Rome

Rome was just incredible. There is so much to do and see in Rome, and so much history lies in this city. Our first day here we went down to the Colosseum. We had heard that there are some excellent tour guides outside which can show you around. We found one and it was definitely worth the price. We got to skip the lines, plus we heard the entire history of the Colosseum and learned a bunch of different things that you just wouldn't know if you toured it on your own. If you ever have the chance, I definitely recommend getting a tour guide. The Colosseum was amazing. To see a building that has been standing for this long, and to walk around inside where emperors and Roman Senators and gladiators once walked. Then we went up to Palatine Hill and saw the Roman Forum, different cathedrals and palaces and places like that. This whole area is just full of such rich history and it's beautiful. I loved walking through the ruins. I jumped up on an old pillar for a picture. I just loved walking through this area, simply incredible.

Our first day was just kinda spend seeing the major parts of Rome...Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Roman Forum, all the different arches and memorials, cathedrals, piazzas, and other big sights like that. We were supposed to have a walking tour of the city that night, but not enough people showed up so they couldn't do the tour. But we did get a great restaurant recommendation...great food!

Our second day in Rome was spent at the Vatican. We decided to follow this same company and do another guided tour. The Vatican Museum is just so huge that we wouldn't have seen it all or learned as much as we did. For example, there is this red marble which is known as the most expensive marble in the world. It's from Egypt, and 80% of it lies in Vatican City. We saw statues, paintings, courtyards, sarcophogi, and all kinds of famous works of art painted by the greats. Vatican City is it's own separate country, and it's pretty incredible with the collection of art they have. We went to the Sistine Chapel, which was probably my favorite part of the whole tour. To be standing beneath Michelangelo's work, to see the magnitude of it, the beauty of it, and just how incredible the whole project really is...it's just amazing. That room is huge, and to imagine the task before Michelangelo. You aren't supposed to take pictures in there, but I secretly snapped a few haha. I got caught once, but the guards don't really care, just as long as you don't use flash. Flash messes with the paint and over time it can become more distorted than normal, so that's what they really look out for. But the Sistine Chapel was probably my favorite. It's so famous and it really is beautiful, but you just can't fully appreciate it until you see it for yourself.

Rome was a beautiful city, simply incredible. I think I could have just walked around the city everyday for a week and been happy. But our third day in Rome we decided that we had seen all the major parts of the city that we wanted, so we jumped on a train out to this little town of Civitavecchia, on the Mediterranean coast. It was beautiful out there, and the weather was amazing. Then again, anything would be incredible when you're used to the clouds and rain of Glasgow haha. I loved being able to wear shorts again...something I'm afraid I won't be doing again until I get home. But Civitavecchia was very nice...just a nice relaxing day to the coast and walking around. It made me miss the beach a lot.

I think one thing about Italy that I love so much is that it reminds me of home in a lot of ways. The weather is about the same, and the countryside is pretty similar. We were walking around in Rome and we found this one street where we just had to stop and look up and down the street. Finally Keith broke the silence and said "Um, can you say downtown Greenville?" It was like our city planners came to this street in Rome and just copied it straight into downtown...it was kinda weird. But I just love this whole country...the people, the culture, the food, the history. It did remind me a lot of home, and it's just one of the most beautiful countries I've been to yet. Definitely my favorite stop on this trip. I'll miss Italy, and I hope I get to go back again one day. It is absolutely worth the trip.

Florence

(Sorry, I'm bad at this blogging thing and haven't really been on top of things, so sorry this is late)

Well Florence was probably my favorite stop of this whole trip. I absolutely loved the city! We stopped in Pisa first, and that was really cool. We got to the leaning tower around sunset and got to go up it. That was definitely a lot of fun, and a great stop before heading on into Florence. On the way into town we met these other American students who are studying in Florence. They had been out for the day and were taking the train back into town. They showed us how to get to our hostel, which was good because I don't know if we could have found it on our own haha. But the city itself is just beautiful. It's not very big, and it feels like a very genuine Italian city. I felt like Rome was very commercialized and built up for tourists, plus it's a big busy city. I loved Florence because it was smaller and it was just a neat city. There was a restaurant that advertised having the World's Best Pizza. We decided to stop and try it, and I disagree with the sign. Although it was good, I don't know if I'd say it was the world's best. But still very good.

We saw the Baptistry, the church of San Lorenzo, Santa Spirita, and all the major things we were supposed to see. One of my favorites was going up in the cupola, the dome built by Brunelleschi. After one of my classes at Clemson last semester, I felt obligated to go up in the dome since we spent about 1/3 of the semester studying this dome alone haha. It was awesome though. We had to walk the entire way...400something stairs, up then back down too. But it was worth it...beautiful views and a great place to be.

While walking through the streets we decided to stop at this little place and get some gelatto. The lady makes her own right there in the store, and you could tell! It was hot outside for the first time, plus we were close to the Mediterranean, so I had craving for a pina colada. Granted that's more of a Caribbean drink, but hey, it's close enough. And my pineapple and coconut gelatto was better than any pina colada I've ever had! Oh it was so good! I had a goal to eat gelatto every day from then out while we were in Italy, but I never found anything as good as that little store. Incredible gelatto.

Well Florence was my favorite city, and I wish we had more time to spend there. I loved it there...especially crossing the river to the Piazza de Michelangelo...incredible view of the city. You can see the Tuscan hills all around the city and it is just beautiful. If you ever have a chance to go to Europe, you have to stop in Florence for a day or two. I absolutely loved this city. I felt like I was really in Italy, surrounded by Italians, truly experiencing Italy for what it really is. I absolutely loved it!

Nice, France

Well I feel like our last few stops have just been pit stops to our true destination. If I could go back, I think I would skip Geneva and Nice and just head straight into Italy. We couldn’t find a decent hostel for 2 nights in Nice, so that’s why we ended up in Geneva. And the only reason we stayed here was because we wanted to see the French Riviera. But if I could go back I would change that and just head straight to Italy. You can’t see all of Europe in 2 weeks, so you have to pick and choose. Looking back, I would have chosen something else. But then again it would also help if I weren’t on such a tight budget. Our hostel for Nice is quite interesting. First our directions from the hostel told us to come down this street, find this restaurant and ask for the “Pink Lady.” So that sounded pretty interesting, and it turns out that the “Pink Lady” is this little old lady who is always dressed in pink. She speaks about 3 words of English. Somehow we got checked in and stuff with no real problems. We have wireless internet available, but she doesn’t really know how to describe to us how to get on, so she just says that none is available haha. So at the time I am writing this, no internet at our hostel. I knew every hostel I booked said we had internet, I just didn’t think about little old ladies who don’t speak English and can’t tell us the password to connect. Oh well, hopefully we can figure something out in Italy (and if ya’ll are reading this, then obviously I’ve figured out something along the way…)

Some good news is that I have seen the Mediterranean Sea! I looked up during our 6 hour train ride today an saw ocean and I was so confused. Then I remembered the route our train was taking and realized I was looking at the Mediterranean. So that was pretty cool. Keith and I ate dinner at this little restaurant near the sea. Then we walked down to the water. It was weird because they don’t have sand. They have a bunch of stones, and it’s kinda hard to walk on. It was quite strange, but it was pretty. It also made me miss home and wish I could be back at the beach in the hot summer sun, enjoying a nice cold Pepsi and just sitting on the beach enjoying a vacation. That’s how every other Spring Break of mine has been spent so far. Oh well, I’ll be there soon. 1 month and 1 week. Wow, that seems sooooooo close…

Geneva

Well there isn’t really too much to say about Geneva. We got here tonight and we’re leaving tomorrow afternoon. We’re going to find a church to go to here since it’s Easter Sunday. I’m not gonna lie, I really wish I could be home with my family on a special day like this. This is one thing I do regret about this trip, not being able to fully relax and enjoy this day as I should. Instead I’m finding a foreign church, then jumping on a train to Nice, France. There wasn’t really much point in us coming to Geneva other than not being able to find a hostel anywhere else on Saturday night. Nice was full, so we had to find another alternative. This is one time where I definitely wish I could be home though. I want to be with my family and the ones I love on a day like Easter, celebrating the day for what it means and enjoying the time together. But I’ll get through it, and hopefully there will be many more Easters in the future to make up for this time. I do have a nice long train ride to Nice, so I’ll certainly have time to think, reflect, rejoice, and celebrate. Until then, I’m just getting by in Geneva. Oh! We did find this store that was having a CRAZY sale on chocolate! We figured hey, it’s Swiss chocolate, so even the cheap stuff is amazing. They had a sale of big chocolate bunnies for 3.20 (a little more than $3), but 50% off! So I got 2 big dark chocolate bunnies for abut $3!! I’m starting in on one…already through the head. Other than that, not much going on…probably about time to do some laundry though…

Interlaken

Well we got into Interlaken and this place is absolutely beautiful! The town is just as its name suggests, situated between two lake. It’s this little valley, with the Alps rising all around it. It’s just absolutely beautiful around here. Friday we decided to take a little hike through the mountains. A lot of the ones around us were still covered in snow and inaccessible, but there were still some good ones left. We decided on this trail called Harderkulm. Apparently people in Switzerland don’t eat breakfast, they just drink their beer and wine haha. So no breakfast, and we had to go to McDonalds for lunch food before hiking. Bad idea #1. Our next bad move was assuming it would be kinda chilly outside. I mean, Swiss Alps, beginning of April, snow on the mountains all around us…but no, very hot outside and we were sweating to death. So we didn’t have any water with us, and came to regret that VERY quickly…

But we made it to the top, stopping at some streams nearby to drink some water when we needed it. The area is even more breathtaking the higher we climbed. It was simply awesome. Mountains all around us, the two lakes, and just all kinds of beautiful sights. Breathtaking, awesome, beautiful…these are just a few ways for me to describe what we saw. We made it to the top, sat and enjoyed the views for a while then headed down.

We heard of this chocolate shop nearby which has tours and demonstrations everyday, so we decided to check it out. In my opinion it’s the best thing we’ve paid for on this trip yet, and absolutely one of the highlights for me. But that may be just because I love chocolate so much haha. The main chocolate chef guided us through the process of selection, making the chocolate, and forming it into what you want. He even showed us how to create things like the chocolate bunnies from the molds. He told us all about chocolate, more than I can remember. We got to sample this chocolate that he picked out when he first got to this chocolate shop a few years ago. Last year it won the award of best milk chocolate in the world, so the man knows what he’s doing. And I have to admit, I agree with the judges on this one. He showed us how to make truffles also, and we got to sample some. He also had this sample of chocolate which he specially created…it’s his own recipe. It’s a dark chocolate, 70% cacao. It was SOOOOOO good! I bought a bar for myself, and sent a bar home for dad, along with these truffles he had made of dark chocolate. Those were probably the best dark chocolate truffles I’ve ever tasted. The place was called Shuh, and they’ve been around since 1818. The chef (who I swear is the identical twin of Commissioner Gordon from Batman), has been in the chocolate cooking world for 42 years and has won many awards. He had on display many of his models which had won awards. So dad, be expecting some pretty darn good chocolate coming that you won’t be able to find anywhere else in the world other than Interlaken, Switzerland.

I know one thing…I’m ready to leave Switzerland and find some cheaper prices. Their prices aren’t as bad for Europeans because the Euro is stronger than the Swiss Franc. But for us it’s about the same, so prices have been pretty steep. But I love this country so far, and Interlaken was one of the best places for us to pick in Switzerland. I wish I had the money to stay longer haha. Now off to Geneva, then back into France…

Munich Day 2

Sleeping in was such a nice thing! We’ve been getting up so early during this trip (sometimes 6:00 or 7:00), and if you know me that’s just not a good thing haha. I’ve gotten used to it though, and it hasn’t been too bad. But we got to sleep in til about 8:30 today (amazing how suddenly 8:30 is sleeping in for me), and that was nice. Destene fixed us a nice German breakfast of croissants, meat and cheese, cheese spreads and rolls, pretzels, and a mix of other things. We said goodbye to Emily as we dropped her off at the train station to head to the airport, then Destene was nice enough to drive Keith and I out to Dachau.

Dachau was one of the first concentration camps built by the Germans before WWII. It was originally a prison for political opponents of Hitler and the Nazis, then it turned into what we think of now as a concentration camp, complete with a gas chamber, ovens, crowded barracks, firing walls, and many other horrible conditions. This phrase on the entrance gate means "Work Brings Freedom" and it was their motto and part of their propaganda. It was very sobering to actually see and walk through something like this. Brings it to life, and reveals the true evil in this world that many of us underestimate sometimes. It was almost sickening to hear and read about the things that went on. So many died during the war, and more afterwards because of diseases and horrendous living conditions. Very sobering experience.

On the way back to Central Station, we met this little old German lady. She noticed us trying to find trains and offered some help. Turns out she had lived in Orange County, California, for a couple years, and had spent some time in South Carolina too! She had some family living there now. Her daughter I think lives in Orangeburg, and her grandson lives in Anderson now. It was crazy to randomly run into someone like this who knew exactly where we were from. We talked to her while waiting for the train and on the train itself, covering a variety of subjects from doctors to lawyers, politics to war, the US vs Germany, and so many other things. It was really cool to meet and talk with her, and she was so nice in making sure we got where we were supposed to be. She got off with us even though it wasn’t he stop, and walked us up to the train platforms (even though we knew where we were going from here haha). Her name was Bridgette, and I’m really glad we ran into her. Now we’re on the train to Interlaken, Switzerland. We hope to go hiking tomorrow if the conditions permit…we’ll see how the trails are with snow and ice and everything melting. Hopefully our luck with the weather will continue…

Neuschwanstein

Well this day was a little different from most days, but that’s to be expected considering the circumstances. It was a little hard for me to focus on what I was doing rather than what was going on back home, but thankfully I was able to find some peace from God. I think today was just what I needed. We set off for the town of Fussen, where we got on a bus to the village of Hohenschwangau, where we hiked up to Neuschwanstein…welcome to Germany haha. Those first two are just stops on the way to the Disney Castle, Neuschwanstein. We had the debate on whether or not it was Cinderella’s Castle or Sleeping Beauty’s castle…ok let me clarify: Keith and Emily had that debate, I have no clue what those two movie castles look like haha. Anyways, we went to the castle used by Walt Disney as a model…it was absolutely beautiful there!

On the train ride in I saw the Alps in the distance, and these were the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen…these dwarf the Appalachian Mountains, and I’ve never seen the Rockies that I remember, so these win in my book. I was captured by this sight and stared in wonder for the rest of the train ride. The castle itself was amazing, yet not exactly what I expected. For some reason it wasn’t as grand as I had imagined…but that’s probably because I had unreal expectations. After touring the castle we followed this little trail to a bride overlooking the castle with an incredible view! Unfortunately there was scaffolding all over the back of the castle, but from a distance you can’t really tell in the pictures. We continued walking and of course ran off the main trail and hiked up this mountain. The views were simply awesome. Talk about a great place to unwind and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

After the castle we headed back into town and found some dinner before catching the train back to our host’s house. I cannot thank Brian and Destene enough for letting us stay with them…that was so kind of them. I got a chance to talk last night with some of my family. We learned Tuesday that my little cousin Jordan died in a car crash that day, and everyone is up in Charlotte. Brian, who is in Munich for work after living in South Carolina for a while, has Vonage and still has his SC phone number, so thankfully I was able to get ahold of Mom and Dad and talk to some people back at home. It’s hard being over here during all this, but getting to talk to some people was nice. Pray, and think of my family during this time. I know we’ll get through it…this is what families are for…