Wow! What an amazing jam-packed, fun-filled week! We left London at 7am on Sunday 24th May on the Oz Bus with another 17 crazy adventure-seeking travelers, Kim our tour leader and Martin our bus driver. The bus consists of 15 women and five men so it's an oestrogen-filled trip! The age group ranges from 19 to 60-something but everyone has a similar frame of mind about the trip so age isn't really a factor.
We headed straight for Bruges in Belgium and arrived at 15.30 at the very funky hostel Charlie Rockets, where their bar was the reception. We went to meet Jos from Quasimodo Bicycle Tours. For €22 Jos showed us all the beautiful sights in Bruges and we enjoyed a beer in the oldest bar in Bruges, Café Vlissinghe. After a traditional meal in La Passage for €14 we headed for Eiermarkt for a few drinks (beers are €1.50) and some group bonding and got to bed after 3am, after a delicious frikandel from a local vender.
In the morning we left at 8am headed in the direction of St Goar in Germany. On the way we stopped at the Marksberg Castle for a tour for €5 and eventually arrived at Herman the Crazy German's Friedenau Camping site where he cooked us some yummy schnitzel for only €9, including starter and dessert, and gave us a wine-tasting course for just €5.
We left again in the morning at 8am for Prague and after quite a long journey we arrived at 17.30 at Plus Prague Hostel. This place was great and had its own huge bar. After a few absinthes (one of our happy campers had seven in total before being brought to bed!) and dancing on the tables, it was time for bed. The next day we visited the Charles Bridge, did a boat tour on the river for €10 and relaxed in the square. Others on the bus visited the narrowest street in Prague and took a bus tour around the city for €14. That night we naturally ended up in an Irish bar, watching The Champions League Final.
After two nights in Prague it was time to see Vienna. We loved Vienna, we stayed in the M Hostel which is located beside a big shopping street. We visited The Spanish Riding School to see the morning training for €12. These horses are amazing, walking sideways, jumping on all fours and doing other tricks. After visiting numerous buildings, including the palace and its maze gardens, and the biggest wooden Ferris wheel in the world, we headed out for a few drinks.
We left at 9am the next day and headed for Budapest, arriving quite early at 12.30 at Domino Hostel. At the end of our street was a huge indoor market full of hundreds of stalls on two separate floors where you could buy anything from handbags to legs of lamb to souvenirs. We then headed for the traditional Turkish-style baths and relaxed there from 3-5pm for €12. We met some Australian Olympic team guys in their Speedos, definitely worth the €12!
As it was a Saturday night the whole group decided to go out and party! (ED NOTE: What have they been doing up to this?!) The hostel recommended Club Corvin Teto, just a 15-minute walk away. We came to a big supermarket where we found a secret side entrance and, after a climb of four flights of stairs, we arrived at a really cool club where the DJ actually mixed his own tunes, unusual compared to most clubs back home! We danced until about 3am and after a hunger-busting doner kebab we dragged our tired legs home and slept until 1pm on Sunday ... well, it is the day of rest!
Sunday evening, for €11, we visited the labyrinths underneath Buda castle, then ate goulash in a traditional Hungarian restaurant before retiring to bed, ready to set off for Serbia on Monday morning. Next week we'll tell you about our travels in Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Iran!
'Til then, slán!
Sara, Emily and Jacinta.
Advt
