DAY 4 - 3/1/25 - Arriving in Prague, Settling into my Hostel, Buying Socks and Sightseeing

 I take an early morning FlixBus from Berlin to Prague. I find the Flixbus much better in Europe than in other cities. I will spend two nights here before I leave on Sunday. It is my first time in the Czech Republic and I leave on Sunday. 

The public transport system in Prague is called Pid

I pick up a map and despite not speaking Czech I don't find it too complicated to figure out.  They have the metro, trams and buses.

I buy some socks at the H&M as I packed in a rush. I can tell you now they have already gone in holes, 9 months later so I would not buy them again

I am staying at the Czech Inn, in an all female dorm and I would stay here again. There is a lot of cool art on the walls and hangers. I can cook here too which is nice. 

 

I do a bit of sightseeing around the city and take lots of photos

That evening, I go out with some locals to a bar

 

 

It's snowing a lot and there are still a lot of Christmas decorations about. My first impressions are it's just a really beautiful city. :)

 

DAY 3 - 2/1/25 - Supermarket Breakfast, More Street Art, Art Gallery and a New Hostel!

 The next day I have a filling breakfast at the supermarket. 

One of my favourite things about being on the continent is being able to go to supermarkets for food. I find they have much healthier options than in the UK and earlier open hours. I always eat much better food! Below is the yummy roll I had. 

I also take lots of photos of the buildings in Berlin and more street art. 

I am then pretty tired so I go to an art gallery called the KW Institute for Contemporary Art and take lots of photos. Please see below.

I sit down and watch a display. It's really relaxing as it has been a tiring trip. 

The video size is too big for Blogspot so you can view it on my youtube channel. Here is a photo of the diplay:

For my final night in the city I am staying at NeoHostel- Your innovative hostel in Berlin | NEOHOSTEL | neohostel It is a long journey to the south of the city. I changed the booking I was originally supposed to be staying here at the beginning of the year but I changed it to be closer to the airport to catch my Flixbus in the morning.

I don't personally like this hostel as there is nowhere safe to leave belongings. There are also a lot of men in the room. I would not stay here again. However they were very helpful with changing the booking at the last minute. 

However I can cook here which is nice and I get dinner at Lidl and go to bed early as I have an early Flix bus to head on to Prague! It is my first time in the Czech Republic and I am very excited :) 

DAY 2 - 1/01/25; Happy New Year! - Street Art, McDonalds, Aspirin, Mezzo Mix and Crazy Karaoke!

The new year is upon us and there is something so exciting about waking up in a new city. 

Berlin has some wonderful street art so I like to take the opportunity to post photos where I can.

 

Naturally I am nursing a bit of a hangover from the night before so I chill at my hostel a bit before heading to McDonalds to get some scran.

 

 

I will write a post in the future on why I tend to eat McDonalds a lot when I travel despite how unhealthy it is!

I have struggled with migraines since a young age so I pick up some aspirin as well! They are very helpful at the pharmacy. 

I also pick up Mezzo Mix. This is a mix between coke and orange that is traditional in Germany.  I always drink it when I travel.

I then meet someone from Couchsurfing and go to a bar and walk past some cool underground spots.

I do lots of embarrassing karaoke and it's good fun. I sing a couple of my favourite songs by New Radicals. I even run into a fellow Scot at the pub.

I won't show you but there is a pole which some people dance on and it's lots of good fun and everyone drinks way too much! :)

The Berlin/Prague Diaries - DAY 1 - 31/12/24 - A Bumpy Start!

 After a bit of a misunderstanding, wrongly thinking that my flight might be cancelled, I say goodbye to my flatmate and I am off!

On this trip I am flying with the dreaded Ryanair to Berlin as I am not currently financially stable. I will not arrive til nearly 9PM. Just in time to celebrate New Year's eve in Berlin! I have my SanDisk mp3 player with me to listen to on the flight as I try to switch off from technology when I travel. I hate having to be glued to my phone!

The flight is quite bumpy but the city is beautiful at night.

For this trip I am staying at the Generator at Berlin Mitte, I have a bed in an 8 dormitory room, w/shared bathroom for two nights. 

I would stay here again as I do feel safe here. I have some plans to meet some people downtown. I get changed.

Unfortunately due to the holdups I am late meeting them and spend midnight alone watching the fireworks from the station.

I do not speak German fluently but I have been travelling since I was young so I can get my way around quickly. Berlin is beautiful at night. 

I meet some people at a bar in Berlin and we celebrate the night by having a few drinks in a Berlin bar. All in all a great start to the year!

Please see my Youtube channel for videos of my trip and to follow my career. 

Single Woman On a Budget - Travel Tips 1 - Planning for a Trip!

I have been travelling solo by myself for over 20 years. As a single woman I have learnt a few tips along the way to keep myself safe and my belongings secure. Here are a couple tips.

1) I always carry a lock and padlock, this keeps your belongings safe when you are in a youth hostel. 

 

2) I always try to get local currency and pay with cash when possible. Exchange rates are difficult for me as I am not good at Maths but I always shop around and try to find the best rates. For this trip I went with John Lewis.

3) I always carry an empty plastic bottle so I can refill it at after the terminal check in. You are not allowed to take liquids on flights in your hand luggage obviously but most airports have a spot after the terminal where you can refill your bottle. I need to hydrate a lot so this helps me!

I plan to post more tips in the future!

Goodbye to 2024!

 Backdated 

December 2024.

The year is coming to a close. One of my new years resolutions is to be more happy and set better boundaries with people. 2024 was quite a hard year for me on both a personal and professional level and I did not travel anywhere. I am currently living with a flatmate down Leith walk. The band Texas is playing in Princes St Gardens but it is very expensive. I know I do not want to spend New Year's eve in Edinburgh. I decide to book a short cheap/trip to Berlin my favourite city and then onto Prague to experience a new place. 

There are very cheap flights fortunately!

UPDATE- Texas have now cancelled! I have never been more glad to be escaping Edinburgh!