TravelBio

As much as I would have liked to stay longer in Berlin, the start date for the Bonn program was quickly approaching, so I had to pack up and get ready to start classes. I arrived in Bonn the night before check-in and spent the night at a youth center outside of town (kind of weird, really; there was a combination of student groups, teenage kids, and families all staying there). The following day I lugged my stuff to the university to sign in and receive my room assignment. I knew that we would be assigned university apartments, but I didn’t realize that they would be off-campus. An employee drove us to the housing complex and showed us our rooms, but from then on we had to take either the train or bus to get to campus. I was also disappointed to find out that not all of the students would live in one place; we were spread out between a handful of different housing complexes around the city. Although it wasn’t ideal, I quickly got used to the living arrangements. Even ...

This time I actually got a seat for the overnight trip! I slept better too, and when I awoke we were already in Strasbourg. After studying the train charts I decided that it would be best to go to Frankfurt first, spend a night there, and then head to Berlin. I had a couple of hours before the train to Frankfurt left, so I did the usual, exploring the city by foot. It was odd to see so many traditional German houses in a French city. Strasbourg (or Straβburg) has flipped between German and French control over the centuries, but much of the turn of the 20 th century German architecture remains. Although French is most common, I also encountered German speakers. The old town, with its massive cathedral, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Again I found myself wishing that I had more time to spend in a city that I was just passing through. Much of the architecture in Strasbourg reminded me of Germany, not France The massive (and impressive) Strasbourg Cathedral ...

Naturally I was tired when I arrived the following morning in Nice. I had looked up the address of a hostel for Nice back when I was in Spain, but hadn’t actually booked anything yet. Luckily there were still vacancies, so I paid for a night and dropped my stuff off. The weather was great – sunny and warm, but not too hot – so I decided to check out the beach. I was expecting sand, of course, but instead found that the beach was full of smooth, 1-3 inch in diameter rocks. There were still lots of people lying out though. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but I still joined them anyway. It was going to take more than that to keep me away from the beach! I was expecting sand, not stones! After a few hours beachside I grabbed lunch, showered, and headed out for some sightseeing. There is a great park near the city center that is elevated several hundred feet which overlooks the waterfront and harbor. To reach it you have to climb up a bunch of stairs, but it is defi...

The following day I took a bus from Barcelona to Andorra, a small country in the Pyrenees sandwiched between Spain and France. I wanted to see as many countries as I could, and I figured that I wouldn’t have many other chances to get to Andorra in the future. I stayed in the capital, Andorra de la Vella, for one night, and then it was off to France. Andorra is a tiny country bordering France and Spain I arrived during the afternoon and was scheduled to leave the following morning. It was a short stay, but that was fine with me. The country draws numerous tourists during the ski season, but there wasn’t much going on in the summer. Andorra is also a tax haven and attracts both businesses and shoppers looking to take advantage of the savings. The central area of the capital has lots of shops selling electronics, clothing, and jewelry. It was fun to go window shopping, but I didn’t have much room in my backpack or spare change in my wallet to splurge on some new stuff...

these trains can really fly  After a late night I had to get up early the following morning to catch a train to Barcelona. I didn’t want to sleep in too much since that would mean less time for sightseeing. Plus I could sleep on the train anyway. Thanks to high speed rail, I was in Barcelona by early afternoon (we often traveled at speeds above 300 km an hour – or 186+ mph!). Karoline had given me the address of the hostel where she was staying, and I had decided to book a bed there as well.  The hostel was a little off the beaten tourist track, which was nice, but when I got off the subway the area seemed like a ghost town. I eventually realized that it was because of the time of day – early afternoon is when Spaniards take their siesta, or afternoon nap. I was surprised that the practice was still prevalent. To my amazement, many stores were closed up and the streets were quiet. I should try getting on the siesta schedule! I checked in to the hos...

Before the trip I had booked the hostel in Madrid, so the first order of business was to check in and drop off my luggage. I didn’t have much time to get oriented in the city though, because I had plans to meet up with a friend of a friend in Segovia. One of my neighbors back home in Ohio studied abroad in Spain when she was in school and kept in touch with her host family. One of the sons (now in his 30s) still lived close to home in Segovia, and we had arranged to meet. The trip from Madrid took me not much more than half an hour by train, and David was there at the station waiting to pick me up. Segovia is a short train ride north of the capital cathedral in Segovia David was easy to talk to and a great guide, although he preferred to speak in Spanish. I hadn’t taken any Spanish courses since my trip to Ecuador, but I still could carry on a simple conversation. The trip to Spain, and especially spending the day with David, was a great way to brush up...

When I arrived in Lisbon it was already late, and I was exhausted from a full day of traveling. I made it to the hostel in one piece and crashed for the night, hoping to be refreshed and ready to go the following morning. The next day I felt rejuvenated from the good night sleep, so I decided to take a run. I enjoy running and have found it to be one of the best ways to familiarize myself with a new area, since I cover more ground than walking but am not closed in on a bus or a car. I explored the Alfama district, an old part of the city not far from the hostel. The architecture was quite interesting, but the hills sure made it tough on the run! the Alfama district After a shower and lunch I headed over to the Belém Tower, which is at the mouth of the Tagus River and was built in the 16 th century as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. Right across the street from the tower is a beautiful monastery which houses the remains of the famous Portuguese explorer Vasco...