After extensive planning I have decided upon a final(ish) route for our proposed journey around Europe. The route takes in nine of what I hope are some of Europe’s most interesting cities, across eight countries.
First things first and our primary mode of transport that will transport us around much of Europe will be the train. This decision was mainly selected according to financial factors, with unlimited travel around Europe for a month available for under £300 and this coupled with the fact that a lot more of Europe’s urban and rural landscape can be witnessed from a train window as opposed to a plane window made the decision a relatively simple one.
The first destination on our whistle-stop tour of Europe is Berlin, the former gateway between East and West that so captivated me four years ago. From my experience I know Berlin to be an incredible and fascinating city, examples of the cities meaningful history exist side by side with cutting edge technology and urban efficiency. Managing to fit in all the sights of a city four times the size of Paris in just three days is impossible, yet we hope to visit a great deal of them such as The Reichstag parliament, the Brandenburg Gate and the Olympiastadion. Perhaps then Fran will share the visual picture of the cosmopolitan haven that I have constantly painted in her mind over the past year and a bit.
Following our visit to Berlin it will be time to get on the train for the first of many hours travelling across Europe by rail, (we will be flying to Berlin ).
Our next destination will be the booming Polish city of Krakow. Famed for being the historic cultural capital of the country, as well as a destination of choice for stag parties and drinking holidays, the city has emerged as a travel hotspot since the fall of the iron curtain.
Complete with recommendation from a Polish friend of mine, what I know of Krakow so far reminds me much of the Czech capital of Prague, a city that has emerged commendably after the establishment of post communist government. I do not want to speculate any further on the city until I have visited but I hope that I have successfully shared the intrigue that makes the city such an interesting and hopefully worthwhile port of call on our European adventure.
From Krakow, we will make the journey south to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava. I have to confess that of all our intended destinations, Bratislava is the one that I know least about. I have learned that the city is, as is the case with several other cities we will travel through, situated on the famous Danube River. A picturesque and historic old town lies just across the river from the stereotypically grey high-rise communist housing blocks, displaying the contrast evident in so many eastern European capitals. Hopefully Bratislava might just be the dark horse to tell about upon our return!
It’s a common theory that the further east you go in Europe, the less money you can expect to pay and we will certainly be hoping to do some penny pinching ourselves when we pass through our most Eastern port of call, Budapest. Hungary, and Budapest in particular has been experiencing the typical post communist tourist boom, and is now spoke of in the same breath as Prague and Amsterdam in terms of drinking holidays. I understand that the city of Budapest is also doing very well in the beauty stakes as well and I look forward to visiting another city along the stretch of water that is the Danube River.
From Budapest we will be heading back westwards into Austria to the capital Vienna, a city described as an ‘architectural extravaganza’, before travelling down through the spectacular Alps down to Italy.
Italy is a land I have heard much about yet have never visited myself so I thought it only right to incorporate the country into my plans.
First of all we will stop at Venice, the place that needs no introduction. Gondolas and tight quaint streets, a city where it is impossible not to get lost, I won’t even try to deny that I will.
From Venice we will hop to Florence to taste firsthand the art and beauty for which it is renowned, maybe even squeezing in a quick trip to that leaning tower down the road if time permits!
Homeward bound from Italy as we head North once again through the spectacular Alps, sampling the picturesque landscape from our train window. I must admit the gruelling 10 hour journey from Berlin to Krakow does not enthral me, but the journey from Italy up to Zurich does!
Just the two nights in Zurich as a stop off before the finale of the adventure in Paris.
Paris, a city of such prestige seemed a perfect destination to end the journey around Europe, the Eiffel Tower, Champ Elysses and the Arc De Triomphe seem a suitable final hoorar. Oh and the fact that I got cheap flights back to Exeter from Charles De Gaulle was an added bonus.
