A sole backpacker through Switzerland, Austria and Czech Republic- Part2

I realised this blog post have been sitting in my drafts section for a very long time and how lazy I have been with updating my blog. So here it is, a summary of my remaining trip in August!

Day 8: Train ride to Bolzano

I started my train ride at 10:57 in the morning and had a quick stopover at Innsbruck before arriving at Bolzano in the afternoon.

Shortly after arriving, I went to explore the town. It was really interesting that people in Bolzano can speak both German and Italian (as it borders Austria). Even the town have both German and Italian influences. Straight away I had a good vibe of Bolzano. There were more local tourists then international tourists which meant Bolzano hasn't quite been trashed by tourists yet... 

Welcome to Bolzano

Day 9: Bolzano

One of my highlights on this trip was mountain exploring. I conquered my fear of heights by going up Cima Lago Nero which was at a height of 2070 metres! To achieve that I had to go through two sets of cable cars; one from the base of Bolzano reaching Soprabolzano at a height of 1221 metres and one from Pemmern to reach Cima Lago Nero. My palms were sweating on both occasions and I tried to look towards the horizon... Luckily the tram and bus rides between the two places weren't too bad! One of the highlights was doing a walking trail at Klobenstein and another was seeing the 'Runder Tisch', which was a table with a set of chairs that faced each of the main mountains. It was a pity I couldn't see much of the mountains today as it was just too cloudy... 

Trekking through the hillside!

Contemplating at the Runder TIsch

An amazing view on the way down to Bolzano

Day 10: Train Ride to Vienna

Again, another train ride through the picturesque valleys and mountains of Austria. It was an extremely long journey and I didn't arrive in Vienna until 18:00. I was very lucky to meet up with Verana and Stephan who were extremely busy with moving into a new apartment and work. They took me to Stephanplatz to start exploring the city centre. This included the Gothic church 'Stephansdom', National library, Wien University etc...  We had a nice dinner at an underground restaurant that Verena and Stefan both recommended.

A festival in the city centre

A different view at night

Day 11: Vienna

I started off the day with Stephan taking me to a traditional fancy coffee house called Central. 

Then I set off afterwards by myself to explore the city. I went to visit the cluster of museums and went to a building called Museum Quarter which in itself had a collection of museums. Some other places I visited include the Naschmarkt (A famous foodie market), The Hundertwasser building (A famous yet strange looking public housing complex) and a thoroughfare called 'The Staircase to Heaven (This was far away and not worth visiting). I was also lucky enough to visit Stephan and Verana's apartment. They had their whole family there to help they assembly their furniture. It was a really nice apartment and hopefully I can afford one in the near future.

The Museum Quarter

Hundertwasser

Staircase to Heaven. Ok, I guess it isn't as bad as it seemed...

Day 12: Vienna

Today Stephan was my tour guide and took me to the palace and its gardens. If I'm not wrong, it was called 'Belvedere'. Next, we went to Naschmarkt again for coffee and I managed to eat my first Vienna würst! It was  really funny how the locals started talking to us out of randomness...

In the afternoon, Verana joined us for a car trip to the hills for a nice view of the city. In the evening, we went to the row of bars along the canal which was themed like a beach. It reminded me of a similar concept in Brussels which I enjoyed this a lot. I was also able to drink a 'Radler' which was a premixed drink of lemon squash and beer- refreshing!

The Palace!

The river running through the centre of Vienna

Time to relax and have a drink in the summer afternoon!

Day 13: Cesky Crumlov

After arriving in Cesky Crumlov at lunch, I settled down in my own apartment room with views of the river. You don't know how good it feels to have my own room and bathroom! It only costs 40 Euros which is a bargain, especially how nice and massive the room is.

I had lunch at a restaurant which had an outdoor area facing the river and set off exploring Old Town with a walking tour. The tour mainly covered the different styles of buildings such as Baroque and Renaissance. Fun fact; Cesky Crumlov is a UNESCO protected town based in Czech Republic. It felt like I was transported back to the medieval times...

My own room! What a bargain!

The view from outside my accommodation...

Day 14:Cesky Krumlov to Prague

I started off the day with breakfast which was included with the accommodation- score!

After breakfast, I went to explore the castle as my bus didn't arrive till 2pm. 

In the castle, I went to view an underground art gallery by the artist Keramické Tvorby. His sculptures and art work were actually really interesting. Most of his works were inspired by the communism era.

So what are my thoughts of Cesky Krumlov? It is a small, relaxing and laid back town with its hidden cobbled lane ways and numerous riverside eateries. It is a town you should not miss if you are visiting the Czech Republic.

In the late afternoon, I arrived in Prague! The hostel I chose was very sociable; they prepared a free dinner every night, made by the workers so that travellers can interact with each other. The food was amazing and it was something I would be willing to pay at a restaurant.

The underground art gallery in the castle

Such a unique and beautiful town

Crepes have become my new obsession since travelling around Europe!

Day 15: Prague

I started off with a walking tour which took us to places mainly in the town centre. The tour was led by an Australian which made the tour surprisingly entertaining and funny! We looked at things such as the Astronomical Clock (which was very precise). It can tell you things such as the position of the sun, time and even the current star sign. We also visited the Old New Synagogue, Tyne Church and other significant buildings. The tour was very informative and I was able to learn a lot about Prague's history. 

I had a quick lunch as I booked a bike tour for the afternoon. I was able to finally try a Goulash which was like a beef stew in a bowl made from bread. It was nice but I didn't find it that special.

The bike tour covered mainly the same things from my walking tour, but we went further out. The tour also visited the 'Dancing House', which was one of the buildings I really wanted to see, due to its unique architecture.

To save money, I decided to have dinner at the hostel again as it was free (me being a tight arse!) and I got to meet more people. I definitely made the right decision as it was really fun!

Town square

A good idea to have a coffee to kick start my day in Prague!

An 'interesting' piece of art, where the sculpture's private part rotates with the pelvis...

All in all, the two weeks of hectic travelling was well worth the time and money. Surprisingly I was under budget but I did overspend a little in Switzerland. If only I had more time and money in Europe, I would have spent more time in some of these places...

A solo backpacker through Switzerland, Austria and Czech Republic- Part 1

This was my longest trip travelling alone, so you can imagine how nervous or excited I would have been. I had always wanted to do Switzerland in Summer, so that was the main destination of my trip. I decided to also include Austria and Czech Republic, due to their proximity and hence made it my two week solo trip.

Day 1 : Geneva

Not a good start to the day. I missed my train which meant I was late to the airport, the drop off counter for my luggage was closed and the boarding gate was about to close. Furthermore, my gate was 111, which was on the other side of the airport and I literally had 5 minutes left before the gate closed. I ran with my pants falling down (as I had to take my belt off though customs), my heavy backpack on and my side bag dangling. Luckily I was able to make it to the gate as the last passenger.  A near fail experience :(

Anyway back to Geneva; not what I expected and in actual fact, better than I expected! It reminds of of a smaller version of Paris with similar styled buildings, much friendlier people and a beautiful clean lake. So far I have rated Geneva highly. I was able to get a free train ride from the airport to the city centre, found an inexpensive and delicious lunch, spent a lot of time walking along the promenade and explored the old town.

I think one day in Geneva is enough, unless you plan to visit museums which I have the lack of patience and concentration for...

The main bridge in Geneva decorated with flags of different nations

The famous water fountain in Lake Geneva

Day 2: Lausanne

This is a truly amazing place! After a good nights sleep, I walked to the Old Town (There seems to be an 'Old Town' in every European city), with its cobbled roads and French styled buildings. Although most of the roads were uphill, it was nice to walk slowly and admire the surroundings. I then arrived at St-Francois Church where I climbed up the tower to a vantage viewing platform to look at Lausanne. After being exhausted with all the walking, I decided to take the train to Ouchy to view Lake Geneva. It was beautiful but not as good as I expected as the Swiss Alps looked a bit smoggy. It was perfect weather though and I was able to enjoy a take away Panini at a bench facing the lake. Afterwards, I went for a stroll along the lake and came across the Olympic museum on a boat! (The actual building was under renovation, hence there's a temporary exhibition). Across from the museum I went to see the Thai Pavilion which was donated by the Thailand. 

As I had a free transport card (given during your stay in Lausanne) I went to visit the famous wooden tower that gave you a 360 degree view of Lausanne.

St-Francois Church

Creative street art along the promenade in Lausanne

The temporary Olympic Museum on a boat!

Day 3: Lavaux and Montreux

I started in the morning with a two-and-a-half hour tour of Montreux. I was the only tourist on the tour and paid a mere 10 Francs for a really good overview of the town. I still remember the tour guide asking me if I felt lonely travelling alone. And although I said no, it would have been great to share the experiences with another person...

I had lunch in a small cafe in Old Town, which had a 'French feel' to it, with little tables spread along the cobbled stone street. Afterwards, I took a walk to the famous castle via the promenade along Lake Geneva.

In the afternoon, I took a train to Rivax to start my supposedly 1 hour walk through the hillside vineyards and finished off in Cully. It ended up taking me over 2 hours and was sun burnt by the end of it! However, it was totally worth it, especially with the scenery that came along with it!

Typical architecture in Montreux

Most parts of the Old Town have a view of the Swiss Alps and Lake

Cafes like this are dotted around Old Town

Day 4: Lausanne

After a couple of days of travelling, I already needed a 'chill out' day and started the day by visiting Musee La Brut. It showcased artworks from people who had a mental illness or was imprisoned. Afterwards, I went to Ouchy again to have lunch by Lake Geneva. I could have stayed here for hours!

In the afternoon, I went to a well known Cafe called Cafe de Grancy- to again chill and have a nibble.

Towards late afternoon, I went to Flon (the city centre) for a browse. This area was redeveloped several years ago and had a mixture of shops, bars and restaurants.

I finished off the day with a cheese fondue which I never had before. You break up the bread into smaller pieces and dip it and coat it with the melted cheese sauce. It was very delicious but very filling. I also had a meringue for dessert which is apparently one of the staple dishes in Switzerland...

Flon

Cheese Fondue!

Day 5: Train ride to Salzburg

My train ride to Salzburg started at 8:20 and arrived around 4 in the afternoon travelling in first class. Don't worry, I only paid an extra 10 euro for the privilege and it was worth it! The views along the route were amazing but unfortunately I didn't take any photos, so you just need to take my word for it! Just imagine valleys, mountains, a green countryside and perfect weather...
After arriving and settling in the hostel, I went to a local tavern for dinner (I had a Gordon Bleu which was delicious!) and rested at the hostel.

Arriving in Salzburg by train!

Day 6: Salzburg

I started the morning by attempting a free walking tour. After failing to locate the hostel,I gave up and did a self guided walking tour using the hostel map and actually enjoyed it. I walked around  the Old Town, Mirabell Palace, went up to Mönchsberg to view the city from above.

In the afternoon, I went on the Sound of Music bike tour. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the movie I really wanted to go bike riding and the result? It was a really good tour! Not only did we see the city, we went to the outskirts and enjoyed the scenery. I learnt a lot about the movie and also how film editing can really change the look and feel of a place. Fun fact: Did you know the scenes of the front and back of the house were actually based at different locations? They made it look like they were from the same house, but it wasn't...

As a result of the tour, I also met a bunch of people and we decided to have dinner together. It was so nice to have company! 

A delicious tavern near my hostel which has a beer garden

One of many stops on my tour, which apparently was featured in the movie

Salzburg!

Day 7: Salzburg

Today was a boring day as it was crappy weather. As the weather cleared up a little, I walked around town. Most shops were shut, as it was a Sunday. I decided to visit the Museum of Modern Art in Salzburg. I was surprised how interesting the exhibits were! One of the rooms had the flooring covered with real grass to fit in with the artwork theme of plants and flowers- How cool is that? However, they also featured some artwork which was quite disturbing,such as sex acts between puppets and body parts being collaged with flowers? Weird...

For the remaining of the afternoon, I spent it at a cafe, followed by dinner at an Italian cafe... It didn't sound like I made the most out of the day, but with the disappointing weather, there really wasn't much I could do...


I now realise how difficult it is to write a blog, so the remaining part of my trip will follow in my next post. Stay tuned!

12 Days in Turkey

Get ready for a long read on my awesome trip to Turkey!

Turkey was never on the top of my list of places to travel to but after hearing numerous stories from people, as well as getting a good deal from the TNT travel show, I decided to sign up with Travel Talk on their 12 days 'Best of Turkey' trip.

Day 1: Istanbul
I arrived in Istanbul in the afternoon and was picked up by Travel Talk to the Prince hotel. I was actually impressed with the hotel, especially when I went with a tour company. It was a 4 star hotel with Internet and all the basics, so no complaints there. The only thing was the poor soundproofing but caused a bad night's sleep due to a noisy neighbour! We met downstairs for a briefing on the trip before we headed out for dinner. The tour guide called Yavuz took us to this awesome lane way where we sat down to have my first Turkish dinner.

Day 2: Istanbul
I started off with a buffet breakfast hotel with Olives, eggs and other Turkish foods. Then we headed to our first destination which was the old town square where the German fountain was. We then walked to the Blue Mosque. I was expected the Blue Mosque to be a structure covered internally and externally with Blue tiles, but that was not the case. When I arrived, the first thing i saw was the six imposing towers surrounding the domed roof. Yavuz told our group that this was the only mosque in Istanbul with 6 towers. A condition to enter the mosque was that shoes had to be removed before entry. And what would you expected if 100's of people entered all at once on a hot day? Stinky feet smell! Putting the smell aside, internally the blue mosque was beautiful! Surrounded by low hanging lights, there were blue tiles in several areas, hence giving it the name.
After we visited the Blue Mosque, we went to a bigger and more beautiful mosque/ church called Hagia Sophia Museum which was not as famous. This structure had such an interesting history to it relating to both the Islam and Christianity religions. You really need to be here to learn all about it.

Day 3: Gallipoli
Hearing stories about Gallipoli in primary school, I always wanted to travel to this place to pay respect to those who lost their lives in the war. Our tour group left the hotel early in the morning for a long drive to the different sites relating to the Gallipoli war. The first stop was North Cove, where the Anzac Day ceremony was held each year.

Day 4:Troy and Pergamum
We work up early to visit Troy. The only thing I remembered about Troy as a kid was the wooden horse that was brought into the city. Arriving at the site was a bit underwhelming, as I thought the horse would be bigger. In addition the ancient city of Troy was also a lot smaller than I thought it would be and there really wasn't much to see, apart from a few small ruins.
After visiting Troy, we went back on the bus to our next destination: Pergamum. Although Pergamum was less famous than Troy, the site was a lot more interesting and bigger. Now this was what I call an ancient city! Looking at the pillars and underground tunnels, it showed how creative and smart the early settlers were.

Day 5: Ephesus
Ephesus has to be one of the biggest and best preserved ancient cities in the world! After being underwhelmed by Troy we went to this ancient city with so many different areas to see. The creators of this city is so smart in considering so many things such as having a waterfall in the communal toilets to counteract the 'sounds' made by other users! Ephesus really would have been a beautiful city in terms of architecture if all buildings remained intact.

Day 6: Fethiye
We woke up later than usual after a long night out in Fethiye. With the remaining people hungover and exhausted, we went to our first adventure of the day and properly the most interesting yet: The Saklikent gorges. It was not what I expected at all. We basically went through a deep crack formed by an earthquake. The gorge had a stream running through it, and at times the water went past our knees.

Day 7 to 12: Marmaris, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Ihlara and Istanbul.
I can continue going on and on about what I did for each day of the trip but I'm sure you are probably sick of reading and I believe the pictures below will speak a thousand words! (It also is my old self being lazy as well typing up my travels) There were so many amazing sights and things I experienced for the remaining duration of the trip but definitely some highlights included the Fairy chimneys, hot air balloon ride and the underground city in Cappadocia.

I cannot say enough on how amazing this country is and how much more I appreciate Turkey and its culture. Travel Talk really has impressed me with the accommodation, sights, our knowledgeable travel guide (Yavuz) and the people I met on this trip! I'm going to wait for the next airfare specials to fly back to Turkey again!

The Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque

 Hagia Sophia Museum

Looking outside Hagia Sophia Museum

At the ANZAC memorial

The famous horse at Troy

The beautiful ruins of Pergamum

Ephesis

A city carved out of stone on a cliffside!

Where was this again? 

I will never forget my balloon ride in Cappadocia!

Celebrating a successful balloon ride

Beautiful ceramics in Turkey

Turkish food!

Ireland

It's been two weeks since my trip to Ireland and I finally have the time to blog about this amazing place. I'm not going to give you an in depth review of this country as it has to be a place you need to experience yourself.

I went with a tour company called Paddywagon Tours, after being recommended by a friend who also went with the same company. I got 25% off the 6 day trip after signing up at the TNT fair which was a bonus!

The tour covered several cities including Dingle, Cork, Galway, Belfast, Dublin, Derry and lots of sight seeing places. I really wish I can spend more time in each city but I'm sure I will be back in this amazing country in no time.

The highlight of the trip had to be the Black Taxi tour of Belfast. You basically go in a cab and the taxi driver gives you an insight on the great divide between the Catholics and Palestine in Belfast. The can driver said they all had lost someone in the conflict and wanted to give people a view from both sides.

I was able to meet a great bunch of people from different countries whom I hung out with during the 6 day trip. We went to pubs together, clubbing and shared a dorm together. The last point was really important as on the second night of the trip we were stuck with some "gappies" who were having a conversation at 2 in the morning...

I can't wait till my next trip which will be a day tour of Bath and Stonehenge. I'll keep you all posted! Just some pictures of Ireland for you to devour on...

The beautiful seaside town of Dingle.

The site of the Blarney Castle

Blarney castle- The interior was really interesting!

The awesome bunch I met in Ireland

I can't remember where this was but it is heritage listed...

The wall that divides two communities in Belfast