Vienna and the wonderful Honzo!

Not quite as unique architecture, but still beautiful! We have had one of the most generous host you could ever ask for. Honzo met us at the bus station baring gifts of apples, chocolate, and water. When we got to his place, we made us pasta for lunch and then we maneuvered on to the train to go swimming! Honzo took us north east to a local spot to swim in the river that runs through Vienna. It was soooo much fun! I really felt Austrian.  That night we met the other French couchsurfers and hit the bars to watch the football match. Spain defeated Italy and we continued our night by playing friendly games of pool (US vs. France vs. Austria). 

The next day, we all had a brilliant idea of renting bikes. We tromped down to a CITYBIKE station which are all over town. I first used my card and got a bike for only a euro. The others tried to get their bikes, but every card was denied so I was the lone ranger. We set a meeting spot in an hour and I was off to get lost in the city on a bike! I kept finding other bikers and just following them until I got bored. The craziest thing of all was on one ways there is a bike lane going in the opposite direction. Once again, it was a little scary. After my lone adventures, we all gawked at the university, the parliament building, the two museums, and many churches. As we all were 18 ; ) (born in ’93) we got into the naturalist history museum for a total of zero euros. We explored all the stuff animals and figured it was time for a beer.

We went to a microbrewery so Keegan could get his IPA he had been longing for. The two of us and the two French men all got different dishes and passed them around like a big family! That night we went with our host to the travelshack. THAT was a crazy scene! They are famous for their different shots and their multinational crowd.

The next day we were lucky enough to have Honzo bring us to Schonbrun. We raced through 3 different hedge mazes and walked around the beautiful estate.

We’re off to Bratislava!

Travel Tip # 3

Trains are more expensive than buses, but you will ALWAYS have a spot on the train, not the bus. We waited for a bus for an hour just to find out that it was packed and no spots left for us. We rushed over to the train station, paid a little extra and were on our way. The Eurail pass is a rip off!!! It is a lot cheaper for Europeans and you can defiantly buy the train individually for cheaper or fly RyanAir for long distance.

B-E-A-UTIFUL Prague

Prague… I can only say wonderful things. Our visit was AMAZING! Prague is a beautiful city and all the old architecture is gorgeous. Our host Petra was very very nice and fun. The first night we were there, she took us to a restaurant for a pile of raw beef with a raw egg on top. You mix these two things together with some spices and sauces and then put it on garlic, butter bread. Surprising we didn’t get sick and it was extremely tasty. I was a little scared at first but soon the three of us had finished every the whole dish. Petra brought us to a few bars and nights clubs and we got to try all the local beers.

 The next day, Keegan and I explored the city center, went up in the bell tower for a gorgeous view, and walked to the castle. After all this walking all we wanted was a beer, so Keegan found a microbrewery. We walked in and EVERYONE knew we were tourist. It was a very local place and we were getting looks left and right, but thank goodness we got our beers and people stopped gawking! For lunch we stumbled upon a restaurant with a porch that overlooked Prague and some greenery with huge houses. It was one of the best views I’ve ever seen. The food was also delicious. We split a plate of Czech cheeses and a roasted chicken with mash potatoes. This was some of the best chicken I have ever had (next to Matt’s Cornish hens).

That night Keegan and I split a bottle of wine from Florence overlooking the city while the sun set. We later met up with Petra at a friend of hers and got to see a local house party. With only a few hours of sleep we caught the 8 am train to Vienna!

Travel Tip # 2: Always bring a coin purse! I forget how much everyone uses coins in Europe, especially in Prague with korunas. About 25 korunas is about 1 euro so it was pretty funny when our lunch was over 400!! (seems like a lot, but we’re really only talking about 16ish euros)

Allo from Berlin!

The flight went well, but due to Air Force 1, we were an hour late. I flew into Berlin, hitchhiked to a train station and then had to ask three different  people how to get to Hauptbahnhof where I frantically searched for Keegan. We just nearly cross paths many times;he was bobbing and  I was weaving, but we finally met up and were off to the couchsurfers!

It just so happens that we were staying with the best tour guide in Berlin. He brought us to all the sites: the government building, Check point Charlie, Brandenburg Gate, and many more. We timed our tour just right and got stuck in a downpour. Raphael (the cs host) was so adamant about showing us the city, we were running from covering  to covering and stopped at metro stops just to glance out, take a picture of a site, and then to the next. At the end of the tour, we found ourselves soaked under a bridge with a sax player. 

After 11 hours of sleep Keegan and I got an early start at about 2 or 3 pm. I am now an official European because I now have a phone +49 151 17956462 if you ever need to contact me! 

Our last night in Berlin was the night of the big Italy vs Germany football match. The streets were electrified with excited people. All the homeless were having a field way with the empty bottles. One million people gathered in the street to watch the match.

I’m writing to you from the bus on our way to Prague! BEAUTIFUL country side!

Travel tip #1: Other than flights, don’t reserve travel modes before getting to the city. We saved 80 euros by getting tickets at the bus station instead of reserving the train online or the bus online. Ride share is also a great website and normally only cost 20 euro and a conversation or two!

P.S. Food is so cheap and beer is only 60 cents! Anddd you can drink in the streets! Mom, dad, why didn’t we grow up here?!?! I’m in heaven : p