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. 

Greek Islands (Ios)

Ios, well what can I say other than it was the most impressive place of our Contiki tour through the Greek Islands. Absolute insane party life and everyone is so laid back. This entry of the blog will be pretty limited given that their were no tourist sights of any significance, however the food was the standout. Sailed on a pirate ship to a non inhabited island on our second day and did some snorkelling which was real good. Got to watch a replay of State of Origin and most were stoked to see the blues finally get a series win. Surprised at how many Aussies are working over here, they're generally down at the beach during the day and work as promoters for the various clubs and pubs during the night, would be an awesome lifestyle. All the nightspots are quite small and they're found all throughout the narrow streets, you find that the crowd will generally move from place to place as opposed to staying at the same spot as we do at home. At this point of the Contiki, we got a lot closer to the other tour members given that the seven of us from Wagga had spent most of out time together. Some really cool people who we got to meet and will definitely keep in touch also seeing a few along our further travels. A highlight of the trip was how one of the boys who shall remain nameless, decided to make it back to our hotel on our second night. Firstly before I begin the story, I should mention our hotel in Ios was roughly a twenty minute walk or a five euro taxi ride up hill into town however the fact that there are only five cabs on the whole island made it pretty tough to get home in the wee hours of the morning so generally made the trek on foot. Roughly halfway upon his long walk back to the hotel after a few beers noticed a scooter that still had it's key in the ignition, decided to kick the old girl over and sat in first gear very steadily down the winding hill of Ios. The traveller made it home safe as did the scooter which was parked a block away from our residence. Currently in a bus on our way to the airport for our flight to Paris, at this point we're all a bit flat after leaving the Contiki after spending twelve days with at first were strangers and became good mates. On reflection, the hardest thing about travelling is getting attached to place and having to move on to your next destination, that's why I can see it's so addictive. Contiki was definitely five star and I'd recommend to anyone wanted to get out there for a good time and meet some interesting people. Next stop is Paris to eat some frog legs, cheers. DS

Greek Islands (Athens, Mykonos and Santorini)

Arrived in Athens and driving in from the airport was a real shock to the system, third world type feel and smog as far as the eye can see. Luckily our hotel was up to scratch and we spent the night having a few "Richard Gere's" meeting a few of the people on our Contiki tour through the Greek Islands. My new roomy Patto and I really seized our first day in Athens, rising from bed at 2:00pm in the arvo. However we made a real fist of the remaining daylight and caught a cab into Acropolis where I had the best pizza I've ever tasted, climbed the rock of Acropolis seeing the Temple of Athena Nike and also visiting The Panathenaic Stadium which was built in the fourth century BC and has a seating capacity of over 68,000. They drive like mad over here and there are no real road rules to follow. At this stage Greece looks pretty busted and our vibe was that the locals came across rude. Rose the following to take a five hour ferry ride to the first island of three we will be visiting on our tour, Mykonos. Now there are no real historically significant places to visit in Mykonos, it is a purpose built party island. Bloody warm here with high 20's to early 30's every day and it took me no less than two hours for my pale skin to get beetroot red. I zoned out when our tour guide mentioned not to drink the local water from the tap so after downing around a litre of it when I was parched after a couple of stubbies it was no surprise that as of late, I have spent most of my time on the dunny. I can sum up our time in Mykonos as 'most scenes missing' with the standout being Paradise Beach. Worth mentioning everywhere works off tips, for example, in a bar the more your tip, the stronger your drink is, so of you're up to have a big one, best practice is not to be a tight arse. After our third night in Mykonos, made our way to Santorini on another ferry this time taking around two hours. Spent the first full day on a tour to the top of Santorini and the Akrotiri archeological site which many believe is to be the foundations of the city of Atlantis and was built around 1600 BC. Also went to a few beaches, Red Beach and Black Beach, it's called this due to the colour of the sand following volcanic eruptions. Our final day in Santorini was spent on the island of Nea Kameni where we hiked up a volcano which last erupted in 1950. Got a chance to don the budgy smugglers and swim in the hot springs located at the base of the volcano. Lastly rode a donkey up to the top of Santorini which was good fun, there would have been around 200 of them in circulation and they are real on the nose. Heading off on another ferry to the island of Ios for 3 days which is apparently a step up from the Mykonos party scene so will have to prepare my body for another couple of big ones. Cheers, DS.

London Day 3 and 4

Days 3 and 4 in London brought more sights and plenty of laughs. Before I begin with my yarn, a toy Kangaroo attached to a lanyard was purchased prior to the trip with it being awarded to the best on ground for each night out, the winner having to don 'Roo' for the day. So far the recipients have been Leesy, Tommy and yours truly. Obviously can't disclose the information as to what the reasons were to earn the not-so-much sought after prize due to the age old rule 'what happens on tour, stays on tour'. Day 3 began at sparrow fart after a much needed night in catching up on some sleep with tours to the London Dungeon and London Aquarium. Still in awe of buildings and infrastructure over here, so checked out Big Ben and the London Eye again, can't get enough. The birthplace of Sherlock Holmes on Baker Street was next and at this stage really getting familiar with the London Tube, so easy to navigate your way around. That night we ventured out into London town for a couple of stubbies, although found it hard to nail down a good pub to settle in.  Macka and I got split up from the boys and wandered around the London streets for a while before catching the last train (London Tube shuts down at 12pm) of the night to the suburb of Clapham.  Now it was my suggestion to get off at Clapham as I had heard Luffy mention it was a hotspot for Australians so thought we might be able to catch a game of footy and a chew down on a VB or twenty. Walked into a joint that can only be described as a scene from the TV show Geordie Shore, for those who haven't seen it, don't. In any case we made good of the situation by getting amongst the locals and ended up meeting a group of Aussies which for those who have travelled abroad, would know it's pretty comforting to see being surrounded by foreigners. We all wandered back to the hotel in dribs and drabs from around 3am to 5am. After a slow and seedy start to day 4, the boys did some washing which I neglected to do and on reflection was a pretty poor choice given I've ran out of clean Reg Grundy's.  With the aid of our knowledgable tour guide Joe Luff, we ventured out to see Chelsea soccer club stadium and Greenwich. After a long walk up to the observatory in Greenwich got a few snaps of the Prime Meridian which at 0 degrees longtitude, separates the Eastern and Western Hemisphere, that year 12 geography paid off. Parched as after the hike we went to an off licence bottle-o and wet the whistle chilling out in Greenwich Park which was bloody impressive. Really enjoyed my time in London and could stay here for another few weeks, although a few of the boys would attest to London getting the better of them and looking forward to moving on to the next destination. So very liberal in their ways over here, the fact that you can buy beers on the street and drink in a park for example is so cruisey and makes it bloody attractive for tourists, especially Aussies as we love to cut piss. No red tape like in Australia and it just works, will definitely be back sometime in the future. Kicking off the next part of our trip with a Contiki tour through the Greek Islands visiting Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Ios. I am hearing you have to squat in a hole to go the dunny, so looking forward to that. Until then, peace.

London - Day 1 and 2

Had our first night out in London yesterday, not surprisingly, made friends straight away. Met a publican named Steve who was from Glasgow and a retired American couple, I told them so many fibs about how we roll in 'Straya' but had them believing every word, they plan to visit Wagga sometime next year. Our good mate Joe Luff who is working here met up with us, nothing much has changed, good to see he still hates to shower. After travelling across the world for a cultural experience we thought there would be no place better than to drink at an Australian themed pub. When all bullshit had been exhausted, jet lag set in around 10pm and had to have a kip. Woke up this morning and decided to see the sights of London with the aid of Luffy as our tour guide, absolutely amazing place so enriched with history. Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and Tower of London were highlights. I purchased an 'I Heart London' shirt which is sure as to act as beacon for pickpockets. The weather has been very kind to us, and even managed to get a bit sunburnt so sweet gains there. Keen to get out to the aquarium or the Harry Potter tour while we're here. 

D Day - Flight to London

Currently at Sydney airport waiting to board our flight to London, we have a one hour layover in Singapore and hearing as they don't tolerate piggery I will stay in the airport to avoid getting arrested. Got through customs without much trouble given my shady record which I was stoked about, however received overly friendly pat-down from a male customs officer which will haunt me in airports for the rest of my days. Stayed in Sydney last night, unfortunately the bright lights of the city were too much of a temptation for us layed back country folk. Ventured out for a few beers and am seedier than the bottom of a birdcage today. Not looking forward to this 23 hour long haul trip, I hope they show Jumangi or Twister on the in flight movies, they are my favs. Next stop, London. Peace, DS.