Prague

Our first big weekend trip was to Prague in the Czech Republic. We walked around the historic center of town and saw all the main sights. Wenceslas Square, located in New Town, was the site of many demonstrations during the Cold War when Czechoslovakia was behind the Iron Curtain. Old Town Square is a colorful quarter of the Old Town, featuring a variety of architectural styles, two churches, and this awesome Astronomical Clock. We made our way through town over to the famous Charles Bridge. The bridge was full of vendors and people playing instruments it was really cool. The Charles Bridge is the oldest bridge that crosses the river and connects the castle with Old Town. The bridge itself is beautiful, with big gothic towers at both ends and statues lining the balustrade.

 

Our first night there we went on a Pub Crawl with most the interns and we had a blast! I have never met so many different people from all different parts of the world. It was a great experience. That night I also stayed in my first hostel. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but it ended up being really nice! Probably one of the nicest ones I will stay in while I am here. We spent our last day doing some more wandering around the town and checked out an amazing church. It was unfortunate we couldn’t go all the way through it, but being able to step inside and see the sun shining through the stained glass windows and leaving an array of colors all over the walls was spectacular. It was a great way to end the trip. Czech was the first place I had visited that didn’t use the Euro, they used the Koruna (pronounced “crown”). It was so confusing to use. 1 American dollar is worth 18.6 koruna. So, a basic meal at a restaurant would cost a couple hundred koruna so you always felt like you were spending a bunch! It made me appreciate the Euro that much more J

Switzerland

Beautiful Interlaken, Switzerland.  I have never set eyes upon a prettier place. 8 of us interns hoped on a train at 4am on Saturday October 9, 2010 and were headed to Switzerland. I had always heard it was a beautiful place, but I didn’t imagine it as it was. We were surrounded by mountains , lakes and rivers and the water was a the prettiest blue I have ever seen. The town was smaller so we were able to drop our stuff off at our hostel and cruise around the town. We walked to the lake and took pictures and played in the leaves and stood in awe at the view we were witnessing. I was so happy to be there and so happy that most of the girls were able to make it.

The part of the trip we were looking forward to was Canyoning. Sunday afternoon, 6 of us headed to Outdoor Adventures to strap up and get ready to go. 1 wet suit, 2 wetsuit jackets, a life vest, a harness, some sweet water shoes and a silly hat and we were ready to go. This was going to be an experience I would never forget. 12 of us hopped in a bus and headed up the mountain. We rappelled, slid, and jumped down rocks and waterfalls into the beautiful white water filled Saxteen canyon. It was a half day trip that I never wanted to end. I was exploring nature in the best way possible. I loved every second it.   After Canyoning, we were exhausted. We headed for a hot shower, a cold beer and a yummy Thai dinner (it was my first time trying Thai food). It was the perfect ending to our trip. It was our last night in Switzerland so after dinner we decided to go walk the town. We played in a little park, tried to pet some cows, bought some last minute souvenirs and headed back to the hostel for bed. Monday we had a long train ride home only to have to face work again on Tuesday.

 Every time I go on a trip, I always say to myself “this was the best day or the best weekend” but honestly they just keep getting better and more interesting. Every country we have visited has something amazing to offer and a story I will never forget. I can’t wait to continue my traveling for the last two months and see what else I can get myself into J

Germany

So im just about a month behind on my journey but I honestly didnt even think about writing a blog until now. I figure this will be the best way for me to remember what I did for my 4 months living here in Illesheim, Germany and my travels all around Europe. I have already been to so many wonderful places and seen so many cool things that its about time I got this going so I dont forget!!! Above is a picture of me at the Illesheim train station which is right around the corner from where I live. I arrived in Germany on August 23rd and I have 4 months of living here to look forward to. I live in a guest house in the small town of Illesheim with 5 other girls. Its beautiful and I couldnt ask for a better place to live. This is the front entrance to Deitz, our home for 4 months :)

 

Some people dont even know what im doing living in Germany for 4 months so ill quickly explain. I got an internship through Chico State to move to a foreign country and work on a US Army base in the childcare center. Germany has the highest deployment rate so the kids here need a lot of extra attention. I feel blessed that I was chose to come here and make a difference in these kids life. These children are put in a really hard position when they mostly are living in a one parent home because mom or dad is deployed or their parents arent together to begin with. The way these children act out you can tell that deep down inside they are hurting and need lots of love. That is the best part about my job. We work 40 hour weeks, I work with the toddlers and my other roommates work in infant rooms, pre-school and kindergarten. Once our work week is over we are off for the weekend to travel!!!

Above is a picture taken from a trip to Heidelberg, Germany.  Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape's character including the Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town. We spend the day walking around the town and of course, touring the castle. Heidelberg is also known for being a college town since it where the University of Heidelberg is found.

Heidelberg had amazing shopping throughout the Old Town so we spent the afternoon shopping, then bought some wine and headed for the train. Drinking is legal while walking around town, while driving in a car(as long as your not the driver) and while riding on the train!!!

The next weekend we went to Wurzberg. They have a really beautiful castle also so all of us interns hopped on a train and met eachother there.

The Fortress Marienberg is the castle on a hill across the Old Main Bridge, overlooking the whole town area as well as the surrounding hills(below is the bridge and the castle). Würzburg's Old Main Bridge (Alte Mainbrücke) was built 1473–1543 to replace the destroyed Romanesque bridge from 1133. It was adorned from 1730 on in two phases with well-known statues of saints and famous persons. A similar impressive bridge is theCharles Bridge in Prague which you can see on my Prague Blog.

Behind me to the left up on the hill you can see the castle.

This picture is taken on the grounds of the castle. It was absolutely beautiful.