Stivers Tribe

NAPLES, ITALY – Nov 20-24
Although Naples was really just a hub for us to see Pompeii, we enjoyed our couple days there. We arrived in the early evening and were greeted by our host Marco of Rainbow BnB. It’s a funky little hotel that feels more like a youth hostel. There are I believe 5 rooms on one floor of an old building. We had our own bathroom and mini-kitchen (two burners and a sink). There was also a communal full-kitchen where we would eat our complimentary breakfast (cereals, yogurt, pastries, coffee, etc).

Our place was on a very busy and trendy street. Naples, at least the section we stayed in, was kind of ghetto. Trash in the streets, graffiti everywhere – not the ideal environment you imagine when planning a trip with your kids. But we always try to look on the bright side. And after getting past that first impression, you start to see the real personality of the city. After checking in, we took a walk on the main street in search of a supermarket. Friendly locals were quick to give us directions. There were kids playing soccer in the small square off the main street and others running around laughing. It was Friday night and the energy was in full force. We found our market and headed back to a nearby restaurant that Marco had recommended. We ordered pizza only because it’s typically the cheapest thing on the menu. Our gauge for a place is what they charge for a Margherita Pizza – usually around 5 euro. If it’s 9 or 10 we often move along. As always, the pizza was so delicious and we wondered if Italians even ate pizza when they visit the US because it just doesn’t come close to what they make.

The next day we took a 40 min train to Pompeii. Tickets were about 25 euro for the family. Then we found a local guide at the entrance named Claudio. He charges 80 euro for a 2.5 hr tour in the off-season (120 in summer). He suggested we wait for other people to join so we could divide the cost. A British couple soon came along and we decided to head in. After about 10 mins two Dutch girls asked if they could join which made our price even cheaper.

The brief story of Pompeii is that it was a small port city that was covered in ash by the nearby volcano Mt Vesuvius in the year 79 AD. What’s important to understand that there was no lava as many people think. The volcano literally exploded and all the ash covered the city, suffocating the people. No one really knew much about this until in the 1700s when the city was discovered during diggings. Since that time, archaeologists have been slowly uncovering the city. Most of it was in very good condition although some was damaged in an earthquake that occurred prior to the eruption. And other parts were damaged during WWII. They have estimated that 30% of Pompeii is still covered up. When people think of Pompeii, they usually think about the human molds that were discovered. Basically, people and pets were covered in ash, suffocated and died. The ash compacted and over time, the bodies deteriorated leaving a hollow ‘mold’ of their shape. Scientists figured out how to inject these molds with plaster and when opened they had human forms of people laying down, crouching, etc. Many of these forms are now in various museums and only a few remain at Pompeii.

        

What was so special about our tour with Claudio was that he explained the history of Pompeii prior to the eruption. We got to walk the streets, see the various markets and bakeries, their government buildings and learn about their way of life. We went into several homes, all of which have an opening above the front room which was for collecting rain water as well as allowing light in. Also, on the floors of many homes as well as in the streets are tiny diamond shaped pieces of marble called Cat’s Eyes that would reflect the moonlight so they could see the streets/floors better. Another interesting thing about the streets was that they are recessed and have 3 large stones going across every so often. This was because they didn’t have a proper sewage system so the waste would flow down the streets and people could cross using these large stones. Nice. Pompeii is definitely worth visiting and if you do, we highly recommend getting a guide. There are official, city authorized guides at the entrance. Claudio really helped tell the complete story of this ancient civilization. We would have missed some much of this had we done it by ourselves.

Back in Naples, Marco recommended another local joint, Cucina di Mamma – Mamma’s Kitchen, ‘nuff said. We decided to get pasta as well as pizza and these dough balls they’re famous for. Unfortunately, we had some communication issues and ordered two dishes that had cream based sauces so they were super heavy. But on the bright side, the wine glasses were twice the size of normal and the meal was ridiculously cheap.

On our way home from dinner we stopped at a local Triperia – as in Tripe as in cow stomach. As we were looking at the tripe in the front case, a guy came out and started cutting pieces of pig’s feet and offering them to us to try. I had grown up eating my grandma’s pickled pig’s feet on the farm so I encouraged the family to give it a try. They reluctantly did and were quite surprised at how good they were.

At the Naples train station they had a giant snail sculpture out front. We thought this was funny because they promote high-speed trains yet have an icon for slow at the entrance. Our train ride to Cinque Terre was completely full – a first for our trip. So we had to hang out in-between the train cars until people started getting off. Always an adventure.

ROME, ITALY – Nov 15-20
Rome is huge on so many levels – physically, historically, mentally. It’s hard to wrap your brain around some of it. Architecture that is thousands of years old standing in front of you – or beneath your feet! We stayed in Trastevere which is a pretty busy, trendy neighborhood. It was about a 10 min walk to the tram stop or sometimes we hopped on a bus. Then another 15 mins on the tram to the city centre.

Our apartment in Rome was ultra-tiny. Basically a kitchen with a queen bed in it and then a bathroom – similar to a college dorm. Jett slept with Myla and I while the girls slept on foldout single beds in the entry way adjacent to the bathroom. By far our smallest place with the exception of private rooms. But we made it work and cooked several meals throughout our week in Rome.

We spent the first day inside, catching up on homework, blogging, researching the city. That evening we visited the spectacular Trevi Fountain. Crazy how crowded it was on a Tuesday night in November. But there is a steady rotation of people taking selfies then moving on. Highly recommend coming in the evening as the lighting adds another dimension to the experience. From there grabbed gelato and strolled the back streets.

Next day we hit the Forum and Colosseum. We decided to skip going into the Forum to save on the entry fee. You can actually see many of the ruins from the perimeter. For the Colosseum, we listened to the audio guide from Rick Steves. In preparation for the visit we even watched some of the fight scenes from the movie Gladiator the night before. We also viewed a fascinating documentary in which historians and engineers constructed a human powered elevator which they believe the Romans used to raise animals into the Colosseum from the various chambers below. As we toured the Colosseum the elevator from the film was still there. It’s an overwhelming experience to stand in that structure and not only consider the crazy things that happened there but just the construction alone. It’s mind-blowing.

On another note. Paris was attacked by terrorists while we were in Siena. It was heartbreaking for us to read about and our condolences go out to those who lost loved ones. Many of our friends and family expressed concerns about us traveling at this time as there were threats to continue attacks in Europe. Getting to Rome, the first thing we noticed was the ultra-high level of security. Law enforcement and armed military personnel were literally everywhere we went. It was actually quite comforting and didn’t take away from enjoying this amazing city.

  

One interesting thing we noticed in Rome were all the birds. Like millions and millions, it was crazy. In the sky they looked like clouds of smoke, turning and weaving – always staying together in formation. In the trees you could hear their chirping from great distances. And the smell of the poop and pee was overwhelming! On our first night we actually walked under the trees with all the chirping and could actually feel the mist of the pee falling on us. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Nasty! So we avoided the trees for the rest of the week.

Later in the week, we went to the Abbey Theater Irish Pub for “Taco Tuesday”. It was recommended to us by our student friends, Bridget and Ellie, that we had met in Siena. Apparently Taco Tuesday is only for students but the waitress decided to give us the deal since that’s why we had come there. It was fun, the tacos were pretty good and it was a nice taste of home – tacos are tough to find in Europe. As we were leaving Ellie and Bridget arrived so we got to catch up with them for a bit. They told us that they had decided to go to Paris the following week. While in Siena, we had all learned of the terrorist attacks in Paris and they were supposed to visit there shortly after but were now on the fence. We were proud and excited for them to make that decision, they will love it.

We also spent another evening just wandering. Piazza Navona is long and oval shape and is one of the more beautiful squares here with great street music, art and fountains. From there we of course grabbed gelato then toured the Pantheon which has one of the most incredible domes ever built. It has a hole in the center to allow light to come in during the day, sunlight shines down through the hole forming a column of light and is said to be the most beautiful Roman ‘column’ there is. Also, the floor is sloped with holes to drain water during rains which don’t disrupt Mass. Our audio guide was great for this as well. Out in the piazza afterwards, we saw some hippie street musicians perform a jaw dropping acoustic cover of Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’ followed by ‘Wish you were here’ by Pink Floyd and lastly ‘The Chicken Dance’ song. Unfortunately, the Spanish Steps are currently being refurbished so we had to miss them on this trip.

  

Our last night we made it to the Vatican and St Peters Cathedral. The plan was to visit the Vatican Museum and see the Sistine Chapel but we got there too late. So we spent time touring St Peters – arguably the most stunning and magical church ever built. It’s dome was built by Michelangelo and it also features the sculpture of Mary holding the body of Jesus after his death. We’ve seen our fair share of beautiful churches throughout Europe but I have to agree, nothing compares to this.

Our final morning was a bit chaotic. Since we screwed up and didn’t see the Sistine Chapel the day before, we had to get to the museum early to get a quick visit in before our train departure. I mean, leaving Rome without seeing what many consider to be the greatest work of art by a single human being really wasn’t an option. When we were in Siena, there was a print on the wall of the scene in which God reaches out to Adam giving him life – it is in the center of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Jett named it, “The Touch” and was excited to see it in person. Due to our time constraint, we had to blow through most of the museum. We did see an amazing Egyptian exhibit featuring unwrapped mummies and several artifacts. And of course, Sistine Chapel didn’t disappoint. It does do a number on your neck, however, constantly craning. We had an audio guide for this as well which is super valuable. And no pictures allowed.

And that was Rome. Not built in a day but visited in a week. Next stop, Napoli and Pompeii.

SIENA, ITALY – Nov 12-15
The highlight of Siena was that we celebrated Taryn’s 11th Birthday. This was partly by design as we had discussed this as a family for a good month leading up to Italy. 🙂 And Siena is hands down one of the most beautiful cities we’ve experienced. It’s kind of a mini-Florence without a river and all the famous art. But Siena doesn’t need all that to survive. The Piazza Il Campo is easily our favorite Piazza in all of Italy. It’s shaped like a giant shell and is built with a slope. We referred to it as ‘The Beach’ because locals and tourists come and layout in the sunshine. “Who wants to go to the beach today?” At the base of the piazza is the tower, Torre de Mangia. We climbed it’s 330 steps through ultra narrow passages all the way to the top. The views of the Tuscan hills are breathtaking and the tiny people in Il Campo below look like ants. The other great thing about Siena is the literally hundreds of narrow and winding streets, it’s like the world’s largest labyrinth. The streets are just wide enough for a small car to fit through with people along the sides. There are no sidewalks and the road is cobblestone. I can’t express enough how cool walking these streets is – unlike any other place.

Our apartment was a very short walk from Il Campo and located on one of the main streets. We loved our spot because we could meander the streets, hit ‘The Beach’ or visit other sites like the Duomo all within minutes. Our apartment included free breakfast at The MeetCafe a hundred meters down the street. There was also a local market nearby. We had two private rooms on one floor with a shared kitchen and baths. The other room was occupied by Ellie and Bridget – two awesome American students from Loyola University in Chicago. They are doing a semester abroad in Rome and were in Siena for the weekend. It was fun hearing about their adventures and they gave us some great recommendations on Rome. As a parent of 2 girls, it’s important for us to have great role models like this for our daughters. For them to see these strong young women traveling through Europe alone will no doubt have a profound impact on them.

For Taryn’s birthday dinner our host Roberto recommended a great local restaurant not far from Il Campo. Our waiter fell in love with Jett, “Ciao Bello. Ciao Bello”. In fact, several of the waiters came out from the back to give Jett a “Ciao Bello”, pinch his cheek and play with his hair. It was hilarious. We had local beef famous here in Siena as well as Pici pasta, a thicker spaghetti also well known in Siena. The owner came by often to check on us. The food was delicious and the local Tuscan wine amazing. But the highlight was when all the lights went out and they brought in a piece of cake with a candle on it singing the Italian ‘Happy Birthday’ song. The whole restaurant joined in! It was incredible. And it was a surprise to us too otherwise we would have videoed. I think it is one Taryn will remember for quite awhile.

We spent one day just wandering the streets, stopping for espresso and hot chocolate. Interesting thing about hot chocolate in Europe – it’s typically more like thinner, chocolate pudding. The kids love it and eat it with a spoon. Also, saw the beautiful Duomo but didn’t go in as there was a fee – picking and choosing as always… But it’s beautiful from the outside. Along the streets, there are these metal rings that were used to tie up horses in centuries past. Each has an ornate shape or sculpture to it. We also stumbled across, La Perla, the little pension that we stayed at 15 years ago when we first fell in love with this place. Another interesting thing you’ll see in Italy is an image of a wolf feeding two babies. It’s the fascinating story of Romulus and Remus, twin brothers that were abandoned and raised by a wolf. As adults, Romulus killed Remus and named Roma (Rome) after himself.

Back at our apartment, there was some food left in the fridge from the previous guests. We went through it all, tossed anything suspect and kept a few things. One was an unopened jar of tomato puree. We already had butter, cream and some spices so we whipped up some yummy tomato soup. We also had some leftover steak from Taryn’s Bday so we made little steak bites and a veggie/cheese tray to share with our roommates. We kept calling them ‘The Maddis’ because they reminded us of our niece Maddi who studied here as well. Good times.

The only downside to our Siena experience was that we were located on a busy street above a bar. People literally partied until 5am and then around 6am you’d hear the morning sounds – cars, people walking to work etc. After two nights of little sleep we finally broke out the ear plugs which actually helped. Luckily, the kid’s room was on the other side and they didn’t hear all the racket.

Aside from that, Siena was as amazing as we remembered it. Highly recommend visiting. And if you go in the summer, consider going during the Paleo – a bareback horse race that takes place inside Il Campo. It’s definitely on our to-do list one of these years.

FLORENCE, ITALY  – Nov 5 –  12
If you ever ask someone where to go in Italy, most people including us will say Florence without skipping a beat. Everything awesome about Italy exists here – Food, Wine, Fashion, History, Art, Peace, Energy. It’s just one of the coolest cities I’ve ever experienced. And Siena, which is considered even cooler to many is close enough for a day trip if you’re short on time.

Every city has it’s rock star and in Florence it is The David. The sculpture is based on the ancient story in which the young boy, David, defeats the giant, Goliath with a sling and stone. The sculpture was started by two other artists before Michelangelo completed the final piece about 80 years later. And it took him four years to do so. It is without a doubt one of the most spectacular pieces of art ever created. At 14 feet tall, David symbolizes the giant that he became for outwitting Goliath. And it also parallels the massive human achievement. Hard to imagine this was a big block of marble at one point. The original can be viewed at the Museo di Academia but there is a replica in the Piazza where he first stood.

Our apartment was a couple miles from central Florence in a nice little neighborhood. There was a grassy area out front that was shaded by trees. Local kids would play pick-up soccer games and elderly couples would stroll through on their evening walks. “Buona Sera” (good afternoon/evening) they would say. On days that we were on a schedule, we would take a short tram into town. Cost was 4.80 euro for 4 tix (Jett is free). A couple times we walked along the Orno river enjoying the waterfalls and Ponte Vecchio bridge as we approached town centre. Florence is magical at night. Tons of people out strolling, shopping, eating, drinking – great energy. One evening we stumbled across a vintage carousel in the center of a piazza.

 

When Mike and Myla were here 15 years ago, we discovered a wonderful little family run restaurant called Il Latini. We stood in line in an alley talking to another American couple while wine and cheese were tray passed. Inside, we forewent the menu and just let the waiter bring course after delicious course and all the wine we could drink. It was amazing. So we did it again with the kids this time and ended up so stuffed nobody could move. Worse than Thanksgiving food coma. But the service and environment were perfecto!

Mid-week we took a day trip to Pisa. We were hungry upon arrival and the tower is a good 20 min walk from the station. So we stopped and each had a ‘Piece of Pizza in Pisa’ just so I could write that in the blog. 🙂 We first saw the tower from about a quarter mile away and it is crazy how much it leans. Apparently it began leaning during construction and was later straightened slightly and stabilized so that it won’t continue leaning. But once there it was exactly what you’d expect if you’ve ever googled it. Dozens of tourists looking hilarious as they pose in front of the tower. And we did as well – I mean that’s why we were there. So we spent a good hour taking pictures and making videos for World School. We grabbed some cafe and gelato afterwards then caught the train back to Florence.

Later in the week we spent an afternoon in the Uffizi museum. What was great about this is that we finally found the Rick Steves audio guides and listened to this as we walked the museum. Highly recommend this as he explains everything in basic terms, inserting human as well. Kicking ourselves for not doing this at The Louvre. There is some outstanding art here including tons from the renaissance and many interpretations of Venus including one of my favorite’s The Birth of Venus.

Since we blew our food budget at Il Latini, we decided to cook at home the rest of the week. There was a local supermarket about 10 mins walk so we went there often. Made crustless quiche one night. One of the benefits to staying at Airbnb’s is the access to a kitchen. It saves money, is a creative outlet for Mike and gives us a sense of home, no matter where we are. On the last night, Mike ran out to grab a bottle of wine and stumbled across a little fresh wine market called Ortofrutta Grassi. Gianluca Grassi greeted me with smiles and a booming “Buona Sera”. I grabbed a bottle each of bianchi and rosso and he then said “I also have these” pointing to 10 tap handles of fresh, local Tuscan wine. “Si!” I said with a grin. So he filled two bottles for me. He was excited to hear I was from California and that he would like to visit. I said Italians all want to visit California but Californians want to come to Italia. We laughed, it’s so true.

Florence is pure awesomeness. And now we head to Siena.

Venice, Italy – One of the most unique places in the world. Often called the ‘floating city’, Venice is located at the North/Eastern coast of Italy. 177 canals divide it up into 118 tiny islands which are all connected by over 400 bridges. It’s really surreal. The Grand Canal cuts through the center of Venice and has several bridges across it including the famous Rialto bridge with is touristy market adjacent.

 

We stayed near the southern end, just off a main “street”. All the streets here are pedestrian as there are virtually no cars. The primary modes of transportation are Waterbuses and water taxis on the Grand Canal. And there are Gondola’s for the smaller canals – but they are more of a touristy type ride rather than a taxi. They’re quite pricey, 80 euro for 30 mins (which is why Myla and I skipped it last time we were here). But we decide to do it with the kids one evening and it was worth every penny. So peaceful and calm navigating the many narrow canals between the weathered buildings and museums.

We also visited Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) the famous center of town with the beautiful clock tower and Basilica San Marco. And even more famous for all the tourists feeding the pigeons (which is illegal but allowed) as they land on their heads, arms and shoulders. Kind of gross actually. We also wandered the crazy maze of narrow streets and alleys – window shopping, enjoying the Venetian theater masks, the glass art from Murano and evening finding a Disney store to poke our head into. The kids got some trinkets which have to be small as we’re carrying these things for a year. And we also made it to the Rialto Bridge as well.

We did laundry while there and hung our clothes out to dry on the line between buildings, just like everyone else. We only ate out for dinner once and cooked the other nights. With 3+ weeks in Italy, we know there will be plenty of opportunities for local cuisine. Near our apartment was a little wine shop with multiple carboys of wine on tap. You bring in an empty bottle and they fill it. Hollaaa!! We got 2 liters for under 5 euro and it was delicious! Salute!

As with Innsbruck, we had to make Venice a brief stay due to costs. We stayed 3 nights and head to Florence from here.

Innsbruck, Austria can be summed up in one word: Mountains. Located in the heart of a little mountain range called the Alps. (You may have heard of them.) It has sort of a Park City vibe but is a bit larger with 10, or, I don’t know, maybe 50 times the skiing available. It’s not a cheap city which is why we only spent 3 nights here. But if you’re a mountain person, I insist you visit. No really, it’s mandatory – you will be blown away. Our only regret is that we weren’t here over Christmas because I hear it’s spectacular.

The primary reason we came to Innsbruck was to visit Mike’s college friend Mark Cox. It had been 25 years since they’d seen each other but nothing has really changed – other than Mark being fluent in German, Mike is a father of 3 and both of them having amazing wives. It was great to see Mark and his wife Kathrin. They had us over for dinner our first night which gave us a chance to catch up and reminisce about old times.

 

The next day we took a cable car up the side of the mountain with Mark. We did a brief hike about 3/4 of the way up. It was so nice to be in the mountains. After 3 mos of travel, we’ve mostly been in cities and have had limited exposure to nature. We rested at the restaurant located on the mountainside and had a snack. As we were virtually attacked by crows interested in our fries, Jett yelled: “Use the knife! Use the knife.” Hilarious. At the top, the view was mind blowing. You could see forever no matter what direction you looked. There was a decent amount of snow for the kids to play in and it was crazy windy. But at least we had sun, which has been in high demand during most of our trip.

After the mountain, we found a cafe to relax in then did some exploring around town. It was Halloween which isn’t celebrated as heavily here. But we did find a costume shop and decided to buy some vampire teeth for each of us. Cheap costumes. Then we met Mark and Kathrin at a local restaurant serving traditional Austrian food. We enjoyed fresh bier, dumplings and everyone’s favorite, schnitzel. Good company + Good food.

 

Sunday we met Mark, Kathrin and their sweet dalmatian Mara at the base of the mountain on the opposite side of town. We did a nice hike up a paved road stopping once to help push a disabled man in what may be the skinniest car in the world. We stopped at a cafe and enjoyed coffee and dessert before heading back down. At the bottom, we hiked into a amazing forest with a mossy carpeted floor. While hiking Kathrin had wifi so she helped us reserve tickets for our train to Venice the following day. The trail kicked us out at a cool park where the kids had a chance to run, swing, teeter-totter etc. Those guys headed home while we played a bit.

We spent our final evening at a tiny Italian restaurant enjoying pizza, pasta, salad and wine. It was a nice teaser for the next several weeks. Later Mike and Mark grabbed a Guinness at a local Irish Pub to catch up one last time. And in the morning we caught the train to Venice. It’s a spectacular train ride south from Innsbruck through the mountains. At times I thought we were on I-70 heading through the Rockies.

Although a brief stay, it was incredibly memorable and definitely a highlight thus far. On to Venice.

 

From Budapest, we had a week to kill before heading to Innsbruck, Austria to visit Mike’s college friend, Mark. We considered both Libiyanna, Slovenia and Zagreb, Croatia. However, at the present moment, there is a massive influx of refugees entering Slovenia so we decided Zagreb would be a better choice. We booked an apartment for the week and went to the train station. But when we checked in for the train, we were told that we would not be permitted to enter Croatia as the borders had been closed! We’re not sure if this was completely accurate but given the communication barrier with this official and the fact that we have 3 kids with us, we decided to play it safe and just head to Vienna. So within a 20 min window, we made reservations to Vienna, booked a room there and cancelled our Zagreb place.

We were greeted by our new host Josef as his first ever AirBnB guests – how cool! Josef and his girlfriend Maria were so wonderful and welcoming – helping us get acquainted with Vienna. Unfortunately, he didn’t have wifi set up in his apartment yet so that made our stay a little more adventurous. We ended up spending time at a nearby McDonalds to access their free wifi. What’s funny is that a McDonalds in Europe is like a hip and trendy destination filled with people from all over the world. You can even order a beer (John Travolta was right in Pulp Fiction?) I’m lovin’ it.

 

Anyway, once we got out and started exploring the city, we noticed the amazing amount of creative energy Vienna has. You can understand why composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn spent their careers here. That same energy is still present today with interesting public art and experiences everywhere. For example in the Museum Quarter we stumbled upon an amazing light show with imagery and video projections up on the museum buildings with techno music pumping and thousands of onlookers videoing the show. It was so awesome. We were there for Austria’s National Holiday – so the streets were filled with people and there were public celebrations everywhere. We ordered biers and let the kids play at one of the festivals. Jett even got his face painted. So fun!

Another creative, and random, thing we found is this vibrating platform on the popular pedestrian mall, Mariahilfer Straase. You push a button and the floor vibrates. Silly but creative and fun. There are also modern art sculptures in the town square, an accordion playing street musician wearing a cow (deer??) head , and tons of museums. The Zoom Children’s Museum was really cool. They have an interactive exhibition on the impact of plastics. So the kids got to participate and learn. Super interesting.

We spent one afternoon at the Schonbrunn Palace. A huge palace built in the early 1600s and resting on a massive plot of land. On the back side the large open stretch called the Great Parterre leads to the sculpture of the Sea God Neptune. Behind him on the hill is the spectacular Gloriette. There is also a Labyrinth (which was closed when we got there) and the worlds first zoo. But our favorite was probably the Tiergarten – an immense mixture of walking paths and trees. It was special because the trees were all orange and yellow and the fallen leaves carpeted the ground. Living in San Diego, we rarely get to experience this. So we played in the leaves for about a half hour.

In the evenings we played Nertz (our favorite card game), made forts or cooked dinner. Vienna’s a bit more pricey compared to Hungary so we only ate out once, which happened to be at a Chinese place who’s chef is apparently the chef for the President of China but is working here temporarily. Yummy. We also did some shopping along the Mariahilfer, getting the kids some new warm hats and gloves. And we finally found an English only movie theater and got to see Hotel Transylvania 2.

 

On our final morning, Josef and Maria had us up to their apartment for a good-bye breakfast. And to say it was amazing would be an understatement. They had a huge spread of candy lining the table for the kids. Plus a variety of offerings including yogurt, fresh bread and jams, homemade cappuccinos. It was a perfect ending to our week. We really enjoyed getting to know them and hear about their lives here in Vienna. So interesting and welcoming. Lastly, on the way to the Underground, we saw that there was yet another interesting art installation along the Mariahilfer mall – hundreds of tee shirts hanging above the walking mall. So cool.

Danke Shoen Josef, Maria and Vienna.

Szekesfehervar, Hungary – it’s a mouthful. And quite honestly, took us most of the week to remember how to say – even after having it explained. Pronounced ‘Saykahs fahair var’ and literally means “Seat of the White Castle”.

We stumbled across this town of about 100,000 by accident. From Budapest, we did a little searching through our Servas list and found a woman who was available and interested in hosting us. It is only 45 mins by train so we figured we’d check it out. And what an incredible week it turned out to be.

 

First of all, our host Katalin, should be the next spokesperson for DosXX if they ever decide to replace ‘The most interesting man in the world’ with a woman. This lady has seen and done everything. She travels for 3 mos at a time, alone, and is not afraid to go anywhere. In fact, when someone tells her not to visit a city because it is dangerous, she buys tickets the next day.

It was a pleasure and an honor to be her guest for a week. Listening to her incredible adventures and life story was amazing. And best of all, she basically planned our week for us. Not knowing much about Szekesfehervar, she totally hooked us up. Starting with our first night there. We arrived on a Sunday so not much was open, but she directed us to local gastropub, bEAT. What a score this was. Manager Tomas and his staff were so incredibly welcoming to us. The food was highly sophisticated, the ambiance and style were contemporary and funky and the food amazing. We had one mix up due to the language barrier with our waitress. Myla ordered a Dr Pepper (which she hadn’t had in months) and the girl brought out a burger. Turns out they have a burger called a ‘Dr Burger’. She felt bad but we said just to leave it and it was SO delicious!

  

The highlight of this week for us was that Katalin is a teacher at a bi-lingual (Hungarian/English) school. She arranged for us to go there for 3 days! Having not been around many young people, it was amazing to have our kids get to talk to other kids. Jett went to Kindergarten, made Halloween crafts and dressed up on the last day. The girls, Myla and I sat in on Middle school classes. Some we just observed but several were a Q & A with us. That was great because the kids had many questions about our trip and our life back in California. A common question being “Do you ever see any celebrities?” It was so great to engage with the teachers and students. We often laughed at our cultural and language differences. And we feel so fortunate to have been able to meet with them and learn a little about their lives.

Couple things stood out. The school lunches were friggin’ delicious! Usually, schnitzel with tasty rice. Also, one of the student’s father used to play in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers back in the ‘90s. Kornel David, only Hungarian to do so. Pretty cool. We also learned that they do celebrate Halloween by dressing up but they don’t trick-or-treat. Many people go to cemeteries and remember those that have passed.

The next day, Katalin took us to Bory Var (Bory Castle). Built by sculptor Jenos Bory over the course of 40 years. It’s an elaborately designed structure with his artwork everywhere as well as these elaborate and loving poems to his wife. Having Katalin as a tour guide was so awesome as she was able to explain the history and meaning of all the statues and designs. We also went to a local, indoor pool one day and explored the town centre. There is a toy museum there that has antique doll houses with crazy little hand-crafted kitchen utensils, outfits – amazing details. There was also a puppet theater for the kids to put on a show for us.

Each morning, we would take a bus to the school and back. The woman in the ticket booth didn’t speak any English so Mike would just hold up 8 fingers and smile. (We needed 4 tickets to school and 4 to return since Jett was free). The cost was about 1200 HUF ($4) but Mike would pay her using a 10,000 HUF bill (about $35) because he needed to break it into smaller bills. The lady would get so frustrated because she’d have to make change. On the third day, Mike finally learned how to say “Nyolc yegyek kerleek” or “8 tickets please”. She laughed and nodded, then frowned when he handed her another 10,000 bill.

On our last day it was late afternoon and we were walking past bEAT on our way home. The kids had to use the restroom so we went in and decided to have a glass of wine. Tomas the manager joked, ‘has it been a year already’ since we said we’d come back after our trip. Our same waitress from before seated us and next thing you know we decide to just have dinner – it was getting late, the kids were hungry and the food is amazing. At one point the chef came out to a nearby table. The waitress said that the chef didn’t speak good English but that he wanted us to know that he was happy that we came there and that we enjoyed his food. That was really nice. As we enjoyed our meal, Myla and I noticed that our glasses of wine were much larger than before. We thought maybe it was because we had returned and they were being generous. When we received the bill, however, it was much higher than expected. After inspecting, we had been charged for 2 glasses of wine each time. That was weird. Tomas explained that it was common for people to order a double glass of wine – so somehow the waitress or bartender made that assumption with us. We explained that we specifically asked for 1 glass each time. Since we drank it and enjoyed it we offered to pay the full price – probably about $20 more. But Tomas insisted on refunding us the difference. Another highlight of that night was that they had a young woman accompanied by a guitar singing pop songs but in a mellow, jazz style. We were sad to leave.

In the end, Szekesfehervar was another pleasant surprise along this journey. Something unplanned and totally unexpected. It was a great reminder of why we prefer to fly by the seat of our pants rather than having everything planned out in advance. Sure this approach can be challenging, stressful and even costly on occasion. But overall, it always leads to amazing and memorable experiences. Koszonom (thank you) and Szia (good bye) Szekesfehervar!

  

Budapest, Hungary – Ruled by the Romans nearly 1000 years ago, later the Turks for 150 years and eventually under Soviet control for decades. This place has an incredible story. And like so many other European cities, it’s skyline of massive cathedrals and domes doesn’t disappoint. One of the most interesting facts about Budapest is that it was originally two cities on opposite sides of the Danube river. Buda (and Obuda) to the West, Pest to the East. It wasn’t until 1872 that they merged.

We found a wonderful AirBnB flat near town centre and were quite pleased to find that our host, John, had left a fully stocked fridge and several bottles of Hungarian wine. What a treat. John Nadler, we learned later, is an accomplished Canadian journalist and author. Google him and read his books – super nice guy.

We spent about 10 days in Budapest (pronounced Buda-pesht by the locals). And unfortunately, had tons of rain – probably more than any other destination thus far. This doesn’t stop us from exploring but it does limit what things you can do. So after a week, we extended our stay a few more days as we felt a little jipped.

Anyway, our first day it was raining so we hopped in one of the enclosed ferries that transport people up and down the river. It’s a great way to see a lot of the amazing architecture like the Buda Castle and Parliament as well the famous bridges. Budapest has 8 spectacular bridges connecting the Buda side to Pest. We started at Liberty and headed north under Elizabeth, Széchenyi (Chain), then Margaret before getting off. Chain was the first permanent bridge built in 1849 Later we walked across both Chain and Margaret – each bridge having unique features and design.

On rainy days, we hung around our flat and watched the first 3 Pirates of the Caribbean movies. We also checked out the nearby West End City Centre mall (one of the largest malls in Europe). It’s kind of the opposite of all the history we were exploring – but modern is nice on occasion too. When there was a break in the rain we found our way to several parks. One had multiple trampolines. Another, a zipline – imagine a zipline at a public park in the U.S. Ha! That was fun. One day we even stumbled across the Budapest marathon! So we watched and cheered these amazing people of all shapes, sizes and ages – so inspiring.

The Royal Palace, built in 1265 sits atop the Buda Hills. We rode a funicular (hillside train-ish type thing) up and toured the National Gallery. It was our first art museum since The Louvre in Paris and it was awesome. Not a lot of the ‘rock star’ pieces that other museums market themselves with but the volume of beautiful paintings and sculptures was so impressive – highly recommend. Afterwards, we met friends Pete and Gertie from San Francisco who happened to be in town as well. The rains came again so we enjoyed drinks overlooking the Danube, Parliament and the epic Budapest skyline at night. So fun seeing familiar faces.

Some other interesting things about Budapest. The currency is called Forintz – and about 280 HUFs (Hungarian Forintz) = 1 US dollar. So our formula was to round up to 300 then divide by 3. i.e. 1000 HUF (a common bill) is about $3. It’s not super accurate but you’re usually within a few bucks. Most of the European cities we’ve visited use Euros with the exception of here, Prague (Czech Krauns) and London (British Pounds). Hungarian food is delicious as well. Myla ranted and raved about the goulash soup before arriving and she was more than right. Especially with the rain and cold weather, it so hit the spot. We also had some yummy pizzas, and the best burger we’ve found in Europe. The best part of all is that Budapest is incredibly affordable. Probably half the price (or less) of what we would pay back in San Diego. Because of this, we ate out often – but we did find time to cook at home too. The boys made some homemade squash soup one night (Jett says Mom’s sunglasses protect his eyes from the onion burn).

One thing that we take for granted back home is laundry. It’s so easy to pop in anytime you want and you have tons of options if something’s dirty. We, however, only have a handful of outfits. Shirts and pants can handle multiple wearings before a wash but underwear…? Actually, underwear can be washed in the sink and we’ve had to do that a few times. And luckily, many of our places have had laundry. But we didn’t here in Budapest. So one day, we loaded up a backpack with all the dirty clothes and hiked to a laundromat. It turned out to be closed. 😦 Sooo, we then hiked about a mile and a half to another – it was closed too! So we just went exploring with Mike carrying around all the clothes. Next day we went back to the laundromat and turns out it was a drop-off place where they wash it. Since it’s by the pound, we had to go through and pull out only the most necessary items to save money. Then Mike carried around the remaining dirty clothes for the rest of the day. This became a running joke in the family.

In the end, we had a great time here. We made the most of our bad weather – acting silly, playing games and having fun. We even went on a ferris wheel one day. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to any of the famous thermal baths. Apparently, they discourage children due to the water’s high heat. But we found the people here just as friendly and open as anywhere. Lots of English speakers and plenty that don’t. But those that don’t are almost always willing to help us figure things out. And we always make an effort to speak the local language. Hungarian is definitely a challenge, but we try. ‘Hi’ and ‘bye’ are basically the same word, Szia (pronounced See-ya) which is so funny to us and obviously easy to remember.

Wanting to head to Zagreb, Croatia next – we decided to see if we could find a Servas host along the way. And we did, just 45 mins from Budapest is a town called Szekesfehervar. And that’s where we headed next. Szia Budapesht!

 

 

Our experience in Prague was yet another unique and amazing mixture of so many awesome people, rich history, art, culture and food. For us, Prague has been one of the most ironic cities we’ve experienced. I suppose these ironies are based on preconceived expectations we had. For instance, we were expecting this ancient city from another time and we found ourselves in a modern mall, saw really cool contemporary architecture and ate at progressive gastro pubs. It also has a reputation of being slower paced – which it is – but it was funny how fast the Metro and escalators were. Stepping onto the escalators for the Metro is like stepping onto a treadmill at full speed. Poor Jett with his tiny legs had to literally leap aboard. And most importantly, the Czech people on the streets can have a bit of a rough exterior. Not a lot of smiling or eye contact when out in public. But striking up a conversation with anyone opens up warm and generous spirit. Like when a movie goes from black and white to color. Praha was a pleasant surprise to us.

           

Speaking of people, we were so incredibly fortunate to discover VilaFlora on AirBnB. Our hosts Michaela and Hynek and their many friends live in a sort of youth hostel meets wellness center meets hippie compound. They make and sell Kombucha and raw, vegan desserts as well as run an alternative school for teens and adults. It’s a very special place with art everywhere, an outdoor garden and greenhouse as well as a communal kitchen for gathering. We met people from all over the world including Gentry, a young American woman traveling alone for over a year. And Anuj from Vancouver who has one of the most interesting and diverse upbringings I’ve ever heard. Mikal, Jan, Lukas, Ales – so many amazing, creative and passionate people. All interested in improving themselves and, in turn, the world we live in. Very inspiring.

We did plenty of sightseeing during our week here. The Charles Bridge crosses over the Vltava River dividing the city. It’s a spectacular piece of history with statues lining each side and art vendors, street performers and sketch artists on the bridge itself. There are epic towers on each end of the bridge which were used to prevent intrusion back in the day. We also saw the Prague Castle which is over 1100 years old. Kind of hard to comprehend something like that. It’s also one of the largest castle complexes in the world.

One day we headed toward Petrin Hill which has tons of green space and the Petrin Tower which resembles a mini Eiffel Tower. But at our tram stop there was a giant park with funky climbing structures, single rope swings and a cool stream with interactive directionals. So we spent an hour just goofing off before it started raining then headed home. Fun diversion and missing the tower wasn’t the end of the world. Sometimes being together is more important, and more memorable, than the tourist attractions.

Prague’s Old Town Square is a beautiful place to people watch, have some wine and take in all the culture – which we of course did. Lots of tourists taking selfies, devouring street food and taking carriage rides. The clock tower is massive, old and beautiful. You can ride an elevator to the top for a fee but we declined. We kind of have to pick and choose what activities are worth paying for and not. Especially since virtually all public toilets or WCs in Europe cost about .50 cents. Doesn’t sound like much but for a family of 5 traveling for a year – we could literally piss all our money away. 🙂 Anyway, we passed on the clock tower and bought some yummy Trdelníks instead. They’re basically dough that’s wrapped around a pole and roasted then filled with whatever you want: Nutella, whip cream, strawberries, etc. Some even come with ice cream. So good.

We rented a paddle boat one afternoon to explore the river – cheap and fun way to connect with nature and each other. And the best part was pulling up to a dock and having wine delivered. Na zdraví! (cheers / to your health). With Charles Bridge in the foreground and Prague Castle up on the hill, we ended up paddling around for 2 hours and loved it. Bonus that Jett stayed in the boat!

We also found time to hit a few shops and explore the city. Even found a walking alley so narrow it has a traffic light! And spiral-fried potato ‘chips’ were delicious. Back home we made some homemade guac, Jett got a much needed haircut from super awesome Nikol and we celebrated Hynek’s birthday. So much to see and do in this town including doing nothing. There are many parks and open space to meditate, exercise, read, you name it. On one hand it feels like we did quite a bit while here – but on the other, seems like we hardly did a thing at all. Oh, the irony. Díky Praha – we will miss you dearly.