Rome, Italy on a student budget

Ellen and I were in Rome for about 5 days in the fall of 2007 (the week of Halloween). We took the Eurolines bus from Grenoble to Rome, and back, for 117 euros - the cheapest option we could find.

We found the perfect hostel in a central location - Legends Hostel (25 EUR/night) - just minutes from the train station and the Colliseum; they also served free pasta every night for dinner and had a hot chocolate machine (hot chocolate anytime!).

Our budget trip to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

Kaylee and I made a very spontaneous trip to Munich, Germany for the beer festival  - Oktoberfest. We booked bus tickets with EUROLINES from Grenoble to Munich, and it turned out to be a pretty eventful 10 hour trip. About 6 hours into the bus ride (and right around 3 AM) the bus made a stop and we got kicked off (apparently to switch to a connecting bus route). We were somewhere in Germany at 3 AM...but no bus seemed to be coming. After an hour and a half spent in the cold (and disbelief), an 8-passenger van picked us up (along with 2 other passengers) and finally took us to Munich. We didn't understand German, so we couldn't ask what was going on - but we think EUROLINES overbooked and had to send out an emergency van.

This is a photo of the hostel we stayed in, called The Tent. It is quite literally a giant tent, with 500 bunk beds inside. It was filled with oktoberfesters when we stayed. The hostel also offers breakfast and shower facilities. It was only about 15 euros per night when we went - a very affordable option (and beats sleeping at the train station because all hotels are already booked)!

First Week in France

The time has finally come, and I'm in Grenoble! Sometimes it's still a little hard to believe, but I'm slowly getting used to my surroundings.

The plane ride was not as long as I imagined it to be. After finding my seat, I immediately took a sleeping pill, and went into a pretty deep sleep (in a very uncomfortable position), only waking up for meals : ). Then at about 4 am (4 hours into the flight) horrible turbulence started. I thought something was going to break off the plane and we'd plummet down, but thankfully that didn't happen. Then the sun started coming out, we were about 40 minutes from landing - and that's when the reality started setting in. Scary!!

The weather seemed horrible, really gloomy. As soon as I stepped off the plane I got hit with a stream of cold air. This is no Kentucky!! We got on a shuttle bus that took us to a terminal, then went through passport check and then I got lost trying to find my luggage.

I spent about 3 hours waiting for my train at the TGV station. I validated my ticket at one of those yellow machines. Getting on and off trains with a massive amount of luggage is a pretty big pain - I had to move fast, there was a huge crowd, and I wasn't really sure how the train system worked in the first place.

I finally arrived in Grenoble that evening, my ride picked me up from the train station and took me to the hostel. That is where I made my first ERASMUS friend - Catriona from London. We talked for a bit in our room (she brought up Bush, but I was in no state of mind to discuss politics), and then I passed out before 9 PM!