Thirsty Swagman

Prague/Bamberg/Dusseldorf

So I get off my bus in Prague - one of myunexpected favourite cities from 2012 - and head to the hotel,  give my name at reception, and I'm shown to my room. 

All I can say is that coming from a scummy hostel in Munich that I shared with 7 others, to my twin room in a 4* hotel - Wow wow wow. The sheets were clean, the room was flashy, complete with TV and those little complimentary shampoo/conditioners. I don't know what I'd expected, but I definitely didn't expect this from a tour called 'Thirsty Swagman'. 

I chilled until Shoogs and the rest of the tour showed up. Shoogs was staying for one overlapping night and then flying out the following eve. I was roomed with a Kiwi girl and Shoogs. We got ready, headed downstairs and met the rest of the group. To be honest, only a few of them were my kinda people, but that's all I needed because I bonded with Shoogs, Chi, and Zuza pretty quickly! The rest of the guys were mainly RAAF guys from Australia, which meant mutual Facebook friends. They were friendly enough, and one of them seemed to have a weirdly aggressive relationship with an American chic on the tour. Easier to steer clear.

Anyway, I guess the whole point of the 'Thirsty Swagman' tours is that you go out on the piss every night, and spend the next day recovering. So the first night out was a pub-crawl, as was the next, and the next.. I think you get where I'm going. The 3 cities kind-of blur into one. So here comes some more dot-points on what I do remember:

Prague

- We went on a hunt for the John Lennon Wall (a must-see, as I missed it last time!) and you can never take too many pictures

- The bridges in are beautiful - but don't stand too close to the edge or you might lose your camera (as Shoogs did)

- Lunch @ 'School Restaurant' on the river was uber relaxing.

- The astronomical-clock is gorgeous, as is the rest of the city. Do not visit Prague without a camera.

- Massages are cheap!

- Zuza's name is always fun to say

Bamberg

- Not a lot to see/do here, but dancing down the street along the Canals with Zuza and Chi was definitely a highlight.

- Never underestimate female bonding. I had a long-distance romance called off via email at a pub in Bamberg (fun!), and although I'd known them for 2 days - those girls treated me like I was their best friend.

- €15 for fake timberlands is a bargain 

Dusseldorf

- Some people have too much money. The hotel we stayed in, was INSANELY flashy.

- 260 ish bars & clubs, within 1sq km = Dangerous.

- Germans really are eclectic with their music taste - there were literally hiphop clubs next to heavy metal bars, and burlesque clubs next to a jazz cafe. Something for everyone.

- Don't get drunk and try to order €80 of room service at your hotel unless you've got someone there to stop you (Thanks Chi).

- I realised I'm running out of money, drinking doesn't help a sad heart, a bit happy to be going back to London, and in massive need of a detox!

Nothing like a drunken week away to cleanse the soul...
✌