It's a hard life.

After our very basic campground facilities in Hungary and Slovakia we are now in our flashiest surroundings to date. We are camped beside a lake in Potsdam just out of Berlin.

The campground is huge and very modern with a small grocery and souvenir shop, cafe and restaurant. They have organized activities for children, even a puppet show last night. It is like a small suburb. I couldn't guess at how many tents, caravans and mobile homes are here. Fortunately they also have an adequate number of facilities to cater for everyone.


Gayle

Location:Camping Sansoucci, Templiner See, Potsdam

Checkpoint Charlie

Today we set off from our campsite to Berlin. We made our way firstly to the Checkpoint Charlie museum. The museum was very informative and educational and it shows you some of the ways people escaped, one lady even escaped in two suitcases.We were expecting the museum to explain what the reasons were for putting up the Berlin Wall but it focused more on the escapes. Then we went into the cinema in the museum expecting to watch a ten minute short movie and it turns out we watched a 90 minute Disney movie based on a true story on how two men made a hot air ballon and escaped with their families over the wall. We ended up watching the movie longer then looking in the museum. I still can't believe that Germany was completely divided up until 1989 when the wall finally came down.





We finished up at the museum and went to get a German style lunch. We all ordered a Currywurst which was surprisingly nice.


We were just across the road from the Jewish memorial museum and guess which is the only day that the museum is closed... Monday! Which of course was the day we happened to be in Berlin.


We finished up at the Brandenburg gates which of course none of us kids had ever heard of it but of course Mum had. So of course we were amazed by her knowledge (Dad is sitting next to me as I write this). Mum explained to us that the gates were in no mans land when the walls went up so when the walls came down the gates were reopened as a symbol of the reunification of Germany. In the end we were grateful for Mum taking us here because it gave us cover from the rain that started to pour.


I think that we had a good day in Berlin but just didn't give it justice because it was just too short a visit. If we had the chance I'm sure we would stay at least another day.

Jake

Location:Berlin

We check out the Czech Republic

We left Kosice with the intention of going to Bratslava, the capital. Our GPS was determined to send us back through Hungary to get there but we decided to drive across the top of Slovakia to see more of the country. We went through some villages, past three castles very similar to the one pictured and also saw the famous Tatras in the distance.





As we got closer to Bratslava the heavy rain started and the temperature dropped from the high 20's to the very low teens. We decided it didn't look too promising for sightseeing or camping so we changed course for Prague.

The next day we used public transport ( buses, trams and underground trains) to get around Prague).

Our first stop was a museum about the modern history of the Czech Republic. From the creation of Czechoslovakia after WW1, Czechoslovakia during WW2 and then life under communism until the resent day. Jessie, Luke and I did found it interesting but there was so much to read and we didn't understand all of it until Mum explained what she had learnt. The highlight was the great view from the top of the building over the whole of Prague.


We then made our way to find the castle of Prague. We stopped along the way to have a Czech style lunch. The three different things we ordered were a goulash, a cream sauce steak and a country style omelet. The goulash was very nice, I found it was a curry sauce type of texture, I can't really comment on the others as I didn't have any.


Next we walked over the Charles Bridge. We thought we were following the crowd onto a tram to go to the castle but inside we ended up at the funicular station. We took the funicular up the hill. This took us to a large park inside the castle walls. We then watched people competing in a Kulicky competition (a marble type game) before heading back to camp.

Location:Prague

JWOC glory

For the last two days we have been in Kosice to support the Tassie orienteers who made the Australian team for the Junior World Orienteering Championship (JWOC). We caught up with the Nankervis' the first night and went out for dinner.



The next morning was not such a pleasant experience as we were rained and thundered on that night and the rain didn't want to stop in the morning. So we scurried to get ready and go to the orienteering event. After half an hour at the event the rain cleared up and it actually started to get hot! We saw both our Tassie runners come through the spectator control and finish.



Amy Buckerfield (aka Wallaby)



Brodie Nankervis (as usual with his headband)

After that we waited to see the only Australian (Ian Lawford) to make it into the A final to come through. Once that was over we said our good byes to the Nankervis' and made plans to have dinner with the Buckerfields that night.

Jake

P.S. If you aren't an orienteer this blog probably meant absolutely nothing to you

Location:Kosice

The road to Kosice.

After our day in Budapest we hit the road early to head towards Kosice, Slovakia to catch up with our Tasmania orienteering friends at the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC).

Arriving at the Slovak Republic border we were pulled over by the police who asked for our vehicle documents and passports. They then proceeded to examine each and every page with lots of muttering and head shaking going on - should we be worried? Finally we heard "Australie, Australie" and after smiles and head nods from both sides we were given back our documents and waved on. Phew!

Our lease car, a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (nicknamed Pablo) has French plates so quite often people assume we are French and start talking to us in French and are confused when we sit there staring back at them blankly until we get the opportunity to explain that we are Australian and only speak English. We feel quite ignorant compared to most people we have met who on average can speak at least three languages.

Back on the road to Kosice. It took us the estimated 3 hours to get from Budapest to the Tourist Information in Kosice. A necessary destination as none of our travel guides had ventured this far east in Slovakia. It then took us 1 1/2 hours driving around in the heat trying to find the only camp ground in the area before we gave up and went in search of the Internet for a more up to date map.


Kosice proved to be quite a city of contrasts. The main street in the old part of town is quite pretty with its big church and numerous fountains. One of them (pictured) was musical. There are sidewalk cafes and restaurants that line the Main street where you can linger over inexpensive meals and drinks. Just out of the city centre there were 2 ultra modern shopping centers with many bargains to be had. Jessie brought 4 pairs of shoes for €60. In between was a combination of high rise residential buildings and industrial buildings mostly old but with some new.


While we were there the weather was also vey changeable. It would go from boiling hot to torrential downpour and back again.

Don't ever try to find a launderette in Kosice, they simply do not exist. But that is another long story!

Gayle

P.S. Hey Ashley, they had restocked their strawberries last night!

Location:Slovakia

Our day in Buda and Pest

Did you know that Budapest is spilt down the middle by the river Danube that separates the city into the towns of Buda and Pest. We decided to camp on the Buda side of the city. We started off our day by going to one of Hungary's best thermal spring pools/ water parks on Margarit Island which is in the river between Buda and Pest.


The pools are actually on top of thermal springs and have been turned into a fun park sort of thing. Let me tell you about the features of the pool. The first feature is the massage bubbles that you sit/lay on that come up from the bottom of the pool.


When that turns off the second feature turns on, its basically a simulation of what it feels to be continuously buffeted by a water fall.


When that finishes the third and coolest features turns on. You know when your in a back yard pool and you try an make a whirlpool and you get a small drift, well this feature is kinda like that... except it's powered by POWER JETS!!!
This feature was awesome. You'd walk in to the stream and you get pulled off your feet and carried away. If you wanted to get out you'd have to time it perfectly otherwise you would be thrown into the wall and forced to go round again.


This is a definite must do in Budapest. It's so much fun and there is nothing like it in Australia that I know of. I had so much fun it's such a shame that we have to move on tomorrow.

Jake.

Location:Budapest

When in Hungary you won't go Hungry

Today we drove into Hungary and found that they don't use Euros so Mum and Dad had to exchange some money. They exchanged €200 and got
54,200 Hungarian forints(HuF) in return. Dad felt so rich.



When we first looked at prices for thing they were so cheap. We bought 5 ice creams, 4 hotdogs and a burger for 2360 Forints ($9.40). We didn't think that they would be very good quality but they were delicious. We can't wait for our Hungarian Hotdog night a home. One hot dog topped with dried onion and finished with a layer of nacho cut jalapeños... delicious.


We went out to find a Hungarian cuisine restaurant so that we could try some Goulash and we thought we finally found one, when we sat down and looked at the menu it turned out it was a Caribbean style grill... yeah we weren't having much luck. So we sat down and order our meals,we got a large serving of buffalo wings, meat loaf and a massive serving of chips for 999 HuF ($4) a head.

What I've learnt from this experience is that if you think Hungary is expensive stay well away from Switzerland.

Jake

Location:Budapest