Oh Beer!

Guten Tag!

So, last time on My European Log, I was off to a bier garten with four Canadian roommates. So let's start there, shall we?

Around 9ish (cuy it closes at 12) my four fellow canucks and I headed down not just to a bier garten, but to the most famous bier garten in Munich, the Hotbraühaus. Oh yes... I thought they were saying Opera House at first, but then I caught on. So, in this Hotbraühaus, one can only order beer in one format... the one litre giant mug format. So that is what we did. In other words, by ordering eine bier, we got a HUGE glass, which could hold three regular bottles. Needless to say, after one glass of beer at thjis place, you're pretty tipsy... and if you're me, you're drunk. It was all pretty funny... we even got giant pretzels to go with our giant beer. Good times.

The next morning, I took a train to Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a very small city built on a river bank. It's really pretty... all I keep doing is taking pictures of the town and the river. I'm so lame. When I got here, I was pretty hungover and tired, so I didn't do much, but today I went to jail and to a castle.

First, I went ot visit the student jail. It's right by the University and it the place in which they used to lock up students (in the 1700s) when they were convicted of misdemeanors such as womanising, disturbing the peace in a drunken state, teasing security officers... and other such offences. The walls inside the jail are amazing. They are covered, from the florr to the ceiling... on the ceiling, even, with drawings, grafittis and names. It's so cool. Usually, when you see grafitti on a wall, it's spaced out and (sometimes) ugly and it says random crap like "Steph wuz here". But not this. This stuff was more like art. "Prisoners" were kept in the jail for a minimum of three days (and sometimes up to four weeks) and were fed only water and bread so they occupied their time, and I suppose tried to forget about their hunger, by drawing silhouettes of their fellow jailmates. It's cool... you'll have to see the pictures, I can't describe it.

After that, I went to play princess in the castle. It's awesome, too! I rode up to the schloß in a weird uphill train thing and got to walk around the whole thing. I went looking for the fire-breathing dragons, but I think they may have been asleep today. Oh well... next time. Anyway, even without dragons, the views of the city from the castle courtyard are amazing. The castle is on a hill looming over the city... so basically, you can see it all from up there. The castle was somewhat destroyed during the second world war, but for some reason the gaping holes in the red brick walls adds to the romanticism of the thing.

While I was walking around inside the castle, I got to see the Groß Faß, which is essentially a giant keg. And when I say giant, I mean it has a 221 00 litre capacity... let's pause for a second and imagine the parties which would ensue from so much beer... good times... and much puking, undoubtedly.

So, I wandered round the castle grounds for a while and I could not help but think what it must have been like living there. It must be pretty cool to call a castle your home, but at the same time, I dont know that I would ever get used to getting lost inside my home. Or on the grounds, for that matter. The place is bloody huge and the courtyard is like the size of Saskatchewan... shocking. But I guess you get to know the place after a few years... ten or fifteen probably. Then again, I think the fabulous parties you would have with all that beer would probably make up for your getting lost. But, seeing as I dont live there, I guess there's really nothing to worry abbout.

Oh yeah, and I had beer at McDonalds, like I promised I would. It makes the whole McDonalds experience that much more disgusting...

Anywho, so those are my latest activities, tomorrow, I'm moving again, and it's off to Frankfurt for me. I heard it sucks there, so this should be interesting...

Ciao!

Steph :)
xxx

P.S. I went shopping today, too... but I have decided that I'm not bringing home CRAP fro anyone, like I usually do... and like mopst people usually do, so nobody gets to be offended if I havent got anything for you but pictures. Hope thats ok, cuy otherwise I'll feel bad.