Location: Praha, Česká Republika (Prague, Czech Republic)
Local time: 1:29pm

Paid for three nights... but might end up regretting it. Travellers hostel here in town is my least favourite hostel I've been to yet, and the only one I couldn't appreciate upon arrival. From the 4 flights of stairs and 3 locked doors you have to get through to get to your room, to the lacklustre kitchen (where you can't even use the fridge), to the unfriendly non-english speaking dormmates (not really the hostel's fault), to the hostel bar that is in another building, I'm really not liking this hostel. Let that be a lesson to you. Pre book your hostel when heading to Prague. Both my prime and my 2 backups were fully booked when I got in town.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still having a blast, just disappointed with the accomodations.

About one week left before I hop on a plane back home... I don't want to leave! You can't make me!

Location: Wein, Österreich (Vienna, Austria)
Duration: 3 nights

Vienna was nice... overall. First day was pissing rain and the wind was blowing like a bitch. Had to take the duct tape to my ruined umbrella after that. I think I'm getting used to all the baroque architecture as it just looked like another city to me. Certainly nicer than the other cities I've been in, especially the old town center, but the effect I think was but a glimmer of what it would have been had I flew into Prague to begin with as I had originally planned.

Not busy staring in amazement at the architecture and sites, I was able to cultivate a more civilized experience consisting of museums, orchestral performances, and Life Bowl 2005.

The museums I went to were art museums (The Leopold and The Modern Art Museum), and despite how I tried, I just could not appreciate most of the "modern" art on display. When it looks like an eight year old could have painted it, I can't buy it being on display in a museum. One painted was a landscape of sky, mountain, lake. It consisted of three horizontal bands of colour. The commentary said that the artist had boiled the landscape down to its base components and captured the true essence of it. It was three fucking bands of colour. I'm all for abstract interpretations, but if this qualifies being displayed in a museum, your better off finding meaning in tracks on a dirt road or something else that's is... you know... free. You can interpret anything you want from anything. You don't need a crappy painting by a talentless hack, you just need a good dose of imagination.

I figured it would be tragic to not attend a classical musical performance being in a city with such a rich musical history as Vienna. I enjoyed it a lot more than I though I would. I've told some people the story of my first musical. This didn't have as large an impact on my, but I still enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Pieces of Strauss and Mozart were featured along with the works of others. The venues (the Hofburg Palace and the Kursalon) were amazing and added to the effect. Who would have that a dude standing on a street in a wig could provide such enjoyment? Get your mind out of the gutter, I just mean that I bought the ticket from a street vendor. Saved myself 7 euros off the box office price and got a voucher for a free drink as well.

Life Bowl 2005 was a fasion show / open air concert. I saw the "Milkshake" girl perform and a bunch of people behind the fence attending what seemed to be one of those posh costume parties. Of note were a guy and girl dressed as characters from "The Incredibles", wearing only boots, panties, and body paint. Also, a girl dressed as a lobster, with huge claws, an awesome head dress, and 3 foot platform shoes stood out.

I had more written about Vienna, Cesky Krumlov, and Ceske Budejovice, but internet problems erased it. I'll try to write it again at some other time.