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This is truly a beautiful country with a rugged coast line and wonderful mountains.  We flew in on a propeller plane to Podgorica the capital and largest city in the country.  We stayed in a rented flat in the center of town.  The flat was wonderful – clean, well equipped, good A/C and even had a washer to do our cloths.  We walked to the old town and found that it was not a typical European old town, it just was the old rundown part of the city – a little depressing.

City 2 – Budva, or more accurately we stayed on Jaz beach – supposedly a super fantastic beach of the Montenegrin coast.  We were very much looking forward to our first 5 night stay at any hotel since we got of the cruise in Barcelona in May.  Our hotel – advertised as a beach hotel with a restaurant, casino, room service and more.  We were stoked for this relaxing 5 day vacation from our vacation.

So let me paint you a picture . . . We check into the room and the carpet – oh the carpet.  I am not the doctor of my family, that is my father, but the carpet I’m sure is contagious, someone may get Syphilis or some other Dingy Fever disease from the filthy carpet.  Okay, I sometimes can be a little picky on cleanliness so we give them another chance.  We go downstairs for dinner and we are told we have to wait because the chef does not come in until 7:00PM – no problem.  We play some cards and wait.  At 7:00pm a man wearing a stained tank top and smoking a cigarette comes to our table and says “I’m Chef what you want”  no menu, no options.  We order and the food comes.  Apparently cooking chicken all the way through is foreign to this cook  as is washing lettuce.  We are tired and anyone can have a bad day in the kitchen. So we go

to bed.  The next day we walk to the beach.  Oh,  I mean hike for over a mile on the side of the road with no sidewalk and drivers literally trying to run us down for sport.  We pay our ten Euros for a umbrella and two chairs and try to relax.  The family beside us had another opinion on what we should do.  Yelling, screaming and bouncing their beach ball against our chairs.  In one instance of note – the young girl must have told her father that she had to pee.  He, being the fantastic parental figure he is, told her something and next thing we know is she is dropping her pants and peeing right next to Missy,  like 3-4 inches away.  And so ended our relaxing 5 days on the beach.

Checking out and moving hotels was the best thing we could have done.  We left Jaz beach and went to the town of Bar.

Montenegro tried but did not knock us out – this is not the end.  Bar is fantastic.  But more of that next time ….

We just finished up a week in Greece enjoying it down to the very moment when we left the beach in a taxi headed for the airport at 7:30pm.

Our week started with a day in Athens. It is our second time to Athens and we have been to all the major attractions before. So we decided to take the hop-on hop-off bus tour which gave us a chance to see all the major sites around the city in one route. There are three bus lines, all having the same route. Two of the three offer two days for the price on one.

We hopped off the bus to find the shopping street in Plaka. It is located one street over from the main shopping street,  Ermou Street. On Ermou you can find all the name brand shops and the next street over has all the souvenirs you could wish for,  as well as outdoor cafes.

From Athens we took the ferry to the Greek Island of Crete. The ferry was scheduled for 9 hours but took 11 hours due to a very late departure. We had smooth seas but the seating areas were very hot. We passed our time by playing cards. We were able to see the island just as the sun started to set. It was beautiful to start off our Crete holiday.

We rented a small flat near the beach in village of  Kalyves. The village was wonderful, very quiet with great beaches. Our apartment worked well for us with the exception that there was no working internet. So what do you do when you are stuck on a Greek Island with no internet?

There is a restaurant on the beach about two blocks east from the church on the village center that we highly recommend. The view is wonderful, the food is fantastic (and inexpensive), the staff is super friendly and after your meal the staff brings you complimentary Ouzo and

fresh fruit for dessert. As a bonus, they offer free lounge  chairs with an umbrella for their customers. If you ever visit the village of Kalyves, make a visit to Kritiko Restaurant. We enjoyed it so much, we spent two full days there at the beach and eating at the restaurant.

Our Greek adventure came to an end by spending the night in the Athens airport. When we arrived after midnight, we realized we weren’t the only ones. There were hundreds of people sleeping in every area of the airport.  We have never seen anything like it. So, we just picked out a spot in the corner and rested for a few hours. Our destination the next morning… Montenegro!

Wow!  Has it really been 100 days already?  We have been asked by multiple people what our favorites are.  So here it is – our top 100 places, memories and events that both Missy and I have put together which have made our trip so amazing.

Our top 10

Best of the rest (in no particular order):

We hope you have enjoyed sharing our memories over the past 100 days. We have visited 22 countries and had such an amazing time so far. We have met some wonderful people along our journey. We are jetting off to Greece for the start of our next 100 days.

Our last blog update was a but delayed due to some internet challenges. Below is the current update of where we are and where we are headed…

We left the beautiful city of Krakow behind and took a long (8+ hours) bus ride to Vienna, our first stop along the Danube. We had to change buses mid-way in a border town in the Czech Republic. Before we left Florida, Robert collected all the change from a previous trip, packed it just in case. It added up to about $7.00 worth so with a little negotiation we bought a few chicken wraps for lunch at the bus station.

Upon arriving in Vienna, we navigated the metro system and arrived at our hotel which was on the far side of Prader (the famous amusement park). We stayed just one night. We enjoyed walking around Prader in the evening and almost rode a very high swing but Missy “chickened out.” The next morning it was raining and continued all day. We made the most of it and explored the city near St. Stephan’s Cathedral.

Then it was back to the bus station for the short trip to Bratislava, Slovakia. We checked into our amazing apartment that overlooked the Presidential Palace and was one block from Michael’s Gate. The weather cleared up in the afternoon and we went straight for Old Town to take it all in. We instantly loved the city. It boasts charming cafes and cute shops mixed with history that can be seen just by a walk to the main square.

There are some famous statues throughout the city. We had a great time searching them out.

Another highlight was the Red Lion bar in Old Town. We stopped by two nights in a row to take part in the happy hour special – 1 Euro per pint! That is the cheapest beer we have had in over 60 days.

After three wonderful days in Bratislava we ventured out to a lesser known part of Slovakia. We rode the train to Sturovo. Exiting the train station was like entering another world. When turning around to look at the entrance, you would never guess that it was a train station. In the parking lot were “bus stops” and a very nice woman assisted us in finding a bus to town. It was a very fun interaction as she spoke ZERO English. Great news — we made it.  We spent the night in a small Slovakian town on the bank of the Danube River.

The view into Esztergom,  Hungary just across the river was amazing. We had some drinks and played cards on a boat bar featuring the grand view.

Saturday we did something awesome… we walked across the country border bags in tow. We crossed the Danube via the bridge from Slovkia to Hungary.

We explored the quaint town of Esztergom, Hungary. This Basilica is the largest Basilica in Hungary which dominates the view of the town from the Danube. There is also the town Castle (and you know I love Castles!).

Once upon a time their was a dragon.  This nasty beast lived in the caves below Wawel Hill.  He had a hunger for sheep and young maidens.  The legend is that the village ran out of both sheep and virgins and the King promised his young daughter to the hero who could vanquish the beast.  Wave upon wave of brave knights perished at the dragons fiery breath.  One lowly cobbler, named Krak, tricked the dragon by stuffing a sheep full with Sulphur – which ignited inside the dragons stomach.  Krak, of course, married the Kings daughter, became King and built his castle on the dragons lair.  The towns people continued to build a larger town around the new King and named the town  —-   Krakow — after their savior. 

During our visit we also took a day tour to Auschwitz.  The concentration camp, over 70 years later, is still a chilling site. It is a reminder of the worst thing man can do to one another. As they shared with us during our tour, keeping the history of what happened at that site be passed along to future generations and the memories of all those who perished be never forgotten.

After seeing the worst that mankind can do – We visited the Wieliczka salt mines to see some spectacular achievements of both engineering and art.

Leaving Krakow – we are heading south to Austria and Slovakia.

Riga and Vilnius – Our last two cities in the Baltics.  We arrived in Riga, Latvia on the bus and walked the 0.7 kilometers to our Hostel.  We chose the hostel because of its location in the middle of old town.  The room was okay but the location was perfect only about 3 blocks form the main square.  Riga’s old town is alive with activity.  Many restaurants have a stage for singers to perform.  It was great after a long day of walking on the cobblestones to sit and listen to music and have a cold one.

On the final day in Riga we took a river boat cruise which allowed a different glimpse of the city. 

Our next stop was Vilnius, Lithuania.  We stayed 3 nights in a brand new (nobody has ever slept there) flat right outside the old city walls.  The city, similar to Tallinn and Riga, has an amazing old town.  We walked the streets and took in the sights of the beautiful churches, castle and great architecture.

European Sidewalk Cafes

Gediminas’ Tower

Vilnius Cathedral

Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania

We have enjoyed our time in the Baltics, but we have other adventures ahead of us.  We are now on a LONG bus ride to Warsaw, Poland and then off to Krakow.

We said Goodbye to the Emerald Isle and started our trip through the Baltic port cities. First stop… Oslo, Norway. Our flight from Dublin to Helsinki allowed us a 15 hour stopover in Oslo which we were eager to take advantage of. The one thing we weren’t quite prepared for was how expensive it is. The 1.5 mile shuttle service to an airport hotel is approximately $8.50 per person each way. A 24 hour bus & tram ticket is approximately $21.00 per person. And yes, after some intense research this is the cheapest way to get around.

However, upon exiting the train station we immediately loved the city. You can see the historic buildings as well as the very modern ones like the Opera House all in the same panoramic view. We enjoyed exploring the city center on foot and had lunch along the water front just before the rain started to fall.

Then it was off to Helsinki. We rented a flat in downtown which was perfect. The tram, bus and metro system are very easy to use. Our flat was just 1 block from the tram stop. Prior to arriving in Helsinki, we bought the  48-hour Helsinki card with regional access online for 53.80 euros per person. Expensive yes, but everything in the Baltics is expensive. This pass allowed us to experience much more than we could have afforded otherwise. We highly recommend this card to all tourists that go to Helsinki. We picked up our cards on the lower level of the airport.  The regional access included the train to and from the airport as well as all modes of public transportation. We also enjoyed the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour around the city (included). Entrance to the Finland National Museum (included). A 1.75 hour Canal Boat cruise around the islands of Helsinki (included). Lastly, we went to the Suomenlinna Fortress on one of the islands (ferry & museum entrances included).

At the end of our 3 day visit we took the tram to the brand new West Ferry terminal. We boarded a “ferry boat” that would take us across the Baltic Sea to Tallinn, Estonia. Much to our surprise when entering the boat, it was a cruise ship, really I’m serious. It had 9 decks, multiple bars, restaurants and even live entertainment in several areas of the ship. We opted to snag a booth in the theater where we played cards while listening to a live band and saw a magician act. It was a quite an experience for a 2 hour ferry ride.

The weather on the day of our ferry trip was foggy with constant rain. That made our taxi ride and walk to our apartment in Tallinn less than pleasant. We didn’t get off the ship fast enough so we were unable to get one of the taxis waiting at the port. We had to wait in the queue for 10+ minutes in the pouring down rain until some of them made it back to pick up passengers again. Our tip is to make haste when exiting the ferry ship so you can be at the head of the queue for a taxi.

This may come of a surprise for some of our friends from the hotel  industry but we finally broke down and used Airbnb. Since both have spent our careers in the hotel industry we have tried our best to avoid supporting that business. Unfortunately, it was our best option for a flat in Tallinn within walking distance of old town. We stayed in the Kalamaja district right across from the main train station. I have to admit that it worked out perfectly.

Old Town Tallinn is wonderful with cobblestone streets, little shops, restaurants and history at every turn. We enjoyed just walking around and people watching. The cafes in Old Town are about 30% more expensive than those in the Kalamaja district. There is also a very nice market with fresh fruits, veggies and meats just outside the Central Train Station.

The only public transportation we needed was a public bus to take us across town on our last day to the Central Bus Station.

We are currently on a bus from Tallinn, Estonia to Riga, Latvia where our adventure continues…

It has been so long since the last post.  We have traveled and traversed the countries of Ireland and North Ireland for the past 12 days.  We have been going at full speed.  We are now at the Dublin airport waiting for our next flight and next adventure.

Tulla (Irish for little hill), our Nissan Micra, was wonderful.  She has brought our Irish trip to a close with 2697.1 km —  1675.9 miles in 12 days.  As I said – full speed.  For the first time on the trip we had an automatic.  The guy renting us the car actually asked us if we knew how to drive an automatic!!!

In our Irish adventure we have spent time driving the countryside looking at the scenery and the sheep.  We have covered the country from South to North taking in all we could.  From natural phenomena like the Giants Causeway, to the ancient Irish tombs of Carrowmore dating from 4500 years before Christ.  Sprinkled throughout the trip were amazing castles and some English language movies (we had to see Spider-Man and Wonder Woman).

We celebrated the 4th of July at the Cliffs of Moher.  The day started as you would expect for the middle of summer about 50 degrees and raining but once we were out for about an hour the sun came out and it was breathtaking.

Yesterday we went to the Titanic Experience in Belfast – The experience was wonderful – Expensive but worth it.  The US dollar is only about $0.77 currently against the British Pound.  The experience tells the story not only of the ship but of the city of Belfast over the past 300 years.

Today, back in Dublin, we went to learn how to pull the perfect pint of Guinness.  Yes,  I know, completely touristy, completely hokey – but completely fun.  We had a great time learning about Ireland’s favorite drink.

Our time with Izzie, Scotty and Tulla has been great and allowed us to see so much.  Now, we are off to our next stop in our journey.  This will be completely different as we are not renting a car.  We are flying to Oslo, Norway tonight on our way to Helsinki, Finland then taking a ferry to Tallinn, Estonia.  Our traversing of the countries will slow but our adventures will not.

We made it to the land of Shamrocks and Leprechauns.  The weather is a bit colder than expected and we are wearing our jackets and hats on a daily basis. Would you believe it’s July? We arrived in Dublin to pouring down rain which continued for a solid 12 hours. It was a soggy start. The next day it was warmer but with high winds.  We are powering through to enjoy our Irish holiday.

Since we saw so many castles in Scotland and I have been to Ireland before,  I’m  happy to experience some different things this time (shocking I know).

A visit to Waterford Crystal is an amazing experience.  It’s something I have wanted to do for years and now I have! We highly recommend spending time to take this tour. It is fascinating to watch the craftsman cut the crystal by hand. We watched each step in the process from melting, to blowing the crystal, shaping, sanding, cutting and engraving. We very much enjoyed it.

Next up… Irish Whiskey. Jameson Irish Whiskey is produced 100% in Midleton, Ireland. We toured the distillery and did some whiskey tasting. Most fun of all was the whiskey comparison at the end. Tasting Jameson, Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker side by side. Which to do think won the taste test? Jameson, of course!

And it wouldn’t be Ireland for me unless we saw a few castles too…

We have much more to explore as we enjoy the beautiful Irish Isle. Can you guess what we will see next?