Lago di Como 01/21

We visited Lake Como this weekend. Wow! It was so incredibly gorgeous. I can definitely imagine the place hopping during the summer with paddle boaters and an affluent crowd hitting up the high-end stores. The day was so serene. We mostly just meandered around the city and enjoyed the gorgeous lake. The city itself was also really cute. I especially enjoyed the cathedral. We also visited the monuments erected in honor of Alessandro Volta, the man who invented the battery. I'm so glad he did, because his start made it capable for my camera to be powered while taking pictures in Como. Another thing I really enjoyed in Como was the statue of the hands, which can be seen in the last picture. They were so detailed and looked so real! One of the coolest statues I have ever seen. We headed home from Como around 7 p.m., but ended up on a train that our ticket didn't cover (it was too high end). Luckily the ticket checker on the train was really nice and let us get off at the next stop and catch a different train. So we ended up hanging out in Brescia for about an hour and a half. But it worked out well, because we had dinner at a pizza and doner place owned by some really nice Turkish people. It was actually a fun, unplanned pit stop. Overall yet another great weekend.

Vicenza, Milan, Verona and Venice 01/14-01/16

What a weekend! We had originally planned to go to Budapest, Hungary to take advantage of our three-day weekend, but we got out of work late and missed our Friday overnight bus. We were all so upset, but decided to make the most of the weekend. Saturday we woke up late and walked around our Italian home, Vicenza. It was a nice, relaxing day. Vicenza is quite a beautiful little town. That night we randomly met two ladies and a man on their way to dinner from base, and they invited us to join them at a nearby Italian restaurant. I had pumpkin gnocchi and Prosecco. The meal was so yummy, and the company was a lot of fun. After we headed to the bar on base, grabbed a drink and played pool. Sunday we woke up early and caught a 6 a.m. train to Milan. We didn't really know what to expect, so we just headed to the Duomo... it was gorgeous!! We spent the rest of the time walking around aimlessly until we went to a store, Bershka, and spent a lot of time in there for one of the girls to shop. Half past noon we caught a train to Verona. The city was even more beautiful. And I knew it was a good sign when there was a doner kebab place right outside the train station. We each grabbed a doner, and boy was it yummy! Later we saw Juliet's House, stumbled on a street market and just enjoyed walking around the city. I found my first public drinking water stand in Italy, which was pretty fun. I absolutely love that Italy offers them! It is so convenient, because I love drinking water throughout the day. Monday we caught the shuttle from base to the Venice airport around 10 a.m. and then hopped on a bus into the city. Venice was so gorgeous! I really enjoyed all of the canal streets and cute little buildings. All of us bought masks for Carnevale, which we are going to Feb. 11. I am so excited! We only spent a few hours in Venice, but it was a nice end to a good weekend (even though it didn't start out so great).

How I Get to Travel

Many people have been asking what I do to get to travel so often... and no, the answer is not that I'm loaded (though I wouldn't mind if I was). So anyway I decided to whip up a blog about what I've been doing and how to get involved. I am an intern for Camp Adventure. The bare bones of the program is basically that we contract with the U.S. military to work for the Child Youth Services. During the fall and spring, the program offers internships, and during summer there is an actual camp. The internships are a little less intense and usually last 10 to 17 weeks.  Basically as an intern you work at the Child Development Center (CDC) or (less often) with school-age children for 9 hours a day (1 of those hours is a lunch break, so it's really 8 hours a day). Pretty much you just hang out with kids under 5 (assuming you work at the CDC) and make sure they are eating, getting along and enjoying their time at the CDC. It is very rewarding work, and the kids are all really adorable. Of course some days can be really tough, and you just want to pull your hair out. But if you enjoy children, then it is a good program to get involved with. I haven't worked with the school-age children, so I don't know much about that. But I think it is pretty much the same thing, except that the children are older (obviously). I also haven't done the actual camp. But from what I've heard it's more intensive work than the internships, because the Camp Adventure people run the whole program rather than coming in as a support in the CDC. There are also some aquatic programs available, during which Camp Adventure staff work as lifeguards and give swim lessons.
Now to the fiscal benefits of doing the program. Camp Adventure pays for your flight to and from the place you are located, your housing, and gives you a stipend at $24 per day for the amount of days you work. You have to pay several fees when you apply, but you basically get all that money back with your stipend (plus some extra). Also, you must have completed at least two years of college to be a part of the program. The internships are offered in Germany, Italy, England, Belgium, Key West (Florida) and Hawaii (although there are actually way more options, these are the places offered to first timers).
Additionally, there are winter and spring break sessions available, but only to veterans of the program, so you have to do summer camp or an internship before being able to jump in on one of those.
There is a lot of work to do to apply, but once you finish your first contract it is much easier to reapply. The first time you have to get a federal background check, send in a huge application packet, interview, and several other steps. To find out more about applying, visit their website: http://www.uni.edu/campadv/?e717d0b0
Overall it is a fabulous experience! On weekends we get to travel around and see some awesome places. And working with the kids during the week is really rewarding. I hope this helps give a general idea of how I've been able to see so many places. Definitely check out the website to get more information and always feel free to contact Camp Adventure to ask any questions you have.

Western Europe Experience

I absolutely loved my time in Western Europe! It was so beautiful and there were so many great cities and delicious food. Here I've put together travel tips and lists of some of my favorites.

Favorite cities:
Prague- It was my favorite city from the whole trip. Prague had this undeniable energy and warmness that I loved. It was a fantastic place and definitely worth visiting as many days as possible.
Heidelberg- It was my favorite city in German. Heidelberg was beautiful and also had a great energy. It seemed like a young, hip place.

Favorite castles:
Prague- The castle was probably the most beautiful building I have ever seen. It was so grand and had intricate decorations all over the walls. And at night it was lit up so beautifully.
Landstuhl- The castle in my German home was a total surprise. It was unexpectedly gorgeous. I enjoyed that it was partly in ruin and had a definite functionality rather than simply being ornate.

Favorite museum:
German Film Museum- The film museum in Frankfurt was one of the coolest museums I have ever been to. It had exhibits for every aspect of filming. I really enjoyed the museum and highly recommend it.

Favorite beer:
Bischoff Hefeweizen- It was without a doubt my absolute favorite beer. The beer was so smooth and flavorful. It was a well-crafted German brew.

Favorite Snack:
Doner Kebabs- They originated in Turkey and are absolutely delicious. It is a pita-shaped bread filled with meat slow-cooked on a rotisserie, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and a fabulous sauce. Doners were a tasty, cheap treat available on practically every corner.


Favorite Chocolate:
Milka- Milka bars were pretty much equivalent to Hershey bars, i.e. widely available and cheap. But they were so much better. The chocolate is very rich and creamy, and the bars come in a variety of flavors.
Happy Hippos- They are adorable and delicious. They're hippo-shaped wafers filled with creamy, tasty milk and white chocolate. So fun and so yummy!

How to get around:
Trains were a great option for getting around within Germany. Tickets and pricing can be looked up at bahn.com The system offers a lot of deals, including the weekender pass. It is good for travel anywhere in Germany for up to five people for 39 euro on Saturdays and Sundays. The catch is that you can only travel on regional trains, so the faster, more comfortable trains don't accept the ticket. The lander tickets are also a good option if you are traveling Monday through Friday in a specific area. The tickets are good for up to five people, and prices increase with each additional person from two to five people. They are also only for regional trains, and are specified for certain areas. The best way to know if they can be used is to look up pricing online.
Buses were a great option for international travel. Tickets and pricing can be looked up at eurolines.com Buses are nice because they are usually a little cheaper, and you don't have to worry about transfers.