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

It's now 3 months since my Eastern European adventure, and it's been anything but quiet. Despite travelling all over England, and even to Dublin itself for a music festival a few weekends prior, I consider this Ireland trip to be my first slice of real travelling since (as well as my last ever bit of travelling in my 20's!). This time I would be accompanied by the lovely Stephanie, a fellow escapee from South Africa who fled with us on a neighbouring yacht many years ago, and who is currently out from her home in California. Flying with the ever so classy RyanAir, we started our Irish adventure to the incredibly cheesey jingle that lets you know you've arrived on time. As they tend to play it even when you arrive late, I suspect it's actually ... read more

Unfortunately the bus from Warsaw to Lviv in Ukraine wasn't nearly as pimped out as my previous ride to Riga. A good night's sleep was already a rarity on this trip, and it remained just as elusive for me and James on this overnight journey with its numerous passport checks. It could have been worse though, as demonstrated by one poor bastard who was slowly unpacking a small lorry-load of carrots at 2am for inspection. Upon arrival at the Lviv bus terminal it was immediately apparent that we were, well, somewhere else. Somewhere different. I felt the slight electricity of culture shock, my senses awakening as alert levels switched over to Defcon 3. I would liken this sensation to being alive. While a magnificent looking building in itself, the terminal surroundings were somewhat chaotic, and we ... read more