Didn’t Want to Leave Lviv
The third stop on our Ukrainian adventure took us to Lviv, a city in Western Ukraine that is viewed as one of the country’s cultural centers. Unlike in Kiev and Odessa where the predominant language is Russian, Lviv natives speak Ukrainian. Due to its Polish and Austro-Hungarian history and western location within the country, Lviv feels more like Western than Eastern Europe and is even nicknamed the “little Paris of Ukraine”. While I wouldn’t go as far as making Paris comparisons, I did find Lviv to be a beautiful, historic, and enjoyable city. It is an affordable gem within the oftentimes expensive Europe.
Read MoreBabushkas in Bikinis
ba-bush-ka: noun: an old woman or grandmother or a headscarf tied under the chin typical of Polish or Russian women.
bi-ki-ni: noun: a very brief two piece bathing suit for women
While most people would not think of these two things as going together, in Odessa, Ukraine, they seem to be the norm.
Read MoreWhy Not Ukraine?
Why Ukraine? We were often posed this common question before embarking on the third and final leg of our trip around the world. During our first few days in Kiev, even local Ukrainians asked us the same thing. Tourism in Ukraine isn’t huge, especially among Americans. Historically, this is probably due to the language barrier and the country itself not being set up for mass tourism. But after recently co-hosting UEFA’s Euro 2012 (huge soccer tournament) with Poland, Ukraine drastically improved its infrastructure. Now, it is a truly navigable, not to mention, affordable country. The west needs to take advantage before it becomes the next new destination in Europe.
Read MoreWowed in Wine Country
Beautiful. Spectacular. Picturesque. Stunning. I could go on and on about the uniquely gorgeous landscape that makes up South Africa’s wine country. Mike and I were floored by the beauty at every turn (unreal views despite cloudy weather during our time…I cannot even imagine if we had caught a sunny day.) Thanks to this phenomenal scenery and surprisingly quaffable (to pay tribute to Sideways) wine, we thoroughly enjoyed sipping our way through Stellenbosch and Franschoek, the two towns that make up South Africa’s wine country.
Read MoreKnysna and the Garden Route
I didn’t know what to expect while touring South Africa. I had heard horror stories about crime in Johannesburg, rave reviews about Cape Town, and next to nothing about anything else. Given these expectations, Mike and I decided to focus our time around Cape Town. While we enjoyed the city itself, we absolutely fell in love with the surrounding areas. Within one hour of Cape Town lies some of the most idyllic wine country we have ever experienced (more on this later). And Cape Town serves as the ideal jumping off point for the Garden Route, a popular and drivable stretch of coastline dotted with picturesque towns in southeastern South Africa.
Read MoreOut and About in Cape Town
After close to two months in Africa and, most recently, two weeks camping through Namibia, we had been eagerly awaiting our arrival into Cape Town. We had heard only positive things about South Africa’s legislative capital and second largest city (behind Johannesburg). Both fellow travelers and friends who have either worked or studied there raved about it. We could not wait to spend a few days here as we were excited for a big city and were craving the hustle and bustle, bar scene, and culinary delights (we were in serious need of an upgrade from PB&J and various camping foods) that we had been hearing about. Although we were actually underwhelmed by downtown Cape Town, we soon realized that it’s surroundings are the big draw.
Read MoreGiving Back
A huge part of our journey is about giving back. While the personal travel is sure to dazzle, we are confident that it will be the volunteer experiences that will show us the most about the world and touch our souls. Read more...