What A Life

This week was fantastic in many ways.  I was able to enjoy the fabulous weather with my friends, I coached at a meet for the first time, and I just got finished eating and watching a movie with my roomies and Dan Dan from upstairs.

Alex and I met for breakfast one morning (Wednesday?) and we ended up on University Ave at Paris Baguette.  It reminded me of a place we had in Australia called Breadtop; you take a tray at the beginning and you basically go around and choose from a very large variety of pastries.  It was funny because we each walked around the table a couple of times before choosing something and we also saw one of our friends working there behind the counter.  We took our time and then I drove him to the gym.  It was a nice way to start the day and I had a good time coaching that evening.

Our food adventures continued on Friday when I picked him up from campus and we went to Sprouts for lunch.  It's a really nice salad place and we each had a healthy mid-day meal.  Afterwards we went to campus because Alex had some things to take care of.  It was so nice outside and we just enjoyed walking around without the worries of homework and school in general.  We stopped by the equipment room to inquire about his fourth-year letter award before swinging by the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.  The men's gymnastics box needs to be updated/redesigned so we spent some time throwing around ideas. Later we found ourselves in the brand new business school (which is stunning by the way) looking at some of the modern art and stopping at Coupa Café.  I didn't feel like getting anything but Alex let me try some of his tea and I was pleasantly surprised.  I left after he got on the phone with the national team nutritionist and headed to the gym.

Saturday morning I got up to coach and then again met for lunch.  This time we went to JJ&Fs, which was one of the places on my "to-do" list.  We got our sandwiches but headed back home before we could eat them.  I took a nice long nap after lunch and then got ready to go to the Stanford Open.  Stanford was competing against Cal and Nebraska (men) and then there were some mixed groups consisting of level 10 boys and elites.  I had a bit of trouble watching everything but it was all very exciting.  I look forward to that competition every year and this was no exception.  After the meet T left to get ready to spend a night on the town while I accompanied Alex to a post-meet dinner.  It was just the two of us since most of the boys went out together (to celebrate because they won!) and he got an amazing looking crêpe at Crepevine while I sipped on a yummy chai tea.  We talked for a long time before he took me home.

I went to bed because this morning I had to get up bright and early.  I went out to San Mateo to watch the level 7's and 8's that I've been working with compete.  Technically I wasn't supposed to be on the floor because all of my certification isn't done yet, but Allan gave me his credentials and told me to come on out.  It turned out to be pretty exciting and definitely much better than sitting in the stands with the parents.  I didn't do too much on vault but I helped set the bars and move the mats.  Erika then asked me to start getting the 7's warmed up for beam because she had to go tend to her daughter, Tula.  I said okay and the next thing I knew I was coaching the beam team through warm-ups and competition on my own!!  Erika had more trouble than she initially thought so she was stuck outside of the arena while Allan was working with the 8's.  We all made it through and I was so excited for the opportunity.  In the end the girls did well and won team, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.  It was also quite the contrast to what I'm used to with SWG; the girls were so quiet the entire time and there wasn't too much excitement.  I'm planning on trying to loosen them up because I really think it will help them compete better in the future.  Allan said that I "saved" him and Erika today and all the parents were so thankful so I'm feeling pretty good :)

This evening Dani came downstairs and convinced me to go to The Dish with her.  We ran up the initial hill and then pleasantly walked the rest of the way.  It was cool to spend time with her because I don't get the chance to do that very often.  Along the way we decided that it would be nice to have Sunday dinners with our apartment-mates so we stopped at the store to pick up some ingredients.  We ended up making pasta with meatballs, a nice pear/feta salad, garlic bread, and broccoli with garlic.  It was all really yummy and CJ, T, Dani, and I had a nice time sitting around the table talking with one another.  I'm hoping we can keep it up and maybe Weedge will be able to join us at some point.  After dinner Dani popped in the cinnamon rolls she bought and we sat down to watch Ides of March.  It stars George Clooney and Ryan Gosling and is really quite fantastic.  We all enjoyed it and we left with the wheels in our heads turning like crazy.  I would recommend it if you haven't seen it already.

SWG Alumni Weekend

What a whirlwind this past weekend has been.  SWG had a competition yesterday and beforehand the plan was to honor the alumni that were able to come into town.  Purnell, Shelley, and Blair all flew in so many of the members of the 2008 team went out to dinner on Friday evening.  We went to Thaiphoon and it was just as awesome as it was the week before.  It was nice to see everyone together again and it's the first time the 2010 seniors were in one room since I left last year.  After dinner some of the girls wanted to go out so we spent some time dancing in downtown Palo Alto.  I had to get up for work on Saturday morning, so I took it easy and chauffeured people around.

On Saturday I had practice from 8:30am-12:30pm and then a private for an hour after that.  By the time I got home and showered I was exhausted and I decided to take a nap.  I woke up when T started poking me and she asked if I wanted to have a class dinner at Pluto's.  Of course I said yes and soon after that we were on our way.  We met Blair there and enjoyed a yummy dinner before heading to campus for the alumni reception the coaches were holding for us in the Ford Center.  It was all very nicely laid out; there was champagne and wine, fruit and cheese platters, as well as some mini cupcakes.  A good number of people came and we were able to chat and make introductions.  Some of us snuck off to watch part of the men's meet (which they won) and then came back before everyone had to go.  Once again the "younger alums" wanted to go out so everyone got ready and we had some fun in the apartment upstairs before finally getting out the door and into downtown Palo Alto.  It was a hectic night because we were trying to organize a large group of people but it was still fun.

Sunday morning I slept in a little bit (though it didn't really feel like it because we had all gotten in late the night before) and then I had to get ready for the competition.  Kristen really needed help and asked me to be the meet director so I had to get to the gym by 11am.  Once I was there I began running around and almost didn't stop until the competition was over.  There are so many things that go on behind the scenes...it's crazy!  I enjoyed it though and did have the chance to watch a fair bit.  It was also fun because the alumni were introduced before the meet started and then we got to do a cheer with the girls before they went to their first event.  Some of the girls I am coaching now showed up and asked me for my autograph afterwards which was sweet.

After the competition we had dinner with the team, watched part of the football game, then my class headed out to froyo.  It was good but we were all tired and so we headed back and popped in a movie.  We all piled onto our couch in the living room and had a good time laughing together.  It was a great end to a long weekend and I'm glad we had that time with just us.  This morning I took Blair to the airport and it was a sad goodbye but she's planning on coming out again in May so we're all excited for that.

Working Woman

I am nearing the end of my first week at Twisters.  It's been a busy few days because I've had a lot of errands to run before my girls start practice at 3:30pm, but I'm happy to get back into some sort of routine.  I think I'm really going to like working for Allan because he keeps up a great atmosphere in the gym.  He even told me that his coaching philosophy is closely in line with that of Kristen and Swiz which is good for me because it's something I am familiar with and greatly admire.  I am working with 30+ girls in total, ranging from level 4 to level 8.  The hardest part for me so far has been trying to get all the names down.  It's really hard because the girls don't come in every day so I'm constantly with a new group.  I'm hoping that I'll know more than half of the names by the end of next week.  It's also been fun seeing and working with one of my former teammates.  We weren't very close in club but have found that we have a lot in common now and she's really great to be around.  I am going to enjoy her company and working with/learning from her.

Besides gymnastics, I've been catching up with people I haven't seen in approximately 11 months and every day there's something new.  I went to the grocery store and saw many things I'm not used to and ran campus loop as well as the dish.  I had the opportunity to play Monopoly with Cale and Alex one night which was fun and reminded me that I don't have homework I have to rush home to anymore...yay!!

Last night my classmates and I picked up our final member...Blair!  We had all planned on going out to SFO to get her and we did even though her flight was delayed and we had to wait until 1:30am.  It was worth it but we all came back and crashed.  I'm hoping we'll get the chance to spend time together this weekend in-between all the SWG alumni events we have scheduled.  Kristen asked me to be the meet director for the competition on Sunday and I think I'm going to do it.  I'm happy to help and she's paying me so how could I say no?  At the meet the alumni will be recognized for their accomplishments and contributions to SWG and then afterwards there is dinner and a little get together.  It's always exciting having a lot of SWGgles in one place and this will be no exception.  I'm proud and honored to be considered part of such an exclusive club and I hope the current members of the team end up feeling the same way after they graduate.

Reunited

After 11 months I was finally reunited with my friends down at Stanford.  I drove down on Sunday morning and arrived at my apartment around 12:30pm.  Tenaya, her parents, and Carly were all there and when I got through the door there was a lot of screaming, hugging, laughing, and smiling.  We didn't have too long before we had to head out to the SWG meet at Burnham so we all piled in the car and were on our way.  As we neared campus I just couldn't help but stare out the window at the scenes I'd missed so much.  Everything was so familiar which gave me a sense of calm, but I was also anxious about seeing everyone!  My heart started pounding as we neared the pavilion but Carly and Tenaya were both there for moral support.  Once I got upstairs it was hug after hug and answering so many questions.  Unfortunately the girls had to go downstairs to help out with the meet but I stayed at the top talking and catching up with everyone.

After the competition was over I was able to say hello to the current members of SWG, the coaches, and my athletic trainer.  I didn't really have a lot of time with them but I'm planning on stopping by the gym and meeting up with them to talk over lunch or something in the near future.  This weekend is the alumni meet (my first one!) and there will be a reception the day before so it will be nice to spend some quality time with them then.  After the competition my classmates and I went out to dinner at Thaiphoon and then got froyo.  We were up late talking and enjoying the "3D-ness" of one another.  The whole day was really exciting but kind of surreal; I feel like it will be that way for a couple of weeks as I'm settling in.  Blair comes in on Thursday and then we will all be truly reunited.  It's going to be a great weekend with everyone in town and I'm really looking forward to it.

Home Sweet Home

Before I even finish this, I will say that this is my favorite entry thus far.  I can't believe I'm able to officially say that I'm finally home!  It was a wonderful year, full of new experiences and growth, but I am beyond ecstatic to be back.

After a long wait in the Amsterdam airport my brother and I finally boarded our flight to SFO.  I was stuck in the middle seat but it didn't end up mattering too much because I was able to pass out for a good six hours!  It was great to wake up and realize we had less than halfway to go.  The flight and the service were both good and the food we were served was pretty decent (for plane food).  Overall it was an enjoyable experience and when we began our decent into San Fran I started to get giddy.  My heart began pumping faster and faster and I was just so excited!  I don't think my brother felt the same way and probably got annoyed by the fact that I was kind of jumping up and down in my seat.

We finally touched down and I couldn't wait to get off the plane.  I wanted to kiss the ground as we exited and made our way over to customs.  I actually got Kenny to take a picture of me and the customs officer was not happy.  His bad mood didn't ruin my day though and we got in line to get our passports checked. It was awesome to march up to the "citizens" line instead of the visitors one and we both got through pretty easily.  Our bags were already circling around on the carousel so we found our way outside and waited on the curb for my mom.  California graced me with beautiful weather and I was just taking it all in...I couldn't stop smiling!!

My mom pulled up and I gave her a huge hug.  We got our bags loaded in the car and took off for the DMV.  I was grateful that my mom agreed to do it right away and it was a really good thing I had made an appointment ahead of time because the line was out the door when we got there.  Right now I have a piece of paper that is my unofficial license until the real one comes in the mail (with a new picture!).  It took less than an hour but when we walked outside we found out that the battery in the Maxima was dead.  AAA came out and jump-started us and then we were on our way.  It was so nice to drive by things that were familiar to me...it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

We got home and I literally ran inside to give my dad a hug and to check out my room.  Nothing had changed but it was just so great to see.  My parents took me out to La Placita (favorite restaurant) and I enjoyed their company.  I slept so well that night because my mom made my bed extra comfy by adding a down comforter to it.  The next morning I got up and my dad drove me out to pick up my car. It looks so nice because a lot of it is repainted but I am going to have to take it back up soon because there is still one thing that needs to get fixed in the passenger-side door.  When we got there and the guy gave me the keys, I kind of just stared at them for a second not knowing what to do.  I was nervous to drive but my dad waited for me to get myself together and get going.  Once I started it was just like riding a bike; it felt like I had never left!  I loved the feeling of getting on the freeway and cruising with my music on.  I'd been waiting for that moment for quite awhile and I was not disappointed.

When I got home I picked up my mom and we ran to both of the banks where I have accounts.  We fixed everything up so that I closed the checking account in one but still have a credit card there and then deposited all my extra cash in the other.  I will be getting a couple of nice, new, shiny bank cards soon so that's something to look forward to.  After the logistical stuff was finished we decided to have some fun and go shopping.  We ended up spending the whole afternoon together and were very successful at the mall.  I don't think I've been that successful in a long time (I didn't really go shopping at all in Melbourne...no money!) and it was great just to be able to walk around and talk with my mom because I missed her so much while I was gone.  We came home to a great looking spaghetti dinner that my dad had prepared and it felt so good to sit and eat at our kitchen table with my family.

I went to bed very happy that night, but not until late because I was up packing for the bay area.  My mom stayed up with me and helped me decide what to bring and what to leave home/give away.  I gave a lot of stuff to Goodwill which felt nice and I was able to keep my clothes contained to two suitcases, woohoo!  I was both sad and excited when I woke up yesterday because I was heading down to see my friends but leaving my family behind.  The nice thing is knowing that we are all in the same time zone now and that I can go home whenever I want.  My parents even said they might come visit me soon, which would be fantastic.

Paris

Our time in Paris went by really quickly because of all the technical things we had to take care of in the first couple of days.  Kenny was able to get out to Notre Dame while I went to London but I wasn't really able to see much of the city until the following day.  When I got back from the train station I got to my room and took a shower before Kenny and I both left to take part in a free walking tour of the city.  It was a really good deal and we had a very animated leader who made the three and a half hours fly by.  We walked by/learned about all the major sights in Paris and now I feel like I could have enough knowledge to get a degree in the French Revolution.  I like tours because the guide really helps take your experience to the next level; you learn about the history of the thing you're looking at, which gives it context.

My favorite part was The Louvre.  It turned out to be such a beautiful day and the sun reflecting off the glass pyramids was really a wonderful sight.  Our guide gave us 10 minutes to walk around on our own and take silly pictures (she said that's a common occurrence around those parts).  I also enjoyed the "love-locks" bridge (pictured above).  I guess it's become somewhat of a trend for couples to put locks on the chain-link fence of the bridge, throwing the key into the river below.

After the walk she gave us the option of joining her at an authentic café and Kenny and I both took part.  It ended up being a really cute little place and a very nice last meal in Paris.  Unfortunately I had to get back to the room and sort out some things with the travel money card that disappeared along with the other contents of my wallet.  Apparently someone was able to figure out how to use it so Kenny and I lost a lot of euros.  After I talked to the bank I felt a little better because they said they would launch an investigation and most likely return my money.  The only bummer is that it will take a good chunk of time for that to get done.

Yesterday morning we had to check out of our room and we stored our luggage so that we didn't have to haul it around all day.  Kenny went off to see another sight (I forgot where) while I had to get to the lost and found to report my bag.  It was a long journey and all I really learned was that I need to email back in a week and it will cost me 11 euros to get my stuff back should it show up at the office.  I didn't leave feeling highly encouraged, but at the same time I wasn't expecting it to be there waiting for me.

Once I met up with Kenny again we decided to get some shopping in before going home.  Our guide from the tour had showed us where we could go and so we made the trip out there to find me another coat (mine has been losing buttons left and right throughout the trip).  We ended up at a mall and because we were both tired and just ready to get to the airport and get home, we were slightly overwhelmed and didn't end up finding anything.  I'm going to have to try again when I get back to a place that's familiar to me and hopefully I'll find something I like.

Finally it was time to head out to the airport.  It took us a lot longer to get there than I was anticipating, but we still made it with plenty of time to spare.  Security was a little rough and I got a pat down (as usual, ugh) but the flight to Amsterdam was a quick 50 minutes.  We had a 12 hour layover (actually still have 2.5 hours to go) so we tried to kill time by playing cards and getting some sleep.  I've gotten about 4 hours and Kenny maybe 3.  Now I'm just sitting at the gate, excited to be going home but not looking forward to the 11+ hour flight.  I'm hoping my mom will be there when we arrive and I can't wait to get home to see my family and to sleep in my own bed!  I've had many amazing days recently but I think this one will be right up there.  I'm so excited to FINALLY be back home where I belong :)

Here's the link to our pictures (not as many this time):  Paris Album

London

After a very bad start to our stay in Paris, we spent the a good chunk of the following day at the embassy getting an emergency passport so that I would be able to travel to London.  Luckily things were sorted out rather smoothly and afterwards we went back to the police station to see if there was anything else we could do regarding my stolen bag.  We waited there for a long time before we found out that I would be better off going to the "lost and found" office and reporting it there.  I have yet to do that (it's on the list for tomorrow morning) but I'm hoping that if it's on their radar that they'll notify me with any developments.

The remainder of the day wasn't too exciting.  I was still tired and emotionally drained and the weather wasn't really that great either.  However we did take our time walking around some of the less touristy neighborhoods and discovered a rather nice part of town; we enjoyed talking and just being together.  It turned out to be a relaxing day and just what I needed before my adventure to London.

For those of you who are wondering why I decided to make a day trip to London, I went to see Alex compete at the olympic test event.  Through a series of fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it) events, he ended up being selected to represent USA at the competition.  The combination of the last-minute timing with the disappearance of my bag led to a scrambling effort to get things sorted out, but I was able to make it happen.  I woke up early and made my way to the train station to catch the chunnel (train that goes across the English Channel) to London.  It was an easy ride and it's funny because it takes two and a half hours but the actual tunnel part only lasts for 20 minutes.  The train moves at such a high speed that things are just wizzing by and it's almost impossible to tell what's what.

I arrived in London around 11am and immediately began to manipulate the underground system to get to the hostel I was staying at.  Along the way I grabbed lunch and eventually I made it to an outlying suburb of London.  After some research I decided to kill time by heading out to Buckingham Palace.  It took me awhile to find it but I was able to see many things along the way.  I didn't have too much time before I had to find O2 Arena (where the event was held) and my journey took me much longer than expected due to my choice to walk there.  About an hour after I began I finally walked up to the doors of a very large complex.  It was a little intimidating and my heart was pounding because I was so excited to be there...not only to see a gymnastics competition in the olympic venue, but to see Alex compete there as well!  The session I walked in on finished up and then there was a break before it was time for USA to take the floor.  This competition served as a qualifier for some teams, but USA had a strong showing at world championships so Alex and his teammate Steve were just there for experience and to feel out the equipment and the arena.

Just as a reminder, I haven't seen my friends since last February (except on Skype, but that doesn't really count) and watching Alex walk out onto the floor of the olympic venue was just amazing.  Basically, my best friend is cooler than any of yours and I would like to think that I'm cool by association, haha.  USA started on vault before moving onto pbars where Alex had a really clean routine even though there were some weird timing things that happened in the warmup that could have thrown him off.  I stayed where I was to watch high bar and floor but then decided to move so that I could see the last two events more clearly.

I ended up next to a really nice British couple and they gave some colorful commentary and made the experience that much more enjoyable.  Alex didn't know where I was sitting but I was able to grab his attention after he finished up on his last event and I think this made both of us really excited.  Through mouthing and hand motions we were able to agree on a time to meet and I left the arena to find my way to his hotel.  I was reading in the lobby when he came down and I couldn't believe he was finally right there in front of me and that I was able to hug him!  I think I may have done so more than once before we made it out the door to find some food.  We ended up at a mexican place and even though we only had an hour and a half (he had curfew, haha) it was fantastic.  I was so, so happy and it just made me feel that much better about my decision to make the trip.  Because it was late and he is a gentleman, he got me a cab back to my room so I wouldn't have to worry about manipulating the bus system.  I got back around midnight and immediately crashed, happy as a clam.

I can't believe that I was able to sit in the olympic venue...it's not as bad-ass as competing there but it's as close as I'll get.  Something that is cool that we sorted out last night is that only seven americans will get to compete in that arena and Alex was one of them, wooo!  That was an "I know him" moment I'm proud of :)  I made it back to Paris safe and sound reallyyyyy early this morning (I got up at 4am) and am exhausted so the tale of our adventures from today are going to have to wait.

Dachau Concentration Camp

Kenny and I decided to delay our arrival into Paris by a few hours so that we could stop in Munich and visit the concentration camp located in Dachau, Germany.  We chose this camp specifically because it has a good memorial site and it is between Austria and Paris (in some sense).  We traveled from Salzburg to Munich where we stored our bags and then took the short hop to Dachau.  The luggage lockers actually gave us a lot of trouble and it took us quite some time to get all our bags situated.

The bus service to the camp drops you off right at the entrance where there is a very nice store and welcome center.  It's deceiving though because as soon as you pass through that the mood changes and there is no longer anything nice about the place.  They have memorials and a museum located in buildings still standing from the original camp, but the feeling is very different.  I had a weird knot in the pit of my stomach as I walked across the grounds where daily roll call was held and it was hard for me to weave in and out of the buildings knowing the terrible things that went on there.  I think that worst was the crematorium, which is set up so that you can walk through the preparation and extermination rooms.  I almost didn't go through the extermination room; I was rooted at the door and my feet just didn't want to carry me inside.  It was the strangest sort of feeling to be standing there but eventually I willed myself through.  It was a very moving experience and I'm glad I had the chance to visit the place.

We had lunch there before we got back on the bus that took us back to Munich.  Our train to Paris didn't leave for a few hours after we got there so we wandered around the station, which is actually quite large.  There were many souvenir shops there to keep us occupied and soon we had to gather up our things (once again we had trouble with the luggage lockers and were actually afraid we were going to end up missing our train, but it all worked out) and head to the platform.  We took a three hour ride to Mannheim before getting on our last train to Paris.  We watched The Sound of Music because Kenny gave it to me as a belated Christmas present and it helped us to pass the time.  The train to Paris was actually one of the high-speed ones and it didn't really suit Kenny well so he wasn't in a great mood when we arrived.  It was also late and we had both had had long days so we were tired.  We began walking to our hotel and soon found ourselves asking someone for directions.  Kenny was doing most of the talking but I turned around at one point to check a street sign and when I looked back my camera bag was gone.  I lost everything that was most important:  my passport, drivers license, camera, wallet...ugh.  It was not a good way to end the day but we were lucky because the guy we were talking to was really nice and actually took us to the police station.  We were there for awhile and Kenny did most of the talking because I was too distraught.  I stayed up late last night to cancel my credit cards and I actually went to the US embassy this morning and was issued an emergency passport.  I know it's not the end of the world, but it was pretty upsetting and frustrating.  I don't know if I'll ever see those things again, but I'll keep my hopes up for a couple of days and pray that a good samaritan turns the bag in should it randomly appear somewhere.

Austrian Winter Boots

This morning we woke up with high hopes of seeing some of the landmarks used in the filming of The Sound of Music.  We had breakfast and took our time reading and catching up with emails before bundling up and heading out into what seemed like a rather clear but cold Austrian day.  As soon as we got to the train station it began to snow and once again my toes turned in to little popsicles.  We had wanted to take a bus into town but had missed it but approximately five minutes, leaving us to decide whether we wanted to wait an hour for the next one or walk the 4.5km into town.  Even though we were griping the whole time and kept saying we'd stop at the next bus stop and just wait, we ended up walking the entire way.  When we turned down the familiar street of shops we were happy to see that they were actually open.  I started looking for boots but we were side-tracked when we passed some yummy smelling food.  We sat down for lunch and it was really nice to get out of the cold.

Afterwards I was lucky enough to finally find a pair of boots that were made to withstand the Austrian winter conditions.  From then on my feet were much happier and I lucked out because they were on sale for only 20 euro.  It's a good thing I walked out of the store with them on because the snow picked up and soon we were walking through a storm.

We didn't make it very far before we needed something warm to drink in order to continue.  Still with the desire to see some of the sights we grabbed some hot chocolate to go and continued on.  We were able to see the Maribelle gardens, where they filmed a couple of the outdoor scenes for the movie.  We were supposed to head from there to two other places but were soaked to the bone and decided to hop on a bus back to the hotel.  I'm a little disappointed, but at the same time I was so happy to be warm and to have the chance to relax and read inside while watching the snow fall.  After a couple of hours we took the train down to the main station and booked our tickets for tomorrow.  Our plan is to leave early in the morning and head to Munich so that we can continue on to Dachau.  We'll be there for awhile to see the concentration camp before we turn around and eventually head from Munich to Paris.  This is the last leg of our journey before we head home on the 12th.  Looking at the weather it seems as though it shouldn't be as cold but we'll have to wait and see.

Here's the link to the photo album:  Austria

Snow In Salzburg

One word for today:  cold.  It has been snowing on and off all day and Kenny and I just walked through a snow storm to get back from dinner.  I'm beginning to have feeling in my feet again but for most of the day I might as well not have had any feet at all.

It was so nice to sleep in a warm, comfortable bed last night.  We got up lazily this morning and enjoyed breakfast in the Villa Trapp dining room.  So far, this has been the best spread.  We both had our books out and enjoyed the more formal dining setting while munching and reading.  After we finally got ourselves together we decided to spend the day looking around downtown Salzburg.  I suited up in my most appropriate attire for the weather, though soon after we stepped outside I learned that I was in fact not prepared at all.  My shoes began to soak up some of the moisture from the falling snow and my toes became numb.  I really wanted to go back to the warmth of the hotel but I knew that I had to put on my best face and trudge along because deep down I knew I wanted to see what Salzburg was all about.

We had no idea what we were going to get when we stepped off the bus.  We wandered for awhile to allow ourselves time to get a mental picture of the town layout.  By then Kenny wanted something warm to drink so we stopped by a café and then continued on our way.  As we were walking along we realized that there were a lot of stores but hardly any of them were actually open.  We learned a bit later in the afternoon that this was because it's a national holiday (celebrating the three wise men that came to visit Jesus) and so unless the store caters to tourists it's actually against the law to be open.  It was still fun to window shop and later in the afternoon we were able to gain access to a rather beautiful cathedral.  We also managed to walk through a cemetery, shop for souvenirs, and pass by Mozart's birthplace before I convinced Kenny that we needed to go back to our room to warm up.  I jumped in the shower and even though it was painful at first I ended up staying there for quite some time.  I felt much better afterwards but soon we had to bundle up and head back outside to find dinner.  We ended up at the same place we ate at last night but it was convenient and still very tasty.  My favorite thing is that they bring you pretzels (the big warm ones) like the bread or chips that would normally be served at certain restaurants back home.

Tomorrow's plans are up in the air at the moment; we need to do some research tonight so we can plan our day.  I'm hoping it won't be as miserably cold but I'm not going to hold my breath.  The snow really is pretty but the temperature definitely makes me grateful that I live in California :)

Villa Trapp

Wow, what a long day!  It started out really early because we had to get out the door to catch the train.  We had a great time exploring the wonders of Rome but we were not too upset to leave our "hotel" behind.  We checked out and walked away feeling free and ready to move on.

The first leg of our trip was on a train heading to the northern part of Italy.  This ride was full of rolling hills with lots of fog and pretty patches of green.  It took us about 3 hours to reach our destination but it went by quickly because the train was really comfortable.  We did run into a rough patch when Snookie boarded the train (ok, so it wasn't really her but it sure looked like it:  bump-it, crazy nails, lots of bling, talking the ear off of the lady next to her) because she wanted us to switch seats.  Kenny and I were originally across from each other but ended up next to one another after it was all said and done.  Luckily she got off before we did so we didn't have to put up with her for the entire ride.

After that part of the journey we had to rush to get food and then find a bus that would drive us to the next train station.  We almost didn't make it because we followed the signs to where the buses were supposed to be but as luck would have it our bus was sitting directly in front of the train station.  We were eventually able to find it and hop on at the last second.  We were stuck there for the next couple of hours but luckily we both slept at some point along the way which helped to pass the time.  It was interesting to see the change in the weather as our drive continued; instead of fog all around us we began to see snow.  Once we crossed the border into Austria it was white as far as the eye could see.  It was pretty cool to drive through the small mountain villages (I think we drove through the Alps) and to gaze at the pretty scenery all around us.

Once the bus dropped us off we had about 30 minutes until our last train.  After waiting we boarded and it was another couple of hours until we arrived in Salzburg.  As the train sped through the countryside, it began to snow; I was entranced and watched out the window for the majority of the trip.  Even though I loved seeing the snowflakes fall to the ground, I'm glad it wasn't snowing when we came to our stop.  When I stepped outside I wanted to turn around and run back into the warmth of the train.  I must say that I think I've now experienced a new level of cold and I'm not sure what I think of it.  It's refreshing at first and then your appendages go numb and it's all downhill from there.

The only thing that kept us going at that point was knowing that we were about to reach the Von Trapp house, or Villa Trapp as they call it.  For those of you who don't know, Kenny and I have always loved The Sound of Music.  When we decided to come to Austria, I did some research and was able to book a room for three nights in the family home.  I was beyond excited as we approached the house even though it was dark outside and I couldn't really see anything.  Walking through the front door was like taking a step into history and it was fantastic.  Even better was the fact that we received an upgrade when we checked-in...score!  We are on the ground floor in the room of the oldest child and it's definitely miles above where we just came from.  Right now I'm sitting in the main room on the ground floor and all around me are tables, chairs, and other pieces of furniture that were used by the family when they were living here years and years ago.  I'm so happy to be here right now and I think it's a highlight of the trip for both of us.  We're going to take some time to explore the grounds in the morning when there is light out and after we get some much needed rest.

When In Rome

Wow, what a busy day we had today.  It was our last day in Rome and we definitely took advantage of every hour.  After breakfast we hurried off to one of the train stations to book our ticket to Austria.  We could have left tonight but decided we wanted to actually get some decent sleep before the long journey.  We'll get up bright and early tomorrow and spend almost the entire day traveling, but we kind of need the rest after such a hectic past few days.

After the train station we hopped on a bus (because now we're experts on the public transportation system in Rome) and went in the direction of the Pantheon.  This has been high on Kenny's list for the entire time we've been in the city so we knew we had to get to it today.  The bus dropped us off pretty close so we didn't have to walk too far before we approached it from behind.  At first I wasn't that impressed but as we rounded the building and came to the front I was instantly in awe.  The buildings here in Rome never cease to amaze me and this ended up being no exception; beautiful both inside and out and the huge dome in the middle really took the entire structure to another level.  We stayed there for quite some time just walking around and studying the intricacies of the architecture.  Right outside was a fountain and an obelisk so there was no shortage of things to look at.

We decided to eat lunch right across the plaza so we were able to see the Pantheon while we enjoyed our meal.  I had minestrone soup (again) while Kenny had some great looking spinach and ricotta ravioli.  We took our time and it was especially nice because the sun was out.  There were many people strolling about, a band playing in the middle of the plaza, and for the first time I felt like I was really in the Rome I had pictured in my head.

I needed to find a post office so I could mail some stuff out before leaving the country.  Kenny wanted to stay around to snap some photos, so I told him to meet me after he was finished.  Our waitress had told me that there was a post right around the corner from where we were, but I think she misunderstood me because all that was there was a post box.  I needed to get an envelope and a stamp so I had to find my way through town and to the local post office.  Once I got there I found out that they have a rather complicated system (probably not too complicated for those who speak Italian and can actually understand what's going on) where you have to take a ticket according to the section of the post office you need to go to.  Not only do they do standard mailing but also bill paying, work for big companies, passport stuff, etc.  I took a guess as to where I needed to be (again, it's all in Italian so I had to pick out some words I thought I knew) and sat down waiting my turn.  It took about 45 minutes for them to call my number and when I got up there the teller informed me that I had to go down the block to the tobacco shop to get an envelope before they could help me.  Apparently they don't sell envelopes at the post office, go figure.  I quickly remedied my situation and was back in a few minutes with my letter all packed up and ready to go.  Luckily they didn't make me wait in line again so it wasn't too long before I was finally out of there.  The problem at that point was that Kenny hadn't shown up yet so I didn't know whether to head back to where I had last seen him or to stay put.  I eventually decided (after waiting another 10 minutes or so) that I better get back.  It was a good choice because as I walked up to the Pantheon, there he was.  We were both relieved that we found each other and from there we were able to move on with our day.

Kenny was hungry again so before we got too far he wanted to sit down and have a snack.  The snack ended up being a plate of pasta (I had fruit) but hey, when in Rome...just kidding.  From there we finally left the Pantheon and went to Piazza Novana where there was a Christmas market going on.  Unfortunately it started raining when we were there but lucky me, there was a man selling umbrellas near by.  I bought a cheap one and was much happier, though I wasn't able to keep my feet dry.

The last thing we really wanted to see was the Trevi Fountain so we marched through the rain and found our way using a very worn out map Kenny has been carrying in his jacket pocket.  I'm glad we ended up there after it had gotten dark because the lighting made it that much more beautiful.  It's a really grand fountain that must be pretty famous because there were a lot of people there taking pictures.

After the fountain we continued trekking until we found the place we wanted to go to dinner.  Sandro had recommended this place for us and we kept saying we wanted to go but it wasn't until tonight that we actually made it there.  When we arrived it looked as if it was closed but in fact they just hadn't opened for the night yet.  Kenny and I were the second group in line at the door and we're lucky we got there when we did because not long after the line began to snake around the corner.  As soon as the door opened people piled in and the place came alive.  We had a great seat because we were able to watch the guys make the pizzas from start to finish.  I've enjoyed many pizzas here in Italy and this last one did not let me down.  We finished the night at a gelateria (by the way, gelato is so much cheaper here than at home) and then magically found our way to the bus stop (I'm so proud of us and our ability to get around) and eventually back to our room.

Rome has been different than what I expected but still amazing.  I'm sad to be leaving but excited to move on to Austria.  I am definitely going to have to come back in the future (bummer) because there are many things we didn't get to see on this initial trip.  Ciao, Rome...it's been fun.

Here's the link to all our Rome pictures:  Rome Album

Vatican City

Today we were able to actually find our way around without much trouble at all.  After breakfast we got directions to Vatican City and manipulated Rome's metro system without a hitch.  We even had to switch lines in the middle of our trip but did it like native Italians.

When we arrived in the city we first took some time to look at all the nice shops and market stalls set up along the streets.  Both Kenny and I like looking at all those things, especially the cheap souvenirs.  Kenny decided he wanted an "Italia" patch and I picked up something for my dad, but that's all we came away with.  We passed some of the Swiss Guards on duty and then finally made it to the square around St. Peter's Basilica and walked around there for some time.  Along the way we were approached by many different people trying to get us to sign up for tours of the museums in the city.  We held our ground for quite some time but were finally convinced; I was very hesitant because I didn't want to get swindled but Kenny assured me that it would be a fun thing to do.  We went to the tour office and signed up before heading down a couple doors to a trattoria for lunch.  We had some amazing lasagna (I LOVE Italian food and my tummy is showing it, haha) with fruit salad for dessert.  We had some time to kill before our tour began, so we found ourselves walking around again peering in windows.  

Finally it was time to go and we ended up being the only ones in our tour group...score!  We walked with our guide around the walls of the city until we were finally at the entrance to the Vatican museum.  From the moment we got inside I was entranced; from beginning to end there were sculptures, paintings, frescos, and tapestries that were beautifully laid out.  Our guide did a nice job giving us a background of many of the pieces in the collection but also gave us some time to just glance around and take in everything we had to look at.  After walking along corridor after corridor, we were finally lead into the Sistine Chapel.  Unfortunately there were no pictures allowed inside, but I can tell you it was as grandiose as I would have imagined.  It's hard to believe that one person painted over 50% of what was inside and even harder to believe that I was able to look at the same works of art hundreds of years later.

Once the tour was over we got in line at St. Peter's Basilica and were able to get inside before it closed.  Unfortunately my camera died right as we got inside so I think we are going to go back tomorrow so I can capture some of its beauty.  It could have easily been my favorite experience of the day and I would highly recommend pulling up some images of it if you haven't done so before.  

Tomorrow we're going to try and see the Pantheon and a couple of other things monuments before wrapping things up back at the basilica.  Hopefully we'll be able to get in for a second time but if not I feel lucky to at least have the mental images in my head.

Roman Colosseum

Our day started off with a bit of rain so while we had the best intentions we didn't stay out for very long.  We retreated back to our hotel and played cards/waited out the rain until lunch.  By then it cleared up a bit so we were hopeful that we'd be able to get out and see what we wanted for the day.

We started our trek out towards the Colosseum for lunch thinking it would only take 15-20 minutes for us to get there.  Little did we know that we would get super lost and that it would take us over an hour and a half to reach our destination.  I'm pretty sure we walked around in circles a bit before finding our way because we're really not that far from where we wanted to be.  Needless to say, lunch was fabulous if only because of the fact that we waited so long to get it.  We ate near where we had had dinner the night before and once again it was fabulous.  We took our time, enjoyed the atmosphere (a stereotypical Italian waiter went around the restaurant singing while cleaning up, etc. which was fun), and cherished the seats we were perched on.

Afterwards we decided we wanted to try and get into the Colosseum because so far we had only been around the perimeter of it.  It was great because as we walked up and were snapping a few photos we were approached by someone who asked if we spoke English.  When we said yes, he said that a tour was just starting and that we could join if we wanted to.  We paid to do so which not only allowed us to skip the massive line getting into the place but made the walk around the interior much more colorful because we learned many amazing facts along the way.  It took just over an hour and I think we were both satisfied when it was over.

By that time it was getting late/dark so we got a 24-hour metro pass and got back to our room.  After relaxing for a little while we found dinner close to where we are staying.  It was a salad/pizza place and it was pretty good and very cheap (yay!).  We stayed at the table and played cards for over an hour before getting up to leave.  We wanted to try and find a mini-mart of some kind  but everything around us was closed so we were out of luck.  We got back to the room and I read while Kenny played a game on his computer and before we knew it we were both out cold.  These long days really catch up to us in the evening, which I guess is good; early to bed, early to rise :)

Ride To Rome

Yesterday we had the long trip from Cinque Terre to Rome.  We got on the train nice and early and arrived in the Rome in mid-afternoon.  The ride was really easy and actually pretty comfortable because we had a Harry Potter-esque cabin all to ourselves (including a food trolly that came through a couple of times!).  We passed through Pisa and contemplated stopping to look at the leaning tower but then decided to just look out the window and try to spot it.  We couldn't find it, but I'm glad we didn't end up delaying our arrival into Rome.

Once in Rome we had to try to find our way around.  We came out of the train station and then realized we had to get on the metro and go down a couple of stops.  The metro stations are not the cleanest and are dim and scary; I'm glad I'm traveling with someone because going at it alone would not have been too fun.  We made it through without any major mishaps and then had to ask around to find our hotel.  As we were walking around town I was just hoping our hotel was far away but in fact it is right in the middle of what Kenny and I consider to be the slum.  We stood outside the hotel in shock, not wanting to go inside because we were afraid of what we would find.  Finally we manned up, went in, and got all checked in.  We cautiously went upstairs to our room, opened the door, and woah...SO JANKY.  Not only is it small but there are hardly any lights and the shower/toilet/bathroom is about 6ft X 2ft.  The only positive thing about it is the fact that we are relatively close to the things we want to go see.  We've decided that we're not going to be in the room except for the time have to be there to sleep.

Once we finally snapped out of our bad moods we decided we shouldn't waste any more time so we went back out to see what we could find.  We ended up getting out at the Colesseo stop which dumped us right in front of the famous Roman Colosseum.  We instantly felt better and began taking pictures and enjoying the view.  After spending some time walking around we wandered away to try and find dinner.  We ended up at a nice little place not too far away and ate outside.  Kenny ordered a pizza and then we both had some of the most amazing minestrone-type soup.  It wasn't like minestrone I'm used to at home but it was delicious.  Gelato came after dinner which made for a nice end to the evening.  We didn't want to go back to the dingy part of town but we had to get to bed so we began walking back.  It didn't take long at all for both of us to fall asleep even though the comforter had holes and the pillows were like rocks.

Cinque Terre

Because we went to bed so early last night we were able to get up with the sun this morning.  I ran up the monster hill we have by our room a couple of times while Kenny jumped into the shower.  After we were both prepared for the day we went to get our free breakfast, which was actually pretty good; I had a croissant with jam while Kenny just had lots of everything.  We both ordered hot chocolate, but neither of us actually liked them.

There are five villages that make up the Cinque Terre and we're staying in Riomaggiore.  This was the area where we started our expedition and soon after breakfast we found ourselves down by the water.  It was a somewhat treacherous walk and neither of us were really prepared.  I'm glad we decided to push through though because what we saw was really beautiful, enhanced by the early hour of the day.

Because of our experience we decided to go back to our room to change clothes/shoes before continuing on to the other villages.  Most of the towns are accessed by walking up hills and stairs so we decided to save our energy for that and depend on the train to take us from village to village.  Two minutes down the track towards Genova and we were at our second destination, Manarola.  Much of it is like Riomaggiore, but has a character all its own.  We saw a couple of little boys playing soccer, took some time to understand the history of the local church, and sat down to a really wonderful lunch.  I had seafood spaghetti with grilled vegetables and of course a side of bread...heaven!!  The trattoria (restaurant) was perched up on a hill and so we dined overlooking the town and the water surrounding it, giving us an overall amazing experience.  At the end our waiter even gave us shot-size glasses filled with a "digestive" that looked like grape juice but definitely wasn't.  I don't think I'll ever know what it really was, but it was not pleasant to drink.

After lunch it was back on the train to Corniglia.  This was an interesting town because there are 365 steps (one for each day of the year) leading into the center, as well as a road that can be accessed by cars.  Kenny and I couldn't find the steps, so we walked along the edge of the road.  We found a post office so I sent off some letters and then we continued on our way, stopping at another couple of churches as well as some scenic viewpoints.  We both wanted to find the stairs when we were headed back to the station; we did eventually, but not without going up and down a couple of wrong flights.  Let's just say that our legs just about gave out by the time we actually sat down on the train.

The fourth stop should have been Verroza, but due to landslides the train couldn't access the station.  Instead we ended up at Monterosso.  We hopped off the train with the best intentions, but in reality we were just too tired to explore.  We didn't really get to see anything before we decided it would be best to get back to Riomaggiore.  We were also afraid that things would be closed early because of New Years Eve.  We got back to town around 5pm and on the way to our room  we picked up some things we had seen at various little shops before ordering a pizza for dinner.  It was great because we didn't spend too much money, the pizza tasted fantastic (mine was pesto), and we got to eat while lounging in our room.  The pizza actually fueled us enough so that we could check out the church service going on right next door to where we were staying.  We both thought it was pretty cool but Kenny started falling asleep so we thought it would be best if we left before something embarrassing or disrespectful happened.

Now it's 8:20pm and Kenny is already sleeping.  I convinced him to stay up long enough to play a couple rounds of cards with my but he just couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.  We're aiming to catch the 9:49am train to La Spezia before connecting to Rome.  We'll be in Rome for awhile, which will give us time to explore the ample number of things the city has to offer.

Here's the link to the pictures taken:  Cinque Terre Album

From France To Italy

After staying up late talking to Alex and Cale on Skype (yay!) I was able to get myself up and out of bed this morning for a run in the freezing cold.  I was better prepared this time clothing-wise and I was able to get all the way through without getting lost (a big win for a directionally challenged person like myself).  Sandro got up and cooked us breakfast before getting us packed up and out to the train station.  We caught a train from Antibes to Ventimiglia (Italy) at 9:25am; it was an easy ride and Kenny and I entertained ourselves by telling stories and recounting the past couple of days.  Once we pulled into town we hopped off and got our tickets for the next leg (though we didn't get stamps in our passports...boo!!!) before spending an hour in town checking out the Friday market.  We were warned not to buy anything there because of laws they have about knock-offs of name-brands, but Kenny found a winter hat he liked and got it for 10 euros.  So far we haven't seen any police chasing after us so I think we're in the clear.

The next train ride from Ventimiglia to Riomaggiore was over four hours long and at first we were bored but soon settled in as Kenny gave me a rundown of the entire Star Wars saga.  That knocked off about 45 minutes and after eating and finally finding a bathroom on the somewhat old train, things were looking pretty good.  The hardest part of the trip was making sure we got out at the right place because while we weren't at all fluent in French, both of us had some experience and know at least enough to get by whereas here we know next to nothing.  Just as we were starting to get anxious we saw our station sign as the train pulled up, quickly gathered our things, and disembarked.  It was almost dark by this point so we asked for directions (well, used hand gestures) and were quickly on our way.

We're staying in an amazing little place, but getting there was really difficult due to numerous hills and stairs.  We didn't get the chance to do much exploring this evening, but by what we can see there's going to be a lot of cool things to discover in the next couple of days.  We dropped our luggage off in our room (we have a cathedral outside our window and we heard singing coming from that direction as we unpacked) before trudging back down the hills to the center of the village.  We stopped at a tiny market so that Kenny could pick up some snacks; there were so many fresh things that I wanted to try but we were headed off to find dinner so I figured I'd have to come back later.

Because we were tired and hungry from traveling we didn't really wander too far from where we're staying to find something to eat.  There was a cluster of restaurants for us to choose from and we found a quaint looking place and decided to give it a go.  We each ordered our own starters before sharing a pasta dish with pesto and potatoes.  Add in warm, fresh bread with vinaigrette and olive oil (it was kept in a chest along one wall of the restaurant and we watched the waiter cut slices off for us) and we were in heaven.  It was a fantastic meal and I can't wait to get back out there tomorrow to try something else.

It's about 8:30pm and Kenny is already in bed with his eye patch and earplugs while I'm definitely thinking about getting there soon.  Breakfast at our place starts at 8:30am and we are planning on making it there right when it opens so we can set off to discover the five villages of Cinque Terre.