Le Vieux Port

Le Vieux Port

View of Cannes from Le Suquet

Dinner at Chez Madeleine

St Vitus Cathedral,
Prague, Czech Republic

Golden Lane (artists quarter),
Prague, Czech Republic

Street Scene,
Wien (Vienna), Austria

National Library,
Wien (Vienna), Austria

Maria-Theresien-Platz,
Wien (Vienna), Austria

St. Stephen’s Basilica,
Pest, Hungary

Széchenyi Chain Bridge over the Danube,
Budapest, Hungary

Tromostovje (The Triple Bridge)
Ljubljana, Slovenia

Boat on Lake Bled,
Slovenia

Debbie has recently returned to Australia after spending a month in Europe, for 14 days of which we headed EAST, because, well… if you can’t pronounce the place you are going to… it must be good!  (and Ljubljana didn’t let us down!)

Our first destination was Prague- capital of the Czech Republic and famous for beer and well.. beer.  Or at least that is the common perception here in Britain.

Whilst the beer was good (and cheap), we found that Prague had much more to offer- they’ve also got wine AND whisky… not to mention the incredible architecture, interesting history and lovely gardens.  I loved the colourful buildings in pastel pinks, greens, yellow and blues…which cause some people to describe Prague as a ‘fairy tale city’.  To me it felt more like we were walking through a gigantic lolly shop! I could have eaten it all up!!

Our next destination was Vienna (Wien), which totally blew me away with it’s grand buildings and wide avenues.  A city dripping with wealth- the former glory of the Austrian empire manifested in enormous public buildings and gardens decorated with large statues and sculptures (Titan [I assume it was Titan?!] wrestling three-headed dogs and the like…).  Despite this ‘WOW’ factor, the city also felt strangely intimate and was magical in the evening as the sun set and the buildings glowed with a soft orange light.  Without a doubt, my highlight here was the Rathaus (city hall)- an enormous gothic building which we visited at dusk.

Budapest was just as magical in the evening- particularly when we took a cruise along the Duna (Danube) and saw the lights of the city glimmering in the river- the castle and incredible gothic parliament dominating the riverbanks.  Here there were also traces of empire- huge bridges spanning the river and joining Buda and Pest (formally two separate cities), large public buildings, the castle… hotels and Hungarian bath’s.   For me, Budapest was set apart from Prague and Vienna because the city felt alive- much less like a museum piece or tourist trap- and more like a living, breathing metropolis- it had energy and you could almost feel the city evolving!

A nine and a half hour train journey later and we arrived in Ljubljana, exhausted and hungry (hungry from Hungary!).  A small and charming city, with very friendly people, this was an excellent place to relax a little, unwind and enjoy the quaint riverside buildings and pretty streets.  From here we travelled to Bled and Bohinj- beautiful lakes in north west Slovenia- before returning to Ljubljana to fly home… exhausted and suffering with sore legs (we walked everywhere!) but with wonderful memories.

Grand Place, Brussels

YUMMY!  Bakery in Bruges

The Grote Markt, Bruges

Canal and Bridge, Bruges

Oli and I have just returned from a short holiday in Belgium, where we stayed in Bruges for three nights, exploring the local sights and visiting the nearby cities of Ghent and Brussels.  Lovely!  (if a little cold!)