Croatia

A Note to People Who Don’t Travel

As you may recall, 2017 was going to be a year of travel for me, and I started off my blogging year urging others to make it the same for them. All the reasons I gave back then about why I believe travel is so worthwhile still stand, so maybe writing another post on the topic now seems a bit repetitive.

Except that–as you will also know if you’ve read my recent posts–none of my long-anticipated travel plans for 2017 panned out, due to circumstances beyond my control. Instead, 2017 has been my year of staying still.

View of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

This was definitely not the situation I’d planned or hoped to be in this year, but it has given me lots of time to think. As I’ve been forced into the role of non-traveler for a while, I’ve realized there are certain things to be said for it. Routine can be nice. You have additional time to spend in your own (awesome) city, and hang out with friends and family. You can also save money (I’m typing this atop a brand new desk I just bought myself which could easily have covered the cost of a domestic plane ticket.)

And yet….I miss travel. I miss the excitement of planning trips, the giddy anticipation of new adventures on the horizon. I miss the thrill of being in a new country where I don’t speak the language or know how most things work and having to figure it out (often assisted mightily by the kindness of strangers).

To anyone reading this who isn’t a traveler, or doesn’t feel the need to be, I’m sure you have your reasons. But speaking as one who’s had to walk (or stay put) in your shoes for the past six months or so, I can assure you that there is a lot to be gained by seeing the world.

Here are just a few of the things I’m missing from travel right now:

Plitvice waterfalls, Croatia

Beach in Phuket, Thailand

I miss sitting in a café in Paris, starting off the day with a flaky chocolate croissant or sipping a chocolate chaud, all the while marveling that great writers like Fitzgerald and Hemingway may have sat in the very seat I’m currently occupying nearly a century ago as they worked on their masterpieces.
I miss trying to speak a new language, making an effort to blend into a new country, even when I spectacularly fail.
I miss walking inside cathedrals, mosques, and other religious sites built over the centuries that dazzle the eye and lift the spirit, like Aya Sofia, St. Peter’s, and St. Paul’s. These buildings aren’t just spectacular visual treats or religious touchstones (though they are that); they’re also tributes to the brilliance of mankind and what people can accomplish when they work together and utilize their talents for the glory of something greater than themselves.
I miss wandering through museums that hold beautiful artwork and historical artifacts that teach us more about the world, and about each civilization’s past and ongoing story. The Louvre, the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Vatican Museum, and so many others I’ve been privileged to see over the years still speak to me and call me back for return visits, over and over again.
I miss the feeling of walking on the Serengeti at sunrise, looking around in hopes of spotting giraffes and zebras, while marveling at the peaceful serenity around me. I remember wondering what my grandmother—who was born in Ireland and never traveled beyond the British Isles throughout her long life—would have thought if she had been able to see her daughter’s daughter taking a morning walk on the Kenyan plains, spotting wildlife and reflecting on the majestic beauty of the world.
I miss the natural wonders that can be found around the globe—waterfalls in Croatia; geysers, hot springs, and more waterfalls in Iceland; stunning beaches in Thailand; gorgeous Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. There are so many corners of the world where nature has created beauty well worth traveling for.
I miss meeting people who were born and raised in cultures vastly different from mine, from Cambodia to Uganda to South Africa to the Czech Republic. I miss talking with them, hearing their stories, learning from them, and sharing my own life with them. Hopefully, at the end of the day, these exchanges between individuals from different countries adds bit by bit to a greater understanding of how much we have in common, and how it benefits all of us to seek out knowledge of worlds very different from our own.
I miss gelato and pizza in Italy. Enough said.

Gulfoss waterfall, Iceland

If you haven’t traveled overseas, it may be due to factors beyond your control—money, medical issues, responsibility for children or aging parents. I get it—believe me, after this year I really do get it. But the very fact of how much I’m missing travel right now reminds me of how important it is to me, and I wanted to share a few of the reasons why in hopes that it might give someone out there the inspiration they need to take the first step towards their own adventures exploring the world. There is so much to see, and as I’ve learned this year, no time to waste in seeing it all.

So, let’s all vow to make 2018 our year of travel. I know I certainly am.

Africa, Central America, Croatia, Guatemala, Iceland, Kenya, Thailand, Travel Musings

Oct

2017

When A Perpetual Voyager Has to Stop Traveling

Melissa Kaplan0

I still remember the moment two years ago when I came up with the name for my travel blog. I was sitting in yoga class, letting my mind drift a bit in hopes of gaining some inspiration, and thinking about how for me, the whole point of travel and adventure was that it wasn’t a one-off experience but a continuous trend, a state of being. I wasn’t just a traveler, I was a voyager, if you will. An eternal voyager!

I thought the name was perfect. It acknowledged the permanence of my quest to explore as much of the world as I could. But as I reconsidered, “eternal” sounded a bit too serious, or flaky, depending on how you approached it. So instead, I went with “perpetual.” Perpetual voyager. Perpetual motion. Always moving forward, onto the next country, the next adventure, the next dream. That was me.

Until this year.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything here in months. If you know me well, you can probably guess why. This past spring I got hit by a powerful jolt of news I wasn’t expecting, regarding that most precious and important aspect of life that we all too often take for granted: my health. Having always been a robustly healthy person who worked out three times a week, walked 10,000 steps a day just to get to work, squeezed myself into coach seats for twenty-hour flights without a second thought and visited the doctor’s office once a year, it has definitely been a challenging transition and has turned my life upside down in a lot of ways.

Still, in many respects, I am fortunate. Early diagnosis caught my affliction before it went too far, and my long-term prognosis is excellent. I have amazing doctors, a supportive employer, and wonderful family and friends. Even without meaning to, this year of mostly unmitigated awfulness has shown me how fortunate I really am. Despite all that I’ve gone through over the past few months, I’m very, very grateful for that.

If all goes well, I’m hopeful that soon 2017 and all its awfulness will just be a blip on my radar screen. I’ll leave these difficult days in the past, recover physically and mentally, and get back to my real life, the one I’m supposed to be living right now—the one that involves traveling to far-flung places and having magical experiences in new cities and cultures, then coming home to write blog posts and relive the greatest hits on Instagram with a selection of my favorite photos.

But in the meantime, I’m sort of stuck. It’s the way it has to be, for now—weekly medical treatments have kept me pretty tethered to my hometown for the past few months. I haven’t been out of the country since I came home from Slovenia and Croatia a year ago. (In fact, Facebook memories helpfully reminded me today that exactly one year ago I was chasing waterfalls in Plitvice national park in Croatia…how quickly life can turn around!)

Plitvice waterfalls, Croatia

My other travel plans this year all fell by the wayside once I got my diagnosis back in May. (And if I may say so myself, these were some excellent plans). No safari in Kenya with my coworkers after our annual meeting in Nairobi in June. No dream trip to cruise Scandinavia and Russia (the one I’d been longing to make happen for close to a decade). Instead this summer was filled with doctor’s appointments, hospital visits, and a lot of time on my hands to think about the endless list of places I’d rather be.

But, there’s hope on the horizon! By the end of this year I’ll be mostly done with my course of treatment, and by winter I should be able to travel again pretty much without restriction. I already have big, big plans for the first trip I want to take in 2018…but having learned the hard way that life doesn’t always work out the way we expect it to, I want to hold off on sharing details until I actually have plane tickets in hand. Stay tuned….

And in the meantime, I want to get back to blogging. I didn’t post anything for the past few months mostly because it didn’t seem worth it—what was I going to write about? I wasn’t going anywhere interesting or doing anything beyond my work-and-medical appointment routine. But I also think that maybe, my lack of presence on my blog was also a form of denial. I didn’t want to put down in words what I was experiencing any more often than I had to. And while I still don’t want to write about the things that have kept me grounded in reality this year, I do want to begin anticipating the day when I’ll be able to take flight again. Because it’s never too early to get excited about the next adventure on the horizon—in fact, sometimes that’s all that keeps you going.

I also want to use this pause in my travels for another purpose—to reboot my blog a bit. I’ve always seen Perpetual Voyager as a hobby blog, and never wanted to make it into a full-time gig as many travel bloggers aspire to. I love travel blogs, but I already have a job and a career, and I wanted this site to remain something I do just for fun, and for myself—though of course, anyone else who chooses to is welcome to come along for the ride!

But now, I think my unplanned break from blogging has inspired me to re-dedicate myself to my blogging efforts. I want to post more frequently, write about travel in more in-depth and imaginative ways. I want to grow my audience, expand my community of readers. And you know, actually figure out the nuts and bolts of how to make a site look nice. (Looks do count, after all!)

And I do have a few small but exciting adventures coming up over the next few months close to home. I’m thrilled to have booked tickets for a Columbus Day weekend getaway to Philadelphia, a city I’ve visited before but really only scratched the surface of. I want to explore the museums, dig into the history of America’s founding days, and of course, check out the food and café scene in Philly. Only another month to go! And I’ll be sharing my impressions of the city here when I get back.

In late October I’ll be going to New York City for a work trip, which hopefully will include some time to catch up with NYC-based friends and family and try out some new restaurants (as well as make it back to the home of the world’s most magical milkshakes, obviously!)

Then in December I’ll be visiting my family in Florida for Christmas. It’s been months since I’ve seen them, though we talk every day, and I can’t wait to spend some quality in-person time with Mom and Dad, ending a difficult year on a high note.

And then, on to 2018…which, if I have my way, will be filled with nothing short of epic travel adventures.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

When my doctor and I first met to discuss my course of treatment a few months ago, I had many questions, both big and small. But one of the most pressing for me was when I’d be able to travel again. I mentioned my now-cancelled safari in Kenya, and asked if, in a year’s time, I’d be able to travel to such distant places again. I’ll never forget her words: “A year from now, you’ll go back to Kenya…and you can take me with you!”

Those words were such a relief to hear at the time, and even today, they still make me smile and give me hope. Hope that my life as a perpetual voyager will continue, and that I’ll soon be back out in the world I love so fiercely, conquering mountains and chasing waterfalls and living this glorious life to its fullest.

And until then, I’ll keep writing. Thanks for reading.

Africa, Croatia, Kenya, Russia, Slovenia

Sep

2017

My Best Travel Moments of 2016

Melissa Kaplan0

It’s that time of year again! Time for holiday celebrations, festive lights, lots and lots of hot chocolate (not that I ever need an excuse, really), and of course, end-of-the-year roundup blog posts.

Honestly, when I look back on my travels over the past year, I’m still pretty astounded I got to see and do so much. I had travel goals and dreams at the beginning of the year, but what I actually was able to see and do and experience blew them out of the water. This was an incredible year for me, and I’m so grateful for every single new place I visited, every new adventure I embarked on, and above all, the people I met around the globe who reaffirmed my hope that, fundamentally, the world is full of good and decent men and women who just want to live the best lives that they can.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

This was the year I visited Cambodia for the first time, and was blown away by this majestic country. It’s the year I made it to East Africa, experiencing a taste of safari in Kenya and learning about the history and contemporary life of Uganda. It’s the year that finally saw me accomplish my decade-long goal of visiting Slovenia and northern Croatia for the very first time. I traveled to Portland with my best friend and had a great time in this fun, funky, donut-and-ice cream-laden city. I visited my family in England and got reacquainted with one of my all-time favorite cities, London. And oh yes, I made it back to Paris and it was every bit as delightful as I remembered.

What an amazing year. I’m so thankful I got to experience every moment of it.

View of Soca river…can you believe that water color is real?!

As December draws to a close, I thought I’d do a quick roundup of some of my favorite moments/experiences over the past twelve months. Read on for my favorites around the globe in 2016:

Best Massage: Bliss Spa, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. An hour and a half of heavenly pampering for only $30. Can’t wait to go back!
Best Hot Chocolate: Les Deux Magots, Paris. I sneaked in for an hour with a French newspaper and a chocolate chaud after a long day of work meetings, and it remains one of my favorite memories of Paris.
Best Sunrise: Across the magical vista of my lodge near Nairobi, Kenya. Watching the sun rise over East Africa at 6 am—and thinking how far I’d come to be able to experience that moment—made the early morning wake-up call totally worthwhile.
Best Meal: Paris again—Le Relais D’Entrecote. I’d remembered this fantastique steak-and-frites legend from an earlier visit but couldn’t find it on a map or in my guidebook…then I stumbled across it by pure chance while wandering around the neighborhood. Fate! And it was every bit as delicious as I remembered. That steak is reason enough to visit Paris.
Best Body of Water: As beautiful as the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia are, I have to give the edge to the Soca River in Slovenia. This ribbon of turquoise snaking through the beautiful Slovenian countryside is a marvel. I remember just sitting and staring at it during a break in my busy day-trip from Lake Bled, wishing I could gaze at it forever and never leave.
Best Museum: Also in Slovenia—the Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia in Ljubljana is a bit out of the way from the city center, but it’s very impressive and does a great job of telling the powerful, inspiring story of the country’s journey from Yugoslavia to independence to European Union membership over the past 25 years. It’s a must-see if you’re going to be in the capital.
Best Bookstore: This is an easy one (even though I got to revisit some of my favorites in London this year). I fell in love with the legendary Powell Books in Portland, Oregon when I visited this fall. SO many titles I wanted to take home, but I limited myself to three, and I still have two of them sitting on my nightstand that I can’t wait to crack open. This place is huge, diverse, and heaven for book lovers!
Best New City: While I enjoyed Phnom Penh a lot, and found Zagreb really charming, my hands-down favorite new city from the past year is Ljubljana. The capital of Slovenia is a gorgeous mélange of pastels set on a river and filled with beautiful architecture, excellent restaurants, and too many charming cafes to explore during my all-too-brief time there. I need to go back and revisit this delightful city soon—it made me so happy and I honestly didn’t want to leave!
Best New Country: Cambodia wasn’t even on my radar a year ago except in the vaguest way, but when a work trip sent me there for two weeks, I was thrilled to get a chance to check it out. It honestly was one of the most significant trips I’ve ever taken in my life. Not only is it an incredibly beautiful country with charming cities and impressive ruins to explore (hello, Angkor Wat!), it was filled with some of the kindest, most interesting people I’ve ever met, and I was inspired and humbled by how the country has worked to move forward after the horrors of its not-too-distant past. Cambodia is vibrant, fascinating, easy to explore even solo, and very affordable. It’s now one of my top country recommendations for all travelers. Cambodia, I’m so glad I got to know you a bit in 2016, and I hope to see you again soon.

What were your favorite 2016 travel experiences? What are your plans for 2017?

Africa, Asia, Cambodia, Croatia, Eastern/Central Europe, France, Kenya, London, Portland, Slovenia, Travel Musings, Uganda

Dec

2016

Zagreb and Plitvice: Two Different Sides of Croatia

Melissa Kaplan0

The day before I was to leave Slovenia for Croatia, I was facing a dilemma. Thanks to scheduling issues, I’d had to book a bus that arrived in Zagreb in the late evening rather than mid-morning, meaning I’d only have a single full day in Croatia. This was obviously not optimal, as there is so much to see even in the northern region of the country where I’d be based during my visit. I reached out to the Facebook universe for help with this question: “If I only have one day in Croatia, should I spend it at the Plitvice Lakes, or just stay put and explore Zagreb?”

The answer from my Croatia-savvy friends was unanimous: Plitvice.

And honestly, I can see why. Plitvice is beautiful, and who doesn’t love a good waterfall, much less a sprawling park filled with them?

Yet, I have to say that I feel my friends did Zagreb a bit of a disservice. It’s not Budapest or Prague, but I really, really liked it.

Zagreb.

The Charms of Zagreb

I didn’t have much time to explore Zagreb—just a quick morning and late afternoon/evening following my trip to the Plitvice Lakes—so I’m hardly an expert after just walking around it for a few hours. Maybe I also benefited from the freedom of low expectations (one friend had told me Zagreb was her least favorite city in the Balkans). I wasn’t looking for much there. I just figured I’d see it, check the box and move on. But I was also curious as to whether Croatia’s capital had more to offer than I’d been led to believe.

And sure enough, it does.

Zagreb struck me as a quintessential Central European city, which is one of my favorite types of places in the world. As I’ve written before, I have a long-term love affair with Eastern Europe, and every time I step back into that part of the world, I remember what makes it so special.

Zagreb’s market.

Zagreb has all the things that Central Europe is famous for: old-world-style architecture, a beautiful town square, trams rolling through the streets, pastels popping everywhere, a fantastic market bulging with fresh fruits and vegetables, and of course, a surfeit of cafes. Pretty much all the things I love most about the region, in one small, compact, very walkable city which still retained a bit of a small-town feel.

(Sidenote: I also loved how relatively inexpensive Zagreb is. My luxurious (for me, anyway!) hotel right on the city’s main square cost only 85 euros per night; I was able to enjoy a fancy steak dinner for around 25 euros, and gelato cost about a dollar. So much good for so little cash!)

The Majesty (and Downside) of Plitvice

Of course, as much as I would have loved more time to enjoy Zagreb, I knew my trip to this part of Croatia wouldn’t be complete without seeing the majestic Plitvice Lakes, a sprawling national park which features both crashing waterfalls and glorious turquoise colored lakes as far as the eye can see. And Plitvice didn’t disappoint.

Except that it did, a little bit.

Don’t get me wrong, Plitvice Lakes and its waterfalls are BEAUTIFUL, and everyone who can should definitely see them. I can’t find anything to complain about in these views:

Except that it was crowded and full of tourists snapping selfies (hello, Thailand flashbacks); it was a bit confusing to navigate despite the trails being marked (I somehow wandered onto the path for a longer walk when I only had time for a shorter one, meaning I had to retrace my steps and double back to my starting point); and frankly, I just didn’t plan my time there very well. I was trying to do too much: take a bus two and a half hours down from Zagreb, see the park in 2-3 hours, then take the bus back up to Zagreb and still have an afternoon and evening free to wander the city. In retrospect, I should have probably planned to stay overnight at Plitvice to be able to devote an entire day to it without racing through it. I’m still very glad I saw what I did, but being less rushed would have likely led to a less stressful and more fun experience there.

The Bottom Line

Both Zagreb and Plitvice are well worth seeing when you’re visiting Croatia. Just make sure you budget enough time for each and don’t try to do too much in a single day. I’d say give Zagreb at least one full day (two if you can) and try to stay overnight at Plitvice to have a full day to explore the park. I really hope that someday I’ll be able to go back and do the same.

Croatia, you haven’t seen the last of me!

Croatia, Eastern/Central Europe

Oct

2016

Slovenia, Here I Come!

Melissa Kaplan0

Do you have a dream destination? A little corner of the globe you’ve been gazing at longingly for years in guidebooks and on maps, fantasizing about the day you’d actually get to experience its magical lure in person?

It should come as no surprise that I have such a place. Actually, let’s be honest, I have TONS of them (hello New Zealand, Bali, Vietnam, Russia, Australia….). And I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many of my one-time dream locations already (Buenos Aires, Istanbul, South Africa, Thailand, Europe….).

But my bucket list is endless when it comes to travel and exploring this beautiful planet. And for years, there’s been one small pocket of Europe I’ve longed to visit and have somehow never made it to. But this August, that will change.

Hello, Slovenia, I’m finally coming for you!

(And Croatia and London, I’ll be swinging by you as well….)

Melissa’s Slovenian (and Croatian) Adventure

This Slovenia trip has been a dream of mine for years, and I’m so excited that it’s finally happening. For roughly a decade, ever since I lived in Central Europe and began exploring the magical cities and charming, history-laden small town that dot its landscape, I’ve wanted to see Slovenia. I almost went a few times, but something always got in the way (by which I mean, some other destination pulled me in just a bit more strongly).

But Slovenia kept calling to me, and its pull only got stronger as the years went by. I had originally been intrigued by its charming, café-filled capital of Ljubljana, which looks like heaven for those of us who have a thing for medium-sized Central European cities (I miss that part of the world badly). And lately, I’ve been more and more drawn in by photos of Lake Bled, which might just be home to the most stunning castle-on-an-island-on-a-lake in the world. Slovenia seems like a perfect blend of beautiful cities, small town charm, and natural abundance in the form of mountains, lakes, and even beaches. It looks absolutely perfect. What’s not to love?

So this year, I decided it was time to finally stop delaying and making excuses, and to jump into Slovenia with both feet and discover all that this beautiful country has to offer. I booked my plane ticket a few weeks ago and have been on a high ever since!

So what is there to see and do in Slovenia, you might ask? Plenty! Here are some of my plans:

Ljubljana—I plan to spend a few days here soaking up the architecture, taking in the views of the castle and the famous bridge, and acquainting myself with as many outdoor cafes as I possibly can.
Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj—While Lake Bled is legendary, I’ve heard Lake Bohinj is even more of a stunner—and less crowded! So I clearly have to take a few days to explore them both! I’ll be based in Bled but do a day-trip to Lake Bohinj to see which one I like best.
The countryside—I’m looking to find a day tour that will allow me to see a lot of the gorgeous, varied Slovenian countryside in one trip. I’m hoping this will include some time at Mt. Triglav, Slovenia’s famous peak; the Vrsic pass in the mountains; and perhaps rafting on the Soca river (or at least getting up close to its stunning blue waters!)

But, this trip won’t be only about Slovenia. Because the country is so compact and so close to Croatia, I just have to make a return visit to one of my favorite countries…but this time, I’ll be exploring a different part of it. When I visited Croatia back in 2007, I stuck to Dubrovnik and Split, fairly common for first time visitors (and well worth seeing, especially Dubrovnik). This time I’ll be staying in the north of Croatia, basing myself in the capital city of Zagreb (another charming Central European city, yay!), and then hopping down to the Plitvice Lakes to see the famous waterfalls.

So if this trip has a theme at all, it’s clearly water. Or nature. Or both.

Finally, I’ve booked myself a flight into London, one of my favorite cities in the world and my one-time home, where much of my family still lives. I’ll have three days in London before I fly to Slovenia, so I’m excited to hit a few museums, spend time with my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and eat all the curry. (Oh, and stock up on that chocolate chip shortbread that only UK Starbucks seem to sell).

I’m so happy that I’m finally going to be able to make my Slovenia dream trip a reality. It’s still more than two months away, but I’m already feeling the anticipation. Slovenia, Croatia, and London, here I come! I couldn’t be more excited to explore new dream destinations while revisiting one of my favorite cities in the world.

Let the summer of Slovenia begin!

Have you visited Slovenia or northern Croatia? Any suggestions or tips for me? Do you have a dream destination you have always longed to visit?

Croatia, Eastern/Central Europe, London, Slovenia

Jun

2016

A Love Letter to Eastern Europe

Melissa Kaplan0

Dear Eastern Europe, *

Hello, old friend. I know It’s been a while, but you’ve been on my mind quite a bit lately.

It started when I began thinking ahead to my summer vacation, and made the decision that this was the year I was finally going to fulfill my long-held dream of visiting Slovenia. I spent hours researching and was amazed at just how much there is to do in that tiny country alone. But why am I so surprised? You never fail to amaze, and you are full of so many wonderful secret destinations that I could spend a lifetime exploring you and never run out of things to see and experience.

You know you’ll always hold a special place in my heart for one particular reason: you were the first place I ever lived abroad. My year in Praha taught me so much; not just about the city but about how to survive, and perhaps even thrive, in a totally foreign environment so different from the one I was used to. It was immersion and sometimes a bit of a trial by fire, but we made it through together.

And every now and then, I realize how much I miss you.

I miss your beautiful cobbled streets and old towns that give a glimpse into what life was like centuries ago. I miss your pastel houses glowing in the spring sunlight. I miss the stunning architecture of Old Town Square in Praha and Rynek Glowny in Krakow. I miss the imposing red-domed Parliament building that dominates the Budapest skyline.

I miss your cafes. I miss being able to walk into Kavarna Slavia and use my handful of Czech words to order a horka cokolada, then spend the afternoon sipping it while reading my book and gazing at the Vltava River just outside the window. I miss going to Café Louvre with my students and whiling away hours talking about life, and travel, and anything that struck our fancy (all in the name of English language practice, of course).

I miss weekend road trips to Budapest, seeing the city in fall, winter, and finally spring. I miss Café Gerbaud and its gorgeous fin-de-siecle interior, and sitting inside our outside on the patio with my friends devouring chocolate cake and marveling at how lucky we were to be in this beautiful place together.

I miss living in a place so full of history, both good and bad. I miss walking across Wenceslas Square in the course of my daily commute and contemplating all the earth-shaking events of the twentieth century that had transpired over the cobblestones beneath my feet: the Nazi invasion during World War Two; the arrival of Soviet and Warsaw Pact tanks crushing the Prague Spring rebellion in 1968; and of course, the peaceful transformation of the Velvet Revolution in 1989, when your citizens finally rose up and seized a brighter future for themselves, showing the rest of the world that it can indeed be done.

I miss all these things; everything that makes up your unique essence. There is nowhere else in the world like you.

But never fear, Eastern Europe; we aren’t done yet. Our journey will continue. As I flip through my new guidebook I feel almost overwhelmed by how much of you I have yet to experience and all the places I still want to see. This summer it will be Slovenia and Croatia: Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Zagreb, the Plitvice waterfalls, and whatever else I can fit in. And I will return to see even more in future visits: Tallin’s Old Town, Riga’s art nouveau architecture, the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. And of course, I will finally make it to Russia (though that’s a subject for a different letter altogether).

I know I’ve been off exploring other corners of the planet lately—South Africa, Thailand, Argentina, Israel—and you may have felt a bit neglected by me in recent years. But rest assured, I have not forgotten you. You are under my skin, part of my spirit, and I have no doubt you will be a lifelong obsession for me.

Until we meet again—thank you.

XOXO,

Melissa

*I know that the Czech Republic/Hungary/Poland etc are more properly classified as Central Europe, but I’m using the generic “Eastern” title for this post to encompass the whole region.

Have you been to Eastern Europe? What are your favorite places there? Is there any region of the world that keeps calling you back?

Budapest, Croatia, Eastern/Central Europe, Praha, Slovenia, Travel Musings

Jan

2016

Oh, the Places I’ll Go! (In 2016)

Melissa Kaplan2

Happy Sunday! I’m sitting at my computer typing while watching the first real snowfall of the season fall softly outside my window. It’s a picture-postcard kind of afternoon (even if the snow is pretty minimal, which I don’t mind as I have plans later on today I’d like to be able to keep!) Anyway, it feels like a perfect setting for contemplation and looking ahead to what’s in store in the new year.

And for me, as always, that means travel—hopefully lots of it!

I’m still firming up my 2016 travel plans, but I’m excited to be able to share at least the broad strokes of what I hope to see and do this year. Here’s my travel plan/wishlist, so far….

The Places I’ll Go in 2016

The Big Trips

Guatemala: My first trip is one I’ve already shared on this blog: I’m going to Guatemala next month! It’ll be my first visit to the country, and I’ll be spending most of my time around the stunning-looking Late Atitlan, with a brief stopover to check out Antigua as well. I can’t wait!

Central Europe and the Balkans: I lived in Europe for two years, and every time I’m there, I realize how much I miss it and how much I need to go back for an extended period to see new places and revisit old ones. So this summer, I’m planning a European vacation. The main focus of my trip will be Slovenia, which I’ve wanted to visit for as long as I can recall, as well as a quick pop into next-door-neighbor Croatia to see Zagreb and the Plitvice waterfalls. I’m also planning to spend a few days in London to see my family there and get reacquainted with one of my favorite cities, where I was lucky enough to live for a year during graduate school. But of course, once you’re in Europe it’s incredibly tempting to tack more onto your visit, since everything is so close (relative to America anyway) and Easyjet can hop you around the continent for next to nothing. So I’m seriously considering extending my trip a few days and taking in another city in a new country: Riga? Estonia? Belgrade? Suggestions welcome!

Bali: This is the really big trip I’ve been dreaming about for ages and am determined to make happen this year. I have a milestone birthday coming up in December, which I firmly believe calls for an epic voyage. So I’m going to spend a week or so in Bali, chilling out on beaches, exploring green rice paddies, taking yoga classes, getting endless massages, and eating all the food. Sounds like a perfect transition into the next phase of my life!

The Smaller Adventures

New Orleans: Recently I was catching up with a friend who lives in another part of the country and we were tossing around ideas for a girlfriends’ getaway. My idea—New Orleans! I’ve wanted to visit for ages, it’s a fairly quick flight and can be done in a weekend (the highlights at least), and I’ve heard nothing but good things from everyone who’s been there about how magical the city is. Great food and jazz around every corner; how can we go wrong?

Portland, Oregon: Another city that’s been on my US list for quite a while. My best friend and I have a tradition of meeting up every year for a reunion weekend, either at my place in DC or hers in Connecticut. She really loves Portland and has spent loads of time there, so I suggested we shake things up and move our weekend plans out to the West Coast this fall. Not sure if it will happen this year or not, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Going Home: While my home now is the DC area, I’ve made plans already to visit my parents in Florida several times this year, and also want to do a trip back to Connecticut to see old friends I haven’t caught up with in person in way too long. Time for an Amtrak road trip!

The Possibilities

This will hopefully be the year I finally fulfill one of my personal and professional goals: international work travel. I don’t know anything for sure yet, but there is a pretty good chance I’ll get to visit some fairly exotic destinations for my job this year—including potentially East Africa. If so, I’ll definitely make sure to tack on a few vacation days to be able to take in a part of the world I’ve never been to and have long wanted to experience. More to come on this as things develop, but I’m excited by the idea of exploring some completely new-to-me corners of the planet.

Been to any of these places? Suggestions to offer? What exciting places will you go in 2016?

Asia, Bali, Central America, Croatia, Guatemala, London, Slovenia, Travel Musings, US travel

Jan

2016

Return Trips

Melissa Kaplan0

When it comes to travel, I’m not a sentimentalist. I don’t generally look backwards, reflecting on the beauty and majesty of places I’ve been to and vowing to go back to see them again. Rather, I am always looking forward—to the next city, the next country, the next adventure.

This trait can obviously be seen as either good or bad, and there are compelling arguments either way. But one thing it means is that when I am enthralled enough by a place I’ve visited to seriously think about returning there, rather than seeking out some new exciting corner of the globe I haven’t made it to yet, it must really be something special.

So, here they are—a list of places I not only loved, but was captivated enough by to want to return to, whether to explore more, to delve deeper, or—in some cases—in hopes of a do-over.

The “I Want to Go Back Because I’m So In Love With It” List

South Africa—I spent nearly a week last year in Cape Town, and I fell in love with the city and its surroundings. And by extension, I fell in love with the rest of South Africa, even though I didn’t get to see it (yet). I absolutely want to go back to Cape Town itself, have more time to wander the streets, explore its neighborhoods further, and make another trip into wine country. I’d also like to see more of the surrounding areas I didn’t get to, such as the Cape of Good Hope. And definitely want to see more of South Africa—I have a deep fondness for it after my time there and I really want to explore further. Maybe on the luxurious Blue Train?
Paris—“There is never any end to Paris,” as Ernest Hemingway said. And there’s never any end to my longing for it either. Paris is a city I just want to go back to and experience over and over—not to see new things, but to rediscover the ones I already love. Café Angelina, Les Deux Magots, wandering through the Latin Quarter and the Left Bank, and just soaking up the magical feeling of being in a city and country I love and getting a rare opportunity to exercise my pitiful French vocabulary…none of it ever gets old. I always, always wish for more time in Paris, and one return trip after another.
Bermuda—I’m one of the luckiest people in the world, because I spent my childhood summers in Bermuda. At least part of them. My parents bought a timeshare there and from the age of 9 well into my 20s, I was in Bermuda almost every year for the last week of July. The backstory: my parents met while working in Bermuda years ago, and they took a trip back when I was young and decided to buy some property so they would have a place to return each year. I spent idyllic childhood days at the St. George’s club, frolicking in the pools, swimming in the beautiful blue ocean and playing on the pink sand beaches that surround them. I loved walking around St. George’s harbor, seeing the old-fashioned stocks in the town square and imagining the day when they were still in use, and taking boat rides out to other parts of the island and the bus into Hamilton, the charming pastel colored capital city, for day trips. Bermuda was my first experience with international travel, aside from a brief trip to England and France with my parents when I was seven (I know, spoiled rotten!), and the beauty, relaxation, and sense of being in a place so different from home was something I looked forward to every year. Maybe it even helped inspire my love of travel! If I have kids of my own one day, I am determined to bring them to Bermuda at least once, to see the magical island where their grandparents met and their mother spent so many happy summer days.

The “I Want to Go Back Because There’s Still So Much Else To See” List

Croatia—Croatia! How I love you. This country could easily have fit on the “so in love with it” list, but I’ve put it here because as much as I loved my first visit and my time in Dubrovnik especially, my main reason for going back is because of all the other parts of the country I still want to see. As I plan my long-anticipated Slovenia trip, I’m also trying to squeeze in a little nearby Croatia exploration, specifically Zagreb and the Plitvice National Park waterfalls. But I’m not stopping there—I also want to visit Hvar, which looks like pretty much the definition of island paradise, and perhaps some of the towns on the borders with Slovenia and Italy. So much more to delve into in such a relatively small country! If you haven’t seen Croatia yet, bump it up to the top of your list.
Italy—I’ve been to Italy twice and seen most of the major cities and the Amalfi Coast, but I’m still not done. I need at least one more trip to see the Cinque Terre seaside villages, Lake Como and Milan, Sardinia and Sicily. And I may need an entire trip to devote just to Tuscany, the food, wine, and glorious panoramic views. Although I spent two days in Florence, I had to move on before I could explore any of the surrounding Tuscan villages, which has me kicking myself retroactively. Next time I go, I’ll be sure to spend time in Siena and San Gimignano, at a bare minimum. And I’m sure I’ll just return with a longer list of places to see on my next visit. I think Italy will be a lifelong recurring travel theme for me….
Argentina—I’ve only been to Buenos Aires (in fact, it’s the only place I’ve been to so far in all of South America—I need to fix that!) and I really enjoyed it. An elegant, historic yet fun city with great food, majestic cafes and lots of Evita memorabilia everywhere—pretty much perfect for me. But I really want to return and see more of this enormous country—Iguaza Falls (I seem to be developing a bit of an obsession with waterfalls lately) and the wine country of Mendoza top my list. I think at least a few weeks’ return trip is in order….
Thailand—I loved my recent trip to Thailand and the places I got to see, especially Phuket. But what excited me most when I left was the knowledge that there was still so much more of this fascinating country to come back and explore! I’m already mentally planning my next trip, which will hopefully include more time in Bangkok (in the modern, rooftop bar section of the city, away from the tourists and temples, though I’m very glad I saw them this time), Chiang Mai in the north, and Koh Samui for a different island experience. I also want to spend some time in Koh Tao, and hopefully learn how to scuba dive there! From what I’ve heard, there’s no place better to do it.

The “I Want to Go Back for a Do-Over” List

Turkey—I wanted to love Istanbul. Oh, how I wanted to love it. And while I saw a lot of amazing things during my trip there—Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and a luxurious old-world hamaam being among them—the trip itself was marred because, as a single blond woman traveling alone, I felt singled out and targeted for unwanted attention, even harassment, a lot. Most people I met were kind and friendly, but a few bad apples put a pall on my experience. I really want to change that. I want to go back to Turkey and explore different regions—especially some smaller villages along the Mediterranean coastline, and maybe Cappadocia—to see another side of the country and enjoy the beauty and tranquility I didn’t get on my first visit there. Turkey is at the top of my travel re-do list.
Mexico—Technically, I’ve been to Mexico, but does spring break in Cancun during college plus an afternoon hopping off a cruise ship really count? I don’t think so. I want to go somewhere far less touristy, settle in for a week or so, visit Mayan ruins, snorkel, relax on quiet beaches and eat delicious local food. And I want to explore the Pacific coast, as so far I’ve only seen the Yucatan. Mexico is such a vast and fascinating country; I need to return and create a memorable trip that gives me time to relax and get to know it without the touristy hustle-and-bustle. And no more Senor Frog’s!

Are there places you want to go back to, whether because you loved them so much, want to see more, or want a do-over? Share!

Croatia, Eastern/Central Europe, France, Thailand, Travel Musings

Sep

2015