Bye Bye Bulgaria (Insert sad face here)

I can't believe we are about to wrap up our time here in Bulgaria. We have had a wonderful 16 (geez) days in the motherland!

We have enjoyed our adventure sans water at the Black Sea, fun times with Christo's amazing friends, meaningful visits with Baba (Christo's grandmother), celebrating Christo's 32nd birthday and spending an absolute wonderful time with his precious mom and her boyfriend, Nick.

Words cannot express how thankful I am to be joining such a loving and giving family! Thank you so much for top notch hospitality, Bulgaria!!

And... Now What? Italy.

The Black Sea meets "Survivor"

With temperatures in Rousse hitting the 100 degree mark just about daily, Christo and I decided to take a few days and head to the sea!

Little did we know that the town we decided on had experienced a massive water outage the day before our arrival. Upon arrival (Tuesday morning) we were informed that on Monday a huge water pipe broke and most of the town didn't have water but it was scheduled to come back by 4 pm Tuesday. With that said, Christo and I were like hmm alright well let's head to the beach and when we get back the water will be back on.

Oh if only...

To put it nicely let's just say the ETA for water went from 4 pm Tuesday to 7 pm Tuesday to not coming back until Wednesday night around 10:32 pm!!

My advice to ALL couples... If you want the ultimate bonding experience, find a town that has lost water, book a room and enjoy helping one another do things you usually take for granted (flushing a toilet, washing yourself, brushing your teeth) when you have something as simple as H2O!

Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures!

Below is the link to our albums from Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest!  Enjoy!!

http://emdefeo.shutterfly.com/pictures/5

The motherland.

Christo and I have been relaxing here in Bulgaria the past few days! It is extremely hot but we have stayed nice and cool indoors.

We flew from Budapest into Varna, Bulgaria, which is about 2 hours from Rousse, his hometown. Philip was at the airport waiting for our arrival (thanks Philip!). After a pit stop at the beach and a quick round of drinks it was Rousse or bust!

We are regrouping and Christo is busy working on our 2nd leg of travel. At this point it looks like that leg will begin around July 30th. Until then we're going to appreciate all things "Bulgarian" and rest up!

Budapest, Hungary Day 2 and Welcome to Bulgaria!

Whew. The past few weeks have flown by! As I type this post from Bulgaria tonight, Wednesday, July 11th, I cannot believe we started our journey a little over two weeks ago. We have wrapped up our first leg of travel and it has been FABULOUS!

Yesterday was our 2nd day in Budapest and we experienced just about everything the city has to offer. Christo mapped out the perfect route and we fully accomplished it by late afternoon! I was so impressed with the Hungarian people. They were all extremely polite and sincere. It was a breath of fresh air to explore such a friendly place!

Buda + Pest = Budapest

Today was the day of climbing! Christo and I braved the 90 degree plus temperatures and headed out to explore the city of Budapest.

Our first climb of the day was up to The Citadel. Once to the top, the views of the city and the river are pretty amazing, thankfully, making the climb well worth it!

From there we headed to Buda Castle, which is also situated high up on a hilltop, but once again well worth the climb. There are so many picture opportunities from up there it was hard to stop snapping!

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and treated ourselves to ice cream while walking the cobblestone streets back to our hotel. It was a great first day in Budapest!

Next up... heading out to explore the "Pest" side of this beautiful city that is dividend by the Danube River!

Vienna, final day and Budapest arrival!

Our last day in Vienna could not have been filled with more gorgeous scenery!

We met Christo's friend and his wife at Schonbrunn Palace, one of the most pristine places I have ever seen. There are acres upon acres of beautiful gardens ranging from rose gardens to ponds to rows of hedges trimmed in uniform fashion!

After spending several hours walking the lawns of the palace we worked up quite the appetite! We went to what they call "running" sushi and it was by far one of my favorite experiences. I have seen this conveyor belt type of sushi before but I can't explain the variety, quality and speed this particular place knocked out!

Vienna is one of my top cities ever visited and my advice to anyone reading this... BOOK a trip if you haven't been... You'll thank me later!

Today is Sunday, July 8th and we arrived in Budapest! We just checked into the Palazzo Zichy and it's fabulous!!

Vienna, Day 2

Christo and I enjoyed another HOT yet great day here in Vienna yesterday!

We took the subway over to Danube Island. The Danube River runs from Germany to the Black Sea. It even passes through Christo's hometown in Bulgaria before making it's way to the sea. We relaxed under a tree and watched the locals sun and swim!

From the river we headed to the St Stephan Cathedral. It was absolutely breathtaking. We tried to get good pictures but I swear they just don't do it any justice!

Last night we met up with Christo's friend and his wife and a local pub. It was a beautiful night and the homemade brew was spot on!

Vienna, Austria

Vienna is gorgeous! Honestly, this was one of my top cities to visit but wow... Just when you thought you have found the most pristine garden you walk one block and there's even a better one!

Yesterday was a hot one but we still managed to get in a pretty full day. We walked from garden to garden and park to park, taking occasional rests in the shade! Along the way we toured the museum quarter, the parliament, city hall, downtown and Hofburg Palace.

Last night we met Christo's friend and his wife for a typical Austrian dinner. We dined in a beer garden setting and all enjoyed wiener schnitzel and beers! It was a really fun night and they speak English, always a plus!

Prague, final day and Welcome to Vienna!

Yesterday was our last day in Prague and we could not have spent it a better way... Checking out the Staropramen Brewery!

We met Christo's family to say bye and then it was off to the brewery for us.

Last night we enjoyed a nice dinner al fresco under an awning as it poured and poured down rain!

Today is July 4th and although we're not grilling and chilling we did arrive in the beautiful city of Vienna! Christo is knocking it out of the park with his hotel picks! H10 Berlin - check! Pure White Prague - check! Daniel Vienna - so far so good!