thebrad

BERLIN My last European destination! Sad that the trip was closing to and end, but happy to finally explore the wonderful city of Berlin. I was more than happy to leave Amsterdam and hopped on my last bus journey to one of the cities I had most anticipated. And what a great city to end my European adventure. The long journey to Berlin took me out of The Netherlands and soon to the old checkpoint of 'Marienborn' which has pretty much been left deserted for the last few decades, and gave me a small insight into the gravity of the restrictions formerly in place. So into Berlin I arrived, past many an historic sight I will get into soon, and off at Alexanderplatz where I was having a blonde moment as it took me a ... read more

BRUGES The medieval and tiny town on Bruges in northern Belgium was just the chill out time I needed after keeping a hectic schedule of late (so this blog is short I promise). I took a bus from France to Belgium and after a few hours I was in sleepy Bruges, which thankfully was not as gruesome as the film ‘In Bruges’. Built on waterways, cobbled stone laneways and town squares, I went exploring on arrival in shorts and thongs determined that the cold weather would go away (don’t you hate it when you’re wrong). I was mega tired but continued to wander the streets in search of what the Belgians are known for - beer, waffles, chocolate, fries, The Smurfs and TinTin (aka Prime Minister Rudd lookalike). So, while walking I found myself not where ... read more

LAUTERBRUNEN - SWITZERLAND I’ll admit right away that this is a country I have most wanted to visit, and I’m annoyed at myself that I didn’t do it justice in exploring more of it due to time restraints and having to come back to something called ‘work’ soon. But what I did see I absolutely adored and wish to return one day to soak up its natural beauty and sights. I left the sun of Italy bright and early, back to travelling all on my own again (which I love) and realised I slightly underestimated the length and time it would take to get to my next destination - Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. I had chosen Lauterbrunnen due to its gorgeous mountain scenery, adrenaline sports, eternal snow capped mountains, and backpacker friendliness in one of Europe’s most expensive ... read more

ROME Seriously, who hasn’t wanted to explore Rome, and I wasn’t disappointed by what I saw, just the lack of time to see it (guess that means I’ll be making a return trip then). Starting off, an awesome sunny day (too nice to be travelling, but anywho) took me from Venice to Rome (via Anconna), and I got into Rome in the early evening. I immediately dumped my pack and was joined by 2 others to head straight into the centre of Rome for dinner then onto a night walking tour (1: Because I couldn’t wait, 2: for immediate city orientation and 3: seeing this beauty by street lights). While wondering the skinny cobbled stoned streets, I learnt more history about artists and sculptures such as Bernini and Michelangelo, saw some of the major sights ... read more

MUNICH My first spot to stay in Germany (Berlin is my last in a few weeks - but of course I’m doing things all over the shop - Bradley style). This one is short and sweet I promise kids! Arrived to a grey looking Munich. Priorities - dump pack, and straight to beer hall number 1 - St Augustine’s. I met up with a few other solo travellers and made our way to St Augustine’s Beer Garden for beer steins and pork knuckle - and was not disappointed - I demolished them. I had a formal lesson in how the locals do their thing here until the thunderstorm decided to piss down with rain and we made it inside the beer hall down into the cellar (which resembled a dungeon). I’m loving these type of beer ... read more