STEBO'S BLOG

Breakfast view At 05:00, I was woken up by quite a loud call to prayer from the mosque. This would start to be a thing for the rest of the journey. I drifted back to sleep, and we arose at 08:30. The first task was to bring my dirty laundry to a laundromat that I located online. Part of the Aegan Breakfast But first things first, breakfast with the wonderful Turkish name "kahvaltı," breakfast with a view of the Galata Tower in Hotel Barnathan. Veggie breakfast Stanislav order

Sofia I didn't sleep well. I heard a bin lorry arrive outside my hotel window, and the workers were making mocking sounds, but at this stage, I was paranoid. In the morning, the place looked far less threatening. When I arrived at the bus station, they were still very rude. I was asking where the bus to Istanbul was leaving, and I got a few grunts and a hand gesture. The bus I got talking to an English couple who now live in Wales, and we actually discussed how rude they were

Breakfast I woke up at 07:30 and started packing, and I threw out another pair of jeans in the process. Breakfast had been pre-arranged for 09:00. It was a simple but gorgeous polenta with white cheese. The coffee was the worst possible instant coffee I ever had, and the orange juice was that fake "Cedevita." But I still love the hotel despite the fake coffee and orange juice. He had a name.... There was a mistake with the taxi; I had asked for a taxi for later in the day, bu

Belgrade Prokop I woke up at 05:45 and packed up everything and was out the door at 06:00. I made my way down the rain-soaked streets towards Hotel Moskva where I picked up a taxi without a problem. The driver was confident and friendly, but so confident he insisted that there were no trains to Niš. Right on time So there I was, an hour too early for the train in this brand new sterile station. I ordered a cappuccino and an apple juice and waited for the track to be announced

Breakfast I had managed to meet Alexander for breakfast at around 09:30. He arrived on time but had an appointment with the hairdresser. I waited with a lovely coffee, taking in the sights and people-watching. Coffee and eggs Benedict For breakfast, I had an omelette with cheese and tomato, both of which were actually served on the side rather than in the omelette itself. Alexander had eggs Benedict but received a phone call and had to rush off for half an hour. Being Irish f

Rakija - Sorry Nenad! In the morning, I decided to dump my tripod as it was broken and too heavy. I also decided that I couldn't keep the rakija (sorry, Nenad!) as I would have to bring it through Turkey, and I was right (see later post). I felt bad for leaving the broken tripod behind, so I gifted the rakija to the owners, then had a quick coffee before heading to the station. Novi Sad railway station I had a moment of silence at the station as I observed photos and flowers

On the way to the city centre Today was the day to explore Novi Sad. I had a breakfast of bread, ajvar, and juice, then a couple of cappuccinos at my local bar. I just walked into the city centre, following my nose. The Synagogue As I neared the city center, I saw a synagogue, but I was more interested in the bookshop opposite, so I browsed there instead and bought my first book in Cyrillic to take home with me. I am looking forward to the read! Novi Sad Just beyond the books

A nice wine to before heading out The day flew by a little too fast, and Nenad dropped me all the way back to Novi Sad. This is something I noticed all across Serbia; I even got a bottle of rakija to take home. These people have beautiful, warm hearts. I dropped off my camera and made my way to Maxi, where I bought ajvar and bread, as usual, washed down, of course, with local red wine and the rakija. No smoking! They also sing about the car below.... After this simple but lov

Early morning There was the small matter of practicalities: I had to put on a load of washing in the morning after a breakfast of bread and ajvar. Clock tower at the fortress I stood outside, and my friend Nenad picked me up at 12:00. We stopped off at the Petrovaradin Fortress, where we had some coffee before the drive to Temerin. Nenad in Novi Sad Novi Sad is the largest city in Vojvodina, the northern part of Serbia, with a significant number of Hungarian speakers, Temerin

The Danube in the morning I was up bright and early, just cheese for breakfast as the ants had taken over everything else. My bread was now full of live ants. Check out was at 11:00, but I left at 10:30. Jugo 45 I made my way to the Riverside Café but stumbled upon Bar Dublin. Damn, I wish I had noticed that the previous day. I parked my heavy bags next to the bicycles, then waved to Alan and had three cappuccinos by the River Danube. I had to move my stubborn suitcase to the

The Danube with Serbia across the river I took a gamble; the train journey was 5-6 hours from Osijek to Vukovar, including a change and a long wait in Vinkovci. Due to ongoing works, the train was probably also canceled. On top of that, it would take me 30 minutes to walk to the station with my wonky suitcase, so I decided to order an Uber. It was 40 euros well spent with Mario, and I forfeited my pre-bought train ticket. The taxi drive was just 30 minutes, and I ended up arr

Sunrise in Zagreb I didn't sleep well despite my early night. I had a bad nightmare where I lost my wallet. The nightmare was very realistic, so I jumped out of bed at 03:00, looking for my wallet in a panic. My wallet was safe and sound, but due to the adrenaline, I was now wide awake, so I started packing my bags. I returned to bed and got up after very little sleep at 06:00, finished the packing, and went outside to post my postcards as the post office was just opposite. O

Zagreb in the morning After such a night, it was hard to get up. Eventually, when I did, I decided to visit the 80s museum, being a teenager in the 80s and a fan of Yugonostalgia. I was really looking forward to it, but when I arrived, it was closed due to filming. Disappointed, I walked for a bit and stumbled upon a wine bar, so I had to stop and ordered a Graševina, but I have actually had much better. The Hangover Museum As the hangover museum "Muzej Mamurluka" was close,

Women and Men The day started with a quick breakfast at a café close by and writing the diary from which I transcribe this blog. I usually check my expenses over coffee. I realised that I spent 120 euros in bar Mačkon, but I did say "I will pay for everything," and they took it literally. There was nothing I could do, but a previous version of me would have been very upset with himself and everyone. At least we all had a good night. I even turned down the offer of drugs from

The local train in Venezia I was up bright and early and walked to the railway station to catch the first of 3 trains for that day. At 07:41, I caught a train which was earlier than my pre-booked ticket for Venezia. The inspector was not impressed, and I had to buy yet another ticket costing 5 euros. The station in Venezia It was worth it just to have that extra time, allowing me to get a cappuccino and a sandwich. It's "illegal" to drink cappuccino after 11:00, so I remarked

Morning view of the city I had a long lie-in; waking up to church bells is really quite special. I woke up, showered, and walked into the city in search of a nice place for coffee and brioche. They call croissants "brioche" here. I accidentally got lost and found a new square I had never been to and settled down to my cappuccino and brioche while pigeons caused chaos landing on tables. Prato della Valle After coffee it was onwards to Sant Antonio and Prato della Valle, it was

A proper cappuccino The lack of sleep and NO WORK meant that I slept like I hadn't slept in an entire year! I was wide awake at 06:00 but decided to turn over and snooze some more. Finally up and about, I went out and grabbed a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant before going for a walk. The old chemistry building on via Marzolo I wanted to find a bookshop, but as it was still early, most were still closed. I headed to the university area to revisit my old house and the chem

Austrian Scenery I cannot do the Innsbruck-Verona journey justice here, and my prayers were also answered. As we approached the Italian border, it suddenly cleared up. Just like previous visits, I remember the rail trip snaking downhill with walls of mountains on either side of the carriage. The train seemed to struggle, making metallic screeching and scraping sounds as it twisted along the track. The Alpine-style houses surrounded by apple trees gave way to Italian-style vil

The train As the train made its way south, we passed Augsburg and then München, the final frontier before crossing the Alps. I was in despair as the weather was really bad, and I really wanted to see the Alps on this crossing. Somewhere around 07:00, we left München and started climbing towards Innsbruck. Luckily, the sky had started to clear, and the mountains were starting to be visible! My Seat "Man at Seat61" In Innsbruck station, I dumped my bags, this time for 6 euros c

Amsterdam I arrived without issues in Amsterdam; however, I realised that I had too many bags, even if there were no restrictions! I managed to drag all my bags to the lockers, but they cost me 36 euros for two hours. Drink at the Queen's Head I just made a beeline for the Queen's Head, vlogging and taking pictures along the way. Seated in the colorful bar, I sipped Pinot Grigio while tourists walked by the window, robotically taking pictures of the bar one by one. This is, f