Goslar

Yesterday I traveled to the little town of Goslar, located on the edge of the Harz Mountains. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with the sun out, and fairly warm temperatures! Upon getting to the city, I went straight for the tourist information center, which was located on the market platz. From there, I was able to get a map and walk around the old city, seeing some of the old buildings. I don't know if it was the weather, or the town, or a combination of the two, but it was a very magical feeling in Goslar with very decorative buildings. There seemed to be so many half timbered buildings! There was also a small stream that ran through the city, that gave it unique charm.

There were also a few fun antique and other shops that had good suprises...it is definitely spring as I was finding daffodils EVERYWERE...and found that passing them up was challenging! Deidra's extra suitcase on the journey home will be very useful!

What I liked most about Goslar was it's location close to the mountains. After hitting up a few shops, I ventured out into the country side...an earlier gray day would have proven to be less enjoyable, but the sun shinning made this hike amazing! The mountains are not huge, but very nice sized and beautiful to look at. My map showed a specific mountain, Steinberg, that has a good viewing tower on the top...it looked to be a ways out of the city too, which would be nice so I could see some country. I started the hike, and it was amazing. There were many people on the path, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits with the sun out. A nice old couple was willing to take my picture with Goslar in the background...and the funny point was that later in the day I ran into the lady again while leaving the town. We had a good talk about the city and what we had seen. Anyway, I continued my hike, which ended up being much longer than I thought, and made it to the top of the mountain, and the tower. The view was very nice and calm as I was the only person up there. The hike and view proved to be a special memory from this town...along with interacting with the locals (in German and English) to make sure I was on the right path! After spending some time at the top, and making my way down the hill (much easier than up!) I traveled back into the old city to see a few more buildings.

Overall, it was a great, spring day in Goslar. It was sad traveling alone, but I found myself interacting a lot with the locals (getting directions on the way to Steinberg, getting pictures taken, talking with the old man in German in an antique store, and even taking with an older lady on my way back into town). Pictures will be coming soon, but pikiwiki is acting up, so I can't upload them yet.

Now I am getting ready for my first big trip outside Germany. On Saturday I travel to Paris to see my friend, Sarah, who is traveling for spring break. From there, we travel together to Rome Tuesday night. Friday evening we head back to Paris, and then Saturday I am on a train back to Hannover. It will be a busy trip and very tiring, but it will also be amazing to see things that I have only seen on TV or in books! Time will be limited, but I will try and put up brief posts if I make it to a cyber cafe.

I hope everyone has a great rest of this week...and next week!
Dustin