Whirlwind Traveling

It’s been about two months since I last updated and not much has happened – work has been insanely busy with budgeting for the next year (yes, I do actually have a real job…sometimes).

Travel destinations:
1) I went to Prague, it was a ton of fun, I don’t think I can ever go back (the food is truly terrible).

Dan, Ali, and Diep on St. Charles' Bridge

2) Salzburg and a lake tour of western Austria - absolutely unreal!  Austria is just a beautiful country with the Alps running through a majority of it (side note, the Alps are less well known here making Austria a much more affordable to ski and vacation).   The views are pretty similar to what I remember seeing when traveling through the state of Washington -- I love the Northwest!

One of the many lakes surrounded by the Alps near Salzburg, Austria

3) Italy – Florence and Cinque Terre are truly amazing cities.  I think my new favorite city in Europe is now Florence.  I went with Mark and Ali (both friends from Seattle). 

Duomo

View at the top of the Duomo

We spent our one day in Florence climbing to the top of the Duomo, wine and cheese tasting at a local wine shop that has been around for over a hundred years, having dinner at a local (and tourist) hot spot restaurant, and drinking wine in a park next sitting directly over a river (with music and soccer in the background of course).

Florence by Night

Mark and I then made our way to beautiful Cinque Terre (5 cities next to each other along Italy’s coast).  Mostly, we relaxed on the beach and ate amazing food.  The cities are known for their amazing views, great hikes, delicious seafood, and tasty pesto (which comes from the Ligure region – the northwestern area of Italy).

Monteroso, Cinque Terre

Diep and Mark - Monteroso, Cinque Terre

3) After Italy, Mark visited me in Munich where we did a lot of beer-drinking. Here are some places Mark went and I recommend seeing when in Munich.
                - Andechs monastery and Ammersee Lake (about an hour from the city, you can go to an amazing brewery that is run by monks.  The beer is delicious and it overlooks a gorgeous lake)
                - Hofbrau House – the largest beer hall in Europe
                - English Gardens – the largest city park in Europe (with plenty of beer gardens within)
                - Marienplatz – Munich’s city center square and where city hall sits – you can watch the glockenspiel (a clock that chimes at every hour) do a little show
                - Olympic Park – once the site of the Olympics in the 70s or 80s, take a moment to swim in the Olympic pool here for just a few euros or visit the BMW headquarters and museum.

Marienplatz - Munich's new city hall building by night

Typical German meal...giant hunk of pig