Monday 17^th June – Day 15

Disaster strikes!  Having got onto the Riga-bound bus we headed off towards the Latvian border.  As usual we had to get off the bus and have our passports stamped.  However, having been told in Estonia that a visa wasn’t required, the passport officers refused to let Campbell into Latvia.  He was hastily removed from the check-in queue and had to take his belongings off the bus before being carted back to Tallinn to get a visa.  Nightmare!  I managed to give him my email and mobile number before he left so we could meet him up elsewhere.

The rest of the trip happened uneventfully and I finished my book ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ as we entered the outskirts of Riga.

Our accommodation was like Crapston Villas so we decided to ditch our bags and spend as much time as possible wandering around the city as we were due to head off for Vilnius tomorrow.

The city itself is quite pleasant but it is clear to see that there is a lot of poverty in Riga.  As with most days we found that we had lost track of time and it was 21:00 before we were fed and back in our dingy hostel.

Our thoughts were with Campbell and the atmosphere was a little subdued as we headed for our beds.  Lets hope our Antipodean chum was okay.

Tuesday 18^th June – Day 16

We said our goodbyes to Riga and headed south towards Lithuania.  Having spent nearly an hour trying to get through border control we managed to get our passports stamped and were on our way to Vilnius.

The city is supposedly the most attractive captil city in the Baltics (although I think Tallinn is the best!).  The architecture is magnificent and we found ourselves wandering around in complete awe of our surroundings.  There is very little tarmac around and most cars just zoom around on the cobbled streets and breakneck speeds.

The hostel was full but the woman in charge didn’t have any objections to me and Sean sleeping on the floor in the kitchen!  I have to say that I think this is my favourite hostel so far and we mixed very well with the other backpackers.  In fact, some Australian girls even cooked some rice dish and give it to us as a free meal.  Excellent!

I got on very well with a Swedish girl called Lisa and we swapped email addresses.  We went out for some drinks and before we knew it it was 05:00.  We slept in on the kitchen floor until 10:00, with the other backpackers managing to step over us whilst they were making themselves breakfast.  We got up and said farewell to Lisa and went out to see the sights in Vilnius.

Wednesday 19^th June – Day 17

Having got up and readied ourselves we set out to see the ‘Museum of Lithuanian Genocide’ with two friends called Olivia (Australian) and Chi (American).  The museum used to be a prison to hold and execute political prisoners from the old USSR and was in use until 1991.  Some of the sights were quite disturbing but we were glad that we had gone to see it.  The original bullet holes in the walls where still left as a mark of the atrocities that went on.

Having left the prison we set out to find somewhere to get a snack and get out of the searing heat.  It was 32° in the shade!  Scots certainly are not used to this!

The afternoon was spent trekking around the city and enjoying each other’s company.  We got back to the hostel at tea time to find that there was no oven, so we had to cook our pizza in a frying pan on a hob.  Interesting!  It worked anyway.

Having eaten Sean and I decided to have showers and pack our bags so that we were ready for our night bus to Warsaw.

It took nearly two hours to pack our bags and before we knew it it was time to leave.  We said our goodbyes, swapped email addresses and went to the check out desk at reception.  Unbelievably we met Campbell in reception!  What a small world!  He’d had to go back to Tallinn to get his visa, got it in one day, and had done exactly the same route that we had but one day later.  What a coincidence meeting in that particular hostel though!  We had to say our goodbyes though and headed out for our bus which departed at 23:00.  Let’s see if we bump into Campbell further along the trip.  For the time being we said a sad farewell to the beautiful Baltics and headed west into Poland.  Who will we meet next?

Thursday 20^th June – Day 18

We arrived in Warsaw 50 minutes early and set out to try and find out what trains will be running to Prague.  There was one leaving at 21:35 so we had from 07:00 to occupy ourselves.  We put our bags into storage and went out to see the sights and sounds of Warsaw.

The city itself is split into the modern area and the old area.  We quickly realised that the old area was the place to be and so started the two mile hike in the 36° sun (at 07:45!).  We spent all our time looking around the castle and the old-fashioned cobbled streets.

We trekked back to the train station for a cheap meal at about 18:00.  The heat was still a real problem for us.  Whilst we were having our tea we got talking to a Belarussian girl about our trip and before we knew it it was 21:00!

Having said our goodbyes we made our way down to the platform via the luggage store.  Whilst we were getting our bags we bumped into Aussie Olivia who was on her way to Hamburg.  It really is an incredibly small world!

Our train pulled of the station at 21:35 prompt.  We expect to be in Prague at about 07:30 ready to tackle the second half of our trip!

Friday 21^st June – Day 19

Well we got to Prague!  However, my mobile phone, money and black jeans did not.  At about 02:00 I woke up to find my jeans pockets had been ripped open and my money and phone gone.  Sean and I were unharmed but very shaken by the whole episode.  Having €30 and a phone worth €250 stolen is something you don’t want to have happen to you.  Apparently it is quite common for people to gas you and whilst you are unconscious break into your carriage and take your belongings.  Fortunately, our credit cards and passports had been left untouched.

So that my insurance company could send me a new phone I needed to report the crime to the Czech police.  No mean feat!  We spent literally all day hunting around for an officer who could speak English.  It’s actually a very good way to get around and see the city and we eventually found an English speaking policeman.  He advised us never to take sleepover trains again and so we quickly changed our plans so that we didn’t need to take such risks again.

By the time we had sorted out the crime record it was tea time.  We had a lovely cheap peppercorn steak and went to a couple of pubs that we had seen on our officer hunt earlier on.  What a day…

Saturday 22^nd June – Day 20

Having caught up with some of our sleep we felt that we should make the most of our last full day in Prague and so after breakfast headed out towards the old part of the city.

Having been to Prague before I remembered how much I enjoyed the castle and I was not disappointed this time either.  Despite the searing heat and the long hike up to the castle it is still one of my favourite place that I’ve ever visited on my travels.  Whilst up at the castle we noticed what looked like a mini Eiffel Tower and felt that we should have a look at it.  Having arrived at the base of the hill where this tower was we noticed that we needed to take a cable car up to the top.  From experience cable cars offer great panoramic views and this was absolutely breathtaking.  Having reached the top of the hill and been impressed with the view we climbed up the tower and the views I saw up there will live with me forever.  I have never seen such a beautiful sight.  I can see why Prague is so popular!

With time pressing on we went for another cheap meal.  Pizza this time, and headed back to the hostel at about 23:00.  We met a Canadian girl called Sylvia and a Czech girl, who worked in the hostel reception area, and stayed up until about 02:00 talking about our travels, work and other ‘pleasantries’.  This is one of the things that I enjoy most about hostels and I have picked up many stories and handy hints from the people I have met.  Having said our goodnights we headed off to bed.  Tomorrow we shall be heading towards Munich.

Sunday 23^rd June – Day 21

We got up early so as to make the most of our last day in Prague.  It really is a beautiful city and we felt sad that we were leaving.  We trekked up and down all the little cobbled side-streets and alleyways and found ourselves completely lost only to turn around the corner and find our hostel!  Sean had overspent on his budget and so we felt that we should fly home a little earlier.  I agreed because I didn’t want Sean to be left without any money in our final week of the trip.  Our flights were moved forward to the 4^th July.  It cost us £22.50 each to rearrange our flights but that is far cheaper that six nights accommodation so I no quarms paying it.

We returned to the hostel to pick up our backpacks.  It was time to leave.  We said goodbye to the charming Czech girl and headed off towards the train station.

Our trip took nine hours but it seemed to fly by.  The Bavarian countryside is simply breathtaking with eerie looking castles and lakes dotted all over the place.  The trains were a joy to behold as well.  They were extremely clean and quiet and you literally could set your watch to the arrival and departure times!

Having arrived in Munich we needed to get a metro train to our hostel.  We took our seats on the most luxurious metro I have ever seen and within half a dozen stops we had reached ‘Thalkirchen’ (our stop) and got off.  Our instructions on how to get to the hostel were correct (for a change!) and we couldn’t believe how easy everything was.  That’s German efficiency for you!

<<Previous                                                                                                                      Next>>