Day 18

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Amber's Journal:
Well, today I started feeling like I'm kind of ready to go home. I have absolutely loved this trip and everywhere we have been but I am starting to feel a little burnt out. In less than three weeks (19 days) we have visited six countries and stayed in 11 different places within those six countries. It's been a bit overwhelming but Preston and I agree we wouldn't have had it any other way, except for maybe some more time in Prague. However, I very much miss my own bed and a stable routine that doesn't require miles of walking or driving every day. Anyways, today was still a good day, despite feeling worn out. We stopped back in Titisee this morning to get souvenirs for Preston's family. We then drove to Freiburg where we walked around for a while and ate lunch. Parking there was a nightmare. Our stupid granny van makes it even more difficult. The town was pretty cute. I shouldn't say town because it's actually a good sized city. We walked down a large pedestrian mall to a huge cathedral that was really pretty. Some of these churches are really strange because they allow tourists to walk through them and take pictures in the middle of their services. The plaza outside the church was a huge open market with people selling flowers, baskets, trinkets, jewelry, fruit, vegetables, spices, meats, cheeses, breads, etc. I always think those are pretty cool. We got a sandwich and ice cream and left for Strasbourg, France. This is random but I think it's cool so I will include it. out here they have some self-cleaning toilets. The one I saw today at a gas station had an automatic toilet seat that rotated on the bowl under a stream of disinfectant after every flush. I think it's awesome. Anyways, we drove to Strasbourg and once again drove all over a busy unfamiliar city trying to get to our hotel. They have such awkward streets in some of these big cities. We finally found it but then had to deal with trying to park the granny van again. The girl working the front desk finally moved her car so we could use her space because we wouldn't fit anywhere else. Our room here is pretty small but its in a fairly good location right next to the town center. We walked down the main strip to the cathedral which is massive and quite beautiful as it towers over the city. We had dinner at this little cafe and it was probably the worst mean we have had on this trip. I'm not sure my meat was really chicken and if it was I'm not sure what part of the chicken it was. After dinner we took a river boat tour of the city. It took over an hour and was actually quite nice. We saw and learned way more than if we had tried to do it on foot. And I actually thought it was more romantic than our gondola ride in Venice. It was much prettier and as it got dark the lights came on around the city. Now we are trying to figure out if we will be able to find church tomorrow!

Preston's Journal:
France, so far, has been pretty good. We left the guesthouse this morning, first stopping at Titisee to pick up some things from the shops for our families. From there we drove into Freiburg, which was packed. There were tons of people, and all the parking lots were pretty much full. We drove around (kind of crazy traffic), waited at a parking lot, and got a spot. It ended up being a pretty cool town, with lots of outdoor shops (mostly fruit, crafts, plants and some other food). We walked around and bought lunch before leaving for Strasbourg. Here in Strasbourg, we had no idea how we were going to find our hotel, and traffic and roads were again kind of crazy. Somehow, Amber caught sight of one of the hotels in the same chain we were supposed to stay. It was only a couple blocks from ours, but with the weird roads, it took us a little while to get to it. Their parking is a tiny lot you have to pay extra for, but the girl let us in anyways. It's tiny, and with our big grandma van we couldn't fit into any of the free stalls. The employee at the desk moved her car for us and it worked out. After hanging out and resting for a few, we walked into downtown Strasbourg. It's a very cute town, with tons of neat buildings, including a huge cathedral. Tons of people here smoke. We bought tickets for a boat tour, then ate dinner. It seemed like a nice place, but both of our food was pretty bad. The boat tour around Strasbourg, however, was worth the 8 Euros each. It was as the sun was going down, and there was lots of neat stuff. It was actually almost as nice of a boat ride as the gondola in Venice. We're both pretty much at the end of our traveling ropes, and it will actually be nice to get home. However, this trip is awesome, and I love Europe!

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