The Balkans Rule... the Baltics drool! I've officially decided that the whole "Seeing the World" thing is totally overrated. Screw it... from now on, I'm going no further than the Balkans where, above all its other amazing attributes, THE PEOPLE ARE FRIENDLY!! I'm on the bus getting the Hell out of Vilnius, and not a moment too soon! How I regret leaving sweet Estonia with its saunas and nice old towns and good dancers! I'm hoping that Lithuania will redeem itself over the next two days when I'm out of its truly shit capital! Last night, my dinner was pretty good. [View Full Entry]

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Hi from ho-hum Vilnius Hmmm.... I was expecting to be blown-away by Vilnius, but so far I haven't seen anything that compares to the beauty of Tallinn (but, to be fair, I've only been here for a couple of hours, so I'll reserve judgment for now). The bus ride from Riga to Vilnius was a painless 4 hours (I had my raspberries and my mobile phone games to occupy me). When I arrived, I got a little lost finding my way from the bus station to the AAA hostel. The hostel had a pretty creepy feel right away, made even creepier [View Full Entry]

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A quick visit to Riga This morning I woke up at 5:30 and headed out, in pitch darkness, to the bus station (I'm amazing with directions when I'm alone!). I bought a ticket for the 6:30 bus to Riga, and I was a little concerned that I felt a bit "crook" (as David would say), but there was a bathroom on the bus, which I didn't end up using but it put my mind at ease. The ride took about 4 hours and I slept a good chunk of it. I arrived in Riga at 10:30 and decided to catch the [View Full Entry]

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Hello from Tartu Still in Estonia, a little further South (closer to Latvia). So, last night I had one cigarette outside the hostel, then went up to bed. There was an American guy in my room but we didn't really speak at all until just as he was heading out for a drink. I kinda wished I'd chatted with him beforehand because I wouldn't have minded a little company, but it's probably a good thing I got ltos of sleep. I had a really good sleep, and woke up this morning at 11:00. I was starving and dehydrated and, for lack [View Full Entry]

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Hello again from "The Best Cafe in Tallinn" It's got a sign outside to prove it, and I'm not arguing, as I've been here twice today! So, after my big lunch (I haven't eaten since!), I went back to my room to get my scarf and mittens, then I wandered around the gorgeous old town. I went up Toompea (upper old town) and saw the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is amazing. I looked out at the town from two look-out points up there, and took some photos, then wandered around the lower old town for a bit. I came [View Full Entry]

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Hello from gorgeous (wait for it...) Estonia! What the Hell, you ask? Why am I not in Croatia, or ex-Yugoslavia in general? Well, I decided to give my beloved Balkans a rest and try something new. Last week, while staring at my map and perusing my Lonely Planet, I noticed the little Baltics, and decided this region seemed like just the right choice! I have five days and I plan to see Estonia, Lithuania and possible Latvia (although I've heard Riga is stag-party-Hell). Last night, I lay in bed for about three hours, not really sleeping at all, and caught a [View Full Entry]

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Read this article on EuropeUpClose at http://www.europeupclose.com/visit-a-happy-place-copenhagen-denmark/ and on the St. Christopher's Inn website: http://www.st-christophers.co.uk/backpacker-resources/travel-stories/denmark/the-happiest-place-on-earth This year, when trying to beat the winter blahs, why not try something a little different than the typical tropical locations? After all, what better place to cheer yourself up than in Denmark, the official Happiest Place on Earth? For three years in a row, the World Values Survey has bestowed that title on Denmark. The elaborate [View Full Entry]

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Read this article on Roadjunky at http://www.roadjunky.com/article/1771/halloween-in-transylvania-bring-your-own-blood The Romanians just don’t know how to build a Dracula theme park. Communism took all the initiative out of them. I hurried along the dusty, cobbled streets of Sighisoara, trying to find my way back to the empty hotel near the train tracks. Around every corner, I had to dodge open graves and the leers from men standing inside them with shovels. The story ran through my mind about a 15th century prince who was captured by Vlad Tepes not far from here and forc [View Full Entry]

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We finally extricated ourselves from Sarajevo ... yay! Last night I had the worst sleep ever. I couldn’t swallow because my glands were so swollen, I had heartburn, and I couldn’t stop coughing. I knew I was keeping Mike away and tried to do anything I could to stop: I ended up sitting upright, propped up with a pillow against the wall, sucking on a candy cane hoping the mint would soothe my throat. I must’ve been quite a sight! We woke up at 6:45 this morning (brutal) and caught a bus to Nis, and then planned to go to Sofia [View Full Entry]

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A Sarajevo snowfall... imagine that! I never thought I'd live to see this! We're definitely leaving Sarajevo tomorrow morning, so I enjoyed this final day thoroughly. Mike is happy to spend the rest of his two-week holiday here because he loves it so much, and so do I. I'm happy I met him; I wouldn't want to be here without someone to enjoy it with. And I miss Sasa a little less everyday, which is good. I LOVE THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD!! This morning, I woke to a serious blizzard. A foot of snow on the ground, and here I was with [View Full Entry]

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