An early rise since we have only one day in Saltzburg we need to make the day count. We head out of the camp and walk to the bus stop and the bus is already sitting at the stop. On we hop and off to town. Saltzburg is a lovely small city or you could call it a town as it is quaint and not large at all. The old town like all of them has lovely buildings, cute narrow roadways and there is a large castle up on the hill top overlooking the town. Since it is early we have beaten the large majority of tourists and it is relatively quiet so we decide to head up to the castle and have a look. The climb up the stairs and the steep walkways is tough on the quads but we hope the view is worth it at the top. It is huge and costs a bit but we decide it should be worth a visit as you can see most of the castle. They had a couple of great displays of things like torture implements which were horrible. There were a couple of iron masks that go over your head and they have a metal funnel going into the mouth and nose that they obviously pour fluid into them to torture the victim. They had a metal chastity belt, a torture chair see the photo. They had an exhibition of photos of this guy who was a ballet dancer and the photos of him were in all kinds of costumes – mostly just little shorts but there were a few naked ones – omg – just a little crude especially since it was visible to kids. We should have taken photos of the photos because they were rather hilarious. Others looking at them were laughing. The state room of the castle was interesting and had it’s own dunny. By the time we left the castle it was being over-run by bloody tourists so we left. The town was also the same. We saw some mulled wine so we had a drink and sat on a seat on the square. Every city we have been to in the last week or so has had horses and carts and here is no different. It’s expensive 44 euro –aud88 for 20 minutes. One cart had a guy biking behind with his shovel and barrow picking up the poo from the horses. What a job. Next we found an Irish bar where we found they are playing the rugby quarter finals tonight so we need now to check out the bus back to the camp and make sure we know where it leaves from and the times as the games don’t finish until after 10.30pm. It is only 10mins away so all good there. One of the main shopping streets is absolutely crowded with people, so much so, you can hardly move. Shops are starting to put Christmas decos up and they are so pretty. They seem to go to a lot of trouble over here for Christmas.
We visited the large church in the square and it’s funny because we seem to find more spectacular ones than we have seen before but really I think that each is just different and has something that makes it look amazing. This one has the most amazing architecture inside with lots of mouldings of cupids and all sorts of things. Like always our photos never do any of our scenery justice, but this church is quite a ‘wow’ experience. We spend the rest of the afternoon wandering and end up at the Irish bar at 5 for the first rugby game. Also watching is another couple, a Kiwi and an Aussie and later another lady from Dunedin came in with her daughter – what a co-incidence. We stayed until the Allblacks had walloped France – thank Christ for that and caught the bus back. We missed our stop, buggar, but luckily it was the second last one so we had to walk back a short distance. But then we sort of got lost and couldn’t remember which way to go. Thank god for the tablet and we saw where we needed to walk and made it home.
Sunday
It is supposed to be a nice day today like yesterday so I am glad we have chosen it to go down through the mountains and visit an area an Austrian couple we met told us to go. We head east and straight into the mountains. The scenery it distinctly “the sound of music” hills with cows wearing cow bells and the chalets you would expect to see. You can almost hear the music as we drive by the paddocks. The scenery in Austria just has to be the best we have seen in Europe, but really it is likely to also be because of the autumn colours which are spectacular and I could tell you over and over how beautiful the trees look. This is something we miss so much in Aus. We come across a lake and small village called Fuschl which is so lovely. The lake is a beautiful green/blue colour & so clear it is difficult to gauge the depth. We stop for a coffee in a hotel where there is a guy suffering the biggest hangover after a hard day before in the pub. He tells us the first drink of the morning must be the same drink you finished with the night before, so we tell him it’s called ‘hair of the dog’ on our side of the world.
We walk over to the lake and feed the ducks and feisty swan that nearly takes both our fingers off trying to get something to eat out of us. We head off and next stop is Bad Ischl. This is another lovely small town with a river running through it. We sample some of the local fare of cheese filled frankfurter sort of thing. After a walk around we head off to the next stop of Halstatt. Getting there is like driving to Queenstown. A road on the side of the lake with a steep incline on the inside. Arriving at Halstatt is interesting as you can’t go in on the town road, you have to go through a long tunnel to the other side of the village where we stop and look back at the town. We realise the whole town is cut off and only locals are allowed to drive into it, but when you see the roads you realise why. Our camper would have caused havoc on the almost only road through the town. We drive back through the tunnel and find a car park above the town so stop and walk down the stairs into it. Apparently this place is very famous in China amongst many other Asian countries so when we reach the village there are wall to wall Asian tourists. There is a costume hire place in town who hire the traditional costume to them and they can walk around town taking photos in the clothes. We are told it is very quiet at this time of the year so I would hate to see it when it is busy. It is a beautiful place but I couldn’t cope living here with so many tourists, it’s just crazy.
We leave and head for Bad Aussee, the next town on the agenda. We miss the turn off and the weather has started to close in on us so we decide we will look tomorrow and head to the camp for the night in Bad Mitterndorf. We find the camp in the rain and have a chat with the lady owner who is Dutch but her grandmother was German who in the 1930’s wanted to go to Canada but it was too difficult so they emigrated to Holland. Now they live here and love the lifestyle but do rue the lack of holidays as it is practically a year round business. We had a nice chat but it was getting very cold so we parked the van, set it up as usual then took a stroll into town while the weather was ok as it was going to be crap the next day. It is again a very tidy, well looked after town and being Sunday early evening very quiet so we found a small warm restaurant and had a drink each then went back to the van. I can imagine this place hectic in the season. We slept in a bit as it was easy with the soothing sound of rain on the roof and not in a huge hurry.
We decided not to stay another day there was not a lot to see so, as we were paying, we quizzed the owners about any ideas for finding someone to help with the van. Somehow a hospital got mentioned so we asked about whether it was worth getting my 6 month blood test done for my prostate PSA check (or lack of!). The owner mentioned her doctor in town so as she was going in she would take us there. She interpreted what I needed with the doctor so in I went and had blood taken. They get it analysed and will email my doc. Straight in fantastic and something I was worrying about getting done so very happy. We drive into the small town of Bad Aussee and have quick look around and a tasty coffee and cake then back on the road to stop off at the local equivalent of RACQ to see if they can do a test on the battery to see if it is ok. It isn’t so now we know we have to get one. They check our tyres then charge us $100aus. I was a bit pissed off but as we haven’t renewed our RACQ we can’t claim it back. They were happy to send the bill to RACQ but we knew they won’t cover us so we feel we are doing the right thing paying but I would rather have put the money towards a new battery. Not very hospitable to poor tourists but we have to take the good with the bad. Seems weird that it was cheaper to go to a doctor and get blood taken, analysed in a lab and results sent to Oz than for a young kid to put a tester on our battery… go figure.
We finally contact a camper place to go see tomorrow and get a new battery. The lady I spoke to speaks good English so we will get prices as we are sure as hell not going to pay good $$$ to take battery out and connect a new one. We find our camp right on the lake and again we are the only one here but quite close to where we have to go tomorrow. We take the chance to give the van a quick wash as it is filthy which is great and to put a wash on. However after going back to get it out of the dryer we find that it has stopped after 5 minutes and everything is still wet and we don’t have the 8x50cents to put it through again. Grrrrrr I am sick of shit dryers. So I go back and luckily there is an iron so I spend ½ an hour at least drying the sheet and two pillow cases with the iron! Then back to the van and hang the rest up but the heater is on so we manage to dry the other sheet which goes to show how efficient the heater is. Hopefully tomorrow we might find out why it turns itself on when the switch is off and there is no power coming into the van. Tomorrow we are hopefully off to Innsbruck if all goes well with the van.
The horse poo scooper upperer
View from our van in Saltzburg
Saltzberg
Check out the face expression
Horse monument
Cool old toys
Main tourist strip
Most photographed item
Great year??
Church in Saltzburg
The royal dunny at the castle
This is called ‘The Stove’ but not sure why
The stateroom at the castle
Von Trapp family puppets – very old
Old puppet heads
The tourist strip
A tiled picture of Saltzburg
Of course the Irish bar
Heading up to the castle
Can’t tell you what this is – very strange
Steep entry to the castle
Beautiful view over Saltzburg
The museum
Can never get enough autumn photos
Bad Aussee, Bad Ischl
Beer at Bad Mittendorf
Great ice cream cone
Available items in Bad Ischl – pepper spray and tazors
We awake to rain and cold so decide to postpone the drive across Vienna to find the van place as things are working again and really very difficult wasting lots of time for maybe no gain. So we take off from our camp which has been a great stop very clean and friendly and make our way west towards Melk along the Danube. We have found another van shop that specialises in campers so feel this will be the best bet. It is about ½ an hour from Melk so we plan on staying at a camp which is part of a hotel but will consider anything on the way we see. Even though it is drizzly and cold (my feet are freezing, goes to show you shouldn’t do the morning chores in jandals in 4c) the road is good and the rain adds a misty & ethereal outlook which, as we enter the valley’s alongside the Danube, is stunning and when you are able to look across the river to the villages on the other side it is truly a world wonder. The Danube is an unusual green colour and is wide and flowing. Maybe it is the lack of silt or mud as it is rocky amongst the huge hills (not quite mountains, well they would be in oz) but unlike all the rivers we have seen so far, almost glacial in hue. It all looks beautifully clean & fresh. We stopped around 2ish to make sammies on the river just past a town. We then carried on always marvelling at the what we would consider the most beautiful countryside we have seen, even surpassing Norway, though I would go a long way to beat NZ! It being autumn probably has something to do with it as the colours are spectacular. What makes a difference is there are castle ruins on the sides of the hills, sometimes in the most precarious places and even huge monastery’s, all nestled below by quaint villages with their inevitable church spires poking out of the mist & low clouds. On another day we would visit but it is too wet to take the van up steep, questionable roads so leave it for another time hopefully. However at Melk we stop to look at the Baroque Abbey one of the best of its kind in the world. We arrive amongst bus loads of tourists, mainly yanks, but surprisingly it doesn’t feel crowded. The inside of the church is breathtaking and it is fully covered in artwork and huge amounts of gold leaf. Words can’t describe it and as previously we have said the church we have just seen in Klosterneuburg was one of the best we have seen this surpasses it. We don’t want to pay to see the museum or gardens as we don’t have time but guess it would be well worth it.
We pull into a van stop camp which Vicki had researched and looks good. These cost 10 -12 euro which is cheap and have power and toilets and a park for around 10 campers. You drive in through a boom that opens automatically then call a number, they come down take your $$ then give you a token to get out in the morning and a code for the toilets. However we want to be closer to Melk so reluctantly leave saying goodbye to another couple who have arrived. We pass lots of wineries and grapevines all over the place on steep sides of the hills and on the sides of the roads. This is the Wauchen region and is widely acclaimed. We try and see what is open but being near winter not a lot can be seen. We stop at one seller but after going inside I can’t find anyone so go back to the van but not after trying some of the beautiful grapes off the vine. I don’t consider it stealing as I didn’t take the whole bunch. We finally got to our camp only to find it was shut for the week, we think for family reasons on the notice, even the hotel was closed. Bummer, so we decide to backtrack to the last place even though we hate going backwards but think it is worth it as it is only ½ and hour and a lovely drive.
We drive in and a third couple have arrived, Germans. We call the people and they come down with the token and code. We decide to walk the short way to a cellar that looked open, eating some exquisite grapes on the way growing on the side of the road. It is a cute little restaurant with a lot of atmosphere (unfortunatly as is the Austrian way it is full of ciggy smoke) but warm. We order a wine and a cheese/meat/bread platter and the german couple come in and sit with us. We have a very pleasant couple of hours chatting and sampling the local schnapps and Sturm which is the wine before it is finally filtered and bottled. It is like a cider but grape with a tang and is very nice and has become the latest popular drink to have here. I prefer this to wine so have a couple. We are the last to leave and wander back with our new friends wowed at the mist over the village and the castle ruins up in the hills lit up across the river.
It is another cold morning, Vicki is hungover as she does not drink this much usually (only 2 small wines and 2 small sturms) but a coffee and pills do the trick followed by breakfast. We say good bye to our German friends who give us their email address in Heidelberg if we have a chance to get there. Meeting people is by far one of the best parts of travelling and we are richer for the experience as we are learning so much. We decide to track back a little more and follow the Danube on the other side, the part we were looking across at yesterday. It is equally as stunning but funny enough it is different. As we were coming into one of the many villages we get pulled over by a cop who says we(Vicki) was doing 65 in a 50 zone which we didn’t think was true but what can you do so we paid the 35 euro and went on our way. What a bummer as we have driven 11000 miles with nothing then this. We also know our speedo says we are going faster than we actually are, so it means Vicki would have been doing about 75 on our speedo which she had hardly managed to get near 70 due to the windyish wet roads. Oh well shit happens. But really as I find out the next day when I drive the signs are very confusing and difficult to know when speed limits start and finish here especially when a 60 zone might last 10 metres then 50 back to 80 then open road sign-or lack of one- and then another village with no sign. Paranoid city. We finally get to the campervan place and bugger me if it is closed! Oh yeah they will be at the big Camper Show that we are going to tomorrow. I know you will say why didn’t you ring first but in our experience in the past when we ask if they speak English they say no or say they can’t fit us (too hard basket) in so better to just bowl on up. Normally we wouldn’t have a phone sim but we have so maybe we should have. Is it a coincidence hindsight and holiday start with the same letter?
Nothing to do but laugh and make our way to our nights camp which is at a tennis club where they charge 10 euro on a honesty system and we can hook up power and have access to very clean and new toilet and shower facilities which is very good value. We hope we can find more of these as we need electricity for the heater. We have a snacky dinner of cheese, ham, bread, olives. We have tv reception and watch a bit. They have the Linz tennis open on which we drove through today. At least with sport & nature programmes language is not so much of a hassle. Back to the future trilogy is also on but not much good really as the overdubbing ruins it and no subtitles.
Today Friday, our goal is to go to the van show where maybe we will be able to talk to someone and get a few things (door hinge, leisure batteries) I drive so Vicki can navigate our way into the city. We finally find the parking area for us vans for the day. Surprisingly it is free and only 6Euro if you want to stay overnight. Good value we think and they have toilets and showers too and some vans seem to have electricity. On the way in there is a small store where they are promoting xmas in Melk so we stop to say hello to the young lass, but mainly because we spot the urns of mulled wine. This is a lovely mix of wine with orange & cherry juice with Amaretto & cinnamon. Yum and warms us up nicely along with bikkies. Some refugee looking guys come up wanting to know if they sell ciggies or where the nearest supermarket is but the security guy gives them the short shift. The show is not as big as we thought considering the cars and vans in the park but still has a great display of campers, vans and the new fitted out vans that we like. The good thing about these is you can wild camp and it is not so conspicuous as a camper but has all the modcons. They have the usual trade show accessories(but a makeup stall??)but not we are after. We have a coffee and the local “fish & chips” which is a pork meatloaf in a bun with sauce, mustard or tomato. Quite tasty and even Vicki had half.
We walk around some more and collect a lot of brochures on Croatia, Italy and Austria as we need to find out which camp grounds are open as we travel. Croatia doesn’t seem as cheap as we thought but we will still go. It gives us food for thought and the information helps Vicki research on the net. We drive to our next camp just out of Salzburg which overlooks the city and we will have one day in the old town. It is 30E a nite which is typical for camps close to a tourist city but the facilities are excellent. Lucky we have a data sim for the tablet as Wifi costs 6E bloody ripoff bad enough paying 5.5E to wash some clothes and dry them. Went shopping in the local supermarket but small and expensive eg $40aus for 2 small steak fillets, $45 a kg for chicken. So as a first bought some fish fingers as real fish is non existent. Oh for those Norway days when we had salmon coming out of our ears. But it is swings & roundabouts and we have to go with the flow. Hopefully if the planets align we might get to see the quarter finals of the world cup tomorrow in the city if we can find a sports bar.
It is quite late when we leave – about midday but we know we aren’t going too far today. We head out of Budapest the way we came in and head to Sopron which is on the border with Austria. It in an area sort like a boundary bubble where in the past the Hungarians there did not want to be part of Austria so staunchly held on as they are proud of their heritage. We stop at a small town as we see a Euronics store as we are having trouble with our tv cord which is coming apart and also being an old tv may not be getting the channels we want. We have seen online tv’s here for as little as 140aud so score one very similar to ours and also a universal plug accessory. It has the facility to receive heaps more countries. At the least when we sell the van we will have tv wherever we are and a lot cheaper here. However it was now too late to see Sopron that day so we stayed at Hegyka about 10 minutes out from Sopron and we figured we can see it in the morning. We are in the countryside here and a bit isolated and the camp is in the town. We stop at the local Coop for groceries but it is small and not much, in fact beer seems to be their biggest commodity so I buy 3 cans with the little local money we have left. We drive into the camp and my god it is packed to the hilt. How can this be when for the last month we are virtually the only campers at the places we have stayed. We try and find a place to camp and slowly realise it is full of mainly Germans and Austrians who are walking around in bathrobes. We find out it is a thermal spa and a therapeutic destination for older types. We found a place and had a wander around. All very clean and laid out. The main hot pool would have had about 60 people all lined up around the outside in the water. Boy talk about all shapes and sizes. It made me laugh as I thought of it as Ibeza for the oldies but without the drunkenness & sex!! Most don’t look very healthy big guts and sagging arms but they don’t care they are feeding their arthritic bones with the minerals and the pool has hum like insects as they are all chatting. We give at amiss for the night and decide to do our last washing then go to one of the restaurants for tea. We were a bit late and they were closing but we got a chicken & chips meal which was average at best but the chicken was ok but overpriced. We ended having the leftover chicken which we couldn’t eat in our sammies for the next 2 days, wasting nothing. We had a chat with a german man who was very nice who was there for a month. He suggested we use the pool in the morning when it is not so busy. As we were passing the pool after tea we saw that it was empty and was being scrubbed and cleaned before being refilled. Not sur if they do this every day or we just happened to see the weekly/monthly? Clean. I would like to think it was often as it is used to the max. There was also and outside bigger pool and numerous spas for personal and exercise use. Overall a good facility and can see why it is popular with the older set.
10 October
We are in the hotpool by 8.30am and already it has around 30 people in it. We are by far the youngest and, like the thermal pools in Budapest I feel embarrassed with my vitality and relative youthfulness, funny considering my just had birthday. After a ½ hour soak we decide it is enough so leave the pool (can’t help pulling my tiny pot stomach in to annoy the oldies) and go to have a shower. However the men’s is getting cleaned- why you would clean at 9.30 in the morning is beyond me- but I am not allowed in. I point to where the sign says cleaning is at 10 not 9.22 but she just shrugs a bugger off message so I have to go back past the pool to find a shower( again shaming the germans with my trim physique haha) to a non soap shower, Never mind I have had worse.
We leave thermal oldie Ibeza paradise and call into a huge Tesco to refill our larder as we feel it will be cheaper than Austria which proves correct. It is an opportunity to stock up on beer and wine as well. As we leave we spot a OBI which we figure is a hardware store. So we decide to finally try and find some plywood or similar to make our bed more comfortable. We need the added solidness as it sags on my side and is becoming uncomfortable and I feel it is adding to my neck pain. We explain in sign language what we want and I draw a diagram. Off we go to look for a couple of items a sit will take 20 minutes to cut. When we get back instead of 700x2000mm pieces he has cut two little pieces 700×200. Oh oh I have forgotten the extra 0 so my fault. So after more sign language and showing him the dimensions on my tape measure finally understands and we get our pieces which just slide in the van alongsides the bikes.(When we place them and remake the bed oh what a difference and I have the best sleep). Only 5 months too late. We drive through Sopron but decide not to stop as it seems a lot of hassle for little gain and push on to a camp just out of Vienna. We pass the outskirts of the city and see the highrises and modern parts of the city. The camp is right near the town centre of a place called Klosterneuburg which has the third richest catholic church in Europe behind the Vatican and someplace else according to the barman at a pub we find after we have settled in and walked into town that hopefully might play the Aussie v Wales game but bad luck only the England v Uruguay game later so who cares. We have a couple of drinks and have a great chat with the barman. As the bar didn’t open till 6 and it was 5.15 we went into a huge Lions yearly fundraising jumble sale to pass the time and bought a thermos for coffee while we are travelling which I have wanted and some cheap cds, Dark Side Of The Moon and a 4CD 60’s set and a love songs one for Vicki for 6euro which was great as we only have one cd-Simon & Garfunkel- and while a great cd it has been a getting a tad boring when there is no stations. Back to the pub we are learning quite a bit. The barman is from Albania but has been here for 15 years and this is the first time he has spoken English since then. He tells us that Albania is very natural and hasn’t changed much and is a beautiful country. We won’t be seeing these Balkan countries this trip as our insurance won’t allow it but maybe when we are in Greece we may do a bus trip there.
Seems here in Austria there is a reluctance to change so they still smoke indoors in pubs, cafes & restaurants. Not great as he was smoking as well but we were the only ones there. I had poked my head into a pub across the road earlier and nearly got instant lung cancer! Apparently only smokers frequent pubs here as it is not nice for non smokers. If the establishment is under 50m3 then they don’t have to have separate areas. If over they have a smoking & non smoking areas but unfortunatly they are both in the same room so WTF! We find this a bit backward but smoking and drinking is part of their culture. Wouldn’t think that is great for tourism. We finally get back to the van in the rain, we forgot our raincoats, and I start a late tea so it is a late feed and a late nite but we have decided that we will stay here and relax tomorrow maybe go for a quick pm visit to Vienna.
SUNDAY 11 Oct
It is a luxury to sleep in with no pressure to move on. The rain is falling which is the perfect motivation to linger dozing. We have a cuppa and brekky and rug up as it is cold outside and go into town to look around the church area. Halfway down the road I regret not wearing my beanie but am grateful for my longjohns. The wind is biting but we climb the stairs to the huge outdoor court and look in the church. It is very ornate and painted beautifully and easy to see why it is highly regarded. We feel we will see a lot of these in Austria along with the castles. We take an elevator down to the shop and café as it is coffee time. However as we walk in we are hit by the cigarette smoke as everyone is smoking and eating. As the area is small there is no non smoking area but it would be as useless as Christ without a cross and this is no divey place but a modern café, but even the chef practically has a fag in his mouth while he is working. We shake our head as we sit down but the prices are extreme and the atmosphere horrible so we walk out. We find a café that looks ok so stick our head in and there is no stale stink of cigs so go in for a coffee and cake. On the windows you can see the non smoking sticker which is red or green for smoking, or both. I suppose if the rest of Austria, and we feel Germany, is the same, then we will be looking for the green stickers. So sad that the majority of people, the non smokers, have to put up with it. I would think all the pubs will be for smokers so we won’t be going to them.
We go back past the jumble sale, but it is all over and there is a big argument transpiring and not looking good so we move away. There is a large truck parked outside and it appears they are packing up all the unsold items in this truck that is marked Hungary and we believe it is all going to help the refugees. In fact there are a few of them helping to load all the items onto the truck.
We wonder around a bit, decide not to go to Vienna, then head back to the van to get warm and relax. We already have tea made from last nite so relaxing it will be. We did have a weird encounter as we walked back to the campsite, a fellow seemed to be following us from the town and kept following us as we entered the camp. We stopped at the little shop and he kind of walked past, stopped, looked around and then walked out of the campsite again. I don’t know what he was doing but I didn’t get a good feeling about him when I saw him in the town. It just pays to keep your eyes and ears open when walking around to see what is what. We have done some window shopping as there are no shops allowed to open on Sunday due to the Catholic church, and we feel that Austria is way more expensive than we experienced in Norway. At least in Norway when we bought a coffee it was about the same price as Australia. Today my cappuccino cost $7.20 and it was very little and far too expensive for my liking. So if there are any refugees staying in this country I have no idea how they can afford to live let alone even exist.
Monday 12 October
VIENNA
We don’t wake up early enough as usual but it is snug in bed and bloody cold outside. However we have a hot drink and after a shower do the short distance to catch the bus and then the train. The bus part is easy as there is only a couple and though we were told to take the 239 we take the 238 which is going to the station. The bus is full as commuters are off to work. We buy our tickets for the train and try to find the right line. The display is confusing but figure it is line 2 but when we go up the stairs it is outside and we are meant to take the underground. So, thanking god I listen to Vicki in this situation, she says that it doesn’t feel right even though a train is approaching. The part that convinces here is that there is one kid on the platform which doesn’t click when it is supposed to be going to the city centre. So we ask the ticket guy and he steers us to U4 which is what we were told to look for. We are soon in the main part of Vienna so we step into about 6deg and a cold breeze making it feel like zero. We are rugged up and sort of warm but after walking for a few minutes we spy a McCafe so decide on a coffee and get our bearings with the tablet. Again I am amazed at the fact I have been in more maccas in the last 6 months than in a hundred past lifetimes but really the coffee is very good and half the price and twice the quantity as other cafes, especially in Austria where it is quite expensive. For example a big mac which would cost about $3.45aus costs around $3.95euro ($8aus). In Belgium it would have cost the equivalent of $1.50aus, and remember they are exactly the same. We won’t be dining out much here as in comparison a lunch here would cost us 4 nites camping costs. It is sort of a ratio thing of where our priorities have to be.
Anyway we walk around and the buildings are the biggest and best we have seen on average obviously a lot of money around in the past and everything on a grand scale. It doesn’t have the quaintness of some of the other cities we have seen in the so called old town parts. Instead of lots of smaller bunched up buildings there are less but more grandiose architecture. The churches are huge and the museums, libraries and government buildings are massive and surrounded by wide open parks and courtyards with very ornate and elaborate monuments and statues. The craftwork of these are very impressive as they are intricate and detailed. Lots of lions, naked ladies & cherubs, with soldiers on horses or in fighting pose with serpents and dragons. We have our van made lunch (filled rolls) just as the sun finally comes out and the day warms by a couple of degrees but still bitter in the wind. We are on the steps of a museum with neat views and love the fact that we eat at a different vista every day. Not a bad lunchroom at all! We find ourselves in the popular market square area and it is streets of Prada, Tiffiny’s, Boss, channel etc and, like many others, an exquisite chocolate shop where we only want to take photos. Very expensive and up market but great window shopping. There are no beggars here that we can see they are probably pushed along. At the end of the square is the most magnificent church we have seen. Intricately twin spired with a beautiful coloured tiled roof. Part of it is under renovation but they have a habit here of making the scaffold safety mesh covering look the same as that part of the church so photos don’t look as bad. Very clever. We look inside and that is as impressive as the outside. Lots of painted areas and huge columns. I know you can get sick of ABC’s (another bloody church) but they still blow us away with the workmanship and dedication that they have for god. Not sure if the slave labour or the many that perished building them shared the same view but who are we to judge. We leave the church and straightaway we are hassled by people trying to sell tickets to the Mozart opera at 6.15 but even though we are offered 2 for 1 tickets which is great value we are just too cold and tired, my shoulder is killing me and we just want to go home to a warm van and hot soup. We will consider it tomorrow.
We arrive back at the van cook tea and relax but then start having problems with the power cutting out and having to reset the switch on the camp power supply. At the same time it dims the lights when we put the power back on. Our small overhead lights are also dim and this is where we had the fuse popping off in the van which is doing it again. So we take that fuse out as we still have our main lights. Vicki has for the first time put back on the water heating so maybe that is the problem. So we turned that off. Nothing more happens but now have to look at finding an auto electrician to check it out. The last thing we need with the weather starting to get seriously cold is to have problems with the electricity supply.
We are supposed to wake up early and get into town but it is overcast and very cold. We have had the heater on all night which we haven’t done since England. We get to the showers anyway and get a move on into the city. It is 11am by the time we get there and haven’t worked out what area we have left to see today so again sit for a coffee and work it out. We head to the new streets and check out the other buildings, statues etc that we haven’t yet seen. They are as grandiose as all the others we have seen but still beautiful and worthwhile seeing. Nothing here is done on a small scale. We find we are walking some of the same streets as yesterday which is fine as they are great to see. We initially thought the temp was better than yesterday but the wind chill is horribly bitter and although we have more clothes on than yesterday still find it very cold. It’s strange because when we were in Dunedin in June it was -3 but it didn’t feel as cold as it does here. Maybe we didn’t have the biting wind when we were in Dunedin. If we are going to be in colder temps than this I think we need to buy much warmer clothes. As we walk we see there are indeed beggars in this city and more than we have seen for a long time. Maybe yesterday was their day off, but they are seriously everywhere and they make us laugh as they all try to invent something different to get the attention and sympathy of anyone who will give them half a thought. We do indeed feel sorry for a lot of them as they are not like the gypsy beggars who always look like they need to go on a diet rather than be in need of a good meal, but if you give to one where do you stop.
It is hard today to know where to stop and eat your lunch as it is so cold outside but we end up sitting on a seat in the middle of a mall. We get approached by a beggar whilst eating, but we think why would you approach someone who appears poorby enough that they are eating their own home made lunch rather than someone who has just come out of a restaurant and obviously has money. Anyway, the pigeons prosper from a few crumbs from our sandwiches and they had mangled feet too. We are still feeling cold so we head to have another coffee to warm up again. As we go to leave there we go down to the toilets and there is an older American woman carrying on about some nasty man pushing in front of her and she lost her coin – how hilarious. She was still going on about it after she had left the toilet and was going up the stairs outside.
We wander for a bit more and after another hour we head into a shop for a bit of inside window shopping and warmth. It is interesting to have a look at the clothes on this side of the world and see the prices in each country. This dept store has beautiful cashmere jumpers for males and females and they are tempting, but in any country cashmere is not cheap so we pass by. We check out the warm jackets and one brand Paul and Shark had a jacket that looked nice, but not quite the 1200euro price tag that it had. I think we had better steer away from that side of the store and stick with the cheaper brands. We had thought it would be nice to go to the Vienna orchestra show that we passed on last night so we head down towards the church where the fellas were hassling people but after getting there we are again too cold and tired to be bothered which is a shame but we also believe the show isn’t on until 8pm tonight and that is just way too late. We have sussed out an auto electrician in Vienna that we need to visit early tomorrow morning so it is better that we head home for an early night and fill the water etc for leaving tomorrow. The train and bus are easy and we get back in no time at all.
We check out the lights after putting the fuse back in and as we thought would happen – it all works fine, Murphy’s law. Who knows what is going on, but as Scot checks out a t-shirt he has on the floor he realises that it is warm and the floor light that for some reason was on, has burnt a hole in his shirt and lucky it hadn’t gone on fire. Crap. When Scot looks at the light it has overheated (it hasn’t been on long since the fuse was out) and is melting the plastic around it. What else. We decide we still need to get up early and head to the auto electrician and get him to check the electrics as even though we had them checked in England it deserves another check and peace of mind plus the leisure batteries are not holding a charge well so they need looking at and perhaps replacement. Not really the kind of thing you want to do in a country that is expensive but you can’t play with electricity.
Our plan after we get things checked out if we can, is to head from Klosterneuberg around to the west following the Danube river which is supposed to be a very beautiful part of Austria filled with castles etc, so hopefully we will still be on track to drive some of that tomorrow.
Scot managed to find some Kiwi lamb chops in the supermarket at Tesco so his dinner tonight was a reminder of homeland being his first lamb for many months.
The day is fine although very misty when we get up and we think it will take some time for the mist to lift. We head down to the bus stop after getting bus tickets from Marta as we have no forints at this stage. Our stop is actually the last stop of this bus’s journey and also the start of the next trip so the bus is empty when we get on. As we travel the next 20 minutes of our journey the bus fills and we pass numerous road works locations. It seems they are doing major works all over this part of the city known as Buda – the part on the hill. The whole market square has been dug up at Csaba utca (we pronounce it chubba utza) our get off stop and is a huge mess. It is always a little difficult when arriving in a new city to start getting the feel of where things are and today is no different. We wander off to where we think is towards the large castle area on the map but feel like we are getting lost so we end up heading towards the river(after we have had a coffee & treat as we now know that it is better that way) which is always a great central point to get your bearings on. We finally arrive at the focal point of the Buda side ( the other side of the river is the Pest side) and wander around the old castle and environs. Luckily there are not too many tourists and so it is easy to look around and wonder at the beautiful architecture and views. However we find that some of the best views you have to pay to get onto, mainly the walled walkways, but in some places kiwi ingenuity comes to the fore and we just climb over the rope and have the vista to ourselves. This is near restaurants and they are not open yet. As we move on we see that other tourists are following suit but they will get told to move on not us.
It is up here that you realise that Budapest is very large and spread out and unlike the other cities we have visited there is no way that we can walk round and see enough. Unlike Paris, in our experience, where it is enough to explore around the main centre to see most of the important sites here they are widespread. The panorama is fantastic and unfortunatly even at midday the fog is low and though erringly beautiful does restrict the view a bit. We continue our meanderings as really up here the whole area is the attraction and though there are mainly spectacular churches and cathedrals there are still interesting buildings and consulates. We are now on the opposite side of the Pest vista (towards the modern city) and not as interesting so we walk back down the side roads and looked at the shops. We arrive at the end of the castle hill area and there are remnant foundations of the old church maybe 11th century so we really feel we are stepping around ancient history. This end, as we approach it seems to have been rebuilt with staircases, battlements and walkways in the old style but with modern touches such as rusted iron walls that enclose stairs and even elevators. Very well done and, along with new stone stairs & features, trees and hanging vines matches the old original work.
There are amazing statues, both old and modern but somehow they all seem to blend in and complement each other. We continued walking around the bottom of the hill area and spied the Hop On Hop Off buses that are in all major cities. These are great for being able to see the sights and attractions with the added bonus of getting off and looking around then getting back on half an hour later and continuing the sequence. There is a red & yellow route which goes different places but do meet so you can swap. We haven’t needed to do this in other cities as they have been small enough to wander for a day or two but as it is vast here in comparison we decided to get a 48 hour pass, and given we get it late afternoon it is good value at $30aud. Plus we know the weather is going to be wet so seems a good option. We got on the red line to have a look over the river to the Pest side, and got off where the yellow line intersects so it was quicker to get our bus back to the camp. The Last yellow bus was 5.35 so off we got and the lady says you have 2 minutes to get it over there, wherever ‘over there’ was as there were roads & tramlines everywhere we couldn’t find a way under the road till we were further along. We found the stop but 15 minutes later we realised that was it for the day so had to walk the 4kms back to our not yet known bus stop. But lady luck was on our side and we literally got to the stop as the bus turned up. As we didn’t know we had to punch our tickets we got to use them again. I have to mention here I am constantly amazed at Vicki’s sense of direction as I get hopelessly lost (yes even in the camping ground!) and time and time again she finds our way. I have never had any sense of direction ever, so find this a godsend. Needless to say I have learned not to argue about where we are as the 1-100 time I am correct it is not worth it. We get home tired and find that we are not alone as a young Dutch couple have arrived and we say hello but too late now to chat so we have tea (tofu and veges with left-over chicken casserole.
Happy birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me 56 today Born 7/10/1959
I wake up to the beautiful sound of light rain on the roof of the van (Morrison) and the call of the local robin in the tree outside. Apparently the other robins have gone but this one has remained, probably to protect the territory and wait for spring when his mates return. Vicki makes me breakfast in bed which although I have breakfast in bed every morning and it is toast with honey and banana I feel privileged to be here at this time of my life with such a wonderful wife. Unfortunately time is of the essence and there is no time to wallow in Libra pig heaven so up and showered and on to the bus to get the first hop on bus(yellow line) which will take us part way around the city for the ultimate destination of the Gellert Thermal Spa for a soak and hopefully a Thai massage for my birthday present. We arrive at what we think is the stop but too hard to find with all the road works so walk to the next stop. Unfortunatly this is by the famous chain bridge so packed with bloody tourists but we have no choice so get on right at the back of the bus. Some of the buses are double deckers which is great when the weather is fine (it is raining) but this one is one level. We have headphones in your language so you can listen to a commentary as you go along explaining the buildings and history. Or if no commentary, classical music which, given the heat in the full bus with no ventilation will put you to sleep anyway. The stifling atmosphere is too much so we get off close to the bridge we need to cross to get to the baths. This is along from the castle hill from yesterday but is too far to walk from our get off bus from camp hence the HOHO bus. We stop for a welcome coffee and cake then off to relax. It is crazy how we pass so many neat bars, cafes and restaurants in the morning when they are un-needed then later on bugger if we can find anything. That bloody Murphy has a lot to answer to. We walk up towards the thermal baths but decide to have a look around the food market which is just across the bridge before we have our afternoon of relaxation. We wander around the market looking at all the stalls which are a little like Tallinn food market but very much smaller. They have fresh foods, mostly fruit and veges with a little fish and meat and dried fruits and nuts, plus lots of dried chillies. Upstairs we were told they have cooked food, so we head up to have a bite to eat. It is completely packed and we try to suss out the food. It is expensive as you would expect as the only people eating here we think are tourists. We choose this strange looking pizza style bread but it looks more like a donut bread and top it with sour cream, cheese, tomato and mozzarella. It’s very different but ok. We finish up here and head over the bridge towards the baths.
The Gellert Thermal Baths have been around for over a hundred years and are a bit like the Rotorua pools in New Zealand without the sulphur smell. They were partly bombed and destroyed during WW2 but been rebuilt. They are very ornate and feature a swimming pool and 4 hot pools from 36-40c along with a steam room, plunge pool and large outdoor wave pool and sauna. It is part of a hotel so quite large and beautifully laid out. I can imagine the rich and famous here (which we were for a short time). I am sure by the looks I got in my speedos they thought I was George Clooney. It wasn’t hard to look trim for an oldie(remember 56 now) but compared to a lot there I was pretty buff! We had a great soak, they have a stem room where it is 45c and so hot that you walk in and it takes your breath away and you sweat profusely. Then it is in the 18c plunge pool that feels like 4c then back into the 40c hot pool so your whole body tingles. Fantastic. Then up to the top outside deck for a beer as the sun is out then back for another hour soak and a dozen lengths in the swim pool though I am not feeling the least energetic by now. But I need this to loosen up the muscles in my shoulders that have been pummelled by the massage from a not so good Thai but have helped a little. What I would give for my physio Scott in Brissie right now. The other people frequenting the spa are interesting and varied. There are old and young (but not under 14 as this isn’t recommended) and there are very large girls in very small bikinis with g-string pants and the old and wrinklies including elderly males with shorts that let it all hang out. Sometimes it is better to not look too closely at the other visitors as you never know what might hit you in the face. Apparently if you choose to change and use a locker although there are male and female ones the areas are not cordoned off and it is easy to lose your direction and wander into the other area of naked or semi naked males/females.
We reluctantly leave paradise and walked back across the bridge to find a nice place to eat. As mentioned earlier we always struggle to find a nice place to dine and get disappointed. We went to the restaurant district we saw the day before but with limited knowledge of the area we are attacked by restaurant staff trying to drag you into their establishment when all we are trying to do is read the menu. At one stage Vicki told the chap to leave us alone so we could read the menu but he wouldn’t stop so when she explained that we do not like being hassled he huffed off quite rudely.
Stuff him.
So we got out of that area (you will recognise it, it is where they have photos of all their dishes yuk) big money for crap. We finally went into a place on the river after being sort of railroaded again but by now it was getting late, we are mindful of not missing our last bus, we are weary from 5 hours in hot pools and have what feel like 30kg backpacks with wet towels on our shoulders so give in and go in. The menu is pretty boring and she is pressuring us what we want to drink as I think they think once you get a drink you are committed to stay. In the past my kiwi nature would make me stay but I said to Vicki I am not doing this for my BIRTHDAY!!! So we politely say there is nothing on the menu that we fancy and leave. Easy really.
Just down the road we spot a spanking smart restaurant with amazing views of the castle all lit up. We see it is a Marriot but look at the menu anyway. The menu is what I would call exquisite and I would have any of it unlike the one we had just been in where there might have been one dish. Vicki says bugger it it’s your birthday and we are going in and really if price is an issue it is only a bit more than the other restaurant we have just left. We feel a bit daggy in our walking clothes not suits( well it is our business suit) and are taken to a table. Straight away the difference is palpable. We are made to feel special and order drinks, beer for me and a Hungarian sparkly for Vicki. I have ribeye & Vicki Salmon. This is literally the first steak I have had for months and it is the best I have ever had. We shared sides of mashed potato, creamed spinach and mushrooms. Absolutely delicious. The manager came and said hello and was happy to be part of my birthday and was intrigued to hear about our trip. We had a good chat then we had another drink so very full that only a top meal can give. Then the manager came over with a special complimentary desert with candle in it for my birthday and along with the waiter wished me a happy birthday. What a surprise! Vicki had gone over earlier on the pretence of finding where the toilette was but when she enquired of the chance of something small for me cake wise he said it was already under control.
Out it came, the chefs signature dish, a crepe with warm custard and a tasty plum conserve. To die for and on the house. What a wonderful gesture and greatly appreciated as we can’t do this option on our budget often. We were so full when we left as we waddled down the street and appreciative that we felt fulfilled and not underwhelmed if we had not stood firm and moved on to the correct destination.
Again we passed some cute little bars on the way to the bus but definitely tomorrow nite as we are knackered and want to get home. Again the bus arrives just as we get to the stop-thank you lady luck- and we finally walk the last 250m up hill to the camp to a well earned sleep. This is not a birthday I will ever forget and so happy to spend it with the love of my life.
DAY AFTER MY BIRTHDAY 8 October
Back to normality but hey I still get to have breakfast in bed though I have to make it myself for another year (He mostly has his tea made by me though…V). Again we get the early bus to get on the yellow bus to see more of the Pest side and hoping for lunch at the restaurant/café where we had coffee yesterday morning as their menu looked good. The bus was pretty empty though I can’t see why the rain should keep the tourists away when there are buses to transport you around. Maybe Thursday is not Tourist Bus Day. Happily along with the emptyish bus there is less fug in the atmosphere and a little more enjoyable as the windows don’t fog up as much and you can still take some photos. Even though not ideal it is better than walking miles in the rain though it is light and not really troublesome. Anyway there are less Asians on the bus today(now on the red bus) and because the headphones are on the required language you can see where the other tourists are from. Mind you they might be confused if they are doing the same and I have decided to listen to the French commentary cos I am bored. Boy you can really f**k with people’s heads. We get off at the Hero’s Square which I assume worships their hero’s. No Richie McCaw or Sir Richard Hadlee here just past real He Men. The monuments are very grand and one won an award at the 1900 Paris Exhibition. Beautiful bronze work which makes you wonder where the artisans are these days as the modern ones are a lot less impressive. After standing in the rain for 20 minutes it is back on the red bus and off at 3 stops later to have lunch. You would not want to be colour blind here otherwise you would get on the wrong bus! It is actually good to get off the bus as you hear people sneezing and coughing and with people wearing the same headphones and they don’t get cleaned, you get the feeling you could easily pick up tourist germs that will result in flu or a virus.
We haven’t had coffee yet today so we walk along and check out the cafes. We find one that doesn’t seem too bad and have a coffee and cake to share. Only small cups of coffee though and not very hot. That seems to be a bit of a trend here and we prefer our larger cups of coffee that we are lucky to get from time to time. We have a wander around and decide to head in a different direction where we haven’t been on this Pest side. We pass by a hair dresser that is touting 1490huf (about Aud$8) for a haircut so we go in and Scot decides to have his haircut. Even though it is cheap you think they should still be trained hairdressers. 20 minutes later Scot’s hair is done and looks great, why can’t all hairdressers be this cheap! We do give the lady a tip as we have often done in Hungary as they are quite poor people and even a small tip from us may be quite a bit to them. Scot is now feeling the cool air on his head and although glad to have had a cut feels he should have his beanie on to keep his head warmer.
It is getting on to lunch time so we walk around trying to find a café for lunch – we didn’t bring our sandwiches today as I reckon Scot should have some goulash before we leave here. We end up walking down that dreaded tourist café street and ignore the multitude of hasslers vying for our custom. We find the café we had coffee at yesterday and decide to try the one next door for lunch. Scot does have his goulash and I have pasta. They give him a big pot of chilli salsa to add to the goulash as Hungarian food is generally very spicy. After lunch (which is actually quite late – like about 3.30pm) we decide to get back on the yellow bus to do the last of the stops we have missed and get off where we saw some raspberries for sale as I need some more for my breakfast. I have managed to find fresh raspberries now for over 6 months and am not looking forward to the day that I can’t find any. The bus picks us up and as it’s raining it is damp inside. The windows overhead are not in good shape and tend to leak and those in the passenger seats get dripped on, so Scot sits on the other side of the aisle from me so we both stay relatively dry. I get my raspberries and we head off towards our bus home. We get very tired after doing cities and it is getting dark so home sounds good. Scot wants to have a beer at one of the little bars we passed yesterday but we aren’t walking that street tonight so we try to find another one on the way. As per usual we can’t find a single place to have a drink so head to the bus stop. I tell Scot to check around the corner from the bus and voila there is a lovely Galleria wine bar which we head into. We have a drink and the guy makes us a little cheese nibble platter to have with it. Really nice and a fitting end to our Hungary stay. We get the bus back and later that night another camper turns up. In the morning we find out they are Brazilian and they are touring the world for 2 years. Yes you heard right. We thought we were doing a lot, but they shipped their 4wd from Brazil over to America, toured there and then shipped it to Germany where they commenced doing Europe. They have one of those unusual tents that they put on top of their car. It sounds funny but it obviously has a hard floor and a ladder to get down. They are a lovely young couple and we have a chat before they head off into the city and we pack up to leave. They give us a sticker they have had made which has website on it so we can hopefully catch up down the track, possibly Croatia. It has been a lovely stay and we are very grateful to Marta who has done our washing for us and hung it up inside her house to dry as she doesn’t have a dryer. I am grateful as I was virtually out of undies and I wasn’t prepared to re-use or turn inside out to get another wear out of them as Scot does.
Heros monument
Budapest marathon flags on this weekend
at the Hero’s square
The castle at night – shows up better if you click on the image
Views of Budapest – Pest side
Gellert Spa and Hotel
The chain bridge
Chillies galore
The castle on the Buda side
Danube river – always looks very green
Pest side of the river
Love these views can’t help taking them
A closer one of Pest side
The sun nearly starts to appear
Huge statues near the castle
Sewer cover
Cathedral in the castle grounds
Buda side of the city
Parliament house. we didn’t get to see inside but meant to be amazing
Castle boundaries
cranes in the mist
Rood tops are beautifully decorated with coloured tiles
In the morning we revel in the panoramic view of the Tatras and know that in a few hours we will be right on the other side of those mountains in Slovakia. We debated whether to stop for a few groceries but decided to push on and do that down the track. Vicki was driving so it was a great opportunity to sit back and watch the scenery change as we passed another border crossing. We stopped at a truck stop so we could check the internet as we would soon lose it when we entered Slovakia. We crossed the border and stopped at the first fuel station to buy a vignette for the tolls. Instead of having toll stops they just scan the sticker. This cost $10 euro for 10 days and covers all road user costs which is hassle free as we don’t have to worry about where they are or which roads to avoid. The landscape is really quite different from Poland, other than near Zakopane, as it is hilly and surrounded by mountains and is spectacular. I think I will have to come up with more words to describe the scenery so not to bore anyone. The forests are devoid of pine trees for the most part so the contrast is noticeable. And with autumn in full swing the colours are worth painting. We do notice that the villages and towns seem a little bit more rustic, and with respect a bit ‘poorby’ but then I am a foreigner and shouldn’t judge but compared to the Czech rep seems the poorer cousin. I hope that the next few days prove me wrong that the place does not reflect the people. The one thing I notice is they all have large vege gardens and are preparing them for winter. As it was close to 11am it was coffee time so stopped at a ritzy hotel with a sunny deck which is the first thing I spotted. The coffee and cappuccino was excellent along with the cake all for the grand sum of $3.10 euro, about $5.00aud so hopefully this is a sign that Slovakia with the euro is not expensive.
We stopped off at a small town where it looked quite nice and thought we may be able to get a sim card here, so parked up in a very rugged terrain carpark with massive potholes and walked into the town and looked for a T-mobile shop as they are often the cheapest. We found one quite quickly and one lady tried to serve us we realised she didn’t really understand us and she didn’t speak much English. In every other country we have bought a sim we have walked in and 5 mins later walked out after paying for a sim and putting it into the tablet. After quite some time – like 45 minutes we ended up getting the sim but we had to provide passport details, address plus sign two pieces of paper, all for a 9euro sim that will last us maybe 3 or 4 days. We can’t understand why the security but we aren’t able to ask what the big deal is as they don’t understand and nor do we. This kind of information would be for a contract but since we haven’t supplied a credit card or anything we know that isn’t what we have signed up for. I can only think that Slovakia still has some kind of suspicious Russian influence where they monitor everything everyone browses on the internet and they use this info to trace who you are if they don’t like what you are looking at. Anyway we were happy just to get out and back to the van to continue our drive.
After a 2 hour drive we came to Liptovski Mikulas where Vicki had sussed out a campground. But as fate has it the reception is closed and the place looks empty even though it is meant to be open until the end of October so we move on to plan B. Mind you it is miles out of town and nowhere near an Irish bar where I have hopes that we will be a short hop to see some of Saturdays nites games or at least get reception on tv. So we drive to the hotel that has a camp ground that on one camping website it was closed but another said that it was open. This is open so after talking to reception we find the power point and basically we are the only ones here. It is getting cold quicker and we are surrounded by high hills so the sun has gone early. The hotel shuts down at 9pm the same time as the New Zealand/Georgia clash but there is no guarantees the stations here have it on anyway. Funny there was a group of people staying somewhere and they were partying, sort of, in the camp kitchen playing guitars and having fun but we were not sure where they were camping. It turned out that they stayed awake all nite, not sure what they were doing. They were older people so we thought that they may have been a church group or something but they weren’t rowdy. We woke up at 3 in the morning and they were still going then 6 and still talking. Then they were all having a big brekky. Weird.
Vicki had done her usual searching for local area attractions and one of the best around here is the cave walks. The short drive winds up a valley past the ice cave attraction which we would visit if we were here longer (but where is the ice in the summer?? One of many conundrums when on the road with not much to think about). As an attraction the caves must draw lots of tourists and there is a hotel near. Indeed the drive out here has hotels, villas and short stays as I would say it is a mecca for hikers and fishing in the summer and a wide range of winter sports and activities in the winter very much like Zakopane on the other side of the Tatras.
There is a very steep 400m walk up the mountain to the cave entrance and we get an English printout describing the 7 main parts of the cave system. The cost was only 8euro each which really is very reasonable. Plus 5euro for parking which we don’t mind as has a bit of security. Along with about a hundred people we descended into the caverns. The caves were discovered in 1921 and opened to the public in 1924 and is what they call a Karst system which is largely limestone based with water running through over thousands of years. I won’t go into details but it was great 1 ½ hour natural wonder journey and it blew it our minds away and words really just can’t describe it adequately. It was truly spectacular and had differing features, from one of huge dome cavern to emerald lakes to winding cathedral like hallways. One of the columns which is basically a stalagmite and a stalactite joining and growing is estimated at 300,000 years old. One part was called the sufferers corridor as it took the miners a long time and considerable misery to hack the stone to create 40m of walkway without damaging the terrain. This for me was the most spectacular like walking through a fairy wonderland surrounded by stalactites/mites, crystal quartz and limestone waterfalls. The surreal feeling was of motion and movement from a form that probably moves an inch in a millennium. The walk goes for 1.2ks and goes up around 800m with 900 odd stairs so a bit of an effort. I can’t believe that this area is not mentioned in our lonely planet book as a Slovakian tourist destination. After the valley walk in Zakopane we feel we have just carried on this beautiful journey except it was below ground not above it. It cost extra to take photos but our cameras didn’t work inside anyway so will try and post some from the web. Unfortunately I have never experienced the Waitomo cave in the Waikato of NZ but Vicki has and she says there is really no comparison as they are totally different cave systems and whereas Waitomo is known for its glow worm magic and this was not evident at the Demanovska Cave of Liberty as it is a limestone cave. Overall a fantastic visit which we would highly recommend.
We drove out the way we came and proceeded to our next destination at further south to a small town of Piestany 40km past Trencin where there is a very famous castle ruins and environs that date back to the 11th century. It amazes us that these castles dot the high landscape everywhere and are built on uncompromising rock buttresses overlooking the countryside. Slovakia seems to have more than any country we have visited to date. Each has their own history which with the magic of modern technology (the internet for the initiated few) we can study before we explore so get a feel for the time and era. However it is around 4pm when we drive into the old town to be immediately confronted by more bloody weddings and bridal cars which in small cobbled alleys and laneways on a Saturday do not go down well with a 6m campervan with a tired driver. We decide that prudence is greater than valour so do a u turn and get out of Dodge and to our next camp.
The camp is just outside of town on the river near a marina and yacht club. We drive into the camp and the reception is closed but my god the place is packed!! Whereas we have experienced nobody in camps now and campervan highway is empty but now we are back 3 months. Seems there is the final meeting of the Caravan & Camper Association of Slovakia and we are gate crashing the party. They have live music and reverie and we are quickly invited to come along but it seems a little cliquey, they don’t seem to speak English and they are playing Abba so we will see how we feel as there is a function in the hotel next door as well. Just our luck to have two at once.
I am bummed that it is getting too late and we won’t be able to see the crucial Wallabies/England clash as I can’t replicate the TV reception of last week and there is no way we are going to the Irish bar when they may not have it on anyway so take consolation that next to the camp is a local BREWERY!!! So I am mollified to some extent. We have found out that tonite they are having a Slovakian folklore nite with plenty of local beer, spirits and music. We decide to have dinner first as we don’t want to party on an empty stomach. The rugby is soon forgotten and any way tragic as we are the world cup, the All blacks aren’t playing so what is more important than local beer, spirits & music!
We have a chat to the two girls at the entrance who give us a shot of schnapps which is home made and packs a mighty punch. We are given lucky door tickets for a draw later on and buy a drink.
They have a couple who are teaching everyone the steps of traditional Poprad dance which is a region in the middle of Slovakia. Some are wearing costumes and others try hard to look the part. The band starts the music which is very different from anything I have heard before but it has a beat that they dance to. They don’t have to encourage anyone, as they all get up and stand around waiting for the dance instructions to begin. We both join in for most of the lessons but our legs are a bit sore from the cave walk this morning so we don’t quite get the vim and energy to give our all as we normally would but do our best. We have a lot of fun trying to keep up with all the younger ones. Once they have taught all the steps they show us a video from 1913 of the traditional dance and the costumes. Then they just play the music for everyone to dance as they wish since everyone now knows the steps. As the night wears on they decide to draw the lucky door prizes. I had wondered how we would know if our ticket was called since we don’t know the numbers in Slovakian but one of the girls we were chatting to at the start knows our numbers so she will grab us if ours comes up. A few prizes go and next minute Ludka comes racing over and says my number is called so I go up to collect my prize which is a t-shirt from the folklore club with Piestany on it. I was wrapped and felt our hard dancing was all justified, when next minute Ludka comes over again, our other number is called and Scot goes up to collect a cool decorated bottle of milk which comes direct from the farm – none of that pasteurised stuff! We are both thrilled and amazed that we have both won a prize. Scot gets to have a couple more shots of Schnapps before we head out for the night.
During the night we talked to a Korean guy who works for Kia who along with Hyundai have huge factories here in Slovakia which probably supplies the European market and takes advantage of inexpensive labour. He wants to stay in the country but can only do so if he stays at his job. He can’t yet speak Slovak despite being in the country for 8 years. He loves to travel to go to the folklore dances – but prefers the east to the west as he feels they are friendlier. We also had a great conversation with Ludka who wants to study Japanese at University perhaps in Czech Rep as it is a better qualification there. She also wants to go to NZ as we have heard another here say that. One fellow from the camps said NZ turned down his visa because they have enough chefs in NZ and don’t need any more. We find that sad that different cultures are turned down for short stays to learn a different culture and get the opportunity to live on the other side of the world especially when so many people get let in to NZ when they don’t deserve to be there.
It is a slightly later get up than normal due to the late night, but we suss out the showers which look like they are from the 1940’s and something out of a prison. At least there is hot water and plenty of it but you don’t want to touch the walls and wearing jandals so as not to touch the floor is a must.
We have decided to spend today back in Trencin looking at the Trencin castle and surrounds since it was too busy yesterday afternoon. Being Sunday most things will be closed so there will be fewer people around. There is another castle ruin just south of Trencin castle but we end up not having the time to see it. We spend the end of the morning and most of the afternoon walking around the castle grounds and decide not to do the tour as they do not speak any English so what would be the point. The castle was from the 1100’s and had a well that had taken 40 years to chip out 79m of stone just so that the castle owner could marry Fatima. He never did because she died before the well was finished – no shit – so was all in vain really as they never reached a spring. The well did fill with water from somewhere apparently as the tale goes though.
We had a look at the exhibition and artifacts that had been found at the castle. We had a wine and non-alc beer at Fatima’s restaurant because Scot was driving and Slovakia has a zero alcohol policy same as Czech Rep and Hungary. You can’t even push bike and ride home after one beer here. Lucky we have a brewery at the entrance to the campsite.
After a short walk around the town we head back to camp and of course head for a drink at the brewery and an entrée of duck pate with toast and some potato pancakes. We watch as the last of the camp club leave the camp ground and we are once again left on our own in a huge campsite just like every other night. It’s quite eerie really after having a huge amount of people here and now its just us. There are walnut trees all around this campsite – must be a Slovakian thing – and we had seen people throwing timber at the trees to try and make them fall off.
Castle on the hill
A local house
The Tatras as we travel around them to Slovakia
Castle ruin
Town where we got the sim
Slovakian side of the Tatras
Pretty Slovakian scenery
Slovakian roads
In the caves
Stolen photos of the inside of the caves
Stolen photos of the inside of the caves
Stolen photos of the inside of the caves
Stolen photos of the inside of the caves
Stolen photos of the inside of the caves
Polish and Slovaks revere their dead. cemeteries are always filled with flowers
Parked behind 3 Iranian trucks – wonder how many refugees they are carrying. Certainly got the attention from police
Slovakian countryside
Slovakian countryside reminds me of NZ gorges
Nearly missed the bike
Castle
Cabbages – shitloads of them
Trencin Castle
Castle ruins south of Trencin
Folklore night at Piestany
Folklore night at Piestany
OOps this prize broke open and spilled everywhere – corn.
Lucky prize winner
the band
Dancing
The showers
Trencin castle
Could be Whinny the Pooh if he was much fatter -(there must be some beer in here somewhere…lol)
We get up and pack up before going in to pay for our stay. They tell us we can only pay with cash, but we don’t have very much and we are cranky they didn’t bother to tell us this when we arrived. So we get our bikes back out of the van and head down the road in search of an atm. Right beside where we found one is a bakery so maybe not so bad after all as we buy some bread for todays lunch and breakfasts. We head back to the camp, pay and then head out of Krakow. The Polish are nice people and more speak English (a little) than I thought would, but as it showed this morning, they may be able to speak a bit but don’t always understand what you are saying back to them – a bit like my French really.
It is a cold day and it takes a while to warm up this morning. The temp is only about 11 degrees as we head south. The last couple of nights have been much cooler – heading around 6 degrees. It doesn’t take us long before we are close to Zakopane. We stop at a McDonalds again for a coffee as the Polish ones all have a McCafe and their coffees are always good. Unfortunately there has been a bus load of teenagers pull up just before we did and it is crammed with them. We head away south – with only 20 or so minutes to go. The countryside here is interesting, obviously more mountainous than we have driven for a while and the houses are far larger and look more ski chalet type of places. It is obviously a very popular place to either live or stay as there are a lot of places along the road as we drive in. Poland has the most obtrusive advertising I have seen in any of all the countries we have been in so far. You are absolutely bombarded by billboards and advertising everywhere. There were quite a lot of countries where we never say any advertising at all, even McDonalds weren’t allowed to put up their big M showing where they were in a couple we were in. Not so here, the bigger and brighter the better.
We missed the campground on the way in so decided to park in the centre and have a look around before finding it on our way back out. We found a large carpark where the guy told us we could park all day for 15zlotys. We asked if we could stay all night for that too and he said yes. So we thought about what we would do as we strolled the town.
The Tatras behind Zakopane have a light smattering of snow on them at the moment which is why the temperature is very cool and on checking it is only about 8 degrees, but is getting down to 2 degrees tonight and 1 degree tomorrow night. We don’t really want to wild camp without electricity as this means not having the heater on (I don’t like it on gas) and it is way too cold for that here. The town reminds me a bit of Queenstown or maybe more of Arrowtown but is a much nicer place. Queenstown has gotten too chintzy and has far too much Asian influence and commercialism which destroys the Kiwi uniqueness of it. The town centre although still commercialised here with souvenirs all around and hiking shops a dime a dozen it still very cool and a great place to have a look around. A lot of the food places are selling mulled wine – my absolute favourite so we have to sit and have a couple of them to see how good they are. I think my Jamie Oliver recipe is better but it is still rather nice to have on such a cool afternoon. I manage to find a pair of inexpensive water proof hiking boots (I had to leave mine at home) which are made in Italy supposedly which I must check on and see if the truth prevailed. We decided that if we can get electricity then we will stay in the carpark we are in for the night and save a bit of money, and we find an electrical point outside a business, so this is it for the night. We just have to have our power out well before 9am and move the van over a bit so no one knows we camped here the night, not that I think anyone would care really.
Tomorrow the weather isn’t supposed to be good, but we will see. If it isn’t so good we may not go for the hike up the valley, but may stay an extra day and do it Thursday when it is supposed to be a very sunny day. At 10pm we were fortunate enough to time a quick call to Nedra & Kev in NZ as we have skype where we can call landlines for 3 cents a minute and it was early morning. . So as we can we will call family over the next few days but time difference and connectivity will have to be taken in to account. We were chatting to Gina our niece when somewhere in Zakopane there was a huge boom like a bomb going off but have no idea what it was and no sirens so we are still guessing. Even Gina heard it over the phone and said what the heck was that! Anyway we managed to get to sleep but as is usual sleeping in a non camping area you never truly settle.
Wednesday
It was very cold when we woke up and probably near 0c. We moved the van away from our power source so we don’t upset any apple carts and head into the village after brekky. It only managed to reach 4c today so well and truly rugged up-gloves and beanies. Because of the inclement weather we decide to do the hike tomorrow but decide to ride the cable car up the mountain (but a small one) and then walk a couple of ks and come down the ski lift. After a satisfying coffee and cake at a very warm café we get some bread buns to make lunch for today and tomorrow and a couple of beers for later. The trip up the slope was quite quick and I suppose we could have walked it if we had known but we want to save our energy for tomorrow anyway. Out of the cable car and the temp seems to have dropped a bit so we walk down another road of vendors selling the same wares and food as in the village, bloody hell a hard sell today. The funny thing is we are noticing that though it is cold and coming on to winter they are all selling these pastry/doughnut/roll type thing that you eat cold and supposably don’t have any filling. There are literally dozens of the stalls but no one really eating them. The potato pancakes however in town are doing a roaring trade I had some in Stegna which were divine, these are ok but not as good) Boy what I would give for a Redcliffe Banjos meat pie!! Which reminds me that I haven’t had any lamb or beef for about 3 months you just cant get it. We were in a Tesco shopping mall, and remembering all the export lamb we sent there when I worked at the meat works, surely I could find a lamb chop? Nothing, not even a sausage. Oh well chicken and fish, thank god Vicki likes these. I live in hope but reckon I will just have to have more smallgoods which I must say Europeans excel at. Anyway as we were walking it started to lightly snow which was so cool especially for someone like me from Whanganui probably not so much for Vicki from Dunedin( even though adores the snow) but though light it was a wonderful experience. From up here the view was incredible and it really is a beautiful and natural valley so we can appreciate why it is very popular all year round. We stopped at what we thought was our ski lift down and had our bread rolls while mesmerised by the vista below us that had similarities with parts of the NZ south island. As the temp bit even though the sun came out it was time for a hot wine so went into a little kiosk and indulged. This has become a slight routine as cold beer or wine doesn’t quite cut it. We went to put our tickets to go on the ski lift down but told our one was a km up the road so off we went. There are lots of new buildings going up here, chalet types that are quite large so maybe business ventures and holiday homes most in the traditional log cabin style but far from rustic. We stopped and chatted to a few woolly local sheep (with horns) and tried to entice them with some luscious side road grass but maybe they suspected we were kiwis and our advances were suspicious. No you aussies I did not spot Baaaarbara!( though the funniest thing I saw a beer from Poland with an emu and kangaroo crest on it but didn’t buy it cos I figured it was a Fosters copy) Our ski lift happened to be the old style open chairs not the previous 4 berth covered Rolls Royce type so jumped on but surprisingly it was nice slow journey down the ‘mountain’ through and over people’s back yards which took probably 3 x longer than the ‘rich man’s lift’ so in the end it was great as we got to see for miles around. We trekked back into town via the main road in and turned off to find the old town but not quite what we were expecting to find so went back to the main area. We picked up some fresh tomatoes and raspberries ( they sell forest mushrooms which we are tempted to try them but look funny though probably ok we just cant get over the fear of ‘tripping off’ somewhere though they do sell them on the side of the road in the forests. Even when we were going through Birkenau there were mushrooms in the paddocks but at least they looked like the ones in NZ.) and took them back to the van as everything here is quite close then went in search of our favourite hot wine seller. Two hot wines each($2aud for 300ml) and the night air was approaching 0 so thought best to get the van warm and have some green curry for tea for a change. Funny though we add to it and it just gets tastier.
We arrived back to our van and as it is after 6 we backed the van back into last nite’s position and hook up the electricity. We tend to keep the lights low so as not to draw any attention to us till it settles down but tonite a large van parked right next to us. Fortunately I spot stickers in the side window its ok just another fellow traveller. We are neighbourly so say hello as safety & solidarity in numbers. They are Hungarians and speak a little English but they are off for some dinner so we will catch in the morning as they are off to Krakow so maybe we will be able to swap info if we can understand each other. Vicki is tallying receipts, seems you can take the accountant out of Australia but…. Haha. Will sleep easier tonite with our new neighbours flying shotgun.
Thursday 1 October
No strange happenings overnight but we need to get up earlyish so we can get to the bus to take us to Kiry and a day of hiking. The buses here are all private and they are mostly mini buses. You can take them wherever you need to go but you need to be careful because you never know exactly where they are going to take you in the town. Looking out of the van the cars around us have thick frost on them and it is really cold outside, but a beautiful clear sky. I check the temperature on the internet and it says it is -1 and it is 8 o’clock, so I figure it was probably -2 or -3 overnight. No wonder it got cold out of bed in the van. The Hungarian couple who parked up beside us came and said goodbye and I was quite humbled by Robert who gave us his phone number and that of his daughters in Budapest and said his was an open home and we were very welcome at any time. And they have a festival in his home town in a few weeks that he said we should come for. How lovely. We say it often about the lovely people we have met on our journey. I said to Scot I reckoned it was because I told him to go out and say hello and find out who our neighbours were when they pulled up, which a lot of people don’t do, but I like to know where they are from and chat to them about their country.
It costs 10zloty to get to Kiry – about $4 for the two of us. Before we left, I had asked a tourist office lady if the track was easy to follow (thinking of NZ or Aust wilderness hikes) and she said yes. I then wondered whether I should tell someone we are out hiking so if anything happens and we don’t return they will send out someone to look for us. I had thought of the guy at the car park where the van is, but in the end I don’t do anything about it. And I thought I was being reasonable. However when we get off the mini bus in Kiry, it is a major stop for those hiking and there are souvenir places all around and as we look down the path we are going on down the valley between the Tatras we see a couple of hundred people already heading down on the path. Also the path is not the track I had envisioned, it is a stony road wide enough for a good sized vehicle – so much for my theory on getting lost and the wilderness! There are horse and carts waiting to take those who feel that the 12-14km hike is too far for them to walk.
We head off passing a couple of large school student groups which we are pleased to leave behind so we may get a little bit of peace and quiet and the sound of the wilderness as we walk the track. The road takes us along the side of a river and it is very peaceful with only the odd couple of hikers passing us or us them from either direction. As we look up, the rocky faces of the outer Tatras loom out of the trees and they are a sight to behold. It is very cool though even though the sky is cloudless, it would be about 4 degrees in the shade. There is frost on the grass and the puddles are frozen along the side of the road. There are many different paths you can take along this route, but we have decided on the easier one that will take about 2 hours each way. Some of the paths take you up along the rocky ridges where you can look down along the valley which would be a beautiful sight but we will save that for another day perhaps.
I am disappointed (but my knee is probably grateful) that the path isn’t more rugged and not so civilised but that’s ok. It is probably the best day we have spent in Europe getting back to nature and we love it. It would be nice to do more of this when we get to Austria and Switzerland. We reach the half way point and it seems like it was a short walk. We had a few horse and carts trot past us. The second part has a bit of up hill and we are getting a little higher into the hills. We both joke about having a nice coffee at the end of the track but when we arrive there, there are already 30 odd people there and in the middle of nowhere there is a large café and a hostel kind of place. So a coffee it is – even if it is a primitive old fashioned one. I don’t know if I would like the job of any of the workers having to walk in and out each day but I guess it would keep you fit –unless they have a motorbike.
Next to arrive are the big groups of students and the little peace there was, is completely gone. The path heads away from this spot onto another 4hour hike and although we aren’t doing that one we walk a little way to see if we can see further into the valley. This track gets a little back to a wilderness style of track as I doubt many continue on this path.
We head back to Kiry, trying to stay away from the large groups so we can again capture that peaceful nature sound and stop occasionally along the river side. We stop for a seat at the halfway mark and eat our bread rolls Scot made that morning. As we sit there he sees some people partway up a rocky ridge quite high up. Looks like a bit of a harrowing pathway.
When we get back to Kiry we look for the bus we need to take. There are several there with Zakopane signs on and a couple that drive past. We have no idea which one to take so we just get on one of them. We know it is going somewhere near where we want to go, but we don’t know just exactly where. It drives via a different route we got there on and we start to wonder if it going where we want to go – and no its not. It is going to the other end of the town which is a 20 minute walk that we hadn’t intended to do. It’s not all bad as we now get to walk past the shop with the bread rolls and can buy some more and we walk past the better of the mulled wine cafes and stop for 2 drinks each. It was difficult to get up and leave as we were tired, but we have to find a camp for the night which we know is on the outskirts of town – or find a porta toilet to empty ours into and go back to the carpark. We had seen a sign in the town for a campsite closer in but when we investigated there was nothing there. I wish they would remove signs when they were no longer relevant. In Poland you are totally and completely bombarded with advertising billboards. They are just incredible and I am wondering whether they just get left up even when they are no longer applicable. We head out of town to the campsite we know is still open. It is about 4kms out and we were going to have tea in town but it will be too far now. We arrive at the camp and after we had paid a Dutch couple pull up. Its always funny when this happens and we get chatting and the owners of the camp are standing by patiently waiting for them to check in so they can get on with their business. It was very worthwhile talking to this couple though as it often is, since they are also driving into Slovakia tomorrow and on to Austria. We have asked them which way they are going as it is by the mountains and I think one way is good and the other not so good. They stop by in the morning before leaving and tell us the best way to go which is great. Now I am not so afraid of getting the bad mountainous road. We eat out as a treat at a nearby restaurant and have pizza and Greek salad. They don’t have wine which I am peeved about so I have to have a beer. After I am nearly falling asleep so it is a very early night for us – all that fresh air has tuckered both of us out. Tomorrow off to Slovakia our 15th country.
Coming into Zakopane
The Tatras
A small amount of advertising bombardment
More media bombardment but it’s far worse than this
Horse carts
Interesting shoes the horses wear, they are hinged
With the rain coming down we leave the camp but checked the toilet/water dump from last nite to check for floaters but all ok. It is a 2-3 hour trip so not too far and careful in the rain. We found the camp quite easily which is new and sort of part of the Hotel complex. It was still raining so quickly set up after checking and watching a wedding reception going in for their celebrations. We are pretty much the only ones here. I have checked out the bar so am going to see if polish tv has the rugby on as unfortunately the van reception is nil. I made a green Thai curry but got a bit heavy handed so quite hot which Vicki can’t handle so now I am cooking extra veges and adding coconut milk to ‘cool’ it down. Now we have enough for 3 nites. I walk over to see if the game is on at 6pm but only volleyball but have a beer anyway. Then back to the van for tea and a beer. Then at 9pm back to the bar and see if the other game is on but no luck but what the heck better have another quality Polish beer and had a nice chat to the young bar lady. She is studying Theology so quite fascinating trying to find out what job comes at the end of study. Vicki is still sick so a quiet nite for her.
Next morning the weather was sunny and reasonably warm so started walking the 3ks into Krakow but a little bit down the road we went back and got the bikes as it is much quicker but until you start walking it is hard to judge if biking is feasible. Oh for bikeways like Belgium & Holland where bike is king. However the bike lane here quite quickly went down to the Danube for a picturesque ride into the city. We locked up the bikes, again not bike friendly, very little racks. We wandered the streets but priority was an ATM and a place to get a sim card as our first Polish one only lasted 5 days and it ran out while we were in Czech rep. We had to go to the new shopping plaza which is so out of place in the old town. We got what we wanted and did some exploring of this old town which is similar to the others but has a green park surrounding the whole city which is quite unique. Around 2.30 we sussed out a bar that had the rugby on(you can see a pattern here of my priorities) and though the Wallaby game was on it was the next game we were going to watch. Trouble was it was live streamed so not a great picture. We walked around a bit more and sat in the square in the sun and I had a Polish sausage & beer and Vicki had a hot mulled wine. We started to chat to a Polish lady(her grandmother survived the war as even though she was on the list to go to the camps the grandfather, being a cobbler, persuaded the person to take her off the list in exchange for making shoes for them as of course they were in very short supply. Such a fine line between life & death) and asked her a few questions about what we should see and she recommended Zakopane which is south nestled under the Tatra Mountains and is meant to be very stunning with lots of walks and sightseeing. We were not sure whether to take the van or bus or train for a day trip so had to do some research. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the bar but did stop on the way to see some very clever young men busking a great break dance and singing routine which was entertaining. We got to the bar but they had moved the game to the back room tv where a bunch of Scots and one pom were watching. The picture was really poor so everybody decided to do to the English Football pub down the road for the second half. We were invited along so went into this amazing underground cellar like catacombs with about 6 rooms for different viewing. We ended up watching the first half again as they couldn’t find the 2nd half live on the telly then found out there was no 2nd half for that channel. What a balls up but we had a great time chatting to the guys. They were over on a bucks nite as one of the guys was marrying a German. The poor pommy was getting hell from the Scots for losing to Wales so of course we were digging in that the Aussies will beat them as well and they will be out of the cup. We could have stayed longer but they were going for pizza and Vicki has a long memory regarding the last time I started drinking with Brits in Riga so prudent that we left. It was getting a bit dark so went home and had an early nite as we had to be up early the next morning to be collected to go to Auschwitz & Birkenau for our tour. Not sure what to expect tomorrow but sort of looking forward to it but how can you ‘look forward’ to something as horrible as this.
We were collected on time, 20 of us in a minibus for the 1/1/2 hour trip to first Auschwitz then a short drive to Birkenau. We had only just got underway when the guy (about 35-40) next to Vicki (they were in the back row) said to the chap next to me one row ahead that he was going to be sick and pass him a bag! The guy next to me who happened to be his dad sort of ignored him so he asked again then took some food and fruit out of a plastic back and proceeded to vomit into the bag, Great way to start the day, needless to say dad was not impressed. I ended up getting the bus driver to stop and the guy ended up sitting with the driver up the front. He blamed it on being bounced around in the back but I get the feeling it was alcohol related from the nite before as dad was not impressed.
We parked at Auschwitz amongst other vans and buses and met our guide. It is all pretty rushed as there are lots of groups all having to follow each other in sequence so they can’t stuff around. Well Murphy’s law stepped in and they wouldn’t let Vicki’s bag through. They do advise you that you can only take a small bag 30x20x10 in but we determined that Vicki’s handbag was no larger than that. The lady on the metal detector (yes they put you through one, although we have absolutely no idea why) took a dislike to Vicki and she had to take her bag back out to the bus driver and get him to lock it back up in the van. Not a good thing as it had our passports and important documents in. They did let my bag in which was actually the same size or slightly bigger – go figure. The tour group hardly waited for Vicki to come back before they had taken off. We all got headphones and a receiver box to hear our guide. He had a hilarious way of talking – a bit like the guy off Believe it or not where he would almost whisper his final word in each sentence. Auschwitz is a sombre and hard to describe place but it was a bit like walking around an old prison with the razor wire and brick buildings. Everything is pretty much unchanged but you only get to see through a few places and not a lot of time as the other groups are behind you all the time. There were rooms with items collected from Jews by the Nazis as they were delivered to the camp. They were told to bring all they could as they were going to be rehoused in other places. Unfortunately the showers were gas chambers and so all their belongings were warehoused and sent to be reused. For example their hair was all shaved off before they were murdered and made into textiles and goods for the war effort. However in one room there was enclosed two ton of hair that hadn’t been used (out of 8 ton still there) just huge mounds of hair. There were also rooms with thousands of children’s shoes and another with thousands of adults shoes. There were Combs and brushes, shoe polish and even suitcases with names still on them. Words can’t describe the feeling looking at them but have a look at the attached pics. There was one area in the basement where 4 people would be put in a 1 x 1m cell with no windows where they had to crawl in through a little hatch and live for weeks or until they died as a punishment. Just unbelievable. And yet these activities took an amazing lot of clever planning and money raising. We saw where they shot people and also where they hung them up by their arms that were tied behind their backs till their shoulders dislocated. There was a reconstructed crematorium that still had the original equipment plus the gas chamber where they dropped the pellets through the roof and could take hours to die. The problem was they couldn’t burn them quick enough. The area was declared a monument in 1947 and has been open to visitors since.
Whereas the enclosed area of Auschwitz is small, Birkenau is around 200 hectares and though a lot of the long huts are gone the remains of a number of the brick buildings are standing but unfortunately they are sinking into the ground due to the high water table but these are being restored. The government own the area but admission is free (but you pay to go on a guided tour) but upkeep is by funding methods. The remains of the two huge crematoriums are still there after the Nazis tried to remove the evidence by burning and blowing them up but they ran out of time. It still amazes me how the Nazis were so dumb to think they could get rid of the evidence. It would have been hard enough to physically remove things but they were fastidious documenters and wrote everything down. However some were clever enough to remove themselves to other countries before the collapse or just after but many were tried and executed.
As you enter the site you can follow the railway line where all the jews and other prisoners were bought in then unloaded and with the whim of one nazi it was to the left if you were old, infirm, disabled, pregnant, a child or unfit to work which meant a walk straight to the gas chambers or to the right if you were fit to work. The hut living quarters were primitive to say the least and I would hate to know what it was like in the winter. This part of the tour wasn’t as depressing as Auschwitz but probably due to the openness and size of Birkenau it is hard to gauge how it must have been. I can see why this has become a pilgrimage for so many to witness the greatest extermination in the known world history. Supposedly it is to make sure it never happens again but what I see in the world today I don’t have much hope. The guide said that Auschwitz was the better camp and it was considered a punishment if you were to be sent to Birkenau. When you see the difference between the two you can understand why. The bunk rooms in Auschwitz were inside brick buildings and the Birkenau bunk rooms were unlined timber with cobbled floors and rooves. Nothing would have been air tight and I can’t begin to imagine what it would have been like in winter. They housed many hundreds of people in each building that should reasonably only hold maybe a hundred at the most. The soldiers looking after the prisoners also had to live in the same conditions the prisoners did at Birkenau.
We got back to camp around midday, had a small nap-Vicki still had a migraine that she just can’t seem to shake- & rolls that we had made in the morning but didn’t have, somehow didn’t feel like eating, and biked into town to have a look around the main feature here the large castle and church that is surrounded by high walls. It is a great view over the Danube over to the new city so after a look around we sat and had a drink and fruit tart at one of the restaurants and enjoyed the vista. Prices are very good here so you feel you are getting value for money. We wandered back into the old town to see if we had missed anything but not really so had a mulled wine in the square, somehow managed to get a free beer yeehaa, then biked back to camp. Altogether quite a busy two days and a bit emotional at times. We will look back at Krakow as a quite a nice place but I think the feeling is that it was too close to us being in Prague and that has spoilt the experience a bit as Prague was awesome on many levels. Plus, for me, I have always thought of Krakow in a negative sort of light because of the camps and war history but really I would say it is well worth the visit especially as we didn’t go to Warsaw.
We have decided not to stay a third day as we thought and we are going to drive south to Zakopane a popular holiday, winter sport and hiking destination. We hope to do a small excursion up the valley and get a hike in but we will be a bit limited to distance as we hear it can be challenging but still want to experience the wild mountain scenery. It is on the way to Slovakia which is on the other side of the Tatra Mountains, which like the Czech Rep, seems to be a friendly & peaceful country that punches above it’s weight and also has beautiful scenery and is small enough to experience a lot in a short time. We are aware of the weather starting to cool and still have Hungary, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein to see before heading to the slightly warmer climes of Greece hopefully seeing a bit of Italy and Croatia on the way.
The castle and cathedral view biking into Krakow
Some Polish performers in the market square
We love the faces they put on some of the buildings.
We thought Moas were extinct, but maybe they just moved to Poland
Polish sausage and a beer and mulled wine on the square
Polish performers walking on air
Auschwitz entrance
Security fences
The places the Germans took Jews and others from and murdered them
The statistics of the dead as they know it
Gas canisters. The gas came in the form of pellets that expelled gas when released to the air
The prosthetics from the first lot of murdered people – some who fought for Germany in WWI
Hundreds of suitcases most with names of the family owner
thousands of childrens shoes
hundreds of thousands of adults shoes. This filled two sides of a large room
Sentry post
Hairbrushes, shaving brushes, shoe brushes. It was after these rooms that we saw many students crying as they walked out
Sentry post
The bunk rooms. They don’t look that bad today, but when you had 10 or more to a bunk bed
The firing squad w.all
These posts hung people backwards by the arms
This is the hanging line. They hung 12 one day to teach others a lesson
The gas chamber and cremetorium
One of the gas chambers. They had small holes at the top that allowed the pellets to be dropped into the room
The crematorium – one of many
Birkenau – you can’t get an appreciation of the size since they destroyed all the timber buildings
The destroyed crematorium at Birkenau
The dreadful bunk rooms at Birkenau
The dreadful bunk rooms at Birkenau
The dreadful bunk rooms at Birkenau
The dreadful bunk rooms at Birkenau
The toilet room for all. They were only allocated certain times they could go to the toilet
