All the Main Tourist Attractions in a Day

4:01 AM ispeakitboldly 0 Comments

Woke up - ate our favorite pastries - and went to the Eiffel Tower first thing. This is another one of those sights I have been wanting to see my entire life. It was a little foggy this morning so the top was hard to see until we got right next to it, but this actually added a little to the mood of our visit. I couldn’t believe how big it was in person. It must be thousands of tons of iron. There were a lot of people taking photos and doing silly things to get the perfect shot: jumping, holding umbrellas, timing a selfie with a friend and getting it wrong. It definitely provided me with some entertainment. Another thing that really surprised me was the number of African immigrants trying to sell knick knacks (primarily small Eiffel Towers). There must have been at least a hundred of them around the base and each one wants to come up and try to sell you the same junk. 
We then walked over to the Arc de Triomphe. This was also an amazing sight with many people taking photos - even in the middle of the street. It was neat just sitting there watching the cars drive around the monument and imagining the famous people who have walked through that arch. We then made our way partly down the Champs-Élyssés to look at some of the high end shopping and also what may be the largest McDonald’s ever (on top of this it was packed with people). 
We took the train over to Montmartre and right in front of us was the Moulin Rouge -  complete with windmill and all. We had lunch at a cafe where Amelie was filmed (a French movie with Audrey Tautou). We climbed up to the top of the hill and saw a small art market where painters will do your portrait or you can buy other works of art. The Sacré-Couer is the main attraction as it is a large basilica built on this hill and can be seen from most of the city. I think this may have been my favorite church we have visited so far. The main dome is very impressive and there is a mural above the altar that is very well done. We happened to be there during a type of mass where the bishop and nuns walk around the chapel speaking and singing the program. I enjoyed it a lot. 

We came back and took naps before heading over to a small concert in a French bar. It’s a not so well known band called Vallis Alps. It was a good show though and a fun way to end the day. 

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Gardens, Bones, and Museums

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We seem to be getting up later and later each day here. We have a wonderful little bakery right on the corner by our place and every morning we get brekky there. There is a really good pain suisse and croissant au amande. We went to the Luxembourg Gardens for our first stop and just walked around and took a few minutes to sit in the chairs and listen to books. We saw people playing tennis, teenagers shooting hoops, and young children at the park. There is a nice sized palace in this garden that provide a nice place to relax. 
It was lunch time and we found a little cafe in a side street to have some toast with cheese and salmon on it. The next stop was the catacombs. Right outside the entrance we saw a huge demonstration for a labor union which had started a parade in the roundabout. For some reason the catacombs were closed for four hours and then once they reopened it took forever to get to the ticket counter (one reason was there were no computers and all receipts were being done by hand). To make it better it started to rain. I sat down and just listened to podcasts. 
Once we got in though the catacombs were amazing. There are a decent way down under the city and huge tunnels. Due to collapses cause by excessive mining the government had to think of a way to provide additional support. Due to the overcapacity in the cemeteries it was decided to use human bones and skulls. There are huge rooms filled with thousands of skeletons piled to the ceiling. Some of the builders were creative and made heart designs or archways our of them. We saw moss caused by the light growing on some as well as crystals forming due to the moisture. Scriptures and other inscriptions were randomly situated throughout the tunnels as well. It was interesting and kind of creepy at the same time. 
We next went to the Musee D’Orsay and looked at some more artwork. This was a much less intimidating museum than the Louvre and I was able to see many artists and their works while there for a little over an hour. Van Gogh - possibly my favorite - along with Monet and Degas were all represented. There were also these gigantic clock windows on the top floor everyone wanted to take pictures of (with them in it of course). It was fun to sit in these giant baseball glove-like couches and just people watch. 

We had dinner at a fancy little cafe where we all had our first escargot. Enough garlic and pesto makes anything taste good. It was nice just relaxing late on a Thursday evening enjoying the cool air and living the Parisian life. 

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Bienvenue à Paris!

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We left lovely Vienna this morning and took flight to Paris on an airline I had never heard of before…Transavia. They were moving people around to spread load the passengers - since everyone decided to pick seats at the front of the plane - so I ended up with a whole row to myself. As soon as we were at a high enough altitude I put my seat back and slept (I don’t think any of us got more than five hours of sleep last night). The view wasn’t great out the window anyway as it was cloudy the entire flight. 
We took a long cab ride to our flat with someone originally from Cambodia as the driver. It was a good hour long drive and he gave us a nice tour of the city - as well as an introduction to the crazy Parisian drivers. I had wanted to rent scooters, but am not so sure I will survive if we do. We are staying in the 18th Arrondissement near Montmartre. Not sure if it’s the nicest part of Paris, but it’s pretty easy to get to the city center. We had these weird quesadillas/tacos for lunch (from a place called O’Tacos) with a ton of mayonnaise and fries in them. I kind of liked them, but others not so much. 
We took the metro to Notre Dame and proceeded to get poured on. I think this is the first bad weather day we’ve had on this trip. In a way it kind of adds to the whole atmosphere of Paris. However I don’t like having soaking feet, which happened rather quickly.  There was a line getting into the chapel - probably so people could escape the rain. The short wait - including some young school girls practicing English on us - was definitely worth it. Inside we were rewarded with a dimly lit room playing hymns/chants softly in the background. There are huge ceilings and some of the most beautiful stained glass windows especially behind the organ pipes.
We got hot chocolate after as a way to warm up a little and then made our way to the Louvre. It was fun finally seeing the famous glass pyramid in the middle of the palace courtyard. There weren’t that many people walking around outside - unsurprisingly - but inside was a different story. The inside was impossibly big - and there must have been thousands of people walking around the various halls. I can’t even imagine what it’s like on a weekend or during the summer. There are thousands of pieces of sculpture, paintings, tablets, from all time periods focused primarily on the European continent. In addition to this the building itself was a work of art on the ceilings and walls. I made a point to see some of the famous works like Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, The Raft of the Medusa, etc. 

I tried to get money out and an ATM decided to eat my debit card (I later found out the bank decided to cancel my card for some reason). I may have been in a little bit of a bad mood after that. We went to a Japanese restaurant, and then a creperie for dessert, and after getting home proceeded to pass out on the couch because I was so tired. 

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Strolling Through Vienna

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We went to our favorite place again for breakfast…a little bakery on the street. But a croissant and orange juice isn’t a terrible way to start the day. We spent the entire day walking around Vienna and I still can’t believe how many palaces, museums, churches, parks, and statues there are. I was actually probably most surprised by the number of salesmen in Mozart outfits trying to get us to go to random concerts. One of the interesting finds was a huge monument to Soviet soldiers thanking them for liberating Austria from Nazi control. Our main attraction for the morning was the Hofburg Palace which has since been turned into a museum. We rented the audio tour devices and walked through the first area. This was entirely dedicated to thousands of pieces of silverware, dishes, and centerpieces for the various feasts throughout the dynasty of this family as rulers of Austria. I wonder at the great opulence of these meals and how the peasants would view this. 
The main part of the tour though was through Franz Josef and Elisabeth’s living quarters. Hearing about the life of Sisi, seeing the way they lived, walking through what was once their home was an eye opening experience. I didn’t know that they would have running water and electricity during their life times. It was not expected to see an empress with a pull-up bar in her room or hear that it took two hours every day to do her hair. Royalty are a fascinating group of people. 
We followed this up with a couple of cathedrals. One had Tuesday afternoon mass going on. I wonder what it would be like to try and have a spiritual experience and commune with God while dozens of people are walking in and out taking photos the whole time. We had lunch at a very large market (Naschmarkt) in the middle of the city. There were a lot of Egyptians selling hummus and olives and falafel, which is what I ended up having. Meghan and I had an interesting run in with one of the vendors. He joked about her being his girlfriend and asked if I would give her to him for a couple of thousand Euros. Then his friend was saying things about Afghanistan attacking America and how he hated me because I had been there with the Marines. I ignored him and left at that point. 
The afternoon was spent at the Belvedere Palace looking at some famous pieces of artwork such as The Kiss by Klimt. There were also some works by Monet and Picasso. In the lower part of the palace we saw some modern “art” and toys. I wasn’t super impressed and breezed through that part somewhat quickly. Looking at the various pieces of art I think I prefer bright painting of nature or gardens especially for something I would hang in my house. 

Our final activity was to see an opera. We went to the last act of Wagner’s Lohengrin in the standing room section. It was my first opera and I was very impressed with the performances. I find it amazing that someone would be able to compose for instruments and voices while also telling a story. It was also neat to think that - although this building was rebuilt after a bombing in World War II - was where royalty and maybe Sigmund Freud went to see operas. We finished up the evening with some famous chocolate cake (Sachertorte) and hot chocolate. All in all one of the best days of the trip. Vienna is an amazing city. 

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A Day in Austria

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We left our not so nice place in Salzburg as quickly as possible this morning. It was not the nicest place we have stayed so far to say the least and definitely a lot different from our lodge in Erlenbach. We randomly came across a small bakery for breakfast and then made the short drive to Hallstatt. This is another one of those postcard perfect places. It sits right next to a lake with mountains rising all around it. The homes have these beautiful little yards and there is plenty of delicious food and shopping for knick knacks. We started with a cable car ride up the side of the mountain (which seemed to be almost straight up) and had a great view of the lake and surrounding area from a platform that jutted out over the town. There is a salt mine tour we didn’t do - salt is why this town even exists - but did walk up to the entrance and saw some of the historical buildings, fountains, and a skeleton. 
Lunch was at a little cafe by the lake and I had some amazing lake trout. We went to a little shop with wood carvings - particularly nativity scenes - and I was going to buy one until I found out that they were from Poland (including the wood). So some of my friends bought a couple of things but I decided to pass. We got ice cream (today was a particularly warm day) and then made our way back to the car for the not so short drive to Vienna. Traffic made it even longer but the views and good company make it more than bearable. 
We turned in our car, which was a kind of sad moment. She was a good little Skoda and took us on some fun adventures. We then walked around for a little bit and happened upon a massive Indian wedding at the Belvedere Palace. The music was wonderful and there were so many people wearing brightly colored clothes. The palace grounds were so nice with massive hedges and statues of Greek gods and goddesses. After about thirty minutes of walking around we happened upon yet another pizza place. I may have eaten more pizza on this trip than I have ever before in my life. We also had our first run in with a sketchy homeless person harassing us even in the restaurant. 
Obviously we have wonderful working internet again as I am posting these. This place is much better than Salzburg. We even have towels. 

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Walk Across Liechtenstein

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We said goodbye to Erlenbach and our host this morning. The valley we stayed in was such a magical place and I feel I could've gotten lost for many weeks just walking the hills and along the rivers. We went to an English speaking branch in Zurich and enjoyed a really nice Mother’s Day sacrament meeting. There was a Mexican woman talking about red carnations and each bloom represents a new generation, the Primary children singing “I Often Go Walking” (this song always gets me right in the feels), and other uplifting messages. We found an American diner to eat greasy burgers at for lunch followed by a drive to our next country - Liechtenstein. 
Obviously there wasn’t much difference between there and Switzerland. Our goal was for some of us to run/walk across the entire country. I stayed in my church clothes and just walked enjoying the beautiful scenery and warm weather. I actually was drawn back to memories of walking through the fields of Ireland when on lazy days my family and I would cut across farmlands or dirt roads to explore. There were fields of grass, plowed plots, horses and cows, churches and small roads. I met my friends on the other border and we made the long drive to Salzburg. 
Walking around after settling in we found the river and crossed over to the big square with the palace and horse fountain. There were lots of shops with stuff for Mozart and traditional Austrian clothing. We had terrible Japanese food for dinner and then Italian desserts. We were even serenaded by our waiter pretending to be Shaggy singing “You’re my Angel” and Pavarotti singing who knows what. Very entertaining. 
All four of us are crowded into one room and it’s bed time. Hopefully I will have internet and be able to post these one day. 

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Chocolatiers and Tulips

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I’ve really enjoyed the few days we have had in Switzerland as they are very lazy or relaxed. We wake up, have a nice little breakfast of toast or fruit or eggs, and head out to explore a new town. We drove through the valley and up a winding road once again rewarded with expansive views of the farmlands and mountains that envelop us. We had to stop and take some photos of course. We always like to find someplace random to park and then just walk around to our various destinations - today was no different. The town of Lausanne is a beautiful place next to Lac Léman very close to the French border. This of course means we are now in the French speaking part of Switzerland. We enjoyed a baguette sandwich for lunch and then walked around one of two chapels we would explore today. Apparently this first one was built in the 1200s. I am still impressed we can build anything that lasts that long. 
We walked up winding steps and along cobblestone streets lined with cozy little shops and homes. There are also lots of old style spigots constantly flowing with cold drinking water. This was also the first place I saw a brightly painted statue on a fountain…it may have been a little too colorful. The Swiss really do enjoy having their buildings and structures brightly painted, even down to the shutters on windows. The next chapel was a much larger - although less old - church. This was the first one I had ever visited that had sarcophagi for buried saints and royalty. Some were normal above ground ones while others were flush with the floor or built into the walls. Most had a life-sized carving of the individual buried on top of the tomb. All of the statues were apparently painted at one time although they have long since faded. 
We then made our way to a chocolatier and had truffles and hot chocolate. This is much richer and creative than the chocolates we usually come across in the States. On our way out of Lausanne we saw a small clock in a little square putting on a show and playing music at 3 o’clock. Dancers and guards came out of the clock to tell us a short story. 
We left Lausanne and drove to another place to visit…another chocolatier. This was supposed to be a much nicer and more well known one. It had many different samples and so I had more than enough chocolates to enjoy without actually buying anything. There was a sesame one that was particularly delicious. I always prefer the dark chocolate. 
Our last stop for the day was a tulip festival doing on in a park right next to the lake. There were thousands of flowers - hundreds of different types of tulips - many arranged in symbols or patterns. I have never seen so many colors of flowers. I think my favorite was a dark purple - almost black - one. While looking at sailboats Meghan accidentally dropped her sunglasses in the water. It was kind of scummy water and it was about six feet deep. This didn’t bother her though as she simply put on her swimsuit and jumped right in the cold lake water. 
Dinner was pizza in town. I believe we have eaten Italian almost every meal since arriving in Switzerland…not that I’m complaining as it has all been good. We made the long drive back, sang some country tunes, and called it a night. 

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Hiking in the Alps

2:29 PM ispeakitboldly 0 Comments

This morning I got up a little before my friends and went on a short walk around our beautiful valley. There is a dirt path that winds alongside the river at the bottom of it. I walked next to fields with cows - and every one seemed to have cowbells - and crossed a river on an old wooden bridge to reach the trail. It was a cool crisp morning with the sun just barely peeking over the mountains. I took this time to just reflect and enjoy what this little piece of paradise provided. 
We drove to the town of Lauterbrunnen and took a cable car up to Grütschalp. The panorama of the surrounding mountain range is hard to describe in words. We could see Jungfrau off in the distance which is called the Top of Europe and has an observatory. There was snow for hundreds of feet down from the summit still. It was an easy path - mostly a wide paved road almost. There were still parts covered with snow - especially in the shade. There were many fields and small sheds along the way. The whole trail provided amazing views as well as a good time to talk and get to know each other a little better. 
We stopped for lunch at a pizza place in Mürren and then walked around a surprising tourist town - as in there were a lot of visitors - with many chalets and shops. Apparently this is also the place where James Bond filmed a movie. Also the first slalom was set up here almost 100 years ago by someone. We continued the hike through farms and various paths as we descended from 5000 ft to another town called Stechelberg. It was fun seeing the miniature horses, baby goats, waterfalls, moss covered stone hedges, and fields of green with bright yellow flowers as we slowly winded our way down. The town at the bottom of the trail was just another quaint little place with cows.
We took the bus back to our car and made our way over to another town (this one probably the most touristy of them all so far) Grindelwald. We walked around, bought some ice cream, and on the way out made a drive up a steep narrow road to get a better view of this part of Switzerland. I probably won’t ever get sick of the views of green fields, red roofs, and giant mountains. 
Dinner was on the lake side of Thunersee. It was a quaint little Italian cafe - although our waiter was from Kosovo. We spent a few quiet moments on benches by the lake watching the sun set. There is always a calmness watching the sun set and listening to the flow of water.  

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First Day in Switzerland

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We started off the day with having natural green smoothies with out host - she is a very nice woman if also a little different. I really enjoyed her place and she had the nicest little pups. It’s always sad to say goodbye to dogs I meet at these homes on trips. 
Our first stop was the town of St Gallen. It’s just a small little village that has all the architecture and food that you would think of when going to a Swiss town. I first watched my friends take photos on a horse statue that looks like it belongs on a carousel. It was especially entertaining watching one of my friends get helped on top by a nice old lady. The reason for the stop was a library in an old (very old) abby. This abby is apparently one of the oldest in Europe. The library though was not at all what I expected. We had to put on these oversized slippers to protect the floor. There were walls lined with books covering a variety of topics from medicine to the history of this area. There were manuscripts from 800 AD in glass enclosures talking about the beginning of ethics with regards to physicians. A large old globe took up one of the corners. It reminded us of the library in Beauty and the Beast. 
Outside we just walked along more cobble streets and admired the woodwork on windows, the colorful rooftop designs on large churches, and happened to walk inside of the main chapel for the abby and was rewarded with amazing murals on the ceilings. Zurich was our next stop and we basically walked along the streets waiting for our fourth member of the group, Danny, to join us. We stayed around the city center and the highlight was probably another market in the main train station. I still can’t get over the variety of olives, ravioli, cheeses, meats, and candies. 
After we picked up Danny from the airport (and made 3 or 4 loops because of not being able to park in front of the pickup area) we started the long drive down to our place for the next few days. We are staying in the Alps in a town called Erlenbach. The scenery was beyond description coming in with rolling hills of farmland giving way to snow-covered mountains. It’s exactly what I always imagined it would look like. 
Dinner was at a local place in the village (and we may have been overcharged as tourists). But it was good and was a fine way to wrap up our first day in Switzerland. 


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Dachau and Neuschwanstein

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The day started with us leaving our airbnb place as quickly as possible. I think we were all ready to move on to better things. Our first destination for today was the prison camp at Dachau. This was the first concentration camp built inside of Germany and would be responsible for at least 32,000 deaths, but more likely in excess of 40,000. It is a large area with many buildings, and some of them not looking too terrible to live in. However, it was a place meant for 6,000 at a time and ended up holding five times that many people. We were able to walk through the buildings that had the rooms used as prison cells for solitary confinement. We could see the poles out back that people were tied to. The parade ground was large and open and you could almost see the lines of people forced to stand there in all types of weather. The crematorium still stands in one corner as well as the guard towers looking over the barbed wire fence. “Arbeit macht frie” still greets all those who enter. It stands as a memorial to the evil man is capable of, as well as a reminder of what we must always be vigilant for in order to prevent similar types of atrocities. 
The rain began to come down as we headed south towards Neuschwanstein Castle. This is probably the biggest tourist destination with hundreds of people there wandering around the city and castle grounds. We had to pick up our tickets an hour before the tour started and used that extra time to leisurely walk up the hill to the main entrance. It is an impressive structure. It looks like something out of a fairy tale and apparently was the inspiration for Sleepy Beauty’s castle. It’s not that old (less than 200 years) but was never completed because the king died prematurely. The inside has some of the most amazing murals I have ever seen. For what was completed the king definitely didn’t hold back on anything. I wonder what the peasants who were paying taxes thought of this… There were some technological marvels such as running water from a mountain spring and a winter garden. 
We took the bus back down, indulged in some hot chocolate and cake in a small cafe, and then made the final drive into Switzerland. We are staying in a very cute home with a woman who has two tiny dogs. Dinner tonight is going to be one of the best memories. We drove over to Austria and ate at a small pizza cafe. The waiters were very excited to have Americans visit as their tiny village doesn’t usually get tourists. They all wanted to talk to us and tell us about where they have been or where they will soon be visiting. It was a good moment. We found our way back and retired for the evening.  

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Back in Germany

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We started the day heading out and looking for breakfast as soon as we reached Germany again. We found a great little bakery with delicious pastries such as an apricot danish and chocolate croissants. The drive took us through the hills and forests of southern Germany and it was amazingly beautiful. We stopped at a lookout spot that still had some remnants of a recent snowfall. The view looked out over small towns and fields. It was breathtaking. Our first stop of the day was Hohenzollern Castle. It sits on the top of a hill and looks like how you would picture Sleeping Beauty’s castle or Dracula’s castle. You park pretty close to the top, but there is a decent little walk up some steps. It smelled very strongly of onions (that’s what Janice said it was). We found a snail and I was informed by Meghan that these are magical creatures. The castle itself had a winding entrance both outdoors and inside a stone tunnel. The views at the top though must have been miles in any direction. The lookouts can see villages that take 10 minutes or more to get to by car. I imagine the occupants would have known an enemy was coming more than a day ahead of time if coming by foot. There were statues of different rulers all around the outside from the 18th and 19th centuries. 
Our next stop took us to Lichtenstein Castle (still in Germany…not the country of Lichtenstein). It’s tucked away off the main road with a park that had a large group of children playing. We had lunch that was not the best meal I’ve had in my life. Currywurst and Fleischkäse may not be something we have again any time soon. The castle is right next to a large cliff and there is also a field in front of it filled with dandelions and other small flowers. We decided to take some pictures before heading into the castle itself and ended up spending close to an hour - most of which was spent making flower crowns besides taking photos. It was actually one of the most relaxing and enjoyable activities of the trip. I always enjoy being outdoors in good weather doing absolutely nothing at all. We ended up not even going into the castle, but on the way out Janice and I did take the time to play on the seesaw and zip line at the park. The little boy didn’t really want to let us take a turn, but we asked nicely and he let us. 
Our arrival in Munich went without much excitement until we entered our place and the host informed us the bathroom door was broken. As in there was not a door currently there to provide any privacy. That was not something we appreciated and so we had to be extra sneaky when going to the bathroom. We also didn’t have the greatest burritos for dinner. When we went to the local city gardens to walk around the pond it was hard to enjoy the cool evening and view of the pond when being attacked by swarms of gnats. Regardless it was an enjoyable day. 



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The Road Less Travelled...Again and Again

2:16 PM ispeakitboldly 0 Comments



Today we picked up a car from the airport and ventured out into the German countryside. I should have know what this trip was going to be like when we struggled with getting out of the parking garage. We made it out of Frankfurt and proceeded in a somewhat southerly direction towards our first stop. It didn’t take long to be driving through open fields and seeing how green and peaceful it is outside of the city. The Mespelbrunn Castle is only about an hour from Frankfurt and right next to a small village. We drove through the town and ended going up a dirt road into the woods. It was a little confusing why we didn’t see anyone else on the road until right by the castle we saw some people walking and giving us some weird looks. We then came to a gate that was easily opened, but showed there was a normal paved road that came right up to the castle in the middle of the town. Regardless we made our way to this neat little castle that had a pond/moat. The walking tour was in German and so I stuck around for a few minutes and then made my way out to walk around the grounds. There were some unique parts of the castle such as genealogy in the stained glass windows that I hadn’t seen before. 
The next stop was the very impressive Heidelberg Castle. This is a much larger building that sits up on the side of a mountain looking down on the picturesque town of Heidelberg. We thought we were supposed to go up this Bergbahn to see it, but quickly realized again that this was not the right way and had to take it right back down. We walked around the courtyard, went inside one part and saw a gigantic barrel, had lunch at a cafe in the castle (brats and pretzel for me of course) and then made our way out to the car and the rest of the way to our last destination of the day - Strasbourg, France. We stayed in a place not too far from the cathedral (which I will talk about more in a moment). My room had a little bed looking at three small mirrors each with a word - “you”, “will”, “die”. I thought that’s a pleasant thought to read before going to sleep. 
We walked into the town and came upon a river and crossing over was like being transported into Beauty and the Beast. There were cobblestone streets, little shops in the style of buildings that are in fairy tales, opening up onto a large courtyard with a massive cathedral. I don’t know if I have ever seen a church quite this big before. I know there are others that are larger, but I could not believe what I was looking at. There was Sunday mass going on so we didn’t walk around inside, but enjoyed the music for a bit. Outside the bells were clanging and pigeons flying among the statues, the rain was drizzling and I was standing there with my friends just enjoying the moment. We walked around and enjoyed the sights and sounds, paused by a river to just reflect for a moment, and had dinner at a pizza place playing some intense rap music - not exactly what we expected. Back to bed and sleep. 

PS it was nice having a regular shower to use instead of doing the crazy maneuvers from the place in Frankfurt that didn’t have a shower curtain.

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Another Adventure Begins

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A few months have passed since I last travelled so it’s time for another adventure. These past couple of years have been better than normal for providing me with opportunities to explore this big world of ours. I suppose when the day comes and I have to settle down with a job and a family in the future these will be much shorter and further apart. Sometimes these trips have to happen on my own, but fortunately this European vacation will be with good friends from school whom I have travelled with in the past. 
This trip begins in Frankfurt. After an uneventful couple of flights I landed in Germany yesterday morning. There’s always the concern that free internet will be hard to come by. Fortunately the Frankfurt airport had it and I was able to figure out a plan of how to get to the city and meet up with my friends. I still spent most of Friday in the airport since I didn’t really want to drag my bags around while trying to explore. Shortly after lunch I bought a one way ticket to the Hauptbahnhof in town and started walking around. I made my way to the local university library only to find out that there really aren’t a lot of comfortable places to sit down with limitations on where I can bring my bags. I tried to read for a bit, but I get passing out so decided to just make my way to our AirBnB house in the hopes that our host was there and ready for us. She was and kindly let me in. She was a very nice French lady with a little boy (many of their conversations went like “Mama?” and her response of “Oui, cheri?” repeated multiple times). I promptly laid down on my bed and passed out.
A couple of hours later I was woken up by my friends Meghan and Janice. They came in from Berlin via bus. We freshened up and headed out for some authentic German food. We ended up at a little cafe - The Albatros - and sat outside enjoying the crisp evening (cold may be more accurate - the cafe is even kind enough to provide blankets as this is something they probably recognize as an issue. We came back and had the opportunity of taking showers in a tub that didn’t have shower curtains, which is kind of difficult unless the goal is to get as much water all over the floor as possible. Sleep came very easily for me this night even after the nap. 
The weather for the first full day of the trip was about as nice as we could ask for. We spent the day walking around to the various churches, markets, and plazas. It began with breakfast at another cafe that had typical breakfast food such as toast, eggs, cheeses, and meats. We made a friend with a local who has lived here for a few years and discussed some of the things we should do in the day we are here. We made our way through the city passing various old churches and an outdoor market - with some of the softest sheepskins I have ever felt - until we arrived at The Römerberg. This is the heart of the old town of Frankfurt and has the traditional architecture often associated with Germany. We made our way to the Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew and decided to climb the almost 200 ft tower. This is done by climbing a narrow circular stair that takes you right above the clock and provides a panoramic view of the entire city including the river that cuts through the middle. We made our way into the chapel after and had the opportunity to hear an organ play some hymns. I never get tired of walking into these old churches with their vaulted ceilings, statues, and altars. 
We next walked to an indoor market that was pretty much food heaven. There were endless choices of meats, cheeses, breads, and chocolates. Free samples were in large supply providing us with a lunch tasting all that Germans have to offer. We then walked to the river and crossed over and walked through an outdoor flea market where people were selling anything and everything they could get their hands on: vacuums, grills, dvds, old cameras, clothes, bicycle handles, and cheap jewelry. We then made our way down quiet side streets looking at the old homes and yards and cobblestone streets. I was surprised at how clean and peaceful much of the city is especially on a Saturday. 
Back at our apartment we all ended up passing out for more than three hours which may or may not throw off our entire sleep schedule for the next couple of days. We made our way out for dinner at 8 to a Korean restaurant, then had hot chocolate at a local Mickey D’s. One of the nice things about these trips is a forced disconnection from technology and the deeper conversations that can come from spending long hours with close friends - a growing closer that isn’t always possible under different circumstances. We are back in the apartment now, still awake at 2 am, supposedly waking up around 7. We’ll see how that goes. 



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