There is nothing like good friends, good beer, good weiners, and good weather. Especially after leaving the rainy days of Italy, the weather was greatly appreciated. My time in Germany could not have been much better.
~ Cheap train tickets on an overnight from Florence
~ Multiple free Starbucks upon arrival in the train station at 7:00 am
~ Interesting teenagers with milk crates of beer
~ Regensburg was absolutely adorable with friendly people
~ Great new drink, the Regensburg Creamsicle
~ Nice hostel in the center of Munich
~ Beer gardens
~ Visiting Dachau, the first concentration camp opened in 1933
~ Train ride to southern Germany with breathtaking views of the Alps
~ Fusson, another adorable German town surrounded by beauty
~ Neuschwanstein Castle was fairytale-esque
~ Wonderful German food with weiners, brats, and sauerkraut
~ Euro Sandwiches and cheap beer for dinner and lunch
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Italia
I went to Italy, sometimes I have to say it to remind myself it actually happened. After leaving Scotland, I traveled to Luton England to pick up Erin and her roommate Deanna. We left early Saturday morning the 22 of March for Rome. After a week in the chilly wind of Scotland, I was excited for the warm weather of Rome and the historical significances I was going to experience. Unfortunately only one of those 2 things happened. It rained. It rained almost the entire time we were in Rome. It was raining when we arrived, and it didn't really stop until Tuesday.
Within minutes of getting off the bus in Rome we were situated in a restaurant experiencing our first taste of real Italian Pizza. With our bags were stacked in a corner, we devoured our first of many Italian meals. From there we managed to catch the correct Metro and then Train to our hostel located about 40 minutes from the City Center. At first we were concerned about staying so far away from the city, but price dictated our stay. It was after all Easter weekend and there was no way we could afford even a run down hostel in the city center. We settled in and made plans for Easter, we were determined to see the Pope.
At 5:30 am we left the hostel and walked to the train station to catch the first train into the city. From there we walked towards Vatican City. There were already a good 3-400 people in line waiting to gain entrance. We did not have reserved tickets, but when they finally allowed entrance at 8:30 we quickly passed through security and made a run for the reserved seats close to the front of the square. Avoiding eye contact with the guards, and blending with large masses of people, we managed to slip into the reserved seats and claim a section 7 rows from the front. It was spectacular. Now all we had to do was wait. Mass was going to start at 10:30 with the Blessing at 12:30. About 9:00 it began to rain. At about 10:00 it began to rain even harder. Mass began on time but it was tricky to maneuver all the standing and sitting that occurs at a Mass with the thousands of umbrellas overhead. Despite the torrential downpour, people stayed. The Square was completely filled and people were lining up in the streets behind the square. We couldn't believe our luck in sitting so close to the Pope. I could see him with my own 2 eyes, pretty incredible. Definatley a once in a lifetime opportunity. It wasn't until about 1:30 when we finally made our way back to the hostel to warm up. We were completely soaked and chose to spend the rest of the afternoon warming up and plannig our trip.
The following day we wandered the city avoiding rain for most of the day. There is nothing like walking down a street with the Colliseum looming in front of you. I couldn't stop giggling, I couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of it. This was a common theme during my time in Italy. The Sistene Chapel, St. Peter's Basillica, the Roman Forum and Senate and many more historical places visited during my experience. While it cost us a fortune, we chose to invest in a guided tour of Vatican Museum, something I believe was more than worth the 40 euro it cost. We skipped a 3 1/2 hour line and were exposed to the hidden stories behind much of the art displayed in the museum. Fortunately the other historical places around the city were free at that time so we were able to compensate for the fortune we spent at Vatican.
We spent 5 days in Rome, catching a train to Florence on Wednesday. Florence was a drastic change from the busy setting of Rome. We enjoyed Steak Florentine and then wandered the city until about 3 in the morning. We had a friend Marco from Florence who spent the evening showing us the sights and explaining the history. We saw Duomo, an amazing church, Michelangelo's David, a copy, situated outside the building containing the original, and we traveled to a high point so we could overlook the city. It was a great way to experience the city with the streets completely bare. We had Florence to ourselves. Thursday was spent relaxing, reading adn wandering the city. We had already seen the important sights so we were able to take our time and enjoy the breathtaking surroundings. Drinking coffee, reading, watching, relaxing; all perfect things to do in Florence. It was a more than perfect way to spend our last day in Italy. That night we caught a night train from Florence to Germany. We said our goodbyes to Italy as we sat in the train station awaiting our train.
Within minutes of getting off the bus in Rome we were situated in a restaurant experiencing our first taste of real Italian Pizza. With our bags were stacked in a corner, we devoured our first of many Italian meals. From there we managed to catch the correct Metro and then Train to our hostel located about 40 minutes from the City Center. At first we were concerned about staying so far away from the city, but price dictated our stay. It was after all Easter weekend and there was no way we could afford even a run down hostel in the city center. We settled in and made plans for Easter, we were determined to see the Pope.
At 5:30 am we left the hostel and walked to the train station to catch the first train into the city. From there we walked towards Vatican City. There were already a good 3-400 people in line waiting to gain entrance. We did not have reserved tickets, but when they finally allowed entrance at 8:30 we quickly passed through security and made a run for the reserved seats close to the front of the square. Avoiding eye contact with the guards, and blending with large masses of people, we managed to slip into the reserved seats and claim a section 7 rows from the front. It was spectacular. Now all we had to do was wait. Mass was going to start at 10:30 with the Blessing at 12:30. About 9:00 it began to rain. At about 10:00 it began to rain even harder. Mass began on time but it was tricky to maneuver all the standing and sitting that occurs at a Mass with the thousands of umbrellas overhead. Despite the torrential downpour, people stayed. The Square was completely filled and people were lining up in the streets behind the square. We couldn't believe our luck in sitting so close to the Pope. I could see him with my own 2 eyes, pretty incredible. Definatley a once in a lifetime opportunity. It wasn't until about 1:30 when we finally made our way back to the hostel to warm up. We were completely soaked and chose to spend the rest of the afternoon warming up and plannig our trip.
The following day we wandered the city avoiding rain for most of the day. There is nothing like walking down a street with the Colliseum looming in front of you. I couldn't stop giggling, I couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of it. This was a common theme during my time in Italy. The Sistene Chapel, St. Peter's Basillica, the Roman Forum and Senate and many more historical places visited during my experience. While it cost us a fortune, we chose to invest in a guided tour of Vatican Museum, something I believe was more than worth the 40 euro it cost. We skipped a 3 1/2 hour line and were exposed to the hidden stories behind much of the art displayed in the museum. Fortunately the other historical places around the city were free at that time so we were able to compensate for the fortune we spent at Vatican.
We spent 5 days in Rome, catching a train to Florence on Wednesday. Florence was a drastic change from the busy setting of Rome. We enjoyed Steak Florentine and then wandered the city until about 3 in the morning. We had a friend Marco from Florence who spent the evening showing us the sights and explaining the history. We saw Duomo, an amazing church, Michelangelo's David, a copy, situated outside the building containing the original, and we traveled to a high point so we could overlook the city. It was a great way to experience the city with the streets completely bare. We had Florence to ourselves. Thursday was spent relaxing, reading adn wandering the city. We had already seen the important sights so we were able to take our time and enjoy the breathtaking surroundings. Drinking coffee, reading, watching, relaxing; all perfect things to do in Florence. It was a more than perfect way to spend our last day in Italy. That night we caught a night train from Florence to Germany. We said our goodbyes to Italy as we sat in the train station awaiting our train.
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