i have been back for about a week.

it has been really hard adjusting. i thought i had my sleeping schedule in order, but i have been proven wrong numerous times. the weather is a bit overwhelming. but i will get used to it, i guess.

the best thing about being back is being able to see my family and friends. speaking of family, here is my nephew Collin:

well. the time has come. i leave in less than 2 days.

these past few months have been more than i had ever expected.

i mean, i suppose i can be a positive testimony for a study abroad program because this has been the most unforgettable experience of my life (so far). i know i will be bombarded with the ultimate question: "How was PARIS?" how do you think it was. that is my answer. everyone's image of Paris, or Europe in general, is completely different and often times, incorrect. i am not qualified to give a biased summary of my semester here. Paris was great, for me. great includes various aspects which i am not able to thoroughly explain.

so this is the end of many things.

family, friends. SEE YOU SOON.

ONE WEEK

yesterday Adam, Alix, Brian, and i attempted to take a picnic to Versailles.

it rained. we had picnic supplies. so we had a picnic in my room.

i had ping pong balls in my room. so we set them on fire.

i bought a slingshot in Prague, so we took it out to the park and shot things. we found chalk at the park, so we drew with it (not very well, but oh well).

then we went into the Bois and ended up riding bikes. one being a tandem bike. then Adam and i climbed a tree.

it was the BEST DAY EVER.

2 weeks. i have two weeks exactly until i return to Texas.

DER BERG BEER FESTIVAL 2008 Erlangen

Adam arrived Wednesday, 7 May. we spent the night in Munich, took a train to Erlangen, followed a group of French tourists, and found the beer festival.

i will not lie. i believed this beer festival to be imaginary for quite some time. we made no prior effort to really do our research, or even take note of where it would be when we arrived in Erlangen.

thank goodness for the man who had a hat covered with miniature flags that led us to our destination.

so we attended a German beer festival, on the first day, and it was crazy. good day that was.

then we had to venture to Nuremburg that night to find a hostel. i did not see any other guests until the next morning when we left. we stayed in a 12 bed dorm, by ourselves.

Munich, Germany MUNCHEN

from Vienna, Brian and i took an overnight bus to Munich. we had no intention to go to Munich. only to find an easier way home to Paris.

we arrived in Munich on Monday, 5 May. he left that day, and i stayed.

Monday, we went to the park, i slept.

Tuesday, i took a trip to Salzburg, Austria. the Bayern ticket allows unlimited travel through Bavaria. and Salzburg. this was the point when my body started to shut down on me, and i was not able to eat for a few days. but i took a banana and went to Austria. for those that are not well informed, Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, and the setting for The Sound of Music. they do not let you forget that when you arrive. i saw some things, then i took a train back to Munich. i ate an apple, spoke to my American hostel mates, and slept.















































































Wednesday, i decided to go on LENNY'S FREE BIKE TOUR OF MUNICH 2008. the tour stopped at major sights. our group of 30 something stopped at the Englischer Garten, a VERY large park. we met a very proud man with a boomerang in the nude beach.

Munich is very unique. BEER ALL OF THE TIME. good beer. beer by the liters.

Vienna, Austria

i owe my fantastic visit to Hannah and Flo, my hosts. that is the reason McErl Urquel lives with them.

i stayed with them for one night, on their couch, in their wonderfully decorated flat.

it is an interesting city, with a lot of character. the beer is good, the coffee is better. there just so happened to be an ongoing festival with FOOD, and other things. but mainly, FOOD.

Vienna is so very nice. got tired of taking pictures. very few pictures.

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest was, well, no comment. currency is the Hungarian Forint (.006 US dollars)

again, BEAUTIFUL city. we just ran into some strange situations, and were completely worn out due to our lack of sleep the night before. a Turkish bath is completely necessary, i would say, although i did not get the opportunity to indulge in one.

i could suggest a lot of things to see and do. too bad i was not able to do them myself..

BUDA is the very picturesque side, while PEST is the city center. Budapest deserves much more than half of a day.

Bratislava, Slovakia

so after i adopted McErl, the marionette, we hopped on a train to Bratislava. i did not know what to expect.

we arrived at our hostel, settled in, and had 1.5 liters of Kelt that came in a plastic bottle. interesting, i know. considering we had less than a day to spend in Bratislava, we went into the Old Town that night. the architecture is fairly new and modern. there was not a lot of people out, but you always managed to see at least two at a time. very strange.

so we stopped into a 3 level bar (nothing too amazing), then went to a ROCK CLUB and listened to some ALL AMERICAN rock music, and returned to the hostel. only to find some British men wandering around looking for Charlie Club, which i happened to read was right next door to the hostel. we all continued there, to find a sign that read Charlie Club, and a brick wall. we attempted to move the brick wall for a few minutes, then the British men hailed a cab, we all hopped in, and the cab driver took us to a local dance club, on a boat, on the Danube. DISCO. we were not welcomed there, so the boys wanted to go to a strip club. we hopped in another cab, or two (there were 6 of them), and went to Royal Club. they do not let women in. Brian and i had to catch a train the next day to Budapest, so we called it a night.

next day, hiked up to yet another castle, and laid in the grass. then we went to TESCO supermarket for snacks and stumbled upon PARTY POWER ENERGY DRINK. i really enjoyed Bratislava.

specialties: go out and drink. the food is similar to Czech food (no surprise there), but a bit spicier. my meals consisted of delicious sandwiches at a stand right outside the train station (i named the puppet after the stand) the currency is the Slovak Koruna (.049 US dollars)

Prague, Czech Republic

from Krakow, we took a train to Prague, and stayed two nights.

Prague is beautiful but SUPER touristy. the main square is a tourist trap, and can be just as expensive as Euro currency countries (not an official term). the currency is the Czech Koruna (.06 US dollars).

still, Prague is unlike any other city i have seen. there are a lot of high, natural points, that offer a fantastic view of the city. Prague Castle is a must see, as well as Petrin hill and Petrin Tower, which is modeled after the Eiffel Tower. Charles Bridge is ALWAYS overwhelmingly crowded, but incredible.

there are marionettes EVERYWHERE. i managed to hold off until the very last day when i was eating, and some man decided to put on house music and a marionette danced to it. so, OF COURSE, i bought one. his name is McErl Urquel. he has a new home in Vienna with Hannah and Flo though.

also, on our last night, we witnessed the event of WITCHES NIGHT. some people dress up as witches and burn marionettes to ward of winter, and welcome in spring.

specialties: Pilsner Urquel, Budvar, absinthe, marionettes, goulash.

i discovered hot dog sleeves: a roll that is hollowed out by a spear like contraption, filled with your sauce of choice (mustard or ketchup or both), and a hot dog. ingenious because nothing spills out of the bottom. it is not all that special, but i love it.

Krakow, Poland

i started my backpacking tour in Krakow, or the Paris airport (i had a 6:50 am flight, but the metro does not open until about 5:30 am, so i went the night before). i flew in last Monday, 28 April, and stayed for one night.

pigeons, ice cream, lounging on a hill by a castle, cheap food and beer, fire performers. Polish currency is the Polish Zloty (.45 US dollars)

specialties: bagels, dumplings of all kinds. WODKA. scam artists.

FYI: on the spot public transportation fines are most likely a scam. Brian and i hopped on a late tram (when we could have walked) because we were doing it all day, and it is usually regulated by the honor system. however, we both had tickets but failed to validate them. two men came up to us with "badges" and asked us to pay a fine. i was very hesitant, and they asked for our IDs. i did not give it to him, but they told us to get off and pull cash. we should have ran, but they acquired Brian's ID without my knowledge. we paid, because i did not want to deal with it. oh well. now i know.