Vienna, Boylesque and beyond

An open-ended adventure by Bev Read more

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Trip start
May 27, 2018
Vienna, Boylesque and beyond Traveler
Travel to Vienna
May 27, 2018 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
What a long day when your flight is at 10:50pm. Ben purchased at Qantas lounge pass on Gumtree for $50. We were so bored so we decided to head to the airport at 6:15pm to be greeted by Luke at the Emirates counter. What a cool guy, got us into Row 19 and blocked a seat out. This section is the first of the economy seats, they don’t fill this section up.

Headed up to Qantas Club to start the trip in style. The club was near empty so Michelle gave us special attention making Espresso Martinis and opening a bottle of Champagne for me. I’m so proud of Ben, I have to tell Michelle so here we are in the middle of Qantas Club showing a video of “Shreklesque”.

We leave on time on the A300 a smooth take off, heading directly for Dubai. The staff were attentive, the food good. My only criticism would be breakfast arrived around 12 hours into the flight, OMG I was starving - but it was delicious. None of us slept well, and 14 hours was a long flight.

Arrived Dubai around 8am local time. The airport was very busy, people going in every direction. I left Suzie and Ben to find the smoking area while I explored for a short time. To get from terminal C to A you need to catch a train which takes 3 minutes. I went into the Emirates Business Class lounge for a quick look. OMG I have never been in such a huge lounge. You enter the lounge and all the gates 1-24 are accessible from within the lounge. There is casual dining, fine dining, coffee areas, massage , quiet areas the list goes on. I hope I have enough time to explore this on my way home.

Head to my gate via the lounge, confusing Suzie and Ben - they think I’m lost. We board our next flight to Vienna. This time the plane is empty and thanks to Luke in Brissie we each have a row to ourselves.

It’s 9am local time, we are all shattered so a quick nap is necessary before the gin starts. The alcohol starts, the noise increases while we play trivia. The plane has representatives from 18 countries and 15 languages, so of course as each attendant arrives with our drinks you must guess where they are from. Soon we realise that everyone around us is now drinking, they figured we are loud - no use trying to sleep.Read more
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Vienna
May 28, 2018 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We arrived on time in Vienna, my 7th continent, finally made it to Europe. The easiest customs and immigration ever, and we got a stamp in passport, Yay.

A quick taxi ride finds us in the shopping restaurant area of Mariahilf. Our AirBNB awaits, Felix meets us at the door to show us the 3 bedroom apartment we have for the next 4 nights. This place is perfect, around the corner from where the Vienna International Boylesque Festival is to be performed. Venturing out for our first taste of Vienna, all of us are shattered but now we must stay awake for a few more hours. First impressions are clean, safe, quiet. An early dinner of schnitzel, a shop at Hofer (Aldi) and back to the apartment to chill. I’m ready to crash by 630pm, ready to start the real adventure tomorrow.Read more
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City Cycle
May 29, 2018 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We were all awake before 6 and slowly came up with our plan for today - See the city using city cycle bikes. This should not be hard, the website is great shows you the stations, how many bikes are available etc. We wander to a cycle station where there are 20 bikes available. One credit card must be registered per bike, €1 for registration , first hour free. My 2 credit cards are declined, a quick phone call to Comm Bank finds I don’t follow instructions very well, I had entered the wrong pin. In the mean time Suzie registered her 2nd card for me.

Jump on the bikes heading for the ring road to travel around the city. The ring road represents the walls of the old city. The architecture is amazing, low rise, statues, marble wash. We pass the opera house, the winter palace and finally find our way to the WU. The WU is the university, architecture is very new, glass everywhere, lots of colour, yellows, blues, brown etc.

The bikes are dropped off within the hour. At each spot, we walk to the next station picking up the bikes for another free hour.

After a couple of false starts we find ourselves on the banks of the Danube, overlooking Vienna central business district

At the WU we pick up our next bike, Suzie card is now declined. Both my cards are declined, Ben and Suzie have their bikes, I’m sadly without. A phone call to city cycle finally sorts it out, I didn’t put my address in correctly. I have a Bike yeah we can continue. So much easier in a city where most people speak English as there second language.

A stop for lunch, we pick up a bike at the next station and head for home. On the way home we pass statues of Groethe and Mozart, I certainly know I’m in the city of great culture.

We have been on the bikes for approx 7 hours, certainly seen lots of the old town of Vienna.Read more
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Bratilava
May 30, 2018 in Slovakia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Let’s go to Bratislava Suzie says. Ok sounds good, off we head, not knowing anything about it or what to expect. I know it’s in Slovakia, a different country, so passports are gathered and of we go.

Just getting to the train station was an experience, no bikes were available so we decide to walk. Time was getting short, so jump onto the U then a change to another. Little stressed, I was getting worried we would miss the train, they run every hour. We finally arrive at the central station. Up 2 levels to get to the international train station with 9 mins to go - Still stressed I grab the tickets. We Make it to the train with a few minutes to spare.

The trip to Bratislava is 1 hour, we travel through the Austrian countryside heading east towards Slovakia. The landscape is predominately farming and wind farms.

On arrival at the train station I expected to go through immigration but no, nothing. No stamps today -first time I have cross a country border and not due immigration.

Bratislava is know for the old town area, we pass the Presidential Palace on the way to the old area. This was originally the summer palace, which was built in the 18th century. Today it is the home of the president.

The Old Town Hall was built in the 15th. century, We certainly were going back in time. The buildings are not in top condition but this adds to the charm. This is certainly a very touristy spot, the place is filled with restaurants and souvenir shops but still quiet charming.

Wandering up and down small alley ways we make our way through the old city. We have lunch at an authentic Slovakian restaurant. I have cabbage soup which is delicious 2nd course of gnocchi with bacon. Hmm what can I say, the gnocchi is white and the bacon is the bacon fat that has been fried. Not for me, not very nice at all. The 3rd course was apple strudel, it was delicious. Not the best meal I have had But at least we all tried local food.

Continue on through the narrow laneways and lots of stairs until we come to the castle. We are certainly getting our exercise today. The Bratislava Castle was the coronation seat of the Hungarian empire in the 16th. century. It’s in very good condition and well worth a visit. The view from here overlooks the Danube, the city centre and wind warms for as far as the eye can see. There’s a spot crossing back to the old city where you view the old stone walled city and the new fancy bridges over the Danube. Quite a good comparison of old vs new.

Time to return to Vienna as the first Boylesque festival is tonight. A full brief of this event will be done after tomorrow nights show.Read more
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Vienna International Boylesque Festival
May 31, 2018 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Who could have imagined only 8 weeks ok Trigger Happy got the call up to perform at this amazing festival. This is the 5th year of this event. The MC Ms Sherry Vine was amazing. I will never be able to listen to “Hallelujah” the same way again, let’s just say there was a lot of reference to blow jobs in the new song. It was a pleasure to met her and I hope we catch up again in Brisbane in August.

Trigger Happy was 4th to perform. Ms Sherry asked the audience to give a little more love as this was Triggers first performance on European soil. The minute he walked on stage he had everyone involved. The clapped, they cheered, he gave it his all. I can honestly say he won them over and I truely believe this will not be the last time he performs on this stage, let alone Europe. Once complete Ms Sherry gave a call out to me, I gave her a wave and our friendship started. At interval many people commented on Triggers performance, they loved it. Well done Trigger, I know how much sweat and tears have gone into making this performance. You have shown everyone, believe in yourself , work hard and dreams can come true. I look forward to seeing you on the next international stage. Stay true to your self.

The 2 shows had over 30 performers from all over the world. I was lucky enough to met a few of them in person. Alexander the Great from the US, who unlike his name is of small stature but has a dynamic powerful performance. Twinky Boots also from the US who did a wonderful rendition of Singin in the Rain. This festival celebrates diversity and welcomes performers from all walks of life. There are no labels here.Read more
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Destination Salzburg
June 1, 2018 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 16 °C
Another train trip this time to Salzburg. As we are now accustomed with the operation of the U this should be pretty easy. We quickly arrive at the correct train station. Our problem this time is finding where to purchase tickets. After going to 2 different ticket offices we are told to purchase off the train. At the train they tell us to go to the tobacconist as it is €8 cheaper. That’s not very intuitive, we make it on board with about 5 mins to go. Little to close for my liking.

The train is very comfortable, food is served on board but it is very full and we find ourselves scattered through the train. Not a bad thing to have some space sometimes.

A 2.5 hr trip when we find ourselves in beautiful Salzburg. It is not far to our hostel for 2 nights. Salzburg is clearly more expensive than Vienna. A 4 bed private room with ensuite costs €34 /person.Read more
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Sound of Music
June 2, 2018 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
The original Sound of Music Tour, I don’t do many tours but this seems a mandatory in Salzburg. The tour takes you to several locations around Salzburg where the film was shot. We travel through the city of Salzburg to the lake where the Von Trapp children capsized learning that Gretal nearly drowned during the taking of this scene. The film is based on the broad way show which was based on the book by Maria Von Trapp but several facts were changed along they way. For instance Maria was originally employed to look after only 1 child, between Maria and the Captain they had 10 children and escaped the Nazis by train not escaping over the mountain.

We saw the rotunda where “16 going on 17” was filmed and the “Do Re Me” steps. Along the way the soundtrack is playing and a sing along is mandatory. We visit the town of Mondsee, here the church that was in the wedding scene is found. Except for the balcony where the nuns watched from it is exactly as it was in the film. It was a great opportunity for us to also see the lakes district outside of Salzburg.

We finish the tour in the Mirabelle Gardens, many of the scenes were filmed from here. If is Salzburg I would recommend this tour.

Once the tour was over we ventured into the old town. This was quite an eye opener, the buildings were amazing but all filled with very expensive shops, Louis Vuitton etc.

Time for a couple of quiet beverages, a Prosecco was €4 approx $7 so pretty good I thought. At the hostel a large bottle of Prosecco €11, I’m not complaining.Read more
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Slovenia Here We Come
June 3, 2018 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Another day another train trip. Today we are heading to Slovenia, in fact a small village outside of Bled. We always have some sort of drama when we travel so it will be interesting to see what today brings. The trip starts at Salzburg Central Station to Villach, where we swap lines to Lecse Bled.

The scenery along the way is spectacular, travelling along side the Alps, stopping at many small villages along the way.

Once me made it to Lesce Bled train station our Air bnb host picked us up. Matzik, Matthew in English, drove us to Bled, stopping at the local supermarket so we could get some staples. It’s tough shopping, we had just got used to German words for items, now it’s Slovenian. Even choosing butter, full cream milk etc is a challenge. Matzik tells us it is cutting the grass season, they only cut the grass 3times a year, now, in a month and then another month. This is made into hay bales for the animals over winter. Wish we only cut the grass 3times.

We also find out today is an Election Day so not much is open. We reach our accomodation, an old family home. I imagine this was Mum and dads home, they died, everything has been left in place and now rented as air bnb. The cupboards and drawers are full to the brim. Some have batteries, candles, lots of crockery and china. I’m surprised it is all still here. The 4 bed rooms are large as well as 3 bathrooms, even a bath.

We are in the village of Spondje Gorge, there are no eating places here but there is a local bar. The bus is across the road, Bled in 5mins down the road.

After unpacking we head to Bled for our first glimpse of the lake. It is beautiful, the castle over looks the lake, right in the middle is an island with a church perched on top.

We find a restaurant it enjoy a cold beverage and a Mexican inspired platter. A small pub crawl back to the bus stop to head home. We were heading to the local but it closes at 8pm on Sundays.Read more
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Bled
June 4, 2018 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Suzie cooks some great eggs for breakfast, we can even make toast today which is scrumptious. Today’s plan is to hire bikes and head around the lake. Bike are €6 for 6 hours, so of we head. Stopping around the lake to take pictures. About half way round we find the start to Mala Osojnica , a view point located 645 metres above Lake Bled.

The sign says 20mins so off we head. It is a gradual climb upwards, sometimes quite steep, but every onwards and up. Whoever said this was 20 minutes playing a nasty joke. You’ll have to work hard for this view: it’s a tough 45 to 60 minute hike from the lake shore but it is 100% worth the work. There is a very step set of stairs (ladder) with 100 steps. This is not the top, it is another 5 minutes from here. The view is certainly worth it, but I do believe the signs should be more accurate.

Most of the path is in shade, but where exposed it was very hot. Coming down is no mean feat either. Ben struggled a bit with the heights, but overcame the fear to come back down those stairs.

Back on the bikes, time for a cold drink and some food. We stop at a small beach area. Everyone is swimming, beach chairs are out for hire, just like I imagined beach life in Europe. Suzie and I share a pizza, fresh garlic, chilli, pepperoni and cheese -delicious and certainly enough for 2. It was only cut in half which I found odd. Ben enjoyed gnocchi with truffles, a local favourite.

A thunderstorm looked like it was coming in so jumped back on those bikes to finish our circumnavigation of the lake. They say it takes 90minutes to walk around, again I think this is a little short in timing.

Suzie and Ben head home while I head back to the lake. I take a penta across the lake to visit Bled Island. The fare is €14 for the return trip and 40minutes to explore the island. The penta is rowed by a lone rowman using 2 paddles standing up,- quite a slow smooth quiet trip.
You can hire your own rowboat for €10, which would be lots of fun and far cheaper for a small group. You can explore the church for €6, instead I choose to have the largest ice cream ever for €4.

Jump back on board to head to land. I quickly head back to the bus station, if I miss the bus I have another hour to wait. Luckily I’m there with a minute to spare. This bus is not direct, instead of the normal 5 mins it take 18. The bus heads into a different village first, then backtracks to finally take me home.

We head to the local bar for a few drinks. As you can imagine we are the source of amusement . Ben, using his basic German skills, becomes translator between a local and Suzie. Very amusing, he is a widow, finds Suzie very attractive. We all have a fun night, lots of laughs and too many drinks.Read more
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Ljubljana
June 5, 2018 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
A quick 60 minute bus ride from Bled to Ljubljana, for a measly €6, we arrived. A taxi fare to our next Air bnb lands us right on the river next to the old town centre. Viktor our host is not around so we quickly settle into the restaurant next door. Viktor arrives around midday, so we drop our bags and let him continue with his day. ( Poor Viktor, the bnb was his ex wife’s idea, and his thoughts on refugees well let’s say he would be happy to kick them out alongside all the current political parties).

We enjoy a late lunch at Pri Skofja, €9 for 3 courses - best deal we have had. It starts to rain and then even hail, so we shelter in the bnb and all have a snooze.

Time to venture out, we wander around the old town, finally finding a bar with a few locals. Beers are cheap, the red wine is drinkable, so we settle in. We met a few of the locals, firstly Cyrus the mad Irishman from Belfast who enjoys cracking his long whip. Then Anton the Russian who runs a hotel. Well that’s where we end up drinking for free. I head home, while Ben gets a free room for the night and Suzie goes on to enjoy some of the local bars. Another down, another local spot, gotta love it.Read more
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Postojna Caves
June 6, 2018 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Car hire pick-up day. Here we go, been awhile since I have driven a manual car on the right hand side of road. We picked the car from Avant, very quick and efficient. They are close to the outer ring road which makes it easy to get out of town and head south west to Postojna.

The Postojna Caves are very touristy but well worth the visit. The caves have been open to the public for 200 years this year - incredible. There are over 24k’s of passages within the cave system, visitors get to see approx 5k’s.

Entering the caves is on a schedule, we were lucky we did not have to wait to get onto the train. (I’m sure in high season this could be a problem, so it may be advisable to book ahead online). It is quite expensive, we paid €37 for the caves and Predjama Castle. The tour group is split up into language groups first, then you board a small open air train to travel 4k’s into the cave. This trip is quite spectacular and quite chilly. The temperature is approx 10C. On completion of the train ride you disembark for a guided tour of the cave system. It is spectacular, I have never been is such a huge huge cave system previously. The walking tour is approx 1 hour, all up it takes 1.5hours. The group is quite large so it can be hard to hear the guide at times. There is no flash photography or touching allowed. Unfortunately photos do not show the enormity of the actual caves.

We headed to the Predjama Castle 9k down the road next. This castle is build on the side of a cliff, using both the inside cave and outside. An audio guide is provided for use as you make your way through the structure. It was quite busy, not the most impressive castle I’ve seen, but still worth a short detour.

We head back to town only to find a park is not that easy. Our streets are closed with bollards, every spot we find is full. Eventually we ring Viktor, our host, who meets us and helps to find a legal park about 5 mins away from the house.Read more
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Tolmin
June 7, 2018 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌫 18 °C
Another trip in the car. This time to Tolmin Gorge in the North West. Once again we start on the highway but soon move to the smaller roads. The road is narrow with many twists and turns. My driving has certainly improved since yesterday. It takes about 2 hours to get to the town of Tolmin. Time for a break for lunch, a lovely fresh trout and salad - yay something healthy at last.

We head onto Tolmin Gorge. The roads just keep getting smaller, until we are down to one lane. Then there are roadworks, where half the road is cut out, I need to navigate this, if only the guys who were directing me had any idea about my lack of driving skills :)

We finally make it to the gorge, but when you see Ben or Suzie ask about the naked guy operating the bob cat.

As it is in the National Park the entry fee Is €5. It has started to rain but only a light so we should be good. Onward we go, following the map to see all the highlights. We follow the trail, the colour of the river is an emerald blue. The rain adds a mystic foggy atmosphere to the scenery. The walk all up takes about an hour. There are stairs, it nothing too strenuous and in the harder spots there is a hand rail. There are not many people around at all. Well worth a visit.

It wanting to follow the same road home we head east towards Skofja Loka. It sure if this was a good idea, it’s very very windy, mountainous not enough for 2 cars, luckily there is not much traffic but certainly had to be very focused.

Finally back to town to find a park for the car and time to have a couple of calming vodkas.Read more
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Heading to Croatia
June 8, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌧 22 °C
Today we say farewell to Ben as he is heading home. I drop Ben and Suzie at the bus station while I return the car. The walk back is a lazy 30 minutes to Suzie. Ben has already left when I return.

There are not many people waiting for the bus to Zagreb so we reckon we will get a seat to ourselves on the upper deck of the bus. How wrong we were, the bus had come from Germany and most were staying on the bus, the bus was full. We headed towards Croatia and much to our joy we had to go through immigration. A stamp leaving Slovenia and 1 to enter Croatia, yay I was like a kid in the chocolate factory.

Kreso, our air bnb host, had given us instructions on how to get to his place from the bus stop. Catch the no. 6 tram . heading toward the mountains and disembark at town square, then ring him. Catching the tram was easy, great directions, we even got off at the right stop. But ringing was a different thing, I tried several options all said the phone number did not exist. Using good old google maps we worked out how to get to the air bnb -3 minutes walk and we reach Kreso. Wow is all I can say, what a lovely host, a great space and such an awesome location.

Kreso quickly realised he missed a number when he told me his phone number, lol, no biggie we made it. He is just lovely - we enjoyed a home made liquor shot which his dad produces.Oh it’s a bit strong, cannot describe the taste. Kreso then shows us where to eat, drink etc. We head to a little delicatessen for a Croatian red and some cold meats, cheese and olives. What lovely afternoon with Kreso, so much so we are now coming back for 2 nights at the end of our trip.

Kreso is a graffiti artist, the air bnb is decked out with a lot of his art, I’m really looking forward to doing his tour when we return. Kreso and Suzie are kindred souls, talking music, actually we are booked into a concert (rap I think) when we return. He finally has to say good bye and leave us to explore the city before retiring for the night.Read more
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Travel to Rovinj
June 9, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
Leaving Zagreb we once again catch the no 6 tram back to the bus stop to pick up the airport bus. We picked up the car with no hassles but to our surprise the tank was only quarter full. We head south east towards Rovinj. The roads are well maintained in fact better condition than Australia. The speed limit is 130 on most sections, there are cars flying past us doing at least 170ks, it’s ridiculous. So scary when they fly past you. It was not surprising when we heard an ambulance and traffic backed up a few kms down the road. A car had rolled, it was eerie seeing a car upside down, bikes still on the back doors flung open. But even this did not slow down many of the drivers.

We stopped at the town of Karlovac for lunch. Suzie had shishkebab on flat bread and I had dumplings on flat bread. Not really what we expected, both meats were identical, just a different shape. It was like a sausage salami, quite tough and a flat bread roll. It also came with half a raw onion cut up in large chunks. Nothing else, no lettuce, tomato, nothing. Very heavy, not nice.

Onward to Rovinj, cars are restricted from entering the old city, so we are met outside by Ivetta ( the air bnb host). She takes us to a church close y where she has a permit to park. From here we walk over rough uneven paths built by the Romans to our apartment right in the heart of the old city.

Our Airbnb is a 2 level renovated apartment with everything you could want once again. What a beautiful part of the world, we wander around the old stones paths, dropping in on spots for a drink and an amazing view. Dinner is a seafood platter and grilled vegies. A little expensive but so good to have some vegetables at last. The night end with watching our first sunset over the Adriatic Sea.Read more
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Bike trip around Rovinj
June 10, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
A relatively early start to the fresh markets for some fruit for brekkie. Everything is 30kuna ($7), I buy peaches, cranberries and raspberries. I’ve never had fresh cranberries before, always dehydrated. Brekkie is delicious yoghurt and fresh fruit, what more could you want. The craisins are a little tart but delicious . These will go well in the vodka later.

Next stop we hire some bikes for the day, 70kuna each (approx $16). We head off through the old city before turning around and heading south west. Before we know it we are at little rocky beaches overlooking Ronivj. Our first stop is at a local beach overlooking Rovinj, it’s time for a quick drink before continuing on around the coast line. This is not as straight forward as it first seems, but eventually we end at a very rocky beach. Time for our first swim in the Adriatic Sea. The rocks are horrid , slippery and sharp but the water is awesome, a little crispness is just what we need.

Lunch is an amazing array of 10 fried sardines and salad, a meal I will not forget in a long time - it was delicious. Back on the bikes we head further around the coast line until we hit the local caravan park. There are heaps of small secluded beaches along the way, but all are very rocky, no sandy beaches here. My overall impression here is women and men love their bodies, it doesn’t matter if you small or large a bikini or biggie smugglers will do. Well done, I wish we loved our bodies as much back home, embrace life,

Time to head back to the town center, in fact the ride is probably under 30 minutes, time to have another swim from the rocks on the outer perimeter of the old city.

The day ends with pizza and red wine, what more luck one need really.Read more
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Island Adventure
June 11, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
Today’s aim was to catch a boat to Red Island. We asked around the taxi was 80kuna return but the ferry was only 40kuna return. The ferry took about 15 minutes leaving on the half hour. We wandered around the island, there were lots of spots to swim, if you enjoyed rocks. We came to the main beach area which has been cleared of rocks for the elderly and children. I have to say it was great to enter the water without trying to dodge slippery sharp rocks.

The water is crystal clear, many different shades of blue and turquoise. Everything is so clean. We have a quick swim before continuing our walk around the island. We find a small restaurant with the most amazing view and equally good food. A plate of calamari and Greek salad does the trick for lunch, red wines of course included.

Time to jump back on the ferry for a quiet afternoon (2 bottles of red oops). Dinner is a pizza overlooking the harbour. The pizza are very different to home:
1. They are not sliced
2. The filling is very sparse - we got 4 whole olives on the pizza
3. Chilli are whole, we have to slice them ourselves

But they are delicious.

Watching the sun go down we head back to the apartment.Read more
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Road trip to Primiston
June 12, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Early start, well for us at least, we manage to leave the apartment by 9am. I’ve sorted out the alley ways so we do not need to take the bags too far on the Roman built cobble stones. Suzie gets the car from the church parking spot and we are off. The plan is pretty simple, travel down the coast road to Primosten, this will take about 5 hours. Google maps does the job, we stop at a small town for morning tea. It amazes me that the parking spots charge you to park, yet cars park wherever they like in the Main Street.

Onwards towards Primosten, the road hugs the coast line its quite a slow trip , but a stunning coast line. We arrive without incident at around 5pm, our host Jure helps us to our next Air bnb. We are right on the coast listening to the waves and the wind. This town is much smaller that Rovinj and Is a mixture of old and new. I will enjoy the differences.

Dinner is at the steak house, a great meal, but unfortunate that the assume the change is a tip.Read more
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Plitvicka National Park
June 13, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
It was. 2.5 hour drive to the park from Primosten but Suzie enjoyed the 130k speed limit. On arrival we entered via the Entrance 2. The car park was so full It was surprising to see so many visitors, it took us quite some time to find a park. I was very worried about congestion on the tracks.

These worries were soon put to rest, the paths from this entry point are very wide and there are many options so the tourists are moved into multiple directions. We have chosen route H, this starts with a bus ride to the beginning of the 5k trail back down. As soon as we jump off the bus the thunderstorm rolls in, the noise is very loud but only a few drops of rain so we plough on down the track. The thunder continues for about 30minutes, and the temperature has also dropped by about 10c so it’s a little chilly. The paths are relatively flat, with only a few stairs, the canopy dense so we don’t get too wet. There are many small waterfalls along the way, quite beautiful , picturesque, certainly worth a pic or 2. The track is not crowded, we can walk at our own pace and take picture whenever we choose.

We finish the first trail, the next leg is to jump on a boat across the river to the next walking track. Once off the boat we follow the path to the “big waterfall”, what can this be compared to so many other “waterfalls” I’ve seen ( Niagara, Victoria). In fact it is a series of small waterfalls along the river culminating in a couple long drop waterfalls. Very beautiful mix of colours.

The walk from the boat stop to the bus stop was very congested, the path was narrow, people not wanting to get their feet feet. So different from entrance 2. There were so many people coming from the opposite direction, I would hate to be here is high season. I am sure people would be pushed in to the water on the narrow wooden walkways. We struggle past the many walkers, everyone wanting to stop for photos regardless of where they are. We eventually move away from the crowds heading up to the bus. The views from above are spectacular . This place is certainly worth a visit, I expect after rain would be amazing. Start from entrance 2 and enjoy the space at least for a short time.

The drive home is also with the normal dramas, car travelling in excess 150k, passing when they should know better. It is certainly time for a beer or calming wine once we make it home.Read more
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Bosnia here we come
June 15, 2018 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ 🌬 22 °C
We leave Primosten around 93” heading towards Mostar. The plan is to stop at Kravice Waterfall and a walled , heritage city, on the way. It approximately 2.5 hours to Kravice in Bosnia according to google.

We head out , it’s all good until we get close to Bosnia we are traversing a mountain range , high up above the valley. Google said hard left in 250 meters, oh f@#k not sure where we are going. There was a road at exact spot so off we go, Down down we go, goggle says go left, go right seems lost. We end in a small village, it is eerie there are no people, small windy roads no idea where we are going. We turn around and head back up the to the main road, giggles galore. Top of the hill, we are going around in circles what road to take there are 5 choices. Eventually we chat to a local man. He has no English and no teeth, but waves us in the direction of the border. He seems chuffed that he could actually help 2 stupid tourists.

The border is only a few k away, Croatia gives us a stamp,the Bosnian seems unimpressed that we have passports, or stamps here , sigh.

We head to Kravice, lots of sign posts, very easy to find. The entry guys tells us it’s €4 to enter, screw that we go to the WC and just keep walking. Quite a few tourists, but lovely water falls and great view from restaurant for lunch.

Heading onto Mostar we pass the walled city of Pocitelj. Google struggled to get us to our accomodation, telling us to go left when we could not find a street ( actually we think they we there, we just didn’t think it was a street). After taking a couple of detours we find our air bnb and our lovely host Nina shows us to the apartment, the apartment overlooks the city, it’s about 5 minutes from the old town.

The afternoon is spent wandering the streets of the old town enjoying a red or 2. The river through Mostar is beautiful a deep emerald green. There are any restaurants along the river to enjoy the view.

Another great day.Read more
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Mostar
June 16, 2018 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ 🌙 18 °C
Today was spent wandering around Mostar. Suzie went for a mountain bike ride so I was on my own. First up it was time to find some breakfast. That may sound easy but believe me it is not. Most cafes here only serve drinks and no food. Places that do serve food don’t do anything remotely that looks or feels like breakfast. I wander for about 30minutes looking at menus until I finally find a place that does omelette. As a bonus it also has a terrace overlooking the Stari Most (old bridge).

I had organised a free walking tour which starts at 10am. There were 9 people, 2 Aussies, 2 Poms, 3 Turkish and 2 Italians. Ivan our tour guide was born during the war. His mum fled to Split for him to be born, this was the norm then as it was to dangerous to be in Mostar.

He started the tour at the Spanish Garden then headed into the old city. He had many photos of buildings prior to the war. It’s amazing to see the amount of destruction this tiny city endured during the war from 1992 - 1995. Many of the buildings have been left just as they were at the end of the war. The government has decreed if you are restoring a building it must be returned to the same architecture it once was. The Russian architecture is very boring and easy to recreate but the Ottoman and Austrian style building cost a lot to be returned to their former glory.

We wander around the old city stopping to chat about buildings and culture. The tour ends after approx 1.5hours. Emma, the other Aussie, and I decide to head under the bridge to watch if anyone is going to jump today. The boys pass around a hat to collect tips to jump from the bridge (23 meters above the river). It takes about €25 in summer and €50 in winter to entice a jumper. They tease on top of the bridge until the tips reach the desired amount before jumping into the river below. The jumpers must be registered as competent to jump before doing this act. It looks bloody scary to me. We watch a couple of jumpers before it is time for a drink.

Suzie has finished her ride so we now all hook up for a few drinks, some souvenir shopping before retiring for the night.Read more
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Sarejavo Road Trip
June 17, 2018 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
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Srebrenica Bosnia
June 19, 2018 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Our second organised tour started in the heart of Sarajevo. Aden our driver took us to the town of Srebrenica. Along the way he exclaimed how the political system works here. There are 3 presidents each representing a section of the Bosnian community. Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croates. It seems so odd to me to align your self by religion, if you call yourself a Bosnian here you are in the minority, other others make up about 95% of the population. As you can imagine with 3 presidents it is extremely difficult to make decisions and move the country forward. This arrangement was put in place as part of the peace accord to end the war in 1995, it was only meant to last for 15 years so that the country to sort out how to run the country efficiently.

The war from 1992 to 1994 can be seen throughout the country where we have travelled. There are still many building and homes in ruins, shrapnel marks clear for all To see as a reminder. More than 100000 were killed and approx 2 million displaced during this ware.

Srebrenica was a town where over 8000 were killed - an act of genocide. Many have been found guilty in the International Criminal Tribunal. There is a memorial to those that were killed. Apart of this is a very cut to the bone movie. A women, who was 13 when the war broke out, also told us of her life during this time where she lost both parents a brother and sister. It was touching to listen to her, you can tell it still hurts today to explain this.

Every time I visit a place where genocide has taken place I’m astounded how the world can continue to let this occur. We are so lucky in Australia and New Zealand.Read more
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Last days in Zagreb
June 20, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
We start the drive from Sarejavo back to Zagreb. It is raining, there is lots of traffic and the first 2 hours of driving are on single lane windy roads.
After Suzie’s mishap with the speed camera a couple of days ago she is taking it very quietly. It is now we notice how badly the speed signs are. They go down to 50 going through a town but don’t tell us when we can speed back up. I guess we need to just guess when this is to occur. We reach the border, on the Bosnian side the security police didn’t even look at our passports, just showed us away. Never have a crossed a border like this.

Entering Croatia was a lot more formal, a bit of a queue. We reach Zagreb around 330pm without any mishaps, or speeding tickets.

Today is the last day Suzie will be with me on my travels. We have a lazy day planned and I am hoping to get my nails redone.

As usual I find some nail salons using google, we set out to find them. This is never as easy as it should be, we find a couple of nail salons but they only do nail polish, no Infils and no gel. It is nothing like home, no large nail salons, just little 1 lady salons. Well that’s a fail.

We wander around the town finding some interesting art works and also start drinking a little earlier than normal. A few more stops for 🍷 and 🍻, it alone becomes a necessity to have lunch. We have one of the best meals of the whole trip, mozzarella wrapped in bacon, yum yum. Time for a nanna nap before heading out in the evening.

Dinner is a lovely salad with fish. A quiet day overall. It’s been great travelling with Suzie, we certainly have had some laughs along the way.Read more
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Goodbye Suzie, Hello Poland
June 21, 2018 in Poland ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
Today Suzie heads back home while I head to Poland. When I left Australia I had no intention of heading to Poland, but our air bnb host in Zagreb convinced me to go.

First step of the journey was to get the car back to the airport in one piece. Goggle once again did a fine job until we got close to the airport. Silly us, we didn’t believe google and started to follow the signs. The airport signs took us in a huge circle, we actually thought we were heading back to Zagreb at one stage. We should know by now google is pretty good and trust her. She only let us down a few times and I’m not surprised considering the roads we were travelling on.

My flight to Kraków was via Warsaw. We arrived in Warsaw on time, but unfortunately someone forgot to tell the driver of the stairs. We waited 10minutes for the stairs to arrive, then there was no bus, so another 10minutes waiting for the bus. Finally inside the terminal, I headed to the transit area as instructed. The bag search was very officious. Bags had to be laid on the trays in a particular way, only one bag at a time. The women waving through the scanner was very particular, there were pat downs, take all jumpers jackets off etc. A very slow process, lucky not many people were heading this way. Finally through I looked for my next gate only to be told, I had to go back to where I had just come. I had to go though immigration and move to a different set of gates. So the bag screening started all over again with a different set of people. Finally I reach the gate only to find out it is delayed about 10minutes.

Once again a bus takes us out to the plane, to my surprise it is exactly the same plane I fly to Rocky on. It spins my brain out. We all board but once again another delay of 30 minutes while we wait for a connecting flight, should have just left us in the terminal. I finally arrive in Kraków about an hour late.

Next step is to catch the 208 bus, luckily this is just outside the terminal. Getting a ticket is pretty easy, the bus arrives in about 20minutes. The bus is packed, with people and luggage. Ok so now I need to work out how to find out where my stop is. As we get close to the centre I ask a local who explains it is 3 more stops.

My air bnb is a 5 minutes walk away, the room is huge, the unit is lovely and clean. Another win.

I head into the old city for dinner, I’m completely blown away by the central square it is just beautiful. I think I’ve fallen in love with Kraków already and i has only been a few hours.Read more
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Krakow wandering
June 22, 2018 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Another free walking tour. This one started at 1015 so I had a few hours to kill before hand. Wandering up into the central square ( largest in Eastern Europe 200sq meters) I was amazed by the number of food trucks. They were going in every direction, preparing all the local restaurants ready for the days trade ahead. I guess they need to get in early before all the foot traffic arrives.

After wandering around the back streets I find a cafe where I enjoy a wonderful baked cheesecake and freshly squeezed juice. Yum, the food in this town is amazing.

The free walking tour starts under the cathedral, I’m to look for a green umbrella. Lucky I knew it was green as there are about 5 different people offering free walking tours, each with different coloured umbrella’s. Eugene is our guide, there are about 25 people, he is extremely knowledgeable half polish and half Ukraine. He is passionate about Poland, as we wander around the old city, he explains the history of Poland. All my history lessons so many years ago come flooding back - Prussia, Kengis Khan, Germany invasions, the soviet occupation. Poland has had it all. Then Eugene speaks so highly of John Paul II, he was a saviour for this country, giving them the guidance to stand up to communism. It was a very enlightening tour.
Then he spoke about Maximilian Maria Kolbe who traded his life for another in Auschwitz. This country has such an incredible history, and today it is a thriving cosmopolitan city.

We started at the cathedral, visit the opera house, wander through the main entry gate to the city and followed the path the the kings and queens for time gone by made their way to Wawel Castle.

After the tour I headed to the Jewish area for lunch. Another amazing meal, cottage cheese, potato, salami, egg, zucchini and cheese. That certainly filled me up. I catch the tram home for a nana nap before heading out again in the evening.

My air bnb is about 7 minutes walk from the old town, so I’m certainly getting my steps up today. I wander back into town for dinner, there are buskers everywhere, it is like a carnival atmosphere. I’m just happy to have a light dinner and few reds and people watch for a few hours.

I can hear a trumpet and violin playing “hallelujah”. Once they finish another group of a trumpet, trombone and drums starts another tune. What a chilled night.Read more
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