To the top of Germany

To the top, as in both the northern part of Germany as well as the top two cities.  Hamburg and Berlin!  Boom, these places are funky, large, alternative, crazy, amazing and wonderful all in one.  Been grand to explore and check them out, visit some old friends and make new ones.  Plus put some good miles on the shoes.  Walking all over without an end in sight, and loving it.

I explored Frankfurt for a couple days after the fun long weekend in Heidelberg, staying with an old friend Christian.  Good times there in the city, with an awesome long park along the river Main.  Great times hanging out and relaxing there.  It was super hot in the city, so I properly sweated through most of my clothes (no double wearing of anything this time) as the weather reached 38 degrees Celsius (I started with 2 degrees in Iceland, had 10 in London and normally 15-25 the last couple weeks).  We won second place at a pub quiz, and explored the cool areas in the city.

Then came the impromptu visit to Hamburg.  Everyone raves about how cool the city is, so I changed the plans (quite easy on this trip) and booked a bus two hours before I left after sorting out a couch surfing host in the city.  Done.  Just like that, I was off to my first new city in Germany.  The last few weeks have been with old friends in places I've been before, which has been amazing, fun and a bit relaxing as I haven't needed to go all over exploring a new city.  Now, it was back on!  Get those feet moving!

Hamburg is a wicked city, that although spread out, seems quite walkable.  From the funky bar area of St. Pauli, to the city centre in the Altstadt, with the large lake Alstor there, it's got lots going on.  Plus the whole harbor scene with more land below to explore.  In my two days in town, I saw more than most people do in a week.  Definitely made the most of the time there.  I was hooked on the city, already one of my favorites in the country. 

It all started with meeting my host at a city park where loads of people were listening to a concert (for free outside the fences) picnicking and fire dancing.  I showed up hungry and was fed homecooked food.  Can't beat that.  From then on, just good times in Hamburg. 

Now I'm in Berlin, staying with my foreign exchange sister Steffi.  Great times in about 24 hours so far.  And more to come.  And more words to come later on.  Stop reading, enjoy the pictures:

Frankfurt and El Capitan!

Local street artists working their magic

Hamburg street art

Part of the harbor in Hamburg

Hamburg City Hall (Rathaus makes it sound classier than city hall) on the lake

How about a sail around the lake in Hamburg?

More Hamburg street art

What box will you choose?

The Chile House which is has ship-like characteristics in Hamburg

Nuremberg/Bamberg

More good times around Bavaria, as I've been bouncing back and forth between Bamberg and Nuremberg, both cities I've been to a few times over the years and know pretty well.  Perhaps my favorite two Bavarian cities as they both are quite easy to get around, and yet offer numerous typical German sights to see (cathedral, churches, amazing bridges, history, architecture, etc.).  Been great to have a few more days in this region to explore, attempt to be a local, see friends, eat the local Nuremberger sausages and have some of Bamberg's imfamous Rauchbier (smokey bacon like flavor).

The Bamberg town hall is amazing in the fact that it stands in between two bridges on an island in the middle of the river.  A very impressive building, and down below in some rapids are kayakers practicing their runs in a course.  Fun times hanging out on the bridge with the students and watching the action as well as the sun going down.  A fun pasttime for me these days.

I'm staying with an old friend from university, Kirk, who has a wicked view of the Nuremberg castle from his balcony.  Quite nice to wind down the day up there with the reminder that yes, this is Germany, and yes, life is good.

Off to Heidelberg today to visit Gerda, an old friend from New Zealand.  Heidelberg is Mark Twain's favorite town in Europe and is known for it's red castle.  Looking forward to hiking around the area and exploring the city, also full of students like in Bamberg.

Some few technical difficulties with the vertical pictures deciding to take a nap and lay on their side.  Please turn your computer on it's side for the maximum effect of the picture to take place.

Nuremberg bridges with a filter on the camera

Tourists spinning the gold ring for good luck (and you know I did too)

St Lorenz in Nuremberg.  Quite some loud bells inside the church

Acting like a local in Bamberg

Little Venice in Bamberg

The old town hall and I living the good life in Bamberg

Full effect of Bamberg's old town hall

A river runs through Nuremberg

Part of the Nuremberg Castle, looking mighty medieval

Now that is a door!

BAVARIA!!!

I've been bouncing around Bavaria for a while now, from Bamberg, to Munich, to Nuremberg, and today back up to Bamberg.  Great vibes down here.  Quite fun to reconnect with old friends, and see familiar cities.  We've been hiking in the hills, and swimming in the lakes, as well as exploring each city and enjoying some fine sunsets.

It was great to catch up with Anisa, an old friend from studying in Cologne.  We had a great time all over Munich and got to meet up with her sister, Teuta, a few times too.  Teuta showed me around Albania when I visited a few years back, so it was fun to talk about the crazy times down there, and how I ate a whole platter of cow tongue then.  The food is still as interesting as ever, as the Germans find ways to use the whole animal and serve it in new methods.  Mainly dozens of variations of sausage, but I've seen my fair share of large pork knuckle down here as well.

Still eating lots of pretzels here in Germany, perhaps my favorite food.  They go well alone, with beer, as a sandwich, as a roll, as a pillow.  Tasty!

Been able to get in some swimming in Munich, to try and keep the body in decent shape.  Loads of walking and eating carbs isn't cutting it.  Quite nice to get the upper body in action again.  Not exactly Michael Phelps out there, but I'm still breathing which means it was a success.

Me outside the old Town Hall, on an island with bridges on both sides in Bamberg

At the touristy Hofbrauhaus munching on a huge pretzel

Turkish protest in Munich.

Munich having fun with some old classic buildings

Munich statues

Rocking Gypsy music on the streets of Munich

The English gardens on the weekend are always packed with fun

Germany!

The band I tried out for, and didn't make the cut.  I play a wicked harmonica

German road tripping!

Spent the last 5 days road tripping around the country with my old roommate, Stefan and the legendary Australian, Ben.  Great, crazy times enjoying German culture, eating loads of bread and meat and just going with the flow.  Unfortunately the flow of the river was against us and after loads of rain, there were massive floods all over, so the mission to get to a great hike in the Czech Republic didn't happen.  Ended up doing a great hike in Germany right next to the border due to roads being closed.  Saw lots of flooding, sandbags amongst the small towns and Dresden in the east.  Didn't stop us from having a great time and seeing some great things.  Here's a few pictures:

Bouncy ball action in Erfurt, compliments of Kathrarina

Traffic jam on the Autobahn means football!

Stefan and I in Dresden by the Frauenkirchen (totally destroyed in the war and rebuilt using some of the old stones)

Massive flooding in Dresden

Sign under water

Bier Garten wet with something other than beer for once

Jumping in the Artist Passage in Dresden

Not going on that street afterall

Relaxing on our hike through the rocky mountains

Beautiful area with the Czech Republic in the distance.  Just couldn't get there due to flooding on this trip.  I'll be there in a few weeks

Enjoying the small natural pond at 761m above sea water

Little bit of a water problem in this alley

Camping out in a field

Best campsite ever!  Enjoyed badminton, grilling local meats and playing uno for the last hours of the day

Ben walking up to take a picture of the sunset

The boys drinking Rauchbier (smoked beer that tastes like liquid bacon) in Bamberg

Beer garden in Bamberg!

Viva Deutschland!

Old Erfurt roommate Franzi and I outside the Merchant's Bridge

Best Bratwurst in the world, from the local stand I used to eat at in Erfurt

Katharina and I in rainy Leipzig

Leipzig street art

East German crossing men

Deutschland!

I'm back!  Back in good old Germany, my home for one year back in the day.  Feels great to be back speaking German, seeing old friends, eating cheap kebabs, reliving the memories and living it up.  Definitely one of my favorite countries out there, and just a few days into it, it's already becoming one of my favorites from this trip.

I took 3 slow trains from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf to visit 3 friends from my year in Germany.  Lucky them they are still here, legal and working and living the German life.  Making me a mite jealous, as it's a fun life over here.  Great to have a mini-reunion and celebrate David's doctorate.  Not too often you get to have a beer with a freshly appointed doctor.  On Thursday morning, after a massive brunch, Sannie and Becky and I took on the city and walked all over as I figured out my rideshare to Erfurt.  Hopped in a car with two 20 year old and off we went on the 4 hour drive on the German Autobahn. 

The Autobahn is amazing as the cars here are made to drive fast, and they get to drive fast.  We were in a tiny French Renault Twingo, and definitely were not the fastest out there, but still made the trip in a good clip, especially when racing against another Renault Twingo. 

Back in Erfurt with the old flatmate, Stefan feels like the old days.  Great times kicking it and rocking the city.  Great to be back, seeing old haunts, other friends and enjoying a local bratwurst that is one of the best things out there.  Tis the good life!

3 days in Amsterdam

After 3 hours in Amsterdam, we were sold.  Definitely one of the cooler cities of the trip so far.  The fact that everyone rides their bike everywhere, along fairly flat streets, over the canals, is one of the best parts of the city.  Definitely one of the best ways to travel around a city, and as the locals say, within 15 minutes you are anywhere you want to be.  A 20 minute bike ride is a long journey for them.  And that is in the largest, best city in The Netherlands.  Very impressive.

We had 3 days in the city, exploring the city streets, searching for the windmills (all out of the city center now), trying on wooden shoes, seeing some of the best art from the country and enjoying the city view from a canal boat with the locals.  It was great to see old friends in the city.  From my Dutch mates, Martijn and Joren, to American friends Alex and Jon, it was great to catch up and hear their stories from their travels and life in Holland.  Good times!


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France Photos

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More pictures from one amazing week in France where I had my first helicopter ride (to an old monastery turned chateau for a 3 course lunch, and along the coast for free), watched the Monaco Gran Prix, walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Fest, biked through vineyards in the French countryside and lived the good life.  All that on top of the usual walking through old European towns, exploring the architecture, cobblestone streets and enjoying local food (baguettes at every meal).

It's true, the croissants taste better in France.  The perfect mixture of butter and air, along with a good price made them a daily meal. 

The wealth of the Cote D'Azur is astounding.  From the cars, to the yachts, to perfectly designed houses on the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean, you can smell the money.  Of course it was heightened by the Gran Prix and film festival, but you could tell that the cars would still be there any time of year.  Some of the models were limited editions for the whole world, and there they were, being parked in front of the casinos.

Amsterdam

Rembrandt's Square

Canals everywhere

Bikes, outdoor cafes and the good life in Amsterdam

One hell of a happy guy

Slamming it home

Yehaw!

Checking out the art at the Rijksmueum.  Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Vermeer and more

That's myself and Allen on top of the E and R