Adventures by Alan and MelanieĀ
For our last two weeks in Japan, we stayed in homes instead of in guesthouses or hostels. First, we stayed in Hadano, with a lovely couple that hosted us through Workaway. Then, we moved to my Obaachan’s house in Nagoya for a few days.
Our decision to go to Kanazawa was rather spontaneous but so worth it! After getting shut down in the Alps in the rain, we decided that rain can’t stop culture. We booked two nights in the city and set out to explore.
After a long journey taking us through Dubai, we arrived in Tokyo. The sprawling metropolis swallowed us whole as we stepped into the neon craziness of Shinjuku and walked to our hotel. In the following 10 days, we explored Tokyo, and then Kyoto, and Nara with Dan and Jake who were visiting from LA.
After leaving Romania, we enjoyed a day in Belgrade, reunited with a new friend in Zagreb, and coasted north to Munich, stopping in Ljubljana and Salzburg. We arrived to Munich just in time to hang out with Michelle and explore her new neighborhood.
We arrived in Bucharest for dinner, and to our delight, we found the pedestrian āold townā bustling with life and packed with restaurants and bars. This was just the beginning of our discovery of Romania. After visiting castles, mountains, towns, and mines, we are pleased to share that this country is a blossoming destination that we are so glad we did not miss!
Our ferry arrived back in Athens, and we spent the day in the city before heading north to the mountains of Bulgaria. We did two fabulous day hikes and explored more ancient cities, the capital Sofia, and walked through a sweet cave!
Our first few hours in Greece were eventful! Not only did we see a bear cross the road, but we also admired the super deep Vikos gorge from the town above! Despite the rain that followed us from the Balkans, our journey to Athens was beautiful.
After landing in Sarajevo, we set off for Montenegro, retracing our path through the beautiful Bosnian countryside. (This time with a well-traveled English hitchhiker for company!) As we crossed into Montenegro, the river valley transformed into a stunning canyon with tall limestone cliffs lining the river, and mountains peeking behind. This unreal first impression had us eager to discover what more the country had to offer.
With spirits soaring as high as our airplane, we arrived to Istanbul. After seeing the massive city from the airplane, we were ready to explore! Ahead was an amazing week of discovery, friends, and food!
With minutes left to leave our guesthouse in Omis, we checked the weather for the next week and tried to mask our disappointment – nonstop rain. Not great news for our climbing and hiking plans. “Let’s go to Istanbul!” I suggested. After scrambling to buy flights with our precious last few minutes of WiFi, we had booked flights from Sarajevo, Bosnia to Istanbul for the next day. Adventures!
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