The rest of January ....

Epppp I know this is super late! But I had my wonderful mum visiting for most of Fenruary so I was super busy showing her around Mainz and some other parts of Germany to sit and write my blog. Hopefully you wont have to wait as long for the next installment which will be of what me and Mum got up to!.

Here goes:

8th - 16th January 

Well we made it home from Paris and were pretty exhausted from the non-stop travelling, but I had to start back at school the very next day and Addison got a nice big sleep in. During the week I took Addison to my gym and rock climbing. The photo below is one route he mastered.




In the weekend we went to a small suburb village of Mainz called Gosenheim and walked in the forest and looked at the animals in a small wildpark enclosure and then in the evening had dinner with one of my good friends Shem (who is also an English Assistant but from the US)

In the last few days before Addison continued on to India we ticked off the last few things on our list including sharing a delicious giant ice cream Sundae creation at an Ice Cream Cafe and having a traditional German meal.

On the 16th I had to take Addison to the airport so he could continue onto India for the last part of his trip. It was really sad to see him go, but we had so much fun travelling together around Europe and we will see each other again in July. So it wasn't a goodbye, just a see you later. 

Our Europe Trip 19/12/13 - 07/01/14 Part 3 - Paris

Day 1: Paris

Our first day in Paris started off with a traditional French breakfast of croissants with jam, juice and coffee (hot chocolate for Addison) before heading over to the Louvre. The line for the Louvre was massive, but we spied some people who already had tickets cutting the line, so we went in search of a tourist office to buy some tickets. After some searching and a delicious lunch of buckwheat crepes we found the tourist office and bought the tickets. Heading back to the Louvre we were able to cut the line and go straight inside. The entrance is via the glass pyramid, but then you under ground and the surrounding buildings are actually the rooms of the museum. The one thing in particular which is most famous in the Louvre is the painting Mona Lisa. Its actually a lot smaller than people think, and people were pushing and shoving towards it just to get a look. After seeing it we looked around a bit more of the museum then headed back out into daylight. Next we walked along to the love lock bridge. There were hundred and thousands of locks on the bridge and really no space wasn't filled. On our way to the Nord de Dame, we got a picture drawn of us. The Nord de Dame was also quite interesting, but we didn't go inside, but instead walked around it and along the river. On our way home we stopped at a supermarket and bought some things for dinner and headed back to the hotel to cook tea.

Outside the entrance to the Louvre courtyard

Addison and I outside the Louvre

Me and Lisa 

Day 2: Paris 

We got up early to head to the Eiffel Tower to try and get in early before the line was massive, but it seemed everyone else had the same idea and the line was about 1,000 people long when we got there. After waiting in line for about 1/2 hour an official came to tell us we could take the stairs, where the line was only 10 mins or wait another 2 hours for the elevator. We decided to take the 690 stairs to level two, which wasn't too bad and at the second level you can take the elevator to the top. At the top we had a wonderful view of all of Paris! After the Eiffel Tower and lots of pictures from the bottom we went to the Hardrock Cafe for lunch and a cocktail. After lunch we spent the afternoon walking back towards the area near the Louvre and found a French bakery with lots of yummy treats and had one for afternoon tea. We then headed home for an early night after an exhausting day of stairs and walking.

At the top of the Eiffel Tower

At the top of the Eiffel Tower together

Day 3: Paris

On our third day in Paris we visited the Montmartre, which is also the old artists quarters of Paris. We took the underground then had to walk uphill to where the Montmartre church sat on a hill. It was such a lovely so we enjoyed walking around the small market and then into the artists square where there were artists selling their artwork and also drawing pictures of you. We were tempted to get another picture done, but decided we would stick with our character one we already had. After some lunch from the market and a delicious waffle that was stuffed with chocolate bars we walked down the hill to see the iconic Moulin Rouge. In the evening we visited the Arch de Triumph which gave us a pretty view of the city. We then revisited the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower to see them lit up at night. 

Montmartre

In the artists quarters at Montmartre

At the Louvre

Eiffel Tower at night

Eiffel Tower at night again

Day 4: Paris/Disneyland

On our last day in Paris we decided to live every child's dream and go to Disneyland - well Paris Disneyland anyway. It wasn't as magical as I had hoped but it didn't rain so we were in luck! The Disney castle was pretty impressive though. We went on almost every ride and the big exciting ride twice. One ride we had to shoot at aliens from our little cart - and surprisingly I won! For lunch we went to a country inn diner and enjoyed some burgers and fries. In the afternoon we got lost in Alice in wonderlands maze and rode the teacups. Then we had to head back to the hotel to pack for our check out the next morning.

Disney Castle

Delicious French bakery treats

The actual last day in Paris was spent searching for an engravers to engrave a padlock to add to the lovelock bridge until we decided to give up. Definitely a niche market lacking in Paris for engravers! We caught our train in the late afternoon and was delayed on our way back into Germany, so weren't home until late that night in Mainz. 

We definitely had a wonderful holiday travelling around Europe and got to see and experience so many amazing and new things! 

Our Europe Trip 19/12/13 - 07/01/14 Part 2 - Hannover, Amsterdam & Antwerpen

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!

Antwerpen buildings

On the Farris Wheel in Antwerpen

Outside the museum in Antwerpen

Our Europe Trip 19/12/13 - 07/01/14 Part 1 - Krakow & Berlin

 

Day 1: Krakow

We arrived in Krakow at around 9am and after a short train ride into the city with some Australians, we picked up the keys for our little apartment for the next few days. The apartment was located about 15min walk from the main market square, but this didn't worry us. After settling in, we headed back into town to explore. We started at the Tourist Office and booked tours for the following days to Auschwitz and a Salt Mine as well as a ticket for the Hop on Hop off bus for our last day. The market square was huge and in the middle was a huge enclosed corridor full of small stalls. The Christmas market was also still on! After exploring, we had a cocktail at the Hard Rock Cafe and when we left at about 1630, the sun had set and it was as dark as night. That night we ate at a Polish Cuisine Restaurant - I had a steak and Addison had half a duck! The good thing about Poland is that everything is sooo cheap! So our meal although it was such excellent quality was pretty cheap!

Day 2: Krakow

We were up and in the city pretty early as we were to take a coach to Auschwitz for a guided tour which lasted about 6-7hours including the 2hour bus ride there and back. The first part of the tour started on the bus where we watched a documentary about the liberation of the Auschwitz by the Russians. The next was a tour of Auschwitz 1 which was housed in the old Polish Army Barracks overtaken by the Nazi's. The exhibit was really interesting but also shocking and sad. They had displayed in cabinets the size of a small bedroom the shoes, glasses, suitcases bearing names and addresses pots and pans, combs and brushes and even the hair that was taken from the people that were sent to Auschwitz. However this was only a small portion of what was actually stolen from these people as most of it was sold on including human hair to make clothes and blankets. The last part of the tour was of Birkenau, which is the most famous of the camps, due to the large scale of people that were murdered there in the gas chambers which was approximately 1.2million -  most of which were Jews. The most interesting thing I actually learned was that most of the people who were murdered at Birkenau, never actually stayed in the camp, they were simply marched straight from the trains to the gas chambers, that was if they had survived the train ride. It was a really sombre day to think about all the people who died, but at the same time interesting to get to have a close up look at the a piece of history.

Day 3: Krakow

On our third day we visited a Salt Mine just outside of Krakow in a nearby village that dates back 100s of years. First we had to climb down 360steps and we were 160m under ground in the mine which was entirely/mostly made of salt - including walls, steps, the floor, statues and even crystals on the chandeliers. We learnt about the history of the mine as we descended further underground until we at 190m! There was even a church which was built by the miners to be able to pray while working in the mine. Addison also licked the wall to confirm it was indeed made of salt! (see picture below). Luckily we were able to take the mines elevator back to the surface! After our tour we sat down for a coffee/hot chocolate before heading out to dinner at another Polish restaurant, where I had mushroom soup which came in a bread bowl!  

My mushroom soup in a bread bowl

Addison licking the wall in the Salt Mine

Day 4: Krakow

Our last day in Krakow we spent on the hop on/hop off bus visiting a mound which was built for a king - at the top was a wonderful view of Krakow. We also visited the old Jewish Ghetto and the memorial site for the heroes of the Ghetto and Schlinders Factory which is now a museum, but where Oscar Schlinder took in Jews, including many children, to work in order to save them from the concentration camps and lastly a castle and church on the outskirts of the main city square. It was built on a small hill as well. We then had to head to the airport in the late afternoon to catch our flight back to Berlin.

Day 1: Berlin 

After a slow start in the morning we ventured out into Berlin to find some breakfast, but ended up at the supermarket buying cereal, fruit and yogurt, but found a bagel shop nearby for some brunch. In the afternoon we exploring the area surrounding our hotel which is one of the main shopping streets of Berlin and houses the famous department store KaDeWe which is the biggest in Europe. We had an early dinner at Vapiano as everything was closing for the German Christmas which is celebrated on the evening of the 24th. After dinner we went to visit the Brandenburg Tor which was part of the divide between the East and West of Berlin, the memorial for the murdered Jews, which is a square of concrete blocks which as you walk through them get taller and taller until you can no longer see the surrounding streets or hear them. (A bit spooky at night!) We then walked onto Potsdammer Platz and visited the famous Sony Centre with its magnificent roof and they even had a 'The Hobbit 2' display which Addison enjoyed! 

Day 2: Berlin (Christmas Day!!)

Well we didn't get a white Christmas unfortunately, but it was a cold one!

In the morning we visited the Fernsehenturm (TV tower) and had a 360degree view of Berlin from the top! Luckily it wasn't cloudy so we could see right to the outskirts of the city! We also booked a table for that night in the restaurant for our Christmas dinner. Afterwards we visited the Christmas Market at Alexanderplatz and I bought a star, which folds flat for easy transport home. Everyone seemed to have one in their house for Christmas here in Germany, so I wanted one too!

In the afternoon, we went to visit Checkpoint Charlie and also the museum. We were a bit disappointed by the museum - it was actually a bit boring, so we quickly ran threw it and went for a hot chocolate! In the early evening we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for cocktails before our dinner reservation at the tower at 9pm. We had a lovely Christmas Dinner in the revolving restaurant over looking Berlin at night! 

Day 3: Berlin

We got up early on the would be boxing day in New Zealand, but all the shops are shut in Germany. We went to the Natural History Museum in the morning, as Addison wanted to see the largest skeleton of a dinosaur in maybe the world/Europe! It was actually a really interesting museum and we stayed for about 2 hours looking at the different rooms and exhibits. Afterwards we took the train out to Potsdamm, a small village on the outskirts of Berlin which is really pretty. Their Christmas Market was still going so we had a look around and enjoyed a Gluehwein, while watching kids total themselves on the ice rink. In the evening we visited another Christmas Market at the Charlottenburg Palace. It was one of the prettiest I've been to with the castle in the 

background all lit up!

Day 4: Berlin

Our last day in Berlin we spent the morning looking in the shops and Addison bought a new jacket. Then after lunch we spent the afternoon visiting several sights including riding the fastest elevator in Potsdammer Platz and the Reichstags - which is the parliament building of Germany. Unfortunately we didn't go in as you have to book months in advance. In the last afternoon we also went to the Rittersport shop/museum (they make chocolate) and got to make our very own flavour of chocolate. My flavour was lemon-raspberry and Addison's was filled with crunchy things. In the evening we went to a 'eat in the dark' restaurant, but they were fully booked so we found a nearby Mexican place instead. Then we had to head home to pack up our stuff for an early bus to Hannover in the morning.