John: tomorrow we leave for Maribor Slovenia. This is the last day of our four day stay in Budapest, Hungary, a city that in future retrospect, may end up being one of our favourite destinations. The city is so fascinating!!! We arrived at the accommodation on the first day and are welcomed by Claudia, the owner. The apartment is actually one room in a three bedroom apartment, though our room is huge and has full massive ensuite. We have a shared use fully equ...

We are up early and catch the metro to Praha main railway for the train to Kutna Hora. The Ossuary, or 'bone church' is around a 15 minute, aesthetically bland walk from the station and tragically, Czech suburbia has been constructed around it. Nevertheless, the bizarre interior of this very small church makes this destination well worth the visit. A little bit of history and description (Wikipedia 2012): In 1278, Henry, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in ...

2nd day in Prague, Bohemia and we decide to explore the Prague-castle complex that hovers over the city. After we shuffle back and forth in the metro because signage regarding best access for the castle is conflicting, we purchase our two day pass and explore the St Vitus and St George Cathedrals, the Powder and Dalibor towers, the Picture gallery, the royal palace and the 'Golden Lane', an actual village street that remains virtually intact except for the invas...

Early departure from our room and we walk from our accommodation to the ferry departure point on a mystically foggy and drizzly morning. We therefore derive another visual perspective for this spectacular lake and village. Don't think we have mentioned that the railway station is on the opposite side of the lake so a ferry links with arriving and departing trains. Today, we are travelling to Vienna, which is actually called Wien (pronounced vien) if you are Austr...

Sat 10 November 2012, John: One train change and we arrive in Hallstatt and it is easy to see why Josh and Jesse raved about this village after they stayed here two years ago. When I was a teenager, I was incessantly mesmerised by the cover of a Hawkwind album titled: Hall of the Mountain Grill, the artwork drawing on the science fiction of Michael Moorcock. The mountain village on that cover reminds me of Hallstatt. Loretta: A stunning Austrian village that i...