ACCOMMODATION
We were supposed to be staying in quite a nice hostel called Hostel Marabou (the location can be found here). It looks like it would have been better than the one we stayed in but after a hangover, no internet, a rubbish map and no energy, we decided to find one near to the station. We stayed at ABC Hostel (which can be found here).
We paid €12 each to stay in an 8 bed dorm. The bunkbeds were large and quite comfortable. We slept extremely well for the 1 night we were there but many may not have done as it was next to a very loud bar.
There was a communal bathroom, kitchen and common room between the whole of the hostel. The wifi spread around the whole place, which was fab.
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| Avoiding buying things on Charles Bridge |
THINGS WE DID
We were in Prague for 1 night which meant that we really had to make sure we fit as much as possible into 1 evening and 1 day. I believe we managed a LOT:
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| Down by Charles Bridge |
- Firstly, we went to the famous Charles Bridge. When you're walking across the bridge, you have to be very careful. It is sad to see the amount of homeless people begging on the bridge. However, my advice is to be as careful as possible with your belongings. Definitely wear a secure bumbag and do not have your phone in a daft place (like your back pocket).
- After walking across Charles Bridge, we spent quite a lot of time looking at it from the other side. We went down by the river and watched the sunsetting. The river was filled with swans. It was absolutely gorgeous.
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| Munching with a view |
- By this point we were hungry. We walked around for ages contemplating takeaways, grab it food and much more. We then realised that we were in the Czech Republic and that everything is much cheaper. On the way into the restaurant, we went down a small passage (or ginnel/snicket as we call it in Yorkshire) which was miniscule. They made it easier for the customers by using a traffic light system.
- We sat down in a restaurant right by the river called Certovka. Although the staff were unfriendly, the view made up for it. We were right by the river looking over the Charles Bridge. The food, however, was a bit odd. As you can see on the left, I had a steak with whipped cream. It wasn't what I am used to. Once I got over the fact my main course had been mixed with a dessert. The whipped cream and strawberry jam served on top of my steak wasn't so bad. I would definitely suggest that you embrace the Czech food and try as much as you can. As I am gluten free, this is difficult for me but try the pies, the pastries and all the other flour filled goods. Steven had pork with sauerkraut. I tried it and I really enjoyed the sauerkraut but it wasn't for everyone as it is just sour cabbage.
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| Ssssssso happy |
- Usually, I would say, don't just take things from strangers... but when it is a man with a snake... that is a different story. I absolutely love reptiles (I have a tortoise). So, when I saw a man handing people a snake, I had to have it around my neck. It cost us the equivalent of around €2. The more money the man with the snake had, the better the snake would be treated.
- We did plan to go to a lot of underground clubs but, unfortunately, we fell asleep... My friends who also went interrailing at the same time as us said that it is amazing and that if you're looking to drink in Prague, go on a bar crawl and meet people who are in the same position as you.
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| Prague Palace looking regal |
- The next day, we got up early and headed over the Charles Bridge to Prague Palace. It was quite tiring getting right up to the top as it was excessively hot but 100% worth it for the view. The architecture of the castle was amazing. It is 9th century so old as hell. It is absolutely filled with tourists at 10am so I would suggest coming early morning when it isn't as warm and busy.
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| My favourite view in Prague |
- From there, we went to Letna Park. This was my favourite part of the day. Letna Park is where Stalin used to have his famous statue. It has been ripped down and turned into a metronome. Standing adjacently from the metronome were lots of shoes hanging from a rope. Please comment below if you know what this meant. I liked to think it symbolised freedom from Stalin but no one I asked knew. From here you can see the whole of the Vltava River and the famous bridges. It was tiring getting to the top of Letna Park, we saw some people doing Segway tours to the top, if it isn't too expensive, I'd have a go!
- On the hour the Prague Astronomical Clock makes a lot of noise and the statues move. It is definitely worth looking at. There is a lot of trumpet sounds and everyone looks really happy and cheers. (This video is weird but have a look here, that isn't me).
- For Steven's birthday, I promised that we would go on a pedalo (even though I am petrified of boats). I had such a fantastic time on it once I realised that I was safe. It cost me around €15 which in koruna was about 250kn. There were boundaries that we had to stay in but we pretty much had free reign of where we could go. It was so good!
I wish that we could have stayed longer in Prague. When I am older, I am going to go back, stay in a grand hotel and be able to spend money! I'd loooove to go back in winter too. My Mum went and said, it was very cold but beautiful.
Spend some time in Prague, see the sights and have fun!
Becs x
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at Schlafmeile Hostel. (The location can be found here). Schlafmeile Hostel isn't the closest hostel to the centre but it is one of the friendly. It is nearby to the u-bahn and s-bahn stop, Frankfurter Allee. It is run by an extremely personable man from New Zealand.
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| The Schlafmeile Hostel's bar Lindsay's bar |
We had an 8 bed dorm. It cost us €10.50 each per night, which is very cheap. My bunk bed had an extremely dangerous drop on one side but once I realised that I had to stay still as I slept, it was quite comfy and very clean. We had a shared bathroom but with a lot of space.
The facilities at Schlafmeile were very good. We had a shared kitchen, which meant that we could make packed lunches and save a lot of money. Even better than that, the hostel had a bar called Lindsay's. This was a brilliant place to meet new people, we made a life long friend called Mathias who was from Denmark.
I'd certainly suggest staying here!
ARTSY CULTURAL FUN
We stayed in Berlin for two nights which meant that we could do a lot more activities:
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| The Molecule Men |
- On our way into the city centre, we walk past a fantastic structure, The Molecule Men. This is a sculpture in the middle of the River Spree of three men in a triangle made from metal with holes in. It may sound very odd but it is an incredible piece of art.
- We went on the free alternative tour. Our fantastic tour guide, Jason, showed us all around Berlin whilst highlighting all of the interesting street art.
- The free alternative tour took us to RAW Tempel. This is an old train yard that after WW2 was transferred into bar and club venue. Additionally, YAAM, Young African Art Market. Both are culturally astounding, here they are:
- This is a WW2 bunker or concrete monolith in the RAW Tempel. Although, formerly it was used to help out in the way, with no need for it now, it has been transformed into something quite significantly different. This ex-bunker is now Berlin's tallest climbing wall. It is fascinating how the people of Berlin have worked alongside their history and created something useful and derives a new use from something that would bring back unpleasant memories.
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| Outside Crack bar |
- RAW Tempel is now famous for it's nightclubs and bars. After the tour and seeing all of the cool clubs in the day, we went back to Suicide Circus and Crack. It was brilliant, so so much fun. We drank cider, beer, Bloody Mary shots. All of this but inside the boundaries of a street art surrounded ex-train yard.
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| Having a Somersby Cider at YAAM |
- YAAM is by the side of the River Spree and is in a very central location. It is filled with enthusiastic artists who are, predominantly, young Africans. Steven and I sat by the Spree and had a drink. They have deckchairs, fake sand and reggae music. It is a relaxing haven in the busy Berlin city.
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| This was my favourite piece of art on the East Side Gallery, Berlin Wall |
- We went to East Side Gallery. A lot of the wall has been taken down now. I have always wanted to see the wall after learning about it in history and German at school. It is amazing to think that two sides of a city were split up into two between a wall and that people died trying to get in between the two. The graffiti art on it is outstanding and a lot of it gives a message. The one to the left is obviously about helping the environment.
- Another piece of street art we saw was Victor Ash's astronaut. He used a technique called 'pissing' (which is very funny) and is using a fire extinguisher to spray paint up a wall. Ash created this astronaut on a massive scale. It is in Kreuzburg, which is known at the international area of Berlin. Steven loved trying out all the different types of food here. It is fantastic to see so many different ethnicities working together to make their own community in Berlin.
THINGS WE DID IN BERLIN, THAT EVERYONE DOES IN BERLIN
Berlin is my favourite. It is filled with culture. It is multicultural. It is easy to navigate around. I absolutely adore it and I am going back in January! So, wait for my next Berlin blog.
Yin & Yang Top: Topshop (£12)
Mom Shorts: Topshop (£32)
Sunglasses: Topshop (£18)
Trainers: Nike (£40)
Bumbag: The Yesterday Society (£3)
Auf wiedersehen,
Becs x
FLIGHT
We flew from Leeds Bradford Airport to Amsterdam Schipol Airport. It was fantastic! We were in the air for 50 minutes. How great? I would definitely suggest flying to Amsterdam. Previously, I have taken the boat from Newcastle, South Shields Port to Amsterdam Port. This took an overnight trip with DFDS, who undercharge for your original ticket and overcharge when you're onboard. £7 for a portion of chips... I expected them to come on a plate of gold carried on the back of a white steed. Anyway, I digress, getting from the airport to Amsterdam city centre is easy. Hop on one of the trains from the station which is attached to the airport. They come every 20 minutes and it costs around €4 and is very quick!
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at
Hostel MeetingPoint. (The location is
here).
Hostel MeetingPoint is extremely close to the Station Centraal which is very handy.
We began travelling early June, the start of summer, which means mo money mo problems. We stayed in an 8 bed mixed dorm. It cost, for one night, €22 each.
The facilities were average. I mean, it is an extremely large hostel. The bed sheets were clean, at least. We shared a communal bathroom (gross but, what do you expect?). The hostel has a bar area filled with people from all over the world. We spoke to people from Sweden, America and Japan!
The staff were extremely helpful and they gave us free maps and brilliant advice on what to see.
We were supposed to go back to Amsterdam but, unfortunately, due to train difficulties, we had to go to Antwerp instead. When we came back, we were supposed to stay in
Anna Maria II, a hostel on a boat, in the port near the train station.
THINGS WE DID
We were not in Amsterdam for very long but we did quite a significant amount of things:
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| Steven in The Cheese Museum |
- We did a LOT of walking, we wanted to get some bikes though. I would suggest getting bikes to Vondelpark as it is beautiful and gets you away from the city. You can also see one of the famous 'Iamsterdam' signs.
- We went to the Cheese Museum and we loved it. Free samples of every type of cheese! Even a cheese I had never tried before... ham cheese. Amazing!
- You can't go to Amsterdam without visiting the Red Light District. Although I find it bad that some people only go to Amsterdam for the prostitution, it is definitely something to see.
- NEMO is definitely a must see. We did not go inside NEMO, we did however, go on top of NEMO. Up on top you can see the whole of Amsterdam from a fantastic roof terrace. It is situated just by the port and is a brilliant spot to relax.
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| Steven and I on the NEMO roof terrace |
- Obviously, Amsterdam is famous for the fact that you can smoke weed. If that is your thing there are a lost of cafes that you can go to. I mean it, they are everywhere! Even if you just want a cup of tea, a coffee shop isn't just a coffee shop in Amsterdam.
- All around Amsterdam there are many places to grab crepes and waffles, although I am gluten intolerant, Steven said that they are a definite must have.
- Overall, I would just walk around and see what is to be seen. The bridges, the bikes, the canals, maybe go on a water tour if you're not poor? Amsterdam is an amazing city like no other, just take it all in.
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Go to Amsterdam, get stuck in, enjoy!
Becs x
Although many people when interrailing do not plan their trip, I found it a lot easier to secure where we were staying in advance. This made sure that we always had somewhere to stay and would not have any nights spent sleeping on station floors.
Firstly, getting your Interrail Pass is easy (use the link given). Make sure you know the following things to ensure planning your trip is easy:
- Make sure you get the ticket with enough travel days: 5 days within 10 days, for example, means that you can travel for 5 days in a specific 10 days.
- If you're 25 or under, you get a cheaper pass (yay!).
- Remember to travel 2nd class, you're not that fabulous.
- If you're getting on over night trains (for example, between Budapest, Hungary and Split, Croatia) this counts for 2 days on your interrail pass if you board the train before 7pm. Travel after 7pm, it makes life easier. If not, buy a cheap train ticket to a smaller destination on route to your final destination and board the train after 7pm.
OUR ROUTE
Amsterdam, Holland
Berlin, Germany
Prague, Czech Republic
Budapest, Hungary
Split, Croatia
Lake Bled, Slovenia
Venice, Italy
Nice, France
Marseille, France
Barcalona, Spain
Antwerp, Belgium
THINGS TO PACK
Packing is the bane of my life. I wish someone would do it for me but unfortunately, that isn't going to happen. Anyway, here is a list of things you should definitely take with you on your travels:
- Padlock: When you're staying in a hostel, some of the lockers don't have a lock. If you want to make sure no one is stealing all your wordly goods, definitely take your own padlock. Preferably a big old strong one that can't be clipped off with pliers.
- Your Common Sense: Sorry, I know this sounds silly but have your wits about you at all times. People may be your 'friends' in the hostel but you may never see them (or your belongings) again, if you have too much trust.
- Travel Pillow: Definitely take one. You may not have long in a destination but you may want to test the local alcoholic beverages, if so, you'll want to nap on trains.
- iPod: When you're on a long sober daytime train, you don't want to be listening to squealing children constantly. Listening to songs along the way will bring back memories when you're home.
- Camera (or GoPro): I know it sounds silly but DON'T FORGET IT. You can take pictures on your smart phone or whatever but the quality on a camera is much better. Plus, you can save battery on your phone. Maybe even take a disposable, they are fun.
- Travel Diary: ...and pen. Keep track of where you have been, who you have met, delicacies you have eaten.
- Kindle: I study English Literature... I should be pro actual books and not kindles but when you're travelling it is soooo much easier to take a ebook reader. That way, you can read as many books as you like without having to carry so many around.
My next few blogs will tell you all about the different places we visited and give you hostel ratings, country reviews and lots more.
Becs x
I wish that we could have stayed longer in Prague. When I am older, I am going to go back, stay in a grand hotel and be able to spend money! I'd loooove to go back in winter too. My Mum went and said, it was very cold but beautiful.
