After our day at the expo, we spent the next day touring around more of Milan. We went to Sforza Castle that was built in the 15th century. It was beautiful! While there we relaxed in the park beside it and enjoyed the sun and of course some gelato! We had lunch at a mozzarella bar before heading to catch our flight to Stuttgart.
From Milan we flew into Stuttgart, Germany where Simons father picked us up and took us back to their house. Simon's father is the mayor of a beautiful town, and Tuscaloosa's sister city Schorndorf! We spent five nights in Germany before flying back to Italy. We were able to stay with Simon's family for the entirety of our time in Germany, and I could not be more grateful. Both Simon's mom, Anni and his dad, Matthew were very sweet and wonderful! I truly felt at home while staying with them. Our experience in Germany was wonderful and full of adventure! I was pleasantly suppressed with pretzel with Nutella every morning for breakfast (and it's great)!
Schorndrorf
The next day we toured around Schorndrorf and saw all of the beautiful sights this city has to offer. That night we had supper at a bar that overlooks the city. On our last day in Schorndrorf we were able to go to the top of the main church and view the whole city (courtesy of the mayor's connections). We were also able to visit the castle, which sit just across the street from Simon's house.
Our day in Stuttgart primarily consisted of shopping. We went to many stores and I even purchased some Birkenstocks for half of the price of here in the US!! Stuttgart has an amazing little indoor market that is sectioned off by different food groups throughout Europe! It was very cool. The architecture of stuttgart was also amazing. The castle, government buildings, and the opera house were all in very close proximity to one another. Across from the opera there was a small park and pond (if you can call a body of water 2 feet deep a pond) that really made the city feel homey and comfortable.
We spent our first tuesday in Europe in Munich and it was great! In Munich we did some shopping and visited many churches. The town square was crawling with history. For lunch we took the subway to the academic part of Munich to walk to a huge park with streams and lots of students sitting around studying and sunbathing. There we also many MANY bikers. In the park we went to a beer garden for lunch. the whole set up was like a buffet of traditional german food and of course monster beers. The food was great! I had a pretzel that was larger than my head!!! The best part of it all was the atmosphere. We got to eat and relax outside. The park made for a very peaceful lunch. After lunch we went to the top of a hill which set a little temple where we got a great view of the whole park. When we returned to the city center we went to the market. Although Stuttgart's market was very fascinating and different, this market was HUGE. There was any and every type of food you could have Imagined. Munich was a very tiring day, but well worth it. Seeing buildings that were bombed in WWII but rebuilt as close to the original as possible truly creates a feeling of nostalgia and realization of history. When reading a history book you don't understand the effects of bombings that take place in war, but seeing pictures of the building you're standing in after it has been destroyed really connects the dots.
Heidelberg
Heidelberg was equally as historic and beautiful. In Heidelberg we visited the castle that overlooks the whole city. There was even a couple getting married there, how cute! The city center was very large and we were also able to do some shopping in Heidelberg. It is here that I was able to try my first schnitzel! We also stopped in a Hard Rock Cafe to get some souvenirs and to our surprise there was NO STORE in the cafe!!! I could not believe it!! Heidelberg was a truly amazing experience and there are MANY english speakers, so again this is a favorite of mine and if given the chance I recommend you visit. I know I will again soon.
After returning from Italy we spent the next day in Udine to celebrate Silvia's Mom's birthday before heading to the beach. For her birthday celebration we spent the day by the pool with a fantastic view of the alps. On Sunday we left for the beach. This beach was truly like none I have been to before. It was so strange to see brown sand on the beach, but also beautiful. One truly scary thing we saw on the beach happened on monday. While Silvia and I were laying out on the beach I noticed a man laying on the ground. Before we knew it we saw a another man preforming CPR on him and this man (in a speedo) truly saved his life. Eventually lifeguards and paramedics arrived and he was carried off of the beach. I can honestly say that in this moment I truly admired the life savors strength and speed to take charge and save a life. He was also humble. He never looked for praise. When the medics arrived he left and continued to play with his children. I do not know who this man is but I can say he is an everyday hero. At the beach we finally got some much needed relaxation to let our feet rest from the previous days of strenuous walking. We went back to Udine on Tuesday night and had hour Final meal with Silvia's family.
On Wednesday we left to head to Venice. Venice is a truly amazing city and I wish we could've had more time to explore and get lost in it. We went to saint mark's square. Again this was a moment of awe to take in the amazing mosaics that were all over Saint Mark's Basilica. To get to the square we took a water ferry where we got to see most of the island from the Grand Canal. Venice is amazing. It looks like the buildings Are coming out of the water. While in Venice I was able to try black pasta! It is pasta with fish and the noodles are soaked in squid ink. It sounds weird and nasty but I was very happy with my out of the box choice! We spent the night in a bed and breakfast in Venice. It was very cute and comfortable. The next day Silvia's dad picked us up and took us to the airport to head back to the states.
Silvia's family was amazing. Both her father, her mom, and her mom's boyfriend welcomed us with open arms (and full bellies). I had such a wonderful time with my great friend that I got to reconnect with over a two week trip. They say home is where the heart is. I left a little of my heart with them so I guess I have a home in Italy now too.I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go to Italy and Germany. I owe a huge thank you to Silvia, Simon, and both of their families. I also want to thank the Curry's so I could experience this with my best friend. Last but not least a big thanks to my parents who trusted me enough to allow me to go, who gave me money at holidays so I could save to go, and for instilling an adventurous mentality in me from the time I was little. I love you all.
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