06.08.23
Budapest is now in our rearview mirror, and was a lovely stay for 8 days. We did not see everything, we didn’t need to or want to, but we saw what we wanted to and had a terrific time. The weather was actually very cooperative for the week except for some overcast skies and a few spots of rain.
Here is a compilation from my personal Facebook page and GROUP.
We are now 90 minutes west at Lake Balaton, a place that had been suggested several times over the years. It is the second largest lake in Central Europe, and the water is a very unique color of blue green since it is mineral water and thermal! The temperature stays within a few degrees year-round, but we will have to take their word for it since we are not going in!Even though the weather report sounded threatening before we left, we were blessed with beautiful sunny skies, so explored some of the small cities around the lake. It is a bicycle rider’s heaven! Very flat and beautiful with dedicated bike lanes. We had an amazing lunch and are now in our intimate, cozy room getting ready for our exit to Croatia tomorrow.
06.10.23
Closing thoughts on Hungary- for now: Our time in Budapest was quite wonderful, although the prices of many things have changed since when we were there in 2019! The $22 massage? A thing of the past. The best that Kathleen could find now was $50 USD, with most between $60-90, but we are seeing that same trend everywhere these days. We discussed whether we would like to return for longer, like maybe a month or more, but twice was enough for us. So much more to see.
Our time at Lake Balaton was quite lovely, and I would definitely like to return. It seems to be a magnet for bicycle riders, and I could easily see spending a week or two there just touring the entire lake, which is the largest in Europe, 77 kilometers long, but not very wide. The night before we left it poured rain, including thunder and lightning! But when we awoke it had slowed down to a drizzle and the entire 246 km to our next destination was rain-free.
Our exit out of Hungary was the smoothest ever, and this was our first Schengen to Schengen border crossing, which was kind of weird. The only way that we even knew that we had crossed the border, is that we had to stop to pay a toll once we reached Croatia. No passport control, no showing of motorcycle registration documents, it was easy peasy. I can see why those who live in Schengen love it!
After about 24 hours in Zagreb, we find it to be a lovely town, also imminently walkable, like Budapest. Plenty of places to eat, drink, and find decadent delicacies to splurge on! The architecture here is quite beautiful, statues everywhere, but just like in Budapest, no cats anywhere! We haven’t quite figured that one out… But we did find the farmer’s market and lots of cool statues here, too.Some interesting sites we visited include the Grič Tunnel, which was built during WW II as a bomb shelter, and used during 1990s war as well. It’s 350 meters long and has six exits.
We met up with some friends who we initially met in Peru- 2 years ago- and stayed in touch with over the years. They picked us up for dinner and introduced us to cevapi, which is kind of like a flat patty made of sausage meat. Definitely a treat!
06.14.23
How we travel NOW: By the numbers.
We crossed into Slovenia yesterday, which is country #47 in total for me as well as Kat, and #35 within the past five years. And here’s another fun fact; of those 47 countries, all but FIVE I visited after I was 60 years old. So do not tell me you are “too old” to travel!
Our last day in Zagreb included more walking, and over the past few weeks we’ve done more than five miles each day we weren’t traveling. On the way to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, we stopped in Samobor, a cute village about 30 minutes west of Zagreb, and enjoyed a peaceful rest before the remainder of our 90 minute or so drive. Our Slovenia room is not IN Ljubljana, but is about 30 minutes south in another small village called Velike Lasce. We typically get lodging inside major towns, close to the two things we require: restaurants, and coffee shops, and ideally, near the “Old Towns,” but we’re trying something new. And when we say this town is small, that is not an exaggeration! One coffee shop, one restaurant open on weekends, one pizza store, one grocery store, and four nail salon and hair salons. A “Night on the Town” takes only 11 minute…(Thank you Google!) Our AirBNB unit is awesome, with a large bedroom, nice kitchen, and bathroom, and it’s on the main road, with a bit of road noise, but is quiet after about 8:00 pm.
Our experiment is not our typical M.O., and we can, and will, get into the city a few times during our 14 days here, but we are almost dead center in the country, so will use this is a “base” to explore in all directions. We will do the same thing when we return to the Istrian Peninsula (Croatia) when we leave here the end of June. By that time, our 87 day summer ride will be about halfway done, and we are still figuring out where to go then, but we know we will end up back in Romania for the last few weeks in August. We’ve been doing this travel thing for almost five years now, and we are still experimenting, trying to find the right thing(s) that “work” for us. It is never dull! Thanks for joining us.06.20.23
Slovenia is known for its lakes, mountains, and amazing topography, but the lovely people we have met make it all the more attractive. Meanwhile, it’s also known for caves!
Last week we went to Postojna Cave, since it is on every list of places to visit in the country. It is immense, as in huge, 20 km long, and the most biologically diverse cave in the world. It is the home of a small amphibian called the olm, which is like a salamander and can live for over 100 years and go for more than a decade without eating! They have been called “Living Dragons,” and there is a lot of folklore around them.The cave: You actually ride a tram inside, and for 20 minutes it feels like you are going through Disneyland! The tunnels feel surreal, almost artificial, and you expect Captain Jack Sparrow to pop out from behind a rock and start singing! But once the tram stopped and we started walking, it turned into a whole new feeling. We must have walked for an hour, and got to see many different levels of the cave. The pictures can in no way show the beauty inside.
About 10 km down the road is another attraction, the Predjama Castle, which is the largest castle built inside a cave! Yes, it is actually built into the mouth and it is almost mythological, like you are looking at something from a fantasy and expecting a dragon to fly out.This was the second of three castles we visited during the past week.The most recent one was in the city of Celje, which was unknown to us, but other travel sites also recommended we check it out. And for good reason! It truly felt like we were cast back to medieval times. Then on to our final destination, the city of Maribor, which is the second largest city in the country.
Unfortunately, it didn’t wow as much as we expected, but I did get a chance to view the oldest grapevine in the world, almost 400 years old and still producing.
No question, Slovenia has captured our attention. It is one of the smallest countries in this region, and we are almost geographically dead center so plan to visit as many places as we can while we are here. Did I tell you, “the people here are just amazing!” We have not met anyone who was not pleasant, friendly and courteous, and English to them is almost a second national language, so communication is pretty effortless. Which is always nice.
06.25.23
There are some pictures that we see of spectacular places, and we don’t always recognize or remember where they were. That’s the way it was when I went to Lake Bled in Slovenia. I have seen pictures of this lake with a church in the middle, but it never quite stuck in my mind as to where it was.
When we were in Meteora, Greece, last year, the same thing happened. I had seen pictures of the monasteries on top of the pinnacles and always thought that they were spectacular and never even imagined that I would see them, but we did. Likewise, that same thing happened in Peru .We were on our way to Machu Picchu and needed a room to stay the night before. I was perusing bookings.com and saw pictures of what they call a “vertical hotel”: capsules strapped to the side of the mountain that you sleep in. I flipped out and told Kat we need to do that. She rolled her eyes in disbelief and said, “no way.” When we saw the price, I agreed with her, but I actually reached out to friends who helped us experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Angkor Watt was another. The iconic image of the main temple rising from the ground with the sun behind it was profound, and for several days we toured the largest religious monument in the world.Keep track of pictures and places that give you pause. Maybe you think you’ll never go there, but maybe you will! How many other places will WE visit and find unexpected surprises? We look forward to sharing them.
