So Many Countries, So Little Time!: The Journey Begins!

Hello family and friends!

I'm finally in Germany! I made it here safely with only minor flight delays on Saturday. It's so great to be with my sister, Danielle, after more than a year apart! So far most of our days have been pretty low key, since she still has to work as an au pair for the 2 weeks that I will be here, but I've had a great time seeing the city and meeting some of her friends. As soon as I got here I dove headlong back into eating meat and dairy after being a vegetarian for almost a year and vegan for a good amount of that time, and so far so good. I'm enjoying all of the German food I've had so far, including schnitzel! And of course the German beer.
Another thing I've really been enjoying about Germany is how much biking goes on here. My sister's host family is letting me use a bike while I am here so many times we've gone into the city we have biked there, and there are always lots of people on bikes everywhere we go. It's so nice to be in a place where that is an acceptable and encouraged mode of transportation, and it's also great exercise!

Once we get to the weekend we will be able to go other places and do more things, so I will have more to update on. Next weekend we are going to Munich, including spending a day at Oktoberfest, which should be fun/crowded/possibly overwhelming. Then I part ways with my sister and begin the first part of my solo journey through Europe. First I'm going to Salzburg, Austria, for a few days, and then I will be going to Norway to volunteer on a farm for 2 weeks through the WWOOFing program. For those who don't know what that is, it stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and once you sign up for the website for the country you want to WWOOF in, you can contact the hosts who have listings for volunteers and make plans to stay with them. It's a cool idea because I will get to learn about organic farming as well as getting free room and board while I am there, and they get some extra help. I am hoping to do this in several countries throughout my travels, not just Norway.
After that I am planning to go to Copenhagen for a few days, then meet back up with my sister in Amsterdam. We will travel together for a few more weeks to Paris, Barcelona, Sevilla, and possibly Lisbon. Then I will continue my travels on my own. This is where my plans are not as concrete yet, but I am hoping to go to Switzerland, Italy and Greece. That should bring me to about Christmas time, when I will be going to England to spend Christmas with Vickey, a friend of mine from Goucher. From there I'm hoping to see Scotland and Ireland, and then possibly Turkey, Croatia, Romania or some places around that part of Europe. These plans could all change, but that is one of the exciting things about this trip. I could decided I want to do something totally different as time goes along, and I won't be tied down to any one plan.

Well, that's about all of my update for now. I will post some pictures below of what I've seen so far.