No flight to Baltimore!!

Instead a flight to dulles that lands 2 1/2 hours later and I get 300 euros!! My flig was overbooked, and after being dropped off in the wrong terminal, running through the airport where they were evidently over whelmed by all the people traveling (because it's summer holiday time) I volunteered to wait a bit longer for not only a free lunch but 300 euro cash. Sweet deal. Anyway, the rest of Italy was great. Loved Florence, and Alex came to meet me in Rome. We had a great time, but Rome is a big city and we were both a bit tired of traveling (I even got a bit tired of looking at art. Which surprised me). We did the colleseum and roman forum, cool old stuff, and the Vatican, cool religious stuff. We were under impressed by most of the Rome sights: Trevino fountain, Spanish steps, pantheon. But still a good experience, and great to spend time eating talking and drinking with my brother!! The day after he left I went on a wine/ bike tour which was a bit heavier on e biking than the wine, but that's ok. I have gotten re- car sick though and after driving on the hills of wine region in a giant van I felt a bit sick. Then a day of relaxing and eating in Rome, before I started my 2 days of travel. Flew to Paris and went and saw e Eiffel tour all lit up, and saw the list sparkle, which I guess it does every hour. Woke up this morning not wanting to come home and was rewarded with 5 more hours in the Paris airport and 300 euros. It's been an amazing trip, and I can't wait to do it all again!!

Italy- oh THiS is vacation

So as many of you know Italy was my mental highlight for the trip. I have always wanted to go to Italy, and regrettably had to cut some time short in Stuttgart Germany with my friend Elise (which I really enjoyed!) to get to spend as much time here as possible. And I will preface my experiences in Italy with the fact that since I love Italian food I have been pretty diligently following my lonely planet food section, as opposed to my normal traveling "eat what's local but make it cheap." and I'm actively searching out opportunities (though I also feel like I am more aware that they are present....) Ok so I took the sleeper train from Germany to Venice (not a bad experience....not the best but not a bad way to travel). Arrive in Venice to be shocked that I am not the only person who has always wanted to go to Venice!! There are cruise ships everywhere and the main tourist square is thus packed with these tour groups ( who you can identify by the tour guide holding a big number or something else on a pole and all the followers wearing an mp3 looking thing that transmits the travel guides voice. Actually pretty cool, but hectic and annoying). All my romantic notions of the small Venice canals with a lone gondola are destroyed. Which is upsetting. I escape the madness to go to a museum full of great Italian 15th and 16th century art (gold fresco Madonna and child galore), eat some pasta with sea food and call it a day. I decide the next day I'll escape to the island with the glass factories where there are bound to be less tourists. It's wonderful. Eat some delicious eggplant parmigiana and buy some cheap glass products and walk around, ducking into churches and just enjoying a quiet cruise ship empty place. Then I decide since I am in Venice, and my mother who rejected raffi and we sing had us listen to stories about famous composers where they lived, I have to go and listen to Vivaldi. In Venice. Pretty sweet. Then I get an iced coffee while listening to bands play on the main square (now devoid of cruise ship people because it's night time!!). The next day I fight the crowd on the square to go into the bascillica which is beautiful. I eat some Venetian tapas, so a lot of crostini and mozzarella and tomatoes, then ventur back to the island where I'm staying which I learn is also actually quite small and nice. Eat a delicious ( but expensive) meal right on the canal watching the sunset. And eating the best gnocchi I have ever had. And still in shock that this is my life. Head out the next morning to Florence, again super excite, and again distraught by the number of people who also want to come to Florence and that there are cars here (no more canals). Spend sometime window shopping the leather products then wander through the duomo( the big red dome) and climb to the top (432 stairs) for a gorgeous view!! Go to another concert held in the courtyard of a museum. The next day I attempted to go wine bike tasting but that didn't work so I spent more time wandering a church, eating a delicious lunch (tomatoe and bread soup that is thick so you eat it with a fork- as it was explained to me by the server who actually took my spoon. And some chicken meatballs) with a great somewhat local couple, actually based in Texas who gave me lots of great places to go! Went to another museum to check out some early Michelangelo and the like. Then I eat dinner at a recommended place with another couple from America, who actually turn out to be pleasant through the guy was loud and a bit annoying. Haha. A great day where people adopt me as a lone traveller and let me be there 3rd wheel :). Today I went to the uffizi gallery where there is some great Botticelli and all the ninja turtles (Donatello, Michelangelo, Rafael, and Leonardo). This gallery was packed with the cruise ship groups who are also LOUD despite the head phones. So that was not nice. The art was nice but not the noise or space pollution. After a few hours there, wandered around with the intent of finding a great place to read on the michellangelo plaza with a great view of Florence, but find a large parking lot instead. Gorgeous pictures and views but no reading. Now for dinner I think I'll find another lonely planet haunt and find a square with some live music ( which seems to be everywhere. I have a few in min debut they're quite far away so who knows). Basically loving Italy and can't believe I'm flying out to Paris in a week and home in 8 days!!! I'm meeting Alex in Rome on Sunday, and still trying to decide what to do with my last few days...may come back to Florence and do the wine tour. See you all in just over a week!!

Two weeks left!!

Well I've spent about a week in Germany and I only have 2 weeks left!! After my last day in Amsterdam touring the Anne frank house, a guided bike tour and the Dutch art museum with Vermeer and Renoir. I met two couples one from Virginia and one from Australia. We went out a few times and it was nice to again meet people while your traveling!! After Amsterdam I went to Bielefeld a small town in Germany to visit my friend from the hostel I worked at in new Zealand. We went to their pride festival the next day after I slept in then the next day we went to a fort/ castle and watched the european soccer final at an Italian bar (which was sad because Italy lost to Spain) then we went to Berlin and my favorite parts were learning more about the Berlin wall and seeing that!! Otherwise we just talked a lot and walked around and ate food and drank in parks :). That's a great part of Europe is drinking in public!! I still always think I'm going to get in trouble but it's totally ok!! I have also had lots of "Koch" sightings (which in German is pronounced cock. So thats amusing). Went to visit another friend from new Zealand in Munster and he helped me jailbreak my phone. We walked around that town where the peace of the thirty years war was signed (fun fact). Then I had th strangest train ride yet which involved 5 different trains in 5 hours to get to Stuttgart to visit elise from my high school!! Tonight I'm taking the overnight train to Venice!! So 2 weeks in Italy, starting with Venice then Florence and finally meeting Alex in Rome!! I can't believe it's over half way done its been a great trip!!

I rented a bike! (2 bikes actually)

Well I'm sitting in Amsterdam which has less beautiful architecture than Paris or Brugge in Belgium but I like the vibe alot more!! After a great weekend relaxing with Leen Christophe and their adorable daughter Silou, Leen took me to Brugge on Monday. A word to the wise, Monday does not seem like a good day to sight see in Europe!! Many things were closed. It is a medieval city and all of th buildings and streets have been relatively preserved to look medieval. Leen's mom is a teacher and so she took me around by bike in the afternoon. Saw a lot of beautiful buildings and churches and enjoyed being in a smaller city. Then took a train to Amsterdam (actually 3 trains but that's neither here nor there) and after 6 hours of traveling enjoyed that I met a girl from Arizona and we got drinks and a "muffin" at a coffee shop. Today we went to the Van Gough museum and then I rented a bike and rode around Amsterdam a bit. There are bike lanes and bike stop lights and bikes literally everywhere!! I feel pretty safe riding around and it's a great way to see the city!! This evening I think I am going to do a tour of the red light district, see what there is to see!! I'm here until Friday, then I'm going to visit my friends Verena and Maragrete (who I met working in a hostel in NewZealand) then Bjorn (who I met at the university when I studied abroad) and Elise (who I went to hog school with). Thank goodness for good friends in Germany!! That should be about a week to 10 days and then I am off to Italy!! As nice as all of my trip had been I'm getting more and more excited for Italy (though I hear English is very uncommon, which has not been the case at all here!!) miss all of you and am also excited to be back in md evens if it's hot!!

Paris- Belgium

I have now made it through Paris and on to Belgium!! Paris was beautiful but I did not sleep well and kept myself busy with lots to see so I was very glad to sleep in this morning and have a relaxing day in Belgium!! I landed in paris tuesday morning, after only sleeping for about 2 hours on the plane. I figured out what train to take then tried to walk to my hostel but SURPRISE no map so I had no idea where I was going so I got a taxi. Then my room was not open until 3 so I wandered around and found the notre dame cathedral and had a chocolate crepe. Day 2 I started early and went to the louvre. I saw the Mona lisa, Venus de milo and lots of other great art. Mya favorite part was probably medieval louvre. They have excavated parts of the louvre from the 15th century andnyoiu can walk along paths. It was really cool!! Then I saw the eiffel tower and the arc de triumph. Finally I had dinner with Stephane ( who studied abroad at st. Mary's my senior year). We ate a baguette with cheese and ham sitting on the siene. I felt very european! I also really liked the new way they are giving guided tours with the you guide speaking into a microphone and all of the people in the tour have headphones. One frustrating thing has been my inability to speak French (but luckily a everyone speaks English) and the people who try to get money on the streets. An organization of the deaf come around and ask for money and people drop a gold ring and then ask you if it is yours. This happened to me 4 times in a row!! The next day I went to the museum orangie (spelling? I've already forgotten) where there is some great works by Monet, Picasso, renoir and other great French artists. It was the wierdest weather day it would be sunny then in 2 minutes pouring down rain then sunny again. I got a ticket to a boat that goes up and down th siene and you can hop on and off for 12 euros. I tried to get lunch at a "famous" bistro but I was too late so I sat at another outdoor cafe. Then I walked around with plans to go to musee orsey later for their late night hours, only to learn they were closed early that Thursday :(. A bit disappointing. My last day I walked around Montmartre where moulin rouge is. Hit was great to see a different part of the city!! Then I sat at the train station for 1 1/2 hours to get a ticket to come and see Leen!! She has taken very good care of me, and today they took me to a museum, of flounders fields, about WWI. They have a new technology you get a bracelet and you can scans it at Exhibits and get information in your language. It was pretty cool!! We had ice cream with friends of theirs at their house later and tonight leen's sister comes over for dinner! It is so nice to be with friends and to relax!!

Europe Eve

On the night before I leave for my Europe trip, I am tying up loose ends (including my blog!!).  So for those of you who don't know...

School ended June 8.  I had to move all of my things from my classroom to a 5th grade room, as I will be teaching 5th grade (and thus, still seeing most of my darlings) next year.  Then I had to get started moving all of my things out of the house.  I am taking the plunge and moving in with Phil August 1 (where you ask?  We don't know) so I moved out of my house to save some $$ while I'm in Europe.  And I have been taking my first ESOL class, to be certified to teach ESOL in August 2013.  It's been a crazy few weeks, and I have not been the world's easiest person to deal with and for those of you who have put up with me, I am so sorry.

As I leave for Europe, I'll be posting my travels, and maybe some pictures here so please feel free to check and leave nice friendly comments :-D.  My mom has been nice enough to lend me her new iPad for the trip, so anywhere there is wifi, I will be there on skype or facebook or something.  My skype name is clkoch99 and you probably know me on facebook.  I'll be back July 21, and can't believe I am actually about to take part in my backpacking across Europe adventure!!!