My first Karneval Experience

Today, I had the worst hangover of my life. I know people say that but I am not exggerating, it literally was the worst. I even puked up the cheap vodka I drank this morning. I thought food would help, but I just puked up Ulla's delicious chicken and couscous left overs. She made me some kinda hot broth to drink and I felt better.

Yesterday was the first day of Karneval and it was madness. Everyone in the streets were dressed silly. Popular costumes were clowns (I know scary right), medieval people, and pirates. We started the drinking at 10AM while watching the parade on the other side of the Rhine River. A lot of candy was thrown into the crowd which was cool but then I looked around me. There were only adults catching these candies which is kind of comical.

We followed our student worker guy into a lame bar with a 10 Euro cover. Kristin and I got bored so we walked back to Bonn's Hauptbahnhof (central station) so we could meet up with our friends in Koln. Once we got to Koln, they wanted to go back so we hung out at the train station for a good portion of our time.

This dude charged me while I was walking. I was pretty drunk and teetering on my stilettos when this asshole decided to ram into me and I fell to the ground. John and Meghan helped me up. They're so cute, they were keeping an eye on me after that like they were my mom and dad.

Then we went to James Joyce, this sucker from Texas bought me drinks. John told me to get the most expensive drink so I did hehe. He also carried me on his back when walking around Bonn. This guy Tristan keeps texting me today in broken English. I still have no idea who he is or how we met. I added him on facebook so maybe I'll recognize him?

Ulla's cooking me some Weinershnitzel right now. I'm debating whether I should go out tonight, I've felt pretty shitty all day and it's been raining all day.

Brits have Style

Visited Anne Marie in Manchester this week-end.  It was so much fun, I'm shocked.  She was so nice to me, she didn't criticize me, she took me shopping and didn't complain.  It was great.  She let me sleep in her bed while she slept on the floor, she cooked me food, she cleaned her room and sheets.  Usually when I say something stupid or ditzy, she criticizes me but she didn't say anything.  I noticed that she missed a lot of opportunities.  It really gives me hope of us being friends as adults.

She hates shopping and I take forever sometimes.  I've been deprived in Germany because the only shopping is Eurotrash shopping or high end Louis Vuitton shopping, sucks.  So I kinda went all out and she didn't say a word.

She bought me alcoholic beverages, gasp.  I just had 2 every night, I didn't want to get crazy but it was nice that I didn't have to hide my drinking like I normally do. 

Her friends are very good people.  They were sweet.  All of them were excited to meet her sister.  They're interested in what another American would be like because Anne's not a typical one.  

I finally bought cute, brown leather boots.  I'm so stoked about them but I need to buy weather proofing spray.  

British people are sooo polite.  They apologize for everything and say thank you all the time.  The style's so awesome.  Everyone's like indie and trendy, great change from Germany.  The boys are cute, even if they're not because of their style and accents. 

Gotta run, sorry so sloppy.

Let's Make Party!

Story time...

Christy, Mandy, Brittany, and I were returning to our hostel in on a night bus when a shaggy looking young guy came up to Christy.  Stared at her boots, bent down, caressed them, and then gave them a kiss.  Christy freaked out and he walked off the bus.  Then he decided to pop his head at the window next to hers.  She screamed and ran into my lap.  It was hilarious and sooo strange.

Magnet is an indie club in Berlin.  Mandy, Brittany, and me went there our first night I believe.  I had like 6 Martini liqueur, so delicious.  Brittany and Mandy had their game faces.  I met guys with them but got bored so I just chilled on a couch.  I asked this guy next to me "Sprechen sie Englisch?" (Do you speak English?).  He said yes, I'm from Australia.  I asked him where I could buy cigarettes (I got depressed about Danny again and wanted to take up smoking, I have bought a pack since but can't get myself to start).  He gave me one and we chatted.  Apparently him and his friends are in this band called Expatriates.  They're pretty good, they have a record deal, and have played at an Australian concert similar to Coachella.  Partied with them at the end as buddies, my game was off.  

But I think I got my game back on the next night.  It was Brittany's 21st birthday so we raged.  I was so tired, so I napped until midnight when I got awoken by a text message telling me where they were clubbing.  The club was free before 1AM so I got dressed in 15 minutes and skedaddled.   Met these friendly Berliner girls who were going to the same club, perfect!  I followed them and cut the line with them.  Found my peeps.

Soda is a 5 story club that has different themes in each room.  Lots of Eurotrash there.  It was so crowded you couldn't even walk.  It was lame for the reasons of trashy people and crowdedness.  I got 3 free shots as I entered, it was gross but got me a buzz.  Then we headed to The Week-End.

Week-End is a club on the 12th story of some building.  It was more high class so it was a nice change and slightly reminiscent of Hollywood.  The columns had lights, the techno was good, the vibe over all was classier.  I left my friends for some reason and was walking on the dance floor when I saw this tall, dark, good looking creeper staring at me.  I walked past him in disgust then I remembered that staring means hey, I'm flirting with you (because German men don't go up to you for some reason).  So once I realized that, I turned around and said "Allo, wie heist du? (what's your name).  So we proceeded to talk and dance.  He got my number, he even messaged me on facebook, he wants "to make party," he had bad English.  But hey, I got my game back and I'm stoked.

I'm going to make party tonight with Aaron's host family.  Then tomorrow I leave for Manchester, I'm visiting my sister.  What can I say, I'm a globe trotter. Tschuss!

Prague

Sigh... Bonn sweet Bonn... Man am I tired. I just got back from my week long trip to Berlin and Prague. Partied every night and walked around sight seeing every day. I don't even know where to begin. I think I'll go backwards.

Tuesday

Yesterday was our last day in Prague so we did some souvenir shopping and saw a modern art museum. Got to learn some factoids about the Czech Republic. We saw an Italian Opera about this woman who didn't love a man then she did then she was leaving him then she loved him then she died when he came back to her. I dno... I was sleeping during parts of it because by the end of the trip I had little energy.

The group and I went to a bar lounge that supposedly celebs go to when they visit. Had a shot of absinth and bailey's lit on fire. Second time I tried absinthe, didn't really feel anything besides a slight buzz, kind of dissapointing. BUT I bought a bottle at the airport that's supposed to be legit, so ladies if we wanna have an absinthe party when I get back, I'm supplying.

I "SMS"ed Adela's brother, Martin, when I arrived in Prague and he came to the bar we were at. Kristin and I chatted with martine while Mandy finished her drink and flirting with the bartender. There was some brouhaha about the bill and an extra drink we didn't get so he helped us figure that out, nice guy. Then he took three of my friends and me on a driving tour of Prague for a bit. Prague is so beautiful during the day but it's even more so at night with all of the lights. Everybody enjoyed his tour and the ride home.

Monday

Let's see... We got a little tour of Prague. We saw the jewish quarter, the Charles Bridge and that saint's statue with the tongue. He was a priest and would not tell this evil man the queen's confessions so he was thrown into the beautiful river. His remains were deteriorated except for his tongue so yay symbolism, he's a hero. You touch the gold image summarizing the story and it's supposed to bring you good luck. We saw the square with all of the shops, the Paris street?, a monestary that had an awesome library room like in Beauty in the Beast.

Side note... the more I travel Europe, the more I realize how much Disney jacked ideas from it. It really makes me want to go to Disneyland. He exemplified the Disney castle off of one in Germany? I believe. Not sure, but I plan on visiting it. A lot of the stories are German folk stories like Hanzel and Grettle. He must have loved traveling here, I know I do.

I had goolash soup for lunch, very tasty and very czech. We had an awesome Czech traditional dinner too. I had filled pork sirloin with mushroom sauce and little potato balls. Soooooo delicious. And some beer cheese with buttered bread as a starter, Brittany's tourist book told us it's a must to try when in the Czech Republic. Had a X33 beer which is the highest content of alcohol in a beer because of all of the sugar mixed in. It definitely got me and the girls around me a good buzz for dinner.

The troopers of the group and I kept pushing ourselves to go out. So we found a 5 story club under the Charles Bridge. It was pretty lame. Nothing goes on on Mondays and Tuesdays in Prague. There were a bunch of high schooler Euro Trash. The setting itself was pretty cool. Had light up dance floors, big-comfy-white couches, electro music, stripper poles, gogo dancer boxes with light up bars. We took absinthe shots there, man were they disgusting. It was cheap and they wouldn't light it on fire for us. Felt a little buzz but that was it. Again, Prague Absinthe experience not what I expected.

It was lame so we headed back to our hostel in the sketchy neighborhood. Woke up the 4 guys on our trip and pestered them. Felt like middle school but it was fun. We teased them about who they liked and such.

I'm going to stop here and tell more stories later because I'm sure that long posts are boring.

Tuesday Night at Carpe

Remember that club where I got shwasted off of 1 Euro Vodka Redbulls.  That's only on Tuesday nights.   After the Pub Crawl and my last Carpe experience, I decided to drink very slowly and I had a wonderful night!  Us Americans were dancing like crazy on the dance floor.  Germans are so subdued and there we were freaking and going dumb and such.  You could tell we were Americans.

Apparently, nobody but Americans and South/Central Americans freak.  Hmm maybe we got it from them.  Kristin and I were buzzed enough to explore and talk to men.  So we chose these 2 guys, she was nervous so she pushed me first.  She was eyeing the curly haired guy and I the scruffy, brunette.  But the curly man was responsive and I was the one to go first and our men were swapped.  I was getting ready to swap when Kristin said he's boring and left.  So I'm like gee thanks for letting me hang.

But he was actually quite interesting.  He lived in Michigan for a year so he had a good American accent and background and knowledge of American culture.  We laughed about crazy German trends such as mullets.  He explained that they were out until 5 years ago when they came back.  He pointed out the popular German songs (I requested one of them) and telling me about the different electronica songs and where the artists are from.  It's so much easier to grasp the notion of where the artists are from now that I'm here.  But anyways, he was an interesting guy and we chatted the whole night.  He's not as cute as a guy I'd normally go for but for German standards, er ist gut (he's good).  

He had two friends and he told me to hook them up with my friends.  So I gave them X and Y.  X's guy was awkward but we encouraged him to try, it was success.  Then Y's guy had a gf.  My guy, Yor?, was like we should do the same but I decided that I didn't want to kiss him and said oh I don't do that when I first meet a guy (haha).  Which was good because I got to talk with him and found him interesting, perhaps there will be a date too.  I love dating.  But he did bite my neck and my friends have been telling me that German men bite them when they dance with them.  Kind of strange, but I didn't mind it.  But he was like you won't let me kiss you but you're okay with biting?  So another random fact about Germans.  Mandy deducted that they may like it rough in bed (shrugs).

Everyone was filing out of the club and I was going to stay out til 4:50AM for the trains to start again.  But Yor drove and was not drinking.  He offered to take Ryan and me home even though he lives in the opposite direction (the other side of the Rhine), it was perfect.  So he got my number, hugged him goodbye and I went home.  It was a great night.

Oh side note, I asked him when his birthday was.  It's July 20th. I was like oh god! Another cancer?!  When will this end?  I'm so over them but not...

Italy Continued

There are videos of the Pub Crawl of my drunk friends.  Good thing I took videos because I didn't remember that night.  Apparently I talked to a guy for an hour but I have no recollection of it.  I threw up and started passing out at the 3rd bar on the couch, hence my profile picture, I thought it was funny.

Someone told me the guy I talked to was poking my head to wake me up to hid on me again lol.  I've never seen a guy so desperate that he tried to wake up a girl that was passed out drunk.  Luckily my friends shooed him away, before hand I had told them that I don't need to be taken care of, I just need to be kept away from creepers because I think everyone's so nice when I'm drunk.

Next thing I remember was waking up in my clothes and Kristin's sweater.  Mandy told me that I was trying to match her gray shirt or something. 

We met up with Dale, he showed us "Gelato Disneyland" and got 3 scoops of yumminess which included kiwi, strawberry yogurt, and some mystery yumminess.  It made me realize that I've never had an actual Kiwi. 

The day was pretty chill, just wandered the streets of Rome and then we traveled for 10 hours back to Germany which sucked.  We took a plane, 4 trains, 2 or 3 buses.  Lame sauce, I may be going on the train more often.

I am in love with Italy!  I was so sad to leave!  I was there and thinking, this is where I should have studied.  It's so beautiful and warm and the people are so lively.  What a drastic change from German personalities to Italians, my gosh.  Right when we stepped out of the airport, we see taxi drivers yelling at each other with their hands, we had to haggle with them, and everyone was just so vivacious even though we got whistled and up downed.  But it was well welcomed after getting no attention from Germans.  All they do is stare at you (which means I'm interested) and not go up to you, you have to go up to them and play the American card.  Italians whistled and honked at us.  It was great, it reminded me, "oh ya I am an attractive young lady, thank you for noticing."  Gosh, it was a relief.

So we got to our hostile, I was extremely perplexed because it felt like we walked into somebody's home.  People were on the computers, people cooking in the kitchen, people watching a movie.  We got greeted at the door and introduced.  It was a very happy and welcoming atmosphere hence the name "Happy Days."  Then we went to dinner and I tried gnacci for the first time and it was scrumptious so were the 2.5 glasses of wine hehe.

Everyone was lame and wanted to go to bed but Aaron Wu and me wanted to go out in Rome.  So we decided to take this bus and stopped somewhere.  We found a bar, had a drank, and asked where the students hang out so he told us where to go and we took a taxi somwhere.

1st bar

philly students

We walked into this crackin bar, got a drank.  We walked around and all we heard was people speaking English so we asked someone why is everyone speaking English?  Apparently we were in a bar that English speaking study abroad kids go to.  So we started mingling, met some people from Philly.  I went to the bathroom and was talking to this girl when this Australian guy came up to her.  I was like do you know him?  They had just met that night.  But I talked to him for a bit and ended up making out with him which was awesome.  But I didn't want his info because I realized he kinda looked like Crash, that disgusting guy I hooked up with that ruined Keanu and my relationship.

Anywho, we decided to leave and find some new clubs.  This one club was closed but we convinced the bouncers to let us in.  We got in started dancing and looked around.  All we saw were men dancing together and making out lol.  We realized that we were in a gay club but we said fuck it and got dumb and hyphy and shit.  It was empty so we moved on, the next club didn't let us in so we took a taxi home.  It was a successful adventurous night.  I'm definitely partying with Aaron again.

gay bar

club that wouldn't let us in

We got back at 5AM and dumb ass biotches decided it was a great idea to wake up at 7AM to go sight seeing.  Bleh... so I got my still drunk ass up and called everyone crazy for wanting to wake up so early.  

First, we went to the Vatican.  It is so amazing, I cannot believe how ornate it is there.  My neck kinda hurt from staring up for so long.  When we tried to get out, we got lost and went in circles.  It said exit but there was no exit.  We had to ask for directions lol.  Then we went into St. Peters Cathedral which was very majestic and ornate as well.  How did people come up with these ideas?  I took a video for my mama because I know that she would absolutely love Rome and the whole Catholic stuff.  I bought her Vatican rosary beads.

These are pix of the Vatican, couldn't take pictures of the 16th Chapel.  These pictures really don't do it justice, it's so amazing in person.

I ate a gelato in front of the Trevi, it was so beautiful.  The Trevi is this big ornate fountain with sculptures of Greek gods.  The weather was so nice (compared to Germany), it was like 50 degrees but it was sunny and I didn't have to wear 5 layers.  That moment was just so perfect.

Eating our gelatos in front of the Trevi

We saw the ruins as well and I just couldn't stop staring at them.  They just put me in awe.  To imagine that they have been up for 4,000 years is unbelievable.  It's so much different being in its presence compared to reading about them in history class.  It made me want to learn about it rather than sitting in class being forced to learn about it.

Mandy and me in front of the ruins.

Then came the Pub Crawl... bad idea.  Of course me and free alcohol don't go well together.    The first hour included free wine or beer so I chugged my cheap wine.  Got to the first bus that was taking us to the next bar and blacked out.  Sigh... I am sick of blacking out, it's not fun anymore.  So the first bar was pretty fun, I'll tell you about that because it's the only part I can recollect.  They played Britney Spears and Spice Girls songs the whole time, it was amazing fun. We just chilled together and sang and such.  

This was us at the first bar.  I've been online all afternoon posting pictures and videos, now I'm the only left at school so I'm going to bounce.  I'll finish my story tomorrow.  Sorry if I didn''t reply to your comments, I'll reply tomorrow.  Ciao bellas!