Road Trip through Germany....

ROADTRIP....Germany style.  We all piled in the Jetta (which side note looks exactly like my old Jetta.  It must be her German cousin) and headed out on our first german road trip.  The plan was to hit 4 towns in 3 days.  Talk about fast and furious...here we go.  First stop was not to far outside of the village Allan lives in and was in the wine country.  The drive there was all on small back roads through villages.  The scenery was really nice.  We arrived in the parking area of the town near a huge wine barrel that also was a restaurant.  There were small village streets near it that we wandered through then we walked back into the vineyards.  It was pretty hot so we didn't spend to much time back there but it was fun to see and actually walk around through the rows of vines.  Since we walked

Wine Country

through the vines and saw the actual grapes that created the wine we felt it was only right for us to go and do a tasting at the winery.  We sat in a little quaint tasting room at a little table and were given tastings of all the different wines they had.  We enjoyed the wines so much we left with a couple of bottles.
On to the next stop on the trip....we drove about another 45 minutes or so to a little town called Heidelberg.  In this town our first stop was the castle.  It is way up on a hill above the town (as most good castles are) so we took the tram up and wandered the grounds.  The unfortunate thing about so many of the castles is that they have been destroyed quite a bit.  This one was pretty good but there was still a lot to be left to the imagination.

Heidelberg Castle

 Even though there were a lot of parts missing it was still very impressive.  The fact that most of its walls were still standing and the interior courtyard was pretty well maintained made it lovely to walk around and look at.  It is hard to really grasp the thought that this building was built to protect the town.  In it's prime it was probably bustling with people and events.  Even in it's slightly destroyed state events are still being help there.  There was actually a wedding happening while we were there.  The locations of these castles always provide a beautiful city view.  Once we had our fill of the castle we walked down into town to have dinner before continuing on our drive.

Nuremberg city view

Next stop was Nuremberg.  Our time in this town was definitely quick and full of tons of history and information.  My little brain was exhausted from taking it all in.  We started out with a walk up the steep hill through town up to the castle.  Along the way we stopped in the large square and viewed the cathedral and checked out the fruit and veggie stands.  Also in this square was a statue with a brass ring hanging off of it.  Apparently if you spin the ring and make a wish it will come true....I spun the ring so we shall see if it works.  Once we arrived at the castle the view of the city was really beautiful.  I love how all the buildings are relatively low in comparison to our modern sky scrapers.  All the buildings are so uniques too.  No two are ever alike.  Such character.

Stripes and flowers

Inside the castle there also were all these cute painted doors with old huge hinged locks and handles.  Each door was surrounded by greens and colored flowers.  Sometimes I do wonder if I am walking around in some sort of children's fable or fairytale.  In contrast to the fairytale feeling there was also so much horrible history that took place here.  Walking around this town now it is hard to think that Hitler also walked these streets and held his rallies here in these squares.  We went to the museum in Nuremberg that gave the full history of this time period.  It was quite overwhelming being in a location where it all happened.  The museum is actually in one of the buildings Hitler had built.  Just the thought that these building were made by stones that were cut in labor camps where innocent people were dying was almost too much to take in.  We left the museum feeling drained but I feel it is so important to really learn about what we have been through and experience all the emotion that goes with it.

Floating town hall in Bamberg

Waving farewell to Nuremberg we head down the road to Bamberg.  Allan was stationed here for a while and he loves the town so he was very excited about sharing it with us.  We arrived and booked a little hotel right in the heart of town.  It was an adorable B&B type place and the location was perfect to walk anywhere we wanted in town.  We basically just walked the streets a bit and the found a spot for dinner.  This meal was where I fell in love with the "smoked beer"  It is the best beer I have ever had in my life.  So smooth, so smokey and not bitter at all.  I also had my first schnitzel which is also a tasty treat.  That night also began my pre-birthday celebration.  It was a fun night.  I did have happy birthday sang to me in German...don't worry there is video!
The next day was filled with castles and cathedrals.  We also did a bit of shopping in the town.  The original plan was to head to a beer fest in another town but Kels and I loved Bamberg so much we

Happy Birthday to me!

decided to stay.  
I could not have asked for a better place to celebrate my birthday!
Smoked beer, good friends, and in Europe!
The next portion of Germany starts tomorrow in Munich.

The beginning of Germany.....

The Germany chapter has officially begun!  We arrived safely and with out any issues into Koln.  I have to say downsizing my suitcase has made a huge difference.  I can actually carry it upstairs with out feeling like I am going to fall over if I don't keep the exact right balance.  Kelseys friend, Allan, who was picking us up got stuck in some traffic and was going to be a bit late so we just locked up or luggage in theses crazy metal luggage transportation devices that we hopped would give us our luggage back when we wanted it, and walked outside and into the city.  Just as you step out and look to your left there is the tallest cathedral I have ever seen.  Apparently it actually is the second tallest in Europe but only by about a meter.  It was a breathtaking sight.  Looking up to see the top you literally felt as if you might fall over backwards.  We took a little wander around the

Koln Cathedral

outside.  There was so much detail on every inch of it.  Every tall spire had some sort of engraved design and all the gargoyles sticking off every corner were unique and different then the others.  It was quite an impressive sight.  I also was amazed to find out that when this city was boomed during the war the city was mostly destroyed however this building was not touched. It only suffered very minimum damage to the back side.  Not sure if that was strategic bombing of just sheer luck but whatever it was I am thankful I got to see it still standing in it's original spot and not the rebuilt version which seems to happen so much in these cities where the war was near or in.

Kelsey and Allan at Koln fest

 Just as we finished our little walk Allan arrived.  So, Allan is one of Kelsey's friends from back in high school.  He is stationed out here in Germany and has so graciously offered to be our tour guide and travel buddy for the first part of Germany.  He has been out here in different parts of Germany for the past few years and knows where to take us.  We are quite grateful for this since we are really just flying by the seat of our pants on this trip with very little planning.  After we said our hellos we headed over to a little fest that the town was having.  Along the way we alkyd through the winding streets of old town past all sorts of cute little buildings containing brew houses and shops.  Everything is so adorable.

Wine Country

We enjoyed our first beer in Germany in the gorgeous sunshine at the summer fest.  Apparently all summer towns have these little tests with rides, food and beer.  I suppose they are kinda like out star fairs but so much better.  They don't feel as cheesy and no one is trying to sell you the "As seen on TV" crap products.  After we had our fill of the fest Allan drove us through wine country where we stopped and had dinner at a local restaurant just below a fairy tale like castle.  Kels and I truly felt like it was a fairytale.  The sun was at that magical place in the sky where it is painting the hillsides with it's warm light.  The temperature was just perfect and we were sipping on a lowly local wine.  Sometimes I still have to remind myself that I am not dreaming and this really is still my life right now.

Lovely day...perfect light.

After dinner we made the drive back to Allan's little village and crashed out for the night is the most comfortable bed ever!  It was like sleeping on a cloud.  Heavenly after the last 5 nights on the final covered mattresses of the hostel bunk beds.  The next day Allan had to pull a 24 hour shift so we were on our own for eh most part.  He dropped us off in the neighboring town which happened to be Kaiserslautern.  Funny story about this town is it is where I spent over a month when I was 16.  Not a place I ever thought I would be back in but really happy to have made it back.  We had no map (remember they are for sissies) and just started walking.  We ended up in the old town area where there was plenty going on.  There were street performers, bands, and a bunch of theater people since there was a theater fest happening.  We decided to grab lunch so we slid into a street side table in a local brew house and ordered some sausages and beer.  Now I told you there was a theater fest going on right....well there were also quite a few funny little actor type characters roaming around doing little shows.  We kinda ended up in the middle of one......
The story of Kelsey and the lost beer..........

Bed Man rolling up

As we are drinking our beer a man rolls up in his bed.  He stops in from of our table and gets out of bed.  The next thing I know he is reaching for my beer...Uh I don't think so buddy....I snatch it away and am holding it death grip style to my chest.  He then goes for Kelsey's and they reach it at the same time.  There was a struggle but Kels eventually let's go thinking " He's not really going to do anything."
She was wrong.....

Bed Man Drinking Kelsey's beer

Bed Man chugged that beer and drank all she had left in it in one go! We were dying laughing.  Everyone around us was laughing and also kinda in shock.  I don't think any of us really thought he was going to drink it but alas he did.
Once he drank the beer he set it down then hopped back in his bed to move on.  While he was climbing back into bed the waiter brought Kels a fresh beer.  When the Bed Man noticed his eyes lit up and he opened up the covers next to him and patted the bed inviting Kels in.  She just snatched up her beer death grip style and shook her head.
PS I still had a death grip on mine too.

After that he rolled his little bed away and we just laughed and said yes....that really did just happen.

New Beer

We settleed in with our new beers and finished our lunch in peace.  No more Bed Men to deal with.

K-Town fountain

We finished our walk around K-town at a lovely fountain.  The fountain was also near som roman ruins which were being used partially as high school kids hang out and skate park.  Also near this fountain was lovely artistic display of colorful fish.  Apparently the fish is the symbol of the town.  Maybe the fish are good luck...

Are you my prince?

I have been told you gotta kiss a lot of frogs before you meet your prince.  Well I am giving the kissing a fish thing a try since the frogs aren't working......I'll keep you posted.





Today were are heading out for our road trip through Germany.  We will be stopping in Nuremberg, Bamberg and Munich.  Should be a good time of beer and German culture.  I will also be turing another year older along the way!

Parting is such sweet sorrow.....

Oh Amsterdam...even thinking about leaving here makes me sad.  At least we had some great stuff planned for the final day and a half.  We had breakfast in the cafeteria at the hostel...dorm style...then hopped the train to Central Station to by our train ticket to or first stop in Germany which is Koln.  Kelsey did her first foreign language ticket machine purchase successfully..which let me tell you is kinda nerve racking when you are doing it the first time but it's kind of a right of passage into international travel.  With our departure tickets in hand we set out on our last day of exploring this fantastic city.  First stop....shops!  We had seen quite a few fun little shops on our walks and just had not really had the time to stop so that was the morning plan.  Lots of fun and quirky design shops with dutch designed goods were where we ended up.  No major purchases were made but great

Front entrance to NEMO

inspiration.  

Second stop...NEMO!  Sorry guys I don't mean to burst your bubble but I did not go and see the cute little cartoon fish.  On the recommendation of Kelsey's friend who recently moved to Amsterdam we walked over to the NEMO museum. It is basically a children's science museum.  The building is beautiful, right on the water and is shaped like the front end of a boat.  If you walk up tons of really big stairs it takes you up to the rooftop of the building.  There on the rooftop they have created a little beach type atmosphere.  There were water fall type creations running through the center that kids could get in.  Up near the very top there were these kiddy pools with water just pouring out of all sorts of different pipes that the kids could control with wheels.  It was basically like a mini water park, minus the slides.  Lounge chairs that put you at just the right angle and height lined the edges of the waterfalls...this is where we sat and didn't move for quite a bit.  We were so lucky to have such a gorgeous day....I don't think I mentioned before that we had a ton of rain the first day we were here.  I'm 

Rain Rain Go Away......

not talking just a little shower I am talking marble size water drops pelting from the sky.  Luckily Kels had a rain coat I however had left all my rain gear in London to gather on my return home so I was without a jacket or umbrella.  After suffering through this rain all week and getting soaked we were very happy to get some lovely weather and sunshine for a bit.

Here comes the sun!

of course we celebrated the sun with a beer in a street side cafe.

Ok, back to NEMO.  We basically relaxed on the rooftop then headed back to the hostel.  We packed up our suitcases so we didn't have to make a bunch of noise and wake up our 4 other roommates in the morning then got ready for our evening event.

Boom Chicago!  (Yes I know my name is spelled wrong)

Kelsey's friend Marcy recently moved to Amsterdam to be a part of a comedy show here called Boom Chicago.  She was able to get us some discounted tickets so we could come to the show.  I was so excited about this event I could hardly contain myself.  I have really gotten into going to improv comedy shows over the last year thanks to my brother and sister-in-law taking me to Upright Citizens Brigade in LA (if you have never been go!  It is worth the drive to LA).  This show was right up my ally since it was based on branding in our society.  The show was beyond funny!  I love improv because you really feel like you are a part of the show.  We had to fill out papers before the show started for different parts of the act.  One of the papers was asking about any tattoos you have and you had to draw a picture and everything.....well....I did that and mine was chosen.  The skit was totally funny talking about how we brand our selves and why.  Kinda fun being a part of the show!  There is video of it to which can possibly be viewed upon request.  This was the best way we could have ended our time in Amsterdam.  I am very excited about he next part of the trip but really loved being here.  

I will leave you with the little motto that Kels and I lived by in Amsterdam and some photos to go along with it:

In Amsterdam, don't get hit by....

                                                         BIKES!

There are so many intense bike riders the entire city has it's own lanes for the bikes and I promise if you step in front of them they will hit you and not feel bad about it.

PIGEONS!

They are everywhere and have no fear.  They will dive bomb your head or take a sandwich right out of your hand.  I have seen it happen!  Look at this poor little kid in the purple shirt!

TRAMS!

As you can see Kelsey has left a sufficient amount of space between her and the tram.  Many waiting areas for the trams are tiny and will take out a purse off your arm if you are standing at an improper angle.  Also all forms of transportation (tram, busses, taxis and cars) seem to share the same area so you gotta really check before you cross.

CROOKED BUILDINGS!

I just swear one is going to fall over then the whole town will go down like dominos.

As I leave this town I refuse to say good bye and instead will say see you later because there is no way I could stay away from this place too long.  We will be hopping a train to Koln and starting our Germany adventure next.....stay tuned for the next part of this fast and furious month! 

I'm in LOVE.....

....With Amsterdam.  This might be my new favorite city....ok really I still love London but this place is a close second.  Possibly even a tie.    From the gorgeous canals with stone bridges crossing them. Too all the crooked buildings...yes they really are crooked.  It looks a bit like an illusion at first but it's for real.  All the people here are so nice and are happy to help you out.  We have had people come up to us a couple of times when we looked a bit lost and offered to help and pointed us in the right direction.  This lovely little town is helping to restore my faith is the goodness of mankind.
The first night here we wondered down the street to find food and stumbled upon a gem of a restaurant.  The food was really great and

Canals and Bikes!

 the interior made you feel like you were eating dinner at Anthropolgy.  We called the night over early so that we could get up and get an early start on our adventure in this city.  We definitely hit the ground running at 8:00 am and headed to the Anne Frank house.  Most everyone knows this story but nothing can prepare you for how you will feel being in the spot where it all took place.  I was completely overcome with emotion walking through and living the story that I studied in school.  Standing inches from the famous diary and then seeing the dates and images of all the people whose lives were hidden in this attic then still ended up being lost to the awful camps was overwhelming.  I teared up many times just thinking about the life they had to lead and how they tried to make it normal...decorating the walls with cut outs from magazines and the hash marks near the door way showing how the kids were growing through the years.  And we complain we have it rough sometimes.....puts life in perspective to be exposed to the things that have happened in our past not just reading about them.  After the Anne Frank

Flower Market

House we just ended up walking and taking in the town.  During our walk we went to 2 different street markets.  One was filled with so many lovely fabrics and they were so cheap....I could have just bought everything however I don't think good ole Back up betty (my suitcase) could have handled all I wanted to get.  I did however finally replace my purse that was stolen in Nice.  I got a really great hand made one....best part about it is it's made from old Army tents.  We also found a beautiful flower market.  One of the stalls had the entire roof covered with hanging flowers.  Such a beautiful sight.  The last

I Heart Cheese....

great find was a cheese museum.  Kelsey and I both have a genuine love of cheese.  It might be bordering on an obsession over here.  This "cheese museum" (which was really just a cleverly named shop) had just about any kind of gouda (a favorite of ours) you could think of.  Best part about the museum....taste testing!!!  It was heavenly.  The very old gouda is the best if you were wondering.  By the time we got home that evening we had been walking for 10 hours.  Needless to say after dinner we were pretty spent so we just relaxed, read and hung out.  Pretty much every part of my body was angry with me so just sitting and doing nothing was much needed.
The next morning we let our selves have a bit of a lie in before we headed to the Rykes museum to check out all the art work. The museum is under construction so we didn't get to see everything but what we did see was lovely.  There is just something about being that close to original art work that is quite moving.  It is also nice when you can see quite a few different pieces from the same artist over a period of time.  It helps to give you a better feel of their over all story they were telling with their art and career.  I was really moved by the Rembrandt pieces we were exposed to in this museum.  

....and beer

 After we had our culture experience for the morning we went and checked out the local brewery...Heineken.  You  learned all about how the family bought the brewery with out knowing anything about how to brew but he decided he was going to make it a happen and did.  It is still run by a family member which I really like.  There is always more of an investment and want to make something exceptional when your name is attached to it.  Apparently they have some secret yeast recipe that no one else has and that's what make Heineken what it is.  I will be honest...not my favorite beer but it was a fun tour.  They have all these little "experiences" you go on along the way.  At one point you actually are on a motion platform that is taking you through the process of being brewed.  It was fun and clever.  One of the best parts about the tour, besides drinking beer, was all the copper kettles they use.  They had the little windows opened up,where you would normally pour in which ever item should go in.  When you looked in the window a little movie explaining how

I'm on a boat...

   the process worked was showing.   It was quite clever.  Ok so let me back up just a bit....when we walked in we were given bracelets with little buttons to redeem at the end for our beers and then also there was a 3rd button that would get us either a "free gift"....you know those always end up cheesy...or we could take a canal boat ride.  Score!  Kels and I had wanted to take one and this would be perfect... one it's free and....2 theres beer involved!  The boat ride was nice.  It was cool to see the town from the water.  Our tour guide gave us all sorts of little facts about the town and the canals.  For instance the canal house boats are insanely expensive.  One that probably isn't even the size of most peoples houses just sold for 800,000 euros.  Crazy right!  I couldn't believe it.  Along the boat ride we also passed one of the most posh hotels and the famous bridge that raises up and down.  All in all it was a lovely day...and if you are concerned for my safety since there is a guy creepy staring at me in the boat photo no need....I had my bodyguard take care of him.  Just kidding....didn't even notice the guy till we were looking at the photos...pretty funny though.  Always someone creepin'

One day this will be my house.

The next day was quite similar in the schedule...Culture in the morning and alcohol in the afternoon.
The morning was spent at the Van Gogh museum. Walking into it we passed a lovely canal lined with gorgeous houses.  They all backed directly up to the water and had boats and back terraces.  Some even had roof top terraces.  If only I was rich.....
Walking through the Van Gogh museum was a great learning experience for me.  We all think we know about all these artist from the bits and pieces we pick up along the way in life but being there made me realize there was so much I really didn't know.  The biggest shock was the amount of time that he was an artist was so short and he produced so much in that short amount of time.  His paintings are ones that you just have to see in real life to appreciate them.  The depth and texture he creates with the paint is amazing.  I highly recommend if you ever get a chance anywhere to see his work do it!

Smelling...

  Ok, culture taken in....on to the House of Bols.  Kels had found this little tour of what we thought was where a brand of gin was made.  Turns out it was actually where genever was made which is what the recipe for gin came from.  It was a great little tour.  I learned a lot I didn't know.  They had you go through and smell all the different types for liqueurs to figure out what they were.  It was interesting seeing how this brand has maintained it's name and integrity over all the years.  It has been around since the 1500's.  That's a long time to keep up brand integrity.  
Once we got to the end of the tour you got to choose your own cocktail and try 2 different flavored liqueurs.  They were very yummy.

...and sipping

The bartender made us some tasty drinks that definitely involved being lit on fire.  Quite a show.  My drink was a bit full in the beginning so he made me take a drink with out touching the glass before I picked it up so that I wouldn't lose any of it.  I am very thankful since it was such a good drink.  It would have been tragic for one little bit to have been wasted.
The experience at the House of Bols was well worth it and I am glad my travel buddy found it.
We are now moving into our last days here.  I can't believe we only have one day left.  It has gone by too fast.  If this is any indication of how the next month will go I am going to blink and it will be over.
I am going to saver the last moment here and will update you all again soon!

With Love from Amsterdam!

Adios Spain....on to the Netherlands

My finals days in Palma are drawing to a close quite quickly.  After the crazy tourist day Kelsey and I decided to just really relax and take  advantage of where we were.  In anticipation for the fast pace month we are about to enter into I was grateful for this decision.  Kels had just had a whirlwind of packing up her life and moving cross country, saying good byes to friends, closing out work stuff and just starting to settle back in New Hampshire before flying across the pond to meet me so relaxing and de stressing was perfect for her as the first chapter of our joint adventure.   Now just because we are relaxing doesn't mean we aren't doing anything....we definitely found things to entertain our selves.  Since we spent quite a bit of time at

Seal Launching...Gold Medal!

the house and it was ridiculously hot we were in the pool most of the day.  We did quite a bit of book reading but also had a rigorous pool workout involving swimming laps, sit ups hanging backwards into the pool, and diving board pull-ups.  In honor of the olympics we also had a few events...The one you see in the photo is Kelsey competing in "Seal Launching" involving our trusty plastic seals being placed on the edge of the diving board and launched in.  It's quite a bit harder then you would think.  Kelsey did end up medaling in the event but it was a tight competition.  There were also a few lesser events like hair tie retrieval and sinking seal diving.  There are a few videos of these events that will be released after we have checked with all of Kelsey's sponsors and got clearance.
  We did venture out of the house a bit one morning to walk the streets of Palma and Kels really wanted a bit of a beach day so we went and swam in the Mediterranean.  We went to a beach I had not gone to and it was great.  We found a nice little section that had some great people watching.  There also were a lot of those floating couples.  You know the ones who are out in the water with arms or legs or what ever else wrapped together.  We even had some of the girls who laid just where the waves roll up on the sand "photo shoot style"  trying there best to look sexy.  It was pretty comical because it really is nothing like what it appears in the photos.  One strong wave and you are knocked all sorts of sideways and your hairs in your face and sands up your nose.  Sorry to burst anyones bubble who thinks it really happens like the movies and photos.  

Downsizing

After the lovely beach day we hit up a store for me to get a much needed item for this next part of travel....a new suitcase.  So as you all know I did pack up my life for the next 5 months in a suitcase  and I think I did pretty well for the type of traveling I would be doing however that type of traveling has changed.  I was originally going to always have a home base to leave my suitcase in and travel out of there with a smaller bag...not the case anymore.  Kels and I are planning to basically be on the move every 4-5 days for the next 6 weeks.  There was no way I would be able to carry my monster of a bag and as Kelsey said " That bag is like a whole other person and they didn't pay to be on this trip"  This led to the

Back-up Betty

 purchase of my new traveling companion Back-up Betty!   I have seriously downsized...Look I can even carry her on my back!  We don't need to talk about whether or not she is full.  You've seen my guns...I can handle it plus we had been doing our pool work out.  But seriously doing all this traveling makes you realize the things you really can live with out.  Don't get me wrong I love owning tons of pairs of shoes but they just aren't necessary when it comes right down to it.  Sometimes the material things in certain situations just end up weighing you down.  In this case it was literally weighing me down.  I was happy to have a suitcase half the size of my original.  Everything fit in perfectly so we were ready to head off towards our next location....Amsterdam!
We were leaving on a sunday which was cause for concern initially because Spain usually shuts down on Sundays.  Luckily we found out that the busses still ran.  With a bit of sadness to leave our lovely Resort Style Living we rolled our suitcases down the hill to wait at the bus stop.  The bus arrived promptly on time and it was off to the airport.  Check in and security were good for us but we were surrounded by people who clearly didn't understand that belts, jewelry and iPhones will set off the  security detector....Maybe they just like to be searched. Now lets talk about the flight....Originally it was supposed to be on time. Unfortunately this did not end up being the case.  We had been sitting on the plane and it seemed as if all the people were loaded but then the caption announced over the intercom

Sad Face...It's really #@!*ing hot!

  that we were missing a passenger and would need to remove his luggage.  First off I didn't know they did that...thought they just shipped the luggage back on another plane and you were left with out you luggage.  Second, didn't realize they had to shut down the whole plane to do it.  All I can say is holy hot!!!  We were dying and very sad about the situation (see our best sad face in the photo above).  Third hot airplane and non deodorant wearing european man next to me and bad perfume wearing lady made it almost unbearable.  There was a strong possibility that we would either pass out or throw up if the air was not turned on soon.....oh man the non deodorant wearing man just reached up over me to open the non working air vent...it might be over.  Just in the nick of time the engine turns on and

Happy Face...Planes Leaving!

everything is going to be ok.  Air is flowing and the air plane is taking off.  Amsterdam here we come.  Travel days are never with out some excitement.  The flight was good...slightly turbulent ...but good.  Once we landed we knew it would be a bit till be got off since we were in the back of the plane.  Now usually everyone gets off orderly and politely one row at a time...not here...this was like the security check all over again.  No one was following the one row then the next rule and were just jumping  ahead with just makes for chaos in the center aisle.  Once it was finally our turn to get out of our row the lady behind us started throwing herself and bags at me when I was already half way out in the aisle.  I had to resort to the desperate measures of a swift hip check to keep her in line (don't worry Kelsey will verify it was an appropriately given one and much needed) so that we could get off the plane.  After

Dorm Living...bunk bed style

the plane we needed to find the train which some lovely overhead signs led us to.  One quick stop at the info desk for a bit of direction and we were on our way to the hostel.  Finding the exit for the hostel was easy...actually finding the hostel was a whole other story.  The directions I had were get off at the exit and follow the black and yellow signs.  Well, there were a few different black and yellow signs so we asked in a bike show which way we should go and the man behind the desk said "that way" and pointed.  Now mind you we have our suitcases rolling behind us and don't really know where we are going.  Long story short we walked way too far in the wrong direction till we finally looked at a tram map where we ran into some really nice dutch people (who spoke perfect english) and they got us in the right direction.  We made it after that without a problem, checked in and set up our beds.  We are truly living in college dorm life again(I call top bunk!)...should be interesting!
We are off to explore tomorrow.....tune in for more soon!!!

I have a friend....

I am no longer alone in my travels.  Kelsey arrived on Tuesday and I must say it is a joy to have someone to hang out with!  Everything went smoothly with her arrival with the exception of one small luggage issue (it came out at the wrong turnstile) but all was fixed and we headed out of the airport towards home.  The first night and the next day we pretty much just relaxed.  Kelsey handled jet lag like a champ...no naps!  She stuck to the program of only sleep when you are supposed to in the time zone and you adjust quickly.  A great ex-boss taught me this and it always works.  After our day of rest we were planning to hit Palma hard...tourist style.  There were a few things that I had not done but wanted to so I just saved them for when Kels arrived so we could explore together.

Travel Buddy!!!

We got out the map and started planning how to do it all strategically.  We decided the best way was to just go Kamikaze style and do both the big things in one day.  Since we live a bit outside of town we have to take a bus into town before we can even connect to the others that will get us to the sights so, it made the most sense ( No transfers allowed on bus tickets...pay each time you get off and on) to just get it all done in as few as possible bus rides.  Once in town we wandered around some of the highlights I had already hit but I wanted to share with her.  We went to Placa Major, the downtown shopping streets, the little hidden fairytale park and then on to the cathedral.  I had wandered outside but had waited to go....Today was the big day.  We chose to go early since I had been told the the lighting is beautiful in the morning.  Getting up with an alarm so we could make it in time was well worth it.

Rainbows....

The sunlight shown through the stain glass windows creating rainbows along the columns and floors.  It was stunning.  I felt like each time I turned around here was a new spot that was illuminated.  As the sun rose in the sky the cathedral was bathed in all sorts of different colors.

...and more rainbows 

Taking a moment of thought

As I wandered the cathedral and took in all it's beauty I couldn't escape the grandeur of it.  Just sitting down in the pews and gazing at the alter I could only think...people have been sitting here and doing this for hundreds of years.  So many different people from so many different generations have sat right where I am and prayed, or worshiped or even struggled with their faith figuring out who and what they are.  I suppose I will never truly know what has happened within these walls...I can only imagine.  It is pretty amazing to think of the huge part of history I am walking through and sitting in.

Alter lit up

   Although the entire cathedral is pretty amazing my favorite part was the alter.  Apparently history says that it has been changed and manipulated over the years but all items are still original.  I was in love with all the iron work and hanging lights.  I think they must have been testing out the lights while we were in there because they were only one for a few short minutes.  Luckily Kelsey and I were quick on the draw with our cameras and captured a few photos.
Once we had absorbed as much as possible from the inside we headed to the museum area.  Apparently there had been an earthquake which damaged a bit of the cathedral.  It has been redone quite modern which I was not impressed with but as we walked round the museum we saw parts we believe were from the original window and walls that were damaged in the earth quake.  There also among these items were your standard cathedral memorabilia, candelabras that were taller then me, wooden boxes that stored little trinkets and glass cases with the bones of deceased people....mostly arm bones.  Ya, don't ask....I have no idea.  If anyone can answer that one for me I would love it!
We exited through the gift shop and then headed to the bus stop for our next adventure...Bellver Castle.   I had done as much research as possible on how to get to this castle and that research had provided us with the directions of take the bus that stops at either of these 2 random stops and then walk up the hill through a pine forest.  Needless to say we were kinda just guessing and hoping for the best.  I was at least able to figure out what bus we needed to get on and found the 2 possibly correct stops.  As we were riding I spotted a purple sign with a picture of a castle on it and an arrow pointing up the hill...Yes Success we thought so we hopped off the bus and followed like the good little tourists we were.  At the top of the hill we saw a very proper looking sign with a map of the castle and surrounding areas.  We found the  You are here! part and then figured out the route we were on.  We started walking up the hill in the shoulder of a 2 lane road.  After we had been walking just a bit we both kinda said..."We chose the longest route didn't we?"  And the answer of course was yes.  As we walked along the side of the road, which by the way we were the only people walking on this road,  we were passed by multiple double decker red tour buses which was encouraging and discouraging all in the same breath.  Encouraging because we knew that if a tour bus was headed that way we had to be going in the right direction.  Discouraging because we also knew that a foot path would have taken us directly up where as we were going along the driving path with was going quite far away from the castle before taking us to it.  After about 20 minutes of up hill walking in 90 degree heat through the dusty pine forest inhaling  exhaust and sweating in places we didn't know we could sweat we finally arrived at the entrance to the  

Castle entrance

castle.  All the hard work and sweat were of course worth it to see this unique piece of history.  Although parts of it are definitely in ruins the majority of it was very well maintained.  I love how the people who were building these places way back when really thought about the big picture.  There is always a view within a view through every archway, window or doorway.  This castle is know for 2 things....One is it has a glorious view and the other is that it is one of the only completely circular castles.  It is basically a circle inside a circle inside another circle. you enter through one doorway then walk the main level...take a staircase up to the next level and walk the middle circle then one more set of stairs takes you up to the top level of this castle where you can enjoy the view (and the breeze).  Unfortunately we were there on a bit of a hazy and humid day...oh ya did I forget to mention that the 90 degree heat was especially sticky....anyway, this led to not as great a view but still lovely and well worth the walk.

Small door big people...?

One thing that we kept noticing as we walked through the castle was the size of the doors.  I know I have mentioned this before about some of the palace doors in London but apparently castles follow suit.  As you can see by the photo, me at my not so tall height of 5'6" am not too far under the top of the door (this was one of the taller ones too).  It really makes you wonder how big all these people back in the day really were.  All the marble statues and supposedly life like depiction's of men during these times do not make sense with these itty bitty doors.  I suppose it will just remain a mystery for now...








When we finished our tour of the castle we were determined to find the correct exit from this place and not suffer the 2 lane road again.  We saw a sign with a picture of a church on it and also the word exit.

Stairway away from castle

We looked down, saw a winding stone staircase and figured it can't be any worse then inhaling all the exhaust again so with hope that we made the right choice we began the stairs.  As we walked I started recalling reading somewhere about a church being along the walk to the castle so when one came into view I knew we were gonna be ok.  When we descended the stars and got closer to town we were quite relived.   We found our bus, hopped on and headed home to make dinner and have a dip in the pool.
And so our day as Kamikaze tourists ends.  I am so happy to have someone along with me now to share in all the amazing moments.  It is only going to get better from here!