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17 countries, 52 cities, 134 days, 3 tubes of toothpaste, way too many email addresses and many a lost brain cell! From tomato fights in Spain to bobsledding in Latvia, from sinking beers at Oktoberfest to swimming in the Mediterranean – follow domega on his European odyssey.
London: The beginning
I couldn’t have arrived in London at a more disturbing time. One day into my European journey, one day after catching my first tube, the July 7 bombings occurred and we all know about that. Of course it freaked me out slightly, but London was the meeting point, the catalyst for a life-changing adventure, and some serious sun baking and partying in the Greek Islands beckoned us.
The land of fetta: Greece
Athens is a busy and dirty city riddled with cats. What makes it so special is the Acropolis: that ancient philosophical musing ground. Trekking up to its summit is somewhat of a pilgrimage and we soon became avid followers. But we weren’t in Greece to see a city – we were there for the islands.
We went to four in total with each having an entirely different vibe. Paros, chilled as a Hindu cow, was our first point of call and was the perfect island to start with. Then Mykanos lived up to its party island reputation: one club on the beach had a swimming pool in the middle which people bunji jumped into during the course of the evening! Everywhere there were oiled bodies and far too many alcoholic beverages. Then there was Santorini which was formed from a volcano, now filled with water, which your ferry ventures into creating an awe-inspiring entrance. Finally we went to Ios – the mini-party island with a beach straight off a Hollywood set. In between various hedonistic delights we compiled Japanese Haiku to pass the time, as one does.
We then went to Delphi which was magical. The Temple of Apollo housed “the Oracle” (yes just like The Matrix!) and the entire ruins are set on the cliff face of one of the many mountains in the area. The adjacent museum is filled with artefacts but by this stage we were tired and a little museum-ed out. So we started inventing our own Greek gods (i.e. Rodentius Dios: the god of mice) and we were kindly told by the non-English speaking curator: “no ha ha, no bla bla”. This of course sent us into lots of “ha ha” and the scene turned ugly quickly.
The next 42 hours were spent travelling. At one point I was so tired I looked into this mirrored door and thought how I had aged so much in the past month, only to realise the door wasn’t mirrored and that I was starring quite strangely at the person on the other side who looked remarkably like me, except for the confused expression on his face.
The “old country”: Sicily
Sicily was amazing. At different points in time it was occupied by Normans, Arabs and Romans and the architecture reflects this – as does the food which we gorged ourselves on daily. The spada (swordfish) is to die for and the gnocchi fluffy and delicate and somehow managed to be light and heavy at the same time. Palermo was bombed heavily during WW2 and not much has been done about it since, which somewhat reveals the nature and charm of the Sicilians. We stayed in a converted monastery that only added to the experience.
Then the pilgrimage to where la familia came from began: the Aeolian Islands, particularly Lipari and Salina. On Salina we gorged ourselves on the wild figs growing in abundance in the area and befriended an old Nonno who was snorkelling for spiky sea creatures amongst the rocks, which we dined on fresh from the ocean. The islands were fantastic and they gave me a good sense of my past, or part of it anyway.
I did get badly sunburnt though and the only after sun care available was an expensive ladies moisturiser. I can safely say that I had the most supple, fragranced skin of any scruffy backpacker you will ever encounter.
Napoli: a charming slum
On a train to Napoli we met Angela-Pia and Vilma and learnt that “ooh la la” is a phrase common to both Italian and English. Napoli itself is disgustingly intriguing. It basically needs a good bath and a 24 hour deodorant, so I guess we related to it. It’s full of thieves, churches and pizzerias.
Pompeii was interesting although the 66 hectares was quite tiring. The bodies frozen in time during the volcanic eruption truly sent a chill down my spine. I enjoyed putting on an English accent to get the EU student discounts to various sites.
We encountered some problems with la polizia when we failed to validate our travel tickets. We were detained and told to pay 34 euros. Half an hour of confrontation took place where they tried to intimidate us something silly. Finally I said we could sort this all out with the tourist police and they unhappily let us go. When I thanked them I was told off for it and almost detained again. Good times.
Roaming Roma
In Rome we stayed at this cool hostel where my friend’s sister Liv worked. She took us out for a night on the town in some dodgy bar which was fun. The city itself is such a spectacular place from the stunning Colosseum to the extravagent Trevi Fountain. We managed to see most of the city in an evening when we got lost after a few drinks in “il campo di fiori”, a square where everyone who is anyone goes for a strut and a yeasty beverage – it’s a good way to get to know a place.
Fabulous Firenze
It was Florence that I fell in love with. We arrived late in the evening with no place to stay and were greeted at the train station by Giuseppe, a local hotel owner. After bargaining for a few moments we were then led to his golf buggy. Let me tell you, you haven’t seen Florence until you have seen it from the back of a speeding, super-charged golf buggy whilst grasping two 75 litre backpacks and holding on for dear life!
Giuseppe introduced us to Yolanda, an 80 plus year old lady who used to be a tourist guide around Europe. She helped us with plenty of ideas of where to go and also told us hour long tales of her one true love who she lost to another man. This was fine until she got into the details of her “intimate” encounters with her man at which point we became suddenly tired. A lovely lady though.
We also met Chanelle who we toured the Uffizi Gallery with, which is this amazing collection of art that the Medici family collected during its rule over Florence. Walking through the markets a leather jacket seemed to lure me into its fashionable web and after some extensive bargaining it became mine. My budget frowned.
Day tripping
From Florence we went to Pisa for about an hour really. We took a few obligatory funny photos of the tower but on the whole we found it immensely boring. I imagine it would be more interesting drunk.
Siena however was a different story. It is a medieval town and our arrival was timely for “il palio”: this crazy bareback horse race around the central square where rival suburbs settle scores in the traditional way. It has been referred to as “the Italian running of the bulls”. There were hours of processions with each side having knights and all involved dressing in medieval attire. It was packed and such an experience. By chance we were in the winning section of the crowd and the scene that followed was so emotional with almost everyone crying from Nonna to bambino!
Venezia: city of canals
We stayed in a nunnery smack-bang in the middle of Venice. The view from our room was fantastic and right on a canal and every once in a while a gondola would pass with a guide and accompanying piano-accordianist singing the best of 30’s, 40’s and 50’s Italian pop. St Mark’s was a stone’s throw from our place, where the tourists flocked to feed the pigeons and the Italians flocked to feed the tourists.
We hit a few night-spots in Venice and found out that the cocktails in Venice contain no mixer, just alcohol. Please note: this can cause problems when trying to find your way home in Venice’s myriad of streets.
Two households, both alike in dignity
In fair Verona where we lay our scene
Verona is stunning and as a fan of “Romeo + Juliet” lived up to all my expectations (I listened to Baz Luhrman’s soundtrack in anticipation on the train). We stayed in a 16th century villa overlooking the whole town. In Casa di Guilietta we rubbed the “heart” of Juliet which is meant to bring a new lover – stay tuned!
The whole town revolves around this massive 1st century amphitheatre that is the third largest in the world after the Colosseum and Pompeii. However, this one is still being used and we managed to catch Verdi’s Nambucco opera in this massive outdoor arena which on the night was illuminated by a blood-red full moon. The experience was as dreamlike as the cost of the drinks inside!
Isn’t it Nice?
Well it is, and it isn’t. We arrived on the French Riviera for some sunshine and beaches and it was nothing but thunderstorms! The place itself is quite spectacular though with the train ride being a treat for the eyes.
Our first night in Nice was in a dorm with two Finnish girls and it was quite the surreal experience. A massive thunderstorm broke out in the middle of the night and I awoke to scantily clad Scandinavian women screaming as part of the roof of the hotel had fallen on their bed and a small waterfall was flowing from the ceiling. After pinching myself I began wondering if this was some sort of new reality TV show: Big Brother meets Renovation Rescue – and what a water feature! Needless to say we moved to a new place the next day.
Marseille: ye olde port town
After Nice we went to Marseille where we chilled for a few days. The entire city came to a stand-still when Marseille played in the football. Getting any sort of service anywhere was impossible for the entire game! But the French champagne made up for any of our complaints: it’s surprisingly bubbly, intoxicatingly beautiful and great company at dinner. A lot like the French women really!
Montpellier: the ultimate student town
Montpellier is a huge student city with tinges of Bohemia. We met Zulu, a travelling DJ/bongos player who showed us the hot night spots on our first night including an Aussie bar! It’s quite strange to drink Coopers in the middle of France and go to the “dunnies”! However, we found the more we drank the more comfortable it felt – who would have thought? Zulu seemed to “know” a lot of the women in town quite intimately and received some cold glares from others – it certainly made hanging out with him an intriguing experience.
One night we went into a supermarket slightly parched. What followed was a heated and rather loud debate over the merits of certain brands of shampoo. One side vouched for Clairol’s Herbal Essence range whilst the other spoke the virtues of Garnier’s Fructos series. Just as the argument was getting nasty we realised what we were doing and decided another beer was in order.
Sometimes I feel like I’m in Barcelona
Barcelona is madness. Beaches, parties, clubs, non-stop Monday to Saturday with Sunday being the day of rest! Your entire reality begins to pleasantly cave in. Describing it is difficult, but perhaps if you imagine that you are blindfolded in a room with hundreds of little doors with only one being the way out. All the others are filled with various sweet and sour flavours and those that seem sweet are often sour and vice-versa. Opening any door is like stepping into a phantasmagorical world where the opening of Pandora’s Box would not be uncommon. There are also a few doors filled with human waste, which is another experience altogether. It’s a black hole: we went there for a day or two and stayed over a week.
Twice during our stay we stayed up for over 40 hours. But it’s not just a party city. This architect called Gaudi, an a-typical mad genius, has designed several of the buildings and places there. La Sagrada Familia is one of them and is a church out of a dream with soaring spirals and columns and magnificent detail. Building commenced in 1882 and is likely to be finished in 2082 such is the detail (and perhaps the nature of the Spaniards). It is a once in a lifetime kind of experience. But Barcelona is best summed up with one overheard statement: “A slow death is sometimes better than a quick one!”
La Tomatina: the world’s biggest food fight!
Now let’s explain this event. Tens of thousands of people go to a small town where massive lorries bring in tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes. 134 tonnes of tomatoes. You can go swimming in the streets there are that many tomatoes. The streets were so packed with people that at one stage I was standing up without using my legs, just packed in like a sardine. You wade through knee-deep tomato slush, pick up a tomato and launch it at the nearest persons head and then hide behind a tall guy. Repeat.
We formed a posse nicknamed “The Tomatonators” after good old Arnie and bought blank white t-shirts which our new artistic friends personalised for us all with some creative tomato-infused designs! But if you are wearing a shirt during this event it won’t be on you for long. Suddenly the crowd will start chanting “shirt shirt shirt” (but in Spanish of course) and then a group of 10 or so people will literally tear it off your back. The whole time there are people with fire hoses just spraying you with water and to get anywhere requires extensive use of the elbows!
Madrid, oh Madrid!
In Madrid we met up with Ana, a Spaniard who had just moved to Madrid who took us to tapas and we drank and danced with her and her friends until the wee hours of the morn. Exploring the Sunday markets was delightful with the smells of incense muddled with wacky tabacky. As the police moved through the markets, entire stalls selling illegal merchandise would disappear within seconds into the crowd.
Madrid has two fantastic art galleries, the Prado which has lots of famous classical artists and my favourite, the Renia Sofia, which has contemporary works including Picasso’s huge and awe-inspiring protest to the Civil War, Guernica and Dali’s wonderfully bizarre Invisible Man.
We also caught a bullfight in Madrid which was an interesting cultural experience but I’m not one for the public killings, especially with sprinkles of torture. One of the bulls simply would not die even after the matador stabbed it 20 times in the head. The crowd started chanting “bravo toro” (“go bull”) and the bull actually left the ring alive, which I’m told is extremely uncommon.
Oh and for those of you playing at home, the old “rub Juliet’s heart” trick works a treat!
Don’t forget your earplugs
I witnessed something remarkable one night in a hostel. After returning from the shower to our previously empty dorm I found it occupied by four new “room mates”, and I use that term very loosely. What followed will stay with me for the rest of my life!
I awoke not long after I had dozed off to what sounded like a baby seal cub being beaten to death in one corner of the room. Thinking myself still in a dream I reached for a bottle of water only to be accosted from the bunk above me by the mating call of the now extinct and little known silver-crested Aardvark. Over the course of the next 7 hours, this symphony of snoring continued unabated with all four of our room mates working in unison and seemingly communicating unconsciously using the sounds of the Amazon jungle. Happiness does not fully express the extent of my joy when they left the hostel early that morning.
Portugal: cheap, cheerful and amazing!
Lagos is the ultimate resort town with postcard perfect beaches, friendly locals and cheap food, accommodation and drinks! We caught some rays, read a bit and basically did a whole lot of nothing. Superb!
Lisbon, however, is another bag of chips. After we persistently refused a small brick of hash from him, the friendly local drug dealer showed us to a nice (and cheap) hotel. Then, as I ordered a sandwich from a nearby shop, a small leprechaun-like man ran into the shop screaming. Before I knew what was happening he had kissed both my nipples, embraced me, sculled a glass of water from a nearby table and then proceeded to have an argument with a custard tart in an adjacent shop window. Joy!
But Porto was the surprise package of Portugal: a hilly, riverside city best explored by night when the scores of restaurants, wine bars and port-tasting establishments flick on their yellow lights and the city seems to turn back a few centuries. We ate, we drank, we retired to our hotel to watch b-grade movies – ah now that’s living!
Salamanca (no, not that walking fish)
We then headed back to Spain via Salamanca, a wonderful university town where something always seems to be happening. Our arrival was smack-bang in the middle of a week-long fiesta of fireworks, street parties, concerts and general good times. In an effort to fit in we decided that sitting in the central plaza and drinking beer after beer all night whilst watching the city go by would help us more fully understand the Spanish culture. Still not quite understanding this past time after the first night, we tried it again, and again. Gotta love Spain!
San Sebastian: freakish encounters!
So we caught the midnight express from Salamanca to San Sebastian (Basque country) and a crazy thing happened: at midnight, on the other side of the world, I bumped into Rema who I shared a primary school class with over 15 years ago! She was even catching the same train. At one point I was sure there was X-files theme music playing in the background. Anyway we hung out for a few days and tried the magnificent tapas that this area is deservedly renowned for. It is also recognised as a good surfing area but the weather was once again not on our side. So we hot-tailed it out of there to France.
Bordeaux, O Bordeaux!
What an interesting city it was. We met up with Maud and Leslie for some traditional French cuisine and sampled some of the areas finest reds. The night became slightly more progressive when we ended up singing (with actions mind you) Gloria Gayner’s “I Will Survive” at 2am in an all-night karaoke bar. The “two Aussie guys” certainly left an impression on the crowd, exactly what type I will leave you to decide.
We then walked through the entire city, its magical parks and elegant streets, and sampled more of those lovely reds. Then it was a quick hello to Julie, another of our Bordeaux buddies and it was off to gay Paree!
Paris oozes charm out of every corner of its achingly beautiful existence. It’s romantic and elegantly refined, and knows it. In the Latin Quarter, cafes sprawl out onto the street where customers are treated to a dazzling catwalk display, because in Paris the fashionistas come out to play. For those of you wanting to be “in the know”, let me tell you that orange is the new black, indigo the new white and as a result there are some very funky looking zebra crossings!
Our first night in Paris began atop the Eiffel Tower where, looking out over the expanse of this magical city, I had a “moment of clarity”! However several bottles of red and a midnight picnic in front of the tower until the wee hours of the morning got rid of any of the previously acquired clarity.
We also visited the beautiful Notre Dame, explored the monstrous and amazing Louvre, saw the Arc de Triomphe before strolling down Champs Elysees. The Chateau of Versailles was beautiful and it’s Hall of Mirrors, where the 1919 Peace Treaty was signed, simply awe-inspiring.
After a delicious meal near the Bastille, we had a midnight rendez-vous with the ever-surprising Rema who decided that a late night stroll through the red light district to the MoulinRouge would be a perfect end to the several bottles of red we consumed in front of the Sacre Coeur beforehand – delightful!
Muenchen – it’s Weisen time!
So we arrived in Munich in the middle of Oktoberfest and the hop heads were definitely out to play. We met Elisabeth and her friend Anita in a beer hall amidst the Bavarian craziness and proceeded to consume several of the extra strength, one litre glasses of beer.
Anyway, well into the evening, after snacking on half a chicken and performing some light table dancing, I’m told I said I was “off to the toilet” and would be back shortly but simply never returned. A search party was rustled together but I was nowhere to be found.
I vaguely remember conversing with some petunias in a park, the colour blue, following someone into their house to ask where I was, a circus in Berlin and the smell of fresh bread. Eventually I was located back in the hostel fast asleep cradling a box of matches and a free beer voucher. I can’t recommend Oktoberfest highly enough!
One night I checked out this cool little club on the other side of town. Six movie projectors provided the “paint” on the walls and Ritchie Hawtin dispensed the minimalist techno sound scape. Unfortunately for Ritchie, the local DJs outperformed him but the night was a perfect introduction to the German clubbing scene.
Belgium: Beer and Chocolate
So I met up with Adam in Brussels who brought out a cake which he described as “special” and it tasted, well, unusual. Anyway the night was a blur from then on -definitely a night I will remember for not remembering.
The next day I slept quite a lot. Then we trained to Gent which is a typical Flemish town where the people are ultra-friendly. We went with our Zambian room-mate Kalinga to the local restaurant where I had a mouth-watering wild boar and mushroom stew and probably the nicest beer I have ever tasted called Keizer Karol.
Gent is such a beautiful place to explore by night and I got all amateur photographer (and perhaps a little carried away) on the shores of the main river. But Gent was where we rested our weary bodies from the past sins in Munich and Brussels and prepared for the onslaught that the Dutchies were about to release upon us!
The Netherlands: Haarlem, Amsterdam, Raves and Red Lights!
So we arrived at Amsterdam station and the laws of chance immediately started fiddling around with our cerebellum cortexes. We bumped into Jason, my old school friend, right outside the station. Anyway Jason and Mel gave us a tour of the place including the red light districts, the coffee shops that don’t sell coffee, and, as the coffee kicked in, our very souls.
After a pleasant evening in the īdam we headed to Haarlem by train where Bo showed us the produce at the bar he manages, Sgeur showed us some curious national dishes made of animal spare parts, and Johannes took us to the club Stalker where he works and we discovered the Haarlem Slammer; tequila with bitter lemon which you slam to fizz up, then scull.
A posse of about 10 of us went to Awakenings: the definitive banging techno party held once or twice a year in an old domed factory in Amsterdam. We partied alongside 15,000 of our closest friends to an amazing sound and laser show with fire throwing machines and frequent fireworks within the building – madness doesn’t describe it sufficiently!
One night I made the mistake of walking into the wrong room at our hostel (the door was unlocked) and interrupted an intimate moment with the couple inside – and some people pay for such shows in Amsterdam! But the īdam was intense so I detoxed for a few days and the results were amazing. I started remembering little things like my name and the numerical representation of Pi to the first 100 decimal points.
Big, Bigger, Berlin: a very new, old city
Berlin is big, but big is such a small word that it doesn’t do it justice. Large with an extended piratey “argh” is better. I had a most interesting history lesson during an 8 hour walking tour which covered the former Prussian empire, the World Wars and the Cold War, the Wall, Hitler, modern Berlin and everything in between.
The first night in Berlin was a nightlife tour which spanned the King Kong Klub (a punk bar), a local pub style establishment, Druides (an absinthe bar) and ended in the Berger Club. The most interesting bar however was a mock-living room set-up with couches and general living room furnishings. Strange? Well the idea is that the students who only have a bedroom and a kitchen can bring down their food and have their own space to vege out.
In the evening we ventured out again, this time to a former bomb bunker turned live venue. You could still see the candle holders at 3 different heights which served as indicators for oxygen levels when the candles went out in the always overcrowded shelters. The music was all solo guitarist slash singer and wouldn’t have been out of place on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. The melancholic grooves complimented the near dark interior and the resulting atmosphere was fantastic.
We then trekked around the corner to a partly bombed building now inhabited by squatters. No square of the interior walls, roof or floor was free of some sort of graffiti or art. There were 3 bars on various levels and in between were art galleries where artists hung their recent canvasses and were hanging around themselves discussing their latest work with a handful of critics and a few prospective buyers. This was all at 2am on a Thursday night mind you.
We chose the top level open air bar where the DJ doubled as the barman. The vista was incredible: two projectors sprayed images from the building to a 20 metre high wall across 50 metres of derelict land. One projection was simply a spider web whilst the other was an old black and white film played backwards. The atmosphere this created is extremely difficult to explain but let’s just say it left an impression!
Interlaken: climb every mountain!
To the east and west of this small town are two massive lakes, and encasing both the town and the lakes in a 360 degree mountain hug are the Swiss Alps. There are several landing fields throughout the town where a skydiver or a paraglider lands every few moments. Strapped for cash but not for energy we hiked to the top of a mountain and fell, tripped and tumbled our way down. The fresh mountain air made a pleasant change from the smoke-filled dinginess of the previous week’s antics.
We stayed at Walters Rooms and Walter a card, he said no when he meant yes. We asked if he had some beds for the night: “no, no, no, no, please come in”. Do you know any good hikes in the area? “No, no, no, go to the end of the street and follow the signs”. I never asked Walter a question where he actually had to answer no when he meant no, so who knows what he would have said – the mind boggles!
Zurich: an extensive but expensive look
We arrived in Zurich and immediately went to Zurich’s version of Oktoberfest to celebrate. I assure you, the flashbacks came thick and fast! But we did actually survive this one without the need for hypnotherapy and explored the variety of canvassed creations at the Kunstaus art gallery, walked the cities sculpture gardens by Lake Zurich and were tantalised by the unusual stained glass of a church somewhere or another.
Whilst dining at a vegetarian restaurant an unusual character came and sat down next to us. In between him explaining his theory on exploring earth at the speed of light and openly mouthing off the locals at a high volume, our new friend mentioned that he was arrested in the US for threatening the life of President Bush. After he was arrested he believed the government was out to get him as his house burnt down 3 days later – conspiracy theory anyone? Anyway after saying all this he asked us to stay at his place. Needless to say it was the old “exit stage left” trick!
My mate then went on a “trip of his own” for a day or two in search of a Swiss dream while Michelle and I explored Zurich by night noting that Amaretto Sour and beer do not mix, and that most of the worlds problems can be solved by two people sitting by a river talking to swans at two in the morning.
Vienna: there are no kangaroos in Austria
Vienna’s delights were crammed into one very long but very enjoyable day thanks to our friends Josephine and Claudia. It started with a visit to the Habsburg dynasty’s summer palace where we learnt a little of the history of Austria and it confirmed my theory that no matter the country, all royalty everywhere are a few diamonds short of a tiara.
After seeing most of the city sites, Claudia suggested that we go to the Opera and we thought “why not” so we got tickets to see Puccini’s Tosca inside the magnificent Opera House of Vienna with the full Viennese orchestra! Seats go for 100’s of euros but we bought the cheapest standing tickets for a massive 2 euros. Let me tell you it was quite the contrast seeing two shady looking backpackers in old jeans, sneakers and throw-on jackets nestled amongst Vienna’s upper class donned in diamond broaches, Armani suits and ball gowns.
In the evening we hit a punk/rock club called Chelsea’s. The only way to get around inside is to push the people around you and one is given a crash course in this immediately upon arrival as you are barrelled around the room. But you get used to it and even start enjoying it. The dance floor is not unalike a mosh pit and although the pushes seem violent, there is no animosity and it’s a great way to meet people!
Bath time in Budapest
Rita, our hostel owner in Budapest, was like a magical pixie by both nature and appearance. She told us where to go for sightseeing, where to grab some Hungarian grub and her uniquely eccentric mannerisms kept us in stitches for hours – one couldn’t help but smile in her presence!
We explored Budapest by foot with our new friends Candelas (a Spanish girl studying in France) and Monique (a fresh grad from the US of A). Budapest is a beautiful city broken into two parts by the Danube River and rightly deserves its nickname “the Paris of the east”. We then decided to partake in the old Hungarian tradition of “public bath time” in a massive bath complex with over 15 pools of varying temperatures. While old Hungarian men played rowdy games of chess, we massaged our backs under a hot high pressured water sprout and with it washed away 3 months of backpack fatigue.
Blissfully high from the baths we had an evening stroll through downtown Pest hoping to have a quiet night when a very strange thing occurred. My mate and I were in our beds about to sleep when first Candelas, then Monique and eventually the entire hostel came in to pay us a visit. It seemed that they wanted to party and we were coming whether we liked it or not. The quiet night turned into anything but and many a dodgy bar was frequented!
The next day we visited the Museum of Terror which catalogues the two terror campaigns, being the Nazi’s and the Soviet Communists, that Hungary endured. The display was eerily creepy and the accompanying musical score sent a shiver down my spine thinking of the atrocities these people endured.
Prague: blinded by beauty but mostly by beers and bars
After only 20 minutes in Prague things were already messy. Stefan, a friend of mine who had agreed to let us crash at his place, had immediately taken us to a bar where we had 5 shots of different Czech liquers ending in a chase of the green dragon: absinthe! We moved bars and did it all over again. Repeat. One of the places seemed a little drab so I decided, rather suddenly, to do some “redecorating” – the owner was not too happy. Meanwhile my mate was found cuddled up and asleep with his new sweetheart: a ceramic toilet bowl!
One night Stefan brought out a big English investor to show him the town. Now we have met many interesting characters along the road, but Greg, this multimillionaire businessman, would have to be on top of the list. This guy was like a living Austin Powers the way he pranced about and some of the lines he had were absolute classics. He told us he hates “these nouveau shooters who only have one loader”. A loader, for those plebeians who don’t know, is a lad one hires to load one’s shotgun when one is shooting pheasants. Apparently having two such people is “an absolute necessity”.
We hot-tailed it to another Halloween party at a bizarre club on the other side of town. It was comprised of about 20 small rooms alternatively playing drum n bass and rock and was filled with human porcupines. Each of the rooms had a moving mechanical light device hanging from the ceiling that was made from old cars and glow sticks, and the walls were covered with computer motherboards – it was a strange place! We then followed some dude dressed in a toga outfit to another bar somewhere or another and life, love and the universe were all topics of discussion.
After 8 nights of partying we did finally see the castle and the sights like proper tourists on our last day – Kodak moment anyone?
Krakow: Poland’s Old Town
By night, we trained to Krakow for what turned out to be a jam-packed day including a 6 hour bike tour of the city and a late night trip to the cemetery for All Souls Day. Under complete darkness we observed an amazing spectacle – the entire place, each and every grave, was decorated with candles and flags. It certainly changed the feel and mood of the graveyard! We walked around for nearly an hour admiring the thousands of gravestones and just soaking up this most unusual atmosphere.
The next day we explored the former concentration camp at Auschwitz. Let me tell you it was an emotionally charged day. Actually seeing the gas chambers, the living quarters, torture implements and entire site was chilling. But it was seeing the 2 tonnes of human hair and abundance of children’s shoes, left over from the 1.5 million people that were murdered here, that really struck a chord.
We came, Warsaw, We left
The capital of Poland really was not what I was expecting. It is a big, bustling, modern city that almost consumes all those who visit. We dined at an Italian restaurant where the scantily clad waitresses spoke no English and the Australians wearing six layers of clothing spoke no Polish. So we ordered, chatted and attempted to flirt in Italian and it all worked surprisingly well – apri la finestra!
The next day we explored the Old Town and the former Jewish ghetto and finished in the Museum of the Uprising which documents the Polish uprising against the Nazis in 1943. The days would end at 4pm, so we headed back to the hostel early and after a siesta, hit the local bar. We developed a few theories including the “Hostel Factor”. I’ll let you decide what that is for yourself but apparently I was saved me from an imminent disaster! But Warsaw didn’t grab me like other places had, so we hopped on a night bus to Vilnius.
The Final Chapter: The Baltic’s
After a freezing early morning start, Vilnius turned out to be quite an enjoyable little town. We visited its many sights including the “Hill of 3 Crosses” and the breakaway republic of Uzupis, which is basically made up of artists but mainly drunks who want their own country about the size of a small city block. Viva le republique!
We then met Abudou, a Senegalese man whose aim in life was to obtain female company and he would constantly give us tips on how to woo a woman. After a night out on the town I went back to the hostel for some shut-eye and walked into my dorm to find Abudou doing what he does best – ah the joys of hostels!
The next day we went to the old KGB interrogation rooms and learnt about the deal that Hitler and Stalin made in 1939 about dividing the Baltic nations up for their respective world domination plans – frightening to think of! Our whole time in Vilnius, we rested up and ate to our hearts content, and it was just as well because Riga was to be more fun than a frog in a sock!
Skating, bobsleighing and pub crawls: Riga
Riga really was the surprise package of the trip, largely due to the hostel we stayed in and its owner Adam. As soon as we arrived at the hostel we went with Adam and a posse of travellers to Lido for some outdoor ice-skating: it was like being a kid again and I recommend it to anyone feeling a little bit tired and old.
A bar crawl introduced us to the amazingly beautiful locals; apparently there is a shortage of men in the Baltics and we can only attest to, but not complain about this.
The next day we went bob-sleighing. That’s right, a proper Olympic course travelling 1km in 50 seconds “Cool Runnings” style! It was one of the best things that I have ever done but was ridiculously scary and in hindsight, quite dangerous – good times!
It has to end to begin
I spent the last 3 days of the journey in Tallinn, Estonia and they were cold, windy and rainy. But it didn’t dampen my spirits. I still managed to partly explore this charming little town, its cobblestone streets, meet the friendly locals and tasted the local liqueur, Vanatallinn.
But the days of hedonistic hot-tailing have to grind to a halt and London is now my new home, for now at least…
- domega
myles133 says...
What an incredibly interesting, well written account of what sounded like an amazing trip!
phie88 says...
what an awesome recount of your trip!!! absolutely love it! all these places in europe - has given me an insight to what many of these places are like, as iv only been to france. THANKS!