Lessons of Backpacking

Backpacking has its pros and cons. We were discussing this when we woke up today after our first night in a hotel.  It felt super luxurious to have so much space and a place for our belongings. 

Pros:

-It's great to know that everything you need and everything you have is literally on your back. Nothing more, nothing less. Quite liberating. 

-You get to be super creative in what you wear, use to bathe and keep you cool (that scarf you use to look fancy can be dipped in water and used on a super hot day).

-Super Nel and I kinda have a battle of who can be the most minimalist. You start to ask questions such as "Do we really need this extra tube of toothpaste?" "Should we cut the bar of soap in half?"

Cons:

-You unpack and pack your bag so many  times a day just to realize there's the same stuff inside that was there 2 hours ago. 

-What's on your back is all you've got. Nothing more and nothing less. 

-You start to get rid of stuff to make your bag lighter only to realize later you really needed that extra tube of toothpaste. 

-It kinda sucks to pack up your bag, zip it up, lock it and then realize your still in your PJ's and have to open it all up again. 

Tips:

-You can never pack enough ziplocks! I brought a ton of them in different sizes and they've come in very handy. 

-Buy a shamwow towel. Those bad boys work wonders in the shower and dry fast!

-Bring a Platypus or other collapsible water bottle (like a reusable Capri sun container but bigger). Saves space and works wonders. Everyone has asked us where we got it (try explaining REI in different languages). The water out here tastes great straight from the tap. And there's fountains everywhere. My favorite so far is German tap water. 

-What's the best $11 you'll ever spend and must have on any hot vacation/hike? Cooling neck scarf! We got ours with these special beads that soak up H20 and keep you cool. If I could only bring one thing from my back pack for the rest of the trip it would be this scarf. (REI again)

Medical:

-I'm always sick on vacations and my mom always taught me to bring meds and be prepared. So my bag is filled with pepto, anti diahrrea pills, Tylenol, benedryl, pain meds, cough drops, Mucinex, inhalers, nose spray, topical itch meds and zofran. We've used a lot of them so far. 

-In Germany I developed a sense of dizziness and feeling of falling forward. I thought maybe it was the plane ride. I picked up some homeopathic pills to help with vertigo from the pharmacy and they helped for awhile. But yesterday it got worse. A lot worse. And today the nausea is starting. I took a zofran in hopes of stopping it. We're attempting to climb the Duomo (tallest cathedral in all of Europe. It's almost 500 steps and most of it goes up in a spiral in a confined hot space). It would be so easy to say "Let's sit this out" and skip it due to dizziness. But one thing I've learned from boxing at Xplicit Fitness is that when you're almost down and out that is when you have to bring out your "desire, determination and discipline." I'm climbing that bad boy or fainting trying. Those of you back home don't worry-I'm hydrating like crazy! 

Our "dryer" invention in the hotel. We packed some duct tape around a pencil (about 3 feet) and a rope and we attached them to two chairs. Creativity at its finest!

We also brought little clips and safety pins. When something doesn't dry we pin it to our backpack and let it dry we we walk around during the day. That's a smart tip I learned from Dr. Leon at the Urgent Care. She did a long hike through Spain where you walk 7 hours a day to the next spot. We've added that to our bucket list too. 

A dream come true

We woke up and traveled to Florence today. Maybe it's the heat or maybe the time change (although we've adjusted pretty good) but we woke up exhausted again today. We had to pack up from the hostel and catch our first train to Florence. 

At 8:00 it already felt like 97 degrees with extreme humidity. Our navigation to the train stations was a true challenge. Super Nel and I were both tired, hot, hungry and had no clue how to navigate the trains. Also less and less people we encounter speak English and if you say one or two words in Italian they assume you are fluent in Italian and start talking quickly. The first train place we checked into said we had the wrong company. At this point Super Nel starts freaking out. I blame the heat and exhaustion. We were both frustrated and got snappy (bound to happen). But then we found the right train, apologized and all was right again.

On board the train we made breakfast. We're trying to save some money on meals so we'd bought some bread the day before for 1 euro and I'd packed some peanut butter packets (very hard to find in Europe) and we had stashed jelly packets away from our 1st class plane ride. Yesterday we found a market and picked up some grapefruit and bananas. Breakfast of champions. 

We arrived in Florence at 10am and stashed our luggage at the train baggage area. We walked over to the Gallery del Academia  with our day packs and by the time we arrived we were soaking wet with sweat. It was even hotter in Florence than Venice. 

At the Academia we entered via the pre-purchased ticket line (really-why wouldn't you pre-book your tickets?? The lines are hours long, around the block and in the heat!). Inside we made a mad dash to see the David statue. It takes your breath away! I don't care how many pictures of this statue you see in your lifetime-until you've looked up at Michelangelo's masterpiece nothing compares. What was really great is that there are other slabs of marble represented next to David that were made by Michelangelo. You can see how he practiced to make the David. His David is perfect and its hard to believe that it was chiseled from stone. The hands and feet look real and you can even see the veins in his arms (easy stick by my nursing standards). 

After enjoying David we looked at other pieces of art and toured the marble room. Again it was hot everywhere in the museum. 

One observation I made that gave feel feelings of sadness was an American tour group of 30 high schoolers. I heard the instructor ask if anyone wanted to join her in the next exhibit. A handful of teens went with her. The rest stayed behind to sit and listen to their iPods. It felt wasteful. I would of loved to have come to Italy at their age and yet I feel like they have no appreciation for the beauty they're surrounded by. Maybe this is what happens with age-we appreciate the old stuff a lot more. 

After the Academia we headed to our hotel. It was early afternoon and when we arrived in the little town of Signa we were ready for a Siesta. But we still had to find a bus or taxi to get us to our hotel. This town is small and out in the country and quiet. It was exactly what we wanted. A hotel called us a cab and while waiting we met an older gentlemen about 70 years old. He speaks only Italian and we proceeded to converse with him. He started by asking if we needed a ride but I said we had a taxi coming. He thought I said "We need a taxi" and proceeded to tell me how he does taxi work as a side job. Once we explained we already had a taxi he said he'd take us if the taxi didn't show up soon. Then he asked if Super Nel was Bolovian and I explained that he's Filipino. The man wanted to know if he's from Manilla. We said yes just because it was easier to explain. Then we all began the craziest game of charades that discussed if we were married (no-not yet) if the man is married (yes but his wife passed away-very sad) and if we're Catholic (me-no Super Nel yes). It was a great conversation. 

We finally arrive at our hotel that is in the middle of nowhere-again perfection. It's a huge old renovated  farmhouse. The family is very hospitable and they offer us a suite for no extra charge. Our room is huge with a fabulous view. The rooms are all named after artists and ours is called "The Michelangelo suite." As soon as we enter our room it starts pouring rain outside. I don't mean a San Diego rain. I mean super hard rain with loud thunder and lighting. It last about 45 minutes and we laid down with the window open just enjoying the sounds. Siesta time! It lasted longer than we expected but out bodies obviously needed it. We woke up in time to make it to the restaurant. The grounds of the hotel are gorgeous. All outdoors and hiking trails and a pool! 

Our meal was like no other. The best meal I've had yet. The waitress was very kind. What's better than eating yummy food and listening to 80's music pop music? Listening to 80's pop music while drinking wine and eating all the local foods from Tuscany. We has a Tuscany platter (salami, prochutto, olives, peppers, pâté, and bruschetta), spaghetti with meat sauce, beef and potatoes and chicken/rabbit and Italian tempera veggies. And lots of local chianti. I love prie fix menus. 

As Super Nel and I sat at dinner I couldn't help but think about life and what it took to get to this moment. It took a lot perseverance and endurance. There's so many moments in life when we encounter a challenge or something difficult. And it's so easy to say "I'm done. I can't deal with this. I don't want to." And believe me-I've said before (in fact some of you might of witnessed me say it). However it's the endurance and perseverance that has kept me moving forward and allowed me to experience this amazing day. And all the help from friends, family and God. 

Two homemade waffles with gelato in between. Best sandwich ever. 

Outside view of the Duomo

Backside view of David. Talk about buns of steel. 

View from our room at Il Bogno Villa Castellitti

First sunset in Tuscany

What's wrong with this picture? My wine class is empty. 

Dessert-amaretto soaked moist bread filled with chocolate and vanilla mouse and drizzled with raspberry sauce. Yes please!

Our hotel room 

Hot, Sweaty and Unbelievably Happy

On Wednesday, July 10th we awoke in Venice. Our night in the hostel was pretty great but we still woke up exhausted from the late night traveling the day before. 

We headed out to visit the Dolce Museums and used our water bus pass to get to San Marco. Super Nel and I were both in awe at all the gorgeous building in Venice. At night it looks great but Venice seems to shine in the daytime! 

We'd luckily reserved tickets to the Dolce Palace Museums and bypassed the hundreds of people in line and walked into what felt like another world. The inside looks like another land. The architecture alone was amazing and enough to make us sit down and just stare. Super Nel said there were no words to describe what we're seeing-it's one of those must see with your own eyes sights. After taking in all the outdoor features we walked into the museums. 

The painting and artwork leave you stunned. The ceilings have marble artwork along with paintings and gold accents. When I say "painting" I don't just mean a small painting framed on the wall-we're talking about paintings that are bigger than my apartment (no exaggeration)! We spent the next few hours getting lost in the museum and enjoying every bit of the art. I learned a tip from someone else's blog called the "cheapskate tour." If you stand next to one of the 30 tour guide/groups in the museums you can hear the history behind each room, painting and statue. And its free!! I picked up some great information about the artwork. Sadly, no pictures allowed inside so I will have to keep use my memories of the artwork as a souvenir. 

Lets talk about hot and sweaty for a moment. There is no ac in the museums. When I say we were "hot" while in Venice I mean we were baking!!! I think we lost 5 pounds in water weight just touring. After the museums we were in desperate need of a siesta. I love siestas. The next President that promises mandatory siestas if they win will get my vote. 

In the evening we set out to find some of the best gelato in Venice. This involved asking for directions in my practiced Italian and combined with Spanish. We wandered up down and around the alleys and came to numerous dead ends. In Germany, I developed a love for trees. There are different types of trees everywhere you look. In Venice, it was alleys. I would find these narrow, crooked and unique alleys and just had to take a picture of it. Back to Gelato-we found it!! It's called "Boutique del Gelato." And they didn't disappoint. Huge scoops of yummy tasting gelato. My friend Heather (aka Mommy Frog) told me that there's a law in Italy that you must eat Gelato everyday. Who are we to break a law?

After gelato we headed over to San Marco Square to join a tour called Murders and Mysteries of the dark alley.  Our tour guide had all these fantastic dark stories he told us as we explored different allies. Also, we learned some fun facts. Did you know that casinos were invented by Venitians? They were originally homes for aristocrats to relax and cool down since they wear such heavy robes. Then these homes were visited by ladies hoping to have some "fun" and gambling was added as well. In order to protect the privacy of these people (and prevent any jealous husbands from killing anyone) they installed spy holes to see who was at the door and hidden escape routes. 

We also learned that the main square is where people were beheaded. They would have them face the giant clock and say "Let me show you what time it is!" And then they'd hang the body parts from the top of the square. 

We really enjoyed our time in Venice but both agreed that one day is enough. Everything is extremely expensive and hordes of tourists everywhere. 

We're ready to see the countryside...

Gelato in one of my favorite alleys

Outside Dolce palace

 Super Nel enjoys squid ink pasta with cuttle fish (it was tasty!)

PS. Underwear update-I wore my exofficios in the heat yesterday. Whoever said these bad boys can go 2 weeks without a wash has never worn them in Venice during a summer heat wave. I had to do my first load of laundry in the sink. 

Last Day in Germany....Italy at Last!!

We spent our last day in Germany relaxing and catching up on homework. Sadly, we did not finish our homework or research paper before we left so it had to get done before we left Ricky's since we're unsure of when we'll have wifi again. As it is, I'm typing this without wifi and hoping to have it in the morning. 

Pedro had volunteered to take us to the airport since Ricky worked a 12 hour night shift and would be exhausted for work tonight if he had to drive us. Let me take a minute to tell you how proud I am of my cousin. I can honestly say I haven't seen him in a long time. We grew up together and are only a few years apart. Our mothers are sisters so we spent numerous summers playing together as kids. But as adults we really haven't hung out. When I decided to come to Europe I asked his brother Andrew if I'd be able to stay with Ricky when I go but he wasn't sure. In fact no one knew if that was allowed or what it was that Ricky did. All I knew was that he was in the Air Force and he did the weather. When I contacted him about coming to visit he immediately responded and said of course we could stay with him and told us what airport to fly into and made plans for us to hang out. He even arranged for Pedro the fantastic tour guide.

I learned a lot about my cousin on this trip. A lot to be proud of. I learned that Ricky does more then predict the weather. He's responsible for all the weather of Southern Europe. It's not an easy job and there's lots of politics involved, but he's good at it. I also learned that he has received the volunteer of the quarter award. He does more volunteer work than anyone on his squadron. He volunteers for one project that provides Airforce members with a ride when they are too intoxicated to drive. Ricky has voluntarily picked up over 200 men/women this year when they were unsafe to drive. That is huge! I don't know about you-but after I've worked a 12 hour shift and I'm ready for sleep, the last thing I want to do is go pick up some drunk person and give them a ride. Yet Ricky does it because he cares. He's also smart about using the Airforce to his advantage. After his shift this morning he came home, changed, and went to German class. He's taking a class to learn German on his own. It looks great on his portfolio and the military looks at it as trying to better yourself and you can get a raise. Plus you learn a new language!!

Pedro is also a weather Airforce member. He hopes to start weather combat training soon. It means he'll travel and do missions with special forces and seals. He'll be responsible for predicting the weather the team might face while performing these missions. You might thing "why is the weather important?" At least I thought that. But guess what? It is important! The weather determines if the team will go in on foot, by plane, use tanks and so much more. Pedro was excited to hear that we're nurses since he at first wanted to become a special forces medic. Even though that's not what he's doing now, he's always prepared for an emergency. He showed us his emergency kit to get our opinion. His kit is small, compact but can save lives! He even has a hemo/pneumothorax kit. Talk about a Boy Scout! Another fun fact about him-he loves to drink water. When I told him one of my life mottos is to "Hydrate or Die!" I could tell we each found a friend in each other. 

After we arrived at the airport Super Nel spent the next two hours repacking our bags to meet the Ryan Air carryon requirements. You can only have one bag and it can't weigh more than 22lbs. There are also very specific dimensions of each bag and they check them. Luckily our bag made the cut (we did have to wear some layers and stuff our pockets with small ziplocks of things). 

While at the airport we talked about our time in Germany. We both loved the Country. We both want to come back. And we were both a little surprised at how much fun we had. Also, we agreed that it was nice to be on base because it gave us a sense of security and we had laundry. That part of our trip is over-now it's time for Part II. 

Before I move onto Italy I just want to share some fun Germany facts we learned:

-At night in the towns they turn off the street lights to save energy. Most people walk and bike so it makes sense not to use street lights after work hours. 

-The bratwurst was originally intended to be eaten solo. The bun was added by (none other than) Americans. We love our carbs. 

-The legal drinking age is 16. However it's not uncommon to see 14 year olds in a bar with a drink. 

Part II: This is where our survival skills and patience (and love for one another) will be tested. We arrived in Venice, Italy at 10pm about 20 miles away from downtown Venice. We hopped on a bus that drove us to the main city for about $10 each. Then from there we had to find a "vaperetto" it's basically a small ferry or boat that takes you to your hotel/hostel. It's like a bus but on water. For those of you who don't know-Venice is built on water and there are a ton of canals. 

Finding the Vaperetto wasn't easy. It was not right next to the bus station like we thought it would be. I had to ask for directions using my practiced Italian (Mr. Richard-you'd be so proud of my pronunciation!). As it turned out, the Italians could understand me-I just couldn't understand them. Luckily I minored in charades (read: 5 years working at Junior Theatre) so we found it with some major gesturing. 

After our boat ride we arrive at our hostel. It's RIGHT on the water. So if I walk out the door and take 5 steps forward ill be in the canal. There is a great pizza/itialian shop next door (owned by a Japanese family that only speaks Italian or Japanese). We check into our hostel-that looks like a super swanky hotel. Seriously-I've stayed at Marriotts that didn't look this nice. However, there's an issue with our reservation (naturally). Super Nel starts sweating profusely since he's worried. Turns out they booked the both of us in a female dormitory but we had chosen a mixed dorm. The guy goes on to explain that he can either separate us or put us both in a female dorm. He says the only downside is that if a female complains Super Nel will have to leave and go into a male dorm. We agreed to a female dorm and go next door to get food. While at dinner I can tell Arnel is anxious. He says he's worried a female will feel uncomfortable with him in the room plus he snores so now he's worried it will give him away. I remind him that this is all part of the adventure and that it could be worse. We could both be at home, getting ready to go to work tomorrow. Instead we're in Venice on the water enjoying the night. Super Nel agrees and says "Now I kinda wish I'd washed my underwear since I'll be in a dorm full lf women!" When we get back to the hostel the night clerk informs us that someone canceled their mixed dorm reservation and he's given it to us-alls well that ends well. 

This hostel is like nothing else I've ever seen. The lobby is huge with fun funky chairs and a huge full bar. Elias was the bartender tonight and he made us some Italian specialty cocktail. The rooms are air conditioned and look brand new. The bathrooms look like a spa bathroom and they play the radio with Italian novellas on. It's fun to listen too. 

Now I'm going to bed because when I wake up we're going to cram three days worth of sight seeing into one. 

The Cokes in Europe have names on them. I keep looking for Andy

Ryan Air flight-you walk right up to the plane 

First Italian meal

Germany sightseeing done right

Our third day of sightseeing was spent with Ricky's friend Pedro. He volunteered to be our tour guide since Ricky had work. At first I felt bad because I didn't want this poor guy to have to spend his day off entertaining his friends cousin and her boyfriend. As it turned out, there was nothing to be worried about. Pedro is the boyfriend to one of the lovely ladies we met on our first night in Germany while at the Kaiserslautern festival. Pedro is from Ecuador, hilariously funny and was a wonderful tour guide. His girlfriend, Julia (pronounced Who-Lee-Uh), is a local and grew up in Kaiserslautern. Lucky for us she has shown Pedro all these amazing sights that he so kindly shared with us.

First, we went to lunch at this remotely located inn. It's located near some great hiking tails and the restaurant is outside and there are animals all around you-cows, deer and goats. Yes, I know I've seen all these animals before but these were GERMAN cows, deer and goats-very cool. Julia met us for her lunch break (she works at a bank and gets 1.5 hours for lunch....we're lucky to get 30 minutes!). We all ordered off the menu and the food was delicious. Every single bite was "Ohmygodhowhavewelivedwithouttastingthisbefore good." We also had a beer-Pedro says it's illegal NOT to have a beer with every meal in Germany. I'm not about to break a rule in Germany. Super Nel tried a Weizer/Coke w/ Radler. That's basically half cola and half hefenwiezer beer. It's really tasty-don't tell Super Nel I told you. He has big plans to bring it back to the states and sell it in his restaurant.

After lunch we went out exploring the town of Kaiserslautern. It's a great town and Pedro forced us to try some gelato at this one place. I really wanted to wait until Italy to start eating my weight in gelato but we did walk around a lot today....

Our next stop was a lookout point that Julia had shown Pedro. It was located between a field of lavender and a field of wheat. You look down and can see the entire town and surrounding mountains. We loved it so much that Pedro said he had to take us to an even better spot that was farther away. How could we say no? This place turned out to be what looks like a lighthouse (but not water nearby) and its so high up that the lookout we were at before was as tiny as a ladybug from the view. Super Nel and I literally stopped and stared for the first few minutes. I can't get past the beauty of Germany. I really thought I was going to feel this way about Italy (and I'm sure I will) but Germany has won us over in beauty. It's such a grand open gorgeous place to visit and the people are so friendly. Even when I butcher their language and throw in a mixed Italian/Mexican accent they still smile and pretend they know what I'm saying.

The last thing we did tonight was go to dinner with Pedro and Julia. We went to a very specific restaurant so that Super Nel could cross the final "must eat" item off his list (yes, he has a list. While I researched museums and must see landmarks before this trip he researched the food. I love this man).  I can't even begin to spell what the German word is for the food item but in English it means "Pig Knuckle." He got it, he ate it, he loved it and the German people respected him for it. While at dinner we played "How does Germany do this in comparison to the US?" Julia was more than happy to play this game as long as we played the same game about the US for her questions. We learned that Germany taxes its citizens half their pay but they get free healthcare and can see any doctor they want. Also, we learned about the school system in Germany-when a child is in the 1st or 2nd grade they are evaluated on their intelligence level (not sure how). The children are broken into groups: not too bright, middle of the road smart, genius. The kids that are in the two lower categories go onto learn skills that they can use to do useful jobs when they grow up. The genius level children are pushed into college and go on to learn about advanced mathematics and engineering. It's a very interesting system. I don't know about you, but I was still eating paste in the first grade. We also learned that Germany has very strict laws about work safety. Once a week someone from the government comes to assess the workplace for safety and to make sure employees have the right kind of set up at their workstation. This includes appropriate ergonomic stations. For example, a checkout person at a grocery store is given a chair to sit in with proper back support. I thought this was pretty cool. If a business has an unsafe work environment or does not provide the necessary adjustments they are given a large fine.

We really enjoyed learning about Germany from a local and Super Nel and I both thought it's made the start of our trip really great to have seen things no one else would know about unless you've lived here. And we've made 2 new friends that we hope will come visit us in San Diego.

Pedro and Julia outside at the inn where we ate lunch.

We pose under the giant fish at the inn. Pedro said this fish is an icon of Kaiserslautern. It's said that the Kaiser of the area died while fishing so to honor him they use a symbol of this fish all over town. 

Super Nel and I at the look out spot. I love the wheat that's around us.

The view from the higher lookout. You can see for miles and miles. 

Another view of the scenery all around us. 

We visited our first church of many-a Kaiserslautern Protestant Church. I loved the design and the chairs of this church.

Fountain outside the church. 

Super Nel enjoys his Pig Knuckle and his Cola/Beer. 

Disneyland...Wait that's not Mickey Mouse?

Yesterday was our 2nd day in Germany and we woke up to go to Europa Park. Europa is the place Walt Disney visited and gained inspiration for Disneyland. My cousin Ricky was so excited to take us there. I'll be honest and admit I wasn't as thrilled. However, the drive alone was worth it. We passed all these amazing scenic towns. I saw grapevines that put Napa Valley to shame (did you know Germany is also famous for its wine?). The different shades of green give you new appreciation for nature.

When we arrived to Europa Park and saw the largest roller coaster tracks that go over the parking lot I started getting excited. The rides at Europa are very similar to Dland and same set up with different lands. But the roller coasters surpass anything Disney has. Our first roller coaster was Speed which is made by Mercedes-Benz. Lets just say I'm glad I didn't eat a heavy breakfast. My favorite coaster was called Blue Fire-it not only goes fast but you go upside down and do these corkscrew turns that mimic NASA flights. I really enjoyed listening to people speak

different languages and seeing different ethnicities while at the park. 

The drive home was even more beautiful with a sunset around 10pm that left me speechless. I love how sunny it is at 9pm. It feels like 3pm. 

Underwear update: I know some of you are dying to know how our Exofficio underwear are holding up (and I know some of you are not!). I wore a pair to Europa and it was a very hot and sweaty day. Even with the water rides I still knew there was no way I could wear them again without a wash. Luckily Ricky had free laundry services on base. However, Super Nel decided his undies passed his sniff test (ewwww!!!) and will wear them again tomorrow. He did however say that he would air them out overnight-lucky me. 

Here are a few photos from the day:

Europa has a mascot like Dland only they use a rat instead of a mouse. 

Some of the themes of the lands were a little dark. This is a statue from Norwegian land...lil sthcary for the
little ones.

Cooling off on a water ride

 
 Super Nel, my cousin Ricky and me


Look familiar?

This is what it looks like in Germany at 11:15pm and the sun comes up at 5am. 

These aren't Disney Princess Castles

We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany at 9:00am local time. My amazing rock-star cousin-Ricky-picked us up from the largest airport ever. It took about 25 minutes just to walk to the car. We rode this self automated little mono-rail to get to the parking structure. 

Ricky drove us directly to Heidelburg Castle. The whole ride over there I was blown away by the beauty of Germany. It's so green here! Even greener than Washington or Oregon. We had a running joke yesterday-every single time Super Nel got into the car he would pass out and sleep. I adjusted to the time a little quicker than he did. 

The Heidelburg Castle was gorgeous. The grounds are wonderfully landscaped and there's a great view of the city. In the basement they have a ginormous barrel where they kept the wine. Now they have a small snack bar area and serve local beer-it was delicious. There is also a pharmacy museum in the castle. Did you know that a German discovered morphine? The museum has the whole history of chemistry and shows how the first drugs were made as well as the transition to current pharmacy practices. 

After the Heidelburg castle we went to drop off our luggage at Ricky's place. He's stationed in Kaiserslautern on an Air Force base and he is pretty excited to help us explore Germany. 

We headed back out to another castle close by. This castle is much smaller and not as we'll known as the Heidelburg. But the place was amazing! They have these underground rooms you can explore and it feels like there's air conditioning on down there. It's because of the mud that was used to build the castle-it keeps heat out and feels really great in the summertime. Ricky says it was pouring rain a few days ago but it's been hot since we landed. The San Diego sunshine stowed away in our luggage and came with us. 

Last night we went into town to Kaiserslautern. There was a huge street festival happening the streets were filled with locals. I've never seen so many people! We drank some more beer (it really is better in Germany) and spoke with some locals and even lost a very close game of foozeball to some new friends we met. 

Heidelberg castle-enjoying some curryworst and our first beer. 

The view from our second castle. 

Sunsets after 9pm overhere!