Aufweidersein Topdeck! Bonjour next stage of discovering Europe!

I have had many many adventure since I wrote last so Im warning you early its going to be a very very long post and probs no photos once again. When I can find a safe computer I will do a upload of photos so you guys have some idea of what im talking about when i talk about beautiful scenery and yummy food and great friends.

At the moment Im back in London after the end of the most amazing 26 days of my life. Everything about the tour was great - the city, the sights, the people, the food, the photos, the drinking, the dancing and the million other once in a lifetime experiences i've had.

First of all let me tell you about Tyrol in Austria. Our adventure afternoon was cancelled due to the snow. Yes thats right I went from lying in the sun by a pool to the next day eating a picnic lunch while snow fell around me. I must say it would have been an amazing experience if i was wearing a bit more then shorts, cardigan and thongs. Once we hit Austria we had a bit of a wander around the town and saw all the cute little thatched roofed houses and running streams. After that we hit the local brewery which was the tallest building in the town of Tyrol (It had a whopping 5 storys). We had a few lazy beverages while trying sourkraut (yuck) and pork knuckle (yum) and watched our fellow crewmates fall from the sky while they paraglided off the snow capped mountains. That night was spent in a cosy little guest house with a poky little bar downstairs where we played cards, Jenga and Connect Four.

The next day we drove to Munich which I was really looking forward to as it meant I was actually in Germany after learning it at school for eight years. On the way we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp which was really interesting though incredibly sad. It really helped me put my life into perspective because here I was complaining about having no clean clothes in my backpack and here was this place where people were dealing with hard physical labour and malnutrition. Its good though because whenever I have a shitty day or a depressive moment I can think about what i've seen there and realise its not so bad. After the concentration camp we headed to Munich where we did a quick walking tour of the main city sights. I also had the chance to have dinner with my German teacher who is now living in Munich. It was so lovely to see her again as it felt like yesturday I was in her classroom gossiping with my friend rather then learning German. It was pretty evident I wasn't the best student when I couldnt' understand a question asked in German and she had to translate for me. Whoops! Together we headed to the Hofbrau House which is the most famous beer hall in Germany (they have the largest tent at Oktoberfest). It was pretty rowdy in there and had heaps of atmosphere perfect for drinking a litre stein of house beer. Hopefully I get the chance to go to Oktoberfest because if is anything like that it will be a wicked time.

Next stop was Prague which quickly became one of my favourite cities on tour. As usual with the tour we did a quick walking tour in the afternoon so we became orientated with where we were. After seeing the spired bulidings, gothic churches, the charles bridges and all its statues we went to roof top bar where we had a Pilsner Beer (which originated in Prague - i think) and looked out over the old town square. That night after a few drinks at the backpacker bar we walked around the corner to a metal bar - and by that i mean both metal music and metal furniture. The whole place was decorated with old parts of motorcycles and cars which were connected up so they all turned and twisted above you. You sat on car seats while headlights flashed in time to the heavy metal music. We didn't last there long because it was way to intense for someone who isn't intersted in that sort of stuff but it was definately worth the sight.

The second day in Prague we had a pretty cruisy day, spending most of it shopping around and checking out all the Babooshka dolls and Swarvoski Crystal. There were a few markets on so we were lucky enough to get some traditional food including bratwurst and cool sprial donut things (which i cant remember the name of). That afternoon we headed to the Prague Beer Fest where we spent the arvo drinking from a choice of 70 beers and eating more bratwurst and another local specialty garlic soup. It was heaps of fun as we ran into more tour crew and ordered a metre of beer. It is 11 beers lined up in a special wooden holder and when you order it two beer wenches have to bring it out and they ring this giant gong. We also had a celloist and acordian player play us waltzing matilda while we drank it.

After a few bevvies at the beer fest we headed back to the hostel and got ready for a bit crew night out in Prague. We met up with 3 other Topdeck tours and went to a 5 story nightclub which definately ensued for a wild night. The nightclub was so so so so so much fun. They had different music on different levels like " dance music", "oldies music" and even the incredibly politically incorrect "black music" for the R&B level. We spent most of the night dancing up a storm and drinking before having a wander to maccas. Yes even in the middle of Europe a late night maccas feed is needed to ward of the potential hangover.

And it wasn't a potential hangover but a full blown one. Spending a day driving between Prague and the Rhine Valley wasn't a fun one as my head, feet and legs all hurt from a night of drinking and dancing (still wouldn't change a thing though). Once we got there we checked into a cute little hotel that actually had a massive double bed and a shower that worked. It was a dream after staying in cabins, sail boats and hostels for the past few countries. After a nice healthy dinner of veggies and beef stroganoff we headed up the road for a wander around the town. Its so good when the sun doesn't go down til 9.30 because it means that even on days where you spend most of the time on the bus you get to see the city you are in. The Rhine Valley was a bit like a few stops on the tour where you know you are only there because the driver can't drive through the night. Even though in saying that it was a nice place to recover from Prague and psych myself up for Amsterdam and the last couple of days of tour.

Every time I visit a new city it almost immediately becomes my new favourite and that didn't change when I hit Amsterdam. Before hitting the main city we visited a clog and cheese farm to see how both were made. The clogs were pretty boring but it was interesting to see (and taste) the cheese. I spent up big in the gift shop and tasted nearly every type they made. We arrived in the city in the middle of the arvo which meant we had a couple of hours to check out the place before heading to a sex show. Most of the time on tour we stay in accommodation that is further outside the city but in Amsterdam we stayed close by the local night club and cafe area. It was also close to a few of the must see's so it was good to be able to walk around and not panic about getting public transport. We spent the arvo having a early dinner at an Irish Pub that was in one of the main squares. It was good because it was a sunday there was a local band playing covers in the square which gave us a bit of entertainment as i hacked into my steak (yum yum yum).

That night we headed to the red light district to check out a sex show. Now im no prude but a sex show usually isn't my thing but i succumbed to peer pressure and went along to check it out. I have one word for it - eeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. The four of the acts were girls stripping, pole dancing then either pulling things out of or putting things in their 'special places' (Now there is something I didn't expect to be writing about on a blog). These things included never ending string, a texta (which got used to draw on someone from my tours chest), a dildo and a banana. The last act was a couple having sex which is just so akward to watch and halfway through one of the girls said to me ' why the hell are we here' and it was a pretty good question. Afterward we checked out the rest of the red light district and walked up and down skinny alley and saw the girls in their windows. Now im no perve but that was pretty interesting as I was amazed at how attractive these girls were and how much they got paid to do what they do - 45 euro for 15 minutes.

On the last full day of tour we did a bike ride through the streets of Amsterdam which is famous for cycling with millions of bikes all over the city. They even have a two story bicycle parking station! We saw the main canals, the rembrant park, the west church and the outside of Anne Franks house. After the tour we went and checked out the Anne Frank house and I am saying it now that if you are ever in Amsterdam you MUST DO THIS. Forget the hash brownies and the red light district this is seriously one sight that you have to do. It was more overwhelming than Dachau and it was amazing to see something that I had read about. It was much bigger than I had imagined but no way would I want to live in those rooms with eight people for two years. Her actual diary was displayed in cabinets and the wallpaper and rooms were the same as they were when she was there (except for the furniture). I bought a copy of her diary so i could re read it and see how I view it differently now i have seen where it was set. That afternoon we did a tour of the Heineken factory which is brewed locally in Amsterdam. It was really fun with interactive stuff like a 4D ride and demonstrations on how the beer was made. The best part of course was the three beers included in the tour which were poured from ice cold taps which is a bit of a change from the hot beers i've been drinking in hostel rooms across europe.

The last night of tour we did some AmsterDAMAGE with a massive massive night out. We started with a dinner on a floating chinese resturant where we absolutely demolished the food. It was so good to have something completely different then what we had been having and it actually included veggies which we were in low supply of. Following the farewell dinner we went on a canal cruise which was all you can drink. We had a great time boozing and cruising and even a bit of dancing. The cruise ended all too soon and we headed to a local bar called Pirates which was heaps of fun. Once there we stayed and spent it like we did in most nights out on tour dancing and drinking for aaaages.

The last day of tour was definately the most average day of all because it meant sitting on a bus for 12 hours hungover and saying goodbye to some new but very good friends. The positive side was that we went through 4 countries in one day! We had breakfast in Amsterdam, lunch in Belgium (where I loaded up on chocolates), dinner in France and a few goodbye drinks in England. It was sad to say goodbye to lots of the new people I had met as I had got used to their company. Luckily for me there were a few of us staying at the hostel I am now at so its not goodbye forever just yet. Even better still my new travelling partner Caroline has met me at the hostel so I will always have some company!

Even worse still was saying goodbye to our tour leader and driver. It was pretty nice having everything organised for me and being told where to go, when to get on and off, what to visit, the history of what im even looking at and overall just having a good crew around you. But from now on its just me and Caroline working our way around cities by ourselves and trying to organise what to see and what to do while we are there! Its all part of the adventure and definately will be a learning curve and a test of will but thats what it is all about!

For now I will chill in london with my bestie and spend a few days back in the village recouperating and recovering from an epic time and preparing for the next adventure!