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I Can Now Say I’ve Been to the Swiss Alpes!

January 21-23

Another journey took place this last weekend. I traveled to one of my favorite places… Switzerland. I also learned how to travel the train system on my own. First I had to start with my 30 minute hike to the bus stop. I was about 5 minutes in when I realized I walked out the door without my train ticket. After running home to get it and starting again, I was now 15 minutes behind. I practically had to run in my boots, with my backpack to the bus stop. Once I got on the bus I was feeling good. I felt confident and excited until I walked through the doors of the train station. I quickly realized I did not know where I was supposed to go. I looked at my ticket and guessed what it said since it was all in German. I must have some good travel skills because I found my platform on the first try. It’s weird sitting on the trains here. No one talks, everyone just stares forward. I didn’t realize how loud Americans are. I’m so used to socializing with random people. I guess it’s a good thing I do not know the language yet because I have nothing to say. I guess it helps me blend in.

I had to trade trains twice and I did this with no problem. On the last train I was trying to find the bathroom. I remember this from when I was here the first time but I didn’t think of it when I asked. Here, if you say “bathroom”, it means a room where you wash. You have to ask for the toilette. Well silly me asked for the bathroom and I definitely got a laugh. Once I finally found the “bathroom” I realized there was no toilet paper. So here are a few travel tips I have learned so far.

Lesson 1: Ask where I can find the toilette, not bathroom

Lesson 2: Bring along a small bag of toilet paper. (They sell them in portable cases like kleenex)

As I came back to my seat the lady asked if I found it and when she heard there was no T.P. she gave me her new pack. Thank goodness there are smart and nice Switzerland people who know how to speak English, are prepared when traveling, and willing to share!!!

I finally arrived in Switzerland and was extremely happy to see Edie. Saturday was spent traveling. She took me to the Alpes and I was also able to speak French. The more I listened to it, the more I began to remember. I was having fun learning new sayings and communicating in another language. Edie taught me how to say I need to use the toilette. Now I am prepared for my next trip to a French speaking place. The Alpes were beautiful even though there was little snow. Edie says she has never seen this little of snow during this time.

Traveling up and down the mountains was a little difficult for me. I get car sick and these roads are very curvy. I had to close my eyes a few times but it was difficult. I wanted to see everything. I took a few videos to show the curves. I felt like we did nothing but go side to side all the way up the mountain.

Later we went to a cellar where we tasted different kinds of wine and had some amazing cheese called raclette. Depending on what part of the mountain the cows are on, the cheese tastes different. They melt the cheese and serve it with Potatoes and pickles. It has to be eaten fast or else it cools off.

Sunday I met up with an old friend for coffee and caught up. It felt good to see friends out here. It made me feel like I was at home again. We drank lots of coffee and had some amazing Spaghetti. Edie is a great host. She likes to call herself my Swiss mama. I definitely have to go back. I felt very much at home and loved spending time in Switzerland.

Traveling home was interesting. I made it through the trains great and when I got home, I guess I let my travel guard down. I went to catch the bus home and looked at the schedule. It looked like I missed the bus by 3 minutes and the next one wasn’t coming for another hour. So I walked 15-20 minutes to the base near by so I could hitch hike home. As I walked on base I realized it was closing. This is a shopping base and not a place where people live. So I had to walk back to the train station. As I was almost back I saw my bus pass. I didn’t know what was going on because it wasn’t time for it to come. I looked at the schedule again and realized I was reading the weekday schedule, not the weekend. So of course I missed the bus and the next one was not due for another 2 hours.

Lesson 3 - Read the right bus schedules

Lesson 4 - Be patient and do not try to outsmart the traveling system in Germany… it wont happen!

By this time I was hungry, tired, and my feet hurt. I was not going to wait 2 more hours so I took a taxi home. It cost 10 extra euro but it was DEFINITELY worth it!

There’s nothing like opening your window and seeing another person staring back at you… can you guess where I went??? That’s right, ROME! 

January 15th-17th

I have to say, it was one of the best trips I have ever had in my entire life. It may have only been a weekend but it was beyond amazing.

It all started very rough. Alyssa and I questioned if we were supposed to go. The flight was accidentally booked wrong and we weren’t even scheduled to come back for a month when it was supposed to be a weekend trip. So we had to pay a little extra to buy another ticket home. Overall we didn’t lose out on too much money but we learned a little about how the internet likes to trick us. Needless to say, now EVERYTHING is overlooked about 10 times before we buy anything.

The morning we left was very early. We woke up at 3:00am and left at 4:30. Thank goodness Alyssa’s teacher offered to take us to Frankfurt or we would have had to of left late Thursday night. On our way out, we stopped at the ATM to get some money. We noticed the MP (Military Police) was sitting there watching us. As we got in the car Alyssa said, “Watch him pull us over for no reason.” Sure enough, the lights came on and we were pulled over.The whole reason we were pulled over was because of a bike rack on the back of the car. She has had it on there for 9 years with no problem but for some reason he couldn’t read her license plate. She was not too pleased!

As we got to the airport we had more fun trying to get our ticket. There were machines we had to use to get our tickets. Alyssa had no problem getting hers but mine decided it didn’t want to work. We quickly grabbed a worker to try to help us. She couldn’t figure it out and sent us to the longest line I have ever seen in an airport. We still had a little over an hour before our flight left but we were a little worried about time. I decided to find another worker who was finally able to figure things out. We grabbed our tickets and headed for our gate. The flights were fine with one stop in Amsterdam. We had to run through the airport but it wasn’t a big deal. After we arrived in Italy we ran to the buses and was able to print our tickets and run to the train, catching it with the doors closing behind us. The person came around to check our tickets and of course we got yelled at. I guess we had to validate our ticket after we bought it but didn’t have time to read the back. The man was nice enough to give us a warning and let us go by without a fine. The trip had just started and we already learned a lot.

We arrived around 2pm and set up everything into our Hostel. It was a cute little room and thank goodness we had a private room. We opened our window and instantly knew it was Italy. The view was directly into a persons home who happened to be looking out. That’s Italy!

We quickly changed and headed down the streets of Italy. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! We walked everywhere and saw the Wedding Cake, Trevi Fountain, and even the Colosseum. There were more beautiful buildings along the way and great stores for shopping.

We decided to head back a little early since it was getting dark and we didn’t want to travel the metros too late. We stood out with our blonde hair and we wanted to be safe. As we pulled out the map to find our way back, two Italian boys walked up to us. They offered to take us around and show us things but we quickly said no and told them we were meeting with friends from Italy. The night ended with a great pizza and watching T.V. in an unknown language. The first day was a great success.

The second day we woke up late due to the failure of an alarm clock. We quickly got dressed and rushed out of the Hostel. We were going to the Vatican to see the pope. After taking the metro we arrived shortly after 12. We were told the Pope wasn’t coming out till 1pm so we were a little early. Along the way we decided to follow two boys who were also tourists. We didn’t want to pull our map out and they were going the same way. They happened to be on the same metro so we knew they were going there as well. As we started looking around, one of the boys walked passed me and said, “We are late.” He said it in English so we could hear. Not knowing if this is true, we ran back to ask them. Come to find out, the Pope came out at 12 and we arrived 15 minutes too late. As we were walking in, everyone was walking out. We started talking to these two guys who just so happened to be brothers from Brazil. They were traveling all around Europe. We realized we were standing there talking for a while and decided to see Rome with them. We had a blast with them and felt a lot more safe. It was easier to travel the streets with two other people. We didn’t feel we were constantly being watched. They told us a lot about Brazil and their experiences around Europe. It was interesting to exchange stories and learn about their trips.

The next day we left around 6:45am. We had to take the Metro to the bus station, and hour ride bus to the airport, sat at the airport for an hour and a half, boarded the plane, flew 2 1/2 hours back to Frankfurt, then bought another bus ticket home, spent an hour or so on that bus, walked a mile to the other base, and hitched hiked home. It was a long travel home but not bad over all.

The cool thing about hitch hiking here is that it is completely different. We are on base, and can’t get on without approval. So everyone there is either in the Military or family of the Military. There is a sign that you can turn different slides to show the place you want to go. If someone is driving by and sees that sign with you next to it, they can ask if you need a ride. We got a ride with two mothers who were going to our base.

Now that I’m home, I’m feeling really sick. The nurse wants me to get checked for Strep but I think it will go away soon. My throat is swollen and it’s very difficult to sleep because of my neck. It’s moved to my chest as well. I hope it gets better and soon because I leave Friday for Switzerland. I pushed through school today because I would feel horrible staying home from school and then traveling over the weekend. If I’m well enough to travel, I’m well enough to do my job. I just hope I feel the same way in the morning. I can definitely tell when my medication wears off. It’s on a schedule and I know exactly when it’s been 4-5 hours later. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how the rest of this week goes.

Finding myself

1/9/2011

I can’t even begin to explain the feeling of joy I have inside. I feel I am finding myself again and I can’t help but walk around smiling and singing. God has given my so much to look forward to this year and I can’t believe my year has started. I’ve worked so hard for so many years and watched everyone live their life. I’ve always said in the back of my head, “I just have to be patient, my time will come.” Now it is here! Not only am I traveling the world and experiencing God’s creation but I’m getting married. Being this far away from Tim only makes me want to marry him more. I find myself unable to go to sleep till I have talked to him. I feel like it’s the beginning of our relationship all over again. I will do things around my apartment and he will be on skype singing and playing the guitar for me. Just knowing he is there on the computer is comforting. It’s going to be a hard 4 months without him but I know God will get me through. He never gives me more than I can handle.

This trip has also been inspirational to me and I have only been here 6 days. Yesterday I met up with a friend downtown. In order to get there I had to hike 30 minutes off base to a bus stop. This has turned into my new favorite thing. I put on my headphones and it wasn’t even 2 minutes into my walk when I found my self breaking out into a gigantic smile. I was thinking about this beautiful place, God, and Tim and what I have to be thankful for. I found myself praising God the entire walk and saying thank you for so much. I want to walk that path every day.

I got to the train station but Franz wasn’t due for another 30 minutes so I sat outside and listened to music. The weather was perfect. I enjoyed people watching and thinking to myself. Everyone here is so open with things. There was a group of high school students hanging out by the entrance of the train station and I had a hard time watching them. They could have only been 16 or so and here they are drinking beer on the sidewalk. The police walked right through them with no problems. It’s strange to see that. Also I have found that people have no problem kissing in public, and I mean really kissing. I was watching everyone else as they walked through these kids like they were not even there. There must have been 20 of them and they were literally standing in front of the entrance. People had to push their way through them but no one cared, not even the police. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Franz and I went to McDonald’s and they even have a coffee shop in there. Of course I had one. Their coffee is served in a tall glass with a straw. Weird but good. We walked through downtown and up to the castle. The walk up just about killed me but I told Franz I was not a lazy American. He thought that was funny. The view was beyond my thoughts. Of course the first thing that came to my mind was Tim. Too bad we couldn’t get married up there. I wish he was here to see this place with me. We walked around the castle and I learned a lot about the background of it. It was built in the early 1300s. The one thing I have learned about Germany is how Heidelberg was the only city not bombed because the soldier fell in love with it. That is one reason why it is still so beautiful. The castle is starting to break because it is so old but it is under construction. It turns out my trip to Heidelberg was over 16,000 steps. I love how much walking I’m doing here. I feel so alive and my eager to explore is on. I get that from my dad.

I find myself looking and enjoying the scenery like he taught me to do. I hate to say it but my dad was right. I may not have appreciated it then but I definitely do now. Thanks dad!

That’s all for now. Time to get out and walk.

Flight to Germany

01/02/11 – 01/04/11

Saying good-bye to Tim was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. On the way to the airport I called everyone. I did well until I talked to Kayla. Then when it came time to hugging mom and dad good-bye, I lost it. I don’t think it really hit me until I got on the plane and we were taking off the runway.

I had so many emotions flowing through me. I didn’t know if I was excited to go or sad to leave. At first I was sitting next to Alyssa and Sam but Sam’s T.V. wouldn’t work so she moved. I sat next to an older couple from India and the man kept accidentally pushing the call button. He could barely speak English and couldn’t understand anyone but me. I felt like I was his translator because anytime a flight attendant tried talking to him he looked at me to tell him what they were saying. He must have been comfortable with me because he curled up into a ball and laid on me for most of the flight.

Because my emotions were so high, I couldn’t sleep and I watched 3 movies. I tried to take a nap but just sat there with my eyes closed. It was a nice flight but thoughts of Tim ran through my head non stop. As soon as I left, I knew I was going to have a hard time without him. I have no doubt in my mind he is the one for me. After this trip, I’m never leaving him again.

The second flight I was finally able to sleep but only got an hour nap. During the first flight the sunset was AMAZING and really made me feel good about the trip. After my first movie the sun already began to rise. It was the fastest night I have ever had.  We finally arrived in Germany at 10am and found all the girls as soon as we got off the plane. Everyone was so excited and most were full of energy. I was wide awake for the first few hours and had no problem. We went straight to get our passes and waited for a bit to get them done. This is when the sleepiness started to hit me. Then we went to eat and finally got keys to our apartment. All 7 of us are in one place and it’s pretty nice. All but one share a room. I’m in a room with Alyssa and we are the only ones with a bathroom.

Around 1pm all I could think about was sleep. I was falling over. I started to wake up once we started unpacking. My excitement got high again and that helped. I put lots of pictures up so I can see them every morning. I have one picture of Tim and I on my bed. I already miss his cuddles. We all tried staying awake till at least 7. Since we do not have our passes to buy food at the grocery store, we had to get fast food. As we ate, we all sat in a circle talking. It was a great bonding moment. Around 7pm I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore and had to go to bed.

Trying to find our way around the post is interesting and everyone is so confused.  If Alyssa wasn’t here we would all be lost. We have been going on very little food because we don’t have passes to go buy things yet. Thank goodness I brought 2 bags of goldfish snacks. That was my breakfast this morning. I do miss my morning coffee though. I’m about to walk to Burger King just to get some.

When I woke up today I felt really strange. I felt like I was floating and not really aware of what I was doing. I don’t know if it’s from lack of sleep, shock, or a combination of all. I feel better since I got outside for fresh air and walked around a bit. I was proud I could find my way back to the apartment without getting lost. Everyone else went out and got lost because no one knew the building number. Dad did good at teaching me to always be aware of building numbers and my surroundings. That’s all I have for now. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow is like. It’s our first day of school.