Double decker plane

The sunrise from the plane

My flight doesn’t take off for another 2 hours so I’m going to charge my phone a bit and try to plan a bit of my travels in Europe.

While walking around I saw some pretty interesting things though so I thought I may as well add them.

A massive teddy bear sculpture

An oreo cafe?? Not sure what goes on there

Some cool architecture (maybe it was designed by Art Vandeley)

First European selfie

It’s about 13 degrees here and I was wearing shorts and a short sleeve from the plane. It’s definitely not warm out but I was still pretty comfortable. Everybody from here is super bundled up wearing hoodies and puffer jackets though so I switched to pants so I don’t stick out too much.

We still have to get phone plans so we’re going to head out and do that now but before we do we’re grabbing a bite to eat.

Burgers and a dawg

After we ate we walked around the park nearby. It was about 12 degrees outside and I was the only person around with a T-shirt on. We looked up where to get phone plans but every place was closed so we’re going to go tomorrow.

In the park

After a bit of chatting we continued walking around to check out the buildings nearby. We were walking through a residential area and saw some weird looking cars that were even smaller than a smart car.

The weird cars

We continued walking and came across another cool looking building. It seems every building has a character and is quite old. I’m sure I’m going to see quite a bit of it in Europe so it might not be as exciting soon. As we were walking up to it somebody was playing the Game of Thrones intro song on the accordion which was fun.

The Vermeer museum

Once we got inside the building it was essentially a walkway with a museum on either side. There was a bit of a line and you had to have already purchased tickets so we continued on. Inside the walkway there was another busker playing a song from Harry Potter on a saxophone which really fit the vibe.

Inside the Vermeer

On the other side of the building

We continued our lap around and came across another park. We walked around it for a bit and head back to our hostel. There was a cafe with a bunch of bikes parked by it and it’s like this pretty much everywhere around here.

Tons of bikes

We’re now heading back to the hostel to chill for a bit. It’s currently 7 hours ahead for me, 6 hours behind for Deanne, and 8 hours behind for James, so we’re all over the map.

McMillans in Amsterdam selfie

Brunch at Locals

All of our food looked real tasty and it was. I’m going to have to get used to prices being in Euros now because I see something is 12.50 and I assume it’s dollars but it isn’t. It’s a little colder out so I’ve been wearing a jacket more now. We’re probably going to go for a little bout tour today through some canals but before we do that we’re going to take a stroll downtown.

After brunch I took a bit of time to plan my next week or so. Deanne and James are going to Munich after Amsterdam then Switzerland to visit a family friend and I’m going to be heading to Hamburg so I’ll be on my own for a bit. We’re going to meet up in Prague on the 30th but before then I’ll also be going to Berlin and Krakow in Poland. It’s a decent amount of work planning everything out but I should have some downtime on trains to figure everything out. After Prague we’re going to travel together to Vienna then Budapest and figure out what to do from there closer to the date.

A little house!

One of the many canals

While we were walking we came across a little flower market so we decided to pop in and look around.

Colourful!

Mirror selfie

A cool view of lots of bikes and old buildings

When we got downtown we walked around the red light district a bit. I didn’t take any pictures out of respect and because I was scared I would get chased by security but it was pretty interesting.

Afterwards we walked over to a little bakery for a snack as well and we all got some really tasty looking sandwiches.

Yummy sandwhiches

We’re going on a boat canal tour at 8pm tonight and I’ll probably have a lot more photos to post.

Inside our canal tour

Fun fact: Almost all the buildings along the canal are very skinny because there was a tax based on the width of the buildings. To avoid this tax they built more in depth instead.

A fancy hotel

A canal at night

My lamb donair and some fries

We walked around the red light district for about 30 minutes and it was super interesting. A lot of the sex workers had a decent amount of work done like lip filler and breast implants. It was quite the experience just walking around the area too because we were offered cocaine at least 4 times.

I snapped a little picture but since it’s night time it’s not very good quality.

A little view of the red light district

We probably walked by about 100 sex workers in the span of 30 minutes and were all really curious on how often people actually went in. We saw quite a few guys approach the doors and talk to the workers and a few come out of rooms too which was funny to see.

Bike time

We just went to a little grocery store that had some baked goods as well. I got a couple pastries and some stroopwafels which are all super tasty.

Stroopwafels!!

The old windmills

Inside the museum cafe

The samples

So much cheese

Closer shots of the windmills

Look at them spin!!

Another closer shot

We’re going to the Van Gogh museum at 4:30pm so we’re going to head back now because we have about an hour bike ride back.

Very ominous

I even took a little video of a train going by just for fun. Deanne and James were falling a bit behind so they’re a bit back in the video.

Me biking

After getting back I immediately went to the hostel to take all my wet clothes off. You might not be able to tell from the picture below but I was pretty soaked.

Wet selfie

Here are my pants hanging up for a better reference

We don’t have a lot of time to relax because we have to leave to the museum in about 15 minutes. That said, we’re starting to feel a little exhausted.

The entrance to the museum

There were quite a few nice paintings all with a very similar art style. He painted about 2100 paintings in 10 years of being an artist and in his last 75 days he pumped out 70 paintings. We learned about his early life up until when shot himself when he was 37.

A painting of the harvest

A nice seascape painting

One of his more famous sunflower paintings

This isn’t his famous room painting but a very similar rendition

He painted this one while he was in the psych ward that he self admitted himself to

Almond Blossoms

A blowup of the Almond Blossoms that you could take your picture in front of

Yummy Italian food

My mom got us a little dessert to share as well which is a huge bonus.

Candied strawberries and a chocolate covered waffle

We biked roughly 36km today and have walked about 42km between today and yesterday so we’re super tired. We’re just going to head back to the hostel now and head to bed. I leave to Hamburg tomorrow at about 11am and Deanne and James leave at about 10:30am to Munich.

Amsterdam Centraal

James and Deanne’s train came about 30 minutes before mine so I had a little extra time to find the spoor (platform) that I leave from.

I’m going to Hamburg but have to switch trains partway through

James messaged me and let me know that a Dutch person beside them advised not to have phones on the table in front of them because people hop on the trains and steal any loose phones/wallets then hop off the train before the doors close. Definitely good information because that would’ve been real shitty so I’ll keep my eyes peeled.

My home for the next 3 hours

Off to Hamburg

Hamburg Central Station

It isn’t the nicest day but that’s what I get for travelling around in March.

Outside the station

I’m on the 7th floor so I have a little bit of a view. The hostel is in really good condition and the storage lockers are spacious which is nice.

A view from my room

Another view from the room

I might just wander around until something catches my eye for food. I’ve never done anything of this magnitude fully independent so I might eat at a restaurant on my own for the first time which would be interesting. I’m looking forward to meeting a bunch of people but everybody that’s in my room seems to be out so I’ll have to wait until tonight to see who’s here.

A church of some sorts

A grand fountain

The Hamburg City Hall

After walking around a bit I went for a little bite to eat with someone from my hostel from Finland. I didn’t grab any pictures because I didn’t know them at all so I stayed off my phone for the most part, but she spoke pretty good English so the conversation wasn’t bad.

Starting at Hamburg Central Station

The Hamburg Central Station is apparently the 2nd busiest in Europe behind one in Paris.

St Michaels Church (the pride and glory of Hamburg)

The tour compared the importance of the church to Hamburg to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It burnt down twice since being built and was restored because of its significance.

An alley in the Reeperbahn

A nice looking building on the far end of the stretch. I think it’s residential.

Here are some photos of the stretch that I’ve walked around.

This alley had a lot of clubs along it with the advertisements in a banner style over the alley way

I found this cherry blossom to be pretty interesting because it seems so out of place

One of many sex theatres I saw

I also want to try some German candy and I stumbled across a little grocery store so I got some random goodies and I’m excited to try them.

The random German candies

I also got a slice of pizza at the grocery store. They had a pretty wide variety of baked goods but it was a little overwhelming because I didn’t know what was what so I just stuck with the pizza.

You can see the Elbphilharmonie in the picture below. It’s the oddly shaped glass building in the middle background.

The Elbphilharmonie from closer up

Once I got in, I had to take two escalators up to the plaza area. The plaza was pretty much right in the middle height-wise where the little inlet is around the building. I think you had to pay for a tour to go to the top because it was closed off.

A view from the Elbphilharmonie

A view of the city

Selfie to prove I was actually here!!

I saw a building in the distance outside the district that looked really cool so I walked towards it to figure out what it was. It’s The Church of St. Nicholas or at least what remains of it after a WWII bombing. Pretty much all of it was destroyed except for the tall tower which is interesting. It’s now a memorial still dedicated to St. Nicholas.

The Church of St. Nicholas

I then tried to find somewhere to eat but I wasn’t super hungry so I stopped at a cafe nearby while I waited for the bus to come around.

I got a mocha and a sandwich

After walking around a little bit we just decided to head back to the hostel. My train to Berlin leaves tomorrow at around 11am so I’m probably just going to head to bed.

Thumbs up for trains!

I’m gonna take a shower then walk about 30 minutes to some nearby landmarks where I’ll wander for the next couple hours. There’s only one other person currently checked into my 4-bed room but they aren’t here right now.

Under maintenance ):

Next up was Checkpoint Charlie which was one of the passageways between the Berlin Wall when it was active. Now there is a McDonalds at the site which I find pretty funny.

There were a couple infographics nearby so I learned a bit about the Cold War and the Berlin Wall.

Checkpoint Charlie

Next stop was the Berlin Wall itself (or at least a portion of it that remains as a monument).

The Berlin Wall (or at least one side of it)

The Berlin Wall is actually two walls with a gap in the middle but this section that was preserved only has the one wall.

Another view of the Berlin Wall

The daunting looking building in the background is actually just the Department of Finance which is interesting. It looks like a prison (and maybe it is for anyone that works in finance).

I then stopped for a little Wurst for a snack at a highly rated vendor that was on the way to my next destination.

Absolutely loaded with ketchup

The next stop was less than a kilometre away and had very modern looking buildings which is pretty contrasting to the buildings near the wall.

Postdamer Platz

I then swung over to the Holocaust Memorial (or Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe). It’s a 200,000 square foot area with about 2,700 large slabs of concrete. It was designed to have an eerie feel to it and it does. You can walk through the gaps and the ground slopes down so you are surrounded by big slabs. Nearby you can find the name of every known Jew that died during the Holocaust.

The Holocaust Memorial

Near the middle of the memorial

I then walked over to the Brandenburg Gate. The lighting wasn’t too great and it was pretty busy so I didn’t stay too long.

The Brandenburg Gate

I then ventured over to the Reichstag which is the Parliament building in Berlin. You can go up to the roof for free as long as you book in advance. I got a spot for today but sadly the dome on top was the second thing closed for maintenance.

The Reichstag

On top of the Reichstag

So close but so far. You can see the ramps that go along the glass that you would normally be allowed to go up.

It’s too bad it was closed because it would have been a really good view. I booked it for 6pm so I could watch the sunset but it wasn’t a very good one so I didn’t even bother including it.

I then headed back to the hostel and on the way I saw a cool little view so I decided to take a picture of it as well.

Modern buildings along a canal

Some graffiti art on the side of one of the buildings

It has since been partially torn down and gentrified. There was a building directly behind me in the photo above and the two used to be connected (so there used to be part of the building where I am standing in the photo), but it was cleared to make room for some more green space and walkways.

Next we visited a neighbourhood that was predominantly Jewish back in the day.

A memorial to the Jewish people that lived and died here

Behind the memorial is the first grave area where the Jewish people buried their dead. When the Nazis were in power they tore up the tombstones and used them as materials in buildings and roadways which is pretty nuts.

A big museum

A palace turned into a university building

On the trip we stopped at a few places that I had already seen yesterday so I didn’t bother taking pictures. It was nice going back to the spots and hearing what the tour guide had to say though.

I’m now going to walk about an hour back to the hostel and since I’ve been active for the whole morning I’m going to take a little nap then decide what to do with the rest of my day/night.

Big beer

It was so big that I had to take it off the table and basically put it in my lap to drink it.

After the bar we went to a club and it was a super different atmosphere than Canada but it was fun. A good amount of the clubs here open at 11pm Friday and stay open until 6am on Monday. When you get in they cover your cameras with stickers so you aren’t allowed to take pictures and they’re pretty selective at the doors sometimes. You could be waiting in line for 2 hours and they will say “Sorry not today” and you have to just take it gracefully and try another club. We got into the one we went to first try but I think we were a little lucky because the people in front of us were denied.

Apfel somethin

The lighting wasn’t very good for the photos but the memorial was massive. It looked really cool.

The entrance to the memorial

The attention to detail on the statues was impressive. They looked very realistic.

One of the statues from the entrance

There was a massive statue (12m tall according to Google) of a Soviet soldier holding a German child standing over a broken swastika. The layout was very symmetrical so it was pleasant to look at.

The 12m statue of the Soviet soldier

I walked up to the statue but couldn’t get a good picture. It started to rain a little and I had to go to the bathroom so I’m going to leave the park and head to the train station where and I’m going to go look at the East Side Gallery.

One end of the East Side Gallery

Here are a couple photos of artwork that stood out to me.

All the years the wall stood

The most famous painting in the East Side Gallery is the one below which depicts two socialist leaders kissing. It’s a painting of an actual photo and apparently is a special way that socialist leaders greet each other. It’s typically on the cheek but those who are “exceptionally close” might kiss on the mouth instead.

“My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love” or more commonly known as “Fraternal Kiss”

On the train

I’m glad that I’m a little used to the public transport system here otherwise it would have been a lot more stressful. When I get to my next stop I’m going to have to get to a ticket center because you need to buy a paper ticket seat reservation for the ride across the border to Poland. Ideally, I would have left a little bit earlier and I could have got it here but I think it will all work out. Worst case if I don’t have time and I miss my train, there is another that comes 3 hours after. The important train is the one I’m on now because it is the only route today that goes to the station I need to change at.

Thumbs down for bad planning

I could have avoided this if I didn’t need a paper ticket to get into Poland or had got the paper ticket sooner but I didn’t really know what to expect and didn’t think it would take too long. Lesson learned for next time I guess.

Solo cabin

Thumbs up for actually being on a train

The train station I had to switch at

I took this picture when I initially got off my train here so the displays were still working.

On the way to the town square

A market hall and art museum

Yet another grand church

Afterwards I wandered around and stumbled across an illusion museum. It was only about $15 to get in so I went for it to kill some time.

Some shadow art

Tesla ball

Colourful shadows

Infinite cubes

Cartoon room

There were a couple other cool exhibits but not as picture worthy. I’m heading back to the hostel now to chill for a little bit and there’s a free complementary dinner that I signed up for at 7:30pm that I have to be back for.

Yummy food

Beer

The pictures aren’t the best but it’s better than just words. A lot of the bars here are underground which is pretty cool. It was like walking into a little dungeon.

The stairs down

The bar

Only a little snow but snow nonetheless

The line to get in. Apparently there are about 2 millions visitors per year.

The entrance to Auschwitz I

The saying above the entrance translates roughly to “Work sets you free” which is sad how untrue that was.

In total there were about 1,300,000 people were sent to Auschwitz. Of that 1,100,000 were Jewish and the remainder was made primarily made up of Russian prisoners of war, Poles, and Gypsies. Of the 1.3 million, 1.1 million were killed primarily either through gassing or due to inadequate living conditions (starving, suffocation, disease). Roughly 75% of people sent to Auschwitz were gassed upon arrival (mostly the elderly, women and children - Those who wouldn’t be of good use for labour) and the remainder would be put to work. Those who were gassed were done so within hours or even minutes of arrival.

The main locations from all over Europe which the Jews were deported to Auschwitz

When the site was liberated by the Soviets in 1945 there were still about 700 dead bodies and plenty of ashes on site. They preserved some of the ashes in rememberance of the victims of Auschwitz.

The ashes that were preserved.

There are little stones left near the ashes and for Jewish culture it’s comparable to leaving flowers at a gravestone to pay respect. I posted a Jewish memorial from my bike tour in Berlin and you can see a lot of the rocks that one as well.

One of the sections of the tour that stood out the most was a section where pictures weren’t allowed. There was a huge display of human hair (approximately 2 tons from 40,000 people) that was found on site that the Nazis used to make textiles. They shaved the heads of pretty much every person sent to Auschwitz. It was done to the dead right after being gassed and done to the living to humiliate and dehumanize them.

There were other displays of artifacts found on site such as glasses, suitcases, shoes, and more. The displays were so big I couldn’t capture it in one photo and yet it’s still only a fraction as it was what the Nazis did not sell or get rid of before the Soviets overpowered them.

Medical aids such as crutches and casts that were taken from the victims and used for Nazi soldiers

One of the more eerie displays was the shoes as well. They were piled up quite high and there were so many it was beyond counting.

Shoes of the victims

There was another display of shoes that likely all belonged to children which was disheartening. There wouldn’t be much use of the children to the Nazis so nearly all (if not all) of them would have been immediately gassed. The only kids that would live for sure were twins because Nazi scientists would want them alive for research purposes.

Shoes of the children

We went on to see the living conditions of the victims. They started out sleeping on the floor on hay that was often filled with ticks. This was only for the first few weeks then mattresses were put on the floors for awhile. After a few months bunk beds were made but the living conditions still were not great as the beds would likely be overcrowded.

The hay floor sleeping arrangement

The mattresses on the floor

We then went through a picture hall of some victims sent to Auschwitz. It displayed their ethnicity, date of birth, date of entry to Auschwitz, and date of death. Pretty much all of the victims died within 6 months or less of being in Auschwitz due to the poor living standards.

A photo of some women sent to Auschwitz. Notice how all their heads are shaved.

An execution wall where victims would be shot

There was an electric fence surrounding the compound and on the outside there were houses that the Nazi soldiers would live in, sometimes with their families.

We also saw the last standing crematorium and gas chamber in Auschwitz. The others were all destroyed by the Nazis before the end of WWII to try to hide any evidence of mass murdering. The cremation was primarily done by other prisoners within Auschwitz.

The only standing crematorium and gas chamber at Auschwitz

The furnaces

It’s very weird to think about the use of these furnaces and gas chambers and take pictures of them as if they are a site to see. It really doesn’t feel real that such an inhumane process took place but it’s very important to learn about. There was a quote on one of the walls that read “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I don’t mind posting these pictures for educational purposes and to remind myself should I ever look back on this journal, but it does feel unsettling looking back on them knowing I stood where many many people died.

The Death Gate

There are train tracks that lead right up to one of the main crematoriums and gas chamber buildings. The prisoners would be told that they were being taken to a shower to get cleaned up before going to the living quarters, pretty much up until the point that they were being gassed.

At points there were 100,000 people living in 300 buildings, which is around 333 per building, but sometimes there would be up to 1000 people on one building. The living quarters were made out of brick originally (by the prisoners) but when they were running out of materials they built wooden ones instead. Near the end of the war the wooden buildings were torn down because building materials were so scarce.

It’s a little hard to see but below you can see one of the wooden barracks and a bunch of brick chimneys off to the left. The brick chimneys are sites that were once wooden barracks that were dismantled.

We then saw a trolley that would transport the prisoners to Auschwitz. These were originally intended for animals and there would be up to 150 people in them for up to 8-10 days of travel depending on where they were coming from. Some people didn’t even make it to Auschwitz because they died on the way.

One of the trolleys

As I mentioned earlier the crematorium and gas chamber buildings were destroyed by the Nazis as the Soviets were getting closer. The rubble of the building is still preserved and the basic layout of the buildings is known.

The rubble of the main crematorium and gas chambers

It started to snow pretty suddenly which made me think about how fortunate I was to even have the little layers I did. I can only imagine what the prisoners had to wear and the conditions they had to work in.

The rubble about 5 minutes later

One of the brick living quarters

We got to tour inside one of the living quarters as well. The wood flooring was not there during WWII and was built for the tourism.

Inside the living quarters

There would be 4-8 people sleeping in each bunk (including the ground level) and it would be no more comfortable than what is seen. The weaker individuals might not even have the strength to get to the top so they would sleep on the bottom.

Another view of the sleeping arrangement

This was the final stop of the tour around Auschwitz. It was a very interesting experience to say the least.

Pierogis and vodka

I’m still pretty cold so I’m going to go back to the hostel to warm up and maybe take a little nap.

Mirror selfie in Chocholow

The houses in this town are all made of wood and are mostly between 200-350 years old. Some of them were even built without nails.

One of the houses

A view of the road running through the town

The small hut

Cheese off the grill

The cheese was served with some jam and we were also given some cherry vodka to pair with it!

Cheese and vodka

The view outside

It’s nice being surrounded by snowy mountains because it reminds me of home. The girl I’m with is from Australia and this is her first time seeing snow, so it’s funny seeing her walking around in it so fascinated.

A photo from the ski village

We were about 1100m above sea level and it was a cool scenery seeing the mountains with the pretty big village below. If there was a big lake nearby maybe it could be mistaken for the Okanagan.

Another view of the village and mountains

We walked around the ski village for awhile and there were a bunch of small vendors but they only took cash and I didn’t have any Polish Zloty on me, so it was all just window shopping. Down below in Zakopane they accepted card though.

A man with his little lamb

Alpacas

After about an hour we went back down to Zakopane for food. It was a really cool village and actually had quite a few stores.

A little creek running through the village

We ended up going to a place called Pijalnie Czekolady which was recommended by our tour guide for its hot chocolate. They had pictures of every item on the menu and everything looked unreal. I got a nice sea salt caramel latte, croissant sandwich, and crepes for about $20.

Sea salt caramel latte

Goat cheese and jam sandwich

Apple cinnamon crepes with sea salt caramel chocolate

The food and coffee was delicious and hit the spot perfectly. It’s probably the best food I’ve had in Europe so far but it’s still pretty early. Unfortunately we had to be back at the bus at 1:55pm because there were still a few other sites we wanted to check out in Zakopane. In hindsight we should have spent less time in the ski village but it was still a very good couple hours.

The indoor part

A view of the mountains from outdoors

Outside the spa area there was even a bar. It was about $8 for a cocktail which isn’t bad but I wasn’t really in the mood for a drink. You could also get 4 shots for $9 if you really wanted to get after it.

The pool bar

Me and some mountains

There were even some water slides which was fun. One of them went super fast and there was another that had a timer so I went a couple times to try to set a personal best.

The mountains with one of the water slides in sight

Now we’re heading back to the hostel where we were picked up. It’s about a 2 hour drive and I might take a little nap cause why not.

My plane

I don’t have any formal plans for today, I might meet up with Deanne and James after I get all checked in. I also need to laundry pretty soon here because I’m running low, so I might have a pretty lax day of planning and walking around.

Getting off the plane

I got some Wok box then headed back to the hostel to check in. When I got to my room there was nobody here so it looks like I’m gonna be on my own in an 8 bed room tonight which is kinda weird.

All by my lonesome

At least I got first pick of beds.. Now I’m going to take a little nap then meet up with James and Deanne for a beer and some dinner.

Yummy food

We’re staying in different hostels and they leave tomorrow so we’ll probably meet up for breakfast before they leave. I just got back to my hostel and there still isn’t anyone else here, so I’m just going to plan my next days in Prague and also book my accommodation/trains for Vienna and maybe Budapest.

A view of the city from the castle

The castle was pretty large complex with the main site being a very grand cathedral called the St Vitus Cathedral.

The St Vitus Cathedral

Inside it was massive and must have cost a fortune. It’s hard to believe how much was poured into religion (and probably still is).

Inside the cathedral

There was a ton of very cool stained glass with very intricate designs. I took quite a few photos because there was so much of it.

After seeing all the stained glass I wandered elsewhere on the castle grounds and went into an area that displayed armour of knights from long ago.

The more boxy helmet reminded me of Monty Python

I also saw a medieval torture chamber which would be no fun. Not sure if it was actually the room it took place or if they just stashed it all here for display.

The chair looks particularly uncomfortable

Another form of torture/humiliation. It would also not be very comfortable..

I then walked back to the hostel to rest for a little bit before deciding what I wanted to do with the rest of my day. On the way I saw another cool church in the distance.

The Church of Our Lady before Tyn

Thumbs up for clean clothes

While I wait for the laundry to wash and dry I’m going to get a little bite to eat. There’s a free dinner at the hostel that I’m at so I’m not going to fill up too much.

I love Greek food so I was very excited

After eating I finished up with my laundry and went back to the hostel. The hostel had a planned event with a boat party so I’m going to head to it with my hostel mates.

Wristband central

That’s the only photo I took but I mainly just socialized. I saw two people I met in Krakow on the same boat so I caught up with them a little bit. After the boat party the plan was to go to a club but I wasn’t really feeling it so I went and got some food with some other people that were heading back to the hostel and called it a night at like 1:30am.

Beef goulash

After eating, I branched off and walked around for a little while. Some other people from the hostel were going to a soccer game but I decided against it since I’m likely going to one in France and find soccer a little slow paced to watch.

I successfully did a little planning and I’ve decided to join up with Deanne and James for a bit. I’m going to meet them in Vienna tomorrow then we’re all going to head to Montenegro, Albania, and Greece. I might split off from them in Greece because they’re going to stay there for about 10 days but we’ll see when the time comes if I really like it there.

Outside the Vienna central station

When I got to the hostel I said I was meeting up with friends and the reception got me into James and Deanne’s room because there was space which was nice.

It’s a little rainy here right now but I’m going to go meet up with them at the palace and maybe check out a museum today if I have time.

In my hostel room

The palace from the front

We did a tour of a portion of the inside area but no pictures were allowed. I didn’t learn anything too crazy except that the Habsburgs were incestuous because they wanted to keep their bloodline “pure” and keep a tighter hold on their power.

There was a massive garden in the backyard and somebody I met in Prague recommended to try the Sachertorte, which is a cake that Vienna is known for. There was a lookout building near the middle of the garden and it had a cafe in it, so we decided to make our way over to it.

The garden was mostly on the left and right but in the middle was the lookout building

A big sculpture and pond on the way to the cafe

At the cafe there was actually a much better view of the city than I expected. The view looked fairly similar to the one in Prague from the castle.

The back side of the castle and city of Vienna

Inside the cafe we got some coffee and sachertorte which is a dense chocolate cake with a layer of apricot jam in the middle. It wasn’t as sweet as cake in Canada/America but it was quite good.

Sachertorte at the cafe

Yummy butter chicken

We’re going to head back to the hostel now and meet up with one of Deanne’s friends from Manitoba that was playing volleyball in Switzerland. We’re probably just going to hangout in the hostel lobby and call it an early night.

The stairs from the first floor to the second floor

The roof from the main lobby

Display of some rocks and minerals

We took our time going through the rocks and minerals and by the time we were through with it we were pretty tired. We still had about 30 rooms to go through though so we sped up a little bit. There were a few samples from Canada but I didn’t find any from BC. Most were from Quebec.

Fun fact the oldest known rock that has been found dates back 4 billion years and was found in Northwest Canada.

Elephants

We went through the animal sections a little bit faster so unfortunately I don’t have any cool fun facts about these sections. A lot of the information was in German in the animal sections as well so it wasnt east to understand what all the displays were saying.

Some more mammals

Another big old building

After the park we went to a little Easter market that was going on nearby. On the way there we stumbled across a couple churches including the St. Stephens Cathdral which was massive.

St. Stephens Cathedral

It was free to go into the church (and other churches around here), so we walked in to check it out. There was a Holy Mass going on so we couldn’t walk any further than the entrance but it was still pretty cool to see. It wasn’t as nice as the church in Prague but still quite grand nonetheless.

Inside the St. Stephens Cathedral

We saw a couple other churches nearby and we could actually walk around inside of them so we went inside to check them out.

Inside a smaller church

Inside another church, this one was a lot more ornate

Once we finally got to the Easter market we sampled some cheese and looked at some random vendors. I wasn’t too hungry at this point so I didn’t buy anything.

The Easter market

Near the Easter market was the city shopping center, so we walked around there as well. Vienna seems like a pretty boujee city because there were a bunch of high end designer shops like Prada, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Chanel, and more.

The shopping area

Since it’s pretty windy and cold we’re going to stop at a cafe for a coffee to warm up.

At the restaurant we met up with one of Julia’s friends that she went to university with that is living in Vienna. We got 2 things off the menu to share and it was really tasty. You would rip a piece of Injera (which is a sour pancake like flatbread) and scoop up some of the filling.

Our Eritrean/Ethiopian food

After eating we went back to my hostel to meet up with James and Deanne. We have a flight tomorrow at 6:10am to Montenegro so we have to get up at 3:30am-ish to catch a bus to the airport which won’t be too fun. That said it’ll probably be an early night.

The mountains outside the airport

When we landed it was about 7:30am and we had a pickup scheduled for 8:05am. Our ride didn’t end up showing until 8:45am because of vehicle problems and it took about 1.5 hours to get to Kotor where we are staying.

The railing obstructs the view a fair amount but the mountains looked very cool

We got a little view of a city on the seaside as well

Our check in time was at 2pm. We booked 2 private suites with 2 beds and when we got to the hostel at about 10:15am one of the rooms was ready so we were able to drop off our bags. We were all so tired that the 4 of us are going to take a quick nap before heading out for some food.

The view from outside our hostel

Another view from outside our hostel

We are surrounded by mountains so the landscape is really beautiful. The city center is called old town and no cars are allowed in which is cool.

Old town with some mountains in the back

Another picture of old town

There are a ton of cats wandering around old town and apparently it’s become a bit of a staple around here. A lot of the cats are taken care of quite well, including being fed, neutered, and checked on semi-frequently. There were even little shelters for the cats that we saw which was pretty cool. We probably saw over 30 cats from walking around for about an hour.

Some of the cat shelters

Cat on a moped

A lot of the cats would sleep/rest on the benches and if you sat on the bench near them they would come up to you and sit on your lap.

Me with a cat friend

The water running down towards the sea

We ended up at a restaurant that serves quite a few different foods. Pretty much every restaurant in this area has a 4-star or higher rating on Google which is pretty impressive.

I got a chicken teriyaki and latte

My burger that came out after everyone else was done their food

We’re going to go on a little hike up the mountain now!

A view of the city near the beginning of the hike

We saw a few different animals on the way up including some cats (of course), a couple dozen goats, and a donkey.

Goats!

According to my watch there was about a 700m change in elevation. The whole hike was switchbacks along the mountainside.

A view from higher up

A view of the other side of the city

Just to the left of this photo you could see Italy about 200km in the distance across the Adriatic Sea, which was pretty cool.

Mountain top selfie

It was a lot quicker on the way down because we took some shortcuts between the switchbacks. When we got to the fortress it had a pretty nice angle of the bay and city.

The view from the fortress

Inside the fortress

On the way down from the fort onwards it was all stairs which was pretty nice. It would’ve been a big grind to come up the stairs because the switchbacks were a bit more gradual of a climb.

Yet another cat in the fort this time

After we got back to the city was stopped for a little treat to give us some energy. I got a strawberry cheesecake gelato and it was really good.

Yummy gelato

We’re now going to relax a little bit then head out for dinner and a beer.

James looks unhappy but he’s thrilled don’t worry

After lunch we walked around the city towards the bus stop to get our bus tickets for tomorrow morning. We head to Tirana, Albania for a night then Sarandë, Albania for two nights afterwards.

Fun fact because my mom requested a bit of info on how much I’ve been walking - I’ve walked about 100km in the last week alone which is pretty crazy. Since being in Europe (for 19 days now) I’ve walked about 300km.. That’s about 15km per day!

Some water in front of the beginning of the fort walk/hike

Clear water selfie

Some boats by the seaside

Also, last night we booked some flights and accommodation so after going down the coast through Albania we are going to Corfu, which is a Greek island just south of Albania. After Corfu, we fly to Athens then I leave Athens for Rome on the night of April 15th. James and Deanne have a bit more time so they are going to continue around Greece.

The mountains in the background looked really beautiful

I think the mountains looked cooler through my sunglasses in person so I tried to take a picture through the lens of the sunglasses. It turned out pretty cool though and makes it look a lot warmer.

Kotor through my sunglasses

Another picture through my sunglasses

After walking around for an hour or so we stopped at a restaurant for some food. We couldn’t find anything too appealing so we just got some desserts that were intriguing and we’re going to eat elsewhere.

Vanilla cream filled crepes and some nutella filled dumplings with raspberry jam

Albanian food!

Dessert time

Now that we’re done eating, we’re going to walk around the city and swing to a grocery store and get some snacks because we leave to Sarandë tomorrow at about 10am.

The bunker entrance

Heading inside

A lot of the english information was just google translated because some sentences were hard to understand but it was pretty interesting. The communist state of Albania ended in 1991 which is pretty recent.

An interesting display - This was an art piece representing the “monster” inside us

When we were finished with the bunker it was dark outside and the main street was lit up. Some of the traffic lights show the light colour on the post which is fun. Also there are timers for the pedestrians that show when they can walk next which is very nice.

In the bus

We got here super early to be safe so the bus was still empty when I took the picture. We talked to some locals outside for a little bit before heading on to the bus. One of them was an interning as a lawyer out of Toronto but he said it’s very hard to get a visa so he works remote in Albania.

We have about a 5 hour bus ride then we will have to make our way to Ksamil which is an oceanside village about 20 minutes from Sarande.

Near the city center of Ksamil

After we dropped our bags off we wanted to find some food because we were all very hungry. We walked around and some of the places we found on Google Maps were still closed because it’s not tourist season yet. A lot of the restaurants open on May 1st and it’s quite empty here but it is nice to have the peace and quiet. We ended up stumbling across a random restaurant and I got pizza yet again because it’s always a safe bet.

Pizza time

Not sure what this is but it looked cool

Clear water

We were thinking about doing a boat tour but we’re going to save it for the Greek island we’ll be on in two days. The weather isn’t supposed to be very nice tomorrow otherwise we might’ve done it here.

Sunset alert

Some fun tiki umbrellas

Now we’re going to book/plan the rest of our time in Greece and play some cards. Tomorrow we’re going to go to a lagoon even if it rains.

Near the entrance to the park where the Blue Eye is

The Blue Eye itself is a hole in the ground that has a swimming depth of 50m but the source of the water supposedly goes much deeper. Water comes up through the hole from a river nearby so the water has a force straight upwards and looks as if it is almost boiling/bubbling.

Heading closer to the Blue Eye

The Blue Eye

It looked no deeper than 5 meters so it’s hard to believe it went down that deep. The water is so clear and blue so it was pretty enticing to jump in but we didn’t bring our bathing suits. When it’s hotter out it’s pretty popular to swim in even though it’s not technically allowed.

The Blue Eye and the stream it makes

A little video of the water flowing

There was a little walk along the stream that was no longer than 10 minutes but enjoyable nonetheless.

Here are a couple pictures from the walk:

Donair time

All the locals we have met are super friendly and helpful when we need it! We don’t have anything else planned for tonight so we’re going to have an early night because we leave to Corfu tomorrow morning.

A fun sculpture/entrance to a restaurant

Sarande with the Albanian Flag

A better view of Sarande

First picture in Greece!

A lot of the roads are super narrow and I got used to driving on the other side of the road so it took a minute to get situated. We got a super small car which is nice for parking and navigating through the streets. It started thunder storming while we were driving and we were super thankful we weren’t bussing or having to walk at all.

Car selfie

Our wheels for the next 3 days

We made it to Pelekas in one piece thankfully and are going to get some food now. I’m excited to have some authentic Greek food for the first time!

The view from our deck

We found out from our Airbnb host that checked us in that Easter is super big on the island that we are on. Apparently 400,000 people come for it, but they celebrate it next week so we just missed it. They have a big event on Saturday at 11am where people fill up pots with water and throw them out their windows which would be super cool to see. I’m not sure if that’s just a Corfu thing or if that’s a Greek thing but we will be in Athens on Saturday so maybe we’ll see something there.

We’re just going to have a slow night and play some cards and do our exploring tomorrow when we have more daylight to work with.

I got a souvlaki this time

Our Airbnb is in a little area that you have to walk to because it’s far too narrow for cars to get to. It’s a pretty fun vibe so I took a couple pictures.

Since there isn’t many places for water to go when it rains (like it did yesterday) it really rushes down the slopes.

We’re going to drive and explore the southern parts of the island now. There’s a little lagoon thats about 45 minutes away that we’re going to check out.

There were cacti here which felt a little random

Some poppies!

We’re going to try driving to the other side of the lagoon to see if it’s any better but there’s a vehicle stuck on the road blocking the only way out so right now we’re waiting for help to come tow them out but it shouldn’t be too long.

The east side of Corfu

Another picture on the east

Yummy green food

While we were eating we were visited by some stray cats that were probably hungry. They seemed very friendly and clean though so Deanne gave them some pets. After we got up from our table the owner kept shooing them off but James and Deanne wanted to give them some food (but didn’t because we didn’t want the cats to keep harassing the owners).

Cat friends

The restaurant had free pool so we took advantage and played a couple games. The table had a very slight slant which made things a bit more interesting but we didn’t complain because it was free.

Pool time!

We have about a 45 minute drive ahead of us back to our Airbnb. There’s an observatory close to the Airbnb that we’re going to head up to for the sunset before we call it a night.

The tail end of the sunset

The other direction from the observatory

The sunrise from our Airbnb