FIVE TRAINS AND HOLY DAYS - East Croatia and Budapest, Hungary

.....our fabulous last stops in Bosnia- Sarajevo, the capital, with some giant balls thrown in.....

Autumn in the Balkans

Saying goodbye to Bosnia, and the less than perfect Bosnian train system, we left for Croatia on a very early morning bus from Zavidovići, home of the giant balls. We're always dubious about buses. This time, after squeezing onto a tiny minibus with a couple of old men, we were driven a short distance to a depot where many big buses were parked. We were motioned off our minibus to stand in the freezing cold, but with no-one speaking English, and us having no idea what was going on, we were slightly apprehensive. Of course, being the Balkans, everything turned out to be fine. After some time, we were shepherded onto a smart and comfortable large bus and everyone was very accommodating and kind. We then set off for a tour of northern Bosnia's petrol stations, as for some reason this bus company didn't drive into towns or use bus stations to pick up their passengers. As usual for this part of the world, the border procedure was quick and smooth, and immediately after crossing we arrived in Slavonski Brod, a small town just inside eastern Croatia. 

We knew we would be arriving into Croatia on a Sunday, and that the country is overwhelmingly Catholic, but we don't think we have ever been in a place that was so completely closed up and devoid of life on a holy day. Walking through the deserted neighbourhoods between the station and our guesthouse was like being in a ghost town, and we were relieved to see our friendly host's smiling face upon arrival. 

Locals here were perfectly lovely, probably because they don't get many tourists in this part of Croatia. We had wanted to see a normal Croatian town, and break our journey on the way to Budapest. Although Slavonski Brod probably didn't offer a great deal in the way of sights, it had excellent pedestrian paths for wandering, free local buses and enough to keep us occupied for a couple of days. 

Disused tram, Slavonski Brod, Croatia

We visited the first star fort that we can remember, although the remains were well covered up for the most part. After a stroll along the Sava River (which we know so well in Belgrade), the pedestrianized central square, and a peek inside a small monastery with an unfriendly nun, we finished up at a sunny, and cheap cafe at the atmospheric central market. Autumn produce was now on sale at markets, with cabbages and cauliflower being both giant and abundant.

Under the star fort, Slavonski Brod, Croatia

VERY good market rakija, Slavonski Brod, Croatia

This picture is not stretched! Strangely shaped cabbages, Slavonski Brod, Croatia

Just as the weather had immediately turned sour on our arrival into Bosnia, it turned sunny and lovely the day we left and entered Croatia. It was unknown to us if it was a result of the relentless spraying of God-knows-what in the skies, but we were happy to return to the sort of autumn weather we remembered from past years- bright and sunny, but cooler temperatures. 

Our first train travel day in Croatia was a brilliant one! Two fantastic trains took us from Slavonski Broad to Osijek, a town in the north of eastern Croatia, near the Hungarian border. The first was an extremely comfortable, spacious, up to date and clean compartment, very Western European in style. We had the entire compartment to ourselves, with the others being taken up with noisy teenagers on their way home from school. The second was more simple, and in an older style, but equally comfortable and uncrowded. 

Comfortable and clean Croatian train

Extremely spiffy Croatian train toilet

The landscape in this part of Croatia was mainly flat agricultural, but with the soft autumn light fading in the late afternoon and the golden leaves on the trees, it was quite lovely. 

Osijek was another neat Croatian town, with many ornate Austro-Hungarian designed buildings. We were still adjusting to the orderly nature of Croatia, with most homes having perfectly kept gardens and uniformly mown lawns, and city streets near to spotless, no rubbish to be seen. We weren't sure if we liked it or not! 

Stone street in Osijek, Croatia

After the Ottomans had been booted out of this part of Croatia in the 1600s, it is said the Hapsburg Empire took over and began the building of Osijek's fort, which would evolve over a couple of hundred years. In today's world, and on the Saturday we visited, it was a bizarre empty part of the city, with large squares and unanimated grand buildings, mostly in good upkeep, standing quietly, but without life. Hopefully it looks and feels different during the week, with university students and business bringing some spark to the place. 

Empty fort area, Osijek, Croatia

Preparing for winter, Osijek, Croatia

Like a ghost town, old fort area, Osijek, Croatia

Osijek had one of the best fresh markets we have seen in the Balkans. A very different vibe to the slightly disordered and messy style elsewhere, this one was neat and spaciously set out with charming little wooden stands. Most stalls had a small amount of beautifully presented autumn produce, some just specializing in a couple of things eg. pumpkin and spinach from their gardens. Everything was local, fresh and appealing, and mostly clearly marked with the prices. People were smiley, and the mushroom man in particular was very proud when we showed interest in his small selection of giant mushrooms. A huge assortment of varieties of fruit were all clearly labelled, with the apple choices being the most diverse.

Flower section of Osijek market, Croatia

Great variety of apples, Osijek, Croatia

Giant fungi (on the right), Osijek, Croatia

Again a fantastic town for walking, we strolled to our heart's content around the old section of Osijek and the gorgeous parklands a free ferry away on the opposite side of the Drava River. The highly ornamental so-called neo-Gothic cathedral was being renovated and closed for business (the story of our lives when it comes to cathedrals), and the fancy houses on Europska Avenue blew our minds with their next level examples of embellishments and weird decorations. 

Beautiful autumn park Osijek, Croatia

View across the river, Osijek, Croatia

Impressive (and closed) Catholic cathedral, Osijek, Croatia

Extreme ornamentation on Osijek's Europska Avenue, Croatia

Of course, Croatia is more expensive than other Balkan countries, having recently adopted the Euro, and being inside the EU. We were glad we had stocked up on many items in Bosnia before we left, the prices were that different. 

Quirky riverside statue, Osijek, Croatia

Croatia sort of grew on us for the brief two weeks we were there (although we only visited two random towns in the untouristed eastern part). At first as we crossed the border from Bosnia, it's not an exaggeration to say there was a subtle feeling of leaving the east and arriving in the west. Presumably because of its being an EU country, standards here seemed higher and more exacting in many ways, and residents more affluent. Not only were the towns weirdly neat and tidy, with no rubbish or dog poo anywhere, generous pedestrian paths and extensive bike tracks alongside most roads provided an extremely pleasant way for locals to get around. Residents took advantage of this benefit, and the number of bikes whizzing by us was considerable.  The bus and train stations were so well organized with electronic signage on the platforms and station announcements, as well as buses and trains having the destination clearly marked on the vehicle.

Keeping things orderly on walking paths, Croatia

Clearly marked train, Croatia

There was a marked difference to the more unorganized and slightly chaotic vibe of all our favourite countries further east. Never having been in Croatia before we weren't to know if this was representative of the entire country, but we hoped to find out more if we were able to travel here more extensively in the future.

Our short route through north-east Croatia

We were surprised and delighted to find out that a series of trains would be able to carry us from Croatia to Budapest. We had thought this not possible, but the friendly staff in the railway station in Osijek helped us out, and we had a ticket in our hand for three separate train journeys and a day on the railways of Croatia and Hungary. The train scenery was once again spectacular, with brilliant shining autumn colours and natural beauty galore. It inspired us to make a return trip sometime to explore Hungary's countryside. The only (small) catch on the trip was an antagonistic Hungarian train conductor on the last leg, who informed us we needed to buy an additional ticket to the one we had already purchased in Croatia. Although his manner was clearly unhelpful, several fellow passengers in the carriage stepped up and assisted us in English by explaining what the problem was. We were grateful, and the situation was soon resolved pleasantly.

Mini train that would take us across the border from Croatia to Hungary

Inside tiny border train- Croatia to Hungary

Budapest was such an enormous contrast to the Balkan countries we had been travelling in for the past four months, it was almost too much to take it in. Only having a couple of days stay in the gigantic city, we didn't have enough time to understand much about the country. The strange language, the customs of people and the history would have to wait for another trip when we could explore in depth. Instead we spent a couple of days simply wandering and enjoying the sunny days and breaking the "Budapest Curse" we had imposed on ourselves from our first time in the city. We had not been impressed with the place on that visit, with the summer hordes being overwhelming. Although this time our stopover was in late October, the tour groups were still out in force, although now we were ready and had a plan to avoid them. We crossed the busy Széchenyi Lánchíd chain bridge to the "Buda" side of Budapest and spent a perfect day walking around serene parks and paths along the cliffs, looking down to stunning views of the bustle of the Danube River.  

We loved the autumn leaves in the parks, Budapest

One of many monuments on the Buda side of Budapest

Stunning autumn colours, Budapest

Happy in Budapest park, broke the curse!

An extremely intriguing figure in the Philosopher's Park, Bud, Budapest

Looking down at the Danube from a walk in the hills, Buda, Budapest

Back in the city we marvelled at the multicultural nature of Budapest, with so many immigrants from far flung parts, and the corresponding amounts of businesses with Turkey, Kashmir, Vietnam or Kabul in their names. This was so incredibly different from the Balkan countries which tend to be less attractive for foreign incomers to stay in. 

Very Hungarian sign, Budapest

Extremely ornate architecture all over Budapest

Our apartment was what we assumed to be typically Hungarian, with all three places we have stayed in the country having been in the same distinctive style. The area was predictably dodgy, with a proliferation of rubbish, down and outs, beggars and drunks. Overall, Budapest was an excellent break in the journey, and a good place to organize ourselves for our long trip back to South East Asia.

Apartment entrance Budapest, Hungary

Typical Hungarian courtyard style

The time had come for our annual pilgrimage to the sea gypsies and islands in the south of Thailand. We will spend our winter there, as we have done for many years. We will miss the many aspects about being on the road in the Balkans, but also look forward to the easy, laid back, beachy life we will have on Ko Fruitopia. So, no more blogs for some months while we go off grid as they say, and we will see you on the other side!

Bye from us for now!