Joe and I love food festivals. Whenever an opportunity arises to sample many different types of cuisine, we’re ON IT. Fortunately, we’ve encountered a number of delicious events celebrating food on this adventure. The latest culinary journey took us to southeastern Berlin where we descended upon the European Street Food Awards Finals. We were certainly […]
Author: Abbey
Ex-archaeologist, business development and networking wiz, people person, aspiring author and travel writer.
Loves horses, the sea, exploring, history, good food and wine, and Joe.
How to Conquer the Cannstatter Volksfest
If you love beer and aren’t opposed to travel, chances are you’ve considered attending Germany’s famous Oktoberfest celebrations. Many enthusiasts head straight for Munich’s official Oktoberfest, which welcomes around 6 million people each year. While there’s nothing like chugging steins of Hofbrau with millions of your new closest friends, there are other options.
Croatia Retrospective: Eat, Drink, Explore, and Be Merry!
As promised, here is the follow-up to my Zagreb Retrospective. We’ve spent the last 10 days in Dalmatia, the region of southern Croatia, and there is so much to see and do. I’ll also quickly review highlights from our time in Istria just to round it all out. If you get the chance to visit […]
Three Perfect, Full Days on the Island of Hvar
We enjoyed three, perfect days on the island of Hvar, and I wanted to share the highlights. The order of operations isn’t important here, but I highly recommend taking full advantage of this beautiful place. We didn’t get around to wine tasting, so throw that in there, too, if you can. Read on and start […]
Game of Thrones is Cool – But so is Dubrovnik
When in Croatia, there are several places on most tourists’ lists. One of them is inevitably the walled city of Dubrovnik in the southern region of Dalmatia. Game of Thrones fans will know this red-roofed city as King’s Landing. I’m here to tell you that Dubrovnik was cool long before the Lannisters made it a […]
Zagreb Retrospective: Old Europe Meets the East
I typically write a retrospective post when we’re leaving a country. But this time, I’m writing it as we leave our primary city. By the time we do actually leave Croatia, we will have spent almost half our time in the southern part of the country. And so far, we’ve found the north and south […]
From Naïve Art to Torture: Museums, Part II
Joe and I continued our museum tour of Zagreb this week. Since we only have a few more days in this vibrant city, we wanted to make the most of them. After visiting the surprisingly lovely and uncrowded church of St. Mark, a sign caught our eye that we’d seen before. The Museum of Naïve […]
Seven Days on a Catamaran in Dalmatia
If you ever have the chance to go sailing in the Adriatic, take it. We spent a week on a catamaran with one of my best childhood friends and it was pure magic. The weather was sunny and warm, the water was heart-wrenchingly gorgeous, and the scenery was straight out of a travel magazine.
Three Spots to Drink Excellent Wine in Istria
Joe and I really enjoy sampling local wines wherever we go. When you visit a winery, you learn so much about the history of the place. You get a better feel for the people, their stories, and how they live their lives. When I Googled “wine in Croatia,” I was amazed at the results. One […]
Road Tripping Through Beautiful Istria
When we travel, Joe and I try to see and experience something new everywhere we go. Even if we’ve visited a place before, we add a new town or region to our list. Our sense of adventure has become a part of us. Exploring back country roads in a little rental car is often a […]
Archaeology is Alive and Well in Zagreb
There are dozens of museums in the city of Zagreb. When you wander the city streets, you can’t help but pass several within five minutes. The brown signs pointing visitors towards cultural sights are comically stacked up at intersections in the Old Town. So how do you choose? Must one prioritize broken relationships over archaeology? […]
Exploring Zagreb: Let the City Find You
What enters your mind when you think of Croatia? For many of you, it will be Game of Thrones. For others, it will be crystal clear waters and pebble beaches. Still others will conjure images of Roman ruins and excellent wine. When I think about Croatia, my mind returns to my last visit here nine […]
Romania Retrospective: We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
Our trip to Romania was unexpected. We had our whole year planned out, but learned belatedly that we’d have to make some changes. While searching for places outside the Schengen Zone (more on that another time) but not halfway across the world, we inevitably found our way to Eastern Europe. There was Romania, beckoning to […]
A Vampire, a Saxon, and a King Walk into a Bar…
Transylvania is an area steeped in mystery and legend. It’s difficult to mention it without conjuring up images of blood-thirsty vampires and dark, gloomy castles. We planned to embrace the myths and delve into Dracula’s homeland – after all, when in Rom…ania. In addition to Bran Castle, we visited a hilltop fortress and a luxurious, […]
The Perfect Day in Lovely Brasov
Many tourists who visit Transylvania stay in the well-located and quite charming town of Brasov. It lies at the edge of a fertile valley surrounded by the steep, heavily forested Carpathian mountains. The Old Town boasts red tile roofs, elaborate city gates, a large Gothic church and dozens of cafes, bars, and restaurants. Directly behind […]
Discovering Romania’s Wine Scene
It’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised when traveling. We embrace being surrounded by the unfamiliar – it’s one of the reasons we love to explore! – and finding hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path treasures brings true pleasure. One of our favorite ways to discover new places is through wine tasting. When I mentioned Romania’s blossoming […]
Buses, Boats, and Birds: A Day in the Danube Delta
Many visitors come to Romania and make a bee-line for Transylvania, the region that houses the famous castle associated with Vlad the Impaler. You might know him as Dracula. We are going to visit the castles, but we also wanted to explore other regions of the country. After several locals recommended the Danube Delta and […]
“Just One More Adventure:” Our Trip to Tulcea
Traveling in a new country is always an adventure: you must figure out the bus schedule (and if the buses adhere to a schedule), judge the sketchiness of local taxi drivers, and engage in a great deal of patient creativity when things don’t go your way. Our trip to the Danube River Delta, in the […]
There’s Big, and Then There’s Monumental
We come from a place where everything is supposed to be bigger. And I’m not just talking about America – I’m talking about Texas. Many visitors have likely heard the phrase: “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” After all, our capitol building is slightly taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. But there’s something different about […]
Celebrating Life, Love, Joe, and Chloe
July 10th is historically a happy day for us. A year ago, we were returning from a wonderful honeymoon in Saint Lucia. The year before that, I was enjoying settling in to an exciting new routine: living with my man. And every year, it’s the day before Joe’s birthday. But this year, we faced something […]
