The Land of Fire and Ice, Part II

Reykjavik, April 19

We had a late breakfast this morning as we chatted to an American couple recently arrived and sipped some soupy coffee while planning our day. Reykjavik has a rich history of arts and culture and we managed to see quite a bit before meeting up with Pete! I was so excited to see him I had to keep reminding myself we had almost a full day to go.

We did a big circle, beginning with the unique, starkly beautiful Hallsgrimskirkja. The entire church is minimalist but dotted with modern art depictions of scenes from the Bible, including the Passion of Christ.


We then walked along Lake Tjornin beside City Hall to reach the National Art Gallery of Iceland, an ultramodern building with three rather mystifying exhibits by two Icelanders and one Swiss artist. It was interesting, although a bit obscure.

Closer to the harbourfront, we found a flea market and wandered for a bit before heading to the Culture House, a museum about Icelandic history with an exhibit on Surtsey, a volcanic island created in 1963 when a volcano erupted and spewed lava for four years. The island is now protected by the country because of its unique status as a brand-new ecosystem-- it's an incredible opportunity for scientists to study how new life begins and develops. It seemed like we were the only ones in the museum, too, so we took our time and enjoyed all of it.

But now, the time had come to meet up with Pete! Unfortunately, it was stressful business because we had no idea where he was getting dropped off. In the end, Ellen stayed at the hostel and I headed to our own drop-off point from yesterday. I waited for half an hour before giving up and going back, but who do I see right as I reach our intersection? Pete, tiredly lugging a backpack and consulting a map! He made it! My big sisterly worries could be put to rest at last :).

After Pete got settled and caught his breath we went out to grab kebabs and later, found a great bar with live music. The bar was full of young professionals and students, so it was a cool way to see the social/youth aspect of Reykjavik. It was great as well to be able to toast Pete's 19th birthday as the clock turned to 12!

April 20

Pete's birthday dawned sunny and cold as we hurried to catch the tour bus for the Golden Circle Tour, an 8 hour trek into the Icelandic countryside to see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

After a quick first stop at the Garden of Eden in the village of Hveragerði, where they grow fruit like peaches, bananas, and mangos to avoid importing, we headed to see Iceland's second-largest waterfall, Gullfoss.

The Golden Falls rival Niagara Falls as one of the world's most picturesque but as it's still blanketed in snow, it has an Arctic quality that's quite different. We scrambled up and down the cliffs to get close and take some scary pictures!


Our next stop was lunch and a walk around Geysir, a huge geyser that explodes six times a year. Thankfully, its "grandson", Strokkur, goes off every five minutes, so we watched it go kaboom a few times before exploring the surrounding tundra and standing pools and grabbing some lunch.

15 minutes later we saw Kerið, a massive volcanic crater filled with ice-blue... well, ice, and lined with the tiny figures of tourists snapping pictures. The sun had disappeared for a few minutes though, so it was freezing as we walk-jogged back to the bus.


Our last disembarking was at the most well-known of our stops: Þingvellir, a national park and the original site of the Viking parliament, Alþingi. First begun in 930, the Icelandic people continued to hold their annual political and social gathering in the valley for 800 years.


The area is stunning: kilometres of rocky landscape uninterrupted by trees or hills. Moss, one of the only forms of vegetation to grow naturally in the environment, covers every rock for miles, giving the scenery a yellowish colour that glows when the slowly shifting sun hits it. Low ranges of mountains keep watch over the iced lake in the park's centre as well as the famous North American-European tectonic rift, one of only two places in the world where the plates are pulling apart instead of together. We even got to walk in it--literally between the two geological continents!


Visiting the countryside reveals just how difficult it was for the Icelandic people to survive. It's unforgiving and unyielding, requiring hard work to eke out any form of life in the desolate, open wilderness. The population reflects this today as well; only 300,000 people live permanently in Iceland, and one third of them are in Reykjavik. We rarely saw houses on the route we took through the countryside and the guide spoke often about the effect of Iceland's remoteness throughout its history. It's so remote that there are no dialects and the language has been so little influenced that modern Icelanders can read Old Norse the way we read 18th century writing. Even the Icelandic horse is still a pure breed because of the zero interference from the outside world. Although, it was a tough bargain: the Danish monarchy kept forgetting about them, even neglecting to send food some winters!

The Blue Lagoon, April 21

Ah. Just how do Icelanders relax after a hard day of deep-sea fishing or snowmobiling through the tundra? They head to one of many natural hot springs for some silica exfoliation and low-energy swimming... just like we did today!



We spent about seven hours total at the Blue Lagoon today, soaking in the natural goodness of the world-famous spa. Pete, Ellen and I, along with our new friends Simon and Hannah from New York, absolutely loved the hot springs...we floated around enjoying the warm geothermal currents for quite a few hours, stopping only for a healthy lunch and a pint of Viking before plunging back in. I personally could have stayed forever, between the steam rooms, waterfall, and free silica facemasks, but we eventually headed back to Reykjavik, where I fell asleep almost instantly from pure relaxation.

It was great meeting Simon and Hannah as well, who were both experienced travellers and really friendly. We were all fast friends within a matter of minutes when we first met them the day before.

As for tomorrow...I really don't want to leave! Out of all the places I've been, here is the one most calling my name. Anyone want to visit Iceland? I'll go with you in a heartbeat :).

Dear Iceland: Where's the snow?

Cor blimey, it's been a whirlwind week! This time last week we were busily packing for our trek to Iceland, and here we are already back! Pete, Ellen and I got back to Leeds in the wee hours of Wednesday morning after travelling all day back from Reykjavik, tired but elated. What an amazing time-- a trip with a great friend to one of the most interesting, stunning places in the world and a reunion with my little brother all at once! We spent yesterday seeing Leeds (and a couple of pubs, perhaps) but at the moment, Pete is actually in London sightseeing a bit before joining me back in Leeds to take off for Dublin.

But before I tell you all about our trip (I kept a journal again), here are links to the rest of the photo albums from Eastern Europe!

Budapest
Vienna
Bratislava
Bern & Interlaken
Prague
Krakow
Berlin
Copenhagen
Stockholm

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Reykjavik, April 18


In the tradition of the legendary Icelandic sagas, I believe our epic journey to get to Stansted Airport fits right in. Ellen and I left Leeds at 5 am and arrived in London in lots of time for our 12:30 flight to Keflavik, on the southwest coast of Iceland.


The 45 minute bus ride to Reykjavik revealed an alien landscape: fields of black rock ending abruptly in stout little mountains. It took us a few minutes to figure out what was weird... there are no trees! All the buildings, highways, and cars are new; they, along with the incredibly high prices for any goods and services, reflect Iceland's stunning economic turnaround in the last 50 years.


Our bus driver told us they'd drop us off at our hostel, so when we stopped and he pointed at us to get out, we did. Unfortunately, he dropped us at the other end of Reykjavik's main shopping street... we had to walk another 20 minutes, and we even passed the bus further down the road, closer to our hostel! :)


I was expecting the world's most northerly capital to be like a little Copenhagen, and in its colourful buildings, it does resemble it a bit. But it's also unlike anywhere I've ever been. Compact and with shiny new architecture sharing space with typical white-washed Icelandic buildings, almost all of Reykjavik is within view of the city's extensive harbour, which itself looks out across calm, glassy water toward low mountains in the distance. The city's so pristine, yet not fussy-- the orderliness just seems like a byproduct of the matter-of-fact simplicity of daily life here in Iceland.


After getting settled into our sparkling-clean room, Ellen and I went out and explored the immediate area, walking down to the harbour and checking out the discount grocery store. As we walked around the city centre, we marvelled at seeing the sun at 10:30 pm and children out walking with their parents. There just seems to be a different approach to the day when it's four hours longer. The night sun takes some getting used to!


(A church against the light sky at 10 pm)

And, despite our lack of sleep, we were really excited to check out Reykjavik's famous nightlife. We didn't realize, however, that because of the high price of alcohol, Icelanders stay home and drink before going to the bar around midnight. So we had it tough finding any pub or bar that seemed somewhat populated! We ended up going into a quiet bar near our hostel and drinking a couple of pints of Tuborg before collapsing into bed around midnight.

Mood: Excited

Maybe it's the recent three week dash through Europe, or the re-starting of school again, but this trip to Iceland that we leave on tomorrow has snuck up on me. It's been wavering in the distance since around February, so close yet so far-- and now it's here! I've wanted to go to Iceland for a long time, but this vague plan floating around in the back of my mind really sparked into life during Christmas, when Aunt Marlene and I got to talking about dream travel plans. We both wanted to go a lot, and the tourism package Marlene had was helping fuel the fire. Iceland seems exotic somehow, even in the context of Europe, although it's really not that far-- try a two hour flight from London for about as much as it costs to get from Toronto to Vancouver. Yet, mentioning that I'm going usually draws raised eyebrows, a surprised smile, and a "How cool is that?!"

Although Iceland itself will be amazing, the most prominent thing in my mind has been that Pete is coming too! He's finished his exams and starting the summer with a bang by flying to Reykjavik via London, and then coming to Leeds with me before we head to Paris to meet up with Bryan and Lisa. Between Iceland and France, Pete wants to do some touring around the British Isles as well; I foresee some quick sprints to Dublin, Edinburgh, and maybe Belfast :).

So 'tis a time of exciting change. As Pete, my friend Ellen, and I prepare to head to the land of fire and ice with soundtracks of Bjork and Sigur Ros running through our heads, even the thought of my 4 am taxi ride tomorrow can't dampen my spirits tonight.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Going Holm

Stockholm, 3 April

Nothing is ever easy, eh? Johanna and I were rolling our eyes this morning when our direct train to Stockholm this morning was cancelled and we ended up having to go to Malmo to change trains for the 5 hour journey to the capital. I was quite excited to see what Sweden is like, though. After visits by Mom, Bryan, and Pete in the last few years, I'm interested to see it for myself.

After aimlessly walking around the train station for a bit, we met May right outside. She and her husband Malcolm are friends of Johanna's parents from their days living in Montreal and they now live in Stockholm, where Malcolm works for a democracy promotion organization. They're originally from Glasgow but they and their four sons have lived all over the world, including three Canadian provinces and a nine-year stint in Lesotho, South Africa. They've been incredibly kind to let us stay with them for the past couple of days -- I've learned so much, not only about Sweden but also about their adventures living and working abroad while raising their children!


May gave us a bit of a walking tour of the city from the station to their flat and then back to the Gamla Stan, the Old Town. They call Stockholm the Venice of the North, which makes sense because it's in the middle of an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. There are bridges everywhere, and especially to Gamla Stan, which is its own island. It was great fun walking with May and listening to her explain some of the sights, the history, and some of her experiences here so far.

We capped off the day with a lovely spaghetti dinner and tried some krackebrod, Swedish crackerbread, with herring. As May says, the Swedish may overdo it on the potatoes, but they know their fish!

4 April


We reveled in the joy of preparing our own breakfast this morning, taking our leisurely time before walking to Djurgarden, the old royal hunting grounds. It's now a national park and contains an open-air museum named Skansten. It's an area containing authentic historical buildings brought in from across Sweden, as well as an extensive zoo. Johanna and I melted into ten-year-olds again at the sight of the wolves, brown bears, Gotland ponies, elk, owls, and foxes that they have. We didn't even mind that the animals were all sleepy (except the bears, who almost looked like they had bear ADD, hopping about in their enclosure) and that the owls glared at us when we took their picture. Oh, well!


Still sucking on our lollipops from Skansten, we headed to the Vasa Museet, which May and Malcolm told us we couldn't miss. In 1961, Swedish archaelogists raised an almost fully preserved 17th century war ship from Stockholm's harbour. They reconstructed it and built a museum around it. Walking inside and seeing it for the first time is haunting-- it's absolutely massive and in sheer foreignness, quite striking. It has a strange presence. And because you know it's not a film set, the reality that people lived and worked on it hits you. Perhaps that explains the hushed atmosphere in the museum-- you're looking at a ghost ship.


We spent a few hours inside before walking back to Gamla Stan. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and everyone was out enjoying the sunshine in the tiny cobbled streets or at the wide-ranging docks. We meandered a while eating gelato before going back to May and Malcolm's for a yummy meal of salmon and salad.


The evening was wonderful too, listening to May and Malcolm's stories. They've both got the Scottish gift for storytelling and we had great conversations about every imaginable topic over a few cuppas and Scottish oatcakes. They've been so wonderful to us, even offering to walk us to the station tomorrow when we catch our shuttle to the airport. Going home... it feels like we've been travelling for so much longer than three weeks! After spending almost 60 hours on trains and going all the way from Hungary to Sweden, I'm not surprised :).

A Scandinavian Ferry Tale

Copenhagen, 1 April

A bit bleary-eyed but well-rested, Johanna, Francesca and I left Jean at our Berlin hostel in order to catch a train to Copenhagen. After a short stopover in Hamburg, we settled down on the train only to have to randomly board a ferry to cross into Denmark.


("Why are we on a ferry? What the?...)


Bewildered at the unannounced transfer, we followed the other passengers into the bright seaside sunshine and up into the towering white ship. As soon as we left the shore, an ethereal sort of fog settled on the water, and we were left to wait out the voyage on the upper deck.

Once we arrived on land our train ride was only another couple of hours. At first glance, Copenhagen reminds me of a Little Amsterdam, but trendier and more expensive. The architecture's not incredible but the beautiful people walking the streets kind of are. I've never felt so positively shabby, in my thrice-worn t-shirt and dusty jeans... even in Italy or France! Oh, well. If it's between a flight somewhere interesting or new clothes, I pick the flight any time.

We walked around for a while and then had a great cheap buffet at a Mediterranean place called Riz Raz. Tomorrow we want to see a lot more but to our dismay, Fran flies back to Manchester and then Canada, so Johanna and I are on our own! We've had a great time so far but I hope she has an amazing time back home :).

2 April

We were woken up this morning by the rowdies in the dorm next door banging on their metal lockers, accompanied by random yelling in the hallway. Our dream of one extra hour of sleep was futile. It did force us, however, to wake up and get out the door to see more of Copenhagen.


It's been a bit of a revelation this trip to take it easier and really enjoy a city rather than rush to certain sights: Copenhagen especially lends itself to laid-back exploring because it's a bit thin on the famous places but loaded with atmosphere.


Edvard Eriksen's 1913 statue of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid has become an emblem for the city. She sits on a small rock at the mouth of the harbour... a little sadly, I think. It could be because she's missing her true love, or possibly because of the huge smokestacks behind her.

After seeing the statue, we headed to Amalienborg Palace, the royal family's winter home, to see the changing of the guard. This is my first time at such an event, and I must say, I loved the military pomp! The band was great and the setting, the huge palace plaza with the Marmorkirken (Frederik's Church, below) in the background, was beautiful. Sadly, Francesca had to leave to catch a flight back to England right after, so we had to say goodbye and part ways.


Johanna and I decided to walk to the "free city" of Christiania (it's an independent city mostly populated by hippie types and intellectuals) on the other side of the river, although we didn't quite get that far--lunch quickly took precedence, and then we passed the Parliament buildings in the old royal home of Christianborg Palace on our way to spend time at the National Museum. This info-packed, enthusiastic museum was, thankfully, free (unlike everything else here--money just flew from our hands, with the exchange rate and price of food) and pretty engaging. The amount of information was actually almost overwhelming. Needless to say, we took frequent breaks.


(Above: From bright blue to black--stormy skies over rush hour traffic)

After the less-so-but-still-kind-of commercialized Eastern European countries we've been to, Denmark's a punch in the face from the world of MTV and H&M. Everyone's command of English is nearly perfect too, so it makes things easier--especially because all signs are in Danish and impossible for us to pronounce correctly, despite our best efforts!

Tomorrow we're off to our last city (on our last train ride!), Stockholm. I've heard good things. Good, expensive things...

"It's oh so quiet..."

Before I tell you about Berlin, just an update on what I've been doing the last week or so: ....eh, not much. Between halfheartedly flipping through poetry I've already read and planning meals I can make in a microwave, it's been a quiet week. It's been awesome seeing everyone come back from holidays though, and exchanging travel stories with them: I had tea with Crystal a few days ago and got to hear all about her Easter trip to Japan and Spain. As well, my friends Christian, Amy and Jenna just got back from Morocco, which I hear was incredible. So many interesting places to see!! As for me, my friend Ellen and I are leaving for Iceland on Friday, and are beyond excited. Nothing but good things are ever said about this country (well, except that it's more expensive than Dublin, and that's saying something) and as Ellen says, we might just not come back ;).

Last night Johanna and I met up with Matt at the Leeds College of Music to watch Erin perform in The Magic Flute. It was so well done, and Erin was incredible! It's the first time I've ever seen her perform, and I can't believe it took me so long. She's studying for her Masters in Flute Performance and she definitely showed off her talent tonight!

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Berlin, 30 March


We got into Berlin on the night train after enjoying our first couchette, and went on the Free Tour right at 11 am. I'd been on this one before but with a new guide, there was more info and a different spin on the facts...we had a good time on it. Later, after visiting an outdoor exhibit at the Berlin Wall called The Topography of Terror, we made the fateful decision to do our first ever NewEurope Pub Crawl. Wow-- with all kinds of new people to meet and drink specials at each bar, our night went rather quickly. I think I had too much fun. But it was cool to see another side of Berlin, and despite the ensuing headache, I still love the city, maybe even more so than before.


Before the pub crawl though, we had dinner at an Australian restaurant in the Sony Center, the massive shopping/entertainment complex in Potsdamer Platz. I remember the center from last time with Bryan, but this time its vapid consumerism really hit me. There was a film premiere tonight though, which was interesting-- The Red Baron, about the WWI fighter pilot. We didn't see any actors though. We were too anxious to get to the hostel and then the pub crawl.


31 March

'Twas a quiet day in Berlin as we recovered from the night before and actually, the previous two weeks. It's so good to have a day to do not much on a long trip like ours. I mostly hung out in the hostel and got some food while the others split up to visit museums, shop, and walk around. It was beautiful weather, warm and clear, and we all felt refreshed at the end of the day. Tomorrow Jean flies home though, and we're going to miss her so much! I've never laughed so hard and so often as during the last week that Jean's been with us :).

Bagels, Bagels, as Far as the Eye Can See...

Kraków, 28 March

"Kra-koff!"

With that, and a firm tap on Francesca's nose, the Polish conductor wakes us up to our first view of a city we've heard nothing but good things about. Shaking off the neck cricks and fatigue of the long night before, all four of us set off with new energy to find our Kracovian hostel.

Five minutes later, we were standing in front of a massive city map, completely lost. Thankfully, we only gazed at it in acute sadness for a few moments until a passing girl noticed our futile pointing at street names and offered us some help. She was a local law student and was amazing, leading us right to our hostel. It was a fitting welcome to Kraków, where we've met with some very friendly and generous people.


(Flags fluttering in Kraków's main square our first night there)

We're definitely happy to be here but Jean and I were quite sad to say goodbye to Alex, our new friend from the States. It's so amazing when travelling to just click with people and it doesn't happen too often--we just wish Alex could have come along to Poland and beyond! But he's off to continue exploring his motherland of Bohemia, in the Czech Republic, and then back home to keep working. But, thanks to the miracle of the Interweb (and Facebook, and MySpace, of course) we can keep in touch and chat about each other's travels. Also, here's a link to Alex's blog, a wonderfully detailed account of his far-ranging travels; I definitely recommend it!

After settling in and taking a much longed for shower, we took a bus to Auschwitz concentration camp. Its Polish name is actually Oświęcim, and it's about an hour and a half from the city. You know going there that you're not going to like it and sure enough, I hated it. I hated (and like everyone says, hate's a strong word) the buildings, the exhibition, and all the information available. When you hear "Auschwitz" you think of the most terrible human atrocities of our age but when you're there, you see the evidence. A pile of spectacles. A roomful of shoes. The fragments of lives lost come back together to form a ghostly presence made tangible by 1.5 million people's horrifying absence.

Sadly, although the museum is set up to be educational and reflective, the tourist groups wandering around made both those almost impossible. It's free to walk the site but the paid tour groups get precedence, much to the chagrin of individuals like us who did a self-guided walk. I wish the museum, with its strong message, hadn't turned into the inevitable tourist attraction it is but rather, as intended, a solemn place for those who have come to pay respect.

A full day in Kraków tomorrow then we head to Warsaw to take a train to Berlin. Ah, Berlin... can't wait to be back :).

29 March

Our second day in Kraków is a quiet one. After the stress and sleeplessness of the night before, we had a nice long sleep and relaxing morning, enjoying our hostel which was, incidentally, voted #1 in the world on the booking site we use. We then wandered around the city for a bit, which is quite easy because of its walkability. Hm...I just noticed how many times I write the word "wandered" in my entries. That's seriously it: a lot of the time we kind of walk aimlessly, only vaguely knowing where things are. To have that kind of spare time and freedom to relax is a bit odd out of the context of the backpacking bubble. You know, the bubble... when all you think about is what your next meal is and you sit on trains talking about what you would do with $500,000. I felt badly when I went first and said I'd travel more and finance my own film, and then Jean said she'd give some to charity. Arggh, foiled! Note to self: ALWAYS say give some to charity!


BUT... right, Wawel Castle (above; us in the courtyard), in the south near the Jewish District, is a bit plain compared to the intensely ornate buildings we've seen in the past, but it still sits proudly on its hill overlooking the Vistula River as sightseers and locals stroll through its grounds. It reflects the city--plain but pretty, hard-working yet lighthearted. Krakow is one of my favourite cities so far for that reason. It's also just so pretty: it's much less touched by WWII than Warsaw, for example. That's its brand-new shopping mall below. Inside, you could be in Mississauga, it's so generic-looking... a bit startling to find in the middle of Europe, which isn't nearly as mall-riddled as North America.


We had to change our train plans yet again, now rushing to take two trains in order to get to Berlin by morning. We keep saying "Bad things come in threes" and we've had three already. I say "bad" but really, it's just some scheduling mix-ups. We have enough experience at this point (though we're not experts yet, by any means) to let certain negative events slide off our backs and I'm grateful for that. It's tough, because even with all the great people we've met while travelling, we're still in the big, wide world and not everyone is nice. I guess being a young student having the time of my life can make me feel invincible at times, but it doesn't take much to shake that confidence either.

Cz-cz-czech It Out

Prague, 26 March

Today we set off with the best of intentions to meet Jo and Fran in Prague, but the God of Train Schedules seemed to want to prevent us. Firstly, the night train to Prague was non-existent, and then the early morning train as well. Finally, we got onto a supposedly non-stop ride but it got delayed due to bad weather (it's been snowing since Monday) and we had to make a mad dash to change trains in Plzen, Czech Republic, where we had been sitting in our compartment completely unaware that everyone else was filing off. Thankfully, the conductor screeched at us to get off, so we realized what to do.

Also thankfully, on the train Jean and I met Alex, a friendly recent grad from Cleveland, so there were three of us to figure out the train situation and then the Prague metro. Alex was in another hostel but once we got settled in we met up again for a great cheap dinner down the street. We had Pilsner Urquell, a lovely Czech beer...just the thing after such a stressful day! ;). Along with Czech goulash, it was an amazing dinner. We're meeting up with Alex again tomorrow at the Franz Kafka Museum but then it's off to Krakow at night!


Prague is quite modern, as our newly-renovated hostel can attest. It has the same battered Eastern European architecture as other cities, but a cosmopolitan vibe that's in step with cities like Berlin.

Oh yeah, and after our 7-hour train ride, we discovered our hostel had no running water. The prospect of no shower until Krakow is utterly depressing, despite the apologies/friendliness of the hostel staff... but Prague is too lovely to focus on the negative!! :)

27 March

We had a slightly fitful sleep last night--well, more me, I guess; Jean slept pretty well in our nice, bright 5-person room. As we went to bed, Jo and Fran still hadn't gotten back and they had no keys to get in after reception closed at 10 pm. I meant to stay up, but actually fell asleep with the lights on and still wearing my glasses ;). I was a total mom waiting up for my rebellious teenagers.

So when we woke up early at 6:30 and they weren't there, we phoned them from a payphone and found out they had stayed at another hostel after being locked out. They replayed the moment of panic when they stood outside the locked door at 1 am and realized their situation. Once we had safely met up that night, the situation was again discussed at length ;).

For the day though, Jean and I explored Prague's major highlights in a day-long hike across the city. We had planned to meet Alex at the Kafka Museum later on, but we randomly ran into him near Prague Castle so we saw that together in the morning.


The castle is imposing, looming over the city from its perch on the east bank of the Vltava River. I loved its interior: the intricate design of the ceiling beams are so simple and so unique! The Old Town (Stare Miasto) is picturesque, with embassies presiding side-by-side with tacky souvenir shops on steep, sloping streets. That's Prague, really-- well-preserved historical sites mixed with touristy kitsch. It also wins the prize for Most Touristed Location Visited This Year: the castle and St. Charles' Bridge were swarming with gawking tourists and high school groups. We're a bit spoiled by our mostly off-season travels, I guess, but it still lessens the impact when you have to navigate silly adolescents as well as confusing street names.

The Kafka Museum was a nice surprise. It's a beautifully well-done multimedia exhibition on Kafka, his work, and his times. I'd never read anything of his, but I bought Metamorphosis, so we'll see how it goes!


I'm disappointed I can't effuse about Prague (or the Golden City, as it's also known) but due to transport problems, I don't think I saw enough. It's definitely worth another visit, though, I can say that for sure.

We're currently on the night train to Krakow (a great name for a song, right?!) and although not the shadiest train ride we've ever taken, it comes close! lol.. though we're lucky to have gotten two girls from Leeds Uni, of all places, in our compartment. 'Tis a small world; but it doesn't feel like it when you're travelling by train at night :).

Yo-de-le-hee-whooo

Interlaken, 24 March

We made it to Interlaken around 10 am. The ride there is stunning; the train wends its way around the lakeside, next to cottages that seem to have been there for eons. Interlaken is a relatively small city (32,000) and the crowd disembarking with us was mostly skiers, snowboarders and the odd backpacker.

After wandering for a few minutes trying to find the tourist office to ask about hiking trails, a railway staff member told us all was closed--and we realized Easter Monday was the cause for the ghost town we were seeing. All the fondue restaurants and sportswear shops were closed!


Undaunted, we took the dinky town map offered to us by the railway lady (which cut off halfway across the first bridge we had to cross) and courageously decided to follow the vague directions in the Let's Go to find the Harder Kulm trail.


Told to follow the "white-red-white" signs, we set off up the mountain. At first, it was Canadian provincial park style hiking--but this quickly escalated to knee-wobbling, side-of-mountain trails. We traded backpack-wearing duties and quickly shed some layers as we ascended the trail. finding faded trail markers ever km (it seemed) or so. Every so often, a Swiss hiker would bound past us, brandishing two ski poles as they either breezed up the rocky path or jumped past us on the way down. Either direction, they had traction like mountain goats. We, on the other hand, delicately picked our way from stone to stone. It only got slower as the snow started to appear.

Yet despite our pace, we absolutely enjoyed the hike. Every corner brought another stunning view of the neighbouring Swiss Alps, and the sense of accomplishment after navigating a particularly dodgy stretch of trail was exhilarating. Standing near the summit (we had to turn back 20 minutes from the top because the snow was knee-deep) and seeing the fog drift in from the lake at almost 1300 feet, was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.


(Sir Jean Hillary, above ;))

When we finally reached the bottom, with minimal slippage and having discussed at length our list of Things To Do Before You Die (it felt particularly relevant at this point) we rewarded ourselves with hot drinks... nice, 4-dollar hot drinks! ;)

Bern, 25 March

Due to an unfortunate turn of events involving an outdated train schedule, we had to change our plans to meet Jo and Fran in Munich yesterday and book one night in a hostel in there. We're staying in the same one that Bryan and I did in August--easy access to the train station for our 6:45 am train tomorrow morning!

But before we took off for Munich this afternoon, we walked around Bern for a little while. I feel we didn't quite see it all, however. The city was slowly waking up after a heavy snowfall the night before, and all the places we wanted to see were a bit obscured. But I think that's an interesting way to see Bern, because buried under 10 cm of snow is how it should look. It makes all the brown-gabled Swiss homes look snug and wintery.


With the lack of tourists around, it's also more possible to look past the Toblerones and ski equipment and see a normal city operating, one that's as excited to help host the upcoming UEFA 2008 soccer tournament as they are pleased to point you in the right direction.