Nathan Steckel

My last destination on my three weeks of travel was the Bavarian capital of Munich. I came into Munich from Augsburg in the afternoon and simply went for a walk around the city before grabbing dinner after having checked into my LAST hostel! I walked through the main part of the old city and went around Marienplatz and looked in at some churches. My second day in Munich started with going out to the Olympic Park and climbing Olympic hill in order to get a great view of the city and some mountains in the distance. After climbing the hill, I went through the BMW Welt, which is a showroom with all the latest models, and dreamed about the day I might be buying one. After going through the showroom, I went to the BMW Museum ... read more

My stop after Vienna was Salzburg. Salzburg has been high on my list of stopping places after I found out that my grandpa was stationed there during the Korean War. It was a beautiful city to visit, situated in a large valley between the mountains. My first day was just spent walking around the city and exploring. I stopped in the Salzburg Dom, which is the cathedral, and admired its beauty for a while. I also wondered around a few squares and into St. Peter’s Church and Abbey. I also took a walk through the Mirabell Gardens and saw where they shot multiple scenes of the Do-Re-Mi Song from the Sound of Music. Of course being in Austria, I had to stop at a café and have a drink and some cake and I made my ... read more

My third stop of my travels was Prague. Getting to Prague proved interesting as the trains in Germany were on strike so I had to take a bus to the border where I then got on a train to Prague. After that little bit of excitement, I made it to Prague and got off at the wrong train station. Not to worry though, the metro ran to this station as well so I was able to make it to my hostel without enduring an extra cost or much of an inconvenience. Once I made it to my hostel and checked in, I went on my customary walk of the city to try and get my bearings. My walk took me across the famous and beautiful Charles Bridge and into the Old Town. Prague being the medieval ... read more

I left Waterford at 4:30am and crossed over the River Suir for the last time. I was on my way to Dublin Airport, where I would fly out to begin my twenty days of travel. First stop, Amsterdam. I arrived in Amsterdam and made my way to my hostel and then onto the city. I arrived in the city at the Central Station and took off down the main street, Damrak. I made my way down to the National Memorial that commemorates all those that lost their lives in WWII and to the Royal Palace. Both the palace and the memorial sit on Dam Square, the original spot where the Dutch people put a dam in the River Amstel, thus creating Amsterdam. At the square, I admired the many bicycles that where around before making my ... read more

Today we went and toured the Waterford Crystal factory in downtown Waterford. The new headquarters was built in 2010 after an investment firm bought the company when it declared bankruptcy and moved from the outskirts of the city right into the heart. They have built a beautiful facility and it is home to the largest Waterford Crystal showroom anywhere in the world. The tour was very good and we were able to see each stage of the process and master craftsmen doing some amazing work. The skill that craftsmen possess is remarkable. Everything, for the most part, is still done by hand and with no use of automated machinery. From the blowing to the cutting and etching, all the work is amazing. Every cut in Waterford Crystal is done from memory and on average every craftsman ... read more