“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on those accounts. Broad, whole-some, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad (1869)
We stood from our little cafe table, over heated from the midday sun which was almost blinding as it bounced off the white cathedral nearby and I saw my friends pizza crusts sitting on her plate.
“I should grab them,” I thought, but lacking the self will (or, perhaps, humility) to actually do that.
And here I am. Worlds removed from coastal Italy and our time in Eastern Europe and my number one regret is that I didn’t eat the crusts made by third generation pizza makers.
It’s a regret I can live with. But how do these random moments get real estate space in one’s memory bank? I’m not sure, but my mind is full of these random memories from my recent travels – the crusts being my only regret.
May 10 I flew out of Newark airport with my friend Anna and her friend, my new friend, Kristin. May 11 we had a 12 hour layover in London. The early hours of May 12 we landed in Budapest, and from there we had an intense twelve days visiting eight countries. If you were to look at a map and start in Hungary we very roughly did a counterclockwise road trip starting and ending with Budapest. May 19 Kristin flew out of Munich to head home a little early.
Thursday May 11, London
We landed groggy from an overnight flight that did not foster much sleep. We knew we wanted to explore London, and somehow had the foresight to figure out which terminal we would later be flying out of in order to store our carry on bags in that terminal. 10, maybe 15 euros each, and our bags were stored for our days adventure.
We took the train into London. Perhaps Paddington Station? I don’t recall – it doesn’t really matter, my watch later told me we walked 7.5 miles through the city so we definitely passed many stations.
When the worst of the drizzly day started to pour down we ran into a little bookstore with a coffee shop and ordered ourselves hot drinks and treats and sat at a table that became available just as we needed it. Two strangers joined us at our oversized table.
We saw the sights. Old Ben. Westminister Abbey. Parliament. Windsor Castle. I was tired. My legs hurt. I didn’t know then this exceptional pace of walking was to become pretty close to the daily average. If I could go back I would not warn myself of that fact – I did just fine, but it would have terrified me in advance.
We had the idea to check local thrift stores. When google failed to help us locate them close to train stations I asked ChatGPT to help us. It proved remarkably helpful for the rest of the trip. And the thrift store inspired us to search them out whenever we had time in the countries to come.
We made it back to the airport, picked up our stored bags, and got through security. Unlike the USA, we were allowed to keep our shoes on, but also unlike the USA liquid items were much more strictly regulated and were required to fit in a zipped quart size bag.
Friday May 12, Budapest
We arrived in Budapest around 2 am. Customs was very easy. I don’t recall any questions being asked – just a stamp in the passport and waving us through.
The taxi system was thoughtfully organized and easy to manage in an exhausted state. We grabbed one to our prebooked hotel, which was just minutes away.
We all got up for the free hotel breakfast, and then slept or rested until 3pm. After 12 they charged 5 euros per hour, and after 4pm the rates increased.
A taxi took us downtown Budapest to our prebooked hostel on Margaret Island, which would be our home for the next two nights. And, the end of our prebooked accommodations. After that everywhere we stayed was figured out that evening depending on where we were ending our night. (Which truth be told, is how I do our road-trips here in the USA, but it was delightful to have friends show me how easy that is to do on a European road trip! Definitely something I will do in the future.)
Margaret Island is a little gem that we never fully explored. Access to it is from a bridge that spans the Danube River, connecting the cities of Buda and Pest. Margaret Island was once a retreat for royalty, and is now home to a hostel and hotel(s), and a green space locals visit.
Our first evening in Budapest found us exploring the streets and ending with a last minute river cruise at dark – seeing Parliament and the castles lit up in the dark of night was magical.
Saturday May 13 – Budapest
Our intentions to start the day early were hindered by our exhaustion. But once the day started we packed it full – inspired by the children’s book Hanna’s Cold Winter I had looked up the Budapest zoo and was intrigued to visit it because of the architecture. We walked there and while the buildings were spectacular (and I found the hippos!) the animals and their enclosures seemed very depressing and uncared for.
We rented scooters, figuring out that a pass gave you way more value than single rides. We rode to Parliament, and uphill to the castle. I saw my life flash before my eyes as my failing scooter puttered through a long covered tunnel, with a massive bus right on my heels and the river Danube coming in to view as I exited the tunnel. It was the most exhilarating moment of the whole trip. Confidence is gained through experience, and scooter riding through a busy city was an unparalleled experience.
Dinner that night was the same as the evening before – Darband Restaurant, a charming Persian place that I would choose over and over again if I could. Only, I probably wouldn’t because I adore new experiences. But their food and service is excellent and would highly recommend.
Sunday May 14 – Budapest, Slovakia, Zakopane
We had a car rental scheduled to be picked up today, so that got us out of bed and on the road by 10 or so. While the other two, who were internationally licensed and experienced manual car drivers, picked up the car I ran into Lidl to pick up some groceries for our trip.
Google translate was helpful, but over and over again failed me on still versus sparkling water. We never did manage to buy bottled still water.
We had plans to visit a national park in Slovakia but the predicted rain changed that. We managed to fit in a quick visit to castle ruins that dated back to some crazy date in the 1200’s (!!) and to see what was called a “rock waterfall” – basically lava flow that left a wall looking like a waterfall, but it’s all rock. These two visits were at the same stop and worth the time seeing.
Slovakia did not get the time or attention it deserved and one day I hope to go back and explore more of it. It really turned in to a drive through country to get us to Poland.
When the rain changed our plans for outdoor exploring we found a Thermal pool near Zakopane, Poland. We made it within an hour of closing time, enjoyed our brief time there and then drove around trying to find somewhere open at 11 pm that would feed us. Zakopane is a big ski town in the foothills of the High Tatras mountains, and unfortunately the only place we found open was a very touristy pizza place. It is the only touristy type food we ate, and the only food we ended up puking up.
Fortunately (weirdly?) I am very sensitive to food poisoning and within minutes know if food is going to make me sick … so as we walked out of the restaurant I mentioned I didn’t think I could get in the car as I was pretty sure I was going to throw up soon – I knew I was with great people when the next thirty minutes turned out to be the most hysterical of the whole trip as we paced a random park in Poland forcing ourselves to throw up bad food and laughing so hard we cried. We got all the food out of our system and were fine.
The night ended close to midnight as we pulled in to our hotel, booked a couple hours before via booking.com – somewhere in the $60 range. One thing we learned through trial and error is that a lot of the hotels through Eastern Europe do not have 24 hour desk help, but if you plan ahead and are in touch with them they can accommodate you. A key had been left for us in a lockbox and the hardest part was getting the big front door of the hotel open. In the end I’m not sure how we got it open – it required some repeated turns of the key in one direction and a strong shove of the door. We were prepared, however, when it came to opening our room door and that was a much faster process.
Our room at the Bambi Hotel in Zakopane Poland was very nice- they left candies on our pillow for us, which I brought home to my boys.
Monday May 15 – Zakopane and Wieliczka Salt Mines Poland
The breakfast provided by our hotel was a generous spread, with fresh made orange juice and an elaborate coffee machine we came to love in just about every hotel we stayed in from then on.
We enjoyed a leisurely morning and afternoon walking through Zakopane. We stumbled upon an outdoor market and enjoyed looking through an antique sellers wares. I purchased an old leather bag for Wesley- the seller told me it was an old Polish military bag and I thought it would be perfect for his art supplies.
I also purchased a pair of pants for myself from the Polish TJ Max. I had packed one backpack for the trip which included one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, and three dresses. Up to this point in the trip it had been too cold and wet to wear anything other than the one pair of pants … so I needed to add another wearable option!
We knew we wanted to make it to the Wieliczka salt mines to do a tour, and made it with minutes to spare to the last tour of the day at 6pm. What a treat! We walked down hundreds of stairs and were shown an underground world that is hard to imagine and harder still to put in to words. We licked the walls (yes, they were salt!) and saw tunnels, art made from salt, underground churches, and small bodies of water.
Upon completing the tour we divided and conquered – I worked on finding us accommodations for the night and the others worked on finding dinner. Both were in Krakow. Dinner included what turned out to be my favorite dish of the entire trip: beet tartare. I was given a couple of tips on how to make it, and am working on replicating it at home now.
After my first version of it at home my youngest asked if it was really my favorite dish, to which I told him “favorite” in my book means most inspiring or unique. This was essentially like a fruit salad with beets! Super unique!
Tuesday May 16 – Auschwitz
We had booked tickets to Auschwitz for a 2pm English tour a couple days ahead of time. All of my research had suggested you should book in advance if it was a busy season, and this was as early as we were comfortable booking given the last minute nature of all our planning. There were many full time slots by the time we booked, but enough open ones that worked with our flexible schedule.
I don’t have adequate words for this day. There is no book or movie to express what it is to stand there in person – to see the gate and the tracks, to walk up and down the obviously worn out stairs, to see the locks of hair, and the beds where bodies were crowded together and rats stole crumbs saved for later.
We had a guide for a group of maybe thirty of us. We wore headsets and could easily hear our guide at all times. We were kept moving through the camp at a pretty steady pace, and there was so much to take in both in terms of information we were told, signs to read, and things to see. We started at Birkenau (Auschwitz II) and then took a short bus ride to Auschwitz I.
Our guide ended our tour by encouraging us to see people- to put down our phones, to know them and sit with them around our tables.
We made a visit to the gift shop and I bought Judah a book as part of his gift. We bought coffee in the cafe next door and slowly processed what we’d seen – though I think this day will sit heavy with me for the rest of my life.
It was probably close to six by the time we headed out, we had a five hour drive to our next city, Prague.
Dinner was found a couple hours down the road – a charming little place where their daily dishes were featured on their Instagram stories making it easy to pick what we wanted to eat.
Our hotel was picked shortly after that, making sure it was somewhere with a 24 hour staff. We pulled in at 2 am.
Wednesday May 17 – Prague
I woke early, well, early for having crawled into bed in the middle of the night. I enjoyed many cups of coffee and some quiet time reading and writing in the hotel breakfast room while my friends slept.
Prague turned out to be an extravagant city to explore. The architecture was breathtaking, and the city bustled with life. It is the only city where we saw street performers, which was very fun!
We’d been warned not to visit Prague on a weekend due to the crowds and I will pass on that warning. There were plenty of people in the city mid week.
We did a lot of walking. We enjoyed the Charles Bridge, a pedestrian bridge where jewelry and art are sold from little carts and statues of saints tower above.
We enjoyed cucumber lemonade, perhaps the favorite drink of the entire trip. All the lemonade we tried was made with sparkling water, had a unique flavor, and was not sickly sweet. This is something else I am working on recreating now that I am home!
In an effort to squeeze in a show of some sort we found a black light show that we vacillated between enjoying and wondering what on earth we were seeing. It was really very fun, just very different.
We were back in our room somewhere around 11, one of our earliest nights in.
Thursday May 18 – Prague
Apart from our initial few days in Budapest where we were recovering from travel, Prague got the most concentrated time from us.
We packed up our car but spent more time wandering the streets. We visited a Vivo barefoot store (I’ve been wearing barefoot shoes since 2008, but this was my first experience with a store devoted to the shoes!), and then stood in the middle of old town and asked ChatGPT to act as our tour guide. Fantastic use of AI. We visited more churches, peeked into the Jewish quarters and the over stacked tombstones (but didn’t pay the admission price, so only got a peak), and tackled the ridiculous hill to get up to the castle.
Once in the castle walls there’s a moment where you round a corner and there is this elaborate church right in front of you. It was a breath taking moment to step in to the splendor of such a building. Most of those moments occurred when stepping inside the churches, but this one stood out for the uniqueness of rounding a corner and it suddenly being there.
After multiple exposures at highly rated restaurants we had decided we didn’t care for the Bavarian style food – personally I found the flavor profile lacking finesse, but that sounds more snobby than I mean for it to.
As we readied to head out of town that evening we looked up an alternative style of food and found an incredible Greek restaurant. We shared three dishes of salads and fish, and then the kitchen staff surprised us with a free dessert.
We then headed off on our way towards Munich, where Kristin was set to fly out of the next morning. We scrambled to find open and affordable accommodations hours before needing them.
Friday May 19 – Germany
We pulled in to our Airbnb somewhere in the 1 am hour. It was a very tiny German town 45 minutes from the Munich airport. As we unfolded ourselves and our bags from the rental car the town clock rang out the early morning hour and I wondered if it would continue to disrupt the peace through the rest of our nights sleep. It did not.
I woke up at 8 and left my sleeping friends to wander this little town on my own. At 8:30 I popped in to a cute little cafe to order a coffee. I was told they didn’t open until 9, but that they would be happy to sell me a cup of coffee right then … only, it turns out they did not accept credit cards and I did not have a debit card or cash on me. So no coffee for me. They told me I should return at 11am because they were completely booked out from 9-11. I wish I had longer to understand how a sleepy little town’s coffee shop has sold out reservations on a Thursday from 9-11am.
I continued my exploring of this town, discovering a little grocery store (that sold weck jars at reasonable prices! My future suitcase packing self thanked me for not buying them … but that did take a lot of self discipline to leave them there.) The most useful discovery at the grocery store was their extensive bakery and coffee shop – so as soon as we packed up the Airbnb we made a quick breakfast stop back at the grocery store and then hit the road. On our way out we passed the little coffee shop and it was indeed packed full.
We dropped Kristin off – it was very quick as we stayed within the 5 minute free parking window.
I then used ChatGPT to find us a place between Munich and Salzburg for us to thrift shop and explore. It’s truly so fast, customizable, and skips all the dumb google ads – very useful travel tool!
But that is how we found ourselves strolling the streets of Roseheim, Germany. AI told us to. It was the perfect restful day, popping in and out of little shops, wandering the public gardens, and overall just a slower paced day after our many very busy days.
We found a hotel on the far side of Salzburg, and their request that we check in by 10pm kept us on track- we spent a very quick stop in Salzburg walking around a couple blocks and crossing the River. All of these big cities have major rivers running through them, it was very interesting to observe. Perhaps we did not give Salzburg the time it was due, but it was not a favorite. It was the only city that felt like it could be unsafe.
Our hotel that evening was incredible. The couple that ran it were the embodiment of warm and welcoming hosts. We were escorted to our room, it felt like a bit of a maze getting there as we went up stairs and through an outdoor veranda, and we were rewarded with the most spectacular view – the alps right outside our window!
Saturday May 20 – Austria and Slovenia
I set my alarm for 5:20 so I wouldn’t miss the sunrise Google told me would be at 5:30… but the sun was definitely risen and there were no sunrise colors to be seen. I sat on our balcony for an hour enjoying the beauty of the looming mountains and then climbed back into bed for a couple more hours of sleep before heading down for our breakfast.
What a spread! Our host sat us in her spacious dining room and then invited us to enjoy the buffet – she had everything. Most of our hotels had incredible European breakfasts, but this one out shone them all and was done with passion and style. One of our favorite discoveries in her generous spread was a pistachio spread – much like Nutella, but with pistachios and no chocolate. We discovered it was sold at the Austrian version of Aldi, Hofer, and Anna and I each bought five jars to bring home with us.
We found a thrift store ten minutes from our hotel and stopped there – it turned out to be our favorite of all the thrift stores we stopped in. It also happened to be where we found suitcases, which we desperately needed for all the treasures we were collecting enroute. I started the trip with one twenty pound backpack and ended with it plus a forty pound checked suitcase. It was mostly filled with food items.
We finished up at the thrift store and made a quick stop at the grocery store for food for later – then hit the road! Our plan for the day was to drive the Vršič Pass – with an elevation of 1,611 metres it is the highest pass in Slovenia, taking us over the Julian alps. It was AMAZING. Words truly fail to describe how stunning the scenery was. From chilling blue waters to towering mountains, it was beautiful and awe inspiring. I don’t think we drove much more than five minutes without pulling off to look at – and photograph – something that took our breath away.
Upon completing the scenic drive we had time to squeeze in a stop at one of Slovenia’s gorges – Tolmin Gorge. It is amazing to me that such places exist, the beauty of the blue rushing water with steep canyon walls bordering each side is unparalleled – except perhaps for the gorge we did a couple days later.
We left the gorge hungry, tired, and unsure of where we were going to spend the night. If there was ever a night I bordered on grumpy, it was that one. Sorry Anna.
Originally we started towards coastal Italy, but the prices for accommodations were high and we had issues booking somewhere. We ended up showing up at 10pm at what we thought was a hotel in a small town in Slovenia that booking.com told us had a room … turns out it was a winery that has been run by the same family since 1809 and they offer two guests rooms on their property and, long embarrassing story short, they let us stay in one of their lovely rooms.
Sunday May 21 – Slovenia and Italy
Our hosts served us breakfast and told us about a local wine and food festival they were participating in later that day, inviting us to enjoy it. We decided to make a quick stop to Trieste, on the coast of Italy, for lunch before heading back for the festival and then on to the Capitol, Ljubljana.
Trieste was lovely, though full of tourists from an anchored cruise ship. We enjoyed gelato and pizza, and looked – but did not buy – from street vendors in a flea market type set up. I did find a gorgeously illustrated copy of Victor Hugo’s Les Mis – but it was enormous and 20 euros and, having purchased a suitcase the day prior, I was keenly aware of my limitations size wise. I may mourn that book for the rest of my life, even if it was impractical and in Italian. I don’t speak (or read) Italian.
Happy, but sweaty from the heat, we left Italy and ventured back to the food and wine festival in the Vipava valley. I am not really a wine drinker, but it was a really fun experience to have all of these local wine makers and food makers in the same place, and to be able to hear their passion and sample their work. There was an award winning olive oil maker, pickled asparagus, brined olives, locally made cheeses and sausages, cherries … those are the items that immediately come to mind, mostly because those were the items we sampled and purchased in modest quantities.
We left the festival and headed towards Ljubljana, stopping for dinner at the slow.est restaurant we experienced. The service was lackluster but the food delicious – we joked that they had to go fishing to catch Anna’s fish after she ordered it. It was that slow. But the food was satisfying and we found our accommodations for the evening, which we made it to at a relatively decent hour.
Monday May 22 – Ljubljana, Vintgar Gorge, Lake Bled
Our accommodations for the night were on the outskirts of Ljubljana and while we could have walked to the city center we wanted to make the most of our last day – so in we drove to the city.
One thing that struck me right away about how different this city was to any other was the incredible trash and recycling system they have in place. It appeared very neat and orderly – and intimidating for a newcomer. Any time I needed to throw something out I’d examine the bins to see which one had items like what I wanted to toss and just hope that person had also gotten it right.
Ljubljana is a city I really want to return to and explore further. We spent a few hours wandering the streets but I would love a couple of days there.
We left mid afternoon and made our way to our final big adventure – Vintgar Gorge. Reviews had said if you could only do one gorge to do that one, and I think that set an unrealistic expectation as Tolmin Gorge was unique and spectacular – the two are not to be compared. If you can only do one, do the one that is closest to you and minimizes driving time. If you can do both, do both.
Vintgar gorge did not have the same breathtaking views, but it did have lengthy a boardwalk built up over the gorge – it was amazing to be so close and to walk so long alongside the gorge. The hike back was a bit of a beast – uphill with a weary body was no fun, but once the hill was conquered the rest of the walk was through meadows with sheep and horses grazing with villages and mountains dotting the horizon. It was just as worthy of a walk as the gorge itself.
We were ten minutes from the famed Lake Bled, so we made a quick stop there just to say we saw it. The lighting was perfect for a picture of the church on the island, and we managed to pick up the famed cream cake from a gas station for our drive. Yes, Lake Bled’s cream cake is probably best savored while enjoying the views – we are nothing if not opportunists.
Our schedule at this point was pretty demanding – we were five hours from where we needed to return our car in Budapest at 11am the next morning. It was already after 8pm, and we still had not managed to fit all our goodies into our bags. To save time we also purchased sandwiches from the gas station. Remember? We are opportunists. More time to sleep this way.
Tuesday May 23 – Hungary
It’s all a little hazy, but I believe we pulled in to our hotel around 1am, emptying the entire car into our hotel room and spending the next hour padding our glass olive oil and wine bottles and squeezing our suitcases shut. We slept well, ate the hotel breakfast, and were on the road by 9:45, leaving enough time for a gas fill up.
We pulled in to the car rental return and within minutes they had a driver to take us to the airport, which was minutes away.
Arriving at the airport shortly after 11 we were dismayed to find we weren’t allowed to check in for our 2:30 flight until 12:15 – so we sat in a little cafe and enjoyed a pastry and coffee.
Once we checked our bags and went through security things were pretty straight forward and uneventful – a layover in London before an 11pm arrival in Newark.
I had a 6:30am flight from Newark to home and Paul kindly set me up with a hotel room by the airport for a few precious hours of quality sleep before I arrived home to my three men.
It’s impossible to summarize what this trip was, what I experienced, what I learned, or how I grew or was challenged.
It was fun, and full of beauty, and the science of relations was alive and well. It brought me to life in ways I didn’t know had dulled. It gave me a renewed passion for making my own little place in this world one of beauty, intrigue, warmth, and welcome.
Friendship was strengthened and kindled and nurtured as weaknesses and strengths were born witness to. And truly, you’re forever bonded with those you laugh with while puking in the dark of night in a ski resort town.
There were a couple of encounters that struck out to me. One I am ready to share. There was a young man we met while hiking. He was impressed with Anna’s role as a nurse. But his response to me completely surprised me! He held the role of a mother in high regard, and shared that his own mom had traveled when he was young and that it was something he loved and respected about his mom that inspired him, and that I was giving my own kids such a gift by traveling on my own.
It vividly reminded me of Charlotte Mason’s wisdom in this excerpt:
“If mothers could learn to do for themselves what they do for their children when these are overdone, we should have happier households. Let the mother go out to play!”
Yes, a two week trip to Europe was extravagant and not the intent behind the mother going out “to play”. But what a precious conclusion to the trip – a young man from India, living in Germany, who I bumped into on an epic hike in Slovenia whose own mother once traveled without him, leaving him with only kind words to say about another mother doing the same.
Let the mother go out to play!
