Mum & Dad weren't too jet lagged so we were able to make the most of our first day in Budapest. After checking into our apartment we headed straight to the Christmas markets for some goulash in a cob loaf. Our next mission of the day was to find the international train station and buy tickets to Prague. On arrival a the station we had to print out a ticket number and wait for an hour until our number was called. It was ridiculous as only two windows were open selling international tickets. The wait was worth it as the cost was only €19 each for a 6hr journey. We headed back to the markets to find dinner and mulled wine.
The train journey to Prague went very quickly. It is fun travelling by train as you can look out the windows and see lots of country side and little towns, plus there is the added benefit of being able to walk around the train if you wish. Mum fell in love with the beautiful buildings of Prague. Dad was impressed by the hams roasting over the coal fires. I was awed by the view from the clock tower looking out over the main square where the markets were set up. I enjoyed re-visiting a little micro brewery that we found on our first trip. They have lovely beer (at cheap prices) and yummy prunes wrapped in bacon that I could not resist!
We also spent some time at the Prague castle and bought decorations for the tree in the markets. We went to a brewery recommended by Lonely Planet and we ordered a tasting tray. We tried some very random beers including cherry, vanilla, nettle and a very tasty champagne beer which Mum and I shared in honour of Alice's birthday.
Our first meal in Germany |
Mum and Dad went to Neuschwanstein castle for the day while Nath and I walked through the Olympic park and then a big city park and watched people 'surfing', and ended up at the Augustiner brewery for some very cheap beers - €2.30 for 500ml!
From here it was onto some of the smaller towns of Germany. We had a lunch stop in a beautiful little town called Dinkelsbuhl where they had the most gorgeous buildings that looked like big scale doll houses. We stayed in Rothenburg which has some very pretty Christmas shops that open all year. There was even a Christmas museum but we didn't go in. Again we climbed a tower, this time the Town Hall, to get views over the town and surrounding valley.
We had a stop off in Bamburg on our way to Weimar. Weimar was a good stop along the way to Berlin as there was a concentration camp close by that we went to visit. Mum and Dad had not been to one before so it was something we had to do. We spent about three hours at Buchenwald concentration camp. It was very exposed to the wind so I can imagine how cold it would have been for the prisoners in their thin clothing and no heating in the buildings.
We had an epic four days in Berlin as its a cool city with so much to do. It will be quicker for me to list what we did: a tour of the Reichstag, walked through the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe, had some jumping photos in front of the Brandenberg Gate, saw the murals at the East side gallery (the longest remaining part of the Berlin wall), the Pergamon museum, the German history museum, Charlottenburg Palace, and check point Charlie. Sadly Nath flew back to London from Berlin as he had to be back at work.
We tried to have an early night as we had a 7:35am flight to London, which meant getting up at 5:00am! At the metro station we did not have enough coins to pay for our ticket to the airport and the machine was declining our bank cards. So we had a nervous ride out to the airport. However, once at the airport Mum and I were delighted to discover we had enough coins to buy a bottle of bubbles. What a good way to end a great holiday.
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