Bruges
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Next morning was an early start; the hostel was fine except for keeping the fire exit locked over night. Our next stop was St Goar in Germany and our first night camping, we arrived at Herman the German’s and pitched our tents beside the stream, dinner was provided followed by wine tasting, much Rhine Valley wine was sampled that evening and was followed by the first of many, late night, noisy parties that would be held by the younger group amongst us; these would not be confined to campsites but also hotels and would eventually cause great irritation.

With a few hangovers the next morning we packed our kit and were on our way to Heidelberg, a medieval town which sits on the Necker River and boasts the oldest university in Germany. Unfortunately whilst there one couple became victims of con men and lost 500 Euros; so our departure was delayed while they made statements at the police station. The incident heightened our awareness and the need to be vigilant as we would be travelling through many countries where we may be at risk.

On to the Czech Republic and Dzbon Camp site, we arrived at 9 pm in the pouring rain and set about erecting our tents, for the less hardy the night was spent in a Prague hotel. We explored Prague in small groups the following day and I was delighted to find an exhibition of graphics, sculptures and ceramics by Salvador Dali at the White Unicorn Gallery. As all the visitors seemed to do, we waited in the crowds that gathered in front of the Old Town Hall Tower below the Astronomical Clock, to watch the procession of the Twelve Apostles led by Christ as they appear each hour. We wandered across the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River and made our way up to the castle, where climbing the 287 steps to the top of the church tower we were rewarded with magnificent views of the city.

Leaving Prague we passed through the Czech Republic’s stark country side and into Austria, it was day five and we were heading for Vienna. A city with beautiful palaces, parks and monuments, abounding with museums, galleries and coffee houses; and home to the famous Spanish Riding School.

seized the opportunity to see the graceful white Lipizzaner Horses, we made our way to an upper gallery where we could watch the horses during exercise time and view the magnificent interior. Another must was the Leopold Museum for the Schiele and Klimt exhibition, in my journal I wrote – “awesome…Klimt’s portraits…beautiful, the colours in Schiele’s nudes…incredible.”

It had been a flying visit to the Museum as we were running out of time but it was well worth it.

On the Wing - sketch by Jane Davarian
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Our whirlwind tour of Europe continued on towards Hungary and another border crossing. We pitched our tents at the Romai camp site where we had a group lunch, then it was free time to explore Budapest and some of the historical buildings, we walked for some way on both sides of the Danube which dissects Buda and Pest, on the Danube Promenade we saw an interesting sculpture consisting of many pairs of shoes, I have since discovered the sculpture is by Gyula Pauer and is in memory of Budapest Jews who were shot into the river by Arrow Cross Militiamen in 1944 – 45, the dedication was made in April 2005.

Later that evening when we returned to our camp site we discovered it had been broken into, although nothing was taken some of the tents were damaged and kit had been dragged out of them, a previous Ozbus had had kit damaged and stolen at the same site, we felt uneasy that night so it was a relief to be leaving in the morning and heading for Cluj-Napoca in Romania.

We arrived in Cluj to a rather grim hotel after passing through changing but attractive landscape, horse drawn carts and traditional dress was becoming a familiar sight, the scenery was interspersed with industrial areas and shabby high rise flats; the affluence of Western Europe behind us and poverty in front as we continued on into Transylvania and medieval Sighisoara, where Vlad Ţepeş (Dracula) lived as a young child and the pizza restaurant sends out for your order. Onto Braşov another attractive city with a cobbled square and many bars and restaurants, a friendly place with plenty of Gothic architecture to explore and a Hollywood-style Braşov sign looking down onto the city from Mt Tâmpa.

We camped outside Bucharest the following night where the campsite shook to another party causing disturbance and confrontation, in the morning the tension remained and to add to the frustration the bus wouldn’t start. Late but on the road at last our visit to Romania would not have been complete without visiting the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, built during the Ceauşescu reign it’s the world’s largest and most expensive civilian administrative building and remains incomplete today; it is difficult to imagine opulence on such a grand scale amidst the surrounding poverty, I couldn’t help wondering what had happened to the 30,000 displaced people who lost their homes to make way for the Palace.

Bucharest
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Day ten and our ninth country heralded the first hospital visit, a great hotel and time to reflect, this was Bulgaria. We arrived here with no fixed departure time for the following day as we were waiting for a passport for one of the Ozbus crew to catch us by courier. Having just arrived at the hotel one of the lads tripped almost ripping off his big toe nail, he was tended to by several first aiders all with conflicting treatment regimes, eventually he went to hospital where the offending toe nail was removed.

By now Ozbus 4 was a pretty slick operation – well almost! We were organised into work parties and routine was established, the packers loaded and unloaded the kit when we arrived or departed a location, the cooks prepared meals when required and waste management kept the bus clean inside and out, duties lasted for a week then new volunteers took over, it is not surprising to note that the voluntary basis on which the rotas were supposed to work did identify those who felt the menial tasks beneath them, however, there was never a shortage of helping hands. Close friendships had developed, relationships had started and we looked out for each other ensuring our safety.

The activity on the bus with the ever changing group dynamics and alliances was as interesting as it was off the bus. Long hours of travelling were passed in conversation, music, reading or just catching up on some sleep; it was not difficult to drift off into your own space and thoughts, this was sometimes a necessary escape from the tension that is inevitable when forty people from various walks of life share the same space for long periods; I was determined that nothing would spoil this adventure for me and my friendships were with like minded people.

As we approached Turkey I was filled with excitement and anticipation as we left Europe behind and headed for Eastern cultures; the journey was only just beginning, I could never have imagined the incredible things that were ahead of us.