Europe Interrail 2004

  01/08/04 - Day 29. I agree with Heather's earlier (and slightly premature) Sentiments. A new month, a new direction, a new 'class' of countries - the 1st leg complete, a third of the trip done. What has been an (at times) intensely hard uphill struggle northbound. I now feels like it must just be the experience and momentum necessary for a trouble-free downhill cruise southward. So after Six and a half hours on the train, watching the flat plains of Poland slide past, succeeded by the flat plains of the Czech Republic, and (getting our first great great city draw closer, I wonder. does Heather have any more food she's not telling me about? (Now writing a couple of days later) At yes - that was a tedious journey, write no mistake. By the end we were inventing new word games and watching out how we could make our own travel boggle set! But we arrived eventually, as the sun set over Prague (athe and we melted nearly up to Arena Hostel to be greeted by a 'loud' Am...

  31/07/04 -Day 28 (in the if you get the idea) - Warsaw (in my OPINION) has nothing on Krakowa - it is a busy metropolis with the very centre where a huge island of olderuwassstruggles to survive in the stormy seas of urbanisation. But the old town although small was lovely - similar to Brasov - and where Warsaw lacks city-wide grandeur it makes up for it in history. Postcards of 'the square' in 1945 and today were some of the best I've seen, and the museums video showing the extent of the destruction was staggering. What with dollying around Chopin's museum we did not have time to do (and Jewish sites, but it was still not hard to imagine and appreciate the phenomenal task effort that must have gone in to reconstructing the city. Stalin's gift" was also impressive (highest clock tower in world 11!) - the sort of thing I would build in my back garden to irritate my neighbours The once difference to krakow was also very noticeable, and the quality of take-away ...

  30th July day 27- After a modest we in another delightful breakfast. We strolled to the station and successfully received our bonn seat (and were glad we did as it's rather busy) I bought some postcards and some lunch, booked out Warsaw and Prague hostels (we've realised were too close to start minicing ahead). And currently were in a very clean and fast train to the capital sharing about the lack of leg room and there a no comfortable way of sleeping comparedto the older slower trains (hey did give us free apple juice and honey/pleasant butter whilst with no trains brinked on the warder. Cool! I've decided krakow isn't so bad - probably better to live! there than on un holiday but nevertheless worth doing (even if just for Auschwitz) Slovakian Summary landscape - big hills, nice lakes, log cabins, fishing (a Small Canada apparently) food - cant comment, except for ice careful when choosing spreads around - cheap beer, quite nice People - helpful & train stations....

  29/07/04 - Day 26 I have both quite old, one very little to say about Auschwitz. It really is not the sort of place that inspires pages of elegy writing and I would be near unable to discuss at length the disgusting mentality of so many of the tourists there who spent more time filming/ photographing every little detail (even the entrance sign about how to get around!) than they did looking at it - let alone thinking what it meant. If you want to wash home video of 40s concentration shoes then you are sick. If you need it to help you remember what you saw then you obviously spent too much time filming and forgot to look at it yourself - because it's not something ever can just forget. And if you are doing it to show other people, then you are doing a great wrong - because it is not just something that has to be experienced in person & it's something that should (even/must) be experienced by everyone in person The day gave me a lot of things to think about is from the obvi...

 28/07/04 - Day 25 - Our priority as we sauntered into town (still raining btw. In fact, I've now worn my socks, trousers, coat AND jumper - and the latter three all at once!) was, of course, Breakfast. And Lo! a bakery at the first corner. We then got a call for the town before acquiring a new hostel for the next 3 nights - right on the main square, very comfortable and clean (Heather, I'm sure, will be commenting more fully on the finer points of tasteful decoration later). A few pertinent thoughts about Krakow??? Finally a lively lovely city. Kind of Budapest smoothed over. Nothing exceptionally grand (even the National Symbol Castle does not stand out excessively), yet somehow every part of the centre and the Jewish quarter feels genuine and is ornate. As though a part of the entire city has been frozen in time. It is politely helped Somewhat by the teams employed in culture (restaurants with (Arabic) clerks in traditional dress outside, Hakiers in traditional dress) but st...

  27/07/04 - Day 24 - And when I woke up it was still raining. It is now Brighton and it's still raining (mine English nun). We got up at the crack of dawn to go and buy something that didn't look like crime fruits (and then we? Sat in Spiese poliareste'sdinzel and deafening quiet train station (I use no term loosely) for 2 hours and 40 mins, during which time I contemplated the meaning of life. In the end the its and buts of the journey all worried themselves out and we are currently in Poland. (I don't like Polish customs officials as to word and put my stamp on a new page rules from the others - it ruined the pretty pattern that was developing quite nicely). We're currently awaiting another meal of bread and spread. "Amazing" does not do justice to the torture that my body suffers. Despite discovering new and exciting 'Bread & cheese' options in Slovakia, it has been 9 meals of bread and cheese since we last ate properly, excluding the disgu...

  26/07/04 - Day 23 - We had a lovely lie in this morning, (forgot to mention by way relaxing and long awaited, a little pampered bath last night). We headed down to check out the breakfast situation and I wasn surprised to find quite a few people still eating at 10 o'clock obviously they had 'some spare and evidently they have respectnow off). We decided to go for the breakfast despite the fact it wasn't included as it was very cheap (about a pound). I had a Viennese coffee and very Slovakian, I know but lots of cream and good to know about for future coffees out. Also I had omelette, Slovakian Style which involved lots of potato and onion, and it was very nice. Plus we got free bread. Brian complained about the size of his portion of scrambled eggs. Then we pondered with toast which consists of 2 bunds, a post office and about 5 mini markets where everything seems to be in tins or packets. We weren't too good at deciphering Slovakian and so went for the easiest lookin...

  25/07/04 - Day 22 Always the Saturday night disco. They didn't mention that when they took our money, did they?! We had what seemed like hours of Hungarian song, shoulded at full volume upstairs large (I would imagine) Hungarian men... Never mind though. So tired and, as always, hot, we packed up and set off in search of breakfast. Nowit is fascinating that two cities - Bucharest and Budapest, can contrast so sharply in their style of nourishment. We searched for ages in the Romanian capital for a simple 'sit down cafe' with some nice cake, yet all we found were little in - the-wall parts bakery/patisseries. 'Eric Capital' away you can barely move 5 metres walkthrough finding over a table or paracol, yet if you want to buy a quick, cheap takeaway savoury snack you are forced into Mc Donald's (don't worry weekend, but it was a close call) Anchaws, it was quite an unsuccessful day we walked to the Parliament and marvelled, appropriately at its vast-value des...

  24/07/04 - Day 21 (5 Months? will 5?) Today has finally shown signs of complete recovery for the invalid - she, of course, is claiming the (rather nice) lemon scones we had for breakfast are what helped. but the last 11 days have been good practice in inspiring 96.3% of what emminates from her mouth. Incidentally, if or forever knew that was how you spelt 'incidentally' fractually, I accused Boris today that it will be 'stranger and certainly thinking' about Heather's bounds. Out of all days on the tracks (3 + so far) she has been ill for 50.0 % - but a) I think it is a credit to us both that a) I have not gone mad. b) She has not died. c) no team have been (seriously) dealt. d) We have still had a great 11 days. e) We are still hanging schedule. and f) our relationship has survived an infirmacy that not he relationship should be subjected to. A good cup of tea and bacon sandwiches are what I needed all along (Note Bulgarian coffee with cinnamon for home next year...

  23/07/04 Day 20 I woke up in the middle of the night and the music was STILL going. This is the real city that doesn't sleep! He decided to get up early to avoid the heat but at 7.30 am, I think we were beaten. Still we walked along the Danai embankment to the chain bridge (huge stone lions guard it) Crossing it gave us some pretty cool views over the city and it was a really clear day too. We walked up Buda (quite hill for over better views - the Buda castle is very stunning then onto St Stephens Basilica which is pretty grande-bet has some jewel things. The strict)in my opinion was magnificent - deep red marble pillar, gold all over the place and very ornate. It was also free and cool - probably the best place to be at that time. We could have climbed the tower but seeing as it was over 300 steps and they were offering an elevator service... Lifts in a church - that over was?! The worse! were pretty good although you couldn't see the 'river' as it was just buildings...

  22/07/04 - Day 19 It seemed as though our arrival in Budapest was going to be problem-free. The English Speaking Tourist Information man "reserved" us a double room (for cheaper) than we expected and offered us a free shuttle bus there. Stupidly we turned it down. Which later turned old Heather no favours as it was a hot walk through town (despite being only 8 am!). The accommodation turned out to be a student block was up-hostel-like and excruciatingly hot rooms. It's all a bit heavy feeling tiles students and whose not, and who owns the (small selection of) pots and pans in each meagre kitchen. We headed out straight away, but Heather really decided that a 13 hour train journey + little sleep, a walk through town and the extreme heat were all a bit too much. Unfortunately it decided this half-way through the national museum! But I carried on (while she camped out near the toilets) and got thoroughly interested in Hungarian history as good old Imre Nagy came standing b...

  21/07/04 Day 18 (in to two looks care) we did nothing all morning had an argument about a packet potatoes. most to Closing afternoon Started (turn, eventually, was a mistake). Bought some food and caught a tram. I loved the train journey. There were some stunning Romanian mountain ranges at Brasov shrouded in mist, and was open doors, standing at the open window, good music. Cool breeze. Excellent Overnight train #2 was definitely an experience. first training but probably because I was none concerned with not being ill than the fact we could to abducted by customs control (thick in the middle of the night). There was more room (and sir) in our carriage too and I stayed off to sleep quite happily; only waking to own a train a ticket cut of buda flat 3am Never done that before... And as a result the next day was a bit pear-shaped. The next day went a bit pear-shaped.will be explained later, And we didn't get our passports stamped. At least we didn't have to get off the train. ...

  20/07/04 Day 17 There are two preliminary points of interest to make, before I commence the telling of our epic day trip. Firstly, I had a better captain he pen. In a most exciting never got hot night, which left us in the pitch black of the cellar (we just had to be there, didn't we), both the pen and a pint handstand worked. Delayed MIA. This poor excuse for a port was following the blackout the (family) but a couple of night lights on with a most unusual smell.purchased for a whopping 8 acres leh in Bucharest train station and has assumed the role of a 'smelly pen' until a permanent (and healthy) replacement can be found. Secondly, I am writing this on the train to Budapest or in what is, without sounding too negative, a rare moment of carefree happiness. Although an day of crowd clowns right now, things are good and Budapest is beckons. (ok course I do have every expectation that this will not last, but now mind)... And one more thing, before I start I never wrote abo...

19/07/04 Day 16. Another bad night's sleep but we said we'd make it into the centre so I crawled out of bed. Forgot to mention, Thiri Thailand, who is sharing our room and doesn't speak a lot of English so I spoke to him a bit in Italian XX. This resulted in the thought that 'its amazing how quickly you can appreciate something and amazing how quickly you can be inspired by something'. It was weird how I was proud to be able to tell him that I was studying Italian in England (& all those lessons have had some effect) but I also wanted to be ableto understand him better and be able to talk more (therefore I'm quite happy to sit for another whole year of 7am lectures just to be able to do that). Back to the point - we wandered into town and to the Palace of Parliament or House of the People, which is apparently the world's second largest building, after the Pentagon, but I'm sure I've seen bigger. Then we walked to Romania's oldest part - Cismi...

 18/07/04. Day 15. After a very restless night's sleep I woke up and showered - first time in about 4 days and I thought this was no time to let personal hygiene standards slip. I spend the rest of the morning sitting in bed, feeling pretty miserable while Brian experienced yet another supermarket. We had toasties for lunch which finally went down well (and I'm being told to arrive coke so marks good) The afternoon was spent sunbathing and listening to other tales of woe including an eye infection. Began to talk to the office here a bit more which was nice. The stuffed 'basket' potatoes for dinner were a few flames, in the kitchen especially from this girl whose "man chops" had whipped her up clammy noodles and tomato puree. We took a stroll out when it had got cool enough to do so (around 9pm) which was my first trip into Bucharest. Not particularly lively but it was a Sunday night. The buildings were well lit, though, which made them look pretty impressive. ...

  17/07/04 - Day 14 As the curse wore off, Heather got better and this morning showed significant improvement (my theory being that yesterday was largely travel sickness). So I was sent out on internet & food foraging expeditions, before we packed and taxied to Elvis Villa Place. The hostel is very hostel-ish, I like it. Heather might pass judgement on it in a moment.Bitesize Bulgaria Landscape: reminiscent of the agricultural 'engine room' of Europe. (B) I'm going to the toilet (was Heather's comment) (H) People: - Plovdiv - Every single person of the female (B) population of PD is hot. And I mean "every single". - hotness rating: 9/10 - spattractice rating: 6/10 - Horrible unpleasant - especially the beggars (H) (with some notable exceptions) (B) Fashion: appallingly outdated. (H) What is fashion? (B) Food: appalling. I'm allergic to Bulgarian yeast (H) - merely speculation, also - complete lie (B) cheese - rubber. chocolate - tasteless Tourism: non-...

  16/07/04 - Day 13 If we needed any more persuasion to leave Smell-ito, last night was it! Yet the curse that hangs over that town had not run its full course with us and the train journey, the arrival at Bucharest's (huge backpacker-styley) station and the crawl to the "emergency" hotel was a thing of nightmares. While Heather lay in death's icy-grip I raped pain and torture on the streets of Bucharest for internet, food, internet medicine and almost a priest too. My efforts not to break down and give up were severely hampered by the strange decision to readout the cafe's ceiling, and in the course of the night I managed to send worrying communications to Nikki, Heidi, Becky, Adam and Mum.

  15/27/04    Day 12 A surprisingly good night's sleep and then the customary trip to the supermarket (3)this time for muesli (to satisfy Heather's whim). By this time, Heather is becoming very accustomed to stray music channels. In the course of the day, I finished my book, went for a trek through a jungle, watched some children's skeletons being dug up and finally finished that accursed Bulgarian cheese and salami. Heather, on the other hand, progressed her thesis on her condition from wheat allergy to gall stone. At about 8:30, just when I was looking forward to settling down with the appendices to my book, I was sent off again, for the fourth time, to acquire chicken and potato - and then knocked up a surprisingly satisfying fare of... err... chicken and potato. Then things really began to get interesting. So we were sitting in the kitchen, minding our own business when Bulgarian newcomer came out of one of the "guest rooms", preceded by a very naked, very you...

  14/07/04 Day 11 We did try to walk to the Ashan-like island but 10 minutes later that turned out to discuise considerably with Heather's screwed up innards and we turned back to the room. Then followed supermarket excursion number #%& (count them, I know you won't). I (on my own) went for a little excursion around town, saw the monument, bit of a church, and then the citadel-fort thing. Which was good enough, I suppose; lots of gun climbing around walls and fighting my way through buskes. The church at the top was worth of note - quite possibly themost oppressive place I've ever been in! That evening, after Heather "reset" her body, we started the slow process of reviving her. I stewed an apple (very well I might add) and had a good old chat to Hannah and Alex - who knew pretty much everybody (Kalle did).

  13/07/04 - Day 10 The morning was a bit stressful, but the "daunting" station did not prove to be too difficult (despite the seemingly inept Bulgarian rail staff) and we got on our train to Gorna Safe. This is where we now find ourselves, with only two points of interest to note. One, when there are no lights on a train, tunnels are very dark. Two, Bulgaria has some astonishingly beautiful mountain ranges, complete with mountain villages, mountain rivers and mountain train stations. Alot of chalk-like cliffs. More rain. Not impressed with Bulgarian train system. Good to have a bit of a change from the fields and see some dramatic cliffs. People in Veliko are quite keen on tourists (exp. if they are offering accomodation) The flat guy who tried to get us a room became incredibly annoying - I'm sure we could have been arrested for harrassment. Found a nice private room, sharing a kitchen (a stick hob & a..., as Brian put it) and a shower with 2 English people and 2 Du...

 12/07/04 - Day 9 It is a long way to Rila, for only a short look around a small (albeit pretty) monastery. FACT. We were fortunate enough to walk straight up to the Rila bus in Sofia's bus station. We were also fortunate to have a lovely cool refreshing howling gale for the 2.5 hr journey. Heather, of course, complained she was cold. Rila Monastery really was very quaint, snuggled in the folds of lushious mountains, with forrested sides opening out onto grassy slopes higher up. The area is a popular hiking destination and there were a fair number of people with packs around. So we wandered around the monastery. Spotted a couple of monks, risked death taking upshots of a % mad greek (?) family and got back on the bus. Then it rained. Now let me attempt to convey the two side of 'ruin'. Yesterday 200 homes were destroyed by lightning in Romania - these thunderstorms extended about as far south as Sofia. We saw the approaching storm, watched the jagged sorts of light stabbing...

  11/07/04 Day 8 (in the big brother house) Ah! To be rested! Free breakfast (chocolate spread). Then walking tour of Sofia. Finally a city was 'nice' to us. It being a sunday meant we got the full-service (excuse the pun) at each of the six churches we went to. Heather went mad in this crazy old market-y flea place which was selling frames of soviet and Nazi memorabilia. She ended up buying some slippers. We had a false start for lunch, but ended up at a clean and air-conditioned fast food outlet which had a traditional (we assumed) target. Just over £1.50 each. When he says a walking tour, finally we did one which didn't involve walking to the suburbs - firstly we went into the Sveta Nedelya Cathedral. Sunday is definitely the best day to go church visiting aswe walked in on a (I presume) catholic mass. The scent of the inscense and candles and the harmonious sound of chanting was spellbinding. No pews so everyone stood, crossing themselves but the main advantage was that...

 10/07/04 Day 7... The early hours... I think the whole overnight train episode was one of the scariest things I've ever done. Very James Bond. And having to run around a Turkish station to get my passport stamped for customs... in my pyjamas... anything could have happened. I felt like an illegal immigrant. I think the whole overnight train episode was one of the coolest things I've everdone. Very James Bond. And having to run around a Turkish station to get my passport stamped for customs... in my pyjamas... anything could have happened. I felt like a proper traveller. Some times I feel that Heather takes the wrong 'slant' on things. Hopefully the next one will be better as she did calm down, manage to sleep and stop hyperventilating - eventually As for me, it really was santalulous. Falling asleep to the rocking/chugging/rattling/clanging motion... heavenly! And the stream of guards knocking at our door and shining flash-lights in our faces - excellent. (I might add ...

  Day 6. 09/07/04 - Initially leaving home and starting travelling completely removed any concept of the enormity of our bo itinery. But now, after (almost) a week, it has returned - only this time with the real knowledge of just what it is like to "do" a city in 2 days, and then face the prospect of 48 hours, and another city, before your next bed. We will be doing this for 12 weeks ???? It is at prudent times like these that I hope our conversations while drawing up the itinery which included phrases such as: "We'll need a rest here" were well thought out and % not compromised. Nah, it's all good. Another deserved lie-in and my feet were almost back to themselves. Had breakfast in Jonathan's flat, from the local bakery. We set off again, on the crazy bus (where Brian now feels like a local as he mastered the rapid money exchanging) and again onto the metro - it seems so much/obvious the second time round. We had our big bags with us today which was har...

  Day 5 08/07/04 - The palava with paying for the youth hostel meant I had to trek around Sultanahmet Fez looking for a cash machine, which I failed to find. So we paid in Euros, cost got the change in Lira, and left a bit confused. And here started stress number one: The taxi ride. Stressful for two reasons - a) I have never witnessed driving like that - ever. and b) it cost a small fortune. This was made considerably worse when we did the same journey for just one sixteenth of the price, 12 hours later. But we got to Jonathan's before he had to dash off to work and gathered our thoughts before hitting the big city; our first "city". (Cheaper is your phrase -!) I had a scare-type thing on the way to (he turned out my Turkish "thank you" on the guy in the bakery - I think he liked it. They have a crazy bus system here - everyone piles on and gives money to the driver... whilst he's driving... so he's not really looking at the road at all. The metro was c...

  Day 4 07/07/04 As we bid a fond farewell to our Island paradise, and head out into the open sea, it becomes distinctly more difficult to write. Greek cheese is great. Fact. Had it for breakfast and lunch - very cheap and fulfilling. Makes Brian feel like Dick Whittington... best ferry journey so far as we got to sit on deck but Brian banged his head 3 times (and once on a bus). Coming into Kusadasi was very different from Greece - it is right, Brian's taking over control of the pen... Our first impressions of this distant and strange land reminded us that we truly were entering a different continent. Swamped by touts as we set foot upon its concrete shores, we battled our way to passport control, where they charged us some number they seemed to pluck out of the sky. They only seem to deal in hard cash, PROFIE in Turkey the phrase"it cost millions" doesn't have quite the same meaning. Getting a bus to Izmir was quite straightforward. I expected it to be a ramshackere...

  Day 3 06/07/04 After a well needed lie in we headed into town to buy bread and funny pork-like stuff and fruit (I was a bit worried my vitamin C level would drop whilst travelling on (I think the had more fruit since being here, than he probably recommended...)). We went in Vathi old town which included lots of steep hills but crinkly old houses and old people chatting. The view from the top was worth all the sweat. The afternoon was spent sleeping (a little siesta), swimming andsunbathing, or as Brian intercorreted it, lying huddled under his towel, applying sun cream every 10 mins, even when in the shade. Great dinner - free starter and dessert (fruit again). First Nozzie-hub. Need sunglasses. Feel satisfied with the fact we're "done" Samos (kind of). What, in the name of all things small and green does "cranky" mean? This coming from the very same person who thought all (and I mean all) boats use a motor to move forward. Even the ones with sails. Except for...