Ah Budapest!

Well we made it to Budapest, and I think I have permenantly damaged my foot... We travelled from Zagreb with two girls we met in the hostel. 7 hours on a train, blah, but I got two new stamps in my passport! Coming back here reaffirmed my adoration for this city. Its beautiful ! I could just walk around for hours here (cept for my stupid foot). It's so... I can't even describe it, but I could definitly live here. We spent the morning at a huge market, which was divided into meats, veggies, home made linnens and embroidered things and the eating places. Very intriguing. We met up with our two new friends Cathy and Ellie and made our way to the National History Museum. I really wanted to go, and warned the girls in advance that they probably wouldn't be interested with it... But they all said they were. They ended up staying only to the iron age of Hungary's history then left. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the Pest side of town. Sadly my foot is in agony and I came home, whereas they all went to see Inception tonight. Hopefully my foot will heal!!!!

Location:Budapest, Hungary

Good bye tan

Well it's finally time to leave the beach... After pretty much an entire month on the coast, we're heading north. Sad day.
We're making our way to Zagreb today where we'll spend the night and then mosey on to Budapest tomorrow for the weekend.
I'm excited to go back to Budapest, that was one of my favourite cities last time, and I feel like I missed a lot.
The only bad thing is my foot. Still kills and I wish I could find a tensor somewhere - no luck. So Budapest and Zagreb will be fustraiting with this stupid limp. I'm sorta worried that because I'm walking so much on it that it will actually never heal! Eep!
It's also supposed to rain all weekend in Budapest. Ugh. Fingers crossed for not.

Happy Birthday Mother!

Happy birthday mother! 

Back in Croatia

Well, we just can't seem to get enough of this country!
We've returned again after leaving Bosnia.
We spent the past couple days in the Plitvice Lakes National Park where I got hit hard with karma :( Last time I was here Kelty and I missed going through a slight misunderstanding... and I guess I wasnt supposed to return with out her.  As we were boarding the bus to go to the park from Bihać, I rolled my ankle off the curb of the side walk. Frick. Then when we arrived at the bus stop I had to limp the 8km walk along the side of the highway to the little village we were staying in. Upon arrival my foot was all green and swollen! Gross.  Then that night we decided to bike to this look out point which we had been told about. Awesom! Cept the bike I was on's chain broke and we had to walk part of the way, or should I say limp?
The next day I was determined to make it to the park, we managed to get a ride to the entrance and as we entered and made it to the first lookout.... I realized I forgot my camera! SERIOUSLY!
The hike was nice and pretty and spectacular and I limped like an old lady the whole way.
Then yesterday as we were planning on heading north to Budapest and Poland... we at the last minute decided to come back to the shore to revive our tans and we are now in Zadar until the end of next week until we fly out of Bratislava back to Sweden.

Bosne Hercegovine

Well time for a more detailed update...
Cailan and I left Dubrovnik on Friday, bound for Mostar in Hercegovina. What an amazing drive. So mountainous! And arid. I need to find out what the mountain range through here is.
Anyways Mostar was intriguing. It was the front line between Bosnian and Croatian armies. There are destroyed buildings all throughout Mostar, acording to the owner of where we stayed, there isn't enough money to tear them down and rebuild so they are just everywhere. Except in the old town. Which was completely reconstructed. It was super pretty, and it blows my mind how similar it is to Turkey! The bazars and markets sell all the same things!!
Then we bused on up to Sarajevo.
Holy crap, did I feel ignorant. I really have no grasp of world history after 1990....
My only image of Sarajevo in my mind was from a documentary-tv special I saw of all the figure skaters who medaled at the 84 olympics returning in 1995 to see their arena. Other than that, and sending winter clothes to children I had no real idea what was on the go during the Balkan war... Just that afterwards there were new countries.
We stayed in the old town and admired mosques... But being around +32 I had no desire to cover myself up. We saw buildings riddled with bullet holes and 'sarajevo roses' which are the mortar shell impacts on the roads and sidewalks, which apparently resemble roses.
Being so similar to Turkey, we went to a hookah bar or narghile bar. Ate traditional BiH food which is delicious! Listened to the imams call to prayers from all the mosques, and had our spirits read and decifered by this creeper retaurent owner who informed Cailan she had a nose like barabra strisand, to beware of my eyes and that we are both extremly unlucky...
Yesterday we went on a war tour and saw the tunnel they had dug under the aeroport to get supplies, where the Serbian army set up the snipers to fire on 'sniper alley' and so much more. Our guide had been 11 when it started and so interesting to hear first hand accounts. Unlike when I hear about WW1/WW2 where I can't put their face to events.

Sailing

Well Cailan and I just finished a week long sailing trip through the southern Dalmation Islands. Heaven.
I am black, my hair is bleaching from the sun and I am covered head to toe in freckles. Thank you dad.
It was great and I tried the most amazing things... octopus salad, SHARK! Oh my gracious.
Ive run out of time on the internet, so hopefully I can get some tonight if I make it to Mostar and find a place to sleep....

Waterfalls

Well this morning we went to Krka National Park. Its a bunch of waterfalls where you can swim. Its comprised of seven traventine (Limestone) cascades. The falls are formed by limestone particles-traventine flowing through water attaching itself to moss and algae and then acumalating into mass amounts.

Putting the epic geological aspect aside, it was super pretty. The water was soo blue. Especially when compared to all the vivid greens from the trees and mosses. There are over 860 plant species and sub-species of plants, and tons of wildlife... Cailan and I were estactic. Unfortunatly, we didnt see any! Just a water snake, a crap ton of trout and a frog. Oh plus these amazingly florecent blue damsel fly type thingers. 

The falls were super pretty and at the bottom you could go swimming! Except, we were not informed that you could go swimming... so we missed out on that :(

After the hike we dined on the most filling lunch I've ever had. Anf guess what it was, fried calamari! Haha. This isnt a big deal to most people, but for me, its huge! They werent bad, kinda chewy, but much better than the dried stuff... and much more fun than the forkfull of the rosotto calamari I had in Rab. Why? Because they were like, entirely fried whole! I could pick it up and walk it around the plate. There were other pieces which were the suction cups and oh man, it was so gross to see the little tenitcals and all... But so much fun!

After that we went to another town called Trogir, where it was built on an island by the Romans. Funny thing in Croatia. Not sure if its the same at home... but if an bridge connects an island to the mainland, then it becomes part of the mainland and is no longer considered and island. Legally. So it is then refered to as a peninsual. I say this because Trogir is and island, but not considered one because it is attached by a bridge. It is then attatched to another island on the other side and that one is considered a penisula.

Crazy....

Tonight is watching the last semi finals of the world cup.

Croatia still

Well, Rab was a bust, in a good sort of way. Celebrated my birthday on the 1st, a little too hard, and I payed dearly for it on the next day. But we did spend the whole day on this fantastic beach, where... they put kids in inflatable hamster-balls for them to roll around in on top of the water. It was extremely funny to watch, especially when they tried to walk down the ramp that they had just been blown up in. What was more perplexing than the children playing in it, was how are they breathing in a plastic ball? Initially we went to see this beach volleyball tourniment, but yours truly apparently read the year wrong and it was last year... whoops.
Regardless the beach was awesom. I thought that it was gonna be all rocky like in Rijeka, but this beach in Lopar was like a gianormous  sand bar! It was shallow forever! Cailan and I would read until we got too hot then go lie in the shallow water, which was as warm as a bath! I didnt believe it when I read that the water got up to +28, but this was definitely hot water! Which was also full of fish and snails... I manned up and stayed in the water even when the fish passed me by. Hola.
We went out to dinner for my birthday at this place which served smallpox. No joke. What does it translate from?! I should have ordered it... but I never got the vaccination so was a little scared.
Spent my birthday dead in bed. Good thing we were only on a resort island and I could stay in bed. And I dont feel bad about it at all! I had an absolutly fantastic day before. After the beach and supper we hit up a Corona party at our hotel and I partied like I was turning a quarter of a century. I got a straw Corona fedora and I was quite pleased with myself. I dont think I would have changed any of it, even though I sacrificed the next day...
The two friends we made left us on the 3rd, so Cailan and I officially became beach bums, and yes, stayed at the beach/pool for the next few days. I am proud to say I am DARK and not RED.

Yesterday we left Rab and minus a few glitches with catamaran tickets, made it in time back to Rijeka to catch a ferry down the coast to Split.
Once again being cheap... we opted for deck seats, not beds. Which meant sleeping on the floor, out side on the deck, unless you could find floor space inside. Thankfully when we left last night at 8pm it was still +31 out. Soo it wasnt nearly as cold as our adventure sleeping outside in Germany.
Now that were in Split we've got to figure out what to get at. I know for sure we going to check out some cool waterfalls tomorrow. And puttering around the islands next week...
Anyways. Good times!

Happy Canada Day!

Or Dominion Day, Memorial Day or Beaumont-Hammel Day.

Cailan and I are now on the Island of Rab, in the Istrian area of Croatia. Beautiful, and hot!
We invited two guys we met the other day in Rijeka to come with us to checkout the beach volleyball championships that we are going to watch this afternoon and they agreed to come with us for the day and so now we have some company. Though Cailan and I are staying here all weekend. We found this swank hotel at sell off last room prices. Same price as a hostel, with breakfast, but like a 4 star hotel. Awesom.
Were pretty much just sunbathing here on the rocky beaches. And attempting to eat the sea food delicasies they have here... last night it was squid rosotto! Ahh! Much better than the dried squid I had in Korea though.
From here we are taking a boat down to Split on Monday... then... who knows!