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R&L’s Excellent AdventureR&L’s Excellent Adventure
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A 30-day adventure by Adventure thru the Lens Read more
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  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 1

    10 Days & Counting...

    June 9, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    As Rebecca finished sharing her plans for an Eastern European vacation, Lana responds “I wanna go”
    And here we go…

    Planes, trains & automobiles… Oh my! Our departure is near, June 19th – Father’s Day

    New carryon luggage purchased –  (can we really live out of one small case for 3 weeks?)
    Travel size necessities ready – 
    Apps downloaded (Google Translate, Tourist Eye, Tripwise, Uber, Currency Exchange & AirB&B) – 
    Flights(11), trains(2), rental car(1), bus(1) booked & confirmed –  (thank you Lana)
    Lodging AirB&B rooms, Belgrade penthouse, island cabana & a castle reserved –  (my job)
    New Shoes purchased & broken in – ½  (Lana)

    Our initial (and final) stop, Copenhagen, will be a favorite I’m sure!
    From there we’ll visit:
    Gdansk, Poland
    Prague, Czech Republic
    Ljubljana, Slovenia
    Sarajevo, Bosnia
    Mostar, Bosnia (Adriatic Coast)
    Belgrade, Serbia
    Bucharest, Romania (Dracula’s Castle)

    We thought it might be fun to share our journey with you. Of course, we’ll also be posting pix on Facebook. Rebecca & Lana    Read more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 4

    Lana's Photography Challenge

    June 12, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Just in case you haven’t heard the squeals of excitement coming from Baltimore & Wichita, in 6 DAYS Rebecca & I will embark on our exciting adventure in Eastern Europe. Since we are traveling light with just one carry-on each, I (Lana) decided to leave 10lbs of camera gear at home and document our adventure with just a cell phone. For a photographer, that’s a pretty scary proposition. I mean really, could I live with myself if I left my beloved Canon 50D at home with all of those lovely lenses? I’ve been told the best camera is the one you have with you. After much soul searching and relentless hours of research, I decided to accept the challenge of photographing our adventure with my new Samsung Galaxy S7. Of course what self-respecting photographer wouldn’t want the flexibility multiple lenses can bring to capturing those amazing moments? So I found a way to add a little variety to my shots and still feel like a real photographer: Lens for Cell Phones! Yes, I know so much for simplicity but I can’t help myself. Stay tuned for what I hope will be some great shots and I can only hope that Rebecca doesn’t leave me behind while I’m trying to capture them. Ha!! Ha!!Read more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 11

    Chicago!! Stage 1 R&L's Adventure

    June 19, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 82 °F

    8hrs in O'Hara or a sightseeing tour on the river? Love the history, skyline & architecture. The iconic tower landmark, now owned by the Willis Group may be spelled W-I-L-L-I-S, but it is pronounced 'Sears'. Next up we'll see you from Copenhagen.Read more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 12

    R&L's Adventure: Malmo, Sweden

    June 20, 2016 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Upon arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark we knew we had a few hours to kill before we could go to our room. We decided to add another country to the list. Sweden! Just a hop over the strait. We took the train over the Oresund bridge. But now we are so tired we can't think straight let alone spell correctly for a silly travel blog. I refuse to believe we're too old to go nearly 36hrs with only 2-4 hrs of sleep. Hee! Hee!Read more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 13

    R&L's Adventure: Copenhagen

    June 21, 2016 in Denmark ⋅ 🌙 57 °F

    A day in Copenhagen. Drifting down the harbor & canals was the perfect introduction to this vibrant city. Certainly less stressful than strolling, where one must always be on the lookout for cyclist which are almost as numerous as cars. A lovely outdoor cafe for lunch before visiting Christiana, a squatters heaven turned hippie/artist community. Evidently, while selling marijuana is illegal, no one really enforces it. So, in Christiania there are guys wearing bandanas & masks selling it in with all of the artist goods. By the way, there are signs everywhere stating "NO PHOTOS". We only got a shot of the entrance. Idea to transplant to US, outdoor cafes provide blankets!! Rebecca's normally great sense of direction failed today, will ahopefully, be restored tomorrow. We are forever greatful to kind strangers. Next up: Gdank Poland.Read more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 14

    R&L's Adventure: Gdansk, Poland

    June 22, 2016 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Our adventure seemed a little dubious upon arriving in Gdansk. The atm gave us problems at the airport. The bus ticket machine was cranky and old. Then crammed in a packed bus on a long, slow ride into the city, unsure if we'd recognize our stop, we began to think maybe we should have skipped this city. Then we found the street we were staying & actually began screaming because it was so incredible. We met our wonderful host's mother whose family has lived in the apartment since the reconstruction after WWII. We had a chance to wonder around the area until we met up with Rebecca's friend Anita. I'm sure we were quite the sight as we exclaimed after every turn of a corner how incredibly amazing this city is. This area is full of street artists & musicians giving it a magical atmosphere especially after dark. In fact, our apartment actually overlooks the main street. We were so busy looking down at the street we didn't even notice the huge clock tower directly in front of us until the bells started ringing. We will be sad to leave this wonderful place tomorrow but onward we must go. Next up... PragueRead more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 16

    R&L's Adventure: Prague, Czech Republic

    June 24, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Oh Prague! What a beautiful city! The evening view of the palace from the Charles Bridge is breathtaking. With a mere 24 hours in Prague, we were thrilled to find our lodgings only a 10min walk to the action with gorgeous window views. As we walked to the city center we remarked on the number of people out & about. We were slightly taken aback as the number of people steadily increased. At one point we stopped to see what everyone was crowded around looking at and lo & behold, the philharmonic orchestra was playing as we passed over a bridge. The masses of tourists were just crazy! After a night's sleep we set out to tackled it during the day. After an extremely hot uphill walk thru the masses, we arrived at Prague Castle. We looked, we saw, we hired a vintage car to take us the rest of the way around the city. Fighting the throngs of people, or as we said thongs of people who creep up where you don't want them, was not what we were in the mood to deal with. The car tour thru the city including the jewish quarter was exhilarating. We found it interesting that apparently, it's a growing trend in Asia to go to Prague to get married. We saw several brides braving the heat & humidity in full wedding gowns wallking around followed by photographers lugging cases of equipment. And the photographer in Lana could see why. Even the geometric designs on all of the sidewalks & old world water fountains are picturesque. What's next on our whirlwind tour? Ljubljana, SloveniaRead more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 17

    R&L's Adventure: Lake Bled, Slovenia

    June 25, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia as the sun was setting and a little tired after a day spent in airports. We made our way to our lodgings via a shuttle courtesy of our host. We dropped off our bags and made our way to the lively riverside area. Just as we sat down for dinner we were startled by fireworks. It seems we arrived just in time for the Slovenian Independence celebration. We had no idea this was supposed to happen. How cool is that? After a late night enjoying the celebrations, we got a late start to our day. We decided to take the bus to see Lake Bled. The misty overcast lent a very magical & ethereal feeling to the lake. It was so beautiful and peaceful to stroll around the shore gazing at the church rising from the island in the middle of the lake surrounded by the mountains of the Julian Alps. Bled castle rising from the sheer cliffs around the lake stood watch over the scene. Majestic swans floated leisurely by. We much enjoyed the relaxed day. Tomorrow? We'll explore more of Ljubljana then off to Sarajevo!Read more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 18

    R&L's Adventure: Ljubljana, Slovenia

    June 26, 2016 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    Goodbye Ljubljana! We have enjoyed meeting you! The small capital city of Slovenia oozes old world charm. While we are looking forward to the next stop in our adventure, we will miss the slower laid back nature of Ljubljana. This morning we had breakfast while gazing up the hill to Ljubljana Castle. We strolled along the river & city square, we encountering both a flea market and farmers market. The river meanders thru the city center with both banks linked by multiple bridges such as Triple Bridge & Dragon Bridge. Triple Bridge links 3 side streets to the city square across the river. After a quick thank you to our lovely host, Nina, onward we go. Sarajevo!!!Read more

  • Adventure thru the LensR&L’s Excellent Adventure
    Day 18

    2 Wild & Crazy Gals - Sarajevo

    June 26, 2016 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Why Sarajevo? Because we can. Because it's fun to go somewhere you never thought you'd go. Upon arrival our Airbnb host, Azul, arranged a nice, affordable taxi to his apartment building. He was leaning out a window and greeted us pleasantly. Although his apartment was updated, modern and very clean, Lana & I kept giving each other sideways glances. Once alone, we quickly agreed this was not a neighborhood we would feel comfortable walking back to from dinner. But what do we do? Wait to leave once he's gone like thieves in the night? No. He seemed very nice. We caught him as he was about to depart & simply explained we needed to go to a hotel. It wasn't him, but we are at that stage in life where we must have AC (TMI). Azul was taken back, but composed nicely & drove us to a Marriott. A quick decision was necessary so we did not mind breaking our rule of staying in an American hotel. Oh, we felt better immediately! As it's Ramadan, we walked a few short blocks to old town. Delightful, bustling & fun. Not only were we hungry, but we needed to eat before 8:00 when all the locals finish fasting for the day & begin to celebrate. As we finish our last few bites, the sky darkens and a torrent of hail / rain deluged the city. And wouldn't you know it, the brand spanking new umbrella, purchased just this morning, is dry back at the Marriott.

    Tomorrow we'll write about our tour of the city and the post-fasting celebration we missed out on tonight. So many exciting and new things!!! Maybe visit a mosque, witness a city's call to prayer, tour the tunnels of hope used during the war and eat more baklava which will spoil all baklava for our foreseeable future!    Read more

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