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Brandon O'Brien

Travel and Adventure Journal

I wanted a place to journal all my travels and adventures around the world. I always enjoy going back and reflecting on my past travels and getting to relive them through my words and photos.

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Exploring Prague

Exploring Prague

Saturday, September 28, 2013 @ 4:47 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 94

After checking into the hostel last night I started talking with an Australian guy in my room. We went out to the lobby and the lady working at the hostel counter had just ordered some Vietnamese food from across the street. It smelled good so we went out and had dinner there. When I get sick in Albuquerque I pretty much solely consume green chile stew or Vietnamese Pho to help fight the cold. I jumped at the chance to get some Pho which I happily spiced up with chile sauce.

After that, I watched Breaking Bad, took some cold meds then went to bed. This morning after breakfast I set out to walk around the town and explore Prague. I started out by walking to the famous Charles Bridge. By the time I got there it was already pretty crowded. The bridge goes to the other side of town where the castle, cathedral and basilica are on top of the hill.

I walked up there for some good views of the city. Unfortunately I got there in the early afternoon so the sun made it a little difficult to photograph and see the city. After that I walked down the hill and started on a walk outlined on a guide map that I was given at the hostel. The walk took me along the river through some parks and scenic parts of town.

Along the way I made a stop to try a trdelnik. It's actually a hungarian treat but they make them here as well. It's basically a cinnamon roll that's made by wrapping the bread around a rod and heating it up rotisserie style. Mine wasn't quite as warm as I was hoping for but it still tasted good.

The movie Mission Impossible (1996) was filmed partially in Prague so I ate the trdelnik by the river overlooking the Charles Bridge where they filmed several scenes in the movie. There was some kind of rowing race going on. It was funny to watch because each boat had someone yelling "row" but no one was doing it at the same time and it just looked like no one could follow directions. I'm sure whichever team got their act together and actually rowed on pace would have destroyed everyone else.

I started to follow another walk outlined on the map guide but decided to cut it a little early. I made it back to the old square / astronomical clock area where I was distracted by all the food stands set up. I read that while in Prague I really needed to try one of the sausages. Eventually I found a stand that was selling them and ordered one. Instead of being served on a normal bun like an american hot dog, they're served in a cut open baguette.

On the way back to the hostel I stopped at a grocery store and picked up some apples, oranges, a couple beers and some food for dinner. By the time I got back to the hostel it was getting close to 4 so I'll probably just stay here the rest of the night. My cold is still present so I'll take some more meds and hope that another full night of sleep helps.

Tomorrow I'll take another walk on the guide map which will take me through some parts of town I haven't visited yet. Some of the cities I've visited so far have maps by a company called Use-It. Each city map is created by locals for tourists. It's all free and they're usually really informative and don't have any kinds of ads or anything on them. That's what I've been using here in Prague.

Teaser photos:

Old Square
Old Square
Trdelnik - a hollow cinnamon roll
Trdelnik - a hollow cinnamon roll
Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge
John Lennon Wall
John Lennon Wall

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Tags: daily journal, czech republic, prague

Posted from: Czech Republic

Late Arrival in Prague

Late Arrival in Prague

Friday, September 27, 2013 @ 7:23 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 93

Today was pretty much entirely a travel day. I left Berlin around 12:45 this afternoon on a train for Prague. When we were in Dresden something went wrong with the engine and we had to wait around 45 minutes while they got us another engine car.

South of Dresden we started following a river and there were some really nice views along the way. The towns and villages we passed were very "old fashioned" looking and there seemed to be a pretty active mindset with people hiking and biking around.

I finally made it to Prague and checked into my hostel. I'll probably head out and get some food then call it an early night so I can help fight this cold.

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Tags: daily journal, czech republic, prague

Posted from: Czech Republic

It's all catching up with me

Thursday, September 26, 2013 @ 6:52 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 92

All of the cold wet weather, living in hostels, crappy sleep, and eating pasta several times a week finally caught up with me. Yesterday I started to feel a little out of it and by the time last night rolled around I could tell I was getting sick.

I went to bed really early last night in hopes of fighting the cold but I was tossing and turning all night, plus some of the people in my room started having a conversation at 3:30am again. I got up around 9, ate and then pretty much stayed at the hostel the rest of the day.

I ran out a couple times though... one to get some of Germany's Nyquil equivalent, another to get some fresh air by walking around the Alexanderplatz and a third to go get dinner. I cut my second outing short since it was pretty chilly and I figured that wasn't really doing me any good.

I was going to meet with Katja and Joerg tonight (friends of Scott and Stephanie) but because I'm feeling like crap and didn't want to get them sick we decided to call it off. Over the course of the day I booked the rest of my lodging in Italy which means I have everything taken care of between now and Paris. The only real thing left is to buy train tickets but all the ones left are simply regional trains that don't need reservations. I was looking at the weather for Italy and it looks like it's going to be much warmer and sunny which is going to be very welcome after two and a half weeks of wet and cold.

Tomorrow I get on a train to Prague where I'll spend 3 nights. I've heard great things about the city and I'm really hoping this cold doesn't keep me from seeing and doing everything I want to there.

Tags: daily journal, germany, berlin

Posted from: Germany

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

Wednesday, September 25, 2013 @ 4:37 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 91

The rain stayed away today so I spent the first half of the day out exploring. There's a huge section of the Berlin Wall not too far from the hostel called the East Side Gallery. I walked over there and walked along the stretch of wall. Most of the artwork on the wall was done in 2009 and only some of the stuff was original.

From there, I jumped on the S-Bahn and went to Alexanderplatz where I walked the Unter der Linden to the Brandenburg Gate. The walk is supposed to be a really scenic street but literally the entire road for about a mile was under construction. I'm not sure what the deal was but instead of being a peaceful stroll it was a frustrating mess of construction, people and diversions.

The Brandenburg Gate area was slammed pack full of people taking photos. I'm glad I was able to get some when I first arrived before people showed up. I didn't even bother trying to take any today because it was so crowded.

The Holocaust Memorial isn't too far from the Brandenburg Gate so I walked to it. It's a pretty cool grid of various sized rectangle concrete blocks over an uneven floor which makes walking through it pretty neat. I wanted to go back to the Victory Column but for some reason they had all the routes blocked off. I'm not sure what's getting ready to happen but it I couldn't head over there. Instead, I walked back to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof and got the connections back to the hostel.

Since getting back I've been working more on getting my travel and lodging booked between now and Paris. I was stumped how I was going to get from Vienna to Italy since all of the trains ran at funny times and I wasn't really too pumped about another overnight train experience. Instead, I simply booked an hour long flight from Vienna to Florence, Italy. From Florence I'll get a regional train to Lucca where I'll spend a couple days.

Tomorrow I'm going to head to Charlottenburg Palace which is supposed to be modeled after Versailles, including the expansive gardens.

Teaser photos:

Holocaust Memorial
Holocaust Memorial
Reichstag
Reichstag

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Tags: daily journal, berlin, germany

Posted from: Germany

Raaaaiiiinnnnn

Tuesday, September 24, 2013 @ 6:48 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 90

Some people in my room came in drunk at 4:45 this morning and proceeded to discuss food, religion, drinking and drug habits for an hour before finally going to bed. Needless to say I was pretty pissed off from being woken up that early and didn't really get good sleep after that.

It was raining when I woke up and hasn't stopped all day. I went to the Turkish Market that's pretty close to the hostel and got soaked. It would have been a fun time if it wasn't for the rain. There were tons of food, vegetable, fruit, bread, cloth, and misc vendors set up along a big street. Even in the rain it was still pretty busy.

Rather than deal with low 60's and constant rain I came back to the hostel to read and work. If the weather is nice tomorrow I'll head out and do some more exploring. If it's cold and raining again I'll probably just make it another working day. I'm passed the point in my travels where I feel the need to go out and get soaked all for a few photos. I saw the majority of what I wanted to see during the first two days when it was better weather.

Tags: daily journal, germany, berlin

Posted from: Germany

Checkpoint Charlie and Gypsy Scams

Checkpoint Charlie and Gypsy Scams

Monday, September 23, 2013 @ 9:19 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 89

I slept really well last night after the sleeper train the night before and hiking around with my backpack all day. This morning I got up, had a cup of coffee and then went out to get some food. Since all the markets were closed yesterday I didn't have a chance to pick up any breakfast food.

I went to Lidl and got an apple pastry for breakfast, lunch stuff (bread, strawberry preserves and fake Nutella) and some pasta for dinner. Back at the hostel I ate my breakfast and had some more coffee then set off for Checkpoint Charlie. Even though I have an unlimited train card, I wanted to get some fresh air and the walk was pretty nice.

Checkpoint Charlie is in the middle of a busy street surrounded by all kinds of restaurants, shops, street food vendors (Checkpoint Curry anyone?) and souvenir stands. There was also an outdoor museum with a lot of information about Checkpoint Charlie, the wall and the history surrounding it all.

From there I headed north and then got diverted over to Museum Island due to road construction. I saw the Berlin Cathedral and walked around some of the museums. I didn't go in any of them due to the entry costs being so high. Maybe later in the week I'll venture into one though.

One thing to note... for some reason there are a lot of... for a lack of a better word... gypsies, out around Berlin. I'm not sure what the scam is but I walked around enough today to pick up a sense for something not being right. Basically what happens is a young boy or girl will come up to you asking if you speak english. They have some kind of leaflets in their hand as well. All of this takes place in busy areas and their parents/cohorts aren't usually too far away.

I never acknowledged them so I'm not sure how the scam plays out, but I'm assuming they find out you speak English and either try to sell you some kind of leaflet or use it to distract you while someone else conveniently "bumps" into you and makes off with your valuables. I've read about those scams enough online to think that's probably what's going on.

Anyway, after museum island I went back to Alexanderplatz where I ate lunch and walked through a huge electronics store called Saturn. I was hoping I could get an actual European plug for my laptop so I didn't have to keep using my adapter. Unfortunately they didn't sell just the cord I needed.

I came back to the hostel and worked for several hours before making dinner. I overheard some people at the hostel today talking about how every Tuesday and Friday there's a huge Turkish outdoor market. It's within easy walking distance from my hostel so I'm going to head over there tomorrow and check it out.

Teaser photos:

Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie
Berlin Cathedral
Berlin Cathedral

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Tags: daily journal, germany, berlin

Posted from: Germany

I made it to Berlin!

I made it to Berlin!

Sunday, September 22, 2013 @ 4:41 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 88

The train ride last night went pretty well. I watched the countryside go by until it got dark, read for a bit and then went to sleep. I got up around 6 to get ready for the arrival into the Berlin HBF. The first thing I did when I got to the train station was buy a 7 day unlimited card for use on the S bahn and U bahn (underground and above ground trains).

I had a chai tea latte and a muffin for breakfast then started walking around the area near the train station. I saw the Reichstag (German Parliament building), the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column. All in all it was about 4 miles of walking first thing in the morning.

I got on the train to Alexanderplatz and walked around there for a bit. I saw the Berliner Fernsehturm (a giant tower in the middle of town). I ended up having some beer and tried some currywurst. I've been trying to try some of the local food wherever I go and currywurst was recommended for Berlin. It's basically a bratwurst cut up and covered in a curry/ketchup sauce and served with a roll. It was pretty good.

I got on the train to the area near my hostel which ended up being a really lively area full of Turkish restaurants, cafes, bars, markets and people everywhere. I eventually found the hostel and got checked in.

I walked over to a Lidl to get some food for the next few nights but unfortunately I forgot that most groceries are closed on Sunday. I'm getting pretty hungry but I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet for food. I'll probably have to give one of the turkish places a try since another food that was recommended to try in Berlin is a Doner (basically a Turkish version of the gyro).

I'm already feeling tired as well so I don't think tonight will be a late one. Tomorrow I'll set out to do some more exploring around the city.

Teaser photos:

Brandenburg Gate - Berlin
Brandenburg Gate - Berlin
Top of the Victory Column
Top of the Victory Column
TV Tower and the Alexanderplatz
TV Tower and the Alexanderplatz

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Tags: daily journal, berlin, germany

Posted from: Germany

Night Train to Berlin

Saturday, September 21, 2013 @ 2:12 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 87

I'm writing this post a little early since I don't know when I'll have WiFi next. I've just been working on ClearCheckbook for the last few hours at the hostel. My train for Berlin leaves tonight at 7:00pm so I've got plenty of time to kill. I'm not exactly looking forward to a night on the train (at least I have a bunk in a 6 bunk room) but it's better than spending an extra night paying for a hostel then wasting an entire day on the train.

I'll probably head out in another hour or so and make my way up through the city to the train station. I'd rather stay here where I can get some work done though.

Amsterdam has been a cool place to visit and I think 4 full days was about the right amount of time. Unfortunately due to the weather I wasn't able to rent a bicycle and ride up to the windmills that are about 15 miles north of town. That was something I was looking forward to but I didn't want to risk getting caught in a chilly downpour for hours on a bike.

I've got 5 nights planned in Berlin before I head south to Prague in the Czech Republic.

Tags: daily journal, netherlands, amsterdam

Posted from: Netherlands

Van Gogh

Van Gogh

Friday, September 20, 2013 @ 4:58 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 86

Last night I headed out with a bunkmate named Antony from Australia. We had some drinks and got rained on while walking around the city. We passed through the red light district which seemed pretty wild at night.

This morning I took my time eating breakfast, answered a few emails (from up in my room... the WiFi here has been having some MAJOR issues lately but it appears to be cleared up now), then set out just before lunch to see the Van Gogh Museum.

I picked up a ticket by the I Amsterdam statue which got me in a "fast track" style admission line. It didn't cost any more but it saved me about 45 minutes worth of waiting in line. They only let people in every 2 hours to keep the amount of people in there from being too crazy. My ticket let me in at 1:00 so I had a sandwich and read by the I Amsterdam statue.

With about 15 minutes before entry, I went to the museum and still had to wait in line. It went really fast though and I was in the museum pretty soon after 1. The museum had several floors full of Van Gogh's work plus some other people who inspired him. I got to see a lot of his most famous pieces up close. Unfortunately Starry Night wasn't there. I was looking forward to seeing that one.

I spent 2 hours walking around and figured I'd leave before the next mass of people came flooding in. I bought some mixed veggies for dinner then came back to the hostel. It appears the WiFi issue has been fixed and it actually works down in the lounge now. Hopefully it stays that way tonight.

I have all day tomorrow to kill in Amsterdam before boarding my train to Berlin tomorrow night. I still need to print my train tickets. I'll either do that at the hostel if they're able or I'll have to find an internet cafe.

Teaser photos:

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Tags: daily journal, netherlands, amsterdam

Posted from: Netherlands

More of Amsterdam

More of Amsterdam

Thursday, September 19, 2013 @ 5:03 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 85

Today I went to the Anne Frank House. It took about a half hour to get to the ticket counter. Once inside it felt a bit like a cattle drive where there was just one continuous line that you followed as you made your way through the various rooms of the old house, attic and warehouse that made up the museum.

Putting the sheer number of people aside, it was actually humbling to see where her and her family and four others spent several years. The museum had excerpts from her diary and journals everywhere and most rooms had history about what happened there or what the room was used for.

I ate lunch outside the museum then, once again, aimlessly walked around Amsterdam. I eventually stumbled across the red light district and walked through there and then Chinatown. The smell from all the food in Chinatown was making me hungry again. I stopped for a beer and then went back down to the Albert Cuyp street again and bought another giant stroopwafel as a snack.

Back at the hostel I did a little work offline (the wifi here is obnoxiously horrible). I found out that I can get a shred of internet if I work in my bed. The wifi in the lounge simply won't connect either my phone or laptop.

I bought some wine that I'll have tonight with dinner. Not sure what I'll do after that. I guess it depends on whether or not it's supposed to rain. It would be fun to see Amsterdam at night but I don't feel like getting drenched.

Teaser photos:

Part of the line to get into the Anne Frank House
Part of the line to get into the Anne Frank House

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Tags: daily journal, netherlands, amsterdam

Posted from: Netherlands

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