Well, we didn’t restrain from buying completely. We did spend over $250 to send a box home, though (filled mostly with our no longer necessary winter clothes that won’t fit in our luggage anymore). Damn is DHL expensive, but we were advised against the standard post as “they can’t even get national mail reliably to… Continue reading Marrakech and Meereen, I mean Essaouria
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Moroccan Adventure #1
Our first day in Morocco was set to an odd tone from our early morning cab nightmare in Rome, leaving me both emotionally and physically exhausted. (I was running on 3 hours of sleep.) Still, the show must go on. Our flight was 20 minutes longer than estimated, and the border control was another hour… Continue reading Moroccan Adventure #1
Roamin in Rome
Like most post-plane hours, day one in Rome started slow. Having booked a 3pm free bicycle tour, we finally made it out of the hotel around 2:15. The tour was free (tip-based), the bikes, of course, were not. At 10euro/24hr for each of us, we took advantage of the opportunity to use the bikes again… Continue reading Roamin in Rome
I Love Athens!
Really, I do. I love it. The month of bitter European Winter may have left me easy to please, but I am absolutely in love with Athens! The sun (how I missed it), the smell in the air that shifts between faint fresh flowers, and deliciously rich Greek herbs, the absolutely friendly people. All of… Continue reading I Love Athens!
One Hour in Budapest
You’ve likely seen posts for a weekend or a day spent in a city (maybe, say, “Berlin in a Weekend”). This is hopefully the most abbreviated city tour I’ll ever write about. While I do love that we had a chance to see Budapest, even a tiny bit longer would’ve been lovely. How did… Continue reading One Hour in Budapest
Berlin to Prague to Budapest to Athens
No I didn’t get lazy and forget to post for two weeks. This is just one, very long day. The drama began when I opened my inbox to an email from Ryanair. The worst had happened: the ground crews were striking again, the airport was to be closed Monday from 4am (our departure was scheduled… Continue reading Berlin to Prague to Budapest to Athens
Hamburg Horror
Okay, so “horror” might be just a tad dramatic. But it was pretty terrible. I noticed was my Norwegian app was showing my ticket as having a Hamburg destination instead of our flight booked to Berlin…odd. So, I called; as is all too common with customer service lines, I was on hold for far too… Continue reading Hamburg Horror
Christianshavn and Paper Island Food Trucks
To start the day, we thought we’d take advantage of one of the free-on-Wednesdays museums, the Thorvaldsen. A quick 30 minutes through was the perfect amount of time for me (I’m not the sit, stare, ponder type.) The menacing statues are both impressive in size and quantity. Hercules, in the stairway, is the best example… Continue reading Christianshavn and Paper Island Food Trucks
Copenhagen Grand Tour
We began our tour at the Town Hall Square, filled with different colored umbrellas and very many tourists. The apparent orchestrator of the Copenhagen Free Walking Tours directed us to Rosie’s group who were just getting started. She gave us an informative tour with a lot of personality! The London transplant gives a great picture… Continue reading Copenhagen Grand Tour
Djurgården is My Garden
We began our Thursday with a free walking tour that conveniently met at the Gamla Stan T-bana station (a ~5 minute walk from Castle House Inn). With only a bit of Gamla Stan, and some great pointers for future visits along the way, our guide, Stephanie (a Chicago original, like us!), led a nice little… Continue reading Djurgården is My Garden
Sleepy in Stockholm
Well, we’ve certainly taken our Stockholm stay to recuperate from the busyness of Poland. Though, a girl’s gotta eat! So, we’ve got a couple restaurants that we’ve visited as well as the Royal Palace of Sweden over the past three days. The second night we made a rezo (the internet said it was necessary; it… Continue reading Sleepy in Stockholm
On to Stockholm
Our Ryanair flight to Stockholm-Skavsta Airport was quick and beautiful, flying over the vast archipelago of south-east Sweden. Upon arrival, we were delighted to have another arrival without border-control! Yay! Just one walk by a drug-dog, and we headed to the Flygbussarna we’d prepaid for on their app. It was an almost 2 hour trip… Continue reading On to Stockholm
Krakow in 3 Hours
Waking up the only morning we had in Krakow, we repacked quickly and readied for a fast-paced morning. We left our bags at the hotel reception, where she kindly agreed to also print an email of our boarding passes while we spent the day on another (apparently the original) free walking tour. Missing an opportunity… Continue reading Krakow in 3 Hours
Day Around Warsaw
We began our only full day in Warsaw the right way: with a couple dozen pierogi, borscht and hot rum cyder. Our meal at Zapiecek rivaled some family Christmas dinners of my childhood. The favorites of the meal were the Ruskie and the wild mushroom pierogi. Filled to the brim, we began our Maps-plotted route to… Continue reading Day Around Warsaw
Warsaw Arrival
Upon arrival into Modlin Airport, I was shocked and delighted to stroll right out! It was because we’d come from an Italy instead of the U.S! (Within the Schengen Area many airports have border-control free entry for Schengen flights) We deplaned, passed through the baggage area and the “nothing to declare line” (we had nothing to… Continue reading Warsaw Arrival
Milan, the final day
To begin our final day in Milan, we packed up and checked out, leaving our luggage for safe keeping at the front desk, as many others had as well. With the intent of taking the long hike up to the top of the Duomo, were deterred by the long line for tickets and gray skies… Continue reading Milan, the final day
Milano with Marco!
The morning following or Como trip we’d booked a 10am free walking tour of Milan through Walkabouttours. Outside the Duomo we met our guide, Marco, a man full of enthusiasm and genuinely happy to meet each of the roughly 40 of us with a handshake! Over the next 3.5 hours we followed Marco and his… Continue reading Milano with Marco!
Lago di Como
Monday we set our sights on Lake Como! After breakfast we took a winding route to the Cadorna Station, stopping at St. Ambrogio’s Basilica (site of the previously mentioned crypt). Upon our arrival at Cadorna, our train was already boarding, so after buying tickets, we awaited the next one –thirty minutes later—cozily seated at the… Continue reading Lago di Como
Touring Milan Day 1
Saturday we awoke later than expected, and made our way downstairs for breakfast. After, we began our day of sightseeing at the Archaeological Museum, which was far more expansive than we could’ve expected for €5. The museum backs up to 3rd century towers and ruins of a former barrier wall and cloister, which includes the still active… Continue reading Touring Milan Day 1
London by Duck
Due to this terrible head cold I’ve been battling along with my body’s refusal to reset it’s circadian rhythm, we lost a day. Thursday was one quick lunch at Noodle Noodle (near Victoria Station) and a walk through some side streets back to the hotel. While far from 5*, The Dover provided a great location… Continue reading London by Duck