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Paris Olympics + more Europe

juli - august 2024
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli
Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Slovenia and an organized tour of the Balkans Les mer
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli
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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    Budapest train station
    Gerlóczy HotelThe spiral staircaseView from our roomSundowners on the hotel terraceDinner timeSuch funDinner music

    Budapest!

    3. august 2024, Ungarn ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We had a lazy morning before heading to the Vienna train station for a train to Budapest. While Thomas has been to Budapest a few times, but not recently, Geraldine, Brad and I have never been so we were quite excited to embark on this little getaway. We met Thomas and Geraldine at the station and boarded the train which turned out to be a gong show.

    Thank goodness Thomas had reserved seats for us because there had been a train car removed from the route and the passengers’ tickets from that car had not been canceled! It was insane. It’s about a three hour train ride from Vienna to Budapest and some people stood in the aisles with their luggage for the entire journey.

    We arrived in the city late afternoon and checked into our hotel, which is in the centre of things and an old grand hotel with soaring ceilings and a magnificent spiral staircase leading to each floor. (Yes, there’s an elevator as well.) We settled in and met for sundowners on the hotel terrace to figure out where we’d go for dinner. Brad had read about a traditional Hungarian restaurant with musicians playing “gypsy music” which sounded like fun. Thomas called and got us a reservation and off we went. It was perfect.

    Tomorrow, we’ll explore the city.    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    Walking tour
    Many buildings have been restoredView across the Danube from Pest to the Buda sideThe Chain Bridge across the DanubeSt Stephen'sShoes on the Danube memorialEntrance to the Chain BridgeUp on the Fisherman's BastionRuin barPictures can't capture what a bizarre space this is

    Walking tour, sightseeing and ruin bar

    4. august 2024, Ungarn ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Geraldine and Thomas and Brad and I did our own thing for breakfast this morning and met up around 9:30 a.m. In order to orient ourselves to Budapest, we had booked a walking tour at 10 a.m., the meeting point of which was quite near our hotel. It was a Guru Walk and our guide, Gabor, had been hosting walks for 10 years. He was extremely knowledgable as well as enthusiastic with a great sense of humor. It made for a wonderful morning.

    We had a light lunch at a cafe and then went to see the “Shoes on the Danube by sculptor Gyula Pauer and film director Can Togay, it’s a simple but poignant display of 60 pairs of old-style boots and shoes in cast iron, tossed higgledy-piggledy on the bank of the river.”

    https://www.lonelyplanet.com/hungary/budapest/p…

    From there, we crossed the Chain Bridge over the Danube from Pest to Buda to climb up to the Fisherman’s Bastion, a lookout over the city. The views were spectacular. We wandered back to our hotel from there to freshen up before dinner.

    We went to a restaurant called Blue Tomato that had been recommended by our waiter at lunch. It’s frequented by locals and serves
    traditional Hungarian food. We loved it.

    Finally, we took an Uber to a ruin bar, Szimpla. You can read more about ruin bars here:
    https://budapestflow.com/history-ruin-bars-buda… it was certainly unlike any bar we’ve been to before. And we were the oldest people there by decades. 😂    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    2"Bad Brad," the birthday boy
    The marketAt the market2Paprika, anyone?Atlas Brad🤣Brad and Thomas were disappointed by the lack of stockCoffee break at the Párisi Passage2The New York Cafe1The New York Cafe1At the New York Cafe1Brad's birthday dinner at Cafe Gundel

    A market, cafes and Brad’s birthday

    5. august 2024, Ungarn ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    It was Brad’s birthday today! We had breakfast yet again on our hotel terrace and Brad was surprised with lovely gifts from Thomas and Geraldine (see picture). We went walking to the central market, a typical urban market with produce and meats and all kinds of souvenirs. From there, we walked to a beautiful café - the Párisi Passage Restaurant - for a coffee. We then sought out the Harley Davidson store for Thomas and Brad but it didn’t have much in stock that was Budapest branded so no luck there.

    For lunch, we went to the New York Café, which claims to be the most beautiful café in the world. It opened in 1894 and was built in the Italian Renaissance style. We’d been warned that there could be a long wait to get in but we were fortunate and got a table within 10 minutes. It is truly beautiful and a fave for posing for Instagram photos.

    We took a leisurely walk back to the hotel to get ready for a dinner out to celebrate Brad‘s birthday as well as celebrate our final night in Budapest as we go our separate ways tomorrow.

    Our dinner was at a legendary Budapest restaurant called Café Gundel which opened in 1866. The dining room was grand and the food and service were excellent. We were once again entertained by musicians which seems to be pretty standard most anywhere you go in Budapest. Couldn’t have asked for a more lovely way to celebrate Brad’s birthday.    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    Not good bye but see you soon
    Our vehicle for the next week1Road trip!

    Bye, Budapest. Bye, Geraldine + Thomas😢

    6. august 2024, Ungarn ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After a fabulous time in Vienna and Budapest with Thomas and Geraldine, it was time for us to part this morning as we head to pick up a car to drive to Slovenia and they return home to Vienna by train.

    We feel incredibly fortunate to have made such wonderful friends late in life. It’s truly an exceptional gift. When we parted, we did not say goodbye, we said, “See you soon.” We will certainly be planning another adventure together in the future.    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    Ljubljana
    Ljubljana castle sits above the city1

    Road trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia

    6. august 2024, Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After checking out of our Budapest hotel this morning, we headed to the airport to pick up our rental car. The drive from Budapest to Ljubljana is about five hours and the highways are in great condition and the traffic wasn’t too bad at all. We arrived at our hotel in central Ljubljana and Brad took a short rest after driving all that time.

    While we went out to explore a bit we were most interested in finding some dinner. There are no shortage of options here along the river. We’ll learn a lot more about the city tomorrow morning when we have a walking tour. We’re having an early night after a travel day so we’ll be fresh to meet our guide tomorrow at 9 a.m.

    Our first impressions of Slovenia and Ljubljana are extremely positive.    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    The main square
    Our guide EnaThe cathedral is being restoredView of ZagrebA cannon is fired from the tower each day at noon. I jumped 🤣CityscapeA chapel in the stone wallThe Museum of Broken RelationshipsAn example of an exhibit1The story that accompanies the item

    Day trip to Zagreb, Croatia

    8. august 2024, Kroatia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    In coming to Slovenia by car, our intention was always to do a couple of day trips. Today, we had an early start and Brad drove us to Zagreb, Croatia, about a two-hour drive from Ljubljana. We had scheduled a walking tour for 11 AM. Our guide Ena was knowledgable and enthusiastic. We learned a great deal about Zagreb and Croatian history.

    Zagreb was hit by an earthquake back in 2020 and many of the buildings were damaged. As a result, scaffolding is a common site and many landmarks are not open to the public because they’re being restored. That was a disappointment.

    Following the walking tour, we stopped at a café for lunch and met three students from Budapest who were studying abroad. One was from Venezuela, one from Egypt and one from Mongolia. We had a lovely chat with them.

    Next on the agenda was to go to a laundromat. We had brought along our laundry to do during the hottest time of the day. The temperature had climbed to 29 so we went and got it done so that we wouldn’t be walking during the hottest time of the day. Travelling for a number of weeks means laundry’s an inevitability. While there we met a wonderful South Korean woman and her daughter who was eight or nine years old. We used Google translate to communicate. They were tourists like us and were travelling on to Amsterdam and Paris.

    With laundry done, we went back to the car to put it away and then walked to the Museum of Broken Relationships. What a fascinating place! Here’s a link so you can read about it:
    https://brokenships.com/visit
    By the time we finished touring it, it was time to drive back to Ljubljana.    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    1Pictures can't capture the beauty
    1Pinch meBled CastleLucky Brad. There was a master bow maker exhibit on at the castle.Bled castle. Lots of stairs to climbView from one of the many lookoutsView of Bled Castle from the shore of Lake BledThe church on the island in the middle of Lake Bled1The wishing bell

    Bled Castle and Lake Bled

    9. august 2024, Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We put the rental car to use again today and took the 45 minute drive to Lake Bled. You may have seen photos of this phenomenal lake with a castle upon a cliff and a church on a tiny island in the lake.

    We went first to the castle, and as we climbed up and reached the top and turned with the lake in front of us, I gasped. It is truly one of the most spectacular sights I’ve ever seen. The photographs simply do not capture its beauty. It’s surreal. The castle itself is as you would expect, lots of climbing in towers to get to lookouts. Every view is breathtaking.

    Once we’d experienced Lake Bled from the castle, we decided to drive down and experience it from the shore. Equally beautiful. One of the important things to do when you visit Lake Blad is to take a boat to the tiny island on which there’s a church. The lake does not have motorized vehicles so we took a 20 passenger rowboat over which took about 25 minutes each way. The church is known to have a “wishing bell” and ringing the church’s bell allows you to make a wish. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

    We had a quick lunch, enjoying the view, and drove back to Ljubljana via a scenic route. We were home by late afternoon in order to freshen up for our dinner this evening.    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    Ljubljana Castle
    Ljubljana CastleI got my dragon wingsOne of the castle lookoutsThe castle chapelMy Robin Hood had an archery themed dayThe entrance to Strelec with a dragon above the door2The menu2Table with a viewThe sunset ❤️

    Ljubljana Castle and dinner at Strelec

    9. august 2024, Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    You could say today was our castle and archery day. We were at Bled Castle in the morning and went to Ljubljana Castle in the evening. Months ago, I made reservations at a Michelin star restaurant called Strelec within Ljubljana Castle. Strelec means archer in Slovenian.

    While our reservation was for 7 p.m., we went to the castle for 6 p.m. in order to have time to walk around and explore. It was incredibly hot, 29°C, so we did not hike up to reach the castle but took the funicular. The Castle has a long history and has been beautifully restored.

    Dinner was on one of the Castle lookouts next to the Archers Tower with a panoramic view of Ljubljana lying below us. We enjoyed a tasting menu that was not only delicious but exceptionally beautifully presented. A night to remember.    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe
    1The caves were huge
    4Olm are also called baby dragonsAt the Adriatic SeaRocky beach1Holy Trinity ChurchThe altar1Dance of deathThe walled villageA castle within the wallsThe Ferrari garden

    Day trip to the Adriatic coast

    10. august 2024, Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    It’s our last day in Slovenia and we made the most of it. We left in the morning for a road trip to the Adriatic Coast, but stopped at famous Postojna Caves on our way. The most fascinating part of the visit was seeing olm, also called baby dragon. About 25 to 30 centimetres, the olm is the largest among cave-dwelling animals and the only vertebrate in Europe strictly bound to cave habitats. It’s completely adapted to life in the dark. It has a lifespan of up to a hundred years and can go without food for as long as 10 years. 😯

    From there, we travelled to a town called Piran which is a quaint seaside destination for tourists and locals alike. It had gotten really hot, 32°C, so we didn’t stay as long on the coast as we’d intended. We hopped back in the air conditioned car and visited two sites on the way back to Ljubljana.

    The first stop was in Hrastovlje to visit a church famous for its frescoes, Holy Trinity Church. We were fortunate to actually see the church because it was closed when we got there but another couple arrived as we were about to leave and phoned a number on the church door to ask for a visit. A man answered and agreed to come show us the church. Sure enough in five minutes he pulled up and in we went. The church frescoes were painted with by Johannes de Castua, who finished them in 1490. We were so pleased to have seen them.

    From there, we drove on to a village called Štanjel famous for the stone walls that surround it that were built in the 1500s. One of the most famous sites within the town is the Ferrari family garden. This corner of Slovenia was once part of Italy so it’s not surprising that the Ferraris had an estate there.    Les mer

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  • Paris Olympics + more Europe

    Ljubljana to Budapest to Bucharest

    11. august 2024, Ungarn ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Today was a travel day. We drove from Ljubljana to Budapest, which took about five hours. We returned the rental car at the airport and headed to the terminal to await our flight from Budapest to Bucharest. We’ll be landing there around 9 p.m.Les mer

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