Chances are if you’re sight seeing in Adelaide you’re going to end up walking up and down North Terrace. On the edge of Adelaide’s CBD, this street contains a number of different attractions including Adelaide Casino, Parliament House, National War Monument and the State’s Library, Gallery and Museum! You also have the Adelaide University complex as well as being close to the Botanic Gardens, which contains the Adelaide Zoo!

The other big plus North Terrace has going for it is a large number of the attractions are absolutely free! One location, plenty of attractions, most of them free! What’s not to love?

Well then, let’s take a closer look at some of the attractions shall we!

National War Monument

I’ve seen quite a few War monuments in my time. Each monument tells it’s own story, representing so much loss, emotion and history. You can’t help but being moved and Adelaide’s Monument is no different.

A tribute to all those who lost their lives during the first World War, the Monument consists of two sides. The side facing the road shows the spirit of duty appearing before South Australian youths, a prelude to the war. Whist the reverse side shows the spirit of compassion holding aloft a stricken youth as an epilogue to the war.

It’s quite a striking monument and as the spirits look down imposingly upon you, you can’t help but reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that those before us made to ensure we have the life we have today. A worthy site to visit for sure.

State Library

I had read somewhere that Adelaide’s State Library contained a collection dedicated to Don Bradman. Being a little bit of a cricket buff, especially in my youth I was quite eager to check it out. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it! All I managed to find was a section with a few of Bradman’s bats and balls, certainly not what I was expecting! It may have been that I just missed the main exhibit, but I must say I was a little disappointed!

Still the Library had a few other interesting sections including the impressive Mortlock Wing. Restored to it’s original 1880′s style, walking inside the wing certainly gives you a feel for how Library’s were back in the day! The wing also includes some interesting exhibits on the history of the Adelaide region.

On the whole, whilst I was a tad disappointed not to see a large Bradman collection, the Mortlock Wing is worth a look, especially given the free entry!

State Museum

Do you like Taxidermy? If you do then you’re in luck with the SA State Museum. With two entire levels dedicated mostly to Taxidermy exhibits covering of animals native to South Australia as well as animals from across the globe. I’m actually quite a fan of Taxidermy so I quite enjoyed myself.  They also had a fairly extensive Mineral collection, another favourite of mine!

The other main feature of the museum is the Aboriginal section. South Australia was home to quite a few Aboriginal tribes, especially in the Adelaide area. The arrival of European settlers displaced a lot of Aboriginals and you’ll learn about this and a lot more at the Museum.

The last little gem the museum’s Egyptian section. It’s on the top level and a little out of the way, so it’s pretty easy to miss it but do make the effort to track it down. There is a collection of Mummies, artifacts and hieroglyphs but probably the most interesting find is a mummified Bilby and a mummified Platypus!  The story goes that these two native Australian animals being mummified is proof that Egyptians travelled to Australians thousands of years before European settlers made the journey. It’s a fascinating concept!

The Museum reminded me a lot of Cliffe Castle in West Yorkshire, England although Cliffe castle was quite a lot smaller! I enjoyed Cliffe castle and I enjoyed the State Museum, especially at the wonderful price of FREE!

Art Gallery of SA

Can I just say of the bat that I was thoroughly surprised by SA’s Art Gallery. When it comes to browsing through Art Galleries I have a habit of taking photos of the information plaques so I can reflect on the pieces at a later date. I entered the SA Gallery without any great expectation of having to many pieces to follow up on…..

I actually ended up with nine pieces that I wanted to look at again, comparable to the returns of some of the more illustrious galleries I’ve visited around the world! I’ve encountered quite a lot of pieces in galleries where the emotions or drama of the scene have in my opinion been lost and as a result they left no impression on me. What really struck me about some of the pieces in this gallery was the way the individual artists had made the effort to capture the emotion and drama.

My favourite piece from the gallery was this one below by Joseph Wright. The stark contrast between the whiteness of the moon and the red of the lava really sets the atmosphere and I found myself transported to Naples for a moment, imagining the sensation of being witness to such a remarkable event.

All in all another thumbs up from me for the SA Art Gallery!

Vesurvius from Posillipo - Joseph Wright of Derby

Adelaide’s North Terrace is a central point for a large number of Adelaide’s sites. Whilst perhaps not as famous as their more illustrious counterparts in Sydney and Melbourne I found the War Monument, Museum and Art Gallery to be well worth a visit and if you’re in Adelaide I’d definitely recommend you allow some time to check them out!

Have you visited Adelaide’s North Terrace? What was your impression? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share them below

Kung Fu Panda!

It’s fair to say I’m partial to visiting Zoos whilst travelling. In Europe I managed to check out Zoos in Berlin, Ljubljana and London. It was probably a given then that when looking for things to do in Adelaide, the Adelaide Zoo was at the top of the list!

What made the Adelaide Zoo even more appealing was of course the fact that they have recently acquired two Giant Pandas, Wang Wang and Funi! Spending their days in the new Bamboo Forest area, these two amazing animals have been the talk of Adelaide ever since they arrived in December last year!

Adelaide Zoo itself is Australia’s second oldest Zoo and is located just to the North of the CBD, next to the River Torrens and Adelaide’s Botanic gardens. It’s a very scenic area of Adelaide and whilst the idea of having a metropolitan Zoo located in parkland close to the city might be common practice, Adelaide Zoo does it especially well!

Inside the Zoo the highlight is without doubt Wang Wang, Funi and their Bamboo Forest. The Zoo has done a good job of recreating the natural habitat of the Pandas. I especially liked the nine Chinese coin monuments littered amongst the forest. Each coin contains a great inscription, based around a theme of a positive change towards a balance between nature and humanity.

Of course the stars of Forest are Wang Wang & Funi. Wang Wang has a reputation for being quite laid back and he delivered on this reputation by snoozing for my visit! Funi on the other hand was much more active! Firstly she gave her audience a demonstration on how to eat Bamboo and then followed it up with some great poses for the Camera! What struck me most about Funi was how much her personality really shone through her behaviour, it’s clear she likes an audience!

Funi posing for the Camera!

Getting the opportunity to see Giant Pandas up close and personal is both a rewarding and humbling experience. They are truly majestic animals and you can’t help but be very concerned with the future for these highly endangered animals. There is estimated to be only 1600 Giant Pandas in the wild. Whilst conservation efforts have had some success the threat to the Pandas natural habit remains very real! It was a bit of a wake up call and credit to the Adelaide Zoo for getting involved in the conservation efforts. If you want to get involved I’ve included a link to the Zoo’s tips on how to help. It’s below in the useful links section.

Obviously the Pandas aren’t the only animals within the Zoo. Walking around Adelaide Zoo you’ll get a chance to see a wide variety of animals including native Australia animals, Giraffes, Hippos, Tigers, Lions and my personal favourite Otters, or as I call them “Sea Kittens”! Suffice to say a trip to Adelaide Zoo provides a full days entertainment, especially when you add in the informative talks, conservation center and feeding sessions provided by friendly Zoo staff.

Sometimes it's just all too much!

A standard adult ticket to the Adelaide Zoo will cost you $28.50. You will also need to nominate a time slot to visit the Pandas. Whilst I was fine to select a time on the day, during busy times like Summer and School holidays I’d recommend booking ahead through the PandaTix website. After all you wouldn’t want to miss out!

I really enjoyed my trip to the Adelaide Zoo. No other Zoo in the Southern Hemisphere gives you the opportunity to see Giant Pandas in the flesh and if you’re in the Adelaide area I’d definitely recommend checking it out!

Have you been to Adelaide Zoo? Have you seen Giant Pandas in any other Zoo? Have you any stories about Giant Panda conservation? If so  i’d love to hear your thoughts! Please share your stories in the comment section below

Useful Links:

Adelaide Zoo’s website

PandaTix portal

The Zoo’s Giant Panda homepage

How you can help the Giant Pandas

Marrakech is a vibrant, colourful and wonderful experience, sometimes though it can get a bit hectic and you need a little break. Thankfully there are plenty of options and one of the best is a day trip to the Atlas Mountains.

The Atlas Mountains offer a rich tapestry of natural beauty sewn together with traditional Moroccan lifestyle. One of the best ways to experience it is is to grab your walking shoes and go for a hike! We choose to do a one day hike with Berber Adventure Tours, included was a traditional lunch in a  Berber family’s home.

Our day started early. The hike begun in the city of Amizmiz, an hour’s taxi ride away from Marrakech. The drive out offers an interesting look at the Moroccan country side, keep an eye out for the massive Dam that powers the entire region, including Marrakech.

Once we arrived we met Said, our guide for the day. He spoke fluent English and had an excellent knowledge of the surrounding area. He also understood our differing hiking capabilities and took this into account when setting the pace. After getting to know each other over a round of Moroccan tea we hit the road.

There is something exceptionally satisfying about exploring a foreign landscape by foot. The panoramic views are that much more satisfying, the experiences that much more rich. I think it’s the closest you can get to experiencing travel in the finest traditions of famous explorers such as Columbus.

Our hike consisted of five to six hours of walking of which at least 50% was uphill. I’m not going to lie at times it was hard work, really hard work! I had a few moments where I was struggling to keep going but I fought through it. My reward for persevering was one of the most insightful cultural experiences of my entire trip.

Moroccan food in Marrakech is a satisfying affair. Moroccan food in a traditional berber village is simple devine. The freshness of the ingredients, the fullness of flavour, the authenticity of the moment. Mohammed, our host went out of his way to ensure that we had the best possible experience. It was a really insightful look into day to day Berbers live.

A Berber villages’ primary source of income comes from traditional means. Three to four times a week the villagers and their trusty donkeys make the 5 hour round trip to Amizmiz to sell the produce that they cultivate on their own lands. Every Tuesday Amizmiz puts on a local farmer’s market and all the local Berber villages have stalls. So if you can, organise your tour on a Tuesday and you’ll experience the rural take on Marrakech’s own Djeema el Fna!

A hike into the Atlas Mountains is a perfect way to compliment a trip to Marrakech. It’s a bit of hard work, but in return for the sweat off your brow you’ll get a cultural experience like no other.

~~~~~~~~~~~ As seen first as a guest post on CheapoAir ~~~~~~~~~~~~

When one thinks of traveling to Africa, they usually would not consider it a beach vacation.  However, off the coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar is an island that has beautiful white beaches.  The warm turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean would entice many sightseers to take a break from the usual African vacation, and soak up the sun.

There are more than 30 beaches in Zanzibar.  Many are remote and isolated.  At the northern tip of the island is Nungwi.  The beach is surrounded by banana palms, mangroves and coconut trees.  Being the dhow-building capital of Zanzibar, Nungwi is a great place to see traditional craftsmen at work on their boats.  However, being on the west shore, the beach has seen an influx of tourists due to its close proximity to the port city of Stone Town.  For those looking to sip cocktails on the beach and listen to music, the area known as “Zanzibar Strip” features many bars where you can absorb your nightlife.

If you are looking for more of an isolated beach with minimal tourists, venture to the east coast of Zanzibar and check out Jambiani Beach.  The beach provides more of a cultural experience. There are no bars, discos, and mainly no electricity.  The mode of transportation for locals is riding bikes along the beach.  Bikes can be rented at various places along the beach.  Being the home of many small fishing villages, tourists can take a ride in the traditional fishing boat known as the Dhow during sunset.

For those looking for more of an adventure, Mnemba Island, off the northeast coast of Zanzibar, is a world renowned diving destination.  You are able to explore very rich coral reefs and very diverse marine life such as dolphins, barracudas, whales, blue spotted rays and others.  Also renowned as one of the most romantic ocean destinations in the world, the private island is very intimate and just has 10 beachside bandas

Zanzibar doesn’t have many airlines flying to its international airport.  Most major airlines fly to Julius Nyerere International Airport on the mainland in the city of Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania.  The cheapest way of reaching Zanzibar is by ferry from Dar es Salaam.  However, the port is abundant with hustlers trying to haggle with you.  It is possible to get cheap flights from Dar es Salaam on Air Tanzania or on one of the many daily charter planes.  From Zanzibar airport it’s a short 5km ride by taxi to Stone Town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Courtesy of the CheapOAir staff. Travel bloggers at CheapOair.com

Very few cities can sum up an entire century of human history. Berlin is one of those few cities. Berlin had a central role in arguably every pivotal event of the 20th century. Both World Wars, the Holocaust, the Cold War and the subsequent fall of the Soviet Union. Berlin has an extensive story to tell, a human story.

How can I, a simple traveller possibly describe Berlin’s story and it’s effect on me? This dilemma has had me stuck for weeks. I’ve rewritten this entire post multiple times! It’s been a standard city guide post, it’s been a reflection on humanity but it’s never felt right. I’ve met a challenge that I’ve previously not encountered when writing. I doubt my words, I doubt their ability to capture what Berlin meant to me and as a result maybe I doubt myself.

It’s moments like these, moments that make or break ambitions, dreams or hobbies where we require a bit of inner faith. So despite my self doubt today I’m going to back my words, I’m going to put them to the test, after all if my words can’t capture my Berlin experiences who’s can?

The Tower

I avoided the door on my first pass. I knew what it was, but I didn’t feel the right to enter. I felt I lacked the personal connection required to understand. Whilst I was looking at the other areas, I realised my foolishness. Of course I had a connection. I’m human, they were human, we’re all human. I turned around and walked back towards the door.

The door was heavy, appropriately so. Opening the door to humanity’s darkest hour should be no light task. When I wrenched the door open I was confronted by my first feeling. Coldness, bitter coldness, warmth had no place in this tower. Once inside the tower, with the door closed behind me a second feeling overcame me, Darkness, the only exception being a faint light far off in the distance, out of grasp. As I stood there I contemplated the silence….. when suddenly I heard something. Muffled voices. Children, Women and Men trying to speak out but nobody hears them, the response is Silence.

For the first time I understand. The coldness of Humanity, the darkness of Humanity and the silence of Humanity dominate and yet the far off light of hope always remains.

“Holocaust Tower, Jewish Museum, Berlin”

The Stadium

The evening chill was harsh, the hint of rain an ever present. History hung densely  in the air and yet for most of the crowd, history took a backward seat to the anticipation of success, just how easily can we push history aside? They said that when Hitler outlined his plans for this site, he spoke of wanting to capturing all the glory of Nazi Germany. As the trees cleared and the structure came into clear sight it’s safe to say his plan was achieved. A monolithic, imposing, neo-classical behemoth capturing every last drop of Nazi oppression. Yet despite it’s shaded history, you can’t deny that it’s a truly impressive sight.

Arriving at the ticket gates, we are forced to cue like cattle. Given where we are and the aforementioned history, I can’t help but wonder if this wasn’t an intentional design by Nazi architects to remind the people how small and unimportant they were. After passing through the gates I made my way to my seat, with kick off only minutes away.

As I walked into the arena I was overcome by it’s pure intimidatory presence. The hazy smoke, The frenzied wall of noise from the supporters and the overpowering, almost blinding strength of the flood lights. Stunned into submission, my mind wandered back in time and for a split second I found myself at a Nazi Rally. Kick Off brought me back, but in my mind I’d experienced something I will never forget.

“Olympiastadion, Berlin”

A Red Memorial

Typical of Soviet architecture, it towered above everything else and to be honest given the context it actually bordered on the down right offensive! Yet from the moment I walked through the dreaded gate at Tower A I found myself drawn towards it. Architecture fascinates me. In particular how buildings can represent everything the controlling powers at the time stood for. Imposing, Emotionless, Superiority, Intimidating and Controlling. You can’t deny it, all the hallmarks of the USSR embodied in concrete.

On approach you notice a statue depicting Soviet liberation. Two almost super human looking Soviet soldiers embrace a cheerful and more amazingly a healthy looking prisoner. Now artistic license is one thing, but cheapening the horrific experiences endured by the prisoners by glamorizing liberation for the benefit of the State is unarguably completely lacking of taste.

It was the first memorial of it’s kind in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. It was built to recognize only Soviet victims and as a result is now widely considered to be in bad taste. True as that may be, I admit I was enthralled by it. Soviet ideals captured in stone, towering imposingly above me. With the fall of the Berlin Wall it’s now stands as probably one of the best examples of this type of Soviet architecture in Berlin.

“Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Berlin”

Berlin challenges the very foundations of humanity. It demonstrates all that is good and all that is evil about humanity and in some instances, the best instances doesn’t offer commentary. In the absence of commentary you are left with nothing but the confronting nature of raw and often stark facts. Unlike anything else, this forces you to reflect on just what kind of a species humanity really is……..

Remember the far off light of hope always remains, Experience Berlin.

This past weekend saw the first new destination on my travels. Ljubljana, Slovenia! After six weeks of revisiting places I visited in 2006, I was pretty excited for something fresh!

Prior to my arrival I was expecting Ljubljana to be like a mini version of Prague, It didn’t disappoint! Ljubljana possesses the same ‘old world’ charm that Prague is renowned for without the large crowds. I was amazed at how quiet Ljubljana was at times, foreigners were definitely in short supply. Sometimes I think that’s a good thing, it gives you a chance to really get a feel for the place.

Like Prague, Ljubljana has a thriving art scene, giving the city a distinct Bohemian feel. Whether it’s witnessing the plethora of artists sketching the city’s distinctive architecture or just strolling through the open markets looking for local treasures, Ljubljana is an absolute treat for your artistic senses. Remember to bring a camera or sketchpad!

Let’s talk about one of the main reasons I made the trek to Ljubljana. Dream Theater, arguably the greatest progressive metal band of all time! I’d seen them play live in Melbourne and when I saw they were playing in Ljubljana I snapped up tickets quick smart! Ljubljana was the last stop on their progressive nation tour, couple this with the gig falling on Halloween and you had all the ingredients for a top night. Dream Theater were excellent as usual and the Halloween hijinks added some extra value, Mike Portnoy channeling the Cookie Monster for example was very amusing! Whilst I thought the setlist was a little short and would have liked to see more of both Opeth and Dream Theater, overall it was still a quality performance!

The day after the gig gave me the chance to get out and explore. When you walking around Ljubljana one thing really stands out, Ljubljana Castle. Sitting atop a hill, towering above the old town you really can’t miss it! You have two options for getting up the hill. The funicular railway will get you there quick and easy for 2€. For the more adventurous you can tackle things the old fashion way and walk up! Be warned it’s quite a trek and probably isn’t for the faint of heart but it certainly makes you appreciate the view a lot more. The Castle has been modernised a little which takes away some of the authenticity but in spite of that one of the more ‘illuminating’ moments I’ve had thus far come from sitting a top the guard tower and just soaking in the view! It’s well worth the visit!

When it comes to the local culinary two things really stood out for me. The first is the Burek. Whilst not purely a Slovene dish it was the first place I’d come across them before. A Burek is meat wrapped in pastry and for roughly 2€, it’s a perfect snack whilst walking around the city. The other dish that you’ll notice around Slovenia is Horse meat. In Australia, Horse meat is a bit taboo and isn’t widely available so I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity! I went to the nearest traditional Slovene restaurant and ordered the Horse fillet. The verdict? Horse is really tasty, it’s a little bit sweeter than Beef and really hits the spot! Apologies in advance to all those Horse lovers, but if you’re in Slovenia I highly recommend you try the Horse!

Oh I also checked out the Zoo when I was there. It got quite a big wrap around the ‘web’ but to be honest I wasn’t very impressed. The scenery is certainly nice and whilst some of the animals benefit from that with nice open spaces, most of animals are stuck in confined spaces. I found the whole thing a tad depressing and wouldn’t recommend it. The last thing to note about Ljubljana and Slovenia in general is how small it is. Nearly everything in Ljubljana is within walking distance whilst other tourist attractions in Slovenia like Bled and Postojna are only an hour away by bus or train. You could certainly spend a week in Ljubljana and have plenty of exciting things to do!

My experience in Ljubljana was very positive, it’s a lovely city with great charm and culture. There is plenty to see both in the city itself and in the surrounding areas so do yourself a favour and check it out on your next European trip!

The Belgian Bier Cafe is one of Melbourne’s best beer halls. It’s a great location for either a quiet drink after work or an afternoon of beer drinking in it’s famous beer garden!

There are two Belgian Beer Cafes in Melbourne. Eureka is as the name would suggest based in Eureka Tower in Southbank, whilst Bluestone is just off St.Kilda Rd opposite Albert Park.

I play Futsal at Wesley College, luckily for me the Belgian Beer Cafe is just opposite! On a Thursday night you’ll often find my team engaging in some festive pre-games drinks! Whilst the effect of the drinks on my performance in between the sticks is debatable, my fondness of the Bier Cafe remains unblemished!

The Beer Cafe’s most prominent feature is the beer garden. It’s the largest beer garden in all of Melbourne! Inside you’ll find a 1920′s Brussels styled Bistro full of charm and character!

But let’s cut to the chase, the real reason you go to the Belgian Beer Cafe is the Beer! The Belgians are famed for their beers, infact they have close to 8700 different beers! Whilst the Beer Cafe might not stock all 8700, it certainly offers a large selection! They have Lagers, Pilsners, Wheat Beers and even fruit Beers! Rest assured the Beer Cafe will have something to appease your thirst!

In respects to food I haven’t had a chance to sample what’s on offer, but I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen go past on plates! From the menus the prices are more like restaurant prices rather than a typical “Pub” feed. You’re looking at prices ranging between $20 and $30 for a meal.

To wrap up, if you’re in Melbourne and you want a taste of the classic “Belgian” beer experience, drop by the Belgian Beer Cafe, you’ll be assured of having a great time!

We were lucky enough to spend four days in Munich just as the World Cup had kicked off. The carnival atmosphere within the city’s pubs and in particular within the Munich fan park was really something quiet special.

The main purpose of our visit to Munich was to see our first live World game; Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. The game, despite it’s lack of established footballing powers turned out to be a cracker. A frantic final 15 minutes, saw two late goals and the game finishing 2-2!

Our time in Munich was definitely different to the norm. A city renowned for it’s Beer and traditional Bavarian culture and we spent 90% of our time watching Football! The highlight was certainly the Munich fan park. Despite only having to tickets to one game, the fan park located in the old Olympic complex offered a comparable experience! Picture this. 40’000 crazed football fans, sitting on a hillside, alongside a river bank with a massive big screen TV showing live games! Add in the traditional Bavarian food and drink stands and it was a perfect venue for watching Football. The atmosphere was simply electric and some of my fondest memories of Munich come from nights spent cheering along whichever side’s supporters groups we managed to infiltrate!

Football aside, I do have some useful pointers for those planning to visit Munich. First a warning. The initial hostel we booked into was the A&O City Hackerbrücke, It’s roughly a 20 minute walk from Munich HBF station. We arrived at the hostel after 3pm, so the cleaning crews had just finished their daily clean. The state of our room was diabolical! Vomit and all other kinds of bodily fluids were littered across the room. The VB (Victoria Bitter) bags on the beds, painted a tale of Aussie backpackers having a massive bender. Despite this we were new guests, we expected a clean room. We politely asked for our money back, credit to the A&O staff they were very apologetic and returned our money with no fuss. I’d wager to say we just got a little bit of bad luck, but it’s still worth noting down.

From a negative Hostel experience to a extremely positive one. We ended up settling upon the Jaegers Hostel. Jaeger’s location is excellent. It’s only a five minute stroll from Munich HBF. The facilities are excellent, you have a very pleasant chill out zone with Internet terminals, a well stocked bar and some large screen TV’s which proved great for watching the early kick of World Cup matches! The rooms were equally as impressive, clean and secure. I highly recommend Jaeger’s if you are going to Munich and are looking for a Hostel.

My last little bit of advice is on how to get around Munich. The S-Bahn and U-Bahn provide a highly capable transport network! The U-Bahn is the underground network, whilst the S-Bahn is the suburban network. Between the two, most areas of Munich are covered. Personally I spent most of the time on the U-Bahn to get to and from the Allianz Arena & the Olympic complex. Tickets are reasonable, especially if you check out the Bayern Ticket. Which allows a group of up to 5 people to travel anywhere in Bavaria, incl all of Munich for just 28 euros. I highly recommend checking it out! I’m excited to say that my next trip to Munich is on the horizon.

I’m scheduled to arrive on the 1st of October for the last weekend of Oktoberfest an experience which promise to be closer to the traditional Bavarian experience! As much fun as I’m sure this will be, I’ll always have a soft spot for my special World Cup Munich!

Related Links:

Jaegers Hostel: – < http://bit.ly/aQvip >
A&O City Hackerbrucke – < http://bit.ly/NbhGd >
Bayern Ticket: – < http://bit.ly/8Psyg >

I just want to start off by saying that Amsterdam was a massive cultural shock! Bicycles, drugs, sex and canals. Never before have I seen so much of each in the one spot!

Amsterdam was the first location outside of Bremen that Ben and I visited. It was also the first location in which we would be staying in a Hostel, so it seems natural to talk about my accommodation first. We stayed at the Globe hostel. I’m going to write a more thorough review in the future but to summarise I was impressed with the Globe, it was a clean and secure hostel.

So three days in Amsterdam, what did we do with our time? I’d like to say we spent our time appreciating fine art and taking in the landscape rather than sex, drugs and rock & roll, but I’d be lying! Here is what we did!

The Sex Museum

We had to have a look didn’t we? Especially at only 6 euros each! At that price surely we’d get value for money? Well maybe not…. I remember being distinctly underwhelmed, the only thing that stood out was the 1800′s Porn, everything else has faded into obscurity!

The Red Light District

The red light district is really one of those things that you have to see to believe! During the day it’s hard to really appreciate it’s size, curtains are drawn, lights are off. But take a stroll during the night and it’s a surreal experience! You’re confronted with a sea of red lights, windows full of women and pimps on every corner. You get propositions left, right and center. One eager lady tried to drag Ben into her booth by his Aussie scarf! Proud to report though that we both managed to keep our wallets and other objects firmly in our pants!

Live Sex Shows

Another thing you’ll face in the red light district is hawkers, pushing a variety of special deals for the many live sex shows in the area. We got an offer we couldn’t refuse, $12 euros for a four act show which included two free drinks! It was a pretty sweet deal! So how was the sex show? In a word, bizarre! I wasn’t quite sure how to react, most of the crowd were the same. Although you did have the odd few who seemed to get into the acts more than the participants! When the large black chick came on with the Banana we decided it was time to depart, before she fed the Banana to us!

The Coffee Shop

I’ll admit I had never touched any drugs before Amsterdam and only once or twice since! But what better place to try them out than the legendary Amsterdam! We went to Funny People coffee shop just around the corner from the Globe. Since it was my first time Ben decided we’d go for a mixture of tobacco and weed, rather than a full hit. I honestly can’t recall it having much of an effect, although the photo below would seem to indicate that it did

They were the highlights of our whirlwind Amsterdam trip. To wrap things up, i’ve got a few friendly tips!

• Don’t walk around Amsterdam in the early hours of the morning (before 9pm). The streets are deserted with the exception of less desirable characters. I had a run in with a begger and a drug dealer, which could have been alot worse if I wasn’t able to talk my way out of trouble!
• Make sure you’re clear where your train is heading on your approach to Amsterdam! Initially our train from Germany went direct to the Airport. Turns out we had to get off at Amsterdam Zuid? station and swap trains to reach our desired Central Station!

That was Amsterdam for me, hopefully you’ll enjoy it just as I did!

It’s coming up to almost three years since I last visited Europe and whilst it may sound cliched to say, it really doesn’t seem like it was that long ago! With my next trip only five months away and counting I thought it would be a good time to revist some memories of my last trip. Over the next few months I’ll cover off all the highlights of Europe 2006!

With that in mind I can’t think of a better way to start such a feature than by revisiting my time in Bremen, Germany!

Bremen is the tenth largest city in Germany and is located in the north west of the country, close to an hour away from Hamburg. My traveling companion Ben and I were in Germany for the 2006 World Cup and Bremen was going to be our home base during the tournament. We had a friend, Binyam who lived in Bremen and he was kind enough to offer us free accommodation!

I think looking back, a large part of why I remember Bremen so fondly was due to Binyam. He is one of those guys who is just larger than life, always smiling, always looking to have fun and above all going out of his way to make sure that we were having a good time. He even kicked his girlfriend out of his apartment to make room for us to stay!

Sadly I’ve lost contact with Binyam over the years, the last time I heard from him was a few missed calls on my mobile phone last year. One of my aims for my upcoming trip is to hunt him down and become reacquainted.

So apart from Binyam, what does Bremen have to offer? Well the one thing that really stood out for me is the synergy between the city and it’s parks. Bremen is a very green city! The Bürgerpark is the most impressive of these parks, with its center piece the Park Hotel. This Hotel was actually the home of the Swedish Football Team during the World Cup, I saw a few of them running through the Bürgerpark!

Some of the other highlights to check out during your stay in Bremen include:

• Becks Brewery – You can take a tour which gives you an insight into how this famous German bier is brewed! Binyam’s apartment was just across the river from the brewery, one of my most vivid memories of Bremen is the smell of hops in the morning!
• MarktPlatz – The main square of Bremen, includes the impressive St.Peters Cathedral and Bremen Town Hall
• The Statue of Roland – The Statue is actually next to the Town Hall, but it deserves its own mention due to it’s impressive size.
• Die Stadtmusikanten – I had to hunt for ages to find this statue! It’s a statue of the four musicians from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. It’s somewhat hidden and alot smaller than you would think. Keep that in mind when you are hunting it down!
• The Schnoor – A delightful reminder of what Bremen was like in the old days, the Schnoor is a collection of narrow streets and small houses that have largely remained unaltered for centuries!
• Weserstadion – If you’re a Football fan you’ll also want to check out the home of Werder Bremen, one of Germany’s most successful clubs and my official “German” club.

Bremen certainly has alot to offer the intrepid tourist who is looking for something a little outside of the normal tourist routes. The people of Bremen are delightful and the city has a certain charm about it. One of my fondest memories of Bremen is walking through the local markets on a Saturday talking to the locals and buying some strawberries! It’s the people that make Bremen and I certainly recommend checking it out. I will certainly be paying Bremen another visit on my return to Europe in September!