How time flies!

Hey!

Well it´s been a while since my last post and we´re now in Berlin, having arrived at lunchtime.

After our two nights in Dubrovnik we moved onto Split, originally staying for 3 nights, but we decided to stay 4 nights as it was really lovely and we were enjoying being near the beach.

The old area of Split is centered around the Roman ruins of Dioclecian´s Palace, which has buildings added to it in adhoc fashion and Dioclecian´s Palace has been turned into a huge cathedral - odd since Dioclecian persecuted the christians - I guess it´s a case of he who laughs last...

Like Dubrovnik, Split´s pedestrian streets are made of polished marble, so it´s sunglasses territory during the day and it glows at night. We visited some beaches around Split, which were a bit dissapointing and dirty, but we took the ferry over to Hvar Island where the water is clear like crystal and really cool. Have decided that next time we go back we´ll do an organised boat tour around the Croation coastline as you don´t have to deal with unpredictable public transport! The night/bar life in Split is pretty cool, you just have to wander off the main square and there are so many bars and the beer is cold and cheap! Was also great to catch up with Kat and Steve, if only for the morning! Wish we had booked the tour with yu guys, we´re so tempted to climb onto the boat behind you!


Me sitting at an outdoor cafe, I think I had just been served up the strangest looking cheeseburger I have ever seen!

We took the train up to Zagreb and spent the night in our first dorm room, which wasn´t to bad, except the hostel was pretty grotty - the mould in the bathroom was something to behold! Zagreb´s a really nice city and I wish we´d given it more time. It´s even more of a fairy tale than Prague and much quieter. There´s a hole street dedicated to pubs - it´s quite a trek - would take a full week of pub crawls!


Soo many berries! Fruit and Veg Markets, Zagreb

From Zagreb we took the train north to Budapest, which is a really pretty journey. It´s interesting to watch the styles of houses and buildings change as you go north.

Budapest is an amazing city, so beautiful and lots of fun! Unfortunately the first place we stayed in was a real dive and we had to pay up front without any chance of a refund - talk about shafted! So we decided to cut and run... downstairs! Where there were nicer flats run by a different lady that were the same price.

We packed a lot into our 2 1/2 sightseeing days in Budapest, visiting heroe´s square, the markets, the large Synagogue, the Statue Park (Statues from the Soviet era), the castle, Fisherman´s Bastion and the exterior of Pariament building (one of the best buildings so far) which was closed because the orchestra, choir and opera singers were giving a dress rehearsal, which we were allowed to sit and watch! We also had some great food and beer in Budapest - better than Italy - probably because it was quite different to Australia.


Parliament House, Budapest. Photo by Jay

After two whirl wind days in Hungry we took the train to Prague, for two more whirl wind days in Prague! We shared our train compartment with an Irish guy, his Slovakian girlfriend and her sister, who were all living in Germany - so it was a great train ride and we chatted the whole way to Prague.

We took a walking tour on the first day, which covered most of the important sites, then on the second day we visited ST Nicholas Cathedral and the Mucha Museum, which has been one of my highlights, getting more ideas for my masters and I bought lots of postcards. I´d like to see Prague during the low season as in summer it´s just packed and was a bit exhausting like Florence. On the last night we decided to relax and see Pirates 3 - what a dissapointment! Was a mixture of Godzilla and Braveheart! Jack Sparrow and Borbossa were great though - as usual...


Jay sheepishly patting the bronze dog.

So that´s a potted version of the last week or so - once again no photos - this computer doesn´t have a USB or CD drive - sorry! Will post some later.

Congrats to Basil and Penny for the new addition to your family - lovely news!

Nathalie - have been collecting charms - can´t wait to show you them!

Will send postcards now we´re in Germany, looking forward to experiencing their world famous efficient service!

Love to all - missing everyone and getting a little homesick!

Lucy

Resting in Umbria and walking the wall in Dubrovnik

Well! It's been a while since the last chapter and we've since moved onto Croatia, which is even more beautiful than I could have imagined!

Assisi was stunning and it was nice to have a long stay in a quiet town, where we did just as much sleeping as we did sightseeing! Mum, you'll be pleased to know I saw my first bonafied 'stregga nonna' only she was minus her magic pasta pot, but she had the outfit, the walking stick and a fantastic face full of wrinkles when she smiled.

We visited the Basilica of St Francis, which is very ornate (surprising considering he denounced all worldly possessions when he was alive). Although I thought the basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) was the prettier cathedral - very simple, but with beautiful frescoes (only of female saints - no St John - a first!) on the ceiling of the dome and the tomb below houses both the robes of St. Claire and St Francis. You should see St Claire's Chemise - it's huge! Either she was a giant or nun's used to wear massive undergarments!


Main square in Assisi

We also hiked up to the Rocca Maggiore and looked through the ruins, the view of Umbria is spectacular - the area is an eden of olive groves and vineyards (prettier than Tuscany I thought) and much cooler. The food in Umbria is delicious and they don't skimp on the servings either - lots of truffles!


Jay and I with the Umbrian landscape in the background

The journey from Assisi to Dubrovnik was long and arduous! Firstly we were stuck in a train carriage with the world's craziest elderly Italian couple. Then when we got to Bari, we discovered our 'deck' tickets for the ferry meant quite literally that we were sleeping on the deck! We met another couple of Aussies and made camp in an indoor recreation area. I guess it all makes for good stories!

Dubrovnik didn't dissapoint though, the old town is amazing, the streets are polished marble - you can slide from point A to point B! It's hard to imagine that only 15 years ago the city was under siege and that so many of the old buildings were badly damaged, as almost everything has been repaired, although we noticed a few... very sad. We took the walk around the city's massive walls in the evening - which has been one of my favourite walks so far, the view is fantastic!

We also took the ferry out to Lokrum Island, which has an old abandoned monastery and we wondered through the ruins, it's lovely and leafy with beautiful beaches!

Anyway - enough for now! Will post some pics soon.

All the best,
Luc.

Lost in Venice

Venice was brilliant! Maybe a little pricey, but so beautiful and so much fun just to wander around and get lost down a little ally way. Would love to have had longer time there.



I know the guidebooks say there is more to Venice than St Mark's Piazza, but it truly is a great place just to sit and watch all the people and the pigeons (Jay and I were trying to work out who outnumbered who!) You can enjoy a gelati in the sun or opt for one of the pricey tea rooms. Jay and ! experienced both! We went into a really famous old cafe called 'Lavena' (there was a doco on SBS about a year ago), I had an Italian hot chocolate, which consisted of warmed milk and melted chocolate and Jay had a beer. Of course there's all the trimmings including chips and little biscuits, mineral warter, silver tray... It was our most expensive meal in Venice, coming to Euro 28!



We didn't do any church visits in Venice, instead we opted for the Dogé's Palace and walked across the Bridge of Sighs and visited the old prison cells, armory and the amazing council rooms. If you ever go to the palace and see the main room of parliament, look out for the fallen Dogé who is represented by a black cloth!



In the afternoon we headed over to Murano to see the glass museum and factories. The museum is small but worth the visit, especially before seeing the factories as it helped us understand the different techniques and the different styles of glass being made. It wasn't as easy as we thought to find a factory, you seem to have to wander through the shops first... After the museum I expected to see people in 15th Century robes creating exquisite goblets and chandeliers, but just found guys wearing Italian version of hard yakka! Kinda ruined the romantic mystery behind Venetian Glass...

Thanks to Wendy for tip on Campo Santa Margherita - we had a delicious dinner there - homemade pumpkin Gnocchi! Best dish I've had in Italy. It was also good fun, lots of uni students and good pub atmosphere.

The next day we headed out to the Museum of Modern Art, only to find all the Venetian Civic museums were closed for the day due to a security services strike! Luckily the Peggy Guggenheim Museum (which is privately run) was still open. It was a nice place just to visit, her garden is lovely and quiet and lots of sculptures to keep us entertained. Inside we found Miro, Dali, Picasso, etc... so that made up for the strike. Was disappointed that we missed the costume museum, but it just gives me an excuse to return! Am considering studying Murano glass for my masters, as it would require an excursion!



Was very sad to leave Venice, although I think Assisi and Umbria will make up for it - it's really magic here - but more on that later!

Talk soon,
Lucy.