So on May 20th the sun rose and the time had finally come for Eurotour, 8 countries in 18 days on a bus. We were all so excited but it all seemed so surreal until I was crossing the first of what would be many borders into Germany. It's funny as one of the most commonly questions asked was, "what country are we in now?" only because we crossed so many borders in such a short space of time it was difficult to know sometimes . . something you would never experience in New Zealand which I love. Only in Europe (well not really but you get it!).
Berlin was the first stop and so after about 7 hours on a bus, we arrived in the overwhelmingly green German capital. We were staying just outside the city in what looked like an orphanage but what we were told was a youth hostel, it was ok although the bathrooms a little feral. The first night we took the good old Berlin metro to the city and soaked up our new surroundings by walking the streets. It is an interesting city with a great mix of old and new, something for everyone to enjoy.
Our hostel
A group of my cool as exchange friends getting the metro.
Milly and I in the city.
In Berlin I saw this! Wooo All Blacks!
My girlies being awesome.
The next day which was our only full day in Berlin we had a short bus tour in the morning and 'got our bearings' as my mother would say. We saw sections of the Berlin wall, the Jewish Memorial, the famous TV tower, the Berlin Cathedral, Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate just to name a few. After the bus tour we were released into Berlin Zentrum so naturally we went and ate, the local cuisine of course. After a hearty lunch of bretzel and currywurst we walked around to see the sights Berlin had to offer.
Me and the Brandenburg Gate
Berlin Cathedral
Us having our German feast
Best cookie cutter ever.
Jewish Memorial, such a special and peaceful place in the heart of chaos.
After a lovely day and a half in Berlin, it was time to press onto the Czech Republic! A country shrouded in mystery (for me at least) and the country with one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Prague. It was a long drive through Germany, mostly spent in a half awake half asleep state by most. But as we crossed the border we immediately noticed how different it was, even the colour of the sky and trees. We visited Theresienstadt which is a concentration camp not far from Prague. it was an old fortress which was reused during WW2 by the Gestapo to hold political prisoners. Although it wasn't used as a death camp, many were shot there and died of the awful living conditions. It was a moving experience to say the least. It was so cold although it was around 30deg and quiet. You couldn't help but think what those walls had seen. It was a place I had always wanted to visit so it was special to be there. The stark and quiet atmosphere was somewhat ruined by our lovely guides hilarious accent. You see, even when someone is speaking about the most horrific of things, it is very hard to keep a straight face when the guide has the most hilarious accent I have every heard in my life. It was so hard not to burst out laughing but out of self control and respect, I held it in and laughed SO much inside my head!
Czech countryside.
Entry to Concentration Camp.
An eerie similarity to Auschwitz, 'work makes you free'.
After what was a somewhat emotional visit to Terezin, we continued to our destination of Prague. As we hit the outskirts of the city, I spotted a beacon of light SLASH it was a sign for IKEA! By this point my foreign IKEA count was up to 2, it was added to along the rest of Eurotour too, so exciting :).
We got to our hotel (yes how upper class of us!) and settled into our amazingly luxurious rooms. That night we wanted to make the most of our short stay in Prague so a group of us took the bus and metro to the city, it was a bit of a challenge as none of us spoke Czech and no one in Prague spoke English so we had to be super skilled exchange students with maps in hand. We had a nice stroll around the city and had some amazing cake and scrambled to get home before our 1am curfew.
The next day all 55 of us took the metro into the beautiful city of Prague and walked up to the area where the palace and cathedral are. Breathtakingly beautiful is all I can say. Everyone says that but it is so true. I have fallen for another city.
Not just the city was beautiful . .
Laura and I with the Cathedral
Pretty huh?
We had free time that afternoon and just roamed the charming streets and looked high and low to eat only authentic Czech food. It was so much fun, I really am so lucky not just to have toured Europe but to be with such amazing people. I believe in the family of the exchange student and totally love them all!
My friend Michy and I with an awesome car.
Haha just curious!
Laura, Michy and I. Love you guys so much.
Me with the amazing view.
That night as we made our way back to the hotel, we had the funniest experience on the metro! So we just innocently hopped onto the train and then scores of crazy screaming people came into the station and into the train and started cheering for the Czech Republic. They had flags, scarves and face paint it was insanity. We later found out that the Czech Republic had just won in ice hockey to Russia for the first time in 20 years or so so town was going off! They were chanting and rocking the carriages it was so fun. We tried to join in which half worked but we had a blast even if we didn't know what the chant was on about!
The next morning we woke up nice and early as usual and piled back on the bus and headed for the hills in Austria. I was hoping they would be alive with the sound of music . . but I'll fill you in on the next 3 stops in my next blog. So stay tuned kids!
Jeg savner I men jeg har det sjovt
x
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