Budapest, Hungary (Part 2)

Buda: the Castle District, Gellért Hill and Tabán

There are trams going from Pest to Buda and it's also possible to take the metro.It's also pleasant to walk by Chain Bridge from Pest and walk up by the narrow streets or paths. Walking from Pest is likely to be faster than public transport or taxi during rush hour.

The spectacular but very touristy and pricey funicular called Budavári Sikló (HUF 800/1400 one way/return) climbs up Castle Hill from Chain Bridge's Buda side to Fisherman's Bastion (see below). As the cable car is rising up the hill you get a beautiful view of Pest across the river. Alternatively you can check the view from one of the two small pedestrian bridges over the cable car way - for free.

Places to see in Buda:

• Buda Castle (Budai Vár, also known as the Royal Palace - Királyi-palota): it is actually a complex of castles, which has its origins in medieval times. It is unusual in that it has never actually been occupied by the Hungarian Royal family, and is more of a pseudo-historical mishmash. Nowadays, there are the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum and the National Széchenyi Library. The Castle and its gardens are decorated with statues, including the spectacular fountain at the western forecourt of the palace (the Matthias Fountain)

Buda Castle at night

• Buda Castle Labyrinth (Budavári Labirintus): An underground labyrinth, which stretches under Castle Hill. Today, there is a tour that takes visitors through four halls covering different periods (some of them are fictional but funny). It's a bit cheesy, but great for families with children, or those seeking an hour of absurdity.
  
• Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom): located at the heart of the Castle District. Visitors tend to head straight for the Art museum which begins in the medieval crypt and leads up to the St. Stephen's Chapel. The gallery contains a number of sacred relics and medieval stone carvings, along with replicas of the Hungarian royal crown and coronation jewels.

The bell tower of the Matthias Church

• Fisherman's Bastion (Halászbástya): was built in 1895 as a monument to the Fishermen's Guild. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths; situated on the Castle Hill, behind the Matthias Church. By the bastion is a splendid equestrian statue of King Stephen wearing both crown and halo - it is widely held to be the finest of all the capital's statues.
  

Fisherman's Bastion

• The Gellért Hill: offers a superb panorama over Central Budapest including bank of the Danube River, Buda Castle and Pest city. The former fortress called Citadella along with the controversial Liberty Statue (one of the few remaining pieces of Soviet public art) is situated on top of this hill. Cave Church (Sziklatemplom) is located at the southeastern edge of Gellért Hill. The church was created from a natural cave system, following the Lourdes cave as sample in 1926. To reach the church, go to Gellért tér, turn towards Gellért Hill and look for the big white cross or the statue of King Saint Stephen - you can find the church below the cross and next to the statue.
• As always, there are gorgeous churches, gardens, bridges, fountains and so on :)

Places to sleep:
Hostels seem to be relatively cheep, but some might have a special price for August because of Sziget festival. So it's probably a good idea to book something in advance just in case.

• Grand Hostel Budapest: located right beside the hills of Buda and quite cheep (15€/person/night)
• Mathias Hostel: I really really like this one - there are rooms with 2 beds that are only 7.5€/person/night and it's not far from the center of Buda. They have a Facebook page too.
• Other options: Leanback Hostel, Barocco Hostel, Grund Hostel Budapest, Boomerang Hostel and Apartments

Sources: see previous post

Budapest, Hungary

Hungary is located in central Europe and is split down the middle by the Danube river. It may be among Europe's smaller nations, yet it contains tremendous variety. The rolling hills of the north, the Great Plain, the small towns of the Danube Bend, the spas of Transdanubia and the summer playground of Lake Balaton are all within an hour or two's drive of the capital, Budapest, itself one of Europe's most attractive and stylish cities. Hungary has a continental climate with hot humid summers and cold snowy winters. Sunshine levels are among the best in Europe, often topping 2000 hours a year.

Fun fact: the inventor of the Rubik's cube is Hungarian

• Official language: Hungarian (=Magyar), which belongs to the Finno-Ugric family and is therefore related to Finnish. I must say I see no resemblance whatsoever. Apparently, English and German are understood relatively well in Budapest. Hungarian is relatively easy to pronounce - the emphasis is always on the first vowel and the accent is just there to signify a long vowel.
• Currency: Hungarian forint (1€ = 280 HUF)
• Railway info: the Hungarian railroad company is called Magyar Államvasutak or MÁV). There are direct connections to Hungary from and to all its immediate neighbors (Prague is about 7 hours away and Vienna - 3h). In all Hungarian train stations a yellow board indicates departures (indul) and a white board arrivals (érkezik). Express trains are indicated in red, local trains in black. Budapest has three main train stations: Keleti (Eastern), Nyugati (Western) and Déli (South). Keleti is probably the one we'll be using, cause that's where most international express trains stop.
  

Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, fresh bread, cheeses and honey. Recipes are based on centuries of old traditions around spicing and preparation methods. The most famous Hungarian dishes are Goulash, Gundel Pancakes (pancakes served flambéed in dark chocolate sauce filled with ground walnuts) and Dobos Cake (layered sponge cake, with chocolate buttercream filling and topped with a thin caramel slice). That's all I'm gonna list here, cause the Wikipedia page about Hungarian cuisine made me hungry - it all looks so good!

The capital, Budapest, is home to nearly two million people. Danube divides it into two parts - Buda and Pest. Budapest is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and attracts over 20 million visitors each year. It is also ranked as "Europe's 7th most idyllic place to live in" by Forbes and, thanks to the perfect location, inhabitants' hospitality and memorable monuments is it mentioned as "Little Paris of Central Europe" and "Pearl of Danube".

Orientation is not a big problem in Budapest. River Danube splits the city in two areas: Buda and Pest. Aside from the very center, the city's structure is quite logical. Besides the Danube itself, the best reference points for orienting yourself are the bridges crossing the river. Many of Budapest's highlights are easy to approach walking, and in the center you find more pedestrian zones from year to year.

There is quite a lot to see in Budapest, so I'll start with Pest and leave Buda and the Castle District for later. Pest is situated on the Eastern side of the Danube and is the true heart of the city, where people go about their daily lives. It comprises about two thirds of Budapest's territory.

Places to see in Pest:

• The Parliament (Országház): currently the largest building in Hungary and the second largest Parliament in Europe. There were about one thousand people working on its construction in which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kg of gold were used. Oh, and it's gorgeous.

Hungarian Parliament Building

• Andrássy Út: an iconic boulevard linking Elizabeth square with the City Park. Lined with spectacular Neo-renaissance mansions and townhouses featuring fine facades and interiors, it was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 2002. It is also one of Budapest's main shopping streets, with fine cafes, restaurants, theatres, and luxury boutiques. The Hungarian State Opera House is on this street, and so is the House of Terror - a museum built to commemorate the horrors that Hungary suffered under the regimes of the Nazis and the Communists (I think that might be a bit too heavy and depressing..) The street leads straight to the Heroes' square (see below).
  
• St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent István Bazilika): a definite must-see. It is a Roman Catholic basilica named after the first king of Hungary. In the left hand chapel is the "Chapel of the sacred right hand", where the mummified right hand of St Stephen's himself is presented in a glass box. For a fee, you can also climb the 364 stairs to the very top of the Basilica to get a wonderful view of the city.

St. Stephen's Basilica

• Great Synagogue, also known as Dohány Street Synagogue is the 2nd largest in the world. The style of the Dohány Street Synagogue is Moorish but its design also features a mixture of Byzantine, Romantic and Gothic elements. The Dohány street used to constitute the border of the Budapest Ghetto. The Dohány Street Synagogue complex consists of the Great Synagogue, the Jewish Museum, the Heroes' Temple, the graveyard and a Holocaust memorial.
• Shoes on the Danube Promenade is a memorial on the bank of the Danube River. It honors the Jews who fell victim to fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest and depicts their shoes left behind on the bank when they fell into the river after having been shot during World War II.
• The City Park (Városliget): close to the city center. Its main entrance is Heroes' square (Hősök tere), at the center of which is the Millennium Memorial with statues of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in the 9th century and other outstanding figures of Hungarian history. Also in the City Park: the Vajdahunyad Castle (Vajdahunyad-vár), which currently houses the Agricultural Museum, the Municipal Zoological and Botanical gardens, The Széchenyi Medicinal Baths and the Timewheel (one of the world's largest hourglasses).
  

The Millennium Monument

Those are just about the most important places we need to see in Pest. I'll write about the rest of the city in a separate post, and about hostels/camping sites too.

All info from wikipedia.org, CitySpots Budapest (Thomas Cook Publishing, 2008), Globetrotter Travel Guide: Budapest and Hungary (New Holland Publishers, 2009) and Kaupunkikirjat: Budapest (WSOY, 2002)

Innsbruck, Austria - Part 1

A little bit about me first. 

I guess you could describe me as a sports fanatic. I tend to get really into watching sports and sometimes doing sports myself, like how I started a new sport a couple weeks ago and I'm loving it. I have always watched World Championships, Formula 1, ski jumping world cup, summer and winter Olympics, basically any international sport competitions. When  World Cup was in Germany in 2006 I had booked flights to Berlin for that time without realizing that World Cup is there at the same time. I only realized it when World Cup started that I am actually going to be in the same place at the same time. It was a fantastic holiday. 

Last year the Athletics World Championships were in Berlin, I was there again, and this time I was actually at the Olympic stadium for two days watching the competitions. During World Cup we didn't get to go to the stadiums, so we went to the viewing parties in the center. 

At some point I got obsessed with ski jumping, and especially the 4-hills tournament that is every year in Germany and Austria. It begins in Germany in Oberstdorf, continues to Garmish-Partenkirchen, then the two last competitions are in Austria, first in Innsbruck and the final one one Bischofshofen. These competitions are within one week of each other. Some day I will go to Germany, to Oberstdorf and continue the tour to Bischofshofen during the 4-hills tournament. 

This is why I got a little obsessed with these 4 places and now we are only going to one of them, Innsbruck. Brain will hate me for this, but I have read so much about Innsbruck already and I cannot wait till we arrive to Innsbruck. I am so excited. Yes, the 4-hills tournament is not while we are in Innsbruck, but I don't think I could go as near that ski jump tower in Bergisel during the tournament as I can this time. €8.50 for adults. You can get there by tram 1, or by foot (20 minutes).

Bergisel Sprungschanze both pictures

So here's some general info about Innsbruck. 

Innsbruck is in the Inn Valley. The name actually means "bridge over the Inn". Innsbruck is the capital of the federal state of Tyrol. There are 119 000 people, making Innsbruck the 5th populous city in Austria. The Inn River flows through Innsbruck.

Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976 were hosted by Innsbruck as well as the Winter Paralympics in 1984 and 1988. In 2008 Innsbruck hosted several games of the EURO 2008 European football champinships. Ice hockey world championships were in Innsbruck 2005.

Innsbruck's climate is continental, which means that nights can get very cold during the summer and the days can be very hot. Days in general are either cool and rainy, or sunny and hot. The average annual temperature is 9 °C (48.2 °F). I had to look this average annual temperature of Finland and it is 4.8 °C (41 °F).  

(Wikipedia)

Places to see:

• Old town, probably in every city there is some kind of an Old Town that is worth a visit, Innsbruck is no exception. 
• Goldenes Dachl - the Golden Roof. Built in 1500 for Maximilian I so that he could watch the tournaments in the square below from this three-story balcony.
• Kaiserliche Hofburg - the Imperial Palace. Later gothic style, built around 1460. Emperor Maximilian I held court here. Empress Maria Theresa renovated it. Open daily 9am-5pm, admission ends 4.30pm. There is an entrance fee, but it shouldn't be too much, I think. The outside is pretty anyway. 

 Kaiserliche Hofburg Innsbruck

• Goldener Adler - possible to visit only from the outside. It is a historical building on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 6, several famous people used to visit it and stay there
• Helbling House, a 15th century gothic mansion in the Old Town on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße. To be visited from the outside only.
• Ottoburg - an extremely old house on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 1. For a long time it served as an excellent restaurant and bar.
• Court Church, Hofkirche. Emperor Maximilian I has his tomb in this church. There are 28 ginormous bronze statues. In Tyrol this is the most important monument to visit. It is open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm. Sundays and holidays 12.30-6pm. 

 Hofkirche in Innsbruck

•  St. James's Cathedral (often called St. Jacob's Cathedral which is wrong) is a heavily baroque style Cathedral. Daily at 12:12 the bells in the north tower toll. Open Mon-Sat 10:15am-6:30pm. On Sundays and holidays 12:30-6:30pm, 7:30pm summertime 

www.innsbruck.info
Wikipedia

End of Innsbruck, Austria - Part 1

Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), with a population of almost 190 000. It is situated where the Rhône river exits Lake Geneva and is surrounded by two mountain chains - the Alps and the Jura. The city has been referred to as the world's most compact metropolis and the "Peace Capital", and in 2009 it was ranked the 4th most expensive city in the world (ouch :S Although I don't know how reliable that list is, cause Moscow is 3rd and whenever I go there, I feel very rich)

In Geneva, French is the most commonly used of the official languages, unlike Zürich and Bern, where German predominates.

Geneva, like most cities in Switzerland, is a marvel of public transportation efficiency. Transports Publics Genevois provides frequent bus, tram, 'mouette' (boat), and suburban train service to within a block or two of most locations in the city and canton. Apparently, anybody staying in a Geneva hotel/hostel is entitled to a free daily travel pass for the local Transport TPG. There are trains from Bern to Geneva every hour and the trip duration is about 2 hours.

Places to see:

• Jet d'Eau: one of the largest fountains in the world. Situated at the point where Lake Geneva empties into the Rhône River, it is visible throughout the city and from the air. Five hundred liters of water per second are jetted to an altitude of 140 meters, with the water leaving the nozzle at a speed of 200 km/h. Shouldn't get too close, cause apparently it's easy to get soaked when the wind changes :D

Jet d'Eau

• St. Pierre Cathedral is best known as the adopted home church of John Calvin, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Inside the Cathedral, there is even a chair that he used to sit in.
  

St. Pierre Cathedral

• Palace of Nations was built between 1929 and 1936 as the headquarters of the League of Nations. It has served as the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva since 1946 when the Secretary General of the UN signed a Headquarters Agreement with the Swiss authorities, although Switzerland did not become a member of the UN until 2002. The palace is located in the Ariana Park overlooking Lake Geneva and with a clear view of the French Alps.
• The International Monument to the Reformation, more commonly known as the Reformation Wall honors many of the main individuals, events and documents of the Protestant Reformation by depicting them in sculptures and bas-reliefs. The Wall is in the grounds of the University of Geneva, (founded by John Calvin) built into the old city walls of Geneva, and the monument's location there is designed to represent the fortifications', and therefore the city of Geneva's, integral importance to the Reformation.
• The Flower Clock: Geneva's "L'horloge fleurie" was created in 1955 as a symbol of the city's clock makers and dedication to nature. It is situated at the western edge of the Jardin Anglais. Usually, around 6500 flowers and shrubs are used as decoration for this clock. The decoration is changed frequently.

The Flower Clock

• There are many parks in addition to the aforementioned Jardin Anglais: Parc des Bastions and Parc des Eaux Vives, for instance.

Places to sleep:
We won't necessarily need to spend the night in Geneva, since there's not that much to see and if it really is as expensive as Wikipedia claims, then maybe it's better to be there for the day and continue on our journey in the evening (a night train to Amsterdam, perhaps?)
But just in case, here is a couple of hostels I found: City Hostel Geneva looks REALLY nice, close to the railway station and costs about 22€/person/night. The website has a virtual tour of the rooms, how cool is that? There's also Geneva Youth Hostel.

Vienna, Austria

Vienna is the capital and the largest city of Austria with approximately 1.6 million people. It is located 40km away from the Slovakian border. The city of Vienna is divided by the river Danube.

• Trains operated by ÖBB, Austrian federal railways.
• InterRail pass is valid on the S-Bahns (some exceptions in Salzburg and Graz)
• Generally in hotels and restaurants a service charge is included, but it is still polite, and recommended to leave a little extra to the servers, and if you're staying in a hotel, something to the maid. This service charge, or tip culture, varies in every European country, so it might get confusing, but they say Austria is like Germany with the tips. Cash is accepted everywhere, cards might not be. 

According to Wikitravel there are some railway station constructions going on until 2015 and currently one big station, Südbahnhof, is closed completely for construction and the others are open but they are under construction now.

There are nighttrains and high speed trains going  to neighboring countries and back frequently. Some are direct trains and some are not so direct trains from cities such as Budapest, Zürich and Prague.

Some examples of travel times:

• Vienna-Budapest 2h 55min
• Prague-Vienna 4h 5min

InterRail passes are valid on some private railway lines as well, but only those that are ROeEE or GySEV. Some ÖBB buses are free with the InterRail passes (Graz-Klagenfurt and Klagenfurt-Venezia Mestre)

More about InterRail discounts can be found here. 

Places to see:

• Stephansdom, a gothic Cathedral, inside the Ringstraße (Ring Road) by Stephansplatz. On Sundays and public holidays there is a service at 9:30am in July-August. 10:30am other times. Catholic.

 Stephansdom, St. Stephen's cathedral

• Ringstraße (Ring Road), was once surrounded by city walls, but they were torn down in the 19th century. The Ring Road has many things to see so it is definitely a place to check out. The Rathaus (city hall), Natural History Museum and the Austrian Parliament, State Opera House for instance can be found on the Ring Road.
• The downtown area of Vienna is on the UNESCO World Heritage site, so it's worth a visit.
• St. Peter's Church. I know, this is like the third or fourth St. Peter's we are going to see, but I just have a healthy obsession with St. Peter's Churches. Wherever I go, if there is a St. Peter's Church, I go there and if possible I climb up the tower. I've seen the Hamburg St. Peter's and climbed up to the tower, the St. Peter's in Riga, and went to the tower. Then I saw the St. Peter and St. Paul's Chuch in Prague. 
• Museums quartier I hear is recommended.
• Hofburg Palace is now the residence of the Austrian President. It once served as the residence of Austria-Hungary rulers. To get the the main entry we go to Michaelerplatz, which is good to see anyway, and then from there to the Hofburg Palace.

 Hofburg Palace

Places to spend the night:

Meininger   in Vienna. This says that we could get a 10% discount from the Vienna Meininger if we reserve beds online.

I will write about camp sites later to this post.

Salzburg, Austria

Austria is a country located in the Alps andAustria's capital city is Vienna and it is Austria's largest city. Currency is not a problem, because Austria uses euros.

The InterRail pass is valid on the S-Bahns in most cities. In Salzburg and Graz there are some S-Bahn lines that are operated by a private railway company, and the InterRail pass is not valid there.

German is the official language, but Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene are recognized regional languages.

Typical austrian food:

• Krapfen, doughnuts that are filled with apricot marmelade
• Apfelstrudel
• Topfenstrudel, filled with sweetened sour cream
• Sachertorte
• Wiener Schnitzel
• Mozart Kugeln

Famous people of Salzburg:

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Maria von Trapp, originally from Vienna, but later lived in Salzburg, married Georg Ludwig von Trapp. The Sound of Music is inspired by her life.

Salzburg is right by the Salzach River. It is 150km away from Münich, Germany and 300 km away from Vienna. The Salzburg Hauptbahnhof is in New Town of Salzburg, by the Salzach River and international trains from Zürich and Budapest for instance are frequent. There are nearly hourly trains to Vienna. Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Austrian Federal Railway Company (OBB) operate the trains and the Salzburg Hauptbahnhof.

It is very good to walk in Salzburg. Late night buses are not recommended, because they most likely will take you too far and out from the city, so taxis are preferred. Renting a bike is possible. Bus tickets can be bought from Trafik for a cheaper price.

Places to see:

• Old town, nominated as a World Heritage site.
• Getreidegasse, a long and narrow shopping street full of little shops.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts birthhouse. Entrance is 6€, but we don't have to go in. ;)
• St. Peter's Church, Cemetary and the Catacombs

 St. Peter's Church

• The Untersberg. It is a mountain a bus ride away from Salzburg. There is a cable car going up to the Geiereck peak at 1805m from the St. Leonhard station in Gartenau. The cable car lifs you 1300m up. 

 The view from Untersberg

• Hohensalzburg Fortress. A fantastic view of Salzburg and the Alps from Hohensalzburg Fortress. Inside the fortress there is a museum of medieval weapons and torture instruments as well as something about life on the fortress. A funicular goes up the mountain if you want to avoid the nearly vertical hike, however it does cost 9.80€. I think that includes the entrance fee to the inside of the fortress. I heard that the hike would not take too long and since we're healthy 20-something year olds and most likely not carrying our backbacks we can do the hike up. But I have read different stories about the hike and someone said that there is an entrace fee anyway to the castle once you have climbed up.  I want to climb up, funiculars are boring. :P

 Hohensalzburg Fortress

• Schloss Mirabell is right next to the Salzach River and Mozarteum Uni. It is a castle with gardens, Garden of Dwarfs and Garden of Roses. Schloss Mirabell apparently has the world's most beautiful wedding hall, the Marble hall.
• Toy Museum. Entrance for adults is 2.70€ and for children/seniors/youth (16-26) it's 2€. 

Augustiner Bräustübl is a local beer garden with self-brewed beer. They sell food there as well, but it is possible to bring your own food to the area, but no drinks.

Places to sleep:
Camping Nord-Sam, Samstrasse 22a. Easily accessed by bus. It is not too expensive and the pictures look wonderful. It is 8.50€ per person/night. A tent is 5.50€.


Youth and Family guesthouse Salzburg (Josef Preis Allee 18), newly renovated, linen & breakfast is included. Pricess 15-43€. They show The Sound of Music every night at 8PM.

Eduard Heinrich Haus (Eduard-Heinrich-Strasse 2), 16€ and up, offers internet & tv.

YoHo (International Youth Hostel Salzburg, Paracelsusstrasse 9). 19-29€. They show the Sound of Music every morning.

Meiniger as well. I stayed at a 5-bed dorm in Cologne, Germany, for one night and it was a very clean place but breakfast was not included. But it was a nice, clean, and a safe hotel so it was good anyway. The price depends on the city and season. I'd say 13-25€.

Wikitravel Salzburg

Bern, Switzerland

Bern is the capital and the fourth most populous city in Switzerland (it's smaller than Tampere!!) The city center is largely medieval, built on a narrow hill surrounded on three sides by the Aare river. The Old City is home to Switzerland's tallest cathedral as well as other churches, bridges and a large collection of Renaissance fountains. (Wikipedia) Public transport works well there and InterRail passes are valid on the S-Bahn so getting around shouldn't be a problem.

Places to see:

• Bundeshaus (the Federal Palace): houses the national parliament, government and part of the federal administration. There is also a set of fountains in front of the Palace.

Bundeshaus

• Einsteinhaus: a museum and former residence of Albert Eistein, who worked out the theory of relativity while living in Bern. The living conditions of Einstein and his family are shown accurately in the apartment on the second floor with furniture from that time. Einstein’s biography and his life’s work are presented on the third floor.
• Zytglogge: a landmark medieval tower, built in the early 13th century. Over the years it has served the city as a guard tower, prison, clock tower, center of urban life and civic memorial. The tower is one of Bern's most recognizable symbols and its 15th century astronomical clock is a major tourist attraction.

Zytglogge

• Münster of Bern: the tallest cathedral in Switzerland. The bell tower is open to public - the lower platform (254 steps) offers views of the entire city and on a clear day even the Alps; to reach the higher platform there is an additional 90 steps to climb.

Münster of Bern

• Untertorbrücke: a stone arch bridge, that spans the river Aare - the oldest bridge in Bern. Its construction was completed in 1489, although it has been renovated several times since then.
  
• Fountains: the city of Bern is known for its 16th century fountains designed by Hans Gieng. There are over 100 public fountains in the city of Bern of which eleven are crowned with Renaissance allegorical statues. This one is particularly good, in my opinion. No no, you're not mistaken, it really is a sculpture of a man eating babies:
  

The Kindlifresserbrunnen

• Rosengarten: little park with a splendid view over the old town. Can be easily reached by bus number 12 from the railway station in Berne in direction Zentrum Paul Klee.
• Gurten Hill: The Gurten is a lovely hill just outside the city. It features a park and great view over the city on one side and a nice panorama of the Bernese alps on the other. The park is visited heavily by locals to play ball, to barbecue or to just lie in the sun. Tourists are not an unusual sight, though this little attraction is missed by most of the many that visit the city. A wooden look-out tower allows an even better panorama than that you would already have. The Gurten can be easily reached with tram number 9 from the railway station in Berne in direction Wabern. (Wikitravel)
  
• Apparently the bear pits (bärengraben) is currently empty, but there is a bear park (bärenpark) as a replacement. It is situated near the Aare river. If I understood correctly, it's free to visit the bear park - only the guided tours have an admission fee.

Where to spend the night:
Just like in Zürich, hostels are roughly 35-40 CHF/person/night. There is Hotel Glocke, which is right in the center of the old town and a Youth Hostel also in the old town.
Camping Eichholz is not too far from the city and costs 7.50 CHF/person/night (or 6.50 CHF, if they accept our student cards..) Finally, there's Camping TCS Bern-Eymatt, but I haven't had the patience to try and make sense of their website yet, so I don't know if it's any good.

Zürich, Switzerland

• Official languages of Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Romansh
• Currency: Swiss franc (1 € = 1.5 CHF)
• Railway info: the Swiss Federal Railway connects the major cities and reservations are only needed for special scenic trains. InterRail passes are also valid for travel on many private railway companies and various buses will give discounts. Switzerland is very well connected to the rest of European countries. For example, the trip from Austria (Innsbruck) to Zürich only takes about 3.5h with the ÖBB train. There are also high-speed trains to France - the TGV train ride from Geneva to Paris is only 3.5h, but tickets must be reserved in advance.

Swiss cuisine is largely influenced by that of its neighbors - Germany, Italy and France - but the Swiss do have their own unique dishes. Switzerland was historically a country of farmers, so their specialties often incorporated potatoes and cheese (Rösti, Fondue, and Raclette), and also more exquisite ingredients, such as chocolate. As everyone knows, cheese and chocolate are the two foods Switzerland is world famous for. Tarts and quiches are also traditional Swiss dishes, and tarts in particular are made with all sorts of toppings, from apples to onions. Cervelat or cervelas is considered the national sausage and is popular all over Switzerland. Zürcher Geschentzeltes is a Swiss dish from the Zürich region: thin strips of veal with mushrooms served with a cream sauce and rösti.

Rivella, a carbonated drink based on lactose, is one of the most popular drinks in Switzerland. The chocolate drink Ovomaltine originates in Switzerland and enjoys ongoing popularity, especially among young people.

Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland and its main commercial center. It has been named the wealthiest city in Europe and also the city with the best quality of life in the world. In Zürich, most of the action revolves around water, with the River Limmat, which splits the old city in two, flowing into the lake and the Sihl joining it north of the center.

It shouldn't be too difficult to get around Zürich, since InterRail passes are valid on the local trains (S-Bahn) and the best way to see the old town is on foot.

Places to see:

• Grossmünster: a Romanesque-style church. Construction of the present structure commenced around 1100 and it was inaugurated around 1220. Recent archaeological evidence confirms the presence of a Roman burial ground at the site. Richard Wagner (the famous composer) is known to have mocked the church's appearance as that of two pepper dispensers.
• Fraumünster: for most of the middle ages, Zürich was ruled by the abbesses of Fraumünster. Today it is mostly interesting for its stained-glass windows created by Marc Chagall in 1970.
  
• St Peter's church: located near the Lindenhof hill and was built on a site of a temple to Jupiter. The tower's clock face is the largest church clock face in Europe.
  

View of Zürich (and St Peter's church) during the day

• Lindenhof and Niederdorf - the oldest parts of Zürich, with settlement traces dating to pre-Roman times. The Lindenhof hill is the site of a Roman castle.
  

In Niederdorf

• The Guild houses along the Limmat river
• Üetliberg - a mountain with a panoramic view of the whole city as well as the lake (the summit is accessible by train, 20min from the central station)
• The Chinese garden and the old botanical garden are not too far from the old town (in the Seefeld quarter). The Chinese garden was a present to Zürich from its Chinese partner town Kunming.
  

The Chinese garden

• The Bahnhofstrasse is a shopping street, starts at the main train station
• The Langstrasse (Red light district) is supposed to be very safe
• Of course, if the weather is nice we should explore the old town in more detail and see Lake Zürich from up close
• Finally, the Rhine falls are a must see: the largest plain waterfalls in Europe, located near Winterthur and easily accessible by train (~45min from Zürich central station). There are observation decks, guided tours, two castles... Definitely worth visiting.

The Rhine Falls!

View of Zürich at night (Limmat river, Fraumünster and a guild house on its left)

Where to spend the night:
I found several youth hostels that aren't terribly expensive (35-50 CHF/person/night), but I think a good option would be going to the Rhine falls in the evening and camping at the Winterthur Camp Site (the website is all in German, aaargh!) We could go back to Zürich in the morning and continue on our journey.

Berlin, Germany

Germany is located in central Europe. It shares a border with Denmark, Poland, France, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. 

• Capital: Berlin
• Currency : euro (€).
• Probably one of the busiest railway stations is the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the main railway station. There are trains to and from Berlin Hbf all the time. It is easy to arrive with a train from Copenhagen. There are  nighttrains to/from Amsterdam (NED), Paris (FRA), Vienna (AUT) , Zürich (SUI), Budapest (HUN) etc. Reservations are recommended for these trains.
• S-Bahn (suburban metro railway according to wikipedia) is good to use. You can use the InterRail ticket, so no need for extra tickets. The InterRail ticket is not valid for U-Bahns (the subway)

Berlin has a lot of historical monuments from the GDR times. You could spend several days just going around and looking at all these things. Unfortunately we are (probably) not spending a week or so in Berlin, so we will have to decide on the places we really want to see. Here are a couple suggestions and places that I have seen and would like Brain to see as well.

The main railway station Berlin Hauptbahnhof was opened in May 2006. Most of the trains, U-Bahn and S-Bahns go through this station. There are great food places, a hostel near by. 

 I took this picture in June 2006.

Things to eat:

• Currywurst (in Curry 36 in Kreuzberg, or in another place which does have a name but I can't read my handwriting so I have no idea what it's called, but it's by Eberswalderstrasse, U-Bahn U2 goes there)
• Döner

Places to see:

• Checkpoint Charlie (Friedrichstraße)
• East side Gallery (1.3km of Wall left on Mühlenstraße)
• Holocaust memorial
• Madame Tussaud's Museum
• Reichstag (it's possible to go to the very top, but lines might be long especially during the summer, I think I waited for 45min in December so imagine what it's like in the summer)
• Unter der Linden (park & road)
• Brandenburg Gate
• Potsdamer Platz (1km south from Brandenburg Gate, close to southeast corner of Tiergarten)
• Siegessaule & Strasse den 17. Juni (entrance fee to Siegessaule)
• Gendarmenmarkt (Deutscher Dom & Französischer Dom)
• Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) on Kurfurstendamm
• Berlin Wall Memorial
• Potsdam (S-Bahn S7 to Potsdam Hbf)
• Berliner Fernsehturm (TV tower - close to Alexanderplatz, entrance fee 10.50€)

Unter der Linden is located right by the Brandenburg Gate. Strasse den 17. Juni starts directly from the other side of the Brandenburg Gate. What I mean is that Brandenburg Gate is between the two roads, Unter der Linden and Strasse den 17. Juni. Basically if you go see the Gate, you will see these two streets. And you will see a glimpse of the Siegessaule, the victory column which is on the other end of Strasse den 17. Juni. 

The Reichstag, the parliament of Germany, is very near Brandenburg Gate, and so is the main railway station. The holocaust memorial is very near as well. All these places are within a walking distance, eventhough now there is a U-Bahn track U55 going from Berlin Hbf to Bundestag and continuing from there to the Brandenburg Gate. We are not going to use it, we can very well walk. All these places are so near to each other. And the spaces between look so nice. 

If you have the time you must go to Potsdam. It's very easy. Either go with a regional train or S-Bahn S7 to the Potsdam Hbf, main station, and walk around, or use trams and buses. Sanssouci is a wonderful place especially during the summer. It is incredibly beautiful. I do not know if we have time to go to Sanssouci. 

Then some pictures...

I have taken all of them. When, you ask, that is mentioned under the picture.

This is the main entrance to the Zoo of Berlin. I believe the entrance fee was 7€ for students. Most people use the other gate to go in, which is right by the Zoologischer garten station. This gate is a little farther away from the public transport stations.

(August 2009)

The Holocaust Memorial

(December 2005)

The Brandenburg Gate

 

(December 2005)

Siegessaule and Strasse den 17. Juni

 

 (June 2006)

 

(August 2009)

All the times I have been to Berlin Strasse den 17. Juni has been blocked for cars. It's always empty. I wonder if this time I'll see it full of cars? Maybe... 

Sanssouci

 

(August 2009)

I am extremely excited for Berlin. I've been there 5 times I think for about a week each time.That's why I thought that Berlin would be so easy to visit, because I knew where everything was already. Boy, was I wrong. I know the places, but I have no idea where they are except for the Brandenburg Gate area, or how to get to those places. My usual tour guide will be in New Zealand when we will be in Berlin so I'm going to have to read the map in a city that I already knew like my own pockets... ;) This is going to be interesting.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Denmark may be part of Scandinavia, but this idyllic oasis to the north of Germany has a character entirely its own. Danes have more in common with Germans than with the rest of Scandinavia, and are proud of their relaxed attitudes on subjects like alcohol and smoking. There is, however, one element of Danish culture that is utterly unique: Jante Law, which to some extent governs Danish behavior. In a nut shell, Jante Law is: "Nobody is anything special. Don't try and stand out or pretend that you are better than anybody else at anything". Danes were always great storytellers, and fairytales are a particular specialty. Amid the gentle Danish landscape you will find countless treasures: ancient monuments and the remains of ancient civilizations; glorious castles and fine manor houses, and, of course, the dark impenetrable forests - all of which inspired the fairy stories of the most famous Dane of all, Hans Christian Andersen.

"Hygge" is an often-used, uniquely Danish and untranslatable term. It is most often described as a kind of cosiness or homeliness to be found at the heart of Danish life.

Danish cuisine features the products suited to its cool and moist northern climate: barley, potatoes, rye, beetroot, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties. In other words, fairly similar to Finnish cuisine. They even have salmiakki in Denmark, in fact, some of the world's strongest liquorice is produced there.

• Official language: Danish, although English is widely understood and spoken
• Currency: Danish krone (1 € = 7.5 DKK)
• Railway info: InterRail passes are valid on the DSB (Danske Statsbaner) and also DSB S-Tag, DSB-FIRST and Arriva
  

It seems like the easiest way to get to Copenhagen from Sweden is by taking a train from Malmö - there is a train every 20 minutes and the trip should only take 35 minutes. There is also a high-speed train from Stockholm (X2000) but tickets would need to be reserved in advance and there is a reservation fee.

And now for some info about Copenhagen.

Denmark has only one major city - Copenhagen - home to just over 1.5 million people, almost a third of the population. Copenhagen is the most vibrant capital city in Scandinavia. The city is uncommonly user-friendly, with many of its attractions within easy walking distance. Getting around the city shouldn't be a problem - if we get tired of walking, public transportation is supposed to be reliable and there are city bikes in the city center. Copenhagen is strewn with castles, churches and other historic monuments. All this is enlivened, particularly in the summer, by a vibrant street life, with outdoor cafes, restaurants and entertainers everywhere, especially along Stroget.

Places to see:

• We definitely have to see the palaces in the old town: the Amalienborg Palaces, the Christiansborg Palace and the Rosenborg Castle

The Rosenborg Castle

• There are many interesting buildings in the old town besides the palaces, like the Frederick's Church (also known as the Marble church) and the Round tower, which has an observation deck at its 35-m summit with a view over the city
• St Peter's Church: the oldest building in central Copenhagen. It is Gothic with Baroque features and Rococo spire.
  
• We should also pay a visit to the Christianshavn (artificial island not far from the old town) and climb the top of the very tall church - Vor Frelsers Kirke (according to Wikipedia, there is "an external winding staircase that can be climbed to the top, offering extensive views over central Copenhagen" - One word: Yikes.) The self-governing community, Christiania, is also found in Christianhavn. It was founded in 1971 when New Age squatters took over a disused army barracks. We should check it out at least from the distance, if we don't dare go in. :D

Vor Frelsers Kirke

• Those were just some of the places that caught my attention, but there are also many beautiful parks and churches that we'll definitely have to visit if we have the time.
  

And, naturally, you can't go to Copenhagen without visiting Legoland! Going there was one of my dreams when I was little, and now it's finally going to come true. What can I say, I am excited and I just can't hide it. I'm still a bit unsure about what's the best way to get there from Copenhagen, because it looks like there are no direct trains OR buses, but I could be wrong.. I did read somewhere that it's possible to take a train to Vejle and from there a bus to Billund, which is where Legoland is located (I don't get why it has to be so far away from the capital!) I'm pretty sure we'll figure it out when we're there at the latest though.

And finally, where to sleep:

• Overall, hostels seem to be quite expensive in Copenhagen, so I think camping might be a better option there. BUT the Sleep-in-Green hostel seems quite nice, and eco-friendly.
• I also found two camping sites: City Camp is very close to the city center and Bellahoj Camping is only 4,5km from the central station (can easily be reached by bus)

So that's about all the information I have about Copenhagen, but it should be enough for starters.

I got most of the information from Wikipedia and "Thomas Cook Travellers Denmark" by Martin Symington (2007)

Meet Brain

Hello there. Just like Pinky, I am a 20-something year old student, currently living in Finland. Somehow (being the genius that I am) I came up with the idea to go InterRailing and Pinky was just as thrilled about it as I am.

I haven't traveled all that much, in my opinion. I've been to Greece, Spain and Ukraine with my family - all on summer holidays to get away from city life and enjoy hot summers by the sea. I lived in Moscow for just about half of my life and I still go there every once in a while, even though it's hardly the same city anymore - it's still beautiful, just different.

I've also been to Tallinn and Stockholm and visited several cities in Germany. I was actually surprised by how much I liked Germany - I expected it to be nice, but it really exceeded my expectations. Finally, as already mentioned in Pinky's post, the two of us went on a legendary trip to Riga in 2008.

So now, it is time for new adventures! Europe, you better be ready for us.

Who is Pinky?

I'm Pinky, a 20-something year old university student from Finland. Brain and I have been planning this InterRail trip for a while now. 

Long ago I had decided that I would go InterRailing with my sister once I turn 18, but that never happened and we are postponing that trip to the future. I hope we are only postponing it, instead of cancelling it. 

On St.Patrick's Day this year Brain came up with this idea that we should go travel around Europe this summer. Nothing was certain at first due to various reasons, but now that they are all figured out, we are going. And nothing will stop us taking over Europe by Rail.

I have traveled through the Nordic countries with the exception of Iceland. I want to go there someday. 

I have traveled to Brazil, Spain's Canary Islands x2, Cyprus, Greece's Rhodos island, Germany several times (during World Cup 2006 & Athletics World Championships 2009 in Berlin for instance), Poland, Czech republic and Latvia. I hope I did not forget anything.

Brain and I decided to travel to Riga, Latvia in August 2008. It was a fast decision. I remember texting her that we should go to Prague this summer and less than a week later if my memory does not fail me we had bought flight tickets already. Since we could not find cheap flights to Prague, we decided to go to Riga. The trip involved some extensive planning for each day we spent there and it was a great trip. Not all went according to plan, we could not stay at the hostel we first looked at, but I am actually happy we did not manage to stay there. Eventhough the hostel we decided to stay in was further away from the very center of the city we did get to see a lot more of Riga by not staying in the city center. Plus everything is always a little cheaper outside the center. It was only 1.5km from the center, so everything still was within a walking distance. 

This blog will consist of our plans so far, how they have changed during these couple months. There will be some texts concerning the countries and cities we are going to visit. We will, hopefully, update a little during the trip, but a more in depth diary I guess you could say will be written once we are back. We are not going to tell you the exact route or dates for safety reasons, just in case. Those details only our families  will know. Once the trip is done, we will explain our planned route in detail.