All things must come to an end

I still have many many posts about my travels in Europe left, but I couldn’t help but was poetic on this my last day in the Old Continent. It’s crazy how quickly time does fly. One moment you are getting accustomed to a new country and a new lifestyle, the next you are cramming your life into two suitcases.

One other thing on my mind at this moment is about saying goodbye. It sounds weird but, I will most likely never see the shop owners or Tasty Bucket cooks who have come to recognize me over the past four months. It’s not like we became best of pals, but when you see someone repeatedly there is a connection forged. I said goodbye yesterday, but unlike most goodbyes we have to say in our lives, this one was permanent.

On that note, I am very excited to be heading back to the U.S.A. As Dorothy likes to say, there is no place like home.

Deutschland Experience (Part 3)

Well I thought I could finish off Germany in two blog posts but I was badly mistaken. The other post was getting pretty long already and I had so much more to say that I felt a new post was needed to keep things manageable from a readers standpoint. (If you haven’t read part 2 click here)

Deutschland Experience (Part 2)

After an exhilarating and exhausting first day (see previous post) the next four days were a lot more relaxed but no less exciting. We were invited to Christina’s grandparents’ house for a lunch of one of the most delicious foods I have ever tasted: Danphnoodle (I have absolutely no idea how to spell this). Think of it as a giant dumpling only much much tastier with a crispy outside and a warm, doughy middle. Just thinking about this makes my mouth water. These “noodles” are served first with a potato soup using vegetables picked at 6 a.m. by her grandpa in their garden in the backyard. I had two dumplings with the soup and followed that up with a heaping helping of peaches, also eaten with the dumpling. At this point I was stuffed to the point where the belt was sitting uncomfortably and needed to be loosened up a notch. So what did I do? Of course I ate another one and some more peaches. It was probably the only time I would ever get to eat this regional specialty so I figured one more wouldn’t hurt. Many many thanks go out to Christina’s grandparents for hosting us and providing us with a meal I know I will never forget.

The Deutschland Experience (Part 1)

Following a day of rest (aka school) after getting back from Malaga on Sunday, March 13, we repacked our luggage and headed for the land of wursts for the next six days. This trip was to be much much different than our trip to Malaga, though. This time we were going to be less like tourists and more like guests. One of Amanda’s very good friends, Christina, lived in Germany and graciously invited us to stay with her and her family for the duration of our stay.

A weekend in Malaga, Spain

After a month of breathless anticipation, I give you what you were dying to see, in video slideshow form. (It’s a long one, but definitely worth the time. Plus, if I had written all that out it would have taken half an hour to read.)

Here are a few other videos that didn’t quite make the cut but are sweet nonetheless.

The Camp Nou Experience (April 8)

It costs 19 Euros to get in, quite a hefty price no matter what the currency. There are decent size queues throughout the day. And no, you don’t get to meet any players. But to anyone who likes Barcelona or soccer in general, a visit to F.C. Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium is a definite must. The video above is but a small sampling of what the experience is like, but the people over at the Catalan make it worth every penny. After taking the tour and visiting the museum, I felt they could have charged me 40 Euros and it still would be fair.  So what exactly makes it so special you ask?

Let’s take it from the top.

Grounded: for real this time

This is definitely not what I flew on this past month during my voyages in the Old Continent. (Taken by me in Milan)

By grounded, I do not mean it in the American term as in I have gotten in trouble with my parents and I therefore am not allowed to partake in certain activities, but instead in the literal meaning, as in I am on the ground for good now. In the past month I have traveled on 10 Ryan Air flights (a story deserving of its own space for those of you not familiar with the bargain airline), 8 buses, 7 different subway systems, 2 public buses, 1 tram and 1 cross-country train. I have visited five countries and 10 different cities, never staying in one place for more than five days.

I have been running around non-stop and have only had spotty internet access. As such, this blog (and all you loyal readers who keep coming to it) has not gotten the care and attention it deserves. Not to worry, all of these travels have given me plenty of content to fill up this space for the weeks to come. It’s the home stretch and with school all but finished, this will be my main project these last two weeks. Thank you for your continued support!