Hello again!
Before we dive into
the next few stops on our interrail trip, here are a few tips for anybody
planning on travelling around (in general).
·
If you are
going to be dealing with different currencies, get an app like xCurrency which
allows you to see conversion rates and amounts without internet. It saved our
lives while on interrail since we ended up dealing with 5 different currencies
and, let me tell you, Hungarian forints are a shock!
·
If you are a
student, bring your card along at all
times! You’d be surprised by the amount of discounts that you can get…
·
Make sure you
have a copy of your passport packed separate from your actual passport.
Alternatively, what we did was snap a photo of our passports and send them off
to each other. That way if your bag gets stolen *hopefully not*, and you lose
your passport and phone, at least your travel buddy will have a copy!
·
Download
podcasts to keep you entertained during long trips! I got hooked (and converted
Megan) on The Guilty Feminist on Spotify!
·
Packing
essentials? Things that people might not think of (but came in super handy)
were good walking shoes (literally, make sure they are worn in or you’ll get
blisters), flip-flops (for those hostel showers), a microfiber towel (will save
you the dollar avoiding towel rental), a padlock and, finally, an emergency
poncho! That was 1 pound well invested when the downpour in Graz hit…
Now let’s get down to
business.
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Dates: 18th
to 20th June
Accommodation:
·
Wombat
Naschmarkt Hostel. 6-bed female dorm. The breakfast was incredible (paid extra)
and the room was super spacious and the building well located by the market.
However, we had a lot of trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi which was not ideal…
Food:
·
Spar Gourmet.
Oh my days, Spar saved us during interrail. My go-to lunch would be cherry
tomatos, babybel and some bread and a piece of fruit. They had Carrefour in
Poland and Spar in the rest of the countries we visited, but I must say the
Gourmet Spar in Austria won them all! So much good food! *cheapfreak*
·
Amerlinghaus.
This is a local restaurant with an inside patio. Such a cool location and it
was absolutely buzzing when we went there. The menu is varied but not extensive
and the food was amazing! Definitely go there!
·
You have to
try the Sacher Torte when you are in Vienna. We went to Demel but I wouldn’t
recommend it as the staff was quite rude. They sell them everywhere so just pop
into a bakery for the chocolaty goodness!
·
Pizza Mari. If
you want Neapolitan pizza, this is the place for you. They were super tasty and
affordable. Make sure you either book or go early because the place was
buzzing!
Sightseeing:
·
We did most of
the central monuments on foot: Naschmarkt, Karlsplatz and the church, Belvedere
Palace (so beautiful!), St Stephen Cathedral, the Spanish Riding School, the
National Library, the Opera, Rathaus, the Parliament… Most of the places are
quite clustered together and although Vienna is known for its avenues and wide
streets, simply walking around is worth it for the architecture!
·
It is worth
getting a 24hr transport pass. You can use it for tram, metro, U-bahn and
S-bahn and I think also buses (but we didn’t take any). It was so, so worth it
as we used it to visit Schloss Schönbrunn and the gardens (it is amazing and
beautiful so definitely stroll the gardens and look at the different fountains,
it was like Versailles), Stadpark, the Vienna Cemetery where famous composers
such as Mahler, Beethoven or Schubert are buried, Hundertwasserhaus &
Kunsthaus… It saved us so much time!
·
Danau Kanal in
the evening to watch the sun setting over the river was amazing! There are
loads of bars along the riverside so make your way over for those long summer
nights to enjoy a beer by the water!
Bonus info:
·
We spent the
train trip to Vienna chatting to a family who was sitting near us. A British
couple with two super chatty and young children who had travelled all around
the globe and were so, so clever. Family goals.
·
Unfortunately
we did not have enough time to visit any Klimt exhibitions because the museums
were either closed or the entry ticket was incredibly expensive (even with
student discount), so I’ll have to go back for that!
Overall opinion: I wasn’t
blown away by Vienna but it is a beautiful city, very grandiose. It reminded me
a lot of Paris but the Austrian version of course! This was definitely the most
expensive stop of our trip, but as long as you pick your activities and meals
carefully, it is doable! I have to go back for those Klimt galleries…
GRAZ, AUSTRIA
Dates: 20th
to 22nd June
Accommodation: This
time round we stayed at an Airbnb. Initially we were going to stay at Antonia’s
place, a friend from Erasmus in Siena, but unfortunately she was quite busy
with exams so we rented an Airbnb and instead met her during the day. Our
Airbnb was perfectly located, halfway between the station and the centre of
town!
Food:
·
Here’s a rogue
one but there is a mall called K&O near the square. Head up to the rooftop
café on the top floor for amazing views of the rooftops, the schloss and the
clock tower. Bonus points if it’s as the sun comes down!
Sightseeing:
·
Graz is a
quaint student town in Austria. You wouldn’t necessarily fit it in your route
but we were visiting our friend. She showed us around and you can walk the
whole thing in a few hours: the Rathaus, the main square, the Opera, the
theatre, the Stadpark, Murinseln, the Kunsthaus… As it was exam season, most
students were away studying but it does feel like a young city with a lot of
cultural events on!
·
Schlossberg and
the clock on the top of the hill are a must. Unfortunately for us, we had to
make do with seeing them from the bottom as a storm the week before had left
the paths closed for safety reasons. You can either walk up or take the
funicular!
·
Now for the
hidden gems. Head to the glockenspiel 11am, 3pm or 6pm to see the figures
dancing to the music. And head to the town hall for the Doppelwendeltreppe – a
double winding stone staircase! It is free to enter!
·
If you fancy
an adventure you can take the tram to Eggenbergschloss. The palace grounds are
beautiful, with peacocks roaming around. Such a lovely spot for a picnic, a
book or simply some sunbathing!
Bonus info:
·
I absolutely
loved the train trip between Vienna and Graz, full of winding tracks in and out
mountains between picturesque villages, steep rocky faces and snaking rivers.
We were quite lucky because – except for the overnight trips – none of our
train journeys were over 2 or 3 hours, so totally doable in daytime. Watching
the different landscapes out of the train window is one of my favourite
pastimes!
·
As I mentioned
at the start of the post, a thunderstorm hit right as we were about to have
dinner on one of the days. We had no umbrellas and it did not look like it was
stopping any time soon. And it was raining cats and dogs. As in, we wouldn’t
have reached the other side of the road without getting soaked. Fortunately,
I’d randomly thrown my 1 quid emergency poncho inside my bag and it spared us
from reaching the Airbnb (too) soaked!
Overall opinion: I thought Graz was picturesque and pretty. It felt a
bit like The Sound of Music, ngl. And although it was lovely to see Antonia,
unless it happens to be on your route, I wouldn’t go to great lengths for it.
LJUBLJANA,
SLOVENIA
Dates: 22nd
to 25th June
Accommodation: Kva
Hostel. 4-bed mixed-dorm. The rooms were spacious and clean, the hostel was
really central and there was breakfast included. I quite liked the place. Only
downside? Reception was not 24 hours which sounds like a small detail until you
realize you actually need it… But more on that later.
Food:
·
Bop Burger. By
the river, they do super tasty burgers for quite a decent price! I don’t eat
meat and the bean burger was super good, as well as the fries!
·
Druga Violina.
This one was recommended to us by Mariana, the free tour guide, and it was a
great place. We went twice, that’s how good it was! It had a bunch of local
dishes with a mix of more mainstream ones and all pretty cheap. Staff were
super nice too! Definitely recommend.
·
Skuhna. This
was probably one of the most alternative places we visited while travelling.
Essentially, while roaming around we stumbled across this road (parallel to the
river, just off Dragon Bridge towards the train station and away from the
centre) with loads of different student-friendly restaurants. Skuhna was an
African and Asian cuisine restaurant which on the Friday was serving a menu
deal with live music! The place, which began as a start-up to improve career
prospects for refugees, is really small but feels super cosy, the food was
amazing and the staff suddenly started singing Aprican songs acapella as
entertainment! And the best thing was they made us sing along! Such a fun
night!
·
Vino &
Fish. Sort of a fish and chips shop but with wine and really good produce. You
pay by weight and the fish was super fresh so it was totally worth it!
·
Main Market. I
cannot remember the name of the place, but along the shops in the market
building along the river is a pastry shop that only sells struklji, a local
pastry that reminded me of a super thin crêpe rolled up with different
fillings. Megan had the buckwheat and walnut one and I went all out with the
dark chocolate and raspberry flavoured one. The decadence was worth the
calories!
Sightseeing:
·
The centre of
Ljubljana is completely walkable. On our first day we just roamed around
without looking at a map and pretty much visited the main sights: Preseren
Square, the Cathedral, Dragon Bridge, the Three Bridges… On the second day we
took an actual tour which was free (there’s loads of ads for those in the
hostels and hotels) which was really good because we learnt so much about the
history of the city and the country! Slovenia was completely unknown to us and
it turned out to be one of our favourite places!
·
Despite its small
size, the Cathedral is definitely worth a closer look. On the outside the
intricate metal gates tell the story of Slovenia while the inside is magnificently
decorated with gold leaf and mosaics. So pretty.
·
You can easily
(but quite steeply) walk up to the Castle (or you can take the cable car from
the market square). However, you have to pay to get in, and cheap as we were we
passed on that. It is still worth the climb as the views from outside the
castle walls are amazing!
·
The market is
also a must. They have loads of fresh (and also organic) produce and free
tasters – recommend trying the truffle and pumpkin oils. They also sell clothes
as in any other European outdoor market but have artisan stands too. I bought a
beautiful handmade necklace off one of them, so it is definitely worth a browse
and maybe picking up lunch on the way!
·
Metelkova
Mesto. This place was crazy. Slightly far off the centre, near the train
station, is a mismatch of street art, trash sculptures, graffitis, bars and
hippy communes. Such a cool place! Plus, it happened to be Pride when we went
there and the parade was starting from Metelkova so we ended up in the middle
of the party and did the whole tour around the city celebrating sexual and
gender freedom! Pretty cool day.
Bonus info:
·
I think this
was the hostel we had the most interaction with our roommates… Timo was a
French guy who stayed the whole three nights we were there and then the fourth
person changed around. On the whole it was pretty cool, until we had a
nightmare with a drunk Brit throwing up from the top bunk down onto Timo at
silly-o’clock in the morning. Reception and the kitchen were closed and there
was no way of contacting the staff, so we were lucky we managed to find some
clean bedding to at least change Timo’s sheets so he could sleep on the floor…
Such a frustrating night. On our last day however we hung out with May, a
Japanese girl who had stayed in our room, and Ivana, a Macedonian girl we
started chatting to during breakfast. It was great to hear everybody’s travel
stories and crazy differences between our countries!
Overall opinion: I
really liked Ljubljana. It’s not a massive city and perhaps not an obvious stop
but the locals are incredibly kind and helpful, the place is beautiful and
clean and despite the size it did feel quite cool, maybe due to the student
population. I’d definitely go back! And I now want to visit other parts of
Slovenia too.
LAKE
BLED, SLOVENIA
Dates: 24th
June
Accommodation: N/A
Food: We just brought
some packed lunch with us. It saved us from extortionate prices and having to
depend on restaurants (ie. being in the main town) for lunch so instead we were
able to walk around and eat whenever we got hungry!
Sightseeing:
·
Lake Bled is a
summer holiday destination for people who enjoy water sports. You can rent
boats and paddle boards and you can walk around the lake. It is only a few
kilometres long and you pass various swimming spots so bring your swimming
trunks if you head over there in the summer!
·
When the sun
is out, the place looks beautiful! Make sure to snap loads of photos to admire
when you go back home.
·
Don’t forget
to climb up to the castle and pay to get in – use the student discount if you
have one! The best photo spot is up there! You also get access to the toilet
(free) and a little museum on the history of the place which I found
particularly interesting.
Bonus info:
·
Lake Bled is a
very popular destination. You can get there by coach which is easy and cheap
(around 1 hour from Ljubljana). However, because of its popularity, I would
advise to either buy the tickets in advance (we bought them the day before, the
bus station is right by the train station) or head there very early to avoid
disappointment!
Overall opinion: I absolutely
LOVED Lake Bled. It was my favourite stop that we did on our trip. The water is
crystal clear (you can see the fish swimming around and the pebbly bottom by
the shore), it is very well kept and clean, and it is a very peaceful place. I
wish we’d had more time there so we would’ve been able to swim or paddle
board... Walking around the lake was great though! I would 100% go back!
That’s me done for the second
post (and second week) of my interrail adventures with Megan. The next and last
post will be about the week we spent in Croatia so look out for that!
Zoe x
Snapchat:
zoeamma
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