This is about the time I ditched the tour and went to Berlin. I had about 4 days after the tour to spend in London, and I figured, I'd rather spend them in Germany and Prague.
I left berlin and took the train to Prauge. My German railpass got me most of the way, but I had to pay an extra 79.30 DM (36 bucks) to get me to prague. I was surprised how cheap things were in prague. I got a burger for 25Kr (60 cents). My hostle is pretty ghetto, basically 80 beds on a basketball court, but hell, it is only 5 bucks/night.
Opps! I just discovered my eurail pass expired today. I had converted 50 bucks into Krs, and I only used about 10 bucks so far. My ticket from Prague to Amsterdam was only 864Kr, 22 bucks (including the use of my german rail pass), which isn't bad since its a 15 hour train ride. I just gave my leftover cash to a fellow traveler who was stranded.
Trains in Prauge were running real late. I missed my connecting train to amsterdam, so I had to find a hostle in Berlin at midnight. I stayed at the Hostel Pegasus which was very nice. Ended up going out that night despite how tired I was. The kitchen at the hostle had about 10 people in it, not one of us was from the same country.
My first impression of Amsterdam: The second I stepped off the train my first view was a bum passed out with a vodka bottle in his hand pissing in his pants. Yes it was actually flowing down his pant leg. Passing people on the street, everyone seemed to be whispering underneath their breath asking if you want to buy x, or scoobies (loose joints). I was putting my bags in a locker at the train station and everyone insists on helping you, then asking for a tip. My locker ended up getting flooded with water.
For lack of anything better to do, I took the canal boat ride around Amsterdam. I was sitting with two blonde sweeds who were convinced the rich and famous movie stars in california drove only Volvos and Saabs.
I took the train to brussels, 120Guilder, 45 bucks. I got frustrated getting money converted, finding a locker, finding working change machines.... so I just left and took the chunnel train to London. The train moves so fast, telephone poles went by about one a second. I quickly fell asleep and woke up in london.
Typical British Engineering. These walls look like they could withstand a nuclear bomb. Unfortuanely I dont' think the underground could go more than 2 hours without a train overheating.
"... you may find just a bath or a highly complicated contraption that produces a thin trickle of scalding hot or freezing cold water" (from Lonely Planet) In England you can wash your left hand with hot water and your right hand with cold. The shower head shot out like a fire hose and could easily fill the tub with in about 90 seconds.
