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Day 77 – 79: Budapest (Hungary)
Within less than 20 minutes on the highway (after leaving Bratislava), the Slovakia/Hungary border quietly slipped under us. Soon after we noticed signs for the town of Gyor and decided to stop. Armed with a map and recommended sights (from the Tourism Info Office), we made our way through town. Most remarkable and beautiful was the new City Hall, an elaborate 19th century building.
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Day 74 – 76: Bratislava, Myjava, Trenčín (Slovakia)
We arrived in Bratislava (Slovakia’s capital), in the evening around 6pm and settled into our hotel. Thunderstorms deterred us from marching into the old town so we enjoyed a few hours of Slovak television comprised of Knight Rider re-runs and music videos (kind of like what MTV used to be back in the day). Our hotel was located in the communist section of town which meant all buildings (including ours), were über-plain and lacked even the slightest notion of architectural imagination.
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Day 72 – 74: Vienna, Melk, Dürnstein & Krems (Austria)
The back country road connecting the Czech Republic to Austria seamlessly brought us across the border (into Austria). What was once an actual frontier checkpoint is now nothing but a desolate crossing where you simply slow down before hitting 60mph on Austria’s departmental roads. A circular blue sign speckled with the European Union’s yellow stars greeted us by saying Österreich (Austria in German – the country’s official language).
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Day 71 – 72: Karlštejn, Kutná Hora and Český Krumlov (Czech Rep.)
With 4 days at our disposal in the Czech Republic we researched a few day trip options and there were plenty. We narrowed down our list to the Karlštejn Castle and the medieval towns of Kutná Hora and Český Krumlov. Karlštejn Castle was about a 30 minute drive southwest of Prague. The road took us through a picturesque countryside with fruit trees lining both sides of the road – apple, pear and plum.
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Day 69 – 70: Prague (Czech Rep.)
We arrived in Prague in the early evening and decided to get a little familiar with the old city. We figured wandering around would give us great exposure and prep us for the next day. Prague dates back to the 10th century and over the years became one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Most notably it served as the capital of the Bohemian Kingdom and the Roman Empire and today it’s the Czech capital (and home to 1.25 million inhabitants).
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Day 67 – 68: Nurnberg (Germany) & Plzen (Czech Rep.)
To kick off our tour of Eastern Europe, we decided to drive to the Czech Republic via Germany. Nurnberg would be our mid-way point and stop for the night. We arrived in the industrial German city by 7pm and decided to grab dinner in the old town which is surrounded by an impressive fortified wall.
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Day 63 – 65: Barolo and Barbaresco (Italy)
Ah Italia.. a trip to Europe just wouldn’t be the same without a stopover in Italy. Initially we didn’t plan for Italy for our trip but when Brigitte’s dad and Samira suggested we visit Barolo for 3 days, we accepted with exuberance. They wanted to show us the area they fell in love with over 10 years ago, and also celebrate James’ birthday in the heart of North Italy’s wine country.
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Day 58 – 60: Ripaille, Yvoire, Geneva and Annecy (France/Switzerland)
The last time we were in Evian we wanted to see Chateau Ripaille (a lovely 14th century castle located in the nearby town of Thonon surrounded by vineyards), but unfortunately we didn’t. This time around we got to tour the chateau which belonged to the Duchy of Savoy (the rulers of this area from the 15th to the 19th century). The Savoyards flexed their muscles throughout northern Italy as well as parts of Switzerland and France – they seemed to enjoy castle life, wine culture and torturing enemies.
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Day 56 – 57: Les Lindarets, Chateau Chillon & Gruyères (France/Switzerland)
Back in Evian after nearly 7 weeks on the road. We’re planning to spend a couple of weeks in this area which means we’ll be doing a few day trips in France and Switzerland. This area is beautiful beyond description and we’re lucky to have James and Samira to shack up with and enjoy fine meals.
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Day 53 – 54: Zurich (Switzerland)
We decided to stop in Zurich for a couple of nights and see my childhood best friend (Adi), who lives there with his wife and their son. Zurich is Switzerland’s largest city and sits at the end of the beautiful Zurichsee or Lake Zurich. It’s located in the German speaking region of the country (with Zurich German being the main language).