Dear Susie,

Where have you been? Well I have 2 answers; one is a truth and the other is well I am just being a lazy sack. But I will be taking a trip with my little sister in April. So I spent most of January researching hostels, flights, train schedules and trying to learn a bit of German. So I am taking a pause from learning Japanese, which in my opinion is much easier to read than German. I guess I just have to get the letter pronunciations down and it will get easier. So far I have learned the basic greetings, how to order beer and food (beer being the most important of course) and how to ask for the bathroom. So here are where we plan to visit:

• Munich
• Frankfurt
• Wiesbaden
• Cologne
  
• Berlin
• Amsterdam

It is quite possible that we may pit stop other towns but those are the places we will actually be staying in to rest. We can't all go balls to the wall, meth head and backpack properly with out having proper sleep and rest.

So, am I ready? No... I think I need to get a doctors note for some of these....
No, no, I don't want to abuse them. I just have some anxiety surrounding my trip. This will be my FIRST time backpack traveling in a different country. (Going to Mexico doesn't count because it's just like where I live now!) It will be my FIRST time on an airplane. Yes, it's true at 31 I have still not put my butt into an airplane. I'm not scared but I know when I am about to do any FIRST, I get pretty anxious. And JUST IN CASE I NEED IT, I would like to have my xannys by my side for the flight. What if I am one of those people that are afraid to fly? I would rather be prepared. ***Prepared= get saucy and pass out till I get where we are going.***

Anyone have any travel tips for going abroad?


On a completely unrelated note:

Dollar store coffee mugs that I spotted at the store yesterday. Now I can have coffee mugs to match the religious candles I see posted up in memorial spots all over town where traffic accidents happen. I found these cups utterly ridiculous and have decided to return for them sometime this weekend.

Well that's about what I have been doing... lazy stuff. Oh wait I forgot!!! I haven't been lazy, I have been going to the gym to swim. I figured since I tried surfing not knowing how to swim, and since I liked it so much, I should learn. I was absolutely terrified and frozen to the bone trying to surf but it was so much fun. I think I would really enjoy it if I learned AND had a better fitting wetsuit. Even though my friend and I are the same size, we have differing body shapes.