Europe 2002

I went on holiday to Europe from March 24 to April 30, 2002. It was the best thing I've ever done. I had a few days in the UK, then went on a tour with Kumuka Expeditions. The tour was great, the people were fantastic, and the value for money was outstanding. There's a quick summary of my trip below, or follow these links to read my holiday diary and look at the photos.

• Diary and photos part 1: Gloucester and London
• Diary and photos part 2: Paris
• Diary and photos part 3: Switzerland and the rest of France
• Diary and photos part 4: Italy
• Diary and photos part 5: Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic
• Diary and photos part 6: Germany
• Diary and photos part 7: Amsterdam, Eurostar, and London

Timeline

This is a quick summary of what I got up to. See the diary for details.

• England
  Mar 25: Arrived at London Heathrow, driven to Gloucester by rellies, looked for DVDs, pub lunch (and a pint for less than £1)
  Mar 26: Gloucester Cathedral, Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum
  Mar 27: Bus to London, Globe Theatre, walked around and saw typical touristy London stuff
  Mar 28: Got Hungarian visa (£55), changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, Big Bus tour
  Mar 29: Met Kumuka people, Eurostar
  
• France
  Mar 29: Arrived in Paris, Arc de Triomphe, Irish pub
  Mar 30: Paris tour, Louvre, McDonald's, Champs Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, pub
  Mar 31: Versailles, Rodin Museum, dinner in Latin Quarter (€30!)
  Apr 1: Eiffel Tower, Sacré Cœur, cruise
  Apr 2: Drove to Switzerland
• Switzerland
  Apr 2: Arrived in Interlaken (7pm), crazy restaurant
  Apr 3: Jungfraujoch, sledding at Kleine Scheidegg, picnic in Lauterbrunnen, CHF 0.55 beers
  Apr 4: Left Interlaken, stopped in Bern, excellent picnic lunch in Geneva
• France
  Apr 4: Annecy, paddle boats, big night for Kate's birthday
  Apr 5: Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo
  Apr 6: Nice, not much to do, bottle of wine and takeaway pizza on the beach
  Apr 7: Perfumerie on drive to Italy
• Italy
  Apr 7: Pisa, Montecatini
  Apr 8: Castle Il Palagio, San Gimignano
  Apr 9: Florence, cold and wet, David, dodgy Internet place
  Apr 10: Drove to Rome, walking tour with friendly (!) local guide
  Apr 11: St Peter's Basilica, Vatican Museum, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, loud drinking in hotel room
  Apr 12: Drove to Venice, dodgy seafood restaurant
  Apr 13: Venice, glass blowing, wet feet, Gondola ride, Grand Canal, Bridge of Sighs
• Austria
  Apr 14: Drove to Vienna, first stein of beer, Irish pub, wandered around looking for non-existant club, back to pub
  Apr 15: Schloß Schönbrunn, schnaps museum, walked lots
• Hungary
  Apr 16: Friendly Hungarian border guards, Budapest tour with Attila, Hero's Square, Fishermen's Bastion
  Apr 17: Markets, walked lots, Margaret Island (nothing to see!), Statue Park, mediæval dinner
• Czech Republic
  Apr 18: Drove to Prague, massive rooms, free Internet in casino
  Apr 19: Prague, quick walking tour, cathedral, lunch in park, astonomical clock, bought a DVD
  Apr 20: Left Prague, stopped at Terezín
• Germany
  Apr 20: Arrived in Berlin, ate at hotel, Irish pub
  Apr 21: Tour of Berlin, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, old library, damaged church, Victory Column, Berlin Cathedral, German and French churches, Reichstag, dinner at beer garden, Irish pub
  Apr 22: Drove to Munich, quick look around, Haufbrauhaus
  Apr 23: Neuschwanstein Castle by myself, bought Massive Attack DVD, kebab for dinner, Haufbrauhaus
  Apr 24: Dachau, Rudesheim, Dutch girls (!)
  Apr 25: Rhine cruise, St Goar, cuckoo clock shop, stein shop
• Netherlands
  Apr 25: Sex show (!), red light district
  Apr 26: Bus tour, Anne Frank's house, raining, Internet, Heineken brewery, Asian restaurant
• England
  Apr 28: Camden markets, lunch and drinks with Kumuka people, dinner with Jamey
  Apr 29: Flew out from Heathrow at midday