Krakow, Poland

Day One - 20/06/2011
So, after our night train journey we checked into our hostel really early.  They left us have our room at about 9am, 5 hours before the usual check-in time, which was nice!  Krakow was one of the nicests rooms we stayed in.  It had large windows, a balcony and an airy, clean feel.  Plus, breakfast was included!  We decided a nap would be a wise thing to do before going to the town square, as neither of us had slept very well on the train.

In the afternoon we had a stroll around the town centre.  I have been to krakow before and nothing much has changed - which is actually quite nice.  The prices are amazingly cheap (fancy meal for less than £10 each!) and the people are inoffensive.

Day Two - 21/06/2011
On our second day we arrange with the hostel a trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camp.  We were picked up right outside by a minibus and taken directly to Aushwitz, where we were given a tour of the grounds.  Again,  have visited before, but did not go on a directed tour.  The tour guide was very good, she had great English and described everything in detail.  Auschwitz is so big, and you can't comprehend, no matter how many times you go, the scale of what happened there.

Day Three - 22/06/2011
On our last day we took another arranged trip via minibus to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.  I was very excited about this trip as I did not get the opportunity to visit before.  Again, we were given a guided tour, the most impressive part being the underground Cathedral carved out of the salt stone.  The mines themselves go town 327 metres, which is a LOT of stairs! Luckily, there was a lift to take us back to the surface!

Day Four - 23/06/2011
Home time :(

Prague, Czech Republic

Day One - 17/06/2011
On the 17th we left Berlin and got the train directly to Prague.  The train didn't take too long, a few hours, and we had German cheesey bread to keep us going!  Once we were in the city, we walked to our hostel and checked in.  Although very basic, it was clean and even had a kitchenette, plus the best wifi connect I'd had through my travels!  We then wandered into the tourist part of town, which has the Astronomical Clock and older buildings.

We grabbed some food and visited the Sex Machine Museum - cheeky, funny and educational!

Day Two - 18/06/2011
Day two allowed us to see more of Prague.  We walked to the old town which would of been nicer had it not been FULL of tourists.  We found a small toy museum on our wander and decided to take a peek.

Day Three - 19/06/2011
On our last day we checked out and left our luggage at the hostel.  We then went back into the old city and took a boat tour down the river.  Then the heavens opened and we got a bit wet, but nevermind! 

In the evening we took the night train to Krakow.  I got VERY excited at our cabin room, with bunk beds and a sink!!  Although not the most comfortable nights sleep, it was a great experience and an effeciant way to travel!

   

Although I did enjoy my time in Prague, the city itself is not very big, and I think I would have benefitted more from an extra day in Berlin, and one less day in Prague.  The city itself is beautiful, but it is hard to get away from it's 'stag do' status.

Berlin, Germany

Day One - 14/06/2011
After Oslo, I flew to Berlin to meet Andy.  When I arrived he was already waiting for me.  We bought our Berlin Cards so that we could have unlimited travel around the gianormous city.  Foloowing the written instructions, we made our way from the airport to our hostel, the Schleifmeile Hostel, ran by a very nice New Zealander!  Our room was huge and had a bathroom big enough to party in!  We decided to have tea at the bar next door, linked with the hostel.  They did amazing veggie burgers!

Day Two - 15/06/2011
On day two we got up early to give us enough time to see everything we wanted to.  We started by purchasing our tckets to the TV Tower, which inevitably had a long wait before entering.  So, to pass time we walked to the Reichstag before going up the tower.

In the afternoon we walked to the Brandenburg Gate, saw some of the Berlin Wall, the site of Hitlers bunker (now a card park) and visited Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

I got pretty excited over this lego giraffe!

Day Three - 16/06/2011
On our last full day in Berlin we spent the morning at Checkpoint Charlie and it's museum.

 

In the afternoon and evening we used our Berlin cards to their full potential and ventured out of the main city to Potsdam. Potsdam was a beautiful place, much quieter than berlin with some amazing palaces and gardens.   I had my first veggie Bratwurst and Andy had about his 10th meaty one!

I wish I had had more time in Berlin, it is such a big city and I don't feel as though I got to experience everything it had to offer.  I love how much modern history it has, it is a very interesting place to be!

Bergen, Norway

Day One - 11/06/2011
So, to get to Bergen we had to take the train from Oslo.  The Oslo-Bergen journey is said to be one of the most amazing in the world, and I have to agree.  the variation of views was amazing.  one minute your surrounded by lush greenery and lakes, the next, your on a glacier 1,237 meters above sea level.

During the journey we spoke to a very nice, and very drunk, 'millionaire' who was going to bergen to visit his friend who owned a large boat.  Interesting.  Once we arrived we took the bus to our hostel, unloaded our stuff and went for a wander.

Day Two - 12/06/2011
On our second day we were able to explore Bergen in a little more depth.

Day Three - 13/06/2011
We left fairly early on on last day so that we could take our time making our wa back to Oslo, stopping off in Myrdal to take the Flåm line.  The Flåm train is one of the steepest descents via rail in the world.  I can't describe how amazing it was!

Myrdal

Flåm