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.