Wrapping up.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, my summer here in Germany is coming to a close. I won't bore you with tales of how AMAZING and life changing it's been. I will merely load this post with pictures and brief synopses. Suffice it to say, for the last three months I both lived in Germany and read Les Miserables and I'm not sure which affected me more. If you've experienced either you know what I'm talking about.

Surprisingly, I was able to visit everywhere on my 'travel to' list and then some. You've already heard about a few of these so bear with me.

Chiemsee: My introduction to the world of King Ludwig.Schloss Linderhof and Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Germany as I have yet to see repeated.
Berchtesgaden: Wienerschnitzel, an awesome gorge, and a parish church I was obsessed with.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Nuremberg: Rothenburg is a well-preserved medieval town and looks too amazing to be real. I watched a traditional wedding there and bought my first German souvenirs. I kept resisting the urge to yell out, "I LOVE THIS CITY...er, TOWN...er, TINY MEDIEVAL VILLAGE COMMUNITY!!!"I hustled through Nuremberg in less than an hour and regret not trying to go to Hitler's Zeppelintribune despite being told it was closed. I also regret not stopping long enough to take any good pictures.Schloss Neuschwanstein: Lederhosen and dirndls - need I say more?The Black Forest, Switzerland, and Ulm: The best part about the Black Forest was going to Freiburg im Breisgau, apparently the last stop for Marie Antoinette before going to France. If you've seen more than three trees together in one place in Germany, you've seen the Black Forest. In Basel, Switzerland I got totally ripped off but I did dip my feet in the Rhine...which didn't make up for a 35 Euro lunch at all. In Ulm I climbed the tallest church steeple in the world. I also tried to take epic pictures of myself...for an embarrassingly long period of time.Heidelberg and Frankfurt: An awesome location for a romantic little getaway. If anyone's looking.Vienna: We got into this city pretty late and were starving but I couldn't stop walking around because I kept getting distracted by things to see! The highlights were Schoenbrunn Palace, the central cemetery, and listening to Mozart's Requiem in an early 18th century church.Prague: Such a European city. Such an awesome city. They even set off fireworks for Pioneer Day.Salzburg: Combine The Sound of Music, Mozart's birthplace, an 11th century fortress, awesome churches, and the Alps and you get one of my favorite European locations. I think my feelings are best expressed by this one image.Pay no heed to the expression on my face, I'm afraid of heights.

Now I just need to successfully complete a 2 week vacation in Italy with my sisters and I'll be home. See you soon, America!