Road Trip: Part Three

The final leg of our journey was originally to stop over in Wroclaw. We decided however to just spend an afternoon there. From the outside, Wroclaw looks uninviting. Grubby suburbs and uneven roads surround the centre. But I guess most suburbs of most cities tend to appear that way.

Wroclaw can actually look pretty, depending on the camera angle you take.

Once you get to the heart of the city, you discover quite a pretty old town district, lined with cafes and restaurants. Another opportunity to try Polish food, pierogi (filled dumplings) is something I'd definitely recommend for example. Without really knowing anything about the city beforehand at all, we exhausted our ideas of what-to-do in one afternoon. I'm sure the city has more to offer though.

Dresden, the reconstructed Frauenkirche.

We drove onwards to Dresden, which proved to be a good decision. There's plenty to see there. Most of the old cathedrals, theatres and other buildings which were destroyed during the Second World War have been rebuilt, some still with original masonry. A very impressive sight indeed. Dresdner cuisine is also supposed to be pretty decent, but we were more tempted by South African instead, not quite authentic, I know, but better than eating at a certain fast food chain!

The main square in the city.

An ace road trip, covering the best part of a thousand miles. Although as much as I love travelling, I could take it easy for a while now!

Road Trip: Part One

At the end of June, me and two flatmates embarked on a road trip. We began the journey in Hamburg, where one of my friends hails. Hamburg is a huge harbour city, once part of the Hanseatic league, in the north of Germany.

The Speicherstadt district is where all the trading goods were stored.

Any visitor to Hamburg is pretty much obliged to go to the Reeperbahn: an unashamedly bold red-light district (the biggest in Europe in fact). It's wild reputation certainly is deserved, at least upon my first impression. In any case, beer is an intrinsic part of German culture, whether you are in a Bavarian beer garden or the Reeperbahn, beer should always be involved in any trip to Germany!

Relaxing with a beer after taking a boat trip through the harbour city.

Hamburg is one of the most exciting cities in Germany, rivalled only by Berlin. But unlike Berlin, I could also envisage that life in Hamburg might also be pleasantly relaxed at times too.

After a couple of nights in Hamburg, we had a quick stopover in Berlin, where another friend joined our road trip. I had already been to the city before during the winter, but it was nice to be there in temperatures above -15C! Again, as mentioned, beer has a cultural significance in Germany. A great excuse to try a Berlin speciality: Berliner Weisse.

Woodruff, blackcurrant and rhubarb flavoured beer.

The beer can actually be flavoured with fruity syrups, this makes for – to put it politely – an interestingly unique beer experience. Far too sweet for my liking, it tasted more like cider, which would've definitely tasted nicer.

After an evening in Berlin, we set off again in the morning: bound for Poland...

Munich

This weekend, Munich was host to the UCL football final between Bayern München and Chelsea. Me and a couple of friends went over to watch the game (at a 'Public Viewing', not the stadium). I'm no football fan, but I had a great time back in Munich.

Back in Munich, I first came here two years ago.

The city was packed full of drunk and rowdy fans – both for Bayern München and Chelsea. It was weird seeing so many English people – they seemed to be upholding the stereotypes people have of us. For example, whilst sat on a train, an English family spent a good 20 minutes discussing the weather – and of course the fans were as loud as you'd expect. Especially in the underground, everyone packed in, chanting loudly and began shaking the tight carriages. The atmosphere was great!

FC Bayern München

We were supporting Bayern München – of course – probably like many other English people back home I suspect. We spent the day in a typically Bavarian manner: Weiss Wurst, pretzels and white beer for breakfast – followed later by going to one of the beer gardens to watch the game. A Bavarian victory would have seen the whole city party, so it was a shame Chelsea won. After the final penalty goal by Chelsea, the whole city became eerily silent...

Watching the football from the comfort of a beer garden.

The trip was affordable too, thanks to Mitfahrgelegenheit (car sharing), we managed to avoid shelling out for expensive train tickets and once there, we stopped at a friend's place. For others it wasn't so cheap, everywhere there were people trying to pick up tickets for the game on the black market – the going rate was about € 1000,- !

Warsaw & Berlin

Last weekend I met up with a friend in Berlin and we went to Warsaw. I had always wanted to visit Poland, and since I was already in the area, I thought why not head over there? It's only a 5 hour train ride away.....

The iconic palace of culture in the heart of the city.

I don't really know what I was expecting, but Warsaw certainly exceeded any expectations I had. The old town part of the city is beautiful and, although the rest of the city isn't conventionally pretty, I really liked it. There was plenty to see and do there. I'd like to go back one day, but maybe not during the harsh temperatures (-15c) of winter.

ACTA protest (against strict copyright and censor regulations) in the old town.

Whilst in Warsaw, we stumbled upon a peaceful ACTA protest. Also, in the evening, we saw huge convoys of police vans, armoured trucks and cars racing towards the area where loud bangs could be heard. It turns out it wasn't about the protest, but rather a football match had been cancelled, unleashing the wrath of the fans.

Upon returning, I then checked out what Berlin has to offer.

The infamous Brandenburger Tor of Berlin.

Berlin is unlike any city I've ever been to. Not only geographically - it has no clear centre – understandable considering the rich history of the city, but also in the feel of the place. There always seems to be something going on – probably why the night life there is raved about – justly in my opinion.

The memorial for the Jews who lost their lives during the holocaust.

Of course, there is also plenty to do in Berlin, not just for tourists but also if you live there I imagine, and that's before you even consider all of the obligatory sights that one must see (the Berlin wall, Bundestag and Fernsehturm to name just a few). Again, I can envisage coming back some day.

Happy New Year!

Fireworks by Lake Zurich, temporary bars set up along the Limmat and clubs full of party-goers. Whoever celebrated the new year in Zurich would've seen the city transformed from it's usual peaceful state into a party hub with a buzzing atmosphere.

That's what I've heard anyway. I actually returned to Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany to party with some friends of mine there. As you'd expect, this city was also full of party-goers, NYE club events and fireworks – much like any student city!

Photo taken on my previous visit to the city.

True to its form as a German club, the night involved a lot of decent electro music, interesting dance moves and cheap alcohol - which had become a little strange to me after spending so much time in Zurich. There were no 16 CHF (~£12) mixer drinks in sight!

Rather disappointingly, I seemed to stumble unknowingly into 2012 as the club didn't bother with a countdown into the new year, so it didn't feel like new year at all, especially when combined with the unfamiliar feeling of spending the festive period away from home. Nonetheless, the night was very enjoyable.

Hope whatever you all got up to, you had fun! Happy new year!

Back in Germany: Freiburg

On Sunday I spent the day in Freiburg im Breisgau. A friend of mine studies there and another came down from Berlin, so I thought it'd be cool to get together again. Freiburg lies in south west Germany and is just an hour and a half's train ride away from Zurich.

The Altstadt of Freiburg is really pretty, especially with all the Christmas decorations that have been put up.

Freiburg also boasts a great Christmas market within it's tight, windy streets. German Christmas markets are renown for their festive spirit and German Glühwein (mulled wine) makes quite a good incentive to go and meander around the mismatch of stalls.

The Germans know how to do Christmas markets. There are countless ones across the whole of Germany which many people come to visit.

Getting involved in the tradition of Kerzenziehen (candle making) was also possible at the market. By paying a few Euros you can try your hand at decorating your own Christmas candle in a variety of wax colours. This is really popular amongst children, as they can often come up with some really creative designs. My friends however decided to give it a go, and well, the less said about how their masterpieces turned out, the better!

A candle 'decorated' by one of my friends with some more professional ones in the background...

Anyone looking to go and do some Christmas shopping – and enjoy it at the same time – may want to consider going to Freiburg. It's worth making the trip simply for the merrily priced Glühwein!

One Day in Germany: Constance

Fast approaching my 2 month landmark of being abroad, I faced the unavoidable task of having to get my hair cut. Everyone in Zurich is well presented and well groomed, so the thought of getting a dodgy trim in the city, due to not knowing where to go and where to avoid hadn't really crossed my mind. What had crossed my mind however was the price, and haircuts – like everything else in Zurich it seems are no exception – they're expensive. Then I had the idea to head across the border into Germany, where I could also do a bit of sightseeing in a new town and buy a few other things I need cheaply. So, Constance it was then.

Constance straddles the border between Switzerland and Germany.

Constance is only just over the border and about an hour's train journey from Zurich, and although the weather was a little overcast when I arrived, the town is really pretty. Lots of old buildings and plenty of tight, twisting streets revealing quite a few gems. Like Zurich, it has it's very own lake - Lake Constance or the Bodensee.

Constance is pretty small, but definitely worth a visit.

Upon my arrival the first hair dresser's I saw were offering a haircut for €17 (£15), much better than what I would've had to pay in Zurich – 50 CHF (£40) and so I made an appointment for the same day. Thanks to the fact that I also had two railway subscriptions (Halbtax Abo & Gleis7), I saved enough to include the cost of the train journey and then some!

It's possible to take a boat around the lake, but maybe I'll save that for another time, when the weather is more appealing.

Having spent so much time in Switzerland already, I had already got used to Swiss prices. My very first thought after walking around Constance was that everything was ridiculously cheap – even if it wasn't relative to Germany! I treated myself to Currywurst for lunch for example, and was hugely surprised to find that I still had [quite a lot of] change for a tenner. Now I realised just why Constance is so appealing to the Swiss as a town to simply go to for the savings made on grocery shopping...

Constance is often frequented by Swiss loading there bags full of cheap shopping before heading back over the border into dearer Switzerland.

Another observation that was immediately noticeable to me, was that I heard High German on the streets! It seemed like a novelty to hear German German again after being in Zurich for so long, I had to keep reminding myself that I was no longer in Switzerland and so saying 'Grüezi' or 'Merci' would only return curious looks.

Although the German spoken in Constance is peppered with the Badisch dialect, it made a change to hear High German on the streets again.

I would definitely recommend a day trip to Constance to anyone in Zurich who could benefit from buying a few things cheaply. It's worth the trip, especially if you have the train subscriptions, and besides, Constance is a nice town in it's own right. Just make sure you go on a sunny day to make the most of it...