Back to the Blog- Part II

Brno main square
Originally uploaded by simpsonatti

Gothenburg, Sweden
After returning from the Baltic, my next stop was Gothenburg, Sweden's second biggest city.

It was great to catch up with my friend Lotta and to meet her boyfriend, Daniel. They were perfect hosts. Gothenburg (Göteborg) is a cosy, pretty city with canals winding through. I had a great time shopping, bar hopping and reviving my Swedish again. And I can't forget the Swedish hot dog: korv med mos, which is a hot dog with or without the bun with mashed potato and special Swedish spice. Definitely in my top 3 World Hot Dog list. (Guatemala is still #1.)

Dresden, Germany
I spent Christmas with my niece and family in Dresden. It was great to see them all again, and to visit Dresden. Dresden is a breathtaking city, with a sufficiently alternative other side to make it artsy, edgy and interesting as well as beautiful. And I finally lived my dream of ice skating outside =) Christmas was a lovely time to be there, with its holiday markets, gluwein and roast goose.

Brno, Czech Republic
I took the train from Dresden- Brno. Since I've been to Prague, I wanted to see something else of the Czech republic, and I'm glad I did. Apart from a couple of Germans, I think I was the only tourist in the town. I have consistently found that the second cities are always worth seeing as they are usually cheaper, friendlier and somehow more 'real'. I saw the city on foot, wandering its cobbled streets, visiting the castle, churches and shops. The highlight was trying to order at the local Chinese restaurant, where they spoke mostly Mandarin, a little Czech and about 3 words of English. My body language was so appalling that it took about 3 minutes to ask for rice (although I have yet to come up with a successful 'rice' sign).

Vienna, Austria
Vienna is beautiful, but expensive. It's a grand city, with stunning architecture and packed with culture. I didn't spend long enough here to get a real feel of the city past the endless Mozart paraphernalia.
I tried to see as much as I could by foot, ducking into cafe after cafe to prevent hypothermia. The market was a highlight.

Part III: Hungary.... coming soon