Day 9, 16 September – Jump to it

Yesterday we were teasing Renud the French guy about the joys French toast or eggy bread depending where you come from. Matia must have overheard us as for breakfast we were served French toast. I am enjoying this hostel. Sitting outside in the sunny weather sharing breakfast with good people. Today as with most days travelling I will be saying goodbye to most of the people who I was with at the restaurant last night.

As this was the last full day I would be spending in Mostar I thought I would explore the town more. Mostar is quite small with the places of interested situated around the Stari Most. This is the focal point of the town. I popped into a nearby bookshop. Inside they showed a continuous video of the bridge destruction and rebuilding. It must have been devastating to witness at the time. I even jumped when I saw the mortar hit the bridge.

Following on from that I visited the museum that was next to the bridge. It is interesting as it told the history of the Ottoman occupation. You move on to another section where you are told the story of how the bridge the original bridge was built. You can only admire the ingenuity of the engineering. It is also worth watching the video of the reconstruction too. I found that to be moving.

Mostar is definitely split into two sides. One Croat, the other Bosniak. There were obvious differences. The Croat side seemed to be more wealthy while the Bosniak side appeared more run down. As I walked across the city I noticed a large shopping mall that looked totally out of place. The Mepas Mall is a typical modern shopping mall. I had been told that a hospital was demolished to make way for it. Aledgially, money changed hands and a replacement hospital was built out of town. I moved away feeling sad. I needed something to cheer me up, ice cream.

For the second day in a row I made my way to the Palma Ice Cream parlour. Two scoops of ice cream washed down with a complementary glass of water was just what the doctor ordered. Feeling refreshed I made my way back to the old town.

The best ice cream in Bosnia Herzegovina

I had yet to see anybody jump off the Stari Most. However, when I reached the river bed I saw two people practicing from a smaller diving platform. One of the swimming club members was training them. Another member was checking from the bridge. Once he said everything was alright then they could jump off the main bridge. The crowd was waiting for the first person to jump. Dressed in a wetsuit he jumped in. A round of applause followed. About ten minutes later the next person appeared ready to jump in what looked like the same wetsuit. How very hygienic! He also jumped in to great applause. Had I considered jumping? No way.

Geronimo!

I had to be back at the hostel for 5pm and the evening meal. Tonight it was a hearty soup with bread. Met new people and we seemed to get on well. The evening was spent chilling out in the lounge. We then decided to head out and ended up at the Coco Loco. Sitting outside with no light seemed a surreal way to end my final day in Mostar.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

Posted with Blogsy

Balkans Day 6, 13 September – Oh Sunny Day

I woke up this morning with my head feeling fuzzy. It was not an hangover but I had felt better. Also my tongue felt like it was itching. I wondered what I was going to do with myself for the day. With the hostel being underground it was hard to say what the weather was like. I needed not to worry as the weather was hot and sunny.

Breakfast was a pastry from the local bakery. It went down well as I made my way towards the old town. Neno the hostel owner told me that there were two things I should try while I was in Dubrovnik. Firstly, tour the city walls and then ride the cable car. Today I decided to try the city walls. I was not disappointed. Dubrovnik old town is beautiful. My finger never left the camera shutter button. At 90kn the tour lasted two hours. Also I walked the city walls early in the morning and I managed to avoid the cruise ship crowds.

 

For those of you who are looking to visit Dubrovnik my advise to you is to avoid the old town between the hours of 12-4pm. You cannot move for the cruise ship crowd. They were like sheep being herded by the dogs (tour guides). One aspect of Dubrovnik that disappointed me was the lack of signs for places of interest. There were plenty for the restaurants. My remedy to avoid the crowds was laundry. It was long overdue.

The laundrette was self service to the point that nobody was there. I seemed to be doing alright until I leant back and broke the chair. Oops, I hope there were no cameras to witness this.

Once back at the hostel I was not sure what to do. Eating out was not an option as it would put a dent into my budget. So homemade sandwiches it was with potato chips and fruit. It filled me up for the evening. I met a guy from Yorkshire, England who had just arrived from Mostar. He told me that I would love it. This was giving me something to look forward to. Kelly, a girl from Belguim suggested that we should go out for the evening and get some ice cream. It sounded a good idea to me. There is always room for ice cream even late in the evening. This was also a chance to console a Canadian girl who had just arrived into Dubrovnik. Sadly, her luggage had not, the worst fear for any traveller.

I felt that this was the best time to visit the old time. It was September and the season was starting to wind down. We were sitting on the steps of the cathedral enjoying our ice cream. We noticed a couple of guys taking photos. They had the full equipment including tripods. The wives/partners were with them and they looked fed up while their other halves were trying to shoot the perfect shot. I suppose it is better than using a iPad as a camera. That would lead me to a different subject altogether.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

Posted with Blogsy

Balkans Day 3, 10 September – Need to Slow Down

There was a late start to the day. The past couple of days have been hectic. The hostel served breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs and zucchini fritters. It was tasty and well worth the wait. My plan was to explore the town and make my way towards the market.

The sun was still out so it was right to enjoy the day. Split is a small city so it was easy to explore. There were plenty of opportunities to take photos.

The edge of the market.

Outside of the palace wall

The Croatian National Theater

The Peristyle of Diocletian's Palace

 

Off course it was the perfect opportunity to enjoy the first gelato of the trip. Today I had Jaffa flavour. That's chocolate and orange to you and me.

Umm, Jaffa flavour

By the mid-afternoon I was starting to flag. Time to get back to the hostel for a quick nap. After waking up I decided I was going to stay in for the night. Josko was cooking a meal for us so it felt right to take things easy. Josko also mentioned that he was planning to take a group of us to the national park. I had heard so much about this from both Josko and Charles. Without too much thought I said yes. I knew I was going to look forward to this. Roll on tomorrow.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

Posted with Blogsy

Photo of the Week – National Day, Budapest

This week's photo is of the Chain Bridge in Budapest.

The flags were flying to celebrate National Day on 15 March. This day celebrates the 1848 Revolution. There was a lot of green, white and red on display as Hungarians proudly celebrated their nation.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

Posted with Blogsy

Photo of the Week – Statues of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth

This week's photo is of King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth.

The parents of the present queen these statues can be found to the side of Pall Mall. King George or better known as Bertie to the royal family had not expected to become King. However, when Edward VIII abdicated he was thrown into the spotlight. They both became popular with the British public especially through World War II. When King George died in 1952 the Queen Mother remained in the public eye and affection until her death in 2002.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

 

Posted with Blogsy

Parliament Building, Budapest

On my recent visit to Budapest one of the most impressive buildings was the Parliament building. This despite having the scaffold cover parts of it.

It was opened in 1904 and is was apparently inspired by Westminster Palace in London. You can tour inside the building. It does cost 3000fl to enter and it is recommended that you get there for 9am to avoid the crowds.

Once inside you get to see relics such as the Holy Crown of Hungary in the Central Hall and statues of various Kings of Hungary.

It is important to remind yourself of the importance of the Parliament in Hungarian history. The 1956 uprising was led from here. There is a statue of Imre Nagy in Kossuth Square that looks directly at the Parliament. In 1989 the declaration of the new republic was made from the balcony.

The best views of Parliament come from the other side of the Danube where you can appreciate the magnificence of the building.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve