Bilious Blog…Around Europe in 80 days#80

So this is it…the final blog.It’s somehow fitting I find myself in the hotel bar whilst it’s absolutely pissing it down.I’m directly opposite Lille Flanders railway station,my room is two floors up and the beer’s good,if a bit pricey…no point in going out exploring so might as well stay here and write this…

I’m not really sure what to say now.A bit tongue tied and all that.I mean it’s been both fun and very eye opening at the same time and not as tiring as you’d imagine.I think that might have something to do with not having to go back to work when I get back.If I were I would probably be crawling in like a cartoon fella lost in the desert…it’s all psychological.

Oh there’s a Scottish family staying here.How do I know they’re Scottish? Cos’s they’re dressed head to toe in Scottish football gear…

Storm Bastard seems to have hit…is it called something else in France? Anyway if I did have a thought of leaving the hotel that’s gone with the wind and rain…it’s a window rattller that’s for sure…plus I have just had onion soup so the windows will be rattling from both sides…

The soup was good but nowhere near as good as the tomato soup I had in Leipzig.It’s the best I’ve ever tasted and quite possibly the best of any food I have had.The cafe is called Spizz in Leipzig Markt and if you’re there go try it…the worst food I had was sadly in Lyon.I know,France right? To explain it was 40c and I was walking past a fast food joint by a museum felt their air conditioning as I strolled past and just had to have some relief.Of course I had to buy something so had a burger.The half eaten burgers dotting the tables should have been the red flag and mine soon joined them…how the hell do you get a burger so wrong?

But in general all the food has been fine.Some more than others with Italy coming out on top.Sorry France but it’s true,Italian food beats yours hands down…as for beer I can’t remember a bad drink but of course the Czechs win that particular race…

There hasn’t been any place I have been to I have  hated.Some have not quite lived up to expectations like Ceske Budejovice,which inexplicably closed at 10pm but others have exceeded expectations by miles.Graz for one and Genoa too.Both tip top places…I have also met and got drunk with some fascinating people. 

Of course the old favourites were still great like Berlin,Hamburg & Düsseldorf…but new favourites have been added including Copenhagen and a little placed called Paris,which I personally think is a great place despite its reputation and as that was my first port of call it got the trip off to a great start…

The trains for the vast majority of the time have been superb,on time ,clean & comfortable.The one exception was in the south of France between Nice & Lyon.But maybe that was just down to the mad weather.I had to change my t- Shirt in the bogs as the other one was sticking to me.Horrendous…there have always been little hiccups but nothing mental…

That’s just a quick summary of how it went.Nothing outrageously bad happened to me either with other people or with my health.Was I lucky? Probably but maybe most of us don’t live on a knife edge constantly…it was just a great experience.I may do it again but possibly for a month shorter.We will see…

Next is probably a little crew of us Wolves fans will head off to Berlin in May for a punk festival called Punk & Disorderly…this festival was really the catalyst for my Interrail trips…early 2016 we’d been to a Wolves game and were talking about David Bowie dying and I mentioned I’d always wanted to go to Berlin and the punk festival came up.Clearly one of our group hadn’t read up on the etiquette of having eight pints,making plans then spending weeks hoping everyone else had forgotten cos’ a few days later tickets,flights & accommodation were sorted and I fell in love with Berlin on sight and also with the idea of seeing more of Europe…also there’s Euro Championships in Germany in June too…

Anyway I am hunkered down here tonight whilst Storm Bastard does It’s bit…It’s been great doing this blog and also that many of you seem to appreciate it.Thanks one and all…Caio!

Bilious Blog…Around Europe in 80 days#79

Since saying I might do a blog on tips of interrailing around Europe I have have been inundated with people stopping me in the street with tears in their eyes saying they need me more than ever in these uncertain times…sorry momentarily turned into Laurence “Lozza” Fox then…nah one person said it might be a good idea( hi Nige!) and if that’s not a mandate from the masses I don’t know what is…

This isn’t gonna be a what to do/what not to do thing.You’re all grown adults I presume…just a few tips on how I have got the best out of my Interrail ticket( not sponsored either unfortunately) I have done it a couple of times now with both a paper ticket & a phone app and even as someone not entirely comfortable with modern technology the phone app wins hands down.I think Interrail will probably make the paper one obsolete soon anyway.It’s the way of the world…

So if you’ve never done it before and fancy a go the first thing is get a battery bank.Mine was about £25 and it’s a bit of a bulky item but I got it about seven years ago( still works great) but I would think like video recorders when they first came out they were as big as the Ark Royal but over the years slimmed down to After Eight size so that’s how Battery Banks are going…anyway you can’t alway rely on train power points so have your own on the go…

Go to the Interrail website and they have a myriad of tickets to suit your needs.It’s easy to negotiate and to also download the app & ticket…it also helps that you can purchase the ticket up to eleven months before travelling.That Xmas bonus will be better spent on that than silly old presents nobody really wants…

If you’re travelling from the UK it can be used for Eurostar both out & in but you will have to reserve seats at £32 each way( it’s Eurostars way of grabbing some money back) again there’s a facility on the Interrail site to do this.Strangely Eurostar insist on paperwork so you’ll have to print it off your email(god they’re so behind the times!) You won’t get on without it…oh and keep the email on your phone cos’ you might do something stupid like putting your return reservation through the wash at a toasty 40c…not that anyone is that idiotic…

Once you’re in Europe proper you can start using the app properly.It’s valid in ( I think) 33 countries so pretty wide ranging.The app gives you every possible train you might want to take so for instance if you fancy going from Paris to Bilbao on Sunday May 18th just put that It and it give all the trains that day,all the changes,how long it takes and even if you need seat reservations ( if it says you do in red then you do.I got fined for ignoring it.In blue it’s just recommended.Blue is normally cheaper) it will also say if the change between trains is short or not,usually ten minutes or less.That gives you the option of maybe switching to a later train at the change over.Something I have done several times…I would rather hang around for another hour,relax,have a drink & smoke rather than dash around like Speedie Gonzalez on whizz getting all hot,bothered & irate…

That is one thing the phone ticket has over the paper one.You can change it mid journey.With the paper ticket you write in your details and you’re locked in and if you change it they can refuse travel.I have actually changed my phone ticket on the train I am travelling on.It’s a great thing to be able to do…I have not had one problem when it came to ticket inspection after well over 30 journeys…

That’s really the nuts and bolts of it as far as the ticket goes.I’d recommend it to anyone if they’re so like minded…it’s liberating.

As for the other things.well…even if you mostly transact via bank card always carry some local cash( usually Euros) If like me you budgeted at the lower priced hotels then book early if you can( I got some great deals) they’re basic but all have been fine and most en suite.Don’t expect a laundry service but there’s usually a laundry near by and they’re easy to suss out…

I always try to get to a new destination in the daylight as mainline stations are usually a magnate for the less desirable elements,although in saying that I have no trouble in nearly three months…but it’s better to be safe.I always download the local transport app of wherever I am and buy a 24 hour ticket each day,usually between 6-9 euros.Had my ticket checked on several occasions so it’s not worth it trying to dodge.. 

Also I tend to use the tram mostly in cities.For one thing I’m never sure what the protocol is on buses and you see more of the city from the tram “ oh look they have a Woolies” 

If the app says you need reservations for your next trip then go to the mainline station ticket office.Usually it’s a 15 minute wait and it takes no time.I had to get one today for my trip to Lille tomorrow.It was €9 and I was in and out in 20 minutes…

Finally if you like stats the app will give you the lowdown on all the data including a little map of your trip…even down to how long spent on trains.I’m over three days now…

So yea go for it,..This trip has been the best thing I’ve ever done and would I do it again? In a heartbeat..,

Hope this has been helpful…Caio.

Ps I forgot to ad…three apps I have found invaluable are Google Maps(obviously) Google Translate( not always accurate but close enough.Once had an entire conversation with a Czech bloke via it) and Citymapper which gives you the lowdown on all the transport available in each city including all the stops on each tram & bus route.All been a great help and if none of that works don’t be too proud to ask someone..,

Bilious Blog…Around Europe in 80 days#78

Got to Mainz station early as per usual so changed my Interrail app and got an earlier train.No point hanging around when I could be moving…unfortunately got caught up in a carriage with everyone trying to find their seats and by the time I got into a relatively empty one all the best seats were taken.The best seats being the ones on the right hand side of the train heading north from Mainz to Bonn…this is because of the view.( I missed out on the way down owing to it being on a different route) I have seen it before a few years ago so no biggy…

If you are ever of a mind to take a train ride through Germany the journey between Bonn to Mainz is a treat.It goes down the Rhine Gorge and takes about an hour.I think the drivers deliberately go slower so people can enjoy it…picture perfect villages on either side of the river shadowed by steep sided hills with vineyards cascading down the slopes.I think they must employ those goats that stick to the sides of mountains to harvest the crop,no human could do it…dotted about everywhere are the kind of castles usually seen in guide books and probably built for European nobility with names like Heinrich the Inbred Halfwit and Ludwig the Lockjawed Lascivious Loon…but they look great,unlike their original owners…honestly it’s worth a trip.Going south get the left side and obviously the right side going north…

Got to Cologne too early to check in so went for a drink in the bar hitched to the hotel at the front by the river.There’s usually a picture of Cologne featuring the cathedral,bridge and three olde worlde brightly coloured houses.The hotel is right by all of those.Indeed my room looks out on the river & bridge but not the cathedral as that’s behind me…apparently the hotel building is dated from 1245 but at least it has a lift! Wake up Berlin! 

It seems good though.Any Hotel with a river side bar can’t be bad…because the tourists have now gone it’s probably gonna be pretty quiet but in the height of summer I’d rather a hotel a bit further inland cos‘ I imagine it gets pretty rowdy down here at times…

So I have tomorrow in Cologne,Wednesday in Lille then I head to Paris to get the Eurostar back to Blighty and that’s it.Journey done and dusted.and it barely feels like it’s been ten weeks.In truth I don’t really want to come back yet but rules is rules and I don’t think I can do any more time owing to my time being up.Not sure when the next batch of time permitted to be abroad starts.I assume it’s at the start of the year…anyway it’s been a blast.I was thinking of maybe doing a few tips in the next two blogs for anyone who wants to do what I’m doing around Europe…will see how I feel…

For the moment Caio…but as usual I might be back..,

Ps The outside area of the bar I’m drinking in has about a dozen mice dashing about.It’s a bit weird but everyone is like “Meh,what can you do?”

Bilious Blog.. Around Europe in 80 days#77

That’s it Mainz.Thank you It was great…ended up in a Bulgarian bar close to where I was staying.At first I thought it was Turkish because there were hairy dark blokes in there speaking in a tongue unfamiliar and lots of terrible ethnic sounding music in the background…oh and I’m also very adept at stereotyping…But I then noticed the Bulgarian flag on the wall…

Had a beer which was very cheap and then another and suddenly the barmaid came over with a  schnapps “ for you “ it was from the boss who was sitting with three of his mates.So of course I said thanks and we exchanged the Bulgarian equivalent of dinner party small talk and I then confirmed it was indeed a Bulgarian bar…heavy on machismo as you can probably guess.But I wanted to go,but I also thought if I leave after accepting this free drink I’m going to look a prat and also I don’t know how certain cultures react in such circumstances…In Britain we’d probably tut and say “ bit rude” in Bulgaria do you get dragged round the back,put in a Winnie Mandela necklace and set alight? 

So I did the decent thing and bought the table,myself & the barmaid a schnapps.I was batting for England and as six schnapps came in at €12 it was a cheap gesture but it went down well and I could leave with my head held high before the big bottles hit the table and I ended up in a Balkon v UK drinking competition…

Early in the day I went to Wiesbaden.Nice place only about 15 mins away on the train.As it was a Sunday and early it’s always hard to make out how a place is but it was clean with plenty of shops not boarded up,plenty of bars & cafes etc so I suppose it was doing ok…I’m always very impressed how in every German city except Berlin the cleaning crews do an early Sunday shift to clean up after the Saturday booze up…anyway it has the history,a big cathedral and bars so that’s all you need really…

Off to Cologne in a few hours.Only a two hour train journey.I have deliberately made these last few train trips shorter the closer I get to the end.I figured I’d be getting a bit sick of hanging around stations and then sitting on a train for five/six hours and that’s pretty much the case.Had most of the long hauls when I was still bouncing around like an excited puppy dog…I always seem to use Cologne as a starter or finishing point on any journey I make( either this one or when I have been round Germany) as it’s got direct links with Eurostar.I should give it a proper go sometime…This time I am staying right next to the magnificent Hohenzollern Brücke which is pretty cool…

Outside having a smoke yesterday morning chatting to a fella doing similar and it turned out there was a one day wine festival thing going on and he was one of the musicians.If I got it right it was some kind of rock/ ummpah hybrid…not really sure as I was zoning out a bit…

Thought I’d leave you with the image of a rock ummpah combo.. Ciao.

Bilious Blog…Around Europe in 80 days#76

When I get into a new city it’s usually early afternoon as most hotels don’t check in till then so I try to tailor my train journey accordingly.There are variations of course but that’s my aim.If I know the place then I quickly get myself sorted and head out,if not I either stay local or pop into town depending how close I am…in Mainz I popped into town as I’m only two tram stops away from the Hauptbahnhof.It was a Friday but seemed pretty quiet…

Then yesterday I was out early to explore the town.I have to admit I was beginning to think I’d picked a dud.It was so empty and I couldn’t find anything that resembled a centre of the city( my Google Maps was down as was much of the Wi-Fi in patches) Ah well them’s the breaks…then I stumbled upon everyone.If you have seen The Walking Dead there’s a scene early on where the main protagonist turns a corner of a seemingly abandoned city only to be met by thousands.This was like that but only a few tried to eat me so that’s where the similarities end…

It was market day and they have it outside their striking cathedral.It was rammed and also there were lots of bars dotted about plus a temporary wine bar set up too which was doing a roaring trade…I had found life! Naturally I started to feel much happier about my choice of venue…had a drink,bought some fruit,had another drink,bought some more fruit.The usual Saturday afternoon really…luckily the weather is still warm & sunny down this way…also managed to get a Mainz lighter which I didn’t think I’d get.If you don’t know I am trying to buy a lighter from every city I stay in or visit.As yet I am only missing Oslo(got a Norway one instead) and Odense,which didn’t surprise me having an Odense lighter would be like having a Wolverhampton one and our town suffers enough arson without encouraging more…I even went to the Mainz FC club shop but they don’t do lighters any more.Smoking is a German religion,more so than religion is too…

Talking of Mainz FC I went out to their ground on the tram to take some pics but I couldn’t even be arsed getting off.It’s out in a field somewhere out of town and looks like A.N.Other ground built in the last twenty years.Just an IKEA type identikit square box.The only thing that changes is the colours…

“Ah you speak a little English? Good” not,as you might expect, myself talking to the barmaid but the barmaid talking to me! Cheeky little minx…she was fun and fair play she took the piss a few more times too.These sort of interactions make the day really…

On my way to grab some food I saw a few people gathered around a small hexagonal stall in the street and being nosey went to see and it was one woman selling wine.Not seen anything like this before.There was red or white of the same make.No messing around.I had one of each and it was good.There seems to be a kind of wine Octoberfest on around town as I have also seen a fair few Lederhosen & Dirndl’s knocking about too…

Off to Wiesbaden later.It on the other side of the river but I think my Mainz transport ticket gets me there even though it’s in another state.Mainz is in Rhineland-Palatinate and Wiesbaden is in Hessen.I assume they have an agreement as I’d think many commute between the two cities…

Anyway peeps that’s my lot.See you all later…

Tschüss.

Bilious Blog…Around Europe in 80 days#75

Standing outside the hotel at 7-15am having a smoke.Still dark and still pissing down.A “couple “ approached me asking if the hotel was open.Him about 45 her about 20.No luggage…they clearly wanted a room for,let’s say “ recreational “ reasons and maybe for an hour if I’m being generous.I had to disappoint them by telling them there were no staff on duty and there’s no bloody way I was letting them in! They went off,him frustrated and her probably ruing a lost earning potential.Life’s rich taperstry… 

Last night in Düsseldorf turned out pretty good.The bar was quiet so I was shooting the breeze with Gary the English barman when suddenly about twenty young folk came in and livened up the place.Gary told me they were all Polizei and were regularly in there getting pissed.I have to say( and I noticed this on the train today too) there are some very attractive women Polizei in Germany…anyway then a party of about ten Spaniards came in and they were good fun.I kept accidentally bombing their group photos…look what I’m saying is I basically got pissed with a load of German plod,a few Spanish holiday makers and Gary,an English bloke born in Nottingham,supporting Chelsea and living in Düsseldorf…Life‘s rich tapestry…

Got the train to Mainz ok( change at Frankfurt airport) after a bit of comical changing of platforms for about three trains in five minutes at Düsseldorf HBF.Much Keystone cops rushing about by everyone.Needed not to worry too much as our train was 15 minutes late leaving anyway…got to the next stop after Cologne and loads of Polizei got on but not in a Millwall are playing at Birmingham kinda way just taking seats in different carriages.There must have been twenty five dotted about the train and I assumed (correctly) they‘d all get off at Frankfurt airport…I had a couple of Polizei sat by me and yet again the women were stunning.I’m sure they aren’t employed due to their pulchritudinous,especially as this is Germany and that’s just not the way but it does seem bizarre…sorry the inane ramblings of a sad old geezer…

Mainz seems ok.Having a bevvy by the Hauptbahnhof as the hotel is only two tram stops away.Nice hotel as well,great room on the fifth floor with a lift,ok it only goes to the fourth floor cos’s this is Germany and you have to do at least one flight of stairs a day but y’know,little steps.Literally…I did have to explain to the receptionist what happened to the passport especially as her face betrayed something akin to finding dog shit on your shoes when I handed her the still slightly damp and limp item.At least the look of disgust disappeared…

I also managed to buy a ticket for The The at The Halls ( should that be The The Halls?) in Wolves in about a year’s time.It’s on a Friday at the end of September so if there’s a home game that weekend it would be a great crack.They’re one of my favourite bands so well chuffed…

Did I mention that it’s back to T-Shirt & shorts weather in this part of Germany? Had my trusty Primark coat on all day then suddenly get to Mainz and it’s summer again…middle of October man.Crazy…Talking of Mainz If I get into a football conversation I must remember not to slag off Klopp.He played here for years and is a bit of a hero in these parts.I will keep my counsel on Mr Klopp whist here…

Anyway good people gonna publish this now but there could be add ons later…Caio for now.

Ps When I was in Frankfurt Airport earlier i just got off the escalator and heard an almighty crashing behind me.Someone had dropped their wheelie suitcase from the top.Now it wasn’t as big as Angel Tube escalator and luckily it was empty but it was a fair drop and the suitcase survived intact.Props to the fella who dropped it,he came down with all eyes on him,shrugged,and went back upstairs…

Bilious Blog…Around Europe in 80 days#74

After the almost disastrous trip to the laundrette yesterday things have calmed down thankfully.My passport is drying nicely in my room and I’m off down south tomorrow to Mainz.Not sure if it counts as South Germany or middle Germany but either way…travelling on Friday 13th? What could go wrong…I don’t believe that superstitious nonsense by the way.If something goes wrong it’s not due to the date,that would be silly.It’s simple logic and Taurus rising in my Aries or something…

Sitting in my 2nd favourite bar Dä Spiegel ( only cos‘ the barmaid treats me like a local) opposite my favourite Düsseldorf bar Auberge.It’s my last night here for a while so I would think a few bevvies are in order…relatively quiet in the Alt Stadt today.It’s a bit dull & rainy so many are clearly staying inside.The sun always brings more people out unless it reaches 40c then sensible people stay indoors…

Popped out to the Fortuna Düsseldorf Football ground today to take a few pics.They have five games at next years Euro championship so if you’re coming over and have never been before here’s the lowdown…the stadium is about 15 mins out from the Hauptbahnhof on U77.They terminate at the ground so no problem missing your stop.When you get off you may wonder where the ground actually is cos‘ all you can see is something that looks like a conference centre for lots of grey suited dicks talking to other grey suited dicks.Yep that’s the ground.But it’s great inside.In Germany you can drink & smoke watching the game but I bet UEFA won’t allow that but the concourse bars are plentiful with lots of room,you know the exact opposite to most UK grounds…oh and German Polizei are armed( just saying)

The bite on my left hand seems to be healing up nicely.It was pretty swollen and itchy,red and annoying but I’m  happy to say it’s now almost looking as gnarled and old as my right hand…some speculated it might be bed bugs as Paris has an infestation apparently but it felt and looked like a spider bite to me.I like spiders too,they kill flies and I never knowingly kill a spider yet this is how they repay me.Talk about biting the hand etc…

Quick aside; It really bugs me to see people with their phones sticking out of their back pocket.You’re literally inviting somebody to steal it.Just me or do others feel that way?

I have mentioned the “German stare” before.This is the habit many German’s have of holding a stare at you just for a split second longer than us Brits( and I suspect many other nationalities) find comfortable but on this trip I have barely noticed it until today on the tram.A strikingly attractive woman gave me “ the stare” a couple of times.At first I thought “ aye aye” but then remembered which country I was in and my hopes died in the dust.Still it was a good minute or so before I cottoned on so I’m counting it as a full on flirt…

So down to my last week on this trip.It has flown by which is good.Not all been 100% exciting of course but luckily my boredom threshold is pretty high.It has to be all the time I have spent in stations & on trains and if I was getting a bit bored of one city another one was just around the corner…writing this blog has helped considerably too.I honestly never thought I could manage a daily blog but so far so good.As some of my friends will tell you I can be annoyingly talkative at times which can be a Brucie Bonus if you need to knock out a daily blog…thanks for everyone’s kind words & encouragement too.Much appreciated..on that note I’m off to get pissed…

Ciao babes…