ClayB

I don't know what pops into your head when you think about Norway, but for me it's Vikings! As well as bolluck numbing coldness and chest-pain inducing prices, of course. And funny accents. Not to mention weird TV adverts with dancing naked people. But mostly just Vikings. Harbouring a worsening case of man-flu, I decided to leave the comparitively tropical climes of London and head for the fjords to investigate, this time with 2 lovely ladies to accompany me: My Welsh ex-flatmate from Auckland, Ruth, and my South African friend from London, Megs. We decided Viking names would be more suitable though, so after much deliberation we became Ruth the Battered, Megs the Awesome, and Clay the Undecided (Our plan was to wear Viking hats for the duration of the trip, but unlike Copenhagen Oslo is ... read more

It was about 11am by the time our train arrived in Prague, and it had already been a long day. The unexpected all-nighter in Hof was definitely taking its toll! Still, I was happy to be in Prague, even if it was 12 hours later than expected. As I'd missed my hostel booking I had nowhere to go; I was only in town for the day, and would be catching an overnight sleeper train that evening. Fortunately Marta & Clara, the Spanish girls I met in Hof, decided to adopt me and let me use their hotel room! After a life-giving shower I was ready to explore a new city, and perhaps rejuvinate some of the memories I have of Prague as a 10 year old boy. Without a real plan for the day, me and ... read more

We now resume our regularly scheduled program. A short train trip later and the four of us were in Munich on a Friday night, suitably hyped about the 3 days of partying ahead of us. Waiting for us at the train station was Leah, fresh off the plane from Auckland, and also the only friend from NZ who actually stuck with the Oktoberfest pact! (Good on ya Leah!) We traded Kristin in (who was visiting other friends of hers) and left with Leah for our hostel. There were only a few hours left in the day, but we weren't going to waste them! We quickly made our way to the festival and walked through those magical gates for a reckie. It was a few years since I'd last seen them, and I was expectant as hell. ... read more

This would be my third venture into the beautiful country of Austria, but my first visit to its capital, Vienna (or Wien in local terms, and coincidentally where the Wiener Schnitzel comes from!). With only 4 days left on the Oktoberfest countdown clock, we arrived early in the evening and made our way to Hotel Franzenshof. We were staying in a 4 bed room, which seemed nice enough until we noticed its complete lack of bathroom door! Fortunately the toilet was in a separate room, otherwise there would have been some serious stage fright going on. It did have the amusing effect of turning any remotely shiny object into the equivalent of a giant mirror that had to be aimed away while the girls were showering. Personally I just took it as an opportunity to sing ... read more

This is the big one*. A whole 17 days of uninterrupted travel through central and East Europe. Not only was it booked before I left Auckland back in April, but it's the primary reason I left in the first place! Why? One word: Oktoberfest!! I actually made a pact with a few friends in New Zealand last year that we would all be at Oktoberfest 2011, though the Rugby World Cup dissuaded all but one die-hard traveller (She joins me later in Munich). The story starts in Budapest, Hungary, with a whole week to go before we would finally gaze upon the magical gates of the beerfest. I landed late on Friday night with my age-old kiwi friend Hannah, and quickly found our spacious apartment at Boulevard Hostel. We awoke early the next morning for our ... read more