Bonding with Berlin

After a tearful goodbye to Amsterdam, we boarded the train that would take us to Berlin. It was supposed to be 6 hours, HOWEVER a pesky delay meant that it was more like 8 hours. Praise be for having bought the book 'Gone Girl' at the airport and hefty supplies of Milka chocolate! ;)

When we eventually made it to Berlin things continued to go a bit downhill.
My boyfriend speaks zero German, and my own knowledge is fairly limited so we found the language barrier quite debilitating, much more so than in Holland for some reason (quite frankly, anyone in Europe puts us firmly monolingual Brits to shame, so this one was probably our fault haha)

Whilst in the station, the information desk was helpful and gave us good directions to our hostel, with clear instructions on how to use the public transport system... or so we thought! When we got out of the Hauptbahnhof (Berlin's central station) we realised that Berlin's transport system was quite a lot more complicated than we'd expected - I'd heard of the U-Bahn, but there was also an S-Bahn, and a tram, and buses... SAY WHAT.

When we FINALLY got our bearings and located the tram that we felt (99%) confident would take us to our hostel, we collapsed in a heap in the corner with our backpacks. However, we'd barely been sat down 5 minutes when we looked up from our tired daze to see an old man in a uniform yelling at us and gesturing to take earphones out (which we weren't wearing - he was just being a rude !*%?). We had absolutely no idea what he was saying, so we apologised and said we were English - but he just yelled at us some more. Suddenly we looked around and realised we were the only ones still on the tram, and that everyone else was walking across the street. Turns out there had been some problem with the tram line which meant we had to get a replacement bus, which would have been fine but since the bus had no stop announcements, we had no idea where our hostel was.

SOMEHOW, we found the hostel. Hallelujah, hooray, joy of joys... at least until the check in guy said "you know you guys are staying in a caravan, right?"
No. NO WE DID NOT KNOW.

I wish I could say the trip got way better from there, but sadly somehow Berlin didn't quite do it for me.
I think because I was so taken with Amsterdam's architecture, Berlin disappointed me a bit. The areas we were in were quite a lot more modern, and it was also just a bit big and overwhelming for me.
Having said that, we did have some highlights there:
The Berlin Wall was really moving, and I loved the graffiti on it.
Kaffee und kuchen. NEED I SAY MORE.
Drinking beer in Alexanderplatz and doing some serious people watching.
We even had a nap in front of the Reichstag, cheeky ;)

The dreaded caravan...

Next stop, PRAGUE!

<3

Three Days in Amsterdam

For those of you who haven't read my last few blog posts, I have just got back from me 'olidays!

(RECAP: I spent 2 weeks having a ganders around Europe)

 I had an absolutely AMAZING time, which I can't wait to share on here through many, MANY photos ;)

I thought about doing one big post, but I decided it would be more fun to chunk it up into the different cities I visited. (Isn't "chunk" a lovely word? But I digress.)

So that brings me nicely to my first leg of the tour, which was AMSTERDAM!

We stayed in the Student Hotel which was essentially a very posh hostel. The city has a cracking transport system with loads of trams all over the place - our hotel was a bit further out but was about a 30 second walk from a tram stop. It was waaay cheaper than staying in the centre so if you're on a budget like we were then I'd definitely check this place or somewhere similar out. :)

Basically, Amsterdam is the BOOBIES. 

The main thing I'd wanted to do was go to the Anne Frank house (although if you do go I thoroughly recommend getting there EARLY as the sight of the queue nearly made me call for the smelling salts). It is definitely worth the wait though, as it's an amazing experience and beats any other museum I've been to hands-down.

The market scene in Am-dam is also amazing, especially the Bloemenmarkt (gigantic flower market which you can see in le photos). I don't think I've ever seen so many tulips in one place in my LIFE. 

Vondelpark is also the dogs dinner. It's a ginormous park in the centre of the city (think Central Park in New York, on a less grand scale). We took a picnic there and it was so lovely - at least until the sun disappeared to be replaced by rain 30 seconds later. But I'd say that's more the fault of the stratosphere than Amsterdam's itself, so we'll let that one slide.

But maybe my favourite thing we did was get an evening river cruise around the canals of Amsterdam. Everyone's always told me that it's a city that needs to be seen from the river, and I will definitely be passing on that wisdom to anyone and everyone. It was so beautiful, in fact, that I turned around halfway to inform my boyfriend to send me a card, for I would be moving to Amsterdam. That's a LOT coming from a confirmed proud Brit. ;)

TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR PART TWO: BONDING WITH BERLIN

Pack up your troubles (& suitcases)

So as I said in my last blog post, I am going TRAVELLSKING!
Whilst this is super douper trouper exciting, it also means the joys of packing await. So, I thought I would share some (amateur) pearls of wisdom that I have picked up on this subject matter. You're welcome ;)

1. Make yourself a list!

Anyone who says they don't love lists is lying.

The neat freak in me came out and I decided to sit down and make a checklist of everything I needed, before attempting my scavenger hunt to find all these items.
Plus, this means I get all Monica from Friends and award myself a "check!" for every item I successfully put in.

2. Don't leave it until the last minute!

When I packed, I did it about a week in advance.

Since I'm massively lazy about washing clothes and usually just leave the pile in my laundry basket to grow until I realise I have no knickers left (and have to wear a bikini bottom for that day) I figured I'd probably find most of my favourite clothes that I'd want to take were dirty. Therefore, this gave me plenty of time to kick myself up the butt and get things clean :)

It also means that all the things you realise you need the night before leaving (facewipes are my usual ones) you actually have time to go and buy!

You can thank me later when your face is refreshed.

3. Be organised about it.

Just knowing where everything is can be very helpful.

Also, I would always recommend taking a plastic bag so you can separate used clothes from clean ones. Makes life a whole lot easier when you get to the end of your trip and you're frantically trying to remember which knickers you have and haven't worn.

4. Be practical

If you're going to be exploring new cities, what shoes are going to be comfy to walk around in all day?

No matter how much you want that tan, will having painful sunburn be worth sneakily leaving the suncream at home?

If it rains, do you think you'll have wished you'd just stuck an anorak in?
Consulting a mother on this step can be very useful... or if they're like mine, ignore this step as you'll get it without asking anyway.

5. Don't take what you don't need

Before I go away I make sure I have ONLY what I need and no pesky extras. For example, my purse is usually chocka block with various loyalty cards. Do I really need my Nectar card when I'm travelling around America? No. The way I see it, if my purse got stolen I'd rather only my bare necessities were lost.

Also, only take what you feel comfortable taking. If you don't want to take your big camera and all it's big boy lenses, don't take it. No matter how nice the selfies might have been!

6. Don't forget to take a spare pair of underwear.

For no other reason than it's wisdom that mothers have been passing down for centuries. In case of 'emergencies', they say.

Let's not go there. Just pack them.

I am bound to forget SOMETHING which when I'm on the trip will seem like the end of the world (like oh no my pink vest would have gone so well with this outfit, why on earth didn't I bring it?!)
But, I figure as long as I have my passport then I will manage ;) That is my non-fussing pledge, and I am going to stick to it. Or try to, anyway.

What are your must-do travel tips? :)

I'M GOING TRAVELLING!

A week today, I shall be donning my (very sexy) enormous backpack and heading off to mainland Europe for a couple of weeks!

My boyfriend could only wangle 2 weeks off work so we have had to plan our trip with military precision in order to fit in as many sights as possible!

Our plan is as follows:

Fly into Amsterdam
Get the train to Berlin
Get the train to Prague
Get a train overnight to Krakow
Get the train to Vienna
Get the train to Budapest
Fly home

To seasoned backpackers I am sure this whole trip seems like a breeze, but a seasoned backpacker I am sadly not. To me, this is a whole new experience, which I am 1% nervous about but 99% fizzing over with giddy excitement!

I've never been to any of the countries I'm visiting before, so I have absolutely no idea what to expect from any of them - or the whole experience really. I should imagine the amount of time spent whooshing along on a train will be pretty exhausting, but luckily if there's one thing I'm talented at it is sleeping. :)

Overall, I'm super mega ridiculously bloody EXCITED. I've been working hard all summer pulling double shifts to fund my trip, and it's absolutely amazing feeling like I've really earned it!

If anyone is from/ has visited any of these places, or has interrailed around Europe before and has some tips, I'd be very grateful! :)

Camp America & travelling the USA

So this blog post is about 10 months too late, but since I didn't have a blog back then.. this post will have all the benefits of hindsight ;).

Last summer on the 21st of June I packed my bags and headed off to the sunny US of A for 3 months. I had applied to do Camp America and was lucky enough to have been quickly offered a place at a camp for children with Special Needs in New Jersey, about an hour on the bus from the bright lights of New York City! 

First off, for anyone thinking about doing Camp America my advice would definitely be DO IT! I will be honest and say it isn't all fun and games - by the end of the 10 weeks I was practically collapsing with tiredness, the close-knit environment is sadly prone to being a bit gossipy and bitchy, and I basically didn't feel clean for 2 months. But the pro's so, so outweigh the cons. You get to spend every day in the sun, make some amazing memories with some amazing kids, and gain a bunch of best friends you get to hang out with every day (I even met my boyfriend there and it'll be our first anniversary on Sunday, n'aww). 

Me & my friend on a Camp trip :)

A few of my best friends from Camp at our staff party (I'm the one 2nd from right)

After Camp finished, a group of us decided to go travelling round the States for a couple of weeks! I say that like we were really cool and just pitched up in different cities on a whim - we actually planned it with military precision about a month before, but shhhhhhh ;)

Boston

First off we hopped aboard a bus from NYC to Massachusetts for a few days. I LOVED me some Boston, it was so beautiful and really reminded me of being in England, especially with names like Cambridge! We went to Harvard which was amazing, it was early September when we were there so all the Freshman were being welcomed, I was so jealous. Literally everyone seemed to be arriving in glossy black 4x4s with tinted windows. We also checked out all the touristy stuff like a huuuuge aquarium, and of course Fenway Park where the Red Sox play. I know ZIP about baseball, but I absolutely loved the tour anyway so I'd definitely recommend it to anyone! We also went on a mad rampage for a Cheesecake Factory and got a taxi to the outskirts of Boston to satisfy our love for the red velvet ;). In fact, the only downside of the Boston experience was when we rang up 3 Dunkin' Donuts to see if they had any birthday cake donuts left, and NONE of them did... shame on you Boston (I STILL haven't had one!)

Obligatory selfie ;) (I'm the one in the middle)

New York

When we left Boston (sob) we headed back to New York and spent a few days in the Big Apple :) because Manhattan is seriously draining on the purse we stayed out in Brooklyn. It was about half an hour on the subway into the city, but we shared an iPod and had Lana Del Rey on repeat so that was fine ;). The area we stayed wasn't the most glam, but our hostel was awesome and we met some lovely people there. Aside from being big Sex and the City ladies and shopping on 5th Avenue ;) we made sure we did the touristy things too! Ground zero was really moving, and the ferry to Staten Island was cracking. But my favourite experiences were quite ordinary, getting slices of pizza in Times Square. I'd wanted to go to NYC ever since I first saw Friends, and it definitely didn't disappoint!

                                     

Coney Island, this place is SERIOUSLY cool, any city that has a beach gets a thumbs up from me - especally one with a wonder wheel ;)

                                       

                                       

Phantom of the Opera on Broadway!!! It was INCREDIBLE

 

Brooklyn Bridge is beautiful :)

Houston, Texas

After New York we met up with some more friends at the airport and headed on down to Texas! It was so so hot, my fair English skin didn't know what to think. We stayed in a really cute little area, and it was definitely our favourite hostel experience. We did LOADS in just a few days: the main priority was naturally NASA (the geek in me thought this was the main priority anyway) which was unbelievable and I'm so glad I've seen it. We went to a zoo and took selfies with meercats, went to a baseball game (not the Yankees admittedly, but there WAS an onscreen proposal so that was unbeatable) and went to the famous Sundance cinema. Everyone was so friendly in Texas, and it was actually my favourite place we went by far. My only criticism would be that we ended up having to spend a small fortune in taxis, as Houston isn't really built for the pedestrian visitor and public transport wasn't fantastic - but luckily our hostel was so cheap that it didn't matter quite so much.

NASA

New Orleans

Our last stop was New Orleans! I was only able to stay a couple of nights and only really got one full day here, as sadly I had to jet home to start Uni :( but we definitely made the most of our day! In the morning we headed out to see some alligators. My favourite was called Brokejaw Betty because she likes to get into lots of scrapes, I figured she had some character ;) the bus we got out to the swamps was good because the driver almost acted as a tour guide, pointing out the site where there was a voodoo graveyard. Apparently if you go there you can curse people, naughty naughty. He also recommended the best places for bread and butter pudding in town, if only I liked the stuff :(.

In the evening we headed out to Bourbon street where all the jazz music was. The bars were all amazing, and the music was so good! I didn't even think I LIKED jazz until I went there. If only I could have stayed for longer!

SO, that concludes my brief reminisce of my travels last year :).

I would recommend going round the States to ANYONE, it was so much fun and I had the best 2 weeks I think I have ever had. I think if I'm ever lucky enough to go back I'd love to go round the west coast, and see San Francisco and LA, and of course the grand canyon :).

Has anyone else been travelling round the USA to the same places, or got any tips for travelling the West Coast? I'd love to hear them!