Well kids. The EU Rail trips have wrapped. En route to Athens via Serbia currently and I’ll try my halfway darnedest to cover highlights from the last few (5) countries. 

Krakow to Prague;

The trip was smooth as butter, and pleasant. Loving the trains. First class was quiet and sparse, table service from the neighbouring dining car and a restful ride. We arrived in Prague in the evening and transferred to our accommodation quickly and efficiently on the metro and set out for dinner, Georgian Kitchen, within a block. It was good, if not slightly underwhelming, the space was modern but loud – not their fault. I was keen to try khachapuri, fresh bread in a unique shape filled with khachapuri cheese curds and baked with an egg and topped with a dab of butter. Delicious, of course. It’s bread and cheese. We also had a nice tomato & cucumber salad and skewered meats, which I thought were going to be different but ended up very much the same. 

The next morning we headed out to explore. We were staying outside of the historical district, but within walking distance. We boarded a spontaneous river cruise, which was a definite win as the old city positively beams from the water.

Post cruise we had the lay of the land and set out to cross the bridge and loop through, see the sights, to another bridge. We stopped for lunch – pork knuckle & a hearty soup with bread dumplings.

After lunch, and still heading for a bridge the hoards appeared. It was a sea of tourists that continued until we reached the outskirts of the old town. It was a Saturday? I’m still confused as to why. But it was way too many people for it to be an enjoyable atmosphere. Plus I was bursting full from lunch. We headed back for a little rest before I headed over to check out the Mucha Museum in the evening. Lovely but small, and missing my favourite painting by him, woman in the wilderness. Slight bummer.

Our next stop was Vienna, and a nice quiet apartment rental – after some loud streets. In Vienna we enjoyed the classic, as you do; weiner schnitzel – and spent the next morning seeing the Capuchin Crypt, the burial place of the Habsburg family. 

Vienna wasn’t exactly a vibe for me, the Danube was peppered in tacky graffiti, the city felt less historic and it was much dirtier than our previous stops. We went for brunch in a classic Austrian cafe, Cafe Mozart, and while pleasant, it felt devoid. Generic selfies. It was nice but I wasn’t feeling it. 

Next was Bratislava Slovakia, just a quick 50 minute train trip. Booked a last minute AirBnB with laundry amenities nice and close to the old town. I feel like I should expand my vocabulary so I’m not just judging places on being cute vs not cute. But Bratislava was CUTE. Quaint, historic, compact, nice buskers for ambiance, not western commercial. Charming. We did a first pass through the old town and up the hill to the castle the evening we arrived and the following day explored the museum in the castle, had a nice light brunch and relaxed. Our accommodation was just across the street from a posh hotel with a lovely restaurant for a convenient meal. Zipped up the “ufo” before departing but it was overrated in my opinion. 

Bratislava to Budapest. Less than a three hour train and by far the nicest, cordoned off rooms of 6 seats, very quiet and smooth. We stayed basically in the octagon, which is a main intersection. Budapest didn’t strike me as having a particular old town section, a slightly more modern vibe. I wasn’t really expecting to like it as the party vibes come off strong, plus being there over the weekend, but it was really quite lovely. Our first dinner was perfect, at Negro Mangalica, named after the local curly haired hybrid mangalica pig. We both had pork dishes, along with fermented pickle starters and cute g&t’s. A little peruse of the ruin bars and off to beddies, I had morning priorities. 

Up early and off to the spa, or thermal baths to be more specific. Perhaps a blurb from their site:

“Szechenyi Baths in Budapest is one of the best and largest spa baths in Europe with its 15 indoor baths and 3 grand outdoor pools, saunas, steam rooms and even a rooftop spa greenhouse.”

I particularly enjoyed the salt inhalation room & the hotter of the two outdoor pools. The steam room was quite hot – queue too hot air in nose. It was all quite nice though and a perfect start to the day. Post spa we swung back to the room to drop our belongings (wet swim suits) and headed out for brunch, a well rated middle eastern/ local spot for a hummus plate & soup de jour. I did a little shopping – unusual for me – a special leather hand-bound book and a couple bags of loose leaf tea (with a strainer) as I was missing a proper cup of tea. 

I also stumbled across a brush makers shop, as the dish & shaving brushes caught my eye from the street and I went in for a boo. To my surprise it was majority workshop and just a very small space for display, basically doing a 360 in the entryway. The owner, a super sweet old man, kindly showed me all his handmade brushes and explained the process & types of materials used in production; from goat hair, horse, boar for beautiful handcrafted hairbrushes. Gentle egg brush, nail brush, brooms, vegetable brush. So much respect. I should’ve asked him about export/wholesale at the time, but I’ve got their information for the future!

We perused the tourist market hall, but only for the scene. So much China junk, over and over in every city. Sometimes it’s good for a laugh, other times it’s sad to think about it all going to a landfill eventually. We spent the rest of the day exploring and wandering, crossed the bridge and took the tram back. Had an impromptu fancy dinner, a five course tasting menu with accompanying vino. We were swollen with food & drink to the point of it not being funny, we hobbled back to the room and were gone too soon, before the sunrise. 

Final train leg! Inter-rail pulled a bit of a fast one – I think / or I could be mistaken. Our Budapest to Ljubljana trip turned bus/train, which was a bit of a wrench. And a janky train at that. No dining car. No charging outlets. But we made it, 7(?) hours later. Slovenia, very scenic and pleasing to the eye, with rolling hills and emerald rivers. We arrived for an early dinner, easy kebab wraps very close to the Ibis hotel. I opted for a proper hotel after feeling a bit claustrophobic after the Budapest loft style room where I could basically touch both walls and having a courtyard window doesn’t help. Plus. My following day day-trip departed from the out front of the Ibis – so – easy easy. Said day trip departed at 8 and I arrived at the scenic, albeit it was overcast – Lake Bled, by 845. I started at the castle up on the hill (can’t skip a thousand year old castle) before catching a small boat to the small island in the middle of the lake. Twas all very enjoyable. The driver was friendly and kept tabs on everyone, (8), and sent us in the right direction for attractions. Had the local cream cake, and a tea, at the original establishment and whatnot. The most beautiful lake in Europe? Not sure. I haven’t seen them all, very pretty though! Back in Ljubljana (Loo-blah-nah) we went for a stroll & out for dinner, as you do, saw the sights. Packed up and caught the early bus to the airport, off to Athens!