September – October This trip to Europe was different from all my previous trips. Whether it was with my husband or by myself there always was a fixed route to follow. This time I had a return ticket Denver ‒ Munich and 7 weeks between my arrival and departure dates. It was up to me […]
Kandy – Sigiriya – Kandy The Kandy to Ella journey by train is often described as the most scenic ride in the world and it truly is. Even those who are not interested in visiting tea plantations will enjoy the ride. It can also be a cheap way to see the country. The train slowly
Sri Lanka (Kandy – Ella – Unawatuna), April 2016 Read More »
Lake Balaton The train from Hungary arrived in Graz at noon. The night before leaving the Lake Balaton, I made a reservation at Comfort Appartementhaus Blümel which is between the railway station and the old town. At the station, I picked up a city map and a booklet with Graz attractions. I had no specific
Graz, Austria 2017 Read More »
Budapest The train from Budapest to Lake Balaton was slow. In fact, I had to take 2 trains to get to my destination, a town of Keszthely. The lake is shaped like a long sausage and Keszthely is located at the farthest end from Budapest. The railroads go alongside both, north and south shores of
Lake Balaton, Hungary 2017 Read More »
Smederevo After the second night in Smederevo, I parted with my kind hosts who treated me like family. The day was Friday, the 13th and I was a little worried that things could go wrong. I needed to get by bus from Smederevo to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and from there to take the
Smederevo, Serbia – Budapest, Hungary 2017 Read More »
Niš– Smederevo My first impression of Smederevo on the previous night was not favorable. Grey concrete buildings and air filled with smoke made me hastily cancel my reservation for the second night in this city. The owners of Maslina Rooms looked disappointed and then perplexed when I asked if I could have breakfast at their
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Niš My last night’s premonition turned out to be true. Good luck does not last forever. In the morning my gold earring went down the drain in the shower, literally. It was inexpensive, just a long earring shaped like an icicle, but I liked those earrings. Trying not to dwell on the loss, I had
Serbia 2017: Niš– Smederevo Read More »
Bulgaria, the Rila Monastery I am going to Serbia today. My route from Blagoevgrad is via Sofia. At the bus station in Blagoevgrad while waiting for the bus I made a mistake of waving my hand in front of my nose because a woman was blowing cigarette smoke into my face. Seeing my gesture, the
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Blagoevgrad The Cardinal hotel in Blagoevgrad was my home for 2 nights. The room was worth its rate of 40 lv ($24) per night. In the morning I tried to have a long shower which is hardly possible in Bulgaria. Water heaters do not have large tanks for that. Hot water lasted long enough to
Bulgaria 2017 (The Rila Monastery) Read More »
Stara Zagora The heavy rain stopped during the night and the sun broke through the clouds. The weather was definitely improving. Today was going to be a traveling day, no sightseeing. My goal was to get from Stara Zagora to Blagoevgrad via the shortest route, i.e. without going to Sofia. I was in Sofia before,
Bulgaria 2017 (Stara Zagora – Blagoevgrad) Read More »
