So I started this on Tumblr whilst I was away over the Summer and it has been sitting in my drafts folder for so long that I've decided to finish it here. Since it's cold and January is generally a bit of a crappy month, I've been reflecting a lot on the summer recently and thus this was finally finished. Not like it's taken me six months or anything...
1) In Amsterdam, they will let anyone rent a paddle boat. And I mean anyone. Even a group of idiots with no sense of direction, driving experience, boating experience and little common sense. The only instruction you will receive is "stick to the left". You will be beeped at by the big tourist sight-seeing boats. You will scream at each other in the boat trying to figure out how to steer and you will end up bumping into the wall. You will also fall about in fits of laughter and it will be one of the most hilarious (and probably quite dangerous) things you will do on the trip.481Please respect copyright.PENANA1RZExo8Pyy
2) The stairs in Amsterdam are ridiculously steep.481Please respect copyright.PENANAdX33KMoWVT
3) Road regulations do not seem to exist - in several places I saw a number of cars run a red light and in Rome, we were nearly ran over by several cars despite the green man being lit up.481Please respect copyright.PENANAf3lZmTyqnf
4) Berlin trams are quite possibly the noisiest trams in the world.481Please respect copyright.PENANAW1dgoHJ96P
5) Most pavements in Prague seem to be on a hill/slant. This makes it difficult to walk in if you are wearing sandals with no grips on the bottom... my bad.481Please respect copyright.PENANAhgqlzum308
6) Nowhere is the difference between clear and sparkling water clearly labelled. Only in tiny, tiny letters or different colours with no explanation to which colour corresponds to which water. Several times in several places were we met with a mouthful of fizzy water instead of the water we wanted.481Please respect copyright.PENANA4WC3pLWAaF
7) Expect to be sitting in a train corridor/walk way at least once if you're on a train with no reservations. They will pack as many people onto these trains as humanly possible. Nothing to do but get comfy for your four hour journey sitting on the floor.481Please respect copyright.PENANAfVwYDWefCW
8) In the rather likely event that you do end up sitting on the floor, karaoke is a great ice-breaker. Breaking out the disney classics on your phone (The Circle of Life was a crowdpleaser) got most people sitting in the aisles singing and definitely alleviated the frustration everyone was feeling. Not everyone will like it - some people in their comfy seats may grimace, but hey, they've got a seat. We weren't all that lucky!481Please respect copyright.PENANAk0ZZGm6rn4
9) Street salsa dancing is a thing in Vienna and it is so entertaining to watch.481Please respect copyright.PENANA3j3XB5oSoh
10) In Florence, a jazz band play free outdoor concerts on certain nights outside the Uffizi in the Palazzo Vecchio. They play a mix of classics and recent songs and it's the perfect way to spend a Summer evening. The atmosphere is incredible.481Please respect copyright.PENANAJU9Mh2QHQn
11) Visiting places off the beaten track is exciting and thrilling but rather terrifying when you realise you don't know enough of the local language to ask directions. Whether it was being lost in a tiny Hungarian village or getting lost on the way to Audrey Hepburn's grave in Switzerland, both times we regretted not having a language guidebook to hand. Living in a place where everyone speaks English and only ever having holidayed in places where English was spoken widely, I never realised how huge a language barrier can be.481Please respect copyright.PENANABpgY59X1au
12) In Vienna, some of the crossing lights are holding hands. Instead of a green man, some of them had a little green couple holding hands with a little green love heart hovering over them. Cute!481Please respect copyright.PENANANapxmkyEkw
13) Do not wear cheap sandals in Rome in the summer. Most importantly, do not wear them on the day where you are visiting the Colosseum and the Forum and are outside all day. Chances are the glue holding them together will melt and you will have to improvise and tie them back together using a bobby pin and a bobble that you had to snap to use as a form of string. (Speaking from experience...it is not fun.)481Please respect copyright.PENANAk6vi26W26N
14) You can swim in lake Geneva and the water is absolutely freezing, even when the outside temperature is above thirty degrees. There are also swans that like to swim next to the boardwalk and inspect what food sunbathers have. Some will also try to nip your toes if you have them dangling in the water.481Please respect copyright.PENANAFbccUQ7McY
15) And finally... Google maps is an absolute gift from the gods!!!!!!481Please respect copyright.PENANAA8cAc0VErH
I could go on and on and on with this... if anyone out there is considering interrailing or backpacking, go for it. I was apprehensive at first and a bit nervous, but it is without a doubt the best thing I have ever done in my whole life. You won't regret it.
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