I want to stay here forever!

April 24 2013 Stayed at a creepy hostel right on the main drag. They literally cleaned every part of the bathroom after anyone spent even a short second in there. It was a really nice place but so DEAD. We were the only people in our 6 bed room. They were really helpful and nice but just super creepy the way they stood at the main desk and waited for someone to use the bathroom. This day we did a little shopping ( I needed some decent shirts to wear since I really only brought t-shirts). Then we took a bus to a place on the coast called Opatija (Oh-pot-iya). It was a gorgeous day out and we pretty much just walked along the coast and spent some time with our feet in the water. This area of Croatia is known for their fish markets. The guy at our hostel suggested this place in Volosko (on the way back from Opatija to Rijeka) that ended up being so awesome! Of course we couldn’t read the menu but the lady working it (cooking AND serving) helped us out. To give you an idea – you pretty much walk in, choose the fresh fish that you want, and then she cooks it up and serves it to you. We got a big plate of a mix of things: fried and grilled calamari, some large fish (not sure what kind), and then a bunch of small little fix (also not sure). It was cooked up with some garlic and looked so cool. Very great traditional meal. Justin was definitely loving it. After our day trip to Opatija we took a long nap and then tried to do some physical activity. We ran from our hostel up to this monastery/church. It took us a bit to find it but with some help we eventually made it. The monastery and church were up on a hill so of course we had a lot of stairs to climb but this was okay since we were trying to get a workout in anyways. The view was beautiful from the time and we made it just around sunset. There was a cute little restaurant up top which would’ve been nice to enjoy a drink at but I think we were a little underdressed . Later that night – after showering and putting on some decent attire – we walked around to check out the night life. It was pretty dead since it was a week day and it’s not a very big city. We ran into a group of people that fortunately spoke English. We introduced ourselves and ended up going to a bar with them (we were the only people there!). One couple that was visiting Rijeka work at a hostel in Prague (we might run into them when we go there), another guy works for an American oil company in Jordan, and then the other two guys were from Rijeka. One of the Croatians was really funny because he could understand our English but he couldn’t speak it – interesting character. The next day the couple and the guy who works for the oil company (His name is Patrik) were coincidentally heading out to Zagreb…which was where we were headed! They told us they had just enough room and we planned to tag along with them in their travels the next day. A nice change from having to ride the train. April 25 2013 Grabbed some food in the morning and met with Patrik and the couple to head out to Zagreb. It was about an hour and a half car ride so it wasn’t too bad. Got to Zagreb…checked into our hostel and then walked around the city. Just like any other city there was a lot to see but it felt nice to break away from the more touristy areas and not feel like we are being pressured into eating/buying everything. Took a nap and then worked out in a park nearby. Justin had to get in his pull ups and push ups for the day . We found a club called Peppermint that the couple from earlier had suggested but again this city wasn’t very busy since it was a week day. [side note: earlier in the day we had the BEST ice cream ever]. We called it a night April 26 2013 Made an awesome breakfast in the morning. The only train leaving for Budapest was at 10 am. This was the most ridiculous travel day that we’ve had so far on this trip. 1. The train was late. 2. No seats in the train so we were all sitting on the ground with our luggages 3. Luckily we were with two Americans that could understand Croatian because they overheard that we had to get off the train close to the Hungary border and get onto a bus, and then after we entered the country we would get onto another train. 4. Checking passports in the bus took FOREVER and it was so hot. 5. Two bums were chilling in the back of the bus (one with no arm) and boozing it up. 6. We met two guys from Washington that were studying in France (Nikita and Jonathon) 7. The trains were so old and crappy…plus EXTREMELY hot. 8. We had absolutely no idea what time we would arrive in Budapest After about 9 -10 hours of traveling we made it to Budapest and checked in to our hostel. Burritos for dinner – we wanted something quick since we were starving. Met some people in our hostel: a couple guys from Scotland and some girls from the states. This night we went to the third best bar in the world which was super cool (Simplasza? I think is how you spell it) – it’s called a ‘ruin bar’ because it use to be like an old dentist office/apartment buildings/any abandoned building really. Instead of tearing them down they recycled some of the left over things and turned them into sweet and artsy bars. We had a good time. Oh and I didn’t bring my ID because we usually don’t get carded in Europe but of course the guy carded me and wouldn’t let me in so we had to go back to the hostel to get my ID. We went to another sort of club after Simplasza with Tim and Frazer (Scottish and German guy from our hostel). On our way back to the hostel we ran into Nikita – the guy that we met earlier on the train. April 27 2013 Another awesome breakfast made by chef Justin. Hostel offered an activity called ‘caving’. Took us a while to get there – a lot of waiting around and changing buses. We finally got to the caves on the Buda side of Budapest. 100 km of caves that run through the hills of the Buda side. Our tour guide had been giving caving tours for 13 years but had been doing his own sort of caving for 18 years. He was a wild guy. We got dressed up in ‘caving’ suits since we would be crawling around and getting dirty. We also had to wear helmets with flashlights on top so we could venture around. It was a fun time. We were in a small group and met a guy named Scott from Scotland. It was about a 2.5 hour tour. When we were done with our caving experience Justin, Scott, and myself went to this burger place called Ring that someone had suggested. It took way too long to get our food and we were overly annoyed. The waitress gave us a free dessert since Justin complained to her that it was taking so long – so that was at least a plus. This night we planned to go to a big rave party type events in the Turkish baths. (Turkish baths are popular spa areas during the day…naturally heated which is cool). Since dinner took so long we missed our group from the hostel that was heading there and we were told that we might not be able to get in if we just show up. We went to the baths anyways and tried to get in. They were completely full but we could come back later when people had started to leave. We went back to the hostel for a bit and then returned to the baths around 1:30 and got in! It was like a ridiculous dance party in a large hot tub. It was quite an interesting experience that I don’t think we could get anywhere else in the world. We ran into Scott as well as Nikita and Jonathon. After a little while in the baths we went back to our hostel April 28 2013 Breakfast at the hostel. Toured some markets and then tried to find this tea house called “Sirius” where we were going to meet with Jonathon and Nikita. It was impossible to find. The place is not publicized at all. After going up and down the street at least 3 times we finally found it. It was the coolest tea house I’ve been in. Crazy rooms with cool pillows and lounge lofts. We enjoyed a pot of tea with Nikita and Jonathon while sharing some of our stories. Justin and I left to grab some lunch. Took a nap at a new hostel that we had checked in to. Went on a run to a park in the city. Saw some monuments, live outdoor music, castle, zoo, canoeing and wakeboard park, etc. For dinner we went to this restaurant that had computers built into the table in which you could place your order from. It looked like it was going to be really good but our food wasn’t that great. Since everything is on the computer, the waiters/waitresses really only bring you your food and bill. Wasn’t as good as we were expecting but oh well. Played pool in the hostel and had some absinthe shots (on fire) with this guy named Oliver. After that Justin and I went to another ruin bar across the street from our hostel called “Instant”. I had a really amazing gin drink – so refreshing. Pretty cool place. April 29 2013 2.5 hour walking tour. Unfortunately I forgot my camera but it was nice to see some different parts of the city and learn a little about the history. After the tour we had a traditional Hungarian meal. A chicken paprika dish and gualash. It was alright…nothing too special but at least we did it. Our train to Vienna left this afternoon and we are currently hanging out in our hostel. We ate dinner at a nice Austrian café/bar – I got a sausage dish and Justin got some schnitzel turkey thing. Decent little meal. Our hostel has wonderful suggestions for things to do so we are planning on taking advantage and getting as much out of Vienna as we can!!! Stayed tune for what’s to come…our trip is over halfway done and we are considering never coming home 