Ich liebe dich Deutschland

From the far reaches of Turkey it was time to rejoin the euro-spending team and hop on over to Germany!

Armed with the most BASIC (hello year 7 and 8) understanding of German, I first tore into Hamburg. The city is one most people sometimes miss, but it did end up being pretty interesting. Highlights included visiting the World's BIGGEST miniature city, complete with a massive train network. It was a nerds paradise and even impressive for us cool kids. 

The city tour I took pretty much covered all the other highlights, which gave me some time to relax and recharge the batteries. After meeting some cool kids at the hostel we spent our nights playing drinking games, seeing some live music and exploring the Reeperbahn - Hamburgs mile long red light and clubbing district.

From Hamburg I scooted down to Berlin and was lucky enough to couch-surf with the lovely Maike! She was the most amazing host and gave me an instant awesome welcome to the city. We explored local markets, rode around the hip-neighbourhoods on bikes and partied until dawn. Berlin locals know how to party, so we ended up pulling an all night and partying with all the cool kids in an former indoor pool centre. The place was massive with two empty pools with DJ's playing in the deep end. There were also several stages set up underneath in the pump and chlorinator areas. Party on.

Berlin has a rich history and is continuing to grow and change daily. I spent some time taking in all the historical sites including the Brandenburg Gates, Berlin wall, several war memorials, museum island and  Checkpoint Charlie, to name a few. I then finished the day by chomping down on the famous Currywurst - sausage + curry powder + tomato sauce = delicious.

After soaking up the past, I also spend a day enjoying the present and explored Berlin's amazing gritty and grungy underground scene of artist squats and graffiti/ street art. It definitely gave me a very different view of the city and an inside to how locals may see their city.

For a change of pace I decided to take a stroll out in the forest surrounding Berlin. After enjoying a leisurely wonder I stumbled upon a beautiful lake. I could hear the sound of people swimming and having a good time so wondered over to take a took. Here I was introduced to the German tradition of nudity. Unfortunately... mostly male and "older" female nudity. Awesome, I know. Maike later told me this is very normal in Germany and often shocked people. I was just embarrassed I was the only one with a tan line...

After the excitement of Berlin, I was gagging to get down to Munich and get amongst the shenanigans of OKTOBERFEST!! After travelling for 7 months I was also super excited to catch up with friends from home Porter and Katie. We had arrived a few days before the fun began so got to explore the city centre, stock up on traditional outfits and visit the Dachau concentration camp. It turns out all my former "German" stereotypes are in fact just Bavarian/ Munich stereotypes. Think beer, lederhosen and nazis and you should be thinking about Bavaria only. Lesson learnt. 

We then made the move into our camping grounds where we would be spending the opening weekend of Oktoberfest. After a wet start the sun eventually came out in force for the first day. As we hadn't been lining up since 7am, we couldn't get a seat in any of the beer halls. We did however get to check out the parade of breweries, which was amazing. The locals are really passionate and love dressing up and hitting the drinks! We eventually found a beer garden and downed our first (of many) steins. Afterwards I just continued to explore the grounds and soak up the atmosphere.

The next day I was up early and in the Lowenbrau beer halls for opening. 9am - the first beer was a little tough to get down. I was lucky enough to avoid the torrential rain that bucketed down all day and stayed safely shacked up at my table. This was what Oktoberfest was all about as random strangers partied together and shared giant pretzels and beers. It wasn't long until everyone was dancing on the benches and having a good time. I almost kidnaped a small german kid who became my new best friend. Yes... super creepy.  At around 7pm I got a little too excited and my table dancing resulted in me being kicked out. BOOO I know. Luckily I slide straight into the HB tent, found some new friends, and partied the night away.

We had a slightly late start on our final day and staggered into the festival just before lunch. Luckily it was Monday and the rain has kept the crowds at bay. We managed to find another beer hall and settle in for a slower start. The crowds slowly built and so did the atmosphere. After a few too many steins, Porter and I jumped on the roller coasters and other rides having a great time! Porter also showed his expertise at drunken darts and won himself a whistle. We then stumbled back into Lowenbrau tent (seeing a theme here?) and kept the party going. At some point Porter went to the toilet and never returned... oops.  I kicked on with my new awesome table friends and danced the night away. 

After the beer halls closed, we jumped on the ferris wheel and got a birds-eye view of the festival site. It was an amazing (and cold) way to finish my Oktoberfest adventure. It had been a wet and wild few days and the memories, those I still have, will last a lifetime. PROST!

Lone Wolf devours Turkey

I trust my last blog left your mouths watering for more delicious Turkey. Dinner is now served. This delectable offering comes with a side of creamy culture, a helping of history and some parr boiled partying. Feel free to complete the feast with some turkish delight.

After a slight rocky patch (pun) in Cappadocia I made my way east, via Izmir, to Selcuk. The main draw card here is the ancient Greek and Roman city of Ephesus, just out of town. There are so many ruins left you can really imagine what this city must of felt like. Pretty amazing.

Slightly less impressive, but also right down the road, is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World the Temple of Artemis. Sadly this is all that remains....

yep, one pillar. Wow. Thankfully I've already seen the Great Pyramids of Giza so can cross another off that list. I then also visited the house where the Virgin Mary died, leant how to make carpet and watched a leather fashion parade. All-in-all one big Turkish day out.

From here I scooted inland and made a bee-line for the breathtaking hot springs and travertines of Pamukkale. Check the photos (more on FB)... they barely do it justice.

After spending the afternoon "pool side", I retired back to the town and rested for my LONG bus ride the following day. After "nine turkish hours", better known as 12 hours for normal people, I arrived at the northwestern city of Canakkale. Like thousands of Australians and New Zealanders before me, I was drawn here for one simple reason - Gallipoli.

Only a short ferry ride across the Dardanelles and I was whisked back 96 years and immersed myself in the stories and history of the ANZAC's and their infamous campaign.

The Gallipoli day trip was without a doubt one of the highlights of my whole overseas adventure. Simply a must-do for any Australian or New Zealander who gets the chance. Truly moving.

After the quiet reflection of Gallipoli I launched myself head first into the melting pot that is Istanbul. This place is unique and offers a great mix of culture, history, food, shopping and shenanigans!

I started out by filling my culture quoter by tackling the two big players in town, the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. Both were mind blowing! The detailed construction, decoration and sheer size makes for impressive structures. I enjoyed them both so much during the day, I came back at night to see them lit up and sparkling.

From here I ducked underground and explored the eery and cool Basilica Cistern. This subterranean structure is complete with mood lighting, countless columns, giant Medusa head pillars and even some fish! Very cool side of the city.

The next day I strapped on my shopping stilettos and hit the streets. I roamed the maze-like Grand Bazaar with 4000 different shops selling exactly the same things and then wondered over to the Spice Bazaar where I gorged myself of turkish delight, nuts and dried fruits. Thankfully I controlled myself and only brought a few snacks to share back at the hostel.

After a hard day on my feet, (stilettos can really hurt), I decided I should live like a Sultan and check out Topkapi Palace. This sprawling estate was super luscious and overflowing with obscene wealth. Those crazy Sultans really knew how to live it up. Highlights had to be the beautiful view over the Bosporus river and the collection of giant swords made out of gold and jewels. Bling never goes out of fashion baby.

After seeing it from a far, the following day I jumped on a ferry and sailed the Bosporus river that separates the European and Asian halves of Istanbul. I eventually reached the ocean and spent a few hours exploring a small town with its own ancient castle. Pretty good way to spend a relaxing day.

On my final day I kept it classy and sampled the amazing Burger Turk with some partners in crime from the hostel. We then spent the rest of the day checking out the "alternative" part of Istanbul, Taksim. We rounded out the day by watching Justin get a super sweet tattoo from a cool Georgian woman and her crazy fire twirling assistant.

Really cool people to hang out with and while away the hours in one of Europe's most interesting cities. After almost a whole month it was finally time to say goodbye to the delicious Turkey. Good times were had by all. Next destination, Germany. PROST!