Sometimes you meet inspiring travelers while on the road - such was the case this evening in Chisinau, Moldova. I met a young woman traveler from Japan who took bought a 50CC motorbike in Irkutsk Russia and rode it some 14,000 kilometers solo from Russia to the Romanian Moldova border. She had stories of her time on the road as a trip of this length will invariably create. She camped much of the time but when it was raining or otherwise bad … [Read more...]
Trip to Budapest for VinCE Wine Show
With upcoming excitement about a pending trip to Budapest, it seemed like George Ezra's song of the same name was always playing on the radio. The movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel was showing on a recent flight so I watched it yet again. In reality, both the song and the movie seem to have little to do with Budapest but both seem like appropriate entertainment considering my trip to this historical city. In any case it is nice to be back - … [Read more...]
VinCE International Wine Show 2015 in Budapest, Hungary
The Venue The 6th annual VinCE Wine Show was recently held at the luxurious and inviting Corinthia Hotel in Budapest in early March 2015. This event is organized by the VinCE Central European Wine Magazine and showcases Hungarian Wines as well as plenty of winery attendees from elsewhere in Central Europe. When you walk into the Corinthia you immediately feel transported to another era - perhaps 100 years ago, elegance, luxury and … [Read more...]
Dreaming of a European River Cruise
I am usually in Europe several times a year; one of my favorite cities for exploring is Vienna. I was there earlier this year - because it is a sizable city I found the best way to explore it (especially with limited time) is via bicycle. The city of Vienna maintains bicycles in public stations scattered throughout the city - it is easy to rent a bike and then drop it off in another location as needed. Vienna in fact was recently voted the … [Read more...]
Long Weekend in Bratislava, Slovakia
I had arranged to meet my brother for a long weekend in Bratislava. He was on his way from Verona Italy where he lives and I was on my way from Kyrgyzstan where I had been trekking the past few weeks. We arrived at our floating Botel on the Danube River within 1 minute of each other. Talk about great timing! Ready to imbibe in some alcohol after a several week dry spell we immediately headed to the Grand Cru tasting bar, and ordered several … [Read more...]
Gruesome Ghoulash: Budapest’s “House of Terror”
John M. Edwards tours the ambivalent history of terror in the Hungarian capital Outside the museum on infamous Andrassy utca stood a young Hungarian law student wearing an anachronistic frockcoat straight out of some 19th-century novel. He said his name was Andros and asked me for a cigarette. He then lit it and smiled pleasantly. “Did you know that there was a persistent rumor during World War II that our ghoulash bowls were full of human … [Read more...]
5 Top European Adventures You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
There are certainly the go to and much loved destinations in Europe. Cities such as London, Paris and Rome quickly come to mind. However, the focus of this list is to highlight some lesser known European locations and adventures. Have you experienced any of these or been to these locations? Suggest some of your favorites: leave comments below. For experiences similar to the ones mentioned below, Contiki Tours (age 18-35) offers a number of … [Read more...]
Honeymoon in Vienna
Sigmund Freud, apfelstrudel and Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss clinched my decision to honeymoon in Vienna. When you think about it, psychology, food and art are not the worst foundation for a good marriage. Oh, and Before Sunrise, the movie where Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke spend a day in this romantic Austrian city falling in love. Famous for being the center of the Habsburg dynasty in the 15th century, Vienna used its newfound power for good, at … [Read more...]
How to Brave the Budapest Baths
Spa guy John M. Edwards feels frigging fantastic! If you're in Magyarorstag (Hungary), do as the Daubians do: Say goodbye to "bliss" and splash around au Naturale in the "eau de vie" of a real thermal spa, with a Red Bull in Hand... When you first arrive in Budapest for both (clandestine) “business and pleasure”-- feeling like a dumb foreign doppelganger soaking with sweat and stinking of brimstone--say no to the Four Seasons Hotel showers and … [Read more...]
Beirut in the Baltics
John M. Edwards is drawn into the Wild Wild East of “Europe Minor.” After the collapse of communism in the USSR, inflation in the freshly minted Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia rolled up the ruble into the cheapest toilet paper around, so I decided to go East and stock up. I needed a cheap place to wipe my ass because I was then unemployed, and an Orwellian year of freelancing in Paris had left me as restless … [Read more...]