Eastern Europe 2016

I, with a group of fellow OWU alumnas, traveled from Iceland, down Eastern Europe and into Greece. We chose this path because it is the most affordable way to experience many different cities and countries. This trip was about 3 weeks and we traveled by train, plane, boat and bus.

Reykjavik, Iceland

We flew from Columbus to JFK at 7:00 am on May 16. We met with the rest of the group and then flew from JFK to Keflavik via Icelandair. We arrived at our hotel (Guesthouse Pavi) in the middle of the night.

Our first day was spent exploring Reykjavik. We walked along the water and into town to see the local shops. For lunch, I tried whale for the first time. I would compare it to a lighter steak. After lunch, we went whale watching where we were able to see dolphins and a brief glimpse of some whales. 

Our second day was dedicated to riding Icelandic ponies. Icelandic ponies are known for being a very smooth ride compared to most horses/ponies you would ride in the U.S. My ponies name was Dexter and he liked to lead the pack through the hills and fields. There were also small sheep on the farm and some new born kittens we were able to hold. It was about a 50 minute ride back to Reykjavik from the farm. Once back, we went to a restaurant where I had meat stew in a bread bowl and hot chocolate--the perfect dinner on a cold day in Iceland.

Oslo, Norway

We took a 1 A.M flight from Keflavik to Oslo, Norway. It was only a two hour flight, but with the time change we arrived around 5 A.M. We took a train from the airport in Oslo into downtown Oslo. We dropped off our bags at the hotel (Citybox Oslo) but were unable to check in until 3 P.M. so we spent the morning exploring the town. We saw the outside of the Oslo Cathedral and then the Palace and gardens. We went from the palace down to the old coast and explored the Akershus Slott (Fortress).

Royal Palace

King Karl Johan

Queen Maud

FDR

"The Boat and The Breaker" war memorial

Stockholm, Sweden

We traveled by train from Oslo to Stockholm. It was one of the best train rides of the trip with a very nice dining car which provided wine and snacks.We arrived around 10 P.M. and took a taxi to the Reimersholme Hotel. In the morning we walked from the hotel into Stockholm where we saw the Nobel building and the royal palace. We did some shopping in Stockholm including a makeup store called "Face". That night we went to club called Slakthuset which had 3 levels including a rooftop. Everyone in Stockholm was amazingly friendly and loved having an opportunity to practice their English with real Americans.

 

  

Kiruna, Sweden

We took a flight from Stockholm to the northern-most European city of Kiruna. We arrived at a very tiny airport that was surrounded by mountains. There are very few cabs in the area so we walked to our hotel. Our hotel was called STF Malmfaltens Folkhogskoia and it served as a hotel on the third floor, and a school building below. There is not much to see or do in Kiruna. We went to a local pizza place for dinner and a small grocery store for snacks. Back at the hotel, we spotted some arctic hares which would let you get a little closer than deer in America do before running away. Even though we were located above the Arctic Circle, it was about 70 degrees. This was our first real experience with the Midnight Sun. In other countries, it did not get as dark as it did in Ohio but the Sun did not stay above the horizon throughout the night. Now, it did not set at all.

Rovaniemi, Finland

We left early in the morning and took one of the four local cabs to the bus station. We got on the first bus around 8 A.M. to begin our series of bus rides to Rovaniemi. I was able to spot some reindeer along the road. We had a brief delay before we switched to a bus heading to Haparanda, the border of Sweden and Finland. From there we had about an hour delay, then we took our next bus to Rovaniemi. We arrived in Finland around 7 P.M. and went to our hotel, Hotel Aakenus. For dinner, we went to the local grocery store and got a variety of snacks. Rovaniemi is famous for being the home of Santa Clause. In the morning, we went to Santa's village where we explored the shops and played in Santa's husky village. 

Helsinki, Finland

We took the Santa Clause Express train overnight to Helsinki, Finland. It was a very nice train which provided bunked beds, shared bathrooms in each car, and a dining car which had a variety of  Swedish meals and snacks.We arrived in Helsinki around 9 A.M. and caught a cab to Hotel Ava where we would stay one night. We dropped off our luggage then took another cab into Helsinki. We explored Stockmann (a nine-story shopping mall) then a local farmers market along the waterfront which sold food, jewelry, and art. A few of us sampled a Finish snack called Vendace. We also went on the Ferris Wheel to get a better view of the beautiful city. This was the last stop for a few members of the group .

 

Tallinn, Estonia

In the morning, the remaining travelers boarded a ferry to Tallinn. We set sail around 3:30 P.M. and were able to wander the ship. It was set up similar to a cruise ship. There were different levels and we remained on the floor which had a live band and bar. It was a short ferry ride and we arrived in Tallinn around 5:30 P.M. where we took a cab to our hotel the Tallinn Seaport Hotel. From the hotel, we were able to walk into Old Town and saw the beautiful medieval buildings. 

Adventure Tour to Riga, Latvia

The adventure tour took 12 hours with 4 stops from Tallinn to Riga. Along the tour, we stopped at the ruins of old castles, sand caves, and an Estonian military museum. We arrived in Riga and went to Rixwell Irina Hotel. There was a beer festival in Riga during the time we arrived so the town was very rambunctious. 

Vilnius, Lithuania

In the morning we took a bus from Riga to Vilnius. We arrived around dinner time and checked into the Stay Express Hotel. The hotel was very small and did not have a restaurant so we ventured into town for dinner. We stopped in a few shops then made our way to the more modern part of Vilnius to get supplies at the grocery store. One of the most interesting things I noticed throughtout the trip, was that locals in almost every city so far had mentioned the upcoming election in the U.S. In Vilnius, we found a large portrait that displayed the locals feelings about our Presidential election on a wall in town.

 Warsaw, Poland

The next day we took the LUX Express bus into Warsaw Poland. Due to traffic and construction along the roads, the ride took about 12 hours. We checked into our hotel (Premiere Classe Hotel) and headed out to find dinner. By the time we ate, it was already getting dark so we had very little time or energy left to explore the city.

(No photos were taken here)

Krakow, Poland

We took the Polski bus from Warsaw to Krakow. We arrived around dinner time again and took a taxi to Hotel Eva. We enjoyed dinner at the restaurant in the beautiful hotel. The next day, we set out to see Auschwitz. We struggled to find how to get from Krakow to Auschwitz by bus so we decided to take a cab to the central bus station, and from there a bus into Auschwitz. Auschwitz was a shocking thing to see in person. I imagined it would be a big place, but in reality it was small with only a few buildings. We returned to the hotel by bus and had dinner at the hotel again. That night, we went to Old Town and saw some of the bars in the central square. 

Budapest, Hungary

We took another LUX Express bus into Budapest. Our hotel (Hotel Platanus) was located on the outskirts of the city so we took a cab into the city to meet and have dinner with our professor's friend Anka. We went to a TGI Friday's and enjoyed a good old fashioned American dinner. We then explored the city. Anka did not know much about the history of the buildings, but she was able to show us around the exuberant streets lined with bars and shops. So far, Budapest was one of my favorite cities.

Belgrade, Serbia

The next morning, we took a mini bus to Belgrade. The mini bus also picked up a few other passengers that were travelling to Belgrade. We arrived at Hotel Rex and it was a beautiful hotel. The staff was very kind and gave us candy as we waited for the elevator. It was raining too hard to go explore, so we ate dinner at the hotel then met with Anka's brother Bogdan. We went to a Wednesday night rave which was different from any American bar or club I had seen. We then went to his apartment and taught him American drinking games. We took a cab back to the hotel then rested before our afternoon flight to Romania the next day.

(No pictures were taken here)

Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest was less beautiful than Budapest on arrival. Our hotel, Hotel Bucharest, was located in a suburb outside the city. We went to a restaurant tucked into the neighborhood where I fell in love with a lemon flavored beer. In the morning, we went to a mall down the street and explored. We then went sightseeing and found a beautiful cafe in a garden for lunch.

Thessaloniki, Greece

We took a flight from Bucharest to Thessaloniki, Greece. We skipped going to Bulgaria so we had an extra night in Thessaloniki and had to book a different hotel (we stayed in Hotel Kastoria the first night and Nea Metropolis the next.) The first day there, we wandered around the city and saw the White Tower. The next day we switched to the second hotel then explored. I wandered throughout the city and found many stray dogs to pet and feed. That afternoon, we met with Leia for an official tour of Thessaloniki. She took me to the top of the White Tower and showed us the ruins located in the center of the town. She took us to get some good Greek food and then we returned to the hotel.

Athens, Greece

We took a bus to Athens--my final destination of the trip. The scenery along the bus ride was spectacular and I now believe car or bus is the only way to travel across Greece. We arrived in the afternoon and checked into Aristoteles Hotel. It was early in the tourism season, but it was already 90 degrees--but I was still determined to climb to the Parthenon. It costs about $25 to actually get to the top of the Parthenon so we went as far as we could without paying. On our way back down, we found a little cafe where we could sit outside and enjoy the ruins (and the cats that roamed the ruins.) I finally had some good Greek lamb before making my way back to the hotel to rest for my flight home in the morning. 

Home: June 7

I flew home by Turkish Airlines. My flight was at 9:00 A.M. and it was about two hours to Istanbul where I made my connection to JFK. The flight from Istanbul to JFK was 10 hours and I then had to deal with customs in my exhausted state. I flew from JFK to Columbus, Ohio. After an long and amazing trip, it was great to see some Scarlet and Grey again.