Asia/Europe Travels 2008: Kuala Lumpur Thailand Laos Vietnam Germany Austria Prague (Czech Republic)
Poland Vilnius (Lithuania) Riga (Latvia) Berlin London (UK) Amsterdam (Holland) Dublin (Ireland) Hamburg

Germany

Wed 1st Oct - Frankfurt to Berlin

Arriving at Frankfurt airport it was time to catch a train. We were running an hour late so were rushing through as fast as possible. When we actually figured out the ticketing system though, the train was delayed about ten minutes so there were many phone calls to Siobhan who in turn called our German speaking driver asking him to wait for us, and he did thankfully. When we met up with him in the correctly identified car, it was off down the autobahn at 180km/hr in some sections. Quite scary I must say passing buses and trucks at this speed, especially as the car had 8 people in it plus all our luggage. Still we survived and met up with Siobhan early afternoon, and took a train and a short walk to her friends apartment where we were to stay for a couple of nights. Her apartment was very cool too, painted and done up in a bit of a modern retro feel. It was so nice to get there and chill out after a very long journey.

We headed back to our accommodation and went to Soeren's birthday drinks for an hour before heading to bed quite jetlagged. Sally was in the mood for a night out on the town so joined Soeren and some of his friends who headed to a festival which was going on in Berlin for a few days. She eventually made it back when we were all fast asleep and was lucky to get in after knocking at the wrong apartment and being unable to wake jetlagged Geoffrey with her mobile call.

Berlin

Thu 2nd Oct

Getting up nice and early thanks to the 6 hour jetlag, we set off for a walk around Berlin. Siobhan took us through some of the more beautiful parts of the city and we had lunch in the park surrounded by daring sparrows or as Geoffrey calls them - feathered mice. Despite the sign which said not to feed the birds, we fed the birds. It was fun watching them get more and more brave eventually taking food scraps out of our hands. We walked through the park and some of the interesting areas of Berlin including some neat little markets. There was a guy busking there singing Hotel California which has to be the most performed song I have heard on my travels so far, but he constantly played a wrong chord so I didn't give him anything. Still good to know that you can busk in English in Berlin and do ok.

We stopped in a small over priced cafe for a drink before out legs gave way from fatigue (it was a long walk) and had a jug of Sangria to share. Soon after I spotted a computer store and it realised it was possible to save my computer, so off we went on a mission to get back, pick up my computer and bring it down to the store in the last 2 hours of the week (the following day was a public holiday). The guy was great, restoring my windows from a previous restore point and removing most of the virus from my external hard drive and PC. It was still there a bit, so I had to download Avira which actually could see the virus. AVG and Spybot were useless - why? who knows, but I know what I will be using in the future. We had a nice dinner with Siobhan's friends which Geoffrey, Dain and Sally had cooked up while I was trying to figure out how to get back. Siobhan also made one of the most tasty desserts I have had in a long while. We headed to bed early still jetlagged, ready for our long train trip to Lenggries the following day.

Fri 3rd Oct - Berlin to Lenggries

We got up early and did a big clean up. It was so nice to stay in a home for a few days while we got our stuff together, and we were able to leave some stuff there while we travelled through Eastern Europe. It was also nice to have a light bag for once, although I now am missing my warm clothes a lot. We left the house around 11am and trained it to the central station trying to get some seats reserved. Unfortunately they were all taken though, so just had to try and grab some of the 20% of the remaining unreserved seats close together. It was a little tricky to start with, but soon we ended up all around a big table playing cards and drinking vodka and orange juice. It was so much fun, and we all had a great train journey.

Lenggries

Reaching the central Munich station we felt like we were in the middle of Oktoberfest already. There were some very drunk people chanting, singing, and walking in a ways that would have won them prizes in an interpretive dance contest. The 45 minute train trip to Lenggries was tiring, and again there were some interesting things going on as security personell had to deal with drunken louts. Reaching the small town where we were to spend the next 4 days was quite something and I really felt like we were heading into a small mountain town, although by the time we arrived it was dark, and so we had to wait until the morning to properly observe the beautiful surroundings. Eva, our host came to pick us up with all our bags, and took us for a quick drive through town. The room was really nicely set up too, and I think they put together a lot of the wooden benches and things themselves.

Sat 4th - Oktoberfest

I was the first to be up and about as usual, and headed into town to get some croissants for breakfast. The view from our window was absolutely stunning as there had been an early snow fall the day before. The trees were all losing their leaves too, displaying a rich colourful mix of reds oranges and yellows. I have never seen such typically Autumn views, sights which you would expect to be captured on calendars and travel brochures. Returning to the house we had a big breakfast and planned our day in Munich at the famous Oktoberfest. We were meeting up with Mel and Steve at the main train station in Munich too which meant there would be 7 of us. Yay, the more the merrier.

Unfortunately we only arrived at the festival early afternoon and as a result found it near impossible to get a seat in any of the pavilions. We found ourselves lining up in the freezing cold trying to get into one of the large drinking halls. Just when I had decided that cold was a state of mind, and if the locals can enjoy themselves then so can I... it started to rain. We huddled under umbrellas beerless for about 20 minutes as we debated whether to head home into the warmth and have a drink there or stick it out in the hope that everyone would be let in soon, but then the sun came out, the rain ceased and there was an all mighty roar from the crowds pushing past eachother towards the sealed pavilion doors. We decided that no one was going in, so took a seat on the wet seats outside for a token stein in case we didn't manage a return visit the following day. As the beer went down and the sun warmed us up however everyone's mood changed and I started to appreciate the attraction of the festival. Chants were chanted, and glasses were clinked and we had a really nice afternoon in the end despite the over inflated beer prices at 10 Euros per stein.

After walking around the festival a little we headed home hoping to make it before the sun went down. Quite drained we talked about the prospect of heading in for the last day of Oktoberfest the following day to try and claim a table indoors, and sample the real deal. Yes was the consensus, so it was dinner and off to bed ready for day 2.

Sun 5th - Oktoberfest - last day!

Leaving nice and early and targeting our destination with greater efficiency this time, we found ourselves in the buzzing Oktoberfest at about midday. We tried one of the large halls, and yes! we found a table with one guy sitting on it and quickly claimed our corner. I finally fully understand what all the talk is about. The room inside was alive with cheering clinking and live music. We grabbed our steins and ordered some traditional Munich food. Three locals came and joined us and it looked like the day couldn't get any better as we drank, took photos, and sang about drinking, every 20 minutes to do a round of Prost (Cheers). I have to say the lederhosen and dirndl was quite stunning as the locals proudly took out their expensive garments for the annual festival.

We were soon joined by three locals who were great fun. We talked about Australia a bit, and asked about their town, and customs. We also energetically sang the drinking song together, although I think we just sort of mumbled stuff that sounded like the right German words. Anyway it was the best day ever and we sampled the Ox, other traditional dishes, gherkin, giant pretzel and of course the Oktoberfest beer. We left the pavilion to look around, and I got my photo with two girls in dirndl. Sally even got a pic with two guys in lederhosen. Our experience was complete. We tried some mulled wine and other tasty snacks and then decided to head back. I would have liked to try some rides but the lines looked quite long and hey I guess you can go on rides anywhere really. On the way back somehow Me and Sally got bowled over and I grazed my arm, which was later to give me much grief, but at the time it was a mere scratch. I don't know if someone ran into us, or whether it was just the beer walking, but it was weird to suddenly be on the ground. Just as it looked like we were starting to see the messy end of the festival, we jumped on the train back home and arrived late in Lenggries.

Feeling very social indeed after many steins, we had a nice meal in one of the local pubs in Lenggries. Not only was the food delicious, but we had first row seats for the fight that took place next to our table. One guy was clearly off his tree and edging towards our table most probably to try a few lines on the girls. Another girl tried to talk to him and keep him at the bar but he kept drifting over and leaning over our table. Then another guy tried to pull him away and then the two of them ended up in a scuffle knocking over chairs at the next table. It was quite amusing watching the faces of everyone in horror. Apparently I was grinning, but then again I was quite in the beer zone at that point and quite clearly was seeing the funny side of what was taking place. Well they both ended up outside and we had our meals which were quite nice despite being a little pricey, then it was time for bed to sleep off the all our happy water.

Mon 6th - Walk around Lenggries

Our host Eva had offered to take us for a walk around town, so we got ready and then headed into town. I was really blown away with this tour as Eva filled us in with some of the towns history occasionally feeding us little sweets including these lollies that looked just like pebbles. We were taken down to the river where we had to find some creatures hiding under the rocks. After a geology lesson on the surrounding area we went up into the boggy marsh land. Along the way we tried the local edible berries and I even tried one of the non edible ones (big mistake, but they looked so appealing). We headed down the right side of the river through the woods and came back along the other side with views up into the mountain ranges. I will remember this walk for some time as it was so nice to not only get the stunning views, but also to hear so much about the towns history, and the local flora and fauna.

Tue 7th - Lenggries - Hike up Schoenberg

We left Lenggries quite late and without more than a few apples and bananas to embark on our epic hike up Schoenberg, one of the stunning peaks in the Lenggries area in Bavaria. As we got higher views emerged of the surrounding mountain ranges, and the pretty town of Lenggries, cradled between mountain ranges. The Autumn leaves were all sorts of shades of brown, orange and yellow, and despite the area having had snow only two days before, we were actually quite warm climbing the steep muddy slopes. Dain began to struggle near the top of the saddle and Sally, Geoffrey and I were certainly finding things a little difficult ourselves, but we pushed on while Dain waited near the top.

It got a lot more muddy and we certainly had a long walk to go. From the saddle we skirted across the face of the Schoenberg slope and up the ridge to the top. One of the highlights was actually seeing a few small remaining patches of snow which somehow survived the rain and sun over the last few days. I don't know why I like eating snow so much, but every time I see it I can't help myself. It is like a free snow cone. I think this was the first time Geoffrey had actually held snow too, i.e. he had seen it before but never actually been up to it. I don't know why it is so cool, but I always get excited seeing the stuff. Locals find this quite amusing by the way as a good part of their year they are covered in the stuff.

As we reached the saddle the views from the distant mountain range became visible and we pushed on the last half an hour to the summit where I took the panorama (below) of the amazing view. Just over the saddle appeared to be a restaurant and network of winding access roads. It almost seemed pointless that we had struggled up muddy slopes to the top when we could have just taken a bus to the top, but hey, we had a greater sense of achievement I am sure. If we had left earlier than 11am, I think we could have had lunch at the restaurant, although it was a little way down the other side of the saddle and would have added a good couple of hours to the walk.

We opened our bottle of wine - yes that is right, we took almost no food and water on our 8 hour hike but the bottle of wine made it. I don't think we were expecting the hike to take so long otherwise we would have prepared a little better. Not really feeling like wine before the tricky descent over slippery rocky mud tracks, we had a token glass/cup and wandered down to the giant Cross. This looked like it was only a 5 minute walk away but took us a good 20 minutes to get back to the peak from this small detour. Still it would be a shame to walk all this way and not take the extra steps to see it all. The cross was indeed a bizarre view, giving the landscape quite a religious overtone. I guess it is a bit like the stone styles in Australia. Realising time was getting away from us, we powered back to where Dain was starting to get quite cold waiting in the gully. We had been in txt range however so knew he was ok. We all headed down together and made it back just as it was getting dark. Hungrier than hippos we cooked up a feast and hit the hay. It was perhaps one of the most memorable days of the trip seeing snow, the incredible mountain ranges and getting a solid walk in.

After dinner we were invited for drinks with our hosts downstairs, and we graciously accepted. They really brought out all their nice beers and although we were quite tired, we pushed on for a little while and shared photos and stories. It was a really nice way to remember our time in Lenggries and I certainly hope we can return someday. I might add that if there is a large group of you, it works out quite cheap (comparable to a hostel) to stay there and they can always throw down extra mattresses if you have friends stay like we did. And of course if you are lucky Eva might even take you for a tour of the town which I would highly recommend if you are interested in that sort of thing.

Wed 8th - Lenggries to Munich

We checked out of our awesome accommodation and headed into town for a traditional lunch. I sampled the Leberkaese which was very tasty and other dishes tried included the famous white sausage which is eaten by removing the sausage meat from the surrounding skin. This was also quite nice but certainly not a vegetarian' first choice. We said goodbye to Eva and trained it to Munich where we were to spend a few days. Getting from the train to our hostel by foot was certainly a challenge as we were given two sets of wrong directions and ending up on the other side of the railway, however we made it eventually and checked into our hostel. We headed out in search of food and were in luck. At the American Bar, they had a special on Wednesday nights with 5 euro pizzas. We shared 3 between the 5 of us and really struggled to finish them. Combined with a drink or two we actually managed to get a cheap meal in Munich which was a win. We headed back to the hostel, checked emails and hit the hay.

Munich

Thu 9th Oct

Feeling quite sick I just stayed in bed for the morning while the others went out into Munich and checked out the technology museum which apparently I would have loved. Oh well, can't do everything I guess. I went in search of wireless internet as the hotels didn't seem to work with my laptop, and cost quite a bit too. I found a great little pub in the same street as the American Bar which had free wireless and I was set. I had a coffee and a massive plate of nachos while checking emails and emailing everyone. I had somehow locked myself out of Gmail so was also trying to get back into that, but was unsuccessful - unfortunately my secondary email address doesn't work and neither does my security question. What was my library card number in 2003 anyway?

Hmm well I headed back to the hostel at about 5.30pm excited about our planned outing to the Isserlis concert. We all dressed up in our least raggy clothes and trained it in. There was a guy standing next to us on the train listening to thrash metal on his ipod, and we joked that there was no way he would be going to the concert only to find that when we got there, he was one of the ushers. Maybe he was a bit over the classic music scene having to do it everyday but it was certainly a case of false stereotyping.

Isserlis!

The concert was quite unusual as it started with one of the most horrible pieces of orchestral music I have ever heard. There was no tune in the piece and was one of these modern things where orchestral members scraped the side of their violin with their bows for dramatic effect. It would have been bearable if there was some structure and dynamic in the piece, but it really sounded like they were making it up on the spot. It was amusing watching everyone's reaction (is this real? why does it sound so aweful? etc). It must have been incredibly hard to play however so I clapped the musos who really did a great job despite playing with a little over excitement in spots. By that I mean massive unnecessary bow strokes through the air when stroking the side of the violin with the bow.

Steven Isserlis saved the day with his amazing performance of the Hayden Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major. I thought the cello sounded a little quiet and his performance lacked the famous hair waving we had seen last time, but I was once again blown away by the energy that came through in his playing. In the cadenza someone coughed loudly and he stopped his train of thought momentarily to glare at the person which I thought was awesome. I also liked it when he turned around at the orchestra when they had a tune which mimicked what he had just played as if to involve them in his playing.

The interval gave us time to discuss the music and it was the general consensus that the first piece was pretty horrible, but also reasoned that it is the sort of thing you would be shunned for saying so. The counter argument would probably be that you did not have an open mind, or a sophisticated enough musical tastes to appreciate such music, but hey, I still think if it doesn't sound good, lacks energy and makes no musical sense, what is the point. Its like that piece which is just a few minutes of silence. Yeah it makes a point, and is a kind of joke but does anyone really appreciate paying money to go and listen to silence? Still, I think I would have preferred this to the next piece we heard which was very similar in style to the first assonant piece the orchestra played. There were some quite eerie sounds in this one though and it was quite interesting if nothing else to see the musicians work to put this thing together. It must be hard to play loud pizzicatos in the middle of atmospheric bars of almost silence, but then again, who would know if you were wrong? It just sounded so random. Well the last piece was really nice and at this point a breath of fresh air, which combined with the stunning Isserlis performance, made my night. It was so amazing to see the gig in such an awesome concert hall too.

After the show we all gathered around the door exit hoping to catch Isserlis on his way out. Geoffrey had a book that was written by Isserlis, which he was hoping to get signed. Just when we thought he had done a runner, he emerged and Geoffrey got a chance to chat. It was really awesome to meet him and get a glimpse of what he was like off the stage. He was really nice, and asked about our trip, and remembered Geoffrey from a previous meeting. We went back to the foyer where they were putting on free drinks and bread. I think it was a chance for one of the sponsors to do a promotional speech for their company but it was still nice standing there looking classy reminiscing over the concert. Some lady muttered something to me in German when I offered the crew a basket of bread rolls, which we assumed was something along the lines of why don't you offer them to everyone or something. It is comforting to see that these classical music concerts are still hang outs for rude pretentious snobs no matter where you are in the world. Luckily I didn't speak much German or she might have been wearing the bread that night. We returned on the train and hit the hay. I missed my cello.

Fri 10th Oct

Today I woke up and was not only feeling quite crook but worried about my fingers and elbow which weren't healing but were getting badly infected. My left arm also was quite painful and my glands were all swollen. I figured it was time to go and see a doctor and get some advice. Down the road we found a chemist and they suggested the doctor over the road. This surgery was awesome. I waited for about 15 minutes max and then got to see the doctor. The doctor I might add was probably the most stunning doctor I have ever seen... tall, blonde amazing body. I swear patients must walk in sick and are cured by just looking at her. Anyway she was really nice and gave me some spare bandages for the wounds and asked about Australia and our travels. I had to say that one of my grazes had come from Oktoberfest and combined with the clinking sounds my bag was making, I knew at that moment I was being stereotyped. Still they were all great and only charged me 30 Euros in the end which was a relief.

Feeling a lot better with dressed wounds, I headed back to the bar with the wireless and had a full cooked breakfast. I also got my antiseptic cream from the chemist and then jumped on a train to catch up with the others at the Hauptbahnhof. They had spent the morning in Munich. Then it was off to Salzburg...