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
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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:…
Day 24 — Kotor: Vrmac Trails, Cold Canyons, and Two Ice Cream Shops
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Route: Kotor → Vrmac Peninsula → Bay of Kotor coastal drive → Skurda Canyon → Kotor…
Day 23 — Snowdrifts, Farm Breakfast, Pilgrims, Bricks, Pasta, and Ice Cream
Monday, May 11, 2026 Route: Žabljak area → mountain pass attempt → organic farm breakfast → Ostrog Monastery → Kotor,…
Day 22 — Montenegro: 56 Tunnels, Snow in May, and the Lake We Actually Visited
Sunday, May 10, 2026 Route: Mostar → Sutjeska/Tjentište → Montenegro → Piva Canyon → Žabljak area I chose the scenic…
Day 21 — Trogir, Salona, and Mostar: A Fortress, Ten Minutes of Rome, and Dinner in Bosnia
Saturday, May 9, 2026 Route: Sedra area → Trogir → Salona → Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina This was the kind…
Day 20 — Plitvice Lakes: Ten Kilometers of Waterfalls and One Crowded Tram
Friday, May 8, 2026 Route: Sedra Holiday Resort → Plitvice Lakes National Park → Sedra Holiday Resort Plitvice Lakes National…
Day 19 — The Road Trip Begins: Ljubljana, Parking Tickets, and Pool Played Badly
Thursday, May 7, 2026 Route: Salzburg, Austria → Ljubljana, Slovenia → Sedra Holiday Resort, Croatia The road trip began with…
Day 18 — Borrowed Cars, Munich Reunions, and a German Barbecue Seven Years in the Making
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 Wednesday, May 6, 2026, was one of those travel days that was not really about famous…
Day 17 — Trick Fountains, Picnic Lunch, and Sliding Into the Berchtesgaden Salt Mines
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 After the cliff-climbing, lake-floating, mountain-gazing adventure of the day before, we decided that Tuesday, May 5,…
Day 16 — Berchtesgaden, Via Ferrata Cliffs, Königssee Waters, and the Eagle’s Nest Above the Mountains
Monday, May 4, 2026 On Monday, May 4, 2026, we had a relaxing morning in Salzburg. After the train adventure…
Day 15 — Leaving the Avalon Passion, Train Confusion, Salzburg Friends, and The Sound of Music Streets
Sunday, May 3, 2026 On Sunday, May 3, 2026, we woke up in Vilshofen, Germany, and this was the morning…
Day 14 — Passau, Three Rivers, Castle Climbs, and a Cobblestone Comeback
Saturday, May 2, 2026 On Saturday, May 2, 2026, we arrived in Passau, Germany, our first German stop on the…
Day 13 — A Labor Day Taxi Miracle, Český Krumlov, Wood-Fired Meat, and One More Country on the List
Friday, May 1, 2026 On Friday, May 1, 2026, we were docked in Linz, Austria. But instead of spending the…
Day 12 — Dürnstein Castle, Wachau Valley Sailing, Bees, Pastries, and Dinner in Ybbs
Thursday, April 30, 2026 On Thursday, April 30, 2026, we woke up for a day that took us through Dürnstein,…
Day 11 — Vienna History, VR Time Travel, Lindt Chocolate, Zara Strategy, and Night Rides at the Prater
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, we woke up in Vienna, Austria, and for the first time…
Day 10 — Bratislava Castle, Bathroom Quests, Poison Plants, and a Postcard to Opa
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, the Avalon Passion was docked in Bratislava, Slovakia, and we started…
Day 9 — Citadel Hikes, Hot Tubs, Margaret Island Bikes, and the Walk That Would Not End
Monday, April 27, 2026 Our first full day aboard the Avalon Passion began in Budapest, where the ship stayed docked…
Day 8 — Wet Laundry, Sunday Church in Budapest, Vietnamese Lunch, and Boarding the Avalon Passion
Sunday, April 26, 2026 Our final morning on land in Budapest began slowly, which was exactly what we needed. We…
Day 7 — Thermal Baths, Hungarian Dancing, Chimney Cake, and Scooters Along the Danube
Saturday, April 25, 2026 Our first full day in Budapest began at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which turned out to…
Day 6 — Podcasts, Steampunk Creatures, a Delayed Flight, and Expensive Ketchup
Friday, April 24, 2026 After two packed days at Puy du Fou, we finally had a slower morning. We slept…
Day 5 — Birds, Musketeers, Medieval Lunch, Fire, Horses, and One Sprained Ankle
Thursday, April 23, 2026 Our second day at Puy du Fou began with a beautiful buffet breakfast at the hotel.…