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Happy New Year

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Budapest

Well after a hefty 8 hour train ride but made all the more cooler by those eastern european trains with the old style carriages where you can stretch out, I finally arrived in Budapest. The scenery on the train ride was truely un-remarkable. Fields fields fields and more fields. Will met me at the train station somewhat pissed and in good spirts. We headed back to our hostel then went in search of some dinner. The temperature had really dropped of late so we had to dress warm. After a long walk and getting somewhat lost we found the Hungarian restaurant we were looking for. Hungarian food is not that well catered to vego but I had some crumbed mushrooms which were good. Budapest is such a lovely city and at night with the christmas lights it looked fantastic the heros square looked great. The next day was spent in bed feeling very sorry for ourselves with illness. Me with a bad cold and Will's ankle was sprained.



The following day we were determined to see the sights and walked around the Pest side and visited the heros square again we walked around the parks and watched little kids in speed skating races and visited a Van Gough exhibition at one of the museums. Dinner that night was topped off with a rather heavy drinking session which saw us end up back in the hostel at 5am. I was going to call Dave and Lisa and give them a congrats for their wedding but with all the time differences I do not think I would have caught them. But I tried to make up for it.


















The next day off to explore the Buda side visiting the old royal palace church and castle. We had some great views of the city even if it was hidden in fog. That evening we went to the very famous and popular hotsprings in town for a soak in the warm waters. It is full of local old men playing ches in the water which is pretty cool. Worn out by the hot springs and with my cold and Will's bung leg it was an early dinner then bed. The next day we took a flight back to London. Me because I had to go back to work the next day and Will was staying at my place then continuing on to Amsterdam and Turkey.

Slovenia

well, I just wanted to head out of Austria asap. I was very much looking forward to Slovenia which I have heard a lot about. The train ride was beautiful through the alps so pretty and picturesque it even snowed which is very exciting for me.

I went to a small town called Bled which is set in the Julien Alps. It is so pretty set on a clear lake in which a small island on which there is a church. A large castle sits on the hill above the lake and the mountains surround it. It is like a postcard but in real life.

















I was staying at a lovely hostel, with only one other person in it, a sweet Japanese guy. I walked around the lake, watched the ducks. I then had a nice coffee and visited the castle.

























Later that day I took the bus to Ljubljana, the countries capital. It looked stunning at night with the trees along the river decorated with chirstmas lights. It had a great tree and looked georgeous. There is not a lot to see and do in terms of touristy stuff, but the city is quite happening there are lots of nice coffee shops and bars.











I walked around town looking at some of the lovely buildings, visited a pharmacist as I came down with a bad cold/tonsilitis, went to the castle and to the castle tower for some great views and visited the dragon bridge.



















I'd decided to go visit Will in Budapest and take a cheap flight from there unstead of making my way to Croatia and flying back from there. For a few reasons the main one being I wanted my travel buddy back and also by the time I got to croatia it was going to cost me a lot just to sit on a ferry for a day not be able to get off due to time contraints and I would only spend a few hours in Dubrovnik before heading back to the UK.

So Budapest here I come

Austria

Well it wont be much of a post as I did not spend a long time in Austria.

Will and I set off for a night and a day in Vienna. It was very sad seeing Kate off, like any good friend she ran alongside the train waving madly as we sped away. Afterwards we both felt so flat, we all clicked so well when we met and we have become great friends.

Arriving late at night in Vienna, we were turned away from lots of hostels and hotels we did not realise it was a long weekend. We managed to find a place at the Hotel Motzart a bit out of town, even though Will had offended the guy by asking about more central places to stay, he forgave us and gave us a room. So we were tired and sad but still managed to have a good time.

We spent the next day visiting more Christmas markets (I am now truely sick of them) and the sights of Vienna, we had no guidebook or tour but had a great day wandering aimlessly around the city.



















That night I had to say good bye again (even sadder as now I am all alone) I was off to Salzburg and Will to Rome.

















I did not stay in Salzburg long, it was raining my hostel was awful it was a family hostel so more like a school camp full of 14 year old girls who screamed and cranky old people. I walked around for a while but felt I needed to get out of there. I will have to come back it really is amazing and I would like to see the hills and lakes but the weather and my mood were not condusive.

I decided to take the train earlier than I had planned to Slovenia, the scenery on the way through the alps where it was snowing was spectacular. So more to come soon.

Czech Republic

Wow, I have been having an absolute blast.

Kate my new travell buddy and I caught the train from Berlin to Prague. Where we stayed in a great hostel. We arrived in the late afternoon (it gets dark around 4 now) and decided to look around anyway. It is such a pretty city and the christmas market and tree looked lovely in the old town square.

Well getting our priorities right we found this great traditional Czech beer hall U Zlateho Tygra which was fantastic. We walked in to turn heads as there were no tourists there and it was full of old men. After being befriended by possible Czech and Russian Mafia (or so they joked, but it could have been true) we had some of the finest beer I have tasted Pilsner Urquell and it is fantastically cheap beer is cheaper tahn water in this country. It is the kind of place that only serves beer, they run you a tab and if your beer is almost empty another is whisked in front of you promptly. Needless to say we went back there everynight.
















The next day we met up with our other travel buddy from Berlin Will (aka Ducky) we spent the day wandering around Prague visiting the castle and admiring all classic beautiful buildings and old bridges. That night was St Nicholas night which required people to go dressed up as either st Nick, and angel and the devil. They then proceded to scare the shit out of poor kids (mainly the devils work) and then give them sweets (the angels work) while amused parents look on.
















For us it was another large night which consistend of a minimum of 2.5 litres of beer with tequilla and absinthe to boot, (when I put the pics up notice the start vs end of night).
























The next day a day trip to Kutn Hora where someone decorated a church with old bones from the plague days. The bones of 40,000 people have been carved into chandeliers etc. Cool but a bit creepy.



Then the three of us set off again for Cesky Krumlov. We stopped over in Ceske Budejovice to visit the Budar Budweiser Brewery but we were 5 mins late and the bitch at the desk refused to let us join late. We were not impressed but still sampled the beers in the restaurant. We continued on to Ceskya Krumlov small town in Bohemia which is delightful very sweet and beautiful. We walked around and had a great time followed off with a night of more Absinthe, and some headaches in the morning.
















So I have been having a great time and partying very hard but I did also spend a lot of time seeing the sights and lovely towns. But Will and I head off to Vienna I think for a bit of a de-tox as well. Very sad moment but we had to sa good bye to the lovely Kate :(

Berlin

Back on the road again.

With all the work and goings on in London I didn't really have time to think about my next trip only that I had to use these flights before the 27th of Dec and have 17 days to get from Berlin to Croatia with no plan in between. But so far I have been having a blast.

I arrived late in the afternoon and got chatting to a Canadian guy in my hostel Will, and then we were joined for a beer by an aussie girl Kate. Kate lives in Cecil st around the corner and about 3 minutes from me in Melbourne. Small world! We went out for a few beers and we have been travelling together since, they are so much fun and we are having a blast!

Our first day in Berlin we did a walking tour taking in the sights and history of Berlin including nazi rule communist rule and the wall finally coming down. We chris-crossed where the wall used to be, and saw what remained. Visited old ss bunkers and the book burning square, where hitlers bunker once stood and visited some monuments and learnt a bit more about the city's history which is so vast it is hard to fit in a walking tour. Then Kate and I walked around for a little while, tried to visit the Reichstag but the line was too long and it was getting cold. We did stop at Christams market and drank some Gluhwien (warm spiced red wine). It definately feels more christmasy when it is cold.

That night we had a great dinner then sampled Berlin's great nightlife, they have some great bars and know how to party.

The next day another walking tour mainly about the 3rd reich. So a bit depressing but again such a fascinating history in this city so much to take in again. That night we were a little parited out so Kate and I went to the movies to watch Borat. A great laugh but some of the Jewish jokes are not so great especially after the tour we had just done.

I only got a taste of Berlin, but it is truely an amazing city and although you can say that about a lot of cities. It has such an intense history of both tragic and world changing moments and to top it off only a few of the old buildings are left but it looks and feels like a young city that is got it's feet now firmly planted and is really set to take off. I can't wait to come back here

Londoner

Well after my trip I was for some reason looking forward to coming back to the UK. I have no-idea why, maybe I was a bit deluded. I guess that I was looking forward into moving into my new place and having a room that was mine and a nice kitchen and some cool housemates.

However when I got back every thing seemed to fall apart. I got back and moved into my new place. I'd been dating this guy and that didn't work out, one of my new housemates was a real jerk to me and work was still crap and to top it off I had the flat feeling you get when you come back from holidays.

Well it is true I am officially a Londoner. That's right I know when I left I was determined to be not another Australian in London. But work bought me down to the South East and Maidstone is some where you live only if you have a senior's card for the bus. I used to spend every weekend in London with the friends I had there when I was living in Maidstone so the move was some what logical.

So I have been living in London but commuting to work in Maidstone (takes mean hour and a half) crazy I know but I am looking for work here. Most of you probably know that I have decided not to come home yet. Yes, a big part of me thinks I am crazy and I often think what have I done. I miss all my friends back home and yes I gave up and great job, the weather sucks I miss the good coffee and food and have a stalker (yes mum I went to the police and had to be report it) and all this does not help especially when you are going through a rough patch. However I feel that if I come home back to my old job and settle down my adventure will be all over and I'm not ready for that quite yet.

It was great to catch up with Bec when she was in town. She had a lot of good advice as she has lived abroad for 4 years. For those of you that know me well enough, will no that I am quite a determined character. I've kind of set this goal for myself of trying to live and work in another country.

The good news is that things are looking up. Everyone in my house is fantastic, and the guy who threw his toys out of the cot has been nice ever since. I am now on holidays in europe again, and when I get back I start my new job in West London. I am settling in well, I just have to remember the good times I have had here. I have been out and about, getting some new furniture, getting to know my new housemates, exploring London, going out to bars, parties and seeing bands etc.

I live in Islington. For those not in the know that is North of the River, inner North East London the light blue squares on the Monopoly board (funny if you think about it given I lived in the Inner North of Melbourne.) Yeah, yeah it appears cheap but any area now that exists on a monopoly board is not cheap anymore. And at least I am not wayout West with all the other Aussies. It's an interesting area I live literally 2-3 mins walk from the new Arsenal stadium so on home game days it is interesting, the whole suburb is taken over by fans and police. I live near a really cool area of bars, shops, restaurants and clubs in Angel, but also it can get a little bit rough around the area as well.

So I am staying positive and am having a fantastic time in europe again. Keep a look out for more blogs. I'm also looking forward to Christmas with Cyz and New Years with Angela and Ronan