We arrived in Munich about 12 pm and drove to our hotel. The size of the hotel room that we stayed in was about the size of standard master bedroom closet...and that included the bathroom. It was the smallest hotel room I have ever been in. We had about two hours after we got there before we were going to head out again to talk a walking/driving tour of Munich. So, obviously, I took a nap. The first half of the tour was in a bus, and it was pretty cool. I would say, in my opinion, that Munich isn't quite the tourist trap that London was. There wasn't really anything "big" that I was like, "Oh, I'm so glad I finally got to see that." Instead, it was just kinda like a history of Munich that we heard from the guide. The second half of the tour was a walking tour, and I had on the wrong shoes. They got soaked in the onslaught of snow and slush that was everywhere. It snowed pretty much the whole time we were in Munich. My feet were so cold and so wet by the time we reached our hotel room after the tour and dinner, that I was in physical pain.
We decided upon arrival at our hotel after dinner that we would go out again later to what one of the guys called the "factory district." It was basically a section of Munich where a bunch of old factories and warehouses had been changed into clubs and pubs. So we played cards and had drinks in the lobby of the hotel before we headed out at around 10 pm. Any further stories about what followed that night will only be shared with a select few, but I will say that it was a night I will never forget! :D
I got back to the hotel around 3 am and left the next morning around 11 am for the 6 hour bus ride into the Czech Republic and then Prague. We arrived around 6 pm last night. I went to a quick dinner of Italian food, and then headed back to my dorm because I was so excited about unpacking and not having to live out of my suitcase anymore! I got it all unpacked last night and went to bed relatively early...around 12:30 am. :) SInce we arrived in Prague after dark, we didn't really get to see the city until this morning. We were taken on a "familiarize yourself" with the city walking/metro/tram tour. The AIFS staff wanted to show us which metros to take to get to our classes, to their offices, to the post offices, to restaurants, etc. There was soooooo much information on that tour about which direction was which...my brain hurts now just thinking about it. It's not even easy to take the metro because the names of the stops are so confusing. The Czech language is notorious for its lack of vowels. A lot of their words don't have then at all! So, we had a meeting after our tour around Prague in which we learned a lot of important information for our time in Prague, and it lasted about 2 hours.
In order to save time and space, I won't bore you guys with details of my shopping trips around Prague today, but I will say this about Prague...it is by far the most beautiful city I have ever been in. It isn't like a lot of European cities in which they build the new alongside the old, here...everything is old. The whole city is alive and teeming with the charm and mysteries of times past. Everything is so beautiful and every time I look up from my map (which I carry at all times) I can't believe that it's real. Of every city in Europe, I couldn't have chosen a city more perfect for me. I am so excited to live here, and learn the language (which will be an invaluable skill) so that I can become immersed in a culture and town full of unseen magic!
Hopefully, I will be able to get some more information up tomorrow, but I only get Internet in the dorm lobby right now, because that's the only place that gets wireless. I can't hook up ethernet for a few more days, and I am now very low on battery.
ok so i am very behind, but i am going to catch up on all your posts!!
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