• Transit

      9 december 2022, Oostenrijk ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C

      Off to Salzburg today.
      Slept like poo which was surprising cause my body was in pain. Have woken up with majority of aches gone though. I find it very weird whenever my knee does this BS, it’s impossible to walk on and then the next day it’s basically better. If it was as injured as the pain suggested yesterday it should still hurt today. Not complaining though hah.

      Had a shower and washed my hair - my hair is disgusting and dead.
      I always think of grumpy old woman when I say that and their skit.
      “Dead. Of course it’s dead, imagine getting a hair cut if it wasn’t dead. *screams as hair is cut*
      Anyway.. Had to wash because we are in hostel dorms for the next week. Yay..
      And it wasn’t going to make it..
      It’s still a bit wet. I tried to use the hotel hairdryer but it just smelt like burning and didn’t want to have it burst into flames on me so gave that a skip.

      Currently on the train.
      No reservation seats. Crap train really but at least I know it’s the right train. Switzerland really letting down the team with its lack of train numbers on the departure boards. Good job Germany.

      1h 42m journey. We are going to go get Will a haircut when we arrive because we believe there is an hour before we are allowed to check in.
      It will be his 2/2 allocated travel haircuts hahah.
      His ankles are fucked. Considering doing another walk day 2 in Salzburg but may need to have a look at other options.
      I would like to see some mountains.

      Will continue to amaze me with his packing skills. We had 1 hour until the train and the room was atrocious. And yet somehow he is ready in 5 minutes. Impressive and impossible.

      Hostel was close to the station and I already knew it was going to be disastrous so went in with a good outlook of lets see how bad it really is.
      Oh man.
      What an ordeal.
      Couldn’t check in for a while but that was fine. In fairness everything that related to us was fine. But for others..
      Many rooms not ready by 3pm.
      Line is 30 people long, one worker on reception who has no sense of urgency good lord.
      Have to pay 3.5€ for bed linen.
      Odd characters everywhere.
      Some screaming babies…
      For one odd lady Will goes I hope she is on the phone and not just taking to herself.
      She was not on the phone… 😅

      But the best thing of all.
      Our room had a double bed and the weirdest man has claimed one side.
      So if we get an 8th person in the dorm they must share.
      *gets popcorn ready*

      Under no circumstance is this ok 😆😆😆😆
      Especially with this man.
      He is bat shit crazy.

      I’m on a top bunk which I don’t enjoy but this seems like a win really considering my options.
      The bunks are terrible. Bottom bunk is fine but top bunk has a square frame you have to squeeze through to get onto your bed. Wills shoulders are too wide.

      Went to a haircut place. They were very rude and couldn’t speak English and we got told no reservation no haircut so we left. (Could DEFINITELY fit in a haircut)
      Not sad about it, no business for you then - They were incredibly put out when I entered the barber with him. I was uncomfortable by all the unhappy looks my way.
      Relax buds, not here to destroy your man space. Crickey.

      Outside was a weed related vending machine. You can get 3 joints for 2€. Tempted to buy just to see if it comes with the weed in it? Cause surely not. Far too cheap. Maybe you have to still stuff it with your own supply?

      But put plainly - Surely you can’t buy weed at a vending machine 😆

      Went for a walk to the center of town, feeling ripped off by the clouds. Always cloudy wherever we go 🙄🙄🙄
      Found some Christmas markets with an ice rink, a Mozart statue and then it lead into other markets which I really liked the feeling of. There was a good distance between opposite shops. Roundabout way of saying a big walkway.
      I think Germans still better but only because they have way more food.
      It’s both a complaint and not - we have found in many cities we can’t see the main squares/buildings cause they have been overtaken my the markets.

      Got a donut pretzel which was nice but not hot like donut king which is what I was craving cause it’s freezinggggg
      Wills back is killing him so we went home to rest it. It’s what not wearing proper shoes will get you.

      He just needed to sit. So he got a beer and I got gluwëin in reception.
      Literally 50 people in line to check in 😆😆😆
      Crazy lady still there talking to herself…

      Tickled pink. We got refunded. $500 is a lot so. VERY relieved.
      Still giving a terrible review. Mainly because at no point during check in was a deposit mentioned and have been so stressed with no clear answer.
      Talked with EBC Helen. Have pulled the plug on Christmas with them because now an official train and airline strike.
      Just can’t get to them 😔 really disappointed.

      But may also get delayed flying home too cause workers want Christmas AND New Years off.
      We shall see.

      Tried to book a walking tour but all booked out which has never happened before. Normally just register and turn up or simply turn up.
      So need new plans.

      Went walking to Italian for dinner. Cheap. Yay.

      It’s snowing quite heavily. Its collddddddd. Its mainly my hands that aren’t doing so well with it haha.

      Back in dorm now.
      Dude in the double is crazy for sure.

      We have 7 in the room. Awaiting our 8th member to realize they have to share a double bed 👀🍿☕️
      Can’t wait hahahah

      Still no one 😔

      But two men off their heads have joined the room lol.

      One has gone to bed and the other is going back out.
      His friend asked “do you know the address?”
      “No”
      “You won’t be able to find your way back”
      “But isn’t that the best way.”

      Best of luck to him. He will die in a snowstorm.

      Crazy dude been on the phone for the last 2 hours. Lights are off bud. Stop being a rude douche.

      Bed time
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    • Munich - Hike day.

      8 december 2022, Duitsland ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

      Getting up was the worst hahah.

      Took some time deciding what we were going to bring. I’ve got extra layers and a snickers bar. Important.

      Train came In 30 mins and they don’t run that often and as this is such a stupidly long walk, running out of daylight needs to be considered so I was keen to make that one.

      We picked up the pace. Having caught an S train yesterday we at least knew what to do today to save some time. S6 to get there S8 to get home.

      We had to pick a time today when buying the ticket so selected the train in 15 mins, the option after that was a train in an hour.
      A train going to where we needed came in 4 minutes. This train is not one of the selectable options… but we got on it.
      Had my argument ready for ticket people if they said anything.
      Our tickets weren’t checked anyway so all is well.
      Got off at Starnberg.
      Prioritized food as needed fuel for the day.
      Also found an ATM to get out cash out in case the monastery we are walking to doesn’t take card.
      Have discovered later that the ATM itself has a $8.50 fee 🙃
      And then the $1.50 from wise cause we have gone over our ATM withdrawal allowance.
      So that was a touch expensive. I’m not overly mad though cause once I figured out why my transaction didn’t match the amount I got out - I would much prefer the reason be fees rather than someone else stole our card details again lol.

      Got kebabs and they were terrific.

      And on we walked.
      Will on map duty bless him.
      Started in a town.

      Started walking though grass fields with people walking dogs and stayed close to a field.
      Started to follow a beautiful stream, everything crisp and moss covered. Beautiful.

      Then all of a sudden Wills phone starts making some loud, unknown alarm sound.
      Pulled out his phone and in quick succession we received several “emergency alarm”messages.
      All in German obviously, but that made it scary.

      I immediately went to omg, what if it’s Putin related.
      Will though natural disaster related.

      Bless the copy/paste feature.
      I photographed Wills screen, he hotspotted me and I translated it to say NO DANGER TODAY.

      Then why are you messaging me with your NEE NAWW🙃🙃🙃

      Felt much more relaxed after we translated haha.

      Walk walk walk then through a town for a little bit before we reached farmland.
      And in the distance we see this thing.
      Wills comments:
      “Is that a cat or a dog?”
      “…is that a bobcat?”

      No. Just a regular cat who was the biggest loaf of bread.
      He came over for pats.
      He wasn’t as ginormous up close but I think he blended with the grass colour to look double the size.

      Kept walking and this little dog was so happy and sped past us to chase the cat. 😂😂
      He chased it for a long while too until his owner called him. He didn’t recall to his name but did hesitate which gave fat cat time to gain some distance. Haha

      Lots of horses and rolling fields. 💕

      A horny boy horse was annoying a girl horse. We could here her warnings and then she kicked him. 😆.
      Walked past some either llamas or alpacas but 90% sure alpacas.
      Saw a red squirrel too.

      This walk had everything honestly. All different terrain and wildlife haha.

      Came to a near frozen lake. Just the edges not quite solid yet.

      The forest parts where my favourite.
      Will did a sneaky wee because he has a convenient, transportable utensil.
      I needed to go too but too many runners/dog walkers I had to wait for a better time.

      The sun came out for a bit which was lovely but glad it didn’t beat down on us because we would have overheated.

      Lots of what we think are mole hills.

      Walk walk walk.
      Another little town. The whole town spelt like cow but no cows?

      Found a good section with some coverage for my bush wee.
      This section of wood had little red riding hood vibes.
      I don’t know what animals Germany has but very glad all animals are hibernating. Not in the mood to be eaten by a bear today. 😅

      The direction signs were frustrating.
      They changed a lot.
      And did not go down despite walking an hour.
      8km to go
      8.7km to go
      7.9km to go
      8.1km to go.
      What.

      To get to the monastery it is 15km on one map but I think our route was about 20km because we went scenic route.
      More fields 💕
      Finally could see the monastery in the distance.

      Golly. It took its time getting closer to us. Walk walk walk and still just as far away.

      The stations of the cross where positioned the last 800m or so as we walked towards it.

      Will chose this activity (and has done a bang up job) because he learnt the monks make their own beer 🍻
      So, we went into the tavern which was a hot mess just like the hofbrauhaus but he managed to get a beer and really enjoyed it. Just the one though as we still had the final 5km of the journey.
      First popped into the church - stunning! Even Will took photos which is how you tell if something is good or not.
      We decided not to eat at the tavern because we didn’t know what to do or how to do it …
      So we ate my snickers bar and carried on.

      Sitting was bad. My knee had cooled and was gone. 💀
      Hobbled down the hill but if I can do it for 2 x 25 km days for Everest I can do it for a pissy 5km.
      This side not as nice but still lovely.
      I considered doing this route there and back but glad we picked the long route as it had the better stuff for sure.
      Walked through another town with the most lovely cottage.
      Stone and wood, flower pots and a smoking chimney.
      Something out of a children book.

      Walk walk walk. More towns to the station.
      50 minute ride back.
      Our stop this morning was zone 2, this was zone 3. Wasn’t sure so didn’t buy a zone day ticket but glad they are different cause otherwise it would have been wasteful like yesterday not getting a day ticket hah.
      Body is sore.
      Wills ankles are killing him. I at least have hiking shoes. He has dead Adidas shoes due for a trip to the bin.

      We had to go immediately home to shower and rest for a bit. Couldn’t walk no more hahaha
      Pitch black but only 4:30.
      My toes has been hurting half the day. Pleased to see blood through my sock and between my toes. Not in my head lol.
      Markets too far away even if its the cheaper option. We just can’t. 😂
      We have found an American diner 300m away.
      Sitting at the bar writing this.
      Keen for bed omg.
      At least checkout tomorrow is 12.
      My job for the train tomorrow is to draft a passive aggressive email to Zurich Ibis demanding our money back now it’s been 5 business days.
      Joy.
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    • Munich

      7 december 2022, Duitsland ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

      2 am and still wide awake.
      I changed my alarm and plan at this moment. 😆
      We were going to go on an 11am tour.
      Now going to the 1pm tour. 😅
      So we got up at 10:30 instead haha.
      Walked to the station and needed the S section.
      Like I know what that means.
      But found an S and figured it all out without too much trouble.
      My only issue was we bought single journey tickets rather than whole days tickets (which costs us later 😒🙃)
      Had a Dunkin’ donut for breakfast and Will bought a chicken schnitzel sandwich but threw it away because he is the most ridiculous person i have ever met when it comes to chicken. If it’s 0.00001% pink it’s no from him.
      The train was about 30 minutes followed by a 10 minute bus. (which once again was conveniently already waiting for us at the station - also completely full so they didn’t check tickets which is good because we aren’t 100% sure if our ticket also covered the bus)
      Arrived at Dachau concentration camp.
      Immediately signed up for the guided tour because it only has 30 spots.
      Success.
      Sensational price of 4€ each. Big statement of we need to pay our guide but are not profiting from this.
      Had about 45 mins to kill so she recommended the museum and gave us directions. Neither of us listened and the museum is not on the map so we went to the food hall instead and planned to ask the guide at the end of the tour where it is rather than face the woman again and looks stupid. 😆
      Canteen was quite cheap actually. Cafeteria vibes.
      Lots of school classes.
      Had pumpkin soup but very mass produced pumpkin soup haha.
      Went to the gift shop to pass time and it was predominately books. Considered buying dad one cause I knows it’s right up his alley but he reads a lot so a real chance he has already read what I would have picked lol.

      Tour began.
      Fabulous guide.

      To save myself a lot of time typing I shall be copy pasting from pictures of signs I took.

      “The Dachau Concentration Camp.
      In March 1933, a concentration camp for political prisoners was establisned on this site. It served as a model for all subsequent concentration camps and was under the command of the SS. In the 12 years of its existence, over 200.000 person:
      from throughout Europe were incarcerated here and in the numerous subcamps. More than 43,000 died. On April 29, 1945, U.S. troops liberated the survivors. The former prisoner camp became a Memorial Site in 1965.”

      Stop 1.
      Showed us an aerial view of the site from a picture taken shortly before liberation. Talked about where we were going to go and what she would talk about.
      The S.S headquarters are not accessible to the public. The Police riot squad use them today. We did see some of the buildings from a fence though at stop 2.

      Stop 2.
      She showed us train tracks. A lot of people assume they arrived by these tracks but they didn’t, they are from what was here before.
      She did talk about the location being why it was chosen though. 5km from station which is both close but not so close you stumble across it.

      “Arrival at the camp.
      The road that formerly connected the SS area with the prisoner camp was uncovered in 2004. This road was how the prisoners reached the camp. Arriving prisoners had to march from the railway station to the camp, while other transports
      used trucks to bring the Prisoners to Dachau..
      The final months before the end of the war were characterized as a catastrophic overfilling of the camp, due to the SS deporting several thousand prisoners from other camps to Dachau on the evacuation transports. Thousands died in the course of these final transports”

      We turned around to see the entrance with the famous sign from a lot of camp signs that’s says

      “Arbeit macht frei” which means “work sets you free”

      Lies.

      She says while considered a labor camp and not an extermination one that 1 in 5 people who came here died.
      And no one was freed because of good work.

      The original gate was stolen in 2014 in the middle of the night so they made a replacement.
      About 2 years ago it was found in Norway in a rubbish tip they chose to keep the copy erected and put the original inside in the museum.
      What an adventure it went on.

      Stop 3.
      We entered into the role call ground where twice daily role call would be taken.
      You must attend. If someone was missing because they had died other prisons must bring them out. If someone was missing they had to all stand there for hours until the person was found. Many people died during role call from exhaustion or the elements.

      It’s was a huge space. At one point 50,000 people lined up in military lines per day for role call.
      On liberation day there was 33,000.
      Originally built for 6,000

      Stop 4.
      We walked passed the bunkers - 17 on each side originally.
      There are 2 complete rebuilds at the front and then the rest just have reconstructed foundation outlines to show where they stood.
      I thought it was a fabulous way to do it actually.

      Stopped by patch of grass and we talked about security. There were watch towers and an electric fence but also acting as a buffer before the fence was a grass section and a ditch. You were not allowed to touch the grass. If you did you were shot immediately. The guards were given 20 days holiday but an extra day per prisoner they killed so they had motivation.
      They also played games with the prisoners such as by taking there hat and throwing it on the grass. Your choices are retrieve it and get shot. Ignore command from officer to retrieve it and get shot. 😬
      There are a lot of “killed while trying to escape” documentations and she posed the question.
      When you look at this can you escape? Is there a way?
      The answer is no.
      “Trying to escape” is propaganda. These people killed themselves. There is a huge memorial in the middle erected by survivors that depicts their fellow prisoners mangled in the fence.

      Stop 5.
      Was the crematorium.
      Workers in the crematorium only lived some weeks - they either died from exhaustion or were murdered so they didn’t talk about it.
      It’s the one area with no real eye witness accounts.
      There were 2 crematoriums.
      The older one cremated about 11,000 but death rate increased so the prisoners had to build a new one.

      “Large crematorium.
      The large crematorium was erected between
      May 1942 and April 1943. It was to serve both
      as a killing facility and to remove the dead.
      But the gas chamber in the middle of the building was not used for mass murder. Survivors
      have testified that the SS did, however, murder
      individual prisoners and small groups here”

      - Room 1 was for disinfecting of clothing.

      - Room 2 was the waiting room where you were informed on the use of the “showers”

      Room 3 was the gas chamber
      “Gas chamber.
      This was the center of potential mass murder.
      The room was disguised as "showers" and
      equipped with fake shower spouts to mislead
      the victims and prevent them from refusing
      to enter the room. During a period of 15 to
      20 minutes up to 150 people at a time could
      be suffocated to death through prussic acid
      poison gas (Zyklon B).”

      Guide said there is no real documentation or evidence on the extent.
      The purpose is unclear. The truth is they don’t know for sure why there is a gas chamber.

      - Room 4
      Was death chamber 1. Where they were brought before cremation.

      - Room 5 was the crematorium/where the ovens are.
      Also
      “Execution site
      Most hangings were carried out here. The victims were hanged directly in front of the burning ovens.”

      - Room 6 was where they stored the dead bodies from the prisoner camp.

      Outside was a mass grave woodland cemetery section which wasn’t part of the tour but i wizzed through.
      Beautiful really. Quite and calm.

      “Graves of Ashes and Execution Site.
      The ashes of the bodies cremated in the ovens
      were shoveled into pits. After liberation these
      places were marked as graves and memorial
      plaques erected later.”

      Stop 6 was in the middle of the road between all the barracks - she pointed out different religious memorials.
      Only 25% of those in Dachau were Jewish.
      It was a very pretty area, one that was photographed often by the SS for propaganda.

      We went into one of the barracks that has been set up to show how they lived through 3 different sections of time. 1933 is “bearable” - you get your own bed. 1945 is fucked. Originally built for 200 people but housed 2000 each.
      We sat inside and this was our last stop on tour. She talked about daily routine, disease and daily life.
      They had a big rabbit farm that prisons would try get jobs at because the rabbits were given more food than the prisoners and they would try steal it.
      Rabbits were skinned for the guards jackets.

      Hygiene was bad.

      “The sanitary facilities were entirely insufficient for the growing number of prisoners. Especially in the mornings, they had only a few minutes' time, and this was not enough for several hundred prisoners to crowd into the washrooms and toilets all at once. Like all procedures in the concentration camp, the SS also found ways to use the hygienic facilities to harass, humiliate, and punish the prisoners.

      The tour ended. I really enjoyed it!

      We then closely inspected the prisoners in the fence memorial before going into the exhibition/museum.
      Too much writing tbh.
      Wizzed through it reading some and focusing on pictures.
      The best sections were the medial experiments, liberation and Dachau trial sections.

      Saw the original front gate and fav pic overall was right before one of the bad dudes got hung.
      Not enough ended up hung if you ask me.
      Should have shot them all on the spot.

      I enjoy the terrible dead body photos the most. It makes it more real. It reminds me I need to pay attention.

      We then went to the prison inside the prison which was use to remind people “it could always be worse”
      One particular torture technique was making one cell into 4 cells. Not big enough to lie or even sit.

      The prison had a dark feel to it. A corridor with doors.
      Most were empty but a few had signs or displays.
      One cell was for a prisoner who tried to blow up Hitler in 1939.

      “Georg Elser’s assassination attempt, November 1939:
      Growing danger of war made Georg Elser resolve to eliminate hitler. In the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich, a traditional meeting place of the Nazi Party, Elser’s bomb exploded on November 8th 1939,killing eight people and injuring
      over 60 in the ruins of the building.
      But Hitler had unexpectedly left the hall shortly before.
      Georg Elser was arrests the same night.”

      Can you imagine if he had been successful.

      Another display was

      “At around two in the morning the key jangles in the first cell door at the other end of the passageway. Immediately everyone is awake.
      With a metallic thud the loosened shackle falls to the floor.
      The prisoner from number one takes the first steps to the bunker courtyard.
      A shot rings out. A life is extinguished."
      Walter Buzengeiger, July 1, 1934.

      And so concluded our trip to Dachau.
      I loved it. I don’t think your meant to love it but I did.
      I love the importance of it.

      Bought a ticket back to the station then bought more train tickets.

      Terrific maths by 2 separate machines.
      5.30€ each.
      That will be 15.70€
      Ermmmmmm???????
      We paid it cause we had to put something is a bit fishy here 🤔🤔🤔
      We though maybe higher prices for peak hour but it literally had the math on the screen and it was wrong.

      Figured out what train we needed but no new trains appeared on the arrivals board after ours so maybe we got very lucky today not getting stranded.

      An easy trip back followed by a lovely stroll through the markets.

      Have been freezing out tits off all day but absolutely dying now haha.
      We both got curry wurst sausages. I got more fruit covered strawberries and Will got a crepe.
      There was a choir singing up high in the main square. Loveeeeeed it.
      Lovely vibes 💕💕💕💕💕

      Back home now. Writing this has taken me like 1.5 hours haha.

      Forgot to write Dachau was the second last camp to be liberated.
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    • Transit

      6 december 2022, Duitsland ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

      We had a morning. 😬
      My phone rang in the middle of the night for the second day in a day in a row and maybe 5th overall which makes no sense cause it’s on airplane mode. But that was at 5 and we had to wake up early. Took me at least an hour to get back to sleep. 😒 Will has complained this morning I need to put my phone on silence which i will because it keeps happening but he said it as if it was a real inconvenience for him.
      15 seconds and he was snoring again. I wish I had such skills 😫🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

      Alarm was for 7:15 - Not enough time for my liking but I got scoffed at last night when I set the alarm earlier.
      So it was very rush rush for me this morning.
      Will asked if I have everything. I said yep and we checked out.

      Walked a long while towards the station when i realized I didn’t have my wedding ring. 😬😬
      2 days in a row. On fire. 🔥
      I knew where it was. It’s on the top shelf which I can’t actually see into so didn’t see. I had put it inside Wills ring.

      So I SPRINTED.

      Started running at 8:01 and arrived 8:02.
      A solid effort but I do now have bleeding in my lungs. 🥴 It has a lovely taste.
      The air is too cold.
      Got our key, went up, couldn’t open the door, panicked and went to run downstairs but it then worked. Got my ring and the lift arrived so I think i my have left the door open because when I first called the lift downstairs I was too slow and missed the lift because someone else called it. So didn’t want someone to jump in infront of me again.
      Time is of the essence.
      Jogged back. I was ok for time.
      Will in a feral mood because he says he specifically asked me about my ring.
      I heard “have everything” not “have your ring”
      Anyways.
      Found our platform and captain cranky puss rejected my offer to get some sandwiches so i went to a vending machine because he will regret that decision in 4 hours time and we still haven’t arrived/eaten.
      Had $10 worth of coins to get rid of anyway.
      Got some Oreos and a snickers. Options were a bit scarce.
      Train 1 was a mood.
      Train 2 improved.
      People are in our reserved seats which i mentioned to them but didn’t care about. We sat a row in front.
      They have now specifically moved for us.
      We moved to our assigned seat but both have window seats and there is a big table in the way so Will can’t fit … so we moved back to our original spot. Which I’m sure they have the shits about after having made the effort.

      Total kerfuffel. Everyone changing seats all the time.
      Once we went over the German border we had to our masks on.
      Went through a tiny bit of Austria on the way and it was beautiful. Glad I saw some mountains😅
      A group of 4 German woman didn’t put masks on because they were “eating” which is code for drinking wine and holy hell they were loud.
      They were having the best time, but so inconsiderate of everyone.
      They were totally pissed though so they didn’t notice or care lol.
      Had a wee sleep on the train table which was lovely.

      Arrived and just a quick walk from the station. Questionable area but still nothing compared to Marseilles.
      We think there is a heroine shoot up clinic on the corner which would account for the cliental.

      Needle outside our hotel lol.

      Checked in, our room is quite small but our last private for a while so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

      On our walk to old town we believe someone to be overdosing where we think the clinic is. Paramedics helping. Our theory is strengthening by the second. Lol

      Didn’t recognize a thing for a while then suddenly ah ha! We recongnised a particular Christmas market which means our hostel from last time is that way and everything else is this way.
      Without the market/any other time of year we would not have had a clue.

      Soooo much better than last time.
      We disagreed on this by I have since been proven right by pulling up my old journal - the Christmas markets shut Christmas Eve last time so they weren’t open for most of our time and we couldn’t go. (Ones in the big min square)
      Very jolly this time.
      Main square is lovely.

      We went to the Hofbrauhaus which was a hot mess. We did laps for a while til we finally flagged someone - do we find somewhere to sit? If so how do you know we are new, there is 1000 people in here… or do we wait for you to sit us?
      We seat ourselves.
      Went to sit at a table and a worker yelled UH UH UH at us. Ok not there then. Will made comment about how outrageously rude he was.
      The language was a bit more colourful actually. 😂
      25 minutes pass and our order still hadn’t been taken. Flagged someone.
      Still nothing.

      Eventually got seen. I took a gamble and got the beef goulash which I was expecting in a bread roll because what the picture showed. But no and meat was chunks of fat. Wills order didn’t match his expectations either.
      We enjoyed our pretzel and his beer though!
      When leaving the worker was like you can leave a tip if you like.
      “No”
      Hahahahahah
      So proud of myself.
      I will not be guilted.

      Walked back through the markets and I got fruit covered chocolate 🤤🤤🤤
      And Will got a crepe.

      Organizing how our transportation tomorrow is going to work.

      Watched the Morocco Vs Spain match then went to dinner.
      Now back watching the Portugal Vs Switzerland match.

      Last trip we watched a lot of Pewdiepie this trip we are watching a lot of Charlotte Dobre.
      Very much enjoy.
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    • Bern

      5 december 2022, Zwitserland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

      Ready to leaveeeeee.

      First went to find an ATM because we needed coins for the washing machine. Naturally the only atm we could find has a minimum withdrawal of 50.
      Found my magnet. Lots of super cute magnets with bears but as I didn’t see a bear it wasn’t relevant to my experience so ended up with a magnet of the clock and fountains.
      Then went to Aldi to make salad.
      Ha.
      An excellent stock of lettuce. That’s about it. No onions, no cucumber, no chicken.
      So we scrapped that plan and only got washing detergent, soap and deodorant.
      Then went across the street and got pumpkin soup again for lunch.
      Very reasonable at 7francs each.

      Have been doing laundry. Had a small domestic while trying to figure out the machines. 😆
      Washing is on.
      And now in the dryer.

      Have to have 5 1franc coins which was difficult to come by so asked a cleaner who went and found a worker.
      He was like oh? You need to do laundry?
      I said we just need to dry as we have already washed.
      He was very put out by this.
      “Oh you should have got me and I would have loaded the machine for you.”

      Well buddy that would have been terrific if you didn’t close reception for 5 hours in the middle of the day with big notices saying do not disturb unless an emergency.
      Laundry didn’t seem like an emergency but ok sure.
      1h 48m til dryer is done.

      Hung out in our room.

      I packed.

      Will finally cleaned the mud volcano mud off his shoes.

      Went to dinner at a Thai place next door. AMAZING.
      Have already reviewed them online. 😆
      First Massaman curry I’ve seen in Europe.

      Finished my book.

      Thought I lost my wedding ring/left in shower.
      I didn’t. All is well.

      Onto Munich tomorrow thank goodness.
      Meer informatie

    • Bern

      4 december 2022, Zwitserland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

      Spelt in until 12.
      Magic.

      Went out with intent to buy salad for lunch at Aldi and some other staples.
      Expect city is closed cause it’s Sunday.

      Walked around and found nothing except Christmas markets which we wandered through.
      They had little fire lit for people to stand around which I liked. Could smell the hot wine. Can’t wait for Germany to have some 🤤🤤
      McDonald’s was open near our hotel and I was 80 % sure a sandwich shop was too so we headed back home and best news ever was sandwich shop was open and sold salad and pumpkin soup!
      So we very happily ate that in the common room at the hostel even if it was more expensive than our make your own salad plan.
      Will added me to his Spotify account so I have spent the aftenoon adding songs and snacking on salami.
      He cancelled his commonwealth bank card before coming so he could get out of paying $50 a week for a boxing class membership lol.
      He put all his other bills linked to his account/card on our account for the time being. I think Spotify will be staying permanently now I’m using too. Boooo. Haha

      I’m totally fine doing nothing but I think Will is a wee bored haha.

      Yeah he bored hahahah. Has been asking if we can change itinerary. Had a look and it’s a no. Where we are located it isn’t possible. Or thousands of dollars.
      I haven’t liked this trip as much having it pre planned. Not the trip part but the lack of flexibility and the domino effect of lost money if we miss a flight or train or something. Causes me more stress.
      Definitely in bern too long. At least we have a private.
      I re looked at day trip options for tomorrow and it’s just too much money, shit weather or just unclear websites that don’t translate properly.

      We have gone out for cheese fondue for dinner which surprisingly was open so I’m pleased by that. Expensive but delicious. This is our Swiss experience haha. 🇨🇭

      We are now smoking some sheesha. The place is so funny. Half built and they heat the coles with a hair dryer in front of you but having a good time doing something lol.

      A man just walked into a glass door, everyone remained silent until he left rubbing his heads.
      Everyone sharing smiles - Very funny.

      No photos as we did nothing.
      Lolz.
      Meer informatie

    • Bern

      3 december 2022, Zwitserland ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

      New Plan: Robert and Helen having a jolly time together so until we organize a friend he will stay there.

      It’s 11am and so far we have told house keeping to go away, eaten cereal with our lovely cold milk from outside, showered and that’s about it hey. Hahah

      Swapped lunch and dinner plans around so went to spaghetti house next door for lunch.
      Excellent food. Still shit prices but semi acceptable. Carbonara was amazing

      We then went to Einsteins house where he lived for 2 years and developed his theory of relativity - E=MC2
      He lived there with wife and son.
      Had the families sitting room on the 2nd floor and then info walls on 3rd floor.
      Fun to read about. Divorced his wife and married his cousin. So that’s cute.
      Also had a daughter (first child with wife) that he has never met and no one knows what happened to. 👏🏼

      We then went walking to the bear pits - bears are the symbol of bern. They got a revamped living space in 2009.
      Unfortunately all in hibernation though so didn’t see anything other than the holes they would be sleeping in.
      Walked along the river. A lovely walk. The water is crystal clear.
      A dude was practicing his opera scales as he was running which was a bit funny.
      Could hear him coming LAAAAAAAAAAA
      and hear him leaving LAAAAAAAAAA
      Bless.
      Had to walk a long way to find a bridge to cross over the river to a place we knew where a lift was to get us back up the valley.
      Naturally it wasn’t free to take the lift 🙄

      It’s bloody cold ok. Even with my beanie and gloves. 70% of snow in about an hour 🤞🏼🤞🏼
      Went and got Starbucks hot chocolate and it was literally less than half full. 60% whipped cream.

      Back at hostel where we will stay. Going to have a read once done writing this and then World Cup later tonight which will hopefully be on the Telly.

      Literally me for the last month “I have glass stuck in my head.”
      Will *scoffs*
      He has just tried to pop the pimple on side of head that’s been there since Grand Canyon.
      “I think you might be right, something’s in there”
      🫠

      Didn’t read. Watched Graham Norton and Miriam Margolyes videos.

      Watching the Argentina V Australia FIFA game. Will was positive until the 2nd goal scored then became a real cranky puss 😆

      Shouldn’t have come here for so long. Don’t have the money to actually do anything. 😂
      3 more sleeps 🥴
      We have no plans for tomorrow or day after. Have exhausted all of Berns attractions 😅
      I had a day trip to Thun on our originally itinerary but even though it’s 18mins away - the train is $150 soooooooo not going because all we were going to do there is walk around anyway.
      Could do day trips to other places to like interlaken or Lauterbrunnen which is the inspiration for Rivendell for LOTR. And I could/would justify the travel expenses if you could guarantee blue skies. But it’s so grey and gloomy. So nope.
      Switzerland is a place you can only come if it’s your entire holiday.
      One week in Switzerland done properly is 6 weeks anywhere else.
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    • Bern

      2 december 2022, Zwitserland ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

      Had a crappy night cause at about 1 am breeder messaged me which I replied to and knew the next message I got would be telling me if I was getting Summer or not. So didn’t sleep for the next 2 hours.
      Not Summer - got told new dogs name we get in January. This is a story in progress so might not take her but he name is RhiRhi and she is pretty cute. She would need to have 2 litters but Is apparently a better fit for Robert as she is playful.
      Timing might not work out though so we will see how it pans out.

      A very slow morning as our train didn’t come until 1. We checked out at around 11 and spoke with reception about being charged for the room twice. I showed our 2 separate bank accounts.
      He says it will come back to our account but there is a translation barrier still and I’m not feeling confident he understood completely. I have taken an email address in case. I just want my $500 back. 😭

      McDonalds for breakfast/lunch because cheapest thing in entire country and still $50.
      Waited inside the station because it was at least a degree warmer in there.
      Train ride was about an hour 15.

      Check in was a bit dodge. Could see someone in the office but had to wait until 3 before he opened the shutters. I happen to be constructing a message to the breeder at the time denying her offer to take summer for a week if RhiRhi is in heat start of January when we need to pick her up.
      I said I can’t take her if I have to give her back again. So I was crying and of course that’s when the shutters open. Awkwarddd hahah.
      Had to take the lift up one at a time cause it’s teeny tiny.
      We are very happy with our room. It’s got a tv, table, shelving and a sink and some space.
      Beds are 2 singles rather than a double so feels bigger too. Only bummer is toilet is in the corridor but hostel isn’t busy so we are only sharing in theory. Am yet to see anyone on our level.

      Went out exploring for the 40 minutes before the sun set.
      100000000 times cooler than Zurich. Have seen a couple streets and no comparison. An absolute slaughter lol.
      There is an awesome astrological clock archway - UNESCO.
      Unfortunately only walking tour available is on our last day here so I’ve booked it but might not go. Will have probably seen everything by then. 🤷🏼‍♀️
      I’d like to have more info on all the cool stuff.
      SO MANY FOUNTAINS I LOVE THEM. They are colorful 😍
      Found a sort of lookout section and some Christmas markets which we strolled through. Not nearly as jolly as when you aren’t freezing and it’s daytime.
      Went to the supermarket and bought some bread, spread, sausage and milk for us to eat breakfast and lunch at home tomorrow cause prices are genuinely ridiculous here.
      We don’t have a fridge but have put the milk outside our window in a nice 1° environment. Lol
      The view from our room is LOVELY. Even got the camera out to capture it better.

      Will wanted Mexican so we went to papa joes and I’m OBSESSED with the Resturant. It is rainbow and as if someone has gone to a garage sale and bought the most random things they could possible find and put them all together. There was a bridge, fairy lights a little fountain thing.
      LOVE.
      I really enjoyed my chicken salad - Will not fussed by his enchiladas because it had too many vegetables 😆😆
      $140 🫠🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

      Forgot to say yestsrday the army dudes are really chill here. Bloke just walking around the train station with his automatic weapon slung over his back. Not even holding it. Wicked dangerous bug comical.

      Went to supermarket again and added some snacks to our pile. We are having a rest day tomorrow so I can cry about Summer in peace and keep getting better. Still dizzy at times but definitely better.
      Went through another Christmas markets. Didn’t even try shopping just like the vibe.

      Currently watching the World Cup. Room is cold and I’m snug in my blanket I love it.
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    • Liechtenstein

      1 december 2022, Liechtenstein ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

      Slept like rocks. I was worried Will was going to wake up cranky and sick cause he was snoring unbelievably loud cause his nose is blocked but he said he slept amazingly. Yay.

      We gained 3 hours so our 8am leaving of the house in actually an 11am leaving. Feeling good.
      My bites are so bad 😩 I’ve put bandaids on my back of the leg ones.
      My knuckle ones suck because for whatever reason my jacket has a stupid design for the pockets and the spikey part of the zip rubs my hand every time I put them in.
      Walked to the station and it’s the biggest station ever holy crap. Impossible to find anything.
      So confusing we went to find an info place. Impossible to find but did eventually find a board and we think we found our train. These particular boards aren’t overly helpful because they don’t say the exact train number just location which is fine unless you have to be on a specific train number as we do because we bought the cheap tickets haha. 😆 but it’s the right time and place so probably is our train.
      Went and got Will a croissant, only item thus far that is reasonably priced at 1.9 francs. Would have got a drink but not in the mood or desperate enough to pay $8.

      Got some cash out because we think we have to buy tickets on the bus once we change trains.
      There money is cool! The 20’s are fire engine red. There 10 is bright yellow.
      Got a big coin back when buying the croissant which is 5 franc. That’s a $7.80 coin 😅
      Can’t exchange so must use haha.

      On the train now. It’s a very gloomy day but not raining.
      Just had our tickets checked with no issue. Always a relief we are headed in correct direction.
      She asked for our passports - first person to do so.
      Lucky because I only have because we are wanting a stamp in Liechtenstein. 😂
      Once we got off finding the bus was amazingly simple.
      It’s fluro yellow and happened to be the one already waiting at the station.
      Got on and asked the driver do we pay here or somewhere else? Paid him and sat. He then drove us to Liechtenstein. #country52
      Liechtenstein was very quite. We first went to the tourist information center and got our passports stamped for 3 francs each haha. ✔️
      We got Will a coffee then went climbing a big hill to get to a viewpoint and to the castle.
      The castle is closed because it’s a private residence.
      The Prince here has such power. Nothing passed through parliament without his final approval. Or that how it reads on the info boards as we walked up the hill. The castle was cool. Love the old school toilet hole on the side of the building and the dragon heads for drainage.
      Will in a good mood so got some photos yewwww haha.

      I also liked the view point. Disappointing it’s so cloudy so the mountains in the background were covered. Still really lovely. I’m happy the fields are still green and not white.

      Walked back down and went to lunch. Really good quality. Got some tomato soup. Have been dying for soup. Still cost a fortune but have definitely seen worse prices.
      Will tried a Liechtenstein beer.
      We then bought my magnet and went walking to the Post Museum (Liechtenstein’s a hoot and a half 🤪🤪)
      Post museum is free entry and so we did a quick wizz around. Had to go there anyway to buy tickets to the Princes treasury. Bought a double ticket to get access to national museum too because why not.
      Just a lot of stamps at the post museum. Wild to think some people would be absolutely beside themselves with excitement here.

      The Princes treasury was embarrassing to say the least.
      You have to go in one at a time with a token. I went first - one door opened and I walked into a tiny black room and the door shut on me and I had a rather large panic and was very loud about it yelling omg what do I do, I’m trapped, why did you make me go first etc etc and then another door magically opened and their was another person on the other side… mortifying 🤣🤣
      Hello 🫠
      Will got confused and startled by the lady too which made me feel less stupid.
      Couldn’t take photos inside but basically had a crown, A LOT of decorative eggs and some weapons - the coolest bit was a bit of moon stone from an Apollo mission.
      Leaving was just as stupid. One door into a dark cupboard followed by another magical opening.one door won’t open until the other one is shut so you can’t have a sticky beak inside.

      Walked next door to national museum. Whole country has English next to the German except their national museum where foreigners are likely to visit.. ?
      So not sure what we looked at but a lot of taxidermy stuff, old flowers, it had a FIFA World Cup section (not really sure why because it featured everyone BUT Liechtenstein lol)
      Then some Napoleon stuff we think, paintings of all past kings, a religious relics section, and other old stuff. More stamps and eggs here too haha.
      Finished up and walked to the cathedral. Door was closed but let ourselves in. ✌🏼
      Stain glass was very geometric. Bit funky.

      Royal crypt next door which was more a single coffin thing on a boring white veranda building.
      They did have a metal mural of Jesus commanding Lazarus to come out. So I presume that’s the tomb/crypt.

      Then walked back to our bus. Got a different one but it took us to the right place.
      Our train was only 5 minutes away. All very convenient.
      Currently on the train back to Zurich.
      It’s not the train I booked but did originally pay more so we didn’t have to get the specific train/time because we don’t know when we would finished.
      Lady has just scanned tickets - everyone came up as green on her device and ours came up as orange but we weren’t kicked off so yay.

      Walked through Zurich old town and got some nice views of the city. (Added to yesterdays entry)

      Went home. Felt sick again - shouldn’t google symptoms. Never ends well. 10 terminal diseases per search.

      Went for Chinese for dinner.
      Worst country for a service tip to be added to the bill. 😩
      BUT I still like that it’s added for you and is 7% not 20%
      Home now and packed.
      Keen for a rest day in Bern.
      Meer informatie

    • Transit/Zurich

      30 november 2022, Zwitserland ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

      Woke up to bed bug saga #2. Thankfully it’s me more affected than Will. I’ve got bites all over my knuckles which is annoying because it’s a difficult place to keep from accidentally touching and therefor scratching.
      Thankful we leave today otherwise getting to sleep tonight would be a challenge for the mind haha.

      Got a reply from our driver he would arrive in one minute so we raced out the door as he was 10 mins early.

      Waited for him on the street and a car stopped in front of us. It was our guide from yesterday.
      Put all our stuff in the boot and got in the car.
      Then said to Will “wait, I don’t think it’s the same man”
      And he agreed so we asked “are you our driver?”
      He didn’t speak English so that’s a no.
      Out we got and got our bags 😆😆😆😆😆
      Could be brothers. It’s hard to see in the dark hahahah
      Pleased he let us get back out and we weren’t kidnapped hahaha.
      Oh dear.

      Our driver, Ramin arrived 2 mins later. 😅
      Drive was quicker cause limited cars at 5:40am.
      He drove us past the F1 pit stop garages.
      We saw them yesterday but was pleased for another look.

      Gave him a tip because he has been so helpful and because to convert to money back at the airport I’ll only get $3 anyway so he can have it.

      Our check in line was straight through the front door so loved that. Line wasn’t too big either.
      Check in lady asked us if we needed a visa for Switzerland and we said no. But she did her job well and checked which was a bit nerve wracking cause it took her a while and a few people to determine we didn’t, all the while I’m thinking omg what if I made an incorrect assumption. 😅

      Got our tickets and went through customs. Got another stamp - had to take my shoes off and everyone was looking at my stripy pink socks 😂
      No food in the departures section. Booooooo.
      Will be fed on plane, hopefully it’s nice and not gross microwaved egg. (It was gross egg)
      Found a very large, expensive carpet magnet. 👀

      Ok so one of the worst flights I’ve ever had. Medically the worst.
      Graphic stories coming up:
      I needed to both poop, vomit and faint. It was the fainting part that I wasn’t coping with very well.
      But I did explode in the toilet. Do airplane toilets have water? No. Just suction. Didn’t work. Had to wipe it clean which was just the worst.

      THANK GOD there was an empty seat next to Will so I moved him over and curled in a ball for the next 1.5 hours.
      Gagging into the bag felt good.
      I skulled water. I thought maybe my blood sugar was down because I was okay lying down but when I sat up I needed to faint.
      Had little cries. Not enough space just needed to lie down but couldn’t.

      Did manage to walk off the plane but naturally it was like a kilometer walk and then because we came from a “dodgy” country we had to go through customs again. Didn’t have to do this on the way through when arriving from France.
      It was very obviously target groups of people lol.
      The alarm kept going off every 5 seconds. Potentially first time through and airport cause MAN.
      Singapore couple had a museli bar on their tray and the TSA guy took it and was like thank you.
      They were like uh??
      And he goes “problem or no problem? “
      And then he ate it………..
      Wanted to find motion sickness tablets but they didn’t t have a pharmacy.
      I found some fruit covered in chocolate. I only wanted fruit but the chocolate gave me a sugar hit in case that’s what I needed.

      Will bought ONE subway sandwich.
      FIFTY FOUR DOLLARS.

      EXCUSE ME WHAT?????????
      So that was terrific 🙃

      Went to our gate. I’ve drunk so much water trying to combat my dizziness I had to pee.
      Boarded and as soon as the seatbelt sign came off I had to pee again. I was so close to peeing myself. 4L wee honestly.
      This flight was better. I had moments of nausea and pretty soon after was dying for a wee again but had a window seat and didn’t want to bother the guy in the isle.
      Made it to the end - had a sleep - was trying to pass time cause I was BUSTING again.
      Near state of emergency had to find bathroom.
      Best 2 wee’s of my life today omg.

      Customs dude was great, liked his job. No fuss getting in.
      Caught the train to their main station. Bit of a hassle buying tickets - card declined a few times the worked fine on another machine.
      Options were confusing asking do we want 3 zones, direct route blah blah. Took a stab at it. No one checked our tickets so no arrests today.

      Walked to hotel. It’s much colder here.
      Zurich is a bit grey thus far.

      Paid.
      Paid twice actually.
      Have to ask for help tomorrow. I asked today as soon as I noticed so went downstairs and got told it’s a deposit but it’s on my two separate cards and both are the exact amount for the room.
      So $450 missing from account for the moment 🙃
      Will wait to talk to the worker who actually checked us in cause his English was excellent.
      Otherwise too hard. They don’t know what I’m showing them.

      Went for salad for dinner because it was the cheapest we could find. Still nearly $60 for 2 plates of salad. 🫠
      Switzerland is going to hurt. Bought cereal and milk (that we hope stays cold) for tomorrow morning.

      It’s 7:15 bed time thank goodness.

      Last 3 pics are walking Zurich’s old town tomorrow.
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