And to summarize...
11 years ago
Monday, June 30, 2008
Exit Prague, Enter Berlin
Prage was AMAZING! What a beautiful city. The architecture was amazing, the food excellent, and the beer cheap. We watched Germany, unfortunately, lose to Spain in the Eurocup finals with thousands of other people from all around world. We met some awesome kids our age from Dallas who we hung out with and had a great time! Today we made our way to Berlin which is a HUGE city. It's been really great so far though, and everything is soooo much less expensive here than other European cities. Our hostel is a great little place in East Berlin which is a really funk area. Everyone seems like a 25 year old hippie but are really friendly and have been great. Tomorrow we're going to go on a tour and see all the great sights Berlin has to offer like the Berlin Wall and the Reichstag which I'm really excited about. I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Munich adventure and beautiful Prague!
Sorry I havent been able to post the past few days...it's been insane. When Greg and I were in Munich I might possibly have had the greatest adventure of my life. We went to the Dachau concentration camp during the day with our friend Karen from D.C. we met at our hostel who became a really great friend of Greg and I. Dachau was soo surreal. It was the most beautiful day and in the most beautiful setting and then to see where such evil took place in that exact area affected all of us. I'm happy I went, but it's not something I ever want to do again.
After Dachau we realized we needed something to cheer us up immediately and embarked on our journey to the world famous Hofbrauhaus and drank liters of the most amazing beer ever. I also had a ten minute conversation with an old German guy that apparently would not accept that I didnt know German so I just said "ja" and nodded my head for 10 minutes which seemed to make him happy. Greg is of the belief that I explicitly agreed to some manly love of some sort... I sure hope not haha.
After the hofbrauhaus, we said goodbye to our friend Karen who had to get on an overnight train to Rome and we walked through Munich which is an AMAZINGLY beautiful city! We made our way to the "English Gardens" of Munich = kind of like their central Park - and we watched german guys surf in the rapids of the river there which was an incredible sight. We finally made it over to the beergarten our friend Torsten told us about there and I must say...if we can somehow choose what our heaven is like...mine will be the beergarten in the English Gardens of Munich. We ate pretzels the size of my size 14 shoes and drank liters of "strong beer" which the German guys would not let me have any other kind. I wanted just normal beer but they insisted since Greg and I were strong men, "you must have strong beer, ja!!" They weren't kidding when they said strong haha.
ok now is where the adventure truly begins...after we had our "strong beer".
Greg went off to find the bathroom and I was sitting just enjoying my beer and the beautiful park and people watching when I hear Greg's unmistakable laugh coming from about 100 meters away. I see him with a group of about 10 German guys our age wearing huge hats with feathers in their heads stumbling around laughing. I go over and Greg is talking to this kid named Rupert Moka from Bavaria who...I and everyone else we met that night...swears to God is Greg's German counterpart. He was a hilarious short, stocky guy and Greg and him were freakin inseperable haha. We found out they just got out of the German military that night and we're out partying it up. They asked us to enjoy them and this was probably about 11 pm that night and we agreed.
some words about the German guys:
one of them was called "The Chaplain" and was their army chaplain our age who was probably the most drunk out of all of them and carried around a wooden crucifix he would drunkenly flash at people
anither guy was what we called "penis kneck guy" because he had a huge penis drawn on his neck but apparently that did not affect him with the ladies bc the German guys started with about 50 bells pinned on their shirts and every time they made out with a girl, one would be taken away. Penis kneck guy had one at the end of the night - a German Costas haha!
Almost all of them were wearing the Bavarian "liederhosen" pants and had giant hats on
they all carried around whistles which would help them stay together when they drunkenly got seperated throughout the evening
...ok so we headed out with Rupert and the other Bavarian ex=military guys and went from bar to bar until about 4 in the mornign where we came to a cafe and they ordered us German sausages and spatle soup which they referred to as pancake soup. We finally left them about 5 amish as the sun was rising and I thought Greg and Rupert were going to cry haha.
On the tram back to our campground, boith Greg and I fell asleep and missed our stop, riding the tram to the end where I was violently awoken by the tram driver who wouldnt stop screaming at me in German. We stumbled back to our campsite somehow and were able to sleep for about 3 hours until we had to get up to get on the train to Prague.
On the way to Prague we sat in this compartment with this awesome German guy who was very religious and blessed us and my knee which had been hurting the past few days magically feels soooo much better now...I'm not making this up.
As for Prague...
I really did not know what to expect when we were coming here. Our first impression was the Soviet-built train station which was pretty scary haha. Soon, however, we realized that the train station is the antithesis of the rest of the city. Prague is like a smaller, less crowded Paris, wehere everything is 10 times less expensive and equally as beautiful. I am soo impressed with this city and the Czech culture. The culture seems almost like you took the best aspects of Italians and French and then mixed those with Germans and Russians in a blender...amazing. Today we saw the beautiful Prague castle and the famous Charles Bridge. Tonight we are going to watch the finals of the EuroCup in the famous and absolutely beautiful Wenceslas Square (probably spelled it wrong). As for now, Greg and I are going to eat a late lunch, try to grab a workout, then eat dinner and watch the game with 30,000 other people in the square.
Tomorrow is Berlin which should be equally amazing!
After Dachau we realized we needed something to cheer us up immediately and embarked on our journey to the world famous Hofbrauhaus and drank liters of the most amazing beer ever. I also had a ten minute conversation with an old German guy that apparently would not accept that I didnt know German so I just said "ja" and nodded my head for 10 minutes which seemed to make him happy. Greg is of the belief that I explicitly agreed to some manly love of some sort... I sure hope not haha.
After the hofbrauhaus, we said goodbye to our friend Karen who had to get on an overnight train to Rome and we walked through Munich which is an AMAZINGLY beautiful city! We made our way to the "English Gardens" of Munich = kind of like their central Park - and we watched german guys surf in the rapids of the river there which was an incredible sight. We finally made it over to the beergarten our friend Torsten told us about there and I must say...if we can somehow choose what our heaven is like...mine will be the beergarten in the English Gardens of Munich. We ate pretzels the size of my size 14 shoes and drank liters of "strong beer" which the German guys would not let me have any other kind. I wanted just normal beer but they insisted since Greg and I were strong men, "you must have strong beer, ja!!" They weren't kidding when they said strong haha.
ok now is where the adventure truly begins...after we had our "strong beer".
Greg went off to find the bathroom and I was sitting just enjoying my beer and the beautiful park and people watching when I hear Greg's unmistakable laugh coming from about 100 meters away. I see him with a group of about 10 German guys our age wearing huge hats with feathers in their heads stumbling around laughing. I go over and Greg is talking to this kid named Rupert Moka from Bavaria who...I and everyone else we met that night...swears to God is Greg's German counterpart. He was a hilarious short, stocky guy and Greg and him were freakin inseperable haha. We found out they just got out of the German military that night and we're out partying it up. They asked us to enjoy them and this was probably about 11 pm that night and we agreed.
some words about the German guys:
one of them was called "The Chaplain" and was their army chaplain our age who was probably the most drunk out of all of them and carried around a wooden crucifix he would drunkenly flash at people
anither guy was what we called "penis kneck guy" because he had a huge penis drawn on his neck but apparently that did not affect him with the ladies bc the German guys started with about 50 bells pinned on their shirts and every time they made out with a girl, one would be taken away. Penis kneck guy had one at the end of the night - a German Costas haha!
Almost all of them were wearing the Bavarian "liederhosen" pants and had giant hats on
they all carried around whistles which would help them stay together when they drunkenly got seperated throughout the evening
...ok so we headed out with Rupert and the other Bavarian ex=military guys and went from bar to bar until about 4 in the mornign where we came to a cafe and they ordered us German sausages and spatle soup which they referred to as pancake soup. We finally left them about 5 amish as the sun was rising and I thought Greg and Rupert were going to cry haha.
On the tram back to our campground, boith Greg and I fell asleep and missed our stop, riding the tram to the end where I was violently awoken by the tram driver who wouldnt stop screaming at me in German. We stumbled back to our campsite somehow and were able to sleep for about 3 hours until we had to get up to get on the train to Prague.
On the way to Prague we sat in this compartment with this awesome German guy who was very religious and blessed us and my knee which had been hurting the past few days magically feels soooo much better now...I'm not making this up.
As for Prague...
I really did not know what to expect when we were coming here. Our first impression was the Soviet-built train station which was pretty scary haha. Soon, however, we realized that the train station is the antithesis of the rest of the city. Prague is like a smaller, less crowded Paris, wehere everything is 10 times less expensive and equally as beautiful. I am soo impressed with this city and the Czech culture. The culture seems almost like you took the best aspects of Italians and French and then mixed those with Germans and Russians in a blender...amazing. Today we saw the beautiful Prague castle and the famous Charles Bridge. Tonight we are going to watch the finals of the EuroCup in the famous and absolutely beautiful Wenceslas Square (probably spelled it wrong). As for now, Greg and I are going to eat a late lunch, try to grab a workout, then eat dinner and watch the game with 30,000 other people in the square.
Tomorrow is Berlin which should be equally amazing!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Deutscheland!!!!!!!!!
Guten tag!!!
Sorry its been 2 days since ive posted anything. Greg and I have been traveling around Germany and northrn Switzerland like homeless, grungy vagabonds with very little internet or phone access. Anyway, Germany is perhaps the most WONDERFUL place on the planet I've been!The people, the culture, the beer, the food, the scenery, EVERYTHING just makes me feel so comfortable and happy. Perhaps it's my German blood, but I just feel so great here and am having a blast!
We met Torsten in Cologne which is a beautiful city on the Rheine and watched the semifinals of the Eurocup featuring Germany vs. Turkey. Cologne has a HUGE Turkish population and the Germans are insane about their soccer, so it made for an incredible experience. We watched it outside at a cafe with thousands surrounding us singing and cheering in the streets and when Germany won there was the most insane riot/party in the streets of Cologne until way into the morning. The Turks and Germans were both highly of Germans waving the flag clogged the streets and people were blasting music, singing the nationl anthem, dancing around cars, with horns honking surrounded by hundreds of riot police pretty much joining in. It was simply the most incredible scene i've ever taken part in and is simply impossible to explain adequately.
Yesterday, Greg and I decided we were going to stop in Switzerland as we made our way to Munich and we stopped first in Basel which is at the border of Germany, Switzerland, and France and is absolutely beautiful. We basically just got lost and walked around for multiple hours but it was wonderful. Next we got back on a train heading towards Zurich and had about an hour there to wander aimlessly and it became apparent to us that Zurich is a city you would need a lot of time to explore bc it's just really big and very cosmopolitan. Zurich also has iced tea brewed with marijuana that you can buy for 2 dollars iin vending machines around the city like you were in need of a diet coke - needless to say, Greg and I were quite surprised!!! After Zurich we got on a train around dinner time and headed towards Munich, and the train ride was an adventure in itself! Going through Northwest Austria and southern Bavaria through the lush green mountain villages and crystal clear lakes right outside the train windows was simply incredible. Also, there was a woman who was sitting behind us and met her boyfriend at some stop where we were for a few minutes, but she didnt get back on the train on time and chased after it screaming because she left her purse and luggage on the train. Unfortunately for her, she was in some nameless Austrian town while her bags made their way to Munich. Greg and I really couldnt feel badly though bc she was busy making out with some random guy at a 1 minute stop in Austria and left her purse and everything on board. I actually didnt feel like the stupid tourist for once haha!
We finally got to Munich late last night and are staying at this campsite on the outskirts of the city called "The Tent" which is kind of a renowned international party scene with its own beergarten and has a giant bonfire every night where smelly hippies from all over the world go and dance around. It's awesome though and its such a great, cheap place to stay.
Right now, we're at an internet cafe in central Munich after just having a giant breakfast of huge German pretzels and weisswurst which was amazing. That crazy bastard Greg even ordered a liter of dunkel beer to wash down his 9:30 am breakfast which apparently is not totally uncommon haha. In a few minutes we're going to head out on a short S-Bahn ride to the Nazi concentration camp Dachau which will be very sobering and sad but is something Greg and I feel we both just have to see. Later tonight we plan on hitting up the Hofbrauhaus and drinking some 'Das boots' of incredible German beer while we listen to "oompah" music and eat sausages. I finally feel like I'm home hahaha!!!
Tomorrow is Prague but i'll try to post again tonight if I get the chance... all depends on access to a computer and the amount of beer consumed prior to that time!
Sorry its been 2 days since ive posted anything. Greg and I have been traveling around Germany and northrn Switzerland like homeless, grungy vagabonds with very little internet or phone access. Anyway, Germany is perhaps the most WONDERFUL place on the planet I've been!The people, the culture, the beer, the food, the scenery, EVERYTHING just makes me feel so comfortable and happy. Perhaps it's my German blood, but I just feel so great here and am having a blast!
We met Torsten in Cologne which is a beautiful city on the Rheine and watched the semifinals of the Eurocup featuring Germany vs. Turkey. Cologne has a HUGE Turkish population and the Germans are insane about their soccer, so it made for an incredible experience. We watched it outside at a cafe with thousands surrounding us singing and cheering in the streets and when Germany won there was the most insane riot/party in the streets of Cologne until way into the morning. The Turks and Germans were both highly of Germans waving the flag clogged the streets and people were blasting music, singing the nationl anthem, dancing around cars, with horns honking surrounded by hundreds of riot police pretty much joining in. It was simply the most incredible scene i've ever taken part in and is simply impossible to explain adequately.
Yesterday, Greg and I decided we were going to stop in Switzerland as we made our way to Munich and we stopped first in Basel which is at the border of Germany, Switzerland, and France and is absolutely beautiful. We basically just got lost and walked around for multiple hours but it was wonderful. Next we got back on a train heading towards Zurich and had about an hour there to wander aimlessly and it became apparent to us that Zurich is a city you would need a lot of time to explore bc it's just really big and very cosmopolitan. Zurich also has iced tea brewed with marijuana that you can buy for 2 dollars iin vending machines around the city like you were in need of a diet coke - needless to say, Greg and I were quite surprised!!! After Zurich we got on a train around dinner time and headed towards Munich, and the train ride was an adventure in itself! Going through Northwest Austria and southern Bavaria through the lush green mountain villages and crystal clear lakes right outside the train windows was simply incredible. Also, there was a woman who was sitting behind us and met her boyfriend at some stop where we were for a few minutes, but she didnt get back on the train on time and chased after it screaming because she left her purse and luggage on the train. Unfortunately for her, she was in some nameless Austrian town while her bags made their way to Munich. Greg and I really couldnt feel badly though bc she was busy making out with some random guy at a 1 minute stop in Austria and left her purse and everything on board. I actually didnt feel like the stupid tourist for once haha!
We finally got to Munich late last night and are staying at this campsite on the outskirts of the city called "The Tent" which is kind of a renowned international party scene with its own beergarten and has a giant bonfire every night where smelly hippies from all over the world go and dance around. It's awesome though and its such a great, cheap place to stay.
Right now, we're at an internet cafe in central Munich after just having a giant breakfast of huge German pretzels and weisswurst which was amazing. That crazy bastard Greg even ordered a liter of dunkel beer to wash down his 9:30 am breakfast which apparently is not totally uncommon haha. In a few minutes we're going to head out on a short S-Bahn ride to the Nazi concentration camp Dachau which will be very sobering and sad but is something Greg and I feel we both just have to see. Later tonight we plan on hitting up the Hofbrauhaus and drinking some 'Das boots' of incredible German beer while we listen to "oompah" music and eat sausages. I finally feel like I'm home hahaha!!!
Tomorrow is Prague but i'll try to post again tonight if I get the chance... all depends on access to a computer and the amount of beer consumed prior to that time!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Forget everything I previously have said about the French
The French people have been absolutely incredible. We've met so many really awesome people and seen so many awesome places in such a short time. unfortunately, the Louvre was closed today and we're going to Cologone tomorrow morning so im not going to get to go, but that just leaves me with another reason to come back. Some of Greg and I's adventures the past 2 days in Paris include:
drinking too much Belgian beer and wandering around Paris until we had to pay about (50 euros in taxis and spend about 3 hours trying to get back to our hostel.
having young French kids our age we were talking to repeatedly squeeze our pecs and "honk" which is apparently a common thing to do here
Greg getting scammed by a gypsie which is too long and amazing a story to tell here
watching a kid attempt to jump onto a floating dock but fail and fall in the Seine and then pointing and laughing for half an hour
just seeing the louvre from the outside, Notre Dame, eating baguettes and drinking coffee at cafes, seeing all the beautiful architecture, and i could go on. I never thought I would love this city as much as I do. It's been amazing, but tomorrow we're going to cologne and are going to meet Torsten and drink German beer while we watch the German soccer team play in the semifinals of the euro cup. It's gonna be another great adventure.
drinking too much Belgian beer and wandering around Paris until we had to pay about (50 euros in taxis and spend about 3 hours trying to get back to our hostel.
having young French kids our age we were talking to repeatedly squeeze our pecs and "honk" which is apparently a common thing to do here
Greg getting scammed by a gypsie which is too long and amazing a story to tell here
watching a kid attempt to jump onto a floating dock but fail and fall in the Seine and then pointing and laughing for half an hour
just seeing the louvre from the outside, Notre Dame, eating baguettes and drinking coffee at cafes, seeing all the beautiful architecture, and i could go on. I never thought I would love this city as much as I do. It's been amazing, but tomorrow we're going to cologne and are going to meet Torsten and drink German beer while we watch the German soccer team play in the semifinals of the euro cup. It's gonna be another great adventure.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Exit Dublin, Enter Paris
sooooo im writing this from an internet cafe in paris which is difficult bc the keyboard is very different and wierd French style. Anyway, leaving Dublin was bittersweet mainly bc i had to say goodbye to my friend Lauren whom i became really close to in such a short amount of time, but the city itself definitely wasn't my favorite. However, meeting Greg under the Arc de' Triu,ph in Paris and experiencing this incredible city makes it all somewhat better having to say goodbye to one friend bc i met up with another. I absolutely LOVE Paris!!! The food, the architecture, the weather, everything except French keyboards, is awesome. This city is just simply remarkable, and i just had no idea how much i truly would love it. Anyway, Greg and I have pretty much just been stuffing our faces with amazing cheese and bread and walking around alot. Tomorrow we're going to go on a walking tour and see the sights and even make the trip out to versailles if we have time. I know for a fact that i will be coming back to Paris next chance i get.
anyway greg and i gotta get going!!
anyway greg and i gotta get going!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Life Experiences...
So I've learned alot today - alot about myself and alot about Dublin and the Irish people.
First, Dublin is not a beautiful city. It is falling apart, there is trash everywhere, dirty buildings, plain architecture with few exceptions. However, because of these same reasons, there's a certain charm to the city and it's actually kinda nice in the end.
Second: I wish I had gone to Portugal first and hired myself a navigator to help me find my way aroubnd Dublin because I literally have walked probbaly 20 miles in circles today.
Next, there are 1.7 gingers per 10 square feet in Ireland.
Irish people take two things extremely seriously: Drinking and Catholicism.
Also, everyone looks like a malnourished version of Greg with poor fashion sense.
As for myself:
Drinking Guinness with Irishmen makes me feel like an 8 year old suiting up to practice with an NFL team.Next, I almost threw in the towel and gave in to my jet lag, but I pushed through and explored Dublin, visited Willy Wonka's factory for adults (the Guinness Storehouse), and am now going to go out with Lauren, the girl I met on the plane over here. Overall, it's been a pretty incredible day and I will add even more thoughts later tonight/tomorrow, but I have some business to take care of.
H
First, Dublin is not a beautiful city. It is falling apart, there is trash everywhere, dirty buildings, plain architecture with few exceptions. However, because of these same reasons, there's a certain charm to the city and it's actually kinda nice in the end.
Second: I wish I had gone to Portugal first and hired myself a navigator to help me find my way aroubnd Dublin because I literally have walked probbaly 20 miles in circles today.
Next, there are 1.7 gingers per 10 square feet in Ireland.
Irish people take two things extremely seriously: Drinking and Catholicism.
Also, everyone looks like a malnourished version of Greg with poor fashion sense.
As for myself:
Drinking Guinness with Irishmen makes me feel like an 8 year old suiting up to practice with an NFL team.Next, I almost threw in the towel and gave in to my jet lag, but I pushed through and explored Dublin, visited Willy Wonka's factory for adults (the Guinness Storehouse), and am now going to go out with Lauren, the girl I met on the plane over here. Overall, it's been a pretty incredible day and I will add even more thoughts later tonight/tomorrow, but I have some business to take care of.
H
Roller Coaster of a Day
Well I'm finally in Dublin after a very eventful trip over I will remember the rest of my life. Somehow I wound up sitting next to a really cool, beautiful girl named Lauren on the plane over and we really hit it off which made the plane ride much more fun, but also is actually making me want to stay in Dublin for more than just a day. However, Dublin certainly has been interesting...When we got off the plane and walked down the stairs, we were met with 45 degree weather, intense rain, and wind that knocked Lauren over so that she had to hang on to me just to get in the terminal. When Lauren and I finally parted ways vowing to attempt to meet up again tonight, I made my way onto a bus into the Dublin city center which basically looks like a cold, run down, flatter version of New Zealand where I visited lasdt year, but full of very kind people. I got lost and wandered my way aimlessly until I was helped by such people. Now I'm at my very shady hostel where I am glad I'm staying only one night. I'll try to post later when I've actually seen more of the city.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
And so it begins.....
Greetings from JFK airport...
I'm currently sitting in the "Oasis" lounge that the AerLingus people convinced me was worth the 20 bucks I had to pay to get in since I had over six hours in-between when I checked my bag and when it'll be time to board the plane to Dublin in a few hours. I'd say this was one of the best 20 dollar investments I've made: open bar, excellent indian food buffet with the best samosas I ever tasted, free internet, comfortable sofas, tv's, etc. Also, since the "Oasis" lounge is actually owned by KLM Royal Dutch airlines, I've been able to "people-watch" some interesting Netherlanders. Apparently it's the fad for all Dutch women over the age of 50 to have hot pink highlights in their hair, and Dutch men have something againt headphones - numerous individuals have been holding their laptops up to their ears in order to listen to the Netherland's Euro Cup soccer game against Russia currently going on. I can't wait to team up with Greg to invent an ethnic slur for Dutch people to join "Weccos" for Scandanavian youth and unleash it on the unsuspecting Dutch in early August when we visit Amsterdam. Anyway, I will try to update this blog every day I possibly can until I return back to the US of A in August. For now, though, I have Dublin on my plate when I arrive at 9:30 am Irish time on the 22nd there. Only one day there, though, because I have to meet up with Greg in Paris under the Arc de Triumph the afternoon of the 23rd so we can eat some cheese and bread with our friends the Frogs.
Wish me luck!
I'm currently sitting in the "Oasis" lounge that the AerLingus people convinced me was worth the 20 bucks I had to pay to get in since I had over six hours in-between when I checked my bag and when it'll be time to board the plane to Dublin in a few hours. I'd say this was one of the best 20 dollar investments I've made: open bar, excellent indian food buffet with the best samosas I ever tasted, free internet, comfortable sofas, tv's, etc. Also, since the "Oasis" lounge is actually owned by KLM Royal Dutch airlines, I've been able to "people-watch" some interesting Netherlanders. Apparently it's the fad for all Dutch women over the age of 50 to have hot pink highlights in their hair, and Dutch men have something againt headphones - numerous individuals have been holding their laptops up to their ears in order to listen to the Netherland's Euro Cup soccer game against Russia currently going on. I can't wait to team up with Greg to invent an ethnic slur for Dutch people to join "Weccos" for Scandanavian youth and unleash it on the unsuspecting Dutch in early August when we visit Amsterdam. Anyway, I will try to update this blog every day I possibly can until I return back to the US of A in August. For now, though, I have Dublin on my plate when I arrive at 9:30 am Irish time on the 22nd there. Only one day there, though, because I have to meet up with Greg in Paris under the Arc de Triumph the afternoon of the 23rd so we can eat some cheese and bread with our friends the Frogs.
Wish me luck!
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