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Europe September 2024

September 2024
  • Ella Balagula
A 20-day adventure by Ella Read more
  • Ella Balagula

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  • Italy Italy
  • Vatican City Vatican City
  • Slovenia Slovenia
  • France France
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  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    Monument to Van Gogh in a small park
    The Romans were very active in this part of France, so there is a giant amphitheaterVan Gogh foundation that hosts exhibitsDelicious lunch - eggplant dish and seared swordfish with ratatouilleDelicious chocolate cake for desertI'm Aix de Provence I went to a small but very interesting museumFoe gras appetizerDelicious fish main courseThe best cheesecake (more like pannacota) with poached figs

    Van Gogh and gastronomical adventures

    September 10, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    On Tuesday, we left Avignon and drove to the nearby town Arles, because there was a VoiceMap tour there, about Van Gogh who lived in Arles and painted many of his most famous paintings there, including the Starry Night 🌌 and the Sunflowers 🌻. Even though there are no apparent sites to see, the tour was very interesting, truly diving into the life of this tormented creative genius. We then went for lunch to a beautiful small restaurant with super cute courtyard and shared delicious eggplant dish and seared swordfish. We then drove about an hour to Aix-de-Provence where we would be staying overnight. Igor had to work but I went for a quick visit to a small but very rich art museum and capped the night with solo dinner a a small organic restaurant recommended by Frommers. It was a one man show - the owner is a chef and server. He used to work in top world restaurants but then decided to open this small place with 6 tables and tiny menu. It was divine!Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    Picked up delicious fresh figs at a fruit marketMarseille OperaMedieval hospitalHospital also was a refuge for poor and piligrimsVery cool street art.Entrance to the main cathedralAn enormous cathedral towers above the portMuseum of Mediterranean civilizationsThe underwater cave museumBeautiful port

    Aix-de-Provence and Marseille

    September 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We spent the night in Aix-de-Provence and in the morning did a VoiceMap tour of the center. Basically, there is one large super wide boulevard and on one side is the old medieval town and on the other side much more posh Renaissance palaces of the elite. We walked around and then drove to Marseille to spend the night before our early morning flight. There was sadly no VoiceMap of Marseille and I tried to attend a guided walking tour but it was cancelled so I resorted to just walking around the city with Frommers suggestions. The city, being a port, with a reputation for grit, reminded me of Napoli. I walked the medieval old town which is now a center of graffiti street art. I went to what on the map said Cathedral Mayor, and a major, utterly massive cathedral it was! I think it was from the 19th century and very lavishly decorated inside. There are a few interesting museums but they were already closed - Museum of Mediterranean civilizations and a complete replica of an underwater cave with some incredible cave art that was found not too long ago. Next time will definitely need to see! After walking around the port, I had a quick dinner and went to a local milonga. It was not the best, but quite friendly and I enjoyed dancing there!Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    On the way from Zagreb airport, we stopped at a local restaurant for delicious cevapces and veal
    The ballroom ready to receive the dancersUnreal strudel and cakesBuckwheat is center stage here! Buckwheat salad served as a "snack" at evening milongasAbundance of apple strudelVinyls play all day long in the hotel bar

    Amazing Slovenia Embrace Encuentro

    Sep 12–16, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    There is a reason why we continue to return to Rogaška Slatina for a dose of magic. We love absolutely everything about it - it’s my happy place. The amazing combination of highly skilled and friendly dancers, wholesome delicious food and fairytale ballroom create a truly unique atmosphere, very blissful. We had three magical days there and I was really sad to be leaving. It was raining the whole time we were there and somehow we didn’t even notice that we didn’t step outside. 3.5 days, 7 milongas, 31 hours, 75 (estimated) tandas that I danced. Most that I ever danced in an encuentro. Very sore feet, but happy and full hearts! We have to return soon!Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    The only da Vinci in the Vatican
    Incredible triptych by RafaelFamous Greek statue of LaocoonNot only art is incredible but also the buildingsAncient greek statue of Pan taking our a splinter from the foot of ApolloIncredible frescoes in a hallwayHall of maps - highly accurate depictions of various geographical maps in the 15th centuryRafael's famous School of Athens portraying various philosophers all togetherI stole a picture of Sistine Chapel, despite the No FotosExit staircaseBeautiful scene on the walk back to the hotel. A medieval Papal Castle in the backgroundJust a column with a cute elephant

    Vatican

    September 17, 2024 in Vatican City ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    On Monday we slept in late after the most incredible very late night last milonga of the encuentro. We then drove to Zagreb airport where igor worked in the lounge and we waited for our evening flight to Rome. We arrived late and very excited for the VoiceMap extravaganza in Rome. We started our adventure on Tuesday by going to Vatican museums where there was a four hour VoiceMap tour. We really enjoyed it, and it was much better than the own Vatican audioguide which we used when we last visited in 2022. We really liked the stories about the artists but most importantly enjoyed learning about the evolution of art history. We spent 4 marvelous hours, and then Igor had to leave to work and I stayed diving deeper into the optional sections of Rafael frescoes of the Papal apartments and the incomparable Sistine chapel. Vatican is truly the most incredible art museum of the early to Renaissance art.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    Interior of the Pantheon
    Incredible DomeThe dome of Florence cathedral and even San Peter's were modeled after this Dome. 1 century ADTrevi fountainTrevi fountain overrun by touristsSpanish Steps were a little less crowdedThe Stumbling Stones are all over Europe- commemorating Jews taken from the houses in the HolocaustThe Grand Synagogue of RomeInterior of the synagogueThe synagogue is very richly decoratedThe site of the oldest synagogue in Rome - interior did not survive.Roman ruins in the middle of the city

    The heart of Rome and Jewish Ghetto

    September 18, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today we accomplished a lot of sightseeing! Even though there is an abundance of VoiceMap tours in Rome, most of them were of certain neighborhood or theme and we felt that we needed a general overview. We decided to trust Rick Steve’s and did his Heart of Rome tour, plus his inside tour of Pantheon. Once again, the tour confirmed what I remembered about Rome from 15 years ago - it’s a layer cake of slices of history, often overlapping and incorporated in the same buildings. I should mention that in general Rome was very crowded - we were able to snatch two last Vatican tickets for yesterday and all the other days were sold out. And all the touristy sites were packed. Trevi fountain was overrun by packs of selfie snapping and instagram positing tourists. We also went inside the Pantheon which we never visited before. The buildings dome was absolutely mind blowing especially for the fact that it’s for the first century AD!! The building was a temple to Roman gods, later converted to a church and now housing the remains of many famous people, including Rafael. After the tour, we felt sufficiently oriented and did a VoiceMap tour of the Jewish Ghetto. It was once again a reminder of a familiar theme of antisemitism and prosecution. We visited a grand synagogue of Rome from the 19th century which is stunningly beautiful. We then walked back home snapping pictures of seemingly random Roman ruins in the middle of the streetRead more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    Stunning mosaicsStatue of Catherine as she was found

    Tour of Trastevere before leaving Rome

    September 19, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Today, we woke up early and went on a VoiceMap tour of Trastevere - an area on the other side of Tiber river. It used to be a poor side of Rome, with many medieval buildings in bad state, but a couple of decades ago it started to become a hip local neighborhood with many shops and restaurants. We walked some beautiful streets with local butcher, cheese, wine, and bakery shops. We also stopped by at some churches. One was with stunning mosaics from the 11th century, and it had a sculpture of Saint Catherine. The story goes that Catherine was a devoted nun during Roman pagan times, propagating conversion to Christianity. Then she was captured and tortured by Roman soldiers and beheaded, but had to be beheaded several times and after her head was barely attached, she still lived for three days. Then some centuries later her body was found and this sculpture commemorates that. We learned a lot about various saints on this trip. It was great to wander a local non touristy neighborhood of Rome, and then we left to drive to the Adriatic side for our next encuentro.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    The medieval streets of Assisi
    Huge buttresses of the St Francis cathedralOne of the modern Franciscans, probably a pilgrimSt Francis basilicaThe crypt where st Francis is buriedThe box with his remainsFrescoes depicting poverty, chastity and obedienceThe courtyard of the basilicaIn the upper basilica the ceiling had the most amazing hue of vibrant blueOne of pivotal moments in his life - denouncing earthly possessions including clothesSt Francis is talking to the birdsSiena main square

    Assisi on the way to Tuscany

    September 20, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Well, a bit of change in plans! We arrived to the encuentro near Ancona and went to the first milonga. Let’s just say it was extremely uninspiring, bordering on unpleasant. The place was in a very rundown camp-like bungalows, with paper thin walls. The level of dancers was very mediocre and the real deal breaker was concrete cement floor, so very challenging to dance on. Considering that we were coming from Slovenia with the fairytale ballroom and magical dancers, the perspective of spending 3 more days with 6 milongas was out of the questions. Luckily, we were in the middle of Italy with the car. So we consulted VoiceMap and Rick Steves and decided to spend the long weekend in Tuscany instead. On the way, we stopped at Assisi because there was Rick Steves tour there. And it was really fascinating! Apparently Assisi is the hometown of St Francis, the saint who grew up in a rich family but at the age of 18, declined all the earthly possessions and became a hermit, preaching poverty, chastity and obedience. Franciscans even today are quite a big Christian denomination and after Saint Francis San Francisco was named! In Assisi there is a giant and gorgeous two level cathedral dedicated to him. Also St Francis preached being closer to nature, and often talked to the birds (as depicted in frescoes) - Igor promptly reminded me that he talked to birds too on one occasion in New Zealand! We really loved the tour and the city. We then drove to Siena where I had a nice dinner in one of the trattorias and marveled at the famous Siena square, lit by the full moon.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    Beautiful marble fountain in the middle of the main square
    Throughout the day we kept coming back to the square to reset, sit, and eat delicious gelatoThe beautiful hidden courtyardStopping for coffee in a place courtyardMagnificent Siena cathedralOne of the most striking cathedrals I have ever seenBeautiful mosaics of the Zodiacs. And the ever present shewolf in the middleI love how the dog is giving a "Shake" to the lionIncredible domeMany frescoes in the librarySome 9th century booksThe cathedral was supposed to be larger but was never finished. What's left of the unfinished wingThe main square houses annual horse race but today it was an old car race!Beautiful view of the cityA movie-like scene captured from the main square. It wasn't a photoshoot.Coming back to the main square for the golden light and sunset

    Gorgeous Siena

    September 21, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today we spent the whole day in Siena - a truly magnificent city, full of character, history and gorgeous art. We did Rick Steves tour of the city including its striking cathedral with the most amazing marble mosaics. The cathedral also hosts a medieval library with old theology books and the wall frescoes depicting the life of one of the Popes. But every corner of this city hold some special character and magic. One of my best memories was walking into a courtyard of one of the palaces, discovering a quiet coffee shop there and stopping to sip on a slow cappuccino, just chatting and soaking in the many centuries absorbed in the surrounding stone, colorful frescoes and airy marble water well in the middle of the courtyard. We absolutely loved Siena - it was fairly crowded with tourists but never overwhelmingly. Most importantly, unlike other medieval cities that have become just a collection of narrow winding streets filled with endless souvenir shops, Siena feels alive and breathing with the life of today. It has a university and there are many students whose presence is felt in hip small restaurants throughout the city. Siena is not a time capsule, it feels like the essence of change and evolution, where the old and the new are coexisting in harmony. In the evening we drive 15 minutes to a cultural center in the nearby countryside for a local milonga, with the Italian DJ that we knew from Slovenia. It was some lovely, if not exceptional, dancing.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    The view of San Gimignano with its many towers. Like a medieval Manhattan
    Delicious lunch in Volterra - fried polenta with porcini was especially amazing!Beautiful square in VolterraRuins of the Roman amphitheaterPorcini mushroom seasonThe many towers of San GimignanoDelicious ravioli in pear walnut Gorgonzola sauce and pasta with vegetables

    San Gimingano and Volterra

    September 22, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Today, we actually found out where the crowds of the shoulder season in Tuscany were! In the morning we left beautiful Siena and drove 45 min to San Gimignano. As we approached the town , we were met with the Disneyland like lineup of the various parking lots that were all full and the attendants kept waving the cars somewhere in the distance. We tried some further away parking that supposedly had some buses shuttling from them, but we failed to see any aforementioned busses on the road. After driving back and forth for 20 mins and trying to find a spot in the hope that someone will leave, we realized that our only option was parking far away and walking for 30 mins under the open sun, along the car road. We decided that it was not worth it, and drove away, another 40 mins to Volterra. The parking situation there was much better and we were able to walk around and enjoy this medieval city. There was no VoiceMap so we felt a bit lost, but managed it, between lonely planet and Google. We had delicious lunch in a small cafe on a piazza and then wandered the streets - Volterra had many well preserved medieval building and even the ruins of a Roman amphitheater. Then, in the afternoon, around 5 pm we decided to try our luck at San Gimignano again, and what a difference few hours make! We were able to easily park in the most nearby parking lot and enjoy walking the streets without the hoards of day trippers. The city is famous for its many towers, and we admired many of them. It was great to sit in the steps of the main cathedral on ten main piazza without the crowds and enjoy the sunset. We then had delicious dinner and drove south to stay overnight on the way back to Rome.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope September 2024
    The internet photo of the macchinaMedieval 11 century tower right next to the modern apartment buildingThe palace of the Popes (they spent a bit of time in Vitboro after returning from Avignon1Cruise ship terminal

    Viterbo

    September 22, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today was a transition day - we were flying home from Rome early tomorrow and decided to stay somewhere within under an hour from Rome airport, that is also a nice place so I could explore and enjoy the afternoon while Igor worked. Our plan was guided by the available VoiceMaps. We first stopped at Viterbo - a medieval town in the heart of the region of Umbria. It was very quiet and nice - a bit of a an alive time capsule, with medieval towers often converted into the apartment buildings. The town is famous for its summer annual religious procession where people carry what is called the Macchina di Santa Rosa through the town. The macchina was frequently mentioned in the VoiceMap tour and according to Google images it is indeed very impressive and enormous. It reminded us of the infamous Zozobra, except it doesn’t get burned. We also learned that Viterbo apparently was the filming location for many Italian movies, including some famous Fellini movies and some modern TV series like Catch 22. It makes sense because the town is so well preserved but also not touristy at all. We then drove an hour to the seaside town of Civitavecchia with another VoiceMap tour where we would stay overnight. Unfortunately it was a bit less picturesque than I imagined it’s a major port where many cruise ships and ferries depart from, so the VoiceMap tour was targeted towards the cruise ship passengers and it starts and end a near the cruise ship terminal. It’s a bit of a rundown town, so maybe not the best choice for the night, but it was convenient and interesting to see an everyday non touristy town. We were ready to fly home in the morning, after such an incredible, deeply satisfying and beautiful journey through time and places.Read more

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