After checking into our hostel and having a rest we walked into Dubrovnik old town. Sadly, being ill we didn't really want to drink or have too much to eat so we just wandered aimlessly through the quaint little streets of the old town. We have been to Dubrovnik before, a few years ago, so we didn't feel too disappointed that we didn't have the energy to make the most of our one day here.
The following morning we flew from Dubrovnik to Dusseldorf and then got the train to Düren, Germany. Some friends of mine were having a house warming this weekend, so we called in for a pitstop on the way home. The first time we were in Germany it felt very clean and efficient. It felt even more so this time, in comparison to the more relaxed attitude to litter etc in Eastern Europe! We spent two nights with Marcelo and Larissa (and their kids George and Eloisa). We went out to the beautiful city of Bonn with Larissa and the kids. The "bo" in Haribo stands for Bonn, and it is where the sweets originated. There was a huge Haribo store that was totally mind blowing. They had Haribo sweet versions of absolutely everything. We spent the rest of our time just catching up with our friends and relaxing (we were starting to feel a bit more human by this point, thankfully). Marcelo and Larissa threw a great party (and Craig got to catch up on all the Game of Thrones he'd missed while we've been away!), it was a really fun weekend.
On Sunday we waved goodbye to our friends to and said hello to family! We got the train up to Amsterdam (the last stop on our trip) where we met Craig's parents. We had rented a beautiful apartment near Amsterdam city centre for 3 nights. Sunday was Neil's Birthday, so in the evening we walked along the canals to Proeflokaal Arendsnest, a cosy bar with 100's of Dutch beers, which was a great start to our family holiday.
It really felt like we packed a lot into our time in Amsterdam. We went to the Rijksmuseum, the Albert Cuypmarkt (a huge outdoor market), De 9 Straatjes (the 9 streets, a pretty area of Amsterdam with lots of independent and stylish stores), and of course we took a boat trip through the canals. Our boat trip was with Boat Amsterdam and it was €15 for an hour boat trip with all drinks included! We got cosy at the front of the boat under some blankets and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine. As we arrived back at the Oude Kerk at 3pm we saw a tiny multicoloured boat with a man playing musical instruments in time with the 3pm church bells! It was great!
After all our exploring we spent Tuesday afternoon in a quirky bar with furniture on the ceiling, sampling plenty more beers.
Elaine and Neil flew home on Wednesday morning, and me and Craig did a little more exploring before heading to get on the overnight ferry back to Newcastle. Before we even set off for our trip we always said it would be nice to go home via Amsterdam and maybe get the ferry. We didn't dream that Elaine and Neil would come and meet us and that we would have such an awesome time. So it's nice our plans came to fruition! We all really loved Amsterdam- it's really laid-back and you never get bored of strolling along the picturesque canals.
On Wednesday evening we boarded the ferry and were pleasantly surprised by our room. We had bunk beds, a little sofa, a desk and an ensuite bathroom. Compact but cosy and more than we expected. We had packed a little picnic so we sat in our room to eat. The weather was calm so the ferry was quite still, so we slept like babies. We woke up on Thursday morning and went outside to Tynemouth coming into view in the distance. It felt very surreal that the trip we had looked forward to for about a year was already coming to an end! But what a trip it has been!! We had little idea what to expect when we set off exactly 6 months ago, but never dreamed it would be so rich and rewarding an experience.
So there we have it!
2 people
6 months
12 countries
7 hosts
€3543
Countless good times
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