What's been happening..

As many of you may know Wadda returned to Australia about 3 months ago after galavanting around Europe for 5 weeks. With 3 months of thinking time behind me I'm ready for more overseas action, the traveling party this time will include my 2 daughters. This pair of seasoned travelers are taking Wadda to few more places on his bucket list ,this should be fun for all involved. These shopaholic sisters don't think I can cut it with them ,only time will tell. The plan is to fly to Zurich in Switzerland  and to Bern then to St Moritz on the glacier express, then back to Munich. Maybe a couple of quick trips to the shops then it's off to Riga in Lativa by plane then a train trip to Tallinn in Estonia. Stockholm in Sweden is our next stopover for a couple of days. We then intend to cross Sweden by train stopping off at Oslo to break our journey, before heading to the high country of Voss and Flam taking in some of the prettiest scenery in the world. Bergen will be our our final stopover in Norway, and just maybe a quick flight to the Arctic Circle. The final leg of this trip will be spent in Copenhagen before touching down at the now very familiar Tullamarine Airport . The time spent with 2 daughters will be special so we had better make the most of it, these chances don't come around very often.............WADDA

Back home

As the heading suggests I have arrived back in to Australia safe and well after a 22 hr flight home from Amsterdam, in what has been a fairly hectic schedule over the last 5 weeks. To my traveling companions Cheryl &Tom the great times we had together were priceless , and money doesn't  buy the gift of friendship . And to my wife maybe we get some bigger suitcases next time, as shopping hit an all time high as we plundered 12 countries in 5 weeks . WADDA &Tom just seemed to do their own thing while this daily activity took place, we found comfort in sidewalk cafes and the odd bar watching the world go by and enjoying the scenery. Also to Tom whos military precision and planning of this holiday went off without a hitch , and to anyone who it thinking of a river cruising holiday I highly recommend it. Gotta go...........WADDA

Going home

Today I leave Amsterdam the return home to Australia after a hectic 5 weeks of constant travel, even though this can become tiresome it's worth every penny. That's it for now more more details for Australia, thanks.............WADDA

My last day of river cruising

Up and about early today because this is my last sailing day on these big rivers of Europe,  and during the night we made good time . We are now in the Netherlands where the scenery has changed a lot no more mountains  , it's just as flat as the night carters hat and below sea level as well . Still no sign of any windmills or tulips but there bound to be here somewhere . With the morning free time Denny gets on with packing the cases, this could take some time. With more stuff to take home than we started with this will not be funny, with an embargo on another new suitcase it will be do the best you can with what you've got. Writh a big lunch under our belts we go off on a canal cruise followed by a city walking tour then another bus ride, WADDA pulled out after the canal cruise and wandered home. The rubbish floating around in the canals was a bit ordinary along with the crazy cyclists and the pot smoking public this all added to the very cosmopolitan feel of Amsterdam. Probably one of the only hot days in the Netherlands summer has struck today the temp would struggle to the be in the very low 30s . The cyclists rule the world over here in Amsterdam and treat everyone else like shit , but it's there country so it's there rules . Walking the streets and mingling with the dope smokers was also a first for Wadda, but do not eat the bickies . Must go a say goodbye to my new found friends............WADDA

We cruise to Cologne

As the reality that our holiday on these mighty European rivers is almost over ,I ask myself the question was it worth it. The answer is absolutely, we continue down the magestic Rhine river to Cologne some 75 kms closer to the final destination where we will spend time , some will explore this city and others will go to Bonn. We've chosen the Bonn option some 40 minutes away,and this will be our last road trip before returning to the ship. With the bus half full of weary travelers we hit the road for Bonn the home town of Ludwig van Beethoven , not WADDAS favourite all time greatest muso but not to bad anyway. My heart is not quite into the hustle & bustle anymore so it must be close to going home time ,the beautiful countries I've traveled to and passed through will be forever etched in my mind . On our return to the ship a quick tidy up then it's off to the captains farewell cocktail party, do you mind. The good ship MV AMAVERDE sails for Amsterdam at 1930 a journey of some 297 kms ,this river is very busy and flows extremely fast so we should make a fair mile during the night. Tomorrow the temperature is expected the be 33c in Amsterdam so sightseeing should be very pleasant when we arrive about lunchtime, maybe a trip to the clog factory or the red light district or WADDA might even pick some tulips who knows.  ..........WADDA

Just another barge on the  mighty Rhine 

More river cruising

After an all night 155 km cruise down the main channel we eventually make it onto the Rhine for our final tilt to Amsterdam ,and our first stop today will be at the very beautiful town called Rudesheim. Tom & WADDA head for the gondola ride up to the Niederwald monument some 3hundred mts above the town, while the girls flog the guts out of the master card  . We do not ask or do not see the results of these constant attacks on our plastic family, but all we know is that they are better off without us . As Tom and WADDA do other things to amuse themselves sometimes good sometimes not so good this holiday is fast running out of steam and the real world is awaiting our return . But as the day continues we need to get moving another 86 kms down river to a place called Andernach where we will tie up for the evening, and have dinner with a real princess and listen to someone tickle the ivories on the grand piano. Off to Namedy castle which is not to far out of town, we enter the life of the rich and famous and rather like it while some walk through the garden others rummage through this very old residence. When the gong rings we all converge on the dining room for dinner and a Piano recital, our return to the ship is greeted with a few more late night drinks. It's now bed time.........WADDA

Miltenburg

With the sun rising over the some unknown valley and the early morning mist  coming off the water,this is river cruising at its best. Our stop today is the very historic town of Miltenburg  ,but not before we have a visit from a local glassblower. Hans is an 8th generational glassblower so he should know just a tiny bit about his trade ,and he doesn't disappoint. His work is just so special that WADDA needs to invest some euros into the local economy, how much let's just say plenty and leave it at that. After lunch we set sail on a walking tour of this very old river side town, some buildings here were built in the 1300 hundreds. The local guide is well drilled in the history of Miltenburg and tells us history of this place with passion , Suprise Suprise I run into a former Seymour resident as I stroll the streets of Miltenburg his name is Frank Graham. I think I'm suffering old shit overload so maybe tomorrow I will confine myself to the cabin. Just kidding because tomorrow sometime we rejoin the Rhine river for our run to Amsterdam, tonight APT will give a presentation on their 90year history. As I eat and drink my way to the finish line of this fantastic trip i ponder my next move, we will rejoin the Danube river around 2 am which means no more locks. And we are scheduled to arrive into Rudesheimat 9 am after some 155 kms overnight journey, tomorrow in Germany is Father's Day so WADDA & Tom just maybe cut loose from the main pack and live our own dream. No shopping would be nice..........Hoo Roo.........WADDA

Down town Miltenburg in Germany 

My time in a beautiful German city

Like the magic carpet ride when I close my eyes in one city and open them in another city this feels like a dream, these beautiful places are endless and Wurzburg  is no exception The Rhine region of Germany is somewhere you should all put on your bucket list,  so why not pull the plug on your superannuation or pension fund and get yourself across the ocean and take in all of these beautiful locationsThe kids inheritance can wait you are the important ones now, get of your off bum life is to short . Today we head for a very historical place in German history called Rothenburg some 1hr coach ride from from Wurzburg. The timing is tight so we decide to do the torture museum WADDA and  Tom both give this place the thumbs up,we return to the ship. While I hatch the next move the ladies inform me that their next move will be shopping.  Tom & WADDA are alone no dress shops or any other silly places to visit, I call a cab and the Steven Segeal look alike lobs in a flash Merc to take us on a mystery tour of this very beautiful place. 50 euros later the mystery ride was complete so we hit the pavement and on shankes pony head back toward our ship meeting many fellow travelers on the way. We explain to a fellow passengers about the custom of drinking on a certain bridge after 4 pm . The unmanned passenger named Bryan decides to shout us 2 a drink , now we hope for adoption. We return to the ship to make more plans for our last remaining days aboard the good ship lollipop, tonight we are cruising for Miltenburg some 127 kms away. See ya ...........WADDA

Tom &WADDA at Rothenburg in the Rhine region of Germany 

Bamburg or bust

Our on time departure from Nuremburg to Bamburg is pleasing as we never leave late but most times arrive early, and our arrival into Bamburg is no exception. We park in the industrial part of Bamburg not to far from the town as the Amerverde is far to big to reach the heart of this small town. The weather has been ranging from 21to about 27 just ideal to be doing all this fossicking around, the girls are happy today because the shops are open after the weekend. So the last week of this trip will be shop at anytime anywhere as long as they are pounding the pavement happiness will be King. After finishing the tour of beautiful Bamburg Tom and WADDA disappear into the shady streets to check out the local smoked beer . Well to all you smoked beer lovers I must say one thing,it will never put me to sleep in this lifetime. But it's not the end of the world there are still lots of things that not only look good but also  taste beautiful. We depart Bamburg on time at 1230 pm and with another big feed under my belt they then have an ice cream party, I think I need a lie down. The next leg of this fabulous trip will take us from Bamburg to another historic town called Wurzburg some 138kms further down stream, and as day turns into night it's off to dinner one more time. See ya tomorrow.......WADDA

WADDA and Tom in Bamburg testing the smoked beer

Crossing the Continental divide

 On our journey from Regensburg to Nuremburg we cross a point in Europe known as the continental divide,which means that this is the highest place in Europe where boats are transferred from one side of the mountain to the other. On waking up today we will begin to witness this marvellous piece of engineering, as we will go through 3 locks and each time dropping some 25 mtrs . And we go from going upstream to going downstream, that's enough technical jargon for one day. Before we arrive in Nuremburg we must eat ( again) this time a Sunday roast is up for grabs ,our lack of a good old fashioned Sunday roast will not be missed today. As we sink into another lock before we hit town I take a stocktake of my growing girth maybe a small serve today will help this growing problem ,,ha ha . Our arrival in to Nuremburg is a little bit early so our trip around the old German parade grounds is going to be ahead of time, the war certainly played a big part in Nuremburg and also the war crimes tribunal was held here . The coach drops us off at the old city for 2 hrs of free time, very nice indeed. Tonight we are joining the chef to test his new menu ideas for next weeks menu and also the wine selection, more torture for WADDA.

Inside one of the 25mtr locks

The top deck stripped down for the passing under lots of low bridges 

Regensburg then on to Nuremburg

Today was a sleep in day for a lot of people on board after a couple of hard day's previous, we are expected to arrive in Regensburg around midday and APT are rarely wrong. One thing about APT the amount of activities they have lined up everyday is incredible also the food they are supplying for us to eat is incredible last but not least how spotless they keep everything , it's a real pleasure . It's 10.30 off to the main lounge to try out the Fruhschoppen which means an alcoholic drink before midday ,you have probably guessed that it also involves a lot more eating ,something I've become quite good at. I await the arrival at Regensburg to walk of some of this over indulgence my Rolly Polly status continues to grow . The walk around this quaint small city was a learning experience for everyone and we are soon on a men only mission ( no shopping) , we have crossed to the other side of the river to enjoy the serenity and have a cool drink. With or sail time set for1745 we eventually meander back to the ship to freshen up for the evenings activities . Early tomorrow morning we go over the Continental divide of Europe which means we are now going down hill all the way to Amsterdam, and we also pass through the 3 highest consecutive  locks on this cruise. And each one will be falling about 25 mts then on to Nuremburg, another early night I just can't hack the pace so good night.......WADDA

Regensburg 

From Linz to Salzburg then to Passau

Today will be our last day in Austria then we push deeper into Central Europe ,but first we make a visit to Salzburg . We take this trip on the very historical train called the Majestic Imperator, with a tiring day behind us and the bikes erased from our minds we settle in for the 2 hr journey south. After more eating and more drinking we arrive in this beautiful Austrian city ,and let me say again beautiful . With our guided tour over we have a couple of hours free time, the girls hit the shops while Tom and WADDA begin to explore for ourselves. A ride in another Finicular up to the fort that then gives us a commanding view of the city below, and it is just stunning with the happy snapping finished we head down into the city . Food is now on our radar and Tom suggest fish &chips from a shop he spotted when walking on the tour, we soon track down this fish monger and our hunger is cured. Time has come to meet up with the rest of our traveling companions for a quick look outside city limits, then it's back to the train for our 3hr journey to PASSAU to re join the ship. Not only are we fed and watered again we also have Chinese opera singers on board who give a Royal performance. Back on the boat after a very big day it's time for dinner,this continuous cycle of eating and drinking has turned poor old WADDA a bit pear shaped . My new title may have to change to Rolly polly, if you ever do a cruise with APT you we never fade away the constant barrage of food is obscene but it's fun. We sailed from PASSAU during dinner and we are now heading for Regensburg another historical German town then at1730 we sail for Nuremburg, the wi fi service is a bit dodgy in some areas so these blogs maybe a bit behind. Need more food so see ya .............WADDA

Around Salzburg 

Durnstein to Melk On a deadly treadley

We arrived into Durnstien on time after sailing overnight from Vienna,  and with the cool early morning air cutting across the deck I knew we were in for for a fine day. With the temperature forcast for 27 c life on this majestic river doesn't get any better than this. Our challenge today is the 32km bike ride along the banks of the Danube, WADDA & Tom have signed on for the challenge and with a serious training session after dinner last night some team members may have over trained a wee bit. The rules for this gruelling event have been given out to all riders , but this small Aussie team will not be adhering to any of the European clap trap. When the two marshals who turn up to control the miss mash of contestants, I felt like we were under house arrest . The woman who lead this group of gentle souls into the country side was from a strong stable of fitness freaks and thought maybe she could turn many of us the same way  . After the first 6 kms some long faces and sore bums the world champion of who cares had set a cracking pace and informed us we were on record time to beat the old record set by some other geriatric mob . Our enthusiasm is slipping as we push further into Austria along the banks of the beautiful Danube river, at the 12 km mark we are again briefed on our ahead of schedule split times. We all breath a sigh of relief as we are herded onto a river ferry, maybe our bikes will fall in the water but no such luck, smart Tom try's bargaining with a bloke on the ferry to load a couple of bikes in the back of his Jaguar 4x4 to take us to Melk,the bloke didn't buy Toms story. With 20 ks to go we all dig in for the rest of this day from hell, with my mind locked into finishing this brutal test I push on hard. As the field around me starts to crack WADDA is hit with disaster, yes the seat fails to remain in the set position, I put my backside into many different positions to no avail. With 3kms to go Geoff the good samarium from Bendigo Australia quickly decides to swap bikes to give WADDA a crack at finishing. As I chase the pack into Melk I seize the chance and pounce I turn this road racing bike into a BMX cut corners jump curbs dodge trees and hit the front. The pelaton crumbles I am now eyeballing the fitness freak, to my dismay she says 1km to go I'm gutted .As the chasers hoon past I knew I was done l double back and ride in dead last with my new mate from Bendigo. WADDA is to buggered to post pictures tonight so goodnight.........WADDA

Off to Bratislava capital of Solovakia

Today we have multiple choices on what you wish to do I've chosen to go on the Solovakian trip, while me and Tom load ourselves into the 9am Bratislava express the wives choose retail therapy in Vienna. Our tour guide today is a big big Russian woman straight out of Moscow and thank god Bratislava is only a bit over an hour away, she never shut up and by the time we arrived at our destination she looked buggered. The next phase of this tour is a 2 hr walk around the old town I just hope the Ruskie up to the challenge, a few ciggies later she gave a heaving weezing performance on this beautiful old city.As she finds a shady spot she informed us that we now have 2 hrs free time, and we must return to this spot to catch the bus back to Vienna .Not far from the shady tree was a shady restaurant so we grabbed a chair and waited for the heaving hulk to return, the cider was ok and Tom tasted the beer while we discuss the alternative to the heaving hulks non return . From what we saw of Bratislava we were impressed , the large lady with the lollipop returns and our fellow travelers appear from everywhere. With our gang all accounted for we load onto the coach for our return trip to Vienna, our next suprise when the hulk starts selling alcohol on the coach. You little ripper I thought just maybe me and Tom could enjoy a cool drink on the way home, I quickly snap up a couple of cans of their snake oil for the princely sum of 4 euro . Unfortunately it had been sitting in the bus for who knows how long maybe a week or longer so no cool drink for WADDA. I travelled home in silence until the heaving hulk started to tell jokes and singing and not far out of Vienna all was quiet. As i disembarked from the coach still clutching my hot can of snake oil I looked over she was beaming and also smiling, she's had a great day .............WADDA

Amsterdam bound

The Amaverde pulls out of Amsterdam right on time with 22 hrs of steaming ahead we shall sit back and enjoy the all the  luxury that's on offer. Being a first time river cruiser where not to sure what to expect, it's not long and we are bombarded with food and more food and drinks. The ship pulls a steady 16 kph and our journey is some 1800 odd kilometres in length and with 60 something up and downs in the lock system this in itself will be an adventure. No much to report as we sail through the night except the first lock we arrive at has to lift the massive river boat some 60 feet to get to the next river level . At 2 am this was very impressive then back to sleep till breakfast time, while powering up stream we pass many other boats. Yes this is a busy river,arriving in Vienna just on lunch after more food it's of for a tour of the town, after early dinner it's off to a musical recital at some flash palace. Early to bed because I'm off to Bratislava the capital of Slovakia tomorrow for a 7 hr tour so see ya later............WADDA

PS I've sent a blog the other day and I think it's still in cyber space......sorry

The worst and the very best of Budapest

With the last few hours spent in Budapest we dump our gear on the good ship Amaverde and head back into the action, the boys head north and the girls hit the shops again. WADDA has been cautious regarding the crooks of Budapest and steered well clear of them, until today. What was a 6 euro taxi fare one way this thieving Budapest bandit tried to snip me 100 euros for the return journey ,like a flash I challenged this thieving mongrel . With 50 euros of my hard earned cash he eventually does a runner,what hope has a poor Aussie pensioner like me got against these scummy thieves. We reboard the ship and tell ourselves that there are only a few tea leafs in this beautiful country. The ship is now filling up with people from all over the place ,mainly Australians and at 3 pm we are welcomed aboard. The level of service is outstanding and the crew all seem friendly enough, pretty soon we are we have all or stuff put away in our very well appointed cabin. 24 of us have had the pleasure to dine at the chefs table WOW this bloke knows his stuff. The night only gets better as we take an evening cruise on the majestic Danube river just so so beautiful, with just enough beer and wine to lull me to sleep its time to say see ya tomorrow .............WADDA

Hungarys parliment house

The end of our backpackers holiday

Our last day of being a footloose fancy and free is today because tomorrow we begin the last chapter of this fantastic holiday. To our traveling companions the Bishwabees our best friends ever ,we shall never forget the land portion of this trip. Now begins the whitewater classic down the mighty Danube river starting in the beautiful Budapest and finishing in Amsterdam, the excitement for a couple of the crew is almost at fever pitch . As we ride the bus just one more time to the covered market with the rain gently falling I'm happy. Dealing with these trinket traders with 2 different currencies gives them the upper hand, more goulash at the market but turn my nose up at gizzard stew(wonder why) . These  con artists try to lure WADDA into there deceitful way of life with a deal you just couldn't refuse, an Apple I phone 7 for not the Aussie price of about a grand but the Hungarian price of $260.00 Aus and chuck in a pair of top of the range Ray Bans for 20 bucks . He must of thought I had idiot abroad tattooed on my head sent him packin like a dog shot in the arse. If you ever come to Budapest be sure to visit this market and everything else in this great city. Our next port of call is the New York cafe and restaurant as suggested by Cheryl, we arrived at the front door and I soon realise this place is FLASH better mind my manners in the best self rated cafe in the world. We were not disappointed this really was the best cafe in the world. Every thing was to world class standards including the price but you don't quibble over a few lousy euros when you are having the best of everything , what a place. As the day drifts slowly by Tom & Cheryl head of to the thermal baths while WADDA & Miss Denny take in street dancing by the Western Moldavia dancers and the music was played but Tinda Band . This group was ok but probably not to well known in Australia unlike the Hettyenfutty band who are very famous (ha ha) Head home to rest up because tomorrow our next adventure begins so hoo roo............WADDA

Inside the worlds best cafe in Budapest 

Catching the bus in Budapest

Today we will be catching the hop on hop off bus to check out just what Budapest has to offer these old aged backpackers from down under, castles churches and museums could be high on the list. But one of the features of this visit will be the 48hr bus ticket to ride the streets of this very old city, so here's hoping we make it through the hectic schedule we have set for the next couple of days . We climb aboard a big red bus around 9.30 am and set out to sight see this beautiful old city, it's up hill down dale and cross bridges as we travel the back streets of Budapest. What a fabulous old city with a history to match and it's had its fair share of invaders over the last 1000 years , on our 2nd lap around we hop off at the entrance to the Finicular for a ride up to the palace then some time spent footslogging this beautiful historical site. With the predicted storm closing in around us we head for for safety, just so happens that the casino is just a few steps away. As the lighting flashes and the thunder rolls by we have found a safe haven, actually the storm managed to slip past the edge of the city so no damage done. A couple of hours later we depart our safe haven with one of the group 400 euros richer, we continue to explore this great city. As nightfall nears we are now seeking food and pretty soon we zero in on a restaurant in the Jewish quarter called Macesz , as first time diners of this beautiful food no one was disappointed. We wander home to our lodgings to plan another big day tomorrow. ....So see yah..................WADDA

Hanging around on famous Chain Bridge 

Budapest or bust

After a great Hungarian meal last night in the lovely rural city of Siofok it's time shake the hay out of our hair and kick the shit off our shoes. No more country bumpkin life style for this mob cause we are heading for the big smoke ( Budapest) three days of rubbing shoulders with the with the locals then we do what the rich people do for a fortnight. River cruising will be taken to another level when we join this white water adventure, with fine dining comes the responsibility of fine drinking of which we are well versed in both . But first we need the chance our arm on one more railway journey to the capital, this dicey trip has been well thought out with detailed planning so what could possibly go wrong. Suprise Suprise we reach the Hungarian capital in double quick time with no delays, this certainly is not the Melbourne to Albury line. As we begin begin to backpack out of the station one last time l chuckle softly to myself on the enormity of our challenge and how successful we have been ,with 3 days left in Budapest we will hit the tourist trail hard trying not to overlap any of the pleasures APT has lined up for us. Because as of 3 pm on Sunday we will live in the lap of this tour company for the next 14 days, more dramas the girls can't get the washing machine to fire up and with things looking grim. The boys fail to be of any assistance whatsoever as this seems to be a ladies problem , nearly time to wine and dine again . Back from another great evening out and the food was just superb ,well it's past my bedtime so goodnight.........WADDA

Is the pub over here

Siofok on the shores of Lake Baliton (Hungary)

Our arrival at Siofok last night was to a very cool evening, with the skies clear and the air brisk we hit the streets looking for somewhere to dine . We finished up at a great Italian restaurant to fill our empty stomachs after our marathon cross country train  trip then early to bed. Just a few facts about Siofok it's situated on the shore of Lake Baliton and is among the top tourist destinations for the Hungarian people, the size of lake is about 592 square kilometres and freezes over in the winter time. We are here one month before there holiday season starts so not a lot happening at the moment , and we don't have to line up or be pushed around . While the ladies continue this shop to you drop craze  Wadda  and tight arse Tom sit in in some lonely mall watching the world drift slowly by ,and on the very odd occasion enjoy a cider or 2 . The afternoon activities include looking for somewhere to dine tonight, and you would think that all I ever think about is food and cider well you're your not far wrong . Over here in Eastern Europe these two commodities are very cheap for example beer is cheaper than dry ginger ale ,so I've gone off the dry ginger for the time being. The afternoon slips slowly toward evening as we take time out on our balcony at the Bella apartments enjoying some afternoon refreshments ,dinner will be another feast at some quaint little Hungarian restaurant in the back streets of  Siofok . We hit Budapest tomorrow so bye for now............WADDA

SORRY No PHOTOS

Time to ride the rails to Hungary

With our preparation to leave Croatia today winding up I pinch myself on what has so far been an amazing holiday, but today as we head for the Hungarian boarder I just wonder what if. We bus around some track works and were soon heading east toward Hungary , the mullet haired conductor tries to tell us we should be on the night train. What would he know and we push ever closer to the boarder, by now some doubts have crept in to our heads and we continue in vain. Pretty soon the boarder control climbs aboard for a passport check and once again they let us continue ,at the next station more boarder control and we are cleared again and we enter Hungary. With our one and only train change complete the next crappy piece of junk begins move forward but only just. Our destination is a small town on the shores of lake Baliton called Siofok ,the distance between Zagreb and Siofok is some 220ks this trip took just on 7 hrs. This snail rail journey was an adventure we will never forget, starting the journey on the slow train the conductor and a member of the traveling public had a slight alteration. This lead to the train stopping and refusing to go any further until the passenger removed himself from the train, which he did after all the other passengers give him a fair old payout. With no water or food the hunger pains start to creep in on this Hungarian adventure, pretty soon the women produce some stale old cake and some dry biscuits. And one of the touring party was celebrating her 64th birthday so we sang happy birthday and cleaned up the tucker. Siofok is as cold as you know what on our arrival so no skinny dipping to night. Gotta go and have dinner so see ya....".....WADDA

This was the bone rattler

Our time is up in Zagreb

Tomorrow we leave this beautiful country called Croatia and head to Hungary by train, should be fun. Our last day spent in Croatia will surely influence our thoughts on this very different place , our arrival into Zagreb late on Saturday drew some long faces and some played their cards close to their chests not wanting to sound like wingeing Aussies. With the drab appearance and graffiti plastered everywhere my thoughts were leaning towards the wingeing Aussie theory, but as the sun rose on Sunday and Monday mornings we were ready to tackle these arising fears , I've already spoken of Sunday now lets get on to Monday. The first thing to do was ride the funicular to the dizzying heights above Zagreb (about 70mts) no shortage of oxygen up here, strolling back down from this lofty spot above the city we find shops, the stroll is now a crawl. Here is a known fact about Croatia they have the most cake and ice cream shops per population, and WADDA is road testing most of them. More time is spent eating as we drag ourselves towards the botanical gardens . Not much botany in this garden but I suppose they are trying, heading back towards the city more food ,this is ridiculous. I plough through another great lunch , but would give my leftie for bangers and mash or just a good old fashioned roast and I reckon that's still about 3 weeks away. Zagreb has a great public transport system so we decide to put it through its paces, tight arse Tom buys 4 one hour tickets so we can test the the tramway section, out past the Zagreb zoo we hop off and begin to stroll again. Rain begins so we re mount the tram and head back to town, unfortunately this tram is on city bypass and we finish up out the other side of town. We were not lost just misplaced and soon return to the city, well Zagreb has won back it's great ratings but only through  its very extensive range of food and cakes & ice cream. Tomorrow we are bound for Siofok a small town across the boarder in Hungary on lake Baliton.............bye bye WADDA

The day Zagreb stopped

This is yesterday's blog and it was Sunday while we wander around this ghost like city looking for something to attract our attention other than  a church we come across the blue bus ride around Zagreb. After waiting almost 1 hrs this blue creature appeared from nowhere yes it was a relic from the past, with no other option we pay the money  and climbed aboard and others soon follow. A crowd has now gathered to farewell the ever so brave Aussies who are heading for who knows what. As this  hard revving smoke belching creature leaves the curb our 1 hr adventure has begun, and the smiling crowd that has gathered waves us farewell, the driver thinks he's behind the wheel of a flash Kenworth . Not long into the trip I soon discover just what a death trap we are aboard, the over head tram wires hang dangerously close to the open top of this classic ride. The bus driver puts this relic into some very tight situations but manages to avoid colliding with other traffic on these tight a narrow streets. Some fool lady decided to stand up at the back of the bus bang smacked on the head with a low hanging wire,no further casualties. We stumble of this  monster with all our body parts intact..........WADDA

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Little way side stop on the road to Zagreb

The bus driver stopped yesterday on our way to Zagreb at this small town,the water flowing under these buildings was just beautiful. This was an old milling town

A very big day .

Today we head for Zagreb the Croatian capital for a 3 day stop over also taking in a 4 hour tour of the world class Plitvice national park some 260ks north of Split. Portal tours picks us up in a small mini bus to take us to catch the larger bus we will be using for the day,while waiting the arrival of the bus I look at all our stuff yes it's just stuff I'm sure we are all related to the Griswalds. There is about 19 going to Plitvice this morning from all different countries so it should be good fun,after the first hour they announce a food stop . Having very little to eat prior to our departure I got straight to the point and filled my tank in a very short time. The road to Zagreb is a beautiful freeway with a 130k speed limit but nobody worries to much and on the way we pass through a 6 k tunnel carved through the mountains. As we are arrive at Plitvice national park I can't help but notice the crowds of people, and I mean thousands. Our guide tells us that the walk we will be doing today is 7 kms and now there a some long faces . From the moment I saw this place I knew I was in for a real treat and I wasn't disappointed, words and photos do not do this place justice. When you travel the world and our own beautiful country and you think you have seen it all well don't kid yourself , places like this make you want to travel to more places and discover more beautiful places. This has been another 12hour day so goodnight............WADDA

The photo problem is slowly being sorted,           

Our last day in Split

We wake to thunder and lightning and rain on the Croatian coast this morning far different from yesterday's glorious day, as I lay here crashing the keys on my iPad trying to reschedule today's activities the weather begins to break . We fuel up with the big breakfast and decide that the shopping mall should keep us dry,as we ponder the taxi option a taxi driver awaiting another pick up suggests we go to another historical town some 30 minutes out of town, he knows another bloke with a taxi happens to be his brother. Soon we a speeding our way toTroji with the freeway speed limit of between 60-80kph due to roadworks but our driver thinks 110-120 kph is a safer speed. Also a chat on the mobile phone is another thing they take pride in doing whilst driving, but we do arrive safely. The driver say he will wait 1 hour then take us back to Split we like this cabbie a lot, and the weather is starting to look promising as we climb aboard for our return to Split. The tipping is getting out of hand as WADDA is still coming to terms with this one country two currencies fiasco, and at the moment I'm being very generous to all who cross my path. Miss Denny stares me down when I reach for my wallet and say that this generosity cannot continue or we might have to busk on the boat. I ease into the afternoon with a couple of ciders and some rest time, the evening is soon with us and we settle on a last supper in our luxury apartment . WADDA and the St Kilda supporter head out to gather the evening meal from a nearby supermarket which consisted of 2 stubbies of beer 2 stubbies of cider 1 tomatoe 4 very small bread rolls and a kit Kat for sweets, we also boiled some water for our wives. The boiled water will prevent any illness and can also be used for our road trip tomorrow, so I hope these precautions are ok. Tomorrow we head for Zagreb via Plitvice national park ,this is one of the parks in Croatia under UNESCO protection,the trip is about 400ks in distance with a 4 hour stopover at Plitvice. As the sun sets over the Adriatic coastline we begin to ready ourselves for the next phase of this fabulous holiday,so I'll be back tomorrow........maybe.......WADDA

Boban luxury apartment

The luxury is not quite as luxurious as expected at Boban penthouse apartments as we soon discovered no sauna no spa no heated pool and not much hot water being delivered to the shower head, but as usual the St Kilda supporter hogged his share the night before. Today is a very fine day and the decision on where to go is still to be decided, maybe an island cruise or more retail therapy. But first I'll be getting stuck into a big Croatian breakfast , with this important duty complete we toss a coin on the rest of our day. The trip to the docks took many different turns Miss Denny what's to go one way and WADDA the one with the built in Navman what's to go the other , when you are some 15,000 ks from home you have to be able to win at least one argument. My score so far is zip zero zilch so I wander the back streets of Split like an unregistered dog in the trailing position. We eventually arrive dock side only to discover the boat to Hvar has already sailed, plan B more retail therapy. As we step away from the sidewalk cafe the ever alert WADDA spots a romantic cruise on the magnificent Adriatic, the clincher was the free glass of wine. Ninety minutes later we return to the dock and all is forgotten until on the way home I point out where she went wrong . I should be out of hospital in the morning, I sometimes handle the truth carelessly this might just be one of those times so I'll let it rest. Now while I'm on the prowl let me tell you about some of the Croatian people especially the ones who have scribbled graffiti all over town, to me you have spoilt your beautiful city. You may have gathered my new love is the Dalmatia coast it's just the most beautiful place,anyway my thirst needs quenching so bye for now........WADDA

Next stop Split

With yesterday behind us we ready ourselves for a road trip to Split ,the 8 seater Mercedes bus lobs 30 min early for the scenic coastal route to Split. Anton is well presented and his bus spotless and speaks our language, as we bid farewell to Dubrovnik we set our sights on Split. About 1 hr into the trip we discover that we have another boarder crossing this time into Bosnia , the efficiency of the boarder guards at this check point is a big improvement on yesterday sham. We safely enter this previously war torn country only to be surprised that most of what was blown up has been rebuilt , a quick snack and we hit the road again . Many hours later we arrive at this sea side resort , with an open mind we check this holiday hot spot. Early days yet but already the graffiti has taken my attention and all ready I'm not liking what I see, maybe my mind will change over the next few days . Nothing to report on our first afternoon in Split hope to have a story tomorrow..........WADDA

Montenegro for the day

As the morning light creeps through windows around 5am we begin to ready ourselves for the trip south to Montenegro, but an overnight disaster has struck the hot water has been inadvertently turned to the off position. With cold showers looming for all except one the blame game begins, maybe it's someone who is a St Kilda fan. The bus picks us up around 7.20 am and we circle Dubrovnik picking up others who have signed on for this trip south, it's like the league of nations when the bus is finally full with 19 paid up passengers. We have Poms ,Scottish,German, Aussies and not sure of the others The small Mercedes coach pulls hard up out of this very steep terrain  headed to Montenegro , we arrive at boarder control to have everybody's passport checked and stamped. Some 45 minutes later we are aloud to enter Montenegro,the moment after rounding the first bend I knew we were in for something special today. We talk of our beautiful country but this goes to another level , from high in the mountains to the valley floor this place is just so so beautiful . The bus driver is fun on wheels we are continually laughing at his humour ,the first major town on the tourist trail is called Budva . The town has a old section with a newer section near by all is ok but the overall appearance is a bit tired ,lunch is taken. With the temperature hovering around the mid 20s Big Jack takes the plunge into the Adriatic Sea as I guard the valuables and survey the moving crowd , 2 hours later we hit the road again heading for Kotor winding our way through this rugged countryside,we look down into the valley below and there is Kotor . With 2 cruise ships tied up at the port there is a huge crowd in town , the mountains surrounding this small town are just so rugged but so beautiful. It's now time to locate and taste so of the local food and I soon spot this very lovely cake shop, pretty soon I'm tucking into a beautiful chocolate ,cream custard creation . We continue to follow the water line around this truly beautiful waterway to a small village called Preast where will catch a very small boat across the bay to an island about mid way across , a short visit to this tiny island and it's of again . We reload the bus and head for boarder control . Our arrival back into Croatia with the sun beginning to set it has turned a very long day into a fantastic road trip,dropped off near the pizza shop was certainly a good idea .  With pizza and beer in our bellies and to knackered to walk home to SeaView apartments we grab a cab to everyone's delight Montenegro remember the name this is one place you should all come and visit some time, forget our Great Ocean road this place will blow your mind
                                                WADDA

One day in Dubrovnik

Perched high above the Adriatic Sea our apartment clings to the side the of this cliff that should only be suited for Pidgeons & seagulls, we estimate the height at about 100 Mts above the water. Breakfast on the balcony was a beautiful experience as I sit alone eating toast tomatoes & fritz , with clear water and crisp air where in for a top day of sight seeing. Looking out over old Dubrovnik from this great location this will be a stroll in the park for us veterans as we seek out  Dubrovniks best. The first major attraction is the cable car up Mt SRD to a spot high above this beautiful city, we seek out the Panorama restaurant at this lofty location for some fine dining (steak sandwiches & hamburgers) . The view from up here is just breath taking OMG ,we return to the old town and start to wander through this very historic piece of Croatian history. Some of members of the touring party are starting to fall apart under this punishing schedule, with a drinks stop the spirits are soon lifted. But alas not long into the second half of this foot slog the pained look on several faces told me they had burnt out, the journey back to the Eagles nest would take sometime. Perched high on the hill eating nibblies and sipping cider WADDA is so pleased that his face was not wracked in pain, the others know who they are...
                                        WADDA
PS From the Panaroma restaurant high above Dubrovnik. Tomorrow we are off to Montenegro and Kotor

Croatia bound

Today is the day we leave the beautiful city of Barcelona bound for Dubrovnik a coastal city in southern Croatia ,we have heard so much about this lovely country we are here to experience it for ourselves. The 12 days in this Adriatic country should expose us to a new culture of eating and way of life. Packing starts early so as to be ready for the 9.00am taxi pick up , the suitcase size hasn't changed but the contents going in has increased. This problem will dog us until we return home, my theory of pack light travel fast has been has been shot down in Barcelona (thanks Denny) . The day only gets worse with our impending arrival to the cattle class section of our flight to Croatia,with  no free food or free drinks maybe I'll have to suck this very harsh way of crisscrossing the globe and buy some onboard refreshments. With no red wine or cider available on this cheap arse flight we will suffer in silence for this 2 hr flight . More bad news this flight is leaving late because of over crowding in the terminal and not enough people to process all the departures. Vueling air line leaves a lot to be desired, now the crew is tired so they bus in a fresh team to fly to Dubrovnik. I'm well and truly over this and my day from hell is not over yet. Our approach to Dubrovnik airport is a bit tricky account the runway is a bit short and you need to know what you're doing, well let me tell you that Biggles the change over pilot made a fair old mess of the basic how to land a plane in fine weather. As he cut around to line up the runway he was to high to fast and as I said my Hail Marys he gunned the Rolls Royce motors back to full throttle and up we went again. WADDA is starting to sweat just a little by now, Biggles lines up for his second attempt as he cuts the power we find the runway the crowd begins to clap including WADDA. Our Seaview apartment in the old town of Dubrovnik is a cracker, nailed to the side of a cliff with a beautiful view of the Adriatic Sea the 51 steps to reach this Eagles nest are well worth the effort . Time to admire the sunset so see ya.
                                                                                                                       WADDA

La Ramblas

On our last full day in this wonderful Spanish city called Barcelona the jury is still out on today's activities , with the list as long as my arm of destinations still not visited this will be a tough decision on today's activities. With the sun well and truly up there is still no sign of the retail warriors ,one big day pounding the pavement seems to have cured the need to shop till you drop (maybe) . Las Ramblas wins the vote for the first activity of the day, Las Ramblas is a very wide tree lined avenue some 1.5 ks long running form the city to the waterfront, can you imagine a farmers market this long. We meander all the way down to the waterfront, wow this place is something else and on arrival at the big retail outlet I spot a bloke selling a self drive experience in the latest F430 Ferrari. Wadda is so excited at this offer he cannot refuse, I stumble to the counter like a slobbering wreck to book this bad boy offer. My slobber soon turns tears when they ask me for my current license, the rules require you to show it before they let you loose on the streets of Barcelona,and it's a long way back to Australia to get it. Plan B is to be driven through the streets of Barcelona by a pro,which I finally agree to. As I slide into the finest leather wrap around seats 20 year old Migual is parked behind the wheel with a cheeky grin from ear to ear, as he slowly caresses the accelerator of this beast I begin to worry This beast looks fast just standing still , the only thing that was gentle was the takeoff and parking at the end . The thrill of speeding around the streets of Barcelona was something I'll never forget this as long as I live ,more retail therapy . Arriving home to an empty apartment we grab a cab and head to the Barcelona casino where there were winners and losers, our last night in this wonderful city will be spent cleaning out the fridge . Some will have strawberries and cream other will have tomatoes on toast and hopefully all the beer is gone, we have a 1220 flight to Croatia for the next leg of this fantastic holiday.
                                                     WADDA
Ps . Maybe some photos tomorrow ( hopefully)

Busy Barcelona

Today we will endeavour to see some more of the wonderful sights of this beautiful city called Barcelona. The big red bus will again be our mode of transportation around this very busy city, and with yesterday's cold snap behind us it's game on. As the sleepy heads slowly muster at the breakfast bar  to put their two bobs worth in regarding today's activities WADDA is plotting the afternoon session for Jack and himself. This W.F.A------- wives free afternoon will coincide with the ladies having some retail therapy ,where by Tom&Wadda will head for Camp Nou the home of the Barcelona Football Club  . This club is absolutely amazing with its a membership nearing 970 thousand worldwide, eat your heart out EDDIE. The tree lined streets throughout Barcelona are just so beautiful and so well kept we Aussies could learn a thing or two about streetscape. Camp Nou is the life and soul of Barcelonas football following faithful, this is the holy grail of Spanish football .With access to some of the inner sanctum of this amazing place the hairs on the back of your neck stood up as we wandered through the bowels of this fantastic stadium. With our raid on the souvenir shop now complete we cool our jets in an outside bar and just watch the world drift slowly by. This is what I call living the dream in what is a very very beautiful city , as we snap back into the real world wondering how the retail raiders are going.  As we head back to city central we plan the next phase of a great day ,FOOD and lots of it and this will be no aircraft style of eating yes this is to be a full on smorgasbord all you can eat for the grand sum of 13 euros, the lovely ladies finally arrive . With our bellies full a our clothes bursting at the seams we waddle home. This has been a great way to spend a day with some great people in a fantastic city called Barcelona, gotta go and catch some beauty sleep as tomorrow I leave this wonderful country and head to Croatia..........WADDA

Melbourne to Barcelona in under a day

We leave Melbourne under cold wet and windy conditions heading for Singapore on the first leg of our adventure. 22hrs later we arrived in cold wet and windy Barcelona, but back to the trip later ,on leaving the Singapore travel lounge we are soon escorted aboard some sort of flying machine with our names written all over the business class section. With our minds numbed by cheap alcohol we flop into those very comfortable leather lounges, the passing parade of flight attendants bearing food and drinks soon win us over . With the gourmet food flowing this will only end in tears if we continue to pig out , 8hrs later we hit the Singapore flight lounge to taste some of Asia s best food and hospitality,more joy to this happy group. As we file back aboard we begin to ready ourselves for Singapores second longest flight of some 6400 miles to Barcelona. 14 hrs later we arrive in a wet and soggy Barcelona and the temperature is a cool 8 Celsius. We fire straight into a big red bus tour organised by big Tom. We are cold wet and miserable on arrival back at our place of rest so Wadda and Tom decide to check out the surrounding area for food and drink ,this mission takes a fair while because we had to assimilate ourselves with the locals . With the women on the verge of collapse we call an early night so we can fight another day,and with the sun going down and the cloud clearing we will be ready for some Barcelona sunshine tomorrow, so now it's lights out from this crew until tomorrow............WADDA

The dream begins

Today we embark on our long desired European holiday ,so it's up early for the last minute preparations . With the weather changing for the worst here I can't wait to get to the northern hemisphere to test out there balmy early summer. Our day will be start out by catching the train to Melbourne then the bus to Tullamarine,after checking in we might just slum it in the Singapore lounge for awhile before catching our flight out of a cold wet and windy Melbourne The flight heads to Singapore then to Barcelona , with 22hrs of flying ahead of us I'm sure we can lap up the the service that our business class ticket affords us ,so see ya in Barcelona............WADDA.    

PS  Our time spent in the Singapore lounge was not to be missed, the feeding frenzy began on arrival. Once fed and watered I slowly drained my last chard and waited for my boarding call. The way to Barcelona will involve much more eating and drinking and sleeping. So hoo roo for now

Our lucky day we met 2 lovely ladies at Tullamarine airport 

Time to dust down the samsonite suitcase

With just a few days  to go before I depart on this long awaited trip of a lifetime it's time to get my luggage ready. Gone are the days of just chucking stuff in my battered suitcase ,this is like performing surgery, packing and unpacking will be performed with strict military precision. Usually I pack my bag until the lid won't close,then you have to sit on this family sized coffin to close it . As you scan the room you spot stuff you have failed to get into the family coffin, as this now dangerous piece of travel gear has to be reopened we drape ourselves across the lid ready for release. Wise heads prevail and a total repack is deemed necessary this process will be carried again again and again . We are now almost ready to secure this living breathing monster,yes it is alive. With the safety straps tightened and some duct added we lift this other form of life off the bed. With the  cargo luggage now ready we move to the carry on luggage, my next big decision is do I take my backpack or my man bag . I've decided that the pack safe backpack looks to be the likely winner, it feels like having a family member  strapped to my back . This will be my third trip to the northern hemisphere and so far I've not encountered any problems but you can never be to sure, also smartraveler has kept me up to date regarding my personal security, so hopefully things will be fine. As the days go by very slowly i take a few minutes to reflect on my traveling companions Tom and his wife Cheryl last but not least my wife Miss Denny , the 2 women are of sober habits and very stable,the 2 gents I'm not so sure. I suspect some high jinx will occur during this 37 day fun filled holiday, unlike some of my outback adventures where we have had a pretty loose rein , I'm sure the little ladies won't be so generous . But  with a pocket full of euros and the wind in our hair Wadda and big Tom will try our Aussie best to keep the dream alive  see ya later.................WADDA

Second instalment of my 2017 holiday planner

As mentioned in my previous blog the arrival of a new bundle of joy has arrived, a beautiful baby granddaughter has arrived in our life. So we now move to the next phase of the holiday planning, with a 3 day stopover enjoying the delights of Budapest and surrounds we then board an APT cruise for a 14 nights 15 day river boat ride to Amsterdam. This all inclusive junket has been in the planning stage for a few years now ,hope these European boat people can handle a couple of swashbuckling Aussie larrikins,time will tell. Now with just 8 weeks till this adventure begins its time to tone our bodies into shape, and learn to gibber a few foreign languages just in case we become misplaced .But with my keen sense of direction an my northern hemisphere experience I feel pretty safe, you must remember this is Europe not Australia. The month of February has been very busy for me helping out at the SEYMOUR ALTERNATIVE EXPO, gotta go stay tuned ,,,,,,,,,,,,,WADDA
PS   To Karen from the USA hope you enjoyed the Expo

My 2017 holiday planner

As one year passes and the next one begins it's time to knuckle down for some serious holiday planning, but first things first. With the arrival of a new grandchild any day now me must bide our time and wait for this precious event to happen, with 5 grandsons and 1 granddaughter one more small bundle of joy will be most welcome. Now about those holidays I've been talking about,this event will take place in April along with my mate Jack and his wife Cheryl and my wife Denise. Our plan is to fly to Singapore then on to Barcelona ,after a few days of eating Tapas we will board a flight to Croatian city of Dubrovnik for another 3 days taking in all the beautiful things around this ancient city. Our plans to go to Hvar by ferry have suffered a body blow because the ferry doesn't run on our preferred travel dates so we will take a taxi to Split spending another 3 nights in this coastal location. A day trip to Hvar should be well worth the effort after reading all the reviews this sounds like another great location, the next leg of this spiralling out of control holiday will be to the Croatian capital Zargreb via the Plitvice national park,traveling around the Croatian countryside is somewhat slower than we planned so this leg will also be undertaken by taxi. Then on to Siofok and Budapest where the last leg of this fabulous holiday begins, more on that in the next couple of week.........WADDA