My impromptu 2 1/2 month trip to Milan, Italy....and everywhere in between....with my boyfriend Shane :)

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Week 2 of 3

Sunday, 28th
We got up that morning and ate a surprisingly filling breakfast at the hostel, then set out to rent bikes and do a bike tour! I was super excited about this, because Berlin is a big city and it’s just not fun walking everywhere. The place we had wanted to rent bikes and possibly even join a guided bike tour was currently closed because they were, well, on their bike tour which we had missed. So we rented bikes from another place and went out on our own. That was a fun day. We got rained on and our bums were sore by the end, but it was worth it.
We went back to the hostel and ate another really good meal, then watched more TV shows on the computer. As we did this, a couple girls with thick English accents came into their room beside ours. (Our “room” was actually divided into 3 dorm rooms with no doors on the individual rooms, but one main door leading to the hallway.) After a while we smelled what we knew was cigarette smoke, and rolled our eyes at the fact that they were smoking in the rooms when it was obviously not allowed. But they soon left. An hour or so later they came back in with about 3 guys, and again we smelled smoke. That was it. I wasn’t going to sit in my bed and choke to death from inhalation. So I went over and asked them rather timidly if they were smoking. In hindsight I should have just said, “Hey guys, please don’t smoke in here” (you’re ruining my life), because after a loooong pause, one of the girls said, “No.” Uhh….ok, do they really think I’m that stupid? I paused and then blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Ok well, it’s just that every time you guys come in here it really smells like smoke, and it kind of wafts over to our room…” The same girl waved her hand nonchalantly, “Oh, well we smoke outside and then the stench just…sort of follows us.” I said ok sorry, or something apologetic like that, then went back to my room, feeling stupid for how I’d gone about it. They were probably rolling their eyes at me now. Oh well, we decided it didn’t matter as long as it kept them from doing it again. Who knows, maybe they really were telling the truth, but I doubt it.

Thinking that the girl was probably talking bad about me (I’d heard her talking trash about other girls earlier, swearing up a storm), I was surprised when they both stopped by our room on their way out the door. “Hello! Are you guys going out tonight?” “No….we have to get up early in the morning to leave.” Plus we’d just done two loads of laundry and were in the process of folding it all. “Well so do we!” they appealed. Then Shane asked where they were going, and the girl said, “We don’t know yet, probably just going to find a place and get totally [sloshed].” They were already drunk. “Well have fun!” we said. They left and we continued folding laundry and washing clothes.

Not two hours later there was a loud banging on the door, and for the next 15 minutes or so people were going in and out of the room, which we ignored for the most part. I happened to notice at one point though that one of the guys was Security. During all this I heard the girl who had lied to me earlier swearing up another storm, obviously mad at some girl and sounding very upset. Not long after, there was another loud banging on the door and we looked up to see men rolling in a stretcher! After a while we saw a limp form being carried out and placed on the stretcher. It was the other girl who had been pretty friendly earlier, and she was passed out, “looking like death” as Shane said. We could only assume alcohol poisoning. My guess is they didn’t get to leave early the next morning as planned.

Monday, March 1st
We were headed to Prague, Czech Republic in the morning, first eating breakfast and making some extra cheese and egg sandwiches to go. We got on the metro and headed to our train station about 30 minutes early, but about halfway through we realized we probably weren’t going to make it—there were a lot of transfers and it felt like the metro was stopping at every single metro stop in Berlin. So we decided to get off a couple stations early in hopes that the Prague train would stop there on its way through. No such luck. So we got back on the metro after several attempts. It seemed every time we ran up the stairs to catch the metro we needed, the doors were closing and it was pulling away. We finally got to the station about 10 minutes after the train should have left. Just to be sure, we went to the platform….and didn’t see on the schedule where the train was supposed to go to Prague at that time at all. That’s when Shane looked at our schedule again….and we realized that the train had left at 36 after, not 28 after! We could have made it if we hadn’t stopped at that one station!! GAHHH!!! We had nothing to do but count it as our loss and be proud that at least it was the only train we had missed thus far. We sat in front of shops in the station sipping Starbucks to keep warm while Shane worked on a paper for school.

Once we actually arrived in Prague it was so nice for me to know exactly where to go to get to Hostel Elf, the same hostel Lydia and I stayed at twice previously. We had claimed Prague and Hostel Elf to be our favorites of all, and I really wanted Shane to love this place too. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite as great as I’d remembered. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older and pickier, or maybe it was because I wanted Shane to love it too, but I was disappointed in a few things.

#1—Worst. Pillows. Ever. Like an oversized pillowcase stuffed only half full with hardened, clumpy cotton balls. I slept terribly. I realized that Lydia and I always brought our own pillows, so we never had to use theirs. #2—Hard beds. Shane is actually the one who thought this, I was fine. But he says he had to roll like a rotisserie chicken all night to keep from getting sore. #3 and probably the worst—the cigarette smoke. The upstairs lobby is a smoking area, and the hallways, rooms, and downstairs common rooms are non-smoking areas. However, the smoke wafts all over the place whether it’s smoking or non. Shane and I couldn’t sit downstairs and use the internet without choking to death on the smoke. It literally gave us both headaches and contributed to the sore throats we were developing. We opened the window and gritted our teeth against the frigid air in favor of airing the smoke out. You’d think they’d put some curtains at least over the doorway to the stairs. And even though the doors to the hallways were thankfully kept shut, one girl in our room spent the day in bed because she was asthmatic and the smoke flared it up. I just don’t remember the smoke being that much of a nuisance. Maybe it’s because Lydia and I were always gone during the days.
Thankfully Shane and I both had extra sleeping bags or the blankets would have gotten a measly grade too. Either way, I have a feeling maybe that was the last time I’ll stay in Hostel Elf. Kinda makes me sad.

We ate that night in a cool place up the street with great food. And it was a feast for what we paid, really. At least compared to what we’d been paying in other countries. Yet another reason why I love Prague.

Tuesday, March 2nd
We ate breakfast, which consisted of the same things they’ve been serving for 4 years—cornflakes, sandwiches, and donuts. I think the donuts are new actually, and the sandwiches are more than just cheese and meat now…they’re more like a subway sandwich. Unfortunately I opened mine and found a huge chunk of moldy cheese, and that was the end of it. Poor Hostel Elf, it’s just not getting very good marks this time.

We set out and had a great sightseeing day, even paying to go up to the top of the clock tower opposite my favorite building to take pictures of the city. We ate lunch at Bohemia Bagel, the same place Lydia and I ate once and loved. I loved it again this time too. I had the best yummy sandwich ever. I wish they had those in America.

A nap followed our sightseeing, and that evening we set out again for night pictures. We never actually found a place to eat for supper. We tried going back to Bohemia Bagel for their breakfast menu, but by the time we got there the kitchen was closing and it was too late to order elaborate things, so we just opted to forego eating since we were still filled from lunch.

Wednesday, March 3rd
We set out for Cesky Krumlov, a tiny town Lydia and I had also visited in the winter when snow covered the ground. Right now it’s just cold with no snow. We had to switch to about 3 different trains to get there, one of them being a slow but scenic 2-car deal that stopped in every little podunk town not on the map. I don’t remember doing that before. They also made everyone get off the train at one stop, switch to buses for about half an hour, and then get back on the train at a different station to continue on to our transfer destination. Weird. We finally got there and I was able to recognize the route to the hostel for the most part. Hostel 99, once again the same one Lydia and I stayed at. (Our whole trip in Czech Republic was a re-creation of Lydia’s and my experiences actually.)

We settled in at the hostel with the help of the dreadlock-haired, friendly receptionist guy. A sightseeing jaunt after that which lasted about 30 minutes (the Old Town is tiny), and lunch at Laibon, a vegetarian restaurant that turned out to be quite tasty even though the building itself had the feel of an Iraqi bomb shelter. The guy also said a big Thank You when he thought Shane was giving him a tip when he paid for the 133 Crown meal with 150 Crowns due to lack of proper coins. Shane just laughed and looked at him until the guy fished out the change. I know in Italy you aren’t supposed to tip, but I’m not sure about here. Oh well, we’ll never see them again.

We took naps again after that (hey, traveling and sightseeing every day for 3 weeks is tiring!), and for dinner went to the Katakomby restaurant at the Old Inn, the same one that…you guessed it, Lydia and I went to. It’s an underground place that feels like a cave with the waitresses dressed in medieval gowns. The food is cooked over an open flame in front of you. It wasn’t quite as good as I’d remembered (I’d gotten the same thing as before) because it was a different chef, but it was still very tasty. The waitress was a girl of very few words and gave me corn when I’d asked for garlic bread, so the cook had to toss it I’m sure.

Once back at the hostel I happened to notice in the living room corner a wicker basket that said “Lost and Lost!” I asked the receptionist guy if it was all things people had left. In other words, could I take stuff?!! Lo and behold was a pair of flat brown boots that fit me like a glove! (I’ve been wanting boots like that ever since I got to Italy.) Digging deeper in there, I also found a pair of earmuffs—the exact kind I’d also been looking for!! I could have bought some new in every country, but they were all too huge for my head. These were small and perfect! And upon even more digging, I uncovered a Billabong beanie for Shane and a long gold cardigan for me. The only thing I left in that basket was a single glove, a gray sweater that was too small for me (I’d considered it too though), and a bungee cord. Thank you Hostel 99!! I’m not at all above free handouts or cheap deals…garage sales and secondhand stores are my secret love in life. So this was a huge treat!

By now two other people had moved into the hostel, and I only saw the guy emerge from the room once the entire night.

Thursday, March 4th
We got up bright and early, leaving over half an hour to get to the train station, aka climb that wretched hill that caused Lydia and I to miss our train last time. No need to rush, because we actually got there with about 25 minutes to spare, so we sat in the warm station (I don’t remember that being available last time?!) until the tiny 2-car train arrived.

It took quite a while to get to Vienna it felt, and once there we had to take both a metro and a bus to get to the Palace Hotel, which is slightly out of town and located on a hill overlooking Vienna. We were placed in a 2-bunk dorm room facing away from the view (figures, with our luck) and there was no food around unless we went back into town. Which we did, eating at a traditional cuisine place where Shane had chicken weinerschnitzel with potatoes and I had grilled chicken covered in mushroom sauce with potato croquettes. Those croquettes were delicious—basically breaded mashed potatoes. That meal was kind of expensive and we were finished in probably 15 minutes.

We went straight back to our hotel and bummed there for the rest of the night, booking our hostel for Salzburg and figuring out train schedules. By this time I was feeling pretty sick with clogged sinuses and a headache. As usual, I got sick as Shane was getting well, and I had it worse. We decided we wouldn’t run ourselves ragged the next day. Thankfully we had the room to ourselves and I was looking forward to a peaceful night’s sleep for once.


Friday, March 5th
I slept amazingly but woke up feeling terrible. Sore throat, half-clogged half-runny sinuses, and still a headache. We ran down to breakfast 15 minutes before it ended at 9, having hurriedly made ourselves presentable and nothing more. Breakfast was pretty good for being free.

We dressed warmly with all the fixings and headed out to the bus stop. I could tell immediately that today was not going to be a good day for me. Even though I had taken some sinus medicine so as not to be drippy and miserable, the cold air was as frigid as I had remembered Vienna to be the last time I was here, and my sickness didn’t make anything better. Once on the bus and metro I felt a lot better, but the second we stepped out into the city from the metro station, that biting air hit me and I wished I could miraculously already be done seeing Vienna. The wind was mercilessly strong and frigidly cold. It really was the same as I remembered—the kind that went straight through your clothes. I remember saying last time that it was so cold I felt like crying. Well this time I did too. I officially hate Vienna in the winter.

Shane had the map and the guide book, but we still got lost trying to find the Opera House, me just trailing behind him trying to suck it up but doing a terrible job. I wanted to die. I just knew that I was going to get even more sick from this, and I worried Shane would too. He commented that I could just go back to the hostel while he toured Vienna, but I felt terrible leaving him there by himself to sightsee, so I insisted I was going to stay. As we made little progress and continued to get lost, I second-guessed my decision. I was trying not to cry. I felt horrible and my chin was numb from the cold. My nose was dripping and the medicine I’d taken was making me sleepy, but the wind whipping around me prevented me from really thinking about it. Shane stepped into a mall of sorts for me to warm up, and asked if I wanted to walk around inside. Even though he was doing it just for me, my eyes were filling with tears of self-pity so I didn’t answer. When he asked me again, sounding slightly impatient, I snapped “I don’t know!” then burst into tears. I hate crying in public, but there are just some times when I can’t hold it in. This was one of those times, and I stood there with my face to a center display bawling my eyes out, mad at Shane because he just stood there not doing anything. I wanted him to act like I thought a boyfriend should and comfort me, hug me or at least shield me from the public’s curious eyes. But he didn’t, and my self-pity gradually turned to surprisingly strong anger until I spitefully snapped at him for just standing there. This in turn made him annoyed at me, saying he just didn’t get me sometimes, and when he asked what I wanted to do, I said I just wanted to go home.

So he led the way to the metro, gave me a metro map, my ticket, and a 20 Euro bill in case I needed it. He refused my gloves even though he didn’t have any, and I walked away feeling miserable not only because I was sick, but because I was on my own to get back and I was leaving Shane to see Vienna by himself after I’d been nasty and ungrateful to him. I did make it back to the hostel just fine, and sat upstairs to write this blog. I realize now that it was probably a good thing I went back to the hostel, not only to maintain my health but because Shane and I just need our space every once in a while. Traveling together takes a toll because you’re together nearly 24/7 with pretty much no alone time. Lydia and I never would have made it through traveling together if each of us hadn’t just gone off and done our own thing every once in a while.

The great thing about Shane is that he always does something sweet to make it up to me after we’ve parted on bad terms. A few hours after I got back to the hostel he showed up with a McDonalds lunch and my favorite Starbucks drink, which he’d had them make extra hot so it would still be warm by the time I got it. He explained that he hadn’t done anything in the mall because he’d thought that would draw attention to the fact that I was crying, and he didn’t want to make a scene. It makes perfect sense and I appreciate his attempt to keep the spotlight off of me, but we’re now clear that I’d rather feel comforted than not have people staring at me. We both apologized for being unkind to each other, and everything was good again, just as it always is.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the hostel before going to an opera at the famous opera house. Standing room tickets, but it was cheap and the opera seats were sold out anyways. We hadn’t dressed nicely since we really didn’t have nice clothes with us, so we figured our nice pea coats would be a good mask. That is, until we were told by the ticket lady that we had to check our coats. We tried going in through a different door, and that lady said the same thing. So much for covering our grunginess. But coat check was free and it was apparent we couldn’t get in with them, so we did it. At the standing room balcony, we were told we would have to stand in the aisles because all the standing room “spots” were taken. Then upon further discussion, the guy told us he did have one spot. It was right dead front and center of the balcony, so Shane stood there and I stood behind him. It was perfect because not only were there no heads in our way, it was great for pictures and we had a translation screen whereas others in the aisle didn’t. The opera was 3 acts long and I’m glad we went, even though my feet hurt afterwards. It made Vienna worth going to for both of us.

2 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you "re-did" this trip and did some of the things we didn't... like stay for the entire opera- and why the heck didn't we anyway?!

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  2. I think cause it was "boring"....and we didn't have subtitles to see...I dunno? But yeah, and we're doing and seeing a lot more exciting things in Budapest too. It's a really cool city! Never knew..

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