Days 14,15, &16: SURFING in Munich, Dachau memorial, and Prague puppets

Location: Feurstenhof Hotel

Hours of Travel: 94

Cleanliness: 5 (took a shower today, but was in the blazing heat wearing sandals all day...)

Comments:

-Things have been happening so fast. Plus we haven't had internet for quite sometime. The time we have internet Trent wants to check his e-mail and gets too bored when I write a blog so I haven't been updating for a while. He's in the shower right now so he's not bored now. hehe

-We arrive in Munich around 7:30 am where our friend Dusty picked us up. He asked us if we wanted to go surfing in the afternoon after his morning class. Trent and I were a little confused but since he was hosting us we agree. Plus, anything that involves water, Trent and I are down.

-Trent and I slept while he was in class.

-When Dusty came to his place he explained to us that on the river, there are some manmade waves, kind of like a Flow Rider. It's a real "local thing" so not too many tourists know about it. It's gotten to be such a big thing that Munich has a few surf shops!

Trent with Dusty and his board at the metro station. See the orange towel? That's mine and it's super mildewy (sp?)

center of town

one of the waves called the Secret Wave. obviously by the line, it's not too secret!

Dusty riding the wave!

right by the Bavarian palace

Bavarian Palace Gardens

-After our short sightseeing tours, dusty walked us through a lot of Englisher Gardens. We had so much fun with Dusty and really appreciated him showing us around the city from his point of view as a visiting student.

Munich beer kegs in the Beer Garden

thanks for letting us stay at your place Dusty!

-The following day, Trent and I left for our own day trip to Dachau, the first concentration camp during WWII. It was a difficult choice to go because we knew it would be hard to experience. But we were really grateful we did because it helped us understand our history, the impact America had in it, and how difficult and sad things are still just as important to remember. To everything there is an opposite; it is important for us as human beings to understand the darkness to better appreciate the light.

"Work makes you free"

pictures of the survivors

part of the memorial

entrance to the gas chambers disguised as showers

this large field with the rocks were other buildings of torture and imprisonment that have since been destroyed.

- After this experience Trent and I had to say goodbye to Munich as we loaded up for our trip to Prague. This time the Europass reservation was actually through a bus. Trent loved this bus ride because we were able to see parts of the country side not usually seen on the train. Plus it was still light outside so we could enjoy the view.

Bus to Prague

Beautiful yellow fields of the country (does anyone know what flower this is? They smelled so good!)

-Trent and I arrived in Prague at 9:30 at night and still had to find our B&B. We knew it was close to a castle so we followed the signs to it. When we got to the castle we asked EVERYONE if they knew were our place was. NOBODY spoke English. We were afraid we'd have to sleep outside again. But eventually we figured it out ourselves. We probably walked 15 Km that day with our packs on. I have bruises on my hips...

-We ate dinner at like 11:30 at this authentic Czech cuisine. It was a...cultural experience. At least it was cheap!

Prague by night

-Trent and I woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready for the day. We found an adorable puppet shop! I was seeing the Lonely Goatherd song from Sound of Music all day after that.

puppet store!

street performers!

the castle had a changing of the guards ceremony right when Trent and I arrive there. We were thrilled.

The great cathedral INSIDE the castle walls. It was SO AMAZING!

-Trent and I needed a good meal since we hadn't eaten well for a while. We went to a delicious Italian place (we'd already had our Czech food experience) and had a relatively inexpensive lunch/dinner. However, there must have been something magical about the water because they charges us a whole 80 Ckz!

-We had a rather dramatic experience this day when Trent thought he lost his jacked and I thought I lost a $100 bill. Fortunately we didn't. But we probably walked up and down this one hill 3 times before we figured everything out.

happy trent with his jacket

happy me with my money

-At the end of the day went on a boat tour despite the rain. It was so fun and beautiful! Afterward, we went to the train station for our night train to Vienna (which is certainly another story). I'll get back up-to-date in Florence (Sunday) hopefully.

For now sbohem!

Have you EVER eaten a REAL....Belgian...waffle?!?!?!

Location: Frankfurt Train Station

Hours of Travel: 71

Cleanliness: 4 (I'm sitting on a floor outside Starbucks for free wifi. Not too clean.)

Comments:

Side note- I have such a problem writing about food. Sorry if it makes you sick or bored but it’s what sticks out and means the most to me. I would write about the smells in Europe but since we’ve been in the Subways, Metros and other underground passages, you probably would never want to travel Europe.

- Last night we arrived in Belgium at 11:30 PM. Trent and I were exhausted so we took a cab to our friends Alex and Diana’s place. It felt so nice to be in a bigger car and arriving at our destination in 10 minutes rather than an hour. Especially at that time of night.

- As soon as we got to the house, Alex welcomed us and showed us a great big map of Brussels. He pointed out the top spots to sight see for free and said it’s possible to see most of the city in a day.

- The next morning we met Diana who works from home as a lawyer. Both Diana and Alex were so laid back. We really appreciated their hospitality and relaxed demeanor.

walking to the central plaza

cock-ells and mussels alive alive oh!

- By noon we hit the downtown were we ate a very authentic lunch full of mussels, steak, “Belgium fries” (or steak fries), and my very own Belgian waffle!

· What a Belgian waffle tastes like

o Step 1- think of your favorite food

o Step 2- times that amazing taste by ten

o Step 3- add nutella, chocolate, caramel, or any other delectable topping of your choice

- I. Am. In. love. Who knew that Belgian waffles were so much different than how we make them in America? They were unbelievable…sweeter like a funnel cake and heavier like a pound cake. Also, they are definitely not breakfast foods. HAHA! Unless you’re a sumo wrestler…

- I changed after that enlightening moment for my taste buds. I HAD to eat another one. We quickly found a waffle stand for 1 EU. Here’s a video of me eating it.

- We saw the city plaza, peeing cherub, and of course the chocolate shops. Trent and I may have gotten a little out of hand…

it was difficult to choose the right chocolate shop. So we had to try each of their homemade fondues.

- We got to the train station and I snagged one more Belgian waffle before saying goodbye to the cute country. Our train left for Frankfurt at 6:30 and arrived at 9:50. We’ve been waiting in the train station now for 3 ½ hours. It’s freezing. I’m hungry (if you can believe I’m still hungry). I’m positively exhausted. We’re only sleeping on the train for 5 ½ hours before we arrive in Munich. YAY… :/

Things that we’re thinking: what will the weather be like? What will the food be like? We can’t believe we’ve already been to 4 countries now! We are staying pretty on schedule but I have a feeling we won’t be able to hike Cinque Terre in Italy with our constantly growing backpacks…

For now…Auf Wiedersehen! (I just had to ask someone in the station how to saw goodbye in German…) Haha! Trent and I don’t even know.

Days 10, 11, & 12: castles, churches, and chocolate

Written on May 8 at 10:32 pm

^{Location: Lille Europe Train Station (connection to Brussels)}

^{Hours of Travel: 66}CleanlinessA: 5

Comments:

- We arrived in Paris at 8 in the morning. Right off the train we had to find our friend’s house in Antony, a suburb by Paris. By nine we found a McCafe (our other home away from home because of free internet) and contacted Jean Pierre. He came and picked us up from the subway station 5 minutes after we called!

- Jean Pierre is 60-something-retired-and-proud French man. He loves motorcycles and traveling the world. Though he struggled at first, his language skills in English grew tremendously while with us. The first day he asked if we wanted to see Paris through his eyes. Of course we agreed and loaded up in his car for the great city!

- Paris was gorgeous by day. Though I had been there before, I felt like I saw it in a new light with Jean Pierre; he showed us his favorite places as well as the tourist attractions and talked about the history and meaning these places had for him as a Parisian. I love people who have passion and pride in their lives; it shows conviction and helps people take advantage of the wonderful lives they have.

lover's lock bridge

Notre Dame

We had a quick drink break while walking through. I asked for a sprite with grenadine and this is the bottle i get. Just guess how they pronounce it...

Trent walking with Jean Pierre

memorial for Princess Diana

- After visiting Paris, we drove back to his flat where we met the amazing Catherine, or Cat. Cat is a singing-feminine-50-something-and-proud French woman. She was so spunky and full of life. I had so much fun getting to know her and talking about everything from 401K’s to French movies. We ate a delicious pizza and she whipped up a fresh salad and chocolate brownie. Yummmmmmm.

pizza joint! pizza hut's got nothin' on this place (minus the lack of anchovies)

the whole gang

- At the end of the evening we watched half of the Big Blue and went to bed.

- The following day, Trent and I visited Versailles. I found it very ironic that the line was so large and they still charged 25 EU per person. It’s like the bourgeoisie all over again! But the trip was well worth it.

beautiful gardens

short short men

crazy long line to get in!

- Then we went to downtown Paris where I picked up a new backpack! Yay no more haulin' around a broken one!!! After that we went window shopping (Such a tease…ESPECIALLY IN PARIS).

- But we saved our money for the end of the day where we ate out at a delicious, authentic, and inexpensive French restaurant. They held up to Paris’ bad service reputation; but the food was UNBELIEVABLE!!! I was so sad when I finished the last bite of my chocolate mousse!

- For Sunday, Trent and I planned ahead and found the Latter-day Saint church in the area. It was actually only a 30-minute drive and there were well over 80 people in the ward! Though the whole meeting was in French, we could still feel the sweet spirit of the gospel along with the happy and strong members stronger than ever. The songs were awesome to sing and decipher since they are the same melody as the English ones. Trent and I hope one day to live in a small ward like this to serve our church in the area.

- After church, Trent and I went to the Louvre, a great Sunday activity, where we saw tons and tons of historic art and artifacts from hundreds of years ago. My parents always tell the story of when I was eight and still learned to love the art even when others my age could not understand a naked sculpture. I feel like that was only a parcel of how I felt today in the grandeur of the Louvre. I wish I had a week to just stay there and examine EVERYTHING.

where blade and challis meet... trent calls me a Da Vinci Code Trekky haha

it's actually a scroll that sculpture's holding but we thought it was a thumb.

- Jean Pierre picked us up from the station again (him and Cat seriously were the best hosts EVER!) and took me to a pastry place close to their flat. I WAS IN HEAVEN. Trent and I may have bought too much for our stomachs to handle, but we’ll carry it onto our next city Brussels where we are headed to tonight!

so happy at the pastry place!

What we are thinking right now: We’re so excited for Brussels. Or at least I am…hopefully Trent more than he thinks he will. Now that we’re about half way through I thought I would reflect on and review our travels thus far.

1. This trip is AWESOME. Trent and I are having a blast and loving being with each other through the crazy adventures, both good and bad. To anybody thinking about going backpacking, DO IT.

2. Couch Surfing is awesome and well worth the time and effort. A lot of people may think it’s a dangerous concept, connecting with people on the internet from abroad, meeting them for the first time at their house and sleeping there, but they have references on the internet that verify their safety. Also, meeting the people from various countries and learning about their way of life is the best

3. Trent and I like the EuroRail pass…but we don’t love it. Though they give you a straight fee for the 21 days and 22 countries, they also make you pay for the reservations for certain trains (like from country to country, overnights or fast trains). But honestly, I don’t know another way to travel to all the places we wanted to go for cheap enough. Maybe I should have looked more into Rick Steve’s.

4. All the places we have visited so far are FANTASTIC. If Trent and I had the choice, we would stay in those places for much longer and make our trip like 6 months long. There’s so much historic, stylish, ancient beauty which is just something you don’t get to see in the USA.

5. Although there are some cool things about Europe (that we have noticed so far) like the old architecture, delicious chocolate, great public transportation systems, and friendly people, Trent and I thoroughly miss certain parts of USA more. For instance:

· you have to pay .50 Eu in train station to go to the bathroom but dogs poop on the street wherever they please for free.

· Public displays of affection have nothing on the Europeans in Spain and France.

· Advertisements rarely make sense or target the right market. Usually they include exposure of inappropriate body parts

· Our family and friends are not here (that’s the hardest part)!

· A large car to a European is a Honda Civic.

· 1.48 USD = 1 EU

I don’t mean to complain, I think it just helps me appreciate the USA that much more. We look forward to our happy lifestyle and culture in America. I think it’s great to talk to people and understand how they enjoy their way of life because I enjoy mine so much too. It reminds me that there are many ways to be happy in this world.

There's so much more I could write and so many other stories to say. But the train is here and I need to sleep. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Miss you Sandy and Karen :)

Day 8 & 9: six train ride day, traveling friends, and a nice tour to Nice

(written May 6th around 7:00 am)

Monton Harbor

Location: Train to Paris

Hours of Travel: 58

Cleanliness scale (out of ten): 2

Comments:

- Wow. So much has changed and happened since last I wrote.

- Our last half day in Barcelona was spent running to Corte De Ingles (like a Spanish Sears) to return a new converter that we figured out we didn't need. Who knew those large blocks in cellphone, camera, and laptop computers were actually converter. Trent was very happy to get the 13 euros back which we could spend on food that day.

- By 11:30 we were at the beloved train station (our current home) were we road to Montpellier, FR. We had just one connecting train were we met some lovely Canadian honeymooners.

view outside the train to Montpellier...not even close to the beauty of Nice and Monton

- At the Montpellier airport we ate our first French croissant. After splitting 1, I bought 3 more only for myself (the chocolate filled kind). In this train "layover" before Nice, we were SUPPOSED to connect with our friend, Boualem, who was SUPPOSED to let us stay at his house. Unfortunately, none of the pay phones accepted coins and I could not figure out a collect call. It was at this moment we wished Kristen C, Christian W, Jeremy B, Alex V, or Jessica M were with us to help us find a working French phone!!!

- On the plus side, we met a great friend named Ien from Mexico city who was touring Europe for six months! Trent and I were amazed at his bravery. He told us he was going to sleep at the Nice station before his 5 am train to Rome. Trent and I felt this would be...kind of safe but only if the station was in a safe area and stayed open 24/7.

our new Mexican friend, Ien eating a delicious turkish Kebab next to the station

- We arrived at Nice at 11:30. Boualem was not coming and the station closed in one hour (plus the people at the station looked like they would kill us). LUCKILY we ran into a lovely frenchman named Ludovic who told us we was going to take the train to Monton. Ien, Trent, and I decided to take the same train at 1:30 arriving at Monton (a very safe area) at 2:20. Ludovic showed us around the quiet town and by 5am (Ien left to go to Rome and...) we took a train back to Nice, back to Monton, back to Nice, AND back to Monton so we could finally sleep.

our lifesaver, Ludovic!

- At nine we went to a great and cheap cafe and ate our first ham sandwich. Notice the creamy insides? That's butter :)

- After the sandwich we walked the beach and found a good private area where we slept for another 2 hours.

tired at the beach

- We woke up from this even more sunburned than our bike ride (and we put sunscreen on this time),

- We decided it was time to experience Nice. As we walked to the bus stop who would we run into but LUDOVIC! This proud frenchman showed us his city including the super-cheap supermarket so we could get food for our next overnight train. He also showed us the most popular tourist areas of town and the best ice cream in all of France, Finoccio's. Like I've said before, I'm definitely not losing any weight on this trip.

happy couple at Finoccio's

-We got on this Paris overnight train at 8pm. We tried to sneak into one of the bed cabins but the guard caught us. Never doing that again. Anyway, we were so tired from the day before that we slept like cat on a sunny day.

Things that we are thinking: will things work out better with Jean Pierre and Catherine when we are in Paris? Should/can we take a day trip to Mont St Michel? What will we prioritize in Paris (except eating and shopping; those are #1)?

Au Revoir for now!

Day 6 & 7: Tapas and Bikes

Location: Poblenou Bed and Breakfast

Hours of Travel: 34

Cleanliness scale (out of ten): 10

Comments:

-I failed to write more about Trent and my first experience on an overnight bus. I don't know what's different between that an a airplane seat, but we COULD NOT sleep at all. This worries us because we have 7 more nights planned to sleep on the train. Sure beats paying for a B&B but our sanity is certainly at stake. Trent kept mixing up words and I keep responding as if I'm dreaming. At one point on the train I was playing solitaire and Trent wanted to "join in" on the one person game. Somehow we made it work and had a ball laughing our tired-eyes away.

waiting at the subway station after the overnight train

-We arrived at Host Poblenou Bed and Breakfast at around 9am where the owner let us eat a complementary breakfast. I was so happy! Between the fresh bread, milk (which we haven't drunk since UT), and fruit juice, I was in heaven. Not to mention the cute house cat, Meewee.

our cute room. It also includes high ceilings and a balcony :)

Meewee the house kitty

-Trent and I had a very relaxing day taking a long nap and walking the beach.

funny workout machine on the beach walkway. There were quite a few people using them! I thought it was hilarious.

- A FUNNY STORY: Trent and I walked into what we thought would be a nice place to eat. Outside the restaurant was a chalk easel with the combinations of the day that we could split (even though Trent didn't know the first course item translation). Trent told the waiter "a # 2" in spanish and this is what we got.

- yes it is what you think: cold fish (with the skin on), clams, and mussels. Trent kept giving me a hard time as we gagged through the slimy, salty, plate acting like this was all my idea. The waiter then gave us a check. Apparently we had a moment when the waiter hear "#2." He thought we meant a #2 from the menu and no the combination of the day chalkboard. FREAK NASTY! At least it have leverage on him now!

- For dinner we had to treat our discouraged taste buds to something a little more acceptable. We headed over to a great joint called Beinnal and ate tapas. They were cheap and absolutely delicious. Here's a picture of our favorites: slow cooked potatoes with sun-dried tomato puree, and a pounded ham melted sandwich with caramelized onions. Have I made you hungry yet?

-Today, Trent and I decided to go on a day bike tour of Barcelona. We ate a large breakfast at the hostel and subwayed to the main square to meet for Fat Bike tours. We were so lucky to have such perfect weather as we road through the majority of the city visiting major tourist attractions like the town hall, Gaudi's Cascades, Palau de la Musica, and Sagrada Familia. The tour ended at the beach where we laid out on sun chairs and thought about how life literally could get any better.

funny butt statue making trent self conscious

Gaudi's Cascade

my personal favorite, the music palace

- After the bike tour, we took a walk to Gaudi's house. Then we took the subway back to our place.

-I almost forgot! There's this fantastic pastry bakery right next to our hostel where we can buy huge loaves of bread for .69 euros! Also, they have the most delicious chocolate croissants for 1 euro. Needless to say, I don't think I'm going to lose any weight from this trip...

What we're thinking: We're so excited to go to France (Nice) tomorrow! Hopefully we will be able to handle communicating when we don't know the language. How long will I have a sunburn? Why isn't American architecture this pretty? Trent is too tired to think... so he doesn't have a comment on this blog.

Chao for now! Tomorrow it will be au revoir!