Topdeck Travel Blog

By Emily Grindrod

I am in Paris right now. In a large brasserie of which the interior has not been updated since the 80’s, but it still looks perfect. Style that lasts in this joint! This could be any café or brasserie in Paris, I make a point of visiting a new one every time I am in this city, usually comparing the croque madam’s – ham, cheese and fried egg on toast. It is easy to walk in off a Parisian street to any number of establishments and be served. The waitress here (most likely another installment from the 80’s), first yelled at me, thinking I was another tourist off the Gard du Nord station, where the Eurostar comes in, sneaking in to use the toilets. Then after I ordered she kindly brought me the Internet code and helped me enter the password despite me not having asked for Wi-Fi.

I have never come to Paris via Eurostar before, but I am not here with work. Usually by the time I hit Paris with a fresh group of Topdeck passengers the anticipation for the city of lights is palpable on the coach. I am here for the first time as a tourist myself, my dad is in Geneva on business and he is stopping in Paris for two nights and I have hopped over the channel to visit him. I leave in two days and hit three capital cities within 8 hours – Paris to London, London to Madrid to start a month of vacation before I hit the road again in our big blue, white and yellow Topdeck coaches for the winter season. And I am beyond excited to be spending New Years Eve in Florence, my favourite city in southern Europe. No doubt my passengers, driver and myself will be ringing in 2013 in the Red Garter, a bar which Topdeck coaches have frequented nearly since the company’s inception.

Speaking of vintage Topdeck, I made a friend in Amsterdam who is somewhat of a vintage Topdeck passenger.  On my very first trip as a fully-fledged trip leader I took my passengers to a funky bar in Amsterdam: “The Waterhole”. Live music, on Sundays it’s jam night, decorated with crooked pool tables, and completed with a Hells Angel as the doorman. The first time that I took passengers there, there was a guy in the corner painting water colour portraits of people in the bar on the back of placemats (I later learned that it was beer, not water that he mixes with the paint). He recognized my Topdeck crew jacket and he told me that he had done a Topdeck trip in 1980 and it was one of the best summers he could remember.  He also said that he was glad that Topdeck still maintains an ethos of having fun and sharing with friends, with an appreciative nod toward some of my group who were bopping around on the dance floor, singing along to a classic rock hits and arms around one another. Every time I go to “The Waterhole” I look for my friend and we have a catch up. As it turns out he is a Toronto native, where I went to university and lived before working for Topdeck and went to boarding school in my hometown of 50,000, Belleville  (the biggest thing in my home is the boarding school). Talk about a small world. It is these people that add even more amazement as to how much I love my job.

After a jam packed season of quickly falling head over heels with my job I am ready for some rest and relaxation. The last week of my last 28 day Grand European tour was probably my favourite part of the trip and kept me very busy. The week started off with leaving Slovenia and heading to Tyrol in Austria via the beautiful Lake Bled. This lake is so relaxing and a welcome quiet couple of hours as everyone wanders around the water. Some of the guys went down a luge type ride on a fixed track while most other people looked at swans and ducks, morning rowers and the island with a church on it and sipped coffee at cafes. My Irish driver, Leon, and I decided it would be a great idea to row out to the island. We rented a boat for an hour at only 6 Euros each and began rowing out. After about ten minutes of a backwards technique, me in hysterics and nearly going in circles I took over (apparently they don’t have rowboats in Ireland!). My outdoorsy mother would have been so proud, 23 summers spent on a lake in rural Ontario proved to be great training for our great Slovenian boat adventure. Waving to laughing passengers we slowly made our way to the island, Leon navigating and me splashing him as I rowed (totally by accident of course!). After a couple of tries at docking we were on the little dock at the island – along with the other people who had the brains to get on a larger boat that was rowed by someone who gets paid for that type of thing.  After walking around the island (which doesn’t take long) and taking some pictures we headed back, splitting the rowing duty this time now that Leon had seen how its done!

After gathering the troops back to the coach we were off to Tyrol.  The people are friendly, holding on to traditions such as local dress and making their schnapps at home while managing to be a huge destination for the ski season. We stay at a big guest house which is very homey and a real treat to stay at. After a barbeque, board games and a few beers some of the passengers caught a taxi into a local bar to watch a football game, whoever was left at the bar with me and subject to more beers, some sort of local shot that has to be set on fire for three minutes before you drink it, and really bad dancing. Most of us were in our socks at this point. That night we saw the likes of gymnastics, a drinking game where one infuses yoga with picking up a shot glass off the ground with your mouth and no hands, highland dancing (from yours truly and reserved only for 1AM at weddings and nights like this) and the worst attempts at the “worm” since my school graduation party. The next morning some of these people were jumping out of planes and parasailing.

Tyrol is also well known for its extreme sports opportunities. Two of my passengers who signed up for paragliding were very scared of heights. I told them that I am terrified of heights and I have paraglided in Tyrol and as soon as you are lifted off the ground the fear is immediately forgotten in a rush of adrenaline and awe at the landscape that unfolds in front of you. My two passengers came back telling me how grateful they were that they didn’t back out and it was the highlight of their trip so far. It is moments like this that I love my job the most, more than the great food that I can enjoy, the friends that I have made on the road, the blurry nights in an Austrian guest house or an Amsterdam bar. It is the moments when passengers have overcome a fear, achieved something on their bucket list, when a picky eater tries snails in Paris, or when at the end of the tour people have been able to make a life decision, I have had a girl in the US army decide to return for another stint and someone on their gap year be inspired by Europe to study history. It is those moments that make me realize what a fantastic job I have.

From Paris, with love!

Take advantage of our Early Bird Deal with Europe Summer 2013. Book your Topdeck Europe Summer 2013 trip and pay in full anytime before 28 December 2012 and save 10% with our fantastic early bird offer!

Following on from last week’s blog -Summer Fun and Sailing – Dreams becoming Reality Part.1. Read the final installment in the series below.

Tirana, Albania

After a big three days sailing the Greek Islands my group were more or less shattered, so there was no better place to be than in the comfortable hotel accommodation in Tirana. With a double bed, air conditioned room and spectacular views spanning over the city, I was in my element! After a deep untroubled night’s sleep we departed the next morning for a bus tour around Tirana. Albania has only recently (May, 1991) opened its borders to visitors so very few people have seen the country and it has remained isolated and untouched by developing western society. It was really amazing to see how the Albanian people live especially the vintage cars, old ladies smoking huge Havana cigars, fashion stuck in the seventies and the beat of the music.

Our departure from Albania was a little time consuming at the Tirana border and there was a short wait for processing. Luckily for us though there was a very affordable pub nearby where we all enjoyed a large pint in the Albania sun.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

What can I say about Dubrovnik? I loved EVERYTHING about it; the beaches, the weather, the shopping, the food, the people and the nightlife. I completely fell head over heels in love with this cool little city and luckily for me we had two days here which allowed plenty of time to experience everything that it had on offer! Our first day started with a walking tour of the Old Town by a local guide and I couldn’t get over what was behind these ancient walls. Crystal clear water at the fisherman’s port (Lokanda Peskarija), shops in little streets filled with amazing knick-knacks (that Dee and I spent most of the day in) churches, restaurants which served the most amazing seafood and don’t let me forget the nightclubs! That night the whole group hit Skybar Club and Revelin Culture Club (which is now officially my favourite club) and partied hard to the sounds of live DJs, bright lights and men on stilts - some of us partied a bit too hard when a pair of very loved (and very expensive) shoes got lost on the dance floor, right Michelle!

We finished the night with the boys each trying their luck on the ‘Lion Head’, found on the walls of the Franciscan Monastery in the Old Town. Legend has it, that if you manage to hop onto the head, keep your balance and take your shirt off while standing facing the wall, luck in love will follow you – Jared, has Katy Perry confessed her love to you yet?

Zadar, Croatia

After experiencing the beauty that Croatia had to offer first hand in Dubrovnik, I was really excited to move onto Zadar - and I was not disappointed. This beautiful walled city on the Dalmatian Coast was on another level. Our whole Topdeck crew, tired but happy, all came together in Zadar to celebrate our lovely Topdeck Trip Leader, Leentje’s, birthday that night down on the main boardwalk. The boardwalk was alive with the hustle and bustle of people and laughter of young children playing, with a street entertainer found on every corner. The major attraction of Zadar is of course the ‘Zadar Sea Organ’ which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes under the boardwalk.

Experiencing the sunset in Zadar with the Sea Organ gurgling in the background and enjoying a glass of wine was just magical. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.

Venice, Italy

Next stop was Venice, Italy! But not before visiting the Postojna Caves in Slovenia, nicknamed the ‘Jewels of Nature‘. These caves were fascinating and dripping with thousands of year’s worth of history. After a short train ride into the middle of the caves we were taken for a walking tour and taught about the creation of the caves thousands of years ago - a definite highlight. We arrived at our Venice accommodation ‘Camping Jolly‘ that afternoon, complete with yet another pool, an onsite bar, air conditioned rooms and everyone’s favourite - the Topdeck food tent, yum! The first night in Venice was insane, not only was it the night of the infamous Topdeck Mask Party, but it was also the trip’s ‘best friend’ , Doug’s, birthday, which only meant lots of laughs, lots of dancing and lots of memories made. I even managed to sneak a little kiss with a dreamy Italian (who spoke very little English but who needs to chat)! Happy birthday Dougie! I truly hope that this was a birthday you will never forget.

The following day with a few sore heads still lurking, we embarked on a walking tour of the ‘The City of Water‘, viewing landmarks like St Marks Square (I have never seen so many pigeons in my life!) the Basilica of St Mark and the Doge’s Palace before heading to a demonstration of lace creation that were shown just for us! That afternoon we all took part in a traditional gondola cruise on the water surrounding the buildings of Venice and took in all the incredible sights and sounds before heading back to Camping Jolly for a night pool party - it really was all go in this city! It was in Venice that we had to say goodbye to my ‘travel sister’ Ellie, who finished her Topdeck trip here.

Munich, Germany

We arrived in Munich a week before Oktoberfest kicked off so it was really cool to see the city preparing for the massive festival. The streets were aglow with decorations, dirndl outfits displayed proudly in shop windows and excitement was in the air. We went on a sightseeing tour by twilight where we were able to see the amazing designs of the Munich architecture such as Marienplatz Square and the New Town Hall. The German culture took full swing that night as we visited the local beer halls and tried the German delicacies like large pretzels and steins of beer. We ended up befriending our waiter who even posed for a photo with us!

A morning trip to Dachau Concentration camp was a hugely reflective moment where I felt a huge emotional attachment. After studying the history of this camp throughout my school years nothing could prepare me for how I would feel when I stood in the middle of the camp courtyard and took in all the surroundings.

Prague, Czech Republic

I was so excited to visit Prague; it was a city that has forever been on my bucket list. So I was really happy when the Topdeck coach bustled into the famous cobble streets of this magnificent city. We were again staying in the Plus Hostel chain - Plus Prague. Prague was everything I thought it would be and more, and don’t even get me started on the mind blowing shops (oh just thinking about them now has set me off on a daydreaming tangent). As we had a free day I spent most of it checking out the recommended must sees in my itinerary like Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square and the Golem of Prague Statue. The first night in Prague was spent celebrating Topdecker Cath’s birthday in the nightclub Duplex, the photo’s from that night are still too embarrassing to look at! Happy birthday beautiful Cath I hope your special night was everything you dreamed it would be!

Whilst in Prague we were lucky enough to party on board a boat on the Vltava River and we were joined by two other Topdeck trips. It was a great night to let our hair down and to mingle with so many different people! Three boys from our group dressed up as ‘Topdeck Sailors’ which was a great laugh.

Rhine Valley, Germany

Onto the vineyards of central Germany and the beautiful castles and villages along the Rhine River! In the Rhine Valley we stayed in the 12th century Stahleck Castle Hostel which overlooked the little city and expansive river below, it was magical! I stayed in a room right at the top of the tower of the castle accommodation (cue my Prince Charming!). That night when we rolled into town we found that the annual wine festival was on; hmm I wonder if they knew we were visiting? Not only did we sample some of the most delicious wine I have ever tasted (and I am a New Zealander!) but we were subject again to another magnificent display of fireworks, a beautiful but sad reminder that my trip was nearing an end.

The next morning we drove through St Goar, a pretty little village on the Rhine River where Leentje taught us about the myths surrounding the Loreley Rock and its mysterious siren before visiting the Beer Stein shop and to see the world’s largest Cuckoo clock, which happened to have a massive teddy bear standing underneath it – of course I had to give it the biggest cuddle.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

What a city to end my adventure in! Amsterdam had it all: history, culture, shopping, architecture, amazing food, great nightlife and do I even need to mention the Coffee Shops (not to be confused with Cafe’s!). I spent most of my time here being a typical tourist; I took a bike riding tour with Mike’s Bikes around the beautiful canals, the crooked little houses, Vondel Park and took in the sights of the ‘I Amsterdam’ sign – a definite recommendation. We visited Anne Frank’s house, studied the art at the Van Gogh Museum, stirred hops at the Heineken Experience (and drank a bit too much free beer), walked through the Red Light District and saw some eye popping things to say the least!

We spent the last night together having our last meal at a Chinese Restaurant on the water, before boarding a canal cruise with the rest of my Topdeck group. The cameras were definitely clicking on this cruise and we finished with a beautiful goodbye toast by KB and Jared which not going to lie made me shed a few tears! We then partied and danced the night away in a nightclub…all in all, it was a great send off to a fantastic trip, and I was very surprised no one ended up with a drunken tattoo! Our final stop was a few hours in Brugge, Belgium where we indulged in the most amazing waffles and chocolate, (although it didn’t meet others expectations –right Bernie?)  and admired the amazing Belfry and Cloth Hall in the City Square.

Final Note:

And that is it, 26 days of the most amazing, magical, life changing experience rolled into 2 parts! I can truly say I have never felt as happy as I did on this trip and I have made memories (and friends) that will last a life time. Just a few people I want to thank who joined me on this journey.

Saatchi, I couldn’t have done this without you and your endless positivity and willingness to give everything a go. I could not have asked for a more perfect travel buddy and friend. Topdeck, Leentje and Alessandro, without you this trip would not even exist just know I will be forever thankful for everything you have done! Doug and Alessio my little brothers, you became my family and made me smile and laugh every day, love you both! Kristy and Ellie, my travel sister’s the adventures we 3 got up to will never be forgotten. Nicky and Clux, I know we will be friends for a long, long time even though you managed to pour your drink on me a number of times throughout the trip Nicky!

Vicki, Elise, Georgia, Georgie, Cath, Em, Dee, Lea, Jess, Keri, Michelle (brownie promise), TJ, Hayley, Maddy (burning up the dance floor) – you girls are ALL amazing, I had so many great nights with you all and I give you all the deepest gratitude from the bottom of my heart for being a huge part of my journey. Jared, Bernie, Jayden, Justin, KB, Kieran, Father John, Giggles and Suave Marv the Marvellous Marvel (you beautiful creature) ‘The Boys’, thank you for the laughs, the memories and the good times – hugs and kisses to all.

To the dreamy Italian in Venice – you are a babe.

And to the rest of my Topdeck crew – you became my second family and I will see you somewhere on my adventures in the near future!

Topdeck Trip Leader Carl discovers first-hand that Slovenia’s capital is a mouthful… a tasty one!

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When I first travelled to Ljubljana I was too preoccupied with pronouncing it correctly to build up much expectation. There was much trial and error beforehand (Lub-a-jub?  Lubby-larny? Lub-a-jub-a-nana?), but after seeing the city I was never going to forget it.

The small, quaint capital of Slovenia has to be one of Europe’s surprise packages. The charming, compact Old Town is centred on the Ljubljanica River and is overlooked by the impressive Ljubljana Castle.  I caught a small funicular to the castle to be greeted by fantastic views of the Old Town and the wider city beyond.

Beautiful Ljubljana. Photo/C.Smith

I’ve become really taken by the historic centres of Eastern European cities – the terracotta roofs and stone buildings give them a really medieval feel, while the modern buildings which grow out from the centre show just how much the cities have expanded over the centuries.

But my love of Ljubljana is based on more than just great views, it has a cosmopolitan atmosphere and come evening time the locals spill out of brassieres, restaurants and coffee shops on to the pedestrian-friendly river banks.

Ljubljana's tree-lined streets. Photo/C.Smith

There are a number of great restaurants in the city centre with all different types of cuisine, but my passengers and I usually head to a Slovenian restaurant for some local fare.

One of my favourites, Restaurant Sokol, has wood-lined rooms and waiters in traditional dress. The menu is bursting with Slovenian favourites such as soups served in bread-cups (any meals where you get to eat the bowl is good by me), game platters (featuring traditional Slovenian meats), and even horse steaks (best eaten as a mane course!).

A traditional meal at Restaurant Sokol, Ljubljana. Photo/C.Smith

The nightlife punches above its weight too – there’s all manner of pubs and bars to be found and the local beer is pretty tasty.

A favourite haunt for several of my groups has been the kitsch Skeleton Bar, an underground cocktail bar decorated with all manner of skeletons and other ghoulish décor.

Imagine if Dracula eased up on the old neck-biting and took a part-time interior design course at his local college then this is the bar he’d come up with. There are around 200 cocktails to choose from and the toilet door is disguised as a bookcase. What’s not to love?! It certainly gives new meaning to the phrase ‘dying for a drink’.

Beyond the capital, Slovenia is a brilliant little country. Nearby Lake Bled is one of those so-beautiful-it-doesn’t-look-real places - dramatic mountains slope down to a sparkling blue lake with Slovenia’s only island sitting in the middle - while the Postojna Caves to the southwest of the city rank amongst Europe’s finest geological attractions.

The people are friendly, it’s relatively inexpensive, the countryside’s beautiful and there’s cool stuff to see and do – Slovenia ticks plenty of boxes as far as I’m concerned!

So don’t worry if you can’t pronounce it 100% correctly, if you ever get the chance I’d recommend paying Ljubljana a visit. It may not be as famous as some other European capitals, but it’s equally as memorable.

Remember though, don’t let anyone force you in to trying horse meat – just say neigh!

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Check out Ljubljana for yourself on one of Topdeck’s many trips that visit Slovenia.