back home..

It is really difficult to be home.
There are so many things that I miss about Europe.. here goes

• beauty everywhere
• never having a dull moment
• the Contiki family
• awkwardness
• wine and beer everywhere and always having something to celebrate
• learning and trying new things
• always having something to do
• the anticipation of a new country
• surprises

• experiencing a new culture

I hope someday YOU can go on a Contiki trip!

--dani

PrA HAAAAAAA aka Prague

I have bittersweet feelings about Prague: Sad because this is our last destination but happy because of the reputation Prague has. Prague is known as having a great night life and for having low prices in comparison to the rest of Europe. We went on a tour of the city seeing the Gothic churches and incredible views. Prague is definitely like a New York City- face- paced and city like. All in all, the shopping was really good, alcohol was everywhere, and there was always something to do.
One of my favorite spots was in the center of Prague where there was a set of clocks that were very unique. Our tour guide actually told us how the king had an artist do these clocks. To make sure there would be no other clocks like that in the world, the king poked the artist's eyes out. Tough life...
That night we had the night to ourself to do whatever we wanted. The options were endless. I myself wanted to simply explore the subway. It was nothing like the subways in the states- there is a huge drop to the bottom, goes so fast and finally, the map is soo confusing since the language is very different.

Our last day we had the whole day to ourselves to just spend time. I walked around Prague spending the Franks that I had. I was personally looking forward to our dinner- a real Czech dinner. When we first sat down it was comical to see all the alcohol in front of us : first a glass of wine, a glass of beers and a shot of something disgusting. Prague is definitely where you should go if you want to get crazy drunk. The food however at this restaurant was by far one of my favorites. We had delicious bread, nice meats and cabbage. It was all very tasty. The entertainment there was excellent as well. There was a little Czech band and czech dancing-- it was all very authentic. After dinner we had the option of going out and exploring the various night clubs. We all pretty much did even though we had early flights in the morning. It was hard because had all really become a family. No one wanted to say good-bye to each other or the wonderful times we had shared.

All in all though, my Contiki trip only brings the best of memories.

--dani

More Germaniaaaaaaaaaaaa

Later that day in Germany we stopped at a German rest stop where they have the infamous German candies HARIBOU! I ended up spending 6 euros on a huge bag of sweets. It was so heavy but all so worth it. Later that day we had the day to ourselves to explore Munich. Some friends and I had a hearty German meal filled with soft pretzels, meats and tons of greasy food. As bad as it was for me, I really loved it. Later that night we went to a beer hall where the beers were the size of my head. It was unreal. Even seeing the beer ladies carrying 5/6 beer mugs at a time was impressive. The entertainment too at the hall was fun. There was a lot of dancing, singing and laughing. Germany definitely knows how to have a good time.

--dani

TAH TAH Austria -- Guten Tag GERMANY!

We are leaving Austria today but not before we see some amazing Austrian crystals. Very close to our hotel is The Swarovski headquarters where both the inside and outside are phenomenal. From the outside the land is perfectly groomed has a huge waterfall and impressive sculptures. We all walk into the building seeing beautiful sparkling jewelery.
Being a woman who loves anything that sparkles, I have to say it was a difficult place to be. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, chandeliers, pens, ornaments- everything in beautiful crystal. There are so many options yet things are quite pricey. Yes, there are Swarovski stores in the states but there isn't as much of a selection and as good of things as here. I end up leaving with 3 pairs of earrings for friends and family and a cool ring for myself.



Going from happy, expensive and joyous times, our tour manager surprised us with our next destination. We were crossing the border into Germany where we would be going to Darsaw, a concentration camp. In all of my years in middle school, high school and in college I have learned about much about the terrible things that happened there. It was really difficult to go to a place where thousands of people were tortured and killed. There was definitely an eerie and morbid feeling there. There was so much silence there too. No one spoke everything just paid their respects. The whole camp is kept up pretty well. They still have some of the buildings and ovens there. All over there is information and history of what went on there. All in all it was an experience in itself to actual see a concentration camp. Our wonderful tour master too gave us a little incentive: all over the camp were tons and tons of little white rocks. Our tour master picked up 43 rocks for all of us. He gave us the rock so that whenever we are having a tough day we have something to remember where we were and what was endured at Darsaw.

--dani

Day 8: Austria take two

I wake up this morning sore. I never would have thought that white water rafting could do a number on my body. Scheduled today was a nice bike ride through the Austrian hills. Unfortunately I could not get myself to participate.

Later I met up with the rest of the group for a delicious barbecue. There, we had a nice salad, fresh sausage, and toasted potatoes. Everything was fresh, fresh, fresh. On this particular site the owners grow everything themselves.

The food isn't the only thing that's amazing here; the view is out of this world! All the little houses with adorning flowers, perfect mountains, bright blue sky, and vegetation is fabulous. It's remarkable just to see so much green. In the states there is a definite lacking in that area. I feel like I am in paradise in this particular moment. Even the air seems different; I feel like I am breathing the freshest air in the world.

The rest of the day we have off- a couple friends and I go to the local water park. For me, I was expecting a lot of plastic and lights. On the contrary though, it was actually a really nice park. There was a lake, a pool, tobogganing, topless women and men in Speedos! Clearly it was the average water park!!

That night we had the craziest party: Pimps & Hoes. Everyone grabbed their tackiest and sluttiest garments and came down to the bar for a night of laughing, dancing and heavy drinking. Never had I known there are so many different types of Schnapps out there.

All in all though, Austria definitely left it's mark for me as a fun, peaceful, and beautiful country.

Day 7: AUSTRIA, HERE I COME

So at this point in our travels we are leaving my beloved Italy to head to A U S T R I A. I don't know much about it but I do know we are going to be doing some crazy adventures. One in particular that I have been both stressing and anticipating is WHITE WATER RAFTING. I can't believe I am actually participating in this extreme sport. I am definitely known for staying away from anything that could hurt myself or is out of the norm.

>>Unfortunately I wasn't able to take many pictures of the action due to the water and extremeness.

After having an hour bus ride full of anxiety we finally arrive to our spot where we are welcomed by 7 burly men. They pass around a document confirming that we all know how to swim. Afterward they give us our ugly, unflattering, and smelly outfits. This intricate costume consists of a wet suit, helmet, wind breaker, life vest and water booties. We all truly look fabulous. We then separate into groups of 6-7 where we become educated on how to properly paddle. It's quite simple actually; forward, backwards (which is like a lean back dance) and down which simply consists of us dropping our paddle and sitting down.

After learning the basic procedures from our instructor, Howie, we are commanded to head to the river. My group and I hold our raft over our head to the water where we are then instructed to put it down and run into the water. The water is FREEZING but so refreshing. Our fun soon comes to an end and Howie calls us back to the raft. This is really happening, I am white water rafting.

We get into our raft and get going. Howie is immediately spitting out commands of forward, backwards, forward etc. etc. I am only half listening due to the amazing scenery around me. There is tall mountains, the bluest sky and a beautiful greenery. We even passed by the Paramount Pictures mountain!.

Before we head into tough waters Howie talks to us about some safety procedures. He creates a bunch of "what if " scenarios and shows us how to act in that particular situation. The whole time I am praying that none of this happens to me. To truly prepare us, Howie has all of us jump off the raft while he flips the raft over. Amazingly we all had no problems. On the contrary we showed a great sense of camaraderie. Another trick Howie has up his sleeve is the "pinwheel". This is an extreme trick where half the raft is up in the air while the other is motionless in the air. This scared the crap out of me.. I couldn't wait for the other side to come down because our paddles were facing us the whole entire time. At any second they could have gone right into our face. Howie decided to end the trip by doing a back flip off the raft. Howie truly is amazing.

When we got back onto land we were rewarded with a lethal shot of alcohol. Afterward we had a delicious hearty soup that hit the spot perfectly!

After the thrill of white water rafting we headed to our lodging in Hopfgarten. This was a cute spot in the woods that was very secluded and peaceful. After dinner we headed to a local bar that we clearly kept open that night. It was so funny to see how small this little town was. Evidently changed Hopfgarten for those couple days we were there.

Day 6 : Waters of Venice

Today we are going to one of the most amazing places in Europe: Venice. No where else in the world are the streets made of water! We take a ferry boat to the actual island. The view is spectacular from the boat; I can't wait to get there. When we finally arrive Venice is PACKED . And with all of the people there the heat is even more intense. Every street corner and walkway is looks like it is from a painting. It's amazing to think that some of the people here are not tourists; they actually live with these impeccable vistas and different lifestyles. We walk around admiring the colorful buildings, impressive churches and fancy Morano glass. We follow our guide and he shows us Plaza San Marco that is filled with 3 things: BIG buildings, and huge amounts of people and PIGEONS. No where else in the world can the pigeons actually be a burden due to their huge presence. All day I was worried I was going to get shit on-- however, the italians do always say that bird poop is good luck!

Later that day we had a good amount of time to ourselves to explore the city. I really loved getting lost in Venice because you'd always find your way to something beautiful. One trail in particular sticks in my mind-- my friends and I were starving and hot. We had been walking for 20 minutes just looking for a place to sit or even get a bite. At this point we are all getting flustered until we see what is before us-- a water passage where at that given moment 2 gondolas are passing by. All of a sudden we weren't agitated or hungry.

All of a sudden we remember that we too have an appointment for a romantic gondola ride in just a few. We rush to have a nice lunch and then go off to meet the rest of the group. We all break up into groups of 6 for a ride full of fantastic views, champagne, and romance. It was probably the best way to tour the city.

Later that night we went through the twisty curvy and narrow roads of Venice and found our way to dinner. Here we had approximately a 5 coarse meal that consisted of fish, antipasti, cold cuts, pasta, salad, and dessert.

Venice couldn't have been any better...