Last European stop: Nuremburg, Germany

I had to say goodbye to everyone today, as we were leaving Garmisch, it was rough. I headed to Nuremberg as everyone was going back to Salzburg and Louie going to England. Mike lives just near Nuremberg, and offered a place to stay for the night, because my flight was out of Munich which is.. kind of nearby lol. Plus, I got to see another city AND Mike again before I left!

He met me at the Nuremberg Haptbanhof, and then we chucked my bag in a locker and walked around the city a bit. It was a really cool city!  There was a castle in the middle of it and many beautiful churches and streets to just walk down and enjoy:)

After seeing the city, we went back to the station and saw that the train comes in 4 minutes! We were lucky! Quickly got tickets and made it on the train.. then as the doors were closing, Mike said, "shit, tour bag!" We booked it out of there running at full speed.. luckily the door still opened for us. We went to get my bag and by the time we got back to the platform, we only had a few minutes wait.  We had dinner at his place and he came with me to the airport today:)  I will say though.. it made it soo much harder to say goodbye.

It was snowing on the way to the airport, and below 0°C (about 30°F) ...I checked the weather for Bangkok before I left.. 33°C (about 85-90°F) and sunny all week.. that's going to be quite the adjustment! But I am soo ready for warmth!  I'll just have to do a little shopping when I get there.

Goodbye Europe..
it's been quite a wonderful time with you and all the culture, people, and land you contain..
But it's not really goodbye, because I'll definitely be back.

<3

Snowboarding on a Glacier

So our ski trip to Garmisch was incredible! We stayed at a chalet, that was a 10 minute walk from the mountain, a supermarket right around the corner, and had heated floors!!  Only one of those were correct though.. the heated floors. It took 20 minutes to walk to the lift, about 10-15 to get to the Aldi, but the floors were still heated.. and the chalet was gorgeous! Even though the walks were longer than expected, it was soo awesome!

We were a bit worried at first, because when we got to Garmisch, there was barely any snow and the conditions of the slopes we saw from the bottom of the mountain looked really bad.. Well we went to get our rentals that night, and talked to the guy in the shop, who was probably the nicest guy I have ever experienced at a ski resort in my entire life.. he was so happy and friendly! He told us to go to the glacier area on the top of the mountain because it would have much better conditions. So we did! He told us that we had to take the train to the top, which would take about an hour.

A little story about that next morning though.. we walked from our chalet to the rental place to pick up our equipment the next morning, then we went to where we get on the train to take us up the mountain! 

We waited about 20 minutes for the Train outside, so when it finally came, it was really warm inside because we had been used to the cold.. no, it wasn't warm.. it was boiling hot!  So since we would be on it for about an hour, we figured we would shed some layers for awhile until we got close to the top. We took off our jackets, sweatshirts, scarves, gloves, helmets, I even took my boots. We got to the first stop along the way, when all of a sudden they translated what they had said in German, "this Train terminates here." All we could think was, shit!  The other train we had to connect to was already on the other platform. So we basically ran; we grabbed all of our things, looked like quite the piece of work running to the other train barely having a hold on our boards, skis, poles, and boots, half dressed in all our snow gear, and just laughing our asses off.. but we made it just in the nic of time!

After riding up the mountain with beautiful views all around us, there was a tunnel to the top for about 25 minutes. When we arrived, we walked from the tunnel to the slopes, and I couldn't believe the view. We were surrounded by sun, blue skies, views of mountains for miles, and absolutely no trees in site.. we were on a glacier! And this is where we would be skiing for the next few days:)

The conditions were absolutely perfect. Sometimes I would just look up and think to myself.. there is now way I am seeing this right now.. let alone snowboarding right in the middle of it all. And that's when I caught an edge and fell. Just kidding, I didn't fall until I was stopped at the bottom of the run. And then I had one actual fall fall on the slope.. I don't know how that happened though.. caught a back edge? Then had a good tumble and slide. Needless to say the next morning I woke up with a really really sore neck.
The next day we went back, but the conditions were shit. Visibility was really bad, which is tough to board on when you don't really know your way around.. we were skiing in a cloud!  It was still a good day though.

That night Dave taught us how to play a card game called asshole, it was soo fun!  So much fun that when we forgot a deck of cards at the chalet when we left the next day.. Jan bought a deck at the train station, so we could play on the train.

I had to say goodbye to everyone today.. it kinda sucked, but was still a fun day.

One last thing, boarding on a glacier is awesome, everyone needs to do it.

<3

Zagreb, Croatia

Well.. I had to leave Shengan one last time before going to Thailand on Saturday. And I decided to go to Croatia!  I went to the capital, Zagreb, and I really loved it!!  On the first night I stayed at a hostel because I didn't find a host in time, and I loved that as well, so much that I almost just stayed.. the reception guys were unbelievably helpful and friendly, I felt so comfortable and welcome! And it was really laid back.  But the next 2 nights I found a host, so I decided to spar myself the 25€ and stay with her and her boyfriend.

They were awesome and I had such an amazing time!!  I'm happy about my decision to stay with them, it's the first host ice stayed with that didn't have any recommendations, so I had to be weary at the beginning, but they ended up being seriously wonderful.

Before I met up with Eva, that day I went walking all over. There were TONS of people in the city! It was a Saturday and the first one after new years.. it was crowded!!!  I had such a nice time just wandering and discovering on my own though.. it was the first beautiful day I had seen in awhile; blue skies behind the city buildings made it all really pretty and enjoyable.. plus, it was soo warm I didn't even feel like I needed a jacket at one point! But then a brisk wind reminded me it was winter..

Eva met me outside the train station, by where all the trams go by there was a statue, then we went back to her place where I met Robert her boyfriend. He made us soup!  We hung out awhile just chatting and having a lot of laughs, I really felt instantly comfortable with them, I could totally see myself going back to Zagreb, and trying to hang with them again.

That night, Eva and I went to this Cinema place to hang out with a bunch of her friends.. it was a blast!! So much that the next day, we got quite a late start, then just went walking around the city. We got to see it at night which was really beautiful. Then we went to a pub and just hung out with the locals and talked for a few hours. Later on we went back to her place, ordered a pizza (that came in a teenaged mutant ninja turtles box!), watched a movie, and then went to bed.

The next day I headed out to Salzburg again to get ready for our Garmisch ski trip!  It was really bittersweet though, I had such a lovely time at Eva and Robert's, I could've definitely stayed longer.

But alas, it was time to go at 6am... Aahh!  (That's waayy too early btw)..

<3

A little tour of Austria: Steyr & Vienna

After New Years, on the 2nd, I said goodbye to some new friends, and headed to travel around Austria for a bit with Louie, Joe, Erika, Stevie, Jack and Loraine before I had to escape to Croatia for a few days.

We went to Steyr and Vienna.

On our way to Steyr, we stopped in Linz to have brunch with someone Erika went to high school in Austria with. Then we made it to Steyr and got an afternoon tour of the city from Joe. It a really nice city, but it was soo cold! We also saw some mountain goats!

When Joe was younger he did a foreign exchange in Austria, and then when Erika was in high school she did the same, and stayed with the same family!  They call them Oma and Opa, because they are basically their Austrian grandparents. That night we had dinner with them and more of the family that they are close with. It was such a lovely night. I don't know why, but throughout my time there I just felt soo gracious for everything, and everyone who I was with. They were such wonderful people and I am humbled to have be able to meet them.

That next day, we left for Vienna (Wien), it was too soon to go though, we all felt it. Our time there was short, but sweet, and it will not be forgotten.

When we got to Vienna, we dropped our bags off and Joe gave us a tour here too! We walked all around, the city was lit up with beautiful lights and the streets were nicely decorated, the stores were very expensive name brands (not for me at all), and the people loved their dogs. We went to the cathedral which was gorgeously placed in the middle of the city center, and when we went in, everything was lit up with colored lights!  It looked like it was tie dyed and we have no idea why lol.

Afterward, Louie, Erika, Stevie, and I went and got gelato..  it was legit gelato too.. and soo good!! Then we all met up again for dinner with some of their friends.

The next day I was to go to Zagreb, Croatia at 4pm, but before that, we all met up, because we were staying in different places, and went to the palace!  It was big. After, we went to find a place to eat for lunch and then it was time for me to say goodbye. I would see Louie in a few days, but I had to say goodbye goodbye to the rest :(  I didn't like that at all.
It was time for Traveller Miranda to keep on travellin.

<3 M

The Worst Part About Travelling...

My time in Europe is coming to an end, and I am feeling absolutely overwhelmed with emotion. Especially since being in Salzburg. I have been surrounded with such amazing people.

It all started when I was travelling with Leslie, and we went to Salzburg because she has a friend, Louie, who is working there. We all had a great time. And later on through my trip I told him how I was trying to stay through Christmas and he said I could come to Salzburg for Christmas!

He encouraged me even more by also inviting me to ski in the Alps. I really couldn't turn it down then. So I gave him a definite answer yes, and within no time I was there on 23 December. 

He introduced me to a lot of people; friends, family, coworkers, friends of coworkers. And we all had a blast together over the holiday; skiing, celebrating new years, and just hanging out.

After new years, we visited around Austria a bit and I was lucky enough to meet some more amazing family friends in Steyr, this is when I really started feeling really emotional, when I had to say goodbye to their Oma & Opa before going to Vienna. They were such amazing people, and our time there was just waayyy too short.

Life here is just so beautiful, I can hardly put it into words. When we go out to eat, we actually spend time together, we don't just leave after the meal is through.

More houses and flats that I've been to haven't had any TV, which I think is really great, because when friends get together, there is nothing distracting us from each other.

I'm going to miss these things very much, but the better things are, the harder they are; meting people, seeing new places, and experiencing new things are soo incredible, but with all the good they come with, makes it harder to say goodbye, leave a place, and end an experience.

Any who.. I've developed a nickname over the past 3 weeks.. it's Traveller Miranda (since there were 2 Miranda's, they started just calling me Traveller)..
And it's my time to live up to it again.

So, simply said..
the worst thing about going somewhere is having to eventually leave it, and the bad thing about meeting amazing people is having to say goodbye..
But I must say, I wouldn't change any of these moments and experiences I've had, for anything.. no matter how hard it may be in the end..

I saw this quote the other day, and I don't think one could be any more perfect:

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
- Winnie the Pooh.

...couldn't have said it better myself Winnie..

<3 M

Interesting things I've learned so far..

In Europe, kids in strollers are in sleeping bags! I get soo jealous of them!  All warm in their stroller sleeping bag made of wool.. what a bunch a luckies.. I don't ever remember having a sleeping bag stroller... what the heck mum!?

Many people in eastern europe (maybe all of europe too?) put lemon in their tea, and it is DELICIOUS!

Dogs everywhere! Trains, buses, in malls! The other day in Vienna I saw a guy nearly kneeling on the ground, telling at his dog to get back in his bag, which was Louie Vuton btw..  And yesterday in Zagreb, I was walking around with my host and we saw a dog with shoes on.
I've also seen dogs in strollers..
Seriously wtf?
Dogs are NOT babies!  That's why they're called dogs.

In Moldova, they think you get sick from what they call a current and what we would call, wind. In summer I've heard that the busses get really hot, but when someone tries to open a window, they get yelled at, especially if there are children on the bus/tram.. because you'll get them sick if you do.

Also, have I mentioned yet that I look foreign because I smile too much?  Hah!  That one cracked me up.

In Austria, they believe you will get hemroids if you sit on a cold bench in winter. <-- that cracked me up as well.. sometimes when people are around I sit down just to make them stare and think about me getting hemmies.

It's a cool thing for younger people to speak/say certain phrases in English.. it makes me feel like I'm the coolest person here because all I can speak is English.. but lets be real.. without even talking in English, I'm clearly the coolest person here. 

Also, apparently chocolate mushrooms are good luck on new years... Also these weird gummy pistachio pigs.

New Years Eve; Salzburg Style

I'm going to say it again... I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life, as I did while these guys were here.. f#*&ing hilarious

We had a great group for New Years: Jan, Lucy, Gary, Ben, Angela, Johnny, Mike, Marc, Louie, Stevie, Erika, Miranda, Jessica, Chris, Carl, Jack, Loraine, and Joe.. with this crew we had an incredibly fun few days and New Years Eve.

We went out to eat first and then headed to the main square for the countdown to midnight.  In Salzburg at midnight, they shoot off fireworks, play music, and it is tradition to waltz. So I waltz with Angela's brother Mike. It was great, later on we went to a pub to hanging out with good people and enjoy the rest of the night.

Jan and his friends kept singing this damn churpy churpy cheap cheap song.. I STILL can't get it out of my head. Though in a small way, I don't want to because then the memory is more distant.

I had a great NYE in Salzburg.. Snowboarded during the day and had a great night.  New Years day couldn't have been any better either (see mountains mountains mountains entry)..

<3 M

Mountains, mountains, MOUNTAINS!!

The past 5 days have been filled with mountainous activities..

An overview of awesomeness:
Boarding at Werfenweng (vair-fen-veng)
Untersberg
Boarding in Flachau (flah-kow)
..then a bunch of Brits joined us..
Boarding in Flachau
..celebrated New Years Eve..
Sledding down the Werfenweng mountain

Boarding in the Austrian Alps at Werfenweng. 

On the Thursday before new years, we skied in Werfenweng..  it was a great day. We were a bit worried because it was raining on the way there, but silly us.. we were going on top of a mountain!  Rain is snow up there! It was awesome!! 

It was Erika and Miranda's first time boarding, and they did great!! And Chris and Jess learned to ski! 

It was fun.. and insanely tiring.. I have NEVER been on runs that long before, and my quads were on fire! ..It definitely took some adjusting.

Boarding was soo great.. it was snowing the whole time, but luckily I had borrowed helmet and goggles from Jan, one of Louie's friends. Everyone wears helmets up here.. when I first told my friend in Germany that not a lot of people wear helmets at home, he was shocked.  But then also I thought to myself, at home I ski on a hill, not on a big ass mountain in the Austrian Alps.

We went to a hockey game later on in the night as well.

The next day we went to the top of the Untersberg.

In summertime you can hike up this nearby mountain, the Untersberg, to get to the top and see gorgeous views of other mountains and of Salzburg. But in winter, most use the gondola to get to the top. I figured that we would take the gondola up, and there would be a platform with a view and then a restaurant where we could eat. We figured this would be good, because it would give us a nice view and a break before skiing again tomorrow (nye) in Flachau...

It was a big surprise that when we got to the top, there was a hike to another mountain peak.. it didntblook too bad and naturally, most of us did it. 
= Definitely NOT an easy day.. the way was COVERED in snow.. maybe I shouldn't say just covered, because it wasn't only covered.. in some parts it was multiple feet (or almost a meter) deep! A few times I found myself knee deep in snow!  There were slopes up and down, steep and flat, but mostly steep, which made for a fun and tiring time getting there and back! Especially in boots with absolutely no traction on the bottom.
When we got to the top, it was more stunning than I could've imagined, there was a view of the city and area for miles on one side, and on the other were just miles and miles (kilometers and kilometers) of mountains. There was a cross at the top too, which I thought was nice.. especially since I have a stong faith; it helped me to remember why we have such beautiful places and who provided them for us. It was so humbling and good. I can't believe how blessed I am, with so many good people, beautiful places and different cultures all around me. I feel so Happy and proud with myself for having the courage to come on this trip, I don't know if I will ever make a better decision in my life. I am also soo thankful for everyone at home who have been soo supportive and encouraging to me. It really is/was a bigger help than they know.

All in all, it was absolutely gorgeous.  Louie and I agreed that we could stay up there for hours and not have a problem with it.  But alas, at some point it was time to return, sliding, falling and getting all snowy along the way.. it was a hard climb, but soo much fun.

Skiing in Flachau (2 days)

The next 2 days we skiied in Flachau! It was awesome! ...after spending 2 hours between renting everything and getting up the mountain on the first day. My legs felt a lot less tired. Jack and Loraine took ski lessons!  They did great!  Checked learning/skiing in the Alps off their list. Louie's coworker and friend Angela came last night with her brother Mike and his friend Marc, but are seasoned Alps skiers.. their friend Johnny came as well.. he was not a seasoned skier and well the plan for skiing 2 days in Flachau for him changed to just one after the 1st day Hah!  And Miranda and Erika continued boarding. Unfortunately since the morning took so long today went by quick.

The next day was and awesome, beautiful day.. at one point I wanted to board with no jacket, it was so sunny and warm. I didn't have goggles, because Louie's friend and coworker, Jan, came with a bunch of friends from England and I was borrowing his helmet and goggles prior, but it wasn't bad at all today because the weather was soo nice all I wore were my sunnies!

Let me take a minute to just express the amazingness of the people who joined us.. Jan, his sister Lucy, friend Gary, and Ben, along with Angela, Johnny, Mike and Marc.. and the rest of us who were already here, Louie, Stevie, Erika, Miranda, Jessica, Chris, Carl, Jack, Loraine, and Joe.. with this crew we had an incredibly fun few days and New Years Eve.

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life, as I did while these guys were here.. f#*&ing hilarious.

The next morning we woke up to go sledding (sledging as the English call it) in Werfenweng!

It was more awesome than I could've imagined..  I knew we were going sledding on a mountain, I guess I just didn't realize that we'd be sledding down the whole thing!  There was a small scare though, because after taking the gondola up and the chairlift over (it was at the same place as we skiied the first day), we ate in the lodge, then went to go pick up our sleds.. and well.. they didn't have any sleds! We waited awhile, Jan and Louie tumbled down the hill at one point because they were pushed, all of us laughed soo hard we could barely breath; I can't even truly express it through words.. It was soo funny watching them falling and slipping the whole way back up to us.

A guy left to go get sleds from the bottom and bring them back up, and finally after quite some time he drove back up with a big van full of sleds and nearly hit us with the truck as he parked! Maybe he was mad that he actually had to do some work??  Oh well, most importantly, we got our sleds! Angela and I road down together. It was soo much fun!  I like the parts where we were close to other sleds that had our friends on them, but it was also a little bit scary to get too close. We literally sled rode down the whole thing; zigzagging back and forth all the way to the bottom, with an AMAZING view along the way. It took a good half hour, I wish it could've lasted longer though, it was soo much fun. Angela was in front and I steered from the back. We were a great team, had no problems at the turns, or anything.. we liked to rub it in the other's faces after we were done. :)

I didn't realize we'd be doing soo much; this little holiday has seriously been amazing and soo much fun! I'm soo blessed to have met so many amazing people too.. soo many times I had to take a second to just step back, enjoy the view, and think to myself.. This really happening right now.. and it's soo awesome and I'm soo thankful.

<3 M

#mylifeisawesome