A Taste of the East

As with any race, we make it a point to maximize the journey by taking side trips.

First, we take in the sights of Hamburg. Lucky to be here 3x now and the place continues to mesmerize with its maritime flair and elegant buildings.

Hamburg port
Elbphilharmonie, is a concert hall in the HafenCity.
postcard view from our room
cute wall decor
Speicherstadt
-the largest warehouse district in the world.
The Hulbe Haus, former art trading house. Very nice structure.
Bfast staple: coffee + open faced sandwiches
nice garden on the way to our hotel
intricate fountain inside the Town Hall
inside the Rathaus or Town Hall

We’ve set aside ample number of days in Hamburg to make a trip to Hanover, an hour and a half by train from Hamburg.

Marktkirche, ‘church at the market place’
inside the Church
Holzmarktbrunnen, a stunning water fountain in the center of the square built in 1896.
New Town Hall
inside the Town Hall
Aegidien Church, war a war memorial in named after Saint Giles.
beautiful church ruins
my mandatory pic 😅

After conquering IM Hamburg (proud moment here 😊 If you want to read my race report, here’s the link https://norhene.com/2023/09/10/conquering-im-hamburg/), we decided to venture into some countries of Eastern Europe.

Leg 2 of the trip is in Dubrovnik 🇭🇷, a place I’ve always wanted to visit.

After the 5 hour flight, we rode a bus to the Old Town and decided to walk the remaining 1.5km to the hotel. We didn’t know it was an uphill trek (which was a challenge with our luggages) but the beautiful scenery along the way made it worth the while.

Minčeta, the highest point of the Dubrovnik City Walls.
nice view!
we’re on the 3rd floor and this is our amazing view

I have not watched a single episode of GOT and now I understand the charm of this place. It’s now one of my favorites ♥️

Burek, local pastry. Tasty 😋
Did touristy stuff the next day.

Leg 3: Slovenia 🇸🇮

We realized traveling to Eastern Europe is not as easy as the more popular routes. From Dubrovnik, we had to take an hour flight to Zagreb then a 2.5 hr bus ride to Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia.

We had a bit of a scare on the bus ride as there was a checkpoint where policemen came inside the bus and had several groups go down (one is a family with 2 little boys). Asked the passenger near me what’s happening and she said there are those trying to go to Ljubljana without work papers.

This incident was soon forgotten when we arrived in the fairy tale city of Ljubljana.

📍Dragon Bridge

📍Lake Bled

📍Ljubljana Castle

📍Triple Bridge

📍Prešernov trg Square with the Franciscan Church

Last leg: Budapest 🇭🇺

We had an opportunity previously to visit Budapest but we didn’t take it. This time, we made sure we’re not missing it.

There was no direct flight to Budapest from Ljubljana. 2 options were available- a 6 hour bus ride or a 4 hour car ride (like Grab). Given the cost, we opted for the bus ride. Fortunately, this ride was uneventful.

Budapest did not disappoint. It was a feast for the eyes, with its architectural marvels.

There were a lot of things to do in Budapest, we wish we could’ve stayed longer.

This trip made me realize that truly difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations ❤️

The Shoes on the Danube is a poignant memorial commemorating Jews who were executed along the river during World War II.
St Stephen’s Cathedral is the largest church in Budapest and a World Heritage Site.
The Holy Right Hand – the mummified right hand of St. Stephen, Hungary’s state founding king
Fisherman’s Bastion
Danube River
The Parliament at night
Liberty Bridge
Once the home of a hermetic monk, this cave now houses a small church.
Buda castle
Met up withDr J who came from Vienna

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