Eurotrip 2014

First off... a happy, happy New Year to you all! Instead of the lengthy, day-by-day travel posts, I decided to blog about my European vacation, in a somewhat "off the beaten path" kind of way. 

Last October, my family and I went on a two week vacation to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich and Dusseldorf. Since I was making our itinerary, I wanted half of the places we were going to be visiting to be "touristy" and the other half, to be quite unusual and unique. Of course, I had to research first, and I discovered this awesome site called Atlas Obscura. What I liked about the site is that it suggests refreshing places for you to check out in a certain town, city, or country. If you're looking for something different to explore, you should definitely bookmark Atlas Obscura for your next trip!

Two words: Hauntingly beautiful. Also known as the Holocaust Memorial, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe consists of 2,711 stelae (concrete slabs), arranged in a grid pattern. Created by architect Peter Eisenman, the stelae design is supposed to invoke feelings of uneasiness and confusion. I really felt a sense of empathy in visiting a place like this with so much history. Rest in peace to those beautiful souls.

Address:

Cora-Berliner-Straße 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Admission: 

Free

I honestly didn't know about this wall until I saw it in Atlas Obscura. I was so excited to visit this wall that I was already daydreaming of how my next Facebook profile picture would look like. I liked the fact that not a lot know about this wall unless you extensively research about Prague online. But even so, the graffiti wall was quite difficult to find, given that it's away from the usual touristy spots, which I really liked. When we visited, there were only a few people there, alongside this street performer in front of the wall filled with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and Beatles song lyrics. Looking at the wall art definitely gives you a sense of appreciation for its purpose: Allowing artists to freely express themselves.

Address: 

Velkopřevorské náměstí, Prague, 118 00, Czech Republic

Admission: 

Free

The Maze at the Schönbrunn Palace made me feel like Harry Potter during the Triwizard Tournament hihi Getting lost in the maze, especially with other people, was actually really funny since everyone had to go back if someone reached a dead end lol There were three mazes in the garden: a short one, a long one and a "vineyard-like maze." In the olden times, only the Imperial family was allowed to walk in these mazes. 

Address: 

Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse 47, 1130 Vienna, Austria 

Admission: 

Adults - €3,50

Children - €2,20

Family - €7,50

Salzburg is probably best known for the Sound of Music, but it should also be noted that the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here. Although he mainly chose to stay in Vienna, he also resided in a charming home at Makartplatz to better accommodate his family. I'm not really a big fan of classical music, but it's inspiring to see the transitioning of Mozart from a child prodigy to being one of the most famous composers of all time. 

Address: 

Birthplace - A-5020 Salzburg, Getreidegasse 9

Residence - A-5020 Salzburg, Makartplatz 8

Admission: 

Get the combination ticket (Birthplace + Residence)

Adults - €17,00 

Children (6-14 years) - €5,00 

Youths (15-18 years) - €6,00 

Families (2 adults and children under 18) - €36,00

If you're in Munich with plenty of time to spare, a day trip to the Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau should definitely be on your list! I could never really pronounce its name, but the castle view was just... aaah, breathtaking! Although it's a pretty long trip from Munich, consisting of a 2-hour train ride, a 15-minute bus trip and about a 15-25-minute (Depending on how fit you are! lol) hike up the castle proper. And all of these, I may add, has a schedule, meaning you can only ride at specific times. Nevertheless, seeing the castle that inspired Walt Disney to create Sleeping Beauty's castle was truly worth it. Amidst the beauty of the castle was a sad story of its tenant - a lavish, reclusive king, Ludwig II of Bavaria. The construction of Neuschwanstein Castle, unfortunately, was never fully completed. 

Address: 

Neuschwansteinstraße 20, 87645 Schwangau, Germany 

Admission: 

Adults - €12,00 

Children / Pupils (0- 18 years) accompanied by a parent - Free

We stayed at my mum's friend's house in Ratingen, Dusseldorf, and I really liked the area of her place. I'm not really sure if non-residents are allowed in this area to just freely roam around, but I love the fact that her home was secluded from the bustling city. It gives this communal, country vibe that I like - Perfect for those long afternoon walks.

So before I end my first blog post of the year, I want to share five travel tips for Europe:

1 | Instead of a hotel, try staying at an Airbnb place. It saves you up to hundreds of dollars, and you get to stay in unique homes, whilst meeting new people as well!

2 | ALWAYS bring extra change, particularly around €0.50-€2 for the "water closet" A.K.A. comfort room.

3 | Research on the best means of transportation. For us, since we had heavy luggages, we preferred to travel via train. With that, we purchased a Eurail pass which covered four countries. The pass was very expensive, and we didn't get to use two days, but we always traveled without having to worry about the train schedules since we could just hop on and off as we please. For flexibility, I recommend the Eurail pass, but if your budget is quite tight, it's better to purchase train tickets individually instead.

4 | ALWAYS keep your guard up! We experienced a lot of problems at the latter part of our trip since my mum's handbag was stolen on the train. For this to happen in the first-class coach where you think it's truly safe, it's still important to keep an eye on your belongings, especially during long trips wherein you usually just sleep. Also, ALWAYS keep a photocopy of your passport, Schengen visa, plane tickets, and other important documents.

5 | With that, I think it's pretty important to purchase travel insurance as well. Thankfully we had travel insurance, which covered our problems, including delayed baggage and a train strike! It's important to be flexible and prepared at all times because you never know what could happen during a trip! 

Here's to more crazy adventures this 2015!

Cheers,

Michelle