Some Bargains in Singapore.

Sleep talking.

At check in counter for flight.

Me: "so, uh, is this a three-four-three?"

SA Staff: looks up from eager typing on keyboard with look of judgement, stating matter-of-fact, "Ah, no. It's a 747."

Pause of impact before continuing, 

"We don't currently have any 343's in our fleet."

Moments pass before realisation.

Me: "I meant, uh, the seating arrangement...."

Attack of the Eyelids,

NO sleep during 13 hour flight. 

Still up at 9pm. Officially awake 27 hours.

Bar falling asleep DURING lunch. 

She's huge.

Backyard.

Beautiful.

Morning snow on my last day. Wonderful.

One Word.

If I could sum up Vienna in one word, it would be Christmasmarkets. 

(In German, this is one word so it counts...) 

They're everywhere and beautiful!

SO FESTIVE!!! 

FYI

Tonight will be the first night where I have slept in the same bed (and the same city!) for more than two nights in countless weeks. 

But then I'm off!

Viennese Sustenance.

Prague Recap.

Waiting in yet another station with a bag full of bizarre food spending all my last Czech crown. Realising I need the toilet afterwards and not having the minuscule crown required to pee? Not great. 

On to the Austrian (capital?), Vienna where apparently the sun will shine bright and the snow will fall lightly. 

A whirlwind number of hours in Prague. Arriving in the dark to a delicious buffet dinner from our hostel before hitting the famed nightlife. Pub after pub began the night where there was dancing on tables, beer on tap that was cheaper than water and ever-circulating shots that changed colours under the lights. And pole dancing in bars? Apparently normal. Who said our tour has no talent? 

Underground bars, covered in cobblestone bricks and filled with rustic arm chairs your grandad would own, a decor we could only appreciate over bellows of laughter, constant chatter and international drinking games that collapsed and fell as the night wore on, much like a number of our group. 

For those that made it to the club (via a bakery with a delicious array of starch-based, stomach lining products, apparently used to being open at 1am) we were greeted with four storeys out of five blaring different music per floor, strobe lights, laser lights, technicolor dance floors all within a dizzying labrinyth of concrete. A maze designed by a toddler ensuring no paths could be followed, no route discovered and the excitement of unknown areas a constant of the night (because the beverages alone weren't enough to keep you on your toes..)

A Sunday night did little to deter us as we danced like it was 1979 (literally, on the second floor with 70's theme tunes) and could not have had a better time. With a family of 40 (minus a couple who were struggling by midnight) our numbers certainly dominated inside. 

As the early hours rolled closer and closer to daylight and the Christmas markets were surely preparing to begin their days, we rode back to the hostel, the cab drivers zooming through the blurred darkness in the dead of the morning. 

Waking a little less alert and with a higher desire to keep the head on the pillow, we soldiered on through cold showers and strange breakfasts to greet a morning Prague on our walking tour. 

Seeing it for the first time in light (natural, rather than the stars or reflections from the 'green fairy' that the absinthe induces) and its beauty was still apparent. 

Heading trough Wencelas Square (correct spelling optional, but the star of the well known Christmas carol) through the Main Street and into the Old Town Square. Dominated by a giant Christmas tree with lights featuring falling snow and never ending Christmas markets, we saw the oldest astronomical clock in the world which still works. Dating back to the 14th century, we arrived in perfect timing to catch it on the hour where it chimes loudly and the skeletons of death make their appearance. Or something significant which created a giant crowd for a very small and unexpected event. 

Pulling our already weary feet forward through charming streets lined with beautiful buildings and into the Jewish Quarter and the oldest Jewish graveyard in the world. Built above ground, there were said to be over 100,000 within the small area as the Jews could not purchase more land at the time instead having to bury bodies on top of each other. And I thought being on a bus with 40 was busy! 

We wove through the streets to the famous bridge which is now closed to all but pedestrians and attracts a Parisian feel with artists, jewellery makers, musicians and puppeteers set up across the stretch. A fantastic atmosphere leads up the hill to the castle and Notre Dame like cathedral. Stone faced guards stand in front of the castle which you can walk through to the stunning cathedral. Much like the Notre Dame, ornate and elaborate and hoisting high ceilings and rose stained windows. 

The view from the top of the hill is probably the best part and finding a spot to stare out at the terra cotta rooftops, stretching for the length of my gaze is a coveted luxury. A breathtaking view and one of my European favourites. Pictures don't suffice so my memory will have to do. 

Pulling myself out of a Prague-drowned stupor, we headed back through the outer streets and back to the centre to admire the churches, the tower and finally, the shops. 

Not yet able to join the European Union (economically) because of their slightly weak currency, a GBP earning customer benefits. And I desperately needed underwear. (It's cheaper than laundry!) 

Weaving through the shops while listening to the baffling language before meeting under the tree (a terrible meeting point which worked surprisingly well. Think Eiffel Tower-like crowds.) Dinner with some of the wonderful people I've been lucky enough to get to know before I part. A non-traditional Greek salad ended my Czech food delights, it was the only thing I could afford on the menu! 

A lovely last walk through town to the metro, the best way to say goodbye to a town that shines brightest at night. 

Austriaaaaa.

Euros.

German.

Sick.

Ugh. 

Haribos make everything better. 

An unexpected taste of.... Slovakia.

Prague - Vienna.

:( 

Love this place too much to leave. 

Christmas is in the air! 

A Day To Remember.

A night to forget.

Emotionally Drained.

Krakow.

Today I spent a couple of hours 130metres underground. Definitely one of the cooler days so far. 

After spending a couple of hours walking around the centre of beautiful Krakow, admiring the Christmas markets and trying to keep our toes from frostbite as the hail began to fall. Finally relenting and darting into another traditional Polish restaurant for an early lunch I had dumplings, again. Spinach and onion utter deliciousness. Unfortunately we practically had to shove them down as we had places to be!

Running through town (for the second time in under 24 hours) we made it back to the tourist office by midday for our guided tour! Travelling 12km out of town we arrived at the Salt Mines! 

We arrived and had tickets handed to us before being ushered into a room and simply told to go. Alone. We had no idea what to do. We eventually found a door in the room and after much exasperation and pulling, we managed to yank it open (there was some serious pressure from the wind making it about 10 tonnes and impossible to pull) and were confronted by stairs. More stairs than I have ever seen in my life. 

At one stage I looked down the middle of the stairs and instantly regretted it. I got such bad vertigo and an intense feeling of claustrophobia. Having to push aside any of that and march on, we walked down steps for forever. Seriously dizzy, we eventually reached the bottom and found other people and joined in on the tour. 

A sarcastic Polish guide led us around the incredible mines deep in the earth. There is a whole other world down there!! It was amazing to walk around and see actual full scale cathedrals, it was pretty easy to forget you were so far beneath the earth! There were chandeliers made of salt, sculptures completely carved out of salt and even the ground (which looked like granite) was entirely made of salt. It was crazy, and not like the form you see on the kitchen table. It was a bit of a maze and would be so easy to get lost down there. A whole new world. There was even a museum, a gift shop and possibly the worlds lowest cafe selling coke and coffee the closest to the earths magma. 

It was one of the weirdest things I've ever done and also one of the coolest. The absolute worst part (despite having to come to terms with being miles into the earth) was the lift ride back up. I can say that I would rather have climbed the over 800 steps back up than take that lift again. It was tiny, crammed with people and practically had no walls. It had about five storeys so there were people above us and below us and you could almost feel them walking on top of you. Not something I want to relive. It was definitely great to be on solid ground again. You had to wonder about some of the construction and structure holding everything up down there! 

We came out into near darkness before taking another walk around the Jewish quarter, walking up to the castle and admiring it all in its lit up splendour. Caught the bus back to the hotel and mucked about (an unbelievably easy to way to pass time when you are in a hotel with about 40 others. Yes, fireworks were involved.) before a buffet dinner at the hotel. Rice! For the first time in a long time! 

A wee birthday celebration for one of the boys on tour and a (somewhat) early night before an early rise for an intense day tomorrow. Prague in the evening to finish up the day! 

Goodbye Poland, you were unexpectedly delightful! And cold. Bloody cold. 

On the move.

Officially in Krakow, Poland after a day driving, mostly through Slovakia! I can say I've been there, and that will probably be enough. 

Beautiful covered in snow, driving through the high mountains as the flurries continued to fall.

We watched Notting Hill, played games and listened to a selection of people's music but the best part is the stories that accumulate from 40 people all in one bus together. With so many people and so much alcohol on the trip, it can only result in hilarious anecdotes of embarrassment and things gone wrong. Not so much memories for the grandchildren..

Arriving in Krakow after the sun had set (3.45pm!), we again dropped off our stuff at our hotel (!! Fancy!) and got dropped off in the centre where we had a brief (and dark) walking tour. We ended in the beautiful main square where lots of people were out and about in the Christmas markets that fill the centre. It is nothing like I expected it to be and much more beautiful and lively than I anticipated. Christmas lights and decorations adorn shop fronts and giant trees hold human size decorations. 

We headed for dinner in a traditional Polish restaurant with music and tarot card reading! Completely Polish. I had dumplings (apparently a Polish cuisine!) stuffed with mushrooms and sauerkraut which were delicious and apple pie for dessert which was an actual baked apple covered in puff pastry! Divine! Sloshed down with wine the whole meal was incredibly cheap, and after the Hungarian currency much easier to calculate. Thank goodness the numbers are smaller or my troubled maths would mean I'd have to start pocketing a calculator. 

We ran back through town (while trying to eye up the amazing looking Christmas markets - definitely returning tomorrow night!) to catch the bus back to the hotel and prepare for tomorrow!

Lots to see and do while battling the weather, followed by a dawn ride on there bus to Auschwitz on Sunday (Sunday? I think? The day after tomorrow..)

Thank you - Dziekuje

Please - Prosze

Toilets - Toalety

I'm practically fluent. 

Buda and Pest.

Hungary Day Two and it didn't get any warmer. I weirdly like loading up on layers before braving the outdoors. 

Starting with breakfast (and sneakily packing a lunch in front of the sign "eat as much as you like! Take? No." - me no read English.) before braving the chill and heading outdoors. 

With a free day ahead of us almost everyone started with a trip to the House of Terror, a museum regarding the Soviet and Nazi involvement in Hungary and which used to be the location of the Soviet headquarters. It was like a taster for the coming Auschwitz and although weird to call it 'cool' (something wrong about that adjective association to a place that killed and tortured thousands years ago) it was definitely interesting and eye opening. I guess Hungary wasn't in the best geographical location during the war. We weren't able to see all the tunnels connecting the buildings (as the headquarters got so large they took over the whole block and ended up creating unground tunnels to connect them all) but we did see the torture chambers, the gallows and the offices and libraries where the plush surroundings couldn't be more contrasting to below. 

We left the depression and walked down the main street in the sunshine and sub-par temperatures, drinking in the luxury of life so many before us were forbidden to enjoy. Walking across the chain bridge to the church at the top of the hill, lots of steps to burn off the heavy portions of food we've been climatised into consuming, for another splendid view of the city mapped out below us. On to the castle where replicate Buckingham Palace guards stand their duty, stern faced and cold, literally. 

Descending before our hands fell off, we walked through the centre including the Christmas markets before hunting down the location of 'traps', a not-to-be-missed game for those in the know in Budapest. It involves being locked in a room with a group and not being allowed to leave until the puzzles have been completed. Mind boggling and problem solving, it's like an adult playground but finding the entrance is the first step. Walking for miles and being unable to locate it, when we eventually found it there was no answer to the knock on the door and we had to admit defeat. 

Supermarket dinners around the time of sun set (4pm!) before progressing straight to the bar where camp was set up for the rest of the evening. 

Krakow tomorrow, and continuing the fun game of endless currency changing. 

Zzz.

Droopy eyelids as my head hits the pillow. 

Visions of the crazy cool bar we just went in, entrance through a butcher, as I'm about to drift off. A very full belly of goulash delicious. 

Wicked start to what looks like a 6 night (bus) bender. 

Tomorrow: free day. Budapest, we roam. 

Hungary, and all other food related humour.

I'm not sure if they're taking pointers from their title, but Hungary seems to have more supermarkets per square mile than any place I've ever been. 

This also suits me perfectly, not only do I have a supermarket fetish that is heightened when overseas with products and food to decipher, but Budapest so far has the best selection of carb-based consumables. 

A whole isle of dough-y, bread-y deliciousness. I couldn't help my over eager starving belly and got two from the selection, eating them as I got unbelievably lost. I have never before been that lost. I literally walked in one direction for 20 minutes before discovering it was completely wrong. Goodbye two and a half hours. 

Eventually I found the river Danube, my intention, to discover it was about a block from the hostel. 

The paper map thing is hard. 

In other 'first day in Eastern Europe acitvities', I successfully met up with my TopDeck group. Meeting first the other newbies, 8 of us altogether, before meeting up with the bus full of others already 14 days into their mammoth tour. Walking on to the bus was like starting a new day of school, but being a couple of months younger than everyone and having to blend into some pre-established rituals, a little more tricky when you're no longer 5 years old. The apprehension quickly melted away when we started to meet everyone (started, I repeat, it is going to take me a few go's to remember 40 plus names in my old age) and found everyone to be nice and welcoming. 

So commenced the brief driving tour as the sun was setting where we ended up on the top of the hill at a church and 'Fisherman's Bastion' just as the sky was turning pink hues from the sunset, a wonderful way to start to see a new city. On to a couple more monuments as well as a group photo in front of the Champs Élysées de Budapest and back to Wombats, our hostel and my new 2 day home. 

We quickly dumped our stuff before heading out for dinner in a traditional Hungarian restaurant with typical Hungarian staff (I actually don't know this for a fact, but they looked exactly, exactly, like I imagined Hungarians would.) I ordered the chicken goulash and it was delicious, accompanied by bizarre Hungarian noodles which taste nice and look odd. The traditional schnitzel was ordered by quite a few people and it was enormous. The challenge was on to finish it all and most failed. Those that succeeded also failed, really, as they looked beached for the rest of the night, weighed down by schnitzel regret. 

Next we headed for a bar and got lost. Twice. 

Our guide clearly had too much schnitzel and couldn't think straight. 

We arrived later at the coolest bar which was like a picturesque junk yard. The whole place was piled high with, well, shit. But it was artfully and delicately placed shit which had a nice feel. The atmosphere was brilliant and you can't complain at the price of drinks. 

My 4am wake up call started to get the better of me as I also spotted a few others with their eyelids drooping and most people called it a night. The most casual travel group I've ever known! Where's this rowdy, inappropriate group of delinquents behaving like children that the retired are talking about these days? I'd say their late nights talkback goes deeper into the night than us 'youth'!

Head on the pillow and I was out solid before the lights turned off.