Topdeck Travel Blog

by Kara Segedin

In 1984, Germany was divided between East and West.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun and I Just Called to Say I Love You were two of the best selling singles.

The first Apple computer went on sale.

And my aunty spent five weeks travelling around Europe on a Topdeck trip.

Things were a little different in those days. Men had impressive moustaches, passengers slept, cooked and cleaned on the bus and trips operated on a flexible itinerary.

Despite the changes in today’s trips the spirit of the Topdeck adventure remains the same.

As all good kiwis did (and still do) my aunt Maria was busy working at a pub in Paddington, London.

Once she had settled in and saved up a bit of money she decided to take time out and do a tour of Europe.

“After some research I decided that the Topdeck tour called ‘Central Europe 5 Weeks’ was the one for me. “

Maria thought the idea of travelling around on a bus was fun and knew she would meet like minded people on the trip as well.

Back in 1984 the trip cost £497 which included £85 pounds.

“It was a great itinerary and good value for money,” she says.

Early one September morning the group met at the Enterprise in Earls Court to climb aboard the bus that would be their home for the next 5 weeks - called Platt.

Back then Topdeck travelled on double-decker buses. The lower deck was fitted out with tables, seats, a cooker and sink while the ‘top deck’ had bunks and space for luggage.

“Whisper was our driver (named for his soft voice and quiet nature). He was a safe and reliable driver. The tour leader was an experienced and confident guide.”

While on today’s trips expert Topdeck Chefs rustle up tasty local cuisine, in 1984 everyone had to take a turn at cooking and housekeeping.

“This meant we had to go shopping in foreign cities and turn out a meal from the bus’s cooker. That was a fun challenge all by itself!”

As with today’s trips the majority of travellers were Aussies and Kiwis, with a couple of South Africans on board as well.

“I enjoyed the team spirit of the trip - it is still one of the best times of my life.”

The trip went through France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands before returning to London.

“The highlight for me was Florence. I adored it, still do.”

Like today’s trips that pass through Germany in September, Maria’s trip visited Beerfest in Munich.

“It was awesome – the biggest event I have ever been to – cannot believe how many people can get drunk in one place at the same time.”

Maria says the bus was a refuge for anyone who was sick or tired or simply too lazy to go anywhere

“We felt safe leaving our belongings on the bus too which was a bonus. No dragging suitcases around Europe, our hotel came with us!”

“I always tell people to go on a Topdeck trip as they are guaranteed to have a good time.”

***

Follow the next generation of Topdeck travellers as the Tadpoles crew make their way from London to Sydney in true old school style!

by Kara Segedin

Like many an Antipodean in London it’s taken me awhile to get out of the city and visit the UK’s sights.

I’ve travelled to the Continent many a time, but until now have failed to explore my own backyard.

Two of my new favourite spots are Bath and Stonehenge in Somerset, South West England.

The Roman Baths is a well-preserved Roman site once used as a public bathing house and now a key tourist attraction at the centre of the town it gives its name to - Bath.

The thermal pools and a fascinating museum are housed within a beautiful Victorian reception hall.

At the heart of the building is the Sacred Spring. The 46°C water rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres every day and has been doing this for thousands of years.

In Roman times a great Temple was built next to the spring in 60-70 AD dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva, a deity with healing powers.

However, it was the Celts who first discovered the scared site, building a shrine to the goddess Sulis before the Roman temple was constructed.

In Roman times, visitors would throw offerings to the gods or curses into the thermal waters - about 130 curse tablets have been found many related to thieves who stole of clothes while visitors were bathing.

Aside from worship, people came to the baths to relax and treat a variety of ailments.

Sadly you can’t take a dip in the water these days because of high lead levels (thanks to the original working pipes) and the risk of infections.

Oh, and the lovely green colour is caused by algae that grows in sunlight.

Now it’s time to head further back in history to a strange and mystical past.

Located near Salisbury in the Wiltshire countryside, Stonehenge is found in the most unlike of locations

Driving up the A303 motorway I caught my first glimpse of the famous landmark, standing in a large paddock surrounded by rolling green pastures filled with grazing sheep.

Despite the masses of tourists, Stonehenge remains a spooky and impressive sight - you can forget ever finding me there at night time!

This ancient monument dates from 3,700 to 1,600 BC. The tallest stone is 7.3m high and weighs over 45 tonnes! That sure is some heaving lifting!

The origins of Stonehenge are shrouded in mystery. The significance of its alignment with the rising and setting of the sun has puzzled many a scholar -was it a temple for sun worship, a healing centre, a burial site or a ancient calendar?

An even more fundamental, but no less intriguing question is how exactly did the prehistoric Britons move the massive bluestones across land and sea from West Wales to their current resting place in the West of England?

So what are you waiting for! Get off your butts and check out what England and the UK have to offer!

If you want to explore Bath, Stonehenge and much, much more check out these Topdeck trips.

Stonehenge & Bath Day Trip

Celtic Trail 2011

Britain and Ireland Explorer

by Kara Segedin

“Four days in Venice, isn’t that a little long?”

“Well, it’s more like three days, four nights…”

“You know it’s full of tourists, locals who will scam you and it smells, right?!”

And that is how one conversation went when I told an acquaintance we were off on a summer holiday to the famous Floating City. Had we overestimated the time we’d need? Was it going to be one big stinking hot mess? What had we gotten ourselves into?!

Luckily for us, said acquaintance couldn’t have been more wrong.

From the moment I first stepped foot in Cannaregio, the northernmost of Venice’s six historic districts, I was in love.

It was well after 11pm when we dropped out luggage at the hotel and despite the fun of budget airline travel we were ready to hit Venice’s cobbled streets!

But before we could go anywhere I was in desperate need of a gelato and thankfully (dangerously) there was an amazing gelato shop right at the door of our hotel *bliss*.

We had arrived in town on the eve of Festa del Redentore (more about that later) so the streets were fairly deserted as we strolled over the famous canals for the first time.

However, come the morning the city was buzzing.

Travellers of all ages and all nationalities wandered up at down the streets while men opened their stalls selling souvenirs and replicas of traditional Venetian masks and Murano glass.

It’s fairly easy to spot the authentic stuff – they are usually found in dedicated stores and have price tags that reflect the quality.

With nowhere in particular in mind we made our way slowly into the middle of the island.

I would recommend spending at least one day getting totally lost, wandering up and down the thousands of small alley ways that sprawl across the city.

They are also a great escape from the crowds and the hot summer sun.

Making our way into the heart of Venice, we followed the official (and handmade) signs showing the way to Piazza San Marco and Rialto Bridge and were joined by an ever increasing number of fellow travellers.

The square is massive and in the blazing midday sun we were grateful for the shade from the shop front canopies.

If you’re tired of walking, or fancy doing some sightseeing from the water, the best way to get around is by waterbuses (vaporetti).

That night after take a rather long detour on a vaporetti we found ourselves on the island of Dorsoduro right in the middle of Festa del Redentore celebrations.

Hundreds of tables filled with big Italian families ran the length of the canal looking out across to the city centre. They feasted on giant plates of local food (it smelt so good!) and glasses of wine. Grandparents, parents, aunties, uncles and cousins singing, dancing and gossiping the evening away, waiting for the main event – the fireworks!

And what a display!

For at least 45 minutes pyrotechnics took over the city. Colours lit up the night sky and booming explosions echoed around the ancient street – if you didn’t know better you’d swear it was a war zone!

The following day we tried a bit of island hopping, Venice style. First stop, Murano.

Famous for its glasswork, the island was largely empty on the Sunday we stopped by.

Still, there were plenty of opportunities to pick up pieces of jewellery and take in the sights.

It was a recommendation from a colleague that proved to be one of my trip highlights - the island of Burano

Every Venetian lagoon seems to be famous for something, and in Burano’s case it is lacework and rainbow coloured buildings – my kind of place!

The first thing you see when getting off the boat is a rather frightful looking wailing woman – no idea what she represents, but it can’t be nice.

Thankfully your eye is quickly caught by the brilliant red building to your left and from there you can’t help but smile at the array of pinks, blues, yellows and oranges of the town.

Oh, and I also ate the best pizza I have had in my whole life! Cheese, mushroom, artichoke and prosciutto – delish!

Venetians are a lovely people – very friendly and helpful.

Despite the extraordinary lack of Italian language skills in our group we managed to get by.

As long as you can point and say hello, please and thank you you’ll be fine in this largely English speaking (or at least understanding) place.

Our final day was spent catching up on all the little things we had missed – a last stop here, a last stop there.

St Mark’s Basilica was one such destination and there in the July sun we joined a surprisingly fast moving queue to enter the 11^th century church.

Many European churches still enforce a traditional dress code meaning men and women must cover their shoulders & knees.

I specially brought a church-suitable dress with me, but if you forget to wear appropriate attire it isn’t such a big deal as the staff will provide you with lovely papery shawls to wrap around you.

Be careful of the men on the door though – they are more like nightclub bouncers than church ushers grabbing visitors showing too much skin as they walk passed.

While it lacks the grandeur and quiet spiritual aura of St Peter’s in Rome, the interior and exterior are stunning nonetheless.

So how do you put the perfect finishing touch on a perfect holiday in Venice? With a gondola ride of course!

Lying back in our luxury boat it was hard not to feel like royalty gliding through the narrow canals the vaporetti can’t reach, our gondolier filling us in with bits and pieces of local history.

And that was it - what more can I say? We ate, drank and sweated our way through this magnificent island, cameras always at the ready.

Bellini, gelato, pizza and spaghetti. Fireworks, bridges, canals and history. The list goes on!

Venice, you surprised me. I didn’t expect to love you this much!

Want to see Venice for yourself? Here are a few of the Topdeck trips that take in this amazing city!

Venice Carnival

Pronto Italia 2011

Gondolas Go North 2011

Eastern Express 2011

Croatia Sailing - A day in the life of a Topdeck passenger.

By Liana Szwajlyk

Let me set the scene; waves subtly lapping against the boat, the sun high in the sky with that warm touch on your skin for ultimate relaxation, and you – lounging on deck with your new mates, followed by a dip in the sea, then onto explore a new island. Yes, I am talking about Croatia Sailing with Topdeck.

This could be your day….

Topdeck Croatia Sailing - Sale on now, save up to 20%