Hello All!
Things have been moving fairly quickly now and the end of my trip is fast approaching.
Plans to the road have once again changed. Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to cut Berlin out and head home early. This is not so bad as I have seen and done enough and it saves some money! ;)
This also means that I am coming home early!! So for the update...
But first I want to add something to the previous post. The photos of the grave look random, but that is the grave of Jim Morrison, the lead singer of the band The Doors... which was pretty cool!
Now for the update... The shooting... That was the best thing ever!! We finally got there after going throught the mountains and alone the smallest roads ever. We were then given the list of guns that we could choose from and it was like being a child in a candy store with too many things around you. I finally settled on a Glock handgun, a pump action shotgun and the all impressive AK!! We were then taken inside the range and started with the glock. The guy showed us how to load the bullets and the gun and how to fire the gun... the rest was up to us. I was up first and with the adrenaline pumping and excitment at its highest I stepped up, loaded the gun, aimed down range and slowly pulled the trigger. That fisrt shot was nothing like I ever expected! It was insane and so were the rest. Next up was the shotgun, which the guy said was their most powerful weapon... :O I even more nervously stepped up again and again he showed how to use the gun, this time showing how to brace for the recoil and kick of the gun lol!! I again loaded the gun, aimed down range, braced and slowly pulled the trigger.... What happened next is hard to describe and needs to be personally experienced as it was so insane but awesome!! Then came the AK... We shot this one lying down as the target was further away... The noise and power of that things was just as impressive and insane as the rest! It was definitely something I could have done all day lol!
The next day we left for home and had a stop over in the town of Leipzig, German for the night. The next morning we were up early and heading for home. Unfortunately an accident on the highway caused us to stand stil for 2 hours before being diverted. So after around 8 hours we were finally home though.
I then changed my ticket and booked a car to drive up to Geert. It was pretty wierd but cool to drive a car all by myself on the wrong side of the road!! I shall be staying here till Monday when I leave for home!! :)
So this will probably be the last post... I shall see you all when I am back!
Enjoy
Michael
Thursday 19 April 2012
Sunday 15 April 2012
The road trip... :)
Hello all!
So its been almost 2 weeks of the road trip already (I know, time flies!!) but what a time it has been!! I know you have all been waiting in anticipation for this, but before we start with that here is an update on the weekend before...
There was suppose to be a fishing trip the weekend before we were leaving, but unfortunately the weather was too bad. So instead we went to race go-karts!! :) And not these little things that were at Grand West or something, but 270cc karts!! Needless to say you could get a decent speed out of them.. We did 2 heats and out of the three of us (Geert, his brother and me) I was last lol! Mainly to the fast that they are mad and insane drivers!! ;)
But then it was time to leave and start the great road trip... So here we go!
We are now in our 4th country out of 5 and all is going well.
We started on Tuesday, getting up nice and early to leave for Brussels, Belgium. With the car packed, we left and 3 or so hours later we arrived. We found our hotel and got ready to go out and explore the city. We spend most of the day walking around and sight seeing before going to get something to eat. There was some really cool and big buildings with gold all over, the grand Palace and the garden, the atom (a metal structure in the shape of an atom!)and Manneken Pis... the most famous thing of Brussels. Its basically a statue of a boy peeing lol! Half way through we also went to a cafe in the square where we got some typical Belgium beer called Kwak (Google it) with the traditional glass and this was funny and interesting! After a few hours of walking around we then went back to the hotel to freshen up and went to a pub for a few drinks and a bit of soccer. After that it was off to bed.
The next day we were up early again and with breakfast done, we were soon ready to leave for our next destination... Paris!!!
That took us around 6 hours but finally we were there! The city we all dream of! We found our hotel after some traffic and unpacked and set out to go and explore the town. We took the train to the centre of town and started to walk around and see the sights of Paris. We only saw a small part of town, but that was enough to know that I was going to have a good time there! The area we saw was around the Louve Museum, the largest in the world, being 60 000 m²!! The entrance is in the shape of a triangle and completely made of glass! We also saw the garden, which runs after it and was just as cool!
The next day we decided to take the hop on - hop off bus as it is the best way to see everything and get around. With this we basically saw every major tourist attraction there is to see in Paris. From the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees to the Louve Museum and the garden, to the Opera and all the old buildings inbetween and ofcourse the Eiffel Tower!! We did not go up the Eiffel Tower as the weather was not that good and decided to wait till the next day. From the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees runs straight all the way to the square and the Louve museum with the gardens, which is really cool to see because you can see ahead for like 2 km. After the bus tour we went to the Hard Rock cafe to see for myself how it is... It was really cool, with rock playing ofcourse and many faous musicians guitars on the wall, like slash!! It is just a bit pricey, but that didnt really matter! we then went back to the hotel.
The third day we set off early for the Eiffel Tower. The weather wasnt really that muc bettrer but I was not interested in the weather, I was going up no matter what!! So we got there and the line for the lift was insane!! (as there was only one lift working!) So we decided to take the stairs and climb the tower!! The stairs went till the second level and then you had to take an elevator to the top. Tom and Nicole only went till the first level, but I was going all the way! The climb was not as bad as you would think and once there the view was awesome! But after the elevator to the top the view got even better! It was really awesome to see and something that has to be done! It indeed was a dream come true!! After that I had a long journey just to get the ticket to go in the Louve Museum. Eventually I got it and went inside where there is just room after room and hall after hall of paintings and statues and artifacts. I got to see the Mona Lisa, which was really cool! After that I met up with Tom again and had something to eat. We then went on the night canal cruise that went along the Seine river and allowed us to see some of the building lit up at night, which was amazing!! The best one was the Eiffel Tower ofcourse, which was lit up, but then every so often became sparkily with flashing lights all over!! We then went back to the hotel and bed.
The next day was time to leave... :( But ahead was Austria and some more snow! We had about 850 m to go, which in the end took 11 hours, but we eventuallly got there! The hostel is in the mountains and a really cool place. It is like those proper wooden cabins that use wood to keep warm. After we unpacked and settled we just went to supper and went to bed.
Yesturday we went up the mountain to an toboggan course. We took the ski lift up the mountain and the course back down. It was really cool and there was LOTS of snow, but it was lekker cold lol, especially going down as I went fast and almost got frost bite on my hands lol!! After that we just relaxed in the hostel and went for supper.
The next morning it was up early as I went snowboarding for the first time!! It was really something! The view from the top of the mountain and all the snow and the whole experience was amazing!! I think I found a new sport I want to do! :) I started by taking the bus up the mountain to the resort and then had to figure out what to do. I eventually saw that I had to buy a pass and then pay for the lessons and finally rent the equipment. Once that was done it was further up the mountain with the ski lift. I had 4 hours of lessons, 2 hours in the morning then a break and 2 hours in the afternoon, and they were really intense!! It took a while but eventually I got the hang of it, but not without a few falls and bruises lol!! After that it was back to the hostel and some supper and bed.
Next morning it was up early as it was time to leave for Prague!! The journey took around 6 hours, but we got there!! Once there we again sorted everything out with the hostel and got settled. We then went walking to the centre of town to do a bit of exploring. Everybody says that Prague is such a pretty and nice city... but the first impression I got was that it was really bad... this was possibly due to the fact that we were staying outside the centre in the less attractive area. Once we got into the centre that changed though! There were lots of old pretty buildings with more old churches. There were many people and many tourist!! After walking around a bit we found a place to eat and then visited a few bars before heading for home.
The next day we slept in a bit... manly from the last nights events lol. After finally getting up and clean, we left once more to explore the city. We saw some more old buildings, the oldest bridge and the castle on the hill. We also did a bit of shopping... ;) We then went for some supper before hitting some bars again lol.
Morning came and the weather had turned for the worst! It was nice and wet, so we decided to get in the car and go to the bone church in the next city. This is a church that has been decorated with human bones in the 1700 or 1800 with people that were burried there.... pretty wierd if you ask me, but interesting none the less. We then went to the Cathedral next door, which was nice but not as impressive as the others I have seen! We then came home and went out for dinner and drinks again before going to bed.
The next moring it was up early and we were on our way to Krakow, Poland! After 6 or so hours we arrived and settled in the new hostel. We then got ready and went out to walk around the centre of te town and explore before finding a place to eat. It was off to bed after that.
The next day we went to Auschwits! For anyone that doesnt know, its one of the biggest and most well known concentration camps from the 2nd World War. More than 1 000 000 Jews were killed in gas chambers and through slave labour.
So we got there and then had to take the guided tour which goes through 2 of the camps, Auschwits 1 and Auschwits 2.
The tour guide took us through some of the buildings showing and explaning all of the things from how they were transported to the camps to the sorting process to the extermitation process. Also how the living conditions were and how everything operated. In one building there were also some of the belongings of the people, like clothes, shoes, suitcases, combs and photos. There were a lot of pictures recovered that were also on display, showing some of the people before they were taken to the gas chamber, the loading platform where the trains arrived and some of the people after the were freed. The second camp is way bigger than the first and had most of the prisoners and is where most of the people were killed. We were shown where they slept, what the toilet looked like, the prison and one gas chamber. Some buildings were also used by German doctors for experiments on some of the people, mainly woman and children. The big gas chambers in the second camp were destroyed by the Germans just before the Soviets invaded in an attempt to hide what they were doing. After everything, the main German soldier that was in charge of Auschwits was also caught and tired, found guilty and hung there as well. There are many memorials in and around the building, the biggest by the gas chambers, giving tribute and memory to the victims and there family. The guide also said that some of the people that survived the experiments and/or the camp would visit from time to time...
The whole tour took 3 and a half hours. It was really interesting and enlighting to see, but also sad and moving. Hard to believe people could have done that...
After that we went back to town and to the Jewish district to walk around a bit and have some supper.
Today Tom wanted to go to a indoor swimming pool, but I didnt bring pants as winter and a costume didnt go together with me lol. So they went and I gotr to finish this. Later we are going shooting! With pistols and shotguns! Then probably just dinner and bed.
Tomorrow we are off to Berlin, Germany! We are stopping over at family of Tom in Poland for a night before hitting Berlin. After that it is home...
So until the next time, which would probably be when we home, I hope you enjoy the photos and dont work too hard!! ;)
Pics...
http://www.maalbum.cz/Album=G4E4IK6I
Cheers
Michael
So its been almost 2 weeks of the road trip already (I know, time flies!!) but what a time it has been!! I know you have all been waiting in anticipation for this, but before we start with that here is an update on the weekend before...
There was suppose to be a fishing trip the weekend before we were leaving, but unfortunately the weather was too bad. So instead we went to race go-karts!! :) And not these little things that were at Grand West or something, but 270cc karts!! Needless to say you could get a decent speed out of them.. We did 2 heats and out of the three of us (Geert, his brother and me) I was last lol! Mainly to the fast that they are mad and insane drivers!! ;)
But then it was time to leave and start the great road trip... So here we go!
We are now in our 4th country out of 5 and all is going well.
We started on Tuesday, getting up nice and early to leave for Brussels, Belgium. With the car packed, we left and 3 or so hours later we arrived. We found our hotel and got ready to go out and explore the city. We spend most of the day walking around and sight seeing before going to get something to eat. There was some really cool and big buildings with gold all over, the grand Palace and the garden, the atom (a metal structure in the shape of an atom!)and Manneken Pis... the most famous thing of Brussels. Its basically a statue of a boy peeing lol! Half way through we also went to a cafe in the square where we got some typical Belgium beer called Kwak (Google it) with the traditional glass and this was funny and interesting! After a few hours of walking around we then went back to the hotel to freshen up and went to a pub for a few drinks and a bit of soccer. After that it was off to bed.
The next day we were up early again and with breakfast done, we were soon ready to leave for our next destination... Paris!!!
That took us around 6 hours but finally we were there! The city we all dream of! We found our hotel after some traffic and unpacked and set out to go and explore the town. We took the train to the centre of town and started to walk around and see the sights of Paris. We only saw a small part of town, but that was enough to know that I was going to have a good time there! The area we saw was around the Louve Museum, the largest in the world, being 60 000 m²!! The entrance is in the shape of a triangle and completely made of glass! We also saw the garden, which runs after it and was just as cool!
The next day we decided to take the hop on - hop off bus as it is the best way to see everything and get around. With this we basically saw every major tourist attraction there is to see in Paris. From the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees to the Louve Museum and the garden, to the Opera and all the old buildings inbetween and ofcourse the Eiffel Tower!! We did not go up the Eiffel Tower as the weather was not that good and decided to wait till the next day. From the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees runs straight all the way to the square and the Louve museum with the gardens, which is really cool to see because you can see ahead for like 2 km. After the bus tour we went to the Hard Rock cafe to see for myself how it is... It was really cool, with rock playing ofcourse and many faous musicians guitars on the wall, like slash!! It is just a bit pricey, but that didnt really matter! we then went back to the hotel.
The third day we set off early for the Eiffel Tower. The weather wasnt really that muc bettrer but I was not interested in the weather, I was going up no matter what!! So we got there and the line for the lift was insane!! (as there was only one lift working!) So we decided to take the stairs and climb the tower!! The stairs went till the second level and then you had to take an elevator to the top. Tom and Nicole only went till the first level, but I was going all the way! The climb was not as bad as you would think and once there the view was awesome! But after the elevator to the top the view got even better! It was really awesome to see and something that has to be done! It indeed was a dream come true!! After that I had a long journey just to get the ticket to go in the Louve Museum. Eventually I got it and went inside where there is just room after room and hall after hall of paintings and statues and artifacts. I got to see the Mona Lisa, which was really cool! After that I met up with Tom again and had something to eat. We then went on the night canal cruise that went along the Seine river and allowed us to see some of the building lit up at night, which was amazing!! The best one was the Eiffel Tower ofcourse, which was lit up, but then every so often became sparkily with flashing lights all over!! We then went back to the hotel and bed.
The next day was time to leave... :( But ahead was Austria and some more snow! We had about 850 m to go, which in the end took 11 hours, but we eventuallly got there! The hostel is in the mountains and a really cool place. It is like those proper wooden cabins that use wood to keep warm. After we unpacked and settled we just went to supper and went to bed.
Yesturday we went up the mountain to an toboggan course. We took the ski lift up the mountain and the course back down. It was really cool and there was LOTS of snow, but it was lekker cold lol, especially going down as I went fast and almost got frost bite on my hands lol!! After that we just relaxed in the hostel and went for supper.
The next morning it was up early as I went snowboarding for the first time!! It was really something! The view from the top of the mountain and all the snow and the whole experience was amazing!! I think I found a new sport I want to do! :) I started by taking the bus up the mountain to the resort and then had to figure out what to do. I eventually saw that I had to buy a pass and then pay for the lessons and finally rent the equipment. Once that was done it was further up the mountain with the ski lift. I had 4 hours of lessons, 2 hours in the morning then a break and 2 hours in the afternoon, and they were really intense!! It took a while but eventually I got the hang of it, but not without a few falls and bruises lol!! After that it was back to the hostel and some supper and bed.
Next morning it was up early as it was time to leave for Prague!! The journey took around 6 hours, but we got there!! Once there we again sorted everything out with the hostel and got settled. We then went walking to the centre of town to do a bit of exploring. Everybody says that Prague is such a pretty and nice city... but the first impression I got was that it was really bad... this was possibly due to the fact that we were staying outside the centre in the less attractive area. Once we got into the centre that changed though! There were lots of old pretty buildings with more old churches. There were many people and many tourist!! After walking around a bit we found a place to eat and then visited a few bars before heading for home.
The next day we slept in a bit... manly from the last nights events lol. After finally getting up and clean, we left once more to explore the city. We saw some more old buildings, the oldest bridge and the castle on the hill. We also did a bit of shopping... ;) We then went for some supper before hitting some bars again lol.
Morning came and the weather had turned for the worst! It was nice and wet, so we decided to get in the car and go to the bone church in the next city. This is a church that has been decorated with human bones in the 1700 or 1800 with people that were burried there.... pretty wierd if you ask me, but interesting none the less. We then went to the Cathedral next door, which was nice but not as impressive as the others I have seen! We then came home and went out for dinner and drinks again before going to bed.
The next moring it was up early and we were on our way to Krakow, Poland! After 6 or so hours we arrived and settled in the new hostel. We then got ready and went out to walk around the centre of te town and explore before finding a place to eat. It was off to bed after that.
The next day we went to Auschwits! For anyone that doesnt know, its one of the biggest and most well known concentration camps from the 2nd World War. More than 1 000 000 Jews were killed in gas chambers and through slave labour.
So we got there and then had to take the guided tour which goes through 2 of the camps, Auschwits 1 and Auschwits 2.
The tour guide took us through some of the buildings showing and explaning all of the things from how they were transported to the camps to the sorting process to the extermitation process. Also how the living conditions were and how everything operated. In one building there were also some of the belongings of the people, like clothes, shoes, suitcases, combs and photos. There were a lot of pictures recovered that were also on display, showing some of the people before they were taken to the gas chamber, the loading platform where the trains arrived and some of the people after the were freed. The second camp is way bigger than the first and had most of the prisoners and is where most of the people were killed. We were shown where they slept, what the toilet looked like, the prison and one gas chamber. Some buildings were also used by German doctors for experiments on some of the people, mainly woman and children. The big gas chambers in the second camp were destroyed by the Germans just before the Soviets invaded in an attempt to hide what they were doing. After everything, the main German soldier that was in charge of Auschwits was also caught and tired, found guilty and hung there as well. There are many memorials in and around the building, the biggest by the gas chambers, giving tribute and memory to the victims and there family. The guide also said that some of the people that survived the experiments and/or the camp would visit from time to time...
The whole tour took 3 and a half hours. It was really interesting and enlighting to see, but also sad and moving. Hard to believe people could have done that...
After that we went back to town and to the Jewish district to walk around a bit and have some supper.
Today Tom wanted to go to a indoor swimming pool, but I didnt bring pants as winter and a costume didnt go together with me lol. So they went and I gotr to finish this. Later we are going shooting! With pistols and shotguns! Then probably just dinner and bed.
Tomorrow we are off to Berlin, Germany! We are stopping over at family of Tom in Poland for a night before hitting Berlin. After that it is home...
So until the next time, which would probably be when we home, I hope you enjoy the photos and dont work too hard!! ;)
Pics...
http://www.maalbum.cz/Album=G4E4IK6I
Cheers
Michael
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