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Europe 2016
  • Sheldon Peters

Europe 2016

A 23-day adventure by Sheldon Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 14, 2016
  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Tuesday!

    August 15, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    I've been meaning to write out some posts and upload some photos but the last two days we've been up and about from dawn to dusk and knackered by the time we get back to our little place.

    The first couple of days have been focused on museums and learning. The first day involved us checking out Brandenburg Gate followed by hitting up the Deutsches Historisches Museum which is a massive two-floor building that covers the whole of German history. Amazing collection; I especially enjoyed the political posters. The one I've included as photo is a Russian war propaganda poster with images of the various invasions of Russia through history with the text "We have beaten them, we are beating them, we will beat them".

    After an ice cream break in view of the lovely Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), we then went to the Neues Museum which contains classical and ancient Egyptian artifacts in which we saw that famous bust of Nefertiti that we weren't allowed to take photos of (got to sell the postcards somehow I guess). We finished up (after a general wander around the neighbourhood) with some takeaway falafels.

    We then went to bed at about 9pm exhausted.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Stage 1 down

    August 15, 2016 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 46 °C

    Made it to Abu Dhabi and only split orange juice on myself in the flight twice. Still wasn't all bad, watched this classic again.

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler
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    Kastanienallee, Mitte

    August 15, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    *TESSA* We staved off jet lag by wandering around our hotel and stumbled on a Church set on Berlin's highest natural hill. The hill is barely a hill at all! We rested, listening to organ practice, and continued to stroll until we were compelled to join happy hour. Stocked up on Ritter Sport and other snacks and now counting the minutes until I can go to bed xxRead more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Having a break

    August 16, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Currently waiting for a snack in the Deutsche Historische Museum cafe after a big morning of walking. We haven't actually been inside of anything today but we've walked past some museums and made our way to the Brandenburg Gate. We had a pointless train trip that saved no time whatsoever and Tessa still hasn't got used to people walking on the right here. All in all we're having lots of fun!Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler
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    Reischtag

    August 17, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    *TESSA* This morning we breakfasted at the Reischtag dome. Apart from a mistaking lard for mashed potato, the experience was faultless. The view was particularly romantic.

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Wednesday!

    August 17, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Another day, another immense amount of walking around.

    Tessa had us booked in for breakfast at the restaurant cafe on top of the Reichstag for the morning so we took the opportunity to have a nice walk from the Brandenburg Gate. We had a look at some of the remaining sections (or replaced sections) of the Berlin Wall and walked through the Holocaust memorial.

    Breakfast at the Reichstag was lovely, with some sausages, pretezels and beer on the menu for me and a three egg omelette for Tessa. We walked up the glass dome for a lovely view of Berlin.

    Next stop was the German Museum of Technology which we rushed around in about 45 minutes but we could have spent hours there. Ships, aeroplanes, trains, windmills, it had it all.

    After catching up for lunch with a friend [*TESSA* a great old friend and housemate, Elise who is living an enviable cool life in Berlin and who we get to see again before we go], we made our way to the Jewish Museum (and thereby getting full value for our Museum Pass which provides free entry for various museums in Berlin) which details the history of the Jews in Germany.

    We wandered the streets for a while, slowing at the kitsch and overcrowded Checkpoint Charlie and generally taking in the atmosphere while avoiding being skittled by the thousands of bike users in Berlin and finished the day with a world-famous curry wurst (basically a sausage cut up, doused in ketchup and curry powder). Was pretty good actually!    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Thursday

    August 18, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    *TESSA* On Thursday we turned our back on museums and tried to give our bodies a rest from the 30,000 steps we've been averaging daily. We Ubahned every chance we got, starting with 1 stop plus a 500m bus ride to visit the Berliner Dom, a cathedral that made me feel 100% more religious, it was so gorgeous (so I'm up to 0.02% religious) followed by eine currywurst mit pommes fritz und mayonnaise mid-morning. We ate icecream at KaDaWe, walked and caught an u banh in the west for the sake of it and wandered the tiergarten until we slumped, at just over 10,000 steps, to bretzel und bier... funf bier...
    We dined with an old and new friend at their gorgeous Berlin apartment, talking philosophy, history, politics, tourism and cats.
    A perfect day.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Berliner Dom

    August 18, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The Berlin Cathedral is an amazing piece of architecture. The organ itself is mammoth and you can just imagine how it would sound when played. We were also able to the climb the 267 steps to the top of the cathedral to look out on the city (and the bee hives on the roof).Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler
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    Friday - Nuremberg!

    August 19, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    So somehow we managed to wake up at some ridiculously early hour on Friday morning to catch the five hour train to Nuremberg. Very comfortable, even though we were pretty much zombies at this point. (*TESSA* I risked my guts by ordering a dish from a german menu without knowing what it would be and a dumpling soup arrived. I was so happy!) We also enjoyed sharing our cabin with a couple of dogs, as it's common for people to bring their dogs on the train (which is legal too).

    Our hotel was a very short distance from the train station (and there is also a pub downstairs (*T* the cutest pub ever!!) which we took advantage of later). After a short time settling in, we did a walking tour of Nuremberg. It is a beautiful, picturesque city and Tessa couldn't keep the smile off her face the entire time. (*T* so much beauty, so much learning, so much frankonian pride and so many sausages - how could I be unhappy?!) We grabbed some beers and local Fraconian wines as well as the local speciality Rostbratwurst, small sausages served in threes.

    Following some shopping (*T* hellas yes, I bought a freaking amazing jacket) and a late three hour nap (in which we slept through our alarms), we headed downstairs to our hotel's pub for drinks and more meat than you could shack a stick at (*T* and gravy, sticky dumplings, etc. The highlight was a slow cooked peppered steak a lot like brisket. Let's face it, I'm here for the food). I had my first litre of beer of the trip, which will hopefully not be my last.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    So long Nuremberg

    August 20, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    (*TESSA*) Today I became more aware of Nuremberg's role in the power base of the Third Reicht. The impossibility of doing justice to the Holocaust, and the tension between trying to achieve justice and moving on from war, is more apparent to me here. The home to Nazi rallies is reminiscent of a set from Mordor. The ferver of the people for their Fuhrer as shown in museums is frightening and repugnant. The loss to German culture is palpable, with Germans and others having taken so many Jewish lives, as well as Polish, homosexual, disabled and others' lives. What might Nuremberg (and the world) be like if German people hadn't radicalised and murdered so many Jewish people?Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Munich - Sunday

    August 21, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    (*TESSA*) I love Munich. The buildings are gorgeous, the multiculturalism reminds me of home and even the TGI-style Barvarian we settled for at dinner (due to a month's closure of our 1st option), was pretty ace. Wine goes down so smoothly here. Sheldon's face lights up whenever he can order beer at a litre at a time.
    We wandered, ate and visited sights, including the lux Residenz complex - home to various royals until the end of WWI. A relaxing day.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Munich - Monday

    August 22, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Boy, I have been slack in posting on our adventures in Europe. In my defence I was drinking at least 1.5 litres of beer a day in Munich so I was usually feeling a little snoozy by the end of the day.

    On Monday Tessa and I went to the Dachau concentration camp on a walking tour with a guide. As Dachau was the only concentration camp that existed from the beginning of the Third Reich to the end of the Second World War, it was interesting (if that's the right word to describe something so horrific) to see how the camp evolved over time. The picture of the camp that I've added below is a sculpture made in memorial of the victims of the camp.

    In the afternoon I went on a Third Reich walking tour through Munich with an Italian guide Sabine, who also happened to be a beer sommelier (beer expert basically - she gave some excellent bar and restaurant suggestions). We walked past places such as the Feldherrnhalle where Hitler's attempted Beer Hall Putsch was ended by Police gunfire in 1923 and the Hofbräuhaus where some of the early meetings of the Nazi party were held (it also has this cool section where regulars have their steins kept locked away for their personal use when they come to drink). After Hitler took power, the Feldherrnhalle became a shrine to the 16 men who died in the Beer Hall Putsch and everyone was required to give the Hitler salute as they went past, but there was an alley nearby that some people used as a shortcut to avoid giving the salute. It was nicknamed "Shirkers' Alley" and it now is a memorial to the German resistance.

    For dinner Tessa and I went to this lovely restaurant recommended by Sabine during the walking tour for a Bavarian Plate (bits and pieces of everything). The duck was basically the best I've ever had, just so much flavour!    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Munich - Tuesday

    August 23, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Big day! First we hit Schloss Nymphenberg which was the summer palace for the former ruling Bavarian family, the Wittelsbachs. The whole palace complex and the rooms inside are just gorgeous. One of the rulers even had a room of beauties. He had appointed an artist to paint all the most beautiful women of Munich. Tessa loved the insight into women's fashion and styling of the time, albeit uneasy about objectification. Here are our two favourites of the room (Tessa's is the one with the cool hat).

    The grounds of the palace were massive. There were little ornate buildings for hanging out nearer the main lake and one with a bathing pool. There was also a museum for royal carriages and sleighs in the old stables. Tessa couldn't believe that actual royal carriages were even fancier than the ones in Disney cartoons.

    Afterwards we wandered over to a very large beer garden that served very large beers. The place was nice apart from a very grumpy German woman who was extremely unpleasant to Tessa when she tried to order some food, because Tessa had only limited German. That didn't stop us getting drunk and buying ourselves some lederhosen and a dirndl. No, there are no photos of us wearing these but we are planning to attend an Oktoberfest event when we return to Melbourne so stay tuned!

    Because we are tourists, we had to have at least one drink at the Hofbräuhaus (I was still drunk so I had to buy an overpriced stein too). From there we went to the Haxnbauer for some pork knuckle which was delicious. Then we went home and collapsed.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Prague - Wednesday

    August 24, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Wednesday began with another long train trip from Munich to Prague which we are getting used to by now.

    When we arrived we attempted to buy tickets for a tram from the station to our hotel but we eventually gave up due to confusion and took the easy option of a taxi. The hotel has a lovely view of the castle and the river and we ordered room service for lunch in our laziness. We wandered around the cobbled streets in the afternoon while enjoying an apparent Prague desert specialty.

    We went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner which also had the option of an aroma dinner for breatharians, so the place was kind of kooky but the salad dinners were excellent (we needed a break from our constant pork knuckle and sausage diet). We finished up with a couple of cocktails at a bar around the corner where I had absinthe for the first time, properly served with water melted sugar and everything. It was nice, but I'm not sure I'll make it a regular thing.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Birthday in Prague

    August 25, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    (*TESSA*) We had a bit of a night out the eve of our birthday so we slept spread out across two queen beds, air con on, in sheer luxury. The breakfast delivered to our room included cold baked beans wand warm yogurt, but we didn't care. The staff kindly sent us two birthday bottles of sparkling wine. I wrote thesis uninterrupted for a few hours as my birthday gift to me.
    We ditched our luggage and legged it up to the castle, avoiding an anti-EU protest on the way. We saw a little of what it would have been like living here before and during the war through a toy museum that included doll houses, farm and war scenes.
    After a couple of beers, aperol spritzes and a few kms walking in the wrong direction, we were crossing back over the hugely popular Church Bridge. We snoozed in a park, marvelling at the mini and huge dogs here, before heading back to our hotel for dinner.
    I was homesick for Melbourne's city grid, our kitty, friends, family and Clayton's Ping's dumplings - but it's hard to truely want to leave Prague.
    We slept on an overnight train to Krakow.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Krakow - Friday

    August 26, 2016 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Time to catch up on some posts!

    So after getting off the sleeper train at Krakow’s main train station, we wheeled our bags through some lovely (but cobblestoned) parks to our accommodation. We are getting to the point where we are finding the cobblestones more annoying in terms of lugging bags around than “picturesque” and “old-worldy”.

    Our apartments happened to be a short walk from a restaurant that served a buffet breakfast (which we went back to a few times) that got us ready for the day and then we headed to Wawel Castle and Cathedral. The castle has many exhibitions and areas that you have to buy individual tickets for and we were initially going to see everything before we were informed by the ticket seller that it would take seven and a half hours. We were more selective.
    There were some beautifully decorated rooms and treasures, as well as the original copy of the famous painting “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci. Wawel Castle also had some very engaging audio tours which was a step up from the very dry ones we experienced in the German museums.

    We had our first of several pierogi feasts in Krakow at Pierogi Mr Vincent, which was amazingly delicious (and cheap!) and we followed it up with some cocktails at a hipsteresque bar near our apartments called Absynth Café.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Auschwitz

    August 27, 2016 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today we made our way to the Auschwitz extermination camp in a group tour and as you can imagine it was an emotionally draining day. Having read about the Holocaust for many years, I wasn’t surprised at what I was told, but being there and being able to visualise what I had previously read about was powerful. The room filled with the hair cut from Nazi victims is something I will struggle to forget.

    I was amazed to see how packed the camp was with tourists. I must admit that I struggle with the idea of an extermination camp as a tourist attraction (which I admit is ironic considering I came to the camps as a tourist). It’s good that people do come so they can learn and never forget what happened, but on the other side, seeing masses of people queue up to walk through a gas chamber and crematorium was a little difficult for me to watch. While Tessa and I did walk through the gas chamber in Auschwitz I camp, Tessa in particular struggled with being in a room where so many people had been murdered and felt compelled to leave as quickly as possible. In retrospect I wonder whether I should have gone through the rooms at all.

    The memorial near the gas chambers at the Auschwitz II – Birkenau reads along the lines of, ‘let this be a cry of despair and a warning.’ Tessa broke down.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Krakow - Sunday

    August 28, 2016 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After the previous day we decided to take it easy and have a lie in which was a good idea considering we were a little fatigued from the constant walking around so far on our trip.

    When we did finally drag ourselves away from watching Friends in our apartment, we headed into the old city for a general wander. We walked to the university that Copernicus studied at back in the day (although the library which is apparently quite lovely was closed). There was a music festival of sorts going on in the main square and we had a nice chat with a Polish reenactor about how a man is meant to correctly kiss the hand of a lady (the man is meant to bend his head down to kiss the hand, not bring the hand up to his head). We had more pierogi for lunch by which point we were starting to hit our limit of pierogi (I’ve skipped mentioning a couple more pierogi-based meals). We ended up having Italian for dinner just for a change in cuisine.

    In the evening we went a classical concert in one of Krakow’s churches which happened to be on that night. It was the perfect match between the beauty of the church and the beauty of the music.

    We finished the night off with a return to the Absynth Café where I enjoyed some extremely alcoholic absinth-based cocktails.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Warsaw - Monday

    August 29, 2016 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We started the day by catching a train to Warsaw, which was efficient as the European trains normally are however I was disappointed that they got my order for breakfast wrong and I ended up with scrambled eggs instead of some hot croissants with jam that I was looking forward to eating.

    We initially got a little lost trying to find our way to our apartment from the train station and frustrated with the stupid cobblestones that make wheeling bags around very annoying.

    We settled in for some recovery time and then headed into the nearby shopping centre for some everyday shopping time. We enjoyed some classy food court food for dinner (Zinger burgers are pretty much the same all over the world). There was a Magnum ice cream stand there where they would let you pick your toppings and dip the ice cream bars in dark/white/milk chocolate.    Read more

  • Sheldon PetersEurope 2016Traveler

    Olsztyn - Tuesday

    August 30, 2016 in Poland ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    More catch-up posts!

    (*TESSA*) We travelled by train to Olsztyn, a town in the north of Poland and rented a car. Right hand side drive! I felt fierce – travelling 120km +, overtaking on the left and navigating all the overtaking by speed hounds who create an imaginary lane when need be. I drove us to Wolf’s Lair – Hitler’s home for three years of WWII and an administrative hub for the war.

    Wolf’s Lair is a spooky place, not least because the motivations for all the visitors are unclear. For instance, a couple of German kids, climbing and playing fake gun warfare seemed to valorise the place. Our guide told us it is not uncommon to find flowers outside Hitler’s bunker in memorial. I would have destroyed any memorial of that nature had we seen one.

    The bunkers were blown up by the retreating Germans so as to be of no use to the Allies. Nature is reclaiming them.

    We spent the night at what Sheldon called, the Daylesford of Poland. Kathy and Team, we hope to convince you to come back with us one day. The accommodation at rock bottom prices was extremely high quality. Our host was extremely helpful with sightseeing suggestions, and we wished we could stay another night. As it was, we dined by the lake and drove through the town the next morning. We had no time for more, with the rental car due back and our train tickets already booked for Warsaw. In the end, we had more time than we thought – our train was delayed almost two hours. We spent it on the platform in complete ignorance of what was going on. Here, as in other cities, we got approached for advice. We must be doing an ok job of blending in. Until we speak. I’ll never forget the face on one woman after catching us off guard by addressing us in fluent Polish. Rather than our usual butchered greeting, ‘Gin Dob Re,’ we replied with a broad Aussie “Hello” in unison. She was so shocked she covered her face in our hands, stepped back and started laughing.

    Dinner was pierogi of course, what else?    Read more

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