Stockholm

I ended my adventures around Europe in Stockholm, Sweden, which turned out to be the cherry on top of a fantastic 12 days travelling. The short amount of time I spent here were the best yet and here is why.

The best bits:
Stockholm is a beautiful city, with places like the picturesque island of Gamla Stan a beautifully preserved, medieval Old Town surrounded by still water. The city is quiet and the clear blue skies I encountered gave the place a wonderful sense of serenity. I recommend spending a mere 40 SEK to climb the City Hall which gave fantastic views over the entire city.

The City Hall

Military parade outside the Royal Palace

Transport by ferry is the best way to get great views of the entire city - it's part of the cities public transport too! 

There are many, many other small things that made me really enjoy my trip to Sweden - no wonder they are often high up in polls for the happiest countries in the world. I am going to list them below as I would be here for a very long time if I were to fully elaborate on each point individually.

1. Friendliness of the people: if you stop someone in the street, they all seem to be very willing to help in perfect English. The moment I boarded my Scandinavian Airlines flight to Stockholm Arlanda, I suddenly felt at ease. Customer service is also very polite and helpful. 
2. Sense of trust within society: there was nothing stopping you from getting free unlimited re-fills at Max, the Swedish equivalent to McDonalds or stealing from supermarkets with their self service checkout schemes, but one assumes that there is enough trust among Swedes otherwise this would not to be the case.
3. Sustainability at the forefront of public concern: none of the many supermarkets I visited during my trip offered free carrier bags and all had recycling points that rewarded those who returned bottles or cans. This made me very happy as someone who cares a great deal about our planet. 
4. Great public transport: the city is easy to navigate and it's not too expensive either

However, there is no doubt that the best aspect of my trip was visiting my Swedish friends. They were incredibly generous to welcome me into their homes and I am so happy that I have made so many meaningful friendships with people from around the world. There is so much that I can learn from each one of them and I am excited for when we meet again.

The worst bits:

Everything in Sweden is expensive. Food from the supermarket can be two to three times more expensive to the UK. However with Sweden, I suppose this is one of the many cases in life where you get what you pay for. 

So that's it! The end of my 12 day trip around Europe. I come back having lost an entire bag of toiletries and 120Euro after missing my train from Amsterdam to Berlin, but having gain a whole wealth of life experiences, funny stories, feeling more confident than ever about my ability to travel solo. I am just beginning my journey of exploring the world and meeting many wonderful people along the way, making me very excited for the future indeed.  

Reichstag and Rubbish Airports: Berlin Day 5

I have reached the end of the Berlin leg of my European trip, visiting some of the best and worst of German infrastructure. Today was mostly spent flying to Stockholm, but here is what I did in the morning beforehand.

The best bits:
The dome of the Reichstag building is an outstanding piece of architecture. After the original dome to the building was burnt down during the Nazi regime, it was re-designed by Sir Norman Foster (a Brit!) as the architect. The original shape has been preserved but completely designed using modern materials and technologies; it appears to float as a glistening crown to the original Reichstag building. The use of steel, glass and mirrors symbolises the transparency of Parliament and with spiraling walkways up to the top of the dome, it allows unspoilt 360 views over the vast city of Berlin. Best of all was that a visit to the dome with a complementary audio guide is FREE - all you need to do is book online in advance.

The mirrored inner funnel reflected the wonderful views and made the dome even more light

In the center there were photographs sharing the history of the Reichstag

Spiraling walk-ways lead to the top of the dome

The worst bits:
I left Germany via Tegel Airport: i.e. the worst airport I've ever been to and I regularly fly from the likes of London Luton. With an utterly confusing layout, long queues, little seating area and most importantly no free WiFi, this all lead to an overall unpleasant experience. The only redeeming factor was that the transport there was relatively easy as it was within the AB zone of Berlin.

So that's all for Berlin - next stop Stockholm!

Dinosaurs and Doner Kebabs: Berlin Day 4

My marathon museum tour is coming to an end and I've saved some of the more niche museums for last. Here are some of the best and worst things that happened today.

The best things
Over this last week or so I have visited SO many museums that I feel like my head will soon explode from all the culture. It's great seeing world-renowned works of art but I personally feel like when you know a little bit of background knowledge about what you are glancing at whilst listening to a posh lady describe the object on the audio guide, it makes the experience far more worthwhile. Since I did product design A-level, we had to learn about design movements and their characteristics, it was fantastic to see authentic furniture, art and graphic design after studying about them from a textbook. Highlights included seeing Marcel Breuer tubular steel chair at the Bauhaus Archiv and organic, whip-lash motive art-nouveau furniture at Bröhan-Museum. I got lazy and did not take any pictures, but I wish I did as I am super interested in design history.

Geometric and functional: the Bauhaus Archiv building

Another museum that I visited today that was meaningful for myself was the Musikinstrumenten-Museum, which is home to a multitude of musical instruments from the 17th Century to current day. As I mentioned yesterday, everywhere in Berlin is eerily quiet so I was the only visitor in the museum for most of the time I was there. Nonetheless, it was a well-worthwhile visit for any music-lover like myself.

Hurdy-gurdys to harpsichords, music boxes to mandolins, the Musikinstrumenten-Museum is a treasure trove for music enthusiasts

 A third exciting museum was the Museum fuer Naturkunde, the Natural Science Museum. Once you enter the hall you are greeted by an 17.27m high dinosaur - the Guinness World record for the tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton. The museum also featured the usual collection of taxidermy animals (including the famous Knut from Berlin Zoo) and fancy rocks. 

This Guinness World Record holding, 150 million year old dinosaur stands 17.27m tall - I can't even fit it in frame!

The creepiest room I've ever been in - the wet room in the Museum fuer Naturkunde

Half-eaten kebab photo as I already began devouring it

Arguably the best thing to happen to me was that I managed to stumble across this awesome Kebab shop! Since Berlin is such an empty city, I was surprised to find so many people - mostly Turkish locals - queuing up in this one kebab shop just outside Sophie-Charlotte Platz U-bahn station, called XL Kebap Sophie. I decided to go for one myself (a vegetarian doner that cost only 2.40Euro) and it was heavenly - I am salivating just thinking back to it. The kebab was really large and the walls of the kebab shop featured pictures of many different celebrities devouring their deliciousness. It's a shame I've only just found the place as I doubt I will have the opportunity to go back.

Berlin Wall Memorial

My trip is nearing it's end. Tomorrow it is goodbye Germany and hello Sweden. Auf Wiedersehen!

What I Love and HATE about Berlin: Berlin 2 & 3

Travelling is hardwork and things often don't go to plan, but this is what makes everyday a new challenge and exciting. Here is what I thought for days two and three in Berlin where things did not go as smoothly as in Amsterdam.

The magnificent Berlin Dome

The best things
From the elaborate golden hat detailing both the solar and lunar calender in the Neues Museum, to the absolutely humungous Market Gate of Miletus in the Pergamonmuseum, Berlin has a world-renowned wealth of museums. They even have an UNESCO world heritage site island (Museumsinsel) home to the two aforementioned museums, as well as the Alte Nationalgalerie, Alte Museum and the Bode Museum.

Beautiful classical buildings

The world-famous bust of Queen Nefertiti in the Neues Museum - a must see

Just a side shot of the astounding Pergamon Alter at the Pergamonmuseum - it was so big that I couldn't even fit it in shot.

The sheer size of the Market Gate of Miletus also in the Pergamon is crazy; how on earth did they manage to find something millenia old and re-constuct it half way across the globe?

The best thing about traveling by yourself is that you can be spontaneous as you like. Luck was on my side today as I managed to visit the Musical Instrument Museum just in time for a FREE concert featuring a wonderful Brahms Violin and Piano Sonata and other works featuring two talented young musicians. As a keen musician myself,  I really wanted to attend a concert in Berlin and my wish was granted. Unfortunately I did not have time to explore the museum afterwards, but hopefully I will be able to visit again in the next few days.

My lucky free concert: Tomoki Park on Piano, Isabelle Bania on Violin

The not so good things
Other museums I visited in these last two days include the Holocaust Memorial for Murdered Jews, Gamaldegarie and the Deutsches Historiches Museum. I purchased a concessions 3-day Musueumpass for only 12Euro for free entry to over 50 museums, but did not realise that many of the popular museums like the Deutsches Historiches Museum, DDR museum etc. aren't actually part of the scheme.

Berlin is an huge city that is very spaced out, so I have found navigating myself round more challenging than the likes of Amsterdam and London. Berlin is a very bizarre city as there are often very little people walking on the streets, since it is an unefficient way of exploring the city. However, as a solo traveler in a foreign country, it can feel disconcerting when everywhere seems empty, even major tourist destinations and in museums. There is no city centre and finding food outlets can be challenging, due to the fact that the city was only reunified 25 years ago. This does make the city feel untourist-friendly but perhaps I am just spoilt by London having maps and a Pret-a-manger on every street corner.

Another aspect that I did not expect was that not only are most museums closed on Mondays, but most shops/museums don't open until at least 10.00am. This does mean more lie-ins for me, but less time to explore visit as many places as possible.

The bad things
Berliners are rude. And that's coming from me who is used to London city attitudes. Their unwelcoming nature to foreigners can feel off-putting, but what do you expect after foreign powers have caged them in their own city in relative recent history? However, do not be put off from visiting Berlin as this is just part of their culture and nothing is meant maliciously- just don't expect service with a smile!

That is all for today, see you tomorrow!

Rebecca

A gem from the Gamaldegarie

Sight-hopping: Berlin Day 1

While Amsterdam was quaint and compact , Berlin is spacious and completely unique to other European cities I have been to. Overall, it is not a beautiful city as it's turbulent history has meant that it is still in the process of re-building. Little did I know that almost all museums are closed on Mondays, so today was a day of orientating myself around such a vast city with much to offer.

The Best Bits:
Today I managed to see many of the sights from the classical Brandenburg Gates and Charlotteburg Palace, to more modern history as highlighted at Holocaust Memorial for Murdered Jews, the East Side Galley and the Topography of Terror. Since Berlin is huge, I only hopped between locations as I will  get a more in depth understanding of the history later this week when museums are open.

Charlottenburg Palace: classical beauty in an alternative city

Brandenburg Gates and a crane

Holocaust Memorial for Murdered Jews: a poignant experience as the concrete slabs become increasingly towering and overwhelming.

Remains of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery

Vast green spaces right in the centre of Berlin

The Worst Bits:
The biggest bummer of the day was that everywhere is closed on a Monday. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise as it gave me time to explore freely and get a good overview of what I want to do with the next 4 days of the trip.
Another huge bummer is that I have lost my bag of toiletries with my makeup, shampoo and creams. I left it in our private bathroom in the morning and it was not there in the evening. I am lucky that I have not lost anything that cannot be replaced, but it is still a huge inconvenience and I am mildly annoyed.

That's how travelling goes though; some days you have good days, others are not so good. No matter how well you plan in advance, somethings are bound to go wrong. I think it goes without saying though that I will be locking absolutely everything in my locker tomorrow. Let's see how the tale of the lost toilettries pans out tomorrow.

Rebecca

Visiting Anne's Secret Annex: Amsterdam Day 4

Today was my last day in Amsterdam and carrying on with a similar fashion from my last few days, stormed through another several museums. Here is what I thought of my day:

The best bits: 
Her diary inspires and educates millions about the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust, so there was no way I would have a trip to Amsterdam without visiting the Anne Frank Huis Museum. I felt very glad to have booked my ticket online as there was a huge snaking queue outside. I wonder when the degenerative effects of having this extreme footfall will take affect on the house as despite the fact that the house was larger than I anticipated, it was not intended to accommodate millions of people from all corners of the globe visiting every year. I felt incredibly lucky to be in the same rooms that the Franks and Van Fels spent 2 years trapped in and to see her original, red-checked journal. Anne's story is just as moving as when I first read it many years ago.

Add caption

Another museum that was far better than I expected was the Tropenmuseum, which was a museum on different ethnicities around the world. There was a captivating exhibit on iconic images from the National Geographic Magazines, including a documentary on the finding the mesmerising Afghan Girl after 17 years.

Locating the Afghan Girl after 17 years

There was even a huge origami installation in the Great Hall - think 7ft paper birds!

Pretty spectacular

The Amsterdam Cheese Museum turned out just to be a shop giving out numerous free samples which made me pretty happy. It's just across the road the Anne Frank Huis and free to pop in and taste some funky cheeses. 

The worst bits:
The Jewish Historical Museum was not particularly interesting and the Rembrandt Huis didn't impress either as it was so small. I would not recommend there places but since entrance was FREE with the Museumkaart, it wasn't too bad.

So that's it for Amsterdam! I've managed to visit a crazy total of 14 museums in 4 days(!) Next stop Berlin!

Rebecca x

Best Things in Amsterdam for Free: Day 3

With striking architecture, serene locations and glorious sunshine, day three in Amsterdam has shaped up to be the best so far. Today I explored the less tourist-busy north-western parts along the beautiful river, which proved to be home to some real gems, unlike the Diamont Centre yesterday.

The best bits:

Why pay for an over-priced, super touristy canal boat trip when you can rub shoulders with all the locals on a FREE ferry ride from Centraal Station. They provide a frequent service across the river to the north, providing fantastic views of the banks. 

So calm and peaceful in the morning

The EYE Film Institute is a striking building, with a geometric counter-weighted modern design that appears to glide above the water. There is also a decent FREE permanent exhibit in the basement with interactive activities and pods to watch a huge collection of movies. Even if you have little interest in films, the architecture is wonderful and the in-house restaurant provides some of the best views of Amsterdam.

EYE: Beautiful architecture and a fantastic free exhibition

Continuing on the theme of FREE things to do in Amsterdam, the next place exceeded all expectations. Possibly one of the best libraries in the world, the Openbare Bibliotheek contains 5 floors of well-designed modern space for books, CDs and magazines with plenty of cushy seating, which proved heavenly after a long day of walking.

Check out this funky light installation at the library!

 The NEMO science center was another a pleasant surprise! Since this exhibit is popular with a younger audience, I was worried that it would be too childish. However it was still enjoyable as there was a multitude of hands-on activities to see the science in action. The best part was there was a FREE Dance Dance Revolution machine that I was guilty of spending half an hour hogging. There is also a FREE terrace roof-top to the building which also provides fantastic views of the city - a perfect place to sunbathe or eat your lunch.

Some views from the terrace on NEMO

The not so good bits:
The Scheepvaartmuseum (National Maritime Museum) was no where near as boring as I expected since I have little interest in old ships. It was a very modern exhibit for an museum on naval history with quite a spectacular glass roof to the main building. Quite a lot of the exhibit were interactive displays instead of real artefacts - the merchant ship situated outside is a replica. I was only there for 1 hour so the not so good part of my day was that I didn't get to see part of the museum.

The replica merchant ship

Fancy glass ceiling

 

The worst bits:
I also visited ARCAM, the Amsterdam Architecture Centre which I expected to house some sort of exhibit but it was just a very small building where people work and meetings are held.

I only have one day left Amsterdam so let's see what adventures tomorrow brings. Here are some snaps from today!

Rebecca

Centraal Station

Royal Palace from the back

Museums Galore: Amsterdam Day 2

Today has been a jam-packed day exploring many museums that show-case various mediums of art from the 1850s onwards. I've inadvertently visited the museums in chronological order which was fascinating as I got a good overview of how art developed according to the socio-political conditions of the time.

The best bits:

1. The Van Gogh Museum was brilliant and is a must-see for all visitors to Amsterdam. This museum was home to far more Van Gogh works than I expected and the remarkable story of his artistic life was clearly conveyed. Much to my surprise, he was only an active artist for 10 years, yet was still prolific, finishing almost a painting a day during his last year. He initially studied at art school in Holland where he adopted a dark, earthen-toned palette, but it was only after he moved to Paris that he developed his signature vivid-coloured, thick and flame-like stroke technique. As a poor artist, he would paint still life, peasants, and every day objects, sometimes even on the back of other paintings as he ran out of canvases. I can understand why people at the time did no warm to his work as he was technically poor at proportions and perspective compared to other artists at the time. Unsuccessful and suffering from an unspecified mental disorder, Van Gogh cut off his left ear, drunk turputine and shoot himself in the chest, last of which caused his death 2 days after the incident. His death was a tragic loss but we are very lucky today to still be able to see the fruits of his labour. The inner turmoil and raw emotion that drove him to his death is ultimately what makes his works captivating and powerful.

TWO BONUS VAN GOGH FACTS:

1. His works were initially more red toned - the red lake pigment he used to paint with were incredibly sensitive to light and have all mostly faded. His famous "Irises" were actually purple despite that they don a delicate cornflower colour now.
2. One of his favourite and most beautiful work is his Almond Blossoms that was painted shortly after the birth of his nephew, expressing the humanity in a man who is often only known as the man who didn't sell a single work and cut off his own ear.
1. The Stedeljk Museum is well worth a visit. I am relative interested in modern art and particularly interested in design - I personally loved all the different design era chairs! From super minimalist, primary coloured paintings where I questioned where the skill was to thought provoking films and sculptures exploring the darker sides of the human psyche, I found this museum also thoroughly enjoyable.

"Steady on..."

Elbowless times

 2. The Tassenmuseum (Handbag Museum) was really small and cute, displaying many different handbags and it didn't get much deeper than that. Probably not worth buying a ticket to view but it was free with my Museumkaart and was some light relief from the darker/deeper subjects of some of the other museums.

So many bags!

3. The FOAM photographic gallery was also a very small place that I initially wasn't going to visit today but it turned out that they were opening two new galleries so the photographers being exhibited were there! The gallery was packed with ridiculously attractive, well groomed and well dressed Dutch gallery regulars so I felt rather out of place with my scruffy jeans and trainers. I even got a token for a free glass of wine which I did not end up claiming, but it was overall a very surreal and hip experience. I also visited an exhibition on an untainted view of sex, violence and heroin addiction and during the 1970s called Tulsa & Teenage lust, but Larry Clark. Depicted were raw young people shooting drugs to experience God-like highs which ultimately left them like "empty beer cans on a highway".
4. All museums and galleries in Amsterdam have free cloakrooms or lockers to save lugging around cumbersome backpacks or carrying heavy coats.

The worst bits: 

1. The Diamont Museum was awful. Very little actual diamonds and a tiny exhibit - would not recommend.
2. Walking around in circles looking for the Bloemenmarkt expecting it to be this vibrant market selling fresh-cut flowers when it was in fact a few floating greenhouses selling the tulip bulbs.

 Today has been another great day in Amster-daym. Sorry for the lack of photographs today; I was not allowed to take pictures in multiple museums. Talk to you tomorrow!

Rebecca

A beautiful city

Arrival and Rijksmuseum: Amsterdam Day 1

Today was the first day of my first solo interplaning/hostelling adventure across Europe. Since I enjoyed blogging my trip to Paris a few years so much, this time I am going to also give myself the pressure of ATTEMPTING to vlog the entire experience too. Don't hold up too many hopes as I'm currently using an age old netbook which is on its last legs. but I managed to get today's done:


I am definitely going to keep up with regular daily updates on this blog though, summarising the best and worst parts. So what did I think about today?

Best bits:

1. Amsterdam's public transport was easy to navigate. Today alone I took three methods of public transportation: the intercity train, metro and tram. Since I am from by London, I am used to an incredibly cramped, stuffy and dirty tube system, so Amsterdam's spacious (have you ever seen a double-decker train before?) trains were refreshing surprise. I've bought a GVB card to cover all transport for the few days I am here which was a swift and painless experience, with a perfect customer service and a free map.
2. Everyone in Amsterdam speaks perfect English. I knew this before I came as all the Dutch I have previously met were also fantastic linguists. This really helps to diminish any cultural barriers, making the Netherlands a straight-forward place to travel. 
3. Rijksmuseum was very enjoyable. This is the state museum housing an array of Dutch art from the 1100s all the way to some post modern works. The collection was extensive and the architecture of the building was magnificent.
4. Where I am staying is absolutely fantastic in terms of location, amenities and service! I will write an entire blog post on it in the future as my mother won't be too happy if I reveal my current location to any potential murders or rapist that read my blog.

Worst bits:

1. Spending too much money on museums. The Rijksmuseum was actually free for under 19s which was a pleasant surprise. However, I bought a museumkart:  a pass that gives free access to all museums in Holland for 1 year. The card cost 32,40euro which doesn't work out to be that great of a deal for me considering I only have limited time in Amsterdam to visit museums. However, I have already made online bookings for other museums for a Museumkart, so I had no option. Thus, advice for future travellers is that if they are a student or under 19, it may actually be cheaper to buy standard tickets if you don't plan on spending everyday of your trip frequenting museums.
2. I felt rather ill and lightheaded during the day. I think the drinking fountain at Luton had some dodgy tap water which made me feel ill. However, my headache was from being dehydrated and there weren't any places to re-fill my bottle in the Rijksmuseum. For my evening dinner I knocked up a rather yummy noodle dish if I do say so myself, which helped to settle stomach. 

Following are some snaps from the Rijksmuseum - talk to you tomorrow!

Obligatory I Amsterdam sign shot

Dolls' House

"Mine!"

Catholics or Protestants, which side are you on?

Short hair - do care?

STIMULUS: These are my thoughts whilst on a solitary 11 hour plane journey from Hong Kong to London on 5th August, 2014 after having a bad haircut. I pondered about the importance of one's physical appearance, how much emphasis should be put on physical appearance and how one can regain loss confidence. 

Arghhh

In the society that we live in today, image is as important as it has ever been due to traditional media's obsession with achieving aesthetic perfection and social media's "selfie" culture. Having confidence in the image you broadcast to others has the ability to provide self-confidence in the way you view yourself. However, isn't the notion of only defining self-esteem by what others think of you inherently wrong? That was what I thought before I took a hit to my own self confidence with a bad haircut.

I have previously proudly taken a "I don't care what others think about me" stance regarding my own personal image. I thought that dwelling on what others thought was pointless as achieving true inner personal happiness was non-superficial and an independent journey. This feeling of mental superiority that I was above these lowly problems could be seen as a "hipster" mentality. Although, could this have been a facade to hide real inner insecurities? I definitely feel less confident with less hair so does defining self worth in hair length make me a less strong of a person in character than I thought I was?

Only now am I starting to believe that it is okay to care about what others think of physical appearance -it is not superficial or lowly. Humans are social beings with a unique capacity for empathy. The ability to understand and care for different emotions and feelings is what makes human nature so powerful and human kind so successful as a specifies. Therefore, it is only natural for us to have an innate need to please others and portray the best image of yourself. Pretending to not care and suppressing those feelings is only making me feel worse about the mop onto of my head.

I believe the first step I need to take to regain my loss confidence is accepting that it has taken a knock back. The biggest barrier for me is my proud, self-righteous feeling that I am better than others because I don't care, when in fact I do care about what others think about me and that is okay.

The most important point I must remember is why I cut my hair in the first place. My hair will grow back to a length I am confident with quickly but for others, this is not the case. For those going through cancer treatment,  hair loss should be the least of their worries, but it is the foremost indicator that they are sick. For me to complain about my hair makes me the greatest hypocrite of all, the worst philanthropist and all the fundraising I have done would be in vain.

The reason I am so overcritical about and can write an entire blogpost about a mere bad haircut is because I live a privileged life with no major problems in life. It is always important to take a step back to put things in perspective. It's okay for me to feel bad about a bad haircut as I am still an 18 year old girl despite however mature I try to act, but in the end, I must always look at the bigger picture.

Chopping off my hair for The Little Princess Trust

It's impossible for me to understand just how distressing hair loss can be for a child going through cancer treatment or other hair losing diseases such as alopecia. On my head, my hair is just long strands of superfluous keratin that I should probably brush more often, but once donated and made into a wig, it would give a child battling these awful diseases a small token of normality once again.

The cost of manufacturing and purchasing a custom wig, especially for smaller heads can cost up to £2000, but The Little Princess Trust provides real-hair wigs free of charge to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland. I have had hair down to my hips for a while and I'm going to have at least a foot (12 inches/ 30cm) cut off to make into a wig for someone who will appreciate and deserve it far more than I do. I hope that my hair donation can bring a little happiness to a brave child.

Myself and The Little Princess Trust would really appreciate it if you can donate/sponsor any amount you can so that they can continue their priceless work. Thank you to those who have already done so.

Please TEXT: OINK77 £3 to 70070 

or donate via my JustGiving page

Thank you.