Phew, where to start off... I've done soooooo much since the last posting that it's gonna be really hard to get in to any sort of details about my adventures so what I'm going to keep it simple. I'm going to list the cities that I've visited, write about the first memory that comes to mind, and post either a video or a picture.........go!
Dublin, Ireland - St. Patrick's Day... Probably one of the craziest trips of my life... One of the most insane times was standing in the street among thousands of people watching the annual Dublin St. Patrick's Day Parade. In addition to that, I met kids from all over the world, explored my family's history, drank lots of Guinness, and hung out in an Irish Pub or two. Not too bad of a trip I think...be sure to check out the pictures on Picasa!
Munich, Germany - My parents came and visited and after we spent some time in Berlin, we headed to Munich, home of the Hofbrauhaus, bratwursts, and all that is German beer. Among our various trips to the beer gardens we met up with some interesting people including a French nuclear physicist named Pierre.
Hohenshwangau, Germany - From Munich, we headed south to Schloss Neuschwanstein, the castle known as the inspiration for the Walt Disney Castle. Not much more to say except the whole area was incredible and I'd recommend it to anyone going to Germany. And pictures describe it better than words...
Dachau, Germany - After coming back to Munich it's just a short trainride to a little city on the outskirts called Dachau. A little suburban city that seems normal until you walk into the memorialized concentration camp that held over 200,000 people and took the lives of over 25,000 of them between the years of 1933 and 1945. The gate still holds the dark slogan for prisoners that "Arbeit macht frei" (work makes freedom). Within the camp we saw lots of chilling reminders of a horrible time in human history including the ovens that burned bodies towards the end of the camp's use...
Paris, France - From Munich, we took an all-day train ride west into France to visit the spectacular city of Paris. Although I had thought the city might be a little overrated, I found out I was completely wrong. The buildings were incredible and at night the twinkling of the Eiffel Tower lights up the entire city...
Be sure to also check Picasa for more pictures of everywhere I've been. It's really been an incredible adventure. I hope that everyone back in the States is doing well and having a good summer.
