Europe

Europe had never before intrigued me. While I was certainly excited to go to Germany and Italy, if I could choose anywhere in the world to visit, Europe would be at the end of the list (followed only by Antarctica).

In spite of this skeptical attitude, I have come to appreciate Europe a little more. I love Germany in particular.

I like the character of German people. They can seem harsh and cold, but they are just getting down to business. I also like the language. It's made fun of for the gutteral sounds, but I found that it is often spoken sweetly and tenderly.

The German landscape is beautiful. The blue skies, blue lakes (and even white ones!), green mountains, yellow fields... Germany feels very open and fresh.

As for Italy, though, I was unimpressed by the general atmosphere. Italy is dirty and covered in graffiti. It seems not well taken care of. The Italian countryside is certainly different, with the vineyards, quaint houses of all colors, and beautiful mountains. But the cities are not places I wish to be.

As for German cities, I laughed when I heard that Munich is called "cozy." How could the capital city of Bavaria - large, important, and formal - be so often described this way? I didn't feel that Munich was cozy until after visiting Venice and Rome. After contrasting the impersonal, busy, and dirty qualities of the Italian cities, I would definitely describe Munich as gemutlich!

"Surprisingly, it's just like you thought it would be."

That's how my guidebook introduced the city of Venice. Not very encouraging! It became a huge joke between Wade and me as we traveled together.

Venice conjures up images of gondolas, with handsome, singing drivers in striped shirts. The waterways are busy. Little footbridges jut out above the watery streets. The sights, the sounds, and the colors are, in fact, just as I expected and hoped they would be.

I found, however, that Venice is way more touristy than I imagined. Wade and I were badgered about taking a gondola ride, and we simply wanted to explore on foot. When we were on main streets near some of the sights, the amount of people was unbearable. Tourist shops were everywhere, and prices were high. Call me naive, but it's not what I expected.



I was also not prepared for the amount of dry land on the islands that make up Venice. We found some wide streets, courtyards, and piazzas. It was good to get away from the swarms of people at Piazza San Marco and the Rialto, but the quiet areas had few waterways.

Instead of spending a relaxing afternoon at the square, the church, or a waterside cafe as I had expected, Wade and I walked and explored. We got completely lost one time, which was an adventure on the rambling islands.

Venice was beautiful, and although there were some surprises, I guess the biggest one was that the guidebook was mostly right.

On My Way to Munich

Today I’m flying to Munich. I will be there for about three days by myself. I’m excited to just walk around, look at architecture, see some history, and eat pretzels. I’m sure I’ll take more than enough pictures, and I also plan on spending my evenings writing. When I was in China, that’s what I did when I didn’t want to be out alone at night. And writing is very rewarding.

Also on my agenda:

1. See Neuschwanstein, a castle near Munich that the Disney castle was modeled after. The Bavarian king Ludwig II built it because he was cracked out.
2. Go to a soccer match at the Allianz Arena with some German friends. Go Munich!
3. Meet some international students at FH-Deggendorf.
4. Venice.
5. Rome.

I don’t think those last two need any explanation.