Weber in Germany

Weekend to Bamberg, and the final days in Deutschland!

2009-12-04T00:45:00.000-08:00

This will be my last blog update, as I leave tonight! This past weekend, most of the group and I went to a town called Bamberg. This place is famous for being in perfect condition after WWII, as well as a different type of beer. It's called "smoked" beer, but it tastes like bacon...really, it does. Not many stories from the town, other than it was absolutely bone chilling cold and we got lost finding the city center because our hostel was a ways outside of the city. By the time we got into town the first night by foot, it was pretty late and we were all tired. We found a few bars open and tried some of the smoked beer which was absolutely great. The town also hosts a town hall built in the middle of a river. The citizens built it there because it could not be controlled by the king due to the fact that the king didnt own the river. Those are some smart Bambergers. While there, we visited another Christmas market, which are famous in Germany. of course, Marburg has one too but its pretty small compared to the others I've been to. Bamberg also has a private brewery tour which we took part in, as well as ate at the brewery later in the night. Its amazing how many breweries were started and run by monks! Monday, after the weekend trip, I made a day trip to south Germany again to visit my exchange student, Simon, and his family. I must have seemed like a poor (college) kid because I ate ever last piece of food the mother made for dinner, all the rest of the desert, and a lot of snacks haha. I definitely haven't been eating enough in Marburg so coming home will be a good change.

The rest of the week so far has been full of 8a.m. classes and studying for my test yesterday. This morning, I was able to get "checked out" by the house keeper and I was given a paper to get my deposit. I went to the office but they were closed...how logical is that? They are closed on fridays and I could only get checked out of my room on a Friday...Duh, Germany. Now I have to wait 'till i get back home to do more paperwork. Fun. Anyway, my flight tomorrow is at 7:30 am. Why did I choose that time? Beyond me. That means I have to be there an hour or so before, include train transfer times, getting to Frankfurt in the first place, and eve first getting to the train station here in Marburg when the buses dont start running until later. All in all, I called for a taxi for 3:30 in the morning. Should be interesting. Besides the dust bunnies and some heavy pots and pans, All my baggage is locked and loaded.

Last night was a final party at the mexican grill, complete with karaoke, dancing and maybe even some drinking. Tonight I may possibly go to Frankfurt to send off a friend and hit up some bars with those who are staying behind. Then I come back for a few hours, and head right back to Frankfurt! The flight stops in Stockholm (again), which will be my 3rd time in IKEA International Airport. Then finally I touch down in Chicago at approximately 12:30 afternoon! Wooo hoo. I will be a bit exhausted on getting home, but I think I will just be able to relax finally. Hello couch, hello carpet (I realized today that Germans don't know what carpets are) hello personal toilet and shower, hello large quantities of food, hello tv. I have a lot to miss here in Marburg, but I definitely think it has been an all around difficult and inconvenient way of living. Shopping is hard when you get a fabric sack and your back pack...really, how am I supposed to shop for more than 3 days with those resources. Buses are difficult to get used to when you have to get places an easy carride away. Often it takes 2 hours to get from my room, to the store, and back to my room, simply because of the bus schedule. Its also great when the busdrivers go on strike suddenly, when you have to make a train in 45 minutes. I don't mean to sound negative here, I'm simple pointing out the things I wont have to deal with anymore and I can look forward to a somewhat easier lifestyle back home. Overall I enjoyed Marburg and all that it had to offer. I've learned quite a bit, and I've brought back with me indispensable experience and a whole lot of memories. Heres to you, Germany.

A quick reflection on my experience. In total, I've been to 7 new countries, as well as countless new German towns spanning the entire country. I have learned how to say "cheers" in 8 languages. I've met great friends from all corners of the Globe including China, Japan, Brazil, Italy, France, Mexico, Spain, Slovakia, and still more from all over the states and canada. I've taken at least 75 long distance train rides, 200+ bus rides to and from the city as well as to other countries, and I've walked countless miles though cities, forests, getting lost, up and down mountains, along rivers, and throughout Marburg. I read 3 long novels, cooked and ate 17 pounds of pasta, took 2135 pictures, took 5 brewery tours, watched a total of 1 hour of television not including football games, watched 6 football games, drank an estimated 200 liters of beer. Of all the things I have gained, there are some things that did get lost along the way. I am anxious to see how much weight I've lost (yes lost) due to lack of filling meals, never having eaten in between meals, and walking so frequently. Also, one of my cameras broke on day 1, I broke or lost 3 pairs of sunglasses, I wore through 4 pairs of socks and 2 pairs of jeans due to constant wearing and washing. Having limited resources takes a toll on what I do have. The first week I was here, I lost my mind but found it shortly thereafter. I'm thankful to be coming home in 1 piece. Ill be back soon enough. I'll probably be seeing you all soon as well. Thanks for reading

Rock the Stock '09 Stockholm, Sweden

2009-11-23T09:51:00.000-08:00

I lied in a previous post. This was the most expensive weekend of my life. A sweet little cafe visit consisting of a small sandwich and a coffee cost $18 bucks. Sweeeet

Ok, that aside, storytime. A group of 5 other close friends from Marquette and I are all studying abroad this semester. We thought it would be a shame if we went the time in europe without seeing each other so we decided to book a trip in a mutual place none of us had been before. Why Stockholm? we don't know either, but it turned out to be a great time anyway. The currency, once we got there, was exchanged to SEKs (plenty of jokes over the course of the weekend). 10 SEK equals 1 Euro so it was sort of weird paying such a high number for everything (40-80 of anything for a beer just seems like a lot) plus cost was high to begin with. After taking a bus into town from the airport, a few friends and I set off into the old part of town to explore. Walking out of the bus station it was dark....wait, what time was it? 3:30. Thats right, the sun had already set.

We walked around for a while and saw all the pretty shops, old buildings, beautiful skyline at night, and all the beautiful people walking the streets. Ever heard that Scandanavians are the most beautiful people in the world? I can confirm it. (my plane ride over, I sat in the last row, every head in front of me was blonde) So its getting late, or so we think, and we set out for a liquor store to buy some supplies for the night. Apparently, theres no such thing as an open liquor store after 6 pm. Really, though, the government closes all the L-stores to give the restaurants more business. We found an emergency liquor store (open til 7) and paid the most ive ever paid for anything alcoholic. Sheesh, I felt like I was poor. After paying for the hostel and the liquor, I was almost out of money on night 1. We went back to the hostel, met up with some more MU friends coming in, and set out to a bar. We met some nice guys there who bought us beer and talked to us until we left. Man, these Swedes love Americans. Besides the fact that were loud and dont all have blonde hair, they still treated us like royalty. We get back to the hostel again, meet with the last guy from MU to come in and chill for the rest of the night.

The morning after, we set out for what few hours of daylight we have, and simply get a hold on the city. We must have walked a few hours, walking through a swedish jungle, down the posh but empty and not so large shopping district, and then finally to the Stockholm tower. It was already dark so we decided to head back and get ready for Bandy! Bandy is a (presumably Scandanavian) game similar to hockey without pads, on a larger field, and played with a ball, that is very cultural and somewhere tourists dont go. We went. Walking in the beer tent (required for entry) the people immediately knew we didnt belong (or Definitely belonged, in our case). One guy asked us where we were from, then bought us all fan gear (like I said, they love Americans) and hung out with us, took pics, and taught us everything about the game. He talked to the president of the team and she came over and chatted with us for a long time (again, she was in love with us because we were American). Once Bandy started, the fans couldnt help but notice our Americanness and they were all talking to us. Halftime came, and our friend who bought us team hats bought us fundraiser balls (sort of a halftime split the pot type thing) to throw in the middle of the field to win the pot. What a nice guy. Later after the game we went back to the beer tent and had a great time with the fans. The rest of the night, we met a fun group of foreigners at our Hostel kitchen (so, being out of money, I resorted to free Pasta provided by the Hostel in order to stay alive) who fed us drinks and a good time. We talked for a few hours, walked around town, and really had a blast doing nothing but getting a feel for other cultures (german, italien, greek, other places...). After meeting so many older people who don't have a plan in life (which is oddly normal everywhere but the States) I feel like I have a bit of a new look on the stresses of life and what everyone thinks is "normal". On all my travels, Ive met almost no people 35 and younger who are 1. Married 2. have a job 3. stressed about life. These people aren't poor or creeps or weirdos, but rather awesome people who can say they lived a different life than most. I've learned that you don't need to live a cookie structured life to be successful, but rather do what you love, go for it, and let life happen to you.

The next day, we took it easy with sight seeing, walked around, and got ready for the IceBar. Since Stockholm is the hometown of Absolute Vodka, we found out they have a bar made of ice, sponsored by Absolute (of course we had to "taste the culture" so we had to do it). We booked a time and took the 5 minute trek to this amazingly cold, amazingly icy bar. We were given large coats and gloves because once you get into the completely ice room, youre locked in for 40 minutes and get to enjoy your time with the rest of your eskimo friends. Included in the experience, we all got a drink of wonderful absolute. The chairs, walls, bar, even our cups were made of ice. The room is kept at a warm -4 Celsius so nothing melts. Later, we found a Soviet Bar (I think everyone there was a communist) where we finished the night. The next morning, we all left for the airport, said our goodbyes, and called it an end to an Absolut-ly amazing weekend. The Swedish SEK burned holes in my pockets, but I found ways around it and I've also learned that things come with a price and you can't always get around it. Despite how cold it was there as well, I think it reminded me how spoiled I have been with great weather in travels and in Germany as well. Chicago, Milwaukee, I'm comin home to bitter cold soon enough.

Thinking about it, I am looking forward to coming home, but I know I will be missing the culture, people, and ability to travel so easily. Europe has taught me a load of life lessons, how to relax, and how to get things done. I keep the saying "If you want things done correctly, do them yourself" close to heart after all these experiences.

Apparently they continue having Holidays while I'm abroad and I didn't realize it was time to Give Thanks already. Happy Thanksgiving to all! I have a lot to be thankful for, but theres too much to list. Know that I'm thankful for you reading this. Until next time.

Espania

2009-11-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I took a plane over to Spain to visit my buddy Lucas in Madrid. Of course, some other friends are studying in Spain, but 6 hours away in Sunny San Sebastian. As soon as I arrived in Madrid, Lucas met me at the exit, too me back to the Casa, and showed me around town. Madrid was a little different than anywhere else I'd ever been, probably because on a Thursday at 4, there were tons of people walking around...don't these people work?? Actually, no. Alot of people are unemployed because the benefits are so good. Besides, it was the tail end of siesta, so everyone who did work was taking their time to get back. Who would have thought it logical to take a nap in the middle of the day, especially around midday when the restaurants should be getting a huge rush? Doesn't matter, everyone just takes a break to nap, mostly because of the night time schedule.

That Thursday, conveniently, was my buddy Lucas' birthday. That afternoon, we did a little sight seeing where we got yelled at by some street performers...actually Spiderman, for taking a picture but not paying. He got mad and wouldnt look at me anymore :( . Also we did some cookin Spanish style, went to a cafe and had a pitcher of Sangria Spanish style, and made plans with some people for the night.

The bars were pretty crowded, but only late in the night. We started out at 11:30, which isn't even close to when Spaniards head out. The bar at this time was slow, and we had the whole place to our party for a while. A few really expensive beers later, and we were off to a massive 7 story club in downtown Madrid. Lucky for the birthday boy, as well as the other 25 people, Lucas knew a worker, got us all in for free (otherwise expensive), got free drink tickets (mucho deniro!) and managed to get a VIP lounge and a few bottles of champagne (just about 500 bucks of champagne to be exact) all thanks to our marketing buddy who advertises for the club. Not a bad night. 4:30 Came by (wayyyy early for Spanish standards) and we called it a night.

The next day, we woke up at 3 pm (typical for unemployed spaniards like ourselves) and got a text nagging that we should come to San Sebastian. Yea right... actually, Lucas and I didn't even let 30 seconds go by before we came up with the idea to just ignore the text, and show up in San Sebastian anyway. That would have to be an early night due to a 6 hour train or bus ride there. I fell asleep to a bootlegged version of The Hangover and woke up at 6 so we could get an early move on. We played it by ear when we got to the station (I had my Eurail pass, Lucas had a will to be spontaneous as well) so we got out tickets and were actually a whole 10 minutes early before the train left. Saweeeet. All we could do was hope our friends would be home! We snagged their address from a friend, and prayed they didn't take a day trip elsewhere.

Emily and Jen had been heckling me for a while (since they knew I was coming to Madrid) to come for a day trip. I sort of wrote it off because of the distance but this was it, Lucas and me on a train ride to (we forgot to check the weather) Hopefully beautiful San Sebastian. We got off the train to 68 degree weather, sunny, and cloudless. 3 blocks down the river, and still less than 2 blocks from the beach, we found their apartment and pushed the buzzer.

No answer. Hmmm. Luckily Lucas has a Spanish network, gave em' a ring, and got a hold. "Hey Im pretty sure were outside your door right now" And then we hear screams from 3 stories up and a whole lot of hustle bustle comin down the stairs. Shhhhh, you're going to wake the sleeping Spaniards at 2 p.m. Probably the coolest surprise, I might say.

That night we took a sunset trip up a mountain, walked around town, ate some genuine (cheap) Spanish food (Hamburgers haha). Of course, a typical spanish night wouldn't be complete unless we went out at 1 a.m. I got pretty tired fast...to the point where I couldn't even stand up without my eyes closing, so I went back early (2 am) for a night siesta. 5 a.m. comes rolling in and I get a wake up call. Of course, I say, its only 5 a.m. We actually ended up takin' a walk, and then takin' a little dip in the ocean (lets say it was really really cold) with nobody else on the beach. Oh no, I forgot my bathing suit! Did I mention was a nude beach? We may have taken advantage of the fact that nobody was out, but still a rush of adrenaline none the less.

The next morning we went to the train station to check the times back. Hmm, maybe we should have booked right when we got there... We ended up finding a bus station nearby that wasn't expensive, but more than $0 considering I had my Eurail pass to use for free. Oh well, thats the cost of being rediculously spontaneous haha. I was glad we got the bus though, because the landscape is phenomenal! Absolutely the best bus ride I've ever been on, and certainly the most scenic place outside of the US so far. We got back at around midnight, and headed off to bed. The next morning, I said goodbye to Lucas (not too sad, I'll see him in 4 days anyway) and got on my way to the Aeropuerto. Back in Marburg isnt so bad, just a little colder (17 degrees...CELCIUS), a few less beaches (we have big rain puddles), and decent views (as opposed to looking off cliffs at a cove, I get a view of a big hill with bare trees).

Espania may have been the prettiest place I've seen yet. The weather may have helped that decision quite a bit. Madrid wasnt the best city for sightseeing but certainly a cultural hotspot. San Sebastian, on the other hand, was a dream come true and was worth the 12 hours of travel.

On top of great memories, I may or may not be fluent in Spanish now....let's lean on the side of not, but definitely picked up some new vocab. Hasta luego, amigos.

THE Birthday

2009-11-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, I turned 21 recently. Perhaps you'd like to hear a bit about it. Either way, I'm going to tell you :) I don't have much to tell because, well, I think you can put together what 21'st birthdays usually entail.

The Wednesday night of November the 4th was a quiet one and I wasn't planning on a huge get together, or even really planing on drinking, for that matter. I eventually mentioned that it was my birthday to a few guys and told them to come over for a few drinks. Word got out quick and a few hours later, 30 or so people were hangin out in my kitchen drinkin' brews, singing songs, Prosting, and havin' a ball. Lets just say a few hours later it was time to go to bed and the next day reminded me of the good times from the night before. The only downside was that I was a little to "tired the next day to make the usually spontaneous weekend plans for the weekend, which is the reason I didn't have anything to write about recently. The weekend was boring, with nothing to do, and nowhere to travel, but I did get ahead on some homework.

A few days into the week, I believe this past Wednesday, I was fortunate enough to come across a bike in the garbage. Bikes here are like holy grails, they are impossible to find the way I did, extremely expensive used(no cheaper than $150 for a rusty piece of crap 20 or more years old) and pretty much for the lottery winners, new ($300 and waaaayyyyy more). so anyway, I found the bike in a garbage pile and saw that the owner of the apartment (behind the pile) was moving out so I asked if the bike was being thrown away. He said it was all mine if I could get the lock off and fix it...and he didn't know I had to carry it 15 blocks uphill either. Hell, what were the chances he was actually getting rid of the bike. A few trips to the all purpose store for tools, I simply hacksawed the lock off, and ALMOST fixed the chain. I'm hopin' to sell it but I'm not getting too excited yet. I have 17 days of cold (apparently constant rain) left and thats if I can even find the time to attempt to fix it. Long story short, I hope to fix it, ride it for a few days, and sell it for some 100 bucks or so.

The irony of the situation was that 10 minutes before (thinking about how I've found several bikes in the garbage) I was realizing how rare it is for someone to throw away a bike in Germany due to its' high worth. Honestly, creeped me out when I saw it laying in the trash heap.

Moral of this story...just think about how unlikely it would be to find a million bucks in a dumpster...and the next one you pass will probably be overflowing. Ha, actually, don't write off a good looking possibility, even if it's laying in a garage pile and looks a little too broken to fix. I'll let you know if I can sell it. Out

Luxembourge, Bruxelles, AmsterDamn, what a weekend!

2009-11-03T13:58:00.001-08:00

I will first apologize for past spelling errors, as well as for those to come. I usually crank these blogs out right before bed, in a not so attentive manner. That said, amsterDAM, what a weekend.

Thursday morning came rolling in and I realized I needed to use a few travel days with my Eurail pass. 7 Euros of phone calls, a class, and a bit of packing later, I was about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. By Thursday afternoon, I was on a train to the sweetest, most spontaneous, most expensive, ridiculous, beautiful weekend Ive ever had. First stop, a 3 hour train ride to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Stepping off the train in the night alone was intimidating, but I had full confidence that my hand-drawn map would get me to the hostel. As soon as I got a few kilometers from the train station, all neon lights and crowds disappeared and only the glow of distant lights on the castles, churches, and cliff sides lit the town. The sight took my breath away. Walking in the dark down a winding road was a little scary at first, but I realized that a few locals were out cleaning up after the Thursday night bar mess. By some miracle (my map was quite inaccurate compared to the real map) I arrived at the hostel, and ran into my first surprise. Totally confused (and having done no research, I had no clue what language to expect) the manager spoke French. I had to dig deep into my brain, as French hasn't come out of my mouth in a few years. Of course, he spoke English to me to save me the trouble of taking 20 minutes to get it all out. Actually, it wouldn't have mattered much, as the locals speak Luxembourgian, a mix of French, German, and Dutch. Almost everyone in the town speaks all 3, its quite amazing. 5 minutes later I was in the cleanest room I've ever seen, sleeping next to a friendly hostel-goer. The next morning I set off to the walk of beauty/pain. Seeing the cites during the day made me appreciate how old place really is. After visiting a crypt, the old towne, the new town, and pretty much walking around the city 2 times, walking a total of at least 10 miles up and down hills and cliff sides, it was time to catch the next train to Bruxelles, Belgium.

3 hours later, I stepped out of one of 6 main train stations in the city of Bruxelles. My map making skills may have been good, but I wasn't prepared for 6 stations. Of course, with my luck, I got off at the wrong one. A group of guys about my age were kind enough (in terribly broken English) to show me towards the direction. After walking for a while, I decided to ask a local shop keeper. He explained that it was an hours walk to the street I was looking for. He did, however, help me find a Metro, and cut my hour walk into a 15 minute train ride. I finally found the hostel (after asking 5 more people where the confusing street was located). Also a very nice, cozy place. Straight to bed for me! The next morning, I took full advantage of free coffee, and heard a few people speaking English. I asked where they were from (The states but studying in Italy), got into a nice conversation about travels, and was asked to join them on their day excursion. Being alone, I figured it better to travel with friends. What a good choice that was. After a Belgian Waffle, a tour of the Belgian Chocolate shop, a walk around the city, barrels of fun on the Belgian Brewery tour (the last brewery in business in the city. The tasting was fantastic), and plenty of laughs, pictures, and fun trips to the bar later, I had to part ways from my new friends and head to Amsterdam for the remainder of the weekend.

Yet another 3 hour train ride later, I arrive in the hustle and bustle of downtown A'dam. No chance on getting lost here; my hostel, as I would soon find out, was located DIRECTLY in the core of the Red light district. Having no prior knowledge of this, laughing was the only thing that I could do. This did lead to the problem that the hostel was completely for baked tourists, and the management made sure not to clean, or as a matter of fact, take any care of the place. The bathroom was horrendous, the room smelled, and there were some already-baked tourists chilling on the floor in the room. I locked all my goods in the locker, and set out to explore.

I'd tell you how many coffee shops there were, but you'd never believe me. The district, Halloween night, was absolutely crazy. Only a few people dressed up, I'm sure 90% of the folks were high. The streets were crowded, the smoke was gloomin, and the red light ladies were dressed in their finest pieces of lingerie. After a long night of checking out the streets, it was time for a long night of restless sleep. One tourist decided to have a sleepover with a random woman, and they talked and "slept" loudly all night. Thanks bud. The next day, after the rude guest left, the rest of the not-high people in the room had something to talk about and get the convo going. I met a nice guy from Australia, and another from Brazil. The Brazilian and I decided to tour the city together. The torture museum was a real hit...ha...and the rest of the day we spent roaming the town, eating some nice chinese dinner (cheapest food you could find) and walking through the red-lights once again. That night was much better sleep.

The next day, I found my way over to the Anne Frank museum where one actually gets to walk through the the entire house and hiding place where the Frank's stayed for over 2 years. The tour was very emotional and I found it hard to keep from tearing, especially when in Anne's bedroom and crossing through the bookcase. The museum was one of the best experiences I've had. Next, a walk around town, and a very happy sight; the Heineken Brewery! Of course I took the tour, I'm glad you doubted me. This place was incredible; clean facility, very informing, state of the art technology in terms of tour material, and of course, beer tasting. Halfway through, there is a "learn to taste" area. I got to pour all the beers and "top them off", and after answering the trivia question correctly (what two ingredients add flavour to beer) I was awarded a few extra glasses. Not a bad prize. Through the tour, I met a few more Americans, and ended up having some beers with them as well. There was even a theme ride inside the brewery. At the end, the bar was incredibly well decorated, and the atmosphere was fantastic. Again, it was time to leave, and the 6 hour trip back home to Marburg was a long and tiring train ride.

Although expensive, the weekend was the best I may have ever had in terms of learning to deal with a budget, learning how to live like a bum (maybe 2 meals a day if I was lucky), meet new people no matter how odd they may seem, take care of myself, and learning how to let loose and live spontaneously. Ultimately, after making 6 trains, finding the hostels from hand-drawn maps, and somehow coming out alive after a weekend of non-stop action and travel, I have learned a valuable lesson in life:

Life is full of responsibility, deadlines and bill payments, but don't get caught up in the stresses and don't take for granted the things that are there for you right now. Rather, live in the now, enjoy your life while you have this day' of course take responsibility, meet your deadlines, and pay your bills, but there may not always be tomorrow to discover yourself, meet friends, or explore the world. Take this moment to smile.

Looking back in hindsight, everything turns out OK. However it happened, however you thought it would happen, your'e hear now, your'e alive, and your fine. As I heard Bob Marley 1000 times this weekend walking in and around coffee shops, I stress this; Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing, is gonna be alright.

Next weekend: Up in the air, but quite possibly Bern, Switzerland and Venice, Italy
Stay tuned my friends, and once again, thank you for reading.

Hamburg

2009-10-27T03:44:00.000-07:00

The longest consecutive train ride so far was a 4 and a half hour trip on our way to Hamburg. Some people in our group took it upon themselves to bring a few beers along, and get smashed upon arrival. I decided to wait until later to enjoy the bars.

After stepping off the train, who would of guessed that the air smelled like hamburgers. The people in the town are called Hamburgers, but im talkin giant beef hamburgers. Of course the real meat hamburgers come from the good ol US of A, but it was funny to smell them. The town was hoppin at 8 at night, but we would later find out how deserted the city really was.

A 10 minute walk to the hostel wasnt bad, but once we got to the hostel, there was nothing, no restaurant, no bars, no nothin anywhere within a 30 minute walk from the hostel. We did find the center, square block, with a few restaurants, but all the action is outside of the city.

The first night we arrived, a group of guys and I took a train out to the famous bar and redlight district. Oddly, one cannot carry glass bottles on the street, and after we visited a liquor store, they happily poured our vodka into a used water bottle. A little sketchy? Perhaps. The night was full of clubbing and barring, and quite a bit of walking. 8 o'clock rolls in, and we find our hostel, conveniently we're the first in line for 8 am breakfast. A nice full day sleep and I had the energy to do about anything...not really, the night before took a lot out of me. The second night, a group of us walked around town for a bit, but called it an early night, had dinner at the hostel, and relaxed. The other half of the group took saturday night to do a re-peat of our friday night, so we didnt get to see them until Sunday morning breakfast.

In Hamburg lies a fish market. Its famous, its big, its next to the famous port, and ITS EARLY. Having rested the whole day before, getting up at 5 (or 6? the time change threw us all off) wasnt hard. A quick trip door to door thanks to a city bus, and we were in the heart of a hectic, loud, free-for-all to buy fish. Guys standing on crates, yelling prices, people crowding and pushing for fish. Those Germans gotta have their fish. The rest of the day was pretty lazy, due to a layover between hostel check out and train departure. The ride home was spent sleeping, and not quite as loud and eventful/drunk as the first ride for some people, probably due to the fact that most people had 3 hours of sleep or less the night before.

Overall a very expensive weekend, the sun only come out the last 15 minutes before we left, so quite a depressing weekend in terms of weather. Perhaps Hamburg isnt my favorite place.

Weekends:
Amsterdam Okt 30-Nov 1 ??? Not for sure yet
????? Nov 6-8
Spain Nov 12-16
Stockholm Nov 19-22

Minding the Gap in London

2009-10-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Since I've never been to England before, and I had 2 mates studying in London, I figured I'd take a trip over to the City for a few days and check it out. Oh what a weekend!

Ive heard it before, but London is the most expensive place I've been for sure. Paris comes in at a close 2nd. In lamens terms, a beer costs about 5-10 dollars depending on if you buy it in the grocery store or at a pub. Theres the background, here the full story:

Going to London was going to be my first time flying Ryanair...and the last. As "cheap" as you can get tickets, taxes, inconvenience, and transportation to and from the neverlands makes up for the cost. The company conveniently flies out of airports 1-2 hours away from the actual city, causing a bit of a fee and a hell of a long time to get to where you want to go. After an hour train ride into Frankfurt, a 2 hour bus ride to the airport, 3 hour layover, 1 hour flight, 1 hour bus ride, and 30 minute walk later, I finally met with my friends in The City in London. Enough of transportation...for now.

Arriving at 3 am left me tired, but didnt stop me from conversing and culturing myself to London until 6. Saturday was an early (mind the bedtime) start to the day at 1, sight seeing, lunching, and sometimes riding the Underground. Apparently construction closes the underground down every weekend and you may be forced to walk a great distance to your destination. We made it to Big Red (as my friend Shannon would call it), the clock tower as the sun was getting lower for some nice shots. Hitting up all the main sites such as Big Ben, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, The Queens Palace, except for London Bridge was probably a good way to spend the day, although actually visiting each place for an extensive amount of time would require a full vacation. Saturday night was absolutely fun, meeting friends, and testing out the London cider drink.

Sunday afternoon and lots of stories later, we found our way to Trafalgar Square, one of the most beautiful views of the city. Lucky enough for us, there was a beautiful sunset over the skyline and plenty of the city could be viewed from the steps of the Museum from high ground. At night, we found a sports bar and watched some american football, met some bar buddies, and had a good last night on the town. Waking up at 6:30 am monday was a drag, but pretty certain when we had 4 alarms set to wake us up. Another underground ride, hour bus ride, 1 hr plane ride, 2 hour bus ride, 1 hour train ride, and 15 minute busride later, I finally made it close to my dorm. Sadly, my class started at 6:00 p.m. and it was 5:45 so I didnt even make it to my bedroom before the 2 hour class. Exhausted yet content, the weekend was finally complete by 8:30 when I fell into my bed, and thought back on all the events that happened over the previous 4 days.

If theres one thing I learned is absolutely true from all the events of the last week, it is that there is no way to plan your life, no way to even guess what will happen in the coming week. Just trust that it will work out, and it will somehow work out in the end.

Tuesday, I had a German Speaking Test, which I nailed, and a Terrorism Class, not so much how to be a terrorist, but to discuss the ethics, strategy, and philosophical meaning of terrorism. The discussion I am in with one other American met in a cafe. We spoke for 2 hours over the meaning and definition of Terrorism. Who would of thought it would be so interesting.

Today; Wednesday consisted of conversation class in German, playing a board game to learn vocab, and cooking the biggest omelette I've ever eaten. Today was a good day.

This weekend: Hamburg, Germany
Possibilities for the following (Halloween) weekend: Poland, France, only life will tell.

Praha/ Prague/ Praga/ Prag

2009-10-14T08:05:00.001-07:00

Ever been to Praha? If not I highly suggest it. You cant go further than 100 meters without seeing a McDonals...Ok, thats not the only rediculous thing about it. What I meant to say is that you cant go 100 meters without seeing an absolutely amazing tower, church, bridge, memorial, or castle. The city is absolutely old (we saw sights as old at 1100's) and a must see for any traveler.

Ok, so heres the breakdown of Czechish events. A friend and I had been talking about going to Prague sometime soon, so Thursday after school, he and I took a walk to the train station and asked how much tickets would be. He, being a compulsive buyer, got the tickets for the very next day. I, having a EuRail Pass (gives me unlimited travel for and 15 days in the next 2 months) paid about $10 to reserve seats for the trip. The friday went by fast, and we ran to the train station right after class, just catching our train. 3 hours of train riding and then all we had to do was get on a bus. We got to the bus and I gave the ticket stamper the ticket, but i have him the return ticket and he stamped it... woops. Guess ill have to see how the return trip goes.

The bus ride was luxurious, and coming to Prague at night with all the city lights was amazing. That night, we rode a few trams without tickets, walked around, and finally found our crazy hostel with no space on the walls free of crazy art. Took it easy and just visited a nice little bar for a bit. By the way, Cheers in Czech is "na zdravi"...the first word we learned of course. The next morning we set out on a full day adventure to see tons of sites, and get to know the culture a little better. Of course, Absenthe is legal, and they definitely exploit it to the tourists. There are even Absenthe shops all over town.

After a long day of walking, my buddy (Jeremy, a guy from Pennsylania in my group here) and I met with his friend who actually goes to school in the city of Prague. We went back to her dorm, met her friends, and partied there all night. I have to say, Czech people are absolutely friendly, and love to talk up America. It was a good thing our Hostel only cost about $19 for the night because there was no way we could make it back across the city so late at night. Come morning, we had to wake up, ride the tram again without a ticket, and get out of the hostel by 11:00 am. No problem. all out by 11:30, no worries, AND they still had breakfast laying out. The rest of the day was walking around, enjoying the views, getting in a Czech movie scene...nothing too crazy. They were shooting a movie while were on the sidewalk eating sandwiches and filmed a scene possibly with us in the background.

Now the end, and a slightly scary way to end it might i add. Getting to the train station was no big deal, but telling the ticket guy that my ticket was accidentally stamped was nervwracking. He immediately said it was ok, but then looked at my ticket again and told me it wasnt a valid ticket...Well i thought he said it was fine so i was confused. It turns out, the man in the trainstation in my hometown who reserved the tickets, reserved them for the wrong dates. In fact, there wasnt even a seat number 105 on the bus. I had to wait for everyone to sit, and luckily i found an open seat, conveniently next to my buddy. The trip home was a flawless way to end a perfectly spontaneous weekend.

Now for this weekend: Visit a couple friends from MU in London. Will be a blast! Wish me luck on flying the famously complicated Ryanair

As for all the low points in your life, the times of uncertainly, and the times when you need a something great to happen to you, dont get too frustrated. Sit back, take a deep breath, because in hindsight, somehow, everything works out in the end.

Oktoberfest

2009-10-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend had to be one of the most eventful in a long time. Thursday, the whole group took a trip to Frankfurt for the day, visited the home of the famous German writer/ poet Goete, took a museum tour, saw a few Rembrants, Renoirs, and Picassos, then topped it off with a pre-oktoberfest dinner and a few beers. We headed back north to Marburg for one good night sleep before the Oktoberfest.

Come 4:30 am Friday, I get up, get ready, and get my Oktoberfest face on. A cold, 6 hour, multi-train ride later, we arrive at the infamous Oktoberfest grounds to beautiful weather and a happy crowd. Right away we headed for the number 1 beer tent and found a single table open out of possibly 500. Fate? Destiny? I dont know but we met some other nice Americans on vacation from Italy and they had 12 empty seats open! 3 liters and alot of "prosting" and german drinking songs later, we decided to move tents before we spent all out money (9 euro per liter) in the first hour n a half.

Some of the group members were already drunk, so we needed to get fresh air and find a place to set up camp for the rest of the long day. We found another popular beer tent, and waited in line until it opened at around 4:00 pm. As soon as the doors opened, I lost my group in the mad dash for a table. 20 minutes later, amidst the loud cheers and longs, i found my people and we drank another liter, met some friends from Austria, talked to some lovely Bier Fraus (the women who carry 5 or more liters in each hand) and had some more good laughs. Not long after 4 liters, we decided to head outdoors.

A buddy of mine took a liter mug (Mass) out of the tent, which is quite forbidden, and the security guy stopped him and asked if he paid. My buddy said he didnt remember, and didnt have a reciept, so he bribed the SG with 10 euros. I bet that security guard made hundreds of euros selling the mugs to drunken tourists. Just outside of that tent, we found the field where all the drunk people go to sleep/ pass out/ throw up, or pass the time. Met a few guys there taking care of their friend.

We finally ended up in an outside Biergarten (beer garden)with a few girls from Switzerland, a couple from Scottland, and a lot of random germans. We met lots of friends, drank a bit more Bier, and had a blast until 11:30 when Oktoberfest closed.

For all of you wondering; Yes, Oktoberfest is a drunk festival. Yes, there are hundreds of pretty girls in traditional dress (the guys in Liederhosen). And Yes, its the best party you'll ever attend.

Conveniently, we partied into the morning of one of our group members' 21st birthday. She may have been the luckiest person I know to have partied at Oktoberfest on the most important birthday an American can have.

Getting back was a funny joke. We thought we would be ok with staying up and going to bars until our 5:30 am train ride back, but in reality we all fell asleep with the hundred other Oktoberfest veterans in the Munich train station. Waking up and catching the train, switching, and ultimately navigating our way back to our beds was a 7 hour adventure from Hangover Hell. All in all it was worth it. I seem to be the only one who didnt come back with a souvenir of some sort, but at least I can say I remember it all.

Today was a one day trip to Wiesbaden; an important city in Germany for politics and German culture. Although bombed out in WWII, the city is beautiful (but stinky) and had some good cites.

Trip for this weekend: Prague??

Taking life by the horns and wrestling it to the ground is probably the best thing you can do here.

Thanks for staying tuned to the updates. I finally have internet but still have rediculous amounts of class so there will be updates when I have time.

Weekend with the Exchange students

2009-09-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was spent catching up with my exchange students from years past. Freshman year of high school I hosted a German exchange student named Simon. Jr year I hosted Rebecca, both from around the same town. I took a 3 hour ride down to south Germany and met with Simon and his family. Through the night there were lots of German speaking, great German food, and a few drinks. The next day I went hiking with Simon and the family up to an old castle, then met with Rebecca and about 7 other exchange students from the old program. We ate at an ice cream cafe and talked for a few hours.

Later in the night, Simon took me into Mannheim for a birthday party. We ended up going to a shot-bar with a board on the wall with about 100 shot names...the catch was that they arent real names, and each shot costs the same (2 euros). The fun part is that you order shots for yourself or for your friends and its a complete mystery on what you will get. After ordering a round of "Rambo", the guy who ordered was approached by the bartender and some words were exchanged. The guy in our party had to put on an army helmet, run around the bar a few times, run into the bathroom, come back, do some push ups, all to get the shot. Another shot someone at our table ordered was called the "single". When it was brought to the table, it consisted of a shot of something, and a glass of champagne. Also, the bartender came by for this one and snapped a pair of handcuffs to the lucky lady, and found another guy in the bar who ordered a "single" as well. They had to sit shackled together until they enjoyed their champagne and shots.

After the totally awesome random bar, we went to a classy club called the "moulin rouge". With 3 large rooms, 2 bars, and about 800 people, it was quite possibly the largest party ive been to. At about 5 in the morning we made our way home. Ahhh, to party like the Europeans. A midday wake up call for lunch and a short time watching the German elections later was the conclusion of my weekend with my german friends. Maybe Ill have a chance to head back before I leave in December.

As for upcoming plans; Tomorrow, I go to Frankfurt for the day with my class to experience a museum or 2, and then were left on our own. Early morning Friday is Oktoberfest! Ill be traveling with 12 or so Americans, and hopefully having a reserved table. I know its going to be a bit expensive but its the chance of a lifetime and Im sure Ill have some stories. I will put some pictures up soon from the past weekend.

As for everything else: still no internet. The laundry room shuts down after 9:00 pm so I had to take out 2 loads I did however befriend 5 french mates in my dorm. The Germans are just starting to move in for the semester so I will hopefully have some new German friends. Thats all for now

Weekend Hike and future weekends agenda

2009-09-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a totally spontaneous event that a few guys and I came up with. We had dubbed Sundays as hiking days but this weekend we took it to a whole new level. Saturday morning, bright and early, I and 6 other guys took a Manhike into the german forests. Naturally, we did everything the manliest we men know how to..got lost, didnt ask for directions, used the sun as our compass, and then some. The first day we came across a few hidden gems of the surrounding areas including monuments deep in the forest, a mausoleum, and plenty of wildlife. We hit a few small towns, (which, had little to no people outside) between forest stretches on our way to our final goal which was a straight 15km drive from town, but a bit further of a hike...up mountainsides, through brush, and as off-the-beaten-path as we men could make it. Luckily the occupants of German towns are nice enough to plant fruit trees along our voyage. We scavenged up pears, apples, and plums during the journey for instant energy and morale boosts. On day 1 (saturday) we climbed up to an observation tower that let us see how far we had come. With almost clear air and some mountains in our way, we werent able to quite see our town but oh my was it a view.

Much of the journey had already occured,but the adventure was about to begin. at about 3 p.m. and a long day of hiking we decided to take the shortcut straight down the mountain. 70% grade and lots of loose leaves was a fun slide/hike which led us to a hidden cave. about 3 feet wide and 50 feet deep, it was a fun little voyage into the side of the mountain that probably is known to few if any people. The last small town we ran into on day 1 was where we were to set up camp. Since nobody was around, we took the first opportunity to ask a nice woman sitting outside of her vets office is there was a place to eat. Coincidentally she spoke english and was probably the only person in the town who did. She told us that the restaurant was just down the street. Well, a few km later we found it and knew it was the right one because of the name but sheesh she made it seem closer.

After a pig leg and a big fat beir we needed to find somewhere to sleep. We planned on camping in the forest but didnt see anything on our map quite secluded enough. We hiked for a couple of km to a rediculously secluded spot on the top of a mountain which turned out to be a deer hunting post. We set up camp, prepared a fire, and set back down the mountain into town to have a drink at the restau/bar. 10:30 rolls in and its pitch black. We walked a few km down the secluded road and found the cigarette box we used to mark our entrance into the monotonous treeline. using 2 small flashlights and manpower, we made it the few hundred yards up the mountain in the night to our welcoming campsite. We lit up the fire, and grabbed our snacks and had one hell of a manly night. Luckily the clearing was covered in moss, but that wasnt much help when the temp dropped to a shivering temp. Everyone was awake (those who were lucky enough to fall asleep in the first place) by 4 am. All we needed was a few more layers and then we all went back to sleep. 7:30 rolls in and we pack up, put out the fire, and sluggishly (of all the bugs around us at night, wed expect to have been covered, but im the one who ends up with a slug in my pocket when we wake up) continue our journey.

A few minutes into our journey home and we come across a pack of wild boars. Although cute, ive heard they are quite the ravages so we decided to keep our distance and let them be. Shortly after, we came across a breed of beautiful deer that i had never seen before (i only see white tail where im from but this was absolutely beautiful). The scenery and atmosphere was amazing, with ever changing trees and plantlife. We finally exit the last major forest and find another small town with, again, nobody around. After another hours hike, we got back into Marburg and the 7 of us seemingly shared a moment of awe. As someone who loves hiking but has never done a full immersive nature experience, seeing a large town was a shock...and by large i mean the quaint town of marburg. We all sort of stood there for a minute or two and just wished we could be back in the beauty and simplicy of nature. All in all it was a great experience and i feel much more connected with the history, wildlife, and the land of germany.

As for the next few weekends. The weekend of the 27-28 may very well consist of a visit to both my exchange students Simon and Rebecca in the Rheinland Pfalz area of Germany (south west).

The Oktoberfest trip is now final for the 3rd of Oktober and it looks like im going for 1 day with a group of 20 ish people. Well see how it turns out.

Ater roughing in the forest, and all the other experiences ive had, my theme for this trip seems to be this: Everything always ends up fine in the end. I just replay the Marley song in my head and I simply don't worry.

Marburg - First few weeks

2009-09-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hello all and thank you for waiting. Much has happened over the last few weeks, and Berlin sure was beautiful. My american group and I walked all over the city, saw the nightlife, and visited plenty of bars. Little did you know, Berlin has legalalized prostitution and they are on about every corner. The busride was about 8 hours back but all in all Berlin is a must see city if youre ever in the area...i.e. europe.

Since Berlin, I have done much exploring, hiking, walking, bussing, baddle boating, etc. The city has a great bus system that bring me from my dorm in the mountain, down into the city, and to almost every key location i can think of. Walking is the biggest thing here, although bikes are popular (and extremely hard to get a hold of) costing at least 70 euro for the crappiest bike you could imagine. they go upwards of 1000 euro. I have seen one guy with a steet legal go cart, and a street legal 4 wheeler. they are pretty relaxed around here when it comes to the law.

One surprising thing is how many blind people there are here. There is a marburg school for the blind and ive never experienced such a rush of handicapped citizens. On another note, im thankful i can see because this place is absolutely beautiful. The clubs are kickin, the bars are fun, and the beer is...well, its german beer. Its much different here, being able to walk around the streets with open beer, and even drink on the city busses. The alcohol is so cheap and the quality is much better then those natty lights.

Class has started and one of them is up higher on the mountain I live on. Its nice to take a 10 minute bus ride and breathe in the fresh mountain air before 4 hours of intense german class, an hour break to get into the city, and then 2-3 more hours of intense german. sweeet. come 6 weeks, ill have class monday for 2 hours, tuesday for 2 hours, then a 5 day weekend.

apparently germany is modern country. you wouldnt have guessed by the fact that they dont have INTERNET. its impossible to find and im stealing a fellow americans' who stole it from a japanese girl living in his building. You have to supply your own here. My neighbor in my building may get it in 3-5 weeks but then it may cost 25 euros which isnt to my liking. Ive finally started grocery shopping and cooking. There have been many cooking fails so far. Since im not yet fluent in german, i ended up buying a whole chicken instead of what i thought was a package of chicken breasts. I had volunteered to cook for a group that day and i felt bad when dinner was ready 3 hours late. Last night I had someone teach me how to make pasta. easy enough but id never done it before. Today, I had a learning experience with eggs. oh how much you learn when you dont get have a dorm cafeteria or you dont actually speak the native language. I feel like the next 3 months are going to be interesting.

There are plenty of activities here, and no reason to be bored. Yesterday I went paddle boating down the river that runs through Marburg, I went to a club, walked around town, and went to a bar. Today we hiked to the tower that the repulzer story was based off of. We also hiked through a mountain full of live WWII bombs that hadent exploded. It was nice the warning sign not to go off of the path was at the BOTTOM of the mountain.

Overall I wouldnt have the time to write about the amazing experiences and the awesome people here but i hope this little recap helps you all understand that life in Europe is 1000x different in europe. There is no easy button here. Everything is different. laws are different, the way people act is way different. going to the supermarket is even hard. if youre ever in a bad situation, just be happy you atleast have the chance to figure things out in english.

now that some of my friends have the internet, i may be able to keep up with the blog. I apologize for keeping yall waiting and there will be more frequent posts from here on out. caio

The first few days

2009-09-04T00:16:00.000-07:00

Alas I have found the elusive Internet via my phone at a hostel in Berlin. We're here for a few days so that means I get wifi! Berlin is a great city so far and the next two days gettin to know my group will be awesome.

So day one...as I arrive in Frankfurt I get my first German experience; an old lady tried to pull the old euro coin trick and kindly "help" me by trade my paper euros for coins for the ticket machine. No thanks ill keep my money. 20 something hours in, I reach Marburg, only to have 0 idea where to sleep. Hostel was full so it was a few phone calls later that brought me to the couch of a nice German couple for cheeeeap. No shower but I get to use toilet 2 whole times (construction).

Day two I am stoked to start this German program. Get there early and fill out all the paperwork and come noon we get our room assignments. "were sorry, you don't seem to be registered here" isn't fun to hear after a full day of strugglng to communcate with 100 foreign people who's second language is German, and maybe third is English. Finally get to a catylist (long story) and figure out the program is for Europeans. I get to finally speak with someone who knows of me, so I know I do belong! Just a different program that's all. Luckily they started at around the same time cause, well, I'm in Germany already anyway. 8 pm Still no address. I meet my German coordinator, meet my real group, hit the bars, and all in well. In the bars, met up with the coordinator, get an "emergency" dorm room (6 cots with white sheets and looks very much like a morgue) and no furniture/ no shower still. Well, waking up in the morgue in the middle of the night with a body in a neighboring bed may have been weird...

New day, hanging out with the group, attemps at paperwork are pointless when I'm not enrolled yet and have no permanent address.

tons of complications later, I'm technically still dormless but will have one come Tuesday. I've had so many great learnng experiences, life experiences, and fun times dealing with this mess but I've smiled through it and it's not so bad. After the initial worry of starting with the wrong group, and not having paperwork, or being registered in the university, it has already proven to be a wonderful experience. Must go explore Berlin. Hopefully I'll get Internet on my comp soon. Caio for now

Oktoberfest

2009-07-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Oktoberfest dates are in.

September, yes, September 18-20

Trip to Spain dates...TBD

Trip to London dates...TBD

Trip to Prague...TBD

Trip to Paris...TBD

Nude beach dates...TBD

Before I leave...

2009-07-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

Before I leave (August 30, 2009) I just want to say that I'll miss ya'll until I come back (December 5, 2009) and you can follow me here so you don't miss a beat on the happenings in Germany!

As soon as I get more information I will update. Just 35 days left here in the states...

Also, in case you forget what I look like while I'm gone, check out this cool video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYr8jeJn0xU