Tuscany

As mentioned, while in Orvieto we rented a car and this gave us he freedom and flexibility to roam the Italian countryside and regions of Tuscany and Umbria. Following our fun to Civita, we had many other places to go!

As you may recall, we were excited about our parallel street parking. As we walked to our car that morning Ben sang one of his original songs (he makes these up a lot). It went something like this:

Goin' to our free parking

Free rock star parking

Free, free, free

Like a bird

Or America

First, we took the scenic drive to Siena. This took us about two hours from Orvieto and was worth every minute. Tuscany was beautiful, even better than I had imagined (and like most people who had never been there I had, of course, romanticized the crap out of it). We traveled through rolling green hills, roads lined with bold red poppies, and looked at farmhouses and stone fortresses and hill towns in the distance. We took alternating opportunities to exclaim about the beauty of our surroundings.

The other great fun was the driving skill that Ben showed on our drives. More impressed than most, perhaps, because driving a manual gave me noticeable anxiety, I was in awe. He maneuvered hairpin turns without flinching, rolled through narrow (and I mean car width) lanes and pulled forward from a stop on a hill without stalling. He had a great time, and really took to driving like an Italian, passing cars and foregoing the posted speed limit at times.

Siena was our first Tuscan stop. We knew it was market day and were eager to experience this with the locals. However, market day ended up being the worst thing that happens to our arrival. We drove in circles around Siena looking for a place to park. The town itself is pedestrian only, which is wonderful, but all the spots and lots at the base of this hill town were occupied. I navigated as Ben maneuvered through the chaos. We eventually found that we kept getting back to the same roads (the soccer stadium which was our destination for easy parking seemed a grand illusion with signs pointing to nowhere). Finally, we found a parallel spot on a hill on a side road and wandered our way into town. Siena takes up three hilltops and we roughly navigated our way to the center. The town was very busy, but I could see the appeal for all those who love Siena. We eventually found the market, as it was closing up and the mysterious stadium, which we had unknowingly driven around several times, but the parking lot was the location of this weekly market. Siena was an experience, but not the one we were expecting. I think we will have to go back and perhaps stay a night or two to see if we fall in love.

From Siena we enjoyed an Italian wine tasting at a local winery and then stopped at the town of Montalcino which was small and lovely. We strolled the small, quiet stone streets, visited some local shops and enjoyed the views. Upon returning to Orvieto we found another free spot on the street, and grabbed a quick slice of pizza before heading to bed.

The next morning we took to a similar route to get to the town of Pienza. This town is tiny and makes great use of outstanding views from a stone terrace overlooking the rolling Tuscan hills. We approached the main town piazza just in time to enjoy an impromptu school choir singing "in the jungle" on the church steps, they were very good. In Pienza we couldn't resist a glass of wine, plate of pecorino (the local cheese and claim to fame) and enjoyed the view from the terrace.  We then wandered the town and had one of our best gelatos before returning to the car.

Next stop was Montepulciano, this town name is by far my favorite to say of any destination on this trip. This town also had the longest, steepest main drag of any town we visited. We walked to all the main sights in town, enjoyed a delicious basket of strawberries and enjoyed more amazing views.

From here we took the fastest way back to Orvieto to return the car on time, this included a stretch on the toll portion of the autostrada with no posted speed limit, the most immaculately maintained road surface and shoulders.  The toll road had no tire marks, road kill, trash, blown tires, or dents in the guard rails.

Overall, the experience of renting the car was great and in the future we will plan on doing this. Our last minute rental was only $110 and we covered a lot of road and only spent about $50 on diesel gas (this I especially thought would be much more given all the complaints and warnings about European gas prices). This minimal cost was well worth the freedom and experience.

A few bullets on driving in Italy:

• To Italian drivers the middle line seems inconsequential and they cross it frequently into the other lane
• Large semi type trucks look more like transformers
• Even if the road doesn't look wide enough, it probably is
• Cars go in places that don't seem like roads, like pedestrian covered squares, people on foot are the priority and they will move or step aside to let a vehicle through
• Ducati is not popular in Italy

Civita di Bagnoregio

Civita di Bagnoregio is a hill town (typically just "Civita" to locals), we visited on Tuesday, April 22. It is one of the least changed or inhabited of any place we have visited. To summarize my understanding, these hill towns date back to medieval times, but many have undergone change over time and now have more of a renaissance design and architecture. Civita, however, has remained medieval. The road used over the centuries connecting Civita to the town of Bagnoregio has gradually eroded, the town is now only accessible by a steep and lengthy foot bridge.

Ben and I didn't know if we would see the difference in the renaissance hill town vs. this medieval destination. However, the difference in this town was obvious. Different stone work and many original old medieval entry ways made this town and all its detail interesting just to look at. It was small enough that we were able to walk every lane. The views of the surrounding area were incredible. The main town square was still dirt, everywhere else we have been they are stone or brick.

There were a few buildings under renovation and I had read that the town is currently largely uninhabited but homes are being purchased and renovated by wealthy Italians who will use this secluded location as their vacation retreat.

Currently their are a a couple of wine bars (we enjoyed one), a few restaurants and a handful of shops. Which, was actually more than we expected. Additionally, there was a charge of 1.5 Euro to access the foot bridge which we had not read about and assumed to be new. So, the opportunity for tourism as more learn of Civita is apparent to the locals. I hope it maintains its untouched appeal. Arriving by car was definitely ideal. The bus would have gotten us there, but it was great to be on our own schedule.

That night, we found a free parking spot in our home hill town of Orvieto, both finding a free spot on the street and Ben's skillful parallel parking on a hill gave us reason to celebrate.

Orvieto

We arrived in Orvieto last Monday, April 21.

Orvieto originally was meant to be a one night stop. And our main reason for going was actually as a stop over to get to the town of Civita do Bagnoregio (see separate post). However, we fell in love with Orvieto, our room and hostess at the Magnolia B&B, and ended up using it as our home base for exploring Umbria and Tuscany. We stayed for a total of four nights.

Orvieto is a hill town, built high on rocky cliffs. It is in the Umbria region of Italy, which borders Tuscany on the southern side.  You can drive up to the town or take the funicular. We did both. I'm sure you can walk, too, but we did not explore that option:)

We arrived on the Monday after Easter, which is a holiday in Italy. Therefore, the town was busy. In fact, our first impressions of the town were not great just due to hectic people lined streets. However, when we checked into our B&B we quickly learned that it was in fact a holiday and the town would be quieter the next day. This was confirmed by a local shop owner where we purchased several kitchen utensils made of olive wood.

We used that first afternoon to explore the town, following a walking tour that described the local buildings and sights. We also hit a chocolate festival that was happening in the town square up near the duomo or cathedral. It sits at the highest point in the town and is elaborately decorated. Depending on your vantage point when viewing Orvieto from outside its limits, the church truly sits up higher than everything else.

Our dinner that night was one of the best, at a local restaurant called Trattoria Del Moro Aronne recommended by the owner of the place where we were staying. It was the first meal that we really tried to eat like Italians, including all of the courses in the meal. So, starting with the appetizer course, followed by primi which is normally pasta. Then, secondi which is normally some kind of protein and then dessert. We did skip the salad section which follows secondi, but felt good about what we were able to enjoy. The menu was also the first entirely in Italian (no English anywhere) so thankfully with the help of their WiFi we were able to do some on the spot translations.

The next morning, we scrambled to try to put together our plans for the day, and in the process made the decision to spend one more night in Orvieto. Getting to the town of Civita is not very easy.  Which, was one of the reasons that we wanted to go. We were promised an experience that would make it worth the hassle to arrive. We did some laundry, which was also an interesting experience as the washer went longer than expected with locked doors and so we were unable to get our clothes out. As a result we missed our first bus to Civita. To make a long story short, we tried to catch the next bus which was late, we were nervous about having enough time to explore and the Hertz rental office was nearby so we decided to get a car.

This being the day of interesting stories, the fun doesn't stop there. First, Hertz was closed for afternoon siesta so we decided to wait. Then, Ben had left his drivers license in our room back up on the hilltop, which is of course required for car rental, and in Europe just about every car is a manual. Let me tell you, I learned how to drive a stick from a friend in high school, but with no need for practice I am far from ever mastering the skill. But, I became the driver and Ben gave me a quick refresher before I started the car. Fortunately, I did better than expected, backing out into a traffic lane and maneuvering through Italian hill sides. It was both fun and frightening to drive those curvy roads in a car I could not skillfully drive. I drove for probably 30 minutes before a wrong turn brought us to a stone parking lot in a small town where I stalled the car for my first and only time. Ben drove the rest of the way. That was enough practice for me! We had the car for two days and I will detail those explorations in another post.

Our four nights in Orvieto were amazing. The town is calm and quiet, with some tourist traffic but not overwhelmingly so. And, at night, it's mostly locals out for their evening stroll. As of right now, Orvieto is the place Ben says he would choose first as a return destination because it had the great views, the right pace, good accessibility to explore and we love the local wine Orvieto Classico.

As I type this we are on a train to Florence, I was sad to leave our hilltop home with its comforts and relaxation, but it is time to move on. Orvieto and our extended time there represents so much of what I hoped from this trip, unplanned, we were able to linger when we fell in love with a place and not force ourselves on until we were ready (or the B&B no longer had an available room) :).

Rome

We arrived in Rome last Friday. Yes, I am still catching up!

To be perfectly honest, approaching Rome I had a combination of excitement and dread. Finally I would be in Italy, and Rome comes with the opportunity to see our civilization and its beginnings in a new and very real way. However, Rome also comes with a chaos that I was not eager to re-introduce to our travels.

Having done the appropriate reading and hearing personal accounts of theft, we entered Rome in a battle mode, prepared to thwart all thieves and pick pockets and earn our badge as careful and aware travelers. Our bags were fully covered, we decided rain covers also made great theft deterrents. Our efforts were rewarded and we eventually left Rome with all of our belongings.

Arriving in Rome, we did not have a room. From the airport, we booked the least expensive room we could find with decent reviews near the train station. It was late afternoon and our only goals were room, food, laundry and groceries. In that order. Our hotel was okay, it was an older building and there were multiple hotels in the same building occupying different floors. When leaving the hotel, we had to leave our key with the front desk, they explained this prevented copied keys. Our biggest challenge was actually no internet in our room, which is critical for us on this trip as we do our next day's planning from our room at night. Primarily for this reason, we changed hotels for the next two nights in Rome. Our next hotel was north of city center, but easy to get to via tram and metro. We had a nice, tiny room with a wonderful breakfast served on the 5th floor overlooking the Tiber River.

Our meal on that first day was good at Mamma Angela's, but the dessert, a panna cotta with fruit, was outstanding and as I write this still stands as the best panna cotta on this trip. We have yet to find a spaghetti alla carbonera that exceeds Ben's expectations. Latin King in DSM retains its standing as current champ.

Our first full day in Rome was rainy and so we visited the most critical sights, the Roman Forum and Colosseum on a cloudy and cold day. After failing to keep the Kindle dry as we read about the history and details of what we were seeing, Ben negotiated two umbrellas from a street vendor for a grand total of about $6.  I had a much easier time "picturing what life was like" when we were in the Colosseum than in the Roman Forum.

The street salesman kept our attention for our time in Rome, when it was rainy they were all over the city selling umbrellas, when the sun came out they all miraculously had sunglasses affixed to cardboard stands that would fold in an instant. Where was the network linking them all together and how does it work? I think there's a documentary in their somewhere (although probably not as award worthy as State of Bacon). Presumed illegal, we saw them scattering more than once from a slowly approaching police car. It really seemed that the cops didn't care, but ceremoniously cleaned them out from the major tourist areas. Even selling knock off handbags, publicized as illegal, was easily done on sidewalks and street corners. Note that these were a different team than the elaborate network of umbrella salesmen.

Dinner that night was outside along a side street near the Spanish steps. The outdoor seating was cramped and we ended up nearly sitting with a German foursome that was very nice, we exchanged a few funny moments throughout the evening in a mixture of English, German and Italian. As we ate, a down pour started and continued, the Germans and Americans forged an alliance as we moved our tables closer together trying to avoid the rain. One of the waiters clearly had a great time with the tourists and even tried to get Ben to yell out his order for limoncello...you are in Italy it's okay! But, Ben just couldn't do it:) That night the trek home in a rainstorm was cold and fun (I'm not sure if Ben agrees with the fun part). We jumped over, and admittedly at times in, puddles, ducked under doorways and eventually arrived at our hotel almost completely soaked. Our shoes both received a session under the hair dryer the next morning.

Since we started on this trip, I have been frequently cold. I packed mostly what I needed but in a mindless oversight did not pack a good base layer. So, I found myself in Rome, presumably a fashion capital, and the only piece of fashion I purchased was a North Face base layer from their clearance rack. To me this was funny as we passed Gucci, Prada and other important designers to seek out outdoor gear that I would be looking for at REI back home.

The next day in Rome was Easter, our attendance accidental. Our plans did not originally include arrival with religious pilgrims on their most important weekend. This day was also sunny, for the most part. We did a walk through the city, as I am mentally remembering as Gelato Easter 2014 for all the deliciousness on a cone consumed that day.

This was the day that I found the magic of Rome that I had heard and read existed for those who love the city. As we enjoyed a lunch at an outdoor table in Campo di Fiori, the restaurant owner's small daughter was skillfully making pasta at a table inside before she later ran out to play with her friends. A market was in full swing, the sun was shining, and a local street band was playing great music. This magic and the energy and joy I felt made me love Rome. I finally got it! Of course, after we left to navigate the crowded streets and watch for pick pockets, I was reminded why I would probably never spend too much time there.

We ended the day with a visit to Vatican City and waited in a not-too-painful line to get into St. Peter's Basilica. And, while cannot claim any living Pope sightings, we were surprised by the dead Popes we could view tombed inside. The painted ceiling was beautiful, the size of the church is unfathomable, even when you stand witnessing it for yourself. And, the experience for me was perfected by sounds of a choir singing in a remote part of this massive church during an afternoon Easter mass.

Some bullets:

• In all of our travels, we haven't seen many beggars
• We have not seen a single prison
• There are a lot of cats in Croatia and Italy
• We have seen solar panels on residences, but not many wind turbines
• Italians are making an attempt to knock Colorado from the top spot of puffy vest wearers
• Italians put corn on pizza
• Italians cannot (or do not wish to) walk in a straight line or on the right side of a pathway

From Rome we took the train to Orvieto....

Dubrovnik

Our final stop in Croatia, originally I would have said would be our longest. However, due to a last minute change actually only came to about 24 hours.

As mentioned, our arrival in Dubrovnik was via shuttle from Korcula, this included two different vans and one short boat ride. We went to the old city (a lot of those in Croatia it would seem) which is also city center. This is a walled city on sea's edge.

Notably, the wall itself seems to be the main attraction here. As I understand it, the wall construction start date for back to medieval times. The city remained protected for centuries thanks to this wall which is not only tall, but incredibly thick and has been well maintained by city residents over the centuries. We did walk the wall, which is about 1.25 miles for the full perimeter of the city. Not only were the views of the old town, new city and sea amazing, but the wall itself was impressive to experience.

Being inside the walls did often feel like another world. We did wander, up and down stone steps and walk ways, and through the busy and quiet town streets to see and experience what it may be like to live there. Based on what we saw there are a lot of residents in this part of town, evidenced by beautiful flower pots and laundry hanging to dry in the sun. We also found a school and hilltop playground.

A highlight of our time in Dubrovnik was sitting along the rocks at Cafe Buza. This bar is actually on the outside of the wall overlooking the Adriatic.

Our View

As you enter Dubrovnik's old town, one of the first things you can spend time viewing is a map that shows where bombs were dropped on the city in the early 90s during the Siege of Dubrovnik during the war with Yugoslavia. This, along with what I had read about people hiding in their cellars or parts of the fortified walls that had actually never seen battle, stuck with me throughout the time spent here. Understanding that wars are not localized to a defined battlefield, curiosity about those living in their homes while battle is waged around them consumes my thoughts when I try to understand history. When we toured Gettysburg with a private tour guide last year, we saw the homes in the middle of key battlefields that's still stand. I have never wrapped my brain around what those may be like. And walking the streets with citizens who experienced it here, in their home in my lifetime, left me grappling even more for some reason and understanding.

Our departure from Dubrovnik included another entrepreneurial cabby who came to the airport shuttle stop and rounded up four travelers willing to pay for a ride to the airport. Fortunately for us, he was more successful, and turned out to be a really nice guy. We rode with an American currently living in Munich and a British woman heading home to Vienna. This final drive all the Croatian coastline was also stunning and a great farewell to this wonderful place.

We had not originally planned to fly to Rome, but a plane ticket on another regional airline purchased the day prior actually cost us less than the ferry and train to Rome would have been. The Dubrovnik airport is very small and was easy to navigate. Boarding the flight included none of the repeated, often annoying, loudspeaker announcements or boarding rules that accompany travel in the U.S. Here, when the agents got to the gate, people just started to line up and we all got on board. As another American in line pointed out, it was a nice break from some obviously unnecessary procedure back home.

Island Living - Korcula

Aw man I am a now days (and destinations) behind in this blog. I will try to catch up.

Korcula (kor-choo-la) is easily the word that Ben has enjoyed saying the most on this trip. This is a small island in the Adriatic between Split and Dubrovnik (we spent Tuesday and Wednesday night there). We took a catamaran to get there, which was a great ride, much better than the bus with more comfortable seats and the opportunity to walk around when needed.

Ben had made our reservations at prior to leaving Split. Helena, our hostess, met us at the dock to lead us to our accommodations for the two night stay. As we walked through town she pointed put the "famous" cookie lady at Cukarin, who we later learned deserved to be famous as we made two trips to her shop and on the second bought eight (yes 8, and I'm not ashamed) of her almond cookies before we left town. We also learned where the market was and the entrance to the old city, where we would do most of our sightseeing. Accommodation Drasko were located up a narrow stone stairway weaving through a mostly residential neighborhood. At the top we found a wonderful room and a huge balcony with amazing views of the town and the sea.

Our view

That night we ate traditional Dalmation food at Konoba Arsenal and had some really delicious local Croatian wine. The next morning Ben went into town and hit the local wine shop, bakery, produce stand and market. We were set! We made our own breakfast, did a load of laundry and then headed into town where our first stop was the cookie lady.

After that, we wandered the "old city" which is the stoned old town of Korcula. I have realized that I describe our time often as "wandering" but that is the best word to describe our approach to exploration...we seldom have a true course in mind and are simply setting out to see what we can find. The old cit had streets laid out like fish bones, and not being very large, Ben said that he wanted to walk up and down every street. And, so we did. Awesomely preserved, there were a few shops here and there,but mostly residents along these narrow cobbled streets.

The old city

One story worth mentioning was the bicyclist cruising full speed down a hill toward us and we think she may have said on the left in Croatian, Ben signaled me and as I turned and backed away watched as she slammed a bit too hard on her brakes and went over the handlebars. Ben and I helped her to collect her things, and with a smile and an examination of he scraped elbow, she seemed to laugh it off and go on her way.

We had a glass of wine and pizza with seafood overlooking the sea. After which we left the old city to walk along the shoreline. We collected a few cool rocks that had been smootfed by the waves and Ben found a crab! Some of the mountains in Croatia remind me of Wyoming scenery, with their green bottoms and huge rocky tops.

Korcula was incredibly relaxing, we had more than enough time to do the things we wanted and therefore plenty of time to listen to the water against the rocks from the shoreline or enjoy the view from our balcony with a glass of wine. It was a bit chilly and windy at times, the wind really picked up at night and howled through the trees. But, we still were able to enjoy our time there.

We departed via private shuttle with a few other tourists and were dropped at our hotel doorstep in Dubrovnik. On this drive I saw my first (and in all likelihood last) wild boar crossing sign. The drive was incredibly beautiful, winding mountain roads with a constant view of the Adriatic. The Adriatic Sea is incredibly clear, we were always able to see right through the water. It also took on many beautiful shades of greens and blues.

Dubrovnik up next!

Split

Arriving in Split seemed like it would be easy. We had a hotel room, the bus was on course to drop near our destination, the sun is still up...we got this! The stars remain aligned as we navigate with no maps and no technology to the address in our confirmation email. And then the fun begins....

That address is a red metal door covered in graffiti with a raggedy mailbox next to the door, no signs or information, not even a familiar "sobe" placard telling us we are at a place that rents rooms. We are in a narrow stone street on the north side of the old town. We look for the address across the intersection...maybe the road continues and there is more than one "1"? Nope. Maybe it looks sketchy but there is a nice proprietor in the other side of the door? Nope, no answer and no way in when we try the door. Go looking for navigation help, nice bakery girl thinks we have the right address. Now, no data connection is adding to our stress, where should we be? Sun is going down. Tourist information is closed. Wandering old town, we find a hot spot, yay! Ben emails the place in charge of the rooms and finds an email from another sobe that has a room for the night. Using our WiFi we map it and then set course away from the comforts of our free connection. After a few laps in and around old town we find the Base Rooms, yay! No one there, damn! But, there's a name and number this time, and when we call Ivo comes right over. We are quickly checked in, bags dropped and off for a much needed late glass of wine.

We spent the bulk of our time in Split either in the Old Town or just on the edge. Old Town is defined by the boundaries to Diocletian's Palace, of which many walls and structures still remain. Our accommodations, Base Rooms, were about as central to old town as you can get, bordering the Jupiter Temple and steps from the cathedral and central square.  We could hear the cathedral bells, eventually giving up on trying to make sense of the 40 rings it seemed to give out. Most did seem to be on the hour but the number of chimes was irrelevant to that hour.

We tried to focus our dining on seafood and pasta, given the locale, and had delicious meals of both. Bordering Old Town we also visited the Green Market, filled with produce, pastries, souvenirs and many other things.

Split also provided an opportunity to visit a laundromat, where we happily washed everything except what we were wearing. We wandered the Varos district as we waited for clothes and again in search of dinner on our second night.

Everywhere in Split seemed to be made up of stone hidden walkways and possible routes to a hidden square, restaurant or shop. Even getting to our hotel involved passing through a very narrow walkway after wandering through the outdoor seating of two restaurants. The palace clearly laid the original footprint but medieval development followed by changes over the years into modern improvements lends to an interesting experience just getting around.

For its size, Split also has the most unbelievable amount of shoe stores you have ever seen.  I am not exaggerating when I say they were nearly everywhere. Which was good for us as Ben was not happy with his shoes and needed to buy a new pair.  He is particular when it comes to shoes so we visited most of those shops.  As for the residents of Split with well clad feet, I'm not sure what they are wearing as clothing stores were much harder to find.

We also spent a lot of time on the Riva (ree-va) which bordered the palace harbor side. The palace used to be at sea's edge so the Riva pedestrian zone was added later. It is filled with cafes, children playing, a long wide walkway and a great view of the sea and boats in and out of Split.

I feel like we really slowed down and relaxed a bit in Split, a good follow up to our time in Plitvice. On of my favorite memories here was enjoying a gelato on the Riva and just sitting for more than an hour looking out at this:

Croatia continues to be a calm, interesting and enjoyable place to visit. People have been genuine and helpful. We are now on a catamaran headed for the island of Korcula (kor-choo-la) where we will spend two nights and one day before heading to Dubrovnik.

Plitvice

Typing this, we are on a bus to Split, it was an interesting experience to catch this bus, which I will cover soon. First, Plitvice Lakes National Park...wow!

We stayed at Hotel Bellevue which was okay, considering we were in the mountains it is not meant to be a place that wants you to be in your room. Arriving at 430 pm the activity for the day was winding down and spending the night inside the park reminded me of being at camp. Quiet mountainside and not a whole lot to do but enjoy the sounds of the birds and waterfalls and the smell of the forest. There was only one restaurant open for dinner, forcing us to break our "no white tablecloths" rule. That was put in place after the incident in Budapest when we walked out of the restaurant. Ben had some kind of beef with white truffles and he was very happy.

The other most interesting part of our night was doing laundry. I pulled to tighten our clothesline, releasing a bar around which it was wrapped. The bar set course for my face, creating a red nose and fat lip, both of which went away very quickly. Today my only battle wound from the quest for clean clothes is a small red bump on the bridge of my nose.

Breakfast was included, a simple buffet similar to what we have had at restaurants a few times before. We have become amateur scavengers at these buffets, sneaking delicious hazelnut pre-packaged spreads and bread into our pockets when the staff isn't looking. This becomes our snacks when needed later, such as on a 4 hour bus ride to Split. I imagine that walking out of a restaurant with bread in his pockets makes Ben feel about how he would if the silverware was in there.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is incredible. Repeatedly during our hike Ben would utter the word "stunning." And, it truly was. Briefly, Plitvice Lakes is 16 mountain lakes very close to one another with rocky waterfalls connecting them. The water is incredibly clear, so much so that we could photograph fish or a sunken canoe through the water's surface. The water is rich in minerals , resulting in beautiful shades of blues and greens depending on how the sunlight hits. Additionally, part of what makes the falls so beautiful are the rocky, vegetation lined drops that are characteristic throughout the park.

There are 1.2 million visitors to the park each year, so it can get very busy. We arrived at the gate as the park was open, additionally this weekend marked the change to their summer hours so we hit before the busy season and while we shared our hike with a lot of people, it really wasn't bad. The park is also laid out with groomed trails and planked walkways to make it a very easy hike when needed. Ben and I made a couple of route choices that increased the difficulty of our hike, but also I think helped in avoiding some crowds. My only complaint about the park is very poor maps and signage. However, my experience has always been that trail mapping is rarely detailed enough to ever provide a precise answer to your question on which way to go. If anyone reading this ever heads to the park, shoot us a note and we would be happy to share our lessons learned.

We finished exploring with plenty of time to catch the 1:50pm bus to Split. This experience has some similarities to our flight plan, but with even greater uncertainty. Basically, you stand at the side of the road next to a tiny bus shelter with an information booth that is never occupied. Then, you wait until your bus is approaching (hoping you can identify the words on the bus as it hauls a$$ down the road), and wave it down and hope for open seats. If you don't wave, the bus will not stop. The Croatia regional buses look just like tour buses, so figuring out which is yours can be hard, you are looking for the carrier name printed on the bus side. Then, you only get on if there are seats. And, you have no way of knowing if the bus was on time. Fun, right?

Killing time, we sit around at some awesome picnic tables in the sunshine and meander down to the bus stop 10 minutes before arrival. A nice woman already standing there with schedule in hand tells us we missed the 1:50, it came early. Now we are waiting for the 2:30 which is our last chance of the day to get off this beautiful mountain. But wait there's more, we see people coming, it feels like from every direction, with luggage heading for our stop and now we are really worried, how many seats will be available? (Ben tells me repeatedly that his heart is pounding which is, of course, a natural cure for my own anxiety) A taxi with a mini van type vehicle stops and offers to get us all to Split in 90 minutes less for about $12 more per person than the bus fare. Ben and I are in...shorter route and guaranteed seat. But, the other bus riders are not on board (ha, get it) and our potential cabby in desperate need of deodorant waits and watches to see if we get on the bus, he may have a guaranteed fare if transportation kharma is on his side. Well, the bus is 12 minutes late, but we all get on...phew! Shortly after boarding we stop for a 20 minute break and we are now aware why the 90 mile route will take us 4.5 hours to complete.

So, Split, Croatia is next. We don't know where this bus drops us or where our hotel is located (but we do have one) and Ben is reading a newly downloaded Croatia travel guide right now to try and figure out what we will do when we get there. There is one certainty, lots of seafood in our future. We plan on spending two nights in Split.

And finally, today marks the start of week 2 of our trip, we are crossing over the threshold from typical one week vacation into an ongoing adventure with 5 more weeks to go. Yay us.

Zagreb

We just spent a wonderful day in Zagreb, Croatia. To say I enjoyed these few hours more than the rush tourism job we pulled on Paris would be an understatement.

Definitely possessing the energy of a big city, Zagreb still felt wonderfully other-worldly (totally a real word). It is friendly, picturesque and also earned Ben's clean city seal of approval. I did feel a bit nervous arriving in Croatia for a variety of reasons, mostly the unknown. Pulling into Zagreb I saw graffiti everywhere, but found the city did not have the roughness that this amount of graffiti may suggest. Some areas were dedicated to this art form and we saw some great talent.

The Acotel Allegra was our conveniently located hotel, a short walk to the train or the bus, we needed both. And, as it turned out an easy access point to the city center. Originally we had not planned any time in Zagreb so the few hours we got today were all bonus opportunity.

We first walked to purchase our bus tickets for later that day before grabbing our packs and heading into the city. Croatia is the only country on our trip that is not part of the free data network provided by T-Mobile. This realization was hard to swallow on the inbound train as we resolved ourselves to using maps and our own keen sense of direction. Google maps we will miss you until we meet again in Italy. However, I am also glad for the break from technology and another element of uncertainty as we use other resources to find our way around. I'm not sure how much Ben is enjoying the break:)

Getting from lower to upper town is a climb straight up. A bit like San Francisco in steep grade but with more narrow streets and cobbled stones. There you will find a medieval bridge, museums, churches and an awesome view.

On our way down, we found an open air market, a hopping pedestrian zone and a close up of the cathedral.  With more time, a chair at a cafe would have been a great way to spend the day.

The funniest part of the day came on our way to the bus station. Route mapped, we paused regularly at intersections to confirm street names and check the map to confirm we were still on course. We paused at an intersection just before turning at a diagnoal road that took us almost directly to the station and were approached by a young woman offering her help. We explained that we were just checking streets and were en route to the bus station.  She pointed us in another direction indicating it was the best way to go. Recognizing that the shortest route is in fact always a straight line, we decides to stick to our originally planned route, with one problem. The helpful girl with the bad ideas was on that route. We wanted to go that way without being seen and therefore entered spy mode as we trailed her on "our" route, even ducking behind a car at one point. We succeeded in arriving at our destination undetected.

Based on what I had read, I envisioned us on some kind of rickety regional bus where I could end up sitting next to a lady with a chicken in a cage. In reality it was a very nice bus, like a tour bus, with mostly comfortable seats and no chickens.

The scenery on this ride was spectacular. Beautiful forest covered mountains that at times reminded me of Blue Ridge Parkway of the Great Smoky Mountains in the distance. We passed through countless little villages and road side houses. It was a typical curvy mountain road and I swear Dramamine is a miracle drug. My motion sickness has been worse than ever lately, but I had no problems on this ride at all. Woohoo!

We are at Plitvice. This mountain girl is feeling relaxed and enjoying the sounds of waterfalls off our hotel room balcony and the tremendous views. Having scouted the area upon arrival, we are prepared to hit the park when it opens in the morning.

More details to come!

Border Hopping

You recall my commentary from the last blog on carbon copy tickets? Well the train we road on was even older than that high tech invention. Three cars long and every bounce and rattle heard or felt. We road through some of the tiniest towns I have ever seen and past some train stations that must have welcomed those same train cars on their maiden voyage.

I realized this morning as we were walking to get our tickets that this long trip is a choice to live in a constant uncertainty for 6 weeks. Every action, want or need is surrounded by the unknown. Do we know where we are going? How much did that cost? Will we encounter someone who speaks English? Is this the right train? What did I just order? Do I leave a tip? The list goes on forever and even in known areas like our few nights in Budapest so far, we still were mostly at the mercy of the unknown. Although, it was nice to recognize roads, intersections and buildings after a while.

Is this part of why traveling helps you to grow? Unable to rely on your confidence and regular knowledge you must become more intuitive, aware and creative. Sometimes you must be all of those things just to get some water.

Which brings me to another interesting challenge: hydration. It cannot be that physical beings in Europe are not mostly made of water as us Americans, so why is it so hard to find and so expensive? In many places you pay almost as much for water as you would a beer. And, I can't ever find a place to fill my water bottle.

These were some of my wandering thoughts while on the train. In addition to documenting them, we also listened to a couple travel audio segments I downloaded and practiced mental math and the conversion to Croatian currency.

We changed trains at the border, and although we did not show a passport to get into Hungary, we did to get out and received two stamps from two agents for the exit of Hungary and entrance to Croatia.

Our train left the connecting station about 40 minutes late and had two other long unexplained stops along the way. Its incredible how a language barrier and unknown territory instill patience, nothing you can do, not even investigate. Although at our second long stop any answer would have helped. We were already arriving late to Zagreb and the delay would put us on unknown downtown streets after 10 pm.

Update as I put this post out there...arrival into Zagreb was smooth, got some cash and got to our hotel without issue. It's a pretty nice place...kind of wishing we had more than one night in these swanky new digs:)

Good night!

Away From the City

We arrived in Pécs (pronounced pay-sh) late afternoon on Thursday via train. The station pulls into the lower and less charming part of town(yes charming is now in my vocabulary as I travel small European towns).

The town was sunny and slightly warmer than Budapest upon arrival. We found our way easily to Hotel Palatinus, where we stayed for the night. As we climbed from the train station into the older pedestrian part of town we enjoyed the change of pace from bustling Budapest. The hotel lobby is grand, the room simple and comfortable. There is an air of opulence that this hotel may have had at some point in it's history. By the time we go outside it is raining and we find a restaurant close by.

After dinner we wandered through town to check out some of the historic sights. Pécs was a Roman settlement and carries some significance from the Turkish occupation. The next morning, we woke to enjoy the breakfast buffet in town and then explore.

Remember when I mentioned a discomfort with Hungarian money? Well our experience in Pécs has been somewhat amusing in that regard. Because of a misunderstanding of the exchange rate, Ben took out a ridiculous amount of cash in Budapest that we didn't need. We have been using cash instead of the credit card while in Hungary for that reason. When we checked out of our Budapest hotel he had enough cash to cover the bill and was thrilled to finally put a dent in his stash. This left us with what we thought would be enough to get us through a day in Pécs...not so fast. We ate dinner at a restaurant that did not accept credit cards and Ben ran to an ATM while I waited. Then, we went to the train station this morning to ensure we had a ticket, no internet so no cards accepted! No ATMs in sight, we walked up the hill to find a bank and back down the hill to buy our tickets.

The tickets are another story... hand written on old carbon receipt paper, I have a fear of making it part way out of Hungary and getting kicked off the train. Used to printed receipts and email confirmations, we are both a bit uneasy with what we have in hand.

After getting our tickets we attempted to get into the mosque turned church, which is now closed.  This is also the city center and features a statue monument to one of their heroes and another monument dedicated to plague survival (these are popular in Europe).

We then wandered up to the cathedral which was opulent, with every inch of the interior painted.  We wandered the old town streets, enjoyed lunch, and did some window shopping.

Choosing a different route back to the train station, we found the hectic and busy part of Pécs, hiding blocks away from the relaxing area we had enjoyed. Here we wandered the local shopping mall and stumbled upon the local open market before stopping in the small bar where I currently finish this post.

Pécs was a great change of pace. In an hour we board a train to Zagreb, Croatia with a change in a town I cannot pronounce along the border of the two countries. We will spend one night in Zagreb before heading to Plitvice National Park on Saturday morning. We will probably be in Croatia for about 5 days.

One bullet I forgot to mention about Hungary:

• When eating they bring your silverware and napkin on a small tray or plate to your table before your meal arrives

Budapest

Budapest remained a wonderful visit throughout our three nights in the city. We arrived late afternoon on Monday, April 7. I am starting this post as we are on a train out of Budapest on April 10, on our way to Pécs, Hungary.

Our first night was low key and I already posted some of those details in my last entry.

We spent Tuesday primarily on the Buda side of the Danube up on Castle Hill (Varhegy). This area is location of the Buda Castle and the Old Town.

From Pest, looking up to Castle Hill.

I originally thought we would spend a few hours exploring this area, but we ended up spending most of the day. After wandering the castle grounds (inside now holds several different museums) we walked through the old town, which was narrow cobbled roads. We saw the Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion as well. Faust Wine Cellar was also on our list (its a top sight on TripAdvisor and a winery in a cave - definitely a winning combo) but they were closed. Many of the roads & sidewalks were being repaired, a process that included a team of workers hand laying new stones. We had an embarrassing moment after we walked into a restaurant to discover it was way out of our price range and got up from our table to leave, the waiter presented a "midrange" bottle of wine to us that was $50! We ate across the street at 21 Hungarian Kitchen where Ben enjoyed Hungarian goulash and I had a ravioli with celery and elderflower, of course paired with Hungarian wine. The food was very good, our waiter seemed annoyed by us, maybe we didn't order enough?

View of Pest from Castle Hill.

After descending from Castle Hill we remained on the Buda side. We wandered along the Danube Promenade before taking the tram, enjoying some gelato and hitting a local fruit stand. After this, we took another tram across the Margit Hud (Margaret Bridge) and back to our hotel. After dropping our things, we wandered the streets of downtown Budapest and eventually stopped for a couple Hungarian beers before going back to our hotel for the night.

The activity outside our hotel remained high until the early morning hours (like 4am) as I briefly mentioned earlier. There was one bar below us and another across the street. Equipped with my beloved eye mask and newly purchased ear plugs, I slept great. Ben did not seem to mind the noise.

We have yet to understand the exchange rate and currency in Hungary with any certainty. Ben says it is easy to have fun when you have no idea how much you are spending.

On the other hand, by Wednesday we had the public transportation pretty well figured out and I was proud of how quickly we navigated the city, hopping off trams and onto trains, transferring to get where needed. Up to this point the weather had been really quite perfect with sunshine and 70 degrees. Wednesday however was very windy, and despite the sunshine very cold as a result. As you all know, walking around in bad wind is challenging.

However, we still had a great day (I should note here that we didn't leave our hotel until about 11:30, apparently this trip has solved our inability to sleep in, or we are still adjusting. Is jet lag a thing and how long does it last?).

Our hump day started with some sightseeing on foot, the opera house was very near our hotel. Upon arrival we learned of a tour and mini concert at 4 pm and immediately decided to return. Following this we saw St. Stephen's Basilica and the Parliament which is probably the most identifiable Budapest landmark, it's insanely grand and sits along the Danube. By chance we were able to see the changing of the guard, such luck!

The parliament courtyard is also the location of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 which lasted several days and ended violently. That event is a key turning point in the communist history of this country. The area is huge and standing there it's hard to imagine how many stood there to fill that square and fight for the freedom and government they wanted.

We then wandered to Liberty Square and enjoyed the humor of the Ronald Reagan statue posted at its entry, placed strategically by Hungary years ago as a decoy to keep America happy and out of their business. The monument in this square also contains some communist style carvings,although it is not a communist monument, and is therefore gated to prevent vandalism by Hungarians who do not wish to see anything in their city resembling old communist propaganda in the form of art and sculpture.

Intending to board the water bus to experience life on the Danube, we decided against it due to the wind and no inside seating. Instead, we took the train to a river side picturesque town called Szentendre. This also provided the opportunity to see suburban and rural surroundings of the city. The train took longer than expected and we only had time for a 40 minute stroll through town before needing to return to the opera house.

The Hungarian Opera House tour was very interesting, and the mini concert, though very short, was powerful and the voice of the performer was the type that can dive into your gut and bring you to tears if you free yourself to the emotion of the performance. I'm pretty sure that freedom of emotion was experienced by only one member of this traveling duo.

After the opera house we walked Andrassy Utca (street) to Heroes' Square where we took time to read about each Hungarian honored there. Then we walked briefly through city park before taking the metro back to the center of town. Dinner was at an unforgettable restaurant on a small street near our hotel called Koleve's. Holy deliciousness on a plate! Plus, the restaurant focused on local ingredients and prepared everything fresh. Yes, there was more Hungarian wine and Ben tried a Hungarian fruit flavored vodka called Palinka.

On our way home we decided to investigate the lively bars outside our hotel and learned we had been staying across from a ruin pub! The noise made more sense than ever. These pubs are characteristic of Budapest and started with just a few but have grown in popularity. They are bars erected in the open "ruined" space between two buildings. They all have a different style and design.

Before catching the train we visited the Central Market (I also found referred to as Grand Market) to shop and eat with the locals and then walk across Liberty Bridge.

Ben's blog post on Budapest (1/200th the length of mine): The city is very clean, no one litters, drivers are courteous, the language is difficult but most young people speak English while older Hungarians do not.

More Budapest notes:

• Pretty sure they have the fastest escalators in existence
• Pedestrians have right of way when standing at a cross walk
• Public transportation is plentiful and easy to navigate
• Around the city you can see buildings not cleaned or repaired since the communist era, I heard one Hungarian talk of how this impacted his mood
• Langosz is a traditional Hungarian food that is hard to find and delicious
• Budapestians like pizza, it is everywhere
• Liberty is important, it has been won and lost many times in their history and now names many things in this city
• Regional trains have WiFi, making this post possible

Hungary for Some Buda and Pest

Wow my sleep schedule is crazy out of whack.  It is about 3 a.m. here right now and although I slept for a little while I am wide awake now. Ben on the other hand may just now be falling asleep for the first time. #nsync....not really!

So, we arrived on time in Budapest despite our best attempt at missing our flight. We flew via easyjet which is a crazy cheap regional airline in Europe. We flew them from Amsterdam to Geneva back in 2007 for like $30. This trip was a bit more ($325) due to the late booking, but that price on about 36 hours notice would never happen from Denver to Chicago so I am still impressed by the cost. The flight attendants seem to speak about every language needed, a skill and knowledge I find thoroughly impressive.

This post will be sans photos as I haven't taken any here yet. I will share some soon. We arrived at 3:10 p.m., took the train into the city and found a room before heading out for some items like shampoo and shaving cream and picking up dinner and a bottle of wine to enjoy in our room.

We are staying at the Connection Guesthouse which was an accidental find with great reviews while on our way to check out another hotel. Despite a somewhat sketchy entrance and intro via street intercom, it is very nice and comfortable. There are two bars down on the street which are full of energy until early morning, even on a Monday.

So far I love it here. The city is beautiful and I'm eager to explore tomorrow. Everyone has been so friendly and helpful and I felt almost immediately at ease in this big city as a result.

We bought a three day metro pass at the equivalent of about $27 for the both of us. We took bus 200E away from the airport, the line ended where we connected to the train to the city. All was very easy thanks to great directions from the public transport kiosk helper lady who got us off in the right direction.

Upon arriving at city center we spoke with a nice guy selling a hop on/off bus tour. When I told him we were from Iowa/Colorado his eyes lit up and he asked about South Park. At the moment I told him I had been there he seemed as excited as if I had said I'd been to the moon. I couldn't tell if I dashed his dreams when I told him the real town was not much like the show.

Strolling the narrow streets near our hotel is fun, like we already have our own little neighborhood in Budapest to call home.

Some other quick details:

• We did not have to show our passports at the airport when entering the city
• The airport is small and was easy to navigate
• So far, everyone we have encountered speaks English
• This is the first time we have ever visited a city/country that has a history of communism, more to come on this history in future posts
• Dinner of two sandwiches and dessert at the small grocery store was $2.67 paired with a $5 bottle of Hungarian wine which was selected because there was only one left, which clearly meant others liked it
• Budapest used to be two cities: Buda and Pest (pronounced pesht) which are divided by the Danube but one city today

Ben is finally sound asleep, a group of drunk guys are passing on the street below having a great time, I still am not tired. Can't wait for tomorrow!

One Day in Paris

The title of the post sounds like a Christian Slater movie from 1992, but being that it's the most factually accurate description of what I will write here, I'm going with it anyway.

We arrived at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at approximately 7 a.m. On Sunday morning. It took us a couple of hours to get out of the airport by the time we cleaned up, changed clothes, and figured out how to get on the metro train into the Paris city center. The airport itself was chaotic and at times stressful, which would be the words that I could use to describe our entire day in Paris, France.  The airport was also the first location where we experienced the kindness of a stranger as a woman, who probably saw our confusion, stopped to tell us how to get onto the train.

Ben described Paris as being like NYC, smelly and dirty but with more art and less cars.

There were many parts of Paris that were very beautiful and interesting. We saw most of the major sights as we quickly moved through the city trying to hit the major tourist attractions. On that day we were strictly tourists, I would not describe us as travelers. Which is what we hope to achieve during the next several weeks.

For me, Paris did feel like another big city. There were less moments where I truly felt like I was in another country, and more moments where I simply felt like I was part of a crowd. I watched the people passing by, trying to identify those that were true Parisians as opposed to those that may be from another country such as Americans like ourselves. However I found that most people looked the same, and that included simply looking like Americans to me. Ben pointed out that there were very few people that were overweight, which is contrary to what you would find in most large US cities.

This is not to say that I did not enjoy many of the wonderful things about Paris as well. There are many cafes that line the streets with chairs and tables outside, I have always loved the atmosphere and energy of sidewalk dining. I also was impressed by the amount of art throughout the city, as Ben mentioned, as well as the parks and green space in the heart of the city. The public transportation system was also quite extensive and the roads seemed filled with buses in every direction.

We chose to start our day with Rick Steves historic walking tour of Paris. This started us at the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. We chose not to go inside due to the massively long line and being short on time.

One of our favorite stops was the Sainte Chapelle and the 15 panels of stained glass windows. This came from a recommendation to us from our brother-in-law Brian J.  It was truly impressive and we may have missed it if he had not told us to go inside.

Walking through Paris and seeing all of the large, beautiful and historic buildings I often had the sense of "this cannot be real." Sort of like being in Vegas where there is a replica of everything and none of it is actually real.  At no point was this more true than when we walked up to the Eiffel Tower. Again, due to lines we decided not to go up however it was very memorable to see it regardless of having the opportunity to go inside.

It took three tries before I finally learned to avoid conversations with street scam artists. One young girl asked for a signature to support childhood blindness efforts, I declined offering a donation and immediately afterward we were approached by an American couple who said those girls were gypsies and to watch carefully as they were scam artists and pick pockets. We quickly checked and confirmed nothing was stolen. It was about thirty minutes before the next attempted to get my attention, but that time I was prepared.

I cannot begin to describe how tired our legs and feet were after a night of traveling followed by a day walking all of Paris with little sleep. As the day drew closer to an end we still did not have a hotel room for the night. Being so tired did not help in our search as neither of us had the energy to seek out an available room on foot. We finally were able to navigate the metro system to a part of town that we felt may have accommodations that were more in line with our budget. And, once we got there were able to find a hotel room quickly for the night.

Considering that Paris was not a part of our original itinerary, it was wonderful that we had the opportunity to experience at least some of the city during that day. We went to bed early that night, after doing an incredible amount of laundry in the bathroom sink.

Our stay in France ended with a bit of irony. Traditionally, Ben is the play-it-safe-guy when it comes to arriving at the airport and I want to push the time limit to make the flight. Usually, we follow his lead and arrive at the airport early, even in the US.  Being thoughtful, he let me sleep in and determined the amount of time from our hotel to the airport. However, this offered us only an hour to get to our gate and did not include the time to navigate the city streets to our bus. To add to the fun, the boarding pass indicates that the gate would close 30 min. before departure (not factored into our equation) and the bus didn't stop at our terminal. We did some quick research to understand where we would arrive and how the shuttle system worked and navigated the airport quickly, and including a light jog when needed, achieved what seemed impossible and made our flight. 

Some bullets on Paris:

• Yes, I saw a ton of fashionable people, but I saw an equal number of plain, frumpy or uninteresting clothing choices as well
• The city's energy is amazing and worth experiencing
• There are an abundance of police sirens that seem to be constantly going in every direction
• Yes, people do walk the street carrying a large baguette on their way home, way to nail that stereotype Paris!
• I did not find the people to be rude, nor overly friendly
• Some Parisian cabs were Mercedes, so fancy
• The airport kind of looks like the original protype for the Jetsons

One More Hug

As I type this, we are sitting in first class on our way to Charlotte (in flight wifi is easily on my current top ten list of most favorite things) waiting for our omelettes to be served. In first class you even get real glasses, mine only has water for now, but I plan to enjoy all the perks of first before we land.  The real start to our adventure leads us to these seats, so I will back up a little.

We enjoyed a week in Denver, spending a little bit of time with as many loved ones as possible. Our last CO dinner was with our friends Amy and Patrick and their daughter Annie, who has pretty much raised the bar on cute little blonde girls. Not only did she ensure we had plenty of parmesan on our pizza throughout dinner, but she also shared her princess stickers freely.  Getting on our coats after dinner she told me she was going to "miss [me] so much." And, as if I wasnt already hooked, outside, after our goodbyes Annie through her arms open wide reaching to the sky and didn't so much ask but rather declared "one more hug" and when I happily leaned down to give her one said "no, Ben!" He, of course, ran across the street with princess stickers on his cheeks and gave her one more squeeze. It was an unforgettable goodbye and a story I want to tell so often that as Annie grows up she becomes tired of my 'hug story'.

Our flight adventure began yesterday morning as we arrived at DIA at 4am. We are flying standby on USAir and hoping to get out on the first flight of the day. For those unfamiliar with buddy passes, they are an opportunity to fly standby on any flight with open seats. Our reasons for going this route not only include some savings on tickets, but more importantly a shot at first class to Europe and no pressure to try planning a trip amidst our hectic move out of state. As you saw in our previous post, our itinerary was just decided earlier this week.

You probably picked up on some foreshadowin - catching a flight has taken some time! Yesterday we tried to get on 5 different flights. And we even got on one to Phillie only to later be removed (yes the awkward walk off the plane past staring passengers with luggage in hand) because a paying passenger was able to get on board after the doors had closed. That was a roller coaster of excitement and disappointment that spanned all of 7 minutes of our day.

After failing to get a seat on the 4pm flight we decided to head home for some sleep before returning to catch the red eye at just after midnight. My mom returned to the airport to get us after having dropped us off twelve hours earlier. As we waited I dropped Ben's phone in the street and shattered a corner of the screen, having grown accustomed to his accident prone girlfriend he was not upset, despite being tired. I felt awful and wished to discard my ten thumbs and guilty conscious.

My mom returned us to the airport at midnight and even let us take two blankets that may not make it home. This was her third round trip of the day spanning from 4 am to midnight, which also came with one more hug. We are so thankful for her help! And, my stepmom who generously gave us the passes was also up waiting to see how she could help with flights.

We did not make the 1am flight, but at one point there were 30 seats still open so it was looking good! Then a team of kids from Bermuda with their chaperones began to check in, very late, to their flight. They came in waves to the gate and we sat and waited as the open seats disappeared. We would have been pretty excited to be on that plane, but I think the excitement of the chaperones to make their flight with all those kids in tow far outweighed our own need. So, it was meant to be.

And, as you already know, we made the next flight and took our seats in the first row of the plane, there was some excitement and cheering as other standby passengers (McLean, Black and Loftis) who had been waiting almost as long as us also made the flight.

Here are some answers to your questions:

• No, we did not have to put anything in the new marijuana deposit boxes at the airport before going through security
• Yes, we slept on the floor of the airport and that included wearing eye masks
• No, we are not embarrassed, eye masks are awesome and we will never go back
• We are traveling with backpacks and have kept everything with us so we had no luggage issues
• Yes, we showered before returning to the airport
• I did look at the Sky Mall catalog and, Josh, my new favorite is the singing gondolier on page 31
• Yes, breakfast on the plane was yummy (enjoy the first photo of our trip)
• The best place to nap at DIA is on the second floor of concourse B under the desks...quieter, darker and warmer than anywhere else on the concourse
• Next stop is Charlotte where we are planning to catch a flight to Paris. If we don't get on that, we also have a flight to Rome and one to London that also leave tonight

It is starting to feel like vacation!!

Eye Candy

Ben and I have found ourselves in an unlikely position - a 6 week opportunity to travel.  This opportunity comes on the heels of a move to Denver.  As a result, we also find ourselves in the never-before-experienced position of traveling with almost no plan.  And by no plan, I mean we have no hotel reservations, no list of must-see sites and, at the time I write this, no idea what flight we will be on or what city will welcome us as the gateway to this adventure.

With a concentrated focus on saving for future travel for the past year, we have a solid funding source to travel for this length of time.

Yesterday we mapped out a tentative agenda, so that's something of which to be proud.  Budapest to Croatia, then on to Italy and ending our trip in Switzerland.  It's most likely that we will fly into Paris or London and then determine how to get to Budapest to start the loosely mapped route we intend to take.

As we travel, we will post tales of our adventures and will include details on gear, packing list, hotels, etc. for those who do not know us but rather find this blog as they are planning a similar travel experience. 

At Ben's going away party (yes he is willfully unemployed) he indicated that his new title is "Eye Candy" so here's hoping I can tear my eyes away from his beauty to enjoy the sites.

We begin this adventure grateful for the opportunity, open to the mistakes we will make along the way and excited for new experiences.