people you’re with, you’ll lose them in a 2.5 seconds. Guaranteed.
kinder = chocolate. your yankee girlfriend will know. she probably has some right now.
@Methodick: I can’t afford to room and board myself, much less a Eurofag. But thanks for the suggestion. Euros use the 220 voltage, I think, but a lot of the converters are kind of int’l now–including the Macbook power adapter. Then the adapter issue is 3 prong vs. 2 prong.
@Victoria: Whoa. Thanks for the tip–I’ll be holding on to my friends for dear life.
I do hear it’s crazy!
@codemunky: You can’t abbreviate a proper name for chocolate originally made for children!! Plus, I think you order them from Canada.
i thought the * was for a footnote that i never could find…….
I wouldn’t worry about the Yahoo article on London, it sounds pretty bogus to me. Last year I was in London, and most dishes at restaurants I found were around £7 to £14, which now is about $20 to $30. Zagat probably publishes this kind of stuff to make people think they aren’t spending enough money. Take advantage of all the free museums in London… the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum is pretty damn cool, as is the Imperial War Museum. (Albeit in a more fucked up way, but you can see JRR Tolkien’s pistol!)
I haven’t been to continental Europe outside of Holland and Belgium, so you’re on your own there. Good luck and have fun, sounds like an awesome trip!
I need your help! We’re looking for cheap airline tickets for Europe, possibly from LAX or JFK to either Paris or Florence. Do you have any suggestions? I’ve checked the expedia, travelocity, etc, and it’s still major $$$. Appreciate it!
Oooh! Start smoking and wear all black. Become a eurotrash grrrl. “NYC” has been around forever, and “Chi-town”= Chicago, altho not really an abbreviation.
sounds like so much fun. you gotta put stefan through his paces, so pictures are demanded. also for the love of god save yourself trouble at the airport, buy a bunch of large ziplock bags, put all electronics and batteries in one and all liquids in another. they are gonna man handle stuff and i’m sure you don’t want you stuff covered in conditioner and toothpaste. also do the ziplock for carry on electronics as well, always saves me a lot of time in screening. but again enjoy, i r the jealous.
E*starUK…
or even E*starEU. The abbrev. addiction goes further tho. We will combine parts of words, like “froyo” for frozen yogurt…
or shorten things to BECOME abbreviations, like how Reebok is now RBK.
Thanks for the flight advice. Unfortunately, we are going during peak season (only chance for me to get the holiday off). I should start saving my loose change, huh? Thanks again!
@bigleague: * Oh look, here it is (the footnote).
@lexybeast: Oh I hope you’re right!
Thanks for the suggestions–I’m taking notes!
@jimmiwin: \^^/ Since I’m already “trash,” with the relocation turning Eurotrash will be cake. Actually. I’m not really that trashy, either, just classy. Kidding!
@ericj: Stefan will be broken in quite nicely by the time we return.
You don’t mean ziplocks for stuff in my suitcase, do you? I packed as much as I could in my suitcase so I wouldn’t have to stuff a lot in the ziplock bags (folded and tucked away in my carryon too).
@soulst0p: Oh true, with the UK and EU. That was way too easy. You’d think speech can tell a lot about a person, like how lazy we are. And everyone’s essentially lazy.
@twolims: I hope you find the best deal for your trip.
It’ll be great, regardless.
Greetings Eurogirl! I used to live in Chicago and still live close enough in IL, we generally refer to it as Chi-town. Pronounced - Shy-Town.
Keep taking pictures!
@Cappuccino: Thanks for the shout-out! I hear ya about Chi-town. I’m originally from Milwaukee which we shorten to Mil-town sometimes but I’m thinking that’s just ripping off the Chi-town-ness of it.
Oh the pictures are definitely not in shortage! Annoying that my flash slideshows won’t work. Might have to resort to just links to Flickr slideshows and sets.
Hope you’re doing well!!