We got off the train at Praha-Holesovice station after 3pm local time. We make our way in the tram to the stop at Palmovka where we get off the tram and are greeted by a man kissing a rat! We then take a wrong turn and go a jaunt through the area, which is far detatched from the beautiful reputation Prague has acquired and finally arrive at our hostel. We were soon relaxed though when we were warmly welcomed into the hostel and shown to our room, a private twin room en-suite, which to us is very classy after sharing rooms with complete strangers for the past week. We have a kip for an hour or so then head out with our intention to see the Old Town in a dull Prague evening. We got as far as the wee pub/restruant 10 yards down the road and decide we've seen enough for the time being and settle down with a beer. Suddenly things in the area didn't seem as bad as our first impression, of which when I asked Rob what was his he replied, "Scary!"(Big Jessy!).
Our first morning in Prague was sunny, much to our suprise as we had expected it to rain constantly while we were staying there. I went for a run down to the Old Town and returned with an eagerness to get out and see the city. We went down to the train station to checkout the train times for Vienna and then headed for the Cathedral of St Cyril and Methodius. We stopped off at the pub across the road, Krama U Parasutistu, which was a themed pub dedicated to the assassins of Reinard Heydrich. After a beer in there we headed into the famous crypt where the men who had successfully killed the 'Butcher of Prague' had saught refuge while they were being hunted by Nazis and where they eventually committed suicide when it was inevitable that after a heroic struggle they would be captured by the Boche due to Curda betraying the group.
After leaving St Cyrils, we headed to the Old Town, enjoying the heat from the sunshine as we wandered along the riverfront(not hand in hand!) and seen Mozarts house on the way. We then wandered through the Old Town Square by the Old town house, and other very impressive buildings. We ventured into the Hard Rock Cafe, walked round it quickly catching a glimpse of everything we could possibly see before sneaking out without buying anything and again wandered round the Old Town, seeing a Hare Krshna march on the way. We then made our way back to the hostel after a successful afternoons jaunt around Prague.
We went out in the evening earlier than normal and went to a pub just down the road from where we were staying. It was a smoked filled boozer that had a real hardman tending the bar, and people having a drink that had returned from there days work. I think we must have been the first tourists to enter the pub as we got some very interesting looks from the punters and it had a real locals only feel about it. That didn't stop us enjoying a few pints, or Half litres, in there for an hour or so before heading for tea.
Today the plan is to head out across the water from the Old Town and visit The John Lennon Wall and the Prague Castle. Tomorrow we are making our way to Vienna, Austria which has produced many infamous people such as, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Fritzl! Hopefully the people we bump into aren't quite so evil!
Haven't found the bar Conor recommended 'Friends' and I'm pretty sure I don't want to find it either!
-Steven
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Monday, 6 July 2009
Berlin
We got into Berlin 9am yesterday morning after a 13hour train from Paris. It was pretty hard to sleep but we managed to catch a fair amount of Z's before the train arrived. After a 20 minute walk or so we arrived at the City Hostel, situtated nextdoor to the North Korean embassy, where we were informed that our reservation had been mistakenlz cancelled, however they upgraded us to a 4 person dorm instead for the exact same price so that was a nice suprise!
Almost immediately we headed out to the Holocaust Memorial and visited the Brandenburg Gate before going on a Third Reich tour around Berlin. This was quite an experience, visiting the Reichstag building, the Soviet memorial, the car park where Hitler's bunker once was and Gestapo HQ. It was a very intersting trip wandering around the sights where the Nazi party plotted some of the worst atrocities humanity has witnessed. I will go into more about this trip when I'm back home and have more time to explain.
In the evening we wandered round to the train station and booked our train ticket to Prague on Tuesday, where I have heard it is to rain for the time we are there which has really pissed me off!!!! After that we went to the small doner kebab restraunt, situated opposite where the entrance to Hitler's bunker once stood, a chinese restraunt is now in it's place. It was good to sit, relax with a few beers, and reflect on the events of the day.
Today I went my first run since Glasgow to try and maintain some sort of level of fitness while I'm out here. After that, in order to take a break from the dark tourism we decided to visit Berlin Zoo, which was pretty cool!
Tonight will probably be a quiet one, a stroll to get some dinner and a couple of beers before heading off to Prague tomorrow morning for a few days.
I'll try and get some photos uploaded soon.
-Steven
Almost immediately we headed out to the Holocaust Memorial and visited the Brandenburg Gate before going on a Third Reich tour around Berlin. This was quite an experience, visiting the Reichstag building, the Soviet memorial, the car park where Hitler's bunker once was and Gestapo HQ. It was a very intersting trip wandering around the sights where the Nazi party plotted some of the worst atrocities humanity has witnessed. I will go into more about this trip when I'm back home and have more time to explain.
In the evening we wandered round to the train station and booked our train ticket to Prague on Tuesday, where I have heard it is to rain for the time we are there which has really pissed me off!!!! After that we went to the small doner kebab restraunt, situated opposite where the entrance to Hitler's bunker once stood, a chinese restraunt is now in it's place. It was good to sit, relax with a few beers, and reflect on the events of the day.
Today I went my first run since Glasgow to try and maintain some sort of level of fitness while I'm out here. After that, in order to take a break from the dark tourism we decided to visit Berlin Zoo, which was pretty cool!
Tonight will probably be a quiet one, a stroll to get some dinner and a couple of beers before heading off to Prague tomorrow morning for a few days.
I'll try and get some photos uploaded soon.
-Steven
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Paris
Where do i begin? When we first arrived we managed to miss the train from Beauvais to Le Gare Du Nord by 1 minute, so to pass the time waiting on the next train, me and Rob went and got the first beers in of the holiday and sat outside and enjoyed the glorious weather. Once we finally got the train it was an hour and a half until we arrived in Paris. We found the Le Village Hostel with no real problem, and we dropped off our bags and went and got something to eat and book our ticket for Berlin. That night we went out for tea and then sat in a pub and watched a bit of the tennis before heading up to the Sacre Couer where everyone in the area seems to congregate and enjoy their carry-outs!
The next day we made the trip on the metro into the centre of Paris and visited the Louvre and Notre Dame, I received a call from my work seeing if I knew I was due to be in that evening! We then went a World War 2 tour and seen the Holocaust monument, Nazi HQ and where the insurrection in Paris began. We then walked up the Champs Elysees and I went up the Arch Di Triomphe. An absolutly spectacular view from the top, especially being able to see Robert, who's scared of heights, sitting on a bench below me! That evening we just sat up in the hostel and had a few beers.
Yesterday we took the metro down towards the Eiffel Tower, we didn't go up it though as there were massive queues for lifts, and I didn't fancy the wait. We then headed over to the Holocaust museum and spent some time wandering around it and seen the 'Wall of Names', a huge wall which is covered with the names of the 76,000 Jews from France that were wiped off the face of the planet by the Nazis and Vichy government. We then visited Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde's graves on what happened to be the anniversary of Morrisons death in 1971, so there was plenty of hairy rockers paying there respects to the good man, while Oscar Wilde's grave was covered in lipstick messages and kisses from adoring fans.
Today we have wandered around the Monmatre area of Paris where we are staying, while we wait for the train. At 8.20pm we should be advancing on Berlin for the next leg of our trip. I'll try and get some photos uploaded to the blog at some point but just now that's not possible. I'll hopefully post again in a few days.
-Steven
The next day we made the trip on the metro into the centre of Paris and visited the Louvre and Notre Dame, I received a call from my work seeing if I knew I was due to be in that evening! We then went a World War 2 tour and seen the Holocaust monument, Nazi HQ and where the insurrection in Paris began. We then walked up the Champs Elysees and I went up the Arch Di Triomphe. An absolutly spectacular view from the top, especially being able to see Robert, who's scared of heights, sitting on a bench below me! That evening we just sat up in the hostel and had a few beers.
Yesterday we took the metro down towards the Eiffel Tower, we didn't go up it though as there were massive queues for lifts, and I didn't fancy the wait. We then headed over to the Holocaust museum and spent some time wandering around it and seen the 'Wall of Names', a huge wall which is covered with the names of the 76,000 Jews from France that were wiped off the face of the planet by the Nazis and Vichy government. We then visited Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde's graves on what happened to be the anniversary of Morrisons death in 1971, so there was plenty of hairy rockers paying there respects to the good man, while Oscar Wilde's grave was covered in lipstick messages and kisses from adoring fans.
Today we have wandered around the Monmatre area of Paris where we are staying, while we wait for the train. At 8.20pm we should be advancing on Berlin for the next leg of our trip. I'll try and get some photos uploaded to the blog at some point but just now that's not possible. I'll hopefully post again in a few days.
-Steven
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
5 hours and counting...
Passed all my exams, bags are packed and raring to go. Time is running out fast until I leave for Prestwick Airport for a 6.40am flight to Paris Beauvais. The next time I post I should be in Paris enjoying the city sun!
Au revoir!
Au revoir!
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Edinburgh
Just realised it has been nearly two months since my last post. In fairness I have been very busy with exams and the like taking up much of my time. Celebrating Rangers winning the league and Scottish Cup has also been time consuming(yet very enjoyable!). I've also been training for the Glasgow half marathon which takes place in September and have sadly badly injured my wrist, which makes typing quite difficult!
As I have been off work due to my wrist injury I've found myself often bored. So last Friday, knowing I'd have nothing to do, I decided I would go for a day-trip to Edinburgh. I had never been to Edinburgh before, and I thought it's best I check out my own capital city before embarking on a trip visiting several capitals around Europe!
After catching the 7.50am train from Glasgow Central I arrived at around 9am to a very Sunny Edinburgh Waverly station. Almost as soon as I left the station I was taken by the sites around me. The buildings in and around the city centre are quite stunning, putting Glasgow's city centre to shame I must admit!
My first port of call was to visit Edinburgh Castle. On entry I took a guided tour of the castle and heard some funny anecdotes from the tour guide Frank who had that true to Scottish humour in which we take the piss out of ourselves. After a good 2 hours in and around the castle I decided it was time to grab something to eat and enjoy my first pint in Edinburgh. After a short walk down the Royal Mile I stopped off at a pub called The Mitre and ordered up a tuna melt and a pint of Peroni(ooh missus!). Feeling like a tourist and complete outsider in Edinburgh I wolfed down my tuna melt and sipped my pint and had a wee read of 'Not Forgotten' by Neil Oliver. The sun was beating down on my face, and I knew I could not go anymore walking without another first quenching pint. So another pint was ordered and enjoyed before setting off down the other end of the Royal Mile to the new Scottish Parliament building.
The Scottish Parliament building has taken a lot of criticism for how much of the tax payers money was spent on it. After arriving at the odd shaped, and out of place building, I decided to go inside and possibly get a tour. I set off the alarm due to my steel toe-capped boots and after getting frisked by some old codger, who seemed to enjoy it more than I, I headed up to the debating chamber, what would turn out to be a very unimpressive lecture hall. I left the Scottish Parliament building very disappointed. It seems that the criticism for the cost of the building is completely just as it seems extremely out of place, tacky and powerless.
After the parliament building I decided another pint was on the cards and after receiving a text from my dad informing me that Rose Street was 'pub heaven' I made my way up and down Rose Street, failing to find a pub where there was any seats outside available, but as it was very hot they were all occupied so I proceeded to go to pub that seemed nice and traditional, though the name escapes me now. I sat up right in the back and observed the surroundings around me. Rugby jerseys and pictures all around, it really is a Rugby city, not a football top or photography in site! I had a quick pint before nipping off to Princes Street Gardens to have a seat in the sun while I waited for my train. I sat on the grass verge for a good half an hour watchin other folk doing the self same thing as me, and some guys with mullets doing extremely strange acrobatic dancing, before heading off down the Waverly Steps in order to catch the 4pm train.
I left Edinburgh happy after an enjoyable day. It seems a very strange city, very cosmopolitan and very un-Scottish. The buildings are nice and the streets are filled with tourists, who seemed more at home than I did. I'm sure outside the city centre it will be much the same as Glasgow, but certainly the city centre is the most unique place in Scotland I have visited. I've always been biased against Edinburgh due to my pride as a Glasweigan, but maybe now I can finally admit that Edinburgh is maybe worthy of being tagged, 'The Athens of the North'.
As I have been off work due to my wrist injury I've found myself often bored. So last Friday, knowing I'd have nothing to do, I decided I would go for a day-trip to Edinburgh. I had never been to Edinburgh before, and I thought it's best I check out my own capital city before embarking on a trip visiting several capitals around Europe!
After catching the 7.50am train from Glasgow Central I arrived at around 9am to a very Sunny Edinburgh Waverly station. Almost as soon as I left the station I was taken by the sites around me. The buildings in and around the city centre are quite stunning, putting Glasgow's city centre to shame I must admit!
My first port of call was to visit Edinburgh Castle. On entry I took a guided tour of the castle and heard some funny anecdotes from the tour guide Frank who had that true to Scottish humour in which we take the piss out of ourselves. After a good 2 hours in and around the castle I decided it was time to grab something to eat and enjoy my first pint in Edinburgh. After a short walk down the Royal Mile I stopped off at a pub called The Mitre and ordered up a tuna melt and a pint of Peroni(ooh missus!). Feeling like a tourist and complete outsider in Edinburgh I wolfed down my tuna melt and sipped my pint and had a wee read of 'Not Forgotten' by Neil Oliver. The sun was beating down on my face, and I knew I could not go anymore walking without another first quenching pint. So another pint was ordered and enjoyed before setting off down the other end of the Royal Mile to the new Scottish Parliament building.
The Scottish Parliament building has taken a lot of criticism for how much of the tax payers money was spent on it. After arriving at the odd shaped, and out of place building, I decided to go inside and possibly get a tour. I set off the alarm due to my steel toe-capped boots and after getting frisked by some old codger, who seemed to enjoy it more than I, I headed up to the debating chamber, what would turn out to be a very unimpressive lecture hall. I left the Scottish Parliament building very disappointed. It seems that the criticism for the cost of the building is completely just as it seems extremely out of place, tacky and powerless.
After the parliament building I decided another pint was on the cards and after receiving a text from my dad informing me that Rose Street was 'pub heaven' I made my way up and down Rose Street, failing to find a pub where there was any seats outside available, but as it was very hot they were all occupied so I proceeded to go to pub that seemed nice and traditional, though the name escapes me now. I sat up right in the back and observed the surroundings around me. Rugby jerseys and pictures all around, it really is a Rugby city, not a football top or photography in site! I had a quick pint before nipping off to Princes Street Gardens to have a seat in the sun while I waited for my train. I sat on the grass verge for a good half an hour watchin other folk doing the self same thing as me, and some guys with mullets doing extremely strange acrobatic dancing, before heading off down the Waverly Steps in order to catch the 4pm train.
I left Edinburgh happy after an enjoyable day. It seems a very strange city, very cosmopolitan and very un-Scottish. The buildings are nice and the streets are filled with tourists, who seemed more at home than I did. I'm sure outside the city centre it will be much the same as Glasgow, but certainly the city centre is the most unique place in Scotland I have visited. I've always been biased against Edinburgh due to my pride as a Glasweigan, but maybe now I can finally admit that Edinburgh is maybe worthy of being tagged, 'The Athens of the North'.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Backpack and rail pass
My backpack has been purchased and my rail pass has arrived, now just for the travel insurance and my pre travel spending is complete(other than the odd thing here and there). Excitement for this trip is going to help me get through the exam period(that and the Lok doing the double hopefully! ;-) ). Can't wait to get going, enjoying looking at the different cities I'm going to and thinking of things I'd like to do while I'm there.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Inter Rail Pass
That's me finally bought my rail pass for this summer. Every new thing I buy for the trip makes me even more excited, thought parting with £400 over the internet does make me nervous! All I need now is my back pack then I'm sorted. Just got to keep working hard to get more money and pass my exams at Uni first time so I don't have to worry about sitting any resits in August. Only 90 days til we go!
-Steven
-Steven
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)