CROATIA, PART ONE

With its rich, diverse history and its relatively recent entry into the tourism game, Croatia is one of the most amazing countries I have been lucky enough to visit. Croatia has everything – beautiful cities, incredible nature, excellent food and a fantastic climate. I highly recommend taking your time exploring this intriguing country, we could have spent months there. We spent three weeks, and should have stayed longer.

First stop – Zagreb. The capital of Croatia can be reached by train, bus and plane. We caught the train from  Hungary – several leave each day from the central station in Budapest.  Zagreb seems quite different from the other Croatian cities we visited, more metropolitan. It is a lovely city to wander, and there are a few highlights. Generally you can start your day by grabbing a pastry from one of the excellent bakeries, then head to a café to eat it over a coffee. This seemed very strange, as in Australia its considered a bit of a no-no to eat another business’s food at another café. However this is apparently totally normal, and most places didn’t really seem to offer much of a breakfast menu beyond a croissant. Personally, I loved it. Some mustn’t miss highlights of Zagreb are St Mark’s Cathedral (Trg Svetog Marka for those of you playing at home), The Museum of Broken Relationships, the markets held in the main square and whiling away the day in café watching the world go by.

A tip for eating out – try the seafood. It’s world class.

There are stalls everywhere in Zagreb selling fresh strawberries!

A highlight of Croatia – and arguably of my life – are croatia’s national parks. Plitvice Lakes, or Plitvicka Jezera, are a UNESCO world heritage listed site, and for good reason. There are few places in the world that have made my jaw drop, and reduced me to tears from their sheer beauty. Plitvicka Jezera did just this. It is well worth staying a few days here, and doing the two different sections of the park. There are a few hotels around, and some cute bnb’s – we opted for the second which was lovely. There aren’t many places to buy food or eat out beyond the hotels, so I would suggest you take your own groceries and make sure the place you’re staying has a kitchen.

 

 

An alternative to these lakes are the Krka falls, which are closer to Split.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

Love, Olivia

BUDAPEST, THE BEST

Budapest, the city so nice we went there twice. The charm of Budapest stems from its moderately small tourism trade – there are visitors but it’s not over-run with them, like Prague is for example. Even when you visit the tourist hot spots, they are still relatively calm. The city is divided into two parts, with the river Danube separating the BUDA side from the PEST side. The Pest side is where all the action is – we stayed in five different hostels, four of them were on the Pest side and only one, the most inconvenient one, was on the Buda side. Budapest (pronounced Budapesht, by the way) has a thriving bar scene, some beautiful architecture, excellent restaurants and some pretty wicked sites to see. Budapest also has an excellent public transport system, including their underground system, which - fun fact- was the first one in the world.

Tourism hot spots include St Stephens Basilica, the thermal spas (we visited the Széchenyi spa), the beautifully ornate parliamentary buildings, Buda Castle, and many more. There is so much to do in this lovely city. To get a great introduction to the city, I recommend this walking tour.
 

 

Budapest's famous thermal spa, the Széchenyi spa. Yes it's as weird as it looks.

A highlight for me was trekking to the top of Gellert Hill, just across the river on the Buda side with a few friends, a few bottles of wine and settling in to watch the sun set and the city light up. Budapest is arguably at it’s most beautiful at night- its simply incredible.

Budapest has a banging food scene, with many excellent establishments offering anything from traditional Hungarian food such as paprika infused everything, their own take on goulash, and a fusion combination of the surrounding countries' culinary delights. There are numerous new places springing up, with many international cuisines becoming popular. A highlight on our adventures was the Karavan Street Food, which is an outdoor food truck set up with a heap of different options, including the Hungarian drunk food speciality 'langos'. Langos is essentially a deep friend pizza base, with whatever topping you want, such as ham and cheese. They are equal parts insanely unhealthy and delicious.

 

 

 

Other places we tried and loved included My Little Melbourne for the best coffee (because, Straya), Rosa Gelato for the most beautiful icecream money can buy, the market hall for whatever you can eat (it wanders onto the over-priced tourist side, but you have to go!). Bors Gastrobar has the best sandwiches and soups, and the nicest staff. For a cheap day out, taking advantage of the super cheap supermarkets and heading to Margaret Island for a picnic is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

 

 

Budapest also has a rad bar scene - they have a ton of bars all over town, including the Jewish district which houses the famous ruin bars. The ruin bars, including Szimpla all feel a little bit touristy, but its part of their appeal. Drinks are a little on the expensive side (for Budapest, a beer will roughly cost you $4aud). Deak ferenc is a wicked outdoor bar in the centre of the city which is also worth a night out!

 St Stephan's Basilica in the rain...

Wine at Szimpla Ruin Bar.

 

 

 

If I haven't convinced you to go yet, I'd like to just comment and say that Budapest is one of my personal favourite European cities - and Nick's. It's cheap as hell for Europe, and is so much fun.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Love, Olivia

VIENNA IN TWO DAYS

If you only have small amount of time in the Austrian capital, do this.

EAT strudel – apple and /or cream cheese, wiener schnitzel and all the cake you can get your mitts on.

 

DRINK Vienna style coffee, Radler style beer with lemon.

EXPLORE the centre of the city, and visit the pop up beach bars in summer which line the Danube River

CHECK OUT the castles, and beautiful parks.

LISTEN out for the opera specials – you can get cheap tickets for shows in the evening for around five euros.

DANCE the night away – Vienna has a thriving party scene.

STAY as close to the city centre as you can afford – the transport system is good but takes a while to get you from A to B. Tickets are quite expensive, but apparently are rarely checked.

 

Thank you for reading,

Love, Olivia

CESKY KRUMLOV, THE FAIRYTALE TOWN

Our reason behind visiting this little Czech town was due to a girl from perth I sat next to on the plane. It is quite easy to get to Cesky Krumlov from Prague with a bus company called Student Agency; you can prebook tickets online through the website.

The moment I laid my eyes on the town, I vividly recall thinking “well, I will never be the same after seeing this.” What a wonderful fairytale town, almost frozen in time. There is no McDonalds, or Starbucks, or any big corporations to be found anywhere in town, which adds to the feeling of authenticity. Honestly, its like time forgot this place, but not in a run-down-has-been kind of way, but simply…. Left as it was.

Small red roofed houses dominate the small town, and the river surrounds it. There is a museum + tower, which is filled with antiques and the history of the ruling family who lived there. The view from the top of the tower is one of the most interesting and beautiful panoramas I’ve ever seen. The castle (which the museum + tower is a part of) is housed in beautiful expansive gardens which are peaceful and serene.

 

Travelling here in off-season (April) was an interesting experience, as there were virutually no other visitors around. This was wonderful in some ways, you feel like you can explore the town un-bothered and at your own pace, but it also meant a lot of things weren’t running yet. This included the famous rafting pub crawl, which floats you down the river, pub to pub. We spent two days here, which was enough to see the sleepy town and its offering, but I can understand why we met people that had come, and never left.

Thanks for reading!

Love, Olivia

OH, PRAGUE

Oh Praha, you take my breath away.

I’ve heard it called one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and in my humble opinion it possibly could be.  To be fair though, I haven’t seen all the European cities, so maybe I should do that first before making such a big call. Prague is a bustling city full of tourists and beautiful buildings. The city centre is situated around Wenceslas Square, which is a great place to stay if you want to be as central as possible. The city itself is absolutely enchanting – the architecture alone will make you gasp. Elegant, colourful European facades are everywhere. The famous clock is in the city centre, and is incredibly underwhelming – hundreds of visitors gather to watch it strike, and it is very unexciting.

Prague Castle is beautiful, large and looms over the surrounding area in such a way you can imagine peasant life looking up at the monarchy. The river runs through the city and on either side there are lots of buzzing cafes and restaurants which are perfect for a bite to eat or a beer in the sunshine. In the evening on warm days there are pop up bars, and you can find what seems like the entire youth population of the city by the riverside. If you like bridges, Prague is your dream destination – Charles Bridge is famously ancient and a real architectural treat, and there are many other bridges spanning the length of the river.

 

 

The gardens surrounding the Hunger Wall are worth a wander – they’re beautiful and you almost feel like you’ve left the big city. There are wonderful views from the top overlooking Prague. Czech food is typically European – dumplings, goulash and their friends are all here. A real Czech delight is the trdlnik – funnel shaped donut cakes, coated in cinnamon sugar and with the option of nutella slathered on the inside. 

 

Maybe it is possible to take more photos of buildings than I did - but I seem to have a camera filled with pretty houses.

 

Thank you for reading,

Love, Olivia

BERLIN, THE CITY OF OPPOSITES

Ah, Berlin you beauty. What a marvelous, historically intriguing, horrifying and complex city. There isn’t quite a word to describe Berlin, or if there is I can’t find it, or I don’t know it. There is old, there is new, there is bohemian energy, there are bullet holes in buildings. Wherever you look in Berlin, you can’t escape the violent history that the city is infamous for. When I was in high school I had a German teacher who was obsessed with Nazi history, and I can’t help but wonder whether he spent time here. There is so much to do in Berlin, and if you tend to err on the side of history nerd like myself, you will love it. If you’re not so interested in history, there is a thriving art culture, excellent food scene and some beautiful sites to see.

The German History Museum is a must-see. I could have been in there for days; it spans from mud hut Germanic tribes through to the present. There is an entire island dedicated to museums in the centre – aptly named Museum Island. Nearby, the Berlin Cathedral is dark, mysterious and houses a slightly spooky crypt. For a small fee you can enter, and tour the several levels. It also boasts an exemplary panoramic view of the city from the dome at the top.

To the east of the city, there is a different vibe. Walking the East Side Gallery is a must, and there are several bombed out, unrestored warehouses that come alive as temporary bars in the night. You will find some wonderful restaurants and cafes in the eastern part, and possibly the best kebab of your life. Berlin is a ‘free city’ so it is not uncommon to see people walking around with a beer in hand, or on the train. You are permitted to drink wherever you like, which is a novelty to us Aussies who are barely even allowed to drink in a bar at home.

In the centre of the city you can’t miss Aleksanderplatz, a thriving marketplace right next to the train station. Grab a pretzel, some currywurst or a beer and people watch to your hearts content. On Saturdays you can wander from here towards Hackescher Markt, where you can find a cute market piled high with local delicacies and some great restaurants.