We were only in Budapest a couple of days this time, but it was enough time to catch a few things we missed last time around. For starters, we entirely avoided Buda when we visited two years ago, despite spending a whole week in the city. Somehow, the funicular up the hill hadn't seemed worth the bother in the heat. So we resolved that we would in fact go up to visit the various prime tourist attractions this time around. The area feels suspended from reality, a tourist corral of sorts. Good views, museums, and for me, the jewel that crowns Buda hill, Matthias Church, make it worth a visit. The Art Nouveau interior of the Matthias Church was particularly satisfying. In fact, the plethora of Art Nouveau buildings could very well be largely responsible for our general liking of the city.

The rest of our time in the town was spent sampling some of the great restaurants about town, a visit to the Rudac baths and some museum visits. And yes, Budapest was a good the second time around as the first.

From Budapest, we continued our journey via Krakow, Warsaw and Berlin and are now in Copenhagen, the last of our stops before Oslo.

Krakow for me was the highlight. A visit to Auschwitz helped develop a better understanding of the holocaust and the horrors that went throughout Poland. I wish I had the words to describe it in a more fitting way.. but I think the main lesson to be learnt is that we should not (like some of our politicians might like) ignore the dark sides of our history as they serve as a constant reminder of what we must do in the future and help put the present into perspective. Krakow, as a town, is itself a beautiful place to spend time. There are beautiful buildings, an amazing square and a thriving restaurant scene with a diverse offering of food. Our first night found us eating in a Scottish restaurant, being served by a kilt clad Pole. Maybe we found the most tacky theme around, but the food was surprisingly good, though possibly with more cabbage and dumplings available than would be customary in Scotland.

Warsaw was only really an overnight stay, the most exciting thing being the amazingly luxurious hotel we stayed in and the breakfast they served in the morning.

We found ourselves in Berlin days after the World Cup final and just before the Love Parade was about to kick off. The giant football that was in front of the Brandenburg gate was being dismantled on the day we arrived and there was still plenty of evidence of the great party that had come over Germany during the previous month. I must say, the World Cup did actually help develop some better feelings towards Germany for me, not least because they played some of the best football of the tournament and generally didn't play the dirty tactics some of the other teams engaged in. Such good feelings probably help make a stay in Berlin more enjoyable. The modern architecture is admirable and the people seem to speak English more easily than in other parts of Germany I have visited. A visit to the Jewish museum was set to the backdrop of increasing violence by Israel in Lebanon, though nonetheless it was worthwhile, not least for the stunning architecture of the building (Fed Square in Melbourne is basically a rip-off). The exhibition itself was more like something you would expect from a science museum than a serious institution though. While in Berlin, we stayed in a somewhat sterile area of Mitte, which has some extremely fancy stores, but not a great deal of character (or at least, not the type of character that I find pleasant to be around). A trip out to the district of Prenzlauer Berg set that straight though and showed us the Berlin we were perhaps more hoping to see with its numerous bohemian shops and international feel.

And so, after a quick visit to Berlin's Guggenheim, we made the trip to Copenhagen. It took us by surprise that they actually put the entire train onto a ferry to cross a body of water. It's a 40 minute ferry ride, so there was actually enough time to go have some dinner while waiting. Very nice!

The temperature in Copenhagen was a pleasant change from the hot weather along the rest of the way. Not that it wasn't warm, it just wasn't as hot as the other places we had been. On our first day there, Rich (aka gelli) met us for a day of wandering and exploration of the town. Great to finally meet one of our long time members on TP! And considering he knew Copenhagen so well, he seemed to be our pseudo tour guide

One of Copenhagen's attractions for us was Danish design and so we spent the rest of our time there seeking out the various design museums and shops scattered around town. Altoghether a very nice stay.

On our last day (yesterday) however, we felt we had run out of things to see and decided to head to Malmö relatively early in the day (our train from Malmo didn't leave till midnight almost). Also a very nice place and a lot quieter than Copenhagen. Again, plenty of great design to be seen .. Scandinavia is good for that .. the city is certainly worth a visit for at least a day. I had one of the best, possibly THE best risotto I have ever had that evening (and I gravitate towards risottos). Best to ignore the fact that it cost a small fortune Sometimes the price of something is just overshadowed by the sheer delight of it though.

We are now in Oslo for a few days. Plans are to head for the fjords, which should prove good !

Budapest and Beyond remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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And so it came to be that the next evening we decided to walk the walls of Dubrovnik's old town. Germany and Argentina met each other in the quarter finals of the World Cup that night and we watched the second half while having drinks on a cafe situated on the wall itself, with a fine view. The walls offer a stunning view of the old town, the sea and islands beyond. There is something satisfying about an overview of a town that makes you feel like you have truly seen it. Perhaps that explains why people are so keen to climb as high as possible wherever they go. Or maybe it is just some primordial instinct to survey the land and perhaps plot its downfall..

Various shots from the walls.

Descending from the wall, we watched the penalties that the match ended up in while waiting for dinner. One thing has to be said about Croatian restaurants; they are remarkably consistent in both menu and pricing. Typical offerings include grilled meat, fish, some schnitzels and various standard Italian food such as spaghetti, risotto and pizza. A speciality is the so-called 'Black Risotto', which is coloured by the ink of cuttle-fish and in turn passes its colouring on to your teeth, creating a fearsome image (or so I was told by Janelle). It doesn't taste too bad though. The consistency of menus aside, the pricing is really the most surprising factor. One would expect a fairly remote road side restaurant to be somewhat cheaper than a well-serviced restaurant with a view in Dubrovnik and yet surprisingly the dishes, though significantly varying in quality, are virtually the exact same price whichever restaurant one chooses. A spaghetti for instance is almost always around the 40kn mark (just under AU $10).

Some of that delicious black risotto

After Dubrovnik, we drove our way back to Split where we had arranged to drop off our hire car. The winding drive back was indeed enjoyable, minus a frightening incident where a police convoy needed to pass everyone in a hurry. On a two lane windy road, this is quite a feat considering there is a mountain on one side and a steep cliff on the other and little room to move aside. And yet they seemed to manage it at what must have been 100 kph.

Split was an enjoyable stay as well, though on the day we arrived the guy from the car rental company described it as the hottest it had ever been. The old town is truly beautiful and the Roman fortification that to this day is still a vital part of the town's fibre makes for a fascinating layout. It is an enjoyable place to wander around, get lost in the maze of small streets stopping for drinks or maybe a spot of lunch at hidden cafes down back alleyways (perhaps some grilled meat for a change).

We decided we would make a day-trip from Split to the smaller town of Trogir, an hour away by public bus. The winding streets were familiarly similar to Split and Dubrovnik though not as extensive and somewhat more run-down in parts as well.

After a few days in Split, we hopped on the train to Zagreb, providing some more stunning views of the interior of Croatia and the small towns and fortifications it passed. Zagreb is a more modern city than Split, the lower town consisting of largely 19th century buildings, some which remind of Melbourne. The medieval upper town didn't seem particularly large and didn't have the same 'quaintness' as Split, Dubrovnik or Trogir, but it did have some very nice cafes, bars, shops and a general good vibe about the place.

We checked out some museums during our stay and enjoyed some nice food before hopping on this train that we now find ourselves on, chugging towards Budapest.

Split, Zagreb remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We left a chilly Melbourne a week or so ago, unfortunately taking the head cold it had conceived along. Head colds are no fun on a plane, where the additional pressure of altitude creates a horrible sinus headache that no amount of decongestant can get rid of. After 7 hours of such a headache, we touched down in Singapore and, considering we had an 8 hour stopover, decided to check in the transit hotel. Not a bad deal actually; S$50 pays for a room for 6 hours, just enough time to get a good sleep and a nice shower before boarding the next plane. The next leg I somehow managed to transfer my head cold to Janelle. It was also the first flight that I had been on that had in-flight internet available! Of course, I couldn't resist and logged on and checked my emails and read The Age for an hour or so.

Finally we arrived in a hot Rome and checked into the same hotel we stayed in last time. Having been in Rome, we didn't feel the need to see the major sights again. We enjoyed a few days of just wandering around; we went to Trevi Fountain again and wandered into the Pantheon. Last time we had missed going to see Palatine Hill, so we did that this time as well. It is a nice peaceful place to visit compared to the hustle and bustle of Rome and the throngs of people just next to it wandering around the Roman Forum. It's amazing what an entry fee can do! It is a bit of a let down though, due to a real lack of any signage (in Italian or English), making it very hard to work out what is what. Probably worth getting a guide to it from somewhere beforehand. Nonetheless, we did enjoy wandering around just looking at the ruins.

We watched Australia progress to the next round of the World Cup in a controversial match with Croatia at an Irish pub full of other Aussies. The atmosphere was very tense due to the atrocious refereeing, but thankfully it all ended well despite his many bad decisions!

We also purchased a new camera in Rome, after discovering that the one we had with us wasn't working. I haven't had the chance to take many photos yet (only a couple of hundred ), but I'm very pleased with the results so far.

Spanish Steps

Ancona harbour - check out the fancy boat!

We have now successfully made the crossing into Croatia. The ferry ride was extremely pleasant; the calmest waters I have ever been on and because it was an overnight trip, we just slept through it all. We disembarked in Zadar, a nice town, but very quiet due to us being there on a Sunday / Public Holiday. Some interesting photos in the papers showing some very disappointed Croatians and jubilant Australians!

Of course we were very saddened when both Holland and Australia were kicked out of the competition consecutively. On the bright side it means we won't have to worry about missing games (I know; clutching at straws ... ).

After a day in Zadar, we went to the beautiful Plitvice National Park. It did not disappoint in the slightest. The lakes and waterfalls are simply magnificent. I could try to find some more superlatives to describe it, but those can just sound insincere. Some photos might do the trick though.

After a couple of days in the national park, we made the rather long drive down to Dubrovnik. The first few hours to Split were easy due to a very nice motorway (with a generous 130 k/h speed limit), but directly afterwards we got lost for about an hour and a half and ended up driving down dirt dead end roads that only led to construction sites. Finally we found our way back on to the highway along the coast and were very pleased; the drive from there was probably the most amazing I have ever been on (better than the Big Sur and Great Ocean Road even!) We drove along it for several hours and almost the entire way the scenery was breathtaking; there are picturesque Croatian towns scattered along the road nestling amongst the cliffs, there are beaches and there are mountains on the other side. And to cap it off we pulled into Dubrovnik late in the evening; one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

After spending the evening last night in the suburb our hotel is in, Lapad, we went into the old town today. The hot sun bore down on us while we wandered the streets, enjoying all the old buildings and history evident everywhere along with a drove of other tourists. Old buildings do have a way of all blending into one and perhaps that lessened my appreciation of them somewhat. At the end of the day, our visit to the War Photos Museum was actually the highlight for me. They had an exhibition of photos by female war photo journalists, which was both heartbreaking and eye-opening and of course there was a special focus on photos from the Balkan conflict of the 90s. Tomorrow we plan on going back again and doing the walk around the walls, which should give some nice views of the city from above and a chance to take some good photos (I think).

From Rome to Dubrovnik remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Tropical airports offer a familiar welcome; the humidity, the easygoing immigration officials, the welcome serenade and the permeating smell of sweat. Janelle and I touched down in Fiji to just such a warm welcome.

Our first hotel, The Raffles Gateway directly opposite the airport, offered a courtesy shuttle bus, but this seemed rather counter-productive considering it was only a two minute walk away.

Nadi is not the kind of town that warrants much praise. It could be interesting due to its pacific/indian cultural blend, but this potential tourism drawcard seems more a point of confrontation than anything in most of Fiji. Driving into Nadi the day after we arrived our Indian taxi driver explained how Jacks, the equivalent of Walmart in Fiji, would always be the cheapest, because all the small shops bought their stock from there. Interesting information, even if it was from someone who was clearly on commission. It wasn't more than 10 minutes later that a Fijian kindly informed us how Jacks was full of wares from places like Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands rather than actual native Fijian goods. Of course, it was all a ploy to get us to shop at his local market. In Nadi, it's hard to know who to trust. Even the 'Information Centre' is in fact a travel agent. And according to the Fijian we spoke to, it's run by Indians. Why that's bad, I'm not sure.

We had landed in Fiji with the primary purpose of attending a couple of our friends' wedding at the Shangri-La. And so, days went by sitting by the Shangri-La pool sipping Fiji Bitter, reading, playing Uno and generally not doing much at all. Christmas eve arrived and we had the pleasure of Fijian christmas carols. Their singing was phenomenal and a nice way to set christmas apart from all the other days, which just seemed to blend into one. A Fijian santa rode around on a golf buggy on christmas day singing "ho, ho, ho" to those of us lounging by the pool. I think that may have been the end of many kids' beliefs in Santa.

The boxing day wedding was a pleasant beachside affair, complete with a Fijian choir. The cocktails weren't bad either.

On the second boxing day (they have two in Fiji and both are public holidays), I decided to go have a look at the nearby Taveuni Hill Fort. Just outside the town of Sigatoka, there are some interesting piles of rocks up on a hill which supposedly were once a fort. It was the kind of place where humans ate each other, providing some interesting food for thought for present day visitors. Its hilltop position also offers some great views of the surrounding countryside.

The Garden of the Sleeping Giant was also a worth while visit the next day. A sprawling tropical garden, complete with lily pond and a massive collection of orchids, it's a nice way to spend a hot and humid afternoon.

We headed for the Mamanucas to spend our last few days, first stop Mana Island. A far cry from the luxury of the Shangri-la, we shacked up at Ratu Kini's backpackers; "We can't walk down that path, the Japanese owners of the resort don't want backpackers there". The hostel is kind of interesting, its most prominent feature the two burnt down dorms in the middle of the village it is located in. People are friendly enough, the price is cheap and all meals are included in the price (though the quality leaves something to be desired), so it wasn't a bad place to spend a couple of days. We spent a good couple of hours walking around the island one day. The beaches weren't particularly good, but the spectacular tropical sunsets more than made up for it.

We checked into The Resort Walu Beach for our last few days in Fiji. It was the setting for a flopped Australian reality TV show a few years ago, which involved a group of people trying to fix it up. It's a nicely maintained place now with some very friendly staff, a young clientele and a terrible taste in music. New Years was spent with various people we met at this resort and spent even more days by the pool. I even got active and played some beach volleyball while there. The day before we left, one of the guys had a coconut fall centimeters away from him while playing volleyball - a near death experience considering it was roughly the size and weight of a bowling ball.

We checked in for a Dolphin Safari on New Years day. The driver of our boat was supremely confident that we would see some dolphins. In actual fact, the whole trip was a bit of a dud. No dolphins to be seen and the snorkelling that was included was far too irritating on account of the choppy waves. The choppy boat ride instilled fear of death in several of the passengers, particularly when one of the chairs came loose with its occupant attached, tumbling to the floor of the boat. The most exciting thing I saw on the trip was a couple of flying fish.

Fully refreshed and sporting a more tanned exterior than two weeks earlier, we returned to Melbourne the next day.

Christmas and New Years in Fiji remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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WE'RE IN!! remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Hien in St. Kilda remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After a small detour to the town of La Baie and the nearby canyon, we backtracked and drove down the north shore of the Saguenay Fjord towards Tadoussac. Unbelievably, the scenery was even more stunning than what we had already seen and the weather was perfect for seeing it. The route led us past glass lakes reflecting the breathtakingly beautiful fall colours, waterfalls, fjord views and quaint old towns like Sainte-Rose-du-Nord.

Saint-Rose-du-Nord

Finally we settled in Hotel La Beluga in Tadoussac, a town almost entirely dedicated to whale spotting. The next morning we hopped aboard a zodiac dressed like we were headed for the Arctic circle to try and spot some of those snow-white Belugas. It didn't prove particularly difficult either and was a trip well worth taking, with plenty of whales spotted, Belugas included.

Petite Chapelle de Tadoussac

Having seen those beautiful animals, we shifted our sights towards the town of Gaspé. In order to make it there we would have to cross the Saint-Laurent river by ferry. In fact, it's more like a small sea than a river, with the shortest route taking 55 minutes. Naturally we headed for this 'short' crossing, only to be disappointed 200 kms later that it in fact wouldn't leave again till Thursday. argh. So onwards we went another 100 kms to a larger crossing in Baie Comeau. The ferry there would only leave once a day though. Lucky us, we were there 2 hours before departure. Unlucky us, we didn't have a reservation and it was all booked up. So we waited for two hours, 8th in line in the non-reserved queue. Only to be turned away after the first 5 cars got on. We decided to try again the next morning when there would be another ferry.

So bright and early we rose, 3 hours before the ferry's departure was due. "Surely, this would be early enough", we told ourselves as we drove to our fate. Shockingly, there were not 7 cars in front of us this morning, but 9. And so, the wait went on. We left our car in queue and indulged ourselves in some breakfast in the town, in fact probably one of the best breakfasts we had in Canada - the café was phenomenal. And so we waited, and waited and waited a little more. Slowly, cars boarded the ferry and we watched as they started to take on cars from our queue. Finally, just when we thought we didn't stand a chance, we were let on with only two other cars following us. Oh joy!

The ferry ride itself was pretty eventless - a 60km calm journey to the other side. The weather started to let us down at this stage and we made do by enjoying the coastline from the comfort of our car. Only really stopping for lunch along the way, we made good progress and rolled into Gaspé at nightfall, finally settling in a little hotel several kilometres outside of town when we found out that all motels were booked out. The lodging turned out to be quite pleasant. "Sorry, no TV in the rooms" was the only downside, but this in fact probably helped us fall asleep a lot earlier than we normally would. Just as well, because we had some long driving ahead of us.

The next morning we got up bright and early (sometime before 9 AM if I recall ) and went to see the world famous (at least in Quebec) Percé rock. A brief stop to admire this renowned rock from several angles proved enjoyable, before the rest of the day was spent driving the 1000 kilometres towards Montréal. And so, our road trip really came to an end. After a night's sleep in Montreal, we made our way through torrential downpour to Toronto for the conference that warranted coming to Canada in the first place. C'etait une bonne journée!

Can you figure out where to go?

Headed for Gaspé remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Breakfast at Eggs Crepes remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Quebec City is an absolutely gorgeous place, something like a North American Prague. Really a very quaint place, with some beautiful old streets, a gigantic castle and a very nice aspect on the river. After a drive-by view of the city, we pulled up at the Information Center to arrange some accommodation. Booked a nice little place in the old town; Hotel Vieux de Quebec, drove down, zig zagged down a few backstreets and finally found a metered car park right next to the hotel that would eventually save us a whole dollar compared to the parking garage; bargain! The next morning we walked around the city and enjoyed some incredible weather; warm, blue skies and barely a cloud to be seen. There were some gigantic cruise ships in town while we were there, so the streets were packed with tourists. It seems a popular stop for the cruise companies and for very good reason.

After a couple of hours of looking around, we set on our merry way towards lac (lake) Saint Jean, a couple of hours drive east through beautiful fall scenery. The leaves are changing colour this time of the year and it really does make for some spectacular views. In particular if you have colour tinted glasses like I do. I swear these shades serve a double purpose sometimes; saving my eyes and just improving my outlook on life.

We pulled into the small town of Roberval on the lake and booked into a motel with a pool table on display. Dinner in the nearby "resto pub" proved a cultural experience. The menu was entirely in French of course, so we spent a while deciphering it as best we could. In the end I chose the tempting Croque Monsieur Grande, which turned out to be a panini and beef sandwich of sorts. Pretty good fare actually. Sam's Beouf le Pub looked pretty apetising as well.

This morning we woke up to another fine Quebecian (made up word alert!) day. Starting to wish I brought some more t-shirts. The nearby Zoo sauvage de Saint-Félicien (Wild Zoo of Saint-Félicien), which proved to be a great few hours. In particular, seeing the polar bears dive into the water and swim about was well worth the entry price. Other attractions included Grizzly Bears, Lynxes, Cougars, Moose and so on. We hopped on a little train cart thingy for an hour. Supposedly "bi-lingual", but it turned out the only bilingual part about it were the small signs in our cart. In fact, I wish they didn't talk so much on this trip - it must have been the loudest wildlife experience ever. It felt good getting some peace and quiet when it was over.

Other than that, we've just been enjoying the beautiful scenery seemingly on offer in whichever direction we head.

Church in Alma

Canadian Roadtrip begins remains copyright of the author Peter, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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