Back to Berlin

With Michal  -Poznan hostel worker

View from Hostel

Back to Berlin...

Don't ya just love the unpredictability of travelling..? Ich bein ein Berliner once again. At the time of writing I should be pulling into Prague on my train and getting ready to decode another circuit of streets, alleyways, Metro trains and buses looking for my hostel! Yet, here I am in Berlin once again.

I left Poznan, Poland this morning on a train back to Berlin for a connection to Prague. Sometimes you’re get rightly screwed and have maybe 8 minutes to get to your connecting train, as happened to me In Brussels when I was on my way to Brugge. Today was supposed to be different. I was meant to have 80 minutes to spare between one train and another. How did I spend those minutes? Standing on a platform in Frankfurt watching my train sit idly for an hour and a half. A forest fire outside Frankfurt resulted in our train not being able to pass. So there we stood silently, passing the time in the blistering heat. It was so hot that I was sweating merely by the thought of the heat. Eventually, fire extinguished, we finally made it to Berlin. At approximately 14.52. My train to Prague departed at 14.46. And this was unlike any train in Ireland. European trains leave ON TIME! The cheek. And yes, that was the last train. So one more night in Berlin awaits me. There are worse places to be!

Poznan was an interesting mix of relaxation and information. I wanted to visit Poznan to find out more about how the Irish were perceived in the city while they were there for EURO 2012 in June. I was pleasantly surprised that of all the people of Poznan I spoke to, not one had a bad word to say about our adventures in the city. Speaking to Wojtek Mania, of the Poznan Tourist Organisation, even remarked to me that when the Irish left for our countries second game in Gdansk, those in Poznan were quite sad to see us go. “They drank and sang into the night. When I woke up to come to work, they were still drinking and still singing!” We seem to have made a good impression! This is the thing really. The Irish people are truly unique. A ubiquitous term applied to our social gatherings and having fun is “The Craic.” Irish people love ‘having the Craic’ and what this basically means is “We love having a good time!” In any and every village, town and city on our little island, you’ll encounter these people. Just out to have a good time, with little to no intention to cause any trouble. There is no reading about this, or watching it on YouTube. To experience the true nature of the Irish, you must visit! You won’t forget it in a hurry.

I had the Craic myself last night. The great thing about this trip has been all the different nationalities I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Yesterday, myself and three Turkish guys sat down and got stuck into a few cans! Then one of them pulled out a bottle of Herb Vodka! Incredible, intriguing stuff! Our hostel was no mansion, it was literally a loft apartment converted into a hostel. So, apologies to all those who were awoken. Blame the Turks, I had little part in it. I was busy taking pictures from the balcony!

I have entered my last week on my travels for Isaacs Hostel. One of the greatest aspects of this journey was the relaxed nature of it all. When I won this competition, straight away I was asked “Where do you want to go!?” It was like giving a child the keys to Willy Wonkas Factory. I should’ve been more demanding and called for a stop in all the corners of Europe. Lisbon, Stockholm, Athens, Minsk! Then again, I’m afraid they would’ve said yes! After all, it’s me carrying the bag around Europe, jumping on trains to places you’ve never heard of! They would’ve sat back and laughed at my distraught phone calls. “GET ME OUT OF MINSK!” I think I’m rather happy to be going to Prague considering this!

Next time we meet, I still don’t know where I’ll be. If it’s Minsk...well....  I ain’t go near Minsk! Until next time. Same bat time, same bat channel!

To follow me and my travels, you can follow me on Twitter at @ciaran_o_connor and @IsaacsHostel and of Facebook on the Isaacs Hostel page