Budapest was the biggest city we’d visited so far on our trip. Upon arriving after a long train journey from Bratislava I said to Mitch that it reminded me in some ways of London: busy, buzzing, metro stations, international restaurants and shops greeting us. He laughed in his ‘I-hate-London’ way and told me it was nothing like London. He was soon put in his place when we were told that the main bridge connecting ‘buda’ and ‘pest’ was designed based on Hammersmith bridge in London and other parts of the city were actually quite similar. For the record, I love …
Angloville: More than just teaching English.
Our dedline for getting to Budapest by March 23rd was due to our first bit of ‘work’ as we were travelling; a week-long English immersion programme called Angloville. Before we started travelling, a friend of ours said that if we get to Poland we should definitely do it. It’s a great opportunity to teach English and for travellers like us we get free food and accommodation for the week in a lovely location, all in exchange for doing something natural to us – talking.
Na Bled: Short but Sweet Time in Slovenia
We had no real plans when leaving England of which countries we would visit. As our journey progressed we found ourselves unintentionally visiting every ex-Yugoslavic country. Time was short but we wanted to make sure we visited Slovenia as it was the only one of these countries we hadn’t visited, and we felt the need to visit all of the countries and hear all sides of the story from each place. Strangely enough, we didn’t see or read much about it during our visit, and the few locals we met didn’t talk to us about it. Very different to our trip …
Croatia: Coast vs City
Dubrovnik Our first stop in Croatia was Dubrovnik, by far the most expensive and most touristy place we’ve visited so far. Hotel, hostel and restaurant prices all dramatically increase in this coastal town. However, let this not put you off the beauty of the city. The old town is the real attraction to see; you can walk around the old city walls (for a price, of course) and look into the old town which has been so well preserved. Grey houses with terracotta roofs, to look over them and their matching style and colours is really something. When you look …
The Kindness of Strangers
While travelling, getting lost is easy. Signs are in a language you don’t understand, transport works in a different way and maps are often difficult to read.
Sarajevo: More Beauty and War
Unlike Mostar, to walk around Sarajevo you aren’t immediately greeted with reminders of the war. You see banks, bakeries, shops just like any other high street, but if you look down occasionally at the ground you will see splotches of red paint, symbolising where blood was shed during the war. It’s a unique city as within a small space in town there is a Christian Cathedral, Jewish Synagogue and Muslim Mosque. We met up with a lovely local while there who not only showed us a brilliant bar but also took us to the top of the hill and showed us …