La Massana (Andorra)

This last weekend, I had the chance to go to La Massana in Andorra to go snowboarding with 2 of my crazy Italian friends!  For those of you not too familiar with Andorra, it is a very very small country between the Spanish and French border, in the middle of the Pyrenees - range of mountains on the border, similar, but not quite as high as the Alps.

After sitting in what it is possibly the tiniest car in the world for 6 hours, driving through a thunderstorm, and stopping like 10 times for directions, we finally made it to our hotel in La Massana.  As we got there pretty late, we headed straight to bed to get up early the next day and hit the hills.

Next morning, we grabbed breakfast, and headed straight to the hills of VallNord.  The mountains were beautiful, and full of powder!  We had a great day snowboarding all day, definitely killed us.  After 7 hours of riding, we headed back for showers and a cozy dinner - again hitting the sack early to go riding the next day.


The next morning, we decided to go try out the free ride area, where snow was piling up to our ears!  It was a blast - well that is, until I collided with some stupid skier dandling on the hill.  A few bruises and a great ice-burn cheek later, we managed to hit back the hills, and keep going until 2:30 when we unfortunately had to head back to Valencia.

I definitely had a great weekend!  Too short if you ask me, I wish I could go riding a lot more often; sure miss the snow!

Lindau (Germany)

On our train ride back from St Anton am Arlberg to Munich, we made a short stop in Lindau.  Very small town, but absolutely stunning!!!  We only had the opportunity to visit the waterfront and the mountain side, but I am really glad we took the time to visit a bit.  It reminded me a bit of a small East Coast town.

St Anton am Arlberg (Austria)

After a couple days in Munich, the Erins and I headed out to the Austrian Alps.  We took a late morning train through the Alps, an absolute stunning view!!!  Travelling through Germany and Austria, the train is definitely the best way to go.

As we got to the resort, we headed straight to the Apres Ski Chalet to go meet up with the boys.  I don't think I've ever been so excited to see them!  After finding a spot to drop off our luggage, the beers started flowing.  As it was an Apres Ski Chalet, the place shut down at 8pm - which was fine as we had to go back to the chalet to eat and get ready for New Year's Eve!  After a couple bottles of champagne, we headed down to the village to go party, which was a blast!  At midnight, everyone headed outside for the big countdown, where we proudly cheered with our Canadian flag.  Back inside for some more drinks and dancing, the night was AMAZING!

For the next couple of days, we rode through the mountains, checked out the village, and the sceneries.

For our last night before everyone scattered throughout the world again, we headed back to the Apres Ski Chalet, where we partied until close.  After an attempt at climbing up the hill and skiing back to our chalet, we finally made it home where we relaxed a bit.  Chris and I headed out for dinner in the village, then we all made it back to the hotel for a cozy night.

The Erins and I finally headed back to Munich, where we visited Dachau and flew out.

 Austria is an amazing country, I absolutely LOVED Germany and Austria!!   Definitely a must see again!!

Munich (Germany)

Germany was absolutely soooo beautiful!  Definitely a trip for everyone to make!

My friend Erin Mox and I met up at our hostel Jaeger's in Munich, and decided to head straight out to the a city walking tour!  This free walking tour was definitely the best way to see the city's sites and learn about the history of the city.  Our guide was absolutely amazing, which made our tour very entertaining!  We visited many buildings and sites where Hitler himself use to go, and learning so much about how Germany finally became Germany that it is today.  - Hitler is not a taboo subject in Germany, people openly discuss it and the opinions are welcome.  The only thing is that you cannot do the salute... it is in fact illegal! -

For dinner, we decided to head out to the famous Hofbrauhaus, a beer hall where Hitler frequently hung out with his friends.  This place is an absolutely ridiculous experience - everyone sitting on benches, gathering with strangers, band in the middle of the place, beers and pretzels are HUGE!  Erin and I ended up meeting a group of students on tour, and spent the whole night sharing drinks with them!  Definitely met some of the nicest people you could possibly meet on a trip.  The night was a blast!

The next day, we decided to wander some more around the city and go check out the Deutches Museums.  This place is just busting with German history!  It is however a huge museum, and can be quite long to tour if you want to see every single section of it.  My suggestion: Pick what interests you the most.  Later on that night, our friend Erin Skip met us with us and we ended up going for dinner at the Oktoberfest museum.  Crazy old building, and very small, but cozy!

Next stop: St Anton am Arlberg (Austria)

After spending a few days in Austrian Alps with the boys, the girls and I came back to Munich to catch some flights.  Since we had a bit of time on our hands, we decided to go visit the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial - the first concentration camp used by the Nazis.  Not all of the structures are authentic as many were destroyed after the liberation, and many were simply unsanitary and unsafe.  We decided to take a guided tour of it, which cost a little more, but was very helpful.  The guide was explaining everything from the 3 stages of the concentration camp to the liberation.  This place is a must see as well - however it is not a place to enjoy as they take you through the crematorium and such.  However it was a great experience.

Luckily for us, most Germans do speak English, which made our trip a lot easier than expected, though we did learn the basics.  Munich is absolutely stunning!!!  A must see one in a life time!