Day 9 & 10

Day 9

We were up early and definitely were paying price for staying out late the night before but we knew we had to power through it as we had to be on the side of the city at 9:45 for caving tour. 1 train and 2 buses later we made it the the Hungarian national park which sits on a hill atop the city. There was a group of 11 of us in the group. Kate was VERY happy because there was a group of four Irish men bringing her back to the times we had when she studied abroad.

Dawning overalls and hard hats we walked into the woods into a door on the hillside and entered into the cave. We climbed down a 30 meter ladder and the reality of the being in the cave for Tim a little bit freighting which a few hours later might would be well warranted. We started out crawling and sliding through pretty open caves but within an hour were literally slithering through holes like a snake, except definitley not as graceful. The guide led the group and there was no one keeping track of the rear so was important to keep an eye on everyone. About two hours in everyone was pretty confident in there ability to make it through tight spaces and the guide kept upping the intensity. There was one hole that looked like a manhole that you could slide down into the next cave and when it was Tim's turn he tried to jump down into the hole but there was no luck. Again he pushed but his butt did not let him get more the 3 feet into the hole. Humbled Tim took the alternative route back out of the cave.

Never backing down from a challenege, Kate tried to slither her way through a hole that was so small you could only go through it with your head turned sideways. Tim and the instructor tied Kate's shoelaces together as she was climbing through...and took a video of it. Kate deserves a medal.

Day 10

Woke up at 5 am (waking up that early isn't any easier in another country either) to catch an early train to Zagreb, Croatia. Arriving in Zagreb, even though it's pretty mainland, we could already feel ourselves getting closer to the beach..and Kate really needed to get to a beach. We grabbed a bus to Zadar, which was one of the prettiest drives along the mountains and coast. All of the rest stops on the side of the road, where travelers were taking their time sipping coffee and drinks before heading on their way--a little different then stopping at a rest stop on a Raulin road trip.

We find where were staying, 50 meters from the beach...finally! We walk into the front yard trying to find where to check in, in which someone directed us to talk to the wife of the owner, who was in her bikini taking an outdoor shower....literally like a scene out of a movie. The owners were very nice, showed us the water view, and we headed straight to the beach.

That night, also like another scene out of a movie, we treated ourselves to a 3 course seafood dinner with a bottle of wine outside on the water at one of the nicest restaurants we both had ever been to (can you tell the exchange rate is in our favor).