This was the day we had been waiting for. Months before we left home, I came across an offer I couldn't pass up. EasyCruise, from the same folks who brought us EasyJet, EasyCar, EasyBus, EasyHotel, and even EasyInternet, were starting a new week long cruise route of the Greece Islands and coast. Now for those of you not familiar with the “Easy” line of travel options, they offer low cost no-frills travel deals all across Europe and at $20 per night per person, this cruise was definitely not the exception. We had been joking with people for months about what our floating garbage barge would look like and that it would be nothing more than a floating hostel but nonetheless, we were still optimistic.

Now traveling still proves to be a bit of an adventure and just getting to our cruise ship proved to be the case. One of the ways EasyJet keeps their costs down is that they typically fly out of smaller more remote airports. For instance, when we flew from Milan we actually left out of the much smaller more remote airport an hour away in Bergamo. So we should have known something was up when our itinerary indicated Marina Zea at the Port of Piraes as our embarkation point. Not knowing any better many of our fellow passengers made the trek in the rain by foot from the Port to the Marina. Angela, on the other hand, has become much wiser. Although a bit confusing, she insisted that we take the bus and am I glad she did. Twenty minutes later our bus driver gave us the signal to hop off at the Marina Zea stop. Standing in the rain we quickly surveyed the massive marina for anyth ...

ALE:  Riding into town on the bus from the airport I was shocked at the fact that I felt like I was back in Los Angeles.  Athens was so much more developed than I had imaged.  There were huge grocery stores, fast food restaurants and Starbucks on almost every corner.  We came prepared to spend days on end scouring the city and hiking hills such as Likavitos Hill.  We had allowed ourselves plenty of time before and after the cruise, so seeing everything could luckily be done at our own leisurely pace.  But once we dug a little deeper into what we really wanted see we were soon pleased with the fact that we were going to have many days to sleep in and do nothing!

Syntagma Square, Monastiraki and the Plaka are the three main areas of interest, in my opinion.  All three areas are within walking distance from each other and while wandering around you can take in all of the main sights and also enjoy the various ruins that are sprinkled all throughout these areas.  The Acropolis sits impressively up on top of a hill above Monastiraki and the Plaka.  One thing we have realized is that something is always covered in scaffolding.  This time ALL of the Acropolis was covered in scaffolding.  Even so far as the Temple of Athena Nike was completely torn apart with only bits and pieces put back together.  But with the amount of people at the Parthenon, I'm not sure which was more of an inconvenience, the scaffolding or all of the people who were in my way when I wanted to take pictures!  At night you can sit at one of the many cafes and admire The Acropolis all lit up.  But be prepa ...

ALE: Our trip to Belgrade was more of a stop over than a destination. By working our way down south from Croatia to Montenegro we found ourselves in this strange area of the world where getting to Athens, our next destination, proved to be a bit difficult. Upon further research, the cheapest way to do it from Montenegro was to fly through Belgrade. We figured if we have to fly there anyways, why not stay one night and check it out. One night was really all we needed to get a feel for the place.

Generally when we are looking at hostels, location is a big factor. This time was a little different. We ran across one with free airport transfers and free laundry and we booked it instantly so we never really got the feel of which part of the city it was located. After being picked up and brought back to the hostel we thought we would do a bit of wandering around and grab some lunch. Our hostel was unfortunately out of maps so we were sent out into a very big city with only bus numbers that took you to the center of town. The next problem was money, we didn't have any Dinars, the Serbian currency. To ride a bus you need a ticket, to buy a ticket you need money. Although the woman at the hostal desk said just to get on the bus that they probably won't check for tickets we decided against it. It shouldn't be too hard, there are ATMs all over the place. Not in Serbia! After heading into the direction Jason felt was towards the center we ran into the Sveti Sava. It is the biggest Orthodox Church in Europe. Construction was halted by Hitler years ago and with the lack of money it is now slowly being completed. Although the outside is completely finished the inside is still a constr ...

JCP: Having barely heard of Montenegro, I was incredibly intrigued by the images of beautiful beaches, walled cities, and striking mountains that descend into the sea. The photos of paradise contrasted with the imagery of what was just recently the site of war torn former Yugoslavia made the trip even more of a must do.

Leaving Croatia, we caught the daily 10:30 bus south from Dubrovnik towards the border. Until just recently, taking the bus from Croatia to Montenegro meant changing buses at the border. Fortunately, transportation between the two countries has improved significantly and we were quickly whisked through the border after a quick stamp in the ol' passport.

Working off of advice from Tony, the owner of our shared apartment in Dubrovnik, we were on our way to Kotor. Although the Montenegrin coast is relatively short, the bus to Kotor takes you along the Bay of Kotor which is home to some of the largest fjords within Europe. Most of the bay is surrounded with steep rocky mountains that crash down to meet the sea creating dozens of smaller bays and lagoons. A truly impressive sight! As the road snakes its way along the coast though, I soon found that the bus ride is not for those with a weak stomach. Just as I thought I was going to be sick, the bus pulled into Kotor. Nestled on a small finger-like projection of water surrounded by the characteristic rocky mountains, we found the old town, or Stari Grad, of Kotor.

Up until now, we've always been able to find accommodations online. Not so with Montenegro. Finding virtually nothing via the websites we typically use, we decided to wing it. Just like in Dubrovni ...

JCP - It wasn't too long before we left Los Angeles that we met up with some of Angela's friends and coworkers who wanted to wish us well before we left. Then again they may have just wanted to use us as an excuse to get together for a drink on the company dime. Regardless of the reason, we were game. Fortunately for us, I ended up in a pretty deep discussion with one of Angela's friends who just happened to be from Croatia. To be honest, I didn't really know much about the country. I knew roughly where it was and that up until recently it had been part of a region plagued by war. Surrounded by notorious countries like Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, part of me was a little reluctant to consider Croatia as a vacation destination. But trying to keep an open mind, my new friend and I talked late into the night about the new Croatia and the changes under way there. Much of our conversation was focused not on the bustling capital city of Zagreb, but on what is arguably Croatia's most beautiful city, Dubrovnik. Nestled in the narrow coastal region of southern Croatia, Dubrovnik has rightfully so become a tourist mecca.

Determined to see what Dubrovnik held in store, Angela and I made it a “must-see” stop on our journey. Beginning to grow a little tired from all the traveling, we looked forward to relaxing in what had been described as a coastal paradise.

The bus from Split to Dubrovnik was relatively uneventful. Well, that is if you consider passing through Bosnia-Herzegovina uneventful. Apparently after the breakup of Yugoslavia, a small stretch of land along the Adriatic was awarded to Bosnia-Herzegovina in order for them to ...

Having taken a train from Ljubljana, Slovenia to Zagreb, Croatia, we had several different options when it came to getting to Split. From there we could have taken the night train, a bus or rented a car and drove ourselves the 4 hours from Zagreb to Split. We chose the latter. We figured we would get there quicker by driving and maybe even be able to see some nice scenery on the trip down. Well, with our train pulling into the station a little after 4pm and us getting lost, as usual, on the way to the car rental agency, there was no scenery to be seen on our drive because it was dark by the time we got on the road. But, then again, that was just the beginning of our adventure to Split.....

Growing up in Southern California, I'll admit I have not been through many true rain storms. Certainly not the type Jason had experienced growing up in Texas. But the storm we encountered the entire drive to Split was a completely new experience for the both of us. The rain was coming down so hard, not to mention sideways, that you could barely see infront of you. The lightning was so bright it was like someone was in your face with a camera taking your picture. I was blinking spots after each time it hit. Then came the wind. The type of wind that makes you grip onto the steering wheel just to keep the car on the road. Or at least I am assuming that is what Jason was doing since he was the one driving. I know I was white knuckling the door handle. I had not been that scared in quite awhile. I was thanking my lucky stars when we finally pulled into Split. Now we just had to find our Sobe (a room you rent out of someone's house). If only we knew what was still in store for us, we wo ...

About an hour's drive from Ljubljana, the small capital of Slovenia, lies the picturesque fairytale town of Bled. Despite the ominous name, the town is almost as picture perfect as one can image. Bled is best known as the home of idyllic Lake Bled with its tiny island (Blejski Otok) from which stands the old Church of the Assumption. Orginally built for the Bishop of Brixton, the island and the church have become the symbol of the Bled and draw tourists to what looks to be a Disney-like landscape. Rounding out the panorama high above the lake on 100 meter sheer cliffs lies Bled Castle.

Although we could have taken the train from Ljubljana, we instead opted to rent a car. For $30 USD a day, it seemed to be the better option. Much of the area is spread out and having our own car was the unanimously recommended approach. Dropping off our gear at our hotel just outside of town, we headed to the supermarket to pack a picnic lunch and we were off to the lake. Sitting on a park bench enjoying the beautiful view in front of us was just about perfect. There was no need to worry about picnic leftovers as we were soon surrounded by a flock of ducks and a handful of swans. After an hour or so, we thought we'd head out to the church on the tiny island. There are two ways to get to the island, you can hop on a gondola and enjoy a leisurely ride out to the island or you can rent a row boat and get yourself out there. We opted for the do it yourself option. We figured it would be more of an experience, and it was. Although it seemed like we were hardly moving in our little dingy and we'd never make it to the island, it really only took us 30 minutes each way. But I must admit, in the middle of the la ...

In planning our trip around the world, we left home with a rough idea of where we were going and when we thought we'd be there.  What we didn't necessarily take into account is how we'd get there.  Fortunately so far this hasn't caused us too much difficulty...yet.  However, we did become a bit concerned when planning our trip from Prague to Slovenia.  Out of the blue, it dawned on us that we'd have to cross the Alps.  What could have been a brutal and expensive journey luckily turned into one of the highlights of our trip.  Leaving Prague at the crack of dawn we boarded our train to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, pronounced “Loo-be-anna”.  The foothills and mountains of the Julian Alps in the fall are absolutely beautiful.  Growing up in Texas and California, we don't often get the opportunity to see the bright orange and red colored leaves that signal the coming of winter.  Whisking through the mountains by train, however, didn't make for good photos.  Sorry!  Guess you'll just have to do it yourself.  :)

Prior to 1991, Slovenia, along with Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Bosnia, made up what was once Yugoslavia.  The breakup of the once communist state has produced regions of tension (most notably between Serbia and Bosnia) and tourism, as the countries that hug the Adriatic Sea have become popular vacation destinations.

Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana, is one of the smallest capital cities in Europe and judging by our arrival on a Saturday afternoon after the end of the tourist season, it could have very well been one of ...

Prague was one of the two places I was most looking forward to on this trip, Greece being the second.  Not that I actually knew much about it.  I had just seen photos and it looked amazing.  Jason, on the other hand, had been to Prague a few times already.  I kept imaging what a view we would get to see upon arriving since it is the “City With 1000 Spires” but coming in on the night train from Krakow, we didn't really get to see much.  Between it being dark most of the way and being sleepy upon arriving, it took me a second to realize I was finally in Prague!

For the past couple of months we had been staying only in hostels but this time we opted for a shared apartment.  The hostels were much more expensive in Prague and we actually got a better deal on our shared apartment which came with a kitchen inside of the room.  Having the kitchen in our room proved to be a blessing since we seemed to both be coming down with colds and the quiet time was nice as opposed to having to fight over a shared kitchen in a hostel.  So unfortunately the first few days in Prague were spent mostly inside, taking it easy, trying not to get worse. 

Upon arrival, when we finally found our apartment, also a fun task after a night of little to no sleep, we put our stuff down, cleaned up a little and raced to the Indian embassy before noon, the time they stop taking visa applications.  India is one of the countries Americans must have a visa for before entering.  After much research on the internet we realized it is something more easily accomplished back home.  Oops, too ...

We had long been debating on whether or not Warsaw was going to make it as a destination on our journey through Poland but after asking both “locals” and fellow travelers, we decided to pass and head straight to Krakow from Vilnius. Despite the 15 hour bus ride, I was a bit relieved to be going somewhere familiar. I had been to Krakow a few years ago and was looking forward to a nice and easy couple of days. Plus, I knew Angela would love it.

Although familiar with the city, our adventure began just before we arrived. It seems that I may have been here more times than even our bus driver. He could see the bus station, but for some reason, he just couldn't seem to figure out which road to take to get there. We must have circled it three times before a fellow passenger made his way to the front of the bus to tell him how to get to where we needed to be.

Exiting the bus station, the directions to our hostel seemed pretty straight forward... 'exit the station, cross the street, take tram number “whatever” four stops and there you are' or so we thought. Four stops later, we look out the window and knowing that this can't be the correct stop, we stay on for one more. Well, that didn't help. We get off, look around, try to find ourselves on a map that's printed on the back of a brochure. As usual, we're lost. Time to start walking. We finally stop to ask a local where we are and she wasn't even sure. After a few minutes of staring at our map, she points to the opposite side of the city from where we wanted to be. Apparently, it's pretty important that you get on the tram going the right direction. They seeme ...