By Jess Williamson on
12/7/2010 1:52 AM
The land of the beer!! Well so they claim. Having travelled through Europe there seems to be a lot of European cities that try claim this. Random fact Number 1: In Munich it is legal to drink a stein of beer and still go to work .... slightly scary!
When we first arrived at our hostel, I was slightly put off as nestled between strip clubs, casino's and seedy sex shops was our hostel. Interesting location but it seemed this was the place for all hostels and in hindsight was reasonably good location (Not for that reason).
First on the itinery was the Free Sandeman Walking Tour in Munich which are run thoughout Europe in various cities, and rely on tips (If you think its worth it) as payment. Excellent way to get your bearings in a new...
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By David Press on
11/24/2010 7:57 PM
Having finished our stay in Vienna we couldn't see how anything could possibly top what where we had just had the pleasure of staying, and to be honest we still haven't topped it, but the rest of Austria has proven to be just as good. We took a short train ride to north west to Salzburg only to find out that we were visiting the picturesque region in which the Sound of Music was filmed. Now if I sound slightly dismayed by the fact, it might have something to do with the fact our hostel played it every morning and Jess didn't stop talking about it. It did however mean we were guaranteed some pretty amazing scenery.
Our stay was only short so we got to it pretty quickly with a stroll around the tight walking lanes in the main part of the city. The city is surrounded by hills and has a crystal clear, albeit extremely...
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By David Press on
11/24/2010 1:00 AM
 During a recent discussion with a fellow traveller the topic of first impressions of people and cities came up. The common quote, “you only get one first impression” was thrown about and a conclusion made that, like people, our first impression of a city is often the one that lasts. Our arrival in Vienna, Austria is a testament to that, we arrived, judged our new place of temporary abode and have been sentenced to a life of love for what is my favourite city in Europe (thus far at least).
On arrival I did my best to get us lost yet again (I have no idea what has happened to my sense of direction) and were saved by a very friendly and helpful info/security guard at the train station. Our tickets purchased for us (we did pay though) and we were on our way into the main part of the Vienna. It took...
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By Jess Williamson on
11/12/2010 3:59 PM
 Well I must first apologise for the lack of updates recently. We have been way to busy playing tourist and partying that havent had spare sec to write a blog.
So last post was Ljubljana .....We were really stoked when we went to the train station in Ljubljana and found there was a special on all tickets to Budapest (Half price in fact). However half way through the trip we were questioning our decision when we were told to get off the train and board a bus. (It was meant to be a no transfer, direct train to Budapest). As we didnt understand any of the language, we just followed the pack, boarding one bus then another., getting quite frustrated and annoyed. Anyway we eventually ended up on an even older rackety train which took us to Budapest. And to make the trip even better the teenagers in front of us were listening to Justin Beiber a few decibels too loud. Just the music you want after the terrible travel day we had. ...
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By David Press on
11/5/2010 3:27 AM
 Well it's been a while since I posted on our travel blog, but I can't say I'm too sorry for that, as it really has been a case of the two of us being far too busy having a great time doing things slightly more exciting than typing away on our trust travel laptop (which on that note is an Asus 1005...it's absolutely perfect for travel).
After a few days in Zagreb in the awful hostel we were stuck with, we caught the train north east to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. We lodged in at the Celica Hostel after a quick walk from the train station, having read some great reviews on Hostel World and the trusty Lonely Planet. This hostel is not your run of the mill youth hostel, it is a former military prison renovated for hostel use, with each private room decorated by a different local artist. Additionally the location is the heart of the alternative and arts district of Ljubljana. Celica hostel has become a tourist destination of its own and hosts functions and lunches almost daily, along with tours of the cells/rooms that are vacant. The atmosphere is brilliant all day long and breakfast is a handy bonus every morning. ...
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By David Press on
10/15/2010 3:27 PM
 Having been blessed by a week of amazing weather in London, we arrived in Dubrovnik (Croatia) to the sight of grey skies and the threat of rain for the first time on our trip. It took only 24 hours for the rain to appear and dampen our party (ha ha see what I did there?) Thankfully it is still anywhere between 16 and 20 odd degrees even when raining at this time of the year, so we aren't complaining too much.
Dubrovnik certainly lives up to the hype in terms of geographical beauty. The coastal city is hundreds of years old and has long been a holiday destination for Europeans (even the Roman Empire enjoyed the area), but it also has a chequered history of conflict, being remembered infamously for the attack on the city by the Yugoslav Navy and Army in the early nineties. We have had running history lessons from our hostel owners and also a highly educated history boffin from the UK who was staying with us, so we need not buy any books on the matter. The attack and continuous bombing of the UNESCO Heritage Listed “Old City” was a tragedy of the conflict and still pulls at the heart strings of locals and visitors alike. Thankfully the “Old Town” has been almost completely rebuilt back to near original beauty. We came across an older Croatian lady who appeared to be visiting the Old Town for the first time since the conflict. Her emotional state as she walked the walls surrounding the city was something we found quite moving. We are incredibly lucky to have grown up where we did with conflict and wars being something we see on TV and read in the papers. ...
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