52.

52. That's the number of hours I spent on buses in 9 days. I have become a pro at riding them. And after all that time on buses with my butt continually going numb, my flights home in 6 weeks are going to be a piece of cake. 

Prague. 

I love you. 

You stole my heart last year and you haven't given it back. I think you'll hold it captive forever. 

We got to Prague, Czech Republic Sunday morning at 3:45 AM. We weren't really thinking about how early we would be getting in when we got our tickets so we didn't have a place to go. We hadn't slept in an actual bed since Thursday night and we just wanted to sleep. So, at 4 AM, we wandered around Prague trying to find a lace to sleep. Luckily, we found a place that had 5 open beds and we got to shower and sleep for a few hours. I was put in a room with two other random girls and I never actually met them. That's a strange thought to me. 

We checked out of that hostel and went to the hostel we had originally booked. We had called a taxi to take us there since it was a couple of miles away, and the taxi driver was so cute! There were five of us and only four seats, so he had Hayden put her head down so no one would see. At one point Hayden put her head up, and of course when she did that, there happened to be a police officer behind us. He didn't see her thank heavens, but our cute driver pointed out that the police were behind us and then turned a corner and he just laughed and laughed. He was such a funny guy! 

We wandered around Prague all afternoon, only going back to the hostel for food. It was so nice being able to walk around a city I was familiar with. So many memories came flooding back to me. 

We walked up to Prague castle and happened to stumble upon some sort of military thing that was happening. The soldiers were all marching and it was really neat to see. Not to mention all the guys in uniform did not look bad at all. 

There were also some big military trucks and tanks that were on display so we got to take a look at those. We were passing by one and there was a guy inside and we communicated with him using gestures with our hands and he used the gun thing to talk to us. It was hilarious! 

Most of our time in Prague was spent walking around and exploring places. It is such a beautiful city. I don't think I could ever get enough of it. 

While walking around we saw quite a few street performers. Two of them were named Chicken Joe and Salsa Sarah. They were definitely the most colorful. He was wearing a kilt and had pierced nipples. He also laid on a bed of glass while Salsa Sarah hula hooped on him. Along with them we also saw a band that was playing and they were so great! It was mostly bagpipes and drums, but I loved the music. 

Oh, I can't forget Charles Bridge! It has great views and always has so many vendors with amazing art and jewelry. 

We went on a ferry boat tour so we got to see the view from the river which was really neat, too. 

Overall, Prague was a great trip. I never thought I would be going there twice in my life. I thought one time would be it. I'm so grateful I had the chance to go again. The only thing I wish could be different would be for my family to be there with me. And no, that's not just a suck up comment. That's an honest statement. Hopefully one day we can all come back together. 

Budapest.

We left Prague early in the morning and headed for Budapest. It was a pretty long bus ride, but since it was during the day I got to see all the beautiful landscape of the countries. We drove through Slovakia to get there, so despite not actually staying there for a substantial amount of time, I am still going to say that I have been to Slovakia. I mean, after all, I did drive across the country so I got to see many different parts of it. 

Budapest was HOT. I could not believe it. Last year when I was there at the same time of year, it was freezing. We always said that nothing will ever be Budapest cold. Luckily since it was warm, we got to enjoy it more. 

After finding and checking in to our hostel we walked around for awhile. We found a mall and just kept turning down random streets wandering. We walked past one store and I looked in and saw a man wearing a shirt that said South Alabama on it. I had a mini freak out because we were in HUNGARY and this guy had on a shirt that said Alabama on it. Just a little cool. No big deal. Anyway, we ended up finding a little park that had a mini zip line in it. And of course, we had to try it. So we all took a few turns, trying not to let our butts hit the ground because it was meant for kids, and we weigh just a little more than kids. I ended up getting a massive bruise on my leg from the chain. But that's okay. I don't regret it. 

We had met some people at our hostel when we arrived, and when we were cooking dinner we met some more. We all decided to go to a bar to listen to some jazz later. The music was awesome! Although it kind of lulled me to sleep. It was a good time.

The next day I wasn't feeling too well so I stayed at the hostel while the other girls went to the thermal baths and walked around the city. I hung out with the people at the hostel the whole day. At one point I tried to go find the girls with another girl I met in the hostel from Indiana, who just moved to Budapest, named Kathryn. We walked along the river to the Parliament building, then crossed the river and made a loop back. It was such a gorgeous walk! Budapest really is a gorgeous city. Then I just stayed in the hostel the rest of the night talking with all of the people that were there. There were people from the US, Australia, England, Scotland, Singapore, and Norway. I seriously laughed until I cried hanging out with all of them. That was the first time I have truly laughed since I left home. It felt fantastic!

Vienna.

The next morning we left for Vienna. It was a little sad to be leaving all those fantastic people behind, but I couldn't be too sad because it was Halloween and we were going to Vienna, Austria!

We got to Vienna early in the day. We checked in to our hostel, had some lunch, and explored the city. I had only spent an afternoon there the last time I was there, so I wasn't too familiar with everything, but then when we got to the places I had seen before it brought back the great time I had last year. Almost getting left in Vienna last year was hilarious. Mostly because we didn't get left. But the memories of that city are some of the best. It really made me miss some of my best friends that were there with me last year.

Anyway, we took a little rest before we hit the city for Halloween night. Then we were off to see if we could find anything fun to do. We ended up walking around for a long time seeing if there was anything that caught our eye. At one point we walked down a street and I heard "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock playing in a bar. Well, really all I heard was the line "Singing sweet home Alabama all summer long" and after that I made a bee line for the door. All five of us walked right in and that bar was poppinnn. Well, kinda. There were mostly old people there. And it was pretty small. But people were dancing and singing so we just jumped right in. We all started singing and dancing too! We eventually made it to some stairs and they became our stage. At the end of the song we were applauded by everyone and then we left. It was definitely the highlight of the night. 

The next morning when we went to checkout, I saw someone I recognized. One of the Australians, Cuan, who I had become friends with in Budapest was also at our hostel! It was such a random coincidence. I was so glad I was able to talk to him for a little while. I thought it was good-bye for good in Budapest. I love it when things like that happen.

Turns out that the day after Halloween is All Saints Day. So everything in Vienna was closed. Seriously, everything. Only a few souvenir shops and some restaurants were open. That gave us the chance to go see all the beautiful buildings, though, without being distracted with shopping. It was really a great day. The city is gorgeous! I really had a great time taking it all in. 

We ended up having gelato and brautwurst for lunch. Which is something I will never complain about. They were both delicious!! 

We eventually made it back to our hostel to have dinner and get our luggage to head on back home. 

Of course, since we had some time between dinner and the time our bus left, we made one last "into the city" run. We ended up stopping at McDonald's, of course, and getting ice cream. I don't even want to think about the amount of ice cream I ate on this trip. Most of it coming from McDonald's. But that's okay.

This was a fun vacation. I'm glad I had the chance to go. I never ever would have thought a year ago while visiting these cities that I would be back in just a year. It's fantastic that I was given this opportunity again. 

I will make it back to these cities again someday.

I'm determined.

And one thing that I have learned, is that when I put my mind to something and decide I want it to happen, it happens.