We have met many Dutch travelers over the past year, and after hearing their stories we were happy to discover that the cheapest way back to America is through Holland. A little wrinkle is that we will land in Toronto, not the US, but close enough.
We spent our last overseas weekend hanging out in a beautiful city. Between the tree lined canals, countless old churches, row houses, cafes, and the start of the fall foliage it was impossible not to be charmed by the city. We went on the …

Another visitor arrives! Lori, our fourth, and probably final visitor, met us in Madrid and we spent a few short days in Spain and Gibraltar. Even though we were only in the country for about three days, we did our best to see a few things as we passed through and still had time for tapas and three pitchers of sangria.
In Madrid, we walked around the city center area. Puerto del Sol, the Grand Via, Plaza Mayor, and the royal palace were all great to see. The royal palace was …

After a marathon of ferries, we still had trips on a train and city bus to reach our final destination. We found a farmhouse outside the city of Perugia that is now a hostel. The place is super nice and has great views of the rolling hills. They have decided to maintain a little of the farm atmosphere, complete with a few horses, geese, ducks, chickens, a dog, and of course you can’t keep the farm cats away. These cats were huge, we wondered if one of them was half …

For the last five days, we got to catch up with a friend who volunteered for the Peace Corps and was placed in Albania. The high speed ferry from Corfu only takes thirty minutes and Lesley met us on the other side for lunch. The town where we landed, Sarande, is quite touristy, including a promenade along the water. After lunch and a 40 minute bus ride (20 kilometers) to Ksamil, we settled into her apartment and walked around town shopping for dinner. We were excited that we could cook …

Our trip from Zagreb to Corfu involved a slight detour to a third country, Hungary. After a seven-hour train ride to Budapest, we had a few hours to figure out how to get to the airport. Fortunately a train goes there from the station downtown, unfortunately it leaves from the other train station. So, we had to get some cash, figure out the trolley system to get across town, and get on another train. We got to the airport right before they closed the check-in counter, and got through security …

The town of Hvar was a great place to relax for a few days. The tourist season was waning for the island, which made it a good time to come and enjoy the place with fewer crowds. Our apartment was conveniently located just off the main square, giving us easy access to the beach, coffee shops, the old fort, and the shops on the narrow streets of the old town.
After a bit of confusion finding our apartment, we got settled in and set out to explore the town. At …

Our trip to Dubrovnik was a little longer than expected because the plane left Istanbul took off almost two hours late so we missed our connecting flight in Zagreb. Zagreb’s International airport is quite small, but still has room for two European outdoor cafes. We played a travel game and had some Croatian beer and wine.
We got into Dubrovnik at night so we had new fantastic views waiting for us in the morning. To get an idea of the old walled city, we spent the morning making a complete …

What a difference a plane ride makes. Obviously, but we were now in Europe. Istanbul does a good job of looking and feeling like Europe. We were greeted with efficient public transportation, cute streets full of cafes, real coffee, and public green spaces. Despite the fact that we didn’t get to our hostel until 8pm, we were still able to enjoy the hustle and bustle of evening activity. This may have been enhanced with the evening Ramadan activities, but it was great to see people having a good time.
Istanbul also …