From Wien to Pareeee

Tuesday was our day to sight see around central Vienna. We walked down a long avenue of shops and many fast food outlets. This time we didn't have any fast food at all. We stopped off in a few shops along the way. Mostly looking for a deck of cards but we still couldn't find one. We walked around the sights of Vienna but as there is a marathon here on Saturday loads of stands and things were being set up right in front of the buildings which kind of ruined it. There is also a lot of renovation work going on around town. We still managed to have a nice time though. We went into the cathedral and I lit another candle and then we went looking for a bar with wifi so we could look for a place to eat. We found a small Italian restaurant not too far away so we walked over to that. We each had a glass of wine with our meal to get into the spirit and also some tomato bruschetta (shock). Then we had a pizza each. Myles described it as his favourite pizza ever. After this we got back to Christians buying some more of his favourite beer on the way. When we got to Christians we all had a quick nap as we were all shattered. When we woke up one of Christians friends were there. We ended up eating some delicious tacos made by Christian and playing the card game all night. This time I won again but when Christians friends were there one of them won. We watched the Dortmund Malaga game and the amazing come back. The Austrians really hate the Germans when it comes to football! After playing the card game we called it a night and hit the hay. 

We woke up early the next morning so that we could go for a small hike up a hill near Vienna and look over the city. Of course I forgot both my camera and phone so no photos were taken. The skies were so clear that we could see the Alps from where we were. After walking around for a while longer we were all a bit tired and hungry. We stopped off halfway down the hill at a traditional Viennese restaurant. Unfortunately Christian had to leave us as he had to get to university. We all had the buffet for just under 10 euros each which wasn't too bad and some Rose from the restaurants vineyard. We weren't massive fans of the wine (sorry Dad) but the food was good. 

After finishing our meal we got the tram back to Christians and didn't really do anything at all until our night train. We said our goodbyes to Christian and then waited a bit longer before heading out to the station. We had our last taste of some fine Austrian sausage and took the metro to the main station in Vienna. We hopped on the train and hoped for a cracking nights sleep. Of course this was not to be. We were all kept up because Chris' stupidly loud snoring. As a result we are all absolutely shattered today. We have arrived in Paris now and currently chilling in our couch surfers flat. I think we are going to Arc de Triomphe soon. 

Hope you are all well. 

Cheers, Ben, Myles and Chris 

Vienna (Wien)

Tuesday was our day to sight see around central Vienna. We walked down a long avenue of shops and many fast food outlets. This time we didn't have any fast food at all. We stopped off in a few shops along the way. Mostly looking for a deck of cards but we still couldn't find one. We walked around the sights of Vienna but as there is a marathon here on Saturday loads of stands and things were being set up right in front of the buildings which kind of ruined it. There is also a lot of renovation work going on around town. We still managed to have a nice time though. We went into the cathedral and I lit another candle and then we went looking for a bar with wifi so we could look for a place to eat. We found a small Italian restaurant not too far away so we walked over to that. We each had a glass of wine with our meal to get into the spirit and also some tomato bruschetta (shock). Then we had a pizza each. 

Buda Buda

Budapest has been the party place of the whole trip so far. One night we had a party on a boat, one day we played monopoly until the early hours of the morning and one night we had a party in the baths. 

The boat party was really good. There was good music, nice views and a free bottle of champagne each. We only really needed one bottle each but Chris decided to buy us another bottle each. This resulted in Ben having to be walked home by some friendly Aussies at the hostel. Me and Chris went to a club called Morrisons. We thought we were going to a supermarket but instead it was a trendy club. After about an hour and Chris not getting lucky we decided to head home. When we got to the hostel Ben was no where to be seen so I ended up pissing off all the hostel staff complaining that Ben was lost on the streets of Budapest. They all knew that Ben was somewhere in the hostel but I wouldn't believe them. We learned the next day that Ben had in fact passed out in the toilet for a few hours but he was alright. 

The next day we were obviously feeling worse for wear so in the end we just stayed in for most of the day playing guitar hero. We did get out of the hostel to go to the Terror House. It would have been a very good museum but none of us were in the mood at all. When we got back from the museum we just laid about for a bit. At about 8 we finally gathered enough energy to get out of the hostel once again. We decided to have a taste of Hungarian food at a classic Hungarian restaurant. Myles had a lamb steak and Chris and I had a meat platter. It was very tasty and filling. When we got back to the hostel we got out Monopoly and played a game with a few other guests at the hostel. Chris managed to come second but he sold the equivalent of Mayfair and Park Lane which cost him the win. We never realised different counties monopoly's would have different streets. 

Saturday was the day of the bath party. We had all been looking forward to it since when we had arrived in Budapest. It was going to be a cracking night. In the day we went on a free walking tour of the city. It was probably the best free tour we've been on so far. The tour guide seemed to absolutely adore Hungary. Hungary has had a very dark past. Once this had finished we headed back to the hostel. Chris and I were not feeling our best but we both still went to the party. We were going to a bar in one of the sister hostels. Chris and Myles got a drink but I didn't as I had just been sick in the toilets. Lovely. I still soldiered onto the baths as I wanted to see what it was like. I lasted about half an hour in the bath and headed back to the hostel. I don't need to go into details but I was ill and then went to bed. I've been ill twice in a week now. I'll get over it soon I hope. Back to the baths Myles and Chris had a quality night. They tell me it was very surreal and lots of things went on that I can't put down in this blog. When asked for a quote all Chris had to say was "It was pretty handy". This time when they arrived back at the hostel I was in bed already so Myles didn't need to worry about my whereabouts. On the way back from both nights Myles and Chris had the best kebab they have ever had. I'm not sure if it was just the alcohol or it genuinely was the best kebab ever. I guess I will never know. 

This morning we all went to a weird tea place. It was pretty cool. Really laid back. There were pillows on the floor which you sat on and had a lovely cup of tea. There were little passage you could crawl through and steps up to more areas. It was worth the visit. 

We then settled the bill at the hostel and said our goodbyes. Now we are on the train to Vienna to meet our host, Christian. We are there for three nights and then we go to Paris. We are coming to the last quarter of our trip. We will be back to see you again soon, don't worry. 

Ben, Myles and Chris

Day 17-Budapest-Relaxing baths and delicious bread

Yesterday was a bit of a rubbish day really. We got to the hostel and checked in and the went out to check out some of Budapest. We walked over to the Mathias Church and the palace. They were both in the Buda half of the city. We paid to get into the church but were pretty underwhelmed. There was renovation work going on which wasn't great but even with that it wasn't a great church to look at. It seemed pretty tacky. After this we had a drink on the way back to the hostel and planned on getting a nap. Upon arrival at the hostel we discovered that about half of our room had been struck down by a terrible sickness. After what happened on Sunday I was nervous on getting ill all over again. At the moment all is well though. We then lazed about for a bit and had a nap while waiting for Chris. We planned on having a few beers in the hostel when he arrived but because a lot of the hostel was ill we were told to go to bed or go out. So after some consideration we decided to hit the bars and clubs of Budapest. The aim of the night being to get Chris lucky. We failed. It was a funny night but there was so many creepy men in the club staring at girls. It was a bit weird. We didn't stay out too late as we were all a but tired from the travelling we had done the previous day. We always seem to be tired. 

Today was one of the best days of the trip once again. We spent the whole day in the thermal bath. The baths were so relaxing except there were so many old men in speedos. I really don't get the obsession. We spent hours just lying in the pools at 38 degrees. It was b e a utiful. Plus Myles and I tried a meal in a roll of bread. That was also delicious. 

Tonight we are going on a tour on the river with a bottle of champagne each. Things could get interesting once again. Chris is feeling quite ill though which is quite worrying. The illness could have spread to poor Eke. 

Hopefully we will get back to updating more consistently soon! 

Ben, Myles and Chris x

Day 15-Krakow-Over halfway through!

Yesterday was the day we went to Auschwitz. We booked onto the tour that was advertised in the hostel the night before for about 25 euros. It's not too bad considering it takes about an hour to get there and then you also get a tour. Myles and I purposely didn't stay out late the night before so we were up and ready for a possibly draining day. I was still feeling a bit ill but other than that the journey there was uneventful. Upon arrival I also found that my camera had been left on in my bag over night so had no battery life let. Brilliant! I did have my phone though so photos were still taken. (We are having difficulties uploading photos onto the blog, I'm trying my best to get them up it just doesn't seem to work.) When we got to Auschwitz we met up with our tour guide who was a short, Polish woman. She certainly knew her stuff and the tour was very interesting but she seemed to be going through the tour quite fast and it felt rushed. There is no good way of describing our visit to Auschwitz. It was definitely thought provoking and a very morbid place to visit. The atrocities that went on their are difficult to comprehend. The thing that disgusted us the most was a room half filled with human hair. It was horrific. Around two tonnes of hair in one place. We were not allowed to take pictures in this room but to be honest I don't think I would have wanted too. There are so many things I could describe about the exhibits in Auschwitz but it just wouldn't do it justice. If you have an interest in this kind of thing then you should definitely come to Krakow but other than that there isn't much going on here. We have had a good time here though. Meeting Leah has been cool and just chilling out a bit has also been nice. Auschwitz will probably end up being one of the highlights of the trip but for a completely different reason to anything else we have seen/will see.

After coming back from Auschwitz we lazed around for a while in the hostel again. After a couple of hours we once again adventured out into Krakow's bars and pubs. We once again started in the Bull Pub once again. No Jimmy or Karen there tonight unfortunately! After a couple of drinks we moved onto one of the cheapest bars in town. We got a few Polish shots and beers. Leah tried the house red wine. It tasted like watered down ribena. Walking home we were a bit worse for wear but we were still standing. We also managed to grab a meal at a fine American fast food joint on the way home. Deeelicious!

Today we walked around Krakow for a bit after checking out and then met Leah's brother Ben at the bus stop. We showed him the highlights of the city. We took hint to Moa Burger. Myles, Leah and I had a spiced lamb burger this time. I may have said that the last burger I had at Moa Burger was the best burger I have ever had. That is now untrue. The spiced lamb burger is the new champion. A much better burger than any burgers you can get from a normal fast food restaurant. I have finally gotten over the fact that I am missing out on McDonalds Monopoly while we are away. Moa burgers have made this possible. After this we were going to try a Cupcake from a highly rated cupcake shop but decided against it after eating our massive burgers. Instead we went to the chocolate shop again. We all had a drink and sort of waited around a bit there. After this Myles and I made a reservation for our night train to Budapest. We had to pay about 10 euros each which is a bit annoying considering we have to pay so much for the Interrail ticket.

For now we are just waiting around in the hostel with Leah and Ben until we can go get the train at 22:00. We sort of want to go now instead of waiting around but there is not much we can do about that. I hear it is the hottest day of the year today back in England. It's still pretty chilly here but should be warmer in Budapest. Tomorrow we meet up with Chris. Hooray!

Hope you all had a cracking hot day for once!

Ben and Myles x

This manhole is featured in Schindlers List

 

Ben and Myles x

 

 

Day 14-Krakow-Yesterday...

Yesterday after our lovely lie in and managing to pull ourselves out of bed we decided to have a look around town. Leah also joined us so it was nice to have some more company, even though i was the target of todays banter from Ben and Leah. 

We started our day by buying a sausage from the market which was delicious, however not quite a curry wurst, although as usual in Poland it was as cheap as chips. The market seemed to be a place for the homeless to beg for money, I do feel bad not caving in after seeing them searching the bins, but we aren't exactly on a luxury budget.

We went on to visit the local cathedral, which has become our routine for each city as they're amazing to look at and always impress us. I found this one a bit gloomy, as it was quite dark and you weren't allowed to talk, but as you'll see from the pictures it was still well decorated and a pleasure to look at. Before we left Ben lit a candle in memory of Matthew.

Outside the cathedral was who we thought to be Jason Segel. We were hoping Barney would pop up and say "have you met Ted" but it turned out to be a free English tour of the Jewish part of town. As we had nothing better to do we joined the tour which was actually really interesting and worth while, even if Myles spent a lot of the time moaning about how he was going to get frost bite, as his shoes were soaking wet, he didn't.

Afterwards we discovered a really nice chocolate shop, which had a bar upstairs, selling hot chocolate. Of course we obliged, and ordered a round of hot chocolates. Ben and myself ordered the standard cheaper one, which turned out to be melted chocolate. It was extremely sickly, as well as being very difficult to drink. It was no comparison to the Italian hot chocolate we got on the ski trip.

We then went back to the hostel to warm up and dry off. As a result of what we believe to Ben drinking too much local tap water, we took an early night, as he felt really ill and began throwing up. Classic Ben to be honest, can't go anywhere without him throwing up.  He is already better though, don't worry Caroline! We are still expecting a text in the next five minutes though...

Ben and Myles x