Budapest

Last stop on the central Europe tour was Budapest. Having run out of steam I only really did one thing and that was go to the amazing baths. They have Hamner beat. Although as NZ is currently in the middle of another snow storm Hamner would be pretty cool at the moment. It is ironic that I'm bathing in thermal pools during days of temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s, while at home everyone is stuck in their houses (and could use the heat). Anyway apart from the swimming, eating and drinking I didn't really do Budapest justice. Oh well I guess I'll just have to return. So sad never mind.

The Tatras

Next stop was the Tatras mountain range where amongst stunning scenery I turned into a mountain goat climbing the mountain path UP for 3 hours bouncing from rock to rock. Enough said!

Krakow

Karkow has become my favorite city on this tour. The main square is the biggest in Europe and is thriving. It has it all: a merchant hall full of shops, cafes lining the edge, a town hall, 2 churches, multiple statutes and fountains and excellent street performers. Today is the first day I haven't taken a tour as wandering around is all that is necessary. Now if I could just stop myself from buying the leather bag across the square, today would be perfect.

Whereas today has been frivolous, yesterday was draining as we visited Auschwitz and Birkenhau death camps. Like all concentration camps they have a very sober atmosphere but this was on a whole new level and scale. I think that the size was what amazed me the most, numbers are one thing but seeing it in reality was another. This is a necessary for anyone visiting this area. The most bone chilling thing was seeing the original version of my surname on three suitcases of victims. Although my family was in NZ during the wars (and changed the spelling of our name as a consequence) this still made the whole experience very real. It must be very hard for the families that visit who members died there.

However returning to today the glass of wine is almost finished and I can hear the handbag calling me.

Praha

The next Central European stop was the city of Prague. This is a beautiful city where you need to spend more time looking up that where you are going. After Cesky the crowds were a shock and ruin this place for me. Al these bloody tourists!!! However as much as it pains me to admit my brother was right this place is a special city. You walk and walk and walk, so much so that my feet are staring to protest (but at least I am now able to sit easily). Currently I'm rewarding myself with a Sangria after surviving a 3.5 mostly uphill walking tour of Prague Castle. Tonight's dinner is meant to emphasis dessert so am looking forward to that as we are catching a train at 7.10am tomorrow.

Cesky Krumlov

The stop after Vienna in central Europe was Cesky krumlov. This historically preserved village is just a picture postcard. You could easily just wander the town for a few days and feel perfectly happy. However while I was there I was disgustingly active for me. I went on a bike tour of the country (resulting in having difficulty sitting for the next few days), an early evening walking tour (thankfully finishing in a traditional czech tasting platter) and a 4 hour rafting trip (with well deserved drinks breaks). If you are ever in the Czech Republic this town is a must.

Central Europe - Wien

I´m currently in Wien (vienna) which is the beginning of a two week trip around central europe. Today we took a trip into Bratislava which is the capital of Slovakia. Unfortuately it was raining so after a quick city tour on a little ´train´(like the one at the gardens) we hibernated in 1. Slovak Pub. As the name suggests this the first Slovakian "themed" pub. Slovakia has only been a country since 1993 so this claim to fame is not that historic. Although it had an amazing amtosphere in a dim old wooden building. We were blinded by the light when we left (even through it was still overcast) or it could have been the Radler we were drinking. Radler is a shandy here and one way I can drink the beer. Obstacle one conquerored!