Behind on Travelblogs

(still editing... I cant remember a lot right now....)

Since Maui, I have seen the following places:

- Paris (2nd time),
- Switzerland (Lausanne, Montreux, Geneva, Bern, Interlaken, Lungern, Luzern, Basel, Zurich, Schnauffhausen, etc)
- Germany (Stuttgart, Berlin, Munich)
- Hungary (Budapest)
- Slovakia (Bratislava)
- Czech Republic (Prague)
- Poland (Krakow, Oswiecem, Birkenau)
- The Netherlands (Haarlem and Amsterdam)
- Luxembourg (City)
- Denmark (Kobenhavn)
- Russia (Mockba and St Petersburg)
- Turkey (Istanbul and Antalya).

Within UK, I've so far only been to London and Liverpool.


Here are some memories from each trip:

PARIS

• Twice travelled 45mins minimum one-way, changing 3 metro line each time, to have my Vietnamese Pho Special (again), YUM!
• Room on the 4th floor, no elevator, winding staircase, had to carry my suitcase up and then down on my own!
• String bracelet scam – I walked away with a free bracelet, hahaha! Beat the dude to his own game, he didn’t know what happened, hahahah! But I lost it after I had to go back to save my guy friend from the same scam. The dude recovered and pulled it off my hand while I quarreled with his partner. I should have put it in my pocket straight away, hahahah!
• The longest queue we had to fall in line for to reserve our eurail tickets.
• Now I see more dog turds, and lotsa baby clothes stores!!?!
• Notre Dame looking beautiful at night
• Finished my first bottle of red wine on my own, and I was only tipsy!
• Friendship/relationship talks

SWITZERLAND

• Lausanne - Friend blaming an old lady for the odd smell next to him inside the restaurant, thinking the lady disgraced herself, when it was the cheese they were eating, hahahah!!!
• Eurail made all train trips free!!!
• Montreux fest closed on Sunday, and it was raining
• So we went to Geneva
• Monday all day first class train ride while the rain poured – Lausanne, Bern, Interlaken, Lungern, Luzern, Basel (lunch), Zurich and Schnauffnasen.

POLAND

• Sunset on the way while on the train
• Second class shocker, people were standing packed along the walkway! My buddy wouldnt accept less than first class train travel since, lol!
• First delay experienced in the trip, 20mins approx due to damaged tracks
• Oswiecim and Birkenau - it was hard to not be upset
• Pierego and pancakes
• Really liked Central Krakow and Polish ambience
• Wawel Castle was nice

BRATISLAVA

• Main train stn Hlavna Stanica, about 1km north of the centre
• Saw little, wasnt there long enough, but was glad i stopped over to glance
• Aimed to see as much of the city centre and the castle area
• First (and only? of two?) biatch fight with my travel buddy happened here, lol!

PRAGUE

• Everywhere you look, the buildings were over-spectacular!!
• A lot of Star Wars influence came from here, eg Darth Vader, the spaceship, etc
• Plzen beer - Czech Republic's golden nectar... I was tipsy a lot again
• Prague tour and free dinner, Rennie, Ahmed and Serife
• Role as a sidekick
• Missing my (i thought at the time) beautiful friend

GERMANY

• I love Germany, I knew this since last year!
• In Stuttgart, felt sleepy and tired (a few euphemism here), but dinner was nice
• Kasespatzle and maultauschen and beer
• In Munich, it was nice to see Marienplatz again, the same buildings are still being renovated
• Long wait for Budapest train overnighter from Stuttgart
• Watched our Copenhagen train leave us, even though we were waiting for it for approx 20mins at the flatform, in Berlin
• I like the no-nonsense and efficient German approach i keep sensing and seeing

BUDAPEST

• A diamond in the rough, beautiful touristy yet still cutely lacking or rough in places
• Neverending search for langos (fried dough with cheese or cream from food stand)
• Egri bikaver – bull’s blood beer
• Vilmospalinka – brandy made with plums or apricots
• Szek szardi wine
• Eclectic hostel with shonky owner
• Dilapidated buildings needing care
• Crazy drivers not stopping for peds
• Pest more touristy than Buda
• Nice day of sunshine
• Funky water – theodoro kukkuti
• Esther and Lazslo
• Turosteszta - had the pasta but did not taste the dessert
• Gypsy cymbolos concert with tv blaring in background and microwaved food in Giero recommended by hostel owner Adam
• Hostel where we stayed old kitsch
• Eating watermelons late at night while it rained and thundered

COPENHAGEN

• I loved the hippie side and could live there - Christianhavn
• Loved how relaxed I felt while there, I think it reminded me of Melbourne during summer
• Met a guy typically named Bern, got his email address, and took several photos of him - which eventually inspired my friend to "Carpe Diem" about a Berlin girl ;-)
• Bought some nice, old handpainted potteries
• Got tipsy again while having lunch and drinking beer produced in the country, in King's Park
• Little Mermaid's statue was a nice treat
• Best shower we had during our Europe trip was in the train's shower while it was moving!! Hahahah! Strong water current, high showerhead, and new spacious shower area.

AMSTERDAM & HAARLEM

• Flat land, no mountains, rolling hills?
• Good place to go with friends intending to run amok and smoke marijuana (it's legal there)!!
• Hard to take photos of the ladies in the windows, apparently we're not supposed to??!!?
• No men in the windows!!!? What about my demands!!?! ;-P
• Made sure we stepped out of Amsterdam, at least to Haarlem, because I felt it was unfair to think of Netherlands just as how Amsterdam tourism is portraying it.
• Best room out of our Europe Trip was in Amsterdam, but far from the city centre (had to catch a tram) - high ceilings, huge space, comfy lux bed!

LUXEMBOURG

• Very rich, but boring (on weekends), but relaxed
• All cars were posh!
• You can feel the reason why Lux-ers will feel proud and even pompous about their country
• Nice place to visit once, or maybe when much older, to get a sense of their culture and pride, in an enjoyable slow pace

RUSSIA

• I loved Russia
• A rough diamond - many contradictions and extremes
• Beautiful architecture/buildings, amazing underground stations, sense of precision and grandness while I walked/travelled around....
• Then you see rabid dogs everywhere (like huge pigeons), lots and lots of drunks and homeless people, lots of uniforms showing authority (which you later work out even gardeners wear), and cops beating people midday in full view!
• In tourist areas... safer than expected... but like some cities, eg New York, making one wrong turn into a non-touristy street... I couldnt help but feel on edge... that I was testing my luck and safety. People with non-white features be aware (not beware!) but definitely should still go at least to Moscow and St Petersburg!
• Two overnight trains between Moscow and St Petersburg, and i kissed the angel/old man whom helped and translated for us out of overwhelming gratitude!
• I was freezing all the time, since I packed in haste, and was running away, so I forgot my jacket amongst many things!
• Overnight stay in Munich in a hotel close to the airport
• Early morning bad news our Munich to Moscow flight cancelled!!! We lucked it by going to Vienna (chance passengers) where we caught a Vienna to Moscow flight. Whew!!
• Then my friend had to deal with lost baggage, which arrived 30mins before we were heading off to St Petersburg!
• I was quite sick and broken during this trip, so I slept most of the time instead of trying to be a local. I didnt have the physical and psychological strength to throw myself out there to experience it fully. It would be good to go back for around 5 days in each city....
• Dont know if I just really needed some soul food, but I absolutely loved eating at a Georgian Restaurant in St Petersburg!! The soups lifted my spirit and energised me!
• Loved Tuborg beer!
• Also got lucky being recommended to go to an Ottoman restaurant in Moscow, where we ate all the time! Loved the fresh Moroccan mint tea!

TURKEY

• I loved Turkey, I could even consider living there
• Accommodation was new, in a very quiet but still touristy street (so we had plenty of choices for hangouts and upmarket restaurants) in Sultahnamet, Istanbul
• Dining, chilling, smoking and dancing in Reina while enjoying the night view of Bosphorous Strait and Bosphorous Bridge
• Shisha-ed and smoked until my head hurt or til i couldnt stand my mouth tasting like an ashtray anymore
• Always drunk, tipsy or feeling high (from alcohol)!! Hahahah!
• For the first time in all my trips, I got sick of eating local cuisines!!
• Was too lazy to chase my favourite turkish delights!! And it would have been awesome there!!!!??!
• Avoided taxis as much as possible, caught trams, buses and ferries instead! Twas fun to work it out and soooh easy!!!
• My best moment in Istanbul was lying down on cushions on the floor, sucking on a shisha pipe, or puffing cigarettes, drinking Russian beer, reading a book, oblivious of anyone, while a cool September wind blows through the window next to me.
• In Antalya, we stayed in a pension house located within the Old Town of Kaleici, away from traffic/city noises and modern buildings - very nice!
• Tried different beaches in Antalya, which we had to travel to get to - Konyaalti was the best and preferred by locals, then Lara. Memerli was too close to the marina to stay clean and a paid beach, but the sunset view was nice.
• In Lara we met, smoked and drank with 2 very nice locals - Fico and Alpay
• My best moment in Antalya was swimming alone or far from the beach, facing towards the sea. There were several moments where I just wanted to keep swimming away til I was tired, which was suicidal because there was nothing but the sea in front of me, so I had to control the urge.

LIVERPOOL

• Old buildings, with a quieter ambience compared to London, very nice
• Tate Liverpool
• Meeting Mr Hyde
• Embraced merrily the British culture of drinking pints of beers for hours, while in good company :-) !! Cheers!
• Then received the most disgusting news I've ever heard about someone, and I have never been the same since

Quick Update

- Hating the limescale in the water, but learned to live with it
- Losing my tan rapidly, Maui trip was my best tan ever!
- I miss nature/outdoors, the 3 parks in my area are not enough
- Cancelled 3 dates last week, so I guess im still not in the market (well, 2 dates and 1 catch-up with a guy friend)
- Instead spending time with the ladies, them prepping me up for the dating market, I should be ready within 2 weeks..??
- Just found out a girlfriend wants me to date her brother, hahahah!
- One other friend is quickly trying to set me up with his friend as well!!!
- Loving my new roommates, glad to be back "home"
- Job front not good, not good at all
- Missing my Delight terribly!!!! Im purring for her.... I know from her I received unconditional and true love, even though she was only a cat
- Again noticed how lonely people are... and lost....
- Not looking for my better man, if he finds me all good, if he doesnt it's not the end of life, instead im busy playing life with enthusiasm....
- Trying to be strong, or accepting of my weakness when I cant
- Not feeling happy at the moment, I faded into someone I dont want to be, stuck in confusion, trying to deal
- When I think Im alone or no one's paying attention, I always break. Since start of this month, tears fell daily/nightly
- Went through several upto 8kilos weight fluctuations, gained and lost, no diets required
- Missing good food and quality ingredients
- Now I understand why people drink alcohol to numb down everything going on within, or to put a pause on dealing with anything as one is too intoxicated
- Cookings skills has not improved, heheheh - e.g. i whipped some pasta together like a chef with limited ingredients, canned pasta from the supermarket would have been tastier, hahah, aaargh!!!
- Missing my innocence/naivety, yet trying to be a bitch! It's hard to be someone Im (so obviously) not!!! Aaarrgh! :-)
- Trying to be a better liar, but failing when it counts!!! Aaaargh (again!)!!!
- Decided London is temporary
- Have lots of catch-up stories to blog about my travel etc, some already started, but feeling down, it has been hard to finish them off