Had a great day in Prague! Woke up early for an all you can eat steak and eggs buffet here at the hostel. We took a long tour with a super awesome tour guide. He came here last March with 200 euros and read a bunch of books, and then became a tour guide. We walked all over the city, starting out in the old town. There is a huge tower there that is all that remains of the old wall that used to protect the city. Once inside, there was an incredible amount of history. We saw the stone marker that marked the very first stone of the city. Part of the old city town hall still stands, including the famous astronomical clock. Every day at noon, there is a little show that is performed by little mechanical figures attached to the clock mechanisms. Next to the town hall, are 27 stone crosses to commemorate 27 Czechs who were executed after the 30 Years War. Prague is such an incredible city.Even with the cold, the snow, and the overcast weather, you can still see all that the city has to offer. After the tour, we went to a little Czech restaurant where I was introduced to the delicacy that is Czech cuisine. It's all about meat and potatoes. We returned to the hostel to rest for a while, and then walked around the city for a while. I was finally able to find a souvenir shop where I could buy a patch to add to my collection. I have dedicated to buying a patch from each country I visit during my time. For dinner we went to the coolest authentic Czech place ever. They even had a man walking around playing an accordion. We leave tomorrow on a 5 hour bus to Vienna. I can't wait to see what all Austria has to offer!

It's my first day in Prague! The trip stated out almost a disaster. We had decided to take the 8:10 bus to the airport from Aix. Roecker and I had decided to walk together, meeting at 7:30 outside my house. I waited for 10 minutes, and by 7:40, I decided to go on alone. I made it to the bus station right at 8:10, but I didn't see anyone. I called McLain, and he told me I had to go further on to stop 11, but I needed to hurry because they were boarding. I made it to the stop just in time to see it pulling away. I knew that there would be another bus soon, and I had pleanty of time before the plane. The one problem, however, was the Roecker was still nowhere to be found. I had assumed he was with everyone else, but when I talked to them, they said he wasn't. I had no money, so I had to run all over searching for an ATM. I finally found one and got my money. I got on the bus, but Roecker was still nowhere to be found. At 8:40, the bus was about to leave, and I look up to see Roecker, pouring with sweat, climbing onto the bus. In usual Roecker fashion, he had slept through his alarm. We made it on the bus and into the airport. I had planned on carrying on all my baggage. However, the prissy French attendent refused to let me take it on. 65 Euros later, my luggage was checked and on my way to Prague. The plane was uneventful, and the descent into Prague was beautiful. It snowed yesterday, and the entire countryside was blanketed in a peaceful snow. I changed my 30 Euros for a solid 700 Kronas. We boarded a bus, and were off into unknown, that is Prague. Then navigated our way through the subway system, and eventully found our hostel. It is only 2 years old, and is awesome. The food in it is great. I had a burger for dinner followed by a brownie. Tomorrow we are going on a walking tour of Prague, then a visit to the Communism museum, and finally a visit to the Prague castle.

Well, I leave tomorrow for Prague and Vienna! However, I've just started packing now. If my mom were here she'd probably kill me. A big suprise when I woke up this morning, It's snowing! Not too much, but it's decent. I went hiking again yesterday with some friends. As usual, we had a great time up in the hills. The weather was perfect. While we had stopped to eat on a cliff overlooking the valley, I set off exploring. In the course of this, I found a cave! Naturally, I always carry a flashlight, so we set in to explore. It wasn't too big, and the entrace was pretty tight. We had all made our way into it, when a truly massive spider crawled out from under a rock. Being that I was in the front, when everyone left to turn around, that put me in the back. Luckily, we all made it out with our lives. We continued our way down a similar path to the one from the proceeding week. During this, I found the most perfect walking stick. When we made it to the dam, we went along side and walked down to the lake itself. I'm still not sure how he did it, but somehow, Roecker found a way to fall in. It wasn't deep or anything, but it soaked his legs and especially socks. It made for a very entertaining treck back. As we reached the outskirts of Aix, I realized I needed something to do with my walking stick. So like a dog with a bone, I hid it in some bushes. I just hope it's there when I return. With all the snow and cold, it's kind of forcing me to stay in and pack. I'm having dinner tonight with all my friends going on the trip, and then it's up bright and early tomorrow for Prague! I hope that there is wifi so that I can update my blog along the way. However, in the unfortunate case, I will have pleanty when I return next Sunday.

Had a unique experience today, a true American meal. I've been searching for this delicacy for some time now. Not to say that the food here isn't great, but a man can only have so much crepes, baguettes, and cheese. We stumbled upon a little place called Le Burgerbar. The walls were covered in American memorabilia from classic Coka-cola signs to a picture from the film The Blues Brothers. The servicec was quick, unlike most restaurants here, and the food didn't disappoint. There was real bacon on it, not just cooked ham, and even the BBQ sauce was legitimate! The only unAmerican thing I observed, everyone else eating burgers and fries with a knife and fork. Needless to say, I showed them how real men eat burgers in the Great US of A. Did I get a few looks? Did it bother me? No way whatsoever. I finished that burger like a champ, face covered in BBQ sauce. All in all, a great way to spend a Sunday.