Day 33
Checked out of my hostel in Stockholm and headed to Copenhagen. As the long train journey began, I noticed that the usual panels above each seat indicating whether it was reserved or not were missing from this train. I then heard over the PA that it was a high speed service to Copenhagen. Shit. It was then that I realised that this train required a reservation. I checked my book and sure enough it said a reservation was required. However I then checked my app which I've been using quite religiously on this trip and it said a reservation wasn't required. Nevertheless, it was pretty obvious that one was required.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Friday, 25 October 2013
Meatballs, ABBA and oh so many photos...
Day 29
Pretty much just a travel day. Didn't really do anything today. Checked out of Warsaw hostel, walked to the coach station, and caught a coach to the airport. Had a lot of time to kill since I'm very paranoid about missing flights so I usually get there way too early. Was felt up quite thoroughly by a big Polish security guard after going the metal detector. After that moment of intense physical contact/heat, it was just boring waiting at the gate for my Ryanair flight to Stockholm. Soon enough it came time to board (walking onto the tarmac as usual) and an hour and a half later, we were preparing to land in Stockholm. As I stared out the window, I had no idea how much further we had to go. It was only once we descended below the intense cloud cover that I realised that we were pretty much landing. Visibility was just that poor. Anyways, at least the pilots were able to do their stuff and get us down safely. Caught an airport shuttle into the city (took about 90 minutes...we were pretty far out from the city) and checked into my hostel. Despite having done nothing all day, I was exhausted. Early night.
Pretty much just a travel day. Didn't really do anything today. Checked out of Warsaw hostel, walked to the coach station, and caught a coach to the airport. Had a lot of time to kill since I'm very paranoid about missing flights so I usually get there way too early. Was felt up quite thoroughly by a big Polish security guard after going the metal detector. After that moment of intense physical contact/heat, it was just boring waiting at the gate for my Ryanair flight to Stockholm. Soon enough it came time to board (walking onto the tarmac as usual) and an hour and a half later, we were preparing to land in Stockholm. As I stared out the window, I had no idea how much further we had to go. It was only once we descended below the intense cloud cover that I realised that we were pretty much landing. Visibility was just that poor. Anyways, at least the pilots were able to do their stuff and get us down safely. Caught an airport shuttle into the city (took about 90 minutes...we were pretty far out from the city) and checked into my hostel. Despite having done nothing all day, I was exhausted. Early night.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Rendezvous in Krakow...
Day 24
So last time I posted, I was on an overnight train from Budapest to Krakow. I got into Krakow at about 8am and bade farewell to Tom and Kaisey, and then went to dump my luggage at the hostel. Luggage deposited, it was time to explore the Old Town. I need to kill about 6 hours before Tash and Aniqa arrived. Luckily, much like in most other cities, there was a free walking tour that took up three hours of my time. And this guide was great. She was really knowledgeable and being pretty also helped haha. But more than that, she was just really engaging, and I actually learnt (and retained) a lot as evidenced later when I took Aniqa and Tash on a tour.
So last time I posted, I was on an overnight train from Budapest to Krakow. I got into Krakow at about 8am and bade farewell to Tom and Kaisey, and then went to dump my luggage at the hostel. Luggage deposited, it was time to explore the Old Town. I need to kill about 6 hours before Tash and Aniqa arrived. Luckily, much like in most other cities, there was a free walking tour that took up three hours of my time. And this guide was great. She was really knowledgeable and being pretty also helped haha. But more than that, she was just really engaging, and I actually learnt (and retained) a lot as evidenced later when I took Aniqa and Tash on a tour.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Not the last time I'll see Budapest...
Day 21
Time to leave Croatia and head to Hungary. Got to the station and was so confused with the train. All the carriages were labelled differently indicating that somewhere down the track they would be splitting off and heading to different destinations. For anyone planning to travel Europe, make sure to check where your carriage is heading. Don't just assume that the by being on the right platform that you'll end up in the right destination. After finally finding the only carriage heading to Budapest, we were off.
Time to leave Croatia and head to Hungary. Got to the station and was so confused with the train. All the carriages were labelled differently indicating that somewhere down the track they would be splitting off and heading to different destinations. For anyone planning to travel Europe, make sure to check where your carriage is heading. Don't just assume that the by being on the right platform that you'll end up in the right destination. After finally finding the only carriage heading to Budapest, we were off.
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Go solo with no regrets...
Day 19
Sad to leave Slovenia, but guess I gotta keep moving if I want to see more of Europe. Next destination: Zagreb, Croatia. Got an 8am train and conked out immediately. Was woken up by some guards asking to see my passport at the border of Slovenia and Croatia. I thought these border checks were a thing of the past. The Slovenian guard tried scanning my passport several times in his little machine to no avail. It just wouldn't read. I was starting to get a little worried. What would happen? He then radioed something and spelt out my name. About five minutes of nervous waiting, he stamped my passport and handed it back. Crisis averted. Immediately after the Slovenian guard left, a Croatian guard came on and asked to see the passport. You'd think that if one country already approved it, it should be ok. Nevertheless I handed it over and got it stamped within seconds (no fancy machine for this guy). This whole border check took about half an hour so we were stuck in a stationary train meaning I got into Zagreb half an hour late. Not a big deal. At least I have more passport stamps!!
Sad to leave Slovenia, but guess I gotta keep moving if I want to see more of Europe. Next destination: Zagreb, Croatia. Got an 8am train and conked out immediately. Was woken up by some guards asking to see my passport at the border of Slovenia and Croatia. I thought these border checks were a thing of the past. The Slovenian guard tried scanning my passport several times in his little machine to no avail. It just wouldn't read. I was starting to get a little worried. What would happen? He then radioed something and spelt out my name. About five minutes of nervous waiting, he stamped my passport and handed it back. Crisis averted. Immediately after the Slovenian guard left, a Croatian guard came on and asked to see the passport. You'd think that if one country already approved it, it should be ok. Nevertheless I handed it over and got it stamped within seconds (no fancy machine for this guy). This whole border check took about half an hour so we were stuck in a stationary train meaning I got into Zagreb half an hour late. Not a big deal. At least I have more passport stamps!!
Friday, 11 October 2013
Slovenia: an unexpected delight...
Day 16
My alarm went off at 3:45am and I was surprisingly awake. Guess the fear of missing my stop was enough to forgo my usual snoozing pattern. The train attendant brought in breakfast which was completely unexpected but definitely welcomed. Ended up just having the tea and saving the croissants for later. If all overnight trains were like this, I'd probably make more overnight journeys. Saves a night of accommodation and also saves travel time allowing you a full day of sightseeing when you arrive.
My alarm went off at 3:45am and I was surprisingly awake. Guess the fear of missing my stop was enough to forgo my usual snoozing pattern. The train attendant brought in breakfast which was completely unexpected but definitely welcomed. Ended up just having the tea and saving the croissants for later. If all overnight trains were like this, I'd probably make more overnight journeys. Saves a night of accommodation and also saves travel time allowing you a full day of sightseeing when you arrive.
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Italian adventures...
Disclaimer: I can't get ready access to a computer while travelling, hence the lack of blog posts. However I'm now writing them on my phone so please excuse any words that don't make sense in sentences, they're probably auto corrects haha. I will try and keep more up to date with posts from now on (once I manage to catch up haha).
Day 10
The plan was to get up at 7:30am to get the 9am train. Yeah, didn't happen. Ended up snoozing and finally ended up catching an 11am train. Highlight of my morning: having an entire conversation with a shopkeeper in German. Granted it was really simple German but nonetheless no English required.
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Day 10
The plan was to get up at 7:30am to get the 9am train. Yeah, didn't happen. Ended up snoozing and finally ended up catching an 11am train. Highlight of my morning: having an entire conversation with a shopkeeper in German. Granted it was really simple German but nonetheless no English required.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
The real Oktoberfest...
Day 4
So last I left off, I was considering whether to go via Liechtenstein on my way to Munich. In the end, I opted for a sleep in and stopped off in Zurich for two hours instead. My legs were still so sore from the hike/cycle a few days earlier that even in two hours, I wasn't able to see much of Zurich before I had to walk back to the train station. It was also the first time I had travelled wearing a backpack (also had my carry bag since I just wasn't able to pack light enough).
So last I left off, I was considering whether to go via Liechtenstein on my way to Munich. In the end, I opted for a sleep in and stopped off in Zurich for two hours instead. My legs were still so sore from the hike/cycle a few days earlier that even in two hours, I wasn't able to see much of Zurich before I had to walk back to the train station. It was also the first time I had travelled wearing a backpack (also had my carry bag since I just wasn't able to pack light enough).
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