Drink – Page 2 – SteveWhittythoughts1965

March 20, 2013March 21, 2013

Vienna & Budapest – Day 6, 11 March 2013

I spent rather a comfortable first night in my hostel. I also enjoyed another filling breakfast. By the time I got ready for the day I had made up my mind on what I planned to do. When checking in I noticed the free walking tour. It is something I always take advantage of as a solo traveller it is a good way of meeting people.

It was a beautiful day, a chance not to wear a coat. I made the slow walk towards the meeting point in Vörösmarty Square. As usual I arrived way too early. While waiting for the tour group to come together I was approached by a man who wanted to sell me a I-Phone. Noticing that he was holding the box I politely decline. I suspect there was nothing inside the box.

As I registered myself with the group I met a couple of girls. One Brazilian, the other Canadian who were happening be studying in Brighton. We were getting along well. The tour started with a brief history of Hungary. With its recent poor record in choosing sides in 20th century wars I figure it has been unlucky. We started off in Pest passing St. Stephen Basilica before crossing Szechenyi Chain Bridge into Buda climbing Castle Hill towards the Royal Palace.

The tour ended at the Mathias Church Fisherman’s Bastion. We were recommended a restaurant that we should try for some lunch. By this time several more people had joined us. Bree from San Francisco who was studying in Paris, Marion from Paris, Ceylan from Istanbul who is studying medicine in Poland and Martin from Poland. I chose a pork and potato dish with red cabbage washed down with a bottle of local beer. An enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

After lunch we may our way to the National Gallery. Myself, Ceylan and Marion decided to go inside. Not before agreeing with everybody else that we should meet up later in the evening at the Szimpla Kert ruin bar.

After leaving the National Gallery we made our way back towards Pest and our hostel. It was the slow route going first via the Parliament building. Marion commented that it looked like the Houses of Parliament in London. I had to agree. Carrying on further into the city I noticed a statue of Imre Nagy, the Prime Minister of Hungary during the 1956 Uprising. He is looking towards the Parliament building. It was a moving site to see.

Going further we all agreed that we needed to drink coffee and ended up at the Hutte Cafe Bar. It was unusual that it was housed inside an inflatable building. Probably explains why the coffee was so expensive.

After arriving back at the hostel we agreed that we should go for something to eat before going to the Szimpla Bar. We ended up in a restaurant called “Frici Papa”. It served traditional Hungarian fare. I chose the Beef Goulash. When in Hungary as they say.

After the meal we met up with everybody else at the Szimpla Bar. It is known as a ruin bar because it is housed in an old building that has seen better days. It is a bar containing different floors that played music or you could go to rooms to escape and chat. Martin met up with a friend he knew called Kasia a French girl and another person from Slovakia. It was a great evening even if I was starting to feel tired. It must be my old age. Ceylan and Marion agreed that we should all meet up for breakfast in the morning.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

March 10, 2013March 10, 2013

Vienna & Budapest – Day 2, 7 March 2013

I had managed to get some quality sleep. The neck rest my sister brought me for Christmas had come in useful. As dawn broke I could see the wonders of Austria. As the sun rose it shone on the snow on the mountains. It was beautiful. Sadly, I was not awake enough to think about taking photos.

The pulled into Vienna coach station just over an hour late. I was not bothered to be honest as I was just happy to arrive. The coach station in Vienna is not in the most fashionable part of the city. As I had been here before I knew where I was going so it was off to the U-bahn station. Took the train to my destination. When I arrived I ended up leaving the station at the wrong exit. The last thing I needed to be dong was wandering around like a lost soul. Suddenly I found my bearings and it was off to the hostel.

When I arrived at the hostel, the staff could not have been more helpful. While I could not check-in until 2pm they said I could have breakfast and relax in the lounge. It was too good an opportunity to turn down. It gave me a chance to catch up on answering some e-mails and re-charge the batteries.

At around midday I was starting to feel sleepy so I took the decision to go out for a walk. The weather was good with the sun shining so I made my way towards the station and towards Stephansplatz.

You might have been aware that I had purchased myself a new camera. There had been little opportunity to use it until now. I was snapping away like it was going out of fashion. I am not too sure how many of the photos will turn out right but I felt more confident with it. I will post the results in future posts. Promise you will not laugh. These photos were taken by the iPhone.

After three hours I knew that I needed to get back to the hostel so I could check-in and rest. Check-in went smoothly enough and soon I found my way to the room. As usual I always seem to get the top bunk. I must have it tattooed on my forehead. I did not mind as the bed felt comfortable so I should get some sleep. I hope that my snoring will not keep everybody awake.

After a quick nap I felt hungry but did not want to cook for myself. Nor did I want to go too far. After a quick walk I found myself a well known chicken outlet and that satisfied my hunger for the night. Finally I cashed my free drink voucher, looked at more emails before settling down for the night. Man, I needed my bed.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

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November 28, 2012

Photo of the Week – Christmas is Coming

This week’s photo is of the construction of a stall in the Birmingham German Christmas Market.

An annual event since 2001 the Christmas Market celebrates Birmingham’s links with its twin city of Frankfurt. Situated from Centenary Square to New Street there are nearly 200 stalls that sell arts, crafts, food and drink. It is always popular with citizens and visitors alike. The market closes on 22 December.

November 25, 2012

Prague – A Reflection

What can I say about the city of Prague. It is beautiful, historic, full of fun and crowded. It was always a city that I wanted to visit for a long time. Twenty three years since the full of Communism would Prague fail to live up to expectations. The answer was that I fell in love with the city. There is something for everybody be it culture vulture or party animal.

Everything in Prague is compact and easy to reach by foot. However, I recommend that you start your day early if wish to avoid the crowds particularly if you are looking to cross the Charles Bridge. I was in Prague during September and there were a lot of visitors. Suffice to say it would be best to avoid Prague during July and August.

The best way of gaining your bearings is to go on a walking tour. Once you see the landmarks it is easy to remember where you are going. Plenty of companies organise walking tours. I was lucky the my hostel operated a free one. As a solo traveller I found it a great way of meeting people. Walking is not the only way of seeing Prague. There were carriage tour and even a Segway tour too.

Here are a list of must see attractions in Prague:-

Prague Castle
Charles Bridge
The Astronomical Clock
Old Town Square
Wenceslas Square

All of these attractions can be visited in a day, something I managed to achieve. Admittedly it meant crossing the Charles Bridge at 09:30.

As I mentioned earlier Prague has a reputation of being a party town. Starting with organised pub crawl from the hostel I explored the bars and clubs the city had to offer. What I liked about the nightlife in Prague was how relaxed they were about the house rules concerning attire. I was wearing casual clothes with black training shoes and had no problem in gaining entrance. This is so different to the UK. I ended up at Karlovy Lazne (5 Story Club) apparently Europe’s tallest nightclub. A tip is the further you climb the cheesier the music becomes. This is pleasing for an old fart like me.

Then there is always the beer. It is true that it is cheaper than buying soft drinks. However, the reputation of beer’s quality is such that it represents real value for money. There was a bar on spirits over 20% proof while I was in Prague. This was due to poisoned alcohol being sold in the street which had claimed lives. There are plenty of small bars that sell absinthe the strong aniseed flavoured spirit. If that sounds too much for you then you can try the absinthe flavoured ice cream.

I was made extremely welcome in Prague. It is a safe city to walk around. Whatever you choose to do I am sure that you will have a good time.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

October 26, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 10, 19/09/2012

I think I may have booked too many days in Bratislava. I had seen everything that I needed to see so it was a case of finding things to do. This was a chance to do some laundry. This will kill the morning for me. Also the weather had turned cooler and there was a hint of rain.

Once my laundry was finished I ventured out to a couple of places that I had not visited. To be honest I just ended up walking around the streets. It seemed so quiet. I ended up back at Shtoor for another sandwich, coffee plus the delicious cheesecake. It was there when I realised that I had not made my way to the Presidential Palace as shown to me during the walking tour. I made my way to the palace.

The weather not getting better and by this time all I wanted to do was to go back to the hostel.

When I arrived back at the hostel I noticed a lot of activity in the kitchen. When I enquired about what was happened I was told it was the communal cooking night and on the menu was potato cakes. There was about twenty of us getting stuck in preparing and cooking the cakes. What was great to see was the mixture of nationalities getting involved. There were Americans, Australian, Mexicans, New Zealanders and Canadians. I was the only Brit. We all helped also helped with the washing up afterwards.

It was an ideal way to spend the evening. Eating good food, drinking beer and wine and playing silly games which usually ended up with a forfeit of drinking plum brandy. This is was staying in the a hostel is all about and I want to experience more of this.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

October 9, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 6, 15/09/2012

Today certainly felt like after the Lord Mayor’s show. Everybody had left so I felt a little melancholic. I also felt dirty so it was time to a spot of laundry. That was the morning sorted.

I had not made any plans for the day so I decided that it would be best if I just wandered around the city. It took me to areas of Prague that were off the beaten track. This is something I enjoy doing a lot. You get to see how the city really breathes away from the tourist hub.

After lunch at the Pause Cafe I ventured back towards the centre of Prague. The Old Town Square is a good place to sit and observe the world passing by. Prague is not just about the tourists but also the street entertainers trying to attract the crowds too. Being a Saturday everything seemed so lively.

I made my way back to the hostel as I was meeting a couple of Australians to watch the Sunderland v Liverpool game on the TV. Upon my arrival I was greeted with a request to move dorms. The hostel had a party of four who would be split up unless I agreed to move to another room. I said that it would not be a problem and as a gesture of goodwill I was given a voucher for free breakfast for tomorrow.

That last night in Prague was good. So chilled out, though I may have drunk too much but it is a lesson to learn for the future as I may have gone over budget. Tomorrow, next stop Bratislava.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

October 8, 2012October 8, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 5, 14/09/2012

For a lot of people in the hostel today was their final day in Prague. The plan was to explore the area around Prague Castle. This seemed a good idea at the time. So a couple of us decided to head to the Old Town Square. The weather was good so we checked out what was going on. There were plenty of wedding parties. Of course the brides looked beautiful. There was a dixieland jazz band playing in the background. Plenty of people were soaking in the atmosphere. Some even brought the CD. I am not sure it would sound the same back home.

Dixieland Jazz Band in The Old Town Square

Eventually, we climbed the Astronomical Clock Tower. Once at the top space was tight due to the amount of people there. However, it did offer excellent views of the Prague skyline.

We decided that we need to head up to the castle. So after crossing Charles Bridge and having something to eat we caught a tram up to the top of the castle hill. We did not plan to go inside but just potter around. We saw the absinthe shop and it was selling ice cream flavoured with the drink. One of us could not resist. I tried some, it tasted foul but then again I do not like the taste of aniseed. So I started to drink beer instead. Drinking in the castle grounds did not seem right with the tourists milling around but I felt relaxed about it.

Slowly we made our way back to the city centre and I eat the sloppiest burger that I had ever tasted. At the hostel it was decided as it was the last night for the majority of us we should go out and celebrate. Always keen to follow I went to my dorm, got showered and changed. We made our way to the nearest club. I am surprised how relaxed clubs are in mainland Europe are about letting people in. I was wearing a shirt, jeans and trainers and the doormen were happy to let me in.

While relaxing with a beer you could see panic behind the bar. The Czech government had during the day banned the sale of alcohol over 20% proof due to recent cases of people dying from drinking contaminated booze. So it was beer all night, no hardship.

The atmosphere turned ugly when a group of locals decided to move around us. I had my arse slapped then another person started dancing in front of one of the girls. Her boyfriend naturally to exception to this and made his feelings known. He was ignored and a fight broke out which was a shame. Still it did not stop our fun and we continued to drink and dance. I am better at drinking than dancing. At the end of the night we said our goodbyes and wished one another safe travels.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

September 29, 2012September 29, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 3, 12/09/2012

After a good breakfast I ready to undertake the free walking tour the hostel offers. The weather did not look too good and I had not brought a waterproof coat with me. Another item for the Christmas wish list. Still rain is only water. So we set out on the tour. The guide Javier was really knowledgeable. He had come over from Spain because there were no jobs for him back home.

The tour took in the historical centre of Prague including the Jewish Quarter but did not cross over to the castle.

As the tour carried on it was clear that the rain was not going to stop. Only one thing to and that was to purchase an umbrella from the nearest store. For 500kr it will have to do though I suspect that I would be lucky if it lasts until the end of the day. During the tour I got talking to a few people and seemed to be getting on well with them. We saw the Astronomical Clock strike midday. Javier said it was considered to be overrated. Like all great sites there were a lot of people waiting to witness the spectacle.

Rain I can handle but it was the cold wind that I was struggling with. I just wanted to go somewhere that was warm. Javier recommended a traditional restaurant to go and eat. My pork in fruit sauce and dumplings certainly hit the spot and went down very well along with the glass of beer too. I noticed that beer is cheaper than soft drinks. Oh my liver.

Some of the group decided that they were going on the pub crawl in the evening. My initial reaction was not was not to go saying that I would do it tomorrow instead. I made my way back to the hostel with an American lady from the tour. The problem was that neither of us were sure where we were going. I think it was more by luck than judgment that we found our way back to the hostel.

I spent the rest of the afternoon mulling over the question of attending the pub crawl. In the end I thought why not, I might as well enjoy myself while in Prague. Did I enjoy myself? Well I ended up in the tallest nightclub in Europe and did not arrive back to the hostel until 3:30 am. Trying to be clever I thought that I would not wake the dorm only to walk into the bunk bed. Happy days.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve