Hvala Croatia!

We are finally getting around to posting about Croatia now we are in Montenegro and have decent internet. Trying to get good internet connection and speed in Croatia and Bosnia has been close to impossible, resorting to any means possible to get signal, so we thought we’d take advantage of the rain and stay inside and get this done.

The makeshift couch at the door to get internet

Seriously Croatia is incredible, having 7 days to stay and play –we spent a fair bit travelling which was a downer. Dubrovnik was stunning and although 2 days it rained, the final day was breathtaking, allowing us to see it in all its glory without the other tourists.

Our favourite photo

We arrive late in Zagreb (the Croatian capital) to the world’s most confusing railway station, where people have to walk so far to get out that they risk their lives crossing the train tracks. We hoof it to our hotel, and check in at the smokey pub opposite. We dump everything, work on the blog, try to upload and encounter the slowest internet so far, we struggled to send a single email let alone post on the blog. Zagreb was only a stopover for us, so there was no opportunity to check it out. 

Plitvice Lakes

We awoke at 6am in Zagreb, packed and headed to the bus station for the bus to Plitvice Lakes. Plitvice Lakes is meant to be one of the most beautiful places in Eastern Europe, and this UNESCO site draws the crowds receiving over 1.2 million visitors a year. We make it on the bus and notice the bus has not only the driver but also a conductor. We have found the work is very highly administrative in Eastern Europe and often things have more processes and more people than it would at home. Case and point, long distance buses at home the bus driver will do it all, and there is less tearing bits off and stamping multiple times etc. Even at the train station in Hungary we noticed people getting hand written tickets from ticket offices and lots of stamping, and then that blue transferable paper (we haven’t seen that in years). 

The Drama – yep it’s getting tiring

The conductor places our backpacks under the bus, and we notice that one of the other Aussies on the bus has the same pack as Simon. We arrive at our stop the conductor takes out the only 2 packs and jumps back into the bus. Simon looks at his pack, something isn’t right, it looks the same but the lock is wrong, this is the wrong bag. When realising our passports are in that pack, we look at each other with a look that says things that can’t be said on this blog. The bus door has closed, so we run and bang on the door before the driver drives away. We tell the conductor the bags have been swapped, luckily we know that the other guys got off the stop before (only a few minutes up the road). Thankfully our Airbnb host was there to pick us up so to save the bus from turning around the conductor and our host jump in the car and speed away to the second stop. To our relief the other Aussies had figured out the bag wasn’t right and were waiting at the side of the road for the exchange. We feel so blessed because this bus was going another 5 hours, so imagine if that was our stop…

We dump our bags, and walk down to the National Park entry, you can tell its low season, everything is shut, there are practically tumbleweeds blowing along the road – a far cry from peak season. Part of the lakes are closed today, but none the less there is still glorious nature to be seen. We take the ferry across the big lake and start one of the most scenic walks we have done. The water is crystal clear and exquisite shades of aqua and turquoise. The water in one pool breaks off into small waterfalls and it cascades down into the next pools of the lake, and this continues on a scale like we have never seen before. 

As with all things coming in low season has its ups and downs. Ups being basically nobody else but us, where in the high season it is bumper to bumper with people. Downs being, its not as beautiful as summer, the trees aren’t green, the sun is not shining and it was cold, but again no snow. But no complaints here, it was stunningly beautiful. It was hard to capture with the day so miserable, but the memories are good, and we would love one day to see it in all its summer glory. To see it in summer check out this googleimages link have a look it’s incredible. 

We walk and climb to see waterfalls and get to scenic view points for about 4 hours. It was at this point that the park was empty and the wind was blowing in a way that made us feel a little uncomfy with the clouds rolling in black above us. We find the only restaurant open in the park at a hotel, and warm up. Warm and satisfied we retreat to our little apartment, with the most space we have had all trip so far, even having a living room. The evening brings the challenge of planning the rest of Eastern Europe in a part of the world that hasn’t quite figured out how to make travel information available online. Mostly we just have to get somewhere and rock up to the bus station and hope something is running in the next few days. I believe one of our earlier lessons learnt was ‘trust the system’, but it’s easier said than done. 

The view over the top of these beautiful mini waterfalls

Split

In the low season buses are infrequent and unreliable in Plitvice Lakes, and the worst part is there is very little information online. The bus was due to come at 9:45 in the morning, but we had read that they don’t stop there unless you flag them down, so you need to be there early just in case. We wait in the cold from 9:15 until 9:50 and when our bus came we flagged wildly to ensure he stopped. The actual trip to Split should take 2.5 hours but on this bus with all the stops and going via another city it takes a little over 6. We brought the laptop and watched an entire season of Modern Family to keep us entertained, long rides are just part of our lives and we are very used to it, but buses are the worst. At least with trains you have space to walk around, buses are cramped and just generally the crappier experience.

We arrive in Split late in the afternoon with the sun setting on the harbour. This stunning historic town of Split sits on the Adriatic Sea, where it was once home to the Roman Emperor Diocletian and his enormous palace. This palace eventually fell out of favour and the city grew out from the palace. We find our incredible little apartment, its set in these amazing winding cobblestone backstreets, where all the stone houses have green shutters on the windows and overlooks the sea. We went out for dinner and found a great traditional Croatian restaurant; we have come to learn that like the rest of the Eastern countries, vegetarians will starve as everything is meat, meat, meat!

Split was very pretty with its white stone buildings, a maze of cobble stone streets that were a delight to get lost in. It is incredible to think the whole main part of town was once a palace. Unfortunately due to being there mid low season combined with it being a Sunday the place felt flat, and lacked identity. Looking at this beautiful town it was clear to see that in Summer it would be buzzing, and the sea would be so inviting with Italy beckoning across the water. Boarding our bus at 5.15pm we set off to Dubrovnik and finally arrived at around 10pm. Another long ride.

Dubrovnik

Arriving so late and too far from our apartment to walk we took a rare cab ride to where we stayed. When we walked into our apartment we were stunned at the amount of space we had! A full bedroom, living room, bathroom and a small kitchen with the most incredible view over the old town and marina. Magical! Unfortunately the weather turned on us and would rain, sometimes monsoon, for the next two days complete with wild winds.

The view from the apartment

Even with the weather against us though it is very easy to see why Dubrovnik is so popular to visit. It is breath takingly beautiful. The walls surrounding the old town look almost new and shine in the floodlights at night, the terracotta roofs of the stone buildings create a bright contrast against the pale stone. There are two monasteries, two churches, seemingly endless narrow side streets, stairs up the mountain and a wide grand street right through the centre. For those who watch Games of Thrones Dubrovnik is where the scenes for Kings Landing is filmed and even as we entered the old town on our first day we came across a closed off area full of cameras, horses, carriages and actors in medieval style clothing. We aren’t sure if it was GoT being filmed or something else but still quite cool.

We took it easy the first day starting with the Franciscan Monastery next to the Ploca gate which has a beautiful cloister inside and one of the oldest still operating pharmacies in Europe. The afternoon was spent just exploring the myriad of backstreets, hills and paths around the old city seeing what we could discover. The streets could be described just as we said for Split with green shutters, cobbled streets and each place with their own lantern lighting up the street. Sadly much like Split, Dubrovnik is a seasonal town and 70% of restaurants, bars and cafes are closed. 

It started to rain, and we thought we would spend the remainder of the afternoon inside, but alas, all galleries and museums were closed in low season, this was a bit frustrating. We did find a neat little Bosnian restaurant for lunch which served very nice, good quality food and introduced us to Cevapi which are little skinless sausages. They are everywhere and are delicious. We returned to our apartment and set up a makeshift couch in the little kitchen, the only place in the apartment we could get Wi-Fi (see picture at the start of the blog). That night the wind and rain pelted down and we stared out our window over the marina watching the waves crash over the buffer and the small boats bob around like toys in a bathtub. It let up briefly allowing us to get out and have some great takeaway from a little place that did delicious Cevapi burgers. We quickly took it back to the apartment before it poured down again. 

The weather did not let up overnight and the next day was thoroughly miserable outside. Luckily just outside our place we had the best bakery in Dubrovnik, or so our apartment owner told us. We would be inclined to agree as they make a mean chocolate croissant and the best pain au raisons we have ever had which became our staple breakfast for the 3 nights we spent there. This weather was bugging us as our number one goal was to walk the walls of Dubrovnik but with the weather like this and tickets $40AUD for both of us, we wanted to make sure we went when we could get the most out of it. We were hopeful that the weather would change so we held off going up the walls.

No this is not night, this is the clouds for the first 2 days...

With the weather so rubbish we spent the day trying to find a coffee shop to plant ourselves in and get some blogging done and plan some of Bosnia and Montenegro. Never have we wished for a Starbucks or McCafe so much as this day! Whilst both of these chains serve average and overpriced coffee you can at least get pretty decent internet connection – something which is sorely lacking in Croatia. We walked all over the old town trying to find a decent coffee shop with Wi-Fi only to find smokey bars with garbage internet connections. After spending literally hours searching for a place and trying two café bars only to be let down in both we gave up and returned to our apartment and our makeshift kitchen couch to get the blog up for Hungary. With the weather being what it was we took the opportunity to go to the local cinema, at $5AUD a ticket how could we pass that up? We saw Wolf on Wall Street which was a great way to let the rain pass. Afterwards we walked the streets a little and took some night photos before the rain came again. 

A good example of what low season looks like...

 And on the third day the weather turned! We looked out our window over the marina and the water was calm, the wind was low and there was bits of sunshine breaking through the clouds. Finally we could get out on the city walls we were so desperate to walk and up the mountains to get a proper look over the city and islands. We had 3 days in Dubrovnik but really we only had a day to actually see the main sights. It was evident that the locals had been waiting for a sunny day too, because there seemed to be a lot of washing hanging about, somehow managing to make these streets even more interesting.

We made a bee-line to the cable car to go up the mountain but their website lied and they didn’t open for another hour so we went to the walls instead. The walls that encircle Dubrovniks old town are the most impressive we have seen anywhere. When you think cliché city walls with round towers, high stone parapets and sheer drops to the ocean, Dubrovnik delivers. A lap of the walls takes around 2-3 hours depending on how many times you stop to look around and take pictures. The view over the city from the walls is spectacular with the orange roofs creating a patchwork of colour inside the white loop of stone. There are some particularly good towers to climb and get the best views across everything. You walk right around to the ocean side where you get sheer cliff drops down to the waves beating endlessly against the coast. For Amy this was one of the highlights of the trip so far, it was stunning and like something out of a movie. We were first on the walls in the morning so we basically had them to ourselves, something that most high season tourists would never encounter. 

Dropping off the walls we went back to the cable car and making the ~400m above sea level ascent to the top of the mountain range above Dubrovnik. The views are unbelievable. The sun was out and shining and the coast was illuminate beneath us with the old town looking like a scale model on display.

The views out to the island were amazing and we just picture ourselves on a yacht cruising island to island, swimming and relaxing in the summertime. It was just stunning. Before we descended we had a coffee in the café that’s overlooks everything from the cable car station. In the summer most people who visit Dubrovnik usually do several day trips to the nearby islands. We would not hesitate to come back to this beautiful part of the world to explore these islands. 

When we got back to sea level we had some time to kill before our bus so we went to the beach. The nearest beach is a tiny strip of sand just up the road from where we were staying. Unfortunately it was covered in litter. Mostly plastic bottles which looked like they had washed up during the storms of the previous nights. That aside it was a pretty little spot with crystal azure water and gentle surf.

There has been a lot of travel in Croatia, so even though we have had nearly a week in this gorgeous country, it doesn’t quite feel like a relaxing stop over with 20 plus hours on a train and bus. Bus travel is not fun at the best of times but continuous stopping and ‘relaxed’ scheduling make it more tedious than it needs to be.  

Lessons Learnt:

• Croatia is not as cheap as you might think it is. Food and transport in particular, but accommodation and drinks are affordable
• Don’t expect anything to be open on a Sunday in the low season
• Expect to wait a long time for busses that don’t run to a tight schedule, it takes a long time to get anywhere
• Internet speeds in Croatia are the worst we’ve experienced in Europe
• Indoor smoking is common and it’s difficult to find non-smoking venues
• Croatia is definitely best visited in the summertime. There might be a lot more people but the weather and scenery would make up for it.

Parting Thoughts:

Croatia has some incredibly beautiful scenery that truly takes your breath away. It will go on our to visit in Summertime list, probably along with the amalfi coast in Italy. The streets are magical, with the sun shining you could wander for hours and not even mind getting lost as you turn up another narrow walkway which is like a postcard picture. It is a shame that it is so spread out across the country without direct connections. The indoor smoking gets tiresome and makes you feel sick most of the time. Your clothes and hair stink and only a good wash gets it out but it’s honestly pointless because you’ll just cop it the next day in another place.

Simon and Amy xoxo

Köszönöm Budapest!

Here we are in Hungary, we know pretty much nothing about this country and the city of Budapest, other than what we have learnt recently in Austria. We know only that they have amazing Turkish baths left from when they were ruled by the Ottomans, this sounded pretty good on its own so whatever else was to come was icing on the top. Little did we know we were in for a real treat in Budapest which we came to know as a gorgeous vibrant city that would give us nearly 4 full days of great new experiences.

We are back at a hostel for our stay in Budapest but we have a private room and shower so we’re hardly ‘roughing it’. Similarly to Poland our purchasing power in Hungary is quite good but the exchange rate makes things seem ridiculous. $1AUD is equivalent to 200 Hungarian Forint. A cup of coffee is 400 Forint. Sounds like heaps but it’s cheap, everything here is, except the Baths. We luck out in our room and find a copy of Lonely Planet – Budapest left by a previous guest in the small library. This book would be our guide over the next four days and prove immensely helpful. We decide after Budapest to get a more localised guide book for places we are actually stopping for reasonable time in.

We rise early but don’t get going properly til later as we’re researching, mapping and eating simultaneously over breakfast. We catch the bus across the Danube and up Castle Hill to see (drumroll please!) Buda Castle! We had planned on going the Budapest Museum but found out that Monday is the day everything such as museums and galleries are closed so we put a pin in that one and walk around the castle, guide book in hand, pointing at statues and reading their significance to each other. The castle is more of a district than a singular attraction.

Making our way around the top of the hill we had a spectacular view over Budapest that even through the smoke and mist haze of the morning you could see stretched to the horizon. Down the road a little we came to Matthias Church which has a beautiful mosaic for a roof which has just been recently restored and it positively shone in the bright morning sun. On the edge of the top of the hill is Fisherman’s Bastion, called such because fishermen used to be responsible for guarding this section of the river way back in the day. The bastion though is only a hundred years old and built as a viewing platform. It is an architectural gem with its 13 tent top spires and stone arcades.

 

We learnt from the Budapest guide book (BGB) about an incredible torte at a café near the Fishermans Bastion, which is meant to be the best in Budapest, we tell ourselves that this is it, the last one, because we don’t usually eat cake so this whole cake thing is strange for us. We order THE torte, and it is unbelievable, easily the best cake we have ever eaten, it comes along with coffee with cherry schnapps in it, another amazing pairing. We look at each other and say we can’t keep doing this despite the ongoing incredible taste sensations.

We walk down the hill towards the river Danube to get a closer look at the parliament building across the river, Amy remarks that is reminds her of the UK parliament building, sure enough the BGB tells us that that was the inspiration for the building, well called Amy! We end up walking a good deal further than we thought to get a good central look at the place from across the river but it is a mighty building so we decide to cross the river to have a better look. Exiting the metro on the other side of the river we found that multiple blocks around the parliament building are fenced off as the entire area is undergoing a massive renovation, new garden, public squares, open spaces, roads, the works. So after detouring around and around and around we still cannot find the way in.

House of Parliament

Whilst all that was going on we got to see firsthand the manual work required for the cobbled streets. Those little blocks don’t cut themselves, line themselves up in straight lines and set themselves on their own. We see these streets all over Europe and we often thought what a pain it would be to actually make these streets.

Using the BGB we walk around the parliamentary district and check out a few noteworthy buildings, none noteworthy enough to get a mention though, and browse an incredible photo gallery before we walk past the ‘suggested’ place to eat by the BGB. We look at the menu and decide it looks good but not being ready to eat yet we go to our stop deciding to come back afterwards, we would be glad we did.

Saint Stephens Basilica is the premier cathedral in Budapest and true to usual form has a grand central dome and dual columns out front. This cathedral boasts an unusual attraction though. The mummified right hand of the patron saint of the city. That’s right, a mummified hand. This is a pretty big deal to the cathedral but to us it was a manky old hand. We decided to go up the towers to the dome for a look around though which proved a brilliant idea. Right on sunset we had a great view right over the city and across the river. Amy took some outstanding photos of the sunset.

Descending we rounded the corner to the nearby restaurant we passed earlier. In the BGB its described as “traditional Hungarian for the locals and uni students”. Unsure what to expect we asked the waiter for some recommendations, Amy took his advice and Simon ignored him for more schnitzel (this time stuffed with cheese). Our minds were blown. The flavours coming out of the food were incredible. Humble, simple food but with such great flavour depth we were left wanting more even though we left completely full. Vowing to be back we left with happy hearts and full stomachs.

It doesnt look like much but this is a taste sensation!

 Our hostel has given us a bunch of drinks vouchers for a bar around the corner so we went there to cash them in and use the Wi-Fi to get some blogging and booking done for our next few stops in Croatia (see end note of this blog). $2 pints of beer, $6 cocktails and a few hours later we were very pleased with ourselves and our efforts. Time to turn in.

Early the next day we’re up and off to the train station to purchase our train tickets to Zagreb, Croatia. You can’t do anything online it’s all in person from here on out so after a short trip up the road we’re sorted for transport and looking for morning coffee.

The New York Café was opened in 1903 as the ‘most beautiful café in the world’, so how can we pass this up? It was the spot where some of Budapest’s best writers spent their days and where they supposedly came up with their ideas and found inspiration. It has been renovated in the last few years by the hotel it’s attached to. We walk into the most stunning and opulent space with prices to match. We feel uncomfy and out of place, thankfully those who came after us were dressed no different or in some cases worse so we relax a little and enjoy this once in a lifetime coffee space. We haven’t had breakfast but at $40pp we decide against it. What do we do, we look at each other and say “this is the last time” and purchase two heavenly drinks and a Hungarian speciality cake. We decide this is getting out of hand, and left all other Hungarian cakes alone to live another day for the remainder of our time. 

Yep theres a pianist up there creating a really nice atmosphere on his grand piano

 We haven’t quite figured out why, but apricot jam seems to be one of the big things in Hungary, along with paprika. They have no shortage of either of these things. With our breakfasts we had scrumptious apricot jam – we didn’t really know that Hungary were the apricot jam people but they are. Paprika is like salt here, and it’s fair to say that if you don’t like paprika you shouldn’t come to Hungary unless you are prepared to starve. 

After our opulent dining experience we start our self-guided walking tour of the Jewish District with the aid of the BGB. We seriously love this thing, it knows everything! We walk around the old district and former ghetto of WW2. Along the way we find a Seafolly store and Amy buys a bathing suit for the baths. Yep, we just bought Australian swimwear in Hungary. The Jews of Hungary, like everywhere during WW2, were rounded up and put into a ghetto in Budapest. Due to Hungary being allied with Germany though and under its own command the Jews of Budapest were not deported to Auschwitz until early 1945 and a decent amount of them were able to survive and return after the war. Unfortunately Jews from the rural areas were usually summarily shot and dumped in the Danube or deported and killed. We would learn more at the end of our walk at the Dohany Street Synagogue. The largest synagogue in Europe and second largest in the world.




Sometimes called the Jewish cathedral due to its unusual interior design and construction the synagogue can hold 3000 worshippers for a service and is only smaller in size after the New York City synagogue which is larger but does not hold as many people. The synagogue was designed and built by Austrians who had not built a synagogue before so used a lot of cues from the bible and traditional cathedrals to end up with the odd mix of styles. The Nazis used it as a base during the war as the Allies would not bomb a synagogue and so it survived destruction. Simon removed his beanie on entering the synagogue and was promptly told to put it back on, men must have their head covered in temple, the opposite of a church. 

In the courtyard there is small cemetery. This is not an official nor open cemetery. It was used as a mass grave during WW2 when the Jews were confined to the ghetto and thousands of them died. With no room to bury them individually they were buried together in the synagogue courtyard. A stainless steel ‘weeping willow’ memorial tree was built further around the courtyard with memorial plaques and on the leaves the holocaust victims’ names are engraved by family members or friends. It is a really touching memorial.

We were taken around on a guided tour of the Jewish museum which was a great education as neither of us are particularly well informed on Jewish customs, holidays, traditions or culture in general. We were shown the history and ceremonies of the major Jewish holidays. The ceremonial treasures that were hidden by staff from the Hungarian National museum during the war and were saved along with the story of the Hungarian Jews before and during the Holocaust. The guide made it very clear to us that Jews were persecuted in Hungary since the 1920s and laws were enacted against them some 12 years before Hitler introduced them in Germany. The Hungarian government worked hand in glove with the Nazis in deporting and exterminating Jews. We saw prayer shawls turned into clothes, sacred Torah scrolls turned into hats and worst of all, soap made from human fat. Disgusting. We left feeling like we a much better insight into daily Jewish life their history.

That evening now suitably (hah! Yes pun intended!) equipped we went to one of the two mixed baths in Budapest Szechenyi Bath. The others are still male/female only at alternate times and days. On arrival we were a little confused at the process and what was included, then after getting changed were lost inside the building for a while as nothing is signed. After a while though we got our bearings. The indoor pools are at temperatures from 20 through to 38 degrees. In the warmest pool is like having a nice hot bath. The thermal waters are meant to cure all that ails you so we wanted to spend a while in here, to hopefully exit feeling brand new. 

The outdoor baths are something to behold. It’s freezing outside, as you run to the bath which has glorious steam rising up into the night sky, you submerge yourself in this 38 degree water and it feels like heaven, you instantly forget about how cold it was. You relax in this divine bath and stare at the stars and the moon, even though there are others around you, somehow you feel as though you are the only person in the world. Fully relaxed and warm you exit the bath, and for the first 10 seconds you don’t feel the cold, you’re still so warm, then it hits you, 2 degrees on wet skin and the wind to help out, running for the towel and bolting inside, hoping not to slip on your butt at the same time. 

We spent several hours at the baths in various pool and Simon in the sauna, which is the biggest and most full he’s ever seen. The experience was so magnificent we decided to do it again the next night but at a different location for a slightly different experience.

It’s our last full day in Budapest so we’re out to maximise with a full day thanks to the BGB. Starting with a walking tour of the premier street of Budapest. Lining this street are current and former cultural institutions, national headquarters, embassies, beautiful townhouses, high end shops and at the end Heroes Place. We start at the impressive State Opera house and then pass the crumbling former national ballet institute, boarded off and for sale. This seem to be a recurring theme throughout Budapest. It is obvious that up to roughly a hundred years ago Budapest was up with Paris, Prague, Vienna in grandeur and opulence but something changed, I’m guessing WW1. The once beautiful buildings are dirty and crumbling, former national institutions are closed and left to decay which is a shame.

We end up at Heroes place which has some impressive monuments and once again consulting with BGB we decipher the meaning of it all. It’s very long but the short version is the chariots are War and Peace and the individuals are people who have contributed in a significant way to the history of Hungary. Walking a little further towards the park we find the largest outdoor ice rink we’ve seen.

 

 Deciding to pass on more ice activity we get the metro back to the centre of town and notice this strange part of the rules on the metro… haven’t seen that before…

Being 2pm it’s time to get some food so we head to the markets. They’re housed in a massive brick and iron building with three levels with different produce and products in different areas. We have a quick scout and then head upstairs to where the hot food is being sold. Packed with tourists and locals alike there are vendors selling traditional Hungarian food alongside more usual fare such as burgers. We spot an old favourite we learnt of at the London Christmas markets, Langos. Basically deep fried batter then covered in melted cheese and garlic sauce. We go with a slightly healthier option of pan grilled with ham and bacon with cheese. Think like a calzone. Simon grabs a traditional goulash with dumpling noodles and we feast. Cheap, tasty and incredibly unhealthy but nevertheless satisfying. Before we leave we try some of the local wine Tokaji, we had the sweet and dry varieties which remind of Lambrusco. 

There was an awkward moment when standing at the high tables drinking our wine when Simon suddenly looked at Amy and said “Did you get a chair babe?”, Amy swiftly replied “No Simon, I’m just short”… awkward.

Exiting the markets via rolling ourselves we were at one of the two pretty bridges that cross the Danube and join Buda and Pest (yep, once separate cities). The green bridge is an all steel twin tower span. We grab a bunch of photos playing around with different angles and things before we walk across and cop the full gale blowing down the river. On the other side we eye off the baths we are planning to attend later that night. Going on a little walk followed but a little public transport adventure we end up on back on the other side of the river and at the next bridge, commonly known as ‘The Chain Bridge’. This was the first permanent bridge and was special in that everyone, commoner or nobleman had to pay the toll. They both make for great photos so we spent the afternoon and early evening walking the bridges, riverside and taking photos.

And then finally it was time to go to Baths number two. We didn’t take any pictures as its quite hard and unsafe to carry a camera around a pool sorry but follow this link to see some pictures from their website. LINK. Gellert baths is not as popular as Szechenyi, probably because they are bit more expensive and a little less laid back.  We attended last night because it doesn’t have the massive outdoor area but it does have two beautiful mosaic decorated rooms with two pools each coming off the main chamber with a lap pool and another thermal bath. This bath was equally as confusing as the first with Simon nearly getting changed in the ladies, then we couldn’t find the other indoor areas, then we couldn’t find the way out to the outdoor pools, then when we did all the lights were off so we thought it was closed… anyway after asking a lot of staff we made sense of the place and settled in. Featuring the warmest bath so far at 40 degrees which is like having a sauna bath we found a little too warm so after exploring the indoor areas and checking out the beautiful interiors we headed outside and got in the outdoor pool. Delightful. We spent hours soaking in the warm bath and in the sauna then in the freezing pool and back in the sauna. Feeling completely new we left with the sad knowledge that would be our last thermal bath until Turkey.

On our final day in Budapest we spent the morning at a very familiar place, the Laundromat. A semi full service set up we paid more there than we did in London for our washing but it needed doing and this was our last opportunity for a while.

We had time for lunch before our train to Zagreb so we hurriedly returning to the charming little restaurant we had the amazing Hungarian food near St Stephens. Once again we were blown away by the full flavours of the food. We had not expected much of Hungarian food when we arrived but after our experience at this place we are putting it on our ‘to-cook’ list when we get home, followed by a week at the gym.

Returning to our hostel we left the BGB for another traveller to hopefully get as much use we did and set off to the train station where the confusion set in.

Border control is significantly different to Australia over here, sometimes you never see customs or an officer as you move through countries. You don’t even ever see them within the Schengen zone, which means no stamps on passports. This is all OK until you actually need to prove you are exiting the Schengen zone, so you don’t overstay your visa allowances. We get to the train station about to board our train to Croatia, and we have no idea where we get our passports stamped to say we have exited Hungary (Schengen zone visa). We pop into the international train travel office, they don’t know what the deal is. We go to the visitors centre, they have no clue they just say that at the border someone might come on. We go to the other train office, they also are extremely vague telling us legislation has changed recently and they send us to the Police office. By this stage we are a little concerned because this damn passport needs stamping and nobody knows anything. We enter the Police office, they tell us that someone should be at the border to stamp us out, and then someone will stamp us into Croatia, he then says that “this happens mostly but not always”. I said “OK so we just have to cross our fingers and hope”, and he smiled and said “yes that’s right, it doesn’t always happen”. So we board the train actually hoping for border control, thankfully we see them outside on the border and we smile with relief when we see them (this has got to be the only time someone is excited to see them?) Fully stamped we enter Croatia. We said in one of our last blogs that travelling requires you to trust the system even when it doesn’t make sense, this is one of those times, and as we said it can sometimes be very challenging to just relax through it.

Up until this point in our trip we have been pre-organised, pre-booked, pre-paid (mostly) on just about everything so we can focus on just getting amongst it and seeing all the things. We deliberately left a month in Eastern Europe to have some ‘free time’. Why we called it this I have no idea because we have no time, let alone free time. A few reasons we did this though, one was to challenge us a bit more and push the envelope of getting things done, managing on the fly and seeing all the things. Another was that for the most part you cannot book transport (aside from flying) online, you must go to the station and buy a physical ticket from a person. There is little or no information about routes, times, stops, costs or anything online meaning it’s all on the fly planning. So as we left Budapest we took our first leap of faith into the East and entered Croatia…

Lessons Learnt:

• Hungarian food when done well is amazing
• Thermal baths are amazing
• $2 pints are amazing
• Budapest in general is pretty damn amazing
• Again, trust the system, even when the system seems not to be a system, more just a sometimes practice that nobody knows about.
• City guide books are incredible and make the journey so much more fun, exploring things with more detail and clarity, and finding cheap but incredible places to eat. 

Parting Thoughts:

• Budapest has an incredible array of things to do and see, with more museums than it probably knows what to do with. The thermal baths were an experience of a lifetime and will go down as one of the highlights of our trip no doubt, they are something special.
• On this journey we have found ourselves in cities that were once a global leaders and filthy rich, it can be very sad to look around and see buildings that shout power and wealth, yet you realise those days are long gone. Budapest has some of the grandest and most beautiful buildings we have seen, there are some streets where it’s almost overwhelming how many large and stunning buildings there are. Yet you notice they are well worn, and not always well maintained, you go just one street over into where people actually live and you see the ‘real’ Budapest. This is not nearly as glamorous, it is far from it, in fact it feels as though you are somewhere else entirely. 

Simon and Amy xoxo