Preparing for Germany (Vorbereitung für Deutschland)

Dear esteemed blog readers,

I am writing to warn you of the imminent onslaught of blogs posts in the coming weeks. You see, in exactly five days, I will be on a plane (well, several planes) on my way to Germany! I’ll make a few pit stops in Seattle and Iceland before landing in Deutschland, where I will be set loose on my first European adventure. If you can’t tell, I am SO EXCITED!!

This week is going to be a flurry of activity as I round out my packing list, track down all things travel size and smush (yes, I’m declaring “smush” to be a word) it all into a hiker’s backpack I’ve borrowed from a friend. I’m traveling very light. Just me and my backpack in Europe for 10 days. Pretty cliche, right?

Much of my trip is unplanned right now, except for Oct. 11 when I will be taking a bike and bus tour of Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle (picture above). This tour also includes… wait for it… PARAGLIDING over the castle. How cool is that?! I figure since I’ve already gone skydiving this year, I may as well make 2014 the year of “Meredith does all the crazy things.” Because why not?

Also Fun Fact: Neuschwanstein Castle was the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. Pretty cool.

I’ve been picking the brains of my friends and family who have traveled abroad, along with kind strangers who have answered my questions on an online travel forum. Since I have limited time, I’m thinking I’ll stay in two home bases in Germany and make day trips from those locations. Right now, I’m thinking Munich and maybe Nuremberg. But we’ll see 🙂 I’m also hoping to make my way to the tiny neighboring country of Luxembourg to visit a friend, and maybe Holland as well to see the Anne Frank house.

But 10 days is not much time when it comes to exploring Europe. And I’m not under the illusion that I’ll get to do everything. Guess that means I’ll just have to go back! My wish for this trip is to have a relaxing vacation, exploring new countries and cultures. I might get lost. I might get pick pocketed. I might encounter hostel guests who snore loudly. But that’s okay. It’s all part of the experience, the good and the bad.

Tschüs for now!