Krakow is almost coming to an end sadly and unless your interested majorly in the post-socialist transformation of the economy, any interesting content is few and far between so this'll be short...
One thing the geography trip has ensured though is we have had an eventful week meeting some of Poland's finest. We met the mayor of Oswiecim who looks like father christmas and chuckles as if he were, a very sweet Google employee who didn't seem to quite know why we were there; and some people from the regional council who were convinced we were not students at all but corporate spies... Its not everyday you get to truly meet the 'real' Polish as it were...
Poland's food has been another interesting experience; aside from what I mentioned before I decided to be brave and go for a full on main course of dumplings. Imagine really fatty pancake with even fattier vegetable filling all rolled up in balls - not particularly delightful to look at but satisfying all the same.... They also seem to love creamy, marshmallowy cakes that replace flour with gelatine - everything you eat here never tastes how you think. A diet of bread really is taking its toll, normal home cooked food is calling...
Dumplings do however have a purpose in lining your stomach for the brutal amounts vodka bars count as a measure - finding less than a 40ml single is near impossible....a trend that will hopefully reach the UK ;-). Our last night out was therefore bound to be messy especially when we let lecturers buy us drinks (a word of warning do not take amusing photos of your lecturer) and secondly you let a bunch of English boys pick the bar (a Polish tribute bar to Man United is never going to be a culturally warming experience at the best of times). Escaping the english interior I did manage to find a group of Poles from Warsaw - now dancing with the Polish is where its at. They drink vodka like its going out of fashion and dance in a similar fashion to my mother, european dancing is something else...
After a night out with the Polish, our Britishness needed reaffirming which of course the royal wedding was right on time to do. I cannot say I am particularly patriotic but when BBC World Service is at the end of your bed it is slightly addictive, being abroad makes you far more aware of how British it is. We gasped, oohed, screamed, and generally got slightly too emotionally involved but as everyone keeps saying 'oh but didn't she look lovely' - which em yeah she did.... But I'll pretend I never watched it and hate the monarchy if anyone asks....
Friday 29 April 2011
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Another scary train experience, the ghetto and dumplings....
So our last night in Prague - we pussied out. Due to lack of funds and fear of the Prague night life we decided that for 15 euros we could definitely have a more efficient night out in Newcastle, also we walked past the lot taking part on the crawl and without wanting to offend anyone who may have gone, decided that it seemed to be either LADs or those who have nothing else to do with their holiday - neither of those applied to us so we walked on....
Our last day in Prague was thus spend not hungover and avoiding the tourists (whose numbers grew every day) and soaking up the Prague sun. To be honest leaving the hustle, bustle, and heat of Prague did not fill us with too much grief and the Bradford boy (the one who called me a foreigner therefore unliked by me!) informed us that Krakow was amazing and VERY cheap. This certainly filled us with joy. Before our train that evening we paid one last trip to Topshop (highlight of prague jks) then hit the supermarket to spend our last three pounds. Even more bread later off we trundled....
Everyone looking at the Astronomical Clock in Prague.
Now if the last night train was an experience then this one was the stuff from scary movies. The train was definitely a remnant from the Soviet Bloc with Harry Potter style carriages containing high red leather benches. We hoped to get one of these eight seater carriages to ourselves where hopefully some spooning efforts could ensure a good sleep but alas our French magnetism prevailed as a French couple joined us. The result was very little space and very little sleep. I think we attempted every possible sleeping position: curled up in balls, on the floor, stretched out, rolled round one another but generally to no avail. Not aided at all by the ticket inspector loudly coming in at 3.30am for tickets and lots of loud drunken czechs singing (though in tune as Holly optimistically pointed out!).
Our train carriage and everyone ones needs for a night train!
Now if this was bad a group of girls on our trip who had taken the same train the night before seemed to have got it much worse. Highlights include: having to change trains at 3am, being accousted by drunken czechs, being told that gypsies come on the train in the middle of the night and steal from sleeping passengers, before finally being saved by a Polish man and locked in a cabin. We were suddenly very glad for the French couple.
Our train journey ended at 7am when we were turfed out at Krakow station deliriously tired but in surprinsingly good spirits due to a sugar high. Only to be met with rain, and full on rain at that, not the British drizzle. Luckily we managed to seek refuge in the hotel lobby before we could check in at 10am. Once again scrabble passed the time remarkably quickly so that we were in bed before we knew it. The hotel is nothing special but bloody hell after a shower and nap did I feel like a Queen. And the best thing about Krakow - the cheap food we have been seeking! I have also concluded that what makes a good city, is a lack of starbucks and McDonalds, general lack of tourists, and cheap food and drink. From these criteria Krakow wins!
After two hearty meals and a sleep in a proper bed, waking up the next morning was a great deal easier especially since the all you can eat breakfast awaited us. Dodgy scrambled eggs on bread (no toasting facilities) and pre cut bananas was not exactly what I had in mind but hell it was free AND we could steal some for lunch...amazing!
Now the true work began at this point with a walking tour of Krakow - sadly the weather had yet to improve and still resembled even the UK at its worst. But compared to Prague Poland is wonderfully quiet and quite nice to walk around with a very Eastern European and distinctly Polish feel to it. Being a public holiday meant not one was around bar a few crazy old people (we presume they point and scream at everyone) so promptly ran away hiding our map.
Poland is definitely very proud of its heritage with a beautifully maintained old town square and castle. The most interesting part though is without a doubt the Jewish quarter which feels very like the ghetto with run down houses and shops yet a very atmospheric and old wordly feel to it. We managed to track down a Jewish canteen for lunch where we sampled Beetroot Soup (purple, watery, and sour but good); stew (spicy and hearty); and cheese filled dumplings (about the stoogiest meal we have ever seen!). All were delicious and cheap though but maybe not so good for the digestive system on a daily basis. As we stepped out the door (a few stone heavier) the heavens literally opened. At this point I should add that despite being Scottish I cannot abide the rain and will quite frankly do anything to avoid being in it, I was also sporting bare legs (a bad choice I know) therefore vented my anger on Lucy and huffed away. At this point it was decided that post-socialist Krakow could wait til another day....
Dumpling delight!
So far other Krakow highlights include: buying two bananas, two apples, a satsuma, a pen, and mentos for just over a pound; boys turning up to do fieldwork drunk off cheap Polish vodka (of course they were found out); visiting the post-socialist town of Nowa Huta (imagine a council estate with a bit more green but comprising a huge city - very odd); and turning up on the day that the town tradition is to throw water over one another (we escaped dry thank goodness!)...
Now I am off for a free dinner courtesy of Newcastle University - amazing!
Our last day in Prague was thus spend not hungover and avoiding the tourists (whose numbers grew every day) and soaking up the Prague sun. To be honest leaving the hustle, bustle, and heat of Prague did not fill us with too much grief and the Bradford boy (the one who called me a foreigner therefore unliked by me!) informed us that Krakow was amazing and VERY cheap. This certainly filled us with joy. Before our train that evening we paid one last trip to Topshop (highlight of prague jks) then hit the supermarket to spend our last three pounds. Even more bread later off we trundled....
Now if the last night train was an experience then this one was the stuff from scary movies. The train was definitely a remnant from the Soviet Bloc with Harry Potter style carriages containing high red leather benches. We hoped to get one of these eight seater carriages to ourselves where hopefully some spooning efforts could ensure a good sleep but alas our French magnetism prevailed as a French couple joined us. The result was very little space and very little sleep. I think we attempted every possible sleeping position: curled up in balls, on the floor, stretched out, rolled round one another but generally to no avail. Not aided at all by the ticket inspector loudly coming in at 3.30am for tickets and lots of loud drunken czechs singing (though in tune as Holly optimistically pointed out!).
Now if this was bad a group of girls on our trip who had taken the same train the night before seemed to have got it much worse. Highlights include: having to change trains at 3am, being accousted by drunken czechs, being told that gypsies come on the train in the middle of the night and steal from sleeping passengers, before finally being saved by a Polish man and locked in a cabin. We were suddenly very glad for the French couple.
Our train journey ended at 7am when we were turfed out at Krakow station deliriously tired but in surprinsingly good spirits due to a sugar high. Only to be met with rain, and full on rain at that, not the British drizzle. Luckily we managed to seek refuge in the hotel lobby before we could check in at 10am. Once again scrabble passed the time remarkably quickly so that we were in bed before we knew it. The hotel is nothing special but bloody hell after a shower and nap did I feel like a Queen. And the best thing about Krakow - the cheap food we have been seeking! I have also concluded that what makes a good city, is a lack of starbucks and McDonalds, general lack of tourists, and cheap food and drink. From these criteria Krakow wins!
After two hearty meals and a sleep in a proper bed, waking up the next morning was a great deal easier especially since the all you can eat breakfast awaited us. Dodgy scrambled eggs on bread (no toasting facilities) and pre cut bananas was not exactly what I had in mind but hell it was free AND we could steal some for lunch...amazing!
Now the true work began at this point with a walking tour of Krakow - sadly the weather had yet to improve and still resembled even the UK at its worst. But compared to Prague Poland is wonderfully quiet and quite nice to walk around with a very Eastern European and distinctly Polish feel to it. Being a public holiday meant not one was around bar a few crazy old people (we presume they point and scream at everyone) so promptly ran away hiding our map.
Poland is definitely very proud of its heritage with a beautifully maintained old town square and castle. The most interesting part though is without a doubt the Jewish quarter which feels very like the ghetto with run down houses and shops yet a very atmospheric and old wordly feel to it. We managed to track down a Jewish canteen for lunch where we sampled Beetroot Soup (purple, watery, and sour but good); stew (spicy and hearty); and cheese filled dumplings (about the stoogiest meal we have ever seen!). All were delicious and cheap though but maybe not so good for the digestive system on a daily basis. As we stepped out the door (a few stone heavier) the heavens literally opened. At this point I should add that despite being Scottish I cannot abide the rain and will quite frankly do anything to avoid being in it, I was also sporting bare legs (a bad choice I know) therefore vented my anger on Lucy and huffed away. At this point it was decided that post-socialist Krakow could wait til another day....
So far other Krakow highlights include: buying two bananas, two apples, a satsuma, a pen, and mentos for just over a pound; boys turning up to do fieldwork drunk off cheap Polish vodka (of course they were found out); visiting the post-socialist town of Nowa Huta (imagine a council estate with a bit more green but comprising a huge city - very odd); and turning up on the day that the town tradition is to throw water over one another (we escaped dry thank goodness!)...
Now I am off for a free dinner courtesy of Newcastle University - amazing!
Friday 22 April 2011
Being Foreign, Swingers, and Bikes...
Me to boy with distinctly Yorkshire accent in youth hostel this morning: 'so where abouts in England are you from' (to settle a debate with Lucy)
Him: Bradford, near Leeds....in England. (Lucy was right!)
Me: Yeah I know where Leeds is I go to Newcastle University.
Him: Oh right sorry I thought you were foreign.
I walk away in anger. I even seem foreign to the English apparently, god knows where the Americans in my dormitory think I'm from. Being in Prague we have definitely encountered a much wider mix of nationalities, the Americans sure do love Europe and especially announcing the fact loudly to everyone in our dormitory, two boys are currently on an exchange to Israel. ISRAEL, the geography department in Newcastle gets all worked up when we want to conduct dissertation work anywhere but England.
The French are of course still haunting us on this trip with more French accents popping up just about everywhere we head. A few hours of yesterday was even spent stalking three with particularly nice hair and accents round Prague, a sneaky picture was even taken of them, before deciding we were university students not twelve year old girls.
Us British do also have a reputation abroad, the boys from Leeds are here for the drink it would seem and managed to spend close to forty quid each on a a night out, believe me this is something of a feat in Prague. They should head to Newcastle! Not drinkers of that quantity our Britishness for the day was the discovery of not only a Marks and Spencer but a Debenhams, Tesco, and wait for it TOPSHOP. That sign has never made me happier, stuff Czech culture when British clothing is near. Topshop aside the mall had a food court that had me gasping in delight for a good half hour, with all you can eat sushi, an Egyptian casino, Lebanese food and delights that no British food court could ever compete with....
oh HIYA.
Before we forgot which country we were in, we managed the steep walk up to the the castle which contrasts British ones completely by being more of a gated complex with palaces, cathedrals and shops. I'm still not sure where exactly the castle even was... These days most of the buildings are either museums or expensive restaurants neither of which we found much interest for. We did of course manage an ice cream and a quick game of travel scrabble (sitting with our Tesco produce of course). Holly won this time, a fact she will not let me forget in a hurry I feel. Holly and Lucy at this point decided to take on a Lesbian/mother-daughter role as we walked through the park....
Me equals third wheel...
Something not to be avoided in Prague is of course Czech beer and the traditional beer halls. We got chatting to an Australian girl travelling round Europe on her own and decided to head out for a drink. We managed to find a scenester bar but wanting something more traditional opted out of its smoky interior. Meeting up with some other girls from our geography field trip we somehow made it to a Hawaiian Bar (when in Prague...) where the evenings fun consisted off a very bizarre tribute band and what we believe was a swinger's party. Or if not that a large group of middle aged couples dressed lewdly while making eyes at one another. Take from that what you will...
Loving the Czech beer but fearing the Swingers....
After a beer induced sleep Holly and I decided to hire bikes this morning as walking everywhere does take its toll. We can conclude that cycling through Prague is not worth the bother, not only do you have tourists everywhere but trams that don't seem to have brakes and suicidal motorists. We cycled as quickly out of the centre as possible needless to say, luckily the edges of Prague are beautiful, no where looks less than post card perfect and the river cycle path was a lovely change. We stopped to pose for picture and investigate a Czech grave yard (anyone who's anyone in Prague is buried here) before heading back to the hectic city...
Posing with bikes and possibly the most famous grave yard in the Czech Republic...
As for tonight, our last night in Prague, unless something terrible occurs it looks like the Prague pub crawl may be our only option. God help our souls and our livers, 15 euros for 3 hours unlimited drinking apparently....
Wish me luck!
Him: Bradford, near Leeds....in England. (Lucy was right!)
Me: Yeah I know where Leeds is I go to Newcastle University.
Him: Oh right sorry I thought you were foreign.
I walk away in anger. I even seem foreign to the English apparently, god knows where the Americans in my dormitory think I'm from. Being in Prague we have definitely encountered a much wider mix of nationalities, the Americans sure do love Europe and especially announcing the fact loudly to everyone in our dormitory, two boys are currently on an exchange to Israel. ISRAEL, the geography department in Newcastle gets all worked up when we want to conduct dissertation work anywhere but England.
The French are of course still haunting us on this trip with more French accents popping up just about everywhere we head. A few hours of yesterday was even spent stalking three with particularly nice hair and accents round Prague, a sneaky picture was even taken of them, before deciding we were university students not twelve year old girls.
Us British do also have a reputation abroad, the boys from Leeds are here for the drink it would seem and managed to spend close to forty quid each on a a night out, believe me this is something of a feat in Prague. They should head to Newcastle! Not drinkers of that quantity our Britishness for the day was the discovery of not only a Marks and Spencer but a Debenhams, Tesco, and wait for it TOPSHOP. That sign has never made me happier, stuff Czech culture when British clothing is near. Topshop aside the mall had a food court that had me gasping in delight for a good half hour, with all you can eat sushi, an Egyptian casino, Lebanese food and delights that no British food court could ever compete with....
Before we forgot which country we were in, we managed the steep walk up to the the castle which contrasts British ones completely by being more of a gated complex with palaces, cathedrals and shops. I'm still not sure where exactly the castle even was... These days most of the buildings are either museums or expensive restaurants neither of which we found much interest for. We did of course manage an ice cream and a quick game of travel scrabble (sitting with our Tesco produce of course). Holly won this time, a fact she will not let me forget in a hurry I feel. Holly and Lucy at this point decided to take on a Lesbian/mother-daughter role as we walked through the park....
Something not to be avoided in Prague is of course Czech beer and the traditional beer halls. We got chatting to an Australian girl travelling round Europe on her own and decided to head out for a drink. We managed to find a scenester bar but wanting something more traditional opted out of its smoky interior. Meeting up with some other girls from our geography field trip we somehow made it to a Hawaiian Bar (when in Prague...) where the evenings fun consisted off a very bizarre tribute band and what we believe was a swinger's party. Or if not that a large group of middle aged couples dressed lewdly while making eyes at one another. Take from that what you will...
After a beer induced sleep Holly and I decided to hire bikes this morning as walking everywhere does take its toll. We can conclude that cycling through Prague is not worth the bother, not only do you have tourists everywhere but trams that don't seem to have brakes and suicidal motorists. We cycled as quickly out of the centre as possible needless to say, luckily the edges of Prague are beautiful, no where looks less than post card perfect and the river cycle path was a lovely change. We stopped to pose for picture and investigate a Czech grave yard (anyone who's anyone in Prague is buried here) before heading back to the hectic city...
As for tonight, our last night in Prague, unless something terrible occurs it looks like the Prague pub crawl may be our only option. God help our souls and our livers, 15 euros for 3 hours unlimited drinking apparently....
Wish me luck!
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Pretzels, modern art, and a meeting with a communist on a sleeper train through Europe...
Our last day in Cologne had us continuing the continental dream, sitting about in cafes drinking coffee while people watching, not too dis-similar to student life I must admit. But the warmer climate and foreign-ness of it all makes it all so much more exciting. We even managed a trip to the mecca of all foreign excitement - a German supermarket! It is amazing how much more thrilling they are, the three of us taking photos of amusing items must also have caused much fun for the locals.
Supermarket delights...
We also had time for a quick bit of actual culture at the Ludwig Museum, an absolute epic collection of modern art that resulted in Holly and I biting off a bit more pretentious art than we could chew while Lucy walked the most we've ever seen her (what A level art does to a person).
A pretzel or two later to recover, we were off to the train station to break our sleeper train virginity. While sitting waiting train envy began to set in as all manor of exciting trains rushed past: super fast trains, coloured one and even double deckers. Being on an island we do miss out on a lot of crazy travel opportunities as well as some of the bizarre commuters lurking about the station - we had one women shouting at us in German while another ambled past with a rocking horse. We also discussed who could possibly be in our carriage - top of my list was Alexa Chung, Alex Turner, and of course Robert Pattinson. Ideally Robert Pattinson asks me out on a date while Alexa Chung walks past and tells me my outfit is amazing. We all agreed though that if R-Patz had appeared I would most likely have been done for assault so probably best he stayed home.
A make do German substitute for R-Patz!
Our minds dreaming of celebrity encounters our train rolled in, all the way from Amsterdam. As soon as we stepped on it felt very Eastern European like something from an old movie all rickety with little cabins. Ours had six beds and a French couple who were very chatty and of course spoke perfect English. Everyone says you always meet Australians on your travels but we seem to be magnets for the French - who had kept us up the previous night with their riotous late night behaviour (getting into bed past 1am the crazy kids).The French couple were a bit more sedate luckily and when discovering we were geography students insisted on playing the capital city game - we were pretty useless! They also turned out to be pro-communist and encouraged us to start our own social movement, which he has just started in France. The future communist leader of France could have been only metres away - unlikely though...
Loving the sleeper train!
As the train scuttled through Europe the night filled with new noises. The window had been left open for air and smell prevention (5 in a room the size of a sauna results in obvious difficulties) which presented a whole host of train related noises that proved surprisingly soothing. The beeps and movement of the train were further dispersed with people getting on and off, every time a station neared an alarm would sound and the conductor tapped the carriages of those leaving. This coupled with the constant fear of missing our stop resulted in a somewhat interrupted sleep. When we neared Berlin I awoke and found an empty carriage so as to glimpse the city at night. Even at 4.30am commuters were starting to spill through the stations mingling with travellers, while the clubs were in full swing.
As I sat it was amazing how much of the conversations around me were in English, the range of nationalities on board echoed the train's long journey yet just like the French couple in our little cabin English is the easiest language to speak. Even in Germany I could listen into conversations, Americans seem to enjoy telling everyone about the travels through Europe.
As the train pulled into Prague we wearily got up and headed off to find our next youth hostel. A slightly more old fashioned affair in old Prague but equally perfect. First stop of course coffee then a supermarket for more foreign delicacies - who knows what we ate but luckily its a fair bit cheaper. Prague even has a Tesco, Debenhams, and M and S for the very homesick that will of course be visited by us! Culture for the day so far as been very educational featuring a Communist museum (getting ideas for our new political movement!).
Now an afternoon nap is in order before some Czech beer - living the European dream...
Our plan for tomorrow...
We also had time for a quick bit of actual culture at the Ludwig Museum, an absolute epic collection of modern art that resulted in Holly and I biting off a bit more pretentious art than we could chew while Lucy walked the most we've ever seen her (what A level art does to a person).
A pretzel or two later to recover, we were off to the train station to break our sleeper train virginity. While sitting waiting train envy began to set in as all manor of exciting trains rushed past: super fast trains, coloured one and even double deckers. Being on an island we do miss out on a lot of crazy travel opportunities as well as some of the bizarre commuters lurking about the station - we had one women shouting at us in German while another ambled past with a rocking horse. We also discussed who could possibly be in our carriage - top of my list was Alexa Chung, Alex Turner, and of course Robert Pattinson. Ideally Robert Pattinson asks me out on a date while Alexa Chung walks past and tells me my outfit is amazing. We all agreed though that if R-Patz had appeared I would most likely have been done for assault so probably best he stayed home.
Our minds dreaming of celebrity encounters our train rolled in, all the way from Amsterdam. As soon as we stepped on it felt very Eastern European like something from an old movie all rickety with little cabins. Ours had six beds and a French couple who were very chatty and of course spoke perfect English. Everyone says you always meet Australians on your travels but we seem to be magnets for the French - who had kept us up the previous night with their riotous late night behaviour (getting into bed past 1am the crazy kids).The French couple were a bit more sedate luckily and when discovering we were geography students insisted on playing the capital city game - we were pretty useless! They also turned out to be pro-communist and encouraged us to start our own social movement, which he has just started in France. The future communist leader of France could have been only metres away - unlikely though...
As the train scuttled through Europe the night filled with new noises. The window had been left open for air and smell prevention (5 in a room the size of a sauna results in obvious difficulties) which presented a whole host of train related noises that proved surprisingly soothing. The beeps and movement of the train were further dispersed with people getting on and off, every time a station neared an alarm would sound and the conductor tapped the carriages of those leaving. This coupled with the constant fear of missing our stop resulted in a somewhat interrupted sleep. When we neared Berlin I awoke and found an empty carriage so as to glimpse the city at night. Even at 4.30am commuters were starting to spill through the stations mingling with travellers, while the clubs were in full swing.
As I sat it was amazing how much of the conversations around me were in English, the range of nationalities on board echoed the train's long journey yet just like the French couple in our little cabin English is the easiest language to speak. Even in Germany I could listen into conversations, Americans seem to enjoy telling everyone about the travels through Europe.
As the train pulled into Prague we wearily got up and headed off to find our next youth hostel. A slightly more old fashioned affair in old Prague but equally perfect. First stop of course coffee then a supermarket for more foreign delicacies - who knows what we ate but luckily its a fair bit cheaper. Prague even has a Tesco, Debenhams, and M and S for the very homesick that will of course be visited by us! Culture for the day so far as been very educational featuring a Communist museum (getting ideas for our new political movement!).
Now an afternoon nap is in order before some Czech beer - living the European dream...
Monday 18 April 2011
The guide book Nazi in search of the best falafel in Germany...
Well amazingly we have made it to Cologne with relatively few hitches and some lovely airport experiences (Edinburgh airport comes highly recommended with a YO! Sushi and everything). In our youth hostel we had the room to ourselves (the French have invaded today sadly) but luxury last night, Lucy and Holly clearly predicting the French still decided to sleep with their locker keys round their wrists (a step too far really).
Now when describing my lack of organisation yesterday I should probably have mentioned that I am also a complete control freak, especially when it comes to guide books. Armed with Europe on a Budget I become unstoppable (described previously as a Nazi) on my quest to find the 'best' of Cologne and in this case the 'best falafel in Germany'. With this sort of recommendation who frankly could resist, therefore off I dragged Holly and Lucy to the student corner of Cologne in search of culinary delights. I must also add that the guide book was under slight pressure after two recommendations in Edinburgh failed to exist - if this Falafel was anything less than perfect Europe on a Budget and I were over.
Luckily for it the Falafel was delicious and may even live up to its title...
Holly loving the Falafel!
The best of Cologne sampled off to the Don - Cologne´s magnificant cathedral - that being a European one was of course covered in scaffolding. An issue I really believe should be addressed...
With the weather rapidly increasing in temperature, above 15 degrees, the British sides of us decided we needed a sit down and some sun cream. A park provided us with this and along with Travel Scrabble us crazy students were sorted. Sadly my Scottish side did mean that I received some burn - the ginge tinge showing its face...
I won scrabble may I add, the photo does the amazing play undertaken no justice!
Now this blog has cost me $0.50 and required me to type on keyboard similar to that of my cheap fake blackberry (scuzzberry) that has a z where y should be (oh the confusion) therefore I shall leave it there...
Now we are off in search of German beer and more guide book fodder. Then tomorrow a sleeper train to Prague awaits us along with the perils of discovering who the fourth stranger will be in our four person carriage....
Now when describing my lack of organisation yesterday I should probably have mentioned that I am also a complete control freak, especially when it comes to guide books. Armed with Europe on a Budget I become unstoppable (described previously as a Nazi) on my quest to find the 'best' of Cologne and in this case the 'best falafel in Germany'. With this sort of recommendation who frankly could resist, therefore off I dragged Holly and Lucy to the student corner of Cologne in search of culinary delights. I must also add that the guide book was under slight pressure after two recommendations in Edinburgh failed to exist - if this Falafel was anything less than perfect Europe on a Budget and I were over.
Luckily for it the Falafel was delicious and may even live up to its title...
Holly loving the Falafel!
The best of Cologne sampled off to the Don - Cologne´s magnificant cathedral - that being a European one was of course covered in scaffolding. An issue I really believe should be addressed...
With the weather rapidly increasing in temperature, above 15 degrees, the British sides of us decided we needed a sit down and some sun cream. A park provided us with this and along with Travel Scrabble us crazy students were sorted. Sadly my Scottish side did mean that I received some burn - the ginge tinge showing its face...
Now this blog has cost me $0.50 and required me to type on keyboard similar to that of my cheap fake blackberry (scuzzberry) that has a z where y should be (oh the confusion) therefore I shall leave it there...
Now we are off in search of German beer and more guide book fodder. Then tomorrow a sleeper train to Prague awaits us along with the perils of discovering who the fourth stranger will be in our four person carriage....
Saturday 16 April 2011
last minute preparations....
To the organised this will make no sense...
I have always been a last minute packer, I fail to understand how people can start packing a few days or even a week or two before - do you just not wear clothes, use toiletries, or require electronics in that space of time? As far as I am concerned a mind under time constraints is a focused one.
I have been informed that the best way to pack is to organise everything into three piles: essentials, potentials, and don't need. Put in the essentials first then whatever else will fit from the other two piles. I believe this strategy is majorly flawed as the essentials piles is very subjective and in my case happens to include everything in my room.
It is now 1am the night before we leave for Poland and organisation is very limited; throwing items in a bag is proving surprisingly inefficient. I do have a gorilla pod, head torch, and compass (essential items for a city break) but seem to lack boarding passes and health insurance cards (I am a heavy promoter of the just don't get ill strategy). I do of course have cards for the Newcastle City library, Boots, and Climb Newcastle - just in case.
I am also midway through an inner debate as to the merits of travel insurance, yes I agree it can be incredibly useful but then again could be money spent for nothing. A perfect example of why students make rubbish travellers.
So potentially insurance-less but definitely well equipped with a head torch off I head tomorrow, gathering Holly in Newcastle for a brief train journey to Edinburgh, to collect Lucy and head to the bright lights of an Easyjet flight to Cologne. Feeling slightly more orange we will arrive on German soil and our youth hostel.
Here we took a gamble and opted for the cheapest youth hostel option - the 8 bed mixed dorm. Now this can go either way; we could meet a lovely bunch of people OR end up in a room full of complete German weirdos who stay up all night chanting. Praying for the former. It also hits me that this will be the last night in a while I spend in a room on my own - this has no effect on me as I can happily sleep through my snoring....
There we go, the first plans of a dark tourist. Off I head along with two bags of yogurt raisins, 15 cereal bars, numerous crisps, yogurt, salsa, sushi, and some pitta breads for good measure. At least if the plan crashes, eating my arm will not be my only option....
I have always been a last minute packer, I fail to understand how people can start packing a few days or even a week or two before - do you just not wear clothes, use toiletries, or require electronics in that space of time? As far as I am concerned a mind under time constraints is a focused one.
I have been informed that the best way to pack is to organise everything into three piles: essentials, potentials, and don't need. Put in the essentials first then whatever else will fit from the other two piles. I believe this strategy is majorly flawed as the essentials piles is very subjective and in my case happens to include everything in my room.
It is now 1am the night before we leave for Poland and organisation is very limited; throwing items in a bag is proving surprisingly inefficient. I do have a gorilla pod, head torch, and compass (essential items for a city break) but seem to lack boarding passes and health insurance cards (I am a heavy promoter of the just don't get ill strategy). I do of course have cards for the Newcastle City library, Boots, and Climb Newcastle - just in case.
I am also midway through an inner debate as to the merits of travel insurance, yes I agree it can be incredibly useful but then again could be money spent for nothing. A perfect example of why students make rubbish travellers.
So potentially insurance-less but definitely well equipped with a head torch off I head tomorrow, gathering Holly in Newcastle for a brief train journey to Edinburgh, to collect Lucy and head to the bright lights of an Easyjet flight to Cologne. Feeling slightly more orange we will arrive on German soil and our youth hostel.
Here we took a gamble and opted for the cheapest youth hostel option - the 8 bed mixed dorm. Now this can go either way; we could meet a lovely bunch of people OR end up in a room full of complete German weirdos who stay up all night chanting. Praying for the former. It also hits me that this will be the last night in a while I spend in a room on my own - this has no effect on me as I can happily sleep through my snoring....
There we go, the first plans of a dark tourist. Off I head along with two bags of yogurt raisins, 15 cereal bars, numerous crisps, yogurt, salsa, sushi, and some pitta breads for good measure. At least if the plan crashes, eating my arm will not be my only option....
Thursday 14 April 2011
a travelling start...
A dark tourist traditionally travels to sites associated with death and disaster and is the main idea behind my geography dissertation, therefore since travelling to some dark tourist sites seemed inevitable I decided that writing a blog about my travels may be an interesting idea. However this blog has quickly digressed and aims to follow my travels over the next few months chronicling both light and dark tourism.
So through this blog hopefully I can refrain from being the illusive traveller whom no one sees to a living travel guide as I attempt to become an economic geographer in Krakow, an interailer in cologne, partake in a lad's night out in Prague. Onto climbing in Munich, surviving the dangers of a coach trip through the Balkans, before learning how to research in Sarajevo. And finally learning what women can and can't do while avoiding rabid dogs when undertaking an internship in Dhaka.
So hopefully I won't go bankrupt and will instead have some tales to tell...
So through this blog hopefully I can refrain from being the illusive traveller whom no one sees to a living travel guide as I attempt to become an economic geographer in Krakow, an interailer in cologne, partake in a lad's night out in Prague. Onto climbing in Munich, surviving the dangers of a coach trip through the Balkans, before learning how to research in Sarajevo. And finally learning what women can and can't do while avoiding rabid dogs when undertaking an internship in Dhaka.
So hopefully I won't go bankrupt and will instead have some tales to tell...
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