As my route was to go south towards Krakow, Poland, my next stop after Riga was Vilnius, Lithuania. However, before arriving in Vilnius, I stopped off in Šiauliai, Lithuania. I departed Riga at 6:00 am by bus ($17 CAD), and arrived in Šiauliai at approximately 8:25 am. I stopped off in Šiauliai because I read about …
Departing Tallinn at 6:00 am by bus ($7 CAD), I arrived in Riga at 10:20 am. The total duration was 4.5 hours. I stayed at the Rixwell Gertrude Hotel ($69 CAD) for two nights, which was amazing, and really close to the city center. Riga is another city with no skyscrapers, and very fairy tale …
The really cool thing about Helsinki is that it is so close to Tallinn, Estonia. Departing Helsinki at 3:30 pm by ferry, I arrived in Tallinn, at 5:45 pm (2.5 hours), and paid 19€ for the ferry down. In Tallinn, I stayed 2 nights at the Economy Hotel ($70 CAD) which was a 20 minute …
Arriving by air, I took a bus from Helsinki Airport to the Helsinki Train Station. The trip took close to an hour, but it was really neat to see all of the little towns going towards the city center. I only had time to stay 1 night/day in Helsinki, but hope to return when I …
Arriving in Venice by boat was a dream come true. I took a ferry from Rovinj, Croatia (Ulica Giordana Paliage Rovinj) to Venice, Italy (Terminal Passegeri San Basilio, Stazione marittima, Venezia) at 7:00 am. It took about 3.5 hours, and was 65€. Arriving by boat was so much different than the mini taxi-boats that ‘regular’ …
Katarina Island: 100 meters away from the town center, and very easy to reach by taxi-boats that leave every hour from the little pier (harbour Delfin). On the island there are beaches, flowery parks, olive trees, and paths. Food: It’s so easy to find a nice and affordable place to eat here. I went to …
Ruling Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula, Pula is definitely the biggest “city” to grace the north as it glistens beside the Adriatic Sea. The city was developed during Augustan times, and a breathtaking amphitheater (the most complete Roman Colosseum in the world), temples, and a collection of different arches have survived for more than 2,000 years. It …
Only 20 minutes away from Rijeka is Opatija Riveria. One of Europe’s best kept secrets as it is really only locals from Central Europe. If you want to meet locals, and stay away from tourists, this is the place to go. Experiencing the big beach towns such as Nice, and San Marino are far from …
After a wonderful time in Slovenia, I traveled south towards Croatia. Rather than doing the tourist hot spots of Dubrovnik, and Hvar, I opted for Northern Croatia – an area that is pretty much undiscovered. My first stop was Rijeka. I’ve always wanted to go to Rijeka because my grandfather, and dad were both stationed …
In some countries, it’s a lot easier to book accomodation in bigger cities than trying to find small bed and breakfasts in local towns. Slovenia is one. Since I wanted to visit Lake Bled, I knew I would have a hard time finding a hotel or hostel at a reasonable rate in the summer (busiest …
