So I know I've been horrible about posting lately, so here is the longest post ever, in an attempt to make up for that. And pictures (which, as usual, takes a lot of effort here, so appreciate them). So enjoy. :)
Florence, November 6th-7th
Peter & I met back up with Andrew and went to Florence. Stayed at this fun hostel, the Archi Rossi (not as cute as Alessandro Legends in Rome, which is still my favorite hostel I've stayed at, but it was still nice). Met these awesome Canadian girls, Angie & Jay, that were staying in the boys room.
Waited in line for over two hours to get into the Accademia, the museum where the David is, and it was totally worth it. I know we've all seen a million pictures, but in person...wow. Michaelangelo's Slaves were also fabulous to see. Half-finished forms breaking out of the rock... The Uffizi was another fabulous museum, and we lucked out and didn't hit any line at all there.
The 5 of us (me, Andrew, Peter, Angie & Jay) joined up with these boys from New York & went to a bar that featured...wait for it...Beer Pong. That's right, beer pong in Florence. Way to travel all the way to Europe to go to a frat party...
Pisa, November 8th Our trip to Pisa lasted less than two hours. Got off the train, walked to the tower, took tons of pictures (got yelled at by the police for standing on the grass while taking said pictures), got rained on, then Andrew caught a train back to Rome & Peter & I continued on to Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre, November 8th-11th
Cinque Terre is absolutely incredible. Jake had recommended it to me, and I'm so glad he did. Definitely one of the highlights of my trip. It´s these five ("cinque") towns (or "lands," hence "terre"), right along the water. You can take the train between all five, or take the hiking trail.
As Peter & my train rolled in, my cell phone rang. Angie calling, seeing if we wanted to stay at the Bed & Breakfast her & Jay had found. Perfect.
They had done well--the place was adorable, and since it was the off season, we were the only ones there.
We did the hike, which was so beautiful I couldn't keep my camera off (except, of course, when I was struggling to breath climbing up all the mountains, wishing I was in better shape). A lot of chill time, just appreciated where I was.
Interlaken, November 12th-15th
Night trained it to Switzerland, so I didn't have to waste a day on travel, and didn't have to pay for a place to stay that night. On my train I met these two girls from this school in Texas, Corrie & Miriam. They were also headed to Interlaken, to the same hostel I was going to, Balmer's. Awesome girls, ended up chilling with them (and some other kids from their school) most of the time in Interlaken.
Interlaken is surrounded by mountains, and breathtakingly beautiful. You look outside your window, and you really feel like you just stepped into a postcard. Switzerland was exactly how I pictured it, down to the cows complete with cowbells. Interlaken is known among backpackers as
the place to go for extreme sports (skydiving, paragliding, bungy jumping, etc.) but that wasn't why I went there. The natural beauty was definitely enough of a "thrill" for me, besides the fact that things were pretty much shutting down for the season when we got there. Met some awesome people, did some beautiful hikes, ate some great fondue, accompanied a few guys on their first visit to Hooters.... but my favorite part was for sure touring this chocolate factory. Oh my
goodness you do not understand the degree of deliciousness we're talking about here.
wow.
Innsbruck, November 15th-17th
Austrians have been the nicest, most helpful, people I've met on this trip. Everyone was just so friendly, so despite the fact that most of the signage was only in German, it wasn't hard at all to get around. The plan for Innsbruck had been to do some hiking, see some museums...but then we saw an ad for snowboarding, and the idea stuck.
Snowboarding was awesome. Waiting for the bus to the mountain Peter & I met this great Canadian girl, Janine, then on the slopes we joined up with this American guy, Landon, so we all chilled together. It was ridiculously windy, and at times insanely icey, and I loved every moment. Totally gorgeous.
Munich, November 17th-21stGot to Munich right before Shabbat, said goodbye to Peter & Landon, then headed off to the family I was staying with, Rabbi & Rebetzin Langnas. Such a sweet couple, and amazingly generous of them to let me stay with them. Went to services at the brand new synagogue here, that's attached to their brand new community center. Great building, crazy security.
Saturday night I did some quick research online, then headed to The Arc, a sports bar started by some Aussies, to watch the Michigan/Ohio State game. I walked in, and the place was absolutely
packed, wall-to-wall people. One girl had brought a Michigan flag with her, so that was hanging up on the wall. Amazing to watch my Wolverines, in Munich, with other Michigan fans. Yes the ending of the game completely
sucked, but at least it was a good game. Met some great people, even though some were a little confused about what team they should have been cheering for...
Went to Dachau on Sunday. Still processing everything. Ran into John, this Aussie I had met in Interlaken, there, which was great. really nice to not be alone during the tour. And the kids he was with from his hostel were super nice too. Ended up moving to their hostel, Jaegers, that night.
Monday I did a free tour of Munich through this company called New Europe. Really awesome tour, learned a ton and saw tons. Peter ended up on the same tour, so that was fun, and met some cool people, including these Kiwis, brothers, Andy and Chris, who are on my train to Prague tonight. After the tour a group of us all grabbed a beer at the Hofbrauhaus. Ah Munich, the beer capital of the world.
For dinner I met up with James, this guy I met at The Arc. Great guy, except the whole OSU fan thing....jk... :) Went to this great Italian place, with awesome people watching, then this fun hookah bar... Got checked for a ticket on the train, first time ever. And of course I didn't have one, which is supposed to be a 40 Euro fine! Thank
goodness James speaks German, and fully talked me out of it...Amazing.
Today's just been a chill day, taking in Munich before I head off. Walked around, went to Starbucks (thanks Dad!), played with pictures on my poor iBook (it has seen better days, might not make it much longer)... And next is Prague!
They had done well--the place was adorable, and since it was the off season, we were the only ones there.
Night trained it to Switzerland, so I didn't have to waste a day on travel, and didn't have to pay for a place to stay that night. On my train I met these two girls from this school in Texas, Corrie & Miriam. They were also headed to Interlaken, to the same hostel I was going to, Balmer's. Awesome girls, ended up chilling with them (and some other kids from their school) most of the time in Interlaken.
Monday I did a free tour of Munich through this company called New Europe. Really awesome tour, learned a ton and saw tons. Peter ended up on the same tour, so that was fun, and met some cool people, including these Kiwis, brothers, Andy and Chris, who are on my train to Prague tonight. After the tour a group of us all grabbed a beer at the Hofbrauhaus. Ah Munich, the beer capital of the world.
