Europe 2008 log
Below is the log I built up during my travels, in reverse chronological order, complete with all the spelling mistakes from using foreign keyboards. I've also posted my status updates from Facebook while travelling, which generally summarise the log entries quite nicely. Enjoy!
Date and time: Wednesday 17th September 2008, 17:37 BST
Location: Chester, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is home.
Home!
Location: Chester, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is home.
Home!
Date and time: Tuesday 16th Sptember 2008, 22:10 WEST (22:10 BST)
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Status update: Matthew is rather annoyed after losing 8 Euros to a Portuguese stamp machine.
Lisbon has been a very nice place to finish my trip, save the irritating stamp machines that swallowed 8 of my Euros and the slow internet connection that I´m using at the moment (where the computer also beeps with every letter that I press on the keyboard). Arrived on the overnight train from Spain yesterday morning, which wasn´t too comfortable, but not to the extent that it would have been worth paying an extra 50 euros for a proper bed. Yesterday I did the more traditional highlights of the city - main square and the central/historic part of the town, taking in lots of statues, squares and pastel coloured buildings. Also saw several churches (which were very lavishly decorated) and went to the castle (which took me an hour to find despite being on top of a hill - complicated road system here!!) which gave some fantastic views over the city. Today visited the monument of discovery on the western side of the city, and also saw a movie there about the history of Lisbon. Apent the afternoon in the east in a place known as Oriente where they held Expo 96 - now it´s full of modern buildings, a tower and a fantastic (if rather pricey) aquarium known as the Ocenarium which had recreated 4 different climates to host fish from all over the world. Flight home tomorrow, of course, definitely going to miss the weather and all the sightseeing, although after 33 nights so far in youth hostels, I have to admit that there are a few home comforts that I am rather missing...!
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Status update: Matthew is rather annoyed after losing 8 Euros to a Portuguese stamp machine.
Lisbon has been a very nice place to finish my trip, save the irritating stamp machines that swallowed 8 of my Euros and the slow internet connection that I´m using at the moment (where the computer also beeps with every letter that I press on the keyboard). Arrived on the overnight train from Spain yesterday morning, which wasn´t too comfortable, but not to the extent that it would have been worth paying an extra 50 euros for a proper bed. Yesterday I did the more traditional highlights of the city - main square and the central/historic part of the town, taking in lots of statues, squares and pastel coloured buildings. Also saw several churches (which were very lavishly decorated) and went to the castle (which took me an hour to find despite being on top of a hill - complicated road system here!!) which gave some fantastic views over the city. Today visited the monument of discovery on the western side of the city, and also saw a movie there about the history of Lisbon. Apent the afternoon in the east in a place known as Oriente where they held Expo 96 - now it´s full of modern buildings, a tower and a fantastic (if rather pricey) aquarium known as the Ocenarium which had recreated 4 different climates to host fish from all over the world. Flight home tomorrow, of course, definitely going to miss the weather and all the sightseeing, although after 33 nights so far in youth hostels, I have to admit that there are a few home comforts that I am rather missing...!
Date and time: Sunday 14th September 2008, 18:43 CEST (17:43 BST)
Loaction: Madrid, Spain
Status update: Matthew loves how wonderfully cheap Madrid is!
With the exception of the hostel (where the majority of guests seem to have the lets-go-out-and-get -drunk-because-we-can't-do-that-at-home attitude), I'm definitely preferring Madrid to Spain's second city. Madrid, it has to be said, is simply a lot more Spanish than Barcelona - and it's nice to be able to speak Spanish without people doing a double take because you're not speaking in Catalan! The weather is also very pleasant - not overly hot as I had imagined it - it's been very cool in the shade all day, and was only 14 degrees when I let the hostel this morning. Blue skies all the time though (fantastic!) and I can certainly feel that the sun is very strong although it has yet to burn me. Been sightseeing pretty much all of today and yesterday - seen bullrings, Olympic stadiums, royal palaces, lots of 'Puertas' (gates to the city), some very impressive churches and cathedrals, and in general some very nice architecture. Also got in for free to two of Madrid's top museums (I love having student ID!!), one of which featured some more contemporary art (some of which engaged you and was actually very interesting), the other of which featured more traditional almost all religiously inspired paintings (which I didn't really enjoy much, but at least it didn't cost me!!) Also have to give a mention to the incredible AVE train before I finish this entry - from Barcelona to Madrid in 2 hours and 40 minutes, travelling at up to 300km/hr (186 mph), with fantastic air conditioning, proper reclining seats, the equivalent of an 'inflight movie', plus, best of all, free headphones, chocolate and sweets! Even more impressive than the French TGV!...
Loaction: Madrid, Spain
Status update: Matthew loves how wonderfully cheap Madrid is!
With the exception of the hostel (where the majority of guests seem to have the lets-go-out-and-get -drunk-because-we-can't-do-that-at-home attitude), I'm definitely preferring Madrid to Spain's second city. Madrid, it has to be said, is simply a lot more Spanish than Barcelona - and it's nice to be able to speak Spanish without people doing a double take because you're not speaking in Catalan! The weather is also very pleasant - not overly hot as I had imagined it - it's been very cool in the shade all day, and was only 14 degrees when I let the hostel this morning. Blue skies all the time though (fantastic!) and I can certainly feel that the sun is very strong although it has yet to burn me. Been sightseeing pretty much all of today and yesterday - seen bullrings, Olympic stadiums, royal palaces, lots of 'Puertas' (gates to the city), some very impressive churches and cathedrals, and in general some very nice architecture. Also got in for free to two of Madrid's top museums (I love having student ID!!), one of which featured some more contemporary art (some of which engaged you and was actually very interesting), the other of which featured more traditional almost all religiously inspired paintings (which I didn't really enjoy much, but at least it didn't cost me!!) Also have to give a mention to the incredible AVE train before I finish this entry - from Barcelona to Madrid in 2 hours and 40 minutes, travelling at up to 300km/hr (186 mph), with fantastic air conditioning, proper reclining seats, the equivalent of an 'inflight movie', plus, best of all, free headphones, chocolate and sweets! Even more impressive than the French TGV!...
Date and time: Friday 12th September 2008, 23:25 CEST (22:25 BST)
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Status update: Matthew doesn´t think trying to see Barcelona in one day was one of his greatest ideas.
Ok, I have to admit, trying to see Barcelona in a day was never going to be easy - or even possible. But yesterday I gave it my best shot. Bought a day ticket for the rather good metro (though very hot) metro system here, and managed to see the Olympic stadium, the fortress and the fantastic view around it, Gaudi´s cathedral, Barcelona´s equivalent of the Gherkin, a few interestingly designed buildings, the Catalan Arc de Triomph, the Catalan parliament, and most of the old town to the east of Las Ramblas (the main shopping street). Rather tired by the end of it as you might imagine! Yesterday was also Catalonia´s "national" day, so there were quite a few celebrations going on in the evening and lots of Catalan flags about! Today I woke up very early (i.e. 5am) to catch the morning bus to Andorra. Although some of you may think me rather crazy for doing so, it was well worth it - fantastic scenery all the way up, and wonderfully cool when we reached Andorra-la-vella (compared to Barcelona anyway). Had a wander around the capital, which was absolutely packed with shops - apparently more than one for every 40 of its citizens! - and also saw several small churches as well as the Andorran parliament. Had to leave mid-afternoon in order to get back in Barcelona at a reasonable time (the journey was 3 hours each way), but again very much enjoyed the scenery. Madrid tomorrow, I´ve got a reservation on the 08:30 AVE (the later ones were full :S), just hope I can manage another early start after today!...
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Status update: Matthew doesn´t think trying to see Barcelona in one day was one of his greatest ideas.
Ok, I have to admit, trying to see Barcelona in a day was never going to be easy - or even possible. But yesterday I gave it my best shot. Bought a day ticket for the rather good metro (though very hot) metro system here, and managed to see the Olympic stadium, the fortress and the fantastic view around it, Gaudi´s cathedral, Barcelona´s equivalent of the Gherkin, a few interestingly designed buildings, the Catalan Arc de Triomph, the Catalan parliament, and most of the old town to the east of Las Ramblas (the main shopping street). Rather tired by the end of it as you might imagine! Yesterday was also Catalonia´s "national" day, so there were quite a few celebrations going on in the evening and lots of Catalan flags about! Today I woke up very early (i.e. 5am) to catch the morning bus to Andorra. Although some of you may think me rather crazy for doing so, it was well worth it - fantastic scenery all the way up, and wonderfully cool when we reached Andorra-la-vella (compared to Barcelona anyway). Had a wander around the capital, which was absolutely packed with shops - apparently more than one for every 40 of its citizens! - and also saw several small churches as well as the Andorran parliament. Had to leave mid-afternoon in order to get back in Barcelona at a reasonable time (the journey was 3 hours each way), but again very much enjoyed the scenery. Madrid tomorrow, I´ve got a reservation on the 08:30 AVE (the later ones were full :S), just hope I can manage another early start after today!...
Date and time: Tuesday 9th September 2008, 22:53 CEST (21:53 BST)
Location: Nimes, France
Status update: Matthew thinks Nimes is France's Bath as both have lots of yellow buildings, and in both cities, the place where he is staying happens to be up a large hill!
First, please excuse any speeling mistakes with the French keyboard - they are worse than the German ones! Nimes feels rather strangely like Bath to me. Both cities are Roman, most of the buildings in both cities are yellow, and in both cities, the place where I am staying happens to be up a rather large hill! Came over on the train fro, Bern this morning, stopped off for a few hours in Geneva where I saw the 'Jet de l'eau' (don't think it was working when I was last there) before boarding my direct TGV to Nimes. The TGV was incredible - wonderfully fast and the high speed line was also rather amazing in the number of tunnels and viaducts it used. Arrived in Nimes at 15:59, walked most of the way to my hostel, although a kind Frenchman spotted me struggling up and gave me a lift for the rest of the way! Had a breif wander in Nimes this evening, basically trying to cra, in sights as it was getting dark, although I4ll have a few hours to,orrow morning to see the city properly. Pasta tonight (wonderfully filling!) since the hostel here has a kitchen; I suspect dinner to,orrow will be sandwiches as the cross border Talgo train is due to get in rather late - 21:45 to be exact...
Location: Nimes, France
Status update: Matthew thinks Nimes is France's Bath as both have lots of yellow buildings, and in both cities, the place where he is staying happens to be up a large hill!
First, please excuse any speeling mistakes with the French keyboard - they are worse than the German ones! Nimes feels rather strangely like Bath to me. Both cities are Roman, most of the buildings in both cities are yellow, and in both cities, the place where I am staying happens to be up a rather large hill! Came over on the train fro, Bern this morning, stopped off for a few hours in Geneva where I saw the 'Jet de l'eau' (don't think it was working when I was last there) before boarding my direct TGV to Nimes. The TGV was incredible - wonderfully fast and the high speed line was also rather amazing in the number of tunnels and viaducts it used. Arrived in Nimes at 15:59, walked most of the way to my hostel, although a kind Frenchman spotted me struggling up and gave me a lift for the rest of the way! Had a breif wander in Nimes this evening, basically trying to cra, in sights as it was getting dark, although I4ll have a few hours to,orrow morning to see the city properly. Pasta tonight (wonderfully filling!) since the hostel here has a kitchen; I suspect dinner to,orrow will be sandwiches as the cross border Talgo train is due to get in rather late - 21:45 to be exact...
Date and time: Monday 8th September 2008, 17:48 CEST (16:48 BST)
Location: Bern, Switzerland
Status update: Matthew is becoming rather fond of Switzerland.
Bern is probably my favourite city in Switzerland so far, with Luzern coming a close second. What's even better is that theer hardly seem to be any tourists here, either, which is surprising given how beautiful the place is. Arrived on the train from Zurich this morning, since been to the (rather small) Einstein muesum, seen the rather colourful clockface in the centre, climbed up the steps to the top of Munster catedral and been for a walk along the wonderfully blue river. Bern is also surrounded by fabulous mountains (mostly green, although a few even have snow on top!) Weather is much better in Zurich, which I didn't like too much as a city as there was a slight lack on things to do and see. Also visited Luzern yesterday - horrible weather (it rained heavily all morning) but some really wonderful buildnigs and some fantastic city walls to walk around. Also went for a stroll down by the lake, which also seemed to be a popular activity with the locals on a Sunday afternoon! Travellnig down to Nimes tomorrow (got my TGV reservation sorted yesterday - rather looking forward to the journey) and then to Barcelona on Wednesday (again, got my reservation for the direct Talgo train as not many trains run straight through due to the break-of-gauge between France and Spain). Keeping my fingers crossed for some more nice weather after what I^ve had to endure ni the past week!...
Location: Bern, Switzerland
Status update: Matthew is becoming rather fond of Switzerland.
Bern is probably my favourite city in Switzerland so far, with Luzern coming a close second. What's even better is that theer hardly seem to be any tourists here, either, which is surprising given how beautiful the place is. Arrived on the train from Zurich this morning, since been to the (rather small) Einstein muesum, seen the rather colourful clockface in the centre, climbed up the steps to the top of Munster catedral and been for a walk along the wonderfully blue river. Bern is also surrounded by fabulous mountains (mostly green, although a few even have snow on top!) Weather is much better in Zurich, which I didn't like too much as a city as there was a slight lack on things to do and see. Also visited Luzern yesterday - horrible weather (it rained heavily all morning) but some really wonderful buildnigs and some fantastic city walls to walk around. Also went for a stroll down by the lake, which also seemed to be a popular activity with the locals on a Sunday afternoon! Travellnig down to Nimes tomorrow (got my TGV reservation sorted yesterday - rather looking forward to the journey) and then to Barcelona on Wednesday (again, got my reservation for the direct Talgo train as not many trains run straight through due to the break-of-gauge between France and Spain). Keeping my fingers crossed for some more nice weather after what I^ve had to endure ni the past week!...
Date and time: Friday 5th September 2008, 22:58 CEST (21:58 BST)
Location: Schaan-Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Status update:Matthew rather likes Liechtenstein, even if he's only really here for the novelty value.
OK, so I'll admit that the real reason that I put Liechtenstein in my itinerary was for the novelty value. But it's actually been one of my favourite places so far - fantastic scenery from Zurich onwards on the train this morning, and Liechenstein itself has some lovely mountains. Explored the "capital", Vaduz, once I arrived - lots of touristy souvenir shops - clearly I'm not the only one here to say that I've been here!! Had a wander up to the prince's castle (although it's closed to the public, seen Liechtenstein's (tiny) "national stadium" (where, incidentally they are playing Germany tomorrow - there are loads of Germans at the hostel) and also visited the national museum, which was interesting enough, even though I had to rely on the audio guide as all the written information was in German only. Liechtenstein has certainly been a bit of a change after Basel, though, which also includes the improvement in the weather! Basel was a nice enough city, and although not particularly touristy, it was certainly very affluent. The Rathaus (town hall) and cathedral were probably the highlighs, but beyond that I didn't find too much else to do other than sit by the river (which was rather nice, especially as the sun set). Off to Zurich tomorrow and also planning a day trip to L;uzern before hitting the capital Bern, and then venturing on the final leg of my journey through southern France, Spain and Portugal - seems strange to think that I'll now be home in less than 2 weeks...
Location: Schaan-Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Status update:Matthew rather likes Liechtenstein, even if he's only really here for the novelty value.
OK, so I'll admit that the real reason that I put Liechtenstein in my itinerary was for the novelty value. But it's actually been one of my favourite places so far - fantastic scenery from Zurich onwards on the train this morning, and Liechenstein itself has some lovely mountains. Explored the "capital", Vaduz, once I arrived - lots of touristy souvenir shops - clearly I'm not the only one here to say that I've been here!! Had a wander up to the prince's castle (although it's closed to the public, seen Liechtenstein's (tiny) "national stadium" (where, incidentally they are playing Germany tomorrow - there are loads of Germans at the hostel) and also visited the national museum, which was interesting enough, even though I had to rely on the audio guide as all the written information was in German only. Liechtenstein has certainly been a bit of a change after Basel, though, which also includes the improvement in the weather! Basel was a nice enough city, and although not particularly touristy, it was certainly very affluent. The Rathaus (town hall) and cathedral were probably the highlighs, but beyond that I didn't find too much else to do other than sit by the river (which was rather nice, especially as the sun set). Off to Zurich tomorrow and also planning a day trip to L;uzern before hitting the capital Bern, and then venturing on the final leg of my journey through southern France, Spain and Portugal - seems strange to think that I'll now be home in less than 2 weeks...
Date and time: Wednesday 3rd September 2008, 22:53 CEST (21:53 BST)
Location: Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Status update: Matthew hopes that the rain isn't going to follow him all the way from Luxembourg to Basel tomorrow...
Greetings from the (rather wet) Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. And please, note now that on this keyboard the 'y' and 'z' keys have mysteriously switched positions, and I don?t have time to correct errors, so please excuse any spelling mistakes! Luxembourg I have found to be verz nice, even though it has been raining all day and the train I wanted to take from Brussels was cancelled, forcing me to wait for another hour. The city is surrounded by the river and some breathtaking vallezs on three sides, with the main roads running on bridges, walking across them makes it feel like the valleys don't even exist. Been to the wonderful Notre Dame cathedral (not as big as Paris, as you might expect) and also visited the rather interesting museum on the historz of the town, which had some beautiful wooden models of the citz throughout its developement. This place certainly feels nice compared to Brussels, which I found a little eccentric (metal skzskrapers right next to Art Noveau buildings, and underground tram szstem (what's wrong with them on the surface?!) and the statue of a boz taking a leak as one of their national icons! Also did visit Brugge in yet more rain, probablz prettier than Brussels overall (lots of medieval buildings) although it did feel a tad fake (which it is, or so mz guidebook says!!) Switzerland tomorrow, assuming my trains run to some reasonable time, certainlz hope so after today!
Location: Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Status update: Matthew hopes that the rain isn't going to follow him all the way from Luxembourg to Basel tomorrow...
Greetings from the (rather wet) Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. And please, note now that on this keyboard the 'y' and 'z' keys have mysteriously switched positions, and I don?t have time to correct errors, so please excuse any spelling mistakes! Luxembourg I have found to be verz nice, even though it has been raining all day and the train I wanted to take from Brussels was cancelled, forcing me to wait for another hour. The city is surrounded by the river and some breathtaking vallezs on three sides, with the main roads running on bridges, walking across them makes it feel like the valleys don't even exist. Been to the wonderful Notre Dame cathedral (not as big as Paris, as you might expect) and also visited the rather interesting museum on the historz of the town, which had some beautiful wooden models of the citz throughout its developement. This place certainly feels nice compared to Brussels, which I found a little eccentric (metal skzskrapers right next to Art Noveau buildings, and underground tram szstem (what's wrong with them on the surface?!) and the statue of a boz taking a leak as one of their national icons! Also did visit Brugge in yet more rain, probablz prettier than Brussels overall (lots of medieval buildings) although it did feel a tad fake (which it is, or so mz guidebook says!!) Switzerland tomorrow, assuming my trains run to some reasonable time, certainlz hope so after today!
Date and time: Sunday 31st August 2008, 20:47 CEST (19:47 BST)
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Status update: Matthew thinks that it rather appropriate that Amsterdam's flag features three 'X's and is predominantly red...
After the sensibility and order that was Germany (and to a lesser extent, Scandanavia), Amsterdam feels like an absolutely crazy city. And no, before anyone dare suggest such a thing, I've not been indulging in the two main things that this city is known for! Arrived here yesterday afternoon following a rather long 5 hour train journey from Hamburg which involved two changes and also two rather tight connections. The third train (i.e. the Dutch one) certainly gave me a flavour of what was to come - all the seats were bright orange (you'd never have that on ther German ones...) and there were 1960's like hippy designs on the carriage walls! Passed several of the infamous "coffee shops" on the short walk from the station to the hostel here, and also a couple of "seed banks" - and you can certainly smell their "goods" just by walking past! Didn't do much yesterday other than wander around the city as the long train journeys are beginning to tire me out, and also discover that I'd left my pyjamas in Hamburg...damn! Managed to replace them for just 5 Euros this morning, and then went on to visit the Anne Frank museum at the location where she and her family hid during the war. A very well done museum (if a little expensive at 8 Euros), with extracts from the diary painted onto the walls and several videos of people involved with the place and the diary. Also went to the Van Gough museum, again, rather expensive, but I got to skip the queues by buying a ticket at the hostel. Interesting to see some of the works, and also the variation in the paintings throughout the artist's life, but not worth the 12 Euros I paid, at least in my opinion! Off to Brussels and the land of nice chocolate tomorrow morning (after taking as much advantage of the free buffet breakfast here, of course...)
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Status update: Matthew thinks that it rather appropriate that Amsterdam's flag features three 'X's and is predominantly red...
After the sensibility and order that was Germany (and to a lesser extent, Scandanavia), Amsterdam feels like an absolutely crazy city. And no, before anyone dare suggest such a thing, I've not been indulging in the two main things that this city is known for! Arrived here yesterday afternoon following a rather long 5 hour train journey from Hamburg which involved two changes and also two rather tight connections. The third train (i.e. the Dutch one) certainly gave me a flavour of what was to come - all the seats were bright orange (you'd never have that on ther German ones...) and there were 1960's like hippy designs on the carriage walls! Passed several of the infamous "coffee shops" on the short walk from the station to the hostel here, and also a couple of "seed banks" - and you can certainly smell their "goods" just by walking past! Didn't do much yesterday other than wander around the city as the long train journeys are beginning to tire me out, and also discover that I'd left my pyjamas in Hamburg...damn! Managed to replace them for just 5 Euros this morning, and then went on to visit the Anne Frank museum at the location where she and her family hid during the war. A very well done museum (if a little expensive at 8 Euros), with extracts from the diary painted onto the walls and several videos of people involved with the place and the diary. Also went to the Van Gough museum, again, rather expensive, but I got to skip the queues by buying a ticket at the hostel. Interesting to see some of the works, and also the variation in the paintings throughout the artist's life, but not worth the 12 Euros I paid, at least in my opinion! Off to Brussels and the land of nice chocolate tomorrow morning (after taking as much advantage of the free buffet breakfast here, of course...)
Date and time: Friday 29th August 2008, 21:47 CEST (20:47 BST)
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Status update: Matthew is now in Hamburg, and thinks the Schengen agreement has taken some of the fun out of interrailing.
So I'm finally back in the Eurozone now that I'm in Germany, and I've definitely noticed it as things are an awful lot cheaper here than in Stockholm, Oslo or Copenhagen. Copenhagen was definitely worth visiting, although the weather there wasn't exactly great. Covered pretty much all the main sites yesterday - the City Hall, the round tower (nice panoramic view over the older parts of the town), the statue of the Little Mermaid (supposedly Copenhagen's icon - but actually not all that interesting) and also the Danish parliament and all the surrounding museums. Came over to Hamburg this morning, cotssed some lovely bridges, and at one point, the train was loaded onto a ferry in order to cross the sea (bizarre - but I think they're planning to build another bridge there soon anyway!) Also met an interesting lady on the train who spoke to me when she saw my interrail pass, and then showed me all the photos she had taken when she was on safari in South Africa just a week ago! Had a wander around Hamburg this afternoon - very nice city, some lovely views over the docks, have climbed the 544 steps to the top of the tallest church (I forget the name - but can tell you that 544 is a lot of steps!). Also had a wander around the main "lake" (it's man made) where there were all sorts of little market stalls selling snacks and souvenirs. Very much enjoying my hostel as I appear to be the only one in the 6 bed dorm - at least for the moment! Amsterdam tomorrow morning, just hope it's no more expensive than here as I'm not sure I can afford much more after a week further north...
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Status update: Matthew is now in Hamburg, and thinks the Schengen agreement has taken some of the fun out of interrailing.
So I'm finally back in the Eurozone now that I'm in Germany, and I've definitely noticed it as things are an awful lot cheaper here than in Stockholm, Oslo or Copenhagen. Copenhagen was definitely worth visiting, although the weather there wasn't exactly great. Covered pretty much all the main sites yesterday - the City Hall, the round tower (nice panoramic view over the older parts of the town), the statue of the Little Mermaid (supposedly Copenhagen's icon - but actually not all that interesting) and also the Danish parliament and all the surrounding museums. Came over to Hamburg this morning, cotssed some lovely bridges, and at one point, the train was loaded onto a ferry in order to cross the sea (bizarre - but I think they're planning to build another bridge there soon anyway!) Also met an interesting lady on the train who spoke to me when she saw my interrail pass, and then showed me all the photos she had taken when she was on safari in South Africa just a week ago! Had a wander around Hamburg this afternoon - very nice city, some lovely views over the docks, have climbed the 544 steps to the top of the tallest church (I forget the name - but can tell you that 544 is a lot of steps!). Also had a wander around the main "lake" (it's man made) where there were all sorts of little market stalls selling snacks and souvenirs. Very much enjoying my hostel as I appear to be the only one in the 6 bed dorm - at least for the moment! Amsterdam tomorrow morning, just hope it's no more expensive than here as I'm not sure I can afford much more after a week further north...
Date and time: Tuesday 26th August 2008, 17:51 CEST (16:51 BST)
Location: Oslo, Norway
Status update: Matthew is in Oslo, finding Scandanavia VERY expensive, and wanders if anyone knows how to call an Orange pay-as-you-go answerphone from abroad?
Scandanavia can easily be summed up in one word - expensive! Went over to Helsinki just after writing my last entry, which didn't seem to have too much going for it as a city (i.e. didn't feel like it had much history to it) although I enjoyed it all the same. Went to the Helsinki museum of contempory art (the guidebook said it was good - I'd call it interesting) and also had a nice wander around the idyllic Sveaborg fortress just off the coast on one of the many islands. Hostel there was also very nice, each room had a kitchenette, so I took the opportunity to have my first decent meal in a while. Headed over to Stockholm on the ferry (on board everything was criminally overpriced, so I took advantage of the free bread that came with every meal at the cafeteria like place I ate)! Stockholm was lovely - lots of nice looking old buildings on the riverbank, and visiting the Royal Palace was amazing. Sweden was also very good in that (like Norway), to all intents and purposes, English is the second national language, so I never had any problem communicating as in Russia! Interrail ticket started yesterday (25th) which was when I made the 6 hour journey over to Oslo. No border checks due to the Schengen area (I think it takes a bit of fun out of it, personally...) and arrived in Oslo yesterday afternoon, but had to queue for a while before getting my room as the receptionist was being very slow about things. Been out into Oslo today, (in soaking rain this morning - I'm now drying out a pair of trousers and several guidebooks and maps!) but seen Munch's famous painting "The Scream" (and the amount of security that now surrounds it after the theft...), visited Norway's castle/fort for a nice view over the harbour and also taken the ferry out to see the Viking ship museum where they have three full Viking ships on full show to the public! Now back in the hostel, thinking of cooking up some more pasta tonight (rooms here also have kitchenettes) and then I probably need an early night if I'm to stand any chance of catching the 07:00 to Copenhagen tomorrow morning...
Location: Oslo, Norway
Status update: Matthew is in Oslo, finding Scandanavia VERY expensive, and wanders if anyone knows how to call an Orange pay-as-you-go answerphone from abroad?
Scandanavia can easily be summed up in one word - expensive! Went over to Helsinki just after writing my last entry, which didn't seem to have too much going for it as a city (i.e. didn't feel like it had much history to it) although I enjoyed it all the same. Went to the Helsinki museum of contempory art (the guidebook said it was good - I'd call it interesting) and also had a nice wander around the idyllic Sveaborg fortress just off the coast on one of the many islands. Hostel there was also very nice, each room had a kitchenette, so I took the opportunity to have my first decent meal in a while. Headed over to Stockholm on the ferry (on board everything was criminally overpriced, so I took advantage of the free bread that came with every meal at the cafeteria like place I ate)! Stockholm was lovely - lots of nice looking old buildings on the riverbank, and visiting the Royal Palace was amazing. Sweden was also very good in that (like Norway), to all intents and purposes, English is the second national language, so I never had any problem communicating as in Russia! Interrail ticket started yesterday (25th) which was when I made the 6 hour journey over to Oslo. No border checks due to the Schengen area (I think it takes a bit of fun out of it, personally...) and arrived in Oslo yesterday afternoon, but had to queue for a while before getting my room as the receptionist was being very slow about things. Been out into Oslo today, (in soaking rain this morning - I'm now drying out a pair of trousers and several guidebooks and maps!) but seen Munch's famous painting "The Scream" (and the amount of security that now surrounds it after the theft...), visited Norway's castle/fort for a nice view over the harbour and also taken the ferry out to see the Viking ship museum where they have three full Viking ships on full show to the public! Now back in the hostel, thinking of cooking up some more pasta tonight (rooms here also have kitchenettes) and then I probably need an early night if I'm to stand any chance of catching the 07:00 to Copenhagen tomorrow morning...
Date and time: Friday 22nd August 2008, 12:01 EEST (10:01 BST)
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Status update: Matthew is now in Tallinn and finding Estonian keyboards rather irritating...
Greetings from Estonia! Have to say that Tallinn is one of the prettiest cities I've ever visited. Arrived on the overnight train from t Petersburg yesterday morning (which was also nice as I got a compartment rather than being in a dorm-like carriage). Had a good wander around the old town, seeing all the pretty churchs, and going to the top of one of them (I forget the name) for a fantastic panoramic view of the city - and you could just about see Finland in the distance! Was also lucky enough to hear an organ recital in one of the churches (for free!), although the organ randomly starting up did scare the living daylights out of everyone in the church at the time! Also went to the city museum (very interesting) and the museum of occupation (which proved a little dull and boring - not too much to see - think I prefer the one in Riga, Latvia). Am now at Tallin's port waiting for my ferry to Helsinki - should be a nice crossing since we've actually got some sunshine today, rather than the persistent drizzle I had to put up with yesterday afternoon. Rather looking forward to using Euros again too, since I'm not doing well al withdrawing the correct ampu8it of all the crazy currencies I've used so far...
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Status update: Matthew is now in Tallinn and finding Estonian keyboards rather irritating...
Greetings from Estonia! Have to say that Tallinn is one of the prettiest cities I've ever visited. Arrived on the overnight train from t Petersburg yesterday morning (which was also nice as I got a compartment rather than being in a dorm-like carriage). Had a good wander around the old town, seeing all the pretty churchs, and going to the top of one of them (I forget the name) for a fantastic panoramic view of the city - and you could just about see Finland in the distance! Was also lucky enough to hear an organ recital in one of the churches (for free!), although the organ randomly starting up did scare the living daylights out of everyone in the church at the time! Also went to the city museum (very interesting) and the museum of occupation (which proved a little dull and boring - not too much to see - think I prefer the one in Riga, Latvia). Am now at Tallin's port waiting for my ferry to Helsinki - should be a nice crossing since we've actually got some sunshine today, rather than the persistent drizzle I had to put up with yesterday afternoon. Rather looking forward to using Euros again too, since I'm not doing well al withdrawing the correct ampu8it of all the crazy currencies I've used so far...
Date and time: Tuesday 19th August 2008, 20:55 MST (17:55 BST)
Location: St Petersburg, Russia
Status update: Matthew has made it to Санкт-Петербург and finally has that all important registration stamp :D
Have to say that after last night's journey on the overnight train, I'm rather starting to like the Russian railways. Probably something to do with the fact that it was air conditioned, though... Anyway, arrived in St. Petersburg at the wonderfully sociable time of 06:06, but fortunately the walk from the station to the hostel went down the main street, which meant I wasn't the only one about. St Petersburg is a very nice city, much more pretty than Moscow, although I disagree with the guidebook in thinking that it rivals Prague and Budapest. Checked in at the hostel this morning (had to wait until 10am to get my room), and then went out sightseeing - seen Palace Square (focal point of the 1917 revolution) and the Winter Palace (now the Hermitage museum - going there tomorrow), before wondering over to St Peter and St Paul's fort (which, as you may have guessed, is where the city takes it's name from). Fantastic church in the centre of the fort, lovely bells too (they were playing tunes, quite a few of which were familiar, which sounded fantastic). Also did (I think) most of the museums in the fort, including one about space exploration (don't quite see the link!) - lots and lots and lots of stuff about Sputnik of course, they even had front pages from newspapers from all over the world detailing the launch! After leaving the fort, I went Lenin-statue spotting, found a rather impressive one at Findlansky railway station, which (if I remember correctly) is where Lenin have his "peace, land, bread" speech after returning from exile. Weather here is very different from Moscow yesterday where I was baking in 35*C heat - here it feels much more like Britain and I've seen rain for the first time since I landed in Lithuania. Managed to get that all important registration stamp on my migration card, which should mean I'll be able to cross the border into Estonia without any problem tomorrow night. And finally, I don't think St Petersburg is anywhere as near as strange (and unforgettable) as Moscow, although today I saw a new kind of street entertainer - playing nothing other than a saw using a violin bow! Interesting...
Location: St Petersburg, Russia
Status update: Matthew has made it to Санкт-Петербург and finally has that all important registration stamp :D
Have to say that after last night's journey on the overnight train, I'm rather starting to like the Russian railways. Probably something to do with the fact that it was air conditioned, though... Anyway, arrived in St. Petersburg at the wonderfully sociable time of 06:06, but fortunately the walk from the station to the hostel went down the main street, which meant I wasn't the only one about. St Petersburg is a very nice city, much more pretty than Moscow, although I disagree with the guidebook in thinking that it rivals Prague and Budapest. Checked in at the hostel this morning (had to wait until 10am to get my room), and then went out sightseeing - seen Palace Square (focal point of the 1917 revolution) and the Winter Palace (now the Hermitage museum - going there tomorrow), before wondering over to St Peter and St Paul's fort (which, as you may have guessed, is where the city takes it's name from). Fantastic church in the centre of the fort, lovely bells too (they were playing tunes, quite a few of which were familiar, which sounded fantastic). Also did (I think) most of the museums in the fort, including one about space exploration (don't quite see the link!) - lots and lots and lots of stuff about Sputnik of course, they even had front pages from newspapers from all over the world detailing the launch! After leaving the fort, I went Lenin-statue spotting, found a rather impressive one at Findlansky railway station, which (if I remember correctly) is where Lenin have his "peace, land, bread" speech after returning from exile. Weather here is very different from Moscow yesterday where I was baking in 35*C heat - here it feels much more like Britain and I've seen rain for the first time since I landed in Lithuania. Managed to get that all important registration stamp on my migration card, which should mean I'll be able to cross the border into Estonia without any problem tomorrow night. And finally, I don't think St Petersburg is anywhere as near as strange (and unforgettable) as Moscow, although today I saw a new kind of street entertainer - playing nothing other than a saw using a violin bow! Interesting...
Date and time: Sunday 17th August 2008, 23:47 MST (20:47 BST)
Location: Moscow, Russia
Status update: Matthew находится в Москве and is having real trouble breaking into 1000 rouble notes...
Moscow is by the far the craziest city I have visited to date. Arrived here about midday on the overnight train from Riga (which was quite an experience since I was the only one who spoke English - everyone else was jabbering away in Russian)! Tried to get tickets for the metro once I arrived, but clearly my phrasebook level Russian was not enough to get the cashier to understand me, so after a few feeble hand gestures, I gave up and walked all the way to the hostel. Making some effort to learn the Cyrllic alphabet before I came certainly paid off, though, in being able to translate the street signs to match the Latin transliterations on the map in my guidebook. Checked into hostel, and then went out to the sights of Moscow - Red Square (which is actually a grey rectangle!), St Basil's (very impressive) Cathedral and also had a walk around the outside of the Kremlin. Unfortunately missed seeing Lenin's body (it's only open 3 hours a day, and like all good museums, it's closed tomorrow as it's a Monday). Also wandered over to see the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour - gold domes - again, very impressive, and unlike anything I've seen before. Enjoyed Moscow very much so far, although, as I have said it is rather different from anywhere else I've been in that practically everywhere you go, you are surrounded by huge imposing buildings and eight-lane roads (believe me, it's not a very pedestrian friendly city), which makes you feel rather small. Also, there seem to be policeman on every corner (supposedly to check that passports and visas of foreigners - though they haven't targeted me so far), but to be fair, quite a few of them just stand around, talk and smoke! Also saw a Russian jazz band playing in the gardens just outside the Kremlin - lots of people dancing as a result including a lady in some sort of traditional costume with half a telephone hanging from her waist, believe it or not! Weird, I know! I've got the pictures to prove it, which I'll probably put up here when I'm back home. Onto St Petersburg tomorrow, which I'm also looking forward to seeing; just hope I can get my visa registered quickly enough up there (they can't do it here as it's Sunday and I'm off tomorrow) - otherwise I may have some explaining to do at the border...
Location: Moscow, Russia
Status update: Matthew находится в Москве and is having real trouble breaking into 1000 rouble notes...
Moscow is by the far the craziest city I have visited to date. Arrived here about midday on the overnight train from Riga (which was quite an experience since I was the only one who spoke English - everyone else was jabbering away in Russian)! Tried to get tickets for the metro once I arrived, but clearly my phrasebook level Russian was not enough to get the cashier to understand me, so after a few feeble hand gestures, I gave up and walked all the way to the hostel. Making some effort to learn the Cyrllic alphabet before I came certainly paid off, though, in being able to translate the street signs to match the Latin transliterations on the map in my guidebook. Checked into hostel, and then went out to the sights of Moscow - Red Square (which is actually a grey rectangle!), St Basil's (very impressive) Cathedral and also had a walk around the outside of the Kremlin. Unfortunately missed seeing Lenin's body (it's only open 3 hours a day, and like all good museums, it's closed tomorrow as it's a Monday). Also wandered over to see the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour - gold domes - again, very impressive, and unlike anything I've seen before. Enjoyed Moscow very much so far, although, as I have said it is rather different from anywhere else I've been in that practically everywhere you go, you are surrounded by huge imposing buildings and eight-lane roads (believe me, it's not a very pedestrian friendly city), which makes you feel rather small. Also, there seem to be policeman on every corner (supposedly to check that passports and visas of foreigners - though they haven't targeted me so far), but to be fair, quite a few of them just stand around, talk and smoke! Also saw a Russian jazz band playing in the gardens just outside the Kremlin - lots of people dancing as a result including a lady in some sort of traditional costume with half a telephone hanging from her waist, believe it or not! Weird, I know! I've got the pictures to prove it, which I'll probably put up here when I'm back home. Onto St Petersburg tomorrow, which I'm also looking forward to seeing; just hope I can get my visa registered quickly enough up there (they can't do it here as it's Sunday and I'm off tomorrow) - otherwise I may have some explaining to do at the border...
Date and time: Friday 15th August 2008, 20:43 EEST (18:43 BST)
Location: Riga, Lativa
Status update: Matthew is in Riga!
Of the two cities that I've visted so far, Riga definitely feels more like a capital city. Vilnius rather reminded me of Ljubljana (for those of you who have been there), very small, but also very pretty. There were plenty of small churches; you could see the top of one from almost everywhere in the city. Visited the impressive Cathedral Square and walked down the Lithuanian equivalent of the "Champs Elysees" (can't remember what the street was called, but it was long, straight and had a fair few pricey shops on it!) The Old Town was also very nice to wander around; interestingly enough, I came across a demonstration/concert by the town hall in support of Georgia - they were handing out free car stickers, wristbands and T-shirts with the Lithuanian and Georgian flags on. I declined the T-shirt (I'm carrying enough around already!), but took the two former items - so I'll make sure that they're well hidden in my backpack when I take the overnight train to Moscow tomorrow! Had a supermarket lunch yesterday evening, and then thought about getting an early night - but ended up chatting to a few of my dormmates, most of whom were doing my route (or some variation thereof) in reverse, so I picked up a few tips about the next cities on my itinerary. I had planned to visit Vilnius' Museum of the Genocide Victims this morning, but hadn't counted on the fact that August 15th is a Lithuanian bank holiday - so naturally it was closed! Caught the bus to Riga at lunchtime, journey took 5 hours and was very comfortable (no border controls either - the wonders of the Schngen zone!), and arrived in Riga about 3 hours ago. The hostel I'm at at the moment (Baron's Guesthouse) is nice, small, and very informal. Taken advantage of the kitchen facilities to cook up some pasta, and while eating and watching CNN's coverage of the Georgia situation, had an interesting discussion with one of the hostel owners about what's happened there - as in Lithuania, there seems to be lots of sympathy for the Georgians and anger at the Russians. Think that's pretty much everything that's happened so far, so will leave it there and try to update again soon!
Location: Riga, Lativa
Status update: Matthew is in Riga!
Of the two cities that I've visted so far, Riga definitely feels more like a capital city. Vilnius rather reminded me of Ljubljana (for those of you who have been there), very small, but also very pretty. There were plenty of small churches; you could see the top of one from almost everywhere in the city. Visited the impressive Cathedral Square and walked down the Lithuanian equivalent of the "Champs Elysees" (can't remember what the street was called, but it was long, straight and had a fair few pricey shops on it!) The Old Town was also very nice to wander around; interestingly enough, I came across a demonstration/concert by the town hall in support of Georgia - they were handing out free car stickers, wristbands and T-shirts with the Lithuanian and Georgian flags on. I declined the T-shirt (I'm carrying enough around already!), but took the two former items - so I'll make sure that they're well hidden in my backpack when I take the overnight train to Moscow tomorrow! Had a supermarket lunch yesterday evening, and then thought about getting an early night - but ended up chatting to a few of my dormmates, most of whom were doing my route (or some variation thereof) in reverse, so I picked up a few tips about the next cities on my itinerary. I had planned to visit Vilnius' Museum of the Genocide Victims this morning, but hadn't counted on the fact that August 15th is a Lithuanian bank holiday - so naturally it was closed! Caught the bus to Riga at lunchtime, journey took 5 hours and was very comfortable (no border controls either - the wonders of the Schngen zone!), and arrived in Riga about 3 hours ago. The hostel I'm at at the moment (Baron's Guesthouse) is nice, small, and very informal. Taken advantage of the kitchen facilities to cook up some pasta, and while eating and watching CNN's coverage of the Georgia situation, had an interesting discussion with one of the hostel owners about what's happened there - as in Lithuania, there seems to be lots of sympathy for the Georgians and anger at the Russians. Think that's pretty much everything that's happened so far, so will leave it there and try to update again soon!
Date and time: Wednesday 13th August 2008, 20:55 BST
Location: Chester, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is away until 17th September.
Ugh - I hate packing! Finally got most things together, just a few last minute bits and pieces to get from town tomorrow morning. Also spent much of today backing up all the documents I need to take as a "just in case". Still, hopefully all the work now will give me some peace of mind should something go wrong once I get away. Very much looking forward to the first week, although after last year, I'm going to try not to judge places before I get there and see them for myself...
Location: Chester, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is away until 17th September.
Ugh - I hate packing! Finally got most things together, just a few last minute bits and pieces to get from town tomorrow morning. Also spent much of today backing up all the documents I need to take as a "just in case". Still, hopefully all the work now will give me some peace of mind should something go wrong once I get away. Very much looking forward to the first week, although after last year, I'm going to try not to judge places before I get there and see them for myself...
If that's not enough, why not go back and read my Europe 2007 diary?
