There are pros/cons of traveling by yourself, but at least I can say I've done it (multiple times). Also, I now know the Manchester Airport like the back of my hand.
Prague, Czech Republic (4-7/6)
I got in quite late my first night, so besides going out to quickly get money exchanged, I didn't see much of the town. The next morning, I decided to go on another Sandemans free walking tour. As I was staying in "Lesser Town", on my way to the tour, I had to cross the Charles Bridge. The roads weren't as confusing as Mykonos, but I still had my handy dandy Google Maps out. The tour started in the Old Town Square, right under the Astronomical Clock. We learned that Czechs celebrate not only their birthday, but their "name day" - there are 400 names to choose from when naming your newborn.
We walked all over Prague, visiting sites including: Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, Wenceslas Square, St. Nicolas' Church, House of the Black Madonna, Powder Tower, and more in the Old Jewish Quarter - we passed by the six synagogues and cemetery. The tour ended by the Rudolfinum and Manes Bridge, where we learned about the WWII uprising and how it was believed Hitler wanted to save Prague from destruction because he planned on living there later in life.
After the tour, I went back to the Old Town Square to see the Tim Burton exhibit. All of his drawings/paintings/inspirations were on display and I became inspired to create more. Later, I found the John Lennon Wall - it was cool, but I expected the wall itself to be much bigger.
We walked all over Prague, visiting sites including: Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, Wenceslas Square, St. Nicolas' Church, House of the Black Madonna, Powder Tower, and more in the Old Jewish Quarter - we passed by the six synagogues and cemetery. The tour ended by the Rudolfinum and Manes Bridge, where we learned about the WWII uprising and how it was believed Hitler wanted to save Prague from destruction because he planned on living there later in life.
After the tour, I went back to the Old Town Square to see the Tim Burton exhibit. All of his drawings/paintings/inspirations were on display and I became inspired to create more. Later, I found the John Lennon Wall - it was cool, but I expected the wall itself to be much bigger.
On my third and final full day in Prague, I wandered off to find the Prague Castle. I somehow managed to walk into the background of Czech car commercial and had to sign a release form incase my face appears in it. After an interesting start to my morning, I paid to climb up the St. Vitus Cathedral, where I saw spectacular views of the city and castle. That afternoon, I went to the Karel Zeman Film Special Effects Museum. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the Tim Burton exhibit.
On a side note: the food in Prague - there are no words. I ate so well, which may also be why I'm broke. Money well spent, right?
Cesty Krumlov, Czech Republic (7-9/6)
Originally, I wasn't going to stop in Cesty Krumlov - but due to limited availability at hostels in Austria, I had to alter my schedule. The town itself is quite small and seems to be a big tourist attraction for kayaking/canoeing (which would have been fun to do if I wasn't alone), but I'm glad I went.
The first day, I just found a park and read for a majority of the day. The next day, I went on another free tour (Wiseman) - we walked around the castle and courtyards, Castle Tower, Renaissance Town Hall, Former Jesuit Hall of Residence and Seminary, Bears' Moat (there are actual bears, but we didn't see any as they were hiding), Cloak Bridge, St. Vit Church, Plague Column, former Rosenberg's hospital and more.
The town is very picturesque and seems to have undergone many changes from various rulers and styles, such as gothic and baroque.
In other news, Czechs don't seem to understand what cider is, but they make bangin' iced coffee. Another thing I've noticed is that even with language barriers, you can generally understand what someone is asking or telling you through facial expressions and gestures.
The first day, I just found a park and read for a majority of the day. The next day, I went on another free tour (Wiseman) - we walked around the castle and courtyards, Castle Tower, Renaissance Town Hall, Former Jesuit Hall of Residence and Seminary, Bears' Moat (there are actual bears, but we didn't see any as they were hiding), Cloak Bridge, St. Vit Church, Plague Column, former Rosenberg's hospital and more.
The town is very picturesque and seems to have undergone many changes from various rulers and styles, such as gothic and baroque.
In other news, Czechs don't seem to understand what cider is, but they make bangin' iced coffee. Another thing I've noticed is that even with language barriers, you can generally understand what someone is asking or telling you through facial expressions and gestures.
Salzburg, Austria (9-11/6)
I arrived in Salzburg quite early. To make the most of the day, I paid €9 for a walking tour of the city (which in retrospect was not worth it). I assumed we would be walking all over the city, but we stayed in one little section. We started off in the Mozartplatz, went to the courtyard that held the residents' fountain, Domplatz, Kapitelplatz, and then made our way over to the festival halls.
Afterwards, I (deservingly) treated myself to a pretzel the size of my face before heading over one of the many bridges to lead me to the Mirabell Gardens. The gardens were beautiful, so I sat there for a bit.
Afterwards, I (deservingly) treated myself to a pretzel the size of my face before heading over one of the many bridges to lead me to the Mirabell Gardens. The gardens were beautiful, so I sat there for a bit.
On the 10th, I took a tour out of Salzburg to explore the famous Eagle's Nest, the Berchtesgaden Salt Mines, and the bavarian mountains around Lake Konigsee (the King's Lake).
To get up to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, we had to take multiple buses, walk through a tunnel and go up a historic WWII elevator. I can't even begin to explain the beauty I saw when we arrived at the top. There are no words - I was in awe and I still am. Can this be my own personal vacation spot?
At the salt mines, we rode a train, went down two wooden slides and took a boat over water in the mines. I wish I could remember more specifics, but sadly, I was listening to the audio guide in Czech for a bit before realizing I could change it to English...yeah, there's something wrong with me.
Lake Konigee was beautiful, but we didn't stay too long. To be fair, at the point, the tour was going on about seven/eight hours and I was exhausted.
Vienna, Austria (11-13/6)
To be completely honest, I wasn't a huge fan of Vienna. I'm not sure if it was due to the heat (I felt like I might perish) or how big the city was or being creeped out - but 10/10 would not go back. After checking into my hostel (which was near Westbanhof - but still felt a thousand miles away from most things), I went to the Naschmarkt. While walking through the market, I had a man come up to me to ask if I was American and traveling alone (first time I felt unsafe being by myself). To make matters worse, at lunch, I ordered a margherita pizza with "pepperoni" - I actually got peperoni, which is peppers. So unfortunate.
On my second day, I went to the Hofburg Palace and did the "Silver Collection, SiSi Museum and Kaiser Apartments" tour. I learned all about Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth (SiSi). After, I walked around and explored the Burg Garden, Volks Garden, Parliament, Rathaus (City Hall), Burg Theater and St. Stephans Dom.
On my second day, I went to the Hofburg Palace and did the "Silver Collection, SiSi Museum and Kaiser Apartments" tour. I learned all about Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth (SiSi). After, I walked around and explored the Burg Garden, Volks Garden, Parliament, Rathaus (City Hall), Burg Theater and St. Stephans Dom.
Ludwigsburg, Germany (13-15/6)
I haven't seen Max or Lukas since they visited me in the States in 2011 - it would have been a shame to be near them and not stop in to say hello! When I arrived, Max's parents (who speak very little English) had prepared a little brunch for us (pretzels!!!) Lukas came over and the three of us walked over and did a tour of the Ludwigsburg Palace (we saw 73 rooms in total). After, we went to a bier garten - which led to more bier gartens. It was a great day of catching up with old friends and drinking (a lot of) good, German beer.
The next morning, a bit hungover, Max and I went into Bissingen, a nearby town. We walked around and ate lunch there - I had maultaschen, which was delicious and, according to Max, a very Swabian dish. When we were done, we picked up Lukas and went to a nearby palace (not sure of the name), where we walked around the lake. That night, Max, Lukas, Lukas' girlfriend, Ada, and myself had a BBQ at Lukas' house. Delicious (even though Max burnt some of it, haha).
Gibraltar/Spain (15-18/6)
When I landed, Dan surprised me at the airport. That afternoon, we went out with his Uncle, Grandad and Uncle's friends, which was really fun. I'm not sure if I've ever had snake bites (beer & cider mixture) before, but I've now had a lot of them.
The next day, we packed lunch and went to Palmones Beach. From the beach, after the clouds dispersed, we had a great view of the Rock. The water, which was quite blue, was a bit chilly at first, but we managed. That night, we walked to a duck pond and then relaxed at home.
The next day, we packed lunch and went to Palmones Beach. From the beach, after the clouds dispersed, we had a great view of the Rock. The water, which was quite blue, was a bit chilly at first, but we managed. That night, we walked to a duck pond and then relaxed at home.
While in Spain, Dan is working for a Dolphin Tour company, so the following day, we went out on the boat. We saw a bunch of dolphins, even babies! So cute.
Afterwards, we ate lunch in the town square and then headed up the Rock, where we soon came across a few Barbary Macaques (monkeys). We first stopped to explore the Moorish Castle.
Inside St. Michael's Cave, they were preparing for a light/music show later that night. The cave itself was amazing, but even more so with all the stalactites lit up in different colors - changing with the beat of the music.
We headed back down the Rock via the Mediterranean steps, which were quite steep. The views were out of this world - across the sea, we could faintly make out Africa (Morocco).
On our way out, we stumbled upon the Pillars of Hercules. We ended the night playing on a blow-up water obstacle course off of a beach. Overall, Spain was perfect and it was great to see Dan one last time before heading home.
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