So when we last checked in on each other I was trying to convince the Ukrainian train conductor that I really didnt speak Ukrainian. Turns out there was a reason for all his concern, my connecting train didnt run on Wednesdays and guess what day it was I was trying to get to Lviv, I end up sitting in a charming town called Rolev with no train, no language, no ticket and no money hmmmn sit around for a bit, fortunately its only 2pm, i have time before it gets dark to figure out what im gonna do ..1st money, damn I hadnt even worked out the exchange rate so im staring at the ATM wondering how much UAHs really are, what the hey, pick the middle amount offered, makes sense.
Eventually after a bus ride heading to gawd knows where, manage to get another train to get me to Lviv, only 5hours later than I planned, but im there! Haggle with the taxi drivers in German (I love that people keep trying languages until you find a mutual one). Ah, taxi drivers, they are the same the world over, you know theyre ripping you off, but what can you do at 9.30pm when you have no idea about how to get to the hotel
Managed to catch up with the new group the next day and did a walking tour around Lviv .its about 10-20 years behind the rest of Eastern Europe for tourism and it needs a serious facelift. Some rather strange but cool things I stumbled on in Lviv .its the home of Masochism (who knew it had a home), theres a very cool statue of the founder, looks normal at 1st glance and then you notice all these female hands grabbing at him from within his clothes. You can even put you hand in his trouser pocket and feel his .yup!
Theres a book fair, Lviv one of the 1st places with a publishing house, they have a recycled soviet solider statue attempting to look like a printer its great! Theyve given the solider a beard, an apron, swapped the gun in his hands for a book and decided he looks like a printer brilliant! Hes still wearing army boots
There were the usual churches, parks and fountains. But I went and visited a HUGE cemetery filled with really impressive tomb stones. Strangely beautiful.
Then thats it im in charge again of this new group just for 2 nights and one of those is back on the overnight train heading for Budapest this time. This time we spent 6hours at the border, changing the wheels etc. I was sharing my compartment with a couple of swiss women (not my passengers). 1 of them actually got annoyed at the customs guy for waking her up (personally im still impressed the whole immigration/customs/wheel changing thing is happening while im in bed). She yelled at the customs guy .DUH! of all the people to yell at, never never never Customs, he didnt know which of us yelled so we all got our bags checked ..B****H, its the 1st time ive ever had my bag checked.
Managed to spend 1 night in Budapest and did ½ a bicycle tour, it was pelting down with rain and we gave up. 2nd time there and its growing slowly on me. Its got some really pretty parts.
Then its an immediate turn around and back to Berlin to start a trip that night, only 4 passengers, so im worried, what if 1 (or more) is a pain in the butt, you cant hide from 4 people (its easier to have larger groups). They are all great one of my all time favourite trips. Fern Pendragon (changed her name from Jackie Jollie, that was worth more than a few laughs) 55+years, wandered the world, kind of a hippy, loads of fun, had more stories than me! Dennis, 35yrs, never left America before, plays in a very successful Blue Grass Band. spent the 1st night constantly apologizing for being American, then calmed down and EVERYTHING was amazing to him. Was like a dog in a car when he was on trains, head out the window, loving it! Chris, 25+ Aussie, cheeky shit, earns his living gambling, has traveled a lot so im sure he earns a good living hes never had a real job. Amanda 25+ Aussie, great laugh, loved the fact that Chris was more of a princess than herself.
We traveled from Berlin, Krakow, Prague, Cesky Krumlov (pretty castle town), Vienna, Budapest, Bled (Slovenia), Venice. All in 15days, crazy pace, so much fun, everywhere we go is so interesting, beautiful, fun blah blah blah. It was my 1st time to Bled. Go there! Seriously, just go! Look up how much it costs to get there, and simply go! I swear I must have been Slovenian in a previous life. Bled is impossibly beautiful. Theres a turquoise lake, a castle on a cliff face reflected in the lake and a church on an island (also reflected) in the middle of the lake. Impossible! And if thats not enough, its the adventure capital for that neck for the woods, so skydiving, paragliding, kayaking, canyoning, white water rafting, mountain biking etc etc etc. and of course in winter its a ski resort town.
So next stop, Venice hmmmn, been there once before 15years ago, didnt like it. Too many people, too hot, too smelly. Passengers figured I didnt like it, so I put them in charge of convincing me otherwise. We had great fun. Ticked off all the usual sights, Rialto Bridge, San Marco Square, Grand Canal ending in at the Bridge of Sighs was a disaster! The Bridge of Sighs has been taken over by MASSIVE billboards, it heinous. We couldnt even look at it, we had to turn away. Its insane. Now in its defense, the billboards are concealing scaffolding, so obviously some major restoration work must be being done, but its so ugly. But other than that we had a good afternoon/evening in Venice, managed to drink some (translate to a lot) of red wine, and made the passengers figured out the public transport home. They all commented how much better it was when I worked everything for them, mind you I try not to cut it so close with the last train home.
So Venice was a little too expensive to stay more than 1 night, so I headed back to my home town Bled. Ive just spent 3 nights there and did nothing ..i mean really, nothing. It was so nice. Right now im on my way to Zurich to catch up with Rosette and Phill, time for another sit around and natter the days away. I start in Helsinki doing the Baltics trip again.
After that trip the fun really starts, 3 weeks off, and I figure its about time I visited Iceland . Why not! The airfare from London was not a bad as I thought it would be, who knows maybe its not too expensive after all their economy has collapsed .fingers crossed. So Ive been reading up about Iceland, did you know they were the 1st country to have democracy c980AD, and all geysers in the world are named after their geyser. I spend 11 days in Iceland and then I hang out in London for about 1 week, thats the Bday week, should be a blast. Then, the Balkans!!!! Leading a group of unsuspecting souls through 4 countries ive never been too either. Shhhhh!