Onto sunshine and tans

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Hi all this may end up being a bit quick, but am more intersted in trying to get some pictures available to you. They sometimes say so much more!!!! So last time we met, I was in Krawkow in a rather reflective mood. After that we left onto the slovakia Tatras mountains for some serious hiking. Very glad to find that I have a reasonable level of fitness, because this was some hard work. 4 hours the first arvo we arrive, then up at the crack of dawn the next morning to hike again for several hours. There is something so cool when u are able to say to yourself - hey, right now I am hiking the tatras moutains in my Bali boardshorts circa 2001!!!!! Certainly a fun memory for years to come. So after some very tough walčking, we were rewarded with the most spectacular views that can only come with some tough work.
Hehehehe he next morning our pension told us all off for stealing from the buffett breakfast to supply us with lunch for the long trip to Bratislava (Slovakian capital). Oh the shame that u are seemingly willing to leave all behind when u are backpacking, and are pretty certain that your manging clothes identify u well and truely as a packer!!!!!
Bratislava to me - well pretty forgettable, got in late Saturday, nothing was open and the weather had turned. Then to compound insult to injury Brastislava still has a rather draconian law that live music at street level must end at 10pm sharp! So another long day of travel and we arrived into Budapest, Hungary. Honestly went in with very little true expectations, but was very impressed with the city often called the Paris of Eastern Europe. After a walking afternoon by myself, then next day we did a bike tour around the city and then a communism tour to see what it weas like to live under the regime. At this point people from the old tour sadly left us, and we gained several new faces. Arghhhhh another long day of travel pervailed, and several passport stamps later I was in Dubrovnik, Croatia baby. And it rocks!!!!!! Totally loving it already. It is soooooo different to the other places though. So it provides a great point of differentiation to the other places that I have seen so far. But like much of Europe, sadness doesn't linger too far behind, and u can still see the battle scars of the war in 1991 for independance.
But if there is one thing to be said about this trip as a moral, vs my typical amoral sitatuations - freedom is an amazing thing, and it's true value should never ever be underestimated
 
 

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Photos

St Netty
Further group character explanations later, but finally looking less like a backpacker, more like a normal person!