These last few months have been... eh, it wouldn't do to simply slap a few adjectives on it all in hopes you'll get the gist. I can say, though, that within the last few months, I have learned a great deal and experienced some incredible new things. Today marks the lone month I have remaining on the European continent and I'm glad that I can look back on the time I've spent here with little regret.
But, I won't go on any longer. I know you didn't come here to read about how I'm enriching my life or learning German or becoming a woman of the world... you came for pictures. Terribly predictable. ;)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So I left off last time by describing my excitement in seeing for the second time a particular band that I happen to be very fond of. Also, I experienced a bit of France.
Rammstein, Paris, Lille
March 7th-11th
Pre-concert. Those curtains are totally metal by the way, don't worry.
 |
| Waiting..... |
That moment when you realize you can, from this point forth, die happy.
After we recovered from the concert, we started exploring Paris. It's quite a place...
The Seine
Lessons learned at the Louvre: if you try charging your camera in the corner of a room, security WILL notice and, despite your pleads that you don't speak French, confront you in the language for a while until they finally tell you in English that it's forbidden to use the outlets.
WHY have outlets in every wall, then?!
Ech. France.
Climbed it! Well, the first two levels, anyway.
Full moon from the top of the Eiffel!
She was a pretty chill lady.
Lille
A city in the north of France, just off the Belgian border.
Tooooor! Dortmund-Stuttgart Football Game
March 30th, Dortmund Arena
I've never cared much for sports, or really understood them, but I was lucky enough to witness an incredible football game in the largest stadium in Germany last month. I think I've been made a fan!
Scheiße, Scheiße BVB...
Happy Stuttgart fans!
 |
| (Kölner Dom) |
On the train ride back from Dortmund, we stopped at Cologne at 3 AM. The most frightening man-made structure on this planet looms just outside of the train station. Eeek.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Erin Go Bragh! Ireland: Killarny and Dublin
April 9th-12th
 |
| I couldn't get enough of these hills... such a lovely place! |
 |
| Muckross House, Killarney |
 |
| You have 3 guesses... :) |
Scotland: Stirling and Edinburgh
April 12th-14th
After our time in Ireland, I flew into Edinburgh Airport and made my way to Stirling to stay with a friend from Eau Claire studying there. The beauty of Scottish landscape never stopped impressing me; every train ride, every hill climbed, something incredibly new and breathtaking. I wish I could have stayed longer!
 |
| The view from the top of the Wallace Monument |
The following pictures are of Doune Castle, the castle used in practically every castle scene in Monthy Python and the Holy Grail. Yeesssss! :D
 |
 |
| At the Wallace Monument in Stirling |
 |
| Edinburgh! |
 |
| In case you were wondering, haggis is really good. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heckel Bassoon Factory, Wiesbaden
 |
| This isn't a big deal to anyone else, but this is basically where the modern bassoon was redesigned and put into use. The Heckel Factory makes some of the top bassoons around, only producing 40 or so a year. I didn't get any pictures inside, unfortunately, but we were greeted very warmly by Ralf Reiter, one of the owners, and shown around! We left with some souvenirs and big smiles. It was pretty amazing. |
