Tag: Brittanys Life Abroad

• Highclere, England

  Posted at 4:30 PM by Brittany, on December 4, 2019

  Highclere is a village in England about an hour and a half (drive) west of London. When I first heard of this village I thought nothing of it. When most people hear of this village they think of Highclere Castle, a filming location for the popular show Downton Abbey (DA.) I’m often behind the times when it comes to watching popular shows, and I’ve still never seen Game of Thrones despite telling myself I would start watching after visiting a handful of filming locations.

  My two gal pals that went to England with me are big DA fans, and they wanted to visit Highclere castle. I’m always up for a good castle visit, so I was on board despite the fact I knew nothing about the show. After booking our Air B & B we discovered the castle has limited openings, and we would have needed to book our visit much further in advance.

  Alas, we stuck with the plan to visit Highclere and had a lovely morning walk.

  

  

  We thought perhaps we could catch a glimpse of the castle from the outskirts if we walked nearby, but that didn’t happen. Instead we wandered open fields, small neighborhoods, quiet church yards, and found an old cemetery. We were only in Highclere for an evening into the next afternoon, but it was a nice transition leaving London heading towards our first national park of the trip.

  

  

  Our Air B & B was lovely, and the hosts left us some croissants and eggs in the fridge for breakfast. I woke up before my gal pals and enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee while staring quietly into the open fielded backyard. It was in this moment that I knew deep in my soul the UK is where I feel most alive.

  

  I can’t tell you what it is exactly, it’s a feeling I will forever struggle to put into words, but I have now been to three of the four UK countries and each one sparks a fire in me that I forget is there until I arrive. I travel to escape, and while it’s a healthier addiction than some of the alternatives, it’s still a way for me to not work through my problems.

  I’m not saying this is a good thing, it’s just the truth. People say travel is a way to find yourself, but for some travel is a way to escape yourself. All of my trips bring me joy, but none like the joy I feel when I visit the UK. I hope someday (preferably after I work through my “problems” and stop traveling just to escape) I can find a way to live in the UK.

  Any UK readers out there single and looking to mingle, holla atcha girl.

  

  After pondering life, my friends and I made some breakfast before we headed out for our walk. I felt calm, I felt content, and I felt at peace sitting down with two great girls for a meal and some laughs. I enjoyed my eggs and two croissants without any food anxiety.

  After our walk we said goodbye to The Leacroft Lodge and headed towards the Lake District. 

  

  

  Before arriving at our next destination, we stopped in a small town called Coventry for afternoon tea. Can you really visit the UK without having afternoon tea? We chose Coventry because it was a good midpoint between Highclere and the Lake District, and because we found an undercroft called St. Mary’s Guildhall that served (very affordable) afternoon tea.

  

  

  This undercroft is over 700 years old, and sits within the cities historical Cathedral Quarter. The medieval restaurant is new, and the ladies that work there are kind and friendly. The tea cost each of us no more than $10, and my eyes were opened to the world of clotted cream. I knew I loved scones, but English scones are of another world.

  I ended up eating the remaining clotted cream with a spoon.

  

  After tea we wandered the town for maybe an hour before heading north to the Lake District. We walked the Cathedral Quarter of Coventry, weaving through the ruins of St. Michael cathedral, and saw a traditional original medieval timber framed house. An unexpected historical stop in the city of Coventry.

  

  

  

  

  I still daydream about those scones and clotted cream. It’s a good thing there were so many opportunities for scones on this trip.

  Q: Scones or croissants? Nothing beats a good, thick, soft, English scone with jam and clotted cream.

  

  | 20 Comments Tagged Afternoon Tea, Brittanys Life Abroad, England, Highclere

• 24 Hours in London

  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on December 2, 2019

  Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t love big cities. Give me a quiet backcountry with a rustic cabin and endless rolling hills and I am a peaceful, content lass. When my two friends and I decided to take a trip to England together, we all agreed we didn’t want to spend much time in London. Our goals were to split our time between two national parks (which we did) and only spend 24 hours in London (which we also did.)

  London is a big city, and we didn’t want to spend much time here because we thought it would be too hustle and bustle, too overwhelming, too many people, too this, too that…

  Boy were we wrong. 

  

  Buckingham Palace

  

  

  Backing up a bit, our journey getting to London was quite an adventure. We chose a 6am flight, and because the trains in Germany had been occasionally getting delayed, we decided to sleep at the airport the night/morning before our flight. We took an 11pm train to the airport, found a corner in the airport at 1 am, and “slept” until around 4am.

  I don’t think I ever actually fell asleep.

  

  Westminster Abbey

  

  Despite the lack of sleep, I don’t regret sleeping at the airport. We arrived in London around 11am, took the underground to our hostel, and set off to explore the city for the remainder of the day. I have never seen a more simple, easy to follow public transportation than the London Underground. From the airport to the city, and from each area of the city to another, it was foolproof.

  

  The London Eye

  

  

  Maybe it was because I was in the land of my first language, or maybe it was the ease of tapping my Oyster card onto the entry gates of the underground making me feel like a local, but I never once felt stressed navigating London, nor did I struggle to find the right train or location. 10/10 for the London Underground.

  Upon arrival in the city the three of us had one thing on our mind: find coffee. Our lack of sleep, and desire for exploration led us to Kaffeine, a coffee shop we visiting twice in the 24 hours we were in London. This was a cute little shop with delicious coffee. On our way to the coffee shop we spotted Ben’s Cookies, an English cookie chain with AMAZING COOKIES.

  

  

  

  I don’t typically gravitate towards food that comes from a chain like restaurant, but I wasn’t aware Ben’s was a chain until after I left London. I saw another Ben’s in another city later on during my trip. I didn’t even care though, because the cookie I bought was worth every splurged penny and bite. It paired perfectly with my americano from Kaffeine.

  

  

  

  Sugar and caffeine in our veins we walked the city, and found our way to Hyde park. This park is just a jump away from the city center shops, and has lovely trees that hug along the Serpentine lake. The weather held up most of the time we were in London, but while we wandered the park it began to rain. I find in these moments the rain almost makes the experience more memorable.

  So long as I have the right jacket on. 

  

  

  After the park, it started to get dark. We realized we needed real food, and in typical American fashion we ended up at Chipotle. It’s been a long 10 months away from Chipotle for us all, and while I NEVER feel well after I eat there, it was worth it. Before we found Chipotle, we made a last minute decision to watch one of the MANY shows playing in the city.

  London has show, after show, after show playing in multiple different locations across the city, and we chose the cheapest show playing. We walked up to the ticket counter at 6pm, discovered there was a showing of Waitress at 7pm, and the cost was around $50. We were sold, and after eating our meal we made our way to the theater.

  Low key wanted to see Phantom of the Opera, but I’ll see that one next time. 

  

  

  I’d heard of Waitress, but I had no idea what it was about. It ended up being an AMAZING show, and it was so much fun. I decided in that moment that London was not like the other cities I tried to avoid, London was a city I could, and will come to and spend a week eating cookies, drinking coffee, and watching a new show every night.

  

  After the show we made our way back to our hostel for the night. The next morning we got up early to explore some of the well known places in the city. Places like: Buckingham Palace, Platform 9 3/4, The London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Kaffeine…back to Kaffeine. Before we left the area of our hostel, we had breakfast at a cafe right around the corner. The cafe had a perfectly fitting name for its location…

  

  I have been obsessed with English/Irish/Scottish breakfasts since my first trip to the UK a few years ago, and I needed an English breakfast at least once on this trip. All of these breakfasts have similarities and differences, but what I get from each one of them is: eggs, bacon, black pudding, and potatoes of some kind.

  Hi my name is Brittany, and I’m a recovering vegan. 

  

  

  We visited all the above places I listed on our own time. We planned to join a free walking tour, but no one showed up so we made our own walking tour. All three of us are Harry Potter fans, and it was great seeing Platform 9 3/4. The train station (King’s Cross) is beautiful on its own, but this addition made it worth the trip.

  

  

  Buckingham Palace Gate

  

  St. James Park

  We stayed in the city until around 3pm before making our way back to the airport to pick up our rental car. We stopped by Kaffeine for one more beverage and snack before our drive, and it was just as tasty the second time as it was the first. Sometimes I like trying multiple new places, and sometimes I stick to one place that was good the first time.

  

  Almond milk latte, and a blueberry bread

  Just like that, our quick 24(ish) hours in London were up and it was time to move on to the next part of our trip. I was pleasantly surprised by London, and I can’t wait to return. I need to go back for the shows, and to see Big Ben when she’s not under construction. She was completely blocked by scaffolding while undergoing a 4yr renovation. We all need a little facelift from time to time. 

  Q: Do you prefer visiting a new restaurant every day, or will you return to one you fell in love with?

  

  | 11 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, Coffee, England, London

• 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. 

  

  | 4 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 trees 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?

  

  | 9 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! 

  

  | 7 Comments Tagged Brittanys Life Abroad, Italy, Pisa, Pizza

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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