Special booking offers in hostels: lobby or yard?
I’m alive.
I’m again late with my report, but this time I think it’s for a justified reason – the lack of time caused by trying to survive 
out there for 22 days.
At last I arrived to the beaches of the Croatian island of Cres and finally managed to get a clear view of my impressions on this great adventure and live the experience once more through my memories.
Still, I’ll continue writing where I left off because every town I’ve been to is worthy of mention.
I’m returning to Düsseldorf.
Düsseldorf combines modern architecture with the old part of the city, just like Berlin. It reminds me somehow of the authenthic Skadarlija in Belgrade. The city was named after the channel Düssel, which flows in the Rhein. The Rhein surrounds it from all sides. Therefore, the first reward on the competition for city planning is completely justified.
One of the things I really enjoyed in Düsseldorf was climbing the City Tower and embracing the whole area of approximately 500.000 citizens in one glance. I also took a chance to visit the fairy ”Kirmes” that takes place once a year on the river’s (The Rhein’s) bank. That’s where I really had fun and where I accumulated some energy for the following days.
Only a few kilometers away lies Köln. By what I’ve heard it’s Düsseldorf’s rival by its appearance and organization. In the very center of the city I was stunned by the magnificent view on the enormous Kölner Dom (Cathedral). Right next to it is the The Museum of Roman Antiquities. Furthermore, walking down the main street of Köln brought me back in Knez Mihailova street.
After all, I had to change my plan and inform the group to expect me in Paris, because only a few hours away Amserdam was waiting for me. It was simply inevitable on my way to Amserdam to have a quick break and spend some sunny hours on a beautiful beach in The Hague.
| Amsterdam is a sweet little town of identical houses, that’s why also dangerous for those who are visiting for the first time. You can easily get lost…and that’s exactly what happened to me. All in all, it was unforgettable. With its characteristic architecture, boats, channels and bridges, Amsterdam is above all romantic. It’s a town specific by its red lanterns, and if I may say, a town of varios fragrances. Rembrandt’s house, Van Gogh’s Museum, Queen’s Palace – all of them reflect Amsterdam, amazingly clean and different from the others. Seeing it was worth the effort, money and energy. Besides, I should also mention that Amsterdam is the main financial center of Europe. After only a day spent in Amsterdam, my next stop was Paris, as I was in a rush and wanted to catch up with the others. A distant wish finally came true. I was in Paris. Nevertheless, full enjoyment was restricted by financial difficulties. As much as Paris is beautiful, as much it is expencive, especially for us, students. After visiting the famous Luvr, Notr Dam, climbing the Eiffel Tower, it was time to go on. We were headed towards Portugal. Still, wishes and plans are one thing, and the reality the other. Considering that I was the only one without a plan and that Barcelona is my dream city, I decided very quickly to buy a ticket to Spain. Barcelona!!!Gaudi’s city! The city of mosaics! So made for me! Barcelona – Gaudi’s city and my dream come true. Kind people who always wore smiles on their faces made me feel like home. Especially if you’re in luck to meet your fellow-citizens and in fluent Serbian kindly ask them to take a photo of you in the Gaudium park. Since we came totally unprepared (we didn’t even reserve a hostel room), luck was on our side. A friendly Spaniard allowed us to spend the night in the lobby of a hostel J. The only problem in Barcelona (besides the completely booked hostels) was the lack of time. We were there for only three days. Barcelona is a city of beautiful streets, great inspiration and imaginative artists. The hospital complex ‘Sagrada familia’, Gaudi’s park make Barcelona incredible! My next destination was Ljubljana (going thorugh Nice, Milano, Venice…:)). ‘Talk Serbian so the whole world would know you’ was a phrase which again came true. We found out when the train leaves from a Frenchman (Yugoslavian ancestry). I was again relieved I didn’t have mimmick and gesticulate English to a Frenchman who probably doesn’t understand a word of it. But the adventure wasn’t about to end…this time we didn’t spend the night in the lobby of a hostel…rather on a plastic chair in the yard of a hostel in Nice. Believe it or not – that was pure luck. Many thanks to Robert (a German), a worker in a hostel, who couldn’t allow three Serbian girls to wander the beaches of Nice in the middle of the night. As he told us, many ‘odd’ people tend to come to Nice so were in luck to run into a German. J After two days and two nights in the train we finally arrived to Ljubljana. While exploring the city, we visited the famous Union hotel and like real Serbian ambassadors we met the manager of the hotel (we accidently interrupted him in the middle of a business lunch) J. There we tried the famous Slovenian pastry ‘prekmurska gibanica’ and the manager (as kind and wonderful as he was) organized me a meeting with the famous fashion designer Alan Hranitelj. The day was incredible. I visited the Postojna pit (with endangered animal species) and the journey couldn’t end in a more beautiful way. I made my way to Cres where I’m currently writing this. Only now I’ve made it back to life (just to try and describe you the last 22 days).Ahh…memories…:) |
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