As our Go Ahead Tours bus drove into Zagreb and our guide extraordinaire, Tamara, told us its history and we saw the beautiful architecture we couldn't wait to see Zagreb's top attractions. The fact that Zagreb was on our itinerary had been one of the tour's compelling features. As hackneyed as it is to say that somewhere is an undiscovered gem it feels fair to say that Zagreb … [Read more...]
How to choose the right group tour for you
What should you consider so you can choose the right group tour for you? Travelers often determine where they want to go and what their budget is and choose a group tour that fits those two requirements. More research needs to be done though as there are more than two factors that will affect your enjoyment of a trip. Don't be too fast to hit the "book it now" button - you … [Read more...]
7 Things to know when preparing for your trip to Iceland
1. Plan realistically If you're like us you don't envision yourself getting a whole lot of chances to go to Iceland. We only got to go because we won a contest from SadCars. Although it is sometimes seen as a stopover on the way to European destinations most people who do that only spend a couple of nights in Reykjavik. (And that would be worth doing.) However, if you have … [Read more...]
Enjoying Ljubljana – the Green Capital of Europe
Ljubljana, Slovenia is a small (272,000 person) city where, thanks to extensive initiatives which earned it the moniker of Europe's Green Capital, you can truly breathe in the city's beauty. Ljubljana's mayor for the last 10 years, Zoran Janković, has implemented an aggressive environmental plan for the city and the payoff is impressive. One of his early moves was to … [Read more...]
Our Montenegro road trip (with Mitt Romney, sort of)
When we made our plans to go to Croatia and Slovenia we saw a chance to do a Montenegro road trip before joining the tour group. We may never know why Mitt Romney was in Montenegro but he was and we tailed him for a brief while. Good thing we remembered how to drive a stick shift so we didn't end up in the car with him... At luggage claim in Dubrovnik Blonde stood beside … [Read more...]
There’s something for almost everyone in Dubrovnik
We just returned from Go Ahead's tour of Croatia and Slovenia and were happily reminded that there are things to see and do in Dubrovnik for almost anyone. This was Blonde's third trip and our second together to this ancient, romantic, busy, UNESCO city on the sunny Adriatic coast. Entering the city's gates on your own can be confusing at first so we were glad to be coddled … [Read more...]
St. Petersburg Russia – A drama in several acts
St. Petersburg - a hot mess worth knowing After being there twice this summer with Viking Cruises we are sharing our suggestions of things to do in St. Petersburg Russia. Keep in mind that you need to have an appreciation for high drama to really absorb this city. The royal intrigues and various revolutions have left the city a glamorous, slightly exhausted grand dame who … [Read more...]
Our advice for seeing Stockholm
What we learned and did in Stockholm We hope our Stockholm travel advice will help you make the most of any time you get in this friendly, clean city. We only had 3 days but made good use of our time without overdoing it. Although we did walk over 7 miles a day so bring comfortable shoes! Buy a Stockholm Pass Our first piece of advice is to buy a Stockholm … [Read more...]
How to choose the right shore excursions for you with Viking Cruises
Choosing the right shore excursions for you As very recent veterans of a Viking River Cruise and a Viking Ocean Cruise we know that Viking's shore excursions cover a lot of interests. It can be hard to choose when the options all sound so tempting. Here are some of the things we consider when selecting shore excursions. What do you care about and what can you comfortably … [Read more...]
The Charms of Holland
The Charms of Holland with City Discovery tours City Discovery and their Charms of Holland Tour gave us the perfect opportunity to experience a sampler of The Netherlands when we were visiting Amsterdam. Amsterdam is easy to navigate but getting out into the countryside on our own had a degree of difficulty that didn't appeal to us. A coach tour with a private guide was … [Read more...]