Rainy Munich!

Hello from Munich! A lot has happened since my last posting. We left Vienna (where we both want to return) and traveled to Halstatt, the most beautiful small town I have ever been to. It was so relaxing and quiet after a couple big cities. We stayed at a really cute Zimmer (or guesthouse) where we got to have breakfast every morning with a man wearing Lederhosen and playing Austrian music. It was quiet and our room had a balcony right on the lake. We got to do a wonderful hike up the the salt mine, which Halstatt is famous for. We enjoyed sitting on our balcany, breathing in the fresh Alpine air, and watching the swans swim by in the lake. Unfortunately this is where the weather turned downhill. It has rained everyday since we left Halstatt and trraveled to Salzberg. Salzberg was still beautiful, however. We did the Sound of Music tour where we hopped up the Do Ray Mi steps, danced across the fountain, and leaped arond the famous I am 16 Going on 17 gazeebo. We were in a minibus which was a great way to keep warm and dry. We still managed to see almost everything we wanted to though. Just some of the great views were a little grayer than we would have liked. We stayed at anohter reallly cute guesthouse just outside the city complete with farm fresh breakfast. (The family even had their own tractor). Rick Steves has not led us astray yet! Now we are in Munich and spent most of the day exploring the city and keeping dry in the beer halls. We both love Munich already and can't wait to see what this beautiful city has to offer.

Vienna... Wein

We arrived in Vienna by train last night after a 5 hour train ride. After a day exploring I already love Austria more than Prage. It is beautiful. We explored the Opera today and found out a lot about the Habsburg family. We toured thweir royal palace and their crypts. We hiked up the 325 stairs to the highest tower of St. Stephens cathedral and ate the most amazing chocolate cake at the world famous Sache Hotel Cafe. We are having so much fun and are now getting ready to head off to the suburbs of the cvity to the Wine district. We are going to have dinner and drinks at Vienese Wine Gardens. We are taking lots of pictures and I am even starting to get Lindsay up to speed on how to use her camera. We got to talk to mom and dad last night for a short time which was really great. Next we have to figure out where Lindsay can buy some Leiderhosen!

Czech out Prague!

So I know the title of this is cheesey, but I just had to. Don't worry... I won't be buying one of the Czech me out t-shirts. So, eurotrip 2009 has officially begun! Just finishede our second full day in Prague and we are exhausted. Lindsay and I met up in the prague airport on Sunday night with out any problems. We then draged our tired bodies to our hostel and crashed after a traditional Czech dinner filed with lots of meat and dumplings. Monday morning we woke up to find our 12 bedroom hostel room filled with all boys and us. Definately different than living in a sorrority! We saw the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castles, Old Town Square, and the Little Quarter. Prague is such a beautiful city and so refreshing after the past few days in Athens. The night ended with a stop at the beer gardens and we also made friends with some people in the bar at our hostel where we played some American drinking games. Today we explored the Jewish Quarter and learned a lot about Prague's history. We also went to the Czech Cubist Museum whic was a highlight of the day.We walked around new Prague and did a littke window shopping on high street. We had a wonderful dinner and then went to a Black Light Theatre show. That was a one of a kind experience to say the least. We lovePrague and will do a little more sightseeing before heading to Vienna tomorrow!

Time with the Rents

So I apologize for the lack of entries.  Internet access has been sparse and we have been busy being hte  ultimate tourists.  The past week was spent in Santorini, Crete, and now Athens.  Everything has gone splendidly well and all the reservations and accomodations have been flawless (well almost).  Our only hiccup was arriving in Santorini at midnight and getting to our hotel with no one there.  Luckily mom and dad thought it wise to keep my Greek cell phone and we were able to reach hotel staff and get let into our room.  We spent one day in Santorini walking from Thira to Oia (6 miles) along the rim of the volcano and had breath-taking views followed by a gorgeous sunset.  The nest day we explored another part of the island (well mainly the black sand beach).  Santorini had a lot more to offer than I thought after my previous visit.  That afternoon we took a hight speed ferry to Crete.  Why haven't I been traveling high speed this whole time! It was amazingly fast, almost like a train.  It was a perfect way for me to end my time ferries (I've been on approximately 17 ferries since March).  Crete was my favorite island with my parents.  We sent a day exploring (and driving to) Chania.  This was a very cute little city on the water that reminded me of Venice without the canals. Dad had one of the best meals of his time here there at breakfast (a 2 pound omelet) and was full for the rest of the day.  We spent the rest of our time in Crete split between the beach and ruins like the Palace of Knossos.  We also got a chance to see Alounda, a town that we all agreed we would like to stay in next time if we stayed in Crete for longer.  Our accommodations in Crete were the most interesting. We are now really appreciating the Marriot here in Athens.  In particular I am enjoying it and Starbucks as a little taste of home before I begin my hostel tour of central Europe.  Athens has been fun but hot and we definitely have gotten our fill of ruins.  Mom is in love with the Parthenon and we enjoy going to the roof at night to see it lit up.

From the Blue Star 2

I am writing this latest entry while on the the Blue Star Ferry from Rodos to Santorini.  I said a tearful goodbye to Paros on June 1 and have spent the last 4 days in Rhodes with my parents.  Everything has gone very well.  Our resort was beautiful, and nestled above a beautiful swimming bay where we enjoyed the Aegean Sea daily.  We rented a car and got to see most of the island... even the dirt back-country roads (on accident).  We explored the LIndos Acropolis, various ancient castles, and the old town in the city of Rodos.  We also caught some rays on some outstanding beaches.  Now a 7 hour ferry ride to Santorini for the 2 days.  I am excited to see a different side of Santorini with my parents.  I absolutely love traveling with my parents (they spoil me after I have been traveling on a student budget) but, I cant wait for Lindsay to meet me in Prague in only a week!