Zell am See

The most challenging excursion we have during the trip is the white water rafting here in Zell am See. It was supposed to be an afternoon trip, but because of expected thunderstorms, the trip got moved up to 10 a.m. The river we rafted down was a level three, which made for an exciting trip. Probably the worst part was how cold the river was. We were all outfitted with wet suites, shoes, life jackets and helmets before being briefed on safety and rafting commands. Our guide was Sascha and we had a boat of eight girls. I don’t think he knew what to think of us, but after a while we got him to loosen up. Shortly after getting on the river, we pulled over to the side and they made us practice swimming down the river. There was a pretty good current, but the hardest part was breathing in the water. It was so cold I felt like my lungs were unable to expand. The trip was amazing and past the coldness, it was one of the coolest experiences thus far on the trip.

Austria

It seems to be a trend. We are on the road again today headed through Salzburg, Austria to Zell am See for our well needed Alpine Retreat. Once in Salzburg, we meet up with Gabi for a walking city tour of the home of Mozart and the film that put the city on the map, The Sound of Music. The tour was interested, but we were all hungry and it was so hot, so our attention span was minuscule. One of the prettiest sites in the city is the Maribell Gardens, where the Von Trap kids ran through during Do, Ro, Me in the movie. The gardens are beautifully manicured with statues, seasonal flowers and fountains. For lunch, we found a restaurant that I ate at last time I was in the city. What I love about this restaurant is that it has chicken. Probably the hardest part about traveling for me is the food. Being the picky eater that I am, the traditional food from many of the places we are visiting isn’t something I like. If it weren’t for McDonald’s and Hard Rock, I may starve! Well, the chicken here is fried, but with an amazing breading with French fries. Yum.
We had a little more time to wander through the city and then we got back on the bus to head to Zell am See in the Austrian Alps. Our hotel here is spectacular. We were welcomed with Champaign on the porch while they took our luggage to our rooms, which are amazing. The balconies and terraces have views of the stream and mountains. Dinner was a delicious buffet and then we headed to the Crazy Daisy for our Alpine Show and dance party with a local dj. So we had no clue what to expect with the Alpine Show, but it actually was pretty entertaining. There were traditional instruments and some fun audience participation that got everyone ready for the dance party. Dancing the night away was fun, but it was so hot in the club that many people turned in.

Munich

After a long, drawn out bus ride, we finally made it to downtown Munich at 3:45 p.m. (we left at 8 a.m. for a four hour bus ride!). A group of us were planning to go on Mike’s Bike Tour of the city, which is the coolest way to get acquainted with the area, especially with just half a day to see it. We made stops at various monuments and buildings throughout the city and then a trip into the Englisher Beir Garten. I was volunteered to be the “butt babe” and brought up the rear of the group to make sure everyone made it from one stop to the next. For my hard work and dedication, I got my very own, non-purchasable “butt babe” Frisbee. One of the neatest things is a spot in the river where it has been damned so that it creates a wave perfect for surfing. Following the tour we visited the Hofbraufhaus to look around and then gathered back up with the rest of the group to head back to the hotel. Tomorrow is an early departure for Salzburg and then onto the Austria retreat.
My biggest complaint is that some of the kids on this trip are so immature. They have literately come over to Europe to be intoxicated and they are the reason that Americans, especially young Americans are looked down upon. The looks and comments are embarrassing that we get from locals because of the loudness and the behavior of the group. And the worst part is that they don’t get it. They have no clue that their actions are inappropriate. With that same note, we have never departed on time one morning, but we are always late leaving because someone didn’t get up or isn’t ready in time.

Rhine Valley and Heppenheim

Most of the day today was spent driving from Brussels to Germany, going through Holland and making a couple of stops along the way. To entertain us, we had a selection of movies to watch. First up was Madagascar II. I don’t think it was the first pick, but it was the first movie they could get to play in English. Our first stop was in Koln where we saw the biggest Gothic style cathedral in the world and grabbed some lunch. Might I add that McDonalds is amazing in any country! The stop was a little long, but we wondered around the town. They had neat shops, but it was a bank holiday, so everything was pretty much closed. After wrangling everyone together, it was of again on the bus to our next stop, to meet the boat for our Rhine River cruise. The hour and a half ride down the river was so peaceful and the weather was amazing. The river had many quaint towns and castles along its edge and it was cool to see the grapes planted on the side of the hills. We meet up with Pepe at the end of the cruise for our final two hours to get into the town where we would have our bratwurst dinner and stay the night. As some of the pictures show, we had more fun playing with our food than eating it. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the whole group. There isn’t much night life in the town, but the vending machines at the hotel offered beer, wine, liquor and champaign, so that gave the guys something to entertain them with. Currently I am searching through the TV channels trying to find something I can understand. In most of the cities so far, there has been at least one channel in English, but that isn’t proving to be the case here. Earlier there was Germany’s Next Top Model hosted by Heidi Klum and now it’s Family Guy in German. Tomorrow it is off to Munich, which I am so excited for since I spent so much time there last summer. We are planning to go on Mike’s Bike Tour again and climb the towers on one of the churches in Marianplatz.
Something that has been interesting is that a lot of things are deemed “American.” For instances our breakfast buffet in Brussels this morning was “American,” yet there was nothing there I wanted to eat. The milk is usually warm here, which is gross and Tony the Tiger would be distraught if he tasted those corn flakes! In our stop at Klon there was the New Yorker store that sold clothes I am pretty sure no one in the US would wear, but it was supposed to represent our style. Chelsey and I have discussed that the fashion over here is a little lacking. Especially France that is supposed to be the fashion capital of the world, they are sporting the styles of the ‘80s and ‘90s that were better left in the past. And let’s not forget the array of mullets and Mohawks that are unfortunately very common too.

Waffles, Chocolate & Frites Oh My!

Today we got off around 8ish to head into Belgium. Our group is really slow, so they were mostly late getting down to load the bus. After about a four hour drive, we arrived in Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the head of the European Union. On a more yummier note, they are known for their French fries and Belgium waffles. Lunch was a Belgium waffle, with ice cream and chocolate sauce. It was good, but the waffles weren’t as fluffy and soft as we are used to. Our first stop of the afternoon was a local chocolatier, where we learned how they made chocolates and tasted some of the amazing pieces they made. The afternoon gave us time to see the city and visit the Manneken-Pis, a statue of a young boy peeing. Interestingly enough, he has various costumes which are changed throughout the year. Today he was dressed for soccer. The French fries we snacked on were amazing and had more than 15 different sauces to choose from. Needing a little taste of something from home, we found a great tex-mex restaurant for some chips and salsa. We are turning in early tonight because we still haven’t caught up from London and Paris and tomorrow it is off to Germany.

Paris Day 2

Today was busy to say the least. We got up early for breakfast and were on the train by 8 to get to Versailles when it opened. That was a great move because when we left the line was hours long to get in. We journeyed through the palace and my favorite room, the Hall of Mirrors. After that it was a long hike through the gardens to Marie Antionette's own house and her Austrian farm house, which is the neatest part of the estate. After that it was off the Eiffel Tower. The line was so long we had decided we would climb to stairs and then all of a sudden another line opened up and we got to go up on the elevator in less than 20 minutes! We went to level two and then continued to the summit, or very top of the tower. It was a little scary but the view was amazing. Now it was time to find food. Lunch was at 5 p.m. and then off for more exploring. Notre Dame, the Pompadou Centre, the Lourve gardens (the museum itself is closed on Tuesdays), through the Tuelleries and lastly to the Arc de Triompe. We had planned to go to the top, but we had not desire to climb the more than 200 stairs after roaming the city for more than 12 hours. We drug back into the hotel exhausted and now we are packing to get on the road to Brussels in the morning. Paris was excited, but didn't feel as safe as London. Lost more homeless people and pickpockets everywhere!

Paris

So if you look up slow (and in some cases inept) you will see a group picture of the others we are traveling with. Well, they all aren’t that bad, but they are so slow. So slow in fact that we almost left two of them in London to catch the EuroStar in time because they were still sleeping! Today we got up to head to Paris. After the two and a half hour train ride, we meet Pepe, our bus driver for the remainder of our trip. Getting luggage on and off the train was sluggish, but we finally got on our bus and immediately started the city tour with Nicholas. Chelsey and I have deemed them “drive by and shot” because we just sort of drive past something important and take pictures out the bus. We did get to get out at a couple of spots to take pictures, but we are planning to head back to the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triompe tomorrow to have a little more time to explore after going to Versaille. Tonight we went to Moulin Rough. The show had some really brillant parts, most notably the can-can, and then there were other parts that left you speechless for the talentlessness of them. What is most enjoyable is the audience reaction because we have shows similar to this in Las Vegas, but people from other countries, espically the oriental countries, haven’t seen such glitz and glamour. Before the show we grabbed a bite to eat at Hippopatomous, a restaurant that I would compare to a T.G.I. Fridays, but it was a steak restaurant. It was really exciting to eat beef because it is often hard to find that you can identify with over here.
I haven’t quite figured out hotels over here. They can be four and five star, but they don’t compare to anything in the US. The lobbies can be beautiful and then you make you way to the room, for instance our hotel in Paris, and you find a lovely bathroom with orange tile, an orange countertop with and orange bathtub (ugly in its own right but even more so since I hate Clemson) that looks like the Brady Bunch did interior design on the side. Not to mention this motif doesn’t match the rest of the room which I have no words to explain. At least if you are willing to wander to the lobby, you can get free Internet, which is so hard to come by here.
One thing that has perplexed us through the trip is why they put your flag by the information in your language. I mean, if you can’t read it doesn’t that mean it’s not your language? I don’t see something in Chinese or French and go, “oh, is that English?”