Groundhog Day

Do you ever wake up and feel like you're stuck in the set of the movie "Groundhog Day"? You know, same routine-different day of the week. Wake up, eat your breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed and on and on and on.

Let me tell you....being home from this adventure of a lifetime suddenly feels like I'm trapped in Groundhog Day! I just spent three and a half months facing a new adventure everyday. New places and people and excitement from the moment I woke up in the morning to the moment I finally put my head to the pillow at night.

Now I am back home and...well...it's back to the same ole, same ole! I have to say, adjusting to life back home is MUCH harder than I expected it to be! It's not the jet lag or the exhaustion that's got me feeling blah. It's missing the sheer adventure and excitement of each day. It's the people, the places, the foods, the cultures.....I may have had some rough bumps in my journey, but I LOVED every second of it. Man, do I miss it already!

Don't get me wrong, I love my home in Texas. And I was DYING for a bowl of queso, family hugs, and friendly faces I love. And I'm surprising myself with my sudden lack of interest for the place I've always boasted about. I LOVE TEXAS. I am a proud Texan through and through. There are endless reasons why I love my home. I've traveled the world before my trip, so why all of the sudden am I dying to get out of home and go on another adventure?? What was different about this trip than all of the others I've taken before?

I forced myself out of my comfort zone and made life changing decisions from the moment I decided to take my trip. I did it MYSELF and I achieved things worth being proud of. Maybe I'm just not ready to let go of that adrenaline rush.

No matter the reason, this trip has opened my mind to a whole new world of ideas and journeys I want to take in life. I'm no longer scared of the unknown. I think I've come to embrace it. I'm no longer scared of change. I think I've come to challenge it. I'm no longer content with familiar. I think I'm come to dislike it.

Who knows what will come next for me. I've been thinking of writing a book? Creating my own company? Going back on another journey? Applying to teach overseas? Or...who knows....maybe my travel road is over for now and it's back to teaching I go? Lots to think about over the next few weeks as I head back to the office and start saving up my money again. (Shout out to the train strike in France for allowing me to achieve my FIRST credit card payments.)

All I know is....right now I am currently in the hump of, as Phil says in the movie, "Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."

Bandy Ball Game: One more mark off the ole checklist!

I have to start out by saying there is no way in the world that I think I could survive a Scandinavian winter!! It is not even winter here in Sweden yet, but it's possible that I am slowly freezing to death. It is cold, sometimes snowy, always icy, with the sun down by 3:30 in the afternoon. Dreary and bone chilling and not my cup of tea in the least! It IS beautiful though.....from the window....or a postcard! I can't even imagine the depth of winter here when the sun is only out for a few hours and it is -20C! EEK!

Ice Skating rinks throughout the middle of the city!

That said...I don't know HOW Ola convinced me that I would enjoy going to see a game of Bandy Ball outside at night here. I suppose it was the pure curiosity plus my love of sports that talked my little mind into it. I've never seen, no make that HEARD, of this game. Of course, I HAD to see it first hand; even if it was going to be my first and last ever live game of bandy! I bought another scarf, hat, mittens, etc. and off I went to see this intriguing sport!

For Mommy: Me all bundled up & ready to brave the cold!

The game is kind of like hockey. A few differences are that there are more guys on the rink, the rink is larger, the players don't wear pads, and instead of a puck they play with a little ball. If you're interested, YouTube the rules of the game. It was actually very interesting and very fun to watch! I liked that it was even more fast paced than hockey. Always something going on throughout the game...nonstop action.

Behind the rink was a HUGE pile of ice/snow that the kids were climbing on. Not gonna lie...I wanted to join them. But, the fact that 5 minutes in and I couldn't feel my legs kind of kept me to my senses about playing in ice.

It was fun to see the crowd. The Swedes were just as proud of their team as they were at the soccer game I attended in August. They sang and cheered the whole game through. People brought Thermoses full of Glogg, Irish Coffee (even brought whipped cream!), beers, and foam stands to keep themselves warmed up throughout the game. Here's my half frozen attempt at a quick video. It's a bit shaky and uneven because I was so cold and my mittens did not make it easy to work the camera! But, nonetheless, try to enjoy & hear the cheering :)

I have to admit that I was a weenie. I was absolutely frozen to the core! But, I toughed it out to watch the entire game. It was fun to see that the home team, Hammarby, won 6-1! The ball is so small and the goal is so huge! It really was a fun game. Perhaps I'll coach a Bandy Ball team in Texas?!? :P Doubtful!

Anybody else heard of this sport? What's your favorite sport to watch live? Thinking after all of this time in Europe I will definitely be adding soccer to my DVR list!

Denmark marks the spot for a return trip for sure!

One of the best spur-of-the-moment trip decisions I made was stopping into Copenhagen, Denmark for a couple of nights on my way back up to Sweden. I LOVED this city!

Adam decided to start his backpacking adventure at the time I was leaving Milan, so I got lucky and got a travel buddy for this trip! We went from Milan to Munich and only got to stay in Munich for a short night. I took him for some schnitzel, (SO GOOD), and walked around the city even though it was 11pm and rainy. I LOVED Munich so much that I didn't even care that I was exhausted and frozen, I wanted to show off this city that gave me memories of a lifetime. I wish we were there in the day so I could have seen sweet Anna and Nadine, but we had a train to Copenhagen to catch in the morning.

We spent two nights in Copenhagen. Though the hostels were again not the best places I've stayed, the city completely captivated my attention.

I had the most delicious traditional Danish meal I could have imagined! The receptionist at the hostel recommended a cafe to eat at. It was so good that I think I need to give it its own blog. However, I'll cheat and tell you that this cafe is so old Hans Christian Anderson used to eat there. I had roast beef on rye bread with lettuce, a friend egg, and cucumbers on top. OH EM GEE AMAZING!!!

After that, I knew I was going to fall in love with Denmark. Adam and I got a map from the hostel as well that showed a great route to walk the city and see all of the sites. Even though it was very cold outside, we decided that would be better than joining a tour or taking the bus. Turned out that this was the best decision. We saw SO MUCH in just one day!

If you love beautiful places, rich history, stunning views, great food, nice people.....well, go to Denmark!

After our walking tour, which took all day, we stopped in a little pub for a warm drink. They had a sign for a drink called Glogg. We asked the bartender what Glogg was and as he told us, he let us sample it. YUM!! It is a delicious hot Danish drink that warms you right up from the cold! They served it with little ginger cookies. It was so delicious I could have sat by a fire drinking that all day. But, considering just some of the ingredients include red wine, port wine, and schnapps...I opted for just the one glass. I would love to try to make this for a cold holiday night at home!! I looked this up online and asked my Danish friend about it and it is a traditional drink during the Christmas season. One more thing to add to my recipe book!

Next up for our day in Copenhagen was also awesome! Remember the Danish guys that I met at Oktoberfest? The ones we played Uno with and ended up having a ball? Well, I facebooked them and told them I would be in Copenhagen so they met up with Adam and me. First we met them at a pub where we watched a soccer, excuse me, football, game. Was really fun! Then, they took us for a bite to eat, (at my starving request!), and then to one of their favorite bars. We had a great time and it was so fun to see them again! I hope someday they come to Texas so I can get a turn being a hostess to someone who has never been to my country. It is so fun to see and experience things the "locals" do rather than just your typical tourist attractions. I have been so blessed and so lucky to meet so many generous and welcoming friends along my journey!!

I will have to write another blog and take you through my tour of Copenhagen. This country is definitely on my list of places I plan to come back to and spend more time! If you're considering Denmark, keep in mind that like many places in Northern Europe, it is pricey if you're on a budget. Average meal was about $20-$30, average drink $10, average hostel $50....and that was me choosing things according to a budget. Adds up quickly but SO.WORTH.IT!!!

Jeg elskede den smukke by København!

 

Swiss MISS: A misadventure in Switzerland

I have gotten really bad about finding Internet these past couple of weeks, (Sorry Mom)! So, where to start….?? I came back to Italy, already, and have been staying in Milan with some old friends from school days, Bryan and Adam. We were staying in an apartment that Bryan’s aunt owns in Milan.

Then…dun dun dun….Aunt Ralfy’s friend was coming into town and she wanted her to stay in that apartment. So, that afternoon we found ourselves with nowhere to stay. **Cue bright idea from Holly**

“Hey guys, why don’t we just buy a train ticket and go check out Austria?” says Holly. Considering we had nowhere to go and all hostels in Milan were completely booked, the guys were in for this idea.

We headed to the train station with our bags and asked the lady for 3 tickets to Austria. There were no trains until that night and it was going to be an expensive overnight train ride for the guys. So we asked her, “Where is a good place to go that won’t take long from here?” She suggested we go research some places and come back with a better location than “Austria”, (where in Austria she kept asking before. We were like….uhhhh the central station? We don’t know…)

So we go upstairs and chit chat and decide we have a new master plan. We go back down to the ticket counter, wait in line again, and when it’s our turn she says “Where to?” Thinking we worked out the kinks to our master plan….“Athens, Greece” we say. “Ummm….you have to take a boat there.” She laughed. Riiiiiiight. About that…

So, strike 2. Next we say “What about Switzerland? Just send us to a main city there.” She starts naming cities and we all liked the sound of Zurich. “Zurich it is!” we said. This ticket lady thought we were completely nuts. Oh boy, were we in for a treat with this decision.

The train ride to Zurich was longer than scheduled, so we got in at about 7:30pm. We were starving, sick of carrying our backpacks, and had nowhere to stay yet. We walked until we found a hotel. In we went to book a room. The receptionist was very friendly and told us it would be about 200 Swiss Franks….PER PERSON. That’s a bit over $600 for a night…for a 3 star hotel.

Ummmmm….we started asking questions about hotels over there. She was telling us that we wouldn’t find cheaper so she started calling hostels for us. Booked. Booked. Booked. Cha-ching…she found one and if we could get there by 10pm we were in! Woo Hoo!

Then, in true form, we walked the totally wrong way to the hostel and ended up having to take a taxi. When we arrived, we walked in circles looking for the actual hostel and then found a small sign, “City Backpackers Hostel”. This hostel was actually in a questionable dark alley underneath a spaghetti warehouse. You literally walked past the open doors of the restaurant kitchen. We went in and walked up, up, up about 4 flights of stairs and found ourselves in the most disgusting hostel I’ve seen. I mean gross. The showers and bathrooms were co-ed, just a tiny curtain to decide your fate from creepsters. I was certain that this place was packed with fleas and bed bugs. Considering it was 9pm, we couldn’t afford anywhere else, and we managed to snag the last 3 beds in the hostel. Our fate was sealed. What a treat! We had a crazy Polish roommate in our ghetto dorm room who liked to chit chat while in his underwear. Just thought I’d toss in that fun tid bit. 

We were all dying of starvation and none of us were even wanting to talk to each other at this point, so we decided to find somewhere to eat dinner. That’s when we found the Mexican restaurant.  All the way to Switzerland for Mexican food, you say? Well, yes. At this point, I would have eaten out of the trash can.

I went simple, a small soup, chips and salsa, and water. Only set me back about 40 USD. Yep, $40!! And I’m pretty sure the “salsa” was tomato paste. Mmm Mmmm.  Now we were feeling a little depressed about our random trip to Switzerland so we decided to get some wifi and look up things to do. What were the first things that kept popping up online?? “Most expensive country in Europe.” “Switzerland: Impossible on a Budget.” “Things to do in Switzerland on a budget: go for a walk.” Hmph. Should have done our research first I suppose J

We walked back to our bunk and SOMEBODY dropped a bag that had a bottle of whiskey in it. When I came back into the room my entire backpack was SOAKED. Laundromat, here I come. Pretty sure at this point that I was about in tears and mentally checked out!!

The beds were so nasty. I slept with my shoes on, my coat on, and stole Bryan’s jacket to put under my head for good measure. After a night of tossing and turning and feeling like bugs were crawling all over me, I opted to skip the shower and even the bathroom in the morning. Still though, as with all adventures so far this trip, I wouldn’t take it back or trade it at all. Horrible unpredicted messes make the best memories!

However, the area was stunning! Beautiful scenery, beautiful buildings, clean, friendly people, and you can’t beat the mountain views. Just wish we knew what we were in for financially on this adventure! I am definitely putting Switzerland on my list of places I want to vacation. I’d love to come back here one day and actually do it right…aka…skip the Mexican nachos and hit the Alps!

Laundromats: Good for more than just meeting your average, run of the mill bum.

Hello Bloggers!

I know I have SO MUCH catching up to do on this thing! I just spent an AMAZING week in Paris with my fabulous mama. Saw so much, got spoiled, enjoyed her company, (even if it did make me homesick for the first real time in 3 months!) I've spent the past couple of nights waiting to get out of here. France has been on a train strike so even though Mom left....I wasn't goin anywhere :(

By now I'm sure most of you heard about my terrifying run in with the bum at the laundromat. So glad to say I got away safe and sound. But, let's put a positive spin on the Paris laundromat...

BEFORE the scary encounter, the laundromat was a pretty hoppin' place. There was a group of 3 guys in there and I was relieved to hear them chatting in English because I couldn't read the washer directions of how to pay/get detergent for the life of me.

They were super nice guys: lent me some detergent, showed me how to work everything and then we got to chatting. Turns out they were in Paris because they are in a band from New York City and are currently on tour in France. They were really down to earth and fun to chat with. At the end they invited me out to one of their shows later in the week. My mom and I love live music so I thought "why not!?" and had the guys put their info into my notebook. I borrowed this pic from the website that their show was at, La Maroquinerie:

When Mom got into town of course she said we could go. We had to take a taxi and it was quite the drive away. We finally arrived at a little restaurant tucked away in a big building. I saw the band guys, but no stage in sight. I said hello to one of the guys and introduced him to Mom. He had to go get ready for the show, so we said we'd see him inside. Turns out, the show was downstairs in a cool little venue called La Maroquinerie. It reminded me of The Palladium in Dallas, (for those of you back home that like live music as well). Tickets were actually expensive...where was our "I met you at the laundromat, that earns me a free ticket" ticket?? We were thinking...this better be worth it!

We got our tickets and went downstairs. Then we realized we were almost out of cash and still needed to get a cab alllllll the way back to the hotel! Oops! (And THAT, my friends, turns into an entirely different story about the time we had to get out of the cab because we ran out of cash and none of the ATMs on the way home worked either. SIGH. Always an adventure!) Okay, back on track. So, of course the bar was cash only so Mom and I got a laugh out of me pouring my pence onto the counter to see what I could get. It was official: I could afford one shot of the cheapest, most  ghetto beer they had. Mmmm. This gave me and Mom a good giggle. Once my thirst was quenched, we were ready for the show.

 

They were actually pretty good! Mom and I LOVE live music, so of course we had fun at the show. It was really fun to get to see a concert in the middle of Paris with a band full of guys I met randomly. Another experience I never would have had if I wasn't putting myself out there and meeting anyone I could, (that's a tip/hint/nudge to fellow backpackers!!). Mom and I had a great time together at the show. Here's a little video I took during their concert:

Lots of amazing stories and adventures to share. Can't believe I'm down to just 3 more weeks until I'm back in Texas!!! I know I will be bored out of my mind once I get home, but since Mom left I am realllllllly craving seeing my family!!

Flashback to Prague: A few Must Do's if you visit!

Since I don't always have a ton of time to blog, I have to do some catch up as I go. So, let's flash back to Prague for a bit so I can share with you a couple of my favorite things I did here!

My first favorite "must see" is the changing of the guards at Prague Castle. You need to go at noon to see the big ceremony. Supposedly, this is one of the most elaborate Changing of the Guard ceremonies in Europe. The castle itself is a sight to see, too. We bought tickets to go into most of the castle features, meaning, we didn't even cover the whole thing. You could easily spend a full day here. I tried my best to get a couple videos of the changing of the guard. As you can tell, it attracts a massive crowd, so go early for the best views!

While wandering around the castle grounds, Carmen and I saw a sign for a concert in the castle. We stopped to check it out and saw that it happens at 1 o'clock...it was like 12:58! So, we rushed inside and bought tickets. This was SUCH a lucky find and ended up being one of my favorite things I got to do in Prague! It was about an hour long concert with three members of the philharmonic orchestra. They played classic songs from around the world and they were AMAZING!!! We were probably the only people under 70 in there, but it was ohmyword wonderful! If you go, do not buy the expensive seats unless you want to be front row. There are only about 100 seats total inside, so all seats were good ones. In fact, since we snuck in a minute late, we were in the very last row and had no problems at all with that. If you go to Prague Castle...do the concert! I loved it & recommend it ten times over! You can click below to see a quick video I took of the concert :)

Another stop I highly recommend in Prague is going by to see the Astronomical Clock!
This was built in 1410 and get this.....it still works! I would explain this clock to you, but....there are so many features to it and details that it would take me forever, AND I found that reading up on it yourself made it that much neater to stare at in person. Read about the Prague Astronomical Clock and then GO SEE IT! So fascinating!

Of course, you need to go to the Charles Bridge for some amazing views and cute little market shops along the way. But, DON'T....I repeat DON'T....waste your money on the boat tour! As I said in my previous Prague blog post, this was the biggest waste of money in this city! It was horrible and I got off the tour feeling like I saw nothing and needed a large beverage. I have even talked to people I've met on my journey that have also been to Prague and I'm yet to find someone who says they had a good experience with the boat tours. So...stay clear! Just visit the bridge and sight see on your own.

My last suggestion for Prague is to try the traditional Czech food. I loved everything I tried! I had everything from dumplings to rajska, goulash to cabbage, ham and sausage and breads....YUM! You just can't go to a place like the Czech Republic and not try traditional foods. Delicious!

If you plan to visit Prague, and you should, I hope my tips help plan your sightseeing adventure list! Also, we stayed in a hostel that looked questionable, but was super cheap, safe, and in one of the best locations I could have imagined. Just comment me if you have any Prague questions or travel tips for others!

Sbohem!

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.-Samuel Johnson

I'm right in the heart of London. The land of the most adorable accents I've ever heard. I could just listen to these people talk all day. They all sound so cute and charming, even when they are "cheesed off". (My new favorite thing to do is learn all of the British sayings.) Pretty entertaining!

Even more entertaining than the accents is the millions of things to do here in one of the most expensive cities in the world!! Man, has this stop to London put a pretty dent in my budget and I have barely even touched the tip of the "things to do" list! But, there is always something going on: always something to do or something to see. I love it! I wish I had a bigger budget while I was here, but it has still been fun to make do with what I have. The last thing I want to do is head back to Texas with no money left!

The other night Jen and I hopped on the tube and ventured out to explore a bit. She has only lived here for two months so by "explore" I mean we mostly wandered and got lost, but that's the great part about learning a new city!

We had fun climbing up on the lions in Trafalgar Square, enjoying halloumi and chorizo sandwiches on chiabatta bread while looking at the view over the Waterloo Bridge, taking pictures of the night views of the city from the bridges, seeing LOTS of random scenes in the streets, and finally finding a cute little pub to put our feet up and enjoy a drink!





Yesterday Jen and I went out to Camden Market for the afternoon. I LOVED IT! I can't remember if I went here with my parents back in high school or not, but the shopping was amazing! I wish I had more than a backpack and a tiny budget so I could have brought home some super cute British fashion! The crowd was HUGE and seeing the punk fashion was awesome!

We had lunch there.....British shawarmas ain't got nothin on Bahrain. (I know you're thinking WHY would you eat a shawarma there anyway?! And the answer is....it was that or Mexican food that when I pointed to a bowl and asked if it was queso the guy told me no, it was cheese. Or, the Chinese food that looked like it had been cooked three days ago and still was sitting there just waiting to give someone massive food poisoning.) Anyway, without breaking the bank at a restaurant there, the food selection was slim for this market. It was still nice to relax after all of the walking we had been doing!

We found many interesting people and shops in Camden Market, but probably my favorite  random store was Cyber Dog. Yes, Cyber Dog. This store was HUGE. You walk in and it's all black lights and neon, like a rave. There are dancers up high on platforms dancing to techno music. At first it was cool, all random modern kitchen items and cool gadgets. Then you walk down an escalator and you're in Rave Land. HUGE warehouse-like space with the craziest neon and plastic kinds of clothes I've ever seen! Think moon shoes a foot tall and plastic hair pieces that look like an alien head. Then, if you go downstairs again, the first thing you see are dancers on poles and, well, the store turns into a different kind of store down there. Very interesting place though. Cyber Dog was pretty funny to see. Just look at the entrance below and tell me you wouldn't be intrigued. There was even a line to get in!



Today we are heading to Buckingham Palace and other must sees while you're in London. We also have to find my bus stop somewhere off Victoria Station so I know where to go on Tuesday when I head from London to France! Then tonight, we are heading to the pub for Trivia Night where we are determined to make our little Texan team win :) Tomorrow we are seeing Les Mis and I am spending the day wandering on my own. Lots to squeeze into just two more days here!!!

Also lots to catch you up on. So many stories and pictures and adventures! Missing my family lots and sad I missed the State Fair too. But, before I know it I will be back in Texas and probably bored out of my mind! Time to really soak up the next 6 weeks that I have left!!
 

British Customs...Not my cup of tea. And other stories of my 30 hour travel to London.

As always, my long train travel was an adventure! I went from Italy to London, but since England likes to do its own thing and have it's own rules, (It is not part of the Schengen countries), I had to take a very roundabout way to get there.

I knew the trip was going to be interesting when Cheryl dropped me off at my first train from Lerino to Vecinza. A young guy came up to me trying to sell me drugs, and at the same time trying to persuade me to "Come closer; he's a nice guy."

Next was Vecinza to Munich which took about 5.5 hours. That ride was pretty nice. I was in a little room with 2 Australians and an older man from Jersey backpacking to celebrate his retirement from teaching. We all talked most of the way and had a good time swapping backpacking stories.

Munich HBF has lived up to all of my experiences there in the middle of the night so far. I had two hours to kill before my 11pm overnight train took off. So, in my two hours I had a man try to flash me in Burger King, saw a lady go out of control screaming and crying in German until she fainted and was drug off by the police (that killed a good half hour for me), brushed off multiple homeless beggars, and met an Biologist who was telling me about his recent interview in Munich. Always entertaining and questionable to be in train stations in the middle of the night!

From Munich I took an overnight train to Paris. This is where things went downhill! The overnight part was pretty nice. It was about 10.5 hours on train. I had an all girls' room with 6 couchettes. But, once I got to Paris I had to buy a ticket to London (because it is not part of the Schengen zone my train pass does not work there).

So, I bought my ticket with about an hour before my train thinking the platforms were right in front of me. Wrong. My first experience with the French....they weren't kind enough at the ticket counter to tell me that the fast trains leave from a completely different station. When I finally found someone who "spoke English", I got directions and tried to RUN, but with my ginormous backpack I WADDLED, about 10 minutes to another station. Once there I had to go through customs. Didn't think about that!

Customs was a NIGHTMARE!!! First, I filled out my landing form and waited in line...keep in mind my train was leaving in 30 minutes. I didn't have Jen's address, so that was the ONLY line I didn't have filled in. Here's how that worked out for me:

Grumpy Old British Lady: "I see that you are 27 years old?"
Tired, Polite Little Me: "Yes ma'am."
GOBL: "And I see that you are a teacher by profession?"
TPLM: "Yes ma'am."
GOBL: "And I also see that you have traveled the world quite a bite before?"
TPLM: "Yes ma'am."
GOBL: "Then I would think that you would be intelligent enough to know that you need to have the address of the place where you will be staying during your travels. You ARE old enough to know how to plan a trip, correct?"
TPLM: *almost in tears, mostly whispers....* "Yes, I just can't get a hold of my friend at the....."
GOBL: Slams down my landing card & passport...."Try again."

And just like that I turn around in shame and see an ocean of literally a hundred people or so in line for customs. Looking at my watch, realized I was probably going to miss my train. I'd already been traveling for 23 hours....exhausted!

So, of course my cheap little phone that I bought for overseas decided not to work at the moment. I finally had to resort to turning on my iPhone to get a hold of Jen. I got her address and got back in line...in a DIFFERENT line of course. Turns out, being super grumpy must be a requirement of the job. Getting through British Customs Take Two:

GOBL2: "If you're a teacher, why are you not at work?"
Exhausted, pleading me: "I took some time off to travel."
GOBL2: "And if you're a teacher, how can you afford a trip of this length? Who is paying for this?"
EPM: *rude!what?is that really a question* "I am."
GOBL2: "Why would you be in the Middle East? Why would you travel this many places? What are you going to do in England? How many nights will you be staying? Why are you saying you are coming to England again?"
EPM: *Answers questions, knowing I have about 10 minutes left to get to my train...*
GOBL2: "Are you traveling with the woman who was in front of you in line?"
EPM: "No ma'am."
GOBL2: "Well, she left the US on August 1st as well. I will ask again: Are you traveling with the woman who was in front of you in line?"
EPM: *WHAT?!?!* "No ma'am. I have no idea who that lady is. I am traveling ALONE."
GOBL2: "Are you sure you are traveling alone? I need to see proof of your ticket back to the United States."
EPM: *shuffles through backpack, thank GOD I had my flight home info in my bag. Is this REALLY happening???*

This carried on for what felt like an eternity. FINALLY I get through. Send my bag through security---which I thought was interesting that they didn't collect my pocket knife, I thought that was a goner for sure based on the signs at the bag scan--. I get through that and glance at my watch: 5 minutes. Once again I am waddling down the stairs and to the platform. Of course my train wagon is all the way at the end. I made it onto the train JUST.IN.TIME. Oh.my.Gosh.

I sit down and I swear I was sitting next to the old grandmas from Christmas Vacation. Somebody's phone rang and one of them shouted "What's that? Is somebody playing the piano? I hear a piano." The other friend responded (loudly), "No, it's just a music box. Nobody is playing a piano." Reminded me of "Will you say Grace? Ohhhh Grace-she died 30 years ago! Not Grace, THE BLESSINGGGGGGGGG Ohhhh Say Can You Seeeeeeee...." (If you don't know what I'm talking about, please go watch Christmas Vacation now. Hysterical.

Okay, anyway....long story a bit longer, I finally made it to London and had to take one subway and then one train and then a short walk and 30 hours of travel later I found myself in the heart of London with Jen. Jen, if you remember from my blog way back to the day I left, is the girl I met on the airplane leaving DFW. How cool of a story is that?!?!

SO EXCITED to be back in London. We have been planning out what to do while I am here and there is just too much to choose from! Looking forward to another amazing stop in my journey!

Nie Wieder: Dachau Concentration Camp

One of the most exhausting, saddening, and fascinating places I visited in Germany was Dachau Concentration Camp. And I don't mean fascinating in a "positive" way, but more in a "my mind can't even begin to wrap about the truth of this horror" kind of a way. This is a definite must do if you visit Germany. A truth that needs to be told and remembered a thousand times over in honor of the innocent and to truly make sure "Nie Wieder":Never Again. It is just unbelievable to see first hand....nothing like your history books will ever begin to put into true prospective.

Dachau was the first Nazi camp in Germany to open, and was used as a model for others to come. When you walk in, you see the words "Arbeit macht frei" on the front gate, which means "Work makes you free". It was really surreal to walk through those gates while thinking about the thousands of terrified people that walked through those VERY same gates...to meet absolute torture and in many cases, their death. Surreal feeling for sure. And that was just the beginning for my tour; walking through the gates doesn't even touch the reality, emotion & horror that was to come from my visit.

We joined a tour guide for this and it was a 3 hour tour of the camp. He was really passionate about sharing the stories behind this camp and was a great guide. We watched a video that did not hold back. It was very graphic and really makes your stomach turn when you realize you are standing in the very spots that this horror happened. Absolutely disgusting the things that humans can do to one another. The video was so heart-wrenching and disturbing that people in the audience literally started gasping and crying.

Above is the grounds for roll call.

Inside the prisoners' barracks. The picture above shows their "beds".

The restrooms for prisoners.

The rows and rows of barracks. All have been removed except the two in the front which are set up to view, (where my above pictures came from). "This camp served as a model for all later concentration camps and as a "school of violence" for the SS men under whose command it stood. In the twelve years of its existence over 200.000 persons from all over Europe were imprisoned here and in the numerous subsidary camps. 41.500 were murdered."-from http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/index-e.html.

The trenches so prisoners couldn't escape. If they crossed the border, they would be shot before they could even reach the barbed wire fences. And our guide told us that if a guard disliked a prisoner, he could simply take his cap and throw it in the trench. The prisoner was sure of death at that point: either he reaches for it and gets shot, or he leaves it and is killed at roll call for not having it. Disgusting stories to be told from this place.

 

As if the tour wasn't sickening enough yet, this last leg of it was the worst. You actually walk through the entire REAL buildings for these parts...not an inch of it has been renovated. You are walking through the real deal where thousands of innocent people stood, were tortured, were killed, were put through the crematory. Silencing to be standing in these rooms.

The first room we went in was the "waiting room" where prisoners were actually excited because they were told they would get to shower. They were even given soaps to mislead them so they were willing to go into the next room, the gas chamber. This looked like a shower, but instead of water coming out, gas came and killed them in mass quantities. And since the guards didn't want to have to see or deal with it, they had other prisoners come in to clean it up and move them into the next room, which was bodies to be cremated. Below is a picture of the "shower room". I honestly can't even put into words the way I was feeling as I stood in these rooms. No words that I share could really explain it.

The crematories were sickening to see. Can you believe that thousands of people-HUMAN BEINGS-innocent human beings-were literally stuck into these things?? And at Dachau, their first crematory wasn't big enough so they had to build a second, and disgustingly they put them both to use in the years the camp was open. If you look closely in the picture below, you can see chains from the wooden panels. These were used to hang prisoners like an X as torture, or as they await death. UGH. Just GROSS. Sick, sick things happened here. Again, can I really describe the things I learned/saw/felt here? No way. It's a silencing realization that you need to experience first hand.

I learned so much from the afternoon at Dachau. It would take me forever to blog about all of the facts I learned, or the things I saw. It was very informative, though at times also very disturbing. I really gained a lot of knowledge from my trip here. Like I said, I definitely think it is something that every visitor to Germany must do. It is such a devastating part of our world's history, but I think it is important to learn about and to remember. And once again, in the end, I am PROUD to be an American. In 1945, the American troops came in and liberated the prisoners.

"Some mornings I wake up and I am so worn out I cannot go to work. I am free but I am still in the concentration camp. You go through it again and again. Whenever I hear singing, God Bless America I have to repeat several times: God bless America. That's freedom. Nobody is going to bother me here anymore."
         -Josepn Sher, Cieszanow Camp Survivor

 

My Big Fat Gypsy Mugging

Let me start my Italy story tonight with my excitement of the day.....the map mugger....dun dun duuuuuuuuuun!

I was sitting on some steps minding my own business, trying to figure out where in the world I was, (Venice is a maze, I swear!)....when all of the sudden a gypsy pops up in my face. She pointed at my map, then at her. I said no and waved her away. Next thing I know, she grabs my map out of my hands and runs off. Oh no she didn't!

I, (stupid maybe?), ran behind her, snatched it back, then awkwardly walked-no jogged-no semi sprinted- away from her. It was just a map-though she probably was really reaching for my purse-but I got so mad! Now that I think about it, chasing after a thief is probably not the brightest idea. I also checked my purse and pockets afterwards because gypsies are very good at distracting you while they-or their partner-steals from you. Crazy!

But, I survived my map mugging and live to see another day. Another day of Italy. YES! So far this week I have been to Vecinza, Verona and Venice. Tomorrow I break the "V" tradition and head to Florence. I have been having an AMAZING time wandering around the cities. Even alone it is wonderful. For the first time in my life I have LOVED getting lost. I have learned that is when you find the best stops! Plus, if you just relax and "let go", you really find yourself lost in the city and the moment. Love!

There is so much to see, so much history, and I like having the freedom to do what I want when I want. (Change number two...I have really learned to enjoy doing things ALONE! Hooray!) If I want to spend 2 hours in a museum I can. If I want to sit in the park and read my book I can. If I want to have a healthy daily diet of gelato  and pizza I can. And...if I want to wander Venice lost for multiple hours and chase down gypsies....I can. It's been a great experience!

Italy is absolutely beautiful. I really need to spend more time with my blog but at the end of the day I am exhausted!! Some of my favorite things so far have been Juliette's balcony in Verona, the gondolas and amazing views of Venice, the pizza with spicy salami and sausage, the arena in Verona, the buildings and statues and bridges....oh wait, I was just going to list some "favorites". I don't think I can narrow it down actually. I could go on and on!

I am off to have sweet dreams of Italian food and scenery. My train ride to Florence tomorrow is a couple hours so I have to head out early in the morning to make the most of my day. And Mom, Venice is on my list of places we need to vacation together. There is SO MUCH to see that I couldn't possibly fit it into a simple day trip!! More pictures and stories to come as soon as I can stay awake for more than an hour after I get home :D

CIAO!

Benvenuti in Italia!

Our whirlwind Prague adventure was great! I was so glad to get to see another country and have some partners in crime to explore with. On Monday we all planned to head out. The boys were off to Berlin, the girls were off to London, and I was off to Italy. Lucky for me, the girls had a car and offered to give me a lift part of my way. It saved me several hours of waiting on trains alone and I was so thankful!

I hopped in the car with them and hitched a ride to Frankfurt Airport. They were off on a plane and I took a train to the Frankfurt Hbf. When I got there I had several hours to kill in which I spent lots of time shoving off creepy beggars who, if not for the extra security walking the station, would probably have tried to mug me. I had one scary close encounter and it's not making me enjoy train stations solo!

I rode from Frankfurt to Munich where I was met by a drunken midnight crowd headed various places after Oktoberfest. My train was extra confusing to find because I only had a few minutes to catch it and it was split into several cars that would be going different directions throughout the night. Last thing you want to do is wake up in a random country you didn't intend to head to and all alone! Luckily I found my wagon and......creepy night train and I met again!

This night train wasn't too bad. Middle bunk again, 6 of us in our room. I had just one short train ride after that and in just 22 hours I was in Vicenza, Italy!

An old coworker, Tammy, whose hilarious daughter Ella was in my class in the past put me in touch with her sister who I am staying with! Cheryl met me at the train station and took me into the city. We had tea and walked around. It is beautiful here!

Tonight I tagged along with Cheryl, her husband, and their two kids to her son's school where I got to meet Mike Thaler! He's the author of The Black Lagoon Series! I read these books as a kid and I have a whole bucket of them in my classroom library. Was very cool to meet him and buy some books. I got a few autographed for my nieces and nephew. I wanted to get more, but felt guilty having him sign a million for me when I was just a guest at the school function anyway! I think stuff like that is very cool! cdddddddx (that was a word from Cheryl's cat. I think it seems important enough to keep on the blog...deep thinker, that cat. *distracted*)

Cheryl is really great! I have been so lucky with the people that have opened their homes to me on my trip so far! I really owe a lot of people a lot of thank yous, literally all over the world now!

Her husband teaches on a US Military Base here. Not going to lie....I'm tempted to apply....should I?!?! Who knows what my random little mind will end up actually doing. But I only have a few months left to decide if I am going to apply at my old district again....OR....apply overseas. I really love the idea of both. So, what will I do? This decision is hard-----anyone want to just let me retire and be a stay at home friend/daughter/girlfriend/I'm not mentioning mom, sorry :D

Next I am taking a train by myself over to Verona for the day. Cheryl will drop me at the station this morning and pick me up when I return in the evening...how lucky am I?!?!

Starting to wish I had a travel buddy. It's officially been 2 months and 2 days since I started my journey. Loving every bit of it, but gets lonely without having a homebase/resting place/constant buddies around. This backpack and I have a love-hate relationship at this point. If I don't throw some clothes out and replace them with new soon I may scream! Wearing the same 5 things every single day is a little tiresome....I don't know how cartoon characters do it!

Roaming around Italy solo starts in just a few minutes...wish me luck! Ciao!


 

Prague in the first 24 hours: here we go!

I did this whole blog and then closed my laptop without saving it. UGH! Here I will try again, but it will probably only be half as great as the original as I am exhausted and hating my computer right now!

I went to Prague with Ryan and Dave, two guys from Bahrain. They introduced me to Carmen and Kristy, two girls from Australia. Our first 24 hours in Prague were quite a whirlwind of fun! Let me try my best to recap the recap. Here we go.....

-11pm arrived in Prague at the train station with the guys.

-Met random guy looking for hostel tenants outside of the train station. Followed him down random road to check out said hostel. His hostel manager friend was pretty cool looking: Sweet comb over, sweaty, rather large, broken English, lots of keys. Reminds me of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

-Holes in the bathroom walls, fairly clean room, dirty towels, questionable, but...awesome location...we'll take it! Switched clothes & went to K&K Hotel to meet with Ryan & Dave's Australian friends they met at Oktoberfest: Carmen and Kristy.

-Learned that Prague was currently in Prohibition due to poison in vodka and rum that recently caused several deaths and illnesses. Interesting. You can read the letter below:

-Had a few drinks, got to meet the girls. Loved the girls right away.

-Headed out to a bar. Found a place called James Dean: waited in line for 30 mins or so, got in, resumed party. Bar was interesting. Found out Prohibition had ended. Enjoyed questionable vodka drinks. Great people watching!

-Stayed at James Dean until 5:30am.

-5:30am starts the glorious search for food. Wandered everywhere around the square and then some.

-Sent Dave into a resteraunt...he got told "They don't serve his kind" (whatever his 'kind' is??). Went to hotel to wait for 6:30am breakfast. Borrowed some bagels. Got tired of waiting. Left hotel and resumed food hunt. (What would you call "his kind" below??)

-Found McDonalds! Ordered a party box: 5 cheeseburgers, 20 chicken nuggets, 4 large fries, 3 large cokes. Enjoyed with Dave and Carmen. Best McDonalds experience of my life.

-Walked home and saw the sunset at 7am.

-Carmen, Dave, and I took a little nap at our sweet hostel. Questionable, yet oh so homey.

-12pm wake up time! Showered and headed out the door.

-Got the group together again: Ryan, Dave, Kristy, Carmen, me. Went for a walk to the square and enjoyed tons of random street performers. There were TONS of them! But, I particularly liked the guy doing the rain dance below. And it was raining...he's just.that.good.

-Found traditional food stops outside on the square. Shared a buffet of 2 orders of cabbage and ham, a few pounds of Prague Pork, 4 sausages, lots of bread, 2 Cokes, and 6 waters. Watched homeless people eat our leftovers out of the trash can. Sad. Left the 20lbs of food we still had on the table, hoping we could swing by and grab it on the way back. (we couldn't).

-Headed to a Prague Boat Tour.

-Went on the world's WORST boat tour of Prague. Moved about 1 inch per hour, had a recorded erotic tour guide who whispered everything she said as slowly as possible, saw 2 feet of Prague.Don't waste your time or money on a boat tour here. You're welcome for the tip!

-Randomly saw a Gay Pride/Zombie parade of thousands. Either they didn't communicate the point of the parade or it was a Gay Zombie Pride Parade. *shudders* Most entertaining part of the boat tour nonetheless........and had absolutely nothing to do with the boat tour.

-Went to a little bitty bar and had some Czech wine together. Delicous! This was a fantastic time talking with new friends. Decided it was probably time for another feast.

-Got lost looking for a place for dinner. Found a little Czech resteraunt. Had a delicious dinner of traditional food. I had sirloin with dumplings, cranberries, and a whipped cream like topping with a gravy type sauce and shared some white wine to drink. Absolutely stuffed of yet another delicious traditional meal that I would never get quite like it back home :)

-Went to the Absinthe bar. Had a DISGUSTING Absinthe Mojito. Met our friend the statue Tataball. Shared Absinthe ice cream. (also disgusting). Took meds for excessive shoveling. Enjoyed the experience of waiting to see what happened to the guys after their drinks. (nothing). Good fun anyhow. Starting to realize we'd only known each other less than 24 hours. Made a video of our experience thus far together.

-Walked back through the square. Saw lots of questionable activities in Prague. Headed to the hostel.

-The guys & Kristy went out. Carmen and I went in. 24 hours almost on the dot.

-5:30am my first batch of roomies crawled into the hostel. A couple hours later, the next. I was asleep in my sleepy suit, careful not to actually touch the bed at all :D

WHEW. 24 hours in Prauge felt like a week! Woke up the next morning and had an AMAZING day....stories to come, but we REALLY made great use of our travel time & sight seeing the 2nd day. Still can't fathom how much we actually did in the first 24 hours. I feel like I need a nap just rethinking it all!

Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany....can I really describe it in a blog??

I have done SO MUCH in the past week that I haven't had time or Internet access to blog about!! I am having an AMAZING time in Germany! First let's skip to the big event that I had been counting down the months, weeks, days, seconds for.....OKTOBERFEST IN MUNICH!! Woooooo!

Ashley & I decided to take the train from Wurzburg to Munich and stay the night at her friend Nadin's house. We got up early, got dressed up in our dirndls, packed up, and.....in true Ashley/Holly fashion....we missed our train. So we ended up having to take a slower train that we had to switch on. Took twice as long, but, we made it! Nadin got us at the train station and we ditched our bags and headed out for some schnitzel & potatoes before the big par-tay. YUM! I am in love with German food. But, the empty calories and loads of carbs I'm consuming here are not cute on my belly!

Just the walk from the tram into Oktoberfest got me even more excited for what was to come!! Hundreds, no, thousands of people were piling in or (somewhat) walking out. I loved seeing all of the lederhosen and dirndls, pretzels and brats, cookies and beers....what culture! So exciting!

Nadin, Ashley, & me...we made it! Did you know that the way you tie your apron shows your status? Tied on the right means you are married or have a boyfriend. The left means you are single. The back means you are a widow....or a waitress (odd match, right?!).

 



When we went inside, the tents were out of control! Thousands of people in each one and not a free seat to be seen. Everybody was drinking and eating and singing...just an amazing time everywhere you looked! We went on a table hunt. After about 4 tents we decided on a few seats we found right outside of a tent. We shared it with a group of guys from Denmark who ended up being a blast that night. The people were so fun and friendly...it's amazing how a day of yummy food and drinks can bring strangers together :)

 I've officially tasted some of the best beer in the world! The beers are HUGE and the waiters & waitresses carry 6 or 7 at a time! The waitstaff weaves in and out of the crowd with tons of liters of beer and huge trays of food! They will just push you out of the way. It is really something to see! Nadin told me the tents are family owned-you can't get hired onto the waitstaff & there is so much money to be made that they keep it within the family. Apparently the tents usually bring in more than 10,000 euros in tips! WOW! I keep trying to find more info on that; I'm curious to see the actual numbers but I am sure it is astonishing.

 Met Ryan in Bahrain & got to meet up with him in Germany----how cool is that?!

Do what the locals do, right? Having a GREAT time!! 

The whole day/night was everything amazing that I hoped it would be and then some. It is so surreal to be in a place with such an deep rooted culture that people by the millions participate in. And not just participate, but go all out! I've never seen a party like this before! If you ever get the opportunity to go to Germany for Oktoberfest....DO IT! I definitely plan to come back one day. But, if you don't have a place to stay then you may want to consider booking your hotel a year in advance....this city is PACKED!

 I was SO excited that I got a famous heart shaped gingerbread cookie!

 View from the roller coaster. Everything you can imagine is at this giant party....bratwursts, warm nuts, pretzels, beer, candy, trays upon trays of food....oh I could go on and on!

Inside one of the HUGE tents. Thousands of people in each one. Unless you get there at 7am or have a reservation....you're not gettin a seat!

I have millions of stories from Oktoberfest....I think I could go on and on about how much fun I had, how many really cool people I have met, and how simply incredible the food, drinks, and atmosphere are. But....I feel like I should save that for a rainy day to reminisce and relive the awesome that is the real Oktoberfest!

 

I have fallen in love with Germany for sure! I have met some really amazing friends along the way as well. I know Ashley and I will stay in touch-we hit it off right away. And how could we not...we got the Kappa thing, so of course she was going to be nothing short of fabulous :)

 

I'm currently staying with Anna, her husband Martin, and their adorable son Maximillian. Beth put me in touch with Anna and she and her family have been WONDERFUL to me!! I can see why Beth loves Anna so much. Today we went on a bus tour of Munich, had the best ice cream & berries before watching the Marienplatz and the chimes/Bavarian dancing figures, took a beautiful walk by the sea, and then....Anna and Martin gave me a YUMMY Bavarian dinner :) (They totally take care of me when it comes to trying traditional foods!)

 

For dinner we had white sausage with sweet mustard, pretzels, and of course a refreshing local beer. It is great fun for me to talk to Anna and Martin. They have made me feel so comfortable and welcome. Their son Max is 3 years old and pretty much adorable. I like to play with him and he reminds me of my nephew so it is extra nice to have him around :)

 

Okay, I am off for now. I am exhausted!! Tomorrow morning I am heading to Dachau Concentration Camp. Here's a quick preview from gogermany.com : "The concentration camp of Dachau, 10 miles northwest of Munich, was one of the first concentration camps in Nazi Germany and would serve as a model for all subsequent camps in the Third Reich. Dachau visitors follow the "path of the prisoner", walking the same way prisoners were forced to after their arrival in the camp. You will see the original prisoner baths, barracks, courtyards, and the crematorium, as well as an extensive exhibition and various memorials."

 

SO SO SO many more stories to come! Adios for now xoxo