Macedonia & Montenegro

Well after Kosovo and Albania were such a bust I had heard good things about Macedonia so I was ready to move on!  I went from Tirana to lake ohrid which was my first stop in Macedonia.  I only stayed here one night but honestly would of loved to spend a few had my schedule allowed it.  I left Tirana about 9am and got there around 2.  I checked into my place (got ripped off by a taxi cab on the way There) oh well, and walked around for a few hours and had a nice evening meal.  The hostel was really awesome, maybe one of my favorites in the Balkans.  I stayed at sunny lake hostel.  Lake ohrid I found to be super cute.  I really liked the architecture here and the small town feeling.  I think that the city would be so much better in the summer time.

The next day was super rainy and chilly.  I had a Nutella breakfast up on the roof/deck and watched a movie during the rainy morning with some guys from Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.  I didn't really want to venture out into the cold by finally I left for my bus around 1pm.  I was now headed to skopie which was about 3 hours away.  When I found my hostel, I asked about bus tickets to my next destination (budva) and then basically walked back to the bus station to buy them and had a nice dinner with some people I met at my hostel.

The next morning I walked around Skopje.  Finally a capital city in the Balkans that was good!  I was used to prishtina and Tirana and Podgorica being so horrible.  Skopje had a fortress which I climbed up too and some markets which I strolled through.  It just so randomly happened as well that there was a solar eclipse happening this day and I went out to the square with some people from the hostel to view it.  I think that last time I remember doing this was in 3rd grade with mrs. Chores.  Wow that was a long time ago!!  Skopje was cute, glad I came.  I walked around and got a few coffees etc until about 4pm and went back to the hostel to prepare myself for the long bus journey to budva that evening.

My bus to budva left at 7pm and ended up arriving around 640am the next day.  I basically went back the same way I came, through lake ohrid and close to Tirana and up along the coast of Montenegro.  This was actually my second time to visit Montenegro,  I went there in 2012 and stayed in kotor and visited budva for a day.  I have a friend who was staying there so I decided to make the journey to stay there and see my friend.  I remember Montenegro being so beautiful and I had some time during this trip so why not?  Well it was a long journey (in the opposite way of my travels) so surely had to be worth it!!  My friend and I who I had met in Beirut ate ourself through the old town of budva and walked a bit along the shore etc. We had endless amounts of Turkish coffee and teas and just enjoyed the company of each other and the city and relaxed!  So much fun and I love Montenegro !

I was bound for Podgorica to nis, Serbia, to Sofia after two days of being in budva.  Wasn't ready for this trip but it was about 26 hours long with a long stop in Podgorica and short stop in Nis in the middle of the chilly night.  I had met this girl in Podgorica bus station in the cafe who was very interesting,  since we both had over 5 hours to burn we walked into town with our big packs on and she showed me around.  This girl was traveling with no money and was singing, hitchhiking, and couch surfing her way across Europe!  Wow very inspiring!

Kosovo and Albania

So after dropping off lizard I headed to Kosovo.  I spent two nights here but really only one full day.  I explored the city which only took a few hours and headed for some lunch and literally didn't leave.  The restaurant was also owned by the same owner as the hostel so I chatted with them and got some free drinks and hung out.  There wasn't too much to see in prishtina so I wasn't too worried that I spent my Monday doing nothing!  I think the highlight for my time in Kosovo was noticing the extreme differences once I crossed the border from Serbia into Kosovo.  All of a sudden mosques were present and the buildings were either burnt out looking or brand new!  You could definently see the presence of a war that took place here not that long ago.  In prishtina I suppose the main sight was strolling along the pedestrian street and this bill Clinton statute which I could care less about.  The people in Kosovo really like Americans because they were one of the first countries to help them during the war time.

Tuesday morning I took a very early bus to Tirana.  The bus left at 5am and got there around 10am.  Small mini bus where people were standing, I felt like I was back in Sri Lanka!  Ha.  The border crossing was a nightmere into Albania and there were a few people on the bus that had to talk to the border control police.  Fun times.  Well when I finally reached Tirana I unloaded my things at the hostel and went to venture around.  I only stayed here for one night as I could already tell there wasn't much to see.  I walked to the square and then climbed this clock tower to get a great overlook of the city square.  That was probably the highlight of my trip in Tirana.  I think that Albania would be so much better in the summertime but I guess I'm here in March so you do what is good now!  I went to the ticket office later to get my bus ticket for lake ohrid which is close to the border of Albania and Macedonia.  I would leave for here the next morning at 9am.  Again walked around some more and then got dinner at a great restaurant near by my hostel which has had the best food I've tasted in the Balkans this time around!

The biggest thing I could think of being in Albania was the movie taken!!

In my opinion both Albania and Kosovo were kind of a bust but I think they would be so much better in the summertime!  I will come back hopefully during this time again

Ljubljana and Belgrade

After a 3 hour bus ride from venice to Ljubljana we finally arrived and checked into our hostel.  We stayed at a really cute place just outside of the old town.  We had a few hours of day light so we venture out right away and had a walk around.  Ljubljana is super small and cute so you can pretty much see it all quickly.  We stopped at a cafe and I had some wine and lizard got a cappuccino.  She is loving the cappuccinos here in Europe that's for sure.  We saved climbing up to the castle for the next day.  After a short hike we made it to the top.  Afterwards we did a little bit of shopping, lizard got a new pair of yoga pants since the style of athletic gear in Europe is so different and stylish she had to get some.  We got some snacks for our long train ride tomorrow and also went to the train station to get our tickets.  

Off to Belgrade!  Serbia.  We left the EU and ventured closer into the deep Balkans.  The journey was quite an experience for lizard I think - and I was happy that her vacation but a little more off the beaten track,  we were going to Serbia!  Former Yugoslavia !  We had to leave Slovenia where we got a passport stamp and then entered Croatia another stamp and then left Croatia and entered Serbia another stamp.  Lizard was excited of course I love my stamps too.  It's like earning something haha!  

We finally got to Belgrade and it was cold wet and rainy.  I knew that our guesthouse wasn't too far from the train station and I had the place into my phone so after we got in we walked about 15 minutes uphill and arrived.  We asked the hotel manager for a good recommendation for dinner since we didn't eat too much all day and she gave us a good recommendation for local food which was literally across the street. We ordered a couple of dishes and it was a lot of meat, potato, and cheese!  Yum.  The food was good and lizard also enjoyed it.  The next day we walked around a bit - went to the fortress and tried to keep warm.  It was about 3 degrees C.  And just damp.  Not fun!  We went back to our place early and relaxed and got warm. The weather forecast was looking better for the next day.  Next day we went to the biggest Orthodox Church in the world.  It was lovely one the outside but on the inside it was all under construction!  Huge disappointment I must say.  But nevertheless we walked to it and saw it.  The rest of the day we spent shopping.  Both my sister and myself got a new pair of Adidas sneakers.  My Merrill sneakers were getting holes in them so I couldn't pass up a 35$ pair of new sneaks.  

Lizard left early the next morning.  I went in the taxi with her to the airport around 430am.  I was super sad to see her go and really sad the rest of the day kind of!  I enjoyed having company and most of all her with me.  I took a bus back into town at 5am and went back to sleep until 9.  Bus to Kosovo at 12.  Continuing the Balkan adventures!!

Venice (time with sissy)

Well lizard arrived safe and sound into venice airport on Saturday evening.  Truth be told I'm sure that I was just as tired as her even though she just was en route for the last 18-20 hours.  I got her and we hurried up to the water taxi which was leaving in about 20 minutes from the airport.  Finally upon getting into the boat to take us to the main island (so to speak) we were able to catch up and go over her trip and more.  I texted her boyfriend and mom to let them know that lizard safely arrived.  I was so excited to have someone with me and not just someone but my sister!!

After a couple of stops on the taxi we got to the one that was closest to our guest house for the next two nights.  It was already really dark out and if anyone of you have been to venice you know it's like a maze.  Yes literally a maze.  I knew that the walk to our place was around 5-10 minutes but that's if you take the right route.  Well let me tell you again thank goodness for Google maps and T-Mobile!  We found our place without a hitch but finding the guest out reception person was the key!  We waited for a while and after about an hour I was able to find good enough reception to call this dude and come to find out he was in the door next to us!  Both of us tired and just wanted some bed to sleep!  

The next day we awoke very early and got out into the square at the first thing.  We got some amazing pictures because there weren't those tourists hanging out in the square feeding those damn pigeons.  Really who wants to do that?!!  After checking out the Rialto bridge and st marks square we ventured for the sea side and found a place that sold 5 euro cappuccinos.  Not bad considering the place a couple steps away was 8.50!  Geez.  Anyways we went cafe hopping so to speak and walked around some more.  I found a place that sold really cheap traditional Venetian masks so I got a couple that I will later put into pictures frames.  Two masks for 5 euros not bad.  We finally were hungry enough for lunch around 3pm and found a cozy cafe and sat outside with the sun beaming on us.  It was really warm in the sun but no sun it was a tad chilly!  

This city is pretty much about walking around and getting lost I told my sister.  Literally.  We also went into a few shops and looked around.  Nothing major to see and since we were both tired and jet lagged we honestly just chilled a lot.  We got up again early the next day and had a walk about the city before our bus was to leave at 2pm (or so we thought).  We had to take a city bus and walk for about 20 minutes to get to our bus stop for Ljubljana.  Before we did this we enjoyed some gelato.  Lizards first try!  So exciting!  We got to the bus area with plenty of time and I asked a few hotels and shops around that indeed this is where the bus company to Ljubljana picked us up.  After waiting and now quite a bit of time after the scheduled departure time, I called the bus company and turns out they didn't even have a bus that left at 2pm although my email and ticket says that!  Well trying to make a bad situation into a good one, I knew that our first nights stay in Ljubljana was a loss but now we needed to stay the night again in venice.  We ended up finding a decent hotel near the bus stop and we're now scheduled on the bus at 11am the next day.  Honestly, my sister and I were just happy to chill.  We didn't want to go back into the city and see the masses of people we just hung out at the hotel and then my sister wasn't feeling well so it was actually for the better.  

Next morning, we enjoyed a free breakfast at our hotel and ventured to the bus area and it was there nice and early!  Thank goodness!  Onto Ljubljana we go!  Country number 78!

Liechtenstein and more!

It's been forever since a blog post.  I'm so sorry it won't happen again.  I certainly can't say it's because I haven't had time because trust me I've had loads of relaxing time with my sister which has been amazing.  

I'll break down this much needed blog post into a few so not to bore anybody.  As my followers know I went to nyc to catch a flight to Milan and then onwards to Tokyo on mar 27.  I landed into Milan on mar 5 in the morning.  I had a rental car that I picked up in the airport that I would use for the next two days for my adventures.  In Europe it's pretty customary to get a manual car and if you get automatic it's usually really pricy.  Turns out they were out of manuals so I got an auto for free!  Strangest automatic car I've driven but nonetheless it was nice for 100 euros for 2.5 days!  I cannot express how good it feels to be in Europe and so pumped to get my fresh new passport with an EU stamp!  Finally.  Anyways onwards the drive through Italy and Switzerland and onto country number 77, Liechtenstein!  This country is so small it's crazy but honestly once you enter you can totally realize that it's different.  Different by the signage and other small things that I notice because I'm a traveler.  It had the Switzerland / Germany feel to it which is of course fine with me because some day I will live in Germany I just know it!  They also used the Swiss franc for their currency but I believe widely accepted euros.  Anyways I stayed in Liechtenstein for the night in this small village called Triesenberg (even sounds German - love it).  The village was really close to Vaduz which is the main city in Liechtenstein.  It was up on a hill which I may add was super snowy and icy!  We're in the alps baby!  This is where it's warm on the bottom and cold on the top!  But you can't beat the views at the top just incredible.  I drove around Vaduz a little bit and rode by the castle which is actually inhabited by one of their leaders so you can't go inside.  I ventured back to my hotel for the night and was so tired I literally just crashed.  Tired from the jet lag and not sleeping too much over the past few days.  I woke up early and had this amazing breakfast overlooking the snowy alps.  Amazing.  I didn't want breakfast to end and of course stop eating Nutella !  It's ok only to eat Nutella in Europe I've decided.  

After having enough time in this tiny country I ventured on through Austria.  The majority of my drive that day was in Austria with a nice pit stop in Innsbruck.  Wow another great mountainous view of a city.  It was lively and vibrant!  So sunny and chilly but that didn't keep the people from coming out and about.  I had lunch and a few coffees here and walked around for a bit.  Got some amazing pictures!  I was going to go to the top of the ski hill for some views but the ticket using the lift was 35 euros so I decided to skip out.  Then I wanted to visit the sworski crystal store museum which is based in Innsbruck but this was closed for remodel!  Bummer.  Ok what to do - continue walking around and soon I got back into my little Fiat and ventured south back to Italy towards Verona which would be my next stop.  I stayed in a small place outside Verona called Rovereto for the night.  I didn't get too much sleep because my sister was now almost boarding her plane in a few hours to join me in venice so needless to say I was up texting her to make sure she made her connection in Chicago alright.  Such a generous sister to give up my sleep for this!  

I suffered a bit the next day but honestly being in Verona for the day can't make anyone suffer.  I just love this city.  I first visited Verona in March 2012 so it was lovely to be back again.  The weather was super warm in the sun.  The streets were flooded with people and the square was hopping.  I didn't do any of the touristic things like climb the tower or visit the amphitheater since I did those the first time.  I just wandered and wandered about and had a nice pizza lunch and vino in the square.  Followed of course by a mandatory Italian coffee.  Love Italy!  Well it was soon time to make the rest of my journey to venice to meet my sister by 7pm which is when her flight had landed.  I knew that she had made her connection into Copenhagen since she was able to find wifi and iMessage me.  I was so excited to see her in a few hours!!

35 hours in NYC

Well I'm stateside but for a really short time.  I'm basically here to catch a flight that I booked back in May of last year as a mistake fare through Expedia.  Or maybe it was Priceline?  Anyways, being back in nyc it's like no time has passed?  It doesn't even seem like I've been traveling since end of October and out of the country since November 21st!  It just seems familiar but is now March 4th!  Anyways, it's been snowing like mad here.  Well maybe not mad, but any snow falling to me is mad!  It's March for crying out loud!  Ha.  I went to the drug store yesterday and the first thing I put in my hands was Imodium and multi vitamins!  Yay for American products.

Its been now about 52 hours since I've left bali and I'm pretty sure that I've gotten about 9 hours of shitty sleep during this timeframe.  I even had the coziest hotel room in soho Manhattan that is super nice but no, couldn't sleep past 2am.  And I didn't fall asleep until 10pm. Gosh I really need to sleep on the flight tonight to Milan because once I land in Milan I'm renting a car and driving to Vaduz, litchenstein! Country number 77!  

What should I do today in nyc?  I was going to go to the theater and watch the fifty shades movie but I reckon if I go to the theater during the day today I'll pass out.  It's 630 and I've downed my first latte of many today I feel.  I have to check out at 11am and it's so wet and icy out and the last thing I need to do is hurt my foot again!  Brunch is definently in order!  Maybe walk the brooklyn bridge?

More to come as I continue this around the world journey,  next up Milano, Italia!!