My cousin Therese, whom I was staying with in Paris had 2 tickets to Disneyland Paris that were set to expire, and since she was not able to use them herself she offered the tickets to me.  I wasn't sure I wanted to waste one of my 3 days in Paris on a theme park, but after I had seen so much of the city on day one I figured why not take a day to check out the parks.  Back in college I used to work at Epcot in Disney World, so I was interested in how similar Disneyland Paris would be, or if they changed it to serve the European market.  It was only a little over an hour by train to get to the park, and  since I knew no one in Paris I took the trip by myself.  A little strange, I admit, but since I was going more for research purposes than anything else I thought it was okay :)

It ended up being a lot of fun, and the park itself exceeded all of my expectaions.  To be honest, I was expecting a run down half-assed execution of a bigger and better Disney World (I guess having lived in Orlando I was a bit biased).  I should have known better considering my marketing experience and knowing first hand what lengths Disney is willing to go to to uphold the brand name.  Disneyland Paris was just as magical an experience as what you would find in Orlando.  The park is clean and the employees are very friendly.  The only major difference is the size from what I can see.  Disney World has 5 parks and Paris has just two.  Still many of the rides were the same, they were well maintained, and it looks like updates were constantly being made to incorporate the new Disney Pixar films.  One of my favorite rides was a roller coaster based on Finding Nemo.  I would liken it to Space Mountain or Rockin Rollercoaster (if you are familiar with Disney rides).  You are in a car that pivots and spins through the dark, with flashes of neon blacklight paint.  Its supposed to simulate a ride with Crush throught he east Australian currant.  Really fun.  Even funnier was watching a family ahead of me with a young son getting off the ride.  The kid, who had been bouncing off of every surface on the way onto the ride was crying his eyes out, and his parents were laughing at him and taking pictures.  I know its cruel, but it was also hilarious.

I only went on a handful of rides and coasters, other than that I was walking around and literally comparing one place to the other.  My final verdict...Disneyland Paris did a damn good job, and the people attending this park are not missing out on much, aside from the missing parks.  Just like being a kid again!

It's been a few years since I've been to Disney World, but in Disneyland they seem to be making a lot of updates to incorporate all of the new Pixar movies

Pirates of the Caribbean

My trip is coming to a close with only 2 cities left to visit.  I cannot believe how time has flown.  I have a second cousin living just outside of Paris, who invited me to stay with her and her family.  I cannot even express my gratitude for their hospitality at the end of my trip when my budget is dwindling dangerously low.  For 3 days and 4 nights, they housed and fed the poor backpacking vagabond they had not seen in probably 10 years or better.  They also gave me a free ticket to Disneyland, Paris, which was a really fun way to spend a day. I'll write about that day trip separately. (Thanks Therese and family!)

I found the city of Paris relatively difficult to navigate during my short stay.  I'm sure given more time I would eventually get the hang of it, but the roads just seem to criss-cross all over the map, and the subways systems are hard to follow to say the least.  However, it still only took me two days to see most of the important sights around the city.  I didn't see the Palace of Versailles or any other sites outside of the city, but I am sure there will be time for that on another trip.  Especially since I just heard that my good friend Jenny will be moving here in January!  (Congrats Jenny!)  

Also, since my budget is waning, as well as my patience for lines, I didn't bother climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower or even entering the Louvre.  Instead I simply enjoyed strolling and just taking everything in slowly.  Paris really is a very lovely city. I had been preparing myself for a letdown as far as the Eiffel Tower was concerned, but was pleasantly surprised to find myself blown away by the magnificence of the structure.  I sat in the Champ de Mars and enjoyed a lunch of fresh baguette and fruit while taking in the beauty and magnitude of the iconic tower.  The area of Mountmartre was also really beautiful to stroll through.  I started in Pris' redlight district, passing the famed Moulin Rouge before making a sharp right and walking up a steep cobble-stoned street.  You could tell that once upon a time this had been a starving artists neighborhood, but like so many NYC neighborhoods it was overcome by its trendiness, prices starrted rising, pushing the artists out, and before you know it the tourists buses come rolling in and things get kitschy.  There is one street in particular, lined with shops and cafes that was just a little touristy for my taste, but to give it its due, if you're into that stuff it is rather cute.  This path leads to a massive cathedral, the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur, perched on a cliff side that is definitely worth a look both inside and out.  The site of the basilica offers a beautiful birds eye view of the city. 

More than any place I have been to to-date, Paris for some reason reminded me the most of NYC.  It had its old-world charm that seems to ooze from just about every European city, but it was more of a feeling as I was walking through the streets.  It's hard to explain, but it is making me miss home more and more.

I made my way into the city of Munich 2 days during my stay in Germany to take part in the 2013 Oktoberfest festivities.  I decided to avoid the major crowds by passing on the weekend, but even the weekdays found the tents pretty packed.  I spent one day walking around the city and seeing the sights, and trust me I saw them all.  I must have walked around for 6 hours.  In the evening I went to Hofbrauhaus, the brick and mortar restaurant for dinner, which consisted of some sort of worst, and a pretzel, which I dipped in my bier!  (Jamey - you would be proud!)  

On day two I spent the day in the tents, which surprisingly took me quite a while to find considering the city was thrumming with revelers of all ages wearing their lederhosen and dirndls.  I should have been able to just follow people directly there, but it didn't work.  Serves me right for trying to follow a bunch of people that were half way to shambles at 11:00 in the morning.  But, eventually I found it and had such a ridiculous time drinking beer from my masskrug, eating pretzels, and attempting to keep up with the drinking, singing and general merriment :). My only regret is that I hadn't charged my phone and it died before I found the tent, so no pictures to share.  I guess I will have to cherish the memories alone, and hopefully convince some of my friends to join me for round 2 next year!! Who's in?!

Very grand, but unassuming from the outside....

...This ended up being my favorite church I've seen to date throughout Europe.  The stark white interior was unbelievable.

The plan was to be in or around Munich in time for the Oktoberfest festivities, which started on September 20th.  I didn't bother booking anything of course until about 3 weeks before, so as a result I was not able to find any affordable accommodation anywhere near Munich.  Instead I booked a, still slightly expensive, hostel about 2 hours from Munich by train in a little town called Fussen.  This small southern Bavarian town is known mainly for its proximity to the Neuschwanstein Castle, which inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle. I spent a day touring Neuschwanstein and its sister castle Hohenschwangau, which were both beautiful.  Not to mention the history behind the Neuschwanstein castle is really fascinating.  

Aside from the castles I took two day trips into Munich for Oktoberfest, which I will talk about in a separate post, and another day exploring the old town of Fussen.  Besides a lot of small town charm, there was not a whole lot to see in the town itself, but I spent a relaxing day just wandering around with a fellow American traveler that I met at my hostel.  A short distance out of the old town, maybe 5 minutes walking, there is a small man-made waterfall called Lechfall, that is really beautiful, mostly because the water flowing from the Alps into the town is an unreal shade of aquamarine.  

At the top of castle Hohenschwangau with Neuschwanstein in the background

view from castle Hohenschwangau

castle Hohenschwangau

Castle Neuschwanstein...inspiration for Disneys Sleeping Beauty castle.

Castle Neuschwanstein from the bridge

Lechfalls, Fussen

Fussen Town

On my 2nd day in Salzburg I joined a tour group to visit the local Ice Caves.  About 10 of us piled into a tour van and took the 50 minute drive out of the city and into the mountains.  We were able to drive a good deal of the way, then we took a lift another distance up the mountain.  Even after all of this we continued an arduous 15-20 minute hike, snaking our way to the opening of the cave.  To think that people used to have to climb the entire distance back when the cave was first discovered is just staggering.

As soon as you walk into the cave an incredibly strong wind assaults you. The inside was freezing, but after the climb the cold felt pretty good. It was completely black, and if your open flame lamp made it past the windy entry you could use it to illuminate the natural icy wonder around you.  I loved that it was dark, instead of a ton of artificial lighting, which would have made it seem too touristy.  As our guide led us through the paths he would light long wicks to reveal certain natural ice sculptures.  Stalagmites and stalactites grew together in several locations forming giant pillars, and melting and refreezing caverns housed what looked like giant waves of ice.  When illuminated the ice glowed eerily.  It was quite an experience and an incredible sight.  

Aside from the caves, the panoramic scenery from atop the mountain was breathtaking. .    

See if you can remember these Salzburg sights from everyones favorite Disney Musical!!

Doe a deer a female deer....

Salzburg was a fantastic reprieve from my city hopping experience.  It was the perfect balance of quaint city and gorgeous scenic views.  Rolling, green hills to one side, the snow kissed peaks of the Alps on the other, and the city of Salzburg nestled in between.  Definitely not a big city, I walked most of it within a few hours of arriving, not really a great nightlife, but the air was just pure and the town was lovely.  

Sorry, this isn't going to be a long post.  I am trying to get myself caught up before I fly home.
Here are a few sights from around the town.  

I have been dying to see an opera ever since Australia, when I missed out catching one at the Sydney Grande Opera House by a day.  Since then I have been traveling my way through Europe viewing and sometimes touring the gorgeous, old (sometimes ancient) opera houses in hopes of catching a show.  Unfortunately, summer seems to be the season that all of the opera houses lay silent.  Maybe the heat is bad for the performers vocal cords.  I don't know, but I was disappointed again and again to find signs posted announcing their summer closures, and their opening performances in September, but at least I was able to hold out hope that since I would still be in Europe through September, that somewhere I would be able to make this dream a reality.  Who knew how lucky I would get in Vienna.

My hostel in Vienna was pretty excellent, not only did it have all of the comforts of a hotel, along with the convenient backpacker amenities, but it had along one wall of their reception area all of the sights and activities of which you could partake, and all of the pricing, location, and timing information you could possibly need.  This is where I found that I could see an opera for only 3 eruo at the Vienna State Opera! Granted it was standing room only, but that seemed fine with me.  Carmen was playing the evening I wanted to attend, which is a show I have always wanted to see.  

I had to arrive at the opera house just 1.5 hours early to stand in line for the tickets.  The process was easy enough to follow and before I knew it I was starring down on the opening curtain from the 3rd mezzanine tier.  The standing room area was actually quite comfortable.  Everyone had a padded railing to lean on and a relatively clear view onto the stage.  During intermissions there was a lip that we could sit on.  Carmen was just a amazing as I thought it would be.  The performers were fantastic, and the costumes and scenery were stunning.  I also have to give a nod to the orchestra, who were superb. 

I'm incredibly happy with my first European opera experience.  Could not have been better, unless maybe I had paid over 100 euro for an orchestra seat, but I liked my 3 euro place just fine.

The city of Vienna, while pretty massive was easy to navigate by public transport and/or walking. I ended up walking most of it because that is what I do. It was raining or overcast a good deal of the 3 days I was here, but that didn't really stop me, I trudged out through the rain anyway. There are so many beautiful buildings and museums and parks throughout the city that I just didn't want to miss.

Here are a few of my favorite sites...

As my friend Jenny once put it...."In Vienna I just saw some royal stuff."

Well now I can say, so have I! In fact, I spent my entire first day in Vienna doing just that, and there is plenty of "royal stuff" to see. I arrived at the palace at around 9:30am and didn't finish until close to 6pm. I didn't even think that I would be very interested in this kind of thing but the history was pretty fascinating, the gardens were beautiful, and there was so much more I didn't expect, including the imperial zoo. I bought a gold pass for €40 which included access to just about everything. I toured the palace, walked through the gardens, saw the collection of royal carriages, visited the zoo, got lost in a maze of hedges, and even learned how to make apple strudel. In the end I thought the pass ended up being well worth the cost.