Christmas Markets and Balkans

December 2023

A 17-day adventure by Lyn and Warren Read more

24footprints
10countries
17days
288photos
13videos
38.5kkilometers
19.6kkilometers
16.5kkilometers

Follow Calendar Share Bucket list

Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 2, 2023, 5:42pm
- ☀️ 28 °C
- Altitude: 25 m
- Australia Queensland Brisbane Brisbane Airport -27.403841, 153.11010827°24’14” S 153°6’36” E
2
Time to go
December 2, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Work is finished.
Plane is here.
Bubbles are poured.

Time to sit back and enjoy, next stop Dubai.
Traveler Have a safe trip
12/3/23Reply
Traveler Hope you slept on plane 14 hours long time...good night with dogs
12/3/23Reply
Traveler Have a fabulous time together💜
12/3/23Reply
5 more comments
6 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 3, 2023, 3:07pm
- ☀️ 29 °C
- Altitude: 8 m
- United Arab Emirates Dubai Downtown Dubai 25.19518, 55.27609725°11’43” N 55°16’34” E
1
Day 1
Dubai
December 3, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Dubai stopover. Deciding for a slow day and early night after a long overnight flight and early start tomorrow.

After arriving we jumped on the metro for trip into the Dubai Mall to see the fountain show. Opulence and extravagance, think of big brand name and it’s here.

The people very friendly and helpful, despite very full train I always had a seat. Metro very quick and efficient. Train every few minutes.

City very clean, noticeably absent was graffiti and unlike Brisbane homeless people. Lots of concrete not much grass. On edge of desert so expected. Interesting thing we noticed was outside the shopping mall huge numbers of men with women conspicuously absent.

Photo of Burg Khalifa (tallest building)Read more
Traveler ❤️
12/3/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Love the new fountain. Great photos. Enjoy your early night. Can't wait to see the next part of your trip.
12/4/23Reply
Traveler I think I’ve taken the same photos lol
12/4/23Reply
6 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 4, 2023, 2:11pm
- Altitude: 365 m
- Czech Republic Hlavní město Praha Praha 6 Horní Liboc Obora Hvězda S [Praha-Břevnov]50.078756, 14.34338850°4’44” N 14°20’36” E
2
Day 2
Prague
December 4, 2023 in Czech Republic
A 6 hour flight from Dubai and arrived in Prague. Blanketed in a layer of fluffy snow. Temperature is minus 15, somewhat chilly. Warren has decided a new beanie and maybe another jumper is in order.

First stop is the old Town Christmas market. Mulled wine, chestnuts, chimney cake and hot chocolate. Now off to dinner.Read more
Traveler How are you handling the cold. Prague looks amazing
12/5/23Reply
Traveler Better than Warren . Me one tough cookie. 🍪
12/5/23Reply
Traveler They are wonderful photos...it really is Xmas over there..
12/5/23Reply
2 more comments
4 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 5, 2023, 9:23am
- ☁️ -4 °C
- Altitude: 254 m
- Czech Republic Hlavní město Praha Hradčany St. Vitus Cathedral 50.090992, 14.39872850°5’28” N 14°23’55” E
1
Day 3
Prague to Bratislava (Slovakia)
December 5, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C
Today started with an early morning walk that encouraged me to add more layers of clothing. And it was SNOWING. Yay.

After breakfast, headed to see Prague castle and cathedral. As they say if it is not baroque don’t fix it. Absolutely stunning constructed in the baroque style with vaulted ceiling. Stained glass beautiful.

Walking with the guide across King Charles Bridge to the Old Town Square to see Astronomical Clock strike twelve.

Follow with a Goulash and mulled wine to defrost and headed off to Bratislava.Read more
Traveler Hope it wasn’t a rock this time
12/5/23Reply
Traveler Snow very light and fluffy 😁
12/5/23Reply
Traveler So much to see. How amazing is the clock and cathedral stained glass.
12/6/23Reply
2 more comments
4 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 6, 2023, 8:39am
- ❄️ 0 °C
- Altitude: 138 m
- Slovakia Bratislava Brenner 48.129456, 17.17308848°7’46” N 17°10’23” E
2
Day 4
Snow photos Bratislava
December 6, 2023 in Slovakia ⋅ ❄️ 0 °C
Traveler Looks cold.
12/6/23Reply
Traveler But sooo much fun.🤩
12/6/23Reply
Traveler Berry berry cold
12/6/23Reply
Traveler Nice 😊
12/6/23Reply
4 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 6, 2023, 2:53pm
- 🌧 3 °C
- Altitude: 170 m
- Hungary Buda Fisherman's Bastion 47.501913, 19.03490647°30’7” N 19°2’6” E
2
Day 4
Budapest
December 6, 2023 in Hungary ⋅ 🌧 3 °C
Still snowing in Budapest. Beautiful old city of two halves. West Bank of the river Danube is called Buda has the castle and palace and hills. More up market than the eastern side of the river which is called Pest (pesht).

The snow eases and the rain is wickedly cold. We tramped around the castle, down to Elizabeth Bridge and the tunnel. The tunnel was made to protect the bridge. The mechanism is maintained by the ‘keep of the bridge’.

Christmas market for mulled wine and spicy hotdogs for lunch.

Dinner was cruise on Danube with folk dancing to complete the evening.Read more
Traveler Is this on a river cruise?
12/7/23Reply
Traveler Danube River dinner cruise in Budapest
12/7/23Reply
Traveler Nice, we did a Scenic cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, we loved Budapest
12/7/23Reply
3 more comments
4 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 7, 2023, 5:11pm
- 🌙 4 °C
- Altitude: 117 m
- Croatia City of Zagreb Zagreb - Centar Fontana kralja Tomislava 45.806, 15.9783545°48’22” N 15°58’42” E
Day 5
Zagreb, capital of Croatia
December 7, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 4 °C
Left Budapest for Zagreb, stopped in at Lake Balanten (also known as Hungarian Sea). 600 square kilometres of freshwater and it is the holiday spot for Hungarians. Bitterly cold as the wind whipped up the lake. Small townships dotted the lakeside as we travelled to Zagreb.

Zagreb, Central Europe, average income $20k euros per year. In a city that has faced many wars and natural disasters. The city is recovering from an earthquake three years ago. Repairs/restoration works undertaken by private owners not the state.

Zagreb delighted with beautiful blue skies.Read more
Traveler How are you travelling (transport wise)?
12/8/23Reply
Traveler By bus on a tour
12/8/23Reply
Traveler Did you like the property in Tasmania
12/8/23Reply
2 more comments
4 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 8, 2023, 10:49am
- ⛅ 3 °C
- Altitude: 531 m
- Croatia Ličko-Senjska Županija Osredak Information Plitvice Jezero 44.904258, 15.61090544°54’15” N 15°36’39” E
1 1
Day 6
Plitvicka Jezera National Park
December 8, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C
Today we traveled from Zagreb via the Plitvicka National Park. What an absolutely stunning amazing place. A series of connecting natural lakes, ponds and waterfalls. Also resident in the park are bears, wolves, lynx and some very friendly little birds. The paths constructed for visitors are mostly timber and easy to transverse except when covered in ice where they quickly transform into skating rink.

From the park we traveled to Zedar, Still in Croatia but on the Mediterranean Sea.Read more
Traveler Fantastic shot
12/9/23Reply
Traveler Beautiful
12/9/23Reply
Traveler Absolutely beautiful
12/9/23Reply
2 more comments
4 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 9, 2023, 12:37pm
- ☁️ 10 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- Croatia Split Palace of Diocletian, Peristyle 43.508128, 16.44011343°30’29” N 16°26’24” E
Day 7
Split
December 9, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
2nd largest city in Croatia. Old town on the water front is built around on upon Roman ruins. Here operates a large busy port.

Here on Saturday and the area is full of families enjoying the advent festivities.

This afternoon we are heading to Neum in Bosnia.Read more
Traveler Lots of history
12/10/23Reply
5 likes
Traveler Christmas Markets and Balkans
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Dec 9, 2023
- ⛅ 10 °C
- Altitude: 13 m
- Croatia Zadarska Županija Brodarica Uvala Oko Vrulje 44.115178, 15.23687444°6’55” N 15°14’13” E
3
Day 7
Zadar
December 9, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Mediterranean feel to this city on the Adriatic Sea.

Home to sea organ. The tune is made by the air driven by wave action passing through holes in the sea wall ( see video)
Traveler Sounds like the ocean is breathing
12/9/23Reply
Traveler Hey. Have you guys been dreaming of the Maldives recently? (Nice warm weather)
12/9/23Reply
Traveler I think we are at the warm part of the trip. 9degrees at the moment in a couple of days we head back into the snow
12/9/23Reply
2 more comments
5 likes