#crazybelgian

[syndromeblue-blog]

20 days until I’m back in the bosom of my Eternal Fear family. This time hitting the road to Belgium for a short tour. 5 #vikings 4 #saxons & a #crazybelgian - what trouble can we get into 🤪 Let battle commence! Skeggǫld, Skálmǫld, Skildir ro Klofnir! ⚔⚒🛡⚔⚒🛡⚔⚒🛡⚔⚒🛡 #eternalfearsweden #killingtimealbum #belgiumtour2018 #metalgigs #metalhobbit #metal #eternalfearfamily (at Belgium)

[specsopticalmpls]

The phenomenon and experienced theo ambassador @Boogboylive is celebrating his birthday today! Happy one, Mister Boogie. Boogie woogie away in Boogie Wonderland all day! Kisses from #teamtheo! #boogieboy #soul #singer #pianist #writer #music #theofan #theolovesyou #phenomenon #artist #stage #singing #happybirthday #crazybelgian 📸Alain Six

[thebeardedpipesmoker]

This makes me happy every time I look at it :) #polaroid #friends #memories #crazybelgian (at Stamford, Lincolnshire)

[chloevalerieart-blog]

I think they wrote this sign for us! 😂 Showing my zotte tante/tante fou around... #commitnonuisance #stalbans #zottetante #tantefou #crazyaunt #crazybelgians #belgiansunite #family #qualitytime #visiting #culturalexchange #summer

[thisthriftybusiness]

Croatia: A week sailing the Dalmatian coast

The cruise, operated through Busabout and Katarina Line cruises was my true “touristy” part of my trip. Our crazy Belgian tour guide “Damo” made sure that the week was a perfect balance of chilling, partying and history lesson. The boat housed the Croatian crew, Damo, and 20-odd young travellers (incidentally, all Australian). The short break from the rush of moving place to place and the removal of the basic stresses of travel was welcomed. It was interesting to learn of the travel experiences of other young Aussies, most of whom were undertaking other tours through Busabout and Contiki, but some of whom had been studying abroad. It reminded me how much of a unique experience I really am having. In telling my travel story to these new friends, I also came to realise how far into my trip I now am, with only a couple of months to go!

Croatia is such an interesting place, with a diverse history (as with many parts of Europe), consisting of shifted control, moving borders, and even in recent times, brutal conflict. Learning a bit about the conflicts of the ’90s with the separation of Yugoslavia stirred memories in me of a war I remember hearing much of as a child. It again reminded me however, how little we hear of this part of the world generally back at home.

The coastline is nothing short of gorgeous, with sunny days welcoming me almost every morning when I stepped out of the cabin. Swim stops in deep water were regular, with much leaping from the top deck of the boat. A week later, I think I’m still rinsing the salt from my hair. Each night we docked in a different port, travelling the coastline and islands during the day time from Split to Dubrovnik. A highlight for me was the small town of Starigrad with its network of small stone alleyways. The best part of this day was exploring the town with a group of around 10 people from the boat, taking turns to decide which direction to turn at each junction, eventually ending up in a small wine bar for wine, cocktails and bruschetta. Ancient fortresses stud the coastline also, one of which I had the opportunity to visit on the first morning.

Nights were a lot of fun as well, particularly as our boat was full of great people. It soon became apparent that our boat was the “party boat”, despite being the smallest. This may have been a product of us having the best deck sound system, along with disco lights and Mate (pron. Mar-tay), our smoke-machine-wielding deck-hand. Depending on the night, festivities would move to local bars and dance clubs to celebrate with the other boats too.

Damien (or naturally, as we liked to call him, Damo), was the best tour guide I’ve had. It seems we lucked out, with Damo having guided in this area for 5 years, as well as him being the manager of the Busabout guides in the region. Funny, knowledgable, and relaxed, everyone on the boat appreciated his presence, even if he did seem a bit crazy at first (apparently we were all that crazy anyway).

Long story short, it was the most relaxing week I’ve had in a long-time, Croatia is well-worth the visit, whether it’s self-guided, on a party-boat of Aussies, or dare I say it, even on a Disney cruise ship. Actually, I take that last bit back; high point of amusement for the week was watching the numbered groups of cruise-ship people plugged into wireless earpieces and led along by a microphoned guide like some sort of mind-control arrangement from Dr Who.

Highlights: - Jumping from the deck into crystal-clear water - Talking like an Aussie again - The “hike” up to and view from the fortress at Omiš - Wandering the alleys of Starigrad - Swimming in the lake, followed by iced coffee at the monastery in Mlijet National Park with Damo, and new friends Erin (Cowra, NSW) and Warrick (Perth, WA) - Walking the ancient city walls of Dubrovnik, the views to boot, and the beer on the rocks just outside the wall, overlooking the Adriatic - Dinner with Damo and Erin, followed by Damo’s pied piper-esque moment culminating in coffee and live jazz in a “secret” square of Dubrovnik old town - The highly impressive Culture Club Revelin with its huge medieval arches - A boat of awesome people and a bunch of new friends