Eating our Way Through Europe, brought to you by Project Runway: Introduction

Hello, loyal blog readers (if any of you are left). It's time for the long overdue spring break blog posts! But since there are ten days worth of adventures to write about, I'm going to do this in installments. So welcome to the introduction of "Eating our Way Through Europe, brought to you by Project Runway."
Why this title you ask?
1. Because eating was probably our main priority on this trip. So much good food to be had, so little time!
2. Because the only German we knew was Auf Wiedersehen, courtesy of Heidi Klum and Project Runway,
3. And because our mantra was "Make it work" no matter what happened, courtesy of Tim Gunn and Project Runway.

Here's a brief overview of all our stops along my ten-day adventure with Megan and Kaitlin:
Thursday, March 4, and Friday, March 5: Brussels, Belgium
Saturday, March 6: Cologne, Germany
Sunday, March 7, and Monday, March 8: Prague, Czech Republic
Tuesday, March 9, and Wednesday, March 10: Vienna, Austria
Thursday, March 11: Krakow, Poland and Auschwitz
Friday, March 12, and Saturday, March 13: Berlin, Germany

As one of the guys at our hostel in Berlin put it, it was the blitzkrieg tour of Europe. Lots to see in ten days, but I felt like we spent the perfect amount of time in each place. We were able to see the main sites and still have some time to wander off the beaten track and learn a little more about the people and the culture (and their food, naturally). We may not have spent an extended amount of time in each place, but you only get to do spring break in Europe when you are 21 once, so we wanted to see as much as possible!

And now for the unfair part...this blog post only contains the teasers, the highlights of the week. I need to give you some incentive to come back and read the rest, after all.

Life Lessons from Spring Break 2010
1. You always have room for another Belgian waffle.
2. Sometimes its worth it to go down the slightly dark, sketchy alley for the awesome local pub at the end.
3. It's fun to go off the map.
4. Do NOT jump on the first form of public transportation you see. Odds are it will be a tram that only goes one stop and leaves you in the rain in the middle of nowhere.
5. Take the tram to the end of the line. You might like what you find.
6. Rolling suitcases and cobblestones are not a match made in heaven.
7. Train couchettes are a great place for gymnastics. And dance parties.
8. German chocolate cake is not, in fact, German. It's named after a guy whose last name was German, not the country.
9. No sportswear allowed at the Opera.
10. You can get McDonald's McSundaes and Milkshakes in just about any country.
11. Regardless of what country you're in, they charge for public restrooms. So if you find a free one, go. No matter what.
12. If they tell you that you have to take a shot because its a tradition, they're not kidding. And they won't leave you alone until you do.
13. If you want to avoid gypsies, just say "Lo siento." Apparently they don't do Spanish.
14. It's possible to buy dinner for $3 in Poland.
15. Austrian grandparents are the best people to get directions from.
16. Go with the flow, make it work, and an adventure awaits.

More details to come asap...but for now, its off to Galway for the weekend!!