As we were waiting on the others, Dru introduced me to German style pretzels which were popular for breakfast or a quick snack...the insides are smothered with sweet creamy butter...it was sooo good...hit the spot, with a nice German beer mais oui! So, we caught the train to Cologne and that was certainly an adventure with, I think, 10 of us. SO much luggage, we took up an entire car within the train! So, we arrived to Cologne and went to settle down at the residence hall the guys would be staying the last month or so. Of course, Cologne is a much larger city atmosphere unlike Tubingen. We explored the city a bit...and then caught some rugby matches at a local pub. Oh, and in Mike Flanagan's honor we even saw an Irish pub named after him...hope all is well China...I'm sure you won't find one of those there haha!! All in all it was a GREAT time in Germany...worth all the travelling and money I spent. The day I was leaving (no I didn't miss the train this time), it was snowing rather heavily...looked really nice! Though being sunday in Europe...there was noone in sight as everything is normally closed on Sundays.
My next trip was a bit different than Germany... a weekend away in paradise...went to the Spanish island, Palma de Mallorca...it was HEAVEN!! Flew from Clermont to Madrid where I met Gary and Nathan...we caught our flight to Mallorca from there. Arrived there and Cush showed us around, as he had been there several times. We enjoyed the sights of architecture, crystal blue water, nice tapas and wine, and spanish omlettes (called tortillas in Spain)! The first night, we went to this huge mansion which has been converted into a sort of cocktail lounge. It was truly an amazing sight to see...we walked into this place to Gregorian chants playing and flower petals falling like confetti...we enjoyed a 15 euro drink out in the garden...but these drinks were made from fresh fruit and flowers...really good...well, it better be for $24!! After this, we went to Cush's second favorite spot...a Jazz bar...some Americans were playing...pretty cool! So, this was a chill night.
The next day we hit the beaches of Magaluf...WOW!! Amazing...just as nice as when I lived on the French Riveria...crystal blue water and paradise. It was in the upper 70s...which it was a bit hotter but still was nice. Spent a few hours between laying on the beach to watching some soccer at the beachside bars (which were all British or Scottish)...there are more Germans, British, and Scottish people here than Spaniards. It was definitely a very relaxing day. That night we hit the town of Magaluf...it was defintely a long night but we had a blast...met so many people from all different parts of the world.
My next adventure was our day trip touring the Auvergne region (Clermont-Ferrand is in this region). We saw an old chateau, a mushroom production plant, how Saint Nectaire cheese (traditional cheese made in this region) was made, and had a traditional Auvergne meal, truffade, which is potatoes made with lots of cheese with sides of raw bacon (of course, I didn't touch that bacon).
Then came a weekend trip to Amsterdam to visit a DC friend who was there for visiting. Had a blast. Walked around the canals, the Dam square, Keukenhof, and other famous sites of the city. What is great about travelling is not only seeing the differences in architecture and culture but also the people. The Dutch are very friendly people. Oh and the other interesting thing I saw there...everyone rides bikes! I felt like I was at the Tour de France. I've heard about car parking garages but bikes ones, wow! One thing I don't like in Europe is the amount of coins we carried around...there are no 1 or 2 euro bills and at train stations when you buy a ticket at the automatic machine ...you can only use coins or a credit card with a chip (which our wonderful American cards don't have). I remember at one station, I needed 8,60 euros for a ticket...well, as I started counting and putting all my change in the ticket machine, I came down to being 10 centimes short...at this point, I was pissed because you can't get your money...luckily, the person behind me was nice enough to give me that!
Well, that was the end of my travelling...lots, huh :-) The last couple weeks in France were filled with parties with friends and just soaking up as much culture as we could. Here are some random pics to finish up my time in France. The past four months have definitely been amazing. For those of you that know me, I travel alot and each time I leave Europe it is tough because I love it so much and will miss my friends. However, I got a great opportunity back in the U.S. I am very excited about being out West in Phoenix, AZ this summer for my internship. Never lived out there so I look forward to sharing that experience with you as well.
So, this is a snapshot view of my last month in Europe. Look forward to more posts throughout the summer!
