Kiwi in Konstanz: Auf Wiedersehen Konstanz

My final look at Konstanz :'(

Well I'm finishing off my final post from Vienna and signing off this blog about my time in Konstanz. I really cannot believe how fast the time has flown. It was very heartbreaking leaving Konstanz, which really did become a second home to me. The day before my last a friend and I went to Zurich just for the day to explore it properly, but I wasn't even that impressed! (Mostly just astounded by the prices of everything). It is still a very beautiful city but after living in Konstanz it seems I've become a snob! It really is such a little paradise and it was with a heavy heart that I looked back at it for the last time on the ferry crossing the Bodensee on my way to Munich and eventually on to Vienna.

It was a great last few weeks just relaxing and doing whatever I felt like after the end of classes and exams. It was very sad times as well though saying goodbye to all my new friends who left one by one. But there were many many celebratory as well as goodbye parties so it was a lot of fun. I ticked through all the last minute things I wanted to do in Konstanz before I left- such as going to Mainau Island, checking out the fabulous archaeological museums, going to the top of the Münster etc. Not to mention getting my fill of Weiss bier and Wurst before I left Germany (happy to say I achieved all of those things).

A week before I left I sent home a huge box that was 18 kg- what a load off! It had heaps of clothes, books, shoes etc that I don't need, plus I want to travel through Europe as light as possible- especially since it will already be a pain to lug around a suitcase.

Giant flower ducks!

So a few highlights, one beautiful sunny day my friend and I went to Insel Mainiau, an island in Konstanz owned by the King of Sweden. It's famous for it's stunning flowers, gardens and natural beauty. We got in for free being students (yay) and it was such an enjoyable day, although blimey it was hot. It had enormously cool sculptures made out of hedges and flowers, a huge Schmetterlingshaus (new favourite word! -butterfly house), farm animals, a palace, the best playground I've ever seen in my life and of course many biergartens. I was well impressed.

Currywurst <3

One of the days an open air cinema started for a couple of weeks and guess what movie they were opening with- What We Do In The Shadows! How random that they are playing a New Zealand movie here! Of course my Kiwi friend and I went and dragged two others with us. The tickets sold out really fast so luckily we got there early. I had brought with me to Germany our famous Kiwi onion dip and I've been waiting for a special occasion to bust it out so I'm glad I waited- this was the perfect night for it! So we had chips and dip and I also kindly shared my last packet of Tim Tams and it was so enjoyable watching the movie and hearing Kiwi accents again. The film was SO well received! Everyone laughed just as much as we did and it was such a great feeling. I was a proud Kiwi. It did however go very silent when the 'Nazi-Vampire' scene came up... haha, awkward. But apart from that... Everyone even clapped at the end when the credits came up!

Konstanzer Weinfest

The final week had plenty of goodbyes with drinks by the river, in the forest biergarten again and I even went to Berrys twice (nightclub), which I hadn't been to since March. And on my final days a huge wine festival started in Konstanz- brilliant timing! So I spent my last 2 nights there with friends drinking delicious wine and eating my last batch of currywurst.

I spent my final day furiously packing and cleaning my apartment (as I had spent the day before in Switzerland, and then at the Weinfest haha), so that was a massive mission to be out by 3 pm with everything perfect! Made it in a nick of time though and I dropped my suitcase at a neighbour's and went to town for the last time. I climbed the Münster for a great view of the city, and had a gelato on the lake front. I then went back and had a last beer with a friend and then caught the bus that evening (which I only just made by a minute as I got the time wrong...) for an overnight trip to Austria.

Well I'm on the most exciting part of my adventure now! A brief overview: I'm currently in Vienna for 4 nights and I have a little apartment to myself. Next up is Budapest for 2 nights, then Krakow for 4 nights where I am also going to Auschwitz for the day. Then I'm off to Prague for 3 nights, and that's the first leg of my trip (that I'm doing all by myself... eep). But after that I fly to Dublin where I'm meeting up with my lovely Kiwi friends currently living in London, for an awesome 3 day girls weekend. Then I have another 4 nights in London before embarking on my first Contiki Trip 'Western Quest.'

All the places I'm going to!

It goes from London down France to Paris and Bordeaux then to San Sebastian and Barcelona in Spain. It's an 8 day trip and I stay on in Barcelona an extra 2 nights after that ends. Then I fly to Athens! From there is Contiki trip number 2- which is a Greek and Turkish Island cruise! I'm looking forward to it so much. We visit loads of fabulous island such as Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes etc, that's a 6 day trip.

I then have a whole week in Athens and there I'll be reunited with my other great friends coming from New Zealand! From there we fly to Rome for 4 nights, then Venice for 3 nights and finally finishing up in Munich for Oktoberfest for 3 nights! I like than I'm finishing back in Germany (with a bang!).

I fly out on the 21st of September. It's a massive trip so I'm sure I'll be a total travel pro by the end- I feel like a complete deer in headlights at the moment! So I have a lot to look forward to, it doesn't even seem like real life. But I really can't wait to get home as well to my wonderful fiance because 6 whole months apart is TOO long! Such a testament to us though as we are still as strong as ever. Also cant wait to see my stinky cat, eat a pie and have proper sushi!

Und das ist alles! Thank you for reading and following me on my journey, especially if you've been reading from the start! Funnily enough though I'm not done- I'm doing another blog about my Euro-Trip haha. But it will mostly be a very brief overview with just a few pics etc for family and friends that keep asking what I'm up to, so I can just send them straight to my blog! I haven't started it just yet though, I wanted to finish this Konstanz one off first. So I will link it below sometime in the next couple of days. Last lot of pics below. Over and out! Auf Wiedersehen!

Here it is now: http://kiwineurope.blogspot.com