Semester Break Adventures

As I might have already mentioned, the semester break from schools in Austria is usually in February. In the secondary schools this break lasts for a week. For me this meant a week of traveling and catching up with various people in my life.

I planned on staying with four different people over nine nights of my break in Germany and France. This meant a lot of travel by train. I haven't yet figured out the best way to get super cheap German train tickets (if they exist)--and I certainly didn't buy my tickets enough in advance to qualify for most of the discounts anyway, so I decided to go with a Germany-Austria Eurorail pass. It was certainly MUCH cheaper than getting regular rail tickets, at least

HEIDELBERG (Feb. 7th-10th)

My first stop on this trip was in Heidelberg where I stayed for three nights. I got to visit my friend Amelia again—who I also saw in Vienna in November.

When I left Villach, the city was covered by a meter of snow and my train was one of the first running on time between here and Salzburg in about a week. So when I finally arrived in Heidelberg it was incredibly mild—and even warm (well, it is the warmest part of Germany).

The city was absolutely beautiful!

One of the typical touristy sites we visited was the Heidelberg castle, which was a lot of fun and gave a great view of the city.

In addition to wandering around the Altstadt, I also spent time at another touristy place, the Philosophenweg.

Despite all of these beautiful things, I think some of the parts I enjoyed the most included sitting in coffee shops and really catching up with Amelia. And, does Heidelberg deliver on great coffee shops! I found my first pour over coffee since leaving the states, and could choose between all sorts of different roasts of coffee, at least at my favorite place there, Coffee Nerd. (My Villach coffee shop still holds a special place in my heart, though).

Another great thing was I also was able to enjoy a bite to eat with some other folks I met in Sarasota, Sandra and Peter!

All-in-all, it was a wonderful visit and I hope I can return (or that Amelia visits me!)

STRASBOURG (Feb 10-12)

The next stop on my tour was the city of Strasbourg. Historically I was interested in the city because I like early medieval history. One of more important documents in the 9^th century was signed in the city and drafted in 3 languages (the Oaths of Strasbourg for fellow history nerds). The document itself is stored in Paris, but still doesn't detract from the city's significance.

However, my main reason for visiting the city was to reconnect with an old friend I haven't seen in over 5 years—Clarissa. We met way back in 2007 when she was an exchange student in my hometown. During my exchange year I visited her in Germany. But now she studies in Strasbourg.

We did a lot of wandering around the old town—which was also gorgeous. One of the more famous sections was the preserved old town, full of half timbered housing.

We also splurged on a boat tour of the city which lent itself to great pictures as well.

My last evening there Clarissa, some of her school friends, and I went to a wonderful little bar with a great selection of Belgian beer—something I definitely missed while living in Villach. Mmmmm Delirium Tremens

MÜNSTER (Feb 12-14)

Another stop and another reconnection with my distant past.

In the University town of Muenster, I spent two days with my friend Kenneth and his roommate. Ken and I chatted a lot online way back in 2005 and 2006. Since Muenster was near to Clarissa's hometown, I also got to meet him in person for the first time in 2008.

The visit was pretty low key in the best way. I already saw some of the main tourist sites in 2008, so there was a lot of time just to chat and bond over food and walks around the city (including the university botanical gardens—even if it was the off season).

I also got to nerd it up and get cozy with board games and fun television (and singing along to Doctor Horrible) in the evenings. Hopefully it will be less than 5 years until the next time we see each other again!

KÖLN (Feb 14)

While I didn't stay the night in Koeln (Cologne), I made a point to stop there for a few hours, since it was right between Muenster and my next stop. Even though I was there and extremely short time I LOVED the city.

Part of the reason I chose to stop here as opposed to elsewhere was because I knew the MASSIVE cathedral was right next to the main train station. I've been to a lot of large, old, churches but the outside of this one just might take the cake. At 157.4 meters (or 516 feet) it's pretty insane. At its completion in 1880, it was briefly the tallest building in the world.

Pictures is not doing this cathedral justice...

I also had some time to wander onto a bridge over the Rhine, wander about the old town, and take in some sites. It definitely had a pretty nice, liberal big city feel to it too.

One of my favorite places I stumbled upon was the largest costume store Ive ever been to. As big of a deal as Villach's Fasching is, Cologne's Karnival (by virtue of the size of the city) is even larger. It was the perfect place to find some accessories for my costume back in Villach.

WÜRZBURG (Feb 14-16)

My final stop on my tour was the city of Wuerzburg. I'd been talking to someone online from the city for a few months, and decided that trip would be the perfect time to finally meet up.

Though it rained most of the time, visiting the city was a lot of fun. We hiked up to the fortress, which housed an impressive museum.

We also saw a bunch of churches and got delicious food.

One thing that particularly interested me but may bore other people was I got to see where the medieval poet, Walther von der Volgelweide was buried. Writing in the 13^th century he is THE most celebrated Middle High German poet, in case ya cared (which I do....)

Though a very short visit, it was pretty neat.

The next day involve a 7.5 hour train ride back to Villach. I have just enough time to recuperate before my next small trip coming up on Wednesday-- three days in Trieste, Italy. Can't wait!