Lake Balaton, in the west of Hungary, is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Within an hour’s drive of Budapest, the lake attracts day-trippers and people after a short break. They come for the scenery, the water sports, the cycling, and to swim in the thermal baths at Heviz. We had another reason to come as well. Jan’s […]
Category: Digital Nomads
A Rainy Interlude in Zagreb
After experiencing the sights in Ljubljana while dodging the showers, our luck with the weather didn’t change when we got to Zagreb. But again, that didn’t stop us from getting out and about Croatia’s capital. With three nights, and two full days to explore, there were enough breaks in the rain to see all that the city offers. It seems […]
What a Beautiful Country Slovenia Is
Slovenia is a small country that has borders with Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Its location has meant it has been ruled by different empires over the centuries, each leaving its impressions. Above all, visitors to Slovenia are treated to some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable. In the north-west of the country, the Triglav National Park in the Julian […]
Catching Up With Family on the Croatian Riviera
The final stop on our northward journey through Croatia was Opatija, the gateway to Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula. As well as being a resort city on Croatia’s answer to the French Riviera, it is also home to some of Jan’s relatives. She last saw them in the early 1980s, so it was a nice reunion all these years later. Of course, […]
A Few Days Living In a Roman Emperor’s Palace
Our journey continued from Puglia, taking another overnight ferry across the Adriatic to the Croatian port city of Split. Most of the old city of Split is enclosed behind the walls of the palace of the Roman Emperor, Diocletian. Our apartment was inside the walls, so we spent a few days living in the remains of his palace. We really […]
A Ten Day Break in The Heel of Italy’s Boot
There has been a little delay in getting this post out, due to some glitches in the site’s email system. Chris quickly found himself out of his depth when he tried to fix it, but it is handy having a network engineer in the family (thanks Dom!). We seem to have resumed normal transmission, and are pleased we can share […]
Sun, Snow and Some Good Walking
As we travel south through Greece, and Spring approaches, we are seeing some warmer weather. This means our walking, mostly dormant for the last few months, can start again in earnest. Staying in Volos, we have great access to some of the best walking in Greece on the Pelion Peninsula. Volos is a lovely port city halfway between Thessaloniki and […]
Reaching for the Sky in Meteora
The monasteries at Meteora in central Greece are a UNESCO World Heritage Site that really has to be seen to be believed. Perched high atop giant sandstone pillars, or clinging impossibly to the side of a cliff, these monuments are incredible. The monks and nuns who have studied there over centuries really were trying to get closer to God. We […]
A Ten-Day Break in Thessaloniki
This post marks the end of our three months in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Eastern Europe, and back to commence our second 90-day block inside the Schengen Zone. There was a slight hiccup at the Greek border, when we thought for a moment that we were going to be denied entry, but it was resolved, and we made it to […]
A Quick Trip Through Northern Bulgaria
Our 90 days outside the Schengen Zone was drawing to an end, meaning we could enter Greece for the next part of our adventure. But we still had three days to fill in. Getting from the Romanian capital down to Greece’s second-biggest city, through Bulgaria, seemed to be easy enough. But there were some hurdles we hadn’t anticipated. We finished […]
Bucharest, Relics of Communist Extravagance
Bucharest is the capital of Romania. It is sometimes called The Paris of The East because of its grand buildings, arts and long, wide boulevards. Layered over its grandeur from the “belle-epoch”, the decades-long Communist period under hard line ruler Nicolae Ceaușescu saw the addition of architecture from the Socialist Realist style. Ceaușescu had grand plans to turn Bucharest into […]
The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
Tourists come to the North-Eastern corner of Romania for one reason, to see the sublime UNESCO-listed Painted Monasteries of the Bucovina Region. Although it’s a long way from the attraction in Transylvania, and less than 50 kilometres from the border with Ukraine, the effort to get here and back is repaid tenfold when these gorgeous structures are seen. Enjoy seeing […]
Cluj-napoca, Transylvanian Steampunk
Our travels through Romania continued northward to the de facto capital of Transylvania, Cluj-napoca. It felt a bit strange to be back in a big city after the relaxed environs of Brasov and the medieval towns of Sibiu and Sighisoara, dealing with busy streets and having to dodge pedestrians again. We did, however, adopt a rather relaxed pace for this […]
Two Lovely Little Medieval Towns in Transylvania
Our journey of discovery through Transylvania continues with visits to two cities that are on all the must-see lists for visitors to Romania. Sibiu and Sighisoara are each just a couple of hours on a train from Brasov, although each on a different main line. Negotiating the Cold War era train system that still operates in Romania introduced an added […]
A few Days in Dracula Country – Brasov, Transylvania
Following our fantastic New Year treat at The King’s lodge, we travelled back to the heart of Dracula Country, Brasov in Transylvania. Brasov is a smallish city with a compact old centre and plenty of opportunities for side trips. We were lucky to be there when the Christmas markets were still going, brightening up the city with their lights and […]
Christmas in Sofia, Bulgaria
We were hoping for a white Christmas at a skiing resort in south-western Bulgaria, but the European winter of 2022 has been unseasonably warm. So, there was a last minute change of plan. We spent a few days in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, including Christmas Day. Sofia is another lovely city, although the Christmas festivities weren’t very overt. The […]
Last Stop – Gallipoli and the ANZAC Tradition
Our time in Turkey is drawing to its end. Just one more place to visit before leaving this wonderful country. And what a place to finish with, the birthplace of the ANZAC tradition, Gallipoli. Accessed from the small coastal city of Canakkale, the major sites on the Gallipoli can be seen in a half-day tour. The stories we learnt when […]
The Adriatic Coast: Izmir and Ancient Ephesus
Our journey takes us back to the coast, further north, against the backdrop of the Adriatic. Izmir is one of the biggest urban centres in Turkey, and very much centred on local residents. While there are things for visitors to see and do, they are in the background of daily life. Thoroughly modern and very vibrant, this is a place […]
Another Geological Wonder in Turkey
After our restful stops in Antalya and Bodrum, we headed inland again to see another of the great attractions of Turkey, the white terraces of Pamukkale. Photos of the beautiful aqua pools against a pure white background feature prominently in all the tourist advertising for visitors to this country. When we saw them for ourselves, we weren’t disappointed. They really […]
Relaxation and Resorts on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast
Travelling south after our awesome visit to Cappadocia, it was time for some R&R at a couple of coastal resorts in Turkey. The first, Antalya, is a large city on the Mediterranean coast, the second, Bodrum, is a smaller resort city located where the Mediterranean meets the Aegean. After more than five months of moving about and doing lots of […]