I’m Hoping For An Orient Express Type Experience
Roll on summer. Anyone have any European train related experiences to share? Preferably not scary I-was-mugged type ones.
Unbearably Light
I do not think that word means what you think it means.
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I went interrailing the summer that eastern europe experienced some of the worse flooding ever (maybe five years ago? six? Can’t remember). Anyway, it was awesome.
Highlights: Croatia (get as isolated as possible as quickly as possible); backwaters in Hungary (although Pecs is cool too); Krakow (Poland is one of my favourite countries in the world, and Krakow is my favourite place there. Warsaw is cool too, but expensive. Wroclaw is also awesome); Prague (although there was no public transport or much electricity there when we arrived because of the flooding. Still an amazing place though); Budapest (allow at least three or four days to fully explore); Ljubljana is beautiful too.
Nothing bad happened to us while we were away (apart from drama of our own making). ALWAYS pay extra for a bed on a train if you’re travelling overnight. ALWAYS bring beer on the train. You will meet cool people and have fun.
unarocks - January 7, 2008 at 1:06 pm
As above really…. can’t recommend Krawkow enough tbh…amazing city. Best advice would be to get the night train from Krawkow to Budapest (two very different cities so it’ll take a few days to adjust) then get the night train to Sarajevo. No city in the world comes close to this place.
The first day or two is incredibly sad, as there is so much evidence f the recent war all around you (bullet holes in windows/walls, mortar holes in the roads etc) but after a day you just seem to see through it all and it’s such a beautiful city. The people are amazing, the nightlife wonderful and there are stories to every corner of the city. I would live there at the drop of the hat!
From there you can get a 5-hour morning bus ride to Dubrovnik. You’ll be there by lunchtime and roll on the sun!
Le Catch - January 7, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Wow, thanks dudes that’s all brilliant advice!
Planning hat on.
Europe is only massive isn’t it*? Many many many places I want to see, so much so I’m thinking of making a kind of themed trip, like following the path of a book or film. I’ve done it before on a tiny scale in London with “Mrs. Dalloway” and it’s great fun. If you’re a nerd. Which I am.
*stating the almighty obvious
becs - January 7, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Great idea! Here’s one I read a few years ago by Bill Bryson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neither_Here_Nor_There:_Travels_in_Europe
Only covers a little bit of Eastern Europe (where you should really go) but it’s a great read!
Le Catch - January 7, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Totally forgot about that book, thanks! Read it aages ago. I have it somewhere in the mountain of books I somehow have to move to a third floor apartment this week. I’ll have to find it.
Bill Bryson is amazing. He’s the American Stephen Fry.
becs - January 7, 2008 at 6:26 pm
if you can you should vienna, i went interrailing four (i think ) years ago and had 9 countries in three and a half weeks, you have to really cram everything in, but you get a great look at loads of stuff…
Vienna though…fo’ sho’
raptureponies - January 8, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Cool thanks rp… Vienna is added to the list!
becs - January 8, 2008 at 5:47 pm
What is on the list if you mind me asking?
Le Catch - January 8, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Well the list is a list of possibilities really at the moment and is very very long – I haven’t narrowed it down yet. I want to do some research on what’s going on where over the summer..I’d like to maybe catch a music or film festival while I’m at it. I’ll do up a post when I’ve mapped a little schedule for myself!
becs - January 9, 2008 at 10:13 am
best museum ever: http://www.hdm.at/en/2.htm
and it’s in vienna…
*tries to sway becs even more*
raptureponies - January 10, 2008 at 11:17 am
It’s working! Vienna should be paying you (they’re not are they?!). That looks excellent. I am a bit of a museum nut actually so they will play a big part in eventual final important decision making.
becs - January 10, 2008 at 12:17 pm
In that case Sarajevo has a ‘tunnel’ museum. The tunnel was built under the airport and was the only way in and out of the city during the war. The ‘museum’ is the house where the tunnel emerged outside the city and the family who helped dig it show you around. Amazing!
Le Catch - January 10, 2008 at 5:44 pm
music museum is better than tunnel museum
FACT.
They aren’t paying me…but they should be!
raptureponies - January 10, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Heeheehee
Sarajevo and Vienna come to blows in blog shocker!!
I think I will have to go to both now, I will definitely feel like I’m missing something if I don’t
becs - January 10, 2008 at 6:16 pm
But you’ll go to Sarajevo first though?
Le Catch - January 11, 2008 at 10:00 am
Well you got there first…soooooo…..why not!
Hehe maybe this is the start of a very interesting project.
I’ll get my (few it has to be said) blog readers to make ALL my decisions for me. Ye are all going to be pretty busy, so I wouldn’t plan anything else for the forseeable.
So. What should I have for lunch?
becs - January 11, 2008 at 10:17 am
Brilliant idea Becs! You should set up a seperate blog for it and run it for one entire week. Every desision will be chosen by the blog readers. From what you wear, eat, watch, listen to. Pencil it in for a couple of weeks time until we get the word around!
BTW, lunch today will be Toasted Panini, one bag of crisps, one bottle of Snapple and a kinder surprise.
Le Catch - January 11, 2008 at 11:30 am
Hahahaa I love it. I am so going to do this.
I’ll do up a post this afternoon.
In the meantime, lunch is a good experiment to start me off!
becs - January 11, 2008 at 11:39 am
Brilliant! I volunteer my support in any way you need!
Le Catch - January 11, 2008 at 11:57 am
you do realise that this will turn into a massive project on a book/television/film scale!
and i realyl feel that vienna would make more sense to go to first…
i’m looking forward to controlling you’re life!
raptureponies - January 11, 2008 at 12:41 pm
[...] build up to this idea is in the comments of this post. [...]
Operation Run My Life « Unbearably Light - January 11, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Interailed a few years ago when I was in college went from Denmark to Greece. Great fun. Highlights were Split and Belgrade. Can’t go wrong with most of Croatia really. Lowlights: Boring Bratislava and Touristy Prague (it was Summer). Istanbul was a bit weird too, some very sexist and racist people.
I agree with Una on the night trains. A bed on a night train is often cheaper than hostel and helps you see more cities in the given time. Bring biscuits (and beer) make new friends and then trade books you’ve finished (although I made the awful mistake of swapping the Life of Pi for some John Grisham piffle about American Football).
Bring Motillium and Uniflu too.
Tom - January 11, 2008 at 6:32 pm