Budapest - Prague - Berlin - Amsterdam
"The deepest form of Love is curiosity" - Iordan
Travelers: Juhi Roy, Garima Jindal, Samuel Beno, Shiva Iyer, Gandhali Tipnis, Akshata Vaishnav, Disha Karia, Tejal Dave, Siddharth Awatramani
Where to start from - we are back in India and this year our Budapest - Prague - Berlin - Amsterdam trip has been nothing but a blast and it was a pleasure to meet such amazing people on our trip. One of the best travels of our life where we got a chance to share what we love with 9 other travelers from different parts of India who joined us from 17th April'19 - 27th April'19 on this beautiful journey. It was indeed a beautiful one.
It all started in Budapest - the city which is more like home now. Day 1 started with the meeting of all travelers who reached Budapest. This year we were staying right in the Jewish quarters on one of its main street. Food is always the first thing you go and we all landed at Karavan - simple street food style food right next door to Szimpla. It was a simple but yet a good start to this city.
After food, we started with our walk around the Jewish quarter exploring its main streets and later heading for a trip walkthrough outside the St.Stephens basilica which is indeed beautiful and one of the biggest in Europe named after the Hungarian king. We continued from Pest to Buda crossing the Chain Bridge, a walk along the beautiful chain bridge till the Freedom bridge with endless conversations about each other along with the amazing views of Danube and when you are in Budapest - a tour of Old world war ruin bars is a must - which means it was time to head to Szimpla Kert - the 1st Old World war ruin bar in Budapest. The night was fun as we were joined by more travelers staying from our group who had flight delay issues and some more people who were staying at the hostel. It was a great evening which ended early as everyone was tired after long flights. Some went dancing, some went for food, some returned to the hostel for sleep and some continued drinking. It was a night where everyone met everyone and had a good time.
Day 2 started with a good breakfast at hostel followed by our bus tour of this beautiful city. The Heroes Square to Thermal baths to Buda Castle, Matthias Church to Fisherman's Bastion in Castle district. The group took it's time to enjoy the sights and what followed was some amazing group pics and great funny conversation which kept the day going. It was a perfect day in Budapest -cool breeze and light sun.
Lunch was done in the castle district and it's always nice to bond with fellow travelers over food. The bus tour continued and we went to our next stop Margaret Island - it's one of our favorite spots in the bus tour where you get to spend some peaceful time in the middle of nature and this time we were super lucky to see the FOUNTAIN SHOW - truly a sight to experience. We walked and explored more places - Budapest Parliament to some great food avenues and much more along the Danube.
Our day 2 came to an end at Elizabeth square which is more like a chilling spot- Beers & Music & Conversations and more beer which was a fun way of knowing the people you traveling with and spending quality time with all of them. It was a great day and later few people continued the night drinking with a pub crawl and some clubbing. We heard they had a blast.
Next day after breakfast, it was a free day where all our travelers got the time to explore the city by themselves at their own pace. Some ended up exploring the Thermal baths and as it was good Friday few local markets were closed but overall we were blessed with beautiful weather in Budapest on all our days - Perfect Spring.
Budapest, always a pleasure to be back
Next day we were off to our next stop Prague which is another magical city which has always pulled travelers from all corners, it's history, the magnificent Prague castle, food and it's crazy nightlife. Our train journey was long and this sad part was our train got half n hour late. However, a tram ride from the train station to hostel got all the beautiful memories rolling back from our last time here.
The 1st evening in Prague we all were excited for the Pub Crawl in Prague as it was a Saturday night. Night followed with a lot of beers, Absinth shots, and more shots. We ended up visiting 3 bars - enjoyed drinks, some beer games and last but not the least the big club Karlovy Lane
Night had a lot of dancing and a lot of drinking. We hope that everyone had fun that night as we were not able to see fellow travelers after reaching the famous 5-floor club in Prague. Night came to an end with a beautiful walk along the Chain bridge.
Next day after breakfast we started with our walking tour of this magical city - we visited the beautiful Prague castle - the biggest castle in the world and indeed a magical one. The first look of it amazes you as it's big - really big. The cathedral, gardens, the church and never ending panoramic views of the Prague city always keeps you plugged into this place and you appreciate it more.
After the castle, we made our way exploring the lesser town and started with John Lennon wall which has become a symbol of Prague and travelers from all over make a visit here to see the beautiful wall which only talks about Love & Peace. Later we explored the Charles Bridge and made our way to the Old town of Prague. The good part this time as we were in Prague during the time of Easter and small markets were happening all across the city and you could see hoards of people all around. A walk through its maze of streets got us to the end point of our tour at Old town Square. A beautiful day came to an end. Some travelers ended up going to the top of Charles bridge gates for Panoramic views of the city, some explored the city more. Few travelers the brave ones went to the Absinth museum and tried Absinth shots and also ended up buying for back home. The Girls in our group really deserve a big round of applause - they were super crazy and in the night they just took it to another level - Leaving it to your own imagination.
Our time in Prague was short and came to an end and we were off to our next city Berlin.
Prague, Love you always
Berlin has always been a special city for its energy, history, different districts, people from all over the world coming and making a living in that city, it's never-ending nightlife, food and much more. Our train ride from Prague got us to Berlin in the afternoon. We were staying at one of our favorite hostels at Rosa Luxembourg street. Our tour started with food at the Hackescher market and after that, we made a visit to the Reichstag - the German parliament which is famous for its beautiful dome and the Old building architecture. A must visit for everyone to get a glimpse of German history and city views. Later a walk along the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust memorial and exploring some more sights - as we were during the time of Easter holiday everything was shut little early and on top of that Berlin was super windy and the first night was cold and came to an end with food and few drinks, however, it was great to see the enthusiasm of other travelers who ended up going clubbing in Berlin.KIT-KAT all the way. The girls in our group rocked in Berlin as well.
Next day started with a bus tour of the city which took us all to the Central and east side of Berlin. We started with a visit to the Berlin wall / Eastside Gallery which still has remains of Berlin Wall left. Later we made our way to the Berlin Wall memorial which gives you insight as to what happened in the past and gives you great insight into the history of Germany. A must visit for all curious souls out there.
The bus tour followed with a stop at Alexanderplatz the main square of central Berlin. Later a walk along the main boulevards from Belin cathedral to the Museum Island and the food scene at Mitte district. Evening came along with good food and some drinks along the Spree river with a view of museum island and letting the time go by. Hostel night was filled with more drinks and interaction with others.
Berlin, the city with energy
Next day after an early breakfast we were off to our next destination and the final one "Amsterdam" for celebrating KingsDay which is a celebration of Kings birthday. We reached Amsterdam at 3 pm and followed next was Check-in - mandatory visit to a coffee shop and after getting all our stuff and travelers sorted we were off for a walking tour of this city which started with a visit to the Old part of Amsterdam now also commonly known as Red Light district. Rain interrupted our walk and we had to make an early end to it - however, we had Fries and Mayo accompanying us all the time. Amsterdam never stops to amaze you - one of the most beautiful cities you can come across in your lifetime and during the time of King's Day it's special with so many people coming from all over the world to celebrate and night always has a different story to tell in this city. We all chilled in the hostel till late.
Next day started with a walking tour of the museum quarter of Amsterdam and to our disappointment, the very famous I Amsterdam letters were taken down from the front of the Rijksmuseum because that sight became an over tourism sight and so many people were still taking a picture and we ended up having one ourselves from the same spot - Why not - Amsterdam is a special city and you don't come here again and again. The day followed by exploring different parts of Amsterdam, Jordaan district, Anne Frank house and later followed by Heineken experience. Evening came to end with some chill scenes in the Vondelpark and some travelers explored the city via canals with their boat tour.
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Next day was a free day - our travelers explored the beautiful windmills and tulip gardens - which is well worth a visit if interested.
You look back how it all started in Budapest and here we are on the last day in Amsterdam and that too Kings Day - and it was party time. The whole city dressed in Orange, Music everywhere, canals filled with boat parties, flea markets - the whole experience is priceless and what came along was wind and Rain, not the best day weather-wise. Only who has been to Amsterdam during Kings Day can imagine. Fun it was.
We started our day by meeting all our travelers at the hostel and went out in rain to Kings Palace, the place everyone gathers for a big party. The energy gets the day going. After some quick pics, few beers and snacks we walked towards Red Light district canals only to discover a more and more different side of Amsterdam. The energy was high, music was loud, the party never stops, we met so many people during that day. It was so much fun. The Kings Day with the group came to an end at a canal party. Leaving the people that you travel with is always emotional but you keep the joy with you.
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We feel happy they joined us on this travel.
Amsterdam, home away from home.Third King's Day - indeed special
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We were happy that everyone walked back with a lot of memories at their end and that's what matters. Memories stay forever. Happy that we have this trip as a chapter in our small journey. Love for travel connects the world. Connecting Cultures.
Thank's again to all travelers who joined us on this beautiful journey. It was indeed a pleasure to meet you all.
Love - Travel to Discover - Everything happens for a reason.
The deepest form of Love is curiosity - Iordan