Day 5 - Traveling to Dubrovnik

So, the day started off pretty gloomy outside. Apparently, I was really lucky that it had not really rained until my 5th day in the Netherlands. It was not coming down very heavy or anything, just a light sprinkle. So, I got up around 9:30am (3:30am Indiana time) and had breakfast with Helga before she walked with me to the train station. She helped me get all of my luggage on the 1st train and we said our goodbyes.

I was only on the 1st train for a short time. I kept moving up the times I wanted to leave because I was so worried that a train would be delayed or I would have problems getting all of my luggage to the platforms in time. So, the first stop was Rotterdam again. I was there pretty briefly and headed to Utrecht, Netherlands for another connection.

Once in Utrecht, I boarded the international speedy train to Frankfurt, Germany. I had bought my ticket yesterday, so I was guaranteed a seat, or so I thought! Apparently you have to request a seat reservation and pay a little extra to do that. So, I was not allowed to sit in the seat I planned to, but luckily there was an unreserved seat nearby which I snatched up before someone else could.

I sat next to the sweetest German woman on the train. She reminded me of my Grandma so much - in looks and somewhat in personality, she was just a little older. She had the same curly hair and some similar facial features. She told me about her children and grandchildren and how she went back to school in her fifties to become an interpreter, so obviously she was very good with English. She also spoke Dutch, German (obviously) and a little bit of Spanish. She and I chatted for about an hour and a half until she reached her stop just over the border in Germany. She even gave me her container of apple juice because she said she really was not as thirsty as she thought she might be.

After she left some younger guy sat next to me. I had my iPod on by then, so we never spoke to each other. I arrived at Frankfurt airport around 4:10pm (10:10am Indiana time) and checked in after a LONG walk to the terminal. I found out that, SURPRISE, my luggage was over the weight limit so I had to pay about 40 Euros for the excess baggage. They weigh the luggage together (I guess it does not matter how many you have) and base their amount on the total weight. I swear, you win some and lose some.

Anyway, after I got that situated, I waited at the gate for about 2 hours to board the plane. I met a woman traveling with her 3 year old granddaughter. She lives in San Francisco but is originally from Croatia and was going to be vacationing for 8 weeks in Dubrovnik. We chatted about a lot of things and she gave me some pointers on things to see while I am here.

So, I made it to Dubrovnik, found my luggage and met with Marco, the Croatian liason for our group. I am not going to lie, he is a pretty cute guy, so my single lady friends, I will see if he will come back with me to meet you all. He speaks English too, so that is a big plus! Anyway, we rode to the hotel with one other guy from our group who was also on my flight. He is Croatian too, but has not been here since he was very young. The two guys talked in Croatian the entire ride (all of 10-15 minutes) so I was left to gaze out the window and see the lights reflecting in the water. I cannot wait to see what everything looks like in the daylight tomorrow.

I checked into my room and unpacked everything. I know, I am such a Virgo, but everything has its place already. ;) The room has two single beds, a desk (which I have turned into my make-up area), a closet (which I only took up half of) and a balcony (with a lawn chair). So far, I really like the place. I was a little worried though when I found out we do not have internet in any of the rooms. Luckily I did find out that we can use our classroom during other hours and it is wireless internet, so I can sit in here as long as I want, which is what I am doing right now.

That also means that pictures will be coming soon! I will try to put those on my computer tonight or tomorrow so on Monday I can put some on here after class. Well, I think that is it for now. I am still having trouble using my phone card. I swear, I have tried a dozen different ways, but every time it has not reached Adam, so I will keep trying. I will talk to someone about it tomorrow and see if I can get a solution. Anyway...until then, keep checking the blog for updates!