Final days in Europe

After a tiring two weeks of uncomfortable sleep, endless exploring, and lifetime memories made, Logan's dorm in Munich felt like home, even to me. We both breathed a long sigh of relief when we dropped our bags in his room. Probably a breath we had been holding in since we left for Paris two weeks prior. We spent my remaining European days exploring more of the city. We strolled through some parks, admired some buildings, and even checked out a crazy little surfing spot under a bridge in the middle of the city! Munich turned out to be way cooler than I imagined. We went up to the top of one of the towers in a church and I got to see the whole city through little windows all around the tower. Next to each window was a picture of the same view, taken a long time ago and labeled. Hardly anything had changed and I loved that. I got to meet some of the other exchange students that Logan has become friends with, and they were all different and all very nice. It's obvious right away that they're a fun group of people. Our first night back in Munich, Logan and I met up with a few of them at a club downtown. It was loud, it was massive, and it was a great time. Anything involving dancing is right up my alley, so I loved it.
It's hard to remember with all the traveling that Logan does over there, but he actually is in school, too. He is at an engineering school, and I had the opportunity to attend a couple of his classes. His professors taught about M theory, classical physics, and wayy too much detail on the production of glass. I tried hard to pay attention and learn, but both professors lost me right away. Logan figured this would happen, so luckily he brought his iTouch. I spent the class hours exercising my mind via solitaire and sudoku. So I was still learning and growing intellectually, right? If anything, I can definitely rule out engineering as a possible career now. And, I have a greater appreciation of just how smart my boyfriend is! That, or how much a closet nerd my boyfriend really is. Either one.
The last few days in Munich flew by. But not fast enough for a classic Sloane act to take place! On my last day there, Logan and I were going to travel to see Neuschwanstein, the castle Walt Disney based his famous castle off of. He had class all morning, so I was going to meet up with him after class by the train station. Kind of amazingly, I was able to take all the correct subways and get off at the correct stop. That should have been the difficult part. Nope! Finding the McDonald's right by the stop turned out to be the real challenge. When I asked the man at the information desk where a McDonald's would be, he waved me off with the simple and very unhelpful phrase, "To the left." Ohh, well thanks, detailed and sympathetic helper! Now I got it! I ended up circling all levels of that metro station for about 45 minutes before I saw a man eating a whopper. Using my Nancy Drew skills, I was finally able to track down that big "M". What a relief! Logan was about to head back to his dorm, too. Now getting one direction was quite a feat for me. Going back to where I came from? Don't be funny. My minuscule GPS skills would surely malfunction. I already had forgotten which tunnel I came out of at the beginning. Since I didn't meet up with Logan until much later than planned, a trip to the castle was no longer an option. Hey, incentive to return to Germany someday?
Leaving Europe and Logan was bittersweet. I knew it was time to return to reality, back to the grind. But man what I would do for another week of relaxation! This parting was not as hard as when Logan left for Germany almost four months before, seeing as it is only going to be less than two months until he is back home. It definitely was a lonely 20 hour travel back to the desert, though. Especially when I got on the main flight across the Atlantic to find that my window seat had been overtaken by a guy in dreads with a victorious smirk on his face. He and his girlfriend just HAD TO sit next to each other, so I had to take her aisle seat. Luckily I was so exhausted that I was still able to sleep for a few hours without my loving window.
Back in the states, I walked off the plane in a daze. After being questioned through customs if my reasons to travel to Europe involved a proposal from a boy I met online or not, I was greeted by my family. Noah, Eddie, and my cheerleader mom, holding a "Welcome Home" sign, my mom cheering and yelling in the silent airport. Welcome back. It was comforting being picked up by my loving family--it took away some of the sadness and loneliness. Thank God for my family. After a birthday dinner for my mom, which is somewhat of a blur of a memory since it was around 5:00 AM to me, it was time for bed. For just a few hours. Ohh this time change--I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up this ability to naturally wake up early every day, but at the same time...I'm Sloane Gerritzen-Queen of sleep. We shall see.
Europe, you were so good to me. I learned more than I could ever learn from a history book, I saw more than I ever thought my eyes would be blessed to see, and I made unforgettable, life-changing memories with an awesome person by my side. It was all more than worth those hundreds of burgers served and months of penny pinching. I am one very, very lucky girl.

Back to tackle the beast!

Luzern, Switzerland

It had been a long almost two weeks, but the realization that we only had one city left was saddening. Yes, we were both tired and excited at the thought of being able to unpack and no longer live out of a backpack. But one more night in a hostel meant our whole adventure was almost over and it would be back to Arizona for me. We didn't let this get us down for long, though. It was hard to remain upset on that train ride to the north. The views outside the window were, for lack of an even better word, breathtaking. There were layers and layers of gorgeous mountains, with the tips lightly frosted, lush green woods, and the water--it was a deep, crystal blue but without being dark or light. It was entrancing.
We got to Luzern midday, ready and excited to check out what immediately looked like a great city. After stopping to get two much needed doners (the world's greatest sandwich) and accidentally passing the hostel a few times, we dropped off our bags and headed back into town. First to do: check out the lion monument. This giant lion is carved into the side of this huge, rocky mountain. It's crying and has something stabbed in its side. Before even noticing the details, I was already in awe at the size of the creature, and how it seemed to have been randomly placed on the side of a huge rock. We took our pictures then headed back to some paddle boats we saw on our way to the hostel. We decided to rent one for an hour and cruised around the beautiful lake. I wanted to see what was around the bend by the sailboats, but no matter how hard we paddled, we hardly moved. And since we were limited to an hour, and it took us at least one fourth of that time just barely leaving the dock, we just took in the sights. The entire 360 degree view was more than pleasing to the eye. In one direction, layers of painting-like mountains, clear blue sky, and sailboats in the crystal water. In another direction, quaint, humble homes clustered together in a family of a town, with a steeple from the church towering over all other buildings. Look another direction and you see the city--hotels, shops, even a castle at the top of the hill. Each building is different and appealing.
Now I have seen swans before. They are big and beautiful. However, they take on a different guise in Luzern. They. Are. Everywhere. They are everywhere and they are not afraid to get all up in your bubble. I happened to have had a traumatizing experience when I was younger involving swans and other poultry chasing me through a park, even after I threw them the bread. So when Logan and I were paddling around the lake, we paddled a little too close to a swan and her two babies. Because of the amount of swans in the lake, it was hard to not almost run some of them over! This protective mama flared up her wings and came at me. It didn't help that Logan pretended to have food in his hand ready to give to her. So while I squealed and almost capsized our tiny ship, Logan just giggled and turned the boat before my panic attack turned into a legitimate heart attack.
Back on safe, swan-free land, we walked through the city some more--taking in the sites and as always, enjoying each other's company. With just a few precious hours left in Luzern the next day, we spent it doing some Swiss shopping and boat touring. Logan, being the Eagle Scout that he is, bought a Swiss card. It's like a Swiss army knife, but it's in the form of a credit card, super convenient for the wallet. I guess it's a guy thing? I went for a legitimate Swiss army knife, my birthday present to my awesome brother. We found out that we could go on a free boat tour around the lake using our Eurail passes, so of course we took advantage. This little ferry moved a bit faster than our paddle boat, so we made it around that bend this time. Once again, there was a gorgeous 360 degree view.
After we docked and grabbed our backpacks from the hostel, it was back to the train station. Only one more train excursion to go!! There was SO much more we wanted to do while in Switzerland, but it all required at least a day. There were ziplines, luges, hiking...it would have been wonderful to have had more time there, but I am still so thankful I got to experience it at all.

Milan, Italy

The next stop on our Euro loop was Milan, Italy--One of the fashion capitals of the world. I admit, I did not know about this reputation until the day before we arrived, but it immediately made sense. Shopping is about the only thing to do there. Since that was not a part of either of our budgets, we just walked the long streets of the massive outdoor mall. There was a huge, beautiful church right by it, but I was not allowed in because I was wearing a dress. So while Logan ran through the church, I sat and people-watched. The styles I found extremely common all throughout Europe for women was skinny jeans, boots or heels, and leather jackets. So as a woman, I naturally craved boots and a leather jacket the whole time I was there. The men's fashion: considered totally hip and hot, would be considered totally embarrassing and "tool-like" in the States. I loved all the social differences between continents that I was finding. For one, I'm sure Europeans don't know and would not even be able to understand the concept of PDA (public display of affection). If you're into someone, you show it. On a train, in the middle of the street, who cares? Making out on any level is perfectly okay and doesn't even attract attention. Also, the whole concept of speedy customer service appears to be foreign to them. In every city we visited, whether you were eating dinner in a nice restaurant or grabbing a sandwich to go, you were on the waiter's/worker's time. I understand that they see eating a meal as a slower and more relaxed affair than in America, but after slowly dining for well over an hour, why must it take another hour to receive the check? As long as you aren't about to pass out from hunger, it's best to just take these events as amusing and be patient.
We didn't do all that much in Milan, but honestly I was glad. We had been go go go for well over a week, and taking a day or two to just relax and regroup was definitely needed. Finishing off our Italian excursion with some walks through some beautiful parks and one last Italian dinner, we then headed to our last new country: Switzerland.

Mall Entrance--Proving itself as fashion capital of the world

Rome, Italy

The ferry ride to Rome was superb. The boat was a small cruise ship, complete with a casino, club, bars, gift shops, gym, rooftop pool and bar...the works. Having purchased the cheapest possible ticket for this ferry, we had merely reserved the right to take up space on the massive boat. Therefore, we set up camp in a dining hall. When it was time for that section to close for the night, instead of kicking us out to the hallway, one very nice waiter told us we could stay in the booths. He even told us of a better section with a TV and longer booths for our beds. As we entered the room I noticed pictures of semi trucks covering the walls and some big, burly Italian men sat drinking sangria and eating cherries...I felt like we were walking in on a mobster meeting. They probably knew we were just American kids and couldn't even understand them, so they graciously let us live. Our “beds” were difficult to sleep on, but they definitely beat trying to sleep sitting up on a train. The next morning was awkward waking up to people flowing in and out of the room eating breakfast and socializing, but that same waiter returned with coffee and a warm “Good morning!” There have been a few people over our trip that have extended a small act of kindness and really made a difference. One man gave Logan his seat on the train when we did not have one reserved so we could be together. Before checking out of the hostel in Barcelona, the lady at the front desk kept the free breakfast out over an hour later just so Logan and I could grab some. People like that give me hope for humanity again. Anyway, the ferry ride was great. After changing into our swimsuits we headed up to the roof. I know, I was still burned to a crisp. That was only my chest and arms, though. My solution: I just laid on my stomach and covered my arms with my dress. Problem solved. The bar by the pool played fun Latin music for the most part, but then switched it up to Barbie Girl and some other strange songs that needed to die with the 90’s. It was a good time, though.
Rome is not along the coast, so the ferry took us as far as Civitavecchia. Very cute town. From there we took yet another train to Rome. By the time we reached our destination city it was dark and we were tired. The walk from the train station to our hostel was pretty short. Apparently the train station was located in Chinatown, though. We passed only Asian and Indian cuisine the whole way down the deserted streets, which didn't make us entirely comfortable, but we made it to hostel #3. Tired from another long day of traveling, we decided it was best to get to sleep early and get an early start exploring the overwhelmingly historical and magnificent city the next morning.
The weather while in Rome was awesome. Sunny with clear skies, and although the heat was hard to handle at times, it still beat walking around town in the cold and rain, as it was in Paris. We began our adventure at the Colosseum. Learning that a guided tour would only be a tad bit more money than the entrance fee, we opted for it. Unfortunately, our tour guide didn't. She was an archaeologist who clearly was just trying to make a quick few bucks. She ran through the basics with a few interesting facts and was done with us in ten minutes. Oh well, at least we didn't have to wait in any lines? Nevertheless, the Colosseum was incredible. Being right where insanity went down ages ago...we decided to download "Gladiator" as soon as we got back to Munich. A few hours later we met up with another tour group whose fee was waived after taking the first "tour" through the Colosseum. In this tour, we explored the ruins around where Rome was founded, some royal homes, where the senate met, and so on. All on what was the hill of the rich and famous. Again, it was just fascinating.
Throughout the rest of the trip, Logan and I visited the Spanish Steps (a tourist-packed staircase that wasn't all that intense, but was apparently the longest staircase in Rome or Italy), The Trevie Fountain, The fountain of Four Rivers, some other awesome fountains, and of course, the Vatican. Now in order to be allowed in St. Peter's Basilica or the Sistine Chapel and it's surrounding parts, one has to wear pants and have his/her shoulders covered. It was HOT outside. Throwing on a sundress hardly sufficed, and now I have to wear pants and a light sweater?! Dang. Luckily, the majority of the sites were indoors. We toured the area of St. Peter's where the tombs of the past popes were, as well as the burial spot of Peter the Apostle! After the Basilica, we toured the Vatican's museum. A large part of it featured giant marble bathtubs...with a few statues here and there. There was even a room dedicated to statues of animals, domestic and wild. After the maze of incredible paintings by Botticelli, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci, we entered the Sistine Chapel. The amount of breathtaking art was overwhelming. Every centimeter of that room was painted in GREAT detail. The lower sides has golden drapes painted on, and the rest was divided into tons of sections, all exhibiting beautiful portraits of biblical happenings. I could have easily spent hours on end studying the art in that one room. How blessed am I for the opportunity to be IN the Sistine Chapel?? What a humbling yet exciting experience.
Rome was a total blast. The art, the history, the city's atmosphere...I loved it all. We did run into a bit of an issue when we found out our mattress was moldy, but after a room change all was well.

Sleeping Quarters on the Ferry

The Colosseum's Skeleton

Trevi Fountain!

Barcelona, Spain

Our excursion from Paris to Barcelona took place over night. Unlike the train from Munich to Paris, we reserved seats for this leg of the trip. Trying to sleep standing up between cars would not have worked out too well. The seats on this train were relatively comfortable, and I was able to sleep on and off for most of the journey. Poor Logan couldn’t sleep for even a minute, though. It was a loooong night. Our original plan to take the train all the way to Barcelona turned out not to be an option. We figured we could just pay the small amount for the rest of the way once we crossed the border into Spain, but instead we got all the way to the border, and then we had to figure out some way to get the rest of the way. We ended up buying tickets that got us right back on the same train a few rows down from our original seats. Of course. Barcelona was much, much warmer than Paris. It was exciting to be able to just throw on shorts and a tank top at first, but man the heat got to us quickly. The city of Barcelona is beautiful. In each city we visit, I marvel at the architecture on all of the old buildings. They all include so much fine detail, all different and all stunning. We did not take a guided walking tour in this city, but it was Logan’s third time there so he had the hang of it. Thanks to Apple we also had an app on his iTouch that went in depth on the city’s history and information on all the landmarks. The main attractions were Gaudi’s designs. His architecture is unlike anything else. We viewed a couple townhouses that he designed, his church that is still under construction, and his own property where he lived. Now I thought the nightlife in Arizona started late, but the people of Barcelona don’t get it poppin’ until around 2:00 AM! On our first night, we met up with the hostel where Logan stayed on his last trip, and followed them to a dance club in order to get free entry. Brilliant. After dancing the night away for three hours, we made our way through the still warm streets and were finally asleep close to 6:00 AM. The next day we did more touring and exploring, and all the walking ended up taking a toll on my feet. I developed several painful blisters under each foot and was rendered immobile. However, pain or no pain I was in Barcelona, Spain! I manned up and we ventured the city. The main strip was crowded with merchants selling annoying squeaky toys and cheap jewelry, gamblers betting on which box the ball was under and always losing, and people dressed in strange costumes pretending to be statues. Holy tourist spot. We joined a pub crawl that night where we met some really fun guys from south France. They took me under their wings, if you will, and made sure no creepy dude bothered me. Being the only girl in the group, I guess that attention was inevitable. We broke off from the group about halfway through the crawl, too tired to finish the night. It was still a total blast, though. The next day was our last in this wonderful city. Having already seen all the sights and checked out of the hostel, we bummed it on the beach. In Barcelona, being totally naked is completely legal. So, the beach was a topless one. Of course I didn’t partake in this trend, but man that crowded beach was overwhelming to say the least! We even saw a man who was at least 70 years old, totally nude except for that black tattooed underwear on his booty. Yumm. We were on the beach for less than an hour when we decided to go search for some food. Good thing, because we were both totally fried. We’re talking shades of purple fried. The one bummer about this city is the daily siesta that all businesses take for several hours. We were starving, but everything was closed for at least another hour. Lazy, lazy Spaniards ;) Our stay in Barcelona was fantastic and I was sad to leave, but our next destination: Rome!! Only a 20 hour ferry ride away.

Gaudi's Architecture

No Towels=Body Art. Making a positive out of a negative!

Paris, France

Our journey across Europe began bright and early, at 4:00 AM. The train left Munich by 6:00 and we were in our first big city by noon. While researching hostels before this trip, I learned that the majority have peculiar and humorous names. Our first hostel: “Peace and Love”. Were we about to stay in a hippie shack with hammocks for beds and all vegan breakfasts? While that would have made for a great story, the Peace and Love hostel did not live up to its crazy name. I definitely enjoyed it, though. Besides the fact that they did not have an elevator and our room was on the seventh floor atop a narrow spiral staircase. Bit of a downer. But the staff was super friendly, giving us free coffee at check-in and cleaning the room daily. The “lobby” was a cute hangout spot that turned into an energetic and fun bar at night. The bartender, Oliver from San Diego, graduated with an engineering degree and started out his career making a solid six digits per year. Soon after his career began, he got bored. His solution: pick up and move to Paris where his parents have a vacant apartment and see what happens. Bartending a few nights a week just for fun, he’s having the time of his life. He is not the only person we met who up and left their solid life back in the states to take a chance on a foreign city. Our walking tour guide Kristen was from New York. Also having graduated with a few prestigious degrees, she decided to travel abroad before starting her career…and never went back. The tour she gave us and a few other fellows from the East coast, New Zealand, and England was awesome. That chicks knows absolutely EVERYTHING about Paris—history dates, people, numbers, hot spots, things to avoid, things to make sure not to miss…anything and everything. Her stories were compelling and amidst her sailor’s mouth (which I think just made everything she said funnier), I learned more than a history book would ever teach me. The tour went over by a few hours and took up the majority of the day. It was pretty chilly with on and off rain, but our third and last day there was sunny and comfortable. Great ending note. So, we toured all the major and some minor buildings and structures, the Louvre and another museum with works from Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Edgar Degas, and some beautiful parks. By the way, Paris has a museum for everything. There’s one for fruits, several for art, one where all the floral plans for the city’s parks are planned out to a T at least a decade in advance, one about money, another about their military…yeah you get the picture. Every night for the first ten minutes of each hour, the Eiffel Tower hosts a beautiful light show. It sparkles and shimmers and captivates everyone. With a cheap bottle of champagne and a couple plastic cups, Logan and I sat in the grass by the Tower and took in the beauty. Fending off all the merchants selling useless crap was inevitable and got old very quickly, but that’s all just part of the experience, right? Being on such a tight budget, all meals had to be just a couple euros, making any fine dining impossible. On our last night we did find a sit-down restaurant that didn’t break the bank. The French style salad I got was delicious, but I ended up with slight food poisoning and went straight to bed after a miserable ride on the metro back to the hostel. Nevertheless, Paris was beautiful, so fun, and an excellent start to our adventure. Oh, and I totally almost got run over. Apparently people don’t have the right of way, at least in France, and drivers would rather honk and hit you than slow down for a second to let you finish crossing the street.

Fitting In

"Center of the World"