Sarah, an Aussie from Canberra has sent an update on her
\nEuropean adventures. She says: I have spent a few
\nweeks travelling by myself in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
\nBosnia and Hungary. In Italy I went to Venice, Florence,
\nSiena, Lucca and Sam Gimignano (which I still cannot spell)
\nand Trieste. Loved Venice, as you know, and other highlight
\nwas the Tuscan hills outside of San Gim. I could have sat
\nthere watching the seasons change, the hills are so
\nenchanting. Went ambling through grape vines and olive
\ntrees for that authentic experience. Will be looking for a
\njob squashing grapes in a small Tuscan village after I have
\nfinished working on a ferry in Venice.<\/p>\n
If you are ever in the region it is extremely worthwhile
\nto do a little circuit around the Balkans, where the hordes
\nof tourists that populate Italy have not yet
\npenetrated. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia is a
\nquaint old town with a wonderful range of cafes and
\nbeautiful old buildings among the willow trees on the river
\nbank. A day trip away is Bled, home of my favourite castle
\nfor this trip. Perched on a cliff overlooking a deep
\ngreen lake with an ancient monastery on an island,
\nsheltered by the surrounding Alps.<\/p>\n
Then I caught the ferry from Rijeka in Croatia down the
\ncoast to Dubrovnik. Slept on the deck with the smell
\nof salt air and the warm breeze to lull me to sleep.
\nThe coastline is stark, with weather bleached rocks and
\nsparse vegetation, the darker green of coastal conifers.
\nAnd the water is so clear azure at the shore and a deep
\nblue as though someone spilt ink where it's deep.
\nWandered the old town of Dubrovnik, enclosed by fully in
\ntact city walls and escaped the heat to an island 10
\nminutes away, with rocky beaches and a deserted fort to
\nclamber in and imagine where the old cannons would have
\nbeen fired from the crumbling walls. <\/p>\n
The hot sun on the ground creating that smell of dried
\nleaves and warm earth that is so intoxicating and evocative
\nof summer. A chance encounter with some English lasses –
\nthe Beetle! – (and a few bottles of wine) and I was off to
\nSarajevo. A contender for my favourite city in
\nEurope. Certainly the most interesting if not the
\nmost beautiful. Minarets and church spires share the
\nskyline and the architecture tells the stories of all those
\ndifferent periods of history from Turks to Austrians right
\nup until the recent war. Shrapnel marks still scar
\nthe pavement and buildings are pockmarked with bullet
\nwounds, and yet the cafe lifestyle is thriving and
\nthelocals delights in strolling up and down the pedestrian
\nwalks each balmy summers night. <\/p>\n
The tunnel museum tells the story of the tunnel, the
\nonly link between Sarajevo and free territory during the
\nsiege, and locals will tell you their stories of how they
\nlived during the war. A place with a long and
\ninteresting history currently transforming and adapting
\nitself once more. Next stop was Zagreb for my
\nbirthday. A stately city with many fine buildings and
\nyet more cafe lifestyle. Friends joined me and we
\ncelebrated my 103rd birthday by watching some crazy French
\nstreet performers doing a comical version of the magic
\nflute, complete with soprano and brass ensemble and full
\naudience participation. <\/p>\n
The other highlight of Zagreb was the annual animated
\nfilm festival, for something a bit different.Another long
\nun-air-conditioned train trip later and I was in Budapest
\nto meet another friend, wondering how many times I would
\nhave to revise which is my favourite city in Europe.
\nRightly compared with Prague, the most beautiful feature is
\nthe palace, castle and parliament buildings along the
\nriver, that along with the bridges are beautifully lit at
\nnight. We went to a small town on the Danube bend and
\nclimbed to a castle before catching the boat back down the
\nriver to Budapest. Spent a lovely day at the hot
\nbaths, and then enjoying a long meal on the river front as
\nthe sun set on another beautiful summers day. And now I am
\nin London. <\/p>\n
The last four weeks of this trip will see me dashing
\naround the UK, catching up with friends and family. I will
\nalso go to Scotland, having been unsuccessful in obtaining
\na visa for Russia as well as to Ireland for a few days for
\na South American truck reunion and to see some more
\nfamily. <\/p>\n