Chad Is Everywhere

So I arrived in Rotterdam as planned to end my European tour. Eva and Marnix were my former guests from Rotterdam. They were the main reason I was making a small side step into Rotterdam instead of Amsterdam. And from the get go they didn't let me down. I was off the train and with bike in hand within 5 minutes. How awesome is Rotterdam once you have a bike? I must say it's really, really awesome if you have a busted up ankle. Because Rotterdam is as flat as a tack. The biggest hill is the incline of one of the bridges over the river bisecting the city into two. Don't worry true to form I let Marnix know I hate hills. He just smiled. So upon arrival into Rotterdam I had merely dropped off the bag and we were off. Off on the the roads of Rotterdam where cars actually not just respect bikes, they treat them with kid gloves. Whether you're going the wrong way on a one way street, or crossing at an intersection cars know to give way. And bikeriders rely on it and hence ...

After the disaster of a ski day I needed a new plan. Of course I could have stayed with my friends in Austria but then in some ways I didn't want to feel like a burden being injured, and well I was half way across the world. I needed to see and do things. And as skiing wasn't an option I decided to return to what I know and what I felt comfortable with. Hence a return to Munich was inserted into the agenda. I've visited Munich twice before. Once on a Contiki tour which in included Oktoberfest, and once after as a destination as I hadn't seen Munich. So this time I knew I didn't necessarily need to do the free walking tour. This was good as I could neither walk fast, nor far. Alas the weather also came to haunt me on my arrival into Germany. All of a sudden it decided to get cold after such a mild winter and it was snowing in Munich. Not so welcoming when the day before you've sprained your ankle and you're carrying a backpack. After a slow snowy walk on ...

This should be white with snow in winter After Salzburg the plan for my holiday this year was to make a trip to a place called Grünau Im Amtel. Part of the Kasberg Ski Resort area of Austria. I in part chose this as a different location from the standard resorts I had previously visited in France. Their cheap french wine which I never drink for fear of headaches, and because it's crap was just not appealing. And because it would be cool to have a small ski resort experience in Austria. So plans had been set for months. This was to be the centrepiece of my trip. 4 days in the middle of Austria. Except it didn't end up this way. Before I had left Australia I had already heard that it had been a poor start to the winter. Europe had been having it's warmest winter in ages. The ski reports from the internet were reading optimism and hope whereas the snow reports were reading tragedy on the cards. But I persisted in the belief it would work out. After all this plan was to s...

High on a hill with a lonely goat. That was my only goal for Salzburg. I had no interest in actually completing the Sound of Music Tour. In fact I had decided that is was pretty much the Sound of me saying "hell no" if offered. If you want know who was in Salzburg for this movie you need only see the movie room for the hostel from 8pm. There is no doubt that if asked probably 75% would say it's a completely true story. The movie has though provided great entertainment, and a means for learning English for many. It was interesting to see that a movie unknown by Germans and Austrians so well revered by Chinese and other Asian travellers. Although I did not find a goat I did complete a walking trek up the hill towards the castle via stairwells and other paths.   And most importantly i n the afternoon I completed the most important goal. Augustiner Brauhaus. I actually arrived at 2:30pm to find it not open until 3pm. When I returned at 3:15pmI found ha...

Time had come for me to take a 2hr train ride out of Budapest and onto Vienna, Austria. Importantly the move also signalled another significant change. From here I was down to Hostels not Hotels. The Austrian prices and recent move down of the Aussie dollar certainly made this a more understandable decision. Within 3 hrs of arriving in Vienna I had met up with some of my former couchsurfers. Although not based in Vienna they had made a trip for a concert that night in Vienna. Interestingly it was the band that had been victim to the Parisian attacks in 2015. They were continuing their tour in Europe and this was the makeup concert for the event schedule that had abruptly stopped. My friends had expected to see these guys months ago. Instead they were off to the concert that night, and it coincided with my arrival into Vienna. Day 2 of Vienna saw me take to the streets in the morning. I followed the map as best I could to follow the circled list of icons. The standard Church, Ra...

By the time I hit Budapest my health had me into management mode. With only a week of the trip expended I though that if I managed the oncoming cold I'd be able to enjoy the remainder of my trip. Alas what I missed out in Budapest was some of the regional delicacies I had been suggested to partake in. Sometimes it was just easier to skip than others. A giant size Nescafe was never on my agenda but the cool weather made it tempting. But I had already tried a local coffee shop that morning to only find it didn't know what a mocha was. I took an easy option in Budapest. With 3 nights I took a 48hr hop-on hop-off bus. Again. What was I thinking.... previous travels only confirm I've hardly seen a good one of these. And well after 2 days I would say the value was questionable somewhat. But thanks to the included boat cruise option I would say it was ok. I was though disappointed the buses only operated about 6hrs a day on one of the 2 loops. However it was winter and I guess...

At the time I was leaving Frankfurt there were 2 things I knew. One was I was going to be getting a cold. And the 2nd was if I left early enough there would b plenty of time for a Lindt Chocolate Museum stop in Cologne on the way to the airport. Alas it was only after leaving the hotel that it all began to turn... The Fly-Train combination ticket I  had bought needed a secondary ticket. Only  I just realised this when I was at the main station boarding train to Cologne. It was only a  mention in sentence of an attachment to an email document to my f light ticket. To click here to download ticket.  So knowing this and not w anting to be fined by Deutsche Bahn I got off at Frankfurt Airport to sort it out, as I had time. I thought I would merely need to print a ticket. 2 hours later...  I was totally flustered and no better protected from questioning. Deutsche Bahn couldn't print the ticket, Frankfurt Airport Internet was worse than carrier pigeon, and the...