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Published: July 28th 2008
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Walled City of Dubrovnik
Walking around the walls of the city was one of the highlights of our time in Croatia Continuing our journey through Eastern Europe, we arrived in Budapest tired and exhausted from the long overnight train journey from Sighisoara. Leaving the station, we found a taxi, agreed that 'meter' was fine (very important in Europe) and left for the hotel. After only a couple of blocks, I noticed that the driver's hand was hovering very close to the meter's buttons as he changed gear so started to watch the meter ticking over like a hawk.
A couple of minutes later, I glanced at the map momentarily and on looking back at the meter noticed that the price had almost doubled in the space of a few seconds. I pointed this out to the driver who let loose with a torrent of Hungarian, pulled over, yelled that we should have booked a telephone taxi if we wanted honesty (my translation) and summarily kicked us out of the cab onto the footpath!! We then began walking to our hotel, which luckily wasn't too far, once again reminded of how dodgy cab drivers can be (that profession seems to bring out the worst in people).
As our apartment wasn't ready (it was 7am), we freshened up as best we could,
Chemical War Teddy
Did you have this one as a child? stored our luggage and headed off to explore Budapest. After searching out a decent cafe and relaxing over a good English breakfast, we wandered along the world heritage listed Adrassy Avenue to the "House of Terror"; former headquarters of the Secret Police and the site of many atrocities committed against the Hungarian people by their Communist 'liberators'. The museum was quite large and detailed Hungary's history from the Nazi occupation to the fall of Communism, so it kept us busy for several hours and by the time we left we'd learned more about Hungarian recent history than I thought I'd possibly ever want to know.
Then it was time for a walk along the famous River Danube, so we jumped on the metro (the oldest in continental Europe) and headed to the riverbank on the Pest side of the city. Budapest, originally founded by Celts, is actually two cities - Buda and Pest - unified in 1873. Buda is older and contains most of the medieval remains of the city, while Pest is the commercial heart of the now sprawling metropolis. Wandering along the river we saw the Parliament building that is apparently modeled on Westminster, but with hundreds
House of Terror
Building where the communist secret police committed horrendous acts against the civilian population of gothic spires; and eventually ended up on an evening river cruise that afforded nice views of Varhegy (Castle Hill), the Royal Palace and Gellert Baths.
The next day was spent wandering around Castle Hill, making our way through throngs of tourists near the Fisherman's Bastion, admiring the tiles (and ever present scaffolding) at Matthias Cathedral and stopping briefly for a rest at the Royal Palace. Making our way back down the hill, we were on our way to the statue of Saint Gellert, which stands on a hill high above the river, when we had to cross through a park that was under an overpass. Almost immediately we were approached by a guy holding a map and requesting directions - we stopped for a minute to help and within seconds another two guys approached claiming they were undercover police, flashing a dodgy gold badge (looked like it came from a cereal box) and asking for our passports - at that point Janice shouted out "SCAMMERS" at the top of her voice and we pushed our way past them and kept walking. They followed for a few moments and then gave up and let us go.
Reaching the
Seycheni Baths, Budapest
Healing baths in Budapest, Hungary statue of Saint Gellert (he tried to convert pagan Hungarians and they pushed him off a waterfall into the river), provided a great view of the city so we spent some time up there looking around before heading back to the Pest side of the river to wander around the pedestrian streets, have a drink and do some people watching. The next day we explored the Jewish Quarter and learnt about the awful treatment of the Hungarian jews at the hands of the Nazis; for all the Australians - we ran into Jeff Kennett (former Victorian Premier) and his wife at the Jewish Synagogue. We then spent the afternoon wandering around Heroes Square and lounging in the thermal pools at Szeycheni Baths - one of the largest complexes of its kind in Europe.
Our last morning in Budapest was spent on a tour of the Communist Statue Park on the outskirts of the city. Instead of destroying all reminders of communism like their counterparts in other Eastern European countries, the Hungarians preserved the statues and placed them in a park as a reminder of the years they suffered at the hands of the Commies (and as a money earner
with tourists). The statues were quite interesting in and of themselves, but our guide really made them come alive as she told us where they stood and what the locals had thought of these constant reminders of their oppression.
That afternoon we boarded the train and headed for the Croatian capital of Zagreb - this is where we would meet up with my younger brother Andrew whom would join us for the remainder of our travels; our time of traveling alone was over!
Zagreb is a small, pleasant city with plenty of outdoor bars and restaurants, so the next day was spent wandering around the old quarter and people watching until it was time to board the train for our trip down the Croatian coast to the city of Split. Split is most well known for being the home of Diocletian's Palace. Built in the 3rd Century AD as a retirement home for the Emperor Diocletian, the imposing palace is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction.
Our time in Split was spent exploring the Palace, climbing clock towers and drinking wine in the pleasant open air squares; then we boarded a ferry
Diocletian's Palace
Built by Diocletian in the 4th Century AD as a retirement home it is one of the best preserved palaces to survive from Roman times and set off for the island of Hvar off the Croatian coast. Hvar Town is a 13th Century medieval town where there is little traffic and locals and tourists alike adopt a laid back attitude making the place great for chilling out. Climbing the hill to the Venetian fortress provided great views of the surrounding area (as well as working up a sweat), so after coming back down we wandered around the coast and found a place to jump in the cool and clear Adriatic for a swim (as well as letting the ocean chill our beers).
After a couple of restful nights in Hvar, we headed back to Split by ferry to catch a bus to the highlight of Croatia - the walled city of Dubrovnik. Like something from a fairy tale, the massive walls of medieval Dubrovnik conjure up images of canons booming, sabers rattling and tall ships sailing across the blue sea in a quest to conquer this impregnable city. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the city state of Dubrovnik rivaled Venice in wealth and importance in Europe due to its merchant ships and diplomatic skills. The many baroque buildings and paved marble streets attest
to this wealth and today, make the old city a beautiful place to wander around and get lost in the narrow alleyways off the main tourist path. Walking around the old walls and getting the opportunity to look into the backyards of the locals, living as they have for centuries in the middle of an open air museum, was very cool and definitely the highlight of Croatia.
Having seen the walled city, swum in the harbour, sampled some fine food and drink it was time to once again hoist up our backpacks and head off to our next destination - the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana.
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Ed Sparkes
non-member comment
Sounds Good
Your blog reads like an epic! Cant wait to see your turkey entries. Syria is awesome, we all prefer it to Turkey, guide is fantastic and people are genuinely friendly (not just after your money). We miss you guys though, certainly isnt as much beer flowing anymore. Went to Crac des Chavaliers today, you'd have loved it. xxEd/.