I flew into Paris... Orly Airport. I’d never flown into this airport before. Very exciting. Not really. I quickly figured out how to escape by following the city train signs through the airport until I found the right train to jump aboard. Well… “quickly” might be generous. A stretch. First, I had to buy a ticket... which proved to be slightly more challenging for someone like me... with a very small, non-functioning brain at times. After several moments of staring blankly a

I had to be out of my Bratislava accommodation by 10 am on the day of my departure from Slovakia. The day I was heading to Vienna! I couldn't wait. I'd always heard all these magnificent stories about how imperial and regal Vienna was. Oh yes... and so musical and artistic. I seriously could NOT wait. My plan was simple: pack up, sling my big boulder bag on my back, and wander through the old town to find a café for a small breakfast and a coffee before I went to catch my tr

I took the train from Budapest to Bratislava, and it wasn’t a very treacherous journey at all... just under three hours or so. But before I even made it onto the train, I found myself facing one of the great unexpected challenges of European travel... the pay toilet. Ugh! Horrible... I'd gone this long on the trip without having encountered them. The buck stopped here. They're stressful enough at the best of times. Worse when you're bursting... let alone if there's something

I liked Budapest. Like... really liked Budapest. On one side of the Danube, Buda rises in steep hills, with old stone streets, castles, staircases, shadows, and majestic grandeur. On the other side, Pest buzzes with trams, ruin bars, cafés, nightlife, and that chaotic modern energy you expect from a city. Budapest is one of those cities that feels a bit rough around the edges... but full of personality and atmosphere. There are layers of history everywhere... empires, wars, r

Next up: The Budapest Food Tour. Budapest Street Art Now, anyone who knows me knows I LOVE food tours. I do them everywhere, in every new city, in every country. They’re usually one of my favourite ways to further understand a city... because food tells you so much about culture, history, class, geography... all of it. Sometimes, anyway. And yes, before anyone asks, I had mentioned multiple times beforehand that I was a vegetarian. I’d even temporarily abandoned veganism for

I took a bunch of tours while in Budapest. I’m going to list them all, one for one, because there were four of them. FOUR. I can’t even make this up. Who does four tours in two days? Me. *just this one time though... it's not usually my 'norm.' And... never again... So ya... I had two full days in Budapest, and I signed myself up for four different tours. When I casually throw the word “different” out there, what I mean is that I hoped (and prayed) that they were all differe

I’ve noticed one thing while I’ve been here… and this is definitely going to sound a little bizarre. But here goes… I’m sure most of you have heard, from time to time, that Canadians are “so kind.” Yeah… me too. Especially in the hospitality industry. And honestly, whenever people say this to me, I can’t really wrap my head around it. Normally, I respond with some flippant comment about how we’re not all so nice… and how we have plenty of rude people in Canada too. Because… w

Like most of my travels, I’ve had a few, usual, slight mishaps along the way. This trip has been no exception to the rule. Like Murphy's Law... but I prefer to think of it as the law of the inevitable blunder. Somehow, in a feat that still completely baffles me, I managed to spill my entire bottle of body spray all through my bag. It leaked onto absolutely everything inside... including the jeans I was wearing, because by the time I finally realized, the bag had been smackin

Finally got up, showered, and met up with Tom, Merel, and the kids. It wasn't as easy as one might think. The bed was way too comfy and my eyelids were way too heavy... but I fully forgive myself for my extreme laziness, as I'd had an excrutiatingly long journey the day before. I was beat. Tom and Merel were here with their fabulous kids, Aiden & Faye. Everyone had hoped to leave by noon... but as the weary traveller of the group, it was a tremendous freat to actually drag my

For some bizarre, wonderful reason, I landed in Athens with almost no jet lag. Seriously...almost none. I should have been an absolute wreck. I usually am. But considering the length of the journey and how little I slept, I held it together surprisingly well.

I’ve warned myself off this city so many times, listening to everyone's horror stories and convincing myself it wasn’t for me... but with the sun finally out, I decided to give it a fair shot. And honestly? I didn’t mind it. Naples is gritty, chaotic, intriguing in a way that suprises you. Or, at least, me. Considering I was in Maradona’s kingdom, I figured I should pay homage. So I looked up "Maradona" on Google Maps… and off I went, weaving through the city, fo

Yes, we still made it to Ravello and Amalfi... though not without a trecherous detour. The driver had to take a different route, which meant a two-hour journey up and along the winding, mountainous roads over to the coast... full of ups, downs, curves, and constant braking. Packed into the van like sardines with a bunch of strangers, I spent most of the ride silently rocking back and forth, trying to talk myself out of feeling nauseous... and praying I wouldn’t be sick all ov