So I must say it has been great to be traveling again. With our rail passes in hand Matt and I were ready to explore mainland Europe. We bought passes that allow us unlimited travel for 10 days out of a month. It is great to have the flexibility. The biggest problem is deciding where to go and what to see. It's hard to realize you can't see it all. Since leaving Scotland a little over a week ago I have seen and experienced so many things. It started by leaving Edinburgh via train to New Castle where we caught the ferry to Amsterdam. From there we caught another train to Paris via Brussels. Next came an overnight train from Paris to Munich and as I sit here now I am on a train to Salzburg, Austria for the day before catching yet another train to Budapest tonight. It may seem like we are spending a lot of time on trains and it is true, but seeing the country side change makes it all worth it. A couple days in each city allows us to take in the sites and enjoy ourselves. Each city so far has had extremely different feelings than the others.
Amsterdam
It all started in Amsterdam. A beautiful city laced with canals and beautiful buildings. It was great to be in a place I had never seen before. The first day we met up with a friend I had met in Ireland who was making his way back home to Australia. We wondered around the city, got checked in to a hostel and started having fun. There was a carnival to see in the main square, which really took away from the palace, but what can you do. From there we grabbed pints and caught up. It was great to see Lyndon and as he had been traveling he had some good suggestions for our future destinations. Over the next two days we went on a walking tour of the city, went by Ann Frank's house, walked to the Van Gough Museum, and explored the red light district. It is an amazingly beautiful city, and the red light district is something else. Here all the rules can be broken as you can buy weed in coffee shops, or woman from windows. It really is something else, and like our trusty guide book says, so matter what, all tourist will end up here at some point. As time quickly flew by we made our way to our next destination, Paris via Brussels.
Brussels:
As we had a couple hours between our train transfers in Brussels we decided to head in to town a bit to see what it was all about. The square we came to had what appeared to be a flea market except nobody was really selling anything. Instead there was just a bunch of people rummaging through piles of stuff. To each his own I guess as most of it looked like junk but many people were quite happy with their finds. I watched this go on for about an hour while sipping a local Belgium beer before dashing back to the train station. Although I was now in a hurry I did manage to buy a waffle, and I must say the waffles in Belgium are mighty tasty!
PARIS:
After another short train ride I had arrived in Paris. It felt great, until I stepped off the train that is. The masses of people are not always fun to deal with when you have a large pack and no idea where you are going. Add that the people take pride in not speaking English and you are no doubt going to have some problems. We Headed what we thought was south of the station looking for a hostel only to get lost, and end up at a KFC for their free internet. Once online matt discovered that the number of hostels in Paris was minimal. We located one and headed towards it. A couple metro stops later and we were there, yay, right? Wrong, instead we were greeted by an unfriendly Frenchman who simply said sorry, only have one bed. We inquired where another hostel might be and he just pointed vaguely in two directions. We walked both ways, finding no such hostel in either direction. Finally we settled on a one star hotel. It was close quarters but it got us by. The next day we went on a walking tour lead by a girl from Pittsburg. She's been leading the tours for something like five years and did a great job. We saw the St. Michael's fountain, Triumph Arch, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and many other great sites. After the tour we attempted to get into the hostel again but with no luck. Instead we ended up across town at the friendly hostel. Not too bad a place but the neighborhood was extremely dodgy. After cooking some pasta and enjoying some wine we headed toward the Eiffel Tower. It was lit up blue and sparkled once an hour. Matt and I took a bottle of wine along and enjoyed the show. It was great and you could see many others doing the same. We also met two French guys who changed the negative opinion of French people a bit and had a great night. The next day we toured the catacombs which were well worth the 3.5 Euros. In the late 18th century they exhumed all the bones from the cemeteries in Paris and moved them to an old quarry. This was due to a plague in the city and the cemeteries were simply too full. It was creepy and yet neat to see the thousands of skulls and bones. From here we went to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and Napoleon's apartment. As I love museums so much this was a quick tour. The Mona Lisa was neat and surprisingly they let you take photo's. Next up was catching a train to Munich. A night train proved to be a great investment as it provided a great night's sleep on our way to Munich.
Munich:
- After a few days here all I can say is wow! What a place. For the first time on the trip we had coordinated couch surfing. Our host graciously met us at the metro station and helped us get our bearings quick. She took us for our first German breakfast. This meal included, white pudding with sweet mustard, a giant pretzel, and a glass of wheat beer. Can't beat that to start your day! From here our host headed to see her boyfriend and Matt and I went exploring. As we had basically a free day on the trains we went to the Austrian border to see Nueschweinstein Castle. It looks like the castle at the magic kingdom, but was actually a functioning castle. It, the stein of beer, and the pizza we had there made it worth the 2 hour train ride. The next day we made our way just outside of Munich to Dachau, the location of the first concentration camp built on the German soil. Dachau was to become the model for all others built after it. Walking around it is a sobering experience. When you arrive and walk in there is a German phrase on the gates which translated says, "Work sets you free." A cruel slogan all the prisoners had to read when they were forced in the camps. The camp was originally built for 6,000 prisoners but eventually ended up containing 30,000. You walk through the old shower house, which had pipes that could make it a dual purpose shower gas chamber, a reconstructed bunk house, and the crematoriums. The memorial is set up so people can view the camp and its history so nothing like it happens again. After being there I can easily say that everyone at some point needs to visit a concentration camp from WWII. It's a truly sobering experience. This night we went to a famous and traditional beer house. The Hofbräuhaus München is a huge beer hall. Serving delicious beer in one liter steins makes for a great night. The tables are what make this a really great experience because you have to sit down with others at long tables with benches. After introductions, the drinking and conversations take over. It really is a good time. From here Matt and I headed to the train station for another sausage and headed home. On the third and final say we simply rode our bikes around the city. We went to the parks, relaxed in a couple squares and watched the glockenspiel chime and the figures dance. From here we went to a smaller bier hause called Zam. Here I indulged with a pickled pork knuckle, sauerkraut, and fried potatoes. All in all it was an amazing time and I can't wait to go back. Although I now have a soar throat and fear I'm getting a cold I am really excited. Tomorrow morning first thing I'm catching a train to Salzburg, Austria before heading to Budapest tomorrow night. Miss you all and Cheers!
