Bologna/Ravenna Italy

Those of you who know me well probably know that this next trip wasn't the greatest of ideas....but against better judgment I went to Italy to visit Sara. After sitting on a train for 10 Hrs (having had to switch three times) Sara met me in the train station. We went out for a few beers and caught up on all the things that had happened since the last time we had seen each other. It was great to see her again and it was nice to be surrounded by the Italian language (still one of my favorites). The following morning we took off to Ravenna to catch some sun and lay around on the beaches. It was a really cool little beach town and reminded me a lot of Turkey (ie Cesme and Bodrum). There were restaurants, bars, and shops lining the streets and people zooming by on vespas. The beach was spectacular and we met up with a group of her friends there and enjoyed playing volleyball and sunbathing. I ended up getting kinda burned after being in sunless Germany for the last few weeks. After the beach we all went down to this beach club and had a few drinks. The DJ was playing a very interesting mix of music and I got a kick out of watching all the Italians dance....Afterwards we all ate extremely fresh seafood and enjoyed some tasty wine. The rest of the night didn't go so well....as Sara and I had a disagreement....no reason to get into details...but I ended up at the Bologna train station at 6 am.....ready to sit on a train for 10 hrs north...I was in Italy less than 48 hrs....oh well...you live and you learn....I was fortunate enough to meet a very nice American couple in their 60's on the train ride back who were kind enough to share their lunch with me and great conversation.

Vienna

My next trip was to Vienna, Austria to visit some old friends. Jared needed to get back to London to catch a soccer tryout and after dropping him off at his train to Frankfurt, I walked around Munich for a few hours. It was completely random....but I ran into a friend from Santa Cruz in the train station...how bizarre! After a few beers with Bobby, I boarded my train for Vienna. Kiwi and Moni were sweet enough to pick me up at the train station and we drove back to Moni and Stefans flat....which was amazing and on the top floor with a stunning view of the city. We ate, drank, reminisced, and caught up on all that had transpired over the last 3 years. That night we decided to go out and sing Karaoke( I didnt sing but I enjoyed Kiwi and Moni's production of all the popular songs) and then moved on to a more posh nightclub called "The Little Buddha Bar." It was a fabulous night and the DJ at the second spot played a great mix of Turkish, American, and Russian music. The following day Kiwi's Mom, Andrea, (and Moni) were kind enough to take time out of the day to show me the sites of Vienna. What a beautiful city it is.....although I had been here a few times before I never took the time to really take it all in. I saw the state opera house, the Imperial Palaces, the Natural History Museums, the University of Vienna, and Maria Theresa Square. The most fascinating thing I saw had to be Schönbrunn Palace, which was house of the Hapsburg family and was absolutely enormous and surrounded by amazing gardens and mazes. The architecture was remarkable and after touring the inside, you really got an idea with how rich the Hapsburgs were. Everything was over the top and luxurious. That night we ended up back at the Karaoke bar for round two of singing and dancing...this time the place was invaded by one bachelorette party after another...which I didn't mind at all. After that we danced all night at a "KLUB" that was spinning amazing music that brought me back to when I was 15 or 16.....All and all it was a great weekend....topped off by a fabulous dinner at Kiwi's aunts house.

Landshut

My uncle Felix was kind enough to pick me up from Regensburg and we drove the quick ride to Landshut while bumping some blues music. He had recently moved into a new house with my Aunt Uschi in the country which apparently needed some TLC and some work....which I was happy to have. The house is absolutely amazing and situated right on the side of a hill a few miles outside of town. After getting settled I enjoyed a fantastic meal (Felix is a professional chef) and a pint of delicious WeiBbier. He made me an incredible offer and now Landshut is my homebase from which I can launch my weekend adventures throughout Europe. We toured the town and I saw the breathtaking Trausnitz Castle and the chapel(which is the tallest structure in the world completely made out of bricks....quite stunning. The following night we went to a traditional biergarten and I was able to enjoy my favorite Bavarian dish....schweinebraten! It was delicious. Over the next few days I took various day trips to Munich and started planning my trip to Vienna. I will be in Landshut on and off for the next few weeks....helping around the house and enjoying the company of family.....