Germany

We have been in Germany nearly two weeks now, we came with no plan other than to move in a northerly direction, because after Germany we intend on driving (about 1000km) to Stockholm, to visit Simon's brother Ben and his girlfriend Anna.

We haven't done very much. Aside from some overnight downpours and a couple of cloudy mornings the weather has remained warm and sunny. We have been driving and staying in small (incredibly lovely/neat/pretty) towns like Selb, Freidrichroda, Uslar, Hermannsberg etc.

A day in life of Simon and I in Germany goes something like this...wake up around 8 o'clock and doze or read until around 9. Simon gets up and makes coffee and breakfast, I then get out and another hour and a half of reading begins. I eventually tidy away the dishes and pack a small bag. We then walk into town to a bakery and buy fresh bread for lunch, and a quick trip to the info centre gets us a map showing the dozen walks which surround every small German town. Then a good 10km walk and a picnic lunch begins. The afternoon can include some incredibly competitive games of cards or 'take two' (home-made on the back of cut up cereal boxes) and invariably some more reading. Late afternoon is usually another wander into the town to taste a local beverage (and hopefully secure another coaster to add to our collection). Around 7 – 7:30 I make curry...etc etc

It has been very relaxing but I have to say I am looking forward to some more variety and excitement soon =)

One Sunday, our first in Germany, we were driving around for a while hoping to find a grocery store to do our weekly shopping (and get some lunch) as our cupboards were bare. Finally yeilding to the realisation that every shop in Germany was closed we eventually (at about 3:30) hit on a tiny pub that was advertising some sort of pork and chips. It was a bit awkward because the place was deserted except for the owner (whom we later found out was from the Czech Republic and had only recently bought the place), however he was so incredibly friendly and helpful that we stayed. He asked us if we would like him to suggest some food. We agreed. He served us a 3 course meal, cooked by himself. It was awesome, entree was some sort of goulash soup (so good I nearly died), we then had a massive salad, and mains was delicious stirfry pork with pickles/mustard/onion stuff. I don't know why I'm telling you but it was just a nice moment.

We also visited the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp (also used as a Polish POW facility before that). I don't think that anything we had studied at school or Uni really prepared us or made us understand the brutality and horror of what happened in those camps. The information and exhibitions set up there were really well done but they didn't spare you any details. I can hardly believe that only a lifetime ago such things actually happened. Its the kind of thing that makes me want to respond somehow, to do something, but there isn't anything to do except know about it. This is a strange thing to put in a blog but I've thought about it a lot since we visited, and also realised how little my generation has had to suffer though anything, or struggle against anyone or want for anything.

What else can I say...Simon grew the most massive beard because we've been staying in unpowered sites for two weeks and I (for reasons we wont go into) was forced to shove my arm down a sewage drain in the pouring rain. The joys of travel!

Czech-one-two...

(Yes I know.)

Since Dubrovnik we've been on the road for a bit over a week and have covered a bit of ground. Because of time constraints, as serious as they are for a 19 week trip, we decided to do Austria and the Czech Republic in a week.. So it was Vienna and Prague. But first we rounded out our time in Croatia with three more nights at the same camping spot we spent our first two nights. It was that good. It could only have been better if we'd had a boat and some rods. See for yourselves.

Austria was...I'm not sure what Austria was. Vienna didn't do much for us, but then that probably had a bit to do with not seeing one tourist information centre at all while we were there. That made the public transport difficult, though we figured it out in the end with a bit of help from an old lady waiting for the tram.

We did, however, find a nice place to stay outside Vienna. It was a winery/restaurant with a vineyard behind. They parked us out the back with the tractors, and fixed up the bill by going inside for a glass of wine and some pork crackling. Bloody good.

To slow the pace a bit we spent a couple of nights out in the sticks, in a little town called Eggenburg, a walled medieval town. It was lovely to get back to a small town like the ones we enjoyed so much in Belgium. The photos below are from the neighbouring town, Stoizendorf, a 45 minute walk away. It's an old wine producing area. One street was lined on both sides with cellars dug into the banks and vineyards in the fields behind. A great spot.

Prague, where we were today, was really nice. One of the first things we noticed was that even the tourists seemed a bit more relaxed. We didn't have to spend half our time fighting our way through the crowds. There were lots more old buildings, Prague is a nice looking city, lots more nick-nack vendors, and all the stuff other cities have. We did check out the Communism Museum which was recommended to us by some friendly young dutchies at our campsite. It was, of course, specifically about communism in the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia) and it was really well put together. Those years must have been horrendous for the people who lived through it.

We did also see some happy things. There was an old man playing jazz on a corner in the city. He had a cd playing and soloed to it on sax and trombone. Every now and then he'd stop playing and just sing along. It was excellent, plus he was at least 80 wearing suspenders over his white shirt. The real deal.

So that's it so far. Tomorrow we head to Germany which should be a nice relaxing time, hopefully seeing a bit of their national parks. Till next time.

Into Croatia

Italy as a whole was frustrating for me. It seemed to build me up with beautiful rivers along which perched tiny wooden cottages who's owners spread nets, like spider webs, over the expanse of the river, BUT then delivered such strange road signs that we would end up driving through the Hobart mall of seaside towns. However before we left we visited Venice, I didn't have high expectations to be honest. People told us that it would be really dirty, but I actually really loved it! We wandered around for about 6 hours. The narrow alleyways and canals were beautiful, and it was definitely the cleanest city in Italy! We got there via a ferry and enjoyed some delicious pizza, pasta and gelato whilst we were there.

The day after we drove out of Italy and toward Croatia. To get there we went through Slovenia, and in the half hour we drove through Slovenia we saw about 7 spit roast pigs on the go... the smell, well it made be glad not to be vegetarian.

Then on to Croatia...we've pretty much driven the length of it now and it is certainly a land of contrasts. It seems to be a place mostly consisting of solid rock and craggy mountains and hills, its very dramatic. However in all its valleys and along the river mouths people have gone agriculturally mad, and its beautiful. Add to that the perfectly clear, blue ocean along the coast. Its awesome and I love it.

We found this tiny camper place our first day and got a spot on the waters edge, literally 3-4 meters away from the water. And it was quiet, so beautifully and perfectly and wonderfully quiet...so we slept and swam and sunbaked and read, and wished we had snorkels and fishing rods and boats etc.

A couple days later we made to Dubrovnik, certainly a tourist town, but very cool. They understand camping here so we've been very comfortable. We walked the old town walls in 35 degree heat, had some lunch and a giant beer and then went swimming. Life is simple but good.