Happy To Be Here

11 months, 14 countries, 13 flights, 12 books, 10 boat excursions, 4 Workaways, loads of hostels, numerous bus rides, countless miles walked - and just like that my year of retirement is over. Well that sure went by fast.

I’ve been putting off writing this post because that means my golden year is really over.  While I know I’ll continue to travel and see new places, I know it is unlikely that I’ll be able to do it for this amount of time again (unless I hit the mega millions…fingers crossed).  So, while I know this really isn’t a chapter fully closing, it sure feels like something disguised as that.

Travel is so interesting to me.  It’s like being a part of a secret society or something.  For those that have done it, they understand the secret.  For those that haven’t, it’s kind of hard to explain.  I think it’s much better experienced than told.  Due to my tight packing situation, efforts to downsize clutter in my life, and my tight budget, after all that time I came home with some pieces of jewelry and a small stack of postcards (and a lot of pictures).  To some it may seem like not a lot to show for this last year.  But what I gain from travel is all on the inside – and sometimes it’s hard to explain to those on the outside.  It’s fun, exciting, new, exhilarating, beautiful, and sunny – but also challenging, grueling, stressful, scary, and tiring with doses of rain.  Travel, for me, unlocks a gratitude I always carry with me but that doesn’t always come to the surface.  I’m thankful for a safe place to rest my head, for food to eat, for free hotel shampoo, for a hot shower, for the ability to hike, for sunrises and sunsets, for a cup of coffee, for clean water – things that I tend to take for granted in my everyday life.  Through the daily challenges, puzzles, ups and downs, at the end of each day I’m thankful for the simplest things in life.  And that is something I really love about it.  It’s just me and my obnoxiously large backpack doing our best one day at a time.  Countless times throughout the past months I have been left speechless by landscapes, buildings, art, interiors, experiences, and people.  Maybe one day I’ll find the right words to adequately describe the sights I’ve seen and the people I’ve met during this time in my life, but for now it will just be something I hold close to my heart.

The most common request I’ve gotten so far is to name my favorite place I visited.  And I just can’t.  Each country, city, and activity was so unique it’s too hard to pick just one.  I know, not the answer people are looking for!  I will say, the experiences with my Workaway hosts are some I will never forget and I am forever grateful to them for opening their homes to travelers like me.  They are some of the strongest, hardest working people I have ever met.  To be able to stay with local families, learn about their everyday lives, and help allow them to achieve their dreams was truly an honor.

This experience wouldn’t have been possible for me without a network of totally awesome people.  While thank you doesn’t adequately cover it…

Thank you to my Workaway hosts for opening my eyes to so many new lifestyle choices, skills, ideas, and thoughts.  Your hospitality and kindness was one of the best gifts I received on this journey.

Thank you to my travel buddies for their companionship – without them I definitely would have made talking to myself a real habit.

Thank you to those of you following along and providing encouragement along the way.  I’ve never posted much before (and certainly never done a blog before) and it’s pretty terrifying.

Thank you to my family and friends for their support, phones calls, and messages when I needed them most.

And so, without further adieu, some of my lessons learned from 11 months on the road:

1. When traveling be sure to pack your sense of humor – it will come in handy.

2. Americans are pretty much the only people that use clothes dryers.

3. As a backpacker you take anything that’s free.  Doesn’t even matter what it is.

4. If you ask nicely, people will often help you.

5. While we all speak different languages, we are more similar than we think.

6. Being flexible in plans and mindset is a huge key to success.

7. Talking to yourself comes in handy when you’re lonely.

8. Driving on the other side of the road isn’t too bad as long as you’re laser focused.

9. Taking a “gap year” at age 30 means you’ll be a granny in the hostels.

10. Having an optimistic attitude is really the only way to go through life.

11. You don’t need a lot of money to experience some of the best things.

12. There’s nothing quite like creating something with your own two hands.

13. Coffee makes the world a happier place.

14. Grocery stores are always cheaper than eating out.

15. Most Europeans speak several languages, making this English speaker feel stupid.

16. You can never have too many plastic bags.

17. Saying please and thank you goes a long way.

18. Although the people speak English, the grocery store labels do not.

19. Pick travel buddies you can survive ups and downs with (I sure did).

20. It’s okay to do things by yourself.  Sometimes, it’s even better.

Thanks again for following along on this journey – it has truly been a once in a lifetime experience.  And at the end of it all, I’m just happy to be here.

Artwork from the Foreigner Cafe - Melbourne, Australia.   

The Hills Are Alive in Austria

We arrived in the town of St Johann im Pongau (quite a name, right?) on Saturday afternoon. A town of about 10,000 and known for its nearby ski hill and outdoor activities, it felt like a booming metropolis.

Another RCI jackpot, our hotel was a sport hotel - with a swimming pool, tennis courts, weight and workout machines. Talk about going out with a bang! And bonus - it totally reminded me of summer camp, you know like the one in Dirty Dancing. Minus the awesome dancing but with an activities director included.

Our six days here went by fast and included:

1. Hiking: We ventured to the nearby Alpendorf mountain area (a bit steeper hike than we originally planned) our first day in town and found that we could walk all the way back to St. Johann along a pretty river.  The next day we saw the weather was going to be clear, so we bused over to Alpendorf and took the gondola to the top, deciding on a hike with what looked like good views. Boy were they good views. We huffed and puffed our way up to to the top of Sonntagskogal peak and from there we had a 360-degree view of mountains as far as the eye could see.  Well worth the effort to get up there.  We treated ourselves to a meat and cheese plate (the standard hiker's meal around these parts) at a small local cabin and headed on our way back to the gondola, passing a beautiful lake.  We also headed to a town called Bischofshofen (yep another real name) and chased a waterfall there.  This gem was at the top of 300+ stairs so we really worked for that view too.   
2. Sound of Music: We were on a mission to do all things Sound of Music while in Austria.  We first took the train to the town of Werfen and found a small little path called the Sound of Music Trail. Yes it's just as fantastic as it sounds.  It hikes you to the spot that Julie Andrews taught the kids do-re-me. There may or may not have been twirling and singing involved.  While in Salzburg, we took Fraulein Maria's bicycle tour, which was a four hour, eight mile bike trip around Salzburg stopping at all the filming locations.  We rode through the town of Salzburg past the church, the concert hall, and then headed out in the countryside (on very nice bike paths) to see the Captain's house and the gazebo.  My mom was in her glory.  And I had a ton of fun, too. Our guide was Claudio, a Sound of Music enthusiast who gave us all the fun facts about the filming, locations, and cast. He even brought a portable speaker with him so we blasted Sound of Music songs our whole ride back into the city.  I fully embraced being the nerdy, target-on-my-back tourist during this tour. Well, because it's hard to hide when you're riding a large cruiser bike with little grace down cobblestone streets and you're with a guide singing "The Hills Are Alive" at the top of his lungs. So, might as well embrace it.
3. Salzburg: When we weren't flocking around and singing like Maria, we visited the city's main shopping area, checked out the Salzburg cathedral - a lavishly decorated Baroque cathedral, people-watched near the opera house (it looked like these people were going to the Opera!), and tasted the local cuisine at a brewery.  The city was a good size, and we felt like we were able to cover a lot of the major sights in one day (we didn't hit any museums). 

Highlights:

1. Sound of Music Tour - so fun to cycle around in the place where it all happened!
2. Salzburg - such a cool city with a great energy and lots of people around.
3. Alpendorf Hike - a great view of the mountains on a crystal clear day.

Lessons Learned:

1.  When someone offers you a cheese dumpling you take it! Had the best meal at the brewery in Salzburg and it involved these beauties. 
2.  Sometimes when you are a nerdy tourist you just have to embrace the role. 
3. Locals don't know/don't care about the Sound of Music. What a travesty!  
4. The mountains here are beautiful and so green.  

 Thanks for following along...this journey is just about coming to an end!

The lake at Alpendorf.  

The famous gazebo from Sound of Music.  

The Salzburg Cathedral.  

Cows, Cheese and Chocolate

After a great week in the Leukerbad area we headed north to a little town called Meiringen.  Our friends Don and Shirley had done a trip to Switzerland a few years ago and had stayed at a hotel there they recommended to us.  We loved the Alpin Sherpa and the little town of Meiringen.

Meiringen, a town of about 4500, was nestled at the end of a valley with those big beautiful Alps surrounding it.  The little downtown area was a decent size, with a couple grocery stores, clothing stores, cafes, and of course several coiffeurs (hair dressers - because no matter how many people live in their town, they need their locks to look good).  The town is known for: 1) being the birthplace of meringue (think the top of a lemon meringue pie, minus the pie - I know, initially it sounds really good but we ultimately were not that impressed) and 2) its debut in the Sherlock Holmes novels.  Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer of the novels, had Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson stay at a well known hotel in town and then go to the Reichenbach Falls where Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis would then fall to their deaths (and the novels would also end).  Full disclosure: I've never read Sherlock Holmes.  And had no idea this is how and where he died in the story.  The only thing I knew about Sherlock Holmes was that funny little hat he wore.  Well apparently I am on an island here.  There was a whole museum dedicated to him in this little town, as well as statues and tours of the falls. Who knew?!  We didn't make it to the falls but did visit the museum on a very rainy day (along with every other tourist in town).  And, after visiting the museum you'll be glad to know I have put the books on my list to read (this list has grown exponentially on this trip...).

Similar to our last stop, we used Meiringen as a home base to explore other areas.  We were the star pupils of Rick Steves, doing his walking tours in most cities and taking his advice on hikes through these areas.  Here were the high points:

1. Lucerne - we headed into this town on a Sunday and found out that most shops are closed!  But we had a great time doing Rick's walking tour, wandering along Lake Lucerne, checking out the Chapel Bridge (a bridge from medieval times that is lined with beautiful flowers) and going to the Rosengart Museum.  Angela Rosengart and her father were art dealers and they developed relationships with many great artists - Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, among others.  They had built an enormous collection of paintings from these artists (some of which were gifts from the artists themselves), and Angela opened a space for the public to enjoy them.  It was one of the coolest art museums I've ever been to.  One of my favorite parts was all the photographs they had of Picasso which were taken when he was a bit older by an American photographer. 
2. Interlaken - the day we ventured to Interlaken the weather gods were not in our favor.  It poured almost the entire day.  We walked around the downtown here, took Rick's walking tour, and people watched.
3. Ballenberg - an open-air history museum, Ballenberg gave a glimpse into how life in Switzerland was lived hundreds of years ago in different areas of the country.  There were houses, dwellings, shops, and sheds that had been moved and rebuilt to show what life was like for the Swiss.  They also had demonstrations of bread making, wood working, weaving, cheese making and chocolate making.  My Mom was in heaven.  And I thought it was pretty cool too.  The museum was huge and took about 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other.  There was so much to see here and we just hit the high points (which meant cheese and chocolate came first). 
4. Lungren - we spotted this small this town our first day coming on the train into Meiringen and knew we had to visit it.  Located down in a valley with a bright blue lake, we immediately saw the massive stone church perched high up on a hill overlooking the town.  The hills surrounding the lake were bright green filled with trees and the Alps were set in behind.  If I had an image of what Switzerland looked like in my head, this place was it.  We didn't do much here - walked through town, looked at the church, and ate at a small local cafe for dinner.
5. Berner Oberland Hiking - similar to our Matterhorn experience, the public transport and accessibility of the hiking and mountain areas was just amazing.  Our first day exploring this area we took all different modes of transportation to get up to Mannlichen, a 6700 foot viewpoint.  Immediately stepping off the Gondola we had a jaw dropping view of the Monch, Jungfrau, and Eiger peaks (among others).  These peaks are some of Switzerland's most well known, and Jungfraujoch (the saddle between Monch and Jungfrau) is considered to be "the top of Europe" - at 11,333 feet it boasts Europe's highest train station.  At the beginning of our hike we met a herd of cows (with their signature bells on) and kept seeing more and more of them all the way until we hit our next village, Kleine Scheidegg.  How Swiss is that?! From there, we curled around the mountain and walked all the way down to the town of Wengen with bluebird skies and peak views the whole way.  What a day. Our second day in this area it was a little overcast, but we checked out the town of Murren, then hiked down through a waterfall to the village of Gimmelwald, an adorable town of about 120 people about as Swiss as they come.

What a beautiful country!  I felt so lucky to be able to spend two full weeks here and really get a taste for the people, culture, and their great outdoors.

Highlights:

1. Hike in Jungfrau - I think this was my favorite hike we did in Switzerland.  The views were unbelievable the whole day and we were able to see the glaciers up close.  It also helped that we didn't have a cloud in the sky this day.
2. Gimmelwald - what a quaint little town! Fun to see and learn about a very small Swiss town.  I also really enjoyed the hike we did to get there.
3. Rosengart Museum - I did not think a museum would be a highlight of mine in Switzerland, but it was!  Such a cool story and fun to see the artists in a different light.
4. Lungren - Picturesque, unplanned and just perfect!
5. Meiringen - This town was a great size, fun to walk around in, and was very accessible to other towns in this area.  A great home base for a week!

Lessons Learned:

1. The cheese here is really good.  So is the chocolate.
2. People really know how to garden here.  Everyone has flower boxes in their windows and they look amazing.  Green thumbs galore.
3. I understand why it is so green here.  It rained.  A lot.
4. It's a constant guessing game what language people are speaking and what you should say back - will they address me in French? German? English? I finally just started saying hello to everyone so they knew straight away I wasn't a local (but then again it was probably pretty obvious we weren't locals).
5. There's a real sense of pride here.  Everyone has a Swiss flag hung at their house.  And I can understand why...one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen!

Thanks for reading - we're onto Austria next to make our Sound of Music dreams come true!

Breathtaking view of the peaks.

Look at all these cowbells! (In Gimmelwald).  

Adorable farmhouse at Ballenberg.  

Meandering Through Mountains

Huge rocky mountains covered in a carpet of green, snow capped peaks, cows and sheep grazing on the hillsides, bright blue lake water, wooden chalets, and fresh flowers at every turn.  Switzerland is just as you picture it to be.

I started off my time here in the city of Zurich, while I waited for my next travel buddy (Mom) to meet me.  I did a walking tour here and marveled at all the expensive shops.  I learned that Zurich has some of the highest cost of property in Europe and also the most expensive Starbucks in the world! (Luckily I didn't go there).  The hostel was one of the nicest I stayed in the whole trip, but also the most expensive.  Known as a banking capital, I felt a little out of place downtown with all the fancily dressed businessmen.

Once Mom arrived we headed straight to the town of Bern, where we would stay two days.  What a cute city!  We went to the Albert Einstein Museum (he had lived in Bern when he came up with the theory of relativity), walked the cute Main Street with a fancy clock, shops, and vendors, saw the capital building, and checked out the super clean Aare River which runs right through town.  We also visited the Paul Klee museum, a famous Swiss artist - who, I must admit, I knew nothing about prior to coming to this museum.  But it was a great visit and I really like his artwork! Consider me a new fan.

For our next week in Switzerland we used the town of Leukerbad, located south of Bern, as a home base.  And boy did we hit the RCI jackpot.  Our place had a spectacular view out the deck of the breathtaking mountains.  Also, coming from hostel living I couldn't be more thrilled to have a place with a good bed, kitchen, and a closet!  Pure luxury.

We had a great time exploring this area of Switzerland.  Some of our high points included:

1. Leukerbad - a town of about 1400, this town was so fun to explore!  Located at about 4,600 feet it took us about 30 minutes each day to get into the village on a very windy, narrow, lots-of-hairpin-turns road.  We happened to be there for the Shepard Festival - a one time a year celebration with food, wine, alphorn and accordion players, a church service (which we accidentally attended - and it was all in German) and watching 800 sheep run down the mountain.  Quite an entertaining event with great people watching. We also happened to be there for Swiss National Day, which is August 1st.  They celebrate with a big fireworks show and festivals throughout the day.  There were huge gardens located throughout town which we later learned were used for some of the local restaurants - we had a great salad at one of them!
2. Hiking in Leukerbad - we did a few different hikes in and around this area.  Being nestled in a valley, there were really three areas of mountains we could explore.  We first rode the cable car up to the Gemmi Pass, which is where the Shepard Festival was.  After the festival was over we continued hiking to a remote hotel and then looped back around the lake (which was the highest lake in Europe) and caught the cable car back down.  The Gemmi Pass area is mainly used for snow sports in the winter - cross country skiing, sledding, etc. Across from that was the Torrent Gondola, which went up to the Torrent downhill ski area.  In this area we hiked amongst cows (with large bells on their necks), beautiful purple wildflowers and lots of mountain bikers.  There were so many trails to explore here and we only had time to scratch the surface.
3. Zermatt - we ventured on the train south to the town of Zermatt to see the Matterhorn (along with every other tourist in Switzerland).  My only experience with the Matterhorn was the ride at Disneyland - and I vividly remember being scared to bits by the Yeti with red eyes.  Anyways, in order to see this awesome mountain we luckily picked a route that Rick recommended so beat some of the major crowds.  We decided to go up to Rothorn, to get a view of the peak and then go down a little further to then hike back to town. Getting up there was quite the task as we took trains, funiculars, gondolas and cable cars.  But the view at the top was spectacular.  We had a nearly bluebird day, with just a few clouds in the sky.  Unfortunately one cloud mass was stuck right at very the top of the Matterhorn. We waited for a bit at the top to see if it would clear, but it never did.  We were able to see all the other mountains clearly in the area as well as a lot of the glaciers.  We felt quite lucky to see what we did!  On the way down we hiked with a view of these peaks the whole way.  And the weather really stayed in our favor the whole time.  It was a great day of hiking.  Our legs were tired but it was well worth it.
4. Lausanne - we hit the Olympic Museum (very nice!), checked out the waterfront and of course did Rick's walking tour around the Old Town area. After Lausanne we headed for the Chateau de Chillon (apparently Chateau is the fancy French word for castle), that was built possibly as early as 1005.  It has been used as a summer home, prison, a weapons depot, and now today a museum. This castle was beautiful and very nicely restored.  We did an audio tour here which gave us a good understanding of the different areas and it was fun to see their decor and furniture.

We had a great stay here in Leukerbad and then continued on to the town of Meiringen to explore more of Switzerland! 

Highlights:

1. Leukerbad - a cute town with a lot of great hiking and views.
2. Matterhorn - what a beautiful mountain! It was also so cool to see the other mountains around it as well as the glaciers.
3. Sheep Festival - we really got the local experience at this festival!  Very few people spoke English and we were able to enjoy a local custom.
4. Bern - This was one of my favorite towns in Switzerland - a lot of charm, a beautiful river, and fun things to do!
5. Hiking - all the trails were well marked, easy to find, and had just beautiful views!

Lessons Learned:

1. Things here are quite pricey.
2. The Swiss are very efficient.  The trains and buses are very nice, clean, and organized.
3. There are so many different languages here!  People speak French, German, or Italian depending on the area of Switzerland you are in. How confusing is that?!  Also all the signs are translated into all those languages - seems like a lot of work.
4. In Zurich I went into the cleanest, most orderly grocery store I have ever seen!  Everything was perfectly in its place and stocked exactly right.  It was like I was in the movie Stepford Wives or something.
5. The water here in all the lakes is a bright blue, aqua color - just amazing.

Our view in Leukerbad.  

Mom and I in front of an (almost) clear Matterhorn.  

One of our new friends.  

Greece Lightning

After a great stay in Croatia I headed to Greece to meet my friends from Corvallis, Kelli and Laura! Doing very little research for this part of the trip, pretty much all I knew about Greece was from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and a lunch spot I used to frequent in Colorado Springs called the Med Cafe.  Way to be prepared Anna.  Luckily, Kelli and Laura really carried the team booking the majority of our housing and transportation (thanks guys).

Here are some of our highlights:

1. Santorini - What. A. Place!  Kelli surprised Laura and I by booking an amazing airbnb in the town of Oia right on the cliffs.  Like the cliffs that come up on google when you type in Santorini.  It was quite possibly the coolest place I have ever stayed!  I felt like I was on MTV Cribs or something.  We had a view of the whole cliff side of the town of Oia, a view of the ocean, two terraces, a hot tub and our own kitchen.  We soaked up every minute in this place - enjoying the hot tub until late in the night, waking up for sunrise, and staying until they kicked us out at 11am check out.  This was definitely a highlight of our time in Santorini, but on our first day we also happened upon the best (and cheapest) Gyros ever.  They had French fries in them.  Genius, I know.  All my Greek dreams came true that very first day.  We joked that after that day, everything else would be downhill from there.  The rest of our time in Santorini we stayed in the town of Perissa, which had a huge, awesome, black sand beach.  It stretched for miles (we know because we walked the whole length of it...with all our luggage...) and had tons of restaurants along it - and every one had nice big shaded umbrellas on their section of the beach.  Right up my alley!  It was here we discovered another major highlight - Greek Fro Yo.  America really needs to get on board with this stuff because it is heavenly.  We would proceed to have it nearly every day for the rest of our stay in Greece.  While here we also ventured over to the main part of the island, Fira.  We walked around the town, scoped out the awesome views and happened upon a nice little walk down to a church on the edge of a cliff!  No clue how they built this thing - it took us a solid 30 minutes to walk out to it, but it looked like it was still a working church!
2. Paros - the little island of Paros was just adorable.  We stayed in a town called Aliki, which was a small fishing village that had a few shops and restaurants right along the water.  During our time here we did a hike to a neighboring town called Drios, hit the beach, and enjoyed some local cuisine on the water.  Paros was described as a lower key (and less expensive) Mykonos.  While I've never been to Mykonos, I did really enjoy the nice low key vibe of Paros.  We spent some time wandering the streets of the Old Town area in Parikia (where the ferry comes in and out of) and this town looked like it was straight out of a magazine.  Everything was so bright white and there were colorful flowers, doors and decor everywhere.  Just how you picture Greece to be.
3. Athens - we had just about an afternoon here, but luckily Laura and Kelli had already been here so they knew what high points to hit in our short time frame.  The afternoon we were here it was a real scorcher...high 90s.  Yowza.  We checked out Old Town Athens, saw The Panathenaic Staduim (the original Olympic Stadium), and watched the sunset with a view of the Acropolis.  While I didn't have a ton of time here, it was fun to see some of the high points from afar.

Highlights:

1. Getting to spend time with Kelli and Laura!  It was a great mini lady Sparts reunion.
2. Greek Salads - they were delicious and everywhere.
3. Greek Frozen Yogurt - this stuff was to die for. And I am missing it desperately.
4. Weather - it was not as hot as I thought it was going to be! Major score. The weather gods were good to us.
5. Santorini - it is just as good as everyone says it is.  My favorite little part was Oia - definitely worth a visit!

Lessons Learned:

1. Apparently hummus is not really a thing in Greece. I was so looking forward to hummus at every restaurant but only saw it offered at a few.
2. Update: I'm still not a seafood person.
3. White and Blue is a consistent theme here - all the houses are white with blue doors and shutters.  We learned that when Greece was occupied by the Ottomans they didn't allow them to fly the Greek flag.  So in defiance, everyone painted their houses the color of the Greek flag. And now it has stuck. So cool. 
4. There were scooters, mopeds and four wheelers everywhere on the islands!  That seems to be the preferred method of transport.  We stuck to the bus but that might be on the list next time if I can muster up the courage to drive my own moped.
5. My friends are the best!  So thankful for all the friends that met me along the way this trip.

Kelli and Laura on our patio in Oia.  

Santorini Views.  

Adorable Paros. 

The Croatian Countryside

Out in the Croatian countryside surrounded by lush green forest, rolling mountains, and at the end of a very long, very overgrown, very bumpy dirt road you'll find two log cabins and an amazing couple.  This is where I would stay two weeks for my next Workaway experience.

My hosts, Simone and Josipa, are Italian and Croatian respectively and were looking for a life in the countryside when they bought this property about three years ago.  Simone is an IT professional and his job had them based in England for a couple years, but he is now able to work remotely.  Josipa is a translator (she speaks Croatian, English and Italian) and she can work remotely as well but is mainly focused on getting the house completed by coordinating the various projects and workers (which she says is challenging in Croatia). They have lived here on and off over the last couple years and at the start of this summer began living here full time.  They just got running water in one of the buildings which makes it easier for them to host Workawayers.  They started the program about a month ago so I was quite lucky to be one of their first workers!  In addition to hosting me, they also had a French couple and a British guy there at the same time, so it was fun to get to know other travelers!

Their village was heavily affected by the Croatian War of Independence about 25 years ago. Most of the houses here used to be Serbian occupied until they fled back to Serbia after the war in the mid 90s.  The houses in this village sat untouched since then, creating a jungle of trees and bushes with dilapidated houses barely standing along the dirt road to their house.  It is sad to see these abandoned houses but as a young couple in the area, Simone and Josipa are bringing new energy and hope.  They are just getting started here putting life back into their old property and they are hoping others will begin to do the same.  Their property has two houses - a main house and a guest house, which they are focusing on now.  They also have 5 sheds, a barn, a camper, a garden area and their own stream.  The property is beautiful, overlooking rolling green hills as far as the eye can see.  Their goal is to eventually be as self-sustaining as possible and they will grow to have animals, a full fledged garden, and one day host events and concerts.

My first week here I helped to organize the guest house kitchen/dining area (which has no running water) and some of their tools.  The houses are log cabins, originally built in the 1940s and then moved to this location (with a few updates).  They are made of big beautiful oak beams.  I also helped to prepare the main house for the sheetrock phase of building, which involved wire brushing the wood and getting rid of any excess old plaster, bugs, dirt and dust.

My second week I helped to clean trash out of their new hammock area in the forest (we found tons of trash - shoes, clothes, bottles, you name it!), helped Simone to organize his new tool area, helped to clear sticks out of their stream, and even got to help Josipa with one of her translation assignments (no, I didn't learn Croatian quite that fast - I just double checked the English once she had already translated it).

Simone and Josipa took us to the nearby rivers and lakes for swimming days and barbecues - and I actually found one of our swimming locations just as beautiful (if not more than) Plitvick Lakes National Park!  We spent two days relaxing here and enjoying the bright green and blue lakes and waterfalls.  It was a truly special place and only about 40 minutes from their door.  Throughout the two weeks we all spent time together working, cooking, playing games, relaxing, and comparing our cultures.  Josipa was a wonderful cook so she showed me how to make a couple dishes - and one night we even made Italian gnocchi from scratch!  It was delicious.  Those Italians sure know their food.

Simone and Josipa were wonderful hosts and I had so much fun getting to know them.  They made me feel right at home from the moment I arrived.  They work very hard and have a great vision for their place.  I was extremely inspired by their story and dedication to bringing new life to a forgotten area.  I feel so lucky to have been able to spend two full weeks with them and I hope to come back one day!

Highlights:

1. Getting to know Simone and Josipa - such a kind, thoughtful and welcoming couple!
2. Exploring another area of Croatia - while the beaches are beautiful here, I preferred this area with the mountains and countryside.
3. Going to the watering hole - I'm not sure I'll ever find a natural swim spot that beautiful again.
4. My own glamping set up!  I got to stay in a camper which was super fun.
5. Getting to do house projects.  It was fun for me to be a part of the renovation process as it is something I am interested in for the future.

Lessons Learned:

1. There's a lot of bugs when you live out in the Croatian forest.  There's too many to name but the most common guys were grasshoppers - they were all over the house and the bathroom too!  Luckily they are harmless.  And eat other bugs.  Good work grasshoppers.
2. Home renovation is hard work, but so rewarding.
3. There's something so peaceful about living out in the country.  The views were so pretty and the stars were so bright.
4. Rakija is an alcoholic drink that everyone around here drinks at any time of day - it is often homemade and very strong.  I think it might be related to moonshine.
5. Although it felt like we were quite isolated, there were always neighbors coming by to say hello or drop things off - you could feel the community coming back to the area and how excited they were that a young couple was putting down roots here.

Thanks for following along!

The main house with a piece of the view.  

One of the local swim spots!  

The hammock spot we helped to build.  

What's Up, What's Down

One of the many things this trip has taught me is to be observant.  Not only in the security sense (which is obviously important) but also to slow down and take in my surroundings.  Often I am so rushed that I don't see a lot of the things that are so beautiful around me.

I've gotten into the habit of always looking up and looking down.  I've found myself constantly taking pictures of my feet, and craning my neck to look at things up above.  I've been blown away by details on ceilings and floors in countless spaces from a wide variety of time periods and materials.  I've not only been wowed in interior spaces but also in nature.  From stars to trails, cathedral ceilings to castle floors.  So many colors, shapes, designs, textures, and details.

So try to remember to look up and look down - because sometimes, that is where some of the best stuff is hidden.

Here are some of my picture highlights (with descriptions) so far.

What's Down:

YHA Hostel: Oban, Scotland. 

Torc Waterfall Hike: Killarney, Ireland. 

Wieliczka Salt Mine: Warsaw, Poland.

National Library of Ireland: Dublin, Ireland.  

Dunluce Castle: Bushmills, Northern Ireland.

Royal Castle: Warsaw, Poland.  

Three Sisters Hike: Glencoe, Scotland.  

Dracula's Castle: Bran, Romania.  

National Library of Ireland: Dublin, Ireland.  

Random Street: Budapest, Hungary.  

What's Up: 

Kilkenny Castle: Kilkenny, Ireland. 

National Museum: Edinburgh, Scotland. 

St Mary's Cathedral: Krakow, Poland.  

Trinity College: Dublin, Ireland.  

Dublin Castle: Dublin, Ireland.  

Forest: Söderbärke, Sweden.  

National Library of Ireland: Dublin, Ireland.  

The Royal Apartments: Stockholm, Sweden. 

Nordiska Museum: Stockholm, Sweden.  

The Parliament Building: Budapest, Hungary.  

Slowing Down in Dubrovnik

Being in the Old City of Dubrovnik feels like being in a movie.  Limestone streets and buildings with different colored shutters, laundry lines strung across the alleys, and restaurants tucked cutely into small spaces greet you at every turn.  Boats, mountains, blue water, and old city walls surround you. During the day this adorable little city can feel a little overwhelming when the sun is beating down (there is little shade) and it can be packed with people.  Cruise ships dock in Dubrovnik so on any given day there can be up to 15,000 additional people in the small area (plus all the other tourists).  But in the evening when it cools off a little and the crowds disperse, the streets are lit with soft glowing lights.  It really feels like you could be on a Hollywood set.

Dubrovnik was built primarily in the 15th century and was quite prosperous due to its prime location on the sea.  It has had a tumultuous history and most recently suffered damage during the Croatian War of Independence in the early 90s.  It was rebuilt during the late 90s/early 2000s and the large city walls still stand today.

Stacia and I stayed in the Old City up one of the cute staired alleyways.  Being towards the end of our month together, we decided not to do a walking tour (we had done a lot of walking tours) and to take a day to relax and enjoy the city before Stacia left the next day.  We ate ice cream, did some souvenir shopping, soaked in the A/C in our room, enjoyed some people watching, had some wine on our front porch, and ate some of the local cuisine.  On our flight into Zagreb I sat next to a native Croatian who gave me some tips about Dubrovnik.  He recommended a seafood restaurant which we went to called Lokanda - right on the water and with reasonable prices (our kind of place!).  Stacia and I were feeling bold, so we tried shrimp and seafood risotto.  What an experience.  Our poor waiter had to walk us through the whole menu because we didn't know how or what to order.  Our shrimp arrived with their heads and tails included, so we had to be-head and be-leg them (not my favorite thing to do I realized).  The seafood risotto was black - which Stacia told me after we had finished eating that it was that way from the die of the squid.  Oh joy.  During the meal we both agreed we may not be cut out for the seafood life....nor the fancy yacht life.

I had a few extra days here on my own and stayed a little bit outside of the Old City.  I ventured around on the waterfront and found where the cruise ships and ginormous yachts dock.  I hiked to the top of Mt Srd (there is a cable car that also goes to the top) and it was a really pretty hike.  Along the way I had great views of the city of Dubrovnik and sea.  Unfortunately, by the time I got to the top it was completely foggy and it was hard to see about 10 feet in front of me.  But it was okay with me, as the fog really cooled things down for the hike.  I was still sweating profusely but at least I wasn't lobster red sunburned.  I also had a riveting day of laundry and future plan research (always need those catch up days).

All in all, I wasn't a great 'tourist' in Dubrovnik but I had a great time soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells of this adorable city.  I can see why Croatia - and Dubrovnik in particular - is such a tourist draw.  It really is something special.

Now on to the north of Croatia for my next Workaway experience!

Highlights:

1. Getting to spend the month with Stacia!  We had a great time exploring new places and had a lot of laughs along the way.

2. People Watching - one of my favorite things to do - and here there were plenty of tourists for the people watching to be top notch.

3. Hike up Mt Srd - while I didn't get a great view from the very top, the views on the way up were beautiful.

4. Ice cream - it is everywhere here and delicious. And necessary to cool off.

5. Staying in the Old City - it was so fun to stay right where all the action was!

Lessons Learned:

1. I'm pretty sure I learned this lesson before, but don't order seafood unless you really know what it is.

2. More tourists generally means increased prices - and it is not cheap here!

3. The coffee culture is different here.  They believe that coffee is meant to be shared with others and it is more of a social event.  So - this means few "to go" coffees, no Starbucks (I think this is the first country on this trip that hasn't had them!), and to my dismay not many coffee shops where you can 'work' (or for me - write, people watch, and caffeinate).

4. Sobe - these are what they call guest houses and they are everywhere.

5. Sometimes it's fun not to be a 'tourist' - while it's always great learning about a new city and its history, it is also nice just to sit and take it all in.

Charming Dubrovnik.  

More charm.  

A Dubrovnik sunset.  

Chasing Shade Throughout Croatia (and Bosnia too)

So far in Croatia I've learned a very important lesson: there are sun goddesses and then there are the rest of us.  People watching in Croatia points out very quickly those who were made to lay at the beach and those who weren't.  Those who were effortlessly glide around in the 100 degree heat, with their golden tanned skin, looking strait out of a magazine, without so much as a bead of sweat on their bodies.  Those who weren't proudly wear a bright red skin hue, sport lines of white in every which direction, have sweat dripping down their faces, and are constantly applying sun cream to any exposed body part.  Stacia and I (especially me) fall into the latter category.  Shocking, I know.  Actually, we may even make up a whole separate category on our own.  Shade chasers.  Rather than attempting to get any sun (because we know it will be an insta-burn situation) we constantly chase shade under our Gillian and Granny hats as we've so lovingly named them.  One day at the beach I got a little over zealous and stuck my legs out in the sun.  Big mistake.  Here I am, two days later with heat rash.  My days as a potential sun goddess ended as quickly as I hoped they would have begun.  Just my body's way of reminding me that I'm related to Casper.

Apart from the blistering heat, Croatia has been amazing so far.  We flew into Zagreb and slowly made our way down the coast to end up in Dubrovnik (where Stacia would leave me to fly home). Our time dodging the sun has included:

1. Plitvice Lakes National Park - What an amazing park! We started at Entrance 1 and saw the big bright blue and green colored pools, lakes and massive waterfalls near the start of the park (along with thousands of our closest friends).  All along this park you walk on board walks, allowing you to really feel right up close to the falls and the surrounding nature.  We continued further into the park and after a boat ride across one of the middle lakes we made it to the upper falls and lakes.  This ended up being our favorite part.  A lot less crowded, we were able to hike along the water - seeing more pools and waterfalls on our way - on a shaded dirt path until we reached the end of the park.  It was so beautiful!  The color of the water was so bright and clear - it felt like we should have been on an island somewhere.
2. Mostar, Bosnia - One of Stacia's coworkers is from Bosnia and he suggested we head over to Mostar, which is just over the border.  I am so glad he suggested it! Coming into town it was evident there was a recent war, with several of the buildings still in ruins.  Arriving in Old Town, we felt like we were in a whole other world.  We were surrounded by small white stone alleyways filled with restaurants, shops and vendors.  They were bursting with colorful lights, jewelry, rugs, and clothing - most with a heavy Middle Eastern and Turkish influence.  Stacia and I both agreed we could have spent a lot of money at those little markets.  We visited the Old Bridge (Stari Most), which suspended over the bright blue/green water of the Neretva river and connected the two parts of Old Town.  Divers stand at the top of the bridge (at 78 feet high), convincing people to pay them money to jump (and it works).  The bridge was originally built in 1567 and stood intact until it was destroyed in 1993 during the Croatian-Bosnian War.  After the war, the bridge was reconstructed using some of the original stones (divers found them in the water below) and the original building techniques.  It was spectacular.  It is considered to be one of the most impressive pieces of Balkan Islamic architecture.  In addition to loving Mostar, we also really enjoyed the drive.  We drove through beautiful green and white rock mountains with Mediterranean looking houses (white exteriors with red roofs) spattered on the hillsides everywhere.
3. Hvar Island - Known for it's parties, beaches, and yacht goers, we figured we'd be right at home in Hvar.  While in Hvar we got some beach time (which for us meant plopping down under an extra large umbrella ensuring not an inch of skin got any sun).  We ventured to a small beach near our airbnb and after a lost-in-the-desert-searching-for-the-beach situation accidentally taking us through a dump, down people's driveways, and near (luckily) fenced in boars, we made it.  We also scored our best friend for the next two days - our extra large leaf hut umbrella with an excess of shade.  It was glorious.  A highlight in Hvar was watching the sunset from the top of the castle which overlooks the island and has a great view of all the yachts coming in and out of the harbor.  We even hiked to the top with a bottle of wine!  We loved the little town of Hvar, where most of the buildings are made out of white limestone and have colorful shutters and doors.  Really a place to live the island life!

Highlights:

1. Plitvice Lakes National Park - a must see in Croatia! Beautiful waterfalls and lakes.
2. Mostar - totally unexpected and definitely worth the side trip from Croatia!
3. Hvar Town - this little island (while a little fancy for us) was so adorable.
4. Hiking up to the Castle in Hvar - a relatively easy hike with a great view!
5. Leaf Hut - this guy really was a highlight.

Lessons Learned:

1. I was not made for hot weather.
2. When traveling, practicality often trumps fashion.
3. The roads in Croatia are quite nice but they definitely pay for it - we paid a lot of tolls. They seem to be more reasonably paced drivers here though - and there are actually lines on the road! 
4. Wine in Croatia is really cheap and really good. Yay Croatia!
5. There are a lot more Americans here than in the other countries we've been so far...and a lot of British as well.

Thanks for reading!

Plitvice Lakes National Park.  

The Old Bridge in Mostar.  

Sunset view of Hvar.  

Rolling Through Romania

After a great time in Budapest we ventured to Bucharest, Romania, to meet Stacia's friend Meagan!  Meagan is a teacher at the American International School of Bucharest.  Our first night there we hung out at her adorable apartment, met her awesome cats, and enjoyed some great Romanian snacks and wine.

We also hit Bucharest on the right weekend!  Meagan's school had organized a wine tasting trip for their teachers and we were lucky enough to be able to come along with her!  We were driven out of the city to a winery in the country and given a tour of the winery - and saw a warehouse full of wine!  From there, we were given food upon food upon food.  We started out with homemade bread, tomatoes, onion and the biggest block of cheese I've ever seen (which he said the neighbor made yesterday. So awesome).  At this point we didn't know there would be more food (and were so excited with the block of cheese) that we may have overdone it a little with the portions.  All of a sudden they started bringing out huge bowls of meat (lamb that was slaughtered yesterday he said - I tried not to think about it) and all these different kinds of salads.  You better believe I made more room in my stomach.  And after this course desserts galore!  Oh my!  To top off all the food, with each food course we also tried about 2 different kinds of wine.  Where are we?!  How did we get here?! Is this the best day ever?!  I think so.  After our glorious day at the Romanian winery we headed that night to the Kings of Leon concert at the National Stadium.  Yes, this was pretty much the best day ever.  The next day the weather was not in our favor  and it was quite rainy, so we had a fun day laying low, catching up, and figuring out how to pack bottles of wine back in Janine's suitcase (she had bought a few at the winery).

Janine left us in Bucharest and Stacia and I continued on in Romania to find some hiking.  About 5 minutes after picking up our rental car we got stuck on a dirt road with a cow blocking it. Welcome to driving in Romania. We thought we were headed to a small village called Brasov - turned out it was the booming metropolis of Brasov.  They even had a Hollywood sign up on the hill.  They also had an adorable Old Town area (we've been to a lot of Old Towns) where we had some authentic Romanian cuisine (stuffed cabbage was a fan fav). On our way to Brasov we drove through some amazing areas with huge Rocky Mountains - not at all what I pictured for Romania.

We ended up seeing both Peles Castle and Bran Castle (Dracula's castle).  Although we only saw it from the outside, both of us really liked Peles Castle.  It was nestled in the green mountains, had an amazing garden and grounds and spectacular articecture.  Bran Castle was cool (and much older) but it was packed with tourists!

While in Brasov we hiked to the top of Romania's biggest ski resort Poiana Brasov (among the bears...which we learned about along the way from fellow hikers, whoops).  Whoever has the Coca Cola marketing contract for Romania has really gone above and beyond - there were Coca Cola signs everywhere - especially on the ski hill (fencing, gondolas, padding) but also in all the towns!  And the marketing worked - when we were done with our hike all I wanted was a Coke.  We also ended up hiking up to the Brasov Hollywood sign which gave a great view over the city.

Highlights:

1. Getting to meet Meagan - she was a wonderful hostess!
2. Wine tour in Bucharest - I'd like to be a teacher in Bucharest now. Just kidding. Kind of.
3. Hiking in Brasov - it was pretty cool to see a ski resort in this area!
4. Peles Castle - such a cool setting and a sweet castle.
5. Brasov Old Town - one of my favorites so far!

Lessons Learned:

1. Romanians like their Coca Cola.
2. They drive like crazy people around here.  And there are no lines painted in the roads - it's just like one blob of cars weaving in and out.  Good thing Stacia drove the whole time.
3. They have awesome wine! Unfortunately they don't export to the U.S. - or this would be my go to wine all the time.
4. While we didn't spend a ton of time doing 'tourist things' in Bucharest, it was fun to see more daily life with Meagan!
5. Sometimes not planning can really pay off - we stumbled upon Peles Castle and didn't realize how cool Brasov would be!

Peles Castle. 

Some of the food from our wine tour! 

A view from the top of Poiana Brasov Ski Resort.