Cinque Terre, Italy

View from our hotel balcony

After the 10 day break it was time to come back to the Villa and start the BIT section of the semester. This is exciting for me because now that we are done with finance I can start focusing on my double major classes in BIT and Management. BIT is also a lot less lecture intensive than Finance and more focused on interaction and group work. This is a relief from being in class 8 to 10 hours a day and it is nice to learn about something I might work with in the future. After what seemed like a quick week, we got on a train for Cinque Terre, Italy. Cinque Terre is Italian for the "Five Lands" and is made up of 5 villages on the coast of Northwestern Italy. We figured this would be one of the last weekends to get to the beach before it got too cold so we took advantage of being only a 4 hour train ride away. Matt's family had been to one of the villages, Monterosso al mare, before so we decided to stay there at the hotel where he knew the owner.

The group in the beach at Monterosso al mare

Monterosso was a perfect home base for the weekend because it is the only sand beach of the five and it has a strip of everything in the town right on the beach. It was easy to get around because everything was concentrated in a small area. It also has Old Town Monterosso if you walk a little ways back from the water. From the moment we got off the train we ended up having one of the best weekends yet. The weather was perfect and you got the feeling of being at beach town where everyone was just trying to relax. All this coupled with the fact that you are constantly looking out to the Mediterranean Sea with Mountain shooting straight up from the water makes it a pretty decent place to just hangout for a couple days. When we got to the hotel, Signore Poggi, the hotel owner was very helpful with telling us all we needed to know. He told us about a boat tour for only 8 euro that would take us all the way down to the 5th village with amazing views from the water. He also reserved a table for us at a famous Monterosso seafood restaurant called Belvedere for Saturday night. That ended up being one of the best seafood experiences I have ever had, but more on that later. After checking in and getting ourselves settled, we went down to hangout at the beach. We got a perfect spot close to the water with seemingly no one around and where just able to relax and take in the scenery. There was a couple from California sitting behind us and we talked to them for a while. They told us about how they always come to Monterosso and everyone is so friendly and it is a nice little known place to get to a beach. After a while we asked her to take a group picture of us and she ended up making a photo shoot out of it, with pyramids and all kinds of different group poses. After a couple minutes it seemed like all the local Italians were stopping on the boardwalk watching and laughing 'with' us. It was all in good fun and we ended up making another couple friends in the process.

View from the boat

After the beach we went back in to clean up and planned on going to a different restaurant recommended by Signore Poggi. Most of the group was just hungry and wanted something quick but Cody and I were determined to get some authentic Monterosso food so we went to find the restaurant. It ended up being a little out of our college student budget so we ended up having a very 'manly' dinner by sharing 3 courses right on the water in the moonlight. Regardless of what that sounds like it was one of the best dinners I have ever had. Cinque Terre is famous for it's pesto and our first course was hand-rolled noodles with pesto and it was some of the best pasta I ever had. After that we got a a steak that was so juicy with peppers and other vegetables on the side. And yes we even shared a dessert, tiramisu. At the end of dinner I had one of the few negative interactions with foreigners that I have had so far on this trip. There was a Canadian couple sitting next to us who came up out of no where and started saying how we were being loud and giving America a bad reputation, and that we should be ashamed. We looked around at this OUTDOOR restaurant and noticed no one else seemed bothered at all, our waiter even came up to us after to say he had no problems. I said some things that I will keep out of my blog to them and they ended up switching tables and looked very angry for the rest of our meal. After we finished our meal we went up to sort of 'apologize' but more let them know that we finished our meal in peace and had no problems with the restaurant or anyone else around us. All in all it was one of the best meals I had ever had.

Manarola

The next morning we woke up and walked around Monterosso for a little bit before taking another one of Signore Poggi's tips. We took a boat from Monterosso that goes along the coast past all 5 towns before dropping you off at the last one. This was a great way to do Cinque Terre because you are able to see the beautiful views from the water before walking through and seeing it up close. Each of the 5 towns has the same basic idea of cool looking houses concentrated around a port nestled in the mountains. Once you are able to walk around you can start to notice the differences between each town. My favorite one was the second one we stopped at, Manarola. The first thing you notice are a bunch of bright colored small houses built on the mountains over looking the water. It also had vineyards lining some of the hills that faced the water. We walked around here for almost 2 hours just seeing the sights and enjoying the atmosphere of this quiet town. After hitting all of the towns we made it back to Monterosso in time for our highly anticipated seafood dinner.

Octopus!!!

When we arrived at the restaurant there was a table reserved for us right on the edge of the patio with a perfect view of the water. Signore Poggi even ordered for us and there were 3 huge empty bowls sitting down the middle of the table. We ordered a few bottles of Cinque Terre white wine made in nearby Italy and waited to see what was in store for us. The waiter brought out a huge pot and said our main course was going to be soup. He dumped out what looked like a brownish broth with a few tomatoes in  it and said 'enjoy' before walking away. We all kind of looked at each other surprised, but were still optimistic considering what we had heard about this restaurant. Maybe it was a really really really good tasting broth?? After walking away for about two steps, the waiter stopped, turned around, and said oops, looks like theres still a little bit more in here. Then we were in heaven, piles of mussels, clams, huge shrimp they called prawns, and a lobster tail filled up the bowl. The last thing to come out of the pot was a full octopus, head, tentacles and all ready to eat on top of everything! Once you got past the texture, it kinda tasted like chicken. This served with amazing warm bread with pesto on it, made this the best seafood meal I have ever had.

After sunrise on the way to the train station

Cinque Terre is so great because there are 5 completely different towns so close by that are centered around the beach and amazing seafood. The only negative from the weekend is that the 5 towns are connected by awesome hiking trails that we were not able to do because of bad weather conditions. I guess that just means I am going to have to go back soon!

Dachau and Munich, Germany

Shopping trip in Dachau

The last leg of our trip was just a short train ride away in Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. This is something I have been talking about for almost a year and it was finally here. Since we had such a big group, we were able to get a house in Dachau about 30 minutes outside of the center of Munich. Kind of like when I stayed with my coach in Prague, this was cool to be somewhere away from the big city and experience some of the non-touristy culture. Our house ended up being kind of in the middle of no where and really tested our resourcefulness and everything we have learned as travelers through Europe. Our original plan was to walk to a local grocery store to get food for the weekend since we had a kitchen to cook in. Once we realized we were in the middle of nowhere we had to figure something else out. Luckily Alice speaks fluent German and was able to talk to our neighbor to find out where the nearest grocery store was. As we were getting ready to walk 4 km, he came out and offered to drive Alice, Cody, and I to the store for 5 euros. This was very nice and a great experience because we got to ride through the rolling hills of Dachau and the man was really helpful in helping us shop at a grocery store in Germany. We filled the entire cart with supplies for spaghetti, sandwiches, and breakfast foods for the entire weekend. Then he took us to a store nearby to get Augustiner Brau beer in spirit of Oktoberfest. After about an hour and over 200 euros we were stocked for the weekend. We ended up paying our neighbor 20 euros and a few beers for his troubles.

The shopping adventure was just the beginning of the excitement at our place in Dachau. The doorknob to the kitchen was broken and had fallen out a few times as we were unloading all the groceries. Every time we were able to just put it back in without any issue so we didn't think it would be a problem. When we had dinner that night, all 12 of us were in the kitchen having a family dinner in a kitchen that probably was not meant for 12 people at a time. Someone bumped the door stop and the door shut with the knob falling out to the outside of the door. There was no way to open the door from the inside with the knob and metal rod sitting just inches away on the other side. This wouldn't be too bad except that the kitchen was on the second floor and Matt informed us he was planning on taking a bath and the tub was running. After about 45 minutes of arguing and coming really close to us trying to kick the door down, Matt was able to climb down to the first floor and in to an open window to let us out. The floor of the kitchen and bathroom was made of stone tiles so there was ultimately no damage from the flood. It ended up being just another fun adventure to add to the trip!

Roll call square at the Dachau Concentration Camp

The next day we woke up early to go tour the Concentration camp at Dachau. This was the type of thing that is incredibly dreary and depressing, but very powerful. There were monuments and memorials that did an excellent job of honoring victims and giving you a good feel of what they went through. Some things that stuck out to me where the size and style of the barracks where people had to live, the size of the roll call square, the crematorium, and the surrounding fence and 'no man's land'. The barracks were built with bunk beds that were designed to fit 180 prisoners but ended up getting crammed to fit almost 400. The roll call square was a huge open area at the beginning of the prison that would hold 40-50,000 prisoners. They would be called to roll call to be counted every morning and night and would some times have to stand there for hours or be punished for no reason. The crematorium is such a horrible thing to even think about, and the more I read/heard about it while I was in Dachau made it even worse. Finally, the fence around the whole prison and the gate at the opening gives you the feeling of how the prisoners felt closed in during their time there. All these terrible facts put together make you wonder how people could ever let something terrible like this happen.

Munich City Center

On a lighter note, after leaving Dachau we went in to Munich for the rest of the day to get a feeling of the city before Oktoberfest. The city was incredibly crowded because opening day was the next day, but it was still cool to walk around for a couple hours and explore. The main square was my favorite part where there is a huge clock tower and all kinds of amazing buildings surrounding the plaza. The highlight of the day was meeting a few Bavarian locals who gave us the lowdown on Oktoberfest and plenty of tips on how to make the most of it. After walking around the city we called it a night fairly early after an event free spaghetti dinner where we kept the door open the whole time.

The morning of Oktoberfest was one of the most exciting of the trip so far. We woke up at 5 am to get ready for our 6am van ride. We cooked up all the leftover pasta and made bacon and egg sandwiches to bring with us. All the guys got dressed in our hats from Austria and German suspenders from Berlin. We definitely looked like tourists but it was all part of the experience to have fun with it. Martin the cab driver picked us up in his big van at 6am sharp and we were ready to roll. He knew we were headed to Oktoberfest and even though he did not speak english he tried to get us pumped up by blasting some interesting European pop music on the ride to the train station.

7 am outside of the Augustiner tent with our ponchos
and Oktoberfest gear

We got on our train and were planted in front of the Augustiner Brau tent at 7:00 am. Even though it was raining and we still had 2 hours to wait, it was a great experience and everyone had lots of fun just getting excited for the day. The guys we met the day before were exactly right and the line started to fill up soon after we arrived. They said go to Augustiner because it is the best beer and most authentic experience without as many tourists. As the 9 am open time got closer we started getting pushed closer and closer together until the mad rush that happened as they let people get tables. It is very important to get a table in the tents because that is the only way they will serve you. We met up with some other friends also so our group ended up being about 20. The doors opened at 9 and just like our local friends said it was packed at 9:03. Luckily we were able to snag two tables right in the middle of it all and next to the band. Now the real waiting started. Because it was opening day, they didn't serve the first beer until after the parade and the mayor tapped the first keg at 12 noon. We ate a lot of Bavarian pretzels and did a lot of sitting around. All the waiting was so worth it as 12 o clock got closer. There were all kinds of people from all over the world and everyone was there to have a good time and party with some of the best beer in the world. Another piece of advice that really helped us was to always tip the waiter. We had been tipping on our pretzels as we were waiting and we had our first round of beers sitting on the table at 12:03. We considered this quite the feet with all the tables around us that were still waiting.  That is when the real fun began.

Inside the Augustiner Tent

The waiters were very impressive with their ability to carry these huge liter mugs like it was nothing. Our guy brought all 10 at once with them stacked on top of each other in a huge circle. I am not exaggerating when I say Augustiner is the best beer I have ever had. It was so smooth and easy to drink and I found myself cruising through the liters without even realizing it. The tents at Oktoberfest are able to fit 5,000 people so there were so many opportunities to mingle with locals and other people from around the world. I had a few long conversations with some Bavarians that were about my age right at the table next to us and said our friend was exactly right about Augustiner being the best tent to go for the authentic experience. One of the highlights of Oktoberfest is when a guy stands on top of his table until everyone is watching and cheering and he chugs his beer in front of 5,000 people cheering him on. After about 5 hours of the Augustiner tent a few friends and I went out to check out the rest of the festival. We went on 3 roller coasters and the huge swings that rise up and give you a view of all of Munich, including all the tents of Oktoberfest. Thinking back on it, my favorite thing about Oktoberfest was the fact that people from all different cultures and places in the world all come together and get along for the cause of having a good time. Especially in contrast with what I thought about in Dachau, it makes you wonder why there is so much hate in the world when it is so easily possible to get along.

After 10 days, 5 cities, 3 countries and countless stories and experiences it was time to head back to the villa and everyone was more than ready. The longer we spend here the more and more Riva feels like home. It is always so great to get back to the slow moving friendly town where we feel comfortable to live. Daniella is always there to help us with anything and Luigi and Guytano always put amazing food on the table. The past 10 days gave me some of the best conversations, sites, and overall times that I have ever had in my life and Oktoberfest was a perfect conclusion to another chapter in my adventure through Europe.

Salzburg, Austria

After leaving Prague we headed south for Salzburg, Austria. I had been excited to get to Austria ever since I decided to study abroad because my Grandparents always told me that was their favorite place in the world to visit. Even though we were only there for a short visit, I was not disappointed.

Market section of the festival

Missing the train from Prague only set us back about an hour and we were in Salzburg by dinner time. We all ate at the hostel and being in Austria, I ordered my first Wiener Schnitzel. Not at all what I expected. I was expecting some kind of hot dog with sauerkraut or something like that. It ended up being really good and very similar to a thin shake and bake pork that my mom makes at home. When we were eating dinner we heard a guy playing guitar and singing right outside the hostel. He sounded pretty good so we went outside to check it out and it ended up being the same guy that was playing at our hostel in Nice, France! He had told us he was just going around Europe hanging out and playing music, but it was unbelievable to meet up at 2 different hostels in 2 completely different cities in Europe. Things like this are what continue to make talking to people from around the world my favorite part of this trip. Our hostel was decorated everywhere with Sound of Music posters and facts and is famous for playing the movie every single day at 10am since it came out. That's everyday for over 50 years!

View of the Salzach River

The next morning we woke up early to get a head start walking around the city. One of my first impressions of Salzburg was how nice and friendly the people are. We were at an intersection looking for an ATM and without even asking 2 different people came up and offered us help and directed us where we needed to go. Little things like that go a long way when you are in a foreign country that speaks a different language. We happened to be in Salzburg right in time for a festival that was set up all over the city. Because of this we decided to just walk around with no plans and see everything we could before our 4:30 train. There was all kinds of booth's set up with foods, drinks, and arts. As we walked through I tried the most amazing pesto and pepperoni spread on fresh bread. Once again everyone there was no nice and eager to talk to us about what they were selling. We also tried some Kombucha called Carpe Diem. They had cranberry, classic, and quitte. We got a really good deal and ended up buying a few bottles to have for the day. Quitte was my favorite partly because it was an interesting fruit I had never heard of. As we walked through the markets we made our way over to a bridge that crossed the Salzach River. We stopped there for a while to take pictures of the market and old town Salzburg that laid ahead.

Hohensalzburg Castle

On our way to Old Town Salzburg we passed all kinds of shops dedicated to Mozart, as Salzburg was his hometown. We wanted to see the Hohensalzburg Castle so we continued to head into Old Town and toward it. This must have been the central location for the festival because there were all kinds of carnival rides and booths set up for people to enjoy. Before we got to the castle we stopped to check out the Salzburg Cathedral. It was unbelievable to see the detail and sheer size of this building, considering how long ago it was built. Originally built in the first millennium, the Salzburg Cathedral has been damaged and rebuilt a few times over the year, which gives it unique history. We spent a lot of time in the Cathedral because it has so much to offer and is even nice to just sit there and reflect while you check out the detailed walls and high ceilings. After leaving the cathedral we made our way up to the top of the hill. We passed a local street vendor and all the guys bought hats that we decided would be perfect for our upcoming trip to Oktoberfest.

View from top of the Castle

The last stop in Salzburg was the top of the hill to see the Hohensalzburg Castle. This was amazing for two reasons. The castle itself was a major fortress that was cool to walk around in and see, but also being at the top gave us the best views in Salzburg. Being at the top of the castle made me realize why my grandparents love Salzburg so much. It was one of the most amazing views I have seen so far in Europe. I could see mountains, historical buildings, and the Salzach River running through.

All the guys with our Oktoberfest hats

On the way down through the festival we stopped for lunch and I had the best chocolate covered fruit I can remember. It had banana, strawberry, apple, grapes, and pineapple and I went back for seconds. It was a great way to top of the day in Salzburg while we headed for the train station.

Prague, Czech Republic - Coldplay and Czech Baseball!!

The original plan was to stay in Berlin for another day but we found out that Coldplay was going to be in Prague on Sunday. While I really enjoyed everything about Berlin, you can't NOT go to the COLDPLAY concert in PRAGUE. The walking tour in Berlin allowed us to cram a lot of things in to one day and made the decision to leave a day early an easy one. We left early Sunday morning for the train ride to Prague to get there in time for the concert.

One of my high school baseball coaches is currently living in Prague and coaching the Tempo Titans of the Ceskomoravska League. He was nice enough to let a few friends and me stay with him for the extra night that we didn't have a hostel reserved. This was a great experience because it was a way to see the outskirts of Prague that I wouldn't have seen other wise and it was so cool to see the baseball facility and how they operate in the Czech Republic. Joey also offered to take us around the city the day after the concert see the sights. After dropping our stuff off at the baseball facility and getting a quick tour of that, we hopped back on the bus to get to the concert. I was very impressed with the public transportation system in Prague, it was very easy to use and allowed us to get all around the city for the three days we were there.

The group at Coldplay

The Coldplay concert was at the local soccer stadium and it was beginning to fill up when we got there 2 hours before the concert. The whole place was buzzing with excitement and you could tell everyone was getting ready for a great show. Leading up to this trip I had always heard about how cheap eastern Europe was, especially Prague. That is actually an understatement, and I got to experience it first hand in my few days there. I spent 50 Czech koruna on dinner and got a sandwich, chips, and a drink. That's about $2.50!! Inside the concert was even more impressive, they were selling beer for 50 also. That is $2.50 for the same size beer that costs 9 bucks at a concert at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. Once we got food and some drinks we took our spots at around the 50 yard line on the field. The first two bands were basically just background music as everyone was starting to pack tighter and tighter trying to get as close to the stage for Coldplay as possible. When the lights went out everyone went crazy. From then on it was a huge party with people from all around the world enjoying music. Coldplay jammed for over 2 hours and played 21 songs with 2 encores. We got the special treat of hearing both an acoustic version and regular Clocks. It was different from a typical concert I would go to in the states in that it felt more like a show than a concert. All kinds of lights and special effects that went right along with each song. Saying that the field was packed does not do it justice. I went out to the bathroom right before Coldplay came on and it was one of the biggest challenges of my life getting back to our spot. Everyone was so crammed together and no one wanted to move because they had to keep their spot for the show. It suffices to say that we made the right choice leaving Berlin a day early to come to the concert, I already see it as being a potential highlight.

The Astronomical Clock

After the concert we met up with Joey in downtown Prague to check out some of the Prague nightlife. He took us to Old Town Square to see some of the most famous buildings in Europe lit up at night. We saw the Tyn Church, St. Nicholas Church, and the Astronomical clock. It was cool to walk through a busy town like Prague at night to experience Czech nightlife. There are all kinds of people walking around trying to sell you stuff and handing out flyers. Its kind of funny to mess with them at first but after a while it gets annoying.

Czech Goulash

The next day we headed into the main city in the morning to walk around before meeting up with Joey later in the day to get a tour. I had Czech Goulash for lunch at a restaurant on one of the main streets. I can honestly say I wasn't impressed by the famous Czech dish. Players on the Titans told me they call the dumplings that come with it Big Mac's and I can see why. It was so heavy and I felt like I was eating 5,000 calories. It tasted ok but I don't think I would get it again. After lunch Joey and one of his players met up with us and they took us around the city. Our first stop was a street market that had everything from food, to pottery, to a blacksmith working with iron. European markets continue to grow on me every time I go to a new one. I really like to just walk through them and see all the different things that each part of the world has to offer. The chance of getting some free samples doesn't hurt either.

A store effected by Prague Prohibition

After that we went to the Absinth Museum. We happened to be in Prague during what locals were calling 'Prague Prohibition 2012'. In the past couple weeks 19 people had died from alcohol poisoning or other alcohol related causes and that forced the government to ban the sale of all liquor or spirits over 20% alcohol content. The Absinth Museum and other liquor stores were either boarded up or had tarps blocking off the shelves that sell the banned drinks. We continued for the rest of the day seeing all the amazing sites that Prague has to offer. We saw the Charles Bridge, the Astronomical Clock again, Prague Castle, the John Lennon wall, and the U.S. embassy. One of my favorite things about Prague was walking on the Charles Bridge. Not only did it have amazing views Vltava River, but there were all kinds of artists and street performers up and down the bridge. My favorite was this jazz band that was playing Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World, they were unbelievable!

View of the main strip in Prague from the market

Matt and I with Coach Kamide after the game

The next day the Tempo Titans had an inter squad scrimmage to get ready for their upcoming playoff run and Joey asked if Matt (another former player of his on the trip) and I wanted to play. We both jumped at the chance to play international baseball. I got to take batting practice on the field before and it was so much fun. All the players were very friendly and eager to make us feel like part of the team. I played all 6 innings in centerfield and Matt played a couple innings in right and got to pitch the last 2. This was a once in a lifetime experience for both of us and it was so great to be back out on the diamond. It was very interesting to see how baseball works in a country like Czech Republic. Once you get past the language barrier you can see it is no different than what I am used to from back home. Just a bunch of guys getting together playing a game they love. They had inside jokes and certain habits just like I did when I played with all my best friends in high school. It was easy for Matt and I to get along with the team because once you get on the field everyone speaks baseball. Our whole group came out to the facility to watch and all the guys said it was the biggest crowd they had ever had for a scrimmage.

After the game Matt and I hung out at the clubhouse for dinner and to hang out with the guys on the team. They continued to be very nice and accommodating and we had some great talks about the differences we noticed between our two cultures. That night we went out with Joey and some guys on the team and once again saw all kinds of cool stuff that you wouldn't find in America. One place we went to delivered drinks on a train that ran through your table. Another stop was the Prague Beer Museum, where they had over 30 different beers on tap.

After another great night in an amazing European city, we had a little bit of trouble waking up in time for our 8 am train. Once we eventually got everyone up and ready to roll, we caught a 10 am train for Salzburg, Austria. Prague was a beautiful city and a great time and I definitely think this was the most 'thorough' experience of any city that I have had so far.

View of Prague Castle from Charles Bridge

Berlin, Germany

After two semester's and 6 credit hours of Finance, Corporate and International, we got our first extended break of the trip. We were officially kicked out of the Villa for 10 days and I was ready to travel with a group of friends to Berlin (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), Salzburg (Austria), and Daccau/Munich (Germany). The train to Berlin is 12 hours long so we made a deal with our finance teacher to let us take our final exam at 7am to make a 9:15 train. My favorite part of the long train was that it was to the north and we were able to completely avoid Italy. For some reason, I have had a lot of bad experiences with Italian trains so far. This train ride was uneventful with a lot of naps mixed with celebrating the end of finance while enjoying the views of Swiss mountains and German hillsides. At the end of our long train from Zurich to Berlin we met a German guy who was going back to Berlin to visit his family. It's always good to talk to a local before you go somewhere and Lars was no exception. He gave us advice on all the good spots to see, where to eat, and what touristy spots to avoid. He even helped show us how to get to the metro to our hostel.

New Synagogue

We arrived at the famous Circus Hostel at around 9:30. I could really get used to this routine of getting to new cities on Friday's at night. It's been so cool to walk into the all the busy streets and tall buildings when they are lit up with people all around. After we settled into the rooms, a couple of people and I went down to the hostel bar to hang out for a while. They offered a 2 liter boot shaped mug that I split with my friend Cody. In the spirit of Oktoberfest later in the week we had to try it. There was a guy next to us who I got to talking to that is originally from Canada but now lives in Australia. One of my goals on this trip is to talk to as many people from different countries as possible about their different political systems. I asked him straight up if he would explain the types of healthcare systems in his home countries. After we both agreed to 'not argue' we ended up talking for almost 2 hours. This was a great experience to hear what someone who has lived in those place had to say, especially with the election coming up. While we disagreed on a lot, he opened my eyes to some new ideas and I am proud to say he called me the most open-minded American he had ever met.

Some of the graffiti we walked through

The next morning we woke up bright and early to do a walking tour of Berlin. It was a perfect day for walking around the city. With a city like Berlin that is so rich in significant history, we decided that a guided tour was the best way to go. Our tour guide was another Australian (easily the most popular home country of people I've met so far) named Theo who has lived in Berlin the last few years. He took us all around Berlin and was very informative about not only all the buildings and sites, but interesting, in-depth stories. We started off at the New Synagogue which is a gigantic building that sits right on a normal street in between regular shops and buildings. It is significant because it was badly damaged during World War II bombings and was almost completely destroyed. Most of the framework of the building has been renovated over the years because of this. This was just the beginning of a strong Jewish culture in Berlin that I was unaware of. As we walked to our next location, we went through an artistic hub of Berlin. It was a series of allies and walls that get painted on by graffiti artists from all over the world. It was amazing to see how different artists choose to express themselves. After that we went to a courtyard where Theo drew a map of how Berlin was divided after the fall of Germany in World War II. This was a great foundation of knowledge for the rest of the trip as he showed us parts of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the site of the Berlin book burning, and other significant buildings that recall memories of World War II and the Cold War.

Checkpoint Charlie with a unique, authentic
German restaurant in the background

Theo called Checkpoint Charlie 'The Disney World of Berlin' and I can see why. There were no less than 10 tourist groups just like us lined up along the Wall there along with hundreds of other people there to see it. There was all kinds of typical touristy things complete with some guys dressed as American soldiers who couldn't speak a word of english except for "2 euros for a picture". This was one part of the tour that I didn't particularly enjoy. What made the tour so great was the things 'off the beaten path' that we saw, or little things that Theo added. One such thing was a local market that was going on in the city. We walked around trying local foods, looking at all kinds of art and street performers, and listening to good music. Coming into this trip through Europe I hated shopping more than anything in the world. So naturally, I thought markets would be one of my least favorite parts of Europe. It turns out they are one of my favorite. This one was no exception. It is always a great chance to walk around and see parts of the culture the best way possible -- interacting with people. We finished up with two very powerful locations in Berlin that were not crowded like Checkpoint Charlie, but had a much greater feeling to them.

The first of the spots was a parking lot. Not just any parking lot though, it was a parking lot on top of the bunker where Hitler killed himself as the War was coming to an end. Theo told us about how they made it into a parking lot for a reason. No one wanted to have any building over a place that represented so much negativity, so they just covered it up once and for all. The only thing left to mark its place is a map of the bunker to show what it was like. After that we walked over to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. It is designed with a big open area that slopes down toward the middle with solid stone pillars that line up to give the feeling of a maze. As I was walking through I got the uncomfortable feeling of being lost or alone. By the time I made it out to the other side I was confused and not really sure how this structure could represent anything related to the Holocaust. Theo explained the architects intentions and it started to make perfect sense. The stone pillars are shaped so that they have the look and feel of a casket and to represent the many deaths. As for the downward slope and maze feel, the idea is that the farther you go into the monument, the more alone you feel. This is to portray the feelings of all the jews that were taken from their homes and away from their feelings. It was an excellent expression of so much sorrow and looking back on it after thinking about that was amazing.

Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe

After leaving the 7 hour tour much more educated and cultured than we started, we decided to check out some German night life for the first time. We went to dinner at a brewery called Brauhaus Lemke where I got a sampler of 4 different german beers. After that we went to a underground jazz bar called Zosch. Theo recommended this on our tour earlier because it used to be a homemade bomb shelter during World War II that was eventually changed into a bar. It was cool to be able think about how much could have happened in history at that place while we were just there to hangout with people.

I had no idea how much history the city of Berlin had and it was definitely the experience of a life time to be able to walk the streets and learn as much as I did.

Interlaken, Switzerland

View from the train

Before I decided to study abroad for the semester I got all kinds of advice from friends and family that had been to Europe. One of the most popular places that I heard about was Interlaken, Switzerland. It is a town in the shadow of the Bernese alps with amazing views and all kinds of extreme sports to do. My weekend to go experience Interlaken is finally here. We caught a train from Riva around 12 on Friday and went the farthest north I had been yet. It was such a relief to be off Italian trains for the weekend. The Swiss trains I have been on this trip are much cleaner and everyone is nicer than on Italian trains. It's just an overall better travel experience. The amazing views of the alps along the way doesn't hurt either.

People gathered at the finish line,
paraglider landing in the field

After about 5 hours we arrived in Interlaken to the best introduction to a city yet. There were tons of people crowded around this huge field where there was a finish line for the Jungfrau Marathon. The first thing you notice when you walk through Interlaken is that at  any given time there are paragliders flying through the air and landing in the big field. We stood there for a couple minutes just taking it all in and watching the paragliders land. We had been in Interlaken for less than 5 minutes and already experienced some of the extreme sports they offer. Checking into the hostel was another pleasant surprise. The world famous Balmer's was all booked up so we stayed in a hostel called Funny Farm. It ended up being a hostel connected to a 4 star hotel that was really nice. The room wasn't anything special but it was a place to stay and had an amazing view from the porch. After getting settled in, we walked out into the town to a place to get dinner. One of our friends had told us about a pizza place next to Balmer's that we ate at.

LA-Hollywood Pizza

I got a 'LA-Hollywood' Pizza that had bbq sauce, bacon, ham, french fries, and two hamburger patties on it. Believe it or not it was excellent. I still consider that taking in European culture because I had never seen a pizza like that in the U.S. before. After dinner we went into Metro Bar & Night Club underneath Balmer's. It seemed like Metro is the place to be in Interlaken because in no time it was packed with locals. After a while I went up to the lobby of Balmer's with a friend of mine to cool-off and ended up meeting a Chinese man who just finished his doctorate in London. He wrote his dissertation on the effect of exchange rates on the credit card industry. That might sound boring, but it is almost exactly related to what we are learning in International Finance these two weeks. We ended up talking to him for almost an hour, getting our friend Fan to translate anytime he couldn't explain in English. I also met a Engineering student from Bern, Switzerland who plans to study at Virginia Tech next year. What are the odds?? One of my favorite parts of this trip is being able to talk to people from all around the world, the fact that we have this much in common is just a plus.

View of Jungfrau from our Hostel

On Saturday we woke up with no plans since Canyoning wasn't until Sunday. Walking through the town of Interlaken was a great chance to see all kinds of shops and once again people flying through the air above us. We stopped for lunch to get Doner Kebab's, my new favorite food. It was a sandwich with chicken, lamb and an amazing mixture of vegetables and sauces. After lunch we took a train to the other side of town to go up on the Harder Kulm, which is a mountain peak that gives a view of the surrounding alps. We took a funicular train up the mountain, and after a ten minute ride and a bit of getting yelled at by locals for being too loud we were at the top. At the top of the mountain is a restaurant and a platform that goes off the edge of the mountain. Even though it was solidly built, I was still scared when I walked up to the edge. The Harder Kulm itself is 'only' 1,322 meters high, but has perfect views of the mountains on the other side of town. The tallest of which is Jungfrau at 4,158 meters high. The landscape of mountains was perfectly situated right across from the Harder Kulm, with Jungfrau flanked by other huge peaks. Another unreal coincidence was meeting a traveler from Roanoke, Virginia. On the top of a mountain in the middle of Switzerland and we run into a guy who is from 40 minutes away from Blacksburg. It turns out he had just quit is job from Facebook and was traveling the world for 5 months!! - talk about loaded. He may or may not have spent 50 bucks on flaming shots later that night for the group.

Chocolate show

After taking pictures and walking around the peak as much as we wanted we headed back down the train to make it back into town in time for a chocolate show at Grand Restaurant Schuh. A chef that worked for the chocolate company told us the most information about chocolate than I have heard since the Chocolate Ride in Hershey, PA. He then showed us how to make a hollow chocolate cow and caramel filled chocolate mountains. The ticket for the show also allowed an 8 franc credit in the store so I was able to sample a variety of what they make at Schuh. My favorite was still the caramel filled chocolate mountains that he made in the show though.

View of Jungfrau from the top of the
Harder Kulm

After another night at the club under Balmer's we woke up at 7:30 am for our Canyoning trip. We had to be at Outdoor-Interlaken to get all our gear and meet with the guides at 8:30. We each got a pair of water proof shoes, full wetsuit, life jacket, rappelling harness, and helmet. My helmet name for the day was 'Cartman'. They put funny names on them so they can give you important instructions without having to learn everyone's names. After getting geared up we took a 45 minute van ride into the mountains to our canyon Chli Schliere. After a 20 minute hike we were in the canyon and ready to go. The next 4 hours consisted of sliding, jumping, climbing, repelling, swimming and a whole lot of 'graceful falling' down the canyon. Being the over confident American tourists that we are, my group chose to do Chli Schliere even though it is considered the advanced of the three choices. While it was challenging, everyone made it through without injury. Some of the highlights included a 9 meter jump over rocks into a water fall. Another one was a rock slide that you have to jump into so your back hits it before you slide down. My personal favorite was a repel down THROUGH a waterfall. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was definitely challenging but you can tell these guides are professional for a reason. They are in the canyons everyday and are very helpful with each jump or slide, always telling you exactly where to land or what to do with your arms, legs, and feet. It was my favorite part of the trip so far and I would recommend it to anyone. When we finally finished we hiked to a spot where they drove the vans and were served a traditional Swiss after canyoning meal of fresh bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh cheese, and beer. After the van ride back we had about an hour before our train so we stopped by the Doner Kebab place one last time and headed for the train station. To finish our weekend and continue the theme of Interlaken being over the top and awesome there was a parade going through the streets as we walked.

The group getting ready to jump down some mountains

Bellinzona, Switzerland and 2am Hokie Football

View From Train

After 2 weeks and 9 days of class we had to wake up early Saturday morning in Riva to take our final exam for Finance. The first 'semester' of class was over. After the test it was nice to just relax and hangout around Riva San Vitale for the day. The more time I spend in this town, the more I like it. Even though there is a major language barrier and some cultural differences, all the locals are so friendly and try their best to be accommodating. My favorite part is the unspoken competition between the different bar owners to try and get our business. Our favorite is Nancy at Bar Ticino who always brings out free plates of her homemade appetizers. Prosciutto, salami, bologna,  and fresh bread. One thing I have noticed about the food here is that everything seems fresher, I don't know if it is the lack of preservatives or what, but I can definitely get used to it. The meals at the Villa are cooked every day by Guytano and Luigi and consist of daily fresh bread with pasta for lunch and some kind of amazing entree for dinner. I am trying all kinds of foods I wouldn't get a chance to have otherwise.

View of CastelGrande

Sunday morning we woke up and caught a 45 minute train to Bellinzona, Switzerland for the day. It was the first time I had been north of Riva and the whole train ride was amazing. Most of the beginning was following along the edge of Lake Lugano. It was cool to see all the different towns and buildings in between the lake and mountains. After the short ride we arrived in Bellinzona a little after lunch time ready to check out the town.

'Great-Wall of Bellinzona'

Bellinzona is famous for having beautiful mountains and castles. We also happened to be there on the weekend of one of their open air markets. Since it was later on a Sunday though, we weren't able to shop there. It was still cool to see how the town was decorated and set up for it. After walking through the main part of town we came to Castelgrande, the biggest of 'The Three Castles' in Bellinzona. From the very beginning right when we saw it it was unbelievable. Everything from the high walls to the stone walks gave you the feel of walking through a castle back in the 1st century. We first walked through a tunnel that brings you to a gradually ascending stone walkway. The walls had windows that were small on the outside and large on the inside that were used for watching and protecting the castle.

View from the top of the highest tower

The walkway led to a huge staircase that took us up to the main courtyard area of the castle, and completely out of breath. The courtyard was where we first got some amazing views. There were multiple towers connected by grass covered 'great-wall' type walls. After walking around that entire level of the castle we walked up to the tallest point in the castle. We took a very narrow spiral staircase to the top that let us see the entire city and miles beyond. From the top of the mountain we could see all the buildings and plazas in Bellinzona. It was also a great view of the surrounding mountains.

Bellinzona Mushroom Festival

After checking out that tower we headed back down to have lunch in the courtyard. There were a bunch of locals just hanging out there and you could tell it was a popular spot for even them. After lunch we headed back down to the city to walk around. Bellinzona is one of the coolest cities I've been to yet because it had the feel of a 'true' European city. All stone roads and alleys with fountains and plazas. The narrow streets allowed us to take in a lot of the surroundings without having to choose between what we did and did not want to see. Somehow we ended up in the middle of some kind of mushroom festival. It was one of the weirdest, yet most interesting things I've ever seen. Everything was in Italian, so we could just look around and guess what was going on. It was in the middle of a plaza and there were tables and tables of mushrooms lined up with people presenting them and comparing them. After a while we got a feeling that it was pretty obvious we were American tourist that didn't know what they were doing so we decided to head out. Everyone was getting hungry so we stopped at a Gelateria and I had my first gelato of the trip. It was amazing! Once again, something about the freshness that makes European food different. After getting Gelato we walked back into town and made our way back to the train station to catch dinner back at the Villa. Bellinzona was a great city and I would recommend it to anyone that is traveling to Switzerland.

2 am set up in the Classroom

Monday night was the first Virginia Tech football game so naturally everyone on the trip was excited for the big game against Georgia Tech. Being on a monday, it was nationally televised on ESPN back home so it was definitely a big deal. The only problem for us was that it didn't start in Riva until 2 am. Our teacher canceled class Tuesday morning so everyone decided we were gonna stay up for the game. We made our kind of 'tailgate' at Bar Ticino in town with Nancy's prosciutto and bread. We set up a projector in the classroom with a live online feed from ESPN3. It was really nice to be able to watch the game with a bunch of Hokies. Even though I wish I could have been there it felt almost like home watching it with a big group like that. The game went in to over time and we didn't get to sleep until around 5:30 but it was all good because we got the win!