Tuesday 11 June 2013 - Berlin to London Stansted

Later today we shall be taking our flight back to the UK. The flight is due to land in London Stansted at 22:50 GMT.

I have not fully recovered from my cold and Rob is going down with it now, this could be a long day. We have checked out of our room and stored our luggage at the hotel. The plan was to do some more sightseeing and we did head out earlier for breakfast but we have returned to the hotel and are relaxing and having cool drinks in the hotel foyer.

Monday 10 June 2013 - Berlin

I awoke still full of cold, but at least the sore throat had left me. In need of coffee I walked from our hotel to the Starbucks by Checkpoint Charlie. I decided on the walk that, as we had just the one full day in Berlin, I had to make the most of it and rise above the fact that I felt unwell, after all the sun was shining and it was a glorious morning.

Back at the hotel Rob was awake and he had already planned where he wanted to take me for a "birthday breakfast", a "Full English" at East London Café' which was just a few stops on the U-Bahn (the Berlin underground) from our hotel. His research however did have one flaw, opening times, we got to the café at about 8.45 and the sign on the door notified us that they didn't open until 10:00, so we had some time to kill.

We walked a few yards up the road to Café Tinto and enjoyed Kaffee und Küchen (coffee and cake) alfresco watching the Berliners go by. (I refer to the citizens of Berlin and not the jelly doughnuts). From here we walked a few streets to Viktoriapark and took a path that led to a monument at the top of a waterfall, from here we had a great view back over the city. By the time we had walked back to East London Café it was 10:15, we both ordered the "Full English".

After breakfast we took the U-Bahn to Mohrenstraße station, from here we walked past the site where Hitler's bunker is buried, then we walked a little further to the Holocaust Memorial. This to me, is a huge, stark and confusing array of grey concrete blocks. I guess that was the effect that the architect was going for, after all this is, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. From here it was just a short walk to the Brandenburg Gate. 

At the Brandenburg Gate there was a huge crowd of people, mingling in the morning sunshine and taking photos' of this impressive landmark to the sound of a Bruno Mars song being song by street performer. This lifted the mood somewhat and soon we were back on track to our next stop which would lift us even higher, 666 feet to be precise, the height of the visitors platform of the 1,207 feet tall Fernsehturm Berlin (TV Tower).

Unfortunately we should have pre booked tickets to go up to the visitors platform, buying them at the tower would have meant a wait of about 2 hours. On my next visit to Berlin I shall pre-book tickets and take in the city from this vantage point, however on this day we were content to have ice cream in the square below the tower and take photos of the tower from terra firma. 

From here we headed back to Checkpoint Charlie, and then back to our hotel for a couple of hours to allow me to recuperate as we were meeting up with Ioana, a friend of Rob's who has lived in Berlin for the past 7 years.

We met Ioana as planned at 17:30, our first stop was Café Atlantic where we managed to get a table in the sunshine on the street, we ate and had several drinks. Ioana suggested that as it was such a lovely evening that we should get "beers to go" and enjoy them at Tempelhof Park.

The park was formerly Berlin Tempelhof Airport, an important airport of the Nazi government in the mid 1930's.  Tempelhof ceased operating as an airport in 2008 and is now a park to be enjoyed by the locals, one area is designated a safe haven for skylarks, there is a BBQ area and numerous plots cultivated for growing vegetables and plants by the locals. We enjoyed our beers and watched, together with many Berliners, as the sun set on a perfect day

However the evening was not yet over, so from Tempelhof Park we went for teas/coffee and something sweet at Smyrna Kuruyemis a Turkish Café in what I described as an "edgy" district of Berlin, Ioana said that this district was now "hip" and quite safe.

After this we walked along the banks of the River Spree canal, this was very peaceful and a great way to wind the evening down. In this setting  it is easy to assume that you are no longer in Germany's capital. Berlin is a wonderful and welcoming city that seems to run at a much slower pace than London but nevertheless gets things done with German efficiency.

From here we caught the train back to our hotel, we said our goodbyes to Ioana on the train as she had a few more stops before reaching her home. This was a fabulous day and was made even better with Ioana showing us a side of Berlin not normally shared with tourists, thank you Ioana.

Looking up the waterfall at Viktoriapark

View of Berlin & TV tower from monument in Viktoriapark

Shots of the Holocaust Memorial

The Bradenburg Gate

Fernsehturm Berlin (TV Tower).

Section of The Berlin Wall

Checkpoint Charlie

Terminal at Berlin Tempelhof Airport

Rob and Ioana enjoying some beers in Tempelhof Park

Sun setting over Tempelhof Park

Sunday 9 June 2013 - Prague to Berlin

Yesterday was not a great day for me. Having gone to bed with a sore throat I awoke in the morning with a streaming cold and had to face the 4.45 hr train trip from Prague to Berlin (assuming the train was running on time). So I started the day not with a shower but instead decided to take a soak in the bath, this was the first bathroom on this trip that actually had a bath.

Both Rob and I made breakfast and I decided, thanks for info Val, to have myself a hearty breakfast to give me the energy for the trip ahead. After breakfast we decided not to do anything except visit the local supermarket for some provisions, including paracetamol and a box of man size tissues for me.

We took the tram to the Station at about 11.30 and got to the Station at about midday, our train was due to depart at 12:29. The train pulled out right on time and was due to arrive in Berlin at 17:15, but by the time we had reached the Czech - Germany border we were at least 55 minutes behind schedule.

The carriage was packed and very hot, the aircon seemed not to be working and the windows were screwed shut and needed a key to open them. Conditions were intolerable, a Czech gentleman across from me communicated with the guard who did eventually open the windows and conditions improved. At this point Rob took a walk to the next carriage and found an empty apartment where the aircon was working, it had reserved stickers on the door but the sticker said from Berlin to Hamburg, so we decided to move and conditions improved again.

It was gone 18:30 by the time we reached Berlin, so over 1:15 minutes behind schedule. From the station we had planned to take the train to our hotel which involved one change, however Rob had to find an alternative route due to a section of line being closed, this meant a re-route and three changes. From our final station we had about a 10 minute walk to our hotel in the rain, I was so pleased for the umbrellas we had bought back in Kraków.

We got to our room at about 19:30, which gave us 30 minutes to find a bar to watch the start of the grand-prix, or get a takeaway and watch it from our hotel room. We walked in the direction of Checkpoint Charlie, about 5 minutes from our hotel, we didn't find a bar but instead had a kebab which we ate stood under an umbrella in the rain at Checkpoint Charlie. From here we walked backed to our hotel picking up a Starbucks on the way.

By the time we got back to the hotel the race had already started, Rob had emailed a friend of his who lives in Berlin and arranged to meet her for drinks that evening, that left me on my own to watch the grand-prix which was no bad thing as I felt shocking. The only station, on our satellite tv that was showing the grand-prix kept interrupting the race to switch to commercial breaks which was damned annoying.

After the race I fell asleep but I was awoken just before midnight by a text from Rob saying he was on his way back, then a phone call when he arrived, I needed to get up and let him in, as he had to leave the only key for the room with me so as to keep the power on.

This morning I awoke feeling somewhat better ready for the day ahead.

ps. Happy Birthday to myself.

Map showing route from hotel to Checkpoint Charlie.

Saturday 8 June 2013 - Prague

So we were greeted in the morning with a beautiful blue sky, we had slept later than normal and were looking forward to a day without any deadlines. Breakfast in our hotel was from 7:00 to 10:00, I managed to make it with 5 minutes to spare for coffee and cake (weird I know) Rob missed it.

We took the tram down to the Legion Bridge and got off the on the other side of the River Vltava so that we could walk back over to get a look at the waters which seemed to have receded some since last night, but it was still over it's banks. We walked adjacent to the promenade towards Charles Bridge. The promenade was, at most, behind the flood barriers that were still in place, Charles Bridge was still closed by barriers, there was a police presence all along the promenade and on the bridge.

Rob had missed breakfast so we stopped at Hotel u Zlateho for alfresco coffees on route to the Old Town Square, Rob had a panini and I couldn't resist it and ordered a banana crepe. After this we continued to the Old Town Square, which I had seen for the first time last night, in the bright morning sunlight it was as magical as ever, it really is quite beautiful and you can literally spend hours just milling around. There was a jazz band providing some live music for us whilst we explored.

We climbed to the top of the Tower of the Old Town, City Hall, from here you get fabulous views of Prague on both sides of the River Vltava. There is a lift that can take you to the top but we opted to climb the stairs. 

When we got down from the Tower we were just in time to witness, together with a huge crowd, the hourly show of the Astronomical Clock on the wall below the Tower, the show is named  "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures—notably a figure of Death (represented by a skeleton) striking the time; the crowd loved it and signalled this with a round of applause.

From the Old Town Square we walked to Wenceslas Square, where we stopped for refreshments at Hotel Adria - no food,  just a czech beer for me and a mojito for Rob. We stayed here for quite a while just watching the world go by and planning the rest of the day which we agreed should be to go to see Prague Castle.

We walked from Wenceslas square back down to Legion Bridge to cross the River Vltava and walked towards the castle. At Kampa Island, or at least next to it as due to the flood it was closed, we were tempted by a sign that read "Coffee and Apple Pie 95 Koruna" that's about £3.15, well we couldn't resist after all we hadn't had lunch, it was hot and they offered seats in the shade. 

After lunch we continued up to the castle, which is really several buildings and palaces and a very impressive gothic cathedral, St. Vitus Cathedral. There were, of course, lots more photos taken here including some back across the River Vltava to the Old Town. We walked back down to the river and crossed it on the Mánes Bridge.

By the time we had got back to the Old Town Square it was time for food again, so we had pizza at Ristorante San Nicola, alfresco, watching the tourist as they mingled around this impressive old square. After dinner we walked back to Legion Bridge and hopped on a tram back to our hotel for an early night.

Prague is a beautiful city, and I would recommend a visit, but stay for longer than two nights as there is so much to see. I will have to return to this city to take in more of the sights.

Prague Tram

The Old Town Square from the Tower

The Astrological Clock

Prague Castle

St Vitus Cathedral 

View of Charles Bridge

Train from Prague to Berlin - Sunday 9 June 2013

Today we take our last train journey of this trip, we leave Prague at 12:29 and are due to arrive in Berlin at 17:15.

We plan to have a lazy morning but we will visit the supermarket to get some lunch and I need some cold remedy as I have woken this morning with a sore throat :(

Friday June 7 2013 - Prague

The train arrived at 19:21, on time,  at Prague Hlavni Nadr Station. The last three days, with just one night in Bratislava and one night in Vienna, had taken its toll, so we immediately decided to take a taxi to our hotel. It was a nice evening and on the short trip to the hotel we agreed that even though we were exhausted we needed to get out and find somewhere to eat.

At the hotel, after checking in, getting rid of our bags and having a quick freshen up, we had enough rekindled energy to get us out for the evening. At this stage we were unsure of the tram system so opted to walk to the banks of the Vltava and follow it to the old town,. This was a little further than expected or maybe it was just that we were still tired. A map would have been useful as both our phones GPS seemed to be playing up. I had a map that was in the guide book that Jo and James had bought me as an early birthday present, but had left it back at the hotel. :-/

Eventually we found the river, it was clear that the waters had receded somewhat however the river was still ferocious. Some sections of the flood barriers were still in situ and a number of areas were cautioned off as there was still flood water present. There were barriers and police preventing anyone getting on or crossing the Charles Bridge.

From the bridge we walked to the Old Town Square, it is quite stunning, especially at night with all the buildings lit up, so we spent a fair amount of time in the square ambling around and doing the the tourist thing. From the square we walked a few streets until we came across the Hard Rock Cafe and opted to eat there. After we had eaten far too much and still tired we took a taxi back to our hotel.

I awoke this morning, later than I usually do, looked out of our window to see a beautiful blue sky over the tops of the terracotta roofs. I can't wait to get out and explore Prague some more, once I have published this blog, showered and dressed.

Prague Hlavni Nadr Station

The River Vltava

Some flood waters remain

Flood barriers

The Charles Bridge is cautioned off

The Old Town Square

View from window this morning

Friday 7 June 2013 - Vienna

The day started with a buffet breakfast at our hotel. We then checked out but stored our luggage at the hotel, this was the best plan as we were taking the train just 2 stops to visit Schloss Schönbrunn Palace and would have to come back to the station close to the Hotel to take a different train just 2 stops to Wien Meidling main line station to catch the train to Prague.

When we arrived at Schloss Schnönbrunn Palace we opted not to go inside for three reasons, 1.The tickets were a minimum of 19 € each  2.The palace is huge and we were limited with time, and 3.It was such a beautiful morning that a stroll around the gardens and grounds seemed best.

Now I was impressed with the building itself and the scale of it and the grounds and fountains are beautiful but I felt that some of the flower beds close to the palace lacked any real floral display, where is Alan Titchmarsh when he is needed, or maybe it was just too early in the season, but seriously the beds at the RHS Wisley, in my opinion, are way more dramatic with their choice of plants.

From the fabulous Neptune Well we walked up to the top of the hill to the "Gloriete" (little glory), this one is, apparently, the largest and most famous of all. It certainly is beautiful in its structure and from its location it commands a fantastic view back down to the palace with Vienna beyond looking like a theatrical backdrop,  absolutely stunning.

We took the path back through the woods and around more formal gardens and ornate fountains. A short walk from the palace and we were back at the station, 2 stops later and we were back at the hotel, we dropped by the local supermarket to get some "lunch on the go"' before collecting our bags and taking another train to Wien Meidling Station.

I checked with information and the good news was that the train to Prague was running. The platform at the Station was very busy due mainly to delayed and cancelled trains. The good news was that our train to Prague was on time, so we pulled out of the station and settled in to the 5 hour journey not knowing what we would find with aftermath following the floods.

Vienna is exactly what I had expected with grand opulent buildings and a very clean and efficient  underground railway network. The two half days that we had here were really not enough, but from what I have seen, I feel that this is a city that I shall return too, for a longer stay, so that I can see more of the sights and visit some of the museums. What we have had on this trip is merely a taster.

Train from Vienna to Prague - Friday 7 June 2013

Later today, hopefully, we will be taking the train from Vienna, Austria to Prague in the Czech Republic. But before that we have a few more hours to explore more of Vienna.

Thursday 6 June 2013 - Bratislava to Vienna

The idea today was to make the most of the city, so we planned to have an early breakfast in the old town of Bratislava and I managed to get Rob out of the hotel by 8:10. We walked all around the old town but couldn't find anywhere open for breakfast except a small coffee shop, not much choice so we just had a small coffee and a croissant each, still hungry we went back to the hotel for the buffet breakfast.

After breakfast at about 9:30 we went back into the old town which was now "open" and I purchased the requisite gift for my mother. Rob thought that there might be a chance that if the waters of the Danube had receded then maybe we would be able to go up to the flying saucer. However, as I expected, as we were further downstream, the water levels might be higher. This was the case and we found that the police and firefighters had cautioned off most of the promenade with tape and were working on the steel flood defences. One restaurant right on the bank of the Danube was now under about 6 inches of water.

Bratislava is a small capital city and our first impression on the walk from the station when we arrived was that it was clean, (compared to Budapest) but a little sterile. For me, Bratislava, and this maybe the effects of psychogeography, has grown on me. This is a city of contrasts, there is the charm of the small old town with its cobbled streets, pastel buildings and ample restaurants, this sits along side a modern town with sterile banks and offices. Across the river you can see a concrete apartment jungle, a throw back from the communist rule.  The skyline also has it's contrasts, on one view there is Hrad Castle and on the other is the UFO bridge from the 1970's. 

We decided to get an earlier train to Vienna so we returned to our hotel, collected our bags and decided not to walk to the station instead we took the number 93 bus. Just as we were boarding the train a chatty Liverpudlian presented us with 2 travel passes for use in Vienna that were valid from the 3rd to the 9th June, for some reason he had to leave early.

The train arrived at the brand new Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Main) station on time, this station is not fully functional as yet, this was evident at the taxi rank, two taxis were in the rank but we were third in the queue so had to wait 15 minutes for ours to take us to our very modern and well-equipped hotel.

We wasted no time after checking in and made use of the travel passes that were gifted to us and hopped on an underground train at the station which is about 100 yards from our hotel. First point of call was Stephansdom (St Stephens Cathedral) just 5 stops away. From here we walked to Motto am Fluss a restaurant overlooking the Danube Canal and had a delicious, if not somewhat expensive lunch.

After lunch we took the underground to district Leopoldstadt as I wanted to see The Riesenrad (Ferris Wheel) which had achieved fame in two films, The Third Man (Harry Lime) and The Living Daylights (James Bond). From here we walked through the park to The Danube by the St Francis of Assisi Church. The Danube, as in Bratislava, was running very fast and close to bursting its banks. From here we took a short trip on the underground to the Museum Quarter as I wanted to have coffee at one of Vienna's most famous of cafés, Café Sperl (thanks for the guide books Jo, they been really useful x). After coffee and cheesecake we took the underground train back to the hotel.

In the evening we used our gifted passes once again on the underground to go back to the Museum Quarter where we ate at Asia Time. Tired after our days sight seeing and travelling we decided to head back to the hotel for an early night.

Train from Bratislava to Vienna - Thursday 6 June 2014

Later today we will be taking the train from Bratislava to Vienna, our shortest journey on this trip, just over 1 hour. Before we catch the train we have a few hours to see some more of what Bratislava had to offer.

Wednesday 5 June 2013 - Budapest to Bratislava

The morning started with breakfast in Budapest, Belgian waffles with banana, vanilla and ice cream washed down with coffee and orange juice in a small café a couple of streets from our accommodation. Time passed very quickly and it seemed that quite soon we were having to rush back to collect our bags and take a brisk walk to the railway station.

At the station a porter offered to help us by carrying our bags to our carriage, we both had HUF's (Hungarian Florints) left over and handed our helpful porter 5000 HUF's, that's about £15. I would have thought for less than 5 minutes work that we had been quite generous, but he was less than satisfied and kept requesting Euro's, we didn't buckle, he eventually gave up keeping the HUF's and left in a huff. 

Our journey was uneventful and Rob slept through most of it, my journey was punctuated with an exchange of messages with one good friend and my phone ringing, a welcome call from another good friend. Although the train had pulled out of Budapest on time at 9.25, it somehow arrived in Bratislava about 20 minutes late, this is only our second train journey in Central Europe and neither have been on time.

At Bratislava we had a short walk to reach our hotel and checked in at about 13:00. This is the first hotel we have stayed at on this trip, previous accommodation had been a hostel, overnight train carriage and rooms, the hotel is small clean and close to the old town. Rob headed off immediately to get some euros, the chip in his card is not working and he needs to find a bank that can swipe his card. I wanted to shower and change before heading off to meet him.

We met up for lunch in the old town and opted for an "all you can eat" buffet for 4.99 €, very good and plenty of choice including dessert, although Rob does tend to take the "all you can eat" as a challenge.

After lunch we headed off to the Danube to see the affectionately named UFO bridge, it's real name is Most Slovenského národného povstania, or in English: Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising, it is named UFO because, we'll quite simply it has a restaurant and viewing structure at the top of its pylon that looks like a flying saucer. The plan was to go up to the flying saucer, a great vantage point for looking back to the city, however it was closed because of the swelling waters of the Danube, very disappointing!

The state of the Danube had attracted a lot of people, tourists and locals alike, there were several "restaurant boats" but were  all closed as their gang planks, in places, were submerged in the fast flowing waters.  From here we walked up to Hrad Castle which gave us views over the city. We walked right round the castle which brought us back to our hotel which is adjacent to part of the old castle wall.

In the evening we walked to Modrá Hviezda, a restaurant recommended on trip advisor, the restaurant was a good choice, it was close to our hotel, the building was old and quirky but most importantly the food was fab and seemed to be traditional Slovak cuisine. Early night for both of us, this travelling is tiring, but my bed was ultra comfy, so had a really good nights sleep.

Train from Budapest to Bratislava

This morning we are taking the 9.25 train from Budapest which is due to arrive in Bratislava at 12.10. We are staying in Bratislava for just one night, do let's hope all goes to plan.

Tuesday 4 June 2013 - Budapest

We started the day with breakfast at Café Gerlóczy, a favourite meeting place for Budapesters and the blurb boasts it has been voted the best café in Budapest, what I say is that the building which dates back to the 1890's has retained all of its olde-worlde charm, the service was great and the breakfast was delicious to boot.

Next we climbed Gellért Hill to the Citadel, great views back down to the Danube and Budapest. At the top we had a look around the WWII bunker, now a museum with war memorabilia, photo's and wax work dummies, surprisingly very interesting.

Lunch was a kebab back in District VII and after we got a taxi to take us out to the Celeritas Shooting Club where Rob had booked us in for the Shoot 'Em All package, which was firing 22 different guns and a total of 200 rounds. The Desert Eagle .44 and Magnum .44 (Dirty Harry's gun) were both astoundingly loud and powerful hand guns, more like hand canons.

In the evening we walked to an Hungarian pub called Kiadóm, a great find with plenty of atmosphere, it seemed to be frequented by the locals, which is always a good sign. The menu had a great choice of Hungarian dishes and the food was delicious for "pub grub"

Tomorrow we say goodbye to Budapest and make our way to Bratislava. I arrived in Budapest not sure about this city, yes quite a few of the buildings are in need of repair and there is litter in the streets and at night some areas can feel intimidating but I have to say that I have grown to love this city, it is not at all pretentious "what you see is what you get" and it is a "great" city.