jacqandbrett

Ok, next stop Berlin. Berlin is a bit out of the way for us which is why it was on our 'maybe we should skip it' list but we were both really glad that we didn't. We made the decision to go to Berlin before Munich as Prague is about half way between anyway. This was the best decision we've made because right know we're down the south of Germany and we're skipping a lot of the centre and the north because we love Bavaria so much (more on that later)! So Berlin - we called the tourist office on the way in and discovered a touring van site right in the centre of Berlin for only 17 euro per night. Because we got in so late we stayed in for the night and got up ... read more

After finally getting over the worst case of the runs i've had in my life, we made a new plan and headed for Telc in the Moravian area of the Czech Republic. Telc (pronounced Telch) is a very cute little town with a Unesco World Heritage listed old town square and a renaissance style castle. But after taking advantage of the free wifi and free washing in Budapest all morning, we didn't make it to Telc until after 5 so sight seeing was out. Instead we settled in for a couple of local ales that immediately reinforced Bretto's notion that Czech beers are the best in the world! And at only 80p a pint, how could you not love it?! Because we were so excited about how cheap everything was, we decided to go out to ... read more

A BLOG BY BRETTO So after a very long and drunken expedition of Croatia and Bosnia we set sail for Slovinia on the whim of a drunken memory of a recommendation from a guy in Dubrovnik (and Kirra, Lauren and Amy)! Through the border we go with the girls perving on the 'hot' customs guy and choruses of "hey jude", changed to "hey norm" being screeched throughout the lush Slovenian countryside. What more could a man ask for i hear you say? Well once you get to Bled you will understand! you get PEACE!!!! QUIET!!!! MAGNIFICENT SCENERY!!! AND did i mention "PEACE"!!!! The change from Croatia was dramatic - from 23 degrees one day to 14 the next, and straight from arid limestone mountains to lush green rolling hills and quaint colourful cottages. Because it ... read more

Wow - Croatia! We have had the most amazing time here. It has truly been the highlight of our trip and I am absolutely in love with this beautiful country. I had no idea it would be so amazingly excellent. I wish that we never had to leave but I know I'll never forget how spectacular this part of our journey was. We started in Split after taking the overnight ferry over from Ancona. Split has some great markets and I spent half my day ˝browsing˝ for dresses and sarongs. We stayed at a great campsite (Camp Stobrec) 6km outside of Split and after setting up camp, we drove to the airport to pick up Stef and Jess and Jason who were all flying in from London. The next day was departure day - woohoo!! When ... read more

Matera was the next destination and i'm so glad we made it there! After the heat of the last week, the four of us decided to get a cave hotel with air conditioning for the night in Matera and really live it up in the lap of luxury!! Matera is the location of the Passion of the Christ movie directed by Mel Gibson and it really does look magical. We stayed in one of the Sassi areas where everything is built of limestone and all the houses are carved out of the mountain. It was a really special sight to see, especially at night. But best of all, the air conditioning was amazing! We were so appreciative we stayed in for the rest of the afternoon and watched crappy Italian variety TV! We did venture ... read more