I deserve extra points for this one!

This is your sticker at an underground ska music concert (yes I had to google it!) at a technical college in Belgrade, Serbia. Thank you, thank you very much lol
(sorry its not great quality... Wasn't taken on my phone... On the plus side this picture is also going to Switzerland... Is that an extra country?)
:)
A

Another day, another fortress...

Welcome to Serbia people, the land of fortresses... With all these wars, I guess you can't blame them.
Actually the Serbian people have turned out to be very nice and friendly. Our crazy, but lovely guide Boyana had a wonderful sense of humor about the Serbian lifestyle. With almost 29% unemployment, their favorite pastimes include people watching, drinking coffee and smoking... All day! There is approximately 12000 cafes in Belgrade and close to 1200 nightclubs she says... So there is lots of shouting of drinks, rating out late and borrowing money from one friend to pay another when you have one yourself.
We saw some really great sites with her, including a fortress.. She is standing the fortress map photo, and then had a wonderful dinner. For all those missing the food photos here are two, last nights (bread bowl filled with slow cooked pork, mushrooms, onions and bacon) and todays lunch on the Danube (seafood risotto).
Tomorrow we travel to Sarajevo. Its turned into a private transfer at 8am, instead of the public bus at 5:30am... This is incase there are flood waters, the private driver will figure out ways around it. Sarajevo is in Bosnia, so its new currency (I think I'm up to 6-7 for this trip now) and back to Muslim customs. Should've interesting as my last group did this trip and mentioned a dragon lady accommodation owner... See how we go!
Love to all back home.. Just two weeks to go I think (the dates and days blur when you're away this long lol),
A x

Croatia to Serbia

We crossed another border today, so another stamp in my passport. Those poor EU travelers who get no stamps, our Swiss traveler gets disappointed all the time. Except today of course. Serbia isn't part of the EU but they are trying hard.
Today was a fairly depressing day site wise. Not a lot of pictures, sort. While still in croatia we went to a hospital that was heavily bombed during the homeland war. It was so heartbreaking to see the video the poor doctors and nurses trying to squeeze over 200 patients in the basement while the building was being shelled. The hospital's symbol is the bullet/bombed red cross. After that we went to a site were 261 people were bused by the Serbian army to be tortured and killed. All very depressing, and yet they really want to talk about it as Serbians pretend it didn't happen.
After that it was mostly upbeat! Wine tasting (at a 500+ year old winery almost destroyed by Serbian military) and then into Serbia.
In Serbia (Novi Sad) we had an orientation walk and then more wine tasting and honey tasting. Apparently the two go together! The father keeps the bees, the son runs a vineyard. After that it was definitely time to fill our bellies with substantial food.
Off to Belgrade tomorrow after a walk around the local fortress.... Seems there are a lot of tourist attraction fortresses in this part of the world... Maybe we need one in Griffith?
A :)

Stud farms, nature parks and eco farms...

Awesome day today. Igor our guide for the day took us to all of the above. First off we were at the stud farm. The horses are 'Lipizannas'. A breed that is apparently great for pulling royal carriages and for generally looking pretty. They go for €2,000-50,000 and there are about 7,000 in the world. 180 of them were at the stud farm today and apparently they only breed on mare to every 25 male horses. Crazy... And just so we're all clear no horse butt jokes please people!
Next was a massive beautiful catholic church, I'll spare the photos. Followed by a beautiful nature reserve. The nature reserve includes Tito's summer castle/palace/house. Tito was leader of one of the largest partisan movements in WWII and united Yugoslavia. Croatians loved him and basically believe that after he died everything went downhill. The place is a bit run down but still it looked like it was pretty :) 
After that we went to Croatia's first eco house and farm. It basically means organic, with the house being built from entirely natural products, except the glass I'm guessing. Lunch came completely from their garden and farm, of course organic and completely delicious. Wooden furniture handmade by owner. The house is held together with wooden rods, not nails. The roof is straw from the nature reserve etc. The wife refused not to have electricity, and who can blame her! I loved the furniture, which was sealed with special natural lacquer from Austria, so I took lots of pictures.... Dad, fancy a retirement project?!?
Tomorrow we cross to Novi Sad in Serbia.
A x

Osijek - Croatia

We crossed to Croatia yesterday. Its a village in a pocket on the Serbia, Hungarian border area. Its a bit strange as we are just here for two days and the straight into Serbia. The tour ends back in Croatia so you can start to see how it gets a bit weird.
Its a really lovely village where our leader actually comes from. It was heavily involved in the Croatian Serbian war in 1991-98 as its a border city. Luckily today its beautiful and peaceful (25% unemployment in Croatia makes most of the country laid back and relaxed!). Most of the buildings still have shell and bullet marks, if you look close enough. Even after restoration, which is really expensive as all the old town is heritage listed and has to be renovated by professionals, some of the buildings have chosen to keep reminders of the 'homeland' war (not 'civil' war according to the Croats). A storm was rolling in yesterday on our orientation walk so the pictures are pretty good in some places.
The last picture is a hilarious sign on the water front area left from the Germans or the communists, I can remember. Anyway it shows how people are supposed to stroll on the walk in an order... You'll notice the single people are shoved together in the middle of the families and the riders lol.
A x

Oh and one more thing...

I couldn't not post this new gras in Budapest for bucks and hens weekends... I'm not sure if they are in Australia, but if drinking on the streets was legal everywhere in sure someone would,make a bucket load of money on these... I've heard the local drivers aren't fans... Can't imagine why?!?!
Haha
A x

Budapest the walking tour version..

Still an awesome city with great monuments, architecture and after the walking tour called Bites & Sites, I can even say great good!
I won't bore you folks, what I will say is that today is also children's weekend... So in a city square they were having a Lego challenge to build the tallest LEGO tower.. Hence the pictures.
My new group... Will be lovely, tomorrow will be our first official outing I think so it's onward and upwards from here :)
Enjoy the pics,
A x
Ps. No idea who the lady with ice cream was... I had one and wanted to show how cool it was that they shapped it in a rose... She was the best snap I could gt (ice cream was seriously delicious I should add!)

Christian this is No. 5... Do I get a prize at the end?

On return back to the wonderful city of Budapest (that's in Hungary folks) I managed a walking tour. It took me (I was the only one on it!) to the beautifully grand Heros Square. So named after the famous Hungarian statues you see on either side of the pillar in the middle. None of them you would know, I certainly didn't, but its a major monument in Budapest... Christian and Rhys, it was this or the Hungarian House of Terror building, so I think this won hands down.. Your welcome :p
A x

Goodbye Istanbul... :(

It is with much regret that I say goodbye to Turkey and Istanbul tomorrow. Its been a sad goodbye to Al... I'll miss that nurse from Geelong lots! And to Andy our awesome tour leader... And tomorrow morning the always smiling Canadian Megan. Its been a great 19 days and I have some many more stories thanks to all of you. Tonight I even learnt some ice hokey rules... Those girls are the greatest!
As for Istanbul... Today was jam packed with tours, cake and tea... As well as lots of yummy street food... Yes sister dearest I have pulled my head in and realised I need to suck up the lack of sleep and enjoy my time (12hrs sleep last night helped me change my mind I think).
Here is a small collection of photos for you all to peruse and the last I will have with my new found friends.
Thanks to all for your comments on the blog (thanks for reading too Allan H, your comments are making my day... You too Kylie when you're not telling me off :p).
Off to Budapest to meet my new group at 6pm Saturday, update you then.
A x

Istanbul madness...

13 million people in this amazing city, and I just added myself as an extra crazy person.
Today has been long and tough on the brain and body.
After arriving at 6am on an overnight bus, I've managed just 5hrs sleep last night. We then had a walking tour of the city before breakfast started at 7:30am. After that it was saying goodbye to half the group, very sad as we have had lots to bring us close together in the last 18 days.
I had a plan for what i had to get through today to make tomorrow work before flying out in Friday. Starting with the blue mosque.
Christian and Rhys that's for you... No details too tires, just to say its inside the mosque! After that i hot footed it to the mavi jeans store where I bought big, then back to the hotel to check in, followed by a 3.5hr walking tour with a guide that bearly held my interest let alone kept me awake... The old and new Istanbul tour this arvo involved following a guide that couldn't judge body language and the fact that we were all exhausted. He then took heaps of photos throughout our tour for the company website update... Interesting! The only interesting thing was having our turkish coffee teacup sludge read along with tarot cards.. Not a big believer but oh so interesting! And, if all that wasn't enough punishment for one day, I then took myself off to see the Haigia Sofia... Nice, but at this point of tiredness not amazing :(
Its been a long day and tomorrow is worse, but at least ill have some sleep... I'm in Turkey though so I shouldn't complain!
Its 6:30pm and my roommate just fell asleep... Guessing dinner will be skipped and baklava too, unless I can drag my behind out for another 1hr.
Here's to taking one for the team!
A x

Christian.... I found it... No. 3!

A Roman amphitheater that was randomly discovered in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. This city supposedly ranks as one of the world's oldest cities with recorded history from 4000bc. Anyway apparently they started digging for an underpass and found this theatre. Seats 7000 people and they still hold concerts in it... Could imagine you guys rocking it out in a few 1000s year old amphitheatre.
Enjoy!
A

Almost time to say goodbye..

Well today was our last travel day in Bulgaria. We took a rickety single gauge(?) train to Plovdiv (2nd largest Bulgarian city). It was a lovely train ride that lasted 5hrs and we nicknamed it Puffin Billy... After Puffin Billy we took a regular train for 1hr and made the same distance as little Billy in 5hrs.... Still it was pretty awesome, as you can see from the train pictures.
Arriving in Plovdiv has been great. Awesome hotel with a normal shower, we did the breakfast dance (which is the dance the group does when breakfast is included!), and dinner was literally out the front door.
As for Plovdiv... Accountant Kylie... I have decided that I am spending up big here too as I am posting jeans from Turkey, so why not make the parcel a bit heavier if its going anyway! If you could look after the finances it would be much appreciated lol! For others reading she is awesome and her charges are relatively cheap ;)
So that's it folks, overnight bus to Turkey where I'll be so busy it will be hard to post.. After that back to Budapest for tour 2, which at this stage is still running even with the floods in Serbia and Bosnia I am told tonight.
As for this tour awesome... But never coming back to Bulgaria... You haven't been kind to me.
I may reconsider tomorrow though if the shopping is good!
Hugs and bugs,
A x

Bansko...

Well family and friends, not much to report today. GD kept on giving this morning with a lovely little horse and cart ride... See the picture. We were taken to the local washing machine, see the other picture... Where women take household rugs and bed covers to have them washed in the local stream. All the works done for you, its bring your own washing powder though... Much cheaper than the $25 wash Anna and I did in Spain!
This afternoon was spent in Bansko, where trainee George said goodbye. Very sad to see him go. Some of the group went to the dancing bear sanctuary, but roads were rough to travel so I gave it a miss... Sorry no pictures for you. Tomorrow is a free Bansko day, which is a small ski village in Bulgaria. Then the following day we take a 5+ hr rickety wooden train ride to the village of Plovdiv for our last official tour day... Followed by an overnight bus to Istanbul.
Sorry Rhys and Christian, but I don't think I'll manage a photo in Bulgaria for you... Don't think there are that many things to see here. I'll definitely having something in Istanbul for you though!
Sorry for the boring post, but hopefully the pom poms have held you over.
Over and out,
A x

Seriously... I have no idea where in Bulgaria I am...

I'm sure if I read my trip notes id figure it out... Someone said the initials of the town are GD... So GD it is.
Today was a morning of travel after our flying 24hr trip of capital Sofia... The one capital city where it is truly hard to find a bar in. I'm not much of a drinker, but when 5 of us decided on a drink after dinner last night we didn't think we'd have to walk 30 min towards town, and then walk back again, only to end up in the hotel lobby.
The lovely church is from Sofia...
This is followed by Wyn and I, and Mandy and I, in front of a monastery church... And then you'll love this.. Me photo bombed, making pom poms... Yes pom poms, after dinner by nurse Al in GD. Oh GD you were truly a barrel of laughs.
Enjoy folks,
A