Our First Week in Budapest

John:  We arrived at the Budapest train station in the early afternoon with temperatures feeling like 6 degrees fahrenheit. After taking the subway we exited our train at the Kalvin Square substation and walked up the flight of stairs to a pedestrian square busy with people. At the top of the stairs I saw tall ornate buildings and shiny modern glass buildings surrounding an expansive pedestrian area busy with people. We walked by several restaurants, bars, retail shops and tall buildings to a building with a placard “Vamhaz 15 at the corner so we proceeded looking for number 11.

Our building (yellow)

Our landlord, Judit, a woman in her early 30’s with red hair, hurriedly came from a car double parked, arrived within a couple of minutes. She welcomed us to Budapest and quickly swiped a fob from her key chain next to the keypad by the door and a buzzing sounded immediately. She pushed open the tall heavy door allowing us to enter a short hallway looking into a courtyard. She walked quickly down the hallway and went up two stairs on the right. We met her in front of an open elevator reminiscent of the communist era one we used in Romania. The red metal door opened to two café doors that snapped open when pushed. We all were able to fit in the small elevator and slowly made our way to the 2nd floor. The elevator opened to a small enclosed landing area looking out to the courtyard below. We exited the landing and walked past one door to our apartment and Judit opened it.

The apartment is a 1-bedroom, 1-bath with a kitchen. It was neat and clean. We found some tourist brochures, a map under the sink, a laminated card with the wifi and contact information with house rules. The last rule was to “Enjoy the bottle of local wine on the table as Judit’s way of saying, thank you.” There was no bottle of wine in the apartment and thats probably why she hid the info sheet under the sink. There is no laundry detergent so I am going to buy a box of 22 Tide pods. Since we will have a bunch left over I am going to flavor my tea with them leading up to my Tide Pod Tasting on the last day here.

We familiarized ourselves with the apartment, accessed wifi and set up the bathroom and clothes and excited to venture outside to several places we saw coming in. Barb read about a craft brewery, Monyo Taproom, toward Kelvin Square so we went there. Except for Ireland and a rare occurrence, I had not had much fortune to drink anything but pilsners while on this adventure and satisfied my beer selection to Carling, Carlsburg, Tuborg or any other local brew. The taste difference was incremental and it wasn’t worth the additional cost or disappointment.

Budapest streets

It was a three minute walk to Monyo. It was small place serving their craft beer, wine and mixed drinks. We perused the beer list and I opted for the “Dead Rabbit” IPA, 9.6 ABV, and Barb selected the “Invisible Bikini”, a 5.6 ABV Porter. I typically avoid the higher alcohol content beers because they tend to have an odd flavor resembling a liqueur or brandy but this one got rave reviews. The corner bar was four feet by eight feet constructed of 16 inch diameter posts at ends and corner with a beam on top. The bar stools were tree swings! While it was interesting and cool looking I would be hesitant to sit in one after a couple of 9.6 ABV beers.
The bartender was a guy in his late twenties. I greeted him “Ha(t)-low”. I said I would like a Dead Rabbit and an Invisible Bikini. The two .41 liters glasses of beer were on the counter and he handed me a ticket for 2,100 forints, roughly $6.30. I paid him and received my change with a “cos-zo-nom”-Thank you. He smiled with a similar response.

Barb was talking to a coupe of people and petting their dog “Muffin” and we went to one of the only remaining vacant tables. The patio was enclosed with plastic walls but was a little chilly for us. The beers were delicious so we had another round but I opted for the “Flying Rabbit” IPA, 5.6 ABV.

We left Monyo and headed across the street to “Tao” for some Chinese food. It was cafeteria style and we looked at the half dozen types of chicken, lo mein noodles, rice and vegetables. We both ordered the same things, lo mein, rice and vegetables. We sat at a back table and enjoyed a delicious meal. We packed our left overs in a plastic container and headed back to our apartment. It felt very cold on our short walk back but we were inside our warm apartment in minutes.

We both talked about the good beer, delicious food and exciting atmosphere of the city and the great location of our apartment. We talked for awhile and I asked Barb, “Did you ever think…?”. Her face lit up with her great smile saying, “Nope, not in a million years.

Just having a cup of coffee

Barb:  The Zoo Cafe. When I read about it I really wanted to go. Knowing my love of animals, John was agreeable to it also. We started off with a very colorful lizard type who actually was quite active if not slow. I think he was my favorite.
Then came another lizard that did not really move at all.
The third was a python. Oh dear God. But you know what? He really wasn’t very scary, he was so smooth and soft. He wrapped himself around my wrist which John took as a sign of affection. I’m not quite sure.
Then we had a very cute little guinea pig who was only interested in eating his carrot.
The last was a rabbit. Soft and sweet.

Our new friend

They also had very large cats roaming the cafe as well as birds and other snakes and lizards in glass aquariums. We both agreed that was a very unique experience and we really enjoyed it.

John:  We’ve been in Budapest for six days and understand Anthony Bourdain’s comment on its architecture, "If there was such a thing as architecture porn, it would be this". We rode the “most scenic tram route in the world”, number two and saw the magnificent Parliament building, a landmark of Hungary, a popular tourist destination of Budapest and largest and tallest building in Budapest. It was built in 1896 and is 96 meters tall. We plan on visiting the Parliament building to see it lit up at night. But while there are other grand buildings it’s the buildings used as businesses and apartments that give Budapest a beauty. The old buildings have been restored beautifully and newer construction melds seamlessly. As I walk through the city I enjoy looking down each street to see the blending of the muted colors of the different building or an ornately decorated dome peering over one of them. Some of the streets are old cobbles stone and there are small pedestrian town squares dotting the city. Many of the buildings have ornate sculptures as part of their façade. But the bank building over the sub station of the metro is all glass and metal and the canopies over the stairs connecting the subway are metal and glass. All of the architecture blends to give it a very pleasing feel.

Barb: “Ruin Bars”. In city known for “architecture porn”, its ironic that these bars are one of the main tourist attractions. In the late 90’s, many of Budapest’s buildings were in disrepair. Predatory developers were buying up the city’s decaying historic buildings, razing them, and replacing them with cheap and unsightly alternatives. Local activists, campaigning to save the country’s architectural heritage, succeeded in securing protected status for the Jewish District, one of the worst affected areas. Still without the funds necessary to actually revitalise these buildings, a creative solution was hit upon. The first ruin bar, Szimpla Kert opened in the an old factory. From then on, ruin bars popped up all over the district. Using the old buildings, flea market finds for decorations, they have become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Budapest.

We actually just stumbled upon Szimpla Kert by accident. We were walking down a street, saw the opening (not the sign) and went in. When I saw the name inside, I recognized it as the famous ruin bar. It was crazy cool inside! A main “hallway” off of which were many rooms with bars. The hallway led out to a courtyard. There is a second story also filled with rooms that looked down on the first floor. Our plans are to visit several other ruin bars during our stay.

John: The city is vibrant with people but the excellent mass transit, trams, buses, subway and taxis, seem to move many of the people making the streets lest congested and easy to cross. The people appreciate my polite attempt at their language but most of them speak English making communication easy. There are many restaurants, bars, cafes, grocery store, shops and other businesses common to all main roads. We have thoroughly enjoyed each of our meals since arriving here and don’t think we will be able to try all or even most of the restaurants we are interested in. We’ve eaten Hungarian goulash a couple of times and twice at a Hungarian restaurant. The food was delicious and goulash is advertised in many restaurants and I have noticed several Hungarian food places we haven’t been to. It seems the local foods are as desirable as the other ethnic foods. While all big cities can boast of ample variety and good quality ethnic restaurants only in Budapest does the local foods stand on equal footing. We came to Budapest from Romania and we thought being spoiled by the very inexpensive cost of living there would take some adjustment. While Romania cost of living was about 50% of that in the States my research indicates Budapest is 30% less expensive than Chattanooga, TN. Since arriving I have found that to be true. Another benefit is the beer culture in Budapest. We are a short walk from “Monyo Café” which is actually a taproom. Breweries here are not visited by customers so it is necessary to find them at bars, restaurants, and taprooms. Monyo has excellent IPA’s and a delicious porter for about $4 for true pint. The local version of Bud cost about $2 for a 13 ounce can.

Barb: One of the city squares have street lights that are made to look like plant leaves.

The For Sale Pub

We had lunch at The For Sale Pub. The interior is covered with notes from customers. Each table comes with a box of peanuts which you throw the shells on the wooden floors which also has hay on them. There are lit candles on each table. This all seems like a fire hazard but we made it out alive and the food was great!

The smells of the city are fantastic! Down almost every street you can smell the food coming from several different restaurants. Every ethnic cuisine seems to blend with the other. We’ve tried goulash from 3 different restaurants and although we have a favorite, they we all really good. We plan on serving a lot of goulash to our friends back home! John has been bringing home street food after his morning walks. We have had pasta from “Pasta”. It comes in oyster boxes and they serve only 4 different types of pasta and it is all take away only. Across the street from our apartment is a soup cafe. They also only have take away and 4 types of soups. We love “Tao” for chinese and “Istanbul” for middle eastern cuisine.

The Market hall

John: One morning I went to Great Market Hall  just a few doors down from our apartment. The temperature on my app indicated it was 38 degrees F so it would be more comfortable today than the first time we were there since there is no heat. My objective was to find hot Hungarian paprika that would fit in our luggage with minimal risk of opening and making a mess of our clothes.

The market has three levels, the basement contains an ALDI grocery store and fish merchants, the top floor has souvenirs and prepared foods and the main floor has chocolates, baked goods, charcuterie, meats, cheeses, produce and Hungarian paprika.

The first time we saw the market it was about 25 degrees so by the time we made it to the prepared foods on the upper level I was too cold to sit at one of the open tables to enjoy it. We did, however, stop at each booth to see there displays. There was goulash, potatoes, cucumber salads, pork knuckle, blood sausages, rice, couscous, and a dozen other foods I would love to have eaten. The forecast indicates temperatures are going up to around 50 so we hope to try some of that food this weekend.

Hungarian specialties

I identified five vendors selling Hungarian paprika. From what I could discern from the internet, any paprika purchased in Hungary is far superior to anything we could get in the States. There are main types, sweet (minimal flavor basically used for color or garnish), smoked and hot. At the Hungarian restaurant across the street we had stuffed cabbage rolls on a bed of sauerkraut seasoned or made with hot Hungarian paprika and we had a bowl of delicious Hungarian goulash with just the perfect amount of heat, we assumed paprika was used. Since we both enjoy eating food with spice or heat we’ve decided to make Hungarian hot paprika one of the spices we will try when we return home. The paprika comes in decorative metal tins, decorative material bags with tiny scoops and plastic bags of different sizes.

Barb: So that was pretty much our first week. Most of what we did was right in the neighborhood we are staying in. It’s wonderful! We have over 3 weeks left and we plan on a night time boat tour on the Danube river. We want to go back and see the Parliament building, visit more ruin bars, eat more great Hungarian food and sample more local craft brews. There are so many sights to see in Budapest that I am sure we won’t see everything but so far this has been one of our favorite cities on this journey!

To see more photos of The Zoo Cafe, just click HERE

To see more photos of the Szimpla Kert ruin bar , just click HERE

Cheers!
Barb and John

Living in Oradea

John:
As we neared the end of the first part of our Adventure we were feeling the physical and mental fatigue of moving every 4 to 5 days for 5 months. While I have enjoyed all the benefits of mass transportation in every city we’ve stayed and not having to think about navigating all foreign places and some congested cities it also made traveling more physically challenging traveling between cities. Even our Adventure respite for the wedding in the States was scheduled with us shuttling between friends to make sure we saw as much of them as plausible. So, we decided after the wedding to select an affordable moderately sized city to live for weeks or months in one place.

While Western Europe is fantastic the cost of living is comparable to the States so living there would take more funds than we had allocated but we had read on the internet there are some locations that were much less expensive, parts of Italy, Northern Spain and Portugal. Anyone would be an excellent destination. Unfortunately, the rent was more than we wanted to pay so we stop considering all of Western Europe. We did enjoy Gdansk, Poland, and Brasov, Romania the few days we visited. Also, our hosts in Munich told us of their motorcycling adventures in Sarajevo and those three locations had much lower cost of living than the west. We decided on Romania, selected cities that had a population of at least 200K, mass transportation, walkable to bars and restaurants, ground floor or elevator apartment, full kitchen and a washing machine. After identifying about six cities, Barb researched potential Airbnb’s in each. We then listed each apartment with their match up to our requirements. Each apartment met most of our criteria so we removed the location and rental cost and discussed each on the amenities. After a lengthy discussion we decided on Oradea, Romania.

We flew to Oradea airport from Stansted, London. It was a little below freezing as we deplaned and walked across the tarmac. I expected to be inside quickly so didn’t zip up my coat so when I had to wait in a line outside of the terminal it felt very cold. Eventually the queue moved inside and were quickly presenting our passports to the customs official. He gave us an indifferent look and stamped our passport. The main terminal was about 400 square feet with only a small food counter where coffee, soft drinks and small food items could be bought. I saw a sign for a rental car company but other than that the lobby of people was all I noticed. We walked outside with our Airbnb address ready knowing we wanted a taxi. Barb knew to select one with the rates posted on the door to reduce the risk of being cheated, I always assume all cab drivers will attempt to extort as much money from a fare as possible. We selected the taxi of a young man in his twenties. He spoke with us during the 15 minute trip asking where we were from and why we came to Oradea. He seemed surprised we planned to live in his city for three months.

We passed buildings housing businesses, billboards and a moderate number of cars on our ride. Our apartment building was about two-thirds of a mile from the center of Oradea, Old City. As we approached our apartment there was less green space and more five to 10 story multi-purpose buildings. There were businesses on the ground floor and apartments on the floors above. Most of them were a drab grey color and because it was late December most of the foliage was dormant adding to the bleakness. The driver was able to park immediately in front of the building. Barb had given him the address, but he didn’t seem to be able to pinpoint where we needed to be. Luckily Barb recognized a restaurant from Google Earth across the street. I noticed a flashing “Famacia” sign, people queuing at an ATM for “CEC Bank” and there was a bakery next to a clothing store advertising “pret redus 20%!”, I assumed something was on sale with 20% off. In between the businesses were glass doors with numbers and words that turned out to be addresses. Barb pointed to the building she expected to be ours and the driver parked at the curb just in front. I hopped out of the taxi and met the driver at the trunk already unloading our bags. He said, “16 Lei. That’s about 4 bucks.” I gave him two tens and he flashed a big smile with a “Thank you”. Barb knew the address and the apartment number was 725 so we saw a keypad next to the door and began pressing buttons and she managed to ring our apartment. A voice from the speaker said “Buna.” Barb introduced herself mentioning the landlords name and the voice said, “Come upstairs.” When we heard a buzzing sound we pulled on the door and it opened to a small 4’ by 4’ area with potted plants, there were four steps leading to either stairs or the elevator. We pushed the only button near the elevator doors illuminating a red light and instantly heard a whirring mechanical sound and in a minute the light went out and the noise stopped. I pulled on the metal handle and saw a pair of café doors, each about 12 inches wide. I pushed them both in and they snapped open showing a small space about four square feet. Barb got in first and I followed but was unable to turn around because of the backpack so I stepped out and backed in. We pushed a button next to the “7” and up we went. The elevator stopped with a slight jolt and we exited to a dark hallway that lit instantly as we stepped out of the elevator. There were three closed brown doors and the stairwell door open at the end of the small floor providing enough light to see number 25 on a door. The walls were painted with a dreary brown and faded white with some exposed plaster and wires around one of the doors. Later we discussed that moment and we both agreed we had serious doubts about our apartment choice but knew we would have to proceed hoping the apartment was in better condition. The door opened quickly after a few light raps and we were looking at a man in his mid-sixties standing about 5’6” tall with a big smile and indicating we should go in. His name is Radolph, father of the landlord, and local resident. He spoke some English taking us around the one bedroom, one bathroom apartment.

Our view at sunset

The living room, to the left, was amply sized with four windows allowing good light into the room overlooking the city and facing Old City. The furnishings were clean and modern. The kitchen, immediately in front of us as we entered, had a table with four chairs, stove, oven, refrigerator and a coffee maker with adequate counter space. There was one window and a glass door leading to an outdoor balcony. The bathroom, at the end of the short hall to the right, while lacking shelf space had everything we wanted. The bedroom was equally well lit with more than enough closet space and perfectly comfortable. Everything was clean and in good order appearing exactly as it was described online. After some brief instructions and questions and answer session Radolph gave me the keys directing me to follow him to show me the procedure for the front door and the trash and recycling. After returning to Barb, we agreed the building looked sketchy but the apartment is perfect. We’ve been living here for more than two months and could not be more satisfied with our accommodations.

The Black Eagle building

Since being here we have taken trams around the city many times, with Black Eagle building in Centru, Old City, being our favorite. The Black Eagle building was built in 1909 on the site of the Eagle Hotel and had been beautifully refurbished. It is located on one of the corners of the Town Square and several bars and small eating places are in the covered area. We have been to the “Steam Bar” in the Black Eagle several times. Most of the patrons are very young, in their twenties and usually only a few tables are occupied with patrons. Sometimes it fills up with people playing board or card games drinking carbonated drinks and coffee, but some do drink beer. The town square is surrounded by beautifully refurbished buildings with vibrant colors. The patio is a giant pedestrian area made of varying patterns of concrete pavers. The tram station, Unirii, is a two minute walk from the bar and we enjoy going to have drinks and playing cards for a few hours.

King Saint Laszlo

A quarter mile walk across a bridge over the Crisul Respede River, Crisul Rapid River, takes us to Centru, or the center of the city. The pedestrian walkway is the Strada Republicii. This is my favorite place to walk, there are coffee/bars, bakeries, restaurants and many other small businesses. This picturesque section of the city was rebuilt in the mid 1800’s and most of the buildings have been restored to excellent condition and most of the others appear to be in the process of being restored. We have been to four other cities in Romania, Cluj, Timisoara, Bucharest and Brasov, and Ordea’s Old City is probably the most beautiful. The town square is centered around a statue of King Saint Laszlo on a horse. The town square patio is a huge space with different styles of pavers patterned with shops on all sides. It is usually busy with people and the coffee/bars and restaurants stay open late hours.

Piata Decibal

The city has large markets, piatas, in most sections of the city. We could see Piata Decibal from the window of our apartment. Each one is similar, with tables of individual vendors selling fresh produce, spices, sauerkraut, pickled foods, flowers and spices. There are small enclosed shops for raw and cured meats, cheeses and sour cream, bread, sweet and savory pastries. There are also three-sided booths selling other household commodities. The food is fresh and most of the produce is local, seasonal, flavorful and is substantially less expensive than the States and Western Europe. Throughout the city are US style grocery stores and smaller, privately owned ones.

Outside of the Old City the views are dominated by apartment buildings housing families from the second floor up and the first floor usually dedicated to businesses. There are pastry shops, banks and café/bars on every street. The bakeries are either small establishments with indoor seating or, more prevalent, a display window of the pastries and small glass door with a person to make the transaction. All of the “cafés” are also bars serving beer, wine and liquor drinks. Even the “bars” serve coffee as a main beverage choice, as evidenced by the cups on the tables. In all but one of the bars we’ve been to there are teenagers socializing at some of the tables drinking sodas and playing board games. We do frequent the Stradavari, we refer to it as “Rachel’s” because a bartender is the doppelganger of a friend of ours, is the closest to a bar as we are used to. I don’t recall a single person there having a non-alcoholic drink but there is a coffee machine behind the bar. The establishments stay open till 11 or 12 during the week and later on the weekends but they typically don’t have many people and I haven’t seen anyone drinking to excess. Once at Piata Rogerius while eating a pastry outside watching the people there was a guy dancing for the people waiting at the bus stop looking quite drunk. There were broken beer bottles along my river route the day after New Year celebrations but tame in comparison to a weekend night in most bars in the States. The places I go for a cup of coffee run the gamut from swanky to almost sketchy but all are clean and I always feel comfortable.

Since we arrived in Oradea I have walked between one to three miles four or five times a week. While I usually walk during the day I have been out after dark and I never felt uncomfortable. I have walked in all four directions from our apartment and have been through neighborhoods and on main roads. All have sidewalks and I see and pass people on all of my journeys, couples, children by themselves, families, Dads walking hand-in-hand with their little children, Moms and Dads pushing babies in carriages. Some of the buildings are basic square concrete multi-family structures built during the communist era but most are, especially as I approach Old City, older ornate structures from the 1800’s through to modern buildings. I see buildings being renovated and some with fantastic potential that have not received much attention in a long time. I walk for exercise and to see more of the city but we have taken the trams around the city many times. Most of the trams are very old and all different styles, thinking they purchased them from other cities, they are reliable. The tram costs 5 Lei, $1.25, per trip and takes us to most areas of the city. The buses appear newer than the trams but we haven’t been on one, but the cost is the same. I read an internet of Oradea’s mass transit is small for a city of its size but efficient and adequate.

Making placinta. A Romanian pastry.

We have a few restaurants we enjoy going to, "Spoon”, on the river, great food, beautifully decorated, “Queens Pub” Romanian home style food serving alcoholic drinks. Turchis is a Middle Eastern fast food. We love their hummus and wraps, “Pizzeria Due Fratelli” has a very friendly and comfortable atmosphere serving pizza and Italian foods, “Cyranos”-Romanian food and Placintarias-any one serving delicious fried dough.

Besides the beautiful buildings the cost of living here is easily half of what it cost in the States. I enjoy the safe feeling I have had since the first day we arrived. Since I have walked through many streets and dozens of miles, more areas than any time in my life since I was 16, the age I bought my first car. I love the ease of walking anyplace and the convenience of the cafes for a beer or coffee, the bakeries, Placinterias and pizza vendors almost on every street. The cars and pedestrians respect each other so crossing streets is a matter of locating the zebra lines or, for the busier roads, the pedestrian cross walks. Of course, some drivers sometimes try to rush the pedestrians and, at first, I felled compelled for drivers to slow down, but drivers respect pedestrians. I see pedestrians and hear the occasional car horn at crossing outside of the designated zebra lines and in between pedestrian traffic lights but they are the exception. I also appreciate and admire their honesty, something I have experienced in my life but never at a time when I could easily have been taken advantage of.


Barb:
As John stated, our first impression of our apartment building was not real good. Built for workers during Romania’s communist era, they aren’t the nicest looking buildings. They don’t appear to have been upgraded at all. Our apartment though, was modern, clean and had fantastic views with a great balcony.

Over the 2 and a half months living in Oradea, I have come to appreciate the city and it’s people. The people are kind and honest. They seem very family oriented. Fathers seem to be very involved with their children. People like to hold hands in Romania. They are animal lovers, putting food out for the stray cats and the birds. Putting sweaters on their dogs during the cold winter days. The older women like to wear hats. The people are tough, sometimes only wearing sweaters or sweatshirts in 20 degree weather. We see the “gypsies” sometimes, pushing their children to beg for money, I did kinda like their colorful clothing. Haven’t run into any vampires but as Romanians are known for their excellent gymnastics, we did witness a small girl doing cartwheels in a restaurant.

The city can be beautiful as we witnessed during the Christmas market. The lit up their buildings in a similar fashion as Berlin does during their Festival of Lights.  The Christmas market was full of people and everyone seemed to be having a great time.
Oradea’s Old Town section is as beautiful as John says. They have restored the buildings and seem to be restoring from the city center on out. There is so much potential here in Oradea. I would like to come back in a few years and see how much they have accomplished.

If you would like to see more of my photos of Oradea, just click HERE.

Cheers!
John and Barb

Lisbon with Friends

Lisbon

John: In February of last year Barb and I began telling our friends of our intentions to rent our home and live out of the country for twelve months, we refer to it as our Adventure. When we were discussing our plans with our dear friends Ryan and Melissa they said they were planning a tour in Europe late in the Fall and we should plan to meet. Melissa and Ryan are The Moon and You, an incredible duo. While we loved the idea of spending time with them in Europe, or anywhere, our Adventure was in its early stages. At that time, we expected to leave in June, initially traveling to Central or South America, returning to the States for the wedding of our friend’s daughter in December and then to Europe. But that didn’t prevent us from the exciting thoughts and communications of the improbable meeting. As our Adventure evolved we ended up traveling to Europe first since Sits were more prevalent. That made our distant meeting unlikely but now we’d be on the same continent.

Barb and Melissa would occasionally contact each other to communicate changes in schedules. At some point Melissa posted her music itinerary so we knew where and when they’d be in our part of the world. Now that we knew the area of Europe they would be the hopeful reunion was dependent on the location of our Sits, relative to traveling and timing to satisfy the brief overlap of schedules.
Before leaving the States we had purchased our tickets for our return flight home for November 29^th from Oslo. That turned out to be fortuitous because that placed more constraints on Sits we would be able to apply for. We also had been living in the homes of strangers for 82% of our time there and wanted a little time to visit places of interest to us. Also, as our available time collapsed we had less opportunities for Sits but Barb managed to secure jobs through the middle of November, our final commitment would be Carlisle, England, and Ryan and Melissa were going to be in Lisbon after that date. Since we loved Bilbao, Spain and Portugal was “mini-Spain”, we decided to meet our friends there for Thanksgiving.

For me, while Portugal temperatures were welcome after being in the cold fall for a few months, and it would be a new place to experience, I was more interested in seeing Melissa and Ryan. The plans to stay at the home of a friend dissolved and our arrival dates in Lisbon didn’t coincide so we got a hotel close to old town. It was centrally located within a third of a mile from a town square with a daily open-air market. We were also one block from the Tagus river. Ryan and Melissa were traveling with a friend, Sarah, and planned on meeting Melissa’s cousin, Loren, so their plan was to get a place together. They found an apartment in Old Town.

My first impression of Lisbon was their impressive airport. It was modern, bright and comfortable. We secured a taxi and one of the first features I noticed were the pedestrian walkways. They were made with small porcelain black or white stones called “Calada Portuguesa”, Portuguese stones. There were patterns by sections depending on their location, town square, sidewalks or a fountain area. The stones were square shape flat on top arranged in images or patterns. They looked fantastic on the sidewalks but the open spaces of the town squares were sometimes breathtaking.

The first night Melissa and Ryan were going to meet us near our hotel. Barb and I decided to get some dinner before meeting our friends. So, we went to an outside restaurant and ordered fish thinking Portugal is near the water and there were many fish entrees. We don’t know what type of fish we ordered but it came with French fries and it was quite boney and didn’t have much flavor. But we were outside in November and the atmosphere was pleasant and within moments of finishing we spotted Ryan sneaking up behind some strangers to surprise us. It was a wonderful feeling when we saw their smiling faces. We ordered our first carafe of wine and drank and talked easily until some late hour. We also made plans to take a train to Sintra and perhaps prepare a Thanksgiving dinner at their apartment. While Barb and I were ready to find another bar for more wine the wisdom of our younger friends prevailed and we ended our memorable night with hugs and made our way to our respective places to sleep. Talking with Melissa and Ryan was most enjoyable because of the easy flow of conversation. It has always been that way when the four of us are together and not a moment was lost with months and thousands of miles from home. Up to the moment we saw our friends I had not missed being home but suddenly realized the pleasure of talking to loved ones with common references and interests.

Our hotel had a football theme and was partially owned by a famous Portuguese football player, Cristiano Ronaldo. As I walked in the hallway to and from the elevator I heard a constant muffled sound, similar to a TV in a nearby room. On one of the trips to the elevator we noticed the stairs were open and the wall facing the stairs had 18” X 18” images of football fans with decorated faces covering the entire length and width of the wall. The sound I had been hearing was the roar of a stadium of football fans at a barely audible level. Our room had ambient light controls, red, green and blue. The ceiling was painted black and the panels of a soccer ball in white. It was compact but had everything we wanted with some nice extras.

On the mornings I awoke before Barb I walked the streets around the hotel. The open market was an easy walk passing people and businesses along the way. There were bakeries and coffee shops on almost every section of the streets I walked. I enjoyed getting a pastry and coffee for €2 ($2.25). My favorite was called “Pao de deus” or God’s bread. There are sweet rolls infused with a barely perceptible taste of lemon, filled and topped with coconut mixed with egg whites. Absolutely delicious! I had one each day, sometimes a couple, at different bakeries and each was scrumptious.

The market had Portuguese music playing from a CD, vendors selling prepared and raw ingredients, beer, sangria, charcuterie, cheese, jewelry, clothes and other things. I estimate there were 30 vendors. It was busy enough to give it a nice energy but not too crowded so we were able secure seating and moving through the area was comfortable. When buying a beer and thanking a female server saying “Obrigada.”, she explained males use the masculine ‘o’ and females use ‘a’. I thanked her, with the appropriate male ‘o’. Barb opted for one of the different varieties of sangria and we shared a charcuterie board. The vendors smiled and accepted my attempt at Portuguese with politeness or pleasure, making me want to experiment with more complicated phrases.

Ryan and Melissa came in and we all shared a drink and made plans for our Thanksgiving dinner for later that afternoon. Melissa had a list of groceries and we divided them up and agreed to meet at their place later. Barb and I walked across the street for a coffee. While enjoying our coffee at the outside table the vendor from the market greeted us with a smile as she passed by. There was a food market a couple of doors down so after enjoying our beverage we walked there to get the supplies on our list.

With their address in hand we hailed a taxi, pronounced the address then showed him the written text. He responded with “Muito Bom”, very good. As our taxi approached the address the roads narrowed to the point his vehicle could not travel down some. He stopped and began speaking in Portuguese and we discerned our destination was up the street he was pointing but his vehicle could not get us any closer. We thanked him, paid our fare and walked the steep incline to the address.

The apartment was small especially considering there were four adults living there. But we all fit, drank wine and the conversations flowed effortlessly from topic to topic. Melissa was the lead chef with all of us taking on some task. Ryan and I did go out for another couple of €2 bottles of wine, “2-euro-Cleto” doesn’t have the same appeal as “2-buck-Chuck”. The dinner consisted of duck, delicious gravy, mashed potatoes, fresh dressing, apple sauce and salad.. It was delicious and especially since I never expected a taste of Thanksgiving in Europe. We finished the last two bottles of wine and with a full belly and sleep coming over the group we called our Uber and exchanged hugs and made our way to the drop off place from that afternoon.



The street corner was quiet and we intently watched each occasional passing car for signs they may be looking for fares. At one point a car stopped across the intersection and I approached the driver asking if he was an Uber driver. He politely told me he wasn’t. Barb sent a text to Uber but after no response for ten minutes we realized we’d have to walk the mile or so back to the hotel. The streets were well lit and Barb had a good idea of the direction so we made our way through the steep and narrow streets of old town to a main road. After reaching the main road I noticed Barb was in discomfort from her knees so I had her sit on a bench beside a four lane road and talked her into have a hot chocolate while I opted for a coffee. We passed a small green booth with people close by sitting at tables with dishes so I assumed I could get our beverages there. There were two men inside the tiny building busy cutting vegetables, making coffee and taking things out of and placing other things in a small oven. Once they noticed me I placed my order and paid him the requested amount. As I waited for a moment he told me he’d bring the drinks to us but I told I was happy to wait, not wanting to take his time. I kept an eye on Barb and noticed the tall full trees lining the road just beyond the bench. The trees were lit up by the street lights and from the headlights from the passing vehicles. Some people walked quietly by and the diners talked quietly in their small groups. As I gave Barb her hot chocolate she pointed to the town square we had been to earlier that day so we knew exactly where we were relative to our hotel. The temperature was cool but pleasant and we talked of our day, time in Lisbon and the fast approaching end to the first part of our adventure.

I returned the empty cups telling the man “Obrigado” and hurried back to Barb. In minutes we were at the town square all lit to assist the many people congregating, coming from a “Les Miserable” theater production and coming and going to bars and restaurants. The town square was vast decorated with Calada Portuguesa in white with the black stones forming wave patterns over the entire area. It was a memorable sight! We walked between to sections of buildings that opened into the now quiet open market tent.

Within ten minutes we were unlocking our room door. We set the ambient lights to blue and quickly fell to sleep. My thoughts were of the music from the market, the chatter of easy conversation at dinner and the beautiful night walking with my best friend in a beautiful city I never thought or desired to visit but hoped I could return.

Sintra

Barb: The six of us decided to take a short train ride to Sintra which Melissa had heard was a town not to be missed.

Sintra was just beautiful, maybe the prettiest place we have visited on this Adventure. We decided to take the walk from the small train station to town. Melissa and Sarah “procured” some beers for our walk and we headed up hill to town. Along the way were sculptures, artists selling their craft and amazing views. When we arrived in town, we stopped in a cafe and then decided to head towards a castle up the road. Again the walk was breathtaking and we arrived at the castle in awe of the area. John and I sat out exploring the grounds, instead people watching while the rest of the crew explored the tunnels and grounds.

We all met up and headed back to town wanting to grab some dinner. We arrived at a restaurant which was empty. We looked around for a table that would accommodate the six of us. When Ryan asked if we could pull a couple tables together we were told a flat out “No”. We all looked at each other in disbelief and decided to head out. We found the perfect little cafe. We ordered wine and food and thoroughly enjoyed all over great conversation. It was one of those times that just seemed perfect and you just know it won’t ever be forgotten.

Amsterdam and Oslo

Barb: We had a few days between our departure from Lisbon to are takeoff from Oslo back to the States. Amsterdam has turned into one of my top cities. We thought it would be a great place to spend a couple of days before we headed to Oslo. To sweeten the pot, Ryan and Melissa were playing a show in Amsterdam. We decided to surprise them and showed up for their show. Listening to The Moon and You brought back memories of home. The feeling watching our friends on stage was warm and comforting. It was great to see them one more time.

We planned to spend two nights in Oslo. Originally, we had wanted to spend five days. One person after another would tell us how expensive Oslo was but it wasn’t until our niece Dena, who lives in NYC, told us Oslo is “obscenely expensive” did it finally sink in. we decided to cut the stay and spend some time in Amsterdam.

Oslo was expensive, obscenely expensive. A cheeseburger and fries at the airport cost $50. We did not eat a cheeseburger and fries at the airport. The city center where we stayed was clean, cold and exciting. We walked around and took in the sites. There was an outdoor concert just outside a mall and plenty of restaurants and stores. We saw a couple of bars but after paying €2 for a BOTTLE of wine in Lisbon, paying €13 for a GLASS of wine in Oslo was just too much.


We saw snow for the first time on our adventure and it seemed perfect for Norway.  Their airport is state of the art and their trains are impeccable. We enjoyed our short stay in Oslo and glad we got to experience a little bit of Norway.

Cheers!
John and Barb

The Moon and You are a fantastic duo from Asheville NC. To hear their music and learn more about Melissa and Ryan, visit their website http://www.themoonandyou.com/

If you would like to see more photos of Lisbon and Sintra, Barb's photo's can be seen HERE

The Last Sit

Carlisle
Our final Sit brought us to Carlisle, England and in some ways it was the perfect conclusion to the first part of our adventure. We arrived by train and our host, Peter, picked us up and drove us 10 minutes to their home providing an informative narrative. Peter and Lindsey had an immaculate and comfortable home tastefully decorated and they had a friendly cat name Fliss.

Fliss

The bus stop was minutes from their door making visits to Carlisle convenient. Carlisle has a population of about 70,000 with comfortable shops and restaurants and ample energy. Lindsey prepared a delicious dinner. Afterward we talked while drinking wine. Their home was as comfortable as any place we stayed during our six months and Fliss perfectly behaved. Upon their return from holiday, we shared some coffee and tea and they told us about their holiday of dancing and we conveyed our pleasure of living in their home, experiencing Carlisle and caring for Fliss. We all hugged while they thanked us for taking care of their home and Fliss, while we encouraged them to visit us if they ever come to the States.






Some thoughts on the Sits.
 What a wonderful way to see the world! As the Sit part of our journey has ended, it's nice to reflect back on those Sits.

John: 

Our Adventure began as an idea to live outside of the US and evolved into taking care of homes and pets in Western Europe for six months, travel back to the States for a wedding and rent an apartment in Eastern Europe and travel Eastern and Central Europe until our tenants’ lease expired on May 1^st. We were excited to see places in Europe, place ourselves in situations we had never been and meet some wonderful people.

The Pet Sitting process involves buying a subscription to websites where pet owners post opportunities to stay in their home to take care of their pets while they are on holiday or away for business. The Sits can be for a few days to a few months. Some are posted days in advance of their departure while others are months in the future. Barb was able to reserve about 45 days of the 180 available before our flight to London. Our intention was to have Sits for as many of the days as possible to minimize hotel costs but learned quickly to allow adequate time between Sits for travel. Getting from our second Sit in Ward End England to meet with our Edinburgh host taught us a lesson. The time constraints were too tight traveling from Ward End, England with a departure time of 3:30AM flying to Edinburgh, Scotland to meet our host by noon, the same day.

France

While we were well prepared for the eight hours on a sleepless flight from Orlando, FL to London we had some difficulties moving from city to city using multiple forms of mass transit on average every four to five days over the course of six months. But we made commitments to our hosts and knew the end date was November 29^th, the date of our flight back for the wedding, so we persevered and the experiences in the cities and towns and the meeting of our hosts will be remembered for a very long time, especially our hosts. By the time we reached our final Sit in Carlyisle, Barb had secured Sits for 147 days of the 180, on average we traveled every 4 to 5 days, we had been to a dozen cities with populations from 4,300 to 8.8 million, we were entrusted to mostly cats but almost a dozen dogs and two chickens. Two of our Sits were in homes over 400 years old and one was a new, modern condo. 

We learned we preferred traveling by train over flying. The train stations were busy places during the day ranging from futuristic type malls to waiting rooms with small shops and vending machines. But each had display boards of the schedule of trains for the next several hours. The infrequent travelers all seemed to gather around the displays gazing or giving periodic glances to find their connection location and details. We almost always had time before boarding our next connection and enjoyed buying sandwiches and snacks for the next section of the trip and share a meal or a coffee with my lovely partner. Only once was there a security check to board a train. This greatly reduced the hassles of traveling by train compared to flying.

Bus travel is usually the least expensive and as comfortable as trains and with none of the flying hassles. The downside of bus travel is because of traffic, travel time is at risk of being extended. The other negative is some of the destinations are bus stops as opposed to stations. Think about the sometimes random places you see a bus stop sign and imagine not speaking the language, hungry and needing to get to a hotel or make another connection. One of our bus stops in Biarritz, France was in a housing development with only a pizza place and houses. We asked a pizza worker for a taxi company number, preferably English speaking. We didn’t have to travel far but there was a minimum $15 charge to get in the vehicle, so it cost about $30 to travel a few miles. But if you don’t encounter traffic delays and you end at a bus station, as opposed to a stop, the seats are comfortable and the views from the bus are the best.

Bakewell UK

While still in the states, after securing our first Sit, during the interview with our host, we agreed to come the day before their departure. We would have dinner together and stay overnight in their spare bedroom. After the interview, while discussing what we each understood, we both expressed hesitation and some angst about accepting the kindness of strangers before ever doing anything to earn it. We both agreed we would approach it as a learning experience. While it was mildly uncomfortable, our lovely hosts, Michaela and David, were warm, friendly and so genuine we were both at ease instantly and glad to be spending time with them. For the next 12 or so Sits, that approach was, by far, the preferred process and, as it turns out, allowed us to meet some wonderful people with delightful interactions that will be some of our fondest memories. While I usually felt slight angst planning to meet our next hosts, I was able to reassure myself recollecting prior meetings and the moment I started talking to our new host I was enjoying myself. I noticed how I felt just prior to our first Sits compared to the disappointment when our London Sit arrangements did not allow us to meet our host. 

Barb: When I first read about pet sitting, I thought "Yeah, sure. It's one of those things that you read about but very few people actually get do it. It sounds too good to be true." A little research told me it was doable. Do your homework, prepare and go after it. There are legit websites and real people that would love for you to come and pet sit for them.

Bear in Munich

13 Sits. So many wonderful memories. Sure there were issues from time to time but the majority of our time was wonderful. Amazing countries, amazing homes but the best part were our hosts. As we previously said in our blog post "New Friends" we have been lucky to meet some really fantastic people. They were welcoming, accommodating and respectful. They loved their pets and only wanted someone to care and love them while they were away. They were open minded enough to open their home to strangers and trust that we were everything we said we were.

The Sits got us to Europe. We have learned so much since landing in London back in May. If we decided to do it again, there are some things we would tweak but I think we did really well our first time out. 83% of our time for our first 6 months was spent doing Sits. When our journey ends in April, we want to look at pet sitting in the States. It's a wonderful way to see the world!


(If anyone would like more information on pet sitting, please message us privately and we would be glad to share what we know)

Cheers!
Barb and John

Ireland

Greystones

Leaving London, we flew into Dublin for our Sit in Greystones Ireland. Greystones is a coastal town just south of Dublin. Our host Beatrice showed us around her home and introduced us to our "housemates" Pandy and Pearl. Pandy and Pearl are Siamese cats, Pandy the older one and Pearl, a teenager, full of mischief, personality and love. We were also in charge of 2 chickens who liked to sneak into the house.

After a wonderful meal the night we arrived, we settled into our room early that night and the next evening Beatrice left for her holiday. Throughout the week we cared for the chickens who in turn provided us with fresh eggs, visited the town of Greystones and spent time with Pandy and Pearl.

Pandy

 Pandy was content most days to sleep on the coach and every once in a awhile pay us some attention. She and Pearl were not great friends and she would occasionally hiss at Pearl if Pearl got too close to her.

Pearl

Pearl didn't seem to care much and she appeared very interested in us. She would sit on the floor watching us with eyes that looked barely open and one front paw in the air. She would do this for minutes at a time. She loved to play as well as seek out our company. She was a character and so easy to love.








Greystones was a charming, walkable town. Several restaurants, pubs and a very cute coffee shop that we liked to frequent. We would take the bus in and back home. Cute novelty stores and a view of the sea. We found the people very friendly which we found out was not unique to Greystones....

Dublin

We took a train into Dublin from Greystones on a Sunday morning. After a mishap with the bus we finally made it to our hotel in the afternoon. Being seasoned travelers now 😊 we feel we can figure out most public transport systems. Dublin's was confusing. Plenty of buses but somehow it always seemed a struggle to get the right bus. Luckily, the people of Dublin were helpful and yes, very friendly. Anyway, we settled in and decided to see what the neighborhood had to offer.

We had a great pub across the street, The Ivy House were we found the bartenders the friendliest of our journey. I found a very interesting beer, Cute Hoor, and found the brewery's glass pretty cute. Asking if I could buy the glass, the bartender got a clean one, wrapped it up and gave it to me, no charge. We watched the Irish soccer team lose to the Danish team and lose the chance to qualify for the World Cup surrounded by many, many college chaps, ate some great food and even had a patron approached us at the bar one night after overhearing our American accent. She was curious of our political views and our new President. It was a fun conversation.

Dublin was full of life and beautiful. We took a tour one day and ended up getting a very personable lad who had a passion for Dublin and an even bigger passion for Irish soccer. The day we took the tour was also the day the team would be playing that night in Dublin to qualify for the World Cup. He pretty much begged all of us to pray to the Lord that the Irish win over the Danish. It didn't work.

He told us great stories of Dublin. We spent the afternoon on the tour and ended the afternoon with a couple of pints in a cute Dublin pub before heading back to our side of Dublin.

We were sad to leave Dublin, the friendliest city we had encountered but we were looking forward to flying back to England for what would be our last Sit of this incredible journey.









You can see more of my photos of Dublin here.


Cheers!
Barb