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Europe 2023

May - June 2023
A 52-day adventure by Tegan Read more
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  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 1

    Abu Dhabi

    May 4, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ 🌬 31 °C

    We’re dead tired from our 14 hour flight but we’re half way there. Getting excited to visit all the countries. Steve’s most interested in Cairo and Tegan is looking forward to a nap and the greek islands. Cannot believe she turns 30 pin 2 days!!!Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 2

    Barcelona Day 1

    May 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Arrived in Barcelona at 9am hoping to be able to check-in early to our hotel, but they said the room wouldn’t be ready until 3. Thankfully they let us freshen up, and so we went out exploring after a much needed coffee. So many bakeries and cafes around. Walked to Casa Batllo, then down Las Ramblas and into the Gothic Quarter. Had some amazing vegan quiches and a croissant (Vegan Corner) and then walked to La Sagrada Familia. By then our feet were very sore so we stopped for a drink to kill the last bit of time before we could check in for an afternoon nap. After our sleep we had a paella for dinner, and then went and saw a really cool digital art exhibition at Casa Batllo.Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 3

    Barcelona Day 2

    May 6, 2023 in Spain

    Woke early this morning to watch the sunrise at the beach, was incredibly misty. Walked to the Gothic Quarter for breakfast — on the way had a lovely chai and coffee made by an Australian with 5 star reviews. Back to the Vegan Corner for quiche! On the way home saw Casa Mila, then went home and watched the doggies win. Time to rest the legs. Walked to the market and ate some delicious fruit and wraps, then went to another Gaudi house (Guell Palace?). After that we walked up the hill which was a little dodgy but once we made it to the top there was a beautiful hotel. We caught the cable car and rode it back to the port. On the way back home we stopped for a drink at a craft beer & wine bar. Dinner was a beautiful vegan meal at Wild Food BCN then home to pass out. Step count: 40,410Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 4

    Barcelona Day 3

    May 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Feliz Cumpleanos! Went out for breakfast at Equilibrium, which was amazing. There was a run/walk on in the city and we were near the finish line so we walked along and cheered on the people (and dogs!) that were finishing!. There was an amazing drum band hyping everyone as well. Went back home for a rest and the hotel sent up a bottle of champagne 🥳 After having a glass we walked to the Gracia area and found an amazing Mexican place, Gallo Sanyo, which was probably the food highlight of our trip so far. We then went to another little bar Chido One for cocktails before heading up the hill to Park Guell. Spent an hour or two enjoying the park before heading back to Gracia for a seafood dinner at Lluritu. When we got home we found the happy birthday message above the bed 😍Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 5

    Barcelona Day 4

    May 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Slow start to the day for Tegan after not sleeping well — Steve went out to grab breakfast and brought back some croissants. Yum! Decided we wanted to go inside Casa Mila and it was definitely worth it. The attic space was very cool and the rooftop was amazing. There were beautiful paintings in the courtyards and the structure of the building was incredible. We went for a late lunch at Lato Cafe which was delicious, and Tegan accidentally broke a lid in excitement :/ she later also couldn’t work out how to get through the subway touch on. We then headed back to the Gothic Quarter and went inside the Santa Maria cathedral which was breathtaking. In 1376 the church was set on fire and burned for 11 days during the Spanish civil war. The infrastructure survived but it has a scorched roof and some decorative art was destroyed in the fire. Headed around the corner for a tapas dinner in a cozy old building Ziryab Tapas Bar we discovered in an artisan alley way. It had an amazing vibe and the food was delicious - the carrots were amazing! Lemon, harissa and salt 👌🏼Decided to head home for our first early night of the trip and finish off the birthday bubbles. Step count: 14,000Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 6

    Barcelona Day 5

    May 9, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Woke up and went back to one of our favourite breakfast places, Equilibrium cafe. The food was yet again amazingly good, and we were sad to be leaving Barcelona. We’d had such a fun time and everything worked out so well; from the area we stayed in (Eiexample) and all the vegan places nearby and some lovely weather.

    After breakfast we went home to pack and checkout, and then walked to La Sagrada Familia for our 11:30am entry. Getting in was worse than going through airport security, but it was worth it — the inside is mind blowing, exactly like a forest as Gaudi intended. The structure of the church is insane!

    We spent more time inside than we expected, so then we had to rush back to the hotel and grab some lunch at a nearby açai restaurant before heading to the airport.

    Our arrival in Santorini was seamless and quick, before we knew it we were at our accomodation. The staff were very apologetic because of a power outage, but it came back 5 minutes after our arrival. A lovely man carried our bags to our room and gave us a run down. Angela the owner called and said she’d left a salad in the fridge with some wine as we got in so late. The place is absolutely beautiful.

    Step count: 11,350

    Highlights of Barcelona:
    - supermercat instead of supermarket.
    - incredible food - Santo Gallo
    - hotel birthday surprises
    - the digital art exhibition on casa Batllo
    - Barcelona in general is just incredible - there is so much to see and do    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    1
    Day 7

    Santorini Day 1

    May 10, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We are staying in Imerovigli and the view here is absolutely stunning. Steve nailed the accommodation! We are living our best life here 😍

    Tegan had her first 9 hour sleep!! Woohoo! We ordered breakfast on our balcony and we received a wonderful spread of food we had to defend from tiny little birds trying to have a taste. The sun was warm on our backs as we took in the view of the ocean. We love this place so much — it’s quiet and peaceful, you cannot help but feel happy here.

    It began to lightly rain so we moved inside to our room to read. Once it cleared up we walked to the main town, Fira, which is a 30 minute walk through the whitewashed streets. The walk to town was all down hill, and there were so many shops and amazing views along the way. We found a vegan restaurant Veganissimo and had different versions of mushroom souvlakis. They were delicious 🤤

    We headed back across to our place and the walk was mainly uphill and very breezy. Housekeeping had been and each time they style the towels in a different animal. Today it was an elephant and reminded me of Grandma. Once home Steve and I jumped in the jacuzzi and took in the view. We watched the sun go down with happy hour drinks but it was too cloudy to see much else. The sky was still beautiful though it did become quite cold.

    Dinner was takeaway souvlakis and fries and now I know we will be putting on some holiday kilos.

    Now we are looking at things to do for the rest of our trip here before heading to bed for a restful and peaceful sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 8

    Santorini Day 2

    May 11, 2023 in Greece ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Today was our slow day of relaxation. We had a nice sleep in before breakfast was delivered at 10am, it feels so nice not to have to lift a finger. Then spent most of the morning relaxing on our balcony reading Greek mythology, before heading down to climb Skaros rock in the early afternoon. It doesn’t seem that high from looking down at it from our accomodation but it turned out to be quite a climb. We made it to close to the peak but decided not to climb the definitely slightly dangerous last bit.

    After the hike back to our place we had another rest and then headed out for an early dinner at Agoli. The octopus for entree was delicious, but the mains of seafood pasta and sea bream might have been even better. It was definitely one of the best meals we’ve had so far (along with the Mexican in Barcelona). The waiters were lovely and very funny we almost licked our plates clean. Headed back home to watch the ‘sunset’ from our balcony.

    We love our accommodation, the owners are lovely and always welcoming and helpful. The place has incredible views. We are so blessed to be here and not ready to leave anytime soon    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 9

    Santorini Day 3

    May 12, 2023 in Greece ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Today we woke up and enjoyed breakfast on our balcony. We will never be over the view. It feels like we are in a dream and in no way ready to leave.

    The weather was sunny today which was perfect as we booked a boat cruise around the island. We saw the read beach, white beach and cruised between two volcanic islands and ended at Oia, which is the second biggest town In Santorini. It was just as beautiful. We were on the cruise with two American couples and the staff were lovely and accommodating. It was very breezy on the water but fortunately the sun was out to keep us warm. They also cooked us a beautiful lunch on the boat to finish off the day.

    We were then driven back to our accommodation where we sat on the balcony and read while the sun shone on our faces, soaking up the last night In Santorini. We went and got takeaway for dinner and were able to enjoy our first sunset on the balcony. It was absolutely stunning. We never want to leave. We’re sad it’s our last night. Once the sun went down Steve jumped in the jacuzzi.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 10

    Santorini Day 4/Naxos Day 1

    May 13, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Our last morning in Santorini started with getting up and taking in the view from our balcony and of course one last breakfast! We certainly savoured the moment and took lots of photos. We are so sad to be leaving this beautiful place — the people were lovely and took great care of us. But now we’re so excited for our next stop, Naxos.

    We got a lift down to the port to catch a ferry across to Naxos. The road zig-zagged down the massive hill and the traffic was chaotic, not helped (or was it?) by the fact our driver was straight out of the fast and furious. There were a heap of people waiting for the ferry, and once it arrived (35mins late) things got hectic — they quickly shuffle you on and you have to drop your bags down quickly as you’re ushered upstairs to find your allocated seat. Once we sat down it wasn’t too bad, but thank goodness we were the first stop.

    We arrived in Naxos! It’s a stunning little town with Apollo’s doorway as it’s symbol. It’s very different from Santorini which is on the top of the hill with winding streets and steps. Naxos is nowhere near as high up as you’ll see in the photos. There are also so many stray cats around.

    We were able to walk to our place which is a beautiful little unit. It’s so nice to have a couch to relax on. This place also does a laundry service - and we are in need of it. We dropped our bags off and went out for lunch for some classic gyros. We later wandered around the streets of Naxos and then went out for dinner for some fish - it wasn’t as good as Santorini but still delicious.

    We were pretty tired from our day of travel so headed home to watch the replay of the dogs win. We were impressed by James O’Donnell’s first game.

    Highlights of Santorini:
    - seafood
    - view from our balcony
    - catching the sunset on our final night    Read more

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