25 May 2018, Friday
Today is D-Day. The day my solo adventure officially begins, as mum and dad will be flying home today, leaving me to carry on my journey alone. The feeling is bittersweet. After 25 days of travelling together, we have become so used to each other’s company and routines – in the morning, mum will always be the first to wake up to make coffee and prepare breakfast. After that, I will take them around the city for sightseeing until the end of the day. Before returning to our apartment, we will make a trip to the supermarket to buy some fruits, pastries, fruit juice or milk for the next day’s breakfast. It was very comfortable and enjoyable having them around to explore new places and share these wonderful experiences with.
However, 25 days is a long time away from home and I can see the physical toll it is taking on them, especially for dad. In fact, I am very amazed at how dad can still keep up with me. When we travel free and easy, I like to explore as much as I can. This means covering a lot of ground within a day, and most of it is by walking. I actually feel quite exhausted by the time we get back to our apartment at the end of the day, so I can only imagine how tired dad must be. However, never once did he complain about walking too much, or suggest that we should skip some places.
Mum and dad have been very accommodating to me, even when it meant walking a long distance just for me to find a CD shop or to visit a building that I wanted to see. They put my interests before theirs and I am super grateful for that. This is our third long haul, free-and-easy trip together and we understand each other’s travel habits and preferences very well by now. Of course, there were days when things weren’t as smooth and tempers were a little frayed, but the difficult moments didn’t last and we overcame them. I think it is fair to say that they enjoyed the past 25 days as much as I did.
Looking back, some of the moments/places that stood out for me are:
– The attempted pickpocket attempt in Athens on Day 3 (read here)
– Our lovely Airbnb apartment in Mykonos that felt like home
– Seeing Oia, Santorini in its full glory at last (read here)
– The breath-taking, otherworldly landscape of Meteora (read here)
– Visiting the opulent crypt of Saint Sava Temple in Belgrade (read here)
– The double rainbow after the rain during our Danube river cruise ride (read here)
– Riding the 117m-tall Praterturm ride in Vienna (read here)
– The wonderful hike and natural beauty of Lake Obersee in Berchtesgaden (read here)
– Watching the rain fall from our cosy apartment in Český Krumlov (read here)
There are many more of course, but these are the ones from the first 25 days that felt extra special to me. Alas, it was time to move on to the next phase of the adventure.
At 11am, we checked out of our Airbnb apartment. Our host helped arrange a driver to send us to the airport, costing Kč 550 (S$38.50). It was slightly pricey but it was unavoidable because there was no train or Metro connection from the city centre to Vaclav Havel Airport. The only other option was public bus, which was quite troublesome with all the suitcases we had in tow.
We arrived at the airport at 11:35am, well ahead of time. Mum and dad’s Qatar Airways flight would only depart Prague at 5:10pm but they wanted to come to the airport early so that I could go back to the city in time to catch my train to Dresden, which was scheduled for departure at 4:21pm. In fact, I could have saved the trip to the airport by remaining in the city, but I wanted to come along to see them off personally.
At the Arrival hall, I went to the Visitor Centre to buy my Airport Express bus ticket in advance for the journey back to the city. It cost Kč 44 (S$3), and the bus departs at intervals of 15 minutes during the month of May. Alternatively, you can also buy the ticket on the bus from the driver if you do not wish to purchase it in advance.
We then had lunch at the airport food court, where the food was pricey and mediocre. At 2:10pm, we made our way to the departure gates. When the moment finally came for us to say goodbye, it was an emotional and teary one. As we embraced each other, the tears fell uncontrollably – such was the power of love.
At that moment, I wished that they wouldn’t leave, and that they continue the adventure with me. However, we took comfort in the fact that we would see each other again in Beijing in 1.5 months’ time, where they would re-join me for the China leg of my trip. As they proceeded through immigration, I waved them one last goodbye, turned around and said to myself, “This is it, the adventure begins now.”
I made my way to Exit F of the Arrival hall and caught the 2:30pm Airport Express bus. The ride was smooth and I arrived at Praha hlavní nádraží (hl.n.) railway station at 3:10pm. I bought a coffee and two pastries in an effort to use up my remaining Crowns and coins.
At about 4:15pm, my DB EC 170 train pulled up at the platform. As I did not make any seat reservation, I chose a coach that was not crowded and boarded the train. Outside the cabin, there was a seat listing that indicated whether the seats were being reserved or not. If there is no special slip of paper beside the seat number, it means you are free to occupy it.
The train was supposed to depart Prague at 4:21pm but it got delayed slightly and only moved off at 4:35pm. According to an announcement, the delay was due to police intervention. Not sure what happened there. It was only when the train was on its way out of Prague that it fully sunk in that I was alone now. It felt like my adventure had truly just begun. Wow, after months of planning and anticipation, this was it. Even though this was not my first time travelling solo, I felt both nervous and excited at the same time. I knew I had to take care and watch out for myself now.
The journey to Dresden took just under 2.5 hours and the 2nd class seat ticket cost €14.90 (S$24.83). The train ride was pretty scenic as we passed by rivers and villages in the countryside. There was an attendant onboard who came around selling drinks and snacks. There was also a restaurant car attached to the train but I didn’t visit it as I didn’t want to leave my backpack unattended.
At 6:00pm, at the Czech border town of Děčín, German DB train attendants came on board to check our tickets. At 6:12pm, we crossed the border over to Germany. Finally, at 6:54pm, we arrived at Dresden Hauptbahnhof (Hbf), just six minutes behind schedule.
(No time difference between Czech Republic and Germany)
(Exchange rate: €1 = S$1.625)
Disembarking from the train alone, I strode purposefully to buy a one-way S-Bahn ticket to Dresden Neustadt (aka New Town). It cost €5.00 (S$8.13), which was very pricey for a 6-minute ride. The S-Bahn S2 train was very modern and it had two decks. Such a pity that Dresden Neustadt was only three stops away. The ride was over before I could enjoy it properly!
From Bahnhof Dresden Neustadt, it was only a short walk to Kangaroo-Stop, my hostel and home for the next two nights. After 25 days of staying in Airbnb apartments and hotels, it was time to travel like a true backpacker and stay in a hostel. Kangaroo-Stop was located in quiet side road within a local neighbourhood area and I liked the vibe immediately.
Kangaroo-Stop hostel
Address: Erna-Berger-Straße 8-10, Dresden-Neustadt 01097
Price: €18 per night for a 10-bed mixed dorm
Extra fees: €2 for bed linen + Dresden city lodging tax of 6.66% of the price per person per night
Total amount: €40.40 (S$65.65) for two nights
Website: http://www.kangaroo-stop.de/en_hostel-dresden.phtml
The hostel building was quite large, with a cosy chill-out corner and a kitchen that was quite messy compared to other hostels I have stayed at in the past. My 10-bed dorm room was divided into two sections with a door separating them, so it was more like a 4+6 bed dorm room. It felt like a real backpacker’s hostel and I was very pleased with it.
At about 8:25pm, I ventured out of the hostel to explore the vicinity. It was still bright at that hour as it was summer time. I walked towards Äußere Neustadt, or Outer New Town, a hip area known for its bar and club scene. Along the main street of Louisenstraße were many restaurants and nightlife establishments. It was a very vibrant area with funky street art and graffiti covering the sides of buildings. The vibe in the area was very laid back and safe.
As I walked past Louisengarten, an open-air beer garden, the smell of steak from the smoky grill engulfed me and I knew I had to drop by to get a steak sandwich (€3.50/S$5.70). Perhaps I was famished then, but it tasted really, really good. It was also nice seeing so many locals enjoying a beer and meal here. I felt like I was in a local neighbourhood and I didn’t get any touristy vibes at all.
The delicious steak sandwich opened up my appetite and I went around to search for more food. I settled on a burger joint called Kochbox and ordered a bacon and cheese burger (€4.40/S$7.15). It was super yummy as well.
I decided to end the night with some live music. Earlier, I asked the friendly staff at my hostel if she could recommend me any places with good live music, and she recommended Blue Note (click here). I checked their website and saw that there was an act performing tonight, so I paid a cover charge of €5 (S$8.13) to enter. I was the first patron there.
Blue Note was a cosy little bar with a small stage in middle, backed by drapes and classy mood lighting. The tagline on the ticket read “Small, smoky and smooth” and “The finest in music since 1997”. I ordered a small beer (€2.20/S$3.58) and took a seat at the bar counter where I could have a good view of the stage. As it approached 9:30pm, more guests streamed in and the bar began to fill up.
The musical act performing that night was a blues duo comprising a guitarist with a formidable white beard and a clean-looking keyboardist who looked like a younger version of Michael Bublé. The guitarist did double duty as singer and they performed original songs. They were quite good, especially the keyboardist. The intimate setting was perfect as I could watch and hear every note that the duo played, as they traded musical riffs and improvised off each other.
As I sipped on my beer and listened to them, I thought about how fortunate I was at that moment. I was living the adventure that I had anticipated and planned for so long. Not that the past 25 days were not great, but being alone at that moment hit the nail that my grand adventure had well and truly begun. I was no longer nervous by this point. Instead, I was bursting with excitement. I greatly relished the next two months of travelling around Europe and Asia as I slowly make my way back to Singapore by land.
After listening to their first set, I decided to call it a night at 10pm as I was getting tired by then. I walked back to the hostel with a skip in my step and soon found myself lying adrift in my double-decker bed, wondering what excitement tomorrow would bring.