Wine Tasting in Piedmont

What a fantastic weekend! The wine tasting was my favorite trip so far in Italy. We met so many great people and tried some delicious wines. We were in the Piedmont region, specifically in Novara. Our first stop was the Rovellotti Winery. We tried a white wine, two reds and a dessert wine. They were all delicious! My favorite was the white. We also had bread, salami and cheese with the wine. And risotto. Oh.My.Goodness. The risotto was absolutely delicious! It is definitely the best thing I have eaten in Italy and one of the best things I have consumed throughout my life. Our second winery was Castaldi Francesca. The woman who owned, appropriately named Francesca, the winery is part of the whole process. She works with her product from the grape to the bottled vino. We also had snacks and tried a white, two reds and a dessert. Her wines were also quite tasty.

Our tour guide was really awesome. Her name was Elena. She was a funny little Italian lady and told us all about the area. We also had a man, Paolo, join us to discuss all of the wines. But Elena never really let him get a word in, so he was basically just a cool old guy trying some wines with us. He rode a motorcycle, so I asked him for a quick ride up and down the street. It was pretty fun. Paolo sat next to me in the first winery, so I was actually able to hear what he had to say about the wines. It was fun to get a connoisseur's opinion on the wines and taste the subtleties he noticed in the wines. It was a learning experience and helped me to gain a greater appreciation for wine. I'm just so excited that my first wine tasting was in Italy.

sLOVEnia 02/18/12-02/20/12

Our weekend in Slovenia was great! We visited Ljubljana and Bled. Both of the cities were fantastic. Ljubljana was covered in graffiti, and chunks of wall were peeling off the buildings, but the seeming decay of the city only lent to its charm. And the graffiti is better labeled street art. I was so impressed with the amazing pictures that were painted throughout the city. Ljubljana was such a relaxing area and a cute little city. We didn't do much besides walk around and hang out in our hostel. But we did visit the castle. It was a stark contrast to the city. The whole thing was renovated and updated... it was more art gallery than fortress. I was a little disappointed with the castle, but at least it was something different from the many castles that stand in Europe. Our hostel, Hostel Celica, was so fabulous! It was everything a hostel should be... colorful, inviting and had an awesome story. It was once a jail and was going to be demolished, but was saved and converted into a hostel slash art gallery. The area surrounding it was covered in graffiti/street art and had an artsy vibe. Plus the 3 euro breakfast was extensive and delicious. I really enjoyed the whole experience.
On our way home we stopped in Bled for a few hours. The area is known for its lake, castle and church. It was a picturesque spot. The frozen lake was set against snow-covered trees among the rolling hills. An island sat in the middle of the lake with a church on it. We were hoping to walk to the church, but the day before we got there the weather warmed up and the lake melted a bit. Sadly we weren't able to make the trek, but we did venture on the lake. It was exhilarating, and I was nervous I was going to fall in. But thankfully I made it out dry! We ended our time in Bled by trying some desserts... it's another famous aspect of the area. And for good reason! The apple strudel, raspberry strudel and Bled cake were all delicious! It was a great trip.

Carnevale, Venezia, Italia 02/11/12

Carnevale was so much fun! It was freezing cold, but a really good time. On our way in to the city, our faces adorned with masks, we ran into Vito, a little, old man we met on the train our first weekend in Italy! It was so random. I saw him and thought he looked familiar, and then it hit me-- he was the awesome man from the train! We reminded him who we were, and he instantly lit up. It was really hilarious. He fell in love with me and gave me a sweet mask (pictured above). Good times.
After our run in, we headed deeper into Venice and started to see more evidence of Carnevale. People lined the streets, and the closer we got to San Marco's Basilica and Square, the more faces were hidden behind ornate masks. It was really a beautiful celebration. Several people also had other costumes on... we saw some Kinder Eggs (loved it!). Apparently Carnevale is similar to Halloween for Italians.
We spent most of our time hanging out in the square, but we also meandered through the city a bit. We saw (and crossed) the famous Rialto Bridge and stopped in for a glass of Preseco at a little restaurant. It was a really fun trip filled with several hilarious moments. Unfortunately it was so cold that we had to call it a night pretty early. But still an awesome experience.

Interlaken, Switzerland 02/04/12-02/05/12

This weekend I went to Interlaken, Switzerland. It was incredibly gorgeous and very cold. Both days were below 20 degrees Fahrenheit! Saturday we left from Vicenza at 6 a.m. and didn't arrive at our hostel until 6 p.m. It was a long day of traveling, but the view along the way was incredible. The Alps are so breathtaking. We stayed at Heidi Hostel, which is run by Bailey and her daughter, Esther. Bailey was a sweet, old lady. She spoke German, French and Italian! The hostel reminded me of an old packrat's home with a myriad of rugs lining the hallway and pictures of random men and nature scenery decorating the walls. It was so quaint! We stayed in a mixed dorm with three Korean men. They were all really nice and taught me a few phrases in Korean.
We all went out to dinner and had some tasty Swiss cheese fondue at the restaurant of the Hotel Bahnhof. The restaurant was out of the 70s with green, brown and orange shag carpet decorated lamps. We headed down the street to Bebbi's Restaurant for our delicious dessert of chocolate fondue. It was served with apples, bananas, marshmallows and strawberries. It was sooooo good! And the restaurant owner, Bebbi, gave us another free pot of chocolate fondue! Bebbi was quite a character, and I'm pretty sure he was a body builder for a short stint. He waltzed around the restaurant singing random songs and brushing elbows with the patrons. He also played one of the Swiss mountain horns, and let me take a shot at it when I went to get a picture with it. It was so fun, and I belted out a few good notes right away! The whole restaurant applauded, and I ended with a bow. We ended the night by grabbing a drink at a nearby bar. We all tried the Rugen Brau lager bier, a brew created in Interlaken. It was pretty good, but very light... Nothing like the hearty flavor of German beers.
Sunday we just trekked around the snow-covered city and stopped in a few stores to warm up. I felt like my nose was going to freeze and break off, because it was so cold outside! We met Barbara, a woman who worked at a pastry/chocolate shop, and purchased several treats from her. She was cute and very helpful. The ride home was only 7 hours, which was a huge improvement from the ride there. It was a relaxing trip and extremely beautiful. I hope to return one day, preferably during the summer, when I have more money so I can do some extreme sport adventures!

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.

I Met Tom Cruise 12/11

Well this weekend was supposed to be pretty uneventful. Saturday went as planned... I cleaned up my apartment to prepare for our inspection and packed one of my bags. Maybe a little early to be packing, but I'm just so excited to be going home. So I guess I felt like having a physical conformation that I'll be home in less than a week. But on Sunday, things got a little livelier than expected... I met TOM CRUISE! I shook his hand, introduced myself and was able to take a photo with him (my arm wrapped around his waist!). I feel like celebrities and traveling have become a combined experience for me, because George Clooney was on my flight home from India. Tom was a really nice guy and wished me a Merry Christmas.It was an awesome, unexpected highlight to my final weekend of the internship. Now I just have to power through the rest of the week, pack the rest of my belongings and get on the flight(s) home. Then I'll be home with friends and family, eating sushi and Mexican food, and celebrating Christmas!

Skiing in the Alps: Stubai Glacier, Austria 12/03-12/04

This weekend was so much fun! We went to Stubaier Glacier in Austria to ski on the Alps. The drive was long, seven hours, but so worth it. The Alps were incredibly gorgeous! Their beauty was really impossible to capture with a camera. The snow-capped mountains jutted into the air all around me. The runs were mostly easy and intermediate, so it was a perfect resort for me to ski at. I did pretty well skiing and only fell three times. One of the falls was pretty epic... I lost a ski and my pole smashed in to my arm leaving two big bruises. But otherwise it was smooth sailing on the runs. The resort was pretty large, and the runs were quite long. The conditions were pretty nice, but at the end of the day it was really icy. After all the skiing I finished the day with an ice-cold beer at the bottom of the mountain. It was really nice to get out and do something active, rather than just walking around and checking out the area and different sights. 

German Home: Landstuhl 11/24-11/27

This weekend was actually quite long, but ironically I just stayed home! It was a great, relaxing weekend, and I was able to appreciate my little German home, Landstuhl. I spend Thanksgiving day at a church service and potluck with a coworker. It was a great message and there was some good food. So it was a nice holiday overall. But nothing like being home with friends and family (and the stuffing just didn't even compare to my mom's!). Friday I saw Breaking Dawn with another coworker after we had dinner at Macaroni Grill (I had the lasagna like I usually do). It was a fun girls night out. I was pretty pleased with the movie, but some parts of it were just so cheesy! But I've learned not to expect too much from the films, so it was adequate. Saturday I wandered around Landstuhl and visited the castle overlooking the city. It was a surprisingly amazing castle. The structure had tree branches growing through the walls and some of the stone was rubbed away to reveal the sedimentary layers below. It was absolutely beautiful! I actually would rank it as my second favorite castle that I have visited in Europe, after the Prague Castle. And I was able to see the beautiful little town of Landstuhl below. I later went back in to town for the Christmas market. It was a pretty small affair, but had all the basic any Christmas market would need. I at a delicious meat-stuffed potato dumpling smothered in gravy and drank some delicious gluhbier. It is a sibling of gluhwein, a hot, mulled spicy wine. I found the gluhbier tastier, because it was not as strong as the gluhwein and still had the wonderful warming effect!

Prague 11/19-11/20

Wow, Prague. I fell in love with the city at first sight. And I can't even pinpoint what it is that makes Prague so great, but I would move there in a heart beat if the opportunity presented itself. The city just has a lively, warm vibe that is welcoming to anyone who comes to visit. And it is a mix of the best things of other cities I have visited. A day was definitely not long enough to explore the city, but we made the most of the few hours we had. We started the day with a tour of the underground city. Prague used to be about three or four kilometers lower than it is today and was subject to floods. So when a king dug a moat to protect the city, he killed two birds with one stone and used the removed dirt to raise the city. The houses and streets, which were made mostly of stone, remained bellow and were used as cellars and storage rooms. It was a neat secret to the city that was fun to stumble upon. Following that we had traditional Czech food at the Black Sun Restaurant. The three of us each had a different meal and shared, so we all were able to try a variety of delicious stick-to-your-ribs meals. After our lunch we joined in with a free tour group and saw various highlights of the city. We visited the astronomical clock and Jewish Quarter among other places. But the tour was moving to slowly, so we broke off and went to Prague Castle on our own. On the way to the castle we stumbled upon a Gloria Jean's Coffees. I was so incredibly excited, because it is some of the best coffee in the world and I haven't been to one in so long. I had a delicious chocolate macadamia nut latte that rocked my socks. We then hiked up to the castle. Prague Castle is the most beautiful castle I have ever seen, and quite possibly the most beautiful and magnificent building I have laid eyes on. It was truly breath-taking. The girls and I had a fun photo shoot in front of the castle and then headed back to the rest of the city over Charles Bridge. The bridge itself was also extraordinarily beautiful. Unfortunately we ran out of time to continue exploring and returned to the bus. I would love to return to Prague one day if I have the chance and really get to see the city. It was just a fabulous place!

Berlin 11/11-11/13

Oh joyous three-day weekend! It really worked out so well and was a great weekend in Berlin. We were able to get a ride to the city, and bought a hotel reservation at half price from a co-worker who could not use it. The bed only fit three of the five of us, so I had to sleep on the floor one night, but it was all in the good fun of traveling on a budget! Friday night (we got to Berlin around 4 p.m.; it was a seven hour drive) we walked around and found a Starbucks to warm us up. It was so cold! I purchased one of the Christmas flavor drinks and got a second free for the special they were running. But the barista made one of my drinks the wrong flavor, so I ended up with three coffees for the price of one and was able to try all of the Christmas flavors (White Chocolate Cranberry Mocha, Toffee Nut Latte and Gingerbread Latte, the best one). I was pretty excited about it. And the night just got better, because we had dinner at a MEXICAN restaurant! I was so giddy and grinning from ear to ear before my food even arrived. It has just been way to long since I've had Mexican food, and this place was really good. Not as good as the stuff from home, but delicious nonetheless. After dinner we found a man-made snow ramp and jumped on innertubes to slide down it. It was so much fun and was smack dab in a Christmas market. We capped off the night at a bar (I had the yummy Berliner beer) and met up with one of my friends from home. It was so good to see her. Saturday we went on a free walking tour of the city and saw most of the major spots in Berlin. Our tour guide was really great and gave us a lot of history about the city. She was really passionate and made everything interesting. I learned about Berlin and the Nazi party. Later we went shopping and then had soup for dinner. Saturday night we headed to Havanna, a night club on the outskirts of Berlin. It had four dance floors with salsa, merengue/bachata, reggaeton, and oldies. I was so excited to get my salsa/merengue/bachata on! I was really impressed with the salsa scene in Berlin, because a majority of the dancers were very good. It was a fun night. Sunday one of the other interns and I went to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. The camp was mostly empty, but had buildings with examples of the victim's everyday life at the camp. The crematorium, mass grave sites and death trench also remained in the camp. It was an eerie place, and I could not imagine being held captive there. I only had a blinking glimpse of how horrific it would have been. I am so glad that I was able to see a concentration camp while in Germany, because I think it is an essential part of visiting this country. The camps are evidence of a tragic and terrible time in history that can too easily be repeated if it is ignored, so I am glad that I was able to get a visual confirmation of just how real the Holocaust was.

Amsterdam 11/05-11/06

Amsterdam! The weekend started out rather precariously. The cab we called took forever to get to us, and when it arrived it was too small even though we specified that we needed a cab for five people. But I didn't let that deter us. We all shoved inside the cab, and I told the taxi man to go. We got to the bus about five minutes before it left and luckily found seats next to each other. The bus ride there didn't get much better. We were stuck for two hours on the freeway behind an accident, and then had to reverse to an offramp to get off the freeway. We finally made it to Amsterdam, but the bus was too tall for a bridge, and the top section was scrapped off. I seriously thought we took a chunk of bridge down, but the bus was no match for it. Once we got off the bus, things picked up. We were late for our reservation at the Anne Frank House, but they graciously let us in. I was amazed at how large the house was. It was so cool walking in the same areas that the families walked in, especially through the secret bookcase passageway. After the house we headed to the Iamsterdam letters. There were crowds of people taking pictures, so it was hard to get a decent shot, but it was still fun to check them out. And I was so excited to take a picture with the T! We spent the rest of the day walking around and exploring the city. I had some tasty pumpkin soup for dinner. The trees are changing orange and red and yellow here, and it is becoming so beautiful. I love that it is starting to look like Fall. It's such a fabulous time of year.

Kaiserslautern 10/29-10/30

This weekend was a bit of a disappointment. I really wanted to go to Frankenstein's Castle to have a fun, Halloween adventure, but tickets were sold out. Happily we found that out before making the three-hour train ride there. Instead we headed to Kaiserslautern for its Halloween parade. It was a pretty cool event, but not as exciting as a haunted house would have been. After the parade we had dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant, and I ate a yummy pizza. Sunday was a nice and relaxing day. I spent the day watching movies, finishing up on homework and eating good food. It was a good end to a mostly uneventful weekend.

Frankfurt 10/22-10/23

This weekend was a nice mix of fun and exciting and chill and relaxing. Saturday was a leisurely day of walking around and visiting the various sites, mostly churches, in Frankfurt. I bought a really cute ring from a street vendor who bent metal into different types of jewelry. He was really impressed by my metal earrings from Paris and tried to figure out how they were made. He kept touching them and marveling. It was pretty comical. After a short nap at the hostel, we woke up for the hostel's free pasta party and got some free dinner. It was bland and tasted a little watered down, but most importantly it was free so still good! We then went on a pub crawl organized by a group in Frankfurt. It was a good deal, because our entry was covered to each of the four clubs. But it should have been called a pub marathon, because each of the clubs were about five or more blocks apart... something my heel-clad feet did not appreciate. We started out in a salsa club, which of course set me in a great mood. It was so much fun getting in a little salsa, bachata and merengue. Then we walked all the way to our second club... more of a chill lounge area with thumping techno music. The third club was a sweaty, steamy mass of people shuffling to techno. The final club was my favorite and the perfect place to end. It was a good mix of techno and hip hop with a large dance floor and an exuberant crowd. I thoroughly enjoyed getting my ghetto dance on! Sunday we went to the German Cinematography museum, which is probably the coolest museum I have ever been to. It was such a comprehensive museum and had examples of cameras, costumes, lighting and every component that goes in to film over its lifespan. There was even an Academy Award and a prop Darth Vader mask that special effects artists referenced for lighting purposes. My favorite part of the museum was a set of four large TV screens that different movie clips were projected on simultaneously and one at a time. It was a total movie experience, which is what movies are really about, and brought together threads of similarities between different films. I could have sat there all day. But we eventually left and got some lunch. I was thrilled to have some Pho, because I have been craving it for a while. Sadly it was not as good as the Pho I've had at home, but it was still warm and tasty. We wrapped up the weekend by stopping at the Kaiserslautern festival on our way home. It wasn't really that exciting, because I have already been to so many German festivals and they are all so similar. But I did get some delicious chocolate-covered pineapple, so it wasn't a total loss. The evening was wrapped up with a Doner Kebab for dinner, a happy ending.

Koln 10/15-10/16

 

This weekend was so much fun, and I was able to experience things I love doing at home (i.e. I got my Latin dance on and ate some sushi). Friday night the girls put on a get together. Someone mentioned salsa dancing, so naturally I was all over it and discovered that one of the guys knew how to dance. He got his iPod filled with the necessary jams and we proceeded to have a Latin dance party, salsa, merengue and bachata included! It was so much fun! I had an ear-to-ear smile the whole time I was dancing. It had been way to long since I was able to bust out the salsa moves, so I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity. Saturday I headed to Koln (Cologne). The train ride there was really long (5 hours), but I read an entire book during the trip there and back, so it was nice to have the time to read! (really long side note: I love the library here! I have read several books already... Emily Giffin is a fabulous author... and watched some movies from the library. There are also travel books that have helped me plan some of these weekend trips. I also have increased my music collection, especially with international music. The library is such a wonderful resource that I feel so lucky to have access to) Koln was a cool city and had some very interesting buildings. The Dom was huge... I really had to strain my neck to look up at the top of the building. There were several churches throughout the whole city, one of which was in ruins. That one was my favorite, because it had more depth and character. I did some shopping while I was there, because Koln has one of the best and biggest pedestrian shopping boulevards in Germany. There were so many stores! I spent the day strolling around and checking out the sites. It seemed to be the weekend for bachelor and bachelorette parties, because I saw at least four groups celebrating their friends' last day of singlehood. I also ate sushi for dinner. I was so excited to have sushi, because it had been at least two and a half months since the last time I had it, which is far too long! It was really delicious and totally hit the spot. Sunday I was able to go to church and then spend the last of the day relaxing. It was a wonderful weekend all around filled with things I love to do and eat.