My European Adventures- part 1

Last summer, I went on an inter-railing trip around Europe with my family. It was incredible- I saw more of the continent than I’ve ever seen before and experienced so many countries, currencies and cultures- all changed after nearly every train trip. This year, I wanted to share our experiences of the adventure, as most of us will probably be staying put this summer. Hope you enjoy!

Derby-London-Paris-Munich-Zagreb

Our adventure started early on the 2nd August 2019, where we travelled from Derby to London and then London to Paris via Eurostar. We arrived at Paris Gare du Nord at around midday and got in a taxi to Gare de l’Est- where we encountered the first problem of the trip. After an argument with another driver, the taxi driver got in his van with us and drove down the street before informing us that the half a mile trip would set us back €50. After my dad told him we wouldn’t pay that, we shortly found ourselves standing at the side of a busy Paris street with all our luggage and no taxi. Luckily enough, we were in walking distance and hurried down the street to the station, with time to spare for an ice-cream, ordered in my best French!

We got on another train to Karlsruhe, Germany, transferring via Mannheim before arriving in Munich in the evening. Staying in a comfortable Novotel, we had traditional German schnitzel for supper and retired to bed ready to explore the city the next day. It was an incredible city- we walked around, went to the Marienplatz, visited the Pinakotek Der Moderne (modern art gallery) and rode around the city on electric scooters (they’re really popular in Germany). We showed our inexperience on the Continent as we started riding on the left side of the road (forgetting they drive on the right, much to the annoyance of the riders coming down the other way!) Also, there weren’t many cars on the streets as most people travelled on the highly-developed public transport network. Overall, the city had a nice blend of old and new architecture, had many quality attractions and showcased German culture superbly- I highly recommend visiting.

The next day, we took a train from Munich Hauptbanhof through to Villach in Austria, then to Zagreb, Croatia. We arrived in late afternoon, and immediately noticed how different it was to Western Europe (it was our first time in the East). We learnt that the country used to be part of Yugoslavia and in the Soviet Union’s ‘Sphere of Influence’ and Croatia was only established as an independent nation in 1991. We could clearly see remnants of the country’s communist past in the facade of the city- with the low exchange rate currency, museums and different styles of buildings.

In the evening, we started looking for somewhere to eat, and eventually settled on a pizza restaurant near the central square. It was really nice, although we got our first experience of the widespread Croatian smoking culture, and we discussed our plans for the following day.

On the 5th August, we had our day in Zagreb. The main square was lovely, with all different colours and sizes of buildings surrounding the open area. There was a cheap and useful tram network which went up and down the city and we used this multiple times to get around- exploring the different attractions the metropolis had to offer. The city wasn’t crowded, the weather was excellent and there were lots of interesting buildings, churches and museums to look at. In particular, the stunning Cathedral blew us away with its awe-inspiring 12th century architecture and two huge spires. We also visited Zagreb 360, which is an observation deck located on the 16th floor of a skyscraper next to the square. The views around the city were first class and the atmosphere on the viewing deck was calm- they even had a bar and served pizza there! Another highlight of the city was St Mark’s Church, with its incredible 13th century colourful tiled roof (unfortunately we didn’t get a picture). In my opinion, Zagreb is one of the most underrated European cities, with interesting buildings, cheap food and drink and friendly people- you should definitely visit if you get the opportunity.

The first leg of our trip was a huge success- we had explored two amazing cities, travelled through six countries and experienced some amazing weather- we were thrilled to continue our adventure into southern Croatia and Italy. Part two coming soon!