Breakfast is €12 in the hotel, good range except The Navigator doesn’t find the English Breakfast tea, can’t get the hot water going, then they find some Ceylon tea, jeez its tough. But she finally gets her cup of tea and is happy.

A €6 Uber to the Hlavni train station. We’re finally allocated platform 1, no lift needed thankfully. Our seats found and  were on our way to Budapest. I love train trips.

Maybe I ranted a bit in the last blog, the head cold and the train trip from Vienna did me in a bit I think. Maybe I was a little harsh on Bratislava as well, our hotel area was safe but a little tired is what I should have said. The hotel was quiet, close to the centre of old town, everything was super clean, staff were really good and I’m ok with it and would stay here again. And I’m guessing a flasher hotel would have meant higher cost.

Uber in Bratislava is cheap, effective and easy. Thoroughly recommend using Uber, although Bolt is here as well and some cars do both. So I imagine Bolt would be ok as well.

The country is small 5m people, gdp per person is about €32k so relatively wealthy, and developing. The tourist area is great, clean, busy, service good and prices in Bratislava are a bit cheaper than Prague and Vienna. You don’t need a lot of time there though it’s worth the visit. Bratislava itself only has a population of 500,000.

Let’s revisit the trains. Yesterday we were on a train you couldn’t allocate seats so we knew it would be difficult but it was a bit worse than we thought. Our issue. Same with the train today, it’s an open ticket because you can’t reserve seats on line, you can only do that at Hlvani station, which we subsequently did.

It’s chilly this morning 6degC, wispy cloud with sun shining through. The Navigator is now  addicted to Krowka Smietankowa lollies, a diebetics delight. She found them in a supermarket in Bratislava.

Our train arrives at the not main station of Budapest, can’t remember which one, Uber gets us to the hotel in no time, checked in and we have our room. It’s an old hotel but decked out nicely, staff are lovely, we’ve got a family suite with 2 bedrooms.

A short rest and then the Navigator leads a posse to a laundromat for some much needed clothes washing. I remain at the hotel mending a rip in a jumper, then walk down town and along the river.

We meet up at the hotel and head downtown, to check our the shops, the river and eat.

Dinner is at an Italian restaurant, food is good except The N. was not happy with her caprisi chicken dish and the orange juice tasted funny – why? ” I just don’t like it!”

We talk for ages with a couple from Colorado Springs in the US, semi retired but doing quite a bit of travelling.

As I write this The N. is watching Thor in Hungarian on the TV, and is engrossed. Language is no barrier to her TV watching ability.

Holnap találkozunk emberek, ( Hungarian)

I like the feel of Budapest already, old with modern, different architecture, the Danube, the green spaces. There is a buzz about it. Well giving a good going over in the few days

Pauolo

Good sleep last night, hopefully my cold is on the way out. Feet are not swollen, better news still.

Breakfast in the hotel, €20 taxi ride to Vienna Hauptbahhof, platform 11 A-B.

*Tip for travellers – the train ride  Vienna to Bratislava has no booked seats, it’s a turkey shoot getting a seat, f…wits putting bags on seats then a heap of people left standing. If you are travelling and have big bags, like us, I’d find another way to get to Bratislava, if it’s possible and reasonable or maybe bypass it and go straight to Budapest. Or do a daytrip from Vienna by bus. 3 of us got disabled seats, The Mechanic ended up standing, with nowhere to store bags. Luckily it’s only 1 1/2 hours but with travelling bags it makes it hard. The train is packed and picks up more passengers at stops on the way to Bratislava.

Comment on Vienna – Prague is a rumpled bed with sheets that need a wash, Vienna is crispy clean linen, Barcelona is a colourful bedspread and clean old sheets. But they all have humans and dogs pissing on walls and streets and vomit and bits of dogshit on the footpath. Bratislava is like grandmas spare room when she says Uncle Blue slept in the bed last year, but I think the sheets are ok.

The women in Prague, in our area at least had a fair proportion of supermodel types ( long legs, short leather shorts or skirts), in Viennna not so much of that but, from my observation a lot of younger and middle aged  Mercedes and Audi driving types had enhance lips. Just an observation, no data to back that up.

*Another  Tip – if your phone takes an eSim then the Orange €39.90 for 28 days phone and 70gb of data is great. 2 weeks in and I’ve only used 4mb of data. And my Aussie sim is still in the phone, so all I’ll do when I land in Sydney is change it back to Telstra in settings. So handy with having Google maps on tap and being able to contact hotels, travelling companions, calls back home to Australia, texts. It’s cheap and very handy. Aeralo is one for Asia.

Our trainstop in Bratuslava is not the main Hvlini station so we get an Uber the hotel. There is confusion over our tickets to Budapest tomorrow so we have to go to Hvlini to sort it out. We want guaranteed seats for the trip after today’s cluster f… trip. After being dismissed by all the windows saying ” complex ” information, we find an English speaker, she’s very helpful, our seat would have been half price and guaranteed seats if we booked at the Main Hvlini station when we arrived, but who’s to know these things  maybe we should have investigated more vigorously before we left. She lightens our wallet €8 but we now have seats on the 10.05am train. This area is quite tricky with language and trains, and mostly unhelpful people. Get it clear before you leave Australia if you’re travelling on trains in this area.

Our hotel – Elizabeth Old Town” is in a slightly grungy part of town about 15 minutes walk from the night area of “old ” Bratislava, a bit old Communist era grey, semi slummy area. There is a clear good tourist area and a not so flash area  we’re in the latter.

Our room is small, but functional. It’s a quaint old place with quirky rooms and hot water thats luke warm.

We walk the old town checking off our self guided walking tour list. We walk the modern UFO Bridge and leave some of Tim’s ashes in the Danube in Bratislava. We’ve left his ashes before in Prague ( the Vlatava) in in Vienna in the Danube. In 8 days time he would have been celebrating his 40th birthday.

A late lunch early dinner with drinks at the Dubliner Pub in the tourist area then a walk back to the hotel.

Dobrú noc z Bratislavy

Pauolo

St Elizabeth’s Church just around the corner from our hotel

Easy start to the day, breakfast up the street is good. However last night’s sleep was dreadful,  doof doof music and drunk Viennese shouting in German till about 4am. If I could have opened the windows and yelled ” halt die Klappe, ihr lauten, betrunkenen Idioten”  it might have helped – or not! Dunno?

I suppose it didn’t help that I’m fighting a cold, felt it hard to breathe, the room was hot, or, it just could be hypochondria? I combat it with drugs (some not strictly legal here), tissues and cough lozenges, all the while being advised by the good Dr Navigator to take more drugs. She’d know of course!

Before I forget, today ( Friday) is a nation wide public holiday for All Saints Day, only tourist places, museums and food places open.

The first stop is the Albertina Museum. Supposed to be a good collection of modern and impressionist art work here. Simone and I go, the other 2 go shopping. There is a long story to how this museum came about but I won’t bore you with it. Check it out here:  https://www.albertina.at/en/

There is a good collection of Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Dagas, Picasso, and many others.

Next we take the HOHO Bus out to  Schonbrunn Palace, the Hapsbergs summer palace. Poor buggers really did it tough. https://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/about-schoenbrunn/the-palace/history

The city of Vienna is crawling with people, the public holiday as well as travellers, not sure but the locals says it’s busier than it has been ever.

Tonight we dine at Puestners again, it’s very busy, they turn all non reservation people away. We had a reservation, luckily.

Tomorrow we’re off to Bratislava in Slovakia for a one night stop over.

Gute nacht

Pauolo

Just noticed that over 90 people have died in SE Spain, around Vancia due to torrential rain and floodinding. We were in Valencia a few days ago.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/spanish-authorities-report-multiple-victims-flash-flooding-115293531

Dinner last night at our favourite spot, Restaurant Gollam was good.

Uber arrives on time, 279 crown cost. Cheaper than Bolt by a bit. Uber is the go in Prague. We’re at Prague train station in plenty of time, Rejiojet 1033 to Budapest, platform 6S comes up on the board and it’s like the start of the Olympic marathon. People going every where, The Navigator pushes through, a look of determination on her face, the odd person gets the “stink eye” when they try and push in. Car 6 is hustle bustle,find seats,  fight for luggage space, settle down in our seats sweating and stressed. Some people are oblivious to why it’s not smart to travel on trains with gigantic bags. A batch of Canadians are sitting in front of us, stressed to the eyeballs, must have walked up, just made it to the train, looks like “Dad” has had it the worst ” I doan wanna tark about it!” He says to his son when asked ” what should we have done better?”  Clearly they have suffered some short term travel trauma, but I’m sure they’ll survive.

Our train leaves on time at 9.15, it’s 10deg C, foggy and grey as we scoot through the Autumn landscape of the Czech Republic. I’m reading Jim Moginie’s ( Midnight Oil) book ” Ths Silver River” , the Canadians quieten and the grey weather stays grey and misty.

1.30pm we arrive in Vienna, a Tesla taxi to our hotel, then jog up for a booked walking tour. We walk around the old parts of the city, learn about the Queen with 16 children and other notorious Vienese people.

Public holiday here tomorrow so Mark does some shopping for himself ( a good watch) and then him and The N. Do battle with a tax refund machine in Peek and Hoffenbergers Dept Store.

Our walking tour guide recommends Puestners Restaurant for authentic Vienna food, it is good.

Ciao from Vienna

Pauolo

Late rise, again. Toast and tea for breakfast. Walking shoes on, head up into the back streets of Prague, wandering, outdoor food market, buy some strawberries. Wander towards the CZ firearms shop up near railway station, The Mechanic buys some bits and pieces. Walk back to the river for lunch.

The afternoon we separate and meet up again later in the afternoon. The late afternoon brings drizzly rain.

Tomorrow the train for Vienna at 9.15am. No real photos today.

We’re staying in the Jewish Quarter, it’s the exclusive area, Ferraris, Porsches, Labourghinis, Rolex watches etc etc. It’s quiet, nice restaurants and our favourite is about 20 metres away from our front door, a Jewish/Czech pub/ restaurant. Rustic food,  friendly, good beer.

Oh, nearly forgot, I visited Franz Kafkas statue, just around the corner. Prague born novelist who died in 1924 at 40. He was a Jew, he wrote in German, many books, and was largely unknown nor recognised until after he died.

Renowned Kafka quote:

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly”

Ciao Pauolo

The view over Prague Old Town from the Castle

So a delayed start to the day, travel fatigue catch up. It’s a pleasant day again.

We walk over the next bridge down from Charles and get the tram up to The Castle. The crowds are heavy but we get through our schedule and then a leisurely walk down the hill, lunch at a restaurant near St Nicholas’s Church.

The others do a boat ride on the river and I come home early to rest swollen aching feet and back.

A quiet night in tonight.

Ciao

Paulo

Early rise, 4am, The N. is flabbergasted, her phone is flat, for some reason it didn’t charge overnight. Of course its nothing she did!!! Breakfast, shower, clean up and out to the street for the taxi at 4.45am

We booked a cab using FreeNow last night, Maribell arrives on time. €41 to the airport for 4, the train option is €9.75 each so the cab is OK value by me.

Oddly just around from our apartment we see Batman at a pedestrian crossing, (no bullshit!) Either on the way home or on the way out? Dunno. But I know that Barcelona is safe, and Gotham City is in trouble cause he ain’t there to save them from the Joker.

Terminal 1 Barcelona, where our Veuling flight to Prague leaves from is a busy as anything. Thankfully we already have electronic Boarding Passes (good option Sonya), we work out how to put our bags into the mystery conveyer belt, and head to Gate A.

The plane is chocka block, full as a Catholic school some might say. Most bring their over sized carry on bags, but not much I can do about it as we struggle for space for our small carry on backpacks.

We take off at daylight. Its going to be a long day, but the Veuling cabin staff are the best looking girls of any planes I’ve been on for a while, so I try not to sleep.

No passport checks in Prague, we’re in the EU, we opt not to take Uber and get done over by an independent taxi, he had a taxi sign and we were ushered to him by a supervisor but price was more than Uber show on their all. Lesson learned. From now on Uber or Bolt for taxis.

We drop our bags at the apartment offices (350m walk from our apartment) have an over priced breakfast, watch the Astromical Clock do its thing, walk over Charles Bridge with the seething heaving crowd, jeez its busy here, to a park on the river. The autumn leaves are falling, the breeze is cool, pleasant away from the hot sun on Charles Bridge.

However, I’m  looking forward to 3pm when we can get into the apartment, 4am seems a long time ago. Despite the crowds, Prague is a beautiful city.

Oh, nearly forgot, a Slovacian chap I met while sitting at a park bench on the river tells me its Czech Bank Holiday ( play on words that one!) So everybody is enjoying a warm long weekend. F….g hope they’re all back at work and off the streets tomorrow.

*Note to Pauolo – Prague is much more prone to charlatans and rip off merchants than Spain, be careful Pauolo, don’t trust the buggers.

Our apartment is in the Jewish Quarter, it’s building is Mordecai Twelve. 5th floor, lift to the 4th, The N is spewing, busting for the toilet, but after the Mechanic breaks the code, we’re in.

It’s a loft, 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom, modern in an old building, it’ll do for the next 3 days.

Ciao from Praha, Czech Republic

Pauolo

A late rise today. We need a break from the fast pace we’ve been running before we head to Prague on Monday morning at 7.20am (tomorrow).

The next stop in Prague is another apartment, they want an on line check in, can’t get into the place until 3pm. The checkin is a pain, they had Sonya’s phone number and email, the stuff won’t load, I’m about to pelt the phone and The Navigator works it out. I’d rather deal with human beings than machines. This electronic checkin stuff is like Drs doing consults over a phone, they can shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.

After breakfast, a bit later than normal, as we get a sleep in with the clocks wound back 1 hour this morning as daylight saving ends, we head into the alleys of the Gothic area and the old Jewish area. We find the Palau de la Música Catalana, a beautiful building, the show on is Big Bang Beethoven, it’s packed so we don’t try for a ticket. Inside the concert hall is supposed to be magnificent, maybe another time. The Picasso Museum is booked heavily and we can’t get in until 4pm so we give it a miss, maybe next time I’ll book ahead – not sure anyone else was that interested anyway.

The rain comes and goes so so we seek respite in a Cafe and have churros and chocolate, and a few other nibbles, not half bad!

A short walk home via La Rambla for a late afternoon rest. Then while the others rest more and pack I wander off into the Gothic area to find a quiet spot for a beer, by myself, no decisions other than my own. Very relaxing.

Dinner is back at Rossini’s in Placa Reial, than a final walk around old Barcelona. The Navigator makes one last purchase at a ceramics place that sell all local hand made and painted/glazed work.

Barcelona is great, the longer I’ve stayed the more I’ve come to like it. I love the architecture inspired by the Moors, the other Spanish regions and one off’s like Gaudi, I love the old area, the Gothic and Jewish areas, the spider website of alleys, with restaurants, shops, all sorts of stuff. There is a “vibe” to Barcelona, just like there is a vibe in The Castle.

Anyway, tomorrow we’re off to Prague – 7.20 flight, taxi booked for 4.50am

Ciao from Paulo

The rain comes overnight with lightening and thunder and it buckets down. It was forecast but The Navigator (aka The Forecaster) says its going to be dry later and tomorrow. Let’s see? Good news for the locals as this area is in a drought.

Today is meant be a visit to Park Guell, another Gaudi legacy to Barcelona. We um and ah because of the rain but decide to go. A park Gaudi designed up on the hill behind  Barcelona, in his style, buildings like fairy houses, mosaic tiles set into concrete shaped buildings etc.

Problem 1, with the rain, taxis are hard to get. My FreeNow app can’t find one. But, The Navigator does, she gave him the evil eye and he knew he had to stop for us. She’s in such a hurry to get into the taxi she slips on the gutter (nearly another ankle incident like Venice a few years ago). When we tell the driver ” Park Guell per favore” he laughs so hard he nearly needs a change of underwear. He says, hands pointing to the sky ” rain, you mad”. Anyway, €20 lighter we get out at Park Guell, she ( The N) heads over thinking we’ll get straight in but is told the tickets are for 9.30 not 9.00. I chuckle silently, she made a small mistake, an admissible error does not often happen. In fact, like me,  she makes lots of blues but rarely admits them.

Problem 2. We get into the park and the steady rain gradually becomes heavy rain, the Park is lovely, it really is, the buildings fantastic  but, it’s so f….g wet!!! Water is running down the paths, my feet get wet Mark’s OK he’s got Scarpa boots), not sure about the others. The Gortex Kathmandhu raincoats are great but dont keep att the moisture out when it’s seriously pissing down.

As we leave, almost another story trying to find the exit to Park Guell, there is a plan to use the last time on our HoponHopOff bus ticket, but I can’t find the stop so The Navigator speaks to a Spanish woman who does not understand a word of English, but through hand waving,  eye contact and key words we think (The Navigator that is) if we get on Bus 24 we will end up close to La Rambla where are staying. After initial panic that we’d end up in Velancia, the bus fills up with wet steaming tourists heading, we hope, in the same direction as us. The €2.55 fare per each finally gets us to Plac Catalonya, time to get off, it’s a miracle but we are actually close to home.

I side track to a C&A store, my favourite shop anywhere. A German chain that sell nice clothes reasonably, all over Europe, so I buy some jeans, a jumper and a cap. We shout The Mechanic a cap as well, on condition he gives his Country Eagles cap to his mother. The Navigator does buy a pair of trousers as well. Never one to miss a bargain!

Simone shouts us lunch on the walk home, we eat it in house. Tonight we’ll eat put after a rest and dry out this afternoon. We are soaked!

The afternoon is spent drying out, The Mechanic and The Navigator watch old westerns, in Spanish, with Spanish or Catalon subtitles and make the plot up to suit themselves. It’s a 1956 movie with Richard Widmark who she called Wilder – close but no cigar.

Dinner is at Rossini’s in Plac Reil, an Italian restaurant that The N has found. Great choice, great food and good service.

A short walk but think better and retire. Tomorrow is a free day, a bit more exploring the Gothic area I think.

Ciao from Barcelona, Pauolo

Early rise again. We used the FreeNow Taxi App to book s taxi last night. Abdul is on time and we’re on time. €14  gets us Segrada Familia, a taxi is much better than a 1 hour walk. We organise him for the early airport trip on Monday morning. Thumbs up to FreeNow.

I’ll need to rehash yesterday a little, I was a bit weary last night. The book Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon paints the picture of the Gothic area of Barcelona so well, the dark alleys, the pigeons scattering as you walk, a cool breeze and shadows in the grey distance. It is dark and haunting but beautiful at the same time.

Now, this morning is dedicated to a visit to the Segrada Familia – Goudi’s masterpiece and life long work. It’s still being built today to Goudi’s concept and drawings in neo Gothic style but with a contemporary architect and modern building technology. It’s truly spectacular, the form, the stories, the colour, the light. No photos can do it justice.

Next the Hop On Hop Off bus, we do a few laps of Barcelona. Some parts special, some parts grungy, the ’92 Barcelona Olympics residential sites are very tired. The city is crowded, hate to see it summertime and busy!

3pm we’re at Gaudi’s Casa Mila, an apartment building with a central courtyard. We get to see an apartment plus, attic and the roof top terrace. I’d love one of these places as a little bolt hole in Barcelona.

4pm it’s time for Friday Night Drinks, which is tapas and drinks at Dora Tapas Bar & Restaurant – food has to suit The Navigator and the Mechanic so it is a process, but this time its not too bad.

Back to the HOHO bus and we head to Montjuic where the Olympic Stadiums were, still spectacular on the hill, past Barcelona Football Club Stadium (100,000 capacity), followed by a 20 minute walk home via the notorious Las Ramblas where pick pockets apparently abound – they don’t get us.

Tonight it’s forecast 20-40mm of rain, so tomorrow may be a wash out – shopping in raincoats maybe???

Ciao

Pauolo