Euro '25: Florence

Sunday, May 4.  Today was flying to Florence, Italy.  We knew the RER train to CDG was scheduled for repair starting Monday, so all good, right?  So it seemed repairs started a day early.  Another travelling person (local) became our leader, guiding us to where to exit the train and where to find the bus that would take us to CDG.  This is why we always leave early for the airport!

At the airport, we realized we had Sky Priority on our boarding passes.  That got us 1st class preferred luggage check-in and preferred TSA entry.  No lines!  And an uneventful flight.

Thanks to YouTube, we had researched how to take the train from Florence airport to Santa Maria Novella Station.  So easy and cheap.  From SM Novella, it was a 7-minute walk to my apartment at Via Benedetta, 7.  The apartment was nice.  It was on the 3rd floor (no elevator) with a fold-out couch in the living room, a large dining area, and full kitchen, 1 bedroom, and a common bathroom.  Oh, and a laundry room with a clothes washer and drying rack.

The obligatory welcome bottle of wine.

Monday, May 5.  I had my first The Good Life Abroad meeting with everyone and the 2 coordinators.  Bill took off to explore Florence.  Google Maps was constantly used due to: streets are not in a grid pattern, the only open areas were plazas (about every 5 blocks), so you are always without a line of sight, and there aren’t any parks or greens.  Cobblestone streets, Vespas, bicyclists, and inattentive walkers everywhere.  

Tuesday, May 6.  We decided to cancel our Cinque Terre 2-day trip due to the expected all-day rain.  I cancelled the Vernazza hotel.  Both Bill and I were struggling with head colds.  We did a morning walk to Il Mercato Centrale Firenze, a permanent farmers market for supplies: groceries, wine, Sambuca, limoncello, and cheese.  In the afternoon, we walked the long uphill trek to Boboli Gardens only to discover it was a paid entrance and would be closing in 40 minutes.  Then we walked to the next ridge viewpoint, to the Piazzale Michelangelo.

View from Piazzale Michelangelo

It was a high viewpoint overlooking most of Florence. We did not stay for sunset, as the previous ridge would hide the sunset.  So, we walked back to the apartment and then had dinner at Signorvino, an outdoor eatery in the SM Novella Piazza.

Wednesday, May 7.  The all-day rain never materialized, so we wandered about.  We learned about the train station, the Duomo piazza, and had lunch outside at Moving On with a view of the Duomo.  The Moving On restaurant was also a vinyl record store with interesting band/concert photos.

The Duomo is massive.

Near the apartment was a restaurant, Osteria Pastella, which always had an entrance line.  So we made reservations for dinner and got seated at a 6-seat table.  A few minutes later, a Mom and her daughter from Chicago were seated on the opposite end of our table.  I remarked Thank God that the couple with the screaming/crying baby did not get seated with us.  The mom, Robin, was visiting her daughter, Bryce, who was studying abroad in Rome.

Great dinner and conversation.

The restaurant’s signature dish was a flambé, partially made at your table.  While pasta is cooked in the kitchen, a cart with a large cheese wheel is brought next to your table.  The server then scrapes some cheese loose, which creates a well in the cheese wheel.  Then an alcohol is poured into the well (also containing the scraped cheese).  The cooked pasta arrives, then the server torches the alcohol and stirs the now-melting cheese and adds in the pasta.  Two more moments of stirring, then the pasta/cheese is plated and served.  Then my Wild Boar pasta arrived. So indulgent.  The four of us had a great conversation and shared wine and desserts.

Thursday, May 8.  We leisurely walked around Florence, then went to the Museo Galileo.  This was somewhat misnamed – there were only 2 artifacts attributed to Galileo in the museum.  I did get an appreciation for the Medici family that funded and protected scientists, including Galileo, from the Roman Catholic Church.  Adding to our frustration was the museum app.  This app could have used a UI expert in the design phase.  Bill and I both gave up on the app, and after a while, the museum.

We alleviated our museum frustration with gelato.

Friday, May 9.  We took a Viatour tour of the Galleria D'Accademie di Firenze of Michelangelo.  It would have been impossible to get in without the skip-the-line pass. Our tour guide added so much by explaining not just the historical significance, but also how the statues were created.  She referred to David as “my boyfriend”.

Our tour guide's "boyfriend".

After the museum, we stopped at another outdoor cafe for lunch. Then we had to go by the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio one more time as it was Bill’s last day in Florence.  I prepared dinner in the apartment, and we enjoyed wine and Sambuca.

Saturday, May 10.  I joined Bill for the walk to the SM Novella train station.  Italy transit is so good; a train arrives every 7 minutes.  And like that, Bill was off to home via Chicago.  I had scheduled cleaners for the apartment on this day, so I walked to a university library near Duomo as recommended by Rich Steve. I arrived just after 10 AM and followed the signs up to the 2nd floor.  It was an open-air covered patio with a coffee kiosk, so I got a cappuccino and a brioche for the princely sum of €3.5. So delicious.

Duomo view from the library.

And then sat down at a table with a full view of the Duomo with college students preparing for their day of studying and writing notes.  So peaceful, with students using their library voice and being situated 2 levels above street noise.

After the refreshments were completed, I walked off to peruse through town. Eventually, I got to the central market and did some provisioning for home.  At the apartment, the cleaners have been through and replaced linens and towels.

Taken when walking after a group dinner.

Friday, May 16.  I joined a Viator tour of two wineries and a bus ride through Tuscany.  The Good Life Abroad also had a winery tour in Tuscany, but I opted for a different tour due to the price.  The Good Life Abroad tour costs 330 euros, and the Viator tour costs 110 euros.  I met an Australian group touring Europe and had great conversations.

View from one of the winery tours.

Dirty Martini by Flavio, at The Arts Inn.

Monday, May 26.  This was to be the Italy trip highlight.  I planned to pick up a rented Ducati Multistrada V2, drive it to Como, circle Lake Como with a tour guide, and then return to Florence.  The motorcycle was reserved. A Geneva hotel and two nights in a Como hotel were reserved. Back in the US, I had taken a motorcycle training course (needed for licensing), gotten the motorcycle license, and also purchased an international license.  All the planning work was done.

I arrived at Tuscany Motorcycle Rentals and got all the paperwork signed off.  Then I got a walk-around of the Ducati.  Beautiful, with only 3,600 miles on it.  Wow, have motorcycles changed since my 1973 Honda 350F (still miss it).  I put on the rented jacket and helmet, started Google Maps on the phone, and took off.

It felt v-e-r-y wonky.  I decided to drive around surface streets, then progressed to some highway stretches.  The wonky feeling just did not go away, but rather increased.  So I stopped just to reset.  I parked and unzipped the jacket, and I was soaked in sweat.  I wasn’t prepared for what I got into.

So I drove back to Tuscany Motorcycle Rentals and explained that I am cancelling my trip.  I could sense they were expecting me to want the rental $$$ refunded, but I assured them this was on me, not them.  

I am OK with my decision.  The spent $$$$ is attributed to the Sunk Cost Fallacy (it’s already gone), but I was not OK with 4 days of anxiety and stress.

Tuesday, June 3.  Fly day.  My first flight was at 9:45, but Bill’s info on 1+ hour lines for luggage drop-off scared me.  So I left my La Dolce Vita apartment at 5:35am and caught the next T1 train from SM Novella to the airport.  I was in the system.  Plenty of killing time in airports.  Notable was the second of two flights, the leg from Munich to San Diego.  Lufthansa had been making a push for flights to/from San Diego (in place of my usual LAX, then shuttle home).  I had wisely looked over seating when in the 24-hour departure window.  Score!  I moved to a seat in an unoccupied middle section for an 11.75-hour flight in economy.  

Someone once told me the two best days of a vacation are (1) taking off and arriving at your vacation spot, and (2) flying home to sleep in your own bed.

She was right.  

Until next time...

More Euro '25: Florence pics here.

Italy Notes

• Everybody dresses well, not necessarily for fashion, but it seems everybody runs very cold here. Even when the days got into the high 70s, I would see people wearing puffy jackets on top of everything.  Few locals wear shorts.
• I discovered that taking the city bus from my apartment up to Plaza Michelangelo was a very scenic drive, as compared to the direct-but-steep walk done earlier in the trip. Enough that I walked back down following the bus route, which gave me a view of huge mansions and great Firenze views.
• A lot of smoking in this town, as is typical of European cities.  Some people were rolling their own cigs and stepping outside to enjoy them.
• The Firenze steak everybody raves about it’s really just an overabundance of meat; even with groups of three or four, it’s still too much.
• One of the common themes told by the tour guides is that public bathrooms are a rarity. Sienna had one with an entry price of one euro. I wouldn’t mind paying one euro at times for bathrooms, but it really came to a point of just not even having that as a choice. Our tour guide said your best choice is to stop in a place and buy a drink, just so you have a bathroom available. There were only a few people walking around with a water bottle for that reason.
• I was disappointed in the cafeteria-style dining experience. I guess I was spoiled with the Polish milk bars.
• Big thumbs up for the library coffee kiosk.  And prices were the most reasonable in town.
• The apartment was great. We did have to learn that the floor was uneven where the living room was sunken down about 6 inches. Obviously was done so kitchen/bathroom piping could be installed. I could not figure out why they did not have window screens. Without screens, you end up having bugs in the home. I forgot how much of a nuisance it is to have bugs flying around your head at night.
• All of Italy seems to take pride in huge doors; most street entries are always double doors, and certainly with the older buildings, as well as anything downtown or at least 12 feet plus in height.
• I did notice on the Siena bus ride that the countryside really is beautiful. Not many industrial crops such as wheat, etc., but it does seem to be certainly in Tuscany, it’s all wine and olive trees. When doing the tour to taste wine and olive oil, the market difference between the olive oil that I get in the US versus what I got here was huge. I could definitely taste the difference.
• I was wearing shorts every day above 68°F. Also wearing the long-sleeved white Columbia nylon shirt and straw hat for sun protection. 

Euro '25: Budapest & Paris

Tuesday, April 29.  We walked to the Parliament building and passed the Cop with a Big Belly statue.  We passed the park where protest signs are hung, protesting that the current Hungarian government denying its responsibility in the holocaust.  Then we found a small sculpture of Kermit the Frog.

Kermit the Frog!

After sharing a Kermit pic with my sister, Tracy responded with an article about many renegade sculptors throughout Budapest, and the work of a local artist.  I already knew about another sculptor, the man in a boat on the bridge.

We stopped for a beer on the Spoon Boat, then lunched at our usual Central Market goulash spot.  Funny moment:  Bill grabbed a table spot (overlooking the Market) and I went through the cafeteria line getting food and 2 beers.  After paying, I looked at the tray of food and beers and realized the carry to the table would not end well.  Just as I let out a deep sigh, a cafeteria worker swooped in, grabbed the beers, and said she would follow me to my table.  Another big sigh, only this was of relief.

View from our lunch table in Grand Central Market.

Our evening plan was to watch the sunset from Fisherman’s Bastion.  We took bus #216 (so simple!) up to the Bastion and then spied the Hilton’s Skytop bar.  We managed to get seated with a great view and dirty martinis.  It turned out that the Hilton was the ‘official’ post-trip hotel for the riverboat cruise; the Skytop bar had about 16-20 people from the AmaVerde.

This pic series show the Hungarian Parlament Building.

Wednesday, April 30.  Fly day to Paris.  We took the 110E public direct bus to the airport.  Again, so simple.  We got to use a perk from Bill’s Credit Card and got into the Platinum Lounge for self-serve food and drinks.  We flew Air France to Paris (CDG).  Then we learned about taking the RER-B train to Paris.  There are 2 tracks; looking at the monitor, you can tell which train is the express (many stops are blacked out).  We got on the express train and were at the Luxembourg Gardens exit in 1.25 hours.  With a 5-minute walk, we were at the Hotel Design Sorbonne.  Since this was our 4th time there, the desk person upgraded us to a larger room 34.

Hotel Design Sorbonne elevator.

We unpacked and then had a beer at the local quad in front of the Sorbonne Uni.  Dinner was around St Germain, then we walked to the Seine River, Shakespeare and Company bookstore, and saw the repaired Notre Dame.

Thursday, May 1.  We discovered today was a national French National Holiday (Their Labor Day?).  So museums and some stores were closed.  We did plenty of walking today.  First stop was to have a beer at St Legate along the Seine.  So much beauty!  Lunch was at our usual spot, Central Cafe on Rue Cler, a pedestrian walkway near the Eiffel Tower.  

That evening, we Ubered (done with walking!) to the Edmond Terrace Hotel rooftop restaurant in Montmartre.  During our 1998 Paris visit, our group had a Montmartre dinner with an incredible view of Paris as the sun set and Parisian lights came up.   We failed to capture the restaurant name then, and I researched to find the best spot to recreate that view.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t it.

Friday, May 2.  Bill took off for Disneyland Paris, and I took off for Musee D’ Orsay.  The French National Holiday affected both of us; Disneyland was sold out when Bill arrived, and I encountered huge crowds/lines even with timed entry.

I spent time in front of priceless Impressionist art, then went to the museum café for a cappuccino just to recover from seeing so much beauty.  

Bill texted that he was returning to the hotel.  We met for lunch at the Sorbonne quad.  Later, we walked down to the Seine and wandered about on both sides.  Notably, a 3-piece band playing jazz on one of the bridges.  Dinner was at our usual crepe place, Creperie Genia on 7 Rue de la Harpe.

The usual Creperie.

Saturday, May 3.  While prepping for this trip, I had discovered the Musee Marmottan, a slightly out-of-main-town museum that was gifted 149 Monet artworks from Monet’s son.  At the beginning bus stop, an obviously unbalanced woman (talking to herself, yelling) tried to walk onto the bus right past ticket validation.  The bus driver would have none of it – he grabbed her by the coat and pushed her off the bus.  We took Bus #63 to the museum and arrived early enough to walk about a beautiful garden/park.  The museum had early Impressionist works by Boudin on the first floor (He was the mentor for Monet). The basement floor held lots of Monet’s, especially the famous one, Impression Soleil Levant (Sunrise), which inspired art critic Louis Leroy to coin the term Impressionist and gave its name to the group formed by Monet and his artistic friends.

Impression, Soleil Levant (Sunrise) by Monet.  Stunning.

We walked towards the Eiffel Tower after the museum.

A storm was brewing in the distance.  And we dawdled too long and got caught in a terrible hailstorm.

The bridge we should have stayed under.

The storm that dropped sleet/hail/rain in about 20 minutes.

Everyone was scattering to find cover.  Bill got bloodied, and my iPhone in the cargo shorts pocket got soaked and died.  The storm subsided, so we changed into dry clothes at the hotel, and I repurposed my old iPhone as my primary phone.  Dinner was more crepes and beers.

More Euro '25: Budapest & Paris pics here.

Euro '25: Riverboat

I walked around the docks and found the Amaverde, and Bill and I were the first 2 guests to board.  The bonus with early boarding is that the staff is waiting to serve you.  We got a walkabout beer to check out the boat, and then the afternoon teatime began.  However, tea was replaced with a great nosh (finger sandwiches and soup!) and wine (to erase the stress of the border crossing).

We live well.

As other passengers arrived, we went through the face-recognition I don’t remember your name game.  These Alan Doyle riverboat cruises tend to get repeat customers.  We caught up with a number of previous riverboat guests, notably Ross and Karen.  So good to see them again.  Then a waiter approached us, asking if we wanted to be at the Chef’s dinner tonight.  Absolutely!  So Bill and I joined Ross and Karen later for a many-course dinner and way too much wine. 

Good times.

Tuesday, April 22. Bill took off on an extended tour of Veliko Tarnovo and various castles.  I opted to stay on board due to the long travel times.  Instead, I did a long walk in Ruse.  I stopped for an espresso during the walk, and reflected on that I was walking about in a foreign country that I couldn’t even get into during the first 20 years of my life.  Bill returned with tales of long travel times (ha-ha!).  After dinner, the boat took off for an all-night motor.  We, being in the cheaper rooms near the boat engines, had the engine hum to soothe us to sleepy time.

Wednesday, April 23.  Everyone agrees it’s great to not have to go off and do something first thing in the morning after an Allen Doyle concert. I got up before sunrise and watched the sunrise come up from the lounge and the topside. Then, a short low-grade rain started to come down.

I looked at the 50 bill received from Faith, which was to be a repayment for not taking the shuttle from Bucharest to Giurgiu. Ha-ha. Faith gave both Bill and me a 50 Romanian lei bill – we were expecting euro bills! This was an easy mistake to make once you compare the euro and Romanian lei bills.

Not quite euros.

After breakfast, we waited until Alan Doyle gave a talk relaying stories and then signed a number of things. Bill bought Allen’s latest book and got it signed.

In the afternoon, we traveled to Vidin and had a walking tour of a HUGE synagogue and fortress.

Thursday, April 24.  The riverboat cruised through the most beautiful part of the lower Danube, called the Iron Gate.

The Iron Gate

High natural walls down to the water with some cave entrances in the almost sheer walls.  Alan Doyle and the band performed on the sundeck while traversing the Iron Gate.

Jim, Bill, Elise, and I.

Again, good times.

Friday, April 25.  In Belgrade, we did a tour of the “city by two rivers”.  We then had free time, so Bill and I did a tour of the Nikola Tesla Museum.  Very cool.  In the afternoon, we took a bus to a brandy tasting event.  Brandy is very different here (Yuk) versus the US.

Saturday, April 26.  We were in Vukovar.  I opted to stay on board while Bill went off the see yet another museum.  Bill burned out at the first of two museums and opted to walk back to the boat.

Sunday, April 27.  The cold and windy conditions convinced us to skip off-board tours.  By now, we were both nursing a low-grade head cold.

Bill's "healthy" breakfast.  Then added cheese, salmon, and bacon.  And mimosas!

Monday, April 28.  Riverboat departure day.  We wisely opted for an Uber to get us and our luggage the 1.2 KM to our usual Budapest hotel, the Astoria.  I broke my treasured (they don’t make them anymore) SunCloud sunglasses while getting in the Uber.  Thanks to Bill for finding the glass lens.  Later at home, I superglued the glasses back together!  

We dropped off our luggage at the Astoria, then took off for (1) laundry drop-off and (2) onto the Szechenyl Spa for a soak.  We researched and found the laundry drop-off place from years ago.  So cool; they move laundry between wash to the dryer and will stack it for when you return.  Worth a tip.  The hot spa seemed somewhat different:  we needed flip-flops (5 euros) and towels were extra.  Next trip, bring our own.  

Afterwards, we walked from Hero’s Park (on Embassy Boulevard) back to our hotel.  On the way, we walked on “Embassy Boulevard” and had lunch at Andrassy Garden (great spot), then picked up our laundry.  That afternoon, we wandered around the pedestrian mall and stopped for a beer at Anna Café (we stopped there last trip too).  Later that evening, we walked over to Grinzingi Borzo for dinner.  It’s my local spot while in Budapest.

I am including the following now, as it was the end of the riverboat trip.

As is custom, Niche Travel (Faith) announces the next riverboat cruise dates/prices at the end of the current trip.  Bill and I immediately said “Yes” so we are committed to September 2026 in the Netherlands.

And since the riverboat has other repeat customers, Bill lists off their names.  This year is missing a group picture.  The list is so we can review it before the next trip and try to associate a name with a face.

People:

• Emily and her mom, Susie
• Shirley and Jeff
• Mark and ???
• Karen and Ross
• Dave and ???
• Denise and ???
• Barry and Biz
• Greg and Deidra
• Claudia, doctor of college health
• Kevin and Laurie
• Whiskey Mike and Moriah
• Jeanie. Bill photobombed her on her first trip. 
• Mark and Jan

More Euro '25 Riverboat pics here.

Euro '25: Romania & Bulgaria

Originally, I booked an outbound from LAX direct to Vienna, then on to Bucharest.  But United changed the flight so now I was first going to Newark, NJ, then on to Vienna.  This flight change worked to the good since Bill’s flight also got changed, and we were on the same Newark to Vienna flight.  

Wednesday, April 16.  I had rented a car for a one-way trip to LAX.  I left home at 2:30 AM with an uneasy feeling. I pulled over outside of the Turfwood complex to search for the passport packet. Found it. I drove two more exits north on I-5 to have another uneasy feeling. Pulled over to check for a wallet and could not find it. Panic!  I returned home and found my wallet where it usually sits on my desk. I dodged a disaster there!

The LAX to New Jersey flight was uneventful. I met Bill at the airport. While walking around EWR, Bill ran into Jim and Elise Bacon (known from previous riverboat cruises). We were all on the same next leg.

Sad note: Bill left his red jacket on the plane.  Lucky for him I had an extra jacket.

Bucharest airport was somewhat small, about the size of the Syracuse airport. I had scheduled a cab to get to the Bucharest Intercontinental Palace Hotel.  The cab driver found Bill while he was in the terminal.  The drive to downtown Bucharest was slow. Both Bill and I were exhausted. Fortunately, the room was available as we got to drop off our luggage, splash some water in our faces, and then walked about. I told Bill I would not make it to sunset after some walking about, and to find a place for a burger and beer. We finally opted for the dining place, Casa Romaneasca, next to our hotel. It was a light enough meal that didn’t overstuff either of us, of a mushroom-packed piece of toast for Bill and a roast beef-topped piece of toast for me, with two beers each.

I got upstairs and think I fell asleep as I was falling down onto the bed. 

Friday, April 18.  After a well-needed overnight 12-hour sleep for both Bill and I, we struggled to awaken and get jetlag out of our heads. I went for an early half-hour walk around the city. After returning, we went down to a very good breakfast at the hotel. The waitress really liked it when Bill asked how to say thank you in Romanian. Then he went to look at the sparkling wine selection and was told he needed to take back two glasses of mimosas. The waitress topped off our drinks without asking.  Nice to start the day a little blurry.

Cheers to Mimosas!!

We took off to look for the Parliament building, which we are told is the second biggest building on the continent. It certainly was big - we could not walk around it.  What a let-down!  The building did not have any presentation opulence, being set back with a tall fence blocking the view.

Mow the lawn!!!

The park in front of Parliament was neglected: overgrown, with bare patches.  Now I understand helping nature by letting fields be overgrown with wildflowers, but in front of the Parliament building?

The only lawn mower in eastern Europe.

We started to walk around the building, but gave up when we realized the view would not change.

We then walked to Bucharest Old Town.  This walk included crossing a canal and (unfortunately) a motorcycle crash with an auto.  In Old Town, we stopped for lunch at Caru’ Cu Bere (translation: Beer on a Cart). 

Lunch!

This was an incredible bar/restaurant inside – so much, we skipped seating outside.  Excellent lunch of bean soup for Bill and mushroom stew for me, and the obligatory two beers each.

Saturday, April 19.  Bill took a tour bus to Dracula Castle, and I skipped due to the considerable travel time.  Later, Bill reported the castle had a 2+ hour wait to get in, and little crowd control with lots of pushing.  But the castle was beautiful once he got inside.

I instead walked around Old Town again.  I have been in other soviet controlled countries before Romania and Bulgaria, but there is a big gap in beauty and wowness between newer (Poland, Hungary) and older (Romania, Bulgaria).  The older countries seem as though they are just now emerging from soviet rule, and the newer ones are 20 years ahead (more vibrant).

Not pretty.

I walked by Alan Doyle earlier in Old Town, and my wave and “Hello Alan” made Alan realize that riverboat cruise people might be in town earlier.  So later, when I passed Alan again, Alan made a point to come over for greetings and conversation.

We’re cool, Alan.  I realize you meet hundreds/thousands of people every week.  But I will always fan-gush when meeting you again for the many times.

Sunday, April 20.  Easter. It was one of the better sleeps for me after having propped open the hotel room window. We arrived back home last night about midnight. A new late record for us on this trip, and we set alarms for 7 AM. Both of us were up long before then. The morning was repack to leave, get some Prosecco with breakfast, and Uber over to the train station.

The train station is embarrassingly easy to understand compared to the US. 14 tracks all in a row. We got to track number one, where ours was, and boarded. Train travel was slower than expected. Of course, we could’ve looked over the itinerary and figured that out beforehand, but oh well. The train seems to max out at 35 miles an hour, and of course, does not go in a straight line. But we did get there.

After the 2.5-hour comfortable train ride, we arrived at the Ruse train station.  While Bill walked out of the station (getting his bearings), I looked around to try and interpret how to get a taxi.  Then an elderly gentleman approached, speaking English, and asked if I needed a taxi.  I guess English-speaking tourists all look the same.  The driver assured us he had a taxi license and could get us to the Hotel Anna Palace for the princely price of 5 euros.  Deal!  

Once we arrived, I gave our driver a 5 euro bill and an extra 1 euro coin as a tip.  He looked confused about the tip.  This is not a tipping economy.

The Hotel Anna Palace was a beautiful yellow upscale (for Bulgaria) hotel, except no shower curtain.  Water goes everywhere.

Don't need no stinkin' shower curtain!!!

After checking in, we walked the waterfront until we found an outdoor stop for a Bulgarian beer.  The young waiter was excited – he got to practice his English with us!

Yummy Lagers.

It was a relatively warm spring day; the waterfront parks had local families strolling, runners were running, and there were few tourists.  Later, we walked the main pedestrian walkway.  While it was vibrant, I still saw the recent soviet rule overlay.

Monday, April 21.  We needed an 11-hour sleep to further shake off jetlag, and then we had to get to Giurgiu, Romania, to board our riverboat, the Amaverde.  We previously booked a train for a mid-afternoon departure, but decided to leave earlier.  We asked the front desk person if she could get us a taxi to get across the border (normally a significant event) and to our boat.  The front desk person (again) liked to work on her English-speaking skills with us then called a taxi.  The quote was for about 8 euros.  Really???  That’s it???  The ride was uneventful (good for border crossings), and the driver nailed it on where to go.

More Romania/Bulgaria pic here.

Europe 2025

The 2025 Europe trip planning started with signing up with The Good Life Abroad for a month's apartment rental in Florence, Italy for May 4 to June 3.  My motivation was to push my comfort zone boundaries and determine if extended Europe trips should become the new normal.  Later, Niche Travel announced another Alan Doyle riverboat cruise that would end 6 days before my Florence stay began.  So, Bill and I signed up for the riverboat cruise, then decided to add a few days in Romania and Bulgaria before the riverboat trip started, and to spend a few days in Budapest and Paris between the cruise and our stay in Florence.  Bill would also stay for a week in Florence.

Originally, I booked an outbound from LAX direct to Vienna, then on to Bucharest.  But United changed the flight, so now I was first going to Newark, NJ, then on to Vienna.  This flight change worked to the good since Bill’s flight also got changed, and we were on the same Newark to Vienna flight.  

Tears For Fears - Las Vegas

A few months ago, while Tracy was visiting San Diego, we went to see a Tears for Fears concert film. Both of us were blown away by The Tipping Point, which featured their biggest hits along with tracks from their latest album. After the movie, we checked their tour schedule and saw that they had only a few dates in Las Vegas—but the ticket prices were beyond Tracy’s concert budget. After she headed back to Florida, I thought, Why not?

Looking into their remaining shows, I decided on the Wednesday, February 5 concert. Weekend flights and hotels were pricey, so I opted for a midweek trip. I booked a direct Alaska Airlines flight from San Diego to Las Vegas and, thanks to Reddit, found advice to avoid the expensive event hotel and stay nearby for half the cost. I also scoped out the venue layout and picked what I hoped would be a great seat.

Boom! Done.

My flight left late morning on concert day, and I was back home less than 24 hours later. Being a budget-conscious traveler, I took the San Diego Coaster and Flyer to the airport. I had planned to use public transit in Vegas as well but ultimately took an Uber from the airport (more on my return later).

The last time I was in Vegas was for a business conference in 2014. I remember stepping out of the Aria Hotel into the thick night air—85°F+ and swarming with people. This trip felt different. The weather was perfect—low 70s during the day, high 50s at night—and the crowds were noticeably thinner.

I stayed at the Sahara, and since I arrived before check-in, they offered early access for $25 or free luggage storage. I did a quick wardrobe swap, secured my passport in my bag, and set off to explore.

Since this might not be my last Vegas concert, I took time to check out potential future stays. The Circus Circus Casino was closer to the venue, but walking through it confirmed its terrible reviews—definitely not my scene. Lunch was at the Peppermill and Fireside Lounge—a bit pricey, with oversized portions, but delicious.

Navigating Vegas? Not As Easy As It Looks

Despite its flat layout, Vegas isn’t pedestrian-intuitive. Most walkways funnel you through casinos rather than direct paths, and even Google Maps struggled at times. Still, the lighter crowds made it manageable.

I grabbed a 24-hour Monorail pass—a fantastic deal. Later, I realized a cheaper hack: Uber to MGM Grand, hop on the Monorail’s south end, and ride it up to the Sahara. The Monorail was great—fast, reliable—but like everything in Vegas, you still end up walking a lot.

Back at the Sahara, I squeezed in a quick nap before the show. The room? Very nice.

The Concert: Tears for Fears at the Fontainebleau’s BeauTheater

I lucked out with my mezzanine front-row seat—unobstructed view, great sound. Meanwhile, floor seats were a chaotic mess of people constantly moving or standing. The lower mezzanine looked solid too, as long as everyone stayed seated. If I go again, I'd avoid the floor section.

Tears For Fears Were Phenomenal

The venue’s food and drink prices? Outrageous. $28 for the cheapest beer. $15 for a tub of popcorn. Pro tip: drink beforehand.

After the concert, I walked to Tacos El Gordo for a late-night bite—delicious. Then, I hopped back on the Monorail to the Sahara.

The Return Trip

The next morning, I realized I could take the Monorail to its closest airport stop and Uber the rest of the way. I made a Denny’s breakfast stop en route, and the money saved on transit covered my meal. Win!

Las Vegas Observations

• Surprisingly few homeless people—I saw fewer than five.
• No wild street chaos, unlike my last visit.
• Lots of police presence, including foot patrols and bike officers—friendly and approachable.
• Met a fellow SoCal traveler at the concert who flew in on a new airline out of Carlsbad—worth investigating for next time.

All in all, a quick, efficient, and fantastic trip. Would I do it again? Absolutely.

More Pics here

 

Prices:

• ·         Livenation concert ticket:  215
• ·         Sahara hotel:  99
• ·         Flight:  97
• ·         Monorail/Uber:  59