Wednesday 22 September 2010
Days 22-24 Vienna andMunich
Wed: We went to the zoo!!! (after checking out etc.).
We had all our gear/backpacks and though we would dump them in the locker room. Bad move, the lockers were tiny, and so we had to take them round the oldest zoo in the world. There were koalas and a whole menagerie of other animals, but in comparison to say Bristol Zoo, it wasn't much better (apart from the fact it was cheaper). Lugging bags around was not fun. We then, after finishing the zoo split up, with Joel unsuccessfully going back to the hostel to find our lost railway map, and with me going to find the Kurt Gödel Institute of Mathematical Logic (that's how cool I am.)
We met at the station, and got on our 4 1/2 hour train to Munich. Our train was delayed (yes, delayed, and clearly this a very big thing of the continent, as they were many announcements, and they held connector trains at stations, so people on this train could get them). The journey was uneventful, and we then arrived at Munich, and walked to the nearby hostel. Our hostel was an awesome place, full of people gearing up for Oktoberfest (as one Australian said to another in Bratislava, 'there's no point going out tonight, you've got to be on tip-top form for Oktoberfest). There were alot of Aussie and people, and we spent the night getting food and in the bar with our free beer.
Thursday: We walked into town in time to see the ornate Glockenspiel (a clock) strike 11 in an ornate ceremony (it was better than Prague’s famous clock), and then went on free tour of the city, encompassing beer halls and such. We then went to the English Gardens (which were English in the sense they there were ‘not organised’. Fair enough...). We decided we want to find a nice, beautiful Bavarian village, as in our experience Germans are lovely (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/8018436/John-Cleese-says-he-always-loved-the-Germans.html) and we wanted a nice beer hall. We got on a local train to Tegernsee. This is where the fun started:
BOB (that was the name of our train company), does not like interrail tickets, and they were not valid, we both got chucked off in the middle of nowhere (Schaftlach, a town so small it’s not even worthy of a Wikipedia page, not even in German...)
We both didn't want to spend 9 Euros on the train back
I went into the station room, only to find the guy there, did not speak English, had nothing to do with trains, and was told ‘Please leave NOW’, and was shown the door.
We both ambled round the deadest village. It was peaceful and beautiful, but not one was around.
Joel suggested to try to hitchhike
I wrote the sign
...Joel held the sign
I thumbed
We both waited 10 minutes being passed by many cars
The nice doctor man (specialising in the heart) in the jeep pulled up and took us as far as he could (a 15 minute drive), even taking us to a legal train station
I was very excited and had to sit in the back
We then got the train back to Munich, and it was beautiful
We got back, got food and went to a local beer hall for a pint. Bavarian Beer is awesome, and then we met a Brit who was there on business (he was in the clay pipes business), and he was great fun to talk to, (he had 4 1-litre glasses of beer, that night)
Friday: We packed up our stuff and put it in the luggage room. We then headed off to a very big museum- the Deutches museum. It was massive. You could have spent days in there. Thankfully it wasn’t just clay pots and bits of rock. It had a big physics experiments section (Mr Gregson would have loved it) and a maths section. We spent a long time getting there, before getting lunch (a pork sandwich, literally, we went into a butchers, they cut a 2cm bit of pork, and but it between two bits of bread, it was really nice). We then went up a tower and saw some amazing views of the city, before strolling back to the hostel. We still had time before our 11pm sleeper and thus went off the main Oktoberfest site to see hoe preparations were going for the big start day, tomorrow. It was awesome, though strange how beer was mixed with fairground rides. We then went back to our local beer house for a pint, before getting our stuff and on a sleeper to Paris. It was cleaner than the other sleepers, but still pretty cramped.
Songs of the day
Wed:
Thurs:
Fri:
We had all our gear/backpacks and though we would dump them in the locker room. Bad move, the lockers were tiny, and so we had to take them round the oldest zoo in the world. There were koalas and a whole menagerie of other animals, but in comparison to say Bristol Zoo, it wasn't much better (apart from the fact it was cheaper). Lugging bags around was not fun. We then, after finishing the zoo split up, with Joel unsuccessfully going back to the hostel to find our lost railway map, and with me going to find the Kurt Gödel Institute of Mathematical Logic (that's how cool I am.)
We met at the station, and got on our 4 1/2 hour train to Munich. Our train was delayed (yes, delayed, and clearly this a very big thing of the continent, as they were many announcements, and they held connector trains at stations, so people on this train could get them). The journey was uneventful, and we then arrived at Munich, and walked to the nearby hostel. Our hostel was an awesome place, full of people gearing up for Oktoberfest (as one Australian said to another in Bratislava, 'there's no point going out tonight, you've got to be on tip-top form for Oktoberfest). There were alot of Aussie and people, and we spent the night getting food and in the bar with our free beer.
Thursday: We walked into town in time to see the ornate Glockenspiel (a clock) strike 11 in an ornate ceremony (it was better than Prague’s famous clock), and then went on free tour of the city, encompassing beer halls and such. We then went to the English Gardens (which were English in the sense they there were ‘not organised’. Fair enough...). We decided we want to find a nice, beautiful Bavarian village, as in our experience Germans are lovely (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/8018436/John-Cleese-says-he-always-loved-the-Germans.html) and we wanted a nice beer hall. We got on a local train to Tegernsee. This is where the fun started:
BOB (that was the name of our train company), does not like interrail tickets, and they were not valid, we both got chucked off in the middle of nowhere (Schaftlach, a town so small it’s not even worthy of a Wikipedia page, not even in German...)
We both didn't want to spend 9 Euros on the train back
I went into the station room, only to find the guy there, did not speak English, had nothing to do with trains, and was told ‘Please leave NOW’, and was shown the door.
We both ambled round the deadest village. It was peaceful and beautiful, but not one was around.
Joel suggested to try to hitchhike
I wrote the sign
...Joel held the sign
I thumbed
We both waited 10 minutes being passed by many cars
The nice doctor man (specialising in the heart) in the jeep pulled up and took us as far as he could (a 15 minute drive), even taking us to a legal train station
I was very excited and had to sit in the back
We then got the train back to Munich, and it was beautiful
We got back, got food and went to a local beer hall for a pint. Bavarian Beer is awesome, and then we met a Brit who was there on business (he was in the clay pipes business), and he was great fun to talk to, (he had 4 1-litre glasses of beer, that night)
Friday: We packed up our stuff and put it in the luggage room. We then headed off to a very big museum- the Deutches museum. It was massive. You could have spent days in there. Thankfully it wasn’t just clay pots and bits of rock. It had a big physics experiments section (Mr Gregson would have loved it) and a maths section. We spent a long time getting there, before getting lunch (a pork sandwich, literally, we went into a butchers, they cut a 2cm bit of pork, and but it between two bits of bread, it was really nice). We then went up a tower and saw some amazing views of the city, before strolling back to the hostel. We still had time before our 11pm sleeper and thus went off the main Oktoberfest site to see hoe preparations were going for the big start day, tomorrow. It was awesome, though strange how beer was mixed with fairground rides. We then went back to our local beer house for a pint, before getting our stuff and on a sleeper to Paris. It was cleaner than the other sleepers, but still pretty cramped.
Songs of the day
Wed:
Thurs:
Fri:
Monday 13 September 2010
Day 18-21 Budapest, Bratislava and Viennnnnnna [Hi Alex and Anna!!!!]
On Saturday morning, we went to the castle part of Budapest, and to other underground caves, which we not actually that scary. They had the naffest 'trying to be philosophical but failing miserably' section about a 'lost civilisation'. We then went to a part of the castle to get brilliant views across the city, which is very pretty, especially its parliament building, (it actually has 3, as there was a competition in the 90s to design the building, and the judges couldn't decide, so they built three. All very different building s, all in a row, with first place nearest the river, and the other two behind, it is very strange)
We then wasted an afternoon strolling about, going to the main park, waiting for our 8 o clock train to Bratislava, wasting our final florin on a 52cm pizza. (It was massive...).
We got the 2 1/2 train to Bratislava and got to our hostel close to the station. We went to the bar to evening and met some nice Germans (Hi Alex and Anna if you're reading this- did you get to Budapest alright?).
On Sunday we got up leisurely and strolled into the very quiet and small centre of Bratislava. It was quiet and not that tourist-y (we wanted a quiet day as we were big city-ed out, ad the hostel did free laundry- that's the only reason we went) and went up to the castle for some good views. Given the large Tesco in the city we brought food and made ourselves a spag bol (We did have vegetables, mother). We then went for the afternoon free tour around the city which good, albeit a bit history lesson-ish. The history of Slovakia is actually quite interesting- there were pro-Nazi (unlike the Czech Republic) in the Second World War, despite still being the same country. We got back and spent the evening being sociable with our German (and Belgian) friends/acquaintances.
We got up, waited for our washing to finish (very important, I don't want my mother to get worried) and got a train to Vienna. (can you guess what the song for the day is going to be....)
Ahhhh, to be back in central/western Europe. It's only 50km west of Bratislava but it makes all the difference. Vienna is very large with an amazing transport system, and we were at the very edge of the city, at the oldest hostel in Austria. It showed. It's what old people would think of when they think of hostel, a 9pm curfew, no bar, no atmosphere, a clinical feel. We had lunch and went back to the centre of Vienna, exploring another big cathedral and whatnot, before heading back, going on the longest and most pointless walk in search of Weiner Schnitzel, before going up to the beautiful Vienna Forest, which was so peaceful at night. We met in our room at the hostel the nicest Scottish couple, who were lovely and talked to what seemed like hours. They told us in the very room that we were in, the night before had been two really interesting people. One, somebody from Liverpool (I think), who had decided to sell up everything and move to Vienna to be with girlfriend, however, she didn't open the door and wouldn't let him in, and doesn't want to be with him, and is thus staying in a hostel.
Tuesday: We went to this very exciting palace (Schoenbrunn Palace), which had beautiful gardens(...) and an a-maze-ing hedge maze and playground for adults. We then went into town and wasted away the afternoon doing something else sightseeing-y, although admittedly we'd (or at least I) had got bored by this point. In the evening we were back at the hostel and met a couple (or just two people travelling together -we weren’t sure) travelling from Romania to Belgium/Netherlands. They were nice enough.
Songs of the Days
Sat: The Jam- Going Underground. Belive me, badly lit caves are scary.
Sun: Cannonball- Damien Rice- Tenoius this, but in Bratislava we saw a cannonball permantalty dislodged in a building
Mon: What else? the whole reason I made this stupid section- This means nothing to me!!!! Ohhhhhhhhh Viennnnnnnnnnna. [Vienna- Ultravox]
Tues: It's so good, it's our song for the day for a second day in a row. Though, Joel doesn't like it -I do not know why. Mabye because it isn't 'Twee pop' [Vienna- Ultravox]
We then wasted an afternoon strolling about, going to the main park, waiting for our 8 o clock train to Bratislava, wasting our final florin on a 52cm pizza. (It was massive...).
We got the 2 1/2 train to Bratislava and got to our hostel close to the station. We went to the bar to evening and met some nice Germans (Hi Alex and Anna if you're reading this- did you get to Budapest alright?).
On Sunday we got up leisurely and strolled into the very quiet and small centre of Bratislava. It was quiet and not that tourist-y (we wanted a quiet day as we were big city-ed out, ad the hostel did free laundry- that's the only reason we went) and went up to the castle for some good views. Given the large Tesco in the city we brought food and made ourselves a spag bol (We did have vegetables, mother). We then went for the afternoon free tour around the city which good, albeit a bit history lesson-ish. The history of Slovakia is actually quite interesting- there were pro-Nazi (unlike the Czech Republic) in the Second World War, despite still being the same country. We got back and spent the evening being sociable with our German (and Belgian) friends/acquaintances.
We got up, waited for our washing to finish (very important, I don't want my mother to get worried) and got a train to Vienna. (can you guess what the song for the day is going to be....)
Ahhhh, to be back in central/western Europe. It's only 50km west of Bratislava but it makes all the difference. Vienna is very large with an amazing transport system, and we were at the very edge of the city, at the oldest hostel in Austria. It showed. It's what old people would think of when they think of hostel, a 9pm curfew, no bar, no atmosphere, a clinical feel. We had lunch and went back to the centre of Vienna, exploring another big cathedral and whatnot, before heading back, going on the longest and most pointless walk in search of Weiner Schnitzel, before going up to the beautiful Vienna Forest, which was so peaceful at night. We met in our room at the hostel the nicest Scottish couple, who were lovely and talked to what seemed like hours. They told us in the very room that we were in, the night before had been two really interesting people. One, somebody from Liverpool (I think), who had decided to sell up everything and move to Vienna to be with girlfriend, however, she didn't open the door and wouldn't let him in, and doesn't want to be with him, and is thus staying in a hostel.
Tuesday: We went to this very exciting palace (Schoenbrunn Palace), which had beautiful gardens(...) and an a-maze-ing hedge maze and playground for adults. We then went into town and wasted away the afternoon doing something else sightseeing-y, although admittedly we'd (or at least I) had got bored by this point. In the evening we were back at the hostel and met a couple (or just two people travelling together -we weren’t sure) travelling from Romania to Belgium/Netherlands. They were nice enough.
Songs of the Days
Sat: The Jam- Going Underground. Belive me, badly lit caves are scary.
Sun: Cannonball- Damien Rice- Tenoius this, but in Bratislava we saw a cannonball permantalty dislodged in a building
Mon: What else? the whole reason I made this stupid section- This means nothing to me!!!! Ohhhhhhhhh Viennnnnnnnnnna. [Vienna- Ultravox]
Tues: It's so good, it's our song for the day for a second day in a row. Though, Joel doesn't like it -I do not know why. Mabye because it isn't 'Twee pop' [Vienna- Ultravox]
Saturday 11 September 2010
Day 15-17. Krakow and Budapest.. more to Follow
Wednesday:
After a quiet night on Tuesday we went to the Wieliczka Salt Mines near Krakow. They were impressive, especially a big chapel carved out of salt, as well as what turned out to be a private tour for 4 (where our tour guide stole some salt for us) of soem of the mines. We then waited for the train back, having some Smietanko flavoured ice-cream (for those of you that donä't don't know, that is the name of our amazing ex-physics teacher). We then went back to Krakow, burnt some time in the Old Town, and wasted an evening chatting, before gonig to the massive Western Shopping malll, using up our zloty on food and cheap-ice creams. There was a travelling physics fair, and we took great pleasure in worklnig out the physics behind the exyhibits (yes, we are that cool). There was one grenn bottle in a big tube of water, which when a foot pedal was pressed, the bottle raised up to the top. We then got sleeper to Budapest, which was dirty and cramped, but we slept.
Thursday:Budapest- House of Terror, St Stephen's Basicillia.
Friday: Free guided tour, The Thermal Baths (it rained- alot)
We met two groups of Mathematicans
1) At the baths on Fridsay, (in the 80 to 100 degree sauna, to be precise), we met the bath Mathematicans from Krakow, who were niterraillnig along the same route. We sadly did not iscuss professors this time, but rather out hot an 100degree sauna is, and how bad it is to stay tehre for longer than 3 minutes)
2) In the queue for the shower on Friday morining, a met a girl (yes a girl9 who was doing maths at durham University (yes, a girl). I got rather excited and discussed maths. In the evening I met her boyfirend, who was also doing maths at durham. They took maths papers on holiday with them. How envious I was of their relationship. There was such nerds. I set them maths problems to do together (and they did them). The boy liked cricket also, and was wacthing eurosport cirkcet on the common room tv. I joined him. He was jsut like me.
I could go on mention lots of people.
Songs of the day
Wed:
Thurs:
Fri: Far Away Blues- Joe prudy. It rained far too much today. my passport/interrail ticket/camera got soaked. I was feeling slightly homesick. This short song summed up how i felt walking about in the rain.
Finally, Somerset cricket...
After a quiet night on Tuesday we went to the Wieliczka Salt Mines near Krakow. They were impressive, especially a big chapel carved out of salt, as well as what turned out to be a private tour for 4 (where our tour guide stole some salt for us) of soem of the mines. We then waited for the train back, having some Smietanko flavoured ice-cream (for those of you that donä't don't know, that is the name of our amazing ex-physics teacher). We then went back to Krakow, burnt some time in the Old Town, and wasted an evening chatting, before gonig to the massive Western Shopping malll, using up our zloty on food and cheap-ice creams. There was a travelling physics fair, and we took great pleasure in worklnig out the physics behind the exyhibits (yes, we are that cool). There was one grenn bottle in a big tube of water, which when a foot pedal was pressed, the bottle raised up to the top. We then got sleeper to Budapest, which was dirty and cramped, but we slept.
Thursday:Budapest- House of Terror, St Stephen's Basicillia.
Friday: Free guided tour, The Thermal Baths (it rained- alot)
We met two groups of Mathematicans
1) At the baths on Fridsay, (in the 80 to 100 degree sauna, to be precise), we met the bath Mathematicans from Krakow, who were niterraillnig along the same route. We sadly did not iscuss professors this time, but rather out hot an 100degree sauna is, and how bad it is to stay tehre for longer than 3 minutes)
2) In the queue for the shower on Friday morining, a met a girl (yes a girl9 who was doing maths at durham University (yes, a girl). I got rather excited and discussed maths. In the evening I met her boyfirend, who was also doing maths at durham. They took maths papers on holiday with them. How envious I was of their relationship. There was such nerds. I set them maths problems to do together (and they did them). The boy liked cricket also, and was wacthing eurosport cirkcet on the common room tv. I joined him. He was jsut like me.
I could go on mention lots of people.
Songs of the day
Wed:
Thurs:
Fri: Far Away Blues- Joe prudy. It rained far too much today. my passport/interrail ticket/camera got soaked. I was feeling slightly homesick. This short song summed up how i felt walking about in the rain.
Finally, Somerset cricket...
Tuesday 7 September 2010
Day 12- Prague, Day13 Auschwitz and Day 14- Krakow
Sorry about the spelling, it's awful usually, and there is no spell check, and this keyboard is confusing.
The night before we had a good time in the bar with other travellers drinking and talking, and thus got up late this day. I lost my keycard and had to pay a fine. We then checked out but left our luggage, and went to reserve tickets at the station for that night's sleeper train to Krakow. After finding an ATM we finally started touristing at 1/2 one. We did the Jewish section of the town, visiting Poigiant museums cemetries, and syganues. Apparenty Hitler, once te Second World War was won by Germany, was to make Prague the Second, cutural,Capital of the Reich, with the Old Jewish Section being a museum to the exstinct Jewish race. We had lunch and split up, with Joel using our all day trasnport pass to go up the Funicular Railway (which the pass allows you to do, interestingly, if you find unified Urban Transport Systems fascinatatnig, as I'm sure you do), while I went to the museum of Communism (decent) We decided to meet on Charles bridge,as we were on different sides of the river, with the idea of meeting in the middle. I got to Joel's end and phoned him, assuming he hadn't got to the bridge yet, however, he was on my side, we then turned back.Sadly,this hilarity did not continue because we met. Given the wide bridge, we could have passed each other many times before fnding each other. We then went back to our hostel,and burnt hours away before our sleeper with other travellers. We then got to the station at 9, and had a compartment for 6 to ourselves (two three-teir bunks).It was very basic,lying on the seat with some sheets but it worked,and we got to Krakow for 6;20am
It was too early to go the hostel,and it was very to cold, so we dumped our bags in the train station, grabbed a pastry, and got on a train to Auschwitz.
I'm not going to desirbe in any detal what it was like, (I could go on for hours),all I will do is leave a quote of Hiler's which is on a plaque in a museum there:
I freed Germany from the stupid and degrading fallacies of conscience and morality... we will train young people before whom the world will tremble. I want young people capable of violence - imperious, relentless and cruel
we got a train back to Krakow, found our hostel and food.
Today we did the usuals and found a free walking tour which was good, and then had lunch in a 'Milk Bar'. We then split up, with Joel doing a free tour of the Jewish Town (where Schlinder's Factory from the film Schlindler's List is based on) and I did some bits and bobs. That brings me up to date
Songs of the day
this is so hard....
Jon Foreman- The Cure for the Pain for day two.
Person of the day: The guy on our walking tour today who had a 'Team Maths' t-shirt on, and a subline 'University of Bath'. e had just finished first year, and guess who is favourite lecturer was?
The night before we had a good time in the bar with other travellers drinking and talking, and thus got up late this day. I lost my keycard and had to pay a fine. We then checked out but left our luggage, and went to reserve tickets at the station for that night's sleeper train to Krakow. After finding an ATM we finally started touristing at 1/2 one. We did the Jewish section of the town, visiting Poigiant museums cemetries, and syganues. Apparenty Hitler, once te Second World War was won by Germany, was to make Prague the Second, cutural,Capital of the Reich, with the Old Jewish Section being a museum to the exstinct Jewish race. We had lunch and split up, with Joel using our all day trasnport pass to go up the Funicular Railway (which the pass allows you to do, interestingly, if you find unified Urban Transport Systems fascinatatnig, as I'm sure you do), while I went to the museum of Communism (decent) We decided to meet on Charles bridge,as we were on different sides of the river, with the idea of meeting in the middle. I got to Joel's end and phoned him, assuming he hadn't got to the bridge yet, however, he was on my side, we then turned back.Sadly,this hilarity did not continue because we met. Given the wide bridge, we could have passed each other many times before fnding each other. We then went back to our hostel,and burnt hours away before our sleeper with other travellers. We then got to the station at 9, and had a compartment for 6 to ourselves (two three-teir bunks).It was very basic,lying on the seat with some sheets but it worked,and we got to Krakow for 6;20am
It was too early to go the hostel,and it was very to cold, so we dumped our bags in the train station, grabbed a pastry, and got on a train to Auschwitz.
I'm not going to desirbe in any detal what it was like, (I could go on for hours),all I will do is leave a quote of Hiler's which is on a plaque in a museum there:
I freed Germany from the stupid and degrading fallacies of conscience and morality... we will train young people before whom the world will tremble. I want young people capable of violence - imperious, relentless and cruel
we got a train back to Krakow, found our hostel and food.
Today we did the usuals and found a free walking tour which was good, and then had lunch in a 'Milk Bar'. We then split up, with Joel doing a free tour of the Jewish Town (where Schlinder's Factory from the film Schlindler's List is based on) and I did some bits and bobs. That brings me up to date
Songs of the day
this is so hard....
Jon Foreman- The Cure for the Pain for day two.
Person of the day: The guy on our walking tour today who had a 'Team Maths' t-shirt on, and a subline 'University of Bath'. e had just finished first year, and guess who is favourite lecturer was?
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