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Foreign Travels Can Be Adventures On a Budget
By
Mia Smitt
Spectrum Writer
Travel
can be the ultimate adventure, especially when you’re venturing
to new and unknown places. The dollar is weak against many foreign
currencies, but traveling on a budget is both possible and fun.
My husband Erik and I just visited seven European countries in 18 days (we returned
last week), traveling mostly by train. We chose small local hotels and hostels,
studied maps and did a lot of touring on foot. We searched the Internet for flight
deals. We were able to get direct flights to and from Frankfurt, Germany and
San Francisco.
The first stop was to visit our son Jay in Bremerhaven, Germany. Then we spent
a weekend in Denmark visiting various relatives. Day five took us to Dortmund,
Germany to visit old friends, then we went on to Cologne, Dresden and Berlin.
A charming old hotel with an elevator dated 1920, the Xanater Eck, was excellent
in every way, including a healthy breakfast and very reasonable rates! A city
tour bus with “hop on and off” privileges was the perfect way to
see the many historical sites and museums in Berlin.
The train then took us to Prague in the Czech Republic. The old city is beautiful
with narrow, cobbled and winding streets, cathedrals, castles and buildings dating
back to the 16th century. From Prague we headed for Vienna, Austria for a walk
along the Danube — through the city center, around the cathedral and government
buildings — then it was off to Budapest, Hungary.
Spontaneity is adventuresome, but the hotel and tourist information office were
closed at 10 p.m. in Budapest. We were fortunate to meet a Canadian woman who
had a map to a hostel, and after a convoluted two mile walk (with the aid of
two local men who seemed as clueless as we were!), we found the Marco Polo Hostel.
There were no rooms, but a couple of dormitory spaces were available – and “well,
it’s an adventure!” became our mantra. The dorm room was divided
into partitions with bunk beds — very clean and relatively quiet. The four
flights of stairs with our suitcases left us out of breath!
Budapest is actually two cities on either side of the river. Buda is a beautiful
and mountainous area of monuments, a cathedral, ruins, museums, old buildings
and cobbled streets. The views are spectacular. Pest is newer, industrialized,
with pedestrian malls, sidewalk cafes and government buildings. We walked many
miles that day.
On to Croatia with a half day in Zagreb, then to Rijeka on the coast. The trains
became slower the farther south and east we went, so a detour to Dubrovnik, or
even Split, was not possible. Rijeka was a great choice – the port city
on the Adriatic with old world charm, a slower pace, friendly people, good food,
an inexpensive hostel and impressive history.
The walk up to Tsast, a holy monument built several hundred years ago, literally
took our breath away (literally indeed – it is 550 steps up and then down!).
The marketplace is the busiest of any I have ever seen anywhere. The narrow streets
were crowded beyond belief.
Ljubljiana, Slovenia is a lively city and home to several universities, capital
buildings, cathedrals and a history dating back to the Romans. The dragon bridge
is a masterpiece, the buildings are old and beautiful, the sidewalk cafes are
plentiful and the people are very friendly. There were no Internet/telephone
cafes in the entire downtown area, so a young man sipping a local brew lent us
his computer to send a message.
Munich is a huge city in the heart of Bavaria, and it is colorful, multiethnic
and busy. The Glockenspiel is a technological wonder for its time, built in the
early 1800s with music, chimes and dancing figures depicting scenes from German
history.
The Hofbrauhaus, a famous beer hall, was packed with tourists and locals alike,
lively and noisy. It is a fun place to spend a Friday evening. A trip to Hitler’s
Eagle’s Nest on Saturday was well worth the train ride and two bus rides
it took to get there.
The trip was fantastic. Except for the flights and the Eurail pass, we planned
everything from day to day. Armed with maps and tour books, we could get a real
feel for the various places best while on foot and walking the streets of the
cities. Next year … another adventure!
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Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
