Category Archives: European Escapades

I love traveling Europe in the autumn.  The leaves are changing, it’s time for warm stews and mulled wine–a beautiful time of year!

Our latest adventure was a weekend trip to Romania with four good friends to explore Bucharest and spend Halloween at one of Vlad the Impaler’s (Dracula’s) Castles.

The Stewarts, John and I took the red-eye from London and landed at 3am Bucharest time.  We stayed at the beautiful historic Hilton Athenee Palace Hotel, apparently one of the most notorious hangouts for spies pre-World War II and during the Cold War.

I spy….some beautiful flower arrangements!

The following morning, we were up and out after only a few hours of sleep to head to the Palace of Parliament.  The building tops many lists including:  the world’s largest civilian building with an administrative function, the world’s heaviest building, and the world’s most expensive administrative building.  With so many accolades, we just had to see it!

Good morning, Bucharest!

So. much. marble. And all sourced from Romania.  That looks heavy!

Ballroom after ballroom. We thought this room looked like something out of Beauty and the Beast.

The Stewarts enjoying the tour!

The tour ended on a terrace overlooking the city.

The Stewarts and the Candetos do Bucharest!

View down the Boulevard

Such a grand building

The second largest administrative building in the world–behind the Pentagon (which is military)!

Our next discovery was a beautiful church hidden amongst some communist era blocks.  During Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship, many of the churches in Bucharest were torn down, surrounded by communist blocks, or moved away from main roads.  This one we found was surrounded by communist blocks.

Juxtaposition…

We then took a stroll through the city to see the sights!

More juxtaposition. Really cool building!

The National Museum “George Enescu”

Before heading to dinner, we found at that the Hills had missed their flight–and it was questionable if they would be able to make it to Romania!  We went to dinner hoping and praying they would be able to make it…

We had dinner at Caru cu bere.  Good local food, drink, and entertainment!

Caru’cu bere

CB Restaurant! Yay!

Complete with entertainment!

We’ve been told we look like we’re related! 🙂

Yum.

In the middle of our meal, we found out the Hills were going to make it!!

The Hills are going to make it!!! 🙂

For a nightcap, we headed to a local wine bar called Dionysos Wine Bar.  The staff could not have been more helpful in selecting our bottle of wine.  He went over the flavour profile of several bottles then helped us to pick.  It was delicious–we even bought a bottle for the road!

Romanian wines=delicious!

Charming place with lots of wine!

The next morning, we took off on a road trip to Transylvania!  We had a little tire trouble to start and ended up at a delightfully backwoods Vulcanizare (aka tire shop).  We noticed many of these little shops during our journey–probably a testament to Romania’s roads!  Fortunately, all we needed was a little air and off we went!

First stop: Vulcanizare aka Auto/Tire Shop!

Life in the fast lane…

Entering Transylvania–look at that architecture and the beautiful autumn colors!

Wrong turn!!! Traffic jam…

Our first stop was the town of Sinaia, home of Peleș Castle.  The castle is Neo-Renaissance in style and was built between 1873 and 1914.  It was one of the most ornate castles we have seen, taking many of the most incredible features of other European castle and combining them into one.

We made it to Sinaia!

Beautiful Peles Palace. Some summer home, right?

Beautiful courtyard!

The inside of the castle was INSANE!!!!

Literally amazing.

They had a few weapons…

And a smoking room…

Stunning…

After leaving Sinaia, we drove to Bran, home of Bran Castle, where we would meet the Hills and would be spending the evening with Vlad (Dracula).

Cute hotel room!

The whole crew!!!!

After dinner, we donned our finest Halloween apparel before heading to Bran Castle!

Vampire and Vampiress

Dr. Frankenstein and his Sexy Witch!

Wine and a Witch’s Nose: Two Halloween Essentials!

The ladies!

To Bran Castle, we go!

Count Dracula and his Witch walk to Bran Castle!

We made it! Dracula’s Castle for Halloween!

Muah-hahahaha!

Into Vlad’s Castle we go!

We got our picture with Vlad the Impaler!

Super creepy, John…

Torture chamber…ouch

After touring the castle…next stop…Halloween party!

Party!!!!

Crazy party!

Photoshoot!

And I found the Colonel!!!! Always a KY girl…

A night cap (and pizza) with good friends!

John, I love you but you are not a pretty woman;)

One more shot with Vlad!

The next morning was gorgeous….we had breakfast at a roadside bakery in Bran and then took off for Brasov, our final stop on the brief tour of Transylvania.

Good morning, Bran Castle!

Last stop: Brasov!

Strolling down the Main Street

In the square!

Unfortunately, after leaving Bran we had a run-in with a traffic jam in the mountains on the way back to the airport that resulted in John and me missing our flight.  So, to make the best of a bad situation we had one final Romanian dinner in Bucharest before catching the first flight out on Monday morning (and heading straight to the office!!).  Fortunately, it was delicious 🙂

Unexpected last Romanian meal…

Sea salt crusted trout

What a wonderful trip with wonderful friends.  We got to see so many beautiful places in Romania–enough to definitely want to go back and see more.  It’s always so fun to share the discoveries with close friends 🙂

Thanks for reading!

A dream of John’s has been to ski the Alps.  So, finally, after almost 4 years of living in Europe we went to Switzerland.  Our good friends, the Hills, joined us on a journey to Zermatt–home of the Matterhorn!

Taxi Ride for Bertha…The Hills ski bag!

We took a flight to Zurich, a train to Visp, then boarded the Glacier Express for the final leg to Zermatt.

One of my first photos in Switzerland…taken from a moving train, but like a storybook…

As soon as we arrived in Zermatt, we checked into the apartment, changed into a ski gear, had the most expensive McDonalds meal of our lives (approximately US$25 for two sandwiches, two small fries, and waters) and hit the slopes!

Ready for action!

Team Matterhorn!

On top of the world! Skiing the Alps!

After head-butting the mountain several times, I started to get the hang of skiing (John, Ross, and Katie are all excellent skiers).  One tumble down the slopes was enough for my first day–especially since the scenery was so beautiful!!!

Stunning church on the side of the mountain

One of our favorite skiing traditions is the après-ski–the drinks/socializing the follow a day on the slopes!

I LOVE this picture. Après-ski time!

Love this girl!

The following day, the crew headed to the actual Matterhorn to do some skiing.

Rosti for lunch.

John skiing the Alps!

All aboard the Matterhorn Express!

Expert skiers!

Stunning!

After a day on the slopes, we walked through a snowy town on the way to dinner.

A snowy evening in Zermatt!

Hard-earned drinks!

While Katie and Ross had a final day of skiing I decided to explore the cute mountain town of Zermatt (John had to go back to the USA unexpectedly).

I started with the oldest most historic part of the town (dating back to the 17th century), where many original wooden buildings still stand.

Hinterdorf–the oldest part of Zermatt.

I then visited the Mountaineers Cemetery behind the town church.  This is where they bury mountaineers who have perished in their attempt to reach the summit of the Matterhorn.

Mountaineers’ Cemetery

The Grand Hotel Zermatterhof was my next stop–this is the most historic, picturesque hotel in town!

Grand Hotel Zermatterhof

I concluded my tour with a visit to the Matterhorn Museum, where I learned that Teddy Roosevelt actually climbed the Matterhorn on his honeymoon!

Matterhorn Museum

Twilight

Ross, Katie, and I had a lovely Easter dinner (thank you, Hills!) that included delicious wine and tons of meat and cheese.  We were all in heaven!

Easter Dinner! Racelete, Fondue, Meat Platter, and Red Wine!

Night-time Matterhorn selfie. I promise, Katie, the Matterhorn, and I are all in the picture!!!

The cloud cover cleared for our final morning.  We had an amazing view from our balcony.

Enjoying my morning tea–I could get used to this view!

One more of the beautiful Matterhorn on a gorgeous morning!

Goodbye, Zermatt! Windy mountain train tracks…

Taken from the train back to Zurich…Switzerland is beautiful.

We took the trains back to Zurich and flew home to London.  It was a beautiful Easter weekend and only made us want to go back to Switzerland!

Thanks for reading!  🙂

Last weekend, we embarked on a little weekend getaway to Riga, Latvia a two and a half hour flight from London.  We enjoyed Estonia a couple of years ago and wanted to explore another Baltic country–so off we went!  We arrived late on Friday evening.

The next morning, we decided to get a lay of the land by ascending the tower of St. Peter’s church for a bird’s-eye view of Riga.

St. Peter’s Church

Riga from above

Rooftops of Riga

Next we took a short walk to the Riga Central Market, housed in former zeppelin hangars.  This was one of my favourite experiences of the trip.  The market was one of the best organized I’ve seen–each hangar had a specific type of good it was selling.  One sold fish, another meat, another spices and breads, etc.  This is still the heart of Riga local life.  We barely heard any English spoken here, mainly Latvian and Russian.  We tasted a couple of baked goods and soaked up the culture.

Central Market–housed in old zeppelin hangars!

Inside the largest of the hangars (which sold mainly meat)

Each hangar housed different produce–this one housed fruits and veggies

We found a long queue (indicator of yummy food) and got in it. The result: 90 cent Uzbeki bread!

After our snack, we headed back to the main square to see one of the main sights of Riga:  The House of Blackheads, a guild house for unmarried German merchants.  The original structure was destroyed during the Second World War.  This impressive reconstruction was finished in 1999.  We couldn’t go inside, as it is now the Presidential Residence while the permanent residence is under construction.

House of Blackheads

Next stop:  lunch.  I’d read about an amazing Uzbek restaurant around the corner from the House of Blackheads so we gave it a try.  The restaurant is called Varzob and it’s a mom and pop restaurant.  I’m pretty sure the man who waited on us was the owner and he was truly proud of his food.  His recommendations were spot on and the food was delicious and very reasonably priced!

Fried cauliflower, tea, and Georgian sparkling water

The Georgian sparkling water had a different flavour than traditional sparking water.  The owner warned us about the taste, then stayed at our table while we tasted it to make sure we were satisfied.  The water had a very strong mineral taste, which we enjoyed, but I’m not sure we will be consuming it on a regular basis.

Next, we went to Black Magic, a coffee and chocolate shop in the Old Town.  There we tried several chocolates including one made with Black Balsam–a local liqueur.  I can definitely see why it is considered an acquired taste.

Local liqueur: Black Balsam

After a short break in the afternoon, we were back out to eat some more!

For dinner, we went to a place called Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs, a basement Latvian pub.  There we sampled the local wines, which are made from fruits.  We tried apple, black currant, bilberry, and raspberry wines, plus John tried the local beer.  The wines were all quite sweet and easy drinking.  Our favourite dish at the restaurant was the potato pancakes served with cranberry sauce and sour cream.  Delicious!

Latvian Apple Wine, Beer Platter, and Potato Pancakes with Cranberry Sauce and Sour Cream.  Please notice I am holding my fork and ready to own those pancakes!

So much delicious Latvian food!  I had Grey Peas (a traditional local dish) served with cole slaw and John had a cheesy chicken dish.

Cottage Cheese Fritters for dessert

After dinner, we were in for a special treat:  one of the most popular folk bands in Latvia played at the restaurant!  We enjoyed their music so much we stayed for both sets.  Watch a video of  part of the concert here.

Dzelzs Vilks. Genre: Latvian Folk Rock. Amazing!

After the concert ended, we weren’t ready to turn in just yet, so we headed to the Skyline Bar for one more drink and beautiful views over Riga.

Ending the night with some sparkling wine from Latvia!

Skyline Bar: view of Riga at night.

The next morning, we awoke to a snow covered city.  With the cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture it looked like something from a storybook!

Sunday morning snow cover in Riga

Romantic Riga!

The morning of our second day in Riga was dedicated to art nouveau.  40% of the buildings in the centre of Riga are considered art nouveau architecture, so it was the perfect place to learn more about this style.

Cat House

On our way to one of the main art nouveau sections of town, we encountered the Freedom Monument, built in 1935 to honour those lost in the Latvian War of Independence.

Freedom Monument

Alberta iela is one of the main streets to check out if you want to see art nouveau.  The Art Nouveau Museum is located here.

Alberta iela: a street full of art nouveau architecture

Alberta iela

Riga Art Nouveau Museum

The interior was decorated for the period as well

Trying out some fresh-baked cookies from the wood burning oven whilst wearing a top hat.

We both wore period hats to help set the mood for the tour!

Cool faces

Super excited about all of the art nouveau! This building is one of 800 buildings in this style in Riga.

On our way back to Old Town, we stopped through the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.  On all of our trips to countries that were once occupied, we try to visit a museum like this as a reminder of the not-so-distant past.  These experiences are sobering and a great reminder to protect our freedoms and what it looks like to have them taken away.

Museum of the Occupation of Latvia permanent location: an old Soviet era building.

Sadly, we didn’t get to visit the museum in the soviet area building as refurbishment works are under way.  Thankfully, they had an exhibition open in a temporary location.

Learning about Latvia’s independence in 1991

Sunset over the House of Blackheads and the Soviet building. Perfect juxtaposition.

Our final stop before heading to the airport was the Apsara Tea House.  After about 10-15 minutes of smelling all of the teas on offer, we got some guidance from the staff and selected a couple of local teas.  Mine was made from the national tree of Latvia.

Look at all of those teas!!!

We settled in to watch night fall over a snow covered park and enjoy the tea.  The second floor of the tea house is entirely covered in pillows, so we removed our shoes and curled up for a couple of hours.  It was tough to get up to head to the airport!

Local tea and a snow covered park. Perfect end to our holiday!

Riga was a very interesting city full of kind people, good food, and beautiful art nouveau.  Our two nights there was the perfect amount of time–such a lovely get away.

As always, thanks for reading!  🙂

As summer drew to a close, we took off for one last holiday with our dear friends Landon and Dani.  We selected Portugal because we had heard it is a warm, relatively inexpensive place to have great drinks and delicious food and is very laid back.  It delivered on all points.

We made it!

Across the street from our rented flat was the book store that inspired the library in Harry Potter.  J.K. Rowling spend some time in Porto and was inspired by the architecture as well as the robes that students wear.  Both feature in her books and movies.

The book store that inspired the library in Harry Potter.

Students in robes walking by the river 

Porto is a beautiful riverside city.  The large metal bridge spanning the River Duoro is Ponte Luis and was built by a partner of Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame.

Love this girl!

Ponte Luis

Green Wine! Slightly sparkling and very refreshing.

Our first night, we walked along the river to a pizza place built within a different bridge.  On our walk, we got an amazing view of the sunset.

Great end to our first day

One of the best things about Porto is that wandering about yields delicious food, fine port and wine, and gorgeous architecture.  We saw great tile work, Art Deco streets, and several markets.

Portuguese Tile Work

Getting lost in a beautiful park

Exploring!

YUM!!!  Octopus and Prawns!

After a delicious lunch, we cross the River Duoro for the first time to visit the Port Warehouses.

Checking out the ships on the River Duoro

The Mossburgs

Port Everywhere!

Port and coordinating chocolates? Yes, please!

Port ships

Traditional Portuguese food for dinner!  

The next day, we were off to a Modern Art Museum (no photos) and then back to the port warehouses for a tour!

So many to try, so little time!

Checking out the port barrels at Offley

Loving the tour!

Delicious!

After a trip back over the bridge, we settled in for a lovely steak dinner for our final night!

Our cute little flat (great find, Dani!)

Delicious doesn’t even begin to describe this

The next morning, we went out for a little last minute exploring.  We ended up at the Church of Sao Francisco.  No pictures were allowed inside, but I’ve included a link.  This church has one of the most ornate gold interiors I’ve seen anywhere.  Absolutely gorgeous and not to be missed if you are in Porto.

Church of Sao Francisco

The church also has a crypt that is a bit creepy.

Bones. Many bones.

Well organized

After visiting the church, we settled in for a final meal before departing.

One final round of octopus!

Porto is a GREAT city and we look forward to visiting Portugal again soon.  The people were friendly, prices affordable, and the quality of the food and drink was very high.

Looking forward to more adventures soon!

After a fabulous few days in Paris, we took an early morning train to Bruges, Belgium to meet up with Happy Meal–a dear friend from university!  He was living in Brussels for a few months, so we opted to explore Bruges one day and head to Brussels for a couple of nights.  We walked around Bruges for the better part of the morning and found the Beer Wall before settling down for a delicious lunch in one of the squares.

So happy to see Happy Meal!!!

The Beer Wall!

Love this guy!

Sampler

Celebrating John’s birthday at lunch.  Yum!

After lunch, we walked around a few of the shops–my favourite:  the cookies!

My dream store–a cookie shop!

Next, we took a cruise along the canals.  I was completely charmed by the beauty of Bruges, but when I looked over, both of the boys were asleep!!!

All aboard!

Beautiful canals

Gorgeous.

Looks like a fairy tale…

After a lovely day exploring Bruges, we hopped the train to Brussels, had a delicious dinner and headed to Happy Meal’s apartment for a good night’s rest.

The next morning, we set out to explore Brussels, Happy Meal’s new city and seeing as he had only been there for three days, we got to discover it together!  Our first stop:  Brussels’ famous fountain–Manneken Pis.

Manneken-Pis

Not impressed…

Brussels also has some great examples of Art Nouveau architecture.

Old England Building–a beautiful example of art nouveau architecture in Brussels.

And of course we had to visit the Grand Place.

Grand Place

Grand Place

We ended our final day together with a low key dinner at Chez Leon on Rue de Bouchers and a nightcap in the Grand Place.

rue des Bouchers

Mussels in Brussels–escargot style!

Grand Place at twilight…so beautiful!

Some live music to enjoy in the Plaza.

I loved this tower!

Love these guys!

We can’t wait to get back to Brussels, explore some of the awesome museums, and soak up more of the Belgian culture (chocolate, beer, mussels, etc.).   And…Happy Meal…can’t wait to see you again 🙂

In September, my parents and two other couples I have known ever since I can remember made the trip across the pond to London and together we had an adventure in Paris!  The photos below are just the photos from my camera (I believe there are 2,000 more documenting everything we did), so forgive photographic any gaps in our time together!

The crew landed in London late in the evening and the next morning we were off to Borough Market and then walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral via Southbank.  From St. Paul’s Cathedral we rode the double decker bus (on the top deck, of course) to Westminster Abbey and Parliament.

The ultimate London experience: top deck of a double decker bus!

After a busy first day, we started the second morning by attending the service at our church (St. Helen’s Bishopsgate) and then walked a few hundred meters for brunch at one of the most popular restaurants in London:  Duck and Waffle.  It’s on the 40th floor of Heron Tower and offers spectacular views of London.

Brunch at Duck and Waffle

After a delicious lunch, we headed to the Tower of London, then to our flat (we had just moved three months prior) and The Gun (our favorite pub) for dinner.

The next morning, the crew started with a tour of Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Park before checking out the Churchill War Rooms.  Then, we were off to high tea which the gentlemen found to be surprisingly filling.

Good morning, Mom and Daddy!! The crew at high tea.

After high tea, we headed over to Knightsbridge for a bit of shopping at Harrod’s!

Shopping is exhausting! Taking a break at Harrods.

After catching the morning Eurostar to Paris, we checked into our hotel and headed out to explore and grab some delicious french food!

Daddy is excited to be in Paris!

After a late lunch, we wandered down the Champs-Élysées and took in the sights and sounds of Paris before settling in for a quick dinner.  We were all exhausted, so we turned in for an early night.

The next morning, after acquiring our museum passes, we popped into the Louvre for a whirlwind tour!

Winged Victory at the Louvre

Obligatory Mona Lisa photo. I decided to include everyone else taking the obligatory Mona Lisa photo.

Next we walked along the Seine and onto the Île de la Cité to visit Sainte-Chapelle and the Notre Dame.

Beautiful stained glass windows in Sainte-Chapelle

Action shot–checking out the beautiful glass!

At the top of the Notre Dame–amazing experience to share together!

Watching over Paris with the resident gargoyles.

We watched the Notre Dame light up for the evening from a sidewalk cafe before heading back to the hotel.

Dinner at a sidewalk cafe.

Notre Dame selfie–with a Priscilla photo-bomb!

The next morning, we wandered through the winding streets of Montmartre to reach Sacré-Cœur.

Next stop, one of my favorite places in Paris: Sacré-Cœur!

Beautiful ladies and a beautiful view!

After visiting the Basilica, we walked through the Artist Quarter before grabbing some lunch.  Next, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and took a river cruise before settling in for a delicious dinner atAU BON ACCUEIL PARIS–my favorite meal in Paris!

Love love love this picture of my parents!

Serving the velouté

A. MAZING.

The next morning, we hopped the train for Versailles to explore the beautiful palace.

Versailles!

Hall of Mirrors

After getting back to Paris, we made a quick trip through the Musee D’Orsay, then had a brief round of shopping before having dinner at a sidewalk cafe.  Our last stop was the Arc de Triomphe where we watched the hourly Eiffel Tower light show.  Such a perfect ending to the trip!

View of Eiffel Tower from Arc de Triomphe

Thanks to the Shelbyville crew for such an amazing trip!!

The next morning, the Shelbyville crew caught a plane back to the USA and John and I hopped a train to visit a friend in Belgium.

Shelbyville crew, we LOVED having you all here!!  Looking forward to many more adventures together.   Thanks for a wonderful trip!

As many of you know, we love to cruise. It’s a great cost-effective way of sampling lots of places.  Plus, it’s nice to get on the boat, disconnect for a while and constantly be waking up in new destinations.

This year, we went on a North Sea cruise to the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Scotland, and Norway.

Leaving Harwich–ready for the adventure!

Our first day was a day at sea.  We were so thankful for this as it gave us a chance to unwind and get into holiday mode.

Formal night! (Ignore the thumb in the top right corner. A sweet old man took this photo for us!)

Our first stop was Torshavn, Faroe Islands.  The Faroe Islands are a protectorate of Denmark and Torshavn is the smallest capital city in the world with a population of approximately 20,000 people.

Torshavn: city in a cloud

The buildings on Tinganes (meaning literally Parliament Jetty) are the site of the Faroese Home Rule government and one of the oldest parliament meeting locations in the world. Vikings began meeting here in 825.

Love the grass rooftops!

Next we climbed to a hilltop monument that was surrounded by a farm.  This sheep slipped through the fence and tried to eat my shoe!

John trying to defend me from the naughty sheep

Torshavn from the hilltop

Because the winds from the sea are so intense in Torshavn there are very few trees.  As a result, the government built this park to provide a nice sheltered green space for the community.

Checking out the park

Our next stop was Reykjavik, Iceland for an overnight stay.  The landscape in Iceland is incredible.  Vastly different than anywhere we had been before.  We started our morning with a long walk from the cruise port into town.

Happy to be in Iceland!

We explored the city of Reykjavik (it felt smaller than we expected) and then settled into a cafe for some coffee to warm up.

Obligatory photo in front of the Hallgrímskirkja Church.  The weather was AWFUL!!!!

Not only did we have a chance to visit the smallest capital city in the world (Torshavn) we also had a chance to visit the northern-most.  At 64 degrees north of the equator, Reykjavik wins this honor!

Icelandic Parliament

After a rainy morning exploring the city, we headed out to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal hot springs.  Nestled amongst lava fields, the mineral filled water was as relaxing as it was gorgeous.  It really is blue!

Warming up!

We loved swimming around and staying warm in the water with the air so chilly.  The water is so rich in minerals that you can’t see through it.  We also had the chance to put the silica mud on our faces for an unexpected facial!

John was not a fan of the texture…

Scary!!!!

Relaxed!  The landscape was amazing!

Gorgeous!

The next morning, we opted to do a “geothermal” tour of the area outside of Reykjavik.  It included a stop at a geothermal power plant, a geothermal park, and some gorgeous scenery created by seismic events.  The pictures tell the whole story.

Geothermal Power is AWESOME!!!

Reykjavik’s CO2 emissions since adopting geothermal power.

Hot spring at the Geothermal Park

Bread being cooked using the steam/heat from the geothermal park. It was yummy 🙂

Our final stop was a gorgeous view point over a lake.  Seriously beautiful.

Rift in the ground

We saw a rainbow!!!!

Simply stunning!

Watching the steam escape

Our next port:  Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland!  We decided to take a bike ride through the city and into the countryside along the coast.  Fortunately, since we have been in the UK for a while now, riding on the left was no problem!

A Shetland pony? Well, at least it’s a pony we found in Shetland.

We found the BIGGEST cows I’ve ever seen. These are supposed to be our scared faces because one kept staring us down..fail.

Peaceful ride.

The Knab

We saw several oil platforms during our trip–this is the closest we got to one.  Most were in the middle of the ocean while we were en route.

Oil platform

The next morning, our boat pulled into Geiranger, Norway where we did some exploring of the fjord.  But first, we hiked up to the top of a waterfall…

Norway!

A little pre-fjording hike

View of the Geirangerfjord from the top of the waterfall

Next–kayaking in the fjord!  After taking a boat taxi to the kayak launching point, we ended up kayaking a total of 10km and seeing three waterfalls.  A great way to experience this breathtaking site!

Off we go!

Kayaking selfie!

The water was soooo blue

The first waterfall.

Thankful that a fellow kayaker offered to take this photo!

The Seven Sisters Waterfall from below

Tall waterfall

The Friar

Love being on the water!

Kayaking on the fjord–one of our favourite adventures to date!

Perhaps the most impressive thing that happened that day occurred as we were sailing out of the fjord.  The ship’s captain opted to do a 360 degree turn between two waterfalls (the Seven Sisters and the Friar) so that everyone on the ship could get a great view.

Taken from the front of the ship–such an impressive maneuver!

A word about the food on the ship:  we ate like royalty.  So many delicious dishes served in interesting ways.  Below are a few of our top picks:

Lobster Flambé

Sushi Lollipops

Mezze Platter/Box

Build your own cupcakes!

Our final destination before heading back to England was in Bergen, Norway.  After so much exploration the previous days, we opted to do a quick walk around the city.  Our first stop was the Bergen fish market.  We heard it would be expensive, but had no idea how expensive.  We saw a plate of fish on sale for 65 Euros!!  In a fish market!  I think we’ll stick to Billingsgate 😉

Bergen Fish Market

Bryggen–the old wharf in Bergen (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Lots of cute narrow alleyways!

Finally, we headed back to England after a lovely trip.

Final sunset at sea…

Thank so much for reading!  Our next adventure will be coming soon!!!

In the cold winter months in Europe, you can count on one thing:  awesome Groupons to some fun cities!  This time we took off early one Saturday morning to Prague, Czech Republic!

After landing, we headed out to lunch.  On the way there, we spotted this cool apartment building.

Dancing House

For lunch, we enjoyed a delicious (and affordable) meal at U Kroka.  We had two appetizers, two mains, two desserts, two glasses of wine, two beers, and two espressos all for 32 Euros.  The quality of the food was amazing and we definitely had our fill–a great introduction to Czech food!  Highly recommend a visit to this restaurant!

PIckled sausage (this was on the menu at several places, we only tried it here)

Saddle of Rabbit

Light beer and dark beer–have never seen it served this way!

John and I agreed–the best thing we ate on the trip. “Misa Cake”–a traditional local cake!

After enjoying our long, delicious Czech feast, we strolled down the Vltava River to the Old Town to check out the historic district after sunset.

Strolling down the Vltava River–we found some swans!

The Castle District across the river

One of the many beautiful statues on the Charles Bridge

Church of Our Lady before Tyn all lit up

The Old Town Hall

The next morning, we ventured to the Jewish Quarter (Josefov).  Our first stop was the Old New Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Europe.

The Old New Synagogue:  built in 1270.

Jewish Town Hall

One of the most moving sites was the Old Jewish Cemetery, accessible from the Pinkas Synagogue which currently serves as a memory to the 77,000+ Jews that were removed from the Czech Republic and killed during the Holocaust.  There are more than 12,000 tombstones and more than 100,000 burials onsite, with some bodies stacked 12 deep.

Old Jewish Cemetery

Old Jewish Cemetery

Old Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery with Jewish Ceremonial Hall in background

Next we checked out a couple more synagogues and a church before heading back to the Old Town Square.

The Spanish Synagogue (modeled after the Alhambra on the inside)

Crystal Chandelier in St. Nicholas Church Old Town Square. Czech is known for it’s crystal–they sell it everywhere and it’s BEAUTIFUL!

Next stop, a little snack!

Coffee and a hot raspberry crepe at Grand Cafe Orient.

After our snack, we went to the Old Town Hall in the town square to the famous Prague Astronomical Clock.  Every hour, as the clock strikes, 15th century statues (including the 12 apostles and a skeleton representing death) move to celebrate the new hour.  We (along with several other tourists) braved the cold to watch the clock strike.  At the end of the show, we were rewarded with a live bugler trumpeting in the hour from the top of the tower.

Excited to be at the clock!

Astronomical Clock

After the show, we climbed the tower.  Honestly, this is the only tower we have climbed in Europe with lift (elevator)!

Loving the view!

Bird’s eye view of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn!

Loving the red rooftops!

For dinner that night, we took the metro out of the city center to a restaurant called Staroceska Krcma–a restaurant with no electricity (in the dining room).  So we ate another delicious, hearty Czech meal completely by firelight.

When in Czech! Trying John’s beer…

Love the ambiance!

On the way home, we got off the metro one stop early, to walk through Wenceslas Square (the site of numerous protests and the Velvet Revolution of 1989 that ended communist rule in the Czech Republic.

Wenceslas Square–the current centre of Prague. You can see the National Museum in the background.

The next morning, we awoke to a wonderful surprise:  it has snowed the night before!

Loving the snow!

First stop:  the Castle District!

St. Vitus Cathedral. One of the most stunning facades we’ve seen!

Inside St. Vitus Cathedral

An extremely ornate memorial

On our way out of the church, we saw the Czech Guard on their way to the changing of the guard.

I really wanted to be part of it!

Coats of Arms painted on the interior of the palace

Our final stop in the Castle District was Golden Lane, named for the 16th century alchemists who took up residence there.  Also on the edge of the castle wall, it’s where the soldiers and castle defenders lived.  It was a quaint street–fun to walk down.

Golden Lane

After a snack, we made our way to the Charles Bridge and the Mala Strana (Lesser Town) area of the city.

A delicious Czech snack:  the Trdelnik!

The Charles Bridge (construction began in the 1300s) has 30 statues and three towers and is arguably the centre of historic Prague.  No trip to Prague is complete without a stroll down the bridge!

Walking down the Charles Bridge

One of the beautiful statues and a bridge tower

View of Charles Bridge looking towards Lesser Town.

On our way to the Museum Kampa, we stumbled across the Lennon Wall.  Since the 1980’s the wall has been filled with Lennon inspired graffiti and Beatles song lyrics.

Lennon Wall

The Museum Kampa is a modern art museum that showcases the work of central European and Czech artists.

Interior of the Kampa Museum

Modern Art

Installation on the River Vltava

After leaving the museum, we had time for one last Czech meal before returning to London.  We finished with Rynerovy Koule, a delicious dessert dumpling (like a Chinese dim sum bao) filled with raspberry and topped with bits of cottage cheese.  Absolutely delicious.

Rynerovy Koule

Prague is one of our favorite cities in Europe, thus far.  We love the history, the people (very friendly) and the food.  Central Europe has been a great place to visit, definitely looking forward to exploring more.  Can’t wait to go back to Prague–maybe it will be a bit warmer, next time 😉

One of the pluses of living in London is easy access to other amazing European cities–like Paris!  Christmas is a beautiful time in Paris.  We were so fortunate to get to experience it!  We hopped the Eurostar one Friday morning, and by early afternoon we were in Paris!

The Christmas Tree in front of the Notre Dame (kind of hard to capture at night…haha)

A little snack!

The next day, we set out to explore the city!

Christmas time in Place Vendome

Opera Garnier

We LOVE Paris!

Musee Rodin–one of the most romantic museums in Paris!

View of Les Invalides from the museum gardens

View of the Museum from the Gardens

Place Vendome all lit up for Christmas at night!

The next day, we decided to visit some old favourites in Paris and take a walk down the Champs-Elysees to enjoy the decorations.

The Louvre–so pretty!

The inside of one of our favourite museums–the Musee D’Orsay.

Snack break! Crepes and coffee in Jardin des Tuileries. Have I mentioned we love this city?

Now, for a little window shopping!

Chocolate monkey with an attitude problem.

Eiffel Tower at night

Loving our romantic weekend in Paris!!!

We took the early train back to London on Monday morning and were back in our desks well before the morning tea break.  Paris, as always, was a beautiful getaway.  We’ll have to do it again soon 🙂