Day 6 - Germany Wormany

I made it to breakfast for the first time the morning of day 6. . . I had had a slumber party with Dana and her roomie. Because of this, I went to bed earlier and woke up on time. Yay! This girl and I handle each other so well. It’s hilarious – I feel like I don’t have to hide anything from her. She is a tough New Yorker and can handle what I really think – and she dishes it out – she does not put up with my drama. I’m really glad I have her on this trip. We stayed up talking about life, but when it was time for bed, she made me stop reorganizing my suitcase and go to bed. Love her!
This was the second day of riding on the coach for the majority of the day. I ran up and down the hotel stairs as much as possible when I had the opportunity last night, but dear Father God, I need to go running! lol
After a few hours on the coach, we stopped in the country of Liechtenstein for lunch. I wandered and around by myself for a bit, because sometimes, you just have to be alone. I hadn’t decided what to eat yet, but figured I’d find something – I went to shops with chocolate and other cute Swiss things, but nothing amazing. While walking, I began talking to a girl who spoke English (I always feel safer talking to random girls than guys – way less likely to get raped and die lol) and found out she was born in Liechtenstein, but grew up in Canada and now went to school in England. She was so much fun! She gave me free stamps for postcards and asked for my facebook! Now I have a friend in the most random country. Hilarious – while looking for a post office – I walked into a big restaurant with class doors and discovered it was a SUSHI PLACE! HALELUJAH! So of course, I ordered!. Wonderful.
Within an hour, I was on the German Autobahn, a highway without speed limits. It was quite an adventure. I was excited to get to Munich, but had possibly never been so tired in my life. Naps on the coach only sort of help. Anyways, our hotel was new – yay! It was by far the prettiest place we had stayed – modern to the point of having a mini-bar and a wall of huge glass windows. The bathroom was huge and clean and I was a happy girl. When we got into town, I decided I wanted to find the fresh fruit market. I had to find an ATM before I could buy something there and no one really wanted to do this, so I told the other’s I’d find them later. If someone else wants to do something I don’t want to do, I feel no need to make it deep - I’d rather just go do what I want. Now mom and dad, I know you are wondering why I keep going out alone, but I promise it doesn’t get dark until ten in any of these places. Plus, Munich is well populated and safe. There are always tons of other people around me AND I have a pink taser. I really am fine. Not any more dangerous than walking around Sand Springs. . .
Anyways. . . so while walking through Munich, I found an ATM, a sandwich shop, and a fresh fruit market. The guy at the sandwich shop was thrilled to practice his English, but the mean ladies at the fruit markets were so typical American-hating Germans. . . they did not like it when I asked questions or did not know what I wanted. Apparently in German, indecision is rude. Anyways - I did get lost for a bit, but during met some people from another tour and sat down at their dinner with them for awhile. Then within a few right turns, found my way to a ginormous beer hall where the rest of the group was. They were eating huge chicken legs and drinking out of 2 liter pitchers of beer. Hilarious. I wish I could tell you the name of the beer hall, but Germans put so many damn syllables in every single word. It’s like they take regular words then they add stein-en-huas-en-stein to the end of it. Anyways, it is actually the beer hall where Hitler began preaching to the Germans. I can’t help but feel that they should have torn it down or something. . . I understand it’s history, but really crappy history. Anyways, so the entire group was like on their third huge pitcher of beer lol so I ordered one and played silly drinking games like Never Have I Ever and Would You Rather. Afterward, we ran into a Austrian bachelor party who picked one girl up over the heads of the boys and it was silly and hilarious. When I said I was from America they shouted, “PAMALA ANDERSON!!” And then they chanted PAMALA! PAMALA. . . lol it was strange, but funny.
We were once again like a massive group of mindless sheep wandering slowly through the streets. No one would listen to anyone and too many people were trying to lead – so we split up again. Dana, Rosa and I found a circle of pubs around this big tower and hung out there for awhile while the group found a club that was some sort of VIP only that they couldn’t get into because of a World Cup party. Doing what sounds fun to me keeps working out for me. :) Love my life and my trip :)

Day five - Swissness

Milee, my fun Australian roommate woke me by shouting, “OMG the bus leaves in five minutes again.” Lol This was the second day I slept until five minutes to go accidentally (it took me five days to be accustomed to the time change/waking up so early). So I threw things in my suitcase, quickly decided what should go in the small suitcase that I couldn't have back until Florence, strapped my suitcases together, and ran. When I got to the bus, the door had just closed.
But – they opened it for me and I walked in. . . The bus was silent for at least three hours as we all slept. The gas station that we stopped at had the most disgusting apple I had ever had in my life. And it cost like four Euros. Between the fried food the first night and Europe’s love for things made with bleached flour – I have been searching for healthier foods. I found a 2 euro orange to eat and fell back asleep on the bus. At the next stop – I stumbled upon a SALAD BAR – HEAVEN REJOICE - I made a delicious chicken green leaf salad with olive oil for dressing, purchased a bowl of grapes, and a bowl of cold delicious green beans. YAY! To reward myself – I had crème brulee (who knows when I’ll be in France again?).
In the coach, we slowly approached the Swiss Alps. Little clusters of houses with a white steeple churches in the centers were spread across the country side with lakes speckled between them. The vast mountains created a stunning backdrop for each village. We arrived in Lucerne around 5 p.m. I opted to miss dinner to shower, but arrived in the dining room in time to see a plate of white rice with with thick gravy and chicken. At least it wasn’t fried. I ate enough to make it through the next few hours. To my enjoyment, it was delightfully warm in Switzerland. It was the first time on the trip that I was able to wear a dress comfortably – Yay! We walked through the tiny village to a boat and took a cruise though the Alps. This time – the cruise passed my standards for an excursion. I danced around and took pictures with the group. The setting was beautiful. The buildings are tall and brightly colored, the water is clear, and mountains spread in each and every direction. It was stunning. It has to be the most amazing quaint village in the world. Dana, love her – A LOT, had been begging me to partake in some Swiss fondue. She, determined to get along with all members of the group, invited everyone. As sweet as this was, it was completely impractical. Trekking with 32 individuals down the streets of Lucerne made me hate my life - only because everything took 20 times longer than it had to. I felt like I was on another guided tour.
I ran into a tiny restaurant decorated in cow print (tacky in Oklahoma – adorable in Lucerne) when I saw fondue pot on each table. The cute blond woman working there agreed to let us eat there and Dana and I sat down, but EVERYONE ELSE KEPT WALKING. Dana, still determined to be part of the group, convinced me to follow and we explored a little bit more. I explained to her that maybe some people wanted to just see the sights while we wanted to experience the culture and that we could not do anything about that . . . and that I just had to do what would make this trip special to me.
Back at the cute little cow-themed restaurant (Swiss people are very cute – there really do put bells on their cows) – the cute blond, blue eyed Swiss woman stayed open late to serve us. We ordered two HUGE pots of fondue: a mixture of cheese and spices and a dark chocolate – AMAZING! We were given all sorts of breads and fruit and went CRAZY eating it. . . I felt a little concerned with the cute woman brought us spoons to scrap the bowl with, but I went for it. While completely stuffed, we decided to order one more cheese. Delicious. This time she only brought white bread. . . but I went for it. Yum.
((Back at the hotel, some of the others said they paid 40 Swiss Franks to sit on the water and have a small pot of fondue. . . Dana and I paid 14 (the woman discounted it for us) per ginormous pot. For me, it paid to wonder off the beaten path where no one speaks your language and everyone eats really amazing food. They were happy – we were happy – all was well. As my mom says, sometimes you have to please yourself. ))

Day Four - falling in love

I’ve tried not to let on – but at this point, I hadn’t really loved Paris yet. The people were rude, the city was dirty, and the Eiffel Tower is a really hideous color. . .
Day 4, however, changed everything. It started out lame with a Contiki planned a tour for us through a perfume factory. Boring and nauseating. . . I stood outside in a courtyard and looked around until Dana was ready to go. She promised we’d see the whole city together so my group of four set out for Montmartre in search of starving artists and the best view of the city – we found both! We took pictures with the entire city behind us (we climbed a hundred million stairs) and stumbled upon painters, shops, and cafes. It was really great. I checked menus at a few cafes and picked a restaurant where one could get two courses for 12 euro! Amazing. The four of us sat at our little table and while the other three consumed their French Onion soup I decided to see if I could find a red beret . . . I peeked around the corner and saw the others were still eating the soup and decided I had time to rummage through paintings that had been created by the artists in the square. I thought if I find one black and white painting of the Eiffel Tower with a little red in it – that will be the one! Four of five hundred paintings later, I found one! I purchased it with the money that I found in an letter from this boy I know named Drew Kropff..  Drew wrote me a note to open in each and every country. I have loved it – but I honestly have no patience. It’s so hard to wait to open the next one!!! Anyways, the painting is all black and white except for one red tree – it goes with the theme Little One (Andrea) and I have going in our room and I love it. THANK YOU DREW!!! While looking at my pretty new painting, talking with locals in the courtyard, and seeing the entire city behind me. . . I fell in love. It really is an amazing city . . . they say it’s the city of love, lights, glitz, and glamour, and it very well may be. . . but for me it’s city of cobblestone roads, beautiful clothing, architecture, and people watching. Anyways, I was so glad I was there - it just took me a minute.
I sat back down at our table, had a coffee and finally relaxed. I had Salmon with veggies – it was delicious. I ordered the fruit salad for desert and despite all the cheap Contiki food and attractions – I was a pretty happy girl. Later, it started raining and Dana and Cameron headed back to the hotel, but Rose and I bought umbrellas and continued on. We walked down Champs-Élysées toward Arc de Triomphe . . . it was beautiful. Rodeo Drive aint got nothing on Champs-Élysées. While walking a group of very attractive, possibly gay men in matching t-shirts and umbrellas began talking to me. They asked if they could kiss me on the each side of the cheek (how they kiss there) while big movie cameras recorded it. And then in really bad English, the supposed producer asked my permission to be on the French news. SAY WHAT?!?!?! So, he interviewed me and recorded me with the gay guys and it was hilarious. lol I still have no idea what I may or may not be on the news for. Gay pride!?? LOVE MY LIFE.
That night, I took a chance and paid 115 Euro to go to the oldest French Cabrera. We posed in front of the Moulin Rouge while the fan blew under all of us. It was just like Marilyn Monroe – except I think we did a better job of keeping our dresses down. At the Cabrera show all the skinny French girls danced around with their saggy boobs showing and Dana, the couple from New Orleans, and I discussed life. We had limitless wine and enjoyed steak dinners. Totally worth the money.
So one of the people Dana and I met in London had apparently been begging his tour manager to find Dana’s tour. He said that they were soul mates and had to see her again – but we did not know this. . . we were told that the people on that tour had asked for us and were like whatever, let’s go! So we met them at a pub down the street from the Moulin Rouge and the boy proceeded to get my advice on how to marry Dana. Hilarous. I met tons of other great people and had a fantastic time (except for a girl who may or may not have broken my camera - keep reading for the latest lol). HOWEVER – Dana and I decided to get back on the fan and it was so much harder to keep our dresses down this time – lol it was silly. Luckily, no one was around and it will just be a hilarious memory between the two of us. We took a cab home that night and I fell asleep in my little black dress, exhausted.

Day 3 - Paris part deux

Day 3
I was once again pulling my belongings behind me on a cobblestone sidewalk except this time it was worse – 7 am in the rain! I arrived at the hotel in which we were having weight in around 7:30 in a bad mood, ready to fight. When I walked up to my tour manager she let me know that even though it was “wrong” for them to make an exception for just one person (WHAT?) that I was allowed to bring both my bags. I said that was fantastic and thanked them. Amen and amen.
We traveled through the countryside to the English Channel. I saw the beautiful white cliffs of Dover and Dana and I grabbed food and met as many people as possible. I met two cute quiet girls from Houston, a couple from New Orleans, several people from Australia including my roomie, a cute blonde former psych major now grad student. There is an South African guy, a girl from Cali, a few couples, a brother and sister, two brothers – there are 34 of us traveling together, but there were people from several other tours on the ferry.
I was a little bummed to be a part of a group, especially considering the fact that I was having SO much fun doing my own thing. . . but I was attempting to go with it. The tour manager is cute, blonde and peppy, and she really loves her job. The driver is a chill older dude. So thank God for that. . . Dana was hoping for two hot, young guys but I think we’ll have a good set up.
We arrived in Paris in the early evening and were told we had 20 minutes to be down for dinner and ready for our cruise – TOO MUCH STRUCTURE!!! UGH – so I showered quickly and went to dinner. THE FOOD WAS DISGUSTING – fried chicken, French fries, and everything covered in think brown gravy. I had so had it with Contiki at this point. . . I went to the balcony and took pictures of the view from the dining area of the hotel. To make things worse, I locked my key in the room and the French woman was NOT happy to have to let me in – LIKE IT’S SO INCONVIENT TO HAVE TO DO YOUR JOB?! AHHH! This contributed to my frustrating. Upon entering Paris, we did an hour tour on the coach to see the layout of the city and was just beyond tired of feeling like a tourist. I wanted to put on a cute dress, and go get lost amongst the Parisian cafes and fabulously dressed people. The “cruise” around Paris was a 6 Euro tourist trap that Contiki so graciously paid for us to take?!?! One flat boat of cheap orange seats and a lady giving us the history of random pointless things. . . I decided to take control.
After the “cruise”I found a local working the tour and asked were to go in Paris to get away from the tourists. I begged Dana to go explore with me and announced to the bus that anyone who felt adventurous could come – Rose and Cameron jumped off and the four of us set out into the town. We wandered down streets and squares until I saw an alley with bright Christmas lights stung over the top. It was perfect. We found a cute café full of people and sat down. Our waiter had spent a year in England and knew our language! YAY! It was wonderful. I took a chance and ordered a Manhattan. It knocked the socks of any American Manhattan I’ve had. So delicious. It came with a straw, a glow stick and a marshmallow in it. Lol Hilarous. Dana made plans to meet Cameron in South Africa later this year while Rose, who has a degree in social work, and I talked about research and nonprofits. The French waiter gave us a small French lesson and shared a pizza with us. We navigated the subway system while Dana made ridiculous games for us to pay. It was a great night. . . I feel that I just have to make sure I get the authentic experience that I am looking for a veer away from as much tourist crap as possible. It may be hard with Contiki, but I am sure I can work it out.

London :-) New favorite city EVER!

Day 2
So much to catch up on y’all!
Monday morning, Dana, Heather and I walked to a sandwich shop called Pret! Yummy! I ordered a breadless avocado and shrimp sandwich. So amazing, but I really do feel like they should just call it a salad. No comprondo. She, Dana and I had lunch in park near Russell Square before we did my favorite thing ever: EXPLORING! We ventured to Trafalagar Square and saw the entire city from the London Eye (ginormous ferris wheel). We walked to Buckingham Palace and through Hyde Park to Harrods (12 story department store – amazing). We walked for a million miles. I love that Europeans walk everywhere – it’s beyond wonderful.
That night when I met my tour manager and driver – I was told I could only have one bag and it could not weigh more than 20 kilos (44 lbs). This was RIDICULOUS to me because I had two bags and I had gone with the usual airplane travel weight limits. SO – I pitched a fit. Apparently, everyone else on the trip got a package with all their travel information. I had no packet. So – my tour manager told me to go to the Contiki office. There the man behind the counter told me that if I would had come to the office sooner, he could have helped me, but now it was too late – I would have to pay 5 pounds a day for them to store my luggage. I was SOOOO mad. I told him that I had called contiki several times and was not informed of an luggage requirements and that I could not have known to ‘come to him’ because I had no way of knowing that contiki had an office in the effing UK. I was SO MAD. I would not have even known to go meet the tour manager that night if it hadn’t been for Dana. I could have killed people with pretty pink taser. The English do not believe in customer service – like at all. So the guy at the counter told me that he would have to talk to the road crew and could not tell me anything until the next morning.
So Dana and I went for food and found another group traveling with Contiki who were spending a few days in London and made plans to meet up in Paris. . .
UGH!!! So I stayed up late packing my small suitcase full of items I could live without come drama in the am. I stuffed my laptop bag into my suitcase so that I would only have one carry-on. I forced all my bath products into my purse so my big suitcase would pass the weigh-in and I was so angry. It was ridiculous. Around 3 am. . . I decided that there was no way I was going to spend my European Holiday miserable and they would just have to learn some American customer service if need be. I prayed and asked for help dealing with the Europeans and went to sleep.

London - second half of day one :)

London. . .
I woke up on the train to London to a French voice announcing, “Arrival in ten minutes.” Naturally, I thought, “Fantastic. I slept the perfect amount of time.” I grabbed my bags and exited with excitement as the doors opened. Except I wasn’t in London. The scrolling marquee on the bus read “Next Stop London.” I asked a French man working on the train to hold the doors. I began to pull my bags back on the train and the man yelled at me!!! He told me that I should pay attention and not be a stupid American (totally what he meant) – then he screamed “YOUR WELCOME!” Ass hole.
Rewind – before the nap I sat in the train next to a cute American woman who pretended to be for England – hilarious... she had an 100 percent New York accent. lol I also found delicious food in the back of the train and a generously sized water. . . and a lollipop.  St. Pancreas International Station was insanely striking. As I wandered, I decided to that I would most likely need use of the internet to find my hotel. I asked a few baristas for the closest Wi-Fi location, they said the back of their café. . . but found nothing. As I walked to the front I thanked them as a young server with an French accent said, “Why you leading the poor girl astray, here, sit”. . . he led me to the front corner of the café and sent over a free latte. He didn’t even try to get my name or hotel or anything sketch sketch. So sweet! I was able to find my hotel’s website – looked at google maps – asked a couple next to me for walking directions – found it was a safe walk and went on my way.
I loved London the second my eyes hit the street. I entered on a busy London intersection with cars, double-deckers, black taxi cabs, and people on bicycles everywhere. I t was fantastic. It was cleaner than Paris, the architecture was changing my life, and everyone spoke a language I knew – amen! I zigzagged through the streets for a few miles and stumbled upon my hotel. The streets were wet, grass moist, and trees green. It was beautiful. I got to my room and opened the huge windows overlooking the city. My room contained a little tiny bed, a flat screen TV, a tea pot, cup and saucer, and a clean bathroom. Perfect for a girl in the midst of embracing her travels. There was not air conditioning, but I honestly didn’t care at all.
Dana (a fantastically blunt and open New Yorker who I found on Facebook that is also alone on her travels) came to my door shortly after. We asked each-other 1 million questions about everything. It was perfect. I said I wanted to shower before we went out and she was like, “oh so you need 15 minutes?” And she was serious! HILARIOUS!!! Somehow, I got ready in 30 and off we went. We had no plan and I love that. We stumbled upon amazingly busy districts such as Piccadily Circle and Leister Square and artsy areas like Soho and the The West End. We were fantastic wanderers. We stumbled upon delicious Indian food for dinner and discussed life, boys, school and travel. We wandered into the district of off Broadway shows and night clubs, met other travelers on the street, took a lot of pictures, and made it back by 1 am. Within minutes of walking into the hotel courtyard, my best friend HEATHER PAZ (bff from Rhema who now lives in Manchester, UK) arrived to see me  Heather and I jumped up and down while we hugged and screamed like little girls. Amazing day.