Copenhagen - Berlin - Donastia - Bilbo - Madrid - New York - Montreal - Ottawa - Toronto - Niagara Falls

June 1 - 30, 2010

It was sunny when we left for the train station in the morning. Catching the X2000 train to Copenhagen at 10:25am. Only a 5 hour train ride...ONLY. It was on time, & it was probably one of the nicest trains we've ridden. The seats even reclined better than the planes! I felt a little light headed though, so majority of the time I was trying to sleep. Except for when it was time to gorge on the bag of strawberries & cream lollies we bought :)

As we got closer to Denmark, the weather became horrible. It was gloomy, dark, & raining. Though luckily not as bad as what we've experienced recently in Krakow. By the time we found the right bus stop, our bus was already rolling away. Though we didn't have to wait long since the next one came up shortly. Staying away from the city this time, Hostel Belægningen is about 10km out. I think it's a nice change though, we're surrounded by greenery & not traffic & buildings.

We thought that the next few days will also be rain & just bad weather all together, but I was so excited to see the sun brightly shining that I woke Joel up just to let him know hehehe. Well, if we had known about this we wouldn't have bought the 10-way transport pass, & instead hired the bikes at the hostel.

Out by 8:30am, took bus #1A in front of Avedore Skole to København H (Central Station). Took around 30 minutes, & perfect timing since most places were just starting to open for the day. We checked of course the souvenir stores along Strøget (pedestrian, cafe's/bars/restaurants, shopping street) before arriving at Rundetårn (The Round Tower). It was completed in 1642, & is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe.

They say there's about 13,000 plant species in the Botanisk Have (Botanic Gardens)...I think they're right. We walked through the tropical & subtropical plants in the iron & glass Palmehuset (Palm House). Across the road was another nice garden to walk around - Kongens Have (King's Gardens). This is also where you can visit Rosenborg Slot (Rosenborg Castle), built by King Christian IV as a summer residence. There was even a swan HISSING (yes it was hissing!) at me while I tried to get it's picture with the castle!

I knew that the sculpture of Edvard Eriksen's, Lille Havfrue (Little Mermaid) was not going to be there. But as we got nearer to the spot, (where instead they put a TV screen with live footage of the sculpture from the Shanghai World Expo), the more I thought about how stupid it was to send the real thing. Instead they kept it's replica here, but not for people to view for FREE...it was put at Tivoli (a 19th century amusement park) where people now have to PAY the entrance fee just to see it! Can't stand stupid stunts like this...

Across the moat instead to reach Kastellet, an enclosed 17th century fortress, now a park. So many people jogging here, making me wish I was one of them :( Another moat to cross, then short walk to Marmorkirken (The Marble Church). It has Europe's 3rd largest dome, & unfortunately closed until later in the afternoon. Not far from it was Amalienborg Palace where we were able to catch the changing of the guards. There's four huge mansions around the square where the queen & royal family reside during the winter months. Another place we visited was Christiansborg Slot, home of Folketing (Parliament), & the royal reception rooms.

The next day, we decided to hire bikes. Great exercise & a goof way to get to know the streets around Copenhagen. Not sure how long it took us to get into the city, but it was a nice & easy ride :)

We first visited the small town of Christiania, surrounded by a graffiti-covered wall...it´s were the hippies, & wanna-be hippies hang out. Lots of drunks, & illegal drugs being sold on street stalls. No pictures allowed in the town, which is such a shame because it was as if we were walking into a the back lot of Universal Studios. So different from the world outside hehehe Got to visit inside the Marmorkirken, & passed through another park called Ørsteds Parken.

On arrival back to the hostel, I found a note on our door to call Marietta. The number was for Denmark & I didn´t know anyone here so I brought it back to reception. We ended up trying the number anyway, & glad we did :) It turned out to be tia Marietta, my grandpa´s cousin! Long story on how she found me in Copenhagen, but her husband tio Andy & herself picked us up & brought us to Tivoli!

We found Lille Havfrue & of course got pictures with her :) Then to dinner, & was surprised that even at 11Ñ30pm on a school night there were still kids out on rides having a great time! Not only that, it looked like it was only getting to dusk!!!

Super early breakfast, walk to the bus stop to get to the central train station. Our train to Berlin, Germany departed at 7:45am. We got talking to another Danish passenger, around our age. And we were astonished when he told us that the WHOLE train gets on a FERRY to get to Germany!!! When it got on the Scandlines, we all had to get out of the train & sit on the decks for the 45 minute ride. Pretty cool! They had duty free stores on board which is pretty much where everyone was :)

We stayed at BackpackerBerlin, about 45 minutes walk into the city. So yes, you can imagine the exercise we got during our stay ;) Along Karl-Marx-Allee, you´ll see the boulevard lined with buildings designed from the Soviet Union days. Pretty much everywhere in Berlin, including close to our hostel, you will see Fernsehturm (the TV tower). So it was not hard to find our way into the city.

All you have to do is walk along Karl-Liebkrecht-Straße which turns into Unter den Linden. So along the way we took pictures of Berliner Dom, Beblplatz (where around 20,000 books where burned by Nazi students), and finally the Brandonburger Tor. On the other side, you see bricks laid out on the road to mark where the Berlin Wall used to stand.

Another stretch of road, Straße des 17 Juni leads you to Siegessäule, but unfortunately, it was covered with scaffolding so we walked into Tiergarten instead. We actually for to see some animals from the zoo through the fence on our way to Kaiser Wilhelm Church. And WOW, can I just say how surprised I am so see so many Dunkin' Donut stores there are here? It rivals that of the Philippines!

We walked along the East Side Gallery on our way to the sights the next day. There´s some really great artwork there, and I think it gets changed regularly because I didn´t see some of the ones I liked from my 2007 trip. After we checked out Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, & the Galerie Topographie des Terrors.

The Sony Centre was cool, if only the shops were open (Sunday, most are shut except for those tourist sites), then got lost (not really) walking through the Holocaust Memorial. The weather has been so perfect during our stay, & it looks like a lot of festivals are coming up that Joel & myself didn´t want to leave yet! Oh well, another place to add to the list of places to return :)

I´m used to waking up early, so 3am is nothing. Not sure if Joel enjoys this though hehehe We got to Berlin Tegel Airport & waited for our Air Berlin flight AB8792 to Barcelona, Spain. We sat in the plane for about an hour before take-off, not sure why but I fell asleep and didn´t mind.

Took the Aerobus to Plaza Catalunya and walked along Las Ramblas to get to our hostel - Downtown Paraiso Hostel. Walked around the area for a bit including La Boqueria (markets), but didn´t want to go sightseeing just yet :)

The bed was so comfortable, the room was pitch black that I didn't want to get up yet, though somehow my body got going anyway. Good thing too, since it was nice & sunny outside :) Ready to go out, we walked across Plaça de Catalunya & up Passeig de Grácia. A small area along this street is known as la manzana de la discórida (block of discord). Because of the architectural styles of three buildings - Casa Amatller by Puig i Cadafalch; Casa Batlló by Antoni Gaudí; Casa Milá (La Pedrera) another by Gaudí.

Casa Amatller has a facade that is of Moorish influence, while Casa Batlló has balconies that ripple like water with purple-blue tiles. On the corner of Passeig de Grácia & Carrer de Provençal sits Casa Milá, said to be Gaudí's most refined work. Quite strange to look at, so out of place hehehe. Another Gaudí creation we saw was La Sagrada Familia, unfinished & some say it will never be. We didn't go to Park Güell this time, didn´t want to walk too far knowing that most needed to be seen today before the rain starts. A bit further on is a building that you'll be able to see from the Park, and that's the Agbar Tower. It's noticeable because it looks like a bullet.

Got to the Arc de Triomf, walked through it and then got to Parc de La Ciutadella. I didn't realise that there was a massive fountain feature there - Cascada. I only saw the buildings on the other side of the park. In the afternoon walked to Mirador de Colom, and the port area. One of the best places to walk around and get lost in is the alleys in Barri Gòtic (the Gothic Area).

Even though it was raining the next day, we went out ot join a free walking tour around Barri Gòtic. Waste of time really, the guy talked fast and wasn´t clear at all. I think he was trying to joke around but no-one got it... So by the time we finished checking out Església Catedral de La Santa Creu, Joel & I bailed out. Walked slowly behind the group and walked through the maze of alleys. Such a shame since I really wanted to know more about the history of the area.

Had to get to Barcelona Sants Estació early in the morning for our 7:35am train to Donastia in País Vasco. Fell asleep for the most part of the ride, snacked on our 600g container of sour lollies, and while Joel was asleep I watched a movie in Spanish. When we got to Donastia, I realised that there was no print out of the hostel because I made that booking during our trip already. Managed to get to the tourist office, and get a map with the address. Right in the centre of the city - Hospodaje Donastia@B&B. Nice quiet hostel with only 4 rooms and all are private. Luz and Amalia, were so so so friendly and very informative :)

Breakfast was not until 9am, so it was nice to just be lazy in bed for a change. The weather was a bit so-so but at least it didn't rain. Both beaches that we passed, Kontxako hondartza, & Ondarretaki hondartza, has the nicest, cleanest, widest sands I've ever seen. Seems they clean & comb it every morning. It was quite a surprise that even in this sort of weather, people (mostly the elderly) were out swimming!

Climbed up Monte Igueldo which is always a must when coming here. The views are spectacular right at the top. But we, being budget concious (too much sometimes I think) only climbed as far as we could without having to pay. I don't remember there being a charge last time I came, only if you took the funicular up. But oh well, we got good shots along the zig-zagged road. At the base of this hill, are sculptures called Haizearen Orrazia (The Wind Comb). There was a description there, but I still don't understand it's purpose hehehe Another of these sculptures, but erected recently, is Eraikuntza Hutsa (Empty Construction). This one is at the base of Monte Urgull.

We visited Église Santa Maria in the Old Town, & directly across in the Centre of town (even if it was several streets away) you can see Cathédrale Buen Pastor, where we visited next. Unfortunately it was closed, don't know because they too were having a siesta since it was that time of the day :)

So what else do you do in Donastia? Or in any Euskadi city? You go out for pintxos of course! We had a list of recommendations from Luz, so we tried the first on the list - La Cuchara de San Telmo. I must say when I asked for their best sellers I didn't expect for the guy at the bar to say beef cheeks or fish "chins". Well ummm ok, we ordered those to share & you know what...they weren't so bad! Quite delicious actually :) Then to Ganbara where they are known for their tarts stuffed with onions, carrots, & txangurro (spider crab) Mmm...mmm...mmm! We also tried two other pintxos here, but have no idea what they were. All were good though :)

Enough of that...dessert time!!! And what else could be better than churros con chocolate?!? We found them at Santa Lucia & quite cheap for th amount of churros we got, & the thickness of the chocolate. I'm sooo craving for another right now :(

Too bad we only stayed a couple of days here. Next was to hop on the bus to Bilbo, only over an hour away. First though we climbed up another little hill - Monte Urgull. Shortly after we were on our way...

Caught the Euskotren (tram) to get to our hostel - Hostal Gurea. In the middle of Casco Viejo (Old Town), it couldn't be in a more perfect place. Wish I could say the same about the weather though. It's as if the weather or time stood still since I left it...gloomy, raining, & cold :( Bilbo is officially the most miserable-gloomy-weather-city in the whole Europe, if not the world :(

Even though the weather hadn't changed the next day, we were able to walk around with our umbrellas packed away...though ready for the threatening dark clouds. Because it was Sunday, about 98% of the stores are either closed or won't open until around 3pm. I know for a fact my mum can never live here because of that, though I think my dad will love it hehehe ;)

The furthest we got was Parque de Donña Casilda Iturizar, walked through it then Joel went to admire the architecture of Museo Guggenheim Bilbao. Passed Iglesi de San Nicolás, Iglesia de los Santos Juanes, & Catedral de Santiago. Didn't bother trying to go in, since Sundays they will surely be closed for mass.

If you are in Bilbo around Sundays, then you should check-out Plaza Nueva. It was absolutely buzzing with people! Adults & children alike were gathered in small groups with their checklist of trading cards. I've never seen anything like it! A lot were also huddled around vendors with old coins & banknotes. The bars, the cafes, around the plaza were also overflowing with loud Basques enjoying their Sunday :) Even Joel commented that the people around here are noisy...nahhh they just know how to enjoy life ;)

Day after was even worse :( Didn't get to go to Ibarranguelu, but instead finally found Restorante Zuluaga. Met head chef & owner Alberto Zuluaga. He couldn't speak English, & my Spanish is only enough to get directions & other travel things...not research questions. It was quite funny though because one of the ladies there was giggling at us, we were pretty much hand signaling at each other hehehe

Last train trip in Europe, to Madrid in the morning. It was so nice to just look out the window even if it was dark skies, the green hills, the fog, so so pretty! We got to a train station in the middle of no where...but we were there for AGES waiting for a delayed train to arrive and attach itself to the end of ours. I guess Joel was still sleepy or something; instead of putting his earpiece for his MP3 back into his ear, he put a sour gummy lolly! LOL it was the funniest thing and we were in tears for awhile :D

Anyway, finally got to Madrid Charmartin, took the Metro to get to our hostel which was just south of Puerta del Sol. La Posada de Huertas, the first hostel were we had to be put in separate rooms (single sex rooms only). Joel complained about the stinkiness in the room, while I enjoyed just sharing a small 5 bed room with just one other person :)

Afraid that it would rain during our outing, we brought the umbrellas with us just in case. Luckily we didn't have to use them once :) Walked through Plaza Mayor, which was still very quiet early in the morning, with the shops only starting to open. Looked inside our LAST cathedral - Catederal de La Almudena before a quick peek at Palacio Real.

Walked to a park that had a "donated" Egyptian temple, Templo de Debod. I never believe these so-called "donated" gifts to other countries. So back into the centre of the city through Plaza España, and along Gran Via. I wanted to show Joel the Placio de Comunicaciones, but, like 98% of buildings in Europe at the moment, is covered with scaffolding :(

We were planning to go to Toledo for a day trip, but decided to leave it for another time :) Instead we spent our last full day in Madrid at Parque del Buen Retiro, just sitting by the water and watching the place fill with people. It was also such a nice sunny day, a good change AND good way to end our Europe trip :)

To get to the airport we had to take the train from Atocha to Nuevo Ministerios, & then changed to the metro line. Got to Barajas Airport with more than enough time to spare. The airport was a bit chaotic, apparently you can check your bag in up to 24 hours before your flight. So all desks were open for what ever flight you are taking, just make sure it's the right airline and the lines were pretty long. I thought it was such a mess, but I guess they had it all under control hehehe

To get to New York, we flew with Iberia Airlines IB6251. It was an 8 hour flight, but by the time we get there it would be already 9pm in Spain, yet 4pm in New York! Good flight though, food was yum, & we got to watch a couple of movies - Leap Year, & Extraordinary Measures.

Even though our departure was an hour delayed, we arrived at JFK Airport 30mins earlier than expected. I got through fine at customs & immigration, the guys new how to joke around. Joel wasn't so lucky hehehe but he made it anyway, maybe he looks a bit suspicious :P

So we got the Airtrain to Jamaica Station, then changed to the "E" train for 53rd Street on Lexington Ave, THEN the subway up to 110th St, AND finally we were there...almost. We had to walk about 3 blocks to get to the hostel - The Riviera New York. Now some people would be shocked when I mention that we were staying in East Harlem, but I stayed here last time & I really loved it! And this time was no different, we liked are very homey-filling hostel :) The area we were at is more commonly known as "Spanish Harlem" or "El Barrio".

To get to the city, we have to walk through Central Park, which is great. It's larger than the Monaco, & it doesn't feel like you are in a big busy city! I had to of course stop to check-out FAO Schwartz, Barnes & Nobles, & Build-A-Bear before we got to Times Square. I love Toys R' Us! Across the street to M&M's World, then the Hershey Store...mmmm so delicious!

No signs of jet lag what so ever, we were out early in the morning! Hit Central Park for a stroll taking pictures of squirrels, cascades, & a Father's Day Fun Run. So many people participating.

While Joel went to watch a baseball game at the Yankee Stadium, I got to spend the time "shopping". Actually the only thing I ended up buying was a trolley for my luggage which now runs on its rims :( Then I went back to Central Park to sit in the shade and people watch. There was also a live band playing so I got to listen to some of that before heading back to the hostel.

When we checked-out, we had to take the subway to 51st St, then changed to the "E" train to get to Port Authority on 42nd Ave. This is the main bus stop, & where we will be departing with Greyhound bus for an overnight ride to Montreal, Canada. Got to the station & left our bags at the luggage storeroom.

In the heat, we walked all the was down to the "alphabet" streets to have lunch at The Peanut Butter Shop. Slightly disappointed that nothing we ordered had peanut butter though :(

There were lots of people sitting around Washington Square Park, & we joined the people at Madison Square Park siting down in the shade to cool off. It's funny to watch people around here. Some workers seem to just walk around doing laps of the park, a couple of the ladies I saw were even wearing heels! HOW?!? Then there's the homeless guy on the other bench who seemed to be "cleaning" himself with a brush, I guess some things you just don't need to see...

Back at the Port Authority at night to wait for the bus' departure...no delays here! We left at exactly 12:01am! Sleep (if any) was interrupted at around 2:30am for a scheduled servicing/cleaning of the bus at Albany & we all had to get out. It took about 30 minutes then we were back on board. The next interruption was at the border where we had to take all our belongings off the bus & go through the Canadian customs/immigration. Easy. The bus was checked over & we were able to board the bus.

Finally at Montreal by 8am, & walked to Le Jazz St. Denis. We didn't do much that day, we ate, watched the soccer, walked a little, ate, & bed...

We did more sightseeing the following day when we had more energy :) Got to see Basilique Notre Dame de Montreal, then to the little museum at Banque de Montreal. The small museum had early Canadian currencies, books, & "machines" they used in the bank at the time. Down to Quais du Vieux Port & along Promenade des Quais. Looked around the garden at the house of the first governor, which is called Place de la Douversiere.

The next day looked like it was going to be gloomy. Yet we decided to still go up Parc du Mont Royal. Lots of people jogging up or biking here. After seeing the view, we walked down the other side & went to the port. Climbed up Tour de l'Horloge, & got a good shot of the Biosphere, Musee de l'Environnement across the river. We got to board the ship Europa & look around. It was an old merchant ship from Holland, almost 100 years old! *SIGH* Shops were closed & we were stuck in the city while it rained hard :(

Glad to be leaving Montreal, it was nice but kind of boring. Next was Ottawa, the capital city. Took Greyhound Canada, only a couple of hours away. When we arrived we took the local bus to Rideau Centre, & walked through Marche By to get to the hostel - Ottawa Backpackers Inn.

Looked like another gloomy day, but we couldn't afford to stay in since we were only here for a couple of days. We decided to follow the walking route on the map, also suggested by the girl at reception. It even brought us back to Quebec! The walk took us to Parliament Hill, the Supreme Court of Canada, across Pont du Portage Bridge, Pont Alexandra Bridge to get back to Ontario. In the afternoon when the skies cleared, we did the walk again backwards.

I enjoyed Ottawa, but today we were leaving for Toronto. Again on Greyhound Canada. When we arrived the city was almost like a ghost town, no cars around but a lot of protesters on their bikes, lots of police out...all because of the G20 Summit. We had no trouble walking to our hostel though - HI-Toronto.

Today was a lot more normal, with people going back to work, the city was busier & the fences were being slowly brought down. Across from the hostel was our first stop - St. James Cathedral. We were following the Discovery Walk from a map. Passed St. Lawrence Market which was closed today, then to Union Station. Got pictures of the CN Tower, Campbell House, Osgoode Hall, City Hall, & the Old City Hall. In the afternoon we decided to go up to the CN Tower, thinking since today was nice & sunny it might be the only chance we'll get to do it.

After our visit, it became dark & started to rain heavy...for like 10 seconds then stopped. So we went to Toronto Eaton Centre (mall). It's funny how Joel gets so excited about seeing the mall, he says we have to spend a whole day there. He won't be saying that when I drag him to Westfield in Australia hehehe

The next morning we were lazy and didn't get up till passed 8am...I know most are you are saying that's not late :P But we were able to see St. Lawrence Market...nothing great. EXCEPT for this one stall that had soooooooo many different kinds of cooking gadgets!!! I want I want!!!! We spent forever & a day at the book store. Got to also walk through Chinatown.

This next bus trip was with Coach Canada, going to Niagara Falls. I love it when the hostel is close enough to the bus/train station that we don't have to catch public transport to get there :) So this time we were staying at Backpacker's International Hostel & Inn. We walked to the falls in the afternoon when it was starting to get cooler. It's not as big as what I thought it would be, but still it was impressive :)