Leaving Europe/ Final Thoughts

Day 12:
After a very long 11 days traveling all over Europe, it was time to say good-bye. I hoped on the last shuttle to the airport at 9am even though my flight wasn't until much later. Not going to lie..I get really attached to people, and it was hard to see everyone off. Even though I have persistent plans on visiting the East Coast this winter or spring, I still go t teary-eyed when I said good bye to Liz, from RI.

There was quite a few of us who were at the same terminal, as well as Christine and Dan being on my flight to Frankfort, Germany. We all lounged around the airport finding things to do until we had to leave. Everyone eventually left, leaving Christine, Dan, and me all alone. We stalked out the comfy chairs and sat in them for about 10 minutes until we decided we were hungry.

The flight to Frankfort was fun because we all got to sit next to each other and we just bounced from conversation to conversation. We arrived at our next terminal, and it was my turn to say good-bye, as I would be going to DC while they were going to NY. As I reached the top of the escalator on my way to the furthest gate ever, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I know that sounds sooo pathetic, but whatever!

A 12 day trip to Europe with a bunch of college kids was exactly what I needed this summer. As I approach a very busy final school year at UCSD, that "holiday" as they call in, was pure bliss. It was a perfect way for me to let loose and have some wild fun before falling back into the student/employee role.

Beyond words, I recommend any fun travel experience during your college years!

Shout-outs: Thank you Europe, thank you Contiki staff, thank you FMIs, and thank you gelato ice cream.

Prague, Czech Republic [part 2]

Day:11
So after a fun and energized night at the discoteque, we were given a full day to ourselves. Most of the people loved this idea, but since I have very little self-control when it comes to sleeping in...I slept in longer than I wanted. I woke up, and most of the girls were already done getting ready and about to hit the wondrous streets of Prague. I quickly tried to take a shower and get ready, but I'm not that quick. Everyone was gone, and I thought I was all alone, and I began to get sad because I had my heart set on getting my mom some Garnet (her birth stone) since it was the country's stone or something like that. I decided I would walk to the mall next door and see what I could do/ who I could possibly found. Thank god that I ran into Kelsie!! She was meeting up with two German boys she met from the night before. They seemed legit, so I tagged along with them.

The German guys were actually very nice and really funny. We all went on the paddle boats under the Charles Bridge. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of that since my camera got broken the night before, and out of everyone I could have been with...Kelsie's camera had no more memory. But it was so much fun, and of course I was ambitious and wanted to be the paddler. It was so tiring! We stopped a lot and had funny conversations about the things we saw. Then we paddled back to the dock.

After all the unexpected exercise, we walked even further into the town to find a place to eat. We sat at an outdoor restaurant and Kelsie and I ordered Pizza. It was quite yummy and very big so I didn't get to finish it. I excused myself from lunch and hunted for a reasonable jewelry store. Instead of being called a jewelry store, most of them are just called "Garnet." I found some very nice sterling silver pieces for my mom and Randy's mom; then I caught up with the other three.

I was kind of nervous to ride the tram thing because the German boys insisted on NOT getting tram tickets because the drivers don't take your ticket, you just kind of hop on the tram. But if you get caught, I heard its a huge fine. It was so convenient that the boys understood how to read the tram maps and stuff, because I would have been back at the hotel still if it wasn't for them.

Later that night Ryno took all 45 of us on the tram to our final dinner together. We were seated in a large party room along with an older group of travelers from the US. (I actually talked to one in the bathroom who was from the bay area, small world). It was a really fun dinner, despite some meat-like tasting beverages and not-so-yummy food. And finally it was Marky-Mark's birthday. (Every dinner, it was somebody's birthday as a joke). There were a ton of pictures being taken and lots and lots of laughs. It showed how much our group got closer since meeting in Paris.

And for our last stop together, we took one final group pic then all headed to a local bar, typical. It was fun because it was a small bar and we all kept together talking up a storm before we had to say our goodbyes. Half of the group left early because they had an early flight, so it was hard to say goodbye to them. But the rest of us kept the party going as we came up with a new dance: "The Paparazzi Dance." Thanks Kevin D. for your inspirations, I'm bringing it back to the West Coast!

After, K-Mad, Liz, Erika and myself (and B.O.B) strolled off wandering the streets looking for things to do. I think we ended the night with more sandwiches from the hotel? And I cuddled with Liz on our last night in Europe :)

Prague, Czech Republic [part 1]

Day 10:
As the trip comes to an end, we reach our final destination: Prague, Czech Republic aka PRAHA. Praha sounds soo much better than "Prague." Ryno took us through a walking tour from the coach to the main center in Prague. He pointed out things for us to check out and where to exchange our Euros into Krona (The most confusing currency ever). He took us straight to the gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, a Roman Catholic church. It was extremely bright outside and really warm, there was a truck going by spraying the ground with water. Everyone was taking pictures with the guards but I thought it was kinda weird since they didn't move. After a while we were able to break away from the group and walk around for a bit. I was in desperate need of ice cold water. Later we walked further across the town to the coach to go to the hotel.

Our stay in Prague was a little different than the itinerary we had for the other countries. We go much more free time and had to scope dinner out on our own. A few of us walked to the mall and grocery store down the street from our hotel. I needed some ice for our beverages back in the room, so I tried to find english-speaking people in the grocery store to help me out. They all pointed me in different directions and I was getting really annoyed, and I felt kind of dehydrated. After about 30 minutes of walking around the store looking for ice, I ran in Kris from our group and he told me that in Europe they don't sell ice like we do in the States, and that all the people were probably sending me to the ice cream coolers. What a waste of time. I picked up a yogurt and a weird tuna sandwich.

Back at the hotel, a few of us were pre-partying in Jenna and Robyn's room watching MTV. This was the night that all the girls got more glammed up, since we were going to what was known as the biggest club in Central Europe, Karlovy Lazne, where each of the 5 levels had its own style of music. On the way to the club. Kyle directed us to the tram and how we managed to take the right number and exit the right stop is beyond me. All day long, and all trip long, the weather was perfect. That is, until we got off the tram- it was raining! All the girls were yelling and freaking out. We wanted to go to this one hotel to meet the other half of the group, but it was a ways down the streets of Prague. So everyone starts running into the rain, heels clinking on the cobblestone, hair and clothes getting drenched. It was quite ridiculous and random. I eventually just took off my shoes and I think that hurt worse. We finally arrive at the hotel and bar, but we were all soaked and pretty much got kicked out. I stayed behind at the hotel while the rest of the group split up and went to random bars. By the end of the night we all met up at the club.

This club was huge! Each floor was bumpin different types of music from techno to 80s. Our group lounged on the 80s floor listening to the likes of Madonna and Michael Jackson. We knew it was our second to last night in Europe together and everyone was having a blast dancing and mingling the night away! Prague was the place of lost and broken goods. Some people lost their wallets, purses, and cameras. My camera got broken (not by me), but I didn't sweat it that much because it could have been worse. As Mark says, "At least it didn't break in Paris." I would have been pissed.

After the club, a few of us were hungry. We got taxi rides back to the hotel and Kevin used his magic to get us some delish sandwiches from the hotel (no hamerguesas for Christine). As the trip came to a close, it was clear that our first night in Prague was by far the most wild and random night of the trip, from the pouring rain, lost/stolen/broken goods, Michael Jackson, and Christine's drunkenness. Oh Praha-haha-ha.

Munich, Germany

Day 9:
While I was in Munich, I wanted to find a computer and write about my experience at the concentration camp. I thought it was such an important place that we visited, I wanted to share right away (My blog: "Germany's History"). Now that I have the guide with me, I can be more specific then my initial blog. The concentration camp was call The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Dachau, Germany. It was the first concentration camp established by the Nazis. To visit this memorial and remember those who suffered was such a blessing, something I will never forget.

[visit the Official Website]

As mentioned in my previous blog about this visit, it was such a great opportunity that the tour manager and bus driver incorporated this site into our itinerary. On the surface, this trip sounds like a huge party..but really I took it as very educational. I learned a lot of random European History that I will remember better than I ever would by reading it in a text book. Contiki Tours..or any traveling experiences is all about what you make of it. Although the concentration camp carried a very different mood than the rest of the trip, I appreciated that detour more than the Effiel Tower or the Moulin Rouge, etc. Once again, check out the book Because of Romek.

Continuing on to Munich, Germany...we stopped in the center of Munich and had time to walk around and get lunch. I went to an internet cafe and nearly freaked when the computer froze on me when I was almost done with my blog (Thank god Google has auto-save!). Then I thought I was lost again because I couldn't find the group I was with, then I got lucky and randomly came across a few members. We checked out ONE of the many H&M's. And I bought a snow globe and a 4 Euro (~$6) frappuccino (but it was worth it).

For dinner, Ryno took us to the Hofbrauhaus, a famous beer hall. This place was HUGE and it was buffet style and pretty yummy. Also, they served the largest beer steins for only 6 Euro! I couldn't even hold up the glass with one hand, it was so heavy!

And just like every other dinner we had, there was crazy live entertainment. But what was better about this entertainment is that two of our very own got to get on stage and give a hand! Kevin showed off his skills in a traditional Deutsch dance, while Hannah helped ring some bells. Make sure to pay attention to Kevin's legs in this video, hilarious:

After dinner, I was lucky enough to ride with the crazy K-Mad in his rented BMW (3 series Hardtop convertible 6 speed...to be exact). Melissa, Kyle, and I got the ride of a lifetime as Kevin pushed 240km, which is about 150mph. In Germany, there are certain spots of the autobahn where there is no speed limit. Imagine going 150mph in a convertible with the top down, with some crazy guy who didn't even know Munchen=Munich. EXCITING! We ended up somewhere random on the autobahn where it smelt like cows and took a few pictures in the middle of the street. As soon as I got back to the hotel I cashed in a 5 euro to call my stepdad because he had to be the first person I told about the Need for Speed moment. (Later I realized that 5 euro call was really like $7...for 3 minutes, ouch).

Picture: 220km pushing 240km

Germany was definitely a place for unique experiences.

Hopfgarten, Austria [part 2]

Day: 8
Just like my picture albums on facebook, Austria was too bad ass to have only one blog post. After a randomly unforgettable night at the Silver Bullet, I woke up quite refreshed and ready to exercise! As most of you know, I love riding my bike. Ever since I was little, I enjoyed riding my bike around Hollister. I was looking forward to this bike ride around the hills of Hopfgarten. Although the bicycle seat might as well been constructed from bricks, the ride was very pleasant. The weather was perfect- nice and sunny. At one point the ride was a little rough because we were going uphill on a rocky road, and the seats certainly did not allow for any cushion. The group stopped a few times to fill up water bottles and take in the sites. I was being daring and riding down the hills with my hands in the air for most of the ride. The hills and houses were some of the most enchanting sites. In a perfect world, I would love to raise a family in the hills of Hopfgarten.

Somewhere near the end of the bike ride, we stopped to have an authentic Austrian Tyrol BBQ. This food was by far the best food of the entire trip! Maybe it was the long bike ride, but either way, it was mouth-watering. Then it was an easy float back down to the Gasthof.

When we got back, everyone was given free time to do what they pleased around Hopfgarten. For such a small town, there was a lot to choose from, but unfortunately we couldn't do it all. Ally and I wanted to go into the town and shop around for souvenirs. Others went trout fishing? And there was a pool? (This teaches me not to fall asleep when the tour manager is telling you about the things to do in the upcoming town..sad face). Ally, Caitlin, and I rode our bikes into the town, which was about a 5-10 minute ride. The bad part was that it was quite painful to sit back on the seats after time passed from the previous 45 minute ride.

I loved Hopfgarten, it was soooo cute! Our bikes were safe to be placed anywhere without being locked, so we docked them and walked around. Words cannot fully describe my amour for this town! Something about it just sucked me in. It reminded me a lot of back home (kinda like San Juan) but it was just our group walking around and a few locals. It was very pleasant and tourist-free. There was only one souvenir shop we came across and it was small!

A beautiful picture of Hopfgarten

Now on to the craziness... Apparently there was a "Pimp and Ho" party scheduled into the itinerary. Guess I forgot to pack my Ho costume! Since this theme was a surprise to us...some people got very creative in their costume choices despite limited resources. Dan and Desiree take the blue ribbon for that category! Then Andy (bus driver) and Kevin in a close second!

What made this night even more crazy was that it wasn't just our Contiki group...but a second had joined us at the Gasthof that night! This group had a mix of Americans, Australians, etc. Krystina was upset that their group "didn't dress up like we did." I commented, "Thats because they aren't American." Then someone pointed out, "Look at that girl...she dressed up." I said, "She's probably American." Some time later, I talked to her and asked her where she was from. She replied, "The States." Typical, Americans are dirty, dirty pimps and hos. It was fun to mingle with students from around the world.

Some many hours later, a few lost soldiers, and after too many tequila shots (not me...but everyone else, I dont do tequila), it was time to call it a night. I went to bed with Hopfgarten, Austria forever in my heart. Contiki + Austria = Lets DO IT AGAIN!

Then the next morning, we topped it off with a trip to the Swarovski Crystal World: fabulous.

Tyrol/Hopfgarten, Austria [part 1]

Day: 7

Before I begin..I feel embarrassed to admit that Im really confused where we stayed. Im pretty sure the town was called Hopfgarten, but then the map said Tyrol on it. Not really sure if its like a Hollywood/LA thing, but whatever, it sure was more badass than Hollywood, so thats all that matters.

If you already didnt know....Austria was my FAAAAVE! It was my favorite for many, many reasons. Lets start off by showing up to Austria, getting suited up, and heading toward the rapids! Last year I was bummed I couldn't go White Water Rafting in the Dominican due to an ear infection. But this time...I came prepared and ready to get those ears wet! An awesome team was assembled and essentially named 'Team Fuck Yeah!" We thought we were cool because we wanted to flip our raft.

White water rafing in the Austrian Alps was exciting! The water was icy cold, but with all the adrenaline pumpin through my veins, I couldn't feel anything. There was even a time when I got pulled (or shoved, either one) into the water and I decided to just let the current take me alongside the raft. I was in the water for a good few minutes and felt fine, but once I got back onto the raft I felt the coldness shivver down my spine. Our little British guide, Mark, pointed out the famous Paramount Mountain (the icon in Paramount Movies) which was really cool because I never heard anything about that connection before.

So, quickly "Team Fuck Yeah!" became "Team Suck Yeah!" (thanks to Erika) since apparently we were incapable of flipping our raft, not on one..but TWO attempts. But it was still fun jumping into the water and pulling others in. After the wild rafting, the Austrians (actually I think most of the guides were British) gave us all a shot of schnapps. Ps. NASTY. Then we hung out for awhile at the lodge eating some Goulash. (click for recipe)

After, we headed to cute little Hopfgarten, where I hope to one day raise my kids. For those who live in Hollister...imagine San Juan size, but a few less stores, a better church, a ski lift, a lake, greener grass, and wayyy better houses! I absolutely LOVED this place!

We got to rest and check out Contiki's own Gasthof Schöneck. It was the only "budget" place that we stayed at..and it was actually my favorite. It had its own bar, an eating place, internet/meeting room, bikes, and even a swing. I felt more at home when I was at this place because it wasn't like a traditional hotel, it was more like camp or something.

Since there isn't much to do in the town at night...we went to the local (and possibly only bar) called the Silver Bullet, where they gave 10 beers for 20 euros, good deal. Another memorable night at the least. I won't go into too much detail, except that we played a fun little game called "Would you rather..." with things like "Would you rather have no arms or no legs." We got into some pretty intense conversations with our Kiwi friend Ryno and the very mature Marky-Mark.

(My favorite boys: Marky-Mark, Ryno in your pocket, and K-Mad)

Venice, Italy

Day 6:
So the night before in Florence kind of put a damper on Venice. It was just bad circumstances all around. I didn't feel so hot from the night before (my bad), it was the hottest place traveled thus far, and it felt like the most crowded. I learned in Florence that Gelato is the best cure when not feeling well! Priority in Venice - find nearest Gelato place as quick as possible! Turns out..no matter how gross I felt, the beauty of Venice is too powerful for a bad experience.

To get the heart of Venice, we needed to take a short boat ride. It was pretty amazing to ride along the water surrounding such a unique city. It's sad to hear that Venice will not last forever since the water is rising. They give it another 200 years. We reach land and walk over to St. Mark's Square. Although it was hot, it was crowded with tourists, and it had a little construction going on...St. Mark's was by far the most extravagant piece of architecture I saw on the entire trip. The detail and coloring was brilliant! And there were pigeons everywhere!

Venice had some fantastic little shops. The Venician glass was everywhere and made the city sparkle. I hit up an internet cafe with Bethany and Ally and it was pretty hot in there but it felt good to sit down. For a few hours we just wondered around the square going in and out of the shops.

Later on we met with the group for a "romantic" gondola ride. (Left: Jenna poppin' some bubbly). It was cool to check "take a gondola ride in Italy" off my list of things to do around the world; however it was a lot different than I hoped. It's not really like the movies where you go to some random gondola guy and he sings to you. Instead, you go to a doc-like place and get on one and the guy doesn't sing to you...he talks to his friends. I guess you can't blame Venice for turning the gondola rides into a tourist attraction, but unless you got the extra cash lying around, a romantic gondola ride from some random backstreet might be a little too expensive for my taste. But it is still a clique-must to experience.

Although hot and crowded, Venice turned out to be rather beautiful and of course it was the most unique city we visited. Looking back, I really wish I would have taken a picture with the pigeons! There wasn't much going on near our hotel that night, so we got a night to go to bed early and rest. Well...some of the people went to bed early, others (like myself) stayed up and enjoyed a crazy game of Hot Seat!

Florence, Italy

Day 4 (continued):
After Switzerland came Florence, Italia. I was really anxious to visit Italy because I am an Italian Stallion. Being Italian, Portuguese, and Salvadorian, Italy marks my first visit to a motherland. The bus ride there was pretty long, so by the time we arrived, we had just enough time to freshen up before dinner, then head out. I of course scoped out the Gelateria first and got myself a delish kiwi and pistachio scoop. Dinner was pretty good, but as the Italian way goes...after about a 6 course meal, I was stuffed. The pesto pasta didn't look that great, and I almost didn't eat it (weird, I know..I eat everything) and I am so glad that I did because it was delicious despite the way it looked! It was packed with so much flavor.

After dinner, Ryan took us to the Red Garter, where there was Karaoke! James, Jenna, Ashley, and I sang "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. Typical. The rest of the Contiki crew was loving it and everyone knew the words!

It was a really fun night for me because I got to know the other San Diego girls (Jenna and Ashley) much better as well as our Supers., Kevin and Marky Mark. Later that night us SD girls caught a cab and went back to the hotel to cause more mischief. We thought it would be funny to post a "..is Hot" notes on Kevin's and Ryan's door. As we were writing these notes, being silly girls listening to the radio, in walks Kevin (speak of the devil). We all jumped up and started giggling and screaming like typical girls, as Kevin wrestled us for the evidence. Kevin never figured out what we were doing and when he left we decided to put a sign saying, "Stay Classy San Diego" on what we thought was his door. The next day, we welcomed the President of the company on the coach as he said, "You know you are on a Contiki tour when you wake up with a sign on your door that says 'Stay Classy San Diego.' " Oooooops!

Stay Classy San Diego!

Day 5:
The next day we got to experience Florence and it's lovely shopping! Florence was gorgeous and I absolutely fell in love with all the apartments and buildings everywhere. The weather was also very nice. What I liked about Florence was that there were not as many cars because the allies are so small. Ally and I had our own personal tour guide (after we ditched the professional tour guide)...Bethany! She had lived in Florence before after she studied abroad, so she was more than excited to show us around. We went pretty far from the center of town to eat at this cafe Bethany suggested. It was quite delish (thanks for ordering for me Bethany!). We just shopped around the local markets, eating gelato, and having a good time. Oh yeah, and I got to see the fake David! Then it got a lot hotter as we waited for the group to gather.

Before dinner, everyone got glammed up for a crazy night in Florence! First, we took a professional group picture overlooking the city of Florence and hung around checking out the scenery and taking group pictures. Next, we cruised over to a wild Tuscany dinner. It was basically like a dinner party after a wedding. There was singing, dancing and wine...lots and lots of wine. Needless to say, we left dinner ready for the night.

Welcome to Space Electronic Discoteque! Talk about insane! I got my free drink that was very strong since I tipped the bartender a 5 Euro, well worth it. We were hooked up with a VIP lounge overlooking the dance floor, and we even made friends with the DJ. After awhile a few of us hung out with the Super downstairs singing some karaoke. Then back to the hotel we went. The next day was not so great. But Florence, you rocked!

Lucerne, Switzerland

Day 3:
Eight long hours go by on the coach as we cruise from France to Switzerland. Lucerne, Switzerland reminded me of home in a strange way. It was a small cow town and far less crowded compared to Paris. The town was ours for a few hours to travel through. I picked up a few Swiss army knives as souvenirs, according to Ryno, everyone who lives in Switzerland must be issued a Swiss Army knife. Of course, my next most anticipated intop was to the cheese cafe!! The Swiss cheese was sooooo delicious (however, they don't call it Swiss cheese).

The Reuss River looked very refreshing and there were a bunch of swans floating along the river. Ally, Bethany and I walked on the Chapel Bridge across the river. This day in Switzerland was very relaxing and quaint. We just strolled around the town checking out local shops and the serene view.

The coach came to pick us up to take us to the next hotel. This hotel was much better than the bunker-style hotel in Paris. But what was weird was that there was a shower (kinda like a closet shower) in the middle of the hallway. All the rooms had their own shower, so we couldn't figure out why there was a random shower in the hallway - weird. Also, the elevator was the smallest thing in the world only holding 2-3 people. Better yet though, there was a stairway from the top floor to the rooftop. The view was awesome and we were in the middle of small neighborhood, so it was very non-touristy.


Dinner was at a Swiss Folklore restaurant called Stadtkeller, where there was live entertainment. Fondue and mugs of beer were served upon arrival. It was my first time having fondue, so I was happy. But I didn't realize that fondue was made with beer, and it was rather strong, yet tasty in a unique way. At first I wasn't really into the entertainment and I was getting a little sleepy despite the loud music. So I found some Sudoku from the bathroom...random!


Suddenly the entertain- ment started to pick up. A woman was yodeling and brought up members from the various groups around the restaurant. Two of our guys went up and we all cheered them on as they tried out their yodeling vocals and chugged beer. To my surprise, things really started to get crazy when a make-shift cow came out to all the tables. That thing was getting pretty close up in peoples' grills, and it was hilarious. Also, there was some random crazy old man getting his groove on faster then some of our girls! He was a pretty happy old man...

Once the craziness was over from what was a pretty unexpected dinner, we all headed to this chic bar. I heard the drinks were good. Below the main floor was a dance floor beaming with red lights. More locals were on the dance floor then upstairs at the bar. I decided to call it a night and headed home in cab with Monique and some others while the rest of the late-night crew went to some fab Beach Club with sand on the ground...kinda mad I didn't suck it up and stay out later, but the bed was calling my name.


Day 4:
Before leaving the enchanting country, what would a trip to Switzerland be without going on the top of the Swiss Alps? We rode a small little train to a glass elevator-type lift to take us to the top of the mountain. At the top, the air was that much more fresh, cold, and clean. It was relatively early in the morning still, so there was a lot of early morning mist, but it felt great. We got to wonder around and take pictures from nearly every angle. There was a post, that like the Eiffel Tower, gave the distances to other major cities around the world. It was peaceful to be on our own roaming the mountain, taking in such healthily stunning land.

Switzerland is like the pearl of an Oyster. I've heard so much about places like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, etc, but I've never really heard anything special about Switzerland, but it was definitely beautiful. Actually, out of all the places we traveled to, I would love to spend at least a month in a small cottage in the hills of Switzerland over any other place (except maybe Austria of course...).

Thank you Switzerland for your yummy cheese and breathtaking landscape.

Paris, France

Day 1:
After a pretty easy-breezy flight to Paris and finding the Contiki coach (some people had some horror stories) the first group got lucky and were sent into downtown Paris. We were dropped off right next to the Notre Dame. First, we all cashed in some money for Euros (the death of me) and then we went to a cute cafe and ate outdoors. I had a pretty amazing salty crepe. During lunch there were lots of anticipation of getting to know each other.


Next, we all headed to the Notre Dame. It was pretty huge and really cool to be standing in front of such a huge historical cathedral for the first time. The group was taking pictures and I decided to get a little closer for a better picture. Next thing I knew I lost the group of girls I was with. There were a bunch of people around the square and I looked around for Ally (she's pretty tall) but I couldn't find anyone. I guessed that they probably walked into the Notre Dame, so I decided to wait until they came out. I would be the first one to get lost.



After a few hours, we waited for the Contiki coach along with the others to come and pick us up. We played a little speed dating on the bus to get to know each other. We checked into the Hotel (which the rooms were pretty small, btw) and then got ready for the coach tour around Paris. Ryan, our beyond amazing/awesome/crazy Tour Manager, pointed out all the highlights of Paris as we traveled along. We got to see the place where Napoleon's tomb is (above).


This is how awesome Ryan was: At one point during his historical fact giving and pointing things out, he told us to look for the name "Naps" (aka Napoleon) along this one building that was on our left. To motivate us, he bribed the winning find with a bottle of wine, so of course everyone was trying to find this "Naps." After a few minutes goes by, he tells us that he made it up and to look to our right. At once everyone was "ooooh, awwwwwing" as we focused on the Eiffel Tower. Such a clever trick, Ryan. It was a perfect way to see the Eiffel Tower for the first time.

Dinner was pretty good - gotta love those tarts and wine. After Dinner, we went back to the Eiffel Tower to experience it from the top! There were some rude people in line, but James set them straight (damn straight!) The view was amaaaaaazing from the top of the ET. Paris is anything but dirty (as a lot of people think).

The best thing was that we got to experience the ET during the day, during sunset, and when it was illuminated at night, along with VIP status (only a 25 min wait in line). Once we got down to the bottom, a few of us ran further away so we could take some better pics before the coach left. Here's a favorite of mine during our photo-op (stolen from Shannon):


Day 2:
The second day in Paris is actually one of my most memorable days. Paris is such an iconic city to visit, there are tons of museums and monuments to be seen! Plus this was my first visit to Europe so it was pretty awesome to get a first impression from such a lustrous city like Paris. Ally, Bethany, and I decided to stick together and explore the city. We first stopped at the Arc de Triomphe in which we had to go underneath the Place Charles de Gaulle through a tunnel to get to the other side. That round-a-bout has some pretty crazy traffic (video to come soon).

Next we strolled down the famous Champs Elysees, where there were a plethora of name brand Designers. The weather was near perfect and it was peaceful to be able to walk at our own pace and check out the stores we wanted to go to. It was nice that we got this free time to do what we wanted in Paris.

Ally and I made our way through random streets in order to find the Louvre. Considering its rather LARGE size, it was difficult for us to find for some reason. But the detours were entertaining as we took in some locals playing some weird ball-type game on the ground. What was different about this picture was that they were all dressed in semi-formal business clothes. I wish my lunch breaks could be that fun!

The Louvre was beyond belief! Nearly every inch of that museum was covered in beauty. According to Ryno (aka Ryan) if you were to look at every single piece of art in the Louvre for a minute, it would take you 6 months to finish the entire museum. I must say tho, that the Mona Lisa was kind of a disappointment. It was a small picture on a huge wall, with nothing else on it. It makes sense for this placement, but I guess I expected something else. But not gonna lie, its pretty cool to say I have seen the Mona Lisa. Oh yeah...and thanks to Ryno and his tidbit on a secret entrance way into the Louvre, no lines were necessary. Everyone loves a Ryno in their pocket!

The exploration of the city was coming to an end, however....we still needed to head to the Red Light District. The night before, the staff more than excitedly told the group that they had a special treat for us - The Moulin Rouge! This excursion was not listed in our itinerary, although I had greatly hoped for it! I couldn't wait to get glammed up and experience this famous French Cabaret! It definitely was Spectacular, Spectacular! And...more free wine, what do you know. The wine hit me pretty hard cause I was struggling to stay awake and the show was fantastic, I just wasn't used to the wine.

Lets Recap

Yay! Finally back home. Not that its as exciting as traveling Europe of course, but it is rather refreshing. I now have unlimited internet (no Euros needed) so its time to update the world on the craziness that happened in Europe! The places traveled were (along with some commentary):

Paris, France (novice and entertaining!)
Lucerne, Switzerland (laid-back yet randomly crazy)
Florence, Italy (um...karaoke, anyone?)
Venice, Italy (hot and ugggh, yet very unique)
Tyrol/Hopfgarten, Austria (my faaaaavorite...so adventurous/crazy!)
Munich, Germany (kind of depressing, modern, and lots of beer!)
Prague, Czech Republic (insane, place of lost/stolen/broken items)

Disclaimer: Some things that happened during these past two weeks are probably best kept off of the www. Hopefully I will keep the posts G-rated, better than MTV-style.

Ciao Bella!

Pretty much my signature shot.

Germanys History

Today on the coach we got an unbelievable surprise from our tour guide, Ryan. On our way from Austria to Germany, he told us that he was going to take us to the first concentration camp in Germany, near Munich. My heart nearly sank. Before I left the states I tried to research if there were an Holocaust museums near where we would be, but it was really difficult so I gave up. This past quarter I read an incredible book called Because of Romek written by a Holocause survivor. I was so moved by this book as some of you may have heard me talk about this book. If not then I definately recommend it to be read. I cant even describe the feelings I got from going to the concentration camp. Such a dark feeling. I took some pictures but they are nothing great, since the camp itself was nothing great. It was all grey and just really eerie. I saw the gas chambers and read about how they tricked the Jews into going into these buildings by installing shower heads and telling them they were showers. Seeing it in person was so different than I imagined it from the book. It was worse. Drinking wine and beer and acting stupidly funny with everyone can happen any day pretty much, but visiting a concentration camp was a more special part of this experience to me.

It seems that this whole trip I have tried to move out of my overworked and tired bubble by really having a lot of fun and being more exciting then I usually am. Most of you know Im pretty boring back at home. This trip has been nothing but a party while learning some history and seeing amazing buildings. But this one trip to the concentration camp really changed the experience. It is so different than everything else we have been doing. Europe is a blast and everyone lets loose, but it does have its dark side of it as well. And just like the tour manager pointed out, its really important to experience that side as well. He said that not all his tours go there, its a treat from the driver and the tour manager. I felt really lucky to include that special experience on my entire trip. I have so much fun getting to know people, letting my straight-edge guard down, and learning SOOO MUCH about Europe. Ryan is amazing with his European History and he explains it to us in such an inticing way, it really makes me want to take on some European history classes. So even though this trip seems like a huge party on the surface, to me it has its educational values and Ive learned things that I never would have in a book.

Bring on Prague.
Ps. Austria was RIDICULOUSLY amazing/awesome/wonderful/beautiful/THE SHIT.

Im in Europe!

So I haven't gotten much time like I wanted in order to type up a few of my journal entries. The internet is really expensive in Europe and Ive been extremely busy doing incredible things that its hard to fit in an internet sesh. But right now I am currently in Austria, and its so bad ass. Yesterday we went white water rafting and today we went on a pretty scenic bike ride. Im pretty tired and sore right now, but it was all worth it.

I will eventually update the rest of this blog when I get home. But one thing I just wanted to tell everyone is that everything is Europe is TINY!! Everything is sooo small, the cars, the streets, the elevators, drinking orange juice in the morning is like taking a double shot, so you need a few glasses. But its cool because as most of you know, Im in love with miniature things. Its just a trip to see how all these things are so tiny, I guess it makes sense in such small countries.



Little car on street in Paris, and the little dessert given in Switzerland. Wish I had a pic of the little elevator that fit 2 people from the hotel in Lucerne.

Europe so far is more than I could have imagined and I cant wait to share it all with everyone.

Oh yeah and I got some narly bug bite/ rash (acutally I dont know what it is) on my wrist...But its pretty cool not that it stopped itching, lol.

Miss you all!!