swiss alps

so i am in Interlaken Switzerland...today we went up in the mountains and hiked for a few hours...it rained on us and we got to see real glaciers. it really is the most beautiful place ive been, no museums or history, which is really cool, but this is such a relaxing place to just collect yourself after a long and hectic trip. Germany was great too...Munich is super clean and very efficent. While in Munich we went to Salzburg and this amazing castle calle Neutshwinsteain, i know i spelled that wrong. anyway i cant type long it is super expensive in switzerland and its like 5 dollars for 30mins of internet. i get back on the 25th so ill be callign everyone soon.

still in prague

this place is great...prague doesnt look like any other place ive been to yet. The buildings look old but then they look so different then the rest of the world that they look modern. The weather is soo nice here, it rained two days ago and ever since then it has been nice and breezy...yesterday we did the most touristy thing in prague and went to this castle over the charles bridge. It wasnt anything that amazing but just to see the other part of prague was neat. The food here is real meaty and not very big on veggies. The other night i had roast beef with cranberries and whip cream...kind of like thanksgiving. Todaÿ we are going to another palace and just walk around...tomorrow we leave for munich then switzerland and home...imiss everyone so much and i cant wait to see everyone....

the bums live in prague

greetings from the czech land. so we arrived here in prague around 345pm and we found our hostel. We were so excited about this place...because...get this...it is on an island in the middle of town. we walked up to it and we were wow this place has tennis courts and even its own little park. hmmm....free internet? this is too good to be true. well we walked into our bedroom....40 people all in one room...it looks like a refugee camp in a gym hall! there aer 4 shower stalls for 80 people...the bathroom door doesnt lock, and oh yeah that nice park well all the bums have made it their home. We walked around and found another hostel that is so much cleaner and sleeper friendly...and it is on the most central street of prague. Other than that it has been great so far....the city is amazing...it doesnt look like any other city ive been to and it is much cooler here.
Vienna was hot...you kept thinking it would get cool like in the sound of music but nope real hot. Vienna was great though, we went to a film festival the last two nights....they serve all kinds of food from everywhere and have a huge tv screen in front of this amazing old building. They would play operas, ballets, and music concerts. IT was great to see the old young and the posh all come out and enjoy classical music. anyways we have a full day with the prague castle...wish us luck at out new hostel.

Vienna has Starbucks!

Vienna...well it looks like london, scotland, and amsterdam all in one, except mozart is everywhere. We got in yesterday and found out hostel...which is called Believe it or Not...probably because when walking down the street to our hostel you see broken windows and you open this door to a sketchy hallway that leads to what seems like a scene from a scary movie. We climbed up these steps and was greeted by Gabi. Our rooms were nice and there is a kitc´hen and super clean bathrooms, turned out much nicer than the outside. We went to the sissi museum and the Hofburg palace. So far i havent had any sausage or schniztel...but we are going to the schonbrunn palace where they have free samples of apple strudels! the austrians are very very nice...this guy offered to help us and he said that he studied in North Carolina for a year and he was always lost but people helped him and he is just returning the favor. untilnext time...

ITALY WON

Italy won the WORLDCUP!!!!!!!!!!! it was so much fun being in Rome ....last night patrick, his sis jessica, lauren, michelle, katie D, Katie S, and Carolyn...people from the paris program...we all got together at this bar that had only been opened for 2 days. We had our own private like room in the back with a flatscreen! the came was intense and i didnt really know who i wanted to win, but since we were in italy i was rooting for them. Not to mention the captain of the French team headbutted the italian player! i mean WTF...when they won the shoot out the bartenders gave us free shots and we all ran out to the street with the rest of the italians. We walked to this monument where TV stations were and everyone had fireworks and flags! we jumped up and down singing and it was just such an experience. I really wish everyone could have been there....i know i keep saying that but just having a group of 8 of us made it so much fun, and if all my friends were with me jumping in the piazza with HUGE flags it would have been even better!!!!!!!!!

we leave tonight at 8pm for vienna and hopefully i will be able to find another internet place...miss yall

roman holiday

hey guys...im in rome now and ive been here since the 6th. Tonight is the final game of the world cup, italy vs. France!!!! patrick his sister and 5 other girls from the paris program are going to meet and go to a bar to watch the game. Im super excited and im hoping italy wins!
Rome is very different than florence...so far we have been to the Vatican City, seen roman ruins, a few churches, spanish steps, walked miles and miles, eaten gelati everday, seen amazing art and statues....eaten pizza and pasta...seen many gypsies. Of course it is soo hot here and i cant wait to go to Vienna where im hoping it is cooler.
Italians are so much nicer than the french and they always smile...oh yeah coffee here is cheap and really good. Today we are going in the colosseo/coloseum and this church where audrey hepburn went to for Roman Holiday, the part where she almost gets her hand chopped off for lying.
We leave tomorrow night for vienna and then we will be in Austria for 3 days! im excited for the sausage, sound of music, and mozart! i miss you guys way too much to explain on blog...email me and tell me what im missing out on!

florence

it is about 650pm here in florence and these three days have been amazing. at first i thought barcelona was my favorite city but florence is real close to the top spot. It is small here in florence and the people are so nice. The city has so much character and i really like how there are gelati stores on every corner. The churches are wonderful and they all have famous paintings in them. yesterday we stood in a line for two hours waiting to see the statue David. Which was totally worth it once we were in. The statue is huge and i dont know why but you walk into this room and there he is with the sun shining on him. you cant take pictures anywhere in florence but i got one good shot of him. The pasta and coffee is great and patrick and i found a great cafe to eat breakfast every morning. Florence is just what i always thought italy would look like and i cant wait to see more of italy when we go to rome tomorrow!

last night in paris

Last night here...this week has been fun. Finishing classes, dinner cruise on the Seine, sitting on the island, eating good food, and saying goodbyes. TOday i went to the Modern art Musee...Dan Flavin's light show and sow other cool things. They had a wall where plants were growing sideways.
Now that this program is over and i have a whole month left of travelling i feel a little torn. I want to see the rest of Europe but i miss home. I miss my friends and the AC, i miss america and all the comforts of the AC. I miss my car and the AC in my car...i miss my washer and dryer and folding laundry in the AC. i miss cold water that is free with lots of ICE....and i miss the AC...and i miss sticking my whole body in the fridge.

anyways i miss you guys and i will try to update while i travel around...