After an exhausting, but incredible, time in Egypt, Stephen and I knew we would want to have a few days to completely relax & recuperate. Sentido Sandy Beach was the perfect spot to do so! It was such a treat to have no agenda other than to enjoy a resort stay We opted for the half board meal plan, which meant food was taken care of. There was a gym we took advantage of. The pool had plenty of spots to find a chair in the shade, and the beach was only a few steps away. I will say it was very, very hot, so we also enjoyed lounging inside the main area of the hotel, which had incredibly comfy couches to read, play cards, and catch up on the blog! Lastly, our favorite thing about the hotel was the free Lemon Water, Sparkling Lemonade, & Pink Lemonade. 10/10 would highly recommend this hotel if you find yourself in Cyprus.
We mostly ate at the hotel, but we had one INCREDIBLE meal outside the hotel. The reception recommended Lysia Meat Tavern for some local food, and holy moly it did not disappoint. The chicken was cooked to perfection! Stephen raved about his pork as well.
Also, despite being a buffet, the hotel’s restaurants did an excellent job with the food. I felt like everything was delicious!
If I haven’t made it clear thus far, we really didn’t do much while here because the main goal was to CHILL (which I am not very good at, but I very much needed at this point in the trip). Our days looked like this:
We did manage to get a few games in at the local bowling alley which was quite fun! We were the only ones in there so she let me play my music (obviously I put on Cian Ducrot’s new album). Not your typical fun bowling music, but Stephen humored me. He also managed to beat me in all three games unfortunately. Luckily I schooled him in our running game of rummy over the course of the two weeks so it all evened out
Lastly, we spent one afternoon exploring the city of Larnaca. We walked by the castle, the beach front & the church, as well as trying some Loukoumades (Greek donuts) since Stephen hadn’t had them before. They were yummy, but nothing beats an American donut hehe.
I am not sure I can really speak to Cyprus or even Larnaca as a whole, but we really, really enjoyed our stay at Sentido Sandy Beach. We felt like our room had the best view in the entire hotel, and we just fully were able to relax, knowing there was nothing we “needed” to do while here. The only to do was enjoy ourselves. I continue to appreciate seeing some nooks & crannies of the world that a lot of Americans don’t ever get to see in their lifetimes
Accommodation: $483 ($121 per night)
Food: $18.35 (because we had half board at the hotel)
Activities: $19.50
Local Transportation: $19.50
Transportation to next destination: $132 (Flight to Bulgaria)
Total: $672 (Daily average: $168)
Comments: This was very much a vacation amidst my trip, but despite this being more expensive than more normal budget, for the experience we had, it felt very reasonable!
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Walking around Mostar
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!!
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
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!
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
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I stayed at Hostel Ruthensteiner Vienna while I was here. The hostel itself is great. Tons of fun people, and there’s a bar within the hostel. There’s a guest kitchen and a 4.5 euro breakfast option. Good security lockers in the room and comfy beds. However, unfortunately it is fairly far from the city center so it takes 40 minutes to get anywhere (walking). I just find that I prefer to be able to walk right from the hostel to where I want to go without using public transit.
I ate a delicious traditional Polish dish at a restaurant called Mozart’s Restaurant. It was almost like pasta/dumpling combo with scrambled eggs. Sounds weird, but it was awesome. Otherwise, I chose to buy groceries and cook in the community kitchen with some friends I made.
While I didn’t eat here, Mozart + Beethoven did! In fact, Mozart’s last performance was here. This place has been opened for over 200 years. Pretty incredible.
I visited the Easter markets here as well, but they weren’t as fun as the ones in Krakow I found. I also did a free walking tour with some friends, where we saw some of the old government buildings and some cool churches. I also met two other Americans staying at my hostel and ended up going out on a pub crawl with them which was fun!
Painted eggs at the Easter Markets!
Unfortunately the next day it rained and even hailed a bit. I chose to spend the day inside and catch up on reading, writing, and editing some videos. While it was nice to have a relaxing day, it meant that I did not get to see the palace or the gardens which I have heard are amazing.
On my last day in Vienna I did a day trip to Bratislava, which is the capital of Slovakia. I took a 5 euro bus ride there in the morning, early enough to catch the free walking tour. I really enjoyed learning about this tiny country that most American’s probably don’t know much about if they have even heard of it. Bratislava looks like it was torn out of the pages of a fairytale. In fact, the famous fairytale writer from Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen, spent time here. He famously said to the citizens of Bratislava, “If you want a fairy tale, look at your city.”
View of Bratislava from the Castle
We walked around most of the city in about 2.5 hours, as the city is fairly small. We saw the grand castle (although technically a fortress), a blue Church, and adorable cobblestone streets. I learned that Vienna and Bratislava are the two closest capitals in all of Europe, at just 34 miles apart. After spending just 5 hours in this city, I wish I had spent a few days here instead of staying in Vienna. Definitely don’t skip visiting Bratislava, even if it just for a day from Vienna or Budapest.
Main square in Bratislava
The Blue Church!
Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle
Vienna did not wow me. I am not exactly sure why, but overall it was not my favorite. The city is huge and I have learned that I tend to prefer more manageable cities. It’s also more expensive than some of the other cities I am visiting right now. I wish I had stayed in Bratislava and done a day trip to Vienna, instead of the other way around. I can certainly see why so many people love Vienna (amazing food, beautiful architecture, top-notch museums) but I just don’t think it’s for me.
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I stayed at Astor Hyde Park 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.
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 to Copper Kettle 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 to Bill’s 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, split a 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 Portuguese 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
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 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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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