Let's see, where did your intrepid traveler leave off? Well, let me hit the highlights for the moment, and I'll go back for the interesting stuff.
- Rome - 2 days then up at the buttcrack of dawn to get the flight to Berlin. Rome is amazing of course. I walked my feet off. I had managed to lose my umbrella in the car on the way from the train station to the hotel, so bought one from a little shop. Had so-so food and great food, sometimes in the same meal. My favorite was actually a salad (insalata rustica) with salami, cheese, mixed greens, tomatoes, roasted eggplant. Walked my feet off. I'll try to scan in a map of my route when I get back so you can see how far I went. I'm bummed to not have brought a pedometer (didn't think of it til I got here).
- Berlin - did laundry first day, then met group at 5:00, did a group game to get everyone's names, then walked to group dinner. Next 2 days did tours in the morning with local guide (from New York - ha) who walked our feet off. Someone has a pedometer and we clocked 6 miles on just the morning walking tour. Mostly toured East Berlin, went to Checkpoint Charlie. (That area has changed IMMENSELY - I'll have to go back to see if you can see any of the buildings in the last photo I had had of Checkpoint Charlie. Was weird to be there again 4 years later on Sept. 11/12.) Berlin wins for cheapest meal (not provided by the tour) of the trip so far. There was a neighborhood kebob place that was pretty hopping, so I got something there (no idea now what it was called - they carved some meat off a rotisserie thingy, put it in a thin bready thing like a crispy tortilla, put in lettuce and tomatoes and some sauce - amazing. All that and a coke for less than 4 euro. Could have spent a week in museums, but didn't. Wanted to go to the Guggenheim, but didn't get around to it. Went to the Jewish history museum - that was interesting, and a modern art museum whose name escapes me.
- Dresden - From Berlin we took the bus for a day in Dresden. On this day I didn't feel good. Had chills on the bus (I literally had every piece of clothing I had in my daypack on my body trying to keep warm, and also borrowed someone else's sweater). I joined the group for lunch, hoping I'd feel better, but they were going to do a walk with a local guide and I just wasn't up for it. Ben, the lead guide, brought me back to the hotel. Had dinner in the hotel with the group, but ducked out of the other group introduction game due to illness.
- Prague - one day was pretty much used up in taking the bus out of Germany and into the Czech Republic. We had to show our passports at the border crossing and that whole operation (plus the tour bus in front of us) took about an hour. Still frigging sick (seems better in the morning then worsens in the afternoon/evening - either hot or chills, sometimes alternating, then intestinal problems with pain. ugh. But luckily no vomiting.) Our guide's surprise for us for the day was that we got to go luging. VERY fun. You have a little cart thingy that takes you up the hill (you're basically attached to a wire underneath your cart) and then lets you go down (sorta like the winter olympics sport - but not nearly so fast and no helmet required). I got to do three runs, and had a blast. The little cart thing has a stick that you pull backward to break. I think I breaked twice on the last 2 runs. Today in the morning we had a tour of the city. It's an amazingly beautiful city - awesome art nouveau architecture, beautifully preserved, lots of public art (both old and modern), and the light here seems different (much like my first viewing of Florence - sort of muted but warm).
- Tour - the group members are all pretty cool. Many of the people in this group have taken Rick Steves' tours before, and they (and I) agree that the group is pretty fun and inclusive. There are one or two people who are sort of loners or out in their own sphere, but everyone is really nice and very friendly. People have been so soliticitous knowing that I'm not feeling well. (I feel like an ass for being inside instead of out in this amazing city, and for making people worry about me, but I appreciate their caring and support.) There are guys who are "singles" on this tour (unlike my last tour where only women seemed to have traveled there alone). I have been paired with Kathy from Modesto. She's a really nice lady who's been taking care of me a bit while still trying to stay the hell away from me so she doesn't catch whatever I've got. I think I may be the youngest person on the tour again (I think even our guide Ben is only in his early 30s). The co-guide is Christoph, who falls into the "it's a small world, isn't it" category by being the fiance of the guide I had on my last trip (Taunya). The hotels so far have been great - always an attached bathroom (thank god), and roomy enough. The one in Dresden had a bed that was supposed to be a "double" but was actually two twins stuck together (in the same frame and everything). Kathy slept on the couch that night, and it was probably good because I was thrashing about and either shivering or sweating. The group meals have been pretty good. Heavy on the meat (which you all know I'm a fan of), heavy on the sauces, and heavy on the dumplings. I wish I could enjoy the food more, but for today at least I'm on a regimen of tea and toast, and drinking as much water as I can stand to try to get re-hydrated.
- Misc - Photos - up to 400ish so far. Lots of food photos again. Less of churches (at least in Italy - a few when I was in other places, but they tend to be interesting architecturally). Didn't bring an adapter for Czech plugs, so my phone is dead for probably another 3-4 days (should be chargeable when I get to Vienna - hopefully my camera will hold out...) I feel like my brain is filled with so much stuff that I've seen that I don't know how to process it, how to make it make sense for you guys, but I really want to try as it's soooooo neat here, and I've been learning so much from the local guides - history and culture and how people live in both pre and post communist eras. Alcohol - have tried the local beers and/or wines for each area we've been to so far. Did at least try a Czech beer (very good, don't remember which one), but I'm definitely not up to drinking form.
- Things I miss - not having to think about how much money something is. Not having to think about what kind of food something is. Bad American television with 87 channels and nothing on (I'd love to veg out in my room watching tv, but it doesn't have one, and if it did, the only english-speaking channel would be news). Having sweats to veg out in. My friends to share snarky comments with. Normal pillows (the ones here are really flat. weird.) Being able to eat and drink whatever I want. Diet Coke (although Coke Light is much more prevalent now than it was either of the last 2 times I was here - it's similar, but doesn't taste quite right).
- Things I don't miss - you can't avoid either Starbucks or McDonalds (not that I've gone in to either of those). Hearing Americans (they seem to be everywhere, even when I'm not with the group - although standing in a group crowded around and listening to someone does tend to make that obvious).
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