Israel- the final episode

We are currently in Haifa on the West coast of Israel- our very final stop of this trip before we fly from Tel Aviv later today. Israel has more than lived up to my expectations and I have loved every minute of it. I am sat writing in an artsy warehouse cafe near the port in Haifa- a very cool city.

We took the bus from Eilat up to Jerusalem- suffice to say I was VERY excited to arrive in the central bus station. A short light rail ride towards downtown, we arrived at our hostel. We headed straight out for the nearby market we'd been recommended, Mahane Yehuda. Our hostel was quite near the Ultra Orthodox area so the bustling market was an amazing mix of men in their tall black hats and trademark ringlets as well as chaps in kippas and ladies in wigs left, right and centre. As you can imagine (for anyone that knows my interest/obsession!) I was pretty excited again. We sat down in a little cafe within the market and had some tasty pasta, watching the Jewish world go by. We ended the night by watching the open mic session back at the hostel with some great music.

The next day was dedicated to the scheduled ring shopping. Yonna did well to maintain interest as we scoured every single jewelry shop in Jerusalem. After hours of shopping I was starting to worry that I wasn't going to find my ring in the holy city as per the plan. But then, we happened upon a small vintage and antique jeweler on Jaffa Road. We poured through tens of rings until we found the right one! A couple of days later we picked up my resized, beautiful 1960's sapphire and diamond ring :-) After we felt happy we'd found the right ring, we headed towards the old walled city of Jerusalem- my first glimpse of the place I have read about and wanted to visit for so long and it was breathtaking. The incredible mix of people- the Armenian, Christian, Muslim and Jewish quarters, including Jewish people from all areas- North Africa, Eastern Europe, Spain, America etc. etc. all with their unique appearance.....again very excited!! The meander around the old city culminated in us reaching the Wailing or Western Wall- where men and women, separated into two halves (well actually the women get less than a third!), were praying, rocking and placing their paper prayers into the wall.

We were keen to learn a lot more about the much contested and fought over old city so joined a free walking tour the next day. The guide took us through all the areas, explaining the key sites and their importance to the three religions that consider this place central to their faith. After the tour we headed off to explore some more of the sites in detail- we started at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I had absolutely no clue that they had built a church over the areas where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, taken off the cross and the cave in which his body was placed. Even though we aren't religious it was quite something looking at these sacred spots within the church which were being venerated with all the religious fervour you would expect. The church is owned by numerous denominations of Christianity- Armenian, Ethiopian, Catholic- and they are not allowed to change or move one single thing in the church unless all heads of the different faiths agree. As they never meet and never agree, the church is quite ramshackle in places where they simply are not allowed to repair. We also walked to David's tomb, another site of pretty feverish Jewish prayer, and Oskar Schindler's tomb (which was actually padlocked so we couldn't see it). The food in Jerusalem is pretty varied due to the mix of nationalities living there- we had some amazing sushi and went back twice it was so good!

The next day was probably the most interesting- we signed up to a dual narrative tour of Hebron in the West Bank. The hotly disputed city was explained to us by our Jewish guide in the morning and then our Palestinian guide in the afternoon. As you can imagine the security in this city was pretty crazy- there are checkpoints with heavily armed Israeli soldiers at every turn. The city itself was divided into two sections- H1, the Israeli controlled area and H2, the Palestinian area- in an agreement signed by Clinton, Netanyahu and Arafat. The whole day left me much more knowledgeable about the situation and probably more fairly balanced towards both sides- I won't go into what I believe here but will merely explain a bit about why both sides of the argument declare such a passionate 'claim' to Hebron.

For the Jews, Hebron is where Abraham lived, died and was buried, along with one wife and his sons. It is therefore where they consider Judaism was born and the final resting place of the patriarchs and matriarchs of their religion. They claim to have found evidence of Jewish life dating right back to the times of the second temple in Jerusalem (around Jesus' time if I have understood correctly). Jews have lived on the land continuously since that time and until around 1917, in harmony with their Arab neighbours. As the ruling regime in what is now Israel shifted, the Jews of Hebron suffered expulsion and a massacre in 1929 by the same Arab people they had previously called friends. Since the creation of Israel in 1948, Jews have returned to Hebron and built homes here- in a place they feel is rightfully theirs to build on due to its ancient importance for their faith as well as their historic presence in the area. As their presence increased and the feelings of Palestinian nationalism also rose, there were attacks on the Jewish population- a pregnant couple was killed by a suicide bomber, a baby was shot directly in the head by a sniper. The Israeli government, in order to protect its people, shut off areas of the city to the Arab cohabitants.

Ok after that fascinating history lesson, we crossed over into H2, the Palestinian area. The handover from one side to the other was slightly shady as both our Jewish and our Palestinian guides could invite trouble from their respective sides if seen to be collaborating. We were taken to the Muslim side of the tomb of the Patriarchs, the same one we'd just visited with our Jewish guide. The problem is that both faiths believe they are the sons of Abraham- just descended from a different son. The tomb literally represents the split in the religions, in Hebron and in Israel itself- half is a synagogue, half a mosque (the splits differ in actual dimensions depending on which side you speak to). Our guide took us for lunch and walked us through the old souk. When we looked up we could see metal nets full of cans, rubbish and rocks. The guide explained that Jewish 'settlers', as they call them, have built on top of the shops below and hurl objects at the Muslims passing underneath. The 'settlers' are protected by the armed guards that stand on many roofs around the area and the Palestinians say the soldiers never stop their mistreatment. We visited one family who told harrowing stories about being offered millions of dollars to leave their house by 'settlers' and when they didn't a molotov cocktail was thrown into their house, killing two children. We visited another family, the father of which told us that his family had lived in that house for a traceable 700 years but he was now surrounded by 'illegal settlements'. He too had been offered millions of dollars to move and had refused- he claimed his son had been partially blinded by bleach being thrown by a settler.

The Israeli government say that the control of where Palestinians, as well as Israelis, can walk in the city is for security. The Palestinians say they use individual events to take widespread measures to push the muslims further back, increasingly restrict their movement and therefore lives in a subtle, steady attempt to push them out of the area. The Israelis say they are not 'illegal settlers' but rightfully returning to where their forefathers lived. The Palestinians say their land is being occupied, they are being surrounded, threatened, intimidated and built upon until they will give up their houses and their land. The Jewish guide we had said a Palestinian state was a bad idea, that it draws permanent lines of separation and that Jews and Muslims should be able to live together peacefully. Our Palestinian guide told us that this kind of integrated state was totally impossible.

We returned to Jerusalem tired and probably more confused than we started out. It was an incredible, insightful privilege to visit.

The next day we walked the walls of the old city to see all the areas from above and then visited the trademark Dome of the Rock. As you can imagine security was pretty tight to get into the place Jews consider the foundation stone of creation lays and where the arc of the covenant laid as well as where Muslims believe Mohammed ascended to heaven. The golden domed building is beautiful and we took a stroll around whilst being serenaded by large groups of ladies chanting 'Allahu Akbar' very loudly. We then took the light rail out to Yad Vashem- a vast and sombre holocaust museum.

After six days we had to leave Jerusalem- I probably felt the most sad I have to leave anywhere all trip. Not least because the city and the Jewish faith has interested me for so long but also because it is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city with such rich, undeniable history regardless of what religious or non-religious camp you sit in. I thoroughly recommend a visit to anyone :-)

Yesterday we arrived in Haifa and today have explored the Baha'i gardens. My UKBA friends will recognise this as the outlawed faith which originated in Persia and from which we get the occasional asylum seeker. The gardens and the city of Accre (Akko) just across the bay, are the two holiest places for this faith that preaches an end to war, equality of all and unity as one global nation- sounds great and they have the most beautiful gardens to boot! There is also a festival going on here at the moment- an interfaith event with live music, street food and performances- Haifa is really a lovely, lively place.

So this is it, the end of this incredible trip- I think our most rewarding yet. We have experienced so many fascinating cultures and people. Almost everything has been a pleasant surprise and nearly every day has brought unique and memorable experiences. Oh and to top it all off we got engaged :-) Now it's time to go home and celebrate with our dear friends and family.....and then....the adventure continues!  Thanks for reading :-)

Jordan

Well this has to be my best writing location yet.....I am sat in front of a roaring fire in a bedouin tent in the middle of Wadi Rum, the Jordanian desert. One of the bedouin brothers we are staying with is singing in Arabic around me making tea (or 'bedouin whiskey' as they call it). Jordan has been completely magical from day one, where magical things have happened........

We flew into Amman late evening from Cairo and immediately felt a change of atmosphere. We stepped off the flight and were met with smiles and politeness at passport control, as well as a pretty hefty visa charge, and made it out and on to the bus without any of the Egyptian style hassle we'd been accustomed to. A bus and taxi ride later and we arrived in our hostel in downtown Amman and headed out to a recommended restaurant nearby. The place, called Al-Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem), served traditional bedouin dishes. Yon had Mansef, lamb with flavoured rice, and I had Ouzi, a thin pasrty dome filled with the tastiest lamb, rice, pine nuts, spices, sultanas- it was some of the most delicious food I had ever eaten.

The next day we got up early to join an American chap, Steve, for a tour. Our main aim was to get to the Dead Sea but public transport is pretty rare across Jordan so you are kind of left to join a tour which includes other places. We started at Mount Nebo- the place where Moses looked across to the promised land and died before getting there. From the top of the mountain you could look out aross to Jerusalem, Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem- luckily Steve was much more religious than us so could fill us in on the importance of some of the sites. Next stop was Madaba where we were taken to see a Byzantine mosaic map in a church. The surviving pieces of the map showed all the areas in the Bible so that the priest could point to the area of the map his sermon was based on that day- pretty smart. We then headed to the dead sea- the main attraction for us! It was pricey to get in but completely worth it. We got changed quickly and headed down to the salty water. We did the obligatory gesture of tasting the water and it was insanely salty, so salty it made you feel a bit sick after just a tiny taste. The water was just warm enough to get in comfortably so we waded in and, even though we were expecting it, just floated....that doesn't sound that great but the experience of not being able to put your feet down or sink even if you wanted to is just bizarre! There were the same childish giggles from everyone around us as they experienced the floating, even from the visiting young Saudi men who threw off their dishdashas and jumped in. Yon couldn't resist the urge to get smothered in the black mineral-rich mud and let it dry before washing off in the sea. It was an unforgettable experience.

Then we drove to Bethany Beyond the Jordan where Jesus is said to have been baptised. Yon sat this one out as me and Steve took the tour around the area. It's a very interesting experience quite apart from the baptism site as the Jordan (the famous and sacred river) runs between Jordan and the West Bank so security is pretty tight. I have to say the tour guide was particularly rubbish but just about managed to point out where Jesus was baptised by St John. We then walked down to the river bank which sits just 6 foot away from the West Bank- I could see the Israeli flag, armed Israeli soldiers and a Bible group. The group proceeded to read from the Bible, pray and then started singing and clapping. All very surreal made even more so by the Russian contingent of my group putting white robes on and ducking their heads under the muddy, murky waters of the river! Apparently you can bring your own priest (BYOP!) and get baptised there too.  

In the car our guide told us a bit about Jordan....it was settled first by the Hashemite tribes travelling in bedouin caravans from Saudi. It was fully recognised as a country in 1917 after the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman occupiers and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country is still ruled by the King who is unwaveringly adored by everyone we have come across and apparently globally respected as a diplomat internationally. They sit in quite the geographic predicament with Israel and Palestine to the West, Syria to the North, Egypt's Sinai peninsula to the South-West and Iraq to the North East! Jordan, however, prides itself on being the safe, peace keeping country in the middle and acts as a haven to millions of refugees from Iraq, Syria and most of all Palestine. In fact the refugees far out number Jordanians in this country. The guide also told us that they were having a drought and were praying for much needed rain and guess what.....the next day it came and it came big time!

In the downpour in Amman we decided to go to the Royal Automobile Museum, which sounds pretty rubbish but was actually quite cool. In the massive hangar is housed the royal families collection of classic cars and motorbikes as well as one of a kind Lambourghini bikes and Ferraris. We headed back to downtown and sought out Hashem, a eatery the book recommended. They serve one thing- hummous, falafel, fava beans and bread. You load the bread up with all the ingredients plus some chilli sauce, mint and raw onion and it is absolutely delicious!!

Because of the rain we decided to cut our stay in Amman a little short and headed south to Dana Biosphere Reserve. It is a protected desert area towards the centre of Jordan. Our hostel was an incredible ramshackle collection of buildings on top of a hill overlooking a beautiful canyon. It was absolutely freezing so we wrapped up and ordered some lunch before we set off for our first hike. The hotel is run by a lovely Jordanian man and his nephew as well as a couple of Filipino ladies- another sizeable population making up modern Jordan. The ladies made a lunch of lamb kofte stew with bread, salad and hummous and I know I have said this a few times in this blog alone but this was the best thing I have EVER tasted!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. We spent two great days hiking through the canyon, watching the eagles soar above and listening to the perfect quiet.

Next up was the big daddy...Petra! We arrived early and headed straight for the site- just a stone's throw from our hostel. A 2 day ticket cost us around fifty pounds each which is pretty hefty but was so worth it. On that first day a cruise ship had been bussed in so we had a job on our hands trying to avoid the crowds but we had agreed that we would do the furthest most spot that day. We hot footed it through the canyon (siq) and kept our heads down as to not spoil the other sites we intended to see the next day. We dodged the camel and donkey ride sellers and climbed 800 ancient carved rock steps up to the monastery. There was barely anyone up there as the crowds don't usually make it that far. The monastery was as impressive as the treasury with a huge, pillared facade carved into the golden rock. We drank some coffee with cardamom with the bedouins who still live in the caves and made it back down to see the sun set (and so Yon could monitor the football!).

The next day we rose early to beat the crowds, however the crowds never came this particular day so we had the whole of Petra pretty much to ourselves. I took the horse ride to the Siq which was included in the ticket and we took our time to wind our way through the canyon, coming to the incredible treasury with just a few camels lying outside. We explored the street of facades and the royal tombs, climbing up behind them to find a small bedouin camp that sat on the rocks high above the treasury giving an incredible view. We also climbed up to the high sacrifice place where you can still see a sacrificial altar. It really is an incredible place and so much of it still stands from its Nabataean beginnings 300 years before Christ.

We had a very early start to catch the bus to our next destination- the desert of Wadi Rum, famed for the campaign of Lawrence of Arabia. We had arranged to stay in a Bedouin camp we had been recommended by a girl we met in Amman. One of the brothers, Naail, picked us up from the bus and we made our way into the desert. We passed the wide expanses of sand and huge sand stone mountains carved into crazy shapes by the wind and sand, to our camp. It was a collection of tents with a couple of permanent buildings as a kitchen and toilet. These are no ordinary tents- they are very sturdy and ours was so cozy, rigged up with electricity. After lunch we took a 2 hour tour of the desert, Yon went sandboarding and we saw a Nabataean rock inscription. Our final stop was a sunset spot....little did I know what was coming.......

I was innocently playing sand pictionary while Yon guessed what I was drawing in the sand, when a Russian couple joined us in our secluded spot. Yon was uncharacteristically cross at their presence and then, sitting down, he folded one leg behind him and asked what this was. I thought he was carrying on pictionary and therefore asked if he was Jake the Peg...he said no and produced a ring box!! I was in complete shock and managed to get a yes out there as the sun was setting and our bedouin guide excitedly sped the jeep round to pick us up. We celebrated back at camp with toasted marshmallows on the fire and Pepsi!! :-) The next day, still in shock, we had another tour where we saw some bridge rock formations, the 7 pillars of wisdom and other Lawrence sights as well as walking a few kilometre through a very beautiful canyon. That night a couple of American girls and a Filipino chap joined us in the camp so they were the first people, after the Bedouin brothers, to find out we were engaged due to the lack of internet! The desert was so beautiful and perfectly silent and peaceful it was a magical and very special time.

The next day the Filipino chap very kindly gave us a lift to Aqaba, a seaside town on the Red Sea, where we stayed for one night and where we used the wifi to inform our very excited family and friends of our news! I am finishing this blog off and posting it (now we have reliable internet) from my ultimate destination Israel! We have now crossed into our final country of the trip and are currently in Eilat where the weather is 30 degrees today so we're going to hit the beach. In a couple of days we will be making our way to Jerusalem, which makes me feel overwhelmed enough without knowing that it is there that we will hopefully buy my engagement ring. Boy done good :-)   

Cairo: "I'm a blonde.....get me out of here!"

After running the gauntlet of the Cairo streets, we are sat in quite a nice little cafe away from the noise outside. We arrived in Egypt 4 days ago and for me we have stayed 3.5 days too long! It is not often I have such a strong negative reaction against somewhere but sadly, Cairo has been one of the worst places I have visited, certainly on this trip.

We flew into Cairo airport from Istanbul and were met by a driver from our hostel. After a hair raising, seatbelt-free 40 minute ride, we arrived at our hostel. We were staying in Downtown Cairo, a stone's throw from the Egyptian Museum and infamous Tahrir Square. Our hostel was in the Yacoubian building which I learnt was where the richest Armenians lived in Cairo in the 1920's and 30's. A lot has changed in the building and indeed the country since then. The room was ok (minus the cockroach I found in my bed last night) but the building is dilapidated at best. It must have been beautiful once upon a time but now the doors to the fancy flats are propped ajar, exposing their interiors full of rubble, waste and families of stray cats. The smell was almost unbearable in the hallway.

Anyway, on our first full day we booked the driver to take us to the pyramids. We arrived at the Giza plateau, home to the great pyramid and the Sphinx, in the morning. I had read and people had warned us, that we would be hassled but nothing could prepare me for this. The ticket desk and entry were amass with men trying to tell you to go this way, that way, buy the ticket here, there yah yah yah....Once we pushed our way through we got a brief glimpse of the incredible pyramids before we were immediately approached from every side by men trying to sell horse and camel rides. I completely understand that every one of those people is trying to make a living, trying to feed his respective family in a city which has seen tourism nose dive, but it was completely overwhelming. To further highlight the lack of tourism in the current climate, we were pretty much the only Western tourists on the complex. It was however full of mobs of Egyptian school kids who all wanted photos with us. Then rolled in a large group of Chinese, suited men surrounded by bodyguards wielding automatic weapons around their chests. The pyramids are very impressive structures and it was great to see the Sphinx, an image I have seen in books so many times. We had a couple of hours here before we walked, exhausted by the hassle, back to the car.

The driver took us to Saqqara, the very first step pyramid, and then to Dahshur pyramids where Yon descended down into the middle of the pyramid. There were pretty much no other tourists and no sellers here so it was a bit more of a relaxed affair. We went back to the hostel to get ready for our Nile dinner cruise....another eventful night.

We were picked up by our driver who immediately said he wanted me as his own and would therefore have to kill Jonny. The first time we laughed, but as he said it the 2nd, 3rd, 4th time on the way to the boat it started losing its charm. We got on the boat and went upstairs, led by our driver. At this point we expected him to say goodbye and tell us what time he would pick us up later. Instead he sat at the other end of the boat just watching us. He then came to take us downstairs to get to the buffet before everyone else- we didn't really want to eat at that point and would rather have waited for the rest of the guests but he was pretty forceful about it. He then proceeded to go up and select our desserts for us and then, the crowning moment, sat down next to me and started tucking into his own plate of buffet. Turned out he wasn't leaving the boat at all! It was very uncomfortable as he sat next to us and stared to the point that Yon and I couldn't even have a conversation.

Then the 'entertainment' began- first up two Egyptian singers who sounded like strangled cats. The whole time, the driver was either watching us from afar or stood behind my chair. Next up was the belly dancer- ok in itself but a strange custom I find in a place where the rest of the women in the room have their skin covered head to toe. I felt particularly sorry for her as she had to go round and take photos with all the pervy blokes and was routinely groped by a few. During the belly dancing I had started to speak to man next to us- he was French speaking Algerian and I was asking him how much he paid as I suspected we'd been ripped off. Our driver was over in a flash, sat at our table with a menacing look and basically told the man he was not allowed to speak to us. After this the man was too afraid to carry on the conversation and I was livid that we were being chaperoned and controlled by this man. For the rest of the evening the driver sat in front of us staring at us. Had it not been for this man, the evening could have been very enjoyable but it was sadly completely ruined :-(  

The next day we visited the famous Egyptian Museum. This involved a walk along the streets down to Tahrir Square, next to the museum. Before every outing on the streets of Cairo I have had to take a deep breath and keep my head down. In many places we have travelled before I, like many female travelers, have been hassled by the local men- I understand that this is just because I look different and it is difficult to hide very light skin and blonde hair. However, the attention has felt very different here- I am sure that some of the Egyptian men are nice, respectable people but unfortunately many of them stare with such intensity and a bizarre mix of sickly perversion and disapproval all at the same time, that it has made it a horrible experience to walk around for me. Anyway, we made it to the museum without too much incident and were struck by the barbed wire blockades, armed men and massive burnt out buildings around the museum- all remnants of the 2011 revolution. The museum itself has been my favourite experience in Cairo- a calm sanctuary where we got to see the royal mummies, Tutankhamun's death mask and all the treasures from his tomb. It was incredible to see how advanced the ancient Egyptians were and the beautiful adornments they created, just amazing. Sadly many items had been stolen and damaged in a raid during the revolution.

We had negotiated hard for some money back from the horrible dinner cruise and agreed with the hostel that we would take the tour of Islamic and Coptic Cairo as compensation. The driver (from the pyramids tour not the cruise!) took us to the citadel first. It had a huge mosque and a terrace where you could look out across the city. We ran into the guarded Chinese tourists again who were allowed to enter the sacred space in the mosque where usually only the Imam can access. When I tried the same I was watched and blocked by the large armed guards! We also visited the first mosque in Africa where I was given a free, translated copy of the Qu'ran which I am going to read through. Our last stop in Islamic Cairo was the huge mosque which also houses the tomb of the exiled last Shah of Iran- a very understated spot. After that we entered Coptic Cairo- this Christian area is completely blocked off from cars with barricades and armed men so you have to enter through a metal detector to get in. We visited some nice churches and a synagogue, made more interesting by the fact they sit right in the middle of such an Islamic city. I imagine at some point the communities mixed and perhaps lived peacefully together, however since the revolution I think things have changed and the area is very much segregated.

After an interesting day, our driver dropped us off at a little restaurant famous for Kushari- a mix of lentils, pasta, noodles, chickpeas, fried onion and strong tomato sauce. It didn't look great but it was absolutely delicious!

Today we fly to Amman, Jordan where we happily continue our journey. We were told that despite regular protests in Tahrir Square by the Muslim Brotherhood, things are improving in Egypt, which is encouraging to hear. Perhaps judging Egypt by Cairo is unfair and other places in the country may be different. I am sorry to say that I will not be rushing back to test that theory.    

Turkey

I am sat in a lovely coffee shop in Canakkale, a port town that was one of the main objectives for capture by the allied forces in WW1. Though we missed Remembrance Day in the UK this year, we have learnt a lot about the war here and went to pay our respects in Gallipoli yesterday.

Since Istanbul we have experienced much more of Turkey and have absolutely loved our time here. It has, like so many places on this trip, been such a pleasant surprise with loads to do and a really easy going feel. The diversity of the terrain was no more evident than when we flew into Kayseri to see the nearby natural phenomena of Cappadocia.

We were taken by shuttle bus to Goreme, where we were basing ourselves to see the area. Even on this ride, dropping various people off at their hotels, we caught glimpses of the crazily unique landscape. As soon as we got dropped off we set straight out to climb up to the sunset spot. When we got up there we could see the valleys all around us and the tall columns of golden rock with doors and windows carved into them. It was like nothing we'd seen before and the red sunset looked beautiful over the valleys. The next day we set off on a tour to learn more about the rock formations and who lived in them- this was the best way to do as the area of Cappadocia is actually huge.

Unfortunately our tour guide was not the easiest to understand so we didn't learn as much as I would have liked to. However, we did visit the Hitit tribe's underground city- this tribe carved down into the soft rock to create a labyrinth of chambers, temples, tunnels, wells and store rooms under the earth. We learnt that this was for protection against invading forces. The structures were pretty sophisticated but not much fun with claustrophobia as the tunnels and spaces got smaller and smaller the deeper you went. After that we walked through the Ihlara Canyon with a lovely trickling stream through the middle. On the steep cliffs above us you could see where the tribes had carved their homes, including pigeon holes to collect poo for gunpowder and fertiliser! We then moved on to a carved monastery where you could still see the Byzantine paintings of biblical scenes on the rock.

To see another area of Cappadocia we took a second tour the next day. This was a lot more informative! The lady explained that the 'fairy chimneys' were formed when volcanic ash fell on top of what was at that point sea in the area. Layers of ask kept falling, forming porous pumice stone, and the final layer formed much harder basalt stone. So, over the centuries, the pumice has been weathered away by wind and rain, carving the thin columns you see today. However, the basalt rock weathers at a much slower rate so the structures end up looking like toadstools. On this tour we visited the highlight, the Goreme open air museum, which conserves a monastery and nunnery complex carved into the stone. In the multiple churches in the rock here, you could see much clearer rock paintings and later frescoes on the walls and ceilings, many with their eyes scratched out by the invading Ottomans. There were also some tombs that had skeletons still laying in them and dining tables carved into the rock. We had to move on that night to our next stop, Selcuk but if you ever get a chance to go to Cappadocia it is well worth the trip.

We flew again to save time (plus flights are very cheap internally here) to Izmir, towards the West coast of Turkey. We stopped for one night before getting the train through to Selcuk, our base to see Ephesus. Selcuk is a lovely small town, littered with incredible ancient ruins and with a very friendly, laid back feel. We stayed in a great hostel run by a Turkish-Australian guy and soon our planned one night turned into four! On our first day we explored the town and walked up to the ruins of St. John's cathedral. If it was still standing, it would be the 4th largest cathedral in the world so the ruins are incredibly impressive. There is an area marked as the burial place of John but it is particularly unremarkable. John is also said to have written his gospel atop the hill behind the cathedral. Now, I am not too hot on my biblical knowledge but I am pretty sure John is quite important in Christianity and could not believe that more wasn't being made of this place and that we were pretty much the only people there. Unless, that is, if Christians don't really believe he is buried there? Maybe someone who knows way more than me can clear that one up for me.....?

We also visited what remains of one of the ancient wonders of the world- the Temple of Artemis. Looking at the one tall but sad looking column left standing in a field, I found it pretty hard to imagine the splendour of this massive structure, but it was cool to see it. Yon wrapped the day up with a Turkish shave- an hour long process of soaping, shaving, spraying, massaging, washing and singeing!

The next day we hit the big daddy of the ruins world....Ephesus. We spent a good few hours mooching around the incredible ruins of this important ancient city. It is incredible how much is left/ has been slightly reconstructed- the enormous theatre that could seat over 20,000 people and the incredible Library of Celsus. That night, our good Aussie friend Joe popped up again and we arranged to all go to Pamukkale the next day.

Pamukkale is difficult to explain- it kind of looks like someone has poured Greek yoghurt all over a big cliff! In actual fact it is the build up of centuries of carbonate minerals cascading down the hills and building up into brilliant white rock rivers and plateaus. In the plateaus natural thermal waters have collected producing warm pools where the Romans bathed. We were on a bit of a schedule so rapidly made our way up the hill, barefoot to the Ancient Pool at the top, which had been recommended to us. It was expensive to get in but the 35 degree spring waters made it worth it....what made it even more special is that you are swimming above ancient ruins submerged beneath the water. It was a brilliant and long day!

Our final day in Selcuk was spent relaxing and visiting the massive market of beautiful fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, dairy, sweets, nuts...anything you can imagine. We were sad to leave Selcuk but had to move on to see another ancient city- Pergamum. We stayed in Bergama and took the cable car up to the ruins atop the hill. We had been a bit ruined by Ephesus so Pergamum fell a little flat as there is not much intact there, however the views were pretty amazing from the top. Also, as is the case with so many of these artefacts of the ancient world, the most impressive part of Pergamum we had seen years earlier in the Berlin museum!

We took a very nice bus further up the coast to Canakkale. The buses are crazy- huge coaches that have had one row of seats removed so they can wheel a trolley down to serve you free drinks and snacks! Canakkale sits on one side of the narrows of the Dardanelles- across the water is the Gallipoli peninsula. I have to admit before we did the tour yesterday I knew embarrassingly little about what happened here during WW1. Especially, compared to the Australian and New Zealand fellow tourists who, as they suffered their greatest loss here, are taught the history at school and remember the events every ANZAC day. The tour was very interesting as it explained that Turkey had allied with Germany (although not enthusiastically so) but the land was considered strategically crucial for the allied troops to be able to reach Russia, via the Black Sea, as the overland route through Europe was now hostile. The allied troops thought they'd very easily defeat the Ottomans starting at Gallipoli which would give them a direct route up through the Dardanelles to the heart of the empire, Istanbul and then they could control the Black Sea. Obviously things didn't work out that way and the allied forces, including the ANZAC troops, were met with ferocious fighting from a people protecting their land. After botched movements and examples of poor leadership, over 100,000 men from both sides were dead, a stalemate was reached and the allied forces were evacuated having made no progress at all. It is a sombre place for all parties and the place from which the Turkish hero, Ataturk, sprung to greatness- a General who led the Turkish forces to push the allied forces back time and time again, later became the first leader of an independent Turkey and is commemorated in images in pretty much every house/hostel/cafe/restaurant you enter here.        

Yesterday we had to stay our final goodbye to Joe, who we will hopefully see again one day in Singapore, and tomorrow we say goodbye to Turkey as we fly on to our next adventure in Cairo....

Bulgaria & Istanbul

We arrived today in the land of fairy chimneys- Cappadocia, Turkey. From the little we have seen today, it is the craziest landscape I have ever seen and we are set to explore it over the next few days...

Before we came to Turkey we spent an unexpected brilliant few days in Bulgaria- we weren't really sure what is was going to be like but the whole experience was great. We had a long journey by bus from Ohrid to Sofia, the capital. We happened to pitch up on Halloween night but had completely forgotten until we opened the door for a couple of zombies in the hostel. We were shown to our separate building by another zombie, who wasn't dressed up but had just been smoking a few too many we think, and headed straight out for food. We had some ok food and took in the freaky sights around us.

The next day we joined a free walking tour with an uber enthusiastic young guy. Sofia is a lovely city with literal layers of history. Every group of inhabitants has built on top of or around the previous group and so the layers have been stripped back and you can see full Roman roads and buildings including 3rd century churches. They even have the second biggest amphitheater found in the world, behind the Coliseum, but have allowed a hotel to be built over it which is sad. We spent the rest of the day visiting some of the churches and the cathedral. The hostel had free dinner which was great for meeting some interesting people in the evening (as well as the standard acoustic musician travelers trying to look cool 'jamming' in the corner). We even ran into Joe, a young Aussie guy we'd first met in Valbone, Albania, so it was  great to see him again and he then featured numerous times throughout the trip until now and no doubt will pop up again before we leave. We would have both happily stayed in Sofia a bit longer as we enjoyed it but had to move on to the centre of the country, Veliko Tarnovo (VT).

VT used to be the capital of Bulgaria centuries ago so is historically quite an important place and a very strikingly set town. Our hostel sat right next to the fortress which was in fact a walled city on a hill. When we went up there to explore you could see the ruined walls of all the houses and churches that surrounded the main dwelling of the royal family. It had fantastic views of the town which sits between strange flat topped mountains and a couple of rivers. Before we ventured up there I took a deep breath and got a much needed hair cut. After asking numerous people we were shown through a shop and into a hair salon- the old ladies (the hairdressers) just looked at us for a good couple of minutes until they got up out of the chairs and signalled for me to sit down. My hairdresser did not have a word of English so all I could do was indicate a length and away she went! She sprayed some water on and then just starting nonchalantly chopping- none of this 'how do you want your layers', 'do you want a fringe cutting in' rubbish. 45 minutes and a shampoo later I had new hair and I have to say I think she did an alright job for a little less than a tenner! We spent the rest of the day exploring the cobbled streets and artists' quarter.

The next day was the real adventure...on our first day in Moldova we had met an American guy (Mr Sheen from Yonna's blogs) who told us that we had to see the abandoned communist building in Bulgaria. I had seen it before in pictures but had never really figured out where it was. Anyway by the time we reached Bulgaria we had decided it was an absolute must. Our hostel in VT ran day tours to it...a few things to note...it is not actually legal to get up to the Communist monument and it is on the top of a very high peak that barely has roads going up to it just mainly track so this wasn't going to be a nice, normal tour. Andy, a Kiwi guy, had been asked to stay working at the hoste after his trip as he was the only person crazy enough to try and drive up to it. We soon realised he certainly had the machine for it as seven of us (including Joe who'd popped up again) piled into what looked like a monster truck! We drove for a little more than an hour and spent some time in an Ethnographic village before the real adventure began. This truck could take on anything- we ploughed our way up the mountain, getting stuck a couple of times, running over full on tree trunks, nearly skidding off the mountain on snow and ice and scaling big rocks. It was a very very rough ride and particularly scary as I was in the front seat so could see everything coming but was well worth it when we reached the first stop to view the monument.

We were told that it was the HQ of the Communist party during their hold on Bulgaria. It was abandoned after the party fell and systematically wrecked and vandalised by the people since, as it was a symbol of oppression. It basically looks like a massive UFO has landed on the peak of a mountain. We piled back in the truck and headed due North up the side of the mountain- another crazy ride. The view from the top was incredible over the neighbouring peaks with clouds below us. After some time exploring the outside we got to do what we were all waiting for....go in! There is a clandestine small hole knocked into one side of the building which you have to climb through, dodging the broken glass and ice that had formed around it. Once in, the eerie space was absolutely staggering- some red carpet fragments still cling to the steps as you walk up into the main conference hall. There are huge 360 degree mosaics showing Communist scenes and figures with a huge sickle and hammer in the centre of the ceiling. The roof is slowly falling in so is open to the elements making it a bit like a skating rink inside. With the damage and the decaying building plus the snow and ice dripping around you it kind of felt like the whole monument was melting. We walked around the perimeter gangway which was at one point glazed, offering incredible views of the mountains outside. All the glass is smashed now so you can stand right up on the window ledge with the winds hitting you- it was a brilliant experience and we have some great pictures. We also climbed the tower which was not my favourite- it was basically 36 vertical ladders designed for workmen in the pitch black and freezing cold- the building was enough for me so I stayed for a few minutes before coming down again.

The trip down the mountain was actually crazier as the Andy guy decided he wanted to see just how 'off road' this truck could go, literally throwing us down uncharted mountain faces. I was pretty happy to be safely on the roads again and a little battered and brusied with ripped jeans but great memories of the experience.

That night we got on an overnight bus to Istanbul. As you can imagine the trip was not the comfiest so we were like zombies ourselves when we arrived in the city at 6am the next morning. After 2 hours of navigtaing the massive city we found our hostel and had a sleep! Istanbul is everything everyone says it is- an incredible mix of Eastern and Western cultures, busy, vibrant and buzzing. We stayed in Kadikoy so were a bit out of the tourist centre which was really nice.

After a sleep we got straight out and took the ferry across to Eminonu where all the main sites are. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the beautiful Topkapi Palace and hareem. That night I had the best baklava I have ever tasted! The next day we hit the tourist sights in a big way- we saw Hagia Sofia (which we thought was expensive and slightly over rated), the Blue Mosque, the 'underground palace' (which Dan Brown fans will know from his latest book) and the grand bazaar. A great day marred only slightly by the fact I had picked up a tummy bug again! The next day we visited Karakoy and went up Galata tower to get views of the whole city. We walked down to the waterfront and happened upon an incredible fish market before Yon tucked into two of the famous 'fish in bread'. I was gutted as it's the kind of thing I would love to eat but I wasn't feeling up to it :-( But I sat and took in the sights of the waterside whilst the beautiful call to prayer reverberated around the city from the scores of mosques.  

On our last full day we visited our local hammam. Men and women were separate in this one so we went our seperate ways. With a few pushes, shoves and points, a lady directed me around the baths to tell me what to do before laying me on the central marble slab and scrubbing the hell out of me! Then came the soapy massage and the vigourous hair shampooing- it was a great, if not the most relaxing experience. Still not feeling great, we had a steady day of walking around the local antiques and artist markets before Joe popped up again! We all agreed it would be great to go to a local football match and Yon procured us tickets for Fenerbache. The stadium was huge and as you can imagine, the match was a very lively and loud affair. There was a brilliant atmosphere and the home team won which luckily meant the riot police we'd seen earler that night were not needed.                                                  
This morning we took a very short flight to Kayseri and then a bus to Goreme where we have based ourselves to see Cappadocia. I am very excited to see the crazy rock formations and cave dwellings tomorrow!

Greece & Macedonia

I'm writing today on a beautiful sunny, Autumnal day at Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. A few days ago we decided to take a detour into Greece from Albania. We left our much loved home from home in Gjirokaster and got an early bus across the border. The border crossing took at least two hours with one Albanian man outrightly advising us to "avoid the Greeks"! Not best friends as countries then...

We finally got through and made it to Meteora. We just happened across this place as we heard another traveller talking about it. When we looked it up in our book, it claimed it should be the 8th wonder of the world, so we thought it must be worth a visit! When we arrived, however, we couldn't see anything as Kalambaka, the town you stay in to visit Meteora, was covered in a huge grey rain cloud. We were a little pessimistic about the weather outlook for the next day but we lucked out massively and got a cold but sunny day.

Meteora is a series of monasteries suspended on bizarre rock formations, dating back as far as 9th century. The rocks are like huge thin columns into the air and when you look up you can just see these beautiful buildings teetering on the top. We were amazed that we had never heard about this or seen pictures before because it was just staggering. How they built these sophisticated complexes on top of these rocks is beyond me.

We took the bus up to the starting point, the largest of the monasteries and felt a little queasy as we climbed the staircase carved into the rock, winding all the way round the rock face up to the monastery. Ladies have to wear long skirts, no trousers, but I was grateful for the extra warmth of adding a skirt over my jeans. We bumped into a few quintessential Greek Orthodox priest-types in their long black dresses, whilst wandering around the old workshop, museum and church. The highlight was the view from the terrace- as usual only the photos will do this justice. As we were descending the staircase something caught my eye- a priest travelling in what was like an open top cable car, suspended high above the ground, to get to the road! They have a pulley system to bring the priests and supplies up to the monasteries- saves the holy men some tiring steps....

We walked down through the other peaks and visited another monastery and a nunnery with equally spectacular views. After seeing this incredible place, looking at the dire weather forecast, eating our fill of Tzatziki and souvlaki and massively breaking the budget in over-priced Greece, we decided to skip Mount Olympus and get back into the Balkans! The easiest crossing was from Thessaloniki into Macedonia so we took a bus and spent a night there. I imagine that this place was hugely important in ancient times and would be very interesting to modern tourists....had the ruins not been built around, graffitied and basically left 'to go to ruin' (ha) by the locals. It's a real shame this has happened and we were ready to leave after one night.

We took a bus all the way up to Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. We had read in the guidebook that the city had a lot of statues but nothing could prepare us for what we saw! Basically, as far as we could gather, Macedonia has had a huge cash injection from the EU. They desperately want to join the  Union but Greece keep blocking their bid due to the name they adopted after the fall of Yugoslavia. Macedonia is an area in Greece apparently and even though the country agreed to change their name to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece still weren't happy. However, it does not seem to be holding the country back at all- helped by the fact they were the only country to declare independence from Yugoslavia 100% peacefully, the investment has helped develop brilliant infrastructure of roads and public transport. However, it's as if the government had some cash left over and are trying to build a modern Rome...I am not kidding, there must be at least 200 brand new statues within a square mile in Skopje! And they are the biggest statues I have ever seen- huge rearing horses, writers, politicians, family depictions- it is nuts and has to be seen to be believed.

We spent the first day meandering around the statues and new government buildings as well as the old Muslim area of the city. The next day, on the advice of our brilliant hostel owner, we took a bus to the top of the hill above Skopje to visit the cable car and 4th century church. Unfortunately the cable car was closed that one day in the month for servicing, so we started to walk to the church, a good 5km away. After a long walk we reached the church only to be told it was closed as the lead monk chap had been rushed to hospital....it was not our day, or his I suppose. So we had some lunch in a very cool traditional wood house and started the long walk back down to the city.

Yesterday we arrived in Lake Ohrid, a huge tectonic lake shared with Albania. We headed straight out to explore and saw the amphitheatre and fortress. Then we came to a very old church surrounded by ruins which is meant to be archaeologically very important to the area. However, there was a huge construction site around it as they build a university of archaeology, which seems a little counter-intuitive to me but nevermind. The lake is very beautiful and we wound down the cliffs and reached a lovely little church on a cliff face. We sat for some time and watched the sun set and the Kingfishers darting over the water's surface trying to grab some of the hundreds of fish beneath us. We've lucked out with the weather again today and it has been crisp but sunny. We have spent the day walking around part of the lake and visiting a handmade paper shop that has an original Gutenberg print.  

Tomorrow we change countries again and head for Sofia, Bulgaria. We are getting pretty excited for the switch up in cultures as we move closer and closer to Istanbul in a few days!

Albania

This blog is coming from Gjirokaster in Southern Albania. We are staying in a traditional, authentic Ottoman house with the loveliest lady owner. We are coming to the end of our Albania stint and will be sad to leave the country and especially the friendly, hospitable people.

We spent longer than we'd planned up the mountains of Valbonne. We stayed at a brilliant place which is run by an American lady and her Albanian husband. Katherine came to visit Valbone 5 years ago and fell in love with the place and her husband to be, Alfred. She sold her bookshop in Brooklyn and moved to Albania permanently. The two of them have created a brilliant set up in the mountains of a hostel, alpine lodge and more expensive chalet hotel. The electricity was hit and miss and the wifi non-existent but it really made it all the better. Every morning Katherine made breakfast for us including homemade bread, local cheese and butter, homemade jams, fresh eggs and sausage- brilliant. We met a really nice crowd of like minded travellers up there so passed the electricity blackouts with chats and chess.

On our second day Yon and I ventured out for a hike. The scenery was absolutely beautiful- probably the best Autumnal colours I have ever seen. However, I confirmed what I suspected to be true, having hiked Kota Kinabalu in Borneo, I am not a hiker! It was 3 hours pretty much continuous steep hill hiking- the only things that made it bearable for me were the scenery, a singing local man with a donkey and the welcoming family at the top of the hike who took us in for coffee. I spent the next day reading at the lodge in front of a gorgeous warm wood burner whilst Yonna went off with some of the other avid hikers :-) We were sad to leave this place but had to get an early bus to the capital city, Tirana.

Again, because of the roads, we had to travel into Kosovo from the mountains and back out to Albania to reach the capital. After a long day we arrived in Tirana and went out for some dinner. There isn't too much to see in the city but it has a really cool vibe- lots of hustle and bustle and night life. We ate a great Albanian mixed tasting plate which was delicious. The next day we went to the museum (unfortunately mostly in Albanian) and visited a pyramid shaped Communist building. That night we ventured out for a mixed grill on which the chef had piped 'Welcome & Thank you' in mustard!

Our next stop was Berat- named the 'town of thousand windows' due to all the Ottoman houses built into the hills. We stayed in another great hostel and spent our full day there climbing up to the UNESCO protected castle and enclosed town on the top of the hill. There is a nice promenade that the locals ritualistically walk up and down every night and always men fishing in the river. After a couple of chilled days here, and a small celebration for my CELTA result coming in, we moved on to Gjirokaster, where we are now.

Gjirokaster is another town built into the mountains and is one of my favourite places so far. Being on top of a hill, the locals must be incredibly fit as they climb up and down the very steep, cobbled roads every day. We even walked with a lady who must have been in her late 80s trying to make sure she didn't slip- pretty sure she knew how to scale these hills better than us! Yesterday we climbed up to the castle, one of the best preserved in the Balkans. It was impressively big and included an American 'Spy Plane' which accidentally landed here during Communist times. The info stressed that the pilot made it home alive. We also visited an intact Ottoman era house and were guided around by the 9th generation of the family that owned the house which gave us a great insight. It was really beautiful and pretty luxurious.

The only drawback has been the rain here- last night was a torrential storm with banging thunder and lightning. Despite the dark clouds this morning, we set off on a day trip to Butrint, a little further South near the Greek border. It is a settlement on an island surrounded by a beautiful lake. They have found evidence of inhabitants as early as 12th century BC. There are ruins from the Hellenistic inhabitants and later the Romans, including an amphitheatre and public baths. There is also a Christian basilica and the most intact and elaborate mosaic in the world (apparently) dating from the 6th century AD (which unfortunately they keep covered for protection). People who are interested in Greek and Roman history (Ellie G!) would really love it there I am sure. After a great day wondering around the ruins we are back in Gjirokaster, where it's stopped raining, and are going to grab some dinner. Tomorrow we head for Kalambaka to start our unplanned detour into Greece and would totally recommend anyone to take a trip to Albania.

Kosovo & Montenegro

I think this blogging location might just be the best yet- I am sat on the balcony of a little alpine lodge in the beautiful mountains of Albania. We're in a small town called Valbonne (Valbona) for a few nights and there is no internet up here so I will be posting this a few days after writing.

The last time I left off in my very lengthy blog, we had just entered Kosovo. We spent a couple of nights in the capital, Pristina. On our full day there we took a walk around the city. It is very small and the newer part has a very European feel to it, as it has essentially been funded by the EU and some UN backed NGOs as far as I can tell. We tried to learn more about what happened in Kosovo, however the main museum was in Albanian. Anyway, from what I can tell Kosovo was a part of Serbia during Yugoslavian times but the ethnic Serbs did not mix well with the Kosovar-Albanians. After the split of Yugoslavia, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia and freedom fighters tried to take on the Yugoslav army (who from my last blog were mostly Serbs anyway). Milosevic entered Kosovo and started systematically killing and expelling ethnic Kosovar-Albanians, again mostly Muslims. The area was something like 90% Albanian people but Milosevic's grand plan was to cleanse the area of these people and take the land back into Serbia. Having learnt from the inaction seen in Bosnia, NATO stepped in and started bombing Serbia, particularly Belgrade, until Milosevic pulled out and Kosovo was declared the newest country in Europe.

We moved on by bus into Montenegro, however we did have to go via Albania first, which if you look at a map makes no sense. This is because Montenegro backed Serbia during the war and was very perturbed by the NATO bombings. Serbia doesn't even recognise Kosovo as a country and so the roads between Montenegro and Kosovo are not really developed. However, being ethnically aligned with the people, the highway to Albania is brilliant. This meant we entered Montenegro from the South- opposite to what we planned. We took a night's rest in Ulcinje which is a seaside town- we took full advantage of the long empty beach outside our seaview hostel room, however there was really nothing there and open because it's now off-season. The next day we moved on to Budva.

The coastline of Montenegro is absolutely stunning and the sea is beautifully clear again. Budva is another small town enclosed by walls (a very mini Split/Dubrovnik) so after having a quick look around, we headed straight to the beach for the afternoon and I swam in the gorgeous sea. The next morning we got up and went back to the beach again for a swim before we had to catch another bus. It was some nice chill time, only interrupted by the Russians and their very strange sun-tanning habits (I can't say sunbathing as it mostly involved standing up with their arms in the air!).

Next we moved on to Kotor, seeing more of the lovely coast as we went. Now I have to say if you're considering going to Croatia, take a look at Montenegro first! Kotor is the prettiest port town we have been to so far. It is a bay surrounded by mountains and again the main area is the walled old town. As soon as we arrived and checked into our really nice hostel, we started the hike up the ancient fortress for a view over the old town and bay. It was a very difficult hike and was very hot but the views were breathtaking (Yon's photos will do it better justice). We'd been told about a family who had a small farm in the mountains at the back of the fortress so we went in search of them. We located a stone window in the walls and stepped through to see beautiful mountains and the very best view of the bay. We got some homemade sheep's cheese and Rakija (the white spirit we've had everywhere now) and watched the sun going down on their little terrace- amazing.

On the walk we'd made friends with an Irish and American guy who were staying at the same hostel and said there were going to be drinks in the common area that night. We hadn't really had a big night yet so ventured down, just in time for the shots.....big mistake! The hostel called them 'dumb-dumb' shots because that's what they make you. A mixture of an obscene helping of vodka plus a dash of bitter lemon, slammed on a table to take the fizz out and then downed. Two of them plus half a bottle of wine (which come in litre bottles) and I was in trouble. Not that I noticed apparently- Yon said I was having a great time as we went out to some local bars with the hostel stayers. I remember bits and bobs, like making some real life lovely Jewish friends that live in Haifa, Israel so hopefully we'll meet up there. What I don't remember particularly well was shouting at an American guy about politics (apparently everyone backed me up so that was ok :-)), stopping a fight between an Aussie and the Israeli guy and then having some cross words with another Aussie guy....oh dear. Of course I then had to live with my now customary 2 day hangover but we saw most of the people again and all agreed we were as drunk as each other. NEVER AGAIN.....

On our last day in Kotor we grabbed some breakfast from the local market (delicious ham, cheese, olives and fruit) and took a short bus to Perast. It's a really tiny town of less than 300 people but they say it has 16 churches (I counted 6). We took a boat out to a little island with a church and had a pretty chilled out day- it was a really lovely spot. The next day was a bit of a hellish journey to get to Shkoder, northern Albania, comprising of 2 buses and a taxi ride over the Albanian border. I don't really know what I was expecting from Albania but it is nothing like I imagined. Like many of the other Balkan states it has that mixture of Turkish and European cultures and religions but is different again in some way that I can't yet put my finger on. We spent some time wandering around Shkoder, which was OK but nothing amazing, before getting up really early to catch the passenger ferry up Lake Koman.

The ferry, which is really just a small chug-chug boat, takes 3 hours to wind through the lake in the canyon. On either side were the most dramatic, huge mountains, called the 'accursed mountains', I suppose because they are so looming and ominous looking. It was very beautiful as the leaves have just started to turn in Autumn. Once at the other end of the lake, we took another bus to Valbonne which sits in an 11km valley between more beautiful mountains and this is where we will spent a few days to hike before moving on to southern Albania.

Yonna's 30th (oh and Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia)

I am writing from a cafe in the newest capital of the newest country in Europe- Pristina, Kosovo. It has been an amazing and interesting journey to get here and this blog is going to be long and history heavy! (Might want to skip this one Sands :-)).

After Dubrovnik we were quite happy to get the bus over the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina where we were sure there would be fewer tourists. We wanted to stop over in a small town near the border called Trebinje but we couldn't really find any hostels there. So we took our first foray into the world of AirBnB- people advertise their spare room or their second home etc. for people to stay in. We arranged to stay with a family whose son was working in China. He said his parents would be waiting for us at the bus. When we got there we were greeted by the huge smiles of a Cher look-a-like and her husband. We quickly realised they didn't have a word of English between them so the drive home comprised of the lady getting very excited about the farm animals and me telling her the English words. It was such a warm welcome we knew we were in for a great experience.

We arrived at their home in the countryside outside of the town which had a large garden growing potatoes, onions, tomatoes, limes, oranges, kiwis, grapes, courgettes.......They also had two cats and two very cute kittens who were to become our very close friends over the next couple of days. Through Google translate and a call to their son in China, we arranged from them to take us to the town and pick us up later so we could look around. The town is very small with a tiny walled centre that was the original settlement. It was nice weather so we trundled round and sat by the river before grabbing some dinner. When we got back to the house the lovely lady ushered us into their kitchen and poured us shots- luckily I got a coffee flavoured one from a labelled bottle- Yonna however got some home made rocket fuel! The next day they took us to the Orthodox monastery, a church overlooking the city and their famous bridge, taking constant photos of us for their facebook collection, before dropping us off at a winery for drinks and dinner. The winery offered a tasting price for each wine so we tried 6 between us and had some great food.

The next morning it was time to say goodbye and head to Mostar. The lady wrote a long message in Google Translate that basically came out as that they had loved having us, they didn't want us to leave and that they love us! They were lovely people and, as we were to find out, just one example of the hospitality we could expect from the rest of Bosnia. Mostar was a short drive away and we found our hostel very easily to be greeted by another lovely man speaking fluent German. Lots of people there can speak German and most assume that's where we're from anywhere. We got the gist of what he was saying and headed out to explore. The Ottoman empire really left its stamp on Mostar so it is a beautiful mixture of Eastern and European architecture and cultures. Unfortunately the other thing that has left its stamp is the war in the 90's- you can see skeletons of huge buildings that once were and scars left by bombs on many buildings. Perhaps that's a good intersection to talk about the war.....

It is hugely complex and I am 100% sure I won't have everything correct or in the right order but I will give it a go. Before Tito died, the apparently much loved leader of the Socialist state of Yugoslavia, he amended the constitution to say that if one state within Yugoslavia wanted independence and their people agreed through a vote, they could have it. When he died the separate nations were represented in a kind of parliament. It seems that the wealthier states in Yugoslavia could see the way it was crumbling and wanted their independence before it was too late. Another factor appears to be that Milosevic, the leader of Serbia, was gaining more and more power which the other states didn't like either. Slovenia was the first to breakaway and sparked a 10 day war between them and the Yugoslav People's Army (YPA). The army, by this point was dominated by ethnic Serbs (part of Milosevic's grand plan which I will come on to) and as there weren't many Serbs in Slovenia, they let that go relatively easily. The next was Croatia- it's difficult to learn much about war there as modern tourism seems to have covered over the cracks. Bosnia and Herzegovina came next but Croatia had signed an agreement with Milosevic to split the country and the West part would become part of Croatia. Bosnia wasn't going to retain its newly declared and globally recognised independence, without a fight. This is where Mostar's fate unfolded.....

We sat having lunch on our first day in Mostar, overlooking the river on a terrace with the very beautiful, famous Stari Most (old bridge) in our sights. We watched as a tourist paid a young guy to jump off the top into the water- a very scary drop of 22m but a local tradition! The fact is that the bridge he jumped off isn't really 'old' at all. In 1992 the YPA started shelling the town from one side of the bridge, backed by the Croats. By 1993 they had totally destroyed the town's symbol, the old bridge- a needless act of spite and an attempt to break the will of the resistance fighters defending their town and independence. We watched a video of the gradual destruction of the town and the bridge and the eventual rebuilding of the bridge once the war was over. So what stands now is a modern symbol of triumph and resistance- it would be nice to think it represented peace and forgiveness but there are signs that say 'never forget '93' everywhere and we were to learn later that things aren't quite as unified as they might appear.

The rest of our day was spent wandering the little cobbled streets with covered bazaars and we climbed a minaret to get a panoramic view of the town. It is a really lovely place. The next day, the hostel owner's son took us on a tour of some nearby sights. We visited an original Dervish house dating from the Ottoman times set in a gorge, a hill town with a 16th century fort at the top and beautiful waterfalls. After a great couple of days there we moved on to Sarajevo- a name we recognised as being troubled but really knew nothing about it.

The hostel in Sarajevo was great and they immediately gave us loads of tips to do in the city- even before we left the hostel we'd booked an extra night! Sarajevo is an even more striking mix of East and West. There is one street in the centre that in one direction echoes their Austro-Hungarian past and if you turn 180 degrees you are looking at the low, wooden framed buildings of Turkish bazaars. It is proud of its history as a multi-cultural place where Muslims, Catholics, Orthodox and Jewish people have lived happily shoulder to shoulder for centuries. We took another free walking tour and saw the very spot that Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot by an ethnic Serb, who disagreed with the empire-expanding Austro-Hungarians, sparking WW1. It was on this tour that we got our first bits of information about the recent and very sad history of the city. Shamefully, I knew nothing of what happened in Sarajevo.

As I wrote earlier, Milosevic was the most powerful Yugoslav leader as it was breaking up, and controlled the army. However, he wasn't deploying troops to fight multiple wars to keep the nation together; he had a much more sinister plan. He wanted to build a Great Nation of Serbia that would combine much of the land of former Yugoslavia under it, however his plan didn't include anyone but ethnic Serbs making up its population. Having promised the West part of Bosnia to Croatia, he wanted to ingest the East. Sarajevo, being the capital, was obviously then an important city for him to have but first he needed to carry out 'ethnic cleansing' (a term coined by himself) of the Bosniaks.

Unfortunately for the city it is situated in a valley, flanked by hills at all sides. In the months leading up to the outbreak of war, the Yugoslav army had confiscated all the weapons in Bosnia under the guise of cleaning them and maintenance- the Bosnian government believed them. The YPA started occupying the flanking hills around the city and when asked why, they said they were practising military maneuvers- the Bosnian government believed them. After a YPA sniper shot and killed two young girls crossing a bridge in Sarajevo in 1992, it slowly transpired that they were infact aggressors. The people of Sarajevo took to the streets to protest against war and declared that they would not fight their brothers, they wanted peace. The city was still a mixture of all the above religions which went hand in hand with the ethnic groups of Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. They were convinced they would stand together against war. Unfortunately, they underestimated the aggressor who started to fire on the peaceful demonstration; the city was surrounded under siege by Milosevic's army, with no army and no weapons to defend itself.

We took a brilliant tour that lasted almost all day which explained what it was like during the 4 years of the siege. The lucky ones with money managed to get out of the city and fled to countries offering asylum. Many people weren't so lucky. Bombs fell on the city every 15 minutes for 1425 days, 70% of buildings were totally destroyed and 90% were damaged. The most remarkable thing is the way people survived, their resilience was the most moving thing. The enemy cut off all water supplies, all electricity, all exits and entrances into the city- they were trying to starve them of everything you need to survive. The local brewery was the only place you could get water as they had a natural spring so women, men and children- old and young- took missions to collect water for their family. The enemy lined the routes with snipers who shot at them. They shot to injure, only to draw more people into their sights trying to help the injured and then would shoot to kill as many people as possible. The YPA lined the now famous 'snipers alley', a long wide boulevard in Sarajevo and a vital link between neighbourhoods, friends and families. We watched footage of people sprinting across the alley, risking their life, just to visit a friend. After a while it all became normal, no-one in the international community had come to help, the people thought this would be their reality forever- they adjusted and tried to carry on their lives. Schools kept running in cellars, nightclubs existed, the symphony orchestra put shows on, the now famous Sarajevo international film festival was started during war time, there was even a Miss Sarajevo beauty pageant!

Some hope was restored when a Serbian commander who was from Sarajevo defected and started to build an army within the city. This army dug a tunnel of 800 metres long, by hand, which gave a vital lifeline leading to the Bosnian held area just 10km from Sarajevo. They were able to smuggle soldiers, arms and food through the tunnel, bringing the black market costs down for the people. Eventually UN troops entered the area but their presence brought very little consolation to the people. As peace- keeping troops only they are mandated to not use force however the stories we heard about their crimes were sickening. If people did try and escape the city and make a run for it across the airport landing strip, some UN forces used a massive spotlight to follow them for just long enough for the YPA snipers to shoot them from the hills, instead of assisting young girls at the mercy of sex traffickers some UN soldiers took a cut of the proceeds in return for warning the traffickers about raids, there is also evidence that they assisted in moving girls around for the sex trade.....there is much more which I won't continue about.

The resistance army managed to push the YPA troops back enough and eventually a peace treaty was signed. Over 11,000 people were killed and over 1000 of them were children. The main generals are currently being tried for war crimes but of course Milosevic died of (what we've been told was a suspicious) heart attack during his trial.

Sadly the heartbreaking history didn't stop there. We went on to the Srebrenica exhibition where 8000 Muslim men and boys were massacred by Serb forces. Again the stories of survivors and images of mass graves and grieving mothers was horrific enough without the abhorrent actions of the UN soldiers being revealed as well. Dutch forces evicted families seeking refuge in the safe area and delivered them directly into the hands of the Serb forces. In the buildings of the safe areas the UN soldiers left evidence of their real thoughts about those they were sent there to protect.

Despite all of this, the Bosnian people are the happiest most welcoming people we have come across yet. Their country is beautiful and we loved Sarajevo- it has taken the spot as our favourite place so far on the trip and I highly recommend people to go and check it out. The country is just about to go through Presidential and Parliamentary elections- they have 3 Presidents to represent all the ethnicities and in fact there is an area of Bosnia which is called the Republic of Srpska, a Serb dominated area and I suppose an offering to Serbia during the peace negotiations. So it is not quite a united nation but one of the most interesting places I've ever been.

It was hard to then enter Serbia without feeling a little bit biased although I am certain both sides did bad things. We took the bus to Belgrade, a huge busy city in direct contrast to where we'd come from. We took another free walking tour and very little mention was made of the war. They were bombed in 1999 by NATO forces for their actions in Kosovo but this was brushed over too. And then, the most important day of this trip, it was Yonna's big 3 0 birthday!! We had found out about something called the 'Escape Game' which had peaked Yonna's interest. We rocked up to a grey, high tower block and took a rickety elevator up to the 6th floor. I was a little wary to say the least....we found the apartment in the instructions and  a nice smiley, young girl answered the door which put me more at ease. Basically we were locked in a room for one hour and had to find our way out through solving clues and finding keys to unlock padlocks.....we failed, we were close, but we failed! It was good fun and afterwards we headed to the Bohemian area to have dinner at a traditional Kavana where a band of an accordion, double bass and acoustic guitars go round the tables and play to the diners. It was a great experience and an unforgettable birthday :-)

So after all that we are finally in Kosovo, which I will write about next time, where we spend a couple of days before crossing to Montenegro.

Slovenia & Croatia

This time I am writing atop the beautiful fort on Hvar island, Croatia. I have a cold beer and a view of the harbour below us with the gorgeous clear blue water. It's a great spot to write the next blog.

Once Jen arrived, we got the bus straight up to Lake Bled in Slovenia. I had seen many pictures of the famous lake with the teardrop island in the middle and it didn't disappoint in real life. We got to the hostel and headed straight up to the castle to get a breathtaking view of the lake and its little island. The water looked very tempting so we hired a little rowing boat to get out to the island. Yonna was up first for rowing duty and he was really good........once he'd figured out which direction to point the boat in! The island was very sweet with a small church on top. To the surprise of the surrounding and plentiful Japanese tourists, Yonna dive bombed into the lake around the island. It was a little too cold for Jen and I. The return journey was much faster and smoother as Jen and I rowed and we took a walk around the lake- about 6km.

The next day we set out from our hostel with a packed lunch in tow, for a full day of hiking. We walked through the beautiful Slovenian countryside up to Vintgar Gorge. Once in the gorge, the wooden boardwalk snaked all the way through the cliffs beside the beautifully clear, blue-green water, culminating in a big man-made waterfall. We at our lunch on top of a hill overlooking the farms and villages in the area. Pretty exhausted we headed out for a un-Slovenian (but cheapest option) pizza that night.

We'd heard that Bohinj lake was just as beautiful as Bled but less touristy so the next day, we took a bus out there. The lake was gorgeous and a lot bigger than Bled- about 10km around. We hiked up to a waterfall in the surrounding mountains and after a 10km walk and 500 steps up to it, we were rewarded with a huge waterfall through the cracks in the rocks. Unfortunately we couldn't have a much needed swim in it! After another exhausting walk back to the bus we headed back to our hostel in Bled.

The next day was a mega travelling day! We took a 6.25am bus back to Ljubljana to get a connecting train to Split, Croatia. We had to change in Zagreb and finally arrived in Split after a 12 hour journey. We found our hostel and headed out for some dinner. Our hostel was right next to the old, walled town which we wandered into for dinner. I have never seen anything like it- white rock, marble steps, ancient buildings, still inhabited...it is really beautiful. All lit up I did actually feel I was in Game of Thrones (apart from all the tourists and lack of dragons!). As expected Croatia is really expensive on our budget so we found some cheap-ish dinner and went back for a much needed sleep.

We'd been told about some secluded beaches at the other end of Split so set off to find them in the morning. We walked up (more stairs) through the gardens and after about an hour and a half of walking could see the promised beach at the bottom of the hill. We wound our way down to it and took a dip in the cool, lovely clear water. After a few hours there, we headed back to the center and had some sushi for dinner, being so close the sea!

We took a catamaran out to Hvar island a few days ago and arrived on the lovely, busy island. I can see why tourism is growing so rapidly here! When we arrived we hit the beach again for a couple of hours but it was a little cloudy so we headed back to the hostel which had its own pool area. After chilling there we headed out for our first proper seafood feast. Again prices are high so we were happy to be recommended this cheaper little place by our hostel. I had more fish than I could possibly eat- we shared a huge grilled fish platter with squid, tuna and prawns.

We also took a boat taxi to a nearby island and a little bay within it. I have never spent so long in the sea but the colour is so beautiful that you can't help but want to jump in. It was a great day of swimming and reading and really good weather. The fish seemed to have taken its toll on Yonna so him and I had a chilled out day walking round the fort (more steps) while Jen topped up  her tan more around the pool.

A few days later.............After Hvar, we set off for Dubrovnik on another boat, the home of Game of Thrones. Yesterday we walked around the old city walls which were spectacular but more interesting than the ancient history was the fact they were filming the aforementioned series as we were there! We could see the extras eating their lunch and a street set up for a later shot. Despite Yonna's best efforts in particular, we didn't find Khaleesi! (sorry to non-viewers for all that). We took a cable car up for some aerial shots that evening and today took a boat out to Lokrum island which wasn't really worth it as there wasn't much to do there. My overall impression of Dubrovnik is that the old town is very beautiful but there are just too many tourists here to make it 100% enjoyable.

So tomorrow we say goodbye to a newly tanned Jen and there ends the beachy section of our trip for now. Next we head deep into the dark modern history that awaits us in Bosnia & Herzegovina!  

Romania, Hungary, Slovakia & Slovenia (via Austria)

Following on the theme of writing my blog from very cool places, we are currently sat at the top of an art deco building in Ljubjlana, Slovenia, which has a cafe on a viewing terrace. From here I can see the whole of the capital, although it is very small, with the hill top castle dominating the view. I will come back to describing this quaint little place at the end of this entry.

We spent a couple of great days exploring Cluj in Romania. It really is a lovely city. We visited the Catholic and Orthodox churches in the centre- the Orthodox one was packed with people lining up to take Communion and holding flowers to offer to the church. We found out later that it was 'Little Mary's Day', a semi-national holiday but no-one could explain why there was this one plus a bigger 'Virgin Mary's Day'. Anyway, we took a walk up a hill to look at the view of the city- older buildings alongside grey Communist blocks. After a chilled day we went to Jonny's company's office in Cluj to pick up some of his colleagues for dinner. They took us to an old hidden courtyard that had been converted into a lovely bar and restaurant. Jonny's colleague Andras told me that the courtyard and surrounding buildings, like many in Cluj, were offered back to the rightful owners who had been expelled or fled during Communist times and if they didn't want it/couldn't afford it, the buildings were sold on.

The next day, Karl had a day off so he drove us out to Turda salt mines near Cluj. We descended down a very long, smelly, damp tunnel and came upon an enormous cavern which had been mined bit by bit over a couple of centuries for salt. The area is so huge that there is a ferris wheel, crazy golf and a lake you can take a pedalo out onto! The air is meant to be very good for breathing problems and illnesses so we got our fill and found our way out.

We moved on to Turda Gorge where we found a little spot in the beautiful hills, for a BBQ. We'd bought meat, coals and fire lighters from a supermarket and I stepped back expecting the boys to want to do the 'man thing' and make fire! They were absolutely useless and I ended up having to build the fire and cook the meat. After we'd finished our food and come face to face with some pretty large, wild looking dogs, we started walking through the gorge. The scenery was beautiful with little rickety bridges criss-crossing the river through the rocks and the walking wasn't too hard- which I liked!

The next morning we got up early to catch a train to Budapest. The early train was cancelled so we had to kill 4 hours before the next one. The train was long but comfortable and we arrived in Budapest to get absolutely conned by a taxi driver :-( ! Our hostel was very cool (Multipass Hostel- highly recommended) and our room was Lawrence of Arabia themed as each room had a film theme. We didn't have long in Budapest so we headed straight out to the Gellert baths- natural hot spa waters. The interior was impressive and nice to relax in the hot waters but it was very expensive and quite touristy. After that we had what we were told was 'the best Goulash in Budapest'- it was very good. Unfortunately the weather was awful in Budapest so I think we will return one day to see it in a better light. Nevertheless, we headed to the Terror Museum first thing the next day. It is an absolutely brilliant museum in a building that housed both the interrogation rooms and prison of the Arrow Cross group- Hungary's version of the Nazi party which I had never heard of- and the Hungarian Communist party. A very interesting, if harrowing, place. We also managed to pack in the hop-on-hop-off bus tour, the palace in Buda, the Fisherman's Bastion and a night tour on the Danube. You'll note that I didn't get to go to the Great Synagogue (due to the weather and time mostly) so that's definitely a reason to come back!! We rounded our stay off with a visit to a Ruin Bar, a huge abandoned building that had been turned into a maze of bars inside. There was graffiti everywhere, half a car, furniture attached to the ceiling....it's best to look at Jonny's photos but it was very cool!

The connecting train to Bratislava, Slovakia was pretty quick and easy from Budapest and we arrived in the small capital in the afternoon. We headed straight out on a free walking tour of the city. The tour took us round the old centre and the newer areas. The old centre included the old city walls which were constructed to keep invaders out and some pretty cobbled streets. The most interesting part for me was when the guide explained the modern history- the movement from Austro-Hungarian rule to a united Czechoslovakia after WW1, to a German Protectorate during WW2 and then back into a Communist Czechoslovakia until 1989, when the Velvet Revolution brought down the Iron Curtain there. It wasn't until 1993 that Slovakia peacefully broke away and became their own country. The guide explained, interestingly, that some of the older Slovakians are nostalgic about the Communist era. It had never occurred to me that when a state system that gives every person a job and a home falls, the older people who have no belongings, no savings, no pensions and no capacity to earn money, are left with absolutely nothing. Their nostalgia made a little more sense then!

That night we headed for a traditional meal of garlic soup served in a bread bowl and potato dumplings (like Gnocchi) with sauerkraut and bacon. We stumbled upon a beer festival on the way back to the hostel and sampled some Slovakian brews. I hadn't been feeling great with a bad cold and stomach since Romania so I chilled the next morning while Jonny trekked up to the citadel.

The next day we took the train to Ljubljana....not as simple as it should be. It is about 4 hours driving between Bratislava and the Slovenian capital but the connections are not that great. We had to get a train into Vienna and then out to Ljubljana- all in all about a 10 hour journey. The train journey was well worth it though- one day we will return to Austria and stay in the countryside. The alpine hills with little hill top churches is beautiful. We got settled into our hostel on arrival and headed straight out for some Slovenian food. Ljubljana is my favourite place so far- it is all built around a river and has pretty little stone bridges linking the old and newer (13th versus 15th century) city. We did another free walking tour today and saw the beautiful architecture, market squares and churches. Again, the guide filled us in on the modern history. Slovenia again was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and after WW1 was split between Italy and Yugoslavia, a union between the South Slavic countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Herzegovina and Montenegro. During the Yugoslavian days they were led by Tito who was Communist but the guide said it was a much more liberal form of Communism employed here. When Tito died the union started to fall apart, splitting down lines of religion and ethnicity. Slovenia voted to leave Yugoslavia in 1991 which prompted a 10 day war, but as there were very few Serbs in the Northern part of the union, Slovenia was allowed to leave and the war travelled South. We will learn a lot more about that as we travel down further into former Yugoslavia I hope.

Anyway, my friend Jen is joining us tomorrow for a couple of weeks to travel through Slovenia and Croatia. The plan is to go to Lake Bled for a few days before we cross another border.......           

Moldova to Romania

I am writing this first blog in an Italian looking cafe in Cluj, Romania. The sun is shining through fold out doors in the front and very suave looking Romanian business people are knocking back espressos and smoking around us. It's been quite a journey to get here and a very interesting one so far.

We had a very early start and thanks to Jonny's mum, made our 6am flight to Venice from Leeds. Unfortunately we couldn't leave the airport to look around so had to wait in there for a good 6 hours for our late connecting flight to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

When we finally arrived, it was dark so we couldn't really tell a lot about the city. We wandered slightly lost trying to find the hostel when two rather large, rather Russian looking chaps directed us around the back of the buildings down a dark alleyway......suspicious. We cautiously followed their instructions and found the pretty miserable, grey, concrete entrance to 'Trotters Den' hostel. When we got up the steps an American guy told us that the owner had gone out and would be back in two hours! This wasn't really what we wanted to hear, feeling pretty tired from a day of travelling but we befriended another American guy and went to find some food.

The owner turned out to be another Russian looking and sounding chap who told us 'you stay in another place, not here. I take you'....alarm bells again! We piled into the back of his car and after 5 minutes we pulled up outside a concrete house with a tall solid iron gate- double unlock and we were into a courtyard with an abandoned Larder, grass growing through it's windows; quadruple unlock and we were through the vault-like door. Turns out we had our own private little house, admittedly with a strange smiling Czech pensioner sat on the sofa for the first night of our stay, but after that it was all ours.

The next morning we trekked back to base camp of Trotters to enquire about getting out to the famous wine cellars. A word about Chisinau....you can see in the architecture that the city is trying to slowly pull itself out of the Soviet era, but it is very slow progress. The skyline is dominated by huge Communist concrete blocks of flats and Russian Orthodox churches with polished silver roofs glinting in the sun. The country is noticeably poorer than it's neighbour, Romania but in typical Russian-esque style people spend their money on branded clothes, expensive cars and mobile phones. The people, whilst not aggressive or mean, cannot be described as friendly- a smile is amongst the rarest commodities in Moldova. In fact one American guy said it ranked lowest in a global national happiness list!

Anyway, back to the wine cellar trip...A taxi picked us up at midday and we made our way out to Milestii Mici. Needless to say Moldova really is not geared up for tourism- the wine cellars are highlighted as the top tourist site in the country and our taxi driver didn't know where they were! We found them eventually and bought our tour ticket. After some waiting around for our tour guide to be bothered to come join us, we drove into a massive tunnel entrance. The temperature rapidly dropped as the tour guide explained that these were the biggest wine cellars in the world. The tunnels used to be a mine and after it was abandoned the wine makers moved in. The wine is stored, matured, processed and bottled under ground and all by women. The winery is 100% state owned by Moldova so I suppose everyone in there is a civil servant. We arrived at a door within the dark tunnel and the guide led us through to see where the wine was stored...all 1.5 million bottles of it! It was an incredible sight. She led us to the back to a false door left over from when the Russian Communists took over the country and alcohol prohibition was introduced. Behind the door, the wine makers hid thousands of bottles of wine which weren't discovered, the rest were destroyed, and so a bottle of pre-Communist wine is very rare in Moldova and fetches over $2000 a bottle. We made our way through to the tasting room where we sampled the white, red and dessert wines whilst being 'serenaded' by a man on a fiddle and one on an accordion.  After a truly unique experience, we headed back to the city for dinner.

The food is meat, pastry and potato based mostly. Pork is plentiful and the cheapest so I have eaten a lot of pork chops. Yonna's favourite is the Chorba which is clear broth soup with potato, vegetables, meat and a lot of herbs in it. They also serve dumplings which are like Japanese Gyoza by much thicker and filled with pork, potato or cabbage. All in all the food was pretty nice!

The next day we took a minibus out to Orheiul Vechi- a monastery carved into the limestone rock face. It took us a little while to locate the secret door into the monastery but once we did we ventured down the dark stone steps into a cave with an altar and an old, white-bearded, robed monk guarding his candles for sale and counting his money. The star of the show was out the other side of the small cave where the door led out to a ledge which overlooked a vast valley between the white limestone cliffs. The view was breathtaking and we spent some time there taking in the men ploughing the fields with old fashioned machinery, shepherds guarding their cattle and horses grazing on the plains with their foals. This place is obviously preparing to be a tourist spot one day as we had lunch in a very fancy, huge hotel/restaurant which was lovely.

On our final full day in Moldova we took a bus out to Transdniestria- a self-proclaimed independent republic that sits between Moldova and the Ukraine. People at the hostel had talked about the area a little nervously as there are concerns that the Russians will repeat their actions in the Crimea in this area too. But we asked the owner and he reassured us that it was 'as safe as safe-box'....sounds pretty safe! After an hour we reached a border crossing (again this isn't recognised by anyone else as a country so a border guard is a bit of a novelty) where the Russian speaking guard questioned each person on the bus as to their intentions in the 'country'. He demanded our passports...we only had the photocopies with us....he refused to let us in...we pleaded, did the whole 'we're dumb tourists'....he refused to let us in....we stood looking at him for a while...he refused to let us in...we returned to Chisinau to get our passports! Take two and the crossing was fuss-free with our passports but I was a little perturbed when the border guard gave us a knowing smile and wished us 'good luck'. I was further convinced that we were never leaving when another man on the bus wished us 'good luck'! We arrived in Tiraspol, the main city, and there was pretty much nothing there! We had to change some cash as they have their very own currency and went for a walk around the streets for a while. The one thing they are known for is producing Cognac- we purchased a bottle of their best produce for 2 Euros and got back on the bus. I have to say I was relieved to cross the 'border' back out of there!

We got an early bus to take us across the border into Romania the next day. A journey that should take a couple of hours due to the distance, took a good 8 hours thanks to the convoluted route, multiple stops, checks at the Moldovan and Romanian borders including a bag search and the bad road conditions. Oh and the bus hit what we assume to be a dog at very high speed....we heard a bang, the driver stopped, checked for damage and then carried on regardless.

We arrived in Suceava in the Moldavia region of Romania late afternoon and met up with Jonny's workmate, Karl, who has relocated out to their Romanian office. The next morning we set off in Karl's car to tour the UNESCO sites of five painted monasteries. We hadn't really acknowledged that it was Sunday so the first one we rocked up to was like stepping back into a Medieval sacrificial ceremony with monks dressed head to toe in black, chanting and women on the floor praying vigorously, some crying. The five monasteries we visited were all beautiful- all set within their own walls with rose gardens. They were painted externally and internally with religious scenes, much of which had lasted since the 15th century. Cluj was a good five hour drive away so we set off in the afternoon on an epic and sometimes scary car journey. Karl has mastered the Romanian driving well but no one can account for the madmen that overtake on blind corners on mountain roads. Nor can they avoid the police cars, one of which stopped us on the drive. There was a bit of panic as Karl had forgotten all his documents in Cluj but after a slapped wrist for very mild speeding the nice policeman let us off!

We're going to spend a couple of days in Cluj and meet up with more of Jonny's work mates out here before taking the train to Budapest where the adventure continues.