As I woke up this morning, I realized two things. First, trying to run at 6:30am is an extremely difficult thing and second, I am quite "blogged" out as I'm sure anyone else who still reads this is too. However, here is a quick note to sum it all up.
It has been the best trip of my life spanning exactly 3 months, 2 continents, and 15 countries. As I've already told some of you, Cape Town, South Africa, still remains the best city I visited. However, of continental Europe, Munich is my favorite. If anyone ever goes, I highly recommend doing a number of things there but most importantly, go to the Hofbrau House. Best beer I've ever had! I have seen so much culture, met a lot of really cool people, and have spent some really quality time with each of my family members here. But, like all good things, this trip has come to an end. Now, as I prepare for a 10.5 hour flight back home, I can honestly say it was totally worth it. That is all.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Fun With Shaving
So my beard was out of control. the hairs from my moustache were growing over my lips and making it difficult to eat and drink beer. Here are a few pictures of the progression of my shaving. enjoy.
http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=538938021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=538938021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
5 Nights in Eire
The Emerald Isle was one of the cooler places I have been. My grandmother and I flew into Galway and began driving north to our cousins who live about an hour away in a province called Connemara. It took longer than that as we were "admiring" the scenery but eventually we got there. The O'Dwyers welcomed us with lots of food and alcohol. Seeing as they are Irish, they can really put it away. We must have gone through 10 bottles of wine between 4 people...plus a few beers on my part. They even prepared wild irish salmon that had been caught the day before. probably the best salmon i've ever eaten and of course, we ate it with potatoes. the following day, we drove north and west of them and saw the west coast, ate fresh crab claws in a little sea village and had a guinness. That evening, Simon (my cousin) taught me to play the didgeridoo and the Irish horn. While I can't circular breathe with makes a continuous sound, I can now play these 2 instruments pretty well. The next 3 days, my grandmother and I spent driving around the 3 southwestern peninsulas including, the Dingle, the Ring of Kerry, and the Beara. probably the famous Ring of Kerry was the best but only the southern part. Eventually, we met up with her step-cousin who she hadn't seen in 50 years. He and his wife live on a farm just outside Kilbritain, which is just outside Kinsale, which is just outside Cork. Confusing? I know. He was a sailor so we saw his boat, and his wife is a Connemara Pony breeder so we saw her horses. check out the photos, really cool horses. Other than that, just a lot of driving on my part (1100 kilometers or just under 700 miles) and Guinness. Funnily enough, Murphy's, another Irish stout is almost better than Guinness, or so I think. But both were really freaking good. it just sucks that they both taste like ass anywhere else. oh well...check the pictures. today I'm going to the English Championship Rugby math with my cousin, Rob. This week, I'll try and see more family but no set plans. Next weekend (Friday-Sunday), I'm going back up to Birmingham to spend a few days with my cousin, Michelle and my other cousin, Andrew, is coming up as well. then, next monday (May 25th) I end my 3 month adventure and return back to good ole' texas.
Pictures (Ireland): http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=538776021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
Funny Pictures. Check these out: http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=538775021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
Pictures (Ireland): http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=538776021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
Funny Pictures. Check these out: http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=538775021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk/
Sunday, May 10, 2009
before Ireland
just a quick note about what I've done since in England. I arrived back here from Poland and didn't realize how tired I was. I had been going to bed in the "wee" hours of the morning and waking up at 6:30am every day for the past 2 weeks. The partying didn't help. I was ready for bed around 10pm the past few nights. Thursday I just chilled and went to the gym. I am pretty disappointed in myself though just for how out of shape I am. running is now a chore rather than a pleasure. Lifting was almost the same but once i get back to dallas, i'll get my fat ass back in the gym and get hardcore again. I also registered for my classes. First semester, I am taking Anatomy and a Spanish course which hopefully I can place out of. Otherwise it's an easy A. Friday, my cousin, Rob, and I went into london and got "on the piss" with his friends. it was a fun night but much tamer than what I was doing in continental Europe. Yesterday, we all went up north to watch my little cousin, Andrew, play a cricket match. we then had a curry and of course, I ordered a vindaloo. I must be quite honest, as much as I enjoy the pain, i think i'm vindaloo'ed out. it is sometimes too much of an effort to eat when it's that spicy. today, my grandmother, Jill, and I are off to Ireland for 5 days and will be back on Friday evening. will post then.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Budapest, Slovakia, Krakow, and Warsaw
Budapest was one of the best places we went. It's a really cool city seeing as there are actually 3 parts to it: Buda, Pest, and Obuda. Together, they comprise the city of Budapest. We arrived late afternoon and had a rest. That evening, we went for a tour on the bus with a guide and then we were all dropped off at the river for a riverboat cruise, dinner and loads of wine. The dinner was surprisingly good with Hungarian dishes such as stuffed cabage and Goulash soup. We each had 2 bottles of wine per table. Each table held 4 people and seeing as a lot of the people didn't drink very much on the trip, it actually turned into quite a party on the boat for me and my friends. I landed up having a few bottles to myself and talking with a girl from Birmingham, England. She had so much, she landed up puking on the bus all over my roommate (he was sitting next to her) so she missed the club. After the riverboat, the bus took us to the largest open-air club in Europe...supposedly. It was really cool but like everywhere in eastern europe, they try to rip tourists off. We had to be extremely vigilant about the costs of drinks. Overall, it was probably the best night of the trip. The following day, we went for a walk around Pest and saw the famous hand of King Stephen who was canonized and is now a saint. His hand is mumified in his cathedral. Now when I say he...I mean me because naturally, I am perfect and thus a Saint...soon to be Doctor Saint. wow, how full of $%"& am I?! haha. anyway, later that day, one of the australian guys (dave) and I went to one of 2 Hungarian bathhouses/spas where the water is naturally heated. they had indoor pools but we went outdoors and there were hundreds of people there. We played chess, admired the women and were baffled at how such awful looking men could land such talent. Even had a swim race, USA vs. Australia. Of course, USA won.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=477483021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
Slovakia was just a lunch stop but still worth noting because whenever I thought of Slovakia, I thought os Bratislava, the capital, and the movie Eurotrip where it shows Slovakia being a complete dump. The city we went to, Banska Bystrica, was actually extremely nice and cheap too. Slovakia is on the Euro which means it's actually more advanced than it's former partner the Czech Republic. I had another schnitzel (i think my spelling might be off) and then left.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=479361021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
Krakow was one of the better places we went. We arrived in the evening, ate dinner, and then went to an undergound club. When I say underground, I literally mean it was under the ground in like caves. it was really cool and the beer was 7 szloty (about $1.60US) for .5L. Once again, I thought I was actually earning money so had a lot of Polish beer. that was another fun night. The following day, we went on a city tour, then ate Pierogis (dumplings filled with cheese and potatoes). very Polish and had more beer. That afternoon, we went to the famous salt mines that were about 100metres below the surface. very cool but not as cool as the underground caves I've been to in Texas and Curacao. After that, we went back to the hotel and got to bed at a reasonable hour because we were going to Auschwitz-Birkenau the following morning early. I took just a couple pictures to show you guys but honestly, i don't really want to go back there again. Auschwitz was actually 3 camps in 1. they called the first one Auschwitz and that was a concentration camp. Birkenau (Auschwitz 2) was where 1.1-1.5 million people were killed. And Auschwitz 3 was a work camp where they worked you day and night until you died. One of my friends told me that around one of the gas chambers there was a sign showing where the ashes of the people still lay. he said you could see the ground was a different color. Luckily I didn't see that as I would not have wanted to. that's all I'll say about that. onto Warsaw which was a lot happier.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=479363021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
Warsaw was our last stop on the trip. we arrived in the evening, ate dinner at the hotel and then went to a sky bar at the top of the Marriot hotel. Very swanky and the drinks were a lot more expensive. Now when I say expensive, this is compared to what we were paying earlier in the trip. At this bar, a mixed drink like a vodka orange (screwdriver) was about $4US. for the type of bar it was, this was ridiculously cheap by American standards. Anyway, we had fun and laughed at all the middle-aged single women who were sitting by themselves. There were about 6 of them all in different locations...if you hadn't guessed by now, they were female escorts, at least they looked female but who knows nowadays with these crazy europeans. The following day, we did a city tour, had more Pierogis in a beer hall, went into the hot tub at the hotel and then went back out. We started the evening at 4pm with a private concert of Chopin. I have played some of the pieces the pianist played and although she was excellent, I preferred my interpretation to the playing. I asked and apparently, she plays with a very Polish attitude which means very aggressive and rough. After that, we had a farewell dinner at a restaurant, then went to another swanky bar and then a club after that. The club was a lot of fun. At 2 points in the night, there appeared this polish guy with long blonde hair trying to be like Fabio. All of a sudden, the music went slow, like Bryan Adams crap, and he started doing a strip tease. He always got down to his thong and then walked off right as he showed his ass. of course, the girls loved it and the guys were laughing their asses off. The following morning, we said goodbye to eachother and that was the trip.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=479366021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
I am now back in England staying at my grandmother's place. We are going to Ireland together to see some family and the country. We start in Galway, then work our way down the west/southwest coast until we fly out of Cork in the South. Should be a good trip. We leave on Sunday and come back Friday so I'll post again then.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=477483021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
Slovakia was just a lunch stop but still worth noting because whenever I thought of Slovakia, I thought os Bratislava, the capital, and the movie Eurotrip where it shows Slovakia being a complete dump. The city we went to, Banska Bystrica, was actually extremely nice and cheap too. Slovakia is on the Euro which means it's actually more advanced than it's former partner the Czech Republic. I had another schnitzel (i think my spelling might be off) and then left.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=479361021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
Krakow was one of the better places we went. We arrived in the evening, ate dinner, and then went to an undergound club. When I say underground, I literally mean it was under the ground in like caves. it was really cool and the beer was 7 szloty (about $1.60US) for .5L. Once again, I thought I was actually earning money so had a lot of Polish beer. that was another fun night. The following day, we went on a city tour, then ate Pierogis (dumplings filled with cheese and potatoes). very Polish and had more beer. That afternoon, we went to the famous salt mines that were about 100metres below the surface. very cool but not as cool as the underground caves I've been to in Texas and Curacao. After that, we went back to the hotel and got to bed at a reasonable hour because we were going to Auschwitz-Birkenau the following morning early. I took just a couple pictures to show you guys but honestly, i don't really want to go back there again. Auschwitz was actually 3 camps in 1. they called the first one Auschwitz and that was a concentration camp. Birkenau (Auschwitz 2) was where 1.1-1.5 million people were killed. And Auschwitz 3 was a work camp where they worked you day and night until you died. One of my friends told me that around one of the gas chambers there was a sign showing where the ashes of the people still lay. he said you could see the ground was a different color. Luckily I didn't see that as I would not have wanted to. that's all I'll say about that. onto Warsaw which was a lot happier.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=479363021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
Warsaw was our last stop on the trip. we arrived in the evening, ate dinner at the hotel and then went to a sky bar at the top of the Marriot hotel. Very swanky and the drinks were a lot more expensive. Now when I say expensive, this is compared to what we were paying earlier in the trip. At this bar, a mixed drink like a vodka orange (screwdriver) was about $4US. for the type of bar it was, this was ridiculously cheap by American standards. Anyway, we had fun and laughed at all the middle-aged single women who were sitting by themselves. There were about 6 of them all in different locations...if you hadn't guessed by now, they were female escorts, at least they looked female but who knows nowadays with these crazy europeans. The following day, we did a city tour, had more Pierogis in a beer hall, went into the hot tub at the hotel and then went back out. We started the evening at 4pm with a private concert of Chopin. I have played some of the pieces the pianist played and although she was excellent, I preferred my interpretation to the playing. I asked and apparently, she plays with a very Polish attitude which means very aggressive and rough. After that, we had a farewell dinner at a restaurant, then went to another swanky bar and then a club after that. The club was a lot of fun. At 2 points in the night, there appeared this polish guy with long blonde hair trying to be like Fabio. All of a sudden, the music went slow, like Bryan Adams crap, and he started doing a strip tease. He always got down to his thong and then walked off right as he showed his ass. of course, the girls loved it and the guys were laughing their asses off. The following morning, we said goodbye to eachother and that was the trip.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=479366021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
I am now back in England staying at my grandmother's place. We are going to Ireland together to see some family and the country. We start in Galway, then work our way down the west/southwest coast until we fly out of Cork in the South. Should be a good trip. We leave on Sunday and come back Friday so I'll post again then.
Contiki, Berlin, Prague and Vienna
I just finished my Contiki tour and arrived back in England yesterday. The twelve day tour was awesome! there were 36 of us with ages ranging from 19-38 but the majority of people were around 25. Me and about 10 people became good friends with some coming from australia, america, canada and south africa. There is so much i could say but it would take me hours to write it all out so I'll just stick with the highlights.
Berlin: I arrived here from Dresden on Saturday (april 25th) and went to the hotel. It was very nice and located in southwest berlin. to give you an idea, all the crazy german clubs and culture are closer to north east berlin. Anyway, that evening, we all met eachother, had dinner (a schnitzel) and then went out. The following day, we did a walking tour of the city, walked around for a bit and then went out to dinner as a group to a place where they served liters of Lowenbrau beer. Once again, I had several of these before becoming quite "sloshed" as my parents would say. The next day, we stopped in Dresden for lunch (i had already been here a few days earlier) on our way to Prague.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=477480021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
Prague was great and I could talk about the history but that would be pretty boring. Instead I'll talk about Absinthe and "Night" Clubs. But before these, we all went out the first night to a club where the tables each had 4 taps of Pilsner Urquell Czech beer. They were damn cheap. .5L for just about 1.25 US Dollars. Obviously, I felt as though I was earning money, rather than spending it, so I indulged one again in the "piss" as my english cousins call it. The following day, I bought a bottle of Absinthe. It was green but I wasn't expecting great things seeing as I have already had it several times in the past. Sure enough, I was right. It tasted like Sadam Hussein's butthole, dingleberries and all! (sorry to be so graphic). me and a few of the guys each had a shot and said that was enough. so we stopped at a KFC to have some of the Colonel's delicious Czech Chicken before going to the best "Night" club in all of Prague. Now when I say Night club, I mean a club where ladies dance for men...get the picture? I swear, I have never seen such beautiful girls in a club like that ever. What was even better was that there were 53 of them. they easily outnumbered the men 3:1. Cover was only 200 crowns which is about $8US. Beers were about $4US and "services" were a bit more. I laughed my ass of because there were actually 2 types of girls in there. Strict dancers and girls for company. There was even a menu on the tables for what you wanted to order, whether it be a lap dance, massage, _____ (fill in the blank), or a "lesbi show!" I was very content on just admiring the girls and drinking. However, some people sitting at the table in front of us ordered a lesbi show. to say the least and to maintain decorum, it was very interesting. me and one of the australian guys went "walkabout" to see if the other clubs were better but we came back to the first one as it was the best. And that was prague. Cheap beer and beautiful women...if you want to pay for it.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=477481021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
The Vienna stop was only for 1 day so we saw the sites and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Yes, I am a Saint in Austria and a King in Hungary (i'll explain about that later). The main highlight was watching the Arsenal vs. Manchester United Champions League semi finals the first night and the following day, having a schnitzel that was bigger than my plate. Jamie had recommended i go there so i took a few friends to the restaurant called Figelmueller. Best schnitzel i've had yet. We also went into the royal residences but not much time in vienna so not much to say.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=477482021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
I'll write up about the second half of the trip later. Oh and i fixed the links to the last group of pictures
Berlin: I arrived here from Dresden on Saturday (april 25th) and went to the hotel. It was very nice and located in southwest berlin. to give you an idea, all the crazy german clubs and culture are closer to north east berlin. Anyway, that evening, we all met eachother, had dinner (a schnitzel) and then went out. The following day, we did a walking tour of the city, walked around for a bit and then went out to dinner as a group to a place where they served liters of Lowenbrau beer. Once again, I had several of these before becoming quite "sloshed" as my parents would say. The next day, we stopped in Dresden for lunch (i had already been here a few days earlier) on our way to Prague.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=477480021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
Prague was great and I could talk about the history but that would be pretty boring. Instead I'll talk about Absinthe and "Night" Clubs. But before these, we all went out the first night to a club where the tables each had 4 taps of Pilsner Urquell Czech beer. They were damn cheap. .5L for just about 1.25 US Dollars. Obviously, I felt as though I was earning money, rather than spending it, so I indulged one again in the "piss" as my english cousins call it. The following day, I bought a bottle of Absinthe. It was green but I wasn't expecting great things seeing as I have already had it several times in the past. Sure enough, I was right. It tasted like Sadam Hussein's butthole, dingleberries and all! (sorry to be so graphic). me and a few of the guys each had a shot and said that was enough. so we stopped at a KFC to have some of the Colonel's delicious Czech Chicken before going to the best "Night" club in all of Prague. Now when I say Night club, I mean a club where ladies dance for men...get the picture? I swear, I have never seen such beautiful girls in a club like that ever. What was even better was that there were 53 of them. they easily outnumbered the men 3:1. Cover was only 200 crowns which is about $8US. Beers were about $4US and "services" were a bit more. I laughed my ass of because there were actually 2 types of girls in there. Strict dancers and girls for company. There was even a menu on the tables for what you wanted to order, whether it be a lap dance, massage, _____ (fill in the blank), or a "lesbi show!" I was very content on just admiring the girls and drinking. However, some people sitting at the table in front of us ordered a lesbi show. to say the least and to maintain decorum, it was very interesting. me and one of the australian guys went "walkabout" to see if the other clubs were better but we came back to the first one as it was the best. And that was prague. Cheap beer and beautiful women...if you want to pay for it.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=477481021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
The Vienna stop was only for 1 day so we saw the sites and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Yes, I am a Saint in Austria and a King in Hungary (i'll explain about that later). The main highlight was watching the Arsenal vs. Manchester United Champions League semi finals the first night and the following day, having a schnitzel that was bigger than my plate. Jamie had recommended i go there so i took a few friends to the restaurant called Figelmueller. Best schnitzel i've had yet. We also went into the royal residences but not much time in vienna so not much to say.
Pictures:http://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=477482021/a=159650618_159650618/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfishuk
I'll write up about the second half of the trip later. Oh and i fixed the links to the last group of pictures
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