The End?

We are now back on Aussie soil after having the best six weeks of our lives. Couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of blokes to tour with and some of the yarns will be shared over a few beers and many laughs in years to come. We've met some cracking people and some we'll keep in touch with in the future.

 

People have said to us prior to leaving that as soon as you come back, you’ll want to go again, therefore catching the travel bug. We all couldn’t agree more on that and as such a planning to tackle Europe again in 2015! So for all you fans that enjoyed this blog, you can expect bigger and better things come next year.  Until then, DS.

Barcelona

We arrived in Barcelona and immediately were impressed. Along with the awesome weather, we were getting a sore neck looking around at all the good sorts. Spent most of our days chilling at the beach and at this point of the trip, the tourist attractions like buildings and churches had become blasé.  Once place we did visit was the Sagrada Familia, a large Roman Catholic Church designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Construction began in 1882 and still remains unfinished as it relies on private donations to progress.  It is a UNESCI World Heritage Site and anticipated completion is 2026.

Went to a club called Razzmatazz to see headline act Diplo who we’d seen in Ibiza and were keen to throwback to our time there only to be severely disappointed as it sounded nothing like the set he’d played in Ibiza.

Our last night in Barcelona was spent at the pub sharing the yarns we’ve had over our time. That next morning, we flew to London, bound for Aussie soil.

Pamplona and San Sebastián

We flew into Pamplona feeling quite lagged after a massive four days in Ibiza. Connected with our Topdeck Tour and walked around the city and coming to the realisation that in just a couple of days, we would be running through the city with 500kg+ bulls hot on our tail. As a background San Fermin or Running of the Bulls is an event popularised By Ernest Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises based on his experiences in the city in 1925.

 

Watched a traditional bullfight on our second night and was admittedly a little hard to watch, the tradition of killing and eating the bulls during the festival dates back to the 16th century, so it was hard to make judgement on tradition. Men on horses would insert metal pegs just behind the head of the bull also along with the matadors. From there, one matador would take over and tease the bull until fatal blows were made to the back of the head with a long metal rod. The bull is then tied up and taken away on horses. I certainly acknowledge tradition but our feelings were it was pretty rough.

 

Our final morning we awoke at sparrow fart for the event we had all been anxiously waiting for, the running of the bulls. Upon finding ourselves a place within the hundreds of runners, we awaited a first rocket which is set off at 8 a.m. to alert the runners that the corral gate is open. A second rocket signals that all six bulls have been released. With the runners jumping up and down like meerkats attempting to get a view of the bulls, everyone begins to make a move through the streets for an 800 metre run to the stadium. The feeling of running into the bull ring stadium with thousands of people cheering you on just adds to the rush and made for one of the best experiences we've had.  Thankfully, none of the boys were injured and mate it through safe and sound.

 

From there we headed onto San Sebastian and again showing that we weren’t on a backpacker’s budget, we took an hour long taxi as opposed to rail or bus.  San Sebastian was beautiful and just what we needed after a hectic week in Ibiza and Pamplona.  Hired bikes a few times and took in the sights of the amazing coastline.

 

Ibiza and Madrid

If there is one thing you need to do in life, it's to go to Ibiza. Easily the favourite destination of the trip and personally the best four days of my life. Although still pretty shattered from the experience, I can honestly say it was well worth it. We arrived our first day and attended the opening summer party at Ushuaia, an open air club which really has to be seen to be believed. Headline act was David Guetta, and he tore it apart, supported by Afrojack, incredible. Met a few blokes from Perth who have just started their travels and are absolute legends!  Coincidently, they will also be attending the running of the bulls festival at Pamplona in a few days time. Day two saw us return to Ushuaia to see Hardwell perform then move onto a club named Amnesia where we saw Dip Lo, Skrillex and Aussie act, Pendulum. At this stage Ibiza had us hooked and still had two days remaining. Day three our stop was at Pacha, a well renowned club in the area, acts were Benny Bennasi, Will Sparks and headlined by the ever impressive Steve Aoki. Day four saw us move accommodation to club Ushuaia where we had the most incredible view (see picture below) saw Dash Berlin and Armen Van Buuren. Most of the boys called it a night at that point however Leesy and I tried to soak in the few remaining hours of the night to go to see Nicky Romero and once again the man David Guetta at Pacha. Again can't explain how good this place is and we weren't ready to leave. Weary eyed and wounded we then caught a flight to Madrid and spent the night to make our way to Pamplona and running of the bulls! DS. 

Berlin

Berlin, where do I begin, the capital of a country with what can be described as very checkered past. Our first opinions of the place was that the streets and infrastructure were quite dull and bland, none the less our first stop for the night after checking into our hotel was the Hofbräu München beer hall.  Had a couple of steins which for those at home are one litre glasses so as you can imagine after a couple of those we were all feeling pretty chilled. From there we ventured out into an industrial area of Berlin to Berghain, a nightclub described as "quite possibly the current world capital of techno music".  Now I'm not massive into that type of music but given the raps it has received, and the fact it is set in a former power station, was convinced to check out.  Before you enter however, clubbers must first get past the club’s terrifying, grim-faced gatekeeper, Sven.  He is highly selective and turns around ninety percent of people, unfortunately for the boys from Wagga, we were one of them.  Disappointed, a few of the boys decided to have a crack at getting on the following night, alas to no luck. Suffice to say Sven won't be getting a bait to Wagga anytime soon and he'll be barred from Romanos, which in my opinion is much superior anyway. Our first full day in Berlin began with a tour of the 'Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe' the Holocaust memorial for Germany which was an extremely confronting experience. Constructed and opened to the public in 2005, it is located in the centre of Berlin, the memorial consists of a Field of Stelae covering and area of 19000 square metres and containing 2711 concrete blocks representing the six million European Jews exterminated during the Nazi reign. Going through the information centre and hearing of the personal recounts hit home a lot more as opposed to reading the number of total victims and definitely gave all us a sense of appreciation of how good we have it. From there we joined a tour around the city starting at the Brandenburg Gate, built in 1791 and restored in 2002 following considerable damage during World War II now considered a symbol of the tumultuous history of Europe and Germany. Our guide informed us that due to the damage of the city centre during World War II, the oldest building in the area was only erected in 1997 and the newest in 2013 which just so happens to be the American Embassy.  He also pointed out Hotel Addison located in the centre square was where Michael Jackson infamously dangled his newborn from the balcony.  We then moved on to the site of 'The Führerbunker', which was an air-raid shelter located near the Reich Chancellery in Berlin where Adolf Hitler took up residence on 16 January 1945 and became the centre of the Nazi regime until the last week of World War II in Europe before he committed suicide.  Currently situated there is a garden surrounded by play equipment, but still and eery place. Next was Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus, the former Air Ministry building which was one of the few Nazi public buildings in central Berlin to escape serious damage during the Allied bombing offensive in 1944-45, it is currently used as the German Finance Ministry. Berlin Wall was next, the barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic in 1961, completely cutting off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin and served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period. The borders were reopened and the wall taken down in 1989. Our tour guide explained to us, given their history 'Are Germans a proud to be German?' In fact the only time you will see German flags flying around is during the soccer World Cup every four years and to some, the country's past is still a delicate conversation. After a massive first day we readied ourselves for day two, a tour to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial and Museum. The camp was used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May 1945, however they were joined in increasing numbers by members of groups defined by Nationally Socialist ideology as racially or biologically inferior. More than 200,000 people were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen with tens of thousands of them dying of starvation, disease, forced labour and maltreatment, or were murdered systematically by the SS. Again a really eerie experience walking around the camp knowing what had happened within the walls only seventy years ago, which when you view in the grand scheme of things was only a short time ago and wondering how people can commit such horrific offences to other humans. A really overwhelming experience for all of us and won't be soon forgotten. A quote our guide left with the group summing up the tour that really stuck with us was "What hurts us most is not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends" - Martin Luther King. Berlin in all was quite fascinating and their is so much history you can sink your teeth into. Time to move on however for some fun, next stop, a two hour flight to the Spanish island of Ibiza which some regard as the party capital of the world. DS

Amsterdam

Left Paris on a train bound for Amsterdam, a place that has a fair reputation for its liberal ways so we were keen to check it out. The weather here is notably a lot cooler than in Greece and Paris, finding ourselves wearing jumpers most of the time. After dropping off our bags to the hotel we stepped into one the many renowned coffee shops which definitely was a different experience and we were all out of our depth. Can't believe how many people on push bikes here, between them and the trams, you do well not get knocked on your arse, so caution is on high when walking the streets. As mentioned in previous blogs, the road rules over here in Europe are next to non existent and the drivers are all mad but they always seem to work and we are yet to see a prang. The canals and flora are a real treat and if we had more time, a boat ride through the city would have been great. Our first day we toured the Heineken brewery where the beer originated and from there attempted to visit the house that Anne Frank penned the diary of her experiences being Jewish in Nazi occupied Amsterdam during World War II however, the length of the line and time we would have to wait meant unfortunately we were not able to. Our second day we went out of the city into the village of Zaanse Schans, a stunning living and working community that dates back to the 18th and 19th century. Typically built in Dutch wooden architectural style it's packed with wooden windmills, barns and houses. Walked through the infamous red light district which was again a weird experience but kept in mind that this is their culture and accepting we're a long way from Australia. It felt like we were the youngest in the area, a lot of middle aged blokes and one guy we spotted bargaining with 'a lady of the night' no younger than seventy years old we reckoned so as you can imagine it's quite seedy. Managed to meet up with a few blokes from Melbourne we had met on our Contiki, they are flying home today which made us aware of our own travelling mortality so really keen to soak more in given that we are at the halfway point of our trip. Once again the food has been awesome and we have all been in good paddock, all you can eat spare ribs on our last night a definite highlight. Currently on a train to Berlin, was delayed and is overcrowded so sitting on the floor for the next few hours. Until the next blog, Auf Wiedersehen! DS

Paris

Arrived in Paris and was immediately impressed by the infrastructure and history of the place. As with London, there is so much here to see and it really is hard to comprehend the age of the sights here. Out of all the countries so far, we have really struggled breaking the language barrier, although there were no real major hiccups and picked up simple words and phrases that have aided us. After checking into our hotel, we went for a stroll around the city in the afternoon to check out the Eiffel Tower which is incredible and Les Invalides where most notably, Nepoleon Bonaparte's tomb is located. Tried out the local cuisine our first night, eating escargot (snails) which to our surprise was quite good although won't be rushing back to have more. The next morning we toured the Louvre, something I had been wanting to do all my life and was not disappointed. The place is huge and it would really take a full day to see everything, however we spent a good three hours there seeing all of the major works from Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to Egyptian artefacts, hard to describe the feeling viewing the ages of the works. Climbed the Arc De Triomphe overlooking all of Paris, it was built from 1806 to 1836 following Nepoleon's victory in the Battle of Austerlitz and the size is really over awing. Tried the check out the Catacombes, just one of the three hundred kilometres of underground tunnels beneath the city where around six million human bones were stored following overcrowding of the city cemetery. The tunnels were dug attempting to mine limestone and were also used as passages by both the Allies and the Germans during World War II, alas was not to be as the line was quite long and it was soon to close which was pretty disappointing. Have been devouring pizza and burgers whilst in Paris and it's bloody top notch. Went into Bastille the home of the Moulin Rouge which was full of risqué shop frontages and strip clubs. We found the area was pretty seedy, however a good experience none the less and real hot spot for tourists. Walked up the Eiffel Tower on our second morning which was pretty tough after a few beers in Bastille and had our photo taken in front of the tower in our budgy smugglers (speedos) drawing quite a lot of attention not sure if positive or negative by the other tourists. From there we went to the Notre Dame cathedral from

where the movie 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' was inspired. By far the most impressive church we've seen to date, it is believed to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and includes sculptures of Gargoyles that gush water from the mouth during rain. One thing we warned about over here was gypsies and to be fairly vigilant when walking around the city ensuring your belongings are secure. On the morning of our Eiffel Tower walk and feeling very seedy after big night on the tiles, I was approached by a lovely young lady asking if I would contribute a donation to the local hospital. After parting ways with one euro she wished me all the best and I went on, now at this stage I was looking like the ultimate tourist donning my 'I Love Paris' tee shirt and a backpack. The boys then informed me that a gypsy had taken advantage of my kind hearted country nature and stolen my hard earned cash, lesson learnt. Walked around the city on our last night, watching the sun set over one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and the lighting of the Eiffel Tower, really appreciating how good it is here. Again it's been three nights here in Paris and time to move on catching a train to Amsterdam which will take around five hours. See you in the coffee shop, cheers, DS.