Praha, Czech it out!

So our last two days were spent in Prague, otherwise known as Praha, which is more fun to say anyways. When we got there, our tour manager took us on a walking tour through "old town" and "new town." Basically one part of the city is from the 500's and one part is from the 900's, and since none of it got destroyed in WWII, the entire city is just really really OLD! But beautiful. Some friends and I walked around and found a place to buy absynth for the night ahead. Hey, when in Prague...


After we walked around, we had a free night to do whatever we wanted. I took this opportunity to take a nap. After my glorious uninterrupted sleep, I got up and got ready to go to the biggest club in Europe. But first, the absynth. It was actually not that bad...but very powerful. After about 4 shots, I was ready to party! And I did. We went to the biggest club in Europe. It was fun, but a lot of people got things stolen/lost.

The next day, we had the entire day free. It was our last day, and frankly, I was completely out of money. So I slept in late, then took the train to the city with some friends. We just meandered around the streets, taking in the sites. It was really nice, but so bittersweet knowing it was our last day.

That night, we had our last big meal together at another folklore show. When we sat down, there was a shot awaiting our arrival. Nice. The meal was good, made even better by good conversation with what were now great friends. We also got espresso at the end of dinner. After two shots of espresso, and all the wine, I was in a great mood! We all ended up going to a bar, and soaking in every last drop of time together. Life as we had known it for the past 2 weeks was ending, and soon we had to go back to our normal everyday lives. What a bittersweet night.

Suasages, sour kraut, beer...must be Germany

When we got into Munich, we had some free time to walk around the city. At this point in the trip, I felt I had done enough historical sight seeing, and I was happy to just hang out and try the local cuisine. I had a bratwurst for lunch with sour kraut and mustard on it. It was wonderful. Then I went with some friends to the beer garden, which was completely packed at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on a Wednesday. Makes me proud to be German. After that, we got some cheap beers from a convenience store and just walked around the streets of Munich since it is legal to have open containers.

That night, we went to the Hofbrauhaus, which I had been looking forward to for the entire trip. We ate dinner, and enjoyed a folk show upstairs. I was amazed at just how many 40 oz. beer steins our waitress could carry around. She has guns! I drank big Dunkels and it was everything I thought it could be. After the show, a lot of us went downstairs to drink some more until closing time around midnight. I also took some time to buy myself a HB beer stein. Germany was really cool, and I wish we could have spent more time there.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

The morning after the Pimps and Hos party was pretty brutal. But there is no time for feeling ill on this trip. We were up bright and early, and on the coach heading off to Munich. Before we got to Munich, our tour manager and driver had a few surprises for us. First, we stopped at the Swarovski Crystal Factory. A lot of people loved it, and dropped a lot of money of pretty crystal things.

Then, we went to Dachau, the concentration camp. On our way there, our tour manager gave us a long history of the second world war and the holocaust so that we would all be refreshed on our history going in. I learned that every German student has to go to a concentration camp at some point during their schooling.

I didn't know how I was going to react to seeing the concentration camp. I have read a lot about the Holocaust, and just reading some of the things I've read had a big impact on me. I was actually pretty frightened at the idea of actually seeing it with my own eyes.

When we got there, our tour manager set us loose and gave us a time to be back at the bus. I decided to walk around alone. I noticed right away that there were many people walking around, but the entire place was completely silent. All-in-all it is something that I'm glad we got the chance to see, but it is not something I would ever want to see again.

When we got on the bus, the vibe was completely off. There was no joking and silliness like usual. Our tour manager handled it very well, though. He talked a little bit, and then played "The Sunscreen Song." It fit the mood perfectly, but was humorous enough to raise everyone's spirit's.

Pimps and Hos

So, after an eventful day of mountain biking and trout fishing, the hostel we were staying in threw a pimps and hos party for us and another Contiki group that was staying there. I could write about how much fun the night was, but I think this night can be better explained in pictures. Enjoy.

Beginning of the party...playing battle of the sexes

Briana looking like a Ho

Oh...Mark

Kevin and John...looking ridiculous

Kevin's big Pimpin'


Hannah, Becky and Chris dancing the night away