Bite me......

.............And join the hundreds of nasty, creepy, so-disgusting-I-cant-bear-to-think-about-it-because-it-makes-me-feel-sick Hungarian bedbugs.
Yes....bedbugs. Brings a whole new meaning to the "sleep tight, dont let the bedbugs bite" nursery rhyme.

Our hostel in Budapest wasnt the greatest- too crowded and the rooms were unbearably hot - but the addition of bedbugs just pushed us over the edge. At first we just thought we were all getting heat/sweat rash from the indescriably oppressive weather......but after a couple of conversations with some fellow travellers we realised we were being eaten alive by the little blighters. Gross.

Needless to say we were NOT impressed by this little addition to our bedclothes....and seeing as the hostel was massive and they paid absolutely no attention to us nor had no idea who we were....we decided to do a runner. And Dad....I am blaming you entirely for making me think that this is ever ok!

Most hostels make you pay up front for at least one night, but Bedbugs-Are-Us had just asked for some ID to hold on to then we could pay at check out. They had wanted my passport....but I am SO glad I decided to hand over my drivers licence instead. So on the morning of checkout at 10am, we packed our bags....locked our lockers and room, pocketed the keys (HA HA!) then walked straight out the front door. Easy Peasy!!! My drivers licence was a casulaty of the great escape, but no matter - we had just saved on 4 nights accommodation!!!

So....Helen then bid her farewells and hopped on a flight back to Heathrow looking forward to some air conditioning and a good de-lousing, while Anne and I made for the train station for the 16 hour journey to Split, Croatia. Lack of sleep and an overactive imagination had turned me into a bit of a paranoid android, and I spent the whole journey panicking everytime I saw a policeman or border control guard. Such a wally.

Sooooo.....the journey to Croatia. Was actually very similar to the sauna at the spas in Budapest. For 15 hours I sat as still as possible - even moving my head caused a river of sweat to run down my back. It actually became abit of a race to stay hydrated - how fast I could drink versus how fast my body could sweat out every ounce of moisture it possessed. Needless to say I was about half a stone lighter and very very smelly when Anne and I arrived in Split yesterday morning.

We are now in Hvar, a beautiful medieval island along the Dalmatian coast....and I have to say that after the horrors of Budapest....I couldnt be happier. Never underestimate the power of a sea breeze and a cold beer!!!
After playing "grab-a-granny" at the ferry terminal we are staying in the beautiful, clean and bedbug-free home of a local woman and her husband, spending our days swimming in the Adriatic and our nights eating as much fresh fish as our tummies allow. Bliss!!!!

The plan is to head to the neighbouring island of Korcula tomorrow night. It is supposed to be just as charming but a little less expensive - Hvar is full of people with too much money and not enough taste (ooh Im such a snob) - and after a couple of nights there we are getting another boat to Dubrovnik, from where Anne will be flying home on the 2nd August.

And then I will be all alone! A little scary but very very exciting. The only thing that concerns me slightly is the train journeys alone. It turns out that on the Krakow-Budapest train when the people in the surrounding carraiges got robbed and we didnt, that we were all actually gassed. They put a sleeping gas through the vents in the carriages which knocks you out for a couple of hours, then come in and take your things. Totally explains why all three of us slept so deeply for the whole journey - I in particular tend to wake up a lot and potter about. We think that we didnt get robbed because Anne was on the floor and her feet were jamming the door shut...whilst our bags were all at the other end of the carriage.

So...I am sure that I will be fine...will just make sure I sit with other (preferably female) travellers, and sleep with my arms and legs wrapped round my bag!!!

For my sake more than anything Im going to put down the (very rough) itinary, so I hopefully remeber where to go next!!!

Dubrovnik to Mostar (Bosnia)
Mostar to Sarajevo
Sarajevo to Zagreb (Croatia)
Zagreb to Llubiljana (Slovenia)
Llubiljana to Venice
Venice to Milan
Milan to Madrid (is this possible??? I hope so!)

Then either Madrid to London....or if finances and my older brother allow....I might pop down to the Costa del Sol to crash his lads holiday and top up the tan before I head home!!

Wow....Ive just read this one back and its really long. Sorry for rambling!!!
Thanks for all your emails people - its lovely to hear from you as always!!!

Will write again soon

Love Liv x

Thank god for thunderstorms......

We are in Budapest right now, which is absolutely sweltering. So so hot - we ventured out of the hostel after dark yesterday in the hope that it would be cooler, but after walking 100 metres I had already broken out in a sweat. Lovely. It is also too hot to eat....which is good. Hopefully wont be getting too fat on this trip then!!

But...as I type the sky has clouded over and there are some almighty thunder-cracks and heavy rain. Its lovely!!!

We arrived in Hungary after another super-exciting journey on the Hogwarts express. Abit of an eye-opener though as the travellers in the two carriages next to us both has their bags stolen. Lukily Anne was sleeping on the floor of our compartment.....and obviously put off any potential theives.

Krakow was incredible - far far nicer than any of us had expected. Very beautiful and a very relaxed, friendly vibe. I would recommend anyone planning a little city break to head to Poland!!!

Whilst there we took a tour to Auschwitz and Birkenau which was very interesting, and pretty shocking. Biekenau especially - the sacle of the place was mindblowing.

Budapest is abit more hectic than both Prague or Krakow.....abit more down and dirty, with a seedier, less touristy feel. But it's good nonetheless and we are planning on spending all day tomorrow bumming round the ancient Turkish baths to cool off. Lovely.

Okey dokey.....signing off now. Heading to the marketplace in Pest later to pick up some some souvenir tat, then heading over the bridge to Buda to find a Shisha bar!! All good fun. Hard work this travelling lark

I hope that you are all coping in the heat (I feel especially sorry for you London kids.....you must be dying) and that you are all taking care.

Love Liv x

ps - James I hope everything went well today. Let me know how its going if you get a break at any point!!

Prague and Krakow

After 3 very pleasant days in Prague (beautiful city.....but full of Chinese tourists doing the 'peace' sign at every significant monument in the city) we took the night train to Krakow, Poland.

I got quite pathetically over-excited during the overnight train journey. It was the most old fashioned train ever, with little carraiges with leather seats and pull down windows. The whole thing was abit like being onboard the Hogwarts Express......only without all the rats and toads and flying cars and stuff.

We arrived in Krakow at 6 0 Clock this morning, and my first experience of Polish hospitality was an irate little man who would not let me go to the toilet unless I gave him some money. the fact that I didnt actually have any Polish currency (only Czech) due to the total lack of ATMs for about a mile and that if I didnt get to the toilet soon I would make a mess of his lovely clean bathroom was totally lost on him. We even offered him some of Helen's ciggarettes as payment, but he was having none of it. Well neither was I, so I just went to the loo despite his rantings. I was bigger than him anyway.......but I dont think I made a desperately good first impression on Poland. Oops.

We have just woken up from a much-needed nap in the Hostel Giraffe (??) and are contemplating going outside into the heat. But only to sit in the beautiful square and have a beer mind.......nothing strenuous obviously.

Planning to take a little daytrip to Auschwitz and Birkenau tomorrow which will be an informative experience at least. Will update you all on the visit later.

Hope everyone is well

Liv x

So, this is a blog???

Hmmmmmm.......a blog.As I am obviously too lazy to keep in touch with my friends and family through the normal methods of communication, I have decided to jump on the band-wagon and enjoy the narcissistic delights of the blog. My European inter-railing travels begins oh-so-soon and I've managed to line up an interview for a teaching position in Madrid, so I may well be moving to Espana somewhere in the near future.

So you can read all about my adventures here. But only if you want to ;)