And yes, I’m going to Scotland in 2 and a half weeks. This makes me very happy!
Category: History
Brasov and Bran Castle
Being this close to Transylvania, a trip to see Dracula’s Castle was a mandatory experience – I even read the book to prepare! That said, I really didn’t want or need to spend a lot of time in Romania so I decided to make it a bonzai trip… and I enlisted Erika and Sanyi, two fellow English teachers, to go along with me! What we decided to do was catch the overnight train to Brasov, then spend the day exploring the city and the castle then catch the overnight train back. Continue reading “Brasov and Bran Castle”
Amsterdam’s cultural showdown…
Waking up on my third day in Amsterdam I had a bit of a hangover. Not that I had indulged in anything particularly, but when it’s all around you can’t help but get some effects. So I woke up still a bit groggy and my teeth itched (I discovered that when I am… under the herbal influence… I clench my jaw – weird). BUT, I woke up in time to actually catch a breakfast downstairs. So I made myself a sandwich and had a few hard boiled eggs (LOVE the hard boiled eggs!) and headed out catch the more cultural aspects of the northern city of canals. Continue reading “Amsterdam’s cultural showdown…”
Stockholm – My Time in the Monarchy…
When I had gotten in the night before, there was someone new in my room. Now, when staying at a hostel, this isn’t an unusual thing. In fact, it’s part of the fun of hostelling, meeting the new people. There was a couple in the room as well, they had been there the day before as well and I had spent a few minutes chatting with them, Very nice, from Australia, having trouble reconciling that each of them wanted to do different things with their days on holiday. I mention this only because it might come up later. Continue reading “Stockholm – My Time in the Monarchy…”
Day 2 in Stockholm – All about the animals…
The morning came very early on my second day in Stockholm, not because I was ready to wake up, but because there were no blinds in the room. But that’s okay. The amazingly expensive hostel I was in came complete with a breakfast so I was able to go downstairs and have a nice, healthy meal of meat and bread and cheese and hardboiled eggs before going off to activate my Stockholm Card. Continue reading “Day 2 in Stockholm – All about the animals…”
Helsinki Day 1&2 – Attack of the lokki
The ferry to Helsinki was uneventful, save for a very expensive buffet. At one point I tried to find a comfortable place to sit and maybe sleep for a few minutes, but discovered all the good spots were already taken by folks who were already sleeping! That appears to be the thing to do on the early morning crossing. Pulling into the Helsinki harbor, though, I saw the most brilliant
thing – a tiny island with a tiny house on it! Continue reading “Helsinki Day 1&2 – Attack of the lokki”
Auschwitz…
I’m not sure where to begin. It started on Monday and continued on Wednesday, my visit. I went twice. The first time I went with an organized group. They picked us up at the hostel, drove us directly to the camp, and had us planned out so we met with a tour guide, got our audio systems and headed out.(the audio systems are actually rather interesting in that you are wired into your guide so they don’t have to shout and you can still hear them. Continue reading “Auschwitz…”
Looking for Harry Lime…
So I met my hostelmates when I woke up in the morning, having gotten in late (and they were both sleeping). There’s Francesca, from Germany, who is in town (along with 3000 of her closest friends) to take a medical school entrance exam and Imbi, who is from Australia and doing an even crazier tour round the world than I am. She started by spending 5 weeks in Africa! Continue reading “Looking for Harry Lime…”
Sitting in an Englischer Garten, waiting for the sun…
Today was a boring day in Bayern (that’s German for Bavaria). It’s my last day here so I decided to mostly just walk around and take it easy. I walked down the main drag, had breakfast at the Haufbrauhaus (white sausage and again got the evil eye when I asked for something OTHER than beer to drink – but at 10am I was NOT succumbing to peer pressure!) and wandered over to the Englischer Garten, a central park like place
complete with raging rivers, surfers (yes, surfers in the river!) and a Chinese pagoda. It was the perfect day for a walk in the park, slightly overcast but not too cold. Continue reading “Sitting in an Englischer Garten, waiting for the sun…”
Addendum…
Check out the comments on my last past to learn more about Sophie Scholl and The White Rose resistance. I got some facts wrong (damn these incomplete tours) and Ruth Hanna Sachs, a White Rose scholar, has set me straight.
Just another Munich Monday… (or Wednesday)
Before I get into the day’s events (and finish yesterdays), let me inform you of the new plan and take the time to answer a few reader questions.
First things first – new travel plans! Staying in Munich one extra night and then Friday morning I’m jumping a train for Salzburg, Austria. Continue reading “Just another Munich Monday… (or Wednesday)”
Dachau…
Okay, to be honest, there’s not much to say about Dachau. Factually, it was the first camp opened, just a few weeks after Hitler seized power. It remained open until 1945, the end of the war. It was designed to hold at most 8000 people and by the end it was holding over 30,000. The official death toll is in the low 30,000 but unofficially it was upwards of 45,000 and those figures are just those who died in THIS camp, not the ones who were held in Dachau and later transferred to another camp. Continue reading “Dachau…”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 