Rome, Italy

During my semester in Germany, I got the idea to spend a week traveling through Italy with my favorite travel partner and best friend, my mom! I left on Saturday night Nov. 27th for an all night train to Rome, while my mom rode in first class from Atlanta to Rome. We decided to meet in Roma Termini train station and walk to the hostel together.

I got to the train station around 9 a.m. on Sunday and started to look for her. About twenty minutes later, I hear my name yelled. My mom and I had found each other in Italy with no problem!

We walked to the hostel together with all of our luggage. Mom had a few surprises in her bag to give me. She had 3 cans of American Diet Coke that she had gotten from the flight attendant. She split a can while we looked at a map of Rome. I 'upgraded' at the hostel to a four person room (instead of an 8 person room) but no one else ever came. We had the room to ourselves for two nights in Rome!

We started walking for the Coliseum which was only ten minutes away. We joined a guided tour of the 2,000 year old arena. My mom and I were both shocked to find out an estimated 700,000 people, including gladiators, servants, and prisoners, had died in the arena. In between the tour of the Coliseum and Palatine Hill, we ate an Italian restaurant where we split mushroom pizza and salad. This meal became the 'usual' for the week. After lunch we had the tour of Palatine Hill which was the center of the Holy Roman Empire. We stood on the ground where "all roads led to Rome."

To finish up our day, we threw pennies in the Trevi Fountain, walked around Piazza Nivona, and saw the Pantheon. We stopped for cappuccinos which became a daily event to escape the cold or rain. At least this was our excuse. Surprisingly, cappuccinos were really cheap so we drank one every day! We were so excited to be together and to conquer Italy!

Christkindal Markts

Although the Germans do not celebrate Thanksgiving, they do celebrate Christmas in a big way! Before the beginning of December, Christkindal Markts take place all over Germany until December 24th. Christkindal Markts consist of temporary wooden shops or booths. They sell all kinds of gifts from ornaments to jewelry, clothing, and other handmade goods. The markts also have lots of food like Gluhwein (hot wine), roasted nuts, sausages, cheeses, and more baked goods.

I had a day on my eurail left to use on the trains so I took a day trip to Bamberg, Germany to see their Christmas Markets and to view the Black Forest. I heard about black forest cake so I tried some in Bamberg. Black Forest cake is chocolate cake layered with whip cream and cherries. I used the cake and coffee as a break from the cold temperatures. While on the train, I saw the first snow of the winter season. I bought a few small things to bring back as gifts from the markets but mostly enjoyed all of the decorations.

Germany decorates similarly to the states with lights, trees, and bows. As I update the blog, Regensburg has at least a foot of snow on the ground. I am impressed with how the town handles snow. The plows are out and public transportation is still working. I even went to the grocery store (for bread of course) and did not find a nervous mob of people. I wish I had snow gear so I could play in it or a snowmobile to go around town. Only two more days until I leave Europe!

Thanksgiving Lunch

For Thanksgiving, my friend Jessica decided to cook our German friends the typical Thanksgiving meal. Briona, Jessica, and I went shopping for all of the ingredients on Thursday (the actual day of Thanksgiving) for the lunch on Friday. We all agreed to postpone Thanksgiving one day since we had finals to take on Thursday.

Our first difficulty to overcome in our attempt to make Thanksgiving was to find a turkey. We wandered the meat section of the Netto and found something similar to a turkey. Then, I spotted a real turkey in the frozen section! It said "Ready Turkey" on the package, but Jessica thought I said "Freddy the Turkey" so we decided to call him Freddy for the rest of Thanksgiving.

Poor Jessica took on the task of preparing the turkey to be cooked in the oven. I had no idea what you had to do to a turkey so luckily I didn't volunteer. On Friday the three cooks met in Jessica's kitchen and started preparing food at 11 for a 2 o'clock lunch. We made mash potatoes, pumpkin bread, peanut butter cookies, the turkey, green beans, corn, rolls, and macaroni casserole. We were so proud to serve the meal to our German friends. They were shocked at the amount of food on the table. In all about 10 of us ate Thanksgiving lunch together. The Germans had never had turkey before and loved the dishes we made. They all asked for the recipes. Another 'shocker' to them was the peanut butter cookies. We were all so full afterwards, but the hours of preparation were worth it.

The food honestly tasted like home!

Around Paris

Touring Versailles can really zap a person of their energy. At 4:30 Marta and I got on a train back into Paris. For dinner we fixed pasta at Marta's friend's apartment. Her friend has lived in the same apartment for almost 3 years in Paris. I loved talking with her about her life in Paris. Her apartment consisted of a tiny one room with a fold out bed, small table with 2 chairs, a tiny sink next to 2 burners for cookies, a miniature oven and refrigerator, and a tiny bathroom. The three of us took up the entire living space of this flat, but it was a neat experience.

We left her friend around 7 with a goal to see the Eiffel Tower a night. Marta and I stopped at a crepe stand and each ordered a chocolate crepe for dessert. We came around the corner from the crepe stand, and there was the magnificent Eiffel Tower lit up at night! The tower was an amazing sight.

After snapping a few photos, we took the metro to Montmarte on the north side of Paris. The little neighborhood is situated on a hill which provides an amazing view of Paris. My only wish is that I could have seen Paris during the day from the steps of Sacre Coeur (a church on the hill) as well. We did a little shopping along the streets while finding the metro to take back to our hotel. The day of visiting Versailles and around Paris was another success!

Sunday morning brought cloudy weather with light rain. We dressed warm and went on a hunt for breakfast. Since it was Sunday, the bakeries were few and far between. Luckily, we found a place to eat croissants and coffee before the Lourve museum. The museum is huge and people were not exaggerating when they mentioned it's size. The museum had been the former royal palace in France before Versailles. As tourists our main goal was to see the Mona Lisa, which I even took a picture of!

We wandered around the massive museum for about two hours before taking a break. We got drinks and sat at a table just admiring the building itself, aside from all of the art work it contained. Lastly, before leaving Paris we walked along the Seine River (which is now my favorite) to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The buildings along the way reflect the French architecture with tan buildings, black railings, and black roofs. I loved the views from the Seine River the most! Marta and I were sad to board the train home for Regensburg. I could have easily spent several more days in Paris.

Palace of Versailles

On Saturday morning the weather man predicted rain for the day, but Marta and I woke to sunny skies and great temperatures. Our first stop was at a little bakery where we ordered chocolate croissants and coffee. Next we rode the Metro to the end of zone 3 for Paris and bought a one-way ticket for zone 4 which included the Palace of Versailles.

The walk from the train station to Versailles was a quick 10 minutes, and we were inside listening to audio guide in no time. I purchased my ticket in advance, but Marta got in free with an EU citizen i.d. We saw the Versailles Chapel, many estate apartments, the Hall of Mirrors, and more. The palace had gold everywhere and paintings on the walls and ceilings. My favorite fact of Versailles is the date in which it was built: in the 1600s, making the palace over 400 years old..amazing!

After touring the inside, we headed outside for a long walk around the palace grounds. The view of Versailles from the back shows it's immense size. The Grand Canal extended far out in front of me. We explored much of the gardens and pathways. At 1:30 I was hungry so we stopped for sandwiches at a little cafe to the right of the canal. The snack break became our halfway point.

The rest of our time at Versailles was spent touring The Grand Trianon, Petite Trianon, and Marie Antoinette's quarters. I loved this area of Versailles the most. I could spend another day or so just roaming the estate of Versailles.

Paris, France

While leading up to my weekend in Paris, I began reading Julia Child's book "My Life in France," as preparatory work for what to expect in this unknown country. If you have never read Julia's book, it is a must for those who love travel, food, and a life well lived. For this weekend getaway, I had a new travel partner, Marta, who is my polish roommate. We boarded a night train in Munich that left at 10: 43 from Munich to arrive in Paris at 9 in the morning. We reserved seats earlier in the week in a cabin of 6 seats. Luckily, we sat with great people who new about Paris and gave us tips for our trip!

Once we arrived in Paris, we went straight from the train station to the hotel so we could drop our bags and hit the trail. We walked along the streets of Paris, stopping in shops and department stores along the way. Champs Elysees is a famous shopping street that also has the Arc de Triomphe at the end. From the Arc we climbed to the first level of the Eiffel Tower. Finally, I saw the much anticipated Eiffel Tower. I felt dumb for not knowing Mr. Eiffel was the architect so that is where the tower got its' name.

The view from the Eiffel tower was incredible. Even with the cloudy day, I loved looking out at the Seine River. For lunch we decided to eat French cuisine. I ordered croque monsieur which contains a sandwich with melted cheese and ham. I felt very French eating my lunch and sipping a coffee.

For our first night in Paris, Marta and I met her friend (who is also Polish) for dinner at a little cafe. I was still full from lunch so I just ordered my favorite--tomato and mozzarella. After a very long day, Marta and I took the metro home so we could wake up early.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Well, I officially have less than one month until it is time to fly home! While entering the last month of the program, I planned on visiting Neuschwanstein Castle with two friends, Kelsey and Liz. On Friday we had a group tour of the BMW Factory here in Regensburg. I'm not much into cars, but I really enjoyed watching the nice cars be assembled. My favorite fact of the day was what BMW stood for: Bavarian Motor World. I actually live in Bavaria in Germany so this was an interesting discovery for me.

Saturday morning Kelsey, Liz, and I took an 8:44 train to Fussen, Germany, where the Disney Princess Castle, Neuschwanstein is located. Once we arrived at the top of the hill where Ludwig II built his dream castle, we walked on Marienbrucke (a bridge) to view the castle from a distance. The castle was absolutely beautiful and worth the four hour train ride. After standing on the bridge that went over a small waterfall, we walked to the castle for a guided tour. Only half of the castle was ever finished before Ludwig's mysterious death. We walked around the unfinished part of the castle and gift shop before walking back down the path. My favorite part of the trip was seeing the castle during the day, at sunset, and all lit up at night. The sunset over the Alps was unforgettable.

Before getting back on the train, we stopped for a nice Italian dinner in Fussen. I ordered a margarita pizza and the girls got pasta. The day was relaxing and fun with the best fall weather!