I have some free tome today so i have been trying unsuccessfully to upload pictures, but also using the internet to reserve and organize the rest of the trip. Believe it or not, I only have 9 days remaining of on a journey that began over 7 months ago in the cold dreariness of January.
It goes against my style and ethos of travel to make a bunch of reservations, but after suffering the consequences of showing up in a busy city at the height of tourist season I have decided to make it easier on my self, eliminate the searching and the stress and book accommodation in Prague, as well as booking a bus to and from Berlin. Some recent examples of the lack of planing backfiring were in split and in Budapest. each time I had no accommodation booked and ended up autise of town in some temporary hostels that weer actually college dorms. They weer all and, comfy beds and all, but not hostel feel where you meet other people, plus they weer a good walk or bus ride from the heart of town. And this morning I tried to geta bus to Prague, when i showed up at the bus it was full, thus giving me 7 hours of free time until the departure of the next bus which I was able to secure a ticket for. You may be wondering, why the bus, I thought everyone took trains in Europe, well I found a student bus company which is half the price of the train , and faster, therefore, I take the bus.
since I left the little slice of heaven that is Korcula Island in Croatia I have visited Ptitvice lakes in Croatia. Beautiful place, but was to many people. to walk around the boardwalks was like a shopping mall a he day before Christmas. Plus my camera battery died so i couldn't get many shots in.
Here is photo of the Plitvice lakes. it is very similar geologically to Havasupai falls and Semuc Champay in Guatemala. A collection of travertine lakes and turquoise water.
After Plitvice it was quick stop in Zagreb to catch a train to Budapest. I thought I would have to wait 3 hours for the 1 am bus, but I was mistaken and I would have to wait 7 hours for the train that departed at the charming time of 5am. A sane person actually would have found a hotel or abed and booked the 10am train, but m a little nuts at the moment. I booked the 5am train, then promptly bought a liter of beer and headed for the park. I decided the park was little sketchy, so I wandered the empty streets until i found A dark spot between the road, the rail tracks and the building where the railway workers took their place. i snuck in the back through a busted fence. I knew I would be safe their, since there was a guard at the from entrance, though I think he was keeping an eye on the government building next door. I was able to catch a few Z.s before the train departed and was undisturbed by security or vagabond Croatian street walkers. I'm glad i chose the spot because the train ride was an oven. Ill never under stand public transport the world over, they crank up the heat for no reason, then when its cold, they will turn on the AC. Rarely is the AC on when its need and vice versa for the heat.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm in Budapest, Hungary at the moment. Sleeping in the University dorms. Not all bad, only one roommate, and he was a cool fella from Denmark that I met on the train. And the dorm was across the street from a outdoor club that played music till 6am. We stayed until 5am, when the sun was on its way up. We spent the last couple of days wandering and hiking the streets of Budapest. Taking in all the amazing architecture and culture of this city. Id love to show pictures, but as mentioned before, no dice. But a quick description would be... A huge palace on one side of the Danube, as well as some museums and more of the old city. This is the Buda side, while across the river, on the Pest side is the parliament building, more of the bars shops and hotels. We checked out some top notch museums here. Especially the terror museum, talking about the Russian and Communist regime that had a hold of Hungary from the second world war, until 1990.
Royal Palace, Budapest.
Budapest is a great city, but a little difficult for the traveler and much different from the other European cities I have visited. It is pretty big, with a great transit system. and it spread out. so you really have to know where to go, as far as night life and culture. All the Local people take public transport everywhere so you rarely see people walking. There is an amazing open air bar and hangout spot right down town where you can order beers, wine and coffee and sit in the park or on the benches with your friends. its super relaxed. It something you would never see in America. A bunch people buying cheap beers, siting down and relaxing, all of it legal and with out problems and police supervision. I the center of the park there is stair case down to an open pavilion with tables, art work and chill music.
There is a lot to see on foot though, just wandering the city near the river, comparing all the old building with their rich details to the mono looking buildings you see in most cities. Ive never seen so many huge statues in a city either. So Budapest is definitively a hot spot and worth a few days. Maybe next time ill rent a bike to see all the sights.
On my way to Prague now, and only one more stop after that. Looking forward to a break in travel when I get home in a couple weeks.
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