Behind Fences

Auschwitz Birkenau

I think it is very important to have places such as this, to remind us of past terrors and warn future generations of what we are capable. It is a place everyone should visit, and one that I do not feel I can do any sort of justice writing about.

Budapest

With our jackets set aside due to the 20 degree weather we set out to explore Budapest, one of my favourite memories of the road trip. A place with an interesting mix of architecture, which is unfortunately slowly crumbling due to the elements, and time. The buildings still strikingly beautiful. 

With only two days, and so much to see and do, we took to the cheaters way of seeing the city - The Big Bus Tour. Even though I usually ridicule the bus tours labelling the people on them lazy tourists, and being on a moving bus made it extremely difficult to capture what we saw on film; I bit the bullet due to the time crunch we had. I must admit that taking the bus around allowed us to see much more of the city, and learn some of its history. Useless fact learned on the bus; Budapest had the first McDonalds east of the Iron curtain. 

A view down the Danube

Parlament building more beautiful than a Disney Castle

We visited the Museum of Terror, which we would have enjoyed more were it tailored more to english. We did enjoy the grandour  of Heroes Square until rainfall then walked the entire  Andrassy Ave. The city's underground metro has one of the oldest underground transportation lines in central Europe, and it is the second oldest electrified metro in the world. It's iconic line 1, dates back to 1896. 

We also spent an evening at the Szechenyi bath house, a very relaxed evening with 18 different thermal pools to enjoy from freezing cold to hot. One of the saunas, hidden under a set of stairs in the basement, went up over 90 degrees celsius, after which it is customary to jump into an ice bath. This was Lukasz's favourite. 

 The hungarian cuisine and wine was highly memorably. Deep earthy flavours, and goulash like none other - and we would know as we had tried it in every country on our way here. The three of us enjoyed a wild night out in the ruin bars, after which we had some of the spiciest late night burritos around, and then proceeded to crash an Amnesty International LGBT party which kept us occupied dancing until early morning. 

Rain in Heroes Square 

You can still get a taste of the communist era in Budapest, joined with a western feel. The city was full of life, smiles, and good food. I think it was a combination of all the aforementioned that made me enjoy our stay here so much, and I would be happy to return for another visit. 

last minute obligatory foot picture…and we almost forgot

Next was a night in Krakow so that we could visit Auschwitz before driving back to Berlin. After debating which route to take we decided to drive through Slovakia which was half the km in distance but took the same amount of time as driving around it through Austria and Czech on the highway. 

My two private drivers; Jay and Lukasz

 It was the right choice as we enjoyed a more relaxed drive surrounded by fiery fall colours, and beautiful scenery. After 6 hours of driving, we snacked on some beef tartar and polish vodka. A late night pierogi and barsczc dinner rounded off the evening, and we retired to bed not expecting the restless night that awaited us. A freight train on the hour, every hour, came past our hostel all night long. It sure explained the good deal we got on that night's accommodation. 

Vienna

Flashback to October....we made it to Vienna.
The capital of Austria, and its cultural hub oozing theatres, music,and arts. There is no denying that the city is impressive with its grand architecture, palaces, manicured gardens, and delicious Schnitzel. The weather was not cooperative...raining down on us every so often, the fog following us over here from Prague. We made the best of it. 

Hofburg

Everyone says Vienna is a must see, and I would agree if I was a wealthy woman with endless theatre nights lined up, dressed in elegant gowns, enjoying upscale dinners. This is the kind of city Vienna strikes me as at first glance, though I am sure having a local student show us the ropes might have left a different impression.

Hofburg

After a long day of walking around, the sun peaked through the clouds for an hour or so, and blessed us with her presence during our lunch at the Naschmarkt. Now this I enjoyed...a flea market for food if you so will.  Endless stands selling all kinds of things: an abundance cheese; vinegar in every flavour; fresh, dried, and candied fruit; vegetables; farmed honey and much much more. The small restaurant stands one after another, each smelling better than the next. We had decided on sea food as they had some fresh mussels in that day, and I must say all three of us were content...very content.

Naschmarkt

Jay and Lu feasting

Another impressive sight in Vienna was Schloss Schönbrunn. This enormous castle with 1441 rooms was merely a summer residence for the famous Princess Sisi (Empress Elisabeth of Austria). I found out that she could be considered as one of the first to strictly follow diet fads, uncommon at the time in the 1800s, weighing in at only 110 lbs with a height at 5'8". She became obsessed with her physical appearance, fasting and exercising often, and even tossing the underskirts and petticoats so popular at the time for a more slender appearance. I guess some things never change. 

Schloss Schönbrunn 

Exploring the gardens

The castle grounds are home to the oldest Zoo in the world, which is pretty neat if you think about it. It was actually quite a unique experience roaming the extensive grounds with the fog hovering above the trees, quieter than usual I am sure. We stayed until night fell, pretty sure we got locked in the grounds as the only exit we could find was by jumping a fence. Rebels...

Gloriette

View from Gloriette toward Castle and Vienna

Gloriette at night

All in all Vienna was a good time, even though I was disgruntled after the waiter brought us mushy pasta instead of Schnitzel, and the photo booth ate my money, and a coffee break would cost 20 euros. It is the company that made up for all that...

Vienna October 2013

Hello Prague

It is not our first time meeting, but it was a time worth mentioning.

An evening arrival lead to a well deserved nap after an already long, and very eventful day, touring Dresden with a stopover to see Bastei (from previous post). Our Prague Apartment was lavish with 12 ft ceilings, crown moulding, a kitchen, and a full living area with a sectional, a balcony with river view... and in a central location. Let's just say your money goes a long way in Prague, and we had found a great deal on this hidden gem. Content and somewhat rested, we headed out to dinner to meet up with my cousin Vanja. We decided to call it an 'early' night (around midnight) in preparation for touring the city the following day.

Morning view from Charles Bridge

I was thrilled, waking up to a foggy morning with the sun rays fighting to break through. Dreary enough to set the mood, but warm enough to walk the city. Not wanting to miss the foggy Prague experience we headed our quick to start our day. We barely made it to the Old Town square, when we decided it was time for a coffee, followed by a beer, and some people watching.

Jazz on Charles Bridge

People watching proves quite successful in Prague. During our two days there we witnessed several 'just' wed couples, gown and suit on, posing in only the most touristy spots, followed by a minimum of five photographers. We also witnessed a street fight between a homeless couple which got rather uncomfortable as it went on as no one knew what exactly to make of it, and the Police not seeming overly concerned. Of course, we also saw more pleasant people playing music in bands on washboards and trumpets, and lonely violinists.

Charle's Bridge

And then there is the 'Old Prague Ham', delicious as it is pricey, but who could resist the smell of the juices dripping down as it is roasting over an open fire? Let's be clear on this... a tourist trap for sure...but a delicious tourist trap I would gladly fall into again.

Old Prague Ham

The last time I visited Prague it was short and sweet, with icey winds dusting the bridges, my feet frozen, and hence most of my time there spent indoors with family. This time we made it up to Prague Castle, and were able to enjoy breathtaking views of the city below. 

One of the many views from Prague Castle

After a successful day touring the city we relaxed by taking a boat trip down the Vltava river, taking in some of the city's history from our friendly guide. It is always nice to learn something from your travels, especially when visiting such historically rich places. Once we decided the day was a success, we treated ourselves to a fantastic Czech meal, some good Czech beer (of course), and a spontaneous night out to remember....all in great company. 

Prague from Charles Bridge

Dresden & Bastei

Hello European road trip!

We welcomed Jay to Berlin with a night out on the town, and an authentic sunday flea market experience at Mauerpark. Jay is our first visitor from Calgary, bringing along like always his sarcastic jokes and good humour. After two days in Berlin; going through more than a few bottles of white wine, german beer, and some open air karaoke, we were ready for our road trip. Out on the open road - but this time in a slightly better vehicle than the itty bitty Citroen we took to München -the guys were quite content to find themselves with the keys of a new Mercedes in hand at the car rental office, free to roam the Autobahn as they please. Stop #1 Dresden.

Dresden Frauenkirche

Dresden was known as the Jewel box, due to its rococo and baroque architecture. However, at the end of WWII the centre was completely destroyed during an allied bombing killing over 25,000 civilians. Some restoration work has been done to help reconstruct the historic city centre, and we were definitely impressed with the beauty of Dresden even more so now knowing its history.

Dresden Zwinger

After a stroll around the city, a beer in the main square, and some postcards sent out to family and friends we took off to our next destination. This was thanks to a late night of Lukasz and I on pinterest, daydreaming about all the places in the world we would like to see...and we came upon Bastei.

A winding drive through small towns of Saxen, up and down hill, then finally a passenger ferry across the Elbe river.... now just to hike up. We did feel a little out of place, as everyone else visiting the spa town Rathen on the foot of the hills was geared up for a hike, and in contrast we were dressed for our final destination of that day - Prague (I may or may not have had little booties on). 

Jay & Lu on the ferry

Nevertheless, we made our way up to Bastei Brücke as we knew what was waiting for us at the top, and we were looking forward to it. The Bastei rock formation towers above the Elbe river, and became one of the first tourist attractions in Saxen traced back to 1798 (over 200 years). Interestingly enough, seeing the rocks I swore that I have seen them before...and I was right. The vistas and rock formations inspired numerous well known artists, among them Caspar David Friedrich whose art I studied in Uni extensively (who knew that would happen?!). 

Bastei Bridge

It really is a breathtaking sight. The Bastei rock formation are just a part of an extensive climbing and hiking area that extends into the Czech Republic and Bohemian Switzerland. I must say that I was very happy to come across this place, as nature for me is still the most breathtaking of sights. 

Couples photo

Bastei

After a long first day, we arrived in Prague come nightfall and were ready for a new adventure... more on Prague next post. 

Bis dann! 

Prosit for Oktoberfest

Dirndl & Lederhosen in tow, we made our way to Oktoberfest. We decided to drive to München, since apparently Oktoberfest gives everyone the right to raise their prices for travel/accommodation to insane heights. So we picked up our tiny two door Citroen DS3 (details for later story telling purpose), hopped in, and drove off.

The beauty about driving is that you can stop anytime you like, anywhere you like, and for as long as you like. So we had already decided that we would make a stop over in Nürnberg. It was only by chance that the week of our trip, Lukasz found out that not only is his favourite soccer team playing there, but it is both the date and time that we would be passing through, and we got two of the last tickets before the game sold out. What are the chances?!

The old part of Nürnberg was charming, people dancing & singing on the streets, a market selling fresh produce, sausages, cheese, and yes....truffles... yum.  Actually they had a stand dedicated just to mushrooms, any kind you could ever imagine. I just wish I had a photo of Lukasz, happy as a boy on Christmas morning, sitting in the stands watching Borussia Dortmund play FC Nürnberg.

Arrived in München without much trouble around 7pm, found parking around 8:30pm. Took us over an hour to park the vehicle, and we weren't even in the centre but a residential area. At this point in the day Ludwig (Lukasz) and I (Heidi), met with Hans (Marko), Wolfgang (Colin), and Greta (Nina) for some drinks in the heart of the city. Yes... we all had German names for the festivities. Rakija led to beer, which led to more beer, and then another. Truth be told, it was better this way as we had to sleep in our car (aha use above detail about car size here) due to our accommodation not being booked until the next day (we were convinced by Nina to come out a day earlier). 

Marienplatz

At least now we can say that we got a parking ticket, while parked on a sidewalk, and still sleeping in the car. Oktoberfest was .... WUNDERBAR... good people, 1L jugs of beer, sausages, more sausages, more beer.. .well that about sums it up - wait did I mention sausages?! 

Ludwig grasping for a handful of Strudel

Camera Crew

All that sausage eating, beer drinking, and pretzel eating had to be worked off somehow. So we did a nice long tour of the city. Parks, beautiful architecture, gardens, more beer gardens, oh and city river surfing.

River surfing at Eisbach

About the tents - though you can't really call them tents as elaborate as they were. After long discussions of whether these gigantic wood constructions get taken down or not; we were impressed to find out that each year they re build them just for Oktoberfest. Each one of the 14 tents runs upward of 1mil. euros! They have kitchens with the newest equipment, nice bathrooms, windows, terraces, lights, decorations, stages, speakers, tables, and of course and endless supply of beer...phew. 

'Hacker - Pschorr Heaven of Bavaria'

Wine tent

The beauty of Oktoberfest is really in the traditional costume. You look around to see everyone is dressed up, and immediately feel like part of something bigger. Thousands of colourful Dirndl each as pretty as the next, and I can honestly say I didn't see two alike. The dresses did their part being tight in all the right places for maximum cleavage (not that I needed it), and the men strutting their stuff in lederhosen, ogling the bosoms of servers. I can't say that I blame them. Oktoberfest attracts over 7 million of visitors each year from all over the world. At almost €10 a mass (1L Beer), that is a whole lot of cash guzzled down, and spilled. 

Karl

View from Ferris wheel of part of the Wiesn grounds 

Oktoberfest München 2013

Dirndl & Lederhosen for four days straight, seriously, not even sure why I packed anything else...although the wool socks did come in handy for sleeping in the cold car. On the bright side; we did not have to do much laundry after the trip. In the spirit of this post, a little goodbye in bayrisch...

Pfiat di! 

Oktoberfest postcard; Karl, Katja, Heidi, Ludwig, Wolfgang, & Greta.

Berlin Wall

We arrived at the East Side Gallery, an over 1km long section of the Berlin Wall that has been preserved in its original place along the Spree river. The wall was painted right after the fall of the Berlin wall by 118 artists from 21 different countries, using different methods to comment on the political events that took place during that time. It was quite an interesting feeling to take a stroll along the wall and imagine what it would have felt like when it was more then a memorial, when it was a true divide of the city, and an encroachment on peoples freedom.

It was unfortunate to see that despite a recent restoration of many of the works in 2009, graffiti just as much as weather still had a strong presence in the condition of the art pieces. Not much more than inconspicuous signs placed here and there, asking not to deface the art on the wall, seems to try and prevent at least the graffiti. It is a shame really that such an important piece of history and artistic expression is not better preserved from the hooligans writing birthday messages with spray paint.

'Es geschah im November' (It happened in November) - Kani Alavi

'Mein Gott hilf mir, diese tödliche Liebe zu überleben' (My God help me this deadly love to survive) - Dimitri Wrubel 

To our luck we were also privy to another temporary exhibit, that was plastered on the west side of the wall. WallOnWall consisted of 36 panoramic photographs picturing separation and border walls erected in 8 different regions in the world, still standing today. The effect of the photographs on the back side of the Berlin wall was in my opinion huge. The artist, Kai Wiedenhöfer, is concerned with the inhumanity of walls, how they define friend and foe, inside and outside (as written on the exhibit). 

'Wir sind ein Volk' (We are one people) - Shamil Gimajev

'Many small people who in many small places do many small things that can alter the face of the world' 

Those are just some of my favourites from the East Side Gallery. I think it goes unsaid that it is a must see for all that come to Berlin, it also qualifies as the largest open air gallery in the world. As lovely as our visit to the remains of the Berlin Wall was, that was also the demise of my iPhone and my mobile connection to the world wide web. I guess I have to take consolation in any internet connection that I can get now, and no more Instagram addiction for me. 

...Bis Bald...