camokitty

From Aswan to Luxor we sailed down the Nile on 'Melodie' our baby cruise ship. We were fortunate enough to be the only group on board, which was total luxury. Melodie was a very small boat in comparison to some of the other monsters cruising around. We spent 2 days cruising on Melodie and made 2 stops to visit the temple of Kom Ombo and Edfu. Both temples have a fascinating history. The Edfu temple was taken over by the early christians who were trying to escape persecution, and for some bizarre reason did not like the 3D hieroglyphs and chiseled them off to a 2D version, they made an awful mess. They also lit fires inside the temple which has caused the smoke stained ceiling as depicted in the photographs. Again these temples must have ... read more

We travelled from Cairo to Aswan via the overnight train. What an experience! We travelled first class, which basically meant that I had a reclining seat, but the carriage itself was comfortable. Tip: Other passengers take off the door handles to the toilets to preserve the cleanliness for themselves…so I would recommend bringing your own tool set. My experience on this train was severely dampened by two factors; firstly the train’s breaking system and secondly the drunkenness of the other passengers. The train (apparently caused by some fault in the air brakes) had several series of massive jolts whenever it slowed down. This caused luggage to fall, people to be thrown out of their seats and whip lash for all. A very unpleasant experience especially when you are trying to sleep. A few members of our ... read more

We flew from Warsaw to Budapest with LOT airlines, this worked out to be considerably cheaper (and more pleasant) than taking the train. We arrived in Budapest at night, and marvelled at how beautiful the city was with the numerous architectural wonders expertly lit up. We were staying with Ace Hostel in central Budapest. This hostel was extremely cheap at $15 NZD per night but was extremely budget. We were greeted by Lesley. If you ever thought to yourself I wonder what a stereotypical Hungarian is like, Lesley was it. He was a happy, hospitable, and sporting a large moustache. The entire hostel appeared to be totally held together by cellotape, the table, the chairs, the oven, bed slates and several electrical fittings were all held together with cellotape. I think Lesley may have shares in ... read more

We booked our day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenhau concentration camps via the information centre in Krakow. It cost 90 zloty (45 NZD) for a 6hour trip including the bus trip and an English speaking guide. Travellers beware: Other tour companies quoted up to 300 zloty for a tour so an information centre is a must! We took the afternoon tour to Auschwitz, for two reasons I believe we made the right choice. Firstly, school trips go in the morning; secondly, the sunset photos do make some interesting photo opportunities. What I did not initially realise is that Auschwitz and Birkenhau are two separate camps which are approx 4km apart. Auschwitz was a former Polish military camp, so upon arriving you are dumb struck at how 'nice' the camp looks, with brick barrack rooms, trees and paved footpaths. ... read more

Just 1 hour train ride from Prague is the little town of Kutna Hora. Kutna Hora is famous for one thing, the Bone church. This little gothic church is literally covered with human bones. The bones of approximately 40,000 people (victims of the plague) are decoratively arranged on the walls, on the ceilings, and as fittings like chandeliers. This work can be attributed to a half-blind (and half-mad) monk in the 14th Century. The church is just fascinating and was well worth the trip but I didn’t pick up any interior decorating ideas. ... read more