Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Ukraine. February 2015.

Right, so it's been a while since I've been on here tbh, but that's because my life is just that dull.
HOWEVER, in February 2015 that all changed and I shall now share with you the recent Slater & Smurf challenge: 4 countries 8 days. I'll probably let the pictures do most of the talking because I'm lazy like that.

FIRST STOP: BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

Flew out of Birmingham this year. Flight was nice and simple, and they don't piss about opening doors and getting suitcases off in Slovakia, either. Bratislava is pretty small, and very similar to Tallinn.

Old Town

St Martin's Cathedral

Bratislava Castle

That one ridiculous bear selfie

Slavin

Smurf's arse after she fell on the steps of Slavin and broke her elbow

View from UFO observation deck

Bathrooms flooded: 1
Cafes left due to powercuts: 1
Elbows broken: 1 
Shit taps: 1
Number of people who don't understand the word 'food', but can say 'kitchen is closed': 1

SECOND STOP: VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Since Vienna is only an hour from Bratislava on the train, we took a daytrip there.

St Stephen's Cathedral

Police riots narrowly missed: 1
Number of Austrians who questioned if Smurf was truly English: 1
Number of people who questioned why the Austrians weren't speaking Austrian: 1 (not me)

THIRD STOP: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY 
 Next we took a train from Bratislava to Budapest, which took about 2.5 hours. When we arrived we found we had paid onl 53 euros for a FULL ON apartment. Bargain o'clock.

Parliament

Fisherman's Bastion

Number of times you had to turn the key in our door: 5

LAST STOP: KIEV, UKRAINE



Almost as bizarre as Russia, YET SO FASCINATING.What is this place?
Heavy snow: check. Toilet rolls with Vladimir Putin's face on: check. AMAZING churches: check.
Cheap as frig vodka: check. Cheap as frig everything: check.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti

Kiev Pechersk Lavra

 

Rodina-mat, motherland statue

St Andrew's

Memorials to people who died in last year's riots

Smurf's new friend

Maidan Nezalezhnosti

Number of banks that don't change GBP to Hryvnia: 39849328429384329
Number of banks that do change GBP to Hryvnia: 1
Monks who knock cameras out of people's hands: 1
Times room service just doesn't turn up: 1
Number of bars and restaurants in the hotel: 4
Number that were open: 1. Sometimes.
Kievs eaten in Kiev: 1 each
How many bottles of vodka you can buy for £3: 2
Number of guys dressed in tiger outfits who hate Putin: 1


AND THAT JUST ABOUT SUMS THAT UP.

Lucifer, Georgie and Marmalade

The new household additions...

Oh yeah, and it's National Rabbit Day!

China 2014

 After our adventures in Japan we spent 3 days in Beijing (when we eventually got there.. don't fly China Eastern. Ever.)
It was certainly... an experience, let us say.

The first morning we went to Tianamen Square. Don't know what all the fuss is about personally, but whatever Trevor.

After that we went to the Forbidden city which was a bit prettier

Summer Palace

Yes the two of us somehow ended up on a four man pedalo, pedaling for our lives to get out of the way of ships the size of fricking ferries.














In the evening we went to the night market at Wangfujing, since one of my friends told us we needed to see how weird some of the food was. They weren't wrong.

The next day we went on a tour to see the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall at Mutianyu, and the tour was lead by China's answer to the female Hitler "GET ON BUS. GET OFF BUS. QUICKLY! EVERYBODY COME!"

Raffles City

Yonghegong Lama Temple 

 Temple of Heaven 

All in all, certainly made some memories! Low lights included copious amounts of food poisoning feelings after every meal, and the locals' floor spitting stuff.