Midsummers Festival in Hudiksvall with Robert, Jenny and their family and friends was fantastic! As you can see from the photos we had an absolute ball, ate and drank too much, and enjoyed the sunshine! The food was delicious (pickled herring, new potatoes, cheese, sour cream and chives), the snapps wasn't too bad (aside from the few in the pack which tasted like nail polish remover), and the company was great. Matt and I had the chance to get to know some really cool people from Sweden and the Facebook connections have already started!

We can't thank our amazing hosts Robert and Jenny (and of course gorgeous little Irma) enough for the awesome time we had with them. We will definitely return the favour when they come to NZ - and we hope its in the not too distant future! Sweden gets 10/10 from us!

After our farewells and departure from Sweden on Monday the 27th, Matt and I flew to Berlin. After a few technical issues getting to the hostel (I didn't write the instructions down correctly and got us totally lost), we checked into our hostel which was really nice. As we were only there for a day we went straight back out to enjoy the gorgeous weather, have a look at the Berlin wall and visit a popular beer garden for dinner and drinks.

At the metro station Matt and I got our tickets from the machine (no one on the platform to buy them off), and hopped on the train. Ticket attendants go around the trains randomly checking everyone has tickets and fining those people who don't. Matt and I showed our tickets and were told we had the wrong tickets (that they were childrens tickets!!). The 2 attendants made us get off at the next station and started threatening us with a 40 euro fine each (that's like $160NZD!!). I calmly explained to them that we didn't realise we had purchased kids tickets, there was no reference to that in the English translation that was on the ticket machine and that we were happy to pay the additional cost of the standard fare (2 euro each). They then said that they would turn a blind eye and make us pay one 40 euro fine only, which we also refused. The attendants were really rude and aggressive and after we refused to pay the fine they threatened to call the police on us. We told them to go right ahead, demanded to see some ID from them and after some arguing and changing the tactic from trying to be reasonable to yelling at them, they finally let us go as long as we bought new tickets. I am sure that they get commission from the fines the give to people - not a great way to start our visit to Berlin! We were not trying to be dishonest!!

Anyway after that we went to see the Berlin wall (the East side gallery). This is a section of the Berlin wall that has been covered in graffiti art by artists from many countries, and all the images are related to messages of peace. I thought there was no better way to decorate something that was once a symbol of war, than with images of love and peace. The weather was stunning so we had a really nice walk down the 1.5kn of wall in the afternoon sunshine. After that we caught the metro again (with the right tickets this time) to a popular beer garden. It was outdoors with lots of trees and fairy lights hanging from them, loads of beer and different types of sausages. We definitely had the German experience that night - nothing more German than beer and Wurst!

The following morning we got up super early and went out on foot to see the Brandenburg gate, the Reichstad, the Holocaust memorial (memorial to the more than 6 million Jews that were exterminated), Checkpoint Charlie, and the Stasi museum. It was crazy to see at this museum the lengths the German Ministry of State Security went to in terms of surveillance and monitoring on the public. Those people who went against the principles of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) and who protested or engaged in activities they didn't agree with were jailed and their personal and professional lives ruined. They even destroyed their relationships!!

After our busy morning rushing around we got on the inter city train to Prague. Our Eurail tickets are first class and our seats were really comfy and spacious (a bit of a contrast to the trains from the Vodkatrain journeys)! The 5 hour trip flew by - we saw some lovely scenery, watched a few movies on the laptop, and before we knew it we arrived in beautiful Prague and were met by my cousin Callum and his lovely Czech girlfriend Zuska at the train station. It's great to catch up with them, and they are being fantastic hosts! Its really good to have people in the cities we are visiting, who know the best spots to eat, drink, and hangout. We have been here 2 days now, are loving the warm weather (28 degrees yesterday), explored the central city (so stunning, I just want to take a photo of every building I see!), and have made the most of the delicious Czech beer. This is definitely not the place to be on a detox! Prague was probably the destination I was most excited to see and visit, and so far it has definitely not disappointed. Matt and I may have to start looking for some real estate here - a flat perhaps??

We will be here for the next 9 or 10 days and have some exciting stuff planned, lots to see and do!