Buda and Pest

Continuing on with our Eastern Trekker experience, we had a day driving through Slovakia before arriving in Hungary and its capital, Budapest. Following a feast of local specialities of goulash, chicken paprika & local vino, we relaxed on an evening river boat cruise along the Danube river... the river which divides Buda and Pest. The photo to the right is of one of the pillons on the Chain Bridge.

With a full day to explore Budapest at our leisure, by far the easiest way to see the town was again on a bike. Some of the key places of interest in Pest include:

* St Stephen's Cathedral, where we were able to St Stephen's preserved right hand - bizarre! St Stephen was the first king of Hungary (11th century) and is regarded as one of the most popular saints in Hungary. There are numerous statues and monuments across the city built in his honour.

* A statue of an anonymous scribe for King Bela III. Legend has it that touching the pen will provide inspiration for writing

* Hosok tere (Hungarian for "Heroes square"). The centre of the square is the Millennium Memorial with statues of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in the 9th century and other historical figures. On the last part of our bike tour we crossed the river to climb the hills of Buda. From the top of the palace we had panoramic views across the city, including the Parliament buildings in the photo below (top right).

As a good conclusion to our Eastern experience and by far the highlight of Budapest for me was our evening trip to the Gillert thermal baths. Over a few hours we relaxed in the baths, saunas & plunge pools. It's amazing how 20 degree water is surprisingly enjoyable after 5 mins in a 80 degree sauna! What was a superb way to end the trip. [The photo below of the thermal baths is courtesy of Google images.]

Peace or Piece

Over the past week, I joined 14 others on an Eastern Trekker tour of Europe. The main two countries we explored were Poland and Hungary. Poland is a country I have long wanted to visit, primarily out of intrigue for the events that took place here during WWII.

Auschwitz
Our Polish experience started in Auschwitz, a small town in the south of Poland. Chosen by the Germans in WWII for its good railway links across Europe, this site became the place for some of the most horrific events of WWII, including the largest mass murder in history. Everyone who visits this museum will no doubt take something different from the experience. For me, the shocking events impacted me when I saw just some of the personal belongings of the victims - in particular the tonnes of hair that had been cut off after they were lead to the "disinfection showers" following the selection process.

Below are a few photos from the site including: the entrance into the concentration camp "Arbeit macht frei", translated as "work will make you free"; and the main station from where many of the prisoners were sent directly to their death.

Krakow
With temperatures hovering barely above freezing point, we had a bike tour of Krakow (pronounced "Crack-ov"). Places we visited included the oldest university hall, Cloth Hall and Schindler's factory. Further below are some night-time shots of the grand St Mary's Basilica and the Tower which are located in the town square. By way of a comparison, this square is apparently larger that St Mark's square in Venice.Kosciusko Mound
In the afternoon, I joined a couple of fellow Aussies to make the pilgramme walk up Kosciusko Mound, located only a few kilomentres out of town. At an elevation of 326m above sea level, this mound is tiny in comparison to the Aussie version. Apparently it was the perceived resemblance to this mound which inspired the Polish explorer, Strezlecki, to name the highest mountain in Australia 'Mount Kosciusko'.

Despite the misty conditions, we had a good view over Krakow and the Vistula river. We could even hear some football fans bellowing their chants from a nearby packed football stadium.

Zakopane

Our Polish experience ended in Zakopane, a town in the southern alps popular for winter sports. In addition to a hike to the top of one of the main ski slopes, topped off with a hot chocolate at the summit, we tasted different varieties of the local speciality - smoked cheese. Quite tasty!

On a final note, here is a simple example of how tough the English language is... love it!

Normandy

With a long weekend approaching, there is typically some chat among my work colleagues about our plans for the weekend. While most people ask “Are you going anywhere special?”, my colleagues have learnt to ask “Where are you going this time?”. This past long weekend was no different. With little time to plan a full adventure by myself, I joined Belle & Ivan for a history lesson in the Normandy region of France.

The name ‘Normandy’ comes from the Vikings (the ‘northmen’) who settled in the territory in the 9th century. Normandy certainly has its name in more than one page in the history books. Here are just a few of the key dates that guided our weekend:

14 October 1066
The events of 1066 are reflected in a 68m tapestry which is currently located in the town of Bayeux, nearby the grand Cathedral (see photo right). This tapestry steps through the life of William, the Duke of Normandy, who became the King of England. The climax of the tapestry was the Battle of Hastings when William conquered over Herold who had been crowned king against his predecessor’s request.


30 May 1431
It was in the town of Rouen where Jehanne d’Arc (later known as Joan of Arc) was burned at the stake in 1431. A peasant girl who lead the French army through several important victories, Joan of Arc was put on trial for heresy. Later the Catholic Church found her to be innocent and she was declared a martyr. Today she is one of five patron saints in France. The photo to the left shows the style of some of the buildings which overlook the square where she died.

6 June 1944
Commonly known as D-day, it was on this day that the British and Allied forces attacked the Germans who held control of the French coastline. Some 165,000 troops landed on D-Day at 5 beaches along the 50 mile stretch of coastline. We visited two of the five beaches – Omaha beach and Gold Beach.

Omaha (above) was one of two landings by the US forces and was the hardest hit on D-day with some 5,000 soldiers falling on D-day. The cemetary holds the resting place for about 10,000 of the USA soldiers. The landing on Gold beach (below) was lead by the British forces. It was also one of two locations where the Allies constructed a temporary harbour (known as a Mulberry) to deliver supplies to its troops. Using prefabricated piers and roadways towed across the channel, the harbour was operational in 3 days – a pretty amazing engineering feat! Some of the concrete piers still remain today, despite the fact they were only made to last for 3 months. While exploring the history we were also able to some other towns…

• Honfleur is a quaint fishing village. We had just enough time to wander through the local markets including a few shops selling some of the local specialities – apple cider & calvados (apple brandy).
• Mont Saint Michel is a picturesque tidal island. According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared to bishop St Aubert in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert initially ignored the instruction, but later reconsidered when St Michael burned a hole in the bishop’s skull with his finger. Today the island is a popular tourist attraction. Below are photos of me at the top with the Abbey overlooking the panoramic view and the island at low tide.

Ships ahoy!

Our trio became four in Croatia with the arrival of Jason for our final leg of the tour. Together, we embarked on a week long sailing adventure along the gorgeous Dalmatian coastline. With about 30 others, we joined a "Busabout" island hopper tour on the vintage sailing boat Viktorija. While the spinnaker was up for about an hour during the trip, we relied on the motor to ship us to our destinations.

Situated in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia is a beautiful country with warm turquoise waters and around 1,185 islands to explore. The definite advantage of this type of sailing is the ability to stop in random bays for a dip. Our trusty skippers made sure that we had a couple of hours a day anchored in various locations to enjoy the waters. During this time we were able to jump off the above deck of the boat, floating around on lilos and simply relaxing in the buoyant warm waters! It was the hottest week of the season yet with temperatures consistently in the high 30 degrees.

Every afternoon we docked at a local town either on the mainland or on one of the islands... here are some of the highlights:

• Hvar is a funky town with a fortress overlooking the harbour. We docked near the rich & famous with their massive cruisers, but their luxury definitely overshadowed our boats.
  
• Mljet is a gorgeous island where we spent a relaxing afternoon canoeing in the island's largest lake. We paddled our way to the Monastery of Saint Mary located on an island in the middle of the salt-water lake. On our return we relaxed the muscles with a swim in another lake nearby.

• Korcula is the home town of Marco Polo, the medieval Venetian traveller. It is also the island where my neighbours from home immigrated from many decades ago and still return for several months of the year. It was great to see their island. We had a great sunset dinner followed by a twilight cocktail on the roof of a medieval fort turret (bottom left). Skirts were definitely not recommended tonight as we had to climb a ladder to get to the top.

• Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World heritage site and has a great combination of culture and history. Despite heat of 40 degrees, we walked along the 1.8km city loop of the walls in the afternoon. The views over the red-roofed buildings & rocky shoreline were amazing. The photos below include a large water fountain which provides cool fresh drinking water, views from the city walls and a uniquely designed basketball court.

• Makarska is a popular seaside resort, famous for its long pebble beach, water sports & palm fringed promenade. We relaxed in the afternoon and watched a little local waterpolo with the Blovoko Mountains as a dramatic backdrop.
• Omis is known for the pirate activities of the 1000 years ago where the local sea captains would 'supervise' navigation of trading vessels and refuse to pay taxes to their Venetian rulers. In the afternoon we ventured inland for white water rafting on some easy going grade 2 rapids. It was fantastic floating & manoeuvring down the Celinto river; toppling out of the boat whenever we wanted; and even partaking in a little rock jumping along the way. The following morning, I rose early for a walk up to the top of the Starigrad Fortress built in the 15th century. From the top I had fantastic panoramic views over the coastline & the sleepy city below.
  
• Our week of summer sun ended in Split. While the city traces back to Greek settlement in 200BC, Split is largely built around Diocletian's Palace which was built in 300AD. Today Split is the second largest city in Croatia and is a major transport hub with a large port & airport. We were able to explore the palace which is home to many apartments & shops today. On a windy morning we gingerly climbed the stairs in the Belfry and were treated to fantastic 360 degree views of the city. Below are photos from the palace's belfry of nearby Marjan Hill as well as a photo of the bell of St Nikole Chapel.

Backpacking the Balkans

Leaving the tourist trail behind, we had the opportunity to truly enjoy the backpacking experience along the road less travelled. There is always something special gained by travelling through countries where you don't really know what to expect or how to get from A to B... it is a real sense of achievement & adventure. In my experience it also gives the opportunity to really see how the locals go about their day to day activities.

From Istanbul we travelled through the capital cities of Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia. We travelled across the borders by bus, which was the most reliable mode of transport for the region. I found exploring the region fascinating, especially considering all of the recent history.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Sofia (pronounced Sof-ee-ya) is a quiet & peacful city with an understated vibe. It is located at the base of Mount Vitosha, which we could see from the porch of our pent house hostel (below right).
It was easy to walk around the city. Along the way we stopped to listen to a few army bands out the front of the National Theatre. We also wandered through the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (bottom left) and stopped in Slaveikov square for a photo with a statue of two famous Bulgarian writers (father & son, Pencho and Pedko Slaveikov). Below is a photo of us enjoying a glass of local grappa with our friendly hosts prior to the World Cup final.
Belgrade, Serbia
While Belgrade is certainly not as beautiful as other places within the Balkans, it certainly has a feel of history about it. The influence of various era's and rulers is evident as you wander through various parts of town. We visited the Kalemegdan fortress where some 115 battles have been fought since 300BC. In terms of recent events for Belgrade, evidence of the NATO bombings in 1999 (as part of their attempt to enforce Albanian cleansing) is a continual reminder for all (see bottom right).

Despite its history, Belgrade has rebuilt itself and is becoming more popular for tourists. Downtown Belgrade has a great cafe culture. We had no problems finding a spot to stop for a cool drink in the near 40 degree heat. The highlight of Belgrade for me was visiting the Nikola Tesla museum (bottom left). An inventor, mad professor and engineer, Tesla invented the rotating magnetic field and produced & distributed electrical energy based on alternate currents. For anyone who has a mind like mine... he invented motors & generators.

Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sarajevo is picturesque, wedged into the steep, narrow valley of the Miljacka River. This city was not so vibrant in 1992-1995 when the Serbs put the city under seige. Almost completely surrounded by the Serbs, the only access to the outside world was via a metre-wide, 800m long tunnel under the airport. This tunnel was used to supply arms & food during the seige. We visited the museum & walked through part of the remaining tunnel.

Sarajevo was also significant in the events of WWI. It was on the corner of the Latin Bridge (below left) where Archduke Franz Ferdinand & his wife were assassinated on 28 June 1914. This event triggered WWI.
Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Mostar, situated on the Neretva River is a quaint city in the Herzegovina region. It was in the mid-16th century that Moster boomed as a key transport gateway with the powerful, expanding Ottaman Empire. In 1566 the beautiful old bridge (Stass Most) was finished. It survived WWII but fell to Bosnian Croat artillery in 1993 when all the bridges & all but one of the mosques was destroyed. The Old Bridge was reconstructed in 2004 using 16th century techniques. Below are photos of the Old Bridge and Kerry & Chris tasting a local delicacy - cevapi (turkish bread with grilled minced meat sausages).