AMSTERDAM

COST : 36.50 DG per night (dorm – 8 beds)

Value for Money : 2

Cleanliness : 3

Friendliness : 3

Noise : 3

TOTAL : 11 / 20 [RANK : 30^th / 45]

Well, Amsterdam…. I trust people will read this with great interest. The big two – The Coffee Shops, and the Red Light District. One hates to waste time blabbering on about these things you know, they certainly are there, and not hiding at all. You can go into any 'coffee shop' and order what you like from their menu, there is usually quite an impressive choice, at least as far as numbers of choice are concerned. The Red Light District may be of an eye opener, unless you’ve spent too long in the coffee shops and therefore can get your eyes much wider. Leave your inhibitions behind and take a stroll, I have no need to describe the windows.

The city has quite a few canals and a tram system which seems to move at an illegal pace as it zooms around, and you may feel like you’re about to fall apart. Vondelpark is a huge park that’s worth a stroll, if it stops raining for long enough. The weather was appalling whilst I was in Amsterdam. The city does have a lot of museums and Art Galleries if you’re so inclined – I saw the Rembrandt Gallery and that was all unfortunately. It was a little disappointing, the artwork is very good and you really get a feel of how the etchings are done, but there isn’t an awful lot to see there. Three small floors. The one must, I think, for visitors to Amsterdam, is the Anne Frank House, most people know who she is – and you can see when the family hid for years from the Nazis in the second world war. This is rather hard to describe, but the place is very eerie rather than amazing, none of the furniture is there as a request from her father, and there is a multi-media display at the end, which is well done but does feature a narrator with a very annoying voice. You can also buy the book in whatever language you so desire.

Finally, I saw some theatre whilst in Amsterdam. An American ensemble, Boom Chicago, in one of three shows they were performing at the time – 2000 years down the drain. They claimed to be far better than the Whose Line Is It Anyway? team, of which I am a huge fan. What I got to see was a painful, labored performance full of Clinton, Springer and OJ Simpson jokes with both improvisation and sketch comedy included. Quite an insult to Whose Line? I must say although they did try hard. Maybe I expected too much.

PRAGUE

(Stayed 9/6/99 –16/6/99)

COST : 290 CC per night (dorm)

Value for Money : 4

Cleanliness : 3

Friendliness : 4

Noise : 4

TOTAL : 15 / 20 [RANK : 3^rd / 45]

Prague is a must visit city for Europe, I am declaring this right now. It is as beautiful as Paris is without being half as crowded and amazingly cheap. 80 aussie cents for a beer, bargain! Well, I had great company whilst I was the Czech Republic too, Peter, Catherine, Mike, Brandon…. And all their friends. Food is wonderful here too (and costs very little) and it’s hard to complain about the place. There is a square in the middle of the city with some interesting statues and this bizarre clock which has to be seen! (so sorry that I can’t name these things, I came to Prague without a guidebook you see!) There was a great night club called the Lucerna Music Bar where Saturday is 80´s night……… it was a top night indeed, I was warned the ´Final Coutdown´ goes off when played. It certainly did.

Prague Castle is another structure that sits above its city and is the main historical sight in Prague. Inside you can see the Royal Palace which is fascinating and has several old stoves as well as a chapel that is magnificent. The cathedral of St Vitus is I think, the one I liked most in all of Europe. It is very Notre Dame in style, especially the outside, and only had a little bit of scaffolding to mar the front. Inside is wonderful, you can go underneath the church into a sort of crypt like area where you see some cool graves and the ruins of the church that was previously

on this spot. (This is actually the third church here) There is a tower as well, it is quite a climb indeed, 277 steps I think, where a beautiful aerial view of Prague can be had. Also inside the Prague Castle walls is the Basilica of St George. It’s small but very nice indeed. There was chamber music playing as we entered and it was all very nice indeed. Apart from the skull and bones enclosed in a glass case.

Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary was a little day trip I did from Prague with my good friends Catherine and Peter. An enchanting little town, it is full of hot little springs (not the coily bouncy type) which people drink from. God only knows why, they were quite disgusting. You can go to baths all around the town to feel the restorative powers of these waters – unfortunately late on a Friday afternoon they were closed.

{Germany}

HAMBURG

(Stayed 16/6/99 – 18/6/99)

A northern port in Germany, Hamburg really is a pleasant city. It has a bit of a reputation as Germany’s Amsterdam, due greatly to the red light district, known as the Reeperbahn. I spent one day roaming around, taking in the sites, and found the main centre, close to the railway station (which in contrast is a little creepy) to be a lively place to spend a couple of hours. I was greeted by a brass band from St Petersburg and some excellent window shopping (for those inclined). For those arriving by train I will warn you the main station is a little confusing, with shops, escalators, the intercity train lines, the U-bahn (the excellent Hamburg suburban train service), phones that don’t work, information and ticket sales areas. Let’s just say you need a map.

I took myself to have a look at two cathedrals – the first was St Nickolai’s church. This was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War, except for one tower that stands alone today. It is quite amazing. The Hauptkirche St Michaelis is not far away, and a lot more modern with a fantastic organ, small booths and staircases everywhere. I spent a bit of time here, it was quite different to any church I’ve visited, and has quite an atmosphere.

MUNICH

I spent a fair bit of time near Munich, but not too much in the actual city. The mountains of Bavaria are not too far away, the air is clean and the sights beautiful. There was even a bit of snow around in May!

Munich is a pretty nice city all told. The underground system is efficient and trams roam the streets. Everything is well ordered. The only sight I visited was the Nymphburg Palace and grounds. Extremely impressive to say the least, and extensive. The walls were covered in paintings of people, there was a small cottage tucked away in the woods that was kind of magical, and if the period dress on display is not to your liking, there is an amazing assortment of horse-drawn carriages to see. At 8 DM it’s worth your while.