Life in a year full of Saturdays

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Cesky Krumlov (CZECHIA) - Graz (AUSTRIA) - on the road to the Adriatic

Cesky Krumlov (Czechia) - Graz (Austria)
19 August - 20 August 2016

For years the town of Cesky Krumlov had somehow in my mind become interchangeable with Moravsky Krumlov. The reason, aside for them containing the same name component 'Krumlov', which Wikipedia also portends to by saying that Cesky (Bohemian) was a deliberate addition to distinguish is from Moravian Krumlov, is because my father at one point in his life lived in Moravsky Krumlov for several months during WWII. Hence every time I'd hear the name Cesky Krumlov I'd consider it to be one in the same with Moravsky - apologies to Cesky Krumlov, you are special for a reason, even though you’re only a short 200km drive away.

Cesky Krumlov - Bohemia - Czech Republic

Our stop in Cesky Krumlov was only a drive through, a few hours dedicated to seeing a town that has been called a mini Prague, and since 1982, has been a World Heritage listed site. Meaning simply that it is a town of cultural, historical or scientific significance, legally protected by international treaties. A funny thing UNESCO World Heritage listing. A few studies have in fact targeted the World Heritage convention as being somewhat of a toothless tiger, having little or no legitimacy under international law. For me and the little I know about international law I agree, World Heritage listing simply acts as a ‘rubber stamp’, it’s a type of honour bestowed on a place more as an identification credit or marketing tool for significance or importance. Great from a touristic perspective though, it assists in identifying places that you should see over others, so I guess that’s a bonus.

Cesky Krumlov - Bohemia - Czech Republic

Cesky Krumlov is an impressive place though. Without question, one of the most picturesque small towns in Europe, commonly mentioned in the same breath as Hallstat (Austria), Colmar (France), Bruges (Belgium), Dubrovnik (Croatia) or Sintra (Portugal), it would certainly challenge any of those places as being the headline on the list.

Charming and fairytale like, this town in Southern Bohemia has all the things that you look for in a place like this. The lovely Vltavy river bounding the town in an S-shape, providing an element of both fun and frivolity in the Summer months. Then of course there are the cobble stoned road, endless bridges, architecture and typical artisanal fair that always appears to make its way to the heart of places like this,

Cesky Krumlov - Bohemia - Czech Republic

As I mentioned earlier, our time here was only very short. It’s the type of place that you could easily dedicate a few days to and wind back your ‘speed of life’ to a 2 on the dial.

Cesky Krumlov - Bohemia - Czech Republic

Later that evening we made our way into Graz. Unfortunately we had absolutely no time to explore this town and somehow I’ve often found myself in the position, both before this day and after it, whereby Graz has become a transition city. It has never made it to ‘end-point’ destination status and it irks me a little as it’s the birthplace of one of my grandparents. For the record, the grandparent birthplace mix goes Vienna (Austria), Split (Croatia), Belgrade (Serbia) and Graz (Austria).

Apologies Graz, I only saw a few of your desolate streets through the lens of a weary late evening arrival and equally bleary eyed morning departure.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Prague (CZECHIA) - Kasparov says 'check mates'

Prague (Czechia)

18 August - 19 August 2016

Prague didn't really align with our 'attack vector' down to the Croatian coastline, but really, why would you dare to miss the opportunity to stop in a town of such wonder and beauty?

It was the 1989 Velvet Revolution that gave the world the grace and elegance of such a magnificent capital. When I say us I refer to all those from the other side of the Iron Curtain, the Western side, and with that said, most of my family knew what Prague had to offer already! In fact, there's two members of our family that were actually born there. So we were WAY AHEAD of the curve guys, decades in fact.

Our stay was only for one evening but that's enough to realise in a hurry that there's so much more to this city that needs to be seen and experienced at a later time and date. Prague it seems is tailor made for aimless wandering, a city built to be discovered at the leisurely pace of bliss or ignorance. The pace of ignorance is what we adopted. Admittedly we knew nothing of Prague other than the 'word on the street' which was high praise enough.

Prague - Czech Republic

The only error in judgement that we made was that we stayed outside of the centre of the Old Town and the accommodation we selected was crap .Prague Studios Andel is not worth what we paid for it, and with that said we didn't pay that much. For the budget conscious it might be an option but really, do some homework, go somewhere else.

I have to say that my initial perception of Prague was flavoured by my cousin Vladimir who for some reason has had it in in his head that Prague is an enduring black hole on his existence. Obviously this stems from sort of bad experience that he had when he was younger, either that or maybe he just has a vendetta against the Czech population. Simple fact of the matter is that Prague is stunning, end of story. I wish we had allowed ourselves to dedicate more time here than just one paltry night.

Prague - Czech Republic

We were fortunate to arrive on a balmy evening. There was a great energy about, people were obviously partaking in some good 'ole fashioned drinking, and with some of the best beer in the world at the prices they were going for its not difficult to see why the popularity of the city has skyrocketed. I'd probably add that discounted airfares from nearby countries would also be serving Prague very well.

Prague - Czech Republic

With a beautiful hilltop castle overlooking the city, the gorgeous stone bridge that is the Charles bridge, the Baroque, Gothic & Renaissance period architecture, music, movement, people and great energy, this city is a joy to wander through aimlessly. Having had the good fortune of avoiding destruction through the countless number of wars that have taken place around it, Prague can also be your own time machine, taking you to a number of eras with just a simple stroll.

Prague - Czech Republic

No doubt, Prague is a gem and is rightly purported to be one of the highlights of Europe. I'll certainly not make an argument against it.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Warsaw (POLAND) - in transit

Warsaw (Poland)
17 August - 18 August 2016

The drive from Riga, Latvia to Belgrade, Serbia is in the vicinity of 1800 kms and takes approximately 21hrs if you choose to do it without stopping. This stop in Poland was to be one of many that we made either on our way to Riga or on our way to Serbia.

Warsaw - Poland

The old town - overlooking the Vistula River - Warsaw - Poland

Plac Zamkowy - Old Town - Warsaw - Poland

Poland itself is a hard country to drive through. Flat, big and generally boring, from the perspective of a driver its unremarkable. What we also found is that Poland is constantly in the midst of a programme of road works. Major roads are always under major repair, meaning major headaches, delays and difficulties. You're a chore Poland, a tough country to get to like.

Plac Zamkowy - Old Town - Warsaw - Poland

Practising my - 'Whoa, that's a nasty smell' look - Warsaw - Poland

Inga practising her 'Serbian duckface' look - Warsaw - Poland

Warsaw - Poland

A Negroni & Whiskey Sour - Warsaw - Poland

This drive however was out first out of Riga and we were actually on the way to the Croatian coastline to partake in a week of sailing on the Adriatic coast, so this stop was more intriguing. Whilst we only spent an evening on this occasion I can say that the 'old town', which has been immaculately restored, was a surprise and somewhat of a gem. In actual fact I don't want to give a bad impression of Warsaw because there are some good things about it, it's just that the city as a whole is relatively bland and banal. To me it seems to miss vibrancy and soul. It's just my perception, so don't hate on me Poland, you're ok.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Vilnius (LITHUAINIA) - the eyes with which we see reality

Vilnius (Lithuania)
12 August - 14 August 2016

Quite often I'll ask Inga the hypothetical question of what she thinks her reaction would be if someone handed her a photo taken now, in the moment but had handed it to her say a day after we originally met. Basically its a request to ask yourself to gauge your reaction if your current self was able to connect with your past self, and additionally, figure out from the photo a realistic path from then to know.

On the way back from Vilnius Inga asked me the same question. There I was sitting drivers seat, on the 'wrong side of the vehicle', driving Inga, her brother and father part of the way back to Latvia from Vilnius. OK Henry, 'If the day after you met me I handed you this photo what would you think?'.

My response, 'That I suddenly developed an insatiable appetite for piragi and your family were actually on the way to a piragi convention the next day and thankfully you invited me?'....

About as close to the truth we got during our visit to Vilnius was sharing a home grown plate of cepelinai. Unfortunately not piragi and more disappointing still, nowhere near as garsigi as piragi, but hey, I digress onto next observation.

Vilnius - Lithuania

I've found in my experience that of the three Baltic states people tend to remember the name Lithuania, so much more so than Latvia or even Estonia. Why the hell is that? Of all three countries the name is much harder to read, pronounce and remember, but stuff me if Lithuania doesn't become an interchangeable word for all those Baltic countries up there. How hard is it to remember the name Latvia? Really? Not difficult at all.

Vilnius - Lithuania

Anyway, our trip to Vilnius wasn't really for sightseeing purposes, although now that I write that it couldn't do more justice and be more adequate a description as to why we were there. My 'brother-in-law' in waiting was actually going to Vilnius to have laser surgery on both eyes in order to bring back clarity of vision. It's a procedure that Inga had done previously and recommended it to her brother for what it gave back to her. Considering the reasoning then sight seeing is exactly what we were there for.

Vilnius - Lithuania

Vilnius has elements of Riga and Tallinn in the old town. Meaning that there's cobble stoned streets & weather worn period buildings act as perfect facades to much cooler things hiding inside, like secret underground bars and restaurants, boutique clothing stores, nightclubs and other establishments of intrigue. Its cool. From my high rise Australian perspective I find places like this intriguing, and on a lovely Summer's Day you could do no worse than climb to the top of Gediminas Castle Tower, a 15th century tower block, and allow yourself to take in the views of this city.

Vilnius - Lithuania

Just like the rest of the Baltics the town, and the country has an over abundance of green. You see it everywhere. So the perception of vast industrial wastelands are a long way from reality. It's nice. Nice enough to visit and maybe stay a day or two.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Bali (INDONESIA) - Yep, now we've been there too

Bali (Indonesia)

24 July - 28 July 2016

In the two weeks from when we returned from South America to when we went to Bali was somewhat dichotomous for us. We were definitely not in a painful position financially by any stretch of the imagination, but somehow ended up living a life that from an outsiders perspective would have seemed a life of struggle. As we know didn't have a place to live in Sydney we needed to look for short-term accommodation, which we found in a 2bdr house on the border of Auburn/Lidcome. Of course we didn't rent the house, we just rented a room in the house. It was small, the place itself was average and it all felt a little surreal.

In addition to our living situation both Inga & I had decided to take on some sort of work for the time we were in Sydney. For various reasons the best option for us manifested itself in the very respected art of leaflet delivering. Yes, we became your nuisance junk mail delivers, hired guns of direct delivery advertising, bringing to you weekly sales, local discounts and political hogwash. In terms of flexibility it was good, and, it also allowed Inga to negate the working restrictions on her visa. Still, what an odd situation we found ourselves in. Having flown back in from Argentina there we were, living in a room, getting up at 5:30am each day to make our way to some random train station where we would load up our back-packs with pamphlets and then we'd walk - easily 30kms-40kms a day. And when I say 30kms-40kms I'm not joking, both of us would track the distance we covered on our iPhones. Basically we'd start in an area at 8:00am and walk virtually non-stop until 4pm. These were our typical days. For a map completion we'd get $10 per pamphlet, of which we would have perhaps 4-5 usually. So between us we were getting $80-$100 a day, sometimes more for completing additional areas. Man, what an odd time that was. It was fun in many ways but odd all the same, even more so when we told our manager Shezad, 'yeah, now that we've come back from South America we'll be heading off to Bali next week, so we'll be starting work again on 30 July'.

On the way to Bali - Sydney Airport - Australia

Sunset at the Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia

For an Australian saying that you've been to Bali is equivalent to saying that you've been to the Gold Coast for a holiday. Hardly the final card to be played in a game of travel one upsmanship. Probably better not to even mention it as it has distinct associations with drunken Australian bogans doing the stupid things they normally do, i.e., getting breathtakingly drunk, being obnoxious, being culturally insensitive and generally branding us Australians as a boorish, loutish group. To somehow underline this viewpoint there was a group of three early 20 something dickheads from the Central Coast that occupied the row in front of us. During the flight they had obviously made a head start on getting through their duty free, and the behaviour that followed just made me feel embarrassed as Australia, for the stereotype was certainly being lived up to.

Our accommodation in Bali was at the fantastic Anantara Uluwatu, a beautiful hotel, located high on the cliffs overlooking Bingin beach. Yet another fantastic property by Anantara in terms of location, tranquility and luxurious, spacious accommodation. It was an absolute treat, especially with the fact that we were located on the 'sunset' side of the island. The only thing that we managed to get wrong here however was that we were always a 45 min ride away from the central location of Kuta. Knowing now what I didn't know then I probably would have selected another location, more than likely in Seminyak. Still, hard to argue with a place that was as impressive as this.

Kuta Beach - Bali - Indonesia

A friend of mine from Sydney, Debbie Child at set us up with the details of what turned out to be a truly lovely man, Komang Sastrawan Taira. When she had been in Bali the year before her group utilised the services of Komang as driver/guide and had a great time exploring the island. So accepting the tip we utilised his services for a few days too and have to say that we were not disappointed at all. He was just so nice, calm and ready to assist in whatever it was we were seeking to do. A true pleasure to have made his company and be taken around this wonderful island.

Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia

The first day we actually did spend in Kuta. I wasn't quite sure what my expectations were but I didn't find it all that bad, as opposed to say a place like Pa Tong in Thailand which is an animal all of its own. Of course its touristy, there's plenty of us, myself being one of them, but ok, we all want to come and experience life on the beach. I get these days that there are locations around the world being overrun by tourists, this has the propensity to completely alter many of the elements that make up the unique quality of a location. I'm not sure what the answer is other than tourist restrictions or raising prices so as to enforce exclusivity. The issue with the latter is that you also price locals out of a place in their own country.

Two Inga's in one Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia

Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia

An additional aspect of Kuta for me were the echoes of the bombings that took place here in 2002 & 2005, Bali bombings 2002 & Bali bombings 2005. Walking in the area gave me that sense of immediacy and acute awareness of what was a despicable act. Also, I think somewhat oddly, it made me hyper vigilant, for what exactly I wasn't sure. In your min you know that there a chance than an event of that same magnitude could happen again at anytime but how on earth do you protect yourself from that? Any hyper-awareness is only really wasted energy. Of course mentally you (I) realise that, I realise that nothing can be done if you're unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time - although .... you always think that some sort of clue will be given in advance? Crazy huh!?

Bali - Indonesia

Ubud - Bali - Indonesia

The next day we rode with Komang up to the town of Ubud. If Kuta is the chaos and madness of Bali gone wrong, then Ubud is its spirtual and cultural centre. A serene place of seductive beauty, the town and its immediate surrounds are gorgeous. We spent some time taking in the terraced fields of the area, which for me were the typical representation of the Balinese image that I had in my mind. Lush landscapes of almost impossible looking terraces, somehow engineered to reside one on top of the other, cascading elegantly down the hillside. These are the views that you send home in the postcard.

In the immediate area were also a few coffee plantations, which were of specific interest of me as I really wanted to try the Kopi Luwak. This is a specific, unique and somewhat expensive coffee offering from Indonesia, which basically involves farmers picking up the droppings of an animal called the Asian palm civet. The process involves the civet specifically eating coffee cherries and then defecating, as required. The farms pick up these partially digested cherries which have gone through a fermentation process during its travels through the gut of the civet. The chemical's in its digestive tract alters the composition of the coffee cherries and hence the grind is what becomes the famous Kopi Luwak. What I want to know is how and when? When did farmers start picking up civet shit with an eye to making a good coffee? Who thinks that outside if an April Fool's joke?

Bali - Indonesia

Whilst in Ubud we also spent some time at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. This is a place where crazy monkeys just chill in an environment supported by humans who in turn consider them to be sacred, I believe more for there powers of economic growth than for any religious purpose.

Outside of Ubud we also took the time to head to Nusa Dua and hit the beach for some jet-ski action and also went to the well known Uluwatu temple to take in the sites and be part of a spectacular sunset on the western coast.

Seminyak - Bali - Indonesia

In the end both Inga and I got a lot out of Bali, for me, far more than I expected. My only small regret is that we didn't stay in Ubud for anymore than an afternoon and also, that we didn't set up our stay in a place like Seminyak which only our final night in Bali had use looking for ways to manufacturer a couple of additional nights on the island.

Now, like any 'good' Aussie I'm happy to tell you, 'Hey, I've been to Bali too'.

Life in a year full of Saturdays

Please utilise this space to search this blog

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Cesky Krumlov (CZECHIA) - Graz (AUSTRIA) - on the road to the Adriatic

Friday, August 19, 2016

Prague (CZECHIA) - Kasparov says 'check mates'

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Warsaw (POLAND) - in transit

Friday, August 12, 2016

Vilnius (LITHUAINIA) - the eyes with which we see reality

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Bali (INDONESIA) - Yep, now we've been there too

Fan favourites

A year full of Saturdays