Greece
Rome
Cyprus
Turkey
Tag: Europe
Western Europe
UK + Ireland
London + Cambridge
Sadly, this is my last stop on my trip! BUT I made the most of it with a final visit with my favorite British people. (You may remember them because I stayed with them all the way back in June 2016 and then again in February 2017.) Originally I had met them at a hostel in Barcelona in May 2015 and have visited them 4 or 5 times since then. So without further adieu…
CITY: london
HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS
ACCOMMODATION:
I stayed atΒ Astor Hyde ParkΒ while in London for the final time. I booked super late so there weren’t many options left, but I ended up getting one of the last beds at this hostel. This place had large under the bed lockers and an en suite bathroom. There’s a large guest kitchen and two great common areas for socializing. Also the hostel is right next to Hyde Park!! Definitely recommend a stay here.
WHERE TO EAT:
The main thing I did while in England was go to Cambridge for the day with my British friends! To start off the adventure we went toΒ Copper KettleΒ for a full English breakfast. This was the first time I had one, and while I can’t get on board with beans for breakfast, the rest was delicious!
Enjoying brunch
Full English
After a full day of exploring Cambridge, we all went toΒ Bill’sΒ for dinner + drinks. It had a good vibe and could seat all 6 of us. I got a tomato soup because I wasn’t super hungry, but AJ and his gf, Chloe, splitΒ aΒ halloumi burger and it looked great!
I went to Nandos, a staple in the UK, for the first time on my last night in Europe. I met Henry and one of his high school friends for dinner. It’s a PortugueseΒ chicken chain and it’s pretty good, although I was surprised by how spicy it was! There are tons of different menu options. Definitely recommend a visit here if you have the time.
The most perfect hot chocolate I got while Henry and I were waiting for the rest of the crew to show up
WHAT TO DO:
As I mentioned, the main activity of my visit to London was a day trip to Cambridge. Henry and I met up at the train station in London and headed to Cambridge, while AJ & Chloe and Tony met us there as they drove. After getting brunch, we walked around the town before finding a grassy spot to enjoy the sun. Around 2pm we loaded into a boat to go punting, which is very popular in Cambridge.
Meeting Henry at the train station on our way to Cambridge
Cambridge
Enjoying the sun!
The crew
Busy day for punting
Aj, Chloe, Tony, & Henry
We made it on the boat
The bridge of sighs
On the boat!
After punting we again found a grassy spot and just enjoyed the rare sunny day.
Sitting in a park
Henry planting a garden on AJ
My fav’s
The most exquisite roses I have ever seen
Other than Cambridge, I did spend a day at Hyde Park reading my book. A wonderfully relaxing day.
Hyde Park
My last day on this wonderful trip I spent hanging at my hostel, meeting some people, and working on my blog π That night I grabbed dinner with Henry and his friend and we were some of the last people to leave the restaurant.
It was really, really hard to say goodbye to my friends because they ended up being such a big part of this trip!! Each time I visited before, we knew there would be at least one more visit ahead. This time, we knew it would be an indefinite goodbye. HOWEVER, I am trying my hardest to convince them to come to CA to visit me sometime in the future.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in England, and it is has furthered cemented my dream of moving here. I hope to eventually find a path to living in London, even if it’s just for a few years.
See ya soon California! While I will miss Europe with all my heart, I am excited to go home and sleep in my own bed for the first time in a while π
Greece
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 stayedΒ Orpheas RoomsΒ 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 foundΒ 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 withΒ 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 foundΒ 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 calledΒ 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 atΒ 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 IΒ 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 airbnbΒ 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 π
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. Β 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 OΓa, 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
OΓa
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 (andΒ 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:Β Athens
HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS
ACCOMMODATION:
We stayed at Athens BackpackersΒ 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 π
The more important find was aΒ 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
After Dubrovnik, I crossed into Montenegro! This was my first time to this tiny country of Β only about 700,000 people.
CITY: Kotor
HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS
ACCOMMODATION:
I stayed at Montenegro Hostel 4UΒ 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 calledΒ 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
OldΒ 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:Β Ulcinj
HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS
ACCOMMODATION:
I stayed atΒ Hostel PirateΒ 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 ShkodΓ«r 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 ShkodΓ«r 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 isΒ 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 endedΒ with aΒ 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!
Dubrovnik
City: Dubrovnik
How Long: 4 nights
Accommodation:
I stayed atΒ Hostel Villa Angelina Old TownΒ while in Dubrovnik. I had very mixed feelings about this hostel. The beds were comfy and had individual plugs and lights, which is always appreciated. Small lockers for valuables in the room. Guest kitchen and common room were available for use. BUT the staff were sorta of rude and the staff wake you up every morning. The shower always flooded the entire bathroom, which is gross. The kitchen was quite small so only one person could really be cooking at one time. I would not stay here again.
I did have a nice view from my dorm room though π
Where to eat:
2 highlights for eating: PreΕ‘aΒ and Dolce Vita. PreΕ‘a is a cheap restaurant in a sea of overpriced, touristy restaurants inΒ the old town. It’s yummy food and it has tons of options ranging from burgers, traditional Croatian meat platters, salads, & crepes. Came here a few times during my stay in Dubrovnik. Secondly, DolceΒ Vita was the go to ice cream place. Need I say more?
The alleyway where Dolce Vita lives
What to do:
Dubrovnik has so much to offer in terms of things to do!! The first thing I did was go on a kayaking tour that took us to Lokrum, an island right next to Dubrovnik. I went with a Scottish guy I met at the hostel, George. We kayaked around the island and even visited a cave. After rounding the island we headed to a beach that you can only reach by boat. They provided snorkeling gear so George and I quickly jumped into the cold water to explore!
Grabbing our kayaks
and we’re off!
Exploring caves
Beach only accessible by water
Snorkeling
George!
Heading back to Dubrovnik
After getting back, George and I decided to walk the ancient city walls of Dubrovnik. It was annoyingly expensive, but I thought it was worth it. It provided incredible views, and we went at sunset, making it even more special.
Starting the hike around the walls
Main street from above
Old fort
George and me
City walls
Outside the walled in part of town
Old port
The old roofs
What a unique city π
Next up was a trip up the gondola to an even more incredible viewpoint before hiking down the hill with an American girl I had met at the hostel. You can also just hike up and not take the gondola.
After the gondola ride
On our way down
Other than the more organized activities, you must just wander through the town.
The amazing alleyways
Main square
One of the entrances
Another entrance
George!
Sunset
Outside the walls
Overall thoughts:
Despite being the most touristy place I had been, and by far the most expensive, I really enjoyed my time in Dubrovnik. As I walked around I felt like I had been transported to another time period. Loved being here, but I was SO happy to be here in May and not in peak season. I can’t even imagine what it is like in August, but it would be a nightmare.
Now I’m making my way to Montenegro!
Northern Croatia
After spending a few days hiking in Bled, Slovenia, I headed to the capital of Croatia: Zagreb.
City: Zagreb
How Long: 3 nights
Accommodation:
I stayed at the Swanky Mint in Zagreb. It was a larger hostel with two separate bars that were filled with both locals and guests staying at the hostel. It also had a common room attached to the guest kitchen, which was just for guests. I did find it a little hard to meet people but that is to be expected at a larger hostel with a bar in the building. The beds were comfy and the lockers were big enough to hold my backpack. I will say that the staff were spectacular! I was sick and asked for extra blankets and they were happy to help me. They also made sure the heater was working. I just felt they consistently went above and beyond!
Where to eat:
One of my favorite meals from this trip was atΒ La StrukΒ in Zagreb. WOW it was so good. They serve a traditional Croatian meal called strukli. It’s basically dough and cheese + whatever variation of flavor you choose and then they throw it in the oven and it comes out piping hot. SO GOOD. I had the truffle strukli and the blueberry strukli because yes I came back twice. HIGHLY recommend a stop here if you are in Zagreb. Other than this I used leftover groceries from Lake Bled to save money.
My blueberry Strukli
What to do:
I arrived in Zagreb feeling fairly sick so unfortunately I did not do much while I was there but I did go on the free walking tour, which as always was a great way to orient myself and get a flavor for the history and culture. ALSO, after my walking tour I ran into Tom, a Brit I had met at my hostel in Bled. He had come to Zagreb with another girl I had met at Bled so we decided to grab drinks later that night. Always so much fun to randomly run into people you’ve met at previous stops along your trip. I’m so glad we ran into each other because Tom and Sam, the Kiwi he was traveling with, decided to come with me to my next stop!! The three of us took off the next day for Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Viewpoint of Zagreb
St. Mark’s Church, and no it is not made of legos π
Walking through town
Zagreb Cathedral (Tallest building in Croatia)
Overall thoughts:
Because I was sick, I didn’t really get a full chance to explore Zagreb as it deserves. Although, from what I saw I don’t know if I need to go back. It was a capital city that felt not all too different from any other metropolitan capital city. I keep finding that I like smaller towns and this felt a little too industrial for me.
City: Plitvice Lakes National Park
How Long: 2 nights
Accommodation:
I stayed at the awesome Falling Lakes HostelΒ while exploring the Plitvice Lakes National Park. This hostel was GREAT. I was in a 10 person room and there were large locker under the bed (my favorite type because it’s so easy to just grab what you need!) Nice guest kitchen and plenty of bathrooms/showers. There was a common room with plenty of seating. My favorite part of this hostel was all the board games they had!! Tom, Sam and I played Settlers of Catan on our table while others at the hostel played other games, and others still were playing guitar and singing. Such a fun scene.
Where to eat:
The three of us went to the store for both dinners and made pasta one night, and pizza the other. It was a fun struggle because Tom is vegetarian, but I don’t like tomato sauce so both nights the three of us had a slightly deconstructed version of the meal. Sam and I would have meat on ours, while Tom and Sam had tomato sauce other theirs. Nevertheless, it was delicious! On our hike at the national park, we just bought lunch at the restaurant in the park.
What to do:
The main/only reason to come here is to go to the Plitvice Lakes National Park. IT IS INCREDIBLE!! Basically it’s a magical place filled with waterfalls around every corner. The photos below do not do it justice!! Highly recommend a visit here. This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.
Beginning our hike though the most magical place π
Look at this water!!!
The waterfalls begin
Up we go
WOW
SO MANY WATERFALLS
Tom, Me, & Sam
Friends π
Unbelievable
Look at that water flow
The tallest waterfall in the park
Overall thoughts:
Please visit this incredible spot! I can’t say enough good things π
After this awesome spot, Tom and Sam decided to follow me again, but this time to Split!! We decided to try out hand at hitchhiking, to the dismay of my mother (my dad was fully supportive, which is why I told him beforehand and not Mom π ) Unfortunately it was raining, which means it is much less likely that someone will pick you up. BUT someone did stop while we were waving our “SPLIT” sign around. However, he was going to Zadar not Split. We made a group decision to take him up on his offer, figuring we would at least be that much closer to Split. He was a super nice guy who was on his way to work in Zadar. We arrived in Zadar and walked around until we found “Crazy Pizza” which was an indeed pretty crazy as the pizza’s were HUGE. After lunch we found the sea organ that is famous in Zadar, which is essentially an organ that makes noise as the water hits it (?) It was pretty cool even if I don’t totally understand how it works. The rain started coming down so we decided to give up on hitchhiking and took a bus the rest of the way to Split.
Anyone wanna take us to Split???
City: Split
How Long: 3 nights
Accommodation:
I stayed at the Backpackers Fairytale hostel in Split. While the facilities were for the most part adequate as there was a guest kitchen, nice sized lockers, and a common room, my experience here was ruined by the staff. They were unavailable, rude, and seemed annoyed to help me whenever I had questions. Also there were not enough showers/bathrooms. The beds were also super squeaky so whenever someone turned over the whole room could hear it. Also, security was sorely lacking, as a girl turned up around midnight, somehow got into the hostel and crashed in the bed above me, without having a reservation. There was no staff around to stop this so I think she just left in the morning and the staff were none the wiser… Would not stay here again.
Where to eat:
Our favorite spot ended up being a restaurant in one of the main squares called Bepa! We ate there for breakfast twice and wish we had time to eat there again. The first time I had a delicious chia pudding with a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was one of the best I’ve ever had… seriously. It was so thick and rich. It almost felt like a chocolate pudding. IΒ wish I could have another one right now as I am writing this. We also went to Fife for Tom’s last dinner before he left to go back to England. It was a great spot with cheap, yummy food.
Chia pudding at Bepa
Tom feat. his fruit infused water at Bepa
What to do:
We walked around the old walled in city in Split, which is super cool. No matter how many “old towns” or “walled in cities” I see, I still think they are awesome!! Maybe it’s because we don’t have any in the States, but I just love an “old town.” We also walked along the beach and found a spot to lay down and read for a bit. On Tom’s last night we went to grab a drink at a bar that turned into a nightclub as the night went on. We had fun singing and dancing to the music until it turned into very clubby music and we decided to leave. Tom caught a flight early the next morning, leaving Sam and I to our own devices for out last day in Split. We decided to catch a ferry to a city called Supertar, which is onΒ BraΔ, the third largest island in the Adriatic Sea. Supertar has 3,300 habitants, but apparently it is a growing population as we saw construction of a lot of new houses. We enjoyed wandering the old streets and then plopped ourselves on the beach to read for a couple of hours. We ate a yummy lunch before heading back to the port to grab our ferry to Split.
Split
Tom pondering his life as sailboats sail on by
So pretty
Can’t get over this water!
Tom testing the water
On the clock tower
Split from the clock tower
Relaxing in Supertar
Overall thoughts:
I really enjoyed my time in this city. It was definitely touristy and busy, so I can’t imagine what it’s like in August!! But I still have a blast walking around and finding my favorite ice cream places and bakeries. I also bought a punch of lavender so now my bag smells amazing! Definitely would go back to Split!
Now off to Mostar in Bosnia andΒ Herzegovina π
Slovenia
Slovenia: the only country with the word LOVE in its name!
After Austria, I took a bus to the capital of Slovenia, which is called Ljubljana.
***Apologies in advance for the amount of photos, but this place was just so darn beautiful!!
City: Ljubljana
How Long: 5 nights
Accommodation:
I stayed at Hostel Vrba in Ljubljana. At first, when I arrived I feared it would not be that social, but I found some awesome people at this hostel! Mainly a British couple who have quit their jobs and are riding their motorcycles all the way to CHINA! Crazy cool! (Check them out here) Lottie and RyanΒ were super fun and sweet to me, even getting me a bottle of champagne for my birthday π Anyway back to the hostel itself, there was a good kitchen/ common room and plenty of bathrooms and showers. It was about a 15 minute walk to the center of town, but it’s a lovely walk along the river. The lockers were good-sized and the beds had personal sockets for charging devices.
Drinking Birthday champagne in the common room of the hostel!
The walk along the river
Where to eat:
Because I was here so long, I went to the grocery store and loaded up one eggs, chicken, and cereal. Saved a bunch of money and hung out with people in the common room while cooking/eating. BUT the highlight of Ljubljana food was an ice cream store called Vigo. Ryan seemed to go every day and I managed to tag along a fair bit of the time. It was just so good (+ cheap)!
What to do:
Wow Slovenia has so many things you can do! The first day I was there I went on the free walking tour and saw most of the major sites in main part of the city, as it is not very big. I ran into an Australian guy I had met at my hostel in Vienna so we did the tour together and after walked up to the castle!
On my way up to the castle
Still on my way up
The final stretch!!!
Finally the view!
and….. on my way down
View of the castle from the town!
The next day I decided to do a day trip to small town about 30 minutes outside of Ljubljana calledΒ Ε kofja Loka. Lottie and Ryan joined me as we headed out to explore a bit of the countryside. The town was tiny, tiny, tiny, but super cute. Of course there was a castle and a church (as every town in Slovenia seems to have) and an old town so we walked around all these areas. We also grabbed a bite to eat and a beer (cider for me, though).
The main part of town along the river
View from the church
Then it was my birthday! I decided to book a day trip around Slovenia so I was doing something fun for my bday. I visited Predjama Castle, then the Lipizzan horses in Lipica, Piran, and theΒ Ε kocjan caves.
Predjama castle
Predjama castle feat. me
Piran, Slovenia
Above the caves/river that runs through it
Where we exited the caves
Overall thoughts:
I really enjoyed my time in the capital of Slovenia. After traveling for so long, I’ve determined that I tend to like cities on the smaller side with a few obvious exceptions (London, Paris, and of course BARCELONA!) Ljubljana is a good base for seeing other parts of the country as well! It’s a quaint town that only needs about 2 days for the city itself, but if you want to explore the region, add a couple more days to that.
City:Β Lake Bled
How Long: 3 nights
Accommodation:
I stayed at a great hostel called Castle Hostel 1004. I would highly recommend staying here if you ever get to Lake Bled. It was 5 minutes from the lake and 1 minute to the bus station. The hostel itself has a great communal kitchen and common room. There are big lockers in the room, but you needed your own padlock because sometimes they run out. The only annoying thing was that sometimes all the bathrooms were full (right before bed + in the morning) but overall wasn’t that big of a deal.
Where to eat:
I mostly ate food I bought from the grocery store to save money and then I would eat in the common room with everyone else while they were eating food they had bought, but the hostel had a deal with some of the restaurants in town so I went to Pizzeria Rustica. We got a 10% discount and the food was great!! I had a yummy white pizza with truffle oil and bacon.
What to do:
WOW, there is a lot to do in the Lake Bled region if you want to spend the time and money. You can go canyoning, sky diving, kayaking, rafting, hiking, swimming, and paragliding. It’s amazing all the outdoor activities that are within reach. As I am on a budget and I was here in April, where it wasn’t quite warm enough for some of the above activities, I mostly stuck to the hiking. BUT the hiking is spectacular, so I definitely did not feel like I was settling. The first day I hiked around Lake Bled with a stop at an incredible view-point. It was about a 5 mile hike in total.
The starting point of the hike along the lake and already it is so beautiful
Ducks!
So peaceful
Hike up to the viewpoint
Unreal!!
At the viewpoint I ended up sitting on the bench next to a girl from South Africa. We got to talking and decided to hike up to the Vintgar GorgeΒ together.Β It was stunning. Definitely recommend going here. It’s a 5 euro entrance fee (cash only) and about 2 miles roundtrip.
Headed through the gorge on these cool pathways
So pretty!
THIS WATER
My second day consisted of hiking around a different lake called Bohinj Lake. This lake is bigger and less developed when compared to Lake Bled. It’s about 40 minutes away by bus. I went with an Australia guy I met at the hostel the night before. He had just hiked to Base Camp of Everest so needless to say I was much less fit than he was. I managed to keep up with him (for the most part) up to the waterfall, but once we started on hiking around the lake, I was left in the dust. I meandered along at my own (slow) pace and enjoyed the marvel that was this valley, which had been created by a glacier many, many years ago.
The start of the climb to the waterfalls!
The valley as we climbed to the waterfalls
THE WATERFALLS
Lake Bohinj
The day started off cloudy
but the sun turned up for us towards the end of our hike!
Can’t get enough of this place!
Overall thoughts:
I stayed 3 nights in Lake Bled, but really only got 2 full days out of it. At first I thought 3 nights would be too much, but I wish I had booked more time here. After spending so much time in large cities, it was so relaxing being here. I loved being in the nature! Overall, I would highly recommend a stop here in Lake Bled.
Off to Croatia now π
Warsaw + Krakow
After wrapping up my time in Spain (sadly), I flew to Poland to start the final chapter of my trip! I will be traveling from Poland all the way down to Greece, mostly by bus. Β I will be traveling toΒ 10 countries in about 7 weeks. First up: Poland + Austria.
City: Warsaw
How Long: 3 nights
Accommodation:
This was a bit of a different type of travel for me as I was here for a tech conference! My former boss invited me to help him at a conference he was speaking at so I got to stay at the same hotel he was staying at. It was quite the treat after staying in hostels with 5 to 11 other people for most of my trip.
Where to Eat:
Most of our meals were centered around the conference, so nothing too exciting, but we did eat dinner our first night in Warsaw at a great restaurant called Karmnik. We had delicious cocktails and traditional Polish dumplings. Definitely worth a visit!
What to do:
As I have said, most of my time was spent at the conference so sadly I did not do anything noteworthy. However, one thing I learned was that during WWII, Warsaw was pretty much leveled so all the “old” buildings we saw had are actually reconstructions and are not the original buildings.
Warsaw
Overall Thoughts:
I did not really get a full sense of Warsaw, but I am not sure I would go back as there are so many other places in the world I want to go to. In general, I would not say Warsaw is a must see.
City: Krakow
How Long: 3 nights
Accommodation:
I stayed at an amazing hostel called Mosquito Hostel. Great sized lockers. Guest kitchen. Free breakfast and free dinner. Free laundry. Great location. Every night there were organized social activities and it was super easy to meet people. I HIGHLY recommend this hostel π
Playing Monopoly with some people I met π
Where to Eat:
Because there was free breakfast and free dinner, I ended up mostly eating at the hostel. However, some friends and I found a delicious cupcake place in the old town called Cupcake Corner. Great cupcakes, but even more fun, we got bagels. For some reason I often crave bagels while I am in Europe, which is odd because when I am home I rarely eat them. Anyway, I got a cheese bagel with thyme cream cheese. SO GOOD.
What to do:
I booked a tour to Auschwitz through my hostel and it worked out really well. They picked us up from the hostel and dropped us back after. We had an incredible tour guide, who had worked directly with Holocaust survivors for many years. Overall, my time spent at Auschwitz was sobering, tough, enlightening, and so very powerful. I think it is incredibly important for us to understand the past and ensure we learn from it as we move forward. Auschwitz is a must while you are in Krakow.
In addition to Auschwitz, I went to Oskar’s Schindler’s Factory museum. Overall it was in interesting museum on the history of Krakow and a little bit on the Schindler’s role in WWII, but it was very heavy on the reading. I found that I didn’t get much out of it because there was an overwhelming amount of words on the walls. If you are interested in visiting this museum, you might consider going with a guide.
I also went to the Easter markets, which were in the main square in the old town. Very similar to Christmas markets, but with less Christmas ornaments and more decorated eggs.
Main Square
Tatum with her favorite new store
Streets of Krakow
Some friends!!
Almost died in Krakow
Wawel Castle
Inside Wawel Castle
Lastly I went on a free walking tour that ended in the castle, which was super cool. Krakow has a very tough, interesting history.
Overall Thoughts:
Overall, I absolutely loved Krakow. I wish I could have stayed longer! I met amazing people and ate some delicious cheap food! I am already looking forward to returning to this city in the future. Krakow has easily entered into my top 5 favorite cities in Europe π
The Pursuit Of Travel