ULFM

My friend and fellow Journo Jason and I have our own show on ULFM! Catch us Tuesday mornings where we'll be talking about current affairs and general goings on around Limerick and UL. There'll be competitions, interviews, special guests plus a whole load of banter!

The SU radio station was set up this year, it's 24/7 and you can get onto it here: ulsu.ulfm.ie - give it a go, it's awesome!

We're also on facebook: Like please! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Early-Slot-with-Jason-and-Rachael/254394474607020

R

First TV Report - INMO Strike Limerick (Rachael, Jason, Dave, Jean)

Rach's Experience: Interrailing

Setting out my itinerary before me, I felt a foreboding sense of madness creep upon me. In less than three days, I would be beginning my seemingly mammoth journey by train to the edge of Europe and back again; from Vienna – Turkey – Ireland.

I was on my last days in Vienna, making the most of the scent of Viennese cakes wafting from the bakeries, the lazy, warm days by the Donau and people watching with an Ottakringer down by Museumsquatier. Tempting as it was to spend the rest of the month in my comfortable reverie, the already paid for €270 ticket and my ever enthusiastic travel partner swayed me.

For this €270, you could travel on any train (some requiring reservations) for any ten days within 22 days to any participating countries. My travel partner and I planned a route to exploit this as much as possible:

Vienna – Sighisoara, Romania – Bucharest, Romania – Istanbul, Turkey – Sofia, Bulgaria – Belgrade, Serbia – Budapest, Hungary – Munich, Germany – Paris, France – London, UK via Eurostar.

Interrailing: Amazing experience, but not for everyone!

I'm not going to start off by recommending that everyone run off and try interrailing, far from it. It's definitely not for everyone. If you're high maintenance or expecting first class service – don't bother. If you are, however, looking for some amazing experiences you'll never forget, are patient, versatile and easy going, then by all means hop off and book a ticket.

Narrowing down my belongings to fit into a small rolly case and backpack was without doubt one of the hardest parts of planning; luckily I was eventually convinced that I did indeed not need a straightener, curler, high heels and several different bikinis.

All set up and good to go, we set off early the first morning, with a sense of excitement I will never forget, the very same that I carried with me over the entirety of my massive journey, every time we set off for another train. 

Boredom is something that does not come into a trip however, especially when travelling in daylight, although we travelled by night a few times to save money on hostels. One of the best journeys I had was on the way to Turkey, meeting some other like minded travellers, buying two bottles of wine from the ticket inspector and just spending the next twelve hours talking about life, eventually falling asleep in a cabin, feet up on the seat and staring out at the moonlight with a warm breeze wafting in.

A low point would include a journey of nine hours spent with three overbearing farmers with B.O and very, very smelly bare feet in a tiny cabin with locked windows and doors – herein lies the advantages of having a strong stomach.

Normally, we hopped off the train at our set destination, spending one night before jumping right back on another train – with the exception of Turkey, where we spent four days. We got by sleeping in cheap hostels, staying with friends and eating wherever and whenever we could. (McDonalds got a great deal of our custom!)

Sunflower Field: Romania

The views as we chugged around Eastern Europe were second to none. Sunflowered fields, old communist buildings and power stations fallen into disrepair, men building haycocks with pitchforks in fields, boys on a donkey and cart waving up at the train as we flashed past. The difference in landscape and trains as we passed from Eastern to Western Europe was very obvious, like stepping across some visible line.

On no other kind of trip could one within a tiny budget and timeframe swim off the Prince's Islands in Istanbul, spend an evening boating in a park in Budapest, check out the military museum in Belgrade, spend a few hours watching on a roasting train as sunflower fields whizzed by or eat crepes by the Eifell Tower.

Ending my trip in England, where I had to transfer to plane, made me realise how amazing an interrailing experience around the UK and Ireland would be. Something I never considered before, being a tourist in my own countries, now seems like a wonderful idea – how much could I see that I have been missing?

If you're planning a trip, here are my top five tips:

1. Pack light. Trust me on this one! You do not need to bring a gigantic make up bag or heels. Interrailing is all about dressing down – bring a few light dresses and fitted tanks.
2. Always make a reservation, even when it isn't required. It's just a few euros extra. Some travellers we came across ended up lying on the floor outside or missing their train completely due to not reserving.
3. Bring plenty of water! On twelve or even six hour train journeys, having no water in a piping hot train is no laughing matter... Bring a few beers/wine with you too. If you find yourself in a smelly situation like I did, it might help take the sting(k?) off!
4. Allow for delays – the trains in Eastern Europe in particular were always late, even by a few hours. If you need to get somewhere on time, travel there the day before.
5. Pack an open mind – if there's one thing you need travelling to many different countries with many different cultures at once, you need to bring an open mind and a sense of respect. For example, my short shorts may have been fine in Budapest, but they were certainly the point of scrutiny in rural Romania!
   
   Tickets can be bought at: www.interrailnet.com 

Next week: Travel review: Sighisoara, Romania.