Jean Nguyen

  • Albania

    Shkoder and Tirana

    June 24, 2016 - By 

    I’ll be honest. Compared to other major cities in any European country, Shokoder and Tirana were quite abysmal, but I can’t blame a recent post-communist/post-totalitarian country for not offering much to the wandering traveller.  Sure, there were notable sites of interest, and I describe a few below. Albania’s northernmost major city, Shkoder, serves as a base for exploring the Albanian Alps.  Aside from being the typical dusty, congested Balkan city dotted with shops, mosques, and churches, its main attractions are the massive Shkodra Lake and the Rozafa Castle.  Perched atop a hill in the outskirts of the city, most of the castle remain in ruins…

  • Albania

    Lake Koman and the Albanian Alps

    June 23, 2016 - By 

    When it comes to the Albanian Alps, it’s tough to say what is the highlight—the journey or the destination. Getting there entails a long day of transpotation: Shkoder -> Lake Koman -> Fierze -> Bajram Curri -> Valbona. Most people arrive to the mountains without a hitch. Us, not so much. For that reason, our amusing journey requires a story to be told. Shkoder, Albania’s northernmost major city, was the start and end point for this journey. Thankfully, Europe’s BEST campsite, Lake Shkodra Resort, was located only a 15-minute drive north of Shkoder. We didn’t have to stay in the eyesore…

  • Montenegro

    Kotor

    June 22, 2016 - By 

    During our passing through of Montenegro en route from Croatia to Albania, we made a stop in Montenegro’s popular town, Kotor.  Day trippers from cruise ships and Dubrovnik flooded this town, but its old town and classic hike up the Castle of San Giovanni were still worth seeing.  Although busy with tourists, Kotor was at least nothing compared to the Disneyland-like Dubrovnik, and its old town felt more authentic and lived in than the old town of Dubrovnik.  Because it was also Montenegro, prices for everything were substantially cheaper–YAY! First things first: crossing the border with a vehicle meant a mandatory…

  • Croatia

    Dubrovnik

    June 18, 2016 - By 

    There’s nothing new to say about the most glorified old city in Croatia (perhaps even in all of Europe!).  Absolutely stunning and breathtaking, but expensive and crowded.  Our day spent in Dubrovnik was on a rainy Monday in June and it was still too crowded for our liking.  We probably would have hated it in the high season of July or August. In order to avoid paying €40/night in Dubrovnik’s only campground, we stayed 10 km away in Mlini at Camping Kate for €18/night.  There were taxi boats to and from Mlini to Dubrovnik, but with the price of 50 HRK ($7.50) per…

  • Croatia

    Off the Beaten Path Croatia

    June 15, 2016 - By 

    Getting off the beaten path in Croatia is truly the best way to fall in love with Croatia. I’m not exaggerating.  Seriously.  After spending time in somewhat well-trodden Pula in the Istria peninsula and the super well-trodden Split, and knowing we’d conclude Croatia with the “finale” of Disneyland-like Dubrovnik, my goal was to see, enjoy, and relax in the lesser known, quaint sea-side villages of the Peljesac peninsula and Korcula Island.  In addition to my discovery, we also enjoyed tastier food, cheaper prices, and easier motorhome parking. It took much research and work to find these places but in the end, it made me…

  • Bosnia

    Mostar

    June 13, 2016 - By 

    When I read that Mostar was not only Bosnia’s most beautiful (and visited) city but also the most devastated city during the Bosnian Civil War, I knew I had to see it. I bookmarked it on my map, and found myself planning a day trip for Mostar several months later while traveling in Croatia. While I’m no history buff, I knew it was important to understand Bosnia’s recent grim history whose scars are still gaping in Mostar today.  I learned a lot, but I’m not going to lay out all the complicated details of the war in my travel blog.  Here it…

  • Croatia

    Split

    June 12, 2016 - By 

    I found Split to be somewhat pleasant but more so underwhelming, perhaps due to having roadtripped around Europe the past four months.  Croatia has been a hot tourist destination for a long time now, so it’s no surprise that everyone who comes to Croatia has to visit Croatia’s second largest city.  Daily cruise ships also add to the large tour groups. Amidst the mediocre public beach, seafront promenade, shopping, and typical city-life attractions, Split’s unique highlight is Diocletian’s Palace.  To call it a palace is a stretch.  Formerly a fortress, residence, and town, Diocletian’s Palace is now ruins and an open-air museum that is lined…

  • 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…