THE NETHERLANDS.

NETHERLANDS:

Amsterdam, Netherlands: 

Day 162: 

Today we flew from Prague to Amsterdam. With regard to the order in which we were visiting countries, Netherlands was super out of the way, but after hours of convincing Trent otherwise he finally went along, which was lucky because Chris and Elle were going to surprise him there! We were staying in Noord, a short ferry ride from central Amsterdam- Chris and Elle met us at the dock then we spent the night catching up over drinks and sheesha :) 

Day 163: 

Today we hired bikes and rode through the the city centre. Everyone raves about Amsterdam and once you visit and experience it for yourself, you'll understand why. It's such a beautiful and unique city and bikes are such a quick and fun way to see it all. Note, everyone else is super confident with riding because, EVERYONE RIDES, so if you're like Elle and I and like to stay on the slow side of things stick to back roads, and particularly avoid roads that allow trams and cars- they're a mess. We stopped at a small(shit) cafe for lunch, highly unlikely that anyone reading would be unlucky enough to end up there but it's called 'Oorlam' and we would not recommend. We then took the ferry to Noord and rode around there, stopping at the Amsterdam sign(of course). Tonight we partied with our AirBnB host, Walter. 

Trent- locking his bike to nothing?

Nice sweet treats at the shit cafe. 

Some local beers and Dora. 

Day 164: 
Today we joined a free walking tour. Trent and I would highly recommend one of these tours, our guide had so much local knowledge of places to eat, drink, party, and knew so much about Amsterdam's incredible history- plus we got to sample some yummy local cheese! Walking tours quickly became our 'must-do' activity each time we visited a new city, great option for when you're on a budget particularly. 

Because each house is so thin there is a pulley system the allows furniture to be bought into houses/ apartments through the window. The houses are also on a substantial lean to help stop the furniture from hitting the building as it is being bought up. 

Thinest house in Amsterdam, just 1m wide. Taxes are based on how much street front you take up- this guy is the ultimate stinge. 

Day 165:

Today we tried to organise getting to Cologne following day, we booked a bus but couldn't find accommodation anywhere in the city (at least not in our price range). We were lucky that our AirBnB host allowed us to stay another night in Amsterdam(for free!), to celebrate- we partied! 

At their local. 

Pretending I got some poor girl's bike stuck in the tram tracks. 

Day 166:
Today we caught a bus from Amsterdam to Cologne.

TIPS:
BIKE HIRE: We hired our bikes for 24hours through, Mac Bike. They were super easy to ride with options for all heights, tandem bikes, bikes for little people- they had it all! The price was really reasonable (12euros/24hrs from memory) and we didn't have to leave a deposit or pay insurance. Highly recommend- plus their stores can be found all over the city and they give you a free map with suggested bike paths on it.
FREE WALKING TOUR: We did our walking tour with this company. They offer heaps of cool other tours, like a Red Light District tour and an Amsterdam 'Alternative' tour. Would highly recommend.
WEED: Smoking weed isn't actually legal in Amsterdam. What is true rather, is that police willingly turn a blind-eye to it if it is not hurting anyone... Or so we have been told. From what we experienced, Netherlands is a very accepting and open country, we could all stand to learn a few things from them. #420 #jokes
ACCOMMODATION: Accommodation is pretty pricey. Our accommodation was just across the river, it took only 5 minutes by a free ferry that ran 24hours and the price was dramatically lower than staying right in the centre. Definitely recommend staying a bit out of the centre for those on a budget.

CZECH REPUBLIC & POLAND

CZECH REPUBLIC: 
Prague, Czech Republic
To say the least, we wasted our time in Prague, well and truly still in our 'travel funk' we struggled to leave the house before midday most days, if at all. However, once we did leave the house we were treated to such a beautiful city.

Day 154: 
Today we wandered through the city, visited Prague Castle and the christmas markets, and walked along  Charles Bridge.

Day 155:
Today we visited the Lennon Wall.

Day 156: Today is not worth documenting.

Day 157: Neither is today.

Day 158: Today we travelled from Prague to Krakow in this puppy.

POLAND:
Krakow, Poland:
Krakow finally broke our travel-rut!!

Day 159: 
The main reason for our visit to Poland was to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau. It was an incredibly moving day and we would both highly recommend visiting these sites to gain a greater understanding of the atrocities that occurred.

Some ashes. 

Model of a gas chamber. 

Zyclon B- the chemical used in the gas chambers. 

Suitcases

The trains people arrived in. Always overcrowded, and often for weeks on end prisoners would travel in these carriages. 

Bombed gas chamber. 

Day 160: This afternoon we visited the Wieliczka Salt Mines, they were incredible, particularly the cathedral- highly recommend visiting.

The Cathedral- holds weddings, weird. 

Trent having a taste lol. 

Day 161: Today we had intended to do a Jewish District tour in the morning and an Old Town tour in the afternoon but no one turned up to our morning tour so we spent the morning exploring the city ourselves, visiting the Wawel Castle, a local second-hand market and the Christmas markets(obviously). We caught a Jewish walking tour in the afternoon and it was amazing! So interesting, so much incredible history- our guide was fantastic! He looked like Marshal from How I Met Your Mother- look for that guy if you're doing a tour!

Dragon that breathes fire every few minutes. 

Enjoying some local dumplings. 

Never enough mushroom. Or sauce. 

Day 162:
Today we caught a train and bus back to Prague so we could catch a flight to Amsterdam the following day.

TIPS:
AUSCHWITZ AND BIRKENAU TOUR: We booked our tour to both sites with Viatour. I probably wouldn't recommend them, although the price was really good, 30euros each including transfer to the sites and back to Krakow. There seemed to be no limit on how many people they took in the tour group and the headsets don't work very well so our guide could be talking about something two floors up in one of the buildings and we could still be outside waiting to get in having no idea what she was talking about. Would recommend spending a bit more money and doing a smaller/ private tour.
WIELICZKA SALT MINES: Not for claustrophobes as it is 135meters underground. Check for tour times before you go because you have to visit with a guide, we were lucky enough to arrive just in time to join the end of an english speaking tour. The tour is long, and the earpieces suck, but if you stick up the front near the guide its no issue. Definitely worth visiting.
FREE WALKING TOUR: We did our Jewish walking tour with this company. The groups range in size but the guides are always charismatic and entertaining.