The deep blue water of Lake Ohrid is spectacular, and made for some fantastic kayaking! We spent about 5 days here and enjoyed the ruins of a medieval fortress, a cathedral, and a Roman amphitheatre. The little Church of St. John of Kaneo overlooks the lake and makes for some very picturesque shots. Check out the photos below.

We met up with some fellow travellers, Yaya and Baptiste, and rented a car together. Thanks again to Baptiste for driving! We took a day trip and wandered around Western Macedonia and Eastern Albania. The mountains and lakes in this area are very beautiful. Along the way we sampled some beer from the brewery in Korce – highly recommended!

From Ohrid we’ll catch a bus to the Albanian capital of Tirana. Onward and forward!

Cheers, Shawn

We arrived in the Macedonian capital of Skopje around ten in the evening and proceeded to walk to our hostel. On the way we came across the huge plethora of newly renovated government buildings and huge statues in the city centre.

While travelling in Europe, I’m used to seeing statues of dudes on a horse. However, the statue of Alexander the Great in the city square is something else. It is a whopping 22 meters high, and is surrounded by an elaborate water fountain. This is part of a project by the Macedonian government to boost the country’s claim to the Macedonian epoch, even though much of historical Macedonia now belongs to Greece. Even though locals in Skopje are unhappy with the country’s resources being spent on such lavish things, it is quite the sight to behold!

If you’re travelling to Skopje, you MUST take a day trip out to Matka Canyon. This canyon and river are surrounded by sheer rock cliffs that provide stunning views. We hiked along the side of the river, and also rented kayaks to gain a view from the river. Check out the photos below!

As we’ve been spending time in the cities, we’re now heading to a smaller town called Ohrid in southwestern Macedonia, which is on the shore of Lake Ohrid. Good times await!

Cheers, Shawn

We made it to Sofia, the Bulgarian capital! We’re staying at an awesome hostel with travellers from all of the world, free breakfast/dinner, and a great location! Check out Hostel Mostel if you’re in Sofia!

In our first day we did a walking tour to gain an insight into Bulgaria’s history, and see some of the highlights. In the afternoon we also went on a communist tour, which outlined the pervasive effect of communism on the country. Even though the country still struggles with corruption and government waste, there is much optimism as Bulgaria progresses as a democratic state.

On day 2 we made a day trip to Rila Monastery, which is a stunning Orthodox religious sight near the top of Rila Mountain. The monastery is covered in frescoes in the iconic style. The elaborate works of art is really a site to behold! While we were there we climbed through a narrow cave where one of the founding monks lived for several years. Talk about dedication!

From Sofia we head into Macedonia, to Skopje. Until then!

Cheers, Shawn

From the city we headed down to a little beach town in southern Romania – Vama Veche. This was a great place to relax, lie on the beach, and drink beer. I consider it a vacation from my vacation!

From Vama Veche we headed south into Bulgaria to Varna, which was another Black Sea beach town. While a little too cold for enjoying the beach, we wandered around this town, checked out some curious communist monuments, and enjoyed some fantastic Bulgarian food.

We ordered a salad for dinner, which was accompanied with three kinds of delicious cheese! And the Bulgarian custom is to have a drink called rakiya with your salad. This is a fruit brand type of drink that packs quite a punch. I’ll try bringing this custom back to Canada!

Overall we had a very relaxing time on the Black Sea, and decided it was time to head westward to Sofia, the Bulgarian capital. A seven hour train ride awaits!

Cheers, Shawn

We hopped in the car with Bogdan and headed towards Romania’s capital. Instead of taking the direct route, we took the Transfagarasan Highway, which winds through the Carpathian Mountains. The highway and scenery are stunning – it’s almost hard to believe that a highway like this could have been built. If you ever make it to Romania, this is a definite must see!

Near the top of the pass, you can stop in at Balea Lake. The lake water is pristine, and the views are breathtaking. If you feel adventurous, you can hike above the lake to a pass that overlooks the entire mountain range. Once over the pass we stopped by the Poienari Fortress, which was ruled by Vlad the Impaler, the prince who inspired the Dracula legend.

We made our entry into Bucharest, where we stay for four days. While in Bucharest we’re able to meet up with Irina, whom Mike and I worked with back in Canada. The old gang is back together for 4 days! We had good visits and got caught up on each others lives. Good times!

While in the city we checked out a football (soccer) game, the FC Steaua Buchuresti. The game was quite exciting, especially as we were able to slip into front row seats. We also checked out the Romanian parliament building, which is absolutely massive! Quite a site to behold.

It is in Bucharest that Mike takes his leave back to Nova Scotia, with a stopover in Frankfurt. It has been a blast travelling with you Mike. All the best with your future endeavours!

Now Jon an I head to the Black Sea coast to the beach town of Vama Veche!

Cheers,

Shawn

Off we go into the Romanian mountains. We met up with our guide, Bogdan, in Brasov and drove to the Bucegi Mountains. Bogdan is quite the character, who told us his nickname is the Colonel, as he is a retired Colonel in the Romanian military. Bogdan provided us with a detailed history of Romania stretching back to the BC era with the Dacian people. Romania has a fascinating history, and dealt with many aggressive neighbors throughout their history (aka – Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, Austro-Hungarians, etc).

In addition to history, we discussed with Bogdan about global politics, religion, military tactics, sports, the meaning of life, and human happiness. I think I have quite met my match in Bogdan regarding philosophical inquiry. Good discussions!

Back to the mountains! Our first day was relatively easy, with about 4-5 hours of hiking. We hiked up to a nice waterfall, and had some great views of the countryside. Once we made it back to the car, we drove out to a little farming village to our guesthouse. We had a very sumptuous dinner and some of Bogdan’s “elixir,” which is a liquor type drink consisting of wild blueberries and a very strong homemade alcohol. Needless to say, we had a good sleep!

Day 2 – As Bogdan was satisfied with our performance on day 1, we pressed on to the northern ridge of Piatra Craiului. This is a beautiful ridge of sheer rock, which is surrounded 360 degrees with mountain ranges. The climb was quite tough, and as we followed the ridge, we often had to climb on all fours to stay on the trail. The views were amazing, and really put our legs to the test. I was very grateful for my hiking poles (yes, I carried my poles with me throughout the entire trip). On the way back we had stopped in to a lodge house for some lemon beer, which was perfect! The total hiking time in this day was 12 hours!

Day 3 – We begin our ascent of the southern ridge of Piatra Craiului, which is even more trying than the northern ridge that we did in day 2. The views are even more breathtaking, especially when we climbed across the “saddle”of the ridge, named appropriately as this section resembles a horse saddle. At one point I was climbing around an overhang, where there was sheer rock above me, and a very steep cliff below me. Using all fours I made it around the overhang and found a very nice plaque commemorating someone who died there over the cliff edge. Yikes! Luckily we all made it back.

On the way back we stopped in to a local shepherd’s house, and he cooked us up some polenta. The polenta is made of a corn meal type food that he cooked in a large pot over a fire. He then scooped out the polenta and took a fist size of goat cheese (literally) and surrounded the cheese with the polenta. He then roasted this on the fire. This huge meal was in good order after 11 hours of hiking!

Day 4 – We took it easy on day four and went ziplining! The walk to the zipline was about an hour, and we ziplined down enjoying splendid views of the forest, rivers, and scenery – all the while dodging hikers on their way up! We then drove back to Brasov for a couple of nights to let our muscles recover!

We had a great time in the mountains, and certainly got in better shape! We’re not quite finished with our guide, Bogdan, as he will be driving us to Romania’s capital, Bucharest, through the Transfagarasan Highway (the intense and winding road as seen on Top Gear). Onward and forward!

Cheers, Shawn

Our first stop in Romania was Sibiu, a beautiful little town in Transylvania. Sibiu has a gorgeous feel to it, with its medieval looking streets, steep roofs, and little windows in the roofs that look like eyes watching you!

We got to Sibiu during a Rally Car Race. It was a surreal contrast seeing rally cars in a medieval city! There was even a giant screen projecting the movie – The Theory of Everything. This is a movie about the life of Stephen Hawking. I never thought I’d watch a movie about Stephen Hawking in a little Transylvanian town while being surrounded by rally cars! I like it!

We hired a local guide to show us around the town, and we learned quite a bit about the local history. Sibiu has quite a collection of churches with very distinct art, paintings, and icons. Our guide even showed us the burial-place of Vlad the Impaler’s son (the historical figure loosely tied to the Dracula legend).

From Sibiu we headed out to Brasov, a bit larger of a city in Transylvania. This town is surrounded by gorgeous mountains and has many of the similar features that we found in Sibiu. While somewhat touristy, this city is a definite must see!

From Brasov we set up a four-day trek into the Romanian mountains. Check back in a couple of days for our trekking post! Until then!

Cheers, Shawn

Onward and forward to Sibiu, Romania. We took our first night train of the trip, which was rather interesting. We took the train from Budapest, Hungary, to Sibiu. As you would have heard, Budapest has had a large influx of Syrian refugees. The train station in Budapest looked like a makeshift camp full of refugees.

Because the migrants were heading west, and we were going east, we were able to get a train ticket without too much trouble. When we left, we found what looked like the right train, but the train number inside was different from our ticket. To be sure it was the right train, I found a train worker in uniform, but who looked off shift. I showed him my ticket, and communicated via charades if this was the right train. The fellow looked at my ticket, looked at me, and said, “Sorry, I don’t know where I am.” So the journey began!

The train was about 11 hours long. Mike and I got second class tickets (without sleepers), and Jon got first class with a bed. I’m guessing that I got 3 hours of sleep in all! There’s a long story as to why we bought the tickets at different times, which would likely be a post unto itself – so I won’t go into details as to why. In any case, Jon had to hang out in 2nd class as Mike and I were forbidden from entering the nicer car.

On the train we met some Scout leaders from Germany who were planning a trek in the Romanian mountains. They were very well prepared and had all kinds of equipment imaginable. However, their leader didn’t check the expiry date on his citizenship card. We arrived at the Romanian border around midnight, so our new friend was escorted off the train to be sent back to Hungary. For my fellow travellers, this is a good reminder to always check your passport or ID card before you leave!

Our train ticket had the estimated arrival time, so we knew roughly when we’d arrive. However, it was dark and we were unable to see any of the train station signs. Considering my luck with asking the crew for assistance, we decided to hop off the train and hope for the best!

All worked out well, as the station was indeed Sibiu! Our Romanian adventure was about to begin!

Cheers,

Shawn

P.S. I didn’t plan to write a post solely on the train ride – so I don’t have any good pictures to add in this post. I’ll be adding some posts about our time in Romania in the next few days, and I promise there will be photos. Until then!

The journey heads into Vienna, Austria. This city is full of architectural beauties, with the full decadence of a former imperial capital! Like Prague, it was fun to just wander around the city and look at the buildings!

We also checked out some very interesting museums, including:

• The Music House – full of interactive exhibits showing how sound works, the development of classical music masters, and how some sounds don’t exist in the material universe!
• Albertina – a fascinating modern art museum, that definitely make your head turn
• Kunsthistorisches – houses a massive collection of Roman/Greek/Egyptian/etc pieces, as well as artwork from world renown masters like Michelangelo and Rafael

We then took a bus into Hungary, and will spend 3 days here. Today we wandered around and checked out the Buda Castle right before a torrential downpour started! Luckily my umbrella performed as needed and saved a drenching! We’ll be here for a few more days, then eastward into Romania. Until then!

Cheers, Shawn

The brief time we spent in Northern Ireland and Ireland was not enough! If, no when I travel back I’ll rent a car and buy a tent these would be key. The long and narrow windy roads that lead one through the lush and picturesque lands need time to be appreciated. We stayed at the Vagabonds hostel in Belfast, Northern Ireland which offered a chill vibe, an authentic backpackers hostel with staff like extended family. Making friends had never been so easy, especially with some hardcore games of cards changing polite interactions into humorous ribbing and razing.

The Cliffs of Moher are a must for anyone travelling in these parts. With the longest cliff drop a heart racing 700m, they made my internal alarm system go off approaching the edge. Sitting on the edge gocking down with my heart in my throat, I didnt appreciate the shear drop until walking back and seeing the tiny people dwarfed by the gargantuan cliffs. We did a tour via bus stopping at different spots from fairy trees with supernatural influences to amazing rock formations.

Our brief and final stop in Ireland was Dublin. We were well informed about the history of old Dub’ by a funny and energetic walking tour guide. We learned about a plaque commemorating a fake priest bolted on a bridge and a disturbing satirical story named A Modest Proposal, which involves eating humans. Of course the Guiness Museum was paid some attention, a modern interactive exhibit explaining the history and future of the company. And a pint of Guiness. We were treated with some beauty hospitality and conversation hanging out at a local pub. What started with one pint ended several hours later glowing and full from our new friends generous supply of deep fried godliness. Ready to shake a leg we had trouble with the door and were quickly inform by the drunken bar jester the proper way out, he left us with a hilarious set of curse words describing our inability to exit. We laughed all the way home.