A Bit Late

It's five months late but here's the last post. Pictures to come... Hopefully.

Traveling Europe With My Parents

Well here is the final Blog entry. My last night in Salzburg began with an approaching storm. I left my dorm early because I was afraid that I’d have to travel in the rain. A friend of mine met up with me and kept me company for a few hours before my train arrived. The ride to Zurich was very uneventful. I was luck enough to find a sleeper car with only two other people, then eventually only two of us. So I got to lie down and sleep. I awoke with an hour left of my journey and saw the sunrise over the mountains. I was glad I got to see this because there aren’t mountains where I live. I arrived at the HBF in Zurich then transferred trains for the Airport to meet my parents.  The Zurich airport is laid out very interestingly. I finally found the car rental and sat to wait for my parents. I saw them walking and ran to meet them. We got our rental car and headed to the hotel. We only missed it by one exit. We then took the train back into town to explore a bit before turning in for the night. Being the nerds we are we did find the Apple store in Zurich J.

The next day we traveled to Caen in the region of Normandy, France. This was quite a long drive but was so much fun. Mom rather liked the fact that we could drive very quickly on the highways. I listened to music and read a book during the drive. We arrived in Caen and checked in to the little Bed and Breakfast we were staying at. It was a quaint inn and very homey. We decided on McDonalds because they have a Royal with Cheese, yes this is in reference to Pulp Fiction. I might add that this trip was not only a WWII trip but also a Movie trip. Meaning we were seeing historical sites from WWII as well as famous filming sites from films we love.

Normandy is a beautiful region. If I spoke any French and could stand to live in France, this would be the region I’d live in. We went to the beached of Normandy and to Pont du Hoc. Pont du Hoc is where the cliffs are that US soldiers climbed to get into France. It was an amazing sight to behold. We could see where bombs had blown up and were now overgrown with grasses and flowers. We climbed in and out of bunkers and my dad was pointing out what everything was. It was neat to see him so excited about being there and it was not hard to be excited as well. We also visited two cemeteries, one was an American cemetery and the other was a German cemetery. It was humbling to see all the souls lost in battle. One neat thing was that A-10’s were flying over constantly. I also got to get my picture taken on Omaha Beach and with a big Anti Aircraft gun at Pont Du Hoc.

From Normandy we went to Paris. Paris was fun. For me this was all about movies. Specifically DaVinci Code and National Treasure 2. We were only spending one day in Paris then moving on. So, in under 9 hours we got to see everything you could wish to see in Paris. We saw the Pyramids at the Louvre, Pont Neuf (which is a bridge), Notre Dame, Eifel Tower, The mini Statue of Liberty, Arc de Triomphe, and Saint Sulpice. I also got to indulge in a Nutella and Banana Crepe. It was fun running around Paris and reciting movie lines with my parents. When we arrived to Saint Sulpice and I saw the Roseline I about died. DaVinci code is one of my favorite books and I love all the history combined with conspiracy theories. One cool thing about the Eifel Tower is my mom’s maiden name can be seen on it, Luplace. Pretty cool huh? Oh I forgot to mention that Europe LOVES roundabouts. There’s one around the Arc de Triomphe and my mom was terrified that she’d have to drive through it. Luckily she didn’t as the entrance to the motorway was just before the roundabout.

From Paris we traveled to Füssen Germany. This is a lovely little town where Neuschwanstein is located. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast for the night. The next day we hiked up to Neuschwanstein and went to the bridge to take a few photos. Then we drove through German countryside to Salzburg. We were going to stay two nights in Salzburg. So I did some last minute shopping and visiting of the Dubliner for one last pint.  –Did I mention that I stayed in a hostel by myself in a room that ended up being used, the second night, by guys attending either a bachelor party or wedding. Let’s just say that the amount of AXE body spray and loudness used was ridiculous. They were also pretty loud. The next morning though, one of the guys found me in the lobby to apologize for being rude. It was nice of them. How could I blame them from having a fun night out haha.

While in Salzburg my dad and I took a tour up to the Eagles Nest, which is actually in Germany. It was really neat to see where Hitler visited, although he was afraid of heights. My dad and I climbed up part of the mountain that the Eagles Nest was on and took pictures of Salzburg below. The fireplace in the main dining room had pieces of the marble chipped off by soldiers as souvenirs during the war. We also got to go to a little mountain town for lunch where my dad and I had the best Jägerschnitzel ever!!

After saying farewell to Salzburg, again, we headed to our final destination. Venice, Italy. I was super excited to go back to Venice. We were staying two nights all together in Venice, but going to the Island only one day. The hotel we were staying in was really nice. I had my first Strawberry Daiquiri and it was delicious! The bartender was cute too haha. I was excited to see Venice again. We arrived early in the morning on the island. We then wound our through the city, on a very hot day, and saw the church where they filmed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade library façade. We also got to see Saint Marks. It was gorgeous as ever. To enter Saint Marks though, women must have their shoulders and knees covered. So I was exploring Venice in the middle of July in jean capris and a tank, which could be covered with a shall. To say I was hot was an understatement. We did get to have gelato twice though which was very refreshing haha. I also got a pretty sweet mask too. My brother plays Assassins Creed and I kept picture Ezio running through the city along rooftops and diving into haystacks. Oh and just as we were leaving I got my picture taken with one of the doctors masks from the renaissance era. EPIC!!

We ended our stay in Zurich. We stayed one night there and I realized my time in Europe was over. I cried a little about leaving and was excited to go home. However it wouldn’t end easily. At the Zurich airport I was sent on a wild goose chase to check in for my flight. After 45 mins and myself being quite frustrated, to the point of frustrated tears in my eyes threatening to fall, I finally checked in and was homeward bound. After my flight from Philly being canceled I made it to Cincy after getting on a different flight, not caring about my luggage because I wanted to be in Ohio. I made it home at 1 in the morning and promptly fell asleep with my dog lying in bed with me. I couldn’t have been happier.

On to the next adventure… Graduation!

"It's been such a long time, I think I should be going"

Wow, we’re down to it everyone! This has been a crazy fun ride with it’s highs and lows but we survived! I’ve got two more blog entries and then I’m done. I may continue it once I get home but focused more on what’s going on back home. I really like writing everything out and sharing some of my fun memories with you so I’ll more than likely continue.

Thank you once again for reading and sharing the last year of my life with me!!

On to the last bit of Salzburg…

So a lot has been going on the past month. I’ve written two papers, gave a presentation, and taken a million tests. I’m so glad the academic part of this journey is basically over. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not going to miss the academic part of this experience. I am going to miss the friends that I’ve made here in Salzburg. Especially my close friends from Dubliner (the awesome Irish Pub I frequent).

One of my good friends got married here a few weeks ago so Congratulations to Robert and Jeanine! I’m happy for you both!

The other week Robert planned a last night out for a group of us since he’s leaving for his honeymoon this week and we all wanted to go out. So we begin this night of epicness at Stieglkeller. If you’re ever in Salzburg GO HERE! The view from the biergarten is amazing and can’t be beat. I met up with a bunch of Robert and Jeanine’s friends as my classmates couldn’t make it so I was the lone college student haha. I love the group that we were out with. We had so much fun! Little did I know that when I walked in to Stieglkeller that I’d be greeted as “Harry” haha…

Why might I be greeted as Harry you ask. Well that’s a story in itself haha. One night at Dubliner a few weeks ago I asked to pay my tab and Markus had to ask Robert which name was mine on the list they keep behind the bar. Robert said that clearly my name was written at the very top. See Robert’s handwriting isn’t the best, especially when multiple shots of Jameson and pints of Guinness have been drunk to cheer on the Irish football team haha. Well the name looked like “Harry” so from then on it stuck. I was introduced, and to this day I’m still introduced to new friends as “Harry”.

Back to that epic night out. We stayed at Stieglkeller for a few drinks and dinner for those of us eating. I had this amazing plate of Roastbeef, Potato Salad, and Sauerkraut. I was in heaven. That and the Raddler I was drinking was one of the best Raddlers I’ve had my entire timer here. I’m not a big beer fan unless it’s Guinness or Smithwicks so to say it was good is saying something. That is until I had to chug half a liter so we could leave. The guys laughed at the face I made while drinking haha. It doesn’t taste as good if you’re chugging it haha. So we then headed off to Dubliner as one of the girls in our group had to work that evening. We got there and some of the others ate and the rest of us talked and drank. I had my standing order of Magners. See Dubliner is my real life version of Cheers. All the bartenders, cooks, and servers know my name and my order. I feel like Norm every now and then when I walk in as they all greet me “Alex!” or “Harry” now haha.

After we ate and had a few drinks we wanted to go somewhere to watch the football game. So we went to a little bar called Balthazar. Now with a name like that I was going to love it. It was a cozy little bar and we all got a booth. I ended up teaching some of the basics of signlanguage while we were there. See I’ve taken several sign language classes and when I’ve been drinking I start to sign. Especially the signs for “go home” and “water”. I taught them signs for Beer, Water, Hungry, and Margarita. Then the boys left for a moment and we had some girl time which was a blast. The boys walked back to us doing a shot and giggling. I had wanted to sing one last song at karaoke and talked Markus, Birgit, and Robert into singing with me. So we headed to O’Mally’s and sang a LEGENDARY rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. It was so much fun. Then I got “Kidnapped” by Birgit and Jeanine for girl time at the bar next door. We stayed here basically the rest of the night and did more shots than I can count. Robert and Markus finally showed up and then I may have cried a bit when I realized it was the last night out with my “big brother” and I was going to miss him. Then I was handed my drink and we started dancing, laughing, and having a grand old time. Little did I know that Robert made a video on my phone of Birgit, Jeanine, and I haha. I have never laughed so hard in the morning I as did when I found that video.

So the night of epicness was just that EPIC.

This last week is going slowly yet quickly at the same time. I’m ready to say goodbye. Last night we had our last group dinner at Stieglkeller. It was fun and delicious. However, today while on the bus heading to Uni so I could study for my last final I heard a song that I’ve been addicted to for the last month or so and realized that the lyrics fit perfect for this post. The song was Boston’s Foreplay/Longtime. I’ll post a video of it at the end of this post.

My time in Salzburg is done. I’ve had a great time and will miss it terribly… Well Boston said it better than I ever could so I’ll let them speak for me.

It’s been such a long time

I think I should be goin’ yeah

And time doesn’t wait for me, it keeps of rollin’

Sail on, on a distant highway

I’ve got to keep on chasin’ a dream

I’ve gotta be on my way

Wish there was something I could say.

Here’s to you Salzburg! I’ll be back soon! No really I’ll be back next week with my family! Haha.

View from the Uni's roof

Drink of Choice at Dubliner

Me and a Kebap

Saturday morning I’m heading to Zurich to meet my parents and we’re traveling a bit through Europe before heading home. So one more post of our Shenanigans through: Zurich, Caen, Paris, Munich, Salzburg, and Venice.

Berlin Trip

Berlin Reise

Thanks again for reading everyone! Here is the update on Berlin!

The morning of May 25^th dawned early for me haha. I wanted to make some chocolate chip muffins to celebrate my Birthday. I was kind of nervous to make them because I didn’t have any way to measure the liquids for the recipe. Being the baker that I am I kind of made an educated guess haha. They turned out deliciously! After I baked them and ate over half of them myself and shared the rest with my neighbors I headed to the airport to meet the group.

After we got our tickets and checked our luggage we had to go through security. Naturally no matter how careful I am the metal detector always goes off. So after be pat down and such we arrived at our gate. Have I mentioned how tiny the Salzburg airport is? 8 Gates and no gangways. Basically you walk out a door to the plane. It’s great haha, unless the weather isn’t nice. Thankfully we had great weather for takeoff. The flight to Köln was fairly uneventful minus Andy’s loud laughter heard the entire 2 hour flight. Love him and his laugh. You never have to ask if he’s around because one he’s really tall and two his laughter can be heard miles away haha. Once in Köln we had about an hour to waste and grab a snack then a little over an hour flight to Berlin. We arrived at a tiny airport, that rivaled Salzburg and headed to our hostel. We stayed at a great hostel chain called Wombats. Upon check in we even received a complementary drink from the rooftop bar.. WOOT!

That night we went to a great Italian restaurant called 12 Apostles. I was super stoked for Italian and had looked up ahead of time what I would be getting. I had found a dish that sound great. It was Fussili pasta with eggplant, green olives, black olives, and peppers in a pesto sauce. Well It was mostly pesto with some pasta. I wasn’t thrilled with it but the trooper that I am was determined to not let it get to me. I snacked on the bread that was on the table and ate as much of the pesto dish as I could. Once our plates were cleared and we were planning on what to do next I got a great surprise. Our trip advisor found out that it was my birthday and had ordered me a dessert. It was brought out with a big sparkler then the ENTIRE restaurant started singing Happy Birthday to me. I was doing a great impression of a tomato and giggling out my Thanks to everyone. I had no idea what the waitress had sat in front of me but it was chocolate and I couldn’t wait to try it. I later found out that it was Tiramisu. Tiramisu is now one of my favorite desserts! After dessert a group of us ended up getting drinks at a 50’s themed American restaurant. One thing that I love about Berlin is that drinks aren’t nearly as expensive and liquor is more reasonably priced. That and they had Margaritas! So we celebrated a bit more then headed back to the hostel. Did I mention that chivalry isn’t dead? We were walking back and the temperature had dropped a lot and I was without a jacket. I was shivering slightly and a friend offered me his jacket. I graciously accepted and then realized that he only had a t-shirt on. I tried to give it back to him as I had a ¾ sleeved shirt on but he refused to take it back stating that he was fine. So there’s hope out there yet!!! WOOT haha.

Here’s a fun side story before we continue to the next day: Once we arrived back at the hostel a friend and I saw a few others from our group sitting downstairs. So we joined them. The way the room was set up was kind of like an L shaped sectional without a back to the seat. Well my friend had wanted to lie down so I got up off the chaise part and went to sit on the couch part next to it. As I sat down I realized I sat too far back and forgot there was nothing to stop me but air. I fought for a split second to regain my seating but failed. Needless to say I ended up falling backwards and doing a tuck and roll and ended up sitting in the middle of the entryway laughing my head off. My friend jumped up and kind of freaked out asking if I was alright, and was confused by my laughter. Haha So he helped me up and walked me back to the couch. I went to sit down on the couch and he thought I was going to fall again but thankfully I didn’t.

The next day started kind of early, 10am. A few of us went to a great little bakery called Zeit für Brot (Time for Bread). I got a delicious chocolate scone and a bottle of water. My allergies were starting to act back up and on top of traveling I wasn’t at 100% but I was looking forward to the bike tour. The bike tour was fun. Our tour guide was really cute haha. Oh and I only almost fell off my bike once! That’s a feat seeing as I haven’t ridden a bike in YEARS! We got to see a lot of the main Berlin sights and even the hotel where Michael Jackson almost dropped his baby out the window. Then part of the group went to a restaurant and I got fajitas and a Margarita. Once we were done with the tour I took a nap because I was exhausted and couldn’t breathe due to allergies. When I woke up a group of us went shopping then went to this amazing little Mexican restaurant. I ordered my first ever Piña Colada. It wasn’t a true Piña Colada as they don’t have a sense of frozen drinks in Berlin but I’m hooked all the same. We each got a variation of quesadillas. Mine were chicken and delicious! I called it an early night once we got back but woke up around 1 and went downstairs to text my mom about how I felt. She told me to take some ibuprofen every 4-6 hours and sleep. I finally started to get tired and headed back upstairs to sleep.

The next morning we left around 9. We were going to the DDR museum and the Egyptian Museum. I was super stoked for the Egyptian Museum. The DDR museum was cool but really small. I was obsessed with an interactive smart table. It was basically a glorified touch screen computer. Everything about this museum was hands on. I also found a PINEAPPLE! The Egypt Museum was awesome. However we were given a guided tour by an architect who knew nothing about the Egyptian culture but talked mostly about the building we were in. We did get to see a famous bust of Nefertiti that is featured on all the History shows about her. I was thrilled to see that but we couldn’t take any pictures. I also got to see numerous Sarcophagi and hieroglyphs. I had fun finding the infamous: Ametephis, Horus, Ra, and Anubis. Yeah I’m slightly obsessed when it comes to Egyptian culture and history and it was only further cultivated by the great show Stargate and The Mummy films. After going on the tours a friend of mine mentioned a giant flea market a few subway stops away. So we went and she wasn’t kidding. It was HUGE! We didn’t buy anything but it was fun to see. That night we went to a play called “Der Zerbrochene Krug”. It was hilariously good and sad at moments. I quite enjoyed it while others not so much. I just love going to theatres and escaping the world for a bit, even if I have to sit next to a smelly person. Yuck. After the show I called it a night.

I woke up at 6 in the morning and got lectured by my mom for being up. I’m over 5000 miles away, separated by an ocean and I got the “Child” treatment. As in “Child what are you doing up!? You’re sick and need to sleep!”. I chuckled, and I’m still chuckling, and told her that I’d sleep on the train. I was feeling about 85% and was exhausted but hey I’m on vacation so I’m going to have a good time. On the train ride I was cracking up listening to Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks “2000 Year Old Man In the Year 2000” which prompted a great discussion about comedy with my seatmate. When we arrived in Leipzig, the resting place Of J.S. Bach, we noticed something peculiar. There were a lot of Goths! Turns out the Leipzig is the International HQ for the Gothic Culture and they were having a convention that weekend. We took a tour of the town and got to see the infamous Bar where Faust and Mephisto made their deal. There was a statue of Faust and legend goes that if you rub his foot you’ll do well on tests and such. So naturally we all took turns slyly rubbing the statues foot after our professor stated that it wouldn’t work. A little help wouldn’t hurt haha. After the tour we split off to go explore on our own. However it was a holiday so no stores were open. A group of us went to a lovely restaurant and enjoyed a nice meal. I had schnitzel and mashed potatoes. After lunch we walked around the city and took pictures of the Goths. They wanted their pictures taken and posed happily, or menacingly, for them. After people watching we went to a great ice cream shop and then sat in a park for a bit. We headed back to the train station and got a pizza from Pizza hut. Can you tell we are missing home? Mexican food and Pizza have dominated our meals haha. That night I finally made it up to the rooftop bar and had a few Piña Coladas then had a heart to heart with Andy at a Kebab shop down the road at 1 in the morning. Like I said good times.

The next day was our last day in Berlin. We were going to the Jüdisches Museum and then the day was ours. The museum was pretty interesting. It covered Judaism through its entirety. There was a neat room for the holocaust that made you feel entirely alone and without hope. It was at the end of a halway and the room was all concrete with high walls and a tiny window at the top that let in barely any light. It was extremely foreboding. After the museum our program director took us all out for Currywurst. It’s a Berlin Specialty. It’s basically a fried hotdog in a ketchup sauce with curry powder on top. If you know me then you know I think ketchup is a sin. It’s gross and shouldn’t be used in anything except Meatloaf. We had fun eating our Currywurst as a group and then split up. I got a cute cardigan at H&M then went to dinner at a burrito place that was just like Chipotle. I couldn’t even finish my burrito. Then we went up to the rooftop bar and had a good time. I met a nice guy from London and we all stayed up until 1AM. We had to be leaving the Hostel at 5.

Travel day had arrived. I was bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4 in the morning trying to check out and retrieve my ID. Little did they know that they gave my ID to the wrong person. After looking for a solid 30min they realized their mistake. Thankfully we found my ID and we could be on our way. I slept most of both flights home. There was a minor delay to landing in Salzburg. We were literally on approach when all of a sudden our pilot pulls up and guns the engines. Apparently there was a strong side wind and we had to circle until it died down. 15min later we landed.

All in all it was a great trip. Funny thing is that everybody ended up getting sick at some point. That’s what you get for traveling together on a plane. I had a great time seeing a big city, eating delicious food, shopping, and getting out of Salzburg.

21 Days until I meet my family in Zurich!! Time has flown by!

May Day

Woot So another quick update with Maibaum! This is short as I had planned to attach it with the Berlin post, but that post is going to be very long. Enjoy this snippet of Maitag! 

Mai Tag:

May first is May day. In Austria it is a holiday and we get out of school and businesses are closed. So we took an excursion up to this great little park that is a lot like Caralon Park in Ohio. The park showed what life was like in the Alps way back in the day. We wandered for a bit and got to see Schnapps being brewed. After it’s first distillation we could have a taste. It was VERY strong and to me gross. I’m not a huge Schapps fan and have sworn off of it after a crazy night with friends haha.

Later that day we got to watch them erect the Maibaum, which took over 2 hours!!!!. Basically a Maibaum is a tree that is cut down and the bark is filed off. Then to the top there are three rings suspended with ribbons and pretzels attached. These are the rings that one must climb to the top to and retrieve a ribbon for your love. So only guys try and climb the Maibaum. Did I mention they do this in their underwear? Needless to say some guys pulled it off and others didn’t. One guy from our book tried, but didn’t reach the top.

Spring Break: Trieste, Italy

Trieste, Italy

To start off with I apologize for not updating for over two months! It has been a crazy time with midterms and projects galore after spring break. I am almost done with all my project though. I’ve got a presentation this week and 6 more pages of a 10 page paper to write by mid June.

Another note: Thank you to all who donated to BGSU’s Dance Marathon benefactor Children’s Miracle Network! We raised $250,000!!!! Great job to all the Dancers, Bikers (who biked from Cincinnati to BG!), Moralers, and everyone involved.

Ok on with the story that is Trieste..

I spent the day before I left packing and getting ready for my four day trip to the beautiful Trieste. I was kind of nervous because I had to take two trains and a bus to get there because of the mountains. For those that do not know where Trieste is, it is located just south of Austria and borders Slovania, and Croatia. On the map it’s directly across the Adriatic from Venice. My train left around 8 in the morning and arrived in Trieste around 3. I was excited for the long travel time because you get to see so much. I left Salzburg Hbf and my first stop was in Villach. The trip was pretty uneventful. I fell asleep about an hour into the trip and woke up about 20min before my stop and saw such a gorgeous sight! The mountains were so close and beautiful.

I got off the train and happened to find an English couple traveling to Venice that were looking for the same bus I needed to get to Udine (Pronounced Oo-din-A). I joined them and since they didn’t speak any German I spoke to a worker and asked where the bus would pick us up. He showed us and all we had to do is wait. Finally a double-decker coach bus shows up and the driver asked where we were going and stored our bags. I mentioned earlier how to pronounce Udine. I mentioned this because I completely butchered the pronunciation the first time. I said  U-dean, that’s what I get for studying German haha! So I boarded the bus, found my seat which happened to be next to a cute guy, and settled in for a two hour drive to the Udine train station. The bus ride was uneventful, we did cross the border into Italy and the mountains looked amazing, as usual. I was excited to be in Italy again. I traveled to Venice and Verona when I graduated high school, and I’m going back with my family in July. Once the bus arrived at the Udine train station I found my train easily and settled for another 2 hour trip.

This train ride was also uneventful, that was until I saw the ocean. At one point I was reading my book and then happened to look up at the window opposite me and there was the ocean. What was even better was that it was sunny. I had looked up the weather before I left Salzburg and it was supposed to rain every day. So the sun was a pleasant surprise. I finally arrived at the Main Station and set out to find the guesthouse I was staying at. It was literally right down the road from the station. Thank goodness for Street View on GoogleMaps. I walked up to the giant wooden door and couldn’t open it! I had no idea how to open the door and there were buttons on the side for different rooms/ tenants. I didn’t’ want to disturb anyone  so I waited for someone to leave or enter. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long. Someone came out and I went in. I walked up four flights of stairs, because the elevator scared me, and finally arrived at the guesthouse. I knocked and the owner opened and was very nice. He showed me all the keys I needed and that was confusing, there were three haha. Then I went to my room which was pretty nice. It was small but comfortable. It had two twin beds, a dresser, desk, and a tv. The tv didn’t work though. They also had wifi, which I was super excited about, naturally since I’m a geek. I checked in with Facebook and text my parents letting them know that I arrived.

Since it was still light out, I decided to get my bearings for the city. I looked up on GoogleMaps how to get to the Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia which was a big Plaza that would be my starting point each day. It wasn’t but a 5min walk to the plaza. It was hard to miss haha. There was a big pier to the right where people were sitting and enjoying the sun. I walked around the plaza for a moment then went and sat along the pier and looked out to the water. I am not sure how long I sat there listening to the water and taking in the city, but I was more relaxed than I had been since I was in Ireland. I was started to get hungry and decided to get something from a place near the guesthouse so I could be back in before dark. I found a nice little Kebab place one road over and ate there. I tried really hard to order in Italian “Una Panino Kebab”. The guy smiled and chuckled a bit but made the most delicious Kebab aside from Haci’s in Salzburg, I went back to the guesthouse and turned in for the night.

I woke up the next morning and wanted to walk around and just take in the city. It was overcast and a bit rainy in the morning so I didn’t head out until around noon when it cleared up. I found the main shopping street in Trieste. It was calling my name haha. I walked around, window-shopping and just enjoying my time. I ended up walking down a few side streets and came upon Roman Theatre ruins. What is neat about the ruins is that it used to be along the ocean. I was about a 10min walk from the ocean! This shows how much the land has changed over the years. I ended up back on the pier enjoying the sun and people watching for a bit. It was quickly approaching dinner time and I wanted to go to a grocery store and get some food that’ll last me a while. So I went back to the train station and to the Spar that was there. I found a delicious ham, mozzarella, mayo, and lettuce sandwich as well as Pringles and a Twix for dessert. I also grabbed a coke and water. I trekked back to the hostel and watched Galaxy Quest on YouTube and enjoyed my night in.

The next day was again rainy in the morning so I decided to sleep in a bit and then get ready. I went to take a shower and the water was FREEZING!!!! I have never in my life taken such a cold shower. Needless to say I was wide-awake and had the quickest shower in my life. Today was the day that I was going to go out to Schloß Miramar. This castle was home to Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and wife Charlotte of Belgium. The lived there when it was not yet completed, then became Emperor and Empress of Mexico. The castle sits in a 54 acre park and is right on the ocean. The gardens are beautiful. However my favorite part about the castle is the fact that there are Pineapples EVERYWHERE! One may ask why am I so excited about pineapples. Good Question. I am an avid fan, ok I’m obsessed, with a TV show on USA called Psych. In every episode there is a hidden pineapple. My family and I see who can spot the pineapple first. I now have cute pineapple earrings, and a pineapple patch on my Phi Mu bag. Needless to say Pineapples are a big part of my life. So when I found out that one of the symbols chosen by Maximilan for the castle was a pineapple, I just had to go.

Getting to the Castle was an adventure in itself. I knew that I had to take the 25 bus to get there. I also knew where the bus stop was. What I didn’t know was how much a bus ticket was, and where to buy it. I sat at the bus stop for about 40min waiting for someone who looked nice so I could ask about the tickets. This really nice, older lady stood by me and summoning my Spanish lessons from high school and applying the subtle differences that makes Italian, well Italian, I asked her how much a ticket was. “Cuànto cuesta la… ticket?” Haha I ended up pointing to her bus ticket, which she had in her hand. She smiled and told me 2.10 and then proceeded to show me the proper coins. I thanked her and then boarded the bus, ready with my 2.10. Slight problem, the bus drivers don’t sell tickets at the door like they do in Salzburg! I was terrified that I was going to get thrown off the bus, or taken to jail haha. Imagine me calling my advisor in Salzburg saying I need to be bailed out because I couldn’t find where to buy a bus ticket! Haha. Fortunately I didn’t run into the ticket police. I did however accidentally get off way early and didn’t know how to get to the castle entrance. However I figured so long as I keep the castle in view I’d be able to get there. I got to walk along the ocean and enjoy the quite morning with the sound of waves hitting the rocks of the shore just feet away.

I finally made it to the castle and it was much smaller than I thought it would be. The gardens around the estate were beautiful. I bought my ticket and enjoyed walking through the estate taking my time to take in the details and think about what it would have been like to live here. The symbols of the estate are the Anchor and Pineapple. These could be seen everywhere! I had fun finding them in odd places and reading up on some of the history. Pictures were forbidden but hey if one is careful one can sneakily take pictures with their phone haha. Once I was finished the tour I headed back to the guest house and chilled for a bit. Then I went out and enjoyed some mint gelato on the pier watching the sun set..

The next day the owner stopped by and asked if was leaving. I couldn’t believe that it was time for me to go already. When I travel I tend to lose track of time. I quickly packed and was on my way. I got to the train station and looked at my ticket. It said Saturaday the 14^th on it. I looked at my phone, it was Friday the 13^th.. Oops. So I hurried back to the guest house and the owner asked why I was back. I explained that I had paid for that night as well and showed him my receipt. He was confused and said they didn’t have room for me. Well I needed a place to stay and since it was their mishap with the booking they paid for me to stay in a nicer hostel down the road. I was happy that I had a place to stay haha. Once I called my mom and told her what happened I enjoyed my “extra” day by taking a bus tour of the city. I got to see where James Joyce, the Irish writer, lived and wrote several of his works. It was a nice tour, then I went back to the room, since it was raining, and enjoyed my kebab dinner and some more YouTube.

The trip home went off without a hitch.. Oh wait! I forget about the bathrooms at one of the train stations! I had gotten a redbull to insure that I’d be awake for the first half of my trip since there were a bunch of changes I needed to make. Well redbull always makes me have to use the restroom haha. So at the sop in Udine I had about 15min until the bus came. I walked into the bathroom and opened the stall door and laughed out loud. It was a glorified hole in the ground. There was no way I was squatting to pee- that’s just begging for me to fall down and make a mess…

In a nutshell that is my trip to Trieste for Spring Break. Up next is the Berlin trip! I’m currently writing it so it should be up in the next day or so.

29 Days until I meet my family in Zurich!!!!!!