Archive for May, 2009
Grape Grazing
For a poor backpacker 50 euro seems a stretch. It can cover 25 cheap beers or five cooked dinners or even three nights at a dodgy hostel. So when busabout suggested the Vienna Grape Grazing tour at the princely sum of 50 euro it is no surprise that people were slow to pull out their moth eaten wallets.
How misplaced our apprehensions were. So far misplaced that they may as well have been left in the Czech Republic. From the moment the 25 or so backpackers stepped onto the train that beautiful morning all doubts of our decision were cast joyously to the wind.
The first leg took us to Melk, about an hour by Austria’s beautiful trains from Vienna where we walked through the town to meet our first activity a ferry ride down the Danube. The group enjoyed a couple of wine tastings down sitting by the stack of the boat while we watched the scenery glide by. Our first winery was practically at the jetty we pulled up to, where a little old lady served us generous glasses of four wines. With smiles and a glow in our cheeks we picked up bikes and made for our next stop. We rode through the winding streets along the Danube, through orchards and vineyards, the sun on our backs lifting our spirits.
Stopping for lunch we stepped onto a little terrace and sitting down under olive trees we all looked out over the small towns that spread before us. It is hard to describe just how wonderful a sight it was. After a massive lunch and more than a few more wines we jumped onto our bikes and headed for the Danube for a swim. The icy glacial waters proved a little too adventurous for some, myself included. I wasn’t willing to risk the chaffing.
Continuing down the river we reached the location of King Richard the Lion Hearts imprisonment for 10months by the Austrians. Perched at the top of the hill the ruins of the small fort he called home look out over the vistas that stretch seemingly endlessly in every direction. It was hard to imagine it being much of a horrible time for old Richard.
A short ride later, tired and happy we stepped onto our train home where we finished off a few more bottles for good measure then adjourned to the travel shack to share our experiences with the load of busabouters that just arrived. All in all it was one of the best days of my adventure so far, and by far worthy of my hard earned cash.
The Wedding Cake
The Lonely Planet describes Vienna as a wedding cake and after the three days I spent there I think its’ a fairly apt description. It is a city with no soul. Don’t get me wrong; Vienna is beautiful. I loved my time there. I spent my days wandering the city and checking out the palace gardens under the warming glow of a sun I haven’t seen for nearly 4 months. The City oozes class but everything seems for show. A city built for show. It is only when you leave the city that the real fun starts.
If you’re looking for good schnitzel and don’t mind waiting a little while check out Mozarts around the corner from the Wombats hostel and for Aussies missing a taste of home just down the road is the Travel Shack, a grouse little Australiana bar with cheap drinks, bundy and vegemite.
When traveling though Austria though remember: you need to buy half a fare for your dog on the train.
… And we’re back
So, as usually happens with these things, ol’ murphy came into play when I took my laptop to get repaired in Rome. Walking into the Apple repair centre, I placed my crapbook on the bench, described the problem, turned it on and lo and behold, the fans start spinning and everything is hunky dory.
Shit for me, as I have had no laptop for around 10 days, but great for you readers. Over the course of the next few days you should get around 11 updates. Hold onto your hats guys, you’re in for a treat. Vienna, Munich, Venice and more are waiting to get their odyssey treatment. Over 700 photos are itching to emerge into the world like over cooked infants scratching at the walls of their flash card uterus.
Keep an eye out for jumping shots, something that has become a bit of a theme for me through Europe. Just to start us off, here’s me rocking St. Johann in Austria. The alpine air has proven a boon to my vertical leap.
Prague
Being sick while traveling is never fun. It gets in the way of everything, and when you’re on a relatively tight schedule it can stuff with a lot of plans. I got sick in Prague which was unfortunate as I really wanted explore the city. I could have stayed in bed, nursing a throbbing headache, aching muscles and running nose, or I could fight it. Through a constant haze of the flu, I did force myself out into the streets to see the capital of the Czech Republic.
Prague is an unusual place. It oozes beauty. Every building is stunning. The winding, cobbled streets scream to be explored. You can practically taste the history of the place, but it doesn’t smack you over the head with it like some other cities. Prague is subtle, gentle and gorgeous.
Wandering the streets of the city are the Czech people. A race stuck in the eighties. I am not sure if it is by choice or if they just got forgotten when the universe was handing out the “please remove the mullet and stone wash jeans” memorandum. Eighties music pumps in every venue and pastels, pinks and fluoro are worn without humor or irony. Decor, signage, advertising are all throw backs to a time when perms were fabulous and greed was good.
At night the city transforms. Glittering lamp lights chase the creeping dark into corners and down streets. A warm blanket of tungsten covers the city. All sense of time disappears as the city heaves with people strolling the cobblestones and enjoying the evening at terraces and bars.
I heart Prague. The small taste I got has left me hungry for more.
Terezín
Located in the Czech Republic, Terezín is a small garrison town and fortress with history dating back to the 18th century.
Originally created as garrison point for potentially 11,000 soldiers the fortress covers around 3.8 square kilometers. During WWII Germany took control of the town and its fortress and used it as a Jewish Ghetto. Here around 150,000 Jews were interned with around 90,000 people being processed through the concentration camp there, housed in the “Small Fortress”.
I did a tour of the prison which acted as a forced labour camp while we did a quick stop in the area. The guide was very informative and had an hilarious accent. It was mildly disturbing to wander around such a beautiful site knowing it was a place of much torment and sadness. I wonder if the inmates ever saw as beautiful weather was we did that day.
Berlin Pub Crawl
Here’s a tip to anyone who thinks being hung over on a bus is a good idea: it isn’t. There is no possible way to have a worse bus trip than fighting off the effects from a blinder the previous night.
With that out the way, the Pub Crawl I stupidly scheduled for the night before I left Berlin turned out to be a Blinder. Populated almost entirely by Busabout adventurers we hit some cool small and large bars around Berlin. Here’s another tip: just because you get a free shot of jager with every drink you buy in most clubs doesn’t mean you have to drink said free jager shots. We finished up at a club under my favourite part of the city and I wandered back through the cold, lost, hungry and alone. Was a fantastic night.
One day I’ll take my own advice, but for now: I am having just too much fun. Check the photos.
Kunsthaus Tacheles
Kunsthaus Tacheles is by far the most awesome place in Berlin. It is a Art cooperative, situated in a condemned building in one of the more ‘alternative’ parts of former soviet Berlin.
The Tacheles building was one of the first “department stores”. Built in 1908 it has seen many owners and usages (including a short period of nazi occupation), but it was heavily damaged in WWII and was slated to be demolished with portions removed in 1980. The remaining structure was scheduled for demolition in 1990. Just before this could occur however a group called Künstlerinitative Tacheles worked to have the building listed as a historical site, and succeeded.
Today the Tacheles houses interesting and confronting independent artists, studios, cool clubs and bars and some very strange characters. They are continually fighting redevelopment and I believe that everyone should experience this magical place before bureaucracy gets its dirty hands on it.
Ich bin ein Berliner
Berlin is a wonderful place. It is a place full of history. Of sadness. Of reconciliation, tolerance and acceptance. Its redevelopment and reunification has lead to the creation of one of the most beautiful, open and modern cities on the planet.
From the moment I walked into Berlin I felt welcome and relaxed. I spent pretty much the entire of my time in Germany wandering Berlin on foot, discovering something new to see around every corner. Everything has been created or redeveloped with the past in heart and with the future in mind. It is unfortunate then that Berlin has one of the highest rates of unemployment in Germany (almost 15%) and the city feels almost empty. For such a wonderful place to go so unpopulated and be struggling seems a tragedy.
WWII is of course a major focus of many of the attractions on offer in Berlin. All highlight the horror of the events that occured leading up to 1945, and many of the museums and exhibitions can be confronting. I am very into my WWII history, however I found the history of Berlin since the war, the formation of east and west Berlin, and the Wall just as interesting.
If you get a chance to visit Berlin you can’t miss the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, probably the most striking piece of architecture in the city. A visit to Check Point Charlie is an obvious shouldn’t miss although evidence of the Wall that divided the city into West (Allied) and East (Soviet) Berlin can be seen all over the city. In fact: I have a small souvenir piece in my bag right now. The city by night is beautiful and as always I suggest taking one of the free (or cheap) walking tours on offer to get a good feel of the place.
Last but definitely not least, take some time and visit the Reichstag Building and check out the “Transparent Goverment” at sunset. Wonderful. For all you history buffs out there, Berlin is not to be missed.
Enjoy the photos, taken during my two days of constant walking of the streets.
Rotter-DAAAAMMMN!
Thanks to my Queen’s Day posse my last night out on the town in Holland ended up being one of the best nights out I have had on the Odyssey. Not only was I surrounded by 6 gorgeous girls all night but they provided entertainment for the whole of Rotterdam. I couldn’t stop smiling.
The girls took me from club to club. We saw a girl fight at ladies only night at the Cinema, burned the dance floor at Vibes and did a ridiculous amount of free shots at some bar I forget the name of, unsuprisingly.
All in all, a great night. For those who adhere to the “fotoz or it didn’t ‘appen” rule: marvel in awe of the beauty of the Queen’s Day Posse!
Off the Grid
Anyone who is concerned/bored/mystified by the lack of updates lately can blame it on my fucking mac laptop. For some inexplicable reason it has decided to stop doing certain things on certain websites, such as facebook and this one.
This has basically meant I can’t upload anything to my site, nor can I update posts or even do internet banking without having to resort to the syphillitic, virus filled communal computers. Even then I can’t upload my photos as they are on my laptop, which as I said before, is being a little bitch.
I am in Praque at the moment with a headcold, having spent 3 nights in the very awesome Berlin, and I am heading to Vienna tomorrow. I am travelling by busabout, which has proven to be very enjoyable. Hopefully soon I will be able to post some entertaining articles about the locales I have hit so far. Also, I apologise for reusing one of my old header pictures, I have no ability to upload as MY FUCKING LAPTOP IS BEING A C**T. Bloody macs.