Dear All, So Sorry that I am so behind! It's been a weirdly crazy semester with lots of different things all happening at once. With the summer just around the corner, there's been a lot of planning for the future and more. But without further adieu, I bring you Bavaria..aka land of amazing food! Oh...and my cousin Katie I guess. *Again, if you click on pictures, they will enlarge*
After my crazy ticket/train ride, I got to Munich with out any of my possessions stolen and honestly, a bad night's sleep. Oh and it was 6am and snowy, but that's why God made Starbucks with free Wi-fi. I told the Hostel I sat down and wasted my life for a good two hours. I drank that coffee, contemplated another one, but was eventually on my way.
It was snowy. It was cold. But it was Germany, which is somewhere I've never been and I was excited! Munich is a great example of a modern and old style city. There's obviously old town building and churches, but when you get past the toursit-y area, you get right to modern skyscrapers. But soon it was 730pm and Katie arrived. And we celebrated the only way O'Brien women know how, by eating.
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| MarienPlatz |
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| Hidden Gem Church |
When Katie and I were in Munich, we saw so much we weren't expecting to see. This is probably because we didn't know what to expect when it came to Germany other than good beer. Of course we coincidentally saw Marienplatz go off at noon and soon learned that the capital was once Munich because we toured the inside of the royal lodging, but there was this one church we found, that was truly amazing inside, but it very conspicuous from the outside. We honestly would have never expected this in a million years.
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| "Hills are Alive" hills |
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| VonTrapp House |
After our time in Munich, we made our way to Austria to take a day trip in Salzburg. I guess Katie and I really didn't know each other because she thought she needed to ask me if I wanted to go on the "Sound of Music" tour while in Salzburg. I don't think I've ever been this giddy in my entire life. We had this ridiculously psycho tour guide, but it was ok because he played the soundtrack every moment we were in the car, which was a while. We saw the house they used for their outside scenes, the gazebo, convent, wedding church AND "The Hills are Alive" hills. Although it was cold out, I could have stayed at that viewpoint forever. Words can not describe, so obviously just look at the pictures. Also, a special shout-out the the 85year old grandma, who ten years ago wanted to dance and jump in the gazebo...and broke her hip. Thank you, kind grandma, for making it so the gazebo is sealed shut and I don't get to live my dreams. Not bitter.
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| Gazebo |
Later that night we had to leave Salzburg for Vienna, which again was another one of those hidden gem European cities. We did the walking tour that Rick Steve's outlines in his guide book, and ended up in the most beautiful courtyard completely surrounded by sculptures and large buildings filled with history. Vienna is definitely one of those place people wouldn't think to visit, but is truly worth your while. This is also when Katie and I truly knocked down reservations of each other. I kindly took a video of her while she proceeded to fall asleep in the Hostel lobby, and that was the beginning of the end for our mutual taunting.
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| Lennon Wall - Prague |
The last part of this leg was Prague. If you ask any Twenty-something year old, most would say that they want to go to Prague or have recently been. And this is because Prague is just another one of those hidden gems. If you go to the old city at night, it looks like Magic Kingdom at Disney World. There's also this strange clock that I was too impatient to watch and of course the ever touristy John Lennon Wall. This wall, by the way, was the inspiration for the 2009 Glenbrook South Variety Show - Imagine.
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| Quality Beer |
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| Hofbrauhaus - Munich |
My favorite thing about this area, and I'm pretty sure Katie's favorite thing, was the food. Our friend Rick, perfectly found all the best places for us to eat. Katie and I ended up eating at the famous Hofbrahouse in Munich and then very cute and authentic quaint places in all the other cities. In Prague we met up with Katie's college friend and went to a favorite of hers. And every single piece of food we had was amazing. Whether it was bratwurst or strudel, everything was authentic and so filling. And then of course the beer. Good beer. Yes, I'm 18, I'm legal. Plus kids, beer is cheaper than water in Prague.
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| Magic Kingdom - Prague |
Bavaria and slight Eastern Europe is just a sight to see. The beautiful geography, food and history is something you wouldn't want to pass up, and definitely something I never would have thought to visit. Next will be the craziness of Poland.
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