The beginning

After much deliberation, I felt compelled to blog my adventures so that not only my friends and family can become part of it, but also that I remember my trip.
To start off the trip I was in Newark airport waiting for my flight to London, when I came across a pub that served delicious pint size Sam Adam drafts. I was like alright well let’s start the vacation off right you know? I sat down at the bar had a beer or two but neglected to remember that I was on antibiotics right up to that day. After having a couple beers I thought I was going to die. I almost missed the flight because I felt like I was going to get sick but luckily was able to hobble onto the plane. The flight was long and I sat next to this big man that fell asleep 10 minutes into the flight. 20 minutes into the flight I had to use the restroom so I tapped the snoring man on the shoulder but he refused to budge. I tried once more but he was having nothing of it. Instead I jumped over him by propelling myself from the seat to the aisle. I landed, (judges perfect 10) with the whole plane looking at me…. Great I was sooo mad. The harder part was jumping over him when I came back because once again he refused to wake up when I was pushing his shoulder. I kicked him the chest I think and he grunted. I didn’t care that I hit him because he should have gotten up for me. O well I finally reached London at 7am in the morning with a couple other anxious AIFS Students.
The first kid I met was Chris, a 6 foot 8 kid from DC that wears a cowboy hat and talks in a southern accent. It wound up that we would be staying together in the hotel in London together. Problem was when we got to the hotel they were not letting us in the room until 2 which was like another 5 hours from that point. We were forced to the streets, where a group of us walked around the park, Kensington Palace and eventually to the natural history museum. Even though we all just met a few hours ago we were all tired and grumpy from the red eye flight. The Naturaly history museum would have been cool if we hadn’t looked in the section with Rocks. Rocks were the last thing I wanted to be reading about. Anyways we finally got back to the room and took a much needed nap.
That night was great because I went into one of those old fashioned red telephone booths and called Jim Semple. We met in Lester Square with a couple other guys from my trip and we headed to a bar. It was good time catching up with Semp and seeing him in London. The next day we took a bus tour of London which was great. I was in London 2 years ago with Laura Walsh Timy Frankie, Timmy O, Mark E, and chris which was a memorable experience, but the second time around was just as great. That night we went to a sports club where we met up Brandon Smitty and Ryan Powers. It was good to see the guys where we shared some stories and 25 cent wings.
The next day we were off to Munich Germany for a day. We got there 10 in the morning, and took a bus to the hotel. Potter and I shared a room and pretty much a bed. There were 2 single beds that were positioned right next to each other, so we pretty much snuggled the first and only night in Germany. We went to the Hofbraughuas for dinner. The Hofbraughuas is one of the 4 main beer distributors in Germany and participates in the October Fest Festivities. The beer was delicious and served in these huge 1 liter glasses. Couple of the guys had a few too many and passed out when we got back to dorm. Potter and I needed more excitement so we went exploring. We did not find much but still had some fun…

Finally the next day we were off to Prague. On the way to Prague our bus got caught behind a huge car accident. Supposedly the accident occurred at 8am in the morning, but we only got to a standstill at noon. Needless to say we were at a standstill traffic jam for 4 and half hours. I guess our bus got a little closer during the time but after the 3rd hour the bus was completely silent. Finally girls started to complain because they had to use the restroom. Our AIFS guides told them that the snow was their only option. The guys had fun exploring the woods and such but the girls definitely had a tougher time especially with creepy truck drivers walking around.
WE finally reached the dorm, after a dinner at the Pilsner Brewery in Plzen. We were all excited to take a shower and relax. The dorm is a huge complex with endless hallways. It took Potter and I at least 20 minutes to find the room. The room obviously smelt bad for some god for saken reason and the bath towels were the size of hand rags… very interesting.
The next couple days consisted of walking tours, and 2, two day trips to varied locations around the Czech Republic. The first Day I went to this town called Pibram where we saw the 3rd largest synagogue in the world and another trip, supplemented by a tour of the pilsen beer factory. The second day consisted of a Czech labor camp where they held the German POWs post WWII. It was interesting to see how they adapted their grounds and means of labor to the concentration camps. Even though it wasn’t a termination facility, the prisoners lived in very similar conditions. Small rooms no food and no communication. I go to Krakow in the middle of March, which will be an enlightening experience as well.
This past weekend our whole program took another trip, this time to Moravia for a couple excursions. The coolest part of the trip was our tour of the caves. We all boarded these little boats and explored the caves. We took some very cool pictures and witnessed something really majestic.
The other great part of Moravia is the wine. We walked down to this convenient store which looked and felt like a K Mart. Our group ventured to the wine sections and where we each purchased a bottle of wine for 4 dollars. One of the 2 nights AIFS took us all out to eat in the winery which was stupendous. Wine tasting, tours and great food led to a great night. It ended with this one Kid from Venezuela giving a toast in Spanish. After he was done talking we asked him what he had said and his reply was “Ladies and Gentlemen Let’s Get Drunk.” Moravia was a quaint little town that had a lot to offer. The history and the sights were beautiful so if you are ever in Czech Republic, look to take a day visit.
So I haven’t mentioned any names yet but I swear I have made friends. Along with Steve Thomas, and Potter, we have met some cool people. Couple guys from cornel, couple guys from University of Vermont, guys from Keansburg, and another from penn state.
This is my first post which is very long but I hope to fill you in on my adventures in prague thus far very soon.
Until then
Na Shledanou!