|
| I found this too funny not to share....
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.
Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.
1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.
| | |
| Wednesday
We had class from 8am till noon. And then we had the afternoon off. I played soccer for awhile and just hung out with some people (more like baby-sit one of the girls who refused to leave Mike). Later that evening Pablo cooked a bar-b-que out on the Rhine (the river). It was lots of fun. The water was freezing cold, but we still got in for a swim. Oh and I forgot to mention that it was raining during our bar-b-que. In fact the weather turned bad ever since we left Rome. There have been a couple good weather days, but mainly its been raining atleast once a day.
Thursday
We started out early and took a train to Bacarach (sp). We took a tour of this little town. It was really great seeing a very old city, that remains small and quiet. There was a castle on the hill over looking the town, but we didn’t have time to tour it. We had a cruise to take down the river. It was wonderful, we just got to sit there, relax and look at 10 different castles along the river. It was great. We stopped at maugs bogg (sp?) for lunch and to take a tour of the castle there. During lunch we got to have a wine testing, which they grew the grapes down the street. 2 of the 3 wines were excellent, I was tempted to buy a bottle because it was only 3 euros, but I didn’t want to have to carry it. We then had to take several trains home. Of course I was exhausted and fell asleep on the way home. My great friends didn’t even bother to wake me up, and I actually woke up to the announcement of Bonn Hbf. Thank goodness cause it would have been forever before making it home. Patrick, Carlos, Lyndon and I went out to play Pool. It was lots of fun. We went to a bar afterwards and talked war and politics for a while with Carlos. We also talked to the bar tender who was German who lived in South Africa for 20 something years. He talked about his scuba diving adventures. He said he lost track after 1500. He owns 3 scuba diving schools. It was a fun night.
Friday
Last day of class. We got done at noon, so Marcus, Lyndon and I played soccer. Mike showed up, but there wasn’t enough people to play a game. Just as we were leaving… 4 guys wanted to play, so we stuck around a little longer. We won the little 4 on 4 game played. Today the weather was wonderful. A little too hot, but im sure its miserable in Texas right now. So I cant complain. We had a farewell meeting with all the people we met in Bonn. Dr. B made the best gumbo I have ever tasted. Followed by Pablo’s amazing chicken recipe. It was excellent food. We got free wine and beer which was nice of them. The professors made little speeches like we were not going to see everyone the following morning, but ya we still have 2 weeks left. The profs drank waaaay to much so the speeches went on and on, finally after that was over. Carlos and I went over to the same bar as the night before to talk to the South African guy. He didn’t have time to talk to us, because there was live music going on. The little underground pub was packed and hot. But over the course of the last 2.5 weeks it had become our favorite relaxing place. Always playing a variety of American music. We knew this night would be long (as it was our last night in Bonn), unfortunately we knew that we had to be ready to leave for Berlin at 6:00 am. We didn’t stay long at the pub, but went back to the dorm to pack, listen to music, and hang out with Carlos. Carlos and I exchanged Games and Music and I gave him all the Family Guy episodes. He was the coolest person related to the program, and I knew it was going to be a bummer to say good-bye in the morning.
Saturday
Wow, Berlin, amazing. Unfortunately we were all exhausted and grumpy, but we got to the airport on time. The flight was really bumpy, again the pilots felt like they crashed the airplane into the runway upon landing. Seriously, I was slept the entire flight and when we crash landed on the runway my heart skipped a beat and almost instinctively I yelled out ‘oh my God.’ But ya, Berlin, very huge city. We took a bus tour and got to see a lot of the sites from the bus. Unfortunately we only get 2 nights in Berlin which means we don’t have much time to get out and walk around. But we did get out and climb to the top of the Olympic torch tower. The stadium was been remodeled for the World Games next year. Wow the stadium is a work of art. Unfortunately it was originally built by enslaved people, condemned by their faith I believe. I wish I knew more, but I think it was the 1933 Olympics that were in Berlin. And the U.S. was planning on boycotting the olympics, but decided not to. We got to see some really impressive monuments and government buildings. We got out and took pictures of the War vs Peace monument. That night we went to dinner at a Cuban restaurant. Great food. Afterwards everyone but I went out, which made me feel stupid, but I was so tired from the day and only having 2 hours of sleep. Plus I wanted to get up early so I could see everything in Berlin, since our time was very limited.
Sunday (my day in Berlin)
I got up, got ready, and left by 8 am. I went and say the war memorial which was a church that had been bombed very badly. Instead of rebuilding it they made it into a memorial for all those to see the destruction of war. I don’t know if I have a good picture but I sure hope everyone can see the damage to it. I then took the subway to a museum were the Fortege Eggs were on display. I got there only to find out it was closed on Sundays. Then I went to checkpoint Charlie and say the museum all about the Berlin Wall. Its easy to tell when you are on the East or West side of Berlin. We got to see the Berlin wall the day before on the tour, but the museum today was really detailed. I read stories about people doing crazy things trying to escape. And people being shot to death for trying to escape. It is known that 250 people were murdered trying to escape. After 2 hours of reading all about the tragedies, I ran into Marcus, Beth, Lyndon, and Jenn. We then hung out for a while, more like they shopped for a while, and then say the Berliner Dome. Which I took pictures and it was big, but ya… its almost like all the other big dome buildings we have seen. Its still impressive just kinda repetitive. We then got lunch and I wanted to go to the top of Berlin TV tower and so we split up. The elevator in the tower climbs at 10 meters per second. What a view. It was spectacular. I could see forever. In the far distant I could even see the Olympic stadium. I had a drink and just sat up there for an hour taking in the view. Next I read about an aqua dome they had down the street. And that if you went to the TV tower it was only half price for it. So I went and was really impressed. They had the tanks set up were you were basically walking through the tanks. I took video with my camera, and hopefully it turns out. but there was one part that a shark was swimming right towards me, and then goes right over my head. They had several different aquariums. And then the last part you actually take an elevator up through and aquarium. It wasn’t as cool as the shark tank, but it was neat. Then I saw Paseada’s Fountain. I just sat there a while reading, and taking a break. Now it was 7 pm and I was super tired and hungry so I headed back to the hotel, and ran into Pablo, Kristina, Katie, Brooke, Kari, and Patrick. We had dinner at a good Italian restaurant. Than we went to an Irish Pub and listened to some live music. They were singing old American songs. We decided that we would be retarded and just hang there until 2:30 and then go home and pack and shower. We knew we were leaving at 4:30 for Budapest, but ya really most people only slept 2 hours. So we weren’t that sleep deprived from anyone else.
Monday
We left at 4:30 and flew to Vienna, another crash landing, but I was prepared this time. Luckily that is the last time we fly within Europe. We take a 3 hour bus ride from Vienna to Budapest, which I slept the whole time. We then take a bus tour of the city stopping at some of the more impressive sites. I really liked the city. A lot more than Berlin, it was more peaceful, slow, and friendly. There language is very unique. It is unlike any language in Europe which frustrates everyone. Luckily lots of people know English so its not hard to order food or anything. We were free at 6 to do whatever we wanted. We played soccer at the hotel. The hotel was awesome. Indoor swimming pool, computers, weight room, sauna, the works. We got dinner at a Chinese restaurant that was down the street. It was pretty good. Its weird though paying 950 fts for dinner. But ya, that’s about $5. and it was more food than I could eat. There currency is really messed up. The numbers are just WAY to big. And it makes it difficult to know how much to pay. That night as you can imagine, I crashed.
Tuesday
Woke up and left for our free day by 9:30. Marcus, Beth, Jenn, Lyndon, and I went and saw the Jewish Synagogue. The guys got little black hat thingys, and the girls got shawls. We walked around for a while, saw the museum there about the holocaust. Then we headed to another huge protestant Dome church. We went all the way to the top. Way too many stairs. We got lunch at a little Italian restaurant. I got Chicken Caesar Salad with desert included for 750, which ya, $4. Food un Budapest is extremely cheap. We walked around the city some more. And we say they House of Terror museum. It was all about the communist and German rule of Hungary. It was huge and took awhile to see all of it but it was worth it. I wish we could have taken pictures inside, but I kept all the handouts that were there. They even reconstructed the cells in which they held traitors of communism. We then met up with the group at the bus stop, and went back to the hotel for a presentation on Hungary’s history and current economics. Afterwards we got dinner in the cafeteria of the hotel and I worked on trying to go to Switzerland. But unfortunately it would cost way to much money to go. I could not justify spending $350 for only 2 days in Switzerland. So I decided that I would go to Prague for $60 instead. Maybe on my way out I could stop in Switzerland since Munich is only 4 hours away from Zurich. That night we went to a bar that had 10 foosball tables and 2 pool tables. Foosball is HUGE in Hungary. Everyone plays. The tables and balls were horrible, unfortunately. But it was still fun. Played some pool, made a jump shot which was pretty sweet. We then went to a dance club that had huge TVs that everyone was dancing to Rock music. They also had a swimming pool and lazy river going through the club. I had a great time. But of course no one liked the music so everyone wanted to leave after only 35 min.
Wednesday
We had presentations all day. First one was at GE. This was not too bad. Really didn’t learn a whole lot. They then gave us a tour of their facility. Which unknowingly made us late for our presentation by McDonalds. We were an hour late, which made lunch an hour late. We then went to the biggest McDonalds in Hungary. It was 2 stories, had a McCaffe, had over 150 employees. But I couldn’t get over how gross the food was, and how horrible the service was. I was the first to order and almost last to get my food. Really frustrated me. And the people that had to wait were suppose to get free ice cream. Everyone else got it but me. I refuse to eat at McDonalds until the next time I am forced to. That night we were suppose to go out with the Budapest girl again, but she called in sick. So we just swam and watched a Pirates of the Caribbean.
Thursday
Woke up early and had to pack and transfer to Bratislava. We checked into our hotel, unpacked, and then packed up the backpack for my weekend in Prague. After 2 hours in Brataslava, me, Brian, Jenn, Beth, Cindy, and Erica left. We only spent $20 for round trip tickets, amazingly cheap. Took 5 hour to get there, and I read the entire time. Cindy, Erica, and I didn’t have a hotel reservation so we had to look around for openings. We got to see Prague at night which was very amazing. The man center church is always lit up. After an hour plus of searching, we ended up staying in a dormitory style hostel that had 16 people in one room. Thank goodness I was on a bottom bunk. I immediately met 3 girls, anna, Shannon, and Carolyn. Anna is from Australia, Shannon is from Canada, and Carolyn is an Australian who has been living the last 5 months in UK, and is on vacation. Cindy and Erica were in another room. We just went to bed that night.
Friday
Woke up early to the sound of lots of people moving around the room as well as the most unattractive people changing. Shannon was already up and getting ready. I asked her if what she was doing all day and she told me she was going to see the castle and Kafka’s Museum. We talked a little more and I decided hanging with her all day would be a lot more fun than hanging out with the annoying people on the trip. We saw the main castle in Prague, which includes the cathedral (which we climbed to the top and had a great view), the king’s house, and the ‘golden street’. We got lunch and headed to the center of town. This was definitely the happening place in Prague. People would just layout and chill in the square all day. We sat there on the ground talking and listening to live music for about 2 hours. It was great. We then went to the grocery store to buy some pasta (‘pronounced paaa-sta’ by Shannon’). We then went back to the hostel and had very interesting conversations with other people there. Carolyn decided she wanted to go out with us. We met up with the rest of the Prague people in the square. We hung out, talked, and they all drank Absinth which only made them angry drunks. Once that happened we went back to the hostel and crashed.
Saturday
Woke up and hung out with Carolyn and Shannon all day. First we walked around the inside of the big church in the center of town. We had tried to get into it the day before but it had closed. We walked around and saw a very interesting museum. And then saw the plaza of modern art. Some really interesting pieces of art, for example Superman crashed into the concrete and the caption read ‘Everyone has there bad days’. It was fun. After lunch we walked down to a weird looking building that had some curved glass, its hard to explain. And I didn’t get a picture because my batteries died after taking 4 pictures in Prague. We then decided to paddle boat the river which was the most tourist thing any of us had done, but it was different and fun. We then went into a few shops on our way back to the hostel. I got mom the stake of things she wanted. And another patch. I still need a couple more as well as find my Germany one. We then went back and talked some more, and then took naps. Shannon went to a concert, Carolyn and I got dinner. We all met back up and played cards and hung out. After a while we decided to head to bed.
Sunday
We packed, ate breakfast and checked out. We went to the train station. Shannon was on her way to Berlin, I was on my way back to Bratislava without the group. They wanted to go to a brewery all day and take the late train back. I bought my ticket and then chatted with Shannon and Carolyn. Bryan ended up coming up behind me, scaring me and then telling me that they were going to take an earlier train. I return my ticket and get the same one with them. BIG MISTAKE. I should have headed back earlier. I would have gotten more sleep and I wouldn’t have had to carry all of Cindy and Erica’s stuff that they bought. Seriously 3 of the biggest bags of stuff ever. They didn’t even ask they just told me to carry one of them. I really don’t like them, but o well, only a week with them left. We got on the 4 pm train and headed back to Bratislava. I slept the whole time. After getting back, it took awhile to get all their stuff back to the hotel. I immediately crashed after such a long day.
Monday
Had to be downstairs of the hotel for a presentation at 930. it was all about the history and current information on Slovakia. We got to go to a place were they make pottery by hand. It was fun. I tried, but mine just sucked. We then took a bus tour of the city. Followed by lunch at a castle. Then we toured the castle. Then we took more bus tour, but I slept the entire time. We saw another castle and had a good view of the city. It started raining, so we got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel. That night we had dinner on a boat on the river. It was lots of fun. We got wine and plenty of food. Everyone got trashed on the wine. I just left. Its getting harder and harder for me to be around the stupid people of our group. This best times I have are when im alone and off by myself, or with Samanta. She tried to teach me to dance but she was too drunk too. It was funny though. She had 4 glasses of wine and was gone.
Tuesday (8/9)
Had to be downstairs ready to go by 8:45. We had a presentation with a sports psychologist, and then went across town and had a presentation by Telecom. The sports one was fun, because he talked about hockey. The other was quite boring. We then had lunch and got a little time to use the inet. Found out it is going to be impossible for me to see Switzerland, which saddens me. We then had a walking tour of the historical area of Bratislava. The tour guide knew her hockey. We talked about Satan, and Gaborik, and Bondra and she explained that it was awesome to have the NHL cancelled because they all returned home. She also told me Zigmund Palffy is a relative of the richest family in Bratislava. After that was over we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Samanta and I hung out, shopped, and had dinner. The rest of the night I spent updating this journal for the past week and a half.
Wednesday
Today we had to be downstairs ready to go at 730. we drove to Vienna which was only about an hour and a half away. It was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. First we got to stop at Starbucks, and then we spent a little over an hour at Freud’s house. It was fascinating o see everything that we talked about in classes and such. But the house doesn’t compare to Vienna. Wow, I really enjoyed my time there. Unfortunately we only got to stay there a day, because I could have spent days wondering around the city. Gloria, Sam, Alicia , and I got lunch which was really good. They are lots of fun. I used the inet which was fairly cheap. Got some ice cream, I just wondered around. I found a patch to continue my collection and a shot glass, and a t-shirt, because I really did love this city. We then took a bike tour. Lyndon and I rode a tandem bike for most of the tour. It was lots of fun… and we switched with others near the end. It was a great way to see the city. Battery on laptop is about to die.
Thursday
Got to sleep in today. It was refreshing. Last night Sam and I went out. it was fun. We went to a club called Flaminco. It’s a salsa dancing club. She attempted to teach me. She claims I wasn’t bad. But im sure I was horrible. She is so good that people prolly just stared at her all night. We had a blast, what a cool girl. Well this morning we had a presentation by Voltswagon. Not bad, pretty interesting about Bently and some of the upper end vehicles. We broke for lunch and then had a presentation by DELL. Which I was excited about. I really wanted to go off on everything I know about DELL, but the other people in the group would have just rolled their eyes. I know I shouldn’t care what they think, but its getting close to the end, and im reaching my breaking point. I have to constantly hold in everything I truly want to say to them. Those reading this may think im overexagerating and just being immature, but if you knew the truth and the situation, you would be impressed that I didn’t strangle any of them yet. Whoa, that was a tangent… back to Dell. It was interesting to learn about the differences in slovakia and the rest of Europe. (btw, the dell laptop and projector weren’t working together, lol, whats the definition of Irony? Anyone? I really wanted to fix it, cause I knew exactly what was wrong, but I think it would have offended them.) We then met at 4pm to go white water rafting. Well sorta. It was a simulation. The had there on course that you could raft. We got to go several times, and you didn’t have to paddle the really long stretches of nothing. I tried to show off alittle, but since no one really knew anything, its hard to impress. But I had lots of fun. I pulled one of the girls that had hit me in the head atleast 4 times back in the boat… I prolly should of helped myself out and let her float the rest of the way… but naaa, I pulled her in. That night we went to a Cuban restaurant for food and a couple drinks. Sam, Alicia, and I sat at a table by ourselves, realizing how the ‘rejects’ have bonded and formed our own group.
Friday (Aug 12)
We had to be packed downstairs by 7 which is way to early. We then drove 3 hours to Mauthssaun (sp). It was a concentration camp during world war 2. over 100,000 people were killed by starvation and exhausting labor treatment. It was sad and moving. Its hard to believe the atrocities until you stand in the gas chamber and softly hear the cry of 4,000 people begging you to remember their pain and suffer, to remind us to never let it happen again. We then drove 2 hours to Salzburg, Austria. Another great Austria city. Austria has become my favorite country. The mountains, the rivers, the cities, its all amazing. We had lunch, saw a concert, shopped (used the inet), and then drove 2 more hours to Munich. I pretty much read the whole time once my computer battery died. I was stuck in an aisle seat all day. So its nearly impossible to sleep, even though I was dead tired. | | |
| Tuesday
Class all day, and then a guest speaker after lunch. She was pretty good, but it was team based debate. Which I despise, because I don’t like being difficult and I don’t like talking to anyone in our group.
Wednesday (july 20th)
We took a tour of Bayer complex. It was impressive. They make and research a whole lot more than just aspirin. We then headed to the sports complex they own. They showed us around the track and the work out facility. We were then given a presentation on Paralympics. Had lunch, and went to the World Games. These are the games that want to become Olympic sports but have not qualified because they don’t have enough support globally yet. We saw water skiing as well as some sort of performance jumping. But the best part was the inline hockey. We saw Switzerland play Sweden. Great game. I was too tired and hungry to stay for the championship game between Canada and USA. Which I regret, because USA won, and all my friends that stayed got to go down on the rink and meet them. But I got a good night sleep.
Thursday
Class from 9-4:30. we then took an amazing tour of the Olympic Museum. We got to perform some of the competitions and learned all about the history of the Olympics. Unfortunately our tour was really short because we got there at closing time. It would have been great to see everything. The museum was in Koln so some of us stayed and drank and ate dinner at the local pubs (breweries). They actually make their own beer and its usually really good. I had a couple, they are always small (.2 l) because the carbonation deteriorates quickly because it is made so fresh.
Friday (july 22)
We had to be up and at the dorm by 7am. We then drove 2 hours to Frankfurt. I slept the entire way. We got to the OPEL factory by 9. I learned OPEL is the European sector of GM. We got to see the museum part of the company. Took some pictures of some old cars, saw a film on the history. (started out selling sewing machines) we then took a tour of the plants and saw them building cars, which was actually very cool. Its amazing all the engineering that went into building all the robots that are used to make the different cars. After all that we had a meeting with the German Soccer Association. It too was great. Our speaker was fluent in roughly 8 langauages and he knew his soccer. He taught us everything on german soccer. We got to tour the facility which is the soccer headquarters in germany. We got to see all the uniforms, trophies, etc. we finally got lunch at 2 I think. NEXT, we took a guided tour of Frankfurt. Seriously we were dead to begin with, but this Frankfurt trip was a killer. We walked around Frankfurt for about an hour or so. We then went up to the observatory level of a huge bank. From the top you could see for hundreds of miles I think. It was a little unnerving but it was still neat. A lot of people complained about lunch, but I thought it was good. Pablo felt bad so he bought us all a drink on the top of the building. I had a white Russian which was a nice way to mellow out before our 2 hour drive home. I started reading the book Gravity, which is excellent. Despite the noise and stops, I read a good 60 pages on the way home.
Saturday
Today was the first day we could practically do whatever we wanted. I slept in until 10. first time I got a full nights sleep since being here. It was marvelous. I also found a store the sold digital 8 mm. cost me an arm and leg, but im never coming back anytime soon, so I figured the 20 euro was worth it. I got lunch with a few people and then just relaxed until going to a track meet with the crew. Not required but it was fun to see. These people were competing for a spot on the germany Olympic roster, so it was very competitive. Some Americans were actually there, just practicing. I said hi to one of the runners. Nice guy from Florida, named Anthony, it would be cool to see his name in the Olympics some day, but whatever. After that I came back here, finished the movie Punisher while updating the last week of my journal. Ya, im not too great about writing in it daily, its better if I just sit down and do a weeks worth. I think im gonna read Gravity some more, its really good.
Sunday
Slept in, and then went to the Bonn beer festival. It was a little cool and rainy, but we still had a fun time. The beer wasn’t very cheap so I only tasted 2. But one of them was actually 8% alcohol, which is crazy. Surprisingly the beer tasted good as well. I kept the glass, it was only 1 euro for it. Hopefully it will survive the trek home. We were there for a good amount of. Once back, marcus and I just watched The Incredibles and went to sleep
Monday
We had class till 11:30, and then we went to the Koln Sports College. Today was actually the recruitment day. 1500 people tried out to make 500 slots. It was hectic. Those 500 people would get to go to this college that specialized in sports stuff (health, psychology, coaching, etc). participants had to compete in 5 sports of their choosing. We had several guest lecturers, and a couple of them were good. We also got new information on performance enhancing drugs and they actually have a large testing center there. We got to see it, but it really wasn’t all the special, lots of urine and test tubes. But I did get to talk to a gymnast that was trying out. She had been to the U.S. a couple times before and spook English really well. It was interesting to hear about how important this was. That the college they were all trying to get into would be a great opportunity. I wish I had gotten her e-mail address so I could find out if she made it or not, but she had doubts about getting in. o well, it is always cool to talk to people from a different culture. We got back at 9 after leaving at noon, so its bedtime. Oh and I have read a ton of Gravity. What a good book.
Tuesday
Well, it was an early morning. At the bus at 7:30. we drove 2 hours to the sports hospital which was located outside of cologne. I had them teat my percent body fat and im at 15%, which is good. The thing also said im over weight, but that I have too much muscle. Which is kinda funny. We then had an hour to get lunch. nothing exciting, just a sandwich. I finished Gravity. I keep thinking how good it was. Now im starting a book called The Rule of Four. Not sure how its going to be, but we shall see. We then went to the Cologne football team, and was given a presentation on how they have to market to a culture that is dominated by soccer. We took a tour of the top of the Cathedral. Wow, incredible. I got video of it, so everyone can see how old and tall this building is. After the tour, Lyndon and I played some soccer. Just out in the field, we joined up. I wish I had cleats cause I really didn’t want mess up my new shoes. It was fun, but I was sliding all over the place. | | |
| Sunday
I knew I was going to be all by myself all day, but I didn’t mind. No one was going to slow me down from seeing everything. Everyone wanted to see Florence but I hadn’t seen enough of Rome. Walked around and saw the plaza fountains. As well as the Pantheon. I then headed to San Angelo Castle which was great. You could see everything from there. The place was a hide out for Pope’s that felt threatened. I think 4 different pope’s made improvements. Its hard to imagine someone trying to invade this castle. It only has one main bridge and one supply line. The outer walls were surrounded by a moot. Those walls were never penetrated. But if somehow they were, there was an inner circle tower with only one wooden bridge that the opening was like 40 feet up. The walls stretched incredibly high. They let people go to the top, and from there you could see absolutely everything. I might back up with brian and we had dinner in Testervade which is just on the other side of the river. It was much cheaper than the rest of Rome, and very relaxing atmosphere.
Monday
I slept in and then took a tour of the Coliseum. I figured I would get a guide for 8 euros, but it really wasn’t worth it. She knew some stuff, but the guy who gave us a tour of Vatican was so much better. While there I kept thinking of the movie Gladiator. After a couple hours there I went to see Nero’s palace, but they wanted 8 euros or something and I felt that I already spent enough money. So I walked back to the tomb of the unknown soldier were they let everyone walk around on the building and in the museum that was inside. I bought a couple souvenirs and then headed back to the hotel to rest and try to meet up with some other people. I ran into a few of them and we got dinner and went to the train station. We then started the voyage home. A train, a shuttle, an airplane, and then a bus, and we were home. What a great adventure.
Tuesday
Class all day | | |
| Day 5 (Monday)
First day of class. We got an assignment in Sport Psychology. I found out I made an A in Marketing, Whoop! I got issued a cell phone, and was given the responsibility of looking out for the guys in the house, making sure they are on time. We got invited to meet the Major of Bonn. Kind of a neat experience. After a few pictures and Dr. Zach (the prof in Bonn) spilt a tray of drinks, we took a tour of an institution that grants money to research to study sport psychology. After a long discussion in a room that was a few degrees below 200, we were free for the night. Mondays are ladies nights were they only have to pay 4 euros and then get unlimited drinks. It wasn’t all that much fun for the guys though. Sure there was a ton of girls, but drinks weren’t cheap. I only got one. After hanging out there for a while, the girls wanted to go dancing, but I just headed home. That was enough for one night.
Day 6
We had to wake up and go to class. But we had a guest lecturer that worked for Ford before being a consultant. He was way above our interest level. Everyone kept falling asleep during his 9 am presentation. He talked for a good 2 hours on the Germany economy, which was interesting for the first 10 min. Immediately following him, we had another guest lecturer on the germany education system. She only took 30 min thank goodness, but I have no clue what was said and neither does anyone else. But I did catch the fact that all germany universities are free and paid by the government. In the afternoon Dr. Zach gave us a historical tour of Bonn. We got to go to the top of this hill that looked out over the Rhyne River, and he explained how this hill has always been monumental in holding off enemies. He talked about WWII and how we (the Americans) attempted to cross some of the bridges, but the germans kept destroying them. Until one of them was taken too fast and we would take over the city. We continued our tour and saw the old church that stands as one of the highest buildings in Bonn. Later we sat in the lawn of the University and talked about something. But I was too destracted watching some guys playing soccer. Funny story….. Dr. LeUnes (my prof) was sitting next to me, and he was also watching the soccer game. I can tell a girl was asking to play, and the guys let her. But I noticed she was wearing a skirt. I leaned over to tell Dr. LeUnes, and pointed her out… and just as he saw her, she ate it hard core. Face first into the grass. We both started laughing so hard that Dr. Zach paused in his tour. It was so funny, she was fine despite a few grass stains, but it was hilarious. We then went and saw Beethoven’s house. It was small just a little apartment building, but they had turned it into an amazing museum. We got to see his piano and other instruments. Nothing exciting that night, just kind of relaxed.
Day 7
Had to be in class by 8 am, way too early. Had a personnel psychology lecture that I had a hard time staying a wake for. Im not a morning person. We then went to the university and was given a lecture on Personnel psychology. The guy new his stuff, but the room was again super hot. I must have looked really funny trying to stay awake. We then took a couple buses across town to the International Paralympics headquarters. It was very interesting to see how competitive it is. We then had lunch and headed to Koln. Its hard to describe in words, its one of the biggest cathedral’s in the world, and absolutely the most amazing thing I have ever seen. The church took almost 600 years to build. Afterwards we all hung out in Koln, had dinner at a Mexican restaurant that wasn’t that great.
Day 8
We did something all day…. But that night Lyndon and I went and played soccer with the German club team. It was a ton of fun. Despite getting stung by some really painful plants. This team didn’t get any funding, so they played in the worst part of town, on a clay field. Try to imagine the worst track ever and it was prolly worst then that. We had a blast though. We ran drills with them and did a lot of conditioning. We then scrimmaged for a while, and I held my own despite being out of shape. I knew though that the next day we headed to Rome and that I would be dead.
Day 9 – ROME
We left really early, took a train to Koln, and because the guy behind the counter was retarded, were then forced to take a train to dusseldorf. From there we had to take a bus to Weeze. Funny thing was, everyone was so eager to buy tickets that they didn’t ask anyone to make sure they were doing it right. I decided that before I spend 10 euros I was doing the right thing. Sure enough we had to by bus tickets on the bus, they bought train tickets which weren’t going to work. After we ran to the bus, we headed to the airport. The flight was the worst flight I have ever been on. The pilots were horrible they seriously felt like they crashed the airplane into the run way. Anyway, after arriving in the airport we had to take a shuttle to the train station. And then get on the right train to downtown rome. Once there we had to walk 3 km to our hotel. It would have been so bad, but 1) we didn’t know where we were going, 2) it was ridiculously hot, 3) we had all our bags and stuff. After a few wrong turns by a girl who thought she knew everything, we got there. So about 4pm we got to the hotel and got our rooms. We then got some lunch/dinner and walked around the Coliseum and the ruins. The tours were all closed, but we got to see it all, nonetheless. After such a long day of traveling I headed back early, and went to sleep.
Saturday
Woke up, and spent the whole day walking around Vatican City. We started at St. Peters Cathedral which is amazing. We joined a free tour and this guy new his stuff. After 30 min he said we could pay him and he would give us a tour of the Museums. Brian, Alicia and I, decided it would be worth it. It really was. It took us an hour and a half to get in, and we were one of the last few allowed in. He quickly showed us the most amazing things ever. I recorded most of it. Afterwards brian and I took a needed nap, and then headed to Valicun??? I don’t know how to spell it, but it was the tomb of the unknown soldier. I could look at the building forever. And if you look at my picture count, you would know. We walked around some more and found a free concert that was going to start at 930. We kept that in mind as we headed to the river. After walking around just sight-seeing, we met up with a few others for dinner. They all decided to go out drinking, but I wanted to go to the concert. And several others actually wanted to as well. It was great, hearing free music in some amazing court yard in downtown rome.
Sunday
I knew I was going to be all by myself all day, but I didn’t mind. No one was going to slow me down from seeing everything. Everyone wanted to see Florence but I hadn’t seen enough of Rome. I headed to San Angelo Castle which was great. You could see everything from there | | |
|
