Itinerary

Dresden 2 Day Itinerary

We spent a weekend in Dresden in order to combine some sightseeing with a German parkrun. We flew into Berlin, then hired a car to drive to Dresden. Dresden would be an excellent location for a weekend city break, although we opted to tag it onto a tour of Poland. Which is also an excellent idea.

Day 1	Drive from to Dresden Yenidze Semperoper Semperoper Zwei Zwinger Residenzschloss Kulturpalast Beer in the Marketplace Frauenkirche Dinner at Zum Schiesshaus Leonardo Hotel
Day 2	Gläserne Manufaktur Grosser Garten Dinner from Hamid Kebap Haus
(Day 3)	Piescheneralle parkrun

Attractions

1	Yenidze
2	Semperoper
3	Semperoper Zwei
4	Zwinger
5	Residenzschloss
6	Kulturpalast
7	Frauenkirche
8	Gläserne Manufaktur
9	Grosser Garten
10	Pieschenerallee

Dresden Day 1

We check out of our hotel in Berlin and set off instead on the 115 mile drive south to Dresden.

Drive to Dresden

Despite the atrocious weather in Berlin, my weather App claims it’s fine in Dresden. Right on cue, after 110 miles of driving through rain and fog avoiding hundreds of Polish lorries which appear to be involved in a huge game of Dodgems, the clouds turn a lighter shade of grey and the rain finally stops.

I have visited Dresden once before, in 1988 to attend a football match. It was the day I introduced my German boyfriend to English cider, thus the memories are somewhat hazy. This time, I shall attempt more sightseeing and (marginally) less drinking.

Yenidze

We arrive in Dresden at lunchtime, so head for the Yenidze; a tobacco factory built in 1907 in an oriental style with chimneys resembling minarets. It is topped with a golden cupola surrounded with stained glass. It allegedly contains a rooftop beer garden with spectacular views over the city which is allegedly open. However, when we reach the sixth floor beer garden, there is a handwritten sign directing us to a horribly overpriced restaurant upstairs instead. We descend and buy some pizza rolls in a nearby café.

Semperoper

After lunch, we head for the South Bank of the river to the old town, an area which was devastated by British bombing and a subsequent firestorm in 1945. Many of the buildings have been restored to their former glory. For example, the grand 19th Century Semperoper opera house.

Semperoper Zwei

Next door is its funky modern offspring Semperoper Zwei with weird faces on its corners.

Zwinger

Next door is the Zwinger, a baroque palace built in the 18th Century for Augustus the Strong after he returned from Versailles with palace envy.

The palace houses three museums; the Old Masters Gallery, Porcelain Collection and Maths-Physics Salon. You have to pay (14 Euros) to enter the museums. The grounds are free. As we were limited by time and budget, we just took a wander around the grounds and admired the architecture.

Residenzschloss

Onwards to another palace, the 15th Century Residenzschloss, former home of Saxon kings. It contains a large collection of treasures, split into two; The Historic and the New Green Vault, which we don’t go to see because it’s expensive (19 Euros) and we’re tight.

The rear of the palace is covered with a 102 metre long mural of ‘The Procession of the Princes’, which is spectacular but very difficult to photograph.

Kulturpalast

Instead, we continue to the 1960s Kulturpalast. Built in 1969 as the House of Socialist Culture, here too the walls are adorned with murals depicting ‘The Path of the Red Flag’.

Beer in the Marketplace

Then cross the road to the Spring Market where we take a break and have a beer.

Frauenkirche

We round off today’s sightseeing at the Frauenkirche. This church was literally reconstructed after the war. The altar alone consists of 2,000 separate pieces, all painstakingly stuck back together like an enormous 3-D jigsaw.

Outside, the building is made more striking due to the combination of burned black original stone and pale yellow modern pieces which join together to form an almost replica. The contrasting pieces act as a reminder of the devastation which took place here.

Dinner at Zum Schiesshaus

We finish the day with dinner at the rather dubiously named Zum Schiesshaus – don’t get those vowels round the wrong way! I have Chicken in Cheese and Horseradish, which is delicious. While the old man opts for the Large’ Pork Escalope; basically a flattened pig.

Leonardo Hotel

We stayed at the Leonardo Hotel in the old town, which was very pleasant and convenient for all the attractions we wanted to visit. I forgot to take a photo of the hotel, so here is a glossy one from the hotel’s website.

Dresden Day 2

Gläserne Manufaktur

Today, we start the day with a tour of the Gläserne Manufaktur (the Transparent Factory) where they manufacture the VW E-Golf. The building, made almost entirely of glass, sitting in the corner of a park, is quite a sight. We opt to walk the two miles to the factory because we have been told it is difficult to park there!

To be honest, the factory is little more than a PR stunt. In this high tech, state of the art facility, they make 70 cars a day. Cars are assembled (all the parts are manufactured elsewhere and brought to the factory by tram) by a combination of robots and men in pristine white dungarees.

There are up to 70 factory tours a day, where you can follow a car through the assembly process. Apparently, the robots could function seven times more quickly, but the line runs slowly because the workers feel the pressure of performing in front of so many people. Once complete, the cars are mostly exported to Scandinavia – the Germans are yet to embrace the idea of electric vehicles.

The factory tour is actually really interesting. Tours cost 7 Euros, and need to be reserved in advance. Is it wrong to admit that my favourite bits are seeing a badly behaved child fall into an ornamental pond and watching a remote control lawnmower chasing some ducks round the lawn.

Grosser Garten

After our tour, we head for the Grosser Garten. As the name suggests, the garden is so large that it has its own railway to transport visitors round its main attractions. Unfortunately, the old man is too tight to pay the €6 ticket price, so we make do with just visiting the Botanical Garden. It’s not the best garden we’ve visited; part of the reason may be the enormous hare we watch scoffing its way through the exhibits.

Dinner from Hamid Kebap Haus

We round off our final evening in Germany with an obligatory kebab. I don’t want to walk far so we go to a tiny shop round the corner called Hamid’s, where the kebabs turn out to be stonkingly good. I was so busy scoffing my face, I forgot to take a photo, but this is the mural we passed on the way.

Dresden Day 3

Parkrun at Pieschenerallee

It’s Saturday, aka parkrun day, and we are running Pieschener Allee parkrun. We manage to find the start without problem. There are a total of 26 runners, mostly ex pats. Everyone is really friendly.

The course is a pleasant out and back run on a footpath along the River Elbe. It’s also very flat, so I run my 3rd fastest ever 5k time. And coming 24th sounds quite good too. Although, in reality, I came last, apart from the tail walkers.

We return to our hotel, shower, check out and depart for Poland.

Note: Pieschenerallee parkrun no longer takes place. I believe the local authorities took umbrage at people doing running on footpaths?! I have left this in for two reasons:

Pieschenerallee is a pleasant stroll along the river, thus a nice way to spend an hour or so, regardless of whether you’re into parkrun or not.
If you are into parkrun, Dresden is a great location to combine some sightseeing with a run. The new parkrun location is across the river at Priessnitzgrund.

Trip taken: May 2019

Updated: October 2022

Suva 1 Day Itinerary

We spent a week on Fuji’s main island (Viti Levu) as part of a 3 month round the world tour. As it was sandwiched between some hard core sightseeing in California and New Zealand, we were mainly there for some R&R. We did, however, manage to drag ourselves from our sunloungers by our private pool at Wellesley Resort to spend a day in the capital of Suva. As our accommodation was is a remote location, we opted for a hire car. It’s not the most exciting of capital cities, but the main (Queens) road hugs the coast, so it’s worth a visit for the drive alone. It is easy to see everything in Suva on foot, but you are highly likely to get wet at some point!

Itinerary

Day 1

Drive to Suva
Picnic in Thurston Gardens
Fiji Museum
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Walk along the esplanade at Stinson Parade

Attractions

1	Thurston Gardens
2	Fiji Museum
3	Holy Trinity Cathedral
4	Sacred Heart Cathedral
5	Stinson Parade

Drive to Suva

Today we brave driving up the hotel’s 3 mile dirt track-come-river and visit the capital, Suva. It’s a further 50 miles along the Queen’s Road, the main road which circumnavigates the island. The road condition plus speed bumps in the villages mean it’s a 2 hour drive each way. We stop en route at a supermarket in Pacific Harbour to buy provisions.

The road hugs the ocean for much of the drive. Scenic to start with, but the closer we get to Suva, the more polluted it becomes with bottles, tyres and all sorts of junk floating along the shore line.

Suva has a population of 85,000. It’s weird to think of a capital city less than half the size of Bournemouth. Maybe Dorset should become a republic?

Picnic in Thurston Gardens

We park up at the Fiji Museum and have a picnic brunch under a tree in Thurston Gardens before visiting the museum.

The gardens are also home to a 100 year old clock tower and bandstand, built to commemorate the first mayor of Suva.

Fiji Museum

The museum has some interesting exhibits; the rudder from The Bounty (the ship made infamous for the mutiny led by Mel Gibson, aka Fletcher Christian) and the sole of the shoe of a Methodist missionary – the only bit of him the islanders didn’t eat!

My personal favourite that essential fashion accessory – the puffer fish hat.

Once we have finished in the museum, we have a drink in the cafe then follow Lonely Planet’s suggested walking tour of Fiji past various buildings of note. It’s not a huge distance; only a couple of miles of walking, but we decide to split the route into two and drive in between. This means that we’re not too far from the car when the inevitable cloudburst occurs.

Holy Trinity Cathedral

We start with a visit the Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral. It’s a hive of activity – the big boss is in town (not God – the Archbishop of Canterbury).

According to my guide book, the cathedral has a unique boat-shaped interior. To be honest, it just looks like the inside of a church.

Sacred Heart Cathedral

Next, the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral. Built in 1902, it is one of Suva’s oldest and most prominent buildings.

Growing in the cathedral grounds is the Tree of Knowledge. How this differs from any other tree, I don’t know. Maybe the Tree of Knowledge could tell me?

We round off our Suva perambulation with a stroll along the esplanade next to the harbour. There are some trees and gardens and souvenir vendors. I purchase the obligatory fridge magnet and we drive back to our resort through a few downpours, but make it back before the mother load hits.

Trip Taken: March 2018

Updated: October 2022

Quito 6 Day Itinerary

Quito was our final stop on a three month South American adventure. We spent a total of 6 days in the city, although in reality, they weren’t consecutive as we took a trip to the Amazon after day 2. If you don’t have 6 days, skip the Tren de los Volcanes; it was fun, but probably didn’t live up to the hype (price). We really enjoyed the guided tour of the Palacio de Gobierno, but it is very popular. I recommend booking online as much in advance as possible.

Itinerary

Day 1	Flight to Quito Casa Montero La Ronda Dinner at Casa los Geranios
Day 2	Basilica del Voto Nacional Iglesia de San Francisco Iglesia de Santo Domingo
Day 3	Plaza Grande Palacio de Gobierno Museo de la Ciudad National Assembly Museo Nacional Dinner at Bandido Brewing Kinde House
Day 4	Tren de los Volcanes
Day 5	Museo de Sitio Intiñan Mitad del Mundo
Day 6	Hop on Hop off Bus: El Panecillo La Carolina Park Botanical Garden

Attractions

1	La Ronda
2	Basilica del Voto Nacional
3	Iglesia de San Francisco
4	Iglesia de Santo Domingo
5	Plaza Grande
6	Palacio de Gobierno
7	Museo de la Ciudad
8	National Assembly
9	Museo Nacional
10	Tren de los Volcanes
11	Museo de Sitio Intiñan
12	Mitad del Mundo
13	El Panecillo
14	La Carolina Park
15	Botanical Garden

Quito Day 1

Flight to Quito

In the morning, we head for the airport for our flight to Quito; the world’s second highest capital. We’re going 800 miles further north and 2850 metres higher in altitude. It’s our 9th LATAM flight and for the 9th time, it lands bang on time. Someone from LATAM needs to come to the UK and give the likes of British Airways and EasyJet a few lessons.

Casa Montero

We get a taxi to our hotel in the old town. The Casa Montero is OK; a colonial style building with lots of charm, if a little tired. But the surrounding area is a bit rough. It’s on the edge of Plaza de Santa Domingo. The area in general and the hotel steps in particular appear to be a meeting place for winos.

Iglesia de Santa Domingo — Plaza de Santo Domingo

It is, however very centrally located and therefore convenient for sightseeing. Plus the restaurant has a great view across the city to El Panecillo.

La Ronda

In the evening, we take a walk along la Ronda, a cobbled street with colourful 17th century houses, and find somewhere for dinner.

Dinner at Casa los Geranios

We opt for Casa los Geranios, a quaint little restaurant which is, as the name suggests, adorned with geraniums.

The food is very good, if a bit pretentious. I have chicken in orange and teriyaki sauce with a chocolate glaze (with chips of course). The old man has steak followed by a flambeed ice cream dessert which looks like it will burn for ever. Then we return to our hotel and lock ourselves in for the night.

Quito Day 2

Today, we’re going sightseeing on foot in Quito – primarily churches as most other tourist attractions are shut on Mondays. By now, we’ve been to umpteen Colonial South American town centre, whose layouts are so formulaic I could walk them in my sleep; main plaza with cathedral and government palace. On either side, the churches of San Francisco and Santo Domingo. And somewhere in the middle, the Jesuits, who took a vow of poverty but coated their churches liberally with gold.

After breakfast, we set off for the main square but there is a demonstration underway. The square is completely blocked off and circled by riot police. More and more people are arriving and most are wearing surgical masks. And I don’t think they’re doctors….

Basilica del Voto Nacional

We bypass the square and head for the enormous Basilica del Voto Nacional. The old man decides to climb the tower, which is apparently quite rickety. I opt to sit in the café with a Coke.

I visit the interior of the Basilica instead. Some of the stained glass is being renovated, so the statues in the nave have been wrapped in a dark fabric. It looks like the church has been overrun by Dementors.

Iglesia de San Francisco

Next, we go to the Iglesia de San Francisco. It has a beautiful courtyard, an excellent museum and plenty of of religious art. I try to buy some post cards, but they have run out, so offer me posters for the same price of $0.25 each. It sounds like a bargain, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do with these posters – answers on a postcard (obviously not a postcard of San Francisco church).

We pass the rear of the Cathedral, but it is still closed due to the demonstration. Next we consider the Jesuit Church, until we realise entry is $5 each.

Iglesia de Santo Domingo

We round off our morning in the Iglesia de Santo Domingo; highlight – a colour changing virgin. It’s safe to say that we are all churched out, so we return to our hotel.

In the evening we go from one culinary extreme to the other. After yesterday’s fancy meal, we go to a tiny three table shack where a lovely lady whips up a Mexican feast for £20, including four beers.

Quito Day 3

Plaza Grande

Another day of sightseeing on foot in Quito. We head for the Plaza Grande, which is no longer barricaded off.

Palacio de Gobierno

We are going on a tour the Palacio de Gobierno. The tour is free, but needs to be reserved by email (in Spanish) so I’m quite proud of my achievement. We head for the security post. Our names are on the list – a triumph!

We get a guided tour of the museum, which focuses on the political history of Ecuador and finishes with a collection of presidential gifts.

Then past some rather cool murals by Guayasamin depicting the first European navigation of the Amazon. The tour finishes with visits to the enormous Banquet Room with its own chapel and the Yellow Room which houses portraits of past presidents.

Museo de la Ciudad

Next, we visit the Museo de la Ciudad. This is housed in a 17th century hospital and gives (theoretically) a chronological history of Quito. The old man gets impatient and bypasses a group of school kids, so we are going backwards through history, witnessing the fight for independence prior to colonisation, which is all rather confusing.

In the final gallery is a temporary exhibit. There’s no indication of what this exhibit might be until we arrive. It turns out to be the history of Quito’s markets, so rather an anti climax.

National Assembly

In the afternoon, we walk through Parque la Alameda, past the National Assembly which is lined with a colourful collection of hummingbird sculptures.

Museo Nacional (MuNa)

On to the Casa de la Cultura. This huge, round glass building houses the Museo Nacional (MuNa) which takes you through the history of Ecuadorean art. There’s some great stuff here. My favourite is a collection of sculptures called La Carga, which depict Ecuadorean women going about their daily business.

There’s also a fun ‘play area’ where you can interact with the art and even climb inside a painting.

The MuNa also has temporary exhibit; the work of artist Hernán Illescas, which is for sale. The old man determines to win the lottery, come back and buy ‘La Migración sueño en la Memoria’, a snip at $20,000.

Dinner at Bandido Brewing

The three of us walk the two miles back to our hotel (we appear to have adopted a dog), stopping for dinner at a trendy microbrewery called Bandido Brewing. We are the oldest in there by a good 30 years. We are served by a girl with green hair and multiple piercings. The food is good, but we feel terribly out of place.

Kinde House

Our new hotel, Kinde House, is reached by a steep hill. The reward for this exertion – a great view.

Quito Day 4

Tren de los Volcanes

Today, we are going on the Tren de los Volcanes. This tourist train follows a 50 mile route to El Boliche which, it claims, gives you the opportunity to see 15 volcanoes (in good weather).

There aren’t any passenger trains in Ecuador; the taxi driver doesn’t even know where the station is, and tries to drop us at the offices of Tren Ecuador. Luckily, a passing motor cyclist explains his error, we get back in the taxi and follow the motorcyclist to Chimbacalle Station.

We board our train and set off, flanked by a team of motor cycle outriders to keep the tracks clear. We have only been able to book two aisle seats; Ecuadorean families have booked all the window seats (a group of seven have booked six window seats). However, once the train is underway, the families move to sit together and a pair of seats frees up.

Volcano spotting through the train window

After 45 minutes, we reach the outskirts of Quito and pass our first volcano, the active volcano of Atacazo. Next, through a large eucalyptus forest, then into a valley past Pasochoa, a horseshoe shaped volcano which has erupted sideways.

We stop for 30 minutes in the village of Tambillo for no discernible reason other than to bring tourism to the area. I show willing by buying a train shaped fridge magnet.

After three hours, we reach our destination, El Boliche, where we have two hours of ‘activities’. We are taken on a guided tour by an eco warrior who loves the sound of his own voice. It takes over an hour to follow a 320 metre trail. I zone out of what he’s saying, but basically he loves nettles and hates cow poo. He stings himself a few times to prove the point. Once we reach the end of the trail; a sacred tree, it’s a case of ‘exit through the gift shop’. For an hour.

We are disappointed to discover that on the ‘Volcano Train’ (which advertises itself with pictures of Cotopaxi and takes you to the foot of Cotopaxi) you don’t actually see Cotopaxi. However, unlike PeruRail, they haven’t cloned our credit card (yet)!

On the return journey, it rains and cloud descends so visibility is minimal. Now our ‘volcano experience’ is reduced to sitting on a retired Spanish commuter train crawling towards Quito with nothing to do except write my blog and watch the outriders struggle on the wet cobbles.

We stop for two hours at Machachi station in the middle of nowhere. There’s the station, a café and a fancy ranch. It’s pouring with rain, soaking the poor dancers who are there to greet us. We have some lunch at the station, which leaves over an hour to kill aimlessly wandering round by the train, which finally departs 20 minutes behind schedule.

We return to Quito station and get a taxi. I show the driver the address of the hotel and he nods and drives into town. It becomes apparent he has no idea where he’s going when he starts asking ‘aquí?’ every few hundred metres. The old man loses patience and we get out of the taxi and walk the final mile, find somewhere to eat that’s open on a Sunday (harder than it sounds), return to our hotel, swap rooms (it’s a long story) and go to bed with no alarm set for the first time in ages.

Llamas on the train track — Intruders on the Track

Quito Day 5

Today, we are going to the equator and Mitad del Mundo; a kind of equator based theme park. It’s difficult to reach on public transport, so we have booked a tour. On the way there, it rains so heavily it’s difficult to tell if we’re driving down a road or a river. Rubbish floats past the windows when we stop at traffic lights. Luckily, it eases off before we arrive.

Museo de Sitio Intiñan

First stop is the Museo de Sitio Intiñan, which claims to be on the GPS equator. Here, we are given a guided tour which includes such activities as balancing an egg on a nail and trying to walk along the equator in a straight line.

Intinan Museum - Walking the Equator — Intinan Museum – Walking the Equator

This is followed by a very lengthy chocolate making demonstration, for no particular reason other than to try and flog chocolate. I get frustrated, time is passing, and we still haven’t reached Mitad del Mundo, which is what we came to see.

Intinan Museum - Egg Balancing Champion — Intinan Museum – Egg Balancing Champion

Mitad del Mundo

Finally, we continue to the Mitad del Mundo, which claims to be on the geographical equator. We only have 28 minutes here and in addition to a plethora of equator based photo ops, there are also more painted hummingbird sculptures. So we devise a strategic photography plan and split up, run round our allocated segments and get back to the bus a mere two minutes behind schedule.

There was supposed to be a third stop at the cable car, but we have run out of time. The driver offers to drop us there, but we will have to make our own way back to town (which was kind of the point of booking a tour). As we can’t see the mountain for cloud, we decline and return to Quito.

In the evening, more torrential rain so we retire to the hotel and spend a glamorous evening sitting in the foyer by the Wifi router as it’s the only way to get a signal.

Quito Day 6

Hop on Hop off Bus

Today, we are doing something we rarely do; taking the Hop on Hop off Bus.

El Panecillo

The bus heads up El Panecillo; a small hill with an aluminium statue of the Virgin Mary on top. It’s an interesting journey in a double decker, navigating the narrow, winding streets and low hanging electric cables.

The Virgin sits atop a dragon on a globe. You can climb to a viewing platform around the globe for a 360 degree view of the city and surrounding volcanoes.

La Carolina Park

We reboard our bus and travel through the old city to La Carolina Park; a large park with sports pitches, a running track, a lake and the Botanical Garden.

Botanical Garden

We spend a long time in the Botanical Garden; the best bits are the Carnivore Collection and the Bonsai Collection.

Botanical Garden - Bonsai Collection — Botanical Garden – Bonsai Collection

We catch the bus again with the intention of getting off at some other stops but it starts raining and we’re weary. So we return to the beginning and have a late lunch at in a colonial courtyard in the old city, where I order a salchipan (sausage sandwich) and the old man goes, as always, for the biggest thing on the menu. Then it’s back to the hotel, narrowly missing the torrential downpour, to pack for tomorrow’s return flights. It’s been a blast, but after 10 weeks in South America, I’m ready to go home.

Trip taken: March 2019

Updated: September 2022

Copenhagen 2 Day Itinerary

We spent two days in Copenhagen as the second part of a Sweden/Denmark long weekend. It was my second visit to the city, so a combination of past favourites and things I’d missed first time round. Copenhagen certainly warrants further exploring, but if you only have two days, I would still recommend using one for the 30 mile trip up the coast to Helsingør and Kronborg Castle. It’s also worth noting that Amager Strandpark is well worth a visit, even if you don’t intend to run round it.

Itinerary

	SleepCPH
Day 1	Day Trip to Helsingør Kronborg Castle Karen Blixen Musuem
Day 2	Parkrun at Amager Strandpark Langelinie The Little Mermaid Gefion Fountain Kastellet Glyptotek Tivoli Gardens

Attractions

1	Helsingør
2	Kronborg Castle
3	Karen Blixen Museum
4	Amager Strandpark
5	Langelinie
6	The Little Mermaid
7	Gefion Fountain
8	Kastellet
9	Glyptotek
10	Tivoli Gardens

SleepCPH

Once we have arrived in Denmark, we check into our hotel; SleepCPH. As the name suggests, it’s a place to sleep, but that’s about it. I feel like I’m in a 30 year time warp and back in student halls. The room contains a bed, table and clothes rail. At the end of the corridor are a communal kitchen and bathroom. And this basic provision, three miles from the centre of town, costs £92 a night. The hotel’s main selling point – its proximity to parkrun. The receptionist says many of their guests are parkrunners. In fact, in the kitchen is a three metre long photo of the route for guests to visually feast on.

It’s another scorcher of a day, so I hobble to the shop to buy drinks. There are signs around the hotel stating that no alcohol is allowed on the premises. The only decoration in my sparse yet expensive room is a Warholesque picture of James Dean. I ask myself ‘what would James do?’ And I buy beer.

In the evening, the old man takes a walk into town. I opt for a more leisurely evening. My knee has managed eight miles today, which is more than I’ve covered in the past two weeks altogether. So I take it easy watching tennis on my phone (£92 a night doesn’t get you a TV).

Copenhagen Day 1

Day Trip to Helsingør

Today, we’re taking a trip up the Zealand coast to Helsingør, home of Kronborg castle, setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

First, we need to purchase 24 hour travel cards from the ticket machine. The old man requests two tickets plus a receipt and the machine issues two cards; one ticket and one ticket with a receipt. However, he is convinced he has been issued with one ticket and one receipt. He calls the helpline to complain that he has paid for two tickets and only received one. Eventually, a lady who had been waiting patiently in the queue steps in and clears up the confusion.

Once we have ascertained that we do, in fact, have two tickets, we catch a train to Helsingør. It’s a pretty town from the offset as we disembark at the striking red brick station adorned with sculptures. From here, we walk along the harbourside.

There are some interesting sculptures, including Han, The Little Merman and a thought provoking fish made with rubbish from the harbour.

Kronborg Castle

We continue across a bridge to the spectacular 15th Century Kronborg Castle with its green spires standing proud above the fortified walls and surrounding moat.

We’re too tight to pay the £35 to go inside, so make do with a circuit around the edge taking photos, followed by a trip to the gift shop.

Then we take a walk through the quaint town centre of Helsingør, buy provisions and picnic by the waterfront, which is pleasant apart from two facts; 1) we are relentlessly circled by an enormous seagull and 2) it’s so windy I keep accidentally eating my own hair.

We return towards Copenhagen by bus because Lonely Planet recommends the bus, as it runs along the coast and is, therefore more scenic, than the train. They’re not kidding – if we were any nearer the coast we’d need snorkels and flippers. And nose-clips; in places the smell of sewage is overpowering.

Karen Blixen Museum

We alight in Rungsted to visit the home of Karen Blixen; (Think Meryl Streep and “I had a house in Africa…”). You can take an audio guide of the home where she (Blixen, not Streep) lived as a child and where she came to die after Robert Redford gave her syphilis. You can also visit her grave in the garden.

After visiting the grave, which is a ten minute walk from the house, I notice a short cut to the station. But we still have our audio guides. So the old man takes pity on me and returns to the museum while I hobble off towards the station.

We return to our hotel room, which is just as we left it; £93 a night doesn’t get you housekeeping. It’s probably just as well. The stairs to the fire escape have already been transformed into an obstacle course by bags of laundry. I dread to think what it would look like if they changed the sheets regularly. Never mind, we check out tomorrow – unless there’s a fire, which will probably lead to the ultimate check out.

Copenhagen Day 2

Parkrun at Amager Strandpark

It’s Saturday, AKA parkrun day, and we are going to Amager Strandpark. The run starts at 9 am, but we are awake by 5 thanks to a group of tourists replicating stormtroopers in the corridor. It’s raining heavily and my waterproof is in a car park near Stansted, so I am going to get rather wet.

The Strandpark is on a small Island in the Øresund; the strait which separates Denmark and Sweden. We walk the mile to the start, then hide out in a shelter as long as possible.

The route consists two laps along the island, across a bridge, along the prom and back across another bridge. To complicate matters, the first lap is anti-clockwise and the second lap is clockwise. Luckily, I don’t get lost despite being too slow to see the next slowest runner. I fight my way through the wind and rain and the pain in my knee to finish in 37 minutes, which I consider a triumph.

We return to the hotel and, once suitably clean and fed, check out. Another thing you don’t get for £93 a night is a manned reception. We finally locate a staff member and explain that we are checking out, but would like to leave our bags until this evening.

We set off for Copenhagen. It’s not our normal sightseeing routine of hours of aimless wandering. We buy a travel card and take buses between locations to spare my knee, which has already had a hard day.

Langelinie

We start with a walk along the quayside, where there are plenty of interesting sculptures to peruse. There’s the Genetically Modified Little Mermaid, some rather phallic offerings resembling a worm with a large penis smoking a cigar. And my personal favourite, a steampunk style man, deep in contemplation; Zinkglobal

The Little Mermaid

We continue, predictably to The Little Mermaid.

I’m surprised by the throng of tourists round the little mermaid. Last time I was here, 30 years ago, we had the place to ourselves and were able to clamour over the rocks to the statue. Now, bus loads of tourists are disgorging onto the quayside every few seconds.

Gefion Fountain

We stop for a while to admire the Gefion Fountain, a huge tiered fountain depicting a Norse goddess and some cattle.

Kastellet

Onwards to the star shaped Kastellet, before boarding another bus to the Glyptotek.

Glyptotek

The Glyptotek is the private art collection of the founder of Carlsberg, who made a few quid flogging beer. There bulk of the collection is sculptures, mainly ancient statues with no noses. But there are also paintings; most of the big European names are represented; Van Gough, Degas, Monet, Picasso, Cezanne..

Much of the gallery is dedicated to The Changing Collection – currently the work of Pierre Bonnard. It’s not my cup of tea and it feels slightly offensive to read his narrative on searching for the perfect colour, considering that it was WWII and most people had much more pressing matters to contend with. So we head instead for the roof, from where there are great views across the city.

Tivoli Gardens

We had intended to go to 19th Century them park, Tivoli Gardens. But we have run out of time, so have to make do with a glimpse and a couple of photos from the exterior.

We return to SleepCPH to collect our bags. The entrance is locked and we have a plane to catch. After a stressful few minutes wondering what the hell to do next, we discover the bags hidden behind a chair in the hallway. Luckily, our passports are still there. After a classy picnic in the park by the tube station, we depart for the airport.

Trip Taken: June 2019

Updated: October 2022

Zagreb 1 Day Itinerary

We spent a day in Zagreb as part of a Balkan Road Trip. It is a pretty little town, but a day is probably enough to see the main sights.

Itinerary

Day 1

Drive to Zagreb
Zrinjevac
Strossmayer Square
B&B at 4City Windows
Cathedral of the Assumption
Dolac Market
Trg Bana Jelačića
Funicular Railway
Museum of Broken Relationships
St Mark’s Church

Attractions

1	Zrinjevac
2	Strossmayer Square
3	Cathedral of the Assumption
4	Dolac Market
5	Trg Bana Jelačića
6	Funicular Railway
7	Museum of Broken Relationships
8	St Mark’s Church

Zagreb Day 1

Drive to Zagreb

Today is our third and final visit to Croatia, to the capital city of Zagreb. It’s all motorway, so progress is rapid but dull. After days of yearning for a decent road as we picked our way along Bosnian goat tracks and Albanian roadworks, I’m bored of motorways now. The old man alleviates the the boredom briefly by taking a wrong turn and accidentally heading for Austria.

Zrinjevac

We find our way back onto the Zagreb road, cross the border and reach our destination by 10.30. Lonely Planet doesn’t have much to say about Zagreb, which is fine as I am out of clean underwear. So, first port of call is the laundrette. While I’m waiting for the machines, I take a wander in the nearby gardens of Zrinjevac.

Strossmayer Square

Then, I walk down the road to admire the communist era statues in Strossmayer Square.

B&B at 4City Windows

Armed with clean pants, we check in to our B&B; 4City Windows, which is run by a lovely couple. We are in the Cartoon Room which features hand drawn cartoons from war time animated films.

Our hosts help us plan a route to visit the old city and we set forth to peruse the various churches, notable buildings and parks. It’s a pleasant walk as most of the roads are pedestrian and there are plenty of parks and squares.

Cathedral of the Assumption

We start with a visit to the succinctly named Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The twin spires of this gothic cathedral dominate the city.

The cathedral is undergoing renovation. On display are new and old pieces of stonework to demonstrate the damage which has occurred over time. If pollution can cause so much damage to stone, what chance do our lungs have?

Dolac Market

Next, we cross the square to the market, vibrant with flowers and all manner of produce. We purchase some lunch from one of the stalls.

Trg Bana Jelačića

Then we sit on the edge of the statue in Trg Bana Jelačića to eat our calzones. It’s all glamour this travelling malarkey. A peruse of my guide book tells me that the statue is of a 19th century viceroy who led Croatia into battle with Hungary. Tito ordered it to be taken down, but after his demise, the statue was returned to its place in the square.

Funicular Railway

Lunch sorted, we take the 18th century funicular railway to the upper town, where we accidentally get caught up in the filming of a documentary.

Museum of Broken Relationships

Next, we head for the intriguingly named Museum of Broken Relationships (somewhat ironically in Dverce street). People donate items which remind them of the end of a relationship, together with an explanation. There’s quite a range on display from the moving (a mother’s suicide letter, a court document from a child raped by someone she trusted) to the more humorous (a Divorce Day mad dwarf thrown at an ex’s new car).

My guide book describes the museum as ‘quirky and innovative’. While some of it is interesting and poignant, there are many long-winded self- indulgent explanations of failed love affairs. To be honest, I can think of better ways to spend £5. However, it’s kind of a Zagreb must-see so I’m glad I’ve seen it.

Museum of Broken Relationships - Divorce Day Mad Dwarf — Museum of Broken Relationships – Divorce Day Mad Dwarf

St Mark’s Church

We round our day off with St Mark’s Church. The roof, tiled in the colours of the Croatian flag, complete with coats of arms is emblematic of the city, and indeed Croatia.

We return to our B&B to shower and repack ready for tomorrow’s drive to the 8th and final country of our Balkan trip; Serbia.

Trip Taken: September 2018

Updated: September 2022

Santiago 3 Day Itinerary

We spent three days in Santiago in total. In reality, they weren’t consecutive days; there was a gap between Days 1-2 and Day 3, when we flew to Easter Island. We opted to split our stay between central Santiago and the nearby wine growing area of Pirque. Alternatively, Pirque, which is around 24 miles south of Santiago, is an easy day trip from Santiago. There are plenty of organised trips, but it’s also fairly easy to reach by public transport. We took the metro to the end of the line at Puento Alto, then a taxi for last few (around 6) miles.

Itinerary

	Flight to Santiago La Calma de Rita Dinner at La Calma de Rita
Day 1	Concha y Toro
	Travel to Santiago Bellapart Apartment
Day 2	Palacio de la Moneda Plaza de Armas Santiago Cathedral Cerro Santa Lucia
Day 3	Cerro San Cristóbal Cable Car Japanese Garden Costanera Centre Sculpture Park

Attractions

1	Concha y Toro
2	Palacio de la Moneda
3	Plaza de Armas
4	Santiago Cathedral
5	Cerro Santa Lucia
6	Cerro San Cristóbal
7	Cable Car
8	Japanese Garden
9	Costanera Centre
10	Sculpture Park

Flight to Santiago

Today we fly to Santiago, then have to travel 33 miles from the airport to our ‘hotel’ in Pirque. This involves a shuttle into town, then two tubes and then a taxi for the last few miles from the end of the metro line.

It’s only a 90 minute flight, from one side of The Andes to the other. I’m not looking forward to it – previous encounters with the Andes have involved way more turbulence than I would like. The captain doesn’t help by announcing; ‘We’re about to fly over The Andes, fasten your seatbelts.’ However, it’s actually quite calm and the view is awesome. White snow and glaciers at the top. Blue lakes surrounded by greenery at the bottom. And it the middle, mountains in every shade of red, yellow, orange and brown.

We reach Santiago Airport, which is basically a huge building site. We park so far out that from landing to reaching the terminal building takes 58 minutes. Next immigration. That takes care of another 52 minutes, then customs, changing money and a queue for the bus. We finally leave the airport after what feels like an eternity.

La Calma de Rita

Our bus, tube, tube, taxi combo is straightforward and four hours after we landed, we reach La Calma de Rita; a quirky little place amongst the vineyards. The accommodation is a mixture of wine barrels and Romany style caravans – we’re in a pink caravan. It’s quite remote (a car would have been ideal) but it has a bar, restaurant and pool, so moving isn’t really necessary.

Dinner at La Calma de Rita

We agree with our taxi driver to collect us in the morning for a vineyard tour, then settle by the pool for a very tasty dinner.

Santiago Day 1

Concha y Toro

La Calma de Rita is a strange place, balanced precariously between rustic charm and just plain dirty. Our Romany caravan is quaint and the bed was really comfortable, but I could do without the mouldy shower curtain. After breakfast, a similar mix of tasty freshly baked bread and nothing else I’d care to eat, we head for Pirque.

Our plan to tour several wineries has been pared down to just one now that our credit card has been cloned and we are unable to hire a car. But it is the biggie; Concha y Toro, the 5th biggest wine producer in the world.

We book the basic tour which includes a glimpse of the founder Don Melchor’s villa and gardens.

Then on to a small vineyard, each row containing a different type of grapes. We’re invited to wander round, trying the different varieties. I’m surprised how different they taste, but then I’m no wine connoisseur. I just like wine. Our tour allows us to taste three different wines. Then we are given a funky orange box to pack our commemorative wine glass in to take home. In our case, home is five weeks and thousands of miles away, so I don’t fancy its chances.

The tour concludes in the Casillero del Diablo, where we see thousands of barrels of wine, a fake devil and a sound and light show explaining how the legend of the Devil’s Cellar came about.

Our hotel is four miles from literally anything, so we stock up on supplies at a local supermarket and return for an afternoon of swimming, lazing by the pool, drinking beer and eating cheese rolls and crisps (which we have share with a very insistent cat).

Travel to Santiago

It’s another long day of travelling; a five hour flight backwards through two time zones, a bus into, a tube and finally a walk along the riverside, before reaching our apartment; Bellapart in Santiago at 8 pm.

Bellapart Apartment

It’s such a relief to be somewhere clean and dry, away from the smell of mould of Easter Island. We have Wifi, a balcony with views across the city to the Andes and the real highlight – a laundry.

Santiago Day 2

Palacio de la Moneda

Today we’re sightseeing in central Santiago. We’ve passed though it via underground three times but not surfaced yet. We start with a guided tour of the Palacio de la Moneda (the seat of the President) where we visit the ground floor; courtyards, the press room, state rooms and the chapel.

Tours are free but popular, so need to be booked online in advance to guarantee a place. Security is tight; you will need to bring a passport.

Plaza de Armas

Then on to the main square; Plaza de Armas, a hub of activity amidst its 100 shade giving palm trees and fountains.

Santiago Cathedral

We take a quick visit to the cathedral.

This 18th Century cathedral is grand and ornate. To be honest, after several weeks in South America, they all start to look a bit alike.

Cerro Santa Lucia

Next stop is the Cerro Santa Lucia. Here, you can climb several hundred steps through various gardens to a turreted lookout across the city.

Here, we are confronted by the rather surreal scene of a family taking their cat on an outing, while a man plays the soundtrack to Grease on a harmonica.

The afternoon consists mainly of chores; I do 2 weeks worth of laundry while the old man gets a haircut and buys a new belt (following a rather embarrassing incident at airport security when his old one broke, causing him to accidentally drop his trousers). Then we have a quiet evening consisting of a swim in the apartment’s communal pool, followed by drinks on the balcony while the sun sets. It’s such a good view, going out seems superfluous.

Santiago Day 3

Cerro San Cristóbal

It’s our last day in Chile and we’re going to the Parque Metropolitano on Cerro San Cristóbal; a park on a hill on the edge of the city reached by a funicular railway.

First, breakfast from the mini market over the road. The old man buys a cake tossed in a thick coating of icing sugar and coconut. He puts it into a bag, then picks the bag up by the wrong end. The cake falls, he executes a miraculous catch, saving the cake and covering the next lady in the queue in sugar and coconut.

After we’ve finished juggling/eating breakfast, we walk to the funicular which operates from its own castle and takes you 500m up the hill for great views over the city.

You can then climb past a series of painted crosses to a 22 metre high statue of the Virgin Mary.

Cable Car

There are a range of activities available on Cerro San Cristóbal; parks, gardens, swimming, a zoo. The must-do activity is to take a cable car across the park, which has spectacular views of the city.

Tickets for the cable car vary in price according to the day of the week. You can buy a single, return or joint attraction ticket. Details are on the website.

Japanese Garden

From here we descend on foot to the Japanese Garden is very pretty and also has great views across the city, including the Costanera Centre – the tallest tower in Latin America.

Costanera Centre

We slip slide back down the hill and head for the Costanera Centre, where you can take a lift to the top for ‘the best view in Latin America’. We lose interest when we realise they want £18 a ticket. The centre contains not only the tallest tower in South America, but also the largest shopping mall. We purchase some lunch and walk to the sculpture park.

Sculpture Park

The sculpture park isn’t spectacular. But it is free has some interesting pieces and is a pleasant place to sit and have lunch in the shade. Then, we walk the final 2.5 miles back our apartment (not my idea) bringing the total time spent walking today to a good 4 hours.

Trip taken: February 2019

Updated: September 2022

Phnom Penh 2 Day Itinerary

We visited Phnom Penh as a two day side trip from Siem Reap, travelling by bus. It’s quite a long journey; the 200 mile trip took us around 7 hours each way including all the stops. But I’m a history nerd, so always intrigued to see places I’d read about in history lessons. So I though it was well worth it. Phnom Penh is very hot and humid, so if you can afford it, I would recommend splurging a little and choosing a hotel with a pool!

Itinerary

	Bus to Phnom Penh Plantation Urban Resort Drinks and Dinner at Panorama Mekong Hostel
Day 1	The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum The Royal Palace
Day 2	National Museum of Cambodia Walk along the Mekong Bus to Siem Reap

Attractions

1	The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
2	Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
3	The Royal Palace
4	National Museum of Cambodia
5	Walk along the Mekong

Bus to Phnom Penh

It seemed like a good idea at the time; a six hour bus trip from Siem Reap to the capital, Phnom Penh. It’s only 199 miles, so that’s an average of 33 mph. The old man and I reach the bus terminal. It’s rather chaotic, child no 1 has booked the complimentary pick up service and is nowhere to be seen, finally arriving a couple of minutes before the bus is due to depart.

We are late leaving; some American kid has his ticket on his phone which he forgot to charge. Then we have to make an unscheduled stop after a few miles; some American kid needs to pee and can’t wait. It’s going to be a long day.

The road is less rural than I’d expected; it’s lined with townships for most of the route. And litter – lots and lots of litter. The verges are thick with plastic bags and bottles.

After six hours, three scheduled stops at service stations on stilts and two unscheduled stops (Mr ‘I need to pee’ demands to be dropped off when we pass a brewery) we reach our destination.

We take a Tuk Tuk to the hotel. We climb in, but the driver has parked over a tree root and can’t push the Tuk Tuk back onto the road, so we have to get out again. Still no success, so we have to help push. Then he asks me to stand in the middle of the busy road and stop the traffic so he can reverse.

Plantation Urban Resort

We make it to the hotel; Plantation Urban Resort, but are greeted by guests making a run for the door, followed by staff. They are spraying insecticide round the pool.

After a brief wait outside, we are issued with masks and allowed to check in. (Ironically, when I wrote this blog in 2018, this was the first time I’d ever worn a face mask – little did I know what the next few years had in store!)

Plantation Urban Reseort foyer — Plantation Urban Resort foyer

The hotel is amazing – like a calm oasis in the middle of a bustling city. Our colonial style room overlooks a huge pool surrounded by greenery and is just what we needed after a day spent on a bus.

Drinks and Dinner at Panorama Mekong Hostel

Child no 1 is staying in less salubrious circumstances at the nearby Panorama Mekong Hostel. However, it does have a 4th floor bar overlooking the Mekong River. And sells cocktails at £1.35 each, so we join her by the river for drinks and (finally) dinner.

It’s a popular area, the river is full of boats and has a footpath lined with palm trees full of walkers and runners. As it gets dark, the boats light up and there are red and blue fairy lights on the palm trees which match the Cambodian flags along the street. It’s a magical sight.

Walking back to our hotel, we pass the Royal Palace, also illuminated at night.

Phnom Penh Day 1

The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek

Some may think it a macabre way to spend a day, but I studied history at university, so the first stop on today’s itinerary is a visit to The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. In a site a few miles out of town, are the mass graves of up to 20,000 victims of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge.

An audio tour takes you round the site of the graves. Some have been excavated, leaving huge dents in the ground, others left untouched, meaning bone fragments and teeth are randomly scattered around.

Killing Fields - Rags of Victims' Clothes — Killing Fields – Rags of Victims’ Clothes

The tour finishes at a Memorial to the victims, which contains over 5000 victims’ skulls.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

After this, we move on to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This former school became a prison (Prison S21) during Pol Pot’s regime. The four main buildings can be visited.

Building A was used for interrogation. Each former classroom contains a bed. Just before the regime was toppled, the final 14 prisoners were tortured to death and left in situ. There is a large photo in each room showing how its final victim was discovered, lying on the bed, covered in blood. You can still see traces of blood on the floor.

Building B contains thousands of mug shots of those who were detained here. There are photos taken when prisoners arrived (plus a gruesome set of photos taken post torture).

Building C houses the mass cells where inmates were shackled to the walls.

Building D displays many of the instruments and methods of torture utilised to make prisoners confess to crimes or give names of CIA/KGB agents. One survivor explains that he’d never even heard of the CIA yet managed to name over 60 agents under torture.

It’s a long and draining morning, both emotionally and physically; we have spent four hours walking round the sites with temperatures in the mid 30s. So we return to the hotel and cool off with a swim.

The Royal Palace

Suitably refreshed, we set off to visit The Royal Palace – a huge complex containing many grand buildings.

Most opulent is the Silver Pagoda which is named for its silver tiled floor.

There are rooms full of treasures on display. It’s a strange feeling, viewing so much ostentatious wealth surrounded by so much poverty.

We round off our last evening in Phnom Penh with anouther round of riverside drinks and dinner.

Phnom Penh Day 2

Today is poorly planned. Our onward flights are from Siem Reap, which means a six hour coach journey this afternoon to catch a plane in the morning.

National Museum of Cambodia

First, just enough time to visit the National Museum of Cambodia. It houses a collection of Khmer artefacts but isn’t really worth the $10 admission fee (plus a further $5 for an audio guide).

Plus there’s no air conditioning, so we only manage an hour before we are so sweaty our clothes are stuck to our bodies and we go in search of cold drinks and a cooling breeze.

Walk along the Mekong

Then it’s time to say goodbye to child no 1 who is flying home, check out and begin the long journey back to Siem Reap.

We take along the banks of the mighty Mekong which is lined with flags and statues.

Trip Taken: April 2018

Updated: September 2022

Sofia 3 Day Itinerary

We went to Sofia as a weekend city break, spending two days in the city and a third day on an organised tour to Rila Monastery, stopping en route at Boyana Church. The Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is around 70 miles south of Sofia. It is quite spectacular, so I thoroughly recommend adding a day to your itinerary to go and see it.

Itinerary

Day 1	Flight to Sofia Arena di Serdica Boutique Hotel Sveti Nikolai Russian Church President’s Building Aleksander Nevski Cathedral Dinner at Happy Bar and Grill
Day 2	Museum of Socialist Art Borisova Gradina Monument to the Soviet Army National Palace of Culture Saint Sofia Monument Dinner at Hadjidraganovite kashti
Day 3	Boyana Church Rila Monastery Dinner at Vitosha Street Bar & Dinner

Attractions

1	Sveti Nikolai Russian Church
2	President’s Building
3	Alexksander Nevski Cathedral
4	Museum of Socialist Art
5	Borisova Gradina
6	Monument to the Soviet Army
7	National Palace of Culture
8	Saint Sofia Monument
9	Boyana Church
10	Rila Monastery

Day 1

Flight to Sofia

The flight to Sofia is uneventful. We head for the metro station and after a few issues with the ticket machine, head into town for our hotel. It’s very hot, so we have booked a hotel with a pool and I am very much looking forward to a refreshing dip.

We reach our stop. I have checked the map and it looks pretty easy to reach the hotel; out of the station, turn left and it’s a few doors down. I failed to notice that the station is on a crossroads. With four exits. So we depart, turn left, look for our hotel. It’s not there. We realise our mistake, retrace our steps, and depart the station via a different exit. Same thing. And again. Fourth time lucky, we finally select the correct exit and reach our hotel. We are vey sweaty. The pool is sounding all the more inviting.

At reception, we are informed that there has been a burst pipe and an entire floor (ours) is out of bounds. So we are sent, by taxi, to a sister hotel.

Arena di Serdica Boutique Hotel

It’s not often that your hotel is actually a tourist attraction too. When builders started digging the foundations for the Arena di Serdica Boutique Hotel pool, they stumbled upon Roman remains. So the site was excavated and the hotel built over the top (sans pool).

It’s quite unique, staying in a hotel with its own Roman ruins. And it is a very nice hotel. Also, much more central than the one we’d booked. But I am still disappointed by the lack of a pool. And I’m not sure about the weird modern art draped across the ancient amphitheatre…

Sveti Nikolai Russian Church

After refreshments in a nearby bar (no pool, so we have to make do with a beer) we set forth for some sightseeing. First, the Sveti Nikolai Russian Church, set in pretty gardens, with its glistening golden onion domes.

President’s Building

Building wise, there’s not much to see at the President‘s Building; security is tight and you can’t get particularly close. But it’s definitely worth coming here on the hour, to see the Changing of the Guard. It’s like military theatre.

Aleksander Nevski Cathedral

The number one tourist destination in Sofia is, of course, the Aleksander Nevski Cathedral. This enormous 19th century cathedral is synonymous with the city of Sofia and is quite a sight on a sunny day with the light reflecting off its many domes.

Alexkander Nevski Cathedral — Aleksander Nevski Cathedral

Dinner at Happy Bar and Grill

We usually try to and eat authentic local food on our travels, but it’s been a long, hot day so we just plonk ourselves down at the nearest eatery and end up drinking sangria and eating chips at the Happy Bar and Grill.

Day 2

Museum of Socialist Art

Way back when, I studied East European Studies at university and love a bit of socialist realist art. So our first full day in Sofia entails a metro ride out to the suburbs and the fascinating Museum of Socialist Art.

The museum is not the easiest place to find; technically, only a ten minute walk from the G M Dimitrov metro station, but again we are confused by the number of exits. In amongst a range of modern office buildings, we finally, we spot an enormous red star which indicates we have located the musuem.

After the fall of communism in Bulgaria, officials wondered what to do with various sculptures and art work which depicted communist ideals which were in evidence across the city. The answer was to take it all down and dump it in a garden; the Museum of Socialist Art.

Here, you can wander round the garden full of Lenin busts, red stars and all manner of other sculptures. There’s also an art gallery. This is my idea of the perfect way to spend a morning.

Borisova Gradina

We return to the metro and head a couple of stops back towards town for the next on the list on this morning’s socialist sculpture extravaganza. This one is located in the Borisova Gradina, a large area of parkland, with plenty of gardens and statues as well as various cafes and bars for refreshments along the way.

Our ultimate goal isn’t signposted, or maintained, but we finally find it behind the trees covered in graffiti; The Mound of Brotherhood.

The mound is home to a 42 metre obelisk flanked by two more gun toting communists.

Monument to the Soviet Army

One final stop as we head back into town, in search of yet more socialist art; this one remains in situ as it is a war memorial; the Monument to the Soviet Army. This WW2 war memorial with a gun toting Russian soldier atop a column surrounded by scenes of struggling peasants is classic socialist realism. Call me weird, but I love this stuff.

On occasions, it has been the subject of some, let’s say paint attacks. My favourite is this Popart makeover, when the soldiers were painted to resemble various American characters, such as Superman, Ronald McDonald and The Joker.

Monument to the Soviet Army Popart makeover

Saint Sofia Monument

Our first stop is the Saint Sofia monument which stands on a column on a traffic island. This statue of Saint Sofia, after whom the city is named, sits on a 24 metre column. She replaces the previous occupant, Lenin. It’s quite difficult to photograph the statue as (1) it’s very sunny and (2) I don’t want to get run over.

National Palace of Culture

Onward to another icon of the communist era; the National Palace of Culture. This octagonal (in my opinion) concrete monstrosity, built in the 80s, houses a concert hall, conference centre and cafes. It is reached via a fountain lined park; Ploshtad Bulgaria.

Dinner at Hadjidraganovite kashti

It’s been a long day with a lot of walking. Time to go in search of sustenance. We have chose a restaurant offering Bulgarian food and entertainment.

It’s a bit kitsch, with wooden menus, staff in national dress and live folk music. But it is an entertaining evening. With very good food.

Day 3

I don’t usually opt for organised tours, but today we are heading 70 miles south of Sofia to Rila Monastery, and I don’t fancy doing that on public transport. So, we opt for a guided tour. We reach the meeting point in plenty of time. Which wasn’t necessary, as it seems like an absolute age before everybody is present and we’re ready to depart.

Boyana Church

First stop, on the outskirts of the capital, is Boyana Church. This tiny 13th century church is famous for its muralled walls. Only 8 people are allowed in at a time, so it takes a while before our entire group has been into the church, despite the 10 minute time limit. Also, photography isn’t allowed. It always makes me grumpy when I’m not allowed to take photos.

Eventually, weset forth once again for Rila. Next, a pit stop at a service station. Again, it takes a while before everyone is ready to depart. I am very much reminded of why I don’t usually do organised tours.

Rila Monastery

Finally, four hours after departing Sofia, we reach our destination. Despite the onset of a bout of tour group grumpiness, I have to admit it spectacular. Both the building and the location. The 10th century monastery sits next to a river nestled at the foot of the Rila Mountains.

The courtyard reminds me of an inside out wedding cake with its tiered arches.

The walls are covered in ornate murals.

It is possible to wander around much of the monastery (there are monks resident here) and there is also a museum housing religious artefacts.

Allotted time up, we depart once more for Sofia. Just time for a quick trip to the loo before we go. Not the best toilets I’ve ever frequented.

Dinner at Vitosha Street Bar & Dinner

We finally make it back to Sofia. Having spent so much of the day in a bus, we find a restaurant with outdoor seating to enjoy the warm summer’s evening and eat (and drink) plenty of Bulgarian produce.

Trip taken: June 2016

Updated: September 2022

Rio de Janeiro 4 Day Itinerary

We spent a week in Brazil, split between Rio de Janeiro and Iguacu Falls. The key attractions in Rio are fairly spread out. We chose to base ourselves in Copacabana, close to the beach, and travel to other destinations by public transport. Rio’s Metro system is cheap, clean and efficient. We struggled a bit with the buses, mainly because we don’t speak Portuguese.

Itinerary

	Flight to Rio Rio Design Hotel
Day 1	Copacabana Ipanema Drinks at Garota de Ipanema
Day 2	Christ the Redeemer Botanical Gardens
Day 3	Bonde Streetcar Arcos de Lapa Viaduct Escadaria Selarón National History Museum Boulevard Olímpico
Day 4	Sugarloaf Mountain Copacabana Beach

Attractions

1	Copacabana
2	Ipanema
3	Christ the Redeemer
4	Botanical Gardens
5	Bonde Streetcar
6	Arcos de Lapa Viaduct
7	Escadaria Selarón
8	National History Museum
9	Boulevard Olímpico
10	Sugarloaf Mountain

Flight to Rio de Janeiro

We’re off on our travels again – this time to South America, starting in Rio de Janeiro. It’s a long journey; having already got up at stupid o’clock and spent 2 hours on a coach to London, we have 13 hours of flying, 4 hours at various airports, finishing with a 1 hour taxi ride.

We fly via Madrid with less than an hour between flights. After landing, I see the old man get my bag out of the overhead locker, then we get separated by a crazy lady who decides to go the wrong way down the aisle of the plane pulling a suitcase the size of a small hatchback. When I finally catch up with him in the terminal building, he doesn’t have my bag – he left it on the plane. So it’s a mad dash to retrieve it before it gets destroyed/returned to London.

Panic over, we continue to board our onward flight. Seven hours later, I have read The Tatooist of Auschwitz from cover to cover, I look for an English film to watch. There’s not much choice, but I try ‘Mamma Mia! Here we go again’. 5 minutes in, I decide it’s preferable to spend the final 4 hours of the flight sitting in the dark listening to babies cry.

Rio Design Hotel

Finally, we arrive in Brazil, negotiate the enormous airport and take a taxi to our hotel; Rio Design Hotel, which is very pleasant with a large room and comfortable bed – just what you need after a full day of travelling. Equally welcome are the complementary welcome cocktails. And it’s only 100 metres from the iconic Copacabana Beach.

It’s already dark so there’s not much chance for a first glimpse of Rio. We head out briefly in search of much needed refreshments (there’s very little service on an Iberia flight and we are quite dehydrated). We don’t go far, it’s been a long day and we’re tired, but we have our first Brazilian beer at a little pizza bar opposite the hotel, then go to bed.

Rio de Janeiro Day 1

We get up and go for breakfast at the hotel buffet. We deal with yesterday’s dietary deficiencies by consuming a mountain of fruit – mainly mango – the sweetest, juiciest mango I have ever tasted. I also have some sausage and eggs, although there’s a slight delay in proceedings while a women attempts to light her cigarette on the heat source under the breakfast buffet.

Copacabana

Then we set forth along Copacabana Beach. It’s 8.30 am and the prom is already heaving with walkers, runners and cyclists out for their morning constitutional. It’s like an exotic Bournemouth; we have the Overcliff, they have Sugarloaf Mountain.

We walk the full 4 km length of the beach, and back again. By the end it is 36 degrees and we’re rather warm and sweaty.

After a pit stop at a beach bar, we round off our morning with a visit to Copacabana Fort, perched on a peninsula with a stunning view across Copacabana Beach to Sugarloaf Mountain.

The fort also houses an Army Museum. It’s probably quite interesting (I’m not sure, it’s all in Portuguese) but it definitely has great air conditioning.

Suitably cooled, we head back to the hotel, stopping at a supermarket to purchase copious amounts of liquids, then head back to the hotel for a cool down and a siesta.

Ipanema

In the evening, once the temperature has dropped to an almost manageable 32 degrees, we set off for to Ipanema. It’s super mega busy. It looks like photos I’ve seen of Benidorm in the 70s when the British discovered the package holiday.

We walk along the prom for a while, then can’t resist heading for the the tourist trap of Garota de Ipanema; the bar where the song ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ was written. We have a beer (or two), then go and get dinner somewhere considerably cheaper and less touristy.

We return to the pizza bar opposite our hotel and order a pizza and some chips to share. The amount of food that is produced is akin to an episode of Man v Food. The portions are enormous and the layer of cheese is as thick as the pizza base.

Once we have been defeated by dinner, it’s back to the hotel for cheese sweats and an early night. After today’s gentle introduction to Rio, tomorrow we go hardcore tourist and head for Christ the Redeemer.

Rio de Janeiro Day 2

Christ The Redeemer

Today we’re going to see Christ the Redeemer. One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. In the school summer holidays. I suspect we won’t be alone…

The ascent is made by funicular railway. You need to purchase tickets in advance for a specified time. Turn up late and you lose your slot. So we leave ample time for the bus journey to the station. We find the bus stop, the bus is on time and we get off at the correct place; the result being we arrive an hour before our train. It’s very busy, but very efficiently organised – which is kind of good, because I like order and kind of bad, because there’s no chance of getting an earlier train.

Eventually it’s our turn to board and we set off, or rather up. The train ride takes 20 minutes and ascends 700 metres. At the top, there’s a further climb of 200 steps (or an elevator/escalator combo if you prefer). And there he is. Christ the Redeemer. 38 metres tall, looking down on Rio from the top of his mountain.

There’s not much to do; just admire/photograph the statue and admire/photograph the stunning view across Rio and beyond, together with hundreds of other tourists. So it’s a kind of spectacular anti climax.

Botanical Gardens

My guide book says that you can take a trail through the park back down into Rio, but it’s closed. So we descend by train and take a bus to the Botanical Gardens.

The Gardens are beautiful. It’s hard to imagine that you’re in a city amidst the palm trees and lily ponds. There is a spectacular array of plants, waterfalls, lakes and fountains, all watched over by Christ the Redeemer. My favourite bit, however is the cactus garden.

A gardener sees us admiring the amazing cacti and invites us to try some. He cuts the top off an ancient Brazilian cactus and he and the old man proceed to eat it.

Beautiful though the gardens are, the temperature has reached 36 degrees. We manage two hours, but that is my limit so we set off to catch a bus back to the hotel. The bus route is circular; you can catch it either clockwise or anti-clockwise. We have a difference of opinion over which direction is correct. I’m right (obviously), but while we’re arguing, the bus sails past without us.

The journey back to Copacabana takes ages. It turns out there has been an accident; some scaffolding has collapsed onto the pavement. I feel slightly guilty about how I used to complain bitterly about Risk Assessment in my former life.

We reach our hotel, stopping briefly to purchase the obligatory supplies of drinks and crisps. I like to pretend that crisps are important in replacing the salt I have sweated out. The truth is, I really like crisps. After lunch, it’s time for a cool down in the hotel’s rooftop pool.

Next, a glamorous interlude while I wash underwear in the bathroom sink and hang it on the air conditioning unit to dry. As if life wasn’t glamorous enough, we go to the supermarket to buy dinner. I choose a selection pack of 5 different cheese spreads. Back in our room, I check the flavours with Google Translate; one contains nuts. Who knew you could play Russian Roulette with cheese?

Rio de Janeiro Day 3

Today we are going sightseeing in Rio. So, on a sunny summer Saturday, we set of by Metro from Copacabana Beach to the city centre. Not surprisingly, we are travelling in the opposite direction to almost everyone else. We buy Metro tickets, which are quite decorative and thus a good item for my scrapbook. However, at the turnstile, we insert the ticket and it isn’t returned. I look so disappointed that on the following journey, the old man buys 3 tickets so I have one to keep.

Bonde Streetcar

First stop is the Bonde, the old streetcar which clambers across the Arcos de Lapa Viaduct and up the hillside along cobbled lanes decorated with murals.

We’re taking the Bonde just for the sake of it, so buy a return ticket, worrying that we’ll look a bit strange when we stay on at the final destination. In fact, when we reach the last station, there is little sign of movement. Nobody gets on or off; passengers simply flick their seat backs over so they are facing forward for the return journey and we set off back down the hillside.

Arcos de Lapa Viaduct

We walk back to the base of the 18th Century Roman style viaduc, which consists of 42 arches, to photograph a tram passing over it. And for the obligatory selfie with the ‘Love Rio’ sign.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Next stop is the Metropolitan Cathedral; from the outside it’s an ugly concrete cone. Inside, however it’s rather beautiful with four entrances, each facing a floor to ceiling stained glass tableau.

Escadaria Selarón

We move on to the Escadaria Selarón; a flight of 215 steps, each decorated with brightly coloured tiles. I’ve seen pictures and it looks quite spectacular; of course in reality it’s swarming with so many tourists you can hardly see the steps.

Luckily, most of these tourists seem averse to actually climbing too many steps. Thus, as we ascend, numbers dwindle and at the top, there’s just me, the old man and a water vendor who’s charging 50% more than those at the bottom. We don’t care; we’ve just climbed 210 steps in 36 degree heat. I would have given him my first born for a bottle of water.

National History Museum

Next, we visit the National History Museum, which charts the history of the Brazilian people from the first known settlers 25,000 years ago, through colonisation, slavery and independence to the present day.

National Museum — National History Museum

Museum of Art

We walk along the waterfront to the Museum of Art, which is somewhat of an anti climax. The main exhibition is based on Samba; its place in the history, culture and politics of Brazil. But the captions are only in Portuguese, so we have no idea what it says. The remaining floors contain exhibits which cause the old man to go into ‘Call that art?’ mode, so we give up.

Boulevard Olímpico

Just time for a wander along the Boulevard Olímpico. This once derelict area near the port, was transformed for the 2016 Olympics. It is lined with street art. The most spectacular is the Etnias Mural – inspired by the five Olympic Rings, the artist, Eduardo Kobra, created five faces to represent the continents. It is enormous and mesmerising.

It’s been a scorcher of a day and we’ve been sightseeing for eight hours. I’ve had enough of heat and walking and not understanding anything that’s going on around me.

We return to the hotel and round the evening off with another glamorous session of a supermarket supper followed by washing underwear in the sink. It’s not as successful as yesterday; someone next door is smoking out of the window so my clothes smell of cigarettes and are covered in ash. I consider complaining, but am not sure if smoking in a non-smoking room out-trumps hanging your knickers out of the hotel window, so I decide to put it down to experience and have another beer…

Rio de Janeiro Day 4

It has come to my attention that I don’t apply sunblock right up to my clothes. I have woken this morning with 3 pink rings around my neck and shoulders outlining yesterday’s vest. So this morning I am wearing a T shirt. I feel hideously overdressed in a city where the preferred attire is a bikini which barely covers your nipples.

Sugarloaf Mountain

It’s our last day in Rio, so we’re going up Sugarloaf Mountain. We’ve left it till last because frankly I hate cable cars. It’s not natural to hang in mid air in a glass box on a bit of wire. And Sugarloaf Mountain requires some serious mid air hanging. First, you take a cable car up the neighbouring Morro da Urca. Then you take a second cable car to Sugarloaf. Basically, you travel a kilometre in a glass box on a wire which hangs between two mountains. They’re not really mountains, to use the correct geographical term (Catherine), they’re granite monoliths. It has to be said that the cable cars traversing these monoliths is a spectacular sight which can be seen across Rio. But it’s still against the laws of nature.

We set off for the bus stop, but there is some confusion as the bus Google says we should take doesn’t appear to exist. We wait 20 minutes before giving up and getting on a random bus and hoping it gets us near our destination. This non-scientific approach leaves us with a mile to walk, which we consider a marginal success.

Tickets for the cable car aren’t cheap; we hand over our £60 (that’s around £10 a minute) and board the first cable car to Murro da Orca. The summit is quite small; just big enough for two cable car stations and a gift shop.

We take the second cable car to Sugarloaf, which is slightly larger (a gift shop and a restaurant and, rather bizarrely, as we’re up a mountain, a beach bar).

We circumnavigate the monolith to enjoy the views, take photos and generally reach a point where we feel like we’ve had £60 worth of entertainment. At the rear is an area of rainforest populated by very tame marmosets.

We descend and, just as we’re discussing how to reach the hotel, the non-existent bus appears round the corner. We’re not at a bus stop, so we just smile and wave at the bus driver, who takes pity and picks us up.

Copacabana (again)

That leaves just one item on our Rio ‘to do’ list – swimming on Copacabana Beach. The problem is that having walked the length of the bay on arrival, we have spotted the sewage pipes spewing crap into the ocean. So I have a dilemma; do I want to swim on one of the world’s most iconic beaches knowing that I will literally be paddling in my own poo? Not that it really makes a difference whose poo I’m paddling in.

We walk to the beach, find a few square inches to lay out our towel, and the old man sets forth into the water. I’m not sure why. It’s a rather sinister shade of brown and has all sorts of rubbish floating in it – more brown flag than blue flag. He emerges with a look of horror on his face, takes a shower, returns to the hotel and takes two more showers, all the time muttering about taking precautionary Imodium.

Once I have finally finished laughing, it’s time fish my knickers off the window ledge and pack. In the morning we leave Rio and head for the waterfalls of Iguacu.

Trip Taken: January 2019

Updated: September 2022

Sarajevo 2 Day Itinerary

We spent two days in Sarajevo as part of a Balkan road trip, stopping on the way into the city at Jablanica and the Tunnel Museum. Jablanica is around 50 miles south west of Sarajevo. If you’re passing, it makes an interesting stop. If not, it’s probably not worth a detour. The Tunnel Museum is around 7 miles south west of the centre. This is definitely worth a detour! If you’re not on a road trip, it’s near the airport, so still the best place to start a tour of Sarajevo. Both geographically and because it tells a chapter of the story of the city’s turbulent past. Most of the sights detailed are in the old town, so we did all our sightseeing on foot, which was fine, although the hill to the Yellow Bastion is quite steep (worth it for the view). If it’s too much, the city has a cheap and comprehensive tram system.

Itinerary

Day 1	Drive to Sarajevo (Stop at Jablanica) Tunnel Museum Hotel Lula Baščaršija (Pigeon Square) Cathedral Dinner at Bosanska Kuca
Day 2	Yellow Bastion Kovaci Graveyard City Hall Latin Bridge: assassination spot of Franz Ferdinand Sarajevo 1878-1918 Museum Walk along Miljacka River (1984 Winter Olympic Stadium) Eternal Flame Dinner at Cevabdzinica Hodzic

Attractions

1	Tunnel Museum
2	Baščaršija (Pigeon Square)
3	Cathedral
4	Yellow Bastion
5	Kovaci Graveyard
6	City Hall
7	Latin Bridge (Assassination Spot of Franz Ferdinand)
8	Sarajevo 1878-1918 Museum
9	Walk along Miljacka River (to 1984 Winter Olympic Stadium)
10	Eternal Flame

Sarajevo Day 1

Drive to Sarajevo

Today is going to be smelly. We have run out of clean clothes and yesterday’s car troubles put paid to our laundry plans. So we will be driving to Sarajevo with the windows open.

Three things I know about Sarajevo; (1) Franz Ferdinand was assassinated here, the event which sparked World War I, (2) during the Bosnian War the city was under siege for several years and (3) it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics.

Jablanica

This morning entails another scenic mountain drive, much of it along the valley of the beautiful blue-green Neretva River. We stop in Jablanica, site of a WW2 battle, where Tito’s Partisan forces took out a railway bridge to thwart the advancing Germans. The bridge still lies upended in the river as a monument to those who fought.

Tunnel Museum

On the outskirts of Sarajevo we stop at the Tunnel Museum. During the Siege of Sarajevo, when the city was cut off from the rest of Bosnia, a tunnel was built under the airport to smuggle supplies in and the wounded out of the city.

Now, the ‘Tunnel of Hope’ is a tourist attraction and you can go into the tunnel to see how it operated. Rails were laid through the tunnel, and then trollies, wheelchairs, stretchers etc were adapted to fit the rails.

Hotel Lula

After this fascinating insight into the horrors of the war and the resilience of the people of Bosnia, we continue into the city of Sarajevo. Once we have dealt with our laundry, we check into our hotel. The tiny (7 room hotel) is Hotel Lula is a unique place. I can’t quite decide if the décor is shabby chic or just shabby. The stains on the carpet have almost sold me on shabby, until we descend into the basement dining area. More of that later… One thing is certain, it’s very conveniently located, just a stone’s throw from Pigeon Square.

Baščaršija (Pigeon Square)

Once we have donned clean clothes, we take a wander round Sarajevo. We walk through the Baščaršija, nicknamed Pigeon Square. This cobbled pedestrian area in the heart of the old city, lined with restaurants and souvenir shops. And of course, pigeons.

Cathedral

We return to our hotel via the cathedral, with its rather unflattering sculpture of Pope Francis, who visited in 2015. Sarajevo isn’t what I expected of a capital city. It’s somewhat down at heel and still has a rather war torn look. I’m surprised how many of the buildings are still peppered with bullet holes almost a quarter of a century later.

Dinner at Bosanska Kuca

We round the evening off with beer and kebabs at Bosanska Kuca, sitting outside to enable us to watch the world go by the Baščaršija as we dine. Then retire pending a full tourist onslaught on Sarajevo in the morning.

Sarajevo Day 2

We get up and go for breakfast at the Hotel Lula. In the dining room, one wall is the breakfast buffet. The other 3 walls consist of a fake cottage, a fake woodpile and a fake forest. Running right through the middle; a fake tree.

Yellow Bastion

After breakfast, we set off to explore Sarajevo. We head for the Yellow Bastion, which offers a great view of the city (i.e. involves a long uphill walk).

View from the Yellow Fortress — View from the Yellow Bastion

Kovaci Graveyard

The hill leading to the Yellow Bastion is largely covered by the Kovaci Graveyard, filed with line upon line of war graves. It’s a very visual reminder of the loss this city has suffered. The graveyard is also the final resting place of Bosnia’s first president.

Sarajevo War Graves — War Graves in Kovaci Graveyard

City Hall

Next we visit the beautifully restored neo-Moorish City Hall with its ornate interior and stained glass ceiling.

The basement contains a museum with interesting displays covering the key events of the city’s history.

Latin Bridge (Assassination Spot of Franz Ferdinand)

We continue along the river to the corner of the Latin Bridge. This is assassination spot of Franz Ferdinand. Here, somewhat bizarrely, you can find a plaque and an illustration of the monument which once marked the spot.

I studied European History at University. So, standing on the spot where the act which triggered the start of World War I, ultimately shaping the world we live in today, took place is strangely exciting.

Sarajevo 1878-1918 Museum

Across the road is a (very small) museum which tells the story in more detail. The Sarajevo 1878-1918 Museum includes wax figures of the archduke and his wife, who you can join for a bizarre photo op.

Franz Ferdinand mannequin — Hanging out with the Ferdinands

Walk along the Miljacka River

We continue along the banks of the Miljacka River towards the 1984 Olympic Stadium. The river is lined by grand buildings, many still bearing bullet holes, and criss-crossed with bridges. My favourite is the Festina Lente, which has a loop in the middle.

1984 Winter Olympic Stadium

For a British person of a certain age, the Sarajevo Olympics is synonymous with scenes of Torvill and Dean’s gold winning ice dance Bolero. It’s a bit forlorn nowadays and not much to see, but it was a nice walk!

Sarajevo Winter Olympic Stadium — 1984 Winter Olympic Stadium

Eternal Flame

We walk back along the river, past the Eternal Flame (a memorial to those who fought in WW2) and stop for a beer in a bar where a surly waiter seems quite angry that people are ruining his afternoon of drinking and smoking by wanting stuff.

Dinner at Cevabdzinica Hodzic

We round the day off with dinner; the local favourite; Cevapcici – mini kebabs in a flatbread with onions) and shop for souvenirs amongst the myriad of stalls.

After blowing our last few Marks on beer, it’s time to pack ready for tomorrow’s long drive to Split.

Trip taken: September 2019

Updated: September 2022