From Florence we drove down the west coast of Italy towards Rome, this was the longer route and definitely the more scenic. We stopped a few times along the way for pictures. In Rome, Evan had booked a tour for the Vatican for us. It was pretty interesting to see all the art, especially the Sistine Chapel. We arrived the same day as the Pope was arriving back from Mexico; I think we were even coming in the back as he was coming in the front. So many people were there.
The next day, we did a tour of the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. This was probably the highlight of Italy. Everything in this area was extremely interesting and left relatively untouched. We had a bit more time in Rome so we were able to explore the rest of the city pretty thoroughly, and eat lots of gelato. Italian cities really wear me out with the incessant honking of the horns and stressful traffic, as well as all the people. From here Evan headed to Switzerland for skydiving and skiing, and I went back to Munich to begin to pack up my room.
From Munich we rented a car and headed down to Italy. We had some great views along the way driving straight through the Alps in Austria and Switzerland. We got to Florence late and only had the next day to explore. We made the most of our time and were able to knock out a pretty large amount of stuff in our one day, for instance we got to see the Statue of David. According to Evan's phone we walked almost 20 miles while exploring. Lots of good pictures from this day.
From Prague we came back to Munich. Once again it was cool to show someone around where I've lived for the past 6 months. We only had a couple days so we did a whirlwind tour. I think Evan's favorite thing was the Olympic Center, and especially the big stadium there. We had some good meals, and I think both the Czech and German foods and beers are Evan's favorites from his big trip. He had been in Berlin before I met with him in Prague, and he seemed to really appreciate Germany.
The day after I got to Prague we did a tour of the city which was pretty informative. We were able to see many of the historical cathedrals, the Jewish quarter, the astronomical clock which wasn't really interesting until it was explained.
The second day we went up to the castle, which was really impressive and offered some great views along the way.
Coming back from Sicily on Friday the 12th, I was going to meet my friend Evan in Prague, as he just graduated and is making a trip around Europe. On the flight back we ran into a dilemma, our flight from Rome to Munich was delayed, and this was going to cause Andrea to be late to work that night since she works an hour outside of Munich, which turns into a 3 hour ordeal by train. To solve a problem for both of us, we decided to rent a car, I could drop her off at work, then use it to get to Prague. Well the car was a stick-shift, which I didn't know how to drive. So on the way to Ingolstadt, she tried explaining and teaching me... We got to her work with only a couple minutes to spare, so I was left with this car in the middle of a German city outside of Munich. I really struggled at first, but I made it to the ring around the city, which turned out to be a great place to practice. I figured out enough to drive to Munich, get my stuff, and head to Prague. I made it to Prague a little after midnight after a day I had spent in Palermo, Rome, Munich, Ingolstadt, then finally Prague.
From February 8th to the 12th, I made a trip to Palermo, Sicily with my friend Andrea. We got a cheap flight which had a 9 hour layover in Rome. We took full advantage of this and took a bus to the city to have lunch. In just a few hours we were able to see the Spanish Steps, Fontana de Trevi, and the Vatican. My first impression of Italy was very bad and lawless driving... This would later be confirmed.
We arrived late in the night to Sicilian families cheering their relatives' returns to Sicily, this was both interesting and funny when you imagine the American version of a homecoming to this. We got to our room shortly before midnight. It was a weird bed and breakfast type place and I kinda doubt the bed sheets had ever been changed, but for the money it wasn't bad. It was in the absolute heart of Palermo, but this meant loud noise and cars honking horns all night.
The first day, we had breakfast near the harbor then explored the city. We got a nice view of everything from the top of the cathedral.
On the second day, we visited a catacomb where embalmed bodies have been left positioned on the wall. There is a famous body of a two year old girl, Rosalia Lombardo, who died in 1918, and she looks almost as if she is just sleeping.
On the third day we went for a hike up the mountains surrounding the city. Other than a little rain, this allowed us to get a great view of the city and the Mediterranean.
My dad and my little brother Michael came to visit from December 27 to January 5. My dad has been to Munich before about five years ago, but it was my little brother's first time to leave the U.S. It was interesting having them here because I've built a whole new little life here, and they seemed so out of place in it. I was nice to have them here, though, and to show them around Munich.
While they were here, we visited Salzburg, Nurnberg, Ingolstadt, Berchtesgaden, and Regensburg. My little brother had a broken foot and it snowed much of the time they were here, so we were a little limited, but overall I think it was a good experience, especially for Michael.
I spent Christmas with my friend Andrea in Ingolstadt, which is about 45 minutes from Munich. She is a bartender there on the weekends and she had to work the holidays because going to a bar is apparently one way some German people celebrate Christmas. Anyway, in Germany, Christmas is really celebrated on Christmas Eve, so we exchanged gifts and watched a Christmas movie before heading to the bar. It was a small Christmas, but it was a pretty nice one, and of course it was good not to be alone away from home for Christmas.
I take four classes at the Munich University of Applied Sciences: German, Plant Engineering, Technical Writing, and Advanced Fluid Mechanics. I have class once a day for three hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, and for 1.5 hours on Wednesday and Thursday for Plant engineering. There isn't really an average day, but I would say I generally wake up pretty early and have coffee and breakfast. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to University, half by U-Bahn, half by Bus. My classes normally start at 1:30, so mornings are free for exploring or running errands. I'll either have lunch at home or grab it on the way-- on campus it is only 3 Euros.
For Dinner I'll usually cook something and eat with the people I live with. There is usually at least someone eating in the common room for lunch, and always people at dinner time. I spend a lot of time with them, and they are mostly German, but there is also a French guy and a Turkish guy. I joined a gym here so I exercise as often as I can. There's a bar in the building I live in that's open on weekends for small parties, so there is always something to do.
In November, I made a Saturday trip to the Dachau Concentration camp just outside of Munich. I got there late in the day, so there weren't many people there besides me. It was a bit eerie. Obviously what happened in these camps is horrible, but being in the place where it occurred made it a little more real. I went through where the prisoners were housed, and even a gas chamber and crematorium. I can't say I would recommend going here alone.
Saturday, I made a trip to Salzburg to do a couple of tours around the city and the surrounding area. I was able to see Mozart's birth house and the house he lived much of his adult life in, and then some beautiful little villages in the surrounding area, set in the mountains next to lakes.
I was able to get to Salzburg and back to Munich with one ticket, called a Bayern-ticket, that also allowed me to use public transportation in Salzburg, and only cost 23 Euros. Also very interesting was that I crossed the German-Austrian border twice and my passport was not checked. I'm not sure what to think of this, especially since I was travelling the day after the events in Paris, but nonetheless, it made my trip very easy and convenient. I learned a great deal about the history of Salzburg during my trip.
The best part of my trip was definitely the views I got to see.. much different than Mississippi:
