Berchtesgaden und Interlaken

Well, the bad news is that I finished the latest Harry Potter in 22 hours, leaving me slightly panicky about what exactly I was supposed to do for the next day and a half in Berchtesgaden, a small small place where I heard no English and absolutely everything closes on Sunday (of course... I got in on a Sunday and nearly starved). The good news is that the next day I took a bus to a nearby lake called Konigsee and took some lovely pictures and a great video, which I strangely can't seem to figure out how to put up just now. So you'll have to be satisfied with these. =) Berchtesgaden was a nice break from the massive amounts of sightseeing I've been doing, and when the stores opened, I bought some really nice cheese, bread, and fruit and had a little picnic on the riverside. These were my first real views of the Alps on this trip, so that was exciting.

After a couple of days in Berchtesgaden, I took the train into Switzerland, to Interlaken. I've been there before, with my family years ago, but I didn't recognize a thing. Apparently I was too busy with the chocolate and fondue to notice my surroundings the first time around! Interlaken was really lovely-- great weather, nice walks, and beautiful views. I'd already done the expensive stuff like going up to the Jungfrau with my family (that's the white mountain in the picture--thanks Mom and Dad!), so I wandered around in the valley a bit. The first day I went to the nearby village of Oberhofen and visited a castle that my family had gone to, and it was even nicer than I remembered. The bus ride to Oberhofen follows Lake Thun, and the whole 40 minutes there I was glued to the window.
Once I reached the castle, I literally gasped in awe at the view-- the green gardens with flowers everywhere, the blue of the lake, and the mountains in the distance.



I had a nice afternoon sitting on the shore, eating grapes and reading a fashion magazine that cost me a laughable 12 francs (everything in Interlaken/maybe all of Switzerland is about 3 times what you'd pay at home. I never thought I'd say it, but I couldn't wait to get back to the euro).

The next day I took the train up to Lauterbrunnen, which may just be the most beautiful mountain valley on earth. I took a nice long walk through the valley to some waterfalls that are inside the mountain-- you pay 10 francs and they take you up to the top in a claustrophobic elevator, and then hike down. They were pretty interesting, but the views outside were much more impressive.

More to come in a couple of days about Turkey! I've been here less than 24 hours and I'm already in love with the place. However, I haven't taken any pictures yet and goodness knows I can't make a post without visual aides, so I'll write more later. Ciao!

I could use some rays (as in... drops of golden sun)

Guten tag from rainy Austria! In the past week that I've been in this lovely country, I have noticed exactly 6 precipitation-free waking hours, not that that has stopped me from playing the tourist. My first stop was Vienna, which was lovely and clean and had excellent public transport (I'm noticing a European pattern here...) There were a number of highlights in Vienna, the first being that I found the Euro version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the supermarket and proceeded to eat nearly the whole box in one day. I also came across tons of traditional Viennese coffeehouses that first day, so you know, to be cultural and all, I had to stop and try some gooey cake and coffee (and hot chocolate.. and apple strudel-- not all in one sitting, though). I also went to Schloss Schonbrunn, on the edge of the city, and was truly amazed by the immensity of the palace and the beauty of the grounds. That second picture is the view from the Gloriette, at the top of the grounds.

The best stories from Vienna are these, though: the first involved the pharmacist at the drugstore. I haven't been sleeping through the night for the last month or so because I have this weird old lady back pain (I blame my ginormous backpack), and I ran out of Aleve, and apparently in Europe you can't even buy Advil equivalent in a regular store but have to go through someone in a white coat. So I was explaining the situation to this sweet white-haired (and white-coated!) man who spoke passable English, and he kept asking me if I had someone who could give me a message... I'm thinking.. does he need to consult with someone and get back to me? Turns out he meant 'massage,' because he had some cream to give me to rub into the hurting area. So cute! Then he gave me some real drugs, too, so I'm happy.

The second experience involved another Viennese man. I was walking around the museum district and this guy my age, wearing brocade pantaloons and a long jacket (and yes... I said pantaloons) came up to me trying to sell me tickets to the ballet. (It's a costume, he wasn't a lunatic). I tried to get rid of him by saying I had plans with some people at my hostel, and he asked me if I would invite him along to 'show him my moves,' at which point he did a faint bump and grind. In his pantaloons. I nearly died laughing. I think the funniest part of that story is that the exact same guy tried to get my friend Jen to buy tickets just days before (Jen and I were in Prague together, and she went straight to Vienna from there).

So now I am in Salzburg, where I am possibly one of 10 people roaming the streets who is not qualified for AARP membership. That may be an exaggeration, but it seems like perhaps there is an age requirement to visit Salzburg that I was not aware of. Regardless, I've been getting my music history on with visits to Mozart's childhood homes (I roamed the rooms where he was born! and composed operas! and I saw the clavichord on which he composed The Magic Flute!). My childhood piano and voice lessons have come to haunt me, stealing any ounce of coolness I brought with me to this town. =) Also, today I watched 'The Sound of Music' and then wandered the palace grounds (in the rain, of course) where Fraulein Maria and the von Trapp kids frolicked around singing the 'doh a deer' song. This picture was taken from the steps where they jump around singing 'doh me me, me so so...' Yeah I know, you guys are all green with envy. =) The next photo is me honing my self-portait skills in the archway where they do more running around and singing.
Last night I went to a string quartet performance of works by Mozart and others in the castle on these grounds, which was really nice. Again-- I was the only one under 50 in the room, but the music was really beautiful and the musicians were these cute white-haired guys who all seemed like good friends.

Tomorrow I'll leave Austria and go a whopping 25 km north to Berchtesgaden, which is a little town in south Germany that's meant to be really quiet and beautiful. I've decided to finally join the 21st century and read the latest Harry Potter, so I went to the bookstore, and 20 euros later, I am well-equipped for 2 straight days of reading. I'm looking forward to it!

Czech it out!

I’m writing now from the teeny tiny town of Cesky Krumlov, in southern Czech Republic, right near to Austria. I’ve been here for about 24 hours, and my biggest accomplishments so far have been to walk into the town to buy bonbons and sit around talking with two funny Irish guys—this is a rough life I’m leading, I know.

Before here I was in Prague, and before that, Berlin. Berlin, as I was repeatedly told by German friends in Thailand, is a superhip town; and I don’t disagree. I took a really funny and informative walking tour (where our guide insisted that he needed ‘someone from Seattle’ to demonstrate ‘west side’ at the Berlin Wall… so it wasn’t my idea =) and fell in love with Berliners’ self-deprecating love with David Hasselhoff (the bar sign cracked me up, even though a German friend insisted that ‘hof’ means ‘fun’ in German.) The bar in the basement of our hostel did have an extensive shrine to the Hoff, including the book “Did David Hasselhoff end the Cold War?” Perhaps! To be perfectly honest, the highlights of Berlin were the breakfast at the hostel (fresh fruit!), the bratwurst stands near the tourist sites, and FINALLY seeing the Simpsons movie. You know, in between seeing Hitler’s bunker, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, the former HQ of the SS and Gestapo, the square where the Nazis staged the bookburning of 1933, and the Brandenburg Gate. I loved Berlin!

From there I went to Prague for about 4 days, which was really nice. I met up with an English girl and we spent the days together running around, seeing the sights. We went to the Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Palace, the Jewish Cemetery, saw the Astronomical Clock, and took in a string quartet performance. Czech food, by the way, is delicious (if you’re a meat-eater, of course). I had some really wonderful beef-based meals in Prague. Mostly I liked Prague because it was really unpretentious, had lots of water and pretty bridges, had excellent public transport (Seattle needs to take lessons!!), and had some delish restaurants.

I’ll leave Cesky Krumlov tomorrow and get into Vienna mid-day. After I get my Austria on, it’ll be off to Switzerland and into southern Germany to the Black Forest, then on to Turkey, and then Italy! I meet up with my family in just less than 4 weeks in Tuscany, which I am super excited about. Hope you all are well!