The Vatican

The Vatican was an experience, I mean this in a good way. We enjoyed walking through the many halls and seeing incredible works of art. The Vatican is lined with art and statues, from the floor to ceiling you are surrounded by it. The Sistine Chapel was a once in a life time experience too. Michelangelo was truly a genius. I wish I could have taken pictures inside but it wasn't allowed. Even though I'm not Catholic, The Vatican was a nice tour. There is so much art history there and it was amazing to see it first hand.

Here are some pictures of The Vatican



Vatican Wall (there very tall)


Entrance


We made it inside!


Cameron and I





Inside the Vatican (ALL the ceilings in every room are like this)


Another Ceiling Picture


These were the Candle 'holders' that once lit the halls


Statues Line the Halls


This one was my favorite (not sure why)


Long hallway before entering a tiny hall to the Sistine Chapel (sorry no pics allowed!)


On our way to St. Peters Basilica


Inside the Church


-Michelangelo(behind glass)


Swiss Guard


St. Peter and the Famous Obelisk

Florence, Italy

As most of you know, Florence was the place to be during the Renaissance. It was the epicenter for the re-birth of art, architecture and new way of 'thinking'. Florence is amazing and I wish I spent more time there. But, I feel we saw 'the big things' that Florence had to offer. We saw the Piazza and a medieval church with a baptistery and the REAL statue of David among other priceless works of art. In the 5-6 hours we spend in Florence Cameron was stopped twice asking if he was a Duke fan. I can't imagine why? It's not like he's head to toe in Duke apparel! ; ) All these are Americans and all were from North Carolina(of course) and one is a Duke football prospect! I swear... we can't go anywhere : )

Here are some pictures of the trip~


The Church


The Baptistery Doors(Real Gold)


All 3 (Church, Baptistery and the Tower)


Art shop along the way~


Piazza della Signoria






I caught this one sniffing his arm-pit!


The David(taken illegally)


A famous piece by Bartolini(also taken illegally)


The River in Florence


PIZZA!!!


Cameron and I had a lot of fun walking the streets of Florence! The most memorable part about it wasn't the history but the rain. It started raining about 2 hours after we got there and were SOAKED from head to toe running to get in line at the museum. I wish I had got a picture of us soaked... uh! Needless to say, bring an umbrella with you even if it's a beautiful day outside. I bought a North Face rain jacket when we got home for our next trip so that wont be happening again! : )

Pisa, Italy

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, also called the Torre Pendente is located in Tuscany and is surrounded by a Cathedral(Cathedral of Pisa) and a Baptistery(Battistero). Cameron and I had a great time trying to figure out how we could hold up the tower. We got there about 8 am and only spent about 2 hours walking around. There wasn't much in Pisa other than the leaning tower. We did meet a couple from Durham, North Carolina! They were the first of 3 couples we met that day!
I never thought I would ever see the Leaning Tower let alone travel to Italy. It was amazing and my first taste of things to come on this trip.
Here are some pictures of us at the Leaning Tower~

Eagle's Nest

Eagle's Nest(originally named Kehlsteinhaus) was built in 1938 as a 50th birthday present to Adolf Hitler. It sits on top of the Alps and literally was just a tea house. Three small rooms meant to entertain guest and dignitaries. Eagle's Nest was built to show the advanced engineering of the German people(built by Italians)...and grandeur of their future empire. Though, the Germans(other than the ones that lived in the town below), had no idea that a project of this magnitude was going on. Even after it was finished, press releases were sent all over the world other than in Germany. Hitler kept A LOT of information from the German people.

Hitler only visited Eagle's Nest 14 times. He was terrified of heights and even more claustrophobic. The road leading up to Eagle's Nest is a 27% incline and it goes up about 4 miles. Where the road ends you go walk into a tunnel that was dug half-way into the mountain. From there you go up in a brass elevator 485 ft. that takes you directly into Eagle's Nest.

I hear the view is spectacular but Cameron and I were not fortunate enough to experience it. It was raining the whole time and we had no visibility. BUT! We did sit down and have cheesecake and hot chocolate inside Eagle's Nest(it's now a restaurant)! We're planning to go back sometime and visit Austria while we're at it.

I think the coolest part about Eagle's Nest is the fire place. The 101st craved their names into it and chipped away the edges and kept them as souvenirs. We also had the opportunity to be on the tour with a WWII vet. He was there on D-Day and the day we liberated France. AWESOME! That generation of men had no qualms about taking up arms and fighting for their country. I salute those men and women.

Anyways, I didn't take any pictures because I left my camera in the car(of course)! So here are some pictures from Google~

The road leading up on a HUGE bus!


The Tunnel leading into the mountain


Inside Eagle's Nest


Eagle's Nest

A Tour of Schwienfurt

Schweinfurt is really nice. I couldn't find any pictures on-line before I moved here, which made me feel extremely depressed. I really don't remember what kind of a place I'd thought I'd be moving into... I just remember it wasn't warm and happy feelings when I thought of it. But, I'm glad to report that it's just the opposite of my first inclinations.
Downtown Schweinfurt is HUGE and makes you feel like your really in Europe! I suppose it's the cobblestone streets, the tables and chairs filled with people and the fact that each building is painted a different color. It has a main plaza where you'll find market with fresh produce every Saturday morning and there are lots a little different ally ways where you'll find little shops of every kind... Restaurants, candy, butcher, clothing, breads, ice cream... the list goes on! My only complaint is that everything is closes so early! It's really a lovely place, and I hope to explore more of Germany and the rest of Europe soon!

Behold, I give you... Schweinfurt!

'What?' Might you ask does a German breakfast consist of?

'What?' Might you ask does a German breakfast consist of? Well, let's just say it's not the normal pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs I'm use to.
Cameron and I woke up for breakfast the other morning and found an assortment of food that is not traditionally seen in the states. Okay, let me start by describing the atmosphere... First of all, everyone is VERY quiet while eating breakfast. Which is a little uncomfortable for me(especially when you drop your knife on the tiled floor) but, I can work with it. Secondly, there is no such thing as personal space. So, if you have an open chair next to you... it will be taken. Third, German's stare at you. Which makes me extremely uncomfortable! Especially since breakfast in Germany is eaten as if you were sitting in front of Her Majesty the Queen.
Anyways, the "assortment" of food goes like so... I'll start with the semi-normal stuff--- lightly boiled eggs, all kinds of fruit yogurts(not what you think), cereal with warm milk and thinly sliced fruits...Not so bad. But here is where it gets weird. Sliced cheeses, 4 or 5 different kinds of sliced lunch meat, including raw salmon. Tomato, cucumber, aged cheese and 4-5 different kinds of hard rolls. I found this picture on the internet but, it's exactly what I find every morning waiting for me. I would just take pictures myself... but, I'm sure they think "The American Couple" is weird enough.

Things I've learned...

After my first full day in Europe this is what I've learned~
1. Germany is BEAUTIFUL! Everything... and I mean EVERYTHING, is green!
2. Europeans really do smell... and I don't mean they have a weird European odor from food or something in the water. It's pure B.O.! Some just don't bathe.
3. All German TV runs mostly(3/4) American shows, it's just dubbed in Deustch. And all the music is in English~ I'm not gonna lie, it's kinda annoying.
4. The autobahn is crazy! Everyone... and I mean EVERYONE drives either a BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz or Audi's. I thought I saw a Porsche driving in the fast lane ; )
5. I suck at Deutsch. I know I've only been in country for 2 days... but it's weird not being able to understand conversations or perform simple tasks. Most German's do speak English... so that helps immensely!
6. Germany has some of the best bread I've ever tasted!
7. Germany is really clean~ and surprisingly modest... unlike the TV. Put it this way, we got to our Hotel and Cameron turned on the TV and we saw PORN! Like full fledged porn! GROSS!
8. The Euro exchange rate SUCKS! They only have large bills, 20's, 10's, 5's and 1&2 dollars are in coin.
9. German's don't have annoying salesmen. YAY! We acutally walked through an entire furniture store and weren't hounded by chessey salesmen!
10. German's don't use credit cards or debt! Only Euro and some kind of German card called easy cash.
11. Americans in Europe stick out like a sore thumb! Shoes are a dead give away- No flip-flops :( Flats are very popular! It works for me because I love flats : )
12. Skinny jeans and scarfs seem to be the HOT trend here as well. I can work with that :)
13. Germans are VERY dog friendly. You can take them anywhere...Restaurants, Malls... you name it!
14. Beds have 2 blankets, one for him and one for her.
15. Toliets don't fulsh, you have to push a button on the wall! HA!

Well, that for now... Alvedazane (They say that here)