I don't know where to start!It has been over 3 weeks since we've updated this thing, although we did get pictures up about two weeks ago.I think we need to start all the way back at Munich, then talk about the Black Forest, Switzerland, Venice, Paris (part 2), Rome, Nice, and Spain.I better just get right into it; this is going to be a long entry!(Krista)

Munich was a blast!We arrived the day the World Cup began, so there were 2-3 games per day for about 2 weeks straight.We watched the USA-England game at a beirgarten we found, which was very fun.They sell beer by the liter.By the end of the night, Kyle and I had each had 3 liters of beer, which is probably more than we should have.We had fun though, and hung out with some Irish kids that were very excited that the game ended in a tie (England was predicted to win).We sat in a huge pavillion the next night and watched the Germany-Australia game.Germany won 4-0, and Munich was very excited.We had a lot of fun.Kyle and I took two day trips from Munich: one to the castles and one to Dachau.The castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, were beautiful.Neuschwanstein is the castle that inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle.There are many trails to walk up to the castles which are situated on two hills.There is also a big waterfall and a skinny little bridge you can walk across.The whole area was just beautiful.The other day trip, to Dachau, was of course a very different experience.Although it is very interesting to learn about the history of the Holocaust, being in the camp is a bit eerie.You can walk into the barracks and the living quarters, and even the crematorium and the gas chambers.They have many testimonials and memorials, along with a huge museum about World War II and the Holocaust.You can't rush through a place like that, and Kyle and I spent quite a few hours there.(Krista)

Next on the long list of stops was the Black Forest.The main city in that area is Freiburg, but we stayed in a small town called Titisee, about a 30 minute train ride south of Freiburg.Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of the Black Forest because the weather was absolutely horrible.This weather trend followed us for the next week.The Black Forest was quickly turning into a real downer because everything we had planned to do, like go to the water fall and the lake, was outside.So, with nothing better to do, we took the train into Freiburg.This decision proved to be a very good one.After wandering around Freiburg for a few hours in the rain, Krista and I came across a wine bar called the "House of Wine."We bought a bottle of wine that we thought was about 15 EUR, but it was actually 23 EUR.Oops.It was one of the best wines either of us had every had though.The next day the weather was still very poor, so we went back into Freiburg.After wandering again we came across yet another wine shop.Wandering and finding wine shops seems to be a common trend for us.I don't know how we do it, but I'm not arguing.At that wine shop, we struck up a conversation with the clerk about wines from the local Baden region.Turns out there are several vineyards in the area.In fact, we came to find out that Baden is the third largest wine producing region in Europe.Krista and I eventually made our way out to a town west of Freiburg called Breisach.It's the Pinot Noir hub for the whole area.At the tourist center there was a wine bar, so we sat there for the next two hours tasting wine.Krista and I tasted this great wine, and bought a bottle of it.The clerk at the wine bar pointedus in the direction of a vineyard right within Breisach.After walking around it for a while, I decided that this was the spot that I wanted to propose to Krista.To be honest, I didn't expect this opportunity to come up so suddenly, so I even caught myself by surprise, let alone Krista.I was insistent on a passerby taking our picture and that's when I kneeled down on one knee and asked Krista to marry me.There was surprise, there were tears, and she said yes.We went back to the wine bar to get a second bottle of the wine, which suddenly became very special.After an hour of being completely elated with joy, we made our way back to Freiburg for a nice dinner to celebrate.The weather improved just for that afternoon, so what could have been a miserable stay in the Black Forest turned into an unexpectedly amazing and life-changing stay.(Kyle)

Bern was a short stop for us.For those of you who have never heard of Bern it's the capital of Switzerland.It's a small city though, between 100,000 and 200,000; Geneva and Zurich are much larger.Krista and I had only the one night in Bern so once we checked in we got moving.The only sights Krista and I really saw were the bear pits, Einstein's house, and a statue of a giant eating a baby.We also spent far too much on a meal at McDonalds, over $20 for two burgers.Our hostel in Bern was probably the nicest we've stayed in so far; the Glocke Hotel.It's kitchen was spotless; very rare, and the staff was more than helpful.The next day Krista and I had an early start and left for Venice. (Kyle)

Kyle and I loved Venice.We got a bit unlucky with the weather, but oh well.It rained pretty hard the first two days (of three) that we were there.Finally the third day it cleared up and it was blissfully hot.We were in no position to complain though.Our hostel (or campsite, actually- we rented a trailer of sorts) was not on the island of Venice, so we had to take a ferry everyday to get onto the island.The first day we took it a bit easy, hoping that we would get to do more the next day if it didn't rain.We watched some world cup games and tried to explore a little bit of Venice.The second day, it was still raining in the morning.Kyle and I decided that we didn't really want to waste another day though, so we got dressed up in our most waterproof clothes and faced the rain.We got a pass for the waterbuses (Venice's form of public transport) and went up the Grand Canal.We considered taking a gondola ride, but it's so expensive (plus, the Bridge of Sighs in under construction right now, which is what we wanted to go under by gondola).The rain had stopped by this point, but it was still a bit cool.We weren't going to let that stop us! We took a waterbus to Murano, where we saw some of the glass-making workshops and some beautiful boutiques and galleries.Kyle and I haggled down the price of a wine-stopper and two necklaces made right there on the island (or so they say, who knows?).Kyle and I took another waterbus to Lido, and walked along the beach.We dipped our feet in the water and looked for seashells.We had fun, despite the cool weather.We definitely made good use of the waterbus day pass, too, going to all of the islands.Our third day was by far the best.We woke up and the sun was shining.What a great start!Kyle and I went to St. Mark's Basilica first, which was beautiful.It would have made sense to go on a rainy day, but you can imagine how long the lines were to get it, and we didn't want to stand in line in the rain.Kyle and I spent the rest of the day exploring parts of Venice we hadn't seen yet.We found the famous journal shop, Rivoaltus, and walked all the way to the east end of the island.The canals and windy roads are so fun and interesting.We had a great time just wanderingand seeing where we ended up.We had to go back to the campsite to get our bags, and then catch a night train to Paris!(Krista)

The night train to Pariswas pretty terrible.But if I have learned one thing from that experience, it's to not complain about it, because there are worse ways to spend your night.We'll get to that though…We were in a cabin with 4 other people, an older couple from Mexico and a young couple from Colombia.They all spoke some English, but they mostly spoke Spanish to each other the whole time.That's okay though, because Kyle and I journaled and drank wine (because Red Wine Helps You Sleep On Trains).The seats in the cabin awkwardly become 2 beds, while the headrest area folds down on each side to become 2 more beds. Finally, there are 2 beds up top, where your luggage would normally go.Kyle and I had the top two, which were definitely the best way to go, despite having to climb up and down.We could go to bed when we wanted, and there was room for us to sit up in bed.Plus, we could access our bags.The middle bunk was pretty tight, and the bottom bunk had the headrests hanging down in your face.It looked uncomfortable (not that any of the beds were THAT comfortable…).And since the seats had to fold down to become the beds, those four had to all go to bed at the same time and stay in bed until everyone was up.It was loud and hot all night, and it felt like we were going to fall off of our bunks.It wasn't a great night of sleep.(Krista)

We got to Paris around 10 am, dropped out bags off at out hostel, and went to find Annie's hotel.Oh, the reason we went back to Paris, for those of you that don't know, is that my little sister was in Paris at the time for a school trip.We hung around her hotel for a while, and she never showed up (her plane was delayed, but we had no way of contacting her).I overheard a tour guide talking to a group of teenagers about meeting the other group at Notre Dame at 5:45pm, so I left a note for Annie, saying we would be there.We weren't really sure that the tour guide was talking about Annie's group, but it was the only thing we had to go off of.We got to Notre Dame and sure enough, we found Annie!It was pretty exciting to see her, even though we could only see her for about 15 minutes and then they had to go.Worth going all the way to Paris for?Of course!Who wouldn't want to go back to Paris?We rode bikes around the city, and I got pulled over by a police officer for running a ride light, on a bike.Seriously?It's was Kyle's fault; he told me I could go.We also went to the Musee d'Orsay and did the free walking tour while we were there.The Musee d'Orsay in my favorite museum in Paris, and Kyle really enjoyed it, too.The tour was great, just as they all have been.We told our tour guide a bit about our trip, and mentioned that we got engaged.Apparently, there is a tradition of couples putting a padlock with their names on it on this one bridge in Paris, and throwing the key into the river (essentially, "locking your love in Paris").So, we went out and bought a padlock, and followed the tradition.It was very fun, and it will be great to go back one day and see if it's still there.We had another night train to catch out of Paris to head back to Italy.Our next stop was Rome.(Krista)

So, Krista said night train; well, we didn't exactly end up taking a night train to Rome.France had a rail strike the day Krista and I were leaving for Rome.We literally contended with the strike the whole day because all forms of rail, subway and intercity rail, were on strike.The subways were running at half capacity in Paris so they were always packed and randomly the subway train would slow down for a few minutes then speed back up again.Krista and I arrived at the train station exhausted from practically walking half way across Paris with our backpacks, so you can imagine the disbelief we had at our train cancelation.The train company would not reimburse us either, because they were providing an "alternate" form of transportation: busses.We spent the next 19 hours on a coach bus.I don't fit on busses!I'm too tall!There weren't bathrooms on the bus, so we stopped every few hours for bathroom breaks, too.At this point, the night train didn't seem so bad.Boy did we eat those words in a way neither of us remotely considered possible. (Kyle)

In Rome, Krista and I stayed at another campsite.We actually had a tent this time, but for a tent it was awfully luxurious; it was big enough for bunk beds.On our first day in Rome, Krista and I went to a few of Rome's biggest landmarks: the Spanish Steps, the Fountain of Trevi, the Pantheon, and the Roman Colloseum.Most of these were right along the main shopping strip of Rome.Right next to the Colloseum is the Roman Forum, which was the main city center of ancient Rome.Krista and I didn't actually go into any of the Roman ruins (except the Pantheon because it's free), but we could see plenty from the sidewalk and the surrounding area.I think it's fascinating how much work and craftsmanship went into the those structures, but now almost all of it has been destroyed.The second whole day Krista and I went to the Vatican.Turns out the Vatican Museum is free the last Sunday of every month, and we just happen to be in Rome on the last Sunday of the June.The Museum opens at 8:30am but by the time we arrived at 7:30am the line was already around the block.We didn't get inside until 10:00am.After the museum Krista and I went to go see St. Peter's Basilica.We've seen many cathedrals on our trip and every one of them has been bigger than life.St. Peter's, though, is the biggest by far.While standing in the square in front of the Basilica, the Pope just happen to be speaking.I guess it kind of makes sense that the Pope would be speaking on a Sunday…So from across the square, in a tiny window, we saw the Pope.We left early on a Monday morning for a maze of trains to Nice and Monaco.(Kyle)

I'll sum up the trains from Rome to Nice.First, we went from Rome to Milan (we almost went from Rome to Genova, but Krista and I wouldn't have made it to Nice till 8pm).Our train arrived in Milan 20 minutes late so we missed our connection.We were supposed to go to Genova either way, but going through Milan would have put us in Nice around 4pm.We had to wait and catch the next one.This train took almost twice as long to get there.From Genova we ended up on the route that would put us in Nice at 7:30pm.We went from Genova to Ventamiglia, Ventamiglia to Monte-Carlo, and Monte-Carlo to Nice at 7:30pm.The problem with all of that is the reception at our hotel closes at 8pm.Krista and I literally ran through the streets of Nice, fully loaded, in order to check in.Fortunately, we made it. (Kyle)

Krista and I spent two whole days in Nice.We also saw Monaco while we were there.Monaco is nothing but rich people and the things they spend their money on.Everything about Monaco was pristine and expensive; we weren't even aloud to walk on the grass in the parks.In Monaco Krista and I walked around the city, and went to the aquarium.The aquarium was nice, but smaller than we thought it would be.The aquarium portion took up the basement and the rest of the museum was dedicated to seafaring type stuff.The casino had a cover charge so we went in the parts that were free, which wasn't much.Just walking by I could tell the staff was judging us.Monaco, though, is an amazing place.I hope one day I can afford to vacation there.In Nice, Krista and I went to the beach, saw a waterfall, explored old town, and dealt with a few train headaches.The train headaches will be covered by Krista later.So, starting with the beach, I just need to rant a little.The beach didn't have sand, it had rocks.Who's brilliant idea was it to use rocks?These weren't pebbles like in Monaco, they were rocks!If you ever are in Nice, don't go to the beach, go to the beach in Monaco.Anyways, we laid out in the sun and swam for a while; it's a nice way to spend a day.Krista and I swan right up until she saw a jellyfish, and I literally panicked.I kicked and thrashed till I was safely on shore.I didn't go back in the water after that.Once we were finished at the beach, Krista and I went to some waterfall that's high on the cliffs above Nice.It was a hot day and the mist from the waterfall was very refreshing.We went to bed early because we were anticipating a long day of trains. (Kyle)

Kyle and I had planned on going to Barcelona the next day, and even had a reservation booked for our hostel.What we didn't do is book a train.So far, besides one day in Paris, we've been just fine booking trains the day before, or the day of.We considered not even going to the train station the day before, but decided to be safe and go.At least this gave us a heads up and some time to create a back-up plan.All of the trains to Barcelona the next day (well, there's only one for the direct route, but even alternate, inconvenient routes), were full.We would not be going to Barcelona the next day, at least not from Nice.We figured out how far we would be able to get by train, which would be Montpelier.We went to the bus station, but all of the buses were full as well.We even looked up flights, but there was nothing we could do to get to Barcelona, short of spending over 1,000 euro on a flight, or hitchhike.We decided we would go as far as we could, and just figure things out on the fly.We were supposed to go from Nice to Marseille, catch a train to Avignon, and then to Montpelier.We made it to Marseille.Our train to Avignon was canceled, and there was no other way to get there.That was a little frustrating, considering we had paid a non-refundable reservation fee for the train.So, we got in line at the ticket counter in Marseille, and tried to figure out the route to Barcelona that would get us there the soonest.The person helping us spoke only a little English, and it was her first day, so it was not easy.Eventually, though, we got a route planned, but would have to spent the night in Marseille.Parts of the train station are open all night, and we didn't want to pay for accommodation when we already were paying for a hostel for that night in Barcelona, so we decided to stay at the station.We had a train to catch at 6:15am, and it hardly seemed worth it to find a hotel or hostel.Staying at the train station was quite the experience.There were a lot of other travelers doing it, too, and security guards were constantly walking around.Plus, the cleaning crew is there at night, so it wasn't scary or shady at all.Just to be safe, Kyle and I locked all of our stuff to the railing on the wall, and slept in shifts.Needless to say, it was not the best night's sleep, nor was it in any way productive.That will teach us for complaining about the night train, and then the bus.You'd think we'd learn….. (Krista)

The trip to Barcelona the next day was pretty uneventful.Finally.Kyle and I made it there pretty easily, and even met a group of Americans on the train to talk to.It's strange just how comforting it is to talk to people from the U.S.Speaking to people who speak English in general is nice, but it's just different if they are from England or Australia.We enjoy the few opportunities we get to speak to some Americans (that's not to say we don't enjoy many of the other people we come across; we're here to experience some amount of culture shock, and to meet new people from different places and with different customs and languages).My knee started hurting a little on the train, and by the time we got to the hostel, I had a slight limp going on.It was a tiny bit swollen, so we iced it and wrapped it, and took it easy for the evening.Kyle took good care of me.The next morning though, it was more swollen, and I had a bit of a fever.We went to the pharmacy to get some medicine and/or advice, and got both.Not knowing much about health care in Spain, and knowing no Spanish (and nobody in Spain speaks English), we decided to give it a little bit of time to try to work itself out, before going to the hospital or anything.If it wasn't serious, it seemed silly to waste time and money on a visit to the urgent care.We at least wanted to give the medicine a day to work.We took it easy for the day by doing a sightseeing bus tour.By the evening, it was still bugging me quite a bit though, so we decided that we may have to go to the hospital after all.The internet was practically nonexistent at our hostel, and we couldn't get any phone calls out to keep family updated.We were leaving for Madrid the next morning, so we decided to wait until then to get it checked out.(Krista)

The train ride to Madrid was pretty miserable because my knee was hurting quite a bit.We decided to go to the hospital right away.The receptionist at out hostel in Barcelona had written out a note in Spanish for me to give to the doctor, explaining my symptoms.I can't speak Spanish, and she said they would most likely not have a translator or many English-speaking people, so this would have to do.There were a few people in the hospital who spoke English, but not many.Kyle wasn't allowed to come back with me, which made both of us more nervous.They ran some blood work and figured out that it was an infection.They hooked me up to an IV so they could get some antibiotics in me, and led Kyle back to me after about 2 hours.They gave me some local anesthetics so they could try to suck some fluid out of my knee, but there wasn't any fluid.It hurt like crazy though!I ended up having to stay overnight for observations, to make sure the swelling was going down and to continue giving me antibiotics.This is what I mean about the complaining thing.We shouldn't have complained about the night train, or the bus, or even the train station, because then we ended up staying at the hospital.I don't dare say it can't get worse, or it just might.The food at the hospital was terrible (apparently that's a pretty universal concept), so Kyle ran out to get dinner and to call my parents.I don't think that's quite the phone call they were expecting from us on the 4th of July….sorry about that.I finally was allowed to go home around 5:30pm, a full 24 hours after arriving.Anybody want to guess how much it costs for someone who, as far as Spain is concerned, is uninsured (I'll get reimbursed at home, but I had to pay out of pocket)?300 euro.Not a bad deal.Maybe this universal health care thing isn't such a bad idea after all.A guy staying in our hostel was in the USA and had to be hospitalized for one night and had to pay 8,000 dollars.We got some prescription antibiotics and painkillers and a wrap for my knee, which came to 15 euro.We didn't exactly get to see Madrid, and we had to leave the next morning for Bordeaux.Maybe it's best we got out of Spain anyway; it wasn't very nice to us.Bordeaux should be better, as long as I can get around okay!We'll drink wine, and see vineyards, and forget all about the bad parts of the past couple weeks.(Krista)

Just to be clear, we are loving our trip.People have been asking us if all of the mishaps are making us want to go home, and the answer is no.We've had some bad luck here and there, but we still have no regrets.We don't want to go home just because of a few bumps.We are excited to eventually be home though, which will be two weeks from tomorrow!We should get at least one more entry in, to detail the rest of our trip, but otherwise, see you all in a couple weeks!(Kyle and Krista)