Latvia

October 1, 2023May 17, 2024Leave a comment

CITY: Riga

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Cinnamon Sally’s hostel. Overall this is a fabulous hostel, but there was one major downside. First the good:

Super social & easy to meet people; organized social activities for the guests almost every day
Location was great – near the bus & train station, and only 10-15 min from Old Town. Grocery store across the street!
Bed was comfy, rooms were not cramped, & there were large lockers for your stuff.
Free breakfast that includes yummy fresh waffles! There were tons of toppings/spreads as well including my favorite: peanut butter!
A few different spots to sit with a computer and work or just chill & meet people.
Lots of volunteers & folks working so it was easy to get any questions answered.

Then the bad:

I found a bed bug in bed: When I went to bed at midnight, I felt something on my arm and grabbed it between my fingers in the dark. I thought “there’s no way it’s a bed bug but I’ll shine my phone on it anyway” Sure enough…. it was a bed bug 😦 Luckily it hadn’t bit me so I just killed it and went out to reception to get me a new bed. Here’s where I messed up, I let them give me a bed in the same bedroom
I woke up to more bed bugs: Cut to 2:30am and I wake up to me itching my arms…. I immediately fully wake up and grab my phone to shine the light, and yep there’s another bed bug scurrying around in my bed. I count 6 bites on my arms and back. Once again I kill it, but now there is now way I can go to bed. For one, the reception is now closed and two, I won’t even be able to sleep anyway. Now I get to begin the fun process of gathering all my things and going out to the common room to inspect every inch of every item to ensure no bed bugs got into my stuff. After much research about bed bugs, since this is the fourth time I have gotten them while traveling (1x in Naples, Italy in 2016, 1x in Gili T, Indonesia in 2020, 1x in Skopje, North Macedonia in Aug, and now Riga) and bed bugs don’t tend to carry any diseases so while the bites are itchy & annoying, it’s not that different than getting a bunch of mosquito bites. The thing you have to worry about is that they are incredibly difficult to get rid of and they are happy to hitch hike in your stuff all the way to your home (or wherever you are going next). Hence why it’s common to get them in hostels & hotels (since so many people are coming & going). Given this, after you find bed bugs, it’s incredibly important to ensure that they don’t continue on your journey with you , which inevitably means taking 1-2 hours to meticulously inspect your stuff and/or subjecting your bag to heat, since extreme heat or extreme cold are the only things that kill bed bugs. One technique often used by backpackers in hot places, is to put their bag in a black trash bag & leave it in the sun for a day or two. Well now you know way more than you want about bed bugs 🙂 Your welcome!!
All in all I don’t really blame hostels/hotels because they can do their best to keep bed bugs at bay, but travelers can just as easily bring them in. Given that, I don’t get mad at hostels for having bed bugs, but I certainly judge them based on how they handle the aftermath. I would give this hostel a 7/10 in their response. They ultimately gave me a refund on the night, free laundry & a new bed in a new room for my final night, but they were a little slow to agree to it and seemed to be slightly skeptical that I’d actually had bedbugs, even though I had photos… Definitely some room for improvement on how they treated me, especially since I’d had 2 hours of sleep!

Weirdly enough, I would still recommend this hostel but I probably can only give it a 7/10 because of the bed bug situation.

WHERE TO EAT:

The hostel had a delicious free breakfast in the morning so I would fill up on that and then I cooked at the hostel for dinner 🙂

WHAT TO DO:

As always, I headed out on the free walking tour my first day there. I wrangled two Germans from the hostel into joining me and after the walking tour, we grabbed some snacks & headed to one of the many beautiful parks to soak up the sun.

I did a day trip to Sigulda to visit the Castle, do some walking in Gauja National Park, and see the highest and widest cave in the Baltics.

Lastly don’t miss Riga Central Market, Europe’s largest market & bazaar. It’s over 72,000 square meters (778,000 square feet), featuring more than 3,000 stands.

While I didn’t have time for it, another great option for a day trip is Jūrmala to visit the beach!

I also joined a gym that was nearby the hostel because they had a 3 day trial for 10 euros 🙂

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Riga is a very approachable city with clean streets, and a healthy mixture of old & new architecture. It was easy to get around and the parks were a dream. I met a few folks that had visited Riga and then never left, so it does seem to have something about it 🙂

BUDGET FOR 3 DAYS IN Latvia:

Accommodation: $71 ($24 per night) but I did get $24 back because of the bed bugs.

Food: $0

Groceries: $37

Activities: $6

Health: $10 (gym)

Local Transportation: $11

Total: $133 (Daily average: $44)

Transportation to next destination: $128 (Flight to London)

Lithuania

September 22, 2023May 17, 2024Leave a comment

CITY: Vilnius

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Jimmy’s Jump House. Overall great hostel! Location was very central to Old Town. Rooms were spacious enough. Had a good common room to hang out in with a tiny bar, but it was fairly quiet when I was there. The owners were incredibly kind & thoughtful. 8/10.

WHERE TO EAT:

Vilnius had so many fun restaurants to check out!

Bull dog burgers– I have been making an effort to get more iron into my diet so I had a burger from here my first night in Vilnius. T’was delicious. I ate outside, which was great for people watching until it started to rain. Luckily I had just about finished my meal so paid & headed back to the hostel.

Crustum– I wanted to try some local desserts so I stopped by Crustum, which was one of the few dessert places still open at 10pm when I began my search. I tried two desserts, and admittedly I didn’t think either was that good. Šakotis (tree cake) was fairly boring & bland tasting. I would say the same for Žagarėliai. But I’m glad I tried them.

Holy donuts– wow this place was 10/10 for me. It goes without saying that their donuts were incredible…. I may have had a few to test different flavors 🙂 But, they also had a yummy alll day breakfast menu. I had been craving some breakfast sandwiches, french toast, and, you guessed it, smoothie bowls so this place delivered. They also had a location in Kaunas (my next stop) so I had some meals at that spot as well. I literally went over 5 times in my 5 days in Lithuania – whoops!!

Rosehip vegan bistro– This reminded me of Wildseed back in SF. Really fresh, colorful, delicious vegan food, that doesn’t even seem vegan. Definitely recommend a stop here.

Etno Dvaras – Lithuanian food is known for being very potato based! So I obviously had to try their traditional potato dumplings, called Cepelinai.

Pirmas blynas – Rated one of the highest rated restaurants in Vilnius, it’s located in the bottom of a church and is a socially responsible business that employs folks with all different types of developmental differences. Has a focus on pancakes so it wasn’t a hard sell for me 🙂

WHAT TO DO:

I did a walking tour, which gave me some background on the city. They recommended climbing to the top of the Medininkai castle & the St. John’s Church Bell Tower at the university for great views of the city – so I did both of those.

Vilnius seemed to have a great food & bar scene. I had so many spots that I wanted to try. I also did a day trip to Trakai, which is a well-preserved historical village with more than 5 000 residents, and includes a castle located on an island. It’s one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country with a million visitors each year. I just took a bus from Vilnius (about an hour). Very easy day trip.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I loved the food scene here! I mean a cuisine that is centered around potatoes is right up my alley. Also it was a fun city to just explore on foot. Super safe, clean, & bustling with locals enjoying the last bit of summer.

CITY: Kaunas

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Monk’s Bunk Kaunas. It was the week after universities had started back up so it was fairly quiet. I ended up having a 4 bed dorm room to myself two of the three nights I was there. I think if it had been full, it would’ve been a pretty fun hostel. Decent kitchen facilities. Beds were comfortable! Location was right on the main walking street in the new part of town and it was a lovely 15 min walk to Old Town. Definitely recommend staying here. 9/10

WHERE TO EAT:

Habits bakery– Absolute divine bakery near the church where the walking tour started. Croissant was so flakey and buttery!

Holy donut – Visited the Kaunas location obviously. I just loved this place.

Soul – Nice little spot near the main square. Reasonably priced for being in a touristy bit of town.

Talutti’s – After a 10 mile run that morning, I decided to treat myself to a nice little dessert. Except I accidentally ordered a not so little ice cream sundae. But don’t worry I happily finished it. This place had an incredible assortment of ice cream dessert options. AND they had peanut butter so I was thrilled.

Angolo Italiano – Best gelato in Kaunas.

WHAT TO DO:

I used my time to here to chill & eat delicious food. I did the walking tour + focused on just walking around the new & old town. I also went on three 7 mile + runs which allowed me to explore the river front & some different parks. There are a few day trips that you can do, but I chose to stay in Kaunas the whole time. I also caught up with so many friends since I didn’t really meet anyone at the hostel.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed just meandering this sunny, but cooler-temperatured city. It felt clean, manageable, & not touristy at all. I barely heard any English. Fabulous! Truly Lithuania was a complete pleasant surprise. It reminded me of a mixture of Poland, Austria & Switzerland. I would be quiet happy to live here!

BUDGET FOR 5 DAYS IN Lithuania:

Accommodation: $105 ($21 per night)

Food: $159

Activities: $15

Local Transportation: $16.50

Total: $305 (Daily average: $61)

Transportation to next destination: $13 (Bus to Latvia)

Bulgaria

September 14, 2023June 26, 2024Leave a comment

CITY: Sofia

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Hostel N1 and it was such a strange vibe. It’s known as the Rules hostel because on their site, it lists all the VERY STICT rules you must adhere to. Despite this, it has great reviews so I decided to give it a go. The rules that were listed, in general, were reasonable. No drinking at the hostel, quiet hours MUST be respected, no outside guests, etc. Overall, it’s like I can’t complain about it because the hostel was clean, safe, beds were comfy, and the kitchen was well stocked. But there were two main issues I had. None of the staff, including the owner, spoke English. Obviously while traveling I encounter folks who don’t speak English, which is completely fine given I am the one in their country where they don’t speak English. However, when you are running a tourist establishment like a hostel, it was very bizarre to have to communicate via Google translate all the time. I also would say they weren’t the friendliest volunteers & workers I have ever encountered. In the end, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it did contribute to a weird atmosphere, which takes me to the second point. Because of all the rules (even though they weren’t unreasonable), I think everyone in the hostel felt like they were walking on eggshells all the time, which led to further weird vibes in the hostel. It just didn’t end up being all that social, & when I finally did have a group of folks eating in the common room with me around 9pm, we were told to be quiet multiple times (even though quiet hours weren’t until 10pm). Like I said, it just was a weird vibe overall. Not warm & friendly. The one friend I made & I concluded that if you are an introvert, this might be your dream hotel! Regardless, I don’t think I would stay here again. 5/10 (since the facilities were still pretty good & the location was great).

WHERE TO EAT:

Boom Burgers and Booze – I have been trying to mix in more red meat into my diet since the anemia diagnosis. This spot did not disappoint! Burger was delicious and the fries were some of the best I have ever had.

Keba – I don’t normally have bars to recommend because I never go out, but Alex (new British friend from the hostel) convinced me to get a drink with her. I am a sucker for twinkly lights and this bar was full of them. Such a cute spot!

WHAT TO DO:

In continuing my kick for trying to remain active on the trip, I decided to join a gym in Bulgaria, which was kinda fun. The gym had locations in each of the cities I was going to so it was perfect. It was only $90 for the month (and since I was in Bulgaria for 12 days, it was a daily cost of $7.5) so I was pretty happy. I think I went about 12 times so it ended up being incredibly worth it.

I did a walking tour and it was pretty interesting learning about the incredibly long history of Sofia and how it was under so many different regimes/empires of the centuries. It’s incredible how all around the city, you can still see the different layers. You’ll see ruins from the first settlements, with the roman empire layer on top of that, then the Soviet buildings on top, and modern buildings next door. They shared that every time the city tries to build a new subway line or dig deep for a new building, it gets very delayed because they inevitable find more ruins and have to stall building to deal with it. Pretty cool!

I also did a day trip with 4 other solo travelers from the hostel to do the Rila Monastery + 7 Lakes hike. I originally wasn’t going to do it, but Alex had signed up so I extended my stay at the hostel one night so I could join her. I am so glad I did! Definitely a highlight from Bulgaria. The monastery was beautiful but obviously the hike was the more exciting part. WOW OH WOW did I miss the mountains. It felt so incredibly good to be in the crips mountain air, hiking past beautiful lake after beautiful lake. Even just eating a sandwich on the trail felt like a bit of home (aka like being at my cabin in Tahoe). There was also just this really lovely vibe around going hiking with 4 other solo female travelers (representing the US, Australia, Germany & the UK) who otherwise wouldn’t have met. It was one of those moments where I am really grateful I get to do what I’m doing.

Starting the hike with a chairlift to the trailhead

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I really liked Sofia! I honestly felt like I could live there. It was so easy to walk around, felt incredibly safe, and had a real charm to it. Also helps that it’s so cheap.

CITY: Plovdiv

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

This had to be one of my favorite hostels I have stayed at: Hostel Old Plovdiv. When I arrived they had my name on the whiteboard welcoming me! Then they promptly told me to drop my stuff and head outside in the backyard with them to hear about the hostel & Plovdiv over their homemade lemonade. It was so cute & sweet. The building was incredibly old and it was decorated to maintain its antique vibe. No bunkbeds – all the beds were cool old Victoria looking beds. Cozy atmosphere and it was very easy to meet people. I actually ran into a girl I had met in Kosovo a few weeks prior. Beds were comfy, AC in the room, breakfast was available for a few euros, & location was great. 9/10 would stay again.

WHERE TO EAT:

Rahat Tepe – this spot was recommended by the hostel for some good local Bulgarian food with a view. On a beautiful sunny day that was a bit cooler, it would be great to to sit outside at this restaurant. Unfortunately when we went, it was SO hot outside so we sat inside near a window, which luckily meant we still got a pretty good view overlooking Plovdiv. Food was great + service was lovely.

Green Library– As per usual I am always on the hunt for a smoothie bowl in these hot months. Green Library had a few fabulous smoothie bowls to choose from and I tried a few since I managed to drag friends from the hostel and we split two both times I went.

Savi– Delicious gelato! They even had a peanut butter flavor 🙂

WHAT TO DO:

Plovdiv is a very pleasant town to just explore on foot. I did a walking tour but honestly it was so hot and the guide wasn’t great that I ended up bailing half way through. Given the heat, we decided we needed to find an activity that was indoors & in air conditioning so we landed on going to a movie. I ended up seeing Barbie for the 3rd time – and still LOVED it 🙂

It’s fun walking around the old town, but I liked the Kapana area better. Really cute walking streets and it has a fun, bohemian, trendy vibe. I also found a woman wearing the same dress as me! We got so much joy out of the exchange and chatted for about 30 min 🙂

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Other than the heat, I loved Plovdiv. Overall just a cute city to walk around and enjoy.

CITY: Burgas

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

Despite being a major city on the Bulgarian seaside, there were no hostels. Very strange. I ended up deciding to just book an apartment with two twin beds. An Aussie I met in Plovdiv joined me for two of the three nights so that helped lower the higher cost of the apartment. It was so nice to be able to cook and spread out my things a little.

WHERE TO EAT:

I mostly cooked while in Burgas! Such a treat 🙂

WHAT TO DO:

Burgas is a seaside town so the main activity is to head to the beach! I enjoyed walking along it for an afternoon, maybe with an ice cream cone in my hand 🙂

Beyond that, there are many cute smaller towns that are worth day tripping to. Dan (the Aussie) and I headed to Nesebar, with our one day together. It’s an easy one hour bus ride away. Nesebar is an UNESCO ancient city (dating back to 6th century BC), referred to as the “Pearl of the Black Sea. Lots of cool ruins & a beautiful little beach for a dip in the sea. Sometimes it’s hard to go swimming while being a solo traveler since you don’t have anyone to watch your stuff, so it was a treat to be with Dan. We took turns taking our first ever swims in the Black Sea!

Sozopol is another great day trip option, but I didn’t have time to get there this trip.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Burgas itself didn’t blow me away. Felt like a bigger city with minimal charm, but it just happens to be near the sea so it becomes a “destination”. In hindsight, I would’ve rather stayed in a cuter smaller seaside town.

CITY: Sveti Vlas

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I had planned to head to Varna as my final stop in Bulgaria, but after realizing that it was just another big seaside town AND ironically, even more importantly, there was no gym location there, I decided to go Sveti Vlas (I did a cross search of where gym locations were near the beach haha). Sveti Vlas is just past Sunny Beach (a very touristy beach town), so I liked that Sveti Vlas was a slightly more chill option. Once again, there were no hostels, but coming off the apartment, I was inspired to just do another stay like that. This airbnb was PERFECT. It was part of a resort complex, so there was a pool & restaurant (but I just cooked the whole time because the kitchen was so fabulous). The place had a laundry machine which was a treat. Most importantly it was a 5 min walk to the gym & 7 min to the beach. It felt like a mini staycation, but in a resort town. So kinda like a vacation, but I am in the middle of long vacation so who even knows what’s happening hahaha.

WHERE TO EAT:

I cooked the whole time so no recommendations.

WHAT TO DO:

Go to the beach 🙂

I spent a lot of time catching up with friends over FaceTime, going to the gym, reading by the pool, cooking & doing trip planning since that is never ending haha.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I am not sure I can really speak to Sveti Vlas since I almost just treated it as regular life, which meant I didn’t explore too much. But overall I adored my time here. A much needed rest!

BUDGET FOR 12 DAYS IN BULGARIA:

Accommodation: $487 ($40.50 per night)

Food: $124

Groceries: $137

Activities: $68

Health: $100 (gym membership)

Local Transportation: $140

Total: $1,072 (Daily average: $89)

Transportation to next destination: $178 (Flight to Lithuania)

Kosovo

August 19, 2023September 5, 20231 Comment

CITY: Pristina

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Oda Hostel – overall a very good, basic hostel. Probably the best bet in Pristina, but nothing overly special about it. There was an area with couches that we used late at night to listen to a bunch of folk songs & singalong to them. The bed had curtains + a plug + a light. Bathroom ensuite. Good location + wifi was decent. Not overly social outside the room, but luckily I met a fun trio from the UK when I arrived in my room so had a blast exploring with them the entire time we were in Pristina.

Where to eat:

I swear to god every restaurant & cafe in Pristina was so flippin’ cute. I wanted to go inside each one. Fairy lights were everywhere and the insides were so adorable & cozy. Our favorite dinner spot was Soma Book Station. Food was so yummy, but cheap. Felt like a fancy meal but us backpackers could easily afford it haha.

The star of the show was Green + Protein. As we all know, I am in constant search of smoothie bowls and this place delivered. They also just had so many yummy (mostly) vegetarian options, between salads, bowls, wraps, and more. We went here probably 5 times hehe.

What to do:

After doing so much sightseeing the previous few weeks, I had planned to have a chill couple days in Kosovo and go see Barbie!! Randomly the British trio also independently suggested doing this, so I extended my stay in Pristina so we could all go together the next day. The main “site seeing” thing the boys wanted to do was go see the Bill Clinton statue haha. We took our photos before heading to the mall to see Barbie. With some time to kill, we grabbed food, did some window shopping, and went bowling. Barbie was INCREDIBLE and I am obsessed. Beyond that, it was incredibly lovely to have what felt like a very normal weekend that didn’t look all the different to what I might do at home.

Overall Thoughts:

While the city isn’t the most beautiful and there isn’t much “to do,” I really enjoyed walking around. In the evenings, the city really comes alive (after the heat subsides a bit) and everyone is out at cafes soaking up catching up with friends. Also, the restaurant scene was wayyyyy better than I imagined it would be. Lastly, English was widely spoken & I was incredibly impressed. It made it very easy to travel here.

CITY: Prizren

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

Ura Hostel – definitely stay here while visiting Prizren! It’s a delightful hostel with excellent facilities. Beds had a curtain, personal plug, & shelf for all your stuff. Rooms were very quiet & there was AC. Lots of cute spots to sit & read or socialize in the common areas. I didn’t cook so can’t speak to the kitchen facilities. Wifi wasn’t the best, but I was able to make a few calls.

Where to eat:

Noja Kuhzine – I ate here both dinners. It might be one of my favorite restaurants of the trip!!! Unbelievably delicious local, fresh vegetarian food. It is a crowd favorite for good reason. The chef came out and offered us something not on the menu since folks in our group had already tried everything on the menu. SO fun and cool. I could keep going, but basically if you ever find yourself in Prizren, just go here.

Cheesy pasta + Cheesy French Toast – can’t explain how good both were

Best Ocakbasi– I had a decent breakfast here. Tried the local breakfast special. Nice, big restaurant with good people watching.

Gazza – Came here for some dessert with some people from the hostel. They had yummy waffles + juices + good wifi. Also when we walked in they handed us sparkles and cranked the music to celebrate Americans visiting their store. Pretty fun!

What to do:

The main two things to do are stroll around the main part of the old town + head up to the old fortress for sunset. The rest of my time here I used to catch up on my blog + call some friends 🙂

Overall Thoughts:

Prizren is definitely the cuter of the two largest cities in Kosovo. I really enjoyed its charming walking streets and the views from the fortress. Overall a very small lovely stop on my Eastern European tour. Highly recommend coming to Prizren if you are in Kosovo!

BUDGET FOR 4 DAYS IN Kosovo:

Accommodation: $49 ($12.25 per night)

Food: $72

Activities: $18

Local Transportation: $20

Miscellaneous: $13

Total: $173 (Daily average: $43)

Transportation to next destination: $10 (Bus to North Macedonia)

Serbia

August 15, 2023September 5, 2023Leave a comment

CITY: Belgrade

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Balkan Soul Hostel and it was a pretty great hostel. Fabulous location (15 min walk to the bus station, 5 min walk to old town + main walking street with restaurants + shops). The beds were comfy + had storage lockers underneath the bunk beds. Downstairs there was a a kitchen + common area to hang out in. Each night, the hostel organized something for everyone to participate in. One night was a home cooked meal with traditional Serbian food (super yummy) and another night they took us to some silos turned into a bar.

Where to eat:

The star of the show was Ice Box. They had ice cream + toppings but you do the toppings yourself and pay by weight (just like a froyo place). AKA this was my dream. Toppings at ice cream shops are few and far between in Europe so I literally was a kid in a candy store haha. I obviously went twice (the only reason I didn’t go all three nights was their power was out on my second night there due to all the crazy storms).

Acai Mania was also a hit. I had two delicious smoothie bowls from here.

I didn’t have time to go to Milky, but I wish I had tried this dessert/crepe spot!

What to do:

I did the typical things I do when arriving to a city: walking tour + walk around the main part of old town. Nothing felt overly special about Belgrade if I am honest. Some may feel different, but it just didn’t speak to me. There was a cool fortress over the city, which is good for sunset.

My favorite thing I did was take a day trip to Novi Sad. It was an easy 50 min train ride (and the train was high quality) and immediately I fell in love with the Old Town there. The streets & buildings were bursting with color and I just thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I took myself out to a fun brunch spot called Vida, found a bench in a park to spend an hour reading my book in the shade, and drank some lemonade along the famous street called The Dunavska Street, enjoying the people watching. I wish I had spent one night here instead of spending all three nights in Belgrade.

Overall Thoughts:

I think it’s clear that Belgrade wasn’t my favorite. Consider spending time in Novi Sad vs Belgrade. I don’t think I need to visit Belgrade again in my life.

CITY: Bajina Bašta

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Mystic River House and it was a perfect base for exploring Tara National Park and it’s located a 10 min walk away from the center of Bajina Basta, which is cute for dinner. The hostel was cosy & basic. The backyard with hammocks and seating areas was fabulous. Easy to meet people because it’s a small hostel. I would stay here again. The owners are generous & kind. They organized day trips & activities for the guests.

Where to eat:

I didn’t eat anywhere notable. I mostly grabbed stuff on the go from bakeries & grocery stores, but there are some restaurants in town if you are here. Bajina Basta is definitely less touristy

What to do:

The main attraction is Tara National Park & Drink River, which is the border between Bosnia & Serbia. You either need a car to explore the park or if there is enough people/interest, the hostel will organize for one of the workers to take you around the park. I was lucky enough to have two Polish guys & a guy from India join me on the day trip. We explored different lakes, view points, a walks, before finishing with a swim! It’s gorgeous!

I also spent one morning kayaking down the Drina River with a guide (turns out he is a semi-professional kayaker and it cost me $30 to have him take me 🙂 ) & we finished with the famous Drina River house. Talk about lakefront views!! It was insanely peaceful and we saw no one else on the river. It was also so interesting seeing the wreckage that still is visible on the Bosnian side (from the Bosnian War).

Overall Thoughts:

Tara National Park was definitely the highlight of my time in Serbia. It was so lovely to get into some nature after being in cities for so long. It was a treat to go swimming in a lake! If you visit Serbia, don’t miss it. Serbia wasn’t my favorite spot, but I am glad I got to experience a taste of it, since I realistically might not be here again.

BUDGET FOR 5 DAYS IN Serbia:

Accommodation: $94 ($18.80 per night)

Food: $73.42

Activities: $59

Local Transportation: $23

Miscellaneous: $28

Total: $276 (Daily average: $55)

Transportation to next destination: $19 (Bus to Kosovo)

Romania

August 2, 2023October 27, 2023Leave a comment

CITY: Cluj-Napoca

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Retro Hostel, which is located on a quiet pedestrian street about a 5 min walk from the main square in old town. Overall it was a decent hostel, and I think it’s the best option in Cluj. Good wifi, beds had their own socket + light, and there were lockers in the room. Kitchen was pretty small, but if you wanted to cook something you could. Biggest issue is that there wasn’t really a common area to facilitate meeting other people. Luckily I still managed to meet people by cornering them in the small kitchen 🙂

Where to Eat:

Eggcetera – definitely a must visit. Food was delicious and beautiful! I went twice and both times had a line out the door, but luckily the wait wasn’t more than 20 min each time.

/Form Cafe– I stumbled upon this restaurant the first night I arrived and while I was looking at the menu outside, I noticed a couple waving at me like I knew them. However, given I had only been in Romania about 2 hours at this point, I was quite confused as to how anyone would be waving at me. Upon further investigation, it was the couple who had given me advice on the bus system outside the airport! They invited me to sit down and down them for a drink + food. So fun to have this random run in and it quickly reminded me why I love travel so much!

Roata– The aforementioned couple told me that the dessert I must try before I leave was Papanasi. Given this, while on a walking tour, I asked the guide where I might find the best Papanasi in town. He recommended us to try his favorite restaurant. He had recently celebrated his birthday at this spot. Roata didn’t disappoint. Delicious traditional Romanian food. I went with a German friend I met at the hostel and we tried the Polenta with cheese & pork cracklings as well as the Venison goulash stew. Of course we finished with some Papanasi, which kind of like a donut with sweet cheese + jam.

What to do:

My favorite thing to do was just walk around all the lovely streets in the old town. Most don’t have cars, which makes it especially pleasant. Fabian (friend from the hostel) & I also took a walking tour, which was mildly interesting (wasn’t the best one I had been on). A visit to the Botanical Gardens are a must. My morning runs through Parcel Central were also lovely. Obviously a daily ice cream was also important.

The best thing we did was rent a car to explore the countryside. Fabian and I spent two days exploring the following:

Salina Turda– Part mine, part amusement park. It’s pretty wild. Basically it’s an old salt mine that’s been turned into somewhat of an amusement park. There’s a ferris wheel, a lake with row boats, ping pong tables, & mini golf. You read that right: all that 120m under ground.
Turda Gorge – beuatiful nature reserve. The canyon, formed through the erosion of the Jurassic limestone of the mountain, is 2,900 m long and the walls have heights reaching 300 m. Nice to be able to walk under some trees along a river for a bit. On the drive here, we didn’t see many trees.
Sighișoara – a lovely UNESCO old town in Transylvania. A great day trip from Cluj. It’s not huge, so doesn’t require an overnight stay, but you certainly could spend a night here.
Alba lulia – cool old Roman fortress and it used to be the capital of Transylvania.

Overall Thoughts:

Cluj will always have a special place in my heart. It was the perfect mixture of lovely runs in the morning, meandering the old town streets in the afternoons in search of ice cream, and using the rental car to go on some adventures in the countryside. If you are ever in Romania, Cluj is a must see.

CITY: Sibiu

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Pangeea Hostel, which is located right off the main square in town – sweet! The hostel itself is nothing to write home about, but it does the job. At $15 per night, I can’t complain too much. It’s quite a small hostel, which I usually like, but there haven’t been too many people to meet as a result. Basic bed, shower & kitchen, but wifi seems to work fairly well. Location can’t be beat, but I might look at other options if I were to come back.

Where to Eat:

Urban Food – Located on a nice little square, it was lovely to sit out front and enjoy the warmth of the day. Food wasn’t anything special, but they had a huge menu so it was nice to have a bunch of different options to choose from.

Lumos – Yummy food + great vibes (hey the sign even said so!). I loved eating here and spent a whole afternoon working on my computer. Lovely, lovely spot!

Meron– Adorable coffee shop and was great to work at while on my computer. Had a yummy iced chocolate while here.

What to do:

I was pretty tired after all the activities in Cluj, so I mostly used my time here to chill. I went on some long runs in Dumbrava Sibiului Natural Park & spent my afternoons in cafes planning more of my trip + updating this blog! It is a perfectly sized town to spend a leisurely few days. I loved wandering through the streets, basking in the warm sun.

Overall Thoughts:

I really liked that all that I “needed” to do while here was explore town. It lifted any pressure of needing to run around and see everything. I thoroughly enjoyed just hanging out and not doing much of anything. Sibiu is very beautiful and I loved seeing all the funny windows that look like eyes, known as the “Eyes of Sibiu“

CITY: Brașov

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

Zozo Hostel: Wow – this is an incredible hostel from start to finish! The whole hostel has a beautiful Scandinavian mets cabin vibe (does it get better than that?!) and the beds are so comfy. Best part, no bunk beds and the room is so quiet. Randomly there are two queen beds in the 8 bed room (the other 6 are twin beds) and I magically got the queen beds (hallelujah – what a treat). The hostel also has 5 cute little pods in the back that sleep 2 people. This makes for a very small, cozy atmosphere where everyone gets to know everyone. The backyard also has 3 hammocks, which were lovely in the afternoon to be under some tress away from the heat. Also, there was a free breakfast each morning. While it is slightly far from the main part of town, it’s an easy 20ish min walk or 10 min bus ride.

Where to Eat:

Antreu Focaccerie– This place has the best sandwiches. Holy moly! I got a raclette + prosciutto sandwich and it was divine.

Restaurant Sergian a – Went to dinner with 7 others from the hostel after a walking tour. It’s very close to the main square and serves traditional Romanian food. Great atmosphere + delicious food.

What to do:

There’s so much to do in Brașov. It’s the most visited area of Romania!

Visit Bran castle – While admittedly it’s a slightly underwhelming castle, there’s no way you can go to Transylvania and not see Bran Castle haha. Bran Castle is famous for allegedly spawning the original vampire legend of Count Dracula. but the author of Dracula never actually visited Romania, let alone the castle. We did spend the extra $3 to go through the torture exhibit which was was pretty cool (& CREEPY)

Peles Castle – I actually did not have time to go, but this is supposed to be a far more impressive (albeit less famous) castle in the region.
Piatra Craiului National Park – did a small hike here

7 Ladders Canyon– Easy to get a bus ride to the trailhead and then head up through the forest for a beautiful hike. For ~$10 you can then climb through the canyon through, you guessed it, 7 ladders!

Hike to the top of Muntele Tâmpa – you can either hike (not a necessarily an easy hike as it’s steep and it was so hot when we were there) or you can take a cable car up! Definitely get to the top as it provides stunning views of Brașov below.

Overall Thoughts:

Brașov was a delight! Between meeting fun people at the hostel, there being lots to do, all in the setting of a cute town, I really enjoyed my visit here! Brașov is a must on any visit to Romania!

CITY: Bucharest

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at T5 Social and overall it was a great hostel! Walking distance to old town (15 min), but in a quiet neighborhood. The beds had curtains, personal plugs for charging & the beds were very comfy. I slept great! The best part, however, is the backyard. It’s part bar/part hangout area. Locals mix in with the travelers to create a very social atmosphere. Between hammocks, picnic tables & comfy floor cushions, there were plenty of spots to chill & meet people. If you find yourself in Bucharest, this is the place to stay (but just make sure to book ahead because it’s always full!).

Where to Eat:

I ate at the hostel mostly with groceries I picked up, but I did manage to find a smoothie bowl spot (very on brand haha). Rio Juice Dorobanti was delicious!

What to do:

Given I had just blown through the rest of Romania at a fairly fast clip, I was a little burnt out when I arrived to Bucharest. That coupled with the fact that Bucharest just felt like a large slightly run down Western capital & the insane heat, I wasn’t all that motivated to “do” much.” The two main things I did was walk around a park that had a lot of random sculptures (including one for Michael Jackson) and walked around Old Town. Neither blew me away.

The only thing I can absolutely recommend and that I truly enjoyed was visiting Therme!! This is the largest spa in Europe and it delivers. I felt like a kid in a candy store! There were so many different pools, big & small, of all different temperatures. There were indoor pools & outdoor pools. There were water slides. There were over 10 different themed saunas, including the Hollywood sauna, which was showing a nature documentary inside. There were over 5 restaurants. I only spent 4 hours here and wish I could’ve spent the whole day. Best part: one day admission to the whole facility is ~$32!!!! Run, don’t walk here 🙂

Overall Thoughts:

I feel like it’s obvious, but I wasn’t blown away by Bucharest. I feel like Romania really shines in its quaint small towns so focus your time there vs Bucharest.

BUDGET FOR 13 DAYS IN Romania:

Accommodation: $287 ($22 per night)

Food: $225

Groceries: $60

Activities: $147

Local Transportation: $110

Other: $20

Total: $846 (Daily average: $65)

Transportation to next destination: $63 (Flight to Serbia)

Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

July 22, 2017July 28, 2017Leave a comment

My time in Mostar 🙂

The famous bridge in Mostar

Walking around Mostar

City: Mostar

How Long: 3 nights

Accommodation:

I stayed at Hostel Miran and it was incredible!! The host, Miran, was an incredibly nice man who was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the region, as he had grown up there and actually lived through and fought in the Bosnian War. I learned so much from him. The hostel had small lockers in each room to store valuables but not big enough to store your whole bag, but I found everyone at the hostel to be very friendly and nice so I wasn’t worried about anyone stealing stuff from my bag. There was free breakfast and often at night Miran would BBQ so there was a free dinner sometimes. They also offered a great tour of the region. Highly recommend this place!!

Where to eat:

This place had free breakfast and sometimes free dinner so I mostly utilized that, BUT the hostel did recommend Hindin Han and I ended up going twice! Once just with Sam, and then once with Sam and three Germans we met on Miran’s tour (more on that in the next section!). Hindin Han was in the middle of the city center overlooking a small stream and was very cheap! Awesome food and alcohol selection.

Accidentally ordered Rakia, which is a rum made in the Balkans. Ranges from 40% alcohol to 90% alcohol. It was quite strong!

SO MUCH FOOD

What to do:

Number one thing you should do is go on Miran’s tour! (even if you don’t stay at his hostel I’m pretty sure you can still go on it!) Miran lived through and fought during the Bosnian War and had some incredible stories for us. The tour took us to an abandoned aircraft hanger utilized during communist occupation in Bosnia, two quaint cities (Blagaj & Pochitelj) and lastly, Kravice waterfalls. Each was uniquely beautiful, but the waterfalls were my favorite because we got to swim!! As we made our way back to Mostar, we were told many stories about the realities of living in Mostar during the Bosnian War. The damage from the war is still very visible in Mostar today.

Entering the abandoned airport hangar

From the inside

Blagaj

Blagaj

Drinking the fresh water

Where two rivers meet

View from the fort of Pochitelj

Up in the old fort

Pochitelj

Kravica Waterfalls

Our new German friend smoked his pipe and read while the rest of us swam in the water 🙂

The aftermath of the Bosnian War

Buildings still in disarray

The other thing that is fun to see while in Mostar is someone jump off the famous Stari Most bridge which is 24 meters (~78 feet) tall! The professional divers will jump once they have collected enough money from tourists 🙂 If you are a tourist, you pay around 20 euros for an hour-long lesson from the professionals and then you can jump! Only around 2,300 people have done it and Miran said they were mostly Aussie or Kiwi.

Someone about to jump!

Overall thoughts:

Mostar was such a pleasant surprise. I honestly had such little knowledge about this region and was thrilled to learn all that I did. Highly recommend visiting this richly historic, beautiful city.

Nighttime views of the bridge

Eastern Europe

July 14, 2017May 17, 2024Leave a comment

Prague + Budapest

Warsaw + Krakow

Slovenia

Northern Croatia

Mostar

Dubrovnik

Montenegro

SaveSave

SaveSave

Romania

Serbia

Kosovo

North Macedonia

Bulgaria

Greece

May 30, 2017July 22, 2017

After 6 weeks of solo travel, I am ending my trip with about 8 days with Adam, one of my best friends from high school! Also our friend Matt joined us for Santorini. It was so much fun to see a familiar face and travel with a friend!

CITY: Mykonos

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

We stayed Orpheas Rooms hotel and it was GREAT. It was reasonably priced and we had two separate bedrooms. The location was perfect and close to everything. The shower was AMAZING, we both had never seen anything like it. It had like 4 different water spouts and was piping hot. We also had a little patio with a table and chairs where we spent hours playing cards and drinking wine. Definitely recommend a stay here!

Our little patio

The coolest door that was next to our place

WHERE TO EAT:

After settling into our place, we wandered out to find some food. We eventually found Kavos Cafe Bar Restaurant, which is right on the water. I am trying to try new foods in each place I go and thus ordered my first ever plate of gyros– and I think I fell in love. They were delicious! Plus they come with tzatziki and french fries so I was in heaven.

After renting ATV’s and exploring some beaches, we wanted to find a restaurant outside of the more touristy downtown and we were in for a treat when we found Myconian Plate. It felt homey and local. The food was delicious and the waiters were very attentive. We had such a great experience at this place!

Lunch at Mykonian Plate

Mykonian Plate

After laying out in the sun the next day we found a lovely restaurant right on the beach on the other side of the island called Yialo yialo. The staff were super friendly and the food was good. The best part was that after we ate we were allowed to use their chaise lounges on the beach.

Our last meal on Mykonos was at Marco Polo. It’s a family run restaurant in the middle of Mykonos Town that had a nice ambiance. I ordered a delicious plate of Greek meatballs and Adam and I shared a bottle of wine. It was a nice end to our food experience in Mykonos.

Dinner at Marco Polo

our dessert

WHAT TO DO:

Other than walking around Mykonos Town, which is quite cute, the main thing to do on the island is rent ATV’s and go to the cool beaches— So that’s what we did. It was so much fun zipping around the tiny island on them. We used them to beach-hop all day. As you can imagine, we played cards, read our books, napped, and swam all day long. Overall, super fun and relaxing!

The famous windmills

Beach day

“Try and look like you are not freezing!”

All the chaise lounges

Adam being inventive

However, as we were here in May, it was a little too early for all the famous partying and clubs to even be open. I think Adam and I were actually pretty happy about that because neither of us are super into that scene. We did end up going out to a bar/club in Mykonos Town and had a blast! They played super fun danceable music and we made some Australian friends.

The “crazy” famous beach clubs that weren’t so happen’ while we were there

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed Mykonos and am not sad about being here in the shoulder season. The beaches were beautiful, although a bit windy. I also really liked Mykonos Town, as it was quite cute and trendy.

Our ferry to Santorini

CITY: Santorini

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

We stayed at an airbnb that was literally carved into the cliffs. It was accurately described as a cocoon. It was on the small side but had everything you needed. The best part of the airbnb was the incredible patio that offered chaise lounges to view the incredible sunsets every night. The bathroom was spacious and there was a tiny kitchenette. The bed was comfy and there was also a table with two chairs. Really enjoyed this special airbnb.

Our patio

WHERE TO EAT:

Our favorite place ended up being a cafe right near our airbnb called Cafe Galini. I think we ended up eating here about 5 times during our stay in Santorini. We had amazing greek yogurt bowls with fresh fruit + honey. Also the club sandwich was our go-to for lunch. I often enjoyed some hot milk + honey in the mornings because I was feeling a little under the weather while here.

Greek yogurt + fresh berries + honey 🙂

Our other favorite spot was Zafora. We ended up here twice, once for a late dinner, and once for an entire afternoon of playing cards and snacking until the sun had set. We really enjoyed the food, customer service, and most importantly, the view. One night I had a yummy crepe, and the other I had a yummier gyros plate.

Zafora!

Sunset from Zafora

One night we cooked our own meal with some pasta, prosciutto, garlic, and onions and ate on Matt’s balcony.

Dinner on Matt’s balcony

The sunset the next day from the same spot

Drinks to celebrate our birthdays

WHAT TO DO:

Santorini has plenty to offer in forms of things to do. First up was a walk through Fira. Settled at the top of some cliffs, you are offered some incredible views as you stroll through the town. There were plenty of restaurants and stores to wander through. What we came to realize in our time in Santorini was that given how the town is etched into the cliffs, almost everywhere you go has an incredible view over the water.

Views

Near our airbnb

Santorini at sunset

My favorite wall

The next day, along with Matt, we rented ATV’s and headed over to some black sand beaches. I have never been on ATV’s before Greece and really, really enjoyed riding around in the open air on these things. It’s the best way to explore the Greek islands. After the beaches, we rode 45 minutes over to Oía, the other main city on the island. We walked around the famous city streets and eventually headed down to the water so Matt and Adam could go cliff-jumping. After, we found a nice lunch spot.

Black sand beach

Snack break

Oía

Matt + Adam jumping off the cliff!

Another highlight was a boat tour to an active volcanic island and to some hot springs. We got to walk around the island, even seeing some smoking craters. Next up we boated to the island next door and jumped into the fairly cold water to swim towards the hot springs. Pretty quickly we realized a more accurate description would be “lukewarm springs” but we still had a good time spreading the “healing” mud all over our bodies!

Exploring the volcanic island

Santorini in the background

Where the hot springs are

Adam and I enjoyed a nice afternoon at Galini cafe playing cards and reading our books after a couple of action-filled days. We had said bye to Matt, who was supposed to fly to Rome that day BUT he got bumped from his flight and got “stuck” in Santorini one more night. Lucky for us he got put up in a super nice hotel on the other side of the island where all the beaches are. SO the next day (and our last day) Adam and I lugged our luggage over to his hotel to hang pool and beach side until our midnight flight to Athens. We really lucked out because this place was super nice and we were just able to relax all day.

Sunscreen is important!

Attempting to skip rocks

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Santorini is awesome! Incredible views, incredible people, incredible sunsets. Such a picturesque place. It’s definitely not the cheapest place I went, but we had such a fun time exploring the island.

CITY: Athens

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

We stayed at Athens Backpackers and it was the perfect location. Adam and I were only here for one full day so it was critical to be centrally located. This place also had a guest kitchen and common room. The beds were comfy and there were lockers. They were connected to a bar, restaurant and a laundry facility so there were options to explore beyond just the common room. Definitely would stay here again.

WHERE TO EAT:

We only had the one day but we had 2 great finds. First off, to warn everyone, Athens restaurants were SO AGGRESSIVE at trying to lure in the tourists. Adam and I were harassed almost every where we went. It was overwhelming. But eventually we picked a restaurant and we ended up having a great meal with the first round of drinks on them 🙂

The more important find was a dessert place called Lukumades. They had these fresh, homemade donuts and they you could add ice cream + the donuts in a bowl. WOWOWOW it was good. We got two combos to split.

Lukumades

Apple filled with honey + cinnamon on top

Chocolate on Chocolate on Chocolate

WHAT TO DO:

We started the day with a visit to the Acropolis. Pretty spectacular what the Greeks were able to build all those years ago. After walking around that site, we meandered through all the pedestrian friendly shopping streets before popping into the National Garden to soak up the sun and play some cards. The gardens had some interesting combos of animals in the park. One tiny pond had probably more than 50 turtles. There were goats and rabbits in the same pen. They had all sorts of birds. It was a crazy place haha.

The Parthenon

Exploring the Acropolis

Ancient ruins feat. Adam

National Gardens

Adam checking out the sun dial

approx. 1,000,000 turtles

Walking through the park

Beautiful purple trees

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I went in with low expectations of Athens, and was quite pleasantly surprised! Adam and I had fun exploring Athens by foot and enjoyed everything except the harassment from the restaurants. I wouldn’t necessarily rush back to spend a ton more time in Athens, as there are other places I would rather go back to and obviously there even more places that I want to go that I haven’t been to! BUT I really liked my time in Athens.

Montenegro

May 24, 2017July 28, 20171 Comment

After Dubrovnik, I crossed into Montenegro! This was my first time to this tiny country of only about 700,000 people.

CITY: Kotor

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Montenegro Hostel 4U and had very mixed feelings about this place. On the one hand, the facilities were great- Big rooms, big lockers, nice bathrooms, and good kitchen/common area. There were kayaks and bikes available to rent and it was right on the water. HOWEVER, this hostel had the most aggressive organized drinking I had ever seen. I mean it’s one thing for the staff to encourage people to socialize and drink, but it’s another to pressure a kid into drinking so much that he had to go to the hospital. I found the staff to be very sexist and too involved with getting people to drink. When I would say that I was fine drinking water, they seemed to be upset and continually asked me to drink alcohol instead. Despite the aggressive staff, I did meet some awesome people here!

WHERE TO EAT:

The hostel had organized BBQ’s most nights so I tended to join in to meet people, but my favorite restaurant I went to was called Konoba Akustik. They had delicious Cevapi and other yummy food.

WHAT TO DO:

The most important thing to do while in Kotor is hike the old fortress. It’s not the easiest hike (about 1,300 steps straight up the mountain) but the views make it worth it. It was only 3 euros (as opposed to the 20 euros it costs to do the city walls in Dubrovnik).

Walking across the bridge into Old Town

Heading up with Jacob, a guy I met at the hostel

View over old town

Up we go!

The old fort at the top over looking the bay

Old Town

Next up was renting some kayaks with some new British friends (Yay Louisa + Matt!). We spent many hours joking about our mutual appreciation for good butter (butterbaes for life) and Louisa does an amazing valley girl accent so we also had many made up conversations about our alter egos Becca and Ashley! We literally couldn’t even….

Lastly, I decided to do a day tour of Montenegro because apparently with one day tour you can see about 60% of the country. Crazy right?! While I did see some cool things and we went for a boat ride on a river, the tour wasn’t anything special. I probably would’ve preferred to just hang around Kotor.

View over Bay of Kotor

the Mausoleum (the second highest peak of mount Lovcen) where is buried the great Montenegrin ruler and poet Petar II Petrovic Njegos

Cetinje Monastery

River Crnojevica

Budva

Budva

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Despite my hostel being less than ideal, I met some fun people and enjoyed exploring Kotor/ other parts of Montenegro. Kotor and Montenegro in general are so untouched compared to many other parts of Europe. But, slowly it is being discovered. In Kotor, more and more cruise ships are stopping for a visit and surely, it will become a hotspot in the next 5 years.

CITY: Ulcinj

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Hostel Pirate and it couldn’t have been more opposite to my hostel in Kotor. It was so relaxing and because Ulcinj is not very big, there wasn’t much to do at night so all the guests would drink beer and just hang at the hostel. I had a great time meeting new people and playing cards. The rooms were nice and the lockers were big enough for valuables. A large guest kitchen and common room were available for use. Also the staff were super awesome, helpful, & generous. ALSO as a bonus there was a Belgian Shepard and the house cat had just had kittens!!!!

WHERE TO EAT:

I mostly cooked my own food while I was here so don’t have any recommendations unfortunately.

WHAT TO DO:

Despite being fairly small, Ulcinj has plenty to do! First up for me was a walk through the old town, which was literally empty (again polar opposite to Dubrovnik). Fun views of the little cove and town below the old town.

Walking through the Old Town

View of Ulcinj

Next was a day trip to ALBANIA!! I went to Shkodër which is near Skadarsko Jezero, a huge lake that is half in Montenegro and half in Albania. I spent a couple of hours exploring the town and went to some castle ruins. Rozafa Castle was built around the 14th century. Definitely cool to walk around the ruins, and it wasn’t really regulated in terms of where you could go, so you can essentially walk everywhere and can climb up all the old walls.

Rozafa Castle ruins

Albanian flag

Ebu Beker Mosque

The best day was my first proper beach day in a while. I ventured out with an American couple I had met on the bus from Shkodër that also happened to be staying at my hostel. First, I went with Tess to a women’s only nudist beach, which is interesting as this is a Muslim dominated area, but we had a very relaxing time. After an hour in the sun we walked 40 minutes along the coast to another beach (14km long!!!) We met up with her boyfriend, Aaron, here. Our hike ended with a treacherous bridge, but we survived! I honestly thought this might be how my life ended (or at least how I ended my trip with a broken leg). After the adrenaline wore off, the three of us enjoyed the breeze and sun rays for a couple of hours.

Views along the hike to the beach

The beach all to ourselves

THE CRAZY BRIDGE

I ran out of time so was not able to do all I wanted to do in Ulcinj, so if you have time definitely explore all the forests and hikes in the area!!

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Ulcinj was awesome!! I barely heard any english being spoken as I walked around and all the locals were so friendly!! There was so much to do and I enjoyed everything I did while here. I would love to come back some day!