Ten Day: France and Spain

Oh ten day! I think ten day break in France and Spain was where I learned the most about myself, the good and the bad. I learned that I have a pretty good French accent and should maybe start taking French, as a my "Parlez vous anglais" was spoken to many . But I also learned that I am terrible under stress, especially when that stress stems from one of the most sketch hostels I have ever been to. I was also particularly nervous about going to France. After hearing many stories about how the French hated Americans and were terribly rude to people who did not speak French, I was a little intimidated to say the least. However, my experience with the French was actually pretty good, and I did not encounter the stereotypical rude and pompous Frenchman. Leann and I arrived in Paris at night and we were able to see the Eiffel Tower lit up, which was amazing to see. Being in Europe and seeing the buildings and paintings that you used to only see in history booksm or magazines before your own eyes is truly a surreal experience. We ate dinner at a delicious cafe with the Eiffel Tower in sight and we both thoroughly enjoyed the view. The next day we headed off to  Caen in Normandy, where we were able to see the beaches where on June 6th 1944, American troops stormed the beaches in Normandy, the beginning of the end of World War 2. I have always loved history, but I never really thought much about what actually happened in Normandy, but by the end of the trip I would have such a deeper respect for our troops and our country. Leann and I were staying in Hermanville, which is one of the towns at Sword Beach, and we were able to go into a German Bunker which was a really cool experience, especially when we saw and got to go into the tugboat that they used in the beginnning scene of the movie Saving Private Ryan. If anyone reading this has seen the movie Saving Private Ryan, you can have an idea of what this bunker looked like. About a half a mile off the beach, the bunker was used as a shooting point to attack oncoming troops from gaining access to the beach. It was almost eerie as I walked through knowing that I was walking the same stairs that Nazi soldiers had walked over 70 years ago, and had killed thousands of troops who tried to liberate France from the Nazis. After we toured the bunker, Leann and I went back to our hotel which was a 2 minute walk from the beach and enjoyed some crepes. We went to Arromanche the next day, a small town on Juno beach. I was disappointed that we were not able to go to Omaha or Utah beach, where the American cemetary is, but I was still glad to be there and see a piece of Normandy. The town still has the makeshift harbor that was used to dock military ships. Because of the minefields and booby traps that the Nazis had set up for the American, British and Canadian troops, the Allied forces ahad top create a fake harbor, that actually ended up being a sort of road that ran above the water. I'll have to put up some pictures to give everybody back home a visual of what the harbor looked like.

Belgium: Beer, Chocolate, Fries!!!

So I know I'm really, really, far behind on updating everybody but I'll try and fill you guys in on what I've done! I went to Belgium on our four day break and it was such a relaxing and fun trip! We left Austria Friday night and got into Brussels on Saturday morning. Brussels is a beautiful city and I was able to find so much fun stuff to do there! I went with my friends Leann, Maura and Alissa to the chocolate factory which was delicious. The man who owned it has been making his own chocolate for the past 50 years and it was the best chocolate I have ever tasted! The beer in Belgium was also really good, almost as good as the Kartause brau beer that I drink in Austria (shout out to Jim Campbell, only you know how good Kartause brau is!) We also tried some Belgium waffles, which weren't exactly as good as I thought they were going to be, only because the chocolate they put on it is extremely rich. Belgian fries; however were the best I have ever tasted! Needless to say I did not go hungry while I was in Belgium. Brussels also has a famous statue know as the Mannequin de Pis...I'm not kidding. Its a statue of a little boy peeing and it is apparently supposed to represent the middle class of Belgium who brought economic stability to the city throughout the years. We were also able to see the church of St. Michael which was absolutely beautiful and was decorated in typical baroque style. The same day we also went to Brugge, and were able to stay with friends of friends, the Voenhage family at their home. They were the nicest people I have ever met! They took us to a soccer game Cercle Brugge vs. Kirvonjik. The soccer experience in the states is entirely different from the experience you get in Europe. The fans are so passionate about their teams and its hard not to get really into the game when your in the stands of thousands of screaming fans, decked out in green and black, the colors of Cercle Brugge. During half-time we were treated to Belgian beer and fries and talked about the game, after the game was over we were treated to more beer and talked about the game... IT WAS AWESOME!!! Koen and his family put us up for the night and treated us to a delicious breakfast the next morning. I am in love with the chocolate croissants in Belgium, they are delicious! Koen was nice enough to drive us into the city and we spent the day in Brugge. We took a boat tour of the city which is known as "the Venice of the North", for many of its streets are actually waterways. Brugge is so picturesque and has hundreds of beautiful bridges all over the city. We were able to go to a church that has a relic of Jesus, a cloth that has his blood soaked in it which was really cool to see, and we were also able to go to the Belgium Church of Our Lady which has Michelangelo's Madonna and Child which was beautiful! I would definately go back to Belgium in a heartbeat and it was one of my favorite trip so far!