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EuroTrip 2016

June - July 2016
A 32-day adventure by Breanna's Blog Read more
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  • Breanna's BlogEuroTrip 2016
    Day 6

    My Goodness, My Guiness!

    June 25, 2016 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    After nearly 3 hours of sleep (Canadians are champs, obviously) we got up to do our favourite thing to do in Ireland... Go grab a pint of Guiness at 11am.

    We walled to the factory in the pouring rain (see my last post for more about that...) and met our amazing American friends for a 3 hour self guided tour of how Guiness is made!

    But honestly the only things I learned were that Guiness is actually Ruby Red coloured and that the best way to drink it is to gulp it and exhale after. OBVIOUSLY WE WERE THERE TO LEARN HOW TO POUR AND DRINK THE BEER.

    After taking an acceptable amount of time reading the exhibits and doing a tasting, the 5 of us headed up to the fourth floor where the Guiness Brewing Academy is located.

    Our instructor, Flavio, told us that there are 6 steps to pouring the Perfect pint of Guiness... I can't remember what they are but I must have done them perfectly because I AM OFFICIALLY A MASTER GUINESS POURER!

    (disclaimer... I do know the 6 steps. Above statement was for comedic effect 1. Grab a clean glass with guiness logo. 2. Hold the cup 45 degrees to the spout. 3. Pull the handle towards you and fill cup to below the white writing. 4. Turn cup straight up and fill to top of harp. Leave for 80 seconds to let the gasses settle. 5. Push handle away to finish filling Guiness to the top. 6. Serve with logo outwards with a smile)

    After pouring our pints and taking some obligatory photos, we headed to the 11th floor to the "Gravity Bar" which has 360 degree views of Dublin and is a great place to enjoy our beer. Honestly, I used to hate Guiness SO MUCH but after learning the proper way to drink it, I actually enjoy it!!

    After finishing our beer and making a quick(ish) trip to the gift shop, we decided to go grab some lunch together. We followed our American friends directions into the city and AND WE WALKED AROUND LOST FOR 45 MINUTES. MORAL OF THE STORY, ALWAYS TRUST A CANADIAN WITH DIRECTIONS.

    Anyway, after we finAlly found our way, we made a quick stop at our hostel to change our shoes and headed to McDonalds. Again. Honestly its so yummy and cheap... Dont judge.

    After lunch we parted ways with Ricarrdo and Azurae with promises to meet up for dinner and drinks later, and the three of us headed to the ahopping distict for a little last minute souvenir finsing effort. The day went well, and we headed back to the hostel for a well deaerved nap before getting up for dinner and drinks.

    When we woke up, we headed into the city again to grab food (Subway) and meet up with our friends again.

    Honestly we love Azurae and Ricarrdo... We have some great new friends and WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO VISIT THEM IN GEORGIA. We will bring maple syrup and Camadian goodies when we come!

    Now we are sitting here, at 230am avoiding going to sleep becauae we know we have to leave for Prague in the morning. Its so bittersweet... We are ao excited to continue our adventure but Dublin has been such an incredible time ... And our new friends made it that much better.

    Next time I post will be from the Czech Republic!!

    Xo    Read more

  • Breanna's BlogEuroTrip 2016
    4
    Day 8

    Basic Buzzfeed Biotches

    June 27, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Touchdown in Prague! After a very nice flight on Ryanair (surprisingly) we grabbed our bags and started on our adventure. We ventured to the bus and navigated our way on that plus 2 metros to get to the airbBnB we were staying at. After being pointed in the right direction by a lovely lady at the Hilton, we cound the apartment we were staying at on top of a beautiful restaurant called Grand Cru. The waiters gave us the keys and showed us the apartment... Which was HUGE. Honestlyy there were 2 giant bedrooms with 2 beds in them each, a licing area, kitchen, and bathroom ALL TO OURSELVES. AirbNb is definitely highly recommended.

    So the first things we do (obviously) is wash our clothes on the bathtub. The three of us became human washing machines and used our vast muscle strength to irrigate the water and then to dry it all out after... Honestly most hilarious thing ever.

    Anywayyyy after hanging the clothes, we ambled off into Prague to explore! It was a beautiful stroll.. We took in the sights and amazing architecture (honestly this was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen) and walked across the famous St. Charles Bridge where we rubbed a statue for good luck.

    After all of this, Taylor reminded us of an ice cream that is famous in Prague because its INSIDE A CONE SHAPED DONUT. No seriously HOW AMAZING DOES THAT SOUND???? So we stole some (shitty) Starbucks wifi and found the original store that invented it and was featured on Buzzfeed. The store was called Good Food and let me tell you........ They were not lying.

    These are fries cone donuts with APPLE STRUDEL INSIDE AND CHOCOLATE ON THE BOTTOM AND ICE CREAM ON TOP AND OMG THEY WERE FREAKING AMAZING AHHHHHH.

    So as we sat outside ob the bench and ate those little piecea of heaven, a Canadian woman was standing in front of us reading the sign (iI coild tell because her hat waa from Aritzia). We chatted with her and her fiance for a while aboit life anx decided to try and find a grocery store to pick up food for lunch and dinner the next day.

    After making a brief pitstop at a fountain to pet a dog (obviously) and attempting to crash a bunch of bachelor parties, we found a store. Im not going to go too much into it because the lady at the counter was RUDE AS ALL HELL AND TRIED TO STEAL 50KRC FROMB US but it was mostly an uneventful experience.

    The wall home, though long, was wonderful .. Until it started to absolutely downpour. Honestlybit didnt even matter because we were so exhausted and happy that we just madebour way home, soaking but smiling.

    Thats it for day 1! More shenanigans to follow    Read more

  • Breanna's BlogEuroTrip 2016
    Day 8

    Don't trust the Pöbel!!!

    June 27, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Day 2 marked our only full day of sightseeing in Prague, and after sleeping in (which was necessary and well deserved, to be sure) we got up and prepared for our day. We packed a lunch, snacks and wine and headed out to The St Charles Bridge once again to explore the other side.

    First stop was Saint Nicholas Cathedral, BEAUTIFUL church where Shaunessas boyfriend got baptised aa a child! Honestly it was awe inspiring in both its scale and artwork. Shaunessa went inaide to see the place that Niki was baptised, and we sat on the steps afterwards people watching and drinking coffees for a bit.

    Next, we climbed up a GIANT staircase/hill to get to the top and see the Prague Castle. Oh. My. God. Honestly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I had to just sit there and enjoy the view and take it all in.

    After, we walked around and found a beautiful to have our picnic of peanut butter and banana sandwiches, cucumbers, and $3 wine out of a 2 litre bottle before doing some heavy duty souvenir shopping. After, we felt a little hungry for something sweet so we ventured over to grab ANOTHER AMAZING ICE CREAM DONUT CONE AHHHHHHH. I could eat them forever.

    While sitting outside onf the bench (again) the same Canadians from the day before walked by (...again!). We chatted (again) before they had to go on their way (...again). As we were finishing up, a German man came to take a picture of thebsign hanging above our heads that said "Blizzard" while laughing. Well obviously we had to ask what was so funny, and he told us in German that is the word for going to the bathroom when drunk. Ollie (the German) and his friend were there with their soccer. Team on their annual end of season getaway. This was their last night and they wanted to party.. But the rookies on the team (also known as Pöbel) were not to be trusted at any cost. We decided that, as Canadians, we needed to determin who was the king of the Pöbel (Wo Ist der König des Pöbels (pronounced like "ver isht des konis desh poobells)) so we knew who not to trust.

     The Germans took us to a bar, they taught us how to speak German, and we had an amazing time. ... German's know how to party.

    After a long, wondeful walk home (thanks mama Tay) we got back safe and sound at the wee hpurs od the morning to get ... Oh about 2.5 hours sleep.

    Talk to you tomorrow!    Read more

  • Breanna's BlogEuroTrip 2016
    Day 8

    We shouldn't have trusted the Pöbel.

    June 27, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Day three... Our last day in Prague before takinf an overnight bus to Amsterdam. We woke up after no sleep and had to try and get ready to check out of the apartment by 1030am. Let me tell you... It was difficult. Have you ever tried to pack while you still feel like you just came from the bar? I blame the Pöbel.

    After grabbing our stuff, we walked over to the bus station that we were departing from later that day and dropped off our backpacks before searching for some MUCH NEEDED MCDONALDS. I HAD A MCROYAL AND I DONT REALLY EVEN KNOW WHAT IT WAS BUT IT WAS SO GOOD AND NECESSARY.

    Our bua didnt leave until 630 pm so we had about 6 hours to kill before having to be at the station, so we explored more! We had a bit of last minute shopping to do, and Shaunessa wanted to try and get Niki a Czech hockey jersey as a gift. I am NOT JOKING when I say we LITERALLY SEARCHED EVERY SPORTS STORE IN PRAGUE FOR SOMETHING WITH CZECH HOCKEY ON IT. What ia it with this place and not selling hockey gear in the off season? That's like Canadian Blasphemy!!

    After being SEVERELY DISAPPOINTED BY THE LACK OF HOCKEY IN PRAGUE we headed to the fanous dancing buildings.. Which were cool even if we have no idea what the point ia or why they are called the dancing buildings, to be honest.

    Theres really not a lot to report except that we walked WAY TOO MUCH. When it was closer to the time to load the bus, we went to the teeminal amd waites around for WHAT FELT LIKE FOREVER. HONESTLY WHY DOES TIME FLY WHEN YOU DONT WANT IT TO AND CRAWL ALONG WHEN YOU DO?

    The main highlight of the time in the station was this amazing fresh caprise salad sandwhich I had on these ridiculously soft, fresh baguettes. Probably one of the best sandwiches I have ever had, and I am definitely copying thay rexipe when I get back.

    We loaded the bus at 6:00 and found a spot that has 4 seats around a table, so we settled in for a long, long night.    Read more

  • Breanna's BlogEuroTrip 2016
    Day 9

    If 1 Benadryl works... 2 can do better

    June 28, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    So we finally boarded the night train from Prague to Amsterdam... 13 hours with a stop in Dresden, Germany.

    I dont have much to report, thanks to last night (🍻) and the lack of sleep, we basically passed out the entire time. I have to say that the bus itself was actually quite comfortable and all in all, a rather uneventful (albeit long) time!

    Next stop: Amsterdam!!!    Read more

  • Breanna's BlogEuroTrip 2016
    Day 9

    Just wipe it off and use it again later!

    June 28, 2016 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    HERE WE ARE IN AMSTERDAM OMGGGGGGGGG.

    We got to the bus station at around 930am and headed into the terminal to take the subway into the city. We found our way and arrived at Amsterdam Central Station and walked out of the doors to see the beautiful canal and buildings all around. We found our way to the hotel (which... Its slightly smaller than all of our other rooms so far and only has wifi in the lobby BUT the beds are comfy and the rooms are clean, so no more complaints).

    We were still early, so we stored our bags and headed into the city to explore! First stop was to the Van Gogh museum where we saw the work and life of an amazing Dutch painter. It truly was inspiring to See his progression as an artist and decent into madness. We left thoroughly inspired and in search of food.

    As we walked through the streets, we stumbled upon a cute little italian restaurant where i had a phenomenal caprise salad and the best calzone i have had in my entire life! We sat and chatted, enjoying the rest before heading out into the city to explore some more.

    Dont ask me how, but someone we ended up at Lush (we are so basic) and chatted with the sales associate.. When we told him about our travels and how tored we were, he called over another associate and PAMPERED us. I mean, hand scrub, hand cream, face toner, mask, scrub, cream, eye cream and tea tree oil spray. We honestly needed it so badly, and felt instantly refreshed as we left.

    Once we hit a grocery store and navigated our way home (we are really pros at this whole being local thing) we all showered, repacked, and are currently sitting in the lobby stealing the wifi and eating fruit. It was a wonderful day, can't wait to explore some more tomorrow!!

    🌿 #sbteurotrip    Read more

  • Breanna's BlogEuroTrip 2016
    Day 11

    If I was a Duck, I would live here.

    June 30, 2016 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Day two in Amsterdam... Rise and shine! Or, in our case, sleep in and curse the church bells. While Taylor slept like an actual rock (that is some next level talent) Shaunessa and I were woken up every half an hpur by the beautiful church bells. I mean I think they could have been beautiful IF WE WERENT TRYING TO SLEEP.

    Oh well, we had to get up sometime, so at around 1030 we got dressed and ready, made ourselves pb&banana sandwiches for lunch and headed out on our next adventure!

    First stop: souvenir shopping! We scoured shops high and low to find souvenirs for all of our friends at home. Or just ourselves, you won't know until we are home!! So we ambled around the city getting lost and swttled ourselves into a cute park for some tasty lunch. As we were eating, however, aome people decided to feed the pigeons right beaide us and let me tell you... Those birds are much more agressive out here in amsterdam. So we quickly finished up and realized it was getting close to our bike tour of Amsterdam!

    We found our way to the bike shop (eventually...) and got fitted with a bright red bike and given a rundown of how biking works here. Let me tell you, biking is THE way to get around Amstersam. Honestly, its like everyone stays out of your way and the lights always give favour to the bikers. And it helps that these bikes are absolutely magical in that with only three gears, they feel like you are doing absolutely nothing at all but gliding across the streets!

    Our guide, Sylvia, proceeded to take us to several places in Amsterdam and tell us about why the city is so beautiful and lively. She told us how the entire city used to be a port for launching ships and one day, they decided to build ARTIFICIAL LAND and create canals throughout the city to encourage growth ans trade! We biked through central station and a few of the nicer neighborhoods and Syliva told us why Amsterdam is associated with the three red X's (as youve probably seen in many of my posts).

    The red Xs originally belonged to a prestigious family that settled in Amsterdam prior to the artificial land building days. Amsterdam decided to adopt it as their own to represent the three huge problems they have had to overcome as a nation: Floods, Fires, and the Black Plague.

    Next, we biked over to the largest park in Amsterdam where we found out it was once part of the hippie trail in the 1970s, and many people used to camp here to avoid paying for hostels. The government made this illegal in the late 70s and now, that area is one of the most expensive to stay in.

    After, we biked through the museum district and near the red I AMSTERDAM sign the city errcted in 2004. The sign is supposed to represent the multicultural nature of Amsterdam and how the city is abput more that just drugs, sex, and windmills - it's about leaving a bit of you here and taking a bit of the culture back!

    Next up, skinny bridge! This is a small bridge (that used to be smaller) close to the locks in the canal system where boats come through and the city regulates the flow of the water. It is a drawbridge to let tall ships through, and is a famous landmark in the city today.

    Last stop: one of the oldest working windmills left in Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, you are allowed to actually live in a windmill if you take a year long course on how to manage it and provide proper maintenance! This one had a small brewery attached to it, and we each had a glass of amazing beer for only 2.5 euro! Fortunately for us, we didn't even have to actually pay for the beer as we ran into a bit of luck and found 10 euro a little while earlier. Score!

    Afterwards we cycled back to the buke shop to drop off our bikes, and headed back to our hostel to get ready for the rest of the evening. We decided we wanted to check out the red light district tonight, so we bundled up (it was getting quite chilly!) and went out in search of food.

    Shaunessa had recommended an asian atir fry place she tried last time she was here called wok to walk, and LET ME TELL YOU it was so so good! Honeslty the ingredients and sauces were so flavorful, it might have been one of the best stir fry I have ever had in my life!

    After we finished eating we set out to explore the (in)famous red light district! We walked along the main strip and quite a few of the side streets, and honestly I don't have that much to report. It was so much more tame than I expected it to be: the girls were all covered up, most of them texting and seemed bored. Maybebit was a slow night, I don't know for sure... But there definitely wasn't as much scandal as I thought there was going to be!

    We strolled for a few hours anyway, sitting by the canal to take in thebsights and sounds before heading back to get a good nights rest, again.

    Tomorrow ia our last full day - talk to you then!    Read more

  • Breanna's BlogEuroTrip 2016
    1
    Day 11

    Share your talent!

    June 30, 2016 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Day 3 in Amsterdam... Yay! Today we didnt really have much on the agenda, so we got up (thanks to the church bells AGAIN) and headed out to start the day! Firat stop was the red light district (too see what its like during the day) and to visit an amazing candy store called Candy Freaks! When we were walking through, we noticed that a lot of girls were just getting setting up for the day, so once again there was not a lot to report.

    We continued on and fpind the store of my dreams... A candy store with literally some of THE best candy I have ever TASTED. most of it was vegan, organic, and all natural.. All of it waa delicious. After grabbing some candy, we wanted to make sure we hit the I Amsterdam sign so we headed to the free (!) ferry that takes you across the bay to northern amsterdam 24 hours a day.

    On the way we had to walk through central station, nd we noticed a group of girls standing around a piano singing while a man played it and three people were social dancing. We noticed that the floor had a sign saying "share your talent" and realized that these people had all come together randomly to do something that thwy loved. Of course, Shaunessa and Taylor were prodding me to go in and dance... So after some convincing I did. I absolutely loved it! The girla sang "say something" followed by "hallelujah" and I honestlu felt so free dancing in front of the crowd that gathered to watch.

    After I was done, we headed to the ferry once again, me just a tad sweaty and winded. After boarding the ferry we got to the othwr side and made a B-line to the I Amsterdam sign. We made frienda with a cute girl from the Philippines who was on a layover while working on a cruise and ahe took some pictures for us woth the sign. We also checked out the museum of film and the arts briefly before heading back to sout Amsterdam.

    Once we got back, we knew we had a few more things to grab and - though it started to absolutely POUR - we braved the weather and went shopping anyway! Canadians, eh?

    After perusing some more, yhe rain slowed a bit and we headed back to the hostel where we caught a nice nap. Something about rainy weather juat makes you want to curl up and sleep!

    Right now we are in the lobby bar stealing wifi and blogging before packing up... Next stop, Brussels!    Read more

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