Well, I guess I said I wanted an Adventure....

A Wedding Location and Trans-Atlantic Easter Egg Dying

2012-02-16T09:01:00.000+01:00

In Germany, you must get married at the town hall or another "certified location." It's not like in America where you can have your ceremony on a mountain/beach/field/insert awesome off-the-beaten-path location here. Even if you want to have a church wedding, you must still get married down at the town hall or other "certified location" as well. We weren't getting married in a church, but I had always dreamed of having my wedding outside, at a cliff, overlooking a gorgeous view. I wanted my dad to walk to me to my fiance and then we'd say our vows to each other. None of that would be happening at the town hall. So we decided to have two weddings :-) The first would be my outdoor ceremony, and then the next day we'd go down to the town hall, sign the paperwork and make it official.

Therefore, on the day after going wedding cake tasting in downtown Cologne, GermanBoy and I scouted out a location for our outside wedding.

From the moment we arrived at Remagen on the Rhein River, I knew it would be the perfect place.

On this day we hiked up to the top of the cliff, but on W-day we would drive up through the cute German village to the top.

There was plenty of parking at the top, a great big, leafy tree that we could stand under, a couple benches, and an amazing view over the Rhein River. Now if we could only have such gorgeous weather on our wedding day as well! We could only hope, and buy lots of umbrellas just in case.

Besides needing to go to GermanBoy's hometown to plan our wedding, we also went because it was Easter weekend! So on the following day, Saturday, we stormed the bakery, butcher's, and grocery stores with all the other masses (by the crazed crowds, you'd think the stores were closing for two weeks! Luckily we had pre-ordered our breads and rolls from the bakery, because when we got there, a huge swarm of people were pushing and elbowing their way to be first. Even little old grandmas shoved you out of their way!), and then we began to prepare tasty treats for Sunday.

I'm very concentrated as I dye my first batch of eggs in Munich:)

We had dyed Easter eggs at our home in Munich and brought them with us to Cologne, but then GermanBoy and his family wanted to dye even more eggs, so we made it a trans-Atlantic thing. I called my parents on Skype and we dyed eggs in Cologne while they dyed eggs in America! It was pretty cool to get to "do it together."

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter and Facebook Page. And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Please, Please, Please Can I Have a Wedding Cake?!

2012-02-09T08:31:00.001+01:00

Different people look forward to different parts of the wedding planning process. I couldn't wait for the cake tasting.

I did a little research about wedding cakes in Germany, and I learned that traditionally Germans often serve up a rich nut or sponge cake. It's soaked lightly in liqueur or syrup and filled with either marzipan, jam, or nougat. That, however, was simply not going to do it for me. I wanted a colorful three-tier cake, full of buttery frosting and absent of any nuts, jam or nougat. Luckily, American wedding cakes are slowly making themselves known in The Fatherland, and we were able to find several bakeries offering what we were looking for.

Since the wedding reception was planned to take place in GermanBoy's small village outside of Cologne, we would have to purchase the cake there of course. So when we went for a visit at the end of April, cake tasting was on the top of our To-Do list!

We emailed several of the bakeries in downtown Cologne, but most didn't offer actual wedding cake tasting sessions, so we decided to just stop by and purchase a couple slices of cake from each bakery.

Bakery number one was small but clean and filled with beautiful models of American-style wedding cakes. Behind the glass were several scrumptious looking pastries, but only one wedding-style cake. It was made with almond dough and a Johannes berry butter cream.

We bought a slice and objectively nibbled our way through the dense richness. We definitely loved the almond dough; it was both thick and moist. And while I didn't care for the Johannes berry cream, I could tell the cream itself was high quality and would be great in a different flavor.

We spoke with the woman working behind the counter and flipped through a folder of possible cake ideas. It definitely looked promising.

"I would like a three-layer cake with a different flavor of cream on each layer," I told the woman. "Would that be possible?"

"Um, well that would cost extra," she responded with hesitation.

"Okay, but could you do it?"

"I suppose, but it would be extra. How many people are you having at the wedding?" she asked.

"Around 20."

"Oh! Well then you definitely don't need a three-layer cake. Just one or maybe two layers will be fine," she said.

"But I don't want just two layers. I was a three-layer cake," I told her.

"But that will be way too much cake!"

It was as if she didn't want the bakery to make money!? In America I believe they would have been trying to sell me more than I need because "you only get a wedding cake once in your life," but here, she was trying to down-sell! I basically had to convince her that I really, really did want a three-layer cake, regardless of the amount of guests I was having.

We finished off our cake slice and moved onto bakery number two, hoping we wouldn't have to beg to get the cake of my dreams there.

Bakery number two was terrible. It was a huge bakery, busy serving its current customers. When we finally got someone's attention, the woman behind the counter simply shoved a wedding cake folder at us and went back to work. They had no wedding cake slices for us to sample and didn't seem all that concerned with getting our business anyway. We left after just 5 minutes.

We walked down the street, passed an awesome building featuring a gigantic upside-down ice cream cone on the roof and into Bakery number three.

Bakery number three was nice again. They were also busy, but the waitstaff was very friendly and helpful. While browsing through the cake folder and taste-testing yet another rich slice, the owner of the bakery himself came out to greet us. He chatted with us about what we were looking for, and we pointed out some of the decorations we liked from the folder.

"I really like these cream roses," I told him. "Could I have those all over the cake?"

"Well yes, but that would be extra. Each once costs 15 Euros," he responded.

Again with the price!!

"Yes, but I like them," I said.

"Okay, but you could also do something like this," he offered, flipping to a page that showcased a simpler cake.

I couldn't believe it. He was trying to down-sell the cake as well! Don't bakeries in Germany WANT to stay in business?! I guess that's just the way it is; if you want a cake, you really have to prove it and fight for it!

In the end, we decided to give our business to the first bakery and put an order in for a three-tier cake with three different flavors; blueberry butter cream frosting for the bottom, chocolate in the middle, and coffee on top. Yummmm Yum!

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter and Facebook Page. And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Taking the Scenic Route

2012-02-02T09:24:00.001+01:00

Since we had gotten to Mainau Island early to beat the rush, we got out early as well. By 2 pm we were on the road heading back to Munich. So instead of taking the most direct route home (a 2.5 hour drive) GermanBoy and I took our sweet, sweet time.

We didn't just take the back-roads, we went waaaaaayy our of our way to go over the Alps, drive through the highest town in Germany, pass into Austria, and get a view of Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and the rolling green grasslands glistened in the afternoon sun. It was the perfect way to end our lovely mini-vacation.

GermanBoy snapping a photo of Zugspitze

Everyone from Germany got gas in Austria because it's cheaper

We had an amazing, relaxing time together, but within a few hours of arriving back in Munich, we were already back into full-on wedding planning mode!

Of course there was more paper work to do (but really, does that ever stop!?), but we also had international flights to choreograph, invitations to create and send out, hair-do's to choose (more me than GermanBoy on that one), hotel accommodations to figure out (GermanBoy's village only had one or two hotels with about 6 rooms each, which were already all booked up; we eventually found a nice place in the neighboring village 30 seconds down the street), and decorations to plan. We spent 4 hours in the basement of Ikea, wandering back and forth from one section to another, trying to figure out what our table displays would look like. And I must give GermanBoy credit, he had some really great ideas and actually pretended (or maybe he really did!?) to care about the decorations. The Ikea basement, I found out, is like a casino. You go in and lose yourself down there. Time ceases to exist because there are no windows. You enter when it is light and come out at 9pm. Throws you off a bit.

Most of the wedding planning stuff were chores to me. But there was one thing I'd been looking forward to since GermanBoy had gotten down on one knee and proposed to me in St. Augustine: the cake testing. But I will delve into all the sticky, sugary sweet details of that next week, as finding a German bakery to make me an awesome American wedding cake was a bit of a challenge in its own!

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter and Facebook Page. And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Flowers, Flowers, and Butterflies

2012-01-26T22:12:00.000+01:00

On Day 2 of our mini spring vacation, GermanBoy and I headed over to the Mainau Island in the Bodensee (Constance Lake). The island is basically one big, colorful flower exhibit. You have to pay an entry fee to get onto the island, but then after that you are free to wander through the troves of flowers and trees.

I especially loved the big happy "sculpted" flower greeting us at the entrance.

Almost all of the flowers were in bloom, except for the roses. There was a huge rose garden, but it was empty because we were too early in the season for them! But if we had gone later in the spring, we would have been too late for some other flower.

There were all sorts of surprises around every corner on this island. I knew from the website that I would see flowers, but I had no idea there would also be groves of huge-trunked, tall trees and random other funny looking trees popping up here and there.

As we sauntered around, we also noticed several really awesome statues and artistic benches. The island certainly kept us entertained!

It was beautifully sunny, but there was still a cool chill to the morning air, so I was super excited when GermanBoy and I wandered into the warm and humid orchid green house exhibition! Filled with gorgeously decorated flowers and chirping exotic birds, the green house was so relaxing.

Being from south Florida, I probably could have stayed in that warm sanctuary for 2 hours, just lapping in the moist air. But after 30 minutes GermanBoy started to feel too hot, so back outside we went.

However, it wasn't too long until we found ourselves inside yet another warm room: the butterfly rainforest.

I think that the butterfly rainforest was GermanBoy's favorite part of the whole visit. After skimming over the information boards in the entrance hall, we entered through the double doors for the main event. It was absolutely spectacular! Gorgeous, weightless butterflies were everywhere! Some zipped through the air, while other relaxed on leaves or ate bits of oranges left out for them.

One even landed on my shoulder! It was so light that I didn't know it was there until GermanBoy commanded me to stay still and started taking photos of my arm.

We stayed inside of the butterfly rainforest until we were dizzy from trying to chase the critters around with our eyes.

We made our way towards the exit, where we said good-bye to the last flower "sculpture" and hello to crowds of tourists. I was instantly glad that GermanBoy had insisted we wake up and go early to the island! Obviously, it gets packed in the afternoon. So, if you go (which I highly recommend you do!) go early.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter and Facebook Page. And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Bodensee (Constance Lake) Mini-Vacation

2012-01-19T10:07:00.000+01:00

****Before getting into the normal Thursday Blog, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the fight against the SOPA/PIPA bill proposed in Congress. The congressmen in favor of this bill are clueless to the far reaching effects it would actually have (just watch Jon Stewart's awesome explanation); they are just voting for what the rich movie studios and record labels have paid them to vote for. This bill would NOT just get rid of piracy sites, it would give the big companies the ability to forcibly shut down ANY website they don't like! We only have a few more days. Please, call, email, Facebook message your congressmen and women! If you have actually read this short article: "What is SOPA" and informed yourself, there's no WAY you could be in favor of this bill. This is not a Democratic or a Republican "thing." The insanity spreads across both party lines. Help to stop it.****

At the beginning of April 2011, GermanBoy surprised me with a mini-vacation to take a break from the craziness that is marrying in a foreign country. On Saturday morning we drove away from Munich, heading to a town called Konstanz on the Bodensee (Constance Lake in English). We had to jump on a ferry for part of the ride as well, but after 2.5 hours of relaxed traveling we arrived at our destination.

We dropped our bags at the hotel, which was located inside of a gorgeously painted building in the center of the city, and then headed out to explore.

The very first thing I noticed about the dock area and the water's edge was the abundance of super strange, naked trees. Can anyone tell me what in the world these leaf-less beasts are!? I didn't know if they were simply still missing their leaves from the winter, or if someone had chopped the tops off, or what. But as far as I was concerned, they definitely looked alarming.

Nobody else seemed concerned, however, so on we meandered.

At the end of the dock was another surprise to be found. Towering almost 30 feet above us, constantly spinning slowly around, was a humungous statue of a very well-endowed woman.

Apparently, she is called the Imperia and is supposed to commemorate the Council of Constance that took place in this location between 1414 and 1418. The naked slouching guys sitting in her palms are Pope Martin V and Emperor Sigismund.
According to the Wikipedia page on this statue, it "refers to a short story by Balzac, La belle Impéria. The story is a harsh satire of the Catholic clergys' morals, where Imperia seduces cardinals and princes at the Council of Constance and has power over them all."

So, there you go. That would explain her figure and somewhat risque wardrobe malfunctions. And the little naked men in her hands...

The town of Constance was adorably intriguing. Filled with history and great architecture around every corner, we wandered around for several hours, never getting bored or losing interest even for a second.

The Imperia was not the only interesting statue we saw. We also ran into this gem of a fountain.

Interesting to say the least.

This statue/fountain was pretty good, too.

The Constance Lake is shared by Switzerland, which is not on the Euro and is known for being a good deal richer/more expensive than Germany. We strolled over to the border and watched as some *beautiful* cars navigated their way into Switzerland.

On the water, we watched Swiss boats motor over to Germany, perhaps to save some money on groceries, which are much cheaper than in Switzerland.

Around the corner from the Swiss border was the house of Johann Georg Elser, the man who attempted to assassinate Hitler with a bomb in 1939. Hitler was giving a speech in Munich and Elser rigged the bomb to go off at 9:20pm. However, Hitler had to finish up his speech early due to bad weather and missed the explosion by 13 minutes.
How the world would be different if Deutschland had only had a little sun in the forecast.

Speaking of sun, our sun began to drift down over the lake as we finished up strolling around, keeping one eye on the gorgeous vistas and the other on the look-out for a restaurant.

Can you see the mountains in the background?

It quickly went from dusk to dark, and so we dipped into a tasty, cozy Italian restaurant for dinner before making our way back to the hotel. We did stop to admire a few more statues on the way, but once it got dark there really wasn't much left to do in the town. Plus we had big plans for the next day, so a good night's rest didn't hurt at all.

Strike Against SOPA

2012-01-18T09:36:00.002+01:00

Watch this short video then go make a difference: http://www.sopastrike.com/strike/
PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Marriage Prep Chaos

2012-01-12T09:08:00.000+01:00

As the winter of 2011 slowly but surely faded into the spring (very, very slowly) little Easter eggs began to pop up all over Munich, and GermanBoy and I continued progressing with our wedding plans. We had, after much debate, finally decided the where and the when: the pretty old town hall in his village sometime during the upcoming summer. Now we had paperwork to take care of. Lots and lots of paperwork.

The first step in the German marriage process is to visit a specific office and find out just what paperwork you will need to gather. The woman behind the desk pulled a list out of her drawer and then checked off what we would need to gather. GermanBoy only needed one or two simple things, mine were slightly more complicated. For one thing, all documents coming from the USA (like my birth certificate) would need to be translated into German.

In America, since there is technically no "official country language," birth certificates can be obtained in almost any language that you want. Couldn't we just order my birth certificate from America to be printed out in German? Nope. The German government says that one of their own "certified" translators must translate the copy from English to German. AKA they want my money. And not just any birth certificate would do, either. I had to get an "Apostille Birth Certificate," which is basically a fancy way of saying that someone in America who was certified to "apostille" stuff (basically a higher form of notarizing) had to certify that the birth certificate was, indeed, real. This Apostille form was then sutured onto my birth certificate with a fancy gold-colored binding. Both pages had to be translated into German, and even though they didn't contain much writing and probably took all of 20 minutes to translate (heck, even I could have done the translation with my level of German in less than 30 minutes!) it still cost a little over 100 Euros! Kind of a scam-rip off, in my opinion.

I had known that getting married in Germany would be an "experience" when I agreed to it, but I guess I didn't realized just how much stuff was actually different from in America. For example, the whole name thing. Once GermanBoy and I had gathered up all our paperwork and had the American documents turned into German, we had to go back to the office and register. This is when I had to tell the government what I'd do with my last name. Like many Americans, I wanted to drop my middle name, slide my last name over into the "middle" spot and then take GermanBoy's last name as my new last name. Apparently, though, this wouldn't be possible.

The office we went to in Munich, Germany

"What is the law for getting a new name upon marrying in your country," asked the woman at the office in really hard to understand German.

"There is no law, you just take what name you want," I explained.

"That's not possible. There must be a law." She didn't believe me.

"Nope. No law."

Behind the woman was a huge shelf of reference books. She picked out the one on names and flipped to USA. I could see what is said from my vantage point; there was just a very short paragraph that basically said the USA has no country-wide law concerning changing last names when marrying and that we need acquiesce to the German law.

"There's no law," she said shocked.

"Nope, no law."

I explained to her what I wished to do with my name, but she assured me that my requests were absolutely, completely out of the question. Apparently you can't move parts of your name around in Germany. Also they don't actually have a middle name. They have a first name, a second first name, and a last name. No middle name. The second first name is optional (GermanBoy doesn't have one) and it is always another "first name" (like Gregor) name. Never a name that falls into the "last name" category (like Smith). When a person in Germany gets married, they just have a few options.

1. Everyone keeps their name as is, no changes
2. The woman drops her last name and takes the man's
3. The man drops his last name and takes the woman's
4. The woman hyphenates her last name with the man's last name
5. The man hyphenates his last name with the woman's last name

That's it. No exceptions. No further options.

So, while I really wanted to scoot my last name over into the middle name position, it just wasn't going to happen. The middle name that was on my birth certificate became my "second first name," which my German friends find strange since it is a name in the "last name" category, and my last name got ready to be dropped and replaced with GermanBoy's last name.

And if you think this sounds complicated, try living it! I couldn't believe there were actually such strict rules about what you could/couldn't do with your own name. In Germany, you can't change your name either, like you can in America. In America, you can change your name as often as you want, for whatever reason. (However, you are only allowed to get 6 new Social Security cards per year.) In Germany you really can't just change your own name when you want to! You'd better hope your parents had good taste.

There were other differences too: like where you can marry. In America you can basically marry wherever you want. On a cliff, in the woods, on a boat. In Germany you can only marry in the "official marriage places." The fancy ones (like castles or gardens) can be pricey and get booked up a year or more in advance. So the town hall it was for us. But more details on that later.

I hope you've enjoyed this peek into the craziness that is marrying in another country. Have you ever married in a foreign country? If so, was is tricky or simple? What snags or surprises did you come across during it all? I look forward to hearing your feedback!

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter and Facebook Page. And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

A Very Warm Carnival 2011

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000+01:00

Carnival 2011 in Cologne occurred pretty late. My very first Carnival, the year before, had been snowy and cold cold cold, but my second was reasonably warm.

Carnival, which takes place at the same time as Mardi Gras and basically for the same reason--partying like crazy before getting serious during Lent--is a much loved tradition in Cologne. (For a more detailed description of Carnival, read the blog about my first Carnival experience.)

So of course, when it rolled around in 2011, GermanBoy and I packed up our costumes and headed to his little village outside of Cologne!

I had really wanted to be Little Red Riding Hood (don't ask me why...) but hadn't been able to find a good quality cape. So my wonderful mother sewed one for me! It was absolutely perfect; thanks, Mom!

Since I was being Little Red Riding Hood, GermanBoy automatically had a choice between two outfits--he could either be the Big Bad Wolf, or the Little Old Grandma. He chose Wolf. I think that was a good decision.

On the first Saturday in town, we costumed up and went with all our friends to the party in the village community center. We had a lot to celebrate--not only were we celebrating Carnival, but it was also the first time we had visited Cologne since getting engaged and had finally told all our friends the great news! So party we did.

Like the year before, the hall was packed with people in all kinds of cool and/or original outfits.

Our group had pirates, crazy soccer fans, beach-goers, and us, the fairy-tale characters.


I like the Joker in the background...

What are those girls in the background whispering about?!

As you've seen from the posts on Oktoberfest in Munich, the beers in Bavaria are HUGE--a liter of beer each! But in Cologne, the beer is consumed in quite tiny glasses! Isn't there a happy middle?!?!

On Carnival Sunday and Monday there was a parade and delicious, homemade fried dough balls. Sprinkle a little powdered sugar on them, and they were de-licious!

Stefan's relatives and long-time family friends came over to eat, drink, and toast the news of our engagement! They, too, had not found out about the news until that visit. It was definitely a very happy Carnival.

Very warm and sunny...in contrast to the parade the year before.

Carnival Parade the year before--very cold!

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find a video from this very night!). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Winter Hiking in Austria

2011-12-29T11:20:00.000+01:00

My confused Florida brain somehow thought that if I flew back to Florida for December and January I would miss most of the cold, blustery winter in Munich, Germany. But to my slight dismay, the winter actually started up in mid-October, and when I arrived back into town in February, it was still going full steam ahead.

Lucky for me, though, GermanBoy had some fun winter-time excursions planned for us to take my mind off the cold. And actually, it's not really so much the cold that bothers me, but the lack of sunlight. I've noticed that in Munich it is often the case that around November a thick grey cloud situates itself over the city and very rarely leaves until April. That is what makes me grumpy. Not the cold, the grey.

So a trip to the Alps, high above the thick grey clouds, was just what I needed!

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning (I will admit, it was a little painful forcing myself out of bed so early, but definitely worth it!) and slipped into our snow clothes. We were going hiking!

We drove about an hour and a half to the Ellmau in Austria, a popular ski and snowboarding destination. We parked our car at the bottom of the slope and hiked through the woods up to the top.

The view was gorgeous right from the beginning, and within the first 5 minutes we had already spotted several air balloons going for a morning tour above us.

While the hike was still flat and easy!

The hike was easy at first, but it quickly got challenging--we were literally hiking up the ski slope. We climbed up and up, off to the side on a hiking path, and skiers and snowboarders flew down the slope to our left!

I have gone hiking in America many times with my parents. I don't think I ever remember a time when half-way through the hike, in the middle of nowhere, there is suddenly a bustling cafe serving all kinds of warm and cold beverages, as well as a full menu of food and desserts!

But that is quite common in Germany and Austria. Even when the trail is not on a ski slope; even when it is totally off the beaten path and there is nothing around for miles...at least once or twice during your 4 hour hike upwards, you will find a full service bar and restaurant!

This time the little hut was so packed with people, so GermanBoy and I just settled into a snow dune and ate the sandwiches we'd brought with us.

After about two more hours of tough hiking, we reached another, even larger cafe-bar-restaurant, and we knew we'd reached the top!

It was a lot less busy here, and we definitely wanted to relax and take in the view, so we got an apple spritzer and a beer and got cozy at one of the wooden picnic tables to allow the warm glow of the sun to beat down on our skin.

Once we had soaked up all the sunny rays our skin could handle, we made our way to the skiing area. We had hiked about 3.5 hours up....we had earned taking the easy way down.

After a few more photos of the gorgeous view from the top, we hopped on the ski lift and slid down to the parking lot. 3.5 hours up, 4 minutes down.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find a video from this very night!). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

A Little Wedding, A Little London

2011-12-22T09:28:00.000+01:00

At the end of January, GermanBoy and I made the long journey back across the Atlantic Ocean to Munich, Germany. After traveling for many hours, I was exhausted and seriously jetlagged, but excited as well. We had a wedding to plan!

While in America, after being engaged for just 48 hours, my Mom and I had already gone out dressing shopping, and GermanBoy and I had produced, printed, addressed, and sealed engagement announcements to send out to our family and friends.

We had a lot of planning to do and decisions to make--Where should we have the wedding? USA? Europe? When? This year? How many people would be invited? How big of a party would it be? Should we just elope?

After some serious debating, we decided to have the wedding in Europe for several reasons. For one, GermanBoy's parents (his dad in particular) hate flying. To get to America requires a dang long flight, and we weren't sure if his dad would even do it. I was not about to have the wedding without my soon to be father-in-law present. And two, Germany doesn't simply accept an American wedding for one of its citizens, so even if we married in America, we would still have to get married and do all the paperwork a second time in Germany too. But America does simply accept a wedding in Europe.

We briefly thought about having the wedding in Denmark because of the paperwork issue. Basically, Germany is really, really strict and kind of crazy when it comes to paperwork. They do not accept ANY documents in English, so you have to pay a "certified translator" to translate all your documents into German (which is definitely not cheap), but Denmark accepts paperwork in English, Danish or German, so it would be really convenient in that respect. However, GermanBoy's dad also wasn't too keen on traveling to Denmark, and it would be kind of tricky to plan a wedding and reception in a totally foreign country, so we scrapped that idea and just choose to wed in good ol' Germany.

But before we jumped too deep into wedding planning mode, I had another Cisco trade show to work, this time in London.

About 24 hours after flying into Munich, I went back to the airport and flew out to London. I landed at the London City Airport, because it was super close my hotel and the expo center, and then navigated onto the Tube and to my hotel. It was late and cold, I was seriously jet-lagged and had to be up early for the convention the next day. Bedtime it was!

The Expo Center in London

I worked pretty much non-stop for three days, saw a bit of the area around the convention center, and then flew back to Munich in time for the weekend with GermanBoy. All in all, a pretty full first week back in Europe!

Double-Decker Bus

Showing Off the Univeristy of Florida

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000+01:00

On GermanBoy's second Sunday in Florida, I led us an hour and a half west of St. Augustine to my old stomping ground -- the University of Florida in Gainesville -- where I spent 4 years studying in the College of Journalism and Communications.

Since it was early afternoon on the weekend, the campus was pretty deserted, and we had no problem finding a place to park by the stadium.

First thing first, I took him to one of my favorite restaurants on the University Ave. strip: Tijuana Flats.

A fun, eclectic dive, the whole inside of this burrito place is brightly painted and chaotically decorated with amusing signs and bits of artwork, and along the back wall is a long line of homemade salsas ranging from sweet and tangy to devilishly spicy.

During GermanBoy's first trip to America, he battled with some super-spicy wings in Key West, but during the year in between the two visits, we had been eating more spicy meals and slowly but surly getting his German taste buds accustomed to the burn. By this trip to Tijuana Flats, he was eager to chow down on even spicier sauces than I was!

While I stuck to pouring a sauce called "Smack My A** and Call Me Sally," on my burrito and chips (medium on the spicy level), GermanBoy served himself up some of the hottest available. He also chugged down a good bit of his soda... :-)

After stuffing our stomachs full full full, I took GermanBoy for a tour down Buckman Drive, which is where my parents brought me and dropped me off on my very first day of university. (Okay, they didn't just drop me off on the road--the brought me to my dorm room, which was located on Buckman...). From there, we took a short stroll down Stadium Road, passing by and checking out the College of Journalism and Communications before finally arriving at the massive Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

As we walked up to the entrance, I tried to describe to GermanBoy how exciting and crazy it is on game days...hundreds of thousands of people camping out all around the campus, everyone in orange, blue and white, chanting songs, eating tasty food, drinking with their family and friends. The energy is revved way up all day, and when it's finally time to make the march to the stadium, it's just a blur of marching band music in a sea of orange and blue for as far as the eye can see.

We walked in through the gate, up some stairs, and out into the stands. GermanBoy gasped at the sight. It was without a doubt the biggest stadium he had ever been in, and he was practically speechless. He had known that it would be big, but since it was "just a college stadium," he didn't realize it would be SO big! The Allianz Arena in Munich, a place where games of the 2006 FIFA World Cup were played, holds 69,901 spectators. And he thought that was big. The UF Swamp Stadium routinely receives well over 90,000 screaming fans per game. And that's definitely not including the other thousands and thousands of people chilling outside the gates.

After sitting on the bleachers for a few minutes, soaking in the view, GermanBoy turned me and said, "Okay, now what?"

A little confused and thrown off by his question I replied, "Well, I wanted to show you my university...that's why we came here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I mean...haven't we seen it all already?"

"What do you mean? We only walked down that one road."

"You mean, there's more??"
LOL Of course there was more!! A whole whole whole bunch more! Most of the universities in Europe are not set up on a large campus like American universities, nor are they so freaking gigantic, so GermanBoy had no idea what to expect.

But after I showed him around and around, 2 hours later, he understood why I had been so confused by him thinking we had seen everything after just one street.

He especially liked going inside a large auditorium classroom and seeing "real, live" fraternity/sorority houses.

By the time we left that evening, he had a much better understanding of what my 4 years as a college student had been like, and that meant a lot to me.
***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find a video from this very night!). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

A Bit of St. Augustine, Florida--"The Oldest City"

2011-12-08T13:50:00.001+01:00

Once he had proposed to me on the beach, GermanBoy was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief and completely enjoy the rest of his vacation with me and my family in St. Augustine, Florida. And I was overwhelmed with joy and smiles.

My dad worked in tourism, so he was able to take us to almost all of the St. Augustine attractions for free! This included the famous Castillo de San Marcos fort and several rounds of miniature golf.

First on the list, however, was the Dow Museum of Historic Houses, located on Cordova Street a bit on the outskirts of the down-town area. This site is an outdoor museum housing 9 historic buildings that date back to the 1700s. One of which was slanting in all different directions! Oops.

Guests were not allowed to go into the slanting house, for obvious liability reasons...but we were able to go into most of the others. It was fun to poke around and see how things were "back in the day." The staircases were definitely steeper back then, but the rooms weren't as small as I had imaged. The parlors and dining rooms were pretty big, actually, and the ceilings were high as well. But every now and then we'd run into something that simply looked bizarre and outdated, like this extra-mini door we found in one house.

The weather was absolutely wonderful as we strolled around.

My parents had fun introducing us to people as fiances (although to be honest, it didn't really roll off my own tongue so simply yet), and Mom and Dad spent more time holding each-others hands and kissing in public than I had ever seen; yep, love was definitely in the air!

I am super intrigued by history, so St. Augustine held a lot of attraction for me. I loved getting to see the old ship replicas and learning the intricate details of my country's fascinating history.

Discovered and founded in 1565, St Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the US. It was inhabited by the Spanish 42 years before the English began to colonize Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrims even made their famous landing at Plymouth Rock!

Cafeteria in Flagler College

Parlor in Flagler College

Day 2 of our explorations didn't give us as perfect weather, but we made the best of it, continuing to delve into the city's historical roots. (It was pretty impossible not to--everything from the stores to the restaurants in downtown are historical in one way or another, and there are plenty of guides just waiting to tell you all about it!)

In the morning we went on a guided tour through the inside of Flagler College, which was Henry Flagler’s first project in St. Augustine.

With an amazing Spanish Renaissance façade, gorgeous ceiling murals, and intricate Tiffany windows, of course it was built to be a luxury hotel resort, not a college. But, as we learned on the tour, the near-perfect buildings have gone through several functions since their conception in 1885, including being used as a Coast Guard training center in World War II!

After lunch we headed over to the fort in spite of the weather. I guess watching the reenactment of a cannon fire was more realistic that way, since there were probably many battles that occurred in less than stellar weather conditions. The people at the fort were extremely friendly and answered any and all questions that we had about the rooms, architecture, or life of the people who built and worked in the fortifications.

It was really awesome to see the firing demonstration and tour around the fort, but I must admit that I was pretty happy to duck into some dry warmth next; just down the street from the fort is the Ripley's Believe or Not Museum, and we took advantage of that. The museum itself was not as cool as I remember it being from the last time I went....Granted, I had been16 then...but still, I was a tad bit let down. It was a fun and amusing activity for a rainy day, but if the sun is shining during your visit, you should think about picking a different site to see. Which is easy in St. Augustine since there are many many many to choose from.

Fountain of Youth park

My Dad worked at the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth, where you can drink water from the "real fountain." But more than that, the park is filled with demonstrations by trained guides, many of whom are in costumes of the time period. Plus, the park itself is really beautiful, and there are white and colorful peacocks running around all over the place! When we went the weather was fine, and we stayed for the cannon firing demonstration. It was different than the one at the fort because there was just one man doing it, rather than the handful that did it together at the fort. Plus my toes weren't frozen this time :-)

On the outskirts of the downtown area, on the north end of Anastasia Island, are many paths, parks, and the active lighthouse, which we visited and climbed the 219 stairs to the tippity-top. It wasn't hard at all getting up there, but you have to imagine that in the old days the tower watchman had to climb those steps several times a night carrying a heavy big ol' bucket of lard oil. Now that's some stuff you don't wanna spill. Not even a little slosh over the side of the bucket.

If you are looking for something to do in St. Augustine once the sun goes down, check out any one of the multiple ghost tours in old-town. We went on one as a family and it was super fun. The tours are as creepy as you let them be, but the guides are wonderful and sneak a lot of history into the stories as well. Also, if you are interested, I can personally guide you around the city--just go download the tours I've made from the Apple App Store today :-) There are two I have made so far; one of the northern and one of the southern district of old town.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find a video from this very night!). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

The Beach...and then some

2011-12-01T09:43:00.000+01:00

In early December 2010, for the second time since moving to Europe, I made the long flight home for the holidays.

In 2009 GermanBoy and I had flown to Florida together, he stayed for two weeks and then flew back to Munich while I remained until February. This time, I flew home alone and spent the holidays with Mom and Dad, and in late January, at the end of the trip, I picked him up from the airport and he visited with us for two weeks before we both flew back to Germany together.

Between the 2009 visit and the 2010 visit my parents moved from West Palm Beach to St. Augustine. So once again there were plenty of sights and tours for us to show GermanBoy.

The first few days we showed him around Flager College, the peaceful waterfront area, the fort, and the scenic old downtown streets. We didn't have a chance to make it to the beach, and little did I know that's where he had been waiting and waiting to go with me...

I also drove him down to Orlando where we went mini-golfing, visited the outlets and Mall at Millenia (yes, we found bags and bags of great deals!), and ate two delicious pizza pies at California Pizza Kitchen (two between the both of us...not two pizzas each).

Side note: Orlando is also where GermanBoy tried and enjoyed his very first iced tea and a burger from Five Guys Burgers and Fries. So all in all--a pretty successful day if you ask me, but apparently that's not what GermanBoy had been looking forward to doing during his trip to America...

On Wednesday, January 19th, 4 days after arriving in Florida, GermanBoy finally got the trip to the beach that he had been waiting for.

The morning had been overcast cloudy, but in the afternoon the sun came out to play, so per his request (which was actually more like a demand) we drove with my mom to the beach.

We strolled along the coast, enjoying the unbelievable weather, admiring the ocean animals and sea shells that had washed ashore, and allowing ourselves to be amused by the outfits and get-ups of our fellow beach-goers. There was one guy on a bike, in particular, who caught our attention and put really big smiles on our faces.

Over an hour later, I finally suggested that we should turn around. After all, we still had to walk the hour back. GermanBoy, who is usually ready to head back before me, resolutely stated that he wanted to keep going some more. I found this slightly odd, but figured he was just really happy to be at the beach with warm weather (in contrast to Munich, where it had been snowy and cold since November). So we continued on.

About 30 minutes later we finally turned around, no matter what GermanBoy wanted; we could go back to the beach again another time--right then we needed to head home and start preparing dinner for us and my dad.

An hour and a half later, we began to head up to the parking lot, but GermanBoy grabbed my hand and held me on the beach. He still wasn't ready to leave! A few moments later I found out why.

My mom continued walking up to the car as GermanBoy knelt down towards the ground and began carving something into the sand with his finger. With a nervous grin spread across his face and beet-red cheeks, he drew first my name and then "Would-You-Marry-Me?" in large, bounding letters up the shore.

About half-way through he waved my mom back toward us, and she showed up just as he was getting on one knee to propose to me. Excitement twisted through my body, and light-headed tingles tickled my brain. I could hardly believe it was really happening right then! After 2 wonderful years of being together, I had no trouble figuring out what to answer, but I was still shaking with nervousness as GermanBoy took my hands in his and asked me to marry him. Although, I must admit, my hands were not shaking nearly as much as his. :-)

My mom laughed and wept on the sideline, snapping blurry, unfocused and off-center photos with her iPhone, but she quickly got it together and managed to take at least a few good ones. :-)

The word "yes" tumbled from my lips, relieving GermanBoy of the pressure he had been holding inside of him. He stood up and slid the ring on my finger. We kissed through the tears that ran down our cheeks, smiled and laughed uncontrollably at each other, and then his unsteady legs buckled and he fell to the sand to catch his breath.

Up until then, it was the most intense moment of my life, and from his near fainting, I can only imagine it was the same for GermanBoy, as well.

After several hugs between me, GermanBoy and my mom, who whispered "you made a good decision" in my ear as she embraced me, we finally continued on our way to the car. Nobody had known about GermanBoy's plan, but I suddenly understood why he had wanted to extend the beach walk.

Skipping through the rest of the afternoon high up on cloud 9, we bought some sparkling wine and brought it home to chill, then waited for my dad to come home. He still didn't know anything of the happy news!

Dad came home and settled into a seat at the counter. With a full grin spread from ear to ear across my face, I pulled the sparkling wine out of the fridge and announced our engagement. The same full grin quickly bound across my dad's face as he sincerely congratulated us both.

We popped the cork and enjoyed a wonderful, bubbly evening laughing over the future.

It was literally a Dream Come True. I had never in my life met a person like GermanBoy, nor ever been so happy as when around him. I knew without a doubt that he was my other half, the puzzle piece that simply fits into me perfectly, the one and only person I wished to spend the rest of my life loving and being loved by.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday's blog--thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you! Don't forget to come back next week for more. Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Happy Thanksgiving and Festive Ear-Muffs

2011-11-18T09:47:00.001+01:00

My first Thanksgiving in Europe was spent in Prague; I hadn't met GermanBoy yet as I had only been living there for a month and a half, so I went with my American roommate to a big potluck party. There was a huge turkey (something quite tricky to find in Europe) and all the side dishes you could imagine. The owner of the apartment had even managed to get American football playing on the TV!

Thanksgiving number two was spent in America; GermanBoy came with me to my parents' house in Florida, and we showed him what a real American Thanksgiving is, complete with both pecan and pumpkin pie.

My third Thanksgiving I shared with GermanBoy and his family. We didn't have a turkey (like I said, they're pretty hard to find) but his mom did make a German-style ham. It was not exactly like an American ham, but it was close enough. She plopped the ham into the oven (it was her first time making one), and while it cooked I worked on the side dishes.

I couldn't image having Thanksgiving without sweet potato casserole, but GermanBoy and I had to work pretty hard to make it happen: we went to 4 or 5 different stores before finally finding sweet potatoes at a Turkish market! And then, they were much harder than American sweet potatoes; after peeling them, I had to put ALL my weight and muscle into the knife to slice through the thick roots. After doing 2 potatoes I was exhausted, so GermanBoy's mom did a couple, and when she couldn't go anymore, GermanBoy took over and finished them off. I cooked them and then wanted to make a puree with butter, milk, and brown sugar. Only problem? Brown sugar doesn't exist in Germany. You can find actual "brown" sugar, but it's just different colored sugar, not what we consider "brown sugar" in America. But after a little research, I found that "brown sugar" is just regular sugar mixed with molasses! And molasses is really easy to find in Germany since people eat it spread on toast. So I simply made my own; problem solved! And last but not least, I had to make the topping for the sweet potatoes. Normally I would do pecans, but once again--they are super hard to find here! So I made it with walnuts, which can be found everywhere. To me, it wasn't as good as with pecans, but it didn't seem like my German guests knew the difference. Well of course they didn't; they had never eaten pecans in their life anyway!

I made crispy garlic green beans as well, and for dessert I made a chocolate cream pie in a home-made Oreo crust. Yummm Yum!

After I was done sharing my end-of-November traditions with GermanBoy, he and his friends shared some of theirs with me. We bundled up (because it was an especially cold November) and headed into downtown Cologne to see the famous Christmas markets.


I wasn't the only one who was cold!

These guys stay warm frying dough all day

Another good way to stay warm: mulled wine and festive ear-muffs


Naughty? Nice?

There were several different Christmas markets in Cologne. The market in the video is at the Cologne Cathedral, and it was absolutely packed full of people. Moving was tricky, so it was hard to really enjoy the market. But at the other markets, it was much, much less crowded.

This year GermanBoy and I will be spending Thanksgiving at our little apartment in Munich. We'll be eating a chicken and perhaps pecan pie--I was able to find pecans, but there's no Karo syrup here, so we'll see how it turns out without it. :-) And, as our new German-Thanksgiving tradition dictates, we'll be heading to the Christmas markets in town. No matter where you are in the world reading this, I wish you all a very wonderful Thanksgiving. Have any special plans this year? I would love to hear about them in the comments. Also, have you ever spent Thanksgiving in a foreign country? Would love to hear your experiences with that. Happy Thanksgiving, and see you next week!

Happy Halloween!! Muahahahahaha

2011-11-17T08:30:00.000+01:00

Located in the southern part of Germany, Munich is the capital city of Bavaria. Bavaria is the most Catholic state in Germany, which means lots and lots of public holidays. :-) But it also means that the church is a little more involved in everyday life and rule making. For example, it is illegal for shops to be open on Sunday and, apparently, for people to get their party on, on Halloween!

Okay, let me be more specific--November 1st is All Saints' Day and is a solemn public holiday in Bavaria where people visit the graves of their loved ones and light candles throughout the cemetery. It is considered one of 9 "silent days" in Bavaria, and besides that...according to the Bavarian Bishop Johannes Friedrich, “Halloween is just a sham. The grinning pumpkins are hollow, there's nothing in them and nothing to it." Whoa, pretty harsh! And that's totally not true, either--there are candles in them! And sometimes a greenish fungus as well, depending on how many days before Halloween you carved them.

So they don't stop people from celebrating Halloween, per se, but as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the 31st of October, all partying had better be done or else they will shut you down. For more details be sure to check out this article in The Local, an English newspaper in Germany.

But no matter, because GermanBoy and I weren't in Bavaria for Halloween 2010. We were in his hometown village near Cologne, in the state of Nordrhein Westfalen. So we could party all we wanted! And party we did--I gave my German friends the Halloween party of their lifetime!

Everyone had to come dressed up as something (even GermanBoy's mom wore the witch hat we bought her), and I spent all day preparing food, games, stories, and decorations.

Witchy cupcakes and eyeballs on a fork


Tasty crazy spiders


Mummy pizzas

As creepy music played in the background, we tossed back a couple drinks and scarfed down my festive food. Then, once everyone had let their guard down, I led my victims, I mean guests, into the living room for part-two of the party.

I began with a couple ghost stories, some with twisted endings or a surprise growl here and there. I got some shrieks and some laughs out of them, and then moved onto the last event of the evening: The grand finale.

Everyone was given a blindfold and forced to wear it as I told a creepy story about murdering someone, and passed around the person's "body parts" for everyone to feel. In reality the "ear" was a dried apricot, the "eyes" were two peeled grapes, the "brains" were cold spaghetti noodles, etc. Even though everyone knew the body parts were fake, it still got them wiggling in their seats and completely creeped-out. Which means, I would say, the party was a success!

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find a video from this very night!). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Off to Berlin for Work...and some Pleasure on the side

2011-11-10T09:44:00.002+01:00

In October of 2010, I was still working successfully as an English teacher in Munich, Germany. However, I had also found a gig on the side: working as a marketer at trade shows around Europe. In June I had worked at a three-day trade show in Munich for a company called Vifor Pharma, and in October an opportunity came up to work a trade show for Cisco in Berlin. Before then, I had not been able to make it up to the famous capital, so without missing a beat, I took the job and began scheduling my train and hotel reservations.

It was not the first train that I had been on, but it was still a novelty, and I was pretty excited to be chugging along through the countryside from Munich to Berlin, rather than flying.

The seats were a lot more spacious too!

I didn't have time to explore the city that first evening--our hotel and the expo center were on the outskirts of the city and when we arrived it was already dark out--and the next morning we had to be at the booth bright and early to get everything all set up.

When we took our first few steps into the expo center, I was impressed right off the bat! The area was beautifully decorated and there were entertainers all over the place, including one orange mime who paced back and forth in the entrance area, making faces and escaping out of invisible boxes.

The expo center was huge, and the trade show that I worked was only one of several trade shows going on in the expo buildings that week!

We navigated our way through the building and found our area on the far end. As we walked in through the double doors, it was like walking into heaven--delicious, warm baked goods, coffee, tea, sodas, and fresh fruits were everywhere!

We worked at the booth until the afternoon, then there was lunch (which was equally as impressive as breakfast) and then we had a 3 hour break! During this break I definitely used my time for some sight seeing. I was super excited to get downtown and practically ran out of the expo center.

The taxi let us out in the heart of Berlin, and the first thing I saw was the line of bricks in the main street showing where the Berlin Wall had stood for 28 years from 1961 to 1989.

It had completely interrupted life of the citizens, come between families, changed at least two generations of lives, and affected millions. And now, 30 years later, I was in the city, easily straddling the spot where people had once cried and wailed in pain to see their loved ones on the other side. Heart breaking and historically amazing at the same time.


A "don't walk man" in East Berlin

The weather wasn't great during my time in Berlin, but I'm being honest when I say that I hardly noticed; I was absolutely captivated by the many architecturally impressive buildings, as well as the historically significant details, like the crosswalk lights. As I wandered around the city, it was always quite easy to tell whether I was on the East Berlin side or the side of West Berlin: you just have to look at the crosswalk lights. Because the two cities developed independently of each other, the men on the lighted signs in East Berlin look different than those in West Berlin! Little differences like that really blew my mind.

And I was absolutely "star struck" to be standing in front of the famous Brandenburger Tor, and then just moments later, I was at the Reichstag building! There was literally history around every corner. I was giddy as a school girl, running around, seeing the monuments and structures I had learned about in history classes and seen in countless movies and documentaries.

We didn't have a whole lot of time, so we just wandered around the city as much as we could before having to head back to the convention center.

We got to see a lot, though! Including the Berlin Dome, which had bullet wounds in its facade, and Check Point Charlie in the city center.


Check Point Charlie


Sign facing into the old American sector of Berlin

That evening I had more work at the trade show (where they fed us some delicious food once again!), so I didn't have time to go back into Berlin on day 1. But the next morning I woke up bright and early to get my sightseeing in! I didn't have to be at the convention until noon, so from 7am until then I ran around Berlin, soaking up everything I could of the bustling, cultural city. Here are some of the most interesting photos from my 4 and 1/2 hour tour.

Cool British Embassy!

Jewish Memorial


Berlin Cathedral

Going over a bridge

Old stone building next to new glass modern one

No, this is not the hotel I stayed in...

In the evening, after working the booth until 8:30pm, there was a party for everyone! It was pretty great--there was lots of tasty food, drinks, live bands, and even a chocolate fountain and people making crepes! I stayed for a few hours, but left before it got too late--I still had to get up early the next morning and work the booth again! Also, apparently I met the CEO of Citrix, which a bunch of people were excited about...but to be honest, I had never heard of him before. Shhhh don't tell!

The CEO of Citrix in between two of my colleagues

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

The Eifel District and Castle Hengebach

2011-11-03T08:36:00.004+01:00

In the fall of 2010, after Oktoberfest had come and gone, GermanBoy and I traveled to his hometown in the outskirts of Cologne for a long weekend with his parents.

The weather during the summer had been on-and-off okay. But the weather during this long weekend in October was absolutely stunning! With blue skies filling the landscape, we just had to go on some sort of road trip. I'm pretty sure it would have totally pissed off the weather Gods if we had spent the weekend just hanging around the house doing nothing.

So, on Sunday morning we packed up the car and headed for the Eifel District, which, I learned, has nothing to do with the Eiffel tower. Although I certainly was confused when GermanBoy first mentioned where we were going....After a quick Google search, I learned that the Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and Eastern Belgium, and that's where we were headed--not the metal structure in Paris, although that would have been really cool too.

After about 50 minutes of driving through some gorgeous green landscapes and past many traditional half-timbered houses, we reached GermanBoy's planned destination: the Hengebach Castle in Heimbach. Built in the 11th century, the Hengebach Castle is one of the oldest buildings in the Eifel District, and yet it looked like it had been kept in very pristine condition.

Situated at the edge of a large park, we explored the castle itself before touring around the gardens.

For it being such a beautiful day, I was really surprised to find the inside of the castle pretty much empty! End then, something even stranger happened--the only person we did run into inside the castle walls, turned out to be one of GermanBoy's friends from school who he had not talked to in years and years! How random; almost as crazy as what happened to me in Munich with my middle school friend.

The leaves decorating the vine that crawled up the old castle's walls had already turned red for the fall, and it made everything appear all the more mysterious.

Not only could we enter the castle courtyard, we were able to go up the rock steps to the top as well! There weren't very many stairs to climb, but the steep spiral forced us to keep one hand on the banister while going up.

And the view from above wasn't bad either!

The grounds surrounding the castle were a little bit busier than the castle itself, but with so much room to spread out in, we really hardly noticed. With a stream flowing through, several gardens and apple trees, and a large lake in the middle, the grounds provided a lovely afternoon stroll. And if you're hungry, don't worry! There were plenty of cafes to satisfy your tummy. Or you could just pick the apples like GermanBoy did.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Oktoberfest Comes to Town...once again

2011-10-27T16:14:00.000+02:00

After our absolutely magnificent tour around Scandinavia, GermanBoy and I hunkered down in Munich for the last couple weeks of summer and the first few weeks of fall.

At the end of September, Oktoberfest rolled through the city, bringing with it some very beautiful warm weather. It was my second Oktoberfest, but this time we actually woke our butts up early on the first Saturday to get a view of the annual parade. It was really cool to watch the horse-drawn carriages of beer from each different tent go by, as well as the thousands of people dressed in garb from the days of yore.

However, it was a dang long parade!! After an hour I was ready to go get something to eat, but apparently there were still about 3 hours of parade left. We stuck around for another half hour, before leaving to find a place serving fresh-made gyros.

Oktoberfest is funny. The parade chugged all throughout the town before finally marching into the fairgrounds, which signaled the opening of the festival. That was around noon. By 1pm there were already people passed out along the sides of the walkways!

For more detailed information on Oktoberfest, be sure to check out my blog, "Where to Pee, Where to Pass Out, and other Important Oktoberfest Tips."


GermanBoy, Me, and his coworker, Rene

We enjoyed the foods of the fair; GermanBoy's favorite is the fried fish sandwich and mine the roasted garlic and buttered corn on a stick. Like most companies, GermanBoy's office-mates went into a tent one time together during the three week festival; they got to leave work at noon and spend the rest of the day drinking beer, eating chickens, and singing while standing on the table benches. Not to shabby if you ask me!

GermanBoy and I do like Oktoberfest, but it is really freaking crowded. As you can see from the photos, even at mid-day on a Wednesday, the place is packed full.

So to be honest, we often escape the crowds of the fair ground and go enjoy our beer at one of the local beer gardens, which is typically deserted during the Oktoberfest time. The beer there is a whole lot cheaper, the atmosphere is calmer, and you get to be outside!

BUT, if you are in Munich for Oktoberfest, make sure you check it out!! We run away to the beer garden, because we live in Munich, and have already spent plenty of time at Oktoberfest. It's really cool when you're in the tent in the evening, and everyone is standing on the benches, sloshing their beer with strangers and singing at the top of their lungs to whatever Schläger the band is playing. And be sure to check out the hilariously entertaining "teufelsrad," tent, which directly translates into "devil's wheel."

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Drenched--Absolutely Soaked

2011-10-20T16:25:00.002+02:00

Our ferry from Helsinki, Finland returned us to the Stockholm, Sweden harbor, which was warm and sunny and beautiful. Unfortunately, we were not staying in Stockholm again, but rather continuing on south into Denmark, where the weather was not so sunny and beautiful.

In fact, to say that there was a bit of bad weather would be an understatement. For several days leading up to our arrival in Copenhagen, and for several days after we left, thick rain storms tore through the city, flooding the streets and waterfall-ing down stairwells.

We did have some luck though: when we arrived at our youth hostel in the outskirts of Copenhagen, the rain had let up a little bit, and we were able to go into the city. So we suited up in our rain-gear and thick socks, and headed downtown.

We started out trying to navigate our way around Copenhagen using a map from the hostel, like we had in every other city we had visited. But the constant damp drizzle from above quickly turned the cheap paper to mush and GermanBoy was forced to toss it in the next trash can. So instead, we just wandered aimlessly around.

There were a lot of really cool fountains all over the city...which seemed kind of unnecessary to me, being as though it was raining non-stop, but in better weather I'm sure they would have been more exciting.

Even in the rain, the buildings were really impressive. Unlike Stockholm, where most of the buildings had been beige in color, in Copenhagen a lot of them were a dark, rich red or brown that really stood out, especially against the gray clouds and gloomy rain.

Sooner rather than later, however, GermanBoy and I got totally sick of being wet, and our rain jackets had stopped protecting our clothing and bodies from the constant assault of the tiny wet pellets, so we headed back to the hostel.

After a warm shower and a long-ish nap under the warm blankets of our bed, we took the car back into the city for dinner. To our great luck, we found an absolutely delicious little Italian restaurant to feed our stomachs and warm our wet, wet souls.

Copenhagen was the last city on our tour of Scandinavia. So after about 17 days of being on the road, with only this one city giving us horrible weather, we felt completely satisfied and ready to head home. It had been an absolutely perfect vacation; one that I feel very lucky and gifted to have been able to do. And thank you for letting me share it.
~ Until next week~

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Cozy Cottages and Birthday Partying with Famous Finnish Soap Opera Stars

2011-10-13T16:46:00.000+02:00

On day 13 of our Scandinavian vacation, GermanBoy and I woke up at the house of my my long-unseen friend from childhood, "Mamala."

After a relaxed breakfast of traditional Finnish breads and spreads, we piled into the car and drove about an hour into the countryside to visit their summer cottage. Located just steps away from a very peaceful lake, the cottage was super cozy.

The weather wasn't too great, or else we would have spent more time down by the water, but it was a great afternoon for playing cards and eating sweets inside.

After a couple hours, we said goodbye to the cottage and headed over to the Häme Castle, which is located in the town of Hämeenlinna, just 61 miles from Helsinki.

Constructed [probably] at the end of the 13th century, the Häme Castle was a medieval royal castle. As we learned from our guided tour, however, it was never used defensively; shortly after it's completion, the boundary lines of the country were changed, and the castle was suddenly located in the middle of the country, rather than on the edge, and wasn't very helpful guarding against intruders anymore!

In the first half of the 1800s, the castle and its surroundings were used to hold prisoners, and some of the rooms were altered to suit this need, but by 1956 the prisoners were gone and restorations were underway.

Our guided tour of Häme Castle was very informative, and if you make it there, I strongly suggest it rather than just wandering around yourself. We really learned a lot about each room and the secret stories that went along with every section.

Back at the house, we had dinner, relaxed, and took a "breather" before gearing up for a crazy night. The next day I would turn 24, so we got all dressed up and went out to one of Helsinki's hottest clubs to dance in my birthday.

Mamala introduced me to her friends, who were all very nice of course, and apparently the guy in this photo who has his arm stretching through the shot is a famous Finnish soap-opera star. Everyone was really chill and spoke amazingly great English. Living in Munich, I often meet people in the very center of town who speak little to no English, but in Helsinki it really seemed like everyone could speak it fluently.

The next morning began our last day in Finland; that afternoon we had to catch the ferry back to Sweden. But Mamala and her mom still had a surprise left for me...a delicious, home-made birthday cake with breakfast! (It's definitely never too early for cake on your birthday!)

It was an absolutely perfect way to bring in my 24th year! :-)

After breakfast, we gathered our things together and headed into the city. I was already beginning to feel sad, knowing that I'd have to say goodbye soon, but I still enjoyed getting to see the white Helsinki Cathedral, the waterfront, and the brick-red with green roof Uspenski Cathedral that simply jumps out of the skyline.

Of course, as I knew it would, the time to leave Helsinki and my new-old friends came way too soon. I had really, very much enjoyed my time with them and was sad to have to say good-bye. I'll be honest: as the ferry puttered away from the Helsinki harbor, my eyes did get pretty wet and watery about leaving.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

A Finland Reunion

2011-10-06T18:21:00.000+02:00

When I was 2 years old, I had a best friend. The closest I could come to pronouncing her name was to call her "Mamala." Mamala's parents were from Finland, but they lived in the States for a couple years because of the father's job. My family moved and then they moved back to Finland, and I didn't see Mamala for a very long time...It was not until August of 2010, 20 years since seeing her, that GermanBoy and I traveled to Helsinki, Finland during our Scandinavian vacation to see Mamala and her mom.

As our Viking Line ferry/party boat pulled into the Helsinki Harbor, we were greeted by the robust, star-shaped Suomenlinna Sea Fortress and a cop waiting to give every single person driving out of the ferry a breathalyzer test.

GermanBoy passed, of course, and we headed on our way.

Mamala's house was on the outskirts of the city, and her mom gave us a lovely tour of the surrounding wooded nature areas and the nearby house of the late famous Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. His rustic but adorable wooden house was located on the serene Lake Tuusula, surrounded by woods and cool, green grasses. The area was very lovely to visit, and GermanBoy and I both really enjoyed the guided tour of the house, but in the back of my mind, I was always very eager to finally see Mamala--who was at work all day since we arrived on a Friday.

About 45 minutes after getting back to her house, the moment I'd been waiting for finally arrived! I almost couldn't believe it when she walked through the door! Of course she looked 100% completely different than I remembered, but we hugged and within moments it was as if we had never parted. We were "strangers" and yet, I really didn't feel like we were at all--I felt just as comfortable with Mamala as I had 20 years before, curled up sleeping on the beach together.

After spending a few solid hours catching up, we took the ferry across the harbor to Suomenlinna, the fort GermanBoy and I had seen coming into port that morning.

The weather was wonderful--not too hot and not too cold, but it was a bit windy on the island.

We toured around, enjoying seeing the old battlements and cannons, and chatting all the while, of course.

It was pretty empty on the fort; I guess all the other tourists had already gone home for the evening, and the water that slowly, quietly lapped against the shore seemed more calm than I had expected.

As we made our way back toward the port to catch one of the last boats back to the mainland (some people stayed and camped on the island) the sun sunk beneath the horizon, creating a beautiful sunset for us.

Sitting on the rock wall, waiting for the boat to arrive, it was a perfect end to our first day in Finland.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Build a Ship too Heavy...It Will Sink: Vasa Ship Museum

2011-09-29T11:52:00.000+02:00

From Stockholm, we would eventually board a ferry that took us across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki, Finland, but before this, GermanBoy and I had time in the morning to continue touring around the Swedish capital.

Our couch surfing hosts in Trondheim, Norway had given us a tip about Stockholm; they had said that we must make time for a visit to the Vasa Ship Museum; so on the morning of our 11th day in Scandinavia, we headed across Stockholm to the museum!

After being inside for less than 5 minutes, we already knew our couch surfing friends had been right--the Vasa Museum is a definite must-see.

Inside of the vast, dimly-lit, high-ceiling hall we got to behold the only "almost fully intact" ship from the 1600s that has ever been salvaged.

Named Vasa, the 64-gun warship sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. Apparently, the ship was built top-heavy, and capsized after sailing less than a nautical mile--the first bit of light wind and rough-ish water tipped her right over.

Most of the ship's valuable bronze cannons were salvaged during the 1600s, but then after that it was pretty much forgotten about until the late 1950s when it was found in a shipping lane near the Stockholm harbor. In 1961 it was brought up from its watery grave with most of the hull surviving intact. Inside, excavators also found 15 bodies and lots of tools from the time, giving us a great deal of insight into the world of ship-building in the early 1600s. It also quickly became apparent that no expense had been spared in the decoration and adornment of the Vasa ship, which also made it a very heavy ship....perhaps that had something to do with the fact that it sank like a rock to the bottom of the sea?

The back of the Vasa ship.

A reproduction of how the Vasa ship would have looked in 1628.

If you find yourself in Stockholm, I definitely recommend making a trip to the island of Djurgården and visiting the Vasa Ship Museum. However, be sure to go early in the day! Having received over 29 million visitors since 1961, the Vasa Ship is a huge tourist attraction and the museum certainly fills up. When we left around noon, it was already getting uncomfortably packed.

But we managed to squeeze our way out and head toward the ferry. On the way, however, we randomly ran into a Royal Guard procession on the street! It was amazing; we were just walking down the sidewalk, when suddenly, a huge hoard of Royal Guards on foot and on horse-back came plowing down the street! Traffic slowed slightly, and a band dressed in black uniforms played music to announce the approach of the guards in blue.

Our stomachs were growling, and we remembered that on the ferry from Kiel to Oslo there had been nothing but over priced meals available, so we grabbed a bit of fast food before getting on the boat. But this burger joint, called Max, had something I had never seen before: next to each item on the menu was not only the price, but also the amount of CO2 that had been expended to produce it! So you could plan a healthy meal or a cheap meal or an environmentally friendly meal! The food was fresh and delicious, and the idea was very intriguing.

Our next stop was the over-night ferry to Helsinki. Where, just as I had predicted, there was not much in the way of food besides over-priced fancy stuff. However, the alcoholic drinks were a little more reasonably priced than they had been the rest of the trip! Scandinavia has a very high tax on alcohol, but on the open waters the prices can be lower. So a lot of people use the ferry from Sweden to Finland as a party-boat: get drunk for cheap and don't have to drive anywhere! You don't even have to pay for a room on board if you don't want to (although we definitely did), which is why there were so many people with sleeping bags and pillows who just camped out in different corners of the boat when they finally passed out at 4 or 5 in the morning.

We enjoyed a great view of Stockholm as we puttered away, although it wouldn't be our last view, since we would come back through Sweden to go home several days later.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Stockholm: thick, robust, and full of Scottish people

2011-09-22T13:00:00.001+02:00

From the teeny-tiny town of Rättvik, in the middle of Sweden, GermanBoy and I drove down and east to Stockholm, the capital.

From the moment we drove in, we were instantly impressed by the thick, massive buildings in Stockholm. It's a hard feeling to explain; the buildings were so "heavy" looking, so strong and secure. GermanBoy and I had the feeling that a massive hurricane/tornado could rip through the city, and nothing would be so much as wrinkled.

But this "heaviness" did not mean the buildings were bulky or unrefined. On the contrary, they were beautifully decorated, carved, and sculpted to perfection.

Surrounding the "solid" city was water, which is where GermanBoy and I spent the night: in a very, very, very tiny room on a ship floating in the harbor. Our toilet and sink were literally in the shower, which means that I did not shower in Stockholm. As we walked around the city, we saw, however, that there were other visitors staying in an even smaller area than us--a "bus hotel."

Wow! I can only imagine that it would feel pretty crowed in there, pretty fast.

In the center of the city, we visited The Royal Palace of Stockholm, the official residence of "His Majesty the King" and where most of the monarchy's official receptions take place. It, too, is best described as "thick." If I were the king of Stockholm, I'd certainly sleep peacefully and without worries in there at night!

Especially with the diligent guards out front...which we noticed in Stockholm were sometimes women! It was the first time either of us had seen female guards in front of a palace. Made me feel proud.

GermanBoy and I headed into the heart of the city, walking through alley-ways formed by the walls of the thick buildings.
People from all over the world lined the streets and drank/ate/licked ice cream cones at the pubs/restaurants/cafes which came one right after another.

There was one nationality of people that we seemed to see more often than any other: the Scottish! Wearing kilts and hanging out in big groups, they seemed to be everywhere in Stockholm. I wonder if there was a "Scottish-Convention" in Stockholm that weekend, or if Stockholm is just a big tourist destination for them.

We wandered through the city, enjoying the views from all angles. Around every corner was something new and surprising to be seen. One moment we were walking down a cute little cobblestone street with nobody in sight, the next we stumbled upon a loud, busy skate park crowded with plenty of teens and children showing off their moves.

And then there was the random artwork; we would just be walking through the town when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, we'd come upon a huge painting or artistic something-or-other adorning the buildings' walls.

Art/making a statement on the side of a building


Building art

After touring through the center of the robust town, we moved to the outer parts where the Katarina Elevator is located. First constructed in 1881, the Katarina Elevator is a passenger lift that connects the Slussen (the lock area) to the heights area, called Södermalm.

124 ft above the waterway below, we had a lovely view over the whole sprawling city.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Longest Wooden Lake Pier in the World...Probably

2011-09-15T13:11:00.002+02:00

When GermanBoy and I planned our trip through Sweden, it was tricky to decide which towns/cities we would visit. The guide book we bought helped greatly by giving us little summaries of the main attractions of each place. Östersund, where we had stayed the night before, was known for it's potato-field-raiding lake monster, whether real or imaginary we still don't know; and Rättvik, the town we visited on Day 9 of our Scandinavian vacation, was known for....***drum roll please*** probably having the longest wooden lake-pier in the world. But we'll get to that in more detail in a moment. First, let me paint the picture of our arrival in the sleepy town (village??) of Rättvik. GermanBoy and I drove through the town and wound around a large, crystal-clear sparkling lake to get to our lodging for the night. It wasn't very close to the town center at all--we quickly realized we'd have to drive rather than walk there for dinner, but the scenery surrounding the resort was so peaceful that it was worth the extra driving.

The place I had booked us was less a "hotel" and more a group of cute cottages on a green grassy field with a great view of the lake. There were adorable white wooden lawn chairs on the outside terrace for people to relax on and a red picket fence running around the whole area. It was very cozy.

We checked in with the very friendly woman at the front desk (everyone we met in Sweden was nice!) and then headed to our room. I unlocked the door, and it quickly became apparent that I had booked us into a honeymoon resort. The room was very romantic, with candles all over the place and candle holders in the shape of hearts. Through windows that completely opened outwards allowing fresh air to come in, we had a brilliant view of the lake, and there was a hot-tub outside. Well, I had promised GermanBoy that we would stay in all different places throughout our journey! Honeymoon Sweet...Check!

We put our bags down, then climbed back into the car and headed off to the town center. Which was adorable. We wandered around for a bit, admiring the statues, fountains, and wood-framed houses before making our way toward what was probably the longest wooden lake-pier in the world. (The sign in front of the pier literally did say "probably" when describing the merit of the pier.)

I have to say that I was pretty impressed by the pier! I have not been on too many lake-piers, but this one certainly did seem quite long! It was so long, in fact, that it was hard to get a good picture of the whole thing!

At then end of the pier was a small, very green island with benches and lots of shade to relax under. We hung out for some time before making the "long" trek back to land and finding a place for dinner.

There weren't very many restaurants in this small town, and most of them were out of our price range. We stumbled across a Thai restaurant, but worried that Thai food in the middle of nowhere Sweden probably wouldn't be very good. It was the only reasonably priced restaurant, however, so we went in and tried our luck.

To our great surprise, it ended up being some of the best Thai food we had ever had in Europe!! The spices were right on--not too hot, not too bland, and the quality was perfect.

After stuffing ourselves at dinner, we headed back to our honeymoon sweet and enjoyed the gorgeous sunset over the lake before passing out asleep. It had been another long, wonderfully exhausting day of vacation.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

The Swedish Lake Monster

2011-09-07T22:26:00.000+02:00

On Vacation Day 8, after saying goodbye to our wonderful couch surfing hosts, GermanBoy and I made our way out of Norway and into Sweden.

Within minutes of crossing over the boarder, the scenery changed dramatically. And I'm not just talking about the miles and miles of tree-filled forests that we saw, but rather, the fact that literally every other car was a Volvo. No joke. They were all over the place! It was also on this journey that we caught our one and only very quick glimpse of an Elk. It was a baby, and it's curiosity drove it to pop into view for a second, but then it quickly darted back into the woods.

In the early afternoon we arrived in the city of Östersund, whose biggest claim to fame was the monster that lurked in the small town's lake...

And other than the lake, there really wasn't all that much to see of Östersund. So, we checked into our hotel, grabbed a delicious cup of soft serve ice cream (the best I had ever tasted!) and then went Lake Monster prowling.

According to the town's brochure, "there are stories describing how, in the late 1800s, the monster was seen raiding a potato field...Descriptions of the monster tell of a snake-like creature with humps, a canine-like head, and flippers or ears held close to the neck." Hmmmm...potatoes, huh? Interesting.

But although our expectations were high, we did not, in fact, get to see the rumored beast :-( Contrarily, the lake was very calm and peaceful, and GermanBoy and I enjoyed taking a bit of a lazy rest on the bench at the bank. So far our vacation was going wonderfully (even if we hadn't seen the lake monster), but it was exhausting too! A rest did us good.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Couch Surfing where it is Still Light at 9pm

2011-09-01T08:25:00.001+02:00

After the long, strenuous hike the day before, I slept like a baby and woke up very well rested on day 7 of our Scandinavian vacation. We continued driving north, leaving the famous coastal fjord and heading slightly inland to Trondheim. This point would be the farthest north of our trip.

My first impression of the city was wonderful. It was a quaint, cute, super clean town with pretty houses and a calming river running through the middle. Boats were busy with activity, but the people on the sidewalk simply strolled carelessly around.

We took a sample of the town, and then headed to our lodging for the evening. As I said before, during this trip we would stay in almost every kind of lodging possible, and this night in Trondheim was a first for both GermanBoy and I: couch surfing!

Now, if you haven't heard of couching surfing, it's a great website that connects travelers with locals who are willing to give you a couch (or perhaps a whole room) to sleep on while you're in town. The Couch Surfing community is built on trust and an enjoyment of meeting new people and exploring the world. But even so, we were still a good bit nervous!

We followed the directions that our hosts had given us to their house, and then stood nervously in front of the door.

"You ring the doorbell," said GermanBoy.
"No! --you!" I said back,
"No! --you!"

I don't remember who finally rang the doorbell, but the next thing I knew, we were being buzzed in! We walked up the stairs to the second or third floor to be greeted by a very friendly man. He ushered us kindly in and introduced us to his partner. We thanked them in advance for their hospitality and gave them some wine and German chocolates that we had brought with us. It was awkward for about 30 seconds, and then they showed us to our room and we brought our stuff up from the car.

GermanBoy and I didn't want to get into their way, so we had planned on going into the city to eat. But they said it would be a shame for us to come couch surf and not hang out, so we were easily convinced to stay and eat with them. And, boy, was it a good decision, because they made a delicious dinner for us!

After dinner our hosts and their adorable new puppy showed us around the city.

Now, it was even calmer than before! The gray, stone university stood strong and silent, without much going on around it, although the Royal Residence (one of the largest wooden buildings in Norway) was a bit busier.

On the outskirts of the town, a hill sloped upward. We marched to the top and then turned around to enjoy our view over the area. The town appeared even stiller than from the ground!

And, at the top of the hill, overlooking everything, was a huge, white-washed house. It's stark shape and color was a strong contrast to the bright blue skies and rolling hills around us; it was mesmerizing in its stability.

When we had gone up, up, up to the top of the city, we had walked the whole way. But little did we know that had we had a bike, we could have taken a "lift" up some of the way! On our saunter back down into town, we passed by a "bike lift."

Start of the "bike lift"

At the bottom of the hill, you put in your money and then stick your foot into a little moving container. You sit on your bike with your hands on the handlebars, and ride up the hill!!! Unfortunately, there was nobody doing it while we were there, but that would have been a great sight to see.


End point of the "bike lift"

The towering Nidaros Cathedral was the last destination on our Trondheim city tour, and it was certainly a good note to end on.

Again, like everywhere in Trondheim, it was very peaceful at the Cathedral. It was late when this photo was taken, already around 9pm, but still late out since we were so far north! Everyone besides us was already at home getting ready to go to bed.

Our couch-surfing hosts were really wonderful. Not only were they kind, attentive, and cooked a great meal for us, but they also gave us a great first experience. If anyone is thinking of couch-surfing or offering up their couch to other surfers, I would definitely recommend it. It is a great opportunity to meet new people, and for us at least, it was an absolutely wonderful experience.
To our Trondheim hosts: if you are reading this, thank you once again a million times for your hospitality!

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Cabin Bunk Beds are very Comfy after Hours of Intense Hiking

2011-08-21T21:11:00.138+02:00

***We interrupt this blogcast to bring you some important information from the writer: Everyone has their own adventures in life, and many of them do not involve traveling around the world like me. If you've got an adventure going on right now that you want to tell about, email me your story to land in my "Guest Adventure's" section! Right now, Erika Terwilliger, the woman who posted about her trip to Niagara Falls, is in the process of going after a goal far more noble than my travel-the-world one: she's running a half marathon on behalf of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. She's seeking donations for this challenge and hoping to raise at least $3,600. So if you have been meaning to donate to something but haven't found your cause yet, or if you haven't donated to anything this year--this is your chance! Help Erika and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America out and donate today! Any size donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance, and I now return you to the scheduled programming***

Day 6 of our Scandinavian trip took us further north through Norway. The destination: Åndalsnes, a place whose name we never really did figure out how to pronounce.

While strawberry season in Germany had ended several weeks before our vacation, apparently it was in full swing in northern Norway! For about 20 minutes of the drive, we passed one lush, bountiful strawberry field after another, and in front of every farm was a little hut selling freshly picked berries. Many of them were run by adults, but we waited until we found one with an adorable blond-haired, blue-eyed girl sitting out front before we pulled over. But I'm pretty sure that little girl scalped us! Her price was 50 cents more than anywhere else, but we fell for her innocent smile and puppy-dog eyes. Anyway, we forgave her the moment we bit into one of the big, ripe, juicy suckers!

Even more exciting than the strawberries, just before reaching our destination, after 4 hours of driving along long, flat, deserted highways, we reached Trollstigen (The Troll Path in English): with a steep incline of 9% this curvy roadway also had 11 hairpin turns to navigate through!

In the afternoon, after settling into our not-so-rugged cabin (we had running water and a kitchen, but we did have to sleep in bunk-beds!) we headed out for a hike. Per the instructions of a local map we got from the guy who rented us the cabin, we parked at a gas station and enter a path on the side of the road.

At first, the path started out easy enough--a somewhat steep incline through a pleasant forest. Which was pretty much what GermanBoy and I had expected since the path was rated "middle" on the guide. But then, pretty suddenly, the path got steeper and more challenging!

We began having to hold onto branches and roots to pull ourselves up/stop from tumbling back down.

After about 2.5 hours of hiking, when we were 30 minutes from the top, we had to use chains and ropes that were secured into the path to maneuver around certain areas! It didn't seem like a "middle-level" path to me, but it certainly was fun!

About 30 minutes into our hike, a middle-aged man with a small dog on a leash, ran past us, up the mountain. An hour later he ran down the mountain, passing us again. 40 minutes after that he ran past us again going up the hill, and then an hour after that, once again, he ran past us heading down. In the 3 hours that it took us to climb our way to the top, this guy, who we guessed was a local, ran it twice with his dog!

It was a difficult, at times even scary, climb, but the view from the top was absolutely, 100% worth it.

We could see out over everything! I felt like I was looking out over the whole freaking world. And even though I had gotten really hot during the hike, it was windy on top and I had to put on my jacket and hood to protect my ears! Can you see me in this great panorama photo that GermanBoy took? I'll give you a hint--I'm in the left part of it, sitting on the rocks, enjoying what I accomplished.

Perhaps you wouldn't expect to find "anything" on the top of the world, I know I didn't, but actually, there was a small hut! GermanBoy and I went inside, and from the look of it, apparently sometimes people spent the night up there! I think that would be a little creepy/too rugged for me; we just signed the guest book and then headed back down the 1.5 mile mountain, the same way we had come up. For the first 45 minutes, many times we even had to go down backwards, so from this photo it might look like GermanBoy is going up the mountain, but in fact this is us heading down.

Once back at the cabin, we were both really hungry, so the grilled veggies and chicken wings that GermanBoy prepared on our one-time-use grill tasted more amazing than any grilled food ever had before. We dug ravenously into everything and finished dinner in record time, which was okay because I was ready to crash into bed.

So after we took care of the "dishes," I shot-gunned the bottom bunk and quickly passed out. Good night!

***Thank you for reading this week's blog! Be sure to come back next Thursday for more, and if you're interested, don't forget to go donate today! The Good Karma will surely come back to you :-)***

Cold, Damp Glacial Valley Vs. Peaceful, Heavenly Evening on the Farm

2011-08-18T08:18:00.000+02:00

Instead of just spending one night in Stryn, as we did in most of the other cities on our trip, we spent two. Which means that on Day 5 of our Scandinavian vacation we didn't have to get up early and drive on to our next destination! We did, however, still get up early to eat (breakfast on the farm was as deliciously fresh as you would expect it to be) and then go off to explore the lush surroundings.

Sun and blue skies outside of the glacial valley

Our first stop was the Briksdalsbreen, or "Briksdal Glacier" in English. At this park we were able to hike down into a glacial valley and get much closer to an arm of the Jostedalsbreen Glacier than we had been able to the day before. As we walked into the valley, powerful waterfalls poured over the rock cliffs all around us, but the closer we got to the glacier the more still everything became. Outside of the valley the weather was sunny and calm, but with every step that we took closer to the frozen blue ice, the weather got colder, grayer, and wetter.

Heading into the glacial valley--look at the power of that waterfall!

The boulders were absolutely gigantic.

We made it to the glacier...

...And got as close to it as possible.

When you looked at these photos, was your first thought, "Wow...that glacier doesn't look very big at all!"? It was kind of my thought when I first saw it, although it did look much bigger in person than the photos give credit. But if you did think that, the thing is--you're right. It isn't very big, compared to how big it used to be. All throughout the valley were signs showing how far out the frozen glacier used to go, and I was astounded to see that it went at least half way through the park just 90 years ago! Where we now had paved roads, a placard showed that in just 1920 the glacier had stood there! I knew that they had been melting, but until I saw just how much had disappeared since 1920, I didn't really get it. If it keeps melting at the rate that it has been, by 2090 there won't be any of the glacier left hanging onto that rock face.

Once GermanBoy and I felt that we'd had our fair share of glacial mist in the face (it started to get really cold after a while!) we hiked back to a warmer climate. Unfortunately, where we went next brought us more mist, but at least it was much warmer than down in the glacial valley.
Located in the outskirts of Stryn (though I suppose you could argue that all of Stryn is "outskirts") was a very hidden path. After about 2 hours of searching and almost giving up, we finally found it.

According to our guidebook, about 30 minutes into the path we should reach a waterfall. I was kind of skeptical about finding it, as the book had not been very helpful in getting us to the entrance of the path in the first place, but it did not let us down. Just as it said, about 30 minutes into our trip we came upon a huge waterfall that poured over the cliffs behind us, allowing us to actually walk under the water! I had never done that before! It was definitely awesome, and not nearly as wet as I had expected.

View from behind the waterfall.

Clear view from behind the waterfall.

We hiked back to the car through the farm land, admiring the fresh green landscape and view of the North Fjord as we went. The contrast of the green grass against blue water was phenomenal, and every now and then we came across a red barn that splashed even more color into the mix.

Even with the gorgeous views, after some time we couldn't help but be ready to get back to the hotel and change out of our damp clothes and shoes. So off we went for a little recharge before exploring the evening.

As I said before, the weather inland was really nice, but we had no idea of knowing just how gorgeous the farm would be in the evening. When we walked out of our room at 8pm, the scene literally stunned us. I couldn't believe how pristine everything looked! The low light cast a warm glow onto everything around and white fluffy clouds rested not far from the ground.

Moisture clung to the petals of flowers and everything was as calm as could be. It was still light out, but it felt like the whole world was already asleep. There were no sounds but the running water to be heard; no cars whizzing by, no construction, no music. For some people, perhaps that would be unsettling, but for me it was heavenly.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Trespassing and Checking out Life on a Farm

2011-08-10T20:30:00.000+02:00

***Sorry that I didn't get a chance to post a blog last Thursday--I was busy becoming Mrs. GermanBoy :-) Which you'll get to learn more about in a couple months. Until then...back to Norway....***

Day 4 in Scandinavia started out no differently than the others; waking up early, packing up our stuff, and heading on to the next destination. But the drive was like nothing I could have imagined. We thought we had seen gorgeous views the previous day, but it was nothing compared with what we saw on our drive northward from Bergen to Stryn.

About an hour into the drive the road ended abruptly, and we had to drive the car onto a ferry in order to shuttle across the fjord. Once on the other side we spent the rest of the drive hugging the tranquil water and bright-green mountains the whole time.

Once again, we were in no big rush to get to Stryn, so about 30 minutes after taking the ferry, we stopped to enjoy the view and do some scrambling on the big boulders on the bank of a lake. We quickly realized, however, that it was private property and that we probably shouldn't be there, so we scrambled down and back into the car. Eh, we had gotten our photos and had our fun already, anyway.

And it's not like there wasn't enough beauty to go around. Every second of the whole drive was magnificent!

Not long after our brief trespassing episode, we stopped at another gorgeous lake, which was directly on the side of the road! We didn't have to walk or trek anywhere to see it--just pull the car over and climb out.

And not long after that, we came across a pool of the most exquisite blue-green water that we had ever seen. I simply couldn't believe how teal its color was!

Along the road (and sometimes right on the road) were often goats or sheep, and at this paradise-like green-blue pond it was no different.

We had stopped not only for the view but to eat our lunch as well, and it quickly became apparent that we would be sharing. Within moments of stepping out of the car with our sandwiches, a swarm of goats cobbled over to me. GermanBoy kept his distance and and his sandwich, but I broke off the crusts and doled out what I could. But even once I had run out, they simply kept coming! Eventually we had to leave for fear of being goat-trampled! You can check out the video on my YouTube Channel.

We drove on, continuing through the mountains along the mostly deserted road. We had been driving for over 4 hours, but we didn't notice because our brains were too busy focusing on the 360 degree views around us.

About 30 minutes before arriving in Stryn, we stopped on last time for what what supposed to be a quick hike, but what ended up being a two hour trek.

Beginning from the road side, we followed a path up to the top of a hill, thinking that then we would have "reached the top." But once there, we realized that the path slumped down before spiking up even higher. So we continued on, climbing to the top of that hill, expecting it to the "the top." But no, it was the same game as last time. We continued scaling from one peak to the next, always hoping that would be the top. But it never was. Finally we past two other hikers and asked them how far we were. Their synchronized answer was basically "no where near the highest peak." So, we did one more peak and called it quits. As far as we were concerned, we were damn high enough! Even if we had climbed higher, I don't think the view could have gotten much better than it already was, and we were worn out.

Our room in Stryn

We piled back into the car and drove without stopping to Stryn, where we checked into our room...on a farm! Pretty much located in the middle of nowhere, nestled into wilderness, there weren't many places to stay in Stryn, but I did find a farm that had some extra lodging on its premises.
As soon as we pulled in, I quickly realized that we could have slept under a bridge and Stryn would have been amazing. The scenery in all directions was breath taking, even from our farm-bedroom window!

Gorgeous view from our room!

We knew instantly that we had made the right decision about picking Stryn as the "city" that we'd spend two nights in, rather than just one.

I had been a little nervous about staying on a farm--I hadn't known what to expect when I booked the room. Would we be in a barn sleeping on hay? Would we be in with the cows or the sheep? It turned out that this farm didn't even have cows, but they didn't have cute little sheep running around, but we didn't have to sleep with them. Although, they were so cute that I was certainly tempted! Besides being surprised about the accommodations themselves, I was also shocked by my first conversation with the receptionist. The woman who checked us in and brought us to our room was a little old lady. Assuming that her English was poor at best--I mean, we were staying on a farm in the middle of nowhere--I spoke slowly the first time I saw her. But to my huge surprise, she instantly began pelting me with questions in very strong English! Where were we from? Where were we going? What did we think of Norway? And she gave me a short history lesson on the farm as well! I was really shocked. In Munich there are many times when 20 and 30-year-old people working in the stores directly in old-town square can't speak English, and here I was, staying on a remote farm, being chatted up by a little old lady. So I must confirm what everyone told me before I left on my trip, pretty much everyone, from the people working in 7-11 to little old farm women, can speak English.

As usual, we didn't waste much time in the hotel room, even though the view was great; instead we went outside and explore it for ourselves. Like we had seen earlier that day, the water in the lakes was a magnificent glossy green. Mountains rose up all around and water falls from the glaciers gushed down.

Being braver than me, GermanBoy knelt down and stuck his hand in the water, confirming what I already knew to be true--it was freaking freezing. Of course it was! It came directly from a glacier, after all. Which, was the next thing on our schedule to go see.

We drove away from our lovely farm-hotel to a place that is called "The Jewelery-box of Norway."And as we drove in, we understood why. All around us waterfalls crashed down the mountain sloops and directly in front of us was a gigantic, blue-white glacier just handing off the mountain.

The area leading up to the glacier was rocky, and as we climbed from on rock to the next, I realized that many of them were split in half; my guess is that it came from the freezing and thawing, freezing and thawing, over and over and over again. Either that, or Sasquatch came by and did it!

We got as close to the glacier as was safe--there were no cords or signs saying we couldn't go any closer, but common sense told me to stay at a distance...Okay, I'll be honest: GermanBoy told me to stay at a distance. I wanted to go climb up on the glacier and maybe even scamper up to the top, but he wouldn't let me. Party pooper :-)

Back at the farm, I ended our first day in Stryn with a bounce on the farm's trampoline and then fell quickly asleep to the sounds of, well, nothing.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Cozy Little Port Town in Norway Where You Can Find Mexican Texas Food

2011-07-27T20:42:00.000+02:00

On Day 3 of our Scandinavian tour, GermanBoy and I crawled out of our tent in the early hours of the morning. Just like the sunlight stuck around until 10:30pm, it rose super early as well. Everything was so calm and peaceful as we packed up our things and loaded them into the car. We could have spent the whole vacation on the bank of that river, admiring the gorgeous mountains and peaceful scenery surrounding us, but that was not the plan. Today we were driving further north to Bergen, a port city on the west coast of Norway.

For the first bit of our drive heavy fog remained trapped in the fjord that we drove next to, but it dissipated soon enough and left us with a crystal blue sky and unbelievable views of lakes, mountains, and waterfalls throughout the whole drive.

We drove into Bergen around noon and navigated our way through the very narrow streets to our "hotel." It wasn't really a hotel, but rather a house whose top floor had been turned into a place where guests could stay--there were two (small) rooms, one bathroom, kitchen, and living room area. It was very cute, but we didn't really take advantage of that, as we were in Bergen to see Bergen, not to enjoy our accommodations. So after a zippy shower, off we went!

I quickly realized that Bergen was an absolutely adorable little port town--pastel colored houses with window flower boxes lined the quaint roads, and the old town center didn't disappoint either.

Going up from the old town area was a winding, shady path that led up to a high hill, which overlooked the city and the port. So after poking around town, we headed up! And up. And up. And up. It was a pretty long trek, but with every step we took, the view got better and better. About 3/4 of the way up we found our dream house--a pristine white building teetering on the edge of the forest with, arguably, one of the best views in the world.

From our perch at the top, we admired the city, water, and mountains for a good long time before slowly making our way back down the steeply inclined hill and into the city. We could feel and hear our stomachs growling, so we began searching around for food. We checked out the fish market, which was packed with tourists and locals alike, but as I'm not a big sea food eater, it wasn't really the place for us.

Along the water we saw a building full of restaurants, one of which caught my attention. Skibet is, as the Norwegians described it, a "Mex-Tex" restaurant...hmmm I wonder how that works? Mexican Texas food...interesting. Needless to say, we did not dine there. Instead, we ended up grabbing a burger at a restaurant downtown that had lovely outside seating with a view of the water.

And then, while the sun still shined brightly onto the city, we made our way back through the maze of narrow streets and cobblestone stairs to our "hotel" and into our separate beds. It had been a long, wonderful day, and we needed our rest. Especially since we planned on waking up early the next morning and doing it all again! Next destination: Stryn.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Norway: Freaky Trolls, Breathtaking Fjords, and Unexpected Waterfalls

2011-07-21T20:18:00.000+02:00

On Day 2 of our Scandinavian vacation, GermanBoy and I left Oslo and headed northward through fog, drizzle, and tiny villages boasting large brown-bear statues or trolls at their rest stations. Despite the imperfect weather conditions, the stark beauty of the Norwegian countryside was still quite apparent, and we stopped several times to marvel at the gentle roadside lakes and rolling green mountains around us.

Even though it was smack in the middle of tourist season, to our great surprise, we rarely saw another car at all during the five hour drive. It made me feel like an explorer, trekking across untouched, never-before-seen land. ...With a paved road for easy access, of course.

It was during this drive that we came upon what would go on to win the award of "cutest sighting of the vacation": a small herd of adorable alpacas munching at grass and just generally chilling. I literally squealed with joy when I saw them and made GermanBoy pull over and let me out of the car. I desperately wanted to hop the fence and hug each one of their furry, little bodies, but that's where GermanBoy drew the line. Probably a good idea. So, I was forced to enjoy their big, round eyes and cute little rabbit-like teeth from the roadside. And then for about the next three hours I babbled on and on about how I wanted to move to Norway and get my own alpaca farm.

The colors of the countryside were generally cool earth tones, but every now and then we'd drive past a brightly colored house or store that stuck starkly out from its surroundings, like this orange and red antique shop. We didn't go inside, but we did enjoy it's rays of bright color as we drove past.

The thick, gray clouds parted in the afternoon, allowing warm sunshine to pour down on us, right around the same time that we drove past a creek and rickety wooden bridge. We were in no huge rush to get to our destination of Aurland; during that leg of the trip, the drive through the Norwegian countryside was a huge part of the vacation, so of course we had to stop and check it out. The whole bridge wobbled under our feet as we walked, so the handrail didn't really give much security since it quivered as well. Once I got out to the middle, I simply tried to stay still until GermanBoy joined me and gave me something stable to cling onto.

The rest-stops with the trolls and the bears had been pretty funny, but about an hour before pulling into Aurland, we found the most intriguing rest-area to date: a red building covered in an overgrown grass roof. I learned that the official name is not "grass roof," but rather "sod roof," and that until the late 1800s this was the most common roof for rural log houses in Scandinavia. Apparently, the heavy sod compresses the logs which make up the building, making the walls draft-free. The grassy top also helps to keep in warmth during the frigid winters.

We were almost to Aurland, but before getting there we had to pass through the longest tunnel in the world! At 15.2 miles long, the lighting in the Lærdal Tunnel was expressly designed to keep drivers awake! The light in the tunnel itself was white, but every 3.7 miles there was a large cavern filled with blue and yellow light. The blue light is supposed to give the driver the impression that he or she is driving into daylight, and the yellow light along the floor is meant to look like a sunrise.

And then, just a short ride from the tunnel, GermanBoy and I reached our campground along a small, peaceful stream in Aurland. I had planned out all of the accommodations for the trip, and as you will see, we stayed in a different kind of housing every night. Including our Aurland accommodation, which was a tent--a really cool pop-up tent with an air-mattress, but still a tent nonetheless.

Once said tent was successfully tethered to the ground, we wasted no time at all loading ourselves back into the car and driving through Aurland to get to the reason we were there in the first place: the famous Aurland Fjord. This is the fjord that had sparked my desire to visit Norway in the first place, so I was definitely excited to see it first hand. And man, oh, man was it something to see.

I'm sure that these photos don't do the Aurland Fjord justice, but I hope that they at least give you an idea of the beauty that we saw. (Note: These photos have not been touched-up or photo-shopped.)

After about 30 minutes of marveling, we piled back into the car and drove back down into town. Our stomachs were growling, so we stopped at a small grocery store for some munchies before finding a place to do some hiking. It was August so the sunlight in Norway stuck around until about 10:30pm, and we took advantage of this almost every night. It was 7:30pm, and we were just beginning a hike the Aurlandsdalen. According to our guidebook, to do this hike in full would have taken six hours one way, six hours back. Ehhh, we didn't really have that kind of time or energy, so we just did one hour in, one hour back. It was enough for us and certainly gave a good idea about the kind of scenery and peaceful creeks that lay throughout the whole path.

haha! A rock with a tree growing out of it!

All of the scenery that we had witnessed so far had been things that I had somewhat expected to see. What I had definitely not expected to see in Scandinavia, though, was waterfalls. To our delighted surprise, however, they dotted the landscape almost everywhere we looked! And on our 2nd day in Norway, we finished off the evening with an impromptu hike up to one of those powerful waterfalls. The exertion heated us up, but at the same time, cool mist from the fall sprayed us, and a refreshing breeze blew across our faces.

A more than satisfying end to Day Number 2.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for more! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel (where you can find videos of my time in Scandinavia). And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Naked Statues and $20 Hot Pockets in Norway

2011-07-14T07:40:00.001+02:00

After (literally) months and months of planning our summer vacation, August of 2010 finally rolled around, and GermanBoy and I set off on our three week tour through Scandinavia. And to say that we started off running would be an understatement. We headed out at 4am on day 1 and drove northward from Cologne to Kiel (Germany) in order to catch a ferry that set sail at noon. Named the MS Color Magic and hailing from Norway, the boat we sailed across the North Sea on was no ordinary ship, but rather the largest ferry in the world! With 1000 cabins, 54 suites, an extremely colorful mall, a spa and fitness center, a water park, a golf-simulator game-consul area, a magic-show lounge, a night club, and several restaurants, the ferry certainly did impress. And, while the weather in the evening wasn't perfect (think heavy dark skies rather than cloudless blue ones) it certainly did make for a gorgeous sunset--a perfect start to our vacation.

The ferry chugged along throughout the night, and the next morning, as we ate breakfast in the grand buffet area, it navigated its way toward the Oslo, Norway port. We hurried up on deck and gushed over the vista as our first peek at Scandinavia floated into view--a green little island with a smattering of homey-looking houses running from one end to the other. Definitely good if you like gorgeous, calm scenery and seclusion. Not good if your idea of a fun Friday night entails the cinema or clubbing...

The boat docked and released its passengers. Knowing that we would only have that one day in Oslo, we wasted absolutely no time dropping our bags off at the hotel and heading into the city.

The first thing we noticed? A 7-11 convenient store. I poked my head inside out of curiosity and instantly realized something was off. Very off. Instead of a somewhat shabby, slightly run-down shop with gray concrete floors and a warming box spinning old rubbery hot-dogs, I came face to face with a clean, cozy shop selling gourmet salads, pasta, coffees and baked goods. There was even a red carpet rolled out! I was shocked to say the least.

Next, and even more impressive than the posh 7-11 store, we trekked up a long, steady hill to reach the Karl Johan's Gate and palace. Personally, I didn't think it was anything too spectacular--I had seen cooler. But the view back down the hill was magnificent, and it was really funny to watch the guards in front of the palace pace back and forth; I had never seen anyone walking so oddly before! They looked like a nutcracker-doll come to life.

Behind the palace was a sprawling, cool green park with refreshing ponds, fountains, and lots of trees offering shade from the brightly shining sun. We waltzed through, continuing on our journey away from the city center and towards a sight located in the outskirts.

Vigeland Park was a pretty good hike outside of the city (we could have taken a bus, but we didn't mind the walk since the weather was so perfect) but it was well worth every step. Just as the guide book had advertised (I think I kind of hadn't believed it), Vigeland Park is an open exhibition of 212 bronze statues of naked people posed in every way imaginable.

It was fascinating to see, and if you make it to Oslo, I would definitely recommend trekking just a little further to visit the park.

From there we walked through a bit of countryside farmland to arrive at the Viking Ship Museum, which displays the best preserved Viking ships in the world. The three vessels housed in the museum had been burial ships, which means that they had been sunk with dead Vikings and the items they would need "on the other side." These items were also displayed in the museum and gave a really fascinating insight into the Viking life! Another "must see" to check out while in Oslo.

We made our way back to the main city by way of a small ferry (we were too tired/lazy to walk all the way back) and then ogled the Nobel Peace Center (where Nobel Peace Prizes are given out) before beginning our search for food. Okay, let me be a little more specific--we began our search for reasonably priced food. Which, didn't go so well.

I had booked all of the hotels, so I thought I knew what to expect as far as prices went; the cost of the rooms were pretty reasonable, so I figured that would carry over to the other items. Definitely not the case. It was a good thing that we had packed a bunch of food in the car and didn't plan on making it an "eating vacation" like our short trip to Rome! No, we were there for the scenery. But still, paying $20 for a meal of what was essentially microwaved HotPockets and a Coke from 7-11 was an eyebrow-raiser to say the least. We had talked about eating at the TGIFridays in town since I was craving a burger, but for just two burgers without drinks or anything else it would have cost $60!! $60 for two TGIFridays burgers! After drinks it would have been a meal over $70. I simply couldn't spend that much on TGIFridays food without breaking down in tears, so HotPockets it was.

But we made the best of it by taking our "calzones" to a cute park by the water and enjoying the passing world as we ate. That's not to say that I ended up being satisfied with the meal, but at least I wasn't hungry, and we made up for the sub-par dinner by having a cone of the most delicious soft-serve ice cream I had ever had until that point (I would have even better in Sweden).

To end the night, we strolled around the rest of the city, enjoying the building designs, parks, brightly colored flower beds, and each other. It was a great start to an awesome vacation.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week to read about our trip to the famous Norwegian Fjords! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. And if you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share, please send them to me to land in my "Guest Adventures" section! Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

It's Definitely a Small World After All

2011-07-06T21:51:00.001+02:00

Munich is a huge, sprawling city, spread across 120 square miles with 1,330,440 inhabitants plus approximately 6 million tourists annually. Which makes the extremely unlikely event that happened to me on July 7, 2010 even more awesome.

Being a freelance teacher, I left the house at different times each day depending on when my first class of the morning began. On this particular day, I believe I left around 9am. There are two different underground lines near my house, both within a 20 minute walk. Today I chose to take the U6 from Partnachplatz.

I arrived a few minutes before the underground train was scheduled to come into the station and sauntered down the long escalator with my iPod plugged into my brain. So far, nothing was out of the ordinary.

But then, as I made my way from the escalator toward one of the free benches on the waiting platform, I walked past another girl with her iPod similarly plugged in. An alarm went off in my head as my brain tried to process the fact that her face somehow seemed familiar to me. I had seen it before, but couldn't place where.

I wandered a bit further before turning around to get another look at her, only to find her staring at me as well. With a stupefied look of shock mixed with disbelief, both of our hands went up to our heads to remove the iBuds.

"Did you play softball at my middle school and high school?" I asked her, feeling as though I were dreaming. If her answer was "no," she would think I was definitely crazy for my random question. But lucky for me, it wasn't.

"I knew that I recognized you from somewhere! Oh my God; hi!" she responded back.

I could hardly believe it. Here I was, in the middle of suburbia Munich, running into a girl I had gone to middle school and high school with. Surreal to say the least.

She was in town to play on a German softball league, and would only be around for another month, but we took advantage of that time together as much as we could! Not only did we visit some tasty cafes, restaurants, and beer gardens together, I also attended her softball games, giving GermanBoy a chance to watch his first ones! He had never before watched softball or baseball, so it was really exciting for him as well.

Have you had any crazy bump-ins with friends or acquaintances? If so, please send me your stories to be published in my Guest Adventures section!

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week for a new blog. Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

One Last Pizza Before Saying Ciao to Italy

2011-06-30T17:19:00.001+02:00

After our not so spectacular time at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, GermanyBoy and I continued our drive up the western Italian coast. I slept off the shock in the car for about 2 solid hours, and when I finally woke up we were pulling off of the main road. He wanted to bring me somewhere breathtakingly beautiful, in the hopes of removing the afternoon's event from my mind, at least for a little bit. And so, we arrived at the Gardasee (Garda Lake).

As my eyes peaked open, I certainly was excited to see this view out the window! Layers of rocky mountains surrounded the gently lapping crystal blue lake on one side, and dark green trees, palm trees, and vibrant houses lined the other.

Along the shoreline, kids played in the sand and water, and on the lake, people windsurfed and boated. The feel was absolutely that of rest, relaxation, and innocent indulgence.

To get to the other side of the lake, we drove through town and took in the splendid colors of bright orange, yellow, and pink buildings, and the beautiful cars as well. A convertible, like the car in front of us, would definitely have been nice. :-)

We parked the car along the water and took a walk through town, on the look-out for a tasty spot for dinner.

There was an abundance of tasty looking restaurants and, being that we were technically still in Italy (the Garda Lake is located quiet close to the Italian-Austrian border), we chose the restaurant with the best looking pizza. We had been eating pizza for four days straight, but I was no where near being sick of it. It wasn't as amazing as the pizza in Rome, but it was still better than most pies I had eaten in my life.

We scarfed down our meal and then meandered slowly back to the car, lingering on the docks in an attempt at prolonging our mini-vacation. The sun was going down, which cast a gorgeous hue over some boats that knocked together as the water swished underneath, and GermanBoy and I deeply breathed in a couple more breaths of "vacation air," before heading back to the car and over the border into Austria and then Germany. It had been a great Italian adventure, but it was time to go home. Next stop: Munich.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Do you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share? Please send them to me to land in my new "Guest Adventures" section! And, as always, don't forget to come back next week for a new blog. Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

The Leaning Tower of Pisa: More Than I Expected, but Didn't Meet my Expectations

2011-06-23T10:45:00.001+02:00

On Sunday of our great Roman vacation, GermanBoy and I headed back to Germany. But instead of taking the fastest route possible, we drove up the scenic western coast of Italy, enjoying the blue skies, vineyards, rolling green hills, and glimpses of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea that whizzed by.

About 1/3 of the way back to Munich, at around noon, we reached our first destination: the city of Pisa. As we exited off of the highway and followed the signs to the infamous leaning tower, my adrenalin began to pump and I got super excited. I was actually on my way to see the tower that had been part of my childhood in the form of corny cartoon jokes (I believe the leaning tower of "cheesa" was one of them) and that was known the world over. I think it's reasonable to imagine that my expectations were revved up quite high. Which is probably one of the main reasons that the reality of the city of Pisa shocked me so hard.

The road we drove into the city was nothing more than a scruffy side street, along the side of which was an army camp of some sort, surrounded by a tall, gangly barbed-wire fence. My spirits lifted when I saw, opposite the army camp, a couple women standing on the side of the road under umbrellas.

"Oh look!" I said to GermanBoy. "They must be selling strawberries or something."

"What?" he said laughing. "They're selling something alright, but it's not strawberries."

Apparently they were prostitutes. Being as naive as I was, I doubted him at first, but his assessment of the situation was verified moments later when I saw another one of the women walking down the road in uber-high heels, super-short shorts, and a barely-there shirt--no fresh strawberries.

But even so, I still had high hopes for my visit to the tower.

We drove into the city and, since we were just coming to see the tower and then heading on our way, parked at a lot nearby (which, by the way, meant we would be charged 3 Euros=$5 per 15 minutes!). Along with several groups of Japanese tourists, we walked across the street, to the promenade containing the tower. I put aside the road-side prostitutes and the fact that we were being charged an arm and a leg for parking with every second that ticked by, and enjoyed the fact that I was really looking up at the renowned Leaning Tower of Pisa.

And, as it turned out, I needn't have worried about the parking fee, anyway, because we didn't end up staying there very long at all.

We had just barely admired the view and taken a couple of the obligatory "holding up the tower" photos, when, out of the corner of my eyes, I saw something that looked like a person fly out of the top of the tower. Milliseconds rolled slowly by like hours as my mind tried to make sense of what my eyes thought they had seen.

"Hey! You didn't tell me that they do bungee jumping from the top of the tower!" I blurted out to GermanBoy.

"What? What are you talking about? They don't do bungee jumping," he said, as if I were crazy.

"Yes they do, I just saw someone come flying out."

As the sentence rolled off my tongue I instantly knew that something wasn't right with it, especially since I had seen the form go out the left hand side, where the tower is at it's highest.

"WHAT?" questioned GermanBoy.

My brain was absolutely not ready to deal with the reality of the situation just, yet so it covered it up and rationalized with, "Oh, you know what. It was probably just a bird. Or maybe a dog," I said weakly, knowing the truth deep down.

I glanced around, looking for panic or something out of place to disprove my dog or bird theory, but there was nothing. Everyone was shuffling calmly around the plaza, kids lapped at ice cream cones, adults laughed, and the people up on the tower were still taking photos. So for about another 2 minutes I had myself pretty close to convinced that nothing sinister had happened. And so we continued walking toward the tower.

When we came within 30 feet of the tower base my eyes saw something laying in front of the entrance door, covered in green paper towels from the restroom.

"That must be the dog," I said to GermanBoy.

He didn't say anything back.
And then I heard the blaring sirens of a flock of ambulances.

My mind, still clinging to the waning idea that it was a dead dog under those napkins, prayed that the ambulance sirens would disappear into the distance, but they didn't; they grew louder and closer.

When the medical cars finally pulled into the plaza, my mind gave up the charade and finally had no choice but to deal with the reality that it was a person and had been a person all along. As the realization washed over me, my head spun in dizzy waves and nausea crept over my whole body.

Needless to say, we weren't in the mood to site-see around the tower anymore, and once GermanBoy had convinced me that the cops wouldn't want to get my statement as a witness, I let him drag me back to the parking lot and into the car, where I quickly fell into a heavy, sweaty, dreamless sleep.

***Thank you very much for reading this week's blog. I'm sorry that it wasn't the usual happy, peppy blog that you are used to. I contemplated long and hard about publishing the details of this story, but it was something that happened to me on my travels, that really affected and shook me to my core, so I decided to write about it. The day after it happened, I learned in an article online that it had been a 31-year-old Italian woman who had jumped to her death as a way to escape her depression.***

The Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and History

2011-06-16T08:35:00.000+02:00

On our third and final day in Rome we toured my most loved site of the whole city--the Coliseum. On the first and second day we had simply admired the outside, which was extremely impressive to begin with, but on this day GermanBoy and I purchased tickets and walked through the thick stone archway to see the mother of all amphitheaters up close.

Having been completed 1,931 years ago, the Coliseum is considered to be one of the most amazing works of the Roman Empire, both architecturally and engineering-wise. With a former capacity of 50,000 people (which is about how many fit into the Byrd Football Stadium at the University of Maryland, College Park) I was beyond overwhelmed when I sauntered inside. The solid, rock walls rose far over my head, and winding underground tunnels curved through the Earth parallel to the walking area.

During its heyday, the arena of the Coliseum had been comprised of wooden planks covered in sand. Gladiatorial contests, mock sea battles or re-enactments of battles, theater shows, and executions all went on up there, but underground things were pretty wild as well. If reality TV had been around back then, there definitely would have been a show called "The Coliseum: behind-the-scenes and exposed." The section underneath the arena, called the "hypogeum," was the waiting area for the animals and gladiators. Elevators and pulleys allowed them to be raised and lowered throughout the show, and tunnels provided easy access to locations all over the Coliseum.

Not far from the towering Coliseum is another famous site, the Roman Forum, or "Foro Romano" in Italian. Today it is a bunch of ruins, but at one time it was the location of the center of civic, economic, and public life in Rome--elections, trials, public speeches, meeting, and commercial affairs all took place on those grounds.

There was no line to get into the Forum, but about a 30 minute wait to buy tickets. GermanBoy and I stood patiently in line, only to get to the front and learn that our ticket into the Coliseum got us into the Foro Romano as well...oops!

I had read up on Rome prior to our trip there, and I tried to picture what the Forum would have looked like during its glory, but it was pretty hard; in some places there wasn't more than just an outline or a single column showing where a building used to stand. When I got home, I found a photo detailing which buildings were where and learned that I had pictured most of the buildings incorrectly or in the wrong places, but it was still a blast nonetheless.

^{Even though I was a bit off on some of my ruined-buildings placement, I did get other historical facts correct, and, for me, that was part of what made exploring Rome so awesome.}
^{Everywhere I went, I got to say, "Hey! That's where 'this and this' happened!" or "Oh yeah, I know why there's a statue of two infant twins}^{suckling milk from a wolf" (because according to legend, two twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, were rescued from drowning by a she-wolf before growing up to become the founders of Rome).}
^{So, if any of you are thinking of going to Rome, or just interested in learning some more about the fascinating, and sometimes dark, history of the Romans, you really must check out The History of Rome website and podcast. This is what I used to educate myself on the details that my American high school seemed to have missed. Mike Duncan did, and is still doing, an extraordinary job of sifting through the myriad of historical books on Rome to write and deliver a gripping account of what shook down all those years ago. I recommend it 100%.}

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Do you have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share? Please send them to me to land in my new "Guest Adventures" section! And, as always, don't forget to come back next week for a new blog. Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Stolen Obelisks and Mouth-Watering Pizza

2011-06-10T12:24:00.001+02:00

Touring the (very impressive) Vatican City left our minds full of thoughts and our stomachs totally empty. So upon leaving the smallest country's grounds, GermanBoy and I made a beeline for the nearest restaurant we could find, which happened to be a hole-in-the-wall gem with the most delicious pizza we had ever sunken our hungry mouths into. The amounts of cheese, sauce, olive oil, and spices were in perfect proportions to one another, the dough was just the right amount thick, and the crust was just the right amount crunchy. As you can see from the photo, we barely left a crumb on the plate.

That evening and following day, I wanted to go back to that pizza place rather than try our luck at somewhere else, but GermanBoy convinced me to branch out, and I ended up having two other drool-inducing pizza pies and a calzone from heaven, so it was all good.

The tip I would give travelers to Rome is simply this: you can find award-winning pizza and ice cream, but just make sure you step at least a little off the beaten path. The cafes and restaurants lining the main squares, with views of the gorgeous fountains were expensive and served only okay food. But the hole-in-the-wall places tucked into back alleys with views of nothing--that's where you'll find the best prices and the highest quality.

As we continued our tour, wandering around without too much of a plan, we noticed a few note worthy things. For one, the driving technique of the Roman Italians was, in one word: chaotic. Lines on the street, in places where they existed, functioned simply as guidelines, and cars seemed to be treated more like bumper-boats than valuable automobiles. And the horn was sounded more frequently than I thought possible. It seemed to signify everything from hello to get out of my way to you may merge in.

Another thing we noticed was the smattering of Egyptian artifacts throughout the whole city. One humongous obelisk in particular caught our eyes. It, along with several others, had been stolen from the Egyptians when they were conquered by the Romans. Imagine transporting that thing all the way from Egypt to Rome without trains, planes, or cars! Today, however, you won't see as many of these obelisks in Rome as you used to because the Italian government has recently returned a bunch of artifacts, including two obelisks, to Egypt, their rightful owners.

Our wandering took us up a steep hill that, once at the top, afforded us an amazing view out over all of Rome. The white dome of St. Peter's Basilica stuck out beautifully over the sea of red and orange buildings. Gazing into the distance, I couldn't help but get lost in day-dreams of earlier times. I pictured Roman warriors, citizens, and emperors standing on the very ground on which I stood; it gave me a major case of goose bumps!

We discovered one of the second remaining obelisks at the top of the Spanish Steps, on which couples cuddled and people chatted, but nobody ate, as signs surrounding the place emphatically prohibited eating on the stairs.

Not being able to eat on these stairs was nothing, however; across town, on another set of pure white stairs, which led up to the towering, pristine Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, sitting was also not allowed on the steps! And, like in the Sistine Chapel, guards stood ready to reprimand you if you did. Actually, it seemed as though they had a 6th sense and could tell if you even thought about sitting your butt down for a moment to rest your tired feet!

As was expected, long, thick columns were a common theme among both the buildings and ruins in Rome, and the Pantheon, especially, reminded me of several buildings that I had seen on my trips to Washington DC. Or I guess, more appropriately, I should say that I realized the Washington DC buildings looked a whole lot like the Roman ones. Even with the Pantheon half under construction during our visit (Two-Face from Batman came to mind), the similarities were obvious. Side note: The weather was absolutely perfect as we toured around inside, which I was slightly bummed out about; in the dome-ceiling of the Pantheon is a large hole, or "oculus," which, apparently, somehow, rain does not fall through. I have no idea if it's true, but the rumor I heard is that air pressure keeps the water out. I had been hoping to bust or prove correct the myth while I was there, but all we had was sun, which definitely did come pouring in through the hole. If anyone has any first-hand knowledge of this theory, please let me know!

***Thanks for reading this weeks blog (which was published on Friday rather than Thursday because GermanBoy and I went on a mini-vacation to Venice)! Be sure to come back next week to read about our third and last day in the Eternal City. And, have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share? Please send them to me for a chance to land in my new "Guest Adventures" section! Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Inside the Vatican, the World's Smallest Country

2011-06-02T10:42:00.000+02:00

Taking up just 110 acres, the State of the Vatican City is officially the smallest country in the world, and on day two of our Roman Adventure, GermanBoy and I got up and out of the hotel by 7am with the hope of beating the crowds there. Unfortunately, a couple hundred other tourists had the same idea! Go figure. With 45 minutes to go before the doors even opened, the line was already winding around the corner. We took our spot in the back, but with every second that passed it seemed like 10 more tourists appeared behind us! The amount of people there so early was absolutely unbelievable!

Pretty much everywhere you go in Rome you will find people offering tours in English, and the Vatican was definitely no exception. Our initial plan had been to just wait in line, buy tickets at the counter, and go explore on our own. We had never even considered going with a guide. But as we were standing there in line, a man selling tours approached us.

The deal he offered us was so fabulous that we simply couldn't turn it down! For $25 each, we would get a guided tour through the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel and we would get to cut the oh-so-long ticket line and go in right away. A normal ticket without a tour cost $15 and we probably would have been waiting in the line for 2 hours! We gave the man (who had a special badge showing that he was a licensed tour sales guy) our money, and 5 minutes later he returned with 2 tickets for direct entrance and introduced us to our Italian guide, Luigi. By the way: it is possible to pre-buy tickets into the Vatican as well; then you wouldn't have to stand in the long line either. Check out the official Vatican Museum website for that.

Luigi, in one word: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It was an absolute joy having him as our tour guide. While we waited for the doors to open he told us jokes, and then once inside he overwhelmed us with a wealth of information about everything from the history of the Vatican, to legend and folklore, to facts about the art and artists that decorated the place, literally, from floor to ceiling.

Going through the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel was art-overload. There was something amazing to look at everywhere. It made me dizzy! I wanted to look down to see the gorgeous stone floor work, up to see the intricate ceiling, and eye-level to see the impressive paintings, tapestries, statues, and shrines at the same time!

Somehow, GermanBoy was able to capture and freeze forever my overwhelmed amazement in the photo he took of me in one of the many Vatican corridors. I'm in the middle, trying to take in the blur of beauty all around me.

Art was literally everywhere, and it was a good thing we had Luigi to keep us moving through or else I think we might have stayed in the first hall until closing time at 6pm! We have our awesome guide to thank for getting us through the whole unbelievable maze of decoration and to the Sistine Chapel before closing.

Talking was not allowed in the Sistine Chapel (and armed guards shushed people like librarians to enforce it) so Luigi finished his tour outside the Chapel doors by telling us information about what we would see inside. This is when he told us my favorite story of the day:

Michelangelo, the painter of the Sistine Chapel, was actually not a painter at all, but rather a sculptor. But, for some reason, Pope Julius II wanted him to paint the Chapel. Michelangelo tried to explain to the Pope that he wasn't a painter, but the Pope would have none of it; Michelangelo would paint the Chapel whether he liked it or not. So fine, he got to work. But he did have one stipulation. Because he would basically have to teach himself to paint as he went, Michelangelo did not want anyone looking at his work until he was totally finished. The Pope agreed to this, and Michelangelo started. There was one cardinal, however, who consistently broke the agreement. He would come by several times a week and steal peeks at the artist's work-in-progress. Michelangelo tried to get him to stop, but he kept sneaking in. In 1512, when Michelangelo finally revealed his finished masterpiece to the Pope and cardinals, the peaking-tom cardinal found that he had a big surprise awaiting him. The famous "Last Judgment" mural contains a depiction of the Devil down in the lower right-hand corner. Guess whose face is on the Devil? Yep, that pesky cardinal!

Everywhere else that we had visited in the Vatican, photos or videos were allowed. But inside the Sistine Chapel the same armed guards that would shush you for speaking reprimanded anyone who openly took photos; GermanyBoy managed to clandestinely snap a couple pictures of the famous ceiling mural, but they definitely don't do the place justice. Seeing it in movies or photos was absolutely nothing like the real thing. I was kind of glad, actually, that I couldn't take any photos; it forced me to really concentrate on the impressive, historical art I was seeing in front of me, rather than focus on taking pictures.

By the time we left the Sistine Chapel, my neck literally felt like it had whip lash from me jerking my head left, right, up, and down all the time, trying to see everything, and my brain was mush in my skull from beauty and history over-load. I could have spent all day, every day, for a month inside of the Vatican without seeing or learning about everything! There was just so much. One morning and afternoon in there was not nearly enough, but it was all we had budgeted for that trip and, honestly, all my mind could take!

The back door of the Sistine Chapel led us out, into St. Peter's Basilica, which we explored on our own for as long as our brains could manage. The amount of marble astounded me! Basically everything my eyes landed on was made of it. And of course, everything from top to bottom was ornately adorned with intricate decoration.

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week to read about the absolute BEST pizza in the world! And, have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share? Please send them to me for a chance to land in my new "Guest Adventures" section! And, as always, don't forget to come back next week for a new blog. Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***

Rome Part II: The Most Amazing Sites, The Most Amazing Ice Cream

2011-05-25T21:05:00.001+02:00

We only had a few days in Rome as it was, so we certainly didn't waste time at the hotel upon arrival! We threw our stuff down and headed to the train station around the corner, which would take us directly into the city center.

Our hotel was pretty much in the middle-of-nowhere Roman outskirts, so the train only came by once every 30 minutes. We didn't want to risk missing it, so we arrived 10 minutes early, which we figured would give us plenty of time to buy tickets. We got to the station and began searching around for a ticket booth. We searched; and search; and search; nothing. A train roared into the station and we got on, hoping there would be a place to buy tickets on board. Nope, nothing.

We had never ridden without a ticket before, so we were both pretty nervous, but nothing happened! Nobody came by, and we simply got off at the first stop downtown. There were plenty of ticket machines downtown, and we purchased a three-day pass for each of us, so we wouldn't have to worry about it for the rest of our trip. We never did figure out where to buy a ticket from at the outer stations...

Once downtown, we went crazy. Rome was a place that I had dreamed of visiting for years and years. I couldn't wait to see the old ruins left by one of the world's most influential civilizations. And, on a less historic note, I couldn't wait to get my taste buds on some of the amazing ice cream I'd heard about...

Ice cream try #1

Ice cream try #2

Ding! Ding! Ding! We got it on try #3

But as I quickly learned, you couldn't find out-of-this-world ice cream at just any of the shops. I tried several locations (yes, I was a little piggy) before my lips landed on the good stuff. At Gelateria Del Teatro, Via di San Simone 70, just next to the water, GermanBoy and I finally found the ice cream written about in books. It was the most flavorful, fluffy ice cream I'd ever tasted. You could definitely tell that it was made in house with fresh ingredients. If you ever head over to Rome, do not leave without going to this ice cream shop!

But even more incredible to me than ice cream was the Coliseum. When I first laid eyes upon it, standing on a small hill overlooking the building and the square around it, I literally cried. It was the most overwhelmingly beautiful building that I had ever seen. I could barely believe I was actually there, staring at it. And then GermanBoy and I walked down the hill and I got to touch the 2000+ year old structure. And I was beyond words. Since that moment, I have visited a lot of other cities with cool sites to see, but I have never felt so emotional as at the Coliseum. Through my tears of joy, however, there was a bit of comedic relief to be found; strolling "powerfully" around the circular ruins were "Romans," dressed in gladiator costumes, ready to pose in photos for a small fee. The costumes had built in abs, which was good because it looked like some of the actors hadn't seen a gym in, well, ever.

On day three of our trip in Rome we went into the structure, and that was really awesome as well. I was surprised at how much freedom tourists had inside; you could touch the walls and walk around almost everywhere.

The Coliseum was our first stop on the first day, and then after that we just kind of wandered around. There was something breathtaking to see absolutely everywhere you looked, so a map wasn't totally necessary. Everything was decorated. Everything. You could stare at a single building for 20 minutes and still find new details in the intricate decoration! And besides buildings there were lamps, cobblestone streets, and gorgeous bridges to see.

The Tiber River ran through the city, and we walked over it on one of the many present day bridges, which also afforded us a great view of the ruins of a much older bridge next to it.

Perhaps you can tell from the photo of the bridge, the weather on our first day wasn't too great. Thunder clouds had loomed in the distance all day long, and by 5pm they finally opened up on us. Many tourists headed back to their hotels, but we simply ducked under the terrace of a church and waited out the storm. 30 minutes later, when the rain stopped, we came out of hiding and found that we basically had the city to ourselves! Most everyone else had called it quits for the day.

Which was quite lucky for us because it meant that we got a relatively exclusive viewing of the famous Trevi Fountain in the middle of the downtown area. On day two and day three of our trip we walked by the fountain to find it swarming with tourists, but on the first day we had space to get up close to the intricately detailed fountain. We enjoyed our time near the fountain so much that we decided to eat at one of the restaurants in its square. Good idea? Eh, not the best. The food wasn't terrible, but it wasn't as good as what we got at the hole-in-the-wall places we discovered on day two and day three!

***Thanks for reading this Thursday blog! Don't forget to come back next week to find out where to get great food in Rome! And, have any photos or stories from your travels that you'd like to share? Please send them to me for a chance to land in my new "Guest Adventures" section! And, as always, don't forget to come back next week for a new blog. Plus, if you want more adventures, be sure to check out my Twitter, Facebook Page, and YouTube Channel. Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! Bye***