03/31/23- Crazy morning already as I had to do some last minute errands before our flight. Once they were done I hear on the weather report that several tornados was probable to hit Chicago, right around the time our flight is to leave. Undeterred, as we’ve flown through much crazier things, we kept our flight as planned.
Aunt Gloria and Uncle Lon drop us off at ORD around 3:45pm, plenty of time before our 7:15pm flight. Little did we know that the winds have already caused a delay in that departure. At first it was only twenty minutes as they shut the airport down due to evacuating the grounds crew in spurts. We were confident that our fight wouldn’t be cancelled, since it was international and the plane was sitting there, but I wasn’t sure how long the delay may be. They let us board to get ready but eventually shut it down again. Two hours later, we’re finally on our way to London.
There were some definite bumps in the air but I think I was too tired to care. The middle seat between us was open, allowing enough room to stretch out and sleep for about half of the seven hour flight.
04/01/23- There was a hard landing in London around 10:35am, but overall not a bad flight. Luckily our next one isn’t until the evening so we weren’t in danger of missing it.
With the long layover, our plan was to drop off our carry-on bags (since our checked bags will continue onto Budapest), leave the terminal and explore parts of London we haven’t seen yet. It was a breeze going through customs (just flashed our passport in the reader), took the Hogwartz (I mean Heathrow) Express to Paddington train station, stored our backpacks for about 30 Pounds, and then rode the tube to St Paul’s Cathedral.
The weather showed rain earlier in the week but we didn’t hit any of it. Cloudy skies did fill the air, but that’s to be expected… it’s London after all. The dreariness doesn’t affect us as the interior of the Cathedral was what we wanted to see, and it didn’t disappoint. Beautifully built, this massive complex has some of the most extravagant ceilings we’ve seen. Statues line either side of the seating area with murals spread throughout. The underground crypt was also a nice reprieve to reflect and take a short break.
After leaving, the skies did open up a bit, allowing us to get a few photos of the cathedral and surroundings in the sunlight. We then continue to the Millennium Bridge, which is brutally packed with people, to see the Thames River and the buildings that lined it. It’s a nice stroll down the waterfront, seeing a different side of London we missed previously. There are multiple pubs and shops along the way as well, and the view of the Tower Bridge keeps getting more magnificent the closer we get.
After about 25 minutes, we finally walk across the Tower Bridge and take the tube back to Paddington. Our legs are spent with the little sleep we’ve had and carrying luggage. We had another hour to kill (actually two as our next flight is delayed an hour) but it was time to rest, and the airport seemed like the place to do it.
Train takes us back to Terminal 3 simple enough, but our gate hasn’t been assigned yet. Trying to avoid the crowd in the main lobby, we duck into a random boarding gate to use their wall outlets, as my phone is about 40%,, but of course they don’t work. Then, after the room empties out to their flight, we find the main doors to the gate close, locking us in. An airport employee passing by was able to scan us out, but made sure to mention that we may have been trapped there if nobody came by.
Another hour passes and finally we get our gate number. Our seats are not together and the flight is full, so they couldn’t do anything at the gate, but we both had window seats and thought best to just leave it as it is. Also, there are no screens to watch anything, no charging ports and no meal service, but we’re completely wiped at this point so not a huge deal.
We touch down in Budapest around 1:30am, grab our bags in baggage claim, I check my suitcase for my work monitor, and get Hungarian cash out of the ATM on our way out. I think it charged me $15 US dollars on the exchange but whatever. It’s emergency cash anyhow.
Our taxi brings us to our AirBnb, we follow the hosts instructions on how to enter, and the first thing I do is load up my work laptop computer to make sure I can connect to their VPN. Eureka, it works flawlessly! So, right now I’m on cloud nine when suddenly the breaker pops. All of the power in the entire apartment goes dark, and here I am with very little battery power for a flashlight on my phone.
After a few minutes of stumbling around, looking for the power box, we finally find it above the entry door. I flip switches and hit the test button several times but nothing powers on. So now I’m feeling full panic mode, which I don’t get to often, thinking how stupid of me to try and plug in a US power strip.
Five more minutes goes by trying to find an alternative breaker when Sharece mentions it may be outside. Sarcastically, I open the door to show her how wrong she may be when low-and-behold it’s staring us in the face, waiting to be flipped back on.
Luckily my foot wasn’t wedged in my mouth, and Sharece happily forgave my innocent dismissal of her idea. I so love her.
With everything finally done, we turn in for the night. Don’t know when we’re getting up exactly and unsure if the rain will make an appearance, but we’re very happy we have a bed to sleep on. Oh, and the place is very nice. Full kitchen, separate bedroom, very high ceilings and a balcony to the street level. We picked a good one.
04/02/23- Woke up around 11am. Sharece set the alarm for 10am but that wasn’t going to happen. I grab my pj’s and the stand up fan tips over, knocking it into the lamp which falls onto the floor and shatters the light bulb. Yup, that’s how the morning started.
I look outside the window to see the sky clearing, and despite our weariness we knew we had to get our day started. So we get dressed, grab a granola bar, pop some Alieve and suck it up as we force our bodies out the door.
I’m so glad we did because what a beautiful day it has become. We walk to the Parliament building, just off the Danube River, and the skies are a perfect backdrop to this giant, gothic marvel. It was built around the turn of the 20th century to celebrate the unification of Buda, Obuda and Pest. We spent over an hour just going from one side to the other and took a rest inside to check it out further. Our plan is to come back later this week for the inside tour, which should be very exciting, but for now we’d rather continue exploring the city further to get our bearings.
The river walk was a bit chilly and a bit industrial. I expected to see shops and restaurants but it's mainly a street running by it with a thin strip of a boardwalk. We did see what looks like an actual bus in the water, which throws us at first, but it appears to be amphibious (land and sea). We continue to the next bridge over for the views but the pedestrian walkway is closed for construction. It’s at this time that we can really feel our legs hampering and decide to head back towards our apartment.
But, not even a block up the road we run into the St. Stephen’s Basilica, which catches our full attention. It stands tall in the square, looming over us as we approach, and once at the top of the stairs I find that I need to go back to the street level to purchase tickets. Sharece happily waits and ten minutes later I was back with tickets in hand. I opt to get the panoramic view upgrade as it wasn’t much more and they have an elevator (which is good because we ain’t climbing no 500 steps right now).
The basilica is absolutely stunning from the inside. Similar style to St. Paul’s Cathedral we just saw in London, but on a smaller scale. Sunday service is going on so we tread quietly, enjoying the architecture and statues. After about a lap around we exit to find the lift that takes us to the top.
The small amount of stairs we have to take was a bit challenging as we push past those who are waiting to come back down the lift, but can’t complain as it definitely saves our legs, and once we get out into the open air the view makes up for it. Wow! From ground level I wasn’t sure how much of a view this would have considering the tall surrounding buildings, but it stretches all over.
We grab a few pics while walking around the tower and that’s when the rain starts blowing in. Can’t believe how good that timing was as we were just ready to make our way out. We did go back inside the basilica to wait out the rain as service was ending. Our legs feel shredded and I don’t have an umbrella (Sharece did for her) but luckily it wasn’t pouring down. We’re able to make it back to our apartment in twenty minutes, but not before hitting up a nearby grocery store to gather food for the week.
That’s what this trip is about. Not just exploring new cities but living in the area while working from home. It’ll be very interesting to see how the time change is with my work schedule and still exploring during the week (that aren’t my typical off days).
Regarding the grocery store. I see they have lower prices for a club membership, but when I ask to join the guy behind the counter says he doesn’t know how to do the application and if he gives me a one-time discount he’d be fired. Sounds like he didn’t want to even attempt it, so I paid full price. Probably for locals anyhow.
04/04/23- Can’t believe it’s been four days already. If you’re wondering what happened to April 3rd, well, I was working the entire day. Slept in yesterday to around 1pm (a good 12 hours sleep and much needed) and had one of the busiest working days I’ve had in awhile. We stayed up a few hours after my shift ended to go over the plans for the next day.
Probably got around 6 hours of sleep as we want to get out early before my work shift starts at 2:30pm (gotta love that time zone change). Surprising we’re awake enough to function and call a BOLT (sorta like their UBER) around 9am. It literally takes only one minute for it to arrive and fifteen minutes later we are dropped off at the Citidel on Gellert Hill.
As soon as we exit the car we’re rudely greeted by an armed guard saying, “Closed!” I point to my wrist (as if asking what time it opens) and he says back, “Closed for two years.” It takes a moment before he mentions about the viewpoint being around the corner, which is exactly what we’re looking for in the first place.
The path took us around the fenced in area of the Liberty monument and had some very nice views of the river, bridges, Parliament and pretty much the whole city; however, the 40 degree weather wasn’t ideal with the 15 mile per hour winds smacking us around. Luckily the winds died down as we took off-beaten paths as a shortcut. It’s now only 10am and we realize how much time we still have. Braving the elements, we trek across the hill for about thirty minutes to see Castle Hill.
*We interrupt this broadcast for an important announcement. We just got some really awesome news; unfortunately I can’t share it yet. Now back to our regularly scheduled program*
We continue up some steps, which Sharece was not very happy about, but it was pretty much downhill from there. We pass another large monument, Statue of St Gellert, and more amazing views. Once at street level, we leap-frog across the road and run into a trolley for the Buda Castle. The price is a modest $15 per person but it takes you around the hill with several stops, like a hop-on-hop-off bus. With only a few hours before I have to return, this is perfect.
The first stop is to Fisherman’s Bastion. When we first heard the name we thought it was a wharf of some kind selling fresh seafood, but it’s actually a fairy-tale type castle with a large steeple in front, called Matyas Church. Truly a unique structure to explore although there were quite a few tourists to weed through. We had an option to go inside the church but we’ve hit up a few already, so we get back on the trolley (which just arrived) to go to Buda Castle.
Once we get off at the stop we’re unsure if we have to take a funicular up or how it works, but looking around the corner we see the castle spread out all around us and realize we are already in the middle of it. It’s not a working castle anymore, by any means, as several of the main buildings are full-blown museums, but the wall views are even better than what we saw before. I can only imagine what this city looks like lit up from up here. I’ll have to find time to do that before we leave.
The wind is starting to blister our skin as we’re completely exposed high on the hillside. We make our way down to the road and call a BOLT (still feels weird to say) to take us back to our apartment. During the entire journey the driver was talking loudly on his phone, which I can only assume was Hungarian, and wouldn’t even let the person on the other end get more than two words out. It’s a bit annoying but we get back fast and safe.
I now have almost two hours to spend before my work shift starts. Man, this time change really is weird but already getting use to it.
04/05/23- Ready to go out the door at 11am to visit the House of Terror (a museum based on the fascist and communist regimes that ruled Hungary in the 20th century), but we notice the perfectly clear, sunny day and change course. Instead of staying indoors, we call a BOLT and ride it back to Fisherman’s Bastion to get the front of the complex. Yesterday, our trolley drove past it and I thought it was another church to explore, but realized when we researched at our apartment that it was the very same place we just came from, we just never went down the stairs at the front. Good thing too because it’s a much better day.
For whatever reason, there are less people out today, on a Wednesday, which is perfect for our pictures. After thirty minutes of photo taking, we walk a few blocks to the Labyrinth (a large cave-maze buried under Buda Hill). We wait in line around noon expecting to enter soon when someone mentions it’s not open until 1:30pm. Odd, as the website showed noon and that’s why we were all there. Not wasting time, and figuring we can come back another day, we locate the trolley that we took yesterday and hop on. Our ticket actually expired, but they never asked to see our tickets yesterday so we figure why not try. Just like we thought, they didn’t ask and it takes us around the old town.
We get off a few stops later, realizing we missed the stop we wanted to check out, and end us walking anyhow. Surprisingly the walk was only about eight minutes and we didn’t even need the trolley to begin with. It was good to get up the hill originally so still worth it, especially since it expanded over two days now.
We take a nice stroll on the castle wall enjoying the views, the nice weather and peaceful sounds of nature before jumping back on the trolley to take us to the starting point of the riverfront. There was only one seat left for Sharece, so I sat on the rail for a full stop. Better than waiting ten minutes for the next one to arrive.
Finally, we reach the bottom after about a fifteen minute drive, take a few more pictures then call a BOLT back to our apartment for the day. So glad we went back out and enjoyed the sun as it’s supposed to get cloudy and rainy this weekend.
04/06/23- Late morning as we get up around noon. The weather turned full cloudy so we’re glad we got to enjoy the sunshine while we could. It may be dreary for the next few days, but that doesn’t deter us as it’s a perfect day to hop in a bath. Thermal bath that is.
We set our itinerary for the City Park, which is just over a twenty minute walk. I will pause this for a moment to be thankful of the location for our apartment on the Pest side. The neighborhood is clean, with shops and restaurants around, and not far to walk to key places. The main drawback would be the paper thin walls as we can clearly hear the old couple next door arguing daily and playing their television like it’s almost in our room. Give and take I guess.
The buildings keep the wind at bay, allowing us to stay somewhat warm, and once at the park we’re greeted with the enormous Millennium Monument at Hero’s Square. Completed around 1900, this site depicts national Hungarian leaders and Hero’s through the centuries. It’s a humbling site to behold as we are mere ants compared to its sheer size.
Next up is the Underground Railroad museum. We search on the GPS and find it to actually be across town, which is odd because we distinctively remember something about it being around this area. With that not in play, we continue down the street to Vajdahuynad Castle. It’s now primarily a museum (I mean what isn’t now-a-day), but they have some very interesting statues around that made the trek worthwhile.
Finally, to the part we’ve been waiting for, Szechenyi Thermal Baths. We see the line shooting out the door and brave the chill for a bit before I notice a small sign stating this is for lockers only. Sharece stays in line as I hurry around the building to the ticket area and find two longer lines, also out the door. I jump in the shortest one, but after about five minutes they let the other line almost fully go in.
Waiting for ours to open, it finally moves up but stops right before I can get in, leaving me to believe it’ll be another twenty minutes or so. I quickly make a friend at the front of the other line and when their door opens, they allow me to go in with them like we knew each other. Gotta be sharp when you’re hustling on your own.
I pay the price for two tickets, get handed wrist bands to wear and call Sharece to meet up with me. Before we know it, we’re split up into separate men’s and women’s locker rooms to change, put our stuff in lockers and run for the baths. Did you know it gets colder when you have less clothes on to cover up. I know right, weird!
I soar into the water like a horse treading through a creek, and immerse into the warm, soothing 84 degree natural temperature. Okay, so this is what I’ve been missing since we left California years ago, a nice hot tub. There are quite a few people around, but not enough to make it uncomfortable or hamper our enjoyment. This is where we spend the next few hours, soaking it up Budapest style.
The structure is so large that they have a lap pool in the middle and a lazy river on the opposite side. We endure the cold as we skit from one pool to the other, only to find the other side colder in temperature. The lazy river is fun but not enough to stay too long as we make our way back to the more heated one.
At 6pm, it’s time to worm our way out of the water and towel off to go home. We only brought one towel, as they charge $20 US to use theirs and that wasn’t going to happen, so I ran first then brought the towel to Sharece as she was coming out of the water. I know, I know… I’m a softie. But a happily married one.
04/07/23- Another cloudy day is upon us so we decide to hit the museums. We have timed-tickets already purchased for an 11:45am tour of Parliament, but I find that I actually need to present printed tickets to get in. We take a ride, arriving fifteen minutes early, and were able to have them printed at the ticket counter. We’re also made aware that this is a Hungarian speaking only tour and English is not available for audio. We’re fine with that as we mainly are here for the pictures and experience.
We follow our guide as he climbs several flights of stairs, which is not a good start but we power through. He’s very tall and slow moving, and in the dim-lit halls resembles Lurch from the Adam’s Family. Finally, we reach the top and walk down a long, palace like hallway until we get to the grand staircase. This view is the highlight of the tour as it’s absolutely beautiful.
The next room has a sign reading “no photography” which makes me wonder if this is for the rest of the tour. Turns out it’s for the palace crown, which is heavily guarded and enclosed in glass in the middle of the large, domed atrium. Apparently, too many people kept using flash on their photos (damaging the crown over time) so they banned photos all-together.
There are only a few more rooms left in the 45 minute tour (actually it was 30 after the extensive security check), before heading down the waterfront. A ten minute walk brings us to group of bronzed shoes sculptures that symbolize Jews in World War II ordered to take their shoes off before they were shot, falling into the Danube river. It was a moving piece that brought reality to our present era. Apparently shoes were very valuable during that time and could be resold.
Shortly after, I realize I don’t have my phone and find it near a statue I was posing next to a few minutes earlier. Sharece can’t believe nobody took it, but I’m sure the tourists were not looking for an opportunity within five minutes. Either way, I do feel lucky.
Contemplating going back to the apartment, we continue toward the Underground Railway Museum we tried to hit yesterday. It’s tucked inside the Metro station, making it a bit hard to find, and once we did I purchase tickets only to realize they were for the actual Metro and not the museum. He refunded me no problem and told me the museum tickets were next door. We’ve found English is not one of the primary languages around, as evident at Parliament, so some things appear to be lost in translation.
The Railway Museum was actually very short (one hallway long with an old train from the 1890s and a few artifacts). Still not ready to retreat, we continue another 12 minutes to the Hungarian National Museum. It’s a hard walk around the multiple floors of the museum as our legs are now feeling the brunt of the day, but we make it worth our while.
I’m approached about taking photos and asked to see my “photo ticket”, which I didn’t know I needed. I quickly run downstairs to the ticket booth, pay the 1000 Foints (equal to less than $3 US) and get a nice nod from the gentleman who asked earlier knowing I’m photo-legal now.
This pretty much frees up our last day tomorrow to further research our trip. There have been some developments recently that have allowed us to expand on it and we’re considering our options on what to do.
04/08/23- Nothing to wake up early for as our time is winding down in Budapest, so we use this time to change our itinerary. My job informed me the other day that security measures don’t allow me to work outside of the US, despite them having a work from anywhere policy for a period of time. So now all of my days have freed up to completely do whatever we want.
Our food supply is running low, so we walk a few blocks to the local market to pick some up for tomorrow morning before our bus leaves at 7am. The rain is sprinkling but not so bad, and I’m able to use the remainder of our Hungarian cash.
Back at the apartment, we continue our itinerary changes, which quite frankly have put us in euphoria. The places we can go to now are limitless, and since we’ve seen nothing but rain forecasted in our area for the next week or so, we decide to completely rearrange almost everything. This trip just got so much better!
We spend the afternoon cancelling plans for refunds and rebooking until we’re satisfied enough with the more immediate issues, and around 9pm I head out for night shots. Sharece stays back to continue resting while I take a BOLT across the river to see Parliament straight on. The view is absolutely breathtaking as my camera can’t get enough. I walk down the boardwalk for different angles and feel a few rain drops hit me. Please, please, please wait just a little bit longer.
Next stop for me is Fisherman’s Bastion. I see it’s only 8 minutes away but I didn’t realize how much of a hike it’ll be. I think there are 250+ steps, and that doesn’t include the incline in the road I take, but my persistence pays off when I finally reach the top. There are some people out but just light enough to get a few clean shots. I even help an elder lady up the steps with her large bag. I mean what was I suppose to do? Watch!
Finally it’s time to head back, but not before checking out Parliament up close. I get in a BOLT and all seems well until he asks if he can make a phone call not even a minute into the ride. Of course I say yes and not a moment later a girl’s voice is heard. They’re speaking Hungarian but I can clearly make out “Parliament” and “photography” in their sentences. Now I’m wondering if he’s setting me up for something weird, so I pay extra close attention to the map on my phone.
Half way through the ride he asks if it’s okay to drop me off “close” to Parliament because he may not be able to get his car around there. Piqued, I ask “How close?” and he says down the road. “Sure” I say back, even more apprehensive than before. Then, like any kidnapping movie… ever… he asks me where I’m from? Dude! I’m two seconds from jumping out the back of this car, but I manage to hold my sh—together and ride it out. A few minutes later, I see Parliament in front of me and I quickly say, “Right here’s fine” and get out. I’m not about to be nobody’s hostage… not in Eastern Europe.
As my heart reclaims its normal pace, I take my photos and walk the 18 minutes back to the apartment for the night.
What a week. There’s been some crazy news filtering our way both back home and abroad, and we’ve taken it all in stride. So far, it’s been a success, and quite interesting to stay in one place for an entire week. It’s allowed us to have down time here and there to recharge and not always feel like we’re on the go. Budapest is a walk-able city for the most part yet there’s so much to explore. The people have been friendly, except for a few pushy locals that feel the need to stand in line right up against our backs. It’s also not too expensive as all of our rides combined this week probably cost us less than $50 US each. Overall, I think we’ve done a great job tackling the city through sunshine and rain, and highly recommend it.
04/09/23- After researching and getting night shots, I probably got around 4 hours of sleep. We did pack the night before, so it doesn’t take us long to check out of our apartment and find a ride to the bus station. Arriving thirty minutes early, we’re unsure if our mobile tickets are all that we need, but when I go into the station I see the ticket booth empty. Assuming we have everything, we wait by the sign showing our bus number. It pulls up, I show the tickets and voila we’re on the bus without even having to present ID. Interesting.
Our assigned seats are right at the door with the toilet in front of us. Not ideal and definitely not very comfortable, however, the bus is only partially full allowing us to spread out. This allows me a few more hours sleep, despite my pulled groin hampering me a bit. Oh did I not mention that before? I’ve had this nagging pull for about 6 weeks which mainly hits when I’m stationary for a bit (like a plane, sleeping or now a bus). I’m just glad it hasn’t hobbled me walking around cities.
The ride is a long six hours, with two stops (one being a gas station which wanted to charge to use their restroom) and we finally arrive in Ljubljana (Pronounced loo·bee·aa·nuh) Slovenia around 12:30pm. And of course, it’s raining. It was supposed to only be partially cloudy today, Ugh!
We duck inside the station and try to use the taxi app for the area, but it won’t allow me to sign up because my phone has a US number. We do find a taxi rank down the road, but stop to get cash from the ATM and a burger first. Wouldn’t you know it, one bite in and the rain suddenly stops.
We’ve already been notified that our AirBnb may not be ready until 3pm, so we weren’t in a rush, but hopefully we can store our bags until it is. At the taxi rank, we talk with the first one in line who pretty much refused to take us due to the short 5 minute distance for him. I thought he may relent until he said 20 Euros for the ride. I check the GPS to see it’s about 11 minutes away and Sharece quickly speaks up, “We’re good, we’ll walk it.” Wow, I was impressed as we have all of our luggage in tow.
Taking the load off, I grab her suitcase and roll it to our AirBnb. Last thing I want is Sharece pulling her back out for any period of time. We on vacation, my baby doesn’t work.
At the place, it takes a moment to follow the directions to find the key and soon realize our room is the first one inside the building on the first floor. Very convenient. The place looks very nicely done with a kitchenette, separate bedroom and pleasant décor. This one even has a microwave, unlike our last place, and a whole bowl of chocolate Easter eggs.
It takes us about thirty minutes to freshen up before we head out to explore the city. Our AirBnb is not far from the river that runs through the heart of town, so everything is very convenient to get to. There’s still an overcast looming, but we’re mainly getting our bearings for now.
The dragon bridge is first up as its just down the street. It’s called this due to the 4 dragons stationed on either side as if guarding against unwelcomed visitors. A unique bridge to say the least. We don’t even make it another block before being in love with the city already. The buildings have an old town charm that’s pleasing to the eye, and the town center (Preseren Square) is full of churches, cathedrals and shops. This is what my camera has been waiting for.
A few rain drops are felt and we begin to go towards a souvenir shop when out of nowhere the rain stops, the skies part, and sunlight hits us like a flashlight. Where did the bad weather go? Without delay, we continue down the river bank to take full advantage of the blue skies coming our way.
Our journey takes us through multiple streets and alleyways, and soon we come face to face with the uphill road to the castle. Not wanting to temp our legs much further, we decide to leave the rest for tomorrow, which is supposed to be another nice day, so we trek back toward our place and hit a few shops. We manage to find some souvenirs and a bottle of wine, but not much else. I know it’s Easter Sunday but how are all of the grocery stores closed? Asking for a friend.
Feeling the pit of our stomachs growl, we do spot an authentic Slovenian restaurant nearby. I get the goulash bread bowl and Sharece the sausage and sauerkraut and both were very good. A little too good as we ended up stuffed. We end our day grabbing a few bananas from a small farmers market. At least we have something for tomorrow. Oh, we did snag a few of the best ice creams we've ever had so there's that.
It’s time to bring up the notable differences with Europe and America. Stop lights are backwards as they turn from Red to Yellow to Green, which freaked me out the first time I saw our driver gun it on a red/yellow. The ground floor is 0 and not 1, if you get off at one you’ll be lost in a maze for a bit. People always like to sit on statue, and privacy is not a thing apparently as our current AirBnb has sheer curtains which allows anyone from outside to see right in our living room. The one thing that doesn’t change is a Big Mac always tastes like a Big Mac.
04/10/23- A very restful morning and much needed. Sharece woke up before me and literally ran out the door to get more photos with the sky clear and sun beaming, but it takes me a bit longer to get my body moving before I join her.
Wow, what a difference a day makes. People are out, just like yesterday, and there’s still a slight chill in the air, but the blue skies make this place feel more like Disneyland. We can’t wait to get to Ljubljana castle, which is perched at the top of the hill but they have a funicular ride to take us up. I’m glad I purchased our tickets online this morning because the line stretches almost to the street. We’re able to mossy our way past and right up to the entrance gate of the funicular without any problems.
The ride is short but there are a few steps to get to the open courtyard, and once there we see a fantastic view of the entire city and distant snow-capped mountains. This is the travel book picture we’ve been waiting for.
Roaming around, we climb the red, spiral stairs to get to the top of the tower with a full 360 degree view. The light wind and sun rays compete for our attention as we enjoy the moment and catch our breath.
Back at the ground floor, we follow a passageway to a quaint chapel that has a beautifully painted ceiling, stroll through a small gallery of photos from decades past, and sift through a gift shop that seems dedicated to a prison rat named Frederick (odd). Overall, this castle is a “can’t miss” highlight and well worth the 16 Euros per person (including funicular). Keep in mind, there’s a restroom but they charge. Not much but you’d think it would’ve been included in the ticket.
With only a banana and sandwich split between us this morning, it’s time to locate a grocery store. If you remember from yesterday, all of the stores were closed for Easter and we quickly find the same for today. Apparently, we missed the memo to stock up. Hopefully we find something open later.
Feeling good about the day, we drag our feet about a mile to go up the Skyscrapper. This building is only 11 floors, one of the tallest in Ljubljana, but has a perfect view of the castle on the hill with the surrounding town. There’s no admission, as it is primarily a restaurant, so we try to be as respectful as possible with our photos before taking advantage of their free restroom.
Our legs are weary but we can’t let the sunshine go to waste, so we head for Trivoli Park. Sharece didn’t realize the walk is a bit far, and the park is so large that we can’t possible see everything pictured that brought us here, but we make the most of it. Best thing is we find a gas station to get a few things from. Take that grocery store gods that close on days we’re here.
After a few hours rest, we set out for some night view of the square, arm in arm as the vacation should be. Tomorrow, we have another early morning bus ride to Venice (one of the changes we made when we learned of the upcoming weather).
It was a very production day, one that I’ll remember down the line if and when we think of living abroad for a bit. Who knows if we’d even need to after this helluva trip, but we’ll keep our options open just in case. I’m just not a fan of the graffiti everywhere.
*Side note: We took down the picture frames in our AirBnb to help cover the windows and their see-thru sheers. I don’t have a clue on why the host felt this was acceptable at street level, but we were about to start handing out food to passerby’s so they could have a dinner AND a show.
04/11/23- The morning begins like it did a few days ago; Waking up early to catch a 7:00am bus. Yet this time we’re off to Venice. With no taxi available in town, we walk the twelve minutes to the same bus station we arrived at previously, with only our backpacks this time as we leave our suitcases at the AirBnb.
Our shuttle van takes three hours, stopping at two airports on the way, and we fight off sleep and soreness trying to reach our hotel around 10am. Our backpacks are a bit of a struggle as we navigate stairs and pathways, all while trying not to take pictures of everything along the way. Our room is not ready, but we’re able to leave our bags for an hour as we explore, and waste no time in going straight for the Rialto bridge.
How surreal is it to be here again. Even though there are quite a few people out, and the bridge is hoarded with them clamoring for selfies, it still feels like a dream. The weather is a bit chill but the sun soon comes out, giving off a nice, orange glow to the city.
An hour goes by fast and we check into our room. It’s small but has an interesting Victorian era feel, and as we take a moment to rest we realize the little sleep we had is beginning to wear on us. Fortunately, this is no time to take a nap as the sun is out and we have places to explore.
Sharece has a list of those places in mind starting with the Ponte dell’Accademia bridge, which gives excellent views of the Grand Canal, and then we work our way around the south part of Venice to Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (whew, that was a mouthful). The basilica was under construction on the outside, but a gorgeous open dome inside. Definitely worth the extra steps to get over here.
On our way back to the hotel, we stop at a pastry shop for some cream, chocolate, lemon and pistachio filled cannolis and take a breather for a few hours. Around 5pm, we realize that one of the places Sharece wants to see was closing soon, so we gather our strength once more and search for the Scala Contarini del Bovolo, which is a historical landmark with an outdoor spiral staircase. It was one of the film locations for Orson Welles’ Othello.
With the sun still beaming, we trek an additional 4 minutes to St. Mark’s Square while it’s still daylight. This is the highlight of Venice consisting of the Campanile tower, Doge’s Palace and the Basilica di San Marco. It’s definitely touristy but still leaves us in awe.
At the water front, we take several photos of the docked gondolas and walk into the hotel Danieli, which is featured in the move The Tourist with Johnny Depp. I don’t know how much it costs to stay here but I’m sure it would be well worth it.
Now it’s time for a sit down meal, and Sharece finds a great Italian place called Da Cherubino. From the bruschetta and wine to our main courses of seafood spaghetti and cabonara, we’re very happy to have found this place. We take our time, enjoying the moment and catching up on how the trip has gone so far, all-the-while allowing our legs to heal. We badly needed it too because after dinner we march back out to St. Mark’s Square for a few night shots before calling it a night.
04/12/23- Another day in Venice. Our check-out is scheduled for 10:30am but we’re able to extend that an extra hour. Since we won’t be able to backtrack to the hotel, this gives up time to settle, rest and plan our day.
We leave our bags at the front desk, find a sandwich place to get breakfast (the roast beef is very good) and begin searching for the canal location in Dorsoduro that I took a photo of on our first trip. Off the main path, this is one of the most scenic spots in Venice and for good reasons. Sharece wasn’t going to pose for any pictures today, but after seeing the view she’s easily convinced and nailed it on the first shot.
Next up is the northern part of Venice. The walk takes us past the Basilica S. Maria around the San Polo area. The tiny alleyways are a bit treacherous to navigate as we’re almost shoulder to shoulder with passersby, but one thing Venice has are a lot of open squares that seem to appear out of nowhere.
Another intriguing spot is Ponte Chiodo in the Cannaregio area that has the last remaining non-rail bridge in Venice. This is a perfect spot to take a few photographs with feet dangling over the side, just be careful. If you fall in you didn’t get this idea from me. Not far away we visit a gallery museum in Ca ‘d’Oro by chance. It was 6 Euros each to enter and has a very picturesque balcony overlooking the Grand Canal. I am caught by security leaning over the rail while posing for a shot, and quickly told to not do that again. I guess someone may have fallen once.
Speaking of Euros, I’m pleasantly surprised this time around to see so many stores accepting credit cards, especially without fees. Even street vendors accept credit card now, where we purchase a coffee mug for under 10 Euros with ease, although Sharece slips on one of the bridges shortly after and it hits the wall as she falls on her butt. Don’t worry, the mug is okay.
With several hours left, we locate a wine bar nearby and each enjoy a glass, along with a few tarts we picked up earlier. The rest is much needed before we carry on another 20 minutes to the floating house (located where the rio di San Giovanni Laterano and Ponte dei Conzafelzi meet). It’s tucked away in the far Northern part of Venice next to a book store that’s so visited that there’s a line taking you through the entire store. Surprised people don’t do the Conga in the line to make is more interesting.
Simply exhausted, we circle by St. Marks Square one last time and hit up a restaurant for some drinks and bruschetta, before retreating to the hotel for our bags. The lobby is empty, so we’re able to chill for about an hour, recharging our phones and our souls. These last few days have been non-stop walking, up and down bridges and stairs, and we still have another twenty minute walk with our backpacks to get to the bus station. Shortly after 7:30pm, we do just that.
Our path takes us around a different part of Venice filled mostly with back alleyways and very few people, and it’s nice to view the city and enjoy the stroll one last time, despite our shoulders taking on the brunt of our packs.
We make it to the station with ten minutes to spare but we now have to find a restroom before the three hour shuttle ride back to Slovenia, and none appear to be in sight. I locate a hotel, walk in like we’ve been there before, and head straight to the back when the hotel concierge tracks us down asking if he could help us. I quickly tell him we checked out not to long ago and just using the restroom before we head out, and he points us in the right direction. Funnily, as we’re exiting the hotel afterwards, he actually apologized for being presumptive and thanked us for our stay. You know, when you have to go, sometimes you have to make stuff up.
We finally get back to Ljubljana close to midnight, grab some burgers from a place luckily still open, walk through the quiet streets for another 12 minutes, and crash shortly after.
What a fun side trip. It was nice to re-explore Venice while adding some spice to our trip. The weather held up as expected but it’s still in the air on how well our bodies did. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
*Special note- if you wish not to pay the 100 Euros for a 20 minute gondola ride, you can get a gondola taxi that takes you across the Grand Canal for only 2 Euros each. It’s a short ride and doesn’t have the romantic feel of the canals, but at least it gives you a sense of how it is.
04/14/23- We took yesterday as a much needed rest day. The rain also made that decision easy as we planned more of our upcoming destinations and went to the grocery store (which was actually open this time). The store had what we needed for a few days but the language barrier is definitely a challenge.
We’re able to sleep in this morning as well, but once the rain stops we’re ready to go back out again. We anticipated the cloudy skies and chose today for some indoor stuff. First up is the Ljubljana Cathedral.
We enter through the large, artistic double doors with a bust of late Pope John Paul’ II head lining the outside, but don’t get far before hearing service being performed. Looks like we’ll have to come back later.
The weather isn’t too bad with the rain staying back, allowing us to enjoy the stroll around town to the City Museum. For 6 Euros it’s primarily only one floor covering the history of the city (as the name says) from prehistoric era to today. We learn some interesting facts (as they had everything in English) with paintings, sculptures and artifacts.
With the cathedral open now, we pay the 2 Euros each to enter (no card accepted this time) and marvel at the beauty within. The detail of each section is breathtaking as we take our time in admiration, and the painted ceiling is another example of why I love Europe so much.
As we exit, we feel the raindrops beginning to fall. We waste no time in checking out a small souvenir shop and returning to our AirBnb. We still have one full day left before our train out on Sunday, but I think we’ve tackled the city as much as we were hoping.
Ljubljana is a beautiful, small city tucked in the middle of nowhere. There’s so much to love and appreciate in this part of Central Europe and very happy we chose to spend some extended time here. There isn’t much to do outside of a day or two, unless you venture out to Lake Bled, but unfortunately the rain caused us to cancel those plans, so tomorrow will most likely be another full rest day before we continue our journey.
04/16/23- Over two weeks in and I feel we’re just getting started. We check out of our AirBnb early in the morning and drag our luggage several blocks to the train station, then up several flights of stairs to the platform. Dead tired, we board the train and are able to relax in our own compartment. During the ninety minute first leg of the journey, I check for our connection and find that the next train is rescheduled to leave 20 minutes before we arrive. Not sure how that’s even possible, but I’m searching for alternatives as a backup.
We get to Villach, Austria and immediately speak with an attendant. Turns out we now have to take several more connecting trains and a bus, which will cost us about 2 hours more on the journey. With no way around it, we wait about half an hour before boarding the next train and get off at Spittal-Millstatt.
This place is absolutely beautiful with the snow capped mountains in view and sunny skies. A far cry from the rain and cloudy weather we just came from. We take a few photos during the hour long layover before boarding the bus. I was able to score a free bathroom visit for us as it asks for coins to open the door. Sharece thinks I flirted with the attendant, but I call it a necessity of life.
The bus is a long 80 minutes as it’s fully packed, so-much-so that some have to sit on the floor. There wasn’t any room to tuck my backpack in so I was on watch the entire ride. At least the seats are somewhat comfortable and the ride smooth.
The next stop is blistering cold, looks like a ski resort and doesn’t seem too promising on getting good seats with all the people waiting. As the train arrives, we find that we’re standing in the first class section of the platform (nothing noted or mentioned anywhere) and have to fight past three long train cars to get on. Sure enough, it was standing room only as the train pulls away. Not dealing with this, we make our way to the dining car, store our bags to the side and order some coffees. This is so much better and we get wake-up juice to boot.
Finally, after about six and a half hours, we arrive in Salzburg, Austria around 2pm. I check my Uber app and low-and-behold they accept it. We wait a few minutes for it to arrive and five minutes later are at our next place.
The host greets us at the door, shows us to the basement dwelling and proceeds to talk us through every last detail. We didn’t want to appear rude but I have to let him know that the sun is out (on a day that showed rain), we’re late getting in and anxious to explore. He leaves seemingly a bit dejected but it was the only way. After a quick refresher, we take off walking into town.
The streets start out very urban, with cars zooming by and more modern style buildings. It takes us a bit to get closer to old town and soon end up at Mirabell Palace. The sun is fully out, bringing the entire gardens to life as we feel so fortunate to not have missed this.
Continuing on toward Fortress Hohensalzburg, we locate their funicular ride (FestungsBahn) that takes us to the top in only a minute, and it doesn’t take long for us to see some spectacular views of the city. We only have a bit over an hour before it closes, but that appears to be just enough time to go to the top of the tower (quite a bit of stairs but the views are even better) and check out the museum for a spell before riding back to street level.
The rain is now starting to come down at 5pm and we use this time to find an authentic Austrian restaurant (that almost ended up being an Australian restaurant due to Sharece’s mix-up in her google search). Bratwurst and sauerkraut for the lady and roasted pork and sauerkraut for myself turns out to be very good and quite filling. Add an apple strudel to boot and we’re set for the night.
Upon leaving, the rain is really pouring now, so we call an Uber to take us back to our room instead of treading water for twenty minutes.
04/17/23- Four countries down and several more to go before this trip is all said and done. It’s been very exciting to say the least and can’t wait for what is to come.
We get a late start to the day figuring it’ll be raining for most of it, but when we leave around 2pm we’re pleasantly surprised to not need our umbrellas. Our Uber takes us across the bridge and back toward the fortress for St Peter’s Cemetary (figured this would be perfect for the weather), and the driver gets turned around. The Uber app has him driving his nice, black car through small corridors in Old Town making the original 15 minute drive more like 30. At one point I consider the notion of possibly having to walk if we get stuck, but somehow he makes it all the way through, dropping us off at the top of the hill.
We walk down the street for a minute only to find the path to the cemetery non existent. Unsure of where to go from here, we continue the steps down to the bottom fortunate at least to get some great views along the way. This is when we realize that the Uber directions were completely wrong and should have dropped us off at the bottom of the hill. At least we get a nice walk to our morning.
The cemetery is quite interesting and free to view (only the catacombs had a small charge which we did not go in). The church is also very beautifully laid out inside with intricate paintings and statues throughout.
Continuing on, we reach the Salzburg Cathedral around the corner. We passed by this yesterday on the way to the fortress but chose to wait until today to venture inside. 5 Euros each is all it cost and it didn’t disappoint with very large ceilings and several domed tops. We’ve seen cathedrals like this before as they’re all over Europe, but it’s still interesting to see each one for their unique characteristics.
As we exit, the sun fully comes out, lighting the courtyard in arrays of yellow and orange, allowing us plenty of opportunities to take photos and enjoy the sunlight. What a great few days this has turned out to be as the forecast called for rain every day.
We stop in a local restaurant for some freshly made burgers (that are extremely well done and satisfied our hunger), go back to Mirabel Palace to see what was inside (turns out it’s mainly offices and can’t go in), before going to the local SPAR grocery store for a few items. We even pick up some excellent Mirabell chocolates that are absolutely perfect.
Back at our AirBnb, we gather our things to leave for the day. This was one of the changes we made last week as originally we were to stay for 7 nights. I tried to cancel the booking but it was already too late unfortunately for a refund. Instead, we’re choosing to go to Zurich, Switzerland for the next few days (country #5).
Around 6:40pm, we call an Uber to take us to the train station (even though it’s only a few blocks away, it was worth not killing our legs this time and spending the 7 Euros). The driver shows up and immediately goes into a rant of why we called for a ride when it was so close. I point to our bags and say, “we already paid” before getting in the car. I mean WTF, the driver accepted the ride, he knew how far it’s going before he even got to us. Once inside, he tries to accuse me of cancelling the ride on him. I show him my phone app that proves it’s current and finally we’re off.
As soon as we get out, I give the driver a 1 star. I would’ve said something directly to him, but in a foreign country I have no idea if they can just refuse the ride and drive off… so I wait for the review section to pop up.
The first train we take has plenty of open seats and takes two hours to get to Munich (our first change). During the ride, we run into some crazy characters on the local train. Kids blaring music, toddler yelling, people behind us talking non-stop and with bad breath to boot, guy that gets kicked off due to not having a ticket… oh and several uniformed police storming the cabin at one of the stops asking random people for their passports. It literally is something out of a movie; you know the one where the audience gets to know the passengers before something crazy goes down. We’re very happy to arrive in Munich and move on to our next train. We’ll have three more station changes before this night is through so stay tuned.
*Update- after one stop the conductor on the second train announced that it’s not going to our destination and everyone needs to get off to be re-routed. Went to information and got our change, but stuck here for another two hours. Looks like we still have 3 more changes but at least our destination time will only be 30 minutes later than before. This should be interesting.
04/18/23- It's a tiring night. Our third train is delayed by 30 minutes, meaning it’ll miss our next connection. We still take it to Stuttgart and as I look online I see a direct train from here to Zurich leaving at 6:16am. This will give us about 3 hours at the station and 3 hours on the train, which puts us in Zurich 2 hours later than before but not as bad as switching 3 or 4 more times. During the long layover at the station, we enter an enclosed waiting area on the track only to have one other person in there blaring some weird cartoon/music crap at 3am. Feeling tired, there’s no way I’m listening to this for the next few hours, so we grab our bags and walk a few more tracks down to an empty one. At last, peace and quiet.
On the last train, I’m able to get some sleep, but right after the we enter Switzerland I get profiled by plain-clothed border agents asking for my passport, where I’ve been and will be going, and what I have with me. With my long hair, beanie and sunglasses I’m sure I look like a drug mule to them right about now. They were itching to find something but they let me be.
At 9:30am we arrive in Zurich, tired and cold. It’s 45 degrees outside and there’s no relief at the station. We sit down on a bench to go over our game plan before deciding to just head for our AirBnb and hope it’s ready to at least store our bags for the day.We call an Uber and just as we arrive I get an email stating we can check-in. Sweet! It’s not much more than a one bedroom dorm room, but the views are amazing.
We spend about an hour cleaning up, changing clothes and planning our day trip for tomorrow before tackling the tram to Old Town. We pay the 8.40 Francs for the 24-hour pass on the tram and wouldn’t you know it, they didn’t even ask for it when we board. Still good to have it just in case.
We take the #9 line to Old Town and walk a few minutes to Grossmunster (Romanesque Protestant Church). We tried to take some photos of the outside but the trolley cables are everywhere and always getting in the way. I understand being green and all, but did you have to sacrifice the look and feel of your city?
The entrance is free for the church and for good reason. There’s not much in there and like everything else in Zurich it appears under restoration. I’m starting to think April is the month cities get ready for the tourist summer season with all of the construction we’ve seen.
We continue walking around Old Town and across the bridge. The sites in this area are quite interesting, especially with the weather holding up to be a decent day, but glad we’re going on a day trip tomorrow as I’m not sure there’s much more that I would like to see of Zurich. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice city to explore (the largest in Switzerland), but it can get pretty expensive.
We soon make three stops on our way back to our AirBnb. First is for pastries at a place called Ass Bar. Don’t ask because I have no idea why? The second is to get kabobs (which are very good), and the third is to a grocery store for a few items. We do make one other detour up a funicular, that was included in our 24-hour pass. It takes us up the hill for some decent views of the city (although the trees are mostly blocking everything, unfortunately).
Ready to crash, we dive back into our AirBnb around 4pm and do our best to stay awake until dark by playing 80s music and doing the moonwalk.
We finish the night with an awesome sunset from our AirBnb window.
04/19/23- A full night’s sleep makes us feel pretty refreshed. With the main parts of Zurich explored already we want to venture out further into Switzerland, so we jump on a 40 minute train to Lucerne around 10:10am. The weather is decently overcast and no rain is shown to hit us until the late evening, so it should be a good day out.
Our first impression of Lucerne is mixed as it appears similar to Zurich. Cars are whizzing by as we exit the train station, the buildings are ehh and of course the sun isn’t out so the view is not phenomenal, but we make the most of it. Our first stop is through a long wooden pedestrian bridge (Chapel Bridge built in the 1300s), and to the lion monument situated several blocks away. It’s carved into the rock wall and commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. Unfortunately, it was completely swallowed up by scaffolding and under restoration. Of course.
The walk to Old Town wasn’t far away though, so we make our way through the outdoor mall maze and hit up a McDonalds to use the bathroom (it was coded but a worker gave it to us without having to make a purchase).
Old Town was quite cool to see but we’ve experienced this so many times recently that it’s starting to get redundant. We continue on to a smaller, centuries old wooden bridge not far away (Spreuer Bridge) that has some excellent views of the riverside and the 17th century baroque style Jesus Christ St Francis Cavier Church. It’s free to enter and worth a look inside.
We’ve now spent barely three hours walking around and already getting a bit bored. There are some amazing things to do around Lucerne but they consist of day trips away so didn’t have much time for that. We take a break at an Italian boutique and enjoy a glass of wine each while reviewing what to do next. Looking out over the water, we notice castle walls up the hill and quickly make that our next destination. The trek takes us up a long, steep street to several columns of stairs where I think Sharece almost faints, but she pulls through like a trooper. She just needed to get wine’d up first. I’m so proud of her on this trip as she’s powered her way so many times.
We finally get to the top of the first tower (Museggmauer) only to have the views obstructed by trees and such. We realize we have to continue up the wall to the far tower for the photo op, so we put our minds in concentration mode and hike on.
It took a beat to navigate the path but soon end up at the tower (Mannliturm). The stairs are even more plentiful going up, very steep and narrow. We also have to wait several times for others coming down, which allows us to rest between floors, but once we get to the top the trip is well worth it as we can see the entire city. Surprisingly, it isn’t too windy or cold up there either.
With the main parts done, we celebrate with some burgers and rest time. It’s now only around 4pm and our scheduled train doesn’t leave for another 3 hours. Hoping to change our tickets, we circle back to the train station and wait in line for customer service. After about 20 minutes, we finally speak to a person at the counter only to find that the tickets we purchased are non-refundable and a new ticket of 25 Swiss Francs (equal to $25 US) each would need to be purchased. Yeah, we ain’t doing that.
We contemplate going to a museum to waste some time, but when Sharece’s phone starts to die I say to her, “Why not just go on the 5pm train anyway. They didn’t check our tickets on the way up?” And that’s exactly what we do. If asked I figure I’d tell them I thought we were on the right train and see what happens from there.
Lucky for us, the 40 minute journey back to Zurich goes by without being asked, and we feel very fortunate to be back at our AirBnb early enough to wind down.
Oh, and since I couldn't get a picture of the Lion Monument, here's a pic of a Lion tile to hold you over.
04/20/23- Officially half way through this portion of the trip with Sharece, and we’re switching gears to the Western side of Europe. Due to my work and the weather, we changed our plans further by booking a direct flight from Zurich.
Our AirBnb host has given us an extra hour before checking out at noon, so we’re able to get some sleep and not leave for the airport until then. Central Europe has been fun but it’s time for a change, and Porto’s famous Port wines are exactly what we’re looking for.
Taking the tram to the airport takes about 30 minutes. We fly by security, wait for our boarding and leave on time. However, our plane must hate clouds because the first 20 minutes are very shaky. It eventually smoothes out and by 5pm we land in Porto, Portiugal. For an international flight, we aren’t impressed with them charging for everything, even tiny snack bags. The airport in Zurich wasn’t much better as a bottle of water cost almost $6 US. Geez!
Baggage claim takes forever before our bags arrive, and once outside, I call an Uber to pick us up only to not be able to find where the pick-up spot actually is. It says I’m on the dot one moment then moves me over a street. I even make sure the pick-up was at ‘Arrivals’ but no dice. Eventually, Uber cancels the ride and we take a taxi to our AirBnb.
Self check-in was easy to get the key from the lockbox, but we don’t have much time as it’s already 6:30pm and the sun will be coming down soon. With the forecast showing rain over the next few days, we want to make sure to get some nice blue sky pictures to start our time here.
The weather is a nice 60 degrees, allowing me to finally be able to wear a t-shirt, and we walk about 12 minutes towards Luis Bridge. The atmosphere here is completely different than Central Europe, and the scenery is amazing to look at (although we continue to see more cranes and construction everywhere).
Our bodies slow down as we reach the bridge for some excellent views of the city and river. Luis Bridge is shared by both pedestrians and trams, which makes the navigation tricky and unique. We soon head to Porto Cathedral for some outside shots (as it was already closed for the day) and then find a souvenir shop nearby.
The sunset is approaching and we back track to the bridge for some more photos. What a beautiful day this has become and so glad we re-arranged our plans. We’ve been on an adventure already and have so much more left to go.
The sun finally comes down and we find an awesome burger place to eat at before checking out the grocery store and heading back to our AirBnb for the night. Our place is awesome except for one special little thing, the shower is visible from the bedroom and kitchen area. I don’t get this new age style of weird stuff and don’t think I ever will.
04/21/23- It looks like we brought the rain with us as it’s been falling all morning. We take this time to sleep in and go over some more logistics of the rest of our trip (which will be awesome by the way). It’s not until 4pm that we venture out, with umbrellas in hand, to check out a few things.
First up was food as we step inside a local restaurant for a ham hamburger. You read that correct, it was a burger with ham added on top. Before the burger came out, they brought us our tart custard pastries along with a tall glass of beer, which we didn’t order. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to come with the burger but bank error in our favor.
After lunch, we venture out into the rain. There’s a bookstore in Porto that inspired JK Rowling’s, creator of Harry Potter, and is supposed to be one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Of course we wouldn’t know because even in the rain there’s a long line outside waiting to get in. If there are tons of people waiting then we already know that inside is a madhouse, so we skip it and continue on.
Not even a block down we see the church, Igreja do Carmo, which is very interesting as there’s two churches built into each other with a four story secret house wedged in between. It’s been said that the narrow house was used to make sure the two churches didn’t share a common wall, but the actual history is up for debate. The cost is 4.50 Euros each to view the rooms and well worth it to get out of the rain for a spell.
We’re fortunate to be able to view the entire place as toward the end they were locking the doors, disallowing anyone else to roam around. Upon exiting, we see the rain has completely stopped and the sun has come back out to play. Wow, what a drastic change from an hour ago.
Being in Porto, rain or shine, we know of at least one activity we can always do and that’s wine tasting. More specifically, Port wine tasting. After all, this is the birth place of Port wine dating back to around 1675, and we’re ready for some 20% alcohol.
We locate a wine store, Touriga, not far away and do a Port tasting. What a great experience to have 6 different Port wines for only 15 Euros total, we definitely left with a bottle. Down the road we go to another wine bar, order their Port tasting and a meat/cheese platter to boot. It was a perfect ending to a rest day where we didn’t originally think we’d do much.
Honorable mention for today: The side streets are so compacted with cars that I'm amazed how buses make their way through.
04/22/23- Another relaxing morning as we don’t leave our place until after 1pm. The sun is fully out and begging us to explore, so we go straight for the Clerigos Church and Tower. The walk is swift, but unfortunately the wait to go up the tower is over an hour and there’s no lift to the top. Sharece is concerned the steps will be too much on her, so I purchase one ticket to return around 3pm.
The church is free to explore, which is interesting but nothing really new for us. With more time remaining, we head down the road to Largo da Pena Ventrosa (a back alley street with colored houses). We didn’t realize the 8 minute walk to get here is all downhill, so when it comes time for me to return back to the tower, Sharece stays behind. I feel for her as I know she would’ve loved to see the view, but priorities are at play and we still have more places to conquer. There is a church for her to explore (buried behind the buildings).
It takes me 10 minutes to get back to Clerigos and my legs are torn up for the incline. Once I present my ticket for the tower, the steps to go up are even more daunting. There’s no way Sharece could’ve made this without being laid out tomorrow.
Steps upon steps to the top I go, checking the views along the way, when finally I reach a landing and blown back by the strong, cold winds. It takes a moment to fight through when I see the entire city laid out before me. This is definitely worth it.
Another set of steps takes me further to the bell tower, which gives a 360 panoramic view. The sky couldn’t be any bluer bringing me totally at peace, even though my hair is whipping around.
Once back at the bottom, I get a message that Sharece has ventured toward the riverbank, and as I approach I see a whole new section of the city that we missed before. Crowds gathered harmoniously, listening to live music and watching street performers, all while sipping on their beverage of choice. I spot Sharece sitting at one of the tables with a beer in hand, which I’m all too happy to join.
After a bit of rest, we stroll across the lower section of Luis Bridge to the other side of the river and look up some wine tasting. The first two places we go to have very limited seating and the wait could be upwards to an hour or more. We think about it for a moment, but once we see the prices at almost 50 Euros for one Port tasting, we quickly realize the tourist trap and head back to our AirBnb for more reasonable prices. The trek is uphill, but we find a funicular that takes us to the top quickly.
Along the way, we find an authentic Portuguese restaurant (Restaurante Kapadokua). I could eat another burger easily after all the walking we did so far today, but I choose to go with the Bacalhau Com Natas (Codfish with mozzarella). Decent enough and filling, especially for trying something different and local).
It’s now pushing 6:30pm and we find Taylor Port to end the day on a high note. They didn’t have tastings but we’re able to each have a glass for a small amount, which was so good we bought a bottle. Very glad we left the river bank, because we just got wine and a dinner for less than one tasting at the other places.
Tomorrow is supposed to be another rainy day, and plan to take most of it to regroup, so we’re very grateful for the nice weather while we have it. Strange thing about today though. We’ve been able to use credit card everywhere over the past 3 weeks but suddenly we’ve been faced with “Cash Only” places. Looks like I’ll be hitting up the ATM again soon.
04/23/23- Another rainy day and we have tickets in hand for that book store (Livraria Lello) we tried to go to the other day. It doesn’t open until 9:30am, which is the time we have for our tickets. We’re hoping the early morning will allow us to avoid the long lines we’ve seen already.
Our umbrellas are out as it’s sprinkling just enough to make it uncomfortable but not enough to feel like we may get drenched. Once at the book store entrance (10 minutes early) we see a long line already formed but for whatever reason it doesn’t seem to be in the right spot, as there’s an actual sign for the line with only a handful of people in it. Sharece and I split up, I in one and her in the other just in case, and when the staff directs the traffic I find I’m in the correct line toward the front.
We wait another 5 minutes and soon are in the store ready for pictures. The extravagant staircase is first up and luckily a line forms to make it somewhat organized. Not long after we get our shots it became a free-for-all in the store with people scattering every which way, which is a good thing we came here early. I even buy a book “Alice in Wonderland” as the 5 Euro admission goes toward any purchase. It really is a madhouse with patrons jostling for position on the stairs and balconies. I’m not sure what the capacity limit is, but I have a feeling they’re stretching it.
Leaving the bookstore, the rain has let up enough for us to enjoy a walk to Porto Cathedral. We aren’t sure if it’ll even be open as it’s Sunday, but we soon see the line to get in. It’s only 3 Euros per person and well worth the price as it includes the tower, church, courtyard and museum. Church is in service, so we only sneak a peek inside before continuing on.
The rain starts up again as we climb to the second level of the courtyard, but not even a moment sooner the sun comes out bright and beaming. The weather here is truly odd.
The tower stairs are more challenging as we’d hoped not to over extend our bodies today, but we make it to the top, take our photos of the city and are soon on the way back to our AirBnb shortly after noon. Tomorrow we have another early morning, so rest and relaxation is on the menu for the remainder of the day.
04/24/23- We begin our day by taking an Uber to the airport rental car place of SIXT around 9am. I wait patiently for the lady in front that zooms ahead and when our turn comes up I find that we are at the wrong rental location. Apparently this is the off-airport site. So, this is how our day will begin… got it!
The airport shuttle to the other location is not far and it takes us there in mere minutes, give or take a few with all of the police presence directing traffic (still unsure what that’s about). I take a number, wait my turn and after a few clicks of a button from the person behind the counter we’re in our SUV and ready to go. I did mention about going to the wrong location before arriving and she says, “It happens all the time.” Well, if it happens all the time then perhaps you should change something around to avoid future confusion.
We’ve had a few times this trip where we cancelled our rental car due to bad weather, so this is the first I’ll be driving in awhile, and definitely a first for Portugal. The highway is very easy to navigate and everything looks smooth. Phone chargers… check! Full tank… check! Toll box… check! Tire pressure? *waits* Tire pressure? Yup, 30 minutes into the drive the front tire blows. Uncheck!
I pull over, see the tire flatter than a pancake and check the trunk for a spare. Whew! Spare is there with a jack. Unfortunately, the side of the road is not very safe with very little shoulder room and trucks whizzing by every so often. Sharece gets out and helps direct traffic around me as I go to work. There’s even another motorist that stops to make sure all is okay, which we thought was extremely nice.
My handyman skills are on full tilt as I get the spare on rather quickly, and soon we’re back on the road. We still have another 45 minutes to our destination so hoping everything holds together okay. Duct-tape… check!
The clouds are out and the rain soon falls, but only a bit here and there before going through a long tunnel. Once on the other side, the sky starts to open up once more as if we transported to another place. The hills are rolling and the valley is spectacular to see. It’s not long before we hit the town of Peso da Regua and the vineyards of Quinta Seara d’Ordens. The drive up the hillside is even more beautiful as we stop our rental car several times to take photos of the vast vineyards that slope down the valley. When we arrive at the winery, however, we’re immediately greeted by an employee asking if we have a reservation. When we explain we don’t her face goes sour with disappointment.
There isn’t any space in the tasting room; however, she does make accommodations for us to taste a few of their Port wines at the front desk. We’re very thankful and enjoy the 20 year old Tawny’s. We would’ve bought a bottle if they seated us, but at least they didn’t charge.
We drive to the next winery location that shows open on their website only to see no entry door anywhere. This same thing happens with the next two places as well, and I’m beginning to wonder if we have to make a reservation for all. Not discouraged, we continue our sight-seeing.
It takes us around 25 minutes to get to the viewport of Sao Leanardo de Galafura, and this was amazing. You can see the entire valley laid out with the Douro River cutting through. Satisfied with our photos, we try one more town (about 30 minutes away) called Pinhao. This is the stopping point of the train from Porto so you’d think they’d have to have something there. On the way, we did have to maneuver around a road blocked by sheep herded by dogs.
At first when we arrive, the town looks dreary with old buildings lining the water front and not much else. Parking is also an issue, but we find a space on the other side of the small town, which happens to be near a wine tasting spot called Quinta Do Bomfin. Eureka, this place is actually open and allows walk-in tastings. Score! As we’re escorted to the balcony, we pick a table with a perfect view of the vineyards and river (including cruise boats overloaded with tourist), order 2 glasses of Tawny Port, and relax while enjoying the subtle breeze. Unsure if we’ll find another place to go, as it’s already around 3pm, we order 4 more glasses of Port (trying their White and Ruby styles) and are feeling pretty good in no time.
They have two other vintage Ports and allow us to taste each one (with the highest being a 180 Euro bottle). We’re very fortunate to have found this place and all too happy to indulge, but time is getting away from us and we’re now a bit hungry.
On the way to our car, we see a wine bar open. We duck inside, order 2 more glasses of Port (I know, lush) and a meat and cheese platter with bread. Another great find in the middle of nowhere.
Around 5:30pm we say our goodbyes to the vineyards and head back to Porto (this time having the correct car rental address in our navigation). I’m really hoping we make it with the spare tire as it says only 80 kilometers max and we’ll be pushing about 250.
The car makes it without incident, and as we pull in we get stares from the person checking us in. I explain what happened and he proceeds to check the tire for puncture marks (not finding any). He then tells us that is appears the tire may have been going flat before we even drove off the lot. Well, that’s comforting. We did talk with the counter again to explain and ask for possible compensation but were only given an email to complain to, which we already know how much good that’ll probably due. Hey, it made it… the rest is their problem now.
We call an Uber to take us back into town, pick up a beautiful souvenir mug Sharece was eyeing previously, and lock ourselves in our AirBnb for the night. Despite the location mix-up, flat tire and several closed wineries, I wouldn’t change a thing. It was that good of a day.
*Side note – at midnight of April 25th, be prepared for fireworks here that are loud and ever expanding.
04/25/23- Another day, another country. Our bus leaves Porto at 10:30am, so we take an Uber, arriving 30 minutes early just in case. It takes 4 hours with 4 stops in between for us to reach Santiago de Compostela, Spain, with some excellent views along the way.
Stretching our legs, we try to find an Uber or Bolt to take us to our hotel, but the apps don’t work here. We do find a lone taxi driver, tell him the hotel (Praza Quintana) and off we go. It takes only a few minutes to get to the city center, where the driver weaves through small passageways to get close to where we want to go, but unfortunately he brought us to the wrong hotel called “Plaza” Quintana. Luckily, our actual hotel is only a 3 minute walk away.
Check-in is smooth with our room on the first floor and quite large, and has a very nice and elegant bathroom to boot. This place looks like a converted castle as the exposed rock is still seen in the room, and we’re loving the comfort.
It’s now 4:30pm (an hour ahead due to the time change) and we set out to walk the city to get our bearings. The main cathedral is just around the corner and it is huge. The architecture is stunning, even in the cloudy skies. It’s no wonder this place is the final spot of a long walking pilgrimage people do year round.
Continuing through the narrow streets, we smell garlic and immediately our stomachs ache for food. We stare at a few menus to find mainly seafood on the menu (crab, shrimp and even octopus), but we’re hoping to find pasta instead. We circle around finding multiple restaurants with the same menu, as well as countless souvenir shops and bakeries. It’s a tourist haven.
Finally, we settle on a place to eat, walk inside and it’s like night of the living dead in this cafeteria. Empty, unclean dishes line the bar counter, the one worker looks to be completely disinterested and all of the patrons sitting at the tables have a very sad look on their face. I’m not feeling this one bit, so we dart out of this kidnap hole to find another. Not far away we actually do find a place and order a few burgers with sangria. It was very, very good.
With full bellies, we stumble upon a university (which was interesting to walk through) then venture outside the old town quarters to a grocery store. The atmosphere completely changes from pedestrians walking around to cars overtaking the roads. Modern stores are also on display, which is nice to know we have options while here.
The sun tries to come out, but it stays hidden behind the clouds which causes the chilly wind to pick up. Good thing we brought our jackets as it even begins to rain a bit. With our grocery items in hand, we walk back to our hotel for a spell and wait until night to prowl the city once more. We do have to wait a bit as sunset here is around 9:30pm.
We thought the cathedral would’ve been lit up, but for whatever reason it wasn’t. Still was able to get some fantastic shots, but a bit odd. We even stumble upon a crowd of people listening to local musicians dressed as if part of the clergy. It’s a very nice stroll, one with few people around and felt completely safe (even though one section looks like it’s straight out of a prison movie).
Overall, it's been a good day. Can't believe 3 1/2 weeks have flown by. Porto was definitely our favorite city so far, but we're not done yet.
04/26/23- There’s just something freeing about being in a foreign country and waking up to the daylight shining through the windows. This morning is just that as we prepare for what the day may bring.
We have a tour of the cathedral set for 5pm (hoping for good weather as its currently overcast and we’re going on the roof). With some time to spare, we explore the old city of Santiago further. I had no idea how vast this place is with small alleyways and buried buildings around every corner, and each street seems to have a life of its own one way or another.
We circle back toward the cathedral to go inside the worship area, which is free for anybody. The intricate designs and crypt are quite a sight to see and a good way to spend a few hours.
It’s now 3pm and we are craving food. We stumble upon a restaurant with outdoor seating and a view of the cathedral, and when we check the menu we find pasta. How did we miss this yesterday, especially since it’s literally right outside our hotel? Two plates of pasta coming up, one with shrimp and one carbonara, along with a pitcher of Sangria. Once again, the food is excellent.
Ready to get going, we walk the town a bit more and arrive at the cathedral for our scheduled tour. They scan our tickets before confirming we’re okay with Spanish only, which we nod our heads, and off we go. I mean, even if it was in English we probably wouldn’t have paid much attention anyhow with all of the photos we plan to take.
Immediately, we’re met with several flights of stairs, and I can already see Sharece start to rethink her decision. Yet, she pulls through and makes it to the roof of the cathedral. Once we step outside the doorway we’re met with an awesome view of the city with a complete blue sky as a backdrop. I can’t believe how fortunate we’ve been on this trip as each place has given us at least a day or so (if not more) of beautiful weather.
Walking up the slant of the roof, I’m surprised they allow people to be able to come up here as any false step will be a bad fall, but I’m not complaining as the view of the bell tower and cathedral are breathtaking.
The entire tour lasts an hour as we’re given plenty of time to see each corner of the cathedral and take whatever photos we need. It’s the extra stairs to the top of that cathedral that about kills Sharece. “We need a wheelchair on stair 5, please!” I admit, I wasn’t sure she’s going to be able to make it, but slowly and surely she managing one flight at a time. I’m so proud as her bruised heel has been sore for weeks now.
Going down the steps doesn’t provide her much relief, and as soon as we hit the bottom we’re ready to go back to the hotel for the night. We try to celebrate the day with a glass of Port but the souvenir cork we purchased in Porto breaks in half. First world problems I know, but I did go back out again to buy a new one so we can take the bottle with us without having to drink it all tonight.
04/27/23- Rental car round 2. We check out of our hotel around 9:15am and take a taxi to Sixt rental car. Yes, the same company that gave us the vehicle with the flat tire last time. They do provide us an upgrade to a larger vehicle but only have stick shift available. It’s been a few years but I’m sure it won’t be an issue. Foreshadow moment.
We’re told to walk down the block to the parking garage for the car, which is odd but it is an old town, and with luggage this will prove to be a bit of a chore but we make the walk anyway. We bring our bags down the stairs of the garage and immediately have an issue trying to find spot #7 that our car is in. There’s a sign for Sixt pointing one direction but it leads nowhere, and the numbers on the parking spaces don’t match up either. We finally locate an attendant who points us in the right way only to find it’s in the opposite direction of where the sign was pointing. Ugh!
With the car loaded up, I ease out of the parking spot, but when I need to reverse I can’t locate how to do so. Usually, you’d just press a button on the side of the shifter and move it into the reverse position but this car didn’t have a button, so here I am, stuck in the middle of the parking lot, blocking several cars making their way through. I waive over the lady waiting patiently in her car for help and she tells me that there’s a lever on the shifter to pull up. WHAT! It’s so simple. Problem solved, and now ready to roll.
The ride is quite smooth and the views are awesome with mountains, green trees and the Bay of Biscay at our side. The cruise control doesn’t work at all, but the 7 hours passes by quite fast with only one stop to eat. Somehow, we make it all the way to Donostia – San Sebastian on one tank (we don’t refill as we prepaid for gas to bring back empty, and that’s pretty much what we do as it arrives on fumes). Before returning the car, we head up Mount Igueldo for an amazing view of the cove and city. Wow, what a way to be introduced.
It’s now past 6pm and our hotel is on the way to the rental car place, so I find a blue P on the side of the road near the hotel thinking it’s for parking and contemplate how we’re going to get our stuff out when we hear a honk from behind. Apparently, the P was not for parking but to suggest it was the road to the parking garage, and we were blocking it.
The traffic is getting crazy and there’s nowhere to park, so we opt to just take the car to Sixt and jump in a taxi. I follow the GPS on the car and almost turn into a bike lane. A cop whistles at me as I begin my turn, I show him my GPS and he shrugs only telling me that’s not the way. After maneuvering back onto the road, we finally get to Sixt and drop off the car. We bring our luggage to street level and can’t find how to flag a taxi, as the road is unsafe for a pickup. I ask someone nearby and they point me across the bridge, and so we begin our walk for the next 10 minutes. Finally, we spot a taxi parked outside of a bus stop and he takes us the rest of the way for 6 Euros and a tip.
Check-in takes about half an hour before we’re able to enjoy the 70 degree, breezy weather. The sun is starting to come down as we stroll down the beach, and enjoy each step as we hold hands being thankful for the moment.
After the sun sets around 9pm, we cruise old town. It’s quite busy, especially with bars seemingly everywhere and puffs of smoke filling the alleyways like a Cheech and Chong movie. We do find a place open for a few slices of pizza and take it back to the beach to enjoy.
04/28/23- San Sebastian might seem like just a beautiful beach town, but step outside from the main tourist areas and it becomes a bustling city. As we walk to our first destination, Tabakalera (Contemporary Arts Center), people are hustling down the street like it’s New York City in the 1980s.
We choose this place for the views at the top, which is somewhat decent but construction hinders much of it. Again, another place on this trip that’s under restoration with multiple cranes throughout. The sky is beautiful though, which is why we went here first to start the day. We do get a very nice view of the golden statue bridge though.
Doubling back to old town, we realize we haven’t eaten anything and hunt for a quick bite from a small store along the way. The owner must be having a bad day as he literally throws our pastry from the rack, into a bag and plops it onto the counter. Sharece is like, “Can you ask for a napkin?” Sorry toots, I love you but you’re on your own with this guy.
We sit at a nearby bench, eat our food while enjoying the sun and then carry on to the Basilica of Santa Maria. The doors are open but as we walk in we don’t see anyone there. It’s like we have the place to ourselves so we take full advantage by snapping photos and looking through the museum. On our way out we see someone at the entrance charging for tickets, who wasn’t there before. We quietly leave and go about our day. Yeah, we could’ve paid the 6 Euros after the fact but we may not have come in if presented with that to begin with.
Next up is the Konstituzio Plaza. This is an open square in the heart of old town that use to be a bull fighting ring. The buildings that surround still show the numbers on them for the spectacle, which we find fascinating.
With a bit more energy left, we decide to brave the 20 minute walk along the beach. The wind is blowing perfectly as to cool our bodies from the sun, but as we go further out the fog really starts to roll in. We barely make it to the other side when our legs feel the ache. It’s now around 3pm and we’ve accomplished our goals of the city, so we head back toward our hotel.
Next door, we sit down at a restaurant for some pasta and a burger. It isn’t the best meal we’ve had but it’s food. Perhaps that should be there slogan.
All in all, Donostia – San Sebastian was a cool city to visit but I wouldn’t know what to do if we had an extra day to spend here (besides laying out on the beach). Our journey continues tomorrow with another bus to France (Country #8) so stay tuned.
04/29/23- Nerves are hitting as we wait for our scheduled taxi to arrive. I’ve been assured that it was booked, but our bus leaves at 9:20am and I feel like I should have allowed more time just in case, due to the rain. Yet, right on time it shows up, much to our relief. Funny thing though is his side mirror is a camera with a monitor inside the car. Seems like a smart idea.
We board the bus on time and hunt for our seats 15A and 15B. We cruise the entire bus and see the numbers go to 14 then skip to 20 for the back row. We ask the driver for assistance and he can’t understand it either. After a few minutes of fumbling, he finally seats us in the first two seats, behind the driver seat, which works for us as more legroom.
There are 5 stops we go through on this 4 hour journey, but the last bit has some major traffic causing us to be late by 30 minutes. I message our AirBnb host about the update and all is good. Police also entered the bus once we cross over into France to check Passports, so that was interesting. Once we get to Bordeaux, France, I call an Uber (which I’m very happy they accept here) and we arrive around 2:30pm.
Our host actually lives in the apartment but is going out of town today, so it does feel a bit weird to come into an already lived in place and not a hotel like setting. Our view from the balcony is also not the best. Sharece and her OCD goes right to work trying to clean up the place, and after about an hour of settling in we check out the city and what’s nearby.
The city is dirty, graffiti everywhere, musty smell and the cloudy weather is not helping matters. It takes us several blocks to get to old town where it feels so much better and more alive. There’s a church built into the entry way arch welcoming us into this land of, “Hmmm, okay, this ain’t bad”.
Upon entering, there’s scores of shopping and restaurants around and we grab a few slices of pizza to hold us over. This is where the rain begins. We quickly duck into a dry area to eat our slice and once done, Sharece opens her umbrella to find it broken. Luckily the rain is not much as our jackets shield most of it, and by the time we arrive at the Bordeaux Cathedral, it stops.
Dating back to the year 814, this French gothic cathedral is free to enter, aside from two people outside asking for donations, and upon entering it immediately reminds me of Notre Dame in Paris or Westminster Abbey in London.
We circle back toward old town to see inside the Grosse Cloche (the first church we passed), then go to Porte d’Aquitaine (which was mainly an arched monument with an obelisk and turtle statues), before grabbing a few items from the grocery store.
Today almost broke Sharece as her body is beginning to wear down. We are on our 5th week and it’s been a trip for sure, but we are pushing through. Less than 2 weeks left for her. I’m almost half way through, so I have quite a bit more to see.
*Side note- I am trying to use the washer and that was a mistake. After it fills partly with water it immediately makes grinding noises as it tries to spin. Eventually it settles, but I have to hand rinse in the sink since they were all full of soap.
04/30/23- Today was suppose to be a rainy day, so we sleep in and figure a day’s rest wouldn’t be too bad, however, we look at the clear, sunny day from our window around noon and can’t resist going out.
To save our legs, we opt to ride the tram. It’s only a few minutes away and purchase two one way tickets for 1.70 Euros each. For whatever reason only one ticket comes out, which seems odd but perhaps it’s for two people. Either way, we ride the next tram and everything went fine. It is loaded to the max though, like New York City during rush hour.
We take it four stops to the downtown area and immediately we see the difference in vibe. So many people are out and the area looks so much cleaner. This is how I expected Bordeaux to look.
Our first destination is Miroir d’eau. We’re excited to see this as there’s a water reflection that perfectly captures the adjacent building of Place de la Bourse, but quickly notice the water isn’t turned on. Perhaps it’s because it’s still April, I don’t know, but we may revisit this place in the coming days to make sure. It’s still a nice little area off the riverbank, and the wind is perfectly cooling us off as we stroll.
Not far away we come to Place des Quinconces (a landmark plaza from 1820). It’s currently overrun with antique tent shops, unfortunately. At the end there’s a monument (aux Girondins) that is pretty cool to view. We do have to wait a bit for some bike riders who decide to park right in front for about 5 minutes before we can take a clean picture.
With most of what we want to do accomplished, we find the Opera House nearby and figure this would be a nice filler to end the day. We walk in the entrance only to be told in French that it’s closed for tourist as they’re having an event. Another thing to revisit it appears.
Not wanting to stretch our bodies too thin, we decide to grab a bite to eat and head home. Our walk takes us back through old town, which is extremely overcrowded, and quickly find the restaurants are also very overpriced. So, we do the American thing and order McDonald’s Big Macs. Don’t judge us… you don’t know!
*Side note- smoking is still rampant in Europe, especially in France. It’s one thing to deal with it every now and then but to have people blatantly smoke in front of stores and windows, blocking the entry way with their filthy habit. It’s completely inhumane and disgusting. I’m sorry France, but I’ll never live here.
05/1/23- In Europe, May 1st is a national holiday (much like Labor Day). Not only are many stores and restaurants closed but apparently all modes of public transportation are non-existent in France. We find this out as we plan our day and realize a 35 minute walk to get to places would not be the best option.
We think about staying in to rest, but soon give way to the temptation of the weather as we make plans to walk the riverside. Our food supply is getting low, so will need to find food anyhow.
Leaving our AirBnb is like being in the Purge. We have to unlock 3 different bolts on the door, hold our nose to the aweful trash smell in the eleator and push several buttons to access the doors. On top of that the street out front has hardly any people around. The windows in our place also have heavy duty shades (storm shutters) that slowly come down with a hand crank, making a harsh noise with each rotation. I mean, we do feel secure so there’s that.
The wind is picking up making me feel like shorts perhaps isn’t the best option, but once at the river the sun warms us up. We walk the river up to Porte Cailhau (castle like archway built in 1495 and was once the main gate to the city). The price to go to the top was a bit much for what it was (5 Euros each) but it was decent enough to say we did it, and it does provide a view of the bridge.
Continuing on, we walk past Place de la Bourse and search for this hippo statue at Placette de Munich, but it’s nowhere to be found. We thought we missed it yesterday but it turns out it has been removed completely.
Our last place on the list is L’Intendant (which is a wine store that has a unique spiral staircase inside), but as almost everything today it’s closed for the holiday. Not to be discouraged, we find a quick bite to eat, check out a local grocery store (which was disappointing) and retreat back to our fall-out shelter for the night.
05/2/23- Back to our early morning schedule as we take the tram at 8:30am to meet up with our tour group. Today is wine tasting day, and we’re going to a tiny village called Saint Emilion (about a 45 minute drive from Bordeaux). It’s a small tour of 8 people in a Mercedes van, so the ride isn’t too bad.
We first go to a chateau vineyard called Franc Mayne. It’s called a chateau (meaning castle) not because it’s from the time of kings, but because it’s a do-it-all onsite vineyard (growing, producing, bottling, etc). The blue skies are beautiful today as the green vineyards pop in the sunlight, however, it is a bit chilly for me as I’m dressed in shorts and a shirt and the early morning is 50 degrees. Suppose to warm up soon so crossing fingers I don’t DIE first.
After a tour of the grounds and cellar, we continue our drive into the medieval town of Saint Emilion. Its bell tower stands tall amongst the rest of the city, giving off a picturesque setting. Much of the town is built of limestone from the Roman era with small, cobblestone streets stretching in all directions. There’s also a monolithic church that has an artistically painted wall (free of charge)
The entire town has approximately 300 people living in the city center, but 56 wine bars spread throughout. Go figure! We taste 6 wines at one of them (same makers of the vineyard we just came from) and for dry reds they aren’t that bad.
We roam around for half an hour before driving back to Bordeaux. It’s now 1pm and luckily our drop off point is right where we want to be. First up is the Opera House, which has been closed to the public for the last two days (unfortunately it’s still closed, but was able to get a picture of the staircase).
Across the street we enter the wine store L’Intendant (which is now open), and marvel at the large spiral staircase full of wine bottles that sell anywhere from 20 Euros to a few thousand Euros per bottle. I do get the French attitude as I enter asking if they do tastings of wine and the lady responds simply, “No”. Then stands there and does nothing.
The tram is just down the road and we take it 5 stops to La Cite du Vin. The building resembles a funky boot but suppose to be how wine swirls in a glass), so we definitely want to check it out. The price per person is 22 Euros though, which is quite a bit for an interactive wine museum with no tastings included, so we opt to just tour the bottom floor, check out their shop and enjoy glasses of wine in the dining hall (which I order all in French by the way).
It’s only 3pm but our day is coming to an end for us. We search for an Italian restaurant by our AirBnb but soon find they are only serving drinks right now. Every time we’ve tried to have a sit down meal here it’s been one closure after another due to Sunday, then the holiday and now siesta time. So we retreat home to eat and rest for the remainder of the day (not before seeing another tower under restoration *sigh*)
05/3/23- We bid goodbye to Bordeaux as we step outside our AirBnb to secure an Uber. Only problem is after several attempts, none show. Each one is over 7 to 10 minutes out and apparently won’t try to pick us up. We have to put “Plan B” in action which was dragging our luggage and heavy backpacks several blocks to the tram. At least it’s a bit chill outside and we make it to the train station with time to spare. Actually, we have extra time as it’s running ten minutes late.
We booked a bullet train to Paris (what normally would take 7 hours only takes 2 for the fast one), and arrive around 11am. Upon leaving the station, we find a good pickup spot and call another Uber when suddenly Sharece gets nailed in the head by bird poop. Somehow, she manages to stay cool and clean herself off with a wetwipe. Welcome to Paris!
Our hotel room is not ready (Hotel Le Close – Notre Dame), but they store our bags while we explore the city (which we are very thankful for). First up is Notre Dame Cathedral. It’s still closed to the public after the fire in 2019, but just to see it in person again was enough for us. Keep in mind we’ve been to Paris a couple of times, so this trip will mainly be a refresher course, and perhaps we’ll find new stuff to check out along the way.
Around the corner, we attempt to go to Sainte-Chappelle but the line is extremely long to get in. With the weather absolutely perfect, there’s no way we’re waiting a few hours for this. We skip by, walk through the Louvre (only the outside as we have no need to walk the museum again) and take the metro train to the Eiffel Tower.
Immediately, we see the difference from years past as there’s a glass wall around the tower forcing everyone to go through security checkpoints to enter. There is a fast line for those who don’t have a ticket to go up and only wish to walk the grounds, so that was pretty easy. Unfortunately, there are street vendors everywhere hacking their crap to tourists. One of them elbow bumped me as I tried to go around and when I confronted him he acted as if I was the one who pushed him. Realizing it’s a losing battle no matter how I react I carry on, but not before Sharece gets a few choice words in to the guy. I love her!
It’s now 4pm and we’re ready to check into our hotel. The metro takes us straight back where we rest for several hours, which is sorely needed, but once 8pm rolls around we venture out again. I’m so glad our hotel is literally a minute or two from Notre Dame as this Latin Quarter area is fantastic to be in.
We walk over Pont Neuf Bridge to the Louvre once more to catch the sunset through the triangle glass dome. This is an absolutely beautiful sight to see, so much so that we continue taking pictures and marveling over the view until dark.
Going the same route as before, we take the metro to the Eiffel Tower just in time to see it fully lit up, and at 11pm on the dot it sparkles in the night’s sky. Wow… I mean WOW! I love Paris at night time and this is proof.
We take a seat in our favorite viewing spot of the tower (across the Seine River at Trocadero) and listen to live music playing in front of us as we’re completely caught up in the moment. I wouldn’t mind staying here for hours, but midnight is approaching and the metro will stop running soon. With heavy hearts, we take the metro back to our hotel before our carriage turns back into an onion.
05/4/23- Due to the late night prior, we didn’t get to sleep until around 3am. Thankfully our hotel’s check-out isn’t until noon. They store our bags so we can go out for the day (as our train doesn’t depart until 7:07pm), and park ourselves at the Italian restaurant next door.
The food was pretty good as we shared a Prawn pasta meal, but nothing compared to what I have had previously. It fills us up just the same and gets us to a good start.
We take the metro (which is only a 3 minute walk away) to Montparnasse Tower. Mistakenly got the zone 1-3 day pass that cost us 5 more Euros each but whatever. We have to change trains, which we’re used to from New York, but both are delayed and don’t seem as efficient. We get there none-the-less around 1:15pm and head straight for the entrance. The top observatory on the 59th floor is closed for (guess it? It’s a theme) Renovations. They do have the restaurant open on the 56th floor to view from. If you think there was a discount, think again as the price was an exaggerated 18 Euros each. Very pricy but the 360 degree views are pretty decent, and got a great look at the Eiffel Tower.
With more to see, we search for the metro station to take us to Montmartre area but get turned around at the train station by the same stop name. We waste about 30 minutes but eventually find the correct station and take the metro 14 stops.
Once out of the train, we climb perhaps around 200 steps (all in a spiral fashion) just to get out of the metro station as the elevator is not working. Sharece almost dies half way through, I’m not kidding. Somehow, someway, we both make it to street level only to be met with even more stairs going up to the Roman Catholic church of Sacre Coeur. She dies again! This time, however, I order an Uber to take us as far up as we can go to make the journey easier.
The vibe at the top is entertaining as live music is playing at the stairs of the basilica with almost every step occupied by people. It’s a Thursday, what is everyone doing out of work and school? This is when it starts raining, but it only last about 5 minutes before the sun comes out again.
We go into the church to see the architecture and attempt to climb the stairs for the panoramic view, but Sharece put her foot down… literally. I’ve been here once before and am in no need of going up again without her, so we march down the steps for the metro back to our hotel (not before finding a house behind a hill that at the right angle appears to be sinking). Strangely, we notice armed guards walking the grounds as if patrolling. Not sure what this is about but machine guns are no joke.
Finally, we make it to our hotel around 5:40pm, change clothes, charge up our phones a bit and was about to relax when I notice the traffic to get to the train station changes from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Quickly, we get our stuff together and call an Uber (which took about 5 minutes before someone actually took the fare, leaving me in a mini cold sweat).
We get to the train station with 20 minutes to spare and luckily it’s not very problematic to navigate as we get to our train shortly after it arrives. We board the first cabin we see, find seats, plug in our phones and again start to relax when a man states we’re in his seat. I look at my ticket and he helps me locate our seat numbers, which is so small on the page that I didn’t even realize we had one. Wouldn’t you know it they’re actually just a few rows up in the same cabin. Man, we got lucky.
Four hours goes by pretty fast to get to Frankfurt, Germany. This is country #9 although technically we already passed through the train station before, but I don’t count that until now.
We get some sandwiches at the station and call an Uber. After getting in, I find that we have the wrong Sixt car rental place put in, and after trying to update the address, it didn’t go through. We are charged for that one block ride and have to pay cash for the correct one. I am able to only pay the difference as the Uber driver was super chill about it.
At the correct rental car place, I now realize that I reserved an “electric” vehicle, which is definitely not something I want to learn how to do in a foreign country. They allow me to switch to another for not much more and off we go. An hour later we make it to our AirBnb in Rudesheim, Germany.
05/5/23- Since we didn’t get in until after 1am, we have no plans on waking up early. Rain is in the forecast, but like all of the other places we’ve been, the sky opens up. We hurry to get ready soon after waking up and head out to explore Rudesheim am Rhein, Germany.
This is such a cute town with nooks and crannies everywhere. I do check up on our rental car to confirm the parking is okay and end up moving it to a better spot just in case.
We set off to the main part of town where the street is lined with wine stores, restaurants and souvenir places, but the charm of old town is ever present. Since the sky is so blue, we continue to the Rhine river and past the railroad tracks (which we have to duck under the railing to get through) and all we can do is hold hands and be thankful that we’ve made it this far on this journey.
As we head back through old town, we notice the skyway buckets going across the vast vineyards on the hill and quickly purchase round trip tickets to the top. The journey across is absolutely beautiful and Sharece couldn’t have looked happier as her giddiness seeps through. I love seeing her light up, especially after the hard day we had with the stairs yesterday.
At the top, there’s a large gazebo looking out over the vineyards and river below, and further up is the monument of Niederwald (built in the 1870s to celebrate the unification of Germany). The day is perfect as we walk along the edge and enjoy the subtle breeze.
We take the buckets back over to Rudesheim, do some souvenir shopping and enjoy fish and chips at a restaurant. The food is excellent and topped off with an alcohol infused dessert which they prepare right at the table. The only thing that is weird is the guy at the far end chain smoking. Bruh, I don’t need to leave a restaurant feeling like I just got out of a brothel.
With the rain starting, we go on the hunt for a grocery store and end up walking 18 minutes to find one. Of course we could’ve taken our rental car but what fun would that be? The first place was very Turkish and somewhat sketchy, but we find a good one a bit further. Now it’s rest time as we research our day for tomorrow.
Side note- Our AirBnb host are having a family get-together outside which is somewhat annoying. A little heads up would’ve been nice.
05/6/23- Only a few more days with Sharece on this trip as we start our sixth week of traveling. I’m going to miss her laughter and insight so much.
Our morning starts at 10am as we get to the dock and purchase tickets for the 11am cruise down the Rhine to Bacharach. It takes 1 hour as we thoroughly enjoy the nice weather, calm waters and the many castles perched on hilltops along the way. What a fantastic way to travel back in time with over 60 castles in view.
In Bacharach, we disembark and immediately ingest ourselves into the medieval German town. The streets are bare as I believe we may have missed the morning rush of tourist (especially for a Saturday), so we roam the town like we own the place, except for the cars that occasionally whiz by. There is a medieval reenactment going on so perhaps that's where everyone was.
There’s not much to the town at all but our next cruise boat is not until 3:15pm, so we travel just outside the city to a winery specializing in white German wines. We’re mainly interested in the sweeter Rieslings so we taste about 5 before settling on a bottle to buy.
Another attraction in Bacharach is Stahleck Castle, which is quite a hike to get to. Sharece stays back while I power through the stairs and incline to the top (which I don’t recommend after drinking wine). It’s a little bit disappointing but worth it for the most part and kills some time.
Our next cruise boat takes 45 minutes until it reaches the town of St. Goar. Now this place IS known for their castle (Rheinsfels Castle). It’s completely in ruins and very interesting to walk the grounds and again almost enjoy the place to ourselves. Luckily there’s a bus (3.5 Euros each) that takes us up the hill otherwise it would’ve killed our legs and timing. Unfortunately, the last bus going down is at 5pm and we don’t make that one with all the time we spend roaming the castle and seeing the views of the Rhine.
The decline is steep going back to town but only takes about 15 minutes before we’re in the heart. We take a few photos of the surrounding area but it’s not as picturesque as we’d like, so we continue down the road to catch a ferry boat across the river to St Goarshausen (which we barely make by the way), and buy train tickets to travel back to Rudesheim.
What a fantastic day it was and somehow the rain never really showed its ugly head. We got a great mixture of sunlight and breezes to compliment our journey, which kinda sums up our entire trip as well. The Rhine area has not disappointed us in the least and so glad we’re able to experience this.
05/8/23- Spent yesterday as a down-day as there wasn’t much more we had in mind to do. We woke up late and hit up some wine tastings around our area in the afternoon while it poured down rain. It’s been a grueling few weeks and felt good to just relax our heads and watch some shows.
I can’t say enough about this AirBnb as it was very accommodating, comfortable and truly felt like home for a bit. Our host is nice too as I met him yesterday while doing laundry.
This morning we also sleep in as our check-out time is not until 1pm. We pack our bags, get our rental car ready and drive 50 minutes to our next hotel (Holiday Inn Frankfurt Airport). The rain actually stops as we drop off our bags with the front desk (since our room isn’t ready yet) and continue to the downtown area to drop off our rental car.
Since the skies are opening up, we decide to hop on the tram (across the street) and take it 14 stops to New Old Town near Romerberg. At the first tram stop, 2 uniformed men get on and immediately start approaching people. It’s at this point when I realize I never bought tram tickets and wonder if that’s what they’re checking for. Weirdly enough, they only ask a few people on board (which I think they showed their IDs) and a few stops later the uniformed men get off.
We get to our stop and are eager to start wondering around the area (which was reconstructed from 2012 to 2018 in the style of pre-war German architecture). World War II devastated the original old town area and this project brought back that feel to the city. It's a truly unique view with the modern city buildings perched in the backdrop.
We wonder around a bit, seeing the bridge over the river and ducking into the cathedral (which was painted rose color on the inside) before finding a pastry shop to pick up a few items.
It’s now time to head back to our hotel, as there really isn’t much more in Frankfurt we are wanting to see, and call an Uber (which is 25 Euros). Upon arriving at the hotel, we’re able to skip the line since we checked in earlier and enjoy the rest of the evening in our nicely, upgraded room. Tomorrow, we have a very early morning flight out so going to need a lot of rest.
Side note- Sixt rental car is charging me 300 Euros for that flat tire we got in Portugal. I've already put in a dispute with our credit card company so we'll see how this ends up.
05/9/23- Ugh, a very early morning to catch our 8am flight to London. The hotel has a shuttle for 6 Euros each that gets us there around 6:15am.
Upon arrival, we locate our check-in gate only to find an automatic bag drop-off machine. We scan our boarding pass to get our bag tags, then place our bag in a tube that reads the tag and then it disappears into the floor. It is very simple so not complaining, but how interesting.
Next up, we go through security and then through customs before getting to our gate with an hour to spare. We sit just as I notice a small line at the boarding area. At first this concerns me as I think they’re checking Covid papers. “How is this still a thing”, races through my mind at a million miles per hour. I casually walk over and find it’s for the gate check-in, which is weird. Why would they check tickets and passports before boarding at the gate? Either way, we get our stamp of approval and 30 minutes later board the plane.
This is the most ghetto-flight I remember taking, with everything you can imagine that’s annoying going on at once. Is this a flight or did we just board the metro? There also is a delay as two passengers didn’t show up at the gate and they have to have their bags removed. Surprisingly, once the plane is in the air, all calms down and I’m able to sleep for much of the hour long flight.
In London, we go through passport control (no stamp needed, just use the electronic passport reader machine), get our bags and look for a way to get to Ibis Airport Heathrow. We contemplate using the bus which is 12 Pounds total (6 each), but soon find the taxi rank that takes us straight there for a total of 15 Pounds. A much better option. It's the black taxi with the large, open backseat that is very roomy.
It’s now around 10:20am and the hotel says we can check in early for 30 Pounds extra. We think about this for a moment when the clerk leans in and says “but if you wait 30 minutes it’ll only be 20 Pounds”. Happy with that solution, we pay the amount and then he hands us the room key. I ask, “Do I still have to wait the 30 minutes?” to his reply, “You already paid so enjoy the room.” What a nice guy.
Unfortunately, we get to the room and the a/c is not working properly. It’s blowing okay but the room is not cooling off, so we inform the front desk on our way out, asking them to check it out while we’re gone.
The journey to Central London is not a quick one, taking a bus and two underground connections to Westminster. The weather is partly sunny with some dark clouds in view, so hopefully the rain stays away for the time being.
Our walk takes us around Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey before we settle on a fish and chips restaurant nearby (which was excellent). London is pretty much how we remembered it as we relive old memories. What an awesome day this has turned out to be.
We go over our next destination when I notice we’ve never been to Piccadilly. The stroll takes us through Trafalgar Square, which is very lively, and gives us a great view of Buckingham Palace in the distance. The King was crowned just two days ago so there’s things left over from the ceremony still present.
This brings us to our final destination of Buckingham Palace. We didn’t figure that we’d see the Royal Family at all, but as we get closer we realize there’s a royal garden party with all types of people dressed up for the occasion coming out of the building. We decide to stick around for a bit and low-and-behold, Prince William and Kate are driven outside of the gates right by us. Wow! What crazy timing that is.
And this is when the rain begins to come down at a steady pace. Wouldn’t you know it, this is the exact time I get a message from my son, Kelvin, who is on a plane to meet up with me later today for the next phase of my trip. His plane to London was diverted to New York due to an emergency with a passenger and the soonest he can make it is tomorrow morning now. That still works, but is pushing it a bit close.
With part one of my trip now complete, we take the hour long journey back to the hotel and try to get some sleep for our flights out tomorrow. Our room is still warm, but they do bring us a fan that does help. I’ll definitely ask for a credit tomorrow.
END OF BLOG
