I Probably Should Have Left Home Earlier
Fifteen minutes before David Foster’s free concert was about to begin, I was driving into downtown Victoria looking for parking.…
Twenty years of family adventures
Schafer Family
Day 33 — Cross Cave, Bear Bones, a Failed Ferrata, and the Road Back to Salzburg
Thursday, May 21, 2026 Route: Ljubljana, Slovenia → Križna Jama / Cross Cave → attempted via ferrata near Karawanks Tunnel…
Day 32 — Belgrade to Ljubljana: Burnt-Out Towers, Magic Ice Cream, Border Strategy, and Pineapple Diplomacy
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 Route: Belgrade / Zemun, Serbia → Croatia → Ljubljana, Slovenia On paper, this was about a…
Day 31 — Danube Gorges, Border Confusion, Fortress Dinosaurs, and Dessert Before and After Dinner
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 Route: Belogradchik, Bulgaria → Calafat, Romania → Iron Gates / Danube Gorge → Belgrade, Serbia This…
Day 30 — Sofia Scooters, Bulgarian Time Travel, Red Rocks, and a Balloon Ride at Sunset
Monday, May 18, 2026 Route: Sofia → Belogradchik, Bulgaria The InterContinental Sofia was a problem. Not because anything was wrong…
Day 29 — Church Parking Gymnastics, Stob’s Goat Trail, Rila Monastery, and Sofia’s Hotel Upgrade
Sunday, May 17, 2026 Route: Skopje, North Macedonia → Stob Earth Pyramids → Rila Monastery → Sofia, Bulgaria The day…
Day 28 — Matka Canyon: The Kayak Guide Cancelled, So We Became the Kayak Guide
Saturday, May 16, 2026 Route: Skopje → Matka Canyon → Skopje The morning began with bad news. Our kayak guide…
Day 27 — Police Checkpoints, Stack-Parked Cars, Ruined Ruins, and Skopje’s Statue Explosion
Friday, May 15, 2026 Route: Peja, Kosovo → Patriarchate of Peć → Prizren → Skopje, North Macedonia Peja gave us…
Day 26 — Rugova Canyon: Shpellat, Peja 360, and the €3.90 Burger
Thursday, May 14, 2026 Route: Peja → Rugova Canyon → Peja Daniel started the morning as chef, which was becoming…
Day 25 — Four Borders, a Sleeping Insurance Man, and Dinner in Kosovo
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 Route: Kotor → Lake Skadar → Albania → Montenegro → Peja, Kosovo The goal was simple:…