Sailing (motor boating really) Croatia

From barefaced rocky mountains to lush green vineyards, the Dalmatian coastline we passed by and Adriatic islands we visited on our 7 day journey from Split to Dubrovnik were simply stunning.  Each town or village we stopped at had a different feel to it and loads of history to boot, not to mention amazing fresh food and tasty local drinks.  On this trip we had the perfect combination of swimming, relaxing on board and land exploration.  Below is a brief outline of the excitement each day brought for us.

Day 1 Split-Makarska

We left busy, bustling, dusty Split early afternoon and enjoyed a hearty lunch after a quick meet & greet whilst heading south down the coast to Makarska.  En route we stopped for a quick spot of swimming off the back of the boat before continuing our journey, hugging the spectacular coastline.

Once docked in Makarska we made a beeline for the beach and enjoyed the first, of many to come, dips in pebbly beaches before finding a restaurant with a lovely, leafy secret garden in which to enjoy our dinner.

Day 2 Makarska to Stari Grad

No need for an alarm, at 7am sharp the engine started and we were on our way.  We cut across from the mainland coastline to cruise alongside the island of Brac for a while before then heading over to an inlet on the island of Hvar for a lengthy swim stop.   Danielle floated away a couple of hours on her throne-like li-lo  whilst Julian had all sorts of fun; jumping off the boat, swimming across to land and investigating the sea bed amongst other things.

In the afternoon we docked at Stari Grad-the old town of Hvar.  A cute but lively village where we quickly located their main beach to cool off before heading off on a 3 hour guided cycle trek of some of the island.  The tour took us through the UNESCO listed Faroe vineyards and across to other side of the island to a fishing/holiday village where an ice-cream stop was called for! After a slight mountain climb and rewarding downhill run with views across the wine fields we joined our fellow cruisers for a meat fest.

Day 3 Stari Grad to Hvar

Big day of swimming!  We left port shortly after breakfast and found a secluded little bay not too far away where we anchored in for a couple of hours of swimming time.  After a couple of warm up jumps from the middle level, Julian progressed to leaping off the top level much to the delight of fellow cruisers!

After lunch we headed closer to our destination for another swim stop in quiet bay to enjoy the sunshine and pass the time till the boat was permitted to dock in Hvar.  When we eventually docked we made a beeline for the fortress, steadily climbing the stairs and making the sweaty ascent to the top to be rewarded with spectacular views of the town of Hvar and the islands surrounding it. 

Day 4 Hvar to Vis

The journey across an open strait from Hvar to Vis, the outermost island of the Adriatic group, was a little turbulent and made everyone all the more grateful when we anchored in yet another secluded bay for some swimming.  Unfortunately we had to leave our piece of paradise after a few short hours as the wind had picked up and the captain was a little nervous for his boat so we headed for the port in Vis a little earlier than planned.  No great drama though as it meant we had time to hire some bikes and cruise around the lengthy promenade, explore the monastery and huff and puff our way to the top of a hill to see an old fortress.

Looking down from the fortress

Day 5 Vis to Korcula

The weather was not in the spirit of sailing Croatia at all with grey, gloomy skies and quite a hit of rain.  The boat was very quiet, with everyone taking the opportunity to get a significant chunk of holiday reading done.  Eventually after lunch, the sun came out just enough to make a swim stop somewhat enjoyable but it was only a quick one as the port authorities were demanding our presence in our destination, Korcula. 

This was a gem of an island town, with a gorgeous and well preserved old town in which we spent a bit of time just ambling up and down the narrow cobblestone alleyways and exploring the nooks and crannies which these places have in abundance. 

Day 6 Korcula to Mljet

Well this would have to have been our busiest day so far!  We were up at an ungodly holiday hour to be breakfasted and ready for our kayaking trip by 8am.  On said kayaking trip, our guide took us paddling to a small island where we stopped for a snorkel and sea urchin tasting before being whizzed back to our boat with a lovely (and possibly too early?) wine and antipasto treat.

Our boat had moved out of port and onto greener pastures, no waters (hehe) to our loveliest swim stop yet where everyone from the boat just floated about the turquoise waters in the dazzling sunshine.  Shortly after lunch we docked in Mljet where we wandered through the national park, which dominates the island, caught a ferry across a lake on the island to an island on the island (phew!) where a monastery is situated.  We then returned back and floated about the almost bath like temperature lake for the afternoon before enjoying sunset cocktails by the water.

Day 7 Mljet to Dubrovnik

There was a big, collective sigh of sadness on our last day of the trip.  We left Mljet early in the morning as we had a fair bit of motoring to do in order to get to Dubrovnik by mid-afternoon.  We made a quick stop for our final Adriatic Island swim/float about before lunch and then made a beeline for the port.

Once in hot, hot Dubrovnik we did the 2km wall walk which took us right around the old town, literally on top of the wall which encloses the city.  We took advantage of a bar which was located on the rocks between the wall and the sea and Julian made the most of the opportunity to take a jump into the water from this bar! A bit of a wander through the town, a quiet dinner and drinks on board with fellow cruisers was a lovely way to spend our final hours after seven glorious days away.

The bar by the wall, complete with rocks to jump off into the water

I've compiled a number of photos of this trip which you can find here

Ahh Bavaria, so pretty

Well, what we saw of Munich and immediate surrounds...

With at least half a coach load of fellow Aussies we were Neuchwanstein Castle bound for a day of cycling, hiking & castle ooh-ing & aahing.  This was our introduction to Bavaria and it was magnificent!  Perched on a hill with a backdrop of lakes and the Alps this really was a picture postcard destination.

All 40 of us went for a cycle around the local town and into a little part of forest to reach Swan Lake in which only Julian, one other guy and one girl were brave enough to jump into for a swim-not because of water quality but water temps-brrrr

We also got to have a quick go on the tobbogan ride conveniently located next to our lunch stop

 The walk up to the castle with a minor detour to Mary’s bridge was very pretty; the route followed a gorge which was well loaded with water, making for some picturesque scenery.  The bridge itself spanned the gorge with a direct view to the one side of the castle.  While the rest of the group headed down to the castle for the guided tour of some the interior we headed further up the hiking track, eventually pausing near to the top of a hill which overlooked the castle and provided panoramic vistas of the region-simply stunning!

THE castle

The obligatory wander through the Altstadt (old town) occurred on day two in Munich where we were exposed to graceful old buildings, well restored churches and bustling squares full of charm.  Seeing as we’re not around for Oktoberfest we thought we’d best visit the Bier & Oktoberfest Museum.  This was a little treasure trove of info and images a cute little 14^th Century house.

A beer of course, down in the museums tavern, at the end of our time in the museum was called for and so enjoyed that we returned for some traditional Bavarian fare in the tavern later that night.

Ooh, another beer stop at the Hofbrauhaus

To celebrate the arrival of sunshine and warm weather (finally) we picked up some picnic type food from the Vikualienmarkt and headed to the English Gardens, a massive parkland right in Munich complete with beer gardens which of course we visited!

Yet another beer garden-this time the Augustiner Bierhaus

To finish off our time in Munich before embarking on the 8hr + train journey to Zagreb we paid a visit to the Asamkirche; tiny but packed full of glorious embellishments.  What a sight!!

Here are a few more photos of this part of the adventure

The Port City & The Capital City

Hamburg:

To acquaint ourselves with this massive port city we plotted a course to wander along from our hotel to the tourist info place. What a way to be introduced to Hamburg –firstly the gritty, arty, grungy streets nearby gave a dirty version of Newtown (Sydney) feel and then we happened to stroll down into the seediest, dodgiest part!  Drunks, brothels, police, graffiti and rubbish (think Kings Cross x 100) were what we came across before reaching the port and being amazed by the sheer size of stevedoring, so much part of the city.

We were the ultimate tourists the following day by joining Hamburg’s version of a City Sightseeing bus-you know the one-double decker, open top, fire engine red.  The city is such a jigsaw that we though the best way to see it was to cruise around tourist style.  We did the whole 90min or so loop first without hopping off and got a great feel for the city, being exposed to more than just the scruffy side.  We ended up choosing an interesting area to wander around and low and behold came across a beer festival by the lake.  So with water views, local beer, casual chatter and cheesy live jazz music (yes there was a saxophone) we saw a different face of Hamburg.  To end the day we meandered back through the botanical gardens-a mass of lush green grass, beautiful blooms, and enchanting hidden gardens.

Maximising our final few hours in Hamburg on the morning of our departure we embarked on the 7.6km route around the Aussenalster-the outer of the Alster Lakes.  Aside from the usual morning joggers and dog walkers it was a quiet and pleasant way to start the day and to end our time in Hamburg.

Berlin:

After navigating our way out of the behemoth that is Berlin Hbf, finding our hotel without clear directions and noting that the hotel was right next door to the Australian Embassy we made a beeline for the must see museum of the capital-the Pergamon Museum.  The plan was to zip around the museum then head to a recommended restaurant for dinner.  This plan failed due to a number of rookie errors.  Firstly, the museum was ma-hass-ive!  You could easily spend half a day at least looking at all the archaeological treasures dug up from the metropolis that was Pergamon, Greece/Turkey not to mention the 360 degree, 25m high panorama. (see this for more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pergamon) .Then secondly, the restaurant was all booked out so after hours of traipsing around the museum then traipsing around town looking for food we collapsed into bed, exhausted but excited to explore further.

Quite intrigued by modern Berlin we took a cycle tour to see the ‘eccentric and uncensored sides of Berlin’.  For about 5 hours we cruised around the ‘burbs exploring public land use such as squats, rave clubs & street art, the effects of the Berlin Wall on architecture and how an old airport can be turned into an open space.

In an effort to see all the major attractions in Berlin we attempted to take ourselves on a walking tour (thank you Lonely Planet Germany for the guidance).  Unfortunately the heavy rain grossly hampered our efforts and dampened our spirits.  We did manage to see a bit of the Berlin Wall near Potzdammer Platz, the holocaust memorial and the Brandenburg Gate (including the money making capitalists dressed up in Soviet & American military attire getting cash for being in people’s photos) before seeking shelter in a massive Harrods style shopping arcade.  Also in true tourist style we were part of the ‘out of place, rain drenched and cash strapped’ crowd just looking rather than buying!  After a mad dash down to Check Point Charlie in the rain, we headed to the Reichstag where the sun finally shone.  We actually went up to the dome of the Reichstag for some great views too.

To take advantage of the (finally!) blue sky we took a stroll through some lovely areas including Gendarmenmarkt-a lovely beautiful square with beautiful buildings and the Bebelplatz-also some beauties but darkened by the fact that this is where the infamous 1933 Nazi book burnings took place. We finished the day in a great little eatery which has been around since 1621 and apparently has fed ‘everyone from Napolean to Angela Merkel’!

What stay in Berlin would be complete without a visit to the Eastside Gallery?  We set out early in the morning to be beat the tour buses and crowds to see the longest remaining stretch of the wall (about 1km) still standing but covered in murals.

Here is the link for some more photos :)

Dusseldorf & Surrounds

Aussie friends Ross & Emma's awesome pad in downtown Dusseldorf was our base for our first couple of nights in Germany and they were our equally awesome guides.
For a proper introduction to the Land of Ideas we went to a local brauhaus where beer was aplenty the pork knuckle was enormous!
We were treated to Ross' Tour of Dusseldorf-taking in sights such as the Rhine from way up in the Rhineturm, the funky Frank Ghery designed buildings and the cobblestone streets of the Altstadt which had cute little sculptures waiting for us round every corner. 

Rhineturm (tall tower on left) & trio of Frank Ghery buildings (white, silver ((tricky to see)) and brown)

The obligatory stop for currywurst was taken of course!  A stroll around the gardens of Schloss Benrath was topped off nicely by Kaffee & Kuchen (cake & coffee).

Our hosts also showed us around the town of Aachen, the spiritual home of Charlemagne (well at least home of all his treasures).  The Dom (cathedral) and it's glittering mosaic ceiling were magnificent and although the Dom treasury wasn't originally on the agenda, the rain drove us in and we oohed and ahhed over well preserved artefacts.  Another obligatory German food tasting occurred in Aachen too-Printen-gingerbread-y type cake.  The train trip home was made all the better for it!

Looking up inside the Dom

We couldn't stay in Dusseldorf without making the short tip down to Cologne to admire the cathedral, Germany's biggest.  And big it was!  We attempted the belfry climb of 500 odd steps with Julian going all the way and thus being the chief photographer while Danielle's vertigo got the better of her about nine tenths of the way :( 

The mighty Koln cathedral

Being a bit wurst (hehe) for wear we stopped for a bite then carried on for Danielle's Surprise Roman Tour of Cologne.  So called because Julian normally does the navigating but this time put the task in the hands of Danielle not knowing where we could end up!

Roman tower

We obviously made it back safely as we've got the blog and the photos to show for it!  See the Photo Links page for said photos.

Seeking Summer

Part one of our Seeking Summer holiday saw us hop on the Eurostar bound for Belgium-first stop, Bruges.  Yes of course we watched the film In Bruges on the train, and of course we continued to quote it whilst in Bruges!  It truly was a magical city, like a fairy tale, with the cobblestone streets, skyline of steeples, bells tolling, horse hooves clip clopping along…

Random little tower popping up over the trees-just like a fairy tale

The brewery, the Belfort, the windmills, a church or two and the canal trip were all must do tourist things we covered and all showed us just how beautiful this old medieval town is.  *Note to all potential Bruges tourists-lots of places are closed on Mondays as we discovered.  Julian was bitterly disappointed to not be able to go into Bruges’ oldest pub or a little alleyway beer house offering a selection of over 400 beers*

We did get to try two local delicacies however, which made up for the closures.  Frites also known as 1cm thick French fries (without mayo for Julian) and chocolate-mmm, yum yum in our tum!

After a couple of days in Bruges we moved onto Brussels- the ugly red headed step son of Belgium-to quote a fellow traveller! In fairness, it wasn’t as bad as people had made it out to be.  It was certainly busy and culturally diverse but it kept us busy for a day and half.

Intricate carvings on amazing buildings

 We went to another brewery. One which makes traditional ‘Lambic’ beer unique to the country due to its spontaneous fermentation process, something to do with yeast in the air.  Certainly an acquired taste unlike waffles, another Belgium delicacy which was very easy on the palate.  We tried these a few times just to make sure they were worth the effort!  We thought we best go to the chocolate museum to learn about the process and do the all-important tasting seeing as Belgium is the king/queen of chocolate.

 Aside from another church (oldest in Brussels), viewing platform (elevator for this one, no stairs) and some beautiful buildings (so much intricate sculpture) the best bit was discovering the quirky side of Brussels by following the comic strip trail which wound its way through the streets of the city, taking you to various mural scenes painted on walls depicting famous Belgium cartoons including Tin Tin & Asterix. 

Amsterdam
We had a lovely catch up lunch with family in Amsterdam-sunshine, wine & wandering-a good introduction to the city on our first day.  To top it all off we had received a free upgrade of accommodation putting us into a room well out of our price range and exceeding all expectations.  Think king-size bed, fluffy robes & slippers, his & her basins, remote control curtains, Nespresso machine and the icing on the cake FREE MINIBAR! (Replenished daily)

The next day was very busy-Julian took us on a self-guided ‘Canal appreciation’ walking tour around some of Amsterdam first thing in the morning, thus avoiding peak hour cyclists-what a hazard!  (Or perhaps, more correctly we’re the hazard as wandering tourists!)

 After this tour though, we really did become the hazards, opting in on a cycling tour of Amsterdam and the nearby countryside.  Once we had dodged the trams, pedestrians, cars and other cyclists in the city, we meandered on a path alongside the Amstel River for a while, stopping at a working windmill and then a farm owned and run by a crazy cheese making, clog carving Dutchman.  After lunching on cheese (surprise, surprise) we took a different route back to the city, cycling past lush green fields and through expansive parks, all the while trying not to get in the way of much more experienced local cyclists.

To add in a bit of culture to our Amsterdam stay we visited FOAM, Amsterdam’s photography exhibition space as well as the Van Gogh museum (along with every other tourist in Amsterdam!) and the obligatory walk through the Red Light District. 

More photos have been put on the Photo Links page