Glorious Germany & Greece!

Caroline and I’s last city to explore together was Wurzburg, Germany. Our main reason for choosing this lovely city was that my dear friend, Simone (think back to Bergen!) lives there and was kind enough to let us stay with her! I was so excited to see her and share her with Caroline. We were greeted at the train station by the lovely Simone and quickly whisked away to her “flat”. After we settled in a bit, we ate a delicious meal: lasagna with homemade chocolate cake (courtesy of our host). Then, we were ready to go out for the night! Well, actually-Simone made me shower first and change my clothes. SO…I showered and put on my least smelly clothes! Then, we were off to the wine fest! We were greeted by approximately 8 of Simone’s friends from Wurzburg.




They spoke very good English and Caroline and I had some fun conversations with them before Caroline and Simone managed to tell everyone that I was a singer and could play the piano. Somehow it became a game among the group to see how they could get me back to Julia’s apartment and do a private concert. As Caroline so eloquently said to me that night: “You are our act. We aren’t going to get in if we don’t have some sort of entertainment. And you are IT.” With that in mind, I was taken to Julia’s and did my best to live up to the reputation my friends had created for me in the previous hour and sang a few songs that I’d hoped were popular among Germans. I think it went okay because they didn’t kick me out! Caroline and I had a great night talking to Simone’s friends. One was named “Timo” , but I thought he said “Timone” (as in Timone and Pumba from The Lion King) so I kept calling him the wrong name all night! Other than that, and my moment of embarrassment when I knocked my wine glass off of the table and spilled the whole thing (apparently my hand-talking tendencies have become unquestionably obnoxious), the night was a smashing success!





The next day, Caroline and I did something utterly unspeakable…WE SLEPT IN. (I will give you a moment to catch your breath). It was AH-MAZING! Our slow morning began with brunch in the city with Simone, Alex and Allie (Simone’s friends). We savoured the coffee, waffles, meats, cheeses…everything. It was a wonderful start to the day. Then, Simone played the role of tour guide showing us the sights of Wurzburg. Next it was off to a town (that is too complicated to spell and not easy to remember…Sorry Simone!) that was BEAUTIFUL! We went there by boat and enjoyed being on the water and soaking up the sun. Before long, we found ourselves in a gelato shop (I know, VERY unusual for Caroline and I). This was the best deal we had EVER found throughout our trip. 5 scoops for 2.50 euro!!!!! Needless to say, we indulged. Then, Simone took us to the summer palace/gardens (we made a quick video…see previous blog post) and snapped some photos!





Next was a tour of the Wurzburg Fortress with a private tour guide-Simone’s Dad! We had a nice history lesson on the town of Wurzburg and some great views! It was really fun, but we were very hot, sweaty and thus, very anxious to get home and have a shower. Shortly after, we were heading to the Residence Square which was where everyone else in Wurzburg was heading! This was because a member of the Dallas Mavericks, (winner of the NBA playoffs) and MVP, Dirk Nowitzky was coming back for a visit to his hometown-Wurzburg, Germany! There were roughly 10,000 people in the blazing heat ready to welcome home their favourite player. Caroline and I joined in on the fun. Our favourite part of the whole event was when the German band, Cascada performed. Apparently nobody in Germany actually LISTENS to her because Caroline and I were the only ones singing and dancing because we knew the words to half of the songs. After 1 ½ hours, we were hot and hungry but Derk came out, made his speech (that we couldn’t understand for obvious reasons) and then it was all over! We stopped for Chinese food, and then headed home to watch a movie and get to bed relatively early because Caroline had to leave the next morning at 5:30!


The time came when I had to say goodbye to Caroline and it was so sad! It has been such a wonderful blessing getting to spend so much time with her since we live so far apart during the year. I couldn’t have asked for a better travel buddy! Thankfully, I know we will travel again…as single ladies or with our respective families as we’ve already decided that our future children will be best friends. Haha Anyway, it was fantastic having her here and I miss her already! The good thing was, I would be re-united with my sisters, Ingrid and Kristen and my Dad the following day. However, I still had another day in Wurzburg to spend with Simone!
We slept in, had breakfast on her porch, did some shopping, stopped for a fruit juice and basically just “hung out”. This is something I hadn’t done for a long time. We had a blast talking and laughing. I had to spend the afternoon re-packing my backpack, but then we went out for dinner with Simone’s Dad, sister (Silke) and Silke’s boyfriend (Stefan).




It was the best meal I ever had traveling in Europe thus far! It was so much fun seeing my dear Simone, but I fell asleep quickly because I had to be up at LITERALLY the crack of dawn (3:30 AM) to catch the train to the Frankfurt Airport where I would meet my family.

Unfortunately, my family wasn’t there to greet me at the gate because their plane was late so I slept for awhile until they finally made it. We didn’t have much time to catch up before we were boarding the plane for Athens! I couldn’t believe I was already heading to Greece. I was so excited, and tried to prepare myself for the hot weather. When we got out of the airport (Praise the Lord all of our bags made it), we took a cab to our hotel. I didn’t think there was a vehicle big enough to fit all of our stuff (Kristen and Dad’s bikes are folded up into two giant suitcases), but sure enough there was a driver who used a net to make it all fit.
The ride into town was pretty crazy. I kept on looking behind me because I thought that one of the bags was going to fly loose on the freeway. Thankfully, that didn’t happen and we made it to our hotel without any baggage casualties. We didn’t do much that day because the other three were so jet lagged, so they slept for 4 hours while I read, went on the computer and…had a mini-nap as well. We DID go out for dinner that night, however and I was reminded of how much I love Greek food. We had a great meal and it was fun catching up with my family after…6 months. I didn’t unload all of my random stories on them in one night, of course but there were plenty of stories from all of us to go around. We did a little exploring that night, but the following day was our big sightseeing day.

We started off by doing a Rick Steve’s walking tour. He never lets us down. First was the Syntagma Square (the infamous location for all the rioting that has been going on in Athens). From there we went down the shopping street and saw a traditional Greek orthodox church. We saw a few of those that day. Then, we saw Hadrian’s Arch and the ruins “Hadrianopolis”, a community devoted to the Roman Emperor at the time. It was interesting to see the ancient ruins in the middle of a modern, bustling city.






Our walk led us through a small village (filled with random cats…) and eventually to the Ancient Agora. The Ancient Agora was the social and commercial centre of ancient Athens. I learned a lot there…including a few rules that I was not aware of before my entry:
1.No posing for pictures! (This was yelled at me when I tried to organize a fun picture with the three of us girls peeking out of the columns of the temple. Apparently, pictures are allowed, but creative pictures are inappropriate. Sue me.)
2.No shorts or bare arms in holy places (Okay, okay I should know this by now after all the churches that I went to in Italy, but I still can’t believe there are people who can walk around in 32 degree weather wearing pants and long sleeves)
3.No sitting! (Note to self: don’t sit on anything that looks like a rock. It is not a rock. It is an ancient ruin and you will get in trouble from a woman with a whistle if you sit within a meter of it.)




We took a nap in the afternoon because, well if you know my Dad he loves naps and hates heat so…the heat of the day is a perfect time for “a little lie down”. We saved the Acropolis for the evening. We’d heard that there would be less people there and of course, it would be cooler. We were not disappointed. After walking through the grand entrance (The Propylaea), we saw the famous Parthenon. Kristen read the details on each major sight: The Temple of Athena Nike, The Monument of Agrippa, The Erechtheion, The Temple of Roma, and The Porch of Caryatids. It was really interesting to hear how all of the major sights were built back in ancient times, and even more incredible to see them still standing today! We also had a great view of Athens from the hill.






I also saw the cutest family there! We all know I can't see a cute family and NOT take a picture. I could only get the father and son, but I couldn't resist!

We were quite tired by dinner time and of course, we couldn’t sit down anywhere (obviously). There were even people hired to literally sit in a little booth and blow a whistle if someone sat down on something or went to close to a major monument. (See picture of obnoxious behaviour below).

That night we had a traditional Greek meal, did a little bit of shopping on our way back to the hotel, and then admired the view of the Acropolis from our balcony.



The next day, we were supposed to head out the Greek Island of Antiparos, but the ferry schedule was a bit different than expected, so the girls went to see the changing of the guards while Dad went to the new Acropolis museum which he really enjoyed.
And…that was it for Athens! Of course, this is a condensed version of our time there, but we really enjoyed the city, didn’t have any trouble with the riots and were excited to head off to the islands for some rest and relaxation!
Sending hugs to you all!
A

Hiking, Bike Tours & Castles...What more could a girl want?!

Hello and greetings to you from Germany! This blog is chock full of adventures, pictures and of course, a video.
Our first stop in Germany was Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Yes, I know. This is a town that most of you have never heard of. Don't worry-it isn't because you aren't well traveled. It's because Garmisch is a small mountain town that is sort of in the middle of nowhere. However, Caroline had heard about this town from her friends, and I later found out my Mom had traveled there before and loved it. Well, Carebear and I loved it too! It was a long train ride from Zurich, but we finally made it to Garmisch and were greeted by Trish, a friend of Caroline's that had lived in Garmisch for many years. After dropping our stuff of at the hostel, she showed us around the charming little town. She also was able to take us to the military post where we could buy cheap, American food (which I haven't had for a LONG time) and then bought us dinner. We were so thankful for her hospitality!! Caroline and I went for a walk that night after dinner and enjoyed breathing in the fresh air and appreciating the beautiful creation around us!






The next day we were planning on taking a day trip to a town just outside of Munich, called Duchau. This is where the first concentration camp was established by Hitler in 1933. It is really difficult to describe what is was like being there. I'd studied WWII in so many classes and thought I knew about the realities of the concentration camps, but it was completely different actually being there. To be in the gas chambers and see the bunkers was very powerful. We had a guided tour and though I could recite facts for you about the many that were killed there and their experiences, it simply won't do justice to the experience of actually being there. Hopefully these pictures give you a sense of what it was like.





After seeing Dachau, Caroline and I split up (for the first time in 3 weeks!) She went to the Olympic Village and I just wandered around people watching and doing some souvenir shopping.
That night, Caroline and I began choreographing our next music video. And took some pictures while we were at it...


The main purpose of going to Garmisch was so that Caroline and I could do some hiking. We did two hikes. The first was Partnachklamm, a gorge that was absolutely STUNNING. It was one of my favourite hikes that I've ever done. Lots of rock (which Zach would've loved), waterfalls, and lots of FRESH AIR!!



After about an hour there, we started hiking to the top of the mountain, Echbauer. It was about a two hour hike, and it was filled with lots of laughs and great conversations. We were so hot by the time we got to the top that we rewarded ourselves with what the Germans call a "Radler'. This is a mixture of beer and lemonade. Normally, I would say skip the beer and I'll take the lemonade, but I decided to just go for it and drink it anyway. It was surprisingly good and very refreshing!








Then we headed down the mountain and took a 4 hour nap when we got home.
Our next day was spent in Munich. This was a place that we wished we had more time, but we only had one full day so we had to make the most of it! We figured we would see a lot if we did a city biking tour. We were not disappointed! Our tour guide, Tom took us on a 4 hour bike ride through a big chunk of the city and we were able to see historical buildings, the English Gardens, the second largest beer garden in the world AND lots of naked people who feel that tanning in the nude is the only way to go. That was my least favourite part of the tour, I must say. Usually, there are about 15 people on a tour but in our case, there were only 5 of us. Caroline, myself, Mikka (from Jordan, currently living in Dubai) and the twin sisters Jess and Erin (who we thought were mother and daughter at first). The other three were really random people and the twins didn't seem like they wanted to be there at all. They were definitely not amused by Tom's comedic slant on things and were just really awkward. Mikka, on the other hand was very excited to be on the tour. I think his excitement got the best of him because he crashed his bike three times (one of those times colliding with Caroline and two pedestrians) when just a few seconds earlier he was telling Caroline that I was "the slow one" of the group. It's called CONTROL, Mikka. CONTROL. Anyway, it was a great time. The sun was shining, our tour guide was fantastic and we saw so much of the city!






The beer garden was so cool (and Chinese themed which was sort of weird to me) and had GREAT pretzels and yes, I had beer again. This was a new record for me. Two beers in two days!


One of the stops along the way was a man-made surfing wave in the river. When the river was built, the current was too strong, so they tried to slow it down and as a result, a great wave for surfers resulted. Until last year, it was illegal to surf there (even though everyone did anyways), but now it has become a haven for German surfers!


After the tour ended, we saw some of the sights on foot. We saw three churches, hiked 300 steps to the lookout point, and got some ice cream! Then, we walked back to our hostel appreciating the glorious weather! We ate gulasch that night while watching the FIFA Women's World Cup in a sports bar and then went to bed early because we had a big day ahead of us!



Ever since Caroline and I decided we were going to visit Germany, she could not stop talking about the Neuschwanstein Castle. We took a day trip out to Fussen, to catch a bus that would eventually take us to this famous castle that was the inspiration for the Disney Castle's design. It was packed with tourists, and it was boiling hot but it was really cool to see. Our guided tour provided us with a chance to see a lot of the rooms inside (unfortunately we couldn't take pictures!) and see the great views from the windows. Then, we got on the train for Wurzburg after getting a pretzel and a slurpee! It was a crazy day, but one of our best!










Then, it was off to Wurzburg to visit my dear friend Simone. When we were there, we made this lil' video titled "Backpacking Divas". My next post will have more details about Wurzburg, but this is a little teaser for you all!
Sending love, hugs and smiles!