TRAVELLIN' MAN

Time to check in from Europe, so here's the Coles Notes: Arrived in Vienna on June 9th and have been wandering around the continent ever since. Here's an extremely brief rundown of the journey to date...

AUSTRIA

Vienna's a great city. Tonnes of sightseeing to do and a lot of it is guarenteed to impress. Stephansdome, the Rathaus and Schonbrun have been my favorites to date. They also play American football here - my QB from UBC, Shawn Olson, is the co-head coach of the team (and this year's Offensive Coordinator at SFU). Not bad entertainment as their fans get into the game and they have a cool beergarden afterwards. I was also served the largest plate of ribs I have ever seen in Vienna, as well as the largest Cordon Bleu. They may have to roll me home.

Salzburg is also very cool. Way different geography than Vienna, and way different feel. My buddy AC and I visited the brewery in Salzburg so that was our "Sound of Music". It was, like most breweries in Europe, started by monks, so we deemed it a religious experience. Salzburg is also on the German border and very near to "The Eagle's Nest", which was built as a prvate retreat for Hitler. Instead of destroying it, they kept it as a historic site (not a tribute, but more for tourist and info purposes). Make time to go there as it is right on top of a mountain and worth the visit if only for the views.

GERMANY

Only had a couple of days here, but they were good ones. Munich is the self-proclaimed home of beer and a visit to the Beer Museum and Hofbrauhaus seemed to validate that. We also made a quick trip to Neushwanstein, the reallife castle that the castle at Disneyland is based on. The guy who had it built in the mid-late 1800's was declared insane, but this pad must have been the inspiration for MTV's "Cribs" - it is PIMPIN'!!!!!

CZECH REPUBLIC - PRAGUE

Again, only a short visit, but well worth it. The Castle and Cathedral that defines it is intimidating to say the least, and the views from the Great South tower in St Vitus Cathedral made the 287 stairs worth the trip (although AC might disagree as a 6'4", 300lb man doesn't easliy fit up a small winding staircase!). The river and accompanying bridges provide welcome vistas of the historical part of Prague, and the narrow, winding streets make it a cool place to get lost. Did not see Jan Bulis here - obviously a major disappointment.

No more time to post but I will update you on Croatia and Italy when I get a chance. back in saddle on July 3rd, so until then... CIAO!