A Journey to Berlin

When I say journey, it really was quite a journey.  I live in Austria – and Berlin is way north of me.  It took me 10 hours by train to get there, but it was definitely worth it!  Check out my segment of blog posts on Berlin.

Brandenburg Gate - Berlin

Brandenburg Gate – Berlin

 

After almost a 10 hour train ride through Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany, I arrived in Berlin.  Part of my train ride consisted of two Czech women who sat down next to me and talked non-stop from Bratislava to Prague – about 3 hours.  Luckily, I had my headphones on.  Otherwise, I think I might have gone mad.  I figured out that we had crossed the border into Germany based on two things.  1. The announcer switched from mainly speaking Czech, to only speaking German (or English).  2. The sky was a beautiful shade of grey.

To read the entire post, follow the link: Berlin, It’s About Time We Met.

East Side Gallery - Berlin

East Side Gallery – Berlin

 

My next post is more of a picture post only of the East Side Gallery.  The East Side Gallery is a stretch of the Berlin Wall that was not knocked down.  After reunification, artists came and painted sections of the wall.  

To see this post, following the link: East Side Gallery.

 

 

Berlin underground transportation stop

Berlin underground transportation stop

 

So the lesson here – there are two sides to Berlin.  The nice, historical side, and the drunk, crazy side.  All in all, it’s part of the experience.  It gives the city character.  So for me, it was all highly entertaining…yes, even the creeper parts.

To read the entire post, follow the link: Berlin, You Bring Out the Crazy.

 

 

 

Flowers for International Women's Day

Flowers for International Women’s Day

 

Heidi and I started our Saturday at a cute little flower shop and café, called Anna Blume, situated in the gentrified Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin.  It is a Viennese style café, with art and interior design inspired by Alphonse Mucha.  I had a delicious Vienna Cappuccino (not quite sure why it’s called Vienna…but it was basically a cappuccino), fresh pressed orange juice, and scrambled eggs with spring onions and ham.  SO GOOD.

To read the entire post, follow the link: The Real Curry Wurst.

 

To read some of my other posts, follow the link: The Heart of a Traveler.

Let’s Get Down to Christmas

Advent Wreath

Here are some questions you should be asking yourself about Christmas time in Austria/Germany.

1. When do they start Christmas celebrations?

2. What Christmas activities occur before the special day?

3.  Why don’t they have Santa Claus?

4. Why is there a scary beast that goes around villages whipping children?

So, let me break it down for you.

To read the rest of Marni’s post about Christmas in Austria, click here.  Enjoy!  Have a wonderful Christmas season!

In the Land of Moustaches

The Chain Bridge – Budapest

 I know it’s been a while since my last blog post.  It’s mainly because nothing interesting has really occurred in my life until the past two weekends.  On Thursday (Thanksgiving day) afternoon I made my way to Gmunden, a town in Upper Austria to visit some English TA’s for a Thanksgiving feast.  It was also a stop on the way to Budapest, Hungary.  I didn’t think I was going to have a Thanksgiving this year, but I was thankful to be in the company of friends – and well, we did indeed have a delicious feast!  

Read the rest of this post to find out more about Marni’s adventures here: In the Land of Moustaches.

 

Marni has also written two other posts titled, Food…in the Land of Moustaches and Some Christmas Spirit.  You can follow Marni’s blog at anytime – just visit The Heart of a Traveler.

A Place Well-Known

Façade in Frankfurt

 

Considering that my cultural heritage is basically all German, I know the country fairly well.  I should specify, however, that when I say the country, I really mean Bavaria.  Most of my relatives live in this beautiful and sometimes mysterious part of Germany.  Last summer, I visited my family after having not seen them for nine years!  I had a fantastic time with them, and I didn’t just stay in Bavaria.  I traveled to Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich and several small towns near Passau. 

See the pictures on my blog post, Germany.

Into the Unknown

Into the unknown is pretty much what I thought and how I felt when I was accepted into a study abroad program in South Africa.  The University of Colorado has small group study abroad programs, called Global Seminars, in which a group of about 10 students with the accompaniment of one Professor from CU studies in a foreign country for a certain period of time.  My program went to South Africa for three weeks in May of 2010.  We traveled to Johannesburg and Cape Town.  That trip was a once in a lifetime experience! 

When I started my blog, I decided to post about a few trips from the past.  

Zebra in Cape Range National Park (Cape Point)

 

I traveled to South Africa for Study Abroad in May of 2010 with the Global Seminar program at CU.  It was a three-week course on reconciliation and diversity in South Africa after the Apartheid.  The course took us to Johannesburg and Cape Town.  I loved every minute of it, and I even got a few days off, one of which I spent with a really good friend of mine from South Africa.  Here are some of the pictures from my trip!

 You can see the pictures on my blog at South Africa.

 

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