Hamburg, Germany 3rd - 6th Jan 10 (no make that 7th!)

Train to Hamburg on the 3rd. Love trains in Germany. Their website is so easy to use to get times/bookings etc and they do awesome ticket deals. We used the weekender ticket (up to 5 people for 37euros) it's a bargain even with 2! Our hostel in Hamburg was very fancy, more hotel style with ensuite and an awesome shower!! So happy to have some 'luxury' accommodation after all the hostels/shared bathrooms.

We got a 3 day Hamburg card which covered all our transport and discounts on some attractions, well worth it. On the 4th we took the S-bahn into the city center and got out next to the Alster Lake. Hamburg is a fascinating city, it's a port city and it's main center lies between a river inlet and a lake so everything is based around the water. I imagine it's a great place to go in summer, there was less to do when it was covered in snow but still a cool place.

The lake was covered in massive chunks of ice and the boat tours were still running so we decided to come back for the next one (they only ran 2 a day at this time of year). While waiting we went and had a look at the Rathaus (old town hall) then jumped back on the S-bahn down to the wharf (Lundungsbrucken - i love German place names!).

The views were awesome over the River Elbe to the port and fishing docks. With lots of tour boats coming and going there was a lot of activity. It's quite funny, the port is a huge tourist attraction in Hamburg, the tour boats take them around the port talking about the history and how all the things work. Coming from Tauranga of course it just reminded us of home :)

Back to the lake we grabbed some Currywurst (yum!) before jumping on the boat for our tour. The main reason we wanted to do one was so we could crash through all the ice - so much fun - I think it would have been quite boring otherwise :) The ice was fun though, the boat would crash through it and big chunks would come off skidding over the other blocks of ice.

We saw birds on the ice trying to peck it to I assume get little bugs stuck in it. And the ducks plodding along the ice was so cute. The trip was only an hour so it was over pretty quick but it was definitely the highlight of the day.

In the afternoon we walked around the shopping mall - gorgeous lights still all strung up from Christmas (Germans know how to do Christmas!), like 5 stories and funny mens shop called 'Wormland' - foreign names are a laugh sometimes. We also walked along their fancy shopping street, mainly to check out their christmas lights.

That night we went to an Italian place near the hostel that they recommended. Being a Monday night in winter we were the only ones there which was quite cool because we had the entire attention of the chief and waitress. The food was good and they practically gave us the wine for free (score!). The menu was only in Italian and German so it was fun trying to decipher it. Somehow Nick got a pizza with egg and peas on it though so we didn't do too well! hahaha

Every day in Hamburg got colder, it went from -5 to -8 to -10 deg cel. It was bitterly cold and it stung our faces whenever we ventured outside. On the 5th we explored HafenCity, the little harbour suburb amongst the Elbe river. I don't know if the land is man made, it does look a little like it with lots of canals and channels of the river running through it but it was a cool place.

We found some restored boats moored there. Really interesting ones from the 1800s and there was even an old fireboat. It was fascinating reading all about them and when they had been used.

We went and explored the Elbe tunnel, a passenger and single lane car tunnel that joins Landunsbrucken to the harbour/shipyards on the other side of the river. It's pretty cool because there are elevators that take the cars down and then its a slow crawl across to the other side. It was built in 1911 and is 24 m below the surface. It was fun to ride one of the huge elevators (which of course were originally built for carriages) and we walked to the other side (not much there) and back again.

At the end of the day we stopped off on the way home in Reeperbahn, Hamburg's famous red light district. Actually there seemed to be more bars than strip clubs so it just seemed like a party area of the city. The lights were all going so it was fun to explore that part of Hamburg.

We were supposed to go home on the 6th but we found out that London had been hit with snow again and the airports were closed and all flights cancelled (uh-oh!). We still didn't have confirmation on what was happening with our flight so we decided to go and do our morning site-seeing and worry about it later.

We went to St Michaels church, a beautiful baroque style church which was amazing on the inside. A mix of white and gold leaf it was so over the top it was amazing. I really loved it, not like any other church I've ever seen. We also climbed up the tower for the views. It was a really hard climb up in all our winter gear but we made it and the views were awesome. Hamburg is really pretty all covered in snow. But man was it freezing up there. No protection from the wind at all and -10deg. The wind was like needles on the face.

We decided to go back to the hostel after that to keep an eye on our flight and at about 2pm we got the confirmation it was cancelled. We were stuck in Hamburg another night. So lucky we found out at the hostel. So we re-organised for another nights stay at the hostel (had to switch rooms but luckily they had a room). We managed to get booked into a flight the next day but the airline only had 1 flight a day so we had to wait another 24 hours for the next one.

On the last day we spent our time at the hostel, me keeping an eye on work emails and watching movies and just keeping out of the freezing cold. We did eventually get home that night but the funny thing was when we landed in London there was less snow than in Hamburg! haha The English can't deal with snow.

Berlin, Germany, New Years Day and after...

Naturally we didn't surface on new years day until the afternoon. We went back into the town center so I could see Brandenburg Tor in daylight. It was still surrounded in tents and stages so hard to get a good view of it but it was cool to try and match it with what it would have looked like with the wall.

Also in the square where the Tor is is Hotel Adlon. It's a pretty famous Hotel with scores of celebrities staying there and it survived the bombings of world war II. Most recently it's famous for where Michael Jackson hung his baby out of a window.

We walked over to the Reichstag, a very famous building where an arson fire here led to Hitlers fight against communists and a lot of important events occurred here. You can go up into the dome but the queue was insane so we didn't attempt it.

We explored the area a bit more then walked the Unter den linden, one of the two major streets in Berlin (the other was Freidrichstrasse which we also walked). We found a 'car forum' which had all these cars including a Bugatti Beyron (the fastest street car apparently according to Nick - he was quite excited) and a couple of restored 60s VW beetle vans which I really liked. I could definitely see myself in one of those. So styly.

We also found a bit of the real Berlin Wall (see pic) with the original graffiti from when it was pulled down.

There were a lot of beautiful buildings in Berlin, I don't know what they all are but the city is a great one to just wondering around in looking at all the architecture. It had snowed a lot too so it was fun to play in the snow :)

We came across the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (or the Holocaust Memorial) which is a series of over 2000 uneven granite blocks. Apparently there has been a lot of controversy around it but I thought it was a stunningly beautiful tribute. It was a very calming experience walking through the monument covered in snow. I personally found it one of the most beautiful spots in Berlin.

We had to move accommodation on the 2nd because I'd booked new years a bit late so everything was a bit disjointed. We stayed in a hostel in a suburb called Freidrichstein on the eastern side of the river. It was a really cool area full of bars and restaurants and chilled out people. A really neat area of Berlin to stay in.

On the 2nd we headed into Alexanderplatz to see the TV tower. We had been waiting for 3 days for the sky to clear so we could go up but with no luck. The constant grey mist never budged. So we gave the tower a miss and walked across the park and over to Museum Island.

The buildings were beautiful, the best being the Dom (church). All the museums cost and their themes were a bit boring for us so we just admired the architecture. We found a little market with lots of artwork which I had real trouble not buying and we tried the Reichstag again but this time it was shut due to the weather so we missed out on that again.

We found a really nice restaurant back in Freidrichstain for dinner, it was an arabian place. The food was awesome, mixed meat grill, chicken charwarma, hummus, eggplant, tzatki. yum yum yum!

Berlin, Germany, 30th & New Years Eve Dec 09

We took a train from Prague to Berlin on the 30th. All pretty easy really but not so much once we got to the other side. Berlin has one of the most confusing public transport systems. They have an S-Bahn and a U-Bahn and region trains and more lines than London so it took awhile to get our bearings. It didn't help that the main train station had the worst information when it came to the underground, it took us forever to find the platform we needed.

The Pension (B&B - but without the breakfast this time) we were staying at was cosy and close to a U-Bahn stop which was handy. We found a Vietnamese place up the road making traditional Vietnamese dishes. So delicious!!! I really love their springrolls.

On News Years Eve we visited the East Side Gallery, a small remaining part of the Berlin Wall where artists have painted murals. There actually isn't much of the wall left but they have placed a line of cobblestones and plaques along the entire length of where the wall used to be. The murals were cool, lots of interesting and political depictions.

Berlin was covered in snow so it was fun trying to negotiate our way around all that. It even snowed quite a bit that day. I love playing in the snow but when you're trying to get around it can be a bit of a hassle, especially when it's the mushy kind that soaks into all your clothes and shoes and you're constantly cold.

After the wall we went to Checkpoint Charlie, one of three checkpoints that allowed allies to move between West & East Germany. I was expecting some touristy overdone crap but it actually turned out quite good as they had an open air style museum with rows of photos and information along the road which was fascinating. I spent a long time reading up about the history of the wall and the checkpoint. It was freezing though so after standing out in the cold for an hour reading all the info we found ourselves a coffee shop to thaw out in.

We had a big night ahead of us so we chilled back at the Pension but of course stopped off on the way to grab some whisky for the night (hopefully to keep us warm) and also grabbed some Curry Wurst, an essential Berlin takeaway. Curry Wurst is spicy sausage covered in curry powder and sauce. Often served with a side of fries & mayo. Tasty as!! Om nom nom nom!

So yes we spent a few hours back at the Pension drinking whiskey to help us battle the snow and cold because man we were going to need it! The weather was terrible, it was constantly snowing and it was the sleety, slushing, freezing kind of snow. But we were still determined to make it to Brandenburg gate for NY.

It took awhile to get to the long street that led up to Brandenburg Tor (gate) where the party was. Traipsing through the snow covered park was fun though. There was a lot going on in the street, beer tents, gluwein, food, market stalls, a ferris wheel, massive balloons, all sorts of things.

We walked along until we got stuck in the crowds and couldn't get much closer to the stage (which was actually quite far away, there were millions of people! I think they estimate about 5 million attend!). The whiskey did help against the cold but it wore off pretty quick and standing still was tough. The music was a laugh, a mix between David Hasselhof style old crooners to a group of 80s style fluorescent dressed punk rappers (actually I found their songs really addictive and quite fun - check out a video here of the NY concert) But I couldn't understand a word of anything they were singing.

The countdown was fun trying to count backwards in German. Then the fireworks started. There were a lot of them all set to music, so pretty. A few people were even setting off fireworks in the crowd which considering how closely packed we all were was pretty damn dangerous actually and a little scary when it came near us.

We didn't stay much longer after the fireworks finished, I was so cold and my feet were soaked. In fact no-one really stayed around, there was a mass exodus to the underground.

Unfortunately that turned the underground stations into a mosh pit! we got caught in one such crush because they were periodically closing the station for safety reasons which was quite effective but meant a huge crush leading in and we had to walk down stairs where I was so jammed I could barely walk of my own accord, I had to go when everyone else did and the stairs were icy and I was petrified I was going to fall over. But I made it and survived. Unfortunately the ride home wasn't so pleasant as the carriage stunk of urine and some drunk chick threw up next to me and got some on my shoe! Not happy! Definitely a new years to remember though!

Krakow & Auschwitz, Poland, 28-29 Dec 09

In the morning we had a stroll around the Krakow castle. It's a great castle up on the hill with views over the city. The cathedral was breathtaking inside and definitely the best part of the castle.

It was absolutely freezing in Krakow and we really hadn't wrapped up enough so we headed back to the hostel but Nick decided he needed another rest day so i headed out again solo.

I took in the market square and the church there. The centre hall was all scaffolded up and the christmas markets were just shutting down so it was all quite quiet but it was really nice just walking around the streets. Krakow isn't as pretty as Prague but I still enjoyed it.

I walked the green belt, a park pathway surrounding the city and had a walk through the jewish quarter. Quite a fascinating town.

On the next day we left Krakow and drove to Auschwitz in Oschweicim. We only just made it in time for a guided tour which I'm so glad we did because it was fascinating.

We spent 2 hours walking through Auschwitz and learning its history and the conditions in which people had to live there. We saw many photos and belongings of people and I learnt a lot.

The prison cells were horrible, they had standing cells where 3-4 men were jammed into a tiny space with no windows and a starvation cell. There was also the death wall behind the prison block where prisoners died by shooting squad. At Auschwitz we were also taken to see one of the only remaining gas chambers. It was awful to think what happened in there.

I didn't realise that there are two very distinct camps. Auschwitz and then Aushwitz-Berkenau a few kms away.

The pictures most people are familiar with are mainly from the second except for the famous "Arbeit macht frei" sign which is at the first camp. The second camp was built during the war and is where they kept most of the Jews. The first camp was mainly for prisoners of war such as Soviet prisoners, political prisoners and medical experimentation.

A bus took us to Auschwitz-Berkenau. The entrance is very familiar with the railway track leading directly into the camp so they could easily unload thousands of people within the camp walls. It was a huge complex, much bigger than I expected but a lot of it had been destroyed when the Germans were ordered to evacuate the camp. They burnt and demolished anything they could.

The wooden barracks where the men lived were horse stables transported from other regions, the women's barracks were on the other side and made of concrete. The conditions are hard to imagine. We saw the ruins of the gas chambers where millions were executed. It was definitely a sobering experience. I am really glad we had the opportunity to visit.

We drove all the way back to Prague in the afternoon and the trip was a lot quicker than expected so we got the Merc dropped off and found our new hostel, a cosy place in a quieter area of Prague. It had a cellar bar which was the best place to chill for the night and I finally tried Becherovka, a Czech spirit which I think is a bit of a cross between anaseid and cinnamon. Took a bit of getting used to.

Cesky Kromlov, Czech Republic, Sun 27 Dec 09

We had hired a car for a 3 day excursion into Poland. So we were up early to leave our wonderful apartment behind and find the Hilton hotel for our car pickup. What a mission! Google maps had no idea where it was but we got there eventually.

Once there we found our little Peugeot 306 hatchback had already gone so instead they gave us a Mercedes C class, black, fast and oh so stylish! Awesome! It was definitely the trip of upgrades.

It was an interesting drive, not only having to get used to driving on the right side of the road but also getting used to a left hand manual drive car. Everything is backwards!

We were actually on our way to Krakow but decided to stop at Cesky Kromlov for a couple hours on the way because we heard it was well worth a visit. And they were definitely right.

A beautiful medieval town with a large castle up on a hill overlooking an old town surrounded by a canal. The place was so cute and like stepping back in time. It was the perfect spot to chill for awhile, have lunch and take lots of gorgeous photos.

Since it was winter not a lot was open but that was actually fantastic because it was really quiet and we didn't have to battle other tourists.

Leaving Cesky Kromlov it was my time to drive. Scary! It took me ages to get used to the gears on the other side and I really didn't like driving in town but I was fine once we were out on the motorway. It was quite fun too because the speedlimit on the motorways is 130km/h & in our awesome Mercedes it was a very comfortable drive. The motorways was also good because we didn't have to deal with quite so many scary crazy driver incidents. Turns out czech drivers are a little crazy, we had our fair share of close calls with overtaking cars and blind corners.

It was a late arrival in Krakow, Poland so we focused on finding the hostel and a spot to park up the car for the next couple of days.

Prague, Czech Republic, Christmas & Boxing Day

Sadly Nick wasn't feeling well at all. What is with us getting sick on Christmas Day on this side of the world? So Nick decided he was going to stay in bed and sleep but didn't want me bored so said I should go out with Roz and Josh. I felt bad leaving him on Christmas Day but figured he needed some peace and quiet to get some rest.

Roz, Josh and I met up in the old town and watched the astronomical clock chime, a very cool clock that also shows the moon phases and other stuff, plus a little skeleton pulls the bell when it chimes ever hour. Very cute.

We had lunch at Pivovrsky Dum restaurant which was on the other side of Prague but well worth it. I had a yummy venison stew with potato croquettes and cider. It was by far the best meal I had in Prague. So delicious!

In the afternoon we visited the Jewish cemetery and synagogues (interesting but not much to them) and walked over the St George Bridge (again!). Roz showed me the Pis statue, of two naked men peeing into a fountain with their hips moving and supposedly spelling out things. Weird.

I then took them to the markets so they could try Tredlink (oh so yum!) and see the Christmas lights. I spent the afternoon back at the apartment with Nick and then we all managed to get out for dinner at the official Pivorsky Dum brewery. The boys loved the beer and the food was delicious.

Wasn't a big night since Nick wasn't well but Roz & Josh gave us Backpackers, a very cool card game, for a present and we all spent the night playing that in the apartment. Quite a lot of fun, and that game causes some firey arguments!

On Boxing Day we did nothing! hehe it was fabulous! In fact I don't think we even left the apartment. Nick slept most of the day trying to battle his cold so I slept in, drank lots of perculated coffee (awesome coffee at the apartment), read and watched movies all day. The best way to spend Boxing day. But dammit I can't beat nick at Backpackers, he's just too good. I haven't won a single game against him yet!