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2023 European Adventure

August 2023 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Scott Read more
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  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 11

    DAY 10 - Lekeitio (mildly inappropriate)

    September 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We met up with the others, plus Matt and Gal at Gal's family home a few minutes from our hotel for breakfast. Afterwards we went for a walk along the picturesque beach, to the island (we dubbed lizard island) and along the harbour. The people on the streets were starting to build, not to mention the offensive costumes (which is somewhat the theme of the day). We walked around town drinks in hand and embraced the Basque culture. Meg enjoyed some vodka with freshly squeezed orange juice and Scott a traditional basque Calimocho (a mixture of red wine and coke, which was surprisingly tasty). Gal put on a lovely lunch for us and a few of his friends. We then put on our costume (Meg a nun and Scott a monk) and headed out into the streets. There were people everywhere and the streets were electric. We went to join the parade, but after standing around for 15mins for the parade to start, we decided to head down to the square. There is a weird tradition where a mannequin travels along a cable from the church to the town hall to kick off the festival (even Gal doesn't know what this is meant to symbolise). Without going into too much detail, the festivities were more than we ever expected and certainly not something you would see back home. Later in the night, we took a spin at the bumper cars, which was an absolute laugh. Before finishing our night of wandering the streets, dancing and drinking, we grabbed a delicious sandwich and headed back to the hotel. We are looking forward to a bit more of a relaxed day tomorrow (we will certainly need it).Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 12

    DAY 11 - Lekeitio (time to relax)

    September 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    After a sleep in, we headed down for our paid buffet breakfast. Much to our surprise, the buffet was over (apparently, this ends at 11 am despite the concierge saying 12). This was no issue as the hotel we able to prepare breakfast for us. We sat down lking out over the harbour and ate our breaky with Laura before having a dip in the hotel pool and spa. The three of us met up with the Sean, Zoe, Jeremy, Matt, and Gal for calamari and patatas bravas (cubed potatos cooked in oil with hot sauce poured over it). Matt then took us for a walk around town. We didn't quite make the lighthouse, largely due to humidity making us feel like we had just jumped out the shower (minus the feeling of refreshment). We bar hopped for a little before heading to the pizzeria to grab dinner. Meg decided to unburden herself her loose change by playing the pokie machine inside the pizzeria (turns out Meg's luck is no better here). Meanwhile, Scott avoided using the sink as there was water leaking from the light fixture above the sink. We went back to Gal's to enjoy our pizza and leftovers before heading back to the square for another round of bumper cars. We grabbed some sub-par churros before heading back to the hotel for a swim. Unfortunately the hotel facilities were closed, so we called it a night. We're back on the road tomorrow for a day trip to check a bit more of Basque Country.Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 13

    DAY 12 - Lekeitio (Car trip)

    September 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Scott and Jez decided to go for an early morning run to the lighthouse and back. The humidity and steps were quite challenging, but the post pool and spa more than made up for this. We (Car 1 - Gal, Matt, Sean and Zoe, Car 2 - Scott, Meg and Jez) got on the road shortly after for our 1.5hr drive to Hondarribia. It was an absolute mission to find a car park as their local festival was running (it turns out most of the Basque coastal towns have their festivals over the same week). Both cars entered a car park on the hill where we spotted a few parks, within a few moments we realised why these were free. Gal was sliding through the mud and somehow managed to avoid hitting any other cars. Scott began to slide but thought better and decided to try his luck parking elsewhere. Thankfully someone pulled out of their park, which Scott quickly snapped up. Hondarribia itself is an old, wealthy and beautiful beach town bordering France. We sat down in the square for a drink before walking down the main street through the festivities. We eventually made it to the beach where we planted ourselves for the next few hours. We enjoyed a swim in the ocean water with a view of Château d'Abbadie in France. Sean, Jez and Scott decided to swim out to one of the bouys roughly 80m out from shore (thankfully everyone could swim, as the Spanish lifeguards didn't look particularly observant). We then went down to the main street for some lunch, which turned out to be quite difficult with all the people. Gal somehow managed to find us a table. On our walk back to our cars we noticed a large crowd and even larger ramp for what appeared to be some sort of motorbike show. We decided to stick around for the start and were happy that we did (apparently one of the riders is the current 6 time world champion, as translated by Gal). Our next stop was the better known and picturesque San Sebastion. Whilst here, we walked around town (including the beach) and grabbed some dinner. We ate a handful of tapas before grabbing a traditionally Basque cheesecake from the shop that invented it, which we ate down by the sea wall. After our lovely day, we arrived back in Lekeitio with bed on our mind. We have nothing other than a day at the beach planned for tomorrow - we're excited for some quality rest and relaxation.Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 14

    DAY 13 - Lekeitio (Beach Day)

    September 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We had a sleep in this morning, followed by a small breakfast at Gal's (thanks Matt and Gal). We then put on our finest beach clothes and headed down for Matt and Gal's faux wedding by the beach. Once we got the obligatory wedding photos, we parked up at the beach for the day. It wasn't long before most of us were in the water, doing our best to body surf (rather successfully for the best part). Our beach day comprised of drinking on the beach and a short break to grab lunch (rotisserie chicken, calamari and of course more bread).

    On our walk back from the beach we ran into Gal's sister, who reminded Gal that there was a surprise in line for us tonight at 9pm and that we needed to wear long pants and long sleeved shirts (this had us all thinking).

    Once showered and refreshed we caught up with everyone at a bar along the harbour while we waiting for our "surprise". Just before 9pm a thunderstorm decided to roll through. The storm cleared just before 10pm, at this time we were told to rush to the square for our surprise.

    The surprised turned out to be a group of people running through the streets in devilish looking costumes swinging fire sticks around (more like fireworks - check out the video). We were told that partaking (running under as they spun it above their head) was entirely optional. It didn't turn out this way, as they ran at us up the stairs spining the firework sticks above our heads. Scott and Sean both got a little bit on their heads, but managed to avoid matching bald spots.

    It was a bit difficult with all the people in town to get a table for dinner, so we decided to grab takeaway pizza. Quite unbelievably, this took almost 2hrs to come. Lucky we had a great bunch of people to enjoy a few drinks with to past the time.

    We with Sean, Zoe and Jez tried heading out for a few drinks later on, thinking this would be no problem since every other night had gone past 6am. It turns out the only place open was a very crumby dive bar that we had no time for. We guess that Goose Day is going to be a big day - better get some sleep.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 15

    DAY 14 - Lekeitio (Goose Day)

    September 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We started the day a little late, walking up to Gal's for some breaky. Today was very clearly the main festival day, everyone wore navy and a sailors scarf other than the main competitors who wore white. Gal sourced clothes for us to join in on Goose Day. We went to a bar that had set up an outside bar for the day (It seemed that most places did this, probably to keep people on the street). The streets were full of people dancing, singing, drinking, and spraying water pistols. After a small lunch, we made our way down to the harbour for the main event.

    Without being there, it's hard to understand the chaos of the event. The competition involves a boat rowing up to the fake goose suspended by ropes running across the harbour. The crew member in white grabs the goose by it's neck and attempts to hold on until the neck comes off. They are flung in and out of the water by a small team of guys pulling the rope from the side of the harbour. It was an experience unlike any we have ever had. During the 2.5hrs event, we stood around the harbour, enjoying a few too many drinks, including some basque liquors. At some point we grew a little tired of the heat and decided to go for a quick dip at the beach (meg and zoe decided to stick to the shade and mind the clothes). After a quick shower it was back to the street partying, which we topped off with a delicious roll. We're certainly not looking forward to the early start tomorrow.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 16

    DAY 15 - Lekeitio to Berlin

    September 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We drove Jez, Sean and Zoe to Bilbao Airport to make their late morning flight. The car trip was slightly uncomfortable for most (pretty much everyone except the driver; Scott). We packed as much luggage as possible in the boot, with three of the hiking bags finding a home on our laps. We got the others to the airport in time and still had a few hours to burn before needing to return our hire car. We decieded to use this time to check out Bilbao CBD.

    As we pulled into town, Meg was feeling unwell and Scott hungry. So needless to say, we needed to find somewhere to park. With street parks near impossible to find, anything would do. We found a garage park, which had as both on the edge of our seats as we drove down the skinny curved driveway. Despite the lack of English, we managed to book a spot in the garage for a couple of hours.

    We walked to the Guggenheim to have a look at the fascinating architecture and large Rose Puppy out the front. If we had a little more time and felt a little more human after the last few days, we would have spent the time to go inside. Instead, we decided to indulge in something equally cultured. Finding the closest Maccas! We ordered far more food than we needed, but the air con and free wifi were very much welcomed.

    We had a slightly long wait at the airport with another minor delay to our stop over flight to Amsterdam. At this point, all we needed was a bed. Thankfully, our stopover was short, and we were in Berlin in no time.

    Our Bolt (ride share) driver dropped us off at our air bnb that we were sharing with Sean, Zoe and Jez. To get to our apartment, we walked a very odd and somewhat creepy shared path within the complex. The apartment was much the same (fair to say they were very particular with what they took photos of). Meg and I ended up with a bed that was very close to the roof and sat above the lounge room. Not to worry, tomorrow is a new day.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 17

    DAY 16 - Berlin (more canel crusing)

    September 7, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Scott went for a quick run this morning thinking Jez had gone out without him (turns out he was still in bed). Everyone except Meg (still feeling unwell) grabbed some breakfast at a cafe around the corner from our accom.

    We went back to the apartment to grab Meg before ordering a Bolt to Beluchi's Bar, an international sports bar in Midde. We arrived in time for the Collingwood v Melbourne qualifying final at 11:20am. There were quite a few other Australians who had the same idea. Downstairs was predominately pies supporters and upstairs dees (aka MCC). We sat downstairs despite Sean and Meg both supporting Melbourne. After the game, we got another Bolt to Alexanderplatz and walked past many tourist sites (including the Berliner Fernsehturm (a spire) and St. Mary's Church) on our way to the ferry. Jez separated from the group for bit of shopping time, leaving the rest of us to our ferry trip (yes, we got another ferry). The ferry travelled along the Spree River passing among other things the Reichstag (German parliament), Schloss Bellevue (Bellevue Palace) and Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral). Afterwards, we grabbed a quick bite and a couple drinks and headed back to our accom.

    We crossed the canel (reunited with Jez) in search of a dinner spot. We settled on Korean, which was a great choice as the food was delicious. Matt joined us towards the end of dinner.

    After dinner, we walked to a nearby bar to catch up with Matt over a few drinks. As time got on and a day of sightseeing tomorrow we decided to head back to the accom to get some sleep.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 18

    DAY 17 - Berlin (tourist thing)

    September 8, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We had a quick breakfast at the bakery around the corner. Unfortunately, Meg couldn't make it (still feeling unwell).

    Meg decided she was going to spend the first part of the day in bed to recover, given she has seen most of the key tourist sites in Berlin before. The rest of us started our walk from the apartment, first passing the East Wall. The artwork was a mixture of fascinating, moving and downright weird. We continued towards Alexanderplatz and walked past many impressive sites (including the Berliner Fernsehturm (a spire) and grabbed a currywurst for lunch from one of the restaurants underneath. After lunch, we ventured up the Berliner Fernsehturm for 360° views of the city. It was impressive, but there was certainly no way any of us were reading all of the information plaques. We sat down on the steps at Alexanderplatz and enjoyed a cold drink (perhaps partially, given it was a radler) while we planned the rest of our sightseeing. We walked to Checkpoint Charlie, where Meg rejoined the group. Checkpoint Charlie was frankly very underwhelming. It included a reconstructed box checkpoint (similar to what a security guard would sit in at a car park) and some faux sandbags. The next stop on a sightseeing adventure was the Jewish Memorial, but not before we finally got out Bratwurst. This memorial was incredibly moving and saddening, with pillars representing different queues into the camps. The Bradenburg Gate was our next stop. The shear size of it is incredible on its own. After a very short walk in the Tiergarten, we jumped in a Bolt and headed to Tempelhof Airport (an abandoned airport) to sit around and watch the sunset. It wasn't as good as Florence, but sitting around with good friends and a few beers certainly made it one to remember.

    We grabbed some Sudanese food from Sahara. It was just what we needed and was absolutely delicious. The peanut sauce was to die for.

    On Matt's recommendation (seemed to be his local favs), we went to two bars. The first was pretty relaxed with plenty of vintage furniture and a decent cocktail menu. Here, we met up with one of Matt's friends and were treated to two local shots. I can't remember the first, but it had a medicine/listorine taste. Neither of us particularly loved it, but Meg may have bordered on hating it. The second was a Mexicana, each pub has their own take on this. Think of it as a spicy, bloody mary. Scott loved it, Meg not so much.

    The second bar had a slightly weirder, perhaps grungy (but not really) feel to it. Matt effectively described the place as a TAB during the day and a bar/club after 11pm. Matt had a chat with a few guys in there in relation to the pool table. We honestly thought there was about to be a fight. A smile and laugh later, Scott and Jez were on the pool table for doubles (The Germans certainly have a different way of communicating). Not sure whether it was the beers, horrible cues, or the weird rules, but Scott and Jez lost a game they well and truly should have won, missing a few simple shots to seal the game. We took this a sign to head home for the night. Thankfully, we can have a bit of a sleep in before Niki's B'day lunch.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 19

    DAY 18 - Berlin (Niki's Bday)

    September 9, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Sean picked out a place around the corner for breaky - everyone expect Meg joined as she was still feeling pretty unwell. Sean nailed breakfast, the food was tasty and the fruit side included a decent assortment of fresh fruits picked up from the market that morning.

    We went to NENI Berlin for Niki's 30th lunch, a restaurant that looks over the Berlin Zoo. The window overlooking the zoo looks into the monkey and some type of big bird enclosures. After lunch, we spent a few hours in the adjoining bar, Monkey Bar. Everyone went back to the accom to get ready for the night. A few of us (Scott, Meg, Jez and Sean) tried to find somewhere to buy a cheeky bratwurst before heading out. After ending up at a roast chicken shop, we decided to cut our losses and head back to the accom by Bolt scooter.

    Running slightly behind Zoe, Niki, Georgia, Lily, and Kat, we (Scott, Meg, and Sean jumped on another Bolt scooter to make up time). By this point Jez had caught up with Matt to head to a gig (which they didn't manage to get in to) and we were pushing to make the 8pm cut off at Birgit (as entry was €15 after 8pm). We made it with a minute to spare, but not before the chaos of trying to find somewhere we could park out scooters.

    Birgit was a bar/club by the canels. It had a beer hall feel, a few interesting places to sit (chairs on a swing and a carousel you could spin). Once we figured out the beer token system, we sat down and enjoyed a few drinks and some pizza before having a dance on one of the two dance floors. At one point, Scott and Sean went to grab another drink from the bar and were thankfully advised by a French guy living in Germany that there was another bar inside. This turned out to be another dancefloor (techno stage) in amoung shipping pallets. We continued exploring this new indoor area and found another stage with house DJs.

    Happy with our new discovery, we grabbed the group and headed to the house stage. It was almost as if it was meant to be with Great Southern Land coming on the second we walked into the room. After a few more hours of partying, we decided to leave. This venue honestly felt like a music festival inside of a bar.

    Against our better judgement, we (Scott, Meg, Sean, Zoe, and Georgia) decided to try our luck getting into Kitkat. We were knocked back like almost everyone else in the line because of our white shoes (and presumably our lack of leather). Not to worry, we had finally found a bratwurst stall. Unfortunately, he was out of bratwurst (currywurst was all he had left).

    With no other bar in sight, we called it a night in anticipation of our 4hr bus ride to Prague tomorrow.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 European Adventure
    Day 20

    DAY 19 - Berlin to Prague

    September 10, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Our morning bus ride with Sean and Zoe to Prague was less than ideal. There was no wifi, the cooling was barely on and we were stuck in a bus for 4hrs. Thankfully we were able to get some sleep (Meg almost the entire bus trip).

    The check-in for our Prague accom was a bit strange. We first went to the address provided before being directed to our apartment (another 15min walk...). The location more than made up for this slight inconvenience.

    Once settled, we were desperate for lunch. Having seen it on the walk to the apartment we went to Výtopna Railway Restaurant (Scott's choice). This certainly beat the KFC alternative, delivering our meals and drinks by train.

    We then went for a walk towards the Charles Bridge, passing the Astronomical Clock on our way. On the other side of the bridge (Malá Strana) we grabbed a hot dog for dinner (this may have been a mistake given the way we felt afterwards). We continued exploring and ended up at Rudolfinum (a concert hall/theatre). They were playing landscape style music while a screen on one side of a large cube. We sat on the steps of the theatre watching this for a little, before heading to a cute and incredibly humble wine bar overlooking the Vltara River, with views of Manes Bridge and Prague Castle. A perfect way to cap of a lovely day (minus the bus trip).

    We're excited to tick off a few more tourist attractions tomorrow on our self-guided scooter tour.    Read more

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