Back in Sweden

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Well, we're now back in Sweden, having completed the first major leg of our trip, with just a shade over 10 000 km of driving completed, only 1500 more than we were planning on, so it hasn't worked out too bad (although when you've payed an average of 1.31€ per litre, any distance hurts the wallet.) With all that driving done, it certainly is good to sit back and relax for a few days before our week in the UK commences. This is a rather long report, providing a wrap-up of everything since Munich.

At our last report, we were in Munich preparing for a good afternoon, and the city lived up to the hype. We did the touristy thing and started off by heading to the Hofbrauhaus for a stein of HB Lager (6.20€ for a litre ain't bad.) Running into an expat Aussie who has lived in Munich for 20 years proved to be a strock of luck as he gave us the good oil on a couple of other places around Munich to head to. So it was on to the Augustiner where we downed a stein of their finest along with some sausages and sauerkraut (another 6.20€ litre.)

Meeting up with a couple of Americans at the Augustiner we decided to split a cab and head out of the city cetre and go to the biggest beer garden in the world. For a beer garden to hold 12 000 people it probably deserves to be called a beer park, but anyway, no complaints. So we walk in, and whaddya know, its huge. And for a monday night, i'm sure no one would consider 3000 people at any one time a poor turnout. Naturally we go and grab our steins, and walk to the bar (in that order, you get your glasses yourself) and order our beers. 5.50€ a litre and there are no complaints from the crowd. The beer is poured from a large wooden barrel and the tap is constantly open as stein after stein is filled. So as everyone in the garden continues to drink litre after litre, with the emptys being collected on a small truck, it comes time to have something to eat. And what a good decision to make that was. I was waiting to pay when i was asked if i had dropped a 50€ note. by the woman behind me. So its free food and drinks for all for the rest of the day as i say "yes i did." After a final stein each we decided to head back to the car, a little unsure as to where we had parked it. We got out of the cab where we thought the car was, and lo and behold, it wasn't. So we wander around for a half an hour or so, find the car and hit the hay in the centre of Munich.

Up early the next morning to get out of the city before everyone shows up for work, we left some beer bottles on the bench, and naturally they fell off and smashed. All over a pillow, a blanket and a stack of socks. Spending a half an hour at the next rest stop cleaning the car, we decided to toss the remaining beers, as they were crap, and as all know, we don't have a fridge, and as all may not know, nowhere in Europe sells ice. But it was only 4.29€ for 24, so no real loss. One guy at the truck stop didn't agree, however, and promptly retrieved the discarded beers. Each to their own i guess.

Moving on we decided to head to the Czech republic and on our way to the town of Plzen we stopped in at the town of Bor just inside the Czech border looking for an ATM and laundromat. Well, Bor has neither. Its a little slice of 1970's Czechoslovakia in 2006, with the predominant architechture in the city consisting of prefab concrete and the most popular colour being rust. We next decided to try Stribro, where instead of a machine dispensing parking tickets, they have a guy who just wanders around the town centre getting money off people for parking. I guess it creates employment, and the advantage is, if he doesn't see you in time when you pull up, he gets you before you leave.

Plzen was, as expected, an industrial town, with a very gritty feel to it. We grabbed some lunch and found a bar to watch Germany vs Italy in. Paying about A$1.50 for a 0.5L Gambrinus or Pilsener Urquell is not bad, except for the fact that it was warm, and well, even if Plzen is the home of the Pilsener style beer, the beers really didnt appeal to either of us. After the cafe were in closed before extra time, we ran across the street to watch the extra time and Germany lose in a dissapointing result.

After Plzen we headed on to Prague where we found a camping ground to stay in for three nights, and headed into the city for a bit of a walk around, and to find a bar to watch the second semi-final in. So it turns out the Prague may have one of the best public transport systems i've seen, and although it is old, it is not expensive, and as a consequence, very few people in Prague bother to drive their Skoda, or even own one for that matter (and i can't imagine why!) We watched Portugal go down to Italy in an Irish bar which was overpriced (some things are the same all over the world), and headed back to the campervan to sleep.

The next day we took in the sights of Prague with a trip to Prague Castle after lunch including a climb to the top of the tower of St Vitus's Cathedral affording a brilliant view of the city, although the 287 step spiral staircase to the top was a bit of a challenge, with no landings leading to a dizzying experience. After the castle we walked around the city and then headed back to the camp to have something to eat and some beers. At just a shade over A$1.10 per 50cL beer, drinking at the camp was a nice, cheap experience.

With the following day being Friday we decided to head to Zoo Praha for the afternoon before heading out, and the zoo did not dissapoint. At a mere 90Kc (about 3€) for entry, we did not expect that this zoo would be quite as extensive as it was. After about 15 minutes we realised what we were in for and it ended up taking approximately 6 hours to see everything at the zoo, along with about 800-odd photos being taken by myself, with a few very good photos among them, i was quite impressed. So we headed out that night, and after heading to Cross Club for a beer, we decided to head into the city in the hope of finding a good quality club. What we did find was a strip club with free entry but maybe the most outrageously priced beers for the whole trip. Although every second beer was free, we only stayed for two beers. So we went to a crappy club playing all the worst hits of the last 20 years (grease megamix, village people, the works really), although at least the drinks were cheap. We found a (normally) quiet cafe which was offering long island ice teas for 105Kc and decided to sit there while some guys from Liverpool made arses of themselves and continued the trend of Prague being filled with people from the UK on a friday night (it was something we noticed all night.)

So the next morning we headed onwards towords Berlin, slowing down while leaving the Czech Republic to laugh at the multitudes of prostitutes plying their trade by the side of the road in comical fashion. From strippers out the front in the street having cigarettes to small shacks on the side of the road with girls in g-strings enticing all comers (mind you, they were rough. Real rough.) But your average person crossing into another country to pay for sex preobably doesn't care so much. Each to their own.

We drove into Dresden and admired the scenery, with the rebuilt Frauenkirche taking pride of place, and sat down for a glass of wine at a wine festival being held in the city. Stumbling across a beach volleyball tournament being held, we decided to check it out, and after watching a couple of matches, headed across the street to watch Germany take third place in the World Cup over Portugal. Meeting up with a fellow Aussie on his way to Berlin for the final who decided to skip his train to berlin in order to head out for a couple of drinks and a good night in Dresden, after celebrating with the people of Dresden. This proved to be tougher to achieve than expected. Dresden's music scene, at least in the centre of the city, is stuck in the late 70's/early 80's, with club Blue, apparently one of the city's better clubs, having carpeted walls and nothing but disco. At least the tables had pretzels on them. After a couple more drinks back where we watched the game, we headed onwards to Berlin.

After walking around berlin for a while and taking in a few of the sights, we headed to the FIFA fan fest for the Final game of the world cup and a good time was had by all, up until the game started with a real party atmosphere in the air. After watching a somewhat dissapointing game of football, we headed for the car, which we lost, again. After finding it and sleeping off a big one, we headed for Sweden. Travelling via Rostock, we got to relax for a few hours, although drinking was not an option for myself, with Sweden's drink driving laws providing for an (in my opinion extremely excessive) up to 6 months of jail for higher than 0.02 BAC, not to mention up to 2 years for over 0.10. So, Kane got drunk, and we made it a couple hours north in Sweden before stopping for the night. A mere few hours and the first part of the trip was completed with our arrival back in Västerås at Dianna & Martins where a nice relaxing afternoon was the order of the day.

So its onwards and upwards after a day or two rest with a week in the UK coming up and then some more relaxation before heading of on the second major leg of our trip. It has cerrtainly been a blast up till this point with more to come.

Matt

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