'You Maybe Want Boat?'

So back to our first day in Croatia. We arrived in Split off an overnight train from Ljubljana, via Zagreb. The first thing we wanted to do was get some breakfast, so we grabbed some rolls, which we ate by the harbour, watching the ferries come in. The next order of business was finding the hostel, which turned out to be run by a lovely Croatian lady. Most of the accommodation in Croatia is run privately by locals, some of whom will meet every bus and ferry to solicit business. After checking in and dumping the bags, we bought ourselves hats at the markets (in anticipation of hot, sunny days – we were not disappointed as the weather has been gorgeous) and went to find out about ferries, before heading back to the hostel for a catnap (having not had a sleeper on the train, we each got about 2 hours sleep.)
Suitably refreshed, we headed out to check out the Old Town and the Diocletian’s Palace, before making a beeline for one of Split’s beaches, where we spent a while relaxing in the sun. Next up was lunch in the Old Town at a restaurant with a lovely little courtyard. The cuisine on the coast of Croatia is heavily influenced by Italy, so there is a lot of pizza and fresh pasta. Add to that fresh seafood and lots of gelati and we are not complaining!
In the afternoon, we climbed the hill at the far end of the city for some fantastic views, before heading back to the hostel for a cheap dinner of salami and cheese rolls and a few beers. Later we headed out for a drink in the beautifully lit Old Town with a couple of guys from the hostel.
The following day there were celebrations for the patron saint of Split. We had a quick breakfast, and watched a bit of the parade and other celebrations around town. Our passenger ferry departed for Hvar Island at 2, and passing through the produce markets on the way we couldn’t resist buying some local honey and fresh strawberries.
Upon arrival in Hvar Town, we were picked up and driven to the hostel/guesthouse we had booked. For 8 quid each per night we had a private room with ensuite, a kitchen we shared with two other rooms, our own fridge, and a balcony with amazing views over the island. The two days we spent on the island paradise of Hvar were extremely relaxing. We wandered the town, ate a fantastic meal (seafood pasta, wine, and a complimentary shot of grappa), had great homemade meals of bread, cheese, cold meats and our honey, and had a swim in the wonderfully clear and inviting (if a little chilly) Adriatic Sea.
Next stop was (sweltering) Dubrovnik for three nights...

Beautiful Slovenia

So our second day in Slovenia we took a trip out to the town of Bled to see its famed lake. It definately did not disappoint us; it was absolutely gorgeous. We walked the 6km path around the lake's circumference, and hired a boat, where Dave got in a workout rowing us around. Photos to follow (but they don't do it justice.) Back in Ljubljana, we went out for some drinks and a lovely meal at a Slovenian restaurant with Krystal, a girl from our hostel.
The final day saw us up at the castle, perched atop a hill overlooking Ljubjana, where we discovered that the viewing tower was closed for renovations. Our next stop was the Tivoli park (which we discovered served as a hangout for the local Ljubljana teenage population) and the Contemporary History Museum, which covered the 20th century history of Slovenia. Then it was a matter of waiting for our night train.
We are currently in Split, Croatia, catching a ferry tomorrow to Hvar Island, where we will spend two very relaxing days before hitting Dubrovnik.

Photos: Lithuania and Poland

Up Wawal Hill at the castle in Krakow

Auschwitz

View of Market Square from our hostel, Krakow

Warsaw Uprising Monument, Warsaw

Warsaw Old Town

View over Vilnius from the Hill of the Three Crosses

Trakai, Lithuania

Vilnius main square

I Just Can't Get Enough...Pierogi

The food in Poland is so good! We have been living on pierogi and kebabs for the past three days, which we have spent in Krakow, along with half of Europe! It has been sooo crowded. We arrived on the train from Warsaw and found our hostel, perfectly located in the centre overlooking the Market Square. Our first day was spent wandering the town, doing some laundry and debating whether to attend a Chopin piano concert. Dave prevailed on that one. We ended up getting kebabs and racing back to the hostel to avoid a brief thunderstorm, then being woken at 4am the next morning by the stag group staying at the hostel.
The next morning we rose early and made our way out to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the trip you really have to do when you are out this way. After taking an hour on the bus to get out there, it took us, due to a combination of roadworks and a broken down car, three hours to get back. That night we ate at this great, and cheap, pierogi place we found off the main sqaure.
The last day we headed up Wawel Hill to wander the castle grounds, took a nice walk by the Vistula, and sat out and had some beers while waiting for our train in the beer tent at the fair that was on by the river.
We are now in pretty little Ljubljiana, Slovenia, which is a haven after the mania of Krakow. We arrived this afternoon having spent Saturday night and most of today on the train. We caught an overnight from Krakow and had to change in Vienna, where we endured an unexplained one hour delay. We are staying in a great place though - we have the entire second floor, kitchen included, to ourselves!
Hope everyone is well.

Ahh-choo!

So to pick up from where we left off, our second day in Vilnius we took a day trip out to a place called Trakai, 45 minutes by bus. The main attraction there is the castle, Eastern Europe’s only castle on an island. It is a very pretty and peaceful place, and we enjoyed a few beverages at a cute little café overlooking the water. That night in Vilnius we cooked our own meal of dumplings, sausages and salad, and had a great night hanging out in the hostel kitchen chatting to our some of our fellow guests. The last day we spent exploring some more. Our first stop was the Uzupis Republic, a tongue-in-cheek breakaway state with its own president, flag and constitution. We then climbed the Hill of the Three Crosses for some fantastic views across the city, before sitting down to a delicious lunch of zeppelins (potato dumplings with a meat filling), cottage dumplings, and a dish the menu called Masters’ Chicken (Dave was happy to get a photo with that!)
At the moment we are in Warsaw, Poland, having arrived here at 10 to 6 this morning on an overnight bus which blasted us with unwanted air con all night. We dumped our bags at our hostel, and set off down the Royal Way to explore the Old Town, which was levelled during WWII by the Germans after the Warsaw Uprising and has been reconstructed. I swear, every school in Poland must be having an excursion today – there are large groups of children of varying ages EVERYWHERE. After, we took a walk over to the Jewish suburbs, where we visited the moving Pawiak Prison Museum, containing exhibits and photos of Polish Jews and their war experience under the Nazis, before a yummy lunch of Polish pirogi. Tomorrow we will jump on a train for the 3 hour journey to Krakow.
Pics to follow.

Russia: Photos

Here they are.

The Bronze Horseman - St Petersburg

At the Mariinsky Theatre - St Petersburg

The Winter Palace - St Petersburg

Church on Spilled Blood - St Petersburg

Cathedral Square, Kremlin - Moscow

View from our hostel - Moscow

In Red Square with St Basil's in background - Moscow

Ballet and Borsch

So we have just come off two busy days in beautiful St Petersburg. After arriving at 7am on the overnight train, we headed down Nevsky Prospekt (making a quick pit stop at Maccas for some breakfast) and dropped off our bags at the hostel. Our first stop for the day was the marvellous Winter Palace. Wow, what a sight. We made our way through the courtyard to the entrance to the Hermitage museum, where we spent a good two and a half hours.
Next up was the Church on Spilled Blood, the interior of which is amazing - covered in colourful mosaics. After stopping at a Russian bistro for a lunch of borsch and fried potatoes with garlic (yum), we made our way back to the hostel to freshen up before heading out again.
Suitably attired, we headed over to the Mariinsky Theatre to pick up our tickets for the classical ballet, Raymonda. After a pre show snack and drink, we took our (extremly good) seats. Wow!! The ballet was fantastic, and the costumes colourful. Afterwards we stopped off for coffee and cake before turning in.
The next day, after partaking of our hostels' free weekend breakfast of pancakes and Russian jam, we took off for the HI International Hostel, the meeting spot for Peter's Walking Tours. For the next 5 hours we traversed the city on foot, stopping for a couple of coffee breaks and a chat with our guide and fellow walkers. It was possibly the best walking tour I have ever done. We were shown parts of the city we never would have seen, we found out more about the history of St Petersburg, specific buildings and the well known residents that inhabited them, and we passed some seriously weird sights (the Museum of Radiation Hygiene anyone?) Afterwards, we made our way back to the hostel via the Bronze Horseman statue and St Isaac's Cathedral, stopping at the souvenir markets next to the Church on Spilled Blood, where some serious haggling was undertaken (that was Dave's responsibility.) We then made our way to the train station for our overnight train to Lithuania.
We are currently in Vilnius, getting ready to head out for some cheap beers and Lithuanian food. We have spent today exploring the pretty Old Town, and have visited the Museum of Genocide Victims, housed in the old KGB headquarters. The exhibits cover the Lithuanian experience under Soviet rule and the resistance movement, and on the lower level is a chilling KGB prison.
Until next time.