Tres cerveza por favor

After an alcohol fueled week at Oktoberfest Mel was homeward bound.

She left Joe and I to gallivant around Europe, a bit worrying I know. The first order of business was Amsterdam. We figured we'd try to get most of our partying out of the way, and eventually move on to France and then Barcelona; Europe's skateboarding capitol.

Proceeding what was certainly an eventful few weeks making our way around The Netherlands (all mentioned in a previous post; (The Netherlands) , we boarded a train to Metz; France to meet up with our friend Anthony.

Metz is a town in Central/Northern France. Anthony would often complain of the weather and was very spiteful of those living in Southern France. I must admit it did rain a little, but not enough to stop us from having a great time.

Anthony was very accommodating; he cooked for us, taught us how to pick up French women and took us skateboarding all over Metz, including a day trip to Luxembourg; a landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France and Germany. 

I was back in my favorite European city; the beers and the smiles were flowing. After a week in Barcelona Joe and I were upgraded to our own private apartment at the top of our hostel.

We soon organised to meet up with our friend Ali, who was in the UK. Ali rolled into Barcelona to join the party. We were really soaking in the Barcelona lifestyle. Our routine was as follows;

After two weeks in Metz we bid farewell to Anthony and headed towards Barcelona.

• 2.00 pm: Wake up

• 3.00 pm: Lunch

• 4.00 pm: Skate until sundown

• 8.00 pm: Pick up beers on the way home

• 10.00 pm : Dinner and drinking

• 12.00 am : Jump on the metro and party on

After 5 weeks of this you think we would have tired, but Barcelona never disappoints.

We also met some good people at our hostel; a group of loud and obnoxious American girls who turned out to be great company, and 5 British lads who were also in Barcelona for invariably the same reason as us; to skate and party. We spent a few weeks with them visiting some of Barcelona's most prominent skate spots.

Some highlights of our time in Barcelona included a run in with a drug dealer, skateboarding at some of the world's most famous spots, karaoke with Ali, being kicked by a prostitute, the countless nights out and the endless 1 Euro beers that were consumed beach-side.

Munich/Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is a 16 day festival celebrating beer held annually in Munich, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October.  The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. Thanks Wikipedia.

Many people, including myself pre-September 2011, think of Oktoberfest as an absolute piss up, a huge drunken party. This in part is true but what surprised us about the festival was the 'family friendly' atmosphere and the variety of other activities on hand apart from drinking beer. This included food, rides and sideshows. Don’t get me wrong, the festival contains its fair share of drinking, but the majority of this is done inside the beer tents.

The drinking culture in Australia would inhibit such an event happening in our country. I shudder to think how this festival would go in Australia. “They are not a nation of snobs like the English or of extravagant boasters like the Americans or of reckless profligates like the French; they are simply a nation of drunkards." (Marcus Clark)

For me Oktoberfest really optimised the European way of enjoying a drink.

Oktoberfest 2011 from joe on Vimeo.

Don't do your washing in Salzburg

I’ll never forget our brief time in Salzburg. It was the first ‘hotel’ Mel and I had booked in a long time. After almost 4 months on the road we were beat. We thought we’d splash out and book a hotel in the middle of Salzburg; just relax and enjoy some niceties like not sharing a toilet with 27 other people.

All our clothes were dirty, and I mean we had nothing. I don’t think I was even wearing underwear at this stage. We assumed that the hotel would have a washing machine and dryer so we’d saved up all our dirty clothes. We wandered down to reception asking for directions to the laundry but to our discontent they did not have one. We were told that the nearest one was only a little way down the road.

I thought, who needs a laundry-matt when we can wash our clothes with soap in our bath. This plan was a huge failure. It proved almost impossible to clean the clothes and when it came time to drying we were told off for hanging our clothes over the hotel balcony.

So we gathered up our wet clothes from the bathtub and headed for the nearest laundry-matt. We lugged our backpacks full of dirty clothes down the street. After walking for at least half an hour we thought we had gone too far, but then just ahead, almost like a mirage was the laundry-matt. Clean clothes were not far away, or so we thought! 

It was a public holiday and the place was closed, so we trudged back to the hotel and asked for a different laundry-matt. We were then told to get a bus, then another bus to the next laundry-matt. We’d come this far, we were determined to get some clean underwear! We made it to the bus stop. It was 10pm and dark at this stage. This coupled with the bus drivers broken English, was making things even more difficult. Not surprisingly we had caught the wrong bus.

All we could do was wait it out and hope that the bus ended up back where we’d begun. By some miraculous twist of fate the bus drove past a 24hr laundry-matt. We practically threw ourselves off the bus and raced over. We’d done it. There was nothing more satisfying that taking those hot, fresh and clean jocks and socks out of the dryer an hour later.

We went back to the bus stop and made our way home. But our luck turned again. We got off the bus and had not begun our 30-minute walk back to the hotel when it started to rain. We were soaked and to top it off most of our newly dried clothes were also victims of mother nature’s tyranny.

At this point we really needed some cheering up, and it came; in the form of beer. We ran into some locals sheltered in a bar that had been operating as part of a street festival along the same street as our hotel. We shared a few drinks, drowned our sorrows and had a laugh; a good way to end the day. 

So we finally arrived back at our hotel with our wet and clothes, no better off than when we had begun our journey but at least we had a story to tell. That was our little trip to Salzburg. I nearly forgot to mention we visited a brewery; Stiegl, where I found my new favourite beer. 

A street festival below our hotel balcony

Vienna

Mel and I arrived in Vienna, Austria on a cold and dreary Wednesday afternoon. We checked into our hostel and went into town to do a little shopping.

The next day Mel and I visited the Summer Palace or Schönbrunn Palace. It is a former imperial 1,441-room summer residence built in 1642 for the Hapsburg family; an Austrian/Hungarian empire who ruled much of Europe up until World War 2. The Palace itself was very elaborate and the surrounding gardens resembled those of Versailles.



















Across the road from our hostel was one of Vienna's most famous markets; Naschmarkt.
Here you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables from around the world, exotic herbs, cheese, baked goods, meats and seafood. There are also a lot of small restaurants and stalls which offer clothes and accessories. Mel an I certainly took advantage of this opportunity, shopping for a range of ingredients and cooking meals back at our hostel. If ever in Vienna Naschmarkt is well worth checking out.

On Friday we visited Vienna's Museum of Modern Art which housed a Salvador Dali exhibition. It was interesting to say the least.



















We grabbed some vodka on the way home and planned for a big night out. Instead I ended up forcing Mel to drink water from a tea cup before she passed out at the hostel.

The Czech Republic

A new country, a new currency and some sterling experiences were waiting for Mel and I in the Czech Republic. We arrived in Prague on Friday afternoon and hit the drink right away.

We started off at a traditional beer hall not far from our hostel; Lokal. There was an abundance of beer, and it was cheap! We then made our was to the 'Beer Museum' which had hundreds of beers on tap. I sampled one of the local pilsners, needless to say it was exceptional. Later, much to Mel's delight we went to a cocktail bar where I tried the spirit of choice in Prague; absinthe. After drinking half a glass of the stuff I was feeling pretty good!

On Saturday we went on a walking tour and got all our 'sight-seeing' out of the way. We went to the Astronomic Clock, the Jewish quarter, a few churches and a cemetery. Later that day Mel and I visited Prague Castle, it really was like something out of a fairy tale; built in the Roman style, but with a Gothic twist. We were also rewarded with a stunning view of the city from the top of the Castle.

That night we visited the famous 5 story club, apparently the biggest club in Europe. Unfortunately like many popular clubs it was full of tourists and dickheads. It resembled something of a sauna, a real sweat-box and the smell was unbearable. When I looked up and saw condensation dripping from the ceiling I knew it was time to get out of there.

The next day Mel and I ventured out of the city to Staropramen Brewery where they served beer and traditional meals. We treated ourselves to some very hearty goulash. That night we went on a 'beer tour', where we taught the rules of drinking in the Czech Republic.

1. Always say cheers (nostrovia)

2. Look people in the eye when saying cheers

3. You must cheers everyone

4. You must put the glass on the table after saying cheers before you can drink

5. Never cross arms when saying cheers

6. Never leave beer behind

7. Don't sip, only big gulps

We also learnt that having a lot of head on a beer is a good thing, contradictory to what I previously thought; apparently a beer with a lot of head is a fresh one.

Our next stop was the beautiful Cesky Krumlov, a town south of Prague, still in the Czech Republic. The highlight was a pub crawl along the river that runs through town; Vltava. Everyone from our hostel was divided up onto rafts about midday. Each raft was given a bottle of traditional Czech moonshine before paddling down the river, stopping at various bars along the way. After 10 hours of solid drinking and falling into the river we made it to the final bar, greeted by some very unfriendly locals who weren't happy to see us walk in drunk and soaking wet.

On our last day we braved the rain and walked up the tower in the centre for town for some magnificent views.

The Czech Republic is certainly up there with my favourite countries in Europe. Prague is an exciting and beautiful city and still has a very traditional culture. Furthermore Cesky Krumlov was a small town, and we didn't know what to expect but with a quaint little village, a river running through town and a messy pub crawl it was nothing short of brilliant.

Berlin

Germany is a country with some grim history but it's capital, Berlin is fast becoming one of the most cultural cities in Europe. In 1961 Germany was divided into East and West by the Berlin Wall, but since it's destruction in November 1989 Germany and Berlin were given a chance to start over, to reinvent themselves, and it was evident that this took place.

Germany is no longer trying to forget their history; there are memorials scattered through Berlin, namely the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe and the East Side Gallery. It was surprising how tolerant and friendly everyone was. Also Berlin knows how to party and has an incredible nightlife. If your in Europe Berlin is a must.

Mel and I arrived in Berlin on a cold Tuesday afternoon. We checked into our hostel and went for a walk around the local area (Hackescher markt). We found a cheap sushi place and had a few beers.

On Wednesday we went on another free walking tour. Our guide took us to the Brandenburg Gates, past the massive TV Tower and to parts of the Berlin Wall. After the tour we went to the Pergamon Museum, which has one of the worlds largest collections of ancient art and sculptures from Greece and the Middle East.

Later that afternoon we went to visit the East Side Gallery; the longest part of the Berlin Wall still standing, it's covered in peace messages painted by various artists from around the world. That night we had a few drinks at out hostel before eventually making it out. 

On Thursday we went looking for a tent, which we needed for Oktoberfest. It took us the whole day, but we finally found one for 50 euros. On Friday we woke early and boarded a bus bound for the Czech Republic!

The Netherlands

I've been to Amsterdam twice now so I think it deserves a post.
Mel and I arrived there on a busy Saturday afternoon and got caught up in all the riff raff right away. Mel and I hit a few 'coffee shops' before feasting on the best thing Amsterdam has to offer while under the influence; Chinese, terrible I know, but as far as food goes Amsterdam doesn't have much.

We later checked out the Red Light District and the infamous Skinny Lane. It's an odd place, at Disneyland people line up to go on rides, in Italy people line up to get into museums, in Amsterdam people line up to have their way with women. Its sad, but it works.

Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands and most of it is concentrated in Amsterdam's Red Light District where it has enjoyed a long tradition of tolerance. Since October 2000, prostitutes have been allowed to legally ply their trade. Today, prostitutes in The Netherlands are also taxpayers. The Government makes money off prostitution, as they do with marijuana. They put tax on the drugs that we buy as tourists and therefore can raise revenue. It makes me wonder how they will do without it. Apparently as of 2016 tourists will no longer be able to purchase marijuana in The Netherlands. A bill passed earlier this year which explains that only people who have a membership to a coffee shop will legally be able to purchase drugs from there, and to gain a membership you have to be a local, much like that of a video store. Luckily I made it there a few times before this all comes to fruition.

The Red Light District 

Mel and I enjoyed a few days in Amsterdam visiting coffee shops, watching live sex shows, eating greasy food and sharing joints with people from all over the world.

I recently returned there with Joe. We soon realised that sitting in coffee shops all day was a waste of time and the relentless crowds of tourists were doing our head in. We went to a local skate shop and asked about parks we could skate. Later that day we caught a free ferry over to what Joe dubbed as 'skate island' and skated Amsterdam's indoor park. The park was perfect, fully equipped with a shop and bar. For the next few days we skated the park, and a gnarly pool which the locals had built , until we couldn't handle Amsterdam anymore. We then jumped on a train headed west for Rotterdam.

Rotterdam was much like Amsterdam with its beautiful canals and abundance of coffee shops, but without the hordes of tourists. Joe and I dropped our stuff off at our hostel and went skating. Within a few minutes at Rotterdam skate park we were chatting with the locals. They took us out street skating all day, and even offered to house us for free. Joe and I skated Rotterdam for the next few days, visiting various parks, filming clips and meeting up with different skaters and photographers.

After 3 days at our hostel we took up on the free accommodation offer. Joe and I caught a train 20 minutes north of Rotterdam to Delft. That morning we met up with Pep, who we previously skated with in Rotterdam. In the afternoon he took us to his house, which turned out to be a mansion that he'd been squatting in for the past year. He lived in an old nursing home which had about 30 different rooms. He allocated Joe and I each a mattress in the corner of a room in the bottom level of the house and that was that. For the next few days we slept until early afternoon, went skating, had BBQ's and learnt a lot about the Netherlands.

My Bed

Joe's Bed

Pep was broke and we didn't have much money but things worked out, he let us stay there for free, all we had to do was buy his weed and food. We enjoyed wandering around the huge house, watching his weed plants grow and coming across various people which turned out to be living there at the time. It was certainly an experience and one that Ill never forget, I can't thank Pep enough for his friendly and accommodating nature.

Pep himself

On Thursday Joe and I said our goodbyes to Pep and boarded a train bound for Metz, France.