European Adventure 2008

From TheGredil

Trip Facts

Trip distance	4767km by car and train starting and finishing in Brussels
Places visited	9 countries and 10 cities
Highest altitude	3040m at Mt Titlis
Lowest altitude	-2m in Amsterdam
Hottest temp	31 degrees in Munich
Coldest temperature	2 degrees somewhere between Luxembourg and Brussels (Mt Titlis was 4)
Longest single stretch of road	438km somewhere in France (a welcome rest for the GPS)
Amount paid in tolls	A$264 (A$193 to the French alone)
Shortest stay in a country	4.5 hours in Liechtenstein

The Plan

As a farewell to Europe we did a three week driving tour of nine countries throughout the continent.
Click on the image to enlarge

How are we doing?!

The following is a Google Earth track of our progress so far. The various colours give an idea of the altitudes as we travel around. This will be updated as often as we can depending on internet access.

You can look at the tracks yourself in Google Earth by clicking on the following (you will need Google Earth installed for this):

NB: It is recommended that you turn OFF terrain and other layers for best viewing.

Click on the image to enlarge

Belgium

We arrived in Belgium after a long day of travelling. Our train out of Scarborough was 45 minutes late but we managed to get into St Pancras International on time. We checked straight in and found the terminal to be very barren. There was one coffee shop and one restaurant/bar. After all the hype surrounding the terminal is was bleak to say the least. It did have free internet access which gave us something to do at least. The actual Eurostar trip was good, although when airlines and railways start putting parties travelling with children together, instead of spreading them throughout, everyone's journeys will become more pleasant.

We arrived in Brussels at 2230 and found our way to the Metro system. A quick chat with the very helpful English speaking attendant and we had our tickets and were heading down to the Underground. Like many Europe cities the Underground system is well organised and efficient with us never having to wait more than a few minutes for a train, easily getting on and finding our way around. After a short walk through misty streets that were surprisingly quiet for a Friday night we made it to our hotel (NH Grand Place Arenberg Hotel).

Cathedrale St. Michel - next door to our hotel	Leisa with Manneken-Pis, Brussels' oldest inhabitant	The Royal Square	Palais Royal
The Cinquantenaire Arch	European Commission	Grand Place	Grand Place

Amsterdam

We arrived in Amsterdam after a very smooth train ride, which included a free lunch. It was nice to have things go smoothly this time. We easily found the tram that we needed and were on our way to our hotel ready to begin the next stage in our European adventure.

Amsterdam was a nice city, not as nice as other cities we have been to but still very pleasant. We were amazed by the sheer number of bicycles in Amsterdam, we literally watched thousands ride by as we sat and watched from the pub. We spent a large amount of time sitting in pubs drinking Heineken, watching people ride past. It is definitely the best way to get around the city.

Amsterdam is entwined by kilometres of canals, some of the tree lined ones were very pleasant to wander down, especially at sunset. This was in stark contrast to the red light district which was lined with scantily clad women advertising themselves in the windows.

You can get most places in central Amsterdam by tram which we put to use to visit Vondelpark, a picturesque park on the outskirts of the city. We wandered the park for a while, where Leisa made a new friend. We finished our park exploration by enjoying an afternoon icecream in the sun.

Tram past Dam Square	Heineken Brewery	Leisa makes a friend	Even the Police use the transport of choice...
...as do the taxis	One of the many beautiful Canals at Dusk	Another Canal	Fountain on our way to Vondelpark

Hamburg

Once we had found our car hire place in Amsterdam we hit the road for Hamburg. We were soon on the motorway and had a very uneventful drive. It wasn't long before we crossed into Germany and into the unrestricted speed limits. Due to the large number of trucks and other cars we weren't able to go overly fast but it was strange to legally go 180kmh. Luckily our hotel was on the outskirts of Hamburg so it was an easy drive in for the right hand drive novices.

After a good nights sleep and a filling breakfast it was time to get out and explore Hamburg. We walked to the nearest train station, figured out how to buy tickets and jumped on the train into the city centre. We were amazed by the variety of buildings and soon found our way to Rathaus, Hamburg's City Hall. Unfortunately we weren't able to fully explore the buildings as the only way to do so is on a tour which were not running on the day we were there.

After exploring the opulent lobby of Rathaus we headed out towards St Nikolai Kirche, the antiwar memorial. The building is testament to the devastation inflicted on Hamburg during World War II. It was not rebuilt after the bombings and it's charred shell is all that still stands as a reminder. We went up the 75 metre lift and were greeted with fantastic views over Hamburg. There were also some very chilling photos of the aftermath of the bombings taken from the top of the burnt-out church. Nothing in Hamburg was left untouched by the bombings which explained the variety of buildings we saw on our way around.

We then spent the afternoon wandering around Hamburg and came across Grosse Wallanlagen, a large park near the city centre containing a roller-blading rink, many cafes, lakes and even a mini-golf course which we couldn't resist the temptation to play on. It was very nice to wander around a nice peaceful park after being in the city. This is something the Europeans do well. We easily found our way to the nearest underground station and thanks to the efficient German rail system were back near our hotel in about 10 minutes ready for our trip to Munich the next day.

Central Hamburg	Rathaus, Hamburg City Hall	View of Hamburg from St Nikolai Kirche	A comparison of the aftermath of the WW2 bombing from the top of St Nikolai Kirche
The charred remains of St Nikolai Kirche	Hamburg Park	Hamburg Park	Minigolf in Hamburg Park

Denmark

We decided that seeing as we were so close to the German Denmark border that we may as well head into Denmark for lunch. After a rather boring two hour drive we arrived in the small coastal town of Sonderborg. We found a place to park and set off wandering down the main street of the town centre.

After exploring Sønderborg a little we headed over the bay to Dybbøl which was home to the battle of 1864 between Germany and Denmark. We were quite amazed to see just how much the border has moved over the last 200 years.

The waterfront at Sønderborg

Leisa attempting to fire the cannon at Dybbøl

A typical view in Denmark

The memorial and historical centre for the 1864 war

Munich

We were looking forward to getting back to Munich to see the sights we didn't get to explore much last year. It was an 8.5 hour drive from Hamburg in which we got to see some German countryside. We arrived fairly late so left the exploring to the following day. It took us a while to find the local train station and after wandering around in circles for a while we were on our way to the Munich city centre. It was a fairly warm, sunny day which made it perfect for wandering around the English Gardens. The English Gardens is one of the largest city centre parks in Europe. It is a huge public space full of parkland, natural flora, lakes and drinking/eating spots. We spent hours wandering the many paths winding through the park before stopping off at one of the beer gardens for lunch. We then moved on to the large lake where we hired a boat and paddled around a while. It was a very pleasant way to spend the day.

Last time we were in Munich the home of BMW was being rebuilt so we wanted to come back and see the finished product. BMW has a huge complex containing the BMW plant, the museum and BMW Welt, a huge architectural marvel which doubles as huge showroom and BMW “experience” with most of there fleet on display and exhibitions of their technology and engineering. To give you an idea of the extent of the Welt it contains two restaurants plus a coffee shop, two shops, an auditorium and a business centre plus the showroom itself. We spent most of the afternoon ogling cars, shopping and wandering around the five storey museum.

Making the most of the Autobahn	Bayerische Staatskanzlei	Surfing in Munich	On the lake in the English Gardens
On the lake in the English Gardens	One of the paths winding through the English Gardens	Leisa in one of the rivers flowing through the Gardens	BMW Welt display (this one not for sale though)
BMW Welt	BMW Welt	BMW Museum	Concept car at BMW Museum

On our last day in southern Germany we went for a drive along Romantic Road which took us out to Fussen which is home to Neuschwanstein Castle which is rumoured to be the inspiration for the Disney Castle. On our way we stopped in Augsburg for a bite to eat. We then travelled through numerous small German towns including Wieskirche, home to an UNESCO world heritage church which was truly amazing. The scenery along the way was pleasant and the view of the castle and the surrounding area was spectacular.

Augsburg	Augsburg	The drive to Fussen	Wieskirche UNESCO world heritage church
Wieskirche UNESCO world heritage church	Fussen	Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen	Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen

Austria

The drive to Switzerland via Austria was one filled with dramatic, stunning scenery. We went through countless tunnels as we winded our way through the Alps. Our first stop was at Chiemsee Lake, a large lake just south of Munich. Here we had a view across to the mountains which we were about to drive through. We then headed south towards Austria and were excited to see the mountains getting closer and closer, growing in the distance.

We were soon into Austria, deep in the mountains, driving along narrow, windy tunnel ridden roads surrounded by sheer cliffs, rivers, waterfalls and thick forests. On our way back out of the mountains we stopped off at the Krimml Waterfalls which were stunning. By this stage it was fairly late in the afternoon so we headed towards the Swiss border. As Switzerland is not part of the EU we had our first proper border crossing where we had our passports checked for the first time. We didn't have to wait very long and we were through the gates and into Switzerland.

Chiemsee Lake near Munich	The drive up the mountains	View from the chairlift in Lienz	Waterfall at Krimml
Adventurer Leisa at Krimml Waterfals	The view from the mountain near Krimml	The view from the mountain near Krimml

Switzerland & Liechtenstein

We awoke in Zurich and grabbed a tram into the city for some breakfast followed by some shopping. Due to the rise of the Euro and the correction of the over-inflated Pound shopping hasn't been great on our trip. But with us now on the ever-stable Swiss Franc accompanied by a low Swiss tax rate shopping was suddenly more inviting. Zurich is a beautiful, well organised city with a crystal-clear river and lake surrounded by old, yet well maintained and elegant buildings. Most glisten with stunning, classy, shop-fronts while many are more elusive as to what lurks within, adding to the charm. After a solid few hours shopping and admiring it was time to move on as Zurich was only planned as a stop-over.

Liechtenstein is a small country between Austria and Switzerland. Whilst technically its own country, it appears to the outsider as a little runaway Switzerland. We drove into the centre of the capital (what would compare to a small rural centre in Australia) and set out to see what it had to offer. Not a lot, apparently. Whilst the “city” was very neat, well maintained and opulent there wasn't much to see. Unfortunately the museum, their main draw-card was closed so after a bite to eat and coffee in a sophisticated little bar on the main street we decided to head up the mountain for the views. An hour or so on some incredibly windy little roads the views, as with much of this region were dazzling.

Crossing the bridge into Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein Castle	The main pedestrian mall in Liechtenstein	Heading up the mountain in Liechtenstein
The views from Mount Titlis	More stunning view from Mt Titlis	Just to prove we were actually there	In the centre of Bern
Just what the world's missing... more hungry ogres	The river that winds through Bern	The river that winds through Bern	You can't visit Switzerland without stocking up

Bern

On our first day in Bern we decided to do a day trip out to Mt Titlis, a 3000m high mountain near Lucerne. It took 40 minutes and three separate lifts to get to the top. The way up was filled with some amazing views of the Swiss Alps as we passed over fields, forests, lakes and ice. At the bottom of the mountain it was a pleasant sunny day but the temperature soon dropped to single digits as we climbed. At the top, we could feel our lungs working that little bit harder to suck the oxygen out of the thinner air. Once we eventually arrived at the top, we went out and took in the amazing views and walked through the snow. We managed to make time for a quick snowball fight before heading in for a mountain top lunch. After lunch we watched the cloud rise up out of the mountains and once it had consumed our view we headed back down and hit the road.

Our second day in Bern consisted of exploring the city centre and hitting the shops for some more retail therapy. Bern is a small, plain city penned in by a windy river so it didn't long take long to see the sites. After the day exploring and shopping we went back to the hotel and prepared for the long drive to Andorra.

Andorra

For some reason which we are yet to figure out, Andorra maps are not available on Satellite Navigation which made our drive into Andorra that little bit more interesting. Luckily there aren't many roads in Andorra so with a basic map we were easily able to find our way to the capital, Andorra la Vella. This was where it got difficult. We had written down directions on how to get to our hotel which would have been great if any of the streets were sign posted. We ended up driving around in circles for a while before we stumbled upon our hotel, 15 hours after we had set off from Bern. As we drove through the Pyrenees at sunset we were treated to some spectacular views. From the warmth of the lowlands to watching the dusk sunlight cutting through the fog covered mountains we found ourselves in need of a change of clothes as the temperature had dropped over 20 degrees.

Andorra la Vella is a small city with never ending traffic jams and excessive consumerism. It seems to be on the verge of exploding with development at every turn. We spent our day there wandering around the city to see what the little country had to offer, taking in the views and generally relaxing. We were yet again spoilt by the scenery and would love to come back to see it all covered in snow in winter.

Andorra la Vella	Andorra la Vella	Andorra la Vella
Some of the inspiring scenery of the Pyrenees	A little more of the scenery of the Pyrenees	The winding roads we took through the Pyrenees to Andorra	Us, spoiling the view, in the Pyrenees

Dijon

The drive to Dijon took us along the French coast where we experienced some extremely strong winds. This made for a more difficult drive than we had previously encountered. We stopped off in Dijon to break up our trip from Andorra to Luxembourg. It is a fairly small city and offered a good chance to have a break. After exploring the centre we headed back to our hotel for a afternoon nap and to get ready for the short drive to Luxembourg.

Luxembourg

We spent a day and a half in Luxembourg relaxing, shopping and taking in the beautiful city. Albeit small, Luxembourg is an attractive city with beautiful gardens, elegant architecture and stylish shopping.

After lunch we drove to a smaller town to the north of the capital called Diekirch. This town is home to the Musee National D'Histoire Militaire. It contained a massive array of vehicles, weapons, ammunition, uniforms and more, primarily from the Second World War. The huge amount of artefacts are crammed into a pre-war brewery which still bares scares of the fierce fighting that took place in Luxembourg. Many of the items are cleverly arranged into static displays taking the visitor to many scenarios centred primarily around the Battle of the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge).

We slipped out of Luxembourg under the cover of darkness at around 0400. Due to the recent fire in the Channel Tunnel many trains had been cancelled so we needed to get there earlier than planned to try and get an early train in order to make our connection. The drive to Brussels was an easy one with one motorway connecting the two cities and the roads unsurprisingly quiet at that time of morning. It took us less than 2 hours to drive between the two. We dropped the car off and headed to the Eurostar terminal where we were lucky enough to make the 0900 train so we would make our connection back to the UK. Leisa & Jade's “Farewell To Europe” Adventure complete.

Luxembourg City	The natural gardens and park around Luxembourg City	The natural gardens and park around Luxembourg City	Luxembourg City
Diekirch Museum of National Military History. Photo shows remains of damage done to what was the town brewery, now part of the museum.	An example of the staggering amount of war equipment of display at Diekirch Museum	Another sample of overwhelming array of military relics	One of the many clever displays giving the visitor a slight insight into a WW2 battle

European Adventure 2008

From TheGredil

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