Our European Adventure, Day 15

I felt like we woke up at the crack of dawn this morning because I had trouble sleeping last night. It was really already 6:30, but still, that’s incredibly early. We packed up our things, checked out of the hostel, and headed over to the train station to purchase some snacks for lunch before finding the platform for our first train of the day.

Immediately upon stepping on the train, we realized the difference it the older trains we’ve been taking for the rest of the trip and sleek, faster express trains that we took today. Instead of private cabins of six, today’s trains featured airplane-like seating only roomier with a table every few seats. The dining car was also more luxe.

The inside of the first express train - they looked the same

We toiled away the train rides by playing cards, reading, and sleeping. The switch between trains was a pretty high stress event though because our first train ended up getting stuck working its way around construction and we were running about twenty minutes behind. Originally, we had only had about twenty minutes to make our connection in Frankfurt’s Main station. However, our train pulled in two minutes before the second left and we would have needed to run across the station. People sitting in our train car persuaded us to wait until the next stop because they said our second train would be there also, but on the same platform. Luckily, they were right and we stepped off one train and directly on to the next. I did have to kick someone out of our seats though because he thought we weren’t coming we didn’t get on at the right stop.

After we settled in and a round of cards was played, we ordered our lunch from the dining car. I ended up getting a hot ham and cheese sandwich with chocolate cake and an ice cream bar for desert. It was actually really good. I’m surprised at the quality of the food that they sell on those trains. It was really easy to find something on the menu that I would like too.

We pulled into the Amsterdam station about half past four and put our luggage in storage lockers before adventuring into the city. We didn’t have anything specific to do, so after exchanging currency (for a really crappy rate, it would have been cheaper to do at the airport), we wandered throughout the souvenir shops looking for things to spend our money on. I ended up buying quite the collection of things, including a change purse, scarf, t-shirt, calendar and mug. I’m happy with the purchases that I couldn’t make as freely before because I didn’t have a credit card after it was stolen.

We found a Argentinean steak restaurant for dinner. The service was so slow and, while the meat was gigantic, it wasn’t that great tasting. It might not have been the best meal but Madeline and I definitely agreed the bread with garlic and butter sauce was really good. We made sure to order a second round.

Since the restaurant didn’t have a very big drink selection, we decided to get chips at a Mexican restaurant after dinner and try out their cocktail menu. We ended up making friends with the bartender, Victor and he gave us a few free sample drinks. I didn’t really like his mixing as much as everyone else, but maybe I just ordered the wrong things. They just all tasted rather strong to me and I wasn’t in the mood for that. Then Matt, Ben, and Madeline went back to the train station to wait for the next train while I sat outside a McDonald’s and stole their WiFi.

The four of us cheering to Victor's specialty on our last night in Amsterdam - notice Matt looks better today

We took the 12:45 train to the airport and we’ve been waiting there ever since in the downstairs area. Not getting a hotel was a good choice, but at the same time, I’m kind of tired.

Our European Adventure, Day 14

I slept in this morning because we didn’t really have anything to do today. Once I woke up, I went downstairs to use the internet and wait for everyone else to wake up.


I got bored after awhile and tried to go souvenir shopping, but I found out that it was a bank holiday today and pretty much every place around town was closed except for the places in the train station, restaurants, and hotels. I ended up just going back to the room and, since the rest of them were up by then, we went out on a mission to find a pharmacy that sold a thermometer for Matt. We weren’t successful though because apparently pharmacies close on bank holidays in Europe too.

We did manage to find a nice steak restaurant on our jaunt around town. We ended up eating at the Marriott’s restaurant. Ben and I had steak, fries, and wine, while Madeline had fish. On the way back to the hotel, we picked up orange juice and water for Matt. We spent some time in the hostel room after and I sorted through the receipts for the trip and put them in date order.

The inside of the restaurant - it was pretty swanky

The cute bowls they delivered our dipping sauces in

My huge, delicious steak

At 2 o’clock, we walked over to the main train station to go on our Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour. It was actually really lame though because the bus never really stopped long enough to take pictures and we weren’t exactly interested in any of the sights or the places it stopped. It was also really crowded. I wanted to get off in the shopping district, but everything was closed because of the bank holiday. We did get off on the fifth stop though and visited the Hard Rock Café of Munich. We had some appetizers and drinks that came in souvenir mugs we got to keep and since we spent over 30 Euros we were able to get Matt a free luggage tag as his souvenir.

Our fruity drinks at the Hard Rock

Stuffed after our appetizers, we went back to the hotel and napped. When we woke up, we decided to go out to dinner at a steak restaurant we found a few blocks away. Unfortunately, the steak restaurant didn't serve much else so Madeline ended up needing to compromise on her choice in food. I'm just glad that I managed to persuade them away from ethnic food on this trip. I would prefer to eat either familiar foods or native foods when travelling. It seems safer, especially when one of us is already suffering from a strange food poisoning/stomach flu mixture.

Our dinner steak, notice the size difference

Our European Adventure, Day 13

Today I woke up before everyone else because I was able to go to bed early – at eleven – for once. It was really nice to actually get a full night’s sleep, so I got up at nine to take a shower and walk around town. I forgot it was Sunday though, so nothing was really open. I did find a breakfast place though that Ben and I ended up going to after I walked back to the hostel and noticed that he had come downstairs as well. I had a croissant and he had a chocolate croissant with a sandwich. I got some orange juice to so that I could combat this sickness everyone seems to be getting. Matt threw up last night a couple of times. I think he has the flu, so I have flu germs to combat on top of the ones Madeline and Ben were passing around for the cold.

I sat downstairs and listened to Daniel subbing on EMU’s radio station while I waited for the rest of them to get up and ready. Ben came down with cards and we watched a bunk of drunk guys in morph suit tuxedos recant their nights and generally act crazy. They were visiting for a bachelor party and woke up just in time for 11 o’clock check out so they ended up spraying themselves with an axe-like body spray (mouth included) and using hair conditioner on their armpits and crotches while congregating in the hostel lobby. It was an entertaining, yet disgusting scene.

After I was done listening to the radio show, we walked over to the train station and bought pretzels and water before checking in for our tour of Dachau Concentration Camp. This camp was different than the others we have visited because it was completely rebuilt and actually looked nice. Our guide explained that everything had been replanted because the camp was considered a cemetery and it was done in respect. However, I think it took away from the memorial part of the camp because while there were three churches on the site it looked much too pretty to be a place where so many people were killed. The atmosphere was just very different throughout the whole camp, or maybe we’re just getting used to visiting them.

A monument remembering all of the different types of people who were persecuted

The camp walkway - notice the nice greenery

Inside one of the churches at the memorial

A gravestone for the ashes found after the camp's liberation

We had ice creams at the café and found Matt where he was resting before hopping back on the bus to the city. We were able to find orange juice and some crackers to calm Matt’s stomach before resting in the room.

I put on a dress and at sixthirty we headed out in search of a fancy dinner to spend the rest of the school’s money now that we are getting near the end of our trip. We settled on the Park Café within a botanical garden. Matt stayed in the hostel while we went out because he still wasn’t feeling good. Ben and I were able to get steaks and Madeline fish while we all sampled drinks from the lengthy cocktail menu.

Our drink choices - mine's a strawberry colada

After dinner, we got ice cream down the street from our hostel and then I decided to go downstairs and try to get internet again. It didn’t work so I ended up talking to a group of Germans who were visiting from Cologne. We were talking all about the language barrier.

Our European Adventure, Day 12

After getting ready this morning and taking some bread from breakfast for sandwiches on the train, we headed over to the main train station and found our platform. The train was there before us so we were able to board right away. It was strange though because when we found our seats, other people were already in them. Some elders had just sat down in our seat. They moved, but it was still weird.

We sat down in our cabin with two Canadians who have been travelling around Europe for about the same amount of time as us. We talked about where we had been and things like that for awhile before napping. I got woken up though because Matt and Ben decided to play cards practically on top of me as I didn’t want to give up my window seat so they could use the tray tables.

The train ride was about six hours. During that time, I wandered all over the train investigating the dining cart and finding the only remaining bathroom with toilet paper. Madeline played her ukulele and Ben and Matt played numerous card games with the other people in our cabin.

Czech "fairy cakes" - my train feast

Disko - a shortbread cookie with cookie frosting inside, similar to a backwards Oreo

When we finally got to Munich, I had us turn the wrong way out of the train station and we walked a little bit out of our way before finding our hostel – Jaeger’s Hostel. The place is fairly nice. You get a shot of Jaeger after checking in, but none of us took ours. The internet connection is really spotty all over the hostel though and I couldn’t get my computer to connect at all. My phone worked though for some reason.

They showered and napped when we got in while I worked on the budget and then we went out to dinner at a nicer place down the street for burgers, pasta, chicken, and drinks. I had this fantastic chocolate ice cream desert that was actually really cheap, just under 4 euros.

The fantastic dinner at 35mm

Followed by a perfectly chocolatey desert

After dinner, Matt and Ben wanted to nap some more, so I went back over to the main train station and wandered around by myself. I found some souvenirs and bought a cone of fries that looked good. I even found a UK version of Cosmo, which is great because I’ve been looking for one during this whole trip. I didn’t get to go to any of the souvenir shops outside of the train station because they had all closed by the time I was done.

When I came back, Madeline was at the bar in our hostel ordering a drink, so we decided to hang out downstairs for awhile and watch the people staying here make drunken fools of themselves. This hostel is pretty rowdy on the main floor, but thankfully it’s nice and quiet near our room.

Our European Adventure, Day 7

Today we spent the majority of our day on a five hour train ride across Poland to Warsaw. This morning we woke up in time to check out of the hotel and go on a Jewish Life Walking tour.

Our guide, Heather, took us around the Jewish Quarter and showed us remnants and monuments that have been built in an attempt to explain German life in East Berlin. First, we were shown the remaining foundation of the first synagogue built in Berlin. After being saved during Hitler's reign because the Jews had built a new synagogue across town and sold their old temple to the government for use as a post office, the building was decimated during a bombing. Also near the site was a monument commemorating the site of the Jewish community center and representing the women's protest.

The foundation of the first synagogue in Berlin

Monument for the women's protest

We walked across town and went to the museum of Otto Weidt's workshop for the blind. Weidt was a prominent figure in Berlin during World War II because he did his best to employ Jewish individuals who were either deaf or blind in his workshop. He also aided them when they needed to go into hiding and even managed to help some of his Jewish contacts escape from concentration camps after his workshop was raided. Outside the museum was a small courtyard that is famous for its graffiti and we were able to take a few pictures of the artwork.

A full view of the courtyard entrance

Next we visited a Jewish cemetery that had been destroyed during World War II and the headstones were used to build walls and other buildings during the war. In the cemetery, there is a gravestone (even though he isn't buried there) for MM who is considered the Socrates of Germany. He managed the reform the German practice of Judaism by aiding Jews to acclimate in Jewish society and be both Germans and Jews. He also encouraged synagogues to convert the torah to the local language so both versions would be available to those studying it. In front of the cemetery there used to be a Jewish retirement home that was also destroyed and now a plaque is the only thing left in its place.

The only gravestones remaining in the cemetery

To finish out the tour, we saw a part of the stepping stone project that is taking place across Europe. Each set of five stones cost 95 euros to sponsor for research, construction, and travel. The purpose of the stones is to provide a remnant of the Holocaust that can come about during daily life. Each piece of the project includes information on five individuals who were murdered during the Holocaust, typically their name, where they lived, and the birth and death dates are listed. We also saw the outside of a Catholic hospital where a doctor who helped the Jews by forging death certificates for them before they went into hiding worked. Unfortunately, we had to leave the tour at that point because it started to pour and we had to get to the train station.

The stepping stone project

We ate our packed lunches quickly when we got back to the hotel and took our bags to the train station where we were able to get our Poland passes validated. We did much better on time today and had time to both purchase a meal for the train ride and do a little shopping.

During the train ride we slept, ate, and played cards. At the beginning of the ride, we were also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk with a 24-year-old German who attempted to explain their education system to us. It was an interesting experience and sad to wave goodbye to him when his mother and him left the train shortly after we arrived in Poland.

Our cabin on the "wagon" (German for coach)

Once we arrived in Warsaw, we struggled to find anyone who spoke English and could direct us to the Holiday Inn that we’re staying in, but thankfully, after not too long we were able to find a map and realized the hotel was right outside the train station if we only went the opposite way that we had already tried. I checked us in and was able to pick up the package containing our now sole credit card. It’s a good thing too because otherwise they were going to charge us a 200zl deposit for any possible damages to the room and we definitely didn’t have that.

Our rooms and hotel is really nice, but it’s weird the further we get away from large groups of English speaking people. From what I’ve heard though, we should be able to find people who speak some English if we ask those we see who look to be in their twenties. Hopefully it’ll work out for us.

Our European Adventure, Day 6

Today was kind of hectic because my phone got messed up somehow and the time reset in addition to the alarm not going off. I ended up waking up at around 11:45 – well after the free city tour we could have taken – and got the rest of the group up after taking a shower.

We picked up our cheap packed lunches from the hotel (only 4 euros each!) and set off walking around the city. We walked through a street market and found a pretty church on our journey to find Bebelplatz. When we finally located the building, we realized it didn’t appear to be anything special since we couldn’t understand the German signs. We ended up eating in front of the church and were approached by “a woman from Bosnia who needed money to buy her child medicine”. Madeline and Matt wanted to help her out, but Ben and I thought it was a scam.

The church we ate lunch in front of

After eating, we trekked over to the Brandenburg Gate, which is the gate that marks the separation of what used to be East and West Berlin. We saw some street performers – including a man making rather large bubbles with the assistance of tourist children – outside the gate and were approached by more street scams identical to the one we had witnessed on the other side of the city. On the other side of the gate, we located the Holocaust memorial and walked through the many posts. The memorial was very artsy and inspired Ben to play on top of the posts. He ended up getting yelled at by a security guard though, probably because he was having too much fun.

The bubble guy!

Brandenburg Gate

Ben climbing on the posts at the Holocaust Memorial

Lost in the Holocaust Memorial

We rushed back to the train station after taking pictures of the memorial to traverse to the northern part of the city for our Berlin Flak Towers Walking Tour that was supposed to show us the underground bunkers used during World War II. Unfortunately, we underestimated the amount of time it would take for us to get there via public transit and then had trouble locating the check-in point so we showed up right at the time of our scheduled tour. The office had already closed and we were unable to turn in our voucher for tickets, so we ended up being turned away.

Our rush through the train stations of Berlin

Sadly, we had to move on to our next stop at the Jewish Museum. Madeline was feeling somewhat sick while we were walking through the museum, so she went to sit down, but Matt and I actually got kicked out because they were trying to close down the exhibits and we were still wandering around. After leaving, we found Madeline some cold medicine at the pharmacy in the train station and purchased some groceries for our dinner on the train tomorrow evening.

Madeline lost in the Axis Garden of the Holocaust at the Jewish Museum, quite similar to the Holocaust Memorial

After running back to the hotel to verify our reservation for later in the trip in Prague, we went back to the main train station for dinner at Hopfingerbrau, a traditional German restaurant. The meal was quite satisfying, although we have definitely had cheaper.

My chicken, cabbage, and bread at dinner

Our shared desert

Once we paid the bill, we decided to come back to the hotel to give Madeline time to rest for our walking tour tomorrow.

Updated Itinerary

Here's an updated itinerary for the Holocaust trip this August:

August 2: Depart United States
August 3-5: Amsterdam, Netherlands
August 6-8: Berlin, Germany
August 8-9: Warsaw, Poland
August 10: Oswiecim, Poland
August 11-12: Prague, Czech Republic
August 13-15: Munich, Germany
August 16: Amsterdam, Netherlands
August 17: Return to United States