Mainz, Germany and Guttenburg

Saturday began very early! My train left the Salzburg station at 6:39am, and I arrived at the station around 6:15. I was very sad to be leaving Austria and headed to Germany. I have fallen in love with this beautiful country.

I arrived at the track and noticed there were not many people as crazy as me to get up so early on a Saturday for the train- that is, except for the group of about 10 guys next to me dressed in lederhosen and drinking beer. BEER- at 6 in the morning!! And I thought MY friends were crazy... they at least wait til after breakfast! Hahah. In their defence, these guys were headed to Munich- one of the stops along our train route and also home to the ever popular Oktoberfest. I was very tempted to get off the train and at least see it, but did not want to haul my luggage around. Maybe some other time!!

The train ride was not too bad- I got off in Stuggart after a few hours and then had another 2 hours to Mainz. Luckily, I went to bed so early the night before, I was awake and able to enjoy the view!

When I arrived in Mainz, Inka and Kaja (pronounced Kaya), were waiting for me at the platform. We drove home and I met Inka's husband, Thomas. Thomas was one of the first friends Tim made when he was in Germay years ago. Thomas and Inka also have a daughter, Merei, but she is away in England until next week.

We sat on the deck and had some water and pastries and talked for about an hour before we decided to take a trip into the city of Mainz. Mainz is situated along the Rhine River, one of the heaviest traffic areas for a river in the world as far as cargo, etc.

One of the things Mainz is most known for is that Guttenburg was born here- the inventor of the Guttenburg press. We went to the museum and I received my own English ipod which explained everything in the museum. It was pretty fascinating. One of my favorite things to see was one of the original Guttenburg bibles, completely preserved in a glass case. It used to take people 3 years to make a bible back in the day, and with the invention of Guttenburg's press, he could make 180 bibles in thr same amount of time!!

We were able to see an actual demonstration on the press.

While Guttenburg made 180 bibles back in the 1450's, only 48 are around today, and of those 48 only 21 are complete- and I got to see one of them!  It was amazing to see.

I also got to see the smallest book in the world. It was about a quarter the size of a penny (or smaller), and it had the Lords Prayer written in it. Of course- who could ever read it!! Hahah. This was not Guttenburg's work, just a part of the museum.

In the museum I also found out that no one knows what Johannes Guttenburg looked like- not a clue. A French artist drew a picture of what he pictured Guttenburg to look like, and today he is recognized in many paintings as having a long beard, but historians say based on the timeframe and the culture/religions, it is highly unlikely he had a beard, and was clean shaven. But the French painting had already been stuck in peoples minds.  Hah!

In town, Thomas took me to a Federweisser stand where I experienced my first taste!! For those that do not know, Federweisser is similar to wine, but they bottle it much sooner in the fermentation process. It actually has a very cloudy yellow/white color. Of course, it is also very sweet as well. I could only drink one glass I'm pretty sure. But it sure is good!!

We walked toward the large church in the center of town. It has a magnificent orangish tint to it due to that it is made out of sandstone. Thomas and Inka told me not to get too excited- the inside was Gothic and very dark.

When we entered the church I was still awe-struck. Even though it was very dark, in my mind it was still spectacular. The ceilings are 53 meters high on the inside (the outside towers are much larger). The grand arches and overall size of this church was amazing!! I turned this photo to black and white, but you can still see how amazing it is!! Thomas, Inka, and Kaja were laughing that I really DID think it was a beautiful church, but I told them it was merely because I can't find this kind of architecture and history back at home.

As we left, I took a picture of these church doors. They are the ORIGINAL doors to the church from the year 1000!!!! Unbelievable. This is not the main entrance now- of course, much has been added to the church over the years. As Inka explained, each town has a large church, and it was likely a symbol of money and power back in the day.

We headed back into the town and they pointed out the lines in the sidewalk, indicating the exact location on the 50th latitude- pretty cool!!

Next, we hit up a great ice cream store before dinner. Yes, ice cream before dinner- I think I am Thomas and Inka's long lost daughter!!! Hahahah.

Eventually, we made our way to dinner. I ended up getting a chicken breast with mushroom sauce and some spatzle per several peoples recommendation- and now I see why. Yum!!!

Thomas and Inka were catching a theater performance at 8, so Kaja and I went to the Eisgrub brewery downtown. This is one of the only brewery's left in Mainz, and they do not distribute their beer for sale outside the brewery. It was DELICIOUS! The place was packed and so fun! There were a group of about 30 old people in the room next to us, with an accordian and guitar singing songs all night long. Wish I could have sang along!!

Later in the night we met back up with Thomas and Inka and made our way home. I was dead tired!!! I don't think my head has ever hit the pillow more quickly.  :)

The Hills are Alive in Salzburg

Well, just a few days behind on my blog! On Friday I woke up early and grabbed a bite at the hotels breakfast room. I signed up for the Sound of Music tour at 2, so I went exploring the old town in the morning. It was gloomy, but thankfully not raining! I also came to the conclusion that I am terrible at the bus system! I got on the right bus, but headed the wrong direction (and then did the SAME thing on the way back)!!! I probably spent an extra 45 minutes on the bus than was necessary. Haha!

I walked through the old town and it was beautiful! I was on a mission to get to the side of the hill and find the entrance to the fortress. While my public transportation skills may stink, I am still an amazing navigator. Without a map, I walked through the winding streets and found myself at the entrance to the tram that takes you up the hill. When I reached the top, I fell in love with the view! It was such a beautiful city from up top! And the river in the middle made it even more spectacular!

I eventually walked around the castle for a while and saw some of the museum.  It was a very large museum with lots of info- I wouldn't even know where to start on here!! I did make sure to enjoy the view one last time before I left though!!

The wall/ceiling inside one of the rooms at the castle.

When I made my way back through town I couldn't help but notice this grand game of chess! :) Too fun!

I decided to walk through the shop area in town. The street had shops as far as they eye could see!! Lots of tourists too- and sooo many speak English because they are here for Sound of Music- but I'll get there later!

I noticed a large group of people taking pictures of a particular building, so I decided to have a look myself- and glad I did!! This was the house where Mozart was born in 1756- on the third floor to be exact!! His family lived there for 26 years- from 1747 to 1773. Amazing!!!! So hard to take it all in!! You just cannot find this kind of history back home.

I went into my favorite shop,  Intimissimi again and made one final purchase! Then it was back to the hotel. I barely had time to rest because the Sound of Music tour was less than an hour away. Fun piece of information- if you come to Austria (besides Salzburg), and ask an Austrian about the Sound of Music, they will have no clue what you are talking about. Most have never seen it. Why? Because it was only originally released in English.

So, the tour van finally picked me up at my hotel. The driver was of course dressed in lederhosen. :) He was running late, and by the time we got to the tour office, the bus for the tour was full and taking off, so myself along with a couple from Australia and a couple from South Carolina stayed in the van and had our own personal tour! It actually worked out better this way because on the bus there are 40 or 50 people, and since there were only 5 of us, I got to ride front seat with our guide and there was a lot more room for questions! He was extremely nice and also gave us many facts about not just the movie, but the city of Salzburg. For example, the city gets its name from the fact that they are famous for their salt mines. Back in the day it was a monopoly and the court got very rich while the people and slaves became more and more poor.

Another fun fact- Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity in this building.

And this building is a puppet theater, which inspired the puppet scene in the Sound of Music.

Our first real stop was at the house where the balcony scene and lake scene were filmed in the movie. The scenes of the inside and front of the house were filmed elsewhere (the ballroom scene was actually on a set). The lake was big and beautiful (the house was huge), and we even had a swan float by. It was great!!

Our next stop was the famous gazebo!! It had to be moved from its original location because it was somewhat secluded and people were found doing very romantic but... inappropriate things inside. Haha!! It looked just like off the movie, with the benches inside and everything!!

Fun fact- the movie was scheduled to take 6 weeks for shooting, and it ended up being 11 because of rain! Not surprising, it was raining the whole time I was in town!!

We got back on the van and, let me share with you that this ride was complete with some genuine Sound of Music tracks!! Ohhh Julie Andrews!! It was great!! We were on our way out to the fields when our guide pointed out this office- the Red Bull office. It is built on a man-made lake. I wouldn't mind working here every day!!

We pulled off to the side of the road and made a stop at this town-I think it was called Mondsee. It is the town where Mozart's mom was born, but also the location of the church from the wedding scene in the movie. And come on- can you beat the view? Even on a gloomy day!!

We finally reached the church where the wedding was held. It was large and gorgeous! And the inside was even more amazing!! It reminded me of Julie Andrews as she walked down the aisle in the movie! :)

All in all, the trip, the music, and our tour guide were a blast! It was also interesting to learn about the "Hollywood Sensationalized" parts of the real Von Trapp story. For instance, the family did not "escape" over the mountains in the night to Switzerland- they were in no real danger at all. Captain Von Trapp did not agree with the Nazi's and Hitlers army so he willingly left with his family to Italy- no grand escape! And many more differences as you can imagine!!

Our guide dropped us back off at the tour office- I figured they would take us to our hotel since they picked us up there, but apparently not!! I had no clue where I was! Thankfully there was a bus station across the parking lot and it was the first time all day I got on the bus AND went the right direction!!

When I got back to the hotel I grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant. If you were staying at the hotel you got a free mixed drink at the restaurant, so I ordered a drink with dinner. It came with ONE ice cube- the first one I've seen all trip!! Hahaha.

Oh, another random fact. If you are finished with dinner, the waiter/waitress will NOT bring you your check until you ask for it. I learned this the hard way (when I sat at the table for 45 minutes waiting for a check a few nights ago). They will let you sit there all night! I guess it goes back to the slow-paced life. Its not like back home where you get the check before you've even taken a bite of dinner!

As I was getting ready to pay, the couple two tables down pointed out my WSU jacket and asked if I graduated from there. We struck up a conversation and it turns out they were from Gig Harbor. It was their first time in Europe, and they were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary!!! When I asked what their secret was they said, "Marry your best friend". They were so in love!! :)

Headed back to the room, ready to catch the early train! A busy, but fun day indeed!!

From Graz to Salzburg

Today was pretty uneventful. I spent a great deal of time rearranging my suitcase and putting my hair tools in my shoulder bag to distribute some weight. My suitcase is only 33 pounds (If you know me at all- you know this number haunts me... long story), but I was having a hard time raising my suitcase onto the train racks because they are very high up, so I made it a little better by moving some things. I thought I was well-prepared before my trip... I remembered a converter so I could charge my phone and use my hair dryer and straightener, but I forgot an adapter!! Argh! My cell phone charger was fine, but my hair tools are not, so basically I've been lugging them around for no reason. For those of you who haven't traveled overseas or don't know, the wall plug-ins are different in Europe than in America/Canada... but you can buy a converter to plug in your things at one end, and use a European plug in the other. Unfortunately, outlets over here are 220v, and most of our stuff is designed for 110v (I think those are the right numbers), so I COULD plug in my hair dryer/straightner and they would work, but more power would be plugged into the devices than they are designed to hold so they could overheat or... catch on fire, which is why you also need an adapter. I don't want to catch my hair on fire (done that before... also a long story), and worse, I don't want to catch a hotel on fire. Hahah- reminds me of that movie with Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy but I digress... long story short- my hair has been fun this trip, and I've been carrying extra weight from my hair supplies for no reason!

The converter with the European plug on the left, and my cell charger on the right.

What a European wall plug looks like.

I headed down to the bus lines to make my way to the train station. It was a 4 hour ride from Graz to Salzburg, and it was a beautiful train ride!! It started to get a little gloomy, and then the rain came!! But it still made for a nice view out the windows. We rode by some small skiing towns in the Austrian mountains, and we passed many homes with hanging flower baskets and smoke billowing from their chimneys, and I imagined myself inside snuggled by the fire, drinking hot chocolate and reading a book. ♥

I passed some more time by reading my book and occasionally glancing out the window and taking in the scenery.

When I arrived in Salzburg, it was pouring outside. Thankfully, I booked a hotel only two blocks from the station, so it did not take long to walk. The people at the front desk were extremely nice and friendly, and they gave me a handful of brochures to go over.  I headed up to my room to settle in. The hotel I'm staying in is a themed hotel. Salzburg is known for two major things- Mozart was born here, and the Sound of Music was filmed here. And yes, the real Von Trapp family lived here. Anyway, each of the hotel rooms are themed- I am staying in a Mozart room!

I was starving when I dropped my bags off so I headed out on the rainy streets in search of a good restaurant. I walked down to the river and toward Old Town. It is about a 20 minute walk from the hotel to Old Town, and even though I could see it across the river, I was already cold and drenched. I headed back and found a shopping center and grabbed some Subway. Another observation of Europe- I haven't seen an ice cube since I've been here. When you order a water or soda from a restaurant, they give it to you in a glass bottle with an empty glass to pour it in. And today at Subway when I got a soft drink from the fountain, again- no ice. Drives me nuts... oh, and is it weird that I already planned my first meal when I get off the plane? Mexican food!! I am craving it so bad, I ACTUALLY looked up pictures of mexican food on the internet last night. Hahahaha!!!

When I got back to the hotel I visited the front desk and signed up for a Sound of Music tour tomorrow. The tour is 4 hours long, the bus will pick me up at my hotel, and I get to see many different sights in the city- I can't wait!! I was joking with Brett's sister-in-law that I'll probably be the only person under the age of like 60 on the tour! Haha- will be fun either way.

To prepare myself, I grabbed a copy of the Sound of Music at the front desk. The hotel has hundreds of Blu-Ray DVD's you can borrow and watch for free in your room! I cozied up on the couch, grabbed a blanket, and watched the movie. Glad I did, because now it is fresh in my memory and I will recognize everything tomorrow. The movie reminds me so much of my childhood. My dad and I used to watch it frequently- will really miss him on this tour tomorrow!

It is off to bed for now! Praying the weather is nicer tomorrow (no rain, please) because most of the tour is outdoors. I also plan on visiting the fortress on the hill in the morning. Even if the weather stinks, I am determined to have a good time no matter what!

Last Full Day in Graz

I can't believe it- I already leave Graz tomorrow afternoon!! I have fallen in love with this city. Everywhere you turn is another gorgeous building, another cozy cafe, another inviting cobblestone alley that leads to more adventures. If I could move Brett and my family and friends here, I would do it in a heartbeat!!

That being said, let me share with you some more of my love for this enchanting city. After I grabbed breakfast today (and of course another delicious chai latte), I decided it was time to conquer the hill leading up to the clock tower. Today just further confirmed what I already knew to be true- I am really out of shape!! Hahah. Thank you metabolism, for your help over the past 24 years! :) Anywho, let's just say I still passed the people in front of me that were at least 65 years old, so all hope is not lost.

Thankfully, the journey was worth it. The clock tower was beautiful and majestic, and the basically 360degree city view was nothing short of mesmerizing.

I decided to head down to the gardens to get a better picture of the clock tower and I'd say the picture really does give justice to what it looks like in person.

The clock tower is one of the oldest landmarks in Graz. It is mentioned as early as the year 1265!! Talk about some history!!! After 1560 the wooden gallery was added to the clock. This clock houses three bells, including a fire alarm bell which was put in place in 1645.

Almost as amazing as the tower, were the gardens right below it. There were flowers upon flowers, and cozy wooden benches which I sat on for at least 20 minutes, enjoying the gardens and taking in the city views.

I could have stayed up here all day, but figured it was time to make the decent down the hill. I came up one side, and decided to go down another. The steps and bricks were beautiful, so of course, I had to take pictures.

Once at the bottom of the hill, I crossed the street and decided to venture over the river. As I crossed the bridge, I found the Murinsel- which is a floating cafe in the shape of a seashell. It was designed by an artist in New York, and also holds an amphitheater and a playground.

 Across the river was Mariahilferkirche, a very nice church with double towers. I also went in and explored the courtyard of the church. So pretty!!

Just down the street was a building I had heard a lot about called Kunsthaus Graz, or known by the locals as the "Friendly Alien". It is a museum, and a very uniquely shaped building. I went inside but decided not to see the exhibits. The first picture below is one I took outside- I pulled the second picture from the internet because you really have to see it from above to understand how bizarre this building is! I think it looks like a human organ. Haha!!

I crossed back over a different bridge and was pleasantly surprised to see the bridge love locks. I had seen this for the first time in Prague, and have since learned that these exist all over the world. Couples write their names or initials on a lock, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key in the river, symbolizing everlasting or eternal love. It is terribly romantic. I think there may be one on Vancouver Island- take notes Brett- we're going someday!! :) I have read that many cities in the world have removed or spoke of removing these locks as they are an eyesore, but I think the complete opposite, I think they are wonderful!!

 After admiring the locks I was in search of a shopping center I had heard about. I had a map with me and feel like I walked in circles around this place, so I gave up and decided it was time for a nap anyway!! When I woke up, I received a call from my dad
in Iceland and talked to him for a bit, put a bandaid on my sore feet, and headed back out! Thankfully, Renee had stopped by the flat, so she gave me better directions on how to get to the shopping center.

This shopping center, called Franziskaneriche & Kloster, is a 6 story high building, and each level is for a specific thing (women, men, children, accessories, etc). The inside was beautiful!! I took this picture on the 4th floor looking down. I made my way to the top floor, which is a cafe, and went out onto the roofdeck to see the view- which was of course, beautiful.

I made my way back toward the flat and found a nice Indian restaurant. Ordered the butter chicken- yummm the food was so good!!  After that I decided to call it a night. I have a 4 hour train ride to Salzburg tomorrow- sure am going to miss Graz!! As I said, I have grown to love this place!!

Exploring Graz, Austria

Today was a jam-packed day!!! I woke up fairly early to begin the day and see as much of Graz as I could. Decided to take a walk down to Hauptplatz and Herrengasse street to find my favorite store- Intimissimi!! This was the first time I had seen the town during the day- it was beautiful. Stumbled upon this flower garden in the middle of the city- that is one thing I love about Austria- there are vibrant flowers EVERYWHERE!!

I finally found the Intimissimi store! For those of you that do not know, Intimissimi is basically an Italian Victorias Secret. In fact- VS used to carry Intimissimi products, which is how I came to like their bras, but then VS stopped carrying them and I couldn't find them anywhere!! Finally saw a store when I was in Czech Repulic two years ago- I was ecstatic!! This year I tried to look them up online, but they do not ship to North America. They also don't ship to Iceland or I would've sent it to my family and had them send to me. Anyway, you can imagine my elation when I heard Graz had a store!! One funny thing- when I was in the changing room trying on bras, the store attendant felt no hesitation in opening my curtain while I stand there topless to ask if I had the correct size- welcome to Europe!! Hahah. At least it was a woman!!

After doing a little bit of window shopping, I headed back to the flat to grab a bite to eat. Renee had worked out an arrangement with the owner of the coffee house downstairs so that I could eat there over the next few mornings and Renee would pick up the tab- very nice!! I ordered a chai latte, which I'm being completely honest when I say it was the best chai I've ever had! Already looking forward to one tomorrow!

I also decided to go with the Little Italy bagel- proscuitto and tomato.  It was delicious!! I had already ate half before I thought to take a picture!!

As I ate breakfast, I went over some general trends I have seen from my time in Europe.
1. Europeans love to smoke. As nice as the outdoor cafe seating is, I have really taken in a lot of second-hand smoke while eating my meals on this trip- not pleasant!!
2. Many people in Graz travel by bicycle. I'm staying in the heart of downtown, so I understand that many people like to bike, but it seems like more than usual!
3. Europeans love their American music. It is hard to pass by a shop or restaurant and not hear American music. I thought it was so weird in Prague years ago that many people did not speak English, but they loved America music. Someone explained it to me by saying that most people love music for the sound and melody, not necessarily the words. Of course this makes sense!! Years ago I loved a song called "Sunny Came Home", and I told my friend Jamie once that the song made me happy. She laughed and asked if I had ever listened to the words, so I finally did. Come to find out, its a song about a lady who is mad at her husband so she takes the kids and sets the house on fire with him inside. Haha!! Or there is the example of the popular Gagnam Style- needless to say, words (or knowing the language) aren't important when it comes to music.
4. Europeans LOVE their sparkling water. YUCK!!! Tim had told me it is an easy indicative marker when someone orders a still water at a restaurant that they are a foreigner. Call me crazy, I just don't get the sparkling water thing!

Getting back to my day- after breakfast, I took a walk through a park that was close to the flat, and sat on a bench for a while to soak in the sun. It was a gorgeous day in Graz!! I also admired all the people out walking their dogs- it makes me miss my parents dog!!! :(

I made my way back to the flat and found a gated entrance that led up a hill- when I had partially walked up the hill I found a small opening in the side of the hill and decided to check it out. Glad I did!! Come to find out, there was a tunnel that led through the hill and out to the other side. In 1943, 5km were dug out of the hill, with over 20 entrances to act as a shelter for nearly 50,000 people in case of bombings during the war.The main tunnel has a 16% gradient and is 175meters long. It starts in Karmeliterplatz (where I'm staying), and ends in Schloßbergplatz. It was fun to walk through!!

When I got to the end of the tunnel and was in Schloßbergplatz, I turned around to see the large hill! At the top of the hill is the clock tower (which Graz is well known for). In the picture below, you can see a small white sign in the bottom-middle section of the picture- that was the exit I came out of from the tunnel! I had wanted to walk to the top of the clock tower, but as you can see from the stairs, it would have taken a while and I was already tired!!

Renee picked me up at the flat and I rode with her and a colleague to a small town about 45minutes outside of Graz. Renee and her coworker had an interpretation job over there and asked if I wanted to ride along. We got to town rather early, so they drove me up a large and winding hill to a town called Kitzeck, which is very well-known in Austria. There are over 20 wineries on this hill, and it has one of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen. I am glad I remembered my phone has a panorama setting!

There was a beautiful church across the street, and it appeared there was a wedding or christening that day. All in all, I am in love with this area!!

We drove back to the town where their meeting was, and parted ways so I could go explore. There really wasn't much in town, but I figured a good walk was as good as anything. I did find the house of my dreams during this walk. It was new and BEAUTIFUL and had a large deck off the front, as well as another balcony on the second floor, with more window flower baskets than you could count! I wanted to just grab a book and coffee and sit on the porch! It is a good thing I am not rich, because I would've knocked on the door and offered the people cash for this house!! Sigh... at least I have a picture!!!

Across from the house and down a few hundred feet was this view of the river. I bet you can see this view from the top balcony- another reason this house is perfect!!!

It was already very warm at this point in my walk, so I decided to just head back to the castle (yes, castle), where Renee and her coworker had their meeting. I found some shade under a tree and laid down beneath it. At this point, looking up to the heavens, was the first time I realized there was not a cloud in the sky- and life was for a while- perfect. ♥

We finally left town and headed back to Graz. I has to take a picture of this car below, since I've always found myself examining the cars that are overseas that we don't have in North America. Not sure what brand this is- but like the car! (Note- I stand corrected- these cars ARE in North America- I need to get out more apparently)! Haha.

We headed back to town we dropped off Renee's colleague and headed to the store for some dinner items. Renee let me pick out all kinds of cheese to take home and sample- with a fresh baguette, of course! The cheese was also accompanied with grapes, cashews, macadamea nuts, and olives. Basically- I stuffed myself before dinner!!

Once Heinz and Philipp were home we sat down for dinner- a nice beef stew, and eventually Renee's homemade plum dumplings- soo good!! I literally could not finish the last bite, I was so full!! Philipp played us a few pieces on the piano, and Heinz asked me for help in a song he was writing. His English is very good, but not as good as Renee's. I asked why he wrote all his songs in English, and he said that if anyone was ever to listen to his band, it would have to be in English. We talked about his music inspirations, and I mentioned the Beatles books I had seen on the shelf. I told him this story which made his mouth drop open- for those of you who do not know, my mom worked with Mark David Chapman- the man who shot and killed John Lennon. They worked at the same hospital in Hawaii, and while they weren't friends, she said they would exchange pleasantries, and that he was quiet, but nice (isn't that what they always say about killers)? Hahaha. My mom was 9 months pregnant at the time and on maternity leave, sitting by the pool when she heard the news over the radio. She said she was completely shocked, but it's probanly a good thing she wasn't at work because all the news crews had started swarming the place. Very crazy story!!

Renee invited her older son's friend, Hans, over after dinner to show me around town more. Hans' dad is from Austria, but his mom is originally from Michigan, so his English was very good! We left the house and took the tram to the heart of old town. He took me down paths and alleys I would have never explored on my own! We went to an area called the bermuda triangle- named that because so many people get lost in this area- lots of bars and restaurants,  and plenty of outdoor seating- it was awesome! We had a drink and Hans taught me a little about the German language. I sound like an idiot when I try to read it- but he gave me the basics!

Hans walked me back to the flat and I called it a night! A long day, indeed. Today, my goal is to reach the top of the clock tower, and see some more of the city! Until tomorrow, everyone!