9 European Countries In 11 Days – It’s Finally Over – Teddys Tour 2024

9 European Countries In 12 Days – It’s Finally Over

---

*(Above is my last photo I took in Paris before I got the coach back – there was a Rat here but it run away lol before I could get a picture – I was thinking of the Disney Film Ratatouille as this was set is in Paris lol).

Anyway, I got back today about 1PM after leaving Paris at 22:15 last night. After getting into London at around 7AM my Flix Bus to Stevenage was booked for 8AM and really it worked out pretty well. Only £6 to get back from London (Just £4 from London to Stevenage and £2 on my local bus).

It is great really – I actually love the fact I can get back to and from London Victoria for such a low price and from there is several options to get back on to the continent.

The thing I like about coaches is so much less stress compared to planes and airports, and it is cheaper most the time.

So, I was actually shocked when I worked this out – I left from Luton to get to Serbia on the 13/11/2024 and got home on the 24th – I was well prepared to spend 3 weeks away but I guess I did just want to get back in the end. So,…

Here is how it all went…

My First Time In Belgrade, Serbia

---

*In Belgrade there is Graffiti everywhere I think the word is Ghetto but I felt quite safe here really. I think if you kind of just see it for what it is – it’s OK.

Now, after touching down In Belgrade I think I booked my hostel at the airport right there and then – maybe this was a bit silly to leave so late but anyway I paid £11 to stay in an 8 bed mixed dorm.

The hostel was called El Diablo and maybe some people will know what this means in Spanish (El Diablo means The Devil) and it was a pretty macabre sort of place – I will explain why it was shortly.

But anyway, so I took a minute after booking my hostel at the airport to see where I needed to go, what bus I needed to get etc.

My problem at this point was I couldn’t find where I needed to get the bus from. There was plenty of taxi drivers that offered to take me but I wanted to get the bus. Without being disrespectful to them they was like flies on ****!

And really I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I just paid for one of these taxis. I am sure they could have done with the fare but I was quite insistent with myself that I would save my money and get a bus.

At one stage I did start walking, as I thought maybe I could follow the sign posts to Beograd Centar but then I kind of figured out that the bus I needed to get went from the entrance of the airport – So that was a relief.

Although, I think it was a bit scary getting into Belgrade City Centre. There was a McDonalds near where I got off so I went in there. It was quite useful to use the WIFI here and to get some food and it did help me get my bearings.

I did a whole blog post about what happened here after this lol (read it here). Using the tram took some getting used to but I did eventually get to my hostel.

It was a pretty hellish kind of place. It was almost decorated like it was still Halloween and the hostel had a pet cat that made a strange electrical sound.

Belgrade Zoo was only a straight walk down the road from my hostel which I think was the best part. I really liked it here and for only 5 euros to get in this was quite reassuring.

I would come back just for this but yes I was eager to get moving so I booked my coach to Zagreb for the next day. It was less than 24 hours I stayed in Belgrade before I left, and I suppose it was over pretty quickly.

Leaving here was a bit of a nightmare. Typical me making mistakes again. I got on the wrong tram then I didn’t have time to get another.

Luckily I by chance found the El Diablo Hostel and they got a taxi just in time. I got to the coach thankfully but even then I thought I would miss it as I had more trouble there. They wouldn’t let me into the coach station without a ticket! (about 2 euros I had to pay) – just as I thought I was able to finally leave.

Luckily I got to my coach before it left. I had had enough of Serbia at this point but its good it worked out OK as this would have put me off coming back (I think) and now as it stands I would come back again 100% – I know the place better now so certainly I would have less problems. But moving on…

 

My 2nd Stay In Zagreb Croatia

---

Now, Its difficult to say this without being disrespectful to the other cities I been to in Eastern Europe but Zagreb just seems like it is a lot nicer to me. It is not that I like it more than anywhere else – each city has its own unique qualities but I think Zagreb just seems like more money has gone into developing it.

The streets are clean, the trams are very convenient to get about with it and there is a lot of beautiful architecture like in Prague and Budapest.

I stayed in Zagreb for 2 nights this time around. The 1st night I got in quite late so as soon I got here I went straight to my hostel.

This was a different place than where I stayed before called the Hi Hostel – I paid £26 for 2 nights and I was quite happy with this. I made a bit of an idiot out of myself when I got here actually. Pretty funny.

I thought I was stuck in the lift – I looked so daft when someone come and just pushed the door open. I was pressing the emergency button and all sorts. It was embarrassing going back down 10 minutes later. I suppose you can imagine.

So, I had a full day to go to Zagreb Zoo and kind of relax a bit. I was disappointed not to see the Chimpanzees here like last time but overall It is a good place to come to. The park outside Maximir Park I didn’t notice too much before but it was such a beautiful area with its big lake and woodland.

My only complaint was the new Converse Chuck Taylors that I bought to wear on this trip were really hurting my feet. I am sure I must have been walking around like a penguin lol.

I seemed to eventually wear them in but it was quite painful I would say – my little toe had the biggest blister on it. I mean really, I could have caused some drama about that I’m sure but I just kept quiet and it was fine in the end.

It was a good day so I think I would like to get back out to Zagreb sooner rather than later. It is after all where I came through last time when I went to the Bosnian Pyramids which I am very keen to visit again. Perhaps next year…

But moving on (again),…

 

My 3rd Time In Budapest in 2 Years

---

This was the main reason I came on this trip – my nephew was out here with his friends, and I basically agreed with him that I would meet him a bit later on during his stay. I was actually thinking about this loads but this was my excuse.

The Initial plan was that my nephew was going to meet me in Budapest and come with me as I went from one City to the next. He wanted to go to Bratislava but my plan was to head to Vienna.

During this stay I came to somewhere different than before – Deak Ferenc Ter. I am pretty sure the last time around I didn’t come to this part of Budapest.

It was quite a lively place (I thought) – There was a Big Ferris Wheel and Christmas Market here, and some pretty famous hotels like the Ritz. I wasn’t drinking on this trip but it seemed like this area would have been good for it.

So, I caught up with my Nephew after going to Budapest Zoo the next day. It was quite different from how I remembered it. There is a beautiful big lake at the front of the zoo and last time it just really looked so amazing but this time I didn’t quite get the same feeling.

I think maybe it would be better in another season maybe Spring or early Summer. And also on the topic of Lakes on the way to the Zoo I walked past  Széchenyi Baths.

This looks like it good be good to come to when the weather is nice – it was pretty fascinating to see still as the whole area was covered in steam.

I guess there is a lot you could do in Budapest and really have a great time if you spent long enough here. With my nephew we went to a couple places to eat.

At one place I had a burger and 2 alcohol free beers and he had 2 cokes. The bill was about 40 euros (wrong place lol). I was shocked by this. Budapest is very cheap but it depends where you go. Some places can be quite pricey.

The 2nd place I went to was the Beef and Bone Restaurant. I wouldn’t have come here on my own but it was alright to be fair – my nephew was already here with 3 of his friends.

It took me ages to find this place but prices were reasonable and the food was good. I got a Bolt back to my hostel after this. It was something I kind of was a bit hesitant of after my 1st time in Budapest.

I was worried I would see the same driver from before that I wasn’t able to pay. I guess if I knew how to get hold of him I would but I wouldn’t have liked it to be like this where I was put on the spot.

Bolt by the way, I highly recommend. As Travel Apps go I think It is right up there with Hostelworld, Flix Bus and Trainline as my Must Have Apps for travelling.

You kind of need to have a travelling tool kit I guess you would call it but moving on. I left Budapest on the train – my first train ride of this trip.

 

On To Vienna (My 2nd Time)

---

My nephew decided against coming with me to Vienna. He had a flight from Budapest back to the UK for the next day and he decided this was for the best. I had bought him a train ticket but no he never come.

Just like Teddy and Colin (read my post here to find out what happened). So, I was pretty excited to get back to Vienna – I had good memories of my time here before but this time YES I kind of ruined it.

You can read all about this in my last post if you are curious. But I left my bag on the train with my laptop and my travel companions (Teddy and Colin).

I mean, everything else was OK really. I had a good day out at Vienna Zoo but I really couldn’t relax with all the question marks over my stuff I lost. I didn’t find out that my bag had been found until the morning I was set to leave.

I was fully prepared to come back again if I had to but yes it worked out just fine because what they told me is I could pick my bag yup from Prague station.

 

Off To Prague (My 4th Time)

---

It was actually a relief to get to Prague. There was a bit of an annoying thing that happened when I got on the train. It was silly really because I got on the train at 3pm instead of 4pm. In the UK this is fine but it seems in Austria/Czech Republic this is not OK – they was going to make me buy another ticket!

Luckily, they told me to wait for them to come back so I got off at Breclaw and I figured if I just wait there for an hour I could get on the right train. There was a nice bar / coffee shop at the train station so i just had a coffee and read my book till the train come and that was that.

I should have for stayed in Prague longer – 3 nights seemed to go a bit too fast. On the first day I went on the Prague to Venice Boat trip with the Marshmallow Men lol It was better than I remembered it.

I’m not sure if it was longer this time but it seemed to be. I guess this time I wasn’t expecting to go to Venice Italy lol but what I was thinking about was last time they said there was Otters.

I am not 100% sure I did see any Otters (I thought I did) but amazingly what I did not expect to see were the Wild Beavers.

I could not contain my excitement – I never knew there were Beaver populations here. Even more so, the woman I see on the bank was up very close to one. They don’t seem to be too intimidated by people at all. I guess they are just used to it.

But anyway, the next day after the boat trip and collecting my bag I went to Prague Zoo. I was worried because it was taking me so long to get here but I did and I think I pretty much see everything nearly.

This was a proper hike to get round. They even have cable cars to get from one part of the zoo to the next – It is like a proper mountain here. My shoes seemed to be more comfortable by this point and thank god because the amount of ground I had to cover. You can see what my view was like here>>

I don’t think this really does show how high up this is but when you get to this point this is right near where the Gorillas are.

On my last visit I only see the non reserve Gorillas. I didn’t see these this time but I did see the reserve Gorillas and WOW unbelievable.

Take me to see this over any film in the cinema. And it is not just this at Prague Zoo there is MUCH MORE – I think this is the only place in Europe you can see Tasmanian Devils and I think Pangolins. There are Polar Bears here too although I didn’t see them on this visit. The Honey Badgers were pretty funny though.

 

My Next Stop Berlin Germany

---

So you can get to Berlin from Prague for quite cheap (about 15 euros). I was really stewing over where I would go to next from Berlin en route back to Paris. I was looking at going to a few places Munich, Hamburg, Bern or Zurich In Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg (France) but I think it was just too much for me to decide on so I just decided to go straight back to Paris.

Probably, at this stage my plans weren’t very concrete and I kind of had given up on this big adventure given how eventful it had already been.

My highlight of coming to Berlin I think was seeing Tottenham beat Man City when I got to my hostel the St. Christopher’s Inn. There Sports bar underneath the hostel is quite something. There are even TV’s on the ceiling. I thought this was quite odd but still pretty cool.

So, besides this its a shame I can’t really say more about my time in Berlin. I went to the supermarket to get some drinks this was an interesting experience. Something about German supermarkets that isn’t like back in England.

I liked doing that but actually Berlin Zoo was the one place I should have gone but didn’t. It was not that far from where I was either – In fact, I had to go past there to get to the coach station so I could have gone there on the way. But I think that morning I left it too late so that was the problem really.

A good reason to come back I guess but anyway, so I left Berlin that night on a very long coach trip to Paris. It wasn’t too bad really I was dreading the sleep deprivation before getting to Paris but I did manage to Sleep – I think I put my coat up against the window and that did it.

Anyway…

 

My Last Stop Paris, France (my 2nd Time Here)

---

My enthusiasm was pretty low getting in to Paris. I don’t think it was a lack of sleep but I wasn’t really feeling 100%. I wonder if maybe in Prague I should have got one night in a hotel rather than my hostel so I could have had a good rest but anyway I kind of managed to deal with it.

So, in Paris my big plan was that seeing as my coach didn’t leave till 10pm at night I would go to Paris Zoo but even though I did start heading towards here I never went.

So, my first stop was for a French Breakfast – Probably my favourite thing about France I think – It was actually English breakfast on the menu but what I got was Egg and Bacon with a croissant, some nice bread, Jam, coffee and Orange Juice. Very nice – especially the bread (baguette).

Anyway, so, It wasn’t that I didn’t have enough time to go to the zoo. I really wanted to go but what was a massive hinderance whilst here was the torrential rain – it was horrendous. I was following the route planner on Google maps but because of the rain I stopped about 10 minutes away in McDonalds. I never intended to stay as long as I did but I didn’t want to get wet.

I think I was at McDonalds for about 3 hours drinking coffee waiting for the rain to stop. It was getting to the point I couldn’t that I felt like drink much more. I got out of there about half 1 and I think by this stage I had really left it too late.

I would have had just 2 hours to walk around it did not feel worth it. Plus, there was construction works blocking me from crossing the road so it just felt like a bad time to go.

Although, I did go to see the Eifel Tower. I didn’t do this before because I couldn’t work out how to get onto the metro. This was pretty cool because I always had this funny idea of photoshopping Teddy in front of here so doing it for real was pretty great. I’d like to do the same with maybe the Taj Mahal and Great Pyramid of Giza lol and maybe this will be good to encourage me.

So, about my journey here – getting here was an odd experience.

I had to get off the metro early because I needed the toilet (it was about 25 stops from where I was and I really felt like I was about to wet myself). I thought I would have to get back on after to ride the other 2 stops but surprisingly where I got off there it was in the distance.

It was strange because it kept disappearing behind other buildings – I thought this was some big skyscraper but there was plenty of other buildings here that seemed nearly as tall in places.

It kind of tempered my expectations a bit but when I did find it I was quite impressed. And actually, there was another building near here I was quite fascinated. I know now from searching online that this is the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center. It actually reminds me of the Taj Mahal actually and i did joke about this on Facebook.

So that was that the end of my trip. Leaving here wasn’t too upsetting. I really just wanted to get back to Bercy Seine ready for my coach at 10pm.

So, I got to Bercy Village with a few hours to spare. I stopped for a few non alcohol beers at the frog bar before I left. I was quite shocked because I was drinking one after another without a care in the world. I asked for my bill after 4 and they said I owed 30 euros for 4 bottles WOW!

So, its good I didn’t order anymore before I got my bill. I kind of am of the belief that alcohol free beers should be cheaper than other alcoholic drinks but I guess they are a business so…

It was not so expensive in the Mexican place I went to for a burrito after thankfully. That was a nice bit of food before it was time to catch my coach. It was a bit scary waiting at Paris Coach Station actually – some people here look quite intimidating.

I’m sure it’s not like this at any other coach stations I been to but anyway – just like that it was all over.  I was finally on my way back to England!

In Conclusion

---

Yes, so even though I’m always moaning about the place – It was actually very nice to get back to London. I think maybe I was back a bit to soon. Definitely, I could have spent longer away.

I actually set this trip up so everything I sold on eBay I wouldn’t have to post till the 3rd of December. I’d messaged every customer and they were all happy to wait and I’m sure they would have been fine with spending this extra time away.

I mean, really If I had got back for the 1st I probably would have had just about enough time to catch up with all my orders from being away but there was a silver lining getting back early – I had a whole week to spare and take ,my time which was nice.

So yes I suppose I could have had another 5-7 days out in Europe. I could have gone to another 3 cities. Probably Bratislava, Somewhere in Switzerland and perhaps Strasbourg.

Maybe I can plan better next time. There are so many places Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia I could go to and I’m sure this would be even better BUT…

I shall finish this article here. I hope you have enjoyed reading. I have all my photos saved to my Facebook – for anyone that would like to see>>

Here are the photos from my trip

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=alex.chivers.86&set=a.10234793588650473

 I hope you like them AND

*One last thing – If you have enjoyed reading here is my Buy Me a Coffee link – you don’t have to but if you want to buy me a coffee or non alcoholic beer you can donate here and it will go straight into my PayPal so I can buy a drink.

Again I hope you like reading. If you do please check out my other blog posts too.

Many thanks for reading;

Best Regards, and Bon Voyage

Alex, Teddy and Colin