The Greatness of the Word ''Free''!

As I was discussing with my good friend Kyle the other day via chat on the internet how ''Free'' is a great concept. It is especially great when you are a poor college kid spending all your money on traveling. Although free does not always mean quality sometimes it really does. Some people would argue ''The is no such thing as a free lunch.'' which may be true but at least it is a heck of a lot cheaper than the full price lunch.

So why all this talk about freeness? Well it just so happens that Berlin offers a free city walking tour and it was GREAT! The ''no free lunch part'' came at the end when we felt obligated to tip the guide because after all we did not pay for the tour (which was 3 hours and amazing). But still, it was way cheaper than similar activities so hooray there.

Our tour of Berlin was amazing and our guide (an English German, don't ask) really knew his stuff. He drug us all around the city to show us the historical and down right cool sights. According to Bryan, his history was legit. Berlin is a cool city because everything that we saw was modern history with a large part of it occurring during my lifetime. That was way more interesting to me than 1200-year-old ruins.

We saw the Berlin gate, Check-point Charlie, walked across where the death strip was, saw some of the remaining wall, stood on top of Hitler's bunker where he killed himself, saw the new Jewish Holocaust Memorial (very cool), heard escape stories to West Berlin from East Berlin, learned how the fall of the Berlin wall came about and much much more. All and all it was very good. I most definitely recommend the almost free tour of Berlin! :)

Vienna is Cool?

When I used to hear about Europe it was London this or Paris that. Italy is so rich in history and great food or the Spanish beaches are beautiful, yada, yada. But jeez, who knew that ol' Vienna was so cool?

For those history nerds who walk among us, the city is seeped in an interesting royal history that just ended less than a century ago. The buildings are beautiful and historic while also leaving room for the modern growth of the 21st century.

Everybody here speaks German (this language is becoming more handier by the moment) and appears in good spirits. We toured the royal apartments and it was the first time that I have ever been to a museum dedicated to someone from that country that did not portray them in some gleaming, all too perfect light. The information about Sisi (the Princess Diana of the late 1900's) stripped all the glory from her legend. Included on this tour was the royal silver collection (Bryan was so excited....). We also visited the Natural History Museum which I would say is what we would consider a Smithsonian.

Later at night we went to a classical concert as Vienna is known for their music and we needed to pretend like we got some culture on this trip. We also walked along side the canal that runs through the city where I took about a million pictures of graffiti. (For a school project as a I assured Bryan.)

At night we walked through the main parts of town which are wide open and watched street performers. My favorite was probably the guy making bubbles with a string tied to two giant sticks. He had a pack of 5-year-olds running beneath him, all trying to pop the bubbles first which was quite hilarious considering that most of the bubbles were bigger than them. He had to make the bubbles way above their heads so that the bubbles would last for at least a few seconds. It is amazing to see soapy water bring such enjoyment.

I wish we were staying longer because I think Vienna (or Wien pronounced Veen by the locals) has a lot more to offer but alas, we are off to Berlin.

Everyone can comment now!

So apparently you had to be a google user (aka have a gmail account) to leave a comment. Well this is true no longer! I believe that I have finally set it up so that anyone can leave a comment!

(Keep your fingers crossed though as I am not known for my computer skills...)

Spelunking in Austria

After surviving Austrian platforms and buying first-aid creams based on the picture on the front of the box because we do not speak German, we headed off to the small town of Hallstatt on the Hallstatt lake.

The town was pretty cool and we had to reach it by boat. It was a nice change from the big cities though it did rain most of the time we were there. It actually kind of reminded us of Oregon.

Since our first plan of swimming in the lake was foiled due to thunder showers, we decided to go spelunking (aka caving up in the mountains). It was not as hardcore as it sounds because the caves are open to the public and you have to go in with a guide. It was pretty fun though all the same.

We visited the giant ice cave and another cave that is over 80km long (divide by 5 and times by 3 for miles). The guide was really nice and gave the tour in German and in English for us. It was pretty funny because she started out in German first and then asked if anyone spoke English. Since it was just us, she made us come to the front (it was like Moses parting the waters or people I should say) so that should could explain everything to us in English.

The caves were freezing cold (literally) and dripping wet from the snow melt. It was pretty slick and Bryan almost slid down the path once (karma for laughing at me I think).

After that we booked it for some hot choclate which was well worth it!

I should have paid more attention in physics class!

There is some law in physics about a body in motion and what not. As it turns out, I should have paid more attention during that lecture because I learned that lesson first hand.

Here is the recap:

• We are riding on a train out to the middle of no-where Austria and the stops are not marked well.
• Suddenly we discover that we need to get off the train and scramble for our bags and the exit.
• The train starts moving again (and yes, we are still on it).
• Oh, no! We are going to have to jump! (You can probably see where this is going.)
• Kim jumps off the train and onto the platform.

Bryan's Point of View:

• Kim jumped off the train and now I have to too, crap! I saw her hit the ground then she disappeared. I only have about a three foot window to look through though. At least I know that sh is on the platform.

Kim's Point of View:

• I was looking at the platform when I jumped and then I was looking at the platform from a different angle. I am laying on the ground and I am sure that I look like a turtle that has been tipped on its back. My first thought, jeez I hope that Bryan jumped off too. Then I looked up and see him standing on the platform. Second thought, WHAT THE HECK?! Why is he standing? Slight hope, Maybe he fell and hopped up really quickly.

The Reality:

• Kim has massive scabs on her elbow and shin on her left side.
• Bryan is laughing hysterically at the situation.

Lessons Learned:

• When jumping off a train... KEEP RUNNING! Bryan did because he remember that they did that in a movie once. As it turns out, it works!
• Do not jump off a train while wearing a huge backpack. As it turns out, it screws up your momentum and will throw you to the ground. Bryan did not have enough time to put his on and jumped off with his backpack in his hand. (Lucky)
• Crashing into pavement is like a cheese grater to the skin, ow.
• They make it look easier on TV (big surprise).
• Carry more band-aids if planning to do crazy stunts.
• Pay more attention in physics class from now on!

The Rest of Munich

Thank the Lord for clouds. Munich was much more our style when it came to the temperature. Despite having fun, Bryan wanted to go on an educational jaunt so we headed out to the Dachau Memorial.

Quick Facts:

Dachau (or Dakau to the english speakers) was the first Nazi concentration camp in Germany. Officially, it was for political prisoners and those in protective custody. It served as a model for the many camps to come after it across eastern Europe. As we all know, there was a little bit more to it than the basic description. Although people were not sent to the gas camber there (they did have one), they were worked to death, expirmented on, and starved. The grounds where the camp once stood now serve as a memorial. Visitors are ushered in, shown photographs, videos, and read horrific stories. The words ''Never Again'' are on the outside of the main building in several different languages.

My Question is this:

Are people inherently good? bad? weak? or is in just survival or the fittest?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a lighter note....

SNEAK PEAKS ROCK!!

We found this awesome theater that shows films in their original language. Every Friday night they have something called a sneak peak. They show a new movie that could come out next week or maybe in three months. The catch is that no one knows what it is until it starts so it is a surprise for everyone. People get very excited and it was a lot of fun. We ended up seeing GI Joes (think of a cheesy blend between x-man and star wars) which was a big deal because I guess that it is not coming out for a while. I wish Corvallis had theaters that did a surprise sneak peak. Maybe I will start one...

Sledding in Trees

That was not a misprint my friends. Not through or around but in....

We are a little museumed out (hey, it happens to the best of us) so we decided to take a little adventure in Munich, aka high ropes course!

For those of you who do not know what this is, I will try to give you a little background info. Ropes courses are suppose to be challenging and fun. There are different courses, usually between trees, called elements. An element can consist of many different things but usually involves wire cables, balancing, and getting from point a to point b. The place that we went to had elements 20 to 40 feet up in the air so we were also harnessed into a cable that was conneted at all times.

It was so much fun and all of the elements were very different. They had ziplines, skies hanging that you had to walk across, a tarzan style swing, hanging milk crates to walk accross, a tunnel, and much much more.

My personal favorite was the sled. They had this sled hooked up on wire cables that ran between two trees for about 30 feet. It was old school and I had to hunch over and everything. Bryan like the tarzan swing the best and was excited to go ziplining for the first time.

It was really funny watching the people who worked there trying to explain the directions to us (it is a self belay system) beacuse they did not speak very much english. I kept filling in vocab words for them like harness and cable until eventually they said just watch and demonstrated instead. All and all is was great fun (even for Bryan who is not so keen on heights...)

The Itailian Coast

Quick Thoughts:

• YEAH for no more baking in Rome!
• Boo for the wallet situation... and sketch to boot.
• YEAH for spending Bryan`s money now!! :)
• Hooray for the beach of the Cinque Terre!
• Ahhh... We are staying at a campground, with tents and all.
• The sunsets are beautiful (We wake up too late to see the sunrise).

After sizzling in Rome, we made a break for the coast. I mean if you are going to burn, you might as well burn by the sea right?

Bryan was in charge of finding us a place to stay and he chose a campground. Strangely (for those of us USers) the tent came with cots and bedding. Thankfully we had flashlights. Our time spent here was very stressful. We laid on the beach, climb some rocks, and did some hardcore shopping in the five little villages of the Cinque Terre which is a National Park.

Here is the english explanation of it from wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_terre

I could get use to the slow life I think.

The US Embassy jacked my wallet!

This is a sad yet hilarious and very true saga of my lost wallet.

This is a tragic epic tale in the sense that jeez this sucks but it was probably bound to happen eventually so suck it up and deal with it kind of way.

Here are the juicy details:

The Back Story: I am dying of heat here in Rome, seriously. I know that the valley back home is bad too but I would much rather be cold than hot. It is so hot that you cannot go to bed until midnight or one just to sleep and then you wake up soaking wet, ewww. Being a poor student I am staying in hostels where as most people would probably have a nice air conditioned rooms so I don't think my situation would be similar to everybody else but roll with it.

The Heat Solution: So to fix this, we head for a frozen yogurt stand at dark. We get some of the frozen greatness and go and sit on some steps in front of a cafe to enjoy it. I pay because I owed Bryan money from earlier that day. Then we walk around for awhile, enjoying a ancient Rome at night and head back.

Next morning: Kim no longer has a wallet.

Possible Reasons: Some one stole it from the hostel, I left it somewhere, It is lost in my stuff.

Conclusion: We tracked it down to sitting in front of the cafe and deduced that no one ever had the chance to steal it from the hostel and that it is not lost in my backpack somewhere.

The epic adventure begins: We book it back to the cafe asap. I march up there like I own the place and tell a little white lie I told them that I was eating there last night and that I left my wallet. I kind of had to act it out though because their english was limited to anything about the cafe or food. Finally they all started yelling (italians love to yell I have decided) and they said that some found a wallet last night and left a number. Could this really be possible? I hope so!

What the People Say: This is HUGE because everyone keeps telling me that I should kiss the wallet goodbye. It had 2 school IDs in it (OSU and an International one), a debit card, a credit card, and 150 euro. They said that anyone who finds it will take the money and ditch the cards. ugh. Let`s cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Tabs on Paper: So after the cafe people dig in a tab bag for like five minutes they finally find the number. How people live without a computer I am not sure. I ask to use their phone and for them to dial because I suck at dialing international numbers. So the guy was pretty chill and calls on his phone but there is no answer. We try again and the same thing happens. No problem he says though and has us sit down and says that we can try again in 10 minutes.

10 Minutes Later: Same deal. He says to wait though and we will try again. He brings out some bottled water and bread. I don't want to eat it because then I will have to pay for it but I am depressed so I don't really care at that moment. I am guessing that he did not want tourists looking unhappy with no food in the cafe. Could be bad for business right? Finally we get a hold of the guy and he says in clearly second language quality english that they left it at the American Embassy. I know that he had it for sure because he called me Kimberly and I told him that my name was Kim. I thank him for several minutes and get off the phone.

Phase 2: I have the cafe people point out the embassy to me on a map and we are off. They did not make us pay for anything which I took as a positive sign from God. YES!

The Downside: Ahhh.... The Embassy is closed on Saturday and Sunday (it is Sat). I poke my head through the bars and try to wave a guard out of his little hut. Finally he comes out and starts jabbering away in Italian (bad sign number one). I yell back (There is about 50 feet between us) that I am an American citizen and that I lost my documents (I thought that this sounded more legit) and that they had been turned in. He yelled something back and I repeated my self with hand motions this time. He yelled back 'I don't speak English'. I would like to point out that this is the American Embassy we are talking about and that was english. What the heck?! So I yell back 'Habla usted espanol?' to which he replies 'No'. The he motions down around the corner.

Desperation Setting In: I go down around the corner and see a call box. The choices are as follows: Marine Security Forces, Security Forces, Local Security. I ask Bryan which one I should hit and he says 'Not local, they cannot speak English remember'. As if I will ever forget that. So I hit Security Forces because the Marine one sounded intense. Nothing happened. So I hit it again, same story. Pretty soon I have hit all of the buttons several times when I noticed an unlabeled button at the top and I stab it will my finger. Someone starts talking to me in English, THANK GOD! I explain my situation and he tells me that I will have to come back on Monday. WHAT?! I cannot I tell him because I am leaving Sunday morning. I need to get my wallet now! Too bad so sad though. Monday or nothing. I want to tell him that Bryan killed someone and we are seeking the safety of the Embassy but that seemed a little messy so I decided not too.

Second Chance: I decided to call the Embassy next (another epic story on finding a phone but for another day) and I talk to someone official sounding. He takes down my information and promises to look into it. He even calls me back to report that the guards have not received anything yet and to call they guy again to see when they dropped it off. He even tries to call him but cannot get through. I thank him for his time and effort.

My Mother: I call my mother to have her help me cancel the cards. She believes that my wallet is there at the Embassy because she works with embassies all the time and says that they do not communicate well. She too urges me to call the wallet finder again and double check the information. Yeah for moms, they always know how to make you feel better when you are down.

The next morning: I get a hold of the wallet finder and they assured me that they dropped it off Saturday morning at 11 at the Embassy. I thank them again and call the Embassy. I get a hold of the same guy and he assures me that it is not there (I have stayed an extra day in Rome at this point) and that the people may be lying to me. But why would they lie? Just take the wallet and run and nobody would be the wiser, right? He says that he trust the guards more than them to which Bryan says that he would trust American guards who spoke English more (I secretly agree which probably makes me a bad person). He suggests that I file a Police report. I ask what that will do and he says 'Well, at least there will be a report.' I bypass this...

Sunday Night: I am spending another night in this oven of a city and hitting the Embassy at 8:30am hoping that they are disorganized like my mother says. Life sucks but I am not dying or mortally wounded. I am traveling Europe after all so I am just going to have to suck it up and deal with it. It just sucks because if anybody would have lost something I would have bet on Bryan. Sad day and probably a hint of karma in there somewhere. Oh well, my fingers are crossed for tomorrow.

Monday Morning: We wake up early and book it to the Embassy. The guards let me in but not Bryan (I guess that he looks suspicious or something). I am one of the first people there and talk to a lady in the American Citizen Immediate Help Office. She takes down my information and tells me to take a seat while she checks the lost and found. Sounds good right? Don`t get your hopes up.

Lady Number Two: A different lady calls me over after a few minutes to tell me that the guards are not allowed to receive stuff from people on the streets. She has an American accent and is rather brass. Hmmm... I tell her. That is odd because the people said that they dropped it off here on Saturday morning at 11:00am. She said that they are lying and that this is not possible. She tells me to use the phone in the room to call them and check again. I have already called these people like 10 times. I convince her to call them though because I am sure that Italian is their first language and the Embassy will have a better time understanding them than me.

Different Stories: 30 mins later they call me back over to say that they talked to the people and that they dropped it off at the main gate at 11:00am on Saturday morning. The details that they gave were right on. Ahhhh.... I am confused I told them. You just told me that guards cannot take stuff from random people. The shift supervisor overruled it they said. Bad sign... The Embassy`s story has holes in it already.

Waiting FOREVER: I keep checking in with them but they say that they are looking. How long does it take to check a guard station? It is the biggest one they tell me. So what? Seriously, how long can this take? Finally they say that they are calling the supervisor from that day. Many people work here, blah, blah, blah. No offense but third graders are more organized and could probably provide better protection than them.

Conclusion: "This is very unusual." That is what they keep telling me. What part? The part where the Embassy had my wallet and it magically disappeared!! Jeez. Finally I have to leave to catch the last train to the Cinque Terre. I was there for over 5 hours (Bryan was outside though.... The said that they will email me if it turns up but I am not holding my breath. So that is right, the US Embassy in Rome jacked my wallet. We laugh and say that they threw a party with the 150 euro. Ugh and double ugh!

Lesson Learned: It is sad to think that the people who are suppose to help me and others like me can be crooked too. The wallet went missing at the guard station so most likely one of them took it. Lesson in all of this: Be thankful for what you have and know that sometimes who walk alone in this world. It is a bummer but it is just a road bump in an otherwise pretty awesome adventure.

Toga Party in Roma

Okay, more like baking in an oven in Rome (Roma to Italians) but all the same... Rome was on fire. No wonder people wore togas, jeez! Our plan in Rome was simple, try not to die from heat. We saw some of the famous sites including the Collosuem.

The Vactican City was also cool but very very small. Angles and Demons (new movie in theaters) actually makes it seem bigger than it is. Saint Peter's Square and Basilica are huge and quite possibly the most amazing church that I have ever been in. It was hilarious to watch the guards not let people in who had their shoulders or skin above their knees showing. The best was when men got stopped for haveing too short of shorts, haha.

The most interesting part of Rome though was the ancient ruins everywhere. It was like they were not a big deal to people. ''Oh look, another ancient civilization probably lived there, no biggie.'' This attitude kind of shocked me. Being from the west coast, we freak out if we find something even 100 years old. It was like modern times where popping up in between ancient ones. Ruins and newer building shared the same walls. I guess that they are so used to it that they do not even notice anymore. But this building technique and attitude gives Rome the impression to me of a decaying city. Nothing is truely new nor is anything really preserved. It is just cumbling under a baking sun that shows no mercy. There are very few hints that they are living in the 21st century but maybe that is the way that they want it who knows.

On a cheerier note, gelato is delicious. You always have to get two flavors to mixed them though. It is the local custom.

Future Tips for Rome: Air conditioning is a must, 2 or 3 days is all that most people can handle, frozen waterbottles are heavenly, and dressing like a fluzey will get you banned from St. Peter's!

Florence for Another Day

Poor Florence...

We had originally planned to spend three nights there and two full days but the Swiss Alps made us stay longer. Hence, we basically spent the night here. It was a beautiful city at dusk. Not super hot (Thank the Lord!) and looking golden in the setting sun. Basically all we had time to do was walk around, eat some gelato and then hop a train to Rome.

We will be back... someday.