Europe 2009 log
Below is the log I built up during my travels, in reverse chronological order. I've also posted my status updates from Facebook while travelling, which provide a more humourous take on things. Enjoy!
Date and time: Friday 11th September 2009, 19:23 BST
Location: Chester, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is back on UK soil after 40 nights abroad, enjoying the delights of proper meals, fresh clothes, and actually knowing the value of the local currency.
Home!
Location: Chester, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is back on UK soil after 40 nights abroad, enjoying the delights of proper meals, fresh clothes, and actually knowing the value of the local currency.
Home!
Date and time: Wednesday 9th September 2009, 22:34 CEST (21:34 BST)
Location: Valletta, Malta
Status update: Matthew is feeling at home in a place that speaks English, drives on the left, and has lots and lots of beautiful yellow stone buildings.
My main reason for putting Malta and Valletta in my itinerary was that finishing such a trip in northern Italy and not further south just didn't seem right - plus I obviously haven't been here before. But I'm absolutely loving the place - and it feels rather homely too - English speaking population, they drive on the left, have three rather than two pin sockets, and to add to all that, Valletta is full of wonderful yellow stone buildings, rather like a certain city that I seem to spend increasing amounts of time in these days. Arrived on the island at around 18:30 yesterday; getting through the airport was very quick having come from another Schengen country, and the bus ride to Valletta was easy and cheap (only 45 Euro cents!) Valletta, it has to be said, was rather dead in the evening, but when I got up this morning, the city was much more lively. As I've said, the place is full of wonderful yellow stone buildings, and this morning I simply went around photographing them, including some of the magnificent Catholic churches and cathedrals here. Also been to the "Malta experience", which was an entertaining and informative 45 minute film about the island's history from which I learned a lot. Been for a wander around the harbour this afternoon, too, which gave some lovely views towards the tiny capital. Planning to visit the war museum and the armoury tomorrow which should be good, before finally heading home on Friday. Though I'm very much enjoying things and will be making the most of my last day tomorrow, I have to admit I am missing having fresh clothes and am craving a proper meal...
Location: Valletta, Malta
Status update: Matthew is feeling at home in a place that speaks English, drives on the left, and has lots and lots of beautiful yellow stone buildings.
My main reason for putting Malta and Valletta in my itinerary was that finishing such a trip in northern Italy and not further south just didn't seem right - plus I obviously haven't been here before. But I'm absolutely loving the place - and it feels rather homely too - English speaking population, they drive on the left, have three rather than two pin sockets, and to add to all that, Valletta is full of wonderful yellow stone buildings, rather like a certain city that I seem to spend increasing amounts of time in these days. Arrived on the island at around 18:30 yesterday; getting through the airport was very quick having come from another Schengen country, and the bus ride to Valletta was easy and cheap (only 45 Euro cents!) Valletta, it has to be said, was rather dead in the evening, but when I got up this morning, the city was much more lively. As I've said, the place is full of wonderful yellow stone buildings, and this morning I simply went around photographing them, including some of the magnificent Catholic churches and cathedrals here. Also been to the "Malta experience", which was an entertaining and informative 45 minute film about the island's history from which I learned a lot. Been for a wander around the harbour this afternoon, too, which gave some lovely views towards the tiny capital. Planning to visit the war museum and the armoury tomorrow which should be good, before finally heading home on Friday. Though I'm very much enjoying things and will be making the most of my last day tomorrow, I have to admit I am missing having fresh clothes and am craving a proper meal...
Date and time: Monday 7th September 2009, 23:01 CEST (22:01 BST)
Location: Rimini, Italy
Status update: Matthew has ticked off his fifth European microstate today, and loved the view from Mount Titano. One more to go...
So as you've probably guessed if you've scrutinised my itinerary, the only reason I put Rimini into my trip was to use it as a base to visit nearby San Marino, one of the last countries in Europe that I hadn't set foot in. And in fairness, I think it was worth a visit - although no more than the day I gave it. I came over to Italy on the ferry on Croatia last night, arriving at the port of Ancona at 7:00, although it was another 90 minutes before I got off the ferry and through passport control. Then took the train up to Rimini (which was late - not encouraging for tomorrow...) before dumping my bag at my hostel in Rimini and catching the bus to the nearby microstate. San Marino has it's history in being a refuge for people, and thus the capital city and main attraction of the three towers are situated up a large mountain (Mount Titano) which had some simply fantastic views - it was possible to see all the way back into Italy, the coast some 10km away, and well out to sea, as well being able to look over the more mountainous regions of Italy in the other direction. Picked up the usual flag and postcards as souvenirs after climbing the towers, and also visited the 'Curiosity museum' - rather an interesting and entertaining one - which basically consisted of strange instruments and inventions, and models of of things/people who were Guiness Record Holders (e.g. tallest man, longest beard). Now back at my hostel in Rimini where I'm enjoying the privacy of my own room. Tomorrow I've got the rather dauting task of making it to Pisa Airport in order to catch my flight to Malta - if all goes to plan, I should make it there two hours before I need to - but after today I don't exactly have total faith in the Italian trains...
Location: Rimini, Italy
Status update: Matthew has ticked off his fifth European microstate today, and loved the view from Mount Titano. One more to go...
So as you've probably guessed if you've scrutinised my itinerary, the only reason I put Rimini into my trip was to use it as a base to visit nearby San Marino, one of the last countries in Europe that I hadn't set foot in. And in fairness, I think it was worth a visit - although no more than the day I gave it. I came over to Italy on the ferry on Croatia last night, arriving at the port of Ancona at 7:00, although it was another 90 minutes before I got off the ferry and through passport control. Then took the train up to Rimini (which was late - not encouraging for tomorrow...) before dumping my bag at my hostel in Rimini and catching the bus to the nearby microstate. San Marino has it's history in being a refuge for people, and thus the capital city and main attraction of the three towers are situated up a large mountain (Mount Titano) which had some simply fantastic views - it was possible to see all the way back into Italy, the coast some 10km away, and well out to sea, as well being able to look over the more mountainous regions of Italy in the other direction. Picked up the usual flag and postcards as souvenirs after climbing the towers, and also visited the 'Curiosity museum' - rather an interesting and entertaining one - which basically consisted of strange instruments and inventions, and models of of things/people who were Guiness Record Holders (e.g. tallest man, longest beard). Now back at my hostel in Rimini where I'm enjoying the privacy of my own room. Tomorrow I've got the rather dauting task of making it to Pisa Airport in order to catch my flight to Malta - if all goes to plan, I should make it there two hours before I need to - but after today I don't exactly have total faith in the Italian trains...
Date and time: Saturday 5th September 2009, 18:09 CEST (17:09 BST)
Location: Split, Croatia
Status update: [None]
So I'm now back on the Croatian coast after my brief venture into Bosnia-Heryegovina. Sarajevo you've already heard about, Mostar was also well worth a visit although as might be expected there was nothing like as much to do. I took the train into the city, which despite the early start which nearly finished me off, did deliver on the scenery - although the ride was rather cold due to it being early and every single window on the train being open! Mostar itself was very pretty - a wonderfully blue river divides the town over which there are several bridges, the most famous of which is of course Stari Most (the Old Bridge), destroyed in 1993 but rebuilt a few years ago. What was even better is that I was lucky enough to watch one of the (rather brave) divers jumping from the top into the water 21m below! Also had a wander around the old town there, lots of mosques, and I climbed the minaret of one (makes a change from belltowers!) to get a fantastic view over the city and mountains. Today I've headed on to Split, another early start with the bus leaving at 7am, but a reasonably short journey at 4 hours. Since had a wander around Split, which is centered around the rather large port here, and also visited palace of one of the Roman emperors here (I can't remember or spell the name!) Also wandered up the hill into the nearby Botanical gardens, which were surprisingly cool, and made it to the top which gave a nice view over the old city, the port, and the not-so-nice concrete apartment blocks which surround the city! Not exactly sure what's left to explore tomorrow, but in the absence of anything there are some nice beaches here, and then tomorrow evening it's on the ferry and back into the Western world...
Location: Split, Croatia
Status update: [None]
So I'm now back on the Croatian coast after my brief venture into Bosnia-Heryegovina. Sarajevo you've already heard about, Mostar was also well worth a visit although as might be expected there was nothing like as much to do. I took the train into the city, which despite the early start which nearly finished me off, did deliver on the scenery - although the ride was rather cold due to it being early and every single window on the train being open! Mostar itself was very pretty - a wonderfully blue river divides the town over which there are several bridges, the most famous of which is of course Stari Most (the Old Bridge), destroyed in 1993 but rebuilt a few years ago. What was even better is that I was lucky enough to watch one of the (rather brave) divers jumping from the top into the water 21m below! Also had a wander around the old town there, lots of mosques, and I climbed the minaret of one (makes a change from belltowers!) to get a fantastic view over the city and mountains. Today I've headed on to Split, another early start with the bus leaving at 7am, but a reasonably short journey at 4 hours. Since had a wander around Split, which is centered around the rather large port here, and also visited palace of one of the Roman emperors here (I can't remember or spell the name!) Also wandered up the hill into the nearby Botanical gardens, which were surprisingly cool, and made it to the top which gave a nice view over the old city, the port, and the not-so-nice concrete apartment blocks which surround the city! Not exactly sure what's left to explore tomorrow, but in the absence of anything there are some nice beaches here, and then tomorrow evening it's on the ferry and back into the Western world...
Date and time: Friday 4th September 2009, 09:54 CEST (08:54 BST)
Location: Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Status update: Matthew thinks one more start at 5:30am will probably finish him off. But the scenic train ride from Sarajevo to Mostar this morning was well worth it.
Location: Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Status update: Matthew thinks one more start at 5:30am will probably finish him off. But the scenic train ride from Sarajevo to Mostar this morning was well worth it.
Date and time: Thursday 3rd September 2009, 16:46 CEST (15:46 BST)
Location: Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Status update: [None]
Sarajevo, I have to say, has been one of the unexpected highlights of my trip so far. Arrived here on the bus from Dubrovnik yesterday, which was a rather long 7 hour trip, and surprise, surprise, I didn't get an entry stamp in my passport despite a request for one, so I'm keeping a tight hold on my bus ticket just in case... Anyway, Sarajevo has been fascinating - the city has lots of classical buildings that wouldn't look out of place in Austria, Hungary or Poland, with some modern skyscrapers starting to appear, and the centre is wonderful and vibrant. There's also a lovely Turkish quarter over to the east, containing lots of mosques and some beautiful wooden shops, most of which are selling touristy souvenir stuff. What is most fascinating about the place, though, is the history and marks still showing from the siege of the city in 1992-95. Many apartment buildings in the centre still have bullet holes left in them, in some cases they have been cemented over, but the different colour of the cement and the building itself makes it obvious where the shots were fired. The highlight of my stay here has been visiting the Tunnel Museum on the outskirts of the city right by the airport - the location where the Bosnians built a tunnel to supply the city with weapons, food and medicine while the city was almost surrounded and under seige by Serb forces. Most of the tunnel has since been filled in, but there was a short stretch through which it was possible to walk - very small and rather dark! Heading onto Mostar slightly further south tomorrow, I've decided to make the journey there by train rather than bus since the views are meant to be incredible - the only downside is that the only morning train leaves just after 7:00 - which is going to mean getting up around 5:45 tomorrow morning. If there's one thing I'm not going to miss when I get home, it has to be the early mornings...
Location: Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Status update: [None]
Sarajevo, I have to say, has been one of the unexpected highlights of my trip so far. Arrived here on the bus from Dubrovnik yesterday, which was a rather long 7 hour trip, and surprise, surprise, I didn't get an entry stamp in my passport despite a request for one, so I'm keeping a tight hold on my bus ticket just in case... Anyway, Sarajevo has been fascinating - the city has lots of classical buildings that wouldn't look out of place in Austria, Hungary or Poland, with some modern skyscrapers starting to appear, and the centre is wonderful and vibrant. There's also a lovely Turkish quarter over to the east, containing lots of mosques and some beautiful wooden shops, most of which are selling touristy souvenir stuff. What is most fascinating about the place, though, is the history and marks still showing from the siege of the city in 1992-95. Many apartment buildings in the centre still have bullet holes left in them, in some cases they have been cemented over, but the different colour of the cement and the building itself makes it obvious where the shots were fired. The highlight of my stay here has been visiting the Tunnel Museum on the outskirts of the city right by the airport - the location where the Bosnians built a tunnel to supply the city with weapons, food and medicine while the city was almost surrounded and under seige by Serb forces. Most of the tunnel has since been filled in, but there was a short stretch through which it was possible to walk - very small and rather dark! Heading onto Mostar slightly further south tomorrow, I've decided to make the journey there by train rather than bus since the views are meant to be incredible - the only downside is that the only morning train leaves just after 7:00 - which is going to mean getting up around 5:45 tomorrow morning. If there's one thing I'm not going to miss when I get home, it has to be the early mornings...
Date and time: Tuesday 1st September 2009, 21:18 CEST (20:18 BST)
Location: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Status update: Matthew has fallen in love with Dubrovnik, and now resolved to stick to bottled water no matter what the locals tell him.
It's not hard to see why Dubrovnik is quickly becoming such a popular tourist destination. The place is absolutely beautiful, and that's coming from someone who has now visited almost every country on the European continent. Came here on the direct bus from Kotor yesterday, which took about 3 hours. Compared to pretty much all of the borders I have crossed so far, they were rather strict, everyone's luggage got searched, and I got asked a few questions about where I was going and how much money I had on me. Got through fine, though, and was soon rewarded with a fantastic view over the old city as we approached the bus station. Found my accommodation, which this time is a guesthouse rather than a hostel, which means I've been enjoying a private room, and some real Croatian hospitality, to say the least. Had great fun simply getting lost in the Old City yesterday, which consists of worn stone streets, beautiful Catholic churches and fantastic clock towers, loads of cafes and restaurants and a lovely port just outside the city walls. Also watched the sunset from higher up the hill last night, which with the sun actually setting behind the Old Town was simply fantastic. Today I had a bit of a lie in, as 30 odd days of travelling are starting to tire me out a little(!), but then headed back into the centre and today enjoyed a walk around the city walls, which has probably been the high point of my visit, fantastic views over the city and surrounding islands. Now back at the hostel, enjoying a few snacks on the terrace with the other hostel guests. Heading onto Sarajevo tomorrow, bus leaves at 8am, so getting an early night seems like a good idea...
Location: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Status update: Matthew has fallen in love with Dubrovnik, and now resolved to stick to bottled water no matter what the locals tell him.
It's not hard to see why Dubrovnik is quickly becoming such a popular tourist destination. The place is absolutely beautiful, and that's coming from someone who has now visited almost every country on the European continent. Came here on the direct bus from Kotor yesterday, which took about 3 hours. Compared to pretty much all of the borders I have crossed so far, they were rather strict, everyone's luggage got searched, and I got asked a few questions about where I was going and how much money I had on me. Got through fine, though, and was soon rewarded with a fantastic view over the old city as we approached the bus station. Found my accommodation, which this time is a guesthouse rather than a hostel, which means I've been enjoying a private room, and some real Croatian hospitality, to say the least. Had great fun simply getting lost in the Old City yesterday, which consists of worn stone streets, beautiful Catholic churches and fantastic clock towers, loads of cafes and restaurants and a lovely port just outside the city walls. Also watched the sunset from higher up the hill last night, which with the sun actually setting behind the Old Town was simply fantastic. Today I had a bit of a lie in, as 30 odd days of travelling are starting to tire me out a little(!), but then headed back into the centre and today enjoyed a walk around the city walls, which has probably been the high point of my visit, fantastic views over the city and surrounding islands. Now back at the hostel, enjoying a few snacks on the terrace with the other hostel guests. Heading onto Sarajevo tomorrow, bus leaves at 8am, so getting an early night seems like a good idea...
Date and time: Sunday 30th August 2009, 18:51 CEST (17:51 BST)
Location: Kotor, Montenegro
Status update: Matthew thinks Kotor is simply stunning, but is also feeling rather off colour... :S
Kotor, along with Veliko Tarnovo, is among my favourite places this year. Kotor is setting in a stunning bay of the same name, completely surrounded by vast, vast mountains and with a fortress extending up away from the old town. Arrived on the bus from Ulcinj yesterday morning (and rather early too, since that's how the buses seem to run down here...) Had a wander around the bay (originially thought it would be possible to walk all the way around, but then realised what I could see is less than half of the whole thing), and stopped off several times just to read, relax and enjoy a paddle. Didn't get up to much later in the day as I've been feeling a bit off colour - not sure whether it's something I've eaten, the pace of my trip catching up with me or the weather but felt a little sickly so stayed at the hostel. Got an early night though, and been feeling much better today so hopefully whatever it was has passed! Today I've visited the maritime museum here (expensive and not actually up to much, in my opinion), and braved the heat and sunshine to actually climb the fortress at the back of the old town. It was well worth it though, as it gave some quite simply stunning views - taken loads of pictures - but you could see the tiny triangular Old Town beneath and half of the bay out in the distance. Also had a wander around the Old Town itself, nice place to try and get lost in (although this did prove a little tricky due to its small size), lots of pretty churches although sadly with it being a Sunday most of them were closed to visitors. Heading on to Dubrovnik in Croatia tomorrow which I've also heard good things about, before venturing over to Bosnia and then hitting Italy and Malta - seems strange to think that I'll now be back home in less than 2 weeks...
Location: Kotor, Montenegro
Status update: Matthew thinks Kotor is simply stunning, but is also feeling rather off colour... :S
Kotor, along with Veliko Tarnovo, is among my favourite places this year. Kotor is setting in a stunning bay of the same name, completely surrounded by vast, vast mountains and with a fortress extending up away from the old town. Arrived on the bus from Ulcinj yesterday morning (and rather early too, since that's how the buses seem to run down here...) Had a wander around the bay (originially thought it would be possible to walk all the way around, but then realised what I could see is less than half of the whole thing), and stopped off several times just to read, relax and enjoy a paddle. Didn't get up to much later in the day as I've been feeling a bit off colour - not sure whether it's something I've eaten, the pace of my trip catching up with me or the weather but felt a little sickly so stayed at the hostel. Got an early night though, and been feeling much better today so hopefully whatever it was has passed! Today I've visited the maritime museum here (expensive and not actually up to much, in my opinion), and braved the heat and sunshine to actually climb the fortress at the back of the old town. It was well worth it though, as it gave some quite simply stunning views - taken loads of pictures - but you could see the tiny triangular Old Town beneath and half of the bay out in the distance. Also had a wander around the Old Town itself, nice place to try and get lost in (although this did prove a little tricky due to its small size), lots of pretty churches although sadly with it being a Sunday most of them were closed to visitors. Heading on to Dubrovnik in Croatia tomorrow which I've also heard good things about, before venturing over to Bosnia and then hitting Italy and Malta - seems strange to think that I'll now be back home in less than 2 weeks...
Date and time: Friday 28th August 2009, 19:34 CEST (18:34 BST)
Location: Ulcinj, Montenegro
Status update: [None]
After the fuss and stress that Tirana has induced, the last 48 hours or so have been much more relaxing. I left Tirana pretty early on Thursday morning, and thanks to my poking around on the Internet the night before, I found the buses going to Shkodra in northern Albania, a transit point for heading onto Montenegro. On the bus, I met an American and New Zealander (the latter being a historian researching into New Zealanders in World War II around the Mediterranean). When we arrived in Shkodra, there were a few hours to kill before the onward bus to Ulcinj, so we got a taxi up to the top of the Shkodra fortress, which proved well worth it - absolutely fantastic views over the rather colourful city, the flat plains, and the two rivers winding their way past. Also had a traditional Albanian meal - consisting of rice, meat and some sort of sauce, which was wonderfully filling. Headed onto Ulcinj in the afternoon, by taxi rather than bus, as the driver charged hardly anything more and was obviously a lot quicker at getting there. Arrived around 16:30, though had to ask around to reach my accommodation as it wasn't signed and very well hidden. Received a very warm welcome, though, and have a private room with bathroom, air conditioning, fridge and balcony, which I'm absolutely loving. Today I've had a chance to explore Ulcinj properly - though in reality there isn't much to it as it's a beach resort which Albanians and Kosovars flock to. Managed to find the entrance to the fortress here which, although not particularly impressive compared to Shkodra, did give a nice view over the (rather crowded) beach. Also been for a wander along the coast, much of which is completely unspoilt - lots of shady rocky areas by the sea which were deserted and hence nice to stop off at for a bit as it is rather warm here! Heading onto Kotor (also in Montenegro) early tomorrow morning, I've heard great things about the place so I'm very much looking forward to it...
Location: Ulcinj, Montenegro
Status update: [None]
After the fuss and stress that Tirana has induced, the last 48 hours or so have been much more relaxing. I left Tirana pretty early on Thursday morning, and thanks to my poking around on the Internet the night before, I found the buses going to Shkodra in northern Albania, a transit point for heading onto Montenegro. On the bus, I met an American and New Zealander (the latter being a historian researching into New Zealanders in World War II around the Mediterranean). When we arrived in Shkodra, there were a few hours to kill before the onward bus to Ulcinj, so we got a taxi up to the top of the Shkodra fortress, which proved well worth it - absolutely fantastic views over the rather colourful city, the flat plains, and the two rivers winding their way past. Also had a traditional Albanian meal - consisting of rice, meat and some sort of sauce, which was wonderfully filling. Headed onto Ulcinj in the afternoon, by taxi rather than bus, as the driver charged hardly anything more and was obviously a lot quicker at getting there. Arrived around 16:30, though had to ask around to reach my accommodation as it wasn't signed and very well hidden. Received a very warm welcome, though, and have a private room with bathroom, air conditioning, fridge and balcony, which I'm absolutely loving. Today I've had a chance to explore Ulcinj properly - though in reality there isn't much to it as it's a beach resort which Albanians and Kosovars flock to. Managed to find the entrance to the fortress here which, although not particularly impressive compared to Shkodra, did give a nice view over the (rather crowded) beach. Also been for a wander along the coast, much of which is completely unspoilt - lots of shady rocky areas by the sea which were deserted and hence nice to stop off at for a bit as it is rather warm here! Heading onto Kotor (also in Montenegro) early tomorrow morning, I've heard great things about the place so I'm very much looking forward to it...
Date and time: Wednesday 26th August 2009, 20:16 CEST (19:16 BST)
Location: Tirana, Albania
Status update: Matthew is hating Albania. His stupid bank has just blocked his stupid debit card, the only English speaking hostel staff are on holiday and thus he has no idea where to find his bus to Montenegro tomorrow.
Tirana has definitely marked the low point of my travels so far. Getting here was not enjoyable in that it involved an overnight bus (although I thankfully got two seats to myself so could stretch out), the Macedonian border guards didn't give me an exit stamp despite my request for one (although thankfully they can't hassle me now I've left the country) and I arrived in Tirana at the wonderful time of 04:15. Managed to find my hostel with no problem at all, but discovered the only English speaking member of staff is away on holiday, so getting my room was done in Albanian and with lots of drawings on paper, and to add insult to injury, they gave my the wrong one, thus I've been moved this afternoon. Not impressed. First thing this morning I had an ask around the travel agencies, several of whom I'd read send buses to Montenegro (where I'm heading next), although they all denied any such knowledge. Thankfully I've found some info online tonight though, so at least have a plan as to what I'm going to do in the morning. And to cap everything off, my withdrawing money in Tirana this morning flagged up my bank's security systems, who blocked my card, although thankfully I've now called them and got it sorted out. Seems a shame Tirana has caused such hassle though, because its actually been a fascinating place to explore - the place revolves around Skanderberg square, where there are several communist buildings, decorated with some brilliant mosaics, a rather nice statue and some wonderful mosques. Visited the national museum this morning which had some items dating back to 100 000 BC as well as exhibitions on Albanian history in the 20th century, from which I learned a lot, as a surprising amount of it was in English. Also been to the southern part of the city, lots more communist relics there too, plus a few rather modern churches (many were torn down here as the communist authorities were very anti-religious). Also been up one of the hills and got something of a view over the city - one thing that gives Tirana its character is all the concrete communist housing blocks have since been painted in very bright colours! Better head off now to try and gather some knowledge about where I'm going to catch my buses tomorrow, despite what the city had to offer in terms of sights I'm looking forward to leaving the country...
Location: Tirana, Albania
Status update: Matthew is hating Albania. His stupid bank has just blocked his stupid debit card, the only English speaking hostel staff are on holiday and thus he has no idea where to find his bus to Montenegro tomorrow.
Tirana has definitely marked the low point of my travels so far. Getting here was not enjoyable in that it involved an overnight bus (although I thankfully got two seats to myself so could stretch out), the Macedonian border guards didn't give me an exit stamp despite my request for one (although thankfully they can't hassle me now I've left the country) and I arrived in Tirana at the wonderful time of 04:15. Managed to find my hostel with no problem at all, but discovered the only English speaking member of staff is away on holiday, so getting my room was done in Albanian and with lots of drawings on paper, and to add insult to injury, they gave my the wrong one, thus I've been moved this afternoon. Not impressed. First thing this morning I had an ask around the travel agencies, several of whom I'd read send buses to Montenegro (where I'm heading next), although they all denied any such knowledge. Thankfully I've found some info online tonight though, so at least have a plan as to what I'm going to do in the morning. And to cap everything off, my withdrawing money in Tirana this morning flagged up my bank's security systems, who blocked my card, although thankfully I've now called them and got it sorted out. Seems a shame Tirana has caused such hassle though, because its actually been a fascinating place to explore - the place revolves around Skanderberg square, where there are several communist buildings, decorated with some brilliant mosaics, a rather nice statue and some wonderful mosques. Visited the national museum this morning which had some items dating back to 100 000 BC as well as exhibitions on Albanian history in the 20th century, from which I learned a lot, as a surprising amount of it was in English. Also been to the southern part of the city, lots more communist relics there too, plus a few rather modern churches (many were torn down here as the communist authorities were very anti-religious). Also been up one of the hills and got something of a view over the city - one thing that gives Tirana its character is all the concrete communist housing blocks have since been painted in very bright colours! Better head off now to try and gather some knowledge about where I'm going to catch my buses tomorrow, despite what the city had to offer in terms of sights I'm looking forward to leaving the country...
Date and time: Tuesday 25th August 2009, 13:24 CEST (12:24 BST)
Location: Skopje, Macedonia
Status update: Matthew is not looking forward to his 10 hour, overnight bus journey to Tirana tonight. Fingers crossed he isn't sat next to some horribly overweight person like his last two trips...
Location: Skopje, Macedonia
Status update: Matthew is not looking forward to his 10 hour, overnight bus journey to Tirana tonight. Fingers crossed he isn't sat next to some horribly overweight person like his last two trips...
Date and time: Monday 24th August 2009, 22:29 CEST (21:29 BST)
Location: Skopje, Macedonia
Status update: Matthew is at the halfway point, melting in the Balkan sunshine, and has a vendetta against Macedonian border guards.
I'm once again back in Skopje having used the place as a base from which to do two day trips away to Pristina (in Kosovo) and Ohrid (in Western Macedonia). Arrived here two days ago on the bus from Sofia in Bulgaria, where the Bulgarian customs people were rather nosy in inspecting baggage, and I had to get off the bus to actually request an entry stamp (as they didn't automatically give me one) - they seem to be rather lax here, but I'm keen to make sure they can't give me any trouble when I leave the country. Had a wander around small, pint sized Skopje in the evening - not exactly too much to do but for reasons I can't quite put into words I'm rather fond of the place. Saw Macedonia square, the wonderful view from the fortress, the Turkish quarter with all its shops and traditional market, and the interestingly shaped post office - made from concrete which was quite something. Yesterday I visited Pristina in Kosovo - no problems getting in, although I now have Kosovan stamps in my passport which sadly means I can't go to Serbia proper for the forseeable future. On the journey, one thing that struck me was how much rebuilding was going on - there were no blown out buildings left from the war, but lots of new ones being built. Also lots and lots and lots of Kosovan flags, usually accompanied by those of the EU, NATO and the USA - clearly a place that is proud to be independent. Pristina didn't have too much in terms of sights but was a interesting place to wander around - a fair few parks too, and not as hot as Skopje either! Today I've done another day trip, this time to Ohrid in western Macedonia, which sits by the lake of the same name. The place was much more touristy than Skopje, all sorts of souvenir shops and hotels around. The scenery was simply stunning, hills rising from the late which were home to lots of little churches and monastries, a fantastic (only recently uncovered) Roman theatre and yet another fortress. Saw a bit of rain there too, which got rather heavy on the journey home, loads of lightning too, which was spectacular if a little scary considering the bus was driving down unlit mountain roads at the time! Just arrived back at the hostel, very tired so heading to bed soon - and am planning to have a decent lie in tomorrow, since the only bus that goes to Tirana is an overnight one - so I'm not anticipating getting too much sleep...
Location: Skopje, Macedonia
Status update: Matthew is at the halfway point, melting in the Balkan sunshine, and has a vendetta against Macedonian border guards.
I'm once again back in Skopje having used the place as a base from which to do two day trips away to Pristina (in Kosovo) and Ohrid (in Western Macedonia). Arrived here two days ago on the bus from Sofia in Bulgaria, where the Bulgarian customs people were rather nosy in inspecting baggage, and I had to get off the bus to actually request an entry stamp (as they didn't automatically give me one) - they seem to be rather lax here, but I'm keen to make sure they can't give me any trouble when I leave the country. Had a wander around small, pint sized Skopje in the evening - not exactly too much to do but for reasons I can't quite put into words I'm rather fond of the place. Saw Macedonia square, the wonderful view from the fortress, the Turkish quarter with all its shops and traditional market, and the interestingly shaped post office - made from concrete which was quite something. Yesterday I visited Pristina in Kosovo - no problems getting in, although I now have Kosovan stamps in my passport which sadly means I can't go to Serbia proper for the forseeable future. On the journey, one thing that struck me was how much rebuilding was going on - there were no blown out buildings left from the war, but lots of new ones being built. Also lots and lots and lots of Kosovan flags, usually accompanied by those of the EU, NATO and the USA - clearly a place that is proud to be independent. Pristina didn't have too much in terms of sights but was a interesting place to wander around - a fair few parks too, and not as hot as Skopje either! Today I've done another day trip, this time to Ohrid in western Macedonia, which sits by the lake of the same name. The place was much more touristy than Skopje, all sorts of souvenir shops and hotels around. The scenery was simply stunning, hills rising from the late which were home to lots of little churches and monastries, a fantastic (only recently uncovered) Roman theatre and yet another fortress. Saw a bit of rain there too, which got rather heavy on the journey home, loads of lightning too, which was spectacular if a little scary considering the bus was driving down unlit mountain roads at the time! Just arrived back at the hostel, very tired so heading to bed soon - and am planning to have a decent lie in tomorrow, since the only bus that goes to Tirana is an overnight one - so I'm not anticipating getting too much sleep...
Date and time: Friday 21st August 2009, 17:58 EEST (15:58 BST)
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Status update: [None]
Sofia I have found to be much more lively, interesting and generally enjoyable than Plovdiv. Arrived here on the early train this morning (I had to get up at 6am to catch it!) dumped my bag and headed out into the city. Visited Bulgaria's national archeology museum, which I rather enjoyed despite the steep entrance fee and not being allowed to take photos (not that I took much notice of the latter), but it was full of Roman bits and pieces - it just helps to reinforce how big the Roman empire was, as obviously Bulgaria isn't something you'd typically associate with it! Also been to the Ethonographic museum, which was all about traditional Bulgarian costumes - there were loads on display (very pretty) along with lots of captions explaining (in English!) all about Bulgarian wedding rituals, which I found enjoyable. Also been for a general walk around the city, taking in the usual share of nice buildings and statues, and enjoying the sunshine. By contrast, Plovdiv, I have to admit, I both did and didn't enjoy. Getting there involved taking the overnight train from Istanbul, which once again involved getting off in the middle of the night to receive the Turkish passport stamp. Not pleasant! Got my onward ticket when I made it (which was amusing as the grumpy lady selling it to me had a tantrum when she didn't have change for my 20 leva note!) and then explored the city. Plovdiv was a Roman city, and in that respect there were quite a few interesting things to see - my highlights there were definitely the Roman theatre and the stadium - even though most of the latter has now been built over! What I found a little odd, as they go, is the Old Town there - it was full of Baroque looking buildings which to me look a tad fake (not sure whether they actually are, though). The old town was also full of souvenir stalls as you would expect, but there were so few people up there that it just didn't make sense to my mind, with it being rather empty... The city is, like Rome was, built on 7 hills (well, 6 actually, as one was flattened during the communist era!), which were incredibly distinctive and good to climb as they offered good views over the city - although I admit it was much less fun when I had to climb one of them in the morning with all my gear in order to get to my hostel! Weather here in Bulgaria is very, very hot, exploring places by day is certainly becoming more and more of a challenge - and I don't suspect that will be getting any better as I head on to Macedonia on the 9:30 bus tomorrow morning...
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Status update: [None]
Sofia I have found to be much more lively, interesting and generally enjoyable than Plovdiv. Arrived here on the early train this morning (I had to get up at 6am to catch it!) dumped my bag and headed out into the city. Visited Bulgaria's national archeology museum, which I rather enjoyed despite the steep entrance fee and not being allowed to take photos (not that I took much notice of the latter), but it was full of Roman bits and pieces - it just helps to reinforce how big the Roman empire was, as obviously Bulgaria isn't something you'd typically associate with it! Also been to the Ethonographic museum, which was all about traditional Bulgarian costumes - there were loads on display (very pretty) along with lots of captions explaining (in English!) all about Bulgarian wedding rituals, which I found enjoyable. Also been for a general walk around the city, taking in the usual share of nice buildings and statues, and enjoying the sunshine. By contrast, Plovdiv, I have to admit, I both did and didn't enjoy. Getting there involved taking the overnight train from Istanbul, which once again involved getting off in the middle of the night to receive the Turkish passport stamp. Not pleasant! Got my onward ticket when I made it (which was amusing as the grumpy lady selling it to me had a tantrum when she didn't have change for my 20 leva note!) and then explored the city. Plovdiv was a Roman city, and in that respect there were quite a few interesting things to see - my highlights there were definitely the Roman theatre and the stadium - even though most of the latter has now been built over! What I found a little odd, as they go, is the Old Town there - it was full of Baroque looking buildings which to me look a tad fake (not sure whether they actually are, though). The old town was also full of souvenir stalls as you would expect, but there were so few people up there that it just didn't make sense to my mind, with it being rather empty... The city is, like Rome was, built on 7 hills (well, 6 actually, as one was flattened during the communist era!), which were incredibly distinctive and good to climb as they offered good views over the city - although I admit it was much less fun when I had to climb one of them in the morning with all my gear in order to get to my hostel! Weather here in Bulgaria is very, very hot, exploring places by day is certainly becoming more and more of a challenge - and I don't suspect that will be getting any better as I head on to Macedonia on the 9:30 bus tomorrow morning...
Date and time: Wednesday 19th August 2009, 14:59 EEST (12:59 BST)
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Status update: Matthew had great fun thwarting a Bulgarian smuggler on the train to Istanbul last night!
The journey from Veliko Tarnovo to here was probably one of my favourite so far - fantastic scenery with the Bulgarian mountains, and lots of excitement as we approached the border due to an old Bulgarian lady trying to smuggle stuff across the border - me and some others in the carriage managed to thwart her plans, but I'll save the full story of that until I get home! Waking up in Istanbul the following morning was like waking up in a different world - seeing mosques and minarets dotting the landscape as opposed to church towers (or rather, in Eastern Europe, domes) was certainly something new to me! Immediately bought my onward ticket and headed for the hostel where I dumped my bag. First place I visited was the Blue Mosque - Istanbul's biggest and most impressive mosque. Having to remove my shoes was of course something new, as was all the decorative work inside - all patterns (since Islam forbids depicitions of actual people/objects) and Arabic calligraphy, which was rather pretty and refreshing to see. Headed on to Aya Sofya, a building that has been a church and mosque depending on who controlled the city throughout the ages, it's now a museum, but I thought it wasn't really worth the 20 lira (8 pound entrace fee). Also visited the underground cistern - which is nearly 1500 years old - it was really well done in my opinion, well lit (which made for some good pictures) and the decoration of the various columns holding up the roof was well explained. Then had a wander towards the coast, walked across one of the bridges to the other European part of the city, and went up the Galata tower, which gave a fantastic panoramic view over much of the city - you could also see the Asian half of the place and the long bridge that connects the two. Headed on to have a wander around the Grand Bazaar - essentially Istanbul's version of a shopping centre. It was certainly an experience - it felt very Middle Eastern with lots of patterned clothes and rugs, lanterns and jewellery and the like - along with the narrow streets and general noise. Today I've visited the palace of the Sultans (which wasn't open yesterday), although, again, I don't think it was worth the 20 lira entrance fee - and it was absolutely packed with people - I have to say I'm looking forward to getting back off the beatern track when I take the train back to Bulgaria this evening...
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Status update: Matthew had great fun thwarting a Bulgarian smuggler on the train to Istanbul last night!
The journey from Veliko Tarnovo to here was probably one of my favourite so far - fantastic scenery with the Bulgarian mountains, and lots of excitement as we approached the border due to an old Bulgarian lady trying to smuggle stuff across the border - me and some others in the carriage managed to thwart her plans, but I'll save the full story of that until I get home! Waking up in Istanbul the following morning was like waking up in a different world - seeing mosques and minarets dotting the landscape as opposed to church towers (or rather, in Eastern Europe, domes) was certainly something new to me! Immediately bought my onward ticket and headed for the hostel where I dumped my bag. First place I visited was the Blue Mosque - Istanbul's biggest and most impressive mosque. Having to remove my shoes was of course something new, as was all the decorative work inside - all patterns (since Islam forbids depicitions of actual people/objects) and Arabic calligraphy, which was rather pretty and refreshing to see. Headed on to Aya Sofya, a building that has been a church and mosque depending on who controlled the city throughout the ages, it's now a museum, but I thought it wasn't really worth the 20 lira (8 pound entrace fee). Also visited the underground cistern - which is nearly 1500 years old - it was really well done in my opinion, well lit (which made for some good pictures) and the decoration of the various columns holding up the roof was well explained. Then had a wander towards the coast, walked across one of the bridges to the other European part of the city, and went up the Galata tower, which gave a fantastic panoramic view over much of the city - you could also see the Asian half of the place and the long bridge that connects the two. Headed on to have a wander around the Grand Bazaar - essentially Istanbul's version of a shopping centre. It was certainly an experience - it felt very Middle Eastern with lots of patterned clothes and rugs, lanterns and jewellery and the like - along with the narrow streets and general noise. Today I've visited the palace of the Sultans (which wasn't open yesterday), although, again, I don't think it was worth the 20 lira entrance fee - and it was absolutely packed with people - I have to say I'm looking forward to getting back off the beatern track when I take the train back to Bulgaria this evening...
Date and time: Monday 17th August 2009, 14:48 EEST (12:48 BST)
Location: Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Status update: Matthew has a new favourite place, and thought the lighting of the Tsarevets Fortress was the most amazing thing he's ever seen.
Veliko Tarnovo is by far my favourite place on my trip so far - despite it being one of the hottest places I've been! Arrived on the train from Bucharest yesterday, and found my hostel fairly easily. The hostel itself here is fantastic - a wonderfully renovated house run by a British couple living here, with a fantastic kitchen and common area - only the strange thing is, that despite having around 20 beds, I'm the only guest here! It means it's lovely and relaxing though, and the couple who own it are really friendly, so I'm not complaining! Veliko Tarnovo is simply stunning - set in forested mountains with a winding river over which there are lots of small bridges, and loads of houses clinging to the slopes competing to get the best views. The highlight of my trip here has to be the Tsarevets Fortress - a medieval fortress on one of the hills. At night, if enough tourists pay, they put on a light show where the fortress is illuminated in different colours for around 20 minutes. Yesterday the show was on, and I found a fantastic vantage point which allowed me to watch it all for free (as most of the locals apparently do too!) and even a place to steady my camera, which means I've got some pretty decent pictures of it all - it was simply awesome, probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. This morning, after a fantastic homemade breakfast, I headed out to visit the fortress itself, which gave some lovely views over the town and surrounding mountains. What was even better (to my mind, anyway) was the complete lack of regard for health and safety - no barriers or anything by the steep drops, just a sign a the entrance warning you to be careful! Refreshing, to say the least! I've also bought my onward ticket to Istanbul on the sleeper train this evening for 62 leva (around 30 pounds), so am now just cooling down at the hostel before I head off to the train station and into Turkey. Not particularly looking forward to the journey though, I'm due to cross the border in the middle of the night and I believe you actually have to get off this train to go through passport control...
Location: Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Status update: Matthew has a new favourite place, and thought the lighting of the Tsarevets Fortress was the most amazing thing he's ever seen.
Veliko Tarnovo is by far my favourite place on my trip so far - despite it being one of the hottest places I've been! Arrived on the train from Bucharest yesterday, and found my hostel fairly easily. The hostel itself here is fantastic - a wonderfully renovated house run by a British couple living here, with a fantastic kitchen and common area - only the strange thing is, that despite having around 20 beds, I'm the only guest here! It means it's lovely and relaxing though, and the couple who own it are really friendly, so I'm not complaining! Veliko Tarnovo is simply stunning - set in forested mountains with a winding river over which there are lots of small bridges, and loads of houses clinging to the slopes competing to get the best views. The highlight of my trip here has to be the Tsarevets Fortress - a medieval fortress on one of the hills. At night, if enough tourists pay, they put on a light show where the fortress is illuminated in different colours for around 20 minutes. Yesterday the show was on, and I found a fantastic vantage point which allowed me to watch it all for free (as most of the locals apparently do too!) and even a place to steady my camera, which means I've got some pretty decent pictures of it all - it was simply awesome, probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. This morning, after a fantastic homemade breakfast, I headed out to visit the fortress itself, which gave some lovely views over the town and surrounding mountains. What was even better (to my mind, anyway) was the complete lack of regard for health and safety - no barriers or anything by the steep drops, just a sign a the entrance warning you to be careful! Refreshing, to say the least! I've also bought my onward ticket to Istanbul on the sleeper train this evening for 62 leva (around 30 pounds), so am now just cooling down at the hostel before I head off to the train station and into Turkey. Not particularly looking forward to the journey though, I'm due to cross the border in the middle of the night and I believe you actually have to get off this train to go through passport control...
Date and time: Saturday 15th August 2009, 13:27 EEST (11:27 BST)
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Status update: Matthew thought having Mormons knock on his door twice in two days in Bath was bad - now they've ambushed him in Bucharest!
So I'm now back on the relatively well trodden tourist path - or at least I am compared to Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. Spent yesterday exploring the centre of the Moldovan capital Chisinau. I had only half a day to do so, but quite frankly that was all it needed - saw a fair few impressive government buildings (including the parliament which is currently fenced off and being repaired after the riots there earlier this year), the main parks (Chisinau is a very green city) and visited a few markets (and bought a T-shirt with "Moldova" written across it at one of them). Yesterday evening I took the overnight train from Chisinau to Bucharest, and was lucky to get some English speaking company in the form of an Australian who is also travelling around this part of Europe before going to study in Stockholm. Crossing the border was quite easy (got my exit stamp no problem this time, and customs wasn't rigourous at all), although rather interesting in that the train had to stop to have its wheels changed as Moldova and Romania use different rail gauges. This involved separating all the carriages and jacking them up one by one (with us still on board!) in order to slide out the old wheels and put the new ones in! Arrived in Bucharest this morning at the wonderdully sociable time of 06:46 this morning, but fortunately the hostel is very close to the train station so it wasn't too much of a walk. Bucharest Nord station was quite an experience though - taxi drivers desperately fishing for business, a few beggars and gypsies and an irritating man trying to offer a private lift into the centre. Ignored them all and was very guarded with my pockets! Been out into Bucharest with the Australian I met on the train this morning, highlight has to be visiting the Palace of the Parliament - the world's heaviest building, which was started by dictator Caucescu, although due to the events of 1989 he didn't live to see it finished. It was incredible - huge halls everywhere, all very elaborately decorated - and we also got to stand on the balcony where George Bush Sr addressed the city during his term in office - but mistakenly called it Budapest (in Hungary) instead of Bucharest! Also had a wonder around various other parts of the city, nothing particularly of note, though. Now back at the hostel having some lunch, may go for a wander later and see where I end up. Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria tomorrow, managed to buy my ticket today (since I couldn't buy that one from the UK), hoping it might be a bit cooler than of late with it being up in the mountains...
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Status update: Matthew thought having Mormons knock on his door twice in two days in Bath was bad - now they've ambushed him in Bucharest!
So I'm now back on the relatively well trodden tourist path - or at least I am compared to Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. Spent yesterday exploring the centre of the Moldovan capital Chisinau. I had only half a day to do so, but quite frankly that was all it needed - saw a fair few impressive government buildings (including the parliament which is currently fenced off and being repaired after the riots there earlier this year), the main parks (Chisinau is a very green city) and visited a few markets (and bought a T-shirt with "Moldova" written across it at one of them). Yesterday evening I took the overnight train from Chisinau to Bucharest, and was lucky to get some English speaking company in the form of an Australian who is also travelling around this part of Europe before going to study in Stockholm. Crossing the border was quite easy (got my exit stamp no problem this time, and customs wasn't rigourous at all), although rather interesting in that the train had to stop to have its wheels changed as Moldova and Romania use different rail gauges. This involved separating all the carriages and jacking them up one by one (with us still on board!) in order to slide out the old wheels and put the new ones in! Arrived in Bucharest this morning at the wonderdully sociable time of 06:46 this morning, but fortunately the hostel is very close to the train station so it wasn't too much of a walk. Bucharest Nord station was quite an experience though - taxi drivers desperately fishing for business, a few beggars and gypsies and an irritating man trying to offer a private lift into the centre. Ignored them all and was very guarded with my pockets! Been out into Bucharest with the Australian I met on the train this morning, highlight has to be visiting the Palace of the Parliament - the world's heaviest building, which was started by dictator Caucescu, although due to the events of 1989 he didn't live to see it finished. It was incredible - huge halls everywhere, all very elaborately decorated - and we also got to stand on the balcony where George Bush Sr addressed the city during his term in office - but mistakenly called it Budapest (in Hungary) instead of Bucharest! Also had a wonder around various other parts of the city, nothing particularly of note, though. Now back at the hostel having some lunch, may go for a wander later and see where I end up. Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria tomorrow, managed to buy my ticket today (since I couldn't buy that one from the UK), hoping it might be a bit cooler than of late with it being up in the mountains...
Date and time: Thursday 13th August 2009, 20:08 EEST (18:08 BST)
Location: Chisinau, Moldova
Status update: Matthew has been to Transnistria today! And although his camera broke at the worst possible moment, he has some roubles and Tiraspol postcards to prove it!
The last 48 hours have been some of the most hectic, stressful, exciting, frustrating, expensive, hot, fascinating, enjoyable and itchy I've had in a long time. Having said all that, I guess I should explain! The hostel in Odesa which I spent a night in after writing my last entry, as I've now found out to my cost, had a sizeable mosquito population - and I'm now covered in itchy, sore bites. However, yesterday that was probably the least of my worries. I got a decent lie in for once before heading to the bus station to catch my bus on to Chisinau in Moldova. Having already bought my ticket, getting on was no problem. The ride was pretty enjoyable as I was sat next to a Moldovan man who spoke some English, and naturally he was fascinated about my travelling - I got shown his passports, ID cards and even his old Soviet passport, which was rather amazing. I also got offered a fair bit of food which I was too polite to turn down - the main one being sunflower seeds, which we worked our way through during the journey. We reached the Ukrainian side of the border after about an hour, where someone came on to collect all the passports to take them off to be stamped. They certainly took their time about it - we were waiting about an hour - and when we finally got them back, I discovered they had taken my Ukranian migration card (as they should) but not given my passport an exit stamp! Thankfully my new friend quickly pointed this out to the driver just as we were moving off, so that he could stop the bus and explain to the Ukranian border guards, who quickly realised their mistake and gave me what I needed! The Moldovan side involved less of a wait, and thankfully the guards there did their job properly! The Moldovan countryside was pretty fascinating - lots of peach trees, tomato plants, sunflowers and grapes - Moldova is very famous for its wine in the former USSR. About two hours later, we arrived in Chisinau - but there wasn't an ATM at the bus station (backward place...) so I ended up exchanging all my Ukranian hrynivas for Moldovan Lei so that I could pay for my transfer to my hostel near the edge of town. Very pleased to have made it there after all that drama! Today has involved a day trip to Tiraspol, capital of the unrecognised breakaway Transnistrian republic - affectionately known as the "living, breathing museum of communism" by Lonely Planet - well worth reading up on in my opinion (try searching for "Places that don't exist Transnistria" on YouTube). I'd booked a tour with an English speaking guide for 30 Euros, which is probably some of the best money I've ever spent - it ensured I didn't have any trouble crossing the "border" between Moldova and Transnistria as many Westerners do. Tiraspol was fascinating - pretty much like the Soviet Union must have been - got a tour of the city and visited one of the museums, where it was quite plain that the people there are very proud to be independent from Moldova, even if no other country recognises them. However, at the start of the tour, I discovered that my camera had broken - probably at the worst possible moment since I was expecting this to be one of the highlights of my trip! - but fortunately one of the others on the tour has offered to send me his pictures when he gets home. Bought some postcards there so I do at least have some pictures, and I've also kept some of the local currency as a souvenir (Transnistrian roubles, which are not exchangeable anywhere else in the world)! On arriving back to Chisinau, I've also managed to replace my camera for just under 100 pounds which I'm quite pleased with (even if it's depleted my hard cash reserves) - although extracting the pictures from my old camera's memory card may be a challenge when I get home. Planning to explore the centre of Chisinau itself tomorrow before taking the overnight train back into EU territory for the first time in a while - Bucharest to be precise...
Location: Chisinau, Moldova
Status update: Matthew has been to Transnistria today! And although his camera broke at the worst possible moment, he has some roubles and Tiraspol postcards to prove it!
The last 48 hours have been some of the most hectic, stressful, exciting, frustrating, expensive, hot, fascinating, enjoyable and itchy I've had in a long time. Having said all that, I guess I should explain! The hostel in Odesa which I spent a night in after writing my last entry, as I've now found out to my cost, had a sizeable mosquito population - and I'm now covered in itchy, sore bites. However, yesterday that was probably the least of my worries. I got a decent lie in for once before heading to the bus station to catch my bus on to Chisinau in Moldova. Having already bought my ticket, getting on was no problem. The ride was pretty enjoyable as I was sat next to a Moldovan man who spoke some English, and naturally he was fascinated about my travelling - I got shown his passports, ID cards and even his old Soviet passport, which was rather amazing. I also got offered a fair bit of food which I was too polite to turn down - the main one being sunflower seeds, which we worked our way through during the journey. We reached the Ukrainian side of the border after about an hour, where someone came on to collect all the passports to take them off to be stamped. They certainly took their time about it - we were waiting about an hour - and when we finally got them back, I discovered they had taken my Ukranian migration card (as they should) but not given my passport an exit stamp! Thankfully my new friend quickly pointed this out to the driver just as we were moving off, so that he could stop the bus and explain to the Ukranian border guards, who quickly realised their mistake and gave me what I needed! The Moldovan side involved less of a wait, and thankfully the guards there did their job properly! The Moldovan countryside was pretty fascinating - lots of peach trees, tomato plants, sunflowers and grapes - Moldova is very famous for its wine in the former USSR. About two hours later, we arrived in Chisinau - but there wasn't an ATM at the bus station (backward place...) so I ended up exchanging all my Ukranian hrynivas for Moldovan Lei so that I could pay for my transfer to my hostel near the edge of town. Very pleased to have made it there after all that drama! Today has involved a day trip to Tiraspol, capital of the unrecognised breakaway Transnistrian republic - affectionately known as the "living, breathing museum of communism" by Lonely Planet - well worth reading up on in my opinion (try searching for "Places that don't exist Transnistria" on YouTube). I'd booked a tour with an English speaking guide for 30 Euros, which is probably some of the best money I've ever spent - it ensured I didn't have any trouble crossing the "border" between Moldova and Transnistria as many Westerners do. Tiraspol was fascinating - pretty much like the Soviet Union must have been - got a tour of the city and visited one of the museums, where it was quite plain that the people there are very proud to be independent from Moldova, even if no other country recognises them. However, at the start of the tour, I discovered that my camera had broken - probably at the worst possible moment since I was expecting this to be one of the highlights of my trip! - but fortunately one of the others on the tour has offered to send me his pictures when he gets home. Bought some postcards there so I do at least have some pictures, and I've also kept some of the local currency as a souvenir (Transnistrian roubles, which are not exchangeable anywhere else in the world)! On arriving back to Chisinau, I've also managed to replace my camera for just under 100 pounds which I'm quite pleased with (even if it's depleted my hard cash reserves) - although extracting the pictures from my old camera's memory card may be a challenge when I get home. Planning to explore the centre of Chisinau itself tomorrow before taking the overnight train back into EU territory for the first time in a while - Bucharest to be precise...
Date and time: Tuesday 11th August 2009, 15:13 EEST (13:13 BST)
Location: Odesa, Ukraine
Status update: Matthew is loving Odessa, though desperately trying to spend his remaining Hryvnias...
Odesa (or Odessa, as it's said in Russian, rather than Ukranian) is a city that gave off a horrible first impression, but after a little more exploring, I've found it to be rather nice (even if there is a slight lack of things to do)! Came over on the train from Lviv last night, where I was accompanied by two girls around my age, and the most irritating woman I've ever met, who couldn't understand that I didn't speak her language, brought what could have been a dismantled piano along with her in two HUGE suitcases and snored worse that I've ever heard before. So you can imagine I was a little unhappy when I arrived at the station this morning! The city wasn't exactly welcoming - I was greeted by lots of dust, cars, and concrete buildings. Walked on to the hostel, checked in (despite it only being 8am) and headed out into the city proper. As I got closer to the sea, the city certainly smartened up, lots more pretty buildings, many painted in nice bright colours. Been for a good wander along the seafront and the central pier, which offered fantastic views, been up and down the Potemkin steps (which create an optical illusion depending on which way you look at them), seen the fabulous opera house, and walked along the "mother in law bridge" (The story behind that one is that a communist offical had it built during the Soviet days so that his wife's mother could get home more easily and hence leave him in peace)! Weather is lovely, sunny but not too hot (although that will probably change as I head further south), though I'm now desperately trying to spend all my Ukranian hryvnias as I've overwithdrawn on them and will be leaving the country tomorrow...
Location: Odesa, Ukraine
Status update: Matthew is loving Odessa, though desperately trying to spend his remaining Hryvnias...
Odesa (or Odessa, as it's said in Russian, rather than Ukranian) is a city that gave off a horrible first impression, but after a little more exploring, I've found it to be rather nice (even if there is a slight lack of things to do)! Came over on the train from Lviv last night, where I was accompanied by two girls around my age, and the most irritating woman I've ever met, who couldn't understand that I didn't speak her language, brought what could have been a dismantled piano along with her in two HUGE suitcases and snored worse that I've ever heard before. So you can imagine I was a little unhappy when I arrived at the station this morning! The city wasn't exactly welcoming - I was greeted by lots of dust, cars, and concrete buildings. Walked on to the hostel, checked in (despite it only being 8am) and headed out into the city proper. As I got closer to the sea, the city certainly smartened up, lots more pretty buildings, many painted in nice bright colours. Been for a good wander along the seafront and the central pier, which offered fantastic views, been up and down the Potemkin steps (which create an optical illusion depending on which way you look at them), seen the fabulous opera house, and walked along the "mother in law bridge" (The story behind that one is that a communist offical had it built during the Soviet days so that his wife's mother could get home more easily and hence leave him in peace)! Weather is lovely, sunny but not too hot (although that will probably change as I head further south), though I'm now desperately trying to spend all my Ukranian hryvnias as I've overwithdrawn on them and will be leaving the country tomorrow...
Date and time: Sunday 9th August 2009, 18:14 EEST (16:14 BST)
Location: Lviv, Ukraine
Status update: [None]
After Brest, Minsk, and to a lesser extent, Kiev, Lviv feels much more like a European, or rather, central European city due to the relative lack of communist influence here. I arrived this morning on what I can only describe as a somewhat decrepit train from Kiev - although it wasn't all bad as two of those sharing my carriage spoke English so I was able to have a decent conversation for the first time in a while! - something that was particularly lacking in Belarus as I didn't come across a single person who spoke any English! Lviv is a wonderful city - the hostel I'm staying at is very close to the centre, and the weather has improved somewhat today too - sun all day and none of the thunderstorms that have been following me around since Wednesday. Been up the clocktower on top of the town hall for a panoramic view over the Old Town, seen at least 10 different Orthodox churches (all with services going on as it's Sunday), been to Lviv's "Pharmacy Museum" (something different - the war ones get a bit monotonous after a while), full of instruments and bottles mostly from the 19th century, and climbed Lviv's biggest hill for an absolutely amazing view over the entire city and well into the countryside. One thing that has also struck me about this city is how Ukranian it is - there are a lot of blue and yellow flags around and you hardly see any signage in Russian - I'm told it's this part of the country that is most culturally European and wants to distance itself from its Soviet past. Planning an excursion to the edge of town tomorrow morning to see what is reputed to be one of Europe's most beautiful cemetries, after which I'll be taking the overnight train to the Black Sea port of Odessa, followed by Chisinau in Moldova - which will probably the most dodgy part of my trip!...
Location: Lviv, Ukraine
Status update: [None]
After Brest, Minsk, and to a lesser extent, Kiev, Lviv feels much more like a European, or rather, central European city due to the relative lack of communist influence here. I arrived this morning on what I can only describe as a somewhat decrepit train from Kiev - although it wasn't all bad as two of those sharing my carriage spoke English so I was able to have a decent conversation for the first time in a while! - something that was particularly lacking in Belarus as I didn't come across a single person who spoke any English! Lviv is a wonderful city - the hostel I'm staying at is very close to the centre, and the weather has improved somewhat today too - sun all day and none of the thunderstorms that have been following me around since Wednesday. Been up the clocktower on top of the town hall for a panoramic view over the Old Town, seen at least 10 different Orthodox churches (all with services going on as it's Sunday), been to Lviv's "Pharmacy Museum" (something different - the war ones get a bit monotonous after a while), full of instruments and bottles mostly from the 19th century, and climbed Lviv's biggest hill for an absolutely amazing view over the entire city and well into the countryside. One thing that has also struck me about this city is how Ukranian it is - there are a lot of blue and yellow flags around and you hardly see any signage in Russian - I'm told it's this part of the country that is most culturally European and wants to distance itself from its Soviet past. Planning an excursion to the edge of town tomorrow morning to see what is reputed to be one of Europe's most beautiful cemetries, after which I'll be taking the overnight train to the Black Sea port of Odessa, followed by Chisinau in Moldova - which will probably the most dodgy part of my trip!...
Date and time: Friday 7th August 2009, 16:40 EEST (14:40 BST)
Location: Kiev, Ukraine
Status update: Matthew has made it to Kiev, which he's pretty pleased about considering he thinks he caught the wrong train yesterday...
So I've made it to Kiev, despite (I think) managing to take the wrong train yesterday. When leaving Brest, they kept repeating some announcement which had the words "Brest", "Minsk" and "106" (my train number) in, but unfortunately I couldn't make out the rest, so didn't know whether it was a platform alteration, cancellation or something else. In the end I got on a train which had "Minsk Pass" written on it, but the ticket inspectors seemed bemused by my ticket (but let me pass) and the train arrived at 13:30 instead of the 10:37 I was expecting! What was interesting though is that one of the people on the train with me started trying to talk to me (and got the usual I don't speak Russian), but was rather intrigued by me all the same - he mentioned a few English music names to me (the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson), and tried to communicate as best he could, which was quite fun. I also got the impression I was one of the first tourists he had seen, which though sad, didn't exactly surprise me. The train getting in late was probably a good thing in all fairness though, as Minsk didn't have particularly much to see. It was certainly a very Stalinist city, lots of big imposing buildings (somewhat like Moscow last year), but I guess this was understandable since it was completely rebuilt after WWII. It was fairly pleasant, though, since most of them were painted, unlike the centre of Brest where there was a lot of bare concrete. The place was short on tourist sights too, but that can easily be explained by the fact that so few tourists go there! Had a wonder around looking at some of the buildings (including the KGB headquarters and Lukhashenko's palace), before visiting the Victory Monument, a fair few churches, and then heading back to the train station. Caught the overnight train to Kiev where I am now - the border wasn't a problem - a few stamps in my passport and on another migration card, and no customs checks - which means I've still got both my Lonely Planet guidebooks despite their uncomplementary words about the Belarussian government! Today I've visited Kiev's WWII museum (with an awesome statue on top) and the Caves Monastry - basically a series of underground passages where you take your own candle to light your way! Now back at the hostel due to the rain showers that have been following me since Warsaw, planning to go and find a supermarket and get a half decent meal as this hostel here actually has a kitchen!
Location: Kiev, Ukraine
Status update: Matthew has made it to Kiev, which he's pretty pleased about considering he thinks he caught the wrong train yesterday...
So I've made it to Kiev, despite (I think) managing to take the wrong train yesterday. When leaving Brest, they kept repeating some announcement which had the words "Brest", "Minsk" and "106" (my train number) in, but unfortunately I couldn't make out the rest, so didn't know whether it was a platform alteration, cancellation or something else. In the end I got on a train which had "Minsk Pass" written on it, but the ticket inspectors seemed bemused by my ticket (but let me pass) and the train arrived at 13:30 instead of the 10:37 I was expecting! What was interesting though is that one of the people on the train with me started trying to talk to me (and got the usual I don't speak Russian), but was rather intrigued by me all the same - he mentioned a few English music names to me (the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson), and tried to communicate as best he could, which was quite fun. I also got the impression I was one of the first tourists he had seen, which though sad, didn't exactly surprise me. The train getting in late was probably a good thing in all fairness though, as Minsk didn't have particularly much to see. It was certainly a very Stalinist city, lots of big imposing buildings (somewhat like Moscow last year), but I guess this was understandable since it was completely rebuilt after WWII. It was fairly pleasant, though, since most of them were painted, unlike the centre of Brest where there was a lot of bare concrete. The place was short on tourist sights too, but that can easily be explained by the fact that so few tourists go there! Had a wonder around looking at some of the buildings (including the KGB headquarters and Lukhashenko's palace), before visiting the Victory Monument, a fair few churches, and then heading back to the train station. Caught the overnight train to Kiev where I am now - the border wasn't a problem - a few stamps in my passport and on another migration card, and no customs checks - which means I've still got both my Lonely Planet guidebooks despite their uncomplementary words about the Belarussian government! Today I've visited Kiev's WWII museum (with an awesome statue on top) and the Caves Monastry - basically a series of underground passages where you take your own candle to light your way! Now back at the hostel due to the rain showers that have been following me since Warsaw, planning to go and find a supermarket and get a half decent meal as this hostel here actually has a kitchen!
Date and time: Wednesday 5th August 2009, 15:47 EEST (13:47 BST)
Location: Brest, Belarus
Status: Matthew is in Brest (in Belarus, not France!) and particularly enjoyed withdrawing no less than 400 000 roubles from the cash machine.
I'm currently sitting in an Internet cafe in Brest, where I have to say I'm attracting a few intrigued looks as everything on my screen is of course in the Roman alphabet, whereas everything on everyone else's is all in Cyrllic! Came over on the train from Warsaw yesterday afternoon which was very modern and rather comfortable. I happened to be travelling with a Russian from Volgograd who also spoke English; he was very friendly and particularly useful when the train staff, and later the border guards, kept coming around asking various questions. Crossing the border was a lot easier than I'd imagined or heard about, my visa/passport got the required stamp without any issue and customs was just a few people just having a brief look around in each compartment. Got off at the first stop, eventually found a cash machine that worked and withdrew no less than 400 000 Belarusian Roubles (that's around 80 pounds) before trying to find my hotel. This wasn't exactly made easy by the fact that Google Maps hasn't yet put street names on the map for here - you just get an outline of the streets - but I stuck with my instinct and eventually found the place after about 1/2 an hours walk (and no doubling back, I might add)! No-one at reception spoke English, but fortunately they knew exactly what I wanted once I showed them my reservation confirmation. The hotel is certainly very Soviet - long wooden corridors, and small but comfortable rooms. Breakfast was included in the price (hence I had it this morning) - naturally the menu was in Russian only, so I just pointed at something random and hoped for the best! I ended up eating some sort of sausage like meat in some sort of batter, along with some bread and a bowl of cucumber to wash it all down. Different, certainly, and all part of the experience! Spent the majority of today at the impressive Brest Fortress (it played a major part in both world wars) - now its more like a memorial - communist music blaring out, some very impressive monuments and museums charging an admission fee of just 20p! I feel rather rich here, although all the paper money is starting to fill my wallet as Belarusian roubles have no coins. Heading off to explore the centre of the city next (although I don't believe there's not too much to see) before getting an early night as I'm catching the 06:20 to Minsk tomorrow morning. Hope I can get up in time...
Location: Brest, Belarus
Status: Matthew is in Brest (in Belarus, not France!) and particularly enjoyed withdrawing no less than 400 000 roubles from the cash machine.
I'm currently sitting in an Internet cafe in Brest, where I have to say I'm attracting a few intrigued looks as everything on my screen is of course in the Roman alphabet, whereas everything on everyone else's is all in Cyrllic! Came over on the train from Warsaw yesterday afternoon which was very modern and rather comfortable. I happened to be travelling with a Russian from Volgograd who also spoke English; he was very friendly and particularly useful when the train staff, and later the border guards, kept coming around asking various questions. Crossing the border was a lot easier than I'd imagined or heard about, my visa/passport got the required stamp without any issue and customs was just a few people just having a brief look around in each compartment. Got off at the first stop, eventually found a cash machine that worked and withdrew no less than 400 000 Belarusian Roubles (that's around 80 pounds) before trying to find my hotel. This wasn't exactly made easy by the fact that Google Maps hasn't yet put street names on the map for here - you just get an outline of the streets - but I stuck with my instinct and eventually found the place after about 1/2 an hours walk (and no doubling back, I might add)! No-one at reception spoke English, but fortunately they knew exactly what I wanted once I showed them my reservation confirmation. The hotel is certainly very Soviet - long wooden corridors, and small but comfortable rooms. Breakfast was included in the price (hence I had it this morning) - naturally the menu was in Russian only, so I just pointed at something random and hoped for the best! I ended up eating some sort of sausage like meat in some sort of batter, along with some bread and a bowl of cucumber to wash it all down. Different, certainly, and all part of the experience! Spent the majority of today at the impressive Brest Fortress (it played a major part in both world wars) - now its more like a memorial - communist music blaring out, some very impressive monuments and museums charging an admission fee of just 20p! I feel rather rich here, although all the paper money is starting to fill my wallet as Belarusian roubles have no coins. Heading off to explore the centre of the city next (although I don't believe there's not too much to see) before getting an early night as I'm catching the 06:20 to Minsk tomorrow morning. Hope I can get up in time...
Date and time: Monday 3rd August 2009, 21:01 CEST (20:01 BST)
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Status update: Matthew is in Warsaw, and amused at seeing capitalist skyskrapers and communist monstrosities so close together.
Warsaw, I have to say, is simply different to any city I've been to before. Nowhere have I seen capitalist skyskrapers (mostly international hotel chains), communist monstrosities (Stalin's "Palace of Culture" being the prime example) and a typical European Old Town all in the same city. The skyskrapers were something that I spotted as I landed yesterday, and were just a taste of what was to come. Made it through the airport and got my transfer without problems, and managed to locate my hostel. Yesterday I visited the Warsaw Uprising museum, which was probably a good choice to start with (despite being so far out - Warsaw feels like a huge city) as it detailed the rising towards the end of WWII and helped to explain why the city is as it is today - the reason being that it was practically level in 1945. Today I've visited the Old Town (completely reconstructed after the war, not that you would be able to notice that) and visited the castle (although in my opinion, it wasn't exactly worth the 20 zloty (4 pound) entrance fee just to see a few lavish rooms. Then caught a glimpse of the Warsaw Rising monument (very impressive, and never seen so many candles in my life!) before heading to the south of the city to have a look at the Water Palace - which like most decent museums was closed as it's a Monday!! Had a wonder around the very nice surrounding gardens, though, before heading to catch a glimpse of Warsaw's national stadium, currently under construction in preparation for Euro 2012 which Poland are hosting with Ukraine. There wasn't much to see apart from around 15 cranes, though. Planning to go up to the top of the Palace of Culture for a panoramic view over the city tomorrow, and possibly one of the museums also located within the building, before heading on the train to Belarus! Hope customs don't give me any trouble with my Lonely Planet guidebooks, I'll certainly try to keep them out of sight!...
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Status update: Matthew is in Warsaw, and amused at seeing capitalist skyskrapers and communist monstrosities so close together.
Warsaw, I have to say, is simply different to any city I've been to before. Nowhere have I seen capitalist skyskrapers (mostly international hotel chains), communist monstrosities (Stalin's "Palace of Culture" being the prime example) and a typical European Old Town all in the same city. The skyskrapers were something that I spotted as I landed yesterday, and were just a taste of what was to come. Made it through the airport and got my transfer without problems, and managed to locate my hostel. Yesterday I visited the Warsaw Uprising museum, which was probably a good choice to start with (despite being so far out - Warsaw feels like a huge city) as it detailed the rising towards the end of WWII and helped to explain why the city is as it is today - the reason being that it was practically level in 1945. Today I've visited the Old Town (completely reconstructed after the war, not that you would be able to notice that) and visited the castle (although in my opinion, it wasn't exactly worth the 20 zloty (4 pound) entrance fee just to see a few lavish rooms. Then caught a glimpse of the Warsaw Rising monument (very impressive, and never seen so many candles in my life!) before heading to the south of the city to have a look at the Water Palace - which like most decent museums was closed as it's a Monday!! Had a wonder around the very nice surrounding gardens, though, before heading to catch a glimpse of Warsaw's national stadium, currently under construction in preparation for Euro 2012 which Poland are hosting with Ukraine. There wasn't much to see apart from around 15 cranes, though. Planning to go up to the top of the Palace of Culture for a panoramic view over the city tomorrow, and possibly one of the museums also located within the building, before heading on the train to Belarus! Hope customs don't give me any trouble with my Lonely Planet guidebooks, I'll certainly try to keep them out of sight!...
Date and time: Saturday 1st August 2009, 19:46 BST
Location: Chester, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is away until 11th September.
Location: Chester, United Kingdom
Status update: Matthew is away until 11th September.
If that's not enough, why not go back and read my Europe 2008 log?
