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Europe Summer 2026
  • Ella Balagula
  • Ella Balagula

Europe Summer 2026

An open-ended adventure by Ella Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 16, 2026
    Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    We danced in a beautiful 19 century ballroom with fewscoed ceiling
    We danced in a beautiful 19 century ballroom with fewscoed ceilingBaden central squareSchnitzel and some giant gnocchi

    Amado encuentro in Baden, Austria

    Jul 16–19 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We started our adventure in Baden - we flew to Frankfurt, connected to Vienna, and took a quick train to Baden. We checked in to our hotel, which was in a historic villa, very cute and filled with memorabilia. But when we got to our room, we were immediately met with hot air, being circulated by the ceiling fan. We unsuccessfully looked for an air conditioner, and upon further inquiry, the receptionist confirmed that indeed, the ceiling fan was all the AC we were going to get, despite the weekend being a toasty high 80s F. Who would have even thought to check in advance if the hotel had an AC? The things we take for granted in our amazing country 🇺🇸! But the weekend still turned out very nice, with some very lovely dancing, good tango music, and food, despite the heat ?including in the tango ballroom, which had an AC, but not strong enough.

    As usual during the encuentros, I didn’t take any pictures, and the only outing was few wonderful hours spent in the adjacent to the hotel thermal spa with various saunas. On the last evening on Sunday, milonga finished early and we went for a nice dinner in a beautiful terrace, where we had our first (by far, not the last!) Weiner schnitzel. We learned that if schnitzel is called Weiner, than by law it can only be veal.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler

    DJing in Vienna

    July 20 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    We woke up late on Monday, had a nice breakfast and leisurely made our way to Vienna, with no plans for the day, except my DJing gig in the evening. It was in a nice little tango studio ONE TANGO with lovely atmosphere and very warm organizer Rosa. It’s was only 2.5 hours and only about 25 people because it was a Monday night, but I managed to create a very chilled cool party vibe and people danced the whole time, and stayed until the very end. I felt very connected to the crowd and got a very long and warm applause at the end. The place reminded us how cool tango spaces in Europe are, with funky chandeliers, real candlelight, and fresh flowers.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Near where Hitler exited the train, arriving to Vienna for the first time
    Near where Hitler exited the train, arriving to Vienna for the first timeHitler rented a shoebox apartment on the second floor with a roommateHQ of gestapoCity hallThe square where Hitler announced from the balcony the annexation of Austria to NaziThe Academy of Arts that had a chance to turn history1A beautiful courtyardGarden with blooming rosesStephenplatz cathedral

    Hitler in Vienna tour

    July 21 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    One of the reasons I was so excited about coming back and spending a few days in Vienna, was a new recently added VoiceMap tour about Hitler’s youth in Vienna. It was done by the same authors as our favorite VoiceMap Vienna tour about the Natzi hunters. We spent a couple of hours, tracing Hitler’s journey. He was born in a small town near Vienna, and came to Vienna as a young hopeful, to apply to Vienna Academy of Arts. He was rejected and kept reapplying, meanwhile his mental state unraveling, paving the way for the megalomaniac epitome of evil that he was about to become. He was poor and crushed in Vienna, and the tour took us through fascinating details of his years there. The tour ended at the Academy of Arts, showing us the place that had the potential to turn the wheel of history and save many millions of innocent lives. If only he was accepted there (rejected three times, instead!), becoming a harmless artist…

    Afterwards, in the afternoon I did another new VoiceMap tour of the center, revisiting beautiful squares, buildings and cathedrals.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    2The famous hare with the window reflection in its eye
    2The famous hare with the window reflection in its eyeA table that Marie Christine got as a gift from her sister, Marie Antoinette of FranceA great example of pointillismThe lone tree with the black birds - which are actually ghosts!1Chagal is always my favorite1Massive white party

    Albertina museum

    July 22 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Today we went to the Albertina museum. We loved it last time in 2023 and wanted to go back. There is a fantastic permanent exhibit, “From Monet to Picasso” that traces the development of groundbreaking styles in the late 19 century. This time, there was an exhibit about the actual development of the museum from a private collection of Prince Albert. It was very well curated, talking about the life of Albert and his wife princess Marie Christine. They loved collecting drawings, especially on their various travels and that’s how collection started eventually growing after their death. One special drawing was of a hare 🐰, amazingly well executed, where the bunny really looks real, with every hair of his fur distinctly visible. Interestingly, when zooming in, one can see the windows of the artists studio reflecting in the hare’s eye. Apparently, this hare cannot be displayed because it’s extremely sensitive to light, so it’s presented once a decade only for 3 months - how lucky we were to see it!

    In the afternoon, I had lunch and came back to the museum to see the permanent exhibit and loved it once again. When I emerged from the museum around its closing time, I was surprised to see hundreds of young people wearing white and a high energy DJ pumping up the crowd. There was a massive white party on the terrace in front of the museum!    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Monument to the victims of Nazi GestapoHolocaust memorialThere is our favorite small plate restaurant next to the memorialMedieval plaque commemorating and celebrating burning of the JewsLatest Holocaust memorial

    Holocaust and Nazi hunters VoiceMap

    July 23 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We had a nice breakfast in our hotel and decided to do a repeat VoiceMap about the Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal who was a miraculous concentration camp survivor and dedicated his life to hunting down the Nazi leaders hiding after the war in various countries, mostly in Argentina. We did it last time in 2023, but it was amazing to hear this story again. I love most when we learn tidbits of history on our travels that connect to various countries and stories that we visited before. We actually learned about the Nazi hiding in Argentina on a tour in Bariloche a couple of years ago. So it was amazing to make this connection with the actual Jew who survived and was instrumental in bringing Nazi to justice. Simon Wiesenthal lived to 97 and there are several movies about him which we absolutely must see when we get back home.

    A terrible story we learned from VoiceMap - there is a medieval plaque on one of the buildings in the same square as Holocaust memorial, stating that the “Jewish dogs have been burned by fire and the city has been rid of them”. The text is in Latin, so it doesn’t attract attention but it’s crazy that it remains untouched (even though its a historical object, it could be sitting in a backroom of some museum instead)

    In the evening we went to the summer outdoor movie festival and watched the recording of Amy Winehouse concert. It was very beautiful and enjoyable.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Back to Ulrich
    Back to UlrichPistachio pomegranate croissantReunited with Tanyuha, and wearing her birthday gift!Belvedere palaceThe KissBirthday boy and his schnitzel (we split it)1Birthday boy and his apple strudel

    Igor’s birthday in Vienna

    July 24 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    In the morning, we went for a birthday brunch in our favorite best brunch in Vienna place Ulrich. We went there every day when we were in Vienna last time. But this time, our hotel breakfast was included until today, so I was super happy to finally make it to Ulrich and it was as amazing as we remembered.

    Then we did a quick and relaxing VoicwMap about the classical music in Vienna. And in the afternoon the sister of the birthday boy arrived for the weekend!

    In the afternoon, we went to the Belvedere museum and saw many beautiful painting, including our favorite The Kiss by Klimt.

    For dinner we went nearby our hotel to a small restaurant with the courtyard and delicious schnitzel. Fun fact was that we remembered from 2023 that we celebrated Igor’s birthday in Vienna is a small restaurant where we had a great schnitzel. We didn’t remember the name or location, but luckily I saved it in a google map list! It was also just as great as the last time!

    We capped the evening with going back to the outdoor movies festival and this time watched a fun huge annual charity concert in Paris.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler

    Vienna - Sisi museum, food and milonga

    July 25 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today we went for breakfast to our favored Ulrich, but it was packed and we settled on their sister restaurant nearby Erich which was also quite delicious - we poached eggs on roasted eggplant and a pink porridge. We then went to the famous Sisi museum dedicated to the fascinating life of Elizabeth, wife of emperor Joseph who was known as Sisi. It was a story of rebellion, depression and deep love.

    Afterwards, we stopped by for a quick lunch of mini open-faced sandwiches at the Trzesniewski, which is Vienna institution and reliably delicious. We topped it off with the best apple strudel at cafe Demel.

    In the evening I DJed at the Milonga del Vino and enjoyed it, despite some technical difficulties.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Just a beautiful old building
    Just a beautiful old buildingFascinating that Lenin lived in London and spent a lot of time in the nearby British museumVery inventive set at the Oresteia play

    London explorations started

    Jul 26–27 in England ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We arrived to London early afternoon on a Sunday and didn’t want a nice evening go to waste - so we decided to do a VoiceMap of the neighborhood where we were staying. Fun fact is that London has 150 (!) VoiceMap without a whole lot of curation, so choosing the ones for us was an an easy feat. The one that we started was not really working for us - it was full of non consequential to history anecdotes - mostly based on some drunk or thief form the Middle Ages that lived and practiced his craft in a building we were passing. We aborted the pursuit after half an hour and switched to another VoiceMap that was mostly talking about the Bloomsbury society of artists, poets, and writers. That was quite interesting!

    The next day we decided to do a VoiceMap of the main London parks, including Hyde park. It was interesting but the walk was scorching hot 🥵 and the usually bright green grass in London park was all dry yellow hay. The signs of this summers heat wave and lack of rain were very evident.

    In the evening I was able to score a ticket to the play Oresteia with amazing cast including Mary Louise Parker. It was 3.5 hours with two intermissions, but I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. It was certainly a memorable new play that makes the audience think and truly engage.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Beautiful view from St James park
    Beautiful view from St James parkWestminster AbbeyThe small building on the right is where King Charles was beheadedWe took a bus!Beautiful Notting HillWhere one of the notable scenes in the movie Notting Hill takes placeThe travel books store where Julia Roberts character worked

    King Charles story and exploring Notting Hill

    July 28 in England ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Today we decided to select a VoiceMap tour that would focus on one theme or story and picked the tour about the killing of the King Charles I. This was the right decision and we really enjoyed the tour, learning about England civil war and the conflict between the Royalists and Parlamentarians. As the result of this war, King Charles was beheaded. The tour took us along the road that King Charles walked on his way to meet his executioner and showed many famous sites along the way, including the Westminster Abbey. We didn’t go inside because it was a very long line for the tickets. But the VoiceMap was very enjoyable.

    We then decided to switch gears in the afternoon and took a VoiceMap tour of the hip Notting Hill neighborhood. It was also very engaging and interesting - felt like a world apart from the hustle and bustle of the touristy central London. Notably, we expanded our transportation comfort zone from only the tube, and took a bus there!    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Easter island head statue
    Easter island head statuePharaoh statueEgyptian cat statue - the British collector who brought it from Egypt, gave her gold piercingsRosetta StoneRelief from ParthenonCrazy delicious lagman

    British museum and a funny play

    July 29 in England ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today, we went to British museum, which is massive, super impressive and free. We were attracted to the opportunity to see the highlights with the 2 hr VoiceMap tour by a London Art historian. It was really interesting - essentially a massive collection of treasures brought (stolen?) from other countries. Here, we saw more Egyptian mummies than we saw in Egypt, and more beautiful Parthenon reliefs than we saw in Athens.

    We also saw a mythical Moa head from the Eastern Island (perhaps we don’t need to go there anymore?). We also saw famous Rosetta Stone - a stone that was found in Egypt and was the first known “dictionary”. On the stone some financial and historical transaction is recorded - in three languages: Greek, Egyptian mainstream and Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Rosetta Stone allowed to decipher and understand Egyptian hieroglyphics.

    After the museum I had lunch of delicious lagman with hand pulled noodles at the Uyghur restaurant. I never heard of this cuisine but apparently it’s central Asian, in northern China, similar to Uzbek, but distinctly different.

    In the evening we went to see a play HowThe Other Half Loves. It was a classic British comedy - very fun! On the way there, on Ilona’s request I stopped by at a Greek yogurt bar for a tasting. It was good, but Ilona’s is much better!    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Entry into the basement
    Entry into the basementConference roomChurchill cabinetCommunication room - now it can be rented out for events!Room from which Churchill broadcasts his famous inspirational speechesOriginal map on which all the front movements and battles were recorded dailyChurchill bedroomWe had delicious Lebanese lunch afterwards

    Churchill War Rooms

    July 30 in England ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today, we went to see the original war rooms in the bunker that Churchill and his team used during the WWII. It was absolutely fascinating. It actually wasn’t a bunker, but a regular large basement under one of the government buildings that was expanded and set up as Churchills was headquarters. It wasn’t a real shelter and wasn’t bomb proof, but luckily it was never struck during the London blitz bombings. The location was extremely secure, and it remained a closely guarded secret through the war years. We saw all the rooms in its original state, including Churchill’s office, bedroom and communication room from which he would talk to American President.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Delicious Friday brunch in ten villageBeautiful spaceThe view from the encuentro terraceBeautiful walk from our Airbnb to the encuentro venueOn Sunday morning we had brunch in the village outside and there was a very fun farmers market!

    Royal Embrace private encuentro

    Jul 31–Aug 3 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    On Thursday we took a bus and went to Richmond, a beautiful suburb of London where Royal Embrace was being held. We checked into our airbnb which was a very cute and spacious room with the bathroom and a kitchenette of a local sweet British couple who befriended us instantly, left us yogurt, fruits, and cookies. 6 min walk to cutest Kew Village and 12 min walk to the encuentro venue. A big win of a booking for Igor!

    The next 3 days we only managed to walk and eat in the village in addition to dancing. There were beautiful Kew Gardens nearby but we didn’t make it there. We danced in the Rowing Club room, which has a great floor, high ceiling, and gorgeous terrace overlooking the river. Curiously, it was next to the cemetery and crematorium, which is why all the reviews of the venue were mostly from people who held or attended funerals there. It was nice to bring the lively joy of tango into that space :) We loved the encuentro - great dancing, and they served amazing food for dinner on that terrace.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Broadway High street
    Broadway High streetOld pubChippin Camden marketplaceEncountered this on our walk on the streetOld churchEvery old church has an old cemetery.The church tower in the sunsetGorgeous architecture at every cornerMedieval marketplace

    Cotswalds - Broadway and Chippin Camden

    August 3 in England ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    On Monday morning after the encuentro, we went to Heathrow to pick up a rental car for our week-long England roadtrip. It was hard to chose where to go, as there are 200 VoiceMaps in the UK outside of London. We looked at something that would be beautiful, and fairly easy to drive to. The Cotswalds were a perfect start, because it’s a series of small 15-16 century towns with honey-colored buildings of local limestone. All with great history and many with a VoiceMap tour, about 2 hours drive from London.

    We started at Broadway - beautiful town basically with one High Street (meaning Main street). We did a VoiceMap there and had delicious lunch in one of the cafes. We then drove to nearby town called Chippin Camden with the same story - High street with honey colored buildings and interesting stories. We stayed there overnight and the town was magical after all the day trip tourists have left.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    They used this device in 15-17 centuries to punish people for petty crimes by securing their anklesTree grown into the churchBibury has a big trout farm on this riverArlington row of very old weaver housesOld farmYet another churchBeautiful estateA cute courtyard in CirencesterDelicious dosaCathedralThe tallest hedge in the world

    Cotswalds - Bibury

    August 4 in England ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    In the morning, we left Chippin Camden and drove to the next main Cotswalds attraction - Bibury. On the way we stopped at Stow-on-the—Wold village and walked around. It had a beautiful St Edward’s church and very cute high street and central market square.

    Then we drove to Bibury where we did a fascinating VoiceMap walk of the town. It’s famous for the row of small 14 century cottages, called Arlington row after the family that owned it. Fascinating detail is that the owner of that row of cottages moved to America in 1600s and then through some marriages the descendants moved to Virginia and founded a cemetery, which they named Arlington to commemorate their ancestors roots in England. So the Arlington cemetery is connected to this row of cottages! Another interesting detail that we learned from VoiceMap - we noticed that Bibury had an unusually large number of Japanese tourists. Apparently, Bibury is famous in Japanese anime because one character from a famous series lived in Bibury in Arlington row. So it’s extremely popular for Japanese tourists to visit it.

    After Bibury, we drove to Cirencester where we stayed overnight. I had a delicious dosa for lunch there in the restaurant appropriately named Dosapark. In the afternoon I did a VoiceMap tour there. It’s a medieval market town with a beautiful cathedral and nice parks. There was also a curios site - one estate was protected from the public eye by the worlds tallest hedge - it’s in the Guiness book!    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    House where the man who sold his wife lived
    House where the man who sold his wife livedAnother beautiful churchI guess people were much shorter back thenRooms at the hotel have no numbers but names insteadTypical medieval buildingMedieval timber houses

    Cotswolds - Burford

    August 5 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We went today to another star of the Cotswalds - Burfurd. The town had many old stately houses and a lot of interesting historic characters. For example, there is a house where lived the man who sold his wife. Apparently, if you wanted to divorce and get rid of your wife, you could take her to an auction and sell her to the highest bidder! In this particular case, the townsfolk disapproved and staged a mob outside this man’s house, banging on pots and pans all night. Interesting traditions.

    After Burford, we drove to Stratford-on-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare where we stayed overnight. There were a couple of VoiceMaps there, so k did know in the afternoon. I didn’t finish it, but saw many medieval timber houses.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Old medieval gate
    Old medieval gateCity hallWarwick is full of timber housesImposing Warwick castleDelicious Thai lunchThe boats - each is named after a female character in one of Shakespeare plays.Statue of young Shakespeare and royal theater in the backgroundOne of many locks on the canal to control the flow of waterThe theater

    Warwick and a little more Stratford

    August 6 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today we decided to make a day trip to nearby Warwick - a town with the castle and with the VocieMap. It was a beautiful walk through medieval center where we learned that a lot of action in medieval times revolved around varios colorful crimes and many many executions. We didn’t have time to go inside the castle, but it certainly looked very impressive from the outside.

    We returned to Stratford and I finished the VoiceMap about Shakespeare with a lovely walk along the river with beautiful views. In the evening, we scored the tickets to the sold out Cherry Orchard play with Helen Hunt in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Despite lukewarm critic reviews, we absolutely loved it. The theater was very intimate and was a replica of the original Shakespearean theater, and the production was amazing.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Joker - an ever present character in many Shakespearean plays
    Joker - an ever present character in many Shakespearean playsStratford from the top of the theater towerGraves of Shakespeare and his wife AnneTewkesbery abbeyOur hotel lobbyNo caption necessaryOne of many alleyways of TewkesberyOne of many medieval housesDelicious Indian dinnerOur hotel was in a historic 15 century building

    Stratford and Tewkesbery

    August 7 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today, we did another Shakespeare VoiceMap tour of Stratford and visited the church where he was baptized and buried. After watching the movie Hamnet, all the Shakespeare sites and family connections make a lot more sense.

    We then drove to Tewkesbery - a medieval town with abbey and a VoiceMap tour. We stayed in a historic old timber front building, which was beautiful and full of character.

    Interestingly, when we arrived to the town, I saw some theater, and upon checking, found that today there was an evening with Bill Bailey - apparently a very well know British comedian. I decided to go while Igor worked in the afternoon and it ended up being
    a very enjoyable hour.

    We did most of the VoiceMap in the evening, and had delicious dinner at an Indian restaurant.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    The bridge between these buildings is promptly called VenetianWe stumbled upon a graduation ceremonyInteresting modern statue atop the buildingA pie in Britain means very different thing - these are not fruit pies!

    Oxford

    August 8 in England ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    On Saturday we made our way to Oxford, as it was on the way back towards London, and sufficiently different from the Cotswalds and medieval towns. Of course, we did a couple of VoiceMap tours, but most of all, really enjoyed amazing architecture of the old grandiose university buildings. In fact, we were surprised to learn that Oxford is actually a collection of 39 very distinct colleges. We saw the most impressive and famous ones. The main one, Christ Church college, that educated many famous people and many British prime ministers, had a self-guided tour but it was sold out for the day. There were also visits to a library and dining hall that inspired Hogwarts, but they were all sold out for days.

    We also saw a part of the graduation ceremony from afar, as the graduated students walked out form the grand building.

    Oxford definitely had a very distinct vibe - a true university town - with many students from all over the world, tons of ethnic restaurants, but also really overrun with tourists.

    Oxford also had very strong literary connections - for example. Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland there.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Windsor castle
    Windsor castleThe royal processional road - familiar from Royal weddings and funeralsWindsor castleA model of the British flightier plane from WWIIInteresting sculpture on a school building in Eton

    Windsor and Etan

    August 9 in England ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    On Sunday, we needed to return to London in time for me to DJ at an afternoon milonga at 4 pm. Since we still had half a day, we decided to stop by on our way from Oxford at Windsor and nearby Eton, since it again would give us a sufficiently different experience, and of course, if had a VoiceMap to guide our explorations.

    We particularly wanted to see Windsor and Etan because after watching TV series The Crown, we wanted to see Windsor which has been a royal residence for centuries and continues to be the home of the royal family. And Eton is the boarding school for boys 13-18 years old, and it educated many famous people, as well as royal princes. It was really beautiful and interesting.

    We then drove to London, had a quick Vietnamese lunch and I DJed at the small but iconic (been around for 15 years) milonga. We were surprised to see there a tango couple from Salt Lake City that we know well. They were on vacation in London and it was a great coincidence! We then had fun drinks with the milonga organizer/teacher, and a few other people, and then we went to another milonga, which was ok, not great.

    We decided to stay in a small town outside of Cambridge, called Saffron Walden and we drove there late after the milonga. A long, but very fun day!    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Our hotel
    Our hotelBut we actually stayed in this barnOne of the old buildings in Saffron WaldenGardens - a great example of beautiful trimmed bushesThe hedge maze from the little platform in the centerAudley End estateStunning carving in the grand hallThe grand hall of the estateThe library - with beautiful live piano.Tons of mostly bird taxidermy in the estate - this case is just owlsThe phone booths are mostly just for picture takingAn interesting clock that was unveiled by Stephen HawkinsAn apple tree that has grafts form the apple tree where Newton grew up (and had 🍎 fall on his head)Trinity collegeClothing uniform outfitter shopCambridge with the famous clock in beautiful sunset light

    Saffron Walden and an evening in Cambridge

    August 10 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We started the day with walk around Saffron Walden (no VoiceMap here!) and saw some ChatGPT recommended old buildings. We also stopped by at the unexpected beautiful manicured free gardens. It even had a hedge maze that was not trivial and had us wander around for a bit! We then went to a nearby Audley End House and Estate. It was a massive and beautiful 3 story estate house - we learned about its complicated history of its ownership - it was gifted and moved several times between esteemed titular families, and there were a lot of royal intrigues and love stories involved. The house still is owned and maintained by the last family and operates as a museum and event venue.

    We then drove to Cambridge and in ten afternoon I did a VoiceMap tour about physics in Cambridge. It was indeed a fascinating place with many discoveries - electricity by Maxwell, Alan Turing worked there, DNA structure was discovered there, and splitting of the atom. It was amazing to walk around the same buildings and labs where these critical discoveries were (and still are!) being made.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Shockingly, this phone was a fully working landline, ready to receive coin or credit card payment!
    Shockingly, this phone was a fully working landline, ready to receive coin or credit card payment!Stop by at Jack's Gelato - the best in Cambridge!Mathematical bridgeTrinity college is one of the most famous and well endowedThis type of gondola like boats on Cam river is called punts.Wein library is from 15 century and contains lots of medieval documentsThe library is functioning now, but you were never able to take a book out - same rule applies nowOriginal copy of Newton's manuscriptPembroke collegeCambridge milongaThis milonga has been running for over 20 yearsSome more punting viewsThe evidence of 91% partial solar eclipse in London

    Cambridge - touring and DJing

    Aug 11–12 in England ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    On Tuesday morning we went on a VoiceMap tour of Cambridge. We saw many of the most famous college, including King’s College and Trinity College. We walked along the river Cam and saw the punting boats, that are being pushed by the long pole against the bottom of the river - much like the Venetian gondolas. The tour brought us to the famous Wein library and luckily it was open to visitors - which is very random hours - 12 pm - 2 pm. The library is stunning and contains amazing copies of Newton manuscript and Winnie the Pooh hand written manuscript.

    For lunch we had delicious pho at Pho Cambridge (we had it last night as well!). And at 7 pm we went to the milonga where I was DJing. It was held in a beautiful church, with amazing floor and acoustics. According to the organizer, since Cambridge population is not very religious, all the dance studios in town rent it for their events - including salsa, and swing. It was really fun - about 70 people 3.5 hrs milonga and I kept most people dancing, with more than half staying until the end.

    The next morning, we needed to make our way to Heathrow. But before that we did one last VoiceMap tour - about women in Cambridge. The university didn’t allow women to attend until early 20th century, but they only started awarding degrees to women in 1949 - the first was an honorary degree to the Queen Mother. The last college in Cambridge didn’t allow woman until 1989!! It was really good tour and stories - commemorating many women that made important discoveries - my favorite was about the invention of IVF, for obvious reasons!

    Fun fact - when we arrived to England, we decided to buy a VoiceMap pass for 20 tours, because it was much cheaper than buying individual tours. I thought even if we use only 10, it still made it cheaper. Well, we used all 20, plus needed one more, and only 3 of those we didn’t like and didn’t finish! True power users.

    We then drove to Heathrow and stayed at an airport hotel, as we had 6:30 am flight the next morning.

    Amazingly, at 7 pm there was a major solar eclipse! We didn’t really think about it before and didn’t procure the glasses. Even though it wasn’t a totality, it was still 91%, which at the maximum made the air cooler, produced crescents on the tree shadows, and resulted in a strange silvery light that happens right before the totality (my favorite part!). We stepped outside for 10-15 min of the maximum eclipse and enjoyed it - a nice woman offered us to borrow glasses and we saw that indeed sun was reduced to a very narrow crescent.

    A fitting end to the very nice English adventure. Now on to Faroe Islands!    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Cute Airbnb cabin
    Cute Airbnb cabinEverything very small hereBour - first look into turf roofsBubbling waterfalls everywhereThe most iconic Faroese viewLegend says that in this boulder little people used to live.

    Faroe Islands Day 1 - Sorvagur

    August 13 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    This morning we took a 6:30 am flight to Copenhagen and connected from there to Faroe Islands. As we were landing, the pilot announced that “Landing will be challenging because of thick fog. But yesterday was even worse”. Not sure if I needed all that information, as we landed quite smoothly, indeed in thick fog and drizzle. Welcome to the Faroese weather!

    We checked in to our cute Airbnb cabin, which was 4 min drive from the airport. Everything is small but expansive (and expensive!) at the same time. We went for lunch to the cute cafe across the street, and quickly learned from Google Maps that it was one of the only two restaurants on that island. Even after London the prices for food (and for everything) are shocking. But the sandwiches we had and coffee were delicious.

    We then drove 15-20 min to Bour - a small roadside village where we got our first view of the turf-roofed houses and beautiful small churches. It was cold and started to drizzle, so we walk around and moved on. We learned that the grass on the roof is multifunctional - if serves as insulation, absorbs rain, is stronger than regular roofs against crazy winds and is very beautiful.

    Our next stop was Gásadalur village with the most iconic postcard waterfall in all of Faroes. The view was indeed breathtaking - the waterfall plunging right into the ocean, surrounded by the cliffs, the village above, on the backdrop of a mountain - and the fog and thick clouds added mythical air to the scene. We took lots of pictures and then walked around the small village.

    We then stopped by at the grocery store for some yogurt and berries - small choice, all the fruits imported as not much grows here, and there is no sun for the greenhouses.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Just a village with the beautiful church on the way
    Just a village with the beautiful church on the wayMuseum - with skeleton of a pilot whale - they still sadly kill a lot of themSetting for the old farm on the rightOld farmhouseOld farmhouseDrying fishBraving the rain and windStunning views even though thick fogChurch in SaksunThis black sand lagoon was completely covered in clouds and fog1Highest waterfall in Faroe Islands - double tiredSalmon farming1Octagonal church in Haldórsvík on the wayTjornuvik - surfing black sand beach. On the right in the distance are two sea stacksAgain drying fish everywhereSurfing anyone? FreezingSalmon farming ringsSubsea tunnels connect most of the islands

    Faroe Islands Day 2 - Saksun

    August 14 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Today we were supposed to go on a ferry to Mykines island to see its massive puffin colony. But it was windy, raining, and probably quite choppy on the boat. Yesterday the trip was cancelled because of choppy small harbor landing conditions, but today was supposed to be “a bit better”. Even though the boat was going, we decided to skip it, to avoid 🐠 🛥️ 🌊 🤮. Also the island has no facilities so you are really stuck hiking under the rain and wind, which is all not so pleasant. We decided that we both are not necessarily that huge bird enthusiasts (except penguins for me!).

    Since it was raining, we decided to go to the national museum in Torshavn (the capital). We learned about how the islands came to be (volcanic), how they first got settled (Vikings) and saw beautiful historical artifacts, such as medieval church carvings.

    After the museums, we drove north to Saksun. There was an old 400 year old farm with some houses that you can visit, all in a stunning setting with the mountains and the waterfall. The farm still belongs to the same family for hundreds of years. The tickets included access to audio guide on the app Tell Me North and we learned about the family and the farm. Below the farm, there is a beautiful black sand beach lagoon, but it was raining pretty heavily and we had to limit our visit to a quick picture of the church in the fog.

    We then drove to Tjornuvik - a village in the north of Streymoy island (same island as Torshavn), with black sand. On the way we stopped by the road side waterfall Floss, which is the highest waterfall in Faroe Islands, and consists of two tiers. We also stopped for a roadside photo of the only octagonal church, in Haldorsvik.

    Tjornuvik met us with some more solid rain, wind and thick fog covering the views. In normal visibility, you could see two sea stacks (or basically rocks) in the distance in the ocean. We could barely make them out. They are The Giant and The Witch - these two tried to push Faroe Islands to Iceland, but couldn’t and in the midst of that didn’t notice that the sun came up and turned them into stone.

    We then drove back to our Airbnb in Sandavágur - every drive here is stunning, no matter the weather. Expansive slopes covered by the brilliant green grass and streaming waterfalls, with endless cute sheep grazing. Population of Faroe Islands is 55,000 people and there are 70,000 sheep. The breed and coloring of sheep is unique, the result of mixing many different breeds brought from Norway, Iceland, Scotland and Ireland. They used to be bred for their wool, but not wool is not used anymore, and they are only for meat.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    Beautiful sea stacks visible from Bour village
    Beautiful sea stacks visible from Bour village1Giant and the Witch1Church at FinningurGorge at Gjogv11Puffins stay in their burrows

    Faroe Islands Day 3 - Eysturoy island

    August 15 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Today, we woke up to a surprise semi clear ish weather - there were patches of sky and it wasn’t raining! We decided first to go back to the iconic waterfall at Gasadur before leaving the south. Indeed, it was clearer than two days before and we took a lot more of the stunning pictures. The scene is mesmerizing no matter how many times you’ve seen it before. We then drove to Eysturoy - two islands over.

    On the way, we were treated to the magical rainbow bridge over the fjord. It gave me a tinge of sadness though - is this the rainbow bridge that dead pets go to?

    We then drove to a small village Eidi - the free guide book said that we could see The Giant and The Witch sea stacks from there, and we really hoped so, because we didn’t really see them at all in yesterdays fog, from the Streymore island. Indeed, we found the view point (marked on Google Maps!) and they were very enchanting in their stoic loneliness in the sea.

    We then started to make our way to Gjogv - the village with the small natural gorge. On the way we stopped at Finningur village with a beautiful church. The we arrived to Gjogv - and had delicious tea and cake in the only lodge/restaurant in the village. We then walk down to the little gorge - which is really short at 200 meters long, and is like a mini fjord. We then went to walk on top of one of the ridges of the gorge and saw a ton of puffins on the opposite side, living inside the grass burrows in the cliff side.
    They were quite far for good pictures, but we saw that some of them fly up on top of the ridge. We then went to hike up that side, and were rewarded with pretty closed up shots and encounters with actual puffins!! I was very happy to have found them despite missing the Mykines trip. We learned that puffins live on top of the ocean water in the middle of Atlantic, and only come ashore once a year to breed, May-August Once the little pufflings grow feathers long enough to fly, they just leave the burrows, usually in the middle of the night, alone. No one teaches them to fly or to hunt for fish. They just know it - they live alone and start living in the ocean, hundreds of kilometers far from the land. The parents then are free to leave and don’t come back to land until the following summer - often they come back to the same burrow, and mate the same partner. Very poignant.

    We then drove to Klaksvik on the next island - our home for the next two nights.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaEurope Summer 2026Traveler
    1Breakfast view from our hotelThe hospital and the doctor office in yellow building next to itOn the ferry to KalsoyNear the lighthouse11The lighthouseThe maid who was supposed to be killed for having an illegitimate child - but she lifted this stoneSeal womanThe village near the seal woman statue

    Faroe Islands Day 4 - Kalsoy island trip

    August 15 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Today, we decided to go to the nearby Kalsoy island for its famous lighthouse hike. As I was complaining that weather forecasting is completely useless, our Airbnb host recommended that we look at the faroeislandslive.com as it shows live webcams of the popular spots on the islands. Today was shaping up to be one clear day so it was perfect for this hike. The ferry that goes to Kalsoy takes only 7 cars and it was all booked, but we were lucky to find some passenger tickets. When we got to the island, there was a bus that took us to the beginning of the hike. The little hut where you pay for the hike (many nice hikes have steep hiking prices in the Faroes!) gave out the hiking poles to borrow, which was very helpful. The hike was not hard, but slippery at times, with loose rocks. It ended on a gorgeous grassy ridge that led to the lighthouse. The views were stunning and despite many people on the hike, felt very remote. There are two villages of a few houses each on the island, and you can only connect through a ferry a few times a day. No restaurants or cafes.

    After the hike, we took the same bus back to the ferry, but first stopped at another village that had a famous Seal Woman statue. The bronze statue of a woman coming out of the sea was built not too long ago, in order to attract tourists. We were first a skeptical about it, but the setting, stunning statue and especially the legend it was based on, were captivating. The short version of the legend is that there were seals in that village that would come ashore at night, shed their seal skins, turn into humans and hang out till the sunrise. One local guy saw a gorgeous seal woman, hid her skin and when the sun came up, she had to stay human. He married her and kept her skin locked in a chest. They had children and then one day he went fishing and forgot the key in the house. His wife found her skin, put it on, and went back to live in the ocean. Sometimes you can hear her crying for her human children that she left behind.    Read more