Well I wrote a version of this post, but unfortunately it did not save so hopefully this post works out, the gist of it is I am having the time of my life in Berlin. I am absolutely fascinated by the history surrounding this place, and I can’t wait to explore it more.

So yesterday, after traveling by train all day, I made it to Berlin. I went out with some people I met at the hostel and had a wonderful time. Today I took an all day tour of the city, with an absolutely amazing knowledgeable guide. I am still processing everything I saw and learned today, but am also continuously grateful for the experiences I am having. The thing I will remember most about my tour today was the Memorial of the Jews in the center of Berlin. It is such a touching and heartbreaking memorial of a time that should never have happened. Seeing memorials and museums like the Memorial of the Jews and the Anne Frank House are a great reminder that we should not forget this absolutely cruel time in our history, and that we should always stand up for others and what we believe in,

This evening has given me a chance to really think about everything I saw today, as well as the previous experiences I have had over the last couple of weeks. There are definitely still moments where I can’t believe I am so lucky as to be able to take this trip and continue to learn and grow from new people as well as new experiences. Traveling is definitely in my blood.

I will post pictures of my tour and Berlin tomorrow, as I am off to have more adventures tonight. Will update again soon, I promise.

So I was going to update yesterday, but I have been having the best time in Copenhagen. Yesterday, I went on a free walking tour of Copenhagen that left from the hostel. During the tour I met another person from my hostel and we walked around Copenhagen the rest of the afternoon before going back to the Hostel bar for the evening. Then we ended up meeting a girl from Australia ( Lucy), and went to the street fair, where I ate the most amazing food in front of an absolutely amazing view.  We went from the street fair to a board game bar, and played games until it was time for bed. There were more board games than I have ever seen in my life, it was incredibly fun.

Today, Lucy and I walked some more around Copenhagen, and took a canal tour that was recommended to me. I also ate some pretty amazing Greek food. Overall, Copenhagen has been amazing, and I am sorry to leave this amazing city. Spending only a few days in these incredible cities is hard, because I know I am missing seeing things. However, the experiences I am having, have been 100% worth it.

Tomorrow, I head to Berlin, Germany. I look forward to the new experiences and adventures, I will have there and going forward in my travels. This whole adventure has been an incredible learning experience, and I feel so blessed and grateful that I get to experience it.

Happy News! I made it to Copenhagen, Denmark. So I had some slight issues with a delayed train, a full train, and then didn’t quite know if I was on the right train…..but none of that matters because I made it here. Apart from the random problems I have had the last couple of days, I have really enjoyed traveling by train. It’s fun to see the different small towns and the countrysides that each city and country have to offer.

Once I arrived in Copenhagen, I got settled in my hostel and then walked around and found a place for dinner. In my room their are two girls traveling from Scotland for a Holiday, and I absolutely just love their accent. They were telling me about where they were from, and different places I should visit, and it made me long for a Scotland/Ireland vacation…guess that is where I am going to go next.

After wandering around I found a Hard Rock Cafe and decided to stop in their for dinner. Since it was just me, I got to eat at the bar, and even tried a local beer. Once arriving back at the hostel, I thought about mingling in the bar and meeting new people, but decided I am going to have a relaxing evening instead. I think I am getting a slight cold, so I am going to get some rest, so I can be ready to go tomorrow. So I am going to be lame tonight and sign off. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day.

I woke up this morning and decided I would give Hamburg one more day, and give the train company time to clear the tracks before making my way to Copenhagen. After breakfast I hopped on a hop on hop off double decker bus for a tour of Hamburg. This city definitely has a lot of interesting history attached to it.

Around lunch time I hopped off near the water and had lunch at a lovely restraunt with a view of the man made lake. It was absolutely lovely. At lunch I treated myself to apple strudel and it was heavenly. I walked around some more after lunch, and was once again struck by the beauty and history of all the buildings and homes. Everywhere I have been so far has been beautiful, and I still have a hard time believing I get to experience everything.

I’ve had a pretty lazy evening, and it has been wonderful…sometimes you just need to rest and relax. I have watched a couple tv shows in German (I still don’t know what they are saying), and I feel rejuvenated to continue on my traveling journey. Tomorrow, I will attempt to make it to Denmark..wish me luck!

Well I started off this morning very optimistic and excited for my long traveling day to Copenhagen, Denmark. So, I have not actually made it to Denmark, and I am instead in Hamburg, Germany for the night. How might you ask did I end up in Hamburg…well I’ll tell you…

Weather….so everything started off fine this morning but then my second train was delayed 35 minutes…which would have been fine if they hadn’t stopped randomly for 45 minutes. Then I missed my original connection in Hamburg, but that was ok too because I made it just in time to board the next train to Copenhagen. Then all of a sudden the train is prematurely terminating due to words in German I don’t understand.

So here I was, small town in Germany and all the hotels are booked…so I head back to Hamburg with hope that I will find a place to stay, and I can try to get to Copenhagen tomorrow. Through all the struggles of traveling, I kept my positive attitude and figured something would work out..and it did.

I am staying in a lovely hotel, and plan on taking advantage of the glorious shower and comfortable bed. So Goodnight all, I will update you on my traveling tales tomorrow.

#wearytravler

Good Morning, or if you are back home in Kansas and Texas good evening. I currently have a long train journey ahead of me, as I am heading to Copenhagen, Denmark. For the people that have a copy of my tentative itinerary, this is a slight change. Yesterday morning I woke up and was not quite sure where I was going to go to continue my traveling. I looked at a map, but was just not quite as excited about my original planned destination. So like any good student, I procrastinated the decision and went for a walk around Amsterdam, looking for something to do to fill my time.

I ended up spending my morning just walking around. I saw the Van Gogh Museum and the I Amsterdam sign, sat in a park and people watched and decided Copenhagen was where I wanted to go next, so here we are.

My last day/night in Amsterdam was really fun. Amsterdam is really a beautiful city. The architecture and history is quite remarkable. The one big thing I wanted to do while in Amsterdam was getting to see and tour the Anne Frank House. So, I patiently waited in line with my new friend Karen to see this tragic, yet inspiring piece of history. So they don’t allow pictures to be taken inside, but I can tell you that if you ever have the chance to go, you definitely should. While it is sad, I think it is something that we should never forget, as it is something that should never be repeated. It’s been awhile since I have read the Diary of Anne Frank, but I was struck by how strong and courageous she was, for such a young girl. There is a quote throughout the house “Her wouldhaves are our possibilities”…that reall stuck with me. It’s a good reminder that you should live life to the fullest, and always stand up for what you believe in.

After the Anne Frank House, Karen and I headed to the Ice Bar. That was a really cool experience….get it ice bar, cool..I’m so funny. Anyway if you ever have the opportunity to go to an ice bar, you should definitely do it.

I’ll be traveling all day, but the next time you will hear from me, I’ll be in Copenhagen. I hope you all have a wonderful day, or night depending on where you are in the world.

So, for all of you lovely people following my adventures who don’t know, I am currently in Amsterdam. I arrived yesterday by train, and it really was a quite lovely journey. I spent my last morning in Belgium no rushing and had a nice breakfast at the hostel before heading to the train station to try and catch a train to Amsterdam. My original plan was to ride the bus to the train station, however since it was Sunday…the buses don’t run as often…therefore I got to walk. It was only about 31 minutes to walk to the train station, but I was definitely tired when I got there.

I was able to use my eurorail pass and arrived just in time to hop on a train headed in the direction of Amsterdam (I had to change trains in Antwerp). The way the eurorail pass works is I have to write in pen my destination and the time on my travel journal connected to my ticket, otherwise it is not valid. Yesterday, I realized I had lost my pen…I was starting to panic, since the train was approaching, and decided to ask two very nice looking older women for a pen. This turned out to be a great decision because they were also heading to Amsterdam, and we chatted during both train rides, and even got some coffee at the Antwerp train station while we waited. These women were both so lovely and genuinely interested in my travels and what I was doing. All it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage, and something amazing can happen.

After I arrived in Amsterdam and checked into the hostel, I realized how incredibly tired I was from all the traveling. So I had a relatively chill evening and went to bed. Today I went on a walking tour of Amsterdam, with another amazing tour guide. I got to see the red light district, ate some wonderfully amazing cheese (I might have purchased some), and also got wet (because it rained the whole last hour of the tour).

After lunch, I walked around with a women from Australia who is staying in the same hostel as me. We went to the prostitution museum, which was actually pretty informative and interesting. Since it has been raining off and on all day, I think I am going to try and go to the Anne Frank House tomorrow. Amsterdam is an absolutely beautiful city with a vibrant culture. The walking tours are such a great way to see the city and get some historical insight to where the city started, and where they are now. Not sure what my plans are tonight or tomorrow, but I am sure I will figure it out. Well as they say in Dutch Vaarwel (goodbye).

Hello! So Bruges, Belgium has been another wonderful adventure. Yesterday I arrived to the hostel, again without getting lost. I think I am really getting the hang of all this traveling stuff. Once I arrived I decided I was going to walk around and get a feel for Bruges, but it was raining which made walking around not very much fun. I ended up meeting up with a girl I met at the hostel in Brussels as she was on a day trip in Bruges. We got waffles (finally) and they were absolutely amazing, grabbed a beer and just chatted until it was time for her to grab her train back to Bruges.

I spent the evening at the hostel just getting to know new people. I started off very similar to how I was at the hostel in Brussels, just sitting by myself and observing the situation and people around me. The difference with this hostel was that it was connected to a bar so the lounging area is open to the public and it is a bit harder to know who is hanging out from the hostel and who the locals are.

I finally got up enough courage and talked with a girl from Australia. She was absolutely wonderful. She has also been bitten by the travel bug and has had so many amazing experiences. It was really neat getting to hear about everything she has been through and what her next travel plans are. It has definitely made me think that I could get used to living out of a suitcase…or a backpack and just experience tons of different countries and cultures on a more permanent basis. Eventually we ended up doing a beer tasting that was offered and I met some other people from the states as well as a couple from Canada. The really neat thing was after everyone went to bed the girl from Australia and I were chatting and were approached by a local and his friends who were out celebrating one of the guys 50th birthdays. Eventually, we got to chatting about with one of the local men about the culture of Belgium and all his different traveling adventures, as well as the differences between Belgium, the United States, and Australia.

My Saturday was just as wonderful as my Friday turned out to be. I had a bit of a lazy morning and then met up with the two people from the states and did a taste of bruges tour, where I got to eat more fries, waffles, and chocolate, and a historical tour of Bruges. We then grabbed dinner and I tried a traditional Belgium dish of Flemish beef stew…it was actually really good.

Tomorrow I head to Amsterdam. So I will keep y’all posted.

well I made it to Brussels, Belgium and it has been a whirlwind of two days. I successfully made it to my hostel, with some help from the kind man at the train station, and even made some new friends.

I will say my slightly introverted self struggled at first, not knowing how to jump into new conversations with people who all seemed to know each other…but I got over my fears and made some wonderful new friends.

Today I walked around with some wonderful people who I met at the hostel and tried so much chocolate I thought I was going to explode. The chocolate was sooo good. I went to the chocolate museum, which with my 6 euro purchase I was able to sample several kinds of “real” chocolate as well as get a demonstration for how the chocolate is made.

This afternoon, I went on an alternative tour and saw the non-touristy part of Brussels. The tour guide was fantastic and I got to see a side to the city, I might otherwise not have gotten to see. Among the things we saw there was an ally way of murals with anomous quotes from those in the LBGTQ community that were absolutely mind blowing. Not to get too polictical but if only people treated others with kindness and compassion and inclusion, could a good portion of the turmoil in this country be dealt with.

I tried some wonderful French fries with a slightly spicy sauce called “Dallas”. I did not realize French fries (Frites) were quite so popular in Belgium. Apparently you can have all the conversations in Belgium you want about politics and religion but try and debate which shop has the best frites and you might get yourself in trouble.

Overall my hostel experience has been wonderful, and I will definitely be continuing staying in hostels for the rest of my trip. Tomorrow is another traveling day as I head to Bruges another city in Belgium.

Well there are a whole new bunch of people who have showed up in the hostel, so I am off to make more friends and enjoy more of my time traveling abroad. I really feel like I am getting the hang of this traveling thing and I’m excited to continue meeting new people, and learning new things.

first of all I feel like I need to come up with more clever titles…so I will work on that. 2nd of all, today was an absolutely wonderful last full day in Paris. While I did not have a chance to try escargot, but I am planning on visiting another French city later on in my trip, so it is still a possibility. I did have a chocolate croissant and coffee (although I was informed by an Irish coffee snob that the coffee in Italy surpasses all).

Today was a bit of a slower day (or at least slow compared to several of my other traveling days). I took a tour of 3 chateau’s and learned about some French history. I also got to do some wine tastings which was very enjoyable. An interesting tid-bit is that the first Chateau we visited was the inspiration for the castle in Beauty and the Beast. It was just a beautiful day seeing sights in the French country side.

The tour guides for the day were absolutely amazing and so knowledgeable. Booking this tour was such a great idea. However traveling fopaux I forgot to make sure I had small enough bills to tip the tour guides, so I felt horrible when I was unable to do so.   Yay for mistakes…cause it means I am learning.

Tomorrow is another traveling day and I leave Paris, France and heading to Bruges, Belgium. Tonight I am incredibly exhausted from all of the traveling and sightseeing I have been doing over the last week. I am still so amazed at everything I am seeing and experiencing. This truly is the trip of a lifetime and I am just enjoying soaking it all in.