We had minivans! The first time this tour that we’ve had private transport. Tony told us we could have six people in one van and the rest in the other, so seven of us got in the first van. It was an interesting trip. Very mature. Someone kept farting and nobody would admit to it. We all have our own theories on who it was. I think at the moment the group verdict is split between Steve and the driver. Amanda was vigorously defending Steve. Not surprisingly, we had to have an unscheduled stop so Marsha could pee against a wall in a random small town. We couldn’t see her from the vans but we’re fairly certain everyone else in the town could. Marsha pees more than anyone else I know, including Kerryn. We are becoming well versed on the Toilets of Eastern Europe.
About fifteen minutes later we stopped for a toilet break.
Ok I’m done ragging on Marsha now. We only had half a day in Budapest. It’s very pretty, again, and we were staying just off the high-end shopping street, which is always a fatal mistake. Not for me, I’m far too tight to spend a lot of money on one item of clothing, but it’s always dangerous for somebody.
The tour I’m doing is actually made up of heaps of smaller tours, so we drop people off and pick people up at various points along the way. I think there are six others who are going as far as me, but everyone else is doing shorter tours. So Pancakes and Julie only did Russia to Poland, Kat comes with me from Russia to Croatia, Marsha and Cameron joined in Poland and finish in Istanbul, and when we got to Budapest we lost Amanda and Steve and Adrian, as well as Pat and Sue and Hugh, so I've gone from being one of four Kiwis to being the one and only. It was really sad when we left everybody. (For those that are interested, I'll put links to some of the shorter tours that mine encompasses at the bottom of this post. Otherwise you can go to the Tucan Travel page and look for yourself!) Those of us who are going to the Baltics also changed tour leader in Budapest, and those going straight to Istanbul went on with Tony. It works out so that Sarah (my new tour leader) and Tony always hit Budapest at the same time, so in a few weeks I'll be back on Tony's tour, until I finish in Istanbul.
Confusing stuff.
Anyway, when we got to Budapest we headed out for the usual city walk. We got as far as the first church, and Amanda, Steve, Cameron, Marsha, Adrian and I all packed it in and went to the bar. Not that we weren't interested, but Amanda, Steve and Adrian had the following day in Budapest as well, and Cam, Marsha and I all have more time there in a month, when we switch tour leaders again. Kat stuck with the group for the rest of the walk, then met us at the pub. A couple of hours spent people watching (or rusky spotting) is never wasted. I can't find any photos of Hungary, I think I decided that I'd do it when I came back... oops!
Those of us going to the Baltics had a meeting with our new tour leader, Sara, and our new group at five or six o'clock. It was quite funny because there were something like 11 of us going on together and 6 joining, so it was more like a case of the new people meeting us.
I have to be honest. I was pretty disappointed when we had our first meeting with our new group. This is nothing against the people on my tour, they are all really nice and I get on well with pretty much everybody, and everybody has tried really hard to get along as a group and to be really inclusive. However, I had envisaged that the group would be far closer to my age. When we discussed this with Tony, he said this tour is completely out of the ordinary, and that normally the group would be mostly under 35 year olds, with maybe one or two older. Our group now has four people under 35, and 14 over, and I think the oldest are in their 70s. When I went to the Middle East with Tucan, two years ago, our group was almost exclusively under 35, and we would more often than not all have dinner together, and usually we’d all spent the day together anyway. Group dinners on this tour are pretty well unheard of. We don’t spend much time as a group other than when we’re on the bus or the train together. A big part of what I was looking for in a tour was new friends of my own age, and I’m really worried that when Kat and Kylie leave the tour in Dubrovnic, I’m going to be very much on my own. However, I have to admit I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the advertised age range on the tour – 18 to 60, with a recommended maximum of 70. The only condition is that you have to be able to carry your own bag, which everybody here certainly can do.
Tony had booked a restaurant for everybody who was on both tours, for that night. Our tour group, those who had been together since Warsaw, all showed up, but only two of the others, which was a real shame. However, we had a nice meal. The usual crowd had decided to go for drinks afterwards, so we went with Tony and a couple who’d been on Sara’s tour through the Balcans and were rejoining Tony’s tour. I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember their names.
I was expecting a late night, but Marsha, who was even more disappointed than I was, went home at something like 1030pm, and everyone else followed within an hour. I went with Kat to the supermarket, and as we were getting back, Adrian was on his way out to a rooftop bar that we’d all been keen to try. So I went with him.
What we’d sort of not bargained on was that it was Sunday night. We got a tram to the right place, which was a big square with lots of young people standing around it. We asked around until we found some locals who knew the bar and pointed us in the right direction. We walked off down the street that we both thought these girls had indicated, and tried to follow their directions, but found ourselves around the back of the same block, in a very quiet side street. So we asked someone else, who pointed us back to the same place. Right before we walked off down the same street again, we spotted an alleyway halfway back up the block, and figured we might as well give it a thrash. We’d been told that it was just a doorway, and right when we came around the corner we found a doorway that had a group of people standing outside, more people coming out, and lots of graffiti. After climbing something like 7 flights of stairs, walked into the covered area of the bar, and it was completely empty, except for one bored staff member. So we went outside and up to the terrace, which was really nice and roomy and had maybe three groups of people. We got a drink (thanks Adrian!!), and as soon as we sat down they came around to tell us that they were closing in fifteen minutes. Love it.
When the bar closed, we decided to go for a walk and see if we could find anywhere else. We did find one place, but even Adrian wasn’t so keen on going in there. It was full of very boisterous men. So we figured it was home time.
As cities go, Wellington is a pretty small fish, so I couldn’t believe the number of people who were out in the streets at 130am on a Sunday. At home, there’d be absolutely nobody. Sometimes I feel like I come from the back end of nowhere, and like I know nothing about the world. But then, that's why I travel.
The next morning, everybody got up to see us off at 830am, which was nice of them considering they didn't have anywhere to be that day. It was really sad!! We'd travelled together for three weeks, in travel time that's a looooooooooong time without killing each other. I miss the other three a lot, and I know Kat does too. It's very quiet without Amanda here! She's very vivacious and brings a lot of energy to a group. And I adore Steve, in the same way I adore Denyse (of Jason and Denyse, who I travel with right from Russia to Istanbul). He's very lovely, doesn't ever seem fazed by anything, and he's always smiling. And to answer the question on everyone's minds....... yes, I did fancy Adrian a bit. (For those who are now wondering, nothing happened.)
There was much hugging, and of course there were some tears from various quarters, and then we saddled up and headed off. It was a pretty quiet trip to Novy Sad.
About fifteen minutes later we stopped for a toilet break.
Ok I’m done ragging on Marsha now. We only had half a day in Budapest. It’s very pretty, again, and we were staying just off the high-end shopping street, which is always a fatal mistake. Not for me, I’m far too tight to spend a lot of money on one item of clothing, but it’s always dangerous for somebody.
The tour I’m doing is actually made up of heaps of smaller tours, so we drop people off and pick people up at various points along the way. I think there are six others who are going as far as me, but everyone else is doing shorter tours. So Pancakes and Julie only did Russia to Poland, Kat comes with me from Russia to Croatia, Marsha and Cameron joined in Poland and finish in Istanbul, and when we got to Budapest we lost Amanda and Steve and Adrian, as well as Pat and Sue and Hugh, so I've gone from being one of four Kiwis to being the one and only. It was really sad when we left everybody. (For those that are interested, I'll put links to some of the shorter tours that mine encompasses at the bottom of this post. Otherwise you can go to the Tucan Travel page and look for yourself!) Those of us who are going to the Baltics also changed tour leader in Budapest, and those going straight to Istanbul went on with Tony. It works out so that Sarah (my new tour leader) and Tony always hit Budapest at the same time, so in a few weeks I'll be back on Tony's tour, until I finish in Istanbul.
Confusing stuff.
The Famous Five! Our last night together.
All photos on this post are courtesy of Steve and Amanda Tilley. I love facebook.
Those of us going to the Baltics had a meeting with our new tour leader, Sara, and our new group at five or six o'clock. It was quite funny because there were something like 11 of us going on together and 6 joining, so it was more like a case of the new people meeting us.
I have to be honest. I was pretty disappointed when we had our first meeting with our new group. This is nothing against the people on my tour, they are all really nice and I get on well with pretty much everybody, and everybody has tried really hard to get along as a group and to be really inclusive. However, I had envisaged that the group would be far closer to my age. When we discussed this with Tony, he said this tour is completely out of the ordinary, and that normally the group would be mostly under 35 year olds, with maybe one or two older. Our group now has four people under 35, and 14 over, and I think the oldest are in their 70s. When I went to the Middle East with Tucan, two years ago, our group was almost exclusively under 35, and we would more often than not all have dinner together, and usually we’d all spent the day together anyway. Group dinners on this tour are pretty well unheard of. We don’t spend much time as a group other than when we’re on the bus or the train together. A big part of what I was looking for in a tour was new friends of my own age, and I’m really worried that when Kat and Kylie leave the tour in Dubrovnic, I’m going to be very much on my own. However, I have to admit I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the advertised age range on the tour – 18 to 60, with a recommended maximum of 70. The only condition is that you have to be able to carry your own bag, which everybody here certainly can do.
Tony had booked a restaurant for everybody who was on both tours, for that night. Our tour group, those who had been together since Warsaw, all showed up, but only two of the others, which was a real shame. However, we had a nice meal. The usual crowd had decided to go for drinks afterwards, so we went with Tony and a couple who’d been on Sara’s tour through the Balcans and were rejoining Tony’s tour. I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember their names.
Adrian, me, Stevie, Kat, Tony, Random Guy from other tour, Amanda, Cameron, and Marsha.
Our last night together in Hungary. Again, Steve has placed himself between me and the camera.
I was expecting a late night, but Marsha, who was even more disappointed than I was, went home at something like 1030pm, and everyone else followed within an hour. I went with Kat to the supermarket, and as we were getting back, Adrian was on his way out to a rooftop bar that we’d all been keen to try. So I went with him.
What we’d sort of not bargained on was that it was Sunday night. We got a tram to the right place, which was a big square with lots of young people standing around it. We asked around until we found some locals who knew the bar and pointed us in the right direction. We walked off down the street that we both thought these girls had indicated, and tried to follow their directions, but found ourselves around the back of the same block, in a very quiet side street. So we asked someone else, who pointed us back to the same place. Right before we walked off down the same street again, we spotted an alleyway halfway back up the block, and figured we might as well give it a thrash. We’d been told that it was just a doorway, and right when we came around the corner we found a doorway that had a group of people standing outside, more people coming out, and lots of graffiti. After climbing something like 7 flights of stairs, walked into the covered area of the bar, and it was completely empty, except for one bored staff member. So we went outside and up to the terrace, which was really nice and roomy and had maybe three groups of people. We got a drink (thanks Adrian!!), and as soon as we sat down they came around to tell us that they were closing in fifteen minutes. Love it.
When the bar closed, we decided to go for a walk and see if we could find anywhere else. We did find one place, but even Adrian wasn’t so keen on going in there. It was full of very boisterous men. So we figured it was home time.
As cities go, Wellington is a pretty small fish, so I couldn’t believe the number of people who were out in the streets at 130am on a Sunday. At home, there’d be absolutely nobody. Sometimes I feel like I come from the back end of nowhere, and like I know nothing about the world. But then, that's why I travel.
The next morning, everybody got up to see us off at 830am, which was nice of them considering they didn't have anywhere to be that day. It was really sad!! We'd travelled together for three weeks, in travel time that's a looooooooooong time without killing each other. I miss the other three a lot, and I know Kat does too. It's very quiet without Amanda here! She's very vivacious and brings a lot of energy to a group. And I adore Steve, in the same way I adore Denyse (of Jason and Denyse, who I travel with right from Russia to Istanbul). He's very lovely, doesn't ever seem fazed by anything, and he's always smiling. And to answer the question on everyone's minds....... yes, I did fancy Adrian a bit. (For those who are now wondering, nothing happened.)
There was much hugging, and of course there were some tears from various quarters, and then we saddled up and headed off. It was a pretty quiet trip to Novy Sad.
Eating ice cream in Krakow when we should've been looking at (another) church.
Good times... oh how I shall miss those laughs.
Tucan Travel Tour Links
My tour - Eastern Europe Discovery - Moscow to Istanbul - eeed
Pancakes and Julie's tour - Moscow to Warsaw - eemw
Complete Eastern Europe - Warsaw to Istanbul - eece
Balkans to Istanbul - eebi
Balkans Discovered - Budapest to Dubrovnic - eebd
Warsaw to Dubrovnic - eewd
Balkans Encompassed - Budapest to Budapest - eebe
And many, many more.....
I'm famous! My toileting habits are in your world-renowned blog! I'm so happy!
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