After having alot more time on my hands than i had expected i had the week in bulgaria. This was all well and good but to get from bulgaria to my next destination moldova means a 25 hour train journey. So leaving the hostel at 8am to walk to the station i caught the train to Ruse where i bought my onward ticket to Bucharest then the sleeper train to Chisinau. At ruse i met Kieron an australian who was also heading to bucharest so we got the train together which passed the first three hours. We arrived in Bucharest at 6.30 and my train i had been told left at 8.40, this became 9.30 which is depressing when there is nothing to do without ending up with more worthless banknotes.
The train eventually left and i had a compartment to myself but despite this i failed miserably in getting any sleep. I woke up at 3am and was awake until we arrived in chisinau at 10.30. The ride was painfully slow and also crossing the border. The people in the compartment next to mine were montenegrin and for some reason they werent let in and were told to get off. The kids were crying and the mom but eventually they left. In 2007 moldova dropped there visa requirements for EU nationals and those from the US and canada although Australians and Kiwis still require an invite and visa.
Arriving in chisinau i was picked up from the station and taken to the hostel about 20min walk outside the centre. It is right next to a mall originally called mall dova which is the nicest i think i have ever been in. Despite moldova being the poorest country in europe there is plenty of money knocking about, i think mainly through drug and people trafficking.
The rest of the day i spent looking around the parks and museums which were pretty good and the 30 degree weather also helped. Yesterday i headed out to a monastary called Orheiul vechi which after eventually finding the bus was pretty amazing. Its situated on a ridge between two valleys and had a church dug down into the rock as well as caves where the monks used to and still do live.
Today i headed to Transdiniestr a country that nobody recognises. When moldova formed Transdiniestr decided to stay communist and declared independance which due to their political status went unrecognised. I had been told i would probably have to bribe my way in but fortunately it didnt come to that although there were lots of forms to fill in. The first job was to get some local transdiniestr currency as this is the only valid one to use. Im pretty sure i got scammed but nobody before i went knew the exchange rate. I first visited Bendery which had one thing to see a tank in the memorial park before heading to Tiraspol the capital. Tiraspol was nice with big leafy boulevards and communist style buildings that are well preserved. I wandered around for a couple of hours went to the cognac factory and visited the various statues of lenin before heading back. The weather was 34 degrees today and the thunder has just started. Am planning to go to ukraine in a couple of hours but ill see what the weather is like.
Friday 28 May 2010
Monday 24 May 2010
Bulgaria
After Bucharest Danielle, Ray and myself headed to Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria. Getting the tickets took forever as the woman kept saying we needed a sleeping compartment which luckily the night before we had been warned about. After 10 minutes she realised it wasnt working so sold us the correct tickets. Its a shame but there are so many people trying to scam whether its for 1 euro or whatever its just annoying.
The direct train of course was cancelled so the trip involved getting first to Ruse on the border and then Gorna something which is about 10km from Veliko. We had picked up another passenger on the way a Korean girl who we had met the night before. Nomads hostel was right on the side of a gorge with the most amazing view of the old town and the massive monument. We had the hostel to ourselves and the owners by the sounds of hit hadnt seen anyone for a while. That night Ray and I aquainted ourselves with the local nightlife which due to the fact it was exam season was hardly busy. Eventually we found spider club which was maybe half full. Beer 2 lev (1 pound) and shots 1 lev. Around four in the morning we decided to call it a night and stumbled our way back to the hostel. As you can imagine the next day didnt begin until the afternoon. On advice from the hostel as most of the UNESCO sites were very inaccessible Danielle and i hiked up the surrounding hills to Albamassi a preserved town. I think we were probably the only ones there and managed to find somewhere open for lunch. It is really wierd to sit in a three story restaurant that is completely empty, by now i was hoping most things would have picked up but its still dead. We even had time to try out the local delicacies pigs ears and feet. We had assumed it was in a stew or something but instead some gristly bits of fat were placed in front of us and we nearly puked after one bite. Later we found out that it is only mezes or drinking food as the restaurant owner had come to the hostel to make sure we were ok as we hadnt eaten all of it.
Ray and I had heard from a couple of people that Rila monastery was well worth visiting as its the best preserved and you are also able to stay there. I had been planning to go to Plovdiv but the monastery would be completely different experience. So at 6am Ray and i started our 8 hour 4 bus journey to Rila. The place is really hard to get to but fortunately our connection was minutes away each time so it wasnt a massive hastle. Arriving at the monastery it was packed with tourists nothing like i had been lead to believe. After about 10 minutes we had seen everything to be seen including the amazing church. Despite being built for 400 monks we saw maybe 5 in the day we were there. Despite it being a bit of a let down we still decided to stay the night. At 9pm they lock up so you have to make sure your in the compound and when they did it was completely quiet and also freezing cold. Just in the backgound of the monastery were some really high snow capped mountains.
There really wasnt a lot to do and we both realised we werent the people that the experience was designed for. So waking up the next day i faced either a 8 hour trip to plovdiv or a 12 hour bus ride to varna. I really needed to have a few days in one place so opted for varna. Ray and i split at sofia and I eventually arrived tired at the hostel around 9 and the receptionist was just heading out to watch the champions league final. Him and his canadian friend reece and his girlfriend had run the hostel last year and advised me to change hostel the next day as it had gone downhill. Varna hostel was pretty scummy and in the daytime looked even worse. The building was practically falling apart and was really grubby so after spending a couple of hours seeing the sights all 4 of them i swapped hostels to Yo Ho hostel. I went from being the only one to a hostel that was pretty much full.
Today unbenknownst to me was cyrillic day where bulgarians celebrate inventing the alphabet (despite it being invented in macedonia)so there was a parade of all the schools down the main street. The entire town i think turned out and was alot busier than i had been led to believe. The parade was followed by the start of the tall ships race from varna to istanbul, so all the spectators headed down to the harbour to sit in the amazing sunshine and watch all the old sail ships start off. I think it was probably the first time in a week i have seen the sun.
Due to the unexpected holiday i didnt manage to get any of the jobs done that i had wanted to do before i go to moldova tomorrow. 25 hours on a train arriving in Chisinau at 10am on wednesday looking forward to it.
The direct train of course was cancelled so the trip involved getting first to Ruse on the border and then Gorna something which is about 10km from Veliko. We had picked up another passenger on the way a Korean girl who we had met the night before. Nomads hostel was right on the side of a gorge with the most amazing view of the old town and the massive monument. We had the hostel to ourselves and the owners by the sounds of hit hadnt seen anyone for a while. That night Ray and I aquainted ourselves with the local nightlife which due to the fact it was exam season was hardly busy. Eventually we found spider club which was maybe half full. Beer 2 lev (1 pound) and shots 1 lev. Around four in the morning we decided to call it a night and stumbled our way back to the hostel. As you can imagine the next day didnt begin until the afternoon. On advice from the hostel as most of the UNESCO sites were very inaccessible Danielle and i hiked up the surrounding hills to Albamassi a preserved town. I think we were probably the only ones there and managed to find somewhere open for lunch. It is really wierd to sit in a three story restaurant that is completely empty, by now i was hoping most things would have picked up but its still dead. We even had time to try out the local delicacies pigs ears and feet. We had assumed it was in a stew or something but instead some gristly bits of fat were placed in front of us and we nearly puked after one bite. Later we found out that it is only mezes or drinking food as the restaurant owner had come to the hostel to make sure we were ok as we hadnt eaten all of it.
Ray and I had heard from a couple of people that Rila monastery was well worth visiting as its the best preserved and you are also able to stay there. I had been planning to go to Plovdiv but the monastery would be completely different experience. So at 6am Ray and i started our 8 hour 4 bus journey to Rila. The place is really hard to get to but fortunately our connection was minutes away each time so it wasnt a massive hastle. Arriving at the monastery it was packed with tourists nothing like i had been lead to believe. After about 10 minutes we had seen everything to be seen including the amazing church. Despite being built for 400 monks we saw maybe 5 in the day we were there. Despite it being a bit of a let down we still decided to stay the night. At 9pm they lock up so you have to make sure your in the compound and when they did it was completely quiet and also freezing cold. Just in the backgound of the monastery were some really high snow capped mountains.
There really wasnt a lot to do and we both realised we werent the people that the experience was designed for. So waking up the next day i faced either a 8 hour trip to plovdiv or a 12 hour bus ride to varna. I really needed to have a few days in one place so opted for varna. Ray and i split at sofia and I eventually arrived tired at the hostel around 9 and the receptionist was just heading out to watch the champions league final. Him and his canadian friend reece and his girlfriend had run the hostel last year and advised me to change hostel the next day as it had gone downhill. Varna hostel was pretty scummy and in the daytime looked even worse. The building was practically falling apart and was really grubby so after spending a couple of hours seeing the sights all 4 of them i swapped hostels to Yo Ho hostel. I went from being the only one to a hostel that was pretty much full.
Today unbenknownst to me was cyrillic day where bulgarians celebrate inventing the alphabet (despite it being invented in macedonia)so there was a parade of all the schools down the main street. The entire town i think turned out and was alot busier than i had been led to believe. The parade was followed by the start of the tall ships race from varna to istanbul, so all the spectators headed down to the harbour to sit in the amazing sunshine and watch all the old sail ships start off. I think it was probably the first time in a week i have seen the sun.
Due to the unexpected holiday i didnt manage to get any of the jobs done that i had wanted to do before i go to moldova tomorrow. 25 hours on a train arriving in Chisinau at 10am on wednesday looking forward to it.
Thursday 20 May 2010
The trouble with transylvania
After i had finished the last blog the heavans opened and the rain that had been threatening all day arrived. This pretty much wrote off the rest of the day apart from a trip to the best restaurant in town. The food which essentially consisted of smoked meat and cheese wrapped in smoked meat served with smoked sausage was not the best when still suffering from last night. Early night ready for the next town in the whistelstop tour of romania.
Next day up at 6 to get the train to Sighisoara which famously featured on micheal palins eastern europe as the birth place of Dracula otherwise known as Vlad Tepes (vlad the impaler). The town itself was really nice with a citadel right in the middle. The weather had picked up and it was a pleasant walk around for a couple of hours. The hostel was still empty when i got back so had a few drinks with the hostel owner and his english mate who lived in the town. It seems that the last two years but especially this year most hostels are on the point of closing as very few travellers compared to previous years are moving throught the area. As i have found most hostels are either full or empty. The couple of drinks turned into a session and took care of the nothing to do for the evening.
When is was planning the trip most places you would be like i can spend two days or something but when you get there often an afternoon is more than enough. So again i moved on to Brasov this time which is the main hub for seeing things in transylvania. I walked to the hostel which took an hour and a half as the map in the guide book was so inaccurate. Blatantly not 2km. But despite its location kismet dao hostel was pretty much full. I headed out to see Brasovs one or two attractions the sign, the main park and the two watchtowers that overlook the centre and the biggest cathedral in eastern europe that dominates the town. The food has been pretty good so far and again in brasov the local specialities place has soup for 50p and gulash for 2 quid. Its gonna be a struggle coming back to pay 15 quid for an everage meal.
Next day after what seemed like my first lie in in god knows how long i went to Draculas castle in Bran. Not knowing what to expect the initial drive up to it with the transylcania hill on each side was quite cool and the sight of it on the hill was also pretty good but thats where it ended. The bus dropped me off in the middle of some souvenir market full of people hawking tat and the castles tiny hallways were packed with tour groups. Absolute nightmare. I spent maybe thirty minuted before i had had enough. Everything about the place is pretty rubbish as Vlad tepes never even lived there and the only connection it has is that Bram Stoker drove past and thought it looked spooky. The whole money machine is based purely on the loosest connections. Transylvanian foke lore doesnt even mention vampires its all a new creation. Disappointed i went back to Brasov for my last game of football for a while. Again the atmosphere was pretty cool as everyone was having a party on the last day of the season. This time the though the people letting off flares got dragged out by the police much to everyones chagrin. At the hostel i had met Roy and Danielle who were heading to Bulgaria to Veliko Tarnovo so we headed there after a night in Bucharest. By the time we had got to Bucharest everything was pretty much closed so saw the palace which is now only the second biggest building in the world before getting back to the safety of the hostel away from the prowling dogs.
Next day up at 6 to get the train to Sighisoara which famously featured on micheal palins eastern europe as the birth place of Dracula otherwise known as Vlad Tepes (vlad the impaler). The town itself was really nice with a citadel right in the middle. The weather had picked up and it was a pleasant walk around for a couple of hours. The hostel was still empty when i got back so had a few drinks with the hostel owner and his english mate who lived in the town. It seems that the last two years but especially this year most hostels are on the point of closing as very few travellers compared to previous years are moving throught the area. As i have found most hostels are either full or empty. The couple of drinks turned into a session and took care of the nothing to do for the evening.
When is was planning the trip most places you would be like i can spend two days or something but when you get there often an afternoon is more than enough. So again i moved on to Brasov this time which is the main hub for seeing things in transylvania. I walked to the hostel which took an hour and a half as the map in the guide book was so inaccurate. Blatantly not 2km. But despite its location kismet dao hostel was pretty much full. I headed out to see Brasovs one or two attractions the sign, the main park and the two watchtowers that overlook the centre and the biggest cathedral in eastern europe that dominates the town. The food has been pretty good so far and again in brasov the local specialities place has soup for 50p and gulash for 2 quid. Its gonna be a struggle coming back to pay 15 quid for an everage meal.
Next day after what seemed like my first lie in in god knows how long i went to Draculas castle in Bran. Not knowing what to expect the initial drive up to it with the transylcania hill on each side was quite cool and the sight of it on the hill was also pretty good but thats where it ended. The bus dropped me off in the middle of some souvenir market full of people hawking tat and the castles tiny hallways were packed with tour groups. Absolute nightmare. I spent maybe thirty minuted before i had had enough. Everything about the place is pretty rubbish as Vlad tepes never even lived there and the only connection it has is that Bram Stoker drove past and thought it looked spooky. The whole money machine is based purely on the loosest connections. Transylvanian foke lore doesnt even mention vampires its all a new creation. Disappointed i went back to Brasov for my last game of football for a while. Again the atmosphere was pretty cool as everyone was having a party on the last day of the season. This time the though the people letting off flares got dragged out by the police much to everyones chagrin. At the hostel i had met Roy and Danielle who were heading to Bulgaria to Veliko Tarnovo so we headed there after a night in Bucharest. By the time we had got to Bucharest everything was pretty much closed so saw the palace which is now only the second biggest building in the world before getting back to the safety of the hostel away from the prowling dogs.
Thursday 13 May 2010
Serbia to Sibiu
After what seems like ages i have finally found somewhere with internet that does not take minutes to load one photo so i have uploaded a load more. Realised i hadnt done this since montenegro ages ago.
After the last blog i headed back to serbia and to belgrade. The hostel was really nice but empty. The first night was not much of an issue as i got in at midnight after a hour bus journey. The second day i went to see some of belgrades few sights and experience the city. All day every day the cafes, bars, parks etc are full of people of all ages. I have no idea what they all do for a living, under communism everybody owned there own house so alot probably only have to work part time, how good would that be. The sights took all of a few hours so i headed to the partizan stadium to pick up some tickets. The south end where all the ultras sit was sold out but there was this guy offering them for double the price 12 euros. So i bought the ticket off him as the only real reason for going was for the atmosphere. One of the groundsmen i think heard me speaking and offered me a tour of the ground which was good. Back at the hostel and still nobody else apart from the really cool people who were running it. The main reason to go to belgrade is for the night life but i still havent mastered going out clubbing on my own so i went to the cinema. 2 quid for clash of the titans in 3D. The film wasnt great but first film in 3d so suitably impressed with the experience. Back at the hostel there were two english guys micheal and elliott from oswestry as well as some canadians. They were planning to head off the next day but once they heard about the football they wanted to go as well. The next day the weather was amazing so just went out for coffee and to do some odd jobs like burning photos onto a disc and washing. The hostel had a really good atmosphere so we never ended up going out just drinking rakija and watching films.
The football Partizan Belgrade vs. Red Star Belgrade kicked off at 6.30 in the evening so we headed out for the pre game atmosphere and walked to the stadium. Everyone speaking about the game said it was likely to marred in violence as the title race was so close and effectively whoever won would be champions. The entire route to the stadium was lined with riot police in all the gear and we were wondering what was going to happen. The stadium was packed and everyone just finds a seat to stand on as no one goes to there actual seat with the ticket. First come first serve. The atmosphere was amazing full on chanting for the entire match and as soon as it got dark out came the flares and fire crackers. I took a few videos which you should be able to view. After the game it all kind of petered out and there was none of the expected clashes although the red star fans did set fire to the stadium as they left.
The next day i headed up to novi sad where they hold the exit festival and chilled out in the beautiful town square before heading up to the fortress. There were three things in the guide book to do but the vojvodian museum looked really good so i headed there. The first section was on ancient times and all in serbian but the second half was about the revolution and communism. I was the only one in the museum which seems to be a recurring theme. Also the security cameras were not working which is why i got part followed/guided tour. Turns out the communism part of the museum had been closed down last year as "it is not the way they want to portray the new serbia." There was not a great deal to do so the following day micheal (a different micheal) went to subotica on a recomendation. There was nothing there either and three hours later back to novi sad.
The following day i took the train to Timisoara in Romania remembering to put the clock forward another hour. I met and english guy who was travelling with his mom on the train and we walked the 20 mins into the centre. The only place was a hotel that wanted 40 euros so i walked back to the station and then attempted to find the hostel i had heard about. Arriving anywhere at 11pm in the pitch black was not great especially in Romania which looks really sketchy. After finding the hostel which turned out to be one room in a hotel i went to grab some food in the student quarter. The town is the most popular place to study and the street was packed with bars, clubs and food. Despite being shattered i hung around for a bit before tiredness got the better of me. Everything starts happening at like 1am as in spain which i am only just getting used to.
A brief morning was enough in timisoara even though it was stunning as there were only a few squares and monuments to the anti ceaucescu revolution which had started there. Caught the train to Sibiu in transylvania where i am now and again got in at 11pm. I again met the english pair so we went out for food then clubbing till 4.30am. This morning i was absolutely wrecked so despite planning to head on this afternoon i am spending the whole day to recuperate. The weather isnt great but it all adds to the atmosphere. Sibiu was european capital of culture a few years ago so its all been done up. Not at all like i expected transylvania but i think some of the other towns have preserved better so sigisoara tomorrow where Dracula was born.
After the last blog i headed back to serbia and to belgrade. The hostel was really nice but empty. The first night was not much of an issue as i got in at midnight after a hour bus journey. The second day i went to see some of belgrades few sights and experience the city. All day every day the cafes, bars, parks etc are full of people of all ages. I have no idea what they all do for a living, under communism everybody owned there own house so alot probably only have to work part time, how good would that be. The sights took all of a few hours so i headed to the partizan stadium to pick up some tickets. The south end where all the ultras sit was sold out but there was this guy offering them for double the price 12 euros. So i bought the ticket off him as the only real reason for going was for the atmosphere. One of the groundsmen i think heard me speaking and offered me a tour of the ground which was good. Back at the hostel and still nobody else apart from the really cool people who were running it. The main reason to go to belgrade is for the night life but i still havent mastered going out clubbing on my own so i went to the cinema. 2 quid for clash of the titans in 3D. The film wasnt great but first film in 3d so suitably impressed with the experience. Back at the hostel there were two english guys micheal and elliott from oswestry as well as some canadians. They were planning to head off the next day but once they heard about the football they wanted to go as well. The next day the weather was amazing so just went out for coffee and to do some odd jobs like burning photos onto a disc and washing. The hostel had a really good atmosphere so we never ended up going out just drinking rakija and watching films.
The football Partizan Belgrade vs. Red Star Belgrade kicked off at 6.30 in the evening so we headed out for the pre game atmosphere and walked to the stadium. Everyone speaking about the game said it was likely to marred in violence as the title race was so close and effectively whoever won would be champions. The entire route to the stadium was lined with riot police in all the gear and we were wondering what was going to happen. The stadium was packed and everyone just finds a seat to stand on as no one goes to there actual seat with the ticket. First come first serve. The atmosphere was amazing full on chanting for the entire match and as soon as it got dark out came the flares and fire crackers. I took a few videos which you should be able to view. After the game it all kind of petered out and there was none of the expected clashes although the red star fans did set fire to the stadium as they left.
The next day i headed up to novi sad where they hold the exit festival and chilled out in the beautiful town square before heading up to the fortress. There were three things in the guide book to do but the vojvodian museum looked really good so i headed there. The first section was on ancient times and all in serbian but the second half was about the revolution and communism. I was the only one in the museum which seems to be a recurring theme. Also the security cameras were not working which is why i got part followed/guided tour. Turns out the communism part of the museum had been closed down last year as "it is not the way they want to portray the new serbia." There was not a great deal to do so the following day micheal (a different micheal) went to subotica on a recomendation. There was nothing there either and three hours later back to novi sad.
The following day i took the train to Timisoara in Romania remembering to put the clock forward another hour. I met and english guy who was travelling with his mom on the train and we walked the 20 mins into the centre. The only place was a hotel that wanted 40 euros so i walked back to the station and then attempted to find the hostel i had heard about. Arriving anywhere at 11pm in the pitch black was not great especially in Romania which looks really sketchy. After finding the hostel which turned out to be one room in a hotel i went to grab some food in the student quarter. The town is the most popular place to study and the street was packed with bars, clubs and food. Despite being shattered i hung around for a bit before tiredness got the better of me. Everything starts happening at like 1am as in spain which i am only just getting used to.
A brief morning was enough in timisoara even though it was stunning as there were only a few squares and monuments to the anti ceaucescu revolution which had started there. Caught the train to Sibiu in transylvania where i am now and again got in at 11pm. I again met the english pair so we went out for food then clubbing till 4.30am. This morning i was absolutely wrecked so despite planning to head on this afternoon i am spending the whole day to recuperate. The weather isnt great but it all adds to the atmosphere. Sibiu was european capital of culture a few years ago so its all been done up. Not at all like i expected transylvania but i think some of the other towns have preserved better so sigisoara tomorrow where Dracula was born.
Monday 3 May 2010
Bosnia a country divided
Sorry this will be a long one as i realise it was last monday that i did the last post.
I went on the organised tour run by the hostel. Hostel Mydas in Mostar was voted best hostel in europe and i can see why. While sitting chatting all the guests were plied with tasty homemade treats. That morning all the guests went on a tour of mostar and the surroundings. The local guide was very much like borat in appearance, accent and mannerisms which added to the overall experience. Bata as he was called was mydas brother who had returned to bosnia two years ago after fleeing the war. He took us to some of the main buildings like sniper tower which used to be a bank and had been shelled to bits. Then to spanish square where 12 spanish UN troups were killed. This is the site of a new school, which stands next to the bombed out ruins of the primary school. The school is hailed in bosnia as a monument to a new united future although within the building serbs, croats and bosnians have different classrooms, teachers and curiculums. Mostar lies in Herzegovina which is the croat dominated region and it was the croats who had shelled the town, destroyed the 400 year old bridge which is the symbol of mostar. The divides in the town are crazy on one side of the river it is churches and on the other mosques. On the croat side they only sell croat beer and not sarajevsko which is brewed in sarajevo the bosnian area. On the tour we also went to Medugorje which is a catholic holy place where some children sighted the virgin mary. The town was full of irish people and guiness pubs as well as all manner of religious icons. We next went to some waterfalls which were stunning and Baglaj which is an ancient holy place.
I left mostar the next day as the belgians had kindly offered me a lift. We drove to sarajevo and found the hostel after driving up some crazy incline on a cobbled street. The swiss girls from the hostel also accompanied us but left us in sarajevo. The afternoon we had a look around sarajevo at some of the sights mainly mosques and cemeteries. The next day the belgians were planning to leave but decided to stay one more night so we spent it drinking coffee and walking to the history museum that explained bosnias history and also the three year seige of the city by the serbs 1992-1995. We also climbed the skytower from which you can see the whole of sarajevo. The evidence of war is everywhere in the shell wholes they pored red cement which they call sarajevos roses while there is hardly any building that is not covered in bullet holes. That night we went out clubbing after the barcelona game. The club was empty when we arrived but were assured the live band was playing at 11:30. Despite the club being empty we were shown to the one table that had not been reserved right in the corner. There were no chairs and the drinks were expensive so we stood and counted down to the band. Come 12:30 despite the waiters best efforts we decided there was no band an the horrendous turbofolk music they listen to was getting on all of our nerves.
The next morning we went to the tunnel museum which during the siege was the only way supplies could be brought into the city. The tunnel ran 800m under the UN occupied airport and until the UN moved in no supplies could be moved in or out. In the afternoon we drove in the van to Travnik and the Jajce. The towns required an hour or so each as not much to see apart from castles. I had been assured by the tourist information that the last bus was back at 10:30. The bus station in Jajce disagreed and said it was 00:30. We went to the bar until the bus was due to depart. It ended up leaving at 1am and it was full and hot and i did not sleep. Arrived in sarajevo at 04:30. I got a taxi who said his meter wasnt working but he was the only one and i wanted to go to bed. Woke up at 9 the train was at 11:55 (confirmed by tourist information and internet) to belgrade. I walked to the station and need the toilet so i asked the guy at a restaurant. He said it was quiet and i had an hour to the train so we drunk Rajki for half an hour or so. Walked to the station arrived at 11:40 the train leaves at 11:35 and there is only one each day. Walked back to the restaurant and the guy said i could stay at his house. The next day was the 1st may which is a major holiday. He suggested we go to the mountains to drink and eat cevapcici which i have had 5 days in a row. Unfortunately i had already lost one day by missing the train so headed to belgrade. 9 hours later i arrive. Bus to durmitor national park in montanegro leaves at 11:30. Arrive in durmitor completely shattered at 8am after again not sleeping. Found a room to rent, bought a map and then went on a six hour hike in the snow up into the mountains. Did the same today except over to the Tara river canyon. The weather has been brilliant and Durmitor is amazing a minature version of yosemite and the grand canyon all in one. If you need a short break go to montenegro the coast and mountains are brilliant. I will upload some photos from the hikes tomorrow as i am knackered again.
I went on the organised tour run by the hostel. Hostel Mydas in Mostar was voted best hostel in europe and i can see why. While sitting chatting all the guests were plied with tasty homemade treats. That morning all the guests went on a tour of mostar and the surroundings. The local guide was very much like borat in appearance, accent and mannerisms which added to the overall experience. Bata as he was called was mydas brother who had returned to bosnia two years ago after fleeing the war. He took us to some of the main buildings like sniper tower which used to be a bank and had been shelled to bits. Then to spanish square where 12 spanish UN troups were killed. This is the site of a new school, which stands next to the bombed out ruins of the primary school. The school is hailed in bosnia as a monument to a new united future although within the building serbs, croats and bosnians have different classrooms, teachers and curiculums. Mostar lies in Herzegovina which is the croat dominated region and it was the croats who had shelled the town, destroyed the 400 year old bridge which is the symbol of mostar. The divides in the town are crazy on one side of the river it is churches and on the other mosques. On the croat side they only sell croat beer and not sarajevsko which is brewed in sarajevo the bosnian area. On the tour we also went to Medugorje which is a catholic holy place where some children sighted the virgin mary. The town was full of irish people and guiness pubs as well as all manner of religious icons. We next went to some waterfalls which were stunning and Baglaj which is an ancient holy place.
I left mostar the next day as the belgians had kindly offered me a lift. We drove to sarajevo and found the hostel after driving up some crazy incline on a cobbled street. The swiss girls from the hostel also accompanied us but left us in sarajevo. The afternoon we had a look around sarajevo at some of the sights mainly mosques and cemeteries. The next day the belgians were planning to leave but decided to stay one more night so we spent it drinking coffee and walking to the history museum that explained bosnias history and also the three year seige of the city by the serbs 1992-1995. We also climbed the skytower from which you can see the whole of sarajevo. The evidence of war is everywhere in the shell wholes they pored red cement which they call sarajevos roses while there is hardly any building that is not covered in bullet holes. That night we went out clubbing after the barcelona game. The club was empty when we arrived but were assured the live band was playing at 11:30. Despite the club being empty we were shown to the one table that had not been reserved right in the corner. There were no chairs and the drinks were expensive so we stood and counted down to the band. Come 12:30 despite the waiters best efforts we decided there was no band an the horrendous turbofolk music they listen to was getting on all of our nerves.
The next morning we went to the tunnel museum which during the siege was the only way supplies could be brought into the city. The tunnel ran 800m under the UN occupied airport and until the UN moved in no supplies could be moved in or out. In the afternoon we drove in the van to Travnik and the Jajce. The towns required an hour or so each as not much to see apart from castles. I had been assured by the tourist information that the last bus was back at 10:30. The bus station in Jajce disagreed and said it was 00:30. We went to the bar until the bus was due to depart. It ended up leaving at 1am and it was full and hot and i did not sleep. Arrived in sarajevo at 04:30. I got a taxi who said his meter wasnt working but he was the only one and i wanted to go to bed. Woke up at 9 the train was at 11:55 (confirmed by tourist information and internet) to belgrade. I walked to the station and need the toilet so i asked the guy at a restaurant. He said it was quiet and i had an hour to the train so we drunk Rajki for half an hour or so. Walked to the station arrived at 11:40 the train leaves at 11:35 and there is only one each day. Walked back to the restaurant and the guy said i could stay at his house. The next day was the 1st may which is a major holiday. He suggested we go to the mountains to drink and eat cevapcici which i have had 5 days in a row. Unfortunately i had already lost one day by missing the train so headed to belgrade. 9 hours later i arrive. Bus to durmitor national park in montanegro leaves at 11:30. Arrive in durmitor completely shattered at 8am after again not sleeping. Found a room to rent, bought a map and then went on a six hour hike in the snow up into the mountains. Did the same today except over to the Tara river canyon. The weather has been brilliant and Durmitor is amazing a minature version of yosemite and the grand canyon all in one. If you need a short break go to montenegro the coast and mountains are brilliant. I will upload some photos from the hikes tomorrow as i am knackered again.
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