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Round-the-World
  • Aaron and Flora Leach
  • Aaron and Flora Leach

Round-the-World

Un’avventura di 104 giorni di Aaron and Flora Leggi altro
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    Pompeii Part III

    6 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    More photos of Pompeii. It deserves three posts!

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    Herculaneum, Mount Vesuvius Part I

    6 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We had spent more time than expected in Pompeii. Upon the promise of a smaller but even better preserved ancient city on the other side of Mount Vesuvius, we leave Pompeii and jumped in the car.

    Unlike Pompeii, the deep volcanic material which covered it preserved wooden and other organic-based objects such as roofs, beds, doors, food and even some 300 skeletons. Herculaneum was a rich city with a high concentration of fine houses until the Vesuvius eruption buried it under 20m of volcanic ash. Until today, 75% of it still remains buried.

    In 1981, many skeletal remains were discovered on the beach and in the first six boat chambers. It was previously thought that most, if not all, inhabitants had time to escape unlike Pompeiians. It now appears that a large number of inhabitants had perished whilst waiting to be rescued from the sea. Studies done on the skeletons indicated that the victims died during the first volcanic surge in which saw temperatures of about 500 degrees celcius.

    Photos of these skeletons are confronting. One can imagine the bodies huddling together as they tried hopelessly to escape the heat. Some can be seen to throw a protective arm around another poor soul, to no avail. It brought home the real terror they would have felt as they awaited certain death.

    As the sun started to set, we drove up Mount Vesuvius for a view of ancient and modern cities below it. We have to keep reminding ourselves that this volcano is merely asleep. Let’s pray these ancient cities will not be buried for the second time in history, taking with them the modern cities that have taken root.    Leggi altro

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    Capri Part I

    7 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    As we got on the ferry at Amalfi to an island called Capri, it felt like we were going to Rottnest, just off Perth, only our backdrop was the breathtaking Amalfi coastline. Definitely does not look like Fremantle B-shed! To say we were flabbergasted would be quite an understatement. This part of the Italy is unbeatable – the most beautiful part of our Italy trip so far, and that’s a huge call.

    The ferry transits in Positano before crossing the Mediteranean Sea to Capri. Positano looks amazing from the sea. Tomorrow we find out that it is even more incredible up close.

    Our main goal upon arriving on the glorious shores of Capri was to find a ferry to take us to see the Blue Grotto – a cave with waters that glow fluorescent blue due to the light coming in from the entrance to the cave. We somehow chanced upon an English couple who had been pounced on by a local offering a private tour of Capri on his boat. Flora’s ears perked up as she senses a bargain. She approaches the couple with an offer to share the private boat tour with us, Viv and Kez. 25 Euros per person for 6 people on a private boat versus the commercial sardines ferry with 40 people onboard for 18 Euros. It’s a no-brainer. Although, what kind of boat does he actually have?? A sense of dread washed over us. He brought it around and we rejoiced with our great win. The boat is beautiful!

    For two hours, he took us to little caves around the island and also gave us an insight to Capri. This island is a holiday mecca for the rich and famous. Mussolini had a castle perched on top of a tall cliff. Sophia Loren has a private house isolated from everyone else, on top of yet another cliff. The skipper rattled off some more names that we ooh-ed and aah-ed at but instantly forgot. He took us to a private bay with only one other small boat where Aaron promptly dived into the crystal waters. No one else was game enough to freeze to death. Aaron thinks it’s the clearest water he has ever seen.

    We had lunch by the marina. We’ve been eating out almost every lunch and dinner since arriving in Italy and it’s not working wonders for our budget. Then again, you don’t go to Italy to miss the amazing food. After lunch, we defied death and took a bus to the famed chair-lifts at Anacapri. All bus drivers in Italy must be rally drivers in their past lives. We were a mere 100mm from dropping off the face of a cliff that this narrow road perched on. Aaron lost the plot. Flora thought she’d have to knock him on the head to calm his nerves.

    We eventually arrived unscathed to the chair-lift station. Single chair-lifts take us on a 15-minute journey to the top of Capri for an incredible 360 degrees panoramic view. Aaron’s vertigo proves to be a problem yet again but he really hasn’t got anywhere else to go (haha!). Flora thoroughly enjoyed the chair-lift ride. This is what it must feel like to fly (very slowly). Life is beautiful. This is a view we won’t be forgetting anytime soon.    Leggi altro

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    Amalfi, Positano

    8 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Vivian and Kez took a train and two ferries from Naples to meet us in the town of Amalfi. It took them 3 hours in all. Thank goodness we had a car, even though driving in this area is tantamount to playing roulette with your life. Roads are narrow and windier than a coiled snake. Aaron thinks himself a rally driver which sometimes makes Flora feel queasy. It is always an animated drive in Italy with Aaron yelling or cursing as we narrowly miss a collision with a crazy Italian driver. Did we tell you about Italian bus drivers? Do not drive in this neck of the woods unless you’re a stunt driver.

    We got to Amalfi and straight into a traffic jam. Not surprising when Italian drivers stop in the middle of the road to have a chat, drop off or pick up someone, or for no reason other than they feel like stopping. Also, tow-away zones are the perfect place to park, especially when they reduce an already narrow road to one barely wide enough for a single-lane traffic. We patiently waited in the traffic as we drove along to a 20 Euro a day parking spot we used the day before. The parking attendant had nothing for us. What a nightmare. We decide to pick Viv and Kez up from the town centre and head towards Positano.

    It was to be one of our better decisions. We parked at the top of hill and walked through meandering alleyways with their quaint little shops, down towards the water. It was goodbye for the 4 musketeers. Viv and Kez are heading off to Florence tomorrow while we stay another two nights so we can watch the Giro d’Italia in a couple of days.

    We sit by the water’s edge enjoying the setting sun. A few obligatory group selfies with Positano in the backdrop and we waved Viv and Kez goodbye as they board their ferry.    Leggi altro

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    Praiano

    9 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We enjoyed a lovely sleep-in today. Flora got up early enough to enjoy a run to Scala with Aaron. The jog down was nice; the jog up was something else altogether. How in the world do those professional cyclists climb mountains over such long distances? We’ve seen kids riding ponies up and down this part of town; maybe Flora could hitch a ride.

    The afternoon sees us driving along the Amalfi Coast to Praiano. It’s a tiny little village by the sea wedged between Positano and Amalfi. Have we left Earth and landed in Heaven?? This little bay that we came to was devoid of tourists (except maybe us) and flanked by steep cliffs on either side. The eye cannot comprehend such beauty. We have lunch at a café next to the pebbled beach before dipping into the clear blue waters.

    The water is so refreshing (limb-numbingly freezing cold)! After about 3 minutes of the body acclimatising to an ice bath, our swim was one of the most pleasant experiences we’ve had on this trip. The view of the bay as we treaded water is (I’m at a loss of words here) just breathtaking. In true Aussie style, we dried off (sun-baked) atop the pebbles and spent a good couple of hours lazing around without getting sunburnt. Praiano, you are truly a magical little gem in the Amalfi Coast.    Leggi altro

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    Driving along Amalfi Coast

    9 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We thought it's appropriate to have a post dedicated to the perils of driving along the Amalfi Coast. As mentioned in previous posts, the roads are so narrow but these Italian drivers are either all extremely gifted drivers or just have no fear of death.

    We (more specifically Aaron as Flora was more often than not asleep) could only capture a handful of close shaves on camera. Due to the narrow roads, tour buses go wide when taking a bend or a turn. The bus drivers of course can't see if there are any oncoming vehicles, but why worry! It'll work out in the end.... *insert lots of cursing and swearing here*    Leggi altro

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    Scala, Ravello

    9 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    On the way home, we stopped by at a town called Ravello, across the ridge from Scala, which is where we stayed. We have seen Ravello from Scala and it looked like it was worth a visit.

    This town boasts a number of 5-star hotels. Not surprising considering the commanding view each hotel gets from their location. Restaurants here seem to tip-toe precariously on cliffs for a view that’s second to none. How did they build in such precarious locations? This seems pretty consistent with the way they drive - they laugh at death in the face.

    Ravello also has a network of little alleyways with shops – always a favourite with Flora. It’s a pity we discovered this town so late in our Amalfi trip. The shops were starting to close, we take a few more happy snaps before we head back to our accommodation. Tomorrow will be an early start as we're heading up to watch Stage 5 of Giro d'Italia (Italy's version of Tour de France).    Leggi altro

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    Giro d'Italia!

    10 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    So we've arrived in Benevento, the venue of Stage 5 of Giro d'Italia. The race is supposed to start at 1pm and we're early. Curious - they haven't started setting up for the race yet. No road barriers anywhere to be seen. No cars parked along the side of the road waiting to cheer their teams on.

    Suddenly, Aaron yells, "SHIT!" After confirming that today is the 10th, we realise that we're a day early. Not a big deal, you think. We can just hang around here for an extra day, except we've already booked our next accommodation for that night some 3 hours' drive from here.

    We have to be on the move as we've spent more time than we had originally allowed for in France and Italy (rightly so, I might add). Sadly, we have missed our only opportunity to watch Giro d'Italia :(

    Oh well, can't dwell on these things for too long! Hello Florence!!    Leggi altro

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    Florence

    12 maggio 2016, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Our accommodation was halfway between Florence and Bologna. We had a hard time deciding which city to spend the afternoon in as we leave for Croatia tomorrow. It turned out that Viv and Kez were enroute to Florence the very same day! This was actually unplanned. Despite having said our goodbyes in Positano a few days earlier, we decided to have dinner with them one last time in Italy.

    Everyone was pretty spent from driving/taking the train/sleeping in the car. We decided that this evening would be spent at an idyllic pace, doing things that everyone REALLY wanted to do, like shopping for a leather jacket! Haha. Aaron’s so thrilled!

    It turns out, Viv is quite well-versed in the art of differentiating good leather from bad leather. It’s all in the stitching, she says. The salesmen could sniff out an unsuspecting victim. One salesman demonstrated that a particular leather jacket that Flora was trying on was of supreme quality as it did not burn when he tried to set it alight with his lighter. Oldest trick in the book, Viv says. She saved Flora from the jaws of a wily old fox.

    We didn’t just look at leather jackets. We saw the Duomo (or Il Duomo di Firenze as the locals call it) in the heart of Florence’s Old Town. Once again, we were gobsmacked by what’s in front of us. The exterior had recently undergone a careful clean (water-blasted) to reveal its original splendour. You can tell a marked difference between the sections that had been cleaned and ones that hadn’t.

    We walked around Old Town until it was dinner time at a local favourite. We’ve heard a lot about the Florentine steaks. It did not disappoint. 1kg of T-bone steak was devoured in a matter of minutes by the two of us. Viv and Kez were less carnivorous than us. It was the perfect way to end our time together in Italy. For real this time! Viv and Kez will carry on with their adventures in Cinque Terre and Venice before concluding their Italy trip.    Leggi altro

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    Croatia

    13 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We set off on a long drive to Croatia today. We left early so we would have enough time to turn around at the Croatian border should Flora’s Indo passport give her any problems. As we waited at the checkpoint, we were the only car there. We could see that the immigration officers have either never seen an Indonesian passport before or were a bit dubious about this particular one. The queue of cars was now getting ridiculously long and we were told to pull over to the parking bay and they summoned Flora out of the car. We were let through once they were sufficiently convinced of Flora’s character.Leggi altro

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    Rovinj

    14 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Rovinj is a city in the province of Istria in Croatia. It sits near the northern tip of the Adriatic Sea, next to Italy and Slovenia. It used to be governed by the Italians before it was ceded to Austria during the Napoleonic era and finally Croatia when it became independent in 1991. Italian and Croatian are the official languages of this city. 98% of the population speak both languages.

    We explored the old town today and was so pleasantly surprised at its beauty. It rivalled the old towns we had seen in France and Italy. There weren’t many tourists about although we were told that Rovinj is especially popular amongst the Italians as it was only a short drive away or a ferry ride across the Adriatic Sea from Venice. The weather had been poor the past few days and it rained intermittently today.

    The little bays around the city looked amazing even in poor light. There are steps cut into the rocks for easy passage into the water. This is definitely the place to be in summer when the weather is more predictable. If you’re ever in Venice, it is worthwhile taking the ferry across to Rovinj for a day or two. The old town is very small and can easily be covered in a day.

    We were expecting cheap prices but, so far, Croatia has been more expensive than Italy. We would find out later on from other tourists that prices have doubled, if not more, in the past year alone to make the most of the tourism industry. If you’re living in Europe or earning the pound in the UK, you probably would still consider Croatia cheap.    Leggi altro

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    Split

    16 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    If we were wondering where all the tourists were in Rovinj, we had found our answer. They’re all in Split, scattered across different tour groups. The weather was finally clearing, much to our relief. We walked along the beautiful promenade which was now bustling with street stalls and like-minded people enjoying the view and some coffee. We disappeared into the maze of alleyways looking for the Old Town.

    Split is a town along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. If the Old Town looked like it was built by the Romans, well that’s because it was. The master builder’s work was evident in the old buildings that still remain. The Romans built the Diocletian’s Palace, a sprawling 4th century residence enclosed within some still-standing Roman walls. Back then, the palace complex housed Roman Emperor Diocletian’s during his retirement, as well as the many staff needed to maintain such a palace. Today, it houses shops, cafes and local residents.

    At the heart of the palatial complex, the Emperor entertained guests in a lavish courtyard known as the Perystile. Today, it is guarded by a couple of appropriately dressed Roman guards. I doubt they were there to enforce peace amongst the coffee-sipping civilians sitting on the steps of the square. They were quite happy posing for photos with tourists. The Emperor would definitely not approve of them making light of their jobs.

    With the exception to most of Old Town, the bell tower that stands in the centre was not built by the Romans. Its construction was suspect, in fact, the tower was initially deemed so structurally unsound that it had to be modified and partially reconstructed a few times over the centuries. Best leave the building work to the Romans, hey? Nevertheless, we were feeling reckless and decided to climb the tower anyway. There was only one set of stairs to be shared by people going up and down. Near the top, steel stairs replaced stone ones. The stairs were supported by scaffold tubes and held down by 10mm half-rusted bolts. I probably should not have pointed this out to Aaron while he was climbing up the stairs. His knees turned to jelly (haha!) but he survived the trip back down after we took some photos of Split at the top.

    The Old Town is full of little lanes that are a delight to explore. As always, they are flanked by little shops selling all sorts of local crafts and temptations for tourists. We stopped at a funky café to rest our feet and have some coffee on the way home. We also time our coffee breaks with when we need to go to the toilet. You have to pay anywhere from 50 cents to 1 Euro to go to the toilet in Europe but it’s free at a café or restaurant ;)    Leggi altro

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    Grilled fish in Split

    17 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Before we headed home last night, we bought some fish from the supermarket. Our hosts had a charcoal grill that they kindly let us use. The host got the coals hot and ready for us while Aaron cleaned the fish in the ocean. The result was absolutely delectable. It really whet our appetite and we decided to go to the fish market today and do it all over again.

    The fish market was situated right in the city centre. If you’re not quick enough, your fish will get swiped from under your nose, as happened to us. We had our eyes on a big mackerel. Wary of being ripped off, Flora hung around to see how much money the locals were handing over to the fish lady. We were ready to make our purchase. Lo and behold, an Asian guy jumped ahead and bought the lot. All the mackerels. ALL THE MACKERELS. We observed that he did a similar thing to a few other fish stalls. Maybe he ran a restaurant. Maybe we could just save ourselves the trouble and go to his restaurant. He’s Asian – he would be a good cook, so Flora says. When we asked him if he owned a restaurant, we learnt that he was a chef onboard a cruise ship – this explains why he was cleaning out the fish market. We didn’t come home empty handed, although we don’t know what type of fish we bought.

    That night, we got chatting to a lovely young Colombian couple who were staying in a unit a few doors down, also owned by the same host. They were here for a holiday. We thought it’d be nice to use the charcoal grill together. They had some chicken and sausages they were going to cook up. The host had started the fire for us on the grill but we were left on our own from here on. We emptied a bag of charcoal rocks onto the fire and hoped for the best. Our conclusion: we should be on Masterchef! The result was splendid, once again. It was also heaps of fun just standing by the grill and chatting. Aaron declares that he would make a grill at home too so we can cook like this at home. We spent the rest of the night having a beautiful dinner together with our new friends.

    We should also mention that our accommodation was on the beach and offered the most incredible views. Life is good.    Leggi altro

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    Marjan Park

    17 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    In the afternoon, after our trip to the fish market, we went to Marjan park, right next to the city centre. It reminded us of Kings Park in Perth with its size and proximity to the city. No cars are allowed on the park roads which is why throngs of runners and cyclists flock here. We rented bicycles to see if we could make it to the top of the hill. It wasn’t a little hill, but you should know by now that we leave no hill untackled. Slight exaggeration.

    Unlike Kings Park which is more suited for running and cycling, this park also offers rock climbing. Hooks have been drilled into the cliff faces and anyone can scale the walls at their own risk. It was amazing to watch guys hanging on to narrow cracks by the fingertips, before swinging to the next rock lip. There was also a house or cathedral of sorts that was built into a natural hollow or nook in the rocks. It was a pity that the door was locked shut.

    After a long hard slog to the top, we were rewarded with absolutely breath-taking views of Split and the coastline, and a very big cross. They seem to mark the top of every hill in Europe with a big cross. We took it all in before cruising downhill. Near the entrance to the park, we found an outdoor fitness area which we felt obliged to test out. These outdoor exercise areas (not kids’ playground) are very popular in Europe, and we’d love to see more of them in Perth.

    Another unique feature of the park is the pristine little bays dotting its outline – the forest meets the ocean. It would be absolute heaven in summer.    Leggi altro

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    Brac Island

    18 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    With the poor weather of late, we didn’t want to commit to a full day on a little boat touring the islands. It was very expensive and there was a good chance that the seas would be rough. After talking to our friends, the Colombian couple, we decided we’d join them for a day at Brac island. At least if the weather turned, we would be able to find shelter on the island.

    The ferry ride was lovely. The sun was out, as promised by the weather bureau. We then had an hour-long bus ride to the other side of the island where the best beach was. Yep, it’s not a small island! We got to the bus station and the bus was already full, with the next one not leaving for another 2 hours (!!). There were already people standing in the aisle. The bus driver assured us that after the next stop, there should be seats available. All four of us got lucky.

    The beach was a further 15-20 mins walk from where we got off the bus. Was this beach worth the arduous journey? The short answer was YES! There were lots of people sunbathing but it wasn’t hard to find a spot for ourselves. The clouds threatened to hide the sun but it never did the entire time we were on the beach. Swimming in the sparkling water was magical. The only downside was the constant stream of small boats that brought more and more people onto the beach every 10 minutes. We were told by locals that in the summer, it would be nearly impossible to find a spot to lay your towel. Crafty people would get up at 5am to lay their towel on the beach and reserve their spot, before going back to bed. Sounds a bit ludicrous, if you ask me.

    Before long, we had to pack up and have a late lunch. We had another hour of bus ride before catching our evening ferry. There was no way we were going to be standing on the bus again. We were 30 mins early and there was already a crowd gathering at the bus station. It took a lot of defensive skills on our part to prevent losing our spot to overzealous people when the bus door opened. It had been a wonderful day but we’re glad we didn’t have to do this again tomorrow.    Leggi altro

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    Dubrovnik Old Town

    20 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Oh woeful weather. It had not stopped raining since we left Split for Dubrovnik yesterday. Today we slept in and waited for a break in the weather. We were keen to explore Dubrovnik. We first stopped at Srd hill, behind the Old Town of Dubrovnik.

    Srd hill played an important role in Dubrovnik’s history. Dubrovnik (as with the whole of Croatia) used to be part of Yugoslavia. When Croatia declared its indepence in 1991, the Yugoslav People’s Army waged a war against Croatia, known as the Croatian Independence War. During this war, a small platoon from the Dubrovnik army used the fort on this hill, which provided them with a good vantage point. This fort is now a war museum. It still bore tell-tale signs of the destructive war it endured on its outside walls. Large gouges in its walls from being sprayed by enemy artillery have not been patched up.

    There was a lot of misplaced confidence that the Old Town would not be touched by enemy fire as it was a UNESCO heritage site. This was a fatal error for so many of its residents when the enemy bombardment destroyed much of the town. It had since been rebuilt and restored to its former glory. We had the afternoon to explore Old Town and quickly decided it’s worth spending the day tomorrow here.

    Yet another Old Town, I hear you say. I assure you that no matter how many Old Towns you have visited in Europe, you would still be in awe of this one. A fortified wall completely encloses the old city, making it the perfect venue to shoot many scenes for Game of Thrones, especially those of King’s Landing. With the help of trusty Google, we turned the day into a hunt of actual Game of Thrones film sites.

    We also found a popular bar through an opening in the city wall, perched on a small cliff. In summer, patrons could jump off a rock landing into the azure waters below. Aaron really wanted to give it a go but it was rather cold and the clouds had done their best to block out the sun for most part of the day. Definitely bucket list material!    Leggi altro

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    Dubrovnik City Wall Walk

    21 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We had explored the city inside the walls fairly extensively. Today, we were excited to walk along the city walls encircling the Old Town for bird’s eye view of the city and the ocean beyond. It took us a few hours to complete this 2km walk as every few steps we took presented a new opportunity for a National Geographic award-winning photograph.

    In some sections of the city walls, there were openings where locals and tourists alike could escape the hustle and bustle of the city, onto the rocks below and even into the cool waters of the Adriatic Sea. There wouldn’t be many places in the world where you could wear your bathers into the city, have a dip, before returning through a hole in the wall.

    About halfway through the walk, we came across cafes where we stopped to have some refreshing juice and a local beer. There was one other place we needed to see before we retired our feet for the day. We headed outside of the city wall and along a little bay, towards a towering structure atop a hill – the Fortress of St Lawrence.

    This fortress is more famously known as the Red Keep in Game of Thrones. This is where Cersei concluded her walk of shame. Yes, we might be Game of Thrones addicts, but we highly recommend this city wall walk even to normal people. In all honesty though, you should probably watch Game of Thrones.    Leggi altro

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    Kupari Bay of Abandoned Hotels

    21 maggio 2016, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    On one of our evening runs up a local hill, we spotted a deserted bay. From the top, we could see at least 3 large hotels that had been clearly built to capitalise on this beautiful bay, but where were all the people? We found a disused path that was now overgrown with plants and ventured closer towards the building closest to the hill. From this path, we came close enough to peer into the rooms through the broken windows. There were no signs of the hotel being in service for a long time.

    Our curiosity piqued, we jogged to the bottom of the hill which opened up into a large space which probably served as foyers for the hotels. With the sun setting over the Adriatic Sea, we went back to our accommodation and did some research before exploring any further.

    Today, we returned after a day out in Dubrovnik Old Town to cool off in the quiet bay. There was still a road to these hotels, although it wouldn’t see much use these days. There were a few people on the pebbled beach, saved from throngs of tourists probably because it is only accessible by car, some distance away from Dubrovnik Old Town, and it’s little known. The water was refreshing and exactly what we needed after a full day on our feet. Although it was peaceful, it felt somewhat unnerving knowing that people were likely injured or even killed in these hotels during the Croatian War of Independence.

    Our research revealed that this abandoned bay was called Kupari and it was known to have one of the best beaches in the country. In the 1960s, Kupari was revamped to include a luxury holiday resort for the military elite of the Yugoslav People’s Army and their families. It was made up of 5 luxury hotels and, once their doors opened to tourists, became desirable as a European summer hotspot in the 1980s. The rich from around Europe visited each year right up until 1991, when the war broke out. Artillery was aimed at the hotels, blowing out windows, walls and roofs. In the years after the war, looting and plundering of valuable furniture and fittings were rife.

    What’s left today are mere shells of the hotels’ glorious past. Artillery damage on the hotel walls is still evident, a reminder of the time when hell visited this slice of paradise. One hotel in particular had an entire section of roof collapse into its second floor. Trees and climbers had taken root in some places, turning this once luxurious hotel into a literal concrete jungle. Some rooms still had carpet on its floors and wallpapers peeling off the walls. There were also inevitable signs of vagrant settlement in some areas, although no one was home when we walked through the hotels.

    The damage was clearly too much for any investor to commit to restoring the hotels to their former glory. It would be more economical to bowl the buildings over and start again. In the meantime, this little bay is safe from tourists for a little longer.    Leggi altro

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    Budapest

    23 maggio 2016, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We crossed the border into Hungary and arrived in its capital city, Budapest. Budapest is bisected into Buda and Pest by the River Danube. Our initial accommodation was in the Buda side but we had a slight issue with the host double-booking us so we had to move to another one of his apartments on the Pest side of the city. Despite the inconvenience and losing a few hours in the day, we were pleased that this apartment turned out to be a huge upgrade. We were in the heart of Pest and within walking distance to everything we wanted to see.

    First, let me tell you a little bit about this city’s amazing history. Towards the end of WWII in December 1944, the Red Army launched a siege against the German-held Budapest, known as the Siege of Budapest. The Red Army sent more than one million soldiers to cut off Budapest from the rest of the German and Hungarian forces. What ensued was one of the bloodiest campaigns of WWII.

    With the Red Army encircling Budapest, tens of thousands of soldiers from the German and Hungarian army, as well as more than 800,000 civilians, were trapped within the city. Adolf Hitler decreed that Budapest was a fortress city and was to be defended to the last man. Food shortages were common and the extreme cold froze the Danube, effectively ending the covert delivery of supplies via barges at night. As a result of this 108-day siege, 320,000 Red Army soldiers, 125,000 German-Hungarian soldiers and 105,000 civilians died.

    Afterwards, Budapest lay in ruins, with more than 80% of its buildings destroyed or damaged. All seven bridges spanning the Danube were destroyed. Walking through the Old Town, you would never guess that this city endured such atrocities. Now rebuilt, the buildings are simply astounding. We were flabbergasted when we saw the city and even more so when we explored it.

    The architecture, trams and general vibe of the city reminded us so much of Melbourne. We started with the Market Hall right by the Danube. Its sheer size was impressive. Inside, vendors sold everything from vegetables and meat to souvenirs and clothes. Everything was priced just so for us tourists. Being the tight arses that we are, we weren’t interested in getting ripped off so we walked around once and left.

    We soon discovered that the food in other parts of the city was a great bargain (Flora does a happy dance). We gathered that the Hungarian diet included lots of meat and, boy, did they look delicious. Food was the cheapest we had seen in Europe so far and they definitely don’t skimp on the portions here! We had one of the best dinners here for a steal, right in the heart of the touristy area. We also caught up with Aunty Tina and Uncle Rob in Budapest. What were the chances of bumping into family on the other side of the world!

    After walking aimlessly through the beautiful buildings in Old Town, we went for a walk along the Danube. Just before we got to the Parliament House, we came across a moving sculpture in memory of the Jews that were killed in the Danube. 60 pairs of cast iron period-appropriate shoes were fixed onto the Pest side of the Danube banks. Under the Nazis, a number of Budapest Jews were forced to take off their shoes along the Danube banks before being shot into the Danube.

    Only a short distance away, the Parliament House that had been destroyed during the Siege of Budapest had been rebuilt. It is absolutely the most beautiful Parliament House we have ever seen anywhere in Australia or Europe. Budapest also offered free walking tours of the city but we sadly missed out as we found out about it too late. We explored the Jewish Quarter on our own but it would have been so much better having a local explain its history. We ended up in a Jewish food market, keen to taste their delicious looking burgers and hot dogs. Unfortunately, the photos on their menu looked a whole lot better than they tasted, which was not too different from cardboard.

    On our last night in Budapest, we decided to go back to the Danube to take some night shots of the bridges. For our first time doing night photography, I think the photos turned out better than expected.    Leggi altro

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  • Aaron and Flora LeachRound-the-WorldViaggiatore
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    Gellert Hill and Thermal Bath, Budapest

    26 maggio 2016, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    No visit to Budapest is complete until you’ve been to one of the city’s famed natural thermal baths. Lucky for us, the Gellert Thermal Bath was within walking distance from our accommodation, just on the Buda side of the Liberty bridge, at the foot of Gellert Hill. No better way to soothe our tired feet from hours of walking on end.

    We had previously gone for a run up Gellert Hill to see the city from up the top. It is definitely worth the climb. We did, however, get weird stares from the people getting off the tour bus at the top.

    Today was all about relaxation. The Gellert Bath is architecturally stunning. It is actually a Turkish bath built between 1912-1918 which was damaged in WWII and subsequently rebuilt. According to literature from the 13th century, the warm spring water has healing powers stemming from its rich minerals content. This bath, and other baths in Budapest, are used to treat degenerative joint illnesses as well as many other ailments.

    The hot baths range from 35-40 degC. As we learnt, it is more than just warm. The thermal baths are decorated beautifully with mosaic tiles to give you the feel that you’ve gone back centuries in time. It was very therapeutic indeed, if you don’t think too much about the little black floaties in the water. Don’t ask too many questions.

    This thermal bath is unique as it has a wave pool. Yes, one of the outdoor pools turns into a wave pool for a few minutes every hour, much to the delight of squealing patrons such as ourselves. We thought we would spend only a couple of hours here before getting bored, but we surprised ourselves. You can easily spend an entire day going in and out of the all the different pools plus relaxing by the poolside.    Leggi altro

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