Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Getting Home

It only seemed right to have our last weekend spent in Amsterdam, even if it was a 10 hour mission from Prague. Having been in the city before finding the hostel was very easy. As it generally is in Amsterdam the hostel was basically rooms on top of a bar, in this case an Irish Pub. After finding someone that could check us in, we walked up the narrow steps to our 8 person room that was half the size and twice the price of the one we had just come from in Prague. Alright guys in the room, all Americans. From there we took a short walk over to our favourite food spot, Wok to Walk. This place makes amazing stir fry to order. From there we walked around a bit and checked out some bars. A phenomenon we noticed immediately was how late the sky stayed bright. Because it was right around the longest day of the year and we were on the edge of the timezone it stayed light past 10:30, very cool.
The next day we went down for breakfast where we shared the pub with some old men that were drinking beer and watching football. After breakfast we walked over to the Heineken Experience. This museum dedicated to Heineken is built in the old brewery. Highlights included seeing how the perfect beer is served and making your own personalized bottle of beer. Of course it all ends with a free taste (or two) of delicious Heineken and was overall a cool experience. The rest of the day was mostly spent taking in the sights and experiences Amsterdam has to offer.
The last full day started the same as the previous. It was a nice day so we took a walk outside of the main downtown area and ventured over to the museum park. After hanging out there for a while we decided to visit the Van Gough Museum. Easily our favourite art museum. From there we took some pictures of the famous I Amsterdam sign. Then it was over to Dam Square where we enjoyed some of the evening.
The next day we got up, checked out a reasonable time and got on what would be our last train all the way back to Frankfurt. Frankfurt was once again an uneventful experience. The feeling of it being the last night we would spend in a hostel was bitter sweet. After having some beers in the train station we headed off to bed.
The next day we checked out and got some breakfast. We still had some time to kill before we needed to go to the airport so we checked out some local water holes where we had some of our last witzens. From there we took the short train ride to the airport where we had literally no lines all the way to our seat on the plane. T.Vs made the 8 hour flight a breeze compared to the longer and more boring train rides we where used to. The flight was uneventful. Customs was as well but Scott's guy pried more than Joel's. After less than an hour on the road we where home and it was all over.

Prague

After a short train ride from Vienna we arrived in beautiful Prague. We stayed at the Czech Inn, not the best location but it had amazing facilities and was highly recommended. That night we went out for dinner and had a few drinks at the hostel bar. We where still tired from a travel day and the night before so we went to bed a little earlier. The next day we had an amazing breakfast at the hostel and then set out to the free walking tour. After getting a little lost we made it to the meeting place. Overall it was a very good tour and our guide was pretty hilarious, probably the funniest we had. We saw all the main sights and went through “Jew Town” as our tour guide called it (the Jewish quarter). He was Jewish so I guess it was all good. During most of the afternoon we avoided the rain, but right after the tour ended it started to pour. So we headed back to the hostel to relax a little. After dinner we enjoyed happy hour at the hostel bar. Some guys from Montreal that we met in Dubrovnik recommended a bar called Chapeau Rouge, it was marked on our map and we walked by it earlier on the tour so we decided to check it out. All in all it was a cool bar. Instead of having multiple levels above, it had two basements below the main floor. While at the bar we met a local Czech dude who we conversed with for most of the night. He was quite the interesting guy. We left the bar a little later and it started to pour again. We tried to figure out where we were going but after getting nowhere we got in a cab.
The next day we once again enjoyed the hostel breakfast. The day would get started a little bit later because at 2 pm Joel needed to register for his courses for the up coming school year. He had already picked them in Vienna so the process was actually quite easy, the joys of the Internet. That afternoon we took a walk around the royal palace. It was very beautiful and gave a good view of the city.
After a quick bite and getting changed at the hostel we headed out to the pub crawl. Our tour guide the previous day recommended one of the three crawls Prague offers, so we chose that one. He ended up being the leader on it. After meeting at the clock tower we headed to the first bar for the power hour where there was unlimited drinks. We made sure to take full advantage. From there we stopped at a variety of bars, some of which we were told were actually in the movie Euro Trip. By the last bar, which ended up being Chapeau Rouge we had met most of the group. However, it was not until this bar that Scott met some girls that where from Toronto. As it turned out they knew a whole bunch of people he went to University with, random. It was getting late so we all decided to get out of there. Once again we did not know where we were going so we tried to grab a cab. There were 6 of us in the group and the cab would only take 5 people or charged extra for 6. Being a team player (and cheap) Joel opted for public transportation and let Scott take the cab with the girls. So Scott went back, hung out with the girls a little longer and then passed out. Meanwhile, Joel had to figure out where he was, so he stared walking. Lucky for him the sky was just starting to lighten up. He eventually got to a subway station that had just opened maybe 30 minutes earlier and ate some McDonalds. It was a Thursday and people were going to work, a fact that only slightly fazed Joel. From the subway Joel had to wait for a tram, which at that hour ran much less regularly. At the stop he had a random interaction with a Czech woman who wanted to have coffee with him (I say interaction because the woman did not rally speak English but still managed to communicate with Joel). Joel kindly declined, hopped on the next tram, arrived at the hostel and passed out.
After a good sleep in, we eventually made it out of the hostel. The first priority was booking tickets for the 10 hours of trains we would be on the next to get to Amsterdam. That was eventually taken care of; booking tickets for trains that go through 2 different countries was always more of a hassle. From there we took a walk around and hung out in a park. That night we figured we should take it easy so we went to see a movie called The Hangover, very fitting for the trip.
The next day we got on an early train to Dresden. From there we changed in Frankfurt and took the high speed train to Amsterdam.

Vienna

The hostel we booked was fairly close to the train station but a subway ride from downtown and all the sights. So we checked in, met our roommates (two “Canadian” girls and two Danes) and left to take a walk around the area. On our walk we found a Volksbank location. We had set up our Austrian accounts with this bank so we decided to see how much money we had left. Scott knew his account was low but Joel had no idea how much money he had left. So we got our balances and they where pretty much done. All things considered, the accounts lasted longer than expected. From there we decided to grab some dinner. Being as we where back in Austria we both had to go for schnitzel with a witzen (a wheat beer that is very popular in Austria and Germany). A meal that was very typical in St. Anton. That night we took it easy and hung out with our Danish roommates at the hostel bar. A top deck tour group (18-30 year olds) was at the hostel that night so the bar was pretty busy. Joel actually met a girl that was in his exact program at McMaster.
The next day the weather looked a little dodgy but we were not scared. Our first order of business was to close our bank accounts, but as we found out we pretty much had to go to the branch we opened it to close it. So we now have Austrian bank accounts, just in case. From there we went downtown and then checked out the palace. While in the gardens a fairly ominous storm appeared to be approaching. Not wanting to get soaked, we headed back downtown where all the cafes that Vienna is know for where and had a coffee. But the rain never came and when we left it was sunny once again. So we ventured out once again and checked out the parliament buildings and some other cool structures. After that we had lunch and then ventured over to The Naschmarkt. This market is Vienna most popular. It had tons of booths and some really tasty looking food. We immediately regretted already having eaten lunch and decided we needed to come back the next day to enjoy some of the delicious looking food. That evening we made dinner; something that was done very rarely on this leg of the trip. After dinner we met up with our roommates and the 6 of us played some drinking games at the hostel bar.
The next day got off to a later start. Joel needed to start thinking about the courses he would be taking for the next school year so he dedicated a good amount of time working on his schedule. Any university student knows how much fun this can be. It was getting close to lunch so we ventured back over to the market. It was Saturday so the place was considerably busier and there was a lot more junk being sold. (I use the word junk because some areas where more like a crappy garage sale than a market.) Joel’s Austrian cellular phone was working again so he put in a call home and Scott did the same. The task of finding lunch was not an easy one with all the selection and in the end we went for some delicious sushi. On the way back to the hostel Joel received a text message from one of our roommates. They where at a “protest” we had talked about attending in the museum quarter and said we should join. So we went back to the hostel and told them we would be on our way. As we where walking towards the hostel Scott spotted two girls that looked awfully familiar and then it hit him. He just spotted the girls we met 9 months earlier on our first pub crawl in Berlin. How random is that? They were gone by the time we realized who they were. So we headed towards the protest. Basically this “protest” was to show that people should be able to drink and hang out in the courtyard of the museum area. They had these “bananas” set up that people could sit on. There turned out to be quite the gathering of people. So we hung out there for most of the evening until we ran out of beer. We then headed back to the hostel for warmer clothes and more beer. After a short break and a bite to eat we headed back to the museum area where the party was still going on. Around midnight the place started to empty out so we hopped in a cab and went to an area with a bunch of bars. So we choose one and went in. It was an alright spot but not the best we had been to and a little on the expensive side. After a few drinks we headed home and passed out.The next day we got up and boarded the train to our last new destination, Prague.

Budapest

We arrived fairly late in Budapest. After getting some money we went down to go on the subway. The ticket machine did not like our 10 000 forint notes so we where considering riding the subway without a ticket, but instead spotted a manned window where a ticket could be bought. This ended up being a good call because when we where transferring trains we just so happened to get our ticket checked. We found our hostel and upon arrival where encouraged to meet up with the rest of the people who where out at a bar. We considered it but were kind of tired so after grabbing a burrito at a great Mexican place we hit the sack.
Our first day in Budapest started off at the House of Terror. This very well done museum recounted what it was like for Hungarians during the Nazi and Soviet occupations. The coolest and most disturbing part was that building the museum was in was actually used by the secret police. In the basement there where torture chambers visitors could see. From there we checked out St. Stephens Cathedral, Freedom Square, the Parliament buildings and Széchenyi Chain Bridge. That evening we went to a few good bars with most of the people from the hostel.
The next day we went to the Széchenyi bath. We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and thought a bath of this grandeur and opulence was needed at home. It was definitely one of the most relaxing things we had done on our trip. From the bath we checked out a castle and hung out in Hero’s square. That night the hostel was playing pub golf. Like real golf the goal (well one of them) was to get the lowest score. We had 2 teams and would visit nine bars. At each bar each person got a drink with a par value. The score recorded was the amount of sips it took to finish that drink. As you can imagine no one made it to the final bar and there was no clear winner. Joel got sidetracked by some Hungarian girls and was left behind at about the 6th or 7th bar. He ended up walking home in the daylight. It was a great last night experience. Lucky for us the hostel had no set check out time.
The next day we took a short train ride over to Vienna.

Hvar & Split

After shaking off the room hustlers and following some obscure directions we found our hostel, the Green Lizard. We then walked around the old town for a little and then had a great dinner at a steak and sea food restaurant recommended by the hostel. That night we hung out at a local bar where we met some Irish girls with mouths that would make a sailor blush.
The next day we visited the old fortress that overlooks the old town and harbor. It gave us some incredible views. That evening we once again had a great sea food dinner and then went back to the room where we met our Canadian roommates, a girl and guy. They seemed like good people so the four of us decided to find a bar/club that was apparently set up in an old monastery in the middle of a forest. After being sidetracked by another bar we made it to the monastery. It was pretty cool but not as busy as we had thought it might be.
The next day we had hoped to but in some beach time and work on out now fading tans but it was mostly overcast and kind of cool. So we walked around the island a little instead. On our walk we managed to find a great bar on the sea where we had a beer. There where some incredible waves. While sitting at the main port we just happen to catch a big yacht as it attempted leave port. Normally an uneventful sighting, on this occasion the captain managed to tangle a rope in the prop. With the loss of almost all power this multimillion dollar boat slowly drifted across the harbor directly in the direction of what was probably the second most expensive boat in the harbor. Luckily the sailboat in the yachts way moved just in time. That evening we met some guys from Montreal and hung out with them for most of the night.
The next day we hopped on what would be our last ferry of the trip and headed back to the main land. We had one night booked in Split and of course that afternoon it was raining. After eventually finding our hostel we took a small walk around the old town. We grabbing a slice for supper and headed back to the hostel where we watched a movie in our room. This hostel had a TV in the room that allowed us to access hundreds of movies for free. We had to wake up early the next day so this was a great thing to occupy us for the evening.The next day we caught an early morning train that went to the capital city of Zagreb. We had a two hour stopover so we walked around the city and grabbed some lunch. From there it was another decently long train ride to Budapest.

Dubrovnik

So we found our hostel, settled in and took a walk around our area of Dubrovnik. It was a really nice place with tons of marble and street cafes right by the beach. Of course as the evening went on a thunder storm rolled in. So we chilled at the hostel for a while where we met some Aussies. The rain finally subsided so we all decided to head into town. We found a club that was pretty good. At the club we met some nice girls from Malaysia. As the night went on we all decided we had enough, so we left the club to go back to their place. They where staying in the old town which allowed us to see the town in its deserted state. As well the marble that the entire old town is made of looked pretty cool under the moonlight after the rain soaked it. After hanging out in their swank apartment for awhile we decided it was time to head back to the hostel and hit the sack. So the two of us and an Aussie that was with us woke up a cabbie at the taxi station and headed home.
Our only full day in Dubrovnik was spent in the old town checking out the harbor and mostly walking around. The place looked very different by day when it is overrun by tourists. We also decided to walk around the old town walls which gave some amazing views. That evening we decided to go to a movie. Gran Torino was playing which turned out to be a really good movie. Movies in Croatia and most of Eastern Europe are in English with subtitles for the local language. The next day we hopped on a small 20 seat bus and headed up the coast to Split. From split we caught a 45 minute ferry over to the island of Hvar.

Belgrade to Dubrovnik

Belgrade did not seem to be the nicest city but to be fair we did not venture far from the train station. Our hostel was across the street from the train and bus station and after checking in we ventured out to find dinner. After walking by a bunch of gambling spots we ended up at the Sandwich King, “Canada’s number 1.” According to the literature in the place it was started on the east coast of Canada and quickly became the fastest growing franchise business in North America. This boggled our mind because we had never heard of it and the sandwiches were crap.
The next day we took the 1pm bus to Sarajevo. Bosnia has some beautiful country side. The legacy of the recent war was especially vivid close to the Serbian border where we passed numerous blown out, abandoned, shot up and half built houses. Joel even spotted a land mine warning sign. The rain followed us all day and did not let up in Sarajevo which was too bad because it appeared to be a very nice city. We stayed the night at a decent hostel and the next day we hopped on another bus which took us all the way to Dubrovnik. The rain stopped just before we made it to the coast.

Sofia, Bulgaria and getting to Belgrade

Although we got woken up at 2 am when we crossed the border on the overnight train from Istanbul, overall the ride went pretty good. We arrived to a rainy and cool Sofia. Cabs and really everything was supposed to be fairly cheap in Bulgaria, something we were looking forward to. We met a girl on the train that was staying at the same hostel as us so we all got in a cab and went to the hostel. We made it to the hostel fine but as Joel suspected we got ripped off on the price of the cab. We would learn later that prices for cabs can vary greatly in Sofia, you just have to know what company to go with. Either way it was not absurdly expensive but when you know you could have gotten something cheaper it never feels good.
After settling into our hostel we set out to find some food. The girl we met on the train had a place in mind so the three of us braved the cold pouring rain and after walking around for a while finally found the spot. The food was really good and as expected was nice and cheap. The rain was a real downer, so on the walk back after it picked up some more we decided to stop for a drink at an R&B bar called Funky Town. What a great name.
That night the rain finally stopped. We had heard Sofia has quite the night life so we asked the guys running the hostel where some good spots to go were. They pointed out one or two so we headed out to find the places. As it turned out the first spot we went to had a private party going on and the second spot was dead. Considering it was already 1 am we were surprised, but apparently it was more of a late night spot. We had heard of another area called the student area where most of the students live and where there are some good clubs, so we hopped in a cab and told the man we wanted to go there. After a 20 minute and what worked out to be a 4 Euro ride we arrived at the student area. Basically it was a small street with about 5 or 6 huge clubs all lined up. He recommended Jim Beam’s which played “Black Music” so we paid our 1 Euro entry fee to go in. It turned out to be a pretty cool place with cheap drinks and good music. After a while the place was emptying out so we hopped in a cab and headed to another place that was recommended to us. The spot we arrived at did not seem very inviting and they wanted to rip us off on cover so we decided to walk back to the hostel. On the way back we stumbled upon what turned out to be another cool club. So we went in there for a while. It was getting kind of late the place was slowly emptying out so we decided to finally make the trek back to the hostel. Good news for us it was starting to get light out so the walk back was pretty easy. We arrived at our room around 6 am where an older lady that had been biking around the world since 2007 kindly opened the door for us as she was on her way out to hit the road again.
The next day was cold and rainy which gave us little motivation to see the city. Once again the rain stopped by the time it was dark. That night we made some friends with some Brits and Aussies at the hostel. By our recommendation the 8 of us went back to the student area where we went to 2 other clubs. We all had to check out the next day so we called it a night a little bit earlier.
10 am wake up came pretty early but we knew we had to catch the only train running to Belgrade which was leaving at 11:05. After moving kind of slow during breakfast it became apparent that we had to hurry up or we would miss our train. So at check out we asked the man to call us a taxi so we could get to the station on time. He strongly encouraged us to take the tram instead so that’s what we did. Of course we had no Bulgarian Lev (currency) left so it was probably better we did not take the cab. Either way, the tram slowly crept towards the station. We had neglected to purchase train tickets to Belgrade ahead of time, something we hoped to do before we got on the train. However, at the rate the tram was moving we figured we would be lucky if we got to the station before the train left. So we got off the tram at about 11 and started sprinting towards the station. Luckily some guys guided us to the train where we hopped on with about 2 minutes to spare. Of course they wanted money but we had nothing to give them. So we grabbed some seats in a compartment where there just so happened to be with a Canadian and an American our age that were traveling around like us. After making it on the train we felt the lack of tickets was merely a secondary issue. We had hopped to just pay cash when the ticket man came by even though we had no Bulgarian Levs or Serbian Dinars, just Euros. So he came by and seemed unreceptive towards cash so Joel presented his rail pass which was not supposed to be valid for Bulgaria or Serbia. After a long look the conductor actually accepted it. After that it was smooth sailing all the way to Belgrade where we arrived 2 hours late.

Istanbul

After enjoying a nice breakfast we were able to check into our hostel. We had a quick nap and decided to take a walk over to the Blue Mosk. We made it into the courtyard of this incredible building but then realized that pants where needed to enter so we had to come back another day. From there we walked through a small bizzar that sold carpets, scarfs and the like. Typical things tourists would expect to find in an Turkish bazaar. We ended up going to a nice cafe where we enjoyed some apple tea while smoking the Narghilèč. That evening we enjoyed the roof terrace on top of the hostel and socialized with the Turkish people that ran the hostel.
The next day we decided we should learn a bit about the extensive history that Istanbul has so we walked over to the area where there are a bunch of museums. Of course it was Monday so they where all closed. So instead we walked over to the Grand Bazaar. Quite the place. When walking around Istanbul you are constantly solicited by guys to come into their establishment whether it be a store or restaurant. So we were used to saying no thanks. In the grand bizzar it is even crazier. The sheer size of the place and amount of stuff they sell is overwhelming. Every 5-10 feet you are asked to buy something. The best two things we heard were "I am socks!" and "How can I take your money?" Most items sold where things only tourists would buy. As well there was enough knock off merchandise to rival a Chinese market. Of course after some hard bartering Scott bought a polo button up for what worked out to 10 euro and Joel picked up a red t-shirt with the Turkish symbol on it. That evening we hung out with our American roommates that had just finished serving in the peace corps in the Ukraine.
The next day we put on our pants and went to check out some of the mosks. They were cool but not a whole lot different than the cathedrals we had seen elsewhere in Europe. We actually thought they where more impressive from the outside, especially at sunset during the call to prayer. From there we decided to take advantage of cheap Turkish labour and got our shoes shined. Scott was quite impressed at how good his boaters turned out and we were even told it had a 3 year guarantee. As well it was time for some haircuts. Although we are living on a budget the price was right so we also got a shave while we were in the chair. That evening the champions league final was going on in Rome. So like every other European (and probably most of the world) we watched the game with some friends at the hostel bar.
By the last full day in Istanbul it was time to check out some museums. One was an archaeological museum and the other was on the history of Istanbul. They were alright, we felt it had to be done. Later that day we walked over the main bridge to what we thought was Asia. It was a pretty cool bridge with lots of old men fishing off the side and tons of fish restaurants underneath. So we had a later dinner basically where we though the border between Europe and Asia was. Of course we had to try some fresh fish. (Three days later after talking to a traveler we met in Sofia that had also come from Istanbul we found out the bridge did not actually link Europe and Asia and we never set foot on Asia. Oh well.)
On the final day we checked out of our hostel and had some time to swing by the grand bizzar again. There were a few items that caught our eye the previous day so we decided we may as well take advantage of the deals. Later that day we picked up our bags and boarded the overnight train to Sofia, Bulgaria.

Athens to Istanbul

The ferry ride from Ios was a rough one. There were some strong winds that day which not only shook the boat pretty hard but also made us arrive in Athens an hour later than expected. This meant we arrived in Athens at about 1am, 25 minutes after the metro closed. So the only option was to take a taxi back to the hostel, not something we like to do on our budget. So 30 euros later we arrived at our hostel.
The next day we got up and were planning on taking the 20ish hour train ride all the way around Greece and over to Istanbul. After checking out we headed over to the train station where it was oddly deserted. So we went up to the ticket counter where we read a small sign that said the railway workers decided to go on a 24 hour strike that day. Great. So we went back to the hostel where we looked into other options to get to Istanbul, but in the end decided to check back in and take the train the next day. That afternoon we took a walk around the city. On our walk we happened to stumble upon a fairly main square where we saw some interesting things (think Vancouver's downtown east side). An eye opening experience. That evening we had some delicious Gyros and Greek salad expecting it to be our last dinner in Greece.
The next day basically started of the same as the one before only this time the station was open and running. So we went to make the reservation for our trains to Istanbul only to find out all earlier trains to Thessaloniki (the city in northern Greece we had to make a connection in) were already full, meaning there was no way we would make it to Istanbul in the next 24 hours. At this point we were ready to get out of Athens so we booked the next train (5 pm) to Thessaloniki and bought tickets for the train from Thessaloniki to Istanbul the next night (this train only goes once a day at 10pm). So we pretty much had another afternoon in Athens and decided to visit the olympic stadium. It was a nice subway ride out to there and when we arrived we realized they had huge olympic grounds where many events would have been heald. There was also some impressive structures to see.

The train ride that evening was long and uneventful. We checked into our cheap motel and passed out.
Our train left at 10pm so this allowed us to explore Greece's second largest city for the better part of a day. We pretty much took a walk down the boardwalk, checked out the white tower and hung out a bit.
Being our first overnight train we were not quite sure what to expect. As well we would be leaving the EU for the first time on our trip so the boarder crossing was also a surprise. As it turned out the sleeper we got was fairly nice but the boarder crossing was a real pain. Of course we got to the boarder town in Greece at about 4am. So we all get off the train and gave the boarder guard our passports. After everyone was done doing this the train left. Then maybe 30 minutes later we all got off and got to go through the process again with the Turks, only this time we had to pay for our visa. Being Canadians it cost us 45 euro, apparently one of the most expensive. The Americans only had to pay 15. Either way, that got that all taken care of and arrived in Istanbul around 9am with less sleep than we hoped for. The hostel we where at was a little bit of a walk from the station and we were lucky enough to walk the wrong direction. It was at this point we experienced how nice the Turks are and after asking a few people for directions we finally found the place.

Ios

After a 45 minute ferry ride we arrived at the port where once again there was a man waiting to pick us up. For those of you that don't know, Ios is one of the biggest party islands in Europe, not quite the same way as Ibiza in Spain is but similar. So we arrived expecting quite a party scene but also knowing the season was just starting up. We checked in to once again a phenomenal room at the Far Out Beach Club where we were only paying 12 euro a night. Even nicer than the place we stayed at in Santorini this place was literally a beach resort filled with people under 25 all of which were (of course) from Canada, the U.S. or Australia. That afternoon was mostly spent hanging out by the pool and enjoying the patio and yard we had behind our room.
That night at 10:15 the last bus into town left from the far out beach club. The beach was only a 20 minute walk from town but it was up hill and the bus was much easier. More of a party bus than a city bus it was a great place to talk to some people to find out where to go in town. So we started off at the Fun Pub where we met up with some girls from Calgary that we talked to earlier. From there it was all over the place.
The way the bar scene works in Ios is there are a bunch of small clubs/bars in the center of the old town connected by stairs and alleys. As the night goes on you just hop from place to place and end up where ever the party is. Being in Greece drinks are fairly cheap, but because Ios is so competitive, bars will do things like have happy hour until 2am or give a free t shirt after having 7 shots. They will also do things like make two drinks marginally more expensive than one.
That night while Scott was distracted by a British girl Joel walked the wrong way home. Ios only has one paved road that starts at the port and ends at the Far Out Beach Club with the town in the centre, so it is pretty hard to get lost but you can walk the wrong direction. And when it is dark it all looks the same. After walking by the hospital (which is 100 meters from the port) Joel realized he went the wrong way. Two hours after leaving the club Joel made it back the the hotel right as light was coming over the hills.
The next day we found a baker that made great sandwiches and enjoyed the sun by the pool. That night we went into town and met some girls from Oregon and hung out with them for a while.
The next day we pretty much did the same but it was a little more windy. That night we once again hung out with the girls from Calgary and also found a friend from Baltimore. Scott was feeling a little tired so he went back a little earlier.
The next day we checked out and took a 9 hour ferry back to Athens which of course was late.

Santorini

After our 8 hour ferry ride we arrived at beautiful Santorini. We already had our hotel (I would call it a hostel, but it was actually a hotel at hostel prices) booked and there was a man at the port to pick us up. We arrived at the place we where staying and where blown away at how nice it was. Located pretty much on the beach, it had a nice pool, bar and great lounge with a big screen TV. We got a private room with a balcony and kitchenette all for 12 Euro a night. We even got to do laundry for free. That evening we took a walk around the beach town, had some dinner and scoped out the 4 wheelers we wanted to rent the next day.
The next day we rented the 4 wheelers we found. Most of the quads being rented where small 50cc things, very similar to what we rented in Corfu. That day we decided to pay the extra 10 euro and rented a 320cc machine and a 250. Needless to say they where quick and well worth the money to blow by the slow guys. So we hit the road and check ed out the island. After a small stop we decided to get up to the highest point on the island. It ahd a great view/. It was on top of this hill when Joel realized his camera was missing. Not a good feeling. He had just taken pictures with it 20 minutes earlier so we figured it must have somehow fallen out of the bag after the last stop. So we backtracked a little and it was not looking very good. Luckily, after going to the final logical place it could be Scott found the camera, what a relief. As it tuned out Joel must have left the camera in his pocket and after attempting some doughnuts in the parking lot it fell out. The rest of the day was great. We went to the small towns, found some small beaches and just had fun seeing the island. Santorini is supposed to have the best sunset in Greece so that evening we went to a great vantage point on one of the cliffs and had some dinner while the sun set. We had a little more gas to burn so we drove around a little bit and then headed back to the hotel.
The next day was fairly uneventful. We hung out on the beach, put in some computer time and bought our ferry tickets to get to our next destination, Ios. That night we put in some time at the pool bar and then went to a small bar down the road with some people from the hotel.
The next day we had a leisurely check out and hopped on the 1 pm ferry to Ios.

Athens Part 1

After a long overnight bus ride with our friends from the Pink Palace we arrived in Athens at around 9 am. Luckily we where able to check into our room right after we arrived so the four of us went up and took a much needed nap. That afternoon we decided to visit the Acropolis. The ruins where pretty cool to walk around and it gave us a great view of the city. That night we took it easy, had dinner and just hung out at the hostel.
The next day the guys we where staying with checked out and went their separate ways. We still had one more night book so that afternoon we took a walk around the city, did some people watching and just checked out the area. That evening we went on a mission to find a spot to eat. We where hoping for some good Greek food but as it turned out we ended up in a Polish restaurant. That night we hit the sack early because the next day we needed to catch the 7 am ferry to Santorini.

The Pink Palace

The Pink Palace is a small slice of heaven located on the island of Corfu. It is basically a budget resort where backpackers flock to for an amazing party at great prices. The name of the place comes from the fact that all the buildings on the complex are painted pink. Although there where only about 60 people there when we went (the place can hold over 700) the good times will be remembered for a long time.
Written on the back of every staff members t-shirts are the 10 biggest lies of the Pink Palace. As it turned out most of these where very true and some where exactly spot on.

Similar to spring break in Mexico our time mainly consisted of relaxing on the beach, ripping up the island by four wheeler or partying hard every night with mostly fellow Canadians. There where a few Americans and a few Aussies but Canada was by far the largest represented nation. Literally there where people from Vancouver to New Brunswick and even three girls from the North West Territories.
Our favourite daytime activity was exploring the island by motorized vehicle. Our first full day we rented scooters, a slightly cheaper option, but as it turned out not as fun as a four wheeler. In addition, after Joel somehow managed to loose traction of his front wheel in a corner decided they where not their favourite motorized vehicle. Don't worry Joel's quick reflex's and motorcycle training saved him on this one. A little skin on the leg (from the scooter not the road), some rubber from the bottom of his shoe and a small piece of ego where all that where lost. A few days later we decided we wanted to go off roading so we rented 4 wheelers. As it turned out, we hit the road with a former financial planner from Florida. After 10 years in corporate America he quit his job and has been in Europe for the 3 months since, a nice guy. Four wheeling was cool because you could go through the olive groves and climb to the top of the mountains much easier. The last day we rented four wheelers again (this time only 10 euros for the day) with some recent grads from Queens and managed to find some sand dunes to rip up.
The way the Pink Palace works is everyone does their respective day time activities weather it be four wheeling, hanging out on the beach, kyaking or just recovering and then at night everyone sits down for a 3 course dinner (included in the price) at 8:45. Happy hours from from 6-11. After dinner the palladium (the building we have dinner in) turns into a club. There where not enough people when we where there to get this place to crazy so 3 out of the 7 nights they organized a flip cup tournament (ask your children if you are not sure what this game is). Team A as we where called went undefeated in all 3 tournaments. Our team consisted of 3 guys that just graduated from Queens, Scott, Joel and 2 Aussie girls that where traveling. Generally after midnightish they closed down the palladium and everyone walked up the hill to the smaller bar in the main building. This bar never closes. Up there anything can happen. Killer kings (once again ask your kids) was a game often played. Body shots where also something you could see. Having a smaller crowd had its advantages at times. On various occasions Dr.George (the guy running the place who actually worked at Grand River hospital for a few years) would be up at the bar and this generally meant free ouzo. The bar tenders where great and everyone was there for a good time.
Saturday was the day everyone hyped about. We actually extended our stay 2 extra nights just so we could be there for it. The Pink Palace is known for its toga parties and the booze cruise, both of which happened on Saturday. The booze cruise is something that had tried to be organized all week but never exceeded the critical mass of having over 20 people, until Saturday. Having to sign up by 11 am was a little bit difficult.
The cruise started at noon when all 30+ of us piled on an old fishing boat painted pink and basically turned into a bar with a big stereo. Our first stop was cliff diving off a 45 foot cliff in the middle of the sea. Everyone was encouraged to jump and if you did it naked you got some free beers. Luckily (or sadly) everyone kept their clothes on for this event. Next the driver drove the boat into a bat cave where we all jumped in and swam into the darkness. Our last stop was at a small secluded beach where we all enjoyed the sun for an hour or 2. With the stereo pumping, the sun shining and the booze flowing a good time was had by all.
After the booze cruise we decided that at this rate checking out by 9am the next day was not going to happen so we extended our stay by one more night. This also meant we could take the pink bus to Athens.
After some down time its was time for dinner and the toga party. For a 10 Euro deposit we each got a pink toga and a free drink. The toga party consisted of traditional Greek dancing followed by a plate being smashed over your head and some ouzo shots. And of course everyone was in pink togas. This party ended pretty late and the memories of this one are fairly fuzzy, especially for those that where on the booze cruise.
By the time Sunday came around we where ready to leave the Pink Palace. So a whole group of us boarded the overnight pink bus to Athens.

Bari and the voyage to Corfu

After a 4 hour train ride from Naples, we arrived in the port city of Bari at about 9 pm. We booked a hostel in the old town which was located very close to the harbour so that we could easily get on our ferry the next day. Our hostel only had check in until 10 so it was kind of important that we arrive before that time. There where no directions given to get to the hostel from the train station on the hostels web site. We figured this was so that you would use their pickup service. So we just put the address into Google maps and figured that would be good.
As it turned out this was not the case. Walking away from the train station was easy enough because the roads ran in a grid, but once we got into the old town the map had no street names and it was impossible to figure out which direction you where going in. So we ended up on the other side of old town at what we thought was the port. After not being able to find any road name that was on our map we decided to bite the bullet and get in a cab. This was the best decision we made. As it turned out we walked in quite the wrong direction. After a 5-10 minute cab ride the cab driver dropped us off right in front of the place. Another good thing because the hostel was down a small back ally with little signage. We could have been standing 15 feet from the place without realizing it.
At this point it was 10 to 10 and we got to the door and it was locked. Luckily a guy came to the door and let us in.
As it turned out we where kind of lucky. After walking away from the hostel going to get some food we found 3 different groups of travelers in a matter of 5 minutes looking for the place. This presented another issue for these people because the lone guy doing the check spoke very little English and now had to deal with about 10 Japanese people whose English was also not the most stellar. In addition the place ran out of bedding. The guy sleeping below Joel literally had a mattress, no pillow no sheets. Oh ya and the washroom was in the basement which was freezing cold. Needless to say this was probably the worst hostel we had been in on the trip. But we did end up having dinner with a nice Brazilian girl.
The next morning after that experience we headed down to the port to get our tickets and get on the ferry. Our next stop would be Corfu where we had 5 nights booked at the Pink Palace. After getting to the ticket desk the lady selling us the tickets informed us the ferry does not run to Corfu this time of year, we where apparently looking at the summer schedule. Instead it stopped in Igoumenitsa, about an hour ferry ride from Corfu. This would have been fine but our ferry from Bari would get in half an hour after the last ferry to Corfu. We asked the lady if Igoumenitsa was a big city and if we would have a problem finding a place to stay, she figured it would not be a problem.
So we boarded the ferry. Actually quite nice. There where multiple bars and restaurants and even a pool on board. Shortly after leaving port we used the internet on board to see if we could find a place to stay that night. After doing some searchng we founf out there was pretty much nothing close to the port. It was at that point we realized we would be sleeping in the ferry terminal for the night. So we arrived in Igoumenitsa at 11:30, hung out at the bar for a little and then found a nice metal bench for the night. I figure you are not really backpacking until you are forced to sleep in a train station/ferry terminal/airport.
The next day we hopped on the ferry to Corfu, gave the Pink Palace a call when we arrived and their driver came and picked us up. It was a beautiful day and we where able to check in right away wihtout even being charged for the night we missed. After the previous 2 days this small slice of heaven was exactly what we needed. This was the begining of our vacation from our holiday that would be the Greek Islands.

Naples and Pompeii

So we arrived in the Naples train station with our new Canadian travel mates and set off to find our hostel. We had booked 2 beds at the place and they where hoping to stay at our hostel as well. So we took the "subway" 2 stops and got off. Right away it felt like a very different city than any we had been to north of Rome. Hard to describe, but it just felt a little more dodgy. So we found our hostel fairly easily considering the small street it was on and went to check in. The man running the place was busy with some other people, so we were told to wait. Eventually he got to us and checked us in, but not before explaining all the things there are to do in Naples as well as the areas to stay away from and how Naples gets an undeserved bad reputation. In 2006 there where 84 murders in Naples (much less then many other European cities) and 82 of those where mob related, so really it is a safe city for tourists. Luckily the girls where able to get some beds as well. So after we checked in we went and took a walk around the area the hostel was in. We eventually found a street market and ate some food in a park. It was sitting in this park we realized why Naples has a sketchy feel. People where driving their scooters without a helmet on the walking path, rottweilers where free to roam without a leash and there was garbage all over the place. We soon headed back to the hostel and hung out for a while as we waited for our free hostel dinner.
As it worked out the guy running the hostel sat everyone staying there down at a big table to eat some delicious pasta together. It was free and there was wine so where happy. To our surprise, after we where done eating they guy busts out the guitar and gets us to sing some songs. At little different, but why not. Once the sing along was done we went out on the terrace to enjoy the evening. Not too long after he called half the people we where with to the inside. We figured they where on dish duty or something. Then he called Joel in and Scott was outside alone. Joel was sent to the main room where everyone else from the hostel were. After seeing the cake he quickly realized we where going to surprise Scott because it was his birthday (he noticed it was Scott's birthday after looking at his passport upon check in) . Joel figured Scott would catch on, which he did but was still a pretty good sport when we all sang happy birthday and he blew out the candles. A birthday Scott is sure to remember. Later that night we where hanging out outside and came to a consensus that we did not really want to travel with our acquired travel mates. They where nice enough girls, but were a little immature and did not quite travel the way we did.

Luckily, the next mourning we slept in later then them, so they had already left the hostel. We only had one full day in Naples so we basically decided to walk around the city and see what there is to see. The day started off at the place where pizza was first invented. We happened to get there right when it opened. The pizza was amazing and by the time we left the place it was packed with a large group of people outside waiting to get in and waiting for there pizza to go. From there we walked towards the water front through downtown and checked out the peer. After the peer we walked the board walk and saw the fortress. From there we walked through the shopping district and had an espresso. A ritual that was quite enjoyable and we where not sure why it took so long to catch on to. That evening we had some delicious sea food at a restaurant by the port and did not make it back to the hostel until later that night. To our delight the girls where already in bed meaning we would probably never see them again.

The next day we got up and took the half hour train ride by Mount Vesuvius to the ancient city of Pompeii. It was pretty cool to walk the old streets that where so well preserved by the volcano blast. After Pompeii we hopped went back to Naples where we hopped on the high speed train to Bari where we would hop on the ferry to Greece the next day.

Rome

After finishing up with Chinqe Terra we were off to Rome, and deciding to be a little more adventurous had booked a 'camping' style accommodation. When we arrived in Rome and got to 'Roma Camping' it turned out to be more of a trailer park type setting, not what we expected and quite a contrast to the typical Italian accommodation. Either way we thought it might be alright for a few nights and gave it a shot. Our first day in Rome we headed into the city centre and went to check out the Vatican, and being the last Sunday of the month it was also free to enter the Basilica and the Museum. Once we got there the crowds were massive, as the Sunday mass had just ended. So after we made our way in through the madness and walked around for a while we jumped in line to get into the St. Peters Basilica. Once we got in we realized the wait in line was well worth the wait, it was quite an amazing Cathedral, and after seeing so many others around Europe we were still amazed. It had to have been the most impressive once we had been in before. Later we walked around again for a while and explored a little more of Rome on foot and then headed back to our 'trailer'.

On our second day in Rome it was time to switch to a more central hostel, so we made the move first thing that morning to a hostel called Yellow, a move that was well worth the hassle. After checking in we then headed to the Colosseum and the Ancient ruins for the afternoon. Again quite the impressive ruins, but seeing how me and Joel had both been before we really only stayed for two or three hours and then went and walked around the city until we were lost. (not planned, but the best way to get to know your way around the city) That night we met our new roommates and headed down to the hostel bar for a few drinks and then called it an early night.

Day three in Rome we woke up to on again off again rain, and extremely windy conditions. Not the best for trying to get out and see the sights. So after a late start trying to wait out the rain we eventually headed out and went back to the Vatican, this time to get into the Museum and see the Sistine Chapel. After getting a little wet on the way there we were able to get in with out waiting in line, and then spent a few hours exploring the museum. It is really impossible to see every thing there, as apparently it houses the largest art collection in the world, but we did our best and saw all the famous works there. That night we signed up for a pub crawl / night tour at our hostel with three others we met who were in our room. We went out and saw the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain at night while they were lit up, quite a cool time to see them. After this it was on to the pubs, a night which turned out to be quite a memorable one, both of us making lots of new friends.

The next day was a day off, as we had seen most of the main sights and had a bit of a late one the night before. However we still got out and went back to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps to check them out in the day time again and explore the surrounding areas. That night we headed back to the hostel and packed up our things and get ready to head out to Naples.

The following morning when we headed out and got to the train station we ran into two Canadian girls who were trying to decide where to head next from Rome. After talking to us in line they decided they were going to tag along with us to Naples for a few days, so they bought two train tickets and jumped on the train. As it turned out they were only with us for about two days after that, as we were heading onto Greece, but a pretty random turn of events none the less.

Cinque Terre

Before arriving in Cinque Terre we figured we might was well get off the train in Pisa and check out the tower. This is the picture we took.

Cinque Terre is a series of 5 small villages perched on some intense cliffs on the Italian Riviera. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. Recommended by many backpackers the main attraction is to hike a path between the towns and to check them all out. Trains and ferries also run between the towns, so it is fairly accessible for non hikers to see the places as well.  

We arrived in the first village called Riomaggiore where we had our hostel booked. As it turned out we forgot to get a copy of the directions to the hostel so we hoped for the best when we got off the train. Luckily a man was able to give us directions to the office where we would check in. We managed to find the place just before the rain started. As it turned out our room had an incredible view of the sea which was very cool. That evening we got some fresh pesto which Chinque Terre is known for and made a delicious pasta. Although there where some clouds on the horizon, the sunset that evening was also pretty amazing. Truly a beautiful place to visit.

The next day we got up at a reasonable hour and started our hike. They say a good hiker can do the trail in roughly 5 hours. So we started out and it was pretty easy going. The first 3 towns are fairly close together and had a well constructed path. This portion was so easy that we where seeing many school groups and old people along the way. The views and scenery on this hiking path where truly incredible. 

After the third town we where getting a little hungry so we stopped for a small break but held off on lunch until after the 4th town. The 4th leg got considerably harder both in steepness and terrain, but it also got us into some even cooler areas. At times the path would be through an olive grove, then on the side of a cliff and then in a vineyard. So we descended into the 4th town of Vernazza where we finally stopped for lunch. It was a fairly warm day and we had only eaten corn flakes earlier so we stopped for some pizza and wine and enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch. During lunch, after looking at the map we realized we had the hardest and longest leg ahead of us. But we where confident it would be fairly straightforward. After filling our faces with pizza the continuous climb for 40 mins was a challenge, but we did it without a problem. In the end we finished that leg 45mins faster then suggested, NBD. That evening we took a walk around the final and biggest town of Montrosso where we searched out a bunch of fresh ingredients to make a great meal. After doing the shopping, we had a beer on the pear and enjoyed watching some guys fishing. A great way to relax after a good day of hiking. After the sunset we hopped on the train back to our hostel where we enjoyed a feast and passed out after a nice bottle on Cinque Terre wine. The next day it would be on to Rome. 

Florence

After our first stay in Venice we had decided that Florence had to be the next logical stop. At this point we felt that we were fully back into travel mode, which obviously we were able to readapt into quite quickly. In Florence we stayed in an excellent hostel, called plus Florence. At the time it was one of, if not the best hostel we had stayed in, fully equipped with a restaurant, bar, pool, and roof top patios. While in Venice we didn't put in a lot of time in Museums and churches, so getting into Florence, a city with loads of famous art and sights to be seen we decided to go and get into as many as possible.

This however proved to be much tougher than expected, as it was art week in Florence, meaning all the museums were free, which was great, however the crowds and lines to get into all note worthy places was unbelievable. We started out by heading to the Uffizi Gallery, an extremely famous museum filled with works from even more famous artist. Unfortionatly we had to wait in line for two hours just to get in, but thankfully it was free. While in line we met a few American girls, who shared our passion for the ski bumb lifestyle, so after finishing up with the Uffizi the four of us ran around town and were able to get into both the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Acadamy gallery as well. The most famous works we were able to see was the David, along with many other works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli that were quite impressive. This probibly wouldnt have been the case if it were just the two of us, but thankfully our new American friends encouraged us to come around with them and see it all. Overall we were pretty satisified that we were able to get all three in in one day, giving us a little more time to explore the city out side of the Museums the next day. That night we went and met up with the girls we had toured the city with that day for a few well deserved pints at an Irish pub near by, and then called it a day.

Our second day in Florence we decided to hike around the city a bit more, going to check out the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge lined with gold smith shops, and the Pitti Palace. After this we had to go do a little bit of shopping, as the weather was starting to warm up and we were both in serious need of some summer clothing for the months to come. That night we hung around at the hostel bar with some people we had met previous nights, and got ready for the day trip to Pisa and heading onto Chinqe Terra!

Venice

After leaving the snow behind in St.Anton we headed south to Venice. We have both visited the city before so we had a pretty go idea of what to expect. We booked a budget hotel located on the island of Ledo, a beach town type island that separates Venice from the sea.

The first day was spent in Venice checking out all the main attractions like Piazza San Marco and St. Marks Basilica in addition to doing some window shopping.

 Most of the day was spent walking around just enjoying the city, trying to get lost and people watching. A highlight of the day was having a great Cafe Americano overlooking the Rialto Bridge. Lunch was also a cool experience. Right by the fish market, a restaurant was serving calamaris with mais in the middle of the square. The guy serving the food was yelling all sorts of things out and drawing quite the crowd. Being in Austria for so long we where craving some good sea food, so the meal really hit the spot. That evening we headed back to our island, chilled out at the rooms for a while and later had some great pizza in a garden patio restaurant. The night ended on the beach with a bottle of wine watching the ships roll by.

The next day we decided to explore the island of Lido. So we rented some bikes and took a ride around the place. It was fairly small so it was not hard to see the whole place in a few hours. With beach on one side and Venice on the other it was a cool thing to do. As well, at times you would have thought you where in the Italian countryside the way the roads and buildings where. That afternoon we hopped on the vaporetti and headed over to Venice once again. There was nothing more we really needed to accomplish in the city, so we bought some cheap silk ties and had a tasty dinner. It started raining that evening, but we took in in stride.

The next day we left the island at a leisurely pace and got on the train to Florence.

Goodbye to St. Anton

Well, our time in St.Anton has finally come to an end and as we figured, it has flown by pretty quickly. The snow has been great and we have had some great ski days. We are told it has actually been one of the best years for snow in a long time, so I guess we where lucky. Work has recently been more manageable for Joel, and Scott has enjoyed being unemployed for the last month or so. Scott started his job earlier so when his parents came to visit he quit with what he hopes will be enough money to keep traveling. Scott's family arrived the first weekend in March. Their week started off with great skiing during the day followed by a celebration of Alex's (Scott's younger sister) 19th birthday at night. The rest of the week had mixed weather but skiing still happened most days. It sounded like everyone had a blast in St. Anton and it was nice to see some familiar faces.

Because Scott didn't have to work, his mom decided to stay in Europe for an additional week so that they could spend some quality time with each other. So they rented a car in Zurich and decided to see the sights of Switzerland, covering a lot of ground in just one week. All in all they were able to see the sights of Zurich, Burn, Neuchatel, Fribourg and Montreux. Of all the cities Montreux was a definite favourite, as it is situated on the beautiful Lake Geneva with a mountainous back drop and a great climate.

Two days after Scott returned from Switzerland Joel's family arrived for a visit. Because not everyone in his family are skiers they decided to stay in St.Anton for just 2 nights of their 8 day vacation in Europe. This allowed us to have a great ski day with Joel's dad while his mom and sister took a trip to Innsbruck. That night the 5 of us enjoyed a great dinner at Hazienda, the restaurant Joel works at. It was St.Patrick's day so Scott, Joel and Julie figured they had to go out and have a Guinness at the local Irish Pub. Joel was fortunate to get a few days off which allowed him to travel with his parents. The first place they visited was Liechtenstein. There was not much to see there so they also checked out Lake Constance and finally ended up at their hotel right below the Neuschwanstein Castle. The next day they started off by touring the castle.

From there they hit the autobahn and ended in Salzburg. Joel only got three days off so the next day he took the 3 hour train ride back to St.Anton. Getting out of the village was a refreshing change. Staying in a hotels and traveling with family was very different from the backpacker/ski bum lifestyle we have become so accustomed to.

After the family visits it started to feel like our time in St.Anton was coming to a close. The last few weeks have been some of the best of the season. Now that it's spring the weather is amazing. Unlike at home, we have gotten no rain. Our last big dump of snow happened in mid March and since then it has been beautiful sunny days with great spring skiing conditions. At times it can be hot sitting in the sun so it has been pretty nice to pull out the shorts and spend a little time working on the base tan after a hard day on the slopes.

The fact that there are sun chairs and patios all over the village also helped, in addition to a nice patio at Scott's which has been getting lots of use, now known as Gruber beach.

(Above is Joel sitting on Gruber beach beside Alex, one of Scott's Sweedish housemates.)

The nightlife has also been pretty good through the last month. People have been slowing moving out of Scott's house, so the going away parties have been taking place quite regularly, making for some good times. As well, the ski bums are coming out more because the best ski days have unfortunately come to an end.

Joel's restaurant closed on Easter Sunday, a day that was looked forward to by everyone. He got Easter Monday off and then enjoyed 2 days of cleaning. The first of which started at 8 am the mourning after one of the biggest party nights in St. Anton.

We left St.Anton on April 17th, a very bittersweet event. St.Anton has been our home away from home for roughly 5 months for Scott and 4 for Joel. Although there have been some tough days at work the good times will be the things that we will really remember. We have met, partied and worked with some great people and made friendships that will surly last a lifetime. The skiing has been the best we have ever experienced. Choosing to live in this Austrian ski village was one of the best decisions we made for our trip, and will surely be one of the most memorable highlights.

Next stop Venice for the weekend. Then down through Italy, Greece and then over to Istanbul and up through Montenegro, Croatia and into Eastern Europe.

Life in St. Anton

So its been a while since we’ve given an update on our trip, however this is mainly because we have settled down in Austria for the winter season in and have not been having quite the same amount of excitement. We have already spent a few months here and plan on staying until mid April, needless to say the time here has flown by so far.Both of us have found jobs here working in kitchens, putting our university educations to good work. Joel works in a restaurant called Hazenda, primarily making drinks for the service staff and helping out with many other various things in the kitchen. Scott is working in a restaurant/sports complex called Arl Rock and is kept busy doing dishes, making salads, and helping to prepare the food when the place gets busy. Both of us have similar working hours. We have most of the day off and work the dinner shift. Joel starts work at 5:30 and usually works until 12:30 – 1ish, and Scott starts work at 5 and is usually done by 10 – 10:30. We both work six days a week and thankfully where able to coordinate Tuesday as our day off. This allows us to enjoy après skiing activities together.

Needless to say getting into the working world was a real shock to the system, especially coming from a leisurely life of traveling at our own pace and doing what we want. All in all though the jobs have worked out pretty good. We have all day to ski, and finish with enough hours left in the night/morning to still enjoy the nightlife. A down side to our jobs is the rather rude awakening of having somewhat ‘unfriendly’ bosses in our respective kitchens, but thankfully they have warmed up to us now for the most part, making work much more tolerable. Joel’s bosses are still kind of crazy though (they’re twin brothers).
As mentioned before, our living arrangements here where taken care of by our employers when we got the job. However, the dwellings we got put up in are somewhat different. Joel lives in an apartment in the basement of his boss’ house about a 15 minute walk from the centre of town. It is about 4 years old, has heated floors, a full kitchen, bathroom and a sitting area with TV and DVD player. Joel shares his place with a German guy named Ben who also works at Hazienda. He is 26 years old, studied as a photographer and spent the last 13 months traveling around South America. To get into their house a finger print scan is required, they don’t even have a key!
Scott lives in a house run by the Gruber Family. Located about a 20 minute walk from the centre of town his house has a barn connected to the back, sometimes the cows can be heard (and smelt). He has a single room located by the front entrance in the basement. He has a sink, but purchased a heater and teakettle. Gruber House has about 20ish people boarding at their residence (depending on the amount of people sleeping in the halls or getting kicked out), all of which are Swedish. All boarders share one kitchen, two bar fridges and three bathrooms. Scott opens his door with a key that looks like it is from the 1800’s. We are both enjoying our respective arrangements.
With our working schedules we have been able to get in a lot of skiing over the last two months. There is no shortage of mountains around the St. Anton village, of which there are many separate peaks that can be skied. We still have yet to explore all the mountains our pass covers, as there is just so much terrain to cover both on piste (marked runs) and off piste (unmarked areas). We have however gotten to know our way around pretty well on the main mountains that are closest to us, Valluga, Gampen, Kappall, and Rendel. The weather here has been unreal for the most part, not like Ontario winters at all. The temperature doesn’t quite fluctuate like back home, and usually stays any where between a few degrees above zero to -12 in the village. We have been lucky as well to get plenty of sun throughout the winter thus far. At one point in December we had 20 consecutive days of sunshine. On average will have four or five days of mostly if not fully blue skies a week, making for awesome weather to ski in. Until the middle of January we did not have many flurries to speak of but the snow has for the most part been good. It doesn’t snow that often here, but when it does you are almost guaranteed to get a huge dump of snow, in many cases a few feet at a time. The days when this happens on the mountain are typically white out blizzard type days, but if you can bear it there is some great powder skiing to be found. Our strategy on these days however is to usually wait out the storm and try and get out for the next few days when powder conditions are still great, and you can actually see where your going.
St. Anton is almost as famous for its nightlife and après ski bars as it is for its skiing. Because of this it attracts lots of ski bums that have come for the season to both ski and party. We find most ski bums come from Sweden and Great Brittan, however we have met people from other countries like South Africa, the U.S. and Namibia that come for the season as well. As far as we know there is only one other Canadian that me have met that works in town. Everyone asks why we are not skiing in Canada.
The après ski here is not quite the same as at home. Instead of going into town for a drink after a long day of hitting the slopes there are various bars/restaurants located all over the mountains that people will visit throughout the day. Two of the most famous and craziest places on the mountain are called MooserWirt and the Krazy Kangaroo. On any given day of the week these places are packed with people by 3pm. MooserWirt is pretty much a club where everyone is in their ski boots/clothes. Rumor has it they sell more beer there in 5 months than any other bar in Austria does in 12. We are more of a fan of the KK. It has more of a bar feel until about 4 or 5pm when things often get a little more live. Now you have to remember this is après ski, so after everyone is done at the bars you have to ski to the bottom of the mountain. Luckily the run home is fairly short, but of course to add to the fun it gets dark around 5, so the ski home at 7 can be amusing to see and experience, especially considering there are no lights on the ski hill. If you are still standing after the après ski, St.Anton has a rather large number of bars for a village its size. Most of these are also busy on any given night and some are even open until 5am.
Getting into a routine and settling down again has felt good for the most part. Work can get monotints at times but we feel it is a good character builder and a necessary evil. Life in the mountains is pretty good. He have had some great ski days and great party nights(/afternoons). We are a little over half way through the season and with visits from both our families and spring skiing ahead the second half looks to be just as promising.

Joel's Solo Adventures

While Scott started his Job in St.Anton I decided to use the rest of my rail pass. After being with Scott for 3 months straight the first night felt being alone felt very different. I spent 2 more nights in Innsbruck before leaving. While there I checked out some of the sights, took a walk by the river and visited the Christmas market. 

We neglected to visit Belgium when we where in the Benelux area previously so I planned on visiting Bruges and Brussels to see what we had missed. As well, when we visited Munich all we saw was the train station, hostel and beer tents so we wanted to see what else that city had to offer as well.

Munich

From Innsbruck I took the 2-hour train ride to Munich. The hostel I booked was right next to the one we stayed at during Oktoberfest but turned out to be even better and considerably cheaper. After arriving and settling in I went for a walk around town and through the Englisher Garten, Europe’s largest metropolitan park. In the park there is a fast moving river that at one point makes a wave that people are able to surf on. Even though it was freezing cold with snow all around when I walked by the wave there was one crazy guy surfing.

After the walk, I took a seat in the hostel common room to warm up and it was there that I just so happened to run into some girls from Calgary (they saw the flag on my bag so they enquired about where I was from). They seemed pretty cool so I made some plans to meet them at the bar later. So I met them at the bar where we all took full advantage of the 3 hour happy hour. While at the bar we decided we wanted to go out and visit the famous Hofbrau Haus. I already walked by the beer hall earlier in the day so I led the way and with my Oktoberfest experience gave the girls an idea of what to expect at a beer hall. Hofbrau Haus actually has quite the history, Hitler pretty much started the Nazi party there (but we learned this 2 days later on the free walking tour). As I expected, the beer hall is very similar to the tent at Oktoberfest. A little smaller, less people (this was a Wednesday night in late November) but basically you sit at a table with 10 or 12 people, drink liter beers (Steins or a Mass) that are served by beer wenches in dirndls. That night we enjoyed a few steins and managed to meet some Aussies and Americans. 

After Hofbrau closed, the night was still young so we all went across the street to the Hard Rock Café. This was the first Hard Rock I had been to on the trip and probably the last, a little to American for a European trip.

The next day it was time to experience history first hand, so after a later start I took the S-Bahn to the Dachau concentration camp on the outskirts of Munich. Dachau was the first Nazi concentration opened in Germany and was used as a prototype and model for the other Nazi camps that followed. 

Visiting this camp was not a fun or exciting experience, especially by yourself but it was defiantly worth the visit.

That night I met the girls from Calgary for happy hour again. At the hostel bar we met some Aussies, Brits and a German girl. Some people wanted to go to the Hofbrau Haus and others wanted to go to a club. So we started off at the Hofbrau Haus and then went to a club the German girl new about. Once again it was a great night with some good people.

The next day I visited the BMW Museum and BMW Welt. This was one of the main reasons I came back to Munich. Recently completed, BMW Welt (BMW World) is an incredible structure where people pick up their cars for factory/European delivery. Here they have exhibits that display and explain BMW technology as well as some of the newest models. As it worked out I got to see the brand new 7 Series that had been unveiled 5 days earlier. From BMW Welt you can also take a free tour of the local 3 Series factory, but I was too late and missed the only English tour for the day. Instead I spent the rest of the afternoon at the BMW Museum. With interactive exhibits displayed in a great way it was one of the best Museums I have been to. 

That night the girls and I took it “easy” and just stayed at the hostel bar for the night.

The three girls from Calgary, an Aussie guy we met and myself decided do go on the free walking tour the next day. The walking tour was pretty good. We started off in the main square in front of the famous clock on city hall. 

The Christmas market had just opened so everything was looking very festive. On the tour we learned a decent amount. I had no idea that so much Nazi history occurred in Munich. After the tour and some food the 5 of us from our hostel started to walk back. On the way we needed to walk back through the main square. This time the Christmas market was extremely busy with people just standing around. It was at that point we realized everyone was waiting for the main Christmas tree to be light, so we waited 10 minutes and all the lights where turned on. It was pretty cool to see, considering we just happen to be there at the right time. 

That night, for the last time we started off with happy hour at the bar and then went to a club not too far away. It was packed with loads of young people and they played good music so we stayed out fairly late. At the end of the night it was actually kind of sad. On a trip like we are on no matter how good or bad the people you meet, you will always have to leave them behind.

The next mourning, after a minimal amount of sleep I caught the 9 am train to Bruges connecting through Frankfurt and Brussels.

Belgium

After a long and tiring train ride I arrived in a dark and rainy Bruges. I booked a bed in a 12 bed room (the biggest room I have stayed in on the trip). The hostel was not as nice as I hoped, especially after having such a great stay in Munich so it was quite the change of pace. The next morning it was cold and rainy but I did not let that stop me from seeing beautiful Bruges. I took a walk around town and saw all the major sights. 

As the afternoon went on I decided I had enough of Bruges so I took the hour train ride to Brussels. Brussels is a beautiful city as well. After getting out of the train station I was a little hungry so I figured it was time to have some french fries in the country they where invented and even ate them with mayonnaise. Next I walked through the Grote Markt (main square), which was amazing. Buildings on all sides had intricate carvings with some cool architecture, pictures do no justice to the place. Next I walked over to the famous Mannekin Pis, a small fountain of a boy continually peeing. 

Next it was on to St. Michaels Cathedral. After the cathedral I ventured back over to the main square where there was a sound and light show going on. Like most main squares I had been in this time of year it was fully decorated, but the show that was being put on was like nothing I had seen for free before. It really put the lights in Waterloo Park to shame. 

Finally to finish the evening right I had an amazing waffle topped with chocolate, strawberries and whip cream. Then it was back on the train to Bruges. That night I hung out at the bar a little and made sure to have 4 different kinds of great Belgium beer.

The next day I leisurely left the hostel and hopped on the next train to Amsterdam. I had never spent such little time seeing a single country, but I still left Belgium feeling like I did it justice.

Amsterdam

Scott and I had been to Amsterdam earlier on our trip but we did not have the best experience. We where staying at a crappy hostel in a bad location and we really did not experience the place the way many other people we met along the way described it. So I figured being so close I would give it a second chance. I booked a much better hostel this time and after arriving in my room I met a girl from San Francisco. A little later some Aussies moved into our room so I decided to grab some Wok to Walk with one of them. (Wok to Walk is a “fast food” spot where they make an amazing stir fry to order.) 

That night I was planning on doing a Red Light District walking tour but after meeting up with the group I decided to do something else. So I went back to the hostel bar where I met some more Australians. We hit it off pretty good and as the night went on we moved around to some different spots around town. Eventually we took our own walk through the red light district and it is pretty much how you would expect it to be. (Sorry no pictures. It is generally advised not to take pictures in the red light district.)

The next day I got up and decided to go on the free walking tour where I met up with the Aussies again. The tour was good and was actually led by a guy from Vancouver. It was kind of cold and rainy but there where lots of cool sights to see. 

On the tour we met some more Aussies that where traveling around Europe in a camper they bought in Britain. Scott and I often thought it would be cool to travel Europe by RV so it was neat to actually meet people that where doing it. That night we started at the hostel bar and hit up some other spots a little later. One notable experience was walking down the road when it started to snow. It was no real big deal for me but the Aussies who had never experienced snow falling where loving it.

The next day was a long travel day through Frankfurt back to Munich for one night. In Munich I was able to get a bed at the same hostel I was in under a week before. That night I had a roommate from Argentina and another from New Zealand. We where all traveling alone and they seemed like alright girls so we all had some beers at the hostel bar that I felt very familiar with.

The next morning it was on to Innsbruck and then St.Anton. I was unable to move into my place the first night, so I met up with Scott and ended up sleeping on his floor my first night in St.Anton. The next day I called my boss and moved into my new apartment that afternoon.