Hvar welcomed us with sun and warmth and after easily finding our host we explored the Old Town with our accommodation right in the centre, and the rest of the small island. Hvar is the second most visited place in Croatia, receiving 30,000 visitors a day in summer! It was the start of the season for us so while we got the warm temperatures it was very quiet and we got to experience the brand new bars and cafes that set up each season.

On our first night we had a local dish of black ink squid and more mussels overlooking the bay, and who should we see at the restaurant but the kiwis again. Although our accommodation had a kitchen that we could use we never found it in the 4 storey house so ate dinner out most nights. It wasn’t the height of summer and it’s cheaper than London, although I don’t think we ever tried the freshly caught pricey fish, sticking mainly with shellfish. As we trekked into the parts of the Balkans less visited by Westerners the prices got even cheaper.

The next day we walked up the hill behind the old town to explore the fort and look down on Hvar Town. The blue water, green islands, and orange roofs were in hyper colour to our grey London eyes. We quickly got our beach fix again spending the afternoon on the pebbly beach with the chilly but refreshing water, where Ben had his second animal fix by standing on a sea egg and getting spiked. We later learnt to do what the locals do which is to swim from the very shallows and not stand on the bottom. Apparently the authorities tip lots of salt in the water to try and dissuade the sea eggs from living there, but they always come back.

Hvar picnic spot

After pizza and wine on the beach (we seem to always be the only people ever having picnics in Europe – it must be a kiwi / English thing) we met the Jazz Bar folks and had such a fun friendly night with cherry shots and the locals. We missed the kiwis that night but met up again a few mornings later after they’d had a night at the Jazz Bar, as we all left Hvar for the mainland and a bus back to Dubrovnik. I was very impressed with the buses, after being warned by fellow travellers in London about Eastern European public transport… however we were travelling the well trodden coastal route and its probably a lot more set up for tourists now than previously. There were very few trains on our route so we travelled 90 percent of the way in buses, with tickets cheap and available enough to buy on the day.

View from our bedroom in Hvar

Today we had a brilliant day hiking through Montenegro (black mountain). Starting in Budva which is our beach town we’ve been staying in for 3 days in an apartment above the local community officer,  we got a cheap bus to Citenje and then a taxi to the start of Lovcen National Park. The visitor centre was closed and we weren’t sure we were in the right place but there were some snappy new signs so we picked a location and started off.

The sun was shining and it was easy going, though we were looking out for snakes and bears and wolves which we read were in the park. We hiked up the sacred mountain to one of the peaks through snow and sun to come out on top of the world. We could see the coast (about 40km away) and surrounding black mountains, including the mausoleum which is the local beauty but we didn’t have enough time or money to get there in the taxi (to the dismay of our hosts).

We hiked back down and around the peak through limestone rocks folded and faulted, telling each other scary stories through the deserted trails covered in snow in some places, until we came down to a low village with crumbling walls made only of stone. There were a few new houses dotted around the valley that looked like it was out of a Mediterranean painting it was so beautiful and traditional. We passed a couple sowing potatoes and after finding out we were from NZ they called us down to their small house for a drink. The wife got out the local beer and biscuits, and then brought out a plate of domestic cheese, ham and bread. The cheese was as creamy as butter, and Ben said the prosciutto was the best he’s ever tasted. We sat on their stone wall under the shade of trees after 4 hours hiking in their special mountains and found out more about each other.

The husband was a former seaman who had visited NZ and spoke perfect English so it was easy for us to chat. He showed us the stone hut he was born in that his great grandfather had built, right next to his new house built in the same style.

It was so idyllic and precious after our long walk. After reminiscing about Tito and former Yugoslavia he pointed us on our way and we headed back down to the visitor center, and hitched a ride to Cetinje with some Russian tourists.

Back at home we are now sitting in an internet cafe with our neighbours trying to track the best route from Budva to Ohrid in Macedonia, as we think it might take 2 days across Albania tomorrow.
Wish us luck!

We arrived in Split tired and hungry and walked along the glamorous waterfront and up into the old town to find the Aussie-Croat hostel called Booze and Snooze. It was really central but full of rowdy Aussies drinking in the sun. We dropped our bags and went to explore Split (or Spalato in Italian) and ate more bread and cheese for dinner, as well as Burek which are cheese filled pastries that can be found everywhere in this part of the world.

Palm trees and yachts line Split's main boulevard

We left the Aussies to the beers and had an early night with a plan to get a catamaran to Hvar, one of Croatia’s most beautiful islands. We first walked up to the lookout above Croatia’s second biggest city and reminisced about the Mt Vic lookout in Wellington.  Before leaving Split we scouted for a travel agency to help us book accommodation on the Island as the main Information centres are not like the NZ I-sites we know and love. We found Daluma travel by the port and he set us up with two nights on the island in private accommodation, and the hosts would meet us at the port. It sounded all good until the wind was too strong for the catamaran and we had to catch the car ferry, and then a bus to get to Hvar Town.

We didn’t realise that Daluma travel was running around trying to find us because apparently the bus from the car ferry to Hvar Town only goes in Summer, and we are travelling at the very start of the season. It’s perfect for us though as the temperature is in the low 20s, we keep missing the rain and it’s still warm enough for us Kiwis to swim, and there are very few tourists around. There were a few bus loads of Octogenarians in Dubrovnik but there aren’t throngs of other visitors getting in our way!!!

On the bus from the ferry port to Hvar we found a two other kiwi couples who had just got to London and decided to come over to Croatia for a trip around as well. We were to bump into them often on the little island of Hvar.

From our first welcome at the airport by customs (Wellington! The 7s!) to the upgrade at our villa (from the tiniest studio room to the penthouse on the top floor) we have found the people so friendly, and the majority in the tourist areas so far have spoken English which is good because the language is very difficult for us. We have yet to master hello (Zdravo).

With two days in Dubrovnik we explored the old town which is a labyrinth of tiny cobbled streets and lanes, small konoba cafes and sobe rooms , with cats and dogs everywhere. We paid 700 kuna to walk along the old town walls and saw the most amazing deep blue sea as the old town sticks out over the coast.

We ate squid and mussels for dinner under umbrellas in one of the market squares and sat at one of the many cafe tables to listen to live jazz. It was a beautiful welcome to the Balkans after almost a year in London and a brilliant start to our summer.

Although summer was just starting up for the locals we thought it was time to get swimming, and after finding a quiet beach with concrete sunbathing blocks jutting out of the rocks over the water like a swimming pool, we enjoyed a swim. Ben even got his animal fix seeing a snake on our way down to the beach amongst the rocks.

Typical London living as viewed from the tube

We have been really happy with all the generosity of our friends and their flatmates, allowing us to sleep in their lounges and live in their homes. The dossing lifestyle is a strange mixture of fun times and no personal space. It has quickly become apparent that our NZ $avings will not go far here so the time came for our new career in job hunting to take shape. We spent two days scanning the internet and applying for jobs far and wide; from maintaining gardens and meals on estates in the middle of nowhere as live-in staff, to suit-wearing positions in the heart of London.  All this hunting turned out to be quite time consuming and unsociable, so we took off to Dublin for an Irish weekend – a good ole time!

When Ryan Air spat us back out somewhere near London, we had a feeling that it was time for us to find our own room where we could completely unpack our gear for the first time in three months. We spent a day flat-hunting in an Earl’s Court internet cafe, and found two perfect short-term rooms. The modern apartment in Notting Hill with two tidy ladies won out over the bachelor’s pad in Brixton with the huge tv, due to the easier transport links. The best thing to come out of the credit crunch is that the demand for rooms in london has dropped, so flat hunting is pretty easy.  We moved into our new flat straight away and our two Lithuanian flatmates are choice. Living with classical musicians who are whizzes on the piano matches our la-de-da location. It turns out that Notting Hill is one of the posher parts of London, although we live at the rougher end where the “world famous” Portobello Markets on our doorstep attract colourful people form near and far, seven days a week. It’s brilliant to be settled somewhere with our own bed and our clothes in drawers rather than ripped Glad-bags.

Research of potential workplaces included the Natural History Museum

Lucky for us the employment drought is not as apparent as feared. A week after applying, we had gathered half a dozen interviews. These have since taken us on daytrips to York (my new favourite place with a medieval wall around it, river through it, coast not too far away and young people everywhere), Oxford (England’s much older and ponsier version of Palmerston North where a city is built out of a university) and Canterbury in Kent (where there is a zoo and an old church. Kent used to be the “Garden of England” but Yorkshire has since taken that title). I also had an interview at London Zoo, and Louise had one at Westminster Council.

I found Oxford a bit more tiring

Despite all my inerviews, no bread-earning jobs have come to fruition as yet, so luckily Louise landed her high-brow Westminster Council job in the middle of the city so she can bring home the bacon for a while. Well done Louise; the winner of the Great Race!

Walking from home to the Natural History Museum we stopped for a rest in Hyde Park

Now we are enjoying our last few days of official holiday. It’s been three great months of unemployment, food and travel, beginning with the end of the NZ summer, and the start of the UK summer (which is turning out to be a scorcher I tell ya!). My brother Trav and his wife Naomi are back in  town for a few days, we have free tickets for a ride on the London Eye and plans to watch the Lion King musical on Monday. After that the holiday lifestyle will transform into a working week for Louise, while I improve my job and flat hunting skills. I just hope the Wimbledon final is before Monday, otherwise Lousie won’t make it to work – she is totally addicted to the game of the season!

Big City Life. Locals sing tributes to MJ in Trafalgar Square

PS. A gastronomic note – English food does not equate to anything near what we ate in Vietnam, Hong Kong, France or Germany. Luckily London is so  multi-cultural that it is not hard to find a good Thai meal or Italian pizza, but the beer is nothing like a Monteiths, Macs or Waikato Draught.

Naomi and Louise in a London pub after our Speaker's Corner visit.

The next day we got a guided tour of Dublin in the mist. Mitchy walked us up into the hills of the golf course and we had a great view of the mist rolling in off the sea into the hills. It didn’t deter the loclas who were out dog walking and jogging, and we enjoyed our picnic lunch with a view of the grey mist – no city view from the hills sadly!

Coming down off the green hills however the mist started to clear and we had a nice sunny walk around the coast – we had a great view of the blue blue sea and the little fishing villages, Ben was in love with Dublin being near the sea and the green hills again!

We ducked into an old dark pub for a guiness before catching the Dart to the other side of the Dublin harbour, Howth, where we ate hot fish and chips on the harbour. We had another trek up some more hills and through the heather to get a view from this side of the town, and it was much better with the mist gone!

Following our green day out, we had a day wandering around the city centre. It reminded me of Wellington with the harbour, the green hills, and it had a similar size and feel, especially after London.  Today we visited the Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison which is now a museum and has housed many important Irish political prisoners. It was a haunting experience walking around the empty cells, imagining the prisoners throughout the various ages (it was built in 1796 and used until 1924), with the rain and wind and snow coming in the small windows, many prisoners croweded in with only 1 candle for light (which had to last 1 month). Many were executed in the jail, the most recent many of the Irish Rebellion leaders, so there was a lot of history to learn.

Unfortunately for Ben we ran out of time and had to walk past the Guiness Factory, but we got  a recommendation for a locals’ pub where we had a big lunch and a guiness.  One of the best things about Dublin were the locals - it’s true that everyone will try and give you advice and directions on where you’re headed, they don’t want anyone getting lost – or at least they don’t want to look like they don’t know how to get you there. On the bus, on the train, on the street we were given strict instructions on how to find the gaol, some were contrary and one person even told us the instructions she’d heard us being given were not as good as the ones she had for us. So it was a great weekend where we got lost in the history and culture and landscapes of Dublin, but we always knew how to find our way back.

We spent our last holiday night in a traditional B & B in Dover, with a full English breakfast followed by fish and chips on the beach – which we’d been craving and planning since Vietnam. The next day it was off to London to start dossing with our friends and sussing out the jobs.

German nosh - Fantastic!

We went to Köln to visit our Wellington friends Nina and Rob, and attend their wedding. As a bonus we were able to stay in Nina and Rob’s flat which meant we got to live like real locals, using the trams to get around, eating from local markets and drinking Kölsch. Kölsch is a beer that is only allowed to be brewed in Köln, it tastes fine, and the interesting thing is how it is served: the special waiter (Köbes) carries around a tray of a dozen little glasses (nick-named test-tubes) and keeps replacing your empty glass until you put a coaster on top of it to say you’ve had enough. It’s served everywhere and a good social ativity for tourists and locals to share at any time of the day.

The cosy ascent is not reccomended for oversized individuals.

Climbing to the top of the Dom was a highlight of the Dom in the city centre was a highlight. My vertigo is getting tested time and time again on this holiday, but nonetheless I made it to the top of the 500-and-something rickety steps to look out over the Rhine and the 360-degree landscape view.

A Dominating view

I got my animal fix at Köln Zoo where I was surprised to see Okapi for the second time in less than a year. An orangutan creating artwork on the window using “available materials” had us intrigued for ages. It’s amazing what can be done with a bamboo leaf, lips and faeces.

Nina, Rob, Ben, louise, penguins.

The wedding guests looked sharp!

Nina and Rob’s wedding was a hoot, in an ancient building we sampled the best selection of German cakes, let off red balloons and danced in an old cellar till the early hours drinking Kölsch. Congratulations Nina and Rob on a great day. Topped it off, with our first exhilerating taxi ride home on the Auto Bahn.

 Walking back down the hill past this guys house.

As new honorary Kennedy family members, Louise and I were able to join in the post wedding activities to see some more sights. One day we went for a big boat ride up the river to go for a Cog Train ride to the top of a hill. We explored relics and heard the local legend told by a puppet dragon who came out of his cave when a euro was put in. Walking back down to the village through the forest was a real treat. We wound our way down through the tall beech trees, catching glimpses of elaborate castles and donkeys.  

The Locals.

We thoroughly enjoyed our German holiday, and look forward to returning someday, not only to Köln, but also to the great Berlin that we heard so much about, and perhaps Munich in October.

Dom

We got on our night train in Cannes, 2 hours late, and after a debacle with finding our sleeper carriage and no lights, we had a luxurious nights sleep in the quiet and comfortable train – v different to Vietnam, but not as exciting either. We were worried we would miss our connection to Germany as we had to use the Paris metro to cross town from Gare d’Austerlitz to Gare du Nord. Now that we were experienced metro goers however it was no problem and we navigated the system, crossing Paris to our next train. Out of the window we got our last French view for a while, of the Seine with the dappling water and bushy spring trees, and old concrete buildings. It was so romantic!

We had to break the snacking rule again as we had a croissant and coffee waiting for our last train. Everything is better in Paris as the croissant tasted light and puffy, and the black coffee in a tiny cup was a perfect wake up.

The Thalys is the fast train from Paris to Cologne, it goes up to 300km an hour! It was only a few hours and we were in Cologne for lunch, being picked up by Nina’s friend. It was so nice to be picked up in a big strange city, and she took us by tram to their flat where we’ve been staying for a week! We have a lot of hospitality to repay once we settle down.

Walking around the port after lunch we were dazzled by the bright white boats. They are huge, expensive and very shiny! Some of them have helicpoter pads, you can see doors opening out the bottom where there are jet boats and other play gear stored. One boat was covered with about 20 staff in the antibes uniform (biege shorts and crisp white shirt), who looked like tiny ants as they ran about scrubbing, sweeping and cleaning the back of the boat. B and I looked down on them from the old wall, which was made of cobbled bricks, a complete contrast to these super modern super yachts.

After we’d soaked up the money view, we rounded a corner in the old wall, and on the side opposite the port were little bays, filled with sunbathers. The sun here seems much softer than NZ, and the water of the med bright dark blue. The water also feels softer, I’m not sure if its because of all the salt in the water, or because I’m on holiday and everything is just amazing, but we had another lazy afternoon on the beach. With the old cobbled wall behind us with the terracotta rooves of the old town, the dark blue sea and soft light I felt like I was in a beautiful impressionist painting!

Before we left our camp we made it to another cheap and cheerful museum, this one the bonsai museum in Biot village, a small and charming little village perched on a hill side with tight winding cobbled streets. Biot is also famous for glass blowing, and we saw a lot of masters at work. We’ve noticed that as each region has its specialities in both trades and food, they are really skilled at a few things, rather than being ok at many. Like playing to your strengths, they know what they are good at and work at it. Hmmm, we’ll try to remember this when we head to the UK and start our job hunt.