Enough of Eurotrip 2008... back to San Diego

So there wasn’t much internet access over the past few days of the trip. I’m now on the flight back to the U.S. from Munich. On our second day in Ulm, we got to sleep in and then have some traditional food from Kathi’s mom. I have no clue how to spell, or even say, what it was, but it was a traditional dish from that region of Germany (Schaeben?). A very different kind of noodle, topped with some kind of beans and a wiener, of course! Then we headed into Ulm to meet up with Luke and check out the town. At Luke’s recommendation, I tried some spaghetti ice cream and it was awesome! (not actual pasta or tomato sauce, but lots of ice cream goodness that is pressed out to look like spaghetti. That was our fuel to climb the 768 steps to the top of the old church in town.

The main tower, which we climbed, is the tallest church tower in the world. The view was incredible from up there, and it was the most exercise that I’ve gotten for the past couple weeks… but that’s not saying much. Here are some pics from up top. The main square in town is directly below in front of the church.

After trying a new kind of local beer from the town (a blonde-like beer, kind of like a light Hefe), we headed back to Kathi’s house to meet up with some others before going out for the night. We went to a cool bar in Ulm, where they serve the biggest Mojitos and Long Island Ice Teas that I have ever seen in my life. I had a couple of the LI Ice Teas, and each one had to be around 750ml. Josh and I also got our first taste of tobacco snuff. I’m definitely not a tobacco guy, but we had never seen “snuff” before and figured we have to try it once. It was interesting, but it was really funny to see Kathi’s brother snort the biggest line of snuff imaginable. It was basically the equivalent of stuffing a wad of chew up each nostril… pretty gnarly. It pretty much wrecked him too, as we never saw him the next morning. His mom just told us he wasn’t doing too well. So that was our last night in Ulm. The next morning, we tried some schnapps with Kathi’s dad, and then hung out at Luke’s place for a while until our train time. Actually, we got to see Luke demonstrate his physical therapy skills as he straightened Josh up and fixed his back pains. Luke, his still says how much better he feels... so thanks for the freebie treatment!

Kathi, thank you so much for having us and showing us around for a couple days... we had a GREAT time!!! We can't thank you and your family enough!!

When we got into Munich, we went down to Marienplatz (the main square) and had one last liter of beer at one of the outdoor cafes. And as this was Josh’s first trip to Munich, I figured that we couldn’t leave without paying a visit to the Hofbrau Haus. It’s the famous place for traditional german food and liter beers… and polka music! So we headed there and had a couple more liters of beer each, and a giant pretzel. Josh had a very interesting beer concoction that we will have to try back in the states. It’s basically beer (hefewiesen or pils) with lemonade, but I don’t know the ratio(that’s what Wikipedia if for). So suddenly being 3 liters made our night peak a little early, but we still made it out to a bar off in one of the neighborhoods near the university, but it was relatively dead since it was mid-week… but definitely a place that I will remember for next time.

I guess that wraps things up for this trip. Since I don’t yet have a job, I now begin my vacation in San Diego! This was my first shot at a blog like this, so I hope it wasn’t horribly boring for anyone who was interested in following along or just in a distraction from work. To my friends back in San Diego, I will see you soon and look forward to the races this weekend!

Tschϋs!

Langer

Visiting Kathi und Bine...

Well, I managed to get drunkity-drunk-drunk in yet another new town last night... we left Frankfurt yesterday and arrived in Ulm, and Kathi was there to pick us up and take us to her village, Nersingen. Her family has a very nice place in the countryside, and it is a very refreshing change of pace to get out of the cities and hotels, and have some clean air and relax. And it is a special treat to have some great home cooking from Kathi's mom! ...and since Kathi's mom works at a local brewery, beer is in no short supply either!

After a few beers at Kathi's house, we went to meet Bine, Luke & Nadine, and others from their handball team at Bine's place. We just stayed long enough to have a drink and then we went to a big festival in the next village over.

It was very similar to a county fair in the U.S., except that it also had a huge beer garden and a band playing some traditional music. It was funny to see some kid that couldn't have been over 10 years old taking a swig from his dad's liter of beer... the glass was way bigger than the kids head and he had to use both hands to pick it up. Although we missed the 4th of July this year, we got a little taste of a nice fireworks show at the festival last night. Tonight, we are going to see some sights and I think we will go out in Ulm tonight.

...Not so "Sexy on Stripes"

So we survived the LONG train ride(s) from Split and arrived in Frankfurt yesterday morning. We stayed with Anslem and Rebecca at Anslem's place in town. Anslem gave us a very nice tour of the city. We also got to try some of the local specialty drink called Apfelwein or Apple Wine. It was quite nice after we got used to the taste, but it takes a bit because you keep expecting it to be sweet or have bubbles like juice or cider. To end the tour, we had drinks on top of a tall parking garage. Luckily, the top floor wasn't full with cars and it had a great view of the downtown skyline...

Last night we went for a traditional German dinner where we had schnitzel and more apfelwein, and it was VERY good! Usually, there is not much we can order at restaurants because we only recongnize a couple words on the menu (like brauts). So it was nice to get a great meal in. Afterwards, we went to the area where many of the bars are. It was pretty dead since it was Sunday night, but we still tried a couple different places... and managed to get a little drunk in the process. At this one place that just served cocktails, we ordered up some drinks and I just throught I'd try one of their margaritas. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know what the word in German is for strawberry. So when they brought out my "strawberry" margarita, it was in a martini glass with fruit. Yes, I should have been waving a rainbow flag while I had the margarita, but it made for a real good laugh... in fact, I think everyone else enjoyed the drink more than I did.

Today, we are taking a train to Ulm to visit Kathi and Bine. It is nice because now we are getting to visit two more cities and have local people to visit and get out of the hotels and tourist zones. I really can't thank Anselm and Rebecca enough for taking us in and showing us such a great time. Anselm is leaving to the land of Oz for 6 months tomorrow, so this is not really the best timing for us to visit, but if they ever read this blog...we really had a GREAT time and...

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Headed to Frankfurt....

Right now, we are on a train from Munich to Frankfurt (the last and shortest leg of this train(s) ride). Our last day in Split, we went back to one of the beaches that we found on our bikes the day before. It’s the one with this bar out on the tip of the point called, “Punta”.Below is a short video from where we were chilling at Punta, because a pic just doesn’t do it justice. You REALLY feel like you’re on vacation at this place because it’s all open-air, out on the point between two beaches, and they play some very cool lounge music. The sun and weather are so hot here that we’d only be able to stay on the beach and in the water for an hour and a half or so, and then retreat to Punta for a beer… repeat, and repeat. Not a bad way to spend out last day in Croatia, especially since we heard that it is raining back up in Germany.

We tried to do a little shopping to pick up anything we wanted that you can’t get “back in the states”. I was very tempted to get a pair of “euroshorts” so that I could continue to live up to Renee’s standards for Eurofag #1. Over here, most of the so-called shorts that guys wear are actually capries (sp?) with a little loose elastic or drawstring around the bottom, we just call them euroshorts. The day before, we ventured out into the old town and residential neighborhoods to get a truly authentic dinner. So we found this place down some street (more like an alley, but they all are) and ate there. I took the picture below because I think it is a funny documentation of how “edge of ghetto” we made it. …who knew that an alley full of busted-ass doors and graffiti made for great patio dining ambiance?! …the Croatian food at this place was very good though.
For the last night, we went to the huge complex on the water for dinner and checked out the bars afterwards. We ended up staying at some club called Bovice (sp?), the silly Croats use so many accent marks that I’m sure the name is totally different. But it was a very cool place and had everything you (or at least “I”) could want out of a bar: High concentration of hot chicks, booze, dance floors, good music (which can be a challenge to find over here), and go-go dancers that were really just strippers filling time between sets at the strip club. The first time we were in Split the go-go dancers were actual “go-go dancers”, these girls were putting on a high energy strip tease… but I couldn’t turn away! ;)
No we’re finishing up our last marathon train ride. On the five hour train from Split to Zagreb, some lady apparently didn’t know that she got motion sickness and was throwing up and dry heaving the whole way… thank god for my iPod, I drowned that out. Then we spent last night in a sleeper car with 3 other people. After popping some Xanax (Renee, you’d be proud), we stayed up drinking with the Swiss girls that were in the car with us, and eventually crashed out. We were lucky to have some normal roommates and it was nice to get some solid sleep while knocking out the longest part of the trip to Frankfurt. Overall, I think this trip from Split to Frankfurt is just over 18 hours.

...Just thought that it was worth pointing out how laxed the rules are in Hvar. This is the warning placard on the ferry to Hvar. Note the first line of the English version... (or maybe something just got lost in translation)

Riding around Split and hanging in the palace (that's right, I said "palace" bitches!)

We've ferried our way back to Split where we'll spend the rest of the week. We got in last night and are SO stoked to have a room with air conditioning! It has been just roasting hot here and nowhere seems to have A/C. We got a great deal on this place as it has rocking A/C and it has a very nice bathroom with a shower even drains! More than anything, we're stoked to have the A/C (can you tell?). We went out for a solid, true Italian dinner last night and then went exploring around the palace for a cool bar to chill at. (The old palace walls now just house tons on shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars. It's very easy to get lost in all of the small walkways.) We found this really cool place called Cafe Gaga. It was open air (like most around here) with low, cusion seating around this little courtyard, with cool tunes and some lovely ladies. We didn't stay there long because we need a down night after 2 weeks of solid, non-stop boozing(I must be feeling my old age), but we were stoked to have found a really cool place to get back to and look forward to searching out the other cool spots in the palace. It's a really cool atmosphere to be sitting around drinking in an outdoor bar while obviously inside a legit palace.
Today, we rented bikes and took off to the southern point of Split. Again, it was hot as hell, but we managed to find a couple really cool beach bars along the way to cool off with a beer or two, and enjoy the scenery. ;) From the ride, I snapped a picture of the harbor in Split (the one for cruise ships, ferries, yachts, etc... not the industrial stuff) The picture of the finger shaped beach was one of the beaches we passed on our way into the park. The whole point of Split is a federal park. While on the ride, we came across this interesting building built into the side of the cliffs... not sure what it is, but was also next to some ancient chapel on the cliffs. The last pic is of the main promenade in Split. It's a really cool area and the palace is just behind it. We probably hang out most in the palace and on the promenade because it is close to out hotel and has great people watching... and lots of cool cafes that we can drink at.

Wrapping things up in Hvar

So we hit the castle and it was hot as hell and straight up the mountain, but we took the stone steps and not the side of the hill like Justin. The castle was much more "castley" than the castle in Prague. This one had a prison/dungeon and all. The pic is of Josh in one of the prison cells... not such pleasant place, and it was so small that it must have been built for captured hobbits. The video is of Hvar harbor from the top of the castle. We opted to hang out in the one of the local sports bars after having felt like we'd accomplished something. Then that night met some people from LA and some norwegians. The norwegians (sp?) were trying to sell us on Norway, but the said the main reasons we should go to Norway are for the cute girls (which I didn't buy based on the current company) and outdoor activities. I told them it's way too cold and dark, and that I think snowboarding is the only thing that Norway has to going for it. So I'm obviously not sold on Norway, but they were pretty cool. It's funny being in Croatia and the most common language here is English. Since people from all over Europe and the world come here for holiday, the most common language that you hear is English. And Sherry, you would love it here! ...this place is hot, has beaches, and LOTS of Aussies and Brits. We've been running into Aussies and Brits all week. The last pic is of part of the town square on the harbor. The outdoor cafe in the picture is where we would have a couple beers every afternoon. ...now back to Split.

Down to Croatia for some fun in the sun...

So the internet access is a little more sketchy down here in Croatia. To get up to speed… we survived a 20+ hour journey by train to reach Split last Friday. We stayed one night, met up with Justin again, and headed out on Sunday for the island of Hvar. Although we were pretty exhausted after the long train ride, we still made it out for a while at the bars/clubs in Split. They have this complex on the beachfront that has around 6 or 7 bars/clubs. It was a very cool spot and a lot of fun with many, many beautiful babies. I’ll try to add some pics of this place when we get back there later next week.
Now we are here on Hvar and this place is amazing. It’s really hot out, but the breeze off the ocean front, a constant liter of water in hand, and the frequent stops at the cafes for an ice cold beer make it doable. This place is like the ultimate vacation spot for the Euros, especially for those “ballers” that like to pull their ginormous yacht in for the evening. I’ve never seen such huge and extravagant yachts, and the back them in to dock right outside the biggest hotspot in town. When we saw this one huge and ridiculously expensive looking yacht, the first thing out of Josh’s mouth was… “you’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” And then we saw the name of the boat… “Joke”. (I’ve sure those muther F’ers named it just for that reason) We hit the beach during the day and got a little red, so we’re going to take a day off from the sun tomorrow and check out the castle. We had to part ways with Justin as he was headed back to Prague to finish his trip. Justin went up to the castle today, and for the record, he did not take the well beaten path to the front door and buy a ticket. He scaled the walls and stormed the castle! (…seriously!) He looked like had been through quite a battle by the time he met us back at the hotel. I guess the castle wasn’t build to keep out giant, albino, yetis (in other words, an albino Chewbacca)?! His advice to us… “stay on the trail”.

Justin takes another hit...

A great night last night ended on a bit of a bummer or sour note. While we had a long night and met up with the girls from Monday night, at some point late in the night, someone slipped something in Justin's drink and it really tore him up. He had to catch his cab at 4:15AM in order to make his flight, but he was in no shape to be going anywhere. Since he didn't know the name of his airline, we couldn't call to get a later flight. So he decided to just power through it and go. He didn't come back to the hotel so we are assuming that he made in onto the flight. We'll be meeting up with him again on Saturday in Split, and he could probably use at least a day to recover. ...the second kicker of the night is that strip clubs here are very expensive and the girls aren't as good as you would think. Of course, none of us actually went... that's just what we heard. :
We did make it to the Museum of Communism today and it was very intersting to see what went on during those times. For our last night here in Prague, we're going to hook up with the girls from last Saturday night for dinner and drinks, but not make it too late of a night. We decided to make it a straight shot for Split, rather than breaking up the trip. So we've got a 22 hour, overnight train ride ahead of us tomorrow... ouch, baby. With plenty of food, water, and booze... we'll make it through. Looking forward to some fun in the sun and beach time in Croatia!

Good times in Prague...

Today, we met up with Mat and Melissa again to go experience the "original" Budweiser (or Budvar) beer hall. We had some apps, including the nastiest smelling cheese that I've ever smelled in my life. It comes premarinated in oil and beer. We had to keep it sealed on the table or else it would just be game over and we'd have to leave. After throwing back a couple liters at the beer hall, we wandered into another part of town sampling the pubs, and then found a really cool little dive for dinner. It was situated in the cellar of some building and actually made awesome pizzas! After dinner, we said goodbye to Mat and Melissa, and took a stroll around Old Town debating whether we should find somewhere and stay out, or turn in early so that we could actually experience a morning in Prague. So we found another fun club called Coyote, and got the night started. There was a good crowd for that night, with plenty of beautiful Czechs for us to practice our Czech pick up lines on (which will forever be a work in progress). Around 2:30AM Justin and Josh split to head back to the hotel and I ended up going to a dance club with some Czech chick until 6AM. Needless to say, it was a fun, long night for us... and led to a very slow next day. Recounting our steps, we think we may have broken the 5L barrier again... ouch. So we took it easy the next night and just went for a good meal, and didn't do much. Today, we actually felt productive as we explored Prague Castle (it is HOT when you get up and leave the hotel before 3PM! ...who knew?) and I had a very good job interview. We're heading out for dinner soon and I think we're meeting up with the girls from Coyote again tonight. I don't have my camera with me, but I'll put up some cool pics from our trek today later. Cheers!

Spain Wins.....

The Euro Cup final was awesome in the main square. The entire square was packed, standing room only, and had two HUGE jumbotrons showing the game. They had some unbelievably cheesy pop group performing before the game. It was something like a Destiny's Child wannabe. We met up with our friend Mat and his wife, Melissa, before the game. I don't know any other way to describe the game and its aftermath other than... madhouse! There were definitely more german fans that spanish fans, but the spanish drowned them out in their celebration. Post-game, we decided to wander around a new part of the city, into new town... but they should just call it "hooker town". It was a non-stop barrage of nigerian nightmares trying to push their sex clubs. We must have walked at least 5 miles that night, and eventually found our way back to Old Town and ended up at the bar, Kosica. It was Sunday and dead, but still nice to meet more locals. We called it a night early around 2:30 and figured we'd get a head start today... which meant getting up at 12:30.

Prague 6/28

On our first full-day in Prague, we slept in until at least noon, made use of the hotel’s health club to sweat out some of the pivo that went down the hatch the night before, and then headed out to the old town to find a good seat for some quality people watching… and drink more local pivo. The euro crowd that combs these streets may even beat out the scene on Sunday evenings at Poseidon in Del Mar, where the people watching has already proven legendary. After dinner where we had some traditional Czech food, we found a great bar called Kosica. It’s in old town, but is mainly a popular local bar. We have quickly adjusted our living schedule to accommodate the locals… which means lunch around 4PM, dinner around 9PM, and then hit the bars around 10:30PM… meaning that we are pleased to sleep in until, at least, noon. So we got to Kosica around 11 or so. The Czech listen to some funky music, and have even funkier dance moves… actually, it’s more like just jumping around and flailing your arms. (Brenton, you would no longer make fun of Renee’s dancing skills if you saw this bunch. “It looks like a bunch of retards trying to hump a doorknob!”). Anyway, I did meet one of the hottest girls I’ve ever seen, she was even brunette! I also met her hot blonde friend, Helena, and her grenade friend, “what’s-her-face”. Luckily, Josh was a real trooper and was willing to jump on the grenade after Justin and I ran for the trenches. That night at Kosica was a blast and by the time we emerged from the bar, it was 4:15 and light out! Apparently, it stays light until 9:30 and gets light sometime before 4:15. And that meant that we didn’t get up until 2:30 or 3PM today. Our goal for today is to meet up with my friend Mat (from school), his wife (Melissa), and join the “Euro Fest” in the Old Town Square for the Euro Cup Final… can’t wait!