Bewitched by Budapest

My list of favorite cities has shifted to make room for Budapest. I loved the confluence of cultures that exude mystery and dark secrets, but also puts a brave face on centuries of turmoil and takeovers. It’s like Istanbul married Vienna and they had an only child.

We arrived here by train from Prague. At the station we met a gaggle of 60 somethings who unfortunately fit the American tourist stereotype. They were over-packed, over-bearing and definitely over-shared. They were on a two week Vienna/Prague/Budapest trip and could tell us ANYTHING we needed to know about those cities - especially all about the weird food, the heat, the stairs, the lack of air conditioning, the prices, and a serious lack of people who spoke decent English. Of course that was after we learned everyone’s relationship to the others in the group - who's sister-in-law shouldn’t put up with her husband one more minute, who’d been neighbors for thirty years, etc. … you get the picture. This all happened in less than twenty minutes! Finally we made a break for it before and found a spot much further down the platform.

The American Tourist is alive and well in Europe.

And there the pendulum swung in the other direction and we met Stephanie Danforth - also American. She was well-traveled without being boastful, friendly without immediately sharing her life story, curious about the world, confident and didn’t shy away from things that were different. And of course, she was very well put together.

We learned she had traveled extensively in Africa and South East Asia. She had been on her way to Nepal when we met her, but the earthquake there made for a change of plans and she was heading to Budapest for a week with an eye towards re-visiting Morocco. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard and is an accomplished artist. Through sales of here paintings she supports a school in Sambaru, a tribal community in northwest Kenya. You will love her paintings! Here’s a link to a recent article: http://www.eisenhauergallery.com/download/danforth.pdf.e7cc34984dbe3de2ef07bab2967b9857

Enjoying one of the worst meals of our trip with one of the best friends we've made.

The train journey took seven long, hot hours and the train itself had seen better days, but the passing scenery was interesting and we were both deep into our books. Our cabin was fairly comfortable until it filled to capacity with six passengers and their luggage. We brought our lunch and enjoyed a cramped picnic. One seat mate also brought his lunch, although I wish he hadn’t. His was a plastic container of pickled cabbage and sausage to be savored slowly with a liter of warm beer. Sadly, the windows didn’t open. I bolted to find Stephanie (carefully avoiding the other Americans). She was in the car ahead of us with just one seat mate so it was to my advantage to spend time getting to know her better.

Our cabin mate on the train to Budapest.

So, beyond truly enjoying our stay in Budapest we came away with a new friend. Well, actually I made two new friends, if you count Misha the cat that lived next door to our apartment. Once again our Airbnb location was prime real estate. The apartment building was built in 1737 and our apartment was still owned by the family that lived there for over 200 years. Here's the link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1126755

The front door to our Airbnb and my new friend Misha.

We were on a quiet street just two blocks from the Danube River, and one block from the mile-long pedestrian street that bisects the city. The fairy castle Parliament building was at one end, and the famous Market Hall sat at our end - but you had to run a gauntlet of restaurant hawkers and tourist traps in between.

The entrance to the Parliament Building.

Inside the massive Market Hall just two blocks from our apartment. Heaven!

For the first time we took three free walking tours in one city! And they were all excellent. I know I’ve said this before, but wherever you travel if a walking tour is available, take it. Our first tour was an overview of the city and it’s history. There was a lot to pack in and it took over three hours! Our guide, Andrew was really good and he would be guiding the Jewish Budapest tour a few days later so we booked that. In-between we took the Communist Budapest tour, and that was fascinating, too.

A moving memorial to the Jews shot at the bank of the Danube.

Michael took a tour of the Parliament building and he also trekked to a park filled with discarded statues and monuments from the Soviet era. To top it off, we spend a rainy afternoon at the House of Terror, a memorial to the victims of the dictatorial regimes in 20th-century Hungary who detained, interrogated, tortured or killed thousands of citizens in the building.

Just one of the many Communist era statues in Memento Park.

Dear Comrade Lenin, I'd like a new Porsche for Christmas,  please!Oh wait. There is no Christmas!

It was very hot during our stay and we were fortunate that our apartment faced a shady courtyard. So while Michael was boning-up on Hungarian history, I spent some quality time with the cat in the garden, scoured the food hall from top to bottom, and did some shoe shopping! It’s been a long time since I’ve done that, but after 700 days two of my three pairs were ready for retirement.

It was hard to leave this handsome, green-eyed lover. I mean cat.

During our first walking tour we explored a part of the city filled with what are known as “Ruin Bars”. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many apartment buildings were abandoned and became derelict. About a dozen years ago, some young entrepreneurs began to use the large spaces as impromptu bars and clubs - and a culture was born. You could not recreate one of these with any of the authenticity that comes from scavenging for the furniture, bar ware, and found art. Most Ruin Bars covered multiple floor of an apartment building with an open courtyard. Many had different themes on each level with their own music and intimate spaces. One bar we visited held 400 people at any one time, and often 4,000 people would cycle in and out until the wee hours of the morning. Some also offered hostel rooms on the upper floors. Good idea. Here's a link to the best Ruin bars as of 2014: http://welovebudapest.com/clubs.and.nightlife.1/the.best.ruin.pubs.in.budapest.2014.edition

The IKEA of Ruins Bars. This was on the bi-annual junk collection day.

Oddly, these bars were really clean! It only looked like you'd stick to the chairs.

Michael checking out one of the upper floors of the Szimpla Kert Ruin bar.

Patrons are encouraged to add their own personal touches to the decor.

Budapest is known for elaborate bath houses and pools where locals and tourists alike while away a few hours soaking in mineral rich waters. The famous Gellet Spa was just across the bridge from our Airbnb. The labyrinth of elaborately tiled hallways led from one pool to another. Each one offered dips in a range of temperatures, the hottest ones followed by nearby cold showers and then a stint in  the steam room. Once inside, I couldn't see Michael across the room - but something about this heavy, hot fog saps you of the energy you might spend thinking about much of anything other than the relief that toxins are pouring out of your body like rats leaving the ship.

One of the few times it is okay to be in hot water!

The outdoor pool was a great escape from a hot afternoon.

On our last Sunday, we attended service at a Calvinist church that was hosting a 160 member choir from Holland called “Holland Zings”. It was one of those great Senior Nomad moments that come from living like locals. We saw the flyer posted on the door of the church during a walk, and the experience was a five star experience. The service was in Dutch as well as Hungarian - a priest from each country presided. The average age of the group looked to be fifty plus. The group loves to travel together and perform abroad once a year.

Inspiring choral singing in a simple setting made for a perfect Sunday morning.

The soloist was a talented younger woman with a soaring voice that suited the acoustics of this simple, elegant setting in a 150 year old church. Most of the songs performed were in Dutch, but a few were in Hungarian, Latin and English. As a finale the choir sang both the Dutch and Hungarian national anthems. It was very moving.

Farewell from the land of goulash and paprika. Lots of paprika!

Our next journey takes us to Belgrade in Serbia. We're looking forward to learning more about about that much-maligned country first-hand. 

Thanks for following along!

Debbie and Michael
The Senior Nomads

Prague? Czech.

A great shot for the Czech Lonely Planet Guide blog taken by our new friend Bara.

We left Austria in the rain and arrived in the Czech Republic in the rain. The downpour seemed more ominous there - maybe because our destination of Brno (pronounced Bruno) is a gritty city with a dark history. Why, you ask, would the Nomads visit a city with a name that sounds like the moniker of a pit bull? It has to do with the Lord. Our quest to meet the organizers of The Late Night of Churches throughout Europe resulted in this short side trip on our way to Prague. The event, held in 1,500 churches all across the Czech republic is organized from here. If you read the blog I wrote from  Salzburg last week you'll know more about this event. That meeting is the only reason, and will remain the only reason for this stop. However, as consolation, we were able catch the Eurovision 2015 Finals on TV live from Austria (but that's it's own story).

A damaged photo mural in Brno summarizes the state of the city.

This country has a history of conflict that goes back hundreds of years, including the last century where the Balkan wars, a Nazi occupation and 45 years under Soviet rule brought them to ground zero. Many Czech cities other than Prague, with it's tourist draw and subsequent income are still dealing with outdated infrastructure, dilapidated buildings and a struggling economy. Brno is no exception. When we emerged from the dark underbelly of the train station we met our host Daniel who drove us to his apartment. The drive took us much further from from the center than we expected and ended in a neighborhood crammed with bleak concrete housing blocks. Welcome home! Here's the link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1712691

Brno is a "a study in gray." This was taken next to our front door.

The view from our apartment looking towards abandoned buildings

As it turned out, we weren't that far from the center if you don't mind a 20 minute walk through blighted neighborhoods. Once we reached the main square things looked up a bit. We scoured the tourist office for things to do during our four days here and found a concert by The Ranger's - a popular Czech folk rock group from the 60's! It turned out to be a fun evening and even though we didn't know the words, it was still "groovy". And we got to go "back stage".

We spent a fun evening with these old Rockers.

The information at the Museum of Roma Culture was eye-opening

 Around the corner from our Airbnb we found the Museum of Roma Culture. Not something we would normally sought out, but our afternoon there was moving and very insightful. We had a private tour with a very knowledgeable young man who walked us through the history and current plight of the Roma people. Throughout Europe Roma (or Gypsies) are blamed for most anything crime related, especially pick-pocketing. You find them begging on the streets usually holding babies, and small children dart everywhere trying to sell packs of tissues - and of course they do commit petty crime. It breaks your heart and makes you angry at the same time that these people have been reduced to such a sad state. Unfortunately, they been persecuted for hundreds of years and have lost hope. Efforts to assimilate them seemed half-hearted, and it doesn't look like the children will be all cleaned up and sent to school any time soon. Our takeaway from the guide at the museum was these people have a rich culture and heritage, that they are no longer connected to and have been relegated to the margins of all the European cities where they live. There are organizations that are trying to help but progress is slow.

In most every major city we've visited there have been Roma on the streets.

Our meeting with the Late Night of Churches organizers was the other highlight. We must have spent two hours in the offices of the Catholic Diocese near the imposing Cathedral discussing the event, the state of the Catholic church and life in the Czech Republic. Afterwards we had lunch with our hosts in a convent where the food is prepared and served by a rotating coterie of nuns from around the world. They arrive with their recipes and blend them into the menu as part of their mission to nurture the community through food.

A meeting of the minds between Michael and Zlata at the offices of the Brno Dioceses.

A large and stunning painting of the Good Samaritan at the convent.

We were ready to leave Brno behind and looked forward to a week in Prague. The last time we were there was in 1990. The Berlin wall fell in 1989, but Czechoslovakia had already had a peek from behind the Iron Curtain and had seen the bright lights of freedom. I remember the young tour guide that walked us around the city - he was still twitchy about openly sharing information. Fast forward to last week when we took a kitchy walking tour full of outlandish stories that could have gotten our lively guide arrested and tortured just 25 short years ago!

Amusing baby Alfred while waiting for dinner.

Our Prague Airbnb adventure was one for the record books. In a good way. Our hosts Hana and Lukas own this apartment and live there with their two small children, Lola 4 and baby Alfred, 9 months. They were heading to Grandma's house in the country while we took over their home, but they were intrigued by our story so they invited us to join them for dinner before they left. That's a first! Hana made a delicious goulash. Here's the link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5718458

Goodbye Host family! See you in a week.

We enjoyed a good visit and played with the kids while she cooked. As the evening progressed it got a bit chaotic, as it does with small children nearing their bedtime, and while it was odd to shoo residents out their own front door with a promise to do the dishes! We were happy to finally collapse after a long travel day. The apartment was great, and once again the Nomads scored a great location:  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5718458.

A happy group setting up for some rousing folk dancing under rainy skies.

A less than subtle call for tips on the world famous Charles Bridge.

It was a quick 10 minute bus ride from our front door to old town and the center of Prague. From there, we enjoyed large market squares where you could down a fat sausage and a frosty beer, jostle your way across the Charles Bridge, watch the amazing astronomical clock do it's hourly thing, and breath in the pungent aroma of horse droppings from hundreds of carriages.

Our best day out took in a free three hour walking tour with our most exuberant guide yet - Sarah, a fiery red head from the states. Prague is a city with a complex history, a lot of it brutal, and Sarah used some mean kick-boxing moves to illustrate some of the many battle scenes that took place here. Somehow the city has come through intact, and there is a sense of pride that you can feel in its citizens.

Sara and her puppet. She was an excellent tour guide.

The New York Times article about our travels has peaked the interest of our potential hosts as we inquire about renting their homes (we now include the link on our profile) http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/26/garden/retirement-plan-an-airbnb-travel-adventure.html When we book a property, we often hear back from hosts we sadly declined hoping they can still meet us for coffee to hear about our adventures. This interaction has opened new opportunities to meet people living in the cities we visit and we love it!

Bara and her mother and sister. We had a great time together.

In Prague we met with Bara, a host who couldn't take our booking but wanted to interview us for a blog she writes for the Czech language Lonely Planet blog. It also turned out she and her mother and sister would be exploring the Late Night of Churches so we met them for a drink and then enjoyed a wonderful evening wandering the city together and got to witness the event through their eyes. The perfect end to our stay. Here's a link to the story she wrote: We haven't translated it yet, but if you speak Czech let us know if she got the facts straight! http://www.lonelyplanet.cz/prispevky/kocovnici-s-check-in-zavazadlem

Could this be Mona Lisa II? Portraiture on the Charles Bridge.

Our next adventures takes us to Budapest! See you there.

Debbie and Michael
The Senior Nomads

Some Notes on Salzburg

If Mozart had written the soundtrack to the Sound of Music, the Austrian city of Salzburg would be double in size just to accommodate the souvenir shops, tour buses, themed restaurants, umbrella wielding tour guides, throngs of tourists, street performers, and costume shops (yes, you can dress like a composer or a Von Trapp).

Mozart meets the Sound of Music!

As it is, Salzburg's two main tourist attractions are separated by a couple of hundred years, so there is plenty of room for both to be exploited. My favorite Mozart moment was the sign outside an Italian restaurant that stated "If Mozart was alive, he would definitely eat here". He would also love a certain brand of ice-cream, his namesake chocolates, and would probably pick up a few t-shirts. Not sure about the rubber ducks. As for the Sound of Music, one store banner read: "We have Apple Strudel, Mittens, Brown Paper Packages Wrapped in String, Sorry No Kittens". Love it.

I wonder if anybody buys these for how they taste as opposed to the packaging. Yuk!

If you don't need a rubber duck you can buy a squeezy stress ball Mozart.

If you put Amadeus aside for a moment and avoid the hawkers selling Sound of Music bus tours to the hills, which are apparently still very much alive with the above, you'll find a very charming city.

We traveled to Salzburg by train from Verona, Italy. We knew we were in for a solid seven hour journey so we had our Kindles loaded, two newspapers on deck, travel Scrabble close at hand and the snack bag filled to the top. 

Most of the time, however, we were glued to the windows! The journey to Salzburg trumped any Sound of Music Tour. Miles and miles of countryside filled with vineyards, quaint Tyrolean villages and glacier covered peaks whizzed by under sunny skies. Our ride on Austria's OBB line was smooth and efficient, and the train itself was modern and very comfortable (we had a compartment for 6 to ourselves). The complete opposite of our Italian train adventure the day before.

The view from our train window as we head toward the mountains.

We love European train travel. Sure it may take three hours longer to reach your destination by train instead of by plane, but once you factor in arriving at the airport two hours early to check in, suffer multiple security checkpoints, run the gauntlet of duty free shops and join the unhappy herd at the gate, it often ends up being a push. And it's so civilized.

There is so much to see and do at the train station you could spend a day there and not go anywhere!

Train stations in major cities are fascinating. They are vast and noisy, and filled with thousands of travelers from around the world merging under one big vaulted roof. The atmosphere pulses with sounds - trains chuffing into the station, announcements in multiple languages, whistles, and the soft click, click, click of the reader boards steadily updating arrivals and departures, and the steady hum of human voices. It can seem overwhelming as you join the fray, but it is worth it since you don't have to check your bags or chug your water before clearing security, and you can settle in your comfortable seat (and maybe even at your table) and enjoy the world passing by at eye level.  

Fresh off the train and ready for a mile walk to our Airbnb.

We arrived rested and ready in Salzburg. Our hosts were out of town so we needed to collect the keys for our Airbnb from the restaurant on the ground floor of our building. Either Eva or Abraham could help us. We were expecting a Kosher deli, but instead we found two late twenty-somethings with those Biblical monikers doing a brisk business in their very stylish Mexican Cantina called Cabreras http://www.diecabreras.com/  Eva could have been Gleneth Paltrow's younger sister! Abraham is Mexican, thus the theme and the delicious food.They fixed us up with keys, beer, dessert and the wifi code and let us into the apartment above the restaurant.

Abraham and Eva, owners of the Mexican restaurant right below our apartment.

This place was one of the most unique Airbnbs we've lived in yet. It was partially carved into the side of a cliff,  and looked out over the Salzach river that bisects the city. It was large and lovely and filled with old-world charm, a little dark perhaps, but it was basically a cave so that was to be expected. We loved it! Here's the link https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1207953

The bathroom ceiling carved from solid rock.

There were a couple of other small challenges. One, having 300 year old ceilings carved out of rock meant a light dusting of grit and small stones regularly drifted to the floor, the sink and the toilet seat in the bathroom (the dust buster next to the bathroom door should have been a clue).

Michael washing dishes in a sink the size of a salad bowl.

The kitchen was smaller than the galley we had aboard the sailboat in Le Grazie. There wasn't a washing machine and the wifi was spotty. We must been so taken with the idea of cave-dwelling, we failed to do our usually thorough job of carefully reviewing the photos and the amenities list.

Lucky numbers 8 and 9 at the Green&Clean.

Laundry had built up so Michael headed to a laundromat about a half hour walk away. It was closed (as in never opening again) so he asked for help finding another one at the Tourist Office. He was directed to one a further half hour away called Green&Clean. Now Mr. Campbell knows his way around a laundromat, so he was comfortable with the system where you pay at a terminal and then push buttons to activate the machines you will be using. He did however, need to buy some soap. The dispenser for that didn't really sell anything that said "soap" so he bought "washing additive" and hoped for the best. Later he learned from the owner that soap is added to your wash automatically and you are not to add any more - Probably part of the Green&Clean bio system that keeps people from putting unsavory chemicals into the environment. Fresh, clean laundry made it home and Michael made friends with a "laundrymate" who was a professional Italian violin player in town for a prestigious music festival. You never know who you'll meet on the road.

We actually enjoyed feeling right at home in Starbucks for couple of hours.

So a bit about the wifi. The Internet signal for our apartment had to travel through thick rock walls from the restaurant below and it didn't like that very much so the signal was weak. If Michael and I were traveling for a couple of weeks on vacation this would be annoying, but not a game changer. But in our case, reliable access to the internet is critical as we book future travel, take care of day-to-day business and stay in touch with family and friends. Then there is Michael's voracious news consumption and our desire to catch up on Downton Abbey and Newsroom. We always include wifi in our Airbnb search filters, but actually, looking back we didn't check that box when we booked this place. It didn't list wifi on the features list - so our fault. We limped along and found a Starbucks nearby for doing the most critical tasks. Lesson learned.

We had rain most of the week but it didn't stop us or any other tourists from having a great time!

Once we had our bearings we discovered no matter which direction you headed, within a few minutes walk you'd be experiencing one of the Top 10 Things to Do in Salzburg. And, if you dodged the tour groups you'd find free outdoor concerts, stands offering grilled sausage and frosty beer, fantastic churches and uncrowded squares and gardens. All under the watchful eye of the magnificent Hohensalzburg Fortress on the hill.

Despite the crowds there were plenty of restful corners of the city to enjoy

We had a little business to attend to in Salzburg as well. Michael has been interested in an event we discovered last May in Vienna called The Late Night of Churches. It is an annual event where churches open their doors to the public on a Friday night in May for a free evening of concerts, tours, entertainment and discussion. A sort of "Open House" concept to encourage people to visit churches without pressure. We found out this event takes place in other European cities as well, so as we travel we meet with the event directors when we can. In Salzburg that was Johannes Wiedecke. A strapping young man who organizes this, and another week long event for Salzburg's Catholic Dioceses. He is also talented opera singer and father to an 8 month old girl. We had a great lunch discussing a wide range of topics and learned more about how the event works. Someday, we may bring it to Seattle.

An example of what Late Night of Churches could look like. This was a youth event at the Cathedral.

Our hosts came back to town and we had an enjoyable lunch together. They are really interesting people - they own a small advertising agency and have three children, 16 and 17 year old sons, and a beautiful 10 year old daughter they adopted from Ethiopia. They had just returned from three weeks in Ethiopia where they shared the story of their daughter's adoption as a baby. All three kids are talented musicians (I think it's something in the water here) but the oldest boy, Ferdinand is an exceptional pianist. He is still in high school but he also studies at the Universitat Mozarteum, one of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world and nearly impossible to get in to.

Just one of dozens of concerts available for free at the Mozart Universitat

The students there perform concerts on campus on a daily basis and our hosts invited us to join them for one of their son's performances. They also told us that we'd find dozens of free concerts at the school where the talent is so rich you could be sitting in any concert hall in the world and barely tell the difference. They were right about that! We would have never known about this treasure trove of music without having met our hosts. Almost every time we've spent time with the person that owns the home we are renting we've come away with our best and most unique experiences in that city. And that's what makes Airbnb work.

Not only did we enjoy Ferdinand's performance along with two young girls playing violin and cello, we attended two fabulous opera concerts, and three more string performances all by students ranging from 16 to 25 from all over corners of the world.

A talent scout spotted in the audience.

However, one performance we attended that will not make the "amazing" list was the Salzburg Marionette Theatre's performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute. Puppets performing opera is not a good thing - we would have been better off on the Sound of Music Sing- A-Long tour bus. Another lesson learned.

Great interactive art in the city center. Kids and adults alike loved racing the balls down the stream.

Coming up next our visit to the Czech Republic with a stop in Brno to meet with the Czech Long Night of Churches directors and then on to to Prague. See you there!

Thanks for following along,

Debbie and Michael
The Senior Nomads

Welcome Aboard the Cinque Terre!

We left the island of Malta with the Cinque Terre in our sights - a special part of Italy that hugs the coastline between Pisa and Genoa and is known as the Italian Riviera. It is a protected national park, and while heavily trod upon by tourists, the region remains much as it was for over a thousand years.

Travel challenges within Europe often include strict weight policies and flying Air Malta was no exception. Their requirements caused us to re-jig our checked luggage to meet a very restrictive
20 kg limit (that's about 44 lbs). That also involved wearing our coats so we could stuff our pockets, and jamming our carry-on bags to their maximum capacity. That made our day packs so heavy they could  easily flip us on our backs with one false step - and made us comical at security. All this was to avoid the fees for overweight luggage which is about $20. per kilo. For reference we usually travel with 23 kg in our checked bags so we could have been out $120. In reality the same kilos were going to be on the plane anyway, so this was just one of the "almost" fun things we deal with as Nomads.

Still in love after just one of many bag packing episodes

Michael is our Chief Travel Planner. I am the Chief Meal Planner. Of course we both hold middle management positions as well, but these two roles are definitely set. As we approach a travel day I plan ahead for what we might eat during the journey. For this particular trip I topped up the snack bag (cookies, nuts, apples, and oranges) and planned on getting pastries and coffee at the airport. The wish list usually includes a Diet Coke for Michael, Gummie Bears for me, bottled water after security clearance and a current English newspaper.

No matter where we are, a newspaper makes a great travel day read.

And then the miracle happened. For the first time in a long time, an airline offered a nice sandwich, a cookie and a choice of soft drink for free! Thanks Air Malta - I felt like we just got bumped to Business Class! More often we are left perusing the laminated menus in the seat pockets that offer overpriced fare you wouldn't buy at a gas station - so this seemed quite civilized. I saved our snacks for dinner - although I could have done without the extra weight in my carry on if I'd known.

Another thing we've learned as Nomads is to embrace public transportation. With a little extra time and patience you can save a lot of money by taking the local bus, tram or underground. The ticket machines usually have a button for English and the process is intuitive.

We landed in Milan and took a city bus from the airport to the central station to catch our train to Parma. It was a clunky old lady of a train but she got us there! We did need a cab for the next leg to our apartment, and since we didn't have Italian SIM cards yet we asked our driver to call our Airbnb host to let her know we were getting close.

Unfortunately, she was stuck in traffic about an hour away. Our driver wasn't happy to leave us standing on the curb with our luggage in this particular part of town, but there was nothing to be done. I left Michael guarding our bags while I scouted the neighborhood for provisions. I found a great little shop run by a Pakistani family who apparently couldn't get enough of Americans. They are very proud of a brother who owns a Dairy Queen in Denver. They wanted to know ALL about Dairy Queen so I amused them with stories of Little League teams swarming the counters after their games, and admitted my husband bee-lined for a Blizzard whenever we passed a DQ - not that I mind a dip cone.

Nuns make heavenly gelato!

A perfectly formed gelato flower.

The second best find was a hole in the wall shop near the cathedral where the gelato was made and sold by nuns - each serving was carefully sculpted into a flower, and of course it was heavenly.

Our apartment was affordable and very comfortable for a two night pit stop. Laura, the owner is an outgoing and creative young women. She moves out when renters move in, so it was definitely one of those "staying at a friends flat" experiences. She left us with breakfast treats, fluffy towels and lots of tips on enjoying Parma. Here's the link to the apartment: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1014113

Cheese or new shoes? Cheese!

When in Parma one should buy cheese, ham and olive oil. After all, this is the food capital of Italy.
So of course I bought all of those things and piled them into my already groaning suitcase. The cheese alone weighed a hefty 2.5 lbs - but for  around $12 who could resist the real thing? And now that I was free from airline weight restrictions for the foreseeable future I could binge - but the price to to be paid was hauling a very heavy shopping bag from then on. We ate the ham but we've only made a dent in the cheese and good olive oil goes a long way (literally). I can feel them both lurking in my suitcase. Here's a link to a hilarious commercial for Parmesan cheese that could only be made in Italy:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXA15HWkfCc

After two days in Parma we set off by train to Le Spezia and then onwards to our final destination of Le Grazie for a week aboard the Serena IV. Here's the link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1136445 The thought of being aboard a sailboat again was almost too good to be true.We looked forward to just relaxing on board with books and games and naps in the sun. And that is just what we did. Except on the days that it rained, but that didn't alter the plan much - and being from Seattle we were right at home. It really did bring back fond memories of being rocked to sleep on our sailboat Butterscotch in Elliot Bay Marina.
 

The Serena IV. A Custom 42 foot sailboat build in Italy 33 years ago.

The boat was in moored in Le Grazie, a small harbor-side village tucked around the corner from the tourist mecca of Portovenere. And while it was just a ten minute bus ride away, it seemed like worlds apart.

The view back to Le Grazie after a long walk.

We stepped off the bus and were met by our host's father, Carlo. He was an affable ancient mariner who spoke limited English, but like all sailors, we became instant "buoni amici". Without any explanation of where we were going he grabbed our heavy roller bags and headed off at a good clip. We hurried to keep up as he walked briskly through town, through a parking lot and finally down an obscure path flanked by tall stone walls. It was lovely, but we were a little too anxious to appreciate the scenery. The path narrowed to a single lane with encroaching vines and we had yet to glimpse a marina! Finally, after about 15 minutes we popped into a clearing and below us sat a small, sheltered marina with a view back to the village. Perfect.

The marina where we would spend a blissful week on the Serena IV.

Once we got our cumbersome bags safely across the narrow, swaying gang plank we literally did a happy dance! Carlos gave us a walk-through and since most everything was familiar from our years on Butterscotch, he left us with confidence. This was truly a "pinch me" Senior Nomad moment.

One of our best Airbnb front doors yet!

Captain Campbell making up the forward V-berth.

Now that we had our bearings we reversed course and headed back into town with more appreciation for the beautiful walk. We found the essentials - the grocery store, the church and the pub. Most of the village hugs the harbor and there were only a few more shops, a bank, a post office, a pharmacy, a deli and a couple of restaurants. Most everything other than the restaurants closed from 1:00 until 5:00 so we learned to shop early. The harbor itself was filled with a fascinating mix of sailboats and fishing vessels along with a few large yachts. The bustling boat yard had several really big sailboats up on racks for what appeared to be leisurely repair.

The harbor in Le Grazie - plenty of beautiful boats to admire.

Fresh pesto made as you watched! You could smell it down the block.

It was sunny for the first few days until some spring showers arrived. We didn't mind, since we love being hunkered down listening to the rain pounding on the hatches. We ventured out to spend a day in Portovenere - a beautiful city with breathtaking views from the ancient ramparts.

There were fantastic views from just about everywhere in Portovenere.

Looking back towards Le Grezie from Portovenere.

We also spent a day on a boat that ferried tourists to the main towns of the Cinque Terre. Climbing aboard a sightseeing boat with 100 other tourists went against our instincts but we thoroughly enjoyed the ride and meeting travelers from around the world! There seemed to be no rush as we glided along the coastline spotting clusters of ochre colored houses lodged in the cracks of the hillsides and vineyards crisscrossing the terrain like clotheslines. Every now and again we'd spot intrepid hikers walking the trial that links the main villages. From one end to the other takes about 12 hours.

I wish I'd taken this shot one minute earlier when there was a sea of selfie-sticks!

The tour boat pulling up to port - you had about 5 minutes to get on or off!

The houses along the coastline perched precariously on cliffs surrounded by vineyards.

The landscape looks like every postcard you've ever seen from here. Brightly colored houses spill down the hillside to the harbor like colorful children's blocks and the rugged hillsides are green, and the earth tilled to the last inch.

Our boat left from Portovenere and called at: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. You could get off to explore and then catch the next boat in an hour or two and carry on. We made two stops recommended in Rick Steve's video, Vernazza and Monterosso and were not disappointed.

Pulling in to Vernazza for the farmers market.

The view from the cemetery overlooking Vernazza. As final resting places go, this is tops.

After a week, it was time to say good bye to Le Grazie. We headed to Verona for a one night stay before taking the train to Salzburg, Austria. On the day we left, the skies opened and we had heavy rain squalls all day. The weather was so bad in fact, that our train from Parma to to Brescia where we would change trains to Verona, was constantly delayed. Once we realized there were 17 stops and after an hour we'd only managed three of them we knew we wouldn't be making our original connection by a long shot.

Our sad little  train from Parma to Brescia on a much nicer day.

This is where patience, a good attitude and resilience comes in. There was nothing to be done - and it was likely we wouldn't find another train to Verona where we'd book a night at a B&B so Michael began furiously working on plan B. Some very nice young Italian girls sitting across from us pulled out their cell phones and helped to find a solution. In the end we found one last train to Verona and caught it in the nick of time.

We dragged our bags the half mile to our B&B and arrived wet, tired and hungry. The owner had waited for us and seeing our state, graciously drove us to a nearby restaurant on her way home. The next morning the skies were clear and the sun was out so we sat outside and enjoyed a very nice breakfast in the courtyard. It was like the day before never happened!

Refreshed and ready for the train to Salzburg.

 It's always hard to leave Italy, but we were looking forward to our next destination - Salzburg, Austria. We'll see you there.


Thanks for following along,

Debbie and Michael
The Senior Nomads

Welcome to Malta Part II

The harbor side promenade along the waterfront in Senglea, Malta

In our continued quest for warmer weather we decided to experience springtime Malta. It seemed like a place that might be warmer than more northern European destinations so we booked the trip for early March. Michael needed to get some dental work done and we'd heard about the Medical Tourism trend in Malta so he got on the Internet to look for a qualified dentist who could follow up the implant procedure for a tooth he'd lost last summer. Before long he found a Maltese dentist who is Board Certified in the UK. When we arrived in Malta he made an appointment with Dr. Xuereb and after his consultation decided to go ahead with the procedure. We saved several thousands of dollars compared to having it done at home. The only hiccup was the actual replacement tooth could not be fitted until the implant setting had healed and that would take  at least 8 weeks. But hey, who doesn't want to come back to Malta? Read my post "Life on Planet Gozo" if you want the answer.

So, off we went to Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel and Amsterdam before we returned to this island nation at the end of April. It was nice to give Malta a second chance - especially when the weather was a much improved sunny and 70°.

Dr. X, as Michael calls him, showing the successful tooth implant.

Our first visit to Malta was a mixed experience. We did not find a warm respite from the cold and in fact arrived for the tail end of what the locals deemed to be the worst winter in decades. Ours was a wet, chilly, and secluded first week on the island of Gozo and then a second, slightly improved week in the more civilized city of St. Julian on Malta. Actually, that Airbnb is still in our top five. Here's the link https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1596489

Add a few cars from the 1950's and our street corner could be a stand-in for Cuba

Welcome to our home in Malta.

This time we decided to stay in a different part of the island in an area called Senglea. It seemed within easy reach of the most attractive destinations, but a little outside the touristic center - maybe was just a titchy bit too far outside.

As the crow flies, the location made sense, but as the bus crawled it didn't. We were able to take a short ferry ride to the lovely city of Valetta, but to get to several other destinations including the dentist it was at least an hour of multiple, core-building (as in trying to keep your balance while standing) hair-raising rides on infrequent buses.

My first reaction was to compare our neighborhood to what Cuba might be like today. It certainly had elegant but crumbling architecture and faded storefronts that hinted of more glamorous times.

There were few shops and most were closed in the afternoon and definitely shut tight on Sundays. The "grocery" stores were not much bigger than a cheap hotel room filled with quirky offerings (a lot of which was alcohol). This was not going to be an enjoyable cooking experience, that was clear. Nor were dining options beyond pizza, kebabs, burgers and fried fish readily available. 

The main street of Senglea - lots of eye candy. Just no candy.

This time our Airbnb would made our bottom ten. It was an agency managed unit so we had little interaction with the actual owner after we booked it and the agent who let us in wasn't particularly familiar with the area nor very interested in answering our questions. While the apartment was comfortable - and the view was terrific, it just felt sort of cold and impersonal. We have come to really appreciate attentive hosts that have a personal interest in making the experience a memorable one. Here is the link https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5139924.

To top if off - we lost the second set of keys in the last ten minutes of our stay and had to pay to have the locks replaced! We found them two weeks later tangled up in a load of clothes at the "Green 'n' Clean" laundromat in Salzburg. Bother.

Now that I've had my vent, there were also plenty of good times to be had! First, even though the town was low on retail options it was rich in architecture and hidden viewpoints that looked out over the water at every turn. We had great walks and basked in the sun along the waterfront while watching the boat traffic and observing the locals.

Water views seemed to be around every corner.

Cruise ships arrived in Valetta early in the morning in for a long day of tourist frenzy.

Our apartment looked directly at a harbor brimming with super yachts! It was enjoyable to stroll along the dock watching crew members earning their keep by furiously scrubbing and polishing in case the boat's Oligarch owner was en-route via helicopter. Or perhaps they were getting things all shipshape for a charter - an average of $25,000. per day gets you and six close friends on board one of these babies.

Your own personal cruise ship with a full crew is just a fat checkbook away.

It was mind-boggling to think that this is a privately owned pleasure craft!

Several times a day tour boats and Hop-on-Hop off buses would drift past our window to share the views of the castle walls, the yachts, the traditional "gondola" style water taxis and the quaint houses along the quay.

The view from our balcony was the best feature of our apartment.

It also happened that Malta was hosting an International Fireworks Competition while we were there and it took place just outside our door! We could oooooooh and ahhhhhh to our hearts content from ringside seats. It was one of my favorite experiences of the journey.

Front row seats for a long night of fireworks just outside our door!

 Our day trips to Valetta offered the bustle of a cruise ship port-of-call coupled with the ancient fortifications and and antiquities of a walled city. Malta was put on the map by the Knights of St. John in the 14th century - so lots of Medieval history was on display. And yes, they really did clank around in all that armor! Of course influences from British colonization are also very apparent with plenty of nods to Victoria Regina and pubs on most every corner.

The view back to our harbor from the ramparts in Valetta.

We took our usual walking tour while there - and another in nearby Mdina. Mdina is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with history dating back 4,000 years. They have done a great job of keeping touristic offerings outside the walls, and those that are inside conform to a master plan that respects the city's history. You truly did feel like you'd stepped back in time, way back!

The ancient hill town of Mdina offered a glimpse of life in medieval times.

Michael now has a shiny new tooth and found the dentist and his staff qualified, professional, kind and accommodating. The phenomenon of Medical Tourism is definitely on the rise here and could be a good excuse to come to Malta (be sure and book our favorite Airbnb). Not only is dentistry affordable, there is a full range of other services on offer including cosmetic surgery and joint replacement at a fraction of what you'd pay in the states. And it's not a bad place to recover either.

Lick your wounds on the Maltese beach of your choice.

Our next adventure takes us to the Cinque Terra in Italy where we continue our nautical theme with a stay on a Airbnb sailboat!

Thanks for following along,

Debbie and Michael
The Senior Nomads