MarryMeee:
2pages and no picture. You are probably somewhere in Kano state sef

I'm actually still in Lagos.

Trip is in a few days, just getting my acts together and waiting for the d-day!

Pictures in 5...4....3...

lordoseji:
aunty i no see am o

Updated! You can check now!

MarryMeee:
is this not month end?
Tomorrow it will be my camera died or my visa has finished!

No, month end is in 2 days. A little bit of patience.

flyca:
OP Pls permit me to seek advice on your thread

I will be going to for a conference in Spain. After the conference, I will also like to visit one or two more Schegen countries before travelling back. Now, my question is: should I tell the Spanish embassy about my intention to visit these other countries or is it better I don't talk about it at all. I don't know if the schegen visa gives some sort of restrictions. I'm a lone traveller and 10days is all I need in Europe.

Cc: Schwartz, Eke04seven, nanajec, NePro, claremont

I actually declared to the German embassy that I will be visiting Italy. all I added was my hotel reservation in Rome.

I dont think it is a big deal if you declare your intentions. But I must warn you, spanish embassy is quite a hurdle. I hear they have PHD in visa denials.

Kexorcist:


How is it going, OP? I have been to Germany thrice, but never to Switzerland and only once long ago to Italy.

Nice!!! Eagerly awaiting the trip. Backpack dusted, stroller oiled, passport and documents in placec, camera charged, power bank charged, all star sneaker, check, ready... set...

I've decided to stick with going by bus.

A little nervous, hoping I don't wake up late and miss the bus from Frankfurt. Hoping baby is not going to choose that day to be cranky and upset!

Missed a lot here, was banned by admin politics matter lol. Ok about the meat I can't really tell what kinda meat I can smell cow,goat,pig meat million miles away. Really I can't tell when u come they just put sh**t on fire few minutes you are good. But who cares? A lot illegal stuffs goes down here. You can see a lot weird stuffs if you travel by road. Ok that's it am done talking about the meat but in case you wanna see for yourself if you are traveling all the way from Hungary to Greece Christ!!! There is a lot to see things weirder than you think. I value privacy well I for like put pic currently in Szeged Hungary but men the toll gate fee for here nah die oo. To use the highway here in Hungary is very expensive damn unlike Greece and Bulgaria I paid 40euro from Athens,Thessaloniki and then Kulata Bulgaria, of course I paid also for a road sticker in the border between Greece and Bulgaria a kinda permit to use the road there in Bulgaria anyway it was cheap. So OP wetin be the update?? Shee nah by car abi nah bus u wan finally use

wanderlustian:


Nice!!! Eagerly awaiting the trip. Backpack dusted, stroller oiled, passport and documents in placec, camera charged, power bank charged, all star sneaker, check, ready... set...

I've decided to stick with going by bus.

A little nervous, hoping I don't wake up late and miss the bus from Frankfurt. Hoping baby is not going to choose that day to be cranky and upset!

Aaah, that feeling. I do't normally advocate using chemicals to compensate for things, but you may want to try having a few cups of German coffee ready in Frankfurt; it's really good and they make it strong.

claremont:


The ones you mentioned are not bushmeat, the person I replied to specifically mentioned bushmeat. I also know that ''bushmeat'' like we know it in Nigeria is banned from being prepared or sold within the EU. So I'm keen to know where he got his, and what type it was.

Ah, I see. My stupid.

Hello people. I have finally arrived in Frankfurt. Been typing and typing only for it all to clear off! Very annoying.

Now retyping:

The journey was quite eventful, mostly because of the recent terrorist attack on Istanbul airport. We flew Turkish airlines, the tension in the flight from Lagos, with many commenting that they can't wait to catch their connecting flights and get out of unsafe zone! Lol!

So I met up with my Mother In Law at the Lagos Intl airport, Immigration delayed us, because my baby and I bear different surnames on our passports (Human trafficking tinz) and I did not hold a copy of her birth certificate. We were only cleared after I explained to them I cannot be trafficking out who I brought in, I showed them the copy of her emergency travel documents and other proofs I had in my email box, as well as her US passport. But kudos to them for at least protecting our borders from human traffickers. It's heartwarming to know.

Before I proceed, I must comment on how different travelling is on our green passport vs another passport.

I have been a frequent traveller since 2009, and I have accepted all the scrutiny we receive as regular and normal airport protocol. This trip has made me realise it is not normal. We are subject to excessive scrutiny if you ask me.

Aside the immigration issue which was sorted as soon as my baby's US passport was shown, when we arrived Istanbul, there were mean looking security agents at the door of the plane inspecting travel documents (which I have come to accept as normal). They were checking visas with some kind of lenses, and when it got to our turn, they started out by being mean, asking where are you going to? What is you mission there, give me your passports. When they saw the US passport, they asked who is the US citizen, I said the baby, they dropped their defenses, and barely flipped through the other passports. MIL and I exchanged glances, like... so all this braggado is because we are Nigerians

Airport security is quite tight in Istanbul. They took their time scanning luggage, and this led to really long queues at the transfer terminals. We had barely 2hrs stopover and by the time we arrived at the Frankfurt terminal, we were huffing and puffing. The silly lady at the desk changed my seat and put me in the middle of 3 men. I had asked the flight attendants for a bassinet seat for the baby. But they acted like they don't understand english, until one of the men got upset, that men without babies were seated at the bassinet seat area and here's a baby sandwiched in a middle seat. All of a sudden, a bassinet seat emerged and we were relocated. I was able to freshen her up and lay her properly to sleep.

She was excited throughout the journey, like a bird that just escaped from the cage. She didn't sleep all through the flight from Nigeria, she was super excited and jumping and laughing. We slept off while she watched some animation on the inflight entertainment system and still met her engrossed when I woke up. I forgot to mention the plane from 9ja was crap, but it's expected sh, most flights originating from Lagos were crappy, till you connect at the hub in their home country.

Anyways, when we landed in Frankfurt, we went through security check before the immigration desk.

Why are you here? Are your transiting? I said no we were here on holidays. Do you have family here? I said no, we are staying in a hotel and moving on to Italy. Dude gave us a mean look and asked for our passports, this time baby's passport was at the top. Soon as he saw US passport, he said, this is for the lil lady and waved us to pass. He didn't even look through.

On getting to Immigration, it was actually the easiest part of the journey. All they wanted to see was our return tickets and stamped us in. An elderly couple next to us came in from US just to take a river cruise and we're fascinated that I carried my baby on my back! Lolz!

MIL took another flight to Italy while I took a train into the city. Train ticket was 4.65 euros ( I was too tired, but I'm guessing a bus should have been cheaper).

Frankfurt Hauptbauhof is 3 stops away from the airport. Noticed black treat black better. All the people that helped with my luggage were black.

There are a lot of young people in Frankfurt.
It was daylight till 9pm, this scared me for a bit
The weather was quite warm, almost felt the same as Lagos
There are a lot of pubs! You would enjoy this if you love beer
Went in for a so called Chinese buffet, they said 80 euros, I pack my kaya to mac donalds and spent 7 euros!
There are a lot of accommodation options around the central station. It's quite noisy, I hear a lot of music and laughter coming from outside.

Would have loved to stay in a hostel for 17 euros a bedspace, but for my baby, paid 50 euros (painfully) for a single room, tiny bed like this!

She finally got to sleep, still very excited.

We head out at 6:30am. Finally bought a ticket from busradar.com for 27 euros to my destination. The cheapest I could find so far.

Ariel view of Franfurt city as seen from the aircraft
Frankfurt airport entrance
Frankfurt central station

We were really fagged out when we landed and went straight to sleep after checking into a random hotel near the central station so that we dont miss the tour bus leaving very early tomorrow morning.

Nice, how's the weather? Hope not as rainy as Scotland wey I de

There are a lot of Trams along the road.

I don't understand how car and trams will be sharing road. To cross the road, i have to double check.

titsqueez:
Nice, how's the weather? Hope not as rainy as Scotland wey I de

Not rainy today. Was a bit warm earlier in the day, but getting cooler this night.

Thanks for asking.

I bumped into my cousin at Frankfurt airport, I haven't seen her in years, she was heading to scotland or so and she had just bumped into Boris Kodjo at the airport. I really would have stalked the dude for a selfie but my bones couldn't care less about Boris Kodjo, now I regret it

wanderlustian:


Not rainy today. Was a bit warm earlier in the day, but getting cooler this night.

Thanks for asking.

I bumped into my cousin at Frankfurt airport, I haven't seen her in years, she was heading to scotland or so and she had just bumped into Boris Kodjo at the airport. I really would have stalked the dude for a selfie but my bones couldn't care less about Boris Kodjo, now I regret it

Nice one! Frankfurt can be expensive but don't try Munich. The weather is perfect and you came at the best time. The day is still bright until 9 or even 10!
Enjoy your trip... where is your next destination?

If you are heading to Italy from Germany, check out the IC buses, they are quite affordable.

Do you blame them? Even I sometimes forget I'm Nigerian and scrutinize myself.

Sigh...Germany. loved it there

Wilkommen nach Deutschland! Ich hoffe, das du wirdest Deutschand mögen! Glad to see your adventure is underway.

I am sorry to hear you got crap in Turkey and from the Chinese restaurant. Shame on them. I'm not sure if the price was really being told as 80Euro or 18, though, because those numbers sound very similar in English and German, but even 18EU for a Chinese buffet is a ripoff. I can't say much about Frankfurt, but I absolutely love Berlin and Göttingen as well as the country in general; it wasn't too expensive, even when I was a student. Yeah, there being Bier every 3M sounds right. If you are looking for affordable food, buy kebab döner for 3-5Euro -- much better than McDonalds. As has been said elsewhere here, Munich (München) is expensive but also a really fun city.

I hope you enjoy whatever comes next.

Wooooooooowwww I'm loving this thread already...you've Really done well with the pictures and you make bumping into your cousin coincidentally sound so random.... Boris kodjoe is half German so he being in Germany is no news and he's half Ghanaian.xoxo

Anyway forgot to tell you that if you going by bus then try the flix buses search it at flix dot com or dot de or download the app on play store they have buds connecting about 400 locations in Europe and its very cheap e.g. Munich to Prague is 15 euros Munich Paris €20 or 25
Buses are state of the art and also have free WiFi. ..You should have used Air Bnb too for cheap accommodation instead of expensive hotels... Anyway keep us posted

nanajec:
Wooooooooowwww I'm loving this thread already...you've Really done well with the pictures and you make bumping into your cousin coincidentally sound so random.... Boris kodjoe is half German so he being in Germany is no news and he's half Ghanaian.xoxo

Anyway forgot to tell you that if you going by bus then try the flix buses search it at flix dot com or dot de or download the app on play store they have buds connecting about 400 locations in Europe and its very cheap e.g. Munich to Prague is 15 euros Munich Paris €20 or 25
Buses are state of the art and also have free WiFi. ..You should have used Air Bnb too for cheap accommodation instead of expensive hotels... Anyway keep us posted

I swear it was totally random! I freaked out then I heard someone call out my native name in Frankfurt!

Tale of the journey from Frankfurt to Italy coming up! If I had taken Ekene dili Chukuwu, I'm sure I would have been better off!! Now resting in Como, Italy. Mapping out my strategy for the rest of the journey.

Kexorcist:
Wilkommen nach Deutschland! Ich hoffe, das du wirdest Deutschand mögen! Glad to see your adventure is underway.

I am sorry to hear you got crap in Turkey and from the Chinese restaurant. Shame on them. I'm not sure if the price was really being told as 80Euro or 18, though, because those numbers sound very similar in English and German, but even 18EU for a Chinese buffet is a ripoff. I can't say much about Frankfurt, but I absolutely love Berlin and Göttingen as well as the country in general; it wasn't too expensive, even when I was a student. Yeah, there being Bier every 3M sounds right. If you are looking for affordable food, buy kebab döner for 3-5Euro -- much better than McDonalds. As has been said elsewhere here, Munich (München) is expensive but also a really fun city.

I hope you enjoy whatever comes next.

I'm currently undergoing a language block in my head, keep confusing german for hausa and italian for yoruba! Didn't spend too long in Germany though, thinking I might have to return to visit my cousin later in the week. Soon as I cross off Venice, Rome and Milan off my list. I've never felt this wild and free in my life!

^ Germany seems to have that effect on people.

This is nice @op tnx for sharing

Following...

So, I'm back!

Like I said earlier, I spent just a day in Frankfurt and took the One Bus to Milan, just because it was the cheapest. The bus was supposed to leave at 8:15am, but it did not come till 9:45am. Before then, it took me over 10 mins to find the Station, which was supposedly 3 mins from the hotel where we passed the night. The night was actually horrible, I could not sleep because some latino night club outside my window kept blaring music all night! I woke up feeling like a zombie!

I left the hotel at 7:15am just to be at the bus station in good time. Nobody seemed to understand english, or pretended not to. It two policemen who pointed me in the right direction and when I got there, I came across a lot of buses, heading in various directions. Frankfurt to Kiev, Albania, Prague, etc. I could not find the One Bus! It began to rain and then I got frantic, going from bus to bus asking for anyone going to Italia. Still, everyone waved me aside once I opened my mouth to speak english.

I stood in the rain with my baby in a stroller, wondering if I had not missed the bus due to language barrier. Luckily I had my wrapper (used for strapping her on my back) which I covered her stroller with. At 8:20, some dude from a nearby shop asked me for my ticket which I showed him. He then said I was in the right station but I had to wait at an intersection that the bus comes late most times. There's also a dude there waiting for the bus. So I head over to the intersection and come across the bus conductor who confirmed the bus was on its way. Finally, at 9:45am, the bus came and we boarded. For a reason I cannot understand, the bus took us around Frankfurt in a circle and came back to the bus station to pick up more passengers!

That was the beginning of this journey that took us through the clouds and tunnels under mountains. Stay tuned!

After picking up the 2nd batch of passengers from the Frankfurt Hbf, we set off in the direction of Manneheim. My people, this bus was stopping at every town o, to pick passengers. Before driving 3km, the bus would detour from the highway into towns, all the way to the bus station. Just when I was seething inwardly, the bus stopped at a truck stop and everyone got down for a bathroom break! (se na like this we go de dey). That is how we kept making stops all the way through Germany.

My baby was a good sport, she ended up making friends with a lot of people on the bus, as well as other kids who apparently have never seen a black baby before . She had a seat beside me, and as anticipated, she was not hysterical. I stopped counting the stops after the 6th stop, I guess I got what I bargained for.

After like forever traveling Danfo style through Germany we finally arrive at the Swiss border...

well done. more update pls. thanks

wanderlustian

Nice account of your adventures. If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend you download an offline version of Google Translate or any similar app to your phone.

Being able to communicate a few words in the native language could make all the difference in getting proper directions from a local. This could save you a world of headache, as missing one of your buses could ruin your itinerary for the day.

Keep moving.

Switzerland is scenic but not so fun, according to my brother. He thinks the people there aren't particularly nice or friendly, either.
It may be your accent which makes people have trouble understanding you. But that's odd; lots of Germans speak very good English.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d8/89/a8/d889a8b55213ebea286066e02fba2ef9.jpg

I can't really say what Italy is like other than chaotic. Good luck anyway.

I'm lost!

Uim still putting together the road trip story! But right now I'm lost! Currently in Como, north of Milan.

I set out in search of the city centre and found myself in front of the Lake

I'm trying to retrace my steps back to my lodge but I really have to share the scenery

Saw a bridge on Lake Como, took it walked for 15 mins and realised it stops in the middle of the lake!

The walking to and fro made me hungry so I stopped for a sandwich.. 5 euros!

There's wifi by the lake! So google map really is my friend. Trying to navigate my wayback, it's a 21 mins walk.

Wish me luck!

wanderlustian i sight u