• Croatia

    Istria – Our Intro to Croatia

    June 10, 2016 - By 

    Croatia’s northernmost coast is the Istria peninsula, the largest peninsula in the Adriatic sea. Naturally this was our first stop in Croatia after crossing the border from Slovenia. Because Istria’s largest city, Pula, stood out from the rest of Croatia with its ancient Roman ruins, I figured it would be a decent base to start, and from there we’d figure out where to go next. Although Croatia recently joined the EU in 2013, it didn’t feel like the rest of the EU at all.  The different currency (Croatian Kuna, or KN) didn’t help either.  Most importantly, the more developed EU countries such…

  • Slovenia

    Ljubljana

    June 9, 2016 - By 

    Ljubljana. That’s right. Keep staring. You don’t even know where to start right? Just replace the j’s with y’s: Lyublyana. There. That’s how you pronounce it. Like the country, the capital is small with a population of less than 300,000 people.  But also like the country, the capital is beautiful and adorable and packs a whole lot in.  Upon my research of this unheard of capital, I quickly learned that Ljubljana is favored by many.  While the capital of Croatia seems to be a hit-or-miss, that isn’t the case for Slovenia.  During our stay we even met a Scottish couple who were playing with…

  • Slovenia

    Triglav National Park

    June 8, 2016 - By 

    I couldn’t wait to step foot into a country that I (and my friends) hardly knew about, and little did I know that I would immediately be awe stricken by Slovenia’s only national park, Triglav National Park.  Driving from Venice to the national park required another border crossing from Italy into Slovenia, which meant a new vignette (only €15 for a week in Slovenia!) and drastically lower fuel prices.  YAY! Not only do France, Switzerland, and Italy have bragging rights with the Alps, Slovenia also has magical Alps to boast–the Julian Alps.  Jaw-dropping valleys, craggy mountains and peaks, and the truly most beautiful river in…

  • Italy

    Venice

    June 6, 2016 - By 

    Venice is like a famous art gallery.  With every turn you make, you are welcomed with a gorgeous sight, and you can’t help but take a picture of everything.  It’s just so damn beautiful.  And because it is so famous, you are obligated to share it with the rest of the world.  Such is this tiny island city of Venice. Naturally, any form of hospitality on Venice comes with a hefty price, so we stayed on the mainland at Venezia Village Camping, only €22/night for 2 people during the low season when paid in cash.  There was a bus stop…

  • Switzerland

    Montreux, Gruyeres, and Bern

    June 5, 2016 - By 

    It amazed me that even rest stops in Switzerland could be so beautiful. After two consecutive days of relatively challenging hikes, we needed a chill out day, and little did we know we’d spend most of it at the massive rest/trucker’s stop in Martigny.  Equipped with a gas station, motorhome servicing station, free bathrooms, a restaurant/market with electricity and free water inside, and a gorgeous lake and trails, it wasn’t difficult to squander an entire afternoon there. I repeat, this was a REST STOP. Once we were well rested we attempted to drive up Sanetch Pass for more epic hiking, but…

  • Switzerland

    The Matterhorn

    June 1, 2016 - By 

    Immediately upon crossing the border from Italy into Switzerland, the landscape changed drastically to fit the stereotypical Switzerland picture: charming villages spread out on rolling green hills with a backdrop of the snow-capped Alps.  Our goal for the evening was to drive up Simplon Pass (free motorhome parking with water!) where we would spend the night before moving on to Zermatt the next morning.  After purchasing and slapping the mandatory 40 CHF vignette on our motorhome’s front window, we began our long journey up the pass. Our motorhome sloooowly made it up, with a couple of stops to prevent overheating.…