Europe! (Part 1)

I went to Europe over fall break and I absolutely loved it. I want to be a world traveler once I make my fortune. This was my first international trip and I enjoyed experiencing how other people live, eating delicious new foods, and seeing amazing places. I traveled with my mother and Heather and Scott Gwilliam (family friends) We went to Munich -Germany, Salzburg-Austria, and Venice-Italy. Here are some pictures and thoughts:

This is the city hall in Munich. I loved the architechture.

So in a lot of the towns that we went to they have a big outdoor market. People go there each day and by their groceries for each meal. There is a store for every ingredient. You have your butcher for meat, the baker for bread and then huge stands that have all the fruit and vegetables you could ever desire. If you are in Germany, don't forget the beer! My mom and I were analyzing the economics of shoping this way and wondering how each store/stand could make a profit. We decided that each person has a relationship with who they buy their food from. I loved this concept. It seems a lot more personal then going into your big chain store to buy groceries.

One of the aspects of International travel that I had not anticipated, but really enjoyed, was the food. I loved trying new dishes and expanding my tastebud horizons. The food in Germany was my faviorite! It was superb. I think I have a genetic predisposition to love German food since some of my ancestors are from Germany. Above is a picture of the brats and sauerkraut that I enjoyed.

So when one is in Europe it is safe to assume that some castle-visiting is a mandatory aspect of any trip. When we were in Germany we were able to see the famous Neuschwanstein castle and its sister castle nearby. Apparently the Neuschwanstein castle inspired Walt Disney and he patterned Sleeping Beauty and Snow White's castle after the design.

Sister castle/amazing view.



Our next stop was Salzburg. Here I am next to the fountain Maria Von Trapp (Julie Andrews) danced around in The Sound of Music.

All the windows in many of the towns had these flower boxes. They were so beautiful! I plan to have some when I have a home of my own.

Where Mozart was born. So cool.

Me + Salzburg = Happy Fräulein

Above is a beautiful summer mannor of an old Archbishop who had a great sense of humor and jimmy-rigged all of these trick fountains on his property. Google it.

Well this is a little taste of the first part of my trip to Europe. Stay tuned for part 2.

-Jess