29 December 2011
12 December 2011
The €6 Train Ride Across Germany
After successfully traveling across the US for free, and having successfully hitchhiked three times, I prided myself on my ability to travel for dirt cheap. Frankly, for me it was not necessarily about the money (although saving so much money has saved me many worries), but the lifestyle: When you travel cheaply, you have to rely on other people to find your way forward, and that is the best way to travel.
In this vein, I had been searching for the best way to travel from Berlin to London. Then, through Couchsurfing, I found a girl who had a Eurostar ticket from Brussels to London that she wanted to sell for only €40, a great deal considering that I had paid over £150 for a round-trip Eurostar ticket from London to Paris. The ticket was for the 31st of August, so I had to be in Brussels by the 30th. I jumped at the chance to get the ticket. And suddenly, I had a goal, and a reason to get back on the road (or rails) as soon as possible.
I decided to give myself 3 days to get from Berlin to Brussels, enough to give me one last Saturday in the German capital. And it also gave me one more opportunity: The chance to get a train ticket across the country (to Cologne) for only €6. And yes, it was a perfectly legal, valid ticket!
In this vein, I had been searching for the best way to travel from Berlin to London. Then, through Couchsurfing, I found a girl who had a Eurostar ticket from Brussels to London that she wanted to sell for only €40, a great deal considering that I had paid over £150 for a round-trip Eurostar ticket from London to Paris. The ticket was for the 31st of August, so I had to be in Brussels by the 30th. I jumped at the chance to get the ticket. And suddenly, I had a goal, and a reason to get back on the road (or rails) as soon as possible.
I decided to give myself 3 days to get from Berlin to Brussels, enough to give me one last Saturday in the German capital. And it also gave me one more opportunity: The chance to get a train ticket across the country (to Cologne) for only €6. And yes, it was a perfectly legal, valid ticket!
07 December 2011
Last Days in Berlin. For Now.
Finally, some warmth and sunlight arrived in Berlin this summer, even if for only a day or two. I took the opportunity to continue exploring the city.
Highfield Festival 2011
The Highfield Festival is one of the many music festivals that occur every summer in Europe. It also happened to be one that I went to. Awesome!
Hanging Out in Dresden and Leipzig
Day 90: Thursday, 18 August 2011
Dresden was fun. I even got to tag along for a short trip to my friend's band's show at a small underground punk venue in Leipzig. Good times!
Dresden was fun. I even got to tag along for a short trip to my friend's band's show at a small underground punk venue in Leipzig. Good times!
Baroquen Dresden
Day 89: Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Dresden is full of attractive historical sights, especially in the old town (Altstadt) and along the River Elbe.
Dresden is full of attractive historical sights, especially in the old town (Altstadt) and along the River Elbe.
Dresden Street Art
Day 88: Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Dresden. An amazing city. You may know it for its distinctive and historic baroque architecture, which earned it the moniker "Florence of the north"; or perhaps you know it for being heavily bombed and almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II (Slaughterhouse-Five, anyone?).
Both of these aspects were true, and you experience the surreal historical beauty of Dresden most directly in the Altstadt (old city), in the center on the south bank of the River Elbe. My first impressions of Dresden, however, were that of the Neustadt (new city), north of the river. Here, the buildings are (relatively) newer, and frankly not as "pretty," but the lifestyle is more authentic, albeit trendy. Walking around this part of town, you can't help but notice the incredible levels of artistry bursting through almost every building's stone edifices.
The Kunsthof Passage is a small plaza somewhat hidden in the heart of the Neustadt, just off Görlitzer Straße.
Dresden. An amazing city. You may know it for its distinctive and historic baroque architecture, which earned it the moniker "Florence of the north"; or perhaps you know it for being heavily bombed and almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II (Slaughterhouse-Five, anyone?).
Both of these aspects were true, and you experience the surreal historical beauty of Dresden most directly in the Altstadt (old city), in the center on the south bank of the River Elbe. My first impressions of Dresden, however, were that of the Neustadt (new city), north of the river. Here, the buildings are (relatively) newer, and frankly not as "pretty," but the lifestyle is more authentic, albeit trendy. Walking around this part of town, you can't help but notice the incredible levels of artistry bursting through almost every building's stone edifices.
The Kunsthof Passage is a small plaza somewhat hidden in the heart of the Neustadt, just off Görlitzer Straße.
06 December 2011
Hitchhiking Berlin - Dresden
Day 87: Monday, 15 August 2011
I had been in Berlin now for two and a half weeks, and I had become quite comfortable: Sleeping in every morning, browsing the internet, exploring during the day if the weather was nice, and meeting up with friends and couchsurfers almost every evening. Life was good. But I also knew that I had to move. That's the thing with traveling: You can't become too comfortable in one place, even if you're feeling tired and don't want to leave, because all the best experiences and all of the "magic" happens when you're moving.
Well, I wasn't really leaving Berlin today for good: I had plans to go to the Highfield music festival the next weekend, and I would return to Berlin after that with Felix. In the meantime, however, I had 4 days to fill. So I decided to go to Dresden, a beautiful city that I was very keen to discover and where I knew a couple people. And given my past good experiences, I decided to hitchhike.
I started with a goodbye lunch with a new friend from Brazil that I met at Friday's couchsurfing meetup. We shared some amazing (albeit fancy) döner before I left for my hitchhiking spot.
I researched (using digihitch and hitchbase) the best places to catch a ride out of Berlin, and I decided on catching a ride outside of a couple gas stations near Schöneweide. I took the S-Bahn there in the mid-afternoon, walked to the stations and asked everyone politely for a ride. I was politely declined each time. After about 20 minutes of this, I decided to make a sign and just thumb it by the road.
I had been in Berlin now for two and a half weeks, and I had become quite comfortable: Sleeping in every morning, browsing the internet, exploring during the day if the weather was nice, and meeting up with friends and couchsurfers almost every evening. Life was good. But I also knew that I had to move. That's the thing with traveling: You can't become too comfortable in one place, even if you're feeling tired and don't want to leave, because all the best experiences and all of the "magic" happens when you're moving.
Well, I wasn't really leaving Berlin today for good: I had plans to go to the Highfield music festival the next weekend, and I would return to Berlin after that with Felix. In the meantime, however, I had 4 days to fill. So I decided to go to Dresden, a beautiful city that I was very keen to discover and where I knew a couple people. And given my past good experiences, I decided to hitchhike.
I started with a goodbye lunch with a new friend from Brazil that I met at Friday's couchsurfing meetup. We shared some amazing (albeit fancy) döner before I left for my hitchhiking spot.
I researched (using digihitch and hitchbase) the best places to catch a ride out of Berlin, and I decided on catching a ride outside of a couple gas stations near Schöneweide. I took the S-Bahn there in the mid-afternoon, walked to the stations and asked everyone politely for a ride. I was politely declined each time. After about 20 minutes of this, I decided to make a sign and just thumb it by the road.
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