My five week tour of Europe has come to an end and I’ve finally returned home. There was so much to see and do over there, but I’m going to recap some of the highlights and lowlights.
London
After landing at Heathrow I was subjected to one of the oldest and noblest of British traditions: queuing. It took about an hour and a half to clear customs, but once outside I was treated to clear the blue skies and mild temperatures of not so foggy old London. I did the usual tourist things, wandered the streets and saw several major landmarks. I went to visit the Queen, but she was too busy to see me. I also went to the British Museum and Churchill’s War Rooms and was blown away by the quality of the exhibitions. We have nothing quite like them in Australia.
Paris
The good weather continued to hold and and the sights continued to be amazing. On arrival I did a walking tour and ran into an old work colleague (small world). I took their recommendations on food and museum sightseeing. The Louvre Museum was amazing – you can’t see everything in one day, but I did see quite a bit of it. If you plan to visit the Louvre, book your tickets online for about an hour after the museum opens: the queues will be short and painless. And if you are going just to see the Mona Lisa, you are missing out. The Eiffel Tower was impressive, even though there was a lot of construction going on around it.
Amsterdam
Walking tours are great for seeing a city and getting a feel for what there is to see and do. Amsterdam is a very pretty place and the people are very friendly. The centre of the city is a bit of a tourist trap though, with lots of weed shops and overpriced food and drink. But again, the museums were out of this world, and a ten minute ferry ride from Amsterdam Central takes you to a pretty hip area with bars and restaurants.
Berlin
I though that the museums couldn’t get any better. I was wrong. I’ll say this for Europe – they do them right over there. And the beer! So cheap and readily available. Craft beer as well is becoming more popular. I found an amazing local bar called BRLO Brwhouse that did some delicious food and drink. Germans are also very friendly. I was looking at a map and was approached by a local who asked in perfect English if I needed directions.
Prague
Prague is another city that is full of history and great buildings. After another walking tour I sampled some of the local food and drink. It is delicious, and not too dear. There is a large castle on top of the hill on the west side of the river. I went to a free orchestral concert up there before it started raining, but well worth the visit. It is easy to get lost in the streets as they are narrow and twisty, so I made sure to have a map handy.
Budapest
Budapest, like Prague, is divided by a river spanned by many bridges. I did lots of walking and went to the Gellert Spas and relaxed in the many pools on offer. However, the Pest side is a bit of a tourist trap. The street that I stayed on was party central with about half a dozen clubs and a few hundred party animals. It was also difficult to find authentic Hungarian food, but it was worth hunting for.
Vienna
Vienna is perhaps the nicest city I’ve ever visited and I wish I had spent more time here. I did another walking tour and was astounded by how pristine the city is. The buildings here have that wow factor that comes from age and you can imagine how impressive they would have seemed in ages past.
Santorini
This little island is a beautiful place. I stayed in Kamari, a small town on the east coast. Beware the taxi drivers because they will rip you off. From they airport they wanted to charge €20 to go 4 kilometres instead of running the meter for a fair fare. The beach was black sand and rock, and there are hundreds of chairs with umbrellas for hire. This is a wonderful place to simply sit and read, or soak up some sun and relax.
Athens
I’m in two minds about Athens. On the one hand, the ancient sites, the museums and the old districts are maintained with care and love and are certainly a must see for anyone visiting. On the other hand, the amount of graffiti everywhere else is alarming. You can tell that Greece is barely holding it together and it’s the only place on the trip where I actually felt a little unsafe, especially around Omonia.
Dubai
I was only there overnight and it is very hot here. Setting foot outside of anywhere air conditioned is an offence punishable by intense dehydration and headache. That said though, the shopping is phenomenal. I went to the Dubai Mall and damn, it is huge. One could easily get lost for a day or two inside any of the shopping centres here.
Overall though, I had a really good time and would like to go back one day, perhaps to visit Italy, Spain and Portugal, or even the Nordic countries.