Munich, Prague & Berlin Road Trip!

Before I get into the road trip I need to express my love for Christmas time in Germany and more specifically the Christmas Markets. Taylor and I did our first market in Trier and it was beautiful. There were stands filled with gifts, candles, wreaths, ornaments and anything Christmasy you can think of! There were food stands with desserts, nuts that smelled incredible, and of course sausages. The food and Christmas decorations are all fine and dandy but let's not forget the real reason people go to the markets... Gluehwein! Gluehwein is a mulled wine mixed with various spices. It is advised to drink slowly because these warm drinks served in little cute mugs are no joke!

Okay, road trip time! 

My best friend, Kaitlin, arrived to Germany in December. She was teaching English in Taiwan for a few years and when that came to an end she set off on a few month traveling spree! Right before she came to Europe she was trekking the Annapurna circuit in Nepal and traveling India East to West. 

Before she came we didn't have much of a plan except to catch up and see some major European cities along the way! The first few days were spent showing her around our small town and surrounding areas and then we devised a mini road trip plan to Munich, Prague and Berlin.

Munich

Taylor and I had been to Munich before and really loved it. The Bavarian city is probably more ideal during Oktoberfest but I still think it's must-see in Germany. 

Kaitlin and I got into Munich around 4PM, just as the sun was setting. We stayed at the 4You Hostel the first night which was located in a nice area right downtown. We made our way to the Christmas Market that was completely packed full of people and of course got some Gluehwein and a brat. 

The next day we wandered around the city sightseeing where we found some pubs and street entertainers. I told Kaitlin we had to see the famous river surfers but by the time we were walking over to them it was already dark. Sure as shit, they were in wetsuits surfing in the cold water with a spot light on them! 

Prague

Munich to Prague was about a three hour drive. I didn't know that you needed a vignette to drive in the Czech but thankfully they sold them right at the border. I also wasn't aware that they used the Koruna as currency. Easy enough we found a bank and grabbed some out! 

Driving in big european cities with small streets is insane and Prague was no different. At one point I was driving on the cobble stone street following a light rail train wondering if I was supposed to be in that lane. I pulled over to let other cars pass me so I could follow them and it was indeed a lane. The next thing I know I am being chased by a different light rail train. Thankfully we made it to our hostel after lots of deep breaths and holy crap moments.

We stayed three nights in Prague at the Hostel One. The staff was incredibly friendly making sure we got a tour of the map and what to see in the city. The night we arrived they were doing a pub crawl/night tour that included dinner and free drinks so we signed up right away for that. We saw some interesting statues and sights and were able to sketch some graffiti on the Lennon Wall. 

The next few days were spent sight seeing with the people from our dorm room. Prague instantly became one of my favorite cities in Europe with the cobble stone streets, the old building structures, and the beer that is cheaper than water.

Berlin

This was my second time visiting Berlin but I think it's one of the best cities in Germany so I had no problem going again! 

We stayed at the Wombat's Hostel that was situated in the center of the city and next to a metro station. I wasn't impressed with the staff but it was super clean and had a bar, restaurant and a community kitchen which is great for long stays!

We did sightseeing during the day and decided to go to the Jewish museum as well. We also made our way to the Berlin Wall (East Side gallery) which was something I didn't see on my previous trip! Unfortunately we didn't make it to the wall until it was dark because the sun sets so early but it was still extremely impressive to see. 

Hindsight, we should have spent more time in each city but being able to visit all these places in just a week was pretty incredible and especially the time I was able to spend with Kaitlin! Until our next adventure, friend!!!

New Year, New Adventures!

2014 was filled with many adventures so we decided to keep the fun going by celebrating the New Year in a new country!

Brussels, Belgium
We decided on Brussels because we wanted a big celebration with firworks, people, bars, and the whole vibe! Plus, it is only three hours from us!

Shortly after arriving were eager to get some Belgian beer in our bellies so we walked the ten minutes to the city center and sat down at a bar outside and made our taste buds very happy!

Before our trip I got in contact with a friend of mine from college who currently lives in Brussels with her husband who plays professional basketball in the city. In fact, he played basketball at Utah and she was on the gymnastics team while I played soccer.  We of course met up with them that night to catch up and celebrate the New Year! We had some gyros for dinner and went to a few local bars where we drank belgian beer, popped champagne and danced the night away!

 Malaga, Spain
A few months ago my friend Dana told me that her and a bunch of wives had booked tickets to Malaga and that I should join. With little hesitation I booked it instantly for 50 euros round trip through RyanAir! The trip finally approached us at the end of January and it couldn't have come at a better time. The winters here in Germany are incredibly gloomy and cold so going to a beach in 65 degree weather sounded like heaven!

The night before our flight I stayed over at Dana's so that we could all pile into her car at 4am and drive to the Frankfurt Hahn airport. I was super impressed with flying RyanAir for my first time. They allow you to bring one free carryon within a certain weight and size. My GoLite backpack falls perfectly within that limit which is all I need for a weekend trip anyway! Check-in and security was a breeze and the staff on the plane were extremely friendly.

Our group consisted of nine wives all in need of a vacation, warm weather, wine and girl time! We found an incredible house through AirBNB that easily fit us all comfortably. It was located right on the beach with the view of downtown Malaga and of course the ocean. Wasting no time we jumped right into a bowl of Sangria and sat outside soaking in the sun.

Oh! In case you don't know where Malaga is... It is located on the southern coast of Spain touching the Mediterranean. In the distance and during the right time of day, you can see Morocco!

That night we all had bought tickets to a traditional flamenco show in downtown Malaga. The family band included a flute player, a drummer, a guitarist and a singer along with a dancing lady in a pretty dress. It was breathtaking and we all had a blast!

The beauty of this trip was that everyone got to do whatever they wanted. Some people did a workout on the beach while some people (me) sat on the back patio and watched them. Some girls did a tapas tour, a bike tour, and even a tour of the lounge chairs next to the pool. By the end of the trip we were all secretly planning how to get stuck in Spain and not return back to snowy cold Germany.

For every new city or town I visit, I want to see 100 more. My travel bug is itching even more than it did last year so I am excited for 2015 travels! Taylor and I already have some adventures up our sleeves for the next few months!

Switzerland + Berlin

I have finally had some time to sit down after all of our recent travels and write/show you all what we have been up to!

Switzerland

Mid-October we had our first visitor! One of my best friends was able to sneak away from her crazy-California-Netflix-superstar life and travel to Germany! Her trip was divided into two parts, Switzerland and Berlin. Taylor was also able to sneak away from his busy work schedule and join us!

When Amanda told me she wanted to go to Switzerland I was beyond thrilled and I can successfully cross that off my giant European bucket list. I did some research on places to visit and stay and decided to pick a location in the middle so we could have easy access to more cities and also drive through a bigger chunk of the country. I found this place "Charming hut direct on the slopes" and immediately fell in love. For the location, price and view (oh my gosh, the view!) I knew I wouldn't find anything better.

The hut we stayed in was located in Diemtigen, about 20 minutes up a mountain from Interlaken. The drive from Baumholder was about five hours, including stopping at the border and filling up gas on the German side and also purchasing a Vignette (road tax) sticker that is required for driving in Switzerland.

The drive was easy and beautiful until we got to the mountain our hut was on. Then it was just beautiful. Beautifully scary. The road turned into a one-laner with outlets every so often to let the oncoming car pass you. The curves were so sharp that you prayed hoping that nobody would come swooping around them. The hills were steep enough that you thought the car was going to fall off and then just roll forever. Thankfully Taylor was brave enough to white-knuckle the steering wheel and get us all up safely!

I won't even go into detail about how amazing this place was because I have pictures that almost do it justice. When we arrived we made some lunch and just sat outside soaking up the sun and enjoying the view. Oh! That is another reason why this hut was a good deal. It had a full kitchen so we were able to bring a cooler full of sandwich meats, stuff for dinner one night, and other items so we didn't have to eat on the expensive economy for every meal.

The next day we went to Interlaken to wander around and see more of the area. Unfortunately, it was super cloudy and rainy which blocked the view of the mountains. Though, the drive was still pretty with the huge lake and fall leaves hanging over us.

The town was small and seemed pretty dead but I am assuming the weather had something to do with that. Normally, there are hang gliders and skydivers surrounding the sky! We grabbed some lunch and walked around the shops and of course grabbed some of that famous Swiss chocolate and cheese at a bakery before heading back!

The drive up the mountain this time was a lot easier since we knew what to expect. Go slow, watch for cars, eyes on the road, watch for cows... Wait, what? About half way up our drive we saw in the distance a cattle herder with about 10 cows following behind him on the pavement. There wasn't an outlet for us to pull over in so we had to back up until we found an open driveway. The cows eventually passed and the rear cow herder nodded his head to say thank you as if this was completely normal.

The following day was sunny so we decided to stick around the hut and do some exploring and hiking.

After our adventure we wanted to grab some lunch at the restaurant just down the hill from our cabin. The little-old-lady owner didn't speak a word of English and we clearly don't speak Swiss-German so that was an interesting (and fun!) conversation. She told us the kitchen didn't open until 5pm so we had some beer and sat out on the restaurant porch. We took a menu home with us so we could translate it to English and order appropriately.

At 5pm we arrived back to the restaurant and the owner had 3 place settings reserved just for us. We got some wine and ordered our food of choice, all getting something different. I got the best schnitzel of my short European life, and Taylor and Amanda got some cow. We were all in meat heaven.

In the middle of our dinner the owner came to our table and said something in German but pointing out the window to the sky. When we looked out the sunset was 20 different shades of yellows and oranges. We loved the hospitality and kindness of this place!

The next morning we headed back to Baumholder but here is a little GoPro video of our adventure!


swiss from jen caldwell on Vimeo.

Berlin

We rested in Baumholder for about an hour before we had to take off to Frankfurt that afternoon to pick up one of Amanda's good friends from the airport. The next morning we all took off in the Subaru to Berlin!

My friend and soccer teammate from college, Amanda, is living in Berlin and owns Berlin Luxury. She completely hooked us up with the coolest apartment/hotel room for our stay and we couldn't have been more lucky and thankful! The apartment was located in a perfect area next to the Berlin Zoo, the metro station and plenty of restaurants and shopping! We hadn't seen each other since college so it was incredibly fun to catch up.

California Amanda also has a friend/teammate from college living in Berlin. She was extremely nice and helpful and took us to some great restaurants, bars and other site seeing must-sees during our stay.

Here is our Berlin adventure in a nutshell!

The next day was more wandering and eating! Eat & drink, eat & drink, I am not complaining! That evening we met up with my teammate Amanda and she took us to a great Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant. I tried my first octopus along with other interesting foods. We finished the night at another restaurant with chocolate crepes for dessert. I am not a sweet tooth girl but I will gladly eat chocolate crepes every single day of my life.

Our Berlin trip unfortunately came to a close and I took Amanda to the airport the next morning. We kept saying the entire week, "Who would have thought 10 years ago that we would be meeting up in Europe to hang out?!" I was so happy to see one of my longest best friends and thankful to be doing it in another part of the world experiencing new fun!