Spring Break 2011: Last Stop- Salzburg, Austria and Munich, Germany

Kenzie, Liz and I left Prague on Thursday morning and arrived in Munich, Germany at about 3:00pm.  It was at this point, however, that we parted ways and I hopped on another train to Salzburg, Austria to meet up with Evan.

Evan met me at the train station at about 5:00pm and we made the short walk to the University of Portland center where has been living and going to school since September.  Even on the walk in, I could tell that Salzburg had a totally different vibe than any city I have been to thus far.  It is very scenic and mellow, a far cry from the hustle and flow of the big tourist cities I have frequented in other travels.  After showing me around a bit and stopping to shoot hoops in the courtyard, we went for a walk to one of the nearby parks and I got an amazing view of the mountains and the crystal clear river which was all beautiful.  It was great to see free standing buildings and houses with yards and grass in non-designated public areas, not to mention, the sight and smell of all the lilacs in bloom only improved the overall tone of the city.

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The hills are alive...

Familiar...

That evening, we went to dinner at a popular local beer garden which was a very cool experience.  We got some kind of wursts with mustard and bread and large mugs of an Austrian beer that they brew and although I am not sure what it was called, it was very good.  It was a beautiful evening and the garden was very crowded so we stood around waiting for a table until a young couple motioned us over and invited us to sit with them.  It turns out that the man was from Salzburg and the woman was from Berlin but had studied in Spain and spoke Spanish.  In which case, Evan struck up a conversation in German with the man while I carried on a lengthy conversation with the woman in Spanish.  Eventually, we came full circle and all ended up talking in English but it was really neat to be able to communicate on so many different levels.  The couple had a lot to say and were very interesting to talk to, we talked about cultural differences and I also learned a lot about changes in Berlin and the continuous cultural integration struggles since the fall of the Berlin Wall.  It was a such a unique and special experience to be able to sit with people from other parts of the world and be able to utilize the language I have spent the past months trying to master in order to connect with a girl not even from a Spanish speaking country.  I also learned a few other important things that night: people in Austria and Germany really do wear lederhosen- it's not just a stereotype and although The Sound of Music was filmed in Salzburg, most Austrians really don't understand the hype and haven't actually even seen the movie (I, for one, was shocked, I guess they just don't know what they're missing).

Salzburg at night

The next morning, Evan and I took a train about 40 min outside of Salzburg but across the border into Germany to spend the day at these German baths.  It is a little hard to describe but basically, there were a group of large indoor baths of warm saltwater that you lay and float in- a most relaxing and calming experience.  Then, you can go outside to the bigger baths which are also heated and where there were various options including a whirlpool, jacuzzi-esque pool, hot tubs and a really cold "sweet water" bath to cool you off.  While outside, you got the most beautiful view of the mountains which only added to the peacefulness and serenity of the atmosphere.  I could have spent forever there had I not pruned up worse than a raisin after the few hours that we did spend there.  After leaving, we went and explored the area a little bit before heading back to Salzburg.  We went down by the river and waded in and were numbed by the frigid ice that somehow had managed to maintain liquid status.  After dinkying around town for awhile, we got on a train and headed back for the evening to grab some food and go out for the night in Salzburg, where I so skillfully beat Evan at pool twice in a row (okay, I admit that Evan scratching on the 8-ball may actually constitute him beating himself more so than my actual pool skills..but hey, rules are rules).

Inside the baths, under water ocean theme

outdoor baths

Evan and I just taking a break 

(because it was oh so draining...)

Not horrible to look at

slightly numb at this point

Saturday morning, we got on yet another train to head back to Munich for the day so I could fly out the next morning.  We tried to meet up with Kenzie, Liz and Stephanie but we got a little lost and so we missed them at that point in the day.  At any rate, we walked around Munich for a bit which was quite a mad-house on the main strip and made our way to the Hofbrauhaus, a famous beer hall.  We went inside and it was super crowded and quite a lot to take in, but a very cool atmosphere.  There was live German music complete with extremely loud Germans in lederhosen singing extremely loud drinking songs while pounding full pints of bier (German spelling).  Evan ordered a liter of the Hofbrau Original and I got a half liter of what was called a Radler which was basically their version of a shandy.  Both were very good and we finished our mugs off while taking in the scene.  Afterwards, we went and explored the English Gardens and saw some locals surfing in the whirl-pool of the river and heard-tell of nudists who frequent German parks in warm weather but didn't actually see this phenomenon.

Germans at Hofbrauhaus beer hall

Taste testing

Surfing the river at the English Gardens

At about 6:30pm we went to my roommates' hostel and were lucky enough to actually catch them this time and after a round of introductions, we stepped out to get dinner and go out.  We had one last Bavarian meal of a wurst with mustard (still good even after a week straight of them) and all tried some variation of German beers, I went with a Weiss or wheat beer this time and enjoyed it immensely.  From there, we all went out together and spent the night dancing to a variety of American playlists with songs I haven't heard in awhile but could still recite all the lyrics to while getting our groove on.  Overall, it was a very fun evening and a great end to a fantastic spring break.  I couldn't have asked for a better time and truly enjoyed the culture and sights of every city I saw in very different respects.

Liz, Evan, and I

One last night of Spring Break 2011, It's been a blast!

Spring Break 2011: Next Stop- Prague, Czech Republic

Kenzie, Liz and I hopped on the night train from Krakow and the next thing we knew we were stacked three high in bunks in a tiny little train cabin on our way to Prague, Czech Republic.  Slightly to our surprise yet much to our happiness the beds were extremely comfortable and we all slept quite peacefully until our wake-up call at 7:00am the next morning.

Couldn't resist...

We arrived at our hostel pretty early and couldn't check in yet so we dropped our bags and went to explore the city on foot.  After converting some euros to kroners, we walked to the main square where we were pleasantly greeted by yet another eastern Europe Easter market!  Everything smelled wonderful and the food definitely rivaled Krakow's with the sausages and sauerkraut, potatoes with fixings galore and a tasty version of shish-kebabs.  After exploring the market, we went to see the Astronomical Clock, the oldest working one still in existence.  Later, we wandered over to the Charles Bridge which was very crowded but had a very pretty view of the river and part of the city.  That night, we went to the Krizik fountain show which was choreographed to tunes from Dirty Dancing and so of course we really enjoyed singing along to all of the songs.  The only problem was that we chose to go to the early show without looking at the sunset time so half of the effect was marred by the fact that lit up fountains aren't as cool when it's still light out.  All in all, though, it was still a very enjoyable evening and on the walk home we found a really pretty overlook of the entire city at night which was beautiful.

Easter Market

Astronomical Clock

I wanna dance with somebodayyy.. a little later in the night next time though

The next two days were spent exploring the city from end to end and taking in the sights.    We crossed the Charles Bridge again and went up to the Prague Castle and caught the tail end of the changing of the guards which was really interesting to watch as it was so intensely coordinated and the music made it quite a show.  We saw the John Lennon wall which was a big symbol of the Czech youth's desire for freedom and change while under the communist regime of Gustav Husak.  Even when we weren't seeing specific historical or tourist sights, we were enjoying just taking in the vibes of the amazing architechture mixed with sprawling parks full of colorful flowers in full springtime bloom.  Prague was definitely one of the most aesthetically beautiful of any of the cities I have seen thus far and I enjoyed taking it all in immensely.

John Lennon Wall

Spring has sprung in Prague

Prague Castle from across the bridge

View from the Charles Bridge

Night out in Prague with Liz, swings and Stella a great combo

Streets of Prague

View from the Castle

Fred and Ginger Dancing Building

Shout out to the Czechs! 

Love you and miss you all

Spring Break 2011: First Stop- Krakow, Poland

Last Friday, my roommates and I started off our Spring Break by hopping on an early flight to Krakow, Poland to embark on a 10-day exploration of Europe as it lies to the east of us here on the Iberian Peninsula.

Market Square

We arrived rather early in Poland and immediately loved the smaller town vibe we got from this city and I would have very much enjoyed the walk to the hostel had it not been my turn to lug the shared suitcase around town.  After settling in at the hostel, we went off to explore the city.  We discovered a really cool Easter market that had a ton of delicious food and beer and some interesting crafts and entertainment.  We came to love this market and spent a decent chunk of our time there dedicated to exploring the different cultural aspects it had to offer.  Personally, I enjoyed the wursts and pirogies (little dumplings filled with a variety of ingredients generally meat or potatoes) and spent many a Polish Zloty (the currency which so generously gave us a 1 zloty: 3 euro ratio) enjoying said foods.

Polish sausage with spicy mustard. Delicious.

PETA may take issue with this market

On Saturday, we woke up to go on the early tour of Auschwitz, the largest of the Nazi concentration camps, which is about an hour outside of Krakow.  On the bus ride there, they played a movie about the camp which gave us some background information and set the tone for the tour of the camp itself. We first toured Auschwitz I, the smallest of the three parts of the camp and that was an experience I will never forget.  We went into the barracks where the prisoners were held and saw countless photos of the Polish political prisoners and Jews from all over Europe of all ages who were held in this camp, the majority of them having died there.  Also, as the Nazis kept all of their belongings we saw rooms full of thousands upon thousands of suitcases, shoes, hairbrushes, children's toys, etc.  The eeriest was seeing the thousands of pounds of hair that had been shaved off all of the prisoners upon their arrival.  We also went through the gas chambers where many of those entering the gates of Auschwitz ended their journey.  From there, we went to Auschwitz II- Birkenau, the largest of the Auschwitz complexes.  The eeriness and immensity of this expansion is difficult to fathom and I could hardly even imagine the place as it would have been when it was in use.  I cannot really put into words everything that I felt and took from this experience but I learned a lot from the visit and I think it is really important to visit these places to learn about what happened to these millions of innocent people because of racist ideals and hatred.

Entrance to Auschwitz-Birkenau

Saturday night at the hostel there was a toga party complete with a mesh of a Greek-Polish feast which we decided to partake in.  As per usual at hostel events, we met some very interesting people from all over including Poland, Australia, Canada, Spain, and the U.S. to name a few.  We had a great night and went out with everyone to enjoy a little taste of Polish nightlife and my roommate Liz even won the best toga award!

Sunday was to be our last day in Krakow but we were taking an over night train at 11pm so we still had the whole day to enjoy the city.  After going to the market again and walking to the Jewish quarter where they filmed Schindler's List, we caught the afternoon tour bus to the Salt Mines.  We went down 52 flights of stairs about 2.5 miles into the mine which was less than 1% of the entire mine.  The mine was actually really cool and full of statues, monuments, and even a chapel which is the largest underground chapel in the world (although how many underground chapels actually exist I am not sure) all completely made out of salt which was incredible.  Luckily though, there was an elevator lift to bring us back up, unluckily it was beyond tiny and not ideal for claustrophobic people such as myself.

52 flights deep

100% made of pure salt

Taste it for yourself if you don't believe it

That night as we were leaving the hostel to head out for the train, I look over and who do I see checking in?  None other than Mr. Lally, my CDH high school English teacher.  Talk about a small world...
After chatting for a minute with him, we set off for our next adventure by means of a night train to Prague.

Live, Laugh, Love, Lisbon

Welcome to Lisbon!

Sister to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fran

This past weekend, my roommates and two other friends from school decided to stop over next door and check out Portugal for the weekend.  We arrived in Lisbon early Friday morning at about 8am.  At this point, we all had slightly different agendas as some of the girls had to register for classes in the afternoon.  Steph and I, having no school obligations, decided to go check out the beach that the hostel had recommended to us.  A mere half an hour later, we found ourselves relaxing on the beautiful beach of Cascais on the western most coast of Europe.  The weather was beautiful and hot and Steph enjoyed the day soaking up the sun (luckily we remembered the sunscreen) and only took a break to get a sandwich and pitcher of sangria to split.

Steph and I headed to the beach

Cascais

That night, we met up with the rest of the girls at the hostel and enjoyed a hostel-made dinner of a famous Portugal dish involving Bacalou (codfish) and it was absolutely delicious.  We met two guys from Canada who were possibly the funniest duo I have met on this Euro adventure thus far.  They were like a comedy act playing off one another and kept us entertained all night.  Interestingly enough, they thought my Minnesotan accent was the funniest which is ironic seeing as how I was by far the closest in proximity to them back home.  They got a kick out of how we supposedly turn the o's in words like hockey or coffee into an 'a' sound... go figure.

New friends at the hostel taught us the After Eight challenge

Goal: get the thin mint from your forehead to your mouth without using hands

On Saturday, we woke up and were all set and ready to go on the 10am "We Hate Tourism Tour" we had booked which everyone who had been to Lisbon was raving about...too bad the tour was actually at 9am and the time was wrong on the website.  Needless to say, we missed the tour and were pretty upset about it and made sure to give the tour group an earful about having the correct information posted online.  After ensuring that we got our money refunded, we decided to roll with the punches and took off for the beach once again.  After a full day on the beach with lots of shenanigans, we all came back to the hostel with battle wounds of sunburns in places where we forgot to reapply.  Personally, aside from the random splotches, my feet looked like two raw slabs of meat... still recovering from that one.  That night we ate with the hostel again and met some British guys from the Cambridge field hockey team who taught us all sorts of games we had never played before.  We went out with them to see what the Portugal night life was all about. After braving the insane crowds we realized that mingling with the entire Portuguese population and getting shoved, stepped on and hissed at (guys will do this in lieu of whistling essentially) was not conducive to our idea of a fun evening on the town so we headed back a little early.

Nursing sunburns after a day at the beach

On Sunday, we had no real agenda planned so we decided to take a ferry across the river (the river leads into the ocean just a little ways down) to a town called Costa do Caparica.  We spent the day wandering around town and then went to the coast once again to enjoy one of the longest beaches in Europe.  The weather was once again beautiful but as we were all still suffering from the pains of the previous day, we made sure to stay a little more covered up.

The ferry we took

Lexi and I on the ferry

The whole crew at Costa do Caprica

Ridin' Solo

That leaves me here today, quite a bit tanner but still recovering from some lingering sunburns and looking at the daunting task of packing for spring break which begins this Friday...