For Ouma:

Sabine has been in Austria for a week (or at least was when I wrote this in my school notebook), due to her studies, so her mother and a friend came to the house to take care of me. And I know what you’re thinking, and no, they weren’t babysitting me. I am a big girl now! If I can fly internationally alone, then I can do just about anything. Instead they filled me with an extensive amount of German, food, and adventure!

I have left my mark on the Danube River (all dedication going to my Ouma)! And just in case you were wondering, I didn’t release waste into the public river, but it was more of a mental mark. But a mark all the same!

I was joined by Rita and Gerde on my first epic German adventure! Indie tagged along as well, but turned out be a real handful on the ships. I think in a past life she must have been a cat, with all her hatred for water!

We ferried (I am pretty sure that is a word, and if not, I just invented it) for forty minutes through beauty, history, and of course… water. My cheeks and legs took a real beating with the cold and all my smiles. I think after this year my face will be stuck in a constant smile, because that seems to be all I do here.

Many people have taken the same journey as I, but I doubt that our experiences were the same. From my grandmother and mother – love for history flows through my veins. Thus, the commentary throughout the ride was a treat for me. Luckily, Kelheim is a tourist hive, so everything was dually in English and German. The tales of pirates, sailors, and kings tantalized me and I could feel an aura of greatness around me. I was travelling on a river, as people hundreds of years before me had done. You just don’t get that feeling so often in America.

These feelings were only amplified once we had gotten to the cathedral. There I hate in the oldest brewery… in the world. It was the home of the oldest recipe for bear and the perfect recipe for happiness (for some those two are one in the same). I ate the most delectable food, but don’t ask me what it was. I never seem to know what I eat here, but so far it has all been really tasty.

After eating and touring the church for a bit, we once again boarded the boat. On either side of us green was spilling into the river and climbing over the rocks, which rose to such great heights. They excreted an aura into the air composed of wonder, wisdom, and fear.

The Danube is a kind giant. It stretches long and wide, but rapids are absent. It’s a stark contrast to the Colorado River – that can be too dangerous to travel. I did see some kayakers though, and people channeling their inner Italian on the gondolas.

So I wrote this post at school during French, which is terribly boring! But, after school I will go straight to the train station for Chemnitz, without my computer. Thus, but the time you read this… well it will be later.