Vienna, Budapest, Krakow/ Auschwitz, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam.

Vienna- Went to see the Spanish Riding Horses, which was amazing. They dance, skip and do the most amazing jumps. I never knew that they are born grey and then when they grow up they turn white... learn something new! Went to St Stephan's and the catacombs, which was amazing- was scared to breathe in the room which housed all the bones of those that died from the Black Plague- ew! But otherwise amazing. Went to the Prater amusement park- which housed the oldest Ferris Wheel. I went on the most craziest ride there- we nicknamed it the "Spew-enhoffen" It was scary and fun, with the most amazing views of Vienna. Also went to a gothic/metal/alternative club... which was almost dead as it was a Sunday night- but at least the music was good.

Briefly stopped at Bratislava... beautiful city!

Budapest- I came to this city with no expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. Such a pretty city, with lovely people and yummy food (goulash and nutty pancakes.) Went to the Labryinth at Buda Castle... which was just odd, but at least it was nice to get out of the hot sun- it was such a mockery of prehistoric ruins and twisted humour, I consider it a waste of money, but it was such a laugh thanks to my friends being silly. Buda castle and surrounds was pretty. Went to St Stephen's church and saw the right hand of King Stephen... which was interesting to see a fossilised hand from someone dating back to 1038, actually it was quite gross and I have no idea why people would keep such a thing, but each to their own.

Auschwitz- No words can explain the profound sadness which resonates in this dreadful place. I cannot fathom why and how such events could have occured, sure I've been told why and how, but I just cannot understand it. So many people suffered senselessly. I must say that I am glad to have gone, to have paid my respects to those who passed. I was completely dumbfounded by the size of Auschwitz- so much bigger than I ever imagined, and that made it even scarier. There were displays of items belonging to those who came through the camps- suitcases, combs, shoes, aids (crutches, back braces) and hair- this really made it tangible, that this really occurred to real people. Needless to say, I did get teary eyed.

Krakow- Another city which I arrived at with no expectations and I was completely blown away, just so beautiful and such lovely people, and interesting, yet tasty food (beetroot soup and dumplings.) The town square just had a lovely vibe to it. Went to the Cloth Hall in search of Amber jewelry, but couldn't find anything I liked that didn't cost heaps. Did a Schindler's List tour and went to the Jewish Ghetto, 2 synagogues and Oscar Schindler's factory- was once again dumbfounded by the treatment of innocent people, based purely on their religious views. It was the first time I have ever been in a synagogue, the first one (orthodox) was quite simple with minimal decorations, whereas the second (reformed) was quite elaborate. It was also interesting to learn that synagogues were not allowed to be built higher than churches- so antisemitic views were evident long before WWII. Learnt that prior to the war there were 64000 Jews in Krakow, currently there are only 200... absolutely mindblowing.

Prague- when it comes to looks, Prague wins hands down. Fairytale beauty! However, I came to this city with expectations and thanks to numerous soccer loving Scotsmen, those expectations were slighty tarnished- it came across as really touristy, so the vibe wasn't what I was expecting. But that aside, it still was fantastic. Went to the Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora on the way to Prague- another "bone" church- different to the one in Rome, far more impressive. In Prague, went to the Castle and Old Town Square, saw the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square, Tyn Cathedral- all just so cute! Tried absynth- Oh My GOD! Thats stuff is SO strong! And tastes horrible.

On the way to Berlin, we stopped off at Dresden. I would like to say I saw a lot of this city in a short time and enjoyed it, but in actual fact I wasted 1 1/2 hours looking for an ATM. What a shame! It seems that the only ATM in the whole city is located in the Hilton Hotel... ugh!

Berlin- I had low expectations of Berlin due to a German friend of mine telling me that it is basically an overrated city- but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the scene, the people were really cool and edgy (the only city I had come across, with the exception of London.) I would love to come back, just to people-watch. Saw parts of the Berlin wall- loved the graffiti, lots of talented works. Did a Third Reich tour- saw the location of Hitler's bunker (which was a carpark- yawn), numerous buildings which had significant gunshot damage from the war, the Topography of Terror, Checkpoint Charlie. Also went to the Holocaust Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, climbed up the Reichstag dome and did a pub crawl (where we wore Hoff tshirts!)

Amsterdam- Went to a Clog and cheese factory- the cheese was yummy! Did a bike ride around the city, which was a LOT of fun but was a little scary as I wasn't too sure of the road rules... but basically bikes have right of way all the time! My bike was called Cleo. :) Went to Anne Franks house- I assumed that their living quarters would be really cramped, and whilst it was quite cosy it was a lot bigger than I expected (about the average size of an apartment). Was saddened to learn that Anne passed away 1 month before liberation. :( Went to the Red Light district- saw a sex show! Didn't really want to go, but since its such a big thing in Amsterdam I thought I'd be missing out on the experience. Was gross out... especially since the guy in the show was butt ugly (and I'm being complimentary!) Went on a boat ride along the canals. Stayed at the worst hostel EVER!!! So dirty, filled with people whose combined IQ wouldn't be higher than 20, and worst of all we were woken by a fire alarm, which sent the place into chaos. But it all adds to the memories, and looking back it was amusing.

Thanks for reading this novel of a blog entry!!! At the moment I'm back in London, and plan to go to Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle tomorrow with Mary and Jen. Not sure what I'll be doing after that. I'll be adding photos to this blog soon- check out the last 2 blogs, which I've just added lots of photos.

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Part of trip: Europe holiday 2008

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