12 Lessons on the Road in the Balkans

1) Looking at unexpected places

While bouncing around ideas for places to visit, Ravi and I decided to look into destinations a little less traditional for a couple of North American dudes to visit. From a shortlist of primarily Eastern and Central European cities, we chose Trieste and Ljubljana. 

2) It ain't easy to get to Trieste

It is not easy to make this trip from the Dorf on a budget. I flew to Milan from Dusseldorf-Weeze Airport on Ryan-Air. In the Ryan-Air airport definition book, this means Weeze is nowhere near Dusseldorf, unless spending over an hour on a train and bus is considered close.

3) Bergamo is not Milan

Ryanair needs to do something about how it addresses its destinations, because Bergamo is not Milan. It is Bergamo. Weeze is not Dusseldorf. This isn't the first time I've fallen for this trick. Every time I fly with these jerks I promise not to do it again, until the next trip when I fall for the same thing again. 

4) Bergamo, briefly

Bergamo seems pretty with its beautiful old town up on a hill. It looks pretty from a distance, because with only an hour to wait for my train I couldn’t reach it and had to settle with an assessment from a distance.

5) Brescia. College or town?

All I knew about Brescia was that a women’s college at my alma later was named after it. I had less than an hour to see the city before my connecting train arrived, so now all I know about Brescia is that there is nothing within walking distance of its train station and it has a women's college at my alma mater named after it.

6) Trieste doesn't feel like Italy

If you’re thinking about a trip to Europe (that’s if you’re not already living in Europe) and you’ve already crossed the giants (London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin,  Rome, et al.) then I recommend a stopover in Trieste.

It's no resort town and it's definitely not a glamorous place. It is a working-class town, built around a port, which gives it a more grounded feeling than Venice, let's say. It's also affordable compared to the more touristic Italian cities and, aside from the good coffee, Italian shouts in traffic, and the gelato, it feels more Austro-Hungarian than Italian.

7) The most complicated way to flee Italy is often the best

Our trip into Slovenia involved a funicular train to Villa Opicina. Then a one-hour wait for our next train, so we went to a bar that, to our surprise, was holding a basketball tournament in the backyard. 

Figuring we could watch a game before our train, we settled in and waited for them to finish the warm up. But they kept on warming up. One team almost seemed ready to play, but then a teammate brought some beers over to them. 

We never found out what was happening, we boarded our train and went five minutes to Sezana, just across the Slovenia border. No train was running, because nothing stays on the plan on a trip into the East, so we hopped on a replacement bus to Ljubljana.

8) When in Ljubljana...

What's the first thing on the to do list when you arrive to the Ljub? Wandering the old town in the centre? Climbing Castle Hill? Drinks by the river? How about its squatter city? Yep, we spent a night out in Metelkova City, an army barracks which was abandoned and taken over by squatters.

It has some art galleries, graffiti on every available surface, a few bars, and a club with really, really good music that wouldn't admit us because we're guys and it was a lesbian bar. All in all, pretty cool.

Stealth photo in Metelkova City.

9) Ljubljana by Canoe

Let's say you're anywhere in the world other than Ljubljana and you're going to rent a canoe. You'll have to leave a deposit, or provide your credit card number, or give them an organ before you can go on your way. Right?

Not in the Ljub. All you need is a handshake and 20€ to rent a canoe and see the city from the river for a couple of hours. Highly recommended.

Under the glass bridge.

The Ljub!

10) Bringing a Vegetarian to the East

The toil of a vegetarian in Central Europe can be a hard, lonely one. On our first night in the Ljub, we grabbed a table at a traditional looking Slovenian tavern. We looked at the menu of meat stews, grilled meat, and sausage. Ravi looked up from the menu and said, "Maybe we should just get a drink here and get Italian."


11) Rome in Pula

Those Romans built some solid stuff. The roads the traveled on, temples they worshipped in, and the buildings where they sought entertainment were all built to last. Mostlyyou're left with carefully maintained ruins, but it's also refreshing to see Pula's Colosseum still in use to this day.

The centre of attention is different,
but the Pula Colosseum is still used for the same thing

12) Croatia is Cool

An evening dip at Pula.

Guide To Budapest

I wrote some notes that turned into a visitor's guide before going for a brief vacation in Budapest. As usual, I was the lazy blogger and didn't finish before I left, so here it is, after the fact.

Doing Stuff in BP

Gellert Hill

Gellert Hill is one of the best places in the city and walking to its summit is awesome. It's a long, hard walk up the hill – it's a harder run, but that's another story – yet the view is absolutely worth it. Bring a bottle of something and begin your walk just before dusk to watch the city light up as the sun sets.

Gellert Hegy.

The Baths of Budapest

I'm all for lazy days, but my traditional idea of a lazy day made me feel guilty: watching an entire season of some television show, ordering takeout, and wondering if sweatpants is appropriate for picking up my Korean takeout.

On the other hand, Hungarians know how to handle a lazy day: Head to the baths. You get out of the house, put on your bathing suit, and laze comfortably in the thermal mineral water.

My pick: Szechenyi. It has a sunny main bath in the middle of its courtyard and a bevy of smaller mineral pools. It was the first bath I visited on my first New Year's Eve and it's the one I soaked in this weekend.

Just go for a walk

Be your own Hop-On-Hop-Off Tour and walk around the town. It's a big city, so I wouldn't recommend this if you're trying to get somewhere in a hurry, but otherwise Budapest is made for the Discovery Walker. There are surprises down every side street and I would recommend this for the architecture alone.

Side streets of Budapest.

Drinking in BP

For starters

The beer in Hungary is good, but Hungary is a great wine country. On offer are great dry whites and full-bodied reds. I appreciate this more now that I've moved to beer-chugging Germany.

And, of course there is the palinka. Drink one to try it and see what it's all about. Drink a few more for better stories, and rougher mornings.

Wine Tips

I'm no wine connoisseur, but after almost two years in Hungary, I learned a few things. If you're in the mood for a red, reach for the Bikaver, which translates to Bull's Blood. It's a full red from Eger with a badass story about its name.


As for whites, if you like dry stuff then you're in the right country. Kata and I spent some time crawling from one winery to another in Badacsony on Lake Balaton. I recommend almost any white from there.

Oh! Fröccs! Let's say you meet a few friends on a terrace or patio for some day drinking, then the fröccs is your friend. Wine and sparkling water is refreshing, light, and will keep hydrated, unless you throw palinka into the mix.

Ruin Bars

My tenure in Budapest happened to include many visitsto pubs in the courtyards of old apartment blocks. There are more than I can keep track of, so you can probably find nice, random drinking holes by simply wandering the Jewish Quarter. 

You should at least have an afternoon drink in Szimpla to take in its glorious squalor and its weekend farmers market – while avoiding the multiple UK bachelor parties bar crawls that pass through at night. For an evening ruin pub experience, try an evening at one of my favourites: Fogashaz.

Fogashaz! In all its Tueday afternoon glory.

Haunts in My Old Hood

During the winter, Csendes is an unassuming, yet cool, bar with cheap drinks and walls covered with knick-knacks and what-nots. During the summer, they put out tables and chairs beside Karoly Kert, where you can munch on breads with yummy spreads and sip coffee and/or fröccs. Go there, sit on a quiet street under the shade of the trees and sip a beverage.

It took months for me to get around to hitting my friendly, neighbourhood rooftop patio: Tip Top Bar. I confess, I was far too focused on the breakfast bagels from their ground floor walk-up bar. I was also intimidated by their complete lack of signage out front, which means it's a cool place, I suppose

Down by the River

When in doubt, grab a friend and bottle, and drink by the Danube River.

RIP Kertem 

Budapest is changing fast, and in its haste to update itself, the city is eliminating some of the things that make Budapest beautiful. Calling Kertem a bar isn't quite accurate. It's more like a garden or backyard where you hang out with live music, a bar, and a grill. 

This is its last summer before it closes forever and construction on museums begin. Get there for a drink before the Kertem era is over.

Eating in BP

Primer on eating like a Hungarian

Yes, you're going to eat goulash. It's going to be good. But remember that goulash tastes great because of the paprika, which is liberally added to many Hungarian dishes. When you tire of the goulash, try the pokolt, lecso, or the fish soup – definitely the fish soup.

Do you like cabbage? Well you should, because it's delicious, healthy, and smells great. So try the stuffed cabbage.

While you're eating your goulash and cabbage, remember there is more to Hungarian food than the traditional Hungarian foods. Go beyond the traditional fare. 

I firmly believe Budapest is a fantastic burger city and W35 has the best burgers in the city. There, I said it. 

New, cool restaurants are opening every weekend. There are even vegetarian places. What I'm trying to say is eat the goulash, but think (and eat) beyond the goulash and try something else out.

Eat like Marshall in a Strange Place

If you want brunch, or a nice dinner, go to Jelen. It's a true 7th district dining experience. You sit at a sidewalk patio, enjoy your Eggs Benny, and watch the sketchiness at the sketchy internet cafe across the street.

On the Buda side of the river, Majorka has a great tree-covered patio (well, they call them terraces in Europe) and some great grilled foods on offer.

Someone is going to say something about Raday utca, which is lined with restuarants. If you venture that way, go to Puder. It's great food, verging on gourmet, but the prices don't verge on gourmet.

A girl and her burger at W35

One more thing

Everyone's Budapest experience is different. Some love the city. Some don't, which is sad but it happens.

My experience was unique. No one knows what happens when they leap at a job in a strange, new city they know nothing about. The stuff I have just listed are my favourites, and is a product of my unique experience with the city. It is by no means the final say on what's good in Budapest.

Budapest's greatness doesn't come from its bars, parks, restaurants, or baths. It comes from its people, who are constantly opening new bars, parks, restaurants, or baths – or making the existing one's better. So, trust the people, and take this list as a guidelines and ask the locals for advice, they might grumble about their city, but they are proud of it.