Prague, Dresden, and Berlin

I had an amazing time on my trip! All three cities (Prague, Dresden, and Berlin) were beautiful, and my friends made every second fun! There was a lot of driving involved, but the time passed pretty quickly in the company of friends, and I know it was just a preview of what Euro-tour will be like in May. But if we have as much fun as I just did, I know it will be totally worth it!

Prague: After taking a train to Linz early Wednesday morning, I met up with all the other exchangers on the bus, and we set off for Prague. The drive was about four hours. But I was surrounded by some of my closest friends, and we watched ‘The Incredibles’ so it didn’t seem that long. We got to Prague in the late afternoon, and by the time we started our tour, the sun was setting. We had an awesome tour guide, and the city was absolutely spectacular. We were running a little behind schedule, so the tour guide told us to run so we would make it into this cathedral in time. Crash and I ran ahead, and as we entered, Crash turned around with a look of awe and mouthed, “Oh my gosh” and then ran around the corner again. I knew this must be not like other churches we’ve seen, so I quickly followed Crash. I was blown away by the view. Ceilings that rose to the heavens were framed by intricate stain glass windows. I took tons of photos, and just soaked in the beauty. We continued on to a stunning night tour of Prague, which is a city bursting with history and culture. At one point we walked over a bridge heading towards a castle, and I was just grinning from ear to ear. I had this magical feeling I used to get as a little kid in Disney World, except this was a million times cooler. I kept thinking to myself how grateful I was, and how amazing my mom is. When she put the money in my account for this trip she wrote ‘Merry Christmas’ with it. She is the absolute best for helping me accomplish any dreams I have, and giving me the best Christmas present of all time! This also was one awesome Halloween! Not too many kids my age get to say they spent their Halloween in Prague!

 

Dresden: We slept at a hotel in Prague, and then were off promptly the next morning to Dresden, Germany. It was raining in Dresden, and we had a bus tour. The tour was a little dull, and you could feel the mood on the bus damper a little. But we got some free time after the tour, and Laura, Izze, and I explored the city a little. We found a huge shopping mall, where we did some shopping and stayed out of the rain. We all hopped back on the bus that afternoon to drive into Berlin. Dresden wasn’t my favorite, probably because of the rain, and the tour, but it was nonetheless a beautiful city!

Representing Colorado!

 

Berlin: We drove straight to our hostel, ate dinner there, and then had free time for the rest of the night to explore the city. I headed out into the night with William, Henrique, Laura, Izze, Sam, and Kaylee. We went into the city, and ended up running into Crash, Johnny, and Lucas. I decided to go with those guys instead, and it ended up being a really interesting night! The four of us tried to speak only German at the beginning of the night, which is always frustrating for me, because their German is really, really good. But they are very patient with my not so good German J. We came across some of the main attractions in Berlin, including the Brandenburg gate. Everything looked so pretty lit up at night, and I was quickly falling in love with the city! We walked along the streets, and browsed in tourist shops. At the end of the night, we walked down by the river on the way back to the hostel. I wanted to see how cold the water was, so I walked down the steps to put my finger in. The bottom step was really wet, and I slipped, ending up in the river. Thankfully, I saved my camera and the important things, but I was drenched. Lucas the Eagle Scout helped me out of the water and had plenty of first aid advice for me. We then began to rush back to the hostel, because it was getting pretty chilly out, and I was real wet. We got a little lost on the way back, but eventually figured it out. I was extremely embarrassed for being such a klutz, but I was super grateful to have such good friends to take care of me!

 

 The next morning, we had a guided bus tour of the city where we saw other attractions like the Museum’s Island, Checkpoint Charlie, and of course, the Berlin Wall. I had lunch with Laura, Lucas, Crash and Johnny, and we spent the rest of the day together exploring Berlin. After dinner, Crash, Laura and I went out into the city again. We did some tourist shopping, and then ended up in this gigantic book store. We shared some laughs in the English section reading some super funny books, and listened to an amazing singer in the jungle café below. We continued on and came across a soap store. The guy working there was so friendly, and the three of us had a great time playing with soap and bubbles for a solid hour! We ended the night with some ice cream and good conversation.

 

Overall, the trip was completely awesome, and I am really looking forward to Euro-tour now! Mommy, since you’re the only one who really reads this, thank you so much! You really are the best for helping me achieve any dream I dream, and sending me on such an amazing adventure! I love you!