Euro Trip: Germany, Part Four; Night Train to Munich

**If you haven't read Parts 1, 2, or 3, click on the numbers and check them out!**

After waiting in the cold to get on the train, Parker and I were so excited to get in our cabin with our reclining seats and go to sleep. Our excitement quickly ended when we sat down.

One positive of the night was that we had the whole cabin to ourselves. The cabin consisted of two benches with three seats each that faced each other. Naturally I got one side and Parker got the other. He was the first to recline. It went back MAYBE two inches. He asked if mine reclined more, and sure enough, mine went back the same amount. 

That's when the "I'm so tired I'm going to laugh or I'll cry" moment happened. We paid for the reclining seats and they were worse than airplane seats. But like I said, we had the whole cabin to ourselves so I used my backpack as a pillow, got out my cotton sheets, and laid across all three seats. Parker did the same, and we were nice and comfy.

But for some reason, it was so dang cold in our train!! I could not get warm for the life of me and so I started layering. I put on my windbreaker and pulled up the hood. I even put the part of my sheet that is supposed to be for a pillow around my head. I wish that I was awake/in a good enough mood to have had Parker take a picture of me because it was probably hilarious looking. But my shivering prevented me from coming up with that idea. 

I eventually fell asleep and woke up when it was somewhat light out. I sat with Parker to warm up and we watched the German country side pass by us. I, once again, have no pictures because it is/was on the camera. Lucky you, that part of the story comes in Munich. {Stay tuned.}

In all of Europe they have these beautiful HUGE fields of yellow flowers. It looked like it was out of a movie. I want to go back and stay somewhere close to them so I can run through it haha. They looked really pretty when the sun was rising.

We arrived around 8 AM and were off to drop our bags off at our hostel! 

Euro Trip: Germany, Part 3; Koln/Cologne

Germany Part 3: Koln, Germany

When we woke up the next morning after practically being in a coma, I felt so gross. I basically ran to the shower so I could wash off a full day of travel. We made the mistake of showering during quiet hours. Oops. Hopefully we didn't wake anyone up! We didn't get any complaints so I guess that's a good sign.

Getting ready in our small room was kind of a challenge. Our backpacks took up most of the floor space. Parker and I kept smacking elbows and saying "excuse me" or "Oh sorry!" so many times it was comical. I reminded myself again, it's not about the size of the room since we weren't in it that long. After finally getting ourselves together, we went upstairs for breakfast. I had two pieces of toast and a cup of green tea. Yum! 

We then made our way to the train station so we could figure out how to go to Koln/Cologne. The flight attendant suggested we went there to see the world's oldest cathedral. After asking for help a few times (Dumb Americans, again) because we couldn't figure out what to do or where to go, we started to get the hang of it. We had a short ride to Koln and before I knew it, we had arrived! I was looking for a tourist office to see if we could get a map of the city to find the cathedral but figured we could find one right outside. 

Well, we found the cathedral. It was literally right outside of the train station. And it was the biggest thing I have ever seen. I mean this thing is huge. And old. Duh. When we walked out it must have been the top of the hour because the music was playing and it couldn't have been better timing. It was so cool! I took so many pictures on the camera, which you will not see, but that story will come later. 

This is only half of the cathedral The quality of the picture isn't so great so it doesn't capture everything :(

Anyways, Parker and I walked around the cathedral which took some time since we stopped and looked at all of the details. It was absolutely insane how much time and work must have been put into it. It was breathtakingly beautiful! We then found a little shopping area and decided to stroll around...with our 30 lb backpacks on, haha. We decided instead of eating at a restaurant, we would save money and buy lunch at a grocery store. We had bread and prosciutto and sat on bench inside and probably looked like hippies/broke travelers. But we didn't care. We were so hungry at that point that we would have sat on the ground. 

We went back outside and I got gelato. It was a strawberry and raspberry mix, so yummy! And it had little chunks of strawberries in it. It was the perfect dessert to eat while strolling around and looking at shops. 

We went back to the cathedral and sat down and people watched while I ate my gelato. Once again, everyone was so happy. We walked some more and watched some teenagers sing and perform outside of the cathedral. They sang a lot of popular American songs so I would sing along or hum. But quietly so I didn't scare away all of their "fans". 

After more walking and exploring, we decided to go into the cathedral. It looked huge on the outside, but was even bigger on the inside! And so pretty. It smelled of burning candles and there was a constant hum with all of the people inside. We walked around it and then sat down and people watched again. I love people watching. We also took in the cathedral. I was just speechless with all of the detail put into it. There wasn't a single inch that was plain; everything had added details. 

We decided to take the treasury tour and ascend the bell tower. They had so many gifts from royal families from all over the world. Many of the items dated back before the 1500s. And they were in perfect condition. I have never seen so much gold and silver in one place. Then it was time to go up the tower!!

The stair case was very skinny and made of stone. There was 537 steps. I know this because the man warned us before we bought our ticket to go up, haha. I was excited, Parker was nervous because he is afraid of heights. But we did it anyways and it was a tight squeeze. We didn't get too far and Parker was already commenting that he didn't like it. The staircase wasn't meant for two way traffic, but that was the case when we were climbing the stairs. After a lot of huffing and puffing, we made it up to the bells. The cathedral either has the oldest working bell or the largest working bell, I don't quite remember. Either way it was a big old bell in the middle. But it is only used for special occasions. 

Parker didn't want to go all the way to the top so he stayed down while I continued up the stairs. It was another winding stone stair case then I thought I made it. Well, I was wrong. You had to walk into the center of a room and climb a normal staircase that was made out of metal. Then climb the smalled iron staircase I have ever seen. I noticed my hands began to shake because I saw just how high I was. Let's just say I could barely see any people because they were so small. I just kept looking out towards the horizon which was beautiful!

Once I made it to the top, I took a lot of pictures and headed down because it was cold and windy and I was getting a little nervous. On my way down, the bells started to ring and I laughed to myself because I knew Parker was down there and probably was not happy about it. Sure enough, I got down there once they finished and he said "Lets go back down since I'm deaf now" haha. They were really loud! But I was bummed I couldn't witness it. But I guess you can't say you were in a bell tower, ABOVE the bells when they rang very often. 

We then decided to head back to Dusseldorf. We were taking a night train to Munich, so we weren't really in a hurry. Again, we couldn't figure out the trains. We felt so silly. We did however meet a really nice German man that was in his 20s and helped us out. We ended up talking to him on our whole train ride and he was so nice! And very well spoken. He worked for Bayer and travels every year. It would be great to see him again! 

Once we got back to Dusseldorf, it was dinner time. We strolled the train station and decided to sit in Starbucks for a little so we could get wifi and connect with the world again. We sat in Starbucks for hours. It was nice to relax since we were on our feet carrying our packs all day. I had blisters the size of China and I was convinced my pinkie toes were falling off if they had not already. But it was totally worth it. 

After Starbucks announced they were closing, we still had time to kill. Our train was not until after 11pm so we strolled the train station again. We could tell you all of the places there are to eat at. If I remember correctly, we had another bratwurst, haha! I also bought M&Ms and a beer for the train. The M&Ms were kind of like malt balls since the chocolate wasn't as sweet as they normally are. But they were tasty!

After waiting for hours, the train came and we got on, ready to sleep and wake up in Munich! 

Cheers to Germany!

Euro Trip: Germany, Part Two; Dusseldorf

Okay I lied. I said I would post it Wednesday but it's a day early. 

**To see part one click here! :) **

Germany: Part Two

After arriving in Dusseldorf, Parker and I went to the tourist office to get a map. If you ever travel Europe, most tourist offices are located in the train station or right outside the station. If you have trouble finding one, ask and you can be directed. They are a HUGE help, especially when you are walking the old streets that go all sorts of directions. 

We walked to our hostel, which was a little less than a mile. I did change shoes before we started walking and I was so happy. But I could tell that I was at the point of no return when it came to blisters. My feet were hurting big time, and that's not a good way to start a trip! 

Once we got to our place, we dropped off our backpacks and started walking around. Since it was too early to check in, we thought it was perfect timing to explore Old Town Dusseldorf. Dusseldorf is a newer city since it was wiped out in World War 2. I learned that it was used to keep the tanks and what not for the Nazi Army. 

{The United States actually wiped out Dusseldorf. I have mixed emotions on that one, haha}

The walk was really pretty. There were a lot of parks and trees. It smelled good too! Which sounds weird, but it smelled like clean air and nature/flowers. You don't get much of that in Southern California cities.

When we got to the river, we were so excited! It finally hit us that we were in Germany! There were so many little restaurants and shops, but we decided to keep walking around to find something a little more in our price range. 

We found a cute little place selling bratwursts. They were the BIGGEST thing I have ever seen in my life. And no offense Dad, but it was the best too. You can't blame me though right? Haha. Then we walked over to basically a booth that is set up on the sidewalk and ordered a beer. My mouth was in heaven. It was a beer that was brewed in Dusseldorf. I wish I could remember the name! It was tasty. Also, it was a holiday so there were a lot of people out. So many people were laughing and enjoying themselves. 

I was watching the guys working the booth and they work so quickly. Not to mention their interesting ways of cleaning the glasses. A guy would drop off a tray of empty glasses and the dishwasher would dunk it in soapy water, then in clean water and set them up to dry. But they were so busy the glasses didn't ever really dry. So I don't think the glasses got very clean. Note that I was watching this process while I was drinking my beer. But I don't think anyone has died yet from it so I figured I would be okay. I just shared germs with a German guy, no biggie. 

We walked back towards our hostel while taking in the sights. We walked through a park that was so cute. It had a huge pond and the ducks would walk right up to you. Once again, the smell was intoxicating. Because it's Spring, everything was in bloom and a certain type of tree had white fuzzy stuff falling off of it like snow. It got stuck in my hair and it was fun to play with. I was just shocked by the amount of white in the air!

Once we got back to our hostel, it was time to check in. The girl was super nice and really pretty! She took us to our room and it was teeny tiny. Which is fine since we only wanted to sleep in it anyways. It had a bunk bed and Parker called the bottom. Dang him. The theme must have been the Simpsons because it had two posters in it. It was actually kind of funny. We took a nap since we were so tired from traveling and woke up around dinner time.

We freshened up and went to a pizza place on the corner. There was much open because of the holiday, and so we thought pizza was a safe bet. I felt brave and tried to communicate to the pizza guy, but it didn't work out to well. He didn't speak much English and I didn't speak ANY German. But we made it work. They were really nice too! The pizza was alright, but I was so hungry and tired still I didn't care. After we bought huge water bottles from a liquor store and made the mistake of getting carbonated water. I don't mind it with dinner, but I don't like drinking it to stay hydrated. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and I don't feel refreshed. 

*Trick: Shake your carbonated water really hard then let the cap off. Repeat until there are less bubbles. Then it is flat. Tah-dah!*

We fell asleep shortly after returning to our hostel. I don't think it was dark when we passed out. I didn't shower or brush my teeth. It's gross I know, but I was THAT tired. 

We woke up the next day and packed up and we were on to Koln! 

I originally wanted to post about Europe on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I will be writing about it until August and will forget little details. So I will try to get as many posts out as possible a week! Some might even be two a day, who knows? :)

Euro Trip: Germany, Part One; The Start of Our Adventure

Since I have gotten back, I have seen so many people that say "Tell me all about your trip!". Well, it's really hard to sum up 21 days of traveling to 6 different countries in just a few short minutes. So what better way than write about it on here?! 

GERMANY: Part One; The Start of Our Adventure

Comfy clothes, no makeup, and taking a first day of school type of picture. At 6AM. On 2 hours of sleep. Cut me some slack please! Haha

Parker and I left my house around 6 AM and only got about 2-3 hours of sleep the night before so we could sleep on the plane and not be super jet lagged. Everything went smooth. All we had were our backpacks on our backs with very little clothing. I normally get nervous before flying, but for some reason I was more than ready to hop on a plane and start my adventure. Probably because I had been waiting for months! 

Anyways, we had a little breakfast at the airport and we were off to our layover in Chicago! That's when I paid $7.99 for "movies and TV shows". Such a ripoff. Parker slept, I didn't want to, and I probably couldn't if I tried. Five-ish hours later we landed and then grabbed some lunch. We spent waaaay too much money on lunch at Starbucks. I paid over $10 for a sandwich that had about 4 gallons of spicy mustard on it. All I could do was laugh. 

It was my first time seeing the plastic toilet seat covers. Of course I had to get a picture

After a quick nap at my gate on the seats, it was time to board. I guess Parker and I didn't realize that there would be people from Germany on our plane. Or even better, the flight attendants were German. That was our first realization that we were really leaving the United States. It was awesome! Although, we were pretty intimidated when one of the flight attendants came up to us and asked us a question in German. After a few awkward seconds of silence and noticing our eyes were about to pop out of our heads, she giggled and spoke English. We just nervously laughed it off. (Dumb Americans).

The flight was great! They had complimentary drinks, even the alcohol was complimentary! And let me tell you, they were not stingy about it either. I had two glasses of wine before dinner. I knew I was going to sleep well, haha. Dinner was actually pretty good too! It was a complete meal, which I was really impressed. Then it was time to attempt to sleep. I had one of my favorite movies playing, "A Good Year" (thanks Parker) and was ready to fall asleep.

Well, easier said than done. I hate airplane seats. I mean how are you supposed to sleep in those things?! It's almost worth paying an arm and a leg for first class. I would wake up about every hour but then eventually fall back asleep. Poor Parker couldn't sleep at all and I kept feeling him trying to get comfortable. 

In the morning we were served breakfast, which once again was nice. 

A really nice flight attendant asked where we were going and said 

"I'll be back". He came back later with a whole list of places to visit. Not only did he write down a bunch of places and details, he sat there and explained everything to us for over 5 min. It was one of the nicest things!! I was so happy that we had an "insiders" opinion of what to do and what to skip. Sadly, we didn't schedule enough days in Germany to accomplish everything, but we saved the paper for next time :] Because yes, there WILL be a next time. But that comes later...

It was time to land and it was so pretty! Everything was so green. I could tell that I was going to fall in love. Once we got off the plane we got a little confused and intimidated again by the culture. We don't know any German besides simple terms and greetings, but we were scared to even use them. I wish we wouldn't have been such big chickens because we wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what to do. 

Flying over England

You know how men and directions normally don't mix? Well, I lucked out. Parker has a great sense of direction and rarely is unsure of where he is. So I trust him 99% of the time. Well, this time I didn't. We wanted to take the tram from the airport to the train station to get to Dusseldorf and go to our hostel. We were having trouble figuring out the tickets for the tram since the machine was so different compared to machines I've dealt with before. So Parker decided we should follow the tram and just walk to the train station. 

BAD BAD BAD IDEA! It just finished pouring rain, my feet were swollen from flying and I was wearing my cute little flats that I thought wouldn't give me blisters. Boy was I wrong. Long story short, after much confusion about getting tickets at the station and finding our platform, we finally arrived to where we needed to be! Hello Dusseldorf!

Well, that's it for my first of many posts about my trip. If I did Germany in one post I would be writing until I'm 80. I'll post the next one Wednesday, so keep a look out. 

Holy Cow!!!

Well, it is currently 1:30 Am and I am still up doing homework. 

But....I am leaving for Europe at 6AM. Today. Yes. Today. 

The day has FINALLY come and I am such a happy camper. 

Nervous, but happy. I am well prepared. My backpack is packed. And my school work is almost done. 

The biggest stress for preparing for this trip is getting three weeks of school work done before I head to beautiful Europe. I have had stomach aches for the past week, which may be from not eating well and only getting about 5-6 hours of sleep. Not to mention the stress pimples. That's another story. 

But I have only 2 more assignments to do, which shouldn't take long and a few other last minute assignments and I will be finished and ready to enjoy my vacation with my boy!! 

I am not sure how much I will be able to blog. I will have Wifi at most of the places that I will be staying at, but not sure how strong it will be. I will be posting pictures on Instagram, so go check it out! The link is to the right of this post :) 

Hopefully I will be back on here soon. If not, just know that I am having the time of my life eating good food, meeting new people, and making so many memories! 

Talk to you all soon!

iPhone Diary

I was going through my phone and here are some pictures I though I would share! :)

My little puppy {who isn't a puppy} turned 3 last week! We got him when he was 7 months and it feels like yesterday! 

While doing homework, Tucker made himself comfortable.

Parker was in Colorado all last week for Nationals for volleyball. He sent me this before he had his banquet. He is such a cutie, it drives me nuts. Oh, and they won the National Championship! So excited for them. 

\

I made a smoothie with stuff I could find in my fridge. Strawberries, spinach, orange juice, mixed berries, and some peanut butter. Wasn't the best, but it definitely wasn't bad! Just not sure if I'll make it the same next time. 

Saturday was a close family friend's baby shower. My mom and I went a little crazy in the baby section at Target. But we found great deals! We are so excited for baby boys arrival! :)

Parker and I went to lunch yesterday and treated ourselves to a beer. It was so yummy on a nice sunny day!

He ordered a huge slice of pizza. I had a few bites, but he polished it off and still was hungry. I'm so jealous that he can eat that and not gain 5 lbs. Oh to be a boy...

Weekend Recap

My weekend went by way too fast! 

Friday was a good day. I started off by getting some homework done, then a quick visit to the gym.  Parker's last game was that evening, which was really fun. They are currently on their way to playoffs for Nationals! So excited for him and the his teammates. They really deserve it. 

Saturday morning and early afternoon was really enjoyable! I spent it at Parker's dorm and we watched TV and hung out on the couch. I don't know the last time I was able to do that! I worked that night and let me tell you, I was so tired when I got home! Holy moly! The night concluded with a late dinner and then I fell asleep within 20 min of getting out of the shower. 

Sunday morning was spent working on a paper, then Parker and I went to Nordstrom Rack and I scored big time! I got a pair of white Chucks and....wait for it....this Kate Spade bag!!

I have wanted a Kate Spade bag for a while now. But I haven't been able to afford it since I have been saving so much. But when I saw that it was 68% off, I could not resist and knew that it would never be that cheap again. So I ditched the bag I got from Old Navy and will bring this one to Europe instead. It felt nice to treat myself!! 

I went to work shortly after. It was a rather slow night, but I met one of the nicest couples. They were originally from Poland. Of course I shared that I will be traveling to Europe next month and they were quick to share stories and what not with me. The woman asked if I blogged and I got so excited gave a huge "yes!"  Long story short, I gave her my link so I am hoping that she reads this eventually and shows her husband. People like them make my job as a server so much easier and enjoyable. 

Before they left, they called me over and on top of the tip that they wrote down on the credit card stub, she slipped me a $5 bill wrapped up in a piece of paper and told me to keep it for myself. HOW NICE IS THAT?! After they left, I looked at the paper and saw this little note:

It is currently on my bulletin board in my room. And the $5 bill is going towards Europe. I am still shocked by their kindness. You don't get that a lot, and it was extremely refreshing. If you are reading this, thank you so very, very much!

After a great weekend, I am now ready to take on my busy week.

xo
-c

iPhone Diary

This past weekend was really eventful. I went back to work on Friday, which was quite bittersweet. It felt nice to get back into my routine and to see my co workers, but it's also nice to have my weekends free. I cannot wait until I get a job that is only during the week. I'm sure once I do get that big girl, 5 days a week job, I will be missing when I only worked on the weekends. Haha.

Saturday was a busy day. Parker had a game so my dad and I went to watch. It went to five games and they lost! Such a bummer. If was an off day for them in my opinion. But Parker played amazing!! We went out to lunch afterwards at Umami Burger 

{mouth is currently watering just thinking about it} 

and then went home to relax before we drove out to LA for the evening. 

I made a huge mistake of waiting until the very last second to get ready. I laid in the recliner until I had about fifteen minutes to get ready and looking at the pictures, I should have given myself some time. Oh well. 

We went to our friend Blair's store party. He is the owner of General Quarters on La Brea. It's a menswear shop and is A-MAZING to say the least. Plus there is a barber shop in the back. WHAT?! We met Blair right after he opened 2 years ago, and he has transformed it to a sophisticated, classic, welcoming store. We are very happy for him and his success because of all of the hard work he has put into it. It was a great turn out to say the least.

After the party we went to the Roosevelt Hotel for an after party. I have never been to the Roosevelt Hotel, so I was pretty excited. We went to the Spareroom and Blair rented out the bowling lanes. Yes, I bowled in the Roosevelt Hotel. Never thought I would be able to say that. It was a great time!

Thanks to Blair for such a great night and cheers to General Quarters!

coolest bowling shoes. and socks!

Parker and Blair

A big thanks to the girl who took our picture. She was so funny. But not so much big thanks to the iPhone flash. We look like ghosts.

And here is my lovely reminder to maybe touch up my hair and eyeliner before I step out of the house next time. I was going for the natural beauty look. Swing and a miss. ;)

-c

iPhone Diary

I have been a bad, bad, blogger.

I really have. 

It's been way too long since I have written. I needed time to clear my head. I took a few days off from cramming homework. I dedicated one day (sunday) to get it all done so I could have a few days to do whatever I wanted. And I did. 

Monday Parker and I went to Whole Foods to get lunch and then sat at the bay and ate in the sunshine. 

No phones, no cameras, just enjoying the moment. 

Then my mom treated me and my sister to a massage. It was my first one! Like a take off your clothes type. I have only had them where they do the massage over your clothes. But I am never going back. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences ever. It really didn't relax me, in fact it helped me decompress and I was actually pretty energized afterwards. 

I made a yummy chicken dinner with lots of veggies when I got home and I can't wait to make it again. It was really simple and only needed a few ingredients. My type of cooking. 

Tuesday I slept in until noon! What?! I rarely do that. It felt nice though. Parker and I went to the Lacma 

{it's free for LA country residents after 3pm} 

and it was so fun! It was his first time and I always love that place. I like walking around in silence and just observing the art. I am not an art expert, but I do enjoy viewing it. It was really fun to compare my take and Parker's take on a piece. 

We ended the night with dinner at a REALLY yummy pizza place and dessert with Parker's brother and his girlfriend. It's always a good time with them :]

I still want to do a What I Ate Wednesday but I am having the hardest time doing so! So I'm scrapping it until I am back on my feet when it comes to menu planning and homework. I'm already counting down the days until the end of the semester and I am only four weeks into it. Yikes.

This one makes Parker look like he has curves haha!

Had to use our iPhone's for the pictures since my camera was dead and Parker left his in his friend's car. But oh well, it was still really fun :)

xo

-c