Sarajevo is, perhaps, not on most travelers' European itineraries, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Here's one reason why: as much as I've enjoyed all the European cities we've been visiting, after a while they do begin to blend together. The cultures are all the same, the grocery stores are all the same, even the people look and dress mostly the same. The only difference is learning to say "no meat, please," in...

Well, we are off to Sarajevo tomorrow, and I'm really excited about it, but I have to say I am sad to be leaving Budapest. There is just too much left to do... let me explain. I want to go back to the Jazz Garden, which had a great atmosphere. The trio we saw was skilled enough, but I want to go back and hear one of the Monday jam sessions. And the Old Man Pub (yes, that's really what it was called) was jam-packed on our first night in Budapest, listening to...

Bratislava, the capital and largest city of Slovakia, was a stopover between the Tatras and Budapest. I can summarize it by giving it a solid "meh." It has five weird statues, two great cafes, and one big square castle. And... that's about it. No, really, that's all. Please check out some of my other blogs, they're much more interesting.

This blog is from rural Slovakia, near its most famous mountain range. This is an actual picture I took, perhaps a kilometer from our accommodation. Pretty, eh? When we first arrived, I was a bit surprised to realize that we were there at all. It looked as though the train had broken down in the middle of nowhere - there was nothing but meadows and flowers for miles, all the way up to the base of those beautiful blue mountains. A tiny shack next to the track...

It's the 4th of July and I'm all the way in the Czech Republic (this town is pronounced Ollo-moats). I would love to be watching fireworks and chowing down on veggie dogs with you all, but alas, I will have to wait until next year. In the meantime, here's what I'm up to instead. Remember how I said I needed some rest after Prague? Well, this place is it. It's a quiet town, with a cobbly medieval center and a lot of cafes. It's one of the 5 largest cities in...