Sirrux

Sibenik is on the coast between Zadar and Split. The cathedral there, which is considered one of Juraj Dalmatinac’s masterpieces, was constructed in the 15 & 16th centuries. Among its unique features are the stone sculpted heads bordering the outside, and the baptistery in a small room in the interior. A walk through Sibenik’s old town really takes you back 1000 years. While accommodation may be available in town, a better choice would be in the hotels of nearby Solaris. Although some of these are still occupied by refugees, others have been renovated to serve the increasing number of tourists. We also enjoyed the beaches of Primosten, just south of Sibenik. There we stayed in a private home, but hotels were also open to tourists. In the nearby Marina Kremik both motor and sail boats were available to rent.

When we were in Belorus we got a little confused about the local currency, the Belorussian rouble. The notes are worth ten times the amount printed on them, which caused some embarrassment. In a restaurant in Minsk we paid in Russian roubles and the waitress refused to give us any change. After a discussion (in Russian) she gave us some Belorussian rouble notes (small ones with animals printed on them) and told us they were worth ten times the value printed on them. We thought she was trying to deceive us, but later found out she was not.

Belarus is dealing in roubles, an intermediate currency unit that replaced the Soviet rouble. The bills have animals on them, and the Minsk Survival Guide describes the value system as follows: Three hares equal one beaver. Four elks are one bison, while five railway stations would suffice to make one Supreme Soviet. The squirrel on the 50-kopek note is worthless.

As in the other former-USSR republics, the money market has been liberalised. Although you still receive a customs declaration form when passing the border, the exchange of money is without government control.

Every two weeks the prices of food, public transport and the like go up. However, the situation seems to get better. When we visited Minsk the exchange rate for the rouble went up a little, because of excessive demand for the Belarussian rouble. On some days it was even difficult to get hold of the local currency. Apart from the excessive demand, changing cash is no problem in Minsk. The most widely accepted currencies are DM, US dollars and to a lesser extent the British pound and the French franc. Travellers’ cheques cause more problems and the only place we could find which would exchange these was Hotel Jubileynaja, but they only accepted cheques in DM and US dollars.

International train tickets and reservations can be made at Francyska Skaryny Prospekt no 18. The Belintourist office (which has replaced the old USSR Intourist office) next to Hotel Jubileynaja doesn’t seem to provide this service any more.

The public transport system is excellent, with a bus line along almost every street. It will soon be even better, as the metro system is being expanded with an east-west line; the five planned stations should be open by the spring of 1995.

Ulm, a short jaunt off the Romantische Strasse, more than justifies the minor diversion required to get there with its astounding cathedral, which took 500 years to complete. Boasting the world’s largest church tower, tourists are now free to brave the 768-step climb to the top for a clear, extensive view of Bavarian and Swiss Alps. Other sights to catch include the Einstein monument the father of relativity was born in Ulm in 1879 and the fascinating marketplace.

The Road comes to an end in Augsburg, the third largest city in Bavaria after Munich and Nurenburg. Founded over two thousand years ago as a Roman military camp, today Augsburg is renowned for its Renaissance architecture. The center of the city is Maximilianstrasse, the city’s foremost promenade and shopping street. Formerly a medieval wine market, this is now the path to the city’s biggest attractions. The Von Schaezler palace was built in the 1900s by a wealthy baron and includes interlocking chambers and a monstrous hall embellished with crystal, glass, mirrors, and wall sconces. Other notable sights include two Baroque churhces built over a former Roman cemetary and the Red Gate, which served as an important point on the trade route with Italy. Music lovers should make the pilgrimage to the Mozart House, the birthplace of Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus’s father, which now holds engaging documents on the Mozart family.

Since the beginning of time or so it might seem Casa Rosa has been a favorite among English-speaking backpackers. The daily meal deals are perfect for those on a tight budget. For something a little bit more authentic, Restaurante Piri Piri serves up heaping portions of 91 different Portuguese piri piri (meaning hot and spicy) dishes for only a few escudos. Fish lovers of the world unite at Mullen?s, a local restaurant/pub where generous portions of your favorite sea-born creature are served on massive platters.

I’m sitting and typing in the office with eleven computers and no sign of human life. If you had told me two years ago that this would happen to me, I would have laughed in your face; “yeah right, buddy,” I would have said. I was a technophobe, and, like all technophobes, I thought that computers were the enemy of “real life”. I’m sorry to admit that I still don’t really know what “real life” is, but at that time it had something to do with adventure. When I was just a sophomore in college and not a certified Cynic, the possibility of everything that was outside of my dank dorm room was always exhilarating. The outdoors meant the promise of sunshine, meeting hot girls, a chance to travel?.

You see where this is going.

Everything is on the web; and everything on the web, we’re led to believe, is of better quality, more impressive, and cheaper. I don’t really care about the first two things I like things cheap. So do you. And if I have to fly fifth class in someone’s luggage on a cargo plane to get to Bali for $400, you better believe I’m going to do it.

This is where computers come in. They’re smarter than us. They’re faster us. And they break less then us. Who you gonna trust? Travel agents are old — I Want That Flight! is in.