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Welcome to my travel log! You will find here a lot more than in the travel reports, stripped from political correctness. Enjoy! 
Jun 19, 2009 02:00 PM Perast (ME) - on the way to Kotor
Many visitors pass Perast, as it doesn't have famous sights and is practically tucked away from the main coastal highway. But it's really charming despite having a little posh vibe.
I didn't plan to spend too much time in Perast due to its size and my tight schedule. I selected it for the trip after seeing a few 'doctored' photographs. They featured the tall bell tower if the town's cathedral and a couple small islets featuring small churches. I loved it for the tranquility and ... tranquility.
Blue Line Minibus runs to Kotor every half hour (€1, 20 minutes). It stops at the Conte Nautilus Cafe at the front of the Cathedral. The line served Škaljari - Kotor - Perast - Risan - Morinj - Kostanjica.
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Jun 18, 2009 02:00 PM Herceg Novi (ME) - what a surprise
Palm trees swaying slowly rocked gently by light breeze, incredibly blue and cristal clean waters, endless cafes and bars along a miles long seafront promenade, serenades played on guitars... Do you get the picture?
I arrived in Herceg Novi at sunset. The taxi from the Dubrovnik airport in the neighbouring Croatia set me back by €50. Although some drivers wanted €60! At 8pm at, there were no other sensible options and the airport had no information desk. As I descended from the border, I had a serious doubt about the town. Concrete, grey blocks of flats everywhere occupying the slopes of the mountains sliding steeply into the Adriatic. Luckily my consternation did not last too long. I soon spotted stone houses with red tiled roofs and the palm trees squeezed between them as if they treasured every square inch of soil that remained amongst the tightly urbanised old town.
I was not expecting a world of Herceg Novi to be honest. I chose it for the first night as it was closest to the border and I did anticipate I would need to take a taxi from the airport. I had managed to find a few words and shots about the town, but they alone would probably struggle to convince me to come here. And I was very glad I did. It was almost a perfect introduction to Montenegro for me. It had everything. The palm trees, the old stone town with red roofs, the beaches, the seafront promenade, the cold beer, the mountains around and little green islets sticking out of the clear blue waters of the Adriatic, and the Russian middle class on holiday...
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Jun 17, 2009 02:00 PM Montenegro - right around the corner
If all goes well at work, at this time tomorrow (9pm) I should be relaxing in Herceg Novi in Montenegro. Things will have to go well, otherwise I won't be able go. It happened before. Anyhow, I remain excited and provided I can find accommodation in a few different towns, I plan to visit a few places. Finding places to sleep in Montenegro in advance proved an impossible challenge. I contacted a few agents over the internet as advertised on a few official and semi-official websites of the country tourist board. In vain. People either did not respond or refused to make a booking. I am preparing myself that on the first night, as I will land relatively late in Dubrovnik, Croatia, I might need to spend on a beach. I did that in the past - in Dubrovnik and Hvar, actually.
The plan, so far, includes the following places:
Herceg Novi (first night)
Perast
Kotor (second night)
Sveti Stefan
Budva (third night)
- if time allows also Bar and Stari Bar
Dubrovnik (just before fourth night's flight out)
It would also be nice, if I could make it to Dubrovnik proper, although it is not on the right side of the airport, so I am not counting on it that much. It has been 11 years since I was in Dubrovnik last... I wonder how things have developed to date.
I plan to wind down properly on this short break. I am hoping for good weather, so I cannot promise I will write any reports from the trip... :) I will make notes, if I can, so you will never know. I guess it will depend on the nightlife, and the overall busy-ness of the places. If I have a few hours bed time, reports might actually come around. Otherwise, no. :)
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Jun 14, 2009 02:00 PM An early comeback to London
Again, this time for the return trip, I had to raise from bed at a very unsociable hour to catch my train to Brussels and connect with the Eurostar service to London.
05:15 B InterRegio Ghent to Brussels (fast non-stop service!)
06:59 Eurostar Brussels to London
07:55 Arrival in London - connecting to London Bridge and Canary Wharf
The Eurostar terminal in Brussels is still under renovation and it does not look and feel very welcoming. There are also limited number of (somewhat comfortable) seats, and only one cafe selling stuff 20%-80% more expensively than a number of cafes just outside the Eurostar concourse. Anyway, there is still no shopping and no free internet connection. The London St Pancras station is in this respect simply unrivaled. Hopefully they will fix the Brussels terminus quickly and nicely.
I did not get much of the Eurostar service this morning as I fell asleep and only opened my eyes, as the train pulled under the grand arch of the St Pancras's station. Which was a good thing...
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Jun 12, 2009 02:00 PM Lille - a new beginning?
The morning weather in Ghent was terrible. It was raining and the sky was dull and grey. After checking forecasts for a few places in Belgium, I realised that the entire coast area was covered with precipitation. Only Brussels was showing intervals with sunny spells, but how many more times, will I be going to Belgium's capital. I wanted to see something new. I originally wanted to go to Tournai, to see the cathedral included on UNESCO World Heritage List, but it was a bit of pain to get there, since there were no direct train links, and I (and my friend!) knew absolutely nothing about the intercity coaches. At the Ghent station, a quick decision was made to go to Lille in France. It was only 55 minutes away!
Lille was much better than I had expected. I had heard that it was being regenerated and received many cosmetic surgeries, but I had had no idea it was going to be so nice. The city had a funny dragon theme going on with giant statues of baby dragons standing along the main road between the theatre and the train station. The city centre boasted grand architecture and interesting buildings. The side streets were lined with flamboyant facades and people enjoying their drinks at the open-air cafes added to this fantastic ambiance. It seemed like a good decision!
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Jun 11, 2009 02:00 PM Leuven (Louvain) - a great little place
When I arrived for a short day (almost entire day) visit, I did not expect much. But how pleasantly surprised I was with Leuven. It was not as busy as Ghent, but it appeared that all of its outdoor cafes, bars and restaurants were defying the economic downturn and heaved with customers. It was a great and very positive sight, and as weather was superb, it created an incredible atmosphere. People seemed relaxed.
The historical core of Leuven was picturesque. The Grote Markt, the Townhall, the Cathedral, the guild houses, the university's colleges, the cobble-stoned pavements and passages, and squares!, yeah - created a lovely medieval mix. I stopped for lunch and admired the old structures, the happy crowds and enjoyed the sun. It has been a great day indeed.
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Jun 11, 2009 02:00 PM Ghent (Gent, Gand) - Hello again!
The day started very early, with the DLR train from Mudchute to Bank to connect with the northbound Northern line to King's Cross St. Pancras station. I would prefer going with the Jubilee line on the underground, but as it became a route now, the line is being closed for weekend engineering works. It is a bit ludicrous that a line, which just ten years old requires as much engineering works (or even more) than lines, which are over 100 years old!
Well, anyway - the sequence of the events looked like this:
06:18 - DLR Mudchute to Bank
06:32 - Tube Northern Line Bank to King's Cross St. Pancras
07:53 - Eurostar London to Brussels
11:08 - B's Intercity Brussels to Ghent St. Pieters
Ghent again dazzled me. Weather was great and the little and big squares surrounded by grand mansions, and solid medieval warehouses, full of outdoor cafes, eh. A great place indeed.
I went to see the local African football championships organised by the Ghent Cameroon Association. If I remember well, the following teams played: Liberia, Cameroon, Senegal, The Gambia, and perhaps DRC... The Gambia won the championship. It was a nice piece of amateur football, full of emotion and athletic effort.
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Jun 10, 2009 02:00 PM Getting ready for another Belgium visit
Tomorrow, I am railing off under the English Channel (Canal La Manche) to Belgium, to pay a visit to my friend in Ghent. Although this is going to be a short weekend visit, preparations must start today, as I will leave on an early Eurostar train, at the unsocialble hour. This means getting up 05:30 a.m. Not my favourite kind of travelling, but it is becoming cheaper this way. Eurostar charged me just £29 for the ticket from London to Ghent via Brussels (the ticket is valid to any Belgian station, actually), and the same for the return trip on the first morning train on Monday.
I check the weather forecast for Belgium and although it looked much worse than for London, it was not too bad. If all goes well, I should go on exploring a few spots in the country I had not seen before.
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May 28, 2009 02:00 PM Catterick - Passing Out Parade
This might have been one of the greatest days this year. I went to Catterick to see my friend pass out as Guardsman of the British Army. The boys were dressed up in their red and black uniforms and, having practised for weeks and weeks, delivered one of the greatest parades I have seen live to date. They were nicely synchronised! It was very moving and beautifully done. The Army band played a variety of tunes, and helped the guys with the steps, etc. After that we had lunch before the guys were sent out for leave. From today, there are no longer trainees, but soldiers, and if all goes to plan, some of them will leave for further tactical training preparing to go to Afghanistan, some will go on drill training for the Queen's Birthday. Passing out of Catterick Infantry Training, reportedly the second most demanding and difficult army training course in the world, is a great achievement!
I would never have thought I would venture that far north for a single day for any reason, really. But it was a good day. And it brought some memories from some 15 years ago, when I went up to North Yorkshire and farther in the search for the Hadrian's Wall. It was good to see the countryside again!
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May 27, 2009 02:00 PM On the train to Darlington
I am typing this on my iPhone while on the National Express train from London to Darlington. Fabulously enough, the operator provides free wireless Internet for all passengers! How great is that?! Also, I could plug my phone charger to a power socket by my window seat! So, no losing power at all. In contrary, charging while I browse. Uh, I wish Eurostar provided the same. Oh well, you can have it all, I guess. 400 km/h and fast free broadband Internet at the same time?
For a standard class, this one is not too shabby either. The train is clean, and the person, who was supposed to travel next to me, did not turn up, so I have two seats for my own use, ha! Now, I almost wish I had taken my laptop for comfort, but my super-dooper iPhone will do just fine!
I am not sure what to expect from Darlington exactly, but I am not expecting much at all. It would be great to have a look around something historical and go out, check out a bar or two, meet the local folk. I just hope I will be south of Newcastle enough to avoid needing to train my ears for the Geordie accent. I would prefer not to experience too much misunderstanding. Particularly when out and about at night! Well, I cannot party until too late, as the passing out ceremony kicks off in the morning and I need to be in a respectable shape and condition!
I am going to check a few facts about Darlington while I am on the train to see if I could quickly come up with a wee itinerary. Uh, but obviously there will be the hotel staff, who I am sure will be able to direct me to the points of interest and sights.
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