For 3 weeks throughout July I was able to travel through the Eastern European Countries of Romania, Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. I began the trip in Romania, a very nice place full of greenery and very quiet towns to begin our driving adventure. We travelled to Brasov first, a nearby home to ‘Dracula’s’ castle. During touring the castle we were told that the vampire character was all a myth and in fact Vlad Dracul (actual name) was known as Vlad the Impaler, for his love of torturing people by impaling them on a giant wooden stake! We also visited Sighisoara and Sibiu before ending our Romanian journey in the capital Bucharest.
The highlight of my trip was in Mostar, Bosnia seeing the Old Bridge, where locals and tourists jump in the cold water 27 meters below!
Next up we headed to the Serbian capital of Belgrade. We were greeted with stories of the most recent war in Serbia which saw NATO bomb Belgrade during the Kosovo conflict in 1999. It was amazing to still see buildings in the middle of the city with massive bomb holes in them. The Serbian people were very friendly, none more so then a former pro soccer player who we met and took us onto the pitch of his former club who we were also lucky enough to watch play a European Cup Game later that day! After leaving Belgrade, we transferred by bus (About 5 hours) to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. We were able to experience more modern day war history with numerous museums, tributes and stories about the siege of Sarajevo that lasted from 1992-96. The highlight of my trip was in Mostar, Bosnia seeing the Old Bridge, where locals and tourists jump in the cold water 27 meters below!
Shortly after returning from Europe I was lucky enough to join an educational trip with Contiki in North Queensland. I travelled with 8 other Travel Agents, Contiki Australia’s Managing Director and our Tour Guide. We visited Mossman Gorge where we were taken on a walk through the Daintree before heading to Cape Tribulation to go ‘jungle surfing’ that afternoon, ziplining through the Daintree. From there we headed back to Cairns to enjoy some Whitewater Rafting on the Baron River and also the Cairns nightlife. It was an enjoyable few days and I would highly recommend the Contiki product.
Simon
Simon Spencer - Sales & Marketing