Across the Atlantic... And Beyond!

Hello Everyone, 

I'm just warning the readers of this blog that it's decently long because it's the recollection of my entire Euro trip, so I apologize if you fall asleep while reading it, the next ones won't be this lengthy!

So I made it to Aberdeen a week ago! I've already checked some firsts off my list- overnight/ transatlantic flight, legally drinking wine on a plane, watching a plane movie, and eating a full airplane meal (which aren't nearly as bad as people say they are- give it some credit!) We hit a snag in London though- the customs line took two hours to get through. Now don't get me wrong it wasn't all bad- we made lots of new friends and I thoroughly used up all of my 45 minutes of free wifi- cheap London...Once we got through that line we talked the man operating the escalators into letting us jump ahead in line to get through security quicker in hopes of  making our flight in the final five minutes before our flight was scheduled to depart. Once I got through security I ran like I've never run before- just imaging my 5'1" frame sprinting through the airport with a 55 liter pack, I must have looked crazy! After all of that we still missed it :( By the time I got to London I had lost one bag en route and the one that did arrive was thrown at my feet: it's zipper completely undone and the baggage strap providing the only saving grace to the contents of my bag. 

We made it to our first Couchhost in Aberdeen safe and sound! Jayd and I made a big step in our adventure- we got trac phones :) They are literally the junkiest things I have ever seen, but they operate well and I've managed to communicate with people so it has done its job. We stayed with another couchsurfer that night from Argentina- he was really funny and couldn't stand the cold (it was like 60 degrees) The next morning we took off for Edinburgh via bus- still tired out of our minds from the 6 hour time change. We traveled RyanAir and managed to get into the plane with our very specific luggage limits (thanks mum and dad for buying that ridiculous backpack!) 

In Krakow we met the nicest Couchhost- he lived in the most picturesque home twenty minutes out of the city. Even though we arrived at 9 PM he had spend multiple hours of his day preparing a three course meal for us- a sausage soup, dumplings, and then an orange dumpling dessert as well. We went out and saw the city at night- absolutely stunning! This was Saturday night so our host said the night life would be the best, there we stopped for a drink at a bar called 'Singer', which was known for its sewing machines on every table. We woke up the next morning to find the largest bread selection I've ever seen. He had taken note from my Couchsurfing profile that I loved bread so he made a great effort to fulfill that! We traveled to the Saltmines for a tour- my favorite part: tasting the wall for its validity- they didn't lie! We then traveled to a national park that contained castle ruins- it was such a gorgeous area! 

Here's a few side notes about Poland: they are the craziest parkers I've ever seen! It's legal to completely park a car on the side walk, as long as there's 1 meter for people. Also, I give props to Polish speakers because as of right now it's the most confusing language to me, honestly I couldn't begin to guess what most of the words meant! And on top of that, if you don't speak Polish, good luck finding ones who do- thank goodness our host was our translator. 

We experienced another first- riding in an overnight train. There wasn't a lot of sleep to be had on that portion of our trip, but we did manage to get off at the right stop :) As soon as we got into Salzburg, Austria we met up with our next host. He suggested we spend some time at Hellbrunn Park/Castle, which turned out to be amazing. It had a gorgeous view of the city as well as containing healing waters (which I definitely walked through...I can always use some healing!) My favorite park was the tour of the trick fountains- let's just say that's the most I've ever laughed on a tour, and definitely the most wet I've ever gotten, you'll have to check it out for yourself. Being in Austria, which is where a large part of the Sound of Music was filmed, I periodically broke out into song (causing some strange looks, but it's all in the fun of life.) Then our host took us downtown to try some food- a typical street food consisting of a sausage with mustard-not to be confused with a hot dog, it was much better!!! The three of us wandered the streets and sampled some beer as well as checking out the most unique cemetery, which provided the landscape for a through street. Later we met up with our host's friend and we quickly realized how difficult it is to directly translate a word in German to one in English. 

I'm fairly certain my favorite day of the whole trip was this day- when we went hiking into the Austrian mountains- about 30 minutes east of Salzburg. Although it was a short 2 hour hike, it was just enough to be able to see one of the greatest views I've ever seen. The top of the mountain provided us with a marvelous sight with a nearly 360 degree view of the area containing clear blue lakes, chiseled mountains, and the villages below. From there we could even see the headquarters of Red Bull, which originated in Salzburg. I could have stayed up there all day, and really in Austria for a month plus to enjoy their vast collection of trails. When we headed down we came across old castle ruins (which turned out to be quite a staple for the trip, which I thought was so crazy because castles in the US are far from casual!) We arrived back in Salzburg safe and sound, and quite hungry, so we set off to find a great beer garden. The presence of the people in that building was incredible. It was cafeteria style so I got another sausage as well as a pretzel (that was on my high crave list for the area, just ask Jayd :) ) In addition we had the opportunity to buy beer in a way I've never seen: it consisted of picking a mug off the shelf, washing it out, and proceeding to the line to get it filled by a man pouring the house beer out of an actual barrel- I think I liked that experience even more than the beer!!! We sat down at a table with a group that had the table reserved. We eventually found out that they consistently met there every other Wednesday and even had a sign on the wall stating that our table was claimed as theirs during their specified time. 

Right before we left Salzburg I had the pleasure of enjoying freshly picked mushrooms that our host and his family had picked that morning....literally the best ones I've ever tasted! Then we hit the train for Bern, Switzerland.

When we got to the connecting train station in Zurich we were starving and decided to check out what they had open at 11 PM, which landed us at Burger King: a burger there was 14 franks (which translated to about $14.) Needless to say we starved and I was a bit terrified of our money situation after that introduction to Switzerland. It got better though...just so that isn't too much of a cliff hanger for you!

On our first full day in Bern we took the grand tour with our couch surfing host: Rosengarten (rose garden with a gorgeous view of the river) , Bärengraben (bear park), and the Zytglogge (clock). It was quite gorgeous, and the water was so much clearer than anything I've seen in the US (apparently they have very tight regulations in order to keep it gorgeous.) After that we bought chocolate and wine, because you can't go to Switzerland without it- that turned into a shameless daily activity. 

The next day we met up with Timon- a friend of mine who had studied as an exchange student in Owatonna for a year. As we were walking and catching up, we came across the casino he hadn't ever been to one so we checked it out. To me the most interesting thing was that they had specific rooms for smoking whereas in the midwest you can smoke anywhere (this was especially astonishing considering the vast number of people who smoke in Europe compared to the US!) It was a lovely time :) We also met up with Timon's friend and had pizza with him. To me it has been very interesting learning the ways of the European system on eating out: The waiter will only bring the check when you ask, they won't regularly check on you, water is NEVER free (my biggest annoyance), and you rarely (shocking bahahaha) tip! Anyway, we hung out until the rain caught up with us and departed our ways for the evening.

Our final day in Bern was pretty open to suggestion until Sarah, one of my friends who was also an exchange student, messaged me and  said she was living in Bern and would love to do something with us! So we went to a delicious gelato place where there happened to be a flea market going on and such. It was a such a perfect scene! Me and Jayd's main plan for the day was to cook up a grand American meal in thanks for the days that our host and her flatmates had to put up with us. So we took a trip to the main train station (because oddly that's the only place that's open on Sundays!) We snagged all of the ingredients needed for our feast of sloppy joes, garlic mashed potatoes, and Snickers salad...except for the Cool Whip!! Apparently Europe doesn't believe in the BEST topping for pies and pudding, which really surprised me. It was supposed to be a meal for 4, but 7 ended up showing up, but somehow we still had enough food for everyone, plus a little extra. They had never had anything like it before, but they must have liked it enough because everything was scraped clean :)

We bid Adieu the next morning and headed off for the fine city of Torino, Italy. However first came the 5 hour wait in the Milan train station (which lacked quality and wifi.) During these long hours we discovered that the bar in the cafe where we had set-up camp sold more espresso than any alcohol combined, which I thought was quite interesting! We met up with our host late that afternoon and he brought us to his beautiful apartment. After watching some European basketball (yes, he even knew about ALL of the white guys from the Timberwolves team, so funny!) we went with him and his friend for a tour of the city at night. It was such a gorgeous place, and so much great history around it- including the story that no building could be higher than the Mole Antonelliana (originally a synagogue and now the tallest museum in the world- and FYI it's the image on the 2 cent Italian Euro piece!!)...but Mussolini decided that he would give that idea 'the finger', by building an ugly and quite tall building close to it (pictured below). After that we ate at a restaurant which was serving a typical all-you-can-eat dinner buffet, which included a drink, not a bad deal if you ask me! 

Jayd and I did much exploring the next day before having to leave Torino to fly to Barcelona. The most difficult part was trying to obtain a 24 hour bus pass- literally no one that we spoke to could give us enough information in English to convey ideas to us until we finally understood a woman gesturing enough directions to make sense to us and after about 30 minutes we found it! Moral of the story: learn Italian, because they won't learn English for you haha! We took an elevator ride to the top of the Mole Antonelliana, which showed us a stunning view of the city and the Alps. Afterward we headed back to our host's flat and he made us some delicious pesto pasta and let us try some of his 'Nespresso' espresso (he said they don't drink cups of black coffee there!) Then we headed for yet another train and plane trip!

This evening marked the last destination in our trip...Barcelona! We got off the train and freakishly had no idea where we were to walk to, but for some reason Jayd was able to use her maps with a tracker to find our hostel (honestly an act of God, because without it we probably never would have found it!) The hostel was super clean and the first night there was sangria night, which was already a great start. We left to go out to a club and took the Metro. This is the part in the blog where Emily gets the most sad: my iPod Touch got stolen...yup, the Barcelona pickpocketers got me. Honestly, I thought I was being ultra careful, I guess not...However, the rest of the evening was great! 

The following day was filled with attempting to recover my iPod and sightseeing. Jayd and I set out with no plan and ended up running across Las Rambas, the single most happening spot for tourists, and just a gorgeous place with palm trees (we however, found out that the city imported all of their palm trees to attract tourists- I guess it worked out pretty well for them!) As we were walking around the marina we came across some people from our hostel and headed over to the beach with them and we made a day of it! It was a shame though because we didn't bring our suits along, even though it wouldn't have mattered because of all of the old naked women we saw. After that Jayd and I took a wrong turn to get back to the hostel and ended up in the nicest neighborhood in Barcelona: el Born. Which led us to the el Born ruins from the early 1700s, it was a beautifully restored area. 

The next day we discovered an amazing bakery right by our hostel, which we made into a daily routine. The sweetest lady owned it, and made the most delicious chocolate filled rectangular pastries (it's making my mouth water just writing this!!) so everyday I got one of those and a loaf of bread to munch on. We hit up a free tour of the gothic part of the city, which was probably the best decision we could have made there! We were able to hear some alternative facts about Barcelona and there was only 4 of us total on the tour- which made everything better because we joked the whole way. We got coffee with them afterward and headed to the beach. I got my first taste of salt water- literally!  Later that evening we ate with a guy from Canada and our roommate from Colorado- my favorite part of traveling there became how great it was to meet people! Then we went to a club that was way too fancy for my style...I was wearing my Birks while most girls were in their 6 inch heels - comfort over class any day.

Our final full day in Barcelona was somewhat of a joke- we finally got completely lost on the bus system, but we did get to see Sangrada Familia in all of its glory. Later we went to La Merce Festival- Barcelona's largest festival in celebration of the patron saint of Barcelona. We first visited one of the live music venues and then headed to the beach for the carnival that was going on- so much funsies. 

After all of that, we made it back to Aberdeen!!! A friend we met at the hostel was taking the same flight back to Glasgow so he helped us figure out how to take the train back, which was so helpful. I feel like I got a great taste of the area, I'd go back to any of those places in a heart beat! Also, if you made it this far in my blog congrats! The world's longest blog is now done- now off to another one to describe my Aberdeen adventures :)

Cheers!

The top of a mountain we climbed in Austria-one of my favs!

Me overlooking the city of Bern, Switzerland

Here's Mussoli's ugly building with his 'finger' up, haha I love it!

Departure Day

Well, the day has arrived!!! However the nerves of traveling internationally and getting through the immigration check points are more prevalent than the excitement right now. I've spent the last three days packing only to find that I'm over the allotted weight by four pounds (and yes, I even tried to get rid of a couple sweaters!), so another checked bag it is. Oh well, in the scheme of things, this will allow me to bring more gifties back home.

It's crazy for me to think that almost a year ago I was just wandering through the study abroad fair, and now in a few hours I'll be leaving to study in other country.

I honestly never thought good-byes would be this difficult but in reality, four months really isn't that long. After seeing stores with Christmas items in them already, I told my mom that I really won't be gone that long if the stores are already bringing in the holiday that I'll be back for in the States. :)

And here's my final shout out to everyone who has helped me along the way: Mum, Pop, and Kayla- you've been standing by me since day one and your generosity has been GREATLY appreciated. Jake,  I seriously don't know how you put up with me through all of this, but it really has helped me a ton-much more than I could say on a blog haha! And to all my friends, you're the best-always asking about my plans and seeming pretty darn interested to say the least. I love you all!

Next stop: Aberdeen, Scotland!