I spent two nights in Belgrade, Serbia. A surprising city to me because I had little conceptualization of it to color my perception prior to arrival. Belgrade might surprise others as a city that is very European-feeling and yet with a very discriminate flavor of the Balkans which makes things much more appealing to me than compared to other more popular American destinations. When describing the “feel” of a culture I struggle — yet the Balkans give an impression distinctively varied from what I have experienced and that’s good. The people are not cold or indifferent (like many Europeans) and in fact it was easy to stroke up conversations and ask questions. Like Bucharest, my time here just scratched the surface — but enough to want to return.
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After hopping back to the states and taking care of business I needed to reconnoiter with Europe. I decided to take the scenic route to Croatia, where I’ll be spending the rest of August, stopping in a few places along the way. Bucharest, Romania was my first stop. I stayed at the Premier Hotel and Spa for two nights with the thought of trying to attack jet-lag with spa treatments and sleep. It mostly worked as I slept for at least eight hours each night. The deep tissue massage I had though… left some marks (see photo, below). I spent a night in the center of town at Hotel Cismigiu – a fabulous apartment replete with a living room, huge bathroom and even kitchenette and dining table for $100. On the first night I was here I attended a charity jazz concert surrounded by a dilapidated, national museum. Bucharest is a wonderful city to visit. It is very inexpensive (cap fares especially) and accessible to explore. The people are very friendly and courteous. For travelers Bucharest offers an interesting culture. It is the 6th largest city in the European Union. You’d never know though because it (surprisingly) isn’t all touristed-out. While here I’ve […]
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Slovenia was a respite after a three week, high-paced, Scandinavian vacation — things were much slower here in the capital city, Ljubljana. The population is not small at 277,000 but it feels small owing to the many bikes, little traffic and uncrowded arrangement of buildings, boulevards and people. I purchased a bike the day after my arrival for 60 euros — necessitated in order to travel to any of the three gyms I frequented in the mornings — 20 minute bike rides away. The slow-living in Slovenia turned out to be hyper-constructive for work and I found it easy to concentrate among so few distractions (other than the European heat wave and complete lack of air conditioning). I stayed in a dormitory housing high school students during the school year without access to refrigeration and a very meager kitchenette shared by about 50 people. It was all good though because I’m thoroughly adaptable to #nofridgelife — sardines, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, fruit, carrots and peanut butter — these foods are easy to store and for me to eat. I visited lake Bled, one of the most famous tourist destinations within Slovenia — a picturesque lake with a castle that afforded swimming and escape from the […]
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I arrived into Ljubljana, Slovenia late on the eve of my 35th birthday — a formative year in that I am allowed to run for president and my age is equidistant from twenty and fifty. The next day I purchased a used mountain bike for 60 Euros to serve as my transport for the next month. I also visited Crossfit Ljubljana and did heavy squats and deadlifts. That evening I was surprised by my friend Trevor who had arranged a river boat tour and karaoke night in celebration of my birthday. I was definitely surprised! My buddy Jeff had arranged for cigars and there was even a buffet. Great birthday.
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It was hard to leave southern Sweden after three days of cloudless sky at an ideal 75 degrees but Copenhagen did not disappoint. Much more cosmopolitan than I had expected — and busy bordering on crowded. The city has undergone a huge transformation over the past 15 years and though the infrastructure is very good the sheer popularity keeps attracting people to both live and visit here. I explore better on foot than bicycle so over the three days I was there became increasingly familiar with the best places for kebabs, soft-serve ice cream and patio drinks. The food availability in Copenhagen is outstanding and though expensive it was easy to indulge for the sake of being on vacation. I came to appreciate the local cuisine originating from the island of Bornholm — east of Denmark in the Adriatic Sea. The traditional food features open faced sandwiches with spread lard in place of butter (tastes better than you probably think!), smoked fish with onions, chives and various relishes. Visited the second oldest amusement park in the world, Tivoli (the oldest amusement park is just outside of Copenhagen); it’s small compared to Disney Land but features very nice restaurants and gardens. Like Walt Disney in […]
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Arrived into Goetenburg, Sweden via train due to a logistical juggle after a ferry I had planned on taking from the Denmark coastal town of Kristiansand to Gotenburg was unexpectedly soldout upon our arrival day into Denmark from the Faroe Islands. Such is the fun of travelling unburdened by prior obligation of reservations. No it really is fun! So instead of a two hour ferry, alternately ventured via an 11 hour train ride through Denmark, Copenhagen and up into Gotenburg. Beautiful scenery the entire trip. Giant wind-powering turbines and unending, lush, immaculately farmed, groomed fields of wheat and hay acre after acre. Lush, green forests — every 10 seconds looking out of the train window afforded a post card of scenery worthy of a 17th century landscape painter. It confirmed my prior perception that Denmark is beautiful — had the previous, more simplistic route been taken would have missed this peek at Denmark’s countryside. Gothenburg was terrific. Stayed at a five star hotel (thank you Hotwire.com) in the middle of the city’s cultural epicenter. Explored cafes, riverway and even Scandanavia’s largest amusement park. The view from the top of a giant ferris wheel provided perfect coverage of the entire town. The second night moved north […]
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Took a ferry from Seydisfjordur, Iceland to Torshavn in the Faroe Islands. Arrived at 3 AM local time in frigid, windy weather with no accessible sleeping accommodations other than shelter beneath a few fir trees in an isolated city park. Then thewind picked up and the temperature dropped. Between the 24 hour daylight and the weather, didn’t get much sleep. Powered through the rest of the day and did a boat tour of some of the coastline out of Vestmanna. I saw some puffins, jagged rocks and a lot of precipitously positioned sheep before the weather turned for the worse and remained horrid for the remainder of the trip. In a bid to maximize exposure to all the Faroes had to offer took a bus to a city of twenty thousand in the North called Klaksvik — a port, fishing town — and there wasn’t a soul to be seen on a rainy, windy Sunday. Nothing was open. Took the next bus out. The Faroe Islands was an exploratory destination and I’m glad I visited. Like Iceland I feel that it has been hyped by those enamored with its simplistic charm. There is a mythic charm inherent in the north Atlantic. It’s an exotic place with a […]
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After spending a week in Iceland it feels like there’s nothing left to come back for. It’s easy to see why this rugged, open-spaced adventure destination is so popular; accessible waterfalls, hiking and outdoors make covering the entire island a piece of cake. Coming from the western United States though I can’t help but feel that the rustic charm is better reserved for urbanites; the wide open spaces seem reminiscent of our American west and the diversity in features is similar (without beaches) to New Zealand. Highlights included eating whale (absolutely delicious — I will now advocate not to save whales but instead eat them), horse, puffin. I enjoyed walking on my third glacier (after Zermatt and the Fox glacier), sea angling in Reykjavik, standing on two separate tectonic plates at the same time, wilderness ATVing and a myriad of waterfalls.
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I have arrived into the Czech Republic and after a week of transitioning to a new timezone, work place and lifestyle — I love it. I write this from a small cafe serving as respite from an exhilarating, exhausting week of arrival. In such a short time I have made 70 new friends, eaten delicious (and copious!) food, walked over twenty five miles in exploration, become infatuated with and humbled by Iyengar yoga, and rekindled my enjoyment of Crossfit — in addition to working full-time. Though I have made time to record happenings in my journal, time itself is fleeting and demanded as the opportunities for exploration, companionship and learning are ubiquitous. I expect a continual evolution in myself to follow from these catalysts afforded by the daily challenges to adapt, grow and lea
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