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