Author Archives: Brittany

• Irish Culture Will Charm Your Socks off

  Posted at 8:00 AM by Brittany, on September 20, 2019

  As some of you know, I took a life changing trip to Ireland a few years ago, which happened to be the catalyst for my current nomadic lifestyle. I haven’t been back to Ireland since, but I would like to visit again soon. In the mean time, I day dream about the charming lifestyle that I found on the Emerald Isle.

  What Makes Ireland So Charming

  Ireland is a gorgeous country full of greenery, friendly people, and is breathtaking all year round. Spring and summer on the Emerald Isle bring lush green grass and Wild Cherry trees in full bloom. In autumn you can take a stroll through the picturesque countryside to admire the changing leaves, and during the winter you can cozy up in some wool outerwear, sip on a steaming cup of tea, and watch the rain come down.

  Let’s take a moment to appreciate that last mental image.

  Many, including myself, love the small country, alas there is more than just landscape that makes Ireland a must see destination. Here are six specific reasons why Ireland is so charming.

  1. Traditional Irish Music

  A trip to Ireland isn’t complete without seeing a live music session, known as a trad sesh, at a pub. As you enjoy a pint or two of Guinness (which isn’t touristy – it really is a local favorite. I even tried a sip when I visited and I don’t drink), you’ll be serenaded by immensely talented and fun musicians playing native instruments, including a bodhrán, Uilleann Pipes, and the fiddle.

  Expect to hear the popular songs “Danny Boy,” “The Rose of Tralee,” and “The Wild Rover” if you stick around long enough. Irish music makes my heart swoon.

  

  2. Pubs

  Speaking of pubs, there are few things cozier than sitting by the fire with a beverage in hand at a local establishment that’s probably been there since before you were born. With their lively music, friendly faces, and often historical vibes, pubs are a quintessential part of Irish culture.

  Before stopping in for a fresh pint (or tea), keep these rules in mind: Tip at least 10%, and buy a round to make new friends if you can afford it.

  3. Local Sports

  The Irish are passionate when it comes to sports, and while I’m not typically a sports fan, it’s hard to deny the Irish culture. If you can handle the crowds and cheering fans, seeing a local football team like the Shamrock Rovers makes for a fun adventure. Although Ireland loves its football and rugby, the country also has other sports that are completely unique, and taken just as seriously.

  Sports like hurling pack stadiums and inspire betting activity on Irish sites just as readily as football and rugby. So even if you don’t know all the rules (me) or have interest in placing a bet yourself, you’re sure to get an interesting cultural experience out of it!

  

  4. Literary Icons

  Ireland has been a home to numerous literary greats. Famous writers native to the country include Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, and Samuel Beckett, to say nothing of some locally famous writers of a more political persuasion. Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, even has his own gothic-inspired, four-day festival during the last week of October. Events there include seances, face-paintings, and Victorian funfair rides.

  You had me at rides and face painting. 

  5. Castles

  More than 1,000 castles can be found throughout the Irish countryside, and most of them are gorgeous – or at least visually fascinating in ruin. Some of the castles, including The Rock of Cashel in Tipperary and Ashford Castle in Mayo, date all the way back to the 13th century (and some sites that are more clusters of ruin than full castles are even older than that). Walking through these stunning, historic properties is like being transported to a different time, and can be an unforgettable experience that very few other countries or destinations can match.

  

  6. Accents

  It may sound strange to locals, but most of us can face the fact: Irish accents are undeniably captivating. In fact, according to a recent poll, which surveyed 5,000 women, the irresistible accent has been deemed the most attractive in the world! A representative of the polling site singled out actor Colin Farrell as the reason so many find the accent to be alluring. “High-profile stars such as Colin Farrell have helped bring the accent more to the fore,” he explained.

  It’s a fun explanation, but truth be told anyone with an Irish accent – not just a Golden Globe winner – sounds extremely charming, and makes for one more reason to visit. I have said many times, an Irish man becomes instantly more attractive the moment he opens his mouth to speak. 

  

  Colin Farrell is alright, but I’m partial to Gerry.

  Ireland is a place that will forever hold a piece of my soul, and I can’t wait to return someday to explore more of the rolling hills and local culture. Until then, I’ll continue to daydream about Irish musicians in ancient pubs. 

  Q: Which of the above six categories resonates most with you? Accents, and castles, and music OHMY!

  

  | 6 Comments Tagged Europe, Ireland

• Gent, Belgium

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on September 16, 2019

  First impressions can be misleading. If I lived my life based solely on first impressions I’d be missing out on some amazing opportunities. My first impression of Gent was not a good one. The city had a lot of constriction happening which seems to be a reoccurring theme for all of Europe, the weather was hot making me moody, and there were a lot of people…everywhere.

  I don’t like being uncertain of where I am when driving a car, and while searching for a parking garage upon arrival in Gent, the car navigation system continuously tried to take me down roads that were closed. There were bikers EVERYWHERE, and I ended up driving onto a pedestrian only street. I wasn’t aware I couldn’t drive here until someone stopped me and kindly advised I turn off the street.

  

  Thankfully one of my roommates had access to Google Maps, and she guided us a back way to the parking garage. I have never been happier to park a car for two days in my life. All I needed was to be mobile by foot and my first impression started to change.

  We stayed at an amazingly convenient Air B&B right next to the city center, and this made a perfect home base for our two days in Gent. 

  There is a bridge that brought us into the city from our Air B&B, and I can confidently say I have never seen a city that looked quite like Gent looks from this angle as I approached. It was absolutely stunning and I was amazed at the architecture.

  

  

  

  We arrived in the evening after our day in Dunkirk, so we made ourselves some dinner and planned for the following day. There was a walking tour starting on the above bridge (3 min walk from Air B&B) at 10am, which was the perfect start to the day. I’ve grown quite fond of the free city walking tours, they are a good way to become somewhat acclimated with a new city.

  The tour was two hours, and took us to some of the main highlights in Gent as well as some local known neighborhoods. 

  

  

  

  We did a free walking tour in Brugge as well, and our tour guide in Brugge told us a story about how Brugge and Gent used to have animosity towards each other. The rivalry is now all in good fun, but once upon a time the two cities were enemies.

  According to Brugge, Gent came and stole a golden dragon from their town, and placed it upon their Belfry tower.

  According to Gent, Brugge stole the dragon from the vikings (I think) so regardless the golden dragon didn’t belong to either of them. The dragon still sits atop the Belfry tower in Gent, and I don’t anticipate it being stolen a third time. I found it fitting that the two cities I chose to visit in Belgium had this kind of history.

  

  

  Dragon atop the tower.

  Our tour guide took us through an area he originally referred to as “the ghetto of Gent” which was a misrepresentation of what’s actually just an alley where it’s legal and acceptable to spray paint the walls. The city covers the walls with fresh paint every so often for a naked canvas, and people come to paint their hearts out.

  I found a little bit of myself in that alley.

  

  It me.

  

  Fake news: this can was actually empty.

  

  

  After the tour, my roommates and I split ways for a few hours to explore on our own. I wandered my way down backroads and cobblestoned streets for a while, and decided to splurge on a shot of espresso. I don’t drink coffee for a myriad of reasons, but sometimes I splurge regardless of the repercussions. I wasn’t going to splurge on food in Gent, so coffee it was.

  I stopped into a local shop called Barista Coffee and Cake, and my suppressed foodie coffee lover was swooning. Vegan treats and coffee galore. Big sigh. 

  

  Coffee in hand, I decided to do a boat tour, because anytime I find myself in a city with canals I gravitate towards the boats. The tour was only 7 euro for an hour, and I loved seeing areas of Gent I wouldn’t have seen by foot. Despite the morning clouds that greeted our day, the sky quickly turned to sun after noon and the boat ride was HOT.

  

  

  

  My boat tour guide covered things my walking tour guide did not, but my walking tour guide covered the most important topic. He told us the best place to buy chocolate from in the city, and since I’d come all the way to Belgium and hadn’t bought any chocolate yet I decided to trust his recommendation.

  I trusted him because he recommended a local shop, and when I walked in I could peek over a ledge to see them making the chocolate below.

  I planned to buy a small pack of chocolate for my mom, but that quickly escalated to 22 single pieces of chocolate of which I ate 11 of upon my arrival back in Germany (I DID space it over two days, which is a big deal for someone with BED.) The other 11 are safely awaiting the arrival of my mom and sister next week. The woman at the chocolate shop was wonderful and patient with my never ending “and what’s this one” question.

  

  

  My box of goods was only 15 euro, and let me tell you…it was worth every penny. That was some of the best chocolate I’ve ever had. I later discovered this chocolate shop is a family business of a father and son, with two shops in different areas of Gent. I visited Cédric Van Hoorebeke located closer to the city center. Both father and son are married, and their lovely wives handle the shop front while the men make the chocolate.

  Now that’s a family business I can support. 

  

  After buying my chocolate and dropping it off at our homebase, it was time for dinner. I had stuck to eggs, avocados, and apples for breakfast and lunch, so dinner had a bit more flavor. I eat the same things most everyday, which usually consists of chicken in some way. Half chickens are my go to in Europe, and Belgium was no different.

  

  My meal was good, and I was mostly full, but after meeting back up with my roommates I helped my roommate finish her fries. Belgium is the home of the French fry after all, and I had never eaten fries with mayo before so I gave it a try. HOT diggity dog…I saw the light. Fries and mayo IS A THING and it’s wicked delicious.

  To wind down the evening we sat at a bar for a beer (not for me) and soaked in the remainder of the day.

  

  The following morning we had until around noon before we planned to drive back to Germany, so I spent an hour exploring Gravensteen, also known as the Castle of the Counts. This castle has a self guided audio tour and was hands down the best castle tour I’ve ever done. The commentary was informational and FUNNY.

  It kept me focused and entertained, which is sometimes hard to do. 

  

  

  The castle is smack in the middle of the city and dates back to 1180. The history behind this castle was fascinating, and the views were worth the 10 euro entrance fee. This was the perfect way to end the quick trip to Gent. My first impression of this city was not an accurate representation of what I later discovered. This city is rich in history and beauty.

  

  

  This wrapped up my roomie trip to Belgium, and I once again was so glad Spain didn’t work out for us. Everything happens for a reason. and I couldn’t have asked for a better week with two of my favorite people in Europe.

  

  Q: Can you think of a city you had a first impression of that turned out to be wrong?

  

  | 9 Comments Tagged Belgium, Brittanys Life Abroad, Chocolate, Gent, Travel, Wanderlust

• Dunkerque, France

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on September 9, 2019

  Anyone who has been reading my blog for the last year will know I have an interest in all things WWII. The beaches of Dunkirk are a memorable place where the British and French allies were “pushed” to by Nazi Germany during the war. I’d read about Dunkirk, watched the Hollywood movie about Dunkirk, but never thought I’d actually visit Dunkirk.

  When booking my most recent trip to Belgium, I was looking at a map and noticed Dunkirk was just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Brugge, where I spent the first half of my trip. You’d have thought I was a five year old waiting for Santa when I realized I could drive to Dunkirk and stand on the beaches of history.

  

  I was thankful that my roommates also had an interest in seeing this beach, so we scheduled the drive into our plans. We had no idea what to expect, but we weren’t aware that Dunkirk is currently a very popular beach to lounge on. We all agreed it felt a bit morbid to go swim in the waters of Dunkirk, so we spent the morning on the coast of Belgium in a town called Ostende.

  

  

  I can’t remember the last time I swam at a beach, but this calm water was very inviting. We arrived before the crowds and spent a good hour and a half sunning our skin and soaking our toes. For a girl that doesn’t care much for the beach, I sure enjoyed my time in Ostende more than I thought I would.

  I remember thinking to myself (and then aloud to my roommates) “I’m in the North Sea, in Belgium, swimming at the beach. What is my life.”

  

  We made sure not to spend too much time in Ostende, because the goal for the day was Dunkirk, and I wasn’t sure how much time we would need to explore the area. Upon arrival in Dunkirk I was a bit surprised to find that the town was bustling with half naked French folks on the beaches like any other European beach.

  I believe there are many things in life that signify success, and one of the biggest for me is the ability and willingness to never stop learning things. Things about the world and things about yourself. Something I have learned about myself is that I often let myself down when I have preconceived expectations. I am a work in progress with this, but I am trying to expect less when traveling somewhere new.

  

  As I said, I’m a work in progress, and I had expectations of Dunkirk that were not reality. I had images in my head of a historical war memorial, with visitors coming to pay respect to those who lost their lives. I envisioned a beach lined with plaques recalling the events that took place, providing a brief synopsis of history for younger generations to read and learn.

  Instead, I was met with the above photo of beach lockers and bronze French folks. I was met with teenage kids blasting French rap music weaving a soccer ball around the other people walking on the boardwalk. I was met with endless restaurants and gelato shops feeding the masses of people sunbathing when they should have been at work.

  I was met with life, continuing on.

  

  At first glance, I thought I was in the wrong area. I wandered around until l found a tourist office and went in to ask where the memorial was. I found the only English speaker and asked him where we could find the memorial. His reply shocked me when he said: “what memorial?” I hesitated and asked where the memorial for the war was, to which he replied, “there is a museum around the corner, at the end of the board walk there is a memorial wall, and on the other side of town is the British memorial.”

  He then handed me a map and sent me on my way. 

  Thankfully my roommate found an additional pamphlet that had spots along the board walk signifying historical spots such as: “this is where the British hid”, “this is where the evacuation took place”, and “this is where the ships came in to save the men.” This was a great concept, but as we walked the boardwalk it was impossible to know exactly where these places were. Hence the desire for my original expectation of plaques along the beach.

  

  The memorial wall was beautiful, and I was thankful to have found it. I still expected more, but as my dad perfectly put it this was now “a solemn place (history) that sounds fairly ordinary today.” Perhaps my original expectations were too skewed, and perhaps the best way to honor the men who died during this tragic situation was to enjoy the freedom the beach provided.

  I didn’t go into the museum, so perhaps I was looking too much outside of the museum for remembrance. After walking the boardwalk a bit we drove over to the British memorial, which was exactly what I was expecting. 

  

  

  I sometimes feel odd discussing war so passionately, because while we always feel the need to choose sides, a human life is a human life regardless of what side you’re on. Each person makes a decision based on what they believe to be correct and they then stand behind this decision regardless of the outcomes.

  The human mind is a complex web of tangled emotions that some are better at untangling than others. 

  I can only hope we continue to find success in learning about the world and about ourselves in an attempt to prevent history from repeating itself, however this is sadly a problem I don’t think will ever be “solved.” All I know for certain is I find great joy in visiting historical places and sharing them with my small circle of a community here on this blog.

  

  Dunkirk was not what I expected, and if I had the power to I would make the simple addition of boardwalk plaques for just “a little bit more.” If you don’t know much about the Battle of Dunkirk I highly recommend reading more about it. I’m glad I visited regardless of what I thought I would see, and it was another reminder to let go of expectations and live more in the moment.

  Q: How do you bounce back when you have expectations that are shattered by reality? Were my Dunkirk expectations unrealistic? 

  

  | 24 Comments Tagged Beach, Brittanys Life Abroad, Dunkirk, Europe, France, Travel, WWII

• Brugge, Belgium

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on September 4, 2019

  Ahh Brugge, the romantic historical town in the northwestern part of Belgium. Brugge was not on my radar until I moved to Europe, and it was as if The Google knew I wanted to see the world, because Brugge popped up on my suggested browser a few months after I arrived. I subconsciously tucked this popular destination in my brain for a later date, and that later date arrived after a series of unfortunate events.

  

  

  You see, I was scheduled to take a trip to Spain for the month of August with my two roommates. We had requested time off for this trip months in advance, booked a rental car, found wonderful Air B & B’s, and did extensive research – aka watched The Cheetah Girls 2. I was ready to strut like I meant it through the streets of Barcelona.

  A few days before our scheduled departure, we received an e-mail advising us there was a scheduled strike at the Barcelona airport the day we were meant to arrive, and we were informed our flight might be cancelled. Um, what? There wasn’t much we could do, so we waited to see what the fate of our trip would be the day of departure.

  

  According to our tour guide who graciously took this picture of us, Colin Ferrel jumped out of the window between my head and my roommates head to the left of me during filming of the movie “In Bruge.” Also – HBD to the pretty lady on my right.

  

  I suppose I should be thankful that we got notice a day and a half before our travel day (instead of the day of) that our flight was indeed cancelled, and truth be told I didn’t really want to go to Spain anyway, but it’s been over a week and I’m still awaiting my refund. I’m a bit perturbed by the entire situation, but it was out of my control.

  With some quick cat like reflex planning, we planned our backup trip in an hour. My roommates asked me,” Switzerland or Belgium?” Without hesitation I screamed “BELGIUM” and my subconscious vision of Brugge reappeared into my frontal lobe. I told them I wanted to see Brugge, and I wanted to see Gent, and badda boom badda bing we officially shifted gears towards Belgium.

  

  

  

  Just when we thought everything was squared away, I got notified that there were no more rental cars at our local Europcar (after we already booked places to sleep in Belgium), which brought momentary panic to us all. We decided to take a train to Munich to rent a car from the airport, and drive it back to Garmisch the day before our trip.

  It took five hours round trip. 

  This was almost the trip that wasn’t thanks to all the hoops we had to jump through, but perseverance gave us a lovely trip to Belgium I shan’t soon forget. Brugge is just as fairytale like as they say, and it’s no wonder this city brings flocks of tourists to see its cobblestone streets, medieval architecture, and Venice like canals.

  

  

  

  The drive to Brugge was brutal, and as the only driver (shoutout to being an old lady and not having an extra rental car charge) I was feeling the 12 hours of open road hard by the time we reached our hostel. We stayed at Hostel Europa, which had free parking (what I cared about), was less than a 2km walk to the city center (what they cared about), and had free breakfast (what everyone cared about.)

  By the time we started our following day in the city, I had forgotten all about the long drive west. We didn’t have much planned for this city, other than to find some colorful houses, eat a waffle, eat fries, eat chocolate, find the sheep, and find the windmills. We stumbled upon a free walking tour at just the right time, and we were able to learn some history about the city.

  

  

  

  Old hospital. This one’s for you dad.

  After we did the walking tour, we went to eat at House of Waffles per the suggestion of our tour guide. I was intrigued by the idea of savory waffles, but sadly this BLT waffle wasn’t worth the splurge that comes with eating gluten for me. My only regret of this trip was that I ate a savory waffle instead of a sweet waffle. I didn’t want to splurge too many times, so I didn’t eat anymore waffles on this trip.

  I should have known better, waffles are meant to be sweet.

  

  The waffles provided just enough energy to wander the residential streets of Brugge in order to find the sheep. Tucked away from the tourist streets is a small park called Hof De Jonge. This park is home to local sheep that graze on the grass, and is known as one of the hidden spot to visit in Brugge. Our trip to Belgium occurred during one of the countries few heat waves, and the 90 degree air had the sheep hiding for respite.

  I turned the corner and was saddened to find no sheep in the park. Just when I lost all hope, I saw one lone sheep running towards the shade. Success. 

  

  After the sheep it was off to the windmills. Four historic windmills are left standing along the ramparts of one of the canals in Brugge. In the 16th century there were upwards of 23 mills in the area, and the remaining four offered a break from the bustling city center. My roommates humored me on my walk across Brugge to find these mills, and the last one of the four offered a small view of the city below.

  

  

  

  

  At the top of the windmill stairs were two local girls enjoying a beer and escaping from the late afternoon sun. I couldn’t help but think this was a terrible place to drink alcohol because of how sketchy the stairs were climbing up and down…does this make me old?

  I used to frolic in the face of danger and now my fear radar is continuously maxed out.

  Our final “scheduled” adventure was to take a boat tour on the canal. This was a cheap ten euro adventure where we didn’t learn anything we didn’t already know after our free walking tour, but it was fun to see the city from the view of the water. Plus our trilingual captain was nice to look at.

  

  

  The rest of our evening was free to wander and refuel. After my waffle lunch I wanted something “safe” for dinner, but continued the vacation mindset and ordered my chicken with fries. When in Belgium. Did you know, fries originated in Belgium?

  American soldiers stationed in Belgium were first introduced to French fries during World War I. As the official language of the Belgian army was French, soldiers nicknamed the delicious fried potatoes “French fries.” The name stuck, and decades later we’re still giving credit to the wrong country.

  

  Brugge is a lovely city, and I’m thankful to have crossed it off my list, and I’m thankful for the mysterious way God works. Had it not been for that Barcelona strike, we’d have gone to Spain instead. Not to say Spain wouldn’t have been enjoyable, but something tells me Belgium is more my style.

  Regardless of where we went, I was just happy to spend a week with my roommates. I am thankful that we not only live well together, but we’re close friends too. 

  

  

  

  

  

  Who can guess which cat pillow is my favorite?

  

  Q: Would you have called it quits after the cancelled flight and no local rental cars, or adapted the “where there’s a will there’s a way” mindset?

  

  | 18 Comments Tagged Belgium, Brittanys Life Abroad, Brugge, Europe, Travel

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 26, 2019

  1. Wow. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done one of these confession posts. I was looking through old blogs I’d written, and reminded myself how much I enjoy these. I also reminded myself of a lot of things, like how I used to live my life without restrictions. Change is hardest when you don’t have a choice.

  2. My favorite thing about Bavaria in the summer is all the cows on the trails. I want one.

  

  

  

  

  3. I enjoy riding my bike, but sometimes I honestly wish I had my car. After a long day and a long week at work, the last thing I want to do is bike to get groceries. It’s exhausting.

  4. I’ve found myself in a funk the last couple weeks. Could have been the revisiting of old blogs, or the physical exhaustion, I’ve just been admittedly down about my food restrictions. I know acceptance is the key to happiness, but some days I’m just O-V-E-R it.

  

  

  Didn’t eat any of this, but how beautiful is this German charcuterie board?

  

  5. I love living in Germany, but I’m burned out with my job.

  6. I bought a dirndl and wore it out in public, but I was extremely uncomfortable in it for the first hour. I typically hide my body in loose clothing, so this was hard for me.

  

  

  My amazing roommates and I.

  

  

  

  7. I got my haircut by a woman that didn’t speak english, but we made it work. I then botched it by cutting more myself. I will never learn.

  8. A little while back I went for an after work hike on a mountain called the Eckbauer. The weather was perfect when we started, but by the time we hit the summit the thunder and lightening hit and my anxiety reared up like a horse that saw a snake.

  I don’t like being in situations where I have no control (who does) and this made me nervous. Be that as it may, I still had a great time with the two girls I was with, and the mountains were gorgeously moody.

  

  

  

  9. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that the highlight of my week was officially becoming a regular at the German shop I buy roasted chicken from.

  10. When my dad and step mom visited from the States last month, we spent their last day in Munich. We took a five hour bike tour which was fantastic, and I had a small crush on our tour guide. He wasn’t overly attractive, but he was from Ireland and all he had to do was speak. It was game over after his first word.

  I love the Irish accent so much, I still found him attractive after I saw him smoke. Who am I…

  

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 22 Comments Tagged Bike, Brittanys Life Abroad, Early Morning Confessions, Germany, Hiking

• Bavaria Adventures

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 23, 2019

  Since moving to Europe I’ve been posting mostly about my trips outside of Germany, but life in Bavaria continues to happen in between my travels. Bavaria is a lovely state to live in, and being so close to the alps is a blessing to say the least. Most days after work I am useless and become one with my bed, but sometimes I have the energy to go for a local adventure.

  

  

  One of my local adventures was to a lake near where I live called Eibsee. The word “see” means lake in German. The first time I visited Eibsee was in March, and I’ve since been back a few times. The photos in this post will be from my first trip, hence the snow. I think the snow added a magical look to the surrounding mountains.

  

  Eibsee is one of the more popular places for people to go during the summer, the lake is cold and offers a nice reprieve from the warm summer air, however I prefer walking the 5 mile loop around the lake opposed to swimming. On the backside of the lake there are less people, and less people is always good in my book.

  I seem to get along better with animals.

  

  I took my dad and my step mom here the day they arrived in Germany (after a full day of travel) and put them through the torturous 5 mile loop. The loop itself isn’t difficult, but when you’ve flown halfway across the world and your body is stuck in a timezone 9hours behind it proves to be a bit of a struggle.

  I think they forgave me though, at least after they saw the reflection of the alps in the lake. 

  

  

  Another local adventure I went on was with one of my roommates back in April. The train system in Europe is amazing, and in Bavaria there is a train pass called the Bayern pass which allows you to pay one price and travel all over Bavaria on regional trains as many times in one day as you’d like.

  The more people you add to the ticket the cheaper it gets.

  

  I had been wanting to buy a Bayern pass and take the train to random stops for a while on one of my days off, and my roommate decided to tag along. My end location goal was a town called Kochel, to visit Kochelsee. If you remember the above German lesson you’ll know this meant I wanted to visit the lake in Kochel.

  What can I say, I have a think for lakes.

  

  Kochel was beautiful, and the walk to the lake brought us through farmlands. Farms speak to my soul on a personal level, and there is something so warm and comforting about a European farm. There is also something warm and comforting about a European cemetery. That sounds really bizarre, but the churches associated with the cemeteries are elaborate and eye-catching, and the energy at these cemeteries is comforting.

  

  We stopped in one other town on this Bayern adventure called Murnau. It was a sunny spring day, and we were enjoying our time outside. We wandered into town, stumbled upon a farmers market, found a church, and then found another cemetery. Go figure.

  

  

  

  We thought about possibly going to Munich after visiting Murnau and Kochel, but traveling is exhausting and we decided to head back to Garmisch after a few hours of exploring. The travel time, waiting for the train, and walking the towns made the time go by quickly and before we knew it the day was almost over.

  

  Each town I’ve visited in Germany has its own beautiful church accompanied by a cemetery. Of all the cemeteries I’ve seen in Bavaria, and Europe as a whole, nothing compares to the cemetery in Partenkirchen near where I live. I discovered this cemetery while riding my bike one day, and had to stop and sit in the gardens for a while.

  It might sound odd to think of a cemetery as a place to meditate, but this place brought a wave of peace to my soul.

  

  Germany is beautiful, and I have officially been living here for seven months now. Time is an odd concept here. Some days I feel like I just got here, and some days I feel like I’ve been here for years. I’m at a place now where it is starting to feel odd when I think about life after Germany.

  I’m halfway through my contract with my job, and I plan to make the most of the second half. It’s not always butterflies and rainbows here, and some days are a struggle, but overall this has been an amazing experience. Just when I think I can’t do it anymore when I have a stressful day at work, I have my weekend and go for an adventure like these, or for a hike and I am reminded why I’m here.

  

  Hometown Church in Garmisch.

  I’m soaking up as much of the summer in Bavaria as I can before the weather starts to turn. It’s been rainy here lately, but I love the rain. It feels like home. Snow on the other hand…I’m not looking forward to when the snow is back in Garmisch. I don’t know how I will fuel my brathendl addiction when I can’t ride my bike to the grillstube…

  

  I love Germany.

  Q: Would you ride a train to random locations for a day?

  

   

  | 14 Comments Tagged Bavaria, Brittanys Life Abroad, Explore, Garmisch, Germany

• København, Danmark – Pt. 2

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 19, 2019

  It’s a good thing visiting a new city means lots of walking or biking, because I did not go hungry in Copenhagen! Living with food sensitivities means I have to be picky about where I eat, so when I find a place that works for me I usually stick to it. This was the case in Copenhagen as well, I ate the same breakfast and lunch everyday.

  Breakfast was eaten on the waterfront strip of Nyhavn, at a restaurant called Ved Kajen. The restaurants in Nyhavn clearly showcase how touristy this waterfront strip is, because all of the restaurants have the same menu. The brunch menu had four options: toast or a croissant, eggs and bacon, avocado toast, and “brunch” which was like a leveled up version of bacon and eggs.

  

  

  I got the bacon and eggs, without toast, add avocado. The side salad was cute, about 1/50th the amount of greens I usually eat in one sitting, but I wasn’t there for the greens. I needed fuel to keep me going more than just a couple hours. This breakfast lasted me the morning of my bike adventure, as well as the following day of sitting on the hop on hop off (hoho) bus.

  The hoho bus was a great idea, we just did it too late in the trip. We were only in Copenhagen for three days, two of which were also travel days. We did the hoho bus our last day (our flight wasn’t until 7pm) but we were only able to ride it once. We did get off the bus at one of the stops – the Rosenborg Castle.

  

  

  Sadly because of the time crunch, we didn’t get to go inside. I guess this means I just have to go back someday! The hoho bus was a good way to spend the morning of our final day, I just wish we had more time to utilize the stops. We had already seen a handful of the stops thanks to our bike adventure the previous day, as well as our walking adventure the day we arrived, but the narrative on the bus provided more history of the city.

  The day we arrived in the city, we started exploring around 1pm, and wasted no time exploring by foot. The walk from our hotel towards the city center brought us through the most beautiful and tranquil park. The park had a large loop with runners/walkers/and bikers enjoying the paths around a lake called Stadsgraven.

  Our first stop was Our Saviour Church, to climb the tower. None of us knew anything about this place, and we stumbled upon it while trying to find something else. Naturally we got in line because #everyoneelsewasdoingit.

  

  We got in line in front of an Australian man, who also had no idea what the tower was. We weren’t sure if we had to pay, or if we could pay with a card, but we quickly learned that everywhere in Copenhagen is not only card friendly, but they are often card ONLY! We climbed the 400 steps of the spiraling tower for an amazing panoramic view of the city.

  I also climbed The Round Tower for a city view the following day, but this view was superior. 

  

  One of my secrets for traveling light – I wear the same outfit more than once.

  

  The tower climb has a charge, but the church itself is free to enter. After climbing the tower we decided to visit the inside. The savior himself sits atop the spiral tower, and the inside had a beautiful blue and gold color scheme. I’ve yet to enter a church I don’t gawk at in Europe, but the simplicity of this one was charming.

  

  

  After preparing our souls with the good vibes of the savior, we made our way across the street to Freetown Christiania. Christiania is an alternative district in Copenhagen that is mostly known for its weed selling. This former military barrack area was taken over by squatters (similar to Metelkova) in 1971, and these days over 900 people live there.

  

  

  The community also has restaurants, a music venue, cafe’s, and souvenirs. There is one strip of area called Pusher Street that is completely dedicated to the selling of weed, which is illegal in Denmark. It seems that although weed is illegal in Denmark, people turn a blind eye to the community of Christiania.

  I tried to get my dad to buy a weed brownie, but no such luck. 

  Aside from the edibles, Christiania also has amazing art work from murals to sculptures to giants made of wood. I can see why people enjoy living within this community, the way of life is carefree and chill. I’m not a smoker of the hash, but to each their own! After doing some research on the area, it appears the original community was not a fan of the weed selling, and local residents of this mini community don’t all appreciate the illegal drug selling.

  

  

  

  You’d have thought we indulged in one too many magic brownies after leaving Christiania, because I WAS SO hungry. I mentioned earlier that my lunch of choice was the same during my time in Copenhagen, which was completely unexpected. Copenhagen is known for their hotdogs and for smørrebrød, an open face sandwich with many different varieties, but both of those have too much bread.

  

  I don’t eat bread (unless I want to be a zombie for a day) and I don’t eat hotdogs, so my meal of choice was found at the outdoor street food market called Broens Gadekøkken. Of all the options at the market, the one that seemed the safest for me was at a place called Dhaba. I flew all the way to Copenhagen to have some bomb ass Indian food.

  Go figure.

  

  I got double veg and double chicken, however there is a vegetarian option as well. I loved the simplicity of the menu’s in Copenhagen making the ordering process much easier. Most of my homemade food has no spices or seasoning, because I just enjoy eating things plain. Plain food is safe food, so this was an extra treat because the flavor just about blew my mouth off my face. There was some spice to the sauce too, which was nice.

  Copenhagen is a very sustainable city, and makes an effort to be as green as possible. The plate served with this Indian food was edible, and made from wheat. I didn’t eat it, but edible plates mean compostable plates! Love me a good sustainable city.

  

  Copenhagen is an amazing city. The people are friendly, the pace is slow, the vibe is chill, and the energy is uplifting. I don’t often feel the need to visit a location twice, but I would visit Copenhagen again. I’d love to see more of Denmark in general, specifically the nature outside of the city.

  I’m thankful to have experienced this quaint city with my dad and my stepmom, they made wonderful travel partners. I’m trying to be more present with my travels, and having family with me on this trip helped me slow down and appreciate the moments more. It’s interesting how traveling helps me grow as a person, even in ways I wouldn’t normally think it would.

  Life is too short to live anywhere but the present moment, especially with family.

  

  Q: Would you indulge in Freetown Christiania edibles? No judgement…

  

  | 22 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, Copenhagen, Denmark, Europe, Travel Abroad

• København, Danmark – Pt. 1

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 15, 2019

  Many moons ago I was watching a documentary about happiness, and learned that Denmark was rated as one of the happiest countries in the world. The Danish people have a strong sense of togetherness, often living in communities with others sharing tasks like a big family. This intrigued me, and I had been wanting to visit this Scandanavian country ever since.

  

  While I’m not usually drawn to big cities, Copenhagen was at the top of my list of places to visit while living in Europe, and after spending a few days visiting I can see why the Danish folk are so damn happy. My dad, my stepmom, and I spent a few days exploring the city, eating the local cuisine, and riding bikes along the back roads.

  Can you even visit Copenhagen without riding a bike?

  One of the perks of traveling with family, is that I get to stay in fancy hotels. Sure, I could buy myself a fancy hotel if I really wanted to, but I typically like traveling light – including where I sleep. We stayed at The Raddison Blu, and the hotel offered all day bike rentals. We spent an entire day riding bikes around to some of the popular locations in Denmark.

  

  Places like…The Marble Church, which is made out of…you guessed it, marble. Before arriving at The Marble Church we passed through the royal courtyard of Amalienborg, home of the Danish royal family.

  

  

  

  Places like…The Citadel, also known as one of Copenhagens Fortresses. This fortress was commissioned in 1662 and sits in a star shape along a beautiful park, with a long trail to wander. I wanted to come here mostly to see the giant windmill tucked in the back.

  

  

  Places like…The Little Mermaid statue, because Hans Christian Andersen, the author of The Little Mermaid book was Danish and lived in Copenhagen. The mermaid has had a rough life, being decapitated twice, painted different colors, and even had an attempted bombing. These events have made her stronger than ever.

  Keep fighting the fight mermaid!

  

  Places like…The Round Tower which happens to be the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. The tower provides a nice view of the city, and has a beautiful spiral ramp, but my favorite part is the original bathroom from the 17th century. The bathroom showcased what it was like to poo into a bottomless pit.

  PortaPotty before it was a thing.

  

  Places like…Gefion Fountain, where according to an ancient legend, Gefion was the goddess who ploughed the island of Zealand out of Sweden. The Swedish king Gylfe offered the goddess Gefion as much land as she was capable of ploughing within one day and one night. Gefion turned her four sons into oxen and ploughed a ton land, thus creating the island of Zealand.

  What a boss. I’d consider having kids if this were an option.

  

  Places like…like places we weren’t sure of what they were. My favorite thing about biking around a new city is discovering things I’d likely miss without the easy transportation.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Copenhagen Cathedral

  We saw a lot of cool places on our self guided bike tour, but my favorite place was Nyhavn, the 17th century waterfront canal you’d see in a typical photo of Copenhagen. The area was riddled with tourists, but it was a dream. We took a boat cruise our first evening in the city, and this was the central hub of all our adventures.

  

  

  

  Fun fact about Nyhavn: the world’s oldest functioning tattoo parlor is located in the basement of Nyhavn 17. In fact it has been operating since 1884. Notably their most famous client was King Frederik IX.

  Damn, I knew I should have gotten a tattoo!

  

  

  To end our day of biking we parked near a corner restaurant that was a bit less touristy than Nyhavn. We had dinner next to the water, and our server was a charming man from Canada. He didn’t speak a lick of Danish, which makes me want to move to Denmark and work. The amount of English spoken in this city was surprising.

  

  We saw a handful of other places while in Copenhagen, but this post just highlights the things we saw while biking. This was a fun way to explore with only a tentative plan of where we would go. In my next post I’ll share the other places we visited, and the other food I ate!

  Q: What’s your favorite way to see a new city? Bike/formal tour/car/etc…? 

  

  | 20 Comments Tagged Biking, Brittanys Life Abroad, Copenhagen, Denmark, Europe, Nyhavn, Travel Abroad

• Kehlsteinhaus

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 12, 2019

  Near the summit of the Kehlstein mountain in Berchtesgaden Germany sits The Kehlsteinhaus, also known as The Eagles Nest. It was here where Hitler and members of the Third Reich made plans for the war and mass murder. The building was built in 1939 for the Nazi party and was speculated to be a 50th birthday gift to Hitler, however this was not true.

  In fact Hitler rarely visited Kehlsteinhaus. 

  

  Perhaps it was his fear of heights, or perhaps he wasn’t interested in the panoramic views below, but despite the horrific plans that occurred here I can’t deny the amazing views from the building. Kehlsteinhaus is one of the few buildings that was not touched by ally bombs during WWII, and is still largely preserved in its original state.

  Before I moved to Germany, I remember sitting in my dads living room looking at the website of the hotel I currently work for. My dad and I were looking at the myriad of tours offered by the hotel, and The Eagles Nest was one of them. I’d not heard of this place until that day, and it planted a seed in both the brains of my dad and I.

  

  One of the top places in Germany my dad wanted to see when he visited me last month was The Eagles Nest, so we planned for a day trip to see this important piece of history. I think places like this are important to see, but I don’t agree with the overly commercialized money making scheme that has been created around Kehlsteinhaus.

  It’s one thing to pay for a ticket to enter and to visit, it’s another thing to sell t-shirts, sweatshirts, postcards, and stickers as if this were Disneyland. Maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t want to walk around wearing a sweatshirt that says Kehlsteinhaus on it. The building is now used as a restaurant, and a busy one at that, however that doesn’t take away from the original use of the building.

  

  

  (Source)

  To reach Kehlsteinhaus, a bus is needed to drive about 20 minutes up the mountain. Once near the top, there is a tunnel built into the mountain (original tunnel) that leads to a golden elevator. The elevator room was designed to “dazzle” its guests and impress them with the glamour of the Nazi building. Although the building is now a restaurant, there are rooms inside that are still rich with history.

  Inside one of the dining areas is an original fireplace that was gifted to Hitler from Mussolini. The fireplace is made of marble and has a beautiful brown color. The room that was once used as a sunroom is now used as an informational room with history of the Third Reich. The room has an amazing view of the lake and surrounding mountains.

  The mountain itself is a host to a network of trails, of which I hope to return someday to explore. The views of Königssee below are breathtaking. 

  

  

  

  We spent enough time at the top to walk around a bit for the views, and sat for a bier and a bite at the restaurant. It was surreal to see photos of Hitler taken in some of the places we stood, and I couldn’t help but feel distain for him. I’ve since seen someone outside of this area wearing a Kehlsteinhaus sweatshirt and it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

  Am I alone on this? 

  

  

  

  The Kehlstein mountain trails are seemingly endless, and if we’d had more time I’d have tried to explore more. The surrounding area of Berchtesgaden is a sight to see, and the German alps are massively dominant. These are the types of mountains that will swallow you whole if you’re not careful.

  

  

  

  If you have any kind of interest in the history of WWII, I recommend a visit to Kehlsteinhaus. A place of terrible plannings, but a place of history nonetheless.  Just do me a favor, and don’t buy any crazy souvenirs. 

  

  

  Q: What time in history interests you most? For me it’s WWII. 

  

  | 18 Comments Tagged Berchtesgaden, Brittanys Life Abroad, Germany, History, WWII

• Königssee, Berchtesgaden National Park

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 5, 2019

  One of my favorite things about blogging is getting to relive an adventure I went on. Writing this post allows me to relive the start of an awesome week with my dad and my stepmom. These two wonderful people blessed me with their presence for ten days in the middle of July, and I am so thankful for all the fun things we were able to do.

  The first day they arrived, I met them at the airport in Munich and we drove our rental car back to Garmisch. 

  The beauty of a rental car is the freedom it provides, and the day after they arrived we took a trip to Berchtesgaden National Park. The main goal was to visit the Eagles Nest, which I will share more of in my next post. After the Eagles Nest we went to Königssee, a lake I’d been dying to see located in Berchtesgaden National Park.

  

  

  Berchtesgaden is an adorable town, with a boardwalk like area of shops and ice cream vendors located near the foothills of the German Alps. At the end of the shops, you’ll find the lake, and a kiosk where you can purchase tickets for a boat ride to one or two of the stops at the other end of the lake. According to the boat driver, this lake is the cleanest lake in all of Germany, so clean the water is drinkable.

  I didn’t test this water, but I did once drink from a stream in Alaska where my dad swore I’d get giardia. 

  

  

  My first month in Germany I looked up things to do in Bavaria, and Königssee popped up as a must see lake. It’s not close to where I live, so I wasn’t sure when I would get to visit. When I realized the Eagles Nest was right next door to the lake, I was stoked. I didn’t realize the lake was in the national park, so this was an extra bonus.

  I was very excited my family was up for this adventure.

  We bought tickets for both of the stops on the boat, and my only regret was not having enough time for exploration. We spent most of our time at the Eagles Nest, which didn’t leave much time for getting off the boat and wandering the trails at the other end of the lake.

  

  We went straight to the second stop, which dropped us off near a network of trails. I’ve daydreamed about hiking these paths since I left. We had only enough time to walk the 15 or so minutes to a man made lake called Obersee. The reflection on the lake of the mountains surrounding it were amazing, and there was a waterfall in the distance I would love to go back and hike to.

  

  

  

  

  The last boat ran around 5:45p, which is why we had limited time. Because of this we weren’t able to stop at the first stop. The first stop has a cathedral that I really wanted to go into, alas time did not permit. This just means I need to go back! The good thing about Berchtesgaden is that it’s only a couple of hours away, so I can easily take a trip back for a weekend.

  

  

  

  The boat ride itself was a bit long, it took an hour to get to the end of the lake and then another hour to get back, and after a long morning we were struggling to stay awake on the boat ride back. The drive back to Garmisch was equally eventful. My dad was struggling with some delayed jet lag, it was dark, and it was a long day.

  We ended up missing our exit (twice) adding an additional hour to our journey. We also stopped for late night coffee at Mcdonald’s in an attempt to perk up the driver. This was the second Mcdonald’s we’d gone to that day and BOTH of them had fresh flowers on the tables, and a fancy inside area.

  European Macd’s are bougie y’all.

  We finally made it back to Garmisch around midnight, and slept soundly that night. Our first family adventure was a success, and set the tone for a wonderful week in Europe!

  

  Q: What do you do when you’re feeling tired while driving?

  

  | 13 Comments Tagged Berchtesgaden, Brittanys Life Abroad, Garmisch, Germany, National Park

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• BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalist "granola" striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, strong relationships, exploration, lots of broccoli, and laughing like it's my J.O.B. Currently living and working in Germany, join me on my adventures abroad!
• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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