My train arrived in Prague in the late evening and I walked a mile or two to the hostel. I ate some good Thai food and called it a night. The next morning, I started exploring the city.
Prague
Vienna
After enjoying my time in Berchtesgaden, I took a train back to Salzburg and continued onto Vienna. I had high hopes for Vienna, because of the art and opera scene. However, I seemed to have eaten some bad schnitzel pizza and found myself ill for most of Vienna.
I’ve already convinced myself that I will be coming back, so I’ll just remember to avoid schnitzel pizza and all will be well. Tomorrow I’m leaving for Prague, be prepared for some more blog posts.
Berchtesgaden and the Eagle’s Nest
Today I went to Berchtesgaden, Germany. This is a very small town near the German-Austrian border where Kehlsteinhaus (The Eagle’s Nest) is located. The Eagle’s Nest was a 50th birthday present to Adolf Hitler from the Third Reich. It is a house on the top of a mountain, reachable by a gold-plated elevator. Ironic, because Hitler was afraid of heights.
Salzburg
My train arrived in Salzburg at 10pm. After a slight difficulty of finding the hostel, I met some fellow travelers and called it a night. The next day, I woke up early to walk around the castle ruins nearby and take pictures of the cityscape.
Gimmelwald Part 2: Schilthorn
Today was my last full day in Gimmelwald, Switzerland. It has been raining nearly non-stop since I arrived. Since it was my last day, rain or shine, I had to attempt the climb to Schilthorn peak.
Gimmelwald Part 1: Hiking in Alps
Matt and Lyle left last Thursday. It’s been one week since I’ve seen a familiar face or place. Traveling alone in Europe isn’t scary. Even though I am alone, I’m not lonely at all; I’ve met several locals and fellow travelers. Some of the people here put my itinerary to shame. I met a young man yesterday who sold all of his possessions and has been backpacking around the world non-stop for over a year. I met another older gentleman who has spent eight months per year for the past 12 years traveling aimlessly from place to place.
I left Bern on Tuesday and headed southwest toward Interlaken. From Interlaken, I took a series of trains and lifts up to a small mountain town called Gimmelwald. This is one of the most untouched areas of the Swiss Alps and is certainly one of the most remote places I’ve ever been in.
Bern
Yesterday, I arrived in Bern, Switzerland via incredibly long and scenic trains from Italy. I wasn’t expecting to stay here more than one night, I was a little surprised that I had booked a two night stay. Apparently I don’t know my itinerary as well as I thought.
I spent most of the day today walking around exploring the city as well as visiting the Einstein Haus and Museum.
Cinque Terre
I am now by myself in Europe. Matt and Lyle left last Thursday morning. I haven’t had regular wifi, so this post is a little overdue.
From Rome, I caught a train to the tiny Italian town called Manarola along the northwestern coast. Manarola is in a string of five small towns that make up Cinque Terre. I spent three nights and two days here.
Vatican
It’s official; I’ve been in Europe for one month now. It doesn’t feel like that long, but looking back through all of the blog posts it does seem like quite some time.
Today was definitely a highlight of the summer. We spent all day at the Vatican.
Rome Part 2: Colosseum and Forum
We started our day today with a visit to the Colosseum. Since we had bought the Roma Pass, we were allowed to skip the 1.5 hour wait and get in very quickly.
