Lake Bled, Slovenia | Day Trip

I took the bus from Ljubljana to Lake Bled today, nestled in the mountains of Slovenia. It was absolutely my favourite place I've seen so far on this trip - and possibly in my entire lifetime too. I'd looked forward to paying a visit here ever since I first researched Ljubljana and found that it was really easy to take a lot of day trips from the city. Something that keeps on surprising me is the relief and pride I feel whenever I actually manage to do something that initially seems so overwhelmingly scary and unknown. I didn't know where the bus station or terminal was, where to buy my ticket or specifically what ticket to buy, I didn't know how far the bus station was from the lake or what amenities would be there but somehow I actually overcame all of these obstacles - on my own - and had the best day ever. I was happy to be out of Ljubljana for the day because as lovely as the city is, I know I would have ran out of things to do since it's quite small. The sight of this beautiful fairytale castle on a lake and the surrounding mountains and trees was a far prettier view. 

I walked from the centre of the city of Ljubljana to the connected bus and train station, buying a return ticket from the ticket box office located in a small building outside the main train station beside the bus ranks. I bought a return ticket for about 13 euros. A tip for anyone hoping to visit Lake Bled from Ljubljana - particularly in the busy summer months - is to buy a single ticket each way. I had no problems with my outbound journey but coming back to Ljubljana in the evening was a bit problematic. When you buy a return ticket, you're restricted to just one particular bus per hour, even though there are many buses stopping in Lake Bled which pass through Ljubljana. Not only was this bus about forty-five minutes late, it was also seriously overcrowded and not everyone was able to get on it. The particular bus for a return ticket from Ljubljana only runs until 9pm (I believe) so if you don't want to run the risk of getting stuck overnight, opt to buy a single ticket back to Ljubljana from any of the buses at the station in Bled rather than buying in advance!

From the bus station in Bled, you can follow a short path down to the Lake. Prepare for your mind to be blown at that first glimpse. If you're reading this with the intention of arranging a visit, you will no doubt have seen plenty of photos already but no amount of pretty pictures can do justice to the incredible sight of the real-life thing! I was so lucky to visit on such a warm, sunny day. Everything felt very relaxed and easy and I was in no hurry to see everything all at once. The first thing you'll notice as you start your circuit of the lake is a really big platform with a bar, deck chairs and waterslides for sunbathing and swimming with pretty extortionate charges in place to use. Don't be sucked in by this tourist trap. According to the signs, this is the only location by the lake where swimming is permitted. Although on the other side of the lake, out of view, I found hundreds of people sunbathing comfortably and swimming with no problems from authorities for free. There are plenty of quiet, shallow spots to go for a swim and dozens of picnic spots to sit and take in the view!

I wasn't really timing myself so I can't really give an approximate time it took me to make a full circuit of the lake but it did take up my entire day as I kept stopping to sit and enjoy the view, lie at the water and have a sunbathe sesh and eat my packed lunch! There were tons of places to stop for a drink and something to eat, particular in the second half of the circuit, but I went for the budget option as I did on my entire trip abroad. There were also lots of opportunities to do plenty of activities around the lake, such as renting bikes, taking rowboats out to the church on the island and do watersports like paddleboarding and kayaking. I personally didn't do any of these but if I ever return here (and I hope I do) I would absolutely look into these activities and hopefully do a couple! I was also really surprised by the number of hostels dotted around the lake which made me kind of regret only coming here for a day. I imagine waking up with such a beautiful sight on your doorstep would be a really incredible feeling. 

All in all, Lake Bled had much more to offer than I ever expected, even though my expectations for it were already so high. I'd love to stay here overnight and experience more of the watersports that it had to offer as well as making the treck up the castle and the boat ride over to the pretty little church in the middle of the lake. I can't praise Lake Bled enough. It's a day I'll never forget and a day that, now that I'm home and back in reality, I can't quite believe I ever really lived.

A final must-do while you're there is to sample the famous 'Bled cake' which originated there. I don't know how true the claim was but I ate mine at the Hotel Park restaurant which apparently serves the only true, original Bled cake. It was delish nevertheless. If anyone's planning their own trip and has any questions about visiting the lake I'd be happy to answer them if I can!

72 hours in Ljubljana | #traveldiary

I booked all of my hostels and hotels through Booking.com and with this, you can download an app which you can use offline to access a map of any area you visit. The best thing about the map is that it can pinpoint your location without using any data, something I really missed on arrival in Ljubljana, as that function annoyingly isn't available for this city. At one point I felt like I was about to cry when what was supposed to be a 20 minute walk from the train station actually became forty-five minutes long but I did eventually find my hostel - phew.

I'll be spending 3 and a half days in Ljubljana in total, which really isn't necessary considering its size. You could see the majority of the city in just a day. But I'm glad to have a bit of a respite from what has been such a busy and intense schedule and I'm very excited to be going on what should be an unforgettable day trip to Lake Bled! I started off my day with a walk around the small centre, dipping into cute shops and regretfully not being able to buy anything due to lack of funds/space in my backpack. I walked up the very steep hill to Ljubljana Castle in flip-flops - not the best shoe choice. The castle itself was definitely the most underwhelming I have seen so far but you get to walk around the inside grounds for free which is a nice touch.

It's soooo hot here - the temperature has spiked in the mid-thirties and at times it's been a bit unbearable. Thankfully there are lots of nice bars and restaurants along the river that divides the city centre so I stopped for lunch and had a giant Caesar salad which cost me 11 EUROS!!! My most expensive meal so far but it felt like such a deserved treat to be dining in a place that could charge that amount for a bowl of lettuce. For my evening snack I ate honestly what I would regard as one of the best ice creams of my entire life from a parlour called Vigo. I chose white chocolate and pomegranate. It had actual pomegranate seeds mixed into it. I nearly died, it tasted that good. 

72 hours in Budapest | #traveldiary

Day one:

Today has felt like a day of mammoth and momentous tasks and now I'm lying across my bed in my hostel trying to work up the energy to get out there and see this exciting and unknown new city. I started the day early and checked out of my hostel, stopping to pick up a quick breakfast of a banana and a DELISH pretzel from the supermarket next door and then making my way to the Wien Hauptbahnhof via the metro. I felt a lot more confident using the metro than the trams in Vienna, even though the stops weren't quite as frequent which meant a bit more walking from place to place. I found my platform and train painlessly and enjoyed a much shorter journey of just over two hours (rather than my previous usual journey time of around four) into Budapest Keleti station. This is where my mammoth tasks began...

Although exchanging some currency and buying a train ticket wouldn't seem too monumental at home, on my own and so unsure of my surroundings and unable to even remotely understand fragments of the language, my first half an hour in Hungary was a bit stressful. I withdrew enough money from an ATM in the station, which I located easily enough, to pay for my three nights in the hostel and my food/drink/passes/souvenirs for the time here. Then I had to find the international train ticket kiosk where I reserved a seat on my train to leave Budapest in three days time. It was here that I really became so impatient with the standards of queueing abroad!!! I get so stressed out over the fact that there's no clear line, no one knows who's turn it is next and its just messy and disorganised and asdfghjkl. I need order. I need QUEUES!

I bought myself a 72 hour transport pass and things were going well with the whole navigate-my-way-to-the-hostel-thing when I found that the hostel was so badly signposted, I'd walked around in a circle twice before I noticed a sign no bigger than a post-it note saying to take two flights of stairs to the reception. The hostel itself is really well equipped though and probably the best facility-wise that I have seen so far. I'm essentially sharing an apartment with 4 other people and between us we have 1 toilet, 2 showers, 2 sinks, plenty of storage, a washing machine (!) and a fully equipped kitchen. Could be (and has been) a lot worse. It was called the Best Choice Hostel for anyone looking to stay in the centre of Budapest and I would highly recommend it for anyone planning to stay in a large group.

Despite my initial plans to take it easy on my first evening in Budapest, I ended up heading to the two highest points of the city - Fisherman's Bastion and Citadel Fortress. The climb up was immense and not quite the relaxed evening I anticipated. Incredible views though!

Day two:

Getting out of bed today was a struggle despite the million things I want to see and do here in Budapest. I got up and dressed slowly, headed off to the supermarket to stock up on a bunch of ever-useful bananas and pastries (much needed when I'm getting hangry and don't feel like I can take another step) and finally set off to the Szechenyi baths.

The baths were an incredible experience. I actually wasn't entirely convinced before I set off on my Interrail journey that I would enjoy the baths since I'm on my own and I thought I'd feel a little bit exposed and lost in the middle of it all. I was completely wrong though - it was so relaxing. Today was the first day that I genuinely felt like I was on holiday, actually! If you find yourself in Budapest on a budget like me (of approx. 20 euros per day) you'll find that the cost of admission to the baths eats up a fair chunk of your money for the day. To make up for this, I missed out on a meal out today and just ate food that I'd bought at the supermarket earlier. The prices are completely reasonable though considering how many tourists are attracted to this location. I paid 4700 HUF (about £13) for a weekday ticket with a locker. This meant I didn't have access to a cabin to get changed in privately, but this was no issue as I put my bikini on under my clothes before I left. I basically spent about 5 hours there floating about a bit, steaming in the saunas and sunbathing to my little heart's content. It was just what I needed after a week and a half of non-stop city exploration. Next time I visit Budapest, the baths will absolutely be my first stop. I would love to see what the many other ones in the city are like in comparison to Szechenyi, which is definitely the most touristy.

After getting my money's worth at the baths, I explored the area which included Heroes square and a castle on a lake which was very pretty. I made my way back to the hostel and got changed ready to go back out in the evening, setting off to explore the main area of Budapest which includes the Jewish area with a huge synagogue (the largest in Europe I believe), the opera house and St. Stephen's Basilica. With the sun starting to set, I caught a bus back up to the Fisherman's Bastion and see the view (the walk up nearly killed me yesterday) and it was soooo beautiful. I really love this city and the Fisherman's Bastion just feels like the perfect place to me. I needed sleep but really didn't want to leave, even long after it had gone dark. 

Day three:

I'm rounding the day off feeling very happy indeed. Budapest has absolutely been my favourite city so far. It may have something to do with the fact that I'm heading further and further south with each new destination but I've finally been feeling like I'm actually on holiday here. I had a lie in until 9am (possibly the earliest and thus, worst lie in ever) and walked along the Danube river bank to get to Margaret island. On the way I stopped past a memorial which was made up of a row of shoes of all different sizes and styles and a plaque which read that it commemorated the lives lost during WW2 when people were shot into the river. Travelling through European capital cities, I've gained a much more significant awareness of the sheer impact that both world wars left on the entire continent. I feel really lucky that in Britain, we ultimately never faced being murdered in the streets or taken from our homes to gas chambers. Every city I've visited so far used to be very, very different in those dark times of war and it's definitely encouraged me to do some more research once I'm home.

After that I headed back into the centre to eat a three course set lunch menu which consisted of goulash soup, paprika chicken with Hungarian style pasta and jam pancakes. I've been loving eating a huge lunch for a reasonable price and then snacking in the evenings. I won't lie, for tea I had two ice creams - who's gonna stop me?? Then I decided to take advantage of the summer sales and the fact that the currency is much cheaper here by doing some shopping. It isn't easy having such a limited choice of clothing, although I'm always grateful that my rucksack is fairly light when I have to carry it around. I bought the prettiest dress from Zara in the sale for the equivalent of about a tenner and I can't wait to wear it in Venice at night! 

I went back up to the Fisherman's Bastion in the evening for my third night in a row. It's just so pretty up there and considering I have an 8 hour train journey to tackle tomorrow, I wanted all the fresh air I could get. So I sat and read my kindle (I'm actually 19, not 90) in the sun and enjoyed the atmosphere before going back to my hostel to pack for my next stop in Ljubljana, Slovenia. 

72 hours in Vienna | #traveldiary

Day one:

I'm pleasantly surprised by how smoothly things went today transport-wise on the journey from Prague to Vienna. I found my way painlessly to the tram at Malostranka, Prague, went 5 stops along to the station and found the platform easily and then the correct carriage and seat in no time at all. Then I managed to figure out the underground pretty quickly and arrived at my hostel in no time at all. I've been using an app called Moovit (I'd totally recommend it if you're in a new city, pretty much anywhere in world) which did all the work and map-deciphering for me but I'm still really proud of myself all the same.

Vienna is the city that I had the lowest expectations of. Obviously I'd done my research and knew it was a big, beautiful city with lots to do but nothing had really been jumping out at me making me reeeeeaaally excited to visit. I had a couple of hours at the hostel to get myself and my thoughts together before I left to explore. I tried to do a little bit of planning for my next departure to Budapest, hoping that some forward-thinking would put my mind at ease about the next leg of my journey. After my stay in Vienna, I plan to go from Budapest to Ljubljana. However, unlike my other trains, I'm not able to book this one online which is really worrying me because all my trains so far have been so busy and this particular journey, being 8 hours long, would not be particularly fun without a seat. In the end I've decided to just stick to the original plan and hope I can book my seat reservation the day I arrive in Budapest. If not, I may have to decide on a plan B. 

I've never really been the one to start a up conversation with a stranger and  I'm aware that I don't 'put myself out there' enough in day-to-day life but since travelling alone, I've found myself working really hard to overcome this. I made a really conscious effort to have good and interesting conversations with the girls in my hostel dorm tonight and it made me feel much happier. Not talking to people just isn't an option in solo-travel unless you want to go crazy from the loneliness.

Day two:

Today has been seriously intense. I've taken 27160 steps today, according to my app. That's more than I did even on my busiest day in Berlin. I've taken in the art scene of the city today, starting with the Museumsquartier where I went to the Leopold museum and the MUMOK. I've studied Fine Art so seeing such a huge collection of Egon Schiele's work (the largest in the world, in fact) was SO COOL. I really loved it. I was a bit miffed about the MUMOK collection to be honest. Not many pieces stood out to me, I couldn't see any correlation between them or understand why they had been chosen to be exhibited and I do get that modern art is supposed to be a bit abstract (or just plain weird) but there wasn't really a clear enough explanation of what each piece symbolised so that was frustrating. If you were looking to visit an art gallery in Vienna, I wouldn't recommend that one. A tip to anyone who might visit in the future: under 19s get in for free. I'm 19 but I don't feel like the man selling me my ticket would have questioned me if I had said I was 18 and I would have saved 16 euros! Either way, the student concession is still a fair discount. 

After stopping for sushi, I headed to the Stadtpark to soak up the sun and do some reading. There were people sunbathing in swimwear and the whole atmosphere was really chilled out. I love finding peaceful little areas in the middle of big bustling cities. Then I headed to the Hundertwasserhaus. Initially I was a bit underwhelmed by it but I made the most of my time there by browsing through all of the souvenir shops and stopping for a delish pizza. After that I went to the MAK gallery which offers free entry to all on Tuesday evenings 6-10. I'd been waiting to visit all day so I was keen to get inside and see the exhibits. I was really impressed with this gallery the most out of all three today which is great since I didn't even have to pay to get in! I was lucky enough to get to see a Helmut Lang archive exhibition there which I hope may come in useful at some point during uni next year. I also saw an exhibition on an Austrian eyewear designer, Robert La Roche, who I had never heard of before but loved the work of.

I could have really saved my feet today by making use of the metro and tram system here but instead I walked and walked and walked, following main roads back to the hostel to save myself from getting lost. Vienna's city centre has a large ring road through the main tourist sites so it wasn't too hard to navigate, although the map I was given from the hostel is looking a bit battered from me using it so much.

Day three:

I'm quite surprised by how much I've enjoyed Vienna. It's been an expensive few days though. In Berlin the majority of sight-seeing could be done for free, but here, going to the museums and galleries relies on paying quite a hefty sum of entrance fees even with a student discount. To save some money, I took in the views of Belvedere Palace and Schoenbrunn Schloss and walked around their gardens which is free to do and also went to the Rathaus for a free guided tour. Then I splashed out on an unplanned visit to the National Gallery, somewhere that inititally I wasn't too concerned about visiting. I am so glad that I put aside my frugal ways and resistance to spend yet more money on museum admissions, as well as putting aside the pain of my aching feet so that I could explore the incredible artwork inside this beautiful building. I'm a huge fan of Rembrandt's work and I was so impressed by the iconic pieces in the collection here - the biggest collection I've ever seen in one place. I have big dreams of visiting Amsterdam's Rembrandt museum!

The differences between Vienna and Berlin are quite interesting. Obviously the same language is spoken but even as a tourist I recognised a few things in my 72 hours there. Berliners take crossing the road very seriously, God forbid you should cross when the the Ampelmann is not on green. In Vienna the same rule still seemed to generally apply but it was a bit more relaxed when at a road where there was no traffic and standing still would be completely pointless. I know I'll love a city when common sense is used to cross the roads - I have no patience for standing around for no reason! I bloody LOVE the traffic lights in Vienna, where some of the usual red/green crossing lights are replaced with same-sex couples rather than a typically seen hetero one. I'd heard about these before on the internet but it was still such a cool way to see homosexuality integrated into everyday.

72 hours in Prague | #traveldiary

Day one:

It's funny because even though all of this freedom makes me feel so alive, the stress that I'm putting myself under during this trip may well be knocking years off my life expectancy. I'm loving it (obviously) but there isn't a minute when I'm not worrying about some distant situation or potential problem along the way. Catching my train - the first of 5 with my Interrail pass - was stressful. I got to the station an hour and a half early (y'know, just to be on the safe side) and sat waiting and worrying about missing the train. As the train pulled up, scrambling to find my carriage and seat was the final push until I could sit down and 'relax' for 4 hours. This is definitely the most relaxed I've been since I set off for Manchester Airport three days ago. 

The train journey was just as beautiful as I expected it would be. I spent the first half of the journey zooming through golden fields and wind farms and the second half following the tracks along a riverside overlooked by a huge cliff face and the prettiest little Bavarian-styled houses that for a brief hour I totally envisioned myself moving into to live a simple country life. The carriages were very Hogwarts-esque which I enjoyed. Finding my way to the correct tram stop once I arrived at Prague train station was also surprisingly painless, although I had to make a quick mad dash to the opposite side of the road as my tram pulled up because I realised I had been standing on the wrong side! The language is pretty bewildering so I expect I'll have a few hiccups with communicating here.

I quickly discovered that Prague is everything I love and look for in a city. I spent my first night wondering through streets, getting my bearings and admiring the view of Charles Bridge as dusk began to set in and everything looked golden. The view from just around the corner of my hostel in Praha 1, the castle district, is incredible. I ended my night looking down on the fairy-tale landscape of the city and the pink skies above it. I can't wait to dive straight into the pretty backstreets and winding roads tomorrow!

Day two:

Today was my first rainy day abroad and I was caught in some showers and big gusts of wind a few times (should NOT have worn a dress) but the streets were still just as pretty and I had lots of exploring to do so I didn't let that stop me. I headed straight to the Old Town to explore the area and my god, did I mention Prague is just so pretty yet?!? I was tempted by the tourist-trap snack stalls and bought two food items that I don't know the official Czech names of but can only describe as: a spiralised fried potato on a long stick and a cone made of pastry, rolled in sugar and smothered in jam. Fancy.

I didn't feel much like walking anymore. I had a late two-course lunch which cost the equivalent of about £7, drink included - my frugal little heart was very happy and headed back to the hostel for a couple of hours. Honestly I've valued the time I get to just sit still and scroll through my phone SO much these days. It's easy to feel a bit guilty when I've come all this way and there's amazing experiences to be had but when travelling alone, sometimes the only way to wind down is to be alone with my phone.

I nipped into an art shop on my way back and got talking with the owner who was SUCH a lovely lady! As we parted, she Google translated the word 'courage' to me, as her English wasn't fantastic and told me that's what I had for doing what I'm doing which made me almost burst with happiness at how kind she was. When people have told me I'm brave for being out here alone for such a long amount of time, I obviously appreciate the compliment but I get such a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach because I know deep down I'm really only faking it in the hopes that I will eventually embody the bravery that I'm striving for!

Day three:

My last day in Prague started a bit later than I had planned as the temptation to go back to sleep won over, so I left my hostel at 11:30am and headed up the hill to Petrin tower. My days have been very busy so I'm trying not to feel too guilty about it!

Prague is a small city but it's very hilly and steep, especially in the district where I've been staying so even though I've been walking half the distance I did in Berlin, my legs have ached a lot more. The views from Petrin tower were great but it's seriously not for the feint-hearted! It was seriously rickety... like I thought I was going to be swept over the edge and I didn't let go of the railing much. I've really loved my time in Prague and I'm sure I will come back here. It's pretty touristy but still has its authentic charm and picturesque views. Nothing has really been tarnished by gimmicks. Even the McDonalds and Starbucks are quite inconspicuous. I'd love to see this city at Christmas. I feel like I'm in a fairy-tale land, like the town where Belle lives or something! 

I tried and failed to find the famous John Lennon wall, which is essentially a street-art style memorial which looked super Instagrammy from the pictures I had already seen, never mind! Then took a spontaneous trip up the Astronomical Clock Tower in the main square which again, gave me fantastic views of such an incredible city. I've learnt more about Prague's occupation under Nazi rule and the effects of it were pretty devastating to the architecture here. It's so easy to forget that so much of every city in Europe had to be massively rebuilt.