Czech Republic - Prague

Another lazy start this morning. 

Today there wasn’t really a whole lot of ‘touristy’ stuff left for us to do... and the day was miserable and cold... so we decided to hit the shops :-). We shopped to make both our mothers proud! Not that we actually bought that much but we walked till we could not walk anymore.

We retired back to our camp a little early and settled in for a nice platter of goodies... and a couple of Czech beers :-).

Czech Republic - Prague

A bit of a slow start this morning after we slept through our alarm ... we must have needed the sleep! :-) (Should we really have an alarm?)

Today we explored the Prague Castle. With our ‘Prague Card’ we were able to access many of the individual elements of the castle for free which was great otherwise it could have been an extremely expensive day! We spent majority of the day at the castle - it is quite large and is almost like a little town within its own right. The castle dates back to 9th century and has been the home of many of the important people in The Czech Republics long history.

The cathedral, St Vitus’s Cathedral, is extremely impressive and holds the tomb of King Wenceslas (as in “Good King Wenceslas”).

After exhausting ourselves at the Castle we wandered through a little more of Mala Strana and found ourselves a string concerto to go to. This was made up of 5 members of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra including 2 Violins, 1 Viola, 1 Double Bass, and a Cello. They were awesome!

We then enjoyed a very Czech meal at a local pub and made our way back to our campsite for the night.

Czech Republic - Prague

We ventured into Prague today to explore this beautiful city. 

Prague is stunning! Filled with history and an elegance that a lot of other European cities strive for. We chose to explore the Old Town today, leaving the famous Prague Castle for tomorrow. 

A brief rundown of our day includes seeing the Astronomical clock (for which the designer was rewarded and thanked by having his eyes poked out and his tongue cut off so he could not share his design with any other countries), climbing the Old Town Hall tower for a spectacular view of Prague, and visiting the rest of Old Town Hall including the underground cellars which were pretty cool. We ate lunch listening to buskers in one of the main squares and then wandered across Charles Bridge, which was built in 1357 and connects Old Town to Mala Strana (Little Quarter). In Mala Strana we visited the Museum of Music which has a collection of historical and rare musical instruments combined with little pieces of history in its 17 rooms including the piano that Mozart played on his first visit to Prague.

We finished our day with an operatic concert, “Mozartissimo”, which was a collection of arias from Mozart’s Don Giovanni and 3 other famous operas. This was held in the same opera house, Estate Theatre, that Mozart originally debuted Don Giovanni in 1787 - it was beautiful inside and a fabulous experience!

This was then topped off with a scrumptious meal at a little restaurant in the basement of the architecture and design school which was recommended by our guide book. 

Slovakia - Bratislava

Our mission today was to drive to Prague in the Czech Republic via Bratislava in Slovakia - and we succeeded. We left Budapest early-ish :-) and arrived in Bratislava mid morning. Initially we were planning to stay here for a night but we decided that we would just stop for a little look and walk around. We were not disappointed. Bratislava is very cute and the old town can be easily walked around in a couple of hours.

We hit the road again for Prague and were welcomed with Prague peak hour traffic along all major roads. After our 3rd attempt at finding a campsite we finally found one that was clean, did not have communal showers, had hot showers included in the price, and was easy to get into the city.... we were very relieved!

Hungary - Budapest

Buda was on our itinerary today. Again we took part in a walking tour which showed us all the major attractions on the Buda side of the city. 

Buda is famous for its artistic culture and has lots of galleries. The castle district is very picturesque and the views are fabulous! 

There is also a system of natural underground cave labyrinths some of which were converted into a Top Secret ‘Cave Hospital’ which has been utilised on and off from the 1930’s through the various wars Hungary has been party to. We visited this hospital and toured through its wards and surgical theatres which have wax models to re-create the atmosphere. It also has many medical instruments from the 40’s and 50’s which were found in stores within the hospital when it was rediscovered....very cool!

We went shopping back over the river in Pest to fill the remainder of the day.... it seems Budapest is the place to shop... at least for Brii anyway :-).  

Hungary - Budapest

This morning we took part in a walking tour of Pest which included all the major sites and gave us a great overview of this side of the city.

The afternoon was spent in the ‘House of Terror’ museum which is a museum about the history of the Hungarian Nazi and Russian occupation and the revolutions to revoke these regimes. This museum is housed in the original Hungarian Nazi party headquarters where prisoners were kept, tortured, and executed. The displays and atmosphere are so well constructed that it is spine chilling and tear jerking all at once.

We also explored Hero Square and the Central Markets (mainly fresh produce... we purchased some Hungarian sausage) - both worth a visit. 

Hungary - Budapest

We farewelled Croatia today and drove to Budapest in Hungary.

The drive was pleasant as all drives in Europe generally are. We visited Lake Balaton on the way to Budapest. Lake Balaton lies in the south west of Hungary and is Europe's largest inland natural freshwater lake.

On arriving in Budapest we were fortunate to find a campsite only 2.5km from the centre of the city... very convenient... even more convenient was the free washing machine and other facilities! 

We spent the afternoon exploring Budapest.... well Pest anyway.

Croatia - Plitvicka Lakes

Today we visited Plitvicka Lakes National park. The first word that comes to mind is WOW!!

This national park is absolutely stunning and well worth spending a day here!

The walks are really well set out and you can choose a walk that suits how much time you have. 

The scenery is just stunning, the system of lakes and waterfalls is like nothing we have seen before - the photos will have to tell todays story!

Croatia - Plitvicka Lakes

We woke early this morning to head for Plitvicka Lakes National Park in central Croatia.

We found a campsite and chilled out for the afternoon reading books and drinking wine :-).

Croatia - Krk Island

Yesterday we wandered around Krk town on foot and enjoyed the local food, wine and folk festival. Today we explored in the car. We drove down south to Punat, and Baska, and across to Vrbnik. All of these little towns had their own unique features but all were beautiful in their own right. Perched on a 200m high cliff, Vrbnik is famous for its wine production and maintenance of the Glagolithic architecture and charm. It was our favourite.

We then relaxed for the afternoon enjoying a few local beers and the sunshine.

Croatia - Cres / Krk Islands

Today we explored the rest of Cres and its neighbour Losinj. Losinj and Cres were once one island but are now separated by a small channel and bridge. Both islands remain relatively untouched by modern development. One can see the venetian influence in the village architecture as they were once under Venetian rule. Both Islands are extremely picturesque and well worth the visit.

In the mid afternoon we made our way across to Krk Island on another ferry.

Croatia - Cres Island

This morning was spent exploring the coastline before making our way to the ferry to travel to Cres Island (in the Kvarner Gulf). We also ventured into the Ucka National park and up to Lovranska Draga where we came upon a track to a little waterfall, Setnica Slap. This waterfall was very pretty and the walk in was lovely as well.

Upon arriving on Cres we made our way to Beli where there is a Buzzard rescue centre and wildlife retreat. This establishment rescues the Buzzards who either fall into the water before they can fly (they nest on the cliffs and sometimes are scared out of their nests by tourist boats etc), are injured from another reason, or are sick. They then rehabilitate them usually over the course of about 12mths and release them back into the wild. 

We then found our way to our camp for the night, Camp Kovarcine, near the township of Cres.

Croatia - Rijeka

We explored nearby Povec this morning and then drove across Istria towards Rijeka. We were fortunate to stop for fuel where there was a fabulous, enthusiastic Tourist information worker who spoke impeccable English - we were able to set our itinerary for the next few days based on his wealth of information.

We spent the afternoon exploring Rijeka and made a short stop at one of Croatia’s largest shopping centres :-). We then made our way down the eastern Istrian coast and made camp in Moscenicka Draga, a small seaside village with a lovely coastline.

Croatia - Povec

We rose to a beautiful morning and set off towards Croatia. First though we ventured up a nearby mountain road to see the fields of wild spring flowers which our host had recommended to us the night before. The fields were beautiful and full of white flowers which looked like sprinklings of snow.

Our first night in Croatia was spent on the North western Istrian coast just north of Povec. The day was warm and clear - it was lovely to get some sun and warmth for a change!

Slovenia - Skoflje

Today we drove from Bled toward the Slovenian coast. We ended up in a little village called Skoflje which is just south of the Soca Valley in western Slovenia. 

Slovenia is blessed with over 7000 caves and the highlight of our drive today was our visit to the Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) which were listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1986. They were awesome!  And to top it off, when we exited (after 90min of walking) through the natural cave entrance we were rewarded with an amazing waterfall from the River Reka which runs through the cave system.

Our campsite felt like we were in someones backyard and we were welcomed as such. Our lovely hosts shared some home brew Apertif’s and then cooked us a traditional Slovenian soup for dinner. After dinner we  chatted until the late hours also enjoying some of their homemade salami, sheep’s cheese, and wine!

Slovenia - Bled

Following a very cold night we woke to find the rain had stopped and there were a few pieces of blue sky trying to pierce the grey clouds.

We explored Bled today. Yes, Ian and Mazza Bazza.... we finally made it... sorry we were 3yrs late for the wedding!

Lake Bled is absolutely stunning! It has a little island in the middle with a gorgeous old church perched on top.  

To get to the church you must take a row boat to the island and then walk up 99 steps. Traditionally, if you are getting married here, the groom will carry his bride to be up the steps after rowing her across the lake. Lets just say Jack is glad we were married in Brisbane :-).

Bled Castle sits high on a cliff looking out over the lake. The views from here are stunning.

Later in the day we could see snow falling on the surrounding mountains. 

So besides freezing, we had a wonderful relaxing day, topped off with a glass of wine back at our camp site. 

Slovenia - Bled

Rain and fog were what we woke up to this morning. The drive over the mountain pass to Slovenia would have been absolutely amazing except for the weather! However, it was still stunning in its own way.

We found a camp ground in Lesce, which is just outside Bled, in the Northwest of the country. We decided we would stay here for 2 nights.

As it was cold and wet, the afternoon was spent driving around the region and exploring some more shops (not very many this time). The highlight of today was Lake Bonhinj (Bohinj See) and a short walk into Savica Falls (Slap Savica) - gorgeous!

Austria - Villach

We woke after a good nights sleep to some blue sky interspersed with the clouds and the sun trying to break through. The friendly manager of the camp site gave us a few maps and some ideas about where to visit in the region before leaving for Slovenia.

Our first stop was the shops to buy a few supplies.... and well.... we actually then spent the next 6h shopping! Ooops :-)! Well at least we have a few decent things to wear now - the shopping was fabulous! Jack, as usual :-), scored the most... and is very proud to say he now has 7 footwear options!

Because we spent so much time in the shops we ended up returning to our little camp site to see if we could stay there again, which we could. We then went for a drive through some of the surrounding region and visited Faaker See (a lovely lake just south of our campsite). 

Wine, Cheese, Olives, and some fresh vegetables on a platter for dinner and then bed, planning on driving to Slovenia tomorrow.

Austria - Villach

After an early morning train ride to Villach and a long, expensive cab ride, we picked up our Wicked Camper which is to be our home for the next 3 weeks. We had to take a cab because it was a public holiday in Austria today and the local buses only ran every 2h... a little fact that no one bothered to tell us :-0.

Our camper is painted with flames down the sides in true Wicked fashion but thankfully does not have any rude or misogynistic messages on its rear.

We did not venture very far today, just to the other side of Villach to a pleasant little camp ground just outside town. The weather was pretty grim so we spent the afternoon reading and relaxing in our cosy little home. Thankfully the camp site had a little restaurant run by the managers of the park where we could have some dinner.

Austria - Salzburg

The Salt Mines were our first port of call today. Because Austria is landlocked the salt in the mountains surrounding Salzburg is a valuable resource which has been mined for many hundreds of years. We took a tour through a section of the underground mine showing how it was done before industrial processes took over. 

This afternoon, after a wurst and homemade pastie from the local markets, we went on ‘The Sound of Music’ tour. An afternoon spent driving around Salzburg listening to the soundtrack and seeing the sights that featured in the 1960’s American movie was fabulous fun.... well at least for Brii anyway!

The day was finished with a traditional Salzburg meal in a local restaurant washed down with a local beer/glass of wine.

Austria - Salzburg

Today we travelled to Salzburg by train - no more planes now for 3months... we are not sure how we will cope ;-). 

The train was a pleasant change from the trains we have been on in the last couple of months... it was relatively modern, organised and CLEAN! The countryside in Austria was beautiful.

Salzburg seems quite small and quaint compared with Vienna and Vienna didn’t seem that big! We spent the  afternoon exploring the city on foot. Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart and therefore there are a number of references to this famous composer. We visited the house in which Mozart was born. It was set up as a museum taking one through his life and that of his family. It was very interesting.

We then enjoyed a nice glass of local wine/ beer and strolled along the river before wandering to a nearby cafe for dinner.

Austria - Vienna

We spent today doing a whirlwind tour of Vienna on the ‘Hop on, hop off’ bus tours. We stopped off in a few places but mainly just sat and listened. There were 3 circuits exploring slightly different parts of the city. 

The main site we visited was ‘Albertina’ the Vienna Art Museum, which is part of the Imperial Palace or Hofburg, and currently holds a collection of art from multiple European artists. At present it has an exhibition of Andy Warhol’s ‘Cars’. Picasso also features in this museum but unfortunately none of his more famous works. At one end of the museum they had art displayed in some of the Palace rooms - it was interesting to see how the poor people live :-)! 

We were going to try to find Mozart House but it started teeming with rain whilst we were in the museum and we were caught without an umbrella or rain gear.... so we decided a local beverage and some dinner would be better!

Austria - Vienna

We flew to Vienna this morning and much to Jack’s dismay we braved the public transport system to get from the airport to the hotel :-)... it really wasn’t that painful.

Jack was then excited to find the Spanish Grand Prix on TV and although the commentary was in German he enjoyed watching Mark Webber win his first race for the year.

We ventured out to explore Vienna in the late afternoon getting a feel for this beautiful city and attempting to plan our next day.

Greece

Today we went exploring on foot. We visited the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Ancient Agora, Kerameikos (an ancient cemetery), the Temple of the Olympian Zeus, and Hadrian’s Library. All of this was quite well preserved although you could see some of it had been restored or was undergoing restoration. Walking through these ancient marble and sandstone sites one could really get a feel for ancient Greece.

We also ventured to the Olympic Stadium that housed the 1896 (first - modern) Olympic games. It has been fully restored and judging by the running track it is still used for events today. It was pretty cool to walk around this track and through its marble stands imagining the first Olympics over 100yrs ago.

Greece

We flew to Athens this morning with some trepidation hoping that the recent riots have settled. All was quiet in the city centre where the riots had taken place. Some tell tale signs remained, like burned cars and news stands and a large number of young males with bandaged hands and wrists - possibly from fights or fires. After a small walk around the city centre we enjoyed a glass of wine in a cafe and then a very nice carafe of local wine and some traditional Greek food for dinner in a cafe closer to our hotel.

Egypt Day 9

After a couple of days relaxing doing not much at all, we travelled north to Alexandria for the day. Alexandria is on the Mediterranean coast and with “only” 13million people, is about half the size of Cairo so not nearly as chaotic.

This was a whirlwind tour of the highlights of this pretty coastal city. We saw the Catacombs and ventured down into them but only to the first level of eight. These are underground tombs where rich families were buried which were covered with silt and dirt until a Donkey fell into one. The tomb decorations showed an interesting fusion between the Greek and Egyptian art and culture.

We also visited Pompei’s Pillar, King Farouk’s Palace which is now the Presidents summer home, the Citadel which is at the site of a lighthouse which was one of the seven Ancient Wonders of the World until it was destroyed by an earthquake, and the famous Library.

The library is amazing. It is a modern design representing the rising sun on the Mediterranean, with seven floors for reading which rely mainly on natural lighting. It also has a wide range of permanent art exhibitions as well as an ancient manuscript room which holds some of the ancient scrolls from the original Alexandria library. We could have spent a lot more time here! 

Egypt Day 8

After lazing around at our hotel in Cairo for the day - and catching up on our blog, we went out to a really great restaurant in Zamelek for our final group dinner.  

The pic is from our Valley of the Kings Balloon ride yesterday.

Egypt Day 7

This morning we woke early to go on a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. Unfortunately some of the local farmers were burning off so the air was a little smoky but the view was still magnificent and the sunrise was beautiful!

We then travelled by Donkey to the Valley of the Kings so we could visit some of the tombs. The Donkey ride was great fun, there were a few races when particular Donkeys didn’t like being behind, when some of the boys wanted to be boys, also just when we wanted to change the pace a little.

In the Valley of the Kings there are multiple Pharaoh’s tombs built down into the hills including the famous tomb of King Tutankhamon. There are 13 tombs which are open to the public to view but the ticket only includes 3. We chose to visit the tombs of Ramses I, Ramses III, Ramses IX. They were very interesting in their construction and beautiful. The tombs internal paintings were still brightly coloured and well preserved.

This afternoon we chilled out at a hotel in Luxor whilst waiting to board another night train back to Cairo.

Egypt Day 6

This morning we spent lazing around on the sun deck of the boat catching up on some down time, Jack doing some photo downloading and Brii reading her novel.

After lunch we went ashore again, this time to visit Karnak Temple at Luxor. It is dedicated to the God Amon and was built during the 19th Dynasty but added to by multiple other Pharaohs in a period of over 2000yrs. This temple was absolutely huge and boasts some fantastic decorations in the forms of statues and obelisks!

We wandered back through the some of the back streets of Luxor away from the normal tourist areas. This was great! It really allowed us to see a bit more of true Egypt. 

Egypt Day 5

After a restful night we woke and had breakfast ready for our shore trip to Edfu Temple in Edfu. This temple is famous as the best preserved temple in Egypt. It is dedicated to the God Horus and therefore has lots of pictures of Horus inside. The carvings and Hieroglyphics were beautiful.

After a few hours of sailing, relaxing, and reading, we ventured ashore again to visit Kom Ombo temple, also known as the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek. This was an interesting temple with an array of fascinating hieroglyphs. For Brii the most interesting part was the section showing ancient medical instruments which were strikingly similar to some instruments still used today! We are constantly amazed at the advanced living standards of the ancient Egyptians.

Another restful night on the boat cruising slowly down the Nile.