Is anything off limits???? May 11, 2009

This past weekend, we took Friday off and made the long trek to Amsterdam!  After a night train from our tiny Sulzbach Rosenberg, we awoke on Friday morning in big city Amsterdam.  We quickly found our hostel and decided that Friday would best be spent looking at tulips (and breaking ourselves into city life slowly!)  So, we hopped yet another train and headed to Keukenhof: the 80 acres of gardens and fields that most people picture when they think of HOlland’s tulips.  IT was HUGE!  We could not believe how many different kinds of flowers were there and the vast amount of gardens!  Luckily for us, there was a local choir singing, so we grabbed a strawberry and whipped cream covered waffle, stuck in a birthday candle, sang Happy Birthday to Sarah, and enjoyed music, good food, and gorgeous flowers!  We were surprised that Keukenhof is open for only 2 months a year!  All that work for 2 months of beauty…if you saw it in person, you would definitely think it was worth it!  To learn more, visit:  http://www.keukenhof.com/

Unfortunately, mother nature thought we should spend our time elsewhere, and it began to rain.  After waiting for the bus to take us back to the train station, we were soaked and cold!  On the train ride home, we realized that we were wasting time and money by staying in a hostel on Saturday night only to come home early on Sunday morning…so we had to get out of a nigth in our hostel…but how???  Nichole and I made up a story about how “Bertha” the elderly lady we lived with had a family emergency and asked us to come back asap.  Lucky for us, Nichole is an excellent actress (even making a fake phone call to Bertha to tell her we would call her back to get the hospital info later) and the man at the desk took pity on us and cancelled our Saturday nigth reservation! 

Next, it was time to celebrate Sarah’s birthday…so we headed out into the crowded streets to find a good restaurant.  We found it in a little sports bar on the corner of a square…they had all you can eat ribs (which Sarah could not turn down)!  After a good dinner and a few pints of Heineken, Nichole and I serenaded Sarah to our version of “Sweet Caroline”  IT’s only fitting since we have been searching for karaoke the entire time we’ve been here!  After that, we went to a famous establishment, Bulldog Cafe.   Needless to say, the smoking laws in Amsterdam are a tad different from the USA.  In Bulldog Cafe, there was a seperate smoking room for those who chose to smoke tobacco (because tobacco is unpure)  HOwever, those who wanted to smoke marajuana could smoke anywhere, because we all know that marajuana, coming straight from the plant, is very pure and okay to smoke wherever and whenever (especially in Amsterdam!)  An interesting night, to be sure!!

THe next day, we started off by touring the Anne Frank house…what an experience.  Hard to believe that 8 people lived in that apartment quietly!  It’s filled with steep narrow staircases and creaking wooden floors- to be quiet means no moving at all!  I can’t even imagine!  The House was well set up, as Anne’s diary excerpts lead you through each room!  Great experience! 

Next we visited Vondelpark…a HUGE park dedicated to nothing but walking and biking paths, grassy areas, and big ponds.  After our rough night, we needed a little relaxation, so we grabbed a spot on the grass and took a short cat nap to rejuvenate ourselves.  We ended the afternoon/evening in Amsterdam by taking a short tour through the Red Light District.  Now this, was an experience.  If you can imagine a city where anything goes, this is it!  Imagine walking down a street where every building is devoted to sex.  Either it is a sex shop where one can buy DVDs, toys, or other entertaining devices (they were on window display) or there women stading in lingerie in the windows (like they are store manicans).  When the woman is available, the curtain is open…when the curtain is closed, the woman is otherwise occuppied (use your imagination)  There were bachelor and bachelorette parties galore and marajana shops everywhere.  What a city!  Hard to believe that anywhere could be so open about things like this, but the funny thing is- they don’t have problems with any of it.  Makes you wonder…if we were all just a little more open, would we have so much crime in the states?   Funny how travelling in a different country can make you change your perspective!  Our next adventure: Bruge Belgium with Nora (Nichole’s sister)  Then…HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spa Day! May 6, 2009

Sunday, was girls day!  That’s right, we finally took time, Nichole, Sarah, Paula, and I to just relax.  No rock climbing, no hiking, no work, just pure relaxation.  For Valentine’s Day, Wolfgang had given each of us a gift certificate to a local spa.  We could choose from a variety of treatments, including, pedicures/manicurs, massages, or baths.  So, around 12:30, we left the house.  Nichole and Sarah decided to get massages, I decided on a hops (beer) bath, and Paula got a pedicure.  I cannot speak for the others, but mine was an interesting experience.  First, of course, we all undressed and wrapped ourselves in towels (because in Germany, you only go into spas naked!)  Then we entered a room with not 1, but 3 saunas.  Germans are serious about their sauna experience!  My bath was ready as soon as we entered the room, so I went into my private room.  The tub was big enough for 2 people (but I opted for the 1 person bath) and was all wooden.  It was carved so smooth that there was no need to worry about splinters!  It was so rustic and like out of a movie!  The bath was unlike  any I”ve had before…the best way I can describe it is to say it was like sitting in champagne…little bubbles kept coming up around me!  I spent 25 minutes soaking up the hops and when I got out, my skin was so soft! 

Since the other girls were still getting their massages, I decided to check out the saunas.  Let me explain each: 1) A wet sauna- the kind with lots of steam..you feel gross and like you sweated out every ounce of fluid you ever had inside you- not my favorite   2) A warm dry sauna- with a tiled bench, this sauna was kept at about 80 degrees and made you feel really relaxed and calm- my favorite    3) A hot dry sauna- this one was wooden (think Quincy YMCA) and was kept at 95-100 degrees- almost too hot to sit or lay on the wooden benches!  After the sauna, German practice is to get into an icerain shower…that’s right, get all good, warm, and relaxed- then take a hose that is spraying cold water and work from your toes up to your head (because if you start in the middle, your heart might go into shock)  This is suppossed to build your immunity and increase your circulation.  Not wanting to disappoint Wolfgang, Nichole and I tried the true German way…I was not so impressed…I was just freezing my ass off thinking when can I get back in the warm sauna?  Nichole actually liked the ice shower after the sauna…go figures since she’s always the one complaining about being cold! 

After the spa, we went to Amber and got dinner at a local cafe…delicious!  Then, we went to a gelato place known for it’s ice cream creations!  I got a banana cup that was to die for!!!  SO YUMMY!!!  Can’t even explain how good it was, and what an art form….they take time and joy in making each order into an artistic creation!  So fun to watch the head guy make them!  I’ll show you all pictures soon.  What a great way to spend a Sunday!!!

Flossenberg Concentration Camp

This past Saturday (yes, I know, it’s been almost a week…sorry, turns out we are popular and people love inviting us out to dinner…which leaves little time for blogging)  Anyway, this past Saturday, Judy Wrede and her husband, Brian, invited us to visit Flossenberg Concentration Camp with them.  FLossenberg was a smaller, less well known camp started in 1938.  The camp was built because it was the site of a rock quarry that mined granite.  The Nazis needed granite, so Flossenberg was born.  What made this trip special and very memorable, (if you can say such a thing about a trip to a concentration camp) was that a survivor, Jack Terry, was giving a personal tour to our group through the military.  So, not only did we get to see a camp that most people don’t know about, we saw it through a survivor’s eyes. 

Jack was 13 when he entered the camp, but could recall the details like it was yesterday.  He told of Roll Call Square and standing naked in the cold, feeling like a possession rather than a person, and of the showers, where you could freeze in teh winter or watched as other prisoners were beat.  He told of how the stench of sweat, rotting bread, and flesh filled the air when the creamatorium burned.  He told his story of how he survived the death march because  a kopo (soldier) told him to hide in the boiler room one night.  

“I was hidden by a camp clerk called Milos Kucera. I was in a tunnel which led from the laundry to the kitchen, directly underneath the parade ground. I was lying on hot pipes and above me I heard shots, trampling, screaming. It was dark, I had nothing to eat and nothing to drink. “

Jack followed the directions and listened the next day as gunfire erupted above him.  He was then moved to the typhoid wing of the hospital because Nazis wouldn’t risk getting typhoid to inspect the patients.  Finally, the camp was liberated on April 23, 1945, and Jack, being the youngest survivor, was given the keys to the camp by the American commander. 

“I was liberated – but I was not free. For the first time I was able to think beyond my hunger. For the first time I realized that now, at the age of 15, I was completely alone in the world. I no longer had any family, I had nothing. This is one of my memories of that day.”

Hearing him tell these stories was something I will NEVER forget.  What stunned me most was the courage and brutal honesty he showed about it all.  He did not sugar coat it like the tour guides.  He lived through this, the least we could do is listen to the story.  He tells his story so that everyone remembers people did not die at Flossenberg, “They were murdered”   

I’ve added video of Jack speaking on the Video page, but you can also look at these other resources to learn his story:

Here is a great article that sums up Jack’s life and tells a little of his story. http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2006/04/27/news/community/thu03.txt

Jack also wrote a book entitled:

Jakub’s World: A Boy’s Story of Loss and Survival in the Holocaust

If you are at all interested in the Holocaust, I would HIGHLY recommend looking at this book.  Jack, which he insisted on being called, is honest, realistic, and somehow, optimistic that people are still good at heart and this will never happen again as long as this story keeps being told!  So, please, pass the story on!

3 weeks left…is that possible? May 1, 2009

As of today, there are exactly 3 weeks until I arrive back in the states.  As I look back on my time, there are a few people, or guardian angels, that I want to share.  These are people that have made my trip more memorable and I need to write them down before I forget (thanks mom for those forgetful genes!)  So, here are some of my favorite people from this trip:

1) Man on 1st German train- As Nichole and I stepped onto our first train to travel from Frankfurt to Salzbach-Rosenberg, we realized that we had no way of contacting Paula and Wolfgang, no idea what they looked like, no money, and no idea where the hell our new apartment was.  Great way to start a trip, huh!  Needless to say, after 15 hours of traveling (part of it in a foreign country where we understood nothing), we were a little scared and had no idea what we were going to do once we got off the train.  Luckily, we met a guardian angel!  An older gentleman, who traveled that train daily for his job, sensed our distress.  He talked us through the train route, let us use his cell phone to call Paula, and helped us recognize our stop and get our luggage off the train!  He was our guardian angel and German welcomer!!!!

2) Elenor/Eloise (not sure)- Regensburg Couch Surfer- So, our trip back from Barcelona was a littel crazy.  First of all, our tickets got mixed up and we had to change our tickets for the way home, which added an extra stop in London Heathrow Airport.  After a tram to Barcelona Airport, our plane to London was delayed..we thought, surely we will miss our flight to Munich…But, lucky for us, our flight from London to Munich was also delayed.  Unfortuanately, that meant we might miss our train from Munich to Sulzbach.  After 2 flights, we reached Munich and learned there was 1 train that went to Regensburg (about 1/2 way home) then had a 4 hour layover (from 2am-6am) before our train home.  Not wanting to miss school, we got our ticket and got on the train- despite the fact that we were unsure if the train station would be open for us to wait inside. (This is the appropriate time to remind you that it was February and FREEZING out!)  As the train was leaving, a girl our age came into our car and asked to share our Baveria ticket.  We were like, whatever, sure.  So, we talked and she, hearing our predicament, mentioned that she was a couch surfer.  Basically, she offers up her couch for travelers to sleep on for free.  We were unsure about it, but once the train stopped in Regensburg and we realized the station was closed for the night and we would be on the snowy streets without her, we took her up on her offer.  She gave up her bed for 4 hours so that 2 strangers had a warm bed.  Yet another angel God sent our way!

3) Sabina- our wonderful housekeeper at school.  Sabina is a German woman who is employed by our school to clean the classrooms.  She speaks very good English and because we are there so late, we often have to ask to borrow our keys.  As the year has gone on, we have had many conversations with Sabina.  She is so fun to talk to and not afraid to say anything!  She talks about chocolate going to her hips and good places to travel, beer gardens to check out, and stressful days at work.  Whenever I need to know something about Germany or “girl stuff,”  I go to Sabina.  She is my little German connection and the ultimate Big Sister!  Plus, she always reminds me to think of the people who do the jobs that no one thanks them for…say thanks to those people, appreciate them, they deserve it!!!

No more math… April 24, 2009

So, today was my last day of teaching math.  It was the last class I took over for Paula and the first one I give back, so it’s a stepping stone towards home!  IN class today, we had a test on measurement (they did not do as well as hoped, but did go up about 40-50% from their pretests).  After our test, we had extra time, so we made paper airplanes, took them outside, flew them, and measured how far each flew.  It was such a great way to end my math time!  Before sending them back to class, I gathered them in and told them that I would not be teaching their class anymore.  One of my favorite students (I know I”m not suppossed to have favorites) started to cry!  You’ll never guess who it was….it was the very same student who had weeks before thrown a chair because I was the “meanest teacher in the world.”  Needless to say, I almost started crying (Ryan- stop making fun of me) because it feels like maybe I really did make a difference to him!  Anyway, that’s my ‘feel good” story for the week….hope it inspires you all!!!!

The hills are alive…. April 20, 2009

Salzburg, Austria, home of Mozart and the infamous “Sound of Music” (only like one of my favorite movies ever!!)  So, on Saturday, I dragged myself out of bed, against the wishes of every bone in my body, at 5:30am so we could catch the 6:20am train.  The train ride was uneventful and I was tired the entire way.  After passing through small town after small town with green fields full of cows and snow-covered Alps mountains in the background…pretty gorgeous, we arrived in Salzburg.  I was immediately struck by how big of a city it was.  For some reason, I had imagined it as a tiny town in the middle of the mountains (thank you Sound of Music) and the bigger city took me by surprise.

Regardless, we decided to find our hostel and drop our bags before heading out on the town.  It was the biggest hostel we have ever stayed at and was run more like a hotel than a hostel, but it was nice.  WE left our bags and headed to the town square.  It was much like our favorite places in every city….lots of tents with little shops/food vendors, lots of people to watch and make up stories about, there was even a mini Trevi fountain that reminded us of Rome.  So, we got out our PB & J sandwiches and claimed a bench to people watch.  After we ate lunch, we found a neat pretzel stand with “Salzburg Original Pretzel” which is pretty much as big as your head and covered in all sorts of good stuff – like chocolate, cheese, cheese & bacon, cheese & veggies, sugar/cinnamon, and the list goes on.  We decided to be good and split a chocolate pretzel.  It was DELICIOUS!  The best pretzel I’ve ever had!!  Continuing on our good streak, we decided to investigate Salzburg on foot.  We took a long walk to the Mirabelle Gardens….it has the fountain where the Von Trapp children danced!  SO BEAUTIFUL…Ryan, you would have loved it because they labeled all the different varieties of flowers.  True to form, Nichole found a playground and the rest of our afternoon was spent playing on the Tetter-totter and merry-go-round.  What a blast!  For dinner, we found a little shop that had a line all afternoon…so, if the locals would wait, it had to be good!  After waiting in line for 20 minutes, we got our own Bosna..it was 2 bratwurst inside a toasted bun with onion, parsley, and curry powder.  And, let me tell you, it was worth the wait!!!  Can you tell our first day was spent eating our way through Salzburg??? 🙂  We ended the night by hiking up to the abbey where “How do you solve a problem like Maria” was filmed.  Lucky for Nichole and Sarah, I remembered a few lines and graced them with a little song!  What a great, lazy first day!

The next morning, we woke up early and took a hike to the castle; which we had heard there was a beautiful panoramic view.  Unfortunately, our “go-getter attitude” got us to the castle before it opened.  Luckily, using our map and trail skills that we learned from Wolfgang, we were able to find another trail and panoramic viewpoint.  Feeling pretty proud of ourselves, we hiked to the viewpoint and started snaping pictures of the landscape.  It really is just as beautiful as the Sound of Music makes it look!  While we were gazing around, we noticed a familiar house…the VON TRAPP HOUSE!!!!  Since we have been dreaming about renting bikes in some town, we decided to rent bikes, go for a ride, and try to see the Von Trapp house.  And we did just that!  We rode our bikes down teh lane filled with trees (the very one from the movie) and around the lake (where the Von Trapp kids fell off the boat) and to the front of the house.  At first we were disappoited because there was a gate, but as Nichole rode up to it, the gate swung open…it was a sign!  A sign that we were welcome to explore.  So, against our better judgement, we snuck into the gated garden and explored just a little….it was like being in the movie!!!  SO EXCITING!!!  I was about to break into song when a butler and maid came out of the house and gave us “the look’  Following our better judgement this time, we peddled off the grounds and back onto the tree-lined street.  Overall, the bikes were the best idea we’ve had yet (although at times I was scared that Nichole or sarah was going to crash and burn)!  We ended our day by grabbing a few more pretzels for the ride home…this time cheese with veggies, cheese & bacon, and apple with almonds….again BEST pretzels ever!!!  One more weekend, one more country down!!!

Volksfest April 17, 2009

So, last night, Thursday night, (I know you’re all shocked that I would go out on a school night, but I’m a wild and crazy girl!) we went to the Nurnberg Volksfest with some of the teachers.  Volksfest means “People’s fest” The festivals start in spring and go all through the summer and start of fall.  Long ago (in the time of horses and buggies), the festivals were used as a time to get the young people of different villages together to “keep the villages going” if you know what I mean (wink wink).  Each town had a festival on a differnet weekend so that all the neighboring villagers could attend.  Now, they are more of a social event for all of Germany.  There are carnival rides, beer tents, food tests, bands, and a general atmosphere of good times!  If you are from Quincy,  imagine the KC BBQ and you’ve got an idea of what it’s like.  If you are a Kiel, think St. Dominic picnic and add carnival rides.  

We had a “fest beir” (1 Liter of beer in a glass mas) and Nurnberger bratwurst (8 little brats on a skewer with sourkraut, mustard, german bread, and potato salad) It was delicious!!  Then one of the teachers, Julie, started dancing to the music and cheering for the band….we of course, joined in with the German drinking songs and made general fools of ourselves!  It was so much fun!  What a great way to spend a night in Germany!!!  (Athough getting up for school this mornign was no fun!!) 

Unfortuantely, we left straight from school and I forgot my camera (sorry Ryan) so, here is a website that has lots of videos and pictures that you can see (this is for you James…I know how much you like the pictures and that you’ll read to the end of this post! 🙂  http://en.sevenload.com/search/Volksfest/videos 

This weekend, “The hills are alive with the Sound of Music as we are off to Salzburg Austria!!!!!

Insert- Lake Guarda April 12, 2009

So, this post should have been before the week in Italy, but no one’s perfect!  This blog is a collaborative effort with Nichole….from BFF to BFF!!

a while ago, wolfgang (moreso than paula) brought up to us about going to lake garda, italy for a weekend…to see if we were interested…DUH, of course we are. so it happened; the weekend of 3.27-29.09, we went (lake garda is a popular holiday spot for germans). we left school immediately on friday and went home, picked up our bags and wolfgang…set the GPS and we were off. the car ride was interseting. we borrowed a couple of books on fun psychological quizzes from lora…so we did some during the ride. we learned about who is the most daring-sarah; who is afraid of success-? who has the most self-esteem-nichole…then it said she was a liar about it, lol. so the 4-5 hour drive turned out to be almost 7 hours…we drove through germany, austria (which we are against because wolfgang thinks the country steals our money, haha)/the snow of austria and then to the top of italy.  Nichole fell asleep and her head was bobbng all over the place A LOT..I thought either she was going to jam my nose into the window or she was going to crash or something…everytime I described how she “slept” or acted it out..we would laugh (we still do!). we woke up in italy and it was brilliant. it was dark, but i was in italy for the first time!

that night (even though it was about 11pm) we hung out with wolfgang’s friend at the hotel’s restaurant. we were tired so after a lit while, we went to bed.
the next morning, we went downstairs of our hotel for an italian breakfast. the hotel’s owner (i’m assumming because he did everything) and his mom (we think) had the table all set for us (since the vacation period is just starting, places are just starting to reopen after the winter…so i think we were their only guests). we had baskets of different kinds of breads/rolls, a plate of filled crossiants, a couple plates of meat/cheese (common in germany to make sandwiches for breakfast or a mid-morning meal), different butters/spreads…we also got an egg of our choice; we all chose scrambled and it was cooked in italian olive oil–oh my so tasty! i had orange juice as well. we chatted about our day and the sad news that it was very rainy/foggy, which as a shame. our hotel was on a patch of the huge lake garda, which was also surrounded by moutains. unfortunately it was so foggy that we could barely see the moutains on the other side. it didn’t even matter..we were set for that moutain. wolfgang made the executive decision that we would not do the full-out rock climbing/or that fancy ladder that goes up the side of a moutain at a ridiculous angle…but that we would “hike” or “wander” up it as the germans call it.

we changed and got all packed up for the day at the moutain. nichole and i rode with wolfgang’s friend…we made a stop at a local supermarket for fresh bread, meat and cheese for lunch food..then we were off. the roads are so narrow in italy and the cars are all tiny. we swerved around the lake and everything…i seriously felt like james bond at the beginning driving scene of his last movie. it’s like the italians built houses and set up vineyards and then were like oh shit, we forgot roads–so they squeezed them in when they could….and i loved it.

we started up our hike and nichole and i made it well known that we are in-training for the amazing race (you know, the show….that’s right, we are training for it! watch out america!). i felt good at the start…but then we found out that it was at least a 3 hour hike up to reach the summit off almost 1100 meters (= 3/4 of a mile!). we went up rocks, leaf-covered hills…we were hausy damen once AGAIN! we reached a cute little church and then it started to rain…we so desperately wanted to call it there (well “we” meaning the girls).I thought…YES rain, that means we turn around…but we kept on. we stopped at a great outlook spot for lunch…it’s raining by now but so beautiful–views like i’ve never seen. the rest of the hike was difficult; we went through tunnel-like caves that were used in WWI austria vs. germany…so we pretended we were watching out for enemies…it was fun. we had to use these steps or ladders that were made out of hardcore metal to help hike in areas that didn’t have much to hike up–again, very hausy. we finally reached the summit….WOW. the views were really awesome (we were ABOVE the clouds and fog!)….but more importantly, i was viewing from an area that i climbed. i felt good and strong. at the top, there was a large cross with barbed wire on it from WWI, i believe, and a book to sign saying “we made it”….still rainy so we snapped a few pictures (of course) and started making our way down, which i think was harder. the rain made everything slick and i swore my pants were just going to slip on off, haha. luckily we made it and we felt gross.

we drove back to our hotel, showered, rested our eyes for a little bit then got dressed (ps i realize that many of my sentences are run-on sentences). we went to our hotel’s restaurant for hot drinks…then we took umbrellas into our quiet town to find a restaurant with pizza for paula. we never found it (weird, huh?) so we ended up eating at this fancier restaurant (possibly the fanciest restaurant we’ve eaten at since we’ve been here). we were there for a few hours; europeon restaurants give you the table–there is no rush, pressure or fuss to get moving…you have to ask for the check; they just don’t subtly drop it off.

we all tried different foods…and everything was so yummy. oh and paula started off with a typical italian/europeon appetizer of melon and prosciutto (a rachael ray favorite). we also had a bottle of wine for the table and different breads/bread sticks. we enjoyed a really nice dinner of italian pasta and good company. we then ended it with dessert. I decided to get a ginger custard like desert…and a fabulous presentation (as was everything)….so to the side of it, there was crystalized red sugar design–just fancy! LOVED IT!

the next day, we enjoyed a similar breakfast…except i tried coffee. first real cup. i actually had a whole, small coffee pot to myself. italian coffee=aparently strong. it was about half coffee and the other half was sugar and really foamy (which i love) cream. i enjoyed it. i didn’t feel an effect and i haven’t had it since…but i can say i had it (the start of so many “firsts” when i’m in italy!).

then we paid for our rooms and packed up the car. we drove for awhile because wolfgang was set on taking us to this church….we drove for so long…up the moutain and around moutains–going through the fog this time haha. i was wearing wet shoes from the day before-gross….but the church, wow. worth the drive and the rain, i guess. it was built into a moutain..on a cliff. it was crazy. so beautiful. so inside of it, two of the walls were the side of the moutain–something special. i don’t get to see stuff like this ever–so i put it in my memory banks!

back in the car…and down the moutain and on a hunt for pizza for paula. after 3 tries we finally got it right! we stopped at a very local pizzeria…oh wow…this was probably more amazing than the summit or the church, to me. they made our pizzas right there–no hidden kitchen or hidden conventional oven–no way. brick oven, with wood/fire and everything!  Nichole got up and asked (using less english words) if she could take some pizzas of the attractive pizza chef making our pizzas. he agreed happily (he does not speak english). but then the only other guy in the restaurant…he was sitting in the corner (and had earlier been talking to the chef like friends) started talking to be in broken-english. Nichole definitley appreciated it.  She learned that this chef was the master and on busier nights, they would have some young guy top the pizzas and the master would maneuver them around in the oven (brought back SO many wonderful timothy’s memories/similarities). so she watched the master at his craft. he served us our pizzas and they were delicious. i got a vegetable pizza which was so good.  Interestingly, it had potato and eggplant and each vegetable was divided into a section, not mixed up.  It was served on a very large dinner plate–it cost 4 euro (unbelievable!). the master came over to check on us…and were more than fine! That guy in the corner-his name is fabio (haha….don’t think a smut novel cover…he didn’t look like that) introduced himself and Nichole got a picture with him! the master’s name is miracol and she got a picture with him as well! miracol brough us over “lemon liquor shots;” Limoncella, it’s very popular in italy to have this small drink after dinner (we had it the night before as well). 

 OH, the bathroom was just like a regular fine restroom, but except for the sitting down part of the porcelain, you basically squatted down…so this was the start of being popping and squatting (the first of many while being in italy)!!!

April 10- Day 9- Vencie…no Pisa!

Alas, the time had come to leave our wonderful Cinque Terre and travel to Venice…or so we thought!  We left early, at 7:23am, took a train to La Spezia, the biggest one around, then another train to Pisa, then finally to Firenze in order to catch the train to Venice.  Problem was, we hadn’t made reservations for the train (we were trying to be those free spirits that we have met along our travels) and we forgot that it was Easter weekend; so all the trains were full.  So, no Venice for us….and possibly no going home since the night trains were quickly getting filled up.  Nichole waited in line for 1 hour while sarah and I tried to make contingency plans with our timetables.  Lucky for us, there were still seats (no beds) left on the train back to Munich that night.  Since we had seen Firenze already, we decided to do a nearby town-Pisa.  We hopped back on the train and went to Pisa for the day.  In Pisa, there was little to see except the Leaning Tower.  Description- a leaning tower.  That’s about it.  Surprisingly, it was surrounded by apartment buildings and a big church….hope it doesn’t fall!  We spent the day wandering around the town and sitting on the grass around the tower people watching.  Later we ate gelato and hopped the train back to Firenze. 

On the night train, I realized how lucky I had been with my middle bunk on the night train down to Rome.  The room was 6 seats, if you stretched out your legs, your shins hit the seat in front of you, and we were suppossed to sleep in those?  I don’t think so!  Needless to say, I was excited to get back home and spent the day catching up on sleep, school work, and blogging. 

I hope you have all enjoyed this whirl wind tour of Italy…there are hundreds of pictures (literally) that you can all see when I get home!               6 weeks and counting!!!

April 9- Day 8- Cinque Terre

This day was planned to be a travel day to Venice…however, after seeing Cinque Terre, we knew we couldn’t leave and had to spend one more day here!  So, we got up early and went to our hostel in hopes of getting a room for another night.  At first, he said, no go…it was Easter and every room was full.  So, we returned to our room and packed our bags, trying to figure out a new travel plan along the way.  As we were waiting to talk to him a second time…and beg for a room, we met 2 other travellers, Kelly (from Canada) and Aaron (from California) who were also looking for a room for another night.  Cinque Terre has a way of dragging you in!  We talked for a while, then the hostel guy said he had a room for us!  YEAH!!  We dropped off our bags in the tiniest room ever…beds were everywhere and headed off to the last city- Monterosso.  Our plan was to start at the end, since we hadn’t seen it yet, and hike back to our city.  We got off the train and found the best beach yet!  The town was set up so there was one main road that ran along the beach, shops and restuarants on one side, seaside beach on the other- so pretty!  INstead of hiking back right away (cause what would we do after we were done) we got some gelato…again, a must…they had Dark chocolate gelato!  Picked a spot on the beach, a little set of rocks that was on the corner of the beach and kind of secluded.  We each took a rock, opened a book, and laid there!  It was like every great vacation should be- listening to the waves, soaking up the sun, and reading a great book!  At 3pm, we realized, there was NO way we were going to hike, we might as well just stay at the beach all day, so that’s what we did.  Rome=History/Party, Florence=Shopping, Cinque Terre= Relaxing!  For dinner, we bought foccacia pizza from a beachside shop and took it to the beach.  

When getting on the train back to Riomaggiorie, we ran into Kelly and Aaron again!  We talked and decided the only fitting way to end our time (and Kellys last day in Italy) was with gelato.  When we got to the gelato shop in town, there was a cake that caught our eye…it was a large tartufu…like an ice cream cake covered in chocolate and nuts….so instead of each getting gelato, we bought it, took it to the beach and enjoyed yet another perfect sunset with gelato!  What a great end to our time in Cinque Terre!!! 

Cinque Terre Website: http://www.lecinqueterre.org/eng/  this site has each town’s history and pictures of each town!!