Munich/Munchen

So it's been a while...and this trip occured weeks ago but here it goes...

Warning: events may be out of order and details may be innacurate. Just let it happen.

After our first block of classes, we took a group trip to Munich and Salzburg. All 27 of us loaded up in a bus and headed north. The bus ride was one of the prettiest drives I have ever been on. weaving through the Alps and quaint little towns.

5-6 hours later, we arrived in Munich and checked into our hotel (which we were ecstatic about after staying in 3 Ducks in Paris). Then Martin took us on a tour through the frigid city and, knowing our group all too well, dropped us off at the Hofbrauhaus. This is the mecca for beer lovers. We gathered in a table and had beer liters at a time. The beer was great but the food was disgusting (I am not a big sausage fan). One girl ordered some sort of sausage and it came in a pot with a lid. We all imagined a warm sausage potato mixture or something like that and waited for her to remove the lid. Her expression upon opening it told us that we were wrong. Inside of the pot were two stark white sausages, still connected, floating in tepid water. I gagged. Others described it as an aerial view of the beluga whale tank at the GA Aquarium. Needless to say, the belugas were not consumed.

After the night was over, I had consumed 2 liters of beer and felt like I was going to bust for the rest of the night. At the time I didn't make the connection that what I was drinking was the equivalent of a 2 liter bottle of coke...one that I may buy at the grocery store and nurse for at least a week, not in one sitting. Then the group wobbled back to our hotel and had a great nights sleep.

The next day Martin took us to the concentration camp Dachau. Dachau was originally a prison and work camp for male political opponents, but towards the end of the war became more extreme and included women as well. I had no idea what to expect going into it. There is just a feeling of heaviness walking around somewhere like that. Even going through the gas chambers (which were never used) was a terrible feeling. It was and still is so hard to understand how so many people were so brainwashed that they were okay with concentration camps.

After Dachau, Martin dropped some of us off at the BMW headquarters. After growing up with a car fanatic, I was very excited to see this place. We went into the showroom where a creepy lady was singing and got to look at the new cars. The cars were all so shiny and nice...we loved getting to sit in the drivers seat and imagine for just a second that this was our ride. Then we heard a motorcycle reeving. Suddenly a man on a motorcycle flew through the showroom, driving up and down the large flights of stares. Pretty interesting. Then our stomachs got the best of us and we headed for the nearest Subway (no more beluga whales for me) and then went to the hotel to rest.

That night we decided to go to a 5 story discoteca, M-Park. The description on the internet made me want to go ahead and blast Lady Gaga and flick the lights on and off. When we arrived the bouncers looked at our international student cards and said, "Nope." (and for the record, the age to get in is 18. We are all 20+ and ecstatic to be away from fake ids in Athens. We are legally allowed in this place.) They want passports. I reply, "Do you really think I would bring a passport to a discotech?" and proceeded to whip out my UGA card, debit card, credit card, health insurance card, car insurance card, and bus pass, all of which have my name and a couple have a pic. We got in.

The drinks inside were overpriced and the cheapest thing we could get was 2 euro tequila shots. I hate tequila. My feathers are already ruffled from the bouncers and now they don't even serve beer for less that 8 euros. But the music was good and I knew most of it, give or take a few German beats. The girls all started dancing, especially when "Bad Romance" came on. Then a few of us went to dance by the DJ. Apparently the spot where we were dancing was already taken because a nasty girl out of nowhere shoved one of us off the stage. We brushed it off as an accident and then it happened again. All of her friends (including a 6"4' German man) started pushing us around. I tried to be nice but it really got out of hand when the man knocked one girl completely over. Unacceptable. Finally we had enough and moved on, but not before I got my last little jab in when I yelled, "You're giving a bad reputation to your country," turned on my heels, and stomped off. Later when I told everyone my verbal accost of the girl, they laughed, just as she did, and asked if that was really the best I could do.

When we left I was absolutely livid and the bouncer was stamping each of us as we left (I guess in case you wanted to return later). When he came close to me I told him:

a. Don't touch me.

b. I hate this place.

c. I'm never coming back here again.

On the way home a few of us sang the National Anthem and The Star Spangeled Banner the whole time.

Though I had a frustrating night out, I would love to see Munich in the summer when the weather is nice.

The two towers at a church in Munich. In this church is the Devil's footprint. I proposed to Martin and the group that we all go in and see if there is a match, but he wasn't as into that idea.

BMW Headquarters. Its a 4-cylinder building!

The entrance to Dachau.


Liters of beer at Hofbrauhaus. Yum.


Munich!





Next up: Salzburg.

Ciao for now!
Brooke

Paris Part Trois: I'm Louvrin' It

So I'm finally getting around to finishing Paris...here it goes!

These are mainly just pics beacuse it has been a while since I went there. But as of now it is definately my favorite city we've been to thus far (barely beating out Siena).

Paris at sunset. Beautiful.

Besides our gypsy encounters and nightmare hostel, we did do some tourist-y things, like go to the Louvre. It is probably the most overwhelming museum I have ever been to. I think I would need several weeks to take it all in. We went on Friday night (which for people between the ages of 18-26 is FREE!). We did the audio guided tour that took you through the highlights (Mona Lisa, etc).

The ceiling leading into the Ancient Rome area. (Tragically I didnt make it in there)

Me in front of the Mona Lisa...no flash was used, no worries.


The Statue of Venus.

On Saturday night we went to a resturant called Refuge de Fondue. There are only 2 tables that you literally have to climb over to get to your seat. 9 of us sat in a space that would typically hold 4. You don't order except for red or white wine. Then they just bring the fondue pots of cheese and oil, for cooking meat, and let you go to town. Maybe it was a long day or our gypsy instincts kicked in, but it was everyman for himself when the food came out. The people on either side of me had me pinned against the wall because they wouldn't let go of their skewers. Meat was stolen out of the pots, hot oil burned skin, and cheese was everywhere, but at the end of the meal everyone was full and happy sipping on their baby bottles.

Cameron and me with our baby bottles.

After not being able to shower for the entire weekend, the crew, looking slick as can be, was more that ready to be back in Verona preparing for our next adventure.

The Louvre

Ciao!

Paris, Part Deux: Gypsies

For some reason our group has become infatuated with gypsies. It all started in Venice, when people (who we decided were gyspies) kept coming up to us and trying to sell roses or "chicky chickys". One poor girl actually bought a "chicky chicky". Lucky for her she has since lost it and fully regained her soul.

I digress.

While at a bar in Paris, Frog and Princess, a creepy gypsy man kept following the group around. I didn't notice as much because I, along with Kari, were on a mission to have a Parisian drink. While we struggled to get to the bar and order this man kept creeping on the group. Eventually he got so close that one girl nicely put up her hands in the STOP position and shook her head "No." The gypsy then goes on to pull out a lighter.

Meanwhile...

Kari and I finally get to the bar and ask the bartender to make something. She ended up being American. What we got was not some authentic Parisian drink but rather a flaming shot of Sambuca.

This is our reaction when she pours out the nasty liquid and lights it on fire. As you can tell from our expressions we are saying "WHAT?!" The bartender was most likely a gypsy as well because she liked to light stuff on fire.

Post flaming licorice shot, Tess (victim of the gypsy) comes up and through all the noise I comprehend that the gypsy man lit her on fire. So naturally we leave. The next day I wanted to see a burn mark in her jacket but, alas, it was just a missunderstanding on my part, though she was threatened.

On Saturday (night after fire-gypsy) we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. It was supposed to be rainy and snowy, but instead it was a beautiful, freezing day. En route to this landmark, and unbeknownst to me, again, there was another gypsy encounter. The gypsy pulled the classic gypsy trick: "The Gold Ring". This is how it works (pay attention to avoid being gypped!)

Gold Ring Trick
1. Gypsy hides a ring along a pathway
2. Gypsy lunges at ring as victim nearly steps on it and stops them mid-stride.
3. Victim looks down at gypsy holding ring, confused.
4. Gypsy mumbles "It's solid gold. You can have it. Good luck for you, good luck for me."
5. Gypsy puts ring in victim's hand. Victim, still confused, holds ring and tries to shrug away.
6. Gypsy stops victim and rubs belly either saying "Baby" or "Hungry".
7. Victim tosses a few coins if they are feeling nice and gypsy snatches them up and scampers away.
8. Victim looks at ring and thinks "Why would gypsy give me a 'solid gold' ring and then beg for 50 cents?"
9. Victim thinks a minute more and realizes, "I fell for the gypsy trick!!"
10. Victim a) throws the ring aside immediately, or b) keeps the ring and loses soul.

Despite the gypsy, we made it souls intact to the Eiffel Tower. It was very windy and cold, but we still went to the top and got to see all of Paris! It was so beautiful! Even on a frigid day we were waiting in lines the whole time. I don't even want to imagine how it will be when the weather warms up.

Me in front of the Eiffel Tower

After we got back to the ground we found a great little cafe and had chocolate crepes and french fries...hey, when in Paris!

Paris: Part Un

We got back Sunday from a wonderful weekend in Paris! I was doubtful of how much I would like the city, but it is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. We left Thursday afternoon for Milan to have our first Ryanair experience. It ended up being better than I expected, though upon landing we bounced down the runway. Then we took a bus ride into the city. When the Eiffel Tower was in the distance the whole bus erupted in screams of excitement!

After getting a cab from the bus station, we arrived to our hostel, 3 Ducks. We got to our room and I immediately started panicking. 10 bunks. No sheets. Odor. Bathroom outside. Bathroom dirty. No showers in sight. Sketchy people. Easy to break in. The list goes on. I tried to SOS my parents, but they didn't answer. So we headed down to the bar in the downstairs and drank away our fears (just kidding...but we did try some French or German beer).

The next day we got up and ready for our first day exploring Paris. Here are pictures from the first day.

The Arc de Triomphe. We pranced from the Louvre down the Champs Elysees to see this. Its a pretty long walk, but y'all know how I don't mind walking by all the shops! After seeing the Arc de Triomphe, two of the girl and I went shopping and ended up in the biggest Sephora I have ever been in. Ahhhhhhhhhh makeup heaven :)


DON'T FEED THE MODELS.
On our way to the Arc de Triomphe, we stumbled upon the end of a Dior fashion show. It made my heart so happy. We got to watch all the important fashion people and models leave the show. And we saw Jared Leto...not sure who he is but some people in the group went NUTS.

The crew in front of the Louvre. How precious. After this photo, we proceeded to take jumping and cartwheel pics. Hello American tourists!

On another note, did y'all know Paris is the greenest city in the world? There were so many parks, grassy areas, and gardens. I loved it...it makes you feel like you're not in one of the biggest cities in the world. The gals in front of the Seine. It made me think of the MK an Ash movie "Passport to Paris" when they didn't like how dirty it was.

The hot chocolate from Angelinas. Did y'all know Coco Chanel drank one of these everyday!? It was like melted chocolate with cream. YUM. If you go to Paris, this place is a MUST.

NB: Our group got around Paris with relative ease thanks to an amazing guide from Dawson's friend, Elisabeth. If anyone's going to Paris soon you need this guide.

That's all for now...here's a little about what to look forward to:
-Louvre
-Flaming shots
-Eiffel Tower
-Wine in baby bottles

Ciao!

Venice

Yesterday our program director Martin took the whole crew the Venice for the day. We loaded up in the bus and headed east. When we got close we stopped to get a bus pass or something to get into Venice. From my seat I was the scariest scelator Venetian man. Yikes. And he had a wedding ring, meaning there is a Mrs. Scelator.

After Scelator, we got into Venice and loaded up in the Venice cab, which is a boat. Everyone clutched their bags (having been warned that there are a lot of pick-pockets here) and we rode to San Marco square. We had time to go eat lunch, so a few of us found a sandwich shop and got food to go. We ate in the square but not comfortably because there are pigeons EVERYWHERE. Seriously, they will walk right up to you. One girl was pecked and another got hit with a wing. I am NOT a fan of pigeons.

We went to the Doge Palace after lunch, where the people working there proceeded to ruin our whole tour. They were so rude and followed us from room to room and radioed ahead to make sure there were other workers waiting when we moved on. Everytime Martin tried to speak, they barked an Italian order at him. Even when he just pointed they got mad. It was absolutely ridiculous. All I got from the tour was that I saw the larget oil painting in the world.

Martin left us to explore Venice and our group walked around shops and searched for a place to eat dinner. The girls split from the boys (who wanted to eat at yet another sandwich shop) and found a cute little restuarant with great food. Then we wandered through Venice in the rain to the train station and headed home to Verona. I can't say that Venice is one of the top places I have ever been...it may actually be at the bottom. There were a ton of birds, it smelled, it was rainy, it seemed like everything was under construction, and the people were not very friendly and were eager to rip you off. Because it is mainly a tourist place, everything is expensive (1.50 euro just to use the bathroom!!!). Maybe on a day with better weather I would enjoy it.


Scelator striking a pose.

A canal and bridge.

Under construction canal. The bridge there is the Bridge of Sighs.

Gondolas.

Marshmellow baby.

Now we are off to Paris for the weekend!! Ciao!

A Terror in the Night

Sunday night after Cameron and I returned from Lucca and Siena, we were sitting in the kitchen at our usual spots when it happened. She was facing the sink area and I was facing the rest of the room when suddenly we heard a crashing sound and the lights flickered. Both of us stood up and bolted out of our room. I believed it to be a bird while Cameron thought it was a monkey-man. We ran across the hall to Kari and Katie's room for help. They came back to the room but were just as nervous as we were. No one wants a bird, monkey-man, or any other creature surprise attacking. Finally we got a couple of the boys to take care of it. They bravely ventured in the room and knocked on cabinets to lure the creature out. After a few minutes they began to gave up when one found the source of the noise: an Italian grasshopper/cricket/locust. These bugs are HUGE. I'm talking 6 inch bug with wings. One of the boys played the whole "I'm going to throw the bug at y'all" trick and Kari and I proceeded to run down the hall and Kari smashed into a glass door. She's really scared of bugs. We have not had a bug in here since and lets hope it stays that way.


I didn't take a picture but I think this is probably accurate. And ps I have to close my eyes while typing this because I really hate looking at it. SICK.

Siena

After navigating the Italian trains again, we arrived in beautiful Siena and began another quest to find our hostel. En route to the hostel we came across a gelato place...when in Rome! My favortite flavor is panna cotta. Its like caramel cake batter ice cream. Then we found our hostel office where the nicest woman gave us so much information on Siena...where to eat, what sights to see, where to go out, etc. Who know hostels had concierges?

We found our place and showered and got ready for dinner. We went to a delicious place (not microwaved food) and had a long Italian-style dinner. The bruscetta there was a-maz-ing.

After that we made our way to the discoteca, Gallery. You have to pay a cover but the cover is the price of a drink and you get a drink voucher. Thus when going to a discoteca, you are obligated to have a drink. I like their style. Throughout the night American music raged through the building, much to our enjoyment. A personal favorite was to see hoards of Italians doing the YMCA.

The next morning we got up and prepared for the day. We had a great lunch of pizza that was really unique (I ordered pepperoni pizza...but by pepperoni they meant pepper. It was delicious regardless). We then walked around Siena and found a great spot that overlooked the town. Then we went to two churches. One was really beautiful but was under construction. Like the one in Lucca, there was a preserved person, but this time just the head. Sick. Despite the coaxing from my fellow travelers, I never ventured anywhere near the head. After that we made our way to the Duomo, which was truly breathtaking. There was a woman outside playing a violin which only made the experience more magical. My favorite room was the library. The entire ceiling was so beautiful and along the walls were paintings depicting the life of Pope Pius __. Also in there were the songbooks from the 1400s (I think) that were HUGE. Each page had a beautiful drawing and there were tons of pages and tons of books. I can't even imagine how long that must have taken. If you ever go to Siena, the Duomo is a must.

After our exploring we went to the hostel to regroup (yeah, Barb!) and then went to eat at a place in Piazza del Campo. Again, the food was amazing. After dinner we found a few neat bars and ended the night at the Gallery. While wandering from bar to bar to hostel, we would just pass groups of young people sitting around with bottles of wine. They were so chill and laid back...it was pretty cool to see.

The next day we ate breakfast and then sat in Piazzo del Campo again. I love how Italians can just eat lunch, have a drink, or just be in these big open areas. No one is on their cell phones or computers...they just enjoy their surroundings and each other. We then went back to the train station to begin our 10 hour train adventure back to Verona. At one point we believed that we were at the correct stop. Half the group got out but as I was about to step off the train the door slammed shut. On the inside we pounded on the door and pressed button and on the outside they pounded on the door and pressed buttons. The surrounding Italians watched and laughed. As the train pulled away from the station Cameron ran beside the train like a scene in a movie. We weren't sure how we would get back but then realized they were at the wrong place and we were right...oh how the tables have turned. We finally figured out the whole fiasco and continued on home.

After my first trip I learned several things:

1. At some churches, there are bodies/body parts in clear coffins. Not for the sensitive souls.

2. Train travel can be very confusing, and the train doors won't reopen.

3. Don't put your feet on the seats in the train. They can fine you.

4. There are not open containers laws in Italy. Want to tote a bottle of wine around town on your tour? Go right ahead.

5. The John Wall/Paul Wall/John Paul dance as well as "Cranking the Roosevelt"

6. Hostels aren't as scary as you expect (but maybe thats becaue we pay extra for private rooms/baths)

7. Just because a restuarant is in Italy does not make it homemade.

8. American music is everywhere (as I was writing this I went through the lobby where "Freebird" was blasting. Made me feel like I was back in Bama)

9. Italians are not loud at restaurants. And they don't like it when a pack of rowdy American college kids are loud.

10. Tuscany is even more beautiful than I expected!

What a wonderful weekend! Can't wait for Paris!


The ceiling in the library at the Duomo. Pictures don't do justice.

The outside of the Duomo.

A courtyard we wandered into.

A few gals overlooking Siena.

A sidewalk artist. It was amazing to pass this throughout the weekend and see the progress.

View from Piazza del Campo.

Lucca

This weekend we took our first weekend trip. I loaded up my backpack (yep, I have a big ole camping backpack to tote through Europe...I feel like such a world traveler) and hit the road. Our first stop was the sleepy town of Lucca. Originally, it was surrounded by a moat and had walls all around it, but the moat has long since dried up (or at least i never saw any water). It was so neat to see a little Italian town and be out of bustling Verona.

After a few hours of deciphering the Italian train system, we arrived in Lucca and found our hostel. It was a pretty big challenge because the streets are odd on one side and even on the other (like America) but the odd and even don't correspond. ie 37 is a cross from 2. We arrived to find a note that said call Fabio when we get there. We made the call and Fabio showed us to our rooms. One had 3 twins and the other a king and 2 twins and both had private bathrooms. I was really excited/nervous about my first experience with a hostel. Turns out, another American woman who was about to move to Lucca was staying in the third room. She was so nice and told us all the hot spots in Lucca.

The group tried to find a great local place for dinner, but it seemed like there were only shops. We finally came across a little cafe with a good menu and moderate prices and we invaded. Not many little Italians restuarants are ready to accomodate 10 loud Americans. As we ordered one person asked if the seafood was fresh. The waitress looked surprised and said, "No. Frozen." Way to be honest. As we were waiting for our food I joked, "I bet this won't take long. They are probably microwaving everything in the back." Well turns out Cameron had a view of the kitchen and they in fact were microwaving little bags of food and dumping it on plates. So much for the great local cuisine.

The next day we woke up and explored Lucca. It is not the biggest town so our exploring only lasted about 2 hours. We went to a really pretty church and discovered that some places like to display important church founders in clear coffins. Thats right...500 year old monk was laid out for the world to see. Needless to say I bolted from that room and went to get some fresh air. Despite the body, I really loved seeing the architecture and art in the churches and could even identify some of it thanks to Camarata's class in high school and the class I am currently taking.

After sight seeing we boarded on another train and headed to Siena...



The group in front of the hostel where the girls stayed.

This used to be a Roman arena but it has morphed to what you see. There are bricks on some of the buildings that are the Roman originals.

The room I stayed in at the hostel. Cameron and I got to share the king...yay for sharing beds and cuddling.

The entrance to Lucca.

The outside of the church with the body. The door to the left is where I bolted out of post sighting.

A carousel in the middle of a piazza. Maybe like the one at the galleria??