Meeting New Friends

One of the neatest things about hostelling is meeting new people and talking about new things. I have found this to be the most interesting thing that has happened to me each time I've come to New Hampshire. Last time I got to chat and befriend a young woman named Jamie, and this time I got to meet Eva, Phillip and Rosemary from Germany and Sweden. It is just a good feeling to reach out and connect with others that come from a different background and experience than you. One of the interesting moments was chatting about how Eva and Phillip experienced the Berlin wall coming down, or how American culture views World War II and Germany. It is just fun to open your mind and learn about other cultures. We also had some discussion about something simple like alcohol. Phillip is 20 and luckily did not yet get carded. He talked with his brother in Germany who is turning 16. He joked that he will get to drink beer before Phillip (the beer drinking age in Germany is 16).

Another interesting thing I learned is where I should go when visiting Germany. Eva really suggested Berlin. Rosemary said Italy and France are also very beautiful. They gave some real insight to Bavaria and Octoberfest and how that does not really embody all of Germany and is really a tourist attraction. It really made me think more about visiting Germany. All of them did seem to think that get a train pass was the best, and least expensive routes.

Well, I'm going to get some sleep. I stayed up late enough and need to drive back tommorrow, regretfully. Perhaps we will stay another day if this storm appears to break up.