Dates around Europe

Euro-one for me, babe!

In our next installment of “Let’s Play Catch Up,” we bring you selfies of us on dates around Europe. We’ve recapped our life in China and gave you a teaser about this big Europe trip. Here’s another reminder why we were so pumped about this trip. As mentioned before, from China, we landed in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Our time there was regrettably short and we spent half of it asleep – we were jet-lagged and thought we were taking a nap when we got to our Airbnb but ended up sleeping straight through until morning. This is us at a coffee shop on our way from the train station on the first of our dates around Europe. This is the first place we spent some Euros on this seemingly endless backpacking trip.

Our Osprey-ers were answered

Before we left China for this trip, we knew we wanted lightweight but sturdy packs. As we migrate toward a digitally nomadic lifestyle (or is it nomadically digital?) we each carry one backpack for our laptops, charging cords, notebooks and other things we need for work. We wanted, needed, prayed and preyed for a second backpack for our toiletries and clothes. Kim worked her magic, researching and discovered Osprey. 

We wanted a carry-on pack we could stash in the overhead compartment of planes, trains and chicken buses. We knew 40 liters was the maximum size so she went online and easily snatched up my Farpoint 40 and her Fairview 40.  They’re amazing! We love them so much, they’re part of the reason we decided to become Amazon affiliates, meaning that we earn a little commission if our readers use our links to make qualifying purchases.

Unlike traditional backpacks with only top access, our Ospreys zip completely open like a suitcase. If we need a specific pair of socks, we can unziiiip and find them. Where did I cram that long sleeve T-shirt for the plane? I can easily check the bottom of the Osprey without hauling everything out of it. 

The  shoulder and waist straps are comfortably padded, making my slight overpacking more bearable. There’s a convertible shoulder strap option too, if we want a side piece. A side piece referring to luggage, that is. Remember, we were busy having dates around Europe! Words alone don’t do these magnificent bags justice so stay tuned for our video review. You can see them in living color and action! If you want to do a little research and shopping, check out the Farpoint here and the Fairview here.

Sunny sauerkraut days in Brno

Blessed with plenty of sunshine and a long distance from our hotel to town, we had a lot of fun exploring Brno, Czech Republic. Our timing was perfect for a Czech food festival where we discovered our love of pickled vegetables.

Quiet days in Vienna

Next was Vienna, Austria, where we spent a few days wandering and wondering where everyone was. Turns out it was a holiday so the streets were empty and many of the tourist markets were closed. At least it was nice and quiet! We did find a little restaurant to have a quick drink and snack with a side of side-eye.

Brave in Budapest

I’m not a fan of heights but something about this Ferris wheel spoke to me so we hopped on it and took a couple spins. Despite the look on my face, I did have a halfway decent time. The view of the city was spectacular. Then we wandered  around the city for a couple days before finding our way to the train station to move onto the next country, Croatia.

Split was It for seafood

We don’t agree on many things, ever, but we do see eye-to-eye about Split, Croatia, and the amazing seafood we had there. We’ve lived in and visited quite a few coastal countries but hands-down, Split served up the best tuna steak and squid we’ve ever had. We ventured out almost every night for the freshest and best seafood of our lives. So far. (Challenge accepted to keep trying new places though!)

Besos en Barcelona

Full disclosure here, Barcelona (and Spain in general) did not live up to our expectations. Spanish is our second most comfortable language (and English is also a struggle at times) so we thought Spain would be facil (easy) and fun to navigate. Two of the best things about Spain are the kiss to the left and the Arc de Triomf to the right.

From disappointment to delight

We decided to skip over to Greece for some more dates around Europe, landing in Thessaloniki. We did what we do best and wandered, stumbling upon a restaurant called “Punk Fish” and its owner-turned-our-Greek-brother Kiriakos. While we didn’t eat at his restaurant, we did enjoy a beverage or two and got to know each other. And we still keep in contact to this day! Kiriakos, if you’re reading this, drop a comment and say Γειά σου!

We loved Greece so much, it gets multiple paragraphs. After Thessaloniki we flew to Crete, where we started off in Hersonissos. A little more rural than we thought, Hersonissos certainly enabled us to get our steps in. Our inn had a great pool and the owner was so welcoming in and friendly; she alone would be a reason to return there. Thanks Eva! The best thing about this place was the rooftop and the view. 

We hopped on a bus, headed west to Rethymno and fell in love with so many things: the people, the environment, all  the seafood, each other… the list is as long as the time we’d like to spend there. (That’s a long time, trust me.) We biked, we walked, we explored a castle and hiked and spent time on the beach. It was glorious. 

Cargo hold? Try cargo HOLE

One of the less-than-fun experiences on Crete involved the airline’s handling of our new, beloved Ospreys. We planeside-checked them due to the size of our island-hopper plane. When I pulled her off the baggage carousel I was disappointed to see a hole ripped through the durable 450D recycled twist dobby polyester – which means this fabric is RUGGED! I feel as though another bag in the cargo hold must’ve pulled a shiv on my sweet, innocent Osprey.  Luckily we found a local seamstress on Crete who was able to lovingly sew a patch onto what would become her namesake. My Osprey has been renamed “Sophia.”

We spent a lot of time just walking around the Old Town, which a lot of European cities have. From what we’ve seen, the Old Towns are similar in their layout and location. Usually contained within the ancient, crumbling walls of an old castle or fort, the Old Town has shops, restaurants, fountains and historical markers inside.

I found this beautiful woman in Rethymno’s Old Town.

All Greeced up and no place to go 

Eventually, sadly, we had to leave Crete. From Greece we decided to go to Turkey because we thought it might be slightly Grecian and we couldn’t get enough of the hospitality, food and culture. In some aspects, we were right! Greece and Turkey share some similar cuisine and city structures. We found the people and their attitudes toward foreigners, women and foreign women – double whammy there – were a little different. Know what else Kim found in Turkey? An AirBnB boat! 

Know what else we found in Turkey, completely by accident and near the boat? We were having one of our dates around Europe and we saw dolphins!

Finally, guess one more thing we found in Turkey. This one was near the boat too, but also in restaurants, the places we stayed AND where we currently work. Drop a comment if you think you know what it is.

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