Author: Brian
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Bratislava – charming city on the Danube
We departed from Budapest-Nyugati train station, heading to Bratislava – capital of Slovakia. Having visited briefly in December 2016, we decided to spend a few days here before continuing our journey to Poland.
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Budapest – the cruise, the shoes, and the Buda side
River Cruise We took an hour-long river cruise to experience Budapest in all of its illuminated glory. Shoes on the Danube This holocaust memorial contains 60 pairs of bronze shoes representing Jews who were shot and thrown in the Danube by the fascist Arrow Cross Party in Hungary. The Danube river’s level rose significantly while…
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Budapest – Queen of the Danube
Beautiful city straddling the Danube River, unites the historic towns of Buda and Pest. Officially merged in 1873, this enchanting city offers captivating sights. We spent 3 full days and 4 nights and would have liked more time to enjoy the city’s charm. Around Budapest (the Pest side) Ruin Bars Bike Tour of Budapest Of course we did…
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Austria
Why did we stop in Villach, Austria? Well, it served as a convenient layover during our train journey from Croatia to Budapest. The charming little town provided us with a chance to unwind before continuing our adventure. Around Villach Bike ride to Ossiacher See We rented bikes and set out on a bike ride to…
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Croatia and the Adriatic Sea
Once again, we relied on our trusty Eurail passes and journeyed from Koper to Opatija, Croatia. The train we boarded for Croatia felt like a relic from the past, with seat configurations unlike the ones we encountered in Western Europe. These cars seemed straight out of the 1980s, both in design and condition. Nevertheless, we…
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Slovenia – Ljubljana and Koper
We were invited to Nancy’s friend Meta and her husband Samo’s home outside Ljubljana. After a beautiful brunch at their home, they toured us through Ljubljana. Ljubljana – Capitol of Slovenia Koper – on the Adriatic We had such a great day with Meta and Samo in Ljubljana that they invited us to their home…
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Slovenia – Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge
We were off to Slovenia but ran into a small problem. We did not book our seat reservations in time, so we were unable to board the fast train from Florence to Venice. Missing this train further complicated things as we were unable to connect to the rest of our itinerary from Venice. It was…
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Florence Celebration
60 years of Gonzaga In Florence (GIF) We arrived in Florence and met up with several of Nancy’s classmates from their Gonzaga in Florence experience in 1979-80. The celebration was centered on recognizing the 60th year of the Gonzaga In Florence program. We all shared an Airbnb in central Florance within sight of the Duomo.…
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Bolzano Gateway to the Dolomites
We met our friends Martina and Arianna where they live near Bolzano. They hosted us by providing an entire apartment for our stay! They took us to the Dolomites and also included us in their family Mother’s Day celebration. The Dolomites Laives, Italy, Mother’s Day, and departure
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Nyon and the Alps
Moving from the south of France to Switzerland was another day to use the Eurail pass. The trains are quite efficient and we arrived in Nyon, Switzerland by 315p. This was a short stopover to see my Beckman Coulter colleagues from the Nyon office. Bike ride along the lake – Nyon to Rolle Train Switzerland-Austria-Italy…