bikes and manpris

Why bikes and manpris?  Because they are EVERYWHERE!!  Let me paint you a little picture... 

                                                                        bikes for days

AND

 man   

   + 

capris 

    = 

manpris

Check out these bad boys...

And

how 

about 

some 

more?

Overall, just out of control.  I'm being dramatic.  I'm tired from a long day and still adjusting to the time difference so this post probably won't be very lengthy.  

A few cultural/German things I have learned over the past 4 days:

1. it is apparently still cool to smoke and literally everyone smokes (THAT is not an exaggeration my friends) -- I knew people in Europe smoked, but I was not prepared for the amount that happens on a daily basis, talk about $$$pendy

2. when you're walking around the streets it is not super kosher to smile and/or say hi to people you don't know

3. you need to look at someone in the eyes when saying "prost" or "cheers"

4. they have crazy thunderstorms here -- literally just sat through one for 2 hours, thought I was in a tropical storm

5. tschüss pronounced chooss is a common and friendly way to say "goodbye" or "see ya"

The trip thus far has been quite fun.  I'm enjoying the time in Tubingen -- getting to see the city that David had romped around for the past 3 months.  We took an excursion to Meersburg, where the oldest castle in Germany is located.  It was built in the 7th C.  From there we took a boat across Lake Constance (aka the Bodensee) and went to Konstanz, Germany.  A very fun excursion day which left me QUITE tired at the end of it...although, not tired enough to not see Germany, unfortunately, lose to Italy in the EuroCup.  Lots of unhappy Germans, let's put it at that...

                                      A glimpse at the Alps towering over Lake Constance

                                         Meersburg Castle (Schloss) from the boat!

                                                                 Konstanz, Germany

Tomorrow we hop on the train at 6:22AM and begin our journey around Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.  Tschüss!   

adventure is out there

Well, after a year long hiatus from writing this blog I am going to attempt to pick it up again.  Especially since I am currently beginning 23 days of European travel adventures with my brother, David!  

A quick update on life since last summer.  Much of my time and energy over the past year has been dedicated to finishing up my nursing degree - and now it is done!  I just completed my Bachelor of Science in Nursing three weeks ago from Seattle Pacific University.  Upon the completion of my degree I set out for a completely new and foreign adventure.  Three+ weeks of travelling through Europe with my "little"/bigger than me brother.  Our itinerary is as follows: 

Germany:   

Tubingen (home base, where David has been studying the past 3 months)

Bad Zwischenahn [outside of Bremen] (meeting and staying with distant relatives- Beltz family name)

Berlin

Dresden

Austria:  Salzburg

Italy:  Venice

             Genoa [Cinque Terre]

Switzerland:  Zurich [hopeful to travel to the Alps and to Interlaken]

              Here we are, ready to adventure together!  And very white from the sun glare!

                                      A nice look at Germany as I landed near Stuttgart.

I will continue taking pictures and hope to keep updated with my posts as we travel to our various destinations.  This is a totally new experience for me as I have never (really) travelled internationally before.  Sorry Canadian friends, I don't really count you in my "international" experience. :) 

I really want to go to bed right now (7:15PM local time) but I need to stay awake so I can hopefully sleep through tonight as I adjust to the 9 hour time difference.   One last thing to address before I sign off for tonight...why [insert title here]?  I chose this name for my blog last summer because I believe life is an adventure: there are names, seasons, changes, and varying titles and labels that go with each part of our journey.  I hope to share parts of my journey through this avenue of writing.  I pray that it will be a blessing and encouragement to those who read.  (And maybe entertainment too!  You never know what experience lies around the corner.)  Adventure is out there. 

Auf Wiedersehen!