Good Morning Germany.

So we had a big day of sight seeing after our day trip to Kutna Hora and we began with some morning Mojitos after crossing the ridiculously tourist ridden Charles Bridge. We basically hurried across to get away from everyone. We got stuck talking to an American girl whilst drinking our Mojitos, your typical solo traveler desperate to talk to somebody who speaks English. She was nice enough but it was impossible to get away, we had shit to do! So finally escaped and made our way to Prague Castle which was really cool. Saw St Georges Basilica and the St Vitus Cathedral which were the highlights. We also made our way up a mammoth hill near the Monastery and mini Eiffel Tower for a kick ass view of Prague.

We had an amazing meal at a Vegetarian restaurant as well where we had sundried tomato and peanut pesto and I had vege burritos with goats cheese salad etc and it was seriously unbelievably good. We were lucky to get a table because it is a well known restaurant. The following day we explored the Jewish quarter where we saw one particular synagogue where the walls were covered in the names of the Jews who died that once lived in Czech Republic, it was really overwhelming. We visited the eery Jewish graveyard which was also at this site and then we made our way to the miniture museum. Now this was really awesome. Tiny little drawings and metal structures the size of a pupil. There was a jesus portrait on a poppyseed, portrait of John Lennon the size of a pinky fingernail etc etc you had to view them with a magnifying glass.

We saw a performance of Vivaldis Four Seasons at a local chapel which was really cool. So lovely to listen to music like that whilst in such an amazing building. Aside from a lack of party vibes Prague was a really cool place. Just a shame that if you wanted to go out at night you had to know exactly where you were going because there is no designated bar strip or anything like that.

So we got a cheap as chips bus ride for 25 euros to Berlin that only took about 4 hours or so. It was really weird because we were watching "The Good German" just as we were crossing over into Germany near Dresden. We got to our hostel called Helter Skelter and it turned out that we had accidentally booked for the month of August instead of July :S but the lovely metalhead at reception sorted us out. The place is really cool, they play good music and breakfast is included and we are in a really good location so its great. We have found an Indian restaurant just around the corner where we have got drunk the past 2 nights because they feed us free cocktails ha ha. We saw one of the Wall memorials on the first day and went to the Topographies Des Terror which really got to me. We spent a good hour in there just walking around the exhibition from beginning to end and the entire time I could just feel the tears in my eyes, it was so hard not to cry. Probably one of the best museums I have been in that detailed all about the Gestapo etc and the building is actually in the same site as where the original SS headquarters was.

We also visited Checkpoint Charlie which was kind of....surreal. The portrait of the 2 soldiers is really eery. Then its kind of weird how there is a little beach cafe in the middle of it. We saw the Brandenburg Gate of course and strolled past the Berlin Dome which was actually a really impressive building the the TV tower etc. We also went to the Book Burning square and what not. Probably the biggest highlight has been the largest stretch of the Berlin Wall where all the graffiti is. This stretch of the wall was nothing short of AMAZING! Some of the artwork on there was stunning and some really moving. I really like Berlin so far, only downsides have been that my ankle is really hurting which has been a pain with all the walking we have done. I cannot believe Wacken is not this weekend but next! So crazy!

Prague and Kutna Hora.

So to begin this post in a more positive way than the last one ended our bags arrived around 3 the next day and we got all of our clothes washed at the nearby laundromat. Had a really good sleep cause our hostel really is awesome. Super dooper clean and comfy beds and loads of space in the rooms and clean showers and bathrooms, its more like a hotel. We wanted to celebrate getting our clothes and shit all washed and having our bags back so we headed into the city centre to find a place to drink. I had the address of 2 metal bars but we couldnt find one of them and the other one was really far out so we decided to head directly into the centre and have a look. Basically there is no set area in Prague for bars etc it is mostly cafes and restaurants. So we came across the people that run the pub crawl who basically said all the bars and stuff are scattered throughout the city and there really arent many. So we went with him to where the pub crawl starts and took one look at the type of people in the line and decided to bail, so we left. We wandered around and saw a few of the sights like the Clocktower and the Powder Gate etc which looked really pretty at night time and found absolutely no bars. We went back to our hostel pretty defeated.

Another good nights sleep and then it was time for our Kutna Hora field trip :) I have been looking forward to this throughout our entire trip cause seeing the Sedlec Ossuary is like a dream come true. So we joined a tour group for this one so we didnt have to mess around with transport getting there etc. So we got a little info about Kutna Hora and its ties to Prague and were on our way. We started with St Barbaras Church which was one of the best examples of Gothic Architecture I have seen, it is still a very modest church but when you look closely the detail is amazing and it has been so well preserved. It actually has the biggest organ in Central Europe which was quite impressive. We saw the Plague Column and a few other little buildings around the area and got some really interesting information on some of the local history and its people.

Last but not least was of course the Sedlec Ossuary and it really was amazing. It is so small inside but so intricate and awesome. I really couldnt believe I was laying my eyes on the main centre peice, the chandelier made out of every bone in the human body. An interesting fact was that there are just over 20 thousand people living in Kutna Hora but there are 40 thousand sets of human bones in the Ossuary, so more than there are alive ha ha. The coat of arms of the family which purchased the land and contracted the organisation of the bones in the ossuary was also very cool. So after spending a good 20 minutes or so inside we headed back to Prague, thanks to Eva who was a lovely and informative tour guide.

So we are pretty pooped after a long day of walking and train travel so just going to lay low tonight cause we also have a big day of sight seeing tomorrow if we want to get it all done so we can take a day trip down to Brno.

Two womens erotic journeys from Olympos to Prague.

SO we had a great send off from Olympos! Manda and I went up to Chimaera to see the flames that naturally burn from the earth. Once they were much bigger but now they are 5 seperate small flames which legend says is the breath of some Mediterranean monster or something. The hike up there was brutal and really took it out of us but it was worth it once we reached the top. The drive to Chimaera was about half an hour from Olympos and on the way the driver stopped to do some grocery shopping and drop it off to his wife ha ha. It was funny seeing all the little houses in the middle of no where, it reminded me of Texas Chainsaw Massacre ha ha.

So after the flames tour we headed back and proceeded to get extremely wasted with the boat cruise crew plus one turkish man and his half asleep wife. I convinced him to buy us tequila shots and then convinced the bar owner we should get more free shots because we were the only ones drinking, bad idea! A few puffs of a sheesha or whatever its called later and everyone was wasted and decided to head to Orange Bar which is a little barn like nightclub in Olympos. As 4am rolled around I was far too drunk and had to retire to my room to refund my food and pass out on my bed but the rest of the crew soldiered on.

Woke up with a killer hangover and had to jump on a 1.5 hour bus ride to Antalya...brutal!! The Air Con was dodgy and the seats were cramped and Manda and I were basically wearing next to nothing because of the heat offending Muslim women left right and centre but we couldnt care less at that stage. We finally made it and set out on our journey to our hostel in Antalya for the night. Antalya was actually really nice and it would have been awesome if we could have stayed longer. Our hostel was clean and the dude was nice and we had an AMAZING meal at the place down the road! Unfortunately we both woke up covered in bites in the morning :( we wandered around and saw Hadriens Gate etc before our bus ride to Istanbul at 9pm. It was so bloody hot though that we had to retire back to the hostel earlier.

The bus to Istanbul was average. It was 11 hours and I didnt really sleep and my bites itched but I guess it could have been worse, Manda came off it with massive cankles ha ha. Got to Istanbul where it is a horrible hot heat and found our peice of shit hostel! The owner was asleep on the couch which turned out to be his bed and attempted to wake up to tell us we cant check in till 1 so off we go to get breakfast and we both felt like crying. Our bites were SO itchy and we wanted a shower and it really was the worst day we have had so far. Our room was tiny with no Air Con so it got so stuffy and horrible and the showers were yuck, I cannot believe people gave this place good reviews!! The only positive was that it was in a really good location, right in the party centre near Taxim Square.

We came across a great metal club called Docken and decided to get wasted in order to forget our bites and how shit our hostel was. Many a beer was consumed and many a metal tune sung whilst Detroit Rock City played on the tv in the background. Met some nice people, some a little too nice and managed to stumble back to the hostel. We hit up Sultanahmet the next day to do a little sight seeing but the weather here is so yucky hot that its hard to wander the streets without feeling like passing out. It was raining in the morning which was a pleasant surprise so I was in jeans and then later it was stinking hot so after visiting the Grand Bizaar and catching a few glimpses of some Mosques we headed back. Had a nice meal and met up with the boys from the cruise then hit the hay.

Headed back to Sultanahmet again and went inside the Blue Mosque which was really cool, being decked out in cloths and all. We also wandered the gardens of Topkapi Palace which was nice and shady and did a little Jewellery shopping. It is such a bizaar experience wandering the streets during prayer time when all the Mosques start airing the Turkish prayer music throughout the streets. Got hassled by many a Turkish man throughout our entire stay, highlights were the pick up line "Dont you wish your boyfriend was hot like me?" They also use tokens here for the trains etc instead of tickets ha ha. One of the worst moments in Istanbul was when we went to a bar for beers with the boys and I went to use the bathroom and when I came out of the cubicle the bar tender was standing in the door way. He mumbled something to me about how he loved me and then in many an untasteful word said he wanted to have sex which I obviously did not agree to and then he tried to take me into the guys toilets but I pushed my way past and got out of there. Manda went to the toilet after me and he propositioned her aswell. Its kind of messed up when you have to worry about the employees at a bar! We didnt intend to but we ended up getting trashed at Docken again tonight and I had an amazing vege burger at this great restaurant, best meal I have had in ages.

So awoke with a killer hangover once more and headed for the airport to get our flight to Prague with a stop over in Budapest. Had no hassles what so ever until we arrived in Prague to find out our luggage was still in Budapest so I cried. I so wasnt in the mood for this, our mozzie bites finally begin the heal and everything is working itself out and now this. So basically tomorrow we have a wasted day of waiting for our bags to arrive at our hotel because we have nothing!! On the brighter side our hotel is awesome and I know we are going to have a great time here. I cannot wait to get to the Sedlec Ossuary :)

Ahhh Musky aka The Cat.

So what an amazing couple of days! After leaving Athens we had a horrible day waitıng for the Ferry in Piraeus and I will never ever return, not even just to catch a ferry because this place was an absolute shithole! The ferry ride was fairly painless. Got a little bit of sleep and we were in Rhodes where we stayed ın an awesome hotel wıth a pool and our own room wıth balcony and bathroom and aır condıtıonıng. Met a few guys that were ın the Navy and hung out by the pool drınkıng 4 euro cocktaıls untıl we went to a Mexıcan place for one of the best meals of my lıfe!! Rhodes was really nıce and had heaps of thıngs to do so ıt was a shame that we were only there for the one nıght but oh well.

We got the hydrfoıl to Marmarıs the next day whıch only took an hour and from there were able to get straıght on a bus to Fethıye. The people ın Turkey are so helpful and got us organısed ın lıke 5 mınutes flat. The scenery on the bus to Fethıye was lovely and ıt was only a 3 or 4 hour rıde. Met some nıce French ladıes on the bus. When we arrıved ın Fethıye we got a free shuttle bus to our hotel but ıt turned out they have 2 hotels and we were at the other one 5 mınutes down the road but the receptıonıst offered to drıve us there. I dıdnt really care at thıs poınt though because saıd receptıonıst was UNBELIEVABLY good lookıng so I was kınd of ın a daze. So he took us there and we were ın a kınd of swanky hotel rıght on the harbor wıth an amazıng vıew so ıt was good. We stıll used the pool at the other hotel and had a meal and hıt the hay to get ready for our cruıse the next day.

So I was a lıttle dısappoınted ın the begınnıng because all of the passengers on the boat were Australıan except for 2 Germans 1 Brazılıan 1 Belgıan and 1 Englısh but everyone turned out to be really nıce and cool so ıt was fıne. We had a really awesome crew on the boat too. One younger guy named Ozzy who spoke a bıt of Englısh and 2 other Turks who could only say 'you are welcome' and 'bon appetıte' and an adorable Chef wıth a lımp, they were all really nıce and funny. I can never really properly descrıbe how amazıng the cruıse was.....along the way we explored some Ruıns and saw the Sunken Cıty and a Pırates Cave etc. Sleepıng on deck under the stars every nıght was just amazıng. Goıng for mıdnıght swıms where there were glow fıshes ın the water lıghtıng up. It was just lıke that movıe The Beach but better. We went snorklıng and on the last nıght we went to a Pırate Bar that ıs lıterally just on the sıde of the ocean and got rıdıculously drunk! The Long Island Iced Tea over here ıs poıson. I chılled out wıth the bıg dog there for a whıle whıch was adorable and spoke to a few Danısh guys that were really nıce. Ozzy followed Manda around all nıght ha ha.

We had the most amazıng meals every day. Omlettes, bread, fruıt etc for breakfast and rıce, salad and pasta etc for lunch and stuffed peppers etc for dınner SO good. The water the whole way was such an amazıng blue green colour and ıt ıs so clean and crystal clear! The scenery ıs just amazıng. Turkey ıs stunnıng. At the end of the cruıse we arrıved ın Olympos. A tıny lıttle hıppy lıke camp ın the mıddle of no where wıth no banks etc and a lovely beach surrounded by ruıns. We are at an awesome lıttle treehouse hostel wıth the most chılled out beer garden area wıth hammocks etc. We head to Antalya tomorrow then the next day we get a bus to Istanbul. Thıs past week has really been one of the best of my entıre lıfe. So much fun. Everyone from the cruıse ıs stayıng at thıs hostel ın Olympos too so the party contınues.

Our favorıte aussıe boys are here and they are so funny ha ha. Good old Jed, Snodge, Muscat aka The Cat aka Dodge and hıs younger brother Junıor or Moosey ha ha. They have me ın hysterıcs all the tıme.

Blue Cruise here we come!

So I am trying my hardest to stay positive considering the fact that I have bug bites all over me and they are really really itchy! I even have one on my cheek on my face :( and typical me this makes me not want to leave the hostel cause I feel like a dirty disgusting pig ha ha. So the other morning I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself then decided to get up and not ruin Mandas time as well as my own. So I braved the harsh light of day and we made the trip down to Acropolis.

Stopped on the way for a tasty Swedish and Brazilian baguette and then headed to Hadriens Arch to get our entry tickets. Upon purchasing my ticket the dude looked at my tshirt and said "What is this? Bathory...you like the Black Metal? Venom ey?" and this totally made my day and made me smile. I never realised how many metal heads there were in Greece? I feel like everywhere we go I see at least one.

So Acropolis was amazing to say the least. It was super hot which made the climb up the hill suck but it was totally worth it when we made it up there. The view for starters was unbelievably beautiful! All the buildings in Greece are different shades of white or pale colours of some kind which made the sunlight bounce off of them and look like the city was glistening. The remains of what is left of Acropolis really are something to see. The size of the columns are so imposing and confronting when you walk up close to them and I found the whole experience really bizarre. So strange to be walking through a place so old and thinking of those that walked there before you and what life was like then. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip thus far and was the main reason for coming to Greece so it made it worthwhile.

When we got back to the hotel we chatted to the adorable English boy in our dorm, Nick. Decided to head out to dinner so he came along and it was lovely. I had a really nice pasta dish, Manda salmon salad and Nick took about an hour to finish his open burger ha ha. Manda and I had polished ours off before he was even half way through. Finished our complimentary deserts, made a few jokes about the prostitute with half her ass hanging out looking like she was doing business from the restaurant bathroom then went back to the hotel for a few beers.

Met some more idiot Australians back at the hotel. It seems like 90% of the Australians we meet overseas are complete douche bags. They make me embarrassed to be seen with them, hence why we turned down their invitation to go out for a drink. We hit the hay earky and got some much needed shut eye.

I was feeling really sad last night. These bug bites are really annoying me because I am constantly scratching and they make me feel like I need to shower 10 times a day. This one on my face is driving me insane as well. I was also sad because I thought we werent going to be able to book our cruise in Turkey and I broke my favorite pair of earings. Turns out we can book this cruise now and I am in the final stages of completing the ridiculously low payment of 175 Euros for 4 days and 3 nights breakfasts included etc. I am really excited for it :)

Dont let the bed bugs bite.

Okay so last night was a bit of a blur, this is my attempt to remember it and get it written down in the blog before I forget it completely ha ha. We went to a metal bar called the Underground Cafe in a pretty sweet area of Athens. There were little metal shops and metal heads walking around everywhere and lots of nice bars and cafes etc. There is supposed to be a metal shop in Athens which is owned by the ex bassist of Rotting Christ that I want to track down. Anyway at this bar we drank ridiculous amounts of beer that came in massive glasses so I think we drank the equivalent of about 5 or 6 jugs of beer each.

The waitress gave us free tequila shots I assume because we were the only ones at this bar that were really drinking, it looked like everyone else was drinking coffee. It was awesome to throw a few beers back whilst listening to Black Label Society, Satyricon, Pantera, Opeth and more :)

So I got waaaaaay too drunk and ended up throwing up in the bathroom where the door didnt close properly so I had to do it whilst I kept my foot positioned on the door keeping it closed. When we decided we had finally had enough we made out for home where I cannot believe we actually made it because I could barely walk. Manda had to pretty much carry me the entire way ha ha but we made it in the end where I passed out in bed and in true Manda fashion she continued to drink at the bar in our hotel to the wee hours of the morning ha ha.

We had planned to go to Acropolis today but were far too hung over so we slept in then got some food and ice cream etc. I also think that I have bed bugs :( because on the backs of my legs I have what look like little mozzie bites and they itch SO much. Got some cream from the pharmacy, hopefully they go away soon.

I am on a boat.

So we left Giovanni which was sad and headed for our bus to Bari in order to catch the ferry to Greece. At this point the only dodgy occurence we would experience in Naples happened. We spent forever just trying to figure out where our bus would arrive because there was zero organisation going on there and once we did we sat down to wait for the bus. A guy came up to us to tell us to watch out for the 2 kids playing behind us (one about 3/4 years old the other about 1/2). So these 2 kids proceeded to get right up in our faces demanding we give them our Iced Teas and looking realling suspiciously at our bags and putting their hands out for money. It was just a really disturbing feeling to be scared that a toddler was going to steal your belongings.

So the bus ride was fine, no dramas and got a taxi straight to the port and boarded our ferry. It was actually a really nice boat, the facilities inside were very nice. We were greeted by a friendy staff member, Evangelos. He gave us a short tour and some free cokes. We only had deck tickets so we stored our baggage somewhere and just wandered for a while. We had some dinner on board and I played my DS and proceeded to embarrass Amanda because I was playing Mario Kart and I cannot be quiet when playing this game, so we got a few dirty looks.

Evangelos kept coming up to talk to us and said we should come up to the helipad at midnight for some wine. Now I assumed this dude was married with kids and was just being friendly cause he thought we were stupid tourists that would either a) tip him or b) spend ridiculous amounts of money on alcohol. So when he said this I thought he meant there were nice views from the helipad at midnight and some of the waiters go up there and serve wine, wrong! So we go up there and out comes Evangelos out of uniform and he gives us some red wine and rum and coke. So we struggle to have a conversation in broken english with him for about an hour just drinking. He starts saying how he will come to Athens with us and that we should come downstairs with him, AAAAAAH how do we get ourselves in these situations!!?? So he finally got the hint and left only for a German and Belgian to approach us to ask us to come and have some drinks at the bar. So we did because they were paying and it involved cookies so I was sold.

Once they started offering to take us to Athens in their truck and then to Turkey and that we should sleep in their trucks tonight etc that is when I decided to leave so I went to find somewhere to sleep while Manda stayed and drank with them till 6am. So i found a spare seat to attempt sleep on but the dude next to me kept touching me with his feet so I freaked and bailed. Found a little patch of unclaimed carpet and set up camp there for a few hours of interupted sleep. Got up, Evangelos gave me free cookies and a hot chocolate, had some breakfast and slept on and off on a couch I managed to score. The whole trip was really bizarre, it felt like it never happened.

Arrived in Patras to get on the bus to Athens and this bus ride was super comfy cause we had 2 seats each to ourselves. Our hostel was really easy to find once in Athens, its in a good location and its clean and the staff are nice etc. The only downside so far is that it is even hotter here than Italy! So we are currently trying to get Turkey sorted out, its difficult because we are trying to find a way around having to pay 150 Euros for a flight. So we will head down to Blue Star Ferrys today cause we have a plan in mind, we now have an extra night in Athens.

Ciao!

So today is our last day in Naples and it is kind of bittersweet. We have really enjoyed our stay here. We went up to Pompeii to see the ruins which stretched on for miles. The eeriest part of that experience was some preserved bodies from the disaster. A plaster had been poured over the bodies which cast them in the positions in which they died so some of the images were really disturbing, people with their head in their hands etc. We also climbed Vesuvio after this which was one of the best experiences of my life. The view from the top was amazing and the crater was huge. We thought we were going to die on the bus ride up there because the roads are windy and tiny and we were in a massive coach bus which had to beep its horn when going around corners in case another car was on the other side.

We had the best pizza of our lives the other night as well. Giovanni kindly went down to get it for us because when we went down the lady wouldnt let us inside cause it was so busy, not even for take away. So we are happy to be moving on to the next place but Naples has easily been one of my favorite places to far. So now we are off to Bari then from there we get a ferry to Patras where we get another bus to Athens. We have saved at least 80 Euro doing it this way opposed to getting a direct flight so despite all the traveling it will be worth it. We have decided to skip the Greek Islands as it is expensive and we hear that they are a bit overrated. So instead we are going to do a cruise on the coast of Turkey, ten times cheaper!!

In the grottooooooooo (sung in the tone of Elvis Prestley)

So we have been having a swell time in Naples. Wandered around the city were yes there is garbage and graffiti everywhere but the city is really....charming. The only way I could describe it is to say that the city looks "lived in". I think we are having a much better time due to being in a really good hostel. The hostel owner took me on a 2 hour motorbike ride around the city and once we had got onto the freeway I had to ask where the hell we were going, he was planning on taking me to Vesuvio ha ha which is ages away. He had left Manda in charge of the hostel while we were gone and I said we had to head back or she would get worried. But it was amazing, driving through the crazy traffic.

We caught the ferry to Capri, an island off the coast of Naples and got another small boat to the Blue Grotto. It was a bit of a rip off, 32 Euro for a return ticket from Capri to Naples. 12 Euro for the boat to the Grotto, then 11 Euro to get on the row boat that goes inside the Grotto. The Grotto was really beautiful though, extremely dark and you can only see the cave walls and the bright blue water. One of the boat captains was singing in Italian which made the whole experience quite surreal.

Afterwards we lay on the beach, the beaches here have no sand, it is all pebbles! We went for a swim, the water was PERFECT! So relaxing. Headed back to the hostel and cooked up an amazing pasta salad. Off to Pompeii tomorrow.

Napoli.

So today we got up super early so we could swing by the Vatican before we got the train to Naples. We didnt really sleep much anyway because it was disgustingly hot last night so up around 5 am showered and packed and out the door by 6 30. We were at the very beginning of the line for the Vatican and waited for 2 hours to be let in at 9am. This gave us at least 2 hours which was good but we only took about 1 and a half.

Some on the ceilings were really amazing and obviously it was surreal being in the Sistine Chapel however I didnt find the whole experience as awesome as I thought it would be. I literally expected to be completely blown away the entire time but I found myself feeling that I had been in the presence of much more outstanding art before but I guess its just one of those things you have to see. There was some Salvador Dali paintings in there too that we didnt know were there?

We had no hassles getting the train to Naples other than the fact that the train ride was really uncomfortable, the seats sucked but at least we got some. Other people had to stand the entire time! When we arrived we were a little scared in the cab ride to our hostel cause they drive like maniacs here! Vespas everywhere and our taxi driver side swiped one of them. The streets are ridiculously narrow. It really is amazing how different this place is to Rome, its like being in a completely different country. The whole city looks so dodgy and seedy but beautiful at the same time.

We are staying at a really great hostel. It is basically this guy named Giovannis house and when we got out the cab trying to find the place he was looking out the window calling my name ha ha. He had two cups of fresh water waiting for us when we climbed the ginormous stairs, the house he is in is really really old. There were two Canadian girls sitting at reception and we found out that when they arrived he said "Holly should be arriving soon so we will wait till she gets here before we start" and he was able to pick that I was Holly when we arrived, spooky. He sat us down and talked about the city etc for about an hour. Telling us how Naples used to be the capital etc and gave us some really interesting information about the place. He marked all the Mafia areas etc and pointed out all the good places to go. We will be making a day trip to Pompeii and Capri as well as a few other places he showed us pictures of that look amazing. I really think we are going to enjoy our stay here and I think I will simply put that down to being in a hostel where somebody is really friendly and passionate about the place he lives in and genuinely enjoys helping tourists to make the most of the place.