Ljubljana, Slovenia - Day 6

This morning we walked around the city and were pleasantly surprised. I didn't know what to expect of the city, but it turns out to be amazing and probably one of my favorite cities in Europe. The main/old part of the city is built around the river, with beautiful buildings, churches and bridges. We went up to the castle, which over looks the whole city. Really happy we made the choice to come here!!! There are so many people out and about and it seems to be one of the most festive cities I have ever seen. We are both relaxing now, but plan on heading out a little later to try horse hamburgers and then check out the Christmas activities.

Merry Christmas...miss everyone!!!!!

picture: view of the center which is built around the river.

Vienna to Ljubljana - Day 5

Woke up early this morning to be at the train station by 10. The tickets were a lot more expensive then we originally thought and no one knew which train we were supposed to be on. Took us a while to figure out which train to be on, since no one knew, but eventually we found it. The train ride to Graz (in southern Austria) was amazing. The route went right through the snow covered mountains. In Graz we switched trains again, this time headed to Maribor in Slovenia. Finally from there we took a train to Ljubljana. The hostel was a quick walk from the train station. After settling in, we walked around the city, which was foggy and cold, but filled with people, Christmas markets and more hot wine!!

picture: Austrian mountains on the way to Slovenia

Vienna, Austria - Day 4

We left early this morning to see the palace, which was beautiful. We walked around for hours, then decided to get the world famous sacre tort (spelling), at the sacre hotel. Then we made dinner at the hostel, packed up our bags for the train tomorrow and said goodbye to the Swiss girls who left this evening. Looking forward to the beautiful scenery on the train tomorrow, but not the long ride.






Picture: View of the garden, behind the castle

Vienna, Austria - Day 3

Last night we met some people staying at our hostel and stayed up late drinking with them. One guy from Australia and two Swiss girls. This morning we woke up pretty early and hit a bunch of Christmas markets, eating all kinds of unhealthy pastries/food. We walked around for a while checking out all the sights. We met our three friends from the hostel at one of the local bars, where we proceeded to get pretty drunk again. It is always enjoyable talking with people from all over the world.



Picture: View from one of the parks

Vienna, Austria -Day 2

Saw all the sight in Bratislava this morning (which only took a few hours) and ate some good Slovakian pastries for breakfast, although I have no idea what was in them. This afternoon we took the train to Vienna, which was a quick ride. Not too much to see along the way, but there was a little snow on the ground, so it was nice to see that. So far everything has been smooth in Vienna. Found the right tram at the train station and easily located our hostel. The hostel seems really nice and clean, but I am ready for a few Austrian beers and some food. I'm sure tomorrow will be a day for sight seeing...
Picture: Welcome to Vienna! The train station.

Bratislava, Slovakia -Day 1

We arrived in Bratislava tonight after almost taking the wrong train in Italy (to Napoli). In typical Italian fashion, they decided to switch the track for the train to the airport in Roma (which has been the same since I moved to Italy). Anyway, we made it to Slovakia without any other issues. After checking into our hostel we walked around the old town, checking out the Christmas markets and drinking multiple cups of brule (hot wine). The old town is really beautiful, but we are both looking forward to seeing it during the day time. Now we are back at the hostel, where I just purchased 1.5 litres of Slovak beer for about 1.5 euro :) needless to say I am happy. Anna is off speaking Spanish with a few people that are visiting from Venezuela. Tomorrow we will spend a few hours seeing the city, then take the 1 hour train ride to Vienna. Can't wait to see Austria. Will try to write more in the next few days!!!! miss you all.

p.s. please ignore any spelling mistakes due to the brule/large beers

Picture (top): Very happy with 2, 1.5 liter beers


Picture (bottom): The blue church

Eastern Europe

On December 19th my roommate Anna and I are headed to Eastern Europe to backpack for two weeks. Its going to be a crazy trip, traveling mostly by train and bus (only flying to our first destination and home from our last). It will be strange being away from home for Christmas this year, the first time in my life. But I am really excited to see so many new places and to experience their cultures. I'm sure I will have some crazy stories to share...

On Friday we fly to Bratislava, Slovakia. We will spend only one night there, because it is a small city and we want as much time in Vienna (our next stop) as possible. On Saturday we will take the quick train ride across the boarder to Vienna, Austria. We will spend three nights in Vienna, possibly taking a day trip somewhere else. On Tuesday (23rd) we are off to Ljubljana, Slovenia, about a six hour train ride from Vienna. Although a small city, we plan to stay for 2 nights due to the long train ride and will be there for Christmas eve. Not sure how the city will be for Christmas, but it should be interesting either way. On Christmas day we will hopefully wake up early and take the two hour train ride to Zagreb, Croatia. We will spend Christmas day in Croatia. Unfortunately, we have to leave the next day to stay on schedule. On Friday (26th) we are off to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina for two nights. I am really excited to see this city and have heard really good things about it.

The next few days will be a bit tricky. We are supposed to head to Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday (28th) but the train/bus route is a little confusing. We may have to go to Belgrade, Serbia first...Luckily I have a friend who lives there, so he can show us around the city. Either way, I would say we are looking at about a 10-12 hour bus ride. Our goal is to reach Sofia on the 28th, but it may be the 29th. From there we are off to our final destination; Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday the 30th (9 hour bus ride). I hear the boarder crossing can be a bitch going into Turkey and some of the other countries for that matter. But its all part of the experience I guess. We are going to spend 3 nights in Istanbul, including New Years. I don't think they are a big drinking culture, so it will probably be a mellow night...we shall see. Also, my roommate Brian and his brother will be there, so we will have some more company for the last part of our trip. On January 2nd we head back to Roma.

When all is said and done, we will be going to/through eight countries. Needless to say it will be a very interesting trip and probably very stressful at times. But that's part of the fun of traveling. I will try to update the blog every one or two days, but I might not get to it as much as I would like.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Years!!!!