The next morning we packed up as usual and headed for our last squeezed in stop in Constance. The ICE to Offenburg was completely empty and at the last minute we went for the front of the train where we found the drivers cabin open and observed the scenery fly by at 300 km/h. We then took the picturesque run to Constance through steep valleys and flat plateaus. the hostel in constance was also expensive but we managed to get a full diner there for 1.5 euros each. The hostel was really cool and we had a lakeview from our tiny room. The guy sent us to the beach that was not really a beach but a one meter strip of pebbles between lake and trees. It was hot and the sun was out and thats all we cared for. As we went to bed, we did a full review of our trip and talked about doing the last set of sandwiches and last train and last packing etc. That morning we went to the "beach" at 8 am and stayed until 1. The clouds started moving in just as we left. We had 30 minutes before the train departed to spend the 20 euros we had left. I used my now finely tuned budget skills to get 4 bakery pastries, 6 bakery buns, a block of chesse, a deli pack, a salad and pineapple juice for only 11 euros. All of which were delicious and enjoyed as we stuffed ourselves on the way back to Landau. It was raining now but we didnt care. Dasha's aunt picked us up at the train station and we have just been relaxing since then.
We have enjoyed every minute of this trip. Its been really great and we have such great memories. The 12 GB of pictures we have should help relay of bit of the expenrience. And it is definately a bonus that we only ended up spending half the money we budgeted for whitout feeling like we cut any corners.
Now that there isn't another location to go to, we are a little antsy to go back home.
August 11, 2008
Subtropical Germany
Our return to, as it was soon to be labeled, Subtropical Germany was great. We had a bit of an adventure finding our "hostel" in Cologne. We got there earlier than check in so we went down to the Rhine and tanned on its banks while the barges went by. We finished off jams that we had accumulated up until that point on the leftovers of the dry danish bread. It was nice and hot and a summer rain came down just as checkin time came by. This hostel was like a 4 star hotel, no wonder it cost us an arm and a leg (The same price as our place in Copenhague). That evening we toured Cologne from its amazing Dom to the famous Eau de Cologne House, not too bad of a city.
The next morning we woke up bright and early for an expected river cruise on the Rhine. However our train to Koblenz was late (Sometimes German trains are late too), so we swapped days and went to Trier. Our groceries in Koblenz for lunch and diner set us back 6 euros; subtropical AND inexpensive. The train ride up the Mosel valley was breathtaking. Trier was really really fun. A city with lots of history and character. We saw the Porta Nigra and the central square (better than the one in Bruxelles). We saw more big churches and numerous brides taking pictures in the gardens. We stopped by the Roman baths, but didnt go in because it looked just like another roman ruin. We had a cake in a bakery as a small storm passed by, then checked out Karl Marx's house in the usual sun. We then took a stroll up the Mosel river and sat in the grass as grey clouds approaches. It was clear that another storm was coming fast but we thought we would have enough time to get to the train station. We got stuck in the pouring rain and took refuge in someones dorway. The clouds looked like they would never stop so we booked it to the train station. About three blocks later, the sun just showed up. And we took the slow train back to Cologne through more picturesque scenery while sharing our train car with a bachlorette party (They had one champagne bottle each before even getting to Koln).
The next morning we once again had our luxurious breakfast and headed for Koblenz once more. The sun was out and even hotter than the day before, perfect for a 7 hour cruise up to Mainz. It was certainly a major highlight. The castles and towns and chruches all along were just outstanding and fun to see from the river. We passed many commercial barges, some of which had inflatable pools on them for the kids on board. The cruise was free thanks to Eurail but we decided to buy a meal on board and stretch our groceries for Constance seeing as the next day was a sunday and everything would be closed. We regretted that decision. I guess ferry food is international... We spent the last hour on the front of the boat just chatting about how the trip was ending and how sad it was yet how amazing it had all been. Upon arrival, we did a rush tour of Mainz at dusk, then took an ICE home that went through Frankfurt airport.
The next morning we woke up bright and early for an expected river cruise on the Rhine. However our train to Koblenz was late (Sometimes German trains are late too), so we swapped days and went to Trier. Our groceries in Koblenz for lunch and diner set us back 6 euros; subtropical AND inexpensive. The train ride up the Mosel valley was breathtaking. Trier was really really fun. A city with lots of history and character. We saw the Porta Nigra and the central square (better than the one in Bruxelles). We saw more big churches and numerous brides taking pictures in the gardens. We stopped by the Roman baths, but didnt go in because it looked just like another roman ruin. We had a cake in a bakery as a small storm passed by, then checked out Karl Marx's house in the usual sun. We then took a stroll up the Mosel river and sat in the grass as grey clouds approaches. It was clear that another storm was coming fast but we thought we would have enough time to get to the train station. We got stuck in the pouring rain and took refuge in someones dorway. The clouds looked like they would never stop so we booked it to the train station. About three blocks later, the sun just showed up. And we took the slow train back to Cologne through more picturesque scenery while sharing our train car with a bachlorette party (They had one champagne bottle each before even getting to Koln).
The next morning we once again had our luxurious breakfast and headed for Koblenz once more. The sun was out and even hotter than the day before, perfect for a 7 hour cruise up to Mainz. It was certainly a major highlight. The castles and towns and chruches all along were just outstanding and fun to see from the river. We passed many commercial barges, some of which had inflatable pools on them for the kids on board. The cruise was free thanks to Eurail but we decided to buy a meal on board and stretch our groceries for Constance seeing as the next day was a sunday and everything would be closed. We regretted that decision. I guess ferry food is international... We spent the last hour on the front of the boat just chatting about how the trip was ending and how sad it was yet how amazing it had all been. Upon arrival, we did a rush tour of Mainz at dusk, then took an ICE home that went through Frankfurt airport.
Baguettes, Groceries, Club Sandwiches, Tivoli, Beds
We're back in Frankweiler and waiting for our flight time... Here's whats new:
We had a really early rise before taking the 5 am train to Hamburg with a dramatic sunrise as the rain moved in. From there we boarded our train to Copenhague which was soon stuffed onto a ferry and shipped to Denmark. That's where the first signs of cold appeared. It was freezing on that boat. We arrived in Copenhague and B-lined it to our accomodation across the water from the centre of town. Along the way we picked up 1500 Krones. We had a room with a bed and no standing space from more than any other room we had paid for up until that point (960 dkk). The roaring wind stole our "cup" which I had fashioned out of a water bottle back when we were in Greece. Our hearts sank as a car ran over it; amazing how attached we were to that piece of trash. We knew this would be an expensive leg of the trip but we had yet to figure out the magnitude of this. That evening the wind blew hard and the rain poured and the temperatures felt low enough for snow, so we decided to stay in and recover from our short night the evening before.
The next day we woke up and had our complimentary breakfast which was not bad. We then packed up and laid out a walking tour that would cover essentially ever sight in the city (free). We first headed for the hippy free state of Christiana. The buildings there as well as the people were very funky and unique but they don't allow pictures while in the town. One bar even claimed that over 1500 armed police raids had occured there since 2005. We found out that by claiming that an SUV was used for business and removing all but the front seats and putting yellow liscence plates you qualified for huge tax rebates. This rule was heavily abused. We then proceded to walk down the longest pedestrain road in europe Stroget. We had brought lots of groceries with us from germany but we needed some bread. Sadly staples like bread don't come cheap and a baguette in a backery cost us 30 dkk (6.5$). We saw more palaces, churches, gardens and statues along the way including the famous little mermaid. We purchased a small amount of groceries for diner and the next day: one loaf of bread, a pack of deli meats, a chunk of cheese, one spread (90 dkk). The weather was really chilly even with pants and jackets all morning and afternoon but cleared up just before diner.
It was at this point that I invented a new monetary system for Denmark that helped highlight the outrageousness of the prices. A days worth of groceries is worth about 3 bakery baguettes. A club sandwich in a restaurant with fries cost 1 baguette and a days worth of groceries. An entry pass for tivoli with unlimited rides cost about 2 club sandwiches. And accomodation for a night cost about two tivoli passes. We never bought club sandwiches but they were the best deal at most restaurants.
After a diner of sandwiches, our host, luckily, got us into Tivoli for free. We strolled around and looked at the sights and free music. Pretty, very small, it had it's charm but seemed much nicer when i was smaller. We decided to each pick one ride to go one but we soon narrowed it down to just one ride in total. The major rides cost 3 tickets, and one ticket is 20 dkk... Well we had gotten into Tivoli for free so the 25 dollar fee (or one club sandwich) for a roller coaster was somewhat justified. It was very fun. The light show on the lake failed that night so we went home slightly dissapointed but glad we didn't spend a penny to get in. It was after all what we came to Denmark for.
Not much to say about the next day. Woke up to sun, changed to cold and windy by the time we got out. The botanical garden was free and complete with Deadly Nighshade and Stinging Tree (which was claimed the lives of a man and a horse and many dogs); it was the highlight of Denmark along with Christiana. Tried to get to a beach, but it didnt really live up to expectations. We ended up sitting in a park watching the ducks and stretching out our groceries from the day before until our extremeties turned blue. Apparently July was beautiful...
We were more than happy to exchange our Krones back to Euros (A much better deal that using them there) and board a night train for Cologne. However that night train was nothing like the others; that cabin was full so there we no room for your legs, the seats didnt recline, and there was nothing to lean your head on if you sat in the middle (As I did). The train came to a halt in Hannover where our section of the train was to connect with another. I sat outside with music from 1 am until 4, until finally going downstairs to find out that train was over 4 hours late. We abandoned that train and A Great German ICE swept us away to Cologne at 5 am.
I know this post is very long. But this was the only this that didn't live up to it's expectation so far on this trip. That being said I wouldn't change a thing.
We had a really early rise before taking the 5 am train to Hamburg with a dramatic sunrise as the rain moved in. From there we boarded our train to Copenhague which was soon stuffed onto a ferry and shipped to Denmark. That's where the first signs of cold appeared. It was freezing on that boat. We arrived in Copenhague and B-lined it to our accomodation across the water from the centre of town. Along the way we picked up 1500 Krones. We had a room with a bed and no standing space from more than any other room we had paid for up until that point (960 dkk). The roaring wind stole our "cup" which I had fashioned out of a water bottle back when we were in Greece. Our hearts sank as a car ran over it; amazing how attached we were to that piece of trash. We knew this would be an expensive leg of the trip but we had yet to figure out the magnitude of this. That evening the wind blew hard and the rain poured and the temperatures felt low enough for snow, so we decided to stay in and recover from our short night the evening before.
The next day we woke up and had our complimentary breakfast which was not bad. We then packed up and laid out a walking tour that would cover essentially ever sight in the city (free). We first headed for the hippy free state of Christiana. The buildings there as well as the people were very funky and unique but they don't allow pictures while in the town. One bar even claimed that over 1500 armed police raids had occured there since 2005. We found out that by claiming that an SUV was used for business and removing all but the front seats and putting yellow liscence plates you qualified for huge tax rebates. This rule was heavily abused. We then proceded to walk down the longest pedestrain road in europe Stroget. We had brought lots of groceries with us from germany but we needed some bread. Sadly staples like bread don't come cheap and a baguette in a backery cost us 30 dkk (6.5$). We saw more palaces, churches, gardens and statues along the way including the famous little mermaid. We purchased a small amount of groceries for diner and the next day: one loaf of bread, a pack of deli meats, a chunk of cheese, one spread (90 dkk). The weather was really chilly even with pants and jackets all morning and afternoon but cleared up just before diner.
It was at this point that I invented a new monetary system for Denmark that helped highlight the outrageousness of the prices. A days worth of groceries is worth about 3 bakery baguettes. A club sandwich in a restaurant with fries cost 1 baguette and a days worth of groceries. An entry pass for tivoli with unlimited rides cost about 2 club sandwiches. And accomodation for a night cost about two tivoli passes. We never bought club sandwiches but they were the best deal at most restaurants.
After a diner of sandwiches, our host, luckily, got us into Tivoli for free. We strolled around and looked at the sights and free music. Pretty, very small, it had it's charm but seemed much nicer when i was smaller. We decided to each pick one ride to go one but we soon narrowed it down to just one ride in total. The major rides cost 3 tickets, and one ticket is 20 dkk... Well we had gotten into Tivoli for free so the 25 dollar fee (or one club sandwich) for a roller coaster was somewhat justified. It was very fun. The light show on the lake failed that night so we went home slightly dissapointed but glad we didn't spend a penny to get in. It was after all what we came to Denmark for.
Not much to say about the next day. Woke up to sun, changed to cold and windy by the time we got out. The botanical garden was free and complete with Deadly Nighshade and Stinging Tree (which was claimed the lives of a man and a horse and many dogs); it was the highlight of Denmark along with Christiana. Tried to get to a beach, but it didnt really live up to expectations. We ended up sitting in a park watching the ducks and stretching out our groceries from the day before until our extremeties turned blue. Apparently July was beautiful...
We were more than happy to exchange our Krones back to Euros (A much better deal that using them there) and board a night train for Cologne. However that night train was nothing like the others; that cabin was full so there we no room for your legs, the seats didnt recline, and there was nothing to lean your head on if you sat in the middle (As I did). The train came to a halt in Hannover where our section of the train was to connect with another. I sat outside with music from 1 am until 4, until finally going downstairs to find out that train was over 4 hours late. We abandoned that train and A Great German ICE swept us away to Cologne at 5 am.
I know this post is very long. But this was the only this that didn't live up to it's expectation so far on this trip. That being said I wouldn't change a thing.
August 3, 2008
Concrete for Sale
Today was our last day in Berlin. We had a really good time here. We had a great hotel with an amazing complete breakfast that cost us less than most other places. We have seen every leftover piece of the wall including those that are for sale in the gift shops. We learned a little about the evil Third Reich and a whole lot more about the evil Communists. We have seen numerous markets on the streets, every day of the week (if I wasn't on a budget I'd be taking home a Lenin statue). The parks here are gorgeous and the city is very diverse. There are lots of new building and only a few old ones left (its been leveled a few times). We had a great restaurant just beneath our hotel which served "cheap" mixed drinks and inexpensive and delicious mexican food (we've had a fair amount of german food so far). We saw almost all the sights, including making it into the reichstag with a match in my pocket!
Next up is a 5 am train to Copenhague (the overnight cheap seats were full booked, the alternative seperate dorms for 60 euros!!!) we will try to stay on budget but nothing there is cheap. Then we overnight it to Köln to explore the Rhine. Finally we squeezed in a last minute one night stop in Konstanz to explore the lake. Then its pack up and go...
This will most likely be the last message until we get back to Frankweiler. We got free internet here which was great but now that everything is planned out and the schedual is just as hectic, we wont really stop for internet.
Only 9 days left... :(
Next up is a 5 am train to Copenhague (the overnight cheap seats were full booked, the alternative seperate dorms for 60 euros!!!) we will try to stay on budget but nothing there is cheap. Then we overnight it to Köln to explore the Rhine. Finally we squeezed in a last minute one night stop in Konstanz to explore the lake. Then its pack up and go...
This will most likely be the last message until we get back to Frankweiler. We got free internet here which was great but now that everything is planned out and the schedual is just as hectic, we wont really stop for internet.
Only 9 days left... :(
July 30, 2008
Downloading Memories
Okay, here is the last blog of this series of ten. For those wondering the first is "Bleu, Blanc, Rouge" and they all follow after that.
We stopped in Bruxelles to buy some chocolates then came back to Frankweiler to drop off some treasures, do laundry, write blogs (obviously), book the rest of our trip, and enjoy getting taken care of by Dasha's wonderful aunt! We have had some more delicious German food and we went out for more good Greek food tonight. We will only pack what we need for the less than 2 weeks coming up.
Tomorrow (or today for me right now) morning we leave for Berlin, where we stay for 3 nights. We will try to take a nighttrain to Kopenhavn. I am trying to find "inexpensive" accomodation there but it just doesn't exist. We may catch Tivoli, but the cost makes us cringe $20 to get in and $42 more for unlimited rides (paying individualy would only be cheaper if you do less than about 7 rides). We are hoping to then take a nighttrain to Koblenz to spend 4 days in the Rhine Valley before coming back here.
Sadly, its drawing to a close real fast...
And for those who want to know, we feel much better!
We stopped in Bruxelles to buy some chocolates then came back to Frankweiler to drop off some treasures, do laundry, write blogs (obviously), book the rest of our trip, and enjoy getting taken care of by Dasha's wonderful aunt! We have had some more delicious German food and we went out for more good Greek food tonight. We will only pack what we need for the less than 2 weeks coming up.
Tomorrow (or today for me right now) morning we leave for Berlin, where we stay for 3 nights. We will try to take a nighttrain to Kopenhavn. I am trying to find "inexpensive" accomodation there but it just doesn't exist. We may catch Tivoli, but the cost makes us cringe $20 to get in and $42 more for unlimited rides (paying individualy would only be cheaper if you do less than about 7 rides). We are hoping to then take a nighttrain to Koblenz to spend 4 days in the Rhine Valley before coming back here.
Sadly, its drawing to a close real fast...
And for those who want to know, we feel much better!
Ka-BOOM! They went Above & Beyond
The rules were simple: No outside food, water, drugs, alcohol, or water bottles. Bring your ticket, yourself and possibly a camera. We decided to bring our rainjackets too incase.
The festival started at noon with acts that I didn't know so we sacrificed them because we knew we didnt have enough energy for 12 hours of dancing. Instead we got there at 5 pm with fruits and pastries and a 1.5L bottle of water all to be consumed before heading inside. We could hear the thumping coming from the woods that are apparently a nature preserve. We helped two what seemed to be 16 year old girls open their beer bottles. We got our bracelets, went through security and went inside. It was full of young people and itsy bitsy tiny water bottles littered the ground. We went straight for the DJ's I knew best that were on at that time.
First up was Markus Schultz in the Armada tent. The loud music slowly brought us to life and next thing we knew we were dancing as if we healthy (At least I was). We went to the mainstage to catch a bit of carl cox then went back to the armada tent to see my personal favourites Above & Beyond come on. The place was full of the tiny water bottles and stands for drinks and food. It was really dirty but overall a nice location and pretty crazy setup. 9 seperate stages and many small stages all playing music so loud yet neither of them being mashed up by the other. We only had time to stay within one area but we had a whole lot of fun.
Little did we know we would become victims of the tiny water bottles as well. 10 euros got you 9 food tickets and a measly 250 ml water bottles cost two tickets... essentially the 1 L of water we got that night cost us 10 euros, compared to 0.60 euros for the litre and a half we chugged before coming in!
It didnt dampen our spirits. We stashed our jackets in a corner of the tent and dance the full 2 hours Above and Beyond was on. They played a great mix full of songs I like and knew. It was really cool because we were almost right up at the front. We then went and caught David Guetta for the last 15 minutes of his preformance which included fireworks. After David Guetta it was Armin van Buuren's turn (number 1 dj in the world apparently). He was ookay but we went out to explore the grounds just as it started to rain. Not long after the thunder and lightnight started and lasted the rest of the evening (although you could barely tell with all the lights and music). We saw Sasha and Fedde le Grand before going back to the mainstage for the last half hour. Then it poured and our jackets came in handy. We used up the last bit of energy we had to dance until the end, then pushed throught the crowds to get out and catch our 1 hr bus back and crash into bed.
I had a blast and it is certainly one of the many highlights of my trip. I would love to go back again to something similar. Just let me bring my own water...
The festival started at noon with acts that I didn't know so we sacrificed them because we knew we didnt have enough energy for 12 hours of dancing. Instead we got there at 5 pm with fruits and pastries and a 1.5L bottle of water all to be consumed before heading inside. We could hear the thumping coming from the woods that are apparently a nature preserve. We helped two what seemed to be 16 year old girls open their beer bottles. We got our bracelets, went through security and went inside. It was full of young people and itsy bitsy tiny water bottles littered the ground. We went straight for the DJ's I knew best that were on at that time.
First up was Markus Schultz in the Armada tent. The loud music slowly brought us to life and next thing we knew we were dancing as if we healthy (At least I was). We went to the mainstage to catch a bit of carl cox then went back to the armada tent to see my personal favourites Above & Beyond come on. The place was full of the tiny water bottles and stands for drinks and food. It was really dirty but overall a nice location and pretty crazy setup. 9 seperate stages and many small stages all playing music so loud yet neither of them being mashed up by the other. We only had time to stay within one area but we had a whole lot of fun.
Little did we know we would become victims of the tiny water bottles as well. 10 euros got you 9 food tickets and a measly 250 ml water bottles cost two tickets... essentially the 1 L of water we got that night cost us 10 euros, compared to 0.60 euros for the litre and a half we chugged before coming in!
It didnt dampen our spirits. We stashed our jackets in a corner of the tent and dance the full 2 hours Above and Beyond was on. They played a great mix full of songs I like and knew. It was really cool because we were almost right up at the front. We then went and caught David Guetta for the last 15 minutes of his preformance which included fireworks. After David Guetta it was Armin van Buuren's turn (number 1 dj in the world apparently). He was ookay but we went out to explore the grounds just as it started to rain. Not long after the thunder and lightnight started and lasted the rest of the evening (although you could barely tell with all the lights and music). We saw Sasha and Fedde le Grand before going back to the mainstage for the last half hour. Then it poured and our jackets came in handy. We used up the last bit of energy we had to dance until the end, then pushed throught the crowds to get out and catch our 1 hr bus back and crash into bed.
I had a blast and it is certainly one of the many highlights of my trip. I would love to go back again to something similar. Just let me bring my own water...
Beauty and the Beast (On Bells!)
We arrived in Antwerpen and went straight to the hotel to rest.
The next morning I went out for groceries and to check out the rules about our concert. We rested as long as we could in order to be somewhat able to party on with the DJ's. More on that in the next post
After having partied all evening, and still being stuffed up, we slept in on Monday. After noon, we decided to go and explore Antwerp. The train station there is awesome with 4 levels and lots of shops, yet it retains it old trainstation charm. The area near the train station was full of diamond stores and jewish stores. We found this fantastic jewish bakery that made some of the best pastries we have had all trip stuffed with blueberries and apples. Then we went towards the historical center through the large shopping zones. We walked past the pretty catherdral (just another one), and stopped at the city all to check out their flag collection outside. It was great because Canada was right beside Ukraine! We searched for america but it was nowhere to be found... So we kept our distance just in case there was something happening (we dont check the news). The square there was really beautiful with Bruxelles like houses and golden statues on top.
We then strolled towards and the river and walked along the old port turned pedestrian zone and maritme museum. It was very relaxing. We walked back to the Stadhuis square in time for the 8 pm bells. Were we in for a treat of what! The bells rang 8 times then stopped for 10 seconds. Suddenly we found out what a bell ringing concert was! It was so unique and beautiful and we spend lots of time trying to firgue out how they make it so complex. After a half hour and tummy grumblies, we started going back to a restaurant we spotted. Little did we know Quasimodo wasnt done and the tune became awfully familiar. By the second song past the half hour, Dasha and I were signing "Be my Guest!" and they just kept coming. Until 50 past it was Beauty and the Beast songs played in the order in which they appear in the film right up to the theme song. I am not too sure how many others caught on but it kept us totally entertained. We had pizza's that night before going to bed to try to get rid of the final symptoms of our cold. The next day we were off back to Frankweiler.
The next morning I went out for groceries and to check out the rules about our concert. We rested as long as we could in order to be somewhat able to party on with the DJ's. More on that in the next post
After having partied all evening, and still being stuffed up, we slept in on Monday. After noon, we decided to go and explore Antwerp. The train station there is awesome with 4 levels and lots of shops, yet it retains it old trainstation charm. The area near the train station was full of diamond stores and jewish stores. We found this fantastic jewish bakery that made some of the best pastries we have had all trip stuffed with blueberries and apples. Then we went towards the historical center through the large shopping zones. We walked past the pretty catherdral (just another one), and stopped at the city all to check out their flag collection outside. It was great because Canada was right beside Ukraine! We searched for america but it was nowhere to be found... So we kept our distance just in case there was something happening (we dont check the news). The square there was really beautiful with Bruxelles like houses and golden statues on top.
We then strolled towards and the river and walked along the old port turned pedestrian zone and maritme museum. It was very relaxing. We walked back to the Stadhuis square in time for the 8 pm bells. Were we in for a treat of what! The bells rang 8 times then stopped for 10 seconds. Suddenly we found out what a bell ringing concert was! It was so unique and beautiful and we spend lots of time trying to firgue out how they make it so complex. After a half hour and tummy grumblies, we started going back to a restaurant we spotted. Little did we know Quasimodo wasnt done and the tune became awfully familiar. By the second song past the half hour, Dasha and I were signing "Be my Guest!" and they just kept coming. Until 50 past it was Beauty and the Beast songs played in the order in which they appear in the film right up to the theme song. I am not too sure how many others caught on but it kept us totally entertained. We had pizza's that night before going to bed to try to get rid of the final symptoms of our cold. The next day we were off back to Frankweiler.
