Maxine's Germany Adventure: Our Europe Trip 19/12/13 - 07/01/14 Part 2

2 Days in Hannover

After a bus ride in a double decker bus from Berlin we arrived in Hannover! Our hotel was located right next to the train station which was handy, but we were too early to check in. After stowing our luggage we headed into the city to have a look around. Our first stop was actually the post office to send all the Christmas mugs in Berlin I had collected back to Mainz so we didn't have to lug them around the rest of our trip. We spent the rest of the day walking around town before stopping for a hot chocolate and coffee. For dinner we went to a Indian Restaurant near our hotel.

The next day we had a big breakfast in a cafe called Extra Blatt and then walked along the river. Mid-afternoon we were physical and mentally tired so headed back to the hotel and spent the afternoon watching movies in bed. Hannover wasn't the most interesting city to visit,but we really needed those two days to recharge before heading out to Amsterdam the next day!

Day 1: Amsterdam

We arrived in Amsterdam just after lunch time on the train from Hannover. We took the tram to our hotel which was called 'The Student Hotel' and was located about 20mins from the train station on the tram. Again we were too early to check in, so we stowed our luggage and then headed into town. We first booked a canal cruise for that evening then went to a Mexican place for lunch. After lunch we went to check out the infamous coffee shops of Amsterdam. We found one called 'Bulldogs' and it was like a bar, except instead of selling alcohol they sold weed. We ordered some and left, once outside we just laughed as it was such a crazy experience to buy weed legally over the counter at a sort of bar. Next we found an actual coffee shop and ordered some 'muffins' and hot chocolates. After devouring them we headed back to the hotel to check in. At around 5 we headed back into the city for dinner, which was delicious! Then took a stroll through the red light district and headed to our canal cruise. It was really pretty to see the canals at night all lit up!

Tunnel on the light cruise

Day 2: Amsterdam

It was the last day of 2013! We started the morning with a bike ride around the back of Amsterdam and then to a park which housed the Van Gough Museum and also the I Amsterdam sign and a small market. We sat and had some delicious waffles at the market and also bought some Amsterdam hats! We also visited a diamond shop where we could watch them cut and polish the diamonds. Unfortunately I left without a diamond. Afterwards we biked to the nearby Hardrock Cafe and had another delicious cocktail before heading back to the hotel. We also stopped on the way home an bought some drinks for that evening while we got ready to go out. At around 7ish we headed back into town and found a cosy wee restaurant for dinner. After dinner we did a bit bar hopping and had a few drinks on the way to the market square where all the fireworks were meant to go off at midnight. Unfortunately it was raining, but luckily I spotted a window ledge we could climb up into and sit and be sheltered from the rain. At midnight the fireworks went crazy and were still going half an hour later! At about 1ish we decided to head back and stopped on the way for some hot chips and waffles. In bed by just before 2!

Outside the diamond place - a extra large clog!

Market Square - Fireworks ar midnight

Hot chips on the way home on New Years Eve

Day 3: Amsterdam

On the our last day in Amsterdam, we had a bit of a sleep in after our late-ish night the night before and then headed into town for some breakfast. We found an English breakfast place and placed our order, but about 45mins we still didn't have our food and we were starving! Turned out the girl forgot to give our order to the kitchen! But 5mins later we were eating. Afterwards we took a stroll down the to docks as Addison wanted to have at look around and then along some more of the canals. After a coffee break we headed to the theatre as we had bought tickets to the Circus! It was really great and there were acts from all over the world including Russia, China, Korea and America. My favourite were the dogs who were trained to do tricks and the Korean Trapeze Team. After the circus we had dinner at Wagamamas before heading home to pack our stuff for our train to Antwerpen in the morning.

Korean boys doing a unicycle/juggling act.

Typical Amsterdam houses

Day Trip to Antwerpen

After short train ride from Amsterdam we arrived in the Belgium city of Antwerpen. We stowed our luggage at the train station and then headed out with a map from the tourist centre. First we walked along a pretty boulevard that was lined with shops and led us into the main centre of town which was also the old part of Antwerpen. Next to the river was a Farris Wheel which we had a go on, but it was soo windy at the top! Afterwards we had lunch at a Italian restaurant and they had a pizza called Pizza Patricia - so I ordered that. After lunch we walked along the river towards a museum, which we were told to visit as on the roof you have a nice view overlooking Antwerpen. The museum was really modern and had about 7-8 floors. We went through each floor and Addison read to me what each floor was about. One floor even had some New Zealand stuff in it about the migration of Maori's and their culture. We were a bit surprised by this being on the other side of the world! Finally we reached the roof and were able to see Antwerpen from above. After walking back into town and feeling quite tired we stopped for a break and used the McDonald's wifi, before heading back to the train station to collect our luggage and get on the train to Paris!