Woke around 07:00, checked out but left the bags. An absolutely perfect
day. Sun shining, not a cloud in the sky, 22c. Decided to walk around
the walls instead of breakfast, opting to have brunch later.
The walk cost twice as much as 5 years ago, $30 each, but is a must-do.
A
bunch of Japanese women pushed past us and monopolised the photo spots
so we let them go and just enjoyed the view for a while. From the top of
the entrance to the wall you look across a small inlet with some small
rocks and crystal clear water to a small fort on an outcrop. Look into
the town and you get a marvellous view of the red tiled roofs of the
tightly packed houses and a few churches.
Carried on along the wall,
fewer people around and we managed to get some great photos, but were
also able to just stop and take it all in. We always travel in April -
the weather can be a bit hit or miss but we tend to get many more good
days than bad. The main reason we like it is that it's off season and
there aren't as many people around.
It took about an hour and a half
to go around the wall, for the most part on our own or with just a few
people. Stunning views of the town and the small harbour. The last time
we were here it was cold and blowing a gale - it's called The Bora - so
this time we made the most of it and enjoyed the experience.
They film Game of Thrones here, it's King's Landing in the show, so I pushed a kid off the wall and walked around naked.
Lunchtime,
went outside to a restaurant that was right on the water, with a view
of the fort and the inlet out to the Adriatic Sea. Considering the
location it was reasonably priced. I had a pizza with ham, salami and
mushroom, Song had grilled calamari. I also had the best coffee of the
trip so far, so had a second one because it was so pleasant and relaxing
sitting there. Cost $45.
Walked back into the old town, quite a few
tourists around but not too bad. Song stopped to look at most of the
jewelry shops, I stood outside, happy to soak in the atmosphere,
resisting the temptation of another ice cream.
Walked around the old
town some more, came across a church with a magnificent sandstone
facade, a perfect photo except for the fat, tattooed, bald guy smoking a
cigar sat in the middle of the steps playing with his phone. No
consideration for any one else, someone I took an immediate dislike to.
Luckily he left after 10 minutes but not before 2 other arseholes sat down and got in the way.
Song found a jewelry stand and bought some stuff.
Headed back to the hotel to pick up the bags, then onto the bus station, takings the bus to Kotor, Montenegro.
I think Croatia is underrated, would definitely recommend Dubrovnik and Split, although I suspect it gets crowded in summer.
The bus was half full (or half empty depending on your point of view), so spread out again.
Ok,
you know I said the scenery between Mostar and Dubrovnik yesterday was
the best? I lied. Coming out of Dubrovnik the road went along the top of
the hill, and the view over the sea and of the old town was completely
breathtaking. Perfect.
The road continued along the coast,
maintaining the stunning views over the sea, still not a cloud in the
sky, then turned inland for a while.
Crossed over the border into Montenegro, then back along the coast.
Remember I said the views out of Dubrovnik were the best? I lied.
The
drive from Herceg Novi to Kotor goes along the Bay of Kotor, which is
surrounded by hills. The road is right next to the sea and snakes around
with the steep hills all around. At one part of the bay there are a couple of small islands
with churches on them. The water is blue and still, clear near the
shore, and lots of small settlements dotted along the road.
When Song said we should go to the Balkans I said "Um, OK, might be nice". Once again she booked an incredible trip.
We
got off the bus and walked 10 minutes to the old town (or Stari Grad as
they are called), past a small marina with some fancy yachts, through
the gate into a small town with narrow lanes lined with shops and
restaurants, a delightful scene. We followed Google maps, occasionally
losing the signal because of the tightly packed buildings, then
discovered we were heading the wrong way. The streets were narrow and
twisted, and it was hard to find the hotel but eventually we got there.
Kotor was very quaint from what we saw winding our way through the
streets.
We'd just got in when there was a knock on the door, it was
the guest from upstairs, a pleasant lady who asked if we would like to
go to dinner together. So we did, had a nice evening chatting (she was
born in Jamaica, lived in Canada from when she was 7, has lived in a
small town in Northern India for 10 years, is trying to start a business
supplying home baking equipment). Every one has a story and an
interesting life.
I had black risotto (squid ink), Song had blue fish bruscetta. Both were good, cost about $50.
Walked over the very narrow road to the room.
If
you ever go to Dubrovnik (and really, you should go to Dubrovnik), and
the weather is good, take a day and go to Kotor by bus, you can do it in
a day trip but it's worth an overnight stay. I don't know why more
people don't come here - maybe they think it's a bit under developed,
and Montenegro probably isn't on most lists of places to visit, but
maybe it should be. It's the best coastal scenery I have ever seen, for
about 2 hours of the trip it's just beautiful.
Tomorrow we spend the
day in Kotor, there is a fortress at the top of a hill that apparently
is worth visiting but it looks like a tough walk. We'll give it a go.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Day 10 - Sarajevo to Mostar to Dubrovnik
Up at 06:00, out into the cold, on the tram, another day, another bus.
Got to the bus station early, sat in the waiting room and ate some of the food we bought yesterday.
Got on the bus, driven by the most unfriendly man in the world. Showed him we had bags - 'moment'. Stood waiting for 5 minutes. Showed him again - 'moment'. After a couple of minutes he went to the great effort of pressing a button to open the compartment. I put the bags in next to two others , then he got off the bus, tutted, and stood the bags up. On their wheels. I asked him what time we get to Mostar and he just ignored me. I shall write a strongly worded letter to their head office.
We liked Sarajevo. The old town was very pleasant, lots of people around, nice shops and historic buildings. The place had a nice vibe, we enjoyed wandering around. The city is surrounded by hills with houses all around. Plus the free public transport was a bonus.
The bus was half full, so we spaced out. Had a snooze, and woke up as we were climbing through mountains, snow on the peaks in the distance. The bus made several stops and it was soon full.
Pretty soon we encountered some of the most stunning scenery - steep granite hills covered in trees, a river running alongside the road. This went on for about an hour, we just sat there taking it all in (Song took photos).
Arrived in Mostar, bought the tickets to Dubrovnik then we had just over an hour to visit the old bridge. Dropped off the luggage, took a brisk walk into the old town, along a cobbled narrow street lined with shops selling souvenirs. Lots of quaint buildings, and turned a corner to see the bridge. It's really pretty - although not original since it was destroyed during the war in the 90's, but still looked amazing with old buildings either side, which Song told me were also rebuilt.
Hustled back to the bus station, stopping to buy some cheesy things and a bottle of water, took a wrong turn but back with plenty of time to spare. Then realised we'd spent all our local currency and they charge to put the luggage on the bus (which is a con if you ask me). Luckily they accepted euro. The bus was full - there's only one a day at this time of year.
Drove for about an hour till the border, about 40 minutes to get through and we were in Croatia. We worked out yesterday that Bosnia and Herzegovina was the 50th different country I've been to.
As soon as we got into Croatia it seemed greener and cleaner. Passed through more granite hills then ahead of us we saw the coast. And what a coast. Absolutely beautiful. Blue sea, tree-covered hills meeting the water, small villages nestled in the bays. It is easily the equal to the French and Italian coastlines in my opinion.
Stopped again at border control - back into Bosnia because they own land that extends to the sea, effectively cutting Croatia in two. In about 10 minutes we were at border control again to get back into Croatia.
Back on the coast road and past more stunning scenery. I really think this is the best coast drive, if you ever get the chance, take the bus from Dubrovnik to Split or the other way. Truly spectacular.
Hopped on the bus to our hotel which was inside the old city walls, paid for the bus this time.
The hotel was just around the corner from the main gate. The room was small, which is to be expected because the old town is tightly packed. The sun was shining, plenty of tourists around but not too bad. We came here 5 years ago and it was very windy and raining.
Wandered around as we do, then found a restaurant - every restaurant inside the old city walls is a bit pricey but we didn't fancy hopping on another bus. I had salmon on a bed of corn with salsa, Song had calamari. I'm starting to go off seafood, suspect a burger is on the horizon. The meal was OK, cost about $62, over priced really. We'll try to avoid the main tourist areas from now on.
Walked around a bit more, then back to the hotel.
We'd been to Dubrovnik 5 years before, so didn't need to stay. Tomorrow is another bus, another country.
Got to the bus station early, sat in the waiting room and ate some of the food we bought yesterday.
Got on the bus, driven by the most unfriendly man in the world. Showed him we had bags - 'moment'. Stood waiting for 5 minutes. Showed him again - 'moment'. After a couple of minutes he went to the great effort of pressing a button to open the compartment. I put the bags in next to two others , then he got off the bus, tutted, and stood the bags up. On their wheels. I asked him what time we get to Mostar and he just ignored me. I shall write a strongly worded letter to their head office.
We liked Sarajevo. The old town was very pleasant, lots of people around, nice shops and historic buildings. The place had a nice vibe, we enjoyed wandering around. The city is surrounded by hills with houses all around. Plus the free public transport was a bonus.
The bus was half full, so we spaced out. Had a snooze, and woke up as we were climbing through mountains, snow on the peaks in the distance. The bus made several stops and it was soon full.
Pretty soon we encountered some of the most stunning scenery - steep granite hills covered in trees, a river running alongside the road. This went on for about an hour, we just sat there taking it all in (Song took photos).
Arrived in Mostar, bought the tickets to Dubrovnik then we had just over an hour to visit the old bridge. Dropped off the luggage, took a brisk walk into the old town, along a cobbled narrow street lined with shops selling souvenirs. Lots of quaint buildings, and turned a corner to see the bridge. It's really pretty - although not original since it was destroyed during the war in the 90's, but still looked amazing with old buildings either side, which Song told me were also rebuilt.
Hustled back to the bus station, stopping to buy some cheesy things and a bottle of water, took a wrong turn but back with plenty of time to spare. Then realised we'd spent all our local currency and they charge to put the luggage on the bus (which is a con if you ask me). Luckily they accepted euro. The bus was full - there's only one a day at this time of year.
Drove for about an hour till the border, about 40 minutes to get through and we were in Croatia. We worked out yesterday that Bosnia and Herzegovina was the 50th different country I've been to.
As soon as we got into Croatia it seemed greener and cleaner. Passed through more granite hills then ahead of us we saw the coast. And what a coast. Absolutely beautiful. Blue sea, tree-covered hills meeting the water, small villages nestled in the bays. It is easily the equal to the French and Italian coastlines in my opinion.
Stopped again at border control - back into Bosnia because they own land that extends to the sea, effectively cutting Croatia in two. In about 10 minutes we were at border control again to get back into Croatia.
Back on the coast road and past more stunning scenery. I really think this is the best coast drive, if you ever get the chance, take the bus from Dubrovnik to Split or the other way. Truly spectacular.
Hopped on the bus to our hotel which was inside the old city walls, paid for the bus this time.
The hotel was just around the corner from the main gate. The room was small, which is to be expected because the old town is tightly packed. The sun was shining, plenty of tourists around but not too bad. We came here 5 years ago and it was very windy and raining.
Wandered around as we do, then found a restaurant - every restaurant inside the old city walls is a bit pricey but we didn't fancy hopping on another bus. I had salmon on a bed of corn with salsa, Song had calamari. I'm starting to go off seafood, suspect a burger is on the horizon. The meal was OK, cost about $62, over priced really. We'll try to avoid the main tourist areas from now on.
Walked around a bit more, then back to the hotel.
We'd been to Dubrovnik 5 years before, so didn't need to stay. Tomorrow is another bus, another country.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Day 9 - Sarajevo
Slept well despite the bed being short and the strange East European
custom of having 2 single doonas for a queen size bed, woke up around
07:00.
Discovered that the shower floor slopes away from the drain so the bathroom floor became a huge puddle.
Also discovered that the bed and breakfast is just a bed, it doesn't include breakfast so we headed out. It was very cold, 5c, but was sunny and set to get to 20c later in the day.
Went back to the main street to look for breakfast. There were lots of cafes offering a wide range of choice. We could have meat in Turkish bread, or meat in Turkish bread, some places had meat in Turkish bread while others had meat in Turkish bread. There was even one place that had meat in Turkish bread. We decided to have meat in Turkish bread. It was actually pretty good - small lamb sausages in a Turkish bread pocket, cream cheese and onion. It's called cevapi. Cost $12.30.
Went to a couple of travel agents to ask about getting to Mostar and Dubrovnik tomorrow. According to the web the last bus from Mostar to Dubrovnik leaves at 12:30 and it takes about 3 hours from Sarajevo, so we needed to get the early bus at 06:00, which meant getting up at around 04:30. I thought we should skip it, but Song said to go to the bus station to check.
By now it had warmed up and was t shirt weather, sunny and about 20c. Hopped on a packed tram, didn't pay, then a quick walk where we bought a ticket to Mostar at 08:15 - much better, and cost $24.60 for 2 of us.
Got back on the tram, didn't pay (we really tried, but you couldn't move on them and it was only a few stops), then sat down for an ice cream in a smoky cafe. They don't smoke as much as Serbians, but it's still disgusting. They do like their ice cream here, there are loads of shops.
Wandered around a bit in the glorious weather, looking at the bullet holes in the buildings and the invitations to museums of war crimes and atrocities, and others on the siege of Sarajevo and the war.
To cheer ourselves up we went to the Latin Bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated which started the first world war.
Walked along the river then back to the hotel where there were 2 cold beers waiting that Song had bought at one of the bus stops the day before.
Sat in the room and relaxed, reading the internet and watching TV. It's odd to think, but Sarajevo is a Muslim city, apparent by the mosques every few blocks, and the call to prayer that drifts out every few hours.
Did some research on the restaurant, picked a seafood one because Song likes seafood and I don't mind it, and the meat here is too heavy.
Went shopping first, bought a fridge magnet and Song bought a ring and some earrings.
Walked to the restaurant, best seafood restaurant in Sarajevo. Ironically we were headed towards it yesterday but I didn't fancy walking up the hill, so instead we ended up at the crappy one.
This one was not crappy by any means.
Song ordered fish soup, I ordered mushroom soup to start and also a glass of wine. We opted to share a mixed seafood platter.
There was only one other table occupied because it was early, and of course they were smoking.
The soup was very nice, and as we were eating the chef came out and threw our fish on the grill that was against the wall in the restaurant.
The platter was presented in one dish - 2 whole fish, 2 scampi, octopus and shell fish. The waiter deboned the fish and served it to us. It was very good. Not as good as the tuna steak I had in Belgrade the first night, but better than the stuffed calamari. Cost $72.
Couldn't face dessert, and even gave up the idea of an ice cream on the way back.
Heaved myself out of the chair, squeezed out of the door and waddled down the road, went for a walk down the main street again, bought some food for the bus trip, then back to the hotel.
Discovered that the shower floor slopes away from the drain so the bathroom floor became a huge puddle.
Also discovered that the bed and breakfast is just a bed, it doesn't include breakfast so we headed out. It was very cold, 5c, but was sunny and set to get to 20c later in the day.
Went back to the main street to look for breakfast. There were lots of cafes offering a wide range of choice. We could have meat in Turkish bread, or meat in Turkish bread, some places had meat in Turkish bread while others had meat in Turkish bread. There was even one place that had meat in Turkish bread. We decided to have meat in Turkish bread. It was actually pretty good - small lamb sausages in a Turkish bread pocket, cream cheese and onion. It's called cevapi. Cost $12.30.
Went to a couple of travel agents to ask about getting to Mostar and Dubrovnik tomorrow. According to the web the last bus from Mostar to Dubrovnik leaves at 12:30 and it takes about 3 hours from Sarajevo, so we needed to get the early bus at 06:00, which meant getting up at around 04:30. I thought we should skip it, but Song said to go to the bus station to check.
By now it had warmed up and was t shirt weather, sunny and about 20c. Hopped on a packed tram, didn't pay, then a quick walk where we bought a ticket to Mostar at 08:15 - much better, and cost $24.60 for 2 of us.
Got back on the tram, didn't pay (we really tried, but you couldn't move on them and it was only a few stops), then sat down for an ice cream in a smoky cafe. They don't smoke as much as Serbians, but it's still disgusting. They do like their ice cream here, there are loads of shops.
Wandered around a bit in the glorious weather, looking at the bullet holes in the buildings and the invitations to museums of war crimes and atrocities, and others on the siege of Sarajevo and the war.
To cheer ourselves up we went to the Latin Bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated which started the first world war.
Walked along the river then back to the hotel where there were 2 cold beers waiting that Song had bought at one of the bus stops the day before.
Sat in the room and relaxed, reading the internet and watching TV. It's odd to think, but Sarajevo is a Muslim city, apparent by the mosques every few blocks, and the call to prayer that drifts out every few hours.
Did some research on the restaurant, picked a seafood one because Song likes seafood and I don't mind it, and the meat here is too heavy.
Went shopping first, bought a fridge magnet and Song bought a ring and some earrings.
Walked to the restaurant, best seafood restaurant in Sarajevo. Ironically we were headed towards it yesterday but I didn't fancy walking up the hill, so instead we ended up at the crappy one.
This one was not crappy by any means.
Song ordered fish soup, I ordered mushroom soup to start and also a glass of wine. We opted to share a mixed seafood platter.
There was only one other table occupied because it was early, and of course they were smoking.
The soup was very nice, and as we were eating the chef came out and threw our fish on the grill that was against the wall in the restaurant.
The platter was presented in one dish - 2 whole fish, 2 scampi, octopus and shell fish. The waiter deboned the fish and served it to us. It was very good. Not as good as the tuna steak I had in Belgrade the first night, but better than the stuffed calamari. Cost $72.
Couldn't face dessert, and even gave up the idea of an ice cream on the way back.
Heaved myself out of the chair, squeezed out of the door and waddled down the road, went for a walk down the main street again, bought some food for the bus trip, then back to the hotel.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Day 8 - Belgrade to Sarajevo
Woke up at 6:00, didn't sleep too well because some people came back to
their rooms around midnight and woke me up. If I had known the room
numbers I would have knocked as we went down to breakfast.
Had toast, cereal, coffee and juice, a quick one, then checked out and over the road to the bus station for the 7 hour journey to Sarajevo. Apparently there used to be a train but it stopped running a few years ago due to lack of patronage.
The weather was a lot better, a bit cold but sunny - unlucky for us, but we can't help the weather.
Bus left on time, then drove through flat countryside on the freeway, more abandoned and half finished buildings. We then turned off and drove along back roads for about 3 hours before arriving at border control.
As soon as we were in Bosnia Herzegovina the scenery changed to granite hills, and we drove around a very picturesque lake and along a river with the hills all around, then through small towns and villages. Most people seemed to have small fields growing crops. Saw some houses with bullet holes in them, but not as many as I expected.
The bus stopped several times on the way, and it was quite relaxing to watch the scenery go by, read and watch some stuff I'd downloaded.
The bus started to climb, and we were treated to a spectacular view of the town where we'd just stopped and the hills we'd driven through. Are this stage we still had about 3 hours to go.
Kept going up along a winding road, magnificent views over the hills, the sun breaking through the clouds.
We went up quite a way, even saw some patches of snow, then started to descend the other side. We passed and few small farms and settlements as well as an abandoned ski resort, the chair lift mechanism rusted and in pieces.
Carried on down, Song and I both had a snooze, then we entered another gorge, more huge cliffs and a river. All along the way was rubbish at the side of the road; plastic bags, bottles, cans etc. We've seen this in virtually all the East European countries and it's really depressing, they just dump it and don't care.
We went through a few tunnels and then saw the outskirts of Sarajevo. I don't think I've ever seen a more impressive welcome to a place. We were above the thousands of red roofed houses, some on rock outcrops, laid out in the valleys in between the hills and on the hillsides. Poking up from among the houses were dozens of minarets of mosques. It really was an amazing sight.
Drove along and now there were lots of houses with the pock marks of bullet holes.
Arrived at the bus station which was quite a way out of the main town and from our hotel. Popped to a shopping centre to get some cash - this is the fourth country and the forth different currency. Found an ATM - 'transaction could not be completed'. Tried a different card - 'transaction could not be completed'. Hmmm. Tried the last card and it worked.
Hopped in a taxi and 10 minutes later he dropped us off, pointed over the road and said '1 minute'. Turned out it was 10 minutes and he charged us $14 and I think ripped us off, but what can you do?
Walked through the old part of the city, past a few mosques and loads of restaurants, and it was packed. Lots of tourists as well, heard American accents and German.
Got to the hotel which was actually a guest house and up a side street away from the main road. It wasn't very nice. It was someone's house, so basically a bed and breakfast. The room was small, but clean and the bathroom was modern.
The owner advised that there is no water between midnight and 06:00, something to do with the Sarajevo water supply. Wonderful.
Left the house and found the quick way to the main part of the old town and it was buzzing. Loads of people about, and the weather was perfect, sunny and about 22c.
Walked down the main street, passed about 4 mosques, lots of cafes and ice cream shops so naturally I had to have one. 2 scoops for $1.44.
Started to feel a bit hungry so looked for a restaurant - almost all were cafes or barbecue places. We found one place that was on the main strip but was empty, but there didn't seem to be much choice so we thought we'd give it a go. The menu was mainly meat but they did do fish. I ordered trout, Song ordered tripe. Got the wifi password and checked the restaurant on TripAdvisor. Number 253 out of 320 in Sarajevo. Oh dear. The meal was very average. After the meal the waiter came up and asked 'Is good?' 'Barely edible' I replied, smiling. 'Completely bland and tasteless' I said, nodding. It cost about $25.
We left the restaurant, and it was now quite chilly. Still lots of people around. First impressions of Sarajevo were good - a lot cleaner and less grey than Belgrade and Sofia, more tourists, nicer shops and a good vibe. Went back to the hotel and watched TV, full day in Sarajevo tomorrow.
Had toast, cereal, coffee and juice, a quick one, then checked out and over the road to the bus station for the 7 hour journey to Sarajevo. Apparently there used to be a train but it stopped running a few years ago due to lack of patronage.
The weather was a lot better, a bit cold but sunny - unlucky for us, but we can't help the weather.
Bus left on time, then drove through flat countryside on the freeway, more abandoned and half finished buildings. We then turned off and drove along back roads for about 3 hours before arriving at border control.
As soon as we were in Bosnia Herzegovina the scenery changed to granite hills, and we drove around a very picturesque lake and along a river with the hills all around, then through small towns and villages. Most people seemed to have small fields growing crops. Saw some houses with bullet holes in them, but not as many as I expected.
The bus stopped several times on the way, and it was quite relaxing to watch the scenery go by, read and watch some stuff I'd downloaded.
The bus started to climb, and we were treated to a spectacular view of the town where we'd just stopped and the hills we'd driven through. Are this stage we still had about 3 hours to go.
Kept going up along a winding road, magnificent views over the hills, the sun breaking through the clouds.
We went up quite a way, even saw some patches of snow, then started to descend the other side. We passed and few small farms and settlements as well as an abandoned ski resort, the chair lift mechanism rusted and in pieces.
Carried on down, Song and I both had a snooze, then we entered another gorge, more huge cliffs and a river. All along the way was rubbish at the side of the road; plastic bags, bottles, cans etc. We've seen this in virtually all the East European countries and it's really depressing, they just dump it and don't care.
We went through a few tunnels and then saw the outskirts of Sarajevo. I don't think I've ever seen a more impressive welcome to a place. We were above the thousands of red roofed houses, some on rock outcrops, laid out in the valleys in between the hills and on the hillsides. Poking up from among the houses were dozens of minarets of mosques. It really was an amazing sight.
Drove along and now there were lots of houses with the pock marks of bullet holes.
Arrived at the bus station which was quite a way out of the main town and from our hotel. Popped to a shopping centre to get some cash - this is the fourth country and the forth different currency. Found an ATM - 'transaction could not be completed'. Tried a different card - 'transaction could not be completed'. Hmmm. Tried the last card and it worked.
Hopped in a taxi and 10 minutes later he dropped us off, pointed over the road and said '1 minute'. Turned out it was 10 minutes and he charged us $14 and I think ripped us off, but what can you do?
Walked through the old part of the city, past a few mosques and loads of restaurants, and it was packed. Lots of tourists as well, heard American accents and German.
Got to the hotel which was actually a guest house and up a side street away from the main road. It wasn't very nice. It was someone's house, so basically a bed and breakfast. The room was small, but clean and the bathroom was modern.
The owner advised that there is no water between midnight and 06:00, something to do with the Sarajevo water supply. Wonderful.
Left the house and found the quick way to the main part of the old town and it was buzzing. Loads of people about, and the weather was perfect, sunny and about 22c.
Walked down the main street, passed about 4 mosques, lots of cafes and ice cream shops so naturally I had to have one. 2 scoops for $1.44.
Started to feel a bit hungry so looked for a restaurant - almost all were cafes or barbecue places. We found one place that was on the main strip but was empty, but there didn't seem to be much choice so we thought we'd give it a go. The menu was mainly meat but they did do fish. I ordered trout, Song ordered tripe. Got the wifi password and checked the restaurant on TripAdvisor. Number 253 out of 320 in Sarajevo. Oh dear. The meal was very average. After the meal the waiter came up and asked 'Is good?' 'Barely edible' I replied, smiling. 'Completely bland and tasteless' I said, nodding. It cost about $25.
We left the restaurant, and it was now quite chilly. Still lots of people around. First impressions of Sarajevo were good - a lot cleaner and less grey than Belgrade and Sofia, more tourists, nicer shops and a good vibe. Went back to the hotel and watched TV, full day in Sarajevo tomorrow.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Day 7 - Belgrade
Woke up at 07:00, down to breakfast. Orange juice, coffee, yoghurt, pastries, toast. Not a great selection of hot food.
Weather was still grey but not raining, around 9c.
Today we're wandering around Belgrade. Song looked at the history of Belgrade and it has been in around 140 wars. We leave tomorrow, hopefully before the next one kicks off.
Out into the cold, walked into the centre of the city, down the main shopping street. Lots of restaurants with tables set up outside. Carried on to the fortress, the main attraction in Belgrade. It was quite impressive - on top of a hill with commanding views over the city and the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. It is now a park and there were a lot of stalls set up selling food and souvenirs. Wandered around a bit then back down the main street again and coming towards us was a procession of people dressed in medieval gear and wearing armour, some on horseback.
Popped into a cafe, had a latte that came with a straw, something new, also had a Nutella and cherry crepe while Song had a salad. Cost about $9. We asked for the non smoking section and the waiter told us downstairs, we were the only ones there. Others arrived and all lit up - obviously something lost in translation, so we got out of there.
When we emerged back onto the street it had been raining, so we missed it. Just as well, because I'd left the umbrella back in the hotel (I've got to stop doing that). Saw a bakery and bought some rolls for the bus trip the next day. The bakery was the same colour scheme as a chain we like in Europe - Pauls - and the food was the same, but the name was different. So there you go.
Walked around the corner to an old part of the city, which was really one street lined with restaurants and with a cobblestone road, which was a twisted ankle and faceplant waiting to happen with all the rain making them wet.
Not much to see, so headed back in the rain via a market, bought some fruit then back to the hotel to do the photo backup ritual - SD card out, copy to the PC, copy to the external HDD, upload to the cloud.
It started to brighten up so we went out again, back to the fortress so Song could take another 200 photos (I'm not joking). Lots of people out now, filling the restaurants and strolling around. Walked to the number 2 seafood restaurant. Got a table OK even though it was Saturday night, luckily it was early so it wasn't very busy and we actually had a smoke-free meal for a change.
They gave us a small starter of tuna and whitefish pate and bread, then we ordered - I had squid stuffed with risotto and prawns, Song had grilled squid. Both were served with shard cabbage on potato (same as the restaurant yesterday - it's either traditional or trendy) and a leek and carrot thing, We also ordered a seasonal salad which was basically coleslaw without the mayonnaise.
The meal was pretty good, but not as good as the place the day before. They gave us a complimentary dessert to share and a coffee - not because we complained, but because it was our first time there.
Not wanting to walk anymore, and because some of the streets looked a bit dodgy (we felt OK during the day), we got a cab back to the hotel.
Tomorrow we're up at 06:00 for a 7 hour bus trip to Sarajevo.
Weather was still grey but not raining, around 9c.
Today we're wandering around Belgrade. Song looked at the history of Belgrade and it has been in around 140 wars. We leave tomorrow, hopefully before the next one kicks off.
Out into the cold, walked into the centre of the city, down the main shopping street. Lots of restaurants with tables set up outside. Carried on to the fortress, the main attraction in Belgrade. It was quite impressive - on top of a hill with commanding views over the city and the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. It is now a park and there were a lot of stalls set up selling food and souvenirs. Wandered around a bit then back down the main street again and coming towards us was a procession of people dressed in medieval gear and wearing armour, some on horseback.
Popped into a cafe, had a latte that came with a straw, something new, also had a Nutella and cherry crepe while Song had a salad. Cost about $9. We asked for the non smoking section and the waiter told us downstairs, we were the only ones there. Others arrived and all lit up - obviously something lost in translation, so we got out of there.
When we emerged back onto the street it had been raining, so we missed it. Just as well, because I'd left the umbrella back in the hotel (I've got to stop doing that). Saw a bakery and bought some rolls for the bus trip the next day. The bakery was the same colour scheme as a chain we like in Europe - Pauls - and the food was the same, but the name was different. So there you go.
Walked around the corner to an old part of the city, which was really one street lined with restaurants and with a cobblestone road, which was a twisted ankle and faceplant waiting to happen with all the rain making them wet.
Not much to see, so headed back in the rain via a market, bought some fruit then back to the hotel to do the photo backup ritual - SD card out, copy to the PC, copy to the external HDD, upload to the cloud.
It started to brighten up so we went out again, back to the fortress so Song could take another 200 photos (I'm not joking). Lots of people out now, filling the restaurants and strolling around. Walked to the number 2 seafood restaurant. Got a table OK even though it was Saturday night, luckily it was early so it wasn't very busy and we actually had a smoke-free meal for a change.
They gave us a small starter of tuna and whitefish pate and bread, then we ordered - I had squid stuffed with risotto and prawns, Song had grilled squid. Both were served with shard cabbage on potato (same as the restaurant yesterday - it's either traditional or trendy) and a leek and carrot thing, We also ordered a seasonal salad which was basically coleslaw without the mayonnaise.
The meal was pretty good, but not as good as the place the day before. They gave us a complimentary dessert to share and a coffee - not because we complained, but because it was our first time there.
Not wanting to walk anymore, and because some of the streets looked a bit dodgy (we felt OK during the day), we got a cab back to the hotel.
Tomorrow we're up at 06:00 for a 7 hour bus trip to Sarajevo.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Day 6 - Nis to Belgrade
Woke up around 06:00, on the way to breakfast I changed people's 'Do not
Disturb' notices to 'Please make up my room' and vice versa. It's the
little things.
Breakfast was unusual - lots of local food. I had a sesame seed pastry filled with chopped bacon and tomato relish (not bad), a piece of roll with cream cheese, tomato and shredded cheese (too cheesy), bacon, cheese pie, and a couple of pastries. The restaurant was a bit small and was playing music, many of my favourite Serbian tunes.
Checked out, trundled down to the bus station and bought the tickets to Belgrade. It's amazing how far pointing and nodding gets you when you don't speak the language.
Journey took about 3 hours through fairly uninspiring countryside, saw quite a few abandoned and half built houses.
Arrived in Belgrade, pretty depressing; grey tower blocks, concrete overpasses, graffiti everywhere. It was also miserable weather. Got off the bus and the hotel was literally over the road, and another modern one. Very spacious bathroom but no bath, decent sized bedroom with a queen bed.
Left the hotel, went across the road to a supermarket to get some water, then back to the hotel to get the umbrella. Over the road to buy the tickets to Sarajevo, then back to the hotel to get some more cash because they only took cash and cleaned us out. Into the bank next door to exchange some money, then back to the hotel because the passport was in the safe. So far we hadn't travelled more than 200m from the hotel.
Used Tripadvisor to find a seafood restaurant because we were both fed up with meat, asked at reception which bus to take and then waited at the wrong bus stop for 30 minutes. Got the bus, which was free. Well, it was for us because it was packed and we couldn't get near the driver to pay. Tracked our location on Google maps to make sure we knew when to get off and he started to go in a different direction so we got off in what looked like a dodgy area. Turned down a street which had several jewellery shops - once again Song managed to find them. Walked for about 10 minutes in the rain - the weather was appalling - and saw the Danube river, very wide.
Thankfully the restaurant was open (it was only 17:30), wasn't booked out, and had a table in the non smoking section. Although it was open so didn't really make that much difference. They were playing more of my favourite Serbian hits.
I had a local beer (of course), and ordered the seared tuna steak on a bed of potato and shard cabbage cooked in olive oil and lemon juice. Song had octopus and calamari also on a bed of potato and shard. We also had a cherry tomato and rocket salad.
Very very very good. 100 times better than the the meat platter we had yesterday.
Had Tiramasu for dessert, the meal cost about $60 .
Walked back to the main road to get the bus back to the hotel, but it was raining so decided to get a taxi instead.
A bit tired, watched TV and went to sleep, another day in Belgrade tomorrow.
Breakfast was unusual - lots of local food. I had a sesame seed pastry filled with chopped bacon and tomato relish (not bad), a piece of roll with cream cheese, tomato and shredded cheese (too cheesy), bacon, cheese pie, and a couple of pastries. The restaurant was a bit small and was playing music, many of my favourite Serbian tunes.
Checked out, trundled down to the bus station and bought the tickets to Belgrade. It's amazing how far pointing and nodding gets you when you don't speak the language.
Journey took about 3 hours through fairly uninspiring countryside, saw quite a few abandoned and half built houses.
Arrived in Belgrade, pretty depressing; grey tower blocks, concrete overpasses, graffiti everywhere. It was also miserable weather. Got off the bus and the hotel was literally over the road, and another modern one. Very spacious bathroom but no bath, decent sized bedroom with a queen bed.
Left the hotel, went across the road to a supermarket to get some water, then back to the hotel to get the umbrella. Over the road to buy the tickets to Sarajevo, then back to the hotel to get some more cash because they only took cash and cleaned us out. Into the bank next door to exchange some money, then back to the hotel because the passport was in the safe. So far we hadn't travelled more than 200m from the hotel.
Used Tripadvisor to find a seafood restaurant because we were both fed up with meat, asked at reception which bus to take and then waited at the wrong bus stop for 30 minutes. Got the bus, which was free. Well, it was for us because it was packed and we couldn't get near the driver to pay. Tracked our location on Google maps to make sure we knew when to get off and he started to go in a different direction so we got off in what looked like a dodgy area. Turned down a street which had several jewellery shops - once again Song managed to find them. Walked for about 10 minutes in the rain - the weather was appalling - and saw the Danube river, very wide.
Thankfully the restaurant was open (it was only 17:30), wasn't booked out, and had a table in the non smoking section. Although it was open so didn't really make that much difference. They were playing more of my favourite Serbian hits.
I had a local beer (of course), and ordered the seared tuna steak on a bed of potato and shard cabbage cooked in olive oil and lemon juice. Song had octopus and calamari also on a bed of potato and shard. We also had a cherry tomato and rocket salad.
Very very very good. 100 times better than the the meat platter we had yesterday.
Had Tiramasu for dessert, the meal cost about $60 .
Walked back to the main road to get the bus back to the hotel, but it was raining so decided to get a taxi instead.
A bit tired, watched TV and went to sleep, another day in Belgrade tomorrow.
Friday, April 7, 2017
Day 5 - Sofia to Nis
Set the alarm for 06:00 but didn't need it because we woke up at 05:30 again.
Packed up, then down to check out, breakfast started at 07:00 but we asked if we could pop down 10 minutes early because we had to be at the bus station at 07:15 but they wouldn't let us. The station was about a 10 minute walk so we were going to have to rush, and I don't like rushing. I wanted to skip breakfast but was overruled.
Grabbed a plate of the usual, shovelled it down then practically jogged to the station, made it with plenty of time to spare. The weather was grim - cold, grey, overcast and raining. We were very lucky to have the sun yesterday.
When Song first told me a couple of years ago that we would be travelling by bus in Eastern Europe I had visions of brown 1950's buses spewing diesel fumes, people smoking and carting goats and chickens in cages. In reality the coaches are comfortable, modern, reclining seats, toilets and wifi. One had a free coffee machine. We also like the fact that we can relax, read or watch TV, and see a lot of the country.
We drove out of the city, past lots of 1980s tower blocks that were a bit the worse for wear - rusty windows and balconies, crumbling concrete. Quite a few abandoned buildings as well.
Drove for about an hour and a half through fields and hills, not particularly spectacular, then came to a long queue of trucks - Bulgarian border control. Sat in the bus for about an hour, then got off, passport checked, back on the bus then on our way. For about 100 meters before we stopped again for Serbian border control. Luckily it was only about 10 minutes because there were only 4 other people on the bus.
Drove through fields for a while then through a gorge, sheer rock faces either side and a river along the bottom. It was still raining and the hills were covered in cloud.
After about another hour and a half we arrived in Nis.
Stepped off the bus and were greeted with a smell of burning plastic and a general chemical aroma.
Walked about 20 minutes to the hotel. Song decided to give the roll I'd bought yesterday to a stray dog, having already given hers to another stray at border control. There are quite a few stray dogs around.
Checked in then headed out in the light rain and pollution to get some food and have a look around. We only stopped here so we wouldn't have to do 8 hours on the bus so didn't expect much in the way of things to see - one of the 'attractions' according to Tripadvisor was a nazi concentration camp. Thought we'd give that a miss.
Stopped for a coffee that cost $1.70, then found the number 2 place in Nis to eat; we always try to eat the local food. I had my first beer, a local one called Lav that cost less than the coffee - $1.60 for half a litre. Song ordered fish chowder to start, and we ordered a meat platter to share. We also had a couple of bread rolls and a Serbian salad.
The meat platter was huge - 3 different types of sausages, pork wrapped in bacon, ham and skewers. It also wasn't very nice. We ate about half and took the rest with us, Song wanted to feed more of the stray dogs.
The meal only cost about $20 though. Serbia (and most Eastern European countries) still allow smoking in restaurants, and most people smoke. It's pretty disgusting, and we passed several restaurants looking to see if there were any free of smokers but there were none. It was a relief to go back outside to the cold and wet.
One of the local attractions was a tower embedded with human skulls. Thinking that's something you don't see every day we decided to pay it a visit. Even though it was still raining we decided to walk, it took about half an hour. It was a tower embedded with human skulls.
Hopped on a bus back to visit the other attraction, the fortress. It was basically a gate and some old ruins out in the open and filled with rubbish.
If you ever visit this area and are thinking of visiting Nis, I highly recommend not doing so, go somewhere else.
At least our hotel was good - king size bed, modern, spa bath etc.
Tomorrow is back on a bus and onto Belgrade - we read that there have been protests there. Hopefully we'll avoid them.
Packed up, then down to check out, breakfast started at 07:00 but we asked if we could pop down 10 minutes early because we had to be at the bus station at 07:15 but they wouldn't let us. The station was about a 10 minute walk so we were going to have to rush, and I don't like rushing. I wanted to skip breakfast but was overruled.
Grabbed a plate of the usual, shovelled it down then practically jogged to the station, made it with plenty of time to spare. The weather was grim - cold, grey, overcast and raining. We were very lucky to have the sun yesterday.
When Song first told me a couple of years ago that we would be travelling by bus in Eastern Europe I had visions of brown 1950's buses spewing diesel fumes, people smoking and carting goats and chickens in cages. In reality the coaches are comfortable, modern, reclining seats, toilets and wifi. One had a free coffee machine. We also like the fact that we can relax, read or watch TV, and see a lot of the country.
We drove out of the city, past lots of 1980s tower blocks that were a bit the worse for wear - rusty windows and balconies, crumbling concrete. Quite a few abandoned buildings as well.
Drove for about an hour and a half through fields and hills, not particularly spectacular, then came to a long queue of trucks - Bulgarian border control. Sat in the bus for about an hour, then got off, passport checked, back on the bus then on our way. For about 100 meters before we stopped again for Serbian border control. Luckily it was only about 10 minutes because there were only 4 other people on the bus.
Drove through fields for a while then through a gorge, sheer rock faces either side and a river along the bottom. It was still raining and the hills were covered in cloud.
After about another hour and a half we arrived in Nis.
Stepped off the bus and were greeted with a smell of burning plastic and a general chemical aroma.
Walked about 20 minutes to the hotel. Song decided to give the roll I'd bought yesterday to a stray dog, having already given hers to another stray at border control. There are quite a few stray dogs around.
Checked in then headed out in the light rain and pollution to get some food and have a look around. We only stopped here so we wouldn't have to do 8 hours on the bus so didn't expect much in the way of things to see - one of the 'attractions' according to Tripadvisor was a nazi concentration camp. Thought we'd give that a miss.
Stopped for a coffee that cost $1.70, then found the number 2 place in Nis to eat; we always try to eat the local food. I had my first beer, a local one called Lav that cost less than the coffee - $1.60 for half a litre. Song ordered fish chowder to start, and we ordered a meat platter to share. We also had a couple of bread rolls and a Serbian salad.
The meat platter was huge - 3 different types of sausages, pork wrapped in bacon, ham and skewers. It also wasn't very nice. We ate about half and took the rest with us, Song wanted to feed more of the stray dogs.
The meal only cost about $20 though. Serbia (and most Eastern European countries) still allow smoking in restaurants, and most people smoke. It's pretty disgusting, and we passed several restaurants looking to see if there were any free of smokers but there were none. It was a relief to go back outside to the cold and wet.
One of the local attractions was a tower embedded with human skulls. Thinking that's something you don't see every day we decided to pay it a visit. Even though it was still raining we decided to walk, it took about half an hour. It was a tower embedded with human skulls.
Hopped on a bus back to visit the other attraction, the fortress. It was basically a gate and some old ruins out in the open and filled with rubbish.
If you ever visit this area and are thinking of visiting Nis, I highly recommend not doing so, go somewhere else.
At least our hotel was good - king size bed, modern, spa bath etc.
Tomorrow is back on a bus and onto Belgrade - we read that there have been protests there. Hopefully we'll avoid them.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Day 4 - Sofia
Woke up early again, 05:30, jet lag still hanging around. Opened the
curtains and looked out at the magnificent view of rusty corrugated iron
roofs and a scrapyard.
Down to breakfast at about 09:00, lots of people.
Filled up with the usual - toast, bacon, sausages, egg, yoghurt, orange juice and coffee.
Google said the temperature was 8c and would probably rain, a big difference from Doha, so wrapped up. Walked to the bus station to book for tomorrow, into the main bus station and asked at information about where to book for our leg to Serbia the next day. The woman clearly hadn't expected to have to actually answer a question and just said 'next building' and went back to reading her magazine.
The 'next building' consisted of about 50 small bus companies so we went door to door asking 'Nis, Serbia?'. 'No Nis'. 'Which company goes to Nis?' 'I don't know'. Repeated until we found one who did go, but only 07:30 (a bit early) or 16:00 (too late). Plus she had keys in her hand and obviously didn't want to hang around. We said we'd think about it and come back. Found another one that left at 09:00 which was perfect. 'Tomorrow?'. 'No tomorrow.' 'Who else goes to Nis?'. 'I don't know.'
So we sat down and waited for the miserable woman to come back. Actually they were all miserable, I don't know why, I am perfectly charming.
Booked the bus, then back to the hotel to drop off our jackets because although it was now about 14c the sun was out and it was quite warm.
Walked down one of the main streets, the pavement and a lot of the buildings needed repairs. Found ourselves in a street full of jewellery shops - I'm sure Song has some kind of radar.
Kept going, came across a mosque and some ancient buildings that were only unearthed in 2011 when they started to build a new metro station. Sofia has a long history - the Greeks, Romans and Ottomans were here.
Headed towards the main attraction of Sofia, the cathedral, when Song saw a crowd of people across the road. This is usually a sign of something interesting, and in this case it was the changing of the guard outside the Presidency building. There were about 20 guards in red ceremonial uniforms with white braid, hats with a single feather, carrying swords and rifles. There was much shouting of orders, unsheathing and re sheathing of swords, banging of drums and blowing of trumpet, marching round in circles, guards shouting at each other, and twirling of rifles. To be honest it would have been easy for someone to sneak in while everyone was distracted. It went on for about 30 minutes whereupon they all marched off. We saw them a minute later getting on a bus and standing around smoking, it sort of killed the spectacle.
Wandered off and came across a park with some souvenir stands and a hotdog stand. We each had one, pretty average. Song bought the obligatory fridge magnet. There was also a piano, and 2 young blokes were playing classical music. Very pleasant to stand there in the sun listening to it - one of them was very good.
Popped over the road to a coffee shop (only $2.50!) and relaxed for a while before going on.
Walked back through the park, lots of people sitting enjoying the weather, then onto the cathedral. Walked around it taking photos of the unusual design and golden domes, and paid $8 to look around the museum which was just loads of religious paintings on wood. If we had known we wouldn't have bothered, but it didn't cost much. Whizzed around pretty quickly but sat down for a while so that the woman on the desk wouldn't wonder why we didn't spend longer inside, then up into the church itself.
I have to say it was much more impressive from the outside - inside was empty, there were frescoes on the walls and ceilings but in need of restoration. You had to pay to take photos but we decided against it.
Didn't spend long, then outside where there was a flea market selling all sorts of junk; old cigarette lighters and second hand pipes (who would buy those?), Lionel Ritchie LPs, Russian medals and a disconcerting amount of Nazi memorabilia. We didn't buy anything, surprisingly.
The weather turned, suddenly cloudy and cold, reminding me of Melbourne, and started to rain. We headed back the way we came, heading to a shopping mall, when it started to rain heavier so we thought we'd take the metro - always an adventure in a foreign country. It was only one stop so didn't think we'd have too much trouble. The first thing I did wrong was to go to the wrong line. Then I put the ticket in the gate and tried to go through the wrong side. A local took pity on me and told me what to do. I think the trick is to watch the natives and follow their lead.
Got out and the rain was coming down heavier. Luckily we'd brought an umbrella. Unluckily we'd left it back in the hotel.
The mall was only round the corner so we braved it, got a bit wet but were soon sat at another cafe in the warm.
We were pleasantly surprised with Sofia - although not a lot to see, the place itself is clean, the people are well dressed. Unlike a lot of the Eastern European countries we've visited there was very little graffiti, far less than Melbourne, and our economic measure of how a country is doing is to look at the cars - on a whole pretty good - Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi - all were present. The others were generally in good condition and relatively new.
There are old, boarded up buildings, and some vacant land with rubbish, but not as many as we saw in places like Bucharest and Lisbon a few years ago.
Strolled back to the hotel, stopped off at market to get some food for the bus trip. Neither of us was hungry so skipped dinner. Watched TV then slept, tomorrow Serbia.
Down to breakfast at about 09:00, lots of people.
Filled up with the usual - toast, bacon, sausages, egg, yoghurt, orange juice and coffee.
Google said the temperature was 8c and would probably rain, a big difference from Doha, so wrapped up. Walked to the bus station to book for tomorrow, into the main bus station and asked at information about where to book for our leg to Serbia the next day. The woman clearly hadn't expected to have to actually answer a question and just said 'next building' and went back to reading her magazine.
The 'next building' consisted of about 50 small bus companies so we went door to door asking 'Nis, Serbia?'. 'No Nis'. 'Which company goes to Nis?' 'I don't know'. Repeated until we found one who did go, but only 07:30 (a bit early) or 16:00 (too late). Plus she had keys in her hand and obviously didn't want to hang around. We said we'd think about it and come back. Found another one that left at 09:00 which was perfect. 'Tomorrow?'. 'No tomorrow.' 'Who else goes to Nis?'. 'I don't know.'
So we sat down and waited for the miserable woman to come back. Actually they were all miserable, I don't know why, I am perfectly charming.
Booked the bus, then back to the hotel to drop off our jackets because although it was now about 14c the sun was out and it was quite warm.
Walked down one of the main streets, the pavement and a lot of the buildings needed repairs. Found ourselves in a street full of jewellery shops - I'm sure Song has some kind of radar.
Kept going, came across a mosque and some ancient buildings that were only unearthed in 2011 when they started to build a new metro station. Sofia has a long history - the Greeks, Romans and Ottomans were here.
Headed towards the main attraction of Sofia, the cathedral, when Song saw a crowd of people across the road. This is usually a sign of something interesting, and in this case it was the changing of the guard outside the Presidency building. There were about 20 guards in red ceremonial uniforms with white braid, hats with a single feather, carrying swords and rifles. There was much shouting of orders, unsheathing and re sheathing of swords, banging of drums and blowing of trumpet, marching round in circles, guards shouting at each other, and twirling of rifles. To be honest it would have been easy for someone to sneak in while everyone was distracted. It went on for about 30 minutes whereupon they all marched off. We saw them a minute later getting on a bus and standing around smoking, it sort of killed the spectacle.
Wandered off and came across a park with some souvenir stands and a hotdog stand. We each had one, pretty average. Song bought the obligatory fridge magnet. There was also a piano, and 2 young blokes were playing classical music. Very pleasant to stand there in the sun listening to it - one of them was very good.
Popped over the road to a coffee shop (only $2.50!) and relaxed for a while before going on.
Walked back through the park, lots of people sitting enjoying the weather, then onto the cathedral. Walked around it taking photos of the unusual design and golden domes, and paid $8 to look around the museum which was just loads of religious paintings on wood. If we had known we wouldn't have bothered, but it didn't cost much. Whizzed around pretty quickly but sat down for a while so that the woman on the desk wouldn't wonder why we didn't spend longer inside, then up into the church itself.
I have to say it was much more impressive from the outside - inside was empty, there were frescoes on the walls and ceilings but in need of restoration. You had to pay to take photos but we decided against it.
Didn't spend long, then outside where there was a flea market selling all sorts of junk; old cigarette lighters and second hand pipes (who would buy those?), Lionel Ritchie LPs, Russian medals and a disconcerting amount of Nazi memorabilia. We didn't buy anything, surprisingly.
The weather turned, suddenly cloudy and cold, reminding me of Melbourne, and started to rain. We headed back the way we came, heading to a shopping mall, when it started to rain heavier so we thought we'd take the metro - always an adventure in a foreign country. It was only one stop so didn't think we'd have too much trouble. The first thing I did wrong was to go to the wrong line. Then I put the ticket in the gate and tried to go through the wrong side. A local took pity on me and told me what to do. I think the trick is to watch the natives and follow their lead.
Got out and the rain was coming down heavier. Luckily we'd brought an umbrella. Unluckily we'd left it back in the hotel.
The mall was only round the corner so we braved it, got a bit wet but were soon sat at another cafe in the warm.
We were pleasantly surprised with Sofia - although not a lot to see, the place itself is clean, the people are well dressed. Unlike a lot of the Eastern European countries we've visited there was very little graffiti, far less than Melbourne, and our economic measure of how a country is doing is to look at the cars - on a whole pretty good - Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi - all were present. The others were generally in good condition and relatively new.
There are old, boarded up buildings, and some vacant land with rubbish, but not as many as we saw in places like Bucharest and Lisbon a few years ago.
Strolled back to the hotel, stopped off at market to get some food for the bus trip. Neither of us was hungry so skipped dinner. Watched TV then slept, tomorrow Serbia.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Day 3 - Doha to Sofia
Woke up around 5, read the news and pottered around a bit then went
downstairs to breakfast. If you've read my blog before you will know
that I do like a hotel breakfast.
Knowing that I tend to put on weight when we travel I decided to restrict myself to just fruit and vegetables. I started with 2 slices of toast and marmalade (oranges) , muesli (had apple, banana, strawberry in it) , orange juice, coffee (not food, doesn't count).
That was round 1.
Next was baked beans, sausages and 'beef bacon' because they don't eat pig here. Cows eat grass, and that's sort of a vegetable, so I figured that was ok.
Then had a fruit platter - watermelon, papaya, orange and pineapple.
Thought about finishing off with an apple danish but didn't want to spoil my dedication to the healthy routine so resisted.
2 of the hotel staff very kindly helped lift me out of my chair, then we got ready to head to the airport.
The plane was full, but the flight was only 5 hours so it went quickly. Every one on the plane seemed to know each other and there were lots of people standing up chatting and drinking.
Sped through passport control (UK passport, but won't be so easy in a couple of years) into the cold - 15c.
I'd read on Tripadvisor that there are fake taxis in Bulgaria so you have to visit the desk in the airport to make sure it's the proper one. I think the fake ones just overcharge and don't drive you to the middle of nowhere and rob you. So hopefully the one we booked at the desk was a real one. It does make you wonder why the police or the real taxi drivers don't do anything about it.
Luckily our taxi took us to our hotel but did warn us not to walk around at night because it wasn't safe, and also told us about the fake taxis.
The hotel was clean and the room big, although it was only a double bed.
Neither of us was hungry and we didn't fancy getting mugged, so just watched TV and went to bed.
Tomorrow we're doing the tourist bit.
Knowing that I tend to put on weight when we travel I decided to restrict myself to just fruit and vegetables. I started with 2 slices of toast and marmalade (oranges) , muesli (had apple, banana, strawberry in it) , orange juice, coffee (not food, doesn't count).
That was round 1.
Next was baked beans, sausages and 'beef bacon' because they don't eat pig here. Cows eat grass, and that's sort of a vegetable, so I figured that was ok.
Then had a fruit platter - watermelon, papaya, orange and pineapple.
Thought about finishing off with an apple danish but didn't want to spoil my dedication to the healthy routine so resisted.
2 of the hotel staff very kindly helped lift me out of my chair, then we got ready to head to the airport.
The plane was full, but the flight was only 5 hours so it went quickly. Every one on the plane seemed to know each other and there were lots of people standing up chatting and drinking.
Sped through passport control (UK passport, but won't be so easy in a couple of years) into the cold - 15c.
I'd read on Tripadvisor that there are fake taxis in Bulgaria so you have to visit the desk in the airport to make sure it's the proper one. I think the fake ones just overcharge and don't drive you to the middle of nowhere and rob you. So hopefully the one we booked at the desk was a real one. It does make you wonder why the police or the real taxi drivers don't do anything about it.
Luckily our taxi took us to our hotel but did warn us not to walk around at night because it wasn't safe, and also told us about the fake taxis.
The hotel was clean and the room big, although it was only a double bed.
Neither of us was hungry and we didn't fancy getting mugged, so just watched TV and went to bed.
Tomorrow we're doing the tourist bit.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Day 2 - Doha
Jet lag got the better of us and we ended up going to sleep at about
19:00, so consequently woke up at around 04:00. Read the internet for a
while and watched some TV, then got ready and headed out to the Souk
which opened at 07:30.
Hopped in a taxi, got told the Souk didn’t open till 09:00 but decided to go anyway because we needed breakfast.
Most places were just opening but found a hotel that looked decent and had the options of Qatari breakfast, Middle Eastern breakfast and American breakfast. As we consider ourselves reasonably adventurous Song had the Qatari one and I had the Middle Eastern one, although I swapped the Turkish coffee for a cappuccino because I don't like strong coffee.
My breakfast had 2 pieces of very salty cheese, 3 salty falafels, a salty bean and chickpea dish, hummus with flat bread, and 2 boiled eggs. Ah well, that's what happens when you try something new sometimes. Luckily the coffee wasn't salty, but it wasn't very good either.
Song's breakfast was a bed of vermicelli noodles with scrambled egg on top (not what we expected), carrot and cucumber sticks and a yogurt dip, chickpeas and some small pancakes with a sweet filling.
Cost was about $26 - pretty good for right next to the main tourist place.
Souk was open, had a wander through, didn't buy anything. The smell of the spices hit us as soon as we entered. There weren't many people around, maybe it was a bit early. The Souk seemed to be divided up into sections - the incense sellers, the cloth sellers, shoe sellers etc. After about 30 minutes more people appeared. It's not a huge place, so we left, although did pick up a fridge magnet of a camel. Walked over the road to the Corniche, the promenade along the bay, intending to go for a walk, but decided to go to the museum of Islamic art instead because it was starting to get a bit hot, probably around 30c.
The museum is very interesting - we watched a documentary a few years ago about the construction. The architect was 91 at the time, a famous (among architects I suppose) American Chinese, called I. M. Pei. He spent 6 months travelling and learning about Islam so he could incorporate the themes. Go and look at the photos, it's a fascinating place and at the time of the documentary we didn't have any intention of visiting.
Before we went through the museum , we sat down to relax and charge the batteries, looking out over the bay to the city. Oh, and the museum was free.
We sat in the cafe for a while - air conditioned, free wifi, comfortable sofa - just relaxing and enjoying the start of the holiday.
Went around the museum - lots of carpets, some over 500 years old, with Islamic designs and motifs, pots, glassware, jewellery etc. Quite interesting although a bit samey to be honest.
After a couple of hours popped back to the cafe to sit down, used the free wifi and then back to the Souk, although Song said we weren't buying anything.
It was a lot cooler now, with a pleasant breeze. There were more people around as well - obviously the cooler conditions brought them out, and the cafes were packed, the locals sitting and smoking from hookahs. Most of the women wear the burkha, with just their eyes showing. All were black, and we both wondered how they coped in summer.
Song bought some scarves and it was interesting to watch a Chinese woman haggle with a Souk trader - the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. After much too-ing and fro-ing, stamping of feet, insults in Arabic and Chinese, they eventually agreed on the price for 3. Song was happy she'd stiffed the shopkeeper and he was happy he'd ripped off another tourist, so the natural order of things was maintained. We carried on, visited the spice area where Song bought some dried hibiscus flowers (500g) to make tea. Went a bit further and Song saw a shop selling pearl jewellery, so she bought a pair of earrings. Glad we decided not to buy anything.
Starting to feel a bit peckish, headed along the street to where the restaurants were and decided on a seafood place. I had a fattoush salad and a fish tandoori. Song had a mixed seafood platter.
Bad food choice day today. Mine was very bland - a few pieces of dry fish and rice. Song said hers was fried in a sauce like sweet and sour. Some you win, some you lose. Cost was about $56 which wasn't extortionate but not worth it for the quality.
It was now dark and we went for a walk towards the corniche since it was cooler and the city was lit up. On the way through the Souk, which was now packed, there was a strolling band - men beating drums and one guy playing a goat skin like the bagpipes and occasionally breaking into song. Lots of people taking photos as they wandered past. Carried on a bit further and there was another large group of men playing drums and pipes and singing and dancing, with a lead singer on a microphone and a large crowd of people watching. It was very pleasant, a great atmosphere and an example of what we see wherever we travel - most people just want to get on with their lives and have a good time now and then.
Hopped in a taxi, fought through appalling traffic (something else we see everywhere), where every driver appeared to have got a new car horn and was trying it out. The drivers were some of the worst I've seen - no courtesy, pushing in, leaning on the horn, going through red lights, and driving across the kerbs to take short cuts. At one stage there was a Lamborghini next to us, and I thought there's a waste of money. It took us 45 minutes to go 3.8 km.
Finally arrived at the hotel, watched some TV, then sleep.
Tomorrow we fly to Sofia in Bulgaria for the main bit of the trip, a 5 hour flight, so not too bad.
Hopped in a taxi, got told the Souk didn’t open till 09:00 but decided to go anyway because we needed breakfast.
Most places were just opening but found a hotel that looked decent and had the options of Qatari breakfast, Middle Eastern breakfast and American breakfast. As we consider ourselves reasonably adventurous Song had the Qatari one and I had the Middle Eastern one, although I swapped the Turkish coffee for a cappuccino because I don't like strong coffee.
My breakfast had 2 pieces of very salty cheese, 3 salty falafels, a salty bean and chickpea dish, hummus with flat bread, and 2 boiled eggs. Ah well, that's what happens when you try something new sometimes. Luckily the coffee wasn't salty, but it wasn't very good either.
Song's breakfast was a bed of vermicelli noodles with scrambled egg on top (not what we expected), carrot and cucumber sticks and a yogurt dip, chickpeas and some small pancakes with a sweet filling.
Cost was about $26 - pretty good for right next to the main tourist place.
Souk was open, had a wander through, didn't buy anything. The smell of the spices hit us as soon as we entered. There weren't many people around, maybe it was a bit early. The Souk seemed to be divided up into sections - the incense sellers, the cloth sellers, shoe sellers etc. After about 30 minutes more people appeared. It's not a huge place, so we left, although did pick up a fridge magnet of a camel. Walked over the road to the Corniche, the promenade along the bay, intending to go for a walk, but decided to go to the museum of Islamic art instead because it was starting to get a bit hot, probably around 30c.
The museum is very interesting - we watched a documentary a few years ago about the construction. The architect was 91 at the time, a famous (among architects I suppose) American Chinese, called I. M. Pei. He spent 6 months travelling and learning about Islam so he could incorporate the themes. Go and look at the photos, it's a fascinating place and at the time of the documentary we didn't have any intention of visiting.
Before we went through the museum , we sat down to relax and charge the batteries, looking out over the bay to the city. Oh, and the museum was free.
We sat in the cafe for a while - air conditioned, free wifi, comfortable sofa - just relaxing and enjoying the start of the holiday.
Went around the museum - lots of carpets, some over 500 years old, with Islamic designs and motifs, pots, glassware, jewellery etc. Quite interesting although a bit samey to be honest.
After a couple of hours popped back to the cafe to sit down, used the free wifi and then back to the Souk, although Song said we weren't buying anything.
It was a lot cooler now, with a pleasant breeze. There were more people around as well - obviously the cooler conditions brought them out, and the cafes were packed, the locals sitting and smoking from hookahs. Most of the women wear the burkha, with just their eyes showing. All were black, and we both wondered how they coped in summer.
Song bought some scarves and it was interesting to watch a Chinese woman haggle with a Souk trader - the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. After much too-ing and fro-ing, stamping of feet, insults in Arabic and Chinese, they eventually agreed on the price for 3. Song was happy she'd stiffed the shopkeeper and he was happy he'd ripped off another tourist, so the natural order of things was maintained. We carried on, visited the spice area where Song bought some dried hibiscus flowers (500g) to make tea. Went a bit further and Song saw a shop selling pearl jewellery, so she bought a pair of earrings. Glad we decided not to buy anything.
Starting to feel a bit peckish, headed along the street to where the restaurants were and decided on a seafood place. I had a fattoush salad and a fish tandoori. Song had a mixed seafood platter.
Bad food choice day today. Mine was very bland - a few pieces of dry fish and rice. Song said hers was fried in a sauce like sweet and sour. Some you win, some you lose. Cost was about $56 which wasn't extortionate but not worth it for the quality.
It was now dark and we went for a walk towards the corniche since it was cooler and the city was lit up. On the way through the Souk, which was now packed, there was a strolling band - men beating drums and one guy playing a goat skin like the bagpipes and occasionally breaking into song. Lots of people taking photos as they wandered past. Carried on a bit further and there was another large group of men playing drums and pipes and singing and dancing, with a lead singer on a microphone and a large crowd of people watching. It was very pleasant, a great atmosphere and an example of what we see wherever we travel - most people just want to get on with their lives and have a good time now and then.
Hopped in a taxi, fought through appalling traffic (something else we see everywhere), where every driver appeared to have got a new car horn and was trying it out. The drivers were some of the worst I've seen - no courtesy, pushing in, leaning on the horn, going through red lights, and driving across the kerbs to take short cuts. At one stage there was a Lamborghini next to us, and I thought there's a waste of money. It took us 45 minutes to go 3.8 km.
Finally arrived at the hotel, watched some TV, then sleep.
Tomorrow we fly to Sofia in Bulgaria for the main bit of the trip, a 5 hour flight, so not too bad.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Day 1 - Melbourne to Doha
I think it's the first time we've had a night flight from Melbourne so hopefully I'll be able to sleep.
Swiftly through security and immigration although we were late boarding for some reason.
We'd booked seats, 2 aisle next to each other so it was a bit of a lottery as to the person I'd get sitting next to me.
A rather large lady was my companion for the next 14 hours and it appeared she decided she'd paid for her seat and half of mine. She was also unable to keep still and was constantly elbowing me. I just hoped she would sleep. There was a middle aged guy by the window, he sat down and didn't move for about 10 hours.
The food took ages to come out, it seemed they'd waited until everyone was about to pass out before they served it. We'd pre-ordered, I had Thai beef salad and Song had fish. Mine was quite nice.
After supper (served at about 01:30) I put my earphones on, spent 10 minutes creating a play list then waited for my neighbour to finish organising herself - she took her shoes off, pulled out 2 blankets, earphones, hairnet, hand cream, and finally she was set.
I actually slept pretty well, not constant but would wake up and find I'd missed a load of the music so must have been asleep for a while.
Luckily neither of the other 2 in my row had weak bladders and hardly got up at all.
At one stage I woke up with a headache which got progressively worse - I can't remember the last time I had such a bad one. I even felt sick, and I don't think I've ever been sick on a flight. I was so bad I refused the hot breakfast and had fruit. Took a couple of panadol and it went after a while, but not before I seriously contemplated booking business class next time.
I didn't watch any movies (Song saw 5), got near to the end of The Matrix then we were on the approach to Dubai so packed my gear away.
We had a 4 hour layover in Dubai, then on to Doha, but tried to see if we could get an earlier flight.
Off the plane, asked about our connecting flight and were put on a bus. Took a trip around the airport, told to get off the bus, through security into what looked like the old terminal because it was a bit low-rent; pretty average shops. Asked about our connecting flight at information and were told to go back to where we just got off the bus to get on a bus to get to the other terminal. Very disorganised - we're flying Qatar Airlines and it seems that anything not Emirates is second class here.
We had hoped to see if we could get an earlier flight to save us the 4 hour layover but that looked increasingly unlikely as we sat waiting for a bus to the terminal.
Bus arrived, guy announced it was for terminal 1 and 2 but I still asked if it was Qatar because I didn't trust them.
On the bus again, another trip around the airport to a deserted terminal. Wandered around and saw some people, through security again and checked in. No chance of getting the earlier flight anyway because it was taking off as we checked in.
Found the shops and cafes and sat down, I took out a small can of coke from my bag that I took from the plane. Which I had just taken through 2 security checkpoints. Not exactly confidence inspiring.
Cleaned up a bit then went for a wander around the shops looking at stuff we can't afford.
Sat down again, neither of us hungry so didn't bother going to one of the cafes but nibbled on some snacks we'd brought along for just such an occasion.
The flight to Doha was just an hour, we're staying for 2 nights to break up the first leg. Flight was fine, very short, then into the immigration queue for about 40 minutes. Had to pay for a visa and I considered refusing on principal but the guy was pretty grumpy so didn't want to annoy him. We'd now been travelling for 24 hours so were ready for a shower and some food served on a plate instead of out of a packet. Got the courtesy shuttle bus to the hotel, but the room wasn't ready. Put on my sad face and the receptionist said we could use the showers in the swimming pool area. It was either the sad face or the smell that convinced her.
Decided to get something to eat. Looked at trip advisor but there was nothing decent nearby. Wandered around the hotel but most of the restaurants didn’t open till 18:00 and the prices were steep, but beggars can't be choosers and we ended up at one of them. Song had a club sandwich and I had chicken curry. I was pleasantly surprised - it was really good, very impressed. Mine cost about $25 aud which was pretty good, although I also put on about 2kg. I took a photo and put it on instagram only to accidentally delete it 4 seconds later.
The room was finally ready so we collapsed and tried not to go to sleep too early, watched tv I'd downloaded.
Tomorrow we're visiting the Souk - a traditional shopping mall.
Swiftly through security and immigration although we were late boarding for some reason.
We'd booked seats, 2 aisle next to each other so it was a bit of a lottery as to the person I'd get sitting next to me.
A rather large lady was my companion for the next 14 hours and it appeared she decided she'd paid for her seat and half of mine. She was also unable to keep still and was constantly elbowing me. I just hoped she would sleep. There was a middle aged guy by the window, he sat down and didn't move for about 10 hours.
The food took ages to come out, it seemed they'd waited until everyone was about to pass out before they served it. We'd pre-ordered, I had Thai beef salad and Song had fish. Mine was quite nice.
After supper (served at about 01:30) I put my earphones on, spent 10 minutes creating a play list then waited for my neighbour to finish organising herself - she took her shoes off, pulled out 2 blankets, earphones, hairnet, hand cream, and finally she was set.
I actually slept pretty well, not constant but would wake up and find I'd missed a load of the music so must have been asleep for a while.
Luckily neither of the other 2 in my row had weak bladders and hardly got up at all.
At one stage I woke up with a headache which got progressively worse - I can't remember the last time I had such a bad one. I even felt sick, and I don't think I've ever been sick on a flight. I was so bad I refused the hot breakfast and had fruit. Took a couple of panadol and it went after a while, but not before I seriously contemplated booking business class next time.
I didn't watch any movies (Song saw 5), got near to the end of The Matrix then we were on the approach to Dubai so packed my gear away.
We had a 4 hour layover in Dubai, then on to Doha, but tried to see if we could get an earlier flight.
Off the plane, asked about our connecting flight and were put on a bus. Took a trip around the airport, told to get off the bus, through security into what looked like the old terminal because it was a bit low-rent; pretty average shops. Asked about our connecting flight at information and were told to go back to where we just got off the bus to get on a bus to get to the other terminal. Very disorganised - we're flying Qatar Airlines and it seems that anything not Emirates is second class here.
We had hoped to see if we could get an earlier flight to save us the 4 hour layover but that looked increasingly unlikely as we sat waiting for a bus to the terminal.
Bus arrived, guy announced it was for terminal 1 and 2 but I still asked if it was Qatar because I didn't trust them.
On the bus again, another trip around the airport to a deserted terminal. Wandered around and saw some people, through security again and checked in. No chance of getting the earlier flight anyway because it was taking off as we checked in.
Found the shops and cafes and sat down, I took out a small can of coke from my bag that I took from the plane. Which I had just taken through 2 security checkpoints. Not exactly confidence inspiring.
Cleaned up a bit then went for a wander around the shops looking at stuff we can't afford.
Sat down again, neither of us hungry so didn't bother going to one of the cafes but nibbled on some snacks we'd brought along for just such an occasion.
The flight to Doha was just an hour, we're staying for 2 nights to break up the first leg. Flight was fine, very short, then into the immigration queue for about 40 minutes. Had to pay for a visa and I considered refusing on principal but the guy was pretty grumpy so didn't want to annoy him. We'd now been travelling for 24 hours so were ready for a shower and some food served on a plate instead of out of a packet. Got the courtesy shuttle bus to the hotel, but the room wasn't ready. Put on my sad face and the receptionist said we could use the showers in the swimming pool area. It was either the sad face or the smell that convinced her.
Decided to get something to eat. Looked at trip advisor but there was nothing decent nearby. Wandered around the hotel but most of the restaurants didn’t open till 18:00 and the prices were steep, but beggars can't be choosers and we ended up at one of them. Song had a club sandwich and I had chicken curry. I was pleasantly surprised - it was really good, very impressed. Mine cost about $25 aud which was pretty good, although I also put on about 2kg. I took a photo and put it on instagram only to accidentally delete it 4 seconds later.
The room was finally ready so we collapsed and tried not to go to sleep too early, watched tv I'd downloaded.
Tomorrow we're visiting the Souk - a traditional shopping mall.
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