The Classic Rhapsody Trek – Busabout
With a one night stopover in Paris, we were on our way to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. I couldn’t wait to visit this city after all the positive feedback I had heard. We arrived with temperatures hitting 33′ Celsius with massive thunderstorms rolling in at night. We visited the beautiful old town square, watching the astronomical clock before climbing the old town hall tower for spectacular views over the sunlit city. We walked around the streets, crossing Charles Bridge headed towards Prague Castle for St Vitus Cathedral and to climb another tower for the views below. We walked around the Jewish quarter before visiting stores filled with endless walls of absinthe and a chocolate and candy museum. The trams are really easy to catch around the city and prices are reasonable. Such a beautiful city and one of my favourites!
We met with our tour group with an included breakfast at the hostel. We were on a 9 day Classic Rhapsody tour with Busabout visiting Olomouc; Czech Republic. Krakow and Zakopane; Poland. Budapest; Hungary via Slovakia and ending in Split, Croatia. First stop was UNESCO listed Kutna Hora, a famous church made from human bones. We reached Olomouc, following our guide as she gave us an introductory walk of the cute Moravian capital. We had dinner at a traditional Moravian restaurant where we quickly learnt the cuisine in Eastern Europe is a mix of meat, potato, bread, minimal vegetables and oh, did I mention meat? It’s delicious however and they do make wonderful beer!
Today we entered the country of Poland where we went on a guided tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau, the Nazi concentration camps. It’s hard to prepare yourself for the emotional day ahead and it’s hard to describe how the experience makes you feel. Dark skies and light drizzle set the scene as we entered Auschwitz I, under the sign Arbeit Macht Frei. Our guide led us into the daunting streets, through buildings where human hair, shoes and the like were on display. We witnessed where they were forced to live and eventually die. How did the Nazis get away with this for so long? How could they be so cruel?
We then visited Birkenau camp. The day was very emotional as we learnt about the harsh history. This place had just as bad a vibe as Auschwitz 1 and it almost felt right on queue as a lightning storm rolled in and we boarded the bus to leave.
We reached Krakow by late afternoon where we met for dinner then joined a pub crawl – a tram party that started with entry to a club with unlimited shots from the bar. It got messy quickly and before we knew it, we were dancing on the seats of a moving tram as it drove around the city.… funniest and messiest night!
We opted for a bike tour the next morning, exploring Krakows castle district, Jewish quarter, great food markets, historic old town and even a fire breathing dragon! We had a guided tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mines where we walked many stairs to reach the bottom before exploring a cathedral carved entirely out of salt. It’s said they make more money from tours than actually selling salt.
With only a two hour drive we had reached the Eastern alps, driving to the Tatra mountains for the alpine town of Zakopane. It rained the whole day which made for a wet walk around the markets before deciding on a cute spot for lunch to keep warm. Even with the rain, it still made for a good day – I love the feel of alpine villages. For dinner, our group headed to a traditional tavern for the culture of Zakopane with locally procured produce and traditional music to go with. Loved the endless mounds of meat, a pot of lard and amazing fried cheese.
Driving through Slovakia, we had an optional extra of a tank ride – yep! A Slovakian man decided to buy a tank and for a small price, take people out for a ride. It was hilarious and so much fun as we chugged over hills and slid down muddy slides. We stopped in Donovaly, the Slovakian mountains for some lunch before arriving in Budapest, the party capital of the east, and capital of Hungary. After a cruise on the Danube river, we ate a typical Hungarian meal before reaching the quirky clubs around the 7th district. We spent the next morning doing laundry as it was well over due!! Before exploring the streets and ending up at a local food market to purchase more fresh produce.
Heading south, we stopped at Lake Balaton for lunch before visiting the Balkan Open Air War Museum, showcasing tanks and plane wreckages of the Balkan war in the early 1990s.
The next destination, UNESCO listed Plitvice National Park was what I was so excited to visit and explore! We arrived in the national park at sunset, checked into our cute little cabins before enjoying a barbecue dinner & drinks with the group. We had entered a new region of Europe, the Balkans, where the look, the feel, the food, the language and the culture had completely changed but I was looking forward to a different cuisine!
We woke early and were some of the first to enter the park, which resembled an amazing aqua wonderland. A place where fairy tales would happen! The cascading waterfalls and the winding paths were breathtaking. It’s a place you have to visit to appreciate the real beauty and pinch yourself whilst doing so!
After the whole morning spent gazing at the beauty, we were back on the bus headed to the town of split, our last destination for the tour. We were given a quick walking tour of the city of Split before meeting at a restaurant for our last group dinner before parting at some of the bars along the port.
We met with some of our new travel friends for breakfast before saying our goodbyes! Most were heading off onto different tours, through the Balkans or back up to Prague. We booked a trip on Sail Croatia with Busabout which was leaving today. I was so sad to say goodbye to our new friends Terri & Ben, who were also heading on Sail Croatia but it looked like we were on different boats. We jumped with excitement as we checked in and found out we were on the same boat – ecstatic to say the least !!!
Tour: Busabout – Classic Rhapsody Trek – 9 days
Price: $989 including accommodation
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 