Cory and Naomi's whirlwind trip around the globe
We hope you enjoy seeing what we got up to on our trip.
The trick is, to scroll all the way to the bottom and then work your way back to the top. Have fun, and feel free to post a comment if you want to!
Cory and Naomi.
posted by Cory @ 9:39 AM
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Weather - does it really matter? (But just to aid in being thematic, it actually was raining).
We had to leave early to make sure we could get to the airport in plenty of time, so we checked out and we were ready for breakfast about 5 mins before it was due to be served, but thankfully they'd already set it all out.
After breakfast, there was a break in the rain as we walked to Wien Mitte station. Here, they have the CAT (City Airport Transit) train where you can check in for your flight there and grab a 14 minute express to the airport. So that was good, however the flight was 100% full, so they couldn't seat us next to each other. And of course, they only run the CAT every half hour, so it can make the whole thing about 45 mins if you just miss one, but it's worth it for not having to lug your bags. And, I dunno if it's 14 mins or your money back... coz if it was I think they'd be losing a lot of money. (Can you tell I wish this wasn't the last day?)
Anyway, we got to the airport in plenty of time, grabbed a coffee and went to the departure gate. Last time Cory was in Vienna, he had a terrible time at the departure gate as he only had stand-by tickets and didn't know if he had a seat until the very last minute (he was the last let on). This time, we didn't know if we were going to sit together. But we put on the sad act and said that Nai hadn't been feeling well (which wasn't a lie, as Nai isn't great in the car and head-down reading a map every day will make most people queasy). Anyway, thankfully, we could sit together for the flight home.
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We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our exploits even a fraction as much as we enjoyed experiencing it. Arriving in NYC feels like a year ago, and yet it all went so quickly, but then, we never felt rushed and could really soak in where we were.
Cory and Naomi.
posted by Cory @ 10:30 PM
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All good things must come to an end - altho this crappy in-flight movie seems to be taking a HELL of a long time! 
posted by Cory @ 3:33 PM
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Weather - Fine, 25, some brief heavy showers in the early afternoon
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and we both felt that two days in Slovenjia, instead of one night in Aquileia would have been preferable, but that couldn't be helped. And besides, we would have missed out on the sights and tastes we experienced there. After a wonderful breakfast and some travel advice from Clive, we headed back to beautiful Lake Bled. Bled is far more developed (from a tourism perspective) than Bohemj, and this probably has something to do with the fact that it has a castle on a peak overlooking the lake, in addition to a church on a very small island in the centre of the lake.
We parked the car and walked around some of the lake until we found a watercolor artist, who was also renting small boats. I then rowed Nai across to the island and we took a look around the buildings there. Many couples get married there and there is a huge flight of stairs leading from the small dock, up to a quadrangle where the church is located. It is traditional that the groom lugs their betrothed up the stairs. Thankfully, we weren't getting married.
It was incredibly serene, even though pretty much every tourist chose to tug on the thick rope hanging down from the centre of the chapel roof to ring the church bell. A church had been there for many hundreds of years, with the current, largest one since the late-1800's. Within the church, they also displayed artifacts from previous church structures that had been on the site. In addition, they sold hand-made lace and Slovenijan Honey Wine (for the women, when they is having the baby - for strength) and Honey Brandy (for the fun) made by a local 'bee-farmer'.
After rowing back we steered towards Austria (only 25 mins away) and then through the many tunnels back to Vienna. Coincidentally, Clive (remember... the chef) did his apprenticeship at Hotel Austria, in Vienna, where we were staying. It would have been a very ritzy place back in the 50's. Today, it didn't rate high on the 'stars' scale (I think only a 2), but it still had all of that old-world charm and was still very luxurious.
After checking in we went for a walk and then thought about trying to locate the "Palmenhaus", a restaurant in a glass house where you are surrounded by palms. It was getting late, so we didn't like our chances, but Cory new that the "Schmetterling haus" (or butterfly house) in the Burgarten looked like what the Palm House had appeared like on its website. And wouldn't you know, it...? There it was, right next door.
The final night of our trip was spent eating a wonderful meal in wonderful surrounds, guessing what the people around us were saying and why they were there (we both said afterwards that the couple next to us met on the net and were having their first date - and he was failing miserably!)
posted by Cory @ 8:47 PM
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Weather - fine, sparing cloud, mid/high 20's.
Ahhh Italy - you've gotta love a country where the hostel coffee machine has a 'Cafe Macchiato' button and the dodgy highway petrol station serves one of the best coffees you've ever tasted!
After checking out we followed ViaMichelin again, who this time seemed to be kind and headed us straight into Slovenia without a qualm.
We were both a little bit ingorant about Slovenia - it was really just the country between where we were, (Italy), and where we had to drop the car off at the end of our trip (Vienna). Well we have to tell you that it is one of the most beautiful countries we have ever seen. (For those of you who have seen the NZ South Island, the highlands are sorta like that).
It didn't take us long to reach our guest house as Slovenjia ain't too big - it's about the size of Wales if that helps. (Doesn't help me that much!) We were staying at a place on the river just past Lake Bled, before Lake Bohinj, which are both ski villages. Our digs for the night were in one of four new (May) rooms which had been added to a largish house that in all, could accommodate 12 guests. It was run by Clive (chef) and his wife Myrna and their huge dog Aaron. The river was stumbling distance from our door (I mean it, you wouldn't want to stumble, as you'd roll straight down the slope into the rapids).
So consequently, we booked ourselves into a kayak tour (mainly flat water and a few small rapids) for the afternoon, and headed of to Bohinj to take a walk around the lake.
Bohinj is about 4km long and 1-1.5km wide with massive mountains either side. Cory couldn't bear to look at the map for too long, lest he start crying with what slopes would be on offer in Winter with the gondolas clearly marked. Instead, we started walking. Dense, almost rainforest like cover gave way to an open grassy alpine plain and then a mix of lakeside/forest/mountain face as we ambled along. The lake itself just looked too inviting so we took a dip in the refreshing, but not cold waters. We then headed back for some lunch and the kayaking.
Clive introduced us to Petr, who in Summer runs kayak tours and in Winter is a Ski/Snowboard instructor - both primarily for the residents of our guest house, although many others staying elsewhere also take up his assistance. Naomi and I were joined by two lads from London - and if they are anything to go by, I don't think that England is going to significantly increase its Olympic medal haul even if they do have a home-ground advantage.
We all had a great fun, however, and half-way thru Petr swapped his high-performance kayak for Cory's beginner 'on-the-top' one. MUCH more responsive, and consequently, Cory had an unscheduled dip from having a bit too much fun in it.
After warming up with a great cup of tea (Clive IS a chef from England after all), we waited for dinner. Now I've already mentioned that Clive is a chef twice, so I'm guessing you already have an idea of what dinner was like. Entree of fried cheese (a local slovenian edam-style variety) followed by awesome Goulash (Mushroom for Nai, beef for Cory) and a wonderful berry parfait for desert. Accompanied with local wines and conversation from the other guests (a couple from Melbourne and a couple from England) and it was already way past our bedtime.
posted by Cory @ 7:59 PM
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Steeple in Aquileia - yes, they were the clouds that dumped on us!
posted by Cory @ 6:00 PM
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Weather - Some sun and Thunderstorms (just the thing for another car trip hey?) High 20's down to mid-teens.
We left Pula reasonably early, hoping to avoid the traffic. It was quite astounding the amount of traffic coming into Pula as we were leaving - we didn't really understand it as it was a Tuesday, but we think it'd take over an hour to crawl in for those who were trying. It took up about 10 mins to leave.
We set off for the Slovenian border, for a quick (!) 20km dash across their one and only port, before reaching Italy and Trieste. We were staying about another 40 mins on from Trieste, in Aquileia. (We didn't really know much about either of them, but it was a matter of where we could get accom).
Now the ! above was due to the fact that about 1 km out of the Slovenian border, we were greeted with bumper to bumper traffic that meant we took about 45 mins to go about 1km. The queue continued after it, so we assumed that it would be that way until Italy. Thankfully, we discovered that the traffic wasn't because of the border crossing, but from a set of traffic lights! Didn't make it any less annoying however!
Now I can recommend ViaMichelin to anyone who wants to get a good idea of how to drive around Europe. At times, however, it is a little lacking - and boy did it test Naomi's skills (and patience) today! Onthe plus side, we did get to see a small village just outside of Trieste, with lovely cobblestone streets, which were INCREDIBLY steep and narrow - at we noted with surprise that it was a bus route! Anyway... we did eventually find our way past Trieste (which looked horrible and industrial/port style) to Aquileia.
Aquileia was about 5 mins drive inland from the coastal town of Gadro. Gadro looks like it was once a fishing village and is now infected with yuppies, cafes and boat moarings for their, invariably, expensive yachts. Still, it was pretty cool. Actually, it was friggen freezing, as the thunderstorms rolled in just as we stepped out of the car to visit the beach. (No pebbles, here, just nice grey muddy sand - I think I preferred the pebbles!) The 'beaches' in Gadro were all 'owned' by hotels/resorts and you had to pay to get in, but we found one that was closed down so we strolled on thru. All the resorts had their umbrellas and deck chairs all folded up - no doubt they would have all been accommodated yesterday.
So we warmed up with a Hot Chocolate (well Nai did, I had an affogato - fresh espresso on ice-cream) and then sourced a place for dinner. We decided to eat back in Aquileia, at a place that had a combination of a restaurant, a wine-bar and a marquee sort of area. I think the marquee is for summer and the restaurant for Winter, as we were hearded into the marquee. Quite traditional sorta Italian meal, with a great local Pino Grigio.
posted by Cory @ 4:36 PM
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Headed home after a cruise, an arvo at the beach and a great feed at the establishment in the background.
posted by Cory @ 5:56 PM
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The 1st century Roman Amphitheatre is the 4th largest in the world.
posted by Cory @ 5:53 PM
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Weather - Very dry, hot and sunny. OVer 30.
Today was our chance to check out Pula. We walked into town, grabbed a GREAT coffee (both Hungary and Croatia make good coffee) and then headed to the ancient Roman Amphitheatre, which was pretty much like the coloseum in Rome, but in better condition and a little smaller. Last month, Jamiroquai played there - next month - Anastacia.
WE then took a short Adriatic Cruise (well, the Pula harbour, but it IS the Adriatic after all). We checked out some more ancient sites and churches in Pula, before getting changed and heading off to the beach.
The afternoon was spent lying by the Adriatic and taking dips when we got too hot in the 24 degree water. The only thing that was more enjoyable that that, was watching some of the beach-fashion victims around us, altho to them, I'm sure WE were the victims. The only negative about the beach was that our towels didn't really shield us from the rather large pebbles as well as our neighbour's lilos, deckchairs and wooden beach rolls.
Then it was off to a very romantic dinner just down from where we were staying, with a local wine and a setting sun over the boat harbour on the adriatic. That evening, the church bells lulled us off to sleep at 9pm.
posted by Cory @ 2:07 AM
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Weather - Fine, sunny, about 25 degrees.
Today was the big driving day. WE packed up and set off for Pula, in Croatia, via plenty of Hungary.
After a morning coffee, Cory convinced Nai to give driving a go as it was likely to be all freeway and to allow him to pace himself for the rest of the journey. It became quite evident that the distances were going to go faster, as Nai was sitting on about 145km/h and then stamping on the loud pedal whenever she passed! However, after about 60km it turned to arterial road, and the whites of Nai's knuckles, and eyes, meant that it would be far less stressful if Cory resumed at the wheel.
Our friends at ViaMichelin.com managed to choose a route which took us past the very picturesque Lake Belaton which appears to be Hungary's main waterside distination. The problem is, the new freeway which bypasses the whole side of the lake (only about 500m from where we were driving) is not quite finished. So our route was the equiv of the road from Dromana to Rye, but about 110km of it.
We managed to make it to Zagreb and stopped for lunch and a few photos, before heading into the Istrian peninsular and onto Pula. Once we checked in, we drove around a little, got our bearings and checked some local sights and decided on a dinner of beer and pizza. Gotta love that! Best of all, they had an 'Aussie with Mushrooms? on the menu. It was called a 'Bismark', but it was a dead-set Aussie with mushrooms - I promise. Egg and all!
posted by Cory @ 2:00 AM
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Nai just about to enter the City Baths - a MUST for any visitor to Budapest is a few hour's soak.
posted by Cory @ 5:38 PM
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Weather - Drizzle, cool, but not unpleasantly. Nice to have a day off from the heat actually. 20 degrees.
Today we got off to an early start (beat the tourists, and most of the shops for that matter) and headed for the Budapest Castle. We managed to find a 'tradesmans entrance'... "Trust me..." Cory kept saying... and found our way in. There were plenty of well dressed people there, and we felt rather ratty in our clothes, thinking you must have to dress up to go there. We then discovered that there was some kind of procession or perhaps inauguration of police or army as there were many in full regalia, some on horseback, and the military/police (?) brass band.
The castle area is quite large and we spent all morning looking around the bulidings, churches, statues, streets as well as under them, in the catacombs. VERY scary - like something out of Indiana Jones.
Then it was over to Pest to do what all good Budapestians would do on a drizzly day - we went to the Turkish Baths. We took the underground train up to the north of the city. We chose the city park ones, as there were a very large array to choose from, but also more importantly, they were for both genders. (The all-male ones are tradtionally a nude affair, which now means the domain of gay men trying to pick up). There were many many different pools with different temperatures, levels of salt and different medicinal purposes. Of course we had no idea what those purposes were, so we thought it best to try them all just in case. There were also steam rooms and saunas which Cory tried, but Nai thought they looked too much like bad swedish porn-style ads so gave them a miss.
After the baths, it was off to the "House of Terror". This was a real Nazi, then Soviet strong-hold/headquarters for over 40 years, which has now been converted into a museum/experiencial space to remind people of the occupation. Although it was very depressing, it gave you a very accurate idea of what it must have been like for the people of Hungary (that is, the ones they didn't take off to the Gulags). Budapest has come a very long way in 15 yrs or so.
After that it was time for a quick bite to eat before heading off for an early night, as it was a big day of driving the next day. I think this day was the 2nd most we walked - eclipsed only by day 2 in NYC where we went to Brooklyn. We didn't have the pedometer that day, but today it read 27.5km.
posted by Cory @ 1:46 AM
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Nai with a Mushroom Goulash - yeah, it tasted as good as the look in her eyes!
posted by Cory @ 5:36 PM
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Weather - Fine, quite Warm - varied from around 30 to down about 20 with torrential rain, then sorta overcast.
After being rudely awakened by our hostile (Nai said "Hostel", but the Freudian slip still holds) neighbours coming home at 6am and driving l'autobus porcelaine, we packed up our stuff to leave. Of course, that sounds easy, but Cory was still feeling the after effects of his own little session last night. He slept from 5pm until morning, but some of those brews weighed in at 17% so his liver was still working overtime. That, combined with dehyration that also gummed up an eye meant he was having trouble turning his engine over.
We picked up the car from the 'elevator' and headed out from Prague towards Hungary. We decided to try to go via Bratislava in Slovakia, as (unfortunately) Cesky Krumlov would have taken us about 4hrs out of our way, and so we wouldn't have had time to enjoy it anyway. Bratislava has a very nice industrial district, as that is most of what we saw. We managed to get ourselves lost, but found the exit route and managed to see the very picturesque castle and river over our shoulder on the drive out. Almost made it all worth it... (almost).
Finding our wonderful guest house in Budapest (Buda) was comparatively easy, and once checked in we ditched the Astra and walked across the river via Gellert Hill, to get some food. At this stage Cory was almost comatose so he either needed some sleep, or some food. Some ice-cream, some more walking and some great goulash (or gulaç as we think they spelt it), Beef for Cory and Mushroom Gulaç for Nai. Nai's was the superior.
posted by Cory @ 1:34 AM
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