My Trip to Europe!
I am putting this behind a cut because it is LONG. It's 14 days worth of rambling.
Day 1:
Song of the Day: Collective Soul- “The World I Know.”
I really don’t have to go into detail about the flight. Being 6’3” on a 9 hour flight sucks balls. Enough said.
We landed in Munich at 7:58 am, Germany time. Called the parents to let them know I didn’t fall out of the airplane and I was indeed alive and well. It was about 2am eastern time, so I was surprised I hadn’t woken them up. Wished them a Merry Christmas as Eddy grabbed our bags to get off the plane. It was interesting to walk through the airport and not really see anything in English. I’m so used to Atlanta having their signage in English, plus about four other languages. I could make out what some things were, but I am better at understanding Japanese than I am with German, as ass backwards as that is.
Got a stamp in my passport, felt like Sandra Bullock from, “While You Were Sleeping.” … just much taller, redder hair, and this was Munich not Florence… other than that it was totally the same. O.o
Met up with Eddy’s mother after the whole epic stamping of the passport. She is tiny and sweet, we seemed to have hit it off pretty well. We meandered through the airport for a bit looking for the money exchange and after that we headed out for the hour and a half drive through Munich to get to Tutzing.
Long car rides are long.
We made it to her tiny but absolutely adorable apartment in one piece, but Eddy and I were tired and starving. Could have easily passed as zombies with the slow slurred speech and drooling on ourselves. O.o
Anna, Eddy’s mom, made us breakfast. Consisted of toast, scrambled eggs, fresh hot, HUGE pretzels, fresh olives and artichoke hearts, and mango yogurt. She also made fresh squeezed orange juice and some coffee. I put cream cheese and chives on my pretzel. Om nom nom…
After this she informed us that we were staying in the castle- (CASTLE?! We’re staying in a fucking CASTLE!?)- across the way. It’s decked out inside for conferences and such and she works in the reception office and secured a room for us in it. Currently we are the only people in the entire castle. We have a key to the front gate, front door, to the door to the apartment area and a key to our room. Lots of keys. O.O
We crashed out till 5pm Germany time, and then headed back to Anna’s for Christmas dinner and to exchange presents. Had Pumpkin soup, really nice salad, roast duck, dumplings with mushroom sauce and red kraut. Had a red wine with it all and water with lemon slices in it. Finished it off with ice cream in the shape of a star, fruit salad that she made (OMG tasty), with a cherry schnapps on top. Forget what it’s called. Also ate my net worth in delicious cookies. >.<
I got nice pair of wool socks, a German high fashion magazine with nice make up techniques in it, and a 25 euro gift card for a really nice make up and such store right in town. New make up here I come. :D
We went for a walk after that. Went to a pub right up the street and sat there for a few hours gabbing away. I got a hot chocolate. So adventurous of me, huh? It was good, shuddup.
We walked Anna home after that (I stole more of her cookies) and we headed back to the castle- (ZOMG!!! CASTLE!!!)
I am writing this as I lay sprawled out on the bed-(VERY cozy and warm)- and Eddy is dead to the world next to me. The grounds are supposedly beautiful, and we are right next to the really nice lake in Tutzing. Going to explore the grounds tomorrow morning since we are the only ones here. This has been a surreal yet amazing day. J
It’s 6pm on Christmas day in Georgia, yet it’s midnight here. Crazy. Going to crash out now. >.<
Oh… and um… Merry Christmas. O.o
***
Day 2:
Song of the Day: Sixpence None The Richer- “There She Goes”
So I got a call at 2am(8pm Georgia time) from my brother Jonathan… wait, I take that back, EDDY got a call at 2am from MY brother. There are times I think he likes Eddy more than me, and those times are most of the time. :P
Anyway, woke us up, no biggie since our sleep schedule is already eff’ed up. Proceeded to ramble to Eddy and such, I think he was wishing us a Happy Holiday or something. So Eddy gives me the phone and I groggily answer-
“Hullo?...”
“Hey! What are you guys doing in bed so early?..”
“Jonathan, we’re in Germany.”
“You’re in Germany?! That’s weird!”
He then started telling me I should quote Hitler while I’m here and demanded I bring him back absinthe. Hello all, this is my crazy older brother Jonathan. He’s great even though he’s ridiculous. I gave the phone back to Eddy and they talked longer than he talked to me. Dork. >.>…
Took me an hour and the rest of my Christmas cookies to fall back to sleep, but it happened around 3-3:30 or so. Woke up at 12:30 to Eddy showering and the blanket wrapped around me like a feather down python. I swear I must do yoga in my sleep. He came over and poked me and snuggled with me till I woke up. I showered; water pressure in this castle is AMAZING. Our water pressure loving friends would have squealed like school girls at how nice it was.
Went to Anna’s for breakfast. Scrambled eggs, toast, the bomb diggity fruit salad again, and she made me a double espresso with her espresso machine. I had two of them so I was ready to go to a marathon after we ate. She had a friend over named Connie who was very sweet; she said I reminded her of Mary Poppins. O.o
When we stepped out the door I waved at an older gentleman who was down on the street. He smiled and waved back and started rambling to me in German. I smiled back and nodded my head. No idea what he said, but I just acted like I did. >.<
All four of us went into town to see a festival where all of the horses in the nearby towns came over and were blessed. We caught the end of it and got some warmed up, spiced wine. Connie gave Eddy and I a kiddy cup of the wine, same size as the adult just had cartoon animals painted on the side. I thought it was funny they had kid cups for the alcoholic beverage, but reminded myself that this was indeed Germany. :P
I noticed I got a lot of random looks while I was in town, but Eddy told me it was more than likely because I am sort of exotic looking for Tutzing. I didn’t see any red heads in town at all and I was wearing my long red coat to match. I was like a vibrant splotch roaming around town. I thought with my build I blended in, not really. >.<
After the festival we wondered back to the castle so Anna could show us around. I took a couple pictures of the grounds and some of the mountains you could see from the edge of the lake. It’s beautiful here, I still can’t get over the fact I am in Germany.
We are in the room now taking a breather before we go to a little organic restaurant in town. I will continue my ramble after that. :)
Day 2, Part 2-
Walked to Anna’s to meet up to go to the organic restaurant called, “Déjà vu.”
Om nom nom…
Had a platter of random cheeses and a nice salad covered in a light vinaigrette with homemade bread and olive oil. That was followed by a really good pasta with shrimp. Had a cappuccino, COOKIES :D, and homemade egg nog after dinner. The egg nog was stroooong, woof. Eddy gave me the rest of his too because of how strong it was. Smart, give the light weight visiting another country for the first time more alcohol. >.<
Sat around for a bit enjoying the company, one of the girls eating at the restaurant was totally checking Eddy out. I have to admit I caught myself being a little possessive… maybe a little… >.>…
ANYWAY- :P
Headed back to Anna’s to relax and read a little. Had some peppermint tea and curled up on the couch with Eddy for two hours before making our trek back to the castle. A castle. A Effin’ CASTLE. I never get tired of saying that. We are staying in a castle, all by ourselves. AAAAAHHHH!!!!!..... Yeah, no one heard that because WE ARE THE ONLY ONES HERE!!! Mwahahahaha!!! Ok, I’m done… for now. :P
Good night all, will ramble more tomorrow. J
Day 3:
Song of the Day: The Doors- “When You’re Strange.”
We totally slept till 1pm German time today. We are such bums. Through showering and scrambling to get ready, we didn’t get over to Anna’s for a late breakfast till 2pm. Coffee, fresh grape fruit, eggs, a cheese platter with olives and homemade bread to start the day is always nice. ^.~
Went on a walk along the lake toward the Villa that Anna lived at for 15 years. The lake was beautiful and crystal clear. I walked to the edge of the dock and looked straight down into the deep water and could see the bottom. I just had a vibrant blue hue to it that made it even more beautiful with the snowy mountains in the distance. I had the urge to jump in, but this time of year I would pop out as a Barrie-sicle. >.<
The walk to where the Villa used to be was a 30-45 minute walk, but it was very scenic all along the pathway. Passed a little pond where people were playing ice hockey, which was awesome.
The Villa was torn down about 5 years ago; it was Eddy’s home while in Germany. Lots of childhood memories. I could tell it was hard for him that he didn’t get to see it one more time. Wish I could have seen it too. :(
We walked back, and Eddy and I went back to the castle to relax before heading off to have dinner at a pizza place in town. I had sprite with my amazing pizza. Didn’t taste like sprite, but hey, it’s Germany. :P
Swung by Déjà vu again to get some hot chocolate before Eddy and I came back to the castle to call it an early night. Tomorrow is Munich. :D
Short day, will babble more tomorrow. :)
Day 4:
Song of the Day: Ramstein- “Du Hast Mich”
I woke up at 10am so I could brave the town on my own and use the 25 euro gift card Anna gave me for Christmas for the makeup store in town. I walked in and no one spoke English. >.<
Prices weren’t on anything and I saw a ton of stuff I liked, but more than likely out of my price range. Every time one of the girls came by we kind of grunted a little and waved our arms a little. Guess that’s what happens if there is a language barrier. O.o
So eventually a lady who was out smoking and worked at the shop came back in. She spoke some English… thank God. >.<
Ended up getting a mascara that looks AWESOME. It’s from Paris. OOOoooooo… yeah, really don’t care if it’s from Zimbabwe, as long as it works really well. Cost 24.95 euro. AHA bitches!!! Who is good!? That’s right, M-E! ME! **currently wiggling around and doing a victory dance on the bed**
ANYWAY…-ahem- …Came back and went to the store with Eddy and got breakfast. Herb cream cheese, raspberry jam, butter, two baguettes, two tangerines, he got carbonated lemon water and I got red berry Fanta. It was a good breakfast. :D
Made our way through the town to the train station after that and took it into Munich where we met up with Anna. Pretty much wandered through the opened air market and stared at the huge, beautiful buildings. The town hall is GI-NORMOUS! It looks like a text book picture of the old Gothic style. Hell, I bet it has a picture in a text book as the Gothic style. O.o
Ate grilled salmon, stir fry veggies, rice and a salad at a little restaurant next to the market. Had an ice cream sundae that had a hint of something alcoholic in it. Uber tastey. :)
After that picked up some fresh cherries in the market and checked out the huge Gothic church. Wow… it was amazing.
It’s sad that I got just as excited to go into the 7 story book store. Barrie= Geek. >.<
Saw a living statue!!!! I announced, “Wow!” loudly and made a bee line for him. He winked at me and made a kissy face. This caused me to get embarrassed and burst into giggles as I bounced by him happily. I am a giant two year old sometimes.
My day in Munich was wonderful. Nearly fell on someone on the train ride back. Good times, good times.
On the walk to Anna’s for dinner, I coined to phrase, “Das Uber Schnitzel!” This caused Eddy to snicker a bit. Totally worth the chance of a native hearing me.
Dinner was great. Chicken sausage with Swiss mustard, and a homemade veggie soup. Had a salad before. The salads here are friggin’ amazing. So fresh and containing ingredients I would never think to add. Like corn, you might think, “WTF?”, but I now say, “Nay nay- Tis’ om nom nom worthy!”
Had chocolate mousse, MORE COOKIES, and coffee for desert. I am so glad we walk everywhere otherwise I might have to spring for two seats to fly home to America.
Chatted a little more, said our goodbyes for the night, then hit the streets with Eddy in search of a cigarette vending machine (W-Wut?!)
Did I mention it was cold as balls and I had to pee? I didn’t? Well it was and I did.
Found one three thousand miles up hill in the snow (Shut up! It felt like it!) and it turns out you need to slide your GERMAN ID through for it to verify your age. Sad Panda, no cigarettes for you.
This caused Eddy to yell at the machine, “You Hate me!” In which I translated for the machine, “Du Hast mich!”
Apparently repetitive German songs brought to America come in handy for comedic relief.
Well on the trek back I was babbling to Eddy and suddenly screamed loudly, “Du Hast mich das uber schnitzel!” which caused me to snort and giggle.
Eddy thinks I’m crazy, but HE’S the one who brought me to Europe. Who’s the crazy one? :D
Day 5:
Song of the Day: The Proclaimers- “I’m On My Way.”
Morning involved rushing around, packing, cleaning our room we were in at the castle and packing up the car to do the 4-5 hour drive to Switzerland. I downed three cups of coffee, a pretzel and a piece of a baguette. Stomach turned into the pits of Hell and burned so bad the first 3 hours of the trip I just made myself go unconscious in the back seat. Woke up for driving through the tip of Austria though. I am part Austrian from my father’s side. Like ¼ Austrian actually. I believe my great grandmother was from a village around Vienna, my Grandmother has babbled some about it to me. So I am very excited to go and visit it. I’m also part German, so getting to spend so much time in Germany is wonderful. Though I have come to realize my mom is COMPLETELY WRONG about me meeting people who resemble me over here. Almost every woman I see is shorter with brown or blonde hair. Almost everyone has blue eyes(There are brown, not as common as blue though) and my facial structure is all wrong.
They have very round, large eyes. I have almond shaped eyes. They have square or angular faces. I have more of a softer, oval face. Things Eddy and I were throwing back and forth while we were waiting for Anna in Munich.
Anyway, I got off subject. The last two hours of the trip I was only kind of nauseous. Eddy got me a sprite (THANK THE LORD ALMIGHTY IN HEAVEN!!!) and I started to feel better. Just in time for me to stare in awe as we drove through the Swiss Alps. ZOMG B-E-A-Utiful. I did cling to the “Oh Shit!” handle in the car as we drove around on the sides of the mountains. Fear of heights anyone? *Waves her hand frantically* Ooh! Ooh! Me! Pick me!
Swung by a McDonald’s (I know! I thought the same thing! O.o) so I could pee. While waiting for Anna to go to the restroom too, I was being stared at weirdly by a family in there. I didn’t even speak English or anything! Sheesh… So I went and waited by the trash can and stared at Eddy while he smoked his cigarette outside. We had a conversation with our hands. We are perfect for each other. Hyuk hyuk hyuk…
FINALLY got to the family home in Gersau, Switzerland shortly after that. Eddy’s 18 year old cousin, Josephine, is here by herself since her parents(Eddy’s aunt and uncle) are out of town for their yearly vacation. They went to Egypt (Wut?! Totally envious. On my to do list. :P) this time. The home is beautiful, apparently been in the family for a few generations from the stories I heard tonight. Very cool. Right on the crystal clear, Luzern lake. There is a mountain on the other side of the lake that supposedly during the day is reflected in the water since it’s so clear.
*Points* There’s a mountain over there! Like, with snow and stuff like that on it! Holy crap! *digs for her camera* Barrie=Tourist.
Josephine made us spaghetti, ‘cause she’s made of win. Had a salad with it and just sat around chatting. Watched Garfield the movie for the first time… it was in German. I honestly think I enjoyed it more than I would have in English. Bill Murray was right to regret Garfield in Zombie Land. Good call, bro. Good call.
Now I am in bed, typing away on my journal. I have internet and decided to nag Ariel a little. Mwahahaha…
That’s what you get for being online Ariel! Ha!
Day 6:
Song of the Day: Thing One- “Move It.”
Woke up around 11:30 am, I had to drag myself out of bed because the room we are sleeping in has blinds that block out all light. I wouldn’t have known what time it was if I hadn’t checked. O.o
The blinds are electronic too. I hit a button on the wall and they started to rise so I could see the lake and the mountains. It’s such an amazing view. I have taken about twenty gazillion pictures of it, no worries.
So we got up, showered, and went out to lunch… at McDonald’s. I actually wanted to eat there to see if there was a difference. Other than an extra choice in fries(potato wedges), a couple different sauces, and the price being OUTRAGEOUS… no difference. It cost us about 20-25 US dollars to eat there.
We then hit the grocery store so I could make dinner. I felt at home just wandering around the aisles to be honest. At first it was a bit intimidating, and prices were hard to figure out, but ingredients are something I know. Even some of the exotic stuff I knew what it was.
Decided on shrimp stir fry with jasmine rice and salad. Had zucchini, bean sprouts, carrots, snow peas, red peppers, mushrooms, fresh corn I scraped off the cob and garlic (of course!)
Also had some little, odd looking Asian fruit called Litches. They are pronounced, “Leeches.” So when Anna kept offering us fresh ‘Leeches’, I was a little confused. O.o…
I got to make it in the super snazzy kitchen. I really enjoyed cooking in it. Everything was electronic, but the stove was such a good stove that it was as responsive as a gas stove. If I turned the heat down or off it cooled immediately. So awesome.
After dinner we went to watch Josephine rehearse with her band. She sings songs in English from Stevie Wonder to John Mayer. They are really good. Watched them for a few hours and hung out in the rehearsal space drinking a little. Anna was getting tired so she headed back to hit the sack, and shortly after that we went to the pub down the way called, “Le Pirate.”
Ninja senses, tingling!
Three of the six people we were hanging out with were fluent in English. Two understood us alright. One didn’t understand at all for the most part.
I ended up talking to Mario a lot, the one who didn’t understand English at all for the most part. It was hilarious, had to have Melanie(she was almost as tall as me!!!) translate things we didn’t understand when speaking to one another. Had a blast just hanging out at the pub and having a few drinks. All in all a very nice day. :D
Day 7:
Song of the Day: Daft Punk- “Da Funk.”
New Years Eve!
Woke up about 11:30, Josephine had already left to go watch the Gersau foot race. Anna and she had already eaten so we skipped breakfast and started preparing lunch. Anna made us this weird (but delicious) cheesecake that wasn’t sweet. It was like an extravagant pizza with no tomato sauce. It was heated in the oven and we had a few of the left over stir fry vegetables with it. Accompanied with mango ice tea it made for a fantastic lunch.
We sat down and literally read until it was time for the four of us to go (7pm) to our New Years Eve dinner at a five star restaurant called, “The Ferie.”
Had a 7 course meal. OMG… So good. Took four hours to eat it.
1: Salad with smoked tuna, 2: Pumpkin soup with shredded dear, 3: Fresh fish that is native to the lake of Gersau, 4:Grapefruit sorbet with a shot of Cappari(sp?) over top, 5: Roast beef, mushrooms, potatoes and broccoli(I didn’t eat the roast beef), 6: Brie cheese, pear and a slice of pumpernickel bread, 7: Chocolate mousse, fresh pineapple and figs, and banana ice cream that I believe was made in the restaurant. Had some coffee to finish it off and we were done by 11pm. :)
Came back to watch some Swiss television(A funny little skit that is apparently tradition to watch).
At midnight we made a toast with some horrendous champagne (Josephine took a sip and made a face like someone poked her in the stomach. She said, “Guh… this is awful.”) and watched as fireworks went off on different locations all over the mountains. It was beautiful. :)
Eddy, Josephine and I packed up into the car after that and drove to a village ten minutes away so we could watch the fireworks over the lake. Got some decent shots of that, it was surreal watching it.
Came back to the house, made the hot chocolate we gave Josephine for Christmas (What possessed me to think that giving American instant hot cocoa to a girl who lives in Switzerland? I am retarded. >.<)
Played a game equivalent to Uno, but more than likely came before Uno. It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed hanging out with Josephine. She’s pretty awesome. Eddy and I are talking her into coming to America in the summer so we can drag her all over the place. I would love to take her to Six Flags or even Tybee too. I think she would have a blast. Though more than likely would have to beat our male single friends off with a stick. She is very pretty and she would be hit on like nobody’s business. >.<
After the game we crashed out for the night. It was funny to think that it was 2010 here, but Georgia still had a few hours of 2009 left. :)
Day 8:
Song of the Day: Dixie Chicks-“Wide Open Spaces.”
Woke up at noon, of course. :P
Got packed and pretty much hung out a bit with Josephine before we got into the car to drive to Basil, well a small village outside of it called, “Obermumpf”
When you say it, it sounds like you are talking with your mouth full. Not much to say about today except for traveling and meeting Hector and Christine. Hector is Eddy’s Dads best friend. They seem like good people. :D
After Hector left for work we sat down and chatted with Christine over a bottle of organic Champagne. I can always tell right when I get tipsy because I can feel the heat in my cheeks. >.<
Called it an early night, but ended up sitting upstairs with Eddy and just talking. Ninja’ed my way down stairs at about midnight to snag one of the huge oranges I saw in their fruit bowl when I arrived. I was being very quiet, but one of the times I set my foot down the phone rang and I thought I set off an alarm. >.<
So yeah… pretty quiet night. O.O…
Day 9:
Song of the Day: Cowboy Mouth-“I Believe.”
The room we are staying in has walls painted in clay and looks like a tropical rainforest. There was a ladder leading up to the bed (heated water bed, whoo!) we slept in.
Came down for breakfast and to chat before we were going to head into Basel. Hector(Who is also a nurse) and Christine are very organic eaters. Hell, Hector and their two daughters are vegetarians. So I know what ever I eat here is good for me. :)
Hector made this thick, bright green drink that is nothing but flax seeds, fruit, and Spirolina. He warned us if we weren’t healthy eaters before that it could cause some digestive “issues” very shortly after eating.
I am proud to say I have been walking and parading around all day… “issue” free. ;)
Headed into Basel shortly after that. Christine pointed out the Black Forest on the way, that was pretty cool. She literally pointed and said, “Hey, that’s the Black Forest over there.” And I was like, “Cool!” Good times, good times… o.O…
It had snowed the night before and today it had gotten pretty cold. I was practically attached to Eddy for warmth when we got into the city.
We went… shopping. I guess you could call it that. I guess I don’t have the female gene that drives me to just go shopping for the hell of it. Don’t get me wrong, I like to shop when I need something. Clothes, Groceries, Christmas shopping… in October, shoes… you know, normal things you shop for. I only enjoy it when I am going with a purpose and I know what store/stores I want to go to. I don’t like going to a new city to just shop. I would have a blast wandering around with a camera.
I did have fun though; Hector and Christine are a riot.
Swiss rap makes me giggle. o.O…
We ate at a place called Felini. My personal four cheese pizza cost 24 Swiss francs, that’s about 24 dollars. It was good, but EXPENSIVE. Had a glass of Italian red wine… and a sprite. O.o
I felt guilty when Hector paid, but how can I argue? >.<
So after Basel we swung by a shopping mall that went over the interstate so we could pick up some shampoo and conditioner. Scratched that idea after ever brand we found smelled like our dog or flea shampoo.
Now we are back at the house and relaxing. Going to eat the dark chocolate and strawberries we got in town and snuggle in bed tonight. Swiss chocolate and a heated water bed. I’m set. :D
Day 10:
Song of the Day: Mika Bomb- “Stuck in the Middle.”
Woke up to a Ukrainian musician visiting Christine. His German wasn’t too good, but hey, he was doing better than me. He didn’t speak English either so we did the grunting and waving thing. Yeah, that’s how I roll. >.<
Christine managed to get me to drink a glass of champagne with them. She’s an enabler, hilarious and an all around sweet person, but she knows how to Ninja a glass of alcohol in front of you before you knew what happen. Her Ninjutsu is strong when it comes to sneaky alcohol.
So I had a glass of champagne… as soon as I woke up… before breakfast. @.@...
I definitely needed it with everyone around me speaking a different language. I am very good at listening and figuring stuff out, but not when German, Swiss German, and a little bit of Spanish is flying around. I wandered up stairs to talk to Eddy so I could hear some English. O.O…
So after the musician left, I had a huge glass of the green super food Hector makes and we all sat down for some breakfast. Eggs, homemade bread from the neighbor, pickles and honey from Christine’s bees. She’s a bee keeper! That’s so bad ass!
We actually went on a thirty minute walk after breakfast to go see Christine’s bees. Eddy, Hector and I got into a very long but interesting conversation on health and nutrition. I was eating it up. After that he showed us a 200 year old house across the street from theirs. Needs work, but it was really cool to see it.
When we got back Hector gave me a few nutrition books and a healthy recipe book that I am looking forward to reading. I’m a dork, but there is a reason why I got into this field. I have a passion for it and enjoy doing research.
After that we packed into the car and started back to Tutzing. Loooong car rides are fucking LONG… AND COLD.
It’s always a bad sign when you watch the window by your head freeze before your eyes.
We stopped for dinner at a little Italian place next to a gas station. I felt like it was backwoods Douglasville, it just needed to be BBQ not Italian… and Georgia not Germany… but whatever. :P
We are back now and I am rubbing my poor cold feet till they are no longer numb. I need some snuggle time with Eddy and some hot tea and I’ll be set. :D
Day 11:
Song of the Day: Deana Carter- “We Danced Anyway.”
Today was my day alone with Eddy. Muuuuch needed alone time with the boy. We woke up when we wanted and when he looked like he was going to be dead to the world a little longer, I decided to walk to the store and get us some breakfast. Yogurt, bread, tangerines and shampoo… we weren’t eating the shampoo. O.o
So when I got back, he hopped into the shower and I ate my breakfast while he got ready. After he ate, we made the mile trip UP HILL… IN THE SNOW… LITERALLY... to the train station. Got there around noon and bought our day passes in a hurry because the train we THOUGHT was ours was about to leave any second. Sprinted down the platform, walked carefully but hastily down the icy stairs (Did not want to fall on my ass) and ran over to the other platform. We got onto the train just in time. Sat down, got comfy for the long trip to Munich… to realize that the train started moving… in the wrong direction. >.<
SHIT!
We had the wrong tickets for that direction too so we would have gotten fined if the ticket taker came by. It took fifteen minutes to get to the next stop which we promptly got off and went in search for the office, and hopefully someone who spoke a little English. Eddy can speak a bit of German, and with some who speaks a bit of English we are golden.
We found out when the next train to Munich was, had to buy two tickets to get back to Tutzing so we could use the tickets we already had, and we had to wait another thirty minutes. We took the time to go into the little bakery and get carbonated apple juice( Apfel Chorle! :D If it’s not carbonated it would be Apfel Saft. ;P) I also got a cream filled doughnut. Eddy was highly amused to the point of taking pictures of my while I ate it. Brat. >.<
ANYWAY… we got on the right train and headed into Munich! Whoo!
Got into the central station and HOLY CRAP it was huge. All the stores and stuff to see, you could just hang out in the station all day. O.o
I bought a hat… it’s a nice hat… kept my ears warm ‘cause @$#&! It’s cold! >.<
Went into town and puttered around the market. Was nice to just wander about and be retards. I threatened to kick Eddy’s ass at one point and we made the joke that the German’s would more than likely assume we were Irish. Lulz…
Went into a store and bought a bear for my mom that is wearing a shirt that says, “I <3 Munchen,” also bought an ornament for next Christmas to be our couple ornament for next year. Eddy and I have this thing we do, we pick out our personal ornaments and we pick out an ornament as a couple every year. Got the idea when I was living with Kim. They do it every year and we thought it was sweet. Thus started our tradition. Thought our couple ornament should come from Germany this year. :D
Anyway, also bought beer steins for our dads. I can’t wait to give them their presents. Got chocolate for everyone else. We love you, but we are poor and want to enjoy our European vacation. >.<
After that we went to a traditional German restaurant. Eddy had schnitzel (sausage), ham fried with onions, mushrooms and potatoes. I had turkey in a curry sauce with potatoes and mixed veggies. It was really good.
Though when I went down to pee there were no doors on the restrooms, so I didn’t know which one to go into. There was this random dude sitting down stairs playing a gameboy(or something like it). He looked up at me, looked me up and down, and then pointed to the woman’s bathroom. I called, “Danke!” as I ran in, and he said, “Bitte.” Without even looking up from his game. When I came out again and started running up the stairs I called, “Danke!” again and he replied, “Bitte.” Again, still not looking up from his game.
We went into the market after that, cackling and pushing each other around. It was fun. :)
We bought a piece of star fruit and some nice red grapes for back at the castle, then decided to make our way to the huge book store again.
Apparently, from Eddy’s logic, we could have sex in the middle of the book store and that would be ok since none of those people would see us ever again. I fail to see the logic in this and proceeded to poke him and cackle like a two year old in the English book section. I wonder if they guessed if we were American of not. >.>…
Made our way to the station after that. We actually had to sprint to our train as the conductor waved us on because we were the last ones to get on.
Eddy passed out for the ride, so I stayed awake and watched for our stop. Kind of like it was my watch of sorts. O.o
When we got back to Tutzing we swung by the store and bought some stuff to make hot chocolate at the castle. Needed to relax and thaw before dinner, so we took two hours to read our books and had something hot to drink before we even thought about braving the cold again.
Decided on a little Italian restaurant next to his mother’s place. He got a pizza and I got a tomato, basil and rosemary pasta with shrimp. When they brought it out the two shrimp on top actually still had their heads, the rest just their tails. Didn’t bother me, and I proceeded to go about cleaning them as I explained to Eddy that I think it’s important for every person who considers themselves a good cook should know how to clean and prepare meat… unless vegetarian or vegan of course. O.o
Most people just buy it in a package, already cleaned and prepared to be cooked. I think you should at least know how to cut it from the bone.
Anyway, we started to make the shrimp heads talk to each other. I made mine talk to Eddy in Spanish, then Japanese, then in Chinese. He made his introduce it’s self to me in German and explain that is was going to be my main course for the evening. He makes me cackle some times. :)
We had coffee after dinner and just sat there and babbled to each other for like another hour before heading back to the castle.
I am going to shower and get ready for bed, since tomorrow is AUSTRIA!!! *squee* I have been excited about this for months!
Day 12:
Song of the Day: Yes- “It Will Be A Good Day.”
Going to bed at two and waking up at eight so you can brave the cold sucks balls. Just saying.
Eddy and I got up early and made our way to the train station to make sure we didn’t miss the train to Salsburg, Austria. We got there with thirty minutes to spare so we got some drinks for the trip (2 ½ hour trip).
I have come to the conclusion that when in Europe, Fanta and Sprite will be my drink of choice. Most of the other decisions are in German and come in all types of odd looking colors.
We had to ride into Munich first so we could switch trains, but we had a little time before we could board. I went into a shop that was equivalent to Claire’s and Eddy went out to smoke.
Unlike Claire’s, this shop was also had lingerie. Who would buy lingerie at a train station? I guess it’s more of, “Ooh! That’s really cute! I think I’ll by it while I’m waiting for my train!”… maybe? I know I was tempted; some of the panties were really cute. >.>…
ANYWAY… boarded our train and we were on our way. I packed some grapes, a baguette, two pretzels and the herb cream cheese for the trip to munch on until we got there. Was a nice ride, was able to take some good pictures from the train too. I’m really excited to see how all the pictures we took turn out.
When we got there, the first sign I saw was for Burger King. Thought that was kind of funny.
Walked out of the train station and decided to putter around the little shops for a bit. Eddy and I went into a shop called, “Erotic Things.”
It was your basic sex store, but what I found interesting was when we went in they were playing the Beatles, “Help.”… not your typical sex store music. O.o
After that we found the main street and made a lap around the town.
Austrians have the worst road rage I have ever seen. I they even surpass New Yorkers. It was ridiculous. I felt like every block there was someone sticking their head out their window to yell at another car or to honk at bicyclists. It was a little entertaining, I won’t lie. :D
We took a few pictures at a really nice bridge to have as proof that we were in Austria, then hurried back to a café near the train station to defrost for a while and drink some coffee. I down mine in like one gulp because I was so cold so I got a latte to sip on while we opened our books and took up space for an hour. :)
I told Eddy I wanted to get something while in Austria for myself, so when we were looking for food he bought me a cute little giraffe back pack. I look like a two year old wearing it, but I love it. I named him George. :D
Ended up eating at McDonalds, was as expensive as Switzerland thank God. Got a chicken sandwich and shared some fries with Eddy. He got a burger that was huge. I was wishing I still ate beef after I ate my sandwich and was still hungry. >.<
Only had a few minutes before our train left so we got another coffee and hung out until it was time to board. Read and relaxed on the way back. There was one stop that a crap ton of people boarded and a little old German lady sat next to me. I couldn’t talk to her so that was awkward.
There were also two bigger women, maybe around my age, who boarded and sat across from us that kept giving me weird looks. When I wasn’t looking one would blatantly stare at me. It was dark outside so the windows were like mirrors. I would glance away to look at the window and sure enough she was staring at me. It wouldn’t have been so bad if her whole upper lip hadn’t been covered in snot. Just weirded me out like nobody’s business.
They got off a few stops before Munich and I was eternally grateful. >.<
When we got to Munich we had fifteen minutes to run over to the opposite side of the station and switch trains. The Munich hub is HUGE, so that was fun. >.<
Only took twenty or so minutes to get back to Tutzing, where we had to meet Anna at Déjà vu. She had a friend visiting from West Germany that she wanted Eddy to meet.
The first thing I ordered when I got there was hot chocolate to thaw me out. It’s SO cold here. >.<
Had some sautéed vegetables and turkey, very tasty. I really wanted something more filling than pasta too, so that was nice.
Hung out for a bit. Eddy and I conversed in English when they conversed in German. I think I am finally home sick because I’m looking forward to sitting at a table where I know what everybody is saying and it doesn’t have to be translated. It’s been a new experience, but I think two weeks for my first time out of the country is perfect. Ready to come home.
After the restaurant we went back to the castle and I pretty much bagged out early. Was a long day. Tomorrow is going to involve packing and getting stuff in order for the trip home.
Day 13:
Song of the Day: Tori Amos-“Wednesday.”
I woke up early, I guess because I went to bed early. Eddy was still asleep so I goofed off on the lap top for a while. Didn’t feel like packing yet. Everything is closed today because it’s Three King’s Day, or something like that. It’s the last of the European holidays, but it sucks because I couldn’t go to the little grocery store and bring stuff back before Eddy got up. >.<
Anyway, after he woke up and showered we ventured into what we thought was going to be a dead town. Was very happy to see that the bakery was open and the little coffee shop and Italian restaurant were open too.
So we sat down and had a nice breakfast at the bakery. It had a few tables for people to sit down and eat there, which was really nice. Because of how cold it was I kept catching myself gulping down my coffee for warmth. Had to keep ordering another one to just enjoy. >.>
After that we went back and rested for a while. The cold is exhausting. O.o
Headed over to Anna’s at about six to have our last dinner in Germany with her. She made Thai, which was tasty. We brought over cakes from the bakery that we bought earlier in the day and that was our desert. All in all a nice night.
After packing later that evening Eddy was restless so we went back out and the coffee shop was still open. Sat down, ate a pizza and had some hot chocolate. Eddy puttered around on the internet while I made up stories to go with the crazy music videos that were playing across the café’. We couldn’t hear the music so I just babbled to him about what I thought was going on. One involved vampires and bad hair cuts… I was tired. O.o
After that we pretty much came back to the castle and passed out… not before I did the Running Man most of the way back to make Eddy laugh. Weird mood, I was tired but full of energy. >.<
Have to get up at five am to drive to the airport, so bed time for us!
Day 14:
Song of the Day: Neil Diamond- “Coming to America.” (What!? I thought it was funny. :D)
ZOMG five am is early!!! >.<
The morning was a blur of dragging our stuff down stairs, packing the car, and sitting through the 1 ½ hour drive to get to the airport.
The airport was a lot of hurry up and wait. Fun times.
One of the female security guards doing the hand held metal detector was a little too grabby. My OBGYN isn’t even that rough. O.o…
Once we got on the plane it was ten hours of watching movies, being slightly uncomfortable, no sleeping, and lots of airplane food.
When we got to Atlanta we had to go through security… again… took like another 1 ½ hours to just do that. The aggravating part was the fact that we had to get our checked in luggage, drag with us through a really long line to check our passport, then check it BACK IN to go through security AGAIN. The when we got through that, we had to wait for our luggage again to come though the carousel thingy… yeah, good times.
Went to Outback after that, ate a lot of terrible things for us, came home and I passed out at 6 pm eastern time. I had been awake for 19 hours and I was pooped.
So, my vacation to Europe was very eventful! I am happy to be home though. :)
Day 1:
Song of the Day: Collective Soul- “The World I Know.”
I really don’t have to go into detail about the flight. Being 6’3” on a 9 hour flight sucks balls. Enough said.
We landed in Munich at 7:58 am, Germany time. Called the parents to let them know I didn’t fall out of the airplane and I was indeed alive and well. It was about 2am eastern time, so I was surprised I hadn’t woken them up. Wished them a Merry Christmas as Eddy grabbed our bags to get off the plane. It was interesting to walk through the airport and not really see anything in English. I’m so used to Atlanta having their signage in English, plus about four other languages. I could make out what some things were, but I am better at understanding Japanese than I am with German, as ass backwards as that is.
Got a stamp in my passport, felt like Sandra Bullock from, “While You Were Sleeping.” … just much taller, redder hair, and this was Munich not Florence… other than that it was totally the same. O.o
Met up with Eddy’s mother after the whole epic stamping of the passport. She is tiny and sweet, we seemed to have hit it off pretty well. We meandered through the airport for a bit looking for the money exchange and after that we headed out for the hour and a half drive through Munich to get to Tutzing.
Long car rides are long.
We made it to her tiny but absolutely adorable apartment in one piece, but Eddy and I were tired and starving. Could have easily passed as zombies with the slow slurred speech and drooling on ourselves. O.o
Anna, Eddy’s mom, made us breakfast. Consisted of toast, scrambled eggs, fresh hot, HUGE pretzels, fresh olives and artichoke hearts, and mango yogurt. She also made fresh squeezed orange juice and some coffee. I put cream cheese and chives on my pretzel. Om nom nom…
After this she informed us that we were staying in the castle- (CASTLE?! We’re staying in a fucking CASTLE!?)- across the way. It’s decked out inside for conferences and such and she works in the reception office and secured a room for us in it. Currently we are the only people in the entire castle. We have a key to the front gate, front door, to the door to the apartment area and a key to our room. Lots of keys. O.O
We crashed out till 5pm Germany time, and then headed back to Anna’s for Christmas dinner and to exchange presents. Had Pumpkin soup, really nice salad, roast duck, dumplings with mushroom sauce and red kraut. Had a red wine with it all and water with lemon slices in it. Finished it off with ice cream in the shape of a star, fruit salad that she made (OMG tasty), with a cherry schnapps on top. Forget what it’s called. Also ate my net worth in delicious cookies. >.<
I got nice pair of wool socks, a German high fashion magazine with nice make up techniques in it, and a 25 euro gift card for a really nice make up and such store right in town. New make up here I come. :D
We went for a walk after that. Went to a pub right up the street and sat there for a few hours gabbing away. I got a hot chocolate. So adventurous of me, huh? It was good, shuddup.
We walked Anna home after that (I stole more of her cookies) and we headed back to the castle- (ZOMG!!! CASTLE!!!)
I am writing this as I lay sprawled out on the bed-(VERY cozy and warm)- and Eddy is dead to the world next to me. The grounds are supposedly beautiful, and we are right next to the really nice lake in Tutzing. Going to explore the grounds tomorrow morning since we are the only ones here. This has been a surreal yet amazing day. J
It’s 6pm on Christmas day in Georgia, yet it’s midnight here. Crazy. Going to crash out now. >.<
Oh… and um… Merry Christmas. O.o
***
Day 2:
Song of the Day: Sixpence None The Richer- “There She Goes”
So I got a call at 2am(8pm Georgia time) from my brother Jonathan… wait, I take that back, EDDY got a call at 2am from MY brother. There are times I think he likes Eddy more than me, and those times are most of the time. :P
Anyway, woke us up, no biggie since our sleep schedule is already eff’ed up. Proceeded to ramble to Eddy and such, I think he was wishing us a Happy Holiday or something. So Eddy gives me the phone and I groggily answer-
“Hullo?...”
“Hey! What are you guys doing in bed so early?..”
“Jonathan, we’re in Germany.”
“You’re in Germany?! That’s weird!”
He then started telling me I should quote Hitler while I’m here and demanded I bring him back absinthe. Hello all, this is my crazy older brother Jonathan. He’s great even though he’s ridiculous. I gave the phone back to Eddy and they talked longer than he talked to me. Dork. >.>…
Took me an hour and the rest of my Christmas cookies to fall back to sleep, but it happened around 3-3:30 or so. Woke up at 12:30 to Eddy showering and the blanket wrapped around me like a feather down python. I swear I must do yoga in my sleep. He came over and poked me and snuggled with me till I woke up. I showered; water pressure in this castle is AMAZING. Our water pressure loving friends would have squealed like school girls at how nice it was.
Went to Anna’s for breakfast. Scrambled eggs, toast, the bomb diggity fruit salad again, and she made me a double espresso with her espresso machine. I had two of them so I was ready to go to a marathon after we ate. She had a friend over named Connie who was very sweet; she said I reminded her of Mary Poppins. O.o
When we stepped out the door I waved at an older gentleman who was down on the street. He smiled and waved back and started rambling to me in German. I smiled back and nodded my head. No idea what he said, but I just acted like I did. >.<
All four of us went into town to see a festival where all of the horses in the nearby towns came over and were blessed. We caught the end of it and got some warmed up, spiced wine. Connie gave Eddy and I a kiddy cup of the wine, same size as the adult just had cartoon animals painted on the side. I thought it was funny they had kid cups for the alcoholic beverage, but reminded myself that this was indeed Germany. :P
I noticed I got a lot of random looks while I was in town, but Eddy told me it was more than likely because I am sort of exotic looking for Tutzing. I didn’t see any red heads in town at all and I was wearing my long red coat to match. I was like a vibrant splotch roaming around town. I thought with my build I blended in, not really. >.<
After the festival we wondered back to the castle so Anna could show us around. I took a couple pictures of the grounds and some of the mountains you could see from the edge of the lake. It’s beautiful here, I still can’t get over the fact I am in Germany.
We are in the room now taking a breather before we go to a little organic restaurant in town. I will continue my ramble after that. :)
Day 2, Part 2-
Walked to Anna’s to meet up to go to the organic restaurant called, “Déjà vu.”
Om nom nom…
Had a platter of random cheeses and a nice salad covered in a light vinaigrette with homemade bread and olive oil. That was followed by a really good pasta with shrimp. Had a cappuccino, COOKIES :D, and homemade egg nog after dinner. The egg nog was stroooong, woof. Eddy gave me the rest of his too because of how strong it was. Smart, give the light weight visiting another country for the first time more alcohol. >.<
Sat around for a bit enjoying the company, one of the girls eating at the restaurant was totally checking Eddy out. I have to admit I caught myself being a little possessive… maybe a little… >.>…
ANYWAY- :P
Headed back to Anna’s to relax and read a little. Had some peppermint tea and curled up on the couch with Eddy for two hours before making our trek back to the castle. A castle. A Effin’ CASTLE. I never get tired of saying that. We are staying in a castle, all by ourselves. AAAAAHHHH!!!!!..... Yeah, no one heard that because WE ARE THE ONLY ONES HERE!!! Mwahahahaha!!! Ok, I’m done… for now. :P
Good night all, will ramble more tomorrow. J
Day 3:
Song of the Day: The Doors- “When You’re Strange.”
We totally slept till 1pm German time today. We are such bums. Through showering and scrambling to get ready, we didn’t get over to Anna’s for a late breakfast till 2pm. Coffee, fresh grape fruit, eggs, a cheese platter with olives and homemade bread to start the day is always nice. ^.~
Went on a walk along the lake toward the Villa that Anna lived at for 15 years. The lake was beautiful and crystal clear. I walked to the edge of the dock and looked straight down into the deep water and could see the bottom. I just had a vibrant blue hue to it that made it even more beautiful with the snowy mountains in the distance. I had the urge to jump in, but this time of year I would pop out as a Barrie-sicle. >.<
The walk to where the Villa used to be was a 30-45 minute walk, but it was very scenic all along the pathway. Passed a little pond where people were playing ice hockey, which was awesome.
The Villa was torn down about 5 years ago; it was Eddy’s home while in Germany. Lots of childhood memories. I could tell it was hard for him that he didn’t get to see it one more time. Wish I could have seen it too. :(
We walked back, and Eddy and I went back to the castle to relax before heading off to have dinner at a pizza place in town. I had sprite with my amazing pizza. Didn’t taste like sprite, but hey, it’s Germany. :P
Swung by Déjà vu again to get some hot chocolate before Eddy and I came back to the castle to call it an early night. Tomorrow is Munich. :D
Short day, will babble more tomorrow. :)
Day 4:
Song of the Day: Ramstein- “Du Hast Mich”
I woke up at 10am so I could brave the town on my own and use the 25 euro gift card Anna gave me for Christmas for the makeup store in town. I walked in and no one spoke English. >.<
Prices weren’t on anything and I saw a ton of stuff I liked, but more than likely out of my price range. Every time one of the girls came by we kind of grunted a little and waved our arms a little. Guess that’s what happens if there is a language barrier. O.o
So eventually a lady who was out smoking and worked at the shop came back in. She spoke some English… thank God. >.<
Ended up getting a mascara that looks AWESOME. It’s from Paris. OOOoooooo… yeah, really don’t care if it’s from Zimbabwe, as long as it works really well. Cost 24.95 euro. AHA bitches!!! Who is good!? That’s right, M-E! ME! **currently wiggling around and doing a victory dance on the bed**
ANYWAY…-ahem- …Came back and went to the store with Eddy and got breakfast. Herb cream cheese, raspberry jam, butter, two baguettes, two tangerines, he got carbonated lemon water and I got red berry Fanta. It was a good breakfast. :D
Made our way through the town to the train station after that and took it into Munich where we met up with Anna. Pretty much wandered through the opened air market and stared at the huge, beautiful buildings. The town hall is GI-NORMOUS! It looks like a text book picture of the old Gothic style. Hell, I bet it has a picture in a text book as the Gothic style. O.o
Ate grilled salmon, stir fry veggies, rice and a salad at a little restaurant next to the market. Had an ice cream sundae that had a hint of something alcoholic in it. Uber tastey. :)
After that picked up some fresh cherries in the market and checked out the huge Gothic church. Wow… it was amazing.
It’s sad that I got just as excited to go into the 7 story book store. Barrie= Geek. >.<
Saw a living statue!!!! I announced, “Wow!” loudly and made a bee line for him. He winked at me and made a kissy face. This caused me to get embarrassed and burst into giggles as I bounced by him happily. I am a giant two year old sometimes.
My day in Munich was wonderful. Nearly fell on someone on the train ride back. Good times, good times.
On the walk to Anna’s for dinner, I coined to phrase, “Das Uber Schnitzel!” This caused Eddy to snicker a bit. Totally worth the chance of a native hearing me.
Dinner was great. Chicken sausage with Swiss mustard, and a homemade veggie soup. Had a salad before. The salads here are friggin’ amazing. So fresh and containing ingredients I would never think to add. Like corn, you might think, “WTF?”, but I now say, “Nay nay- Tis’ om nom nom worthy!”
Had chocolate mousse, MORE COOKIES, and coffee for desert. I am so glad we walk everywhere otherwise I might have to spring for two seats to fly home to America.
Chatted a little more, said our goodbyes for the night, then hit the streets with Eddy in search of a cigarette vending machine (W-Wut?!)
Did I mention it was cold as balls and I had to pee? I didn’t? Well it was and I did.
Found one three thousand miles up hill in the snow (Shut up! It felt like it!) and it turns out you need to slide your GERMAN ID through for it to verify your age. Sad Panda, no cigarettes for you.
This caused Eddy to yell at the machine, “You Hate me!” In which I translated for the machine, “Du Hast mich!”
Apparently repetitive German songs brought to America come in handy for comedic relief.
Well on the trek back I was babbling to Eddy and suddenly screamed loudly, “Du Hast mich das uber schnitzel!” which caused me to snort and giggle.
Eddy thinks I’m crazy, but HE’S the one who brought me to Europe. Who’s the crazy one? :D
Day 5:
Song of the Day: The Proclaimers- “I’m On My Way.”
Morning involved rushing around, packing, cleaning our room we were in at the castle and packing up the car to do the 4-5 hour drive to Switzerland. I downed three cups of coffee, a pretzel and a piece of a baguette. Stomach turned into the pits of Hell and burned so bad the first 3 hours of the trip I just made myself go unconscious in the back seat. Woke up for driving through the tip of Austria though. I am part Austrian from my father’s side. Like ¼ Austrian actually. I believe my great grandmother was from a village around Vienna, my Grandmother has babbled some about it to me. So I am very excited to go and visit it. I’m also part German, so getting to spend so much time in Germany is wonderful. Though I have come to realize my mom is COMPLETELY WRONG about me meeting people who resemble me over here. Almost every woman I see is shorter with brown or blonde hair. Almost everyone has blue eyes(There are brown, not as common as blue though) and my facial structure is all wrong.
They have very round, large eyes. I have almond shaped eyes. They have square or angular faces. I have more of a softer, oval face. Things Eddy and I were throwing back and forth while we were waiting for Anna in Munich.
Anyway, I got off subject. The last two hours of the trip I was only kind of nauseous. Eddy got me a sprite (THANK THE LORD ALMIGHTY IN HEAVEN!!!) and I started to feel better. Just in time for me to stare in awe as we drove through the Swiss Alps. ZOMG B-E-A-Utiful. I did cling to the “Oh Shit!” handle in the car as we drove around on the sides of the mountains. Fear of heights anyone? *Waves her hand frantically* Ooh! Ooh! Me! Pick me!
Swung by a McDonald’s (I know! I thought the same thing! O.o) so I could pee. While waiting for Anna to go to the restroom too, I was being stared at weirdly by a family in there. I didn’t even speak English or anything! Sheesh… So I went and waited by the trash can and stared at Eddy while he smoked his cigarette outside. We had a conversation with our hands. We are perfect for each other. Hyuk hyuk hyuk…
FINALLY got to the family home in Gersau, Switzerland shortly after that. Eddy’s 18 year old cousin, Josephine, is here by herself since her parents(Eddy’s aunt and uncle) are out of town for their yearly vacation. They went to Egypt (Wut?! Totally envious. On my to do list. :P) this time. The home is beautiful, apparently been in the family for a few generations from the stories I heard tonight. Very cool. Right on the crystal clear, Luzern lake. There is a mountain on the other side of the lake that supposedly during the day is reflected in the water since it’s so clear.
*Points* There’s a mountain over there! Like, with snow and stuff like that on it! Holy crap! *digs for her camera* Barrie=Tourist.
Josephine made us spaghetti, ‘cause she’s made of win. Had a salad with it and just sat around chatting. Watched Garfield the movie for the first time… it was in German. I honestly think I enjoyed it more than I would have in English. Bill Murray was right to regret Garfield in Zombie Land. Good call, bro. Good call.
Now I am in bed, typing away on my journal. I have internet and decided to nag Ariel a little. Mwahahaha…
That’s what you get for being online Ariel! Ha!
Day 6:
Song of the Day: Thing One- “Move It.”
Woke up around 11:30 am, I had to drag myself out of bed because the room we are sleeping in has blinds that block out all light. I wouldn’t have known what time it was if I hadn’t checked. O.o
The blinds are electronic too. I hit a button on the wall and they started to rise so I could see the lake and the mountains. It’s such an amazing view. I have taken about twenty gazillion pictures of it, no worries.
So we got up, showered, and went out to lunch… at McDonald’s. I actually wanted to eat there to see if there was a difference. Other than an extra choice in fries(potato wedges), a couple different sauces, and the price being OUTRAGEOUS… no difference. It cost us about 20-25 US dollars to eat there.
We then hit the grocery store so I could make dinner. I felt at home just wandering around the aisles to be honest. At first it was a bit intimidating, and prices were hard to figure out, but ingredients are something I know. Even some of the exotic stuff I knew what it was.
Decided on shrimp stir fry with jasmine rice and salad. Had zucchini, bean sprouts, carrots, snow peas, red peppers, mushrooms, fresh corn I scraped off the cob and garlic (of course!)
Also had some little, odd looking Asian fruit called Litches. They are pronounced, “Leeches.” So when Anna kept offering us fresh ‘Leeches’, I was a little confused. O.o…
I got to make it in the super snazzy kitchen. I really enjoyed cooking in it. Everything was electronic, but the stove was such a good stove that it was as responsive as a gas stove. If I turned the heat down or off it cooled immediately. So awesome.
After dinner we went to watch Josephine rehearse with her band. She sings songs in English from Stevie Wonder to John Mayer. They are really good. Watched them for a few hours and hung out in the rehearsal space drinking a little. Anna was getting tired so she headed back to hit the sack, and shortly after that we went to the pub down the way called, “Le Pirate.”
Ninja senses, tingling!
Three of the six people we were hanging out with were fluent in English. Two understood us alright. One didn’t understand at all for the most part.
I ended up talking to Mario a lot, the one who didn’t understand English at all for the most part. It was hilarious, had to have Melanie(she was almost as tall as me!!!) translate things we didn’t understand when speaking to one another. Had a blast just hanging out at the pub and having a few drinks. All in all a very nice day. :D
Day 7:
Song of the Day: Daft Punk- “Da Funk.”
New Years Eve!
Woke up about 11:30, Josephine had already left to go watch the Gersau foot race. Anna and she had already eaten so we skipped breakfast and started preparing lunch. Anna made us this weird (but delicious) cheesecake that wasn’t sweet. It was like an extravagant pizza with no tomato sauce. It was heated in the oven and we had a few of the left over stir fry vegetables with it. Accompanied with mango ice tea it made for a fantastic lunch.
We sat down and literally read until it was time for the four of us to go (7pm) to our New Years Eve dinner at a five star restaurant called, “The Ferie.”
Had a 7 course meal. OMG… So good. Took four hours to eat it.
1: Salad with smoked tuna, 2: Pumpkin soup with shredded dear, 3: Fresh fish that is native to the lake of Gersau, 4:Grapefruit sorbet with a shot of Cappari(sp?) over top, 5: Roast beef, mushrooms, potatoes and broccoli(I didn’t eat the roast beef), 6: Brie cheese, pear and a slice of pumpernickel bread, 7: Chocolate mousse, fresh pineapple and figs, and banana ice cream that I believe was made in the restaurant. Had some coffee to finish it off and we were done by 11pm. :)
Came back to watch some Swiss television(A funny little skit that is apparently tradition to watch).
At midnight we made a toast with some horrendous champagne (Josephine took a sip and made a face like someone poked her in the stomach. She said, “Guh… this is awful.”) and watched as fireworks went off on different locations all over the mountains. It was beautiful. :)
Eddy, Josephine and I packed up into the car after that and drove to a village ten minutes away so we could watch the fireworks over the lake. Got some decent shots of that, it was surreal watching it.
Came back to the house, made the hot chocolate we gave Josephine for Christmas (What possessed me to think that giving American instant hot cocoa to a girl who lives in Switzerland? I am retarded. >.<)
Played a game equivalent to Uno, but more than likely came before Uno. It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed hanging out with Josephine. She’s pretty awesome. Eddy and I are talking her into coming to America in the summer so we can drag her all over the place. I would love to take her to Six Flags or even Tybee too. I think she would have a blast. Though more than likely would have to beat our male single friends off with a stick. She is very pretty and she would be hit on like nobody’s business. >.<
After the game we crashed out for the night. It was funny to think that it was 2010 here, but Georgia still had a few hours of 2009 left. :)
Day 8:
Song of the Day: Dixie Chicks-“Wide Open Spaces.”
Woke up at noon, of course. :P
Got packed and pretty much hung out a bit with Josephine before we got into the car to drive to Basil, well a small village outside of it called, “Obermumpf”
When you say it, it sounds like you are talking with your mouth full. Not much to say about today except for traveling and meeting Hector and Christine. Hector is Eddy’s Dads best friend. They seem like good people. :D
After Hector left for work we sat down and chatted with Christine over a bottle of organic Champagne. I can always tell right when I get tipsy because I can feel the heat in my cheeks. >.<
Called it an early night, but ended up sitting upstairs with Eddy and just talking. Ninja’ed my way down stairs at about midnight to snag one of the huge oranges I saw in their fruit bowl when I arrived. I was being very quiet, but one of the times I set my foot down the phone rang and I thought I set off an alarm. >.<
So yeah… pretty quiet night. O.O…
Day 9:
Song of the Day: Cowboy Mouth-“I Believe.”
The room we are staying in has walls painted in clay and looks like a tropical rainforest. There was a ladder leading up to the bed (heated water bed, whoo!) we slept in.
Came down for breakfast and to chat before we were going to head into Basel. Hector(Who is also a nurse) and Christine are very organic eaters. Hell, Hector and their two daughters are vegetarians. So I know what ever I eat here is good for me. :)
Hector made this thick, bright green drink that is nothing but flax seeds, fruit, and Spirolina. He warned us if we weren’t healthy eaters before that it could cause some digestive “issues” very shortly after eating.
I am proud to say I have been walking and parading around all day… “issue” free. ;)
Headed into Basel shortly after that. Christine pointed out the Black Forest on the way, that was pretty cool. She literally pointed and said, “Hey, that’s the Black Forest over there.” And I was like, “Cool!” Good times, good times… o.O…
It had snowed the night before and today it had gotten pretty cold. I was practically attached to Eddy for warmth when we got into the city.
We went… shopping. I guess you could call it that. I guess I don’t have the female gene that drives me to just go shopping for the hell of it. Don’t get me wrong, I like to shop when I need something. Clothes, Groceries, Christmas shopping… in October, shoes… you know, normal things you shop for. I only enjoy it when I am going with a purpose and I know what store/stores I want to go to. I don’t like going to a new city to just shop. I would have a blast wandering around with a camera.
I did have fun though; Hector and Christine are a riot.
Swiss rap makes me giggle. o.O…
We ate at a place called Felini. My personal four cheese pizza cost 24 Swiss francs, that’s about 24 dollars. It was good, but EXPENSIVE. Had a glass of Italian red wine… and a sprite. O.o
I felt guilty when Hector paid, but how can I argue? >.<
So after Basel we swung by a shopping mall that went over the interstate so we could pick up some shampoo and conditioner. Scratched that idea after ever brand we found smelled like our dog or flea shampoo.
Now we are back at the house and relaxing. Going to eat the dark chocolate and strawberries we got in town and snuggle in bed tonight. Swiss chocolate and a heated water bed. I’m set. :D
Day 10:
Song of the Day: Mika Bomb- “Stuck in the Middle.”
Woke up to a Ukrainian musician visiting Christine. His German wasn’t too good, but hey, he was doing better than me. He didn’t speak English either so we did the grunting and waving thing. Yeah, that’s how I roll. >.<
Christine managed to get me to drink a glass of champagne with them. She’s an enabler, hilarious and an all around sweet person, but she knows how to Ninja a glass of alcohol in front of you before you knew what happen. Her Ninjutsu is strong when it comes to sneaky alcohol.
So I had a glass of champagne… as soon as I woke up… before breakfast. @.@...
I definitely needed it with everyone around me speaking a different language. I am very good at listening and figuring stuff out, but not when German, Swiss German, and a little bit of Spanish is flying around. I wandered up stairs to talk to Eddy so I could hear some English. O.O…
So after the musician left, I had a huge glass of the green super food Hector makes and we all sat down for some breakfast. Eggs, homemade bread from the neighbor, pickles and honey from Christine’s bees. She’s a bee keeper! That’s so bad ass!
We actually went on a thirty minute walk after breakfast to go see Christine’s bees. Eddy, Hector and I got into a very long but interesting conversation on health and nutrition. I was eating it up. After that he showed us a 200 year old house across the street from theirs. Needs work, but it was really cool to see it.
When we got back Hector gave me a few nutrition books and a healthy recipe book that I am looking forward to reading. I’m a dork, but there is a reason why I got into this field. I have a passion for it and enjoy doing research.
After that we packed into the car and started back to Tutzing. Loooong car rides are fucking LONG… AND COLD.
It’s always a bad sign when you watch the window by your head freeze before your eyes.
We stopped for dinner at a little Italian place next to a gas station. I felt like it was backwoods Douglasville, it just needed to be BBQ not Italian… and Georgia not Germany… but whatever. :P
We are back now and I am rubbing my poor cold feet till they are no longer numb. I need some snuggle time with Eddy and some hot tea and I’ll be set. :D
Day 11:
Song of the Day: Deana Carter- “We Danced Anyway.”
Today was my day alone with Eddy. Muuuuch needed alone time with the boy. We woke up when we wanted and when he looked like he was going to be dead to the world a little longer, I decided to walk to the store and get us some breakfast. Yogurt, bread, tangerines and shampoo… we weren’t eating the shampoo. O.o
So when I got back, he hopped into the shower and I ate my breakfast while he got ready. After he ate, we made the mile trip UP HILL… IN THE SNOW… LITERALLY... to the train station. Got there around noon and bought our day passes in a hurry because the train we THOUGHT was ours was about to leave any second. Sprinted down the platform, walked carefully but hastily down the icy stairs (Did not want to fall on my ass) and ran over to the other platform. We got onto the train just in time. Sat down, got comfy for the long trip to Munich… to realize that the train started moving… in the wrong direction. >.<
SHIT!
We had the wrong tickets for that direction too so we would have gotten fined if the ticket taker came by. It took fifteen minutes to get to the next stop which we promptly got off and went in search for the office, and hopefully someone who spoke a little English. Eddy can speak a bit of German, and with some who speaks a bit of English we are golden.
We found out when the next train to Munich was, had to buy two tickets to get back to Tutzing so we could use the tickets we already had, and we had to wait another thirty minutes. We took the time to go into the little bakery and get carbonated apple juice( Apfel Chorle! :D If it’s not carbonated it would be Apfel Saft. ;P) I also got a cream filled doughnut. Eddy was highly amused to the point of taking pictures of my while I ate it. Brat. >.<
ANYWAY… we got on the right train and headed into Munich! Whoo!
Got into the central station and HOLY CRAP it was huge. All the stores and stuff to see, you could just hang out in the station all day. O.o
I bought a hat… it’s a nice hat… kept my ears warm ‘cause @$#&! It’s cold! >.<
Went into town and puttered around the market. Was nice to just wander about and be retards. I threatened to kick Eddy’s ass at one point and we made the joke that the German’s would more than likely assume we were Irish. Lulz…
Went into a store and bought a bear for my mom that is wearing a shirt that says, “I <3 Munchen,” also bought an ornament for next Christmas to be our couple ornament for next year. Eddy and I have this thing we do, we pick out our personal ornaments and we pick out an ornament as a couple every year. Got the idea when I was living with Kim. They do it every year and we thought it was sweet. Thus started our tradition. Thought our couple ornament should come from Germany this year. :D
Anyway, also bought beer steins for our dads. I can’t wait to give them their presents. Got chocolate for everyone else. We love you, but we are poor and want to enjoy our European vacation. >.<
After that we went to a traditional German restaurant. Eddy had schnitzel (sausage), ham fried with onions, mushrooms and potatoes. I had turkey in a curry sauce with potatoes and mixed veggies. It was really good.
Though when I went down to pee there were no doors on the restrooms, so I didn’t know which one to go into. There was this random dude sitting down stairs playing a gameboy(or something like it). He looked up at me, looked me up and down, and then pointed to the woman’s bathroom. I called, “Danke!” as I ran in, and he said, “Bitte.” Without even looking up from his game. When I came out again and started running up the stairs I called, “Danke!” again and he replied, “Bitte.” Again, still not looking up from his game.
We went into the market after that, cackling and pushing each other around. It was fun. :)
We bought a piece of star fruit and some nice red grapes for back at the castle, then decided to make our way to the huge book store again.
Apparently, from Eddy’s logic, we could have sex in the middle of the book store and that would be ok since none of those people would see us ever again. I fail to see the logic in this and proceeded to poke him and cackle like a two year old in the English book section. I wonder if they guessed if we were American of not. >.>…
Made our way to the station after that. We actually had to sprint to our train as the conductor waved us on because we were the last ones to get on.
Eddy passed out for the ride, so I stayed awake and watched for our stop. Kind of like it was my watch of sorts. O.o
When we got back to Tutzing we swung by the store and bought some stuff to make hot chocolate at the castle. Needed to relax and thaw before dinner, so we took two hours to read our books and had something hot to drink before we even thought about braving the cold again.
Decided on a little Italian restaurant next to his mother’s place. He got a pizza and I got a tomato, basil and rosemary pasta with shrimp. When they brought it out the two shrimp on top actually still had their heads, the rest just their tails. Didn’t bother me, and I proceeded to go about cleaning them as I explained to Eddy that I think it’s important for every person who considers themselves a good cook should know how to clean and prepare meat… unless vegetarian or vegan of course. O.o
Most people just buy it in a package, already cleaned and prepared to be cooked. I think you should at least know how to cut it from the bone.
Anyway, we started to make the shrimp heads talk to each other. I made mine talk to Eddy in Spanish, then Japanese, then in Chinese. He made his introduce it’s self to me in German and explain that is was going to be my main course for the evening. He makes me cackle some times. :)
We had coffee after dinner and just sat there and babbled to each other for like another hour before heading back to the castle.
I am going to shower and get ready for bed, since tomorrow is AUSTRIA!!! *squee* I have been excited about this for months!
Day 12:
Song of the Day: Yes- “It Will Be A Good Day.”
Going to bed at two and waking up at eight so you can brave the cold sucks balls. Just saying.
Eddy and I got up early and made our way to the train station to make sure we didn’t miss the train to Salsburg, Austria. We got there with thirty minutes to spare so we got some drinks for the trip (2 ½ hour trip).
I have come to the conclusion that when in Europe, Fanta and Sprite will be my drink of choice. Most of the other decisions are in German and come in all types of odd looking colors.
We had to ride into Munich first so we could switch trains, but we had a little time before we could board. I went into a shop that was equivalent to Claire’s and Eddy went out to smoke.
Unlike Claire’s, this shop was also had lingerie. Who would buy lingerie at a train station? I guess it’s more of, “Ooh! That’s really cute! I think I’ll by it while I’m waiting for my train!”… maybe? I know I was tempted; some of the panties were really cute. >.>…
ANYWAY… boarded our train and we were on our way. I packed some grapes, a baguette, two pretzels and the herb cream cheese for the trip to munch on until we got there. Was a nice ride, was able to take some good pictures from the train too. I’m really excited to see how all the pictures we took turn out.
When we got there, the first sign I saw was for Burger King. Thought that was kind of funny.
Walked out of the train station and decided to putter around the little shops for a bit. Eddy and I went into a shop called, “Erotic Things.”
It was your basic sex store, but what I found interesting was when we went in they were playing the Beatles, “Help.”… not your typical sex store music. O.o
After that we found the main street and made a lap around the town.
Austrians have the worst road rage I have ever seen. I they even surpass New Yorkers. It was ridiculous. I felt like every block there was someone sticking their head out their window to yell at another car or to honk at bicyclists. It was a little entertaining, I won’t lie. :D
We took a few pictures at a really nice bridge to have as proof that we were in Austria, then hurried back to a café near the train station to defrost for a while and drink some coffee. I down mine in like one gulp because I was so cold so I got a latte to sip on while we opened our books and took up space for an hour. :)
I told Eddy I wanted to get something while in Austria for myself, so when we were looking for food he bought me a cute little giraffe back pack. I look like a two year old wearing it, but I love it. I named him George. :D
Ended up eating at McDonalds, was as expensive as Switzerland thank God. Got a chicken sandwich and shared some fries with Eddy. He got a burger that was huge. I was wishing I still ate beef after I ate my sandwich and was still hungry. >.<
Only had a few minutes before our train left so we got another coffee and hung out until it was time to board. Read and relaxed on the way back. There was one stop that a crap ton of people boarded and a little old German lady sat next to me. I couldn’t talk to her so that was awkward.
There were also two bigger women, maybe around my age, who boarded and sat across from us that kept giving me weird looks. When I wasn’t looking one would blatantly stare at me. It was dark outside so the windows were like mirrors. I would glance away to look at the window and sure enough she was staring at me. It wouldn’t have been so bad if her whole upper lip hadn’t been covered in snot. Just weirded me out like nobody’s business.
They got off a few stops before Munich and I was eternally grateful. >.<
When we got to Munich we had fifteen minutes to run over to the opposite side of the station and switch trains. The Munich hub is HUGE, so that was fun. >.<
Only took twenty or so minutes to get back to Tutzing, where we had to meet Anna at Déjà vu. She had a friend visiting from West Germany that she wanted Eddy to meet.
The first thing I ordered when I got there was hot chocolate to thaw me out. It’s SO cold here. >.<
Had some sautéed vegetables and turkey, very tasty. I really wanted something more filling than pasta too, so that was nice.
Hung out for a bit. Eddy and I conversed in English when they conversed in German. I think I am finally home sick because I’m looking forward to sitting at a table where I know what everybody is saying and it doesn’t have to be translated. It’s been a new experience, but I think two weeks for my first time out of the country is perfect. Ready to come home.
After the restaurant we went back to the castle and I pretty much bagged out early. Was a long day. Tomorrow is going to involve packing and getting stuff in order for the trip home.
Day 13:
Song of the Day: Tori Amos-“Wednesday.”
I woke up early, I guess because I went to bed early. Eddy was still asleep so I goofed off on the lap top for a while. Didn’t feel like packing yet. Everything is closed today because it’s Three King’s Day, or something like that. It’s the last of the European holidays, but it sucks because I couldn’t go to the little grocery store and bring stuff back before Eddy got up. >.<
Anyway, after he woke up and showered we ventured into what we thought was going to be a dead town. Was very happy to see that the bakery was open and the little coffee shop and Italian restaurant were open too.
So we sat down and had a nice breakfast at the bakery. It had a few tables for people to sit down and eat there, which was really nice. Because of how cold it was I kept catching myself gulping down my coffee for warmth. Had to keep ordering another one to just enjoy. >.>
After that we went back and rested for a while. The cold is exhausting. O.o
Headed over to Anna’s at about six to have our last dinner in Germany with her. She made Thai, which was tasty. We brought over cakes from the bakery that we bought earlier in the day and that was our desert. All in all a nice night.
After packing later that evening Eddy was restless so we went back out and the coffee shop was still open. Sat down, ate a pizza and had some hot chocolate. Eddy puttered around on the internet while I made up stories to go with the crazy music videos that were playing across the café’. We couldn’t hear the music so I just babbled to him about what I thought was going on. One involved vampires and bad hair cuts… I was tired. O.o
After that we pretty much came back to the castle and passed out… not before I did the Running Man most of the way back to make Eddy laugh. Weird mood, I was tired but full of energy. >.<
Have to get up at five am to drive to the airport, so bed time for us!
Day 14:
Song of the Day: Neil Diamond- “Coming to America.” (What!? I thought it was funny. :D)
ZOMG five am is early!!! >.<
The morning was a blur of dragging our stuff down stairs, packing the car, and sitting through the 1 ½ hour drive to get to the airport.
The airport was a lot of hurry up and wait. Fun times.
One of the female security guards doing the hand held metal detector was a little too grabby. My OBGYN isn’t even that rough. O.o…
Once we got on the plane it was ten hours of watching movies, being slightly uncomfortable, no sleeping, and lots of airplane food.
When we got to Atlanta we had to go through security… again… took like another 1 ½ hours to just do that. The aggravating part was the fact that we had to get our checked in luggage, drag with us through a really long line to check our passport, then check it BACK IN to go through security AGAIN. The when we got through that, we had to wait for our luggage again to come though the carousel thingy… yeah, good times.
Went to Outback after that, ate a lot of terrible things for us, came home and I passed out at 6 pm eastern time. I had been awake for 19 hours and I was pooped.
So, my vacation to Europe was very eventful! I am happy to be home though. :)