Paradise in Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

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Night train selfie

We were on an overnight train from Brasov, Romania to Zagrab, Croatia. As we rode away from the Transylvania mountains into rolling fields of farms, the sky lit up in a fire of color and the moon danced above the horizon. The beautiful evening ride turned into another hot night of trying to sleep. We were again assigned the top beds in the six person couchette sleeping room and although the the AC worked, the air blowing from behind the window curtain never circulated up to us. We arrived in Zagreb tired and ripe. Next, we needed to grab a bus to continue to our final destination which was still about two hours away. We decided to track down a post office to again try to lighten our packs full of souvenirs. Although there was some confusion about boxes, the cost to send things home was much more reasonable than what we found in Romania.

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Arriving in Plitvicka Jezera – guesthouse is almost 3 km that way

The bus ride to Plitvicka Jezera was unremarkable but really made me miss traveling on trains. We read online that the regional busses stop at the two main entrances to Plitvice Lakes National Park so we ere surprised when the stops were a small hut on the side of a busy two lane road (which would be considered a highway by many countries in the world), surrounded by woods. We exited at the second entrance and started walking the three kilometers down the highway to our guesthouse. The walk was making me nervous because there wasn’t a shoulder and it’s hard to watch traffic when my pack cuts down visibility. We decided it would be best to hitchhike if possible. A few minutes later, Continue reading

Touring a UFO in Veliko Tărnovo, Bulgaria

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Us with the auditorium ceiling – “Workers of the world unite”

Threatening rain created an eerie spectal of our journey from Sofia into the heart of Bulgaria. As we wound through narrow valleys, mist clung to the mountains creeping lower as we ventured deeper into the wilderness. The rain intensified as we pulled into the Veliko Tărnovo station. The tiny station in the middle of the woods was totally dark, without even a streetlight to guide us. Through the pouring rain we found a bus stop, but all the bus information had been ripped off or was impossible to read by the light of our flashlights. When a couple locals joined us in the bus stop, we tried to ask for help but the language barrier was too great.

After a few busses headed the wrong direction passed, a small bus going our way arrived. We asked the driver if the bus was going to the stop near our hostel to which we were met with a blank stare. Continue reading

Paying Our Respects in Auschwitz, Poland

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Oswiecim town square

Arriving in Oswiecim from Warsaw felt like stepping back to a simpler time. We walked from the train station to the center of town where we were greeted with kids playing in a large fountain, couples drinking beer on patios overlooking the square and families enjoying the nice evening with ice cream. Our surprisingly nice guesthouse, Pierrot, was perched right next to the town square, so naturally we joined in the festivities. We enjoyed the square as we ate dinner at Max Cafe known for its delicious pizza. Still unable to understand polish, we ended up ordering a pizza with corn as a topping.

Our real reason for being in Oswiecim was not to enjoy the town square, beautiful weather or summer nights but something much more somber; visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nazi concentration camps where more then 3 million Jews were killed by the Germans. Continue reading

Cruising Northern Norwegian Fjords with Hurtigruten – Day 6

Day 6: Oksfjord to Berlevag

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MS Nordlys docked in Honningsvag

We had an early stop in Hammerfest. This city is near the north cape of Norway which is the most northerly part of Europe! The landscape was dramatically different than Bergen. There were almost no trees and it almost felt like we are on a different planet! In Hammerfest, the four of us visited a museum then Dad and I ran up a hill while Sara and Mom shopped. We had a nice little hike with beautiful views of the surrounding islands from the summit. The rest of the day we relaxed and watched the incredibly desolate landscape creep out of the low clouds before fading away behind us.

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After beautiful weather all day, we entered a wall of overcast engulfing a mountain range

Day 7: Berlevag to Kirkenes

We arrived early in Kirkenes and disembarked to waiting busses. The four of us went directly to the airport and headed to Oslo where we departed ways. Sara and I continued our newlywed journey to Warsaw, Poland.