Handles, Latches and Knobs

We already shared a collection of doors, but sometimes the hardware was the most interesting part of the door:

Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay

Dalat, Vietnam

Krakow

After Budapest, the next stop on our Central European Tour was Krakow, Poland. We took a 6 hour bus ride from Budapest to Krakow, which Nicole had booked before she left. She joked that her confirmation email either said we were booked for 3 seats to Krakow, or she had just purchased an organ grinder monkey. So when they let us on the bus, were were already in a good mood. We had a rest break in Slovakia, which was on the Euro, and required one to use the bathroom. After running around getting change and then waiting in line to go, the bus was already running when Lana finally got back on the bus. It was a very pretty drive, and a much more comfortable bus than we'd been on in other parts of the world (Bolivia we're looking at you).

In Krakow, Nicole had arranged for a two bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, in the old town district.  After settling our bags there, we explored town a bit, found a grocery store, and stocked up for making our own breakfasts for the next several days.  After eating both lunch and dinner, we knew Polish food was wonderful, but we also knew our only healthy meals were going to be the breakfasts we’d cook for ourselves.

What’s Your Sign?

We posted the amusing signs we’d collected from South America to Australia, and predicted we’d have more to share.  Here they are!

Budapeşt

After our Bosnian adventure getting back to Zagreb, we boarded a train the next morning destined for Budapeşt, Hungary (the ş is pronounced “sh”).  We were excited to see it, but doubly excited  because we’d be meeting our dear friend Nicole there, and traveling with her for the next three weeks.  Nicole is a similar type A planner to Lana, and we gave her carte blanche to plan our travels together, within the confines of our budget.  That was a huge relief to us; the constant hunt for our next accommodation, transit, and destination was wearing us down.  It was a win-win, as she got to plan the trip, which she enjoys, and we got to tag along for once.  All we’d need to decide is where to eat, and we never really got tired of that. 

We arrived in Budapeşt in the late afternoon, and experienced the first benefit of our new travel planner when we checked in: the hotel was much nicer than anything we’d stayed in for quite a while—and at a modest price.  Nicole had the advantage of time in advance for research to find an excellent bargain, and she’s also a veteran traveler with mad skills.  We only had to wait in the lobby about 30 minutes before she arrived from the airport.

Sunrise; Sunset.

Victoria, British Columbia

This is simply a collection of the best sunrises and sunsets we saw across the world.

San Juan Islands, Washington

Through Montenegro, into Bosnia and Herzegovina

With two free days between commitments, we had decided to drive through Montenegro, and spend the night in Bosnia and Herzegovina before returning to Zagreb to drop off our rental car.  The welcoming committee at the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina was pretty cute.  Apparently, this is where the action is at in the neighborhood.  We’d done our research, and we had all of the necessary papers (it’s essential to have a green insurance card for your car, indicating that it is covered internationally, or you will be turned away).  The border crossing was pretty low tech—a hand operated drop-arm gate next to a small hut.  We drove East, and crossed into Montenegro a little later in the morning.

Postcard: England

Hadrian’s Wall, near Twice Brewed, England.