Monday - My last day in Europe

So it has taken me a while to get this last post up, but I figured that this trip needed an ending for anyone who read this. So here is the last day :)

Monday morning I woke up and I got on the computer to finish going through my pictures and getting them ready for bringing back to the U.S. I also updated my blog with all my Crete info. We didn't have anything planned for the day, but packing and getting our stuff together. I wanted to go on a hike though at some point. Around 10:00 on of my Aunts friends and her son came over to talk to my grandparents about camp. My grandparents are involved with a camp in Northern Minnesota called Flaming Pine Youth Camp. My Aunts friends were visiting MN this next summer and wanted to know about the camp. After they left my grandparents said they were going to get ready and go on a hike to Felsberg. That's the town I went to on my third or fourth day. I was almost done posting pictures and told them they could go on ahead of me and I would catch up. They didn't walk mvery fast, and I did, so I didn't think it would be a problem. About 10 minutes later I was getting ready and out the door. I had my camera around my shoulder and my sunglasses on. It was gorgeous out! The flowers were blooming and the air smelled of fresh grass and trees. I took some photos quick and then got on my way to catch up with my grandparents. I figured if I was walking 1 1/2 times fast then they were that I would catch up to them right before Felsberg. So right as I got to the trail entrence I heard some thunder and I looked up at the sky. There was a bunch of clouds to the south and I was like... wow that was a quick change of weather. One minute it's sunny and I'm wearing sunglasses and the next minute it's getting cloudy and thundering a little in the distance. Never the less I kept going. I took the trail that we walked on my first day and walked along the Nekar river. Then instead of continuing on to the dam I took a trail to the left that went up the bluff and was on my way to Felsberg. For a long portion of the trail it was just a diagnal cut up the bluff and pretty straight. About 1/3 of the way up, it started to rain a little bit. Which was no big deal. I put my camera undr my shirt and kept walking. I was enjoying the peacful thinking time. All of a sudden the rain started to come down really heavy and I had to duck under some trees. I thought to myself, "what a wonderful story... I get stuck in a heavy downpour in the middle of the woods in Germany.... how wonderful!" So I doged from tree to tree and speed up the hill. I passed a bunch of people coming down and they all had umbrellas and rain coats on. And when seeing me in my shorts and a t-shirt they probably thought I was crazy. Well actually they probably saw I was American and that's all they needed. haha - just kidding :P

So I then got to a different part of the trail where I had to take some turns. I have a pretty good sense of direction so I made a few forked trail turns and ended up getting to the town with out getting lost. I walked through the small arch that was on the west side (I think) and there were a couple people waiting under there in the rain. I smiled and walked by and they all laughed. I'm not sure if they were laughing at me or laughing at something they were talking about. The one thing that was worrying me is that I hadn't seen my grandparents yet. I was going at a pretty fast pace up the hill and was really surprised I didn't see them at all! I knew the towns lay out so I looked around where they said they were going and they weren't there. So I walked to the little cafe we went to the other time we came and looked for them there, but they weren't there either. I went to an antique shop and looked for them there and bought something. Then I went back to the cafe and had a Chocolate crepe. I had been wanting one the whole time I was in Crete and now under these very strange turn of events I was getting one :) - haha. So I had my hot crepe and then walked outside and it was sunny again! So then I walked all the back down the hill and took some pictures. I got back to the house and walked up and knocked on the door and my grandma opened it. I was very surprised. How was it they were back before me?!? - Turns out my grandpa took a different trail that came out somewhere else before the village and since it was raining they took shelter under someones garage leento. The owner saw them and offered them a ride home, which they excepted. So the whole time I was hiking in the rain and looking for them in the town all soaked they were under a garage leanto about 2oo meters down the road. So that was my adventure of the day! IT was rather fun though and I enjoyed getting out and hiking on my own.

That night after everyone got home we all got in the car and went to a pizza place that my cousin Emily really liked. It was very cool. It had a large stone oven that had a woodburning fire around the edge. They would make the pizzas and back them on these wooden pizza boards and put them in the large stone oven. They were very good. Before we ate though we ordered and then went and walked around outside. We went up and down the long mall street again. On our way back I passed this guy who was selling all these figures made out of metel. He had used this soft metel wire and formed all these different things. It was really cool! I saw a drumset one, but then saw a guitar one and bought it for my little brother. We got back to the restaraunt and waited for our food. It took a long time, but it finally came! It was really good and I ate almost my entire pizza. After that we went home. I finished packing and that was a mircale. I was able to get it all in my backpack and suitcase though and even though it was super tight it all fit. I made sure I didn't have anything illigal and then set it all very neatly by the door and went to bed.

That was my last "full day" in Europe and my last adeventure continues with... The flight home!