I originally came to Germany with the intention to travel longer than a month. With this short amount of time, suffering an ankle sprain in-between trips, I really did not get to see as much as I wanted. Regardless, the short adventures I set out on were some of the most amazing of my life.
Yes, the photos are now several months old, but it still feels like I jumped on a bus through the Alps in Slovakia and wound down into Budapest by myself yesterday, so I would like to share the memories.
Prague
Example:
After struggling to make contact with someone I found myself frantically sending out emails at Burger King (no internet at home) early on a Monday morning. I received a response at about 9 am right before I was going to give up and buy a train ticket for 50 Euro. The person didn't mention a time to meet but I back tracked to his add and found he wanted to leave 30 minutes from the current time. I closed everything and jumped into a taxi to the other side of Munich. 20 Euros later I found myself at his stated pick-up location and waited there for two hours not knowing what he looked like or the car he drove.. No luck. Feeling extremely stupid I jumped on the subway back to the central train station. As I was about to purchase a train ticket he called me, barely able to speak english and going in out of signal. He let me know he could meet where I just was in 30 minutes. I got back on the subway, travled across the city, paid him 20 euros and 6 hours later found myself in Prague.
It was this car ride, filled with a lesson on the euro crisis and Czech banking history (I told him I studied finance), that made me want to carpool where ever I went. Having lived in Prague his whole life, the man also gave me the local's opinion on restaurants and how to avoid tourist crowds; 20 euros well spent.
This is Prague from the 14th century 250-foot spire of Old Town Hall
Headed back down
One of the main attractions in Prague is the Charles Bridge. Finished in the 15th century, the bridge served as the only connection between Old Town Hall and the Prague Castle until the mid 1800's.
Next was the 'Castle Area'. We never really found a castle, but I guess we were spoiled after visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria a few days before.
Following my driver's recommendation, we stopped at the 'U Rudolfina' pub in the center of Prague. Looking questionable at first, especially because we couldn't read the menu, the 'Goulash' turned out to be one of my favorite meals in Europe so far.
Left relatively untouched during WWII, Prague has gained a lot of popularity over the last 10 years. With tourists in every photo so far, I decided to wake up at sunrise on the second day and take photos.
Charles Bridge at sunrise
Old Town Square
Old Town Square with the Astronomical Clock
Crossing Charles Bridge
The windy, confusing Prague streets
Not so Prague-like
A view from the South
Those were my favorite shots from Prague. After dropping off my friends at the train station I ventured to the not so tourist friendly, deep west part of Prague for another carpool pickup. This time the Czech man ended up being a free-lance tour guide who gave me tips for my next adventures. Again, this only solidified my decision to keep carpooling my first choice while traveling.
Lake Garda
After a weekend getaway in Prague I had a strong urge to find a kiteboarding spot. Always coming though, Toy Town Germany had its own kiteboarding topic within the forums. After meeting up for a beer and proving I wasn't a murder, a french guy, an english guy, and I took off on a 5 hour drive to Lake Garda, Italy. I decided not to bring my camera since we were camping, but I did get some shots with the iPhone.
Lake Garda shaped pasta
Kiting wise, we only got one morning session the entire weekend. Lake Garda works entirely off thermal winds. The wind cranks from the North at over 20 knots in the morning, shuts down at noon, and then lightly picks up from the south in the afternoon. Never seen anything like it. Unfortunately something disturbed this so called 'machine,' but the morning session we did get was unreal. It's an 8:30 am 30 minute dinghy ride to a good location on the lake where you are launched and stay out for 3 hours. I was able to tuck in close to the 2,000 foot cliffs on the Northwest side of the lake the entire session. The wind then shut down, kites fell, and dinghies picked everyone up to return to the camp site.
Shots from Saturday morning. Yeah.. I'm cheap I know
The wind almost picked up enough Sunday afternoon to try out the land-launch, but it just didn't end up being enough. Either way, we wouldn't have been able to kite there anyways. Sports insurance, licenses, and membership fees were all required before launching.
Rules, rules, rules
With a 30 euro dinghy ride for each session, and all the rules at the land-launch, I'm not sure if I would return to Lake Garda. If I were traveling with people who didn't kite I would go back in a heartbeat as there is a lot to do and see around the lake; however, I think there are better spots within 6 hours I will one day check out.
Poland & Hungary
Next up was a Mini-Eastern Europe trip. With the internship still up in the air, I really had no idea if I would have to return to Munich the following week, so I left with open plans. The trip once again started with waiting for a ride at a bus station from someone I've never met before, trusting they show up so my entire trip wouldn't be ruined, and trusting they would take me where I wanted to go. As I waited I met a German guy who was in the same type of situation. He had a weekend in the French alps planned and since my ride was an hour late and I hadn't heard from him, he offered the last spot in the carpool. I decided I would go if he didn't show, but luckily an hour later the long-haired Polish man pulled in and we took off.
(No pictures until I arrived in Budapest due to sleep depravation and other reasons)
It was definitely a strange route, circling around Czech in order to stay on the German Autobahn, but we arrived safely around midnight into Wroclaw, Poland. My plan was to stay there for a night, or if I didn't like the city, hop on a train to the more popular Krakow. A Polish girl I rode with wrote a note for me for a train ticket as I was advised no one would speak english. The train to Krakow left in 30 minutes, so I used the time to walk to downtown and back, but I decided I would skip town. While I was waiting on the train platform I was approached by a Russian man. He wasn't drunk, but definitely didn't seem trustworthy as he kept smiling and shaking my hand and making the gesture that we should ride together on the train. Yeah.. sketchy. With the help of a security guard I got rid of him and I don't even think he had a ticket for the train.
I had previously read online that Polish trains can be slightly dangerous and you should only sleep with your gear close. This was reinforced by the experience with the Russian and by the warning I received by the fellow carpoolers. I ended up being the only person in my train carriage and I probably got 20 minutes of sleep all night. It wasn't only the fact that I didn't want to get something taken, but also the way the Polish ticket inspectors decided to fling open the cart door every hour to check my ticket that allowed for a restless night. Through all of this I definitely did not feel like pulling out my camera for photos.
I arrived into Krakow at 6:00 am and as I took a step off the train I realized I was no where near the city. Even though some might not consider Poland Eastern Europe, I was definitely in Eastern Europe. Grey, gloomy, and freezing for summer, Krakow was a wakeup call from the comfort of Munich. I had no map, no service, and no idea where I was. After denying some still drunk from the night before teenagers for cigarettes, I asked an older man for an idea of how to get the city.
He brushed me off instantly and slurred something in Polish. I continued to walk through the nearby tunnel to head to the street and the same man approached me and asked in perfect english what I needed. Looking him in the eyes, I explained my situation and he advised me to find a taxi and make sure I pronounce 'Krakuf' (Krakow) correctly. Still lost once I made it to the main street, he called me back and said we could share a taxi.
In the ride he explained he had to know he could trust me before he offered help. He was a Polish tour guide and explained the history of the city and gave me a lesson on how to know who to trust. He ended up taking me right to the hostel I booked, Nathan's Villa, and offered his number in case I needed anything in the city. These are the types of things that wouldn't happen if I traveled in a group.
The hostel allowed me to check my bag but told me to come back in the afternoon for a bed. Sleep deprived and starving, I decided I would see the city. Unfortunately this mood had an effect on me and I didn't end up with any pictures. I can say the town square was quite interesting, although not as picturesque as Prague. Since it was a church holiday in most of Europe, it was a silent morning. The only place that seemed busy was the 10th century Church of St. Wojciech within the town square. Having gone to a Catholic High School I decided 'why not?' and attended mass. After killing enough time I stumbled to the hostel at one in the afternoon, got my bed, and passed out until dinner. It was now Wednesday and I woke to an email confirming I would start my internship the following Monday in Munich. Three dutch guys, making their last stop before heading home from a 5000k Europe road-rally, were happy to join in celebration.
I made it to the bus station the following afternoon and travled through the Slovakian Alps to Budapest. Now the only image I've had of Slovakia before this trip was a scene from EuroTrip, but I can safely say this is not the case. Again, to most these countries are not even Eastern Europe, unlike the movie suggests. Besides the bus driver passing around windy blind corners with a packed bus, it was a pleasant drive through mountain towns and could easily be mistaken for Austria (I will have to keep this in mind for Winter as the resorts are probably half the price).
I arrived to the outskirts of Budapest just past midnight and again realized I forgot to download the map of the city on my phone (you can still use the GPS without using data if you do remember). I also forgot to book a hostel. I noticed a girl speaking English so I went over and asked for directions. We ended up talking for awhile as she waited for her ride. She was 24, from Washington, and already had her masters in Botany. When she has time off from gardening for Lady Gaga and other celebrities, apparently she enjoys visiting friends from her past European trips. Her Hungarian friend whipped into the parking lot in a brand new chrysler and he was happy to offer me a ride downtown. I walked up and down streets asking restaurants for nearby hostels and eventually found one with no vacancy that offered their Wi-Fi (after negotiating). I Booked one online and walked 30 minutes at two in the morning to Wombat's. It only took one night to see that this 'Wombat Hostel' was not a hostel at all, it was a hotel with bunk-beds In the morning I convinced the front desk I needed to leave to Austria and they allowed me to cancel the second night for a full refund.
I checked out some other Budapest hostels online and chose Retox Hostel.
Lobby
The staff was mainly Australian and wore nothing but board shorts and Tomorrrowland bracelets. The people were great, so far it was the only hostel I had coffee brought to me as soon as I walked in. Soon after I sat down a sudden a round-of-applause broke out. Unfortunately it wasn't for me, someone was just leaving the hostel. Apparently this happens every time someone makes it through Retox and walks out the gate.
My cozy room
One of the staff gave a map reading and discussed the top spots in the city, so I went out on the suggested route.
The city is broken into two, Buda to the west (left) and Pest to the east (right). Gellért Hill, which I am standing on, is actually the end of the Alps. Buda is mountainous and Pest completely flat.
Near this viewpoint is the Citadella and Liberation Monument
The Gellért Statue on Gellért Hill
A lookout point
Heading north, I arrived at Castle Hill. They were charging entrance for a holiday market so I skipped the actual castle area, but I still was able to check out Matthias Church.
A view from the top
I also found a nice spot to eat lunch
Not the normal European waterfront
On the East side there is the neo-Gothic Parliament
At 315 feet the Parliament and this church, St. Stephen's Basilica, are the two tallest buildings in Budapest
From the top
Lastly, the Grand Market Hall
For the rest of the weekend I stuck with hostel outings and left my camera behind, so that pretty much sums up Budapest. I did take something larger from this trip than the rest though as I felt it was the first time I had made some good friends while traveling alone.
Originally it felt strange walking into a hostel solo. Most of the travelers look like they have known each other for awhile or are in groups. However, the sooner you realize a majority are in a similar situation, the quicker you make some new friends and have fun. Even the people who acted like best friends who had known each other for years really had just met a couple days or weeks previous. When you travel alone you automatically find others in the same position and end up having a new best friend for a day or night. The next day someone might head out and you probably will never see them again, but the process can always be restarted. For my short trip this was a great experience, but I do not know how the travelers that go for months can handle it. The general conversation of 'where you from?,' 'where you headed?,' and 'where you been?' was already getting repetitive. I don't know how the long-term travelers could stay sane. So after this trip I have put away thoughts of taking off an entire year somewhere down the line just to travel. However, I also know that amazing things can happen when you head out by yourself, so I would like to plan more trips like this.
On Sunday I jumped in a carpool once more and began my internship the following day. Since then, at the end of August, I have not left Munich. I definitely have the urge to travel further east in Europe but will have to wait until time allows.
In other news I just moved into my new place last weekend and hope to put up pictures before I leave for the States.
Later
Elliot
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