"The Bus F**king Left Me!"

In May I had my last holiday with my friends while in Poland. We decided to go to Gdansk. It is a beautiful sea port town in the north of the country on the Baltic Sea. The city is bursting with history as it was an important seaport and shipbuilding centre bringing an international population to this side of the world.

Along the port

But let me tell you how my lovely journey started...

Amanda and I drove from Radom to Warsaw in the morning and met Erin there. From the capital, it was just a five hour bus ride to Gdansk. Along the way, the bus stopped and everyone got out for a fifteen minute break. As women do, most of us went to the bathroom. I was last in line and that made me anxious. I don't like being last. Anyway, I went and I came out and walked to where the bus was meant to be and; surprise surprise... IT WAS GONE!

I looked to the left. No, not there. I looked to the right. Not there either. This is when I started laughing. This was not happening. I asked some girls if they saw the bus leave and, true as Bob, they did! That's when Amanda phoned me and all I said was, "THE BUS FUCKING LEFT ME!"

 I was stuck in the middle of nowhere. All I could see was this petrol stop and the surrounding forest.

Michelle, Erin, Amanda and myself in the Old Town

Everything was on the bus. My bags, money, ID, clothes; everything. All I had was my cell phone. Normally this bus service would count all the passengers to see that everyone was on before setting off again. Apparently not this time.

Amanda had tried to convince the driver to wait for the last passenger but he just stabbed at his watch and shook his head violently. Well thank you Mr Bus Driver. Just thanks. For nothing! I was so angry that I was literally stomping my foot and shouting at my phone like a crazy person.

Eventually some nice man on the bus that could speak English, spoke to the driver and we figured out that another bus was coming the same way within the hour. All I had to was wait. If the bus didn't come, I had resigned myself to hitch hiking.

The view from on top of the cathedral

The bus did come and I was able to convince them in very poor Polish that the stupid bus driver left me. Eventually I was on my way again.

When I arrived Amanda and Erin were waiting for me with a makeshift sign saying, Welcome. Seeing my friends melted away all my anger. I gave them a big hug and we started laughing at how great a story this was going to make. I guess they were right :)

The famous Poseidon statue

Alles Amsterdam

Easter weekend, this year, I decided on going to Amsterdam. Travelling solo has added a different aspect to the trip. Boy, was I in for an awesome surprise :) This city is the epitome of sex, drugs and rock and roll.

I sat in a shoe!

 On the Thursday, I headed to Warsaw to spend the day with my friend Erin. My flight was only at 6 am the following morning but I wanted to see more of the city as it's so beautiful. It was absolutely freezing though so we huddled in various places to keep warm. I didn't want to spend money on a hostel so I watched a movie before catching the last bus to the airport. At the airport I napped and waited (along with losing yet another pair of stupid gloves) until my flight. Surprisingly, many travellers do this if their flight is early; just sleep at the airport!

The view from one the many bridges

It only takes two hours to get from Warsaw to Amsterdam so I was there in no time. I found my hostel, checked in and off I went to explore the city. I stayed in a hostel outside the city so I had to get used to the train stations really quickly. As I stepped out of Central Station I was bombarded by the most amazing sights :) Amsterdam is a bustling metropolis and for some reason the atmosphere struck a cord right from the get go. I was overwhelmed with everything about the city.

Clogs... Clogs everywhere...

Some awesome street graffiti of
Einstein and Lady Liberty

I had a free walking tour at 11 am so I found my way to the Dam Square that was the checking point. Free walking tours are my favorite thing about being in a new city. The guides show you the big, important things to see but also add a touch of localism that you just can't find alone as a tourist. In two hours you are jam packed with new facts and general information. For example, Amsterdam is named so because a dam is found along the river Amstel that runs through the city. It is a relatively young city, only founded in the 1200s AD comparing to others in the east that were created in the 900s, but Amsterdam has been a metropolis for hundreds of years and boasts having the largest amount of varying nationals in the city. Stopping there, I learnt a lot and my brain was content with the knowledge I absorbed :)

As it was Easter weekend, it was super busy in the touristy sections of the city that I of course had to discover. The streets are alive with coffeeshops (these are the legitimate places to smoke weed) and souvenir as well sex shops. I had previously asked the tour guide to where the best coffeeshops were located and headed in that direction and had my first space cookie. Never having tried eating weed before, I was expecting the same sort of high you get from smoking it. Funny! A body high is totally different to a mental one. By the time it properly kicked in, I was high as a kite! Best, most amazing, scariest high I have ever had. I'm a little thankful I decided to go home and take a nap (sleep deprived) because I was not functioning at all. I thought I was going to swallow my tongue and at one point I was pretty sure I was dying. Time slowed so still that ten minutes felt like hours! I was KO by about 9 pm and I still woke up high the next day. The stuff was good shit is all I'm saying :)

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Saturday I spent with a friend looking at the prettier areas of Amsterdam. We went to the local flea markets that sell the most amazing everything; from food to clothes to antiques. It is tradition to go to the markets on a Saturday morning and have apple pie afterwards and so we did exactly that :) The nine streets and Jordaan district are really quaint, picturesque areas that made me just fall in love with the city even more.

Coming from South Africa, hearing Dutch was quite interesting. To those that are wondering if Afrikaans is at all similar to its mother language then yes to a certain extent you are right. I could understand a bit but a lot is not the same. Pronunciation is completely different and so is spelling. Though reading signs etc I found easy enough to do. 

The only thing that took real getting used to are the amount of bicycles on the road. Photos just cannot truly justify how many there are. I heard a "tring tring" every 5 seconds from a cyclist that wanted one pedestrian or another to "move bitch, get out the way". Not in those words but you catch my drift. Cyclists rule the streets. They are at the top of the transport food chain. Screw the cars, who needs one when the whole country is so tiny.

That night I went out to discover the Red Light District. It's actually a good and respectable district; just as safe (which is very) as the other districts. Rule number one though: do not take photos of the women. They will leave their booths and kill your camera.  The women range from gorgeous and young, to "I'm pretty sure that's a man". A session lasts 15 minutes and you can pay up to 90 euros. Peep shows, live shows, gay bars, you name it and its pumping with tourists. 

Sunday I spent outside the city in a beautiful little town called Haarlem. This place truly stole a piece of my heart. Shops are closed on Sunday but that didn't stop me from exploring. It seemed almost like a ghost town with no one about and when the snow started falling, I truly felt in a little fairy tale for a second.

All the alleys in Haarlem look like this

Monday came and went as I checked out the hostel and spent my last day out in the city. The Sex Museum (some things just can't be unseen), the Bloemenmarkt (flower market) and Leidseplein are just a few other things I saw before going home.

If you don't secure your bike, there's a strong possibility someone
will throw it into the river :)

I think I'd like to live here one day. There is something about the Netherlands that captured me and hasn't let go...

You find some odd things in the city

Last Stop! Bratislava

Our view of the castle from our hostel window

My eurotrip was coming to an end and I was both happy and sad for it. Travelling is my passion and it makes me feel alive like nothing else can but, at the same time, it can get tiring seeing so many places in a such a short period of time. 

In the Old Town

Our last stop before heading home was one day and night in Bratislava, Slovakia. I was apprehensive to see this city purely for one reason only and that was "Hostel". That stupid horror movie (which was based in Bratislava) made me such a paranoid little white girl that I could've bypassed the whole city.

I'm thankful we did go though. :) Bratislava is a great little city and I enjoyed our short stay there. I thought the city pretty and quaint; more than I expected.

I liked the city from the moment we stepped off the train. There is something captivating about it. 

Fat and swollen, frozen sauasage fingers

We got a little lost trying to find our way to the hostel (how ironic) but we found it eventually and off we went on the guided tour. I lost my gloves while in Budapest, so my poor little fingers took such a beating from the cold. Also by this time, my camera's battery decided to die so I wasn't able to take many photos though I tried to take a few with my phone. 

The Blue Church

There are a few key things that caught my attention in the city that I will never forget and that includes the Blue Church. This adorable little church is found in the Old Town of Bratislava. It's commonly called the Blue Church because of its characteristically blue facade. Blue roof tiles, blue doors, blue walls; blue everything! 

The Bratislava castle sits above the city on a hill on the Danube river. Although we didn't go see it, it was a nice back drop to our explorations.

My favourite part of the city is the medieval old town that resides in the inner city. It's not as big as some other "old towns" in Europe but is quite pretty. Napoleon can be found eavesdropping on conversations. His statue is found in the market square. 

Napoleon statue in the market square

Soon we were on our way back to Warsaw to rest before Amanda, Erin and I got back to work and started teaching. I was so excited to send everyone postcards and to put up my new magnets on my fridge! 

There are many cool statues in the city
but this one was my favourite

Here's a link to my other posts for our mini eurotrip. Check them out! 

Eurotrip:

City 1: Wroclaw

City 2: Prague

City 3: Vienna Part 1 and Part 2

City 4: Budapest

A teenager skateboarding over the tram lines early in the morning
with the Bratislava Castle in the background

I Heart Budapest

In February this year, I went on a mini eurotrip with two of my friends and our fourth stop was in Budapest. I fell in love with this city instantaneously and became my favourite stop of the trip. Sometimes a city can just call out to you; it's history, architecture, the people.

I left my heart in Budapest...

I wanted to go to this city without really knowing much about it and at every turn I was surprised at how amazing it really is. It is the capital of Hungary and is cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It's charm is found in the perfect blend of old and modern.

This is my most favourite photo of the whole trip

Overlooking Pest from Buda Castle

Budapest was once two separate cities that were divided by the river Danube; Buda and Pest. The opposite sides of the city are vastly different because of the architecture and terrain. Buda sits higher on the hill side and overlooks Pest and the buildings are lower and more spacial. Buda was royal city. The Buda Castle was the residence of all the past Hungarian kings. The Hungarian president also lives on the Buda side of the city.
Pest lies flat next to the Danube and its architecture is more 'city-like' if I can explain it that way.

On the steps of Buda Castle

The Hungarian people call themselves Magyars. Asian in origin, similar to the Huns and Turks, they made they way to what is now Hungary. The land itself goes back to 900AD when the people became Christians under their first ruler, King Stephen.


The city has many wonderful attractions including St Stephen's Basilica. The building itself is expectantly beautiful but what I found most interesting was the mummified right hand of St Stephen. It is kept in a shrine within the church. At the time it was said that it was a miracle and so he was canonized.

On his deathbed, King Stephen asked and prayed for the Blessed Virgin Mary to be his successor, ruler of the Hungarians. To this day, Virgin Mary is viewed as the eternal Queen of Hungary.

This old lady stared at us the entire time our guide was talking to us

We went on two walking tours in Budapest: the city tour and the communism tour. Both are jam-packed with insightful information of the city and its history. I recommend doing both if you have the time for it.

Amanda and I

The city is famous for its thermal baths and many tourists flock to them for their healing properties. We didn't have time to go which is why I have to go back! :)

Chain Bridge

The Chain Bridge is a popular landmark that links both sides of the city. It is often depicted in postcards and magnets. Two majestic lions lie on either side of the bridge.

In my Vienna article, I mentioned how the Hungarians adored Empress Sisi of Austria. This is evident all over the city with monuments, streets, squares and even a bridge that is named after her. They speak of her with much respect and love.

There is so much that Budapest has to offer. A good few days should be spent in this city to fully appreciate all the wonders that it possesses. I went in winter but I'd love to go in the summer and truly absorb all its awesomeness.

What a classic :)

Vienna, my Affair with Mozart. Part 2

"The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears"

My favourite musical, with Julie Andrews was based in Austria. Little did I know that Vienna, the only Austrian city I was visiting, had nothing to do with the film, The Sound of Music, but everything to do with the sound of music...

Our adventure to find St Marx Cemetery.
The streets were empty. Vienna was beyond quiet

Many great composers lived, breathed and performed their immortalised masterpieces, such as Mozart, Beethoven and Johann Strauss among others, but I found that I somehow connected with only one of these magnificent men. His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

My affair with Mozart

I have an affinity for cemeteries and cathedrals. I think it's the silence within them that I find absolute peace. So when I found a tourist map that showed the cemetery of where Mozart was buried, I jumped at the opportunity to find it.

Mozart's grave stands alone in the middle of the park

It's quite far from the city centre but Amanda and I found it with a hop, skip and a jump on a tram; we were not disappointed. St Marx Cemetery was used from 1784 to 1874. Mozart lies within an unmarked grave but years later a gravestone was erected to where he is thought to be buried. The grounds are old and show signs of decay but it was an amazing experience walking through it and looking at some of the beautiful grave sites.

You can see how old this place is

I wonder what the cemetery looks like in spring

My next encounter with Mozart was at the Vienna State Opera. A beautiful building with a long history. I didn't go inside but its architectural structure was obviously impressive, even from the outside.

I like the statue at the top of the opera house

My last affair with him was by pure chance. Our tour guide mentioned that there is a bit of local secret: Vienna boasts of having the last cafe Mozart played in. After our tour, Amanda, Mike and I hunted for the said secret. The Frauenhuber is a beautiful cafe that has kept the interior cosy and quaint from when it first opened. We enjoyed a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

Best cup of hot chocolate ever!

That sums up my whole liaison with a dead guy :) And it was by all means fun and memorable.

Here is Part 1 of my Vienna post

Wien. Historical Gem. Part 1.

After Prague, our third stop in February was Vienna. To be honest, it was never a city I thought of visiting while touring Europe and yet I am so grateful we went there during our eurotrip. It is a beautiful metropolis that has a classic elegance to it that I think other cities don't have.

The buildings are so grand that the city has a romantic feel to it

I fell in love with the history of the city and that's what stole my heart; the people throughout history that made Wien the city it is today. It is so complex with so many important historical figures that it was a little hard to keep up.

Because it was off season, there were no free walking tours in the city, so Amanda and I decided we'd be willing to pay for a guided tour. 12 Euros later, and accomapanied by Mike, a Chinese American businessman and the tourguide, we went galavanting around the city.


The city is situated on the Danube River and dates back as far as Roman times. In the city there are ruins preserved from when the city was still a part of the Roman Empire. It is situated near the Hoher Markt Square. You don't really expect to see the ruins. They were a nice surprise.

The Pestsäule is a statue in one of the main streets of inner city Vienna. It is a tribute to the epidemic of the Black Plague. The emperor promised God he would erect it if the plague ended in the same year it began, 1679. 

Vienna was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty. The Augustinian Church, next to the Hofburg palace in Vienna., holds 52 hearts of the imperial Habsburg family. What caught my interest about this little church was the cenotaph (an empty tomb that is meant to honor the person whose remains are elsewhere) of Marie Christine, sister of Marie Antionette.

The lion and angel lie at the entrance of the tomb.

The cenotaph in the St Augustine Church

Marie Christine was the only child of 16 that was allowed to marry for love and not political gain. Maria Theresa, her mother, favoured her above all her other children. Knowing this, Marie Christine would manipulate her parents. She married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxony and they lived their own version of happily ever after. The Albertina building is the combination of their names that is now a museum of art.

Another famous woman of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is Empress Sisi. Beloved by Hungary, and thought a non-conformist in Austria; she became a historical icon. She is most famous for her long locks that took 3 hours to brush each day. She was known to be a little eccentric and yet the more I learnt of her, the more I liked her.





A main attraction of the city is the gothic St Stephen's Cathedral. As a lover of cathedrals, this one did not disappoint. Building started in 1147 and today it is a world famous, cultural heritage site.

The inside of the cathedral was beautiful.

To be continued in Part 2