Rafting. And Then More Drinking! TEAM FUCK YEAH!

We left Venice after breakfast at the hotel where I enjoyed some great espresso there for breakfast that seems so rampant in Europe. Then we were off to the Austrian Tyrol district to stay at a Contiki’s Gastoff hostel in Hopfgarten (aka a hotel full of Contiki travelers!), but on the way we stopped in Brenner Pass to go white water rafting!

I think a prerequisite for the job as a rafting tour guide was that you had to be a sexy, foreign, English-speaking male, because all of the guides were incredibly good looking, and we all noticed! We got into our gear and did a little safety training session and jumped into the river to get a taste of the water temperature before getting onto our rafts. The rafting was so awesome! We jumped and fell into the water a couple times, definitely got splashed around, and purposely spun and tried to flip the raft, just for fun.

After the 45 minute raft ride, guides were waiting for us with shots of schnapps and gouloush soup, which are Austrian favorites. We got back onto the coach after lunch and headed to Hopfgarten, this quiet little town in the mountains. After checking into the hotel, we wanted to go out.

But there wasn’t much nightlife in Hopfgarten, however Ryan (the tour guide) recommended this one bar called The Silver Bullet, and the coach shuttled us there after we’d had some time to settle in our hotel and shower. They had punch-off beer cards (10 pints for 20 euros) so Elise and I shared a card and Contiki travelers literally took over the bar. It was a Monday night, so the bar was pretty empty, but we sure made it fun!

When the beer card was all gone, things turned a little crazier—shots of absinthe started to come out, and whiskey-in-a-water bottle outside the bar was involved too. Me and some of the girls got to know the Contiki crew of Marky Mark (left) our tour guide Rhyno (being fondled in the middle) and K-Mad a little better, by playing “The Questions Game” and “Never Have I Ever”. This was a blast, and full of laughs. Let’s just say the quote of the night was “Penis in your ear!!” and I think that kind of sums it up!

Anyway we didn't feel like walking back (although it wasn't very far) so we decided instead to cab it home. The cab driver was driving 80-90 miles an hour along small, turny cobblestone streets! Had I not been intoxicated I would have been terrified! When we asked him about his driving, he said “There’s one cop in the city. My dad’s the cop.” So I guess he wasn’t worried! We passed out at the hotel after another awesome night, ready to mountain bike in the Alps in the morning!

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." -- Jawaharal Nehru