Hey hey from Austria! Last week I parted ways with Emma in Berlin---she went back to the U.K. and I went to Vienna. I stayed there for a few days. Honestly, it wasn´t that great. I don´t know, I´ve seen cooler cities. It was too played up for tourists I think. The bazillion fake Mozarts walking around, the horse-drawn carriages...
For the past 4 days I have been in Innsbruck, in the western part of Austria, pretty close to Italy. I LOVE IT HERE! So much more my style. It´s a charming Alpine villages surrounded by mountains and low-hanging clouds. I went to church on Sunday and met some great people, including Julia Debiasi, my friend Monica´s older sister who goes to the University here in Innsbruck. Later that night after church I hung out with a bunch of students. I also met an awesome couple who I´ve been rooming with at my B&B---Jamison and Autumn from N. California. They´ve been on a complete world tour since January. Every night we rock out, them with their guitars and me with the egg shaker, haha---on the balcony. Yesterday the 3 of us went hiking and definitely got lost, but it was fun. Felt like a true Austrian roaming them mountains. Tomorrow I meet up with my parents in Salzburg for a few days before I rendezvous with Katie in Munich! From there, I will have 3 weeks left. AAAHHH! Crazy. It´s been so long, but I never want to come home. I´m not sick of wearing the same 5 shirts and living out of a backpack. I´m way too comfortable. I could seriously do this for the rest of my life. This IS the life!
20 May 2008
11 May 2008
A Few Pics From Interlaken
With some guys we met at the hotel, from whom we mooched free pasta every night
My very Swiss-looking hostel
Me getting some shut eye in the middle of the road in Gimmelwald. Total traffic consisted of a cat, 2 hikers, and one tractor.
Me and Eurah before our ropes course
Eurah, my other Canadian friend Johanna who I met at our hostel, and me after hiking up to a teeny tiny village in the mountains called Gimmelwald.
Me and Pony in Interlaken
10 May 2008
On to Eastern Europe
Hey hey everyone! It's been many moons since I've written----sorry about that.
So Interlaken, Switzerland was incredible. It looked like the pictures on the bottled mountain spring water and the Ricola commercials. The snow-capped alps were RIGHT there in your face and there were fields of wild flowers and black sheep and turqoise rivers....ah so beautiful. I did a ropes course high in the trees---that was fun. The first day I did it, I was up there and it started pouring, so I convinced them to let me come back without paying the next day. They did. So I went by myself because Eurah wanted to go to some chocolate museum (LAME) and I did the "expert" course. I don't really know why I decided to do that. But once I was up, I wasn't coming down, so I finished it and it was exhilirating! I also went hiking up to a little tiny tiny rural town called Gimmelwald high up in the mountains. I went with an awesome girl I met at my hostel named Johanna.
After 4 days in Interlaken, I took a night train over to Budapest to begin the next leg of my adventure...this time with my friend Emma. I LOVE EMMA! So Budapest was great---we went to the famous Turkish baths that have been there forever and are apparently the biggest in Europe. Definitely a cultural experience! We floated around with aging Hungarian locals who were overly excited to see young American blood in polkadot bathing suits at their baths.
Now Emma and I are in Prague and we are OBSESSED with this city! We seriously were here for like 20 minutes when we decided we wanted to stay longer than the planned 3 nights. So we're skipping out on Dresden, Germany and booked an extra 2 nights here. This city is amazing! Emma is in love with our Czech receptionist at the hostel, and I am in love with this artist on the Charles Bridge, which is lined with jewelry and art stands. First I fell in love with his painting. I went back twice in one day to admire it. The second time he was there. How much for the painting AND you? Needless to say we've been back since. Pretty sure he's catching on.
Yesterday was EUROPE DAY! Who knew??? Can I just say that I have successfully caught a fair and/or national holiday in every city I have been to so far?
Barcelona: Earth Day fair
Cinque Terre & Florence: Italian Liberation Day
Interlaken: Swiss Labor Day
Budapest: I have no idea what the celebration was, but when I got off my train and walked to the hostel, EVERYONE was walking around with flowers in their hands. Like hundreds of people. I should google it.
Prague: Europe Day!
There was this huge outdoor concert venue in Old Town Square, so Emma and I hung out there last night with all the hippie Czechs. Before that, we went to a Black Light Theatre show----so awesome! Black Light Theatre is a genre that was invented here. It's a combination of modern dance, pantomime, comic sketches, and illusions with black lights. Trippy. It was really cool. Kind of "Cirque du Soleil"-esque.
K I'll try to get some pictures up here soon.
So Interlaken, Switzerland was incredible. It looked like the pictures on the bottled mountain spring water and the Ricola commercials. The snow-capped alps were RIGHT there in your face and there were fields of wild flowers and black sheep and turqoise rivers....ah so beautiful. I did a ropes course high in the trees---that was fun. The first day I did it, I was up there and it started pouring, so I convinced them to let me come back without paying the next day. They did. So I went by myself because Eurah wanted to go to some chocolate museum (LAME) and I did the "expert" course. I don't really know why I decided to do that. But once I was up, I wasn't coming down, so I finished it and it was exhilirating! I also went hiking up to a little tiny tiny rural town called Gimmelwald high up in the mountains. I went with an awesome girl I met at my hostel named Johanna.
After 4 days in Interlaken, I took a night train over to Budapest to begin the next leg of my adventure...this time with my friend Emma. I LOVE EMMA! So Budapest was great---we went to the famous Turkish baths that have been there forever and are apparently the biggest in Europe. Definitely a cultural experience! We floated around with aging Hungarian locals who were overly excited to see young American blood in polkadot bathing suits at their baths.
Now Emma and I are in Prague and we are OBSESSED with this city! We seriously were here for like 20 minutes when we decided we wanted to stay longer than the planned 3 nights. So we're skipping out on Dresden, Germany and booked an extra 2 nights here. This city is amazing! Emma is in love with our Czech receptionist at the hostel, and I am in love with this artist on the Charles Bridge, which is lined with jewelry and art stands. First I fell in love with his painting. I went back twice in one day to admire it. The second time he was there. How much for the painting AND you? Needless to say we've been back since. Pretty sure he's catching on.
Yesterday was EUROPE DAY! Who knew??? Can I just say that I have successfully caught a fair and/or national holiday in every city I have been to so far?
Barcelona: Earth Day fair
Cinque Terre & Florence: Italian Liberation Day
Interlaken: Swiss Labor Day
Budapest: I have no idea what the celebration was, but when I got off my train and walked to the hostel, EVERYONE was walking around with flowers in their hands. Like hundreds of people. I should google it.
Prague: Europe Day!
There was this huge outdoor concert venue in Old Town Square, so Emma and I hung out there last night with all the hippie Czechs. Before that, we went to a Black Light Theatre show----so awesome! Black Light Theatre is a genre that was invented here. It's a combination of modern dance, pantomime, comic sketches, and illusions with black lights. Trippy. It was really cool. Kind of "Cirque du Soleil"-esque.
K I'll try to get some pictures up here soon.
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