Day two in Budapest dawned partly cloudy and still a little cool but no rain, so all was set for a morning visit to the Museum of Fine Arts. We were determined to follow the rules for train tickets today and aimed to even win a smile from one of the officials checking tickets. We needed to change trains on our journey and used the same ticket for the second trip as we were within the time allowed to do this. Easy – until we saw a ticket inspector heading our way on the second train! She was very unsure about the validity of our tickets and produced a tiny magnifying glass, not unlike the sort that comes in a Christmas cracker, and proceeded to examine the ticket even more closely. Finally she called for a ... read more

Our drive today was from Pécs to Budapest, taking a slightly roundabout way in order to reach our accommodation without getting lost in the city. For those with maps handy, we drove via Kecskemét and Cegléd. Apart from an area of slightly rolling country the landscape was very flat with the main crops maize and sunflowers. The huge plain and big sky reminded us of the Canterbury Plains at home, although the road was very different to SH1 with many bumpy uneven sections and no shoulder in case of mishaps with large trucks. That’s what we get for avoiding motorways, but it all adds to the fun. As we drove, we noticed the sunflowers had developed a lean, then saw many broken tree branches scattered on the roadside; the result of what must have been a ... read more

After a little overnight rain we woke to a beautiful clear sky. Our accommodation at the guesthouse in the hills above Samobor has been wonderful. But today we must move on as we have an appointment with the border guards on the Croatian-Hungarian border on our way to Pécs. During our travels we endeavour to stay off the toll roads for two reasons, money and boring driving, so our drive today meant taking the scenic route through the centre of Zagreb. From what we saw it was not really a city where we would spend time sightseeing. Some of the older buildings had the grim exterior of the Communist era. The trams on the other hand were very modern. Perhaps over time the general appearance of the city will become more appealing. Tito was known for ... read more

Today we have spent time in one of the most picturesque natural landscapes we have ever seen. In this National Park a series of lakes on different levels is linked by spectacular waterfalls. Paths and boardwalks are supplemented by electric boats and buses to help visitors get around the large area. Great efforts are made to preserve the lakes and surrounds, and many visitors from different countries come to enjoy the experience. Registration plates from all over Europe were evident in the car park today. We were pleased to have manageable temperatures today after all the recent heat and welcomed the breeze and even the occasional cloud cover. We decided to take the bus to the highest lake, where we fuelled up with a large slice of apple strudel and began to walk back down, following ... read more

Today we fulfilled another, “must do”, visits that was on our list of places to see. It might be getting a little boring but it’s very hot again today. Perhaps this is the last time we will mention the very hot, dry weather. One day it might rain and that might be worth a mention. On our way to Mostar we called in to the nearby town, Capljina, to extract some Bosnian marks from an ATM machine. Finding a machine was one challenge and then finding one that worked was the second. On hot dry windy days these towns don’t look their best. Dust and rubbish blows around and wasteland around buildings is often left to its own devices making the town look like a wild west town surrounded by hot desert. With local currency in ... read more