Day One: Plovdiv to Smolyan (Including: Bachkovo, Orehovo, Mogilitsa, Gordo Canyon, & Ustovo) From Plovdiv, we settled on a plan to take an exploratory trip south to tackle some of the sights and villages in the gorgeous Rhodope Mountains, which we can now say, is arguably the most fetching and varied of Bulgaria’s four major mountain chains. The day began by…
Returning to Bulgaria Once Again After four back-to-back Anglophone countries, we were feeling quite content to dive back into something a little more foreign. However, heading to Bulgaria this time wouldn't be quite as unfamiliar as it was upon our first visit in 2018. In fact, returning to this country we adore immensely almost felt a bit like returning home,…
From Sofia, we headed back to the bus station…this time without assistance from a “helpful” scammer straight to our platform to wait for the bus amongst a sea of fast-talking smokers. This ride, which would take us three hours south to the town of Sandanski cost $11/each, which is steeper, yet a bit quicker than the train. We have been…
Are we happy our holiday housesit took us to Brussels? Yes. After Prague, it is the best European city we had ever spent Christmas in and there was so much to explore and see. Also, while Brussels doesn’t have the obvious charm of Bruges or Antwerp, it’s still a highly walkable city with a lot going for it. Famous icons…
A simple fact about our relationship is that Greg had about a 10-year jump start in the international travel department, so Mandy is always seeking the opportunity to scoot a bit closer to her competitive conspirator. But, once she knocked one off for Belgium, she realized that was not sufficient. Thus, along came a six-hour, flu-inducing solo ride to one…
From Brussels, we hopped a 1.5 hour eastbound train to the Dutch border city of Antwerp and were elated to find that the railways were offering 50% off on all round trip tickets in Belgium so it was 17€ for both of us! Whoohoo! The name Antwerp literally means “at the wharf.” It is home to one of the most immaculate…
Brews, Bruges & A New Family Greg and beer go together like wine and cheese, peanut butter and jam or strawberries and cream. But not just any ‘ol beer. As a former home brewer with a full-scale* operation in our basement, and full-time beer aficionado from the Beervana Capital of the US (Portland), beer for him is an absolute experience…a…
The first time in this city, Mandy was sick. The second time she got her first case of bed bugs. We could only hope that the third time in Romania's capital would be a charm. And it was! But, perhaps that was just uh...Christmas? When we went to Bucharest in December 2022, we had spent Christmases in the States, Sri…
