http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Tad-ik/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Tad ik en-us Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:49:37 +0000 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:49:37 +0000 Vincenzo pulled up at the roundabout I chucked the bag in the boot and we're off for Milan. The journey begins here.It's a sweltering 32C and the car has no air conditioning but we stop for a few breaks on the road where I get a beer and he gets a fag. By 7pm we reach Milan and easily find the hotel above Rolling Stone after some seriously dodgy parking Then down to a local brewery to get s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lombardy/Milan/blog-326586.html Lvov Ukraine 22nd October 0600Up early to get tomorrow evening's budget flight from Warsaw to Belfast. I have to make it over the EU border and cross the entire length of Poland today. Fortunately I shored up on food at the supermarket yesterday. I leave some money for Marusha and a quick note in a napkin I can guarantee that girl doesn't get the reward she deserves for all her hard work and http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-227628.html The train pulled into Lvov at about 6.30 and I headed for the hostel on foot hoping to check in and possibly catch a nap. Unfortunately Marushka was asleep when I arrived so I cruised the internet for a while went to an orthodox mass downtown and was about to take a nap when a couple of people arrived at reception also looking for Marushka. Failing to find her we decided to have breakfast at http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Lviv/blog-227358.html Arrival couchsurfing and checkinThe train pulled up in Odessa at dawn disturbing my sleep. Exhaused I headed upstairs to the station waiting room paid the 3 glivna entrance fee and fell asleep on the comfy chairs for several more hours. Then back downstairs for some negotiating to get my bag into left luggage. And then into town for some breakfast. I'm supposed to be meeting Katerina to have http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Odessa/blog-226578.html October 17th Arrival and meeting JasonThe train arrived really early in the morning at about 6am before dawn in Sevastopol. Fortunately the town bus starts early and as perJason's text I made my way to Malahov Korgahan where he has got out of bed to meet me and we headed back for some more sleep followed by breakfast. He took the afternoon off I sleep for the morning and we head out to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Krim/Sevastopol/blog-225739.html October 15th Trip arrival and homecomingDown to the station on the double and onto the morning express to DP. Apparently the Ukrainian version of an express train is simply one which runs during the day with really uncomfortable seats because it doesn't seem any faster or slower than the usual night trains. I have rather a lot of difficulty with my seat its not written obviously on my ticket http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Dnepropetrovsk/blog-225155.html Saturday 13th October arrival and KyivThe overnight train pulled in at halfseven and we walked out to the sound of military marching music into the mighty marblevaulted voxhall of Kyiv. Time to get some breakfast but first I spend an hour arguing with the staff at the station's left luggage while I try to offload my bags. Eventually it works and I head down the road getting some local porr http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Kyiv/blog-224266.html The Journey to LvovI just about made the train in Krakow and had a pretty uncomfortable journey to the border town of Przemsyl. The small carriage was packed for the 4 and a half hour journey. The atmosphere was imposed by the guy sitting beside me a massive man with apelike features who was listening to bad techno on cheap headphones at maximum volume. He was rigid with sitting legs splayed out http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Lviv/blog-223799.html 11th October Journey and EveningThe journey was everything you'd imagine from an Eastern European train. The train moved slowly to Krakow and two old men filled the car with smoke as I slept. Arriving in Krakow I tried but failed to find the hostel Aga recommended. Fortunately I met a fellow backpacker who recommended me to the best hostel I encountered on the whole trip called Momotown in t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Krakow/blog-221822.html 8th October Arrival EveningIn true Polish style myself and Aga headed straight for the pub since the train to Gliwice wasn't for another hour. It was good to meet again and Aga's English was prettymuch perfect thanks to a two year stint in Newcastle. In fact she'd even picked up a hilarious Georgie accent on a few words After a nice beer and a status update we headed back to the station http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/blog-221269.html I really like Austria the people are surprisingly friendly. Having boarded a surprisingly unmodern train from Salzburg to Vienna I was joined by two young beautiful Austrian students on their way to the first day of university term. Needless to say they both claimed to be bad at English when in fact their English was excellent. We chatted about life music and the road ahead they introduce http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Vienna-State/Vienna/blog-219915.html Sunday 7th OctoberWoke up rested at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon quite dazed Kiliam the same. First a steak and salad breakfast. Head for a walk around Hallein a stunning alpine villiage of narrow streets and angular houses exactly like you imagined. Then down to the station for a train to Salzburg only to discover after 30 mins that on Sundays such trains are only hourly so we wait f http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Salzburg-State/Salzburg/blog-219619.html Predeparture and journey LjubljanaI wake up quite confused. For some reason there's a blonde girl on top of me that wasn't there the night before. Then I realise she's just looking to turn off my alarm clock. The next thing I realise I've missed my train and I'm still far from soberiety. And my feet still soaked and freezing.I discover the German girl's name is Britta a European business stude http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Bavaria/Munich/blog-217427.html Journey and arrivalBy the time I got to Ljubljana I was sick of capital hopping. I called into the tourist office to ask what I could do that was a little more adventurous. The very friendly guy there with a hilarious bald patch on the top of his head gave me a timetable for a bus to Bled where I was told I could get my outdoor hit. I decided to get a late bus and spend the day looking at Ljub http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovenia/blog-216377.html Journey and ArrivalA quiet journey across the Serbian border and into Croatia where a shopkeeper joins my cabin and we have a chat and a game of chess. Soon afterwards a huge guy headed for Munich arrived and killed the conversation so the remainder of the journey into Zagreb was pretty tedious. Out of the train and shortly later met Stipe in the station. Zagreb instantly struck me as a much mo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Croatia/Central-Croatia/Zagreb/blog-215071.html Journey and ArrivalI wokeup in the train with an old Serbian couple in my car and sleep wasn't coming back. The old lady seemed releived that I was alive and promptly forced me to eat lots of food literally shoving it into my face. It was hard to complain it's quite nice DThe highlight of this train journey was unquestionably pasing through Nis. The train passes along at the equivalent height http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Serbia/West/Belgrade/blog-215006.html Journey and First NightMet a Czech guy called Vladmir on the train and we travelled north of the border playing chess and drinking beer. Arriving in Skopje was an experience walked from the train station down a familiar road to Kisele Voda to where the hostel should be but couldn't find it in fact I walked past it 5 or 6 times without ever noticing it was thereThanks to Macedonian good will http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Macedonia/Skopje/blog-214573.html Journey and ArrivalHad a beautiful train ride up from Athens to Thessaloniki. The railway winds needlessly through mountain passes and gives beautiful views of the land below. Got delayed by fire on route for an hour as well which I suppose is traditional DPassengers were mostly unfriendly and untalkative with the exception of the gorgeous Greek girl Daniella who sat beside me from Larissa to 2 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Central-Macedonia/Thessaloniki/blog-214523.html ArrivalArrived and met a Greek guy living Bournemouth on the metro into town. Which was good because he told me a hostel I could stay in rather than slumming it in the SyntagmaSo I checked into Athens Backpackers near Acropolis in the last bed and headed down to Syntagma to get some food and assure my mother I was alive. And have a beer Woke up in the middle of the night in the hostel in a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Attica/Athens/blog-214515.html The journey starts at Green Park Tube Station. After saying goodbye to John I enter the packed Victoria station grab a superb cheese sandwich and get the train out to Gatwick. An uneventful checkin later and I'm on the plane to Greece wishing for sleep that won't come thanks to the lack of legroom in my chair.I notice a girl reading a Lonely Planet on the opposite side of the aisle and strike http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-214322.html