Free falling just came on my iPod while flying home to Verona (Well, first to Milan, but home to Italy nonetheless)> Funny song to come on during a flight, but thanks to KLM (who puts RyanAir to shame), I'm not worried one bit sitting here eating my inflight meal. Free falling made me think of some camp friends, who I can't wait to see once I get back in the states! I am excited to see one of them, Jenna, in Rome in a couple of weeks. Now, onto the life update. (I know every one of you reading this has been checking at least 14 times a day to see when I would actually update this silly thing). Whelp, here it goes. I've got to back up a lot. Let's see if I can remember it all.
My first final went well and I"m anxiously awaiting my grade. Wouldn't it be nice to get an A for three weeks of work! I asked Martin when we usually get our grades and he said Tony (our professor) gets them in by May...hmmm a long time to wait. I'm not wasting any time thinking about it though; I've got too many things to see and do. After our final exam, Martin took us around Verona again. I look forward to anything Martin wants to show us because it is NEVER boring. This time on the tour, he took us to the Duomo of Verona. It actually isn't THE largest church in Verona, but because it was for so long, it still gets the title. Before going inside, in true Martin fashion, we got our history on. He took us to the first Christian church (I can't remember if it was the first Christian church ever, or just the first in the HRE {Holy Roman Empire}, but I'm guessing the later). He also showed us an old Roman bath house. It is now a nunnery. And judging by the wine bottles in the windows, these nuns like to booze. The courtyard of the nunnery was the bathhouse. It still has all the columns surrounding it and the tile is there as well. There are actually quite a lot of Roman artifacts let by the empire in Verona, something I had no idea about until I got here. Martin, he's the best. After our tour of the Duomo, which also included more Roman artifacts (a few tombs, some tile, the usual), Martin treated us to pizza. It was a nice little celebration to the end of our first painstakingly difficult course (enter sarcastic tone here). After a stop to Patagonia, my favorite gelato place in town, we were headed back home to pack for our next trip.
Friday morning we all piled in the limo (charter bus) and headed through the Alps to Munich. What a beautiful drive! It was quite an incredible sight those Alps! Two stops and one kit-kat mcflurry later, we arrived at the North Pole. Just jokes, it only felt like the North Pole, but H-E-L-L-O chilly Munich. Martin took us on a quick walking tour so we could get a feel for the city we were in. One thing I really like about Martin is that he is very good about making sure we know where we are and how to get home to where we're staying. At the end of our little tour, he showed us the Hofbrauhaus. This world famous beer hall in Munich was a unique experience. Let me set it up for you. A huge open space filled with large tables (and even bigger beers) and german music playing by a band dressed up as yodlers. We got our beer, our dinners, had our laughs, and headed home for the night. Did I mention the ground was covered in snow? Yup. I'm not complaining however; anytime I get to break out the bean boots, it's a good (and comfy) day.
Saturday morning in Munich: We ate our breakfast in the hotel, a perk of traveling with Martin, and headed out to Dachau, a Nazi concentration camp. It was a very interesting experience. I can't believe that people are capable of doing such horrible things to other people. I think it was good to see and made everyone in our group think about what had happened, especially because it didn't happen THAT long ago. After leaving Dachau, we grabbed lunch on our own and I treated myself to my first Starbucks of the trip. Haven't found one with crumb cake yet, but the hunt continues. We met back up with Martin and because of the balmy 18 degrees and snowy weather, we did our city tour from the bus. Munich was a lot more modern than I expected. I like it, and like many European cities, easy to get around. I especially like the large open "walking streets' that only pedestrians are allowed on. American, get with the program. That night we ventured to another beer hall for dinner. This one was a little smaller but just as much fun! Afterward, we decided it was finally time to test out our first European discotecta, or club. Without going into all the details (you're welcome, mother), tequilla was a flowing and so were the dance moves. I totally abided by all sorot rules...
The next morning, which was extremely too early for our discotecta butts to be out of bed, we headed to the Nymphenburg palace and park. It was built as a present from the king to his wife as a thank you for giving him a son. What ever happened to a hug and a kis and I'll tell ya I love you? Anyway, it was grand and the carriages these people had were nuts. After the palace, it was time for a kebob. These are very popular all around Europe, but especially in Munich. We learned that this is because of the huge Turkish population in Munich. (Athens folk: Think Pita Pit but waaaay better) And then to Marienplatz to watch the clock...? Yes, this is THE thing to see in Munich. It is in the middle of the 'walking street.' We weren't sure the clock was going to do it's thing being a Sunday, but with the number of people around, we knew we were in the right place. That night it was time to really emerge ourselves in German culture. Party of 27 at the Hard Rock Cafe. Absolutely. It was a nice touch of home. Except for the ice cream. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I've ever eaten bad chocolate ice cream, but damn you Italia and your gelato. Others just don't compare any more. Dinner was great fun, and having the entire group together is always nice. The next morning we were leaving for Salzburg and someone needed to pack up her suitcase. (and by pack I mean sit on it my suitcase and pray that it zips). My suitcase zipped (barely) and it was off to Salzburg!
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