Jun 2008

Luckily our hostel was really easy to get to from the station, because the U-bahn and S-bahn system can be really confusing if you arent used to it...

The first thing I noticed about Berlin was that everything is so big there it is crazy...the streets are really wide and they are never really busy unlike Amsterdam.

There is so much to do there and loads to see...there is so much history. We went up the Reichstag on the first day, it is free and definatley worth waiting in the que for, you can walk all the way to the top and get a brilliant view of the city. then in the afternoon we went to the Pergamon museum, it was 8 euro, but 4 for students so it worked out pretty cheap - you get a audio guide which tells you all about the different exhibitions.

We went on the free tour - again - it is also pretty long but it is really really interesting...there is so much history within the city so they dont really have to pad it out with boring things to fill the time. Definatley worth the painful feet...

We went to the Jewish museum, which was really interesting, we completley lost track of time and lost our friends that we went in with...whoops.

The Hamburger Bahnhof is a modern and contemporary art gallery, a bit like the Tate, it has loads of Andy Warhol and it is massive so there is loads to look at, it is free on Thursdays between 2 and 6, but otherwise it is 8 Euro, 4 for students.

We were there for the big Germany - Turkey football match, there is a large Turkish population in Berlin around our hostel so we were sat on the street watching the match on big screen surrounded by locals and tourists, it was loads of fun. Germany won, but the Turkish were really happy too so it was a really good atmosphere all night.

We went out to a really good bar called Cafe Zappata on Oranienburger Strabe, which has loads of other good bars on and around it....we met some really fun people there and it is a really cool place. It is an old squat, but still has a gallery above it...there is the indoor bar and then a few bars outside for the summer - we definatley recommend it for everyone - a really good night out.

All in all we love Berlin...off to Prague next :D

Well, we made it to Amsterdam...we had an interesting coach journey, we met a really funny man called Maxwell from Paris ˙- he worked at DisneyLand which we thought was amazing....he was teaching us French and we were teaching him a Birmingham accent which he loved :D

On the first night we were there we went to a few bars with a few people from the hostel we were staying in - it was really good - the night life is just like England really, and your never far away from someone from home which was a change...the bars we went to were about a 10 minute walk from our hostel in Leidesplein - there are loads of bars and cheap restaurants. You should remember though, you don¨t have to pay to get into most places, but you do have to pay to use the toilet alomost everywhere so make sure you have a few 50cents around.

The next day we went on the free tour, it was pretty long, but we learnt some good things...the weather was really nice so we spent the rest of the day in Vondelpark which is really pretty and right next to our hostel.

We went to a bar near to the Dam Square, which is near to the red light district....we were really shocked when we first saw all of the ladies, but then we just got used to them being there.

There are loads of coffeeshops all over the city and if you want to know the good ones you can probably ask at any hostel you are staying at, not that we went to any :D

Then we went to Noordwijk....a seaside town about an hour or so outside of Amsterdam - there is a pretty popular hostel there called the Flying Pig and they organise shuttle buses to take you from the city...you have to book and they get booked up pretty fast, its also quite expensive to make your own way there so make sure to book.

The hostel is really small and the staff are all really friendly, its hard to tell who is working and who is a guest...there is usually something going on in the evenings, we went to a bonfire party on the sand dunes, they are pretty small, but it was really fun because everyone gets involoved...we only stayed one night, so we missed a big beach party which would have been wicked - oh well....

We spent the whole day on the beach which was a change from the cities we have been in, it was loads of fun and would definatley recommend it there.

Next we are off to Berlin - Rachs favourite city and we cant wait :D

We have spent three nights in Bruges and it is defiantley less scary than Brussels! It is quite a small city, but there are lots of things to do...the night life isn't too great, but there are a few bars and the bar at our hostel is really good so it doesn't really matter!

It is so pretty here we have spent most of the days wandering around the city, one night we did get lost though for nearly 2 hours! I think we walked down every street in Bruges, but the one we are staying on!

Today we went on a bike ride, if you stay 2 nights at the Bauhaus hostel you get 1/2 a day free bike rental which is definatley worth doing, everyone cycles round here! It was a bit scary at first becuase we aren't used to riding on roads, but after a rew near misses and one crash (for rachel - into a wall rather than a car though) we got used to it!

We went to the chocolate museum which was very informative and there is a HUGE egg that is real chocolate! We are still unsure as to how it hasn't melted but it hasn't! You get a history of everything and a demo which includes a free piece of the nicest chocolate ever.....which of course is our favourite part!

We spent the rest of the day wandering around seeing the billions of really pretty churches that are here and wandering down the canal (we also got a boat trip around the canals which was really nice)...it really is a beautiful city so you don't really have to do much to have a really nice time because it is nice to just be here!

Tomorrow we are off to Amsterdam for 4 nights and we can't wait! the coaches are running every hour from Brussels at the moment so it is really easy to get there and it is only a 4.5 hour journey....we'll let you know how we get on!

Thanks for reading

Jess and Rach

Hellooo again!

For our last day in Paris the Weather was really nice, so we had a picnic in a beautiful park near to our hostel, with two american girls we had met. It was really nice and we spent the rest of the day wandering around Paris eating crepes and ice-cream.

In the evening we went on a tour of Monmarte which was really fun, our tuor guide was hilarious and we got to see all the sites around the red light district, like the moulin rouge! Its 8 Euro but worht it, you get a free drink too!

After that we went on an organised pub crawl around the city centre. It was good but be prepared to get some looks off the locals, because some people get a bit too merry! It was really good though and we met loads of fun people from all over the world.

We left for Brussels in the morning, it was really easy to book our tickets, and the journey is only 4 hours. It would have been a nice journey, other than the fact that the lady infront of me decided to put her chair back refusing to move it and crushing my legs for hours!! She is the rudest person we have ever met!

When we arrived at where we where staying in Brussels (after getting lost), we went for a few drinks with some girls we met. This is when we realised how scary Brussels is! We did have a good time, but you have got to be careful and watch out for your purse, because there is a lot of shady characters around that you probably want to avoid. We went out for the night, and we have only good things to say about brussels nightlife. Be prepared for a very late night, because most clubs stay open until 8 or 9am, and don't really get going until around 3am!

During the day we wandered round, and saw the Mannekin Pis and the parliament buildings, amd walked round the main shopping streets. We could probably have used our time better, but we were REALLY tired from the night before!

From Brussels we got a train to Bruges ( as the coaches don't run here, but it is really cheap from Brussels, 12 euro 50) which is rougly an hour away. So far Bruges is really pretty (and ALOT less scary than Brussels).

Write again soon!!

Jess and Rach

Arrived in Paris yesterday early morning, the journey was quite long, but the coach was comfy and we managed to get a bit of sleep, it was good to travel overnight so we didn't waste any days in Paris.

Paris is a beautiful city, although the traffic can be a little bit daunting at first, the cars don't seem to care about traffic lights very much so you need your wits about you!

Today we went to a park local to our hostel in the Crimee area - (St Christophers....it's really good and has a good bar too) it was really nice with a big cave and a massive hill with a tower on top that you can walk up to get a good view of the city.
Next, we went onto the Eiffel Tower, it took us a little while to find (even when it was right in front of us) and the que was pretty long but when you finally get to the top it's all worth it! It is 12 Euro to get to the top (less to the 1st and 2nd floor) and even though it is a bit scary it has an amazing view from the top - and you can't go to Paris and not go to the top of the Eiffel Tower!

We bought a Metro pass that lasts a week, which is 16 Euro (but make sure you bring a passport photo) - you can also get a 10 ticket book for 11 euro which is good if you are only staying a couple of days - so we've been travelling all round Paris on those for a lot of the day seeing the sights!

Tonight we are going down to the hostel bar for a kareokoe night which should be fun and tomorrow we are planning on doing a pub crawl around Paris (organised for us) - so the night life is pretty good (although drinks can be expensive).

Tomorrow we are planning to go to Notre Dame Cathedral- which is free, and the Louvre which is 9 Euro but free after 6 on Fridays and free on the first sunday of every month (all the museums are free on that Sunday).

We're off now, for pizza and drinks in beautiful Paris!