...Dont Know When We Will be Back Again...
We were happy to particpate in festivities as Germany won third place in the world cup!!! We also found out that when walking around in Heidelberg in Germany gear people assume you are German. We had at least four people ask us for directions, some in English and some in German haha.
That evening there was fireworks too! We do not know what they were celebrating but it was a very spectacular and long display. There were so many people and we all ohhed and awed in unison haha.
The next day we left Heidelberg and went to Regensberg, a medieval town on the Danube River. We enjoyed the ambiance of the town and soaked up the local culture...by relaxing and eating :). It was a perfect end to our travel through Europe.
We do not think that we are quite ready to go home but are currently at a hotel in Zurich...we will be on a plane in less then twelve hours. (Also when we arrived in Zurich today it was raining... so it has rained in every country we have been in.) It has truely been a wonderful journey and thanks to all those who have followed our blog. We are looking forward to conversing with all of you in English upon our return. :)
See you back in the USA!!!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
We LOVE Heidelberg!
We are in Heidelberg, Germany!
We arrived yesterday and it was hot (like Fresno weather right now). But checking into our hostel made eveything better, our double room is twice the size of our eight person room the night before. Crazy! Our hostel reminds us of freshman year in the dorms, it could be a dorm as we are very close to the university but we don´t know. We do know that our room is big, it has closets, desks, a private shower and bath, and we can do cartwheels in the middle. Awesome!!!
After we came back to reality we decided to go explore the city. We went on a nice walk with some awesome views of the town. We crossed the old bridge to enter the old city center with beautiful towers and a big gate. We stumbled upon a church that happened to be having an organ concert...so we went! We might have been the only tourists there. The music was remarkable and it was fun to hear all of the different tones an organ can produce.
Following the relaxing time in the cool church we went back into the heat and strolled along cobbled streets. We ate dinner at a nice bier garten and talked to some nice locals.
Today we slept in (it was amazing!!!) and had a great breakfast at our hostel (along with 300 students attending a science and technology conference).
Later on in the day we ended up in the Student Prison...it was a museum from when the university had jurisdiction over its students from 1712 to 1914. We both fun and were entertained by stories, and the graffiti on the walls. If a student did not go to prison it was considered uncool...so cool!!! We also saw old lecture halls and a university museum.
Then we went to the castle on top of the hill. We wondered around enjoying the ruins and the views from the top. We also saw the largest wine barrel...it can hold 220000 liters of wine...man, that is alot of wine. We went to the pharmacy museum and the castle gardens.
Soon we are heading out to watch the World Cup game and are all decked out in Germany gear. So needless to say...GO DEUTSCHLAND!!!!
We arrived yesterday and it was hot (like Fresno weather right now). But checking into our hostel made eveything better, our double room is twice the size of our eight person room the night before. Crazy! Our hostel reminds us of freshman year in the dorms, it could be a dorm as we are very close to the university but we don´t know. We do know that our room is big, it has closets, desks, a private shower and bath, and we can do cartwheels in the middle. Awesome!!!
After we came back to reality we decided to go explore the city. We went on a nice walk with some awesome views of the town. We crossed the old bridge to enter the old city center with beautiful towers and a big gate. We stumbled upon a church that happened to be having an organ concert...so we went! We might have been the only tourists there. The music was remarkable and it was fun to hear all of the different tones an organ can produce.
Following the relaxing time in the cool church we went back into the heat and strolled along cobbled streets. We ate dinner at a nice bier garten and talked to some nice locals.
Today we slept in (it was amazing!!!) and had a great breakfast at our hostel (along with 300 students attending a science and technology conference).
Later on in the day we ended up in the Student Prison...it was a museum from when the university had jurisdiction over its students from 1712 to 1914. We both fun and were entertained by stories, and the graffiti on the walls. If a student did not go to prison it was considered uncool...so cool!!! We also saw old lecture halls and a university museum.
Then we went to the castle on top of the hill. We wondered around enjoying the ruins and the views from the top. We also saw the largest wine barrel...it can hold 220000 liters of wine...man, that is alot of wine. We went to the pharmacy museum and the castle gardens.
Soon we are heading out to watch the World Cup game and are all decked out in Germany gear. So needless to say...GO DEUTSCHLAND!!!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Mountain Explorers
Today we had quite an adventure. We got up early and went to the train station, our first destination was Grindelwald. The scenery was beautiful and we walked around the town enjoying the small shops, views, and cows with bells (well Katie did).
We took the train up to Kleine Scheidegg (2061 m). Which we pronounce as kline shin-dig. haha, but dont worry that is an inside joke. Here we had stunning views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountaions. (We can also see the Jungfrau from our hostel). We did a down hill and then uphill hike. It was hot but the views were worth it. The mountains are so amazing. Breathtaking views the entire time.
Up next we went to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We first went to the Staubbach waterfall. Then we walked the length of the valley (which was longer than we thought) and enjoyed the views of the sheer cliff faces, big mountains in the background, and green. So beautiful. We waited for people to base jump but did not see any. =( We did talk to a great older couple from Monteray while we waited.
Back on the train home we talked to a couple with kids from Davis. Its a small world after all....
We cooked dinner again tonight. Lots of pasta and we ate a lot too... a lot a lot. =) We still dont know where we are going tomorrow. We will let you know. We are deciding before we go to bed.
=)
We took the train up to Kleine Scheidegg (2061 m). Which we pronounce as kline shin-dig. haha, but dont worry that is an inside joke. Here we had stunning views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountaions. (We can also see the Jungfrau from our hostel). We did a down hill and then uphill hike. It was hot but the views were worth it. The mountains are so amazing. Breathtaking views the entire time.
Up next we went to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We first went to the Staubbach waterfall. Then we walked the length of the valley (which was longer than we thought) and enjoyed the views of the sheer cliff faces, big mountains in the background, and green. So beautiful. We waited for people to base jump but did not see any. =( We did talk to a great older couple from Monteray while we waited.
Back on the train home we talked to a couple with kids from Davis. Its a small world after all....
We cooked dinner again tonight. Lots of pasta and we ate a lot too... a lot a lot. =) We still dont know where we are going tomorrow. We will let you know. We are deciding before we go to bed.
=)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Germany LOST =(
So we had a great day but then Germany just lost against Spain so that had to ruin it all... sad face. Man, the game was intense and our hostel even played it in ENGLISH which was amazing...but they still lost. =( Now the question is where to go next? Since we were hoping to go back to Germany for the final. Any ideas??
Back to reality, yesterday we arrived in Interlacken, Switzerland and found our hostel Balmers. It feels like a summer camp-college party town. But it is wonderful to speak English with all of the other American travelers and share travel stories.
Today we went kayaking on Lake Thundersee near Interlacken. It was so beautiful with views of the mountains. We enjoyed the peace and quiet as well. Then we went swimming in super super cold water (it took us a very long time to jump in but everyone else was doing it.. haha). It was refreshing to say the least.
We have forgotten to mention that we have been cooking dinner lately. It has been so wondrful. We cooked all of our dinners in Innsbruck and expirimented with what we could subsitute for missing ingredients. Grocery shopping in German is always interesting. haha
On a side note, Katie has become a broken record proclaiming `It is so pretty` on train rides, hikes, walks, kayaks, and just about everywhere we go. Makenna is starting to sound like a broken record too with her consistant agreements of yes it is. =)
That is all for now, tomorrow we are going hiking, exploring the Lauterburnen Valley, and hope to watch base jumpers free fall (thanks to the tip from a local worker who likes to come to the hostel Beer Garden to mingle with internationals).
Pretty cool to be here... still sad Germany lost... Update soon.
Back to reality, yesterday we arrived in Interlacken, Switzerland and found our hostel Balmers. It feels like a summer camp-college party town. But it is wonderful to speak English with all of the other American travelers and share travel stories.
Today we went kayaking on Lake Thundersee near Interlacken. It was so beautiful with views of the mountains. We enjoyed the peace and quiet as well. Then we went swimming in super super cold water (it took us a very long time to jump in but everyone else was doing it.. haha). It was refreshing to say the least.
We have forgotten to mention that we have been cooking dinner lately. It has been so wondrful. We cooked all of our dinners in Innsbruck and expirimented with what we could subsitute for missing ingredients. Grocery shopping in German is always interesting. haha
On a side note, Katie has become a broken record proclaiming `It is so pretty` on train rides, hikes, walks, kayaks, and just about everywhere we go. Makenna is starting to sound like a broken record too with her consistant agreements of yes it is. =)
That is all for now, tomorrow we are going hiking, exploring the Lauterburnen Valley, and hope to watch base jumpers free fall (thanks to the tip from a local worker who likes to come to the hostel Beer Garden to mingle with internationals).
Pretty cool to be here... still sad Germany lost... Update soon.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
It is Raining Again...
We thought it had to happen sometime...so far Switzerland is the only place it has not rained. Luckily, in two hours we board a train to go to Interlaken, Switzerland.
So our plans to go hiking on the 4th changed. It was Sunday and in Austria it appears the whole city (including supermarkets) are closed. So since we could not get food for the hike and it was starting to sprinkle we decided to postpone the hike.
Instead we went to an Austrian Alpine Museum...it was so cool! We saw all sorts of old hiking gear, pictures, journals, and other interesting things. We liked it very much and it made us excited to go hiking.
That evening we went out and had a beer and some freedom fries to celebrate the fourth of July. haha
The next day we did go hiking!!! We rode the bus to Hunderburg, elevation 860 meters. Then we hiked up the mountian to three different huts...our highest point we reached was Bodenstein Alm, elevation 1661 meters. We had lunch and enjoyed the beautiful view. We could see the ski jump and ice arena where the winter olymics were held many years ago...so exciting! We saw cows on our hike with little bells (Katie thought it was adorable). The hike the fun and we didn't feel sore at all and we never got lost! GO US!!!
That night we went to a Tyrolean Evening performance, it was full of folk dancing, shoeplattelning, Tryolean flok songs and yodeling,and traditional Austrian instruments. We did not stop smiling and took many videos throughout the whole evening. We are not sure how to discribe it so you will just have to wait and see the videos when we get back.
This morning we woke up and discovered we are indeed sore from our hike, it was very, very uphill (but worth the view). The grim reality is settling in that we only have a week left...we are not ready to leave.
On to Switzerland and the World Cup is on tonight!!! =)
So our plans to go hiking on the 4th changed. It was Sunday and in Austria it appears the whole city (including supermarkets) are closed. So since we could not get food for the hike and it was starting to sprinkle we decided to postpone the hike.
Instead we went to an Austrian Alpine Museum...it was so cool! We saw all sorts of old hiking gear, pictures, journals, and other interesting things. We liked it very much and it made us excited to go hiking.
That evening we went out and had a beer and some freedom fries to celebrate the fourth of July. haha
The next day we did go hiking!!! We rode the bus to Hunderburg, elevation 860 meters. Then we hiked up the mountian to three different huts...our highest point we reached was Bodenstein Alm, elevation 1661 meters. We had lunch and enjoyed the beautiful view. We could see the ski jump and ice arena where the winter olymics were held many years ago...so exciting! We saw cows on our hike with little bells (Katie thought it was adorable). The hike the fun and we didn't feel sore at all and we never got lost! GO US!!!
That night we went to a Tyrolean Evening performance, it was full of folk dancing, shoeplattelning, Tryolean flok songs and yodeling,and traditional Austrian instruments. We did not stop smiling and took many videos throughout the whole evening. We are not sure how to discribe it so you will just have to wait and see the videos when we get back.
This morning we woke up and discovered we are indeed sore from our hike, it was very, very uphill (but worth the view). The grim reality is settling in that we only have a week left...we are not ready to leave.
On to Switzerland and the World Cup is on tonight!!! =)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Bike, Swim, Cheer!
Hello!! Sorry for the delay we have been void of internet. So we´ll get you all caught up.
When we last blogged we were on our way to Bregenz. We actually stayed in Hard, Austria. Which is a 10 minutes bus ride from Bregenz but is actually not hard at all to find. We went and asked the bus office how to get there and they printed out a map and everything, wow! What a concept!! We found our hostel no problem and our beds were not hard! The room was great! Junges Hostel Hard. Nice place. Now that the hard travel part was over on to fun!
We spent the afternoon (July 1) at Lake Constance. We swam, ate, and read for over 4 hours and were just a little burnt in the end. It was so relaxing and nice! Very fun to people watch too. We could communicate with everyone that the water was cold when you first got in with hand gestures and facial expressions! Go us!
The next day we rented BIKES! Which is not hard to do in Hard! We really wanted to rent them because all the non-tourists ride them around. We wanted to fit in, the previous day we think we only saw about 10 pedestrians!! Our plan was to ride one direction around the lake and then return. So we headed east, found lunch at a market along the way, stopped a few times to enjoy the view, and then realized something peculiar. The license plates had changed and we were most definitely in Germany again!! We saw a sign that said Bregenz was 9.3 km away!! (Hard was a 45 minutes bike ride to Bregenz). We hadn´t realiyed we had gone so far because the views were sooo beautiful! Although our bottoms were beginning to tell us yes we had indeed gone that far! We had lunch watching a dog play fetch in the water and then headed back. We went swimming on the way back and returned our bikes. Wonderful day!
In the evening we stumbled upon what appeared to be some sort of competition at the lake, so we watched. Three teams were making rafts out of trashcans, wood, and rope. Then they put their creations in the lake and paddled around! What fun!
We also watched the Uruguay vs. Ghana game that evening with locals. It was a lovely senery and great game, except the mosquitos came out in FULL FORCE! We both look like our legs have chicken poxs!!! They look rather discuting and we are doig our best not to itch!!!
So we are done with all the Hard stuff and on July 3 we headed to Innsbruck. We got to Innsbruck in the afternoon and found our adorable hostel! It is in the center of town and is old and cute (Nepomuck´s B&B). After getting settled we headed off to watch the Germany vs. Argentina game! WOW what a game! We watched at a public viewing area, there were both Germany and Argentina fans! It was quite hot but Radler made it better. haha Go Germany!
Today, Happy Fourth of July!!, we went to church at Dom St. Jacob. The organ gave us goosebumps and the choir was incredible! We did not understand a word but still had a very nice time. Beautiful church as well.
This afternoon we are going on a hike in the hills. Then we plan to do something to celebrate the 4th of July! =)
Until later! Enjoy the fireworks for us!!
p.s. the y and z are in different places in case there are a few mistakes
When we last blogged we were on our way to Bregenz. We actually stayed in Hard, Austria. Which is a 10 minutes bus ride from Bregenz but is actually not hard at all to find. We went and asked the bus office how to get there and they printed out a map and everything, wow! What a concept!! We found our hostel no problem and our beds were not hard! The room was great! Junges Hostel Hard. Nice place. Now that the hard travel part was over on to fun!
We spent the afternoon (July 1) at Lake Constance. We swam, ate, and read for over 4 hours and were just a little burnt in the end. It was so relaxing and nice! Very fun to people watch too. We could communicate with everyone that the water was cold when you first got in with hand gestures and facial expressions! Go us!
The next day we rented BIKES! Which is not hard to do in Hard! We really wanted to rent them because all the non-tourists ride them around. We wanted to fit in, the previous day we think we only saw about 10 pedestrians!! Our plan was to ride one direction around the lake and then return. So we headed east, found lunch at a market along the way, stopped a few times to enjoy the view, and then realized something peculiar. The license plates had changed and we were most definitely in Germany again!! We saw a sign that said Bregenz was 9.3 km away!! (Hard was a 45 minutes bike ride to Bregenz). We hadn´t realiyed we had gone so far because the views were sooo beautiful! Although our bottoms were beginning to tell us yes we had indeed gone that far! We had lunch watching a dog play fetch in the water and then headed back. We went swimming on the way back and returned our bikes. Wonderful day!
In the evening we stumbled upon what appeared to be some sort of competition at the lake, so we watched. Three teams were making rafts out of trashcans, wood, and rope. Then they put their creations in the lake and paddled around! What fun!
We also watched the Uruguay vs. Ghana game that evening with locals. It was a lovely senery and great game, except the mosquitos came out in FULL FORCE! We both look like our legs have chicken poxs!!! They look rather discuting and we are doig our best not to itch!!!
So we are done with all the Hard stuff and on July 3 we headed to Innsbruck. We got to Innsbruck in the afternoon and found our adorable hostel! It is in the center of town and is old and cute (Nepomuck´s B&B). After getting settled we headed off to watch the Germany vs. Argentina game! WOW what a game! We watched at a public viewing area, there were both Germany and Argentina fans! It was quite hot but Radler made it better. haha Go Germany!
Today, Happy Fourth of July!!, we went to church at Dom St. Jacob. The organ gave us goosebumps and the choir was incredible! We did not understand a word but still had a very nice time. Beautiful church as well.
This afternoon we are going on a hike in the hills. Then we plan to do something to celebrate the 4th of July! =)
Until later! Enjoy the fireworks for us!!
p.s. the y and z are in different places in case there are a few mistakes
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Germany to Switzerland, Next up Austria
Greetings from Zurich (again). This morning we saw Cassie off at the airport... so the trio is now a duo. Cassie had no problems checking in and will be arriving in San Francisco this evening. It was sad to see her go but know she will have fun with her family and boyfriend in Seattle.
The rest of our stay in Germany was wonderful. We spent one day shopping in Köln with Maria and Franzi, it was fun to not feel like tourists. At some points we felt like we were shopping at home due to every store playing American music. So weird. In some stores the music choice did not match the atmosphere at all...haha.
The next day we traveled to Schaffhausen to meet up with Flo (Marias boyfriend). We explored the Rhine Fall, the biggest waterfall in Europe. We took a series of boat rides and climbed a boulder in the middle of the falls...SO COOL!
That evening we had a marvolous dinner at Flos parents house, which is in the Black Forest in Southern Germany. It was again another evening of great food, laughs, and excellent company.
The next morning (yesterday) we said goodbye to Maria and Franzi and thanked them for showing us around Germany. The rest of the day Flo played tour guide...we saw the largest coo-coo clock in the world, the tallest waterfall in Germany, and part of Lake Constance. After our wonderful day of adventures Flo dropped us off at the train station and we headed to Zurich.
During this German chapter of our trip Katie learned how to speak some German from Franzi. She can say "Hello. Excuse me. My name is Katie. How do you get to the main train station? I dont speak German, please use English. Thank you." And good night or good day depending on the situation. The best part was eating dinner last night, Katie said thank you to the waiter in German he replied in German "Oh you speak German" and then began rambling the specials in German. We stopped him and Katie used her sentence "I dont speak German please use English"... the waiter gave a hearty laugh and started the specials in English. Way to go!
Today Makenna and Katie are adventuring to Bregenz, Austria. It is on Lake Constance (we liked it so much we want to explore some more of the lake). Our plan is to swim and relax on the beach.
We will let you know how it goes. :)
The rest of our stay in Germany was wonderful. We spent one day shopping in Köln with Maria and Franzi, it was fun to not feel like tourists. At some points we felt like we were shopping at home due to every store playing American music. So weird. In some stores the music choice did not match the atmosphere at all...haha.
The next day we traveled to Schaffhausen to meet up with Flo (Marias boyfriend). We explored the Rhine Fall, the biggest waterfall in Europe. We took a series of boat rides and climbed a boulder in the middle of the falls...SO COOL!
That evening we had a marvolous dinner at Flos parents house, which is in the Black Forest in Southern Germany. It was again another evening of great food, laughs, and excellent company.
The next morning (yesterday) we said goodbye to Maria and Franzi and thanked them for showing us around Germany. The rest of the day Flo played tour guide...we saw the largest coo-coo clock in the world, the tallest waterfall in Germany, and part of Lake Constance. After our wonderful day of adventures Flo dropped us off at the train station and we headed to Zurich.
During this German chapter of our trip Katie learned how to speak some German from Franzi. She can say "Hello. Excuse me. My name is Katie. How do you get to the main train station? I dont speak German, please use English. Thank you." And good night or good day depending on the situation. The best part was eating dinner last night, Katie said thank you to the waiter in German he replied in German "Oh you speak German" and then began rambling the specials in German. We stopped him and Katie used her sentence "I dont speak German please use English"... the waiter gave a hearty laugh and started the specials in English. Way to go!
Today Makenna and Katie are adventuring to Bregenz, Austria. It is on Lake Constance (we liked it so much we want to explore some more of the lake). Our plan is to swim and relax on the beach.
We will let you know how it goes. :)
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