It has been such a long time since I have posted a blog! By that, I mean a week and a half. When traveling, such a short time feels like a year of change. I feel as if I haven’t seen my parents and brothers in a month and they were here not a week and a half ago! I will organize this blog the best I can to let you know what I have been up to in these past busy days, what I have been thinking and feeling, and how I am managing crazy life plans!
Trip 1: From London to Chester
My parents and brothers left the day after Easter and I got on an early train to get to Chester earlier than expected. That was April 18th. It was a little stressful for them because their COVID tests could not get scheduled correctly. However, they are resourceful and were able to make it home safely. I made it without incident all the way back to Chester. For the majority of the rest of the day, I slept, did homework, and enjoyed some of the time I was able to spend by myself. I feel like I am an extroverted person but that I need to recharge my social battery often. I took the next day as well, April 19, to pack, do some homework, and coordinate some of my travel to Berlin. I finished a good chunk of one of my history papers which were extremely stress relieving. On April 20, I left for Berlin and the traveling took most of the day. I landed around 9:00 PM in Berlin and met Lindey and her boyfriend at the airport.
Trip 2: 4 Days in Berlin
I felt so relieved when I met Lindey at the airport. She gave me a big hug and commented on how I looked a little disarrayed, which was definitely true. I was also nervous to meet her boyfriend because I did not want to intrude on their space or make them uncomfortable. I had met Tine’s husband before going to Cologne, so this encounter was definitely different. We all went to get Doner at one of the spots they liked and went to bed after staying up and talking for a while. I warmed up to Marius (Lindey’s boyfriend) very quickly as he was extremely kind and knew I would have an excellent time in Berlin. Lindey and Marius had absolutely everything planned for my trip. I am so grateful for their kindness and their forethought for me. All of the AuPairs I have met in Europe have been like this and it feels like I have a part of my family back again. On April 21, we slept In until 9 and walked around the majority of the day, going on a tour of government buildings in Berlin, seeing the Berlin Wall, and so many other historical buildings. It’s kind of hard to remember everything I actually saw because the amount was almost overwhelming. Thank the Lord for the cameras. I learned a ton of history about Berlin and much about the city itself through Lindey and Marius. We grabbed bread and some German beer along the way as well. I got a bag of German chocolates at a Lindt chocolate shop and ate dinner with them at one of their favorite Asian fusion places. At night, we went back to their apartment and watched some Try Guys videos that I thought they would enjoy. Overall, it was a busy and super fun day. Many of the things I saw will be included in the pictures below on this Trip Gallery. The next day, the morning was similar and we ate another German breakfast before heading out for the day. We walked through a park that they live near to take a tour of an air raid bunker that was used by German citizens in World War 2. The tour was excellent and really made me think of the atrocities that German citizens also experienced during the Second World War, definitely making them seem more human than I had ever imagined before. Our tour guide related the war to the conflict in Ukraine going on at the moment and I agree with his assessment. We cannot let the detestation of World War 2 happen again. It is scary topic as Putin has been recently threatening the use of new nuclear weapons. We went from the bunker to get some coffee and pastries and they both explained how Jewish communities still have police guarding some areas to prevent any attack. We moved to museum island and talked about the content of the museums before going to the Berlin Dome and the Radio Tower, where I saw even more of Berlin. After that, we went to dinner at a Pho place, which I absolutely adored as I love Pho, and went home to watch the Kardashians, which was a first for me. We ate some cool donuts too and talked about Portland, which Marius went to and loved before in the US. The next day was very relaxed and we went to a huge stadium somewhat outside Berlin where many artists perform, saw the East Wall (another part of the Berlin Wall) which has the famous painting of two politicians kissing (look up the story behind this)! We walked a short distance and found a famous bridge that’s often used for filming in Berlin and then went back to their apartment to relax for a short time. That night, we went out with a few of Lindey and Marius’ friends, which was very fun. I really enjoyed meeting everyone and had a great time. The next morning was a little rough as I felt slightly sick and did not sleep well. Lindey and Marius took great care of me though! We went to a hill by Devils lake, spent some time there, grabbed some “ice” (ice cream), and watched an entire short show on Netflix called After Life. We went to the bus station for my next journey and we got there early. I wanted them to leave me there but they stayed with me until my bus came. It was amazing to be with Lindey again and she and her boyfriend were the best hosts.
Trip 3: Austria and Slovakia
My bus from Berlin went through Munich and then to Salzburg, which took around 11 hours. I slept on the bus, so I was slightly tired when I got to Salzburg. I hopped on a bus without paying for a ticket because there was no place to buy tickets, eventually making it to my hostel. I exchanged my Pounds for Euros there and worked a little on my papers while waiting for Sophie to come to meet up with me. When Sophie was in the USA, she was 19 and I was 14 so we were quite close. It was so awesome to see her. We both changed and headed into Salzburg, managing to see everything we wanted to see without much planning. We saw several churches, the Love Lock Bridge, Mozart’s birthplace, the Mirabel Gardens, and so much more. We also went to Cafe Tomaselli, which is famous in Salzburg, to get coffee and cake. We ended up getting Asian food and having some drinks in the hostel for the remainder of the night as it was raining outside. The next day, we took a hike to a viewpoint of Salzburg and went up to Hohensalzburg Fortress. We spotted the Sound of Music up at a viewing point and saw many of sights in Salzburg. after that, we got some pizza for lunch/dinner and headed to the train station to go to Vienna. We arrived in Vienna around 9 PM and made it to our hostel quickly as it was a five-minute walk. Sophie and I both went right to bed. The hostel was quite nice and quirky. I liked that it was very social and offered many events for individual travelers. Sophie and I headed out around 9 AM the next morning to explore Vienna, making it to several recognizable buildings quite quickly. We walked for around 3 hours before stopping in a butterfly garden near the Hofburg Palace. It was nice in there, but there were too many kids. I felt bad for the butterflies that must-have kids trying to touch them all day, but otherwise has a great time. From there, we walked to the State Opera House, got a Bratwurst, and saw a large cathedral along the way. After that, we walked to the Belvedere Palace, saw the art gallery inside, and went to a coffee shop afterward. I tried Sachertorte there and was not very impressed. We hung out in the gardens near the Belvedere Palace for about an hour and a half, talking about family life and such before heading to dinner. We walked to an Austrian restaurant named Wiener Stratbrau where I had one of the largest pieces of meat I have ever eaten. I can definitely say I got a good, hardy Austrian meal. We hurried to St. Peter’s Cathedral afterward for a classical performance from a string quartet. The concert was amazing and I had chills the entire time. I also would have definitely fallen in love with one of the violinists if I had spoken to them. However, it was not to be. It was just amazing and a must-visit when going to Vienna. The church itself was amazing as well. Truly an overwhelming experience. We took a subway back to our hostel afterward, exhausted from the day. Sophie and I spent our last day in Vienna at the Schonbrunn Palace, which was truly a Goliath of a structure. Second only to the Palace of Versailles, at least in my experience so far. We spent time walking around for a few hours before returning to the hostel, where I left for the bus station. As always, I was slightly confused due to a lack of signage at the bus station but made it to my bus. I went to Bratislava briefly, finding to my horror they speak Slovak, which I know absolutely nothing about. Even hello. But my time there was nice and the 2 hours I spent looking at the city was enjoyable. I took a flight back to Manchester and my train back to Chester, ending my days of travel for now.
Picture Descriptions
1st Row Left: Brandenburg Gate
1st Row Middle: Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna
1st Row Right: Me at Schönbrunn Palace
2nd Row Left: The Peterskirche, Where Sophie and I saw a Violin Concert
2nd Row Middle: Vienna Butterfly Garden
2nd Row Right: Buildings in Berlin
3rd Row Left: Sophie in Vienna Streets
3rd Row Middle: Hofburg Palace
3rd Row Right: More Butterflies
4th Row Left: Karlskirche
4th Row Middle: Reichstag Building
4th Row Right: Reichstag Building- View of German Flag
5th Row Left: Me eating Traditional Austrian Dinner
5th Row Middle: Sophie and I at Coffee Stop
5th Row Right: Flowers in Vienna
6th Row Left: Wurst for Lunch
6th Row Middle: Salzburg View
6th Row Right: Salzburg and the Lockheart Gate
7th Row Left: Mirabell Palace
7th Row Middle: Berlin Dome
7th Row Right: Kollegienkirche
8th Row Left: Food in Salzburg
8th Row Middle: Flowers in Berlin
8th Row Right: Lindey, Marius, and I at the Brandenburg Gate
9th Row Left: Lindey and I at Museum Island
9th Row Middle: View of Berlin from TV Tower
9th Row Right: Fountain in Salzburg
10th Row Left: Famous "Sound of Music Steps"
10th Row Middle: East Wall in Berlin
10th Row Right: Traditional Clock Shop in Berlin
11th Row Left: TV Tower in Berlin
11th Row Middle: L'Osteria (German Pizza Chain)
11th Row Right: Oberbaumbrücke
12th Row: Fancy Donuts while watching Kardashians with Lindey
I had such an excellent time away, but I have gotten extremely busy with papers, trying to pack, and seeing people before I leave for my BIG trip in May where I am going to Spain and Italy for the majority of the month. I have two papers to fully complete still (even though they are due in a week- old habits die hard). Honestly, although traveling constantly is physically and emotionally taxing, I have had the best time because I saw Lindey, Marius, and Sophie. Honestly, for all those reading this blog wanting these experiences, good people are better than places, no question.