Eurostar

Most trouble ive had at any border. More than Israel. Get to the English guy at border control, give him my leaving card with all details on it.
Whos at this address? My friends flat.
Your staying 3 weeks? Yes
Why are you coming? I’m a tourist.
Where are you going next?
Maybe to Spain or new Zealand.
Why is there a choice? Because I havent decided yet.
Do you have a ticket to leave? No.
How Much money do you have on you? On me? 1 euro.
You only have one euro on you? Yes.
Well how are you funding this 3 weeks? I have a debit card. I go to the first ATM on the station and get out pounds.
How much money do you have? $xx.
Do you have a bank statement? No.
What do you do? I’m an engineer.
When did you last work? A year ago.
What does your friend do? He’s an engineer.
Well with not working for a year only a euro in your pocket and no forward ticket did you think you’d get through.
Yes I’ve done this for the last year and not had a single problem. Well that’s in the eu it’s one border. No It’s through Asia and the middle east and Europe
Ok well how much do I need on my pocket I’ll go get out a few hundred Euro. No you need enough for 3 weeks. What if I show you an Internet banking statement? That will be ok. Do you have wifi? No. When does. The train go? 25 minutes.

So I run out of the station asking all the cafes for wifi. Eventually leave station and go to a hotel bar. Print screen my savings account and run back.

Back to the same guy here is a print screen of my bank.
What are these transactions? Huh, they’re transfers to other accounts.

Ok I’m giving you a tourist stamp but you aren’t allowed to work. I don’t want to work.

Made it with 6 minutes to spare.

Brussels

Pretty square. Local sculpture of a child weeing. That’s about that. Catching the eurostar to London on Tuesday.

Brugge (Bruges)

In Broog-A. Doesn’t have she same ring to it. I’m here because of the movie. No other reason really.

Took me 4 hours and 4 trains to get here too. Amaterdam-Bruges 3 transfers. 4 minutes. 4 minutes. And 24 minutes. That’s stress I don’t need when I’m hungover and not paying attention.

Walked around the town inter evening. Thousands of tourists. Had some Belgian beers.

Next day went and saw michalangelos Madonna and Child. Climbed the belfry. And saw a glass capsule that apparently has Jesus’s blood in it. Looked more like one of calfys core samples to me.

Off to a bar by 2 pm to drink beer and watch the final round often British open.

Amsterdam

Staying with Marieke and Tim in Amsterdam. She was my flat mate in Auckland at in the penthouse for 6 months when I first moved there and she was studying on exchange. She had what became hamishs room and her bed was the single bed in the corner for people who stayed over.

Was going to meet her at the train station but with about half an hour to go I got a tap on my shoulder and there she was. She had been at Tim’s and had caught the same train.
5 years since we had seen each other and nothing had changed.

So we hop on a tram and go to her flat which is on on the same street as the Heineken museuem brewery. No I didn’t go there.

We went straight out to rent a bike for me €8,50 a day (we’re in Europe so we use commas for decimals and decimals for commas). Behind their apartment is a buy who rents out bikes that aren’t green, so I don’t look like a tourist.

Two things. Firstly €3 in Asia and India buys a semi manual 125cc motorbike for 24 hours but it’s €8.5 for a push bike in europe at a local place.but normally 10-12€ at a tourist shop.

Secondly. Who cares, push bikes in Amsterdam are fun.

We ride around literally all the sites in about an hour. Palace, church, red light district, coffee shops, vondel park, I AMsterdam sign, Anne frank house, canal, canal, canal, I’m completely lost and disorientated but do is Marieke as she uses google maps to find where we are and where her favorite bars are. She doesn’t do tourist stuff so only knows her way around from bar to bar.

Day 2

Monday free walking tour. Amsterdam, Amstel river, got dammed, Amateldam Amsterdam. Boom. Once the richest city and country in the world when it had the VOC.

Tuesday went to the reijks museum where I saw my first original Monet, Van Gogh self portrait and Rembrandt, night watch. As well as ship models and guns and cannons and china and stuff.

Someone stole my bike seat. Outside the flat come out and my seat is gone. It was a quick release seat. Take the bike back and they charge me €10 for a new one.

Wednesday Thursday just quiet days. Ride around the city take some photos. Climb a church tower. Dinner in the park etc.

Friday we had a BBQ on the Amstel which was packed with people and then out to some bars.

Hungover Saturday and off to Bruges

Germany

Things I was surprised about in Germany.

Their are thousands of windmills.
Almost 99% of the country is crops.
Everyone rides a bike.
Also it wasn’t as modern and ‘slick’ as I was expecting. Although I saw neustadt orla for most of my time.
Lots of rollerbladers
Waaaay more autobahn than I thought.

Cologne

I went out drinking with a German guy who has lived in cologne 5 years. He said arrive by train walk out of the train station look up at the church and get back in a train.

There are 2 attractions in cologne and I forgot to do one. The first is a big gothic church right at the train station and he second is a bridge right by the train station that is covered in thousands of padlocks put there by couples.

Arrived at midday and walked around the city. Saw the church saw the Rhine slept on some grass in the sun saw some architecture, 10 story offices that had big cantilevers, wooooo. Back to hostel where I met Sebastian the German.

Walked back to the Rhine drank beers in the park. Then went to the Kolsch brewery and had beers. Frustratingly all of cologne serves beers in 250ml glasses. It’s just extra work. They make your tab by just marking up the coaster that your beer is on.

Met 2 NZ girls. One put a cotton bracelet on my wrist. Can’t get it off.snaged to go through Asia and India without getting one and then some kiwi girl puts one on.

Off to Amsterdam to see Marieke my old flatware on Queenstreet when I first moved to Auckland.

Berlin

Janes dripped me off at a hosyel at anout midday and i couldnt check in until 3 do walked down to Brandenburg gate, holocaust memorial, and then to Checkpoint Charlie. up to the bar to have some beers.
Day 2 did a free walking your. I was a bit hung over and it was hot and the girl was loud and intense. Made for a long tour. Day 3 off to sauchsanhausen (spelling) concentration camp. The first concentration camp made and intended to be the blur print for the rest. Realized it would be too small though so it just grew into a big camp. Back to have a couple of beers and list track of time (it’s still light at 10pm. Meeting James for a Black Seeds concert at 9. I arrived at 10.30. Saw the second hour and 15 minutes. Absolute sauna. I still owe James €30.
Day 4 visited some remaining Berlin wall and the Reichstag. Spent. An entire night trying to organize transport out of Berlin. Was beginning to feel claustrophobic as all options were super expensive or not viable.
Ended up finding a €26 ticket to cologne, instead of €120, on ltur.de last minute train tickets website.
Also had to book ticket to Amsterdam.
Nshispeed.ne €40 from cologne.
Day 5 had to change hostels then went and bought a student museum
Pass for €9 (saved€9) and checked out 4 of the 5 museums on museum island over 5 hours. 5.50am tendon do I didn’t go out

Stuttgart

Wellll sort of. Up until midday Friday James was undecided if we were going to Stuttgart for a uni party for one night then straight to Berlin the next morning. Or driving to Berlin Friday night.

2pm departure. Where ate we going? Stuttgart! Really? Yep do you want to drive? Sure.

So I drove to Stuttgart and we arrived about 6 or 7 pm. Saw James friends/colleague Sarah and Anna and hot on the booze on a gloriously sunny day at the ??? University of Stuttgart.

Next morning we hop on the car and drive 7odd hours to Berlin.

Neustadt orla

Stayed in a tiny village/town for 5 days while James worked.
Daily routine. Wake up at 8. Buffett breakfast until 9. James goes to work I go read the news. Read my books. Midday James arrives for lunch, and possible afternoon nap. Afternoon walk around the block update blog photos, read my books. James comes home go to the pool and do some flips then dinner and bed.

Tiny town. Almost no one on the street. I’m 100% the only tourist in the village.

Drove a tractor. Well I drove it around the back of the building and parked.

James gave md the mini and i Drove to ??? To see a castle while he was at work.

Practiced my gainers (running forward backflip at the highly over specified local pool.

Tuesday’s with Morrie, Mitch Albom

The class met on Tuesdays. No books were required. The subject was the meaning of life.

A nice read.