Blog #3

It was a little rough night's sleep due to the awkward time change from Cincinnati to Munich, but I managed. The hostel served a pretty hearty breakfast for €3,70 and lucky for us offered a 'free' tour of Munich. Technically its a Tour for Tips, meaning that instead of the norm of paying before actually receiving a tour, you go through the tour and then tip the guide according to how good the tour was [which really helps save a lot of money because they expect a little less than the average touristy prices]. Our tour guide, Ozzie, was fantastic; giving us ample amounts of history, fun facts, and money saving tips for Munich. In his words, he was us to 'feel' Munich and not just see it. You could really tell he had a passion for his German heritage and culture [P.S. did I mention he was black? He made sure to crack several jokes at his expense before anyone got to question if he was German or not]. During the walking tour, which was 3 and a half hours, he enlightened us on history, dates, wars, economic struggles, etc [all of which applied to Munich's rich past and flourishing present. I was very enticed when we stopped in front of a couple very old churches and he explained a little bit about each one and its construction and design. All throughout the tour I was snapping pictures like professional photographer, not caring how many extras I took. I was so enthralled in the information being dealt to me and my surroundings that I just couldn't help myself. I also took a few videos, mainly of the infamous Glockenspiel and its surrounding Gothic-style facade. Another great part about the tour was visiting the Hofbrauhaus and learning its history, mainly because Cincinnati is Munich's sister city and is home to one the only other Hofbrauhaus's locations, which we found out is because during the reconstruction of Munich after World War II Cincinnati was the only city willing to finance the re-building of St. Peter's Church there in the middle of town. After the tour we walked back through the city streets on our own, re-admiring some of the buildings. I grabbed another Steak sandwich from the same booth before heading back to the hostel, grabbing our backpacks and going to the train station to approach our next leg of traveling...Innsbruck, Austria.

Blog #2

Once we were in Frankfurt the realization of traveling abroad hit me as if it were my older brother after hearing me say, "I quit!." We wandered through the airport to what seemed to be the utmost back corner until finally the signs of the Man and Woman representing the bathrooms ceased and we laid eyes on the restroom doors. Next we made our way back through the labyrinthine hallways and got to the Customs Check-In line. I couldn't help but to be a little nervous, for several reasons: 1) having been my first time in a foreign country [no Canada does not count], I felt as if I stuck out more than a woman's stomach in the 3rd trimester, 2) courtesy of Berta, "we" opted to go the the 2 120% German guards in full uniform to Check-In with Customs rather than the quaint, ever-so friendly looking American Customs Clerks. So there I am approaching "Adolf" and "Larz" feeling like I have a butcher's sign sticking out of me saying, "FRESH MEAT!." and just assuming I am going to be 'putting on a free strip show' [yes, I just quoted myself from the first Blog entry] for all my new German friends at the Frankfurt airport, and 3) I don't speak a lick of German [besides the few curse words my Grandfather taught me prior to leaving...which, contrary to popular belief, I do not think would aid in this situation]. Again, I felt as if I was lucky and got through without any hiccups. Afterwards, we went directly underground to the train station to purchase a ticket to Munich, where we would officially start our travels and sight-seeing. Scanning over the train schedule several times [which is totally and 100% in German by the way] we couldn't seem to find Mϋnchen [or Munich] so we were forced to act as typical Tourists [which I can't stand to be, mind you] and head to the Information Center. Because we were unaware of exactly what time it was, due to my foreign cell phone battery being completely dead, we asked if the Clerk spoke English and then if we could get tickets to the next train to Munich. It was at this point in my life that I got fully taken advantage of, like an All You Can Eat buffet outside a Sumo ring. I do not wish to share exactly how much my first purchase in Germany was, nor do I want to remember, but what really mattered was that the train was very comfortable, very fast, and got us where we needed to be [yes I'm fully aware that that was load of bull, but it's what I tell myself to help make me feel better about the whole situation]. While on the train, Berta and I looked through several Guide Books to find which Hostel would be best to check in with and stay for the night. We decided on Wombats, an awkward name yes, but the cheapest as well as holder of the best overall reviews. Since I was unaware of how checking into a hostel worked, I let Berta take the lead. We paid a very fair price, got our keys, and headed up to our room, in which we were 2 of 6. It was still pretty early in the evening and we didn't have much planned until the next morning so we decided to walk around Munich for a while under the light and see what it had to offer. I brought my camera along and admired the several different styles of unique architecture, as well as the very intriguing urban design/layout which focused around a main plaza and large, long walkable alleyway which housed a myriad of stores [ranging from shoes and clothes to electronics and Munich's infamous 'bierhalles']. After walking for a little my stomach began to growl in complaint and so we decided to grab a bite to eat from the city center. My first taste of REAL German food! I approached an open food booth that had several items listed on the menu. Now my brain may not have been able to translate the words, but my nose did a damn good job at translating the delicious German smell of the grill. I saw the word 'Steak' following several other large German words and decided I would opt for that. After I stammered through ordering and paying the very amicable lady, Berta and I went to a table just outside the ice skating rink to feast. We took the typical picture of one another taking our first bite, and as I sunk my teeth into the piece of mystery meat covered in onions, and nestled into a toasted bun my eyes got large and my taste buds got a long needed shock to the system. It was delicious! I inhaled the rest of the sandwich and sighed in relief, as my stomach was full and my taste buds fully pleased. As much as I wanted to wash it down with an ice cold German beer, I decided against it and we made our way back towards the Hostel for the night. Because we had not yet met any of the other travelers that we were staying with in our room, I was a little nervous when unlocking the door to see who I would find. Turns out it was a guy around the same age who was from Canada and coincidentally had just finished studying abroad for agriculture. It was around this time that I realized just how many interesting people I would soon be sure to meet by traveling all around Europe and staying in hostels. It is a concept that I think America could benefit greatly from [hostels, that is]. I think it is one of the major differences, culturally, that I have noticed thus far, and was so unaware of the affect that it could have. In the States, or at least from general experience, some things simply seem far too structured and the sense of freedom to travel around and experience what other places have to offer is severely overlooked [please don't misinterpret this. I love where/ how I grew up and was raised and would not trade it for the world. This is simply some positive criticism/observation of the US]. We didn't chat long, the Canadian and I, however it was entertaining. Afterwards Berta and I headed down to the very cozy lounge area and bar for our free drink, courtesy of our first night's stay, and to relax and play some cards before heading to bed in order to be well rested for the next day's excitement.

Blog #1: Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone [AKA the US]

It's been two days since I have left the United States and I have already been 'WOWed' in so many ways. The first ' wow,' though, came when I was still in the U.S. Leaving Cincinnati, the plan was to meet Berta in Chicago for a layover, after which we would be sitting next to each other on the plane to Frankfurt, Germany. Upon arriving at Cincinnati's airport around 3:15p and checking in for my 5:45p flight to Chicago, the American Airline Worker mentioned that there was an earlier flight heading to Chicago and that it would be boarding soon. At first I was a little weary, not wanting to stray away from the scheduled norm right off the bat; however, after some convincing from my Dad, I opted for a ticket on the earlier plane [which was boarding in 10 mins]. I bid farewell to Mom and Dad, safely and quickly made it through the security check [luckily not having to strip down and put on a free show for the rest of Terminal 2], and walked right to my gate and directly onto the plane without pause. The flight to Chicago was a quick and painless one, yet also uneventful [other than the several times the blonde 2 rows ahead and to the left "discretely" glanced back over her shoulder at me [not exactly what I'd call 'my type' though]. Upon landing in Chicago I wanted to first find the Gate that Berta and I would be leaving to Frankfurt from, therefore I scrambled around the airport until I found several 'Departure' and 'Arrival' screens listing the numerous flights coming to and from Chicago. I found Berta's coming from San Franciso..."[On Time]" it read, flashing in yellow font. "Good," I thought to myself, knowing that I would not have to worry about meeting up with her in time. Now that I was a little more relieved, I took a second to pause and glance, again, back up at the 'Arrivals' screen. It read, "Cincinnati: Scheduled 5:45p [Now Delayed]." It was then that I almost chuckled aloud when my eyes fell upon the large, red blinking [7:28p] new scheduled arrival time. I was so lucky! It had to have been God's Christmas present to me. My flight to Frankfurt started boarding at 6:50p and departed at 7:30p! Had I not been convinced by my Dad to jump on the earlier flight, I would've missed my connecting flight overseas to Germany! Thus leaving Berta stranded by herself [though, I'm not so sure she would have minded too much]. It was at that point that I knew my trip abroad was off to a great start; with a little bit of luck, help from the big guy upstairs, and of course, my stunning good looks [I'm assuming that the Airline Attendant wouldn't have offered that earlier flight free of charge to just anyone].