STILL in Frankfurt

So yesterday, after about a five hour sit at the Frankfurt International Airport, our flight was cancelled....

There was something wrong with the landing gear and the techs couldnt get the parts together fast enough for the policy of "rerouting" to kick in....

Luckily, Delta put us up in great hotel rooms, fed us, and provided transportation. (they sure know how to make a situation better)

I will be flying into Atlanta around 1:45 and landing in Houston today around 5:00. According to my rerouting information, I have been upgraded to "business class", which as you can see from the picture of my supposed new seat above, includes caviar, champagne, unlimited massages...etc.

HAHA. it better fly out today!

Cant wait to be home :)

kate

Goodbye Europe

This will be my final blog from Europe.

As I write this, I am sitting on the train on the final leg of our trip, and tomorrow will be much of the same, only this time on a plane back to the USA.
We had an AMAZING lunch with Evelyn’s family before we caught our train back to Frankfurt, and I was so sad to leave their home, their amazing cooking and hospitality, and the gorgeous region of Bavaria, Germany that they live in.

This trip has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I feel like anyone who spends six weeks in Europe feels this way, but for many different reasons. This summer, I got to see things that I had only learned about on television, or in the movies. I got to go to places that no one has ever heard of, and experience European people in a way I never had before.

This trip has enabled me to look even more forward to what life has to offer me when I return to Texas, and feel that I am better prepared for it because I understand and have seen much of the world. The generosity that Evelyn’s family has shown me affirms that there are good people all over the world, willing to help and host and go out of their way for a perfect stranger. I have learned that I am capable of traveling and navigating the world on my own, something that is gratifying and makes me feel like I can handle anything.

This trip has made me appreciate home in a way last summer did not. Perhaps it is that I am about to start a whirlwind three years of law school, or that I feel like I finally have things figured out I didn’t before, but there has never been a truer statement “there is no place like home”. I am really looking forward to it.

So where does my blog go from here? If people are still willing to read it, I will blog every couple days or so. There will be a lot of changes: My move to Oklahoma, starting my 1L year of Law School, living alone for the very first time. I have to say that there is something cathartic about writing about what’s going in my life, whether anyone reads it or not. This blog will more than likely evolve more from what I am doing day by day, to things I am interested in or learning about or find funny or interesting. I hope anyone who can continue to live vicariously through the life of someone who has lived the gypsy life in Europe for the past six weeks, and who is about to become a seriously boring law student, will continue to do so!

Thanks for reading

Kate

P.S The picture above is of us with Evelyn's fam!

Last Day with Evelyn's Fam

Today was a great day!

We woke up VERY early to head to the train station, and after we left, we drove to the location of the OLDEST brewery in the world (founded in 1051)In a town called Weltenburg, about 45 minutes from Evelyn's village. From here, we took a day ferry down the Danube to a town that had a large castle like structure on the top of a hill. (more like a mountain!) The only problem was, we had to hike to the top of this huge hill to see it. It took about an hour to get up there, and I am already so sore from all the physical activity. From the way Evelyn's mom has been feeding me, I NEEDED IT.

After this, we boarded the ferry back to Weltenburg, and got to see the oldest brewery that is oddly enough, connected to a Monastary. Evelyn gave
this explanation: Back in the 9th century, the catholic monks took fasting very seriously for the 40 days of lent. Because Jesus didn't eat in the desert, they would try to find ways to NOT eat, but still survive. For this reason, they created a very thick and high calorie beer. Their reasoning being, if they "drank" their calories, it didn't count as eating. This is why most monastaries in Europe are equipped with their very own breweries. Those clever monks...
Alex, Evelyn, and I shared a beer brewed the same way for over 1,000 years, and went on our way!

We headed to Regensburg after this with Evelyn at the wheel. We walked around the old city, and into a GORGEOUS old cathedral, saw a bridge unchanged for hundreds of years, and had some gelato before heading back to Evelyn's village. Alex and I have decided that we have eaten gelato all over the world, and German gelato beats all!

After an exciting ride on the AUTOBAHN, we were back to Evelyn's house in time to change into swimsuits for a quick dip in a lake close to her house. When I say "dip" I mean I put my toe in because it was so cold, but Evelyn and Alex were braver.

Because Evelyn's mom was at work, we picked up some amazing chicken and ate some potatoes and sauerkraut salad she had prepared before leaving. (this woman is amazing!)

Full and happy, I am writing this blog while hanging out with the entire family, watching the USA play GHANA in the World Cup.

Tomorrow is Evelyn's mom's last day of work, so we will be having a celebratory lunch before we leave town.

Tomorrow we will be traveling for FIVE HOURS on the train, because we paid for the cheapest ticket. Because of this, I will write my final blog on this trip in a little while after everyone has gone to bed. When we arrive in Frankfurt tomorrow night, we will pack and then get ready to head to the airport.

Today was an exhausting but amazing day, and one I will never forget.

The picture above is of Alex, Myself, and Evelyn after hiking the "mountain"

Kate

Germany

Today was a great day!

We woke up and had a "Typical Bavarian Breakfast". It consisted of white sausages which are eaten for breakfast here in Bavaria with a type of sweet mustard, pretzel bread with butter and chives, and a Weisbeier (a thick beer that is traditionally served at breakfast) I KNOW...beer for breakfast, but this is the German way!

After breakfast, we went to a town (that I cant spell so I'll leave it out) that Elise's brother was born in and her parents lived near for six years. It was really neat to walk around and see her take pictures and get to see the place where her brother was born. We hung around for a while and got some gelato, lunch, and coffee, and then headed back to Evelyn's village.

After a short break, we headed to another local village to hike to the top of a mountain/hill that had a 14th century castle on top of it. The weather was very overcast and it started raining while we were hiking, but it was great to cool down and we had an amazing view of the surrounding villages from the top.

On the way home, outside a small village called Nuermburg, Evelyn took us to a Jewish memorial site. Several year ago, a mass grave was uncovered from the "Death Marches" that the Jews were forced to take to avoid American liberators and others from finding out the conditions of certain camps. Many Jews died or were killed on these journeys. A Jewish foundation has set up a very nice memorial cemetary, and we got to walk around and read about it. I think it was something that "tourists" such as myself, don't get to do often.

For dinner, Evelyn's mom cooked an amazing dinner of pork, potato cakes, and cucumber salad. I don't think I have ever eaten so well!

Because yesterday was midsummer's day, all the little villages in Bavaria have a midsummer's day festival. We went to one just now in a neighbooring village, and got to watch villagers dress up as monsters and witches and dance around a huge bonfire. Evelyn explained to us that they were re-enacting the beliefs of villagers in olden times. How neat to be able to see something like this!

The picture above is of Me, Evelyn, Alex, and Mattias, (her boyfriend) at the top of the hill after our hike!

Kate

Neukirchen-Balbini

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday, we left Frankfurt after walking around all morning and headed by train to Evelyn's village. It was good to ride on a train and just relax and talk. After about four hours, Evelyn's dad picked us up from the train station and took us to their gorgeous house where an AMAZING meal awaited us.

We had pork steaks, salad, traditional german potato salad, and many more wonderful things. I think we all ate until we were nearly sick because it was so good. Evelyn's boyfriend, Metty, has also joined us in the village and we had the most fun sitting around the table talking and laughing the night away.

Evelyn's mom has made our stay unbelievably comfortable. When Elise and I were shown our "guest room", we had chocolates on the bed, and every toiletry item you could ever imagine. This is better than staying in a 5 Star Resort!

This link is of the home page of Evelyn's village. The large white house in the top right hand corner is where Evelyn lives. It is amazing.

Click Here

The above pictures are of Evelyn's dad, (Master German BBQer, or "MASTAH OF DISASTAH" as he says), and the next one is of their house.

We are having the most amazing time and her family is great. This is the most fun I have had on the entire trip.

More later!

Kate

German for a Day

Guten Tag from Frankfurt!

We woke up this morning to go on a city tour of Frankfurt that Evelyn had planned for us. She took us to the Frankfurt stock market, which is a big deal because Frankfurt is a banking city. It was interesting to compare the difference between what we see on T.V about ours and then what we were seeing about theirs.

After this, we saw some Cathedrals and important buildings, did some shopping, and headed back to Evelyns flat to get ready for the public viewing of the World Cup game Germany v. Ghana. They had a huge screen out on the public lawn at the school for the students to watch. The only thing I can equate this to would be our form of "tailgating". Everyone sits out on the lawn on blankets or at tables and watches the game. Germans are obviously very loud and proud of their team, and it was great fun watching Germany win and all the excitement that came along with that.

Evelyn bought us face paint with the German flag colors, so I painted my face and was German for a day.

After about an hour of train, metro, and tram rides, we made it back to Evelyn's flat, ate some snacks, and immediately fell asleep.

Today, we are headed to Evelyn's village for a BBQ with her parents, and fun with them until Sunday evening when we return to Frankfurt for our flight on Monday. They have internet so I should be able to blog!

The pictures above are of us at the viewing of the game!

Kate

Quick Update from Frankfurt

Hello Everyone from Frankfurt!

After a very long journey yesterday, Evelyn picked us up at the train station around 11:30pm and took us to her flat. We were so exhausted and tired of traveling, so we talked to her for about an hour, and finally fell into bed.

After a terrifying taxi ride from our hotel in Rome, we arrived at the airport and checked in. I had some major issues with luggage and rude people at the check-in counter, but that can be for another post.

We landed two and a half hours later in Dusseldorf, hopped on a train, changed in Cologne, changed in Frankfurt again at another station, and finally were at the station where we were getting picked up!

This morning, we are going to see the stock market in Frankfurt, as well as a city tour led by Evelyn. Tonight, we are going to her grad school campus to watch the Germans play in the world cup.

Tommorrow, we will be headed to her families house outside of Regensburg for a traditional bbq and family time. We are excited because they have a large house, laundry, and lots of space to spread out! I am very excited to meet and spend time with her family.

I will update as soon as I can.

The above picture is of the train station in Cologne, I thought it looked neat.

One quick last post from Rome

I can't leave Rome without updating you on some of the beautiul pictures you can take at night. The first is of a monument at the Spanish Steps from a distance at sunset, and the second is of the Trevi fountain at night.

Last night around 10:00pm, Alex and I trekked one last time to the Trevi fountain because everyone we have spoken to said it was a must to see it at night. How right they were....the fountain was all lit up, and there were more people around taking pictures than during the day!

We had one last gelato while sitting on the steps in front of the fountain, and walked back home to our hotel.

This morning, we went to the Cappuchian Crypt(sp I'm sure). This is a crypt where monks are "laid" to rest....except for they are not really laying, but are sitting there dead for everyone to see. Their bones line the walls of the crypt and some skeletons are still dressed and looking at you as you walk by...It is pretty creepy and strange, but I'm glad I got to see it! SORRY, NO PICS ALLOWED IN THE CRYPT...

Right now, we are sitting in the lobby waiting for our taxi to take us to the airport...I'll post about our day as soon as I can :)

Have a great Tuesday..

kate

Ciao Roma!

Today was our last full day in Rome.

We all slept in a little bit, got up and ate breafast, and then layed around in the hotel room for a while. We each did and saw so much yesterday that we didn't have anything on the agenda.

We ran some errands, grabbed some lunch, and now have been getting ready for our trip tomorrow to Germany! Packing is turning into a hassle, and every time I get somewhere I add and then throw out alot of things I have accumulated throughout the trip. Tomorrow we are going to wake up early, hit a couple more monuments and cathedrals, and then prepare to leave. Check out is at 11am, so we will be storing our luggage for a couple of hours in the hotel's closet.

Our flight tomorrow leaves the Rome airport around 6pm, and we have ordered a taxi to pick us up at the hotel around 3pm. We will land in Dusseldorf Germany, and take a train into Regensburg where Evelyn will be waiting for us at the train station. We are hoping there are no delays like there were last time, because we have a very tight schedule to make our trains!

Wish us luck:)

I don't know what the internet situation is going to be, or if Evelyn's parents will have access at their house, but I will update everyone as soon as I get it!

Home in a Week!!

Kate

Roaming in Rome

Today I struck out on my own to see some things I wanted to see in the Eternal City. There is really something to be said about exploring alone. I know it was only one day, but there is something to be said for feeling capable and confident enough to navigate a strange city by yourself.

I did some research last night and wanted to go to go to the National Museum of Liberation, a memorial museum for the Roman victims of Nazi occupation during WWII. I hopped on the metro and made it there early, so I walked around for about an hour exploring Piazza San Giovanni, a beautiful Basillica on the outskirts of town. It started raining, so I headed over to the museum again, where an old man, speaking only Italian of course, gave me a pamphlet and put me on an elevator to the 3rd floor. For some reason, I gathered that he didn't want me going to the 2nd floor, and was very persistent that I didn't. Since I was alone, and was sure I was the only visitor in the museum, I got an uneasy feeling and didn't spend too much time there. There were some displays in English, but most were in Italian and I had a strange feeling the whole time I was inside so I didn't try too terribly hard to figure it out. I don't know if it was because of all the terrible things that happened within the walls or what, but I got queasy and left!

Once outside in the fresh air, I caught the metro back to the Repubblica Station and walked a good mile or so down tiny cobbled streets on the way to an area called Campo Del Fiori. I read in guidebooks that this was a famous flower market and vegetable market. I was almost there and reading my map when an old man yelled out to me and motioned me over from his cafe. Obviously the owner, he yelled to a waiter to watch his cafe, and motioned to me to point to where I was headed. Once I did, he grabbed my hand and led me through passages until there I was. He was such a sweet old man, and couldn't have been younger than about 80 years old. As I said goodbye, he grabbed my face and said over and over "Ciao Bella Ciao Bella" with a huge smile. It made my day that a local came up to me and helped me along my way.

After this, I got some gelato and ambled over to Piazza Navona, a beautiful piazza famous for art dealers and vendors. I piddled around here for a while before moving on.

The picture above is one I took with the black and white setting on my camera. It is of me crossing the Ponte de Sant Angelo Bridge. I turned right and followed this river for another mile or so, then crossed and walked around Piazza del Popolo, which is a church and and many statues.

I hopped onto the metro and headed home, tired from walking and soaking wet from the rain.

It was a great day with no schedule, pace, or goal in mind. I saw what I wanted to see and thoroughly enjoyed myself...I have a feeling tomorrow will be much of the same. I still want to see the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain at night.

I know we are all excited to head to Germany and spend some time with Evelyn and her family!

More tomorrow :)

Kate

I know I already told you but HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD! LOVE YOU

On the Road Again...

What a day it's been.

Im blogging from our hotel in Roma! We woke up this morning around 6:30am, praying that the metro wouldn't be closed because of a strike. Thankfully, the strike wasn't happening yet, so we paid for our tickets and caught the metro for the airport. About 15 stops later, we were there, and found our way to the ticket counter, checked our baggage, and got our boarding passes. After quite a walk to our gate, we proceeded to go through security...

I can't exactly say what stopped me at the security gate, because some people reading this blog suprise's might be ruined, so I'm just going to say I had things in my bag that aren't allowed on an airplane, and I was stupid to forget to check them! After several people went through my bags and asked me many questions in Greek, a security woman finally pulled my "contraband" out of the bag.

I was worried that I was going to lose the things, but instead, she allowed me to go back to the luggage counter and check my carry on instead of bringing it on the plane. She said all this with a smile! I was expecting her to throw all my stuff in the trash/carry me to jail/put me in a tiny windowless holding cell and throw away the key....that sort of thing, but it didn't happen, and with a little delay, I was able to make it to the gate to my friends.

We were warned that European airlines are notorious for delays, and this was definitely the case this morning. I believe our flight was two hours late, and we didn't board until about half an hour after we were supposed to have been landing in Rome. This was all okay, because we had nothing planned and no connections to make. We later learned that there had been a "technical difficulty", so we are hoping on Tuesday when we fly on the same airline to Dusseldorf, Germany, there will be no such problems, because we have a connection to make at the train station!

Other than that, the flight took about an hour and a half, was pleasant and smooth, all our luggage made it in one piece, and our taxi driver was there on time! Overall, a good first experience with EasyJet...minus my current "terrorist" status.

Tonight, I am planning my attack on Rome for the next couple of days. My only criteria is :
1. Cheap and or Free
2. Close enough that I don't have to buy expensive transportation

Armed with a map and some water, I dont forsee any problems!

We decided to stay in a hotel because in Rome, a hostel is about the same price, so we figured if we could have a nicer place plus breakfast, why not?

For dinner, we found a local food shop and I grabbed some ciabatta bread, a chunk of cheese, and 2 liters of water...all for about three Euro...not bad!

I haven't been taking many pictures because we have been traveling, so the above picture is of Elise and I in Houston the day we left the states!

More tomorrow!

kate

P.S. Here are my pictures from Rome two weeks ago, I figured I should upload them now before I take more tomorrow!

CLICK HERE FOR ROME

Delphi Tour

This blog is going to be pretty short and sweet

This morning we woke up around 6:30 am to catch our tour bus to Delphi, an ancient Greek mythological city. This city was not occupied by anything but temples, storage, altars, and theaters. As everyone knows, the Greeks have this entire mythological world and Delphi was one of the places. According to the Greeks, Posieden, god of the sea, turned into a Dophin and led the Greeks to this location. Therfore-->Dolphin is turned into Delphi...

After about a three hour bus ride, we arrived in Delphi and were able to tour the ruins, as well as get a tour of the museum that held all the remnants of the old city. It was amazing to see something so old still standing at some places. After about two hours at the site, it was back on the bus for the ride back. We just got home and are exhausted. We have to shower and re-pack our bags for our flight from Athens to Rome

I'm really hoping we will have internet in Rome...I'm sure I will find it! Hopefully something interesting will happen for me to write about!

Talk to you soon,

kate

Beach Time

What a day.

Greece is funny. The whole nation is in turmoil financially, their tourism is at an all time low, and they have planned daily metro, bus, and tram strikes. What strikes me as odd about the latter is that people will eventually just plan around these pre-planned strikes until they are no longer a nuisance. We as travelers however, are caught a little off guard by these demonstrations. Yesterday, we already knew we couldn't use the metro, and it wasn't a problem because we stayed close to the hostel. Today though, we wanted to head to Kalamaki beach, suggested by one of the night desk people at our hostel. It was only two Euros to ride the metro and the tram to get there, and was to take about thirty minutes.

So this morning we woke up and grabbed some bread from breakfast and headed to the metro station. According to the man at the front desk, the strike was to begin at 11am and to end at 4pm. This was fine because we figured we would get to the beach around 11am and then be the first ones on the tram at 4pm. We arrived at the very crowded beach without incident, and spent the day in the water and in the sand.

I met some kids in the water that were having a really hard time swimming. I guess its instinct from having worked as a swim instructer for so long, but I motioned them over and asked if they spoke English. In very broken replies, they said yes, and I proceeded to give them a few pointers. It turns out, they were young kids from Afgahanistan. After the mini lesson, one of them thanked me again and we began to talk about his life in Afgahanistan. He was sixteen, the oldest of three children, and had already had a tougher life than I could have ever imagined.

I don't know how they managed to travel to Greece, or why they were even there, but we started to talk about the war and about America's presence in their country. The young kid was very happy to learn that I was American, and when a helicopter flew over the water pointed and said America! America! and began to tell me a little about his life.

His mother was killed several months ago by the Taliban, and he, at sixteen, has taken over the little food shop his family owned and now runs it alone in a city called Kabul. It's amazing how I have seen and heard about the war and the Taliban and all that's going on much of my adult life, but meeting someone so innocent and sad and that he had been truly affected by everything I've grown up watching on the news really broke my heart. I was glad that he was able to have some vacation time and just enjoy being a kid.

Right at four, we caught the tram back into Athens and in a round-a-bout way after some confusion, an unannounced metro strike, and a twenty minute walk, here I am back at the Hostel, ready to relax and get some sleep.

Tomorrow we head out to Delphi for an all day tour and will be gone all day. I will be buying internet tomorrow night to update ya'll on how it went.
I miss everyone

Kate

PS. no pics today...the picture above is of me in Poros

More Athens

Hello once again from Athens,

We successfully checked into our hostel around noon and were pleasantly surprised to find out how nice it was. The ratings on hostelworld.com when I was doing some research were great, but we might as well be staying at a hotel. We have a room with a double bed that Elise and I share, and Alex has a twin. We have our own private bathroom as well as a kitchen.

After check-in, we went out to the main shopping street and spent our afternoon walking around in the nearly 100 degree heat. After this, we grabbed some water and then spent some time in the local Athenian flea market. Here, there are many jewelry shops as well as leather markets. After a while, we were so hot and tired that we came home and took cold showers. I took a nap and did some laundry (story of my life….but I am getting great at hand washing all my clothes, what a money saver!)

We met Herbie (our ex tour guide) in a square close to our hostel, and had a great Greek dinner. Andrew, the kid who was in the accident, showed up as well, a little worse for wear with a heinous black eye and scratches everywhere…but he’s alive and well and apparently able to fly tomorrow.

We have decided to live on the cheap for the next couple of days in Athens. Tomorrow we are going to take a bus out to a local beach and just lay around and do nothing. The following day, we have a tour out to Delphi, where the original Oracles (think the movie 300) were from. After one last free day, we will be headed to Rome.

My only complaint about Athens is that the heat is inescapable, as well as stifling. Having grown up in one of the hottest places in Texas, you would think I would be fine, but this heat in Greece is not something you cool off or recover from. The Grecian people have air-conditioning on full blast all the time, but it seems to not do much to help. I try to lie as still as possible, take freezing cold showers, and avoid the sun as much as possible.

The people at the hostel are very friendly, they have a rooftop bar that allows you to see the Acropolis, and the night guy gave us all free internet for tonight. The only downside is that we have to pay by the hour, (but I have one free hour tonight!)

I am starting to feel a little bit of travelers fatigue….I have been getting great sleep but I think the mental aspect of this trip has really started to take its toll. I am looking forward to seeing Evelyn in Germany, and possibly my cousin Rebecca, who lives on the army base near Frankfurt. I have about 5 billion things to do when I get home, so I am looking forward to getting everything started!

Hope everyone is doing really well and enjoying the summer Texas heat 

kate

Athens

Good Morning from Athens!

I have some mixed feelings as I wake up this morning and remember the rest of the group has flown home. I am happy that I will have some time and flexibility to do what I want, but am sad to say goodbye to new and old friends.

Yesterday, we left the beautiful Island of Poros around 10:30am, boarded a luggage boat in the scorching heat, and rode it across the bay to load on yet another ferry. The ferry ride was a couple of hours, and when we docked, we all loaded onto a bus and headed to the Acropolis for a tour.

Our tour guide was an interesting character, and seemed more concerned with giving us a vocabulary lesson than teaching us about the ruins. She kept pronouncing words as if we were little children. Luckily for her, we were all about to die from heat-stroke, so no one was paying attention.

The scorching heat didn't keep me from appreciating what I was seeing, although I was suprised to learn that the Acropolis itself is not standing as its original structure. In the 17th century, it was used by the occupying nation to hold gunpowder and ammunition. When lighting struck that year, the Acropolis blew to bits. It has been reconstructed as it originally was however, and it truly is a sight to see.

Mom has a picture of Sara in front of the Acropolis from a trip she took several years ago to Greece. I was determined to get the same picture so she could frame them next to eachother. (the one you see is ONLY one momma, I have other options). It was fun trying to remember the position Sara was in, as well as what she was doing....so we'll see how close I get.

Last night, we had our farewell dinner with the tour. We went to a great little greek resturaunt not far from the hotel, and had greek salad, house wine, pork slouvaki,and backlava (I'm positive these aren't being spelled correctly)

It's natural for me to get reflective when a trip like this comes to a close (at least one part) You always see a different side of others when they are about to fly home and that was true last night. Everyone was getting along and laughing and talking-not unlike most of the trip, but in a way that made me wish everyone wasn't leaving just yet.

Today, we have some free time before we check into our hostel here in Greece. I have woken up early and am going to figure out directions. Our tour guide Herbie is detained in Athens because of an ATV accident that sent one of the boys on our trip to the hospital (he's going to be fine ), but this means he will be staying in Athens another night. This makes me feel better because Athens is kind of intimidating and scary. We are having dinner with him around 7:00pm tonight.

I am slowly updating pictures. Here is the Greek link (with alot more pictures added)

More Greece

I am anticipating internet for the rest of the trip, but as you know, that's unpredictable too!

Talk to you soon!

Kate

Last day on Poros

Today was our last day on the beautiful Greek Island of Poros. It's funny how free days seem to pass quicker than days with full plans.

Today began much like yesterday, with a quick breakfast and then it was out to the beach. We stayed there for about three hours until I was afraid my skin would fry, so I came to the hotel room for some lunch, did some laundry, and then it was back out to the beach.

Today I found some goggles washed up on shore so I did a little exploring on my own and got to see some pretty fish in the gorgeous blue water! Today wasn't as hot as yesterday, so I lasted a good couple of hours more before I went to the room, showered, packed for tomorrow, and rested.

Before I knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. Since tonight was our last dinner, our tour guide had extra bedsheets sent to each of our rooms, and we were told to make togas out of them and wear them to dinner. This was great fun and we had a blast fashioning and trying to make them stay on.

After dinner, we all gathered by the pool at the other hotel and watched the Italy v. Paraguay game, and now I have walked to our hotel to blog, skype, and then get some sleep.

Tomorrow we take a luggage boat to a ferry that will take us in two hours to Athens. From here, we will have an all day city tour of the ruins, check into our hotel and have our "farewell" dinner. The tour group leaves that next morning for the states, so we will be saying our goodbyes tomorrow night.

Im hoping for internet tomorrow night so I can keep updating. Greece is beautiful and I am truly sad to move on.

Hope everyone is doing great :)

kate

P.S. Today's picture is of me in my toga (bedsheet)

Greece

Hey Everyone,

Not much to post about today, because all I did was lay by the beach. After breakfast, we rode down to the market on some bikes, and then hit the beach. Then, we had some lunch and headed back to the beach.

The water is crystal clear and I swam far enough out to where I couldn't see the bottom at all. It was so peaceful out there I didn't want to come in. I had to though because if I want to do it all over again tomorrow, my skin won't have a chance.

We are having chicken gyros for dinner tonight at 8:00pm (Its about 5 now)

Maybe something interesting will happen tomorrow that I can post about..but for now its just beach and sun!

Hope everyone has had a good weekend
-Kate

Greece

Move over Germany, Greece is now my favorite country in Europe thus far.

This morning, we woke up on our cruise, waited around a couple of hours for it to dock, and then boarded yet another bus for a four hour trip into Greece on the way to a tiny island of Poros where we will be staying for the next three days.

After about two hours, we stopped at a gas station that our tour guide said had the best slouvaki...he was right. Slouvaki is a Greek version of pork with some seasonings on a stick. It was a great lunch. Soon though, it was over and we were back on the road.

After about an hour, the scenery became beautiful and we got a great view of the Cobalt blue water. I got a little queasy because of all the twists and turns on the road. Added to this, the bus overheated and we had to stop for about ten minutes. After this happened, we only had about thirty minutes until we had to board a luggage boat to cross the channel to our hotel.

Once we got to our hotel, we discovered we had FREE WI-FI!!! WHOOP. I immediately called Daniel, my mom, and my dad, and told them the good news :) After check in, we all ran down to the beach, which is right behind the hotel. The water is clear, dark blue, and gorgeous. I only stayed in for about thirty minutes because then it was time for dinner.

To make a long story short, the hotel we are staying in (which is think is SO NICE), was not our original hotel. Because our group was too large, we had to book at this one instead of our original one, which is about 300 meters down a steep hill. Because of this issue, we still have dinner every night at 8:00pm at the original hotel, have the pool rights, and tonight, they were showing the U.S v. England game on a big screen for us. I am back in the hotel we are staying in because I intend to spend a full day on the beach and want to wake up early to get out there.

The way I feel about Greece is the way I feel about anyplace with water. I think I am partial to water because I grew up so close to a beach, but I honestly get a feeling of peace and happiness when I am close to it. Not to mention, everything here is beautiful, so that makes it easier. Im going to finally upload some pictures.

Here is the link!

Beautiful Amazing Greece

Love,

Kate

Pompeii-Buried Alive!

Today, we left Rome early in the morning to begin our two day journey to Greece. After a quick breakfast, we boarded the bus and began our three hour drive to Pompeii-the city buried in ash after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. I had been facinated with Pompeii and its story my whole life, but I don't think I ever really understood the actual size of the damage. Pompeii was one of three cities buried by the ash, and was by far the largest. We had a two hour walking tour throughout the grounds and were able to see Fresco paintings, bath-houses, and bodies that were perfectly preserved when they were encased by the ash over 1900 years ago. The old city has been about 80% excavated, and the hills surrounding it show how high the ash actually got. It has been estimated that 20,000 individuals lived in Pompeii at the time of the eruption, but 2,000 didn't make it out alive.

After this, we had another three hour drive to Bari, the port town where we were to meet our overnight cruise. After saying a sad goodbye to Rocco, our driver of nearly three weeks, we went through a checkpoint and boarded the boat. After checking into our tiny rooms, we had some dinner, watched the opening World Cup Game, and hung out on the balcony of the boat, listening to the waves, and watching the sunset. After this, we all gathered around on one of the decks to watch France play Uraguay. World Cup excitment is contagious in Europe, and since South Africa is so close, it seems everyone is excited.

After a while, I came upstairs to get on the internet, and the man wouldn't sell it to me. I have no idea what he said to me since he spoke Greek and there is no way I can recognize any of it. Dissapointed because I haven't talked to my parents, Daniel, updated my blog or checked any email, I went to bed.

It was a long day of driving and not much else, but tomorrow we will exit the boat around noon, get in another bus for four hours, and then finally arrive on our Greek Island this evening. I am praying for internet so I can stay caught up!
Hope everyone is doing okay. I can't wait to be home!

kate

PS. The picture of me is in an excavated part of Pompeii

When in Rome

Hello Again!

Today was a long but amazing day!

I LOVE ROME

We woke up early to meet a city tour guide at the famous Colleseum that many gladiators fought in. It is a huge stadium in ruins in the middle of Rome that was at its prime 1900 years ago. Imagining the actual battles going on was exhilirating.

After this, we headed over to the Trevi Fountain. It is a beautiful fountain made out of white marble-made famous my numerous movies. Legend has it that if you throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, you will come back to Rome someday. We all had fun taking pictures and throwing our coins.

After this, we treked on to the Pantheon, the oldest dome in Europe (made into a cathedral by the pope) Also built over 1900 years ago, it is preserved in perfect condition. We all stood there looking up with our mouths wide open, wondering how something so large and beautiful was even technologically imagined 1900 years ago.

After this, we headed to the smallest state in the world, the Vatican. Here, the pope and about 800 other priests and bishops reside. We were able to see St. Peters Square, the Basilica, the Pope's apartment, The famous Sistine Chapel, and many more beautiful historical sites. All the while, a tour guide was taking us around explaining everything. It was amazing, and I kept thinking about my grandma Lela, who made the trip to Rome to see the Pope many years ago. I kept thinking that if she was still alive, I would have called to talk to her about all that I had seen. It was truly remarkable. There were even more priests that usual today because the Pope had called a conference with priests from all over the world. If we had hung around a couple of hours longer, we would have seen the Pope. Honestly though, we were so exhausted after a nine hour walking tour that we came home, showered, and layed around in the hotel rooms before dinner.

At dinner, we had a traditional italian meal of lasanga, salad, veal, and gelato. (I'm really going to miss Italy for it's food)

Tomorrow we head to Pompeii, somewhere I have been facinated with since childhood because of the tragic volcano explosion that wiped out the whole town. After a long day of touring, we are catching an overnight cruise to the Greek Island of Poros, where we will spend two days before heading to Athens.

It will be a busy couple of days, but I am looking forward to moving on with our trip.

I am working to update some pictures on photobucket, but it will probably have to wait until the group leaves Athens and I finally have some free time!

Talk to you soon!

kate

Tuscany

Hello all!
Sorry I am a day behind, but we have been fighting with the hotel for the past day to give us internet connections. Finally we have them, so I will catch you up on what I have been up to.

Yesterday we left Florence for Rome, and on the way, drove through the hills of Tuscany to stop in the tiny town of Chianti and have a wine tasting. We were there for about an hour and I was able to leave to explore the town a bit before we headed to Rome. Tuscany is beautiful, and if I ever come back to Italy, I would like to stay there.
After that, it was on to Rome, where we checked into the hotel, walked around for about an hour, and was able to exlore the area around our hotel a bit.

Some of the tour went on a pub crawl, but I opted to go to dinner with a few people and our tour guide, Herbie. Herbs knows every hole in the wall resturant in Europe and this place was no exception. I had antipasta and scallopini funghi. It was yummy!

I tried to get internet again to no avail so I went to sleep early to prepare for our city tour!

Hope everyone is doing well

Kate

Florence

This morning we left Venice at eightish in the morning, and after breakfast, embarked on a three hour journey to Florence. I was exhausted for some reason this morning so I slept a majority of the way, wrote some letters, and was awake in time to see some scenery on the way in. We stopped at a gas station once and then arrived at our hotel around twelve-thirty. After this, in an effort to save some money, some of us went to a local market and picked up some food. I had a procuitto wrap that was really good and only $.89! After this, we checked our luggage and embarked on a tour of the city.

Florence isn't very large, and the tour took only a little over an hour. We got to see the church that Machiavelli, Galileo, and Michaelangelo where buried in. This was really amazing for me to see this church because I have been in many legal classes over the past four years that focus on Machiavelli and all his philosophies on the law. It goes without saying that the other roughly 250 individuals buried there were amazing/famous in their own rights. There are three main squares in Florence that are all different and date back as far as the 13th century. The largest cathedral in Europe is in Florence, and it has the most beautiful fresco I have ever seen. It also boasts the largest dome in Italy. Most of Florence has been built on top of the ruins and many of the churches and cathedrals have been redone as recently as the 19th century. We got to see Dante's (from "Dante's Inferno") house. They have assumed that this building was his house because he speaks of its general location is some of his writings.

We took some pictures, branched off from the tour, and hit the leather markets. I have been needing a carry on bag to put some things that wont fit in my large suitcase. I figured what better place than Florence, famous for its leather goods. I was able to haggle a merchant down nearly 50 Euro's by speaking in Spanish. I was proud of my skills, and now I have a beautiful leather carry on/weekend bag that looks like a million bucks.

When we got back from the tour and shopping, I was beat and took a quick shower and took an amazing nap. After that, we had dinner in the hotel with real VEGETABLES and yummy Italian pasta-it was great. Most of the group went to some discotech with our tour guide Herbie a.k.a Herbs...but some of us opted to hang out on the terrance in Elise and I's room. (we keep getting really awesome rooms!) We stayed out there for nearly two and a half hours talking and laughing and having a great time.

Now I am downstairs at one am splitting an hour of internet with Mal because it costs eight Euro an hour. According to Herbs, Italians don't part easily with anything. This is evident in that I have had to pay for any time I use to blog, call home, or even check my email. RUDE (and expensive)

Anyway, tomorrow we are off to Rome and I am really looking forward to moving on and continuing the trip.

No time to upload pictures because my time is ticking...will update as SOON as I have free internet.

Hope all is well at home!

Miss everyone and cant wait to be back :)

Venice

This morning, Elise and I didn't get our 5am wake-up call....so about 6:55, our tour guide knocked on our door and asked us where we were. Needless to say, the morning didn't go as planned, and we were extremely rushed and missed breakfast. I slept on the bus as comfortably as I could, wrote some letters, and read a bit. I am borrowing the "Diary of Anne Frank" from my friend Laura. I read it many years ago, but it is so different to read it having been to the actual annex where they stayed for 3 years-and more sad. I actually can picture what Anne is talking about this time around.

We finally arrived in Venice, Italy around 3 pm, and caught a boat to the tiny island of Murano where the famous "Murano glass" is made. I sort of knew about this glass because Sara brought a beautiful nativity scene back to my mom when she went to Italy several years ago. We got to see a demonstration and then had some time to purchase some glass pieces if we wanted to.

After the demonstration, we took another boat back to Venice and had a couple hours of free time. Venice is beautiful, but not what I imagined. Italians do not live in Venice, only tourists visit Venice. Every single part of the city is inindated with foreign shop owners, peddlers, and fellow tourists. We piddled around for a while, did some window shopping, took some pictures, and then headed back to the famous St. Mark's Square where some of the group was meeting to go on a gondola ride. I sat on the square and got to people watch, write a bunch of postcards, and wait for the rest of the group to return.

After they did, we caught another boat back to mainland Italy, checked into our hotel, showered and grabbed a quick bite at a hole-in-the-wall Italian place, and am now sitting in the lobby typing this on word so that my ONE hour of internet that I had to PAY for isn't being used. I wait up until 1:15am because that means that Daniel will be getting off work at home and we can skype. I call Mom and Dad, talk to Daniel, and then go to sleep.

We have an early day tomorrow because we are heading to Florence, which is about a 3 hour drive. Im hoping to sleep on the bus.

My blogs have been short and sweet lately, or more likely short and boring...but I have limited time. I will update pictures tomorrow when I hopefully have free internet!

I Miss home,
Kate

A day in Austria

Today was a fun day. This post will be short though since I'm waking up at 5am to head to Venice! I got to sleep in a little bit and then went to the pool, steamroom, and sauna that this awesome hotel has. We spent sometime down there before meeting our tour guide at the bus to head out to whitewater rafting location.

After about a 30 minute drive, we arrived, got our gear, and got a quick safety lesson. I had a blast! Whitewater rafting was so fun and we got to see the beautiful countryside of Austria while we were at it. We were rafting for about 2 hours, and we even had a chance to jump into the raging and FREEZING river at about the half way point. It was great. If there were rivers and whitewater rafting was a big deal in Texas, I would definitely do it more often.

After we got back, it was back to the pool, and then dinner. I have just showered and re-packed my suitcase for the upteenth time, and am about to go to sleep.

Tomorrow, we will be on the road all day, with only a night in Venice. I don't know the plans are but I'm sure we'll be busy!

I can blog more when we get to Venice...sorry this one was so boring and short!

Austria

After another full day of travleling, we have finally reached the Alpine Center in Austria. This beautiful hotel is about 45 minutes outside of Salzburg. It is a resort spa and alot of the people in my group are getting massages and spa treatments!

We left Munich this morning around 9:00am, and traveled immediately to Dachau. Because I knew what to expect and had spent nearly a whole day there last summer, I was able to make good use of my time and only go to the things I had wanted to spend more time on last summer. I spent most of the hour and a half we had at the museum. The Dachua museum is set up really well, and although the whole experience is overwhelming and sad, you come away with a certain knowledge you can only get by visiting a place like that.

After that, it was on to Salzburg, another city I had visited last summer. Like Dachau, there were places I wanted to go and things I wanted to see and I knew exactly where they were. We broke off from the group and went to see the gardens where the Sound of Music was filmed. Because we only had about an hour and a half, this was all we got to do in Salzburg. Thankfully, I had been able to see the sights I wanted to see last summer. Salzburg is beautiful and it was nice to be back.

Tomorrow, there are three optional excurions and I chose to just do one: whitewater rafting. I have all morning to myself and I think I am going to rent a bike and explore the area surrounding the resort. They are free to rent for hotel guests and its good excercize and a good way to see the village. I will meet the group around 1:00pm for whitewater rafting, and it will last until about 5:30 pm. Back at the resort, we can go to the pool, go to a sauna, or play tennis. I doubt I will be able to do everything, as there are alot of us AND a wedding reception going on this weekend, so it's pretty busy!

I will blog later with pictures!

miss everyone

Munich!

Hello All!

We left Lucerne this morning around 8:45 and had an all day bus ride, with the exception of a quick stop in the tiny principality of Leichtenstein...Leichtenstein has been somewhere I have always wanted to go since the movie " A Nights Tale" (if your a fan, you know why). We only stopped for a quick stop at the market and then we were on to customs in Austria, and then onto Germany. We arrived in Munich around 4:30...had about an hour to get ready before heading out to the main square in Munich to shop and look around a bit, and then it was off to dinner. I desperately needed a cardigan because my North Face was making all my pictures look like I never changed clothes. Luckily, H&M here in Europe is CHEAP and I was able to get my cardigan and make it to dinner on time.

At dinner, we had an appetizer of a yummy tomato soup, followed by the traditional German fare of smoked pork roast and potato dumpling (of which I am not a fan) along with some cabbage salad and a berry dessert.

After this, we headed to the famous Hofbraugh house, the largest biergarden in Germany and one of the most fun places I know. The place is HUGE, with picnic style tables that seat 8 to 9 people. Some people who don't know eachother end up sitting side by side and have a great time. The beer is served in the traditional liter mugs, and we had great fun trying to finish them while observing all the crazy people celebrating the weekend, all to the tune of a polka band in the background.

Tomorrow morning, we head to Dachau Concentration Camp. I have already been there, but I dont mind going again. I feel like everyone should spend time in a place like that no matter what their circumstance. After leaving last year, I had a different idea about the world and the evil some people are capable of.

Munich, as I said on an earlier post, is my favorite city in Europe. However crowded or populated it becomes, there is something about the kind of person that lives here, or the atmosphere that the city itself has. There is a kind of energy that I have been unable to find anywhere else in Europe here in Munich, and I am so sad that we only had less than a day here. Munich, a city rich with history, a terrible past, and a promising future, will continue to be the #1 stop on my list of cities to enjoy while in Europe.

After Dachua, we are headed to Salzburg for the day, and then on the the Alpine Center outside of the city, where we will get to relax for a couple of days, go white-water rafting if we choose, hang out in sauna's and pool's and basically recharge for Italy and Greece. I am really looking forward to it.

The picture above is of Elise and at the Hofbraugh house in Munich this evening!

Here is a link to my pictures today and tonight

Munich, Germany

Miss everyone :)

Kate

ps. Im sorry for my terrible German Spelling.

Switzerland

Today was a good day. We woke up early and did a little shopping with the plans to meet the tour for a trip out to Mt. Pilatus, a 7000 meter high mountain top that is supposed to boast the best view in Europe. Unfortunately, the weather was so bad, the trip got cancelled. Because of this though, I got to nap, catch up on organizing some stuff, and work on my blog and pictures.

After my nap, we got ready to go to a Swiss Folklore Dinner that was about forty-five minutes outside the city. Once we got there, we were served cheese fondue, a yummy chicken meal, and a chocolate mousse for dessert. All throughout dinner, some Swiss children entertained us with yodeling, whip cracking, game playing, instrument playing, and various other things I had never heard of. It was pretty interactive and some people got to participate in games and challenges. I was wearing a dress, and because of the nature of most of the stuff, I had to watch others do it. It was all great fun.

Tonight I am once again packing up all my stuff, organizing my suitcase, doing some last minute laundry in the tub, and getting ready to leave for Munich early in the morning. Munich is one of my favorite cities in Europe. First of all, its in Germany, which is the first plus. Next, I am a huge WWII buff, and Munich is so full of WWII history, you can't turn a corner without seeing and learning some of it. Last year, I felt like I barley scratched the surface of it all since I went to the Dachau Concentration Camp instead of doing a city tour. For some reason, we are only spending a night here, so I am going to try to do all I can before we move on once again.

The pictures I'm going to upload don't do Switzerland any justice at all. The weather was ugly and foggy all day so you won't be able to see the beautiful landscape. Plus, it was a public holiday so nothing was open. Lucerne has a gorgeous, clear lake right in the middle. Here I took some pictures of birds for my mom to identify. We also saw a bunch of fish jumping early this morning. It really is breathtaking.

Here are some pics

Switzerland

Miss everyone!

Kate

Lucerne Switzerland

After a long day of travel, we have finally made it to Lucerne Switzerland. It felt like the longest day of travel to me so far, and I am growing rapidly tired of spending my entire day on a cramped bus with 45 other people!

We left beautiful Germany as quickly as we had come to head to Switzerland. On the way out though, we stopped in the Black Forest and saw how and where the famous Cuckoo clocks were made and had a lunch of Schnitzel. After the Black forest, we headed through Switzerland and were able to see the Rhine Falls, the biggest waterfall in Europe. (This is where the picture is from ) Next, we were onto Zurich and then onto Lucerne, where today we are climing Mount Pilatus and having a Swiss Folkloric dinner.

Last night, we ate at an Italian resturaunt-with much trouble for the first time with a massive langauge barrier...I did some laundry and paid for internet access that was so slow I did't get much accomplished. I talked to my mom and waited up for Daniel to get off of work so I could hear some about his first week, and then it was off to bed.

I am headed down for breakfast and then out for a long day. Hopefully the internet works as well as it is working this morning, tonight!

Hope everyone is doing well!

P.S (I updated my Paris pics finally. Here is the link if you want to see them )


Paris

kate

FINALLY in Germany

Today we left for Germany from Amsterdam. I have been dreaming about getting back to Germany ever since I studied abroad in Passau, Germany last summer, and it definitely didn't dissapoint. After a long day of traveling with a 5am wake up call, we finally reached the city of Cologne, home of the largest Cathedral in Europe. It took over 900 years to build! I can't even imagine having an idea that you never see come to fruition, and your children's children never see come into fruition. Basically, it was amazing and awe-inspiring.

After this, we finally reached the Heidelberg castle, and got to tour around and take some neat pictures. After this, we traveled about 20 kilometers outside of Heidelberg to our hotel, where we checked in and then met for dinner.

For dinner, we had a traditional German dinner of Brautwurst, Saurkraut, and mashed potatoes. It was yummy and it reminded me of last summer. This trip is the last trip I will be able to take to Europe in many years, but if I had a choice of one country to come to, it would without a doubt be Germany

Tomorrow, we have another long traveling day and are headed to the Black Forest to find out how Cuckoo clocks are made. Although it's alot of traveling, it's worth it to see this beautiful country and hang out with new found friends. We are sitting on the patio of this cute old hotel, drinking house wine, and laughing the night away.

Here are some pictures from my last days in Holland and my first in Germany!

More Trip Pics

Kate