Second part of my Europe trip – where I did Interrail for 4 weeks from Warsaw all the way down to Istanbul, then to Rome and back home.
This is another trip, I took well before mobile internet was a thing. I was equipped with a 1-month Global Pass for 409 EUR, the European Rail timetable book and an Interrail guide.
Warsaw 
26 August 2011
Today, we went very early to the train to Bad Oldesloe and I had to say goodbye to my mum 🙁 It’s weird to be traveling alone now…
I’ll continue my travel now with an Interrail month ticket.
Via Lübeck, Stettin and Poznan I got to Warsaw in 12 and a half hours (!!). It was getting warmer and warmer, I didn’t understand a word of Polish and I was a bit confused at the train stations (there were sooo many announcements in Poznan… and I didn’t understand anything :/), but the Poles are very nice, even if they don’t understand English. One even spoke a little German and I sat with him and his friends on the trip from Poznan to Warsaw.
When I arrived here I first had to find my way out of the train station, which was quite difficult, then walk to the tourist information to get a map and then to the hostel. Unfortunately, the hostel is on the 4th floor and there is no elevator :/
But after I towed one, the check-in went well and in my room I immediately met a woman from Munich, Eva.
I was gone for a long time in the evening with her, 3 French people and a Brazilian. Although I was super tired :/ but it was really great!
27 August 2011
This morning I started a tour of Warsaw with Eva. It was super hot with a blue sky and I have to say Warsaw pleasantly surprised me!
I had imagined everything so gray, but the city is really beautiful.
There was a pool on a roundabout, music was playing and there was a flea market around it, totally cool! 😀
We also in a park where the security guards were on their bikes and Segways.
In addition, we were of course in the old town (whichfelt like being in Italy) and in the former Warsaw ghetto
We then took the S-Bahn back to a fancy looking shopping center to stroll around there a bit.
Then we arrived back at the hostel totally dead, I don’t even want to know how many kilometers we walked.
Now a guy from Karlsruhe just came into our room, who is traveling with four others 🙂
And tonight I’m chilling, Eva’s gone again, but I’m totally exhausted, tomorrow I’m off to Kraków and before that I want to see the synagogue and the tower of the Technik Museum.
It’s also way too hot 😀 I just got used to the Norwegian climate…
From Warsaw to Kraków
28 August 2011
This morning, after checking out, Eva and I walked to the only Jewish synagogue in Warsaw, not far from the hostel.
We had to search forever for an entrance until we asked and were told that you have to ring the bell. The man who then looked out the window said it was closed today :/
Then I went up to the Palace of Culture and Science, on the 30th floor, to enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the city.
My train to Kraków left at around half past one, before that I reserved my overnight trip from Kraków at the train station.
The train to Krakow stopped in between 5 times in the middle of nowhere to wait ages (for whatever?!) but the people were quite nice again.
When I arrived in Kraków I looked for my hostel, dragged my suitcase up to the 4th floor or so and then rushed straight into the city (meaning out the door, it’s here in the city) and looked around there.
It was a market in and around the market hall and there were thousands of street performers and a few stages where groups performed. You could buy Polish food (I tried that weird cheese thingy 😉 ) and everything was totally packed, really super nice.
The market hall folk dance Fiaker is also here I peeked through the glass door into a church service 🙂 He sang sooo great!!! That’s been great. Really medieval. And break dancers performed on stage. The city tours are completed here in a golf car.
Tonight there was a Polish vodka tasting 😛
NowI’m off to bed so that I’m fit for the strenuous day tomorrow.
Day trip to Auschwitz
29 August 2011
TRIGGER WARNING: The following blog entry will show photos that might be hard to digest, even though they are incredibly important in our historical and cultural heritage.
Auschwitz concentration camp (KZ Auschwitz) was a complex of more than 40 concentration and extermination camps that was operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland between 1940 and 1945. It was the largest prison complex during National Socialism and consisted of Auschwitz I (the main camp in Oświęcim), Auschwitz II-Birkenau (a concentration and extermination camp with gas chambers), Auschwitz III-Monowitz (a labor camp) and multiple subcamps.
Of the 1.3 million people that were sent to Auschwitz, 1.1 million were murdered, including Jews, Poles, Roma, Soviets and other Europeans. Most of them were gassed, others died from starvation, exhaustion, disease or during medical experiments.
More than 800 prisoners tried to escape, thereof 144 escapes were successful.
On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops entered the camp.
The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Source: Wikipedia
Today I left early for a visit of the Auschwitz concentration camp (KZ Auschwitz). The Brazilian from Warsaw actually wanted to accompany me but he was at the Wodka tasting too long, yesterday.
At half past eight I took the train to Oświęcim and walked the 2 km to Auschwitz from there. At 11:30 I booked an English tour (you can only go on the site with a tour until 3:00 p.m.).
The tour went via Auschwitz and over to Birkenau. It was pretty depressing. Especially the museum in Auschwitz.
You really can’t say much more than that. Like I said, it was pretty scary and depressing. You could see the glasses / prostheses / suitcases / brushes / shoes / clothes / shaved hair … of the prisoners, saw pictures of emaciated women …
You could also see a wall where prisoners were shot in front of, and we went into the gas chamber where thousands of people died and in the adjoining room was the crematorium to burn the corpses afterwards…
We continued to Birkenau.
The day was really very hot, blue sky, blazing sun. When I headed back to Kraków, I was a bit afraid that I would miss the train or something, because someone in my room had said that he had missed the train and then nothing came and he therefore had to stay in a hostel there :/ He then handed me his bus ticket from the day before and I used it to smuggle myself onto the bus for free (the bus driver didn’t look at the date on the ticket very carefully) 🙂 🙂 much faster than by train and for free 😉
It was just funny how full this bus (actually a minivan) was again. Actually there would have been room for about 15 people. But when the bus was already full, people kept getting on until there were still about 8 people squeezed together in the corridor 😀
Night train to Bratislava
29 August 2011 (continued)
I got to the hostel at night and had 4 hours left before my train left. I sat down in the common room and watched “Die Hard 1” in English with half the hostel. The film is very amusing, because there are “Germans” in it… that means American actors who try to speak German 😀 great. Meanwhile there was also popcorn from the nice hostel employee 🙂 🙂
After a short internet session, I walked to the train station at 9pm. On my way there, I happened to meet a young, totally loving German couple who were in the room with me in Warsaw 😀 so funny, what a coincidence. They also went to the train station, so I didn’t have to walk through the dark alone and had a nice conversation.
The train arrived around half past nine and I got on, excited to see what awaited me.
I had a six people “room”, the cheapest of the two sleeping options. That means: 1.5 meters wide, 2 meters long compartment (just normal size), about 2.5 meters high. A corridor about 30 cm wide, to the left of it 3 “bunks”, to the right of it 3 “bunks”, above the door space for three suitcases (mine didn’t fit there), in front of the window a ladder that is attached to a shelf, on which the fresh (but not spotless – ugh) sheets lay, and under which my suitcase found space.
I immediately spoke to Daniel, a Swiss guy who also went to Bratislava. We were lucky to only have 2 other passengers in our compartment and lucky that nobody got on or the passengers only got out after us (in Prague or Vienna or Budapest etc.).
However, we were wondering how one could create a night train from 360 km between Kraków and Bratislava that takes almost 8 hours… oO 😀 haha
So, after the conductor had collected the tickets, I threw in earplugs (I had bought them in Kraków), put on my sleep mask and actually slept pretty well. Except that the Polish trains jiggle every now and then, as if you were racing over cobblestones with a shopping cart – and except that it got freezing cold in the middle of the night because the window was completely open. But then I closed it. – and except that my cell phone rang x times because we drove over a border and I got text messages
30 August 2011
In the morning the conductor woke us up and at 5:40 we arrived in Bratislava.
Daniel and I checked into our hostels, I left my stuff in the luggage room and put on a pair of shorts, expecting a hot day (that was it. Cloudless. Super warm.)
Together, we trudged through Bratislava at seven in the morning (okay, it was still pretty cold that early). Everything was still quiet, nothing was open except Mc Donalds (—> coffee!)
We then looked around a bit in the deserted old town, walked down to the bridge and went here and there because we had to pass the time until all the things opened.
We then walked up to the castle, where the crowds of tourists were (meaning pensioners). The view of the not so pretty (I think) Bratislava was nice. If you can put it that way.
The castle was pretty nice too.
Then we went back down into the city, to a church where there were real bones from a saint (yuck), where there were power balance bracelets for 10 euros, where there were a lot of tourists , where we somehow got around without direction (although the town is so small), where we looked for an English bookstore and I didn’t buy a Lonely Planet and where there was a Billa (Austria!).
What I really like about Bratislava are the buildings that are there. Partly very beautiful, old facades, which – no wonder – are so beautifully reminiscent of Vienna.
We then walked to the train station to reserve our tickets for the next few days and then took a break in a park. We had already done so much and it was only 1pm. phew
So we made our way back through the city to a large shopping center on the other side of the Danube. There was a dm (germanhh) there and I bought comfortable shoes, which I immediately returned because they were really ugly and I probably would never have worn them, despite the fact that they were super comfortable. So I bought some nice cheap stuff 🙂 🙂
After we said goodbye, I checked into the hostel pretty exhausted and got into my room.
Unfortunately, my brand new Brie was stolen from the fridge… Then it was time to book for the next few days.
My plan is as follows, I hope it works somehow…
- Tomorrow morning to Budapest.
- Tomorrow evening 16 hours night train in a mini-compartment like from yesterday to today from Budapest to Bucharest. (Waaaaah I’m getting claustrophobic!!!! You can only lie down there. The bunks are too low to sit on.)
- One night Bucharest.
- From Bucharest to the Black Sea coast, a little Gekurke to a small village. There in a pension where I booked a double room for myself for 4 nights. Located by the sea. Nice beach, nice sea, hopefully nice weather.
- Back to Bucharest.
- One night Bucharest.
- Train from Bucharest to Istanbul (night train that takes about an infinity…don’t dare look right now)
- Then I have no idea… whatever… Istanbul at least a little bit 🙂
Budapest
30 August 2011
In the morning I went to Budapest in two and a half hours, where I locked my luggage and then spent my day.
It was quite pleasant since I already knew the city, I didn’t look at any sights either, I just toiled through the shopping street thousands of times because I was bored.
I stumbled across a Vapiano in the afternoon and had to treat myself to something clever. Especially since the pizza, which was really good, cost a little less than 5 € <3 😀
For a moment I thought about walking up the mountain with the beautiful church (I have no idea what it’s called… Fischerbastei??), because last year it still had scaffolding, as far as I can remember. But that was too far for me and it was too hot.
I then wanted to take the metro back to the train station in the evening and of course I went down the wrong path :/ one too early, so I was on the wrong metro. Of course I had already stamped the ticket and I really didn’t have a single Forint left, so I walked to the train station… uh… it was hot and Hungarians drive like idiots. But it worked, I still had time.
Night train to Bucharest
01 September 2011
Tonight, I took the night train to Bucharest, I was in the six-seater compartment with 3 others, a Romanian, a Danish who comes from Romania and spoke English and French very well and was very nice, and a guy from the Netherlands who was in Ireland lives and who was also very nice, we talked really long.
I have to say that I slept really well that night (I left my sleep mask on the previous night train – I’m an idiot! – and then put a hair band over my eyes. Not very comfortable). This morning when we got our tickets back (you always have to hand them in overnight) we even got a voucher (1Euro :D) for a coffee – I didn’t redeem it.
The Romanian Dane gave me her business card so that I could call her if anything happened and then we were already in Bucharest. At half past 12.
The train station here is pure chaos. It’s actually a market hall that also has trains running into it. Nevertheless, I found the international ticket counter where the railway ladies also spoke English and reserved my tickets to Istanbul and to and from Constanta.
Then I went to the hostel, I ran there because, to be honest, I didn’t dare to get on the bus. I have no idea which bus and which direction and where I have to get off etc.
The way to the hostel was very adventurous – like allways in Bucharest. Towards the end there was a huge mega construction site, the whole street was torn up and the cars were diverted. Pedestrians simply walked across the construction site. Through the ditches, over the sand/gravel, whatever. Me too with my suitcase. And at the end it went over a deep pipe trench over which a tree trunk was laid. With my trolley case. Age!
I survived, checked into the cute hostel, took a shower (oooh yesaaaa finally!) and then jetted off to town.
First I went across a park to the third tallest building in the world, the Presidential Palace. Well… can be beat in terms of beauty.
Then I went along a long car avenue, where you had to be afraid of being run over because there were no traffic lights or the cars were green at the same time as the pedestrians, to a large shopping center.
I just couldn’t find the entrance to the center! At first I thought maybe the shops were just outside and there’s nothing inside, but then I got into the car park via a supermarket and then into the shop from the back, which was a very spooky route. The shopping center was also really shit. So just not the way you’re used to. Long corridors with escalators at the ends. Upstairs men, middle floor women, ground floor accessories and junk. Oh well.
I then treated myself to a frappuccino at McDonalds 😀
My way then led me to the old town – these are the buildings from BEFORE WWII, a relatively nice district with many construction sites (like everywhere), old houses, beautiful churches and many bars. There was also a market that I strolled around a bit. But there wasn’t much and I only treated myself to a pendant and a pair of sunglasses 🙂
The power grid here is a true art. From time to time the cables hang down to the street.
Because I hadn’t found ANY souvenir shop until now, I walked quite a distance to the museums in the hope of more tourism. think. Nothing.
Here the sidewalk just stopped and I had to walk along the edge of the extremely busy road (help!)
Well, then I took the metro to the train station, where there weren’t any souvenirs in all the chaos (I’ll make my own stickers and patches now. Basta.)
Then I walked the beautiful construction site path back to the hostel and declared the day over. At least my sightseeing day.
Bucharest is exhausting but multifaceted, there are many beautiful houses but also a lot of poverty and neglect. I’ve seen some people sleeping on the streets under cardboard castles, there are a lot of stray dogs and cats, a few drug addicts… and for me as a westerner it was nice but somehow… I honestly missed it (and I’m not proud of that at all, but kind of need I do) the tourist shopping mile….
My pesto spilled out of my backpack onto my bed. ugh I needed a new sheet.
I found the Lonely Planet Eastern Europe guide. But the pages with Bucharest are missing. Still useful, but difficult.
Tomorrow I want to go east to the Black Sea. I hope everything works out, I’m a bit scared that I’ll miss trains or there won’t be any buses, etc. :/
Off to the Black Sea
02 September 2011
So this morning my journey to the east started 🙂 I took the train at 9:15 a.m. to Constanta, a port city on the Black Sea, for two and a half hours. I handed in my luggage (until I found the luggage station, hey. The train station is really small but since no one understood me, I looked for quite a long time) and then walked the 2km to Constanta.
I walked through the city, to the lighthouse and the casino (that my dad told me about, but it was … gone^^), past churches and a mosque, through the pedestrian zone and then I had a half at the casino below Loaf of bread treated to a bar of chocolate (mjaaam :D). On the way back I couldn’t resist and I’m still in a dm (aah feeling at home!!). The products are mostly still German, but on the back the pack was pasted over with Romanian ones.
Shortly after half past three I went down to Mangalia by train, we stopped umpteen times somewhere in the middle of nowhere and waited for an oncoming train or nothing at all 😀
And I passed a lot of very poor houses. In the meantime I’m used to it, all cities here are partly very neglected, Constanta and Bucuresti were also :/
but I arrived on time. . . I then took the bus the last bit from Mangalia to 2 Mai and was let out right in front of my pension.
Here I booked a double room alone for four nights.
I can see the sea from here, but I haven’t been to the beach yet. At first I was happy to have arrived, I walked to the supermarket and then washed all the clothes.
I hope the weather holds up reasonably, at the moment it looks a bit worse somehow (rain is announced for tomorrow and then it will be a bit colder, but the websites also contradict each other somehow). Oh well. It doesn’t matter. I’ve got television and internet here. Relax for three days! Hope the beach is nice.
By the way, it’s an hour later here – I only found out on the train shortly before Bucharest 😀
2 Mai
03 September 2011
This morning, after a nice lie-in, we went to the beach. The beach is pretty dirty I have to say… and soo much seaweed. And as soon as I lay down on the sand (which is a bit coarse-grained) I was “attacked” by thousands of fruit flies. It was so uncomfortable and ticklish that I couldn’t stand it long and so I went back to the pension.
There I sat on the balcony in the sun and watched TV.
In the afternoon I went to the beach again, this time to the southern part (where there are also nudists) and lay down there on a concrete “bridge” that was pretty, pretty crumbled. There were almost no fruit flies and I had my peace with a beautiful view of the beach behind. Until at some point a guy came and undressed on the wall across from me and strutted around naked on the wall the whole time… well… 😀
By the way, you can camp here on the beach for free. If you want that^^
04 September 2011
Today I chilled on the beach again and after a short walk through the village I went shopping.
Since the lady at the cash register didn’t have any small change ready to give back, she gave me back the small change in the form of individual pieces of chewing gum that had been cut apart 😀 well… 😀 very funny
After that I finally went to lunch (clever), because I survive the days here only with bread, cream cheese and muesli… that gets annoying at some point. The only vegetarian option was corn porridge with feta cheese and creme fraiche.
After that I finally found a hostel in Istanbul! So many hostels have already been fully booked :/
Well… then we went back to the beach 🙂
05 September 2011
Today I went to the beach again, this time quite early.
In the afternoon I tore up the Lonely Planet I had found at the pension, so that now I only carry the countries with me that I also visit 😛
I’ve washed the last of my clothes and I hope they’ll be dry tomorrow, because tomorrow morning I’m going back to Bucharest for the night.
06 September 2011
This morning I was woken up by a fire alarm – I was really scared. But after nothing happened at all, it didn’t blast again and I didn’t hear any footsteps outside, I went back to sleep for a while.
Then I went to the beach one last time until I checked out around 10 and got the bus to Mangalia perfectly (so lucky, because there isn’t even a timetable or similar for the buses here).
I had hoped that a train would go straight up to Constanta but pah… I couldn’t even lock my luggage at the train station so I had to wait 2 hours.
The train got so full after a while that I was surrounded by girls who also had their suitcases with them, man that was full ey.
In Constanta I still had 3 hours time, in which I went back into town (among other things buying shoes happy and something to eat) and walked down to the beach.
The beach here was very nice 🙂 unfortunately a few broken pieces of glass, but surprisingly the water was extremely warm.
Shortly after 5 my train to Bucharest left, fortunately I had bought the tickets beforehand (or the seat reservation… for not even one euro), because on the train in front of it (which I wanted to take first because I didn’t want to wait so long) only seats in the 1st class were free Oo
On the way I had a socket next to my seat and therefore continued watching my Harry Potter series 😀
What else happened that was worth mentioning was that I saw a pig that was traveling on the freeway. Very amusing.
And there were a lot of carriages.
Unfortunately, I only arrived here in Bucharest when it was already dark. Damn. I thought it was still light at 8. Anyway, I had to walk to the hostel in the dark, I was pretty scared to be honest. The only good thing was that I didn’t need a city map anymore, which maybe didn’t make me look quite as touristy.
And when I arrived at the hostel I was greeted nicely by the woman who recognized me immediately and haach… I felt safe and at home right away.
Tomorrow at 12 we’re going on the 20-hour night train to Istanbul. ugh BUT!! Haha! This time I paid a little more money to get a more comfortable cabin, let’s see 🙂 🙂
25 hour train to Istanbul
07 September 2011
Phew, today morning at 11 a.m. I started walking to the train station. There I looked in vain for a mailbox, was sent back and forth by some people and then decided to post my letter for the university in Istanbul (I did that earlier 🙂 happy).
My night train to Istanbul via Sofiya left shortly after 12 noon . I had paid a little more to get into a 3-seater compartment. The great thing was that I had this compartment to myself all the time and there was a sink in it.
I watched a few more movies, ate and hung out. Unfortunately, there was probably a mosquito in the cabin (if only 2 other passengers had been there. Then I wouldn’t have been bitten THAT MUCH!!) Then I went to bed early, slept pretty badly (among other things because of the bites. They are really HUGE!) and from about 2am to 5am we were standing at a train station somewhere in Bulgaria. The toilets didn’t work during this time and the ventilation then somehow failed completely and didn’t work at all.
08 September 2011
There were 4 passport controls, twice over to Bulgaria (once by the Romanians, once by the Bulgarians) and twice over to Turkey, whereby at the second time we all had to get off the train at around 6 a.m. to have our passports stamped and, if necessary, .Visa to buy. Since there were a lot of people at the visa counter, I wasn’t sure either, so I got in line there. There were also other Germans who weren’t sure. Ultimately, of course, we don’t need one 😛
Then I went back to sleep, in the slight premonition that we would never be in Istanbul at the estimated time of 9 a.m.
Yes. Neither were we. We were in Istanbul at 1 p.m. Very great 😀
Well, after 25 hours on the train I reserved my night train back to Sofiya, withdrew some money (from the only ATM in the station, which of course had a long line in front of it) and walked to the hostel. Ran! I was still wearing clothes for a long time because I thought about women in Turkey. Phew, was that warm, because it was uphill through narrow, badly paved streets.
Luckily, when I arrived at the hostel, the nice receptionist carried my suitcase upstairs, check-in went smoothly, I took a shower first and then walked straight into Istanbul. With skirt and top! Like all tourists here.
Istanbul: Awesome! The big hammer!
Bustle on the streets, market stalls everywhere, what were dogs in Romania are here masses of cats on the streets. Men who call after you, but who also kindly show you the way and are quite gentleman-like, spice, fruit, food stalls, clothes, lamps, shoes, blaaaaa thousands of things!
I was at the Grand Bazaar , the oldest and largest closed bazaar in the world. Founded in 1461, it has 60 streets and over 3,600 stalls in 30,700 square meters.
Then on the Misir Carsisi (spice bazaar). It is the second largest closed bazaar in Istanbul and includes 46 shops.
At the very beginning I was on the Arastabazar , which is right next to the Blue Mosque.
Actually, I just walked around the city more or less aimlessly and stumbled across all the bazaars following the crowds. This is the most fun – especially on the first day to “get used to it”!
There was tea everywhere, jewellery, fake things, sweets (!!), veiled women and tourists.
In between I ate in a restaurant, into which I was literally dragged: D For 11 lira there was delicious vegetables with rice (although it was explicitly vegetarian, there was a bone in the meal. BÄÄÄÄHHHKOTZ!). But the restaurant was pretty cool, you could choose from all sorts of things and each thing cost 8 lira:
After I found a post office and a pharmacy for Fenistil, I took the tram back to the Blue Mosque, which is somewhere near my hostel. I don’t know exactly where it is, somehow I always get lost on the way here, because neither the city map nor the streets themselves have any street names in this quarter -.- I always have to ask myself. Tomorrow I’ll find a system to get here!
On the way I was dying of thirst, which is why I treated myself to a pomegranate juice – freshly squeezed from a stand. And also a liter of orange juice and a liter of water.
Back at the hostel I now enjoy the beautiful view from the roof terrace <3 <3 <3
Unfortunately the internet doesn’t work in the hostel -.- but I’ll try to scrounge some downstairs in the café.
Ha, the man from the reception led me to the neighboring hotel whose receptionist is German 🙂 now I have the WiFi code from their WiFi. Very cool.
ISTANBUL IS HOT HOT HOT!
Tonight I played UNO with a couple of Aussies, Englishmen and a Belgian. At some point the Turks from the hostel came along. They spoke almost no English, didn’t understand anything and threw the cards around, it was very amusing 😀
09 September 2011
In the morning, I had a great breakfast in the hostel.
I then headed off to the Ayasofya Museum.
Then to the Blue Mosque.
Then I went back to the hostel to take off my long pants and change into shorts. Then we went to the cistern with an Italian. At the end of the footbridge there were two Medusa heads to admire.
I then took the tram to the district beyond the Golden Horn, drove up the mountain with the funicular and then walked down the big shopping street, the istiklal Cadessi. I bought some, phew…
With the heavy shopping bags I walked past the Galata Tower back to the tram and drove briefly to the hostel.
Then we went to Forum Istanbul, the largest shopping center in Europe. Didn’t excite me that much though.
On the way back the sun went down really nicely. I passed the Grand Bazaar, Ayasofya and the Blue Mosque.
Now I’m done, sitting on the terrace and listening to the sounds of prayer that echo through the streets here every hour.
Last night I went to a shisha bar with two Canadians, the Italian and the two English. We were there for quite a long time and I was sooo tired 😀 One of the Canadians then read the coffee grounds, which was very funny.
10 September 2011
Today I went out early again (god I was tired) and first in the Topkapi Palace. Admission has already cost 20 TL (about 10 €) and for the harem you would have had to pay another 15 TL oO that’s why I’m only in the museum.
That was really impressive, the museum!
You could see the weapons (decorated with rubies and gold and white stuff) of the sultans, there was even a 2m long sword that I can’t imagine fighting with 😀
There were also the sultans’ clothes and the treasures (Thrones made entirely of gold, turban jewellery, precious stones).
The sword of the prophet David and the staff of Moses, with which he is said to have parted the sea, were also on display.
Unfortunately, you weren’t allowed to take photos of most things (cough), but the buildings were sooo beautiful! With some wonderful views of the Bosphorus.
I then walked through Gülhane Park to the pier and took the boat to Üsküdar – on the Asian side . For 2TL (less than 1€), that’s how much all public transport costs here! I sat down in a café with a view of the Bosphorus and actually wanted to drink a café with chocolate flavor, but after no one understood what I meant, I drank a water 😀 and later got one from a stand. Then I crossed back to Europe, this time near the Dolmabahce Palace, where I was yesterday, but I’m not in because I didn’t have a student ID with me, with which the entrance fee is only 1TL instead of 20TL. But today there was such a mega queue, I didn’t get in there again.
A little around the corner, not at the tourist entrance, there was a heavily guarded entrance with soldiers in glass cases oO 😀 I took the funicular back up to Taksim and strolled along the shopping mile again and sometimes in side streets. At the Galata Tower I treated myself to a Yufka / Dürüm for 4 TL (!). It was super delicious, very different from ours. Stuffed with warm vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, peppers, eggplant YUMM. The corner of the pub was totally busy but soo narrow. When a bigger truck came five men heaved aside a huge concrete block that was on the street to block it off, trucks often got stuck on the corner, soo amusing.´
I then walked over the bridge over the Golden Horn back to the spice bazaar. At the water was a fish market or something like that, it was soo full. And on the water there were a few “kitchens” on boats that rocked like crazy, I wondered how you could cook there. The spice bazaar was also sooo full!! Unbelievable. Like the “Fest” in the front row. I looked into a Turkish candy store and was allowed to try a small piece (oooh so delicious!! if I lived here I would be even fatter :D).
I took the tram back and then something totally crazy happened to me.
The tram was (as always) so packed that you couldn’t move an inch. And five men pushed their way in through the door (next to which I was standing) when it was actually already full.
In any case, there was a man right next to me, whom I unfortunately had to touch, there was no other way. But he pressed his cock against me the whole time, it was so disgusting, but I still thought: okay, maybe there’s no other way.
When I got off he followed me and even on the way out in front of the tram he pressed himself against me from behind the whole time, what a wanker!
I stopped and let him pass and kicked his ass from behind (maybe I wasn’t that smart but he deserved it) and told him to stop touching me.
Then he turns around and smacks me hard, luckily all the teeth are still there, the lip is just a bit thick. I then told him in English (which he obviously didn’t speak) that he should kindly keep his hands off me and luckily other passers-by scared him away.
Oh well. Asshole.
I then picked up my laundry (aaah freshly washed, white tops are white again, ironed and folded. Luxury!) and then went back to the hostel. Today I want to go to bed early, I’m really dead.
At night, we (Canadians, Aussie, 3 Germans) went to a shisha bar.
11 September 2011
Today Ramada, Dariush and I went to the Blue Mosque in the morning.
then there was super awesome ice cream!! (Video will follow at home ;))
Then we went to an aqueduct that was built around 365 AD. was built.
Then we went over to Taksim again, along the shopping mile, then played backgammon in a hookah bar.
Then we tried to redeem German vouchers at McDonalds 😀 And at the end of the evening there was a very tasty doner kebab from a mobile stand, while we learned that a hotel around the corner was on fire. Now we’re sitting in the hostel and let the evening end comfortably 😉
12 September 2011
This morning Rama and Dariush checked out first, then we walked into town. We’re back over the huge markets that kind of stretch through half of Istanbul. All full of fake stuff!!
We ate something somewhere, but I think I have a bad stomach ache because of the soggy fries -.-
In the afternoon we chilled in front of the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia and saw a Turkish “GZSZ” star 😀
At half past three the two were then picked up by their airport shuttle snifff….
I’m too tired and lazy to do anything now, watch movies and chill. I’ll check out tomorrow morning, still have a day here in Istanbul and then take the night train to Sofia at 10 in the evening 🙂
In the evening, I enjoyed a fireworks display over the Bosphorus with tortellini (which the Turks didn’t know, oO).
13 September 2011
Today after checking out, I went down to the water (where I was bothered by 2 baby cats :D) and then went back into town to buy the last souvenirs and such.
After I still didn’t feel so well after the fries the day before, I only ate Cola after breakfast…
I also looked at the sultan’s tomb.
and honestly i was glad when i was off the streets with men yelling at you ALL THE TIME. So that really pissed me off!!
”Excuse me Miss” – “Where are you from” – “Hello, wanna see my beautiful shop?” – “How are you today”?” BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I could have killed them all 😀
In the evening I chilled on the terrace and passed the time. I will really miss the hostel. The people there were so nice. Even if they forced me to give a 100% rating on hostelworld 😀 (which I didn’t do… it wasn’t really clean and safe^^).
At 10 p.m. my night train to Sofia left, we were 5 girls and a dog in a 6-seater cabin. The dog was so cute 🙂 and wasn’t annoying as I had feared.
Night train to Sofia
14 September 2011
Of course we went out again at night, stamped my passport and with a delay (who would have thought it 😀 – but it was only 45 minutes) I arrived in Sofia this morning.
I have made my next reservation to Belgrade in 2 days.
I walked the way to the hostel (unfortunately – it was super hot and super heavy), the entrance is awesome, but the hostel is very nice.
Although I was (am) really tired, I walked into town a bit.
Was at the “Ladies Market” – but I didn’t quite follow him, as I found out afterwards.
Then I got lost… in the distance you can see mega-high mountains.
Luckily I’ve learned to read Cyrillic, otherwise it would be a lot harder to find my way around here. Especially since the streets on the map I have are in Latin letters, but on the street signs they are in Cyrillic letters.
Tomorrow I’ll have time to do some real sightseeing… now I want my free meal and then I think I’ll go to sleep. Tiredeeeeeeee.
15 September 2011
Today I took a closer look at Sofia. After the free breakfast we started (breakfast and dinner are included here, oO that almost makes up for the €10 per night :D).
First I walked to the Palace of Culture – a beautiful building. There’s supposed to be a museum somewhere, but I couldn’t find it.
I liked Alexander Nevski Cathedal – also from the inside, where you weren’t actually allowed to take any photos.
I was feeling sick again this morning, somehow I had total circulatory problems, which is why I stocked up on vitamin tablets at dm (yay :P)… that was pretty good.
I came across an antique market or something similar, where you could have stocked up on masses of SS / Hitler stuff. There were also some nice jewelery, but unfortunately they were very expensive.
I walked past a few churches, a mosque and beautiful buildings back to the shopping area, where I already was yesterday was.
Belgrade (Београд)
16 September 2011
This morning I took the S-Bahn to the train station, where I then took the train to Belgrade. Not the only time that day I was glad that I had learned Cyrillic… otherwise I wouldn’t even have been able to read the scoreboards…
I had reserved a seat (seat 45 – window seat) and so I got into the two carriages with good cheer, which – still without a locomotive – were standing on the platform. One of the wagons was a sleeper, so not mine, and the other one had big problems 😀
First of all, only the seating groups of the tens (meaning seat 10,11,12, etc.) and twenties, as well as the seventies, eighties and nineties were labeled. I was 45th. So I count the compartments – starting with the tenth compartment. Then again from the other side – backwards from the nineties compartment. And I realized: Well, someone couldn’t count. A compartment was simply missing: D Well. After all, there were two possible compartments in which there should be a window seat somewhere. hahaha No way. All compartments were packed.
So I went to a train guy and showed him my reservation. Then he threw a man out of his seat (not a window seat!) and put me there. First class I think (:D no comment ;)).
Luckily I got to the platform a little earlier, because everyone who came after me – including some backpackers – simply couldn’t get a seat. Despite the place card. So the hallway was packed the first time.
The five older Bulgarians around me vehemently defended their places, nobody with a seat card could scare them away. Even none of the train people. And they smoked all the time (at least they had the window open –.-)
Gradually, the train emptied apparently and fortunately. We crossed the border, showed passports twice, a stamp, I think they asked for tobacco or something similar (but I didn’t understand anything and the older Bulgarian women talked so much). As soon as we crossed the border, the ladies dumped all their plastic bags around and packed some newly bought things into sports bags 😀
At some point I was alone in the compartment and folded down the opposite seat to lounge comfortably.
People kept getting on and off, a man with a baby dog, a bum who stored his bag of beer bottles in our compartment and smoked outside in the corridor the whole time, later a young Serbian with whom I occasionally talked entertained me and who already prepared me for the fact that the train will be at least 2 hours late.
I forgot again that the time is changing again, I spent 7 hours + 1 hour time difference + 2 hours delay = 10 hours on the train. With too little to drink. I always got food from fellow travelers 😀 here a biscuit, here a candy, really sweet.
I almost finished reading my newly found book “The Broker” by uh… a famous author in that time, fortunately I had my iPod and was able to get a little sleep.
Unfortunately it was already dark when I arrived in Belgrade at half past nine, actually I didn’t want to wander through a city to Bucharest in the dark anymore -.-
But okay. First I wanted to get money. But the ATM didn’t take my Maestro at first and there was no money with a credit card either. The man behind me felt the same way. “Automat empty” he just meant 😀
But since I needed money for the tram, I dug out my note euros and exchanged them.
Then we went to the tram, where I had to find out where exactly to get off (the description on the hostel’s homepage was obviously wrong).
On the tram, the driver said it was okay, I didn’t need a ticket. Great. But good.
After the seventh stop I got out, found the hostel good, bought something to drink first because I was dying of thirst and was just lying on my bed… until a couple came in and the guy said it was his bed.
Great receptionists. I was already wondering why there was so much stuff on the (otherwise made) bed, I went to ask again but… the guys were wondering earlier why I was asking for a key for the shower.
Well, now I have the right bed.
17 September 2011
Today I looked at Belgrade. Someone had told me that this town isn’t supposed to be beautiful, so I wasn’t prepared for much. But I was pleasantly surprised.
I took the train to Stari Grad, the old town. It is more like a huge castle with a view of the Danube and the Sava, beautiful.
There is also the military museum. Well camouflaged: 😉
By the way, the money here is great 😀 It makes you feel so rich 🙂
I treated myself to a delicious mocha frappee and a muffin in the pedestrian zone for divine prices 🙂 🙂
Today was kind of a big volleyball school event so it was pretty busy and the main road was closed.
I was in a shop for a short time and thought about buying snowboard pants… but… no. Wasn’t in the mood after all at 40°C outside temperature.
For lunch there was a doner kebab with fries on it for €1.50!!
I went here a bit, made a mistake there, shopped for jewelry, looked at a few parks…
On the way back I stopped by the botanical garden, which is just opposite the hostel.
I put my things down for a moment and then walked back into town or to the old town in the evening to watch the sunset.
Then we went back by train. Tonight, heavily armed police officers were out and about, and they were also standing on the side of the road. I have no idea what kind of event it is…
Then I got a little excited about the hostel here. So it’s all brand new and stuff like that. But you can’t lock the shower downstairs, the one upstairs didn’t have warm water, you can’t pay with a card, so I had to drone to the nearest ATM and the WiFi doesn’t work somehow.
And my head is pounding again from the heat today. It’s time for me to go to colder climes 🙂
Tomorrow I go to Zagreb, Croatia.
Zagreb
18 September 2011
Today I headed off to Zagreb at 11:30 am, it wasn’t really anything special. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough to drink for the 7-hour drive, but well, bad luck. Then I first sat down in a compartment, in a car that probably came from Serbia or something, at least without air conditioning, etc. When I roamed around a bit in the train, I found another car with er… mass seats (?!), a German wagon (I guess that because everything was in German and the train went to Villach… okay, maybe it was Austrian too. It doesn’t matter) with air conditioning 🙂 That’s where I moved to.
I arrived ON TIME! I hadn’t prepared myself to arrive so early 😀 But I had just finished reading my book.
I then walked to the hostel, checked in, etc.
Then I briefly toyed with the idea of going on a trip to the Plitwicka Lakes tomorrow, I even walked to the bus terminal for ages, but that was too expensive and stressful for me. I’d rather take my time in Zagreb tomorrow. I will definitely come to Croatia again.
19 September 2011
Today it was surprisingly cold, still nice in the morning, then rainy in the afternoon, then completely washed out in the afternoon and nice again in the evening.
I went to a market first thing in the morning
then I drank a coffee and strolled through the city. Zagreb is quite small and I had a whole day. In addition, all museums were closed today. Even more time.
I went back to the hostel for a short time at noon to then head to the upper town with warmer clothes and an umbrella. It soon started raining like hell there.
And since my shoes were totally soaked after 10 minutes, I didn’t care if I kept walking. Then I plodded through the city again.
Towards evening I went again – in flip-flops – to buy food. But since the church was so beautifully illuminated by the setting sun, I just had to go there again.
And when I had bought food again, because a rainbow had just appeared 🙂
And then I was blessed with a totally beautiful sunset 🙂
Ljubljana
20 September 2011
Today at noon I went easy, fast and comfortably to Ljubljana in 2 hours. I was really surprised that it went so quickly 🙂 Very pleasant. And these calm trains.
In Zagreb at the train station, an older man approached me while I was waiting, and we chatted a bit. He could speak English quite well and some German and he told me something about the Bible and about his travels. But was very nice.
Fortunately it was a bit warmer in Ljubljana, I unpacked my flip-flops at the train station and was happy 🙂
But before we went to the hostel I booked my return journeys. Below:
My trip to Rome the day after tomorrow and my return trip from Rome via Milano to Basel and then to Strasbourg. It was all really chaotic. The woman at the first counter was really nice, but she always needed the train numbers to book anything and I only had my annoying European timetable book. That’s why she sent me to the information center, where next to the ticket counter there was a train information counter. I was almost alone there and that went faster. Getting the ticket from Rome to Basel was really difficult because all the tickets to Milano were sold out, as were the ones to Basel. But I’ve got one now that I have to pay a bit more for and that’s having a bit of a silly time. Departure from Rome at 4 p.m., arrival in Basel at 1 a.m. –.-
Oh well. At least I’m coming home 🙂
When I arrived at the hostel, the nice man from the reception helped me to carry my suitcase up 2 (high) floors and the hostel is really nice. I was super tired and surfed the internet and watched movies for quite a long time.
After a Frenchman came into my room, I went out to eat with him in the evening. falafel.
Ljubljana is really beautiful in the evenings. Quiet, chilled, beautifully lit, reminds me a bit of Europapark 🙂
A guitar player was standing on the street while eating falafel. Very nice.
After a little stroll through the city we’re going to sleep 🙂 Good night.
21 September 2011
Today morning I went on a free guided tour through Ljubljana with 3 girls from the hostel. It was very informative and there were quite a few nice people there. The Frenchman from the day before yesterday also came along.
All the time we kept seeing this chick posing weird and being accompanied by a photographer 😀 We just had to do it 😉
21 September 2011 (continued)
Shortly before one o’clock two guys – a Brazilian and a German – asked me if I wanted to go with them to “a river like that or something”. I had no idea what they meant by that, but it turned out that they wanted to go to Lake Bled. I just joined even though I had already ticked off Bled (too far away, too expensive blabla).
We missed the bus at 1am and then waited 45 minutes for the next one.
At half past three we arrived in Bled.
It’s really beautiful! We walked up to the castle to find out that you can’t get in without paying an entrance fee. And the guy at the cash register said that you only get a view of the lake from the castle.
We still walked around the castle, and via a path we came from the other side all the way to the castle and had a nice, free view 🙂
Of course, I was only wearing my flip-flops, not the best running shoes 😀
At eight we were back home, we each went to our hostel (the boys were in another one) and met again shortly before nine to walk up to the castle of Ljubljana.
Unfortunately, when we got to the top, we only had a view of the other, non-old town side of Ljubljana. Was nice anyway.
Since we had been hearing live music from somewhere the whole time, we followed our ears and came across a great, big, free concert (“Bob Dylan Project”). We asked the lady at the entrance if we needed tickets and she said yes, we did. But they still have some left and she can just give them to us for free and then rip them off right away 😀
There were really crazy but good and totally different bands performing, each for only 3-5 songs or something.
I think the best known were Laibach (a Slovenian version of Rammstein, totally crazy) and Niet (punk rock).
During the concert, a local from Ljubljana talked us into it, who was somehow totally on drugs or had a real crack 😀 He was grinning and laughing and chattering the whole time. He then “accompanied” us 😀
But I soon said goodbye to the others when we were standing in front of the boys’ hostel.
Kevin is going on to Salzburg today, Leandro to Zagreb and I’m going to Villach and Romaaaa later.
Train to Rome
22 September 2011
I walked around Ljubljana a bit this morning, but it was kind of boring. And unfortunately not sunny enough for me to lie in the sun. So I waited and waited until I could finally board the train to Villach just before 5am. During the journey I had a compartment to myself, I slept briefly and then I was already there.
I’m sitting in Villach at the main train station and have been waiting for almost 4 hours… and I still have 2 hours to wait. On my train to Rome.
Just watched Ocean’s 12 to get in the mood and am thinking about watching The Da Vinci Code 😀
Lots of drunks walking around here, but they don’t riot and security is there all the time. He’s already asked me why I’m sitting here, which train I’m taking. I’m sitting next to a garbage can, behind which is the only socket that can be found. But I can sit here 🙂
Since I can’t watch a long movie anymore, I’m going to watch Jackass… it’s short enough. I have to get to the platform on time.
It’s now only 45 minutes left. In the meantime the drunks are gone, but some girls who are either waiting for the train to Rome or to Salzburg have come along.
Boriiinggg. At least I have Nettie. And electricity. And iTunes.
Right now a man is sitting behind me on the bench who asked the two securities from the train station to call an ambulance. But they need a reason to call for an ambulance, he says he has schizophrenia… after he always said he couldn’t do it anymore. Now the three of them go to the door. Strange.
23 September 2011
The trip to Rome was really pleasant, I must say. At first I had a whole six-person compartment to myself and folded 4 seats, unpacked my hut sleeping bag and pillow, put ear plugs in and slept wonderfully.
Sometime very early in the morning two men came in who said they had a reservation, they then hoisted my suitcase onto the overhead locker and sat down. Didn’t bother me at all, I slept on. When I finally woke up in Florence, two women were sitting in the cabin, I then got ready and we warned in Rome at quarter past nine sharp.
First I looked for the tourist info (God, it was hidden -.-), then I took a city map to the hostel (everything was so heavy -.- shitty suitcases and bags). There in the mini-elevator (elevator happy!) á la James Bond and yes. Checked in, showered, enjoyed a “breakfast” from the hostel and then steamed up to Rome at half past ten.
First we went to the Spanish Steps…
…then to the Trevi Fountain…
…then to the Pantheon…
… across the Piazza Navona…
… then past the Castel Sant’Angelo…
… in the Vatican to St. Peter’s Basilica.
I almost couldn’t get in there because I was wearing shorts and a top. But clever as I am, I wrapped my triangular scarf around my legs in such a way that the front and back covered everything up to the knees. HA! And I had a shoulder-covering sweater with me. And you can easily skip the long queue as an individual 😉 hehehe
Then we went to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum. I didn’t even know where that was and had to ask -.- had I been here before? So I couldn’t remember. Admission was 8 euros Oo Luckily my student ID cough knocked out the student price. Otherwise it would have been 15 euros. I hardly had to wait in line (expected the worst. But I was in within 10 minutes). There was of course the “finger” to see… and lots of Latin class.
After that I was really hungry and I got a bit lost. But luckily I passed a supermarket and treated myself to something really great. Haha. A loaf of bread with a cheese and canned tomato. I then enjoyed in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. –.- Oh and an apple. That was great.
After that I talked about the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II…
… past the Roman Forum…
… walked down to the Colosseum.
There I sat a little higher on a pole in a meadow and watched the sunset and the hustle and bustle (3 bridal couples) in front of the Colosseum.
It was dark and I walked back to the Trevi Fountain, via Circus Maximus and the Teatro Macello. I sat down at a railing post in front of the Trevi Fountain to watch the hustle and bustle for an hour. I loved this place.
Half dead I then hobbled back to the hostel. OUCH
Leg massage please!! And back and everything. OWAAAA
24 September 2011
In the morning I went to Rome once more.
I happened to come across the Forum Imperialium Museum, a forum that is currently being renovated and was free to visit just that day. There was an exhibition with modern chairs and lamps (very interesting contrast :D) and then a Roman market with people dressed up as Romans, handicraft stalls and food samples (! yum!). Really idyllic!
Then I walked in the direction of the Roman Forum, just to see how expensive it is. And TADA – Because of the “European Heritage Days” was just free entry! I was happy 🙂
So I walked a little over the ancient Roman market square and the Palatine.
After lounging around at the Colosseum I went back to the hostel, got ready (shampoo leaked out in my suitcase -.-) and then went to the main train station.
25 September 2011
The return journey took 18 hours. From four o’clock in the afternoon to 10 o’clock in the morning.
Rome – Milano – Basel, stay in Basel from 1 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Strasbourg, Appenweiher, Karlsruhe.
I was awake the whole night and arrived on time and smoothly. The sun is shining at home – wonderful!!! And I’m tired, but I want to unpack everything quickly.
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