The JaYmes Escape

Almost retracing my earlier journey, my flight left London to fly just north of Riga and then just south of St Petersburg before heading across Siberia to Tokyo. I’m guessing that this journey would have taken a lot longer 20 years ago, and I can confirm that east of the Ural mountains much of Russia is a frozen wasteland. The best views were after dawn on the pacific coast north of Vladivostok.

So, Tokyo, where to begin? Well, it’s the only city I’ve ever visited that’s considerably bigger than London, and despite what’s said about bustle somehow I find it a bit more relaxed. Perhaps that’s because Tokyo seems to function better. The transport system actually works and is incredibly good; the trains are well-ventilated despite being crowded and the ticket prices are reasonable despite being complex. Apparently the biggest city in the world, by population, is Seoul.

Apart from the hi-tech transport, skyscrapers and neon signs that literally go on for miles, Tokyo is home to a few historic buildings, some major Buddhist and Shinto temples, and those surrounding the tree-ringed (and therefore impossible to see) imperial palace.

I’m out of here tomorrow. A selection of the best Tokyo pics are now in the gallery – there are more to come when hopefully I can get cheaper internet access (though in fairness Tokyo’s internet cafes are very comfortable and astonishingly well equipped – I’m talking lounge chair, TV, video, Playstation, and high-end PC all in your own lockable cabin) .

My next update will be from the Southern Hemisphere.

Well, here I am back in London with dodgy weather, silly British coins and miserable people.

My last full day in Slovenia was taken up with a trip to Lake Bled in the Julian Alps. This unbelievably beautiful tourist hot-spot was calm and almost deserted on a clear sunny January day. I walked around the whole thing taking dozens of photographs, the best of which are now up in the gallery. See it for yourself.

Just for completeness there are also a few pictures of London taken yesterday.

In about 48 hours I’ll be on the way to Tokyo, so my next update will be from somewhere on the other side of the world.

I know most of you are probably struggling so I’ll let you out of your misery. It’s prounounced Lee-yoo-blee-arna. It’s the capital of Slovenia which fought a ten day war with the Yugoslav army to secure it’s independence some 15 years ago. Now a fully-fledged member of the EU, Slovenia is a very well developed nation; renowned for fine wine, great scenery and entertaining tourists from nearby Italy and Austria .

The final city on my European tour is relaxed, friendly and familiar with the recent influx of English Easyjetters. It is the smallest capital I have visiited with around 250,000 inhabitants, around a third of whom are students at the university. The town dates from Roman times, when it was called Emona, and although some of the original Roman walls remain most of the architecture dates from the 19th and 20th centuries. Highlishts are the castle; very high on the mountain overlooking the city, and the triple bridge, a unique three-bridges-in-one across the river in the centre of the city.

In another 48 hours I’ll be back for my short stop in the UK and it’s quite alarming to have to say ‘Nas Videnje’ to Slovenia and Eastern Europe. I’ve travelled coast to coast, stayed in eleven countries, ten capital cities, and I know the words for ‘Beer’ and ‘thank-you’ in ten languages. There isn’t anywhere I wouldn’t want to go back to, though Russia and Croatia are both near the top of the list. Thanks to Alex, Tak, my Mother and all the other people I’ve met along the way for keeping me entertained. Next stop is London, then onto Japan.

Some photos from Ljubljana (and the last few from Piran) will follow shortly.

Yes, I’m finally here. Less than a week left on the Central/Eastern European tour and I’ve reached the coast. The sea is that light mediterranean blue that you can see into, so it’s not deep in any sense of the word. Still, it’s much bluer than the Danube, which wasn’t even blue at all until I got to Szentendre, and even then it wasn’t blue enough to compose a waltz about. Stupid Strauss.

Anyway, Croatia is absolutely amazing and has gone straight to the top of my list of places to return to. Why? well, take the scenery of the highlands and islands of Scotland and drop it next to the mediterranean with a climate to match and an exchange rate to die for. That’s Croatia. You can get a cheap flight to Ljubljana or Trieste and pop across the border. EU Citizens don’t even need a visa. What are you waiting for?

Last night, after an incredibly scenic bus ride from Zagreb, I stopped in the town of Pula, at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula. It boasts, among other things, an original Roman amphitheatre, which is in pretty good nick for a two thousand plus year old structure. Today, another scenic bus ride up the Istrian coast has brought me just over the border into Slovenia and the Medieval/Roman town of Piran (the locals say it like ‘Iran’ with a P). This place is amazing; narrow cobbled streets all crammed onto a tiny headland, Venetian style. When you stand at the tip you’re almost surrounded by the sea, and by countries, for Italy is across the Gulf of Trieste to the right and Croatia is just across the bay to the left.

As always, pretentious pictures involving lots of sunsets and silhouettes are in the gallery. I’m starting to feel like Tony Hart.

My train ride from Budapest on Tuesday was supposed to include a scenic section around the eastern shore of Lake Balaton in Hungary. Unfortunately the dense fog got there first and I saw nothing. I did leave the EU though, for the first time since Russia, so finally got another stamp in my passport.

Thankfully there was no fog when I got off the train in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia and home to almost a million people. It was a beautiful clear day and unlike in most cities the station fronts onto a huge park with various monuments and art pavilions. Art is really everywhere here, there are dozens of galleries large and small, public and private. There are even sections of wall ‘devoted’ to the work of local graffitti artists. The atmosphere is upbeat and optimistic; people feel things are on the up. Ten years have passed since the end of war with Serbia and I’m staying at the height of the campaign for the presidential election run-off. There are also far fewer tourists than in Budapest, Prague or even Bratislava and this makes a huge difference to the attitude of the locals.

Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed it here and I could easily stay another day or two. However, time is catching up with me and tomorrow I’m down to the Adriatic coast. This will be a special day for me as I will have crossed Europe, over land, all the way from the Gulf of Finland.

The first batch of Zagreb photos are now in the gallery