Dachau....

As someone who finds history super interesting, I ended up taking a lot of history classes associated with World War Two. Naturally, the history of the concentration camps will become part of the conversation. Dachau was the first concentration camp opened in 1933 and was originally established to hold political prisoners. However, over the years it expanded to include forced labor, and later imprisonment for Jews, Germans, Austrians, and foreign nationals. After the war, it was used to hold SS soldiers awaiting trial, and then ethnic Germans awaiting resettlement.

Today, Dachau is a memorial site dedicated to the memory of those who died there. The numbers are a bit varying, but it was recorded that around 206,206 people were imprisoned in Dachau over the 12 year period, and of those 31,951 died. Crematoriums were built to dispose of the remains, but in Dachau, there were too many bodies to dispose of. New crematoriums were built and mass graves were dug. Dachau also built gas chambers, however, these were never put into use unlike those in other camps.

Walking through Dachau is an experience in itself, and one I don't entirely recommend doing on your own. I wanted to go because I find it interesting and I didn't really want to force anyone else to join me... But having someone else there to just help absorb it would've been beneficial for my mental state.... It's too much. And it's meant to be too much. You need to know and understand what happened and why it can never EVER happen again, so they push facts and figures in your face. You really can't ignore anything there, because you are there. Right where it happened.

There is a wonderful museum at Dachau. It truly is impressively detailed and well researched, and tries to give you the best idea of what actually happened. It doesn't try to make you feel guilty or horrible, it simply tells you what happened and is incredibly well done. It wasn't until the film that I began to feel truly overwhelmed. There is a 30-minute video they show that shoves everything in the museum down your throat. I felt guilty, and awful, and like a horrendous person for even wanting to visit the place where so many were imprisoned, forced to work, and brutally murdered, all because of one video where they zoom in non-stop on the faces of the dead... If I could choose to visit again, I would skip the video.... It overshadows an incredibly thoughtful and well researched museum that's entire goal is to educate.

You can walk through the entirety of the camp. Certain places have been taken down, like the barracks where people lived, and other places have been built, like places of religious observance. To enter the camp, you still walk through the gate that reads, "Arbeit Macht Frei," translated to mean "Work shall set you free." Of course, there are those tacky tourists who take smiling selfies pointing at the very same gate thousands of people never walked back out of, but generally people are there to learn and remember. Definitely an experience, and one I'm not sure I could do again by myself, but definitely worth a visit.

Love, Alison

Neuschwanstein Castle!

I love castles. I mean, I should really have my own castle at this point, because I live in this fantasy world... Come on, I worked at Disney and have always been a powder princess.... If I could have a castle of my own, it would probably be the equivalent of Neuschwanstein. Neuschwanstein was intended as the King's personal retreat, but was never completely finished. It became open for the public immediately following his death and thousands of people visit it daily. This castle, even unfinished, is a thing of beauty. It sits at the top of a mountain overlooking the entire valley. If you decide to visit, it's one of those places it might be best to plan ahead, which knowing me, you probably know that didn't happen... So I found the train and the bus that take you to the right town, and started walking. It was ridiculously hot in Germany the day I went, and the line to buy your tickets inside was about two hours long and boiling in the sunshine. I didn't do that... I've been inside once when I was about six, so I kind of remember the rooms. The majority of the castle is still unfinished and unfurnished, so you have to take a guided tour inside, but the waiting two hours in line and then waiting another two hours for your guided tour to begin didn't exactly appeal to me. So I grabbed my bag and a bottle of water, and being the cheapskate I am, decided it wasn't worth the 2€ to take the bus and walked the 40 minutes up the hill to the castle instead. I actually really enjoyed the walk. The views are absolutely incredible from the hill and throughout the hike you on,y get glimpses at the castle sitting high above you. I made it to the top as a sweaty hot mess, but trust me, everyone else looked just about as bad.... Even the ones who took the bus.

The one thing I really wanted to do at Neuschwanstein was hike up to the Marienbücke bridge that overlooks the castle. I remember it being a small little rope bridge with WAY too many people crammed on it...and it's pretty much the same! It's no longer rope, but the wood moves, creaks and sways under your feet as you are standing between two steep cliffs and over a waterfall about 32+ meters high. I don't recommend it for those with a fear of heights (*cough* Mother *cough* *cough*)...

Love, Alison

Surfing and more German food, because why not?

Did you know Munich is famous for surfing? I mean for a land-locked city, that's saying something... But if you go to the Englischer Garten, you can see all the surfing glory that occurs in the river. It's just one wave that keeps on going, so tons of people gather by the river to watch or try their hand at surfing... If you fall, I'm sorry, but I will laugh... Lots of people fell...


Another fun thing I realized is that I'm hopeless at directions. Completely hopeless, meaning I wandered the entirety of the Englischer Garten and completely missed the only thing I wanted to see there. After 3 hours of meandering I finally gave up and went to get food. The best food I've had traveling is usually from those awkwardly tiny restaurants with zero English in completely random places... I asked around and ended up at this tiny little Biergarten where I asked for a table and they laughed at me. If you are alone and in Germany, don't ask for a table for one because they will think you are the largest idiot in the world, but rather ask for a place for one. Table no, place yes! So I sat with this lovely family from Stuttgart in town for the weekend. The second I sat down and made clear I understood nothing, they just grabbed some bread and a cheese-thingy that they had ordered and started handing me food. I believe they even ordered more beer so I wouldn't have to sit by myself and eat... So amazingly nice. Only one lady at the table spoke a little English, so we communicated by pointing, thumbs-ups and beer. The food was amazing, and the family was incredibly sweet. The dad even offered to be my date to the disco, which I have to admit was more awkward than tempting, but still fun.


Love, Alison

It's a new day!

YAY! I made it out of the sketchy hotel and walked about two blocks and felt immediately better. My dad and I found a lovely 3-star hotel right in the center of Munich! Absolutely gorgeous. I love Munich. I think it is an amazingly cool city that has so much character and charm to it. I wandered the streets the whole day and still didn't get bored. I wandered to the food markets, churches, glockenspiel, parks, and of course, the Hofbräuhaus. I feel like the Hofbräuhaus is a right of passage in Munich, you haven't been to the city until you've had a beer at the Hofbräuhaus. I walked in and sat down at a GIANT table by myself and was immediately waited on by a lovely waiter who insisted I have a liter of beer and a bratwurst, so I really had no complaints.... I did try to order a smaller beer, but he looked at me and told me I was a big girl and needed a big beer... I'm not going to take that as a fat joke, but a compliment that I didn't look like a sloshy drunk American. Or maybe I did? Who knows.... But the beer is excellent and the food is delicious, so despite the fact I didn't end up carving my name into the table, I feel like I did Munich the appropriate way....


Love, Alison

Munich Madness

Sadly, my time in Barcelona ended and I had to say goodbye to Darcy. I've discovered I really like traveling with people!!! There is a certain amount of freedom that comes from traveling by yourself, but being able to turn to another person to point something out is so nice!! So, Darcy and I went our separate ways, she went back to Newcastle and I headed to Munich! 

My hotel in Munich was right next to the train station, which is clearly not the greatest area.... I walked out of the train station and there were police everywhere. Literally everywhere and having conversations with the local drunks that were passed out along the walls.... I kept on walking thinking that my hotel would be nicer, and I'd have nothing to worry about. So I kept on walking, past all the kebab places, strip clubs, sex stores and who knows what else... And made it to my hotel.... Right between a sex store and a strip club.... So lovely. And I know this sounds awful, but I swear I walked through the monthly meeting of beggars because at least 20 crippled people were directly outside. I SOUND TERRIBLE, I KNOW!!!! But actually, I accidentally rolled by bag over someones crutches.... Soooo there were a lot... I said about 50 that day, but that was probably an exaggeration... 20 might be an underestimation....

I checked into my hotel, made it upstairs and broke down crying... It was dark, I didn't feel safe and I was a single woman traveling alone.... So, I did what anyone would do in my situation, I called my dad. And we immediately started looking for a replacement hotel... In actuality, the hotel itself wasn't bad, it just didn't really have a lock on the door, was partially under construction, didn't have wifi that worked, and wasn't in the greatest of locations, so I forfeited my money and left the next morning.

I discovered that it wasn't worth it to me if I didn't feel comfortable. When traveling alone, confidence is key, and if you don't feel confident, fake it. If you can't even manage that, change something, because why are you there if you are going to hide in a hotel room? So I left, and haven't regretted anything except the night I essentially wasted in Munich...


Love, Alison

Beachy Barcelona!

Darcy and I were very attracted to Barcelona, not only because it's Spain, but there is a beach there. Seeing as both of us are extremely pale in complexion, a little sunlight never hurt! So we wandered over to the beach for a day in the sun! Of course, first we decided to run up the hill to the castle overlooking the entire city and take a terrifying trip down a cable car to the beach. There were a few cable cars up to the castle that are extremely nice! They are new and pretty and don't look like they may just fall out of the sky, but the one we ended up taking down to the beach was a bit different..... Our lovely cable car was run by a completely different company that was clearly not the same. The cable car we hopped into was crammed full of about 15 people and went sky high over the water and parts of the city. It creaked and jerked and made lovely sounds the whole way, and then decided to lower you to the platform with a lovely dropping stomach sort of feeling. But the view was incredible!!!! The amazing blue water right below you even took a bit of the stress of dying in a cable car accident out of your mind!

We didn't end up dying in the cable car, but I'm not going to lie, I did think about the headline of my obituary saying "Dropped out of the sky in a blaze of glory!" or even "American tourist falls out of cable car and into Mediterranean Ocean never to be seen again." So, needless to say, not exactly the safest of adventures, but we made it to the beach, which is really what mattered. We enjoyed a lovely day sitting on the beach, watching the waves, shivering in the ice-cold water, and watching all the crazy people pass by. One of my new favorite things to do is watch the people selling illegal things anywhere. The second they see a cop, the drop to the ground and pretend they aren't there, or they run like a chicken with their head chopped off... Best thing ever!

Love, Alison

Tapas!!!

Tapas!!! I was so excited for tapas, but then it was extremely confusing... Tapas in Barcelona is either super touristy or almost non-existent. We ended up going to this place that was off the beaten path but still kind of touristy, such is the life, and ended up having tapas. It was the type of tapas that apparently you just walk up and point at, which is both terrifying and liberating. I have no idea what anything was, so just pointed at a random assortment of items, hoped it tasted ok, and dove in. Really the only terrifying aspect about this was the lovely fact that there were no prices everywhere.... At all. My tapas ended up consisting of a mini-burger of some unknown meat, mussels filled with this cornbread mixture, olives, a random mozzarella salad type thing and sangria. I still am unsure what it all was, but it was generally tasty! Until I got the bill that is, clearly tapas is how they gouge the eyes out of their customers or at least empty their wallets, because my extremely small assortment of food ended up being about 35€... And I was still hungry... So, my tapas loving self decided tapas didn't love me....

Such is life.

Love, Alison

Everything Gaudi.

Everything that is celebrated in Barcelona is designed and built by Gaudi. He was an up and coming architect with a crazy vision of how things should be, so basically everything worth seeing in Barcelona is his. There are crazy cool buildings that have waves and odd angles built throughout that make absolutely zero sense, but look amazing! Darcy and I decided that we needed to explore these places, but lovely Barcelona has their own version of a Fastpass and makes you buy the ticket for an entry time two hours later.... So we beat the system and bought our tickets online the day before! Planning ahead, it's a novel concept really... So we managed to get into Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia without waiting trying to waste our already limited time.

Park Guell is actually pretty cool, of course Darcy and I were just super excited that the Cheetah Girls was filmed there... But the outdoor architecture is definitely something worth seeing! La Sagrada Familia on the other hand, is a giant monstrosity that overlooks all of Barcelona! It's a beautiful church, but it's still under construction, and probably will be for another 60 years... The outside is incredibly detailed and just impresses you with it's massive scale. Gaudi clearly had a vision, because that beast is scary big... Everyone told us we had to see the interior of La Sagrada, and they were right! The inside is beautiful. The stained glass windows, arches and amazing detail attached to every corner is so modern it actually surprised me when walking in. Every other church in Europe looks the exact same, but La Sagrada is its own style and version I doubt anyone can even try to replicate. My favorite aspect was all the signs saying "Be quiet and respectful" and "Shush!" as all the jackhammers are going off. To even point anything out Darcy and I had to scream at each other to be heard... Just another day, but seriously made me giggle. There are even announcements with shushing sounds, which you couldn't hear over the construction if your life depended on it.

Always fun.

Love, Alison

Barcelona! And my complete lack of speaking any useful languages...

Apparently, my elementary school education of Spanish was a complete waste of time. I remember colors and a completely incorrect way of saying hello.... Although, luckily, most of the people I ran into in Barcelona spoke English! Before I showed up on a completely different continent, I tried to contact all my friends I knew near Europe to try to coordinate traveling! Unfortunately, most were busy or broke, such is the way, BUT I did manage to get a hold of one of my Disney friends, Darcy!! We did the college program at the same time and managed to work about two shifts as character attendants together! So, Darcy and I decided that Barcelona was the place we wanted to go! We managed to meet up in Gatwick the night before our plane left for Spain, which was wonderful because I would've been completely lost and alone once the plane landed in Spain... Instead we were just completely lost! I have no idea how, but through some obscure miming and the occasional Italian/English word, we managed to communicate where we wanted to go, and managed to find the correct train to take us into the city, somehow found our hotel and decided the first order of business should be sangria. Because when in Spain, why not?

Love, Alison

Puppies!!!!

Not actual puppies.... But still stinking adorable!!! While in London, I got to experience my first dog show!!! My cousin and his wife, Stephanie, have two absolutely adorable, eat your heart out doggies that are incredibly well trained. These dogs are trained for speed and agility, so those of you who watch dog shows, think Crufts! You might have actually seen them on TV if your an avid dog fanatic! Her two dogs, Lupin and Luna, are amazing! And cute! Lupin is a Pug-Beagle mix, also known as a PUGGLE!!! And Luna is a Pug-Chihuahua mix, or what I am deciding to call a Pughuahua! I definitely had my puppy fix while in London and am currently still finding puppy hair all over due to excessive amounts of snuggle time... Seriously, you would never let them go either! Anywhoozles, on Saturday, I went with Stephanie and an extremely jet-lagged David to the dog show and got to see Stephanie run the dogs through the agility course. The dog show was just on a hay field on the outskirts of London. People come from all over England with their camper vans, special dog trailers, fences, and who knows what else just for the dog show! The dogs love it, and honestly, I think the course is more difficult for the humans than the dogs... Seriously a work out!

Love, Alison

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.

HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!! Ok, I grew up reading the Harry Potter books, and I'll be the first to admit, I was completely obsessed with them. My hope that Harry was a real person and that I was going to get my letter to Hogwarts was kind of like Santa Clause... You know it's probably not going to happen, but you have to keep dreaming just a little... So the day I turned 11, I hoped that I would get that letter inviting me to attend Hogwarts, but of course, Owl Post just doesn't work that well in Colorado! I'm still about halfway convinced that my owl got lost in a freak snowstorm multiple times.... It could happen...

Anyways, one of the most amazing things I did in London was the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who may have harbored similar ambitions as a sad muggle-born 11 year old. The second you get to the studios, it's immediately Harry Potter overload. They start the tour off with the usual pull at your heart-strings, Harry Potter changed lives movie, which of course is extremely well done. And then, the screen lifts, and you are at HOGWARTS, literally at the doors to the Great Hall with all your dreams about to come true. (Sorry Disney World,  but Harry Potter is actually the most magical place on earth...) And then the doors open, and you die.

The studio is amazing, you get to walk through everything! All of the sets, props, costumes, you name it, it's there. They even have the creatures they created just for the movie, like Aragog the GIANT spider who will give me nightmares for the rest of my life, and the robot face of Hagrid that they placed on the actors body double! They have lots of fun things at the studio, like riding a broomstick. Who wouldn't want to ride a broomstick!?! So, I did the SUPER cheesy video of me riding through London, but I got my picture and even got to wear my Hufflepuff robes. (Yes, I'm a Hufflepuff, laugh all you want. I'm still bitter about it...) you also get to go to Platform 9 3/4 and take your picture! Surprisingly, they also have pretty good food, and my favorite, BUTTER BEER!!!!!!!

I'm still in slight shock over the amazingness that was this day. I could easily go back and have the exact same reaction of complete awe. For those of my friends that live in Orlando, Harry Potter World at Universal really did an outstanding job at imitating the actual sets, so if you can't make the trip to London, go drink some Butter Beer there!

As always, Mischief Managed!

Love, Alison

Second star to the right!

Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning!! Of course, London isn't complete without a Peter Pan reference or two.... I mentioned to Stephanie that I wanted to see a play while in London, so she found the COOLEST play going on! Peter Pan at Regent's Park. This play was AMAZING. I absolutely loved it, not only because it was Peter Pan (obviously...), but it was in an open air theater and super creative! The flying scenes were done by bungees with the counterweights being the stage hands in military costumes! All of the costumes were amazingly creative. The pirates were wearing everything from Samurai outfits to traditional pirate garb, even Tinkerbell was creative, if extremely obnoxious, as a squeaky red Pixar lamp... The most creative aspect of the show was definitely the crocodile. The stage opened up and became the crocodile!! I mean, how cool is that!! Definitely worth seeing, so thank you Stephanie, and David for letting me go in your place, I absolutely loved it.

As Peter Pan says, "To live will be an awfully big adventure!"

Love, Alison

That bloody tower!!

Ok, you have to read that title with a British accent. I LOVE British accents. They make words like bloody sound so cool!! Anyways, I made it into the city to visit the Tower of London. I seriously had zero clue it was like a small city inside, so you can imagine my instantaneous loss of direction when I walked in. I managed to follow the signs to the true bloody tower and learnt all these fun facts about people going into the tower, and never leaving it. The recent discovery of Richard III's remains had me reading up everything about which led to his rule, which curiously enough was imprisoning his nephews in the Tower of London... Never to be seen again... Until they discovered a chest filled with two small skeletons in a renovation. Lovely right?

In other news, when you visit the Tower of London, you HAVE to do the Beefeater tour. It is seriously fun. The Beefeater I had leading my tour was hilarious and made sure to distinguish that those who went into the Bloody Tower were murdered, but the ones killed on the lawn RIGHT outside the tower were executed... Apparently there is a difference...

Love, Alison

Subway and Stonehenge

Did you know that you can just drive through the English countryside and if you don't look at the exact right time, you can miss seeing something as cool as Stonehenge?? Well, good news, know you know... It's so distracting! There you are just driving along watching the sheep and the pigs, and then, BAM! Ancient burial ground. 

Stonehenge has always been a bit of a mystery to me, and even going there, I'm still not sure I completely understand what it was and why. There are so many thousands of years of unknown history that we are left to piece together, but in actuality I don't think we will ever know for certain the mysteries behind something so old and unique. Stonehenge is truly different than anything I've ever seen before. It's situated in the middle of a grassy green field with sheep just being sheep, hundreds of people taking pictures, tour groups, audio guides, and the highway in the background. It's a mix of so much it makes you wonder if the only thing there since the beginning was the monument and some sheep, and we've slowly adapted our culture, time and needs to surround them, but yet somehow they are adapting to us. 

In typical American fashion, we showed up with food. In London, I staying with my cousin and his lovely wife, Stephanie, who took on the job of being my tour guide for the week. She decided that we needed to do Stonehenge our way, instead of getting dragged back and forth to London on a tour bus. She braved the crazy wrong-side-of-the-road-driving Londoners and rented a car to drive there ourselves. We stopped to get supplies for our picnic and ended up at Subway, which is always delicious if only slightly nutritious. A picnic was an inspired idea seeing that we got to spend more time at the monument, people watch, and enjoy the beautiful day! It wasn't until Stephanie mentioned that we were eating Subway sandwiches on an ancient burial ground that I got goosebumps and truly understood where we actually were... 

Everyone claims to feel a sort of magic at Stonehenge. Whether it's the monument, the surroundings, the history, or the mystery of it all, there is something special about that place. Just sit back, enjoy the view, wonder about the mystery, and if you're me, eat a Subway sandwich... 

Love, Alison