The first things you think about when hearing the name Switzerland are mountains and snow. Okay, maybe also Swiss army knives, chocolate, cheese, and neutrality in world wars. The reason I chose to come to Switzerland was the countryside, and the chance to do a bit of hiking in the mountains. I have never really hiked much before, but I thought it was a good excuse to be able to eat more food. The train trip from Munich took all morning. Four hours from Munich to Zurich (briefly passing through Austria), then another hour on to Lucerne. I am pretty good [View Full Entry]

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As any well-seasoned traveller will tell you, it's best to do your research on a place before you get there. That is, of course, unless you are the incredibly adventurous type and love to dive in head first. That is by no means what I'm like, so I set out from Dresden on my way to Munich, hoping to see the things I had read about. The first train took me from Dresden to Nurnberg (or Nuremberg for us English speakers). It took four and a half hours, which was one of the longest journeys I've had so far. Luckily I [View Full Entry]

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Dresden is only two hours south of Berlin by train. Once I got to Dresden I found my hotel and checked in. I stayed in an Ibis hotel of about 300 rooms. And this was just one of their three exactly similar hotels which stand side by side right near the train station. After I found out that I was staying for five nights instead of four (I forgot to count), my planning became a little easier. First thing to do was the usual walk around town, checking out the main sights and getting my bearings. There is quite a bit [View Full Entry]

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I woke up at about 7am, still onboard the train. The previous night when I looked out the back of our carriage, all I could see was the carriage behind us. After I got up and looked again, all I could see was railway tracks going by. After a while it dawned on me that we may have lost some passengers along the way. It then all made sense ... I remembered waking up in the middle of the night and noticed that we weren't moving. I hope those passengers knew which carriage they were meant to get on, or else [View Full Entry]

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After my taste of Belgium and all the chocolates and canals it had to offer, the time had come to say goodbye and move on to Amsterdam. We caught a morning train to Antwerp then another train on to Amsterdam, arriving about 2pm. The hotels and hostels that Intrepid use are really close to public transport, which makes getting around town on your own a lot easier. After a tram ride from the train station, we walked around the corner and found our hotel. The first thing that you notice is the stairs. Yes they go up, but the steepness of [View Full Entry]

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This was our first day of travelling as a group. We left the hotel and caught the Metro to the bus station, all the way being guided by Ola, our trusty tour leader. It was a bit of fun with all of us heaving our backpacks down the road and onto trains and buses. We caught a bus to Brussels that took about three hours, and then a train onto Brugge that took about an hour. The bus ride was fine, and there were plenty of crops on the way to try and decipher. Sadly I'm no match for Shane in [View Full Entry]

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Sure Avignon is a nice little town in southern France, but any world traveller worth their salt has to make time to visit Paris. As, by now, I am one of those vastly experience travellers, I hopped on an early morning train up to Paris. This was another high speed train that took a bit under three hours to get there. Plenty of countryside to see, like the cows, vineyards, cows, and even the odd cow. Once in Paris I ventured into the Metro to catch a train. I have to say that some people need to relax and loosen up [View Full Entry]

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After experiencing big cities the last few weeks, I was looking forward to having a relatively quiet time in Southern France. I had read that Avignon has a population of about 100 000 people, and I guess that reminded me of home a bit. I left Barcelona on an 8am train to Montpellier ... this one seemed like it was 100 years old compared to the Spanish AVE. I have put in my own trip notes that it was the putt-putt train, but maybe I'm being a bit snobbish. It was a five and a half hour journey with stops at [View Full Entry]

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After leaving Madrid I headed for Barcelona, knowing it was Spain (correction, Catalan) and on the coast. This was my first train journey on my trip, and it was a very luxurious one. If any of you have the chance to take a high speed train, I highly recommend it. Despite me thinking I had paid for a tourist class seat, I had actually been given a first class seat. No complaint here, as it's as good as a plane flight. We were served breakfast, offered the paper, and had a telly too watch. Not a bad way to spend a [View Full Entry]

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I made it to Madrid without any hassle. The plane landed okay, flying past the expanse of burnt ground from last month's crash. I caught the Metro into the city (which was so easy) and emerged into the Madrid night sky. It was pretty cool to suddenly have all these beautiful old buildings lit up before you as you walked up the stairs. Anyhow, learning from my Dublin experience, I headed straight to a stall and bought a street map. The gentleman then kindly came out and offered me directions. After showing him my hotel's address on a piece of paper, [View Full Entry]

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