Pictures!

Here are a few photos from the Topdeck trip...more to come...

Paris

- Me with the Eiffel Tower (finally!)

-Kissing Oscar Wilde's grave

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

- View from our log cabin - At the highest point on the Swiss Alps

Florence

- Toga party

Rome

Pisa

Salzburg

Budapest

"From Paris to Berlin" cont'd...plus Amsterdam

Notes on the final part of my topdeck trek...

Vienna

- only one day in Vienna

- best cappuccino of life

- went to the museum of natural history...saw the Venus of Wilendorf...amazing

- went to a Schnapps factory...had absinthe and 23 carat gold/orange schnapps (really good)

Budapest

- went to a restaurant which served portions so massive that they were served on cutting boards and in cooking pans

- headed to a cool bar with fire pits and old cars that people sat in

- walked up to the summit of the Pest side...incredible views

- went to a labyrinth underneath the Budapest castle...we found a fountain in the underground labyrinth that was pumping out red wine...the wine was really gross

- went to a bath house...felt like a new person after icing myself down, going it a 55 degrees sauna, and then submerging myself in ICE cold water

- got stopped by the transit police on the way home with the group. Jenn and I hadn't properly validated our subway tickets because they had ripped in half, and we couldn't fit them in the machine. They said that we had to pay a fine, but we both didn't have any money since Jenn's locker had been broken into at the baths, and I had used my money to pay for her entrance. Since we didn't have any money, they wanted ID. I didn't have ID because I hadn't brought my whole wallet to the bath beacuse I didn't want it to get stolen...like Jenn's. The guy thought I was being difficult (even after I showed him my empty bag), so he said he was going to call the police and have them deal with it. Our hungarian coach driver and I tried to explain that if I had money or ID I would give it to him, and that we were trying to cooperate. In the long run, we got the transit police to lower the price of the fine, and had to borrow 50 euros from a guy on the tour to pay our fine upfront.

Krakow

- went to a bar called Prozac...crazy music, and really low chairs

- was there when the polish President, his wife, and senior members of the government were killed in the plane crash. There were memorials, vigils, gatherings in squares all over the city.

Auschwitz

- I don't really know what to write here. I find it emotional to talk about it. We walked in the barracks and the gas chambers. Saw the shoes, suitcases, and human hair of the prisoners that was left behind. We went to Birkenau and walked along the train tracks. Lots of crying. I don't think I will ever forget what I saw.

Prague

- 3 hour walking tour of Prague

- went to a weird dinner with the group at a medieval restaurant, and then went to an even more bizarre marionette show of Don Giovanni

- went to a 6 level night club...each level had a different music genre...was doing the twist at 4am on the 3rd level

Berlin

- day trip to beautiful Dresden...had currywurst (best meal of the trip)

- dodgy dinner of beetroot, red cabbage and beef goulash gave me a stomach flu that I am still getting over

- played pool with the hostel staff in the bar till 2am

- went on Third Reich tour of Berlin...one of the best tours I have ever been on

- went to the Holocaust Memorial and Museum...very emotional

- saw the book burning square

- went on a pubcrawl with the topdeck crew...extremely late night (got home at 5am)

Amsterdam

- saw a cheese and wooden clog demonstration

- walked around the red district

- went to Anne Frank's House...emotional, but one of the best museums I have ever been in

- had fries with mayo...amazing

- went to Rembrandt's house

- went on a canal cruise at night with the topdeck crew

- did another pubcrawl, before heading back the next morning to Oxford (Amsterdam, Brugge, Calais, Dover, London, Oxford...long trip)

Was supposed to fly to Toulouse today, but am grounded in the UK. Am heading to London today to try to sort out when I will be allowed to fly next...can't afford a train to Toulouse, so have decided to wait out the volcano ash in London...

"From Paris to Berlin"...or at least half way there

Quick notes about my topdeck trek...

- Left Paris and headed to Swizerland

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
- gorgeous, small, safe town...hostel didn't even give us keys to lock our doors
- had a good night in the pub before heading up to the "top of europe" the next morning. Took a train up to Jungfrau in the Swiss Alps...tallest point in europe
- had cheese fondue for the first time

Florence, Italy
- Had a toga party in the hostel, before heading out the next day to tour florence
- Say a italian leather demonstration
- Had the best bruschetta ever...could be because it was the first veggies in a couple weeks

Rome, Italy
- Walking tour of rome...screw up with public transportation, so trip back to the campsite ended up taking a few hours and alot of "scusi...do you speak english?"
- Missed the tour bus to the Vatican the next morning...but managed to figure out my own way there (alot of running and weaving through confused italians). Got through the line, security and tickets in 40 minutes!...and it was Thursday of the Easter weekend...crazy fast!
- Saw the Sistine Chapel, St.Peter's Square, the Colisseum, and the Forum
- Ate alot of pizza, pasta and gelati
- Got my cell pickpocketed (so, sorry if I haven't been answering any texts or calls)
- Went on a roman pubcrawl to 3 different clubs...all you could drink for the first hour, free pizza, free t-shirt, no cover to clubs...messy italian night...

Venice, Italy
- Explored the city
- Saw a venetian lace demonstration
- Took a "water bus" which was pretty cool
- Had a roof party at the hotel
- Beautiful city....got majorly sunburnt

Salzsburg, Austria
- Toured the town
-Went to a beer hall in a monastery...had a couple of steins...everyone chanting, banging their steins and dancing on the tables to accordian and spoon music.
- Went to an austrian club, danced the night away before an aussie friend got headbutted in the forehead. Spent the rest of the night in an austrian hospital with an aussie and a hungarian friend, while the other aussie got stitched up.
- Went on a 5 hour hike through the austrian hills (skiing had shut down the day before...)

-Heading to Vienna tomorrow, and then on to Budapest the next day...offically halfway through the topdeck tour...and am starting to get exhausted, but am having an amazing time.

I definitely have the travel bug...