Beatlemania!

Sparknotes:

• Went to the Beatlemania Museum
• Took a train/ferry/bus to Copenhagen
• Met a cool guy from Boston who was couchsurfing in Copenhagen
• Hung out with Laerke and her awesome roomies

My next day in Hamburg was pretty easy going. I had breakfast at the hostel and lounged around doing computer stuff. I left around noon and made my way to the Beatles Museum. I’ve been a Beatles fan my whole life, so I was pretty excited to go to a museum dedicated to them. I also recently took a class at Cal Poly on the Beatles (sooooo amazing), so I was feeling pretty knowledgeable about everything I was about to see, and was excited to learn more.

The museum had 5 levels and lots of information, but it failed to impress me. L I thought it could have been structured much better, and had cooler exhibits that you could interact with more. Oh well. The cool parts included seeing lots of photos of the Beatles I’d never seen before, watching videos of girls going nuts screaming for the Beatles, posing with the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Album Cover in real life, and checking out the insane amount of Beatles memorabilia! They had Beatles everything!!! I had no idea there was a board game called the “Mop Tops” haha There was also lots of Beatles jewelry, lunchboxes, binders, room décor, combs, and everything else you’d ever need. Haha

I then explored the city center for 1.5 hours or so. I didn’t have much time, but got to see a decent amount of stuff in the city. It’s pretty cool/huge. Apparently it got bombed to nothing in WWII, so everything looks somewhat new and similar, which gives the city an interesting atmosphere. I liked it, but it wasn’t anything special (sorry Louisa. Maybe you can show me the cool parts another time haha).

I then took a ~6 hour train ride to Copenhagen where I got to blog for a bit (I usually make a word document draft of my blogs, then post them when I have internet) and play angry birds. Gosh that game is addicting. Haha Oh, and something I had no idea about, was that our train would drive directly onto a ferry to get to Denmark! I was so confused for a bit, and was yelled at by a German train employee to GET OFF THE TRAIN! Haha Oops. The ferry ride was really cool, and definitely unexpected (I thought there was a bridge between Germany and Denmark. My bad).

Due to train problems in Copenhagen, we all had to take a bus from the ferry port to Copenhagen. It was alright, and I ended up sitting next to a guy from Boston who was super cool. His name was John, and he’s been traveling around Europe for the last 2 months, couchsurfing everywhere. He’s traveled all over the world pretty much, and is what I would consider a “travel-holic.” Haha He had lots of good advice for me of places to go, how to get there, what the people are like, and things to watch out for. Listening to him was always kind of distracting tho, because Boston accents just crack me up. Haha At one point he said “turquoise” with such a thick accent I had to stop him so I could get myself back together.

We were both staying with couchsurfers for the night (tho I actually had already hosted the girl I was staying with back in CA), and our hosts lived roughly in the same area so we walked together for a while before splitting up. We talked about meeting up the next day to explore the town since both our hosts had work or school, and we actually did which was cool. I eventually made it to my friend Laerke’s house, and it was SO GREAT to see her.

When Laerke stayed with me in San Luis Obispo, she was with 2 other girls so I didn’t really get to spend that much 1-1 time with her. But now that I was staying with her, we got to talk a lot more and I got to know her so much better even in just a short amount of time. It’s also cool seeing the living situation and lifestyle of the people I hosted back in slo, and Laerke had a really cool living situation. She lives in a cooperative with 6 other people (6 bedroom apt/dorm mix).

I got to meet most of her roommates that night, who were super laid back and spoke very good English. Fresh bread was cooking, I had some tea, and soon Laerke was showing me everywhere I needed to hit up while in Copenhagen. She even drew up some maps/ streets/ buildings/ cafes/ restaurants on a piece of paper for me. J With the help of her flatmate Sarah, I had a decent idea of what to do the next day.

Hostel in Hamburg

Sparknotes

• Had a GREAT 5 hour train ride from Leeuwaden to Hamburg
• Stayed at a hostel (2^nd time this trip…)
• Caught up on computer/email stuff
• Hit up a bar with a Canadian and Italian guy

After sleeping in a bit and hanging out with Elisabeth for a short breakfast (included fresh muffins she just baked), I made my way to my favorite place - the train station, to catch a ride to Hamburg, Germany. I was mainly just going to Hamburg to split up the travel time to Copenhagen which is where was heading next. I also thought it would be cool to check out the Beatlemania museum, considering that I’m a huge beatles fan and the Beatles got their start it Hamburg.

Anyway, the train ride was good, but pretty soon I was lost in Hamburg trying to find my hostel. After an hour of taking different metros and walking the wrong way for 15 minutes, I made it to the Backpackers Hostel in Saint Pauli. It was cozy, but not exactly in the prettiest of locations (which is also what is "cool" about the area I found out). I put in some solid computer time at the hostel, then went out to the bars with my two roommates for the night: an Italian and Canadian guy who were both roughly my age.

The night was pretty laid back and I had a good time hanging out with them, but it wasn’t anything special. At about 1am, we left the bar and parted ways. My contacts were killing me and I was super tired, so I went back to the hostel while they went off to some more bars in the Reeperbahn district of town. That’s about it. Haha

Red Lights & Coffee Shops

Sparknotes:

• Went to a sex museum that may have scarred me for life. Haha
• Took a stroll through the red light district
• I spent the afternoon with a random woman who bought me a tea and coffee
• Had one of the best conversations I’ve had this trip with a 55 year old Shaman
• Experienced “Occupy Amsterdam”
• Elisabeth = Great chef and amazing person

While Elisabeth was at school on Monday, I decided to head to famous Amsterdam for the day. Stoked! As usual tho, my morning got off to a late start and I found myself peddling as fast as I could to the train station to make it on time. It was a semi long train ride of 2.5 hours, but I finally made it to the city famously known for its marijuana tolerance/legality, red light district, and canals throughout the city requiring over 1,000 bridges.

Despite being fairly chilly and windy all day, the sun was out so it wasn’t so bad. After wandering around the streets for a bit, I stumbled into the sex museum a friend of mine had told me about and insisted I check it out. Well, it was interesting all right… That is, if you like seeing ancient artifacts and art with penises and every sex position on them, sex diorama photo shoots, peep hole machines, porn from the 1930’s, and everything else SEX. Haha While amusing at times, it was more shocking and disturbing than anything else. If you ever do go here tho, please DO NOT go into the showcase room that says “WARNING: Enter at Your Own Risk.” Resist your curiosity to go in, and save yourself years of nightmares from the pictures you’ll see.

While already feeling kinda dirty, I decided to get the red light district over with next. Haha It was a lot different than I was expecting, and was just a block away from some really nice shops. It’s pretty much right in the middle of the city center (which is incredibly huge btw). The dark alleyways with red lights were packed with guys walking around, checking out the half-naked women in the windows. It was definitely a bizarre atmosphere as the girls were always tapping on the windows trying to get you to come in, groups of guys joking around asking girls “how much?”, and the occasional dude who quickly snuck in or out of one of the rooms. I tried to start a slow clap for a guy that walked out of a room, but I guess the slow clap never really caught on with Europeans. Haha

After getting in enough creeper time for the next 10 years, I made my way down to the largest park in the city to hang out. Along the way I saw a number of "coffee shops" which are places you can legally buy and smoke marijuana. You can also smoke on the streets and in public, but I think there are certain regulations prohibiting it in certain areas. I also bought a new book along while walking to the park, and after walking around the park for a bit I headed to a café to get some food and tea (and to start my new book). After moving outside to enjoy the fresh/brisk air at a table, I was approached by a woman who asked if I wanted a tea. What?! There was only one table outside, and I guess she wanted to smoke a cigarette over some tea, so she offered to buy me some tea and sit with me. Cool. Haha

The woman was 33 years old, married, and is a professional artist of sorts and gets to travel all around the world for her job. She was somewhat of a mystery woman tho. She wore a long black jacket, sunglasses, a scarf, and a hat, so essentially her entire face was covered and I had no idea what she actually looked like. Haha Oh well, it was nice talking with her, and we actually decided to get a coffee somewhere next. We wound up in a little plaza, sat outside, and observed the semi-life sized chess game in front of us. It was cool; you had a bunch of people standing around watching and commenting on the players moves. Taccini and Wholesome should face off in Amsterdam. Haha Oh, and I forgot to mention that she bought me the coffee too. She was super nice and kind of my suga momma for the day. J She even walked me across town after to another cool café she thought I’d like. Haha

The next café had a really mellow atmosphere with low lighting and interesting people. Most interestingly tho, was an older guy I sat next to at the bar who I ended up talking to for a couple hours. haha We had one of the better conversations I’ve had on this trip, and even in my life actually. It’s hard to explain what he was like, but if you know my friend Michael Crivello, he’s pretty much a 55 year old version of him. Very wise, observant, generous, and has a unique perspective on life and how he views other people and himself.

We talked about a number of different things, but spirituality and understanding ourselves was at the heart of the conversation. He asked me what my passion was at one point, and I gave a surprisingly quick answer: “people are my passion.” That’s something to think about as I move forward in my career and everything I’m involved in. But he also pointed out that I can really do no wrong in whatever career path I choose, which is something I’m moderately stressing about right now. So it was definitely great to talk with him and to have his support. I definitely plan to stay in touch with him.

After leaving the café, I found myself walking towards a large area with tons of tents, people, and signs everywhere. “Occupy Amsterdam” had taken over a parking lot, and was a pretty impressive to see in person. People were rallying together, huddling up in tents (it was pretty cold by this point; I have a lot of respect for the people camping out and braving the weather), serving/eating food, and in general just talking about what needs to change. A very cool atmosphere, and after debating making some friends and camping out there myself, I thought “better” and took a train home.

Home was good, and after returning the bike I borrowed, Elisabeth made me an amazingly huge dinner! Haha She made me a typical german dish, complete with sliced potatoes (3 of them), an onion (grilled with the potatoes), and 4 sausage links. Oh man, it was SOOOOOO good. Thank you so much again Elisabeth. We had another good talk that night, but we both had to wake up early the next day so we said good night after dinner. Amsterdam was definitely a cool city with laid back people, but it’s become too commercialized and I think it’s lost a lot of its original appeal/flavor. I’d like to come back eventually, but I’m not necessarily in a hurry to see it again.

Ferry Ride + Tandem Bike

After explaining to Elisabeth that I was getting tired of seeing cities cities cities (all the streets, plazas, and churches look somewhat the same now), she decided to take me on a ferry ride adventure to one of the islands off the northern coast of The Netherlands. Definitely a good call (tho kinda expensive). After a quick breakfast that was super good (sandwiches are common for breakfast btw), we made our way to the train station to head to the coast. Side note: next time you have breakfast, try a bread roll with cream cheese, sliced ham, and sliced Gouda cheese. Greatest thing ever.

The ferry ride was fun, but I wished I had brought a deck of cards. It’s a Gaunt family tradition to play card games on ferries. Haha We made the most of it tho by playing angry birds on my itouch, and feeding the seagulls as we left the dock which was fun. Upon our arrival to the freezing cold/windy island, we walked around for a bit (all the shops are closed on Sundays so it was dead), then decided it would be fun to rent a tandem bike for the day to explore the island. Woot woot! I’ve always wanted to rent/ride one.

Elisabeth and I had a hell of a time riding around the island all day. Tho at times I questioned whether Elisabeth was even pedaling… haha Controlling those bikes is also kinda tricky/wobbly which added to the fun. The countryside/oceanside was beautiful as you can imagine, but very different from any coastline I’ve ever been on. We biked through a couple towns then made our way to the beach to eat our lunch. The beach wasn’t quite a beach we Californians are familiar with, but I guess its probably similar to one near San Francisco where there’s lots of wind and its cold. Haha There were tons of people “sand sailing” (roller derby like cars with sails attached) which looked like a lot of fun.

The rest of our time on the island was fun, but we made it back to town too early and decided to just walk/hike around for a bit on the ocean/tide area before our ferry headed back. It wasn’t as pretty as I would have expected, but I guess it was pretty in its own way. We finally hopped on our ferry, and after a long ride back and waiting forever to catch a train back into town, Elisabeth and I were home.

One of her guy friends from Germany met up with us soon after to hang out and enjoy Elisabeth’s cooking. She made a delicious potato and pumpkin soup, and a type of chicken stir fry with a creamy sauce that was quite good. She’s spoiled me for sure. J Thank you! Such a great day and change from what I've been used to. Next stop: Amsterdam!

Leeuwarden???

Most tourists from America will probably never make it up to Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, but it was actually a pretty cool town. Side note: Holland and The Netherlands are NOT the same thing I found out. Holland is just a region in The Netherlands that is the most densely populated and visited place in the country.

Anyway, Leeuwarden has canals going through the streets (lit up at night which was cool), a huge market with more people/locals walking around than any other city I’ve been to (it seemed that way at least), it’s a college town so everyone looks young and fit, there's an ice skating rink, a mysterious dark tower/building that looms over the city, and everyone is a freakin tall! The women were kinda like blonde Avatars haha. It was so weird; many of them were as tall or taller than me! It was a cool town for sure, but I doubt I’ll ever come back to the city and wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone, but I was glad to see it regardless.

My first day in Leeuwarden got off to a great start by: a. Skyping with Jenny for ~2 hours, b. Having a huge breakfast feast with Elisabeth. I like the way they do meals in Europe btw. Meal time actually means something to Europeans. They take more time to prepare meals (often with the help of others), there’s lots of variety, and the meals are just longer which encourage people to socialize more. My family has always (and still do) accused me of taking too long to eat at the dinner table to get out of dish duty. J However, having gained a worldly perspective traveling around the last month (I kid I kid), I think I’ve just been expressing the inner European in me all these years, and my family just can’t see it. Haha

So yes, Elisabeth prepared a wonderful breakfast and after cleaning up we took off to see her city via bicycle. The main street was actually super close tho, so we just parked our bikes and walked around. People were everywhere.! It seemed as tho everyone in the small town of ~90k people were out shopping and eating at cafes. We got a “donut” like pastry and sat with our legs hanging over the canal for a bit, then made our way into a café for some tea. Such a relaxing day. I needed it. Belgium was intense/awesome. Haha

The rest of the day was spent hanging out with some of her other friends, almost going ice skating (it was closing in 30 min. when we showed up so we didn’t go), hitting up another café, and having dinner/game night with 2 of her german friends and 2 guys from Romania, who were crazy btw. Oh man, I got so frustrated this night. We tried to play Yahtzee (board game) with everyone, but the Romanian guys were in their own world and spent the entire time either cheating, smashing the dice cup up on the table, or most frustratingly, having no clue how to play the game (despite our best efforts to teach them) and ignoring everything we tried to tell them. Seriously, it was as if I was talking to a monkey (a dumb one at that, sorry).

For those of you who know anything about Yahtzee, you get three rolls then put your score into one of the boxes on your sheet of paper. At one point, Razvan #1 must have rolled at least 12 times in a row, with everyone just watching in silence/awe to what the #&^$ he was doing. He was just picking and choosing certain dice, re-rolling all of them again, moving them around, paying no attention to what he was doing or why he was doing it (so pretty much doing nothing), before I finally had to step in and say something. These guys definitely tested my patience, and won. Haha And then there was the crazy Romanian techno/hip-hop they kept playing, which was fine, but what was worse was that I’m pretty sure the Romanian guys didn’t say one word to the other German girls the entire night, and the German girls didn’t talk to the Romanian guys either. It was such a bizarre atmosphere that only seemed normal due to Elisabeth and I making conversation with everyone.

Anyway, dinner was amazing. Elisabeth made pancakes with ham and cheese, or whatever filling you wanted such as Nutella. Mmmmm….. Thanks again Elisabeth! Everyone eventually left the party around 11pm, and Elisabeth and I just hung out for a bit before going to bed. Strange night. haha

Bruges and Brewery Tour

Wow. The pub crawl the night before was so much fun, but it definitely took its toll on me the next day. Waking up, packing, and dealing with the train stations were all even less fun. Haha Jasper helped me get back to the train station which was sweet (he was an awesome host by the way. Incredibly trusting and giving), then I was off to the next Belgian city of Bruges (known as the Venice of the North because of its famous canals).

Upon arrival in Bruges around noon, I dumped off my large pack in a locker at the train station and snagged my school backpack with water and other stuff for the day. The town was very pretty, with nice parks and beautiful canals. I feel like this town is overhyped tho. The main square is nice, but not as gorgeous as other places I've been to. And the canals weren’t any cooler than the ones in Ghent, Leeuwadern, or Amsterdam (I’m a few days behind in the blog, I'm actually in Hamburg Germany right now and head to Copenhagen this afternoon). The streets weren’t all that cool either, and with a million tourists everywhere, this town really went down on the cool charts for me, especially considering how hyped it was by people I know.

The one highlight of Bruges came at 4pm when I did a brewery tour for 5.50 euro (includes a free drink at the end). I believe the company was called Half Moon, and their prize winning beer is the Brugse Zot. They have a really cool history which was all explained/shown on the tour. I met a nice couple from Pennsylvania/Germany on the tour who I hung out with for a while after the tour, drinking our beers. Turns out the guy just graduated from Penn State as an Industrial Engineer. Haha Crazy. However, as always, I wasn’t really watching the clock that closely, and had to sprint to the train station to make my train on time – which I did. J

Next stop, The Netherlands!!! I got into Leeuwarden (1.5 hours north of Amsterdam) a little after midnight, and Elisabeth (my good friend from Germany – couchrufer/Nanny in Palo Alto) picked me up. It was so great to see her. After some quick hellos at the station we made our way through the cold dark streets back to her apartment. After hanging out for a bit and having a cup of tea (I’ve had so much tea on this trip btw), we went to one of her friend’s house to pick up a bike for me to use the next few days. We debating going out for a drink, but thought better and went to bed “early.” Haha

Side note: it’s nice to be staying with a friend I knew from before again. As much as I love couchsurfing (which I do), it’s nice to just be able to relax and not have to impress (not sure that’s quite the right word) the person you’re staying with. It’s just more laid back staying with a friend you already know, and after couchsurfing in Caen and in Ghent the last 5 nights or so, I'm glad to be staying with Elisabeth for a few days.

Pub Crawl!

My next day in Belgium was just as awesome as the night before. After getting a late start on the day (probably due to the crazy night before) Jasper and I made a tour around the city starting with his University. While walking to the University, Jasper decided to make a quick detour to stop at the largest beer store in Ghent (Gent). I can’t remember how many different types of beers were in there but it had to be a lot (at least 800+ I think). I was like a little boy in a candy store, marveling at all the different types of beer; big beer, small beer, cheap beer, “how much!” beer, delicious beer, @#%! beer, widely distributed beer, local beer, monk beer, Scientology beer (jkjk). Seriously tho, they had everything, even kits for brewing your own beer. After wisely choosing a beer for each of us, we made our way to the street to continue our trip, drinking our Belgian beers on the way of course which is legal (in the bottle unfortunately, sorry dad).

Jasper’s University was nice and had a lot of character to it. It reminded me of a much smaller version of Washington State University with all the red bricks. But we quickly saw it all, and decided to check out the museum of Ghent nearby. For only 1 euro (student discount), I had an amazing time in the little museum of Ghent. They had lots of cool artifacts and information about the history of the town, but the two highlights were the map room and lego room. In the map room you could walk on a brilliantly lit up satellite view of the town, and in the lego room, well, you could play with the legos. Haha We built and destroyed some towers which was fun.

Anyway, the next part of the day is when our day REALLY started. It was time to do a pub crawl in Ghent. With over 1,500 beers made/sold in Belgium, I had a lot of work to do for the day. Quick side note, they have sheep roaming along the canals to “mow” the grass which is super cool (Jasper thought I was retarded haha). All of the pubs we went to were were unique and typically small with brick walls, dark lighting (some had candles), and old wooden décor. They reminded me of pubs that probably exist in Ireland. Either way, the jazz club and “bike part ceiling” pub were the coolest for sure.

Over the course of the day/night Jasper carefully selected a number of beers for me, all of which were delicious (except for maybe the sour beer), and were often of very high alcohol % (9-10%). At one point we hit up a fry shop, which I was desperately craving at the time. Haha And at one of the pubs we went to the night before, we met some fun students our age who were hilarious to talk to joke with. After buying each other a couple rounds of whiskey shots (chocolate, cactus), we recruited Frederik and Eveline to join us to the next pub, as well as Jasper’s friend Simon. The rest of the night was such a great time hanging out with everyone, and tho there were no particular highlights, it was the kind of night you look back upon and just smile thinking about it. I love Ghent.

The last bar we went to had thousands of old rusty bicycle parts hanging from the ceiling (I’m pretty sure I had to duck in several places in the bar to avoid hitting my head haha). It was also completely dark in the pub except for the wooden fire an old man was tending to and candles on the tables. It was SOOOOOOO cool!!!! The old man was kinda creepy as well which added to the unusual atmosphere. We had a great time tho, and I got to become pretty good friends with everyone there (I have a ton of new foreign facebook friends now which is sweet haha). Sadly, the pub crawl came to an end after here, but what a night! I wish the pubs in California had this kind of atmosphere. Oh well, I’ll be back in Europe soon enough!

Sir Kyle of Gent?

My next point of interest (destination really) was to The Netherlands to visit my good friend Elisabeth who is studying in Leeuwarden (1.5 hours north of Amsterdam). However, on the way to Elisabeth’s I decided I wanted to make a stop in Lille, France to see the beautiful square, and to couchsurf in Belgium for a couple days. I hear they have good beer there. Haha And chocolates, waffles, and fries... J

I debated where to stay in Belgium for a little bit, but was swayed into staying in Gent (or Ghent) because I heard it was still nice but less touristy than Bruges or Brussels, plus, my dad mentioned on the phone/skype that our heritage of Gaunt comes from the city of Gent (cool huh?), which at one point was the second largest medieval city in Europe (Paris was the largest if you were curious). Either way, after sending out a few couchsurfing requests I got a response from Jasper who is studying Art/Graphic Design in Gent. With the comfort that I had a place to stay for a couple nights, I set off on my trip to Lille and Gent.

Lille is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to fully appreciate the city from the pictures I took, but man was it cool. It’s the type of city you want to get lost walking through, jaw dropped, looking around at all the cool colorful buildings and tiny streets. And I can imagine the city looks even prettier at night tho, because here are strings of lights on every street, hung between the alleys like clothes lines in Brooklyn or something. I definitely need to come back here and stay the night.

I had a fun afternoon wandering about, and I guess one of the highlights was checking out the free zoo on the river. A FREE ZOO! Awesome! Haha I was pretty impressed with it, and had a good time wandering about looking at all the animals. The coolest animals I saw were: snow owls (not sure what they were doing in Lille), rhinos, different types of monkeys, and this strange anteater/horse-like creature. It was a fun time in the zoo, but everyone kept staring at me because I wasn't with any kids or a girlfriend like everyone else...

After a fun afternoon in Lille, I made my way to Gent (or Ghent), Belgium. Jasper met me at the train station, and after dropping off my stuff at his place, madness/awesomeness ensued the rest of the night. First stop, a traditional Belgian fry shop! It was packed with a line out the door (which is fairly common I guess at the millions of fry shops they have in town), but within 20 minutes Jasper introduced me to everything unhealthy in Belgium. haha And the fry places just don’t serve fries like I thought. There are tons of deep fried meats, burgers (if you wanna call them that), and a bunch of other random fatty menu items as well as a long list of vegetarian items too. They definitely love to deep fry things over here. Just bread some meat and throw it in the fryer and you’re good. Haha We definitely got WAY too much food, and after downing a burger, multiple fried meat things, and god know how many fries, Jasper and I crawled out of there and continued our tour of the city.

Gent is a beautiful town, but especially at night. The city has won awards for its lighting, which is very unique in that the buildings in the city center/on the canals are lit from the ground rather than with streetlamps. It’s very cool, and gives an eerie look to the city. Jasper was an excellent city guide, and definitely knew a lot about the city which was fun and unexpected. Due to cold weather and rain, we decided to warm up in a pub for a bit and have a drink/shot. Jasper introduced me to a special type of whiskey-like alcohol that comes from Belgium, and was just what I needed. The rest of the night tour was sweet, until it started to pour. So, after a miserable/fun 10-15 minute walk in the rain, we finally made it to his friend’s house for a housewarming party.

Jasper’s friend Reuben (who just moved into the place) was freakin sweet and was a hilarious host. Everyone was dressed classy (Reuben had suspenders haha), except Jasper and I who showed up drenched and in street clothes. Haha Either way, Reuben made me feel welcome and poured me a delicious beer immediately upon me arrival (made sure to use the proper glass). After drinking a few of the beers they had, I started to understand why Belgium is famous around the world for its beer. So good! Reuben’s girlfriend also made a ton of snacks, including guess what, more deep fried meats with their own personal fryer! Haha So crazy, but delicious. The rest of the night was fun meeting new people, hanging out with jasper, and trying new beers/whiskey. We also busted out some cigars and rocked out on guitar which was fun. Either way, Jasper and I eventually made it home safely, and I got to sleep on a mattress in his living room which was nice. Goodnight Gent!

The Rock. (Mont St. Michel)

7:13am. That’s what time I had to catch my train from Caen to Pontorson/Mont St. Michel (the castle on the rock). Man was it early, but somehow I made it on time, but as usual I had to run to make it on time. Haha I swear, I’m always sprinting to train stations because I’m late or need to make a tight connection. Anyway, the train/bus system for getting to Mont St. Michel was pretty miserable/ impossible, and ended up taking ~4 hours to get there. AND, it was raining! Not a good start for the day.

I’m not exactly sure on the history of Mont St. Michel, but I know it was a strongpoint and symbol of strength for the French because the English were never able to capture it. I opted not to pay 4.50 euro for the audio guide (entrance fee was 5.50 euro), which is something I probably should have done. Either way, it was cool walking around the castle doing the tour at the top. The castle is in a unique location as its built on a big rock/island that is half in the ocean half on land. It’s hard to describe, but the land around the rock/island is so flat, that the tide goes out for miles around the castle. This is why its famous of course, and apparently you can do walking tours out on the flats which would be fun, assuming you don’t step into a sinkhole. It’s also famous for being a fairly large/prominent monetary I believe.

Unfortunate, the weather wasn’t so good and it was cloudy rainy the whole time. I can imagine that it’s quite beautiful in the summertime, but overall I didn’t think it was that cool, and was ready to leave after spending 2 hours there. Unfortunately, I had to wait 2 more hours to take a bus back into Pontorson, so I could take another bus to a different city, where I would take a train back to Caen. Ugh… Well, as luck would have it, I sat next to a nice elderly couple during lunch and they offered to drive me back to a town 15 minutes from Caen. Sweet! Paul and Ellen were super nice and were a lot of fun to talk to. They live in San Francisco, but are from New York, and have traveled to Europe numerous times and plan to travel more in their retirement. They thought the idea/concept of couchsurfing was very cool, and I had a good time telling them all about it.

After getting dropped off in Bayeaux (only took 1.5 hours, not 4) and seeing the guesthouse they were staying in, I made my way through the city to the famous Tapestry in Bayeaux. I was actually in Bayeaux the day before, but the place closed before I could check it out. I didn’t think it was going to be that cool (Paul convinced me to go however), but it was actually very impressive. It’s a 70 meter cloth (2 feet tall) with beautiful stitching that details the events leading to the battle of Hastings and how William the Conqueror became, William the Conqueror. Only 10 colors were used, and the detail is remarkable. I had a great time listening to the story with my audio guide (free! But the entrance fee was 3.80 euro). There was a little museum attached as well, and even a mini movie theatre which explained more details about the famous tapestry, whose creator remains unknown. Either way, the tapestry was a pleasant surprise, and if you ever go to Normandy, make sure to check out the tapestry in Bayeaux.

Taking the train back to Caen was easy, but unfortunately all the roomies were gone so I had to chill at a coffee shop for a while until they got back. It wasn’t a problem tho, and gave me some time to blog about my trip. The rest of the night was fun hanging out with Leo, Olav and Catarina, tho they all had some homework or other side projects to work on. But as always, we had a long dinner together which was good. Solid day, tho the most memorable part of the day wasn’t what I was expecting. Haha Mont St. Michel wasn’t as cool as I was expecting, but the old couple who gave me ride were awesome and the tapestry that I originally didn’t want to see turned out to be very cool. I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes.

The Roomies

It’s worth noting in this Blog that Leo (from Caen, France) and his roommates were awesome, and I had an incredible time hanging out with them. It’s hard to explain, but the atmosphere at their place was SO COOL! To start, they’re all of different nationalities and bring something unique/different to the table. Leo is French and loves his art, women, psychology, and is extremely passionate and vocal about any conversation. Haha Olav (Ooo-lav) is the Norwegian “player.” Haha jkjk He’s really into soccer (who isn’t???), has a man beard, sounds like he’s from Scotland (so weird/cool), and is easily one of the most open minded people I’ve ever met. Then there’s Catarina from Italy; the lovely Italian girl studying law who is an Italian superwoman. Haha She’s an amazing cook, has a great Italian accent (Momo-mia haha), is very polite and considerate, and is all about family time/spending quality time with friends.

One of the coolest things I’d like to point out about the roomies, is that they eat dinner together EVERY NIGHT! So cool! Even if it’s 9pm and they haven’t eaten, they’ll wait for the other roommate/s to get home so they can cook/eat together. I was very impressed by this, and you can tell that they all get along and are very close, despite having completely different 1^st languages (they all speak French or English to each other). Thanks again to Leo and Catarina for making some great meals and introducing me to a new favorite snack: sourdough bread with a slice of pear, goat cheese, and pepper.

The other mini blurb I’d like to mention about the roomies is that we had some pretty cool (and long) conversations together, which probably made me feel closer to them. Highlights include: political discussions (Obama???), art/music appreciation (man, Leo made me feel like an idiot because I have zero knowledge of anything artsy and he LOVES IT), analyzing how people in Europe/America view people in other countries (general consensus that Spaniards are too obnoxious. I’ll have to see for myself haha), tea time, boyfriend/girlfriend talk and drama (Leo vs. Olav in the battle for the small Italian girl haha), and everything else in between (man, blogging is making me realize that my vocabulary blows. I feel like I say “Amazing,” “Definitely” “Anyway,” and “Awesome” every 3 seconds. Time to start reading more…). “ANYWAY,” The vibe in their apartment was “AWESOME” and I’m definitely going to miss them all. Come visit in California!

D-Day Beaches in Normandy

D-Day is easily one of the most significant historical events of all time, and has a fascinating history that I’ve only begun to understand or appreciate. I’m definitely going to spend some more time back in the states brushing up on my WWII knowledge (as well as WWI). It’s interesting to note that the effects of WWI and WWII are still very much a part of life in Europe. In America, it’s almost like we’ve moved on and WWII seems like a very long time ago. No buildings were destroyed in mainland America, and the only WWII museums I know of in the states is Pearl Harbor (amazing and moving experience btw) and the one in Washington DC. Thus, people don’t really ever talk about it. However, in Europe, the effects of WWI and WWII are still very much a part of everyone’s lives. And while traveling, I’m seeing all sorts of cities with a unique WWII history, so it’s definitely become a part of my life too and is something I frequently think about.

Anyway, I was glad I had the opportunity to see the D-Day beaches while in Europe, but I wish I had more time to spend there, and I hope to return someday. The bus/train system in the nearby towns was horrible and prevented me from truly taking in the experience. Thus, I really only had 50 MINUTES to explore the famous American Cemetery at Omaha beach. I’m definitely going to rent a car the next time I go to Normandy so I can see more and not be tied down to limited bus schedules.

The American Cemetery is definitely something to be seen as an American. You can really begin to appreciate the sacrifice and bravery of those men (American, British, and Canadian), and what it must have been like storming the beaches (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword). Despite not having very much time, I still took the time to walk through the graves, reading the names of the men who died and where they were from. It was sad to see that so many graves had bodies that were unidentifiable. On these graves was written “HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD.” With more time I would have walked down to the beaches themselves and seen more of the memorials nearby. There is definitely a lot more to be seen, with tons of great museums nearby to check out.

I did however check out a WWII museum in Bayeaux which was great. They had a movie showing in English that I got to watch, and the museum did a great job detailing the events regarding D-Day. I learned a fair amount of new information (mainly about what happened after the beach landings) which was fun to learn about. Random fact: Ernest Hemingway fought in WWII. Crazy, I never knew that until now (quit shaking your head dad. Haha). Anyway, after a fun (not sure if that’s quite the right word) day relearning the history and events of WWII, I made my way back to Leo’s house in Caen to hang out and chill with his roomies for the night.

Couchsurfing in Caen (Normandy)

While in the Northern part of France, I decided I couldn't miss checking out the D-day beaches/ museums in Normandy. I decided to make base camp in Caen (Lower Normandy), but didn't know anyone there. So, I decided to couchsurf! Until Caen, I had only hosted people on Couchsurfing.org. So, this was my first time actually couchsurfing myself which was kind of exciting. Anyway, after sending out a few requests, I got a response back from a cool Frenchman named Leo, who is a Psychology major at the University in town.

My first couchsurfing experience was amazing. Not only was Leo super friendly and welcoming (also very intelligent), but his 2 roommates were freakin awesome too! Olav (prounounced Ooo-lav) is from Norway and is quite the character. His English is very good, and actually kind of sounds like he’s from Scotland or something. Haha Caterina completes the roommate flat, and is an Italian superwomen! She’s always smiling, is a GREAT cook (pasta dinners must take at least 2-3 hours for it to taste good according to her), and can speak Italian, French, and English. Such a diverse apartment, and when they had friends over, conversations in 3 languages were going on at once (sooooo cool).

When I arrived Leo was cooking up an Italian pasta dish, and with the help of Caterina it turned out very well. Haha Olav joined us after getting back from a run, and the 3 of us explored the city a little bit. Caen (pronounced Kahn) is definitely a cool town, and if you know your WWII history, you would know that Caen was a very difficult city for the allies to take after landing in Normandy. So pretty much the town was obliterated, but surprisingly a number of historic buildings survived/have been renovated. While walking along the castle walls overlooking the city, Leo pointed out a street that had been made by allied tanks that went straight through buildings to get to the canal. Pretty cool (not gonna learn that kind of detail in a museum or staying in a hotel…). Anyway, we walked around the city which was fun and talked a lot about WWII the whole time, and I got to learn more about Germany occupying France and Norway which was interesting.

Later that night I went to a concert with Leo, Olav, and some of their friends. I had no idea what expect with this concert, but apparently it was at a famous music hall. Well, it turned out to be quite the experience as the musical style was that of electronica mixed with orchestral. The musicians were very talented, and played a ton of different/bizarre instruments including the violin, bass clarinet, kazoo like accordion, xylophone, at least 6 synthesizers. I’ll post a video soon that showcases the strange sounds and atmosphere of the concert. Overall, I had a great time, and I actually did enjoy listening to the music despite it being so different from what I’m used to.

After the concert I joked that we should go to the beach and have a bonfire, and Leo was like, “hey, that’s actually a good idea!” So, the 6 of us, packed into a tiny European car (I got shotgun; it’s good to be tall sometimes), and made our way out to the Atlantic following a series of canals and rivers. As we got closer to the ocean, we noticed that the moon was an unusual orange/red color, and quickly realized that a lunar eclipse was taking place. A LUNAR ECLIPSE!!! SWEET! Haha It was really cool to see, but by the time we had parked it was no longer the unique color it was when we were driving out (dang! No cool picture of the moon over the water). Anyway, we walked around for a bit, sat on a dock, walked along the beach, smoked cigars (jk, I wish), and Leo and I even climbed up a mini lighthouse that I’m 99% sure was illegal to climb. Haha This is why I love couchsurfing. You’ll never get this type of experience staying at a hostel or a hotel. Thanks for the awesome night guys!!!

Versailles Palace!

Saturday was a treat because we went to Versailles (King’s Palace 30 min. outside of Paris). I hadn’t done much research on it and didn’t know what to expect, which is probably why I was blown away by the Palace. Seriously, it has to be one of the most beautiful palaces in the world. It blows Hearst Castle away with its elegance and intricate detail, and its immense size. There are gorgeous paintings everywhere, statues on every surface, gold embroidery on all the tapestry, everything is surprisingly well preserved, and it’s just massive. My pictures really can’t capture just how huge all the rooms are. The war paintings room in particular was particularly massive and eye opening. There were paintings of French battles from a wide time period, which was really cool to see.

After exploring the inside of Versailles, Jerome, Debora and I opted to pay the extra 6 euro to explore the palace gardens. I was hesitant to pay more, but man was I happy we decided to do it. Definitely worth the money. There were massive ponds everywhere, gorgeous statues throughout the mazes of brush/trees, fountains everywhere (even a show to classical music), open green grass fields, and really cool trees everywhere. It’s also fall right now so the trees are all different colors which is pretty. We made a stop to get some food/drinks in the garden, and I decided to go out on a limb and try the “hot wine.” Such a bad idea. Lol Maybe it was just a bad batch, but it tasted awful. I like the concept tho, so maybe I’ll try it again another time in a restaurant. Anyway, the “garden” was amazing and I would love to go back another time and relax along the ponds and have a picnic or something.

The rest of the evening was very American as we had pizza delivered and watched a movie. Haha We also watched the Simpsons in French which was an experience by the way. Haha The voice for Marge was just awful, but I could surprisingly understand what was going on in the episode despite not understanding any words (kinda cool). Anyway, thanks again to Jerome and Debora for taking me in and trying really hard to speak English. They were great friends/hosts, and I’m gonna miss hanging out with them. Come visit me in California!!!

Bonjour!

Bonjour!!! I finally made it to Paris, and what a city Paris truly is! Aside from the typical big city madness (horrible traffic and bad smells on the metro), Paris definitely lived up to its expectations and has the "WOW" factor Spokane, WA definitely lacks. haha On my way to Paris I made a stop in Epernay (the Champagne capital of the world), and bought a nice bottle of Champagne (19 euro! jeez!) to bring to my friend's house in Paris. It was WAAAY too expensive to do the tasting/tour, so I just just bought a bottle. Next time if I have a car, hopefully I can check out the actual vineyards.

For my 3 night stay in Paris, I stayed with my friend Jerome (from couchsurfing) and his lovely Italian girlfriend Debora (great cook!). It was great hanging out with them, and they really made me feel at home. It was cool to just relax and watch TV with them in the nights/mornings, watching a couple episodes of House, South Park, and the Simpsons (In French.... very weird haha).

On Friday, both Jerome and Debora had work, so I had the entire day to explore Paris by myself. And I mean the ENTIRE day. Jerome dropped me off at the metro station around 7:30am, and I didn't get home until around 1am!!! I don't think I've ever walked so much in one day ever in my life. haha Sore feet aside, Paris was incredible! The first thing I saw was the Arc de Triumph (at sunrise...), and was blown away by its size, intricate detail, and its SIZE!!! The thing was MASSIVE, with the world's largest roundabout circling it. Very impressive, and actually, I think it was my favorite thing I saw in Paris.

I then made my way to the iconic Eiffle tower, which was pretty easy to find/walk to because the "building" looms over everything. haha You can see it from all over the city. It always seems closer than it really is tho. The French are deceiving…. Haha The Eiffle tower was definitely amazing to see in person, but during the day, I have to admit that it’s really not that pretty. It lights up at night tho which is really cool. Either way, I avoided the lines/cost to take the elevator up the tower, and made my way to the grass area to take some touristy photos. I had to be careful not to linger too long in any spot tho; otherwise someone (usually a couple) would approach me and ask me to take their picture. I met a really nice Portuguese couple and Los Angeles couple tho which was fun, but the whole experience definitely made me miss my girlfriend. L Seeing Paris when your girlfriend is back in California is just wrong. Sorry Jenny. We’ll travel to Paris soon tho, don’t worry. J

After the Eiffle tower I walked around checking out the various buildings/sights of Paris that was nearby, but I eventually WALKED to the Louvre to check it out. Everything seems close by on the map, but man, it felt like I was walking forever that day. Anyway, the Louvre! I didn’t go in (yet…) because there was a huge line, and I’d have to pay. On Friday nights the Louvre is free for people under 26 years old, so I decided to wait until later. However, I did snag a couple cool photos and listen in on a couple English speaking tours which was fun.

Next stop, Notre Dame! This was easily the most impressive church I’ve seen so far. It really wasn’t all that grand on the outside (Gothic), but the inside was just incredible. A must see in everyone’s lifetime. I met 4 guys from Toronto while waiting in line who were all really cool. They’re in a band called “Organic Funk” and were playing in Disneyland Paris the next day. I ended up hanging out with them for about an hour which was fun because they speak fluent ENGLISH ! Such a relief after dealing with French people who don’t speak English (I know I know, I could do better to learn some French). Anyway, the church was cool, the Toronto guys were cool, and Paris IS cool.

The rest of my day can be summed up by “Lots of walking!” Man, I walked everywhere. Haha Through the Latin Ghetto, to the Parthenon, through Luxembourg Park, in between alleys and shopping areas, to Pompei$#^, all around the Les Halles Forum shopping mall underground, to a big church, through another shopping district, back to the Louvre, and then back to the Eiffle Tower. Whew!

The Louvre at night was pretty cool (reminded me of The Davinci Code). PLUS, it’s free on Friday nights and I happened to be walking around Paris on a Friday night. Sweet! However, I once again realized that I’m really not a museum person. I was a fan of the Egyptian tombs and artifacts, but most everything else was kinda boring. If I ever go back I’m definitely gonna do some research ahead of time and learn about the top pieces of art/artifacts that are at the Louvre. That would have made it more fun, plus I was also kind of in a rush because I was meeting up Jerome and Debora soon. Also, the maps are incredibly confusing, and navigating about was definitely frustrating. It’s also just huge, so it wears you out. Go in the morning if you ever go so you have some energy walking around.

The Eiffle Tower at night was LEGIT. It’s lit up beautifully, and every hour on the hour (at night) the tower sparkles/glimmers for about 3-4 minutes. Super cool, and definitely romantic….. (ugh, I miss Jenny). After meeting up with Jerome and Debora around 10:30pm we walked around, took some pics, then made our way to a restaurant. I thought I ordered a salmon fillet and salad, but instead I got a cylinder of raw/diced salmon that was grilled on both sides. Hmmm… It was pretty bad. Haha Oops. At least the Champagne we brought (the one I bought in Epernay) was good. I was so happy to ride in their car on the way home and to sleep. As someone somewhere would say, “my dogs were barking” (whatever that means. Haha). Overall, an awesome day. There’s still a lot I didn’t check out in central Paris including seeing Jim Morrison’s grave, but that just gives me an excuse to come back another time; but next time I’ll definitely bring Jenny with me. J Au revoir!

Nancy Highlights & Luxembourg

Hey, the last week or so has been a lot of fun as I've been staying with past couchsurfing friends that I hosted in San Luis Obispo. I spent 4 nights in Nancy (day trip to Luxembourg), now 3 nights in Paris (AWESOME), and head to Normandy tomorrow to couchsurf with a guy named Leo (going to a concert with him and his friends after checking out the WWII museums). Anyway, it's all been a lot of fun, but I've also had time to relax as well which has been nice.

I doubt anyone in the states really knows anything about Nancy, France, but it's definitely a cool town and is worth checking out if you ever make it to Paris (4 hours away). It has the most elaborate and beautiful square/plaza I've ever seen (so far, but I doubt anything is gonna surpass it). Aside from the square there are a bunch of nice restaurants and bars/clubs/discos. We all went out to a special "Cheese" restaurant one night which was fun, because most of their menu items are a cheese featured dish. And you HAVE to make a reservation in advance because the place is apparently always packed, and it was. I thought it was hilarious/delicious that the my French friends got a cheese fondue, in France. haha It was amazing tho. The entire meal was like the greatest thing of my life; until later that night I realized my body cannot handle THAT MUCH CHEESE. Enough said.

Another fun adventure in Nancy was going salsa dancing at their University, for FREE! There were 6 of us in our group, but at least 50 people in the class. And when we arrived there were a ton of people practicing for a flash mob, where they were gonna show up "randomly" somewhere on campus and all break out into the same dance at a certain time. Well, we got their early and decided to learn the dance too which was kinda fun. Listening to instructions in a foreign language that you don't understand is quite the experience by the way. Highly recommended for the Ultimate "Uhhhhh...." It was fun tho, and so was the salsa lesson. Everything was fairly basic so I was able to catch on pretty easily, despite not understanding a word being said. Fun Night! Thanks Caroline and Camille!

Other randomness in Nancy include:

• Getting "angry" for having to pay 7 euro to to my laundry at a laundromat (that's insanely expensive, I'm sorry)
• The food!!! Caroline, Camille, and their roommate did an amazing job of feeding me. From strawberry cake, to fine wine at the cheese place, sangria from a plastic bottle (not bad actually), FRESH coffee all the time, a special homemade cheese/ham recipe Caroline knew from her grandma, dinner at midnight was fun, and a couple other home cooked meals. Thank you soooooooo much. :)
• I sadly missed out on the "sexy doctor's party" the day I left. It was for all the doctors at their school, and for whoever they wanted to invite. Posters were everywhere, people were handing out flyers on campus, it was crazy. And the posters were all of half naked women that said "Hot Medicine" on it. Cracked me up.
• I missed my train the day I left. Showed up at the train station right as it was leaving (i thought it was leaving 10 minutes later...). Either way, it gave me an opportunity to plan for Paris/France/the rest of my trip for two hours

Luxembourg was just ok. I took a day trip there to check out the main city, visit a museum on the battle of the bulge, and check out a cool castle. Everything was nice and all, but maybe traveling by myself or the rainy weather just made it not as cool. Either way, it was a cool day trip, but I wouldn't recommend my adventures to anyone else. I hear there is cool hiking on the eastern side of the country, so maybe I'll check that out next time I'm in Europe. The trip was fun tho, and the highlight was definitely the WWII museum; tho I realized after that I would have probably rather just watched the battle of the bulge episode from Band of Brother (aaaamazing). The castle in Vianden was definitely big and huge and on a hill, but nothing spectacular. Maybe I've seen enough castles now to be like, "Yup, there it is. That's a castle alright." idk Either way, I made it as much of adventure as I could, and after eating at another Kebap place (turkish place I think, which I love for its deliciousness and cheapness) I made my way back to Nancy.

Epic Photos in France! (and Luxembourg...)

The Sounds of Germany... (Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxMiVJXLLg8

WILD Germany!

• Dudes wearing whites pants should be illegal
• Euro Money = Monopoly money, but in more colors and with coins
• It's weird seeing 16 year olds who are completely hammered
• I only got carded once in Germany, and it was when I bought some rum in a supermarket
• Germans like meat and potatoes, not green vegetables
• The pretzles in munich were HUGE!!!
• Drinking on the streets is the coolest thing ever
• Soccer is always on TV. Everywhere.
• No taxes. No/minimal tipping.
• Kitchens suck. No garbage disposals and you get fined if you don't put the plastics/glass/compost/waste in the proper container
• The education system is good and bad. Good - They do 2-3 internships in high school. Bad - They have a class system for schools, and if you are in the lower class system your career choices are limited to being the garbage man or the mcdonalds fry dude. No American dream attitude of "You can be whatever you want to be"
• People commonly go on 3-5 week vacations which is sweet
• The grocery stores are the worst. I've seriously had the most frustrating experiences so far at the grocery store. UGH!
• Egg yokes are orange not yellow (and taste better)
• Tons of cattle in fields! It looks like the meat is SOOOO much healthier than the crap we eat in America
• Dudes in speedos. Women without tops. A strange tradeoff...
• It's weird not being able to overhear any conversations. It's all just chatter to me
• All the houses are white! Some are a light yellow. But still, come on!
• Walking with hiking poles is super common and possibly a sport...
• Tons of blind people and people in wheelchairs use the public transportation system by themselves, and are incredibly self reliant
• The dialing tone for phones is different...
• My backpack is getting heavy...
• The train system is quite impressive over here
• I miss Jenny a lot. All the time.
• It's the wild west on the streets. Cars and people show no signs that they obey any sort of laws.
• So many people smoke cigarettes! There are even cigarette vending machines on almost every corner.
• There are only new cars on the streets. I swear, I haven't seen a car older than a 2000 something. I hear old cars go to Poland...
• German guys are pretty tall. I feel average height in Germany
• No free water at Burger King, or anywhere for that matter
• The McDonalds I went to didn't accept any debit or credit cards. Cash Only. And I was out of cash. Screw McDonalds even more now.
• Everything in a house is just different. It's weird. Too much to describe, but its just silly over here.
• Shops are closed on Sundays, and most stores close after 8pm.
• Where are the Walgreens/Right Aids?
• The streets are so skinny. I'd hate to drive here.
• American movies come to Germany 6 months after they play in America
• I hate that they are on military time over hear. "Let's meet at 19:30 ok?" Kyle, "Okay...." as I quickly try and figure out what time they really mean.
• The traffic signs make no sense, and their stop light are before the intersection...
• The "y" and the "z" are switched on the keyboards
• My phone is stuck in German, so I can barely understand how to use my phone
• Beck's beer is incredibly popular
• I swear, every German person has blue or green eyes.
• The diversity in Germany is strange. The only Asians there are tourists. I never saw someone from India in Germany. African Americans are about as common in Germany as at Cal Poly. And everyone else who is European is impossible to tell apart by looks (in my opinion)
• It was hot and sunny the entire time I was in Germany
• It took 2 weeks for me to meet anyone from America, and they were from Spokane Washington of all places. haha
• I'm gonna miss Germany and the fact that almost everyone can speak English

Another Oktoberfest?!?! And MORE Castles!

On my way to Stuttgart to stay with my friend (Kathrin, whom I actually hadn't met before), I took a train down to Fussen, Germany to explore the most famous of castles in Germany. Apparently it influenced how the disneyland castle turned out (whooooo...... haha) Anyway, to give you a brief summary on that, the castle was indeed very pretty (on the outside) and is definitely something to marvel. There are lakes on either side of the castle, the alps were RIGHT THERE, and were even covered with a dusting of snow, and its really just a massive castle which is impressive. However, the King was killed before it was completed so it really wasn't that cool on the inside. Heart castle has it beat 100x over in this respect. Either way it was a cool little tour.

What made the trip AWESOME tho was the middle aged couple I met on the walk up to the castle. They were from Germany and were SUPER nice and we had a really fun time walking up the castle together. At the top we took some pictures for each other, then the lady offered to by me a coffee if I wanted one. I happily said yes, and she later returned with 3 coffees, and handed me the one that was in a souvenir mug! The couple was so nice, and I was stoked to have one of my first real souvenirs, tho I'm sure I'll break it at some point on my trip. We hung out before and after the tour, making my trip to the castle by myself a fun and memorable one.

Stuttgart was a blast and I had a really great time staying with Kathrin and her family. Tho it was kind of strange initially as I hadn't actually met her yet (she sent me a request on couchsurfing.org this summer but I was in Washington). Either way, after she and her brother tracked down a wandering Kyle at the train station, we immediately got along and she showed me a great time in a city I knew absolutely nothing about.

To my great surprise, Stuttgart was having its own Oktoberfest that weekend, and its actually the second largest Oktoberfest in Germany! BAM! These Germans love their beer. They actually have another Oktoberfest like event in Spring as I found out, probably because they can't wait a full year to drink and party on such a massive scale. haha Either way, the first night I was in Stuttgart we just hung out with her friends at a house party, which is always fun. I met her boyfriend Christoff and his good friend Chris, and the 4 of us plus one other girl all played Kings Cup (California Rules) which was a lot of fun.

The next day Kathrin and I toured the Ritter Sport Chocolate factory! I learned a ton about chocolate and how its made which was cooler than it sounds, then we made our way downstairs to the supermarket sized giftshop of all chocolate for sale. haha Kathrin definitely likes her chocolate by the way, and walked out with her arms full of chocolates. I got a few as well. haha

We later met up with her some new friends (Alex and Peter) and made our way to the Stuttgart Oktoberfest called the Volksfest I believe. By the time we got to the festival we were all pretty buzzed (drinking on the streets and on the trains allows for this; plus its too dang expensive to buy more than two steins in the tents), and began meeting up with other friends to rally into a beer tent. The festival was pretty much the exact same as the Oktoberfest in Munich, but with slightly less people and rides, and WAAAAAYYY more german people. In fact, pretty much everyone was German, and more people were decked out in their Leiderhosen. After waiting 25 minutes or so we finally all got in, but once again because we got their late it was practically impossible to find a table and we were left drinking in the walkways. Anyway, we still had an awesome time in the tent. Highlights include: the live band was sweet and had everyone singing/dancing all day/night, singing German AND American songs with EVERYONE (Stand by me was pretty funny), I almost got in a fight with a drunk dude (I never get into fights, but this guy was anti american and drunk, and I wasn't down for him to be creeping on the girls in our group. He wanted to take our "discussion" outside, but my friends stepped in and calmed down the situation. Weird. But not the only almost fight i'd get into that night), finally getting a table!!!!, the second beer stein was so hard to drink (I had to get some help haha), more singing, making new friends at our table, and more that I probably can't remember. The entire event was a ton of fun, and I found the atmosphere to be better than in Munich. I highly recommend that people go to the Volksfest in Stuttgart rather then the Weizn (Oktoberfest) in Munich.

Anyway, the end of the night had a couple mini adventures as I almost got in a fight with Kevin Bacon on the train ride back, and I may have broken my toe. Ok, it wasn't really Kevin Bacon, but it looked like a 22 year old german version of him for sure, wearing a leather jacket. Not sure what his deal was either, but he was being creepy too, didn't like Americans, or me for that matter, and was quite drunk as well. I definitely wasn't.... But anyway, his friend who wasn't that drunk kept apologizing for his drunk friend, and it never really escalated which was good. After getting off the train, I saw what appeared to be a 1.5 liter plastic water bottle standing on the ground, and for whatever reason or another, I felt the need to kick the bottle as hard as I could like it was a soccer ball or something. Well, it wasn't plastic as I quickly found out, as the glass bottle flew across the walkway outside and smashed into a million pieces, leaving me in a pain that only 7 hours of drinking could make feel better.... Check! The next morning it took about an hour or so to remember why my big toe hurt so bad. Man, what a night.

Whoa! I'm in France?

Ok, sorry to all who were hoping to hear about my travels the last week, and frankly I would have loved to have blogged about everything, but it just isn't realistic. haha Any free time I do have is spent skyping with Jenny or planning the next couple days of my trip (where to go, what to do, who to stay with, how to get there etc.). Either way tho, I'm alive and well (kind of, I'm still sick and I sprained my toe kicking a glass bottle as hard as I could (thought it was plastic...), and I've been having a blast the last week or so, and have met some really awesome people.

Right now i'm in Nancy, France and am staying with couchsurfing friends Caroline and Camille. :) They're great, and have already made me feel incredibly welcome. The unique thing about my trip is that I'm staying with friends/people I've already hosted through couchsurfing for most of my trip, at least til Mid November then I need to figure out a new game plan. haha Anyway, I'm going top happy hour with my friends tonight after they get out of school (Medical school that is...), and then I'm joining them to Salsa dancing lessons. Should be interesting as my toe still hurts pretty bad. haha Anyway, my plans for the next couple days include checking out the city, hanging out, playing more nintendo wii, dealing with the rain, doing a day trip to luxembourg (I'm stoked to check out the WWII museum on the Battle of the Bulge; get jealous dad haha), and eventually head to Paris on Thursday or Friday to hang out with my couchsurfing friend Martin, and maybe even Jerome!

I finally posted the pictures from my travels in Germany on Facebook, so feel free to explore the photos as its much easier to use facebook than this blog which continually frustrates me with picture formatting. haha Anyway, I think I have some free time before heading out for happy hour so I'm gonna do another quick blog on a last few days recap. Enjoy!

Busy Busy Busy!!!

Hey, my apologies for not writing in a while, but I've been very busy during the last week and got sick, so blogging wasn't really a priority. Either way, I got a ton of things to say, and not enough time, so until i can find some time and retell some of the cool things I've done, you'll have to put up with/enjoy this. :)

- Oktoberfest madness with Rhianne and her friends from Berlin was AMAZING!!! Although we did have to wait over an hour to get into one of the beer tents...

- I had two run ins with security at the hostel that could have gotten me kicked out of the hostel or put me in a situation where I needed to call Michelle Townshend from another foreign jail (Don't worry mom, it wasn't anything bad and everything turned out ok)

- Susi and I explored Olympia park for a day which was really nice. The 197-something summer olympics were held here (in Munich).

- I skype with jenny usually at least one time a day!!! I love it! :)

- I'm currently staying at Michelle Townshends near Munich in a town called Starnberg. Michelle was one of my best friend's mothers back in spokane, and now she's teaching over here (so cool, but so hard at the same time. It's waaaaay more confusing/frustrating to live in Germany than America). Either way, its been great staying with her and I'll be sad to leave on Friday

- I biked 35km around most of Starnberg lake which was a lot of fun/made my butt hurt really bad. i haven't biked more than 2 miles in a long time, so it was pretty exhausting. haha I saw my first topless woman, many actually, all around the lake. Sadly, in Europe it comes at the price of seeing men in speedos too. :(

- I took a train to Garmish, then took a gondola up the alps and did some hiking. It's gorgeous in the alps. Very different from any mountain range I've seen. Spectacular views. Plus, it was kinda funny, before today I hadn't met anyone from the United States, and while hiking along a trail in the alps I met a Dad and daughter from Spokane. haha Small world.

- I went to the Symphony X Concert tonight in Munich. They're one of my favorite bands and played an awesome show. They're a progressive metal band if you were curious.... so good.

- I've been pretty sick the last 5 days. Nothing horrible, just annoying. My hand is slowly healing btw, and despite a constant minor main throughout the day, I think its healing just fine

- I'm going to Innsbruck tomorrow, a ski town/mountain town in Austria on Thurday, and will enjoy some hiking on the last day of nice weather. It's literally been 72-82 degrees the entire time I've been here so far. But on Friday it drops to a high of 50, with rain rain rain. Not so excited for that.

- On Friday I'm going to a famous disneyland-ish castle in Germany, then going to Stuttgart Germany to visit a friend for two days. Then I go to Nancy France on Sunday to stay with some friends for a few days. And whenever I feel like it I'll make my way to Paris to stay with some friends. It's suuuuuuper nice knowing tons of people over here who are letting me stay with them. There's no way i'd be able to afford this trip without them. Thanks!

- I started reading "The Gunslinger" by Stephen King which had been really good so far.

- Oh, and one nice thing about being gone is that I can't watch any of the painful seahawks games this season (Always look on the bright side of life...)

- And I'll post a bunch of pictures some other time. Blogspot is really annoying when uploading pictures and it takes waaaay too long to reformat everything. Another time. Hope everyone is well back in the States!