Slovakia-Tatra mountains and Bratislava

Another day, another country and another language. After learning jin dobri for hello in Poland its now ahoy in Slovakia. Capt Ahab would be OK with ahoy.

Bus from zakopane to Stary Somovec was a comfortable 2hrs around the end of the Tatra mountains. The currency changed from zlotys back to euros. Hotel prices are higher but we find a nice place to stay in Pension Kolbin for 44 euros including breakfast. In the afternoon we walked up the mountainside next to a railway. 300m above the valley great mountain view and a hotel terrace bar. Sit in the sun drinking slovak beer about $1.50 per pint.

Stary Smokovec, Slovakia

Next morning bright blue skies and sunshine. A big breakfast and no insulin should get dave 1500m up to Slavosky Stit. 2452m. Set off at 9.30am and after going uphill through trees, then low bushes, then ridges and rocky mountainside fantastic we reached the summit at 2.30pm. Stunning view in perfect weather.
After one hour on top a long descent brings us to a bar in the village and more cold beer and a burger.
Dinner in hotel of Tatra chai very strong hot punch type drink which was on fire when it arrived.After blowing it out the first taste was still like fire. Cabbage and sausage soup,gnocchi with cheese and bacon and more beer.

Bratislava

Bratislava, Slovakia

At the station the next morning we asked how to get to Budapest. Through Bratislava is easiest so book train to the capital. On little train to valley meet a canadian girl we had met on mountain. She taught in Korea then travelled through South East Asia, China, Mongloia, Russia Poland now here. Next stops Romania and Ukraine. Amazing.

Express train to Bratislva has wifi so we book a room in hostel Petit. Easy to find and good. City walk in late afternoon, then Danube river, Castle and a little bar for dinner. Tomorrow maybe Budapest.We are told Sunday it will be 38 degrees.

Poland

The Angel House Bed and Breakfast is really smart but in an old unmarked building. Lucky we booked before leaving Berlin.The internet is good and the hotel lovely so finally we can bring the blog up to date.

From a quick look Kracow looks great.

The Angel House in Krakow was so good that after two nights it was full and we had to move on. A  day updatin e blog was relieved by a trip to the supermarket for polish bread,smoked salmon, beer and salad for dinner in a bar cafe in the evening with kebabs also good.

Krakow, Poland

Red hot as walk across Krakow to new room which is not perfect but has a great bath. Dave walks all over city looking for another place for next day and most are full. City square in evening is beautiful.

Friday old city walking tour. Many highlights but popes house, trumpet in tower, music in old church castle and cathedral are best.

Move to Lemon apts very modern but in old town. Peaceful in day but lots of partying in the streets after dark. Vampires disappeared at first light and quiet again.

Walked through old jewish district of Kazmiers to Schindlers factory. Very moving.Back through old town with lots of music.

Aushwitz, Poland

Aushwitz and birkenau extermination camp next day. A good guide for a terrible story.

Zakopane, Poland

Bus to zakopane next day through beautiful countryside and traffic jams.So busy different to when Dave was last here 37 years ago. Hotel in rolling countryside about 5kms away.View up to high mountains. Dave walks over little hills back to Zakopane main street is packed. Beer and sausage and to a nice entrance to national park. Gorgeous. Dinner up road is good but costs more than we expect.

Europe

Photo link     Friedrichshafen

Drive the hire car back to Manchester airport with Keith and Mick and many bags filling the little motor.Happily no problems returning it. Fly to Zurich after Keith and Mick have enjoyed the business lounge.Train and then ferry across Lake Constance to Friedrichshafen. Again red hot. Put up tents and meet Keiths mates at the campground bar. Loads of mosquitos.

Outdoor show for the day. So many suppliers exhibiting. Hagloffs have free beer and smoked salmon from five then Adidas take over with beer sausages and music. Dave is in heaven but Youngmi and Keith are worried he is drinking too much.

Next day look around town which is really nice on lake shore. Dave cannot find the nudist beach but has a swim in the lake. Beer garden in the evening great fun.

Berlin

Meinfernbus from Friedrichshafen through  Munich to Berlin. Free wifi and cheap beer. Very comfy. Berlin about 8.30pm where we are met by Detlev and Urte.We last saw them in Cusco Peru.With their fauthful hound Reg they take us to the Brandenburg Gate where there is a concert. Walk through the holocaust memorial and then to Kreuzberg for a curry wurst at Curry36. We have never seen such a long queue for a suasage in curry sauce. Their home in Brandenburg is about 30 minutes away in a leafy part of town.

A magnificent german breakfast sets us up for Berlin sightseeing. We park near a huge British embassy then stroll down Unten dem Linden to the Musuem Island. Grand buildings in what was east Berlin look impressive. We have a pizza and drink near a tango dancing place on the river, then go the cathedral and finally walk up a red carpet to the koncert house in a big square. Alles ausgeseichnet. Back at the house we have a BBQ until after midnight when it is Daves birthday.

Potsdam

A leisurely birthday breakfast with happy birthday napkins and presents including some zlotys from Urte is followed by a day out in Potsdam. Hot as walk around San Souci gardens. So nice with palaces and roman baths and chinese house.Another BBQ with our friends friend is lovely. One friend is from Argentina and the conversation moves in German, Spanish and English (only one Korean speaker). We need a few drinks to understand.

After looking after us so well Detlev, Urte and Reg drive us over the border to Poland and there we get trains to Warsaw and then Cracov. Detlev has said it is much cheaper to buy tickets in Poland and this works. It is flat all the way to Warsaw and most of the way to Cracow but hills then start and it is very pretty.

England and Youngmis new passport

Stefs allotment in Accrington with Zennon and Caroline

Great flight New York, Zurich to Manchester. Flying from Zurich we could see the snowy Alps including the Matterhorn.

Manchester looked great in the bright sun. Collected our hire car at the airport. I have booked a VW Polo. Or similar says the man. Here is a skoda. That is not similar. After much complaining from Dave we took the Skodia Fabia and it was very good. Manual car but easy to drive.

Good Old Accrington

First stop Fell and Mountain shop in a red hot Accrington.Hello Keith. Dinner carvery at the Game Cock pub, $6 and very good with a pint of Thwaites beer. Called in on brother Ray to see everything is still perfect then to Keith and Junes house. Accrington heat wave for first week. Lunch with Marshall and Freda and one night we cooked dinner for the Ossie Dawsons. Keith and June, two daughters and their partners and five grandchildren. Elijah told Youngmi her starter was first class.

Friends in Yorkshire

Saturday morning to Bingley and lunch in Edwina and Kents national trust type garden. Stroll to Bingley five locks then drive on to Ackworth and Steve and Liz. Barbecue in their sunny garden. We are spoiled.

Around Norwich

Sunday morning and the drive to Norwich. Cold and grey there as we look at University of East Englia where Dave was a student 39 years ago!!!

Happily Brian and Penny Dave's neighbours from when he lived in Norwich are home in Ethel Road. We have a lovely time with them then visit Dave's old house where their son David and Julia are living. They are rebuilding the house to a palace standard. They said about six months after they bought the house they came home to find the bathroom ceiling in the bath!
Out to Potter Heigham and the warmth of Lindsay and Jo. Happily all their great daughters were at home with boyfriends for a barbie. Great to see them all.

Monday visit Cromer, Sheringham and Blakeney but it is a bit cold and grey. Steam train in Sheringham looks good and Dave feels young as there are hundreds of pensioners about. The UK free bus pass gets the over 60s out.

Visit Norwich cathedral then meet Gerard, Catherine and Charlotte in Weatherspoons Norwich. Charlotte has now grown up and Gerard and Catherine meet for the first time since a party 20 years ago. Another great dinner with Jo and Lindsay and we try to give them a bottle of malt whisky but they dont drink whisky.

Around Ipswich

Tuesday to Southwold and a cold walk. Dunwich the sun is coming out and we sit on the pebble beach trying to imagine the medievel city that is now under the sea. Leiston abbey is magnificent in the sun, Sizwell nuclear power station looks harmless and a fit looking guy tells us he swims in the sea near it. Thorpeness cream tea by the mere and then into Ipswich. Met Strutty and Karl in Isaacz bar on the waterfront for a reminisce. The lads are in fine form.


Easy drive to London to reach the formula one hotel in Barking about 11pm. Hotel is cheap but very basic and Youngmi is not happy with the bathrooms. It does have parking. Next morning tube to central London.

From London

After weeks of getting documents including a korean birth certificate, translation, driving licence, new citizenship certificate, registered post from Ecuador to Australia, lots of work by our friend Peter in Melbourne, phone calls to the citizenship office and registered post from Australia to the Fell and Mountain shop  we arrived at the Australian embassy. First good sign lots of chairs, only three in Lima embassy.Very helpful guy and two days later we collected the new passport. Two other people waiting at the embassy had had their passports stolen in London.

London

First day we saw Billy Elliot at the theatre.We also visited Victoria and Albert musuem and Everest exhibition at Royal Geographic Society. This had photos by Alfred Gregory who I had met in Melbourne. Alfred had an exhibtion in St Kilda of Everest and Blackpool photos when he was about 93.

Moved to Ibis styles hotel in Leyton and Youngmi was happy agin. It was much better and still had parking.Tate modern gallery was good but even better was a free concert by Tom Jones outside.


Met old university mates Ian and Pete at Weatherspoons then joined Lynne, Sally, John and Kathy at Pizza express for dinner. The retired looked well and relaxed, the working looked well and not so relaxed.

With the new passport safely in hand we drove to Dorset to visit John and Margaret in Briants Puddle. I met John when we started at school at the age of 4. A fifty three year friendship and it seems like a few years.

Dorset with the fish eye

Johns action packed Dorset tour included the windy sea side in the picture above, Dorchester with its Roman amphitheatre and Thomas Hardy museum, and a cafe run by spider man which pruced the request 'spiderman can we have more hot water please'. Prince Charles new town was a bonus as we headed to the Briants Puddle summer fayre. We drank tea and listened to the brass band before chatting to the vicar. Very midsummer murders.
Sunday we were off again to Durdle door watching chinese tourists on an adventure trip swimming through rough seas to submerged rocks. Lulworth cove was pretty and Dave tried to show off by chatting to german cyclists at the cream tea place.
John showed us the windy headland where he wants his ashes scattering but it is near a pay and display car park. A ferry to Poole and then a great dinner in a restaurant run by a venezuelan guy.Te gusta Hugo Chavez asked Youngmi and we still got a great dinner.
The thatched roofs of Briants Puddle looked perfect as we returned. Just down the road is Tolpuddle home of the martyrs who were deported to Australia in 18something.
A lovely night with John and Margaret in front of there log fire followed with John insisting Dave take the bottle of whisky. Dave always turns up with a bottle of whisky looking increasingly dependent on it.