Blissfulbritt | Page 2

- Ettal Abbey
  
  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on November 29, 2019
  
  One of my recent and likely one of my last longer bike rides (until warmer weather) took me to a town about an hour (bike ride) north of me called Ettal. I had driven through Ettal a handful of times, but I had never stopped to appreciate the beauty of the Abbey in the middle of this tiny town. The onion dome of the Abbey can be seen from the road, but the grandeur entirety of this building can only be appreciated up close.
  
  I knew in the back of my mind that the road getting to Ettal was a steep, windy, mountain road, but I had forgotten this tiny detail when I decided to bike in this direction. I looked for a bike path to avoid biking on the road, but I think next time I will choose the road. I found a bike/hiking trail that was so steep I had to get off my bike and push it up the hill.
  
  I ended up gaining 1300 ft of elevation over maybe half a mile. It was intense!
  
  The Abbey is an active Benedictine monastery from the 1300’s. It’s open to the public everyday, and within the grounds of this Abbey is a brewery/distillery. This area is used to make beer and liquor by the active monks. The alcohol is sold and the money contributes to the upkeep of the Abbey. I don’t drink, but if a monk offered me a shot of gin I wouldn’t say no!
  
  The basilica has a beautifully elaborate interior, as do all European churches. I’m not catholic, but I like to light a candle sometimes when I visit Catholic Churches. Sometimes I say a prayer for myself, and sometimes I say a prayer for my mom (she is catholic.)
  
  I spent about an hour here before I continued on to Oberammergau, about 20 minutes from Ettal. Oberammergau is home to the Passion Play, a once every ten year play depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering and death. 2020 is when the next play will be, and this play is from May through October.
  
  The entire town is jam packed that entire time, with people arriving from all over the world just for the play.
  
  I biked around the town just to see it, stopping by the Passion Play theatre before heading back to Garmisch. As I passed back through Ettal on my way home the sun came out, providing a different contrast to the Ettal Abbey. The hotel I work for has weekly tours to this Abbey, paired with a cheese tasting at a nearby cheese factory, but I’m glad I rode my bike here to have free rein while exploring.
  
  When I left.
  
  When I arrived.
  
  The bike ride back was much quicker, as always when going DOWN hill. I took the road so that I could ride my bike instead of walking it down the steep hill I climbed. I flew like a bat out of hell on that road, despite holding my breaks like a wuss. I hate going down hill too fast, I’m a big wimp! I’ve been living in Garmisch for nearly a year, and I continue to discover new adventures close to “home.”
  
  Life here is never dull unless you do nothing with your free time.
  
  Q: Would you have guessed monks brew beer and liquor?! I also saw a monk smoking a cigarette while taking out the trash, and for some reason I felt surprised. As if the monks were immortal beings that don’t do daily tasks.
  
  | 8 Comments Tagged Bavaria, Bike, Bike Ride, Brittanys Life Abroad, Ettal, Garmisch, Germany
- Biking From Germany to Austria
  
  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on November 27, 2019
  
  When I first arrived in Germany, a few of the girls I work with encouraged me to buy a bike. I knew I wanted a bike anyway, but while most people buy bikes that will solely get them from where we live into the center of town, I wanted a bike that would take me on mountain roads as well. Initially when I purchased my bike, I felt a bit of anxiety for spending more than I wanted (I wanted to spend no more than $300), but quickly realized I made the right choice.
  
  My bike is by no means expensive, especially compared to what a lot of Germans spend on their bikes if the bike is their main mode of transport. I spent about $400 after using a VAT form and that included a kickstand and a bike lock, but it was more than I would have thought to spend on a bike I’d only need for a year and a half.
  
  I can’t imagine not having this bike, and it has allowed me to go on any adventure without thinking twice.
  
  One of the bike rides I knew I wanted to embark on before the winter months hit was to a lake in Austria called Plansee. I jokingly posted a photo of Plansee on my Instagram with the caption: “My dad rode his bike from Seattle to Portland…twice. A worthy feat from one state to another, but how often can an American say: “I rode my bike from one country to another.” Just a casual (1033 ft climb) bike ride into Austria.”
  
  I say jokingly because in all reality I live in the south of Germany, and this bike ride only took about an hour and 40 minutes. If I were driving I could arrive at the lake within 20 minutes. Although Austria isn’t far from where I live in Germany, it was still fun to say I biked from Germany to Austria. The bike path to Plansee is amazing, and has a slight continual incline for most of the path.
  
  Until the last push which is straight up, and it was intense.
  
  My only goal was to not walk my bike up the hill, so I clicked her into low gear and slowly but surely climbed pedal after pedal. A few people passed me on e-bikes, and I just muddled under my breath, “CHEATERS!” In all reality I would love to take an e-bike up some of these mountain paths! Once I arrived at the lake I felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
  
  There is a small camp ground surrounding the lake, and a hotel/restaurant. I sat at the lake eating a snack for about 30 minutes before riding back to Garmisch. I’m trying to work on savoring the moments instead of reaching a destination and quickly turning around to leave. Another lovely Bavarian bike ride, and another bike path to add to my bag of tricks. I later returned to this path with a friend, showing her the way to Plansee.
  
  I love friends that are up for a good bike ride.
  
  The Seattle to Portland bike ride is still on my bucket list, and one day I will accomplish it, but for now I’ll just keep riding between European countries. 🙂
  
  Q: What’s the furthest you’ve ridden on a bike? I’ve ridden further rides than this, but all within one country.
  
  | 10 Comments Tagged Austria, Bike Path, Biking, Brittanys Life Abroad, Germany, Plansee
- Bike Ride to Barmsee
  
  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on November 25, 2019
  
  When I first arrived in Germany, I planned to stay here for 15months per my contract with my current job. I had no intention of staying longer, despite the fact that some people are eligible to extend their time here depending on how much of an asset they are to the establishment.
  
  Fast forward ten months and I am now planning to stay a little bit longer.
  
  It’s not the job that keeps me here, I make coffee just like I did back home, rather it’s the surrounding mountains, endless bike paths, and easy travel that peaks my interest day after day. One of my bike rides last month had me smiling from ear to ear like a small child on Christmas Day.
  
  I know I say it all the time, but biking in Bavaria is really something else.
  
  My original goal was to bike to Geroldsee, a small lake that you can see on the above map just before the red location marker (to the left and slightly down.) I figured if I could find my way to Geroldsee, I would reevaluate once I arrived and determine if I wanted to keep going to Barmsee (a bigger lake a bit further than Geroldsee), where the red location marker is.
  
  I made it to Geroldsee with ease, and although the weather was misty and cold, I was loving every minute of the ride. The hills with the rain reminded me of my walk through the Highlands, and the nostalgia made my heart happy. A trio of German walkers stopped me to ask if there was a bus stop nearby, but sadly for them there wasn’t.
  
  Geroldsee from a nearby hill.
  
  After talking with the Germans the rain came down hard for about 10 minutes. I debated turning around, but I had good energy and the day was still young so I continued on to Barmsee. I hit a decent sized hill with large rocks, so I walked my bike to the top. I found a spot to stash my bike after noticing another large hill going down towards Barmsee.
  
  I walked about 15 minutes through thick, lush, green woods that reminded me of home. Once I arrived at the lake, my destination (as you can see on the above map) was a location called: “Romanic Benches by the Lake.” This spot had the best reflection view of the mountains and trees, and I sat there for a while savoring the sights around me.
  
  By then the rain had stopped, and the weather was a perfect moody overcast.
  
  While sitting at the benches, a girl and her dog came to enjoy the view as well. We smiled and said hello, and then I carried on to walk a bit around the lake. I couldn’t get over the reflection in the water, had it been sunny I don’t think the views would have been quite as spectacular. The fall colors added to the beauty of the trees, and I fell deeper in love with where I live in Bavaria.
  
  Some of the people I work with, who have been in Germany for a while, call October here: “golden October.” The summer months tend to have more rain than expected, but when October rolls around the rain clears (although it still comes, like on this day) and the afternoons have more sun shining off the golden leaves. October in Bavaria is a dream, and I would love to be here for another one.
  
  Alas, I don’t think I’ll stay here through next October, my plan is to stay through July as of right now, but if I could stay and not work at a stressful job I would!
  
  The sun came out as I was getting ready to bike back, providing a beautiful contrast on the surrounding hills. Golden October didn’t disappoint, and my inner Washingtonian loved the cool grey mornings, balanced out by the crisp sunny afternoons. I could certainly live in one of the mountain huts and write blog posts everyday for a living.
  
  A girl can dream right? 🙂
  
  Biking is beginning to slow down for me here, the temps are getting a bit too cold, and my fingers and toes get painfully numb when the winter months come. I’m still biking for the essentials like groceries, but if the temps get below 40 I won’t be going on any far rides until the warmth comes back!
  
  Q: Would you continue to bike in the rain, or turn around and go home?
  
  | 15 Comments Tagged Bavaria, Bike Path, Biking, Brittanys Life Abroad, Germany
- The Worlds Largest Pumpkin Festival
  
  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on November 18, 2019
  
  Anyone who knows me, knows I have an immense love for all things fall. This includes, but is not limited to: colored leaves, cold crisp mornings, sunshine on the skyline and frost on the grass, apples, halloween, and of course PUMPKINS! The moment I see pumpkins I turn into a 6 yr old child seeing Santa at the mall.
  
  All that said, I didn’t expect to see many fall themed activities in Germany. The locals here don’t really celebrate Halloween, they don’t really have pumpkin patches like we do in the states, and corn mazes? Forget it. Then I heard about a pumpkin festival north of me in Ludwigsburg, that claimed to be the largest pumpkin festival…in the world!
  
  This festival has a theme each year, and this years theme was fairy tales. There are creations made out of pumpkins littered all around the grounds of Ludwigsburg Palace, which is a sight all on its own. The location is beautiful, and the pumpkin art was jaw dropping. After visiting the tower above the tree s in the Black Forest, my friend and I drove about an hour to get to Ludwigsburg.
  
  We arrived just in time for lunch.
  
  The pumpkin festival also has all things pumpkin like: pumpkin prosseco, pumpkin spaetzle, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pasta, fried pumpkin balls, pumpkin burgers, pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin strudel. I had my heart set on the strudel, and although it tasted more like apple than pumpkin, it was delicious!
  
  Here I was thinking Germans don’t get down with the pumpkin trends like we do in the states, but I was wrong. They just have a more isolated event. I can appreciate this, it makes it that much more special. Instead of pumpkin patches, a lot of farm areas here in Bavaria will have pumpkins for sale on the side of the road. Like most things here, they use the honor system when selling pumpkins.
  
  After enjoying a treat, we wandered around the festival admiring the many creations.
  
  I will never look at an acorn squash the same. We spent about three hours at the pumpkin festival, enough to get our pumpkin fix both visually and gastronomically. I didn’t buy any pumpkins, but I felt complete in my fall adventure. This pumpkin festival even had a corn maze, albeit quite small.
  
  The first snow has fallen where I live in Germany, and my bike rides have officially begun to freeze my fingers and toes. I was thankful to have this experience in order to savor fall before it is quickly taken over by winter. Fall in Germany is so grand I almost considered staying for another one…almost.
  
  Q: What’s your favorite season, and why?
  
  | 15 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, Coffee, Fall, Germany, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Festival
- Into the (Black) Forest I Go, to Loose My Mind and Find My Soul
  
  Posted at 5:00 PM by Brittany, on November 12, 2019
  
  Two weekends ago one of my coworkers and I realized we had the same days off and decided to spend a night in the Black Forest. The main goal for the weekend was to visit the worlds largest pumpkin festival near Stuttgart, but more on that in my next post. We decided to make it a weekend trip and spend a day in the Black Forest, and then a day at the pumpkin festival.
  
  The Black Forest is is a mountainous region in southwest Germany, known for its dense forests and Brothers Grimm fairytale like villages. Our original plan was to spend a day hiking, but after we arrived we realized our idea of what the Black Forest was, was different than what it really was. How many more times can I say the word “was?”
  
  I left it to Google when finding a trail, which was a mistake. I saw there was a trail that took us to the “highest part of the Black Forest” and naturally that’s where I wanted to go. Come to find out this was just a short trail because most of the ascent is driven up a well paved, two way road. The views at the top were nice, but not what I expected.
  
  We saw a beautiful lake along the way, called Titisee, and enjoyed the view before leaving to find our Air B & B.
  
  We started at the south end of the forest, and made our way up north. As we drove more into the central and northern part of the forest we discovered more random trails. The forest became more dense, and the roads became more windy. I didn’t expect the Black Forest to be as populated as it was, but essentially it’s just another area in Germany that happens to have more forests around.
  
  Our Air B & B was in a town called Gengenbach, and this location was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Although our plans to “hike” in the Black Forest didn’t come though, we discovered an area with gorgeous landscapes and small hills to climb. We chose the Air B & B based off the eclectic photographs online, and I can’t think of a better word to describe this place.
  
  The location was essentially someones house, with a large backyard. Within the backyard were three tiny houses, each one different. My friend and I stayed in one with a queen bed, small fridge, heater, and a TV. The house behind ours was occupied by one older woman, and the house across from ours held a family of four (two adults and two kids.)
  
  Because the tiny houses were so tiny, they did not have separate bathrooms. We all shared a bathroom (in its own shipping container like room), and the photos of this bathroom online are what sold me on the place. It looked like something out of Harriet the Spy, in this scene where she is in the wind-chime garden. Harriet the Spy was my favorite movie when I was a wee lass.
  
  The colored pencil fence…are you joking!? I love. This place was so much fun, and everything about it felt like a repurposed paradise. It was overgrown with bushes, including edible vegetable plants, it had a bar with locals that came to drink in the backyard, it had a rusted old chair swing to relax on, and I loved everything about it.
  
  The communication with our host wasn’t the best, and not because of the language barrier, but simply because they were hard to find/call. I was bummed by this, but the man that owned the house made up for it the following morning when he hand delivered pretzels from a local bakery to all the tiny houses. I was outside enjoying a cuppa when he swung by.
  
  The day we arrived we had enough daylight left to explore the town a bit, so we walked towards a hill we saw when driving in. The hill sucked us in with its many striations and multi colored patches. I’m still not certain what the vines were that grew on these hills, but we enjoyed weaving in and out of them anyway.
  
  We sat at the top for a bit before heading into the city center for a quick look around, and a bite to eat. Along the way we found more interesting places that fit well with the unique vibe of our Air B & B. We found an abandoned child play park that looked like something out of a Stephen King novel, we found a mini zoo in a public space with sheep, goats, chickens, and most random of all – emus?
  
  We found the city surrounded by a wall, but upon arrival inside the wall the central area was adorable, with quintessential German buildings.
  
  We got pizza from a local shop, and came back to the warmth of our tiny room to enjoy it before bed. The following morning (after coffee, a shower, and some slow moving packing) we headed to one more spot in the forest before making our way to the pumpkin festival. We stopped at Baumwipfelpfad, the treetop walk above the forest.
  
  This entire area was unreal, with multiple options for forest adventure, but we settled on the above spiral climb. From here we were able to see a panoramic view of the dense, colorful forest below us. This cost us ten euros each, and for an additional 2 euros there is a slide towards the top of the spiral that anyone can slide down. We didn’t want to pay to slide, but it looked like a fun time.
  
  Our trip to the Black Forest was not what we expected, but it was a wonderful and relaxing reality. I not only hope to return to the forest, but I hope to return to Gengenbach, to the tower area, and to some of the hiking trails near the north. Shoutout to my friend Melody who took all the photos of me in this post.
  
  The quality of her dSLR photos vs. my cell phone photos are night and day!
  
  Q: Would you enjoy staying in a garden oasis tiny house, or would you rather have a hotel room with a private bathroom?
  
  | 10 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, Germany, Hiking, The Black Forest
- You Win Some, You Loose Some
  
  Posted at 5:00 PM by Brittany, on November 8, 2019
  
  The weather in Bavaria is slowly starting to change, and there is already snow on some of the surrounding mountains. I am not a snow hiker, and while I have been loving bike rides more than hiking lately, I made sure to get in a couple more hikes before the snow covers everything it touches.
  
  Please don’t skip fall though, it’s my favorite.
  
  There is a mountain right behind where I live that I have been eyeing everyday since I arrived. The mountain is called The Kramer, and it’s one of the more intermediate hikes. This meant I didn’t want to hike it solo, and it took a while to find someone with a free schedule to hike with. They say wisdom comes with age, and I have to say it’s true.
  
  I used to venture off on solo hikes regardless of the terrain, and now I am more conscious of my safety. (My parents will appreciate this.)
  
  It’s a good thing too, because this hike was SK-ET-CH! Granted, we (my roommate and I) went on a day it was raining (which isn’t typically a big deal for me) with limited visibility. We also planned to go the “easier” route, but discovered it was closed that day. I’m not usually one to give up easily, so we decided to go the “harder” route.
  
  How bad could it be?
  
  Long story short: I almost cried because I was so scared. The trail itself wasn’t overly difficult physically, but the higher we got, the steeper the drop offs on the side were. The trail was made up of loose rocks most of the way, and one wrong move meant a slip and slide to death. OK, so I’m being dramatic, but it was honestly scary at times.
  
  So much so, that we made it about 700ft from the summit and decided to call it quits. It got to the point where it was no longer enjoyable. We were both feeling uneasy about the path (perhaps in better weather it would be ok) and decided to turn around.
  
  The hike took us nearly nine hours, mostly due to moving so slow at the top because we were literally crawling.
  
  Where we turned around.
  
  Although we were only a handful of feet from the top, it would have likely taken another 45-60 minutes. We got back down and it was dark by the time we made it home, so it was a good thing we turned around when we did. I plan to try this hike again, but not in shit weather, and not from this side of the mountain.
  
  All drama aside, I was really proud of myself on this hike. Not for my physical accomplishments, but for my mental accomplishments. This is the first hike I’ve not finished where I didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. When I first started hiking frequently in 2014, not summiting wasn’t an option. The summit was the goal.
  
  These days I try to enjoy the journey and the company more than the summit. I felt such emotional strength to not only accept defeat, but be proud of my decision to turn around.
  
  Don’t let our smiles fool you, this was right before we turned around and were mentally preparing for the butt scooting on the way down.
  
  Another hike I didn’t officially summit here was back in April, when I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to climb the Wank when there was still snow on the mountain. I thought I was closer to the summit than I actually was, but because I didn’t officially reach the cross (there was far too much snow and it was impossible to get to) I knew I needed to hike this one again.
  
  Summit elevation: 1780m
  
  We had an unexpected nice day in Bavaria a bit ago, so a group of seven of us decided to hike the Wank to take advantage of the weather. Three of the people and I worked with at Yellowstone last summer, and we hadn’t spent much time together since arriving in Germany.
  
  We all arrived at different times (I’ve been here the longest, and one just arrived last month) and this was a great hike together.
  
  The view from the summit of the Wank is unbelievable. I have been making an effort to sit and savor more when I reach a summit/reach a destination I physically worked to reach. I used to hit a summit, and sit for maybe 15 minutes before leaving. It would sometimes take hours to reach the summit, why wouldn’t I appreciate it more??
  
  Cross marks the top.
  
  We hiked the Wank after work, and we were some of the last people at the top. We stayed at the top for about an hour before heading back down. The sun was setting by the time we were halfway down, providing a beautiful contrast to the surrounding mountains.
  
  Sometimes we win some, and sometimes we loose some. I “lost” the summit on the Kramer, but I won the summit on the Wank. I lost the summit of the Wank back in April, which just means I will win the summit of the Kramer at another time. It’s ok to stop, step back, and reevaluate things.
  
  It’s ok to readjust and plan for a better route – whether it’s on a hike, or anything else in life.
  
  I catch myself cringing when I tell people how old I am, but I think it’s partly because I am surrounded by people younger than me. Truthfully, I am so happy to be out of my 20’s and being 30 is freaking awesome. I am wiser, I am stronger (mentally), and I am caring less and less what others think about me as each day passes. Life lessons make a bit more sense these days, and for that I love being in this decade of life.
  
  Q: How do you handle situations like my Kramer experience?
  
  | 14 Comments Tagged Bavaria, Brittanys Life Abroad, Germany, Hiking, Kramer, Wank
- Kreuzeck
  
  Posted at 5:00 PM by Brittany, on November 6, 2019
  
  I am finding that despite having a handful of things I want to blog about, I sometimes struggle actually getting around to writing the posts. This post for example, is about a hike I went on in early fall. It is now nearing the end of fall. Blame it on the brain fog, or the fatigue, or the lack of motivation, but better late than never.
  
  One of my favorite things about the hikes in Bavaria, are these plaques found at the summit. If the hike has a Hütte at the top, there are plaques on the side indicating the summit elevation. This plaque is from a mountain behind where I live called the Kreuzeck, and it sits at an elevation of 1652m.
  
  This summit was interesting, and at first I wasn’t convinced I had hit the top at all.
  
  Summits are also indicated by some kind of cross, as if by the grace of God you made it to the top of a mountain. I love the crosses at the top, and for someone that struggled with chronic fatigue for many years, (and still does sometimes) anytime I make it to the top of a mountain I am thankful. The cross is a good reminder for me to thank God for all that I am capable of.
  
  I am also thankful for all the mountain friends I find along the way. Sheep, and goats, and cows, OH MY!
  
  Despite seeing the cross, I wasn’t convinced I had hit the summit. The summit of the Kreuzeck isn’t an obvious one like most hikes here, it’s more of a flat ground with other summits towering around it. This made me wonder if I had actually hit the summit, or if one of the surrounding peaks was the summit.
  
  I stopped into one of the two Hütte’s at the top to ask if this was the summit of the Kreuzeck, and a lovely Germany woman confirmed I was in fact at the top of the Kreuzeck. A bit anticlimactic, but the hike was beautiful none the less.
  
  I hiked this with one of my friends and we started a little later in the day, which meant darkness was close by. After walking up some surprisingly steep areas (despite the lower elevation of the overall summit) we decided to take the cable car back down instead of hiking down. This cable car only has a round trip ticket, which was annoying, but it was still cool to ride in.
  
  My first German alps cable car ride.
  
  (Source)
  
  The hike up was fairly quick, it took us under two hours to summit. We hung around the top for a bit hanging out with some of the summit locals. At the top there is a chicken coup next to one of the Hütte’s. All the chickens were roaming free, but one chicken in particular looked as if he were picked on by the others.
  
  I don’t know what came over me, but seeing him missing feathers and looking a bit rough made me cry. LOL. I just imagined the other chickens plucking at him, and then I went down a momentary black hole of apology for eating so much chicken. My inner vegan was screaming to come back out, but then I had to remember why I started eating meat again in the first place.
  
  Point being, despite how long it’s been I still struggle with eating meat sometimes.
  
  Chicken coups aside, the view from Adolf-Zöppritz-Haus (the Hütte at the top) was beautiful. We hiked on a day with overcast, but the clouds cleared just enough to provide a view of the valley below. And just like that, I checked another Bavarian summit off my list. Winter is coming fast, and I have another hike from the summer to share in my next post, but I don’t know if I’ll be doing much more hiking in Germany until spring.
  
  Q: Would you rather hike up and cable car down, or cable car up and hike down? Definitely hike up for me. I gotta work for my ride down!
  
  | 8 Comments Tagged Bavaria, Brittanys Life Abroad, Garmisch, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Hiking
- I Wanna Pisa That Pizza
  
  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on November 4, 2019
  
  When I was a wee child, I used to enjoy watching Disney movies, as most children do. One of the movies I loved was A Goofy Movie, and in that movie is a scene I used to quote often with my friends. I thought it was absolutely hilarious when one of the characters used cheese wizz to make a leaning tower of cheese, which he called: “a leaning tower of cheeza.”
  
  To this day I think of that scene when anyone refers to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After my recent trip to Rome I wanted to make a pit stop in Pisa to see the tower, because it was an easy detour on the drive back to Germany. Upon arrival there was more to meet the eye than I expected. I didn’t realize there was a cathedral next to the tower, which was just as beautiful.
  
  It took a while to find parking, and after battling the parking meter trying to decipher what it was saying (it was all in Italian) we walked about half a mile to see the tower. There were of course plenty of other people around trying to get a view of the tower as well, and it was comical watching everyone taking the popular photo of them holding up the tower.
  
  Guilty…
  
  It took my mom and I quite a few tries to get a somewhat decent photo, but in the end my strength prevailed. I originally planned to climb the tower, but after realizing it was nearly 20 euros to climb, I decided it wasn’t worth it. Instead we walked all the way around the tower before walking around the town of Pisa for lunch.
  
  The town of Pisa is small, but adorable. We found a restaurant close enough to the tower, but far enough away that it didn’t feel overly touristy to enjoy some lunch. We had eaten pizza twice before during our visit to Italy, and both times we were skunked by less than stellar quality. Third time was the charm, and having pizza in Pisa was the golden ticket because this pizza was AMAZING.
  
  The pizza was the side of my torso, and my mom, my sister, and I gobbled it up without a crumb to spare. I came to Italy, and I had amazing pizza – success (although I’ve read pizza isn’t really a true Italian meal.) After we finished lunch we headed back towards the car for the long, albeit beautiful drive back to Bavaria. This was a great pit stop, and I am glad I finally got to see the tower in real life.
  
  This sums up my family trip to Italy, it was such a great time seeing my mom and my sister. This was both of their first trips to Europe, and I know it won’t be their last. It was stressful at times planning this trip, and playing tour guide, (I just want everyone to have a good time) but it was all worth it to spend a week with them abroad.
  
  Big thanks to my friend Pam for watching my cat, the only other soul that I trust aside from my mom taking care of my fur child. Without her this trip would not have been possible! ❤
  
  Q: Do you enjoy planning trips? I do this once a month, sometimes it can be a lot!
  
  | 8 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, Italy, Pisa, Pizza
- Assisi, Italy
  
  Posted at 5:00 PM by Brittany, on October 30, 2019
  
  When booking our trip to Rome, I gave my family and I four days in the city just to be sure we were able to “see it all.” After two and a half days we decided we had seen enough, so we spent one of our days exploring a different part of Italy. A bit north of Rome is a city called Assisi, which is a well known city among catholics as this is the city where St. Francis is from.
  
  Growing up I remember reading the above prayer on the wall of my moms bathroom, and although I don’t know a lot about Catholicism (despite being raised Catholic) I have always been aware of St. Francis. He was also a big animal lover, so he and I would have been pals for sure. Assisi is in the region of Umbria, which is often called the green heart of Italy.
  
  The city sits high on a hill, and the drive up is a bit steep. There are two things that make me nervous when driving a car: driving up steep gravel roads, and driving in places I am unfamiliar with. Navigating Rome in a car was only stressful when I had a hard time finding the streets to turn on, because there is no room for pause in that city.
  
  Mopeds drove wherever they wanted, the streets were always packed, and the people drove quickly. A slight pause in the road would have resulted in a honk or a bumper bump.
  
  When we were driving out of Rome towards Assisi, I had hoped because we were leaving early in the morning that the locals would still be asleep. Once again I was wrong, and it seems that no matter what time of day it is in Rome, the streets are chaos. I felt surprisingly calm driving in Rome overall, and most of the time we were laughing at the clusterfuck of the other drivers, but I wouldn’t do it again.
  
  After getting far enough away from the city, I was able to breathe a bit easier. We arrived in Assisi around lunch time, so we stopped at a market for me to grab something to eat. I bought a can of tuna, because Italian tuna is packed in olive oil and it’s SO good. I realized I didn’t have a fork, so instead of using my fingers I used the lid of the can.
  
  No cuts happened while eating this tuna.
  
  After some snacks we found a place to park the car near the city center and walked around for a few hours. Assisi is a small town that doesn’t require much time to visit, a half day was more than enough for us. We went inside two churches, ate some pizza and cannolis, and bought some locally made olive oil.
  
  The Italian man I bought my olive oil from was a local of Assisi. He spoke great English and was very handsome. Tall and lanky, one of my types, but then I saw him later in the day smoking. ALL.THE.CUTE.EUROPEANS.SMOKE. I guess despite their love for the environment, they haven’t fully caught onto the problem of smoking.
  
  After we spent our time in Assisi, we headed back towards Rome for our final night. Along the way we found a basilica to check out. I love road trips because of the flexibility they provide. A lovely day in a new city, and another bucket list visit for my mama.
  
  My sister was such a champ on this trip, and she kept her cool no matter what we did. My sister has autism, and she used to not handle stressful situations well, but these days she rolls with the punches like it’s nothing. She would laugh harder than my mom and I when we were navigating the chaotic streets of Rome.
  
  I think her laugher is what kept me laughing. Life is too short for anything but laughter.
  
  My sister and I, her looking like she’s about to consume a small child for lunch.
  
  Q: Have you heard of Assisi?
  
  | 16 Comments Tagged Assisi, Brittanys Life Abroad, Italy
- Roma, Italia – Pt. 3
  
  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on October 28, 2019
  
  If you read my previous two posts about Rome, you’ll know that Rome wasn’t really the city for me. Ironically I will be returning next summer for a family cruise, and will spend some time visiting the sights I didn’t get to see. One sight I hope I get to visit again is the Colosseum. Of all the things I saw in Rome, this was by far my favorite.
  
  Sadly I only had two hours to split between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, which meant I didn’t have nearly enough time to wander these two locations. These two locations alone made my trip to Rome worth it. The Colosseum is a large amphitheater that held between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators.
  
  It was used for gladiatorial contests, public spectacles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on classical mythology. The Colosseum stopped this type of entertainment use in the early medieval era, and it was later used for housing, workshops, religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a christian shrine.
  
  For fear of missing the last Hop on Hop off bus back to the Vatican City where I was staying, I quickly rushed through the Colosseum in 30 minutes. This was enough time to grasp the awe of this place, but not enough time to read the plaques and soak in the energy. I was hoping to see some stray cats, but no such luck.
  
  I hope to not only see some cats when I return next summer, but I also hope to spend more time inside the Colosseum.
  
  Right next to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, an ancient city that is still partly intact. It served as a public area in which commercial, religious, economical, political, legal, and social activities occurred. This place is less busy than the Colosseum, but I found it to be much more fascinating.
  
  I spent a little bit more time here than I did at the Colosseum, but again it wasn’t nearly enough.
  
  After I made my way back to the Vatican City, I stopped by the store to grab supplies for dinner. I was hooked and obsessed with fresh gnocchi, fresh pasta, and fresh pesto. I literally ate the same meal every night I was in Rome. Two of the three nights, I made the meal myself.
  
  This was a lovely way to spend our final day in Rome. Although we were sleeping in Rome for another two nights, the next day we took a day trip outside of Rome. I have slight PTSD about driving out of Rome, and then back INTO Rome, but I also think I am capable of absolutely anything now. Stay tuned for our day trip to Assisi, and how I managed to make it out of Rome alive.
  
  Q: Who else wants to watch Gladiator now? I’ve actually never seen it!
  
  | 17 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, Europe, Italy, Rome
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