Three Months is Almost Up...

I've had so much fun on this trip, and now its almost over. I have 3 days in Amsterdam before I catch a plane back to North America.
These last couple of weeks have been some of the best. On the 16th I took a train about an hour outside of Munich to Gunzburg to visit Legoland. It wasn't as big as I had expected and was obviously set up for younger kids, but I had a good time there and spent most of the day wandering around the park and going on rides.
When I got back to Munich that evening, I found the surf spot of Munich. In river, no more than 30 feet across, there's a huge rapid just below a bridge. The rapid acts as a never ending wave and people were taking turns riding in on their short boards. I spent a while watching them and wishing I could join in.
The next day I took a train to Fusen to visit the Neuschwanstein castle. This castle was build some time in the 1800s and is what Disney modelled the famous Disneyland castle off of. It was pretty cool, and there was another nice castle just below it, but what most impressed me was the natural beauty of the area around it. I spent much of my time wandering around some of the hiking trails there.
That evening I went to the English Gardens in Munich to find a beer garden in the center. I ate some greasy food and, of course, had some beers there before heading back to the hostel for the night.
The next morning I caught the train to Cologne. The train ride was really nice and for much of it we traveled along the Rhine river which was very beautiful and spotted with hill top castles and small port towns. The first thing I saw when I walked out of the train station in Cologne was the the immense cathedral which was overwhelming large and complex architecturally. There wasn't much else is Cologne. That evening I walked around a bit and crossed over a bridge that was literally covered in "love locks". I made dinner and went to bed a bit early.
The next day I walked around a bit more and went inside the cathedral. After making lunch back at the hostel I made my way to the science museum. They had a really cool exhibition with a lot of props and costumes that were used in the Star Wars films. It was interactive and throughout the exhibition each person formed their own Star Wars identity. I felt like a nerd, but I thought it was pretty cool. I didn't do much else that evening.
I caught a train to Brugge the next day. Belgium was one of my favorite countries to visit. As soon as I got to the hostel I met some people and we took a walk around the city center. We checked out some of the chocolate shops, had a Belgian waffle, got some food, and took some pictures. That night I hung out at the hostel bar and tried some of the many Belgian beers. Belgian beer is great!
The next day I rented a bike and rode to the coast. It was a really nice ride, although the coast was very windy and cold. I took some time to ride along the beach front, and watched some of the many kite boarders, before riding back to the hostel. That night I went on a pub crawl and had a great time.
The next day I met up with a guy from California and we explored the city some more. We climbed the tower in the center, got another waffle, and went to see the blood of Christ. I also visited a Salvador Dali museum while he did some souvenir shopping. We got some ingredients to make sandwiches and went back to the hostel. When were were there, we met up with some other people and went out in search of a bar that some of the people wanted to visit. It was closed, so we walked around the city a bit more. We decided to get some dinner and ended up meeting up with another group from the hostel. I hung out with various member of this new larger group for the rest of the night and played some drinking games at the hostel before going out and getting into shenanigans around the city.
The next day I decided to hitchhike to Gent with an English girl I had met the night before. Our plan was to catch a ride to the main highway where we would try to catch another ride to Gent. We ended up getting super lucky and got picked up within a few minutes by a really nice guy who was going all the way to Gent.
When we got to the hostel in Gent it was too early to check in. We were both pretty hung over from the night before, so we took a nap in the hostel lounge. We ended up meeting an English guy who happens to be from the same town as the girl and we all went down to the river to meet up with another group of people and hang out in the sun. The next day, the two people from England and I did a walking tour of the city. It was a great tour. After that we got some food and ended up back down by the river. Later we went to some bars and drank more Belgian beer.
The next day the three of us went to a museum in an old mental institution. It was really interesting. The girl had to leave early to catch a bus, but she missed it, so I ended up hanging out with her and her Australian friend for the evening. We hung out for a bit in a park and watched some live music in the hostel.
Today I caught a train to Amsterdam, my last stop on this Euro-journey. I'm actually staying at a hostel outside of Amsterdam on the coast in Noordwijk since all the hostels in Amsterdam are fully booked or super expensive. It seems nice.

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

       Wroclaw was great. I'm glad I decided to make a stop there. The city was beautiful and I met some great people there. Wroclaw is somewhat known for its 240 dwarf statues that are hidden around the city, so I spend some time searching for those. I don't think I found more than 15.
       After Wroclaw I went to Prague. When I was in Athens I made friends with someone who lives in Prague, so I was able to stay with her during my visit. I spent a lot of time hanging out with her and her friends. On my first full day there I walked for about 5 hours around the city and saw all the sights. In the afternoon I had some drinks near the river with my Prague friends and later took in some of the nightlife. The next day we all got breakfast together and spent most of the day just hanging out in a park. The next day I walked up a hill and climbed a tall observation tower, went to a mirror maze, and spent some more time walking around the city. I also went to a couple breweries, including one that was an old monastic brewery and was in what felt like a cave. That night I went to a fancy cocktail bar to try out some real absinth. Then I wandered around trying to find some cheap food and got caught in a rain storm. I had walked a lot further than I thought and was completely soaked by the time I got back.
On Tuesday I caught a train to Berlin. I had a great time in Berlin and was especially excited to have some great German beer. On Wednesday I explored the city a bit. I visited the Berlin Wall memorial and museum, the natural history museum, Check Point Charlie, and the Berlin Wall art gallery, which is a long section of the wall where people have, and continue to, paint all different things. On Thursday I caught a train about an hour south to the Beelitz military hospital, which is a large complex of abandoned hospital buildings used in WW1 and 2. Hitler was even treated there near the end of WW1. I went alone and there was no one else there. It was one of the creepiest places I've ever been. After that, I headed back to Berlin and visited an interactive museum that showed how life was on the east side of the Berlin Wall before it fell. I explored some other areas of Berlin before I went back to the hostel to make myself some dinner and plan for the next day. I decided to catch a train to Nuremberg.
When I got to Nuremberg I checked into my hostel and then walked into the historical center of the city. At this point I've seen far too many historical centers with cobble stone streets and giant cathedrals. I ate dinner at a brewery and got the taster tray of beer. It included some beer schnapps. It was strong. After dinner I walked up to the castle in the center and took in a great view of the city. It was getting dark, so I headed back to the hostel. I decided to go up to the rooftop bar of the hostel to see what was going on, but when I got up there, I decided that it was not my scene. I went to bed. I didn't get much sleep because the room was so hot and humid.
The next day I caught a train about an hour north to Bamberg to visit a brewery there that brews rauch (smoke) beer. It was delisious, as I had expected, and I had a meat stuffed onion with mashed potatoes for lunch. After that, I wandered around the city for a bit, which was nice.
When I got back to Nuremberg I checked into a hotel near the train station since the hostel was full for the night. A few minutes after I checked in I walked back down to the train station to meet up with my mom's cousin's son, Gregory, whose in the army and is stationed just outside of Nuremberg. I hung out with him and some of his friends for rest of the day. We got dinner, checked out some video game and toy stores, had some drinks, including some cocktails in plastic cups with dome lids, which we carried around a department store, and basically had a good time.
Yesterday I took a train to Munich. The hostel I'm staying at is huge and seems more like a hotel. The majority of the people here are 12 and younger and they keep running around the courtyard, lobby, and lounge area screaming in German. Last night I tried to go play pool downstairs, but when I walked into the room there was a huge group of them playing DDR and they all turned around and looked at me and it was weird.
When I got here there was a huge festival going on for the 187th anniversary of the city. I went to the city center to check it out and had a couple bratwursts and some beers. There were a lot of musical and dramatic performances going on and a lot of people. I happened to meet a Californian who invited me to hang out and drink with him and his English buddies. I ducked out of that one and caught the metro back to the hostel.
Today I did a, sort of, beer tour of the city on my own and ate plenty of sausages. I even caught a regional train 40 minutes north of here to Freising to visit a brewery there. It was a good day. I'm back at the hostel now, relaxing.

Everything I Need Fits In This Backpack

       I arrived in Poprad, Slovakia last Monday and spent the afternoon walking around the center, buying postcards and groceries, and making myself dinner.
       I got up early on Tuesday to visit the Spis castle. I caught a bus to the town just beneath the castle on which a homeless man spent a good several minutes trying to convince me to do something for him in Slovak, despite how much I tried to assured him that I didn't speak Slovak. The castle was awesome, and more like a hilltop fortress. I got there early and was able to see the castle with almost no one else there. By the time I was leaving, a few huge tour groups had showed up. I thought I would head down the hill and check out the town a bit. I walked around for a couple minutes, but it was very quiet and something about it made me quite uncomfortable. I headed to the bus stop to catch the next bus back to Poprad. By the time I got to the bus stop, it was pouring rain.
       Despite the incredible amount of rain and how soaked my pants and shoes already were, I decided to check out Poprad's "historical center". There wasn't much to see other than a block of old buildings. After that I went to a brewery in the town center and had a couple beers, including the Slovak version of an American pale ale, and also tried some Tatratea. Tatratea is a very strong and thick liquor made from herbs found in the Slovakian Tatra mountains.
       The next day I set my sights on the Slovak national park known as Slovak Paradise. I should've planned my visit better instead of just showing up in a tiny village nearby the park on the 10:30am bus. Slovak Paradise is a huge region of hiking trails with waterfalls, forests, rivers, gorges, and overall beautiful scenery. I found myself there around 11am with only about 5 hours to spare due to the bus schedule. I set myself back a bit searching for a trail head. I finally found it and realized I only had 4 hours left. I power-hiked way up into the beautiful Slovak wilderness for about 2 hours and then quickly hiked back. I didn't want to find myself stranded in that village. Perhaps someday I'll make a trip back there and be better informed and prepared. Everything aside, I really enjoyed the hike.
       When I got back to Poprad I walked to a shopping complex to do some laundry in the laundromat. They don't speak English there and it's not self service...I walked back with dirty laundry.
       The next day I caught a minibus to Krakow. I decided to check myself into a party hostel for the weekend. I had a lot of fun there and at some clubs in Krakow, and met a lot of great people, although I could've done without so much free, watered down cherry vodka.
       On Friday I visited Auschwitz. I was going to go alone, but a Canadian convinced me to go with him on a tour. I'm glad I did because I got a lot of information that helped me understand better what really went on there. It was a pretty emotionally intense experience to actually be there. The next day I explored the city with a Taiwanese guy and a Polish girl. Krakow is a beautiful city.
       On Sunday I took a bus to Warsaw. I felt pretty haggard from my party weekend. I didn't do much on Sunday evening. I got some Mexican food at a restaurant near the hostel. It was he first Mexican food I'd had in awhile and it was great. I miss the variety of food I can easily find at home.
       On Monday I walked around Warsaw, mostly in the old town, but also around the center and near the river. That evening I met up with Aleksandra, my distant cousin who I'm related to through a marriage somewhere in the past. I was able to stay at her apartment for a couple nights. I met her sister, Natalia, on Monday night and we had a beer at a pub near the apartment.
       Yesterday I explored the Royal Gardens of Warsaw as well as the university's botanical gardens. Later in the evening Aleksandra and I met up with her sister at a really nice string of outdoor bars on the river. It was a really nice place to hang out, talk, and drink beer.
       Now I'm on the top of a double decker bus heading to Wroclaw (pronounced vrots-wav) and listening to Iron Maiden... Excellent!