Day 17 : Munich Oktoberfest - a Festival of Beer

Wednesday 23 September 2009

Today we arrive in Munich, home of Oktoberfest!! I didn’t know what to expect about this much awaited festival that is celebrated all over the world (yea even on our shores) so it was extremely exciting to be at the very heart of it all.

Festive goers would usually dress in their traditional best – girls in their gorgeous dresses which pushes up their boobies and guys in their leather pants. They apparently proudly wear their traditional clothes on a daily basis. We went into town to find some get up for us but it was just too expensive for me, even in the second hand shops. Chucky & Paulie spent like 160 Euros on their outfit each.

Don't they look lovely in their outfits?

If you think Oktoberfest is all about hooligans, drunkards and getting wasted, think again. It’s a Festival of Beer, not a beer festival. The festival goes on for 14 days starting at 11am and ending at 11pm each night. Last call is at 10.30pm. No extension what soever. Elderly locals both women and men come to the festival with their kids to partake in the revelry. There are rides, fun fairs, souvenir stalls, food tents, toys, tobacco shop, and of course, the beer halls. No aggresiveness, no fighting. Everyone is there to have good no-nonsense fun. There were about 9 huge beer halls within the grounds, each the size of two futsal courts.

Oktoberfest - Festival of Beer, not a Beer Festival

It’s extremely difficult to find a table, especially since we were in such a big group so we ported outside the Paulaner tent first. Was nice chatting with the locals and it was so easy to make friends there. You will never feel alone.

The atmosphere inside was much nicer as the Omp Pah Pah bands were playing and they break out in their German Prost (cheers) song every 20 minutes or so. It’s customary to look into the eyes of the people you’re 'cheersing' with else it’s 7 years of bad sex and we won’t want that do we?

Scene in the beer hall

5pm was pretty tame but the scene got wilder as the night progressed and the beers kept flowing. Everyone started standing on the benches and dancing to the music. It was simply intense. Electrifying. Rad. Beers are pretty pricey though, 9 euros for a stein (1 litre). I went through 3 which were not that much really but it sure got me happy.

JB got completely wasted and we lost her as we were heading back home. Turned out she got handed over to the police, then the women’s refuge who gave her money to get back to camp. She made it back in the morning with such a tale to tell.

Partying till 11pm

Day 15 & 16 : A mild taste of Eastern Europe - Prague

Monday 21 & Tuesday 22 September 2009

Prague is such a contrast to the perfectness of Vienna. I fell in love with the country instantly. It used to be communist land so the country is really very very new, a few years old only. Dirt was on the streets, buildings were haphazardly built and everything feels ‘lived-in’.

We had a quiz on the bus before we stopped at the medieval town of Cesky Krumlov which involved answering general questions posed by all of us. Kitty was 23 Euros, a contribution of 50cents from each of us. Not bad at all. Jamie & Jacob tied so to determine the winner, they had to strip down to their underwear and run round the bus twice. Was a complete hoot. Jacob won the prize.

Jacob & Jamie running for their kitty

What in the world is traditional Czech food? We had no idea but we ended up in a Chinese restaurant instead. Excellent choice. Cheap and good. So nice to have rice again after 15 days.

Lovely medieval town of Cesky Krumlov

As with every first night in a new camp, we embraced the new country with a night out, this time by going on a Pub Crawl through Prague’s nightlife. 15 Euros get you free flow at one bar for an hour (beer, wine, vodka cranberry shots), shots at two more bars and the last destination at a 5-storey disco. It’s pretty much like MOS with diff music and scenes at each floor – house, R&B, 80s, techno and mainstream. Wanted to go back early but came back at 3am coz the bloody cab driver lost his way. He cursed us too.

Pub Crawl!

The next day was spent roaming the streets of Prague and disturbing the guards at the castle. They don’t move. Ever. I would so hate to be them and put up with annoying tourists like us every single day.

Loved the lunch cruise along the River Vltava. Good buffet lunch, gorgeous scenery and great company. Had drinks at the top deck with Jerry. Went through quite a few. Most of the group were stoned from the night before so it was only a handful of us who were paying attention to the lovely Czech guide. The guys were obviously smitten by her. She is cute though I admit.

Disturbing the guards in Prague

River cruise along the Vltava River

Visited a Sex Machines Museum after the cruise and got educated by a black & white porn film which was made way back in the 40s or so. Porn actors those days were horribly disgusting :P There was an impressive range of sex-related instruments such as chastity belts, S&M toys and all sorts of weird stuff. Didn’t manage to visit the communist museum though. Pity.

Facinating stuff at the Sex Machines Museum

Day 13 & 14 : Vienna, Austria

Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 September 2009

Vienna, Austria, home of Mozart and the Sound of Music. Austrians are not known for their sense of humour and Scotty warned us before hand that they would not take any nonsense from us at the camp. We’ve entered non-Contiki camp zones now for our second half of the Europe leg.

It was just our luck that the campsite was closed till 2010. Very kind of Contiki not to inform us but it was a blessing in disguise as we went to a more relaxed camp on the other side of town. Scotty, Jerry & Amber had to sleep in the bus this time as there were no available cabins for the crew.

There’s a huge amusement park in Prata, much bigger than the one we went to in Nice. Bungy rides, sling shots, fast cars, haunted houses, whacky rides – you name it, they got it. There are plenty of beer gardens there too so no prizes for guessing where we spent half of our time at.

Family fun at the huge amusement park in Prata

The only way I can describe Vienna is that the city is immaculate. It’s almost perfect even, with every single stone in place, not a speck of dirt on the streets and everything runs like clockwork. Bit too sterile if you ask me but I like the architecture of Vienna.

Wanted to check out the catacombs under a church but service was still on. Who the heck goes for service for 2 hours anyways?? Had a huge schnitzel bigger than my face instead.

The immaculate city of Vienna, Austria

The highlight of Vienna was the visit to the Schnapps Museum. The owner, Gary Fisher, introduced us to the world of home-made liquor and debunked the myth that absinthe can make you go blind. Absinth has up to 70% alcohol! They allowed us to sample shots of Schnapps & absinthe after that. I was like a kid in a candy store. Think I took about 9 shots or so. All hail these potent liquid substance!

All hail Schnapps & Absinthe!

Day 11 & 12 : Loveliest city of them all - Venice

Thursday 17 & Friday 18 September 2009

On to Venice, the City of Water and the most beautiful city built by man. European laws require proper rest for their drivers so Jerry wasn’t driving the bus today. He took the train to Venice ahead of us for a much needed break after driving for 10 days straight. We stopped at a small town of Bologna on the way, town of bolognaise maybe? Chris was the only one who had it. We alcos just drank beer at a local pub.

Having bolognaise in the town of Bologna

Dom and Ash didn’t turn up at the designated time so Scotty went to look for them at the square. Ash turned up but Dom was still missing. We headed on to Venice without waterboy. Luckily he was smart enough to have his Get Lost sheet with him and made his way to Venice by himself. He turned up at camp just before dinner. Talk about perfect timing.

It was another party night tonight as many Contiki groups were around. Theme was Pimp n Whore this time. The crew gave me some education on how to down a strawpedo (you gotta down a whole Bacardi mix in one gulp with the help of a straw for air). Kylie’s the queen with this. Beat everyone hands down. Met up with Jerry there and he finally lived up to his promise. That night was a gud gud night.

Chucky and Campbell got into some trouble with the Contiki cabin group and got creative with the ketchup, much to Amber’s dismay. We all got a shelling from her the morning after.

Pimp & Whore night at Venice camp

Took the ferry through the fog into Venice the next morning. Went to a glass factory to see a guy ‘blow a horse’ as Scotty put it and visited a lace making factory too. It’s becoming a dying art because it takes 7 ladies several months to create one table cloth. Good luck trying to compete with technology.

Blowing a horse & lace bookmarks

Venice is the city I loved the most. It flooded when we were there so we had to wade through cold ankle high waters to get around. Was a sight to see the shopkeepers in their boots trying to get the water out.

It was simply a very beautiful chilled day. Joined the South African boys this time as I didn’t feel like rushing around in a big group. We wandered aimlessly along the small alleys of Venice, got lost in the maze of dodgy paths, soaked in the amazing sights by the water and lazed in a park with the best gelato ever. Completed our Venisan experience by drinking Bellini (peach champagne) on a gondola. What a lovely day.

Went back to camp and chilled for a bit before retiring early.

Gorgeous scenic Venice

Wading in the flooded city of Venice

Completed our Venisan experience with a Gondola ride

Day 9 & 10 : Rome & Vatican City

Tuesday 15 & Wednesday 16 September 2009

Today we enter into Rome, source of most human history. It was surprisingly easy to pitch the tent today. Maybe because the ground was wet. The camp rep had to say that they have been having perfect summer weather until yesterday when it rained. This camp had a swimming pool too.

As the day was still early, Scotty brought us into the city to visit the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Piazza Navona. I kinda regret not reading up on Rome before I came coz I don’t really know much about the Roman history. The buildings would have meant so much more if I knew the story it tells. Made a mental note to watch Angels and Demons again so I can brag that I’ve been to these places hehe.

Piazza Navona, Pantheon and having dinner in Rome

What I love about these camps again are their parties. These young people really know how to do it well. There were a few Contiki groups in camp that night and the bar decided to organise a Cross-Dressing night for us. Yea, guys come as girls, girls as guys. You get the picture. People here are much more sporting. Kinda admire them really that they don’t give a shit about being in a dress. Our boys here wouldn’t be caught dead in one. Talk about lack of confidence of their own sexuality.

Loaned Campbell & Jared my bra & singlet while I wore Jared’s collar-T, Alaistair’s top hat (one that Slash of GNR wears) and a boxers which had a pic of a dick on it. Bought that for Deep but don’t think he’ll mind me wearing them once.. I hope.

The boys look gorgeous in their dresses! Brandon looked like a sophisticated classy prostitute while Jacob just looked like a cheap slut haha. All the boys were sluts that night. Campbell too.. shoving his tits to everyone. And Paulie at the end.. the skirt is supposed to cover your legs not lifted up over your head! Even Scotty & Jerry wore dresses. Didn’t see Amber though.

Was a really good night that night except for an incident where Heather fell and hit her head which required 4 stitches but all was good. Got to know my lovely Kiwi boy better too ;)

Havoc Cross-Dressing

Woke up not that great coz of the late night but it was to be a full day in Rome today. Jared stunk of alcohol. Couldn’t concentrate much on the lady who was our guide through the Roman Forum and the Colosseum but the ruins of the Colosseum still projected an aura of majesticness about it. Countless gladiators and innocent slaves lost their lives there, all in the name of entertainment for the Emperor.

The majestic ruins of the Colosseum

We met up with Scotty after that and he took us to the Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Can’t believe there’s a country in a city. They even have their own Swiss guards. Angels and Demons all over again.

The highlight of the Vatican City was the Sistine Chapel where Michelangelo painted his famous Creation of Adam on its ceiling. You have to give him credit for the time & effort spent painting them. We were trying to find all the human organs that he hid in his paintings. Scholars only recently found out about them but the only one we managed to find was the brain. The pictures don’t do justice (managed to sneak a picture). You gotta go there to experience it for yourself.

Visited St Peter’s Basicila as well which was equally breathtaking. Can’t believe I’m in the heart of the Catholic Churches’ faith. Too bad I’m not a practising Christian but I was awed to be in its presence nonetheless.

Inside the Vatican City

Day 7 & 8 : Florence, Italy

Sunday 13 & Monday 14 September 2009

We enter into Italy today, home of all the delicious, suave Italian guys. So much better than the French guys but French chicks are hot. Italian chicks are pretty hot too. They have lovely olive tan skin, unlike their European counterparts.

Stopped at the famous leaning tower of Pisa first to take some cheesy shots of the leaning tower. Some of us definitely got creative!

Cheesy shots at the leaning tower of Pisa

We had a swimming pool at our campsite. Yes, a proper swimming pool with deck chairs and all. What did I tell you about European campsites? The only thing is you have to wear a swimming cap to go in. No buts about it. Oh well, they make the rules.

Dressed up again tonight and this time it was to a local nightclub, Space Disco, in Florence. Was a bit apprehensive of a Sunday night out but it turned out to be one amazing night as the club was packed with other Contiki groups as well. Everyone was all over each other, on the dance floor, in small corners, even on the podium. Was really amusing to watch actually, what people get up to when they are drunk. All inhibitions discarded ;)

Getting crunk (crazy & drunk) at Space Disco

Was raining the next day in Florence and most of us were pretty hung over from the late night out. The lady at the leather shop looked pretty annoyed trying to explain to a bunch of hung over kids how important the handed-down-over-centuries leather-making skills are to the people of Florence. I don’t blame her.

Florence, home of the many famous artists such as Michelangelo & the other 3 (yea, you know your ninja turtles) would have been lovely if not for the rain. We had a traditional Tuscan dinner in the evening which was not as nice as the French one. They were stingy with the wine too.

Went to the Piazza de Michelangelo to soak in the sights of Florence at night (while couples around us openly made out) and headed back for an early night and much needed sleep.

Florence : Day & Night

Day 5 & 6 : Nice, French Riviera & Monte Carlo, Monaco

Friday 11 & Saturday 12 September 2009

This morning we left the Swiss Alps behind to travel south into Italy before crossing back to France and on towards Nice in the French Riviera. It was a long long ride again along winding roads before we reached Contiki’s campsite in Nice (pronounced Niece).

The campsite wasn’t as great as the one we left behind but I guess it’ll do. Walked to the funfair down the road where we rode on some rides. It was a pretty nice, clean family outing.

Clean family outing at the fair

A group of us rented roller blades the next day to blade down the promenade of Nice and since I can’t blade for nuts, decided to rent a kick-scooter with Campbell (NZ) instead. Nice is famous for their beaches and the Europeans who go there to openly sun bathe. Perving wasn’t that great. It’s the end of Summer so most of the lovely ladies have gone, leaving the older, leathery-handbag, scary ones behind. Only managed to see one good pair of tities (think they were fake though and I didn't get a picture). I turned a few shades darker that day.

Chilling in the town of Nice

Perving at titties

Scotty was telling us about this wine cellar that you can bring your own bottle and fill it up with their wines. They practice siesta here the lazy buggers and to my disappointment, the place was closed. We ended up in an ice-cream parlour that served over a 100 flavours. Weird shit - corona flavoured ice cream, Mars bars, and tons of funky stuff. I went with a Baileys. Yums.

Ice-cream parlour that serves 100 flavours - yums

The girls got all dressy tonight as we were heading to the grand casinos of Monte Carlo in Monaco, the second smallest country in the world. Need to look the part. I didn’t bring any fancy stuff cause I thought we were gonna rough it out camping. Didn’t bring a single dress. Felt so unpretty around all the lovely ladies in my group :(

Monte Carlo is amazingly beautiful. It’s such a wealthy country and people don’t have to pay tax there! The country is funded by tourists who go there to gamble. Yes, you can NEVER beat the establishment.

And the casinos there are NOT like what you see in Vegas at all. No sleazy half naked girls with the loud neon signs. It’s very poshy and sophisticated. Old classic charm you might say. And the row of gorgeous cars parked outside! *drooooool* Loved the Aston Martin. Oh to live the life of the wealthy...

Monte Carlo, Monaco