Tag Archives: Flying

Aug3

The flight from Vienna to Marseille

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Thursday, 04-July-2024


On July 4th, I learned that the robots have started taking over Austria.

I hadn’t expected to learn this, of course – so far I hadn’t seen any hints of an AI overthrow while in Vienna. Just normal people, everything running smoothly… I should have known it was too good to last.

As I walked through the Vienna airport, looking for a good spot to settle in and have some breakfast, I heard a beeping ahead of me, and saw one of those floor cleaning things puttering along… though its driver seemed to be taking a break, because I didn’t see a person on it.

Of course, the reptile part of my brain got curious, and told me to jump on and take it for a spin while the driver was away… I wouldn’t do that, obviously, but the call of the void exists whether we listen to it or not. As I got closer though, I noticed that it was moving… and that there was caution tape around the seat. It wasn’t that the driver was taking a break… the machine WAS the driver! The caution tape proved it, reading “Caution: Autonomous cleaning in progress”.



So yeah, robots. Takin’ our jobs.


Aside from that, the flight to France was lovely and quick. I had a lovely Viennese brunch, read a bit on the plane, reviewed a whole ton of photos, and even got some climbing recommendations from the guy sitting in the row with me.

Got some great views as we descended into Marseille, and… yeah. Definitely a nice and lovely flight! Fully recommend both Vienna and Marseille airport

May26

Flying to Iceland

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Thursday, 09-May-2024


Two days later, and a few dollars more expensive… but my flight from Greenland to Iceland was as quick and simple as I could have possibly asked for. My Airbnb host dropped me off at Nuuk airport, I checked my bags, I grabbed a latte, and our flight was delayed.

I read my book, accidentally tried to board the wrong plane (thank you, gate agents, for catching me!), boarded the correct plane, went through the quickest security check I’ve ever encountered, and… then we flew.

Over mountains and ice flows, glaciers and oceans.

To Iceland!

May18

Leaving the United States, and the travels afterward.

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Wednesday, 01-May-2024


Everything I’ve been writing has led up to this point.

Everything I’ve been generally planning for the last 5 months, and specifically planning for the last 2 months, was in preparation for this singular moment.

Planning, preparing, making ready and laying the groundwork for one simple action – stepping out of a car, hefting some bags, and walking up to a plane.



Let’s start at the beginning, a bit of a recap.

In 2021, I gained my dual citizenship between the United States, and Austria.

In 2022, I applied to various universities around the world for their MBA programs. I was accepted to Trinity College in Dublin, and deferred my admission until 2024.

Around October of 2023, I gave my manager at Raytheon an ultimatum – I get promoted by the beginning of January, or I leave.

In January of 2024, I still hadn’t gotten a promotion.

In mid February of 2024, I turned in my 2-weeks notice. This was somehow a complete surprise to my manager.

March and April of 2024 are spent relaxing and preparing for my imminent departure from the United States, for at least a year but likely longer.


Now, what exactly is my itinerary? Well, I’ll be visiting:

  • Nuuk, Greenland
  • Reykjavik, Iceland (and the rest of Iceland, via camper-van)
  • Oslo, Norway
  • Stockholm, Sweden
  • Helsinki, Finland
  • Tallinn, Latvia
  • Riga, Estonia
  • Vilnius, Lithuania
  • Warsaw, Poland
  • Krakow, Poland
  • Prague, Czechia
  • Vienna, Austria
  • Marseilles, France
  • Cassis, France
  • Zermatt, Switzerland
  • Stuttgart, Germany
  • Brussels, Belgium
  • Dublin, Ireland


Each country and city will have a different amount of time that I’m there – for now, I’ll keep that as a surprise for those following along… but it varies between a two evenings in some places, to two weeks in others. There’s a sort of method to my madness, regarding duration, though I’d have a challenging time fully explaining it in retrospect.

The key is that I spent time confirming it, and until I have reason to doubt my previous self… well, I have a simply massive document detailing where, when, how, and why I’m going to each place. How to get there, where I’m staying, what I’m doing (in some cases). Mostly, I’m excited to explore and decompress. To let myself stretch out, explore new places, and meet new people.

It will be glorious, but the first step is the simplest.

I stepped into the airport.