Palaces, Hail, Mozart, and Mountains

Besides not having the most desirable weather (which I'll get to in a minute), Vienna was so wonderful! I didn't have much time there with so much to see, so I knew I needed some kind of organization in my tourist adventures. I joined a "Hop on Hop off" bus tour that was flexible and let you see things at will. On the bus, I listened in English about the history of various sights and whatnot. There were many places I wanted to get off and see closer up, such as their magnificant palaces, but due to weather, I stayed on the bus and glanced at a far.

The weather in Vienna was completely unpredictable. First, it was kind of cold (I'd say maybe low 50's) the entire time. Sometimes there would be completely blue skies with a few puffy white clouds, and the next minute, before there would even be time to pull out an umbrella, it would begin to rain. Then, it would begin to pour. It never lasted long, but it seemed like an ongoing cycle the whole time I was there.

On one of my many walks around the city (while it wasn't raining), I was talked into buying a ticket to a Mozart concert. It was a little pricey, and I'm not one to spend that kind of money, but it was the best thing I did while I was in Vienna. Although the walk there wasn't the greatest. I already told you about the weather. Well, I got the pouring down rain part just as I was heading to the concert. But, a wonderful added bonus for me was HAIL. Yes. Hail. Along with the maddness of the down-pour, I was also being hit with little pea sized balls. It was just wonderful (meant to be said sarcastically). But anyway... This concert was at one of the smaller palaces within the city. A small orchestra, in full 19th century costume, played the best of Mozart and Johann Strauss. And, an added bonus, it was also a ballet and opera!! It was just so wonderful, and I didn't want it to end. It made you feel like you were actually back in the 19th century with them, listening to the wonderful music in a gorgeous ball room. I, again, was one of the only younger ones in the crowd. Most had to be 60 or older. But apparently that's just going to be the theme of this trip! Now, I am on my way to ITALY!! Venice, more specifically. I took the train to a small town in southern Austria, Villach, and now have a few hours to kill before I catch the bus the rest of the way to Venice.

The ride was magnificant!! I was just completely absorbed in the mountains. It's like I was in a trance for the entire 4 hour train ride, completely in awe of the beautiful nature all around. How anyone could question if there was really a God is beyond me! Only God could create something so breath-taking! I swear, one of these days, I'm going to live in the mountains, find myself a nice mountain-man to marry, and we'll have a great big litter of mountain kids!! Wouldn't that just be wonderful!? I know you must be laughing, but this is no joke!

I am excited for Venice, and my whole Italian week and a half!! Keep reading! I'll try to keep you updated as much as possible.

Why I Paid for a City Train Pass is Beyond Me!

When I first arrived in Berlin, I was told to buy a 72 hour city train pass to have unlimited access to the city trains while I'm there. Makes sense, right? Well, I paid 22 euro for it, which I felt was expensive, and have yet to be asked to show anyone proof of my purchase to ride the trains. Oh well.

I went to Potsdam, Germany today as a little day trip. It was wonderful. Hands down, my favorite thing in Germany, yet!! I took a guided tour through the cute little city. There are many palaces and castles to see. Plus, there is just so much history in Potsdam, such as the Potsdam Conference during WWII. The buildings were beautiful, for the most part. A lot of renovations are still being done to the entire city, so there is a lot of construction. A lot of the houses and buildings that still need renovations done still have bullet holes all over them from the war. It was crazy to see that. It really made me appreciate America and how safe of a country we have been for many years! The tour guide was super nice. I felt bad for him because he had to say everything in German and then repeat it again in English. Besides the tour guide, I was the only other young person on the bus. Everyone else had at least 45 years on me. I'm guessing the average age of everyone in my tour group was 68. But they loved me. One french woman in particular enjoyed talking with me because she wanted to practice her english. She and her husband were hysterical! It was a lot of fun! I didn't want the tour to end! After that, I stayed in Potsdam for a little while and window shopped! There were a ton of cute shops all around.

Now I'm back in Berlin. I need to find a place to do laundry. I'm running low on a few necessity clothing items!! I leave tomorrow for Vienna! I'm really excited and can't wait to see what else is in store for me this week!!!

BERLIN

Well, before leaving Strasbourg. I was able to see a lot of the town just by walking around. I took a boat tour, a little boring, but interesting. There are a lot of cute shops but I'm not much of a shopper, so I just looked in the windows. I went to church. My first time in a Catholic mass, not in english. Now I know what Grandpa feels like, I couldn't understand a thing! But at least I went, right? I probably could have stayed there longer! It was so relaxing and peaceful. But on to Germany I went.

I was hoping to go to Munich, but with expensive ticket prices and being unable to find a hostel for the right dates, I ended up in Berlin. My 7 hour train ride was aweful. Somehow they overbooked it or something. They weren't able to give me a seat assignment. I had to sit on the floor, in the doorway, for the entire 7 hours. And it wasn't a direct train ride. We stopped every 45 minutes or so. Ugh. Not that great. Then, of course, I got lost in the train station once getting to Berlin. I tried to ask for help 5 different times, but no one seemed to understand English, at least of those I was asking. Finally I figured it out on my own and made my way to my next stop to find my hostel. I had bad directions. Got lost again. Wandered around for another hour. Finally asked a cab driver for directions. They were good. And I made it in one piece. Berlin is a much different atmosphere than the other places I've been. All of it's buildings are modern, I'm sure due to WWII, and it feels more like a city. I wandered through the city today. Took a tour. Saw some pretty historic sights. It was interesting. But now it's raining. Not as much to do in the rain. Tomorrow I'm going to a suburb where there is a cool Palace. Everyone here is very nice and friendly. I went out for beers last night with some of the people in my hostel. It was relaxing. Thursday morning I'll head for Vienna. I was hoping to go to Salzburg (especially to do a Sound of Music Tour!!) but unfortunately, my plans have changed. Which is A-OK with me!! Vienna will be wonderful. I love the mountains and can't wait to see them! I hope everything is great back home!

I Love the French!

Well, I had a wonderful time in Paris! In the short time while I was there, I got to see so much! I started with the Arc de Triomphe and went to the top! Amazing view! Took the stairs, stupidly!! I am out of shape! Next I walked over to the Eiffel Tower (I thought it would be a shorter walk than it was!) but decided not to go up... the lines were way too long, and I probably got just about the same view from the Arc. The metros weren't as nice as in London, but I managed.

The Next day I saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was free!! Sweet!! It was beautiful, as most big Cathedrals are. There was some chior group singing there when I walked through! They were good! Next I walked over to the Pantheon. This I paid to see, but it was worth it! What gorgeous architecture!! Everything is so big and bold! Next, I walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg. (Notice I'm walking everywhere.. I'll be in shape in no time!) This was probably one of my favorite places! Paris is known for its beautiful gardens, and I know why! They are magnificant! I could have stayed there all day! It was about lunch time at this point, and I was determined to find a Falafel place my friend had recommended. She even mapquested it for me and everything. Well, it took me over an hour to find! I was so frustrated! But found some cute little shops along they way. There is a book store called Shakespeare and Company (I heard about from a friend) that I came across. It was really neat, and if I were more of a reader, I probably could have spent all day in there as well. After eating my falafel (which was amazing, by the way) I went to the Musee Louvre. Just the outside took my breath away. I mean I've seen pictures, but to see it in person was just amazing! I went inside, bought by ticket, and looked at some art. A person could easily spend the whole day there, it was so big! That was really the last of my touristy things in Paris. I met some guys back at my hostel and had wine with them.

Today, I went to the train station early, since I had nothing to do, and waited for my noon train to Strasbourg. I'm there now and loving every second of it. It's a city with a small town feel! I can't wait to explore more of it tomorrow!!

Goodbye London, Hello Paris!

After spending two days in London, it's time to head to Paris. I've had a lot of fun with my time here in London! I've done all the touristy things! Yesterday was my favorite! I went to Portabello Market and just loved it! I could have spent all day there. Also, I was able to see the broadway show Spring Awakening! I absolutely loved it! I leave later this afternoon for Paris. I'm really excited but don't want to over-do things just yet. I haven't had much resting time and am extremely exhausted! So I'm going to take it easy today and leave the bigger things for tomorrow! I'm not sure exactly how long I'll be in Paris, at least two nights but probably more. Thanks for all the emails! I'll try to write more when I'm in Paris!

Barely Made It!

Though a brief flight, flying into Chicago was beautiful. I couldn't have asked for better weather, a window seat, and the best view of the city at sunset. Everything went smoothly. I found the next gate to my connecting flight which left in 1 hour. After sitting for only 20 minutes in the waiting room, talking on the phone to a friend, my next flight was already boarding. Wow, I thought, I'll be there before I know it! Yeah, I spoke too soon.

The flight was packed. Two seats next to each window and five seats in the middle. Luckily, I had a window seat. After sitting on the plane for only about a half hour, we began to pull away from the gate. Finally! Not even five minutes later, stopping midway in the middle of the road, the pilot came on over the intercom and announced that he saw sparks from the left engine (go figure that's what side of the plane I'm sitting on) and we will have to be pulled back into the gate for further inspection. I guess on the bright side we didn't blow up, but now we had to wait. After sitting for another half hour, the pilot announced we will be able to leave tonight, but not for another 45 minutes minimum.

Finally, the engine was fixed (whatever was wrong with it) and we were on our way. The seats were uncomfortable, I couldn't sleep, and the girl sitting next to me was busy doing physics homework for what seemed like the entire flight. Needless to say, it was a very long and boring flight that never seemed to end.

After landing in London, the weather is nice, partly cloudy with highs in the lower 60s. I grabbed my bag and off I went to find my hostel. It wasn't hard to find and looks nice. Now I'm trying to find Trafalgar Square where I'm meeting a friend for dinner. I've gotten a little lost, but I don't mind. People watching and looking at all the shops is fun and interesting. I figured that I should update this today, because tomorrow will be busy filling my day with tourist shenanigans and whatnot. After London, I'll probably head to Paris and France for a few days to see what there is to explore!! More to come!!

Last Day Home

My room's a disaster. There are probably a thousand things I should be doing to prepare for the next 5 weeks that I haven't thought of. Though I think I know what I'm doing, I'm afraid I'll be confused and lost once I get to "foreign land". Passport, check. IDs, check. Money, check. Clothes, check. Maps, check. Ready for adventure, double check. Anything else? Oh well. Everything will fall into place, such as life often does.

Tomorrow before departure will consist of saying goodbyes, checking last minute details, and just relaxing one last time here at home. I suppose the good thing about an evening flight is time. Time to get all these things done. The bad thing about an evening flight is, once again, time. It'll be a waiting game. Waiting to start what is expected to be one of the best vacations of my life (at least that's what I'm hoping!).

Many have asked if I'm scared to go alone. I don't know? I didn't really have a choice. I knew that I wanted to do this trip, no matter what. I have asked multiple people to come along, even for a little bit if the whole 5 weeks is too long. But, in this wonderful recession our country is in, money is tight and spending thousands of dollars may not be the best decision in the world. I guess I have smart friends. As for me, I look at it as if I don't go now, like the way I want to, it will never happen like this again. Oh, I'm sure I'll make my way back to Europe at some point (hopefully multiple times), but I'll never be there in this manner. Going from hostel to hostel, counting pennies, meeting complete strangers, and being independent when facing this world in my early 20s.

So, if you're reading this, send your prayers and keep in touch! I'll try to write regularly. Send me an email for more personal messages, tcoolbau@gmail.com!! Stay tuned for my adventures of the next 5 weeks!

Countdown: One Week

There is so much to do between now and next Monday. Most who know me, know that I am a person who likes to plan things out. And for this European adventure I'm about to embark on, I have absolutely nothing planned. For the most part, I probably won't plan it (shocking, I know). But, I think a rough outline of what I'd like to do, where I'd like to go, what I'd like to see might be a good idea. So I've got to get busy. I need to start packing, get last minute things together, and say goodbye to some people I might not see in a while, even after returning from my trip.

With that being said, this is my last week with my roommates here at Purdue. I can't even begin to explain how sad that makes me. We had all hoped to spend the whole week together with no other obligations, but of course, life gets in the way. J will be home working all week. Sarah is working here all week. I need to get my things together for Europe. And the Mole is... well.. I don't know?! She'll be here, though! So, tonight is really the last night we'll all be together. We had hoped to go camping (and maybe still might?!), but we heard the weather might turn on us, and we don't do well in bad weather!! So, in compromise, we'll just do our traditional indoor camping like we did last Fall. Pitch a tent in the living room. Make some smores by candlelight. And maybe even drink like it's our 21st birthday (or not?!?! we're all trying to save money!!) But either way, this year has been the best and worst year ever (for various reasons). And I only made it through because I came to know the coolest people in the world!! They've been my rock for the last 10 months, and I can't believe it has to come to an end.