From Gimmelwald I traveled to Munich, Germany mainly for the World Cup semi-final vs. Spain. But my previous trip to Munich lasted only one day, so I still had a lot to see. The first night I watched the Netherlands game in a great atmosphere at my hostel's big TV room. The next morning I went to the Deutches Museum, which is the world's largest museum of technology and science. It was a perfect size, and had a lot of diversity. I enjoyed it a lot. That whole day I kept pestering the locals on where would be the best place to watch the game. I finally got the perfect answer when a kid my age showed me evidence with a video on his phone of the previous game. They played it on two TVs at the Olympic Stadium. So later that day I went by the BMW exhibition on my way to the game. The pre-game vibe was unbelievable. Most people drinking and singing songs of their country. They build-up and game was quite a show, until Spain scored and the Germans lost.
Milan, Italy - July 8-9
I returned to Italy because I met a very nice Italian lady on my train to Switzerland a week before. She invited me to stay at her home, so I did for two days. It was nothing like I had expected. The first night, we had a home-cooked family meal that was perfect. Then I was able to have some great conversation with the family members and their neighbors. The next day, I toured Milan on a city bike that you lock in a station when you're done using it. I had to do this because Milan was on a full public transportation strike. What I did not know, was that Italy was also on a train strike, which ruined my overnight plan to Barcelona. Instead I had to take a train from 9pm to 1am, waiting in the station til 5am for the next connection, along with several other people that had the same issue. 24 hours of travel later, and I was in Barcelona.
Barcelona, Spain - July 10-12
The trek from Milan was hell, and my worst travel experience of the trip. Although, I did meet some nice Dutch girls that made it easier, although, who knows why they were in Spain... Because Sunday, July 11th, was the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands... As I headed towards my hostel from the train station, I felt something in liquid form dripping on my heels. I took off my backpack, to realize that someone tossed paint on it. I put it down and gathered my self for a few minutes, contemplating what to do. When suddenly, a man came up offering tissues. As he handed them over and pointed me towards the water fountain, I turned back around to find my small backpack gone...... This bag had my passport, wallet, iPhone, computer and CAMERA..... I immediately look up and see the thief out of the corner of my eye before he got around the closest building. I then picked up my giant backpack and sprint after him into the crowd. After only a few strides he saw me chasing him and dropped the bag. Luckily, he didn't take anything out, but my heart was still pounding. The next day I explored the city and prepared for the World Cup finals. I watched it in the city's biggest plaza, Plaza Espanya, along with several thousand. It was unbelievable. Spain had so many close calls, which gave the crowd so much to yell about. Then when they finally scored that goal, madness erupted. Flares and fireworks began going off while people jumped in the many fountains lining the street. Once the whistle blew, the noise level never dropped till 2 am. Strangely, one of the first songs they played after the game was 'Born in the USA', which had me going quite a bit. The police had to disperse the crowd with rubber bullets and tear gas, because the intensity level stayed so high. The next day I enjoyed the beautiful beaches and ocean before leaving for Paris.
Paris, France - July 13-14
I spent the majority of my first day in the museum Les Invalides. The museum relates to the military history of France. I absolutely loved it. There was an entire section on Arms and Armor. They had the armor, guns, and swords that belonged to all of the famous King Louis'.. There was a WWI and WWII wing as well. I was not expecting the size of the museum, yet it still didn't compare to Louvre. I spent many hours there the next morning on Bastille day. It was free entry because of the holiday, and although exhausting, still very enjoyable. I especially liked seeing the less crowded paintings that I studied in Florence.
That night, for Bastille Day, I watched the fireworks show from the lawn of the Eiffel Tower. In order to get good seats, many people reserved spots with picnics beforehand. It was easily the best show I have seen because the fireworks were choreographed with music. It might have helped that it was lighting up the Eiffel Tower the whole show.
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