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Europe by Eurail 2024

mai - août 2024
  • Karen Hechinger
Southern & Eastern Europe plus Scandanavia En savoir plus
  • Karen Hechinger
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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    San Marino
    1Where's Waldo?My favorite stamp at the museumAnother favorite......and another.Arevederci San Marino

    11. San Marino

    10 juin 2024, Italie ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    I'm embarrassed to say I did not know that San Marino was its own country. Completely surrounded by Italy, it is a mountainous microstate and one of the world's oldest republics.

    On the slopes of Monte Titano sits the capital, also called San Marino, known for its medieval walled old town and narrow cobblestone streets. The Three Towers, castlelike citadels dating to the 11th century, sit atop Titano’s neighboring peaks.

    We took a bus ride from Rimini over to SM for the day, wandering through the town and the towers. Craig wanted to see the stamp & coin museum, so we stopped in there as well. It was so fun. 😁    En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    Arno River, which runs west 150 miles from central Italy to the Ligurian Sea (French Riveria)
    Florence ItalyA tapestry of my next photoBrunelleschi's Duomo highlights the skylineStatues of Michaelangelo's David are plentifulInsert the obvious "ass" comment here...Cathedral of Santa Maria del FioreItalian sculpture can be so violent - this is Abduction (or rape) of Sabine WomanPerseus, with the head of Medusa. Charming.Streets and sidewalks are very narrow - its challenging to get around even on the main streetsOh my goodness! (No, I didnt try it.)Never heard of Brazilian sushi...Street entertainers include artists...would be con men...and musiciansTour group hell - SO glad we are not doing that.

    12. Florence Italy

    12 juin 2024, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Florence is the capital of Italy's Tuscan region, and home to many Renaissance art and architectural masterpieces. I did have a few free hours while Craig was busy, so I went out for a run through the streets. Dodging tourists definitely kept me on my toes! Because I've been here before, (and because the city was almost overrun with tour groups), I was happy to do a day's walking tour and move on.En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    Poetto Beach, Cagliari
    1Poetto Beach, CagliariALL the girls wear thongs. This pic is for all the boys.The strip is very pedestrian friendly - 1 car lane, 2 bike lanes, 1 runners lane, and room for pedsToodling around the area on our rental bikes......through the flamingo filled salt flatsWe ran into a local who had rescued a muskrat from drowningLaundry day. Thank you Google translation app!

    13. Cagliari, island of Sardinia, Italy

    15 juin 2024, France ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    We grabbed a quick flight over to Cagliari, located in the south part island of Sardinia, a popular place for Italians and other Europeans to enjoy the beach. We stayed in a fantastic little boutique hotel located at the beginning of the Poetto Beach strip.

    We rented bikes to toodle around a bit, and hit the beach. Btw - all the girls wear thongs here. There were a ton of teenagers around - I think we may have stumbled onto a high school graduation weekend celebration, or something. Eye candy for the Craigger!    En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024

    14. ...when something goes wrong.

    16 juin 2024, Italie ⋅ 🌬 73 °F

    Almost funny.

    Craig likes to say " The adventure begins when something goes wrong". I think you're supposed to run outside, twirl around 3 times and spit on the sidewalk to avoid the corresponding curse that is bestowed upon you if you mention that phrase out loud. We apparently missed that step.

    Our respite from cathedrals, castles & old towns, was to be a few beach days on the Italian island of Sardinia, followed by a few days on the French island of Corsica, located one hour's ferry ride north of Sardinia.

    Sun & relaxation, right?! Mmmmm...maybe not...

    We got a note from Eurail announcing a nationwide train strike on the day we were to take the train up from Cagliari (south Sardinia), to north Sardinia, where we would catch the ferry to Corsica. Time to regroup.

    After hours investigating other travel options to reach the ferry, we ended up taking an uber to the airport near us, to pick up a rental car that we drove up north to the northern airport (only drop-off spot for the car) then caught the bus that took us to within .3 mile of the ferry. We lugged our bags in the heat to the ferry, only to be notified that our ferry ticket was cancelled due to an issue with the boat.

    Ok - somebody's yanking our chain, right?

    Nope! 😊 Our ferry ride was indeed cancelled. Of course, the ticket office booths for the 2 ferry companies that operated out of this port were both unmanned when we got there, so we collaborated with other stranded tourists, then strategically put Craig in one line for one company and me in the line for the other so we could access the first person to show up at either office that might help us understand our options.

    Fortunately, we had a pre-purchased ferry ticket which got transferred to the other ferry line that was running that day. Not sure our fellow conspirators fared as well. After a pleasant 1 hour ferry ride to Corsica, we found ourselves in Bonafacio Harbor, looking to get to our hotel in Ponte Vecchio, roughly 17 miles away. No ubers, and turns out buses do not run on Sundays. (Of course they don't). We shlepped our bags about 1/4 mile to the taxi stand. $100 later (cash required), we arrived at our hotel.

    11 hours, covering roughly 280 miles, via uber, rental car, bus, walking, ferry & taxi. A memorable travel day for sure. 🧳 😅    En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    1View from the roof top bar at our hotelPorto Vecchio harborNobody communicates with words anymoreJeff Bezos's place, according to our sunset cruise guideSunset cruise - a hazy day fostered a different kind of beauty to the view

    15. Porto Vecchio in Corsica, France

    17 juin 2024, France ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Corsica is a French island known for its gorgeous beaches, rugged coastline, and hiking. Although culturally, it is more like Italy than France, French is the official language, with Corsican and Ligurian (Genoese) also spoken.

    We arrived via the ferry port of Bonafacio, an historical village within a medieval fortress protected by steep cliffs and the Mediterranean Sea. Now, it is a picturesque harbor filled with expensive yachts and lined with boutiques, restaurants, and hotels.

    We stayed in Porto-Vecchio, an up-scale town about 30 minutes drive north-east of Bonifacio, which is famous for being the birthplace of Napolean Bonapart. We jumped on a sunset cruise, and were privvy to viewing the multiple scenic bays adjacent to one another and hillsides dotted with impressive vacation homes, one of which we are told belongs to Jeff Bezos. With fewer tourists than most other place we've been, the whole experience was more enjoyable. Also, our hotel boasted a roof-top patio with a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea (subset of the Mediterranean Sea) - sweet serenity.    En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    1Ballaro Street Market
    Who's hungry?Not sure what this was... some sort of fish?Caprese salads with olives and marinated mushrooms are a stapleSquid & octopus are very popular. I wasn't particularly inspired to try it.Plain old green beans and carrots. A rare find.Is someone getting reamed out by the boss back there?Horsemeat on the menuThey have little fans to keep the bugs away. Wonder what the FDA thinks about that?Octopus anyone?Seppie is said to be among the most intelligent invertebrates. Will it make me smart if I eat it?Kitty loves street food

    16. Palermo, Sicily - Street Food +

    20 juin 2024, Italie ⋅ 🌙 81 °F

    Palermo is the ancient seaside capital of Sicily, an island lying off the southwest coast of continental Italy. Palermo traces its origins to the early Phoenicians in 736 B.C., and has known a succession of rulers from Arab to Norman. Each culture has left its mark, witness the countless architectural contributions to this city of 1,000,000+.

    Sicily's renowned culinary tradition lives on in the famous Ballaro St. Market, where you can savor a range of "street food" delicacies (?) Craig and I have both been just mildly under the weather, so, after watching rice balls being made without gloved hands, and flies swarming the food, I decided to pass up the tempting taste-testing opportunity.

    The main streets in the heart of the historical district are jammed with the cruise ship herd that descends upon the city during the heat of the day, but the crowds begin to thin out in the late afternoon, just in time for a refreshing gelato!    En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    1We stayed in Valletta on Malta
    Malta1This country of 500k residents hosts 3 million tourists each year.The courtyard at the bibliotheca, where everyone is seeking some shade and a cold drinkWho needs a stairmaster when you're navigating a hilly European city?Maltese language is derived from Sicilian Arabic with Romance language influenceThe cruise ship has not yet arrived...One of Malta's many harborsOur ride to Gozo & Camino - the other populated islands in MaltaA pic of the Malta coastline as we head to Gozo islandApproaching Camino islandGozo harborBlue Lagoon at Camino1Blue LagoonLeaving GozoThe Citadella in Gozo1Craig wanted to know if there was a mobile version of this we could bring on the rest of the tripView at the Citadella in Gozo

    17. Malta

    24 juin 2024, Malte ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Leaving Palermo, we stopped in Catania, which was a bit of a bust for us, with dirty streets, grafitti-laden buildings, and old banged up cars that looked like they hadn't been moved from their parking spots for a month.

    However, an uber, a bus, a ferry and a taxi ride later, we were happily situated on the island of Malta in the town of Valletta. Malta is an archipelago with 3 inhabited islands. We stayed on the largest, Malta, and visited the other 2, Gozo & Camino.

    Gozo was not my cup of tea, but Craig wanted to see the Citadella there. He's much more of a history/anthropology buff than me - I'm starting to get bleary-eyed at the thought of viewing yet another fortress with statues and names of historical figures, and dates and stories of battles and conquests that represent a country's history, all of which I retain for about 5 seconds before viewing the next statue. When do we get to have fun?

    Turns out we got to have fun at the Blue Lagoon at Camino island. Despite being completely overrun by tourists, we found ourselves a spot to hang out on the rocks overlooking the lagoon, and enjoyed a splash in the water. I took a swim across the lagoon to the cave on Comminotto Island, where my fellow adventurers and I slipped off of the algae-topped rocks beneath us as we got knocked around by waves crashing through the cave. Now that was fun!    En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    The streets of Tirana city
    View from aboveLots of cute cafesImpressive opera houseUnusual architectureUpscale mallNot sure why they are honoring an American president......and naming a street after another.Some things are the same everywhere 😁Yes, delivery is availableRush hour trafficSomething for everyone!Our hotelOld school opulence inside the hotelView from our hotel room

    18. Tirana, Albania

    27 juin 2024, Albanie ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Albania is one of southeast Europe's Balkan states, with coastline along the Mediterranean, Ionian and Adriatic Seas. At present, it is a candidate for, but not yet a member of the EU. It's currency is the lek, but many vendors will accept euros.

     We visited the capital city of Tirana. With one small caveat, I LOVE this city!

    Upon arriving at Tirana airport after midnight, we grabbed a taxi to the hotel, and chatted with our driver about what its like to live here. His shared that he gets paid too little for his work, finds minimal opportunities to improve his status, and is anxious to "get out" as soon as he can. He seemed frustrated and I felt bad for him.

    Although the World Bank classifies Albania as an upper middle income economy, the average monthly salary here is just under $1000 US, with an average cost of living for an individual at about $655 before rent. The 2022 census, at about 2.79 million people shows a 3.7% decline in population over 2011. (Young people leaving?) I had low expectations for what we might see when touring the city.

    I was in for a pleasant surprise. The city has a vibrant energy to it - lots of eclectic shops, cafes & restaurants, with 4-6 stories of apartments built over them, interesting and unique architectural high rises, lots of piazzas and green space, wide pedestrian friendly walkways, streets filled but not overcrowded with locals and tourists. A mini-Manhattan! The caveat I mentioned above is the traffic jams. The city has no rail system - everyone is in a car or bus, and the congestion is dreadful.

    We walked the city for a few hours, grabbing lunch and doing some shopping along the way before negotiating with a non-English speaking Albanian taxi driver for a ride back to the hotel. (Luv Google translation app).    En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    Site from the road on the way up to Lake Bovilla
    Getting our marching orders, which were pretty much "let's go!"Leaving the lake shore - the hike started gently and gradually increased in pitchLake Bovilla is actually a reservoir created by a damPhoto opp time. Wait, I'm not ready...At the top, about to be blown off this rock. Do I look scared?Our young and very helpful guide DeoOur group of 15 were fun people. Mostly Australian and European. No other Americans

    19. Albania - Lake Bovilla

    28 juin 2024, Macédoine du Nord ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    On our second day in Albania, we joined a group tour to stretch our legs with a hike up Mt. Gamti to see Lake Bovilla. The lake is actually a reservoir and provides most of the drinking water for the capital city Tirana.

    Our group of 15 (mostly Europeans - no other Americans), were fun fellow travellers for the day. At the top there was a butte about 3 feet in diameter jutting up in the middle of nowhere. Am I crawling up there for the experience? Absolutely!    En savoir plus

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  • Karen HechingerVoyageurEurope by Eurail 2024
    We made it! On our way from Albania, through North Macedonia, to BulgariaSites from the bus...In a dingy smelly bus terminal in Skopje N. Macedonia, awaiting our connection. We're hot & sweaty

    20. The kindness of strangers

    29 juin 2024, Macédoine du Nord ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    We got up early today to pack and catch up with our pre-arranged 7A taxi ride to the bus station to grab an 8A bus that would take us on an all day trip from Albania to Bulgaria. Ever the boy scout, Craig left plenty of time to catch our bus, departing the hotel an hour ahead for a 25 minute ride to the bus.

    7:10 - still no taxi. Our hotel is a ways outside of town, there are no taxis just driving by. We flagged down a non- English speaking hotel employee who knew our taxi driver & called him. While a few things got lost in translation, we understood enough to know that he wasn't coming.

    Enter Spressa, the sweet young girl responsible for the hotel's daily breakfast. She arrived for work, saw us standing outside & came to say hello & wish us well. Upon hearing our plight, she called the taxi driver to confirm the situation, then called the hotel owner, who works late and was sleeping. He jumped out of bed, dressed, and jumped in his car to come pick us up at the hotel and get us to the bus. (This, btw, is also the guy who hung around till 1A a few days before to check us into the hotel when we arrived).

    But the clock was ticking and it was just past 7:30 when he came careening around the hotel fountain to collect us. Upon confirming our destination, he took off, breaking speed limits, ruining his tires on potholes and speed bumps, honking his horn and careening through traffic to get us there on time. Upon arrival, he jumped out of the car with us and made inquiries on our behalf to find out which of the numerous buses in the depot was ours. It took a few tries, but we found our bus, thankfully running late, and he even helped us load our bags. To top it off, he refused money when Craig offered it.

    What kind of person does this? He works mostly nights, has a big wedding his hotel was hosting this evening, and would likely never see us again. This wasn't just "good customer service". They say its not what lies behind us or ahead of us that matters, but rather what lies within us. He is an inspiration, and we are so grateful for his kindness.    En savoir plus

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