Backpacking & Inter-railing adventure 1991

B62: Europe by Rail (Part 3 of 5)

5/10/2021

Our European backpacking adventure in Sept 1991 -
Part 3 of 5: Prague - Munich - Florence

So this week’s blog continues with the third leg of my 1991 European Interrailing/ backpacking trip. You can read about the first legs covering Dublin/Paris/Brussels (click here) and Brussels/Berlin/Prague (click here).

Day 9 – Tuesday 17 Sept 1991 - Prague to Munich

Munich, Flowers, Trish & Martina - Tues 17 Sept 1991

“Our train journey from Czechoslovakia lasted until 2:42pm. Not having had any breakfast, we went quickly to get some “western” food which was great after what we had in Prague. The staff in the tourist office in Munich were very friendly and helpful and directed us to a youth hostel two metro stops away. The people working in the latter were also very friendly and we got accommodation fixed up quickly. The sheets were sparkling white and starched which was a welcome relief from Prague.”

My Munich Hostel Guest Pass - 17 to 18 Sept 1991

“It was about 4pm at this stage so we said we’d better see a bit of Munich while we could. We walked thru a pedestrian zone of very expensive shops amongst which were dotted various historical buildings. One was the Rupert Mayer church”.

Central Munich with "Rupert Mayer" church bottom right

Old Town Hall, Munich, Germany - Tues 17 Sept 1991

“We now had 9 days’ worth of dirty clothes each so we looked for a laundry. The first one we tried was so expensive that the clothes could have been bought for what it would cost to clean them. We eventually found one which cost us 17 DEM (IR£6.80) and a very helpful German girl showed us how to work the washer, spinner and dryer. At the laundry there were several couples folding and drying their laundry together and several men doing it for themselves. One man was dressed in a bright orange and yellow outfit and emptied the entire contents of his suitcase into the machine. It was 11pm by the time the washing was done and 12pm when we were in bed.."

Munich Waschcenter (Laundry)

Day 10 – Wednesday 18 Sept 1991 - Munich to Florence via Austria

“Got up at 7:30 am. Practically everybody else was up before us. We went down to check out and have breakfast and discovered that the breakfast queue went out the door and around 2 corners. The frühstück when we got it was great – rolls, cheese, meat, jam & marmalade. The German breakfasts are the best we’ve had. We met a bricklayer from Cork at breakfast.”

German Breakfast (Frühstück)

Trish’s extract: “We left the hostel at 8:30 – Only two metro stops back to the train station. At 19 DM (IR£ 7.60) with a good breakfast and very clean sheets, this was one of the best places we have been. Our train to Florence left at 9:30am. We bought some food and English language magazines at the station; both of which were quite expensive (about twice the cost of at home)”.

Mary’s extract: “The train journey to Florence was long. We shared the carriage for a while with two elderly German ladies. One was wearing Bermuda shorts and hiking boots. In the corridor a group of Italian teenagers chattered loudly. In the Austrian Alps which were spectacular, the two ladies left us at Innsbruck with their rucksacks and headed off for a hike in the mountains. The scenery through Southern Germany and Austria was really nice.”

Beautiful Austria as seen from the train - Wed. 18 Sept 1991

Trish’s extract: “When we got to Italy there were fruit trees and vines growing everywhere. We could see thousands of bunches of grapes from the train. At about 2pm we had exhausted our (small) supply of food. An Italian girl joined us in the carriage for a while and then we had another Italian girl and her granny. Towards the end of the journey an immaculately-dressed Italian businessman joined us. By 6:30 pm it seemed like we had been on the train forever. (We had been on it for 9 hours.) We were starving because we had only eaten fruit since breakfast.”

Mary’s extract: “Getting out of the train in Florence, we immediately felt the great heat. We headed straight for the Tourist Office which was chock-a-block. They had no maps and could not make reservations at hostels. The notices on the wall said that there were 2 hostels and that one was full; the other didn’t take reservations over the phone but to take the 17B bus. We did this. Our rucksacks were really heavy and we were starving. The heat was oppressive and the buses in Italy have only a few seats – everyone stands. So, we stood with the rucksacks for about 15 minutes with our clothes stuck to our backs. An Italian girl showed us the stop. We then had to set off up a steep hill and it was about half a mile.”

Our hostel in Florence (complete with breakfast (colazione) ticket - 18 & 19 Sept 1991

Trish’s extract: “The hostel was a huge old house with several gardens and fountains around it. We went into the Reception area where a large sign said “NO VACANCIES” in several languages. (We were mildly distraught at this stage.) We decided to try our luck and approached the desk brandishing our Youth Hostel Association cards. The girl said “Yes”, she could give us a 3 beds but 2 would be in tents.”

Mary’s extract: “We were in no position to object so we nodded vigorously and accepted (13,000L – IR£6.50). I had the bed inside the villa room which I shared with 2 Argentinians, a couple of Japanese and a French girl. Martina and Patricia had the tent. It had a wooden floor, electric light and held five/six beds. It was now about 8pm. We were weak from lack of food. We discovered that the water pipes had burst in the hostel kitchen so they had stopped serving food. So off we went down the long hill and sought a restaurant. We found a good one where we had pizza, salad, cappuccinos, wine and fruit tart. After this we felt human again. We sat talking for ages and then headed back for the hostel. We took a wrong turn at a piazza and ended up walking in circles. It was about 11:30pm when we got to bed in the hostel. We slept and slept and slept…”

Day 11 Thursday 19 Sept 1991

Martina & Trish stand in front of The Dome, Florence, Italy - Thurs.19 Sept 1991

Trish’s extract: “Got up at 7:30 to get to the showers early. Luckily the loud people who had been up late last night stayed in bed this morning, so we beat them to it. We then went for breakfast which was one (hard) roll with jam. We met some Scottish girls who were hoping to go home today. They had had enough, they said. They surrendered (but then they had been to Poland). After breakfast we got ourselves into sunny-weather-type clothes and headed into the city (of Florence).”

Mary’s extract: “….we bussed it into Florence. The buses are full of sweaty armpits! If Berlin is a city for dogs, Florence is definitely a city for scooters/ motor bikes. Everyone, from down-and-outs to businesspeople scoot around town on them. No one wears helmets and they drive recklessly. We saw the Duomo…..”

Just some of the scooters that nearly ran us down in Florence - Thurs 19 Sept 1991

“….and then we visited the Uffizi Gallery where many Michelangelo, Leonardo, Botticelli & Giotto works are displayed. It holds thousands of sculptures, drawings and paintings. It was amazing to actually see the real masterpieces crafted by all of those genius artists that we had learnt about in school!

“ ….10,000 Lire and 2 hours later we went for lunch at a streetside café. The menu was completely in Italian. We ordered a steak main course and picked a different pasta starter each – one in cream sauce, one in meat/tomato sauce and one with tuna. It was fabulous. The steak came with salad, chips and chopped tomatoes. So we had a lovely meal for the equivalent of IR£7 each.”

Enjoying my pasta - Florence 19 Sept 1991

Trish’s extract: “By now it had become extremely hot. Because the streets are narrow and the buildings high, it is possible to remain in the shade most of the time. The locals had closed up most businesses and went for a siesta until 4pm. We went to the main leather area, behind the Church of S. Croce where there was a leather school where the visitors could watch the products being made. Most of the stuff in the shops was very beautiful and good quality, but of course, expensive (but still not nearly as expensive as it would be at home for the same stuff).”

One of the leather workers at Santa Croce, Florence - 19 Sept 1991

Mary’s extract: “We also visited a gold shop in this area, which had gold rings with 2 diamonds and an emerald for only IR£152. Florence is famous for leather, gold and stationery (& motorbikes!) We headed back to the Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge which was not bombed in the war, via the Uffizi. Outside the gallery several street traders were selling leather goods and stationery. We bought some things here. The Ponte Vecchio is the gold centre of Florence. Along its length are jewellery shops whose windows look onto the river. The jewellery is spectacular, sometimes gaudy, but always expensive. After this we went to a café (Coke for IR£2.25!)”

Me, Martina & the Ponte Vecchio - Thurs. 19 Sept 1991

“At 8pm we headed back to the hostel where we sat on the front porch in the soft peach-scented breeze. Here Martina and I planned the route to Rome. We went to bed at 11:30pm. At 1 am the security patrol went around the tents. Patricia had moved into Martina’s tent to keep her company because there was nobody else in it. The security people thought that Patricia was illegally occupying a bed and took away her passport. They said she’d get it back at check-out the next day”.

TO BE CONTINUED…