Bicycle with graphic graffiti in Ljubljana

Bicycle with graphic graffiti in Ljubljana
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

I find this gruesome image strangely captivating. I'd be curious to know what y'all think.

Blurred trees in Brasov

Blurred trees
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

Again with the "oops" factor on my camera which is notoriously challenged by focusing. But what a result! This one's for you, Robin.

Covered woman in red house

Covered woman in red house
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

Mom is a big fan of this one (a random woman minding her own business in Istanbul). It's kind of spooky, but kind of awesome too.

St Stephen's spire under cool clouds

St Stephen's spire under cool clouds
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

Are you beginning to notice a "pointy things under cool cloud formations" theme?

Synagogue

Synagogue
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

A fantastic synagogue in Budapest

Godly clouds and light beams in Buda

Godly clouds and light beams in Buda
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

Perhaps it's because this is a fancy-pants cathedral that the clouds above look so stereotypically Godly??

A pair of colourful mating bugs in Budapest

A pair of colourful mating bugs in Budapest
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

Perhaps these little beauties took some advice from

Bouncing light patterns on emtpy staircase in Sighisoara

Bouncing light patterns on emtpy staircase in Sighisoara
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

We could easily pretend that this bouncing light effect was intentional and not due to my antique digital camera's inability to focus without flash. Let's.

Colourful homes in Sighisoara

Colourful homes in Sighisoara
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

I can't get enough of this cheery colourful look in eastern Europe! North America could learn a thing or two (not to mention France...)

Birds line up on a tiled roof in Sighisoara

Birds line up on a tiled roof in Sighisoara
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

Don't worry, I noticed this was crooked too. It's just that I'm too lazy to edit it as yet!

Hopeful clouds over the Sighisoara clocktower

Hopeful clouds over the Sighisoara clocktower
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

This clocktower looks over the perfectly-preserved 13th century citadel from whence Vlad the Impaler (inspiration for Dracula) hailed

Run-down train with pensive conductor in Romania

Run-down train with pensive conductor in Romania
Posted by: crazykc on Buzznet

Not sure if this train was functional or not, but it doesn't look much different from some of the gems I had the pleasure of riding aboard!

Back in Action

Merhaba,
For any of you who haven't heard, I made it back to Halifax in one piece. I count my lucky stars that I flew one day ahead of all of that foiled terrorist plot insanity. It's a shame I didn't bring any liquid on board just because I could! I did have a sizeable mass of German gummy candies in my bag, though. I wonder if they have the potential to be used as explosives? I wouldn't put it past the Germans and their space-age technologies.

At any rate, I've been asked a lot about photos from the trip. Clearly, I haven't the Blogger space nor the mental capacity to post all 800 some-odd files for your viewing pleasure. Instead, I'm going to post some of my favourites that didn't make it on to date. Enjoy!

Wouldn't it be Ljub-erly?

Well it may be among the hardest city names to pronounce, but Ljubljana (Slovenia) does seem truly lovely.

Despite my good intentions to give my body some downtime these past few post-Budapest days, I gave it quite a thrashing. First, there was Revfulop, a tiny hamlet on the shore of Lake Balaton. I planned to read and swim and relax there but this wasn't entirely to be. It seems I landed myself in a "party town", complete with hostel whose downstairs bar felt compelled to play loud music till 5 a.m. nightly.

Sleep deprived, I moved onto the Schneider family's vineyard near Tapolca, Hungary. Needless to say, with wine and German cuisine in abundance, my liver had to endure quite an assault. What's more, I was joined at the winery by fellow backpacker Carl (N.Z.), and we somehow managed to get up to more talking than sleeping for two nights.

Thus, today I set my sights on Slovenia whilst mildly hung over and very sleep deprived. This proved to be a challenge in and of itself! Due to the frustration that perpetually ensues from trying to switch currencies every few days, I'm working on perfecting the art of taking out just enough cash to get me through my stay in a country. Evidently I fell short of this goal today, when I had 2000 too few Forints (around $10) to buy my ticket to Ljubljana. Further complicating matters, the train station doesn't accept credit cards. With the awkward translation help of a fellow traveller, I learned that I could withdraw cash from the nearby post office. Leaving my bag to the trusty eagleeye of a German traveller, I set off for the post office. En route, it began to rain. And then I walked right past the post office and had to double back. And then I discovered that I couldn't use my Visa card to withdraw cash because I was always being prompted for a PIN which my card doesn't have. And then I discovered that my bank debit card wouldn't work there. And then I discovered that there was no payphone nearby to contact Visa. And then I discovered that the nearest bank was in the next town.

I think you would all understand if at this point I broke down and cried a little. But I didn't; I just barely maintained my composure, long enough for the women to ask if I had any euros handy. And yes I did! So I was able to get enough cash (and then some) to fund my ticket. On my return to the station, I realized that my bag (and the German) was AWOL. Once again, I (barely) supressed a panic attack, and then discovered that the ticket agent had put it in her office for safe keeping when the German had taken off.

That's about all of the exciting bits! Every day is an adventure, to be sure. I now have less than a week left before my return to Canada. Brace yourselves!