On the road again

Things have improved dramatically from my last post! My fever/flu has been cured and my leg is doing a million times better, so last Tuesday I left Spain for Berlin.  Spain had spoiled me with its "winter," so I was in for a bit of a shock when I got to Germany.  My first day there, I took a city tour to get oriented, and on my break I went to buy a hat so my ears wouldn't fall off! Other than the cold though, Berlin is a very beautiful and historic city, and I spent two days being immersed in Nazi and Cold War history.  There are a few parts of the city where the wall still stands, and it was hard to imagine what it was like when one day people woke up and found they couldn't go to the other part of the city for the next thirty years... It's like if they put a wall down Meridian Street.  And if you worked on the other side, or your boyfriend/girlfriend/family/whoever lived on the other side, then too bad for you.  It's hard to comprehend.

   Most of this part of my trip has kept my mind focused on language.  In Berlin, I met some girls from Switzerland and some guys from Brazil, but it's strange to see how English becomes the basis for conversation, because nobody's German or Portuguese was enough to understand each other.  This trip also has me stuck in an endless game of charades.. which can be very amusing, such as trying to pantomime "no onions," which the guy took to mean "lots and lots of onions."  Or it can be frustrating, such as when I was at the train station trying to buy a ticket and none of the staff understood me when all I wanted was just a ticket.  If I don't speak any German, yelling at me louder won't make me magically understand you.
   After Berlin, I went on to Sweden.  Now my Swedish is a million times better than my German! I know quite a few words such as: tack (thank you), hiss (elevator), infart (entrance), utfart (exit), femtifem (55), and nej (no), all essential words for a great conversation.  And sometime, ask a Swede why Brad Pitt gets made fun of in Sweden.... :)
   Anyways, I had an awesome time in Sweden!! I was so sad to leave :(  I went to visit my friend Marina that I haven't seen in more than two years and all her family and friends.  We had so much fun partying, getting kicked out of a bar due to a cat fight, eating lots of yummy food, having a Super Bowl party (home run!!), and driving around in her boyfriend Kristofer's Volvo.  His Volvo, by the way, deserves an honorable mention.  It's like my car, but worse.... His parking sensors consist of hitting the walls to know they are there, and the exhaust pipe runs up into the car, so we have to drive with the windows cracked so no one dies...  Luckily, we made it out alive, and on one of the days I went with Marina's dad and brother to the lake.  I love how Europeans are so much more active than Americans! Normally we just sit inside on our fat butts all winter and eat, but everyone was outside ice skating and skiing on the frozen lake and hiking through the woods.  So charming!

Sweden ♥

   Unfortunately, I had to leave Sweden (although I'm sure I'll be back!), but my next stop was Dresden, Germany.  I fell instantly in love with this city... this is a slight problem I have... everywhere I go I absolutely adore!  Anyways, the town is split in half by a river, and you cross a footbridge to get to the old city.  Every building is just gorgeous and even though the town has about 500,000 people, everything is very quiet and no one ever seems to be in a rush.

Dresden

    After Dresden I moved on to Wroclaw, Poland.  If I thought German and Swedish were tough, Polish is on a whole different level.  Apparently the town is pronounced 'frot-suave'?  I didn't even realize this until I got here... and the only two words I've figured out how to pronounce are Dziękuję (jay-kwee-ay), which means thank you, and piwo (beer).  This has led to the charades game getting even more intense.  Yesterday I tried to order a slice of pizza... the whole time I was thinking, "Ok, $4 is a little steep for a slice, but I suppose it's really big..."   Then the lady gives me an entire pizza.  I stood there halfway mortified, but mostly trying not to laugh, so I left with my pizza.  The most embarrassing part was that I went home and ate the entire thing!!  Someone is going to have to roll me home from Europe...
   Speaking of food, I am trying to understand the obsession they have with kebabs in Europe.  I thought it was just a Turkish thing, but apparently not... Kebabs are everywhere! I've had kebab in a box, kebab as big as my head, kebab slightly bigger than my head... and the best part is they are usually only $3-4.  And it's enough food for about a week!

Wroclaw

   Another happy moment outside of my various food comas was the fact that I got to wash and DRY my clothes yesterday!  If you've never experienced the lack of a dryer, it's hard to appreciate this, but drying your clothes on a line in winter sucks.  Now my clothes resemble clothes again instead of burlap sacks!  It's like a small miracle!
  I should also mention a few minor changes I've made to my travel strategy.  When I was in Spain, I switched out my backpack for a carry-on size suitcase.  I feel so much less hardcore, but my back and shoulders are thanking me for this decision.  Normal size people don't have as many problems with a backpack I think, but when you are as small as me, it's hard to get around with a small monster hanging off your shoulders.  If I fall down, it's like a turtle on its back... I'd be stuck there until someone picked me up.  I also didn't do any Couchsurfing on this part of my journey (minus Sweden.. but I stayed with friends, not strangers).  Mostly this is because my plans have changed a million times at the last minute, but it's also nice to not have to be so dependent on anyone else's work/class schedule.  If I want to take a nap or go back to eat a snack, I can just do it and not feel like I'm intruding on anyone's space or time.  Besides, with the exchange rate, my hostel in Poland cost about $8 a night.  You can't ask for anything better than that!  But perhaps in a week or two, I will try surfing again, because it's a great way to get to know a local and see how they live.
    Now I've just arrived in Prague and met up with my wonderful aunt!! Traveling alone has been great, because I've met so many cool people, but it's nice to see a familiar face from back home.  We will spend a week together in the Czech Republic, then I think I will go on to Munich and Austria... although it's always subject to change.
  Until next time! Na shledanou!