Traveling

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Scandinavia 2010 - Part 4

Back In Gothenburg

Wednesday - September 1st 2010

Today we had to leave Copenhagen and to travel back to Gothenburg. In the morning we checked out and then we went to a nearby shopping center to buy some snacks and beverages for the train journey.

Copenhagen

Around noon we arrived in Gothenburg and walked to our hotel. We booked the Spar Hotel Garda, which was not as nice and modern as the WakeUp Copenhagen, but still comfortable and it offered breakfast. Our room was fine, but it looked a bit old fashioned. Nevertheless we enjoyed our stay there.

Spar Hotel Garda

After the check in we took the tram to the city. At first we visited the harbor and then we just walked around the city and did some sightseeing.

Gothenburg

In the late afternoon we stopped by at the Hard Rock Cafe, which was a lot nicer than the one in Copenhagen. After a refreshing beer it was time for dinner. We decided to try Kelly's Bar, a vegetarian pub, and we weren't disappointed. Claudia orderd a burger while I had a Mexican pita. Both dishes tasted really good and so it was no surprise that we would return to that pub.

Gothenburg

Hard Rock Cafe Gothenburg

Gothenburg

Veggie Burger with Fries

Mexican Pitas with Fries

Ice Cream

Gothenburg

Later we returned to the Hard Rock Cafe, where we spent a wonderful evening and then we walked back to the hotel.

Monday, 7 March 2011

Scandinavia 2010 - Part 5

Gothenburg

Thursday - September 2nd 2010

Our hotel offered a lovely breakfast buffet with spreads, jams, eggs, cereals, coffee, tea and juices. Afterwards we took the tram to the yacht harbour from where the ferries departed to the small islands in front of Gothenburg. We just missed the first ferry and so we had to wait some time, but finally we made it to the islands.

Yacht Harbour

We got off the boat at the first island, the ferry stopped at all the bigger ones. There we walked around the beautiful and quite island. Cars were forbidden and so it was a very relaxing place. We spent nearly two hours there and before the ferry picked us up again, we had a coffee in a very small, but lovely coffee house near the harour.

Styrsö Bratten Island

Styrsö Bratten Island Coffee House

Styrsö Bratten Island

Back on the mainland we took the tram to the cruise ship harbor, where we boarded a water taxi that runs through the harbor and brought us back to the city center. For lunch we went to Subway.

Gothenburg

In the afternoon we did some sightseeing in the old part of Gothenburg. That area was called Haga and featured many shops, bars and restaurants. We decided to have another cup of coffee in a Swedish bakery.

Gothenburg

Swedish Bakery

Dinner was at the same restaurant like yesterday and both of us ordered the Mexican pita. We spent the rest of the evening at the Hard Rock Cafe and were already sad that we had to leave on the next day.

Hard Rock Cafe Gothenburg

Returning Home

Friday - September 3rd 2010

After breakfast we checked out and took the bus to the airport. Our flight left around noon and in Vienna we had to wait two hours for our connecting flight to Salzburg, where we arrived in the evening.

Friday, 4 March 2011

Berlin 2010 - Part 1

Arriving In Berlin

Sunday - August 1st 2010

After I finished my summer work, we decided to take a short trip to Germany's capital city Berlin. I was always interested in Berlin's history, especially in the history of East Berlin and of the German Democratic Republic. So I was very happy to finally go there.

We left Salzburg in the early morning and arrived in Berlin around noon. At first we drove to our hotel and checked in. We stayed at the Mövenpick Berlin near the Potsdamer Platz, which was a modern and comfortable hotel. The room was beautiful and we enjoyed our time there a lot.

Our Room

Bathroom

After we dropped our luggage off in our room, we were on our way to the city. Our first stop was the Potsdamer Platz. That's a new area which was created after the Berlin Wall was removed. The most prominent building is the Sony Center with its great architecture.

Potsdamer Platz

Trabant Car

Sony Center

Subway Station

Since we were hungry, we took the subway to a vegetarian snack bar called Vöner. The food was okay, but I don't need to go there again. Afterwards we made a visit to Cupcake Berlin, where we enjoyed some very delicious cupcakes for dessert. By the way a funny sparrow tried to steal my cupcake.

Lunch

Blueberry Cupcake

Choclate Cupcake

A Sparrow stealing my Cupcake

Later we headed to Alexanderplatz, where we toured a free exhibition about the time when Berlin was a devided city. It was very interesting and we spent over an hour there.

Television Tower near Alexander Platz

Then we walked to the river Spree and did a boat tour. We purchased our tickets and boarded the ship. Since the weather was so nice and warm, we chose to sit outside. With a glass of beer we enjoyed the boat tour along the river Spree. The ship passed several Berlin landmarks, like the Cathedral, the Chancellor's Office, the former site of the Palace of the Republic or the Reichstag (Parliament), and so it was a great way to see the city. Later we returned to the hotel and had a drink at the hotel bar.