Gym. Vic was still in need of sleep. The gym here is great and there are two pools. After a 2.5 hour monster session, I took a dip in the rooftop pool. Hopefully Vic is ready to get up now.

Exhaustion. Vic doesn’t sleep on planes and I am out like a light as soon as my seatbelt is fastened. Maybe that in itself was explanation enough for the contrast in our physical and emotional states. The sheer mention of “Singapore sales” was enough to get Vicki into the shower. I should’ve thought of that earlier!

Shopping. Singapore is recognised internationally for its annual sale. There were a few things we needed to get, mainly more cabin luggage to avoid excess baggage charges on the way home but that didn’t stop us from buying a few treats for ourselves along the way.

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Chilli crab. Speaking of greed, it was time for something to eat. Right near the hotel was an outdoor food market filled with bars and food stalls. The chilli crab is to die for in Singapore and would probably have to be the messiest dish on earth. Step aside vanity, I’m going in.

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Line up. We arrived in Frankfurt about 7 hours before our flight departed. We ate and drank then made our way to the check in counter. We got there 10 minutes before it opened which was three hours before our scheduled departure time but still had to line up for 45 minutes.

What day is it? After finally filtering our way through the queue, we were asked for our passports. “Unfortunately, I can’t find you on the passenger list for tonight’s flight to Singapore. Can I please see your itinerary?” Suddenly a cold chill ran down our spines. We lost track of what day it was about 7 weeks ago. “What day is it?” we asked in the mousiest of voices. As it turns out, we’d arrived in Frankfurt a day early and didn’t feel like the smartest kids on the block. Better than a day late I suppose. We would have easily spent another night in Germany but for anyone who has travelled this long, once you have put yourself in a headspace for departure, it is very difficult to alter. Lucky for us, we were able to squeeze onto the flight leaving that night. They even let us off about 7 kilos of excess luggage. We had 67kg between us at check in and that is not including the abundance of hand luggage we were carrying, which easily would have come to another 30kg. We started with 28kg plus some very light hand luggage. It’s not over yet. We still have to check in our bags from Singapore to Melbourne!

Where are we? Our flight to Singapore was via Dubai. I must say the stopover in Dubai did us some good but visiting 3 continents and 4 cities in the same day certainly took its toll. We dumped our large bags at Changi airport (Singapore) and made our way to the hotel. Let me assure you, there was absolutely no feeling of separation anxiety!

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Lunch. The food wasn’t much chop but the café was next door to one of the Munchen Filmfest theatres. I was thankfully able to get hold of a Filmfest poster that I desperately craved. Now that all ticks were in boxes, we could commence our departure ceremony (carting our f’ing luggage). I cherish the day that I can freely walk the streets without being consumed by the thought that I will soon have to transform into a luggage mule.

Train. I love German trains. They don’t only look cool but are so comfortable and functional. Our global pass ran out a few days ago so we had to pay for the ride to Frankfurt. Not cheap.

Munchen. Could it be our favourite place? Definitely in our top 3. Munich had all the modern day creature comforts of a big city but maintained its inner charm and regional feel without appearing forced. The people were great. So very friendly and welcoming. The food and beer definitely rated high but weren’t the only attractions. We’ll have to come back for Oktoberfest some year. That’s a promise!

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BMW HQ. The area was also home to BMW headquarters. Uber modern structures housing manufacturing plants, showrooms and a BMW museum (bummed we didn’t get to visit).

Tollwood Festival. This place was filled with food stalls, beer tents, market stalls, auditoriums and amusements. We smiled at each other as we walked in. A hidden little gem with some 30 odd years of history. As you’d expect, we ate several times. Bratwurst, Palacsinta, Guyash and Hamburgers to name a few. Beer and cocktails made up the rest of our consumption. We’ve got to be thankful to the locals that put us onto it. What a superb day.

Parklands. To walk off the meat and drink, we decided our best recourse was to walk through the park. It went against my end of holiday rule to only walk downhill however we ruled against it and decided to walk to the top of a nearby hill for a birds eye view of the area. No regrets. We even met some furry friends along the way.

Bag packing. Now for the dreaded reorganisation and packing of all our bags. Our aim was to pack our main luggage as if it was going home and leave the beachy stuff in a separate bag for Thailand. We also had to carefully juggle the heavier pieces between hand and check in luggage to balance out the weight. Quite the task. It took us a good part of 5 hours. Feeling better but still shitting ourselves in terms of excess charges. Lucky Emirates increased our allowance to 30kg but even after a few sneaky moves, we might still land ourselves in a little trouble.

Thailand. We still hadn’t booked any accommodation in Thailand let alone the flights from Singapore. In fact, we hadn’t even decided on a destination for our final week of pure relaxation before heading home. Lets just say, we went to bed at about 5am. I hope the tiredness didn’t affect our decisions.

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Pong. Outdoor pong championships. Deep in the garden were a few pong tables. The trees offered optimal shade and security from the wind. I don’t speak German but I’m sure they said, “He’s the best player we’ve ever seen!”

Pamper. Vic spent some time on the net and I headed to the fitness centre for a bit of self pampering, starting with a gym session. Once I’d worked up a sweat, it was time to hit the sauna, steam room and pool.

Fraunhofer. Out for a bit of Bavarian grub. Again the beer hall setting but not quite the scale of Hofbraeuhaus. They really don’t have much trouble filling these places. Remarkable how many people enjoy sausages and beer every night of the week!

Locals. We made our way to the cinema to catch one of the Munchen Filmfest screenings. It was a midnight session so we filled time by having a coffee at a nearby café. A group of locals were seated next to us and soon enough, we got talking. Quite a friendly and jovial bunch. They provided a heap of tips including their two favourite Munich restaurants. The other tip they gave us was the Tollwood festival. Not something that was in any of our literature but apparently a local favourite. That made it easy to plan our last full day. We’ll head there tomorrow. It’s based out of Olympic park. Two birds…

Film Fest Munchen. Black Dynamite. As it was the opening screening we were lucky enough to meet the Director. He appeared from the crowd and gave a speech before the movie started. Pretty cool. The movie was a slapstick take on ‘Shaft’. Very funny and worth a viewing.

Shaken not stirred. About 10 minutes into the movie, an old man seated in front turned and started rambling something rather aggressively in German. Not sure what he was saying and before I even came close to understanding, he grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me. I was totally taken by surprise. If he wasn’t an old guy I am sure my response would have differed but I simply leaned back in my chair and enjoyed the rest of the movie. Out the corner of my eye, I caught the guy sitting next to me taking his feet off the chair in front. It suddenly all made sense. He must have been shaking his leg whilst resting it on the seat. It obviously drove the old guy mad. Mad enough to shake a perfect stranger. Crazy Kraut!

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Walk. We started our walk from the hotel towards the city centre. After stopping for a coffee we noticed a large electronics store nearby. We were after a portable hard drive to back up all the photos we had taken but were not prepared for the plethora of gadgets inside. An hour went by without flinching. I could have stayed several more but Vic was understandably getting bored. It was more of a haven for boys. German gadgets catering for every childish and adult desire. Remote control heaven, from TVs to WWII tanks.

Maggi. A few doors down from gadget heaven was a Maggi café decorated in the famous red and gold colours. Yep, Maggi noodles. Everything on the menu was a Maggi product. In Munich of all places, in a land where the food is so great and plentiful? Why would you in your right mind go to a café to eat something out of a sachet? I don’t get it.

Toy museum. An old watchtower in the city centre was home to the Toy Museum. Tight windy steps delivered you to each of the many floors housing old to ancient toys. It was kind of cool yet depressing seeing toys, now considered collectables, that we have all either thrown out during spring cleans or sold in garage sales. Not sure if the kids of today have it any better. These toys were beautifully crafted but maybe that is the adult in me speaking. Where are you Peter Pan?

City centre. Just because we made it to the city centre on our first attempt (unlike Prague) doesn’t mean that shopping would play any less of a role during our stay. The shopping here was probably the best we had encountered. Vicki was starting to taste success and it wasn’t difficult to see the excitement building.

Orchestra. We could hear music coming from the main square and a crowd was starting to gather. A modern orchestra was pumping out some fairly unusual sounds. Very unique and rather funky. The conductor stole the show. An oldish man with grey hair put every muscle into his direction and maybe some organs too!

Soak it up. This city has so much on offer. It was effortless to just walk the streets occasionally stopping for some local treats. Not overly big but what it didn’t have in size was made up in character. We liked it so much that we decided to extend our stay. Vicki likened it to a toy town of sorts. I knew what she meant. The buildings here are modelled in a Hansel and Gretel Ginger bread house kind of way. Not difficult to be swept away in the fairytale romance although desperately scavenging through store stock to secure some final purchases in our last week in Europe could hardly be considered romantic.

Hofbraeuhaus. A major beer hall in the heart of the city. Bit touristy but who really cares? When you visit a beer hall that is this big and this busy with waitresses clad in traditional Bavarian dress having the strength to carry 10 steins (5 in each hand) you are nothing short of being suitably impressed. Sausage platter and of course a wiener schnitzel were the perfect accompaniment to the numerous steins consumed. Sensational.

http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/01/hist_anfang_en.html

Aussie Parisians. We met a couple from Melbourne currently living in Paris, Andrew and Kath. They were flying through part of Europe on a short break from work. Good people. We got along well drinking beers and exchanging stories before getting the boot at closing time. We kicked on a bit further in a local pub making it a much later night than originally anticipated. Hope you guys pulled up alright after the limited sleep the night before. We had the luxury of sleeping in a bit but not sure you had the same considering your short time in Munich. Nice meeting you both. Maybe we can catch up for a pot and parma next time your down in Melbourne.

Theft. How the hell do I get a stein this size out of here? There’s definitely no room in my pants! Lucky Vic had a unisex bag big enough. I’m sure the waitress knew what we were up to but she kind of liked me, I was toying with her most of the night. You sort of lose all subtlety after the second stein. I’m not sure if it was inspiration or desperation but Kath followed suit and we all got out unscathed. Nice one, girl!

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Hotel. We stayed at the Novotel along the river’s edge. Good facilities and spacious rooms. It would be our last hotel in Europe. Saddening in that it made us acknowledge our time was coming to an end but pleasing as we knew our time scouring the internet for good hotels in a central location with the right facilities at a nice price was also almost over. I have to admit, Vicki did all of the scouring. It’s a tough job and one worth outsourcing!

Mmmm-mmmm-mmmm… Due to the late arrival (can you feel an excuse coming on?) we took to the golden arches for a quick bite before bed. We were looking forward to an early start the following morning. We’d heard good things about Munich and were itching to experience it for ourselves.

Munich Film Festival. Websters defines fluke as a stroke of luck or good fortune. Thanks Dr Webster, that’s exactly what it was. Upon admiring the many sights during the taxi ride, we noticed that Munchen Filmfest posters were plastered across the city. Sorry to gloat but that means we were in Cannes for the Cannes Film festival and Munich for the Munchen Filmfest, all in the same year. I must say, it does feel good.

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Missed train. It had to happen at least once. We missed our train to Munich (mainly because of my subdued state) which meant we now had 5 hours to kill. A long lunch including every imaginable course was the best way to fill the gap. I had Goulash because I didn’t know when I’d be having it again (nice but nowhere near as good as the real thing) and Vic went for the lamb. Great way to finish our time in Prague and thankfully my beer allies started to win the battle over the Absynth demons swimming in my head.

Praha. Again it rained for most of our time in Prague but it didn’t at all sour our experience. We fell in love with its charm and inviting culture. We found the people to be pleasant and helpful but surprisingly lacking animation, especially when considering the beer consumption statistics. We enjoyed Prague on many levels but mostly for the café, beer, music and food culture that is so evidently embedded in Prague’s social fabric.

Aussies. Well if we thought that Croatia was filled with Aussie blood then Prague must secretly be the ninth state/territory of Australia. Maybe it’s the fine beer at cheap prices or maybe it’s simply that Victorians have found a home away from home in what could be considered a European version of Melbourne. We didn’t have time to run a survey.

Train. Not sure whether there was much of a difference between first and second class on the train from Praha to Munchen. Not the most comfortable train but thankfully the ride was only a few hours.

Penalty! Vicki quickly ducked out at one of the stops for a cigarette. Moments after she sat back down, two policemen arrived at our cabin. “Passports please.” He handed mine back immediately, hung on to Vicki’s and pulled out his writing pad. “No smoking… penalty” For a few minutes we didn’t know what was happening due to their limited English but soon enough realised that Vicki was being written up for smoking in a non-smoking station. Luckily the fine was only ten-ish dollars, a small price to pay for a pretty cool souvenir.

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Pražský hrad. We started at the top of the hill and made our way down towards the river. It is apparently the largest castle in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It wasn’t as ornate as most of the castles or palaces seen to date but the size of it was startling. The thing stretched for half a kilometer and was over 100 metres wide. The grounds were unbelievable with parklands and vineyards filling every recess. The walk was all downhill which is mandatory at this stage of our holiday.

Cocktails. We were in need of a pick me up after exploring the castle grounds and popped into the Bombay Bar for a few cocktails. Nice bar, candle lit with a few Bombay touches. Reminded me a bit of being in India, Club 9 (Bandra) to be precise. A few Bloody Marys and Pina Coladas were just what we needed to get the stomach juices ready for dinner.

Dinner. Argentinean steak fest. Again there was live music however the singer was terrible. She was pretty but had the voice of a dying moose. The steaks were great and the atmosphere (once she stopped singing) was fantastic. Vic tried ramming a celery stick and a bottle up some guy’s bum for invading her space but other than that, a very enjoyable evening.

Absynth. We get the watered down crap at home, without all the herbs. I bought a small bottle to drink back at the hotel. The stuff is toxic at 76% alcohol. My eyes literally popped out of my head after just a sip and the burning sensation down my chest lasted at least 10 minutes. Apparently, Van Gogh drank the stuff all the time. No wonder he chopped part of his ear off.

Hotel. A little more absynth, a couple of coffees for Vic, a bit of internet time and we were off to bed.

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Pitstop. Prague has these cool little delicatessens dotted around the city that sell small open sandwiches with an assorted array of toppings. They are pre-made, very fresh, dirt cheap and most importantly tasty! We ate several.

Sweet dough thing. The Staroceske Trdlo or the 'Old Bohemian Muff' (best left alone) is a long swirly pastry that is baked on the spot as you order. Vic of course just had to have one. The basic rule here is, if it’s sweet and sold in the street, Vic wants one!

CD shop. Vic had just received her takeaway order of coffee when she spotted a cool little CD shop on the other side of the road. There was Vic, coffee in hand listening to Jazz and chatting up the music guy. She really looked at home.

Bridge. We finally made it! Worth the wait. The river banks of Prague (Vltava river) are very beautiful and the bridge is literally the icing on the cake. What else can I say?

Dinner. Originally, we only stopped for a pilsner but the menu looked good so why not sample what was on offer? It was getting on after all. Czech onion soup was sensational. Food was good but I made the grave mistake of ordering dinner without potatoes. You should have heard Vic. “How the f am I meant to eat steak without potatoes? We’re not all hippy salad-eating rabbits like you..” and so on. She didn’t let up for a while either. Won’t make that mistake again. I thought some fresh natural vitamins were a good choice. Apparently, I should go hug a tree.

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Charles Bridge. We decided to head for the famous bridge as our first stop for the day. It was apparently very beautiful and one of the ‘must sees’ in Prague (if anyone uses that expression around me one more time…) however we didn’t quite make it. The walk to the bridge was via the shopping district. Instead we found ourselves walking, eating, drinking and shopping. What better way to spend the afternoon?!

Winter Woolies We found a little Carhartt store in one of the cobblestone alleys and lucky for me they were having a winter clearance sale. Big winter parkers that we’d easily pay in excess of $500 for back home, at a fraction of the price. I bought two and had to restrain myself from buying more.

More shopping. My bargains fuelled Vic’s desire to hunt (I was going to say shop but hunting is more appropriate). We pretty much shopped all day stopping for light meals and liquid refreshment (beer). A relaxed pace soaking up Prague’s atmosphere lead to one of the most enjoyable days of our trip.

Dinner. The restaurant was bustling with the sounds of locals enjoying fine Czech cuisine. A live band was playing soft pop while we ate which added to the ambience (of which it had plenty). I had to eat rabbit at least once when I was in Europe and this was my opportunity. Yum. Vic had a whole trout which was equally as good. Another winning meal.

Nightcap. Back to the hotel for some coffee and nice glass of Port.

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Hotel. Now we love Art Deco and this place was aptly named the Art Deco Imperial Hotel. Everything about this place was Deco in a five star sort of way. They had their own adjoining café decorated in the same flavour. Location was superb within walking distance of almost everything and it was well equipped with Gym, Jacuzzi, Sauna and pool. Perfect.

http://www.hotel-imperial.cz/

First Stop. Two Pivo (beer), please! When in a Prague Bar, simply ask for a Pivo. The barman will deliver a half litre of beer with about four inches of head. Never order a 300ml. You may as well have ‘I’m a sphincter' written on your forehead. “It’s for my girlfriend, mate” “Sure it is, Pussy.”

Walk. After a litre or two of the famous Urquell Pilsner, we walked the streets of Prague to get a sense of geography and layout. We were located in the perfect spot and so close to everything. This place had a real warmth about it (despite the weather) with cool cafes, restaurants and bars lining the streets. The architecture again was similar to that in Budapest and Vienna but not quite as grand and regal. Don’t get me wrong, Prague is amazingly beautiful with its windy Dr Seuss-like cobblestone streets and colourful frontages but to provide some contrast, it had more of a ‘lived in’ feel as opposed to the Budapest and Vienna ‘look but don’t touch’ grandeur.

Shopping. We didn’t get far before hitting the shops. Everything was so very affordable again. No prizes for guessing how the afternoon was spent.

Dinner. Vic read up on a cool beer hall that sounded worth a visit. We had the standard pivo with schnitzel and some other fried pancake thing. This schnitzel was partly fried then baked in the oven with butter and the pancake was a combination of cabbage, potato and pigs trotter mixed together and fried in butter. Devilishly tasty. I’m sure this place is high on the Heart foundation’s list of recommendation.

Blog. We had caught up on most of our blogging during the train ride but we fell terribly behind with the photos. I think we are well over the 10 000 picture mark since starting our holiday on the second of May. It’s a real event when we have to cull, sort and manage. More often than not, Vic will stay up most of the night filtering through the pics and sorting into folders, etc. not to mention the uploading bit, excruciating with a slow connection. She’s very stubborn once she gets started and won’t normally stop until a milestone of sorts has been reached. With the help of a few coffees, we finally pulled the plug at 4am. Not sure we’ll make it to brekky tomorrow.

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Train to Praha. Next stop, Prague. Central Europe is quickly becoming our favourite region and I’m certain that Prague will live up to the standard set by Budapest and Vienna. The train ride was rather smooth and uneventful which thankfully allowed for some blog time. Well overdue.

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Museum Quarter. We stumbled across this place of pure majesty somewhat by accident. We felt more significant just having seen it. Probably should have visited some of the museums but the chance of missing out on the architectural splendour of Vienna was a risk we were not willing to take. The rain really held us back yesterday and that unfortunately did not leave much time to get in touch with Vienna’s soul. On a side note, It’d be interesting to know the international statistic on museums per capita. I think Austria (based on Vienna alone) would have to be amongst the favourites.

Peddler. Whilst admiring the sights pretending to be full of culture and appreciative of the arts, we were approached by a man playing dress ups. “Aren’t you a bit old for that, buddy?” He was clad in a “period” uniform (not sure which exactly) peddling tickets to a Mozart and Strauss orchestra, complete with ballet and opera. At first I wasn’t interested (you kind of switch off to the hawkers after a while) but I could see that Vicki’s eyes widened with interest. It was time to hear him out and listen to the pitch. I had no problem paying top dollar to see a legitimate Austrian Orchestra with all the trimmings but would hate to get there only to find that it was an amateurish set up designed purely to extract tourist currency. As if to compensate for the somewhat uneventful rain delays, we upgraded to the three-course dinner package. He even gave us the student discount. “It’d better be good mate or Aaa’ll be baack!”

Liar! The peddler told us that the Concert hall was only 5 minutes away on foot. Lying prick, we took the metro and ran almost every step of the way. It easily took 20 minutes and that was almost all the time we had. Just made it before the opener.

The Hills are alive. We bought premium tickets, which had us practically in the lap of the Orchestra. It was my first 'real' exposure to this sort of thing. Vic goes to shows with her Mumma all the time but I normally pass and hang out with her Dad watching the footy (Anyone that says AFL is not a form of culture is obviously lacking culture themselves). As for the show, lost for words. Loved the Opera (really loved it), loved the ballerina (guys doing ballet still freak me out a little) and well, the orchestra was superb playing so many of the classics. An opulent setting filled with the most refined forms of artistic display and expression tainted only by images of Elmer Fudd chasing Buggs Bunny and the damn Sorbent toilet paper commercial.

Intermission. The call for intermission launched Vicki from her seat and like a bee to a spring blossom, straight to the bar for a glass of bubbly, a tradition she shared with her Mother. Vic loved every minute of the performance and this evening of artistic indulgence was quickly flagged as 'a' high point of the trip to date. Same goes for me.

Dinner. We had our doubts about dinner. Package deals are never too reliable but the standard of food and the silver service did justice to what we had just witnessed. I guess we got lucky. Things were really working out on our last night in Vienna. The white asparagus here is delectable and it is also the size of a small leak. Every course was superbly prepared and there wasn’t a thing to complain about. Thanks peddler-man!

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Shopping. Back to the Euro. Might be good for Europe but certainly not good for us. We bought utensils and house stuff of all things. German manufacturing is grand no matter what you buy and fortunately that is all that Austria seem to stock.

Pink city. First service failure. The waitress took forever and served people in the wrong order when she did get around to it. No acknowledgement even after 20 minutes. Out of here.

Coffee bar. Thought we’d stop for a quick coffee between sights. Service was much better but after receiving our coffees, again there was no acknowledgement. That’s ok. Don’t need a bill. Happy to pay at the counter. “Please sit down and wait.” 10 minutes later, still no service. “The money is on the table, Arnie.”

Hat trick. We’d finished with the coffee and were now looking for somewhere to dine. “Are you open for dinner?” “Hotdogs and sandwiches” We politely asked if that was all and the lady behind the counter burst into an aggressive rambling spasm, “This is a café, what do you expect… ?” and a heap of shit that just bounced off the back of our heads as we walked out. Geez, lady. Take a chill pill and listen to some of that soothing classical music you are so famous for.

Restaurant grinch. Not a great run today. Attempt number two at dinner. “We are closed”, grumbled a half naked man with cigarette in mouth. “Anywhere you can recommend?” “No!” Is this indicative of the level of service provided in Vienna? We’ll reluctantly reserve judgement.

Dinner. Finally, somewhere to eat. Admittedly, we left it a little late but surely we shouldn’t have to resort to Chinese food in Vienna of all places. Szechuan chicken and Sushi. Just what Mozart would have eaten.

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Goose liver. We promised Jay and Gabi some of the good stuff. Unfortunately we knew nothing about it and the staff in the store could not speak a word of English. We wanted the whole liver not the pate. I hope we got it right. We’ll find out soon enough.

Galuska. We also promised my sister Manel a galuska (dumpling) maker. Sis, we scoured the city in search of one and eventually found something. You might be pleasantly surprised when we get home.

Shopping. Bought a few things for ourselves. They had some really cool clothes and everything was reasonably priced.

Szia Magyar. We are a little sad to leave Hungary today. Budapest is a truly beautiful city and it treated us well. The people were always so pleasant and helpful (except for the Rail Control lady) and we were greeted with nothing but the warmest hospitality. Apart from only recognising vegetable matter as a form of garnish (to be honest, veggies are commonly used in soup which makes up a significant part of the Hungarian staple), we really loved everything about this place. I’ll just have to get a salad elsewhere! I enjoyed watching Vic report back to her parents every night with such exuberance and enthusiasm. Jay and Gabi, thanks for all the tips and for topping up our knowledge of the region’s history.

There is smoke coming from that cabin. Vic got talking to a couple of Hungarian girls sitting across from us. They were smokers too and the three of them had worked out that the symbol for no-smoking was absent. In fact, there was a sign saying you could smoke so they simultaneously lit up. The drinks guy explained that it was a non-smoking train and if they were caught by control the penalty would be a hefty fine. Time to spray a bit of deodorant and enjoy the view of the wind farms and lavender fields passing by.

Happy Birthday, Luka. Best day of the year mate!

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Margitsziget. An island in the middle of the Danube between Buda and Pest. We came across those little electric cars and just had to hire one. I drove Vicki around the island providing detailed explanations of all the sights I knew nothing about (in a mixed European accent). We then switched and Vicki drove. I continued the tour.

Buda Castle. Ohh, this is what it looks like. Glad we got to see the real one after our failure a few days back. The area surrounding the palace was just as impressive as the palace itself. Lots of photos then made our way through the parklands towards the Danube. Vic gave a gypsy violinist 3 Euro for a tune. He then refused us passage until they had a photo together whilst playing Waltzing Matilda.

Chain bridge. Vicki’s Great Great Grandfather worked as an engineer in the construction of this bridge. Two stone lions guarded each of the entrances. The composition was a combination of stone and metal. Bit of a graffiti problem in Budapest and unfortunately the bridge was not spared. Nor was it spared when the Germans decided to collapse it when the Soviets were advancing. Up close you could see where the lions had been repaired. Superb bridge.

Gerbaud. Another Budapest institution famous for it’s sweets and particularly the icecream. I thought I’d just have something small before dinner. No such thing. Serving sizes in Hungary start at large and work upward from there. Check out the size of the beast below!

Menza. We found a cool little pocket of restaurants and bars not far from where we were staying. It was my birthday tomorrow and I somehow knew we would be up past midnight. I think that fuelled my thirst for the ethanol-flavoured drinks. What a place though, cool music, cool people and great food. Nice way to spend our final night in Hungary. Bit pissy but I’ll deal with that in the morning.

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Terra Haza (House of Terror). A building formerly known as the 'House of Loyalty', occupied by the Nazis, Arrow Cross, AVO (secret police) and Communist parties. It was used as their headquarters to interrogate, imprison and execute. It has since been transformed into a museum/exhibition to highlight the suffering of the Hungarian people under each regime. The message may well possess a form of bias and not sure if the sentiment is shared amongst all Hungarians but it certainly got our attention. It was extremely well laid out with chilling music, spooky lighting, authentic war memorabilia and video confessions. Keen to get our hands on a few good books when we get home.

Fruit and nut. We walked from the station to the lake along a street containing an abundance of fruit and nut trees. Many were overhanging the sidewalk. Mainly cherries and almonds. It's a good thing that I am taller than the average Magyar otherwise I would have had Vicki on my shoulders to grab some of nature's finest.

Lake Balaton. Time to visit the famous lake Balaton. The largest in Europe outside Scandinavia. We grabbed ourselves some Hungarian fast food, Langos and Schnitzel then headed to the lakeshore for a nibble. I didn’t wait the required 30 minutes before swimming, simply couldn’t hold myself back. So peaceful in the water. The lake across the horizon gave the appearance of the ocean and so it should considering that it stretched over 77km. Marvellous.

Balaton Dinner. More guyasleves and schnitzel. Still not sick of it! Zac, you would have loved it here. Schnitzel city.

Control. “Show me your ticket!” These fuckers are known to target and trap tourists and this chick was no exception. She swooped on us as soon as we pulled out the metro map. We had tickets but apparently only those short trip types valid for 3 stops. We travelled 4. We bought the tickets and validated them but it was apparently our fault for not reading the fine print on the back. “Lady, you’re being unreasonable. If I buy a ticket after telling the attendant where I wish to go then I simply validate, put it in my pocket and board the train. If I was trying to evade the fair then I wouldn’t have bought a ticket at all.” “Not my problem Mister, you problem, you pay 6000 forint” “You’re not getting it, I bought a ticket from the metro attendant…” She just wouldn’t budge. Infuriating. I lost it, she threatened to get the police and I welcomed it. They’d surely have more basic logic than this cow. Some other lady took over. I could see in her eyes that she understood our plea but the other little bitch kept butting in whenever we made progress. Vic negotiated a single fine of 6000 between us then sneakily pulled out 2 or so thousand and claimed it was all the cash we had. She also tried softening them up by attempting to speak Hungarian. The “nice” lady escorted us to an ATM and away from that $#%*. I had a feeling she knew the ATM was broken and decided to let us off. Vic gave her a kiss and we walked back to the apartment. After explaining the story to the hotel staff, they told us to just walk off in future. They cannot touch or detain you. They are within their rights to call the police (rarely do) but cannot force you to wait for them to arrive. Sucked in you little mole, we win this round! Tourists beware.

Happy Birthday, Zo-Zo!

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Adventure. We used a combination of tram, bus and metro to get to Statue Park. The rubbish directions we were provided easily doubled our travel time. Not a total loss. We saw parts of the city that we may not have otherwise stumbled across.

Budafok. We didn’t find out until after we had spoken to Vicki’s Parents but the park we were visiting was in a leafy green suburb called Budafok. This is where Vicki’s Grandfather lived. How cool! If we had known earlier, we would have spent some time tracking down the family home.

Statue Park. The new communist movement or Soviet occupation in the fifties saw Budapest littered with statues of the various leaders and figure heads, none more notorious (or commonly depicted) than Lenin. Most of the other countries under the Iron Curtain had destroyed all remnants of Communist occupation. Hungary decided to keep those that survived (many were destroyed by the public once the curtain fell in 1989) and placed them in a park as a reminder of the past (I think Poland has done the same thing). I really admire that. The past is the past and irrespective of a nation’s (or the world’s) current views on Communism, it is something that had a significant impact on Hungary and it’s people and should not be forgotten. It also made for fascinating viewing from a tourist perspective. The statues were big, bold and often sent a powerful message. Fascinating stuff.

Cherries. After a hot day in the sun we eventually made our way back to the Bus stop. We snuck behind the bus shelter to hide in the only shade available. A couple of elderly laddies had the same idea and shared an empathetic smile. We couldn’t understand what she was saying but I’m sure it was something like, “grab a handful” as she opened a bag of the biggest, sweetest and most plump cherries ever. I swear these things were the size of plums. Just the natural sugar fix we needed. Thanks, Old Lady Magyar!

Gundel. One of the oldest long standing restaurant names in Budapest, which has won almost all there is to win in Europe and it wasn’t hard to workout why. We should have really been wearing a tux and ball gown for this place but the service was not compromised based on our somewhat casual appearance. I think I counted 10 to 12 different waiters for our table alone. Maitre d’, aperitif waiter, food waiter (initial order), wine waiter, a new waiter to deliver and clear each course, dessert waiter, someone to check how we liked each course, digestif waiter and finally someone to bring out the bill. Marvellous service. We felt like royalty and the food was amazing. No other word for it and none of those pissy little serves you normally get when fine dining either. We couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces. Gundel had their own gift shop selling memorabilia so I asked if I could buy a menu. They just gave me one. Icing on the cake. Thanks for the tip, Rob!

Hosok Tere (Heroes square). Dinner should really have increased our gravitational pull but instead we felt light as we floated toward Hero’s square. The square paid tribute to the millennial anniversary of the Magyar conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 1896. We topped the night off with a casual stroll back to the hotel down tree lined Andrassi Ut.

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Fisherman’s Bastion. Most of the exterior was covered in scaffolding, maybe part of a restoration project in preparation for the imminent tourist season but it was unrecognisable to the untrained eye. We originally thought it was Buda Palace. To be perfectly honest, we didn’t come to that realisation until the following day.

Marzipan. For anyone that has taken a peep inside our pantry, you will know that Marzipan is a standard addition. I don’t eat the stuff but Vic has a dependency on it. We stumbled across a museum showcasing incredible structures made entirely of Marzipan. Vic wasn’t terribly interested in the art but that didn’t stop her from hitting the gift shop.

Ruszwurm Cafe. Another Budapest institution (recommended by Vic’s Mum who was a regular in her younger years). Apparently the best Vanilla slice in town and as we soon found out, the biggest Sundaes too!

Gellert baths. I was getting antsy in need of a bath. Gellert is one of the most famous Hungarian mineral bathhouses. Hot and cold, indoor and outdoor, saunas, plunge pools, this place had it all. The complex was built in the early 1900s with a distinct Art Nouveau flavour. It was the perfect way to rest our tired legs after a full day of exploration. I could easily spend a week here although we were a bit prune like when we left. Didn’t get to try the massage, Rob but only because of the advance booking system. Next time.

http://www.gellertbath.com/

Gabi’s apartment. After soaking in the mineral baths for a few hours we set out to find the apartment Vic’s Mum grew up in. I couldn’t keep up with Vic as she scurried down the street, map in hand. It was surprisingly close to the Gellert. I could tell that Vic was filled with mixed emotion as she frantically tried to capture the perfect shot before dark which included pics of the building, the entrance, the street and the park across the way, where Gabi used to walk her pooch (Ronnie Bonnie Boxer). Although Gabi was thousands of kilometres away it almost felt like she was there with us.

Vic's Mum lived on the right side, first floor

Schnitty. Back to Vaci Utca for Dinner. We ate the tastiest schnitzel with almond flakes in the crispy breaded exterior. If it wasn’t for the goose overdose the night before, I would have eaten two!

Liberty Bridge. After dinner, we walked along the Danube towards the Liberty Bridge. It was incredibly beautiful under lights and complemented the cityscape well. Countless pictures thwarted only by Vicki’s patience. She eventually confiscated the camera only to start taking pictures herself!

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Paris of the East. Not far from the truth. This place had all the charisma, beauty, charm, culture and history of the French Capital but it was far more laid back without the hoards of tourist traffic. The people were very friendly and helpful and our currency felt like it was worth something again. We were practically doubling our dollar against the Euro but here we could spend and indulge more liberally without burning a hole in our pocket. Although Hungary is officially part of the European community, the currency remains as the Forint.

Cans. Maybe it is just the testosterone talking but Hungarian women are probably the most endowed in Europe. My arm is severely bruised. Vicki punched me every few minutes for perving. Could Paprika be the secret ingredient? Whatever it is, Hungary. Keep it up!

Nagy Vasarcsarnok (Market). Fresh food and smallgoods as far as the eye could see downstairs, eateries and specialty stalls upstairs. This place had a real buzz to it. Kind of like Queen Vic or Central markets but bigger. Vicki was on a mission. She clambered through the masses to find an eatery that sold what she was so desperately craving…

Langos. I can only describe it as fried flat bread. Kind of like Turkish bread but fried and traditionally smothered in sour cream and garlic. Probably not on the weight watchers list of recommendation but who really cares? Mouth-watering stuff. The Americans turn Langos into Pizza which must horrify the locals. Vicki had two serves, the little piglet!

Gulyásleves. We all know goulash soup but few are fortunate enough to eat the real deal. I didn’t have the patience to wait for dinner and no regret there. I’m salivating just thinking about it. I swear the Germans standing next to me muttered that I was scoffing as if I hadn’t seen food before. Stand back Frans, there may be splatter!

Main drag. We walked down Vaci Utca checking out the local sights and soaking up the culture. It was lined with shops and cafes but most surprising was the abundance of antique shops on offer. Antique shops are normally a little hit and miss but these were great. If it wasn’t for the exorbitant freight cost, we would have made more than a few additions to our home. Jay, it’s a good thing Gabi wasn’t here. Not sure she would have been too perturbed by something as trivial as freight!

Photographer. While walking through Vaci Utca, we spotted a local photographer peddling his work. Great pics. We decided to buy a couple of photos, one large and one small that complemented each other rather nicely. Vicki was keen on a third but decided against it. After sealing the deal we got to talking. He learnt of Vicki’s ancestry and was both surprised and taken. Just as we shook hands and parted ways, he tapped Vicki on the shoulder and handed her the third picture. “Please accept this from a Hungarian Artist to a Hungarian lady.” Vicki almost cried. What a lovely gesture.

Dinner. Quaint little restaurant tastefully decorated with a live pianist. The staff were great and the menu even more impressive. So much to choose from but Vic went straight for the biggest slice of pig available.

Death by Goose leg. I shouldn’t have had another serve of Gulyásleves for entrée but I did. It’s just so fucking good! The serving sizes are so large that it probably wasn’t an entirely good move. At that stage I was none the wiser but when mother goose came out swimming in a pan full of beans and egg, I knew I was in trouble. Not sure why but I felt compelled to finish it. It should be served with a defibrillator!

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Apartment. The master bedroom alone was bigger than most of the hotel rooms we’d stayed in. Two bathrooms, lounge, separate dining and a kitchenette. We almost felt normal again and made a mess of the place within minutes of settling in. Boy it felt good to have some room to sprawl. The apartment complex was located in a carefully renovated 18th Century building in a very trendy and central part of town. Convenient and full of natural charm.

Lukacs. Formerly frequented by the AVO (Hungarian Secret Police) and one of the most famous cafes in Budapest. It was practically across the road. They served the tastiest Hungarian sweets and savoury snacks (I’m sure that is disputable) but the interior was stunning and the service was great. It quickly became our regular haunt. Vicki was again in her element with the sweets. She hadn’t been this keen to satisfy her sweet tooth since France.

Supermarket. Now that we had our own fridge and kitchen, it was time to stock up on some essentials. Now by essentials I mean csabai, cheese, bread, korozott (spicy goat’s cheese dip) and uborka (pickled gherkins). No Hungarian home is complete without them. No time for Veggies. In true Hungarian fashion, they’ll just rot in the crisper (between you and me they are not big fans of anything that doesn’t bleed!). Gherkins and chillies are acceptable. Can’t wait to get my face into some traditional grub.

Dinner. Our first microwave meal. It wasn’t a birdseye processed package as such but instead a local Hungarian dish (Tarhonyas hus) freshly prepared and placed in the supermarket fridge. Simply reheat and enjoy. Pretty damn good for what would have been the equivalent of about $1.50. Yum.

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Dinner. We walked through the heart of Zagreb to get something to eat. We found the city to be very clean and beautifully lit at night but eerily quiet. Not sure if we were simply in the wrong part of town but apart from teenagers necking in the parklands there really wasn’t anyone around. We explored the city for a couple of hours to walk off the kilo of steak we just consumed. Might need to walk a little more tomorrow.

Go Aussie. Unlike France and Italy, which were absolutely flooded with Americans, neighbouring Croatia was jam packed with Aussie stock. Wherever we went there was the familiar cry of a fellow Aussie in the background. We only visited Zagreb, Split and Hvar but each were equally populated. It almost felt like we were in Northern Australia at times, particularly in Hvar.

Locals. We didn’t at any stage encounter disrespect or discourtesy during our time in Croatia but we found the people difficult to read. They rarely displayed emotion whether positive or negative almost always remaining emotionally neutral. Interaction was awkward at times as the general population were not entirely responsive to pleasantries. Maybe we’d become too accustomed to the Italian jovialness and over animation which in contrast alone could have made it all the more apparent.

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