rome

i am alive and well, really enjying meself in rome, off to naples tomorrow,however have no access to internet so will update my blog in naples hopefully tomorrow, so i havenàt checked emails or the book of face ciao x

day 26, lake trasimeno

the four of us went down to the lake restaurant to grab some food, there we met two dutch girls who didn't speak highly of the place though they were still eating there, ordered bruschetta and gnocchi, which wasn't the greatest, actually it was wank. though the view was pretty till we got attacked by bugs and moved inside. spent the rest of the evening chatting and looking at the stars, another clear night, and went to bed. this morning again sunshine and breakfast outside, then me and pat took some bikes to the isola polvese via a ferry. just as we got off the ferry and rode for about a min, pat's tyre blew out, so we walked round the island. it was really small but soooo quiet and pretty, giving lovely views around the lake and all the surrounding villages. we took a dip in some lovely clear water, where pat gave me some tips on how to improve my ridiculously shit swimming, i'm no natural. we then hopped on the ferry back and walked the 5km back to the hostel, on the way it was stupidly hot. had a bit of a nap in the shade as we had lost ellie who had the room key, then back to the room to freshen up and booked 3 nights in rome starting from tomorrow and looking up all the train shit. tonights we are getting some more bikes and riding the 5km to the nearest supermarket, getting some food and bringing it back and cooking something up which will be cracking, bloody hungry as not had anything since breakfast part from shitloadsa water. pat is still keen on seeing if the canoe aint got no holes, so may take that out either tonight or tomorrow morning as train isn't till 10:40. staying somewhere similar to the place we stayed in florence, a campsite with a house tent 20 mins out the city centre which will be cool, lots of things to see and do in rome with a few things in the hostel to fall back on. i'm also keeping an ear to the ground about wimbledon, trying to work out where i'll be on sunday should murray reach the final as dont think i could miss that.

day 25, lake trasimeno

Yesterday evening was spent by the lake looking up at one bloody clear sky full of stars and a very quite pretty lake, part from the frogs all doing their thing, then back to the hostel for a lovely sleep. Woke up early at 8 for breakfast which was lovely, ate outside in the glorious sunshine, then borrowed bikes and proceeded to cycle around the lake, and it’s not  a that small lake. We left at half 9 and didn’t get back till sixish, though there were breaks and a bit of swimming involved, and we weren’t pacing it. It was good to do some very gentle off roading through different vegetations and sunflower fields, a few of them were in semi full bloom which was cool. Ellie and Emily stopped halfway round and got the train back, while me and pat went around the whole thing. We went to some very pretty villages, one of them, Castiglione del lago were sporting the leftovers of a celebration yday, and had flowers and petals and leave arranged into a tapestry thing on the floor going on for ages, which was proper cool. The cycling was pretty easy, once I sorted out me saddle, it was just the heat struggled with, it reached 34 today. Staying another night here and may investigate staying on the island, of if I should stay here and do a cycling day trip to the island. No real plans for tonight, pretty tired, there’s a restaurant just down by the lake, or it’s 6km either way to different restaurants so will prob go down there and chill out enjoying the ambience.

day 24, torricella, lake trasimeno

This morning chilled out with jake, pat, ellie and Emily waiting to get our train to Torricella, packed out bags and said our goodbyes. Emily didn’t have a place to stay for the night so she asked if she could join us, so the four of us went off on the bus to the train station and caught our train just in time, it was partly mine and ellie’s fault as we realised we were too busy enjoying ourselves and we had not taken any pictures of Florence from piazza Michelangelo. We had to change trains so as we approached our station we got out shit together and went to open the door, which wouldn’t open and we missed our stop. 3 minutes of slight worry was put aside when we got off at the next stop and waited for a local to open the doors (he did what he did and looked damn pissed as he thought we were too lazy to open the doors even though we were in front) and got the next train to Torricella. The directions to the hostel were pretty vague, it just said 500m from train station. We walked over the train tracks and there in front of us was our bloody hostel! Inside was this proper dude called Emmanuel, who was sound as fuck and showed us to the room. The hostel was bloody amazing, lovely building with lots of character, he showed us to the room, and he said he’s put us in a upgraded room then we booked, all single beds, lots of power ports, an ensuite bathroom with separate toilets and proper beds! It’s really spacious, they have free bike hire and we are 30m away from the lake! We spend the afternoon and the evening walking a bit to a supermarket where we got some food, then had a swim in the lake and watched the sunset, which was incredible yet really fast. The lake is really pretty, it’s how I imagined italy! Walking through areas of green and little orchards, and meadow of sunflowers which haven’t bloomed yet, it’s lovely. We booked here for a night but will stay for longer me thinks, there is a island in the middle of the lake which has a hostel on it, and also this really pretty beach which gives a amazing sunset view, so instead of doing a day trip might as well stay there for a couple of days. After having a chat with pat I realised I may be running out of time for all the stuff that I want to do! I have a idea of what I want to do then keep adding different places in. I think after the lake will head to rome for a few days, then to naples to try the best pizza in italy, then back up to venice, instead of going to Sorrento and amalfi and even bari. I need to write where I really want to go and what I want to do with a time line so I don’t miss anything, as I don’t know how I will find eastern Europe. I’ve got 7 and a half weeks before I have to be in Belgium for my train home, and the original loose plan involves 10 contries! Argh! Though what a class dilemma to have mind. Also in my head been thinking I want to visit more places in germany the more I talk to people, however who knows how I will fell about slovenia/croatia/hungary/romania/Ukraine and Poland (if I get to them all). Tonight will have a shower then who knows, it’s a patron day for this area so may go check a few things out that are happening, they have this thing which translates as white night, where nothing closes for the evening so I could rock up to some museum at 4 in the morning and have a mosey about!  Tomorrow want to get up early and get the free bikes out and do some cycling, I want to cycle around the lake and also get some cash, as the only cash machine in the area that we have gone to was braken. Also need to get some food preferably in some quantity as for the last 2 days have only eaten one meal, for no other reason then that’s the way it’s worked out, and I’m not exactly wasting away but  I’d quite like to eat a bit, brekkie is included here so prob gorge on that. We were told by Emmanuel of a self service place a little while away that is amazing, cheap and tasty, but you have to battle the locals to serve yourself via a ticket system, he said it’s worth it so may check that out, as shit, tomorrow is a Sunday. Ah well, at ra for now!

day 23 firenze

Yesterday night was a super night. Was sat on the roof terrace over looking Florence with pat, ellie, Emily, cameron, jadrian and jake having great convo’s and drinking a few nice beers. As it was patrons day they had cordoned off the piazza Michelangelo which is only thirty metres away, at ten they started the best display of fireworks I have ever seen, they were massive, all were fucking brilliant and it went on for 45 minutes. I have never heard fireworks so loud or seen them so up close, it was like being beaten up by the end of it, you could feel them explode. I watched them just smiling and laughing through out, it were great. Afterward carried on chatting and having a cracking night. Jake was proper interesting, he used to work for billabong so we talked about all that jazz, then cameron was from California and talked about skim boarding. Slept very averagely, it was a bit cold, but woke up due to the heat in the tent. Another awesome morning in Florence, had a shower and packed me bag ready to leave for lake trasimeno in a hour and bit, so that shall be excellent!

dat 23, firenze

After my blog entry yesterday I got some beers in and chilled out on the roof terrace with pat, ellie, john, tom, rina, cassie and 2 Canadian girls called sancana and Natasha, plus jamie who was a friend of pat’s and lisa, then afterward put some jeans on and went down town. Went to 2 nightclubs and some tequila shots later wasn’t feeling too fresh. Night was good, music was all the same, and Italians smoke in the club which is really weird. In the second club I looked around and realised every other person was English, turns out there is loads of them studying  over here. Got home about 4, woken up by the sweltering heat in the tent about half 10. Spent a couple of hours on the terrace having a look to see if we could sort some accomodation in rome for tomorrow. As was feeling shit my google fu wasn’t the best and I got frustrated with my puter, so me and pat went for a trip to lidl to get some food in. wandering around Florence with a headache we realised it’s a national holiday today and most places are closed. We meandered around and found a lil supermarket with a deli counter and got some pasta, potatoes, veg and beef, sat in the park bench with a tin of coke and had the most amazing meal, specially as I had not eaten all day. Now sat on the terrace with pat and ellie, jake this aussie, plus cameron and Jadrien (two blokes I met in Interlaken from California who are really cool), later maybe meeting with jamie and lisa and watching these fireworks they are having on the Michelangelo plaza, and there is a jazz and candles night in the bar, so that will be dead cool. Tomorrow heading south a bit to lake trasimeno which will be lovely. Booked for one night with ellie and pat then may head off to rome with them, or stay for a couple of days if its pretty as I like lakes and wouldn’t mind a couple of chill out days out of the cities, before hitting up roma!

day 22, firenze

Yesterday we got the train from massa to Firenze without any hassle, and took our bus to the hostel pretty easily. We are staying at a campsite with house tents, and we managed to get a house tent to ourselves, (me ellie and pat). We went for a wander round Florence but it was bloody busy so we went to the outskirts and made some food, which was nice, it was bloody sweltering yesterday. In the evening we chilled out on the hostel terrace with some bevvies and there we met this bloke called josh, the magician, and it was bloody amazing, I was like a child and he was doing shitloads of tricks, and then we had a good old chat. Retired to our house tent where some people came back just for a chat, and woke up this morning because of the heat. We are here for another two nights, so today went around Florence, first with ellie and pat then on my onesome, just wondering around and seeing things, is cool. Weather still really hot, when I got back to the hostel pat’s friend jamie was here and had a chat, might be going out on town tonight, depends if I can be arsed and survive wearing jeans. Tomorrow will prob go check out a museum as haven’t done that in a while. Then in a couple of days it’s off to rome! Reyyyyy.

day 21 firenze

ok, arrived in florence and it's cool, place is really busy and hot but in a cool hostel which is a camping site and have a house tent with ellie and pat. currently im a little worst for wear having had some beers and been amazed by a professional magician named josh from peterbourough, he was bloody sick, and is employed by peterborough football club. gonna head off and fill this in proper in morning as missing the night, got some amazing views over florence from where i'm currently typing on my hostel terrace, this place is sick! ciao x

day 20, massa

woke up bright and early to go to pisa this morning. at half 8 in morning it was already baking. walked to the trainstation and caught the train to pisa. at first pisa seemed really nice, lots of old pretty buildings, a few nice shops if you're into all that, some nice places to eat. as we walked through towards the tower it started getting more touristy, and once we reached the tower it was very touristy, lots of people taking stupid photos of them holding up the tower or leaning on it. the tower was cool but was put off by the amount of people and the heat. we went for a walk heading north and off the map with the hope of seeing something a bit more italian, however was just suburbia. we got some gelato (amazing) and walked around looking for some green area we could chill out. arrived at this knackered park which was soulless and sat in the shade. no one seemed to have much energy or desire to do anything, and there wasn't anything really in pisa, so we got the train home. it was really hot still and we caught a bus back to the hostel, on the way stopping at this amazing lil beach where we will go for a swim soon on the way to getting some dinner, no pizza tonight, we're cooking! leave massa tomorrow, onto florence, still need to find somewhere to stay but shouldn't be a problem. still cant quite get used to the heat. fingers crossed florence is cool, as Jenne messaged me, i too feel a bit spoilt by switzerland in terms of scenery/beauty and the cool people there.

day 19, massa

yday after i wrote my blog i watched a bit of the airshow which was cool, sat on the balcony of ellie's room with a german family that come to the same place on holiday and have done for 9 years, fuck knows why as the actual area we are staying with is wank. Ellie was drinking a litre and half of wine, and after the classic quote of "i'm australian, we don't get burned", in the space of half a hour she became super burnt and super smashed, this is around 8ish. on the way to  get some water she fell on a cactus so for the next 20 mins i was tweezing out all the shit from her legs, it was like operation without the shitty buzzing. she went off to bed and me and pat got a pizza and chilled out on the beach, having a chat till it got dark and took ourselves off to bed. had an amazing sleep and woke up to go to cinque terra, or 5 towns, and it's an italian national park, real pretty. we walked a stupid way to the train station, down a busy road with no pavement in an industrial state, but got the train to cinque terra and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. we did the coastal walks, walking through the old towns, and stumbled across this lil marina with people swimming. on the walk to the train in the morning this metal pole with bus info was not put in the ground, pat not knowing this went to read it and it upended slicing a rather nasty gash in his leg, but with that patched up and the sea water it;'s on its way to healing. we had a swim despite not having any cossies with us, just in our boxers (or jocks as aussies call em) and was bloody fab. we spent the day walking in cinque terra, occasionally jumping on a train and had a meal in one of the towns. having been in the sun all day (with sunscreen and hat) we were knackered, so got the train to la spezia and back to carrera station. instead of going down the industrial estate we took the road one over but parrellel that had pavement. after about a hour (it took 45 mins to walk to the trainstation) we realised we were getting closer to the mountains, not further away, so took us a hour and half to get home. got some more pizza and chilled out. the place we are staying in is not great, it's out of the way and near a italian tourish resort. there isn;'t any other backpackers here. however tomorrow we are waking up early (7:30!) to go to pisa for the day. i was going to spend a couple of days in pisa however i've heard there isn't that much to do and florence is far nicer, so will go there for the day and see how it is. i'm here for 2 more nights (tonight and tomorrow) and then off we go. i'm prob going to travel to florence with pat and ellie as that's where they are off to, however unsure about hostel at the moment. i'm off to bed now, proper tired and hopefully toothbrush is charged up enough for me to use, ciao x

day 17/18, marina de massa

I’m currently sat in the hostel café 20m from the sea in the shade as it’s sweltering outside, though the breeze is thankfully picking up. Yday was quite a day, we left Milan around 11, got a regionale train for the place which stopped at every village and it took 4 and half hours but that was good, was good to have someone to travel with. There was a hour layover so we got a kebab, but a classy one and it was lovely. We’d booked a hostel close to the sea, got off the train to walk to the hostel and realised we booked the tickets to the wrong station, one too many! So we walked for 3 hours with our bags trying to find this hostel. No-one seemed to speak English and it was a bloody pain, and we had the worst map ever. Went down some bloody long roads and finally got some directions from this dude in a olive oil shop. every time we got directions we were told it would be 2km! We found the road but it was massive, and 2 german’s pulled up in an audi asking for directions to the hostel we were going to, so gave them the directions we had, then 15 mins later a lime green lupo pulled up with this Italian dude saying he was from apuano, the hostel, so we all jumped in and got a lift, thank fuck. The hostel itself is really nice, however there doesn’t seem to be anyone here, not least any backpackers. All we saw when we were walking were Italian tourist it seems. By the time we got to hostel it was 9 in the evening, so went and got some amazing pizza and ate it on the beach (it’s not the nicest looking beach though we didn’t care, it was marvellous. Went to bed pretty early and had a killer sleep, woke up to a boiling day outside, awent for a walk along the beach, it was bloody busy, got some brekkie and chilled out. Did all me washing which is currently hanging up, and tried to sort out me feet where I’ve got a not too nice blister. I’m here for a further 3 nights before heading south somewhere, prob pisa or Florence. Tomorrow we’re waking up early to go to cinque terra, a national park and do some coastal walking, it’s supposed to be real pretty so looking forward to it, as this place isn’t exactly beautiful. Enjoying doing nothing today, get some more pizza in for tea no doubt and chill out. There’s a air show on a beach just down the road so may go check that out, also need to check out a few things on internet, it’s amazing how being offline for a couple of days can throw you, makes hostel and train bookings so much harder, albeit not less fun. x

day 16, milano

Yesterday I woke up semi early after having a very hot sleep to go see the city. I got a day pass for the metro and went to the duomo, the big catherdral. It was really pretty and complex, so went in and had a look around. It was nice but as they say, once you’ve seen one catherdral… I then went for a walk around Milan, through this big arcade with lots of posh shops, Gucci, LV, all done up the same way in black and gold, even the McDonalds there was not the usual red. I was walking around Milan and for some reason just didn’t like it. I didn’t even want to take pictures, I walked past this fountain thing in front of the plaza entrance to the park, and it just wasn’t for me. It was really humid and hot, so I got the metro back to the hostel and had some amazing gelato. For some reason I can’t connect to the internet and it’s pissing me off a treat. In the hostel lobby I met Pat and Ellie, liam and alex, and we chilled out with some uno and pictionary. Had a bit of a ping pong sesh and some dinner, and wiled away the evening just chatting in the hostel. The hostel is a bit ramshackle but I quite like it, then was off to bed. This morning after a super sleep am going to la spezia, just south of cinque terra, a national park which is supposed to be real pretty. I booked 3 nights stay in a hostel and will just catch the train today. Am going there with Ellie and Pat, which will be nice as Italians don’t seem to speak a lot of English. A lot of people I speak to aren’t very impressed with Milan, and I can see why. The other thing that is going to piss me off over the next couple of days is I’ve been rinsed with mossie bites, luckily pat had some stinging cream so whacked that all over me, and I have some mossie repellent in me bag. Looking forward to seeing a bit more of italy, as at the moment part of me wishes I was back in Switzerland, though I couldn’t afford it! Hopefully my next entry will be a bit more interesting!

day 15, milano

Woke up this morning still in Interlaken and it was bloody boiling. I had the cabin to meself which was lovely,  could put the light on and make as much noise as I wanted. Jenne and Ward, this cool Canadian bloke who were also going to Milan were going the first bit by boat, so had the morning on my onesome. Didn’t do a lot, chatted to a few people I met in the tent village, made some lunch and made me way to the train station. Got a train to speiz and saw Jenne and ward, Jenne was off to a different bit of italy and ward was off to rome. Because of a fire in a tunnel we had to make 2 changeovers which was quite fun, no one quite knew where we going, but was a really good ride, saw some amazing lakes and views in italy. Got to Milan and it was sweltering. Said my goodbyes and got on the metro. Found my hostel really easy, and like it. I’m in a 24 bed dorm, booked for 1 night but will book in again for a couple of nights maybe, met lots of cool people, and Milan seems so different from Switzerland. A lot of people I spoke to said Milan was dirty, busy and not that great, so will go for a wander tomorrow and make my own mind up. So far I’ve gone for a little walk and to the supermarket, which compared to Switzerland was dirt cheap! People in my hostel were getting these amazing looking pizza’s,  leaned over to ask how much it was and they replied 7 euro! Def having one of them tomorrow. It was massive and looked amazing. Need to go see the city tomorrow and book in for another night, and also need to connect to the internet and check out the inter-rail pass round italy as that is well cheaper.

day 15 milano

hey all, i'm all good in milan! my computer is not picking up the internet for some reason so i'm borrowing liam;s, this cool dude from oz. i've wrote a big entry on my one that i'll copy and paste once i can connect to the internet. off to la spieza tomorrow with pat and ellie, 2 aussies i've met that are proper sound, booked there for 3 days, dont think much of milan, looking forward to leaving. hope to write more tomorrow, ta ra x

day 14/15, interlaken

i'm losing track of what day it is so i may be a bit off or repeating days on this blog, so just put up with it. Have had some amazing days in interlaken, proper cool place, interlaken literally translates as inbetween lakes, and they have 2 beautiful lakes! Spent the day before yesterday making up a picnic and going for a walk on my onesome, as ashley and jenne only went bloody skydiving. weather was lovely and read my book with me ankles in the clear cold lake, was great stuff. finished me book and really enjoyed it, started on me next one, brave new world by a dude called huxley, though think might desert it as it's bloody taxing. in the evening met up with jenne and ashley (the two girls from dallas) watched their skydiving dvds which was cool, really want to go skydiving even more now, and chilled out. they were getting up early in the morning so i hung around the tent village area, met some really cool canadians/americans (i know the difference, there were two different groups) and had a killer sleep. next morning with ashley gone for london spent the day walking to both lakes and having a dip with jenne, had a cracking day, weather was even better then the day before. in the evening went to check out the bar, they had a beach party which was ok, i booked my train to milan which leaves in a couple of hours, and a place to stay for the evening, looking forward to some special pizza and pasta! this place is really cool (the place i'm staying and the actual place) and will def be coming back here. switzerland is amazing, i might have said that before but it just is. also i need to go back to writing this daily as i swear i'm forgetting shit that i've done. enjoying meself hugely still! x

day 13, interlaken

The day before yesterday had an amazing meal with Julie and isabelle, then got a few beers in with Jaeron (the kiwi) and this sound Canadian bloke called Sheldon, he was wearing the weirdest shoes I’ve ever seen called vibram 5 fingers, which I found super interesting! Went to the bunker and it was alrite, same as Friday really. Next morning caught the train to Interlaken, only a 20 min trip, and walked to the hostel in the rain. I got there bout half 11 but couldn’t get into my tent till 4, so mooching around the lobby met 2 awesome girls from Dallas, Jenny and Ashley, and went round Interlaken with them. Went for a walk, checked out the tent village  (where we are staying), it’s really cool, there’s 22 very small marquees, each with 6 beds, 3 sets of bunkbeds, with wooden floors, all around the edge with a communal area in the middle, with hammock, a fire thing, hot tub and indoor area, surrounded by mountains, it’s cool. Shared me tent with 4 other’s yday, all really nice, 2 americans and 3 guys from Singapore. Yesterday me jenny and Ashley had a good meal of pasta and vegetables, and chatted away. They were both in interesting jobs, jenny worked in production (making commercials and documentaries) and Ashley did work in recruiting but was starting a job in commercial banking in july. We got in to the tent village about half 8, which is 10 mins down the road from the main hostel with the kitchen, there was a good vibe so we went looking for some beers. Managed to find some and after a couple of cans made our way back to the hostel to go the metro, the number one club in Interlaken! It was shit, like the worst techno from the eighties over the most horrible sound system, you couldn’t hear any tune, all you could hear were people chatting. We went up to the kitchen area where sat with the 2 americans that sharing the tent with, and 2 others from Miami who were really nice, had a glass of wine (I call it wine…..) walked home and went to bed. Jenny and Ashley are going sky diving today, so gonna meet up with them for dinner in the evening. Plans for today include try and get my train to Milan sorted, I’m here for another night but it shouldn’t be too hard if I want to stay longer, plus it’s the cheapest place I’ve been to so far, and I want to go check out lake thun, as yday went to lake bierntz. Am super chilled out and having a fab time, so far the time has flown by! It’s been good to go somewhere different then a normal city, and reckon after a couple of cities I might want to head somewhere a little more rural/village-y.

day 11/12, lauterbrunnen

Day 11/12, lauterbrunnen.

So I managed to do all me washing, I didn’t realise quite how much washing I had, was pretty much all of it. Luckily in the cabin there is a gas heater so I whacked that up to full and hung all it up over it and it dried pretty damn quick. Went and knocked on Julie and Isabella (her friend which name I remembered, I say remembered, on the train from Grindelwald (we’re coming to that bit) they were trying to teach me some French, so we went though the whole j’ampelle routine!) and we headed off through the village back to the train station and caught a train to Grindelwald. After about a hour and a changeover we arrived at grindelwald and it started pissing it down, we walked up to the toboggan place but it doesn’t operate in the rain, bollocks. So we went for a bit of a walk up a hill and had a really nice time, the rain didn’t bother us at all. After a few hours we made our way back to the train station, stopping at the shop to pick up some food, I was going to cook summat up. We got shit loads of food, had bread and cheese for starters while we cooked up some spaghetti with a tomato sauce, loads of veg and mince. There was bloody loads of it which was amazing as was well hungry. In the evening we were going to go walk under the waterfall, but by the time we all got sorted out  was too late and dark, so us three and a kiwi called Jaeron just sat in their cabin chatting away till it got pretty late. Slept like a baby which was amazing and woke up to a really nice clear day. Decided I would go for a little walk, so went to the camp site and made up some sandwiches  and other things and set up. Walked to Murren which was pretty hard going, really steep and hot with the sun doing it’s things. At murren was amazing views, could see the big mountains with all the snow on, and they had some clay tennis courts at the very edge of the mountain, if carlsberg made tenniss courts…. It took me about 2 hours to walk to murren, so kept going onto Grimmelwald. On the way there I stopped and read a bit more of my book, then realised you could only get down via cable car, so went back through murren. On the way down I put my ipod in and had a rather pleasant daydream. On the route there were some amazing views and loads of waterfalls, I really like Switzerland sooo much. Lots of mountain bikers and this one nutter on a proper techy skateboard, it was plastic with 2 almost like bmx wheels either side of his feet. They were also people paragliding and all that, was amazing. Back at the hostel now, leave tomorrow for Interlaken,  have a night accommodation booked in a tent village, a place voted one of europes 10 best hostels, with a newly opened outdoor hot-tub! Tonight will whip summat up for dinner as eating out is so expensive and then have a few beers and might go check out the bunker again. As lovely as this place is I’m looking forward to not paying for wi-fi, I’m writing me blog on work’s word and pasting it over. I’m gonna head off, I’m in desparate need of a shower. x

day 10, lauterbrunnen

Day 10, lauterbrunnen


Thursday night I went for a wander in the evening, which was really nice to see Bern in the dark, super pretty and went around reading a few of the historical boards they had across the city, all very interesting. On the way back to the hostel I stopped at the swiss houses of parliament (as it stands on top of a massive hill) and had a lovely view. There I met 3 awesome american dudes from viginia, who had just finished college and was doing a 3 week tour of Europe before settling down to proper jobs. Got back to the hostel and it was super quiet, which was lovely, got an amazing sleep. Woke up bit earlier then usual to get breakfast in, which I ate with the americans (christian, Malcolm and the other name I’ve forgotton…) then went for a swim! The pool was just down the road, and it was outside and very peaceful. It was a lovely day and there was only another person in the pool, so swam about for half hour which was great, bit on the cold side though. I really enjoyed just floating on my back and looking up seeing the houses of parliament at the top of the hill, a grand building no more then 350m away, with the sun coming from the right hand side and perfect blue sky, it was probably the best thing I’ve done at quarter past nine for a long time. Back to the hostel to check out and had a chat with Chris (the Canadian). He showed me some of his urban planning stuff which I found really interesting, it’s crazy how two people can look at the same thing and see and look for different things. At the train station it had an old fashioned time table, the sort that after 2 minutes or so the whole thing would refresh by physically flicking though all the different options, which I found fascinating. At the train station met the american trio again, they were getting on the same train as me only to Interlaken, so sat with them and had a good chat. On the way to Interlaken we passed some insane scenery and this amazing lake called lake thun. I caught my connection from Interlaken to lauterbrunnen, and as soon as I got into lauterbrunnen saw 4 waterfalls! One pretty big one which was awesome. I walked through the village to the place where I was staying, they didn’t have a reservation for me however were able to put me up in a cabin, with 3 lots of bunkbeds  which is really cool. I went to the shop and met 2 aussie sisters  called sarah and jessa, they were proper sound and on the top deck tour of Europe, by the sounds of how it was I’m really glad I am doing it independently. They were off to Trummelbach falls, and invited me along. The walk was really cool, past a fast flowing river and lots of fungi and slugs which they found really interesting. Trummelbach falls is amazing, you take a lift inside the cliff, then some more stairs up the cliff, and they have cut tunnels through the mountain and gives you amazing views of this waterfall, there’s 10 differet cascades in there. That was sick and really enjoyed it. They left to go get some food with their group which was pre arranged, they were really good fun. Got back to my cabin about 6 and was hungry, so walked though the village to get some food, but the shop was shut and it started to piss it down, so read a few more chapters of the very entertaining book. On coming back I got some food from the camping site shop with a few beers and went to the communal kitchen to knock summat up. In there I met two French Canadian girls who were bus about-ing round Europe, one called Julie and the other again I’ve forgotton. (I really need to start listening to both names when I get introduced). Got on really well with them, and they were heading off to a friends cabin for some drinks, so I joined them. In the cabin which is tiny was about 14 people, mostly aussies, a Canadian and a couple of others, who were all either friends or had met on bus about, (similar to the kiwi experience). Had a right laugh, went and got changed into some fancier gear and went down to the bunker, a club at the bottom of this building nearby, had a great time, more beers, bit of dancing and chatting and the like and got back to me cabin about 2. Plans for today is get a shower, do some washing, meet up with Julie and her friend, there’s a waterfall 5 mins walk here where you can walk under it! I’m here for another 2 nights, however internet here is expensive! 4 quid for half hour or 12 quid for 3 hours! I’m thinking of going back down to Interlaken for a couple of days as I’d like to see more of the river and other shit, there’s a place nearby that you take a cable car up the mountain and a 725m toboggan ride down! I think there’s a swiss youth hostel down there (by the same company that ran the one I stayed in in basel and bern, so I know it will be proper nice). From Interlaken I can catch a train to Milan, as I would have had to gone back to Interlaken from lauterbrunnen anyway. This place is called Valley of the waterfalls, there’s 72 around here! Let’s see how many I can see!  Not sure how often it at all I’ll be in on the internet over the next couple of days, might not update this blog till Monday, x

day 8, bern again!

yesterday night had dinner at the hostel which was lovely, really simply cooked chicken and these potatoes things, but was really tasty and well done, proper nice cauliflower soup and a very average desert, which i couldn't tell if it was a light cake or a mousse! I met a really nice lady called Ann, born in london but lives in cape town, and just seems to spend her retirement jetting around the world, location being dictated by the cheapest flights and which friends she can stay with! I then got on the internet and sorted out my next stop, have bought me ticket to lauterbrunnen, just south of interlaken for friday at midday, and have booked a hostel for 4 nights. really looking forward to lauterbrunnen as it is in the jungfrau region and there are loads of waterfalls surrounding it, including one which you can see from the hostel! I've become a member of the yha, which seems to be a big thing in switzerland, a 3 year membership was 20 quid and in bern alone i've saved 8 quid for staying two nights, so that's all good! it was still bucket-ing down so went back to me room and had a cracking chat with Chris (the canadian) and this japanese bloke who goes to uni in bath. was very interesting and fun, finding out different bits about each other's culture and the like. Woke up just before 9 after a amazing sleep to catch breakfast, which was good, then headed into the town centre (only 5 mins away from the hostel). i went with chris and Tiago, a brazilian 38yr old who's a architect and was sharing the room, and had a look around the city, gathering different bits of information and learning a bit about the history behind it. Chris went off to the library, so me and tiago walked around for a few hours, to no where in particular and had a good old chat, he was a proper sound bloke. among other things in bern they have what they call a bear pit, which is part of a hill they've fenced off and have some bears just mooch about, was quite surreal. we left the city centre and went to a suburb, passed a anti nuclear protest where people seemed to have set up a permanent camp outside this post building, like the one outside westminister, however this being switzerland it wasn't full of tramps or booze bottles, they had even built a vegetable patch! we stumbled across a botanical garden which was real pretty. at 2 tiago left to catch a train to a city which he couldn't remember (so i have no luck) so i carried on my wandering round the city. i got some chinese food which was proper nice, sat on a bench on this terrace with a cracking view of a mountain and across the river Aar. I picked up a book in basel called the vesivous club, by mark gatiss (i think one of the blokes behind the league of gentleman) and it's bloody brilliant, about a portrait artist of questionable intergrity in edwardian times, who happens to be a secret service agent on the side. so for a couple of hours it went walk for a bit, find a bench and read, walk... was amazing. i got back to the hostel about 6, still full from my chinese, so thought i'd go for a swim. was looking forward to it immensely, it's 300m down the road, turned in to the pool compound and this angry swiss woman starts shouting that they are closed, she said in in bad weather they close at 6. bollocks. def want to go before i leave so will wake up a bit earlier and head off in the morning. not much planned for this evening, may get a snack from somewhere, wander around or see if i can bump into anyone in the lobby, then hit the hay. tomorrow go for a swim then off to lauterbrunnen at midday! can't wait!

Day 7, bern!

It pissed it down all night, which was lovely as had the window open and could hear the rain plummeting into the canal just outside our hostel (you have to go over a slight bridge to get to the hostel from the quiet road where it is. Slept like a baby, and had a cracking breakfast again. Took a tram to the train station and caught my train to bern. In the swiss trains they were double layered, so went upstairs, had a 4 seater table thing to meself and was on the train for a hour. It left at 11.01 and arrived at bern at 11.56 exactly, which was great. The train itself was quick, quiet and clean, had some amazing views out the window, even though it was still lashing it down. On leaving the station I wasn’t sure where to go, so asked for some directions. The bloke I asked was super friendly, and despite it pissing it down and him not having a coat or umbrella said he’d walk with me as he knew exactly where it was! He was a german bloke called Ryan, and was awesome, he’d lived in Bern for 9 years and worked in a call centre. He took me pass the officially shortest railway line in Switzerland (like 20m down a steep hill, which they charge 1.3chf (swiss francs) so I guess per mile is also the most expensive bit of swiss railway. I think I‘ll take it when I leave for the train station with me bag, as doing the hill without me bag is not easy going, it‘s a big steep bastard) and within 10 mins arrived at hostel. Hostel is very nice, no where near as nice as the one in basel, but don’t think much will be. There was a folder of things to do in bern so I flicked through that, they suggested a set route for getting to know the city, so I did that in the pissing rain, was great. Bern is lovely busier then Basel though much bigger.  300m away from the hostel is a public swimming pool that is free, though they closed 2 hours early because of the weather, though will def go for a dip. I’m booked in the hostel for 2 nights, though thinking of staying a third. In a six bed dorm, same comfortable beds but not as big or nicely laid out. I really wish I took some photos of the hostel in basel, but when I thought of it it was pissing it down. Spent a hour looking for a british plug to swiss adapter, couldn’t find one however found euro to swiss which works (the swiss port is smaller and hexagonal in shape, and have the same pins as the euro one with a extra pin underneath. I’m having dinner again at the hostel, as cheaper then elsewhere in bern and hopefully meet a few people. Met one of the people I’m sharing a room with, a Canadian bloke called Chris, in his thirties I’m guessing, been in bern for 3 weeks hoping to get a job down here as he likes it so much, he’s a urban planner and seems very interesting and intelligent. Not sure what I’ll do tomorrow, maybe work out where I want to go next, as well as doing something interesting around the city!

Day 6, basel, 11:03

Found under my bed lamp there is a power port that I can charge my things which is cool, would be going to bed part from 2 of me roommates (the Slovakians) are speaking really loudly in (I’m guessing they speak Slovakian in slovakia) while rolling quite a few joints, fucking fantastic, though they did ask if I wanted to join them, I’m sure they have Slovakian hearts of gold. When they found out I was from England they started quoting jamie oliver and Gordon ramsay at me, turns out they are chefs. (though the Gordon ramsey quotes were just shouting “fuck, fucking disgrace, you make me fucking sick”, though they were laughing pretty hard and I was laughing at the attempted Scottish accent (is Gordon ramsay Scottish?…) they said bern was very beautiful, lots of mountains, so really looking forward to it. Had dinner in the hotel today, was very nice again, was gazpacho, stuffed aubergines and zucchinis (stuffed with mince, rice, feta cheese topped with breadcrumbs), rice and a tomato sauce, with strawberry mousse for desert! After dinner went for swim in the Rhein, which was lovely.. While walking during the day  I saw some people had these floats things and just went with the current down the river, it looked amazing.
After my swim me and Mio were going to get some beers from aldi as 6 beers were half the price of a pint in the hostel, and sit by the rhein, however on our way to aldi it started pissing it down, aldi was closed so got the tram home. It pissed it down all night, so sat in the hostel lobby in this massive window thing, like a huge double bed as a window sill by a huge window, and watched it rain and rain with a coke, was proper nice. Well the Slovaks have left now, so will turn in for the night, night x

day 6, basel

after me meal yday went and sat by the river Rhein, which was gorgeous, the sun was setting and people running over this massive bridge were silhoeted like something off a film. sat there till it got dark, then went back to my room. was in a 6 bed male dorm last night, same again today and met some amazing people, 2 germans, a canadian, a pole and a slovakian. one of the germans were doing somethingincredible, he was cycling from his home in germany to the south of italy i believe, mostly camping, riding between 80-150kms every day for 3 and a half weeks. he said it's the best thing he's ever done, and he was really interesting and good company. Slept like a baby over night, this morning met Mio for breakfast which was reallygood, then set off for basel, just wondering around, jumping on and off trams, seeing mazing architecture. i love switzerland, it's lovely, so clean, fresh, lovely people, there's water fountains everywhere that you can drink out of. it is expensive though, but they do have a aldi! sat by the river on the other side for a couple of hours, a stunning neighbourhood, with a clay court tennis club, outdoor metal table tennis tables, lovely parks, great views and no one erally about. everyhouse was like something out of grand designs. i've booked my train ticket to bern for tomorrow, and got 1 night accomadation sorted in a hostel down the road by the station. this hostel i'm in at the mo is insane, will def be coming back!i'm now going to go for a swim in the river, have a shower and meet mio for dinner at 7, again in the hostel because it was soo good and much better value. have to go because running out of battery, and switzerland have slightly different plugs which my one doesn't fit in, damn them, i'll forgive em though, because it is so damn lovely.

still day 5, basel

arrived in basel! got the train alright, had a slight hiccup on the train where i thought i'd bought a 12-25 year old discounted ticket turns out to be only if you have the french train card thing, so had to pay extra 20 euro on the trip, learnt my lesson tho, will always queue up and buy from a human being then a machine. the train itself was wonderful, lots of amazing scenery, lakes, rivers, canals, greenery. i've forgotton what the word is for when you change stations half way through, however on that i saw a japanese woman looking as lost as me, and we were going to the same place, so sat with her., her names Miochi yamamoto (i think) who's 34 and going round europe for a month. we walked to the hostel which was really easy to find, i'd booked ahead though Mio also found a bed for 3 nights. the hostel is amazing, compared to my last hostel it;s a bloody palace, it's by a canal, there's loads of space and light, its a super eco thing, like something straight out of grand designs. after dropping our stuff off went for a wander round basel, its really cool that the hostel gave us a free public transport card, so have and will be hopping on buses and trams. after checking out the prices in different places switzerland is quite dear, eg a burger king meal cost 17 chf, about 14 quid. at the hostel they were doing a 3 course meal for 17.50 chf, which is so much better then a bk, and it was awesome. had tomato and basil soup whcih was great, duck breast with some sort of sauce and gooey rice with veg, a bowl of salad, a lovely apple flan and a pint. we ate outside by the canal and it's lovely, so different to paris, much cleaner, quieter, safer and easier, though does not have the box office that paris does. am here for 2 nights, as much as i love the hostel i dont think there's much more then 2 days worth of things in basel for a semi-ignorant backpacker. so will check out the trains cost to lautterbrunnen and bern, also if i can get a hostel in bern as couldnt last time i checked and bern is more expensive then basel! am enjoying meself soooo much and looking forward to a lovely quiet sleep. oh and it's so nice for it not to be soo hot as it was in paris, during our walk it was pissing it down however the sun was shining full tilt, couldn't spot a rainbow, not even a double one.

day 5, about to leave paris

am waiting to catch my half twelve train to basel, so sat in hostel bar, train station 15 mins walk away. yday watched the first set of the french open, had a killer nap, then went for  a wander round the seine canal, got some food, got back to the hostel around half nine, where i met Takeshi in the bar, he hadnt been to sacre coeur yet so we went off to there, by the time we got to the top it was pissing down and there was a massive lightning storm again, was proper cool just sat on the steps looking out over paris with loads of lightning, then took the metro home and had a cracking sleep. John, the indian chap i shared the room with, is from milan and he said it wasn't the best city, that it shuts down around 8/9 and wouldn't recommend staying for more then a couple of days. Will see how switzerland is and how expensive it is, still unsure whether to go to bern or straight to lautterbrunnen from basel, shall see. looking forward to basel!

day 4....Paris

had an amazing time yesterday night, walked to the hostel where i stayed the first night to meet up with Lissette and Lauren, where we went to the arc de triumph, went up it which was amazing, could see for miles and really liked how you could see 360 degrees of paris. we then went for a walk up the champs de elysees, saw the eiffel tower all lit up and shiny, then it started a thunder storm, with loads of lightning, like proper big lightning and really loud thunder. walked to Invalides, got some food and then took the metro home, where we walked up to the sacre couer in the dark and the rain and saw paris all lit up in the dark, which was a cracking sight, with this big spot light being shone from the eiffel tower. got in to me hostel around 12, knocked on the door and met my two room-mates, 2 sound blokes, a really cool japanese bloke called Takeshi, who;s 2 months into a year tour, and a indian chap who;s studying at milan and doing a quick backpacking and going to see the french open. had a dreadful nights sleep, was really hot despite it absolutely pissing it down, and was relaly noisy, next to a club, fucking great, will sleep with my ipod in tonight. This morning woke ridiculously early at 7 to meet Lissette and Lauren to go to the louvre, where there was  a massive queue, turns out its the free day (first sunday of everymonth) though we got a crepe and the queue melted away in an hour. the louvre was amazing, saw mona, still dont get it, was really crowded tho some of it was quiet and spent 5 hours wandering around and have a look. lauren and lissette left to get their train to rome, so after a bit longer in the louvre got the metro home and took a much needed shower. i liked the louvre but there was so many amazing things it all melted into one, dont think it helped much being sooooo tired. its really hot here, i'm writiing this in the hostel bar next to some aussies who moaning about the heat. plans for tonight is to chill out, watch the french open final somewhere and get a bloody good sleep, then off to basel tomorrow!

day 3, again paris

hello! have had a cracking day in paris, doing nothing in particular. awaking from my pokey hotel which i actually came to like, went off to a bakery and got a massive pain au chocolat, amazing. then checked out and made my way to my new hostel, which somehow a 3 bed dorm is smaller then the hotel room i stayed in last night, i havent met my roommates yet shall see what they are like. i tried sorting out where i wanted to go next, couldnt decide between bern or basel, and using seat 61 website the tickets were more expensive then i thought they would be. so i packed it in and went for a wander round paris, down a canal and up the other side, was lovely. had a sit down and a pepsi in the shade watching some sort of public event whcih was cool, singing, ppl on stilts. i thought i'd check out the train station, the gare du 'lest and just thought i'd check what the ticket prices are, which were  ahellava lot cheaper, so i've got my train to basel on monday, leaving at midday, and have 2 nights booked in a basel hostel, from there i will go onto bern or lautterbrunnen. onmy way back i walked past a subway and got meself a massive and amazing baguette, with a brownie, and sat down on part of a different canal to eat. not sure what i'm going to do tonight, want to see eiffel tower all lit up, am yet to see the arc, so may go to them. also yday i went to the sacre couer, cheers G for pointing that out. am really enjoying meself, it's a completly different experience to what i've done, and paris is growing on me.

day 2, paris still

so i just read that last passage back, when i said i didnt like the business, i meant busy-ness, just in case... i'm sat on the stairs on the top floor of my hotel as it's proper basic, one toilet per floor, and the toilet is half the size of my aquarium one at home, and one shower for the building. so they have one power port per floor,, for cleaning me thinks, so i've jumped on that to charge me things. went to that catherdral at the top, went in, had a massive and cool painted ceiling, then sat on the steps looking out to paris, with the locals who were getting drunk or trying to sell you things, the tourists, and the fuzz, with a couple of angry looking chaps in camo gear wielding augs (you know you'veplayed too much cod when you recognise weapons in real life). there i bumped into 3 american girls doing a european trip and they were great. i've not met many from the states but so far they all seem spot on, yet to meet another brit, just seem to see germans and yanks, oh, and french. jobs for 2moro include getting to me hostel where i'm staying at for 2 days, and trying to sort out my tickets to switzerland, and working out what bit of switzerland i want to go to (basle, berne or lautterbrennen) Did my first bit of washing today, used my sink plug, my kitchen sink and my washing line! really happy with what i packed, so far nothing has been thrown away or cursed at. i also wanna go see the arc. paris is cool though i miss the space and greenery, so roll on switzerland. i'm gonna turn in, night x ( and jen, i'm sorry i lost chuck, he was awesome)

day 2, paris

after a much needed and awesome sleep i joined Lauren and Lucette (mylovely  two new yorker roommates) for brekkie, then we headed out. was bloody hot,though i quickly got to grips with the metro system, and felt a lot more comftable should i ever get lost, the metro is amazing, so simple and much cheaper also! Went to go to the louvre, which the buildings itself was incredible, however the queue was ridiculously big and was not moving, so headed off to Notre Dam catherdral. that was really good, however amazing it was it didn't cause the biggest of interstes for me. so we walked up tto he eiffel tower and went up it, however becuase of congestion, and it was bloody busy, they closed the top so only went up to the 2nd floor, but the view was sick and paris is pretty cool. i dont like the business though and the people pushing stuff at you, but thats what comes with a capital city. now sat in my hotel room, about to have a shower as i'm honking. have a really nice bed, and hey have a late check out so will have a grande sleep and make my way over to my other hostel that i'm staying in sat and sun, sometimes called a dry run. also where i'm staying, montmarte, is just 5 mins away from saint claeur, the cathedral that offers amazing views of paris, so will go check that out. i'm really enjoying myself, though am looking forward to leaving paris. x

still paris

i'm sat in the hostel lobby watching countless people coming in asking for a bed for the night, and being turned away... hostel world is coming with nowt for tomorrow, so after  a quick google found a hotel w round the corner for 40 euro so that is booked for tomorrow, and trying to book sat and sunday, so i can get out of paris monday!

paris!

12:05, 2/6/11

Ok, after months of planning I’m sat on the coach at the start of my trip! Me mum gave me a lift to the coach stattion, and once I goton the coach all my nerves disappeared. I know it sounds a bit disney but I feel quite free spirted and relaxed.  We’ll see how the day pans out….

15:23

On the train to paris right now, which is cool. Got the tube alright and arrived in  st panncras  with plenty of time, st pancras has an awesome roof!  I’m enjoying meself and quite relaxed…

21:09

well i'm now in the hostel, which is amazing, as i got meself lost in paris. the hostel is 10 mins away from the train station i got off at, however thanks to shit sense of direction and not very helpful people i went all over the show, went to some of the most horrible neighbourhoods i've been to, had a bloke run past me being chased by a group with butchers knives... but i found an upmarket hotel and the guy behind the desk was amazing, and drew me directions and step by step instructions, though i got on the metro going the wrong way, so it took me 3 hours to find the hostel! i'm here now and i'm safe, so it's alright.  i'm sharing a room with 2 lovely new yorker girls who are doing a week and half tour of europe. i know i haven't seen the best bits of paris but i'm not that keen on it lol, i can't find a bed in a hostel tomorrow night, all fully booked, so if push comes to shove will last minute a hotel room, i know it's not the spirit of it but needs must. i'm really looking forward to sleeping. really happy i didn't pack any heavier also, me bag is amazing. like me mum said, it will be exactly how you didn't think it would be, however i'm really happy i'm here, we shall see what tomorrow brings!

tomorrow...argh

ok, i leave tomorrow... Even though been planning this for bloody ages it's sneaked up on me! I'm good to go though, last day at work it was on monday, was a really nice day where people bought in cakes and the like, how nice! Got loads of amazing presents from everyone, stuff that i needed for going on me travels. i just need to pack! i'm trying to pack light and practical but not having much luck. Had a lovely last week in soton, had a lovely time sat night round the fire with some amazing friends and beers, sunday had an h'awesome day at st marys, though monday felt like i had been beaten up, went for a meal yday and got some things in town, tonight seeing x men with me bro and mum then back to hers for steak and cake! next time i update this i'll be in paris... x