#66 - Go to a music festival

Ok  so this one should have been ticked off a long time ago. I love live music!! Whether its supporting local bands at a tiny club or going to a massive megaconcert I love the atmosphere and the passion that goes into the music. Over the years I've been to several massive concerts from Foo Fighters to Bon Jovi to Biffy Clyro to Backstreet Boys to Chambao to David Bisbal as well as a few dance and electronic music festivals - my music tastes are quite diverse to say the least! I've also been to small one day festivals with great lineups but running from 2pm til midnight or similar. However I always wanted to go to a massive 3 day festival on the lines of Glastonbury or Download. 

This year when the Optimus Alive lineup in Portugal was announced and featured Stereophonics, Greenday, Kings of Leon and Biffy Clyro I jumped at the chance as I actually had enough annual leave to take time off work (a rare commodity these days!) and it had the added bonus of being driving distance from Gibraltar and likely to be decent weather.

I bought my tickets and then almost couldn't go as my friend had to pull out cos of work commitments but thankfully at almost the last minute we got together a group of 8 people, some of whom I didn't know very well, and we took the 7 hour road trip to Lisbon. (Lisbon is a good city to visit btw - its a bit dirty and unkept but still beautiful). 

Optimus Alive was one of the best organised music events I've ever been to. Everything was seamless and hassle free from wristband exchanges, to shuttles to the venue, to decent toilets and no beer/wine queues .... and even more surprisingly all the bands started on time. I definitely recommend attending it and will be going again!! 

One of the best things about festivals with such a massive lineup (running from 5pm til 5am across 3 stages) is that you get the occasional surprise act that you love. My favourite live act were Two Door Cinema Club, who I was familiar with but didn't think I'd love so much, though by the same token I was suprised that GreenDay were disappointing live considering how much I loved them as a teenager. Kings of Leon and Biffy Clyro were awesome, Of Monsters and Men and Vampire Weekend were brilliant and should have had a spot on the main stage and I had the most fun dancing to Jurassic 5's set with my 'team wine' dance buddy Jo. There was also an amazing Mozambique band which we discovered in a tiny stage covered in gold tinsel on the way to the portaloos. It was an exhausting three days but so much fun and was great to party with new friends til the early hours of the morning to the sounds of some amazing bands. There's also the awesome conversations you have with random people from around the world whilst waiting for Two Many DJs to start their set, or queuing in the food court for some Bifanas and Pasteis (love Portuguese food!) which add to the festival experience. Met Kiwis, Germans, Portuguese, Spaniards, Aussies, South Africans, Brits and more. The fact that the festival was in a city that I'd never been to was also an added bonus as we got to do some sightseeing during the day. 

The only negative thing about the weekend was going to work the next day after getting home from Portugal at midnight with no voice and a body abused by excess wine, cider and festival food. The rest was amazing and I can't wait til the next one!! Beats any concert/festival I've been to hands down. In the meantime some great memories were made, as well as some great friends too.

#66 - ACHIEVED

  

- Difficulty: 2/10 (Nothing difficult other than requiring a bit of stamina)

- Thrill factor: 7/10 (Great feelng when your favourite band plays your fave hit)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 7/10 (music is so much better live)

- Recommend to a friend: 10/10 (if you haven't been to a festival yet - Go!!!)

#131 - Visit Auschwitz

As I mentioned in my last post I just got back from a trip to Eastern Europe ... one of my favourite parts of the world. One of the things that sold us when choosing the itinerary was that, rather uniquely for a tour company aimed at 20-35 year olds, it included a trip to the concentration camps at Auschwitz. I'd always wanted to visit Poland and, with it being such a large part of Europe's recent history, visiting Auschwitz was something I'd always wanted to experience. 

So we got on our bus and drove from Olomouc (Czech Republic) to Auschwitz (Poland). Our bus broke down along the way and we had to hang around at a service station for a couple of hours whilst we waited for a replacement but despite that thanks to our very organised Busabout crew we got to Auschwitz on schedule. Word of advice: I don't recommend you listen to upbeat dance tunes as you drive towards the camp (or phat beats as they were known on the bus). It means that arriving at such a sombre place is a bit of a shock to the system. 

Auschwitz is very humbling but be warned its a fairly depressing place from the word go ... at the end of the day its a Nazi death camp and the horror stories of the stuff that went on there send shivers down your spine. But its in our recent history, it happened and its not something that should be forgotten easily.

We had a guided tour and spent an afternoon there. First we went to Auschwitz I, the entrance of which was surrounded by watch towers, halt signs and barbed wire. We then proceeded to walk around the buildings in the camp, most of which have  been turned into museums. Now its hard to explain this, but most of the group felt like Auschwitz wasn't what they expected at this point. I don't know if its because it was around 33 degrees and the trees were in full bloom and it was full of tour groups but in my head I imagined it to be bleak and grey and not red brick buildings surrounded by grass and trees. Once inside the museum buildings it was a different story though and the bleakness came through by the bucketload. Some of the most impacting things that almost brought tears to my eye were the room full of hair that women had to have cut off by Nazi soldiers, room after room of luggage, shoes, combs and other personal possessions, photos of some of the prisoners at the camp with dates of how long they were at the camp before they died, the execution wall, the cramped stable-like beds the prisoners slept in, and most of all the standing cells - a one metre squared prison cell were 3-5 prisoners were locked into standing up and where ultimately most of them died of suffocation or starvation. We then went on to see the gas chambers and moved on to Auschwitz II - the Birkenau camp. 

Birkenau was more what we expected - the camp that appears in all the films and history books with the train platforms and wooden shelters. It was scorching hot as I mentioned before so at this point between the emotional impact of what we had seen/heard and being physically drained by the heat the mood was quiet and sombre and we were all struggling. We got to the Holocaust memorial and all reflected on how something this horrible could have happened in our grandparents' lifetime. Our tour guide was very knowlegable and gave us a lot of history and insight into life (if you could call it that) in Auschwitz. 
It was a humbling experience that puts life into perspective and makes you realise how lucky you are to live in a country that isn't gripped by war and where something this horrible would never be allowed. I can't even begin to imagine the fear the prisoners had when they were living in these conditions, ripped away from their families and possessions, and for many millions of them ultimately died under the Nazi regime. It really is quite shocking stuff and visiting the camps only gives you a small insight into what it would have been like - that alone is a difficult experience and although I didn't cry I was close to it a few times. It really is an emotional experience and worth going to to see for yourself.

There was a particular plaque in one of the museum walls that really summarised the experience for me.  “The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.” - George Santayana

#131 - ACHEIVED

  

- Difficulty: 4/10 (Not for the senstive soul - its a really emotional day)

- Thrill factor: 1/10 (Really quite sobering experience)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 7/10 (experiencing history first hand)

- Recommend to a friend: 7/10 (very sad, not quite what I expected, but we should never forget it happened)

Some things that should have been on the list but weren't ...

So I just got back from an amazing trip around Eastern Europe with Busabout ... 12 days, 5 countries and some amazing people! It was a jam packed trip with everything from pub crawls in Prague to visiting Auschwitz to tobogganing in the Alps and pretty much everything you can imagine in between. Eastern Europe is grossly underrated and I try to go at least once each year (so far been to Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland and Slovakia and can't wait to explore more).

So here's some things from my trip that probably should have been on my Bucket List but I didn't know how amazing they would be til I actually did them!

#1 - Go on a bus tour!

I've always been against cruises, despite their popularity, because you never seem to spend long enough in each port to really experience the place. Bus tours on the other hand mean you stay overnight in the place so can experience the nightlife and atmosphere and get up early and see the sights the next day. The Busabout Classic Rhapsody Trek itinerary was great - we had culture, history, nature, partying, food, adventure all in the 10 day trip (we added a few days either side and made it a longer holiday). On  top of it you get to make lasting friendships with over thirty like-minded people from across the globe who I can't wait to see again soon! Already looking into other tours such as the Ottoman or Baltic tours they run or even ones in Scotland. Def need to repeat that experience as with all my travelling it ranks in my top 3 holidays ever. Busabout are a great company too! Our guide Stu was awesome and he's helping us to arrange our next Busabout trip to Munich in September for Oktoberfest (that's #78 on the list soon to be completed!) which some of our other Eastern European trekkers will be joining us on ... Cannot wait :D

- Difficulty: 1/10 (Tour companies such as Busabout make it hassle free)

- Thrill factor: 7/10 (Was so excited throughout as the trip was amazing)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 7/10 (saw so much of Eastern Europe)

- Recommend to a friend: 10/10 (one of my best holidays ever)

#2 - Ride a tank

I've never actually thought about this long enough to put it on a bucket list but when I saw it as an optional extra on the trip itinerary I jumped at the chance. A bargain at €15 and worth every penny. TANKS ARE AWESOME! I got a bit carried away and as we pitstopped in a service station in Slovakia, I ran into a charity shop and got a camouflage print t-shirt for a bargain price of €2,50 which I tore into a makeshift commando costume much to the amusement of the locals and my trip buddies. We then pulled up on the side of the road in the Slovakian countryside to be met by a crazy ex-army Slovakian guy who had bought a tank and kept it in a field to drive the occasional group of tourists around it. The guy was certifiably mental and drove us through mountains, trees and rivers at full speed whilst we held on for dear life (no harnesses, safety equipments, straps etc ... Eastern European health & safety laws are obviously more lax than the rest of the EU and the UK where I'm sure no insurance policy would cover such craziness). I had no voice at this point of the trip from too many pub crawls but still managed to scream my lungs out, which only made him go faster and amusingly turn around to smile at the passengers - which meant he was driving a tank without looking where he was going. One of the funnest things I did this trip and I recommend you do it if you ever have the chance!

- Difficulty: 6/10 (its probably quite hard to find a place with a tank you can ride, and be prepared to hold on for dear life)

- Thrill factor: 9/10 (absolute craziness but exhilirating)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 3/10 (not lifechanging but awesome nonetheless)

- Recommend to a friend: 8/10 (random but so much fun!)

#3 - Visit Plitvice National Park

As with most people (including myself before last year) you may not have heard of Plitvice, but these national parks are a UNESCO site and consists of acres of amazing lakes and forest. What is really astounding is that each lake is a different colour from vibrant teal to bright aqua to a calming brown to a striking emerald green. Complete with waterfalls, wooden footpaths, a lake you can hire a boat and row across and generally jawdroppingly beautiful scenery its one of the most gorgeous places I've ever had the chance to visit and a must-see for anyone visiting Croatia. We spent the night before at a campsite a couple of kilometres away in small bungalows and spent a good 5 hours at the lakes but would have easily spent days there wondering through the park's natural beauty. 

 
- Difficulty: 1/10 (just get yourself to Croatia)

- Thrill factor: 3/10 (not so thrilling but get ready to say 'Oh Wow' alot)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 3/10 (worth it for the natural beauty)

- Recommend to a friend: 9/10 (one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited)

#4 - Polish vodka tasting

Did you know Vodka is actually Polish and not Russian? The word was first recorded in Poland in 1405 and historians have found that even though it was widely consumed and brewed in Russia in the 9th century, it happened even earlier in Poland in the 8th century (random alcohol history lesson for you there). Polish vodka isn't for the faint hearted at over 40% proof in most cases but they have a wide variety of flavours. In Krakow we tried original vodka as well as bison grass flavour, citrus, cranberry, hazelnut and others. We did vodka tasting before dinner (which preceeded a pub crawl) so not sure how we made it to the end of the night and still felt fine at 8am the next morning for our walking tour. Our theory was that the vodka was purer and better quality resulting in hangover free mornings. My favourite was definitely the hazelnut vodka which, in a shot with a dash of milk, tastes almost exactly like Nutella. Definitely something to try if you're ever in Poland! Incidentally a night out in Krakow is one of the best nights out you'll have in Europe (possibly due to the quality of the vodka haha).

- Difficulty: 6/10 (if you can hold your drink you'll be fine)

- Thrill factor: 6/10 (our prequel to Krakow nightlife which is immense)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 1/10 (basically just drinking)

- Recommend to a friend: 7/10 (vodka actually tastes nice in Poland!)

#5 - Visit a church decorated with human bones

Ok this sounds creepy, eerie, disgusting ... you name it. But ever since my friend Kate went travelling before university and mentioned it to me I've always wanted to go to the bone church in Kutna Hora. Kutna Hora is a few hours from Prague so you can day trip or just do it en route to some of the awesome Moravian cities in the area like we did. The church looks like a standard church from the outside. There are a lot of these in Europe (Eastern Europe especially) so they all start to look the same. Once you're inside however its a totally different story! The Sedlec Ossuary (commonly known as the Bone Church) is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones havebeen artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel including a stunning chandelier. Basically a half-blind monk in the 16th century was tasked with exhuming and stacking the bones after a massive war and in the 19th century a woodcarver was tasked with arranging them and he got a bit carried away (another history lesson for you). The outcome is a rather morbid collection of skull alters and coats of arms and chandeliers. Creepy but has to be seen. As one of my fellow travellers put it "you wouldn't wanna get married there, but its cool".

 - Difficulty: 1/10 (worth a day trip if you're ever in Prague)

- Thrill factor: 5/10 (it takes balls to hang around inside such a creepy place)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 1/10 (more eerie than fulfilling)

- Recommend to a friend: 7/10 (so creepy its hard to describe unless you visit yourself)

So there you have it ... five of the top things I recommend you do from my latest Eastern Europe trip, although I'd happily recommend everything we did! 

Happy travelling!