Home Sweet Home

I made it to Paris unscathed. My railpass had expired so I had to buy the train ticket. It was pretty expensive and no one even checked it!!! Pff, the French.
I have been awake since 4am. But that means it is noon in Paris. Shouldn't I be sitting on a bench in a beautiful park eating an eclaire?
At first I was annoyed that I had to backtrack to Paris to fly out but then I was so glad I got to see that amazing city again. And it felt really comfortable because I already knew the area and how the metro works and where everything was. A couple of the boys in my hostel wanted to go out for my last supper of Europe. It was very nice but I really just wanted to do my own thing. I went to the Musee du Jue de Pame which is a photography/film museum and then went to my favorite ice cream place and walked around and said my goodbyes. It was the best way to spend my last night. The featured photographer was Andre Kertesz. I had never heard of him and now he is probably one of my favorites. I fell in love with his work almost as much as I fell in love with Paris. If you get a chance look him up. His work has so much life and intensity. At first I felt sad because I will never be as talented as him, but by the end I felt inspired. Then I stumbled upon a preview of a Russian film while in France with English subtitles. Haha. Oh Paris, such a culture melting pot.

Just a few things off the top of my head........

Things I will miss:
Peanut Cheetos
Paprika Pringles
Beautiful boys around every corner
Gelato at my fingertips - probably a good thing
Zara and Bershka - yes I went shopping on my last days. I have no idea how I got it home.
The Grocery Store Game - It was so exciting, you never know what you are getting
Do I need to even mention the chocolate???
Nutella - luckily this is accessible in the US

Things I will NOT miss:
Herbal Mineral Salt Toothpaste - While in Hungary I ran out and it was all they had
Bread - I now hate bread even more. I don't care if I don't eat a piece of bread for a month
Developing Lung Cancer - Americans may be fat, but Europeans have a serious tobacco problem
Scanning every sign desperately searching for English
Being without my high heels and make up and wonderful hair products - so vain I know


WARNING: Really cheesy content. Do not continue if you have a weak gag reflex.

I feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to see and experience so many beautiful and wonderful things. I coud not have asked for anything better. One of the best parts was how different I felt about a place from the time I first stepped foot out of the train station and only knowing what I had read or heard about to how I felt as I was leaving and had been able to develop my own opinion. I have had the privilege to become personally connected with so many different places and to take a little piece and put it in my heart. My heart is full. But not so full that there is no more room. Already planning my next one :) Look out Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

My First Creeper

My last day in Nice I wanted to walk around the Place de Messena before I left. It is the main square and really pretty and fun with lots of things going on. I noticed this guy who seemed like he was kind of following me so I went and sat on a bench and kept looking at my watch and all around as if looking for someone. He came over and sat on the end of the long bench. I thought surely he had seen any spy movie and knew that is totally against the rules of following someone. I assumed there is no way someone could be that bad at it and figured I was just being paranoid and walked off to take some pictures of this really cool statue. After that I wander over to cross the main street and as I was waiting in the group of people I look over and see the same man about 10 feet away. When the cross light turned green I turned and walked the other way. I looked back and saw him do a double take when he realized I wasn't crossing the street with the group. At this point I wasn't scared because they were so many people around, I was more just curious as to what this little critter was doing. Whatever it was, he wasn't very good at it. I wandered around the fountain and took some pictures of some really cute kids playing in it. After a while I couldn't see him anywhere so I went to the tram stop. I look over and see my little friend waiting for the tram. When the tram came it was really full so I walked down a few doors to get on. I glance over and notice him waiting to get on until he sees that I get on. So right before the doors close I look over and his head is turned so I jump off and run down the street. I thought about waving bye as the tram left but I thought that would be over the top. I now wish I wouldn't have done that because the curiosity is killing me as to what he thought he was doing. I really do wish I would have just walked up to him and asked him. Oh well. It was kinda fun and exciting for a minute.

Really Random Photo Montage

View from my hostel in Manarola, Italy. This was my first of many Italian Riviera sunsets. I thought this church was such a treat to have right outside my window. That is until the next morning when I learned it rings 34, yes 34 times every morning at 7am.

My very own french speaking tour guide of the Riviera. He was such sweetheart and did all of my market negotiating, travel arranging and food ordering. And he can out dress me even on my best day.

Carnival in Monoco. I do have to hand it to them, they know how to put on a festival. I had a French Riviera treat of socca, churros dipped in nutella and a nutella crepe. All in about 10 mintues. I am already looking into medical treatment for my nutella withdrawls that will be happening upon my departure from Europe.

Princess Alberts Palace in Monoco. What a fruitcake.

The rough life of Monoco

Flower market in Nice. Bird of Paradise. One of my favs.

Just playin around. 25 second exposure makes the sea look like glass and starburst lights.

Post hike activity

Hiking the Cinque Terre. The total hike from the first to last town is 7 miles right along the coast. There was one segment closed due to a landslide but I did it all other then that.

Graffiti lovers paradise = Via dell'Amore (The walk of Love)

Siena, Italy

Daily activity

Vernazza, Italy

Looking down at the town from the hilltop cemetery in Monterosso, Italy

No explanation necessary. We did all have a strange, intense desire to watch Gladiator after.

Best meal of the trip. Maybe my life. I threw my moral and ethical convictions out the window and ordered the veal. You know, the "When in Rome" excuse. My Romies (Rome roomates) and I used and abused that phrase for 3 days. We decided to go big, real big and have a Roman dining experience. We went to the ultimate outdoor dining room, the Campo d Flora. Sat at a fancy outdoor table with linen and silverware and waiters with bowties. This is not a usual occurance for those on a backpacker budget. I had the best carbonara for the primo. This delicious baby cow for secondo. Rotana and I don't really enjoy coffee flavor but we decided on the restaurants specialty of Tiramisu because well, when in Rome. Right after we took the first bite our eyes got huge and we just stared at each other. It was so good we were simply speechless. It was fun hanging out with him because he is one of the few people I have met in my life that enjoy food as much as I do. While walking and waiting everywhere in Rome its pretty much all we talked about. My Romies and I talked about how much we missed big hardy breakfasts. So after the financial damage of dinner Jon woke up early and went to the grocery store and bought eggs, and meat and potatoes and surprised us with breakfast!! We each put in 5 euros. And then we bought pasta noodles and sauce and just made dinner at the hostel which was 2 euro each. So there is not even a drop of remorse from our Roman splurge.

View from my hostel in Roma

Sweet Siena

The David. One of the two fakies in Florence. Don't worry, I saw the real one too. But I followed the rules and didn't take peektures, unlike my father.

Good Morning Vietnam, I mean Venice

I am going to attempt to make my way to Paris tomorrow to fly home in a few days. There are currently transportation strikes in France. The government is raising the retirement age from 60 to 62. The youth are taking it to the streets. They have even cancelled university because so many students are rioting. Last week the metro in Paris wasn't running. There are demonstrations at the gates of the airports and they are not allowing fuel tanks in and flights are being cancelled due to lack of fuel. I guess strikes happen but never to this extent before. I am kind of hoping some chaos will still be going down while I am in Paris. They say everything is non violent so I'm not worried. In one of my favorite books the character walks around Prague during the Soviet invasion of 1968 taking dangerous and dissident pictures. I wanna feel like her for a day. Haha.

Nice is nice

And now I have found myself here:

Nice, France

I was thinking of going to Lisbon because some peeps I met in Rome were thinking of going there and the flight from Rome to Lisbon was 35euro. After some thought I decided Lisbon deserved more then the 4 days I had to play with before needing to head back to Paris to fly home. So I headed to Nice and I couldn't be happier.

I need to add to my list of favorite gelatos. In no particular order again: avocado, yougurt and kinder candy bar.

The one and only thing I didn't like about Italy was 'retardo treni' otherwise known as train delayed. I heard of this before I actually got to Italy but didn't realize how big of a problem it is. Every Italian train I went on except for one was delayed anywhere between 5-55 mintues. I am certain if all the beautiful Italian men didn't spend so much time on their hair they could get their trains to run on time. But then they put up Giorgio Armani ads of a half naked Cristiano Ronaldo everywhere at the train stations and suddenly you aren't as mad while waiting for your train.

I fell off the face of the earth

And landed here..............

Riomaggiore

Vernazza

Manarola

Otherwise known as the Cinque Terre. Words cannot even explain the beauty, so I won't even try. All I can say is no museum lines, off season meant no crowds, no internet (that I could afford) was a nice change of pace, and I partook of the freshest seafood I have ever eaten (the man who handmade my pasta and cooked my seafood caught it that morning on his little boat). And yes father, I did have to have to waiter rip the legs off of my shrimp. I just couldn't do it. Maybe one day.

Mini Photo Sesh

Thermal Baths in Budapest.

The old men really play chess!! I didnt take a good pic up close because I thought it would be rude.


View from the train in Austria. Ridiculously beautiful. This does not even come close to what it looked like in real life.


Lake Bled Slovenia. Pretty much story book.


One of my Vienna desserts. I spent 20 dollars in three hours on decadent desserts.

Right when I finished I noticed this on the table. So not funny.




I noticed this on my book and wondered where it was and then looked up and realized it was where I was sitting. What is ironic about this is, Uncle Rick Steves said paying the 2 euros to go on this lookout deck was not worth it. I really wanted to anyways so I went up and saw this amazing site. It was so pretty he put it on his book after he said it isnt worth the money. Odd. Haha.



Hallstatt, Austria. I cant even describe how amazing this little town is. Probably one of my fav.


Ljubljana, Slovenia. Such a little gem.


The perfect description of Budapest. A shattered phone booth next to one of the worlds most beautiful Opera Houses. I seriously love this city.


Budapest Parliment building and one of the lions on the Chain Bridge. The Parliment was my second favorite European building. I even got up super early and coughed up the money to tour it.


This couple made my heart melt. Charles Bridge in Prague. They didnt say anything to each other and just looked at each other and started dancing.



Fun huge chess set in Hallstatt, Austria in their town center

When in Rome

I saw the Pope today!!! (He is under the canopy) It was on my life list. Not exactly very high up but it was on there. Every Wed he gives a blessing and we were there when he was talking. Kinda cool. I was sad I didnt get to see the Popemobile though. That would have been the ultimate treat. From what I understand every week he gives different blessings to the people. This week he was blessing the youth and for them to have a healthy lifestyle. They had a bmx biker doing tricks on the steps of the Basilica for the Pope. I kept thinking, "Is this really happening?" But it was pretty cool.



I had to be creative about my Pantheon pic because the half you cant see is undergoing restoration and is unsightly.


I got into Rome pretty late last night but still wanted to walk around a little bit. I was trying to get to Trevi fountain but stumbled upon this really pretty building. While I was playing around with my camera I met this older gentleman from Alabama who is a retired military photographer. He used to sit in the back of a fighter plane going 1400 miles per hour and take pictures. He was so nice and taught me a few little things about my little camera that I have no idea how to use. I was thinking this was a government building of some sort. I was unbelievably embarrassed when a few of my hostelmates and I went to the Vatican today and I learned this is St. Peters Basilica. One of the most influential buildings on the planet. Man Im an uncultured swine. Hopefully I am learning a thing or two.

Many months ago when I was only dreaming of Europe I read about the worlds biggest chocolate festival that is held every year in Italy. In unusually warm years the entire town smells of Chocolate. Due to my early onset alzheimers I completely forgot about this wonderful festival. That is until I saw a big advertisement for it a few days ago. Guess who is going to the EuroChocolate Festival in 3 days?!!!!! I think this may be one of the highlights of the trip, possibly my life. Haha.

My days in Tuscany consisted of: eating gelato, hiking the hills, eating gelato, seeing the much more amazing in real life David, eating gelato, wandering the walled and well preserved medieval city of Siena, eating gelato and seeing Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

My favorite gelato flavors in no particular order are: truffle, marscarpone nutella, melting chocolate and black cherry creme. Everytime I see stairs and an escalator I tell myself I can have another gelato if I take the stairs.

I bought some tights while we were out and about today. We sat on a bench to rest while we figured out what to do next. I of course got up and walked off without them. I dont understand what my problem is. I realized it an hour later as we were finishing up eating. I ran back to the bench and there they were. When will I ever learn?

Ciao

I have fallen in love with Italy

Soooo I missed my night train from Ljubljana to Venice. It was supposed to leave at 2:40 in the morning so I went to sleep at 10pm. Well by the time my alarm went off at 2:00 I was very deep into a REM cycle and didn't hear my alarm. Haha. Good thing the rest of my trip is all short distances so I won't have to bother with night trains anymore. The next train to Venice didn't leave until that night and I didn't want to wait around so I took a train to Austria to catch a bus to Venice. At first I was kind of annoyed with myself because the night train would have saved so much time but it actually turned out better then I could have imagined. The route that the bus took went through the mountains on the border of Austria/Italy. I was able to see the most amazing fall leaves I have ever seen. I was on the aisle seat of the double decker bus and was practically in the lap of the girl that had the window seat the entire time. I couldn't look away. I tried to snap some pictures from the bus but they just don't do it justice. There was the most vibrant red, yellow, orange and green I have ever seen. There was this one area that all the leaves were still green except this one tree in the middle that was firey red. And a lot of the trees were a rainbow of different colors. Yellow on the top, then it slowly faded into orange in the middle and then the bottom leaves were deep red. Oh so beautiful. Sometimes things actually work out better when at first you think they have gone horribly wrong.
I didn't even want to go to Venice because it only exists due to tourism. That just sounded like a headache to me. But I'm so glad I went. I loved it. It really is so romantic. I wandered to some of the back streets where no one was and it was a totally different feel. It was so crazy that you would be surrounded by 100 people within 20 feet and if you go down a little alley and turn the corner you can be totally alone. I got up really early and walked around before the city was infested with day trippers and cruiseship people. It was so beautiful. From the advice of my fasha who went to Venice a few years ago I went to the little islands Burano and Torcello during the day and when I came back there were so many people you couldn't hardly move. I had no idea it was so bad even this late in the year. I am so glad I got my few moments of peace with the city late at night and early in the morning or I probably would have hated Venice. In the very early morning an alarm went off in the hostel and I was getting annoyed as to why they werent turning it off. After a while I rolled over and the beeping suddenly got really loud. It was my alarm!! But the immense weight of my body muffeled the sound so I thought it was far away. Sorry to my dear hostelmates.
I am in Florence now and I really like it here. I have been swept off my feet by Italy. I don't know if its the delicious gelato or the warm Tuscan sun on my skin or the beautiful men who wear pointy shoes and aviator sunglasses and aren't afraid to wear pink and purple, or maybe its the pizza that is so thin crusted and tasty. Whatever it is, I love it. I think I might just stay in Italy for a while.

Budapest is the Best

Sadly I missed my night train from Prague to Budapest. With my track record of struggling so much with punctuality this is kind of surprising to me that this is my first train missed. Brenna sat up and waited with me until I left the hostel at midnight. My train was at 12:40 and I didn't want to just sit in a big empty cold train station for very long so I thought if I headed there at midnight it should be about right on with timing. I hoofed it to the metro station that would take me to the train station and just as I was walking down the stairs I heard over the loud speaker that the last train had departed and to exit the station. Who would have thought the metro doesn't run past midnight in a city that parties until the sun comes up. It had not even occured to me. So I ran up to the street and asked a taxi how long it would take to get to the train station. He just kept pointing at the metro. We had a communication barrier and there were no other taxies around. So I decided to head back to my hostel. It was a weekend so there was a chance that they were full but I didn't know any other hostels right off. So I walk and walk and walk and see a big church that I have never seen before. So now I have missed my train, have no where to sleep, carrying all my heavy belongings and on top of that lost in the middle of the night. This is not that surprising because I could not figure this city out. I got lost everytime I was by myself. And caused the group to become lost at one point as well. My hostelmates wanted to but me in a box and mail me home because they could not believe I was wandering the continent by myself. I tried to tell them that this was the first city that I struggled so much with but they wouldn't believe me. However beautiful the streets of Prague are, they all look the same! So at this point I figure I can do 1 of 3 things. Sit down and cry which didn't seem very productive. I could start wandering up and down every street looking for something familiar or I could follow the tram tracks back to the metro station and start over. I follow the tracks like breadcrumbs and found the metro station and realized I exited a different door and that is how I headed in the wrong direction. I just kept telling myself I would laugh about this later. Much later. So I get back to the hostel and they luckily have one bed left. I don't unpack and just sleep in my clothes for 4 hours and then got up and hoofed it back to the train station and actually get on a train headed for Budapest.
Ah Budapest. It was like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. It was better weather, so cheap and the perfect city to feel right at home. I really love that city. It's not too big, not too small. It is the perfect blend of culture. It is super beautiful. And it hasn't yet been tainted by Western Europe influences. There aren't annoying people in costumes baggering you for cheap concert tickets. There aren't gift shops every three doors blaring terrible American music. I was there 4 nights and was so sad to leave.
Everything I read said it was a really difficult city to navigate even for the most seasoned traveler because everything is so spread out. I have somewhat avoided public transportation. It really intimidates me. I will fly half way across the world but I won't get on a bus. In Paris I had Emile to map out all of my routes and tell me which lines to take and he showed me the stations. In Amsterdam I told myself I was enjoying the city and hoofed it 40 mintues each way to the Van Gogh Museum. Everywhere else has been small enough that I could get by reasonably without it. So I knew I was just going to have to jump in head first. I got a trusty map and my 3 day pass and told myself I was going to make this work. And everything worked out perfectly!!! By the last day I must have looked like such a local that a woman was asking me questions about the stops. I couldn't understand one word she was saying but I am certain that if I spoke Hungarian I would have been able to help her. I wanted to get to Statue Park where all the old statues from the communist era are displayed. If you paid $10 you could ride a bus that goes straight there. It is about 6 miles out of town. I had bought my city transit pass already and $10 is so much money in Budapest so I decided this would be the ultimate test of my skills. 1 metro ride, transfer to a tram, transfer to a different tram, find the bus station, 20 bus stops later.....I arrived! All by myself. It only took me 2 hours due to poor directions. Of course nothing to do with my navigation abilities. I was purdy proud of myself. And I was able to see the outskirts of the big city that you would normally not get to see. I also noticed this amazing ice cream shop while waiting for the bus. I think she charged me more then anyone else because I only spoke English but I don't even care. I paid $2 for 2 huge scoops of the creamiest ice cream.
I was going to head straight to Slovenia but the night before I left I was talking a girl at my hostel who has traveled quite a bit. She said Vienna was worth atleast a little bit of my time. So I gave her 19 hours and she is a wonderul Princess of a city. So prim and proper. I didn't go to the royalty quarters and see all of their lavish furnishings or the treasury to see the biggest collection of jewels and jems in all of Europe. I just don't really get tickeled about stuff like that. Seeing how ridiculous their lives were while the common people starved and slaved away just makes me feel bad, it doesn't impress me or awe me. So I mostly just walked around and read my book about everything that I was seeing and maybe spent $20 on desserts in 3 hours. The Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked. I however like to eat chocolate as I walk and walk. I seriously can't stop. I have tried to cut myself off and there is no stopping me. It's just so good. Even the packaged bars from the store are delicious. I try to eat just half but then it sits in my pocket and I can't stop thinking of it so I just have to eat it all so I will stop thinking about it. I know, I have a problem.
I had to use the ATM in Budapest at a really big and busy intersection called the Oktogon which is kind of like a mini Times Square. Its a big room with glass windows on all sides. You have to swipe your card to get in and then the sliding glass doors opens. So I couldn't get my card to read so I just waited until another girl went in and I followed her in. I didn't watch her leave so when I was finished and tried to leave the door wouldn't open. I stepped back and tried to walk up to it again and it wouldn't open. So I am stuck in this glass box with all these people watching. I try to play it cool by looking like I was getting something out of my bag while my eyes darted around looking for some kind of button. The only thing on the wall looked like fire button. I didn't have much dignity left at this point so I pushed it and nothing happened. So I'm kind of laughing at this point at the fact that I'm stuck in the glass ATM booth. I finally see this little button with a bell on it. I just pushed it not even caring at this point what could happen. Luckily the door opened and I escaped. This happened 4 days ago and I am still laughing at the stupid American girl who got stuck in the ATM booth.
Soooooo, no pictures again. Sometimes the free computers in the hostels aren't of superior quality so this one doesn't allow you to hook anything up to it. Hopefully next stop. Right now I'm in Ljubljana, Slovenia. I haven't been here very long but so far I'm loving it despite my scare earlier today. I got off the train and had to set some stuff down while I called a hostel to get a room. I got off the phone and started heading down the road. 45 mintues later I realize I forgot to pick up my plastic bag that had my train ticket, ipod and most importantly my Vienese Chocolate!!!! I was so sad. But I was a big girl and just said to myself sometimes things get lost and atleast it wasnt my passport or debit card. I ended up being really lost, no surprise, its my middle name the last few days, and I headed back to the train station to start over. It had been an hour and a half since I left and didn't even think it was a possibility that my bag was still there but as I turned the corner there it was sitting right where I left it. Oh I feel like such a lucky ducky.
Caio!

Czechin out the Czech

Where did I leave off. Oh, yes, Austria. So I escaped Germany who was having many festivals which meant no rooms. I get to Salzburg around 5pm and find out its the equivalent of Salzburg days and everyone who has ever lived in the city comes back to have a tacky carnival. So what does this mean for me...... no room in the inn. I called almost 15 places, including those out of my price range, and not even a stable with the animals was available. And there were no available night trains out of the city. I was scoping out the best train station bench at this point. For some reason I really wasn't freaking out though. Not sure why. So I overhear the sweet sound of English. Never thought English would be sweet music to my ears but I love it at this point in my trip. I hear some American boys trying to figure out what to do. I march right over and tell them I need a place too and we should ban together to try and find a place. We went to the tourist office and she found us a pension with 4 beds. She said she was very surprised she found us a place. It was a little more then I wanted to pay but it was a lot better then the train station bench so I'm sure it will be fine. The boys were nice but jet lagged so I think I talked to them for 20 mintues and then they went to bed. It was the best shower and bed I have slept in for weeks now. But one snored so loud. I think he should have had to pay more then a third of the room. Salzburg was really beautiful. Sadly I am not smarter then this Czech computer and I can't figure out how to upload pictures on it. So please stay tuned for lovely photos of lovely Salzburg. Oh and I went for a walk before my train to Hallstatt and got soooooo lost. Of course I get lost when I have a time sensitive event such as catching a train. This is the second time this has happened. It happened in Amsterdam as well. I don't get lost once the entire time I'm there and then I go out for a little jaunt and have to end up running to the train station with only moments to spare. In Salzburg I found myself on the opposite side of the twenty train tracks as the station. I was getting ready to start climbing the fence and dodging trains to make it to the platform when I noticed the pedestrian crossing over the tracks was down just a 100 yards. Good thing I looked up and over. Ha.



Hallstatt, Austria
This little mining town was believed to be started in 800BC. That's like, a really long time ago. They have found roman artifacts that supposedly date back to that time period. I fell in love with this place from the glimpse I got of it through the trees from the train. I checked into my hostel and realized I was not only the only person in my room, but the entire hostel. Yippy!!! Talk about off season. I haven't been totally alone in sooooo long. It was wonderful. I layed on my bed and basked in the silence, did some yoga with no eyes watching and thinking I was weird and I slept without having to hear someone snore for the first time!!! There is a bone chapel where there are 600 skulls that have been painted and arranged in a little chapel. The cemetery is so small that people only got to be buried for 12 years and then dug up for the next person to be laid to rest there. The practice stopped in the 1960's but residents can still request to be put in the chapel. It is a charming little town.


Prague, Czech Republic
This was the first city where I was going to be arriving late at night and having to find my hostel in the dark so I was a little nervous about that. But it all worked out just fine and I'm staying in the Ritz Carlton of the hostel world. This place is oh so nice. It's very new and a hotel on the top floors so the lobby and amentities are much nicer then hostel category. Of course I have to sleep in the dungeon basement, but I'm not above that. I hung out with my some of my hotelmates for the last three days. We call ourselves the North American team. Brenna is from Canada and Marianna is from Mexico. We stood in correct order with me in the middle in all photos. Brenna's boyfriend is here on a "business trip" doing some "research" with his company Steam Whistle which is a microbrewery in Toronto Canada. So I was adopted into a pack of 10 wild Canadians who kept me out dancing til the sun came up. I called it a night at 7am as they were trying to get me to go the the after after party. I told these little animals I am too old to party like a rockstar. Sorry Utah, I don't think I represented us well. Pretty fun boys though.
I was wandering the streets of Prague and looked up to see a familar face. It was Nick who stayed in the same room as me in Germany. It's a small, small world. Last time we saw each other we said bye and he was headed to Berlin with no plans after that. I didn't really know my exact itinerary at that point either. We laughed about the weird coincidence and then hiked up to Prague Castle together and then around town for a few hours. We are making bets if we will run into each other in Italy too.
Prague has beautiful streets and an incredible past. I went to the museum of communism and it was pretty interesting to learn about. There was a video at the end of real footage of some riots in 1989. It was so powerful to watch. It was kind of hard to watch at some points because people were being beaten by the police for voicing their plea for freedom. It made me so grateful for the people who have fought and continue to fight for me for my freedom. The Czech people have had to fight for themselves so many times for even the simple freedoms in life that I don't even think about.
In a few hours I am taking my first night train to Budapest. I'm not really planning on a good nights sleep but it is going to save a lot of time doing it this way. In Eastern Europe the train system isn't as good as western Europe. They don't have the high speed trains and the tracks don't go every which way. It takes a lot longer to get from one place to the next. Prague to Budapest is 8 hours so a night train will hopefully be worth saving all that time for me to spend it in the thermal baths.

So hopefully I am smarter then Hungarian computers and can upload some photographs in the next few days.

Um, I think I will go to Austria

When I woke up this morning I thought I was going to head to Baden-Baden and participate in a Roman Spa ritual that has been performed for 2000 years and involves a series of 17 different pools with all different temperatures that is suppose to cleanse every part of you. As I sat at the train station I realized I didnt really want to do this anymore because I plan on spending the better part of my time in Budapest in thermal spas. Sooooooooo I changed my ticket and 7 minutes later I was sitting on a train to Austria.
I have never actually sat all the way through the Sound of Music. But the second I get home I am watching it!!!! I understand why they chose to film it here. I just keep getting blown away with beauty. Its so amazing here. I just walk around with my jaw dropped staring at everything. Salzburg is just a short trip though. Im leaving tomorrow afternoon for a little town tucked in between a lake and a mountain that is only accessible by a ferry.



Peoples and places
One of the highlights of this trip so far has been the people I have meet. I rode my bike all day yesterday despite it was pouring rain. I wasnt going to let anything get between me and the famous Rhine Valley. I rode 6 miles to the next town. At this point every part of me was soaked. My hair was dripping wet and I looked like a wet rat. As I was standing in line to ride the ferry down the river back to Bacharach where I was staying this little old Japanese woman came up and shared her umbrella with me. She said, "I your friend" I smiled and thanked her. We talked for a minute before it was time to board the ferry. Her kindness left an impression on me and motivated me to really look for opportunities to reach out to others. Even little stuff can mean so much.
I also met a boy in Amsterdam who is just a little older then me but has had such a different life. He was born in East Germany and was raised in the time before the wall fell. His father went to prison for demonstrating against the government. (kinda a cool story to tell so father, if you ever come upon an opportunity like this please just consider taking advantage of it so I will have an awesome story) So he and his mom had to flee to West Germany to avoid more persecution. When I told him I was thinking of going to Berlin he offered to take some time off work and be my tour guide. He said it had been a while since he had been back to see his mom and would not mind some time off from work either. I thanked him very much for the offer but I decided I dont have warm enough close to go there. I was pretty cold even in the southern part of Germany. I am so grateful I have been able to meet such generous people. The other slightly funny thing about my Amsterdam friend is he kept laughing and saying, "I can't believe you are an American!" So I would say well I can't believe you are European! He went on to tell me he has never met an American and the only thing he knows of it is from 9/11 and porn. Hopefully I have made a better impression then either of those things.

Okay buh bye

Bacharach is da bomb

This is where I'm at right meow. I haven't decided yet where I will head tomorrow. Either deeper into the Black Forest or maybe to Berlin............

View of the Rhine River from my hostel.

This is where I am sleeping. No really! It's so siiiiiiick. It is a 12th century castle they turned into a hostel.

That's all for now. Fingers are very tired.

Amsterdam......you are very vierd

I will attempt to make this short and sweet. So I didn't particularly like Amsterdam. It kind of reminded me of a teenager. You know, where you like to do naughty stuff for the sake of being defiant. I couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle people where making of themselves. But I did love Amsterdam. Let me explain. I really respect uniqueness. That being said there really isn't anywhere I have ever been that compares. There are people from all over the globe that live in that city and give it its own vibe. So I think you are really weird Amsterdam, but I love ya anyways.
I went to the Van Gogh Museum. Not because I like him as an artist, I just figured that is what you were supposed to do. I actually have always thought he was kind of a quack. Ignorance! I actually really really loved the museum and have a new appreciation for him as an artist and as a person. They have over 500 pieces of his work. Starting from some of his early sketches to his finest masterpieces. You were able to see him transform from a beginner who was trying so hard to this amazingly talented artist. It was nice to be reminded that even people with natural abilities still have to struggle to develop what they have been given. His life is really well recorded from hundreds of letters to his brother. As he became more ill in his life you could see it in his pictures and in his letters to his brother. I actually ached for him. He mentioned so many times to his brother that he wanted to be an artist so he could leave the world a better place with something beautiful for others to enjoy.
I also visited the Anne Frank House. I wasn't really expecting much but I walked away with a new understanding. The front part of the house was her father's old office and it talked about her family and why they went into hiding and it had little models of the secret annex. I thought it was interesting but as I crawled through the secret doorway that was covered by a fake bookself I had such a strong feeling. I almost started to cry as I walked through the tiny area where these 8 people had to live for 2 years because of what they believed in. It was dark and uninviting and so small. It is so different to see something and experience it then to just hear about it so many times. I had a lump in my throat the rest of the time there and as I walked home.
And here is some lovely Amsterdam

Guess what district this is.......

OREO!!! I would like to meet this graffiti artist. We have something very much in common