While heading north, we past the last remaining symbol of England that was once a border between both England and Scotland. In fact, it was once the end of the Roman Empire and on the north side of it was un tameable Scotland. Hadiran's Wall is an impressive feat. Not quite the Great Wall Of China, but still impressive. It once stretched from one coast to the other but now only a few sections remain. The parts that do remain are pretty awesome, running up almost vertical hills and across ridges that hang over the edge of enormous cliffs. Once we [View Full Entry]

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Mum and Dad arrived tired and worn out from the long flight but still managed to stay up ready to see all the big sights of Olney. 10 minutes later we had seen all the big sights of Olney. More accurately though, we did see more of Olney in one half day than I have seen in my whole 5 months there. Keen to get underway, we hopped in the car they hired the next day early and set off to our first destination, Bath. We were guided straight there by the satellite navagation system installed in the car which made [View Full Entry]

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I knew exactly when we crossed the border into Germany as it was a smooth ride on nice wide lanes, a far cry from the Polish infastructure. The 10 hour bus trip from Kraków to Berlin was a hellish one but we got there. I had met a girl from Melbourne and the endless talking made the trip seem to go a bit quicker. I arrived late to my pre booked hostel in Berlin and so the plan was to get settled and head for a quick beer before bed. So you know my plans never go to plan. The hostel [View Full Entry]

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Getting to Poland was a relief. There were restaurants, people who spoke a little bit of english and more things that seemed like a normal city. I arrived reasonabley late so just had enough time for dinner. There is a street called Nowy Swiat which has a great selection of cafés and bars which also looked very nice. The next day I headed back up Nowy Swiat to the Old Town. In 1980 the Warsaw old town was put on the UNESCO World Heritage list and for good reason. It is a remarkable place. What is more remarkable is the fact [View Full Entry]

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After an hour an a half and 3 stops, we make it over the border. It was the longest, drawn out border crossing I've ever been through but it was all good and we continue on to Minsk. I had no idea what to expect from Belarus. No pre-conceptions or even any imaginations of what I might see. The short drive from the border to Minsk was prosaic but driving into Minsk itself was a treat. Not because it was particually interesting or attractive but because it was totally unexpected. I was preparring myself for a monotonous journey of dour, gloomy [View Full Entry]

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The bus was actually on time, I couldn't believe it. I left Riga to the minute and was on my way to Šiauliai (Prenounced Shou-lay) in Lithuania. When we arrived at the border, we had to wait for 20 minutes while the passports were processed. This begun a theme for the day, waiting. Once at Šiauliai I headed to the Information Centre to find out ways to get to to my destination. I had to wait in line for 10 minutes while the only girl on the desk was finnished helping someone. She gave the details I was after and since [View Full Entry]

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I have been living in Europe long enough now to expect the public transport to be on time. 35 minutes late the bus finally shows up. It's a good thing I didn't have to be in Riga at a certain time. The delays didn't stop there. I had to decipher if my seat number meant the one above the seat or below the seat, as they were totally different. After I just thought "stuff it" and sat down, an argument broke out between one of the passengers and the driver. It turned ugly with the passenger slamming his fist on seats [View Full Entry]

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This time I had a bed to sleep on. The last time I caught the cruise ship from Turku to Stockholm I had the floor as a bed but this time was different, I had a cabbin. We set sail from Stockholm bound for Tallinn. Everyone crowded on to the sun deck and gazed out over the waters as they sipped thier beers. Feet up, I joined in the relaxing activities while being serenaded by the small band piping out a few ancient sea chanties. Later that night we were given a performance in the theater. It was a cross between [View Full Entry]

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Travelling on a budget is not always easy. So imagine my relief when I get to the shipping port in Turku, Finland. "One way ticket to Stockholm please" "Are you travelling on Interail?" "No" She busies herself in her computer tapping on the keys and referring to my passport. She hands back my passport and my ticket. "OK there you go, have a good journey" "Ah so do I have to pay elsewhere or...?" "No it's free" I couldn't belive what she had just said. "Yes, you have come along way" So I had just saved myself 29 euro for the [View Full Entry]

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Yes you heard it correctly, we are experiencing a scorching 27 degrees. For Finland this is a heatwave. Usually when they just say 27 degrees they mean minus 27. Heatwave or not, it's been nice weather. The internet here is rediculously expensive so ill be brief. I flew into Tampere and spent 2 hours lookin for a hostel. (I'm staying in hostels cause I have next to no money) I was actually lucky enough to have a whole dorm to myself. Tampere is ok. It has been a large industrial city for many years but it has it's nice parts. I [View Full Entry]

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