With caution, I stepped on the scale. Curious more than concerned. Have I mentioned that Europe has delicious bread? And gelato. And waffles. And chocolates. Negative 4 pounds? Something must be wrong. I stepped off, and back on. Pleasantly surprised, I chalked it up to the Austrian alps and German vineyards and went back to…
Or… What To Do with Yourself When You Have 10 hours to On A Plane and Can’t Fall Asleep 42 Friends in 15 Countries 32 Trains 31 Days 28 Email Adresses (from the 42 friends) 15 Runs 9 Hikes 6 Host Homes 5 Hostels 4 Bodies of Water (that I put my feet or whole…
Here I sit, overlooking Lake Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland and my thoughts turn pensive and sentimental. I am about to take a train back to Barcelona – my starting and ending point. Just like the lake before me, if I merely squint, I can see the other side. The place where this adventure ends. I’ve…
Little town, its a quiet village. Every day, like the one before. Little town, full of little people; waking up to say….Guten Morgen! (Adapted from ‘Beauty and the Beast’) The train screeched to a halt at a small building, painted blue letters reading HALLSTATT. With an Austrian family, a Hispanic family and a couple of…
The real life “stumble upon” is much more thrilling than the online version. Especially when it involves lederhosen. After checking into my hostel in Nuremberg, I set out to explore the city. My first stumble, was upon a children’s festival, complete with games, balloons and a tattooed man in cow print pants singing “nein, nein,…
Language is a funny thing. Gerlinde, Dietmar, Martin and Jürgen are my current and gracious hosts in the small village of Talheim. Gerlinde and I have had so many conversations over breakfasts of pretzels and tea and long walks in vineyards and forests. Her favorite topic of conversation is language and the meaning of words.…
Thankful to find a seat, I settled in to the ICE train from Brussels to Köln. The woman next to me smiled and made a comment, in English! I soon learned she was from Greece and lives in Germany. Later she was reading a book, in Greek. I excused myself, flashed my wrist and asked…
I’ve fallen in love with a little city known as Bruges. It had been decided. I would take my plane ticket originally meant for teaching English in Barcelona and turn my plans into a one month European adventure. Where to start? A friend told me that she loved Belgium for it’s cobblestone streets and real…
My face gets hot, my heart begins to race and once again I feel very ignorant. I say ‘sorry’ in English, too afraid to make an attempt at a word, I know I will fail miserably. Growing all the more ashamed, I hang my head. Desperate to understand, eager to communicate, but too timid to…
Sarah Lynn Smile 