Ljubljana, Slovenia

Our accommodations at the University of Ljubljana were comfortable and affordable, so we decided to extend our stay in Slovenia's pristine, pint-sized capital to a total of four nights. It's the longest we've stayed in one place, but allowed us time to get ahead on trip planning and do some laundry. It was also nice to slow down for a bit as we will need to travel at a breakneck pace for the rest of our time in Europe in order to visit the places we intend.

We knew very little about Slovenia before getting here and we've really enjoyed learning more about the history of the country. Slovenia single-handedly won independence from communist Yugoslavia in the 1990's, in a rather remarkable ten day war. The Slovenes are hardworking and extremely proud of their heritage, and since gaining independence the country has flourished, becoming the first former communist country to join the EU. It's been very interesting to study this part of the world and learn more about Slovenia's struggles and triumphs.

Our favorite Ljubljana experiences:

- Eating Mexican food and drinking margaritas at a cantina downtown. The Slovenes are unexpectedly nuts about Mexican faire, and chowing down on a familiar comfort-type food was a real treat after a month on the road. The interpretation of the cuisine was peculiar but good.

- Sipping Lasko beers with the alternative crowd on the adult jungle gym at Metalkova, the former army barracks-turned spray painted, super cool counter-culture hub. 

- Bypassing the elevators and making the sweaty hike up to Ljubljana Grad, the castle in the center of town, on foot. Climbing the spiral staircases to the top of the torrent for awesome city views. 

- Eating venison goulash, fish stew, and polenta at Abecedarium, a restaurant located in the oldest building in town. Slovene cuisine is a pleasant east-meets-west, north-meets-south mixture of neighboring nations and it was great to sample local flavors at one of the most famous dining spots in town. 

- Having a hilarious late night chat with an inebriated young Slovene whose knowledge of the US seemed to be limited to gangster rap references. 

Next stop: Zagreb, Croatia

Bled, Slovenia: The Most Beautiful Little Town You've Probably Never Heard of

Bled is an absolute hidden treasure.  A small town nestled at the foot of the Julian Alps, it has all the makings of a storybook setting: a blue lake, an island with an old church, and a castle perched on a cliff.

It's so pretty it doesn't seem real.

Our favorite experiences in Bled:

- Renting a boat and rowing out to the tiny island in the middle of the lake.  There, AD (kindly) carried Molly up the 99 cobblestone steps of the old church.  Per local custom this brings couples good luck.

- Making the 6.5 mile hike around the lake and to the top of the Osojnica viewpoint where we were rewarded with the most spectacular views.


Next stop: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Villach, Austria

Our transportation schedule luckily left us with an afternoon in Austria, in a little mountain town called Villach.

The train station was even equipped with some nifty electronic lockers to store our bags in, which allowed us to explore burden-free.

Our favorite Villach memories:

- Having an authentic Austrian meal at a lodge in town; local beer, homemade pretzels, wiener schnitzel, cheese dumplings, and apple strudel.

- Visiting the local supermarket - Molly's favorite thing to do in a new place - to peruse the aisles and look at the different products.


Next stop: Bled, Slovenia

Venice, Italy

First and foremost, Venice is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind city.  It is postcard pretty, and a place we're glad we saw.  That being said, it's also an absolute zoo, with hoards of tourists and vendors.  With the aggressive crowds, cheesy shops, and terrible restaurants the place can really feel like a floating tourist trap.

Since the prices on Venice are so inflated, we made the wise decision to stay on mainland Mestre, near the airport, for our first night in the country.  This saved us quite a bit and allowed us to experience another, perhaps more authentic, area of Italy.

On our second day in the country we moved to an expensive, though not fancy, room in historic Venice, near Piazza San Marco - AKA the heart of the city's contrived touristy chaos.

Ironically, we spent most of our time on Venice trying to avoid the area we had paid so much to stay in.  Instead, we tried to find the residential, quiet pockets on the islands.  We think we succeeded fairly well - finding legitimate, lived-in neighborhoods near both the university and soccer stadium.

Our favorite Venice memories:

- Marveling in the unique beauty that is Venice.  Winding through the pedestrian alleys and getting lost on purpose - every turn leads to another waterway, bridge, and photo op.

- Eating gelato. Lots and lots of gelato.  Every day.

- Filling our hungry post-flight bellies with delicious fresh-from-the-oven pizza in Mestre.

- Wising up to the fact that much of the Venetian food scene is lousy and overpriced and making our own meal of store-bought wine, antipasti and caprese salad.  Finding a quiet square overlooking the water on the east side if the islands and dining in peace.

- Discovering a cheap cafe (no cover charge or service fee!) with AC and wifi that we returned to again and again for cappuccinos, Prosecco, and campari cocktails.


Next stop: Villach, Austria

Portugal - Lisbon & Cascais

By the time we found ourselves back in Lisbon we felt pretty good about Portugal.

We now know that all the decent restaurants don't open for dinner until after 7pm, and we can decipher most menus and order ourselves a decent meal.  We've learned sardines are almost always a safe bet, and at this point, we can debone the fish with finesse.

We own a metro card, and we've gotten darn good at using the transit system - jetting across town or the country with relative ease.

We're speaking in euros now, too - calculating cost in our heads in terms of the European currency instead of dollars - and can readily identify euro coins at glance.

We're looking forward to learning new skills in the weeks to come as we transition from tourists to travelers.

Our favorite Lisbon & Cascais memories:

- Drinking sangria and dancing the night away at the Lisbon Gay Pride event in Palace Square.

- Discovering that the pair of double french doors in our room opened to a gorgeous fifth floor deck overlooking the water and a bustling Lisbon pedestrian street.  We spent hours on that deck - reading, eating breakfast, taking in the stunning cityscape and feeling like the luckiest people in the world.

- Taking a day trip to the lazy beach town of Cascais, where we drank Sagres beer among the topless sunbathers.

- Dining at a fantastic hole-in-the-wall in the historic neighborhood of Alfambra.  Our delicious meal included a bottle of wine, bread, soup, fresh grilled swordfish and squid.  With tip and tax: about 20 euros.


Next stop: Venice, Italy

Portugal - Sintra

No trip to Portugal would be complete without a visit to the tourist mecca of Sintra.

Just an hour outside if Lisbon, Sintra is set atop a small, green mountain of sorts.  Its position high above the sea brings fantastic views and cool breezes, making it a long favorite destination for rich and royals.

The town's long history of affluence means there are plenty of fine estates for tourists to explore.

Our favorite Sintra experiences:

- Eating a mouthwatering meal of grilled octopus and sardines at an authentic, small neighborhood eatery tucked away from the throngs of Sintra tourists.

- Making the hike up to the Pena National Palace, the colorful royal castle that looks as if it belongs in Disney's Magic Kingdom.  Spending hours walking the lush, fairy tale-like grounds and taking in the beauty of the Artist King's wild creation.

- Getting lost in the maze of grottos and passageways at Quinta da Regaleira, the wacky 19th century estate of an eccentric Portuguese merchant.


Next stop: Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal - Coimbra

We will spend nearly two weeks in Portugal, which is plenty of time to add stops in off-the-beaten-path type places like Coimbra.

Located in central Portugal, Coimbra is a cute college town full of narrow, cobblestone streets.  We liked that Coimbra fit into the mid-sized city category, as it was a departure from the urban and rural Portugal we had experienced to date.

Our favorite Coimbra memories:

- Triumphantly hoofing, packs and all, to our B&B, which was located at the peak of Coimbra's Upper Town.  Though our host had pre-warned us that our accommodations were difficult to reach and it would be best to take a taxi, we fought burning legs past the Quebra Costa (back breaker stairs) and successfully navigated our way there.

- Our B&B itself, Casa Pombal, is one to be remembered: charming and adorable, it was all pink, flowery frills.  Super romantic.

- Eating bacalhau fresco (fresh cod) at a bar full of university students while the Portugal vs. Spain Eurocup game aired.


Next stop: Sintra, Portugal