After eight ish months living in London, I started to think to myself: I need to do something big. See Europe proper. Make people jealous. You know, all those reasons we put ourselves through the sometime hideousness that is travelling. So Nick and I planned a four week trip around (part of) Europe, bought our rail pass, packed our very small backpacks and flew to Berlin.
Doing something like this makes you realise just how lucky you are to be able to do something like this. And I know that sounds a little confusing, but it's true. We just saw some amazing things, went to some amazing places, ate some pretty amazing food. And when I think back on it now, I'm like: Top 11 of 2011? More like Top 11 of Lauren's Life. Top 5 even.
So, we started in Berlin. We'd been there before, at Christmas time, because Nick's sister lives there. Berlin at Christmas time was everything a northern hemisphere Christmas should be. Snow, Christmas markets, mulled wine, more snow. Berlin in June was almost an entirely different place. We drank beer and ate sausages in beer gardens. We went to the park with a barbeque. We went on a very long bike ride through the streets of Berlin - the first time I'd been on a bike in my adult life. We drank beers by the river and went to achingly cool bars in the suburb of Kreuzberg.
We really did drink a lot of beer.
From Berlin, we intended to go to Prague, but the day we wanted to do this, there was a general transport strike through the Czech Republic, so we went to Dresden instead. This was a happy flaw in the plan.
On arrival, two separate kind German women attempted to help us as we stood around with our backpacks and a crude map looking confused and trying to find out which way to go to find a hostel. I'm not sure we were ever offered help anywhere else on our trip. The buildings, black from Allied bombs in WWII, were incredible. We ate icecream in the sunshine, sitting in the park, looking out over the river. It was a slower pace than Berlin, way less "cool". The hipsters were dressed like 90s alt kids which was quite endearing.
And then, finally Prague. We were pretty happy to be on that train.
In Prague, there was more beer, Czech apple strudel, sweet old buildings and two statues peeing in to a puddle. Yeah. For real. It was cheap, cheaper than Germany, though thronging with tourists. It is a sad fact that travelling would be made infinitely better if no one else but yourself was doing it.
While roaming the streets after a few drinks one night, we came across the John Lennon wall, which was utterly confusing, but pretty special.
From Prague, we went to Vienna. Vienna is on the list of places in the world I need to go back to. We didn't get to any of the museums, which was disappointing, but went to Schonbrunn Palace - which was amazing - ate delicious food in coffee bars, and wandered old churches.
It was a bit expensive, which was a problem since we were trying to do our trip on a bit of a budget. Vienna is definitely a place I would want to go back to with a whole lot of money. One day.
And then Salzburg. Salzburg gets it's own entry in this top 11 list. Just you wait.
From Salzburg, we went back to Germany, this time to Munich. Munich was cursed with some drizzly weather, but we did go out to Dachau which was one of the most sobering experiences of my life. Lots of other people have written about these sorts of things, and I don't think I'm going to try, but let's just say, I will remember that experience forever.
And then, Switzerland. Lucky us, we had two separate family friends to stay with/show us around, which was a good thing, because Switzerland was expensive. It was also good to have a wee bit of a rest, and a non hostel sleep, especially because my wisdom teeth chose this time to start hurting. And I mean hurting. I mean like what I would imagine it would feel like if someone attempted to hammer nails in to my gums.
But to reflect on the good things. We went swimming in the river that borders Switzerland and Austria. We wandered the expensive streets of Zurich. We got 30 degree temperatures and delicious food. We were lucky.
And then, from Switzerland, to Italy.
First stop was Milan, which was dirtier than I expected from such a fashion capital, but perhaps that's because we were slumming it.
We met up with one of my favourite ladies, Tash, so lots of wine was drunk in celebration. It poured with rain and my legs got devoured by mosquitos, but we established two good rules for Italy:
1. Gelato at least once every day.
2. Pasta for lunch, pizza for dinner; OR, pizza for lunch, pasta for dinner.
And then we left Milan, for Verona. Verona was more classic Italian town. The tenuous Romeo and Juliet link was basic tourist fodder, Juliet's House being crammed with tourists and covered in graffiti and Juliet's Tomb being just absolutely depressing.
The town was charming though, Tash and I discovered Soave, Nick ate horse meat (a Veronese specialty which just made me sad), we climbed the clock tower, visited the super impressive arena.
And then, Venice. I was hesitant about Venice, I'd heard enough about the thousands and millions of tourists that flock there. It didn't matter. Despite the throngs of tourists, it still managed to be one of my favourites. The city is literally sinking and it is this crumbling majesty that makes Venice such a beautiful place. When you got away from the main piazzas, and wandered down back streets, not really sure where you were going to end up, it felt like a movie. Or like it could be a hundred years previous.
A highlight I don't have photos of was going to Harry's bar, where the bellini was invented and paying 12 euros for the privilege of drinking one. Despite being treated like second class tourist citizens, that bellini was one of the best drinks I've ever had.
From Venice, we passed through Bologna, which, unfortunately for Bologna, we visited on a Monday when everything was closed. We did eat delicious bolognese and got a litre carafe of wine for eight euros, so it was still worth the trip.
And then, Florence. I couldn't help but think of Lucy Honeychurch's visit to this Italian city in Forster's A Room With A View (because I am a major book nerd) and ended up hunting out a second hand bookstore on our first day so that I could purchase a copy for a reread. We wandered down to the river, climbed to the top of the Duomo, ate the most delicious pasta in the world, shopped the markets, saw some sweet art, and drank a lot of Italian wine. We met up with some more of my lady friends here, which turned Nick in to a bit of a boss really. He either got pity or respect, depending on who was offering.
From Florence, Nick went back to London and I left with the girls for another adventure. Perhaps it was a bit of a cheat cramming all that amazing stuff in to one highlight of my 2011, but to qualify it, the highlight was the experience.
It was a long enough time that travelling started to feel like my real life. I thought perhaps I would get sick of the nomadic lifestyle, the hostel dorms, the few clothes I had packed in my small backpack, the lack of reliable wifi. I did not. Not even a little bit. I always knew that travelling would broaden my horizons, teach me something about myself and the world, but I didn't realise how much, or really in what ways. That time in Europe (and really my time in this hemisphere altogether) reinforced that money is better spent on experiences than possessions, than anywhere you go with people you love is going to be a good time and that travelling is a truly humbling experience. It makes you realise how lucky you are to see even a mere slice of the way other people live.
I realise that that got a bit heavy for a bit there. Don't worry, this next highlight will change all that.
6. Sound of Music bike tour, Salzburg, June 2011
YES, you heard me. Yeah travel's good for all that introspection but what's introspection compared with getting to see the places in one of your all time, top 5 favourite movies?? Yeah. Nothing.
I had wanted to do a Sound of Music tour pretty much ever since I knew that such a thing existed. My parents taped the movie off the TV for me when I was a kid and I watched it so much that, now when I watch the DVD, I can tell you where the ad breaks used to be. Some clever programming on TV2's part meant that I watched it a few Christmas' in a row, which of course, meant it is now compulsory viewing in December.
There are so many good things about the Sound of Music. Julie Andrews, Captain von Trapp (swoon), the songs, wee Gretl, the fact that the love story ends but the movie isn't over because they still have to run away from the Nazis.
I didn't want to do one of the boring bus tours, so chose instead the bike tour. I was lucky to have had a bit of bike riding practise in Berlin as that meant we avoided any awkward crying in front of strangers scenes in Salzburg when I realised I'd forgotten how to ride a bike (YES OK I CRIED IN BERLIN ALRIGHT. I got back on a bike for the first time, couldn't do it, and I cried. It was hugely stressful, OK, but I worked it out in the end).
If you are a Sound of Music fan, I would recommend this tour in a heartbeat. It covered all the awesome places. They take you through the squares, past the fountains where Maria splashes the stone horses, where the Nazis march in, and then up in the hills where the nunnery is. Then you go out in the countryside and see the house that was used for the back of the Von Trapp house, and then the house used for the front of the Von Trapp house.
The front of the Von Trapp house was my favourite part. A young girl was on the tour with her parents, and her dad tried to convince her to skip down the path singing I Have Confidence while he filmed her, but it stressed her out too much and she didn't do it. Which I can understand, but even now, I kind of regret that I didn't do it.
And then off to the grounds of a palace to see the glass conservatory used in the movie. The movie gave it to the city of Salzburg when they finished filming, and the city of Salzburg didn't really care too much about it (or the movie in general) until they realised how much money they could make from tourists.
No jumping around in it, unfortunately. Too many tourists injured themselves.
Salzburg in general was a great city to visit. More excellent food, church bells ringing out through the streets at all times of the day, brilliant sunshine. We spent an afternoon drinking beer in a brewery, and then climbed a hill. A storm rolled over quite quickly and we got stuck in a hailstorm. It was one of those brilliant travelling moments that you could never plan.
Salzburg. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
5. Meeting up with some ladies I know, summer 2011
I'm quite lucky in the fact that I know some pretty awesome ladies and can count them as my very good friends. When I left Wellington in May 2010, I left quite a few of them behind, so I was very excited that some of them were coming over in summer 2011 for their own European adventures.
Tash, as I mentioned, we met in Milan. Her and I had travelled to Thailand together the year before, when I was on my way to London, so I hadn't seen her in a year. We celebrated our reunion with Soave and cheese and proscuitto in Verona.
In Florence, we met up with Katie, Stacey and Alice who had been travelling through Jordan, Egypt and Turkey.
We celebrated this reunion with litre carafes of house wine, pasta, gelato and some questionable dancing in the hostel common area.
The best thing about good friends is that lots of time can pass where you don't see each other. And then you do see each other, and it doesn't matter what has happened during that time, you can still talk the same sort of shit you always have.
After all these Italian reunions, us ladies headed off on our adventure to Croatia. That's the next part though.
Boooo! I want more
ReplyDeletePatience, my child.
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