w-and3r-lost-blog

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Germany, Munich I had arrived to Munich one day earlier than anticipated. Leaving Vienna in a hurry I took the subway to the bus station and managed to argue with the bus driver, who only spoke German about what day my ticket was for until he gave in and let me ride( probably mumbling something about stupid Americans as I walked past).

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I have heard stories of Vienna’s beauty yet somehow my visit to Vienna was less than magical. Definitely interesting, between the weird couch surfing host and travel exhaustion it’s possible that the city just caught me at a bad time. I arrived by train and was picked up by my host, we can call him Jacob. We traveled in his car to grab a bite to eat, pick up cigarettes for him, and change some currency to Euros. At this point I had maybe 20 dollars to my name so money was needless to say, scarce. Jacob had seemed okay, it’s very possible we just didn’t have any connection and that made conversation stale. He told me about a party up on the hill right by the Alps in a castle that he would be going to later and insinuated that I would be going with him. Not wanting to upset my host on the first night by declining the “invitation” i went along with it. We left for the party at 4:30 pm, after a 30 minute ride with very little conversation we arrived at what he described as a castle and what I would describe as a recently abandoned house. We bought a few beers prior to leaving for the party and were told we couldn’t bring them inside so we each drank one outside then headed in. This party, since we were early because it was cheaper before 6 pm, was not in fact a party but some type of gathering. Maybe I’m just used to showing up fashionably late to the party? So we walked around, he talked to a lot of people, in Austrian. I mostly just walked around aimlessly and walked up to the DJ tent area. Where some melodic trance was playing. Not really something I or many people at the party felt like dancing to. The majority of the party goers were speaking in a foreign language, I had no more alcohol (and honestly I wouldn’t have felt comfortable being drunk around my host or these people) so sober Kennedy just danced to boring music, had small conversation ( I’m assuming the locals here were as limited in the English speaking language as I was in their countries multiple official languages- German, Hungarian, Slovenian, and Austrian German). In the end there were a few positives, the view from the mountain was beautiful, it was one of the most, INTERESTING, parties I had ever been to, and I knew I did not want to hang out with Jacob tomorrow.

The next morning I left early to catch the free tour at the city center. Remember I said I was insanely broke? Well as awful as this may sound this is how i saved some money throughout Europe in destinations like Austria; Instead of buying a ticket every single time i used the public transportation I simply bought one ticket and didn’t validate it unless it was absolutely necessary! To expand on that, in some countries like Austria or Hungary, there is no machine that stops you from going in or out of the metro. There is only a punch station where you activate the ticket for your journey. So unless there is a worker there to make sure everyone does it, no one would know if you didn’t! There is however an official that could walk through to periodically make sure everyone has a ticket, so having a ticket would save you so much money by playing dumb when they ask why it wasn’t validated! Tada! okay so anyways my second, and last day in Vienna I did the tour of the city center and then walked around the city. I took a bus to a remote park outside of city center to walk around there and then made my way to the Wien river and checked out the graffiti there before making my way back to the house at like 5pm!

  Jacob was still at the house when I got back, but the atmosphere was still so awkward. I decided to just take a shower, put on some pj’s and write/watch Netflix. Jacob kept walking by the front of the room and looking at me when he thought I wouldn’t notice. All these things are what creeped me out. Eventually he knocked and told me that there was another party tonight that was closer to town so if I wanted to leave early I could take the metro. I told him i would probably not want to go because I was so tired. He left it for then and went to smoke, watch videos on you-tube or whatever creepy guys do. He returned an hour and a half later to ask if I wanted to go, emphasizing that we could just go for a few hours and leave whenever and since we would be taking the metro he could drink. Again but with more emphasis, I replied that I was tired and didn’t want to go out. He told me he would then be leaving at 9 pm. at 9:45 pm he finally came out of his room ready to leave and asked, again, if I was coming with him. I said, no, no i’m not.. so that was the last time I saw Jacob and I can’t say I was sentimental about the goodbye either. I headed to the bus station for Munich and as it turned out, I was a day early for my bus! (inserts crying laughing face here) Not wanting to go back to Jacob’s I argued with the bus driver (Who only spoke German) until he let me on the bus! The story continues in another country but here are some other photos of Vienna.

Austria, Vienna I have heard stories of Vienna's beauty yet somehow my visit to Vienna was less than magical.

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On arrival to Budapest I had previously left Copenhagen; more on why I skipped that post later ( no spoilers here), I took a bus from the station and then the subway to the stop where I had a couch surfer host waiting. My opinion on couch Surfing is still uncertain. The idea in itself is amazing; being able to share cultural differences with someone and create a new bond of friendship and letting them be your guide around a city you’re unfamiliar with if they so choose. However, in reality I think most of the time potential hosts use the app as a replacement when their Tindr app isn’t bringing them any closer to their goals which include having a girl/woman sleep over. Couch surfing already checks that step at the door. That being said, there are plenty of hosts that are genuinely looking for a bond of friendship. My first host Amilcar, and now my second, Berken are two perfect examples of such specimens. Berken was kind enough to pick me up from the subway station I got off at and we strike up a conversation immediately about his work etc. The day had been so long that when we got back to his apartment he ordered pizza for us and we watched a movie, that I fell asleep to maybe 30 minutes in. He gave me a key and let me know he would be working all day but to treat his house as my own, like I said, genuine hosts! Taking the town by storm at a daunting 10 am (I did plan on getting up earlier but like I said I was so tired) I headed off to explore Castle Hill on a solo mission since I had just missed the free tour by an hour.

Castle Hill Sign

Remains of ancient tiles in the Budapest History Museum

Armour in the Budapest History Museum

In the end I ended on top of Castle Hill but not exactly where I was had intended to go. With a full bladder and no intention of running back down the hill with pee running down my legs I continued onward. The view looking down at the city from every vantage point was just as beautiful as the last, it almost distracted me from my exploding bladder (almost). Finally I had made it inside a building that could be mistaken for a castle but in reality was the cities museum, “The Budapest History Museum.” Ready to burst, I ran to the nearest staff member and asked if there was a bathroom to which she replied,” Yes but it’s inside of the museum and unfortunately you will have to purchase a ticket to go inside.” Sure Europe has a great universal health care system but I’m sure the amount of UTI’s are way up due to the simple fact you have to pay to go to the bathroom almost everywhere! Well you know what, I paid to go to this museum just so that I could go to the bathroom but you better believe I would go through the whole museum to get my moneys worth. There were 3 floors to this museum, ranging from history of the city from beginning to present to the influence of religion throughout history and the few remains of the earlier periods statues/monuments. It was overall a very enlightening museum although I would recommend getting the audio guide, there were many points where I didn’t fully understand the content simply because of its density. After the museum I walked around the city on the Buda side of the town just to get a feel of the cities history. You can really still see the recent end to the soviet occupation aka the end of communism and the beginning of a liberated country. This liberation only just occurred in 1989, meaning all of the buildings in the area show the signs of WW1 and WW11 with different architectural styles that different rulers would build it in. For instance some buildings were build during the ottoman empire rule, others during the Soviets rule, and then more so by the royal Dynasty known in Hungary as the Habsburg family. So all of this information made the area far more interesting than I had anticipated.

After heading back to the apartment Berken had texted me to see what I was up to around 8 and I had decided to sign up for a pub crawl (only cost 10 Euros) called, All Night Crash . By far the best way to meet people is through pub crawl events and the free tours if you do travel alone! So I invited him to come along with me and he did! The night was unbelievably fun and the guides took us to one ruin bar and a ruin club. For those of you that haven’t been to a ruin bar its basically a bar that exists in Budapest because it is designed around the ruined building that came from one of the many war zones of the era.

Day two

I had finally forced myself to wake up earlier than 9 am which meant I was able to catch the free walking tour of Budapest. This tour was great, what wasn’t was the rain. It was pouring and so windy throughout the entire tour. I had already killed two umbrellas and was refusing to buy another. So my heavy winter jacket got me through without getting soaked. we ended at the top of Castle Hill where the guide explained the history of Matthias Corvinus and Beatrix of Naples in the 15th century and their marriage in the, now named Mathias Church(second picture). It was bombed during WWII and later rebuilt by several architects. This gives it a unique style compared to other buildings in the area. Like I said before, you can really get caught up in the history of the area.

After the tour, freezing  and in need of some heat, I ventured in the direction of the Gellert Thermal baths. These are said to be the largest of all the thermal baths in Budapest. The experience alone probably isn’t as fun as it would be with friends. Nonetheless, I find myself willing and capable to be alone. Traveling builds a lot of self confidence in that respect. Back to the baths! So, it was pouring rain and I finally arrived at the baths where you need to bring your own towel, bathing suit, sandals ( I didn’t bring any but also didn’t rent them) and then pay for an entry ticket. The ticket for the Gellert baths was 5100 Forint (Hungarian currency) and I was then given a watch that unlocks a locker for my things while at the baths. I spent around 40 minutes in the baths and it took 2o ish minutes to get changed into and out of my bathing suit (open locker rooms, one for women and another for men).

Hungary, Budapest On arrival to Budapest I had previously left Copenhagen; more on why I skipped that post later ( no spoilers here), I took a bus from the station and then the subway to the stop where I had a couch surfer host waiting.

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Netherlands, Amsterdam

To tell the story of my time in Amsterdam I really have to go into detail about the bus ride TO Amsterdam. It was an overnight bus, so naturally everyone wanted to sleep on the bus. So halfway through, after 3 hours of almost silence, we stopped for a break and to get passports checked. I had come back from the bathroom and 4 guys were talking in the back seat. One mentioned he wished he could…

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Paris, France

Paris, the destination for lovers of art, and well, lovers in general. My first morning, I arrived in the am to my hostel in time to sleep for a few hours before breakfast. My introduction to Paris up to that point wasn’t exactly pleasant. It did have a small, but maybe that was the subway? The homeless people sleeping in the subway didn’t seem to be bothered, nor any of the locals. Anyways,…

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London, England

Days 1-4 Back online! I had so many technical issues, it was honestly pretty hectic for a second! I’ll be using this 12 hour bus ride to catch up on the writing bit so bear which the scattered storytelling ;D! So right to it; In London I flew from Edinburgh, lovely flight (around 2,5 hours)  and my first goal was to find the hostel, which meant; well getting to the center of London. Well I needed…

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Edinburgh, Scotland

Days 3-5 Getting to know my way around the city by walking the streets to the royal Botanical gardens, a 40 minute walk, made for a more intimate journey. I spent around 4 hours inside the gardens determined to walk every corner. At first it’s beauty had me in a trance, showing me one hidden path after the next; after so many I realized there was no returning from the way I came. I also took a…

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Edinburgh, Scotland

Days 1-2 My first full day in Edinburgh (pronounced like edinburrow) was magnificent and full of cardio. I got to see so much of the old town and wander around the streets gawking at the architecture like any typical tourist, without any shame. My plans to travel to Braemar have been thwarted by tourists seeking to cat h a glimpse of gorgeous men lifting heavy object’s at the country’s largest…

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The Itinerary My itinerary was quite possibly the most exciting and stressful part of the planning process. There are probably more than 7 completely different itineraries floating around my room with scribbles all over them.

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Cinque Terre, Italy

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Cinque Terre, Italy

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Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

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Shibazakura Flowers, Takinoue Park, near Mt Fuji Japan

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Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

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Cappadocia - known for its unusual rock formations that are steeped in history.

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Monet’s Gardens, Giverny 🍃 (don’t delete caption.)