Eurotrip to say the least

In celebration of the entire country of Spain shutting down for Semana Santa (Holy Week) my roommate Mary and I backpacked across Europe. We started out wandering the streets of Paris at night after munching down a savory crépe and stumbled upon Notre Dame, how this happened we have no idea since our walk home was significant enough to massacre my feet, however it was well worth it. Throughout the next 4 days we saw the usual sites of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the crazy busy Champs Élysées, and the even busier Sacré-Coeur. Along with the tourist sites we checked a few oddballs too like the Door's lead singer, Jim Morrison's, grave and the Moulin Rouge to which the soundtrack was running continuously in my head. Of course after enjoying the sun (to the dismay of my skin) we saw the ever popular, and ever tiny, Mona Lisa in the Louvre, and the impressionist paintings in the Orsay. Of course while in Paris I had some goals:
#6 visit jim morrison's grave...also the cemetary of oscar wilde and chopin!
#8 see the moulin rouge...seen the movie, sang the movie, saw where the movie takes place
#14 get scoffed at by the french...my french consists of about 5 phrases, so this was easy
#30 learn to appreciate wine...thanks to my roommates insistence and the help of both the Spanish and the French
#35 got to visit my friend Lindsay who is working in Paris, and she took us on a picnic by the canal
#52 Find the napoleon's Mom lived on while in France...delicious, but not quite as addicting as she let on


After bidding adieu to Paris we headed to Amsterdam to visit the tulips that were blooming, Anne Frank's house and the Heinekin Brewery. While at Heinekin Mary and I were certified in the art of pouring a pint of Heinekin the correct way from a tap, hailing from brew city with German and Irish blood this came naturally. It was amazing how the crowds migrated from the streets in the city center during the day to the streets of the red light district at night, not a place I liked to frequent however when in Holland do as the Dutch do I guess.
some things accomplished in Amsterdam were:
#51 visiting the red light district
#72 see how small Anne Frank's annex actually is...rumor had it that it was larger than one thinks, after waiting an hour and a half to just get through the door, it was confirmed, it was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be, however I'm going to say it is because there is no furniture anywhere in the building

Three days went by in a blur, and suddenly we found ourselves in Berlin. We met up with my good friend Laura (yes another Laura) who was an exchange student living with my best friend's family when we were in high school. Laura is originally from Essen Germany, but studying in Potsdam, a little city just outside Berlin, so as thrifty college students this was an amazing opportunity for a free couch to crash on. Potsdam is home to over 20 castles, 2 of which we were able to see. We took a free historical tour of Berlin and reviewed the mysterious history of this obviously effected city such as the Berlin wall, and numerous jewish memorials. Also in Berlin is the beloved "ampelman" directly translated, traffic light guy, in east Berlin the traffic light guys (larger version pictured below) wear hats (that are adorable). These popular little guys are so beloved they have entire tourist shops devoted solely to them.
Germany helped me gain:
#23 Collect Beer Caps...i was determined to get a specific one: Berliner Pilsner (it had a cute bear holding beers on it...a beer bear if you will)
#65 Make it to Germany to visit an old friend...got to stay with Laura!!
#74 Visit a concentration camp...I think it is something everyone must see first hand at least once to truly absorb the events in history, it was horrible enough to visit, let alone endure firsthand
#92 Play in a fountain...this goal sprung off an experience I had in Spain when I visited here the first time, this time it was a hot day, and there were kids playing in it too, so it was a little bit more socially acceptable, but probably no more hygienic than the last fountain i climbed in

All in all, this trip was amazing, new cultures touched on, new history learned, and new memories made and never to be forgotten.