Deutschland : )

Rainbows, pretzels, beer and mountains.

I have been in Germany for almost two weeks, and I absolutely love it.  I left Augsburg on Monday to go to my friend Bernadette's home town near Rosenheim.  Bernadette and I met first semester in Italian class at UD. She came to Akron for Thanksgiving, and now she is graciously showing me around Bavaria.  If we were keeping score, she definitely wins - Bavaria is much more interesting than Akron.

I am having SO much fun with her and her family.  They are so kind, and it feels great to be with a family in a real home for the first time in months. I'm afraid the weight loss will pause while I'm here - the food is fantastic.  Last night I learned how to make spaetzle. which is a type of cheese noodle, and also these cookies made out of chocolate and nutella.  Today I ate a pig leg, complete with skin and big bones (no, I didn't eat the skin).  Some German's thought the silly American girl was funny, because I was fascinated by this pig.  Bernadette's mom wanted me to have true Bavarian food, and she said it doesn't get more Bavarian than that.  We also took a shot together after the meal.  I love Germany.  Bernadette claims she is not the traditional Bavarian, because she is a vegetarian who doesn't like beer!  She is an exceptional person and I'm so lucky to have met her.

Driving through the Alps, the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen appeared. The landscape is just gorgeous here.  Green streams running from the mountains, charming houses with paintings on them, cobblestoned streets and old arch ways.  Everything is picture-worthy.  Even Bernadette's house is beautiful!  I'm such a creep.

Another aspect I like about this country is the focus on the environment.  Bernadette's house has government subsidized (hint hint USA) solar panels on the roof, which heat the water during the summer.  They also recycle and have a compost pile so there is little wasted in this house.  In the U.S. people taking these measures would be considered especially 'green.' Here I think it is the norm, as it should be.  There is little extra effort put in for many benefits.

Although I am having a great time here, there is bad news from home.  Great Uncle Bob passed away yesterday.  I'm not the type to garner personal attention for these types of things, so I will just say that this is hard and I wish I was home for it.  He truly is a great man, and I'm not just saying that because he's gone.  It's ironic I'm in the country which nearly caused his death in WWII all those years ago after he was shot and run over by a tank.  He is one hardcore badass, but also an awesome person. I really want to be there and wish I could have said a proper goodbye . . . but it's not the last time that counts, but all the other times we've had together (if that makes any sense, which I don't think it does). Still I'm glad I held him extra tight before I left.

Allora.  I'm trying to learn German because I can't stand not knowing what is going on! I have no idea what I've been eating, because I just try to say stuff and then eat whatever I end up with.  Bernadette is being a great translator :)  I suck at German.

A HUGE apology to Jimmy, who apparently is not entertained enough by my blog. Stronzo.

Grumpy

I love being here. It is incredible.  However, it just hit me yesterday that I am going to have a lot of difficulty sustaining myself, especially if I can't find a job.  On the bright side, I've found the greatest diet ever - unemployment!  I hope this continues in Italy!  I just find it silly to spend money I don't have on food, something I can do without.  I'm also having my first bought of homesickness.

 The past few days have been relaxing and fantastic. I'm in Augsburg staying with my economics professor BJ and hanging out with students in the UD study abroad program.  Augsburg is a small but old town in Germany, and a sister city to Dayton.  My time here as been peacefull and very enjoyable.  I went shopping with BJ and her daughter Rachel, then we watched old movies all last night.  Tonight we had quite the adventure trying to find this Mexican restaurant in Augsburg.  After over an hour of searching, we found it and had a fun time.  Mexican is delicious.  BJ is so much fun.  You never know what to expect, and I love it.  She can adopt me.

Yesterday I went to Friedburg with Bernadette, where we met her friend Annika and toured the quaint city. It was beautiful, and not some place I would have found on my own.  After touring we sat and chatted at her house over cappuccino and gummy bears.  It was a very pleasant day.

Yesterday was also the day Dad had his wedding reception at home.  This was the first pang of sadness.  All of my siblings are home, and that is becoming rarer and rarer (Vince even came from Vegas).  The family from Atlanta, some of which have not returned in almost 10 years, also came.  I'm being silly, but I'm just left out.  Today is Allie's birthday.  I trekked around looking for a pay phone to use the phone card Vicki left me.  FINALLY I found one, but turns out the card was empty.  I was too annoyed to go back and try to skype on the internet that doesn't work after such a long search, so I just made a quick call with my cell.  I feel extremely guilty that I am not there for her 18th birthday.  I've worked hard to make sure she made it to 'adulthood,' and I'm not there.  So it was important I made the call.  Turns out the 2 minute call used 4euro.  Great. That means no lunch.

I got back and finagled with skype so I finally got a call through.  However it was too busy at my house with everyone over, so I gave up and let them go.  I'm here, all my friends and family are there, this is how it works.  2 month blues.
Uncle Bob is sick, and I'm so removed from the situation.  I should be there and feel terrible.  My goodbye in May cannot be my final goodbye.

Ugh. It's time to be more positive.  I'm spending some time with Bernadette and meeting her family in her home town, and couldn't be more excited!

Prost!

We made is to Munich after a long and painful night train from Florence.  Before we got on the train, a drunk man army crawled out of the bushes and stole our water . . too strange.  The train was horrible.  It was booked solid so we were just in a compartment of 6, without beds.  The compartment was full, so we had to 'sleep' sitting up for 9 hours.  I addition, it was upwards of 90 degrees in the compartment, and some girl who I am STILL angry at kept closing the window. We played that game all night - when she fell asleep I opened it, when I fell asleep she closed it.  Like a can of sweaty sardines, that is how we spent the night.  It smelled like the homless hangouts under a bridge in that compartment.

We got to Munich and thanfully were allowed to shower before we checked in.  After some much needed coffee we walked around the city.  I pushed really hard so we could see the Glockenspiel (a century old clock that dances around) at noon.  I don't think Maggie and Kate cared though.  I was in Munich during my semester, so this visit was purely for their sake.  We continued wandering around and cooing and the adorable Bavarian buildings.  They are so cute.

That night we we to Hofbrauhaus. Although it is super touristy, it's a must.  Especially because there is another Hofbrauhaus in Cinci.  The three of us went there last summer, and I never imagined we would go to the real one together, ever.  Of course I found some Italians and made friends, and we also met people from Doner's Grove (where Vicki went to grad school outside of Chicago).

The next day we went to Augustinerkeller Biergarten.  Awesome.  It was massive and beautiful, with the huge tree's and even a playground.  There met some crazy Austrians on a bachelor party.  We keep being forced to leave different sites when I get accosted by creepers (trevi fountain, pantheon, etc) so I decided this time to just put up with it because we were having a nice time at the beer garden.  Eventually I said I was married and we were left alone!  Good one.  I'm gonna use it more often.  Regardless of creeps, the beer is so delicious here.  It is probably a good thing I finished college and am done with Natty Light and Beast. I don't know if I could stomach them anymore after the golden deliciousness that is German beer.

The English Gardens are massive, but that is not the impressive part.  The truly unique aspect is the surfing.  You walk around this beautiful park, and then you happen upon people actually surfing in the little canal.  Fantastic.

On Sunday, Maggie and Kate went to Dachau Concentration Camp.  I went there last year, so I stayed in Munich and explored.  In my exploration I discovered that dogs are allowed everywhere here.  I knew from Italy that the rules are much more lax about bringing dogs into grocery stores, pharmacy's, etc.  However, I walked by a fancy restaurant, complete with white tablecloths and chandeliers, and saw a dog hanging out at a table.  It amazes me!  I thought the Germans were supposed to be more strict.  Awesome.  I also went to the Jewish museum.  I was fascinated by the idea that proudly displaying these religious images, books, and symbols in Munich was once a death sentence, not too long ago.  There was also a public exhibit of discussions between descendents of the Nazi's and descendents of the persecuted Jews.  It was fascinating to read the dialogues . . . so much guilt and remorse, but also helplessness . . I'm having difficulty explaining.  Here is the website:  www.speaking-germany.de

Kate and Maggie left Sunday night to go back to the States. I am going to miss them!   They had a completely different travel style altogether, and I found it easier to just adjust to them since they are only here for 2 weeks.  It was fun, just way different than my usual. It's weird that I won't see them until Christmas at the earliest.  They are the last American friends I am going to see for the next 6 weeks, until Francesca comes!  That will start an entire new chapter.
Next is Augsburg, where I am staying with BJ.  Now that is an adventure. : )

Homeless no more!!!!

Maggie and Kate wanted to see Rome (and why shouldn't they, it is awesome), so we took Ryan Air one more time from Madrid to my city.  It felt great to know what was going on again and speak the language.  I really liked all the places we've been, but Italy is still my absolute favorite.  I was so nervous they would not like it, and then I would just be pissed off.  Italy is not for everyone; it is a culture you just need to embrace and 'go with,' or you might find yourself frustrated at crappy bathrooms and the constant struggle for tap water at restaurants.  I also wanted to make sure they saw the 'best of' in the best way possible, so I put a lot of thought into how we would spend our days here.  Basically I would drop them off at a site or museum since I didn't need to go into them again, and do my own thing for a bit.  It might seem like kind of a waste for me to go back to Rome for a couple days and then continue travelling, but I really wanted to show my friends the place I have been talking about for ages.  That, and I had some business to attend to.  APARTMENT BUSINESS!!! 

When I was in Rome before I headed to Dublin, I contacted one of the landlords whose apartment I visited over a month ago.  I waited this long because I had a number of setbacks with other landlords - either they wouldn't let us rent for just a couple months, no longer had a double room, didn't respond, or changed their minds.  As I was really starting to lose my cool, I called him as kind of a hail Mary that he hadn't rented the room already.  It was a good apartment, it was just a little farther from the centro than was ideal.  I called him, and luckily he hadn't rented it yet because he wasn't advertising that room anymore.  I told him we would take it!  Before I got to Rome I contacted him to confirm details, and the date was set.  I would come on Wednesday to give him the deposit and get the key.  This scared the crap out of me, because I was going to just hand over a bunch of money and a copy of my id without a contract or anything.  Legally I can't sign a contract because I'm not a resident, and I'm ignorant of most Italian housing laws.  The landlord was kind and seemed like a good guy, but you can never be sure when you are dealing with money.  I asked the previous tenants about him when he wasn't around, and they liked him and said he was fair, but I was understandably nervous to make this big of a financial transaction in a foreign language, putting so much trust in someone I don't know very well.  Riding the metro to the apartment I felt physically ill.  I just told myself to suck it up and don't be stupid.  If something seems amiss it probably is, so make sure the key works, ask questions, etc.  

I arrived at the apartment and was pleasantly reminded of how nice the building is.  It is right next to a Sandro Ferrone dress shop, a blog from a huge supermarket, 3 minutes from the A line metro, and across the street from a park with ponies.  Yes, ponies!  I went up to the apartment and there was Mr. Landlord.  He really is nice.  We chatted for a while about this and that, then got down to it.  I gave him my document copy and money, and he gave me the key!  A huge, HUGE key hahaha.  He introduced me to my roommates,are really nice and don't speak English :)  It will be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it.  He then left me to my room.  My room in Roma.  I put some things away and took pictures for Francesca.  There are three bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, and a kitchen/dinning area.  I have a balcony off of my room :)  With a nice view :)  We also have a washing machine, which I could not be more excited about!  I left to go meet the girls, after I made sure the key actually worked of course haha.  I could not let go of my key . .I just carried it around like a new Christmas present.  I just can't believe it is happening!  I have a home in Roma, which I found and acquired all on my own.  This was the first big hurdle - I can and am living in Rome.

VIVA ESPANA . . . VIVA! World Cup in Madrid

A few weeks ago I realized I would be tooling around Europe during the World Cup finals, and that one of my stops was favored to win.  I changed the plans so we could be in Madrid for the finals, just in case they made it and . . God willing, actually won.  I could not be happier, since (as everyone should know) that did happen.  Madness.  Complete and utter madness.

First of all Madrid was more than just world cup parties.  We visited the Prado museum which introduced me to a new favorite painter, De Goya.  He paints portraits of people how they actually looked rather than making them more attractive, and the realism is striking.  We also saw the Reina Sofia modern art museum, which houses the Geurnicia (sp?) by Picasso.  The Royal Palace was the coolest house ever, and I want to live there.  Madrid also had the greatest street performers.  These were not your average guy playing a guitar - it would be a guy playing a guitar while shoved inside a puppet and making the puppet play for him. These people really worked for their money.  Some other good ones we saw were:  a toilet, out of which a different animal popped out each time someone flushed money down, and man dressed up like a dragon (complete with 6ft wings), some guy who covered himself in red clay and sat with another statue all day, an asian man serenading puerta del sol in spanish, a belly dancer in a full outfit (she was ok).

Blah blah blah. On to the World Cup.  Things we pretty quiet on Friday and Saturday.  We bought t-shirts (my first souvenir since I've been in Europe. Baller).  Mine says (in Spanish) Spain vs. Netherlands world cup final Fifa 2010.  It's awesome.  On Sunday things started to get crazy pretty early.  Everyone was wearing their Espana shirts all day, running around in flags and blowing vuvuzela.  I really hate that musical instrument.  Random cheers would flare up in the street throughout the day.  Maggie got more and more anxious as the Spanish got louder an louder.

We asked the guy at the hostel where they were putting big screens up, and he told us everything was at the Real Madrid stadium.  We wanted to get there early to get a good spot . . . the metro was insane, with people just running around and screaming.  However, when we got to the stadium there was nothing there.  Nothing but a bunch of confused angry fans and vendors who had set up for the crowds.  Apparently out hostel guy was wrong.  After speaking broken Spanish, English, and Italian with a few people, we found out Colon was the place to be.  We basically ran back to the metro while I fumed.  I couldn't be too mad though, since half of Madrid thought it was there too.

We got of the metro at Colon and stumbled upon a sea of red and yellow.  Just thousands and thousands of people.  It's hard to find the words to describe that view.  There were a bunch of screens set up, so I took off to find a good spot.  We jostled our way into the hot, sweaty crowd to a descent spot.  Everyone around us was smoking, drinking, and screaming.  I think I smoked two packs of cigarettes second hand.  Fans were on top of bus stops, signs, statues, whatever. Some girl climbed a tree and people just threw alcohol at her, trying to knock her down.  It was disgustingly hot, and being in a crowd of people unable to move because it is so packed just made it worse. But it was Madrid, and this was the WORLD CUP, so it was worth it.  There is now sangria and red/yellow paint all over my clothing, but I'm just embracing it.

Everyone was getting antsy as the game progessed into the second half and the score was still 0-0.  Spain was dominating, but still could not get that goal.  Everytime it came close, the crowd went nuts.  Everytime there was any attempt at a goal, even if it was a horrible shot, there was ridiculous applause. Teenagers all over were drinking more than they could handle, and a bunch of kids were getting sick.

The game went on and into 30 minutes overtime.  I would be horrified if it went to penalty kicks, because that is just annoying for the finals.  The crowd was starting to get anxious.  Finally . . it happened.  Spain scored!  Everyone lost their minds.  I have a video, but the first half is super shaky because I just started running and jumping around into the crowd.  I have never seen so many people so excstatic at the same time.  It felt amazing to cheer and shout with everyone.  Even the waiters in the nearby restaraunts came ran out into the square.  That was it - Spain had won the world cup. We bolten to the metro station so we could join the big party in Puerta del Sol.  Everyone one the train was just screaming and playing the vuvuzelas. When we climbed the metro stairs to Sol, what we encountered was pure madness.  People running around wearing flags and carrying beers, dozens people jumping and swimming in fountains, people climbing any and every structure.  I just ran into the fray, but I had to come back for Mags and Kate.  We bought some beer from some guy on the street, and joined the party.  We just walked the streets and cheered with everyone.  I climbed a lamp post and made friends with the people who helped me down, although one turned out to be a creeper so we ran off.  People we just selling beer all over . . and it was cheap.  No shortage.  We basically just went with the Spanish crowd and did what everyone else as doing.  Back in Sol I climbed a big lion statue and made friends with everyone up there.  There were a bunch of people climbing this scaffolding, but Kate and Maggie grabbed me and refused to let me go up.  I was just in a climbing mood!  I really wish I had gotten on that scaffolding haha.  The party continued all night, and we stayed out for the best of it.  Everyone was just so happy, and this was one of my favorite experiences thusfar.  I really don't know if this will ever happen again, unless the U.S. pulls it together and wins one of these times . . . or if Italy wins again ;)

When we left our hostel at 7am for the airport, there were still a bunch of people out and drinking.  Everyone on the train was silent and looked horrible (those going to work).  A few drunk people got on singing, but at that time it wasn't entertaining.  Especially because I was trying not to throw up.

The City of Lights

Ah, gay ol' Paris.


I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about the City of Lights. I wanted to remove it altogether from the itinerary of our trip. However I approached this proud city with an open mind and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the epicenter of the 'finer things.' Nice clothes, manners, food, art, architecture.

Paris is dainty. It is one of the most feminine city's I've ever been to, which is an odd observation because I've never really thought of a city in terms of persona and gender. Dublin would have to be a guy. Rome is a woman. Paris is a young, spoiled girl. She wants everything just so and expects nothing less than perfection, but that perfection is a treat for visitors.

We had a 6am flight out of Dublin so we arrived exhausted. We thought we were having mental issues when we could not open the door of our hotel in Paris. We got in alright, we just couldn't get out. Seriously. 3 college graduates got locked into a room. We called the front desk and the maid came. After she explained how to open it (in French, so I had no idea what she said) she tried to open it - but it would not budge. So we had a little party in our tiny hotel room with the maid while we waited for someone else to come. Turns out the door was broken, so I feel a lot better.

We stopped to get some food and I realized I really can't speak French. Like morons we resorted to pointing to things on the menu. I tried to pronounce everything correctly, but the Parisians seem to be deaf to imperfect French. I can understand bits of conversations (thanks to my Italian), but those few years of French in gradeschool did not seem to do me much good. I know how to say hello, thanks, bye, and 'I like grapefruit.'

Since we are poor kids, we rode a public bus around instead of taking a tour. Bus 69 took us to the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the Bastille, Notre Dame, and around some interesting neighborhoods we probably would not have seen. Kate took a nap on the bus, so we decided to check out Notre Dame to keep things interesting. Notre Dame is definitely in my top five favorite churches, which is saying something since I'm living in Italy. It has a gothic beauty nothing like the Renaissance or Baroque churches in Italy. Unlike Italian churches, the cathedral has very little interior decoration besides the stained glass windows. The ascetic pleasure comes from the architecture rather than paintings or statues. It is tall, dark, and slender.

We decided a walk to the Eiffel Tower would be fun, so we strolled across the city for about an hour. We ended up in the grass in front of that massive structure, and took a nap in front of a guy practicing bartending. Eventually we climbed the tower and took in the impressive views. The sun set while we were there, and it was stunning.

On Wednesday we went to the Musee d'Orsay, a museum full of French Impressionist paintings (Monet, Degas, Renoir, Chezanne, Van Gough). I am usually not a huge fan of Impressionism, but I've really come to appreciate it from this museum. I've always thought of them as beautiful, but I did not regard them as artistically challenging. I blame this attitude on my ignorance of the subject, which the Musee d'Orsay removed. It was a new and different way of portraying an image, using a multitude of colors and layers to achieve a similar effect of blending colors before they are on the canvas, but with a much different result. Renoir is one of my favorites - he uses human emotion as well as pretty landscapes. Van Gough just makes me sad, since he was so completely miserable and poor during life and now his works are revered and priceless. After the museum we hung out in a park, watched an old man work out for a while, and walked down the Champs and to the Arc d'Triomphe. Then off to FIFA FAN FEST!!!! to watch Germany and Spain. It was my third Fifa Fan Fest during this world cup (Berlin, Rome, Paris) and I was pumped. I am so loving this. Maggie was nervous because people were going nuts. I wanted Spain to win so badly, because we would be in Madrid for the finals. They beat Germany and everyone went nuts, then we wandered around, got some crepes filled with nutella and banana's, and drank a bottle of wine. Good day.

The last full day in Paris we tackled the cultural mountain that is the Louvre. I got jacked up on coffee so I could educated myself for hours. I love this stuff. I've been wanting to go back to the Louvre for a long time, now that I am older and have had some higher education in art. The museum is so impressive. I went nuts in the Italian Masters Grand Gallery. Every painting was something noteabe. The Mona Lisa was impressive, but Maggie and Kate were underwhelmed. It's understandable; there is all this build up, then it is just a small painting dwarfed in a massive room. You hear a lot of people saying "what's the big deal? I don't get it." I really liked the Venus di Milo. It's hot.

After the Louvre we went to the Rodin scultpure garden and saw "The Thinker," then napped in the Luxemburg gardens. This nappingin parks seems to be a consistent thing, and I really can't judge the bums who do it all the time. It's quite pleasant. We actually went to dinner for the first time since we've been together in Europe (since we are poor). Everything was in French, so we just picked something on the menu. I ended up with a tomato, zucchini and pepper with meatballs inside. It was actually delicious. Maggie wouldn't touch her food, which was frustrating. Trying new things is a big part of travelling and learning about a new culture. Overall Paris was fun, but it seems like you jump from site to site and besides that it is just a big city. Also it is SO expensive.

I doubt anyone read all that. Summary: Paris was fun.

Have a cup of concrete and harden up . . . Dublin

Dublin is like a breath of fresh Anglo air in the midst of Italian madness.  Although I love the language and culture of Italy, it is nice to be here speaking English and walking by Quiznos and Starbucks.  

This is definitely a cool city.  It is youthful and FULL of pubs, live music, and fun people.  I arrived on Friday, two days before Maggie and Kate come, since it was a much cheaper flight.  Yesterday I went on a free tour of Howth, where we hiked around the sea, learned old wives tales about the Irish islands, played with seals, and went to a pub.  Everyone on the tour really got along, so we ended up spending the entire day together.  After the tour (which we dragged on to include watching the world cup match), we went to the grocery store and prepared a huge dinner in the hostel.  After that we created our own pub crawl around Dublin.  

Things I really like about Dublin:

1. Guinness.  Yeah, everybody says it, but it really does taste better here.  They take at least 2 minutes to properly draw the pint, and it is delicious.  The thick foam makes it seem like a sweet dessert, but the dark full flavor of the beer feels more like a meal in a glass.  

2. Pubs.  Pubs everywhere!  They are so much more lively than our bars at home.  Last night we stopped at Whelan's, where they have a band playing upstairs.  The band was actually really good, and all the Irish were really into it.  There is a pub every 15 feet.

3. English.  Not just any English - Irish accented English.  Which is incredible and makes me melt. Even the cheesy lines don't seem so bad coming from a guy with a thick Irish accent.  

4. Parks.  The parks are so pretty! Full of flowers and greenery, they really are beautiful.  I love a good park.

5. Cafe's.  Although the coffee in Italy is much better and cheaper, here there is a coffee culture similar to the States, where you can get a coffee and chat at the cafe for a while.  In Italy people don't generally sit at a bar (cafe).

6. Bathrooms.  The bathrooms are clean and plentiful!!!

7. Irish sayings. I'm learning the slang and it is awesome.

8. The people.  All the local Irish I've met are so friendly and fun.  

Minuses for Dublin:

1. Prices.  Too expensive.  

2. Irish style.  The girls here get seriously dressed up to go out.  I mean full makeup, pounds of it, on every face.  So much makeup.  When we went to the bathroom in a fancier bar the girls were all in there actually re-powdering their faces and reapplying all the makeup. SO much makeup.  More than I own.  Hair is completely styled as well.  They also get super dressed up . . we cringed at this one girl who kept rolling her ankles in her heels.  

3. TGI Fridays.  Come on.