Homeward bound,

We are in Zagreb again, awaiting our connecting flight to Frankfurt. Then Toronto will lead us to Edmonton, to our families and friends at home. This has been the trip of a lifetime, and we are bursting at the seams with stories of the roads we have traveled. We have really enjoyed sharing our tales so far, through our travel blog. We're glad you could see our trip through our eyes, from our photos eurotrippin. Really, to everyone who took the time to drop past our pages, thank you. We traveled a long ways, by plane, car, bus, ferry, boat, foot, and donkey. We saw as much of the world in five weeks  as either of us had seen in our lifetimes. Amazingly enough, there is still a whole world waiting to be explored, and we are excited and envigorated by this tip to head out again and chip away at the fascinating world that is waiting for all of us. But fist, reality needs a visit from us, as well as our own bed!  Update: Our Toronto flight has been cancelled. It's seems fate and destiny want this vacation to end even less than we do. Instead of arriving in Edmonton tonight, we will spend the night in Frankfurt Germany, and continue on tomorrow.  Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise. It's not everyday you get free accommodation, drinks and dinner in a fine hotel:) Strike on Air Canada, Strike On:) Until Next Time, Pat and Sarah

Travel Bug Bites Again!

We really did say Croatia was the last stop. And we really did have full intentions of planting our roots and staying put. But with the Montenegro border less than two hours away from our room by car, we figured we might as well get another stamp in our passports. We made our way through another couple of walled towns, one very similar to Dubrovnik except its walls were far larger and scaled the mountainside. Later, we got caught in a torrential downpour in Kotor, and found ourselves hopelessly wet as the tiny stone walled streets quickly transformed into rivers as rainfall spilled from rooftops and gushed from gutters. The remainder of Dubrovnik was remarkable, we made a number of day trips and went as far as we could for a full day in all directions. North, south, east and west. On one of our favorite trips, we caught a "water taxi" and headed over to the Island of Lokrum. Wow, just fifteen minutes from the shore. We had no idea such a Gem was awaiting us. We were immediately greeted by a wild Peacock, and after chasing him around to get the perfect picture, we soon realized they were all over the island and could hardly be kept out your cameras frame. They were literally everywhere, and we loved it. Shouting to females from cliffs, trees, picnic benches, you name it! These beautifully delicate birds had their captivating tail feather fans in full display. It was like national geographic right before our eyes as the males danced and shook their feathers, laboring for the attentions of a female. The island was surrounded with huge flat topped rocks, the perfect natural tanning beds jutting from the sea. And if you followed them around the coast you would quickly find the "nude beach." (still deserted this time of year) We explored vacant fortresses atop the island, and enjoyed drinks to the tune of a classic guitar, smoothly singing out velvety tunes through a single speaker Marshall amplifier in the shade. If it weren't for the no camping signs, we may have forfeited our indoor bed for a sleeping bag under the stars. This island was truly an experience all it's own. We found ourselves taking in all the culture possible in Croatia. Near our room we found an art exhibition, featuring the photographer Steven McCurry. You know his work, he is responsible for what has been regarded as the greatest photograph of all time. The Afghan Girl with the Haunting Green eyes.  We learned that Steven would do anything to capture his subjects, including dressing up in traditional garments, sewing film into his clothing, and travelling deep within the borders of conflict. We stood face to face with a vast number of life sized portraits that felt like they could see your soul. We visited other exhibits as well. The Croatian people are determined to remember what they gave up to earn their independence by way of the homeland war 1991-1994. The suffering was impossible to ignore as we walked through various war exhibits, The most thorough of which is located in a fortress in the heart of the battlefield atop Dubrovnik's mountainside. For me, I struggled the most with how recent all the pictures were. I was alive for this. I can remember Bosnia on the news. And here, were the photographs from the horrid stories I had almost forgotten. These war museums look nothing like the ww2 pictures I'm used to seeing that look, "comfortably dated" in my mind.  Reflecting conflicts from long before I traveled this earth. This was far too real... Captured in color, and as terrible as anything you can imagine.  Pat and Sarah

Last stop Croatia

We landed in Zagreb Croatia, the Nations Capital on Tuesday night. We were on a plane FULL of Texans. And every last one of them talked just like Mater from Cars. Sarah and I just about died laughing quietly to ourselves on the back of the plane. "hmm" one of them said. "thay took all meh foot lowshun." "I didnt thank lowshun was a lickwid." Anyhow, we had  plans to take a train to Dubrovnik. When we asked the best way to Dubrovnik at the ticket counter we were told "By Plane," as the other options were neither fast nor direct. We opted to book a night bus and see the sights of Zagreb for the day until our night departure. Zagreb was really cool, exploding with fashionable well dressed  people. Sarah and I found ourselves feeling a little out of place having slept at the airport, still  in hoodies and flip flops amongst their  leather coats, heels, and scarves. We arrived in Dubrovnik around 9:00am and successfully found a beautiful apartment with an ocean view just outside the old city's wall. To our delight, just 300 kuna a night (60 Canadian Loonies). We have three separate rooms connected by hallway, and a balcony joining the rooms on the other side. Our own little private kitchen has become our best friend, taking trips to the store to get ingredients for "home cooked" meals some evenings.  It took a while took get the prices straight here, 5.5 Kuna is about one dollar. The first time the register at the supermarkt beamed 300 we almost had a heart attack gripping our puny bag of groceries.  We have a beautiful beach just down the street that we have really enjoyed, and other times our balcony has sufficed in the sunshine with its more reasonably priced drinks:) Dubrovnik  is pretty tourist heavy with regular cruise ships docking daily, so good deals can be a little hard to find. The going rate for a mixed drink in the old city is about ten dollars. The fortified walls have been really cool to explore, but we still have loads of plans. You can actually take a tour around the tops of the walls through passages and corridors, this will be a must for us. Last night was a first for me. We went to a Vegitaeian restaurant recommended by our lonely planet books. It's kind of funny, it's name is Nishta, directly translated it means "nothing". When the owners tried to explain the concept of vegetarianism to the other locals they had a hard time. "We don't serve meat," they said. "So you serve nothing," exclaimed the locals. And so the name was born. Nishta. Nothing. We already have plans to go back but not before making some of our other plans realities. We still want to head up the mountainside to see a Croatin war exhibit. The exhibit Further expains the  city siege battles that earned them their independence in the nineties. There are countless islands awaiting exploration, and I'm sure the ocean will call our names another time or two. Next Stop, Canada Pat and Sarah

Santorini. Volcanic Land of Cliff Towns And Donkey Taxis

Now, we are on our way to Athens, to catch a flight to our final destination, Croatia. As our ferry plugs along northward, let's catch you up on Santorini. Santorini is a beautiful horseshoe shaped island with a live volcano (called the caldera) in the center. It is made of pumice from the recorded eruptions that have altered the landscape. We even got to see photos from its last eruption in the 1950's. We stayed in Fira, a town carved into the rocky mountainside that  struts out of the ocean. All the homes and businesses are stacked above one another and interconnected by mazes of concrete steps. This Island is really  Known for its blue domed churches you may have seen in pictures. We had a magnificent view from our room, towering over the port. From our room, the port could be reached by descending 550 stairs. You also had the option to take a cable car ride down, or ride your own personal donkey for 5 euros. We walked down the seemingly endless staircase and took an excursion on an old wooden galleon type ship to march around on (the caldera) volcano. The volcano was cool, we saw the craters from the past eruptions and even some live vents that still pump steam out at 100 degrees C. Nearby there is a natural hot spring in a cove that makes the ocean water feel like a warm bath. Diving off the ship and swimming around was refreshing surrounded by such a surreal landscape. We returned that evening up the mountain to our rooms by donkey. The Donkeys were awesome! Ours were really well behaved, they just kept on clomping up the steps toward home, but others had rowdy biting donkeys that did not listen well. Aside from mine taking a break to eat some plants overhanging the path, he gets five stars. Sarah's Donkey was faster and figured it was a race. Even though I got on first, she soon passed me on an inside turn and kept me in her donkey's dust. Our dinners here were amazing, with prawns the size of bananas and a Greek dish called moussaka. It's kind of like lasagna with potatoes instead of noodles. Baked fresh and golden crispy on top, its delicious! We spent the evenings in a local bar called two brothers. An awesome little club with a balcony, great martinis, shiesha pipes, and popcorn. We took in the nightlife as the whole room grooved and thumped to current american hits and Michael Jacksons's most famous anthems. This place really had a pulse all it's own. See you again Greece, it was a pleasure... Next Steps, Dock Ferri Catch Plane Catch other plane Find a place to call home in Dubrovnik Croatia... Starting a whole new chapter Eurotrippin, Pat and Sarah

Chania, Crete, Greece

We planned to see as many greek islands as possible, and then that number quickly corrected itself to two. All the ferries off of Crete for the next five days were booked. So on Saturday we will boat across to Santorini for a couple days before shipping off to Croatia. Chania has been kind to us. Great weather, beautiful beaches, markets, and balcony afternoons. It's 10:49 a.m. here, and we're sitting on our balcony watching the festivities as the Olympic Torch is coming through town! The harbor is packed with school children and the locals have gathered on all the rooftops. Any minute now we should get a look at the flames to start the games! And here they are! The torch is being ran down a thin winding road circling the harbor, with a procession of police cars and olympic sponsored Bmw's; Even the coastguard is making an appearance. Wow, like we said, Chania has been kind to us. Our last three days have been great, a little slower paced than the first two weeks but we're still putting the miles on. We hiked through the Samarian Gorge, A 17 km rocky trail that starts on a mountain top, weaves down the cliff side with multiple river crossings made of old driftwood and fallen boulders. Sarah was the only one who managed to stay dry on this one. A tippy stone got the best of me. Once we made it through the gorge we were led to a tiny village only accessed by boat, our way home. They DID have a seat for us. So we waited for the ferry to depart, we soaked up he tiny town decorated with tiny shops, and an amazing beach of tiny black pea sized pebbles (not actually sand). We quickly found a spot on the beach and sat back with the waves crashing on our feet. We didn't bring our swim suits but maybe no one here knows joe boxer doesn't make swim wear. I'm going for it... One of our most amazing dinners came on the dimly lit pathways near our room. We met a restaurant owner as we explored the streets of old Chania, (the part of town surrounded by a stonewall) He invited us in, and I asked him for his recommendation from the menu. He pointed at a casserole dish, baked in an antique clay pot. When we opened the lid we were blown away by a huge serving of beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, veal, and local cheeses. This is flavor country. This lamp lit roofless dining lounge is reason enough to return... Crete is a pretty big island, renting a scooter really helped expand our adventure footprint. We hit up the coast in search of our own beach to spend the afternoon. Traffic here is a little different. To help the flow, bikes don't wait in line at lights! They swoop between cars and vans to the front of the line. And take off first on the green. Lane markings also seem optional, dipping in and out however you see fit is the norm. Sarah was the most brave, I would have not got on the back of the scooter with me! But she let me ride it back to he hotel alone and figured since I arrived alive we stood a chance on the coast;) next stop. Santorini. Stay tuned, Pat and Sarah

It's All Greek to Me! Bed wetters, thieves, and con artist scoundrels...

This chapter begins in the Rome Train Station. What was to be a relaxing train ride turned Into an episode of "The Amazing Race." we had plans to catch a ferry in Bari to head across to Patras, "Greece" but as luck would have it our intended train sold out as we stood in line to get tickets. The next train available would leave us with under an our to get to the ferries. (which we learned from online forums were well over an hours journey by foot. Not to mention standing in line for tickets, passing security, not getting lost and rolling the dice on a delay free departure from Rome. There was hope, but we needed the stars to align. Sarah figured we could save some time by buying advance ferry tickets, this proved to be a good plan but our tickets didn't actually say which port we left from (there were two.) Upon arriving in Bari we quickly made friends with the first man to say Taxi and found our way to the correct port as he recognized our ferry line from our tickets and knew it was pier 7(yeah, a little lucky we know.) We made it safely and on time onto our correct ferry to begin the first 16 hour leg of our 24 hour journey. As I write this we are on a bus toward Athens, where we will try and connect with another ferry to take us to Any of the Greek Islands. We will let the schedules for the ferris choose where we go as they all look beautiful and choosing can be so hard:)  10 hours ago we thought we might not make it this far in a single day. We sailed the high seas in a cramped deck with what appeared to be a motley crew of homeless pirates, riding in the stench of their urine soaked clothes and rumbles of their never ending snores. Sleep was hard to come by as our bags never seemed safe within the reach of three scruffy men who "accidentally mishandled" baggage that was not theirs, and left with bags from time to time to return empty-handed. We finally made it ashore in Patras, belongings in tow, where we were welcomed (or not so welcomed) by four different men with cars soliciting themselves as cabs. They all offered to drive us to Athens for 250 euros, and indicated that since it was a Sunday, and an election day, No busses were running and a cab was our only hope. Quickly recognizing this as a high pressure used car sales tactic, we told them we would consider it over lunch and began walking toward the heart of downtown which to our pleasure was only 1 km away, not the 7km the "cabbies" had warned us of. We managed to find some helpful english speaking shopkeepers downtown that gave us train times as well as directions to the station. We have successfully avoided our first really deep tourist trap. Even a girl working for the ferris warned us of the "cancelled" busses and directed us to the mob of "cabbies." Now we're on a bus and we think we're going to Athens! Next post, some small Greek island... Update:  It's now 10:52 pm, local Greek time. We're on yet another ferry. We haven't seen a bed or a shower in well over 30 hours. We won't be arriving in Crete for another ten, but once we arrive,  a 3 hour bus should have us in the oasis of Chania. (but nothing is booked and Sarah is grouchy.) I have been reminding her this is a considerable improvement over the cardboard box that nearly became a reality in florence! On ferries, cabins are 10 times the price of a chair, so needless to say our broke asses are in deck chairs our way to Crete. Not a small island, but our last cabbie dropped us off in front of this ship. Our only common words were "super fast ferries." This is the ferry company that we get a deal with because of our  Eurail pass we purchased! New plan, enjoy crete for 2 or 3 days, hit up a Greek island or two, maybe Santorini and then return to Athens on the 14th for our flight to  Update: Monday, 11:00 am. This is heaven. 46 hours later and we are here. We made our way through Chania and found an immaculate top floor, two level apartment room overlooking the bustling harbor with a.c. and a private patio. I think we have the nicest place in town and it's under budget! Although we both made it from Rome to Crete for under 150 euro, our recommendation is FLY!  Pat and Sarah

When in Rome...

Our stop in Rome was Short, but we saw what we came for. We have been turning down offers of guided tours and promises of short lines in exchange for our cold hard cash, after we realized most of the people you walk through these sights with are on tours and, and you hear some great information from ther guides as you go. We managed to hit up the hot spots in late evenings when the lines were scarce,doing our sightseeing on foot as we explored this great city. It isn't a bad idea based on the size of the beers here to get a little exercise! Really, everywhere you turn here you are surrounded by ancient ruins. You can hardly find a boring route to travel. And keeping our destinations flexible as we have, "All roads will get you there." The remains of brick structures still lie on the corners of soccer fields and metro station entrances. It was truly a grand feeling walking through what was undeniably the center of the world in another lifetime. The Colloseum was our favorite, perhaps because it was the most vivid in our minds going in. We learned on our visit that it is largely in ruins not only due to nature, but different kings had built other structures borrowing from its materials after the games had fallen out of favor with the public. Other sights we visited during our nomadic treks were, Vatican museum, The Panthanon, Trevi Fountain, Roman forum, The Palentine, and we took in another traveling Dali exhibition! Next stop, Greece, somewhere!